by Liz Turner
“Shen, you really need to let that go,” Sandra protested. “You don’t need to worry about me so much.”
“Oh yes I do,” Shen replied. “Or Julia would just let you starve to death.”
“Shen!”
Veronica let out a loud laugh. “You two are hilarious! How do you know each other?”
“We’re cousins actually,” Shen replied. Veronica and Sakura both stared at them in shock. “Hard to believe, I know.”
“Sorry. I don’t mean to be insensitive,” Veronica said. “It’s just that you two don’t look alike at all. Cousins at least have some similarities.”
“Blame Shen’s mom for that. She’s Chinese,” Sandra described with a giggle. “Our fathers are brothers, but I don’t have a drop of Chinese in me.”
“Sucks for you, huh?” Shen teased her cousin.
“Hey!”
Sakura checked her watch and gasped at the amount of time that had passed. “Uh, Veronica? Sorry to say this, but maybe we should get back to the booth?”
Veronica looked at her own watch and nodded.
“Yeah, we’ve left it unattended for long enough.”
“I need to go put my gear away too,” Shen stated. “They don’t let people walk around with their bows and arrows.”
“I would hope not!” Sandra teased. “Did you get all your arrows back?”
Shen nodded. “Except for one. I couldn’t seem to find it.”
“Hope you find it soon,” Veronica said to the Freberg cousins. “Congrats again, and I hope we’ll see you again.”
“After that delicious lunch?” Sandra added. “Absolutely!”
The women went their separate ways, with Veronica and Sakura retracing their steps back to the food booth. They tried to stay at the back of the crowd as everyone left the archery range and made their way back to the Fair proper. The Archery Contest had not been a long competition, but the two chefs were concerned a line may have formed at the food booth in their absence. The sounds of rumbling stomachs and the mumblings of hungry children told them they were needed.
“I hope no one’s starving,” Veronica murmured as they walked.
“There you go with your ‘feeding people thing’ again,” Sakura teased, and Veronica simply huffed good-naturedly.
As they made their way past the other booths, Veronica paused at the sound of a crashing trashcan. She stopped and glanced in the direction the noise originated from. It wasn’t obvious, and she had to do a little searching, but eventually she spotted some movement out of the corner of her eye.
“What was that?” she wondered out loud.
“I don’t know,” Sakura said, following her friend.
The two came to a small passage between two tents, and sure enough, there was a trashcan sitting on its side. At the other end of the path were Julia and Natalie, and they appeared to be having a disagreement of some kind. Julia was throwing her hands around, and her face was beet red, making her hair stand out. The papers on her clipboard flapped around as she yelled. Natalie, on the other hand, was stiff as she stared and took Julia’s yelling silently. Every so often she would whisper something. Veronica was never good at reading lips, so she couldn’t tell what either of the women was saying.
“Can you hear them at all?” Sakura whispered in Veronica’s ear.
“No,” she replied. “How can two people argue like that but not be loud enough for others to hear?”
They never received the answer to that question. Julia wrote something on her clipboard and then turned on her tall heels and strode away. Natalie watched her go for a few seconds before heading off in the opposite direction. Veronica and Sakura watched as she left and then returned to the center of the Fair.
“What do you think that was about?” Sakura asked, to which Veronica simply shrugged her shoulders. Sakura sighed. “Lots of fighting going on around here.”
“And they all seem to involve Julia,” Veronica mentioned. “Julia and Sandra, Julia and Shen, Julia and Natalie…”
“…Yeah. Seems like Julia’s not as nice as I thought she was.”
Chapter 5
The Archery Contest and the fight between Julia and Natalie escaped Veronica’s mind for the rest of the afternoon. As the air turned cooler with the oncoming evening, it was decided to stop the cooking for the day and pack up. It wasn’t quite five yet, and the sun hadn’t come close to setting, but Veronica thought they could at least slow down production. She wanted to make sure they had time at The Rare Catch to prepare for the next morning’s meals. The Renaissance Fair was scheduled to be three days in length, so they had to be back the next day for breakfast.
I would trade out all my cooks throughout the Fair, Veronica thought. But I’ve got a feeling Sakura will want to come anyway, so throw that plan out the window.
There were still a couple of people who wanted to eat before leaving the Fair, which Veronica could understand since the admission ticket included all meals for the day. Despite this, many of them had already eaten earlier, so the line for dinner wasn’t nearly as long as the one for lunch had been.
“I think we’ll have a few hours at the restaurant to get ready for tomorrow,” Veronica commented to Sakura after she gave the last person their meal. “Are you up to doing that, or do you want me to have Lucy do the prep work with me?”
“I can do it. I’m not too tired,” Sakura answered. “And to be honest, I could use the overtime.”
That made her pause. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh yeah. No problem,” she replied. “It’s just my parents’ anniversary in two months, and I’d like to get them a nice gift.”
“I can front you some money if you need,” Veronica offered. “I can spare some.”
“Thanks, but I want to earn it,” Sakura protested. She grinned at her employer. “The best way you can help is by giving me every overtime chance I can get.”
“Just don’t exhaust yourself.”
“Yes, Mom!”
Veronica rolled her eyes and picked up one of the coolers. “I’ll take this to the truck. Be right back.”
Sakura waved her hand goodbye while Veronica left the food booth and headed for the entrance to the Fair. She could see families gathering together to head home, while a couple of costumed employees were cleaning up their stalls. The swordsmith was cooling down his authentic forge so he could pack it away for the night. Most of the tents were to remain pitched, but they were closed up with canvas and any valuables locked away. The people running these booths would be back the next day to continue the festivities.
Or at least that had been the plan. The front entrance to the Fair was packed with people, from couples to families to single visitors, all waiting to be let out through the gate to the parking lot. This didn’t seem to be the case, however, since everyone was simply standing around and chatting away. The people near the end of the line went on about their own business, discussing what they should do with the rest of their day and what they thought of the Fair.
However, the ones closer to the front of the line were another story. They were more irritable and impatient, with several of them asking what was taking so long to let them out. A few people even left the line to walk to the very front to see what was holding everything up.
What’s going on here? Veronica wondered.
Since she was technically an employee of the Fair, Veronica was allowed to bypass the line entirely and go to the front. She heard the annoyed mutterings of numerous Fair-goers who were not happy with her behavior, but if they really wanted that kind of special treatment, they could do the work.
What Veronica did not expect to find at the Fair’s gates was an assembly of police cars, along with multiple officers scouring the scene. Six of them were at the gates, putting up yellow police tape with large “Do Not Cross” signs. A couple of visitors tried to speak to them, likely to try and get passed to their vehicles, but every single one of them was turned away.
Veronica set the cooler down on th
e grass and walked to the closest officer, determined to find out was happening for herself.
“Hello Officer Drytes,” she greeted one of the policemen she had gotten to know over the last few months. “Is everything okay?”
“Hi Chef Koche,” Jason returned. “Didn’t know you’d be here. Enjoying the Fair?”
“Actually, I’ve been catering for this event,” Veronica answered. “But looks like you’re on duty. Has something happened?”
Jason bit his lip. “Well, sort of, but I’m not really allowed to talk about it right now. You understand.”
“Sure. I’ve seen enough cases with Max to know,” she proclaimed. “Would it be all right if I take one of my coolers to my truck? I need to pack up to leave soon.”
“You and a lot of others,” Officer Drytes chuckled. “Sorry, but we’re not allowed to let anyone in or out right now.”
“Oh boy, something really serious must have happened,” Veronica joked. “How about if you escort me? I can put my cooler in my truck and then you can walk me back here. I can’t do anything suspicious if you’re watching me.”
“I’m really sorry, Veronica, but the only people allowed to leave are those directly involved with the police,” Jason explained painfully. “And I know you’ve been dating Max for a while, but that doesn’t really count.”
“Okay. I understand,” she relented. “I’m really not trying to cause trouble.”
“I know. Don’t worry.”
“Is everything all right here?” A louder female voice called out. Veronica turned her head to her left to see who it was.
This woman was not much bigger than Veronica, but the embroidered police hat on her head provided a few extra inches to give the illusion of being notably taller. Like the other officers, she wore a deep blue, nearly black, uniform with golden buttons. Her medals and ribbons seemed more elaborate though than that of the other officers. On the left side of her chest was her police badge that was also slightly larger and more intricate than the others. Above that was the name “Erica Maerune” embroidered in loose cursive.
Officer Drytes stood at attention and gave a salute. “Hello, Chief. No, no problems here.”
“It’s nothing,” Veronica added. “I was just wondering what the hold up is, that’s all.”
“Veronica?”
This time, she recognized the voice. It was Max Bernard, Private Investigator who frequently worked with the Meloda Police Department on murder cases and complicated robberies. He had wavy brown hair that previously was long enough to touch his neck. Recently he had a haircut that put his new style right at the top of his ears. His brown eyes were covered by his sunglasses. He was wearing his normal black suit jacket and a pressed white shirt. His black tie was missing, however. Instead of his typical shoes, he wore a pair of black sneakers.
Max had also been Veronica’s boyfriend for the last several weeks.
“I didn’t know you’d be here,” he said, walking to her and giving her a tight hug.
“Neither did I until a few days ago,” she responded. She looked past his shoulder at the female Chief of Police and frowned a little. “So this is who you work with the most during a case?”
Max released his hold and turned to Erica with a cough. “Chief, this is Veronica Koche. I told you about her, remember?”
“I remember. You’re the one who helped with the Amber Buckner case and the Leo Amato case.” Erica smiled and offered her hand for Veronica to shake. Veronica grasped her hand a little tighter than she normally would. “Max speaks very highly of you. Sounds like you do good amateur detective work.”
Veronica could almost hear Sakura’s voice in the back of her head protesting that they weren’t “amateur detectives.” But unlike her younger friend Veronica knew when to not mention something like that.
“Thank you, Chief,” she answered, relaxing only a little bit. “Something serious must have happened if you’re involved. I’d ask what happened, but I’ve got a feeling you won’t share.”
“That’s right,” the Police Chief stated. “Sorry, but this is top secret right now, and the Fair is closed off until the investigation is finished.”
“Investigation, huh?” Veronica smirked and crossed her arms. “So a crime has been committed then?”
She could tell Erica wanted to groan at the fact she let that information slip, but she was holding it in. Veronica kept smiling, and Max put his hand over his mouth to hide his chuckle. Eventually, he cleared his throat and addressed the Chief of Police.
“You know, Chief, it would be good to have Veronica help us out, on an unofficial basis,” he suggested. “I take it Sakura’s here too?”
“Yes, she was helping me with our catering job,” Veronica replied.
“See? That’s two extra pairs of hands and eyes,” Max proclaimed. “And we could use all the help we can get.”
Erica seemed to consider this for a moment, and Veronica couldn’t help but feel a little tightness in her chest. Max has never needed her approval to involve Veronica before.
“Well the previous case files have been very thorough, and I know you can keep things confidential,” Erica reasoned. She let out a small sigh. “All right. You can help, but you answer to either Detective Bernard or me, understand?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Veronica declared, keeping her frown from deepening. I would be doing that anyway. You don’t need to tell me.
“So let’s fill her in,” Max said.
“Right. If you’ve been catering this event, you must know Julia Palmer?” Erica asked.
“Yeah, she’s the Chairwoman for the Meloda Renaissance Fair Committee,” Veronica recited. “Did something happen to her?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out,’ the Police Chief reported. “She recently died in her office tent, presumably from a heart attack.”
“A heart attack? Really? That’s weird.”
“I thought so too, but that’s what the only witness to the event called it.”
“We’ll need to check Miss Palmer’s health records, but her having a heart attack is unlikely,” Max declared. “The only thing really working against her there is her age, and even then fifty-nine isn’t that old.”
“They can still happen at that age, however,” Erica informed them. “But we can’t rule that as the cause of death until our medical examiner performs the autopsy.”
“You said there was a witness to this heart attack, or whatever it was?” Veronica inquired with a sinking stomach. Erica nodded. “Who was it?”
“A woman named Sandra Freberg,” the Chief of Police answered. “She was speaking with the deceased when it happened, and then she called nine-one-one.”
Veronica closed her eyes and let out her breath. “I was worried about that.”
“Do you know her?”
“Not closely. I got to know her and her cousin just earlier today,” she replied. “Is she all right?”
“She’s being kept in her own tent until we have the chance to question her,” Erica notified. “She was the last person to see Miss Palmer alive after all.”
“But how was she doing?” Veronica repeated her intended question. “Was she upset? What about Shen, her cousin?”
“I don’t know,” Erica admitted. “You can come with us to speak with her now if you like.”
“I would please,” Veronica responded. “I promise I won’t touch anything at the scene.”
“Smart lady. You know about not contaminating the scene.” Erica gave her a more genuine smile this time. “You were right about her, Max.”
“I told you,” he said simply.
“Actually, I learned it from Sakura,” Veronica corrected them. “She’s...”
“What did you learn from me?” Sakura’s voice broke through the noise of the unhappy crowds and into the conversation. “What’s going on? Roni, I was getting worried when you didn’t come back.”
“Friend of yours?” Erica was giving Sakura the same suspicious look she had gi
ven Veronica earlier.
“Close friend,” Veronica confirmed. “Come on, Sakura. We’ll explain everything on the way to Sandra’s tent.”
Chapter 6
Julia’s tent really was simply her office. Veronica understood when some of the Fair’s employees had to use modern technology for something (the swordsmith was the only one to refuse to use modern heating techniques for his forge) but for the most part, the employees stuck with the standards for the Renaissance or medieval eras.
Julia, on the other hand, seemed to think she was completely above the restrictions. Her tent was filled with technology. A computer sat on a plastic desk, a flat-screen television was in the opposite corner, and there was what appeared to be some kind of satellite dish pointing towards an open section of the canopy. The single plush leather chair was sitting on top of a plastic mat to keep the wheels from becoming clogged with grass. The desk was clean and organized, with numerous clipboards for the various sections of the Fair. Veronica spotted one board for the music, one for the dancing, one for the contests, and one for general admission. The smallest one was for catering, and Veronica wasn’t sure how she should feel about that. Next to the computer’s keyboard was a half-full mug of brown beverage, possibly coffee or soda.
The outside of the tent was guarded by more police officers, along with more yellow tape to block off the area. Thankfully no one was lurking around to try and look inside because the tape wasn’t really going to keep anyone from coming in.
It really just makes people more curious than anything, Veronica thought. It’s the officers that are keeping people away, not the yellow tape.
Veronica noticed how the moment Sakura was allowed into Julia’s tent she was confused and disappointed, and Veronica couldn’t help but grin.
“Looking for a body?” she asked.
“There’s always a body at a crime scene,” Sakura complained. “It’s part of the fun.”
“There’s nothing fun about death,” Erica declared. “And Miss Palmer was taken to the morgue so Doctor Lansome can perform the autopsy.”