Morning Meir Mysteries: Case 1: A Mad Mare Affair

by XombieSlayr

Chapter 9: "What Lies Beneath."

Chapter 9: "What Lies Beneath."

The next day, Marquis's death was all over the news. But not in the way I had expected. Instead of their being an investigation into the death of a dangerous criminal, there was a front page commemorating the life of a wealthy and hospitable philanthropist, whose influence was spread all throughout Europa.

It would seem that the public never learned the truth. But the police, on the other hoof, had all manner of questions for me.

Polizia De Mareiposa 9:32 am

I sat there in that dreadfully uncomfortable chair, under the cold glare of Inspector Maregold, and the concerned stare of his lieutenant Goldbloom. I didn't dare say a word. I was just glad that Ralah and Salah had managed to avoid the police when they arrived. They had told me to meet them back at their hotel room, once I had done what I needed to with the police. I had promised them that I would keep their identities a secret from the authorities.

And I was not about to break that promise.

"This is your last chance, Meirs. Tell us what you know!" Maregold yelled, nearly blinding me with the table lamp he had in my face. I squinted and shielded my eyes, but I remained silent.

Goldbloom came to my defense. "Sir, there's no need for this. Ms. Meir was simply a bystander in this." She said, trying to calm him down. Unfortunately, the inspector wasn't listening.

He turned and glared at Goldbloom. "She's a suspect! For all we know, she's the one responsible for the victim's death!" He shouted, loud enough for the other police outside the door to hear.

At this Goldbloom finally lost her patience with Maregold. She narrowed her eyes at him "Do you even know what your saying!? For Celestia's sake, Sleuth, she's a doctor!" She exclaimed, further drawing the eyes of the police officers outside the door.

"Don't take that tone of voice with me, lieutenant!"

"No, you know what? I've had it with you accusing Ms. Meir for everything! First Regal's death, then the cafe bombing, and now this! What in the world do you have against her?" Goldbloom demanded.

"All she's been doing is sticking her muzzle where its not wanted. She's been disrupting this case!"

Both of us laughed.

"She's been solving this case! Without her, this whole thing would just be logged away in your "Unimportant Cases" file. She's the only one of us who's done any real police work!"

Maregold went quiet, but his scowl only got meaner. With a huff he left the room, slamming the door hard enough to shake the table I was sitting at.

Goldbloom, now looking quite flustered, sat down in the chair across from me. Needless to say I was looking at her like she'd saved my flank from being eaten by a lion. I was amazed that she'd stood up for me as much as she had.

I looked over at her and gave a sort of apologetic smile. "Are you alright, lieutenant?"

She looked up at me and smiled back. "Oh, I'll be fine, Ms. Meir. This isn't the first time we've gotten into it, because I've "spoken out of line."

"Spoken out of line? You stood up for me! How is that speaking out of line?"

"Yeah I know. But in Sleuth's book, his word goes. And mine, well...is just heard, But not really acknowledged."

"You're word does mean something, lieutenant. Your the best out of all of them! You should be in charge of this case, not him!" I meant every word of it. Goldbloom had been the only police officer I'd met in this city, that actually cared about the case and had helped me plenty of times when Maregold had come after me. There was no one better to lead the case then her.

She looked at me with surprise, then smiled warmly at me. "I appreciate that, Ms. Meir. Perhaps someday, that'll be the case."

She wiped her eyes, and got out of her seat, regaining her composure. "But for now, I guess its just you and me on this one." She said with a smile. She went over and opened the door, scattering the officers who had grouped around it like cockroaches.

Shaking her head, she looked over at me. "Feel free to go home, Ms. Meir. Sorry to take up your time."

"Don't be silly. I'm glad I was brought here. It gave us a chance to talk about things."

"Good luck out there, ms. Meir. I'll be rooting for ya!"

With that we parted ways. As I left the police station, I began to wonder more and more about Inspector Maregold. Here he was, finally called out on his behavior towards me, and he gives no answer, but simply storms off, like an angry toddler. Why did that stallion have it in for me so badly? What was there to gain from being so suspicious of me?

I decided that i would be keeping an eye out for him, as I made my way to the hotel, to discuss with Ralah and Salah with what to do next. I also wanted to talk with Dr. Seastone. After I'd told her about Ralah and Salah she decided to do some digging on Marquis, and this mysterious "Organization" he had been so loyal to. I only hoped they were getting along.

Trottingham De La Grand Hotel, Ralah and Salah's room, 9:44 am

The scene that awaited me as I opened the door to Ralah and Salah's room was one of typical dead silence that I had expected.

Salah sat in the kitchen with a glass of cider, and his jacket off. He said nothing as I walked in. Just stared out at nothing. He hadn't spoken since Marquis had ended his own life. I couldn't place whether it had been because he was too angry or too shocked to say anything.

Ralah, though, had not been able to stop talking. But not in the usual bubbly and crazy way she did. She spoke in a defeated dead tone. Like for her the whole world had unraveled, and all she could do was keep whispering to herself "why?"

She sat, upright, in the couch and stared down at the ground. I couldn't tell if she was going to cry or throw something through the window.

Dr. Seastone simply sat in the far chair near the bookcase, not daring to say a word. Not even to me. I didn't blame the twins for feeling the way they did. Marquis had been the one who had killed the pony they looked up to like a father, and instead of them getting answers from him, Marquis had chosen to keep his secrets to himself. Permanently.

So what was next for us? Marquis had been our best lead to solving this whole thing, and now...he was gone.

What could we do now? Where was the case going?

The answer, came sooner than I expected.

There was a knock at the door, and everyone in the room quickly looked over at it, each one of us silently debating on who should answer it. In the end I decided to answer it. I was quite surprised to see Lieutenant Goldbloom, breathing like shed ran all the way over here from the police station without stopping.

"Lieutenant? What's wrong, you look exhausted!"

Goldbloom tried to take a breath, but her words came out first. "Ms. Meir! You-You have to come with me, right away!"

"What's wrong, Lieutenant?"

She finally managed to take a breath, and got out what she had to say.

"It's Sleuth!"

"What about him? Is he still blaming me for all of this?" I asked in a slightly annoyed tone. I could only imagine what that stallion was doing now, especially after Goldbloom had stood up to him like she had. he was probably searching around for some other obscure reason to frame me for everything.

But Goldbloom's answer...was definitely a shock to me. And everypony in the room.

"No, Meir! He's disappeared! I think he was kidnapped!"

Questioning (Lieutenant Goldbloom, Mareposa Police Lieutenant, Witness to Maregold's disappearance)

I did'nt really know what to think. Yes, Maregold had been a thorn in my flank from day one, and yes he was rude, angry and didn't now how to speak at a tone that didn't make you jump out of your skin at every word. But if he really was kidnapped...then I had to find him. Hopefully Liutenant Goldbloom could provide enough information that we managed to locate him quick enough.

My first question was obvious. "When did you last see him?"

"At the station. When he came back, I was ready to beg him to let me keep my job, and he just went straight into his office. Didn't say a word to me."

"What was he doing in his office?"

"I don't know. But he must've found whatever he went in for, cause after he came out he just left the station. He never spoke to anyone at all."

"Do you know where he went?"

"I'm not sure but I think it was near the river. At first I thought he might've gone downtown to the bar or something. He likes this one pub downtown that serves drinks in these kind of crystalline glasses. But when I radioed him, he didn't pick up. And when I took a look at his communications with our network, I saw that his walkie had been disconnected!"

"What? Why would he do that?"

"I don't know! Half the force is out looking for him, and no matter what we do he won't pick up! Something must've happened to him!"

I knew that Goldbloom wasn't lying, and she clearly sounded concerned for the inspector's well being, in spite of his...issues.

But something shined through in this. A small glimmer of what the real explanation was. I couldn't quite place it, but I had never trusted Maregold. At one point I had respected him as an officer of the law, and only saw him as a minor nuisance. But the clues matched up to well.

I had to find Maregold. There was no question.

I smiled at Goldbloom in a caring manner. "Don't worry, Lieutenant. I'll find the inspector."

"You will? Oh thank you,Ms. Meir! I knew you would. Please get him back to us, as soon as you can."

"Of course. I'll let you know as soon as I've found him."

She thanked me again, and left, now completely relieved.

I closed the door and turned to my companions, who all now had their curious eyes on me.

Dr. Seastone got close and flashed me a sly grin. "Well, C'mon Meir! Don't keep us in suspense. We can't read minds like you can...wait...can you actually read minds?"

I shook my head. "Not as far as I know, but that s not the point. I think this whole thing is a trap."

Salah spoke up. "A trap? You think the good inspector faked his disappearance, to lure you out, right?"

I nodded. "That's exactly what I think. He was finally called out on his behavior towards me, and instead of just explaining his actions, he just kept quiet. Why couldn't he even say anything at that? at the very least he could've just called me a "suspicious filly" and we would've taken it. But instead he kept his mouth shut. Almost as if he didn't want to say something that would reveal his true intentions."

Ralah suddenly jumped up. "Aha! I knew it was him, all along! He's behind everything, isn't he?!" She exclaimed.

I wasn't sure of the answer. But i knew one thing: Maregold was hiding something. Something that he didn't want anypony finding out about. He had been keeping secrets this entire time. I didn't know if he was necessarily behind everything. But it was clear he was connected to the case somehow.

No longer as a inspector of the Mareposa police. But to me, he was now a prime suspect.

I had no time to lose. I had to go to the river and see if I could track Maregold down. I only hoped I wasn't too late.

Mareposa Reservoir, 10:00 am

Dr. Seastone had decided to accompany me to search for Maregold. I was glad to have her along, but part of me hoped that we wouldn't run into a dangerous situation. As we carefully slipped behind the gates of the reservoir, I had a sudden flashback of my time in the sewer that made my tail stand on end.

Dr. Seastone looked over at me. "Hey, you alright? You looked spooked for a sec there."

I nodded and smiled. "Fine. Just a little...nervous is all."

In fact I was very nervous. I had no idea what we would find in those tunnels, and had I known, perhaps I would've rethought my decision to enter the locked room I found just at the other end of the tunnel. Except, it had been opened. Recently.

As Dr. Seastone and I entered the place,w e saw it was some sort of underground boating dock, with a little boat tied to one of the posts. I suspected it was used for maintenance work. On the boat, was a winching machine.

We trotted over and carefully inspected the boat. But found no way of activating the winch. It seemed to have fallen into disrepair, over the years, and was no longer usable.

Dr. Seastone sighed in disappointment. "Aw, man.I was hoping we could take this boat out for a ride."

I chuckled. "That would've been relaxing, but I think our business down here should come first."

"Heh. Yeah, true. But where do you think Maregold went down here? This tunnel is the only service tunnel in this district. There's no other way to go but back up!"

I looked around. There had to be something down here. Some clue that could tell us where Maregold had gone to.

And then out of the corner of my eye, I spotted three archways, each with an inscription labeled on the great stone doors.

I smiled as I studied them. "Those look promising." I trotted over an tried to read the inscriptions on the door. But the writing was indecipherable.

The walls were cracked and malformed, I couldn't tell if it was from water damage or just age. And as far as I could see, there was no way of reading any of the inscriptions on the doors.

Dr. Seastone came over and began eyeing the walls suspiciously, tilting her half moon spectacles down to the tip of her muzzle, as she examined them.

It was then that I spotted what had peaked her interest: An ornate design of what appeared to be a rosary cross tipped with four diamonds at each one of its points. From the indentation, I could see that it was also meant to be pressed.

So I did.

Suddenly the room began to quake as we heard ancient machinery come to life behind the walls around us. The wall gave way then slowly descended into the floor, opening up a secret passage into a large cavern.

We took one look at each other, then cautiously stepped inside.

Mysterious Underground Caverns ,10:17 am

We followed a set of stairs down until we reached a vast labyrinth, illuminated only by several rows of torches that dotted the paths leading down each tunnel. My brain started calculating which way we should go to avoid either traps or capture by any unsavory ponies.

Then I heard it: a deep voice, almost melodically chanting a sort of mantra, and several other voices chanting along in almost perfect sync. The chanting was coming from the northern most tunnel and after gesturing to Dr. Seastone to follow me, we followed the chanting down the tunnel, until we came behind a series of pillars that stopped us from going any further. But we could still hear the chanting behind them, and peeking out from behind them, we spotted a group of well dressed aristocrat ponies gathered in a circle, around a large vessel of flame.

They continued to speak that strange mantra, but now that i was so close, I could finally make out what they were saying.

A mysterious hooded figure towered over the group, draped in a long black cloth, he spoke in that same deep drone. "In the beginning, was the end."

The other ponies recited. "An end wrought by our enemies, began our darkness."

The figure continued. "In the end will be a beginning."

Once more the other ponies chanted. "An end to our enemies, heralds a new day."

The figure gave no indication that the mantra had been performed correctly, and instead gave the slightest of head turns to the portly pony dressed in a white tux and sporting an oversized top hat. "Report."

The tux pony bowed as low as possible, to the point his hat almost fell from his head. "The military establishments are teetering on accepting our proposal. With a little more pressure, I know we can break them." He spoke in a thick southern drawl, that seemed unbefitting of the suit he wore.

Once more the figure gave no clear sign of how they felt about this, and simply turned to the next pony. A young looking mare adorned in numerous jewels and diamonds. She was even wearing a tiara. "Report." The figure said.

The jeweled mare bowed as well. "Business practices in Europa are at an all time high. My group controls approximately 48% of all economic trades and business practices in the country. While Marquis's death was a setback, we've already claimed all properties he owned as compensation for his sacrifice." She spoke in a tone that was so stuck up and snotty, I could tell Dr. Seastone was using every ounce of willpower she had to keep herself from leaping out from behind the pillars and decking her in the muzzle.

The figure gave a slight nod. Then as he turned and spoke to the next pony, I felt my breath get caught in my throat. Now it all made sense..

He stood there for a moment, silently waiting as the figure spoke to him, and then after taking a breath, Maregold spoke, this time at a volume that was so much lower than I was used to, that it didn't even sound like him.

"Regrettably, it would seem the doctor from Equestria, has proven herself to be...a much bigger threat than what we had realized. She's been suspicious of my actions from the beginning, and I fear even my lieutenant is beginning to see through my ruse. If I am to do as you've instructed, Grand master, then...I will need help."

The figure, who I now knew was known as the Grand master, simply looked at him from under their hood. From the look Maregold now had, I was certain it must've been a truly terrifying sight to behold. "You know your orders, Maregold. If you cannot distract this foreigner from our plans...then she must be eliminated. No exceptions."

"But-

"And you, must be the one to do it."

"Y-yes, Grand master."

"However...

"Y-yes?"

"In light of your recent failures, I believe you will need some assistance with this matter. Very well: I will assign two of the Hashashin to aid you in eliminating this foreigner as a threat. And any whom she may have told of our endeavors."

"Yes, grand master. Thank you grand master."

"But, should you fail this time...the consequences will be severe. Is that understood?"

"Yes. I understand, grandmaster."

The figure gave another half-nod. "This meeting is adjourned. You all know your parts to play. Our time is nearly upon us, my brothers and sisters. Soon Europa will be ours, and then...we will move to the rest of the world. May the scholars grant us clarity."

The other ponies bowed. "And may clarity grant us peace."

With that they left, single file ,as the grandmaster simply vanished from the spot. when the room was clear, we emerged from our hiding place.

I felt my blood run cold as I struggled to stand on my own hooves. I could scarcely contemplate what I had just seen. He was one of them. He had been all along. And now...he was going to kill me.

I sat there for awhile, remembering how this had all started. I had never wanted any of this. I was just a doctor, visiting from Equestria as a guest at an intelligence summit. I wasn't a hero. And I certainly couldn't hope to beat this mysterious cabal that had apparently been behind everything from the beginning. Any other pony would've fled at this point. I should've gone home. I should've given up on all of this.

But, call it what you will. I refused.

I had not come all this way to give up now. I had not survived through all this and watched an elderly stallion kill himself to protect his organization, just to be scared off by that same group. I had made a promise to a grieving widow, to my friends Ralah and Salah and to myself. I wasn't running. Not anymore.

No. I was going to finish this.

And I dared anyone, whether they be secret society, corrupt cop, or Hashashin, to try and stop me.