The Duke's Masked Wife

277 Another one (3)

Tobias clenched his fist feeling the need to curse but couldn’t let out a sound. To show his frustration he pushed all that was on his desk right onto the floor.

“Has she been identified?” Edgar asked since Tobias was too angry to ask questions.

“Uhm, the thing is her face is kind of destroyed so the guards are calling for all the families with missing girls to try identifying her. She was found on top of a bed of flowers someone placed above the snow,” said the guard. “The snow had not begun to cover the body so they believe it wasn’t long since the culprit was there. The body was found by children who had been playing with snow in that area frequently.”

“Did anyone get a glimpse of what this person looks like?” Tobias asked through gritted teeth. This body was another young lady they had failed to save. He felt guilty for trying to distract himself and have fun when they had not solved this case. His blood was boiling to the point of wanting to search all homes to look for the young women who might be alive or dead but their bodies weren’t placed around the kingdom for this sick game.”

“If the children play there regularly, the body was placed there intentionally to be found. Whoever this is, is letting us know to be prepared. Tobias, I am certain this is not William,” Edgar said as this cruel game was different from the one William was playing. William was still going to die but Edgar had a feeling even with William dead, another body would show up.

“I don’t give a fuck who the hell it is. I want that person found and tortured right now. William and this psycho. I want both of them dealt with soon. It’s always the same goddamn flower each time. You,” Tobias looked at the palace guard. “Send word to the town guards that I am giving a royal order to inspect all homes in Lockwood. I want all the homes with anyone planting, buying, selling, or even painting those flowers to be inspected thoroughly.”

“This person is not going to have this flower out in the open,” Edgar sighed. If it was so easy the case would have been cracked already.

“I don’t give a fuck. It is the only lead we have at the moment-”

“Pardon me for cutting in but didn’t some of these victims show interest in the theater? Four of them to be exact. Two were said to be good at acting. One of their bodies was found late compared to the timeline of the other women and the other has not been discovered yet according to the news I have heard. Am I right?” Rafael asked, looking back and forth between Edgar and Tobias who had better knowledge.

.....

“That is true. What are you getting at?” Tobias questioned, curious to know where Rafael was going with this.

“There is a theory that this person is picking out girls who can act to his liking,” Edgar replied, understanding what Rafael was hinting at. “The kingdom once had a killer who kidnapped an older woman to act as his late mother. Whenever she didn’t do it to his liking, he beat her. She only escaped after convincing herself she was his mother and he trusted her enough to let her go outside.”

Edgar had been using old cases to help him see what this person’s train of thought was. The theory that the killer wanted these young girls to act as someone wasn’t far-fetched. “We still don’t know what this person is looking for besides the young girls being able to play a role. No one else from the theater went missing after those four. Girls with no desire to act were starting to disappear.”

“Maybe they want a more natural person? You know, the perfect person who is naturally like what they want these girls to be. None of these girls look alike and their backgrounds differed so maybe it is a personality thing,” Dominic suggested.

“Shit. I don’t know,” Tobias replied, rubbing his temple since he did not have the answer. Each theory they had always ended up at a wall. “Every mother says the girls were sweet but when we ask around…”

“Friends say they were mean-spirited, a heartless bitch, two-faced, good at playing nice,” Edgar listed the names young girls were happy to give him. “I checked the relationship between the girls and most of them did not know each other so it wasn’t like they had come together to gang up on someone and now this person was getting revenge. The only clue we have is that this person loves anyone good at pretending to be something they are not.”

“Welcome to Lockwood where more than half the population is like that,” Tobias said in a sarcastic tone. He’d seen many women switch their personalities depending on how they were standing in front.

“I will visit the town guards to see the body and get information. An inspection of the body must have already started. I will deal with William and this person. We will catch them,” Edgar promised Tobias.

He knew it had to be a heavy weight on Tobias’s shoulder to have mass murder in the kingdom while he was king and not be able to do anything about it. As king, Tobias had other matters on his plate and could not focus on this one problem which was why he gave the task to Edgar instead of just depending on the town guards, and now he was using Rafael at the borders.

“I will join you,” Dominic offered his help. He wanted to help bring some peace to the families of these young women lost by knowing the killer was no longer alive.

“I will head to the border now,” Rafael stood up. “Do not let this stop you from leaving town with your wife. You need a break before the weight on your shoulders breaks you. Not just you but the queen being pressured to have an heir. We will take care of your duties in your place.”

‘I was actually supposed to skip town soon but sure,’ Dominic thought. As long as his mother wouldn’t find out about him being here, he could stay a bit longer. Perhaps crash at Edgar’s house since none of his relatives could barge in there.

Tobias remained slumped in his chair, feeling weak for not being able to stop this.

The guard, Edgar, Rafael, and Domonic left the room to give Tobias some space to think or calm down.

“Are you going somewhere?” Hazel asked the moment they stepped outside. She had brought the women to her husband in hopes of teasing Alessandra and Edgar. “Why do you all look so down? Did something happen?”

“Another young lady found dead,” Dominic informed her.

“Oh, is Tobias inside alone?” Hazel asked, trying to peek inside to look at him. The door was slightly ajar but she could not see past the men. “I’m sorry ladies but I need to be excused for a moment. Excuse me,” she said, asking for space to enter the room.

Just as she expected, Hazel found her husband sulking by his desk. She closed the door behind her for privacy and locked it to not be interrupted. “Tobias it is not-”

“There is another one, Hazel. Under my father’s ruling, this would have never gone on for so long but I don’t have any proper leads. I am failing. This will only give those opposing me something to say to turn the people against me,” Tobias clenched his fist, angered by just the thought of it.

Hazel approached the desk and did something the people in the palace would frown at her for doing. She sat on Tobias’s lap. “Tobias, I watch you every day be the best king you can be. It is not your fault this is still going on. We have some of the best people on this case and they are not able to solve it yet but they will. We will bring peace back to this land.”

“This is going on, you’re being pressured for a child, and now you have to deal with others wanting your best friend to become my mistress. I am failing to protect you and everyone else,” he confessed.

“No, you are not. I am aware of how many people wouldn’t mind me being tossed out of the palace for not having an heir yet but you have defended, protected, or even killed them for me. You have protected me from the very beginning and that is why I love you. My dear sweet king,” Hazel caressed his cheek, something she knew always calmed him down. “This will all get better. I promise.”

Unfortunately for Hazel, it was the calm before the storm.

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