FIVE
After the investigation of the scene, Inspector and Detective sit at a table in a busy tea-house.
Both rings lay side-by-side under the scrutinizing gaze of both black-haired investigators.
“Kitty’s has a slightly larger band, you see?” Joaquin says while passing the sugar to Beatrix upon her request.
“Perhaps she was older.” She suggests.
“Or had larger fingers.”
“Joaquin!” She exclaims and laughs.
He then smiles, genuinely. She had never seen him smile before and she was all the better for knowing the look of it at last.
“It seems that the killer knows our plan. But I still believe we should continue with it.” He tells her with adamance.
“Yes… but there may be a faster way than the two of us dialling each shop in the phonebook.”
“What did you have in mind?”
She twirls a loose curl of hair with the dainty handle of her spoon, “You’re not going to like it, but it's worth a try. If we bring the rings to Ambrose--”
“Oh dear, not you as well, Miss Isherwood!” He moans with frustration.
“Why don’t you like him?”
He explains his hunch to her and she seems to understand but still pleads her course of action once more. “If he can get all hands on deck with executing the plan we have, a solution will be found ten times quicker.”
As he pondered this, she slowly slides her purse over her shoulder, and makes her way to the door, making it obvious to her partner that she would be proceeding with her plan. He throws his hands up helplessly, and follows, grabbing the rings before he leaves.
When they enter Ambrose Maximilian’s office, he sits behind his oak desk, arranging his things around a small spruce Christmas tree in one corner. He ushers them in and into the two chairs facing him. They seat themselves and lay the rings on his desk. As he looks down at them, there is an unreadable vale that passes over Ambrose’s eyes which Inspector Theodore notes silently.
Beatrix tells him confidently of their plan to contact jewellers about these rings and when she finishes, he gives her a nod of approval.
“Well thought out, I will have every man available on the task. But while I have you here, may I ask you to describe your thoughts about the similarities and who is guilty of the crime?”
Detective Isherwood complies, “Both men were killed by a poison that they themselves unknowingly administered to their bloodstream. Both were men from this fleet. Both wore a ring with a girl’s name engraved upon the band, and both the rings were placed on the victim's finger post-death. Pertaining to the suspect… we do not know yet.”
“Haven’t you done any deduction at all as to that matter?” The Chief questions.
“No— well yes— we thought ahead and—“ Inspector Theodore squeezes her arm and begins himself. “—And have decided to investigate further before drawing conclusions.”
Chief Maximilian leans back in his chair and folds his hands in thought. “Interesting. Detective Isherwood, I heard from the Vice-Chief that you were the one that found the poison. I do thank you for that and have been wondering how long you will be staying here in England?”
“My own chief has set for me to return to Edinburgh as soon as this case is closed. Though there is some charm to England this time of year, though I do miss home.”
“Understandable. Well, we are glad to host you for even this short time.”
He stands from his behind his desk and hands them each a small wrapped toffee. “Thank you both for bringing this before me. As I said, I will have every available man on the call. Merry Christmas.”
They leave the office with confused expressions on their faces.
“He was a completely different man from the one we watched on the stage. He looked the same, but his demeanour bears no similarities.”
Theodore scowls as he strolls beside her, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
“Inspector? What do you make of it?”
He does not answer this question. She follows his lead into a long corridor of offices where a colleague of Joaquin’s nearly ran full into them. “Joaquin! There’s been another murder.”
“Who?”
“Your cousin Regulus.”
They bolt off to the scene of the crime and found the same clues as always. A man in the England Fleet, poison being accidental and self-administered, wearing a ring, this time with the name ‘Alvena’ inscribed on it.
After the body is taken away and the scene was being cleaned up, the two investigators walk down the snowy sidewalk past carolers in red coats and people rushing into shops to escape the winter cold.
Beatrix figures that speaking to Joaquin, about his cousin or what they witnessed at this last scene, would be futile to her efforts of gaining his trust and friendship. And so, she walks silently beside him, letting him work out his own thoughts as she supposed he had become accustomed to doing being the lone wolf that he was.
She glances out of her peripheral at his black silhouette against the red brick buildings they passed. All that was visible between a low-tilted hat and turned-up collar was his sharp, accusatory nose. The box he carries is filled to the brim with personal effects of Regulus Theodore that were found in is iron safe.
Beatrix knew his thoughts were of his cousin. She could feel his swirling emotions as close as she felt the wind and snowflakes.
When at last Inspector Theodore stopped, they stood before his home. Beatrix pauses at the bottom of the steps as he unlocks his door and steps inside. He turns back to her, “You’re welcome to come in and have some dinner… I’d rather not be by myself in an empty house this evening.” He says sheepishly. She realizes how hungry she is and gratefully accepts the offer.
After wordlessly preparing her a simple meal, Joaquin leaves her alone in the dining room and bumbles off to his bedroom. As she eats the meal, Detective Isherwood pulls the notes she had written (from her visit with Uncle Frost) out of her purse and reads them several times over. She wished she knew more about the men themselves, their relationship to each other and similarities in their lives. She knew there must be more that could be uncovered. As if on cue, she hears Joaquin shout and he comes running out from his bedroom.
“Beatrix! Beatrix! I’ve found something!” He held a worn sheet of parchment covered in blue ink letters and began to read, “‘Journal Entry of Regulus Theodore on May 3, 1919.
The case which was brought to me last week was one of more gravity than any our Fleet has undertaken. Four girls, 11, 10, 8 and 3 years of age. Absolute dolls in the pictures their father and mother brought to us. They were kidnapped by an escaped man with a record of this crime many times in his past. He was bloody mad. One had to be in order to do what he did.
Four of us were put on the case. Inspector Robert Clarke, Officer Thomas Wilder, Detective Barnes and myself (Regulus). Only we knew of the case, it was kept a secret from the rest of the fleet.
We tracked the kidnapper tirelessly for six days, till, trapping him in a warehouse, we were sure of his capture. Five gunshots rang out and all those whom we had been chasing were dead.
The father and mother were distraught. Before they left for home, the father took each of us men aside and placed a ring in each of our hands. They were etched with the girl’s names. He thanked us for all the time we spent searching for his daughters and said he understood that we did everything in our power to save them. The case was kept between the Fleet Chief and each of us.’ That is why Regulus never told me of the case!” Joaquin looks up from the paper and sweeps his hand through his hair in exhilaration. “Beatrix, it has to be the father!! Each of those men was murdered this week, the ring was placed on their finger, the father took his revenge.”
“But who was he?!” She said, standing from her chair and throwing up her hands.
Joaquin’s phone rang and both their hearts leap. He sprints for it and presses it to his ear, “Uncle Frost?!”
“Yes!” Answers the voice on the other end, “I have the name you were looking for! Do you know one Ambrose Maximilian?”
Comments (0)
See all