The Death of Pan: Part Three (complete)

As I walk back to the entrance, the seven suspects rise and turn in my direction, looking at me as if expecting some sort of answer. I’m not sure what they are searching for. Possibly a multitude of questions are silently being asked at this moment.

“I need to smoke,” I say with a heavy sigh.

Mr. Faire glares at me. “No!”

“I don’t live here anymore. You don’t get to tell me what to do.” I whip out my pack of cigarettes and start to tap one out.

“I’ve hired you!” Mr. Faire starts to charge me, but someone beside me snatches the cigarettes from my hand. Sossy glares at me, holding the pack of cigarettes.

I narrow my eyes right back at her. “You do realize I can finger you as the murderer, right?”

Sossy remains silent and defiant. I shiver, then look away from her. “Fine, whatever.” I shove my hands deep into my pockets. 

“Is he dead?” Ophelia barks.

I sniff and shrug my shoulders. “Still mostly dead.”

“So is it murder or attempted murder?” Dr. Goodfellow snaps at me. “And do you have any clue as to who could have possibly killed this ‘god’?”

“It’s quite the pickle we have here.” I rub my chin as my eyes dart around the room. “I don’t know much, just that you are a group of people who wound up in the wrong place at the right time. People who seemingly have nothing in common aside from wanting to enjoy the carnival for one night.”

I grin at them. Their faces remain blank. I clear my throat and stow my smile away. “But someone here has found a way to kill Pan, and knowing him, it’s not without motive. Despite the number of stab wounds, I have to believe this was a premeditated murder.” I motion towards the computer. “Someone had to know about the computer and its programming - possibly a staff member - and know quite a bit about how the house of mirrors operates.”

Bethune and Baird both stiffen. Bethune continues to sign for his brother.

“Then there is the mystery of the person wearing red who seems to keep popping up. A couple of you here are wearing red - but so is our victim.” I straighten my back and glance between the faces again. I point to Ophelia. “Your lipstick mark is where you claim it to be.”

Ophelia tenses as she nods her head. “Of course it is. Why would I lie?”

I hold my hand out. “Then can I have another piece of gum?”

“Uh...” Ophelia seems taken off-guard. “I mean, that’s fine, but...” She takes out her clutch and opens it. As she does, I step towards her and kneel. She keeps her eyes averted from me as she searches her clutch.

I sigh and take the small purse from her. “Hey!” she shouts.

“Hey is for horses.” I look over the small bag, finding a smear of red along the fastener. “Our victim was stabbed multiple times. But a knife cannot harm a god. And yet, from what I can see, a knife harmed the victim twenty-one times.”

“How do you know what can and cannot harm the divine?” Dr. Goodfellow demands. “How do you even know what that is in there?”

Ophelia’s sister has taken a protective stance beside her. I stand up and look over her clutch. The only things inside are the gum and the smudged lipstick, as well as an old handkerchief and a ticket stub. Looking at the ticket stub, I see she arrived here an hour ago. 

“Aren’t you going to answer him?” Mr. Gold moves towards me. “Aren’t you going to answer any of us?”

I take a piece of gum for myself, even though I have come to loathe the flavor of cinnamon. “My mother taught me.” I lay the red strip of gum on my tongue, still lamenting how much better smoking is. 

Dr. Goodfellow rolls his eyes. Mr. Gold scoffs in disgust. 

“Hey, my mom knows her shit,OK?” I start to chew gum. “If it weren’t for her, the lot of you would be dealing with me a lot more than you have to, so be grateful.”

“Hector,” Mr. Faire hisses at me. “These people are stressed and confused. They don’t know what is going on or what you are doing. You need to give them some sort of answer.”

I shake my head and close my eyes. “I’m at a crossroads at the moment, and trying to decide which road to take. At the moment, I have the victim where I want him, and I have all of you in a precarious place. I need all of you to do as I ask so I know how to handle the situation.” Opening my eyes again, I glance at Haytham. “Give me the knife, Doctor.”

Haytham flinches. “What are you talking about?”

“You told me you were the one who inspected the body to see if it was dead. I know you, Haytham. We spent some time together when I was here. So don’t bullshit me, and give me the knife.” I hold my hand out to him.

Haytham grimaces and reaches into his coat pocket.

“Haytham,” Mr. Faire gasps in alarm.

“Keep silent, old friend.” Haytham takes a wrapped object from his pocket. It’s a knife all right, folded into a glove. 

“Very smart,” I remark. “You kept it well-preserved from the crime scene. But I suspect it was clean anyway.” I keep my hand on the glove and let it fall away from the blade, which is indeed clean - and pitch-black.

“I’ve seen weapons like this. They’re used for deicide, created from the remains of an Ophiotaurus. A good friend of mine has a collection of these.” I take Ophelia’s clutch and compare sizes. “Where did you get it?”

Ophelia bristles,  and her mouth falls open. “You can’t think I did this? Did you see the size of that man? I’m half his size, there is no way I could have taken him down!”

I wag my finger at her. “I’m not saying you committed the murder, I’m simply asking you where you got this weapon.” I turn my body fully towards Ophelia and Sossy. “I’m no fool. Just tell me where you found this blade, Ophelia. I know you won’t answer me when I ask you who you gave it to.”

Ophelia’s slim white fingers clutch her knees. She won’t look away from me, and she barely blinks. She just continues to stare at me in panic. Sossy puts her hands over her sister’s, then glares at me. “Our brother gave it to us, and she gave that blade to me.” 

I nod. “OK then, who is your brother?”

Sossy stands up and faces me. “You should leave, Mr. Keres. Just walk away from here and forget everything you have seen. Please, just go away.”

I nod. “How do you know the victim, Sossy?”

Sossy shoves me, and the blade falls to the ground. I stumble, losing my footing and hitting the wall as Sossy charges at me. She grabs me, pushing me harder against the wall. Her neck stretches out, and her features become much more monstrous than before.

“Sossy, stop!” Ophelia runs forward and tries to pry her off me. 

Sossy’s mouth splits open wider than humanly possible, screaming at me. Black feathers appear on her arms, while her fingers elongate into saurian claws. “Shit!” I duck my head, and at the last moment Ophelia pries her sister away from me. She holds Sossy to her chest, stroking her hair as she breathes hard.

I slouch against the wall,clutching my hand over my heart.

“Hector, are you alright?” Mr. Faire puts his arm around me. 

Dr. Goodfellow picks up the blade, but does not look at it. He simply holds it. 

“Give it.” I snatch it from his hands, then stand behind Mr. Faire as I look at the sisters again. “OK, you two, out with it. How do you know the victim? How did you know this blade would hurt him?”

Ophelia frowns and looks away from me. 

“You brought this blade here,” I murmur. “But why? I need to know.”

Ophelia lifts her chin and glowers at me. “If you know so much about deities, then you know what that creature is. You know what it does to people. You know how it lived its life. You shouldn’t need to ask us, you should just know.”

“You’re Swan Maidens, correct? Judging from the form your sister took as she attacked me.” I still have the white feather in my pocket from the swan maiden I saw earlier. 

“Leave them alone.” Mr. Goodfellow takes a step towards me. “They didn’t do it.”

I look away from the sisters and into his dark eyes. I give him a small smile. “And how do you know that, Robin?”

“Because they told you! Sossy was with my brother and Ophelia’s lip-” He goes rigid and silent. “What did you...” His voice catches in his throat as he stumbles back a few steps.

“Is that not your name?” I step closer to him.

He remains silent as he glares at me.

“And since he calls you ‘brother’, I can narrow it down and say that you are Puck.” I point to Dr. Goodfellow. 

Dr. Goodfellow throws his head back and laughs.

I tilt my head. “Did I make a funny?”

Dr. Goodfellow continues to laugh, then he lurches forward with an angry expression. “Who are you?” he roars at me.

I sigh, taking in a very deep breath and exhaling slowly. I wish I had a cloud of smoke to blow dramatically. “Can I just take a moment to assume that all of you are children of Pan?”

“Not all.” Mr. Goodfellow’s voice is low. “But you are fairly close, Mr. Keres. How did you know who I am?”

“The victim brought you up, and I just so happened to recognize you.”

“He brought me up?” He furrows his brow and shakes his head in disbelief. “How?”

I look down at the ground. “Excuse me.” I turn to go back to the corpse.

“You’re just not going to answer us again?” Mr. Gold snaps. 

I stop and lift my head. “I told you, I’m at the crossroads of making my decision. You’re going to want me to make that decision in my way. This may mean you receive no answers.”

I walk back into the inner chamber, where the reflections of Pan are cowering under the overbearing presence of the shadows behind him. 

“So is it guilt you feel, or fear?” I take the Ophiotaurus blade out and lay it on Pan’s body. The shadows have started taking on more defined features as the light moves over them. 

“Make them stop!” Pan shudders. 

“I cannot. You are the one who brought them forward. Such is the fate of any who go down this path.” I look down at the corpse. “You have created this.”

Pan looks up from the ground and places his hands on the glass. The shadows press closer, and I am able to make out faces. “Help me,” he says with a breathless laugh. “Save me and I can make you a very, very rich man.” He points to the blade on his chest. “If you stab the one who dealt the final blow, then I can come back! I will give you everything I have.”

“Why would I want anything of yours?” I sniff. “What’s that song? ‘You can have it all, my empire of dirt’?” I look back up at him. “‘I will make you hurt’?”

Pan stares at me, eyes wide and features much more goatlike than before. He looks smaller. 

“No, thanks.” 

“Please!” He screams. His reflections bang against the glass as the looming figures squeeze in tighter around him.

“You had your chance when your mother cursed you. You had another chance when Syrinx chose to love you. You had a chance when you had your son!” I take off my coat, tossing it aside. I then roll up my sleeves, revealing the dark marks that cover my body. “You have had plenty of chances to stop being a colossal piece of shit.” I flex my fingers and the marks begin to glow. “You’ve sat on your liar’s chair long enough.”

The shadowed figures are illuminated as Pan’s body seems to shrink into that of a small black goat. Behind him, I see countless people; women, men, and children alike who have all been harmed by his hand. I see his mother, the swan maiden, Robin, Syrinx. I see Sossy as a black swan. There is Puck. I even see Mr. Faire in his true form.

The room fades away. As I take the blade from Pan’s chest, the corpse turns into a black goat. The mirrors become roads, each leading down a different path. Pan rises, looking around in panic at the faces surrounding him. He tries to scream, but he can only bleat. 

“Do you know where we stand, Pan?” A lit cigarette appears between my fingers, and I take a long, much-needed drag. I blow out a cloud of smoke and with it all my stress and tension. I tap the ash from the tip, and it falls on Pan’s horn. 

The goat screams again.

“The crossroads to the underworld, that’s correct.” I take another long drag and blow the smoke from my nose. “And do you recognize your witnesses? All these people, your lovers, your friends, your children. All your used.” I bring my cigarette back to my lips. “They’ve come to bury you. I am but the judge.”

The goat tries to run, ducking between my legs, but he is blocked by more witnesses. He tries to break through by striking their legs with his horns, but the horns crumble and fall away.

“Do you know my verdict, Pan?” I kneel before him. The goat stares at me with wide and unblinking eyes.

I meet his gaze as my eyes fill with the markings that also cover my body. “You, old despicable one, are guilty.”

I drop my cigarette to the ground, and the figures vanish in a puff of smoke. A cage drops onto the goat, trapping him All the roads vanish, except for one. Down the road, a woman approaches. She is tall and beautiful, and I do not get to see her often enough anymore.

“There’s my boy.” She stoops down and picks up the cage. “How are you, Hector?” She smiles warmly at me.

“Hey, Mama,” I say with a nod. “I’m doing ok.”

Hecate places her hand at the back of my head and kisses my forehead. “You look tired.” She brushes her thumb under my eye. “Are you getting enough sleep?”

I take her hand. “Stop being such a mom.”

Hecate chuckles. “What else do you want me to be?” She then jerks the cage, silencing Pan’s bleating.

“What will you do with him?” I ask.

Hecate sighs. “I’ll take him to your uncle. He’ll know what to do with him.” She looks back at me. “Are you still smoking?”

“Mama!” I protest.

She raises her hand and shrugs. “I worry. I miss you so much, my baby.”

“I know, Mama.”

As I say this, the mirrors rise from the ground, and all that lies before me is the Ophiotaurus blade. I roll down my sleeves and put my coat back on. Taking the blade, I walk back out to the entrance.

“Well?” Puck hisses.

“Hmm?” I tuck my hands into my pockets. “Oh, you’re all guilty.”

A ripple passes throughout the room as everyone squeezes closer to who they are with. 

“And how do you know this?” Robin steps closer to me. 

“Mr. Faire,” I look over at him. “Who did you give your login permission to?” I motion around the room. “Which one of them changed the programming?”

Mr. Faire presses his lips into a tight line. “If you are looking for someone to blame, Hector, please, blame me. I should not have allowed this to happen, but I turned a blind eye.”

I smile at him. “I am not looking for blame, old friend, I am looking for answers.” I look back at the suspects. “Because all of you here are guilty of something. Three stab wounds apiece.”

“I did it.” Robin steps in front of me. “I killed him. I did it. Do not charge any of them for this. It was all me.”

“Then why are they here?” I fold my arms across my chest. “Moral support?”

Robin grimaces. “It was me. I confess.”

“Can we not let this madness end?” Haytham barges forward and grabs my arm. “End this now! If Pan is gone, who are we to harm?”

“I am a man of law,” I say simply. “And I cannot allow the guilty to go freely. It is my job to issue a verdict here.” I shake Haytham’s hand free. “From what I have learned, I see a room full of beaten people. People who have been victims all their lives and took fate into their own hands.”

I lift my chin as I gaze about the room. “I see two young women who, no doubt, watched their mother and brother take the abuse that was aimed at them. Separated at a young age because they did not meet their father’s horrible standards.”

Ophelia and Sossy look at me with tears in their eyes. 

“Your brother has been planning this for a long time, hasn’t he? But you could not allow him to take on any more guilt, so you stole the blade - didn’t you, Ophelia?”

Ophelia nods her head. “He had just found some peace again,” she whispers. “It’s the least I could do for him.”

“Then we have the three sons. Robin, Puck, and Midas.” I point to the three of them. “Midas,” I say to Mr. Gold, “you were loyal to your father, were you not? I can remember stories from my youth.”

Midas grimaces and stiffens his shoulders. “He abandoned me when I no longer proved useful to him.”

“And you two, you’ve seen it all.” I turn to Puck and Robin. “His eldest sons - you’ve gathered your family one by one, sweeping up the debris your father left behind. You have more reason to hate him than anyone.”

The two remain silent. They know they have nothing to add.

“And Authaire, my old friend.” I must admit, this one hurts. “I don’t think you held the blade, but you helped to bring this event about.” My heart is crushing under the weight in his eyes. Tears run down Mr. Faire’s face.

“He did nothing,” Robin whispers. “The only thing he did was call you. I stole his passwords, I chose the mirror maze.” He takes a shuddering breath. “Leave him alone!”

I sniffle and rub at my nose. “Even you, Haytham.” I glance at the doctor. “Tampering with evidence. Not a good look for you.”

Haytham glares down at me, but he, too, remains silent. 

“And you two,” I turn to Bethune and Baird. “At first, I wasn’t sure who you could be, but then I thought perhaps you were protecting someone. Pan said he came here to find his kidnapped daughter. I don’t think he meant either Sossy or Ophelia, since both are happily married. Marriages take time. And it was you, Bethune, who said you had only come back to the carnival recently.”

“I did,” Bethune whispers.

“You did it to protect her, didn’t you?” I rub my chin. “So let me lay the pieces of this puzzle together.” I start to pace back and forth before the group. “This evening, just an hour before the victim was discovered, you started coming in at various times with various people. Some with your family, others by yourselves. You all came here just five minutes before the course was about to change. Of course, at that time, someone had logged in using Mr. Faire’s passwords to change it, ensuring that Pan would be captured.”

I tap my lips thoughtfully. “But why would Pan come into the house of mirrors? Why would he take the time?” I look at Bethune and Baird. “He was after you. He didn’t have any intent of searching for his kidnapped daughter. He was looking for whoever had wounded his pride. The two of you led him into the mirrors, where the rest were already gathered. Then Bethune through the maze and collected everyone, leading them to where - no doubt - he and Baird had taken Pan down.”

I take a deep breath. “Judging from the incident with Sossy, I take it she had to be held back. Years of rage can really do a number on a girl. That explains the blood on your purse, Ophelia, as well as why you had to smear lipstick on the mirror to cover it. Then you each took the Ophiotaurus blade, stabbing Pan three times. That way, none of you had to take responsibility for the killing blow.”

Ophelia starts sobbing into her hands.

I chew my bottom lip, listening to the silence. “But that is just one piece to this puzzle. There could have been a glitch in the computer system. Someone else could have been in this house of mirrors with all of you, escaping unseen before the body was discovered. None of you had met before this evening. A stranger weilding a strange weapon kills a strange man. After all, there must be dozens of people in this world who wanted Pan dead. Is it such a stretch to think this was a crime of passion rather than some calculated and highly involved plan? It would certainly be the easiest thing to believe.”

“What are you saying?” Puck whispers.

“I am saying, good doctor, that I choose to uphold the law.” I look at him sternly. “But when the world is better off without the victim, what else can I do? I can choose the path on which several people will have their lives further ruined because of a man who had no heart. Or, I can choose to believe an unseen assailant got away with murder.”

Mr. Faire steps forward and grabs my arm. “Hector,” he breathes.

“You all saw someone in red running through the mirrors. What else can I do?” I look at Mr. Faire. “I’m sorry, my friend. I didn’t find who did this.”

“But...” Mr. Faire breaks into a smile. “It’s OK. We all make mistakes.”

“What about the body?” Haytham whispers. 

I glance over my shoulder. “It’s taken care of. Oh, before I let you go - does anyone have a pad of paper?”

Baird takes a pad and pencil from his costume. I sign ’thank you’ to him before I take it, then quickly scribble down an address and pass it off to Robin. “You’ll find your grandmother here. I suggest you go as quickly as you can.”

“My grandmother?” he says with a cross look. “What do you mean?”

“Your father’s ability to be a dick knows no bounds. Go and save her. She’s waiting.”

I hand Baird back his paper and pencil before walking out the door. The rest file out, clinging to one another as they step into the fresh air of the night. Sossy comes up to me and hands me my cigarettes back.

“Oh! Thank you.” I happily take the precious pack from her hand.

“I’m sorry,” she says meekly. “I shouldn’t have attacked you like that.”

“No need to apologize. These things happen.” I tuck the cigarettes back into my pocket. I start to hand her a piece of paper, but before she can take it, I pull it back. “Is your mother single?”

Sossy stares at me with a look of confusion and revulsion. “What are you...” she sputters. “My mom? Why would-”

I offer the paper back to her. “Give her my number, would you?”

Sossy takes the paper, then glances at Ophelia, who is shaking her head while trying not to laugh. “Okay?” 

Mr. Faire claps his hand hard on my back. “I owe you a huge debt, old friend.”

“No, no,” I shake my head and laugh. “This is my debt fulfilled. For everything you did for me, this is the least I could do.”

Mr. Faire pulls me into a tight hug, like the one I wish I could have given my mother. I hold fast to him, missing her all the more from seeing her again. She was so close, and I was still so far away from her. 

“I don’t understand,” Mr. Faire says. “You have so many verdicts you must make.” He turns to watch the seven go their separate ways. “You could have had ten tonight.”

“I know what’s right, Authaire.” I place a cigarette between my lips. “I’m not lighting it, so shut up before you start.”

Mr. Faire chuckles. “Did you get to see her?”

“For a moment,” I breathe. “For a moment.”

Mr. Faire walks with me in silence to the exit of carnival. As he opens the gate for me, he gives me one last smile. “Where are you going to go?”

“To work,” I huff. I step outside the gate and light my cigarette. “And hopefully have a date with that Swan Maiden if she calls me.” I grin at him as I blow smoke. “Until the next time.”

Mr. Faire nods as he closes the gate. “You always have a home here, Hector.”

I chuckle and walk to my car. As I sit down inside, I let out a heavy sigh and glance at my arm. One of the markings has disappeared from my wrist. In its place is a scar resembling the eye of a goat. 

“Miss you too, Mama.” I smash the cigarette butt into the ashtray. “One down, hundreds more to go.”