CRIME DETAILS

BACKGROUND

Due to the recent death of the late King Ludwig, after eating an apple pie, his remaining son and heir, Prince Charmless, had inherited the Pantomimia throne. Having no heir of his own, Charmless was worried that if anything happened to him his stepmother, Queen Honoria, might inveigle her way into being ruler of Pantomimia. He therefore proclaimed that he would marry at once, and that there would be five glamorous balls on successive nights where he would look for a bride. Tonight was the final ball.

CRIME BUILD-UP

The ball seemed to be progressing normally until 10.00pm when adventurer of the seas Captain James T Hook arrived unexpectedly and demanded an immediate audience with Prince Charmless and the Prime Minister of Pantomimia, Dick Whittington. Charmless returned to the ballroom at 11.00pm and appeared to be a little distrait. He spent most of the next half hour dancing with Cinderella.

At 11.30pm, amid some ceremony, he made two announcements. The first was that Queen Honoria, due to her grief over the death of King Ludwig, would soon be retiring from court to a residence in the country. The second announcement was that he was sending adventurer Jack the Giant Killer on a royal commission, to seek out and kill Cormoran, King of the Giants. Jack was to leave on his quest within twenty four hours.

At 11.45pm Charmless, accompanied by Cinderella and his newly appointed valet, Simple Simon, left the ballroom. The three went together to the staircase that leads up the tallest tower of Pantomimia Palace. Charmless told Simon to stay at the foot of the staircase “and make sure that we are not disturbed”. He then went up the tower staircase with Cinderella. Cinderella has refused to state what happened in the tower.

A short while later Simon heard an anguished scream for help from the tower. Running up the steps, he was just in time to hear the tower door being locked from the inside. Within minutes sounds of a fierce sword fight began to come through the door. The fight finished abruptly with a cry of pain.

By this time Simon had been joined by Captain James T Hook. Together the two of them tried to break down the door, but it was not until Prime Minister Dick Whittington assisted them that they were able to access the tower room.

CRIME SCENE

Behind the locked door they found Jack The Giant Killer, lying unconscious, with his bloody sword drawn. He had a sword wound to his shoulder and a growing bump on his head. Prince Charmless was also lying senseless upon the floor. It was not immediately apparent of the seriousness of the injuries to Prince Charmless. This is because the tower room was merely lit by candles and the bloodstains from the prince’s wounds were practically invisible against his scarlet regimental jacket. Only a close examination revealed that he was dead, killed by a sword wound to the heart. The Prince’s sword was lying beside him, also blood stained. There was no sign of Cinderella. The tower room is only accessible via the staircase.

Jack, who is suffering from concussion, cannot remember anything about how he came to be in the tower. Cinderella has elected not to say how she left it. First appearances would seem to suggest that Prince Charmless met his death while fighting Jack the Giant Killer. Flowers from several of the floral arrangements had been decapitated from their stems, and this would seem to support it. But Prince Charmless’s godmother, Fairy Nuff, who flew into the palace shortly after the body was discovered, believes there is more to the prince’s death than meets the eye. She has decided to hold her own investigation and her magical psychic powers have warned her that one of nine suspects is responsible.