"Is everyone present? I see Kirdy, Drusilla and Aries. I see Glawen, Ysel Laverty, Rune Offaw, and yonder sits Lieutenant Larke Diffin of the militia. Who is missing? Namour? Rune, where is Namour?"
"Namour has been somewhat fractious," said Rune Offaw.
"He declares himself too busy to attend the meeting. I sent a pair of sergeants in full uniform to bring him here, and if I am not mistaken, I hear them now."
The door opened and Namour came into the chamber.
"Ah, Namour!" said Bodwyn Wook.
"I am pleased that you are able to appear after all! It is just possible that we will need you to confirm or elaborate upon some element of our inquiry."
"Into what are you inquiring?" demanded Namour, with no show of cordiality.
"In all probability I know nothing of the matter, in which case I would wish to excuse myself, since today I am pressed for time."
"Come, come, Namour! You are too modest! It is widely believed that you know everything!"
"Not so! I am interested only in my own concerns."
Bodwyn Wook gave his hand a casual flourish.
"Today they must be subordinated to the work of Bureau B, which, as an organ of the Charter, naturally commands the full cooperation of everyone."
Namour smiled a cool sardonic smile.
"I have been brought willy- nilly to your inquiry; please do not expect me to kowtow as well. As soon as my help is no longer necessary, I hope that you will allow me to leave."
"Of course!" said Bodwyn Wook heartily. He reflected a moment, then signaled to Rune Offaw and Ysel Laverty. They came forward and the three conferred a few moments in soft voices. Then the "Boar" and the "Stoat" returned to their places.
Bodwyn Wook cleared his throat.
"Today we revert to a most unpleasant subject which many of us have relegated to the back of our minds. We do so only for good reasons, which will satisfy even Namour when he hears them. I refer to the atrocious murder of Sessily Veder, at the Parilia of several years ago.
"The files have never been closed, but only the persistence of Captain Glawen Clattuc has allowed us to resolve the case. Glawen, I will ask you to present the findings, since you are more familiar with the details than I."
"Just as you like. I will try not to be discursive. To start with, we had the clues discovered during the original investigation: mainly fibers found in the winery truck. They might have come from either Namour's satyr legs or two 'primordial' costumes in the Mummers' wardrobe. All the Bold Lion costumes were cut from different stuff.
"Namour was able to account for his movements during the critical time. Aries and Kirdy were supposed to be marching patrol at the Yip compound. Their signatures and counter signatures seemed to exculpate them both.
"However! Ysel Laverty discovered in the photographic record a figure sitting in the Old Arbor. It turned out to be Aries, wearing a primordial costume. It seemed certain that we had discovered the murderer. Aries admitted falsifying the record. Kirdy admitted that he had tolerated the falsification, on the grounds that he and Aries were both Bold Lions and so could do no wrong. Aries admitted going to the Mummers' wardrobe, which is in a warehouse close by the compound. He dressed in his primordial costume, then hurried to the Old Arbor to keep his appointment with Drusilla.
Kirdy was left to walk the patrol alone.
"Drusilla corroborated Aries' statement, more or less, though with out any firm conviction; in fact, she was drunk.
Still, they apparently watched the Phantasmagoria together, and it seems unlikely that Aries would have rushed from Drusilla's fascinating company to perform a set of outrages upon Sessily.
"As I checked the photographic record again, I saw Namour in his satyr costume stop outside the Arbor, look in through one of the arches and talk a few moments with someone sitting just inside. Namour, do you remember this episode?"
"No. I can't say that I do. It's a long time ago, and I had been drinking wine."
"I remember very well," said Aries with feeling.
"He laughed at my headpiece, which was not proper Bold Lion equipment.
He told me I looked like a toad in a fright wig. I explained that it was the best I could do at the moment, but he wouldn't listen; he was too busy cajoling Drusilla."
Namour chuckled.
"True. It all comes back to me. I remember well; it went just as Aries describes it."
"The time of this episode is shortly after the Phantasmagoria. Aries, like Namour, is removed from the list of suspects.
"So: what do we have? Bold Lions are here and there. Kirdy bravely marches his solitary patrol along the fence. Namour, after leaving the arbor, dances the pavane with Spanchetta.
Aries sits sulking in the Old Arbor. And there the situation has rested for years, while sweet innocent Sessily drifts away into memory.
"But in two minds, at least, the recollection stays fresh.
The murderer thinks of her often and so do I. For two months I sat in Zab Zonk's tomb, and I thought of many things. One special idea seemed interesting and surprising. We had searched the camera record carefully. When we found Aries we looked no further. At the time it seemed enough.
"That was the first crack in the case, because to make a long story short I looked further ahead in time. I discovered another skulking shape, and this one is the guilty skulking shape, beyond all doubt. He comes hurrying from behind the Orpheum a few minutes before midnight, and goes off half running down Wansey Way. He must be back on patrol before the next shift arrives.
"Floreste also jogged my memory, while he reminisced about the Mummers. He mentioned that Kirdy yearned greatly for Sessily, but in vain. Sessily would have nothing to do with either him or Aries. What of the patrol? Another idea clicked into place.- Kirdy once told me that he never obeyed orders which he thought foolish or useless. Kirdy had a grandiose vision of himself: he was unique, and set apart from ordinary rules and regulations. The order to patrol outside the Yip compound in Kirdy's mind was pointless and foolish. As soon as Aries left, Kirdy decided to go too. He followed Aries to the Mummers' wardrobe, dressed in the other primordial costume, and now he was free! He could do as he liked, unhampered by inhibition. And most of all he wanted to impinge himself upon Sessily--to acquaint her with his mighty lust and to punish her severely for what she had done!
"This seemed a good idea and he acted upon it. It was the most glorious moment of his life."
Glawen paused. Everyone looked askance at Kirdy, who sat like a stone.
