Chapter 20: An Unexpected Visit from Eeba

     The royal family are now planning to host a soirée and Emily's parents and brothers are invited to attend. The McAllister family will spend a few days in the palace, and Emily's father Richard has brought his fiddle as part of the entertainment.
   Amelia's sister Eeba pays an unexpected visit to the palace, but it's not a social call.  As it happens, Eeba's sister N'Shal and dozens of other mermaids, melusines, and naiads were witnesses to a serious crime that took place at the Edward Mandell house near the Joan River, on the Royalton peninsula.
     For several weeks, valuables were being removed from the Edward Mandell house and replaced with cheap substitutes.  A week or so earlier, on the night of the fire that destroyed the house, a reporter was seen making sketches of the house even as the fire started.  Less than a week after the fire, before the police could complete their investigation, Edward Mandell had used his connections to have the remains of the house cleared away.
     The royal family call in the police to make a report.  The investigating officers were Inspector Jack Monday and Officer Tuesday Langston.  Tuesday always follows Monday.  
     The royal family and Inspector Monday make plans for Police Commissioner Miranda Wright to interview witnesses to interview witnesses in a private dining area next to the palace ballroom.  Inspector Monday does not yet know about the Aquatic Watch Program. 
     

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