by Liz Turner
“I’m okay,” Renata replied.
“I’m not!” Liana declared. “Someone shot me!”
Max immediately leaped to her. “Where were you hit?”
“She wasn’t hit,” Veronica answered. “The arrow barely missed her when she moved. It was complete luck she’s not dead.”
“Miss Freberg, I will not say this again,” Erica’s voice said, coming from inside the tent. “The arrow used to kill Sandra was the same as the ones you use. Why don’t you just admit to it?”
“Because I didn’t do it!” Shen’s voice argued back. “I can’t believe you would even think I would hurt my cousin! I hated it when she got so much as a paper cut!”
“Remember how worried she was that Sandra wasn’t getting enough rest?” Sakura remembered. “Or enough to eat?”
“What I want to know is why nobody told me about Sandra when it happened!” Shen continued to shout. “I should’ve been the first to know!”
“You were the first to know,” Erica insisted. “Since you’re the one who did it!”
“Oh boy,” Astrid said. “This isn’t going to go well.”
“Okay, that’s it. I’ve had enough.” Veronica burst into the tent, not caring about the other police officers who were guarding the outside. “Chief Maerune, you are going to stop this right now!”
Erica uncrossed her arms, turning her attention away from the sitting archer to the expert chef. Her eyes narrowed at the interruption, and she stepped forward.
“I told you to not get involved anymore,” she sneered.
“I don’t care.” Veronica only barely heard the sounds of the others entering the tent, leaving the whole interior feeling rather claustrophobic. “You are going too far. Shen is not the killer.”
“And how do you know that?” Erica asked, her voice still cold. “Your years of experience in crime solving and criminal minds?”
“No,” Veronica answered. She turned to wave her hand to Liana. “I know that because Liana here was attacked by the same archer, also using Shen’s arrows. She nearly died if she hadn’t moved out of the way just in time.”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Erica protested.
“Aren’t you paying attention?” Sakura demanded.
“Liana was attacked while Shen was here with you,” Veronica informed the Chief. “And last time I checked Shen wasn’t able to be in two places at the same time.”
Veronica saw Shen smile out of the corner of her eye, but the chef kept her gaze on Erica.
“Shen’s arrows were stolen,” Sakura added. “A bunch of them were missing from her quiver. That’s how we knew someone else was going to be attacked.”
“Leaving Shen completely innocent,” Max contributed. “Like we’ve all been saying.”
Erica sighed. “All right. Your logic makes sense. But then who is the one shooting these people? And poisoning Julia?”
“You wouldn’t know since you weren’t at the Archery Contest yesterday,” Veronica reported. “There is one other person just as skilled who could make a shot like the one that got Sandra. Natalie Dorota.”
“Now there’s a familiar name,” Renata commented. “Remember last night, when I told you about the betting rings? I remember people talking about a Natalie being involved.”
“The ones Julia was running?” Veronica asked.
“Right,” the historian said.
“Why wasn’t I told about this?” Erica asked, but she was mostly ignored.
“If Natalie was involved with this gambling,” Max concluded. “It would explain why she had that fight with Julia after the Archery Contest.”
“I wasn’t told about that either!” Erica complained.
“So maybe Natalie wanted Julia dead because of something with these bets,” Sakura stated. “But I doubt she had access to Julia’s meds.”
“Natalie…Shen, you use tryptophan as a sleep aid, right?” Veronica asked the young archer.
Shen jumped a little. “Sometimes, yeah. Why?”
“Remember the autopsy report?” the chef asked the detective. “And the high levels of tryptophan?”
“Which messed with Julia’s system along with her antidepressants,” Max said with a nod.
“What are the chances Natalie dosed Julia’s drink with tryptophan?” Veronica theorized.
“She told me she ran out last night,” Shen added. “Maybe because she used all she had on Julia?”
“But why would she go after Sandra?” Astrid asked, taking a seat next to Shen. “I mean, wanting Julia gone I get. I wouldn’t kill her, but why Sandra?”
“And why me?” Liana demanded.
“Why all of us?” Renata corrected her.
“We figure it’s because you’re all involved in the Fair’s committee,” Veronica informed them all.
“But that wouldn’t make sense if Natalie killed Julia because of the gambling rings,” Sakura rationalized. “Sandra didn’t have anything to do with that, did she?”
“No,” Shen answered. “And before you argue, Chief, I’m positive. I know my cousin much better than you do.”
Erica didn’t have anything to say to that. She just folded her arms across her chest again.
“Maybe it had more to do with financial reasons, as gambling always does,” Max offered.
“Liana, you used to be the financial advisor for the committee,” Veronica addressed the musician. “And Natalie did try to shoot you. Could it have anything to do with that?”
“Now that you mention it, it might,” Liana replied. “I remember seeing a couple of discrepancies in the committee’s budget. Money missing where it shouldn’t be. It was part of the reason Julia and I fought so much.”
“What are the chances she was embezzling the money from the committee to fund this gambling ring?” Veronica concluded.
“Pretty good, I’d say,” Max said. “We’ll need to look at the committee’s bank statements to know for sure.”
An echoing sound rang through the tent, and both Max and Erica reached for their cell phones. Sakura put her hands up to cover her ears at the noise, and only lowered them when both phones were answered.
“Someone needs to fix their phone volume!” she joked.
“This is Bernard,” Max answered, and Erica did similarly. His eyes widened. “Okay. Be right there.”
“What is it?” Veronica asked.
“Trouble at the Fair entrance,” Erica reported as she left the tent. “Someone’s trying to leave against police regulations.
“I bet it’s Natalie,” Sakura said.
With Sandra’s tent not being too far from the Fair parking lot, it didn’t take long for the entire group to reach the gates of the grounds. Sure enough, there was quite a bit of commotion there, and a group of people had gathered around in a semicircle to watch the spectacle. Veronica didn’t have to worry about pushing her way through, however, since Max did that for her.
Natalie was there, shouting at a few of the officers still on guard and keeping anyone from entering or leaving the Fair. She had a backpack slung over her shoulder, and her bow was in her right hand. Her quiver was strapped to her belt, but it was closed, and she didn’t appear to have one set in the bow.
“If you don’t let me through,” she warned darkly. “I’ll go through you!”
“Ma’am, no one is allowed in or out…” one of the officers tried to placate her.
It didn’t seem to be working. “I’m not going to say it again.”
“Natalie Dorota!” Max called out. The woman in question froze. “We need to speak with you.”
Natalie glanced over her shoulder to see that Max was joined by an entourage. Veronica watched her carefully, waiting for any move that would indicate she was reaching for an arrow. Sakura stayed by her side, while Astrid and Renata stood a little behind them. Astrid’s hands and feet were twitching as she waited. Erica and Liana glared at the archer as well.
“We need to ask you about Julia’s and Sandra’s deaths,”
Max declared, stepping forward cautiously. “You must know we’ve figured everything out.”
“Figured out what?” Natalie asked, her face and voice much calmer than it was second ago. “What are you talking about?”
“Julia was poisoned with a mixture of her antidepressants and tryptophan, which would cause a chain reaction to kill her,” Max recited. “And Sandra was shot in the neck with an arrow by someone very skilled in archery.”
“What does any of that have to do with me?” Natalie asked, still sounding innocent as she turned around to face him.
“You use tryptophan yourself as a sleep aid, and you knew Julia enough to know she was on medication that couldn’t be mixed with tryptophan,” the detective continued. “Sandra’s easier. You took one of Shen Freberg’s arrows and shot her in the neck with it, hoping to frame Shen for her murder.”
“You’re still not making sense,” Natalie protested. “Even if I did know Julia, why would I want her dead?”
“Haven’t quite figured that part out,” Max admitted. “But we know you were both involved in the gambling rings for the Renaissance sports that were supposed to take place at this Fair. You must have disagreed about something.”
“You’re reaching,” Natalie argued. “And I’m not doing this.”
Natalie turned again, only this time instead of seeing the police officers guarding the gates she came face-to-face with the tip of an arrow. It was Shen, holding her bow and arrow straight into the older archer’s face, and Natalie gasped at the sight. She froze again, and the only movement between them was the slight shaking of Shen’s arms.
The younger archer glared. “Maybe this will change your mind.”
“Shen, what are you doing?” Natalie asked, her voice trembling now.
“I want to know the truth about Sandra,” Shen demanded. “Did you kill her? Did you shoot her? With my own arrow?”
Natalie paused. “Are you really going to shoot me, Shen? Me?”
“I want the truth!” Shen yelled with a flick of her bow, but she kept the arrow nocked. “Did you kill her or not?!”
“Looks like you’ve already decided if I did or not,” Natalie argued. She gave Shen a small smile. “But that’s okay. You’re not going to shoot me.”
“I’m not, am I?” Shen took a step, placing the arrow tip closer to Natalie’s face. “How much are you willing to trust that?”
“You don’t have the guts to do it,” Natalie taunted. “Go ahead. Shoot me!”
“I should. I could!” Shen snarled. “I trusted you. Took archery advice from you. You comforted me when I was so worried about Sandra! I can’t believe I ever considered you a friend!”
“Some people are just more gullible than others,” Natalie teased, but nobody was laughing.
“You’ll pay,” Shen hissed. “For what you did to Sandra. You’ll pay!”
“Wait! Shen!” Veronica called. She rushed forward and put a hand on the arm holding Shen’s bow. “Don’t! It’s not worth it! She’s not worth it!”
“I’m not going to just let her get away with this!” Shen declared. “Sandra wasn’t just my cousin! She was practically my sister! And now she’s gone!”
“I know, and I know you’re hurting,” Veronica said gently. “I know you want her to pay, but what Natalie needs is justice, not revenge.”
“Justice?” Shen repeated. “This is justice!”
“No, it’s just another murder,” Veronica said. “And we’ve had enough of those, haven’t we?”
No one else moved as the two women conversed. Sakura was about to join them, but Max held her back, not wanting anyone else to get too close to a dangerous weapon. Erica had pulled out her gun, but she was waiting to see how things progressed before she made a move. Perhaps Veronica could fix this. She was much better at talking with people than Erica was, after all.
Shen continued to gasp for breath while Natalie stared at her, her eyes still challenging Shen to release the arrow.
“Shen, killing her is not going to bring Sandra back,” Veronica reasoned. “And I know Sandra wouldn’t want you to become a murderer yourself. You say you were practically sisters. Wouldn’t she think that?”
Slowly but surely Shen released the tension on the bowstring, lowering the bow and pointing the arrow to the ground.
Chapter 16
With Natalie’s arrest, the people detained at the Fair were finally allowed to leave, including Veronica and Sakura. They packed up all their things again and started to load up the truck. This time, no officers stopped them. In fact, a number went out of their way to help the two chefs move their coolers, tools, and equipment from the food booth to the front of the Fair. It certainly saved Veronica and Sakura a lot of backaches.
Two hours passed, and the Fair was nearly empty. The people running the other stalls had long taken down their tents and moved away, leaving the grounds quiet and empty. Veronica didn’t think she would miss the strange smell of burning wood and coal from the authentic forge the swordsmith had going the whole time.
Veronica jumped a little as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders, and she looked up to see Max’s smiling face. She grinned back and put down the knives she was carrying.
“Don’t scare me like that,” she teased him. “I might have used one of these.”
“I doubt that,” Max replied. “We just wanted to update you on Natalie’s case.”
The use of plural was a little confusing until Veronica spotted Erica standing apart from the rest of them. Sakura huffed and put her nose in the air, more deliberately than a normal person would. Erica sighed.
“Yeah, I deserve that,” she admitted. “But we do have more information now.”
“What’s that?” Veronica inquired.
“First, we searched through Natalie Dorota’s quiver,” Erica said. “She had more of Shen’s arrows inside, proving your theory that they were stolen from the archery shed.”
“Didn’t need a police badge to figure that out,” Sakura sneered, but Veronica just jabbed her in her stomach with her elbow. “Ouch. Okay, sorry.”
“We also got access to Julia’s financial records,” Erica continued, trying to ignore the insult. “Along with her emails and phone records. She was involved in gambling, on a bigger scale than we imagined. It was going statewide.”
“Whoa. Wasn’t expecting that,” Veronica stated. “And Natalie was involved?”
“Not directly,” the Chief of Police resumed. “Based on the emails and texts, Julia was actually blackmailing Natalie, threatening to expose Natalie’s cheating in other archery competitions if she didn’t deliberately lose the contest yesterday.”
“Did Natalie acually cheat?” Sakura asked. “That’s a little hard to believe after seeing what a good shot she is.”
“Whether it’s true or not, Julia wanted Natalie to lose so she could bet more money that Shen would win,” Max explained. “Since Shen was a newcomer to the contest, not a lot of people would bet on her. Consequently Julia would have a windfall when Shen won, and Natalie lost.”
“That would also explain why Natalie went after Sandra and Liana,” Veronica grasped. “She probably thought they were all in on the gambling too, and they had the most access to the committee’s money.”
“Too bad she was wrong,” Erica stated. “I received Sandra’s records as well. She never even knew any of this was happening.”
“That was probably the one thing Julia didn’t have Sandra doing,” Sakura said.
“Probably. But in any case, Sandra was completely innocent of any crime,” Erica proclaimed. “Natalie killed her over a mistake.”
“Isn’t that the worst kind of death?” Veronica mused, and Max hugged her tighter. “So what’s going to happen now?”
“Well, with the Fair canceled and two members of the Renaissance Fair Committee dead, everything’s up in the air,” Max concluded. “There’s probably going to be more shuffling among the committee, but that’s something they’ll need to
figure out on their own.”
“I want to thank the two of you,” Erica said to Veronica and Sakura. “And to apologize. You did far better work than I thought you could, much of which I might have learned if I just stopped and talked to someone instead of waiting for forensic evidence.”
“Forensic evidence isn’t a bad thing to have,” Veronica responded. “Although it’s not the only evidence you can get.”
“But interviewing is faster,” the Chief of Police stated. “If I had acted quicker instead of waiting for data, I might have prevented Sandra’s death.”
“Isn’t there enough guilt going around now?” Sakura asked.
Erica chuckled. “Sure. I would be happy to have you two as consultants on another case…For real next time.”
“We’d be delighted,” Veronica answered as Max smiled behind her.
Erica gave a nod and a small bow before turning and heading towards the parking lot at the front of the Fair. With Max’s help, the two chefs were able to pack up the rest of their tent and make their way to the parking lot for themselves. On the way, Veronica spotted Shen leaning against one of the remaining poles by the gate entrance. Veronica put down the box she was carrying.
“Hold on for a second, Sakura,” she said. Sakura spotted Shen as well, dropping her own box so she wouldn’t tire as she waited. Veronica meanwhile strolled over to the young archer’s location. “Hi, Shen. How are you?”
“Terrible, but thanks for asking,” Shen replied. She glanced down at her feet and then raised her gaze again. “Thanks for before, for stopping me from making a horrible mistake. I was just overcome with anger.”
“We all feel that way when we lose someone we love,” Veronica said sadly. “I know it’s hard, but revenge really wasn’t the best choice.”
“I know that now, but I wasn’t thinking straight,” Shen confessed. “I feel like my heart’s been ripped out.”
Veronica nodded. “I’m sorry. I wish I knew how to help with that.”
“You already have,” Shen said. “And I’ll be okay…eventually. Thanks. Can I have a hug?”
Veronica didn’t bother to verbally respond. Instead, she wrapped her arms around the young woman, who held on tightly. Several seconds had passed before she was released, and Shen wiped a few tears away.