Daisy walked up to the door and knocked. She took a step back and let out a breath before turning to Robin. “Thank you for coming, and for convincing Mungo to go with Prim.”
Robin shrugged. “Hey, better than letting you and Primula interview these two by yourselves. They might not have done it, but I would consider them high on the suspect list. And if one or both of them did it and either one of you got close to figuring it out during your interview …” He shot her a nervous grin. “Well, safety in numbers, right?”
Daisy chuckled softly. “Yeah, for sure.”
The door opened and the figure of Porto Hornblower stepped out. He blinked at each of them. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?” He blinked in surprise at Daisy. “And, are you, are you a Shirriff?”
Daisy nodded. “I am, and that’s part of the reason for our visit. Um, may we come in?”
Porto nodded as he stepped aside. “Of course. I’m mainly curious as to why you’ve been made a Shirriff, Daisy.” He glanced at Robin as the two walked in. “Has something happened to the Green Dragon?”
Robin let out a huff. “More like something happened in the Green Dragon.”
Porto blinked a few times before closing the door. “That doesn’t sound good.” He motioned them to follow him into the sitting room. He bade them take a seat before taking a pipe from the mantle and lighting it. He sat down in another chair and took a couple of puffs. “Now, what exactly happened in the Green Dragon?” Taking turns, the two told him of Stella’s death and what they found so far. The pipe had left Porto’s lips and stayed in his lap the entire time. His eyes had widened a few times, but otherwise, he had made no sign of emotion. His eyes glazed over when they finished their narrative. “Stella, poor thing. Somehow I had thought she would have been the first to go but … not like this.” He turned to gaze into the fire. “How dark indeed.” He turned back to them. “But what can I tell you that will aid you in your investigation? I arrived at the Green Dragon after Stella was pushed, that’s when we spoke.” He nodded at Daisy. “Then, as you know, we walked off, arguing about every little thing. We separated at the crossroads to go home. And I’ve been here ever since.” He shrugged. “I’m afraid there’s nothing more I can tell you.”
Daisy leaned forward. “Maybe you were being followed?”
Porto shook his head. “Didn’t see anyone that looked like they were following us. Then again, I really wasn’t paying much attention.” He shrugged. “Sorry.”
Daisy sighed but she shook her head. “No, you’re fine. You wouldn’t have been thinking that something like this would happen.”
“Indeed not. True, the rapscallions have been getting bolder as time goes on, but I’m sure even they wouldn’t kill another Hobbit. That would be way too far, even for them.”
“That’s what we think as well. But Drogo is rounding up several groups just in case, though we are hoping that none of them did it. But maybe one or more saw something.”
“I hope someone saw something, because if no one did, then you might never find the person who did this.”
“I hope that never happens and we do find out who did it.” Daisy sighed. “But it’s something we’re going to have to consider as we continue our investigation.” She stood up. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Hornblower, I don’t think there’s anything else I can ask you.”
Porto also stood and held out his hand. “I only wish I could be more helpful. And I wish, for Stella’s sake, you find who did this.”
Daisy shook his hand. “Thank you. Me too.”
Robin also stood and shook Porto’s hand. “Good day, Mr. Hornblower.”
“Good day, to both of you. And the best of luck.”
“Thank you,” they chorused before taking their leave of Porto.
“So, do you think it could have been him?” Robin asked as they got out of earshot of the house.
Daisy’s brows furrowed in thought. “I’m not sure. He might not have, but, the whole thing seemed … off.”
Robin shrugged. “I mean, it’s Porto, it’s always going to seem off.”
“But he didn’t really react to it as I thought he would have. In fact, it’s almost like he knew it was going to happen, that it was inevitable.”
Robin glanced down, his brows furrowed in thought. “Yeah, now that you mention it … yeah.” He looked back at Daisy. “And what was with the whole looking into the fireplace and saying ‘how dark indeed’?”
“That’s part of what made it seem so weird.” Daisy paused and turned, glancing at the house they had just left. “I wonder if there’s more to it.”
“What? What more could there be?” Robin asked incredulously.
Daisy began walking again, towards the Green Dragon. “I don’t know … but we might have to find out once we’ve solved her murder.”
Robin let out a sigh. “Maybe Prim and Mungo found something.”
Daisy nodded slowly. “I hope so too.”
Meanwhile, Prim and Mungo had made it to Adelaide Grubb’s house and knocked on her door.
“Yes?” said Adelaide as she opened her door. She blinked when she recognized who was standing there. “Primula Baggins, Mungo Bracegirdle! What in the Shire are you doing here?” She glanced over Primula’s outfit. “And why are you dressed as a Shirriff, Primula?”
“Something terrible has happened, Mrs. Grubb. May we come in and talk to you?”
Adelaide blinked and slowly nodded, opening the door wider. “Why yes, I suppose.”
Primula smiled. “Thank you.” She stepped into the foyer, followed by Mungo.
“What’s so terrible that you had to come here and tell me about it?” asked Adelaide as she closed the door.
“Oh Mrs. Grubb, it’s, it’s about Mrs. Proudfoot …”
Adelaide glanced between the two. “What about her?”
“Mrs. Grubb, Daisy, Robin and I, we, we found her, in the Green Dragon this morning … she was murdered.”
“How do you know that?”
Primula blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
“How do you know she was murdered and didn’t just up and die because her age finally caught up to her?”
“Oh, um, well, if it had just been her age, Mrs. Grubb, um, there, there wouldn’t have been a wound in her head, see …”
“Oh, oh my, that, why yes, that would suggest murder, wouldn’t it?” Adelaide turned and walked into the sitting room. She sat down in the rocking chair. “And here I was hoping she had finally up and died because her own body gave out on her. What a nasty way to go.” She shook her head and tsked. “Of all the ways to go. Such a dark end.” She turned to her fireplace. “How dark indeed.”
“Mrs. Grubbs, Shirriff Maggott made me and Daisy honorary Shirriffs to help him get to the bottom of this.” She pulled out her notebook and pen. “Is there any information you can give me? Anything at all?”
Adelaide sighed. “I’m afraid not dear. I’m afraid the last time anyone saw her alive was at the Green Dragon.”
Primula quickly wrote that down. “So, you didn’t happen to notice anything as you walked away with Mr. Hornblower and Mrs. Proudfoot?”
Adelaide shook her head. “No, nothing dear. Nothing that seemed out of the ordinary.” She shrugged. “Sorry, I mean, arguing with Porto and Stella is business, as usual, it seems. Well, it used to.”
Primula glanced at her as she smiled ruefully. “Yeah, so it seems.”
“Was there anything else you needed, dear?”
Primula glanced over her notebook and shook her head. “Not unless you can think of who might have pushed Mrs. Proudfoot.”
Adelaide shook her head. “No, I got there at the same time as Porto. Neither one of us saw anyone running away. Whoever it was must have gone in the opposite direction.”
Primula nodded. “Right.”
“Is there anything you can think of that might be able to help, anything at all? Anything that might have seemed strange at the moment?” asked Mungo.
Adelaide pursed her lips and shook her head. “No, nothing. This murder is the only strange thing that’s happened in my entire life.”
“I think it’s the strangest thing to ever happen in the Shire in, well, in the entire history of the Shire,” remarked PRimula as she closed her notebook. “Thank you, Mrs. Grubb, for your time.”
“Oh, I feel like I did so little.”
“YOu did as much as you could, and that’s all I ask for,” said Primula with a smile. She held out her hand. “Thank you again for your time.”
Adelaide took it and shook it. “Come back any time, dear. And if I do remember something, or even notice something, I’ll be sure to tell you.”
“Thank you.”
Mungo also shook hands with Adelaide. “Yes, thank you.”
“Of course. And tell Will this has only put a damper on my offers for a little while, I will be back to pester him. Though, I’m sure he’ll be happy, this should bring in a lot of business.”
Mungo’s eyes widened. “M-mrs. Grubb!”
“No offense to Will or to Stella! Was just stating a fact. This will spread like wildfire and people will come to see the Green Dragon, to see where it happened.” She waved my finger. “Mark my words, you had better get back to help.”
Mungo blinked and grinned nervously. “Uh, yeah, uh, right, you’re right, we should. Thank you again, Mrs. Grubb. Come on Prim.”
“Right. Bye Mrs. Grubb.”
Adelaide waved as they walked out the door. “Good bye, my dears. Be safe out there!” She closed the door almost as soon as they stepped outside.
Prim and Mungo glanced at each other before walking away. They didn’t say anything until they were out of earshot.
“So, was that odder than usual, or what?”
Prim paused to take a quick look at the house before continuing on. “It was very odd, to say the least. We do need to hurry back to the Green Dragon, but not for the reasons Mrs. Grubb said. We need to compare notes. Something is going on.”
“Yeah, no kidding. Come on!” The two rushed back to the Green Dragon as quickly as possible. Daisy and Robin were already there.
“Mrs. Grubb was odder than usual,” Mungo announced upon entering the inn.
“Well, so was Mr. Hornblower,” said Robin. “How was Mrs. Grubb odder?”
“Well …” Mungo was interrupted by the doors of the Green Dragon being thrown open and one of the Shirriffs, one by the name of Samwise Longbottom, came running in.
“Hurry! Shirriff Maggot says you need to come quick! We just rounded up a group of rapscallions and, and … they said they were here last night!”
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