Fatal Fairies (Renaissance Faire Mystery Book 8) (8 page)

Isabelle was standing in front of us. “You know, Chase, I think the squire is supposed to care for the knight.”

Chapter Eight

“She’s hurt.” Chase turned me so she could see my dirty, bleeding feet.

“I don’t care if she has a sword in her chest.” She glared at me. “She can walk. Put her down.”

“Isabelle, there’s nothing going on between us.” Chase smiled at her. “I’d do the same if she was a boy squire.”

“Well she’s not. People are talking. You know how I hate that.” She pouted prettily. “Let someone else take care of her, please.”

“I’ve already got her. I’m taking her back to my dressing room. You can come with us to chaperone if you like. Nothing is going to happen. Don’t worry so much.”

She glared at both of us and gritted her teeth, snapping at her attendants as a dozen parasols went up to protect her from the rain.

Chase glanced at me and sighed. “She’ll be okay. You know how she is.”

I did know how she was, and I knew this wouldn’t be the end of it. But for the moment, I was in his arms, and I meant to take full advantage of the situation. I slid my arms around his neck and pressed close to him.

“Uh, Jessie, you’re not getting the wrong idea, are you?” he asked as he walked toward the dressing room in the drizzle.

“No. I just don’t want you to drop me. I’m not exactly a lightweight.”

“You’re not a heavyweight either.” He grinned. “Can you open the door?”

I opened the door with a sweet smile. He plunked me down in a chair.

“Don’t move. Let me get my first aid kit. I can’t believe you were out there with your feet like this.”

“I’m your squire.” I made sure our eyes were on the same level. “I’d do anything for you.”

He looked skittish at that and mumbled something about finding boots before he left the dressing room. I sighed and sat back in the chair.

Ten minutes later, he was back. I loved him so much when he pulled up a short stool and first washed the bottom of my feet and then added some kind of liniment. He wouldn’t have had to work so hard—just looking at him made me feel better all over.

“These aren’t exactly regulation Ren wear.” He put white socks on my feet. “But you’ll probably need them with the boots.”

I came out of my Chase-induced love haze and realized I needed to move forward with the plan. “I have the police report about the fairy’s death. And I know they didn’t find anything incriminating when they searched your room at the castle.”

“Thanks. I’m not sure about following through on looking for the killer,” he said as he put on the half-boots that were common for peasants to wear. “If I’m in the clear, I guess it doesn’t matter.”

“But what if you don’t stay in the clear?” Thank goodness I’d brought it up. “Detective Almond is like a dog with a bone when he gets an idea. He isn’t going to stop watching you. We have to fight back, and the only way is to find the killer.”

“You’re very passionate about it,” he said. “How well do you know Detective Almond? I never met him before today. Canyon takes care of all that stuff.”

“I know.”
Forgive me one little white lie.
“But he thinks you might be guilty too. You read the ME’s description of the killer. It was someone strong enough to strangle the fairy with one hand while he held her underwater.”

“Yeah.” Chase wiped off his hands on a towel. “I guess you’re right. There was also the part about the fairy kicking the armor. That had to be a knight or one of the jousters. It could be me—or about a dozen other people—including Canyon. Maybe that’s why the Bailiff thinks I did it. He wants to throw suspicion off himself.”

He was finally intrigued by the situation. I’d seen it on his face a hundred times as we searched for someone who stole money from the Brotherhood of the Sheaf, an antique teapot from the
Honey and Herb Shoppe
, or a valuable glass statue from the
Glass Gryphon
. I could see he was on the trail.

“Let me get the report and you can look through it, just like old times.”
Oops.
The words were out before I could stop them.

Chase had been unbuckling his breast plate. He paused to stare at me.

“What? We’ve never done anything like this. Is there something about me that reminds you of Canyon?” He laughed so I knew it was okay.

I got the report out of my bag. My feet really felt a lot better. Chase had been a paramedic for a while after college. It was partially that experience that had made Adventure Land hire him as the Bailiff.

After he’d taken off his armor, I handed him a cold ale from the mini-fridge and gave him the police report. As he read it and relaxed, I cleaned his boots and polished his armor. I tidied up the room and finally paused to see how he was taking it.

“She was only twenty.” He shook his head. “If someone who lives in the Village is responsible, you’re right. We have to find him.”

Yes! The plan is in play.

He glanced at his watch. “Are your feet okay?”

“They’re fine. Don’t worry about them.”

“Good. We’ve got a few hours before the next joust. Let’s see what we can find out. Residents who live and work around the Good Luck Fountain are going to be more likely to talk to us instead of the police. That’s our advantage.”

“I’m ready to go.”

He handed me the file. “Just remember to walk a few paces behind me in public and don’t speak unless I speak to you first. We have roles to play.”

Ugh.
I’d forgotten that part of being a squire or a servant.

Still it was better to be with Chase than hang around the Village without him. The murder investigation was getting started. I just needed to ramp up my romantic assault.

We walked through the Village with everyone hailing Chase as we passed
Frenchy’s Fudge
Shoppe
and the
Pleasant Pheasant
, a tavern close to the Dungeon.

Canyon came out as we were going by. I hoped he wouldn’t make a big deal out of me working for Chase, but I didn’t really know him, or his responses, in either Village.

“What ho, Sir Knight,” Canyon greeted Chase but his eyes were on me. “It appears that you have a new squire.”

“Good morrow to you, Sir Bailiff,” Chase returned. “Yes. She is all that I could ask for in a servant.”

Cameras flashed as visitors on the cobblestones began to sense a Renaissance throw-down.

“And a prime bit of flesh she is too, sir.” Canyon put his hand on my butt and squeezed.

Maybe if we had really been lovers, I might have let that go, even though we were in public with pictures likely to end up on the Internet. But we weren’t lovers—not even friends. I barely knew him.

My intentions must have been obvious as I turned to him. Chase put his hand out before I could sink my knee into Canyon’s groin.

“Allow me, fair squire.” He bowed graciously to me, although a knight would never have done such a thing with a servant.

As dozens of residents and visitors watched, Chase slapped Canyon and then dropped one of his gloves on the ground. It was a challenge to a duel if Canyon picked it up.

My imaginary ex didn’t hesitate. He lifted Chase’s glove. “I believe that makes the choice of weapons mine, sir. My second will contact you.”

Both men nodded curtly at each other and set off in opposite directions.

The crowd went wild. Applause and camera flashes followed for at least five minutes until there was something else new and exciting to look at.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I whispered as we walked away. “I could’ve handled it without a duel.”

“Are you speaking to me, squire? I don’t believe I’ve spoken to you.”

“You know, he’s really good with a sword.” I didn’t really know that. I was just trying to protect him in case it was true. “That’s the weapon he’ll choose.”

Chase grinned. “That’s what I was hoping for. I’m not so bad with a sword myself.”

He was right, of course. He was very good with a sword. I’d never seen Canyon fight, so I didn’t know how good he was. That made me nervous. Not that they’d be fighting to the death or anything. But there were always accidents. And what if Canyon was really the fairy killer and wanted to get Chase out of the way so he could frame him for the murder?

We continued down the cobblestones to the Village Square. Detective Almond and Officer Grigg were already there. Chase had me wait at one of the benches, away from the fountain. He held out his hand to Detective Almond, already getting to know him.

“You’ve had a busy morning but well-played, my dear.” Starshine appeared on the bench beside me. “I might’ve used him working on your feet a little more to your advantage.” She shrugged and giggled. “But it went very well. He cares for you. That is obvious. He’s even willing to make his girlfriend angry for you. You and Chase are well on your way to a more personal relationship.”

“It might be better if Canyon went away,” I mumbled, hoping she might take that as a wish without me actually wishing it.

“I can’t remove him, dear. You brought him into this whole thing. He’ll remain through it.”

“Is he the killer?”

“How should I know? I’m sure it won’t be long and you and Chase will have figured out the whole thing.”

She vanished abruptly as Chase came near.

“Detective Almond is a hard nut to crack.” He sat on the bench with me. “I thought I might get him to warm up. No luck. At least I have his report. Thanks, Jessie.”

“You’re welcome. What do we do now?”

“Now we strike out on our own. The report says the fairy was killed as the Village was closing. That means most visitors were still here. I’m not sure how we’re going to be able to tell if it was a visitor or a resident that killed her.”

“Do you think it was a resident?”

“Detective Almond does.” Chase nodded toward him. “Let’s investigate that idea first. We both know most visitors who wear armor during the summer don’t make it through the whole day which probably means the killer is a resident.”

I glanced around the Village Square located in the center of the King’s Highway. I knew this area so well I could have told anyone what shops were around it.

There was the
Romeo and Juliet Pavilion
, where two pretty actors repeated words from the Shakespearian play a hundred times every day. There was
Fractured Fairy Tales
, which were storytellers with a more random, sometimes ribald, point of view on Cinderella, Snow White, and other well-known tales.

Close by, within viewing distance of the fountain, was also the well of the
Lovely Laundry Ladies
who washed their clothes in public and traded insults and sexy innuendoes with visitors. On the other side of the square was the
Treasure Trove Shop
and
Leather and Lace
, a shop for more adventurous clothing buyers.

“Someone in one of those places may have seen what went down here,” Chase said. “It seems more likely to me that it could be the Fairy Tales or Romeo and Juliet since they have no walls.”

“Let’s start there,” I agreed. “I’ll be a few paces behind you in deferential servitude, of course, Sir Knight.”

“Of course.” He held his head regally high.  

We hadn’t gone far toward the
Romeo and Juliet Pavilion
when Sir Reginald stepped out to face Chase down about what had happened at the joust. He still wore his red and green jousting doublet and dark hose with knee-high boots.

“I demand an explanation. Why did you let your squire halt the joust this morning?”

Chase glanced at me, but this was one time I chose to keep quiet. Maybe he could think of a better explanation than that my feet hurt. I surely couldn’t tell Sir Reginald that I was afraid he might have a heart attack.

“My squire was taken ill, sir,” Chase said. “She didn’t mean to stop the joust, although it would have been called a moment later with the storm anyway.”

“That’s not good enough, sir!” He was so angry that his hands were trembling.

I was afraid all over again that he might fall down dead at our feet. He’d recovered in the other Village, but what if this one was different? I knew he couldn’t take the stress.

“I can’t offer any better explanation.” Chase’s reply was calm as he stared into Sir Reginald’s rapidly reddening face.

The older jouster pulled out a red leather glove and slapped Chase in the face with it.

“You may call on my seconds, sir, as to your choice of weapon!”

“Oh brother,” Chase muttered as Sir Reginald imperiously stalked away.

Chapter Nine

I couldn’t believe Sir Reginald had challenged Chase to a duel right after Chase had challenged Canyon. It was crazy.

Of course the king and queen had the last word on any duels set in the Village. The duels weren’t real, but staging would be required to make them appear so. Hardly anything happened to us personally that couldn’t be used to promote the Village.

 “What are you going to do?” I was glad that my long legs helped me keep up with Chase’s angry pace.

“Fight Sir Reginald if I have to. I’m hoping Queen Olivia won’t allow it.”

Even in this Village, Chase was the queen’s favorite. She’d probably put an end to it, even though it was staged.

He kept walking until we’d reached the
Romeo and Juliet Pavilion
, which was more like a garden bower decked with roses and lilies. There were two chaise lounges at the center of it for the actors, and chairs around the circle for the visitors.  The roses and lilies were real during the summer—fake in the winter.

People loved the romantic performance. There were always tears and sighs when the couple was both dead. Not much of a romance to my mind. I didn’t want my romance with Chase to end that way.

There was applause from the tearful visitors as beautiful Juliet and handsome Romeo were laid out together at the end. As the performance ended, the visitors began to look at their Village maps for their next destination.

Chase waited until the couple was alone and drinking water from the canteens that were allowed in the Village. There were no plastic water bottles here—at least not for residents.