Key arrived in his office late, but he was ready to go home. Trudie met him with crossed arms and a cold gaze.

"What?" He asked, curiously approaching her to find out why she looked angry. He looked around the room. Jory, Keebler, and Lambro sat at the table discussing something that seemed mildly important. He was glad to see the others including Keebler in their activities. He was worried he would never fit in. Trudie's glare made his warm feelings go away.

"Now he shows up. Do you even work here anymore, or do you just stop by from time to time?" She asked rhetorically.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around lately. This last week has been kind of hectic with the sergeants, Delina, and two meetings with the king. Believe me, I hate it as much as you do. I want nothing more than to spend my time here, but it's been hard."

"Mommy and Daddy are fighting," one of the men at the table said before they all began snickering.

Trudie turned her head and yelled, "Cram it, Lambro, or I'll shut your mouth for you!" Her mood instantly softened. "It's just been stressful here trying to manage everything without you. We solved that case I was telling you about, and the whole thing has me on edge."

"Congratulations on that, by the way. How did it go?"

Trudie nudged a box on the ground and said, "See for yourself."

Key looked down, lifted a wooden lid off the box, and peered inside. There were some papers and a knife. He asked about it.

"Eye witness reports, letters containing threats, and a murder weapon."

"Are you sure that was the weapon? It looks so… clean."

"Oh, I washed it off first," Trudie explained. "I didn't want to get the papers dirty."

"Smart."

"Thanks," she accepted the compliment solemnly. "The problem is the guy swears he didn't do it. Maybe that's what all killers say. Either way, it's been putting me on edge."

"So, no confession then?" Benj asked, assuming not.

"No, but we found the knife in his house, and his wife did say that he came home covered in blood after having an argument with him. She says she overheard him say, "I'm going to kill him with a knife!" So that's all the evidence I need. We have him locked up, no thanks to you."

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"How do you know the wife didn't do it?" Key asked, poking through the box.

"Nice try," Trudie smirked. "But you can't just barge in here, ask some stupid questions, and then magically take partial credit for this investigation. Besides, it's too late now; we already declared him guilty."

"Have you all been to the training ground yet?" Key asked, knowing a few exercises and some sword training might be just the thing she needed. He hadn't had time for it in nearly a week and would be more than willing to go now.

"We've already been," Jory chimed in and added, "Keebler went twice."

"It's because everyone keeps calling him fat," Trudie shook her head distastefully.

"Well, he is, isn't he?" Lambro asked, standing up from the table to poke Keebler's midsection. Keebler defended himself, and the hand slapping turned into a pitiful brawl.

Trudie looked poised to intervene if it got any more serious. Key was just interested in seeing how everything operated without his intervention. They were still significantly better than when they had first started working together. He was proud to see the two stop fighting when the door made a sound. They separated and donned concentrated looks at whatever papers were in front of them. He wondered if they had done the same thing to him when he walked in the room.

Sergeant Dalgren meandered in as if he were walking into a bookstore. He looked around the office, appraising it, picking up things and putting them back. He gave an appreciative whistle at the twin suits of armor against the wall.

"What brings you in today, sergeant?" Key asked, uncertain about the level of formality to use.

"Call me Jere," he said, lifting the helmet off a suit of armor and looking inside. He was a rough-looking guy with a dangerous countenance. He looked like he had been beat over the face too much growing up, which gave him a roguish look. It probably made him appear handsome to the wrong types of people.

Key waited for half a beat before curiosity got the better of him. He walked over and lifted off the other helmet for inspection. The rest of the room carried on, trying to look invisible.

"You can tell these were used in battle because of the sweat stains," Dalgren pointed at a discoloration of the inner metal. "Real helmets have padded liners like leather or fabric that get taken out before being displayed. Even if it's gone, you'll see corrosion 'ghosts' in the stitching holes or rivet anchor."

"I see it, mine has it too," Key marveled at the insight, not that he cared too much before that moment.

"I'm here to invite you and your team to the morning assembly tomorrow," Dalgren said, replacing the helmet and giving Key his full, criminal-looking attention. "Dilly was supposed to invite you, but he hates you, so he sent me."

"Ah," was all Key managed in response.

"There's going to be an award ceremony at the North entrance steps of the castle. Wear something nice. It's at the usual time, so don't be late."

When he left, there was a subtle feeling of the room letting out a collective sigh of relief. Labro and Keebler made a direct line towards the suits of armor to put the helmets on and slap each other in the face.

Trudie approached Key, "What did he want?"

Key answered her question to the whole room. "We've been invited to the morning assembly tomorrow morning."

"I thought we didn't go to those anymore," Jory complained across the room.

"There's an award ceremony. He says we should look presentable." Key turned his attention toward Trudie, "Maybe you're going to be recognized for solving the murder case..."

Trudie's eyes sparkled with elation, "Do you think?"

"Do I think? You solved an actual murder," Key said encouragingly. "Why else would we be going?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.