Murders of the Past

Let Her Eat Cake

"Argo, this year's party season got off to a bleak start: three of Mr. Alastor's famous parties have ended in bloodshed!" Maddie massages her temple, "but who could have foreseen that Mr. Alastor purposefully organizes these gatherings to incite murder? We really must stop him!"

"Stop him, we must! But it's no easy feat without knowing who Mr. Alastor is! He never seems to make an appearance at his own parties!" Arthur states in annoyance, "and we know that his latest party, a picnic, has already started in Prospect Gardens! With some of Concordia's highest nobility attending! Argo, I have no choice but to send you to this picnic. Try to mingle, keep a close eye on things, and learn everything you can about Mr. Alastor! But please be mindful not to alarm the guests. Also, keep Madeline away from the champagne."

"Will do, Chief!" Argo promised.

"I shan't let you down, Chief!" Maddie chimes in sheepishly, "the MadMobile is ready, Argo! Let us head to Prospect Gardens!"

At the picnic...

"Argo, there's a fancy crowd gathered here!" Maddie remarks as they walk through the white silk archway that serves as the entrance to the picnic area.

Argo skillfully maneuvered his crutches through the crowd, "there are a lot of guests; it's hard to see anything suspicious... We'll have a better view of the estate from the lawn."

She peers into the distance, "it seems deserted, apart from a woman taking a nap. Let us go there!"

Argo and Maddie trekked across the lawn to the picnic area, where blankets were laid out for guests to sit on without worrying about their clothes getting dirty. The woman Maddie had seen sleeping from a distance was on a white blanket near a white tent where tables were filled with desserts to eat. But people who were simply napping generally did not have their eyes wide open and blood drooling from their mouths. On the blanket beside the body was some torn green and yellow fabric and a faded page with a pink rose border and the title "Seating Plan" across the top.

"Argo, this lady's not asleep but murdered! There's blood everywhere around her!" Maddie cried as they saw the blood stains on the white blanket, "we've come too late! Wait a tic... My word, I recognize the victim's face despite her painful grimace and green tinge! It's Lady Georgina Upperton!"

"Lady Georgina?" Argo echoes in curiosity.

She nods, "I must thank Evie for her crash course on the Concordian nobility! Lady Georgina was a countess, the eldest daughter of the youngest son of the Esquire of- Never mind. The only title Lady Georgina needs now is "murder victim"! For this was murder, without a doubt. Dick shall tell us more."

"Caspian will alert the team!" he says, writing a quick message on his notepad. He rips the page out and puts it into the carrier on Caspian's leg. Once ready, the falcon takes flight and soars to the airship.

"We're lucky the party guests are occupied elsewhere," Maddie said, watching the bird disappear past the estate, "it gives us time to see if that torn fabric so close to the victim's body might hold a clue! Let us piece it back together! And inspecting that seating plan may tell us about Lady Georgina's companions! We only need to reveal that faded text!"

"But we must be careful; if we alert the guests and stop the picnic, panic will spread! And with so many people on such vast grounds, the killer might slip away!" Argo worries, "let's proceed with discretion! Catching Lady Georgina's killer is another chance for us to get closer to Mr. Alastor!"

"Let us begin!" she declares.

Argo sits on the picnic blanket and grabs the torn fabric. He stitches the pieces together and sees they form a small green flag with a gold castle in the middle and a matching border around the edge. The flag is attached to a broken stick, and there is also a smear of blood across the fabric.