All the Whys of Delilah's Demise by Neve Maslakovic

Author:Neve Maslakovic [Maslakovic, Neve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cosmic Tea Press
Published: 2021-03-15T16:00:00+00:00

10:15 p.m.

Dax grumbled about the sleeping schedule he’s supposed to be adhering to but agreed that late evening is the best time to tackle Samm and Sue, who are night owls rarely spotted during the day, not to mention that all the coffee we imbibed at Fill-n-Sip Cup has rendered us very awake despite its watery consistency. The map points us to Founders Square and the platform that stands in its center.

Dax and I are here to judge whether the Jokers, separately or together, might have murdered one person and tried to kill another, but it’s hard to even consider the possibility in the setting. Given the date—April 1—the crowd is expecting something special and hard cider and frivolity are abundant on stage and off. Tonight’s entertainment is a practical joke played on the pair’s favorite victim. Having apparently shown up expecting a formal debate moderated by Franz, Ben the Birdman is stiffly standing mid-stage while Samm and Sue bombard him with barbs to hoots of laughter from the tipsy crowd. There are no references to Gemma Bligh—not this time. Franz, clearly in on the April Fools’ prank, heartily claps the tailor on the shoulder. We push in close enough to bring up the Jokers’ halos, a row or two back from the stage, but I still have to bob my head to see. The duo’s gems are mostly from adoring fans and come in matching pairs, explaining why their names keep toggling on the List.

Ben leaves as soon as he can do so without seeming like a spoilsport, and Dax and I don’t stick around for much longer, either. As we leave the noise of the square behind us, Dax half-jokes, “A working hypothesis might be that funny people are less likely to commit murder.”

“You think Samm and Sue are funny?”

“You don’t?”

“I felt bad for Ben. I suppose if the Jokers did decide to stage an accident, it’d involve a banana peel, not wood rot and faulty chandeliers.”

This makes Dax chuckle. “I just can’t see them caring about moving up a couple of spots, even if it brings them closer to Eternal Life. They seem to be enjoying life to the fullest as is.”

“Except we’re forgetting one thing,” I say. “The secrets in Jada’s possession. I don’t know about Samm’s, but Sue seemed weirdly chummy with Rick at Delilah’s seeding. I wondered if they’re having an affair behind Samm’s back… Did Sue seem subdued to you?”

“Because Rick’s in a coma? She was certainly downing hard cider pretty solidly.”

“Maybe the Jokers’ secret is a joint one, like everything else they do. They’re pretending to be a happy couple but privately despise each other. I’ll put them down as Funny? Opinion on that is divided… Killers, separately or together? Unknown.”

We’ve climbed a four-level stairway to cross over a maintenance building, an often-used shortcut, after which the paths to our respective housing buildings split up. We stop at the top to take in the view. Lamps in windows are starting to switch

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