Palace Ghosts

Chapter 6

Over the next few days I got to know Taviq well, and I introduced him to many of my ghost friends. Together we discussed, and rediscussed the events that happened the night of the murder. Neither of us knew very much, but with the ready help of Fudin, Valena, Rhys, Lathion, and many other ghosts, we ended up collecting a lot of information on the matter.
Rhys had sat in for Baron Frox's testimony, and had declared it sound, even though it appeared that the interrogator wasn't convinced.

...oOo...

One day, as I tidied up Baron Elwinn's room, Taviq Elwinn sat on a couch, watching and conversing with me.
"Why would someone want to kill the King anyway?" I asked, whilst trying to scrape a piece of wax off the floor.
"Well there're many reasons, though I don't know if any of these are entirely true for our king. One reason is a grab for power, a second is revenge, and a third is getting rid of him before he can do something, say blackmail or kill someone," said Taviq.
I paused my work, mulling the options over in my head.
"What about a murder in the heat of the moment?" I asked.
Taviq shook his head. "Not on a King, and besides the murder was too well planned for something like that. Remember the note?"
I nodded. Taviq drifted into a melancholy state. His lips were pursed and his eyes stared unseeingly into the middle distance. I had seen him like that several times, though normally once he noticed that I had seen his withdrawal, he would shrug it off, and pretend that it hadn't happened.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked. Taviq started and looked at me unknowingly, recognition dawned across his face.
"Oh, I just..." he laughed, trying to shake off his earlier mood. "Nothing really," he finally concluded.
I stood up from my work and walked over to him, sitting myself down next to him. "Can't you tell me? I won't tell anyone," I said, softly.
His eyes scanned my face for a moment. "I just don't think Baron Frox is guilty. He was going to hold a large social event for friends and family, but cancelled it at the last moment. Which makes him look both dumb and guilty. But he's not stupid. If he hadn't cancelled he would have a strong alibi," said Taviq, with a clenched jaw.
"But what if it he did do it?" I asked, tenderly, not wanting to rub him the wrong way.
"He didn't," he said, flatly with evident conviction.
"But how can you know?" I asked.
"I just do," he said, getting up and walking from the room.
I sighed and carried on with my work. It was that conversation that first got me thinking. I secretly employed Rhys as my secret agent. I knew some things didn't quite add up, and I knew that Rhys knew it too.

...oOo...

That evening I found King Gneth IV travelling along an empty corridor. "King Gneth!" I called.
He turned at hearing his name. "Yes?" he asked in a self asserting tone.
"May I ask for your help, Your Majesty?" I asked.
I had long since learned to call ghosts by their titles, and speak with the respect due to their station, especially when I was asking a favour.
"Yes, I suppose so," he said. Though secretly, I could tell, that he was pleased that a living being was speaking to him.
"I want to talk with Baron Frox, but his room is being guarded by the Royal Guard. So I was wondering if you knew a secret way to get in? After all you were King, and I'm sure you know all the palace's secrets," I said, preening his pride. 
"I do, but first, why do you want to speak with him?" he asked, putting emphasis on the last word.
"Well, I am curious about his true involvement with the late King's murder," I said casually.
"I see," he said with an oily smile. "Follow me Kianna."
He led me through a couple servant's passages before stopping in front of a blank wall. "Insert your finger into that hole, and press the nub," he instructed. I obeyed and a door materialised from the wall, swinging inwards. The passage was dark and dusty.
I retrieved a torch from a wall bracket, and started down the passage, the transparent King Gneth in front. After about five minutes the passage branched into four, without hesitation King Gneth chose the middle right one. I followed.
Suddenly he stopped and pointed to the left, there was an engraved door.
"That door goes directly into Baron Frox's rooms," said King Gneth. I nodded and grasped the handle, turning it and opening it towards myself. In front of me there was the back of a large tapestry. I took a step forward and closed the door behind me, then I sidled out of the tapestry.
I was in a large, rich and ornate room. Many things were gold gilded and the floor had a giant red carpet. In the corner on a sofa sat a man. He had sandy, straw coloured hair, and his skin was very pale. His head was in his hands, and it looked like he was trying to cope with some mental ailment, depression maybe.
"Baron Frox?" I said. He started and looked at me confusedly, glancing at the door, which was still closed.
"Who are you? How did you get in?" he asked, warily standing up.
"I'm a humble servant girl, and how I got in is not important, I'm here to ask you a few questions," I said.
"Who told you to ask me questions?" he asked, staring into my face.
"No one. Now are you guilty of killing the King?" I asked.
"No, I would never kill someone, never," he said, his voice cracking on the last word. I looked into his face. Baron Frox was one of those people who's emotions are written across their face. And in that moment I knew, I don't know how, but I knew that he was wholly and completely innocent. Nonetheless I asked him one more question.
"Where were you on the night of the murder?" I asked.
"I was here, in my bed, because my head had been hurting most of the day, and it had turned into a migraine," he said.
I nodded. "Thank you for your time." I smiled warmly at him, then I squeezed past the tapestry, and found my way out into the passage. Though to Baron Frox it looked like I had simply vanished.

...oOo...

More time passed. Taviq grew more and more distressed. I even ventured to asks him what was bothering him a couple times, but each time he'd wave, or brush, off the question.
I consulted several ghosts on my assumptions, thoughts and discoveries. One ghost in particular was very interested, he had been the chief detective on the most famously infamous murder mystery of the century. He had been murdered by the murderer when he had found out the truth. Though no one, of course, knew what had actually happened, as the detective had been killed before he could tell anyone. Anyways, he was an ingeniously fabulous detective, and I had his undivided attention.
"...the only conclusion is that he was killed before the knife wound," I said.
"Yes, you're right. Let's eliminate a few variables. He obviously didn't die by anything sharp, or there would be marks on his body, he had no bruising on the neck, which makes strangulation impossible, there were no strange marks on his body, a rash or sores in his mouth, which eliminates poison, so the only likely option is suffocation. What colour was his blood? Crimson or dark?" asked the detective.
"Dark, it looked almost black in the light," I said.
"Hmm, yes, deoxygenated blood would be darker then oxygenated blood. I believe, Kianna, that your king died by suffocation, and someone tried to cover it up with a knife to the heart."