"Here I am." Melanie took a few steps toward the portal.
Linda whirled and looked dismayed. "Melanie, get out of there! That's a ―"
Then Linda disappeared, along with the corridor and the castle.
Without warning, the upright oblong had vanished, closing off the hole leading back to the world of Perilous, and leaving Melanie utterly alone with birdsong and the soft rustling of leaves in the wind.
Six
Formal Garden
The Earl of Belgard was indignant.
"You mean to say we're trapped here until His Majesty makes an appearance?"
Tyrene nodded and gave an apologetic shrug. "I'm afraid those were his explicit instructions, my lord."
The earl mumbled something which Tyrene tactfully ignored.
"Might I ask again, my lord ― when was the last time you saw the viscount?"
"If it was not when we were playing hedge, I do not know when it was. And I must tell you I highly resent this line of questioning."
The earl was a tall man with a handlebar mustache, dressed in morning coat, striped trousers, and top hat. He carried a Malacca cane and wore a monocle.
"My lord, I have been charged by His Majesty himself with the task of investigating the murder of the viscount, and I am acting in his behalf. I beg your cooperation."
All over the garden, lords and ladies sat idly by, waiting. They looked bored, nervous, and put out, all at the same time.
The earl took his monocle out. He rubbed it on the sleeve of his coat and re-fit it over his right eye. The lens was, Thaxton guessed, a double affectation. The earl probably didn't need spectacles at all. The monocle was extraordinarily good, though, for projecting pique.
The earl said, "And I tell you I have nothing whatsoever of value to relate. My wife and I played hedge ball with the viscount, but as to the last time I saw him, I do not remember exactly where or when it was. I take little notice of trivialities."
Tyrene bowed slightly. "Thank you, my lord. My apologies."
The earl huffed again and turned away.
"Well, nothing so far," Tyrene said to Thaxton, who, along with Dalton, had been standing within earshot.
"You have a few people yet to interview," Thaxton noted.
"Quite a few, and if they're all as helpful as the earl, I'll get nowhere and Lord Incarnadine will have me thrown in the oubliette for incompetence."
"I doubt it. He realizes the problems involved. These upper-class types are a touchy lot."
Tyrene looked glum. "I was exaggerating about the oubliette, but I hope His Majesty will be understanding just the same. Nobody here seems to have seen anything."
"Perhaps there was nothing to see. But what do we have so far?"
"Naught, I'm sorry to say," Tyrene replied. "According to Princess Dorcas, the viscount arrived at precisely one o' the clock, castle time. He talked with almost everybody, seeming in good spirits. He played hedge ball with Belgard, Lady Rowena, and Count Damik. He ate ― quite a bit, as he has a good appetite ― then, quite suddenly, he left the party and walked back into the castle."
Dalton said, "Then it's pretty clear he was murdered in the castle."
"Which fact," Thaxton offered, "swells the suspect list to something near infinity."
"Aye," Tyrene agreed, with a pained expression. "All too true."
"And gives everyone here an ironclad alibi," Thaxton pointed out.
"I don't know whether to feel relieved at that or to wish for some clue gainsaying it," Tyrene said.
"A clue to the contrary would narrow things down a bit," Thaxton said. "But we don't have a murder weapon, or even a good suspect, yet."
"Has there ever been a murder in the castle?" Dalton asked.
"Not within recent memory," Tyrene told him. "Gods be thanked, Perilous doesn't seem to attract the murdering sort. A few thieves now and then, but no cutthroats."
"And since the viscount's jewels were left, we can rule out robbery as a motive," Dalton said.
"Might you two have frightened the thief away?" Tyrene asked.
"Possibly," Thaxton said. "But we would have seen him leave the alcove. Otherwise he heard us coming very far off. In that case, any self-respecting thief would have grabbed those rings."
"Quite right," Tyrene agreed. "Unless…"
"An aspect?"
"Yes, there is an intermittent aspect in that alcove. At least the castle registry lists one. The name eludes me at the moment, but the murderer could have escaped through there. If he knew the periodicity of the aspect."
"Know what's on the other side?"
"Not offhand, but it can be checked. In any event, it might be beside the point. The murderer could have dragged the body into the alcove simply to hide it from view."
"He didn't do a very good job," Thaxton remarked. "We were just passing by."
"I happened to glance in," Dalton said. "Otherwise we'd be playing golf now."
"But where was the viscount bound?" Tyrene wondered. "He was walking in a direction opposite from the one he'd have been going in had he been on his way home."
Thaxton looked over Tyrene's shoulder, and the captain turned, following his gaze, to find Princess Dorcas approaching.
"Your Royal Highness," Tyrene said, bowing.
The princess was dressed in something like a sari, but even more colorful. She wore large gold earrings shaped like butterflies, several gold bracelets, and a heap of gold chain necklaces. A single diamond was somehow affixed to the middle of her forehead. She was a pretty woman, if somewhat overweight and, by consequence, somewhat matronly. Her hair was an almost-black and her eyes were large and very blue. The eyes had a penetrating quality, belied by an ever-present smile, which, though still present, was now not quite so wide or all-embracing.
"Tyrene, any word from my brother?"
"No, madam. The messenger has not yet returned."
"He must not mean for us to stay here forever."
"I think not, madam, but I must await word."
"Of course. The king's word is law."
"I think it will not be long, madam. I sent word that, so far at least, there is no evidence to suggest that the murder was committed here in the garden."
"Can you be sure?"
"My investigation will continue, of course, but as of now there is no prima facie reason to hold everyone here."
"I'm sure my brother had his reasons for ordering that no one leave the garden."
"As am I, madam. But I think he will rescind that order."
The princess looked off toward the playing green. "Of course, if the murder was committed here, the murderer might escape easily if he is let back into the castle."
"If we had to track him through all 144,000 aspects, madam, I assure you, we would. He ―"
"Or she," the princess interjected.
"Of course ― he or she would not escape."
"But it would be a task, would it not? Tracking the culprit through Creation."
"Aye, it would, madam. But we're up to it."
"I'm sure you are, Captain Tyrene. Quite sure."
Thaxton had detached himself from the conversation and wandered over to one of the huge oak tables that must have taken six servants apiece to haul out from the castle. He surveyed the food. It was quite an ostentatious spread, even for the castle, all colorful garnishes and frills. A towering blancmange executed in scrolls and involutes stood in the middle, a single gouge taken out of it. For main dishes there was everything imaginable, from honeyed partridge to prime ribs au jus to whole suckling pigs mouthing apples.
He looked around casually before helping himself to a stuffed mushroom. Chewing briskly, he sauntered away from the buffet toward a long dining table on which lay plates that held the cold, half-eaten remains of an interrupted meal.