The Case of the Serpent and Scorpion

Chapter 8: Putting the Pieces

Vana's POV

“Since you’ve been busted, it’s about time you two tell us who you really are. Who are you and what are your names?” I asked, interrogating them.

“None of your business,” the lady spouted.

She doesn’t have the slightest awareness for what she did, is she? After impersonating me and being exposed by the person she’s trying to impersonate, she still has the guts to act arrogant in front of us. I don’t know if I’ll be impressed or extremely annoyed.

“Answer the question or this guy might just snap your body,” I threatened in a teasing way, pointing a finger at Jerome.

“Oh please, you don’t even get along,” the guy exclaimed, infuriating me.

Calm down, Vana, getting mad at them won’t do you any good. Keep your magic to yourself and never let it out.

“Then, let me ask the same question. What are your names and who are you?” Jerome interrupted, asking them the same question.

He leaned straight as he pushes himself off the wall, stepping forward with his eyes having a stern look. The lady flinched, leaning away as Jerome takes over the questioning. I clucked my tongue, rolling my eyes as he steals my task.

“Answer the question,” Jerome insisted, lifting his hand in the air as a threat.

“W-were twins—” the guy answered, shouting before the lady says another word. “We’re twins…”

“And your names?” I asked, persistent.

“Camillo and Camilla Rodgo. We’re from Ashern,” the guy answered obediently.

The lady—Camilla—looked betrayed as she looks at her twin brother’s direction. There’s a plea weeping out of her eyes, almost as if she’s worried that something might happen to them. The guy—Camillo—lowered his head, averting away from his sister.

“Camillo and Camilla…” I mumbled, looking away for a moment to think of my next question. “Who do you work for?” I lifted my gaze up at them, asking the question.

“Work with?” the captain wondered on my side, brows furrowing.

“You also think they were working for someone? That there’s a mastermind behind this,” Jerome stated, his gaze shifting at me as if we’re on the same page.

“Yeah, I have a few clues I found that can point to someone, but I need more evidence to make it concrete. Like a confession,” I explained, keeping my eyes on the twins.

“We don’t work for anyone,” Camilla answered, her eyes wavering as she gazes at me.

She tried to focus her gaze at us, acting like a try hard to convince me that its her resolve. I can tell she’s lying. Her jaw is jittering; a sign that she’s trying to lie and not let the truth slip out of her tongue.

“Are you sure about that?” I wondered, testing their tenacity.

“Yes. It’s only us. We’re the masterminds. We planned this complicated plan out,” Camillo answered, trying to prove that they’re the masterminds.

“They admitted being the masterminds,” the captain intervened. “Isn’t that enough?”

I glanced at the captain, giving him a quick suspicious look. He believes them, even though they’re being unbelievable right now. Its clear to anyone’s eyes that the twins are trying to cover up the true mastermind, and yet the captain believes them as if he made up his mind.

“No,” I muttered, staring at the twins with cold and blank look.

I recollect all the clues and pieces of evidence I gathered, piling them up on the back of my mind. If they’re going to play mind games with us, then I’ll have to step up my game. Jerome is on my side, and he also believes that there’s a different person behind this incident.

“Earlier while I’m still held captive, Camillo visited the upper lounge. We had a small talk, and guess what, someone made a call to him through his communication lacrima,” I began, setting up the stage.

“How does one call connect to us having a mastermind?” Camilla asked, baffled and concerned of the statement.

My lips curled, a corner quirking up into a small grin. “When your brother is talking to me, and the passengers, he had a boastful and arrogant attitude. But when he answered the call, his attitude became submissive and showed attributes of a people pleaser,” I explained.

“Someone who is in a mission or in an important situation like that wouldn’t usually answer any calls, especially if its irrelevant. Yet, your brother took his time to answer the call,” I added, explaining further.

“Shall we change the question now since we have a basis,” I mused. “Who called you earlier that it is so important that you’d answer it rather than focusing on threatening your hostages?” I asked.

Camillo gulped as sweat drips down his forehead. He stared at me, thinking that the look in his eyes can change my mind.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Camillo denied, shaking his head.

“Shall I ask your men, then?” I wondered, raising a brow.

“They know nothing. Because I am their leader.”

“Fair enough,”

“You think its unbelievable that people like us can do such a feat.”

“Its quite the opposite. I do believe even the dumbest people can pull of a complicated plan,” I disagreed, my eyes looming at Camillo.

“There’s a different reason why I think someone else is behind this case. Like, for example, Reynolds McValeri.”

Heads turned at me with widened eyes as I mention his name. the captain began to shook his head in disbelief, but a whip of nervousness crawled up his skin. He began to not believe us in investigating anymore. Jerome, on the other hand, tilted his head at me, his brows furrowed begging for his questions to be answered.

“At least try to explain first,” Jerome said, giving me a blank gaze.

“I’m getting to it,” I snarled, glowering at him.

“Are you listening to yourself? Why would Reynolds McValeri do this?” the captain snapped, raising a brow at me.

“I have multiple reasons that I can think of,” I replied. “For now, let me explain why I suspect him to be the mastermind.

“First, this ship is owned by McValeri’s company, which initially came from Ashern’s mainland before ending up in Jasper Island. I know this fact because my professor told me about it. The ship only boarded elites and middle-class people sponsored by McValeri, himself, and not even the captain thought that bandits are roaming inside the ship.

“The gang of bandits wouldn’t have boarded from Jasper Island either, if they did and let’s be honest, you and I would have noticed them while they pretend to be passengers and crew members,” I explained, mentioning Jerome as I bob my head to him.

“You’re saying the only way their gang could have boarded is when they pretended to be passengers, while some act as crew members,” Jerome stated.

“Yes, some of the crew members you think are working for the ship might have been a gang member,” I answered, agreeing

“Then, how did they become crew members?” the captain asked. “I know every member of our crew, and none of them would dare let bandits aboard.”

I darted another eye at the captain. He knows every member of the crew. If that’s the case, wouldn’t he recognize if there’s a bandit among his crew or not? There’s something suspicious about the captain, and the only way I can figure out which side he belongs is by revealing the next evidence I have.

“Well, that’s what you believe,” I said, walking closer to the siblings. “Let me ask you a question, captain, are you a member of the Clashing Seasons?” I asked, peering over the captain to hear his answer.

“Yes, I am…” the captain answered, baffled by the sudden question. “Why?”

I smirked, proving that Reynolds McValeri is the one behind this ship hostaging-ransom case. I may have also hit two birds with one stone. “Then, you’ll have to see this,” I spoke.

I approached Camillo, peering over my shoulder to Jerome as I ask him to lower Camillo down to my reach. He shrugged, lowering the man close to me as Camillo struggles to break free. I stood next to him as I face the captain and Jerome.

I grinned at them, flashing it to Camillo before grabbing his sleeve. I pulled his sleeve up, revealing the emblem on his arm.

“These bandits are no ordinary bandits. They’re members of the Clashing Seasons.”

Camilla and the captain gasped as they saw the emblem on Camillo’s arm. It was the same emblem the captain had. The emblem of the Clashing Seasons. I flashed a grin on my face as Jerome and Camillo’s eyes widened.

The Clashing Seasons’ emblem had a ship overlapping with four flags. Each flag had the symbols of the four kingdoms of Sorbius. As for the ship, it had the logo of Reynolds McValeri’s company.

“Can you put the pieces together now?” I asked, glancing from the captain to Jerome.

“Both the McValeri company and the Clashing Seasons guild are led by the same person, Reynolds McValeri,” Jerome muttered, his gaze elsewhere. He lifted his eyes up, tilting it to the captain with suspicious look. “Every crew member of this ship cannot be trusted if all of them are also Clashing Seasons members.”

I tilted my gaze at the captain, squinting my eyes at him. Jerome is right. If we are on the right track, it could mean that even the captain might be aware of the plans as part of his job. He might even be in it as well. And I could think of two reasons why they are not on the bandits’ group.

One, they may have been unaware of the plan and the bandits until the last minute, forced to be part of the hostage, and let the bandits easily take over the ship. Or, it could be that the bandits didn’t know that the crew were part of it until the last minute, and the crew let them take over as easily.

I let go of Camillo’s arm, placing a hand behind me as I take a step closer to the captain. I moved forward, charging lowkey on the ship’s dashboards. I checked the ship’s coordinates, making sure that we are on track.

The coordinates instilled on the ship’s mechanism is correct, but that doesn’t mean the captain is off suspicions. We’ll have to keep an eye on the rest of the crew as well, since there’s a high possibility that they’re with the bandits.

“Its not a coincidence that they targeted this ship that belongs to the McValeri company. It also wasn’t a coincidence that the crew and the bandits both belong in the same guild, the Clashing Seasons,” I said, continuing with my observations.

The bandits won’t know about the ship’s schedule unless one of them is a crew member. They wouldn’t have been able to hide themselves in plain sight without acting suspiciously without the crew’s help. Most importantly, they wouldn’t have able to board the ship without access to it in the first place.

There is no way in hell that all of these coincidences point in one direction. Everything done in this ship is completely and intricately structured.

“I conclude that Reynolds McValeri is the mastermind behind this case. The real perpetrator of this crime.”