The Jester: Interviews (2)

Episode 21: The Grieving Mother

May 01, 2024

While his interview with the Dowager Queen was fresh in his mind, Mardans returned to his room to add some notes to his report for the king. When finished, he headed to the captain’s office, where he handed in his report to Arius and asked him about finding the victim’s mother. The captain pulled out a file, shuffled through a short stack of papers within it, and finally handed one to his lieutenant. Mardans quickly found the surname “Luven” and noted the apartment number in the servants’ quarters.

“Please be gentle, Tinetta,” a somber Arius said. “I notified Mrs. Luven of her daughter’s death just an hour or so ago in the laundry. As you may imagine, she is devastated, and her superior gave her the rest of the week off. By now, she should be in her quarters. She begged me to let her see her daughter, but I told her she would not want to remember her that way.”

“I cannot imagine her grief,” Mardans said. “I will do my best not to distress her further, but that may be unavoidable.”

A five-minute walk took him to the servants’ quarters, a warren of small one- or two-room apartments lining narrow, ill-lit corridors paved with unpolished stone. The doors were numbered, and he found the Luven residence, number 27, near the end of a long hall, a black ribbon hanging from the doorknob. He knocked softly.

Expecting Gemena’s mother to answer, it surprised him when the door opened, and a young, teary-eyed face peered out at him. Looking to be in her mid-teens, the girl curtsied when she saw his uniform. “Can I help you, sir?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered, giving her a wan smile. “I am Lieutenant Sam Tinetta of the Palace Guard. I know my presence now is unwelcome, but I need to ask Mrs. Luven some questions so I can catch her daughter’s killer.” He heard a muffled voice from inside, and the girl swung the door open, beckoning him in.

Stepping into a small but neat room, Mardans bowed toward Mrs. Luven, who sat hunched over a table, clutching a yarn doll in one hand and dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief in the other. He reckoned she was in her mid-thirties, though her sudden grief had aged her that day. She began to rise, but Mardans motioned for her to stay seated. “Do you mind if I sit, Mrs. Luven?”

She shook her head. Sniffing and wiping her nose, she said, “Please, sir. The captain said an officer would come to ask me questions. Better now than later.”

“Thank you,” Mardans said. “I am Lieutenant Tinetta. My sincerest condolences, ma’am. The king himself asked me to investigate your daughter’s murder, and I promise you, I will do my best to bring her killer to justice.”

She nodded but said nothing.

“I want to establish a time-line of her activity yesterday,” Mardans continued. “I spoke to the Dowager Queen less than an hour ago, and she said Gemena left her suite after supper. Does that sound right to you?”

Mrs. Luven nodded again. “She stopped in here after sunset, yes, sir. She washed her face and fixed her hair, telling me she was going to a party. ‘Everybody will be there, mum!’ she said, all excited. I told her not to stay too late because she had an early morning at the old queen’s suite like every morning. She told me not to worry. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and rushed out the door. That’s the last I saw her!” She could no longer hold back her grief and wept.

The girl, who had remained standing by the door as if guarding it, hurried over and comforted Mrs. Luven, embracing her in a tight hug. After a long moment, she lifted her head and looked over at Mardans. “Gemma came straight to my room from here, and we went together to the party. We got there just after eight. I know that because we heard the hour strike on our way, and we walked faster so we wouldn’t be late.”

“Thank you,” he said. He had brought a slip of paper and jotted a note on it with a charcoal pencil. He stopped, asking, “What is your name, miss?”

“I am Sidy Parbour, sir,” she answered. “I am—was—Gemma’s best friend.” She dropped her eyes.

“What do you do in the palace?” he asked.

“I work in the laundry with Mrs. Luven,” she said, eyes brightening a bit with the simple question. “I was there when the captain told her. The mistress told me to help her home.”

Mardans nodded, making another note. “Where was this party you went to?”

“There’s an old ballroom, a small one, down the corridor from the Throne Room. It hasn’t been used by the king or his court for years, like they’ve forgotten it even exists. Servants use it for a secret party now and then.”

“Was last night’s party for a particular reason?” Mardans asked. “Who threw it?”

Sidy shrugged. “I don’t know anything about that. Does there have to be a reason?”

“Perhaps not,” Mardans answered with a quick lift of one corner of his mouth, “but I would like to speak to whoever organized it. I guess it is out of the way, and if things get a little loud or rowdy, no one would be the wiser.”

The girl smiled and absently tucked some of her dark brown hair behind her ear. “Yeah, the party was loud with the music and dancing and almost all the young servants in the palace. We had to be done before midnight because that’s when the guards come through.”

Mardans made another note, this time reminding himself to urge Captain Arius to vary the guards’ sweeps through the palace. “It seems odd that someone would throw a party on a Moonday night.”

Sidy nodded. “We thought so, too, but then we decided any night is a good night for a party!” She realized she was grinning and sobered instantly.

“Were you with Gemma the whole time?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “A lot of the dances were for groups, so she and I danced most of them together. But toward the end, I saw her dancing with an older boy I didn’t know. He wasn’t a palace servant.”

“Oh?” Mardans asked, sitting up. “Wasn’t this a party for the servants?”

“Mostly,” she replied. “But sometimes outsiders find out about them and show up.”

“Did Gemma say anything about him to you, like on your walk back to your quarters?”

Sidy shook her head. “We didn’t walk back together. I wish we had.”

“Why not?” Mardans asked.

“Well, she said that the boy told her he’d walk her home,” the girl said, suddenly blanching. Her eyes grew wide as the implications dawned on her. She covered her mouth in horror.

Mrs. Luven looked up. “Do you think that boy killed my Gemma?”

“I cannot say, Mrs. Luven,” Mardans said, not wanting to give her false hope, “but I will definitely look into him.” He returned his gaze to Sidy. “So, you last saw her before midnight?”

“Yes, probably about a half-hour before midnight when the party began to break up,” she said, her voice small and remorseful. “I should have insisted.”

Mrs. Luven patted her hand. “Poor dear, you couldn’t have known, and the palace is usually safe. You know nothing else to tell the Lieutenant about his young man?”

She began to shake her head, then stopped. “I can describe him.” Her eyes grew more hopeful. “He had short blond hair and a tan face like he was outside a lot. And green eyes, I think, though it was hard to tell in the dim light. He was a little taller than you, sir, and handsome and strong, which was probably what caught Gemma’s eye. He wore black pants with an orangish stripe down the outside of each leg. He had a leather vest, too—a black one—over a white shirt.”

Mardans quickly jotted down the details. “That will be helpful,” he said with a reassuring smile. “Did he have any pins or badges on his clothes, like a sign of rank or who he might work for? Your description sounds like he works as someone’s guard.”

Sidy shook her head slowly as she closed her eyes to remember him more clearly. “No, not that I can remember,” she said in frustration.

“Any tattoos or scars?” Mardans prodded.

“No,” she answered. “Nor any jewelry.” Then her eyes widened. “He did have a strange belt buckle!”

“What made it strange?” Mardans asked.

“It was oval-shaped and shiny like silver with a stone or something in the center,” she said. “It was hard to see because his vest covered part of it, but I noticed it because no one else wore anything fancy like that except him.”

“We will be on the lookout for that,” Mardans said. “Did you see the way they went when leaving the party?”

She shook her head again. “I left before they did. I was getting tired and wanted to go to bed.”

“Understandable,” he said, stifling a yawn. “It had been a long day. It was for me.” He looked over his notes, considering other questions. “Did Gemma tell you any fresh news yesterday?”

“You mean, like, palace gossip?” she asked.

“Yes, I was told she liked to pass on that sort of thing.”

“She never kept a secret, that’s for sure,” Sidy said, and Mrs. Luven nodded in agreement. “Did she tell me anything new? Well . . ..” She trailed off as she looked at the ceiling, trying to remember her last evening with her friend. “The only thing I remember is that she said she walked past a lord and a lady having an argument, and they looked at her like she ‘had kicked their dog,’ she said.”

“Did she say who the lord and lady were?” Mardans asked, writing this new information on his now-crowded slip of paper.

“No,” Sidy said, “but she said the lord stared at her until she turned a corner. She wondered what he was so angry about ’cause she hadn’t heard what they were arguing about.”

“Did she mention where she passed them arguing?” Mardans asked.

“No, just that it was on her way back from work.”

Mrs. Luven sniffed again, drawing their attention. “Do you think this lord thought she overheard something she oughtn’t?” she asked.

“We must consider it,” Mardans replied. “Just because someone is a lord does not by any means make him a good person.” He slid his paper into a pocket. “Do you have any paper here?” Mrs. Luven nodded, standing and walking stiffly to an ancient sideboard where she found a torn half-sheet in a drawer and handed it to him. “Thank you. I don’t want to alarm you, but I have a feeling you are both in danger. Is there a lad close by who could run a message to the captain’s office?”

“Hugh Walls lives a few doors down,” Sidy said. “He’s a good kid. He’s too young to work a regular job, but he runs messages sometimes.”

Mardans rose and went to the door. He opened it, checking both directions to see if anyone was loitering, but the hallway was empty. Beckoning Sidy to him, he said, “Go to his room and get him. I’ll watch from here.”

Eyes wide, Sidy nodded and hurried to a door about thirty feet away on the opposite side. Her knock brought a small boy, about nine or ten years old, to the door. He said something to someone inside, shut the door, and followed her to the Luven apartment. His eyes grew wide when he saw a lieutenant of the Palace Guard standing in the doorway. Mardans ushered them inside.

“Hello, Hugh,” he said with a grin. “I’m Lieutenant Tinetta. Sidy tells me you run messages from time to time.” The boy nodded. “Good. Do you know where the Captain of the Palace Guard keeps his office?”

Hugh nodded again. “Just before you leave the entrance hall.”

“Right,” Mardans affirmed. “I will write a brief message to Captain Arius in a moment, and I want you to run it to him. Give it only to him. Do you know him?”

The boy nodded yet again. “He has bars on his collar.”

“You’re a smart one!” Mardans said, reminded of his failure to notice his own pips. He thought for a short while, then wrote a couple lines on the paper, signing it when finished. Folding it twice, he then handed it to Hugh. “Put that in a pocket.” He dug out a tenner coin, which he also gave to the boy. “Put that in another pocket. That’s your pay.” He said with a wink. “All right! Run along. Deliver that note straightaway.” And the boy was gone.

“What did you tell the captain?” Sidy asked, her voice unsure.

“I asked him to send guards here because you need protection,” he said. “Also, I suggested we hide you someplace in the city until we catch Gemma’s killer. I will have to make some arrangements, but I think we can get you into some nice accommodations by this afternoon. Think of it as a vacation.”

Sidy’s eyes grew wide, and a smile crept onto her face, but Mrs. Luven looked doubtful. “But what about my Gemma?”

Mardans took one of her hands in his. “She’s safe and at rest. You’ll be able to attend her funeral in a few days, never fear. If I know the king, he will see to all those arrangements himself. But I must make sure you and Sidy are safe.”

“Why are we in danger?” Sidy asked in a small voice, puzzled.

He looked at them each. “I’m convinced Gemma’s death was a warning. The murderer is a terrifying, cruel, and yet very careful man. He hates loose ends. If he even suspects that Gemma told either of you what he thinks she overheard, he will kill you to be sure you can tell no one else.”

His words sobered them both.

“Sidy, why don’t you help Mrs. Luven put a traveling bag together,” Mardans suggested. “You’ll have to do the same for yourself once a guard can escort you to your room. Do you have parents and siblings?”

“Just my dad,” she replied. “Mom died a few years back.”

“Do you think he’d mind if you escorted Mrs. Luven for a few days away?” he asked.

She shook her head. “He works out in the armory and training yard. I usually only see him when I wake up and when I go to bed.”

“Fine,” Mardans said. “We’ll let him know the situation and assure him you’ll be safe.”

Just then, they heard a knock on the door, and Mardans opened it to admit two guards. He apprised them of the situation and gave instructions.

Finally, he turned to the two women. “Thank you for speaking with me. I will follow up on what you said. I will catch Gemma’s killer. If he continues to try to eliminate witnesses to his evil deeds, I will use it to catch him.”

The Jester: Interviews (2)

Episode 21: The Grieving Mother

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