"So where would you like to start?" Leah asked Teresa the moment they walked through the gates of Dagger's End.
Teresa thought about her answer carefully. She knew her normal, direct approach wouldn't work in this situation. She needed to be craftier and conniving. She needed to be more like... Bella. The thought sent a shiver down her spine, but she knew it was correct. Bella would handle this by looking at all the angles. To do that though, she would need to learn all the angles. The obvious first angle is the victim. She needed to learn exactly what happened to the victim and why.
"I need to talk to the chef whose wife died," Teresa said with a satisfied smile.
"Did I miss something?" Leah asked with a grimace on her face.
"No," Teresa said as they began walking toward the village kitchen.
To Teresa's surprise the kitchen wasn't in a tent. They walked into a set of massive, black, iron doors in the side of the mountain that surrounded the village.
"Wow you guys actually found a way to do something useful with this big pile of rock," Teresa said as they walked into a long, stone corridor with iron doors on either side of it and one at the very end of it.
"Yeah, we try to be as creative as we can around here. We don't have much, but we use what we do have as best we can," she said and gestured at the building around her.
"So, what are all of these rooms?" Teresa asked.
"Rooms we use for crafting, or processing, basically anything that would burn a tent down. We also live inside the mountain during the colder seasons," Leah said and opened the door to the kitchen.
The first thing Teresa noticed was the change in temperature. The kitchen was slightly warmer than the corridor.
The chef, a pale-skinned, bald man sat at a wooden table. He looked up when they walked in. His face heavy with sorrow.
"I apologize for the heat, the kitchen has been unusually warm lately," he said and weakly gestured toward the iron pots hanging above the fire pit behind him while his eyes remained fixed on the floor. "Another thing I ruined today."
Teresa held back a reprimand. She hated people that put themselves down, but she understood that this man's mental state was altered. She thought about how Simeon would handle talking to this guy. He wouldn't push him too hard, he would just ask him the important questions and then let him be. Maybe also try and console him a bit, that last part would definitely be an adjustment for her.
"Don't punish yourself Cardin, you aren't responsible for what happened," Leah said in a tone that was almost motherly.
"How am I not, it was my food, and it killed my wife!" Cardin yelled. His anger flared up so fast it shocked Leah.
I wonder if Julia's mood swings this wildly as well, Teresa thought as she noticed Leah's small hands clench into fists when his volume increased.
"Cardin, we understand this is difficult, that's why we're here to help, even as some of us are dealing with our own tragedies," Teresa said and hoped Cardin understood her subtle warning.
"I apologize for the outburst. I just feel so guilty for taking that break, if I had just done my job none of this would've happened," Cardin said and banged his fist on the wooden table he sat at. Teresa noticed a small tattoo of what looked like a bat wing on his wrist.
Cardin noticed her eyes and pulled the long white sleeve down to hide it.
"You took a break?" Teresa asked, pretending she didn't see it.
"Yes, as I said the kitchen has been unusually hot. I suffered through it as I prepared Lady Julia's breakfast this morning. When I was done, it was so hot that I began to feel faint, so I went outside to cool off. When I came back, she was lying there," Cardin said before he began bawling into his hands.
Leah walked over and rubbed Cardin's shoulder to comfort him.
"I'm sorry for your loss, would you mind telling me your wife's name?" Teresa asked as gently as she could.
"It was Allana, sweet, beautiful, Allana. I can't believe she died eating my food. How cruel can the gods be to allow something like that," he said miserably.
"She was just a victim of circumstance; she loved your food. I'm guessing she walked in and saw the food and took a small sample. The fault lies with whoever poisoned the food, not you or sweet Allana," Leah said.
Teresa walked slowly around the kitchen. She looked at the fire pit with the pots hanging above it. The three pots were all half filled with sauces of different colors. They looked like they would be delicious if she could trust any of the food coming out of this kitchen. She walked a few more steps and saw a stone table covered in flour. There was a stone bowl and grinder set also covered in the flour.
"You grind your own flour?" Teresa asked as she observed the set up.
"Yes, but only when I have time, or I just really want the person to especially enjoy the food," Cardin said, the sadness temporarily absent from his tone.
"Oh, and what were you making with this?" Teresa said and pointed to the table.
"I prepared some of Lady Julia's favorite sweet bread. I had heard she hasn't been eating well and hoped it would help and maybe give her a brief moment of relief, but instead …...." Cardine's sentence trailed off as he broke down again.
Teresa had to admit to herself that the person behind this was a special kind of asshole. She continued walking around the kitchen and inspecting different things that stood out to her. She wasn't really sure if she would find any actual evidence, but she felt as if she was doing the right thing. She walked over to where Cardin sat, Leah was doing her best to console him. She was probably all broken up as well and still was able to be strong for this man. Teresa admired that about her.
"Where did you find Allana when you came back?" Teresa asked as respectfully as she could.
"She was lying right here, she looked like she was in so much pain. I should've been here for her, it's not right," Cardine said angrily.
"Did you notice anyone acting strange around the time of the incident?" Teresa asked.
"No, I'm sorry, I really wish I did notice someone. I would beat a confession out of them myself if I had," Cardine said with a hateful look in his eyes.
"Well, I think that's all the questions I have for you. I know nothing can replace Allana, but I promise you I will do my very best to find the person responsible," Teresa said sincerely.
"And we will give her the best sendoff we can, so she can rest with honor and peace," Leah said and gave Cardin a tight hug.
"Thank you both, it's slightly comforting to know that everything will be handled properly," Cardin said and looked back down at the floor as Teresa and Leah left him.