The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter 14

“We could put this to bed, you know.” I said.

“How do you see that happening?” Duke Xander asked. 

“You’re worried that Agnar is the killer.” I said, keeping my voice neutral.

Xander didn’t answer immediately. I waited. 

“I am.” He said.

“I don’t think he is. I can understand why you would think so. But I don’t think that he is. And if we were to search his room, we could get a clear idea. Find poison? Guilty. Find no poison? Probably not guilty. Simple.”

“He could have used it all, couldn’t he?” Amy asked.

“Indeed. But a search could still help. Finding nothing incriminating would placate those who fear that Agnar is the killer.”

Vincent raised an eyebrow. “So we’re searching in the hopes of not finding anything?”

“Basically.” I scratched Quincy’s head. 

“We cannot do this,” Xander said. “To insult the duchy so would be unthinkable.”

“Is there a duchy though?” I asked. “There’s no duke at the moment. You said it yourself. Agnar isn’t duke. You outrank him.”

“I do.” Xander said.  “But if Agnar is the killer, then the resulting scandal could trigger the war we all fear.”

“Why would Agnar steal the ducal signet ring? If the killer had only killed the duke, then yeah Agnar is the most obvious suspect. But with the ring missing, he makes no sense.”

Xander nodded, “Very well. Let us test your theory.”

We walked through the empty halls of the castle towards Agnar’s room. 

“Duke Xander, let me see if I understand your position.” I lit an alchemical cigarette as I hobbled along. The cigarettes help to mitigate the pain and weakness that accompanies my visions. 

Duke Xander looked at me and nodded. 

“You think that Ys should be a part of the Hyperborea Empire. But you don’t want war. I presume because you can’t have Ys as a part of the empire if we have fought to the last soldier and the last civilian too.”

The duke nodded.

“You fear that Agnar has killed his brother. I presume you think that he wishes to be duke?”

“Partially yes. But also, because Agnar is in favor of war with Ys. His vote could tip the folkmoot in favor of war. But even without his vote, the removal of his brother’s vote against war will cause the Folkmoot to vote in favor of war.” 

“And you think that war will devastate Ys, and leave nothing to rule.” I said.

“Yes. And Agartha will come to the defense of Ys. This is known. The dukes believe that we can defeat Agartha on the seas and force a peace treaty once Ys is conquered. I do not believe Agartha will fight alone. The other nations of the Boro Sea will view a war with Ys as a precursor to a larger conquest of the Boro Sea. Tech Duinn already considers our nations at war. If Reynes and Lyonese were to join Agartha, I am not confident we could defeat them. And if Hy-Brasil joined the battle, we would lose naval superiority. Agartha alone does not have the navy to match Hyperborea. But Hy-Brasil and Agartha together would have the strength. And they could transport troops. They could bring Lyonese and Reynesian troops. They could bring the land war to Hyperborea itself. The other dukes think that Reynes and Lyonese will not join Agartha. I do not share their optimism. There is no way this plan produces anything but death and misery. Nobody wins.”

“Scythia will also join the battle.” Fiona said. “My parent’s marriage came with an alliance of mutual defense.”

“That will take time. Scythia is not a close neighbor. But that is also not good.”

“Is that Agnar’s room?” Amy asked.  

The door to Agnar’s room lay open. 

I looked at Amy, who shivered, “That’s not a good sign, is it?”

Xander stepped to the door and swore. 

“No.” I said. “I don’t think it’s a good sign at all.”

I limped to the doorway, and looked into the room. Agnar sprawled across a tipped table. His eyes gazed towards the door, tears of blood cascading down his cheeks. Blood drooled from his mouth, pooling on the floor. 

“Well, I guess we can rule out Agnar.” I said.

“Indeed. But who is the killer then.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Duke Xander said. “I cannot be seen to wait any longer.”

He turned around to face me. I had a good sense of what was coming, and I sighed.

“Lady Ren Myrddhin, you are under arrest for the murders of Duke Siggis Leifson and Lord Agnar Leifson. I will escort you to your cell. Do you have anything to say?”

“You better hope the killer is done. Because arresting me isn’t going to stop the killer if he’s not.”