Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk
Travis Baldree
An inefficient investigation
Brother Gorm is dead. He fell from the Bell Tower, and is now not just dead, but also very flat. All indications are that there was foul play. For instance, he was heard to shout, "You bastard!" on the way down. Abbot Listrum wants the matter sorted before the bishop's visit in two days. He therefore agrees to the suggestion of their commercial agent, Radish, to let an investigator, Miss Gentle, look into the matter.
Miss Gentle is the real mystery of this story. In full armor she traipses up the mountain on which the monastery is located, with every indication of weariness. She demands payment of a most peculiar sort. Her investigation, which lasts all day, consists of tediously asking every living person where they were and what they were doing at the time Brother Gorm fell. Incidentally, she questions them all about their attitudes towards the cat, Miss Treacle.
Through the course of the long day she makes no visible progress. Then, at the end of the day, she announces how Brother Gorm died, backing up her proclamation with convincing evidence. She leaves with Radish, and in a final colloquy with that man we learn who and what she is.
Like most of the stories in the Magic & Mystery series (of which Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk is the first) this one aims for a light-hearted tone. Indeed, it is peppered with out-and-out jokes. I appreciate the light tone, but would appreciate it more if any of the jokes had actually made me laugh.
Still, it is short, and I will forgive a lot of a story that doesn't waste my time. There is a coherent mystery here -- two, in fact: Brother Gorm's death and Miss Gentle's nature. The final solution makes sense. I am glad I read it.