A Murder in Morrowind Finale (Part 3)

“My next suspect,” I said and pointed out. “Is Falvis Halon!”

A gasp went throughout the crowd. Bavyn Hlallu raised an eyebrow and looked curiously at Falvis. He in turn stared at me and I knew that if I didn’t play this right then I was likely to wind up murdered by tonight. Unlike Cassius, I had no allies in the Imperial City, and I was most likely to be chalked up as an “acceptable” loss.

I knew too that I would never be able to accuse him for illegal slave trade. Not here, in the heart of Hlallu territory. He was too careful for that, and he had become a master a hiding his illegal trading. But he had made one mistake, and I was going to get him for it. I decided to confront him for what I knew he was guilty of.

“Falvis Halon,” I yelled out and pointed an accusing finger at him, “The letter found by the victim, was directed towards you!”

There was a roar of indignation from the crowd, and leading it was Falvis Halon himself. He grinned at his support and shouted a number of profanities at me in Dunmer and in Cryodillic. I grinned at his outrage. The angrier he was, the more likely he was to slip up. I needed him to make a mistake.

“Preposterous!” He said, “I am no slaver nor would I have anything of his! I’ll have your tongue for that accusation Imperial!”

“Preposterous!?” I answered back, “I’ve already explained that the rose pins belonging to Renara Hlera was a gift from Cassius. And as I’ve explained, Faerdae couldn’t have been the slaver referred in the letter, due to the fact that a letter directed towards him couldn’t have been opened at the crime scene. But you do own something belonging to Cassius! Something he wanted back!”

Falvis scowled and pulled his sword from it’s scabbard a bit in an open display of violence. Only the cool stare from the magistrate stayed his hand. I was thankful for his presence. No doubt he and his guards had prevented me from being lynched by an angry mob so far.

“Those are nice rings you have serjo.” I noticed the ornate flower shaped rings on his ring and index finger. Falvis inspected them and looked at me. I could tell by his expression that something was amiss.

“Funny,” I said. “I knew Cassius from our days as boys in Cyrodill. That ring you have there, is for honorary service to the city of Chorrol. He was gifted it for leading a raid against a bandit camp. The other is for being named Flower Lord in the festival of Ludi Dibellianus in Cyrodill. A local holiday. How have you come across them?”

The elf was taken aback. His eyes grew wide and I saw the strained look of one thinking of an answer. He openly growled at me, as a dog would, and pulled his sword out and held it forward in a blatant disregard to the magistrate. I glared at him without fear and held my arms open in an invitation to stab me. I was only wearing my tunic and hose, but I was confident in my ability to either dodge or take the blow before striking back.

The magistrate scowled and turned an evil eye towards Falvis. I knew it wasn’t enough though.

“The letter was no doubt directed towards you Falvis!” I cried, “Therefore Falvis, I accuse you of murdering Cassius Aurelius that night!”

A hushed whispering overcame the crowd, and Falvis searched left and right for allies. The guards put their hands to their swords and glared at me but hesitated at a motion from the magistrate. Falvis eyes grew wide at this and he began to stutter while placing the sword back into its sheath.

“B-b-but as you said Inquisitor!” He stammered, “I have witnesses! I couldn’t have opened the letter! Besides, you have no proof that the rings were what was stolen in that letter! What of the pins belonging to Hlera, or even those valuable daggers of his!? It’s possible both of those were stolen as well!”

“I disagree!” I interjected quickly. He had stumbled on his own words. “The Rose Pins, while valuable, are a common enough item in Cyrodill. With his connections to their point of origin I have no doubt that they were easy to procure for him. He probably wouldn’t have noticed them missing. As for the daggers? True, he traded them for impure skooma. But from my examinations, Cassius was so far gone into addiction that he’d have taken any skooma he could get his hands on, impure or not. The daggers were a trade; Cassius knew of Faerdae and he knew of his reputation. They were certainly not stolen.”

“I have witnesses!” Falvis roared, “I swear now and before Almsivi that I did not kill that man!”

“Liar!” I snapped, “You must’ve killed him! Who else could the letter be directed to? You are the killer!”

“NO!” He stomped his foot, “I’m not the murderer!”

“LIAR!!!’ I roared, “You were there that night weren’t you! You accepted the letter! YOU are the killer!”

“By your own words I can’t be Inquisitor,” Falvis was panicking, ““I admit that the letter was meant for me! But I wasn’t even in Balmora! I have witnesses! I swear again, I am not the murderer!!!”

Time stopped for an instant. I had him. He didn’t even know it, but in one fell swoop I had shattered his world. The victory was sweet. Almost.

“I know you’re not.” I said simply.

Falvis went to retort but stopped and his face went sheet white instead. He knew I what I had just done. Now the pieces began to fall into place.

“You couldn’t be. As I said, why would you open the letter if you were standing face to face with him? But as you just admitted, the letter was intended for you. Which implies that you are the seller of the young Khajit.”

Falvis stopped, and I had never seen a more humiliated being in my entire life. The plan had worked perfectly. As I said, I could never publicly accuse him of slavery. I knew that I would have to get him to admit it himself. By accusing him of being there, I had thrown him off. In his haste to distance himself from the crime scene he had inadvertently admitted to being the intended recipient of the letter. And since whoever was at the scene had obviously meant to exchange the slave, that person was simply a proxy for the real slaver. Which, was Falvis Halon.

“Falvis, we will speak of this later.” Balvyn growled unhappily. “Amusing Inquisitor. But as you said, the killer wouldn’t have been given the letter if it was intended for him, which by your assumption excludes Falvis. Besides, we have witnesses who place him outside of Balmora that night. So once again I ask you, who is the killer?”

“Indeed, we have to come to that your honor.” I said with trepidation, “As I have said, I have eliminated all but one suspect. The proxy who had bought the slave from Faerdae. And that suspect, people of Balmora is…DEERKETHUS!”

A great outcry once again overcame the crowd. Falvis swore and glared pure hatred at me, Balvyn Hlallu shook his head in confusion, and Deerkethus stared at me with an expression that betrayed nothing. While I had come to my conclusion, every fiber in my being wanted it to be untrue. But alas, as I’ve said, my commitment to duty compels me beyond any desire of my own.

“You’ve gone mad Inquisitor!” Falvis clapped a hand on Deerkethus’s shoulder, “No slave in Morrowind can shed blood without dying in the process!”

“I will explain!” I waved my hand to calm down the outcry around me. Once it was sufficiently quiet I continued.

“I first suspected it was an Argonian or a Khajit when I observed several fresh scratches on the walls adjacent the body.” I began with a heavy heart, “Scratches too small for climbing equipment, but enough for the claws of one of the beast races. Only by digging in with their claws could one of them scale those walls. What’s more; is the amount of scratches found. Much more than one individual could produce; I thus concluded that there were two beast-men at the crime scene.”

Deerkethus stayed quiet. I noticed him studying me carefully but I did my best to ignore those questing eyes.

“I know that the albino Khajit was the slave intended for sale, and as I’ve already shown, Falvis Halon is the seller.” I said, “But we know that he was not there that night. Cassius must’ve given the letter to Deerkethus, recognizing him as the slave belonging to Falvis.”

“We also know the letter to have been opened. Only someone close enough to Falvis would have his leave to open his letters. Someone like a proxy. No doubt Deerkethus read it, and for some reason he decided to attack Cassius.”

“But what of the murder weapon, Inquisitor?” Falvis said, “Slaves do not carry weapons in Morrowind! As I have said, Deerkethus is completely innocent!”

“But we’ve already found it Falvis.” I crowed, “The Khajit’s weapon has been matched to the shard found in his arm. That is the murder weapon sure and sure. Judging from observation, I suggest that Deerkethus gave it to her before she left to hide in the swamp.”

“But how did he manage to get it?” Falvis cried.

“We’ve already observed his pickpocket skills. We know too, from the rather expensive shackles you provided, that he must’ve been the one who purchased the Khajit from Faerdae. Didn’t Faerdae claim that he had the dagger just before selling her, but not thereafter? I suggest that he must’ve taken it from Faerdae!”

“But you still haven’t explained how Deerkethus is responsible! He would’ve died if he had attacked Cassius!” Falvis yelled out once more. There was a murmur of agreement, but I knew I must’ve struck a chord in the town folk. They were already distrustful of Argonians, and many of them no doubt loathed how Deerkethus was stationed above them.

“And yet…” I made a sudden move for Deerkethus. His eyes flew wide in panic and before he could react, I gripped his claws in my hand. With a firm press and a flash of pain I drew my open palm against his blackened talons. Turning the magistrate, to Falvis, and the world, I showed the blossoming line of crimson that seeped from the wound.

A gasp was elected from the crowd. Deerkethus’s shackles did not glow, and no dance of death was observed. He silently stood there, head down with shame. The only noise was a thin drip of blood hitting the ground. From both my wound…and the blood lining his claws.

“What he says is true master.” Deerkethus finally said, before the magistrate and the people of Balmora, “I am the killer you seek.”

“I’ve had enough of you Outlander!” Falvis screamed and raised his sword in anger. He started to advance but was cut short with a sharp bark of Dunmeric from the magistrate. Balvyn Hlallu looked at me curiously and motioned for me to continue.

“No doubt you’ve asked yourselves,” I said, “How could Deerkethus have killed someone and survived? I too, pondered this, but upon meeting Falvis Halon, it became immediately clear. Tell me Falvis, when was the last time you inspected Deerkethus’s shackles?”

“Why I…” He trailed off, “I…never had cause too.”

“Indeed.” I frowned, “When I discovered the nature of Falvis’s and Deerkethus’s relationship, it became immediately clear that it was far and apart from a normal master and slave. It became clear to me that the enchantment on Deerkethus’s shackles had worn out, or had never worked at all. Falvis, with his utter trust of Deerkethus, had never bothered to check to see the status of the enchantment.”

“It is true.” Deerkethus said with a voice above a whisper. “I am the killer. But please, people of Balmora…Gan…allow me to explain!”

Falvis had nothing more to say. Balvyn glared daggers at him, no doubt more than displeased with him, and nodded his head towards me.

“What the Inquisitor has said is true.” He admitted, “Every word! I say again, I am the killer! But I killed him for a noble cause!”

I spat out my disgust. Not in him mind you. In myself. I was disgusted with my own unerring commitment to my craft.

“That night, I did as my master instructed me and met with Mr. Hircite in that alley. As usual I was cloaked so as not to be recognized. I purchased the Khajit girl from him for three-hundred septims, and as he turned to leave I stole the dagger from his hip. I had intended is as a gift to my master, who I felt had been given a bad deal in the exchange. The girl was bad luck, as all albinos are, and I was eager to please him.”

Falivs nodded. I had no doubt from their nature that they were as close as brothers.

“She was beautiful though. Ethereal and beautiful like Azura incarnate! I loved her from the moment I saw her. How could I allow such a child to come to harm? I ask, is that outrageous? I should’ve known then that this could come to no good.”

“An hour or so later, I met him. Cassius Aurelius. Smelling of skooma and blood.” Deerkethus sneered, “I did as my master bid, and I sold that pure girl. He in turn gave me the letter to give to my master. I read it, then and there. And in my rage I dropped the letter and the bag of money and pulled out the dagger I had stolen from Faerdae. And when I did, I fell into a blood frenzy. I had fully expected to die there, with his blood on my hands.”

“Imagine my surprise when, after the blood haze had lifted from my eyes, that I was still alive.” He said, “I had only a minute or two before being found out. I knew what fate would befall the girl and me. We both would be sentenced to death. So I made my decision. She and I scaled the wall, and I gave her the dagger as protection. She left for the marsh and I returned to my master’s home.”

“A compelling story.” Balvyn said, “As well as an admittance of guilt. You know the punishment Argonian.”

He nodded. I could see tears well up in Falvis’s eyes. He was ruined. His slaving days were over, and his position lost. Worst of all, his nigh-brother was guilty of murder. He knew the law.

“But how?” He moaned, “How Inquisitor? How did you come to suspect a slave? You know the law, you know that slaves cannot kill while shackled!”

“I had my suspicions,” I sighed, “But everything fell into place last night. He came to visit me. Told me of his life, how he had grown up in Morrowind. One thing stuck with me though…he said that he never knew what it was to be an Argonian. That’s when I realized.”

“Explain yourself Inquisitor.” Balvyn said with authority.

“You see your honor,” I addressed him, “When I had finished my autopsy, I noticed lesions on Cassius’s brain. One’s that might’ve been caused by poison. Deerkethus tasted his blood and said that it tasted of poison. I ask you, if he were more Dunmer than Argonian, how would he have known?”

Falvis furrowed his brow and there were murmurs in the crowd. I went on.

“He admitted himself that he had never known what it was to be an Argonian. He has lived a life of privilege and honor,” I spoke to everyone there, “Why would such a wealthy slave, accustomed to luxury, ever taste poison? How would he have known what it was? Too also, was the identity of the poison! Since Morag Tong assassinations are accompanied by a writ; a writ that clearly outlines the manner by which the target it killed. I ask, if the guard knows the manner of death, then he never would’ve had a chance to taste and identify such a poison. Why identify a poison if the murderer tells you what it is outright!”

“B-but the lesions on his brain! And the quickness of his death!” Falvis offered, “You yourself said they were caused by poison!”

“So I thought,” I admitted, “But then I recalled Cassius’s age and his consumption of bad skooma. I purpose that he didn’t die of poison or his wound, though that would’ve been fatal enough. I purpose that dear Cassius, had a stroke brought on by a combination of his wound and his drug addled state. That explains the lesions, and the suddenness of his death!”

A silence overtook the square. I could hear the shifting of the crowd; the cawing of birds overhead, hungry for the coming meal; and even the scaly rasping of Deerkethus’s breath. It was impressive how suddenly and completely soundless everything became. Silence stretched. "Well," Balvyn said at last, "You know the law. Guards, arrest Mr. Halon and his slave and bring them to jail. We’ll schedule their, ahem, punishment in due course.”

Falvis made to protest but before he could even utter a word, Deerkethus turned and lightning-quick he gave a swift blow to Falvis’s abdomen. The air left his lungs in a woosh and I doubt he had time to contemplate this before Deerkethus grasped the wrist holding his weapon, and with a break he loosened the elf’s sword. A cry went up from the guard, but it was too late; Deerkethus had taken his master’s blade and ran it through his heart. Falvis couldn’t have felt more than a moment of pain before the life left his eyes.

Deerkethus threw the sword down and held his hands up; tears streamed down his face and he made a choking noise as he held back a cry.

“That was a mercy, my lord.” He said to Balvyn, “My master’s honor remains! A last gift from a devoted servant!”

“Aye slave,” Balvyn growled, “You’ve spared him a trial and saved his family’s name. His family’s honor will not suffer from seeing him on trial. A gift indeed. And one that you’ll pay dearly for. Guards, seize him!”

The guards pounced at once and roughly bound Deerkethus’s hands behind him. I struggled to see what other misdeed they would lay upon him, but they kept their composure and he was mostly unscathed. They began to make their way, parting the crowd as they went. As they went by, Deerkethus met his eyes to mine and time froze. I could feel the intense sadness in those emerald pools and I knew that a life that valued honor and loyalty would soon be put to death. Truly, he was a more loyal servant and true friend than all those that stood in this square.

I was disgusted with myself.

“Deerkethus!” I cried out and the guards paused so Deerkethus could speak, “What is the punishment for an Argonian slave convicted of murder?”

“Dear friend Gan,” He choked back tears, “The punishment…is to be descaled…and then hanged.”

“By the Nine…” I whispered. “What sort of a punishment is that?”

“Swift and just…” He said finally, and was taken away.