Chapter Nine

THE INVESTIGATION

Chief Lattamore dropped Kargas off at his beach house after they visited Roy. Kargas made himself some tea, retreated to his study, and tried to sort out the unwelcome complication Anna Mullins’ homicide represented. If Anna Mullins’ murder was related to Brenda Furthermore’s, then either Rael or Royo was likely a killer. Actually, it was trickier than that because Rael and Royo were not the only people around for both slayings; so were Iona and Frederick. Indeed, now that Kargas thought about it, Juganhouse was working at the palace at the time of Brenda Furthermore’s death. On the other hand, it was equally possible that the deaths had nothing to do with each other. There was certainly nothing novel about either strangulation as a means of killing or of using twine to hold limbs together. However, even if the murders were unrelated, Royo certainly believed otherwise. As long as he did so, it was impossible to separate Anna Mullins from the royal twins.

The more Kargas thought about it, the more he realized that he was focusing on the wrong thing. After all, his job was to protect the royal twins, not solve Anna Mullins’ or Brenda Furthermore’s homicides. Despite the affection for Iona Kargas assumed Royo still possessed, he might reveal the royal twins’ whereabouts. He might do so as blackmail if Lattamore arrested him for Anna Mullins’ murder or as revenge if Lattamore did not arrest Rael for Anna Mullins’ murder. Either action would threaten the royal twins’ with exposure. The obvious solution was get Royo out of the way. The question was how. Killing him was one possibility, albeit a risky one. Kargas had authorized assassinations during the war, but eventually questioned their effectiveness. The fact was that covertly slaying someone was not easy. Royo was young and fit, and therefore likely to fight back. There might be witnesses, and someone almost always talked. Persuading or pressuring Royo to leave Kirkwell voluntarily, on the other hand, was a more viable option. Once he was gone, Lattamore could label him the prime suspect for Anna Mullins’ death and close down the investigation. This would dissipate any speculation that someone else, such as Rael, had committed the crime and remove from the scene the only unauthorized person aware of the twins’ presence.

As he sipped his tea, Kargas pondered various ways to hustle Royo out of town and keep him quiet. He knew it would not be easy. He remembered Royo rather well because he and Iona had had such a close, though not sexual, relationship until she broke his heart by falling for Frederick. He was moody and high-strung, but with a wry and quiet sense of humor that appealed to the old king. The problem was that he was also extraordinarily sanctimonious. He had been so convinced that Rael had murdered Brenda Furthermore and that the palace had covered it up that he threatened to go to the press. Kargas strung him along with various vague promises until Royo enlisted in the army and disappeared into the war’s maw. Kargas doubted that he could so easily manipulate him this time. In fact, he was liable to become more obdurate and dangerous if he or Lattamore attempted to pressure him to do anything. On the other hand, Iona had known him better than anyone. Despite their falling out, Kargas concluded that only she could exert the right amount of persuasion and pressure to get him to leave the island voluntarily and ensure that he did not reveal his knowledge of the twins’ presence.

Kargas met Lattamore for dinner to discuss the case. Lattamore confirmed that Rael had indeed been at the Mermaid that evening, but no one saw him with Anna Mullins. Lattamore also agreed with Kargas that the best solution was for Iona to persuade Royo to leave town with his secret as soon as possible. After returning to the beach house, Kargas walked to Iona’s suite and knocked on the door. She opened it and greeted him warmly. Steady work, thought Kargas, had certainly mellowed her brittle disposition. They exchanged pleasantries for several minutes before Kargas got down to business.

“Your highness, have you heard about the murder of a young woman that occurred last night?” he asked.

Iona nodded. “Of course. Everyone has.”

“Well,” continued Kargas. “Ordinarily it would be a police problem that has nothing to do with us, but not now.”

Iona’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t understand. What does it have to do with Rael or myself?”

Kargas opted for the direct approach. “Well, the obvious suspect is the man she was seeing. He lives right near her house. When Mr. Lattamore and I walked over to interview him, we discovered that it was Royo di Czezarchek.”

Iona looked at Kargas for a long moment, trying to absorb the information. “Royo? You mean my Royo?”

Kargas could not but help notice her use of the possessive, even after all these years. “Yes, Royo di Czezarchek.”

Iona shook her head emphatically. “That can’t be. Royo has been dead for years. He died at the Siege of Lollister.”

Kargas shrugged. “Apparently not. He is alive and well.”

Iona’s temper rose. “What the hell is Royo di Czezarchek doing on Kirkwell Island?”

“According to Mayor Juganhouse, a couple years ago a Rowowan submarine torpedoed the merchant ship on which he was serving right offshore. He survived and decided to put down roots here. He owns a bookstore on the way to the docks.”

“What was he doing…how did he go from the Siege of Lollister to the merchant marine?” she asked.

“I don’t know.”

Kargas watched Iona closely. She was clearly working hard to keep her emotions under control, an undertaking still new to her. Kargas renewed the conversation before she lost the ability to think logically.

“Here is the problem, your highness. He recognized me immediately when Mr. Lattamore and I visited him, and guessed accurately why I am on the island. He not only denied murdering the girl, but accused Rael of the crime.”

“Not again!” Iona exclaimed.

“Yes, again. So you can understand the difficulty. For any of a number of reasons he might publicize your presence here. And Rael’s.”

“Okay,” responded Iona. “What do you expect me to do about this mess?”

Kargas ignored the implied rebuke. “I want you to persuade him to leave town and keep his mouth shut.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

Kargas leaned forward. “I will leave that up to you. You can sweet talk him by appealing to his patriotism and your friendship. Or you can strong arm him by telling him that if he does not leave town, we might arrest, try, convict, and execute him for Anna Mullins’ murder. Again, it is up to you because you understand him better than any of us and know which levers to pull.”

Iona grabbed the opportunity to be useful. “Okay,” said Iona. “I’ll try.”

Kargas wanted to make sure that she understood the gravity of the situation. “Your highness, this is the most important assignment you have ever had as royalty. Please think everything through carefully.”

“One question,” said Iona. “How am I supposed to contact him? Do you want me to go to his house?”

Kargas shook his head. “I’m sorry, good question. According to Mr. Lattamore’s information, Royo faithfully attends the Apostolic Church on Foile Street. After the service he always buys a croissant from a nearby bakery and walks up to Anchor Hill Park to eat it on a bench overlooking the harbor. It is out in the open. There will be people about, but you can speak privately. Why don’t you meet him there tomorrow?”

Iona passed the night tossing and turning. She had met Royo at the royal academy when they were fourteen years old. Because he was Ethosian and different, Rael and some of the other children picked on him. He responded to the barbs with as much dignity as someone his age could muster. One afternoon, though, he suddenly and without provocation punched Rael in the mouth. Striking a prince was of course a serious crime, but the king not only insisted that the headmaster refrain from interfering, but he also summoned Royo to the palace for tea. This stopped the bullying, but not the sullen resentment Royo and Rael continued to feel toward each other. As for Iona, she expressed her support for Royo by inviting him on a boat ride in the lake on palace grounds. This became a regular event for them. So did stargazing with a telescope that they set up on a small hill. She enjoyed his company and looked forward to their conversations. He treated her with a light deference, but also gently teased her about her pretentions. He had a knack for drawing out her deepest secrets and concerns with one probing question after another, and listened respectfully to her litany of woes and innumerable theories. To be sure, his self-righteousness, indecisiveness, and self-pity irked her, but it was a small price to pay for such a discreet, safe, and trusted confidante.

Iona knew from the start that Royo wanted more than friendship from her. The problem was that she did not reciprocate his feelings. For all his intelligence and astuteness, Royo was still a boy, with a boy’s awkwardness and lack of confidence. She cared about him deeply, though, and did not want anything to ruin their relationship. Whenever he hinted at his true feelings, she ignored him, played dumb, or asserted in a roundabout way that she was not ready for anything serious. It worked until Frederick expressed an interest in her. Unlike Royo, Frederick was a man – or anyhow an adolescent girl’s conception of a man. More importantly, he possessed a sexuality and an easy self-assuredness that she found irresistible. She tried to hide her liaisons with Frederick from Royo, but he eventually found out and was deeply hurt. By then Iona was too smitten to care much one way or another. As a result, they drifted apart, but not before a bitter Royo warned her that nothing good would come of her romance with Frederick. That he was right just stoked her anger toward him, as did his unwillingness to talk with her when she learned that Frederick was straying. Brenda Furthermore’s murder was the final straw. When Royo insisted that Rael was involved, Iona told everyone that his accusations were an effort to attract her attention. By the time they graduated they were no longer on speaking terms. He was, in fact, the class pariah.

Like all the other boys in his class, Royo enlisted when the war came. Doing so seemed out of character because he was more likely to buck rather than follow trends. He kept his reasons to himself, though, and refrained from participating in the innumerable patriotic activities in those early, heady days of the conflict. Iona was there say goodbye when the boys entrained for officers training camp in Emerald City. Unlike everyone else, Royo had no family to see him off. He stood rather morosely and alone on the platform amid all the teary farewells. This greatly saddened Iona. She walked over to him in front of everyone, hugged him, and whispered in his ear, “Write to me.” But he never did. Not a single line. Although some of her correspondents alluded to him in their letters to her, they provided little additional information. Even these passing references ended when the men finished their training and joined their units. By then Iona was so wrapped up in her own life that she hardly noticed. A couple years later an old friend visiting Iona at the palace casually mentioned that Royo’s name had just appeared on the list of missing and presumed dead. During the course of the war, Iona learned of the deaths of dozens of schoolmates and acquaintances, but Royo’s was the one that hurt the most. She realized that the reason for her sorrow was that, unlike all the men who came later, he had possessed that rarest of things: purity of heart.

Royo also had a tough time falling asleep that night. It was not so much Anna Mullins’s murder and speculation that he committed the crime that bothered him – he knew he was innocent and was relieved to put that relationship behind him – but rather the knowledge that Iona was nearby. Until that day, he had not thought of her in a long time. Kargas’s visit, though, resurrected memories that he had difficulty processing. He had been a lonely and scared boy when he arrived at the royal academy. He had not wanted to go, but his parents insisted that it was an opportunity too good to pass up. As things turned out, his fears were justified because the other kids did not treat him well. He punched Rael in the hope that the headmaster would expel him so he could return home. Instead, it netted him a pleasant meeting with the king and a boat ride with Iona. Although he had noticed Iona his first day at the royal academy, he had been too shy to talk to her. He thought she was beautiful and in the following years memorized her features. He was especially struck by the blonde locks that fell over her temples when she wore her hair back and the peculiarly seductive sway of her hips. He also found her entertaining. He enjoyed listening to her problems and poking fun at her pretentiousness. He was not unaware of her shortcomings, but chalked up her selfishness and shallowness to her royalty. He pined for her for years, but lacked the moral courage to express his love. Deep down he knew that she did not reciprocate his feelings, so he preferred to cling to false hope than deal with the unhappy reality.

Considering his age, temperament, and mindset at the time, it was unsurprising that Royo was emotionally devastated when he discovered that Iona was seeing Frederick. He had small use for Frederick anyway because he believed that there was rather less to him than initially met the eye. Royo was also insulted that Iona wanted to continue their relationship as if nothing had changed. Royo, though, could not bear the thought of sharing Iona with someone else, especially someone as superficial as Frederick. As a result, he deliberately avoided her. When Iona’s romance with Frederick disintegrated, she reached out to him for comfort, but he refused the overture. During one short and awkward exchange, he told her that it was impossible to turn the clock back and that he felt that she had taken unfair advantage of his friendship.

By then he was so bitter that he could not wait to escape the royal academy. At that point he met Brenda Furthermore at a diner. Although they had only a few conversations, she expressed an interest in him in a way Iona never did. She also complained about Rael’s creepy and unwanted advances. He saw Rael enter the servants’ quarters the day Brenda was murdered and told the police as much, but its officers seemed more interested in safeguarding the royal family’s reputation than in solving the crime. Royo complained long and loud that no one was taking the murder seriously until an irritated Kargas visited him. Kargas listened to his concerns and promised to bring them to the attention of the proper authorities. He also warned Royo that his “reckless” accusations could hurt the royal family and his own family back in Ethosia. Royo kept his mouth shut, but grew increasingly bitter and disillusioned when the investigation petered out without explanation, subsumed by talk of conflict with Rowowa. Royo enlisted not so much out of patriotism as out of a desire to begin a new life for himself. This fresh start included severing all ties with his classmates, which was why he never took Iona up on her offer to correspond.

The next morning Royo walked to church as usual. He had not been a Christian when he was younger. In fact, he and Iona often ridiculed believers as backwards and ignorant people. It was Iona, though, who put him on the road to faith. One afternoon, while drinking milkshakes at a gazebo in the royal gardens, Iona despaired that there was no point to life because everyone eventually died. That being the case, why bother doing good? Royo found her nihilism disconcerting, but it opened his mind to alternatives. It was the war that brought him to the Lord. Its cruelties, dangers, and seeming pointlessness tended to turn soldiers into either believers or atheists. Royo took the former route. He treasured those little instances of humanity as manifestations of God’s grace. He gradually realized that faith, like love, was not an uncontrollable and unpredictable emotional state, but rather a decision – an act of will. It convinced him that his life was not hopeless, that his God had a plan for him. That knowledge made the war years bearable, and continued to succor him later. He took great comfort in attending church and used it as an occasion to push his problems out of his mind.

After the church service concluded, Royo bought a croissant at a nearby bakery and walked up Anchor Hill to eat it while sitting on a bench and watching the ocean. Before the war he had never thought much about the water, let alone spending several years on it. It turned out he enjoyed his time in the merchant marine. Unlike the royal academy, everyone was united in a common purpose – to keep the ship afloat and deliver it cargo. The sea was also so much cleaner than muddy battlefields strewn with bodies. Finally, he got the opportunity to visit ports throughout Alleria and the neutral countries. He had told himself that he would remain in the merchant marine until God made it abundantly clear that He wanted him elsewhere. He figured that having his ship blown out from under him was about as definitive a sign as God could deliver.

As he munched on his croissant and contemplated the sea’s ominous simplicity, Royo suddenly caught sight of a woman dressed in white at the bottom of the hill walking up the sidewalk toward him. Although he had not seen her in a decade, he recognized her immediately as Iona because of her long blonde hair and seductive gait. He suspected that Kargas had sent her to see him for some nefarious purpose. Even so, he could not help but admire her beauty as she approached. When her face came into focus, he was somewhat saddened by its grimness. The war, he remembered, took its toll on everyone.

Iona had prepared carefully for the encounter. She was driven by both her determination to impress Kargas with her commitment to her duty and her fury toward Royo. She was angry with Royo not so much for surviving the war, but for failing to inform her of that fact. As she saw it, intimidating him with her personality and status provided the best means for hustling him off the island without divulging the secret he had pieced together. This strategy had usually worked when they were young and she wanted something from him, so she gambled that it would be equally successful now. As part of the plan, she dressed like the princess she was: long white gown, blonde hair that cascaded down her back, gold earrings, thick book in her hands, and an ornate necklace to draw the eye to her sedate cleavage. All she lacked was a crown. She waited at city hall until the church service ended before walking deliberately to the park over a little-used causeway. She felt a bit like an avenging angel as she glided up the sidewalk toward him. When he came into view, though, she noticed that he was no longer a morose and sallow boy. His face and chest had filled out, and his eyes were those of a war-weary man enjoying a brief respite from the world’s travails. He appeared much more formidable than she expected.

Royo looked up her, shielding his eyes with one hand to ward off the sun. “Hello, princess.”

“Don’t call me that,” Iona snapped.

As his eyes adjusted to the sun’s glare, Royo noticed Iona tapping the book she was holding with her index finger. He remembered that she did that whenever she was anxious. Moreover, he knew that she postured when she was nervous. He leaned back on the bench and waited expectantly for the performance he knew would follow.

When Royo failed to respond to her, Iona made her pitch. “We want you to leave the island at once and promise to reveal to no one that Rael and I are here.”

Royo was surprised by her directness. He figured she would at least go through the motions of small talk and catching up. He decided that he may as well skip the usual pleasantries as well. “Why would I do that?”

“Because I’m asking you to. And if you don’t, you will be arrested, tried, convicted, and executed for Anna Mullins’ murder.”

Royo sneered. “First of all, we all know I didn’t kill her. If Kargas thought I did, he would never have sent you here. Secondly, if you arrest and try me, I will tell everyone, including our Rowowan overlord, that you and Rael are here. Finally, and most importantly, if I do as you ask, then your brother gets away with killing another girl, and will be free to do so again. Someone has to stop him.”

Iona threw up her arms in frustration. “Rael never killed anyone and you know it.”

Now it was Royo’s turn to become exasperated. “How do you explain two almost identical murders?”

Iona changed tack. “You’re being selfish. Maybe you should care more about your people than about settling scores a decade old.”

Royo glared at her. “I’m being selfish? You care more about your position than about the well-being of your subjects.”

Iona lowered her voice and leaned forward. “You claim to act out of altruism, but we both know that’s not the case. This isn’t about Brenda Furthermore or Anna Mullins. Or about Rael. This is about you and me. I’m sorry I didn’t reciprocate your feelings for me, I’m sorry I fell for Frederick, and I’m sorry you got hurt. But this is no reason to jeopardize the future of this kingdom. Why don’t you try putting someone other than yourself first for a change?”

Royo looked sharply at her. “What the hell year do you think this is? You might be ten years older, but you’re still acting like a self-centered and spoiled child. The world doesn’t revolve around you. After all I’ve been through, you’re the last thing on my mind. You think I’m selfish? That’s rich.”

Iona had had enough. “Are you going to do as I ask or not?”

Royo shook his head. “You tell your adviser to fuck off. My goal is to see your brother pay for his crimes, one way or another.”

“You’re not only selfish, but a traitor as well. You don’t care that Alleria sacrificed everything for Ethosia.”

As Iona turned to storm away, Royo called after her, “Rachel and Tabatha!”

Iona looked back. “What?”

“Rachel and Tabatha. They were my wife and daughter. They died in the war. So don’t tell me I’m selfish and haven’t sacrificed enough.”

Iona stood still for a moment, trying to think of an appropriate response, but finally gave up and stomped down the hill.

Iona may have failed to intimidate Royo into leaving the island, but she did prompt him to take action. As soon as he returned home, he wrote a letter stating that Rael and Iona were on Kirkwell and sealed it in an envelope. He was unsure whether the address he had was still valid or whether it would elicit a response. Even so, he saw it as his covert insurance policy. The next day he asked the man who owned the bakery next to his bookstore to pop it into his outgoing mail if he did not come by to retrieve it within a week.

Iona tried to put the best face on her meeting when she reported back to Kargas, but she knew that she had failed. For this she blamed Royo’s intransigence. If Kargas was disappointed with her, he did not say so. Instead, he summoned Juganhouse and Lattamore – but not Rael, who was sick – to his beach house study to listen to Iona again review her discussion with Royo. When she finished, Kargas said that Royo’s intention to use Anna Mullins’s murder to expose Rael had placed the mission in imminent danger. Protecting the royal twins meant silencing Royo. The question was how to do so quietly.

Juganhouse tapped his pipe. “Perhaps we’re going about this all wrong. We’ve been viewing Anna Mullins’s murder as a complication because it started this whole mess. It’s possible that it’s also the solution to the problem.”

“How’s that?” asked Kargas.”

“Article Nine,” said Juganhouse.

“What’s Article Nine?” asked Iona.

Article Nine, Juganhouse explained, was part of Alleria’s War Emergency Act. It was included in the law to help local authorities maintain order in communities surrounded by Rowowan forces by streamlining the judicial process. If implemented by the town’s mayor, it suspended public trials by jury in front of a judge, cross-examination, right to counsel, and guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Instead, the article permitted secret trials with the town council acting as jury and the mayor as judge. Each side submitted written statements summarizing their arguments, and a preponderance of the evidence determined guilt. There was no appeal, except to the town council, which was unlikely to reverse its original finding. Although many argued that Article Nine was a gross violation of civil liberties, it had enabled local authorities cut off from the Allerian government to keep control over their citizens during the conflict.

When Juganhouse finished his summation, he looked around the table and asked, “Do you know who issues the sentence under Article Nine?”

Iona and Lattamore shook their heads, but not Kargas.

Juganhouse smiled. “The mayor.”

Kargas took over the discussion. “So, we can arrest Royo and try him secretly under Article Nine. If the council finds him guilty, you can sentence him to death. I will then tell him that if he publicly confesses to Anna Mullins’s murder and promises to keep the secret about the royal twins’ presence on the island, I’ll arrange his ‘escape’ to the mainland.”

“But what if he refuses?” asked Iona. “Are you going to execute him?”

Kargas smirked. “I have never met a man whose principles did not go out the window when his life was on the line. Of course he’ll take the deal.”

“But what if he doesn’t?” pressed Iona.

“Then we will execute him.” Kargas exclaimed. “Either way, we win.”

“Okay,” Juganhouse said, “but what if he takes the deal, leaves the island, and then reneges? What if he goes to the Rowowans and tells them that the royals are here?”

“Well, I can’t imagine Royo di Czezarchek breaking his word,” said Kargas. “He’s too self-righteous for that. And we will tell him that if he does, we will issue a warrant for his arrest that includes a bounty. The Rowowans may or may not respect it, but local police departments certainly will. He will spend his days running from the law and looking over his shoulder. Besides, who will believe him? He has no evidence, and there must be a hundred people a day claiming that you and Rael are nearby.”

Lattamore had been silent the whole time, but now he spoke up. “I think he killed that girl, and if you give me a little more time I’ll prove it.”

“Oh, please,” replied Iona. “Royo wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t.”

“Princess,” said Lattamore, “you don’t know what war does to people.”

Iona gave Lattamore the condescending glare she had long ago perfected. “Mr. Lattamore, I don’t know much about what happens on the battlefield, but I’m very familiar with war’s effect on people.” She turned to Kargas, “I believe that you’re underestimating Royo.”

Kargas signaled the end of the meeting by standing up. “Mr. Lattamore, arrest Royo as soon as you are ready. Put him in the old jail and find someone discreet to keep an eye on him until we brief the council and determine on a trial date.”

From that point, events moved swiftly. The next day, Lattamore took Royo into custody on his way home from his bookstore and imprisoned him in the old jail. That same afternoon, Lattamore found two girls who claimed to have seen a man matching Royo’s general description lurking around Anna Mullins’ house on the night of her murder. With this helpful information in hand, Kargas ordered Lattamore to suspend his investigation. Juganhouse, for his part, thereupon authorized an Article Nine trial and summoned the city council for a closed-door meeting to explain the process.

Convincing three of Kirkwell’s four councilmen to participate in Royo’s trial was not difficult. Securing Leo Sellford’s acquiescence, on the other hand, proved more problematic. The shaggy-haired preacher of Kirkwell’s Congregational Church was well-known around the island for his earthy sense of humor, commitment to the downtrodden, and integrity. Sellford not only questioned the need for an Article Nine trial when the regular courts were fully functional, but also doubted the basic fairness of the process. Juganhouse, though, assured him that the evidence would justify the unorthodox approach. Although Sellford grumbled that Juganhouse’s logic was akin to seeing the proof after rendering a verdict, he reluctantly went along after Juganhouse insisted that the island’s security was at stake. With the council’s approval in hand, Juganhouse gave Lattamore and Royo two weeks to submit their statements to the council as part of the Article Nine procedure.

Royo was an educated man, but he liked to keep things as simple as possible. He believed that simple was clear, direct, and honest. In his experience, people complicated things to confuse and hide the truth from others and even from themselves. Once in jail, though, Royo learned that simple was not always better. He had expected a traditional Allerian trial with lawyers, an open court, cross-examination, and a jury of his peers. He was dismayed to read the contents of Juganhouse’s letter informing him that his trial would follow Article Nine rules. This made things simpler, but not fairer. Reading the details, Royo felt as if he had entered a house of mirrors designed to prevent the truth from emerging. It was obvious to Royo that Kargas had engineered these bizarre star chamber proceedings to keep him from publicly expressing his opinion that Rael was a murderer. That being the case, he concluded that he could do nothing to sway the council from what appeared to be a predetermined verdict. Even so, he submitted a brief statement to the council lamenting the lack of due process, denying any involvement in Anna Mullins’s murder, and reminding its members that he was innocent until proven guilty.

In other ways, Royo’s life behind bars was relatively comfortable. In fact, it was almost like a vacation away from the daily grind of running the bookstore. The food was adequate and the two guards treated him respectfully. Although he was not allowed to communicate with anyone, Lattamore was kind enough to send over all the books he wanted. Despite the good conditions, Royo was both embarrassed and lonely. For some reason he felt responsible for all the fuss, even though on an intellectual level he knew it was not his fault. He replayed in his mind alternative scenarios from the past and possible scenarios in the future in an effort to figure out what he did wrong and what he could do to fix it. He saw no way out without abandoning his principles. Without work to keep him occupied, he thought a lot about his wife and daughter. He missed them terribly, but discovered that he had few concrete and specific memories about their time together. Finally, he wondered why God had put him in this unwinnable situation. Was it a test of his faith? As punishment for his sins? Some random event that had slipped through the divine cracks? He did not know. Or understand.

Several days before Royo’s and Lattamore’s statements were due to the council, Mayor Juganhouse knocked on the door on what he and Lattamore referred to as the “the palace.” Iona’s servant girl, Lana, led him to Kargas’s small study. Kargas put down his pen and beckoned him to take a seat.

“Well,” said Kargas as he poured Juganhouse a cup of tea from a pot, “What can I do for you?”

Juganhouse waited until Kargas handed him the cup of tea. “I’ve read over our statement for the council.

Kargas arched his eyebrows. “And?”

Juganhouse took a deep breath. “I don’t think there’s enough evidence here to persuade the council to convict Royo, even under Article Nine’s reduced standards for guilt.”

Kargas shook his head. “Royo had means, motive, and opportunity to kill Anna Mullins. We also have the testimony of those two girls Lattamore found.”

“I don’t think that’s enough,” replied Juganhouse. “There are obvious questions about the girls’ reliability as witnesses. Mr. Braxton told me that they were probably drunk. And I knew Royo when he was a student at the royal academy. Not well, but enough to doubt that he’s a murderer. If I have these reservations, I’m certain that Reverend Sellford will have them too.”

“If Royo did not kill her, then who did?” Kargas asked.

Juganhouse squirmed in his chair. “Do you want me to speak frankly?”

“Of course.”

Juganhouse took another deep breath. “Again, I was living in Aurora when Brenda Furthermore was murdered. I heard plenty of rumors about the prince’s complicity. Isn’t it possible that Royo was right then, and is right now? Maybe there is a connection between the two murders.”

Kargas put his fingers together and collected his thoughts. “Solving the murders of Brenda Furthermore and Anna Mullins is not our problem. Our problem is safeguarding the royal twins. Royo’s Article Nine trial is a means to that end. We only need enough evidence to convince the city council to convict him, after which we can pressure him to leave the island and promise not to reveal his information. Someone else will have to worry about these unfortunate homicides.”

Juganhouse was not convinced. “But we may be muddying the waters here. Our actions may enable a killer to escape justice.”

“Well, we can clean up whatever mess there is after Royo’s gone,” said Kargas.

Juganhouse poured another cup of tea. “Lattamore believes that Royo did it.”

Kargas shrugged. “We will see what the city council says.”

Juganhouse wanted to say more. He wanted to explain that if the murders were related, then the list of suspects was limited to Frederick, Iona, Kargas, Rael, and Royo – and himself. By suspending Lattamore’s investigation, Kargas was obstructing efforts to get at the truth. He wondered if Kargas was afraid of what Lattamore might find. Kargas, however, was obviously uninterested in either Anna Mullins or Brenda Furthermore, except to the extent that they helped him protect Rael and Iona. That being the case, Juganhouse decided to remain silent.

After Juganhouse left, Kargas remained in his study to think. Although he sometimes questioned Juganhouse’s resolve, he appreciated his candor. The truth was that Kargas shared Juganhouse’s doubts about the strength and quality of the evidence against Royo. He considered postponing the trial to give Lattamore more time to find additional proof, but feared that any delay would further complicate an already complicated situation and increase the chances of the Rowowans discovering that the royal twins were on Kirkwell.

Kargas was not worried as much about the overlord stumbling upon the truth as he was about the Rowowan agent reportedly on the island. Lattamore’s efforts to track him – or her – down had gotten nowhere. Kargas was reluctant to blame Lattamore for his failure. After all, it could be almost anyone. As he sipped his tea, though, Kargas suddenly realized that this was the sloppy thinking of the frustrated and lazy. He had spent enough time in counterintelligence during the war to know that the number of people on the island who could be Rowowan agents was quite limited. He or she was probably an outsider who had appeared on Kirkwell before the big wave of refugees. Someone who knew Allerian culture, was intelligent, and unobtrusive. Someone…like…Royo. Kargas sat upright in his chair. There was a six year gap between the Siege of Lollister and the day Royo washed ashore on Kirkwell. No one knew for sure what had transpired during that time. He also harbored a grudge against the royal family. Could he be a spy? If he was, had he already informed the Rowowans about Rael and Iona’s presence? Kargas doubted that; Lattamore had kept pretty close tabs on him between Anna Mullins’s murder and his arrest. Although Kargas did not know for sure about Royo’s true identity, he suddenly realized that he could use his suspicion to provide that nail in Royo’s coffin that Juganhouse said was lacking.

Three days later, the council met behind closed doors for Royo’s Article Nine trial. Juganhouse again explained the article’s provisions and then presented both the prosecutor’s and Royo’s written statements to the council. Before he left the room, though, Juganhouse added that the prosecution wanted to add an oral component to its report. With that, he opened the door, brought in Kargas, and left.

Kargas had given plenty of presentations over the years and was good at it. He did not believe that there was anything mysterious about mastering them. The keys, he knew, were clarity of purpose, self-confidence, and likeability. After he entered the room, he walked to the front of the table around which the council was gathered, looked at them, and smiled.

“Gentlemen,” he began. “My name is Michael Kargas. I am an adviser. Although I have seen all of you at one time or another, I have never properly introduced myself to you for reasons that will become apparent in a few minutes. Before I start, I need your assurances that you will keep the information I will divulge strictly confidential.”

After glancing at each other, all four of them nodded their approval. With this flank secured, Kargas began his presentation.

“Before its surrender, the Allerian government sent me to Kirkwell to look after its interests. Think of me as the royal family’s counterpart to our esteemed Rowowan overlord. I know you all have wondered why Mayor Juganhouse insisted upon an Article Nine trial for Roy Czezarchek. The fact is that there is more at stake than finding justice for Anna Mullins. It is our belief that Roy Czezarchek is not only a murderer, but also a Rowowan agent. It is therefore imperative that we neutralize him as soon as possible. Finding him guilty will kill two birds with one stone by removing both a killer and a traitor from the island.”

Sellford spoke up. “With all due respect, adviser, but the war is over. Why does it matter whether there is a Rowowan agent on the island or not? What’s he doing here? Looking for the royal twins? We should focus on Anna Mullins’s murder.”

Kargas had expected that question from Sellford, though not the uncomfortable allusion to Rael and Iona. “Thank you for your question, Reverend Sellford. Yes, the war is over. Yes, Alleria surrendered to Rowowa. However, the struggle for Allerian freedom and independence continues. As you know, Rowowa is undergoing severe internal problems because of the war – riots, dislocation, inflation, shortages, leadership disputes, etc. The empire is starting to disintegrate, to rot away from the inside out. There is a reason why they have been unable to send a garrison here. In the near future Alleria will have the opportunity to wiggle out and reestablish its independence. This struggle will begin in the periphery, in places such as Kirkwell where Rowowan authority is all but nonexistent. We need the ability to organize without Rowowan knowledge. We can keep an eye on the overlord, but not on a well-trained Rowowan agent such as Roy Czezarchek.”

Sellford remained skeptical. “What’s your evidence that Mr. Czezarchek is a well-trained Rowowan agent?”

“Unfortunately,” responded Kargas, “we cannot for obvious reasons get into the details of our investigation without jeopardizing our intelligence sources.”

Sellford rolled his eyes. “I don’t understand why you’re bringing up any of this information. Mr. Czezarchek is on trial for murder. If he’s a spy, then we can try him for that when we’re done with him here. Assuming that that’s even a crime now.”

Before Kargas could reply, Leonard Walker, belligerent as ever, intervened. “The point is that Czezarchek is a threat to the island. He’s a murderer and probably a spy.”

“Maybe we ought to look at the evidence before we call him that,” said an exasperated Sellford.

Kargas intervened to roll the poison apple that he hoped would lead to Royo’s conviction. “I cannot force you to take into account any information you do not want to consider. However, I also believe that the council should have all the information available. Whether you use my testimony or not is up to you.”

Sellford remained disgruntled, but opted not to respond. Kargas thereupon excused himself and left the council to its deliberations. It remained in session all day and into the next. At the end of the second day, though, the council summoned Mayor Juganhouse and informed him that it believed that Roy Czezarchek more likely than not had murdered Anna Mullins. With the guilty verdict in hand, Juganhouse returned to his office and sentenced Roy Czezarchek to hang for his crime.