Book 5: Chapter 24 (1/2)

After leaving Lulu’s cave, Ramon went to Leo’s cavern. He knocked on the entrance before waddling inside. “Uncle Leo, I’m here to ask you a few questions.”

Leo frowned and stroked his chin with his claw. In front of him, there was a chessboard. On the other side of the chessboard, Luke was sitting in a manner mirroring his brother. “Give us a moment,” Leo said. “This shouldn’t take too long.”

Ramon nodded and moved to the side. He sat down in front of the wall and waited. Then, he waited some more. And then some more. Finally, Leo picked up a chess piece and moved it one space forward. Ramon cleared his throat. “I have some questions to ask the two of you.”

“Didn’t we say give us a moment?” Luke asked. His brow furrowed, and his claws created ringing sounds as he scratched the scales underneath his chin. “What did Grandma tell you about being patient?”

Ramon frowned. “Holy dragons are supposed to be patient,” he said, reciting what Kondra had told him. “Oftentimes, we’re only looked for by people when they’re in pain. When they’re in pain, they’re confusing and can’t articulate themselves well, so we have to be patient and understanding to ease their frustration.”

“Great,” Luke said. “You remembered it. Good job. Now be patient, will you?”

“How long do I—”

“Shush! Zip it!” Leo said, gesturing at Ramon with one claw. “Wait until our game is over.”

Ramon’s frown deepened. He glanced at his slate and read through the notes he took earlier. There wasn’t enough information to pinpoint the culprit yet. After he finished reorganizing his thoughts, Ramon raised his head. The two brothers were still sitting in the same positions, and as far as Ramon could tell, the positions of the chess pieces hadn’t changed at all. He picked himself up and left the cave, heading back to Lulu’s room.

“Oh? Back already?” Lulu asked and raised an eyebrow. “How was it? Did you figure out who poisoned Alfonse?”

Ramon shook his head. “I was going to ask Uncle Leo and Uncle Luke some questions, but they were playing their game,” he said. “How long does it take for their game to finish?”

Lulu scratched her head. “It usually takes them an hour or two to make a move,” she said. “I don’t really keep track, but it’s not uncommon to see them playing the same game for over three months at a time when you include the time they spend sleeping and eating moonlight.”

Ramon’s jaw dropped open. “Three months? Do they do anything else?”

Lulu shrugged. “Not really. They’re homebodies.” Lulu paused and furrowed her brow. “Well, Luke found himself a girlfriend recently, so maybe he’ll play games less now; I don’t really know what’s going on between him and her.”

Ramon frowned and pulled out his slate. Uncle Leo and Uncle Luke don’t seem to be the culprit. They’re too engrossed in their game to poison a bear. If I can’t identify the culprit, I’ll go back and ask them some questions later. “Thanks, Aunt Lulu.”

“Who are you interrogating next?” Lulu asked. “Did you ask your grandma yet?”

“I did,” Ramon said and nodded.

Lulu raised her eyebrows. “And she didn’t purify you. Wow.” She waved her paw. “Well, you seem like you know what you’re doing. Carry on.”

Ramon nodded and left the cave. There weren’t many suspects left in the cave. Only his mom and dad were left. He found them where he had left them: in the living room, lazing around.

Grimmy raised his head. “Did you find out who poisoned Alfonse?”