“I was on duty, guarding you, Princess Charlotte, but I thought I saw a suspicious figure outside. I was heading to see if anyone was there, but then I heard the scream from a distance. I puzzled about what to do, but then decided to follow the scream.”
“A suspicious figure, you say,” Lottie said, with a sigh. “The fact that we found the captain’s loins lying on his back meant that the perp was standing in front of him. This is without a doubt a crime committed by someone the captain’s loins knew and trusted. Whether this ‘suspicious figure’ exists or not is irrelevant to the murder case at hand, I’m afraid.”
Everyone present pulled uncomfortable expressions.
“Hold it, it’s not a murder case—he’s not dead!” Alphonse exclaimed, after a short silence. Zeke may have lost blood, but he was resting in the infirmary and was simply unconscious. However, Lottie was too deep in thought to hear him.
“Mr. Cee Rill?”
“Y-Yes? What is it?”
Cyril’s whole body started quivering in fear as Lottie called his name.
“You were not present on our trip to the witch village. Did you kill the captain’s loins out of frustration about this?”
“O-Of course not! I would never harm the captain for such a childish reason!”
Cyril’s face burned red with the accusation, but the detective was unrelenting.
“I’ve noticed something else. Your hair. It’s wet.”
“Th-That’s because I forgot to dry it after washing it earlier! My hair’s short, so sometimes I forget.”
“If that wasn’t enough—your glasses. They’re different from the ones you were wearing a few hours ago.”
“Well, I...” Tears threatened to spill out of Cyril’s eyes. Everyone looked at him with suspicion. He bit down on his lip and spoke. “Okay, I’ll come clean. I tried to head back to the dorms. The story about a suspicious figure was a lie.”
Lottie stared at him with narrowed eyes.
“You wanted to head back to the dorms in this terrible storm, so late at night? Pray tell, why?”
“Because I suddenly hit upon an idea for a new novel!”
“Really? That’s great!” Lottie couldn’t control her excitement. A new novel from Mr. Cee Rill, the famed writer of romances? Her heart leapt with joy at just the prospect! “So, what’s it about?”
“Lottie, is now really the time?” her assistant Maria said. Lottie coughed lightly.
“Ahem, very well then. You hit upon a new idea and wanted to head back to the dorms. Why did you need to go back?”
“I always write my ideas in my notebook with my favorite pen. However, for some reason I forgot both of them today. It was stupid of me, but I wanted to go back and fetch them from the dorms.” Cyril’s expression was full of regret. “As soon as I opened the doors to leave, the storm blew in, causing my hair to get wet. Not only that, a sudden clap of thunder shocked me so badly that I dropped my glasses and ended up stepping on them. The only saving grace was that I’d brought a spare pair.”
“Come on, man! You brought a spare pair of glasses, but not your pen and notebook?” Alphonse’s rebuke was fair enough, but, well, everyone made mistakes.
“I see. Thank you for telling us all. So...what’s the story going to be about?”
“Well, in the shock of stepping on my glasses, I forgot.”
“What? Nooo!”
“Lottie. The case,” Maria said.
Wiping her tears away, Lottie went back to the matter at hand.
“All right, Mr. Cee Rill is no longer a suspect.”
“Your reasons?”
“Well, he’s not the sort of person to commit murder in the first place. His hands exist for the sake of writing his wonderful stories, not for murder.”
“Thank you, Princess Charlotte,” Cyril said, evidently moved.
“Pay it no heed. However, right now I’m Lottie. Please get that right.”
“You’re the best, Lottie! Aha! I think I’ve just thought of an idea for a new novel!”
“Hey! This is blatant favoritism, Princess!” Alphonse said, evidently upset.
“No it isn’t! It’s a deduction that’s fueled by a teeny bit of favoritism,” Lottie said, cutting down Alphonse’s argument in an instant. “Just joking. I’ve actually known who the culprit is all along.” The group fell silent at the detective’s proclamation. “So if the culprit could own up now...for the sake of their own good name.”
And in fact, a voice did reply.
“It was me, Lottie.” Cecily had fallen to her knees and started to sob. “I did that to Zeke...with my very own hands.”
“Well done for coming clean, Cecily.” Lottie gave Cecily’s shoulder an encouraging pat. “You said you poured a hot cup of tea, but when I got Maria to verify your claim, your tea had long since gone cold. In fact, you were drinking your tea and intended to use the bathroom when you bumped into Zeke. Correct? That’s when this tragedy occurred.”
“Yes, it’s just as you say. I...I didn’t think seeing me in a nightgown would cause Zeke to have a nosebleed so severe that he passed out!”
Cecily’s face was bright red.
Yes, it was just as Cecily had said. The pair had bumped into one another. From all her tossing and turning, Cecily’s hair and clothes were untidy, and the sleeves of her nightgown were riding up. Not only that, she was wearing nothing else—no cardigan or sweater on top of it. And Zeke had seen his girlfriend in this suggestive state. He’d been nearby, and, as Cecily had approached, a sudden peal of lightning had caused her figure to appear in his eyes. This scene was all too much for him to bear, and he had collapsed there and then. The icing on the cake of Lottie’s deduction had been Cecily’s relatively calm reaction to the whole affair. If Zeke had truly been attacked by someone, Cecily would have attacked the culprit without question instead of allowing Lottie to lead the investigation.
Thus was the truth of the case.
“Cecily.”
It was Zeke. He had returned from the infirmary. Cecily ran over to him with tears in her eyes.
“Oh, Zeke, I’m so sorry! I’m really sorry!”
“It’s fine, Cecily.”
“But it’s my fault! I’m the one who said, ‘This nightgown’s so thin—I wonder what would happen if you held me right now,’ after all!”
“That’s true. I need to stop those wicked, bewitching lips, or I won’t feel at ease!”
Unable to bear being under Zeke’s hazel eyes any longer, Cecily collapsed into Zeke’s arms. He easily lifted her light body and held her like a princess.
“Let’s go somewhere we can be alone, Cecily!”
“Let’s!”
“Sorry for all the commotion.”
“Sorry!”
And so the ridiculous couple who had caused this whole affair sauntered off without a care in the world.
“A-And with that, case closed!” The scene had caused even Lottie to flush terribly. “The next case awaits—let us away, Maria!”
“I’m sorry, but I have some work to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave, Lottie.”
Surprised but undeterred, Lottie turned to the person who had been her assistant before Maria. With his name finally cleared, she could finally accept him back. She called out with a levity in her voice.
“Alphonse’s loins—I know you left, but you’re back as my assistant.”
“Uh, I didn’t leave? But whatever. I shall accompany you to wherever you may head, my lady.”
“Very good!”
Although Lottie was in the highest spirits, Alphonse let out a yawn from behind her.
“First stop is bed, I think. It’s pretty late.”
“Good point!”
Alphonse’s yawns were infectious, and Lottie readjusted her beret as she headed to her bedroom.
Although the matter tonight had come to a close, this wouldn’t be the final case for Detective Lottie...