LazarusBoard

*The sound of footsteps could be heard approaching outside. A steward was coming toward the door of Lady Vera's library office within the Castle of Saint Santanis. She bore a message from the Demonos Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a wax-sealed dossier to be conveyed to her majesty with important information. The door was open and Lady Vera sat in the middle of the library working away on a black Chippendale desk.*

"Your majesty, a letter from the Ministry of FA."

*Lady Vera motioned the steward to approach her desk. She finished the sentence on a page she had been laboring on and received the parcel. The dossier was pale green and had a yellow wax crest upon the opening flap. She took out a dagger from her knee high riding boot and broke the star and crescent seal. In the dossier was a letter from the deputy minister in Mzeusia and another envelope affixed with the official crest of The Serene Republic of Mzeusia.*

"Is there anything else steward?"

"No ma'am." She replied.

"You are dismissed steward."

*As the steward exited the library Lady Vera began to read the letter from her deputy minister in Mzeusia.*

"Your Majesty," it read, "I am pleased to inform you that Telumas Eliot Jania has bestowed upon you the title of 'Friend of Mzeusia'. In a solemn ritual held at the temple of Desonikas the Grand High Priest of Mzeusism sacrificed an offering and their spiritual leaders have interpreted a divine message to mean approval of the relationship between our nations. They have blessed the relationship and have given their approval of your person. It was Sir Jania that appealed to them for the title in the first place. The title is the highest honor the nation bestows on foreign dignitaries. We advise expedient diplomatic action. Faithfully yours, deputy minister..."

*A blush came to her pale cheeks. She opened a second letter that contained the words of the Telumus. She leaned back in her chair and placed her hand upon her breast. The words it contained gave her emotions she rarely felt; appreciation, camaraderie, but most importantly, love. Deep in her heart was a growing love for the Telumus and all his people. He wrote well of Demonos, the Princess, and the People. After she read the letter of the noble leader a small tear came to her eye. It was at this moment the speaker of the Vapula Prolex and Privy Council strolled in*

"My Lady", but before she announced to Lady Vera her original business she saw the little tear fall from her black eyes. She inquired, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Contessa", she replied softly bringing the letter close to her chest, "The Principality has consolidated an ally in Lazarus. The genial Mr. Eliot Jania."

"Is it," she brought her voice down as if she intended to gossip, "a love letter?"

"Don't be daft, Leanne!" Lady Vera's blush went from pink to red. "We are The Princess and Mr. Jania is the Telumus. He has bestowed a title upon us and it was very touching. It has nothing to do with human affection."

The Contessa's eyebrows reached the ceiling. "Then why do you look like a Valentine's Day idiot?"

"I... we don't... don't address your sovereign that way", cried Lady Vera.

Behind a smile the Contessa, Dr. Leanne St. John replied, "I apologize, my Lady, for my impertinence."

A small silence followed between the two women while Lady Vera re-read the letter. "I don't think that is why he did it. He sincerely believes in us, it's...", she trailed off.

"Nice?"

"No," continued Lady Vera, "it's unexpected."

"Ma'am, you have worked hard. You deserve a bit of appreciation from time to time. Who better than the wise and noble Mzeusia?"

"We were touched."

"I can see that."

"It is a non-romantic gesture."

"Of course, My Lady."

"This is a step toward the greater harmony of Lazarus!"

"Without a doubt, your majesty."

"How can we return our gratitude, Leanne?"

"My Lady?"

"What can we give to Mzeusia that would be equal to their gift, Contessa?"

*The Contessa, Dr. Leanne St. John, thought for a moment while Lady Vera looked on*

"Your Majesty, we could make an international and interregional dispatch addressing our new relationship."

"That's good, Leanne."

"Or," she paused on a cliff hanger.

"Or what Contessa?"

"Or you could treat Mzeusia as a sincere friend and through undying loyalty prove that you continuously deserve their honor. Ma'am, I'll be frank. Should you return a title now, it wouldn't be seen as 'sincere' but, 'in response to'. Always make good on your word to these people. Always be loyal and protect them like you would us. They have faith in you. Don't ever betray that."

"Yes Contessa, you are right." Lady Vera put Mr. Jania's letter in a drawer of her desk and shredded the letter from the deputy minister. "The Serene Republic of Mzeusia has conscripted our Principality's heart. We will give them our affection and support so long as this friendship lasts."

"Very good, my lady, now," she began with her original reason for seeing Lady Vera, "The recent spike of Ashoy entrepreneurs has been followed by a higher output of..."

Lady Vera began to daydream while taking notes of The Speaker's Privy Council report.

At 30 pages, the manifesto contained a blistering attack on the nation's police forces, calling them "ineffective, inefficient and morally lacking, with all the ability to prevent crime as a chunk of granite can soak up water." The document railed against the entire system, going into detail on "consecutively atrocious governments having no plan to lower crime, and if they do have a plan, they have not the political power nor willpower to enact them."

The entire document was rather strange. Mzeusian crime rates were low. The criminal profiler had a hunch, and submitted a report to Yousafi and the detectives.

"What do you think of the theory?" Yousafi said to the two men, leaning on the table, mug of tea an inch away from his lips.

"That our crim had a run in with the wrong side of the law?" Detective Eurisis said.

"Yeah,"

"Well," the detective continued. "It's possible. Would explain why he's gotten so...angry all of a sudden. Something terrible's happened and he blames the police, so he wants to humiliate us."

"What do you think about the linguistic report?" the other detective said.

"If we really should be looking for a well-educated man, in his late thirties or thereabouts, that would certainly narrow the search. With the placement of the bodies, and who the victims were, the killer doesn't seem to travel far."

"So he's a Marauder?" the second detective said, mulling the idea over and nodding. "Makes sense."

With the momentum of the profiler's updated report and the linguistic clues in the manifesto, the three men went to work once again reviewing the case details.

"Where was the latest victim last seen?" Detective Eurisis asked.

The other detective opened another folder, flicked through a stack of paper and found the right witness statement. "Last seen leaving his house at 21:36."

"What's the address again?"

The detective read it out. Yousafi plotted the point on a map.

"The killer's in this area.

About a week later:

Officer Rensin was driving along with stretch of road where the bodies had been found. She was part of an increased police presence in the area. It was a warm day, and a bed of sweat rolled down the woman's brow. Up ahead of her, a green van was parked on the side of the road. A man emerged from the forest, turned, and waved at the woman.

Rensin slowed down and got out of her vehicle. "Is everything okay sir?"

"Yes, thank you officer. My vehicle broke down, so I went for a bit of a walk to clear my head. I'm meant to be somewhere soon and the stress got to me. I've got her all fixed up now though."

"Ah," Rensin said, not letting her suspicion show. "What was the problem?"

"A tire. I've replaced it now though. Nothing serious."

Rensin nodded. "Well, have a safe journey."

The man nodded, getting into the van, after sticking his arm out the window and waving again, he drove off.

Rensin returned to the police car, with a frown. Thinking over his words, she struggled to make sense of them. If he was in a hurry, she thought, why would he take the time for a walk? She turned to the forest on one side of the road, leaping out the vehicle as her thoughts raced. She dashed into the forest, thick as it was. A little ways in, she found it. A man, lying on his face, body covered partially with leaves.