Murderous Matrimony (Renaissance Faire Mystery)

by Lavene, Joyce

“There should be plenty since everyone went home early. It’s still raining. Let’s just eat at the Pleasant Pheasant.”

  The Pleasant Pheasant was right across the cobblestones from us. Once Manny was settled in, we dashed back out through the rain, and joined dozens of other residents already eating hot stew and spicy chili. One of the violinists from the Stage Caravan was playing, and the mood was festive, despite the rain.

  Hephaestus set down two big tankards of ale on the table. “Good evening to you Sir Bailiff, Lady Jessie. We’ve plenty of bread, chili, and stew. There’s a serve-yourself table set. Eat what you like.”

  Hephaestus was a tall, broad, heavily-bearded man who’d taken to wearing a hat since his hair had started disappearing. Tonight he wore a red felt cap with a green feather in it.

  He was always friendly to residents, and was the head of the Food Guild in the Village. It was a position of great honor since it denoted trust from his fellow foodies. He spoke for them when there was a problem.

  There were twelve guilds in the Village. They voted on what their people needed, and negotiated contracts with Adventureland.

  There was the Craft Guild, represented by Hans Von Rupp, the blacksmith. They were always feuding with the Artist Guild that Sam DaVinci headed. The Weapons Guild was represented by Master Archer Simmons, and the Magic Creatures Guild was represented by Merlin.

  Robin Hood was top man of the Forest Guild, primarily made up of his Merry Men and Women. The Entertainer’s Guild was currently headed by Little Bo Peep—although there was some talk of Mother Goose taking it over. The harp player at the Merry Mynstrel Stage, Susan Halifax, was head of the Musician’s Guild.

  Shopkeepers didn’t belong to guilds. They were above that kind of things since they paid rent to the Village. Chase and I weren’t guild members. We spoke for ourselves, when anyone would listen.

  The crowd was a mixed bag, filled with shopkeepers and guild members. Chase and I skirted around some couples who were still wearing their colorful belly-dancer’s costumes from Stage Caravan. We filled bowls with the hearty, flavorful stew.

  I put a couple of pieces of bread in my skirt pocket. There was no way to take chili or stew back for Manny. There was some yogurt in the mini fridge at the apartment. That would have to do for tonight. Anything else might look suspicious. Tomorrow, we’d have to think of something different.

  “So, where do we start looking for our killer?” Chase asked when we were seated again. “There’s a rush on this now, Jessie. You-know-who can’t stay with us forever.”

  I didn’t blame him for not mentioning Manny’s name. The pub was crowded. Anyone could hear us talking. The Village was a hotbed of fast moving gossip. If we weren’t careful, Detective Almond would be waiting for us when we got back to the Dungeon.

  “I think we should work the bookie angle.” I sipped my ale. “That’s our best lead.”

  “And what did you say his name was?” Chase pulled out a pencil and paper from his side pouch. “He might’ve been hired in the last few days. They’ve been ramping up new hires more than usual for the wedding. Maybe there’s some kind of glitch in the computer system that caused Manny’s name to be lost. A glitch like that could let us hire someone like this bookie too.”

  He looked so cute—kind of like Detective Almond—with his pencil and paper. Only Chase was a million times cuter and sexier. It almost took my breath away thinking that we would be married soon.

  “The workman said his name was John Healy. I guess we could have Bart look him up, though he probably wouldn’t use his real name.”

  Chase leaned across the table close to me. “I think it’s unlikely a bookie would come and work here to kill a man who owes him money. If he’d kind of randomly stopped in, and killed him, that could make sense. I don’t see it the other way. It would be too much work to accomplish the goal.”

  “You might be right. It’s the only thing we have right now.”

  “The missing crossbow seems to be part of this.”

  “Except that no one could have used it to kill Dave,” I reminded him. “I know it seems like that theft is involved, but it might only be to throw the murder off on someone else.”

  “Someone else like who?” Chase looked up at me. “You have another person in mind?”

  “I can’t tell you right now. It’s another person that works with arrows and bows.” I hoped he’d see where I was going with that.

  “Oh! I get it. He could be part of this?”

  “I don’t think so, but he asked me to keep him out of it.”

  “That’s a little suspicious in itself, isn’t it?”

  “No. Not coming from him.”

  “Jessie—”

  “Not him!” He knew how I felt about Master Simmons. I wouldn’t give him away for anything, not even Manny. He’d been like a father to me.

  “Well, let’s hope we can keep him out of it.”

  I told him that I wanted to talk to Roger Trent about Dave’s gambling problems. “That could help make a case against John Healy.”

  He kissed my hand. “You’re right. It’s best to find out as much as we can about Dave.” His radio went off. “What’s up?”

  “There are lights on at the Lady of the Lake Tavern,” one of his security people said. “What do you want us to do?”

  Chapter Eight

  “It’s probably only the new owner,” Chase returned. “Make sure you see some ID.”

  After the incident at Polo’s Pasta, the security guards were on edge. They weren’t happy with the idea of going into the old tavern at night, not knowing who was in there.

  Chase sighed. “The two of you wait there. I’ll be over in a few minutes.”

  I could hear the rain still pounding on the roof of the Pleasant Pheasant. It wasn’t a nice night to go for a walk.

  “At least the Village is closed so you can wear rain gear,” I said. “I’d like to go too.”

  “Okay. Is that to get away from our new roomie, or to be with me?”

  I laughed and kissed him. “A little of both.”

  Chase took my hand, his brown eyes intent on my face. “I happen to know a nice little place over that way that’s empty right now. We could stop in for a while after we meet the new owners at the tavern.”

  I frowned, trying to think of someplace that was empty over there. The only spot I could think of was—“You mean Wanda’s cottage? Are you crazy?”

  He laughed. “I guess that answers my question about whether or not you want to spend time with me. You don’t even want to go into a cottage where a woman was gruesomely murdered.”

  “That probably wouldn’t bother me as much as the appearance of the murdered, blue woman who would be joining us. In the mood for a threesome, are we?” I did my best impression of Wanda’s British accent.

  “Yeah. Forget that idea. Let’s go.”

  Hephaestus shouted out his farewell as we were leaving. We ran out past Hans Von Rupp, the Village blacksmith. He was with Susan Halifax. They called out quick greetings as the four of us dodged the deluge.

  Manny was watching TV when we got back to the apartment. He’d already found the yogurt, and Chase’s chocolate power bars. I gave him the bread, and promised we’d try to do better tomorrow.

  “Please don’t worry about me,” he said. “I’ll get by. You are kind enough to let me stay here for now. I can take care of myself.”

  I changed into a pair of shorts and put on my knee-high rubber boots. Chase didn’t change. We both got out our plastic rain ponchos and cautioned Manny against opening the door for anyone.

  “We’ll both be in hot water if Detective Almond finds you here,” Chase said. “Jessie and I have keys. Don’t answer the door.”

  Manny bowed respectfully. “I shall obey your commands, Sir Bailiff.”

  Chase and I went back out into the night. There were only a few street lights in the Village. They were made to look like Victorian gas lights, although those wouldn’t have been around during
the Renaissance. Most of the light came from the windows of the shops and houses—golden light pouring out into the darkness.

  It was a case of trying to provide safety for the residents, without losing the ambiance of the surroundings. Maintaining a Renaissance atmosphere in modern times was always a challenge.

  There were several stadium lights that could be turned on to clean up after a late event or do repair work as needed. They were only on a few times a year.

  “Did you see what he was watching?” Chase asked as we cut across the cobblestones and walked across the soft, damp grass of the Village Green. “I Love Lucy. The man is either a crown prince, and out of touch with the real world, or he really is a sorcerer.”

  “I know. I’ve always known he was odder than the rest of us.”

  “Yeah.” He laughed. “That’s a major judgment to make. Odder than Bawdy Betty? Or Bart and Daisy?”

  “I think so. Even odder than the Brothers of the Sheaf.” I could hear the brothers chanting as they baked bread for the next day at the Monastery Bakery. The scent of the baking bread wafted across the Village, even in the rain.

  “I’m afraid I’d still believe the crown prince story over the sorcerer,” Chase said. “I’ve met too many people who said they were sorcerers.”

  “That’s what I was thinking when Madame Lucinda told me in the first place. But now—talking to Wanda—my perspective has changed.”

  He laughed again, and put his arm around me as we walked through the quiet Village. “You know, this is when I like it best. It’s quiet and people are inside for the night. It seems real, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes.” I smiled at the thought. “We would have been excellent Renaissance people.”

  We could see the lights shining from the tavern long before we reached the front door. The two men Chase had told to meet us there were huddled under the heavy branches of the Hanging Tree. They popped out when they saw us.

  “Any movement?” Chase asked.

  “No. No vehicles. No furniture.” The first man was still in his Renaissance garb. “If someone is moving in tonight, they’re mighty quiet about it.”

  “Well, it’s not like they need our permission. We already knew they were coming.”

  I went with Chase to welcome the new owners of the tavern. I was as interested to see who they were as anyone. You couldn’t always trust the gossip even though most of the time, it was correct. Sometimes, it was way off.

  The two security men stood behind us as Chase knocked on the solid wood door. It opened slowly, and a slight, older woman answered.

  “Yes?”

  Chase smiled. “I’m the Village Bailiff, Chase Manhattan. We stopped in to welcome you to Renaissance Faire Village, and to see if you needed help with anything.”

  The door opened a little wider. Yellow light from hundreds of candles spilled out into the night. It was amazing that anyone could light that many candles. It must have taken hours.

  Everything inside the tavern had changed since that morning. Even the floors had been re-done. The lights fixtures above us were different. It was like walking into a whole other place.

  When had there been time to get all that new furniture inside without anyone noticing? How had the floors and lights changed so quickly? The security guards had just seen her moving in.

  “Thank you very much. I’m Tilly Morgenstern.”

  “Hi.” I offered my hand. “I’m Jessie Morton from the Arts and Crafts Museum. Nice to meet you.”

  Tilly daintily shook my hand. Hers was cold as ice. “Nice to meet you, Jessie. I’ve heard your name mentioned.”

  Did that mean she was somehow related to Ginny?

  Her eyes were like dark diamonds, shiny and hard. Her hair was completely white and hung down past her waist in curls. Though it lacked color, it was thick and shiny like that of a much younger woman. Her face, however, was wrinkled and prune-like.

  “And this is Leo, my man servant.” She introduced us to a tall, muscled man who looked like a nightclub bouncer. His head was shaved, and his huge arms were covered in dozens of tattoos. The really strange and scary thing about him was that there were no pupils in his eyes. In fact, there was no discernible iris either.

  “He’s been blind since birth,” Tilly explained.

  “Hello.” I reached to take his outstretched hand after Chase had shaken it.

  “He doesn’t speak either,” she said. “He was raised by African pirates who killed his parents in a raid. They cut out his tongue.”

  Leo had a lighter grip than Tilly. He stared vacantly forward. It was impossible to tell if he was thinking about anything.

  “Nice to meet you,” I said.

  “I’m sorry to bother you,” Chase said to Tilly. “Adventureland requires me ask for your ID the first time I meet you. Just a formality, until we’re all familiar with you.”

  “Of course.” With barely a nod, Tilly sent Leo to get a large handbag. “Wouldn’t want riffraff moving into my tavern, would I?”

  She had a very infectious laugh that sounded like that of a small child. It only took a moment before we were all laughing with her. She showed Chase her ID, and that was that. We were back outside the tavern with an invitation to return when she’d re-opened.

  “She was a riot.” One of the security men was still laughing, tears rolling down his cheeks. “The tavern should be awesome with her running it.”

  “Hey look!” The other security man pointed to the tavern sign. “She changed the name a little. What do you think that means?”

  We all looked up and read the new sign. There had always been a mermaid with a sword in one hand and a tankard of ale in the other. But now the name Lady of the Lake had been changed to Lady in the Lake. It was a subtle difference, but there was nothing subtle about the change in the image.

  Now there was an image of a woman in Renaissance garb who was flailing in the water with the pirate ship, Queen’s Revenge, behind her. She looked as though she was about to drown.

  “Wow. That’s some sign,” I said. “Does anyone else think the woman in the lake looks like me?”

  “I don’t think she looks like you.” Chase looked away.

  “What kind of ID did she have?” I’d been looking as she presented it to him. Now that it was over, I couldn’t say if it was a driver’s license or what.

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “It was valid anyway, and had her name on it. That’s all that matters.”

  He sent the two security guards home for the night. We started back toward the Dungeon.

  “I know I was laughing at what Tilly said.” I began trying to piece it together in my mind. “But I don’t really remember what was so funny.”

  “Neither do I. We’re both just tired. It’s been a long day.”

  But it was about to get longer.

  The twins, Rene and Renee, stopped us close to their shop, Our Lady’s Gemstones.

  I didn’t know what it was about them that bothered me, but I felt a little queasy and uncomfortable when they were around. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck, and my skin prickled.

  “Good evening, Lady Jessie, Sir Bailiff.” Rene made a deep and elegant bow. His long white hair draped down in front of his face like a veil. “We don’t wish to bother you, but we were wondering if you could tell us who has moved into the tavern.”

  “Her name is Tilly Morgenstern,” Chase told him. “I hope everyone can make her, and her assistant, Leo, feel at home. It’s the best way to heal what happened in the Village two weeks ago.”

  Rene’s sister, Renee, stared into her brother’s strange blue eyes for a moment longer. They seemed to share an unspoken conversation.

  Was it me, or did they both look unhappy about Tilly moving into the Village?

  “Of course, Sir Bailiff. We would be happy to welcome the newcomers.” Renee smiled and lowered her head like a cat.

  It was difficult to tell Rene from Renee. They were close to the same height and weight. They both had
thin, white faces and long white hair. Their eyes were the same shade of blue.

  The only way I’d found to tell them apart was that Rene was a little taller, and had a slightly deeper voice. They were as close in looks as two fraternal twins could be, much closer than me and my brother, Tony.

  “We are nearly finished crafting your wedding bands,” Rene said with a thin-lipped smile. “It would be wonderful if you could come and try them on in a few days. Just to get a feel for them, and make sure that they are exactly what you want.”

  “Sure,” Chase said with a broad smile. “That would be great.”

  Renee nodded. “Your wedding bands will bind you together forever.”

  Chase and I both said that we were looking forward to seeing the rings. All of us bowed to each other, and the twins went back to their dark shop.

  Another weird thing about them—they never had their lights on.

  “You know, the way she said it, I’m not so crazy about marrying you now.”

  He laughed, and put his arm around me. “It’s too late. You’re stuck with me.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of. The way she made it sound, it was more a curse than a blessing.”

  “What is it with you and the two of them?” he asked. “They do awesome work. I never have any trouble from them. I don’t understand why they bother you so much.”

  I shivered, thinking about the twins. “I don’t know. They scare me. They have since the first day I met them. It doesn’t make sense, but there you have it. I guess I don’t always make sense.”

  We were on the cobblestones by then, headed past the Honey and Herb Shoppe, when I noticed a light in the Arts and Crafts Museum. It wasn’t a normal lamp, or overhead light. This was more like a flashlight, moving past the windows.

  “What’s that?” I asked Chase. “No one should be in there.”

  “I don’t know.” His eyes narrowed in the dim light. “Let’s go take a look.”

  Chapter Nine

  We went quietly up the stairs to the museum. I could smell coffee brewing at Sir Latte’s Beanery on the other side of the Village, along with bagels cooking at Bawdy Betty’s. There was laughter floating out on the night air, and the sound of someone playing a guitar.