Hairpin
Chapter Four
Part One
Line and Ali were walking through the city of Yor. Passing by sweet and savoury smells, as food stalls cooked and baked. Odd trinkets were being sold, some filled with herbs and spices the smells mixing with each other. The waves of people seemed never ending, as they made their way through the streets. Line observed all this by the wall, trying to stay away from the crowds. Ali on the other hand, was fully entwined with the people happily moving with them.
They were down here in the city because Ali couldn’t’ take it anymore in the quiet monastery, she even went as far as dragging Line away from her books to come down with her. Saying Line had to experience the mediocre lives of the people. Line truly did not want this.
“Line!” Ali basically crashed into her “here”
“What?”
Ali pushed a little pouch into Line’s hand “for you” Ali then moved back into the street.
Line moved her fingers over the pink pouch, feeling the golden embroidery. She pulled at the drawstring, but before she could look inside, there was a loud scream. Line immediately looked up, and moved in that direction.
A crowd had gathered, blocking Line’s view. But Ali met her there, and began pushing aside the crowd to make a path for them. The crowd was making a clearing, making space for a body. Line walked closer to inspect.
It was female. But the thing that surprised her, was the fact that Line knew who this was. It was Delilah Barnes. Line had seen many deaths, seeing Miss Barnes like this surprisingly didn’t have much of an effect on her. Line knelt by the body, she didn’t have to check her pulse to know that Miss Barnes was dead. Mostly because there were three bloody stab wounds in the abdomen. But there was other things that caught her eye.
Ali stood behind Line, trying to block the view as much as possible “everyone please, continue on with your day” she even flashed her monastery token but to no avail, the people here just wanted to nosy.
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Eventually the familiar deep blue of the guard uniforms made their appearance. They moved against the crowd, gently pushing them back. Following them was two others. The first was Arasha, the second was a good-looking man quite the silver fox.
Line stood and gave a bow “Arasha”
“Line? What are you doing here?”
“We just happened to come across the body”
“just happened?” the silver fox scoffed
“Divan” Arasha warned.
Divan was Arasha’s partner, and it was pretty well known between them that he did not like Line.
“I’m sorry Line, but you’re going to have to move aside” Arasha said.
“Wait, please. I know the king favours you and lets you take on whatever case you want, but please let me take this one. We Know her”
Divan let out another scoffed, but seeing Arasha he said “you’re not actually considering this? Are you?”
“Divan, we already have a lot of cases we’re working on. We can’t take them all”
Ali smiled “thank you”
Arasha gave a nod before moving back through the way she had come. With one last glare, Divan followed after her.
“Ali. What do you see?”
“What?”
“The body?”
“Oh, right” Ali focused her attention on the body and surroundings. It took her a little while before she spoke up again “wait...we do know her...”
“Ali. Concentrate”
Ali blinked back a few tears that threatened to fall down her face “...blood”
“what about it?”
“Where is it? There should be more, but there’s hardly any around her”
“what does that tell us?”
“she was moved. After she was killed”
“Good. What else?”
“umm...”
“umm?”
Ali winced “sorry. I’m not good enough yet”
“Her hairpin. It’s gone”
“what hairpin?”
“Ali...? Did you not notice last time we met her she wore an expensive looking hairpin? She even commented on it”
Ali shook her head “no”
Line stared “you need to be more observatory”
“sorry”
“Ali. Where are we?”
Ali looked up to see the familiar building that was The White Deer Inn. Directly above where the body was, was an open window on the second floor.
“we should go inside” Line said.
