"Henry, you should take a look at this."
In a quiet area rarely frequented by the townspeople, the town guards gathered after receiving word that someone had been found dead near bushes.
Henry was not happy to hear there was yet another death in Lockwood since it would shake up the townspeople and send them into a panic.
Henry followed a fellow town guard to where the young woman had been found. "Heavens," he said, looking away from the young woman for a moment. "Is it anyone that we know? Anyone we have been searching for?"
"No," replied Felix, a town guard under Henry’s command. "I didn’t get any new reports of a young lady missing. She’s dressed up like she’s going to a ball. Doesn’t this remind you of something?"
Felix used a stick to push the young woman’s hair out of her face to reveal a mask.
Henry stooped down to get another look. "It’s like the young lady who died at the ball. I haven’t heard of any masquerade balls unless there is some secret meeting?’
"I have heard rumours of young ladies seeking out experienced women in the red light district to teach them how to please a man. They would cover their faces so as not to be recognised. Could this be tied to that?" Felix wondered.
"No," Henry shook his head. "This is something else. The death at the ball seemed to be calculated to get the attention of Duchess Alessandra Collins. This seems tied to that."
Henry looked around for any clues about how the young lady got here. "It is strange that no one reported her missing. Her face is bruised," he noticed after carefully taking off the mask. "She was struck in her face more than once."
Henry had never seen a case so terrible as this one in all the years of working as a town guard. It was an awful sight which would be hard to show to the families of this young lady.
Henry placed his right hand to his nose, trying to mask a horrible scent that filled the air.
"Don’t let this get out just yet. We need to inform the king and the court, as well as find out who she was related to. Have you found any tracks?" Henry asked, standing up.
"They found a track from a carriage wheel not too far from where we stand and marks of a boot. Someone dropped her here and left. I’ve sent for the hounds right away so we can pick up on scents," said Felix.
Henry looked around. "It is odd they placed her here . We didn’t know she was missing, so they could have placed her anywhere else, and we might not have found her. Here it is secluded, but farmers pass by once in a while."
Felix thought this was strange as well. "I cannot tell if they wanted us to find her or if they were careless."
"From how she is dressed, this is tied to the death at the ball. Whoever killed her wanted us to find her, but we didn’t have to find her in a hurry. This must be a game to them. The last time something happened, it was done by Marquess Simon Farley," said Henry.
It couldn’t have been Simon since he was long dead, and no one from his family ever came around Lockwood. There was only Kate, but they were no longer married.
"Someone thinks it’s funny to replicate his work, or this is all about taunting the duchess. I don’t know yet," Henry said, stuck on what the reasoning was. "I need more guards roaming the town at night."
This time of the year was the busiest with all the balls held for young ladies and bachelors to find love. Since there was no great danger around the town for many years, many were careless when they travelled around.
"I will have groups placed around the town, but this will alert the people that something is amiss. It is best to warn them that there is a killer-"
"No," Henry stopped Felix. "We need to inform the court and the king. Then we will know what to do next. We might be able to solve this before someone else dies."
Felix did not like Henry’s plans. Many deaths would be avoided if they warned the townspeople.
"I was a boy when all those women were found dead. The guards could have done more to prevent it. I say that we ask families to be more vigilant when they roam the town. Anyone could be a target," said Felix.
"We have orders to follow. We cannot announce it without informing the palace, then receiving orders. We’ll have guards placed around the town to prevent more incidents . Trust me, I don’t want to see any more of this," Henry said, unable to take a second glance at the young lady.
Felix remained quiet since he could do nothing other than obey Henry’s orders. He could only hope the king would act fast to prevent others from dying.
"Get her covered up and sent to the doctor in secret. I want to know how long she had been dead for and any clues which would help us figure out who this is. Send someone to the palace now," Henry ordered Felix.
They couldn’t waste any more time.
Felix decided to personally make the trip so he could make sure the court knew how urgent this matter was.
"Should I send someone to the duke’s home as well? The guests at the ball thought the young lady who died was dressed up like the duchess. We will need to warn them-"
"You are to do as you are told," Henry spoke over Felix. "You want to inform the duke so he will work behind our backs to kill someone? We are to wait and see if the court thinks we should inform him."
If Henry had to send someone to the estate, he would go personally to question Edgar. If what these ladies wore was to mimic the duchess wearing a mask in the past, then there was good reason to keep an eye on Edgar and his family.
Felix bit his tongue. He had his troubles with Edgar, but he was still a town guard. He thought it was only right to inform Edgar that someone was dressing up the dead as his wife.
"We don’t know for certain if this was meant to look like the duchess. I was only assuming, therefore, we have no reason to go to the duke. Respect the dead and get her covered. The sooner we take her to the doctor, the sooner she can be buried," Henry said, walking away from where the young woman rested.
"I will go to the palace personally," Felix informed Henry.
"No, you will send someone else. You are too emotional now and will not relay the message well. Send someone else and join me with the hounds to find other tracks," Henry ordered Felix.
Henry liked that Felix wanted to act fast to save others, but his help was needed here to search for clues.