A Rare Mystery

by the frank

Act 1 - The Sun Sets.

I found myself in the thick of it from the beginning. It was a most unpleasant way to begin such an affair, but I suppose these kind of affairs are unpleasant by default. I had been away to Trottingham for business a few days, and had just gotten off the train when it hit me.
Canterlot Evening News had had a bit of a dry spell, and the robbery and murder of Sunset was god-sent headline material.

UNIVERSITY STUDENT VICTIM OF CRIMINAL MADMAN screamed at me from the newsstand.
23 YEAR OLD STAR STUDENT SHOT! READ MORE ON PAGE 7, 8,9,10, 13, and 15.
It wasn’t news to me, of course. They had indeed called me to inform me about the event the day before so it wasn’t THAT kind of shock.
But I won’t deny it was very unpleasant. Only yesterday evening she had texted me and just hours later… Maybe even moments… I shook my head. Duty called. I had hardly time to get back to my apartment to leave my bags. I had been summoned down to the mortuary for identification as soon as I could possibly be there.

And here I was now. It looked just like on TV. I suppose that was something they got right.. I must admit I was prepared for something much worse, but it was actually much easier than I anticipated. She looked like she was… Not like she was sleeping, no. She slept all over the bed, limbs in all directions at once, and with her mouth wide open.

She looked peaceful. I guess that was something. The best we can hope for, I guess.

I didn’t cry when the cover was folded down so I could see her face. I quickly confirmed it was indeed Sunset Shimmer that was the body in question, and left. However, before I could return home, I had to make a visit to the police station and sign my testimony. The officer that had escorted me had forgotten his papers at his office and as I wanted to get it over with, I decided to follow him at once. It was brief thing anyway, I just had to show my I.D and sign a paper. And then I could leave.

Or at least that was what I thought. As I made my way to the exit, a small, shabby looking man wearing the dirtiest overcoat I had ever seen approached me.

“I’m terribly sorry for your loss, Miss Belle” he said. He spoke with a low voice, almost mumbling. “I understand how hard this must be for you, as someone with such a close connection to the victim. But I just wanted to say thank you for your help. It’s really appreciated when we can get a quick identification.”

So, he was someone who was somewhat connected to the police? I eyed him from head to toe. He sure didn’t look like someone who knew the law. Dark, messy hair, wrinkles... smelled of something... I tried to be polite at least. “It’s my duty, isn’t it? And excuse me for asking, but who are you?”

“Uh?” He looked up at me. His eyes pointed in different directions… Was he by chance related to Derpy somehow? “Oh, I’m sorry! Lieutenant Columbo. LAPD, homicide.”

I had to admit I raised an eyebrow at that. “LAPD? That’s some distance from Canterlot.”

“Oh yes. But you see, I am here as… I’m here to perform a few lectures about ‘the psychology of the culprit’. Well, it’s not really me… We have a profiler at the precinct that has a book written, but they wanted me to join her to give some… ‘hard-based’ background I guess. Oh, and I also took the opportunity to visit my niece. Uhm… A Derp… Mrs Hooves? Maybe you know her, she’s probably your age.”

I smiled on the inside. “Oh, I know Derpy. And it figures that you two are related. Well, Lieutenant, if you don’t mind…”

He moved out of my way and looked like he was excusing himself for existing. “Oh! Oh yes, I am so sorry. It wasn’t my plan to disturb you, I just wanted to… Kindness takes you far, you see.”

I smiled. “Yes. Thank you, Lieutenant. Please give my regards to Derpy and her husband. And little Dinky as well.”

“Oh I will! I will.”

I was almost out the door when he called on me again. “Just one thing, Miss Belle… If I could just ask you… You were the victims girlfriend, correct?”

“Fiancee. But we didn’t have a date fixed.”

“Oh! So, it was rather fresh?”

“No, we have been engaged for two years. She… Well, I have my little boutique and she is...was doing her last year at uni. We didn’t have much money after she bought me the ring so we said we’d wait with the actual wows until we could afford… a real wedding.”

“Oh, you’re talking just like my wife! Said she wanted the whole shebang, church, ceremony, reception, party… When I said we could just do it at the mayor's office and have a burger on the way home. Ah well… the things you do for your wife. I suppose you understand how that is, Miss Belle? Oh sorry… Here I am again. Walking all over your feelings. I am sorry. I will not disturb you anymore.”

“It’s… quite alright, Lieutenant. Honestly, I suggested it once, but it was Sunset that insisted. I wouldn’t have gone with the burger though. There’s a lovely little sushi place downtown. It would have suited just fine.”

“Sushi, umm? It’s been a while since I had some good sushi. Could you give me the address?”

I gave him their card, and I must have looked rather surprised, since he explained. “I know. Don’t look the sushi type, right? And a few years back, that would have been right. But last year I had this case… A chef that was… Well, they ran a sushi place and… you have to eat. Anyway, it kind of stuck with me, you know? I kinda like the salty, sweet...You know? Can’t really describe it to someone who doesn’t get it!”

I smiled. “I understand perfectly. And you will enjoy this place very much, I am sure. But if you excuse me… “

Once again he took a step back and held up his hands. “Oh yes! Yes! Don’t let me stop you!”

This time I could leave without trouble. I did not look back at him.

At home, a lovely little flat with two bedrooms, a living room, my workshop, kitchen and a thank-you-Faust large bathroom, I spent the day in front of the computer or on the phone. I had to make arrangements for the funeral, I got condolences from our friends… As I write this, I feel like I was behaving awfully cold, don’t I? But that is how I remember that it felt that day. Numb. And not comfortably. But life goes on. I got a date for the funeral, I found our insurance and to my great relief, it covered the cost. I had also dug up Sunset’s journal to inform the princesses about what had occurred. The journal was soon overflowing with words, they were all so sorry. Of course they were. Unfortunately princess Twilight couldn’t make it over to our world until after the funeral. I told her that was absolutely okay. Royal business is Royal business.

However, my friends came over the same night. We had some wine and shared memories over Sunset. It was a rather good night and we all cried, I remember. Especially Twilight (Not the princess.) I mention this very brief because... Well...

It wasn’t until much later that night, when I was all alone again, that the tears came. The tears, and the anger. You see… up until that moment, I hadn’t really realised what had happened. That she indeed was gone. My Sunset was gone forever. Even if I do swear by Faust, I am not a person of faith. Sunset was dead, and that was it. I would never see her again. For the first time in my life… I wished I could have a different belief. I cried, I cursed the skies, I drank such an amount of liquor… Ehrm. I will draw a veil over that night. Perhaps I shouldn’t be ashamed. I was grieving after all. But since it is I that write this.. I can choose what I want to share.

***

The next day, I was terribly hungover, and decided to take the day off. I called my assistant (Yes, I can afford one) and told her that she could skip to open the store. Instead I wanted her to do an inventory of our storage room, redecorate the show window and then take the rest of the day off if she wanted. Sassy has always been great at doing displays but she so rarely get the chance. My little boutique is quite the buzz right now, you see.

Well, I don’t mean to brag, it is very uncouth for a Lady to brag but… This year had been great. If I had a few more months like this, the wedding would have been paid.
The wedding… I went to wardrobe #4 to take out our wedding dresses. Sunset had insisted on tux for her, and she was going to get the jacket, but she would still have to wear a gown. For me… It was a dream in white, light blue, purple and just a hint of pink. Gemstones, silk… It was the ultimate wedding dress. I laid it down on the couch and stared at it with dead eyes. Then I went to the kitchen to get a pair of scissors.

Yes, I was going to do exactly what you think. Because at that moment I felt that... If I couldn't marry Sunset in it, what good was it? But then there was a knock on the door. I had to stop my act of destruction. I hung the dress back and went to open the door. Grieving or not, I had to keep up appearance.

“Lieutenant!” I was honestly surprised. He looked even dirtier than yesterday but I still let him in. “What gives me the honour?”

“Oh, well you see…” He started searching through his pockets and finally produced a lighter. “You see..” Now he realised he had nothing to light. “Oh, where did I put the damn thing… “ He finally found a green cigar somewhere inside the coat. “Oh, mind if I smoke? Old habit.”

I waved it off. “Oh, it’s not a problem. I still have the occasional cigarette when things get stressful around the boutique. I don’t mind the smell of smoke.”

“Thank you!” He lit his cigar and took a few breaths. “So… This is a really nice place you have! You lived here with Miss Shimmer?”

“Yes.” I paused. “I’m sorry Lieutenant, but why are you here? You are from LA, if I remember correctly."

"Oh yes! But well... We old cops... it's like doctors. If we can help... I offered my assistance and they accepted it. They even assigned an officer to help me... He's parking the car right now but..."
There was a knock on the door and a young police officer entered. To my surprise, I recognized him. It was Flash Sentry. He looked like I remembered, save for a little five o'clock shade.

"Miss...um"

"Call me Rarity, Flash. No reason to be formal."

"Listen to the Lady, officer."

"Heh." He smiled awkwardly. "Okay. Rarity."

"So, why are you two gentlemen here?"

“Oh! Yes, you see… There is something that bothers me about this murder of your fiancee…”

I raised an eyebrow. “Murder? Wasn’t it a robbery gone wrong?”

“To the law, killing someone wilfully is still murder, Miss Belle! But I understand you. Most people think that murder, means that you planned it and that you had a reason to kill. But that is what you get when all your intel comes from made up stories.” He paused. “Do you like to read detective novels?”

I wasn’t prepared for that question, and stammered. “W-wha… Uh… Y-yes...occasionally?”

“What’s your favourite? I myself like the classics… Christie, Chesterton… I tell you, “And Then There Were None” is a Masterpiece! Or what do you say, officer?"

"Bit of a Tom Clancy - Fanboy, sir. But I like Philip Marlowe."

"Good choice! And you, Miss?"

“Well… I enjoy Shadow Spade.”

“Oh! A fellow hard boiled fan, like officer Sentry? Well, can’t blame you. She’s good too. But…”

“Lieutenant, I thought you said you disliked crime fiction?”

“Oh, Miss, there is a difference! Even if they have no clue about actual police work, they are still enjoyable! The atmosphere, you know? Besides, even a policeman can dream. About things being as easy to prove like they are in the books.”

I blinked. What a strange man he was… “Did you come here to talk about books? In that case, perhaps you want some coffee? I was just going to make some. I am a bit… under the weather today.”

“Thank you, coffee would be great! You see, my niece… Faust bless her, she is so kind and helpful, but she can’t make coffee, not by far! And her husband, the doctor is even worse! Fascinating man, but no skills in coffee brewing. And little Dinky can't reach the drawers yet. Especially when you want that strong, Scandinavian style coffee!”

I forced a smile to my lips and left for the kitchen. When I returned later with three steaming mugs, I found him looking at the view from our windows. “Impressive!”

Me and Flash shared a look
He shrugged his shoulders. I put the mugs down and replied.

“Sunset had a thing for living in tall buildings… She likes to have a view over a wide space.”
I paused. “Liked. Sorry.”

He held up his hand in a gesture, “Oh, not at all. It takes time. So, well… the murder. Yes. There is something… you see, nothing was stolen.”

I took a sip. “Well, that happens, doesn’t it? Someone interrupts… Like you hear all the time?”

“Oh yes, that is all too true! But you see… there are these surveillance cameras…”

“Was there a camera there? Where she got shot?”

I couldn’t hold back my excitement. But he shook his head. “Sadly, no. But there was one outside number 39, which she passed. And also one outside number... what was it again?"

"50, sir."

"Thanks! Outside number 50, which she would have passed had she not...stopped." He paused. I couldn't hide my excitement.

“Did you get a good picture of the one that killed Sunset?” I almost shouted it. But once again he shook his head.

“No, unfortunately not. We only saw that a person dressed in black followed your fiance for a while. But we did see them leave. The same way they came, passing that first camera I mentioned. They were walking rather calm, careful to not attract attention.”

I took a sip and leaned back in my chair. “Smart, I suppose.”

“Yes. But the thing that bothers me is this. She was shot outside this office building… uh…
I had it written down… Oh yes. Olsen Brothers Inc. Specialises in fertilizer. Anyway, the house was empty. And the same was true with the other buildings around. A few blocks further down there is a passing car… A Toyota. We couldn’t see the plate, but it is unlikely that it passed the scene of the crime. Besides that, there was no one else caught by the cameras until she was found by that Uber driver. Mr… Krayem.”

“So?” I didn’t really follow him.

“So, you suggested someone interrupting them? Who? There was noone there. So what startled the robber?”

“If I had been there, I could have told you. But I was in Trottingham.”

“Ah yes. I have a note about that... Somewhere... " He kept searching his pockets, but didn't find anything. He shrugged his shoulder. "You mentioned to the police that you got a text from her?”

I nodded. “Was it… just minutes before?”

“I am afraid it was. Poor girl… she was probably caught in the act of writing... Anyway, yes. A sudden sound can shock anyone. And perhaps the robber had their nerves on the outside, but… stray cats, for example, don’t make much noise. No, I am pretty sure it wasn't a robbery. She was murdered. The person that followed her was not there to mug her, but to kill her.”

I stared at him, mouth open. He took a sip of his coffee. “Mmm! Great coffee! Thank you, Miss Belle!”

"Yes, thanks Rarity! This is top quality!"

“Oh, you’re welcome… but… but…”

“Yes. Someone was after your fiance's life. And I would like to know who.”
He paused. "Well, I suppose we should be going. We have lots of people to talk with..." He finished his mug and stood up. Halfway to the door, her turned around. "Ah. Just one more thing, Miss. Do you happen to have any idea who…”

I saw red. “No! Absolutely not! Sunset didn’t have an enemy in the whole world! How dare you? HOW DARE YOU COME HERE AND… OUT! OUT!”

He held up his hands apologetically. “I’m so sorry, miss! It wasn’t my intention…”

“SCREW YOU INTENTIONS! You have your answer, now GET LOST!”

The lieutenant was soon out of the door. Flash hesitated. "I'm... I'm sorry, Rarity. But..."

I took a deep breath. "It was nice to see you again, Flash. I'm truly sorry. Please send my regards to Sunburst."

He left as well. I never drank my coffee in the end.

Comments

[A.P.O.N.I.]

You've done a good job of capturing the feeling of Columbo.

[the frank]

10226953
Thanks a lot!