Prince Palarock: Guilty or Not Guilty?

Prince Palarock's personal tent, Carlos circus, 3:10 PM

Daniel and Bill entered the tent. Damien and the prince were sitting across from each other. The prince was wearing a bejewelled white outfit, his shirt was long, if he were to stand up, the shirt would extend down to his knees and his pants were also white. His eyes were a dark blue, and his hair was long and dark, and his complexion was well tanned. He wore brown wooden shoes which had heels on them. But not only that, but on the soles of his shoes was something very incriminating... BLOOD!

Daniel examined the room, as he was doing so, Bill noticed that the prince was already in handcuffs. He sneered angerly at Damien; Bill figured that Damien had already placed him under arrest.

Daniel spotted the prince's rapier as well as two flintlock pistols on the table as well.

"Did he say anything, Damien?" Bill asked.

"He is waiting for his lawyer." Damien stated.

"Are you sure Prince Palarock is the culprit?" Daniel inquired.

"There's the blood on his shoes." Damien noted.

"Emmett." Dan said calmly.

"I want my lawyer." Emmett spoke.

"Damien, I don't think he committed the crime." Daniel stated.

"The footprints and the fact he's a swordsman are dead giveaways that he's guilty." Damien noted.

"Yeah, Daniel. Just because he is obligated by this 'swordsman's code' doesn't mean he's going to confess just like that." Bill added.

"Emmett, would you mind if we search your tent and your person?" Daniel inquired.

"Do as you wish; you already have me in handcuffs. But you will not hear another word until my lawyer gets here." Emmett stated.

Daniel nodded. "Damien did you search him?" Daniel inquired.

"I didn't think to do that" Damien said.

"I'll check his pockets and you will look around the room." Dan stated.

Damien nodded and looked around the tent.

Daniel checked through the pockets on Emmett's royal dress and found a golden key. He looked back at the manifest and noticed that the key on the list was the same as the one he was holding, and then he noticed that for some reason the key was highlighted on the list. He didn't pay much attention to it earlier.

Daniel now had to wonder: why?

"You know, Emmett, if you're waiting for your lawyer, you might not be speaking for a while. At least not here." Daniel stated.

Emmett looked at Daniel with his sapphire eyes. "I'm not speaking."

"Damien, do we have the surveillance footage from that camera?" Dan inquired.

"You know it." Damien stated. He took out his cell phone and opened the video file. "See it cuts out at 12:10, twenty minutes before Mr Awake came back from his break."

"Is there anything else, perhaps the prince visiting the vault at an impertinent time?" Daniel inquired.

Damien had a questioning look on his face and he rewound the footage to see what Daniel was talking about and a surprised look appeared on his face.

Damien then took out his cuff keys and placed them upon the table in the tent.

"What the hell are you doing Damien?" Bill stated, he was flabbergasted.

"Bill, look over this footage and you will see." Damien stated and showed Bill the valuable footage.

Bill's jaw dropped. "Huh. What the fuck?" Bill announced.

"What is it?" Daniel inquired. He turned his head to the footage. He saw Emmett and Raymond having a discussion before shaking hands. Then they went through the door. Raymond took out the manifest and highlighted the key on the list and Emmett fished through the chest until he found the key and he neatly placed everything he put aside back into the chest. "Ok, I see that the victim and Emmett seemed to have made a deal, but that is no reason to use profanity."

"No, do you see the prince's feet?" Bill stated.

"So? He's barefoot." Damien stated. "Why is that important?"

Bill pushed a priceless light off the table. "It means he isn't the killer." Bill elaborated.

"Dan, mind catching me up?" Damien spoke with confusion.

Dan picked up the handcuff key and began to unlock Emmett's cuffs, "remember how at the scene there were footprints that appeared to have come from heels?" Daniel stated. "If you look at the prince's feet, they are still caked in mud and dirt as he hasn't yet had a chance to clean them yet. Or has and has decided not to. Whatever the case may be, he was barefoot when he went to the vault initially at 11:58 AM. Which means that he didn't have access to his footwear at that time. Which means it's highly unlikely that he would return after finding his shoes to kill the victim and steal the treasure. Besides he already obtained what it was he was looking for, isn't that right, Emmett?"

Emmett caressed his sore wrists. "A swordsman always yields when he meets his match. Yes, that is true. I did go to the vault, but to retrieve the key. When I awoke in my tent this morning to go get it, my wooden heels had vanished, so I walked barefoot down to the vault and explained the issue of the key and it seems that Ray was happy to give it back. He had knowledge of its significance, although after I cleaned up the mud with my personal hygiene cloths and left, he seemed to be just as confused as I was when I first heard of my father absentmindedly leaving such a valuable key in treasure gifted to the circus."

"That's the whole truth?" Daniel inquired.

"I wish I knew more; I wish I knew who left my heels outside in such a sullied state. I placed them inside and left them in the closet. Damien wasn't sure if I was the killer at first when he found the shoes and he asked me to try them on, and when I placed them on my feet, he placed me in cuffs and tried to get me to talk, but I remained mute. I didn't do anything wrong to deserve this trouble." Emmett explained.

"A likely story." Bill stated as he cleaned up the mess he made. "Just because you are in the clear now, doesn't mean squat in my eyes."

"Stop being the offspring of a horse and a donkey. One thing is clear though, the killer or killers did what they did to set the prince up. The only question is, why?" Dan stated.

"Hey!" Damien stated as if a lightbulb just appeared above his head. "Kyte Lake has a full FORMAL association contract, correct?"

"Yes, my father signed on years ago, in fact I believe he signed the contract you mentioned on the day of his coronation."

"How is that important?" Daniel inquired.

"I feel sorry for you Dan, as it seems that the documents of the rules you must follow as a part of FORMAL are very thick and your workload is so high that you must have forgotten. My apologies if that makes you feel bad." Damien stated.

"It's okay, not even a man like me can remember everything. I twice forgot the day that my daughter's husband was born, thankfully she tells me about his birthday a week in advance so I can buy him a gift." Dan replied.

"Anyway, for kingdoms, if no ascenders of the throne remain either due to death or incarceration, then the king's adviser or some other appointed individual will take the kings place upon the king's demise." Damien stated.

"It's all starting to make sense. But why Ray? It's true that it turned out he was from Kyte Lake, but only people from there had chances to know that truth." Daniel stated.

"Oh, yes, that. I don't know. Any other stranger would have been just as good." Damien noted.

"No, no. It had to be someone the prince knew in advance. There's also the fact the killer or killers created a distraction for us by taking the valuables from that chest and spreading them across the park, hoping that it would aide in their escape. But we have locked down the park, it's likely that the killer is still around." Dan stated.

Bill nodded. "Then I have an idea."

"What is it?" Daniel inquired.

"We have to arrest Emmett." Bill stated.

"But why, Daniel has already proved I'm innocent." Emmett stated.

"Yes, but if you're not under arrest then your life is endangered, is it not? I mean the very fact that we deduced that the killer is after your father's title has already put his life in jeopardy, but if I can only save one life, I will save yours." Bill explained.

"What you say is right. My life is endangered. By the best of the best, it would seem." Emmett stated. "But I will not go with you, if I'm going out, I want to go out fighting!"

"You are aware of who will take the throne in your father's stead?" Daniel asked.

"Only their codenames. They are members of the royal secret force. Ray's father was also a member of that same origination until his demise at the hands of that assassin. The secret police have been working tirelessly to solve the mystery and yet no results." Emmett explained.

"They must have been outraged about the queen's death and must have believed your father to be partially responsible for her death as he could have hired someone other than Mr Bravery to protect her and perhaps, she would still be alive." Dan deduced.

"Honestly, that sounds like a stretch." Bill relayed. "What kind of cock and bull is this anyway?"

"I lay awake half of the night wondering who could have gotten close enough to the queen to slaughter her and her protector." Emmett added.

Daniel's eyes widen. "I think that it's possible that Ray had some secret he wanted to keep hidden."

Bill slapped his face. "Of course! That's why he had a fake ID produced by CORE. They would only do that if they knew he had committed a crime."

"Then that is something we'll have to investigate. Emmett, what are those codenames?" Daniel inquired.

"Agent M and Agent W." Emmett replied.

"Alright. Damien, find us a secluded place nearby and Bill, got get Sabastian Stallion and someone who can produce sound and call ahead to Kyte Lake and tell the king I would like a video conference." Daniel instructed.

So, off the two went. "What about me?" Emmett inquired?

"William Wilizard, the wizard of protection, is inside the vault still, I'll take you to him and he'll help you battle anybody who tries to assassinate you." Daniel stated.

"May I bring my weapons?" Emmett inquired.

"Of course. What is a swordsman without his blade?"

Emmett chuckled and grabbed his sword and two pistols as well as his gunpowder horn and his musket balls. Dan and Emmett left and went down the pathway to the vault. Daniel left Emmett in the hands of William and headed back to the tent and sat down and waited for Bill and Damien to return.