The Capital Inspection Bureau Takes This Case
Cassidy Sterling flashed her Capital Inspector's badge with a smug little smile.
"This badge," she announced, her voice ringing with authority, "was given to me by the Emperor himself. It means my Capital Inspection Bureau oversees everything in Argent. From the high-end mansions to the city streets, it all falls under our jurisdiction.
And since this murder happened within city limits, it's my case now."
She waved a hand at the people behind her. "Let's go."
At her command, her elite officers stepped forward. Clad in sharp, tailored uniforms, they stood tall and imposing, the swords at their waists glinting in the afternoon light. They made the handful of local bailiffs look like shabby amateurs, a fact that gave Cassidy a quiet jolt of satisfaction.
She nodded toward the accuser and the shopkeeper, who were still penned in by the bailiffs. "Take them both," she said, her tone firm. "I'll handle this personally."
Her officers shouted their assent in a single, sharp chorus. They moved with swift efficiency, each grabbing a man. As they prepared to escort the accuser and the protesting shopkeeper away, the man being held started to shout.
"Wait! I'm the one who reported this crooked shopkeeper for murder! Why are you arresting me?"
He was struggling so fiercely that Cassidy figured she should probably dial it back a little. This was the Bureau's first public case, after all, and she wanted to make a good impression.
She softened her voice. "Fine. If you don't want to come to the Bureau for questioning, we can do it another way. Someone, bring a table and chairs. I'll hold the trial right here, at the entrance of The Food Cauldron, in front of everyone."
The man, who'd been all fire and fury a second ago, seemed to shrink. He swallowed hard. "I, uh, I don't want to do this here," he stammered. "I want to go to the Magistrate's Court."
Cassidy's brow furrowed. "You have a problem with my Bureau?"
He shook his head frantically. "No, it's just... I already reported this to the Magistrate's Court."
"I know," Cassidy said patiently, as if explaining something to a child. "But the Capital Inspection Bureau oversees everything in Argent, *including* the Magistrate's Court. So, like I said, this case is ours now. Any other questions?"
The man's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. His eyes darted to the lead bailiff, a desperate, pleading look on his face.
Cassidy's gaze sharpened. "Why are you looking at him? Are you two working together to frame this restaurant?"
The accusation hit him like a physical blow.
The man's legs buckled, and he dropped to his knees on the cobblestones.
"No! I just think a murder case is a serious matter. In the past, the Magistrate's Court always handled murders in Argent. I thought... I thought they had more experience. That they could get justice for my little brother faster."
The Fourth Princess, who had been watching from the side, finally spoke up. "If you have nothing to hide, why does it have to be the Magistrate's Court? The Emperor himself decreed that the Capital Inspection Bureau handles everything in Argent. Are you questioning his orders?"
At the mention of the Emperor, the man went pale with terror and pressed his forehead to the ground. "No! I'm not! I'm innocent!"
"Then what are you trying to do here?" Cassidy demanded, her patience wearing thin as she stared down at him.
Seeing the man stammering, unable to form a coherent sentence, she'd had enough. "Fine. If you don't think I'm qualified to hear your case, we can take it to someone who is. I'll escort you to the Imperial Palace myself and we can let the Emperor decide. He's qualified enough for you, right?"
The man flinched as if she'd threatened him. He started bowing his head again. "Princess, I... I'll be tried right here! Right here is fine!"
Cassidy snorted and settled into the chair Jed had carried down from the restaurant, crossing her legs with an air of authority. Her two assistants, Auspicious and As-Desired, thoughtfully placed a cup of tea on the table in front of her, along with a wooden gavel.
She straightened her uniform, put on her most serious expression, and banged the gavel like a judge. All she needed was a black robe to complete the picture.
"Alright," she said, clearing her throat. "I was standing right over there, so I have the basics. You claim your little brother was poisoned and died after eating the duck pie from this restaurant. Do you have any evidence?"
The man scrambled to pick up the half-eaten pie from the ground.
"Yes! This is the evidence! My little brother and I bought this pie from The Food Cauldron together. When we got back, he was starving, so he ate half right away and saved this half for me. But not long after he finished, he started throwing up, got diarrhea, and his whole body was twitching.
He stopped breathing in less than fifteen minutes. I was terrified. I ran and got the most famous doctor in the neighborhood. After one look, the doctor said this duck pie was laced with a deadly poison."
The shopkeeper immediately saw an opening.
"Princess, think about it! He keeps saying his brother died from poison in our duck pie. But from the moment that pie left my restaurant until his brother got sick, only the two of them ever touched it. If you ask me, he poisoned his own brother, let him eat first on purpose,
and pretended to save the other half just to frame The Food Cauldron!"
Hearing this, the Fourth Princess gave the shopkeeper a subtle, appreciative nod. The man her uncle had chosen to run this place was certainly clever.
The accuser's face flushed with rage. "Princess, he's lying! He was my only brother. Am I crazy? Why would I poison my own brother?"
Cassidy's eyes flicked between the two of them, an eyebrow raised. For a moment, she couldn't tell who was telling the truth.
She turned to Reid Donovan, who stood at her side. "Go get a coroner from the Onyx Guard. Have him examine the body, and see what kind of poison is in that duck pie."
Reid nodded, turned on his heel, and hurried off toward the Onyx Guard headquarters.
He returned just a few minutes later, leading an old man in a simple gray work jacket. The man carried a heavy coroner's kit over one shoulder. His hair was gray, but he moved with a straight-backed purpose.
He first bowed to Cassidy before walking over to the duck pie. Taking a silver needle from his kit, he stuck it into the pastry and stirred it around. He then lifted the needle to his nose, sniffed it delicately, and frowned.
"Reporting to the Princess," he said in a deep, gravelly voice. "This duck pie is laced with Crimson Crest poison. It's extremely toxic. Once ingested, it attacks the organs and causes death within half an hour."
That matched the man's story perfectly.
Cassidy pointed a thumb toward the straw mat on the ground. "Now check the body. See what you find there."
The coroner picked up his kit, walked over to the body, and reached down to slowly lift the straw mat.
The corpse was now in full view. The dead man's face was a dark, bluish-black, his lips were a deep purple, and a trace of vomit still clung to the corner of his mouth. The crowd let out a collective gasp.
The coroner knelt, his fingers gently pressing on the corpse's neck and chest. He pried open the man's mouth to examine his tongue, then traced the pulse points on his wrist. His movements were practiced and efficient.
After a moment, he stood, bowed toward Cassidy again, and reported, "Reporting to the Princess, the victim's face is bluish-black, his lips are purple, and his tongue is dark. There are already signs of bruising on his internal organs from the poison.
This is a perfect match for the toxicity of the Crimson Crest we found in the pie."
He paused for effect. "This man most certainly died from eating this poisoned duck pie."
A nervous murmur rippled through the onlookers as they looked back and forth between the accuser and the shopkeeper. At this point, either one of them could be the killer.
As everyone stood there, lost in thought, the Fourth Princess's maid, Peach, slowly stepped forward. Her gaze swept past the crowd and landed on the uncovered body lying on the ground.
Her brow furrowed, her eyes full of confusion. She walked a slow circle around the corpse, a strange feeling of wrongness growing with every step.
She turned to the princess, her voice uncertain. "Princess... have we seen this person somewhere before? I feel like he looks familiar."