Road of the Heavenly Light

12-1: Robbery in Antares

Elliot approached the door ahead of him with a sense of dread. He had been urgently summoned by Archbishop Hayes with no reason given, and that alone was enough to terrify him. He had not done anything that could be seen as a cause for an urgent summons, and so he was left to wonder all the possible reasons on the way to the archbishop's office. After taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter, which was swiftly given.

"Your Eminence," Elliot greeted his superior with a small bow before walking further inside. Hayes was sitting behind his desk, his usual stern expression adorning his face.
"Cardinal Elliot," he acknowledged him with a small nod, "please close the door before you seat yourself."
Elliot obeyed without question, his heart pounding loud enough for the archbishop to possibly hear.
"I have summoned you here on a grave matter that requires your assistance. Last night, the holy tapestry of Saint Divinia, an item of great value, as you well know, vanished from its resting place in the Saint's Tower. We believe it to have been stolen, and the prime suspect is a high ranking church member under your jurisdiction, namely Bishop Brigid of Fantasia."
Elliot was shocked at the accusation, but tried his best to not show it.
"I see. That is an unfortunate predicament."
"The bishop has been placed under arrest here in the capital, and will not see anybody for the time being. I believe I do not have to remind you that stealing an artifact of the Saint herself is considered treason, punishable by life in prison."
"Of course not, Your Eminence."
"I want you to launch an investigation tomorrow to inspect the scene of the crime and to question the bishop, so the artifact may be returned."
"It shall be done, Your Eminence."

In the solemn silence that the Saint's cathedral provided in the late hours of the day before the evening service, Edith always felt at peace when lighting the many candles of the grand chandeliers. She always worked alone, glad of the small moment of calm between the many hectic hours of church work. When her brother entered the cathedral, however, Edith knew that today would not be peaceful. She could see immediately that the meeting with the archbishop had been anything but pleasant, as was sadly to be expected.
"How did the meeting with the archbishop go?"
"Not here," Elliot merely replied, and she knew enough. She laid down her candlesticks and followed her brother to the backroom, where the acoustics would ensure they would not be heard on the other side of the city.

"The tapestry of Saint Divinia has gone missing, and Hayes has put Brigid under arrest as the prime suspect. I am to lead the investigation," Elliot explained.
Edith let out a gasp before covering her mouth.
"Brigid would never do such a thing!"
"I know, but we shall have to prove it regardless."
"It's preposterous! You don't think it's because she-"
"Do not speak of it, sister. You never know who might be listening," Elliot warned. Edith scowled. She hated not being able to speak freely, she hated that Brigid had been caught up in something like theft, and she hated having her false sense of peace shattered.

"We have to prove Brigid's innocence, or she will be in prison for the rest of her life!"
"That is why I will do everything in my power to use the investigation to prevent that from happening," her brother tried to reassure her. It didn't help.
"What can I do to help?"
"I don't know yet, but I will think of something. For now, we will have to wait until tomorrow."
Edith nodded, and her brother left her alone again. Her sense of peace did not return as she lit the remaining candles. She could not believe something like this could have happened. She had known Brigid since they were children, and she knew for certain Brigid would never steal anything. That meant that nothing could be found that would prove Brigid was guilty. At least, Edith hoped as much.

Thankfully for Elliot, Brigid's home wasn't a large one, and he knew it well. Brigid rarely came to Antares, as her position as Bishop of Fantasia Island meant she was hardly ever on the Divinian mainland. Elliot had sent Edith off to do her usual duties so as to not arouse suspicion, but she was prepared to act the moment she received word from him. Elliot grabbed the key from his pocket and turned it in the lock. He was about to open the door when Cardinal Joseph arrived, far away from the territory he had jurisdiction over.
"Good day, Cardinal Elliot. Archbishop Hayes has assigned me to the investigation as well, so the results shall be as... unbiased as possible."
Elliot was not surprised to hear that.
"Of course," he dryly replied, "we must be critical of each other's discoveries and theories to ensure there can be no suspicion of... foul play."
His fellow cardinal scoffed and opened the door, Elliot following behind him into Brigid's house. The two of them went in separate directions, with Joseph heading upstairs and Elliot staying downstairs. He quickly wrote a note for Edith, as her role in the investigation would be different now that Joseph was a part of it. He handed the note to his page, who would discreetly deliver it.

Edith immediately laid down her work on the altar of the cathedral when she saw her brother's page arrive. He handed her a note, and she quickly unfolded it and glanced over the words.

Joseph has joined the investigation, so stay away from us as much as you can. Take the time to look around the Saint's Tower, Hayes is away for the day.
Burn this.

After reading it, Edith used a nearby candle to burn the note before heading off to the tower. Elliot really hadn't needed to remind her to burn the note, they had exchanged notes in secret since they were children. She quietly entered the holy tower, making her way to where the stolen tapestry had hung. When she entered the hallway, she immediately noticed its absence. The one thing that was certain about a tapestry of its size was that taking it without being seen or attracting attention would be nearly impossible, so there had to be clues left behind.

Edith immediately began looking around the hallway for anything that was suspicious, but she realized she didn't really have an eye for finding evidence of theft. She couldn't find anything that could explain the theft, which she hoped would be a sign of Brigid's innocence. Edith was about to leave when she spotted something from the corner of her eye. She knelt down and picked up a few strands of hair from the floor. Red hair. The same color as Brigid's. She couldn't believe it, but it was true. Edith took the hairs with her and left as quickly as she could.