Curse of the Sea

by Joni Parker

  “Obviously, a malfunction.” The Judge took off her reading glasses and held them in her hand. “Mr. Roberts, are you recording now? Could you check the video?”

  Alex covered her mouth to hide her laugh. She’d been surprised that Julia stood up for her in court and couldn’t be more pleased. And now she knew what those black globes were about. They were taking pictures of her.

  After a lengthy pause, Mr. Roberts glanced up. “All’s fine, my lady.”

  “Very well, let’s proceed.” She adjusted her robe and stared curiously at Alex for a while. “Where were we?” Judge Meriweather looked down at her papers.

  “Rear Admiral Collins,” Barrister Somers said.

  “Bring him in.”

  Admiral Collins stepped into the chamber, wearing his naval uniform with a broad band of gold on his sleeves. He held his head high. Distinguished-looking and arrogant, he wrinkled his brow slightly as he took the stand. He held the Bible in his hand and swore to tell the truth.

  “Good morning, Admiral.” Judge Meriweather nodded. “This hearing is presented on behalf of his Majesty’s government, charging Lady Alexin Catherine Dumwalt with destruction of government property and murder. Is the woman charged with these offenses present in this courtroom?”

  “Yes, my lady. She’s sitting over there.” The Admiral pointed at Alex.

  “Please record that Admiral Collins has pointed at the defendant. Please state your full name for the record and explain the circumstances.”

  “Yes, my lady. My name is Thomas Charles Collins, Rear Admiral, British Royal Navy. I was assigned by the Ministry of Defense as a liaison officer for NATO Exercise Hunter Dawn 2031, which was commanded by Vice Admiral Sir Malcolm Teller. The exercise was progressing smoothly until Vice Admiral Teller ordered five ships to fall back for a surprise attack. This wasn’t part of the original plan, but improvised by the Admiral. Shortly after his order, all five ships disappeared on radar during a violent storm. A massive search effort was conducted without success. Three days later, Vice Admiral Teller was relieved of command and flown to London. Upon his return, he joined me in some temporary offices, pending an investigation.

  “Several days later, on the morning of July third, I was surprised when Captain William Jonas, an old friend of mine, called me on my mobile. He was the Commanding Officer of the HMS Camelot, one of the five ships reported to be lost at sea with all souls on board. He told me that all of the ships had been stranded on a remote island called Seaward Isle and a hundred of them had just been returned to London with the assistance of an Elf and a wizard.” He chuckled and covered his mouth with his hand. “I was skeptical, to say the least, but I’ve known Captain Jonas for over ten years and trusted his judgment. I notified the Ministry of Defense and the Defense Liaison Officer contacted Scotland Yard. Detective Inspector Graham Tyler arranged to have police officers on hand and several buses to take these sailors to a secure location until an investigation could be completed.

  “In the meantime, the Captain took me to the Thames River where I saw a red ship illegally docked at Savoy Pier. At least fifty men stood on or near the pier while more stood on the deck of the ship. Everyone on the ship was later evacuated to the secure location.”

  “Where is this area located?”

  “Due to renovations, there was no room in the Ministry building, so everyone was taken to our offices in a classified underground location.”

  “I understand. Can you describe this ship the Captain showed you?”

  “Yes, it was about thirty-five feet long in the shape of a normal cabin cruiser, made of wood and painted red.”

  “You said there were fifty men.”

  “Approximately, my lady. There were more on the ship’s deck and inside. In total, one hundred sailors were returned, as well as the Captain, one civilian from the island, this Wizard Ecstasy, and Miss Dumwalt.”

  “On a thirty-five-foot ship? How did they fit?”

  The Admiral cleared his throat. “They told me they were given an elixir, a potion, to shrink them to a small size, so they could be carried in bins on the ship. I believe this potion also gave them hallucinations and they imagined everything. After that, Miss Dumwalt supposedly administered a potion to return them to normal size.” He nodded in Alex’s direction.

  “I see. Did you witness any of this?” Judge Meriweather stared at him over her reading glasses.

  “Apparently for my benefit, Miss Dumwalt used a doll to administer this supposed counter-potion. In actuality, it probably reinforced the hallucinations of these sailors.” He leaned forward and took a sip of water from a glass.

  “Objection, my lady.” Julia stood up. “Speculation. Exhibit Ten has the blood test results for the sailors and it doesn’t show any evidence of hallucinogenic drugs.”

  “Admiral Collins is allowed to have his opinion,” Barrister Somers said.

  “Objection sustained, Somers. Provide evidence of hallucinogens or the testimony will not be admitted.”

  Alex raised her eyebrows at Julia’s performance and took a sip of water.

  “Admiral, please continue,” the Judge said.

  “As I was saying, Miss Dumwalt knelt on the floor next to a doll. She used a tube and administered a small drop of this elixir into the mouth. Then she moved on to the next one. By the time she finished with the second doll, a normal-sized person was substituted for the first doll while I wasn’t looking.”

  Alex silently fumed. There had never been a doll and he was looking the whole time.

  “Was there any of this elixir left?” the Judge asked.

  “Yes, my lady. Miss Dumwalt gave me what was left.”

  Judge Meriweather shuffled through some papers. “Has it been tested, Admiral?”

  “Yes, my lady. There was little left. The only ingredients that could be identified were water and salt.”

  “What happened next?”

  “We took all of the sailors, Miss Dumwalt, Mr. Dimont from the island, and Mr. Ecstasy to our building for questioning and processing. At the same time, the Ministry was trying to come up with a reasonable explanation.” The Admiral pulled on his tie. “The entire situation didn’t make sense. I still have difficulty believing it happened, or why these sailors cooperated with her.” He shook his head and drank more water.

  Alex glared at him. Because you’re lying! The man had witnessed the last two sailors being returned to normal size and he’d lied about it. Why? She wanted to shout at the Judge to let her know the man was a liar. Instead, she clenched her fists.

  “Later, Captain Jonas came by to thank me for my help and told me about his experience on this island. He told me that he had been briefed about Miss Dumwalt and she was described as a well-trained soldier, an assassin, and a tracker with violent tendencies. The Captain didn’t understand why she was sent instead of someone else, so he assumed she was on a mission.”

  “Objection, my lady,” Barrister Lloyd said. “Hearsay evidence.”

  “Hmmm, Mr. Somers, is Captain Jonas on your witness list?”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  “Very well. Objection overruled. It’s true that what the Admiral said was hearsay information, but it may be corroborated at a later time with the testimony of another witness. Therefore, I’ll allow it to remain. Admiral, who gave him that information?”

  “He didn’t say and I didn’t ask at the time.”

  “Please go on.”

  “Well, as the day progressed, I heard further reports about Miss Dumwalt and became uneasy. Even the wizard expressed his fears, as she had killed several of his colleagues. However, D. I. Tyler didn’t find any evidence of a terrorist plot during his interrogation. So, I determined that this young woman was delusional. She claimed to be an Elf and the daughter of a Count. I discussed this matter with Captain Jonas and D.I. Tyler and decided she should be committed for a mental evaluation with a clinical psychologist. I brought her into my office and told her so, but she reacted violently.” He wiped his fore
head with a handkerchief.

  “Explain again why you considered her to be delusional.”

  “First, she said that her father was Count Dumwalt of Oltria. The title doesn’t exist, nor is there a place called Oltria. The lady also claimed that she was part Elf and Titan, in addition to being mortal, but we all know there are no such things as Elves or Titans. They’re myths and fairy tales.” He chuckled.

  “Objection, my lady.”

  “Grounds?”

  “Speculation.”

  “Objection overruled. I’d like to hear his speculation, Miss Lloyd. Admiral, you may continue. You said she was an Elf and a Titan?” She took off her glasses and looked at Alex, who casually pulled her hair back from her ears to display the blue hair. “Really?” She put her glasses back on. “And you said she reacted violently? How so? Did she strike you?”

  “No, my lady, but she did strike one of the Marines as he put handcuffs on her. She turned on him and attacked him viciously kicking him in the groin and getting out of the handcuffs. After she ran out the door, she must have triggered the electronic door locks because we were locked inside.”

  Alex pressed her lips together. That wasn’t exactly how it happened, but she managed to keep from smiling by looking down at her feet. She was also pleased that Julia was proving to be feisty.

  Judge Meriweather waved her hand in the air. “How is that possible?”

  “I don’t know. I couldn’t think of anything else to do, so I activated Operation Lockdown to keep her trapped inside the building.”

  “What does that do?”

  “It’s a computerized system that locks all exterior and interior doors and deploys all internal security forces to secure the office spaces.”

  “Did you send the Marines after her?”

  “No, my lady, they were locked in my office. This security system was installed in the building before I moved in. When Operation Lockdown was implemented, a series of bolts secured Admiral Teller’s door and mine electronically. The only way to get out was to call off the operation or go through a wall, which had been reinforced.”

  “What did Miss Dumwalt do after that?”

  “She ran away and shut down our entire computer system. We also lost power. All of our systems were permanently damaged—our computer memories were wiped clean, even the cloud was damaged. We’ve been forced to move until repairs could be made.”

  “How did Miss Dumwalt access your computer?” The Judge waved her reading glasses in the air.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Did she have an accomplice?”

  “Possibly. I suspect Ecstasy, the supposed wizard, or the civilian who came with her by the name of Jeffrey Dimont.”

  “Objection, my lady,” Barrister Lloyd said. “The prosecution has not submitted any names of conspirators with the original warrant.”

  “Objection sustained. May I see the handcuffs?”

  “Yes, my lady.” Barrister Somers held up a plastic bag with the handcuffs and handed it to the Bailiff who handed them to her.

  She held up the bag. “Who put them on her?”

  “One of our Marine guards.”

  “Is it possible that he put them on incorrectly?”

  “Highly unlikely. This Marine has ten years of experience.”

  “Then how did she get away from him?”

  “She kicked him in his private parts and then in his chest. He was in great pain and had trouble breathing.”

  “How large is this Marine?”

  “Larger than I am. He’s six-foot-four and two-hundred-thirty pounds.”

  Judge Meriweather sorted through her papers. “According to Doctor Ram, this young lady is six-feet tall and one-hundred-fifty pounds. That’s eighty pounds less.” The Judge adjusted her reading glasses and stared at Alex.

  “She knew exactly where to kick him,” the Admiral added.

  “I see. Let’s continue. You said Miss Dumwalt locked the door? How is that done to an electronic lock?”

  “Our security experts are trying to figure that out.”

  “Were there any Marines in the hallway?”

  He shifted uncomfortably. “No, we didn’t expect any trouble.”

  “Even though you knew she was a soldier? Then why did you handcuff her?”

  “As a precaution. The medical staff suggested handcuffs or a straitjacket. We didn’t have a straitjacket available.”

  “I see.” She peered over her glasses.

  The Admiral swallowed hard and changed positions in his seat.

  Alex nodded—so far, the prosecution was losing.

  “What about this small knife found on her person?” the Judge asked.

  “It was also tested. We don’t know what kind of metal alloy it is and the handle was made of an unknown species of wood. It’s blue, but it doesn’t appear to be dyed blue.”

  “Anything else, Admiral?”

  He shook his head. “No, my lady.”

  “Thank you for your time.” Judge Meriweather nodded.

  Barrister Somers rose and held up a report tied with a pink ribbon. “My lady, this is a report written by Admiral Collins, detailing the damage to the offices and the rest of the building. At the end is the current estimate for repairs, which is one point two million pounds.”

  She thumbed through it quickly, pointing to one line. “What about this window, Admiral? The one near the car park?”

  “It was found to have been tampered with. It’s a piece of mirrored, bulletproof glass and weighs over a hundred pounds. It’s mounted in a window frame without a way to open it. However, it is now backwards—the mirrored side faces in, the wrong way. Upon examination, this is also the location of a short circuit, which destroyed all of our electrical power, our computer system, and the security network. The wiring ran along the ground in this area through large cables. She damaged them during her escape.”

  “How?”

  “The cables were burnt somehow.” The Admiral shook his head.

  “Did anyone see her do this? Any security guards?”

  “No, my lady. Security was locked inside and CCTV wasn’t working properly.”

  “How could she do this?”

  “The cables were burnt as if by lightning.”

  “Where did lightning come from? Was there a storm?”

  “There were no storms on that day, my lady.”

  “Could she be an Elf, Admiral?” She peered over her glasses.

  “Elves don’t exist, my lady.”

  “Thank you again, Admiral.” The Judge nodded. “You may leave. We’ll take a short recess and resume in ten minutes.”

  Everyone stood up as the Judge left.

  Alex leaned back, feeling relieved. She still didn’t understand the extent of the damage she’d done to the security system, but it had to do with those black rubber tubes she’d destroyed with her wand—a short circuit. Whatever that was. She pressed her lips together to hide her grin.

  Chapter 31

  AFTER THE BREAK

  Twenty minutes later, Judge Meriweather returned to the room and the proceedings continued. “Detective Inspector Tyler, you’ve participated in several of these before. For the record, I will refer to you as D.I. Tyler, is that understood? Now, according to your statement, you interviewed this young woman.”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  “I’ve read your statement. Did she tell you the purpose of her visit to London?”

  “Yes, my lady. She said that she was to administer the counter-potion to the sailors and then go back to Seaward Isle to retrieve more of them.”

  “Did she at any time indicate to you that she was on a terrorist mission or sent to assassinate anyone?”

  “No, my lady. We suspected that might be the case, based on interviews with other people who were with her and the fact that she carried a weapon.”

  “Objection, my lady,” Barrister Lloyd said. “Speculation.”

  “Objection overruled. I want to hear it. D.I. Tyler, do you
mean this knife?” She waved her hand at Barrister Somers and looked at the plastic bag containing the knife. “It looks rather small.”

  “Miss Dumwalt claimed it was an eating knife. I told her we don’t carry them anymore.” Tyler covered his mouth to hide his laughter.

  Barrister Somers snickered.

  “Objection, my lady,” Barrister Lloyd said. “This isn’t a matter of humor.”

  “Objection sustained. Miss Lloyd, do you realize that this is just a hearing and not a trial?”

  “Yes, my lady. But it isn’t right to make fun of other people’s habits because they’re different from yours.”

  “Well done, Miss Lloyd. Mr. Somers, you must maintain your decorum in my courtroom.”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  “Objection sustained.”

  Alex continued to be impressed by Julia, but she had to roll her eyes. How could an eating knife cause such a problem? If she’d brought her assassin’s blade, then she could understand the uproar. She sighed silently. She should have left it at home.

  The Judge examined the knife closely. “An eating knife. My great-grandmother had one. We donated it to a museum. Is it sharp?”

  “Extremely. As you can see, we’ve covered the blade with tape to keep it from slicing the bag open.”

  “I see.” She examined the blade once more and turned to her notes. “Can you elaborate on your suspicion that Lady Alexin Dumwalt was responsible for six murders? And why are they included in this hearing?”

  “Yes, my lady. We’ve included them here because the charges are all related. The first charge resulted in the second,” Barrister Somers said.

  “I see.”

  “We do have CCTV of the incidents. Mr. Roberts can show them now. As you will see, there are flashes of blue light—blue light produced by this young woman.”