The Space of Hope

Part 1: Chapter 2

Day 7

Detective Zayn leads me to a secluded room in the South end of the ship. The room is tucked between Food Storage and the Pharmacy, which is barely noticeable.

"The interrogation room was built to be small and overwhelming. So take deep breaths, and don't take anything they say to heart," Zayn says, his voice detached and cold. "I'll do most of the talking."

I nod silently, and we step in.

The room is cramped and dull. It is empty except for a metal table with chairs on both sides. Detective Zayn sits in one chair, and a lean woman with a stern look on her face walks in a few moments later. She sits in the chair and crosses her legs as if it is inconvenient to be here. She raises an eyebrow.

"Hello, Duchess Naxe."

"Detective Orionis, there had better be a good reason for this meeting."

Detective Zayn ignores her and turns to me. "Eirini, this is Duchess Lazlo Naxe," he says, gesturing to the stranger.

"Nice to meet you."

The duchess only nods.

Zayn looks at the duchess dead in the eyes. "Where were you at 22:00 on day 5?"

"Day 5?" she asks. "I think I... at 22:00? Oh, I was with my wife in our rooms in the Western Wing."

"What were you doing?" Zayn bluntly asks.

Lazlo looks appalled for a moment and then says, irritated, "We were playing chess. I'm a beginner, and my wife is trying to teach me. I'll admit I'm failing spectacularly."

Zayn takes a second to write things down. "Thank you, you may leave."

Duchess Lazlo looks annoyed and says something like, "Annoying brat," as she walks out.

Zayn goes to summon the next suspect and returns with a middle-aged man with a bright smile. I immediately notice that he looks uncannily like Detective Zayn. He has the same dark curls and dark brown eyes. The only noticeable difference is that the man is much older and joyful.

"Lord Nile Orionis, where were you at 22:00 on day 5?" Detective Zayn asks, sitting down in his chair again.

Lord Orionis grins. "No warm welcome for your father?"

Zayn scoffs. "I stopped considering you my father years ago." Brusquely, he walks out of the interrogation room calling Eirini to follow him. "My apologies for cutting this pleasant visit short, we have work to do and need to update the princess."

When we reach the princess' quarters, we are guided to a room with a large bed. Sena sits upright in the bed with a ventilator next to her. As we walk in she is given some sort of medicine intravenously.

Zayn's eyes widen, and he kneels beside the bed in concern. "Sena, what happened?"

"During the attack, I was nicked by the attacker's blade. I didn't think much of it but I started feeling light-headed." She gives a wry smile. "Luckily the medics came, but they said that the blade must have been laced with poison or something of the like. But don't worry, I just took an antidote."

Zayn sighs and stands. "If you have the blade, can we see it? That would be a valuable clue."

Sena nods. "Of course. The attacker dropped it in the commotion. If you can stop by tomorrow, the guards placed it into my locked vault, and I can hand it off to you so that you may analyze it."

Then, turning suddenly to me, she says "How did the interrogations go, Eirini?"

I'm taken aback that she asked me and not Detective Zayn. "I . . . uh, we met with all the suspects and gathered information on their whereabouts that day and time."

Sena grins. "Good work. I hope you can make more progress. If you don't mind, the medics say that I need my rest."

Detective Zayn and I nod and bow, quickly leaving the room so that the princess could sleep.

"Let's meet up tomorrow to analyze the blade," he says with a quick glance at me. And then he's gone.