Work Text
NEW YORK - 2023
Eliza trudged up the steps to her townhouse duplex, hesitating before she put her key in the lock. She looked down at the cherry red key, covered in hearts with hers and William’s initials imprinted on it. She took a deep breath before letting herself in.“Love? I’m in the kitchen!” William called out from the back of the house. “Eliza?” He tried again when she didn’t immediately reply. Shortly after she heard his footsteps as he hurried over to her, his apron covered with food stains, his face flooded with concern. He was ready to scoop her into his arms but hesitated when he saw her. Rather than step towards him she didn’t move.“Sweetheart? What’s wrong?” He asked, noting that his girlfriend looked a bit withdrawn and tired.Eliza breathed in again before speaking. “William, may I ask a favor of you?”“Of course.”“Could I have a few moments to myself? I had a very trying day and I just need to wrap my mind around a few things.”William blinked in surprise. “Okay. Under one condition.”“What?” She asked warily.“Just answer one question for me. Are you hurt in any way?” William knew she was adept at defending herself with her baton, but that didn’t mean she could protect herself against multiple assailants.“Oh William. No, no I’m not.” This time Eliza stepped towards him to cup his face in her palm. “I’m not hurt. I swear it. I just need to gather my thoughts.”“Okay.” William replied looking relieved. He turned his head to kiss Eliza’s hand. “I’m making tomato soup but I’ll finish heating it up when you’re ready to eat.”Eliza nodded, grateful that William was okay with respecting her space.“And if you need more time to yourself, if you want to eat alone, let me know.”“Thank you William.” Eliza said softly, sniffling back a few tears that threatened to escape.William nodded and turned back to the kitchen. Once he knew she couldn’t see him any longer he let his features display his true feelings, worry and a bit of hurt.
We’re together nearly all the time. I suppose it’s only natural she needs some space. I hope she comes to me when she’s ready, I’d do anything for her.
Eliza watched William’s silhouette fade down the hallway.
He’s hiding it, but I know I hurt him. I just wish my head didn’t ache. I have so much to think through…
Feeling slightly guilty about avoiding her live-in boyfriend Eliza headed upstairs to run a hot bath for herself.As she settled into the hot water, where she had poured way too much bubble bath, she rested her head against the edge of the tub and let her mind wander back to the events of that morning…
Earlier That Day
“We both know it’s inevitable Eliza. You’re going to come work for me sooner or later.” Patrick said smugly as they stood in the center of ‘Nash & Sons’ his large, and very successful, private detective agency.Eliza scowled at him. What was supposed to have been a quick drop-off a file had turned into a conversation which she had been hoping to avoid. “Patrick, we’ve been through this before, I’m quite happy at my own agency.” She crossed her arms beneath her chest.“True, but how many more cases are you going to solve that involve finding lost pigeons?”“That was only once , and they were valuable carrier pigeons.” Eliza knew she sounded petulant but Patrick always seemed to bring out the worst in her.“Suit yourself but my offer still stands.” Patrick reached for something on the desk behind him. When he found what he was looking for he handed it to Eliza.“I already have your business card.” Eliza pointed out.“This isn’t my card.” Patrick told her, gesturing that she should take it. Eliza obliged and looked at it, a frown on her face. “It’s your business card.” Eliza Scarlet
Chief Investigator
Nash & Sons
Eliza stared at the card in her hand then flipped it over. It was printed on expensive cardstock, she didn’t even need Hattie to tell her that. A part of her wanted to tear it in two and throw the pieces at Patrick’s feet. But another part of her, a small part, wanted the entire box of them. Her frown grew, more angry at herself than Patrick for even considering his offer.“Just promise me you’ll think on it.” Patrick’s words rang out after her as she left his office.
I never should have let him talk me into taking that case from him! He has plenty of employees, he truly didn’t need my help. Or I should’ve had a messenger drop off my case notes.
Eliza, fueled by her anger, walked back to her agency, basically a tiny office in a pre-war walk-up building on the East side. She stopped in her tracks as she saw a folded piece of paper taped to the frosted window of her door. This can’t be good. Only the property management company leaves notes on our doors. She looked up and down the hallway, several of the other doors had similar notices taped to them. A feeling of dread began to take up residence in her stomach. She ripped the paper off of the door and began to read.
Due to the times… blah blah… rent increase… HOW MUCH???
Eliza stared at the new amount her office rent was going to be and angrily crushed the letter in her fist before hurling it across the room. Due to its lack of weight it didn’t go very far, denying her the satisfaction of even throwing it.“How am I supposed to afford that? How could anyone afford that?” Eliza muttered to herself as she began to pace back and forth in front of her desk. “Even with William paying half of the rent at home it wouldn’t even cover this increase.” She kicked her garbage can, feeling a bit better until she saw the mail she had left on her desk from the previous day.Eliza picked up the seemingly innocuous white envelope, the red print stamped across the front the only thing indicating something sinister inside. “Past Due? To whom do I owe money?” She ripped it open and groaned. “Frank…” With a weary sigh Eliza collapsed into her chair. Then did her best to bite back a scream.“Those… those… those STUPID pigeons!!! Aargh!!!” Eliza studied the itemized bill in front of her from Frank’s A.S.S. - Assorted Spy Supplies. It contained a list of motion sensors and cameras. “He even gave me a discount for… ‘having a ripe peach for an ass…’ that jerk. I should’ve charged my client double. Instead I let myself fall for their sob story.”“Yoo-hoo, Liza?” A voice called from her door. “Are you alright? I heard screams.” A young woman with dark brown hair and mismatched eyes asked.“Oh, hi Clara. I take it you saw that?” Eliza said, pointing to the crumbled letter on the floor.“The rent increase? Yeah. Sucks doesn’t it?” Clara said, as she entered and plopped down into the chair across from Eliza.“What are you going to do?” Eliza asked.“Pay. I mean to be fair they haven’t raised our rent over the past three years. Besides, the dance studio’s doing well, I can afford it… and I take it you can’t?” Clara asked, her eyes full of sympathy.Eliza shrugged, a bit embarrassed. “It’ll be tight.” She admitted.“That’s because you are too nice to your clients. Start charging more, you’re totally worth it.” Clara said with a kind smile. Eliza had helped dig up evidence on her dirtbag of an ex-husband, which had helped with her divorce, and in obtaining a very nice settlement. Clara had used the money to convert the ground floor of the building into a dance studio. Eliza kept meaning to bring William to one of the Salsa classes.“I can’t always, they can’t all afford it.” Eliza enjoyed making money as much as the next person. Unfortunately she enjoyed solving mysteries even more, so if a case seemed intriguing she’d take it, even if the payoff was minimal. “Then you won’t be able to afford this .” Clara gracefully gestured around the dingy office. Eliza sighed as she noticed more of the odd-colored green paint peeling by the ceiling.“True.” It may be falling apart, but it’s ‘mine’. “Don’t worry, I’m sure things will work out. Wanna go for a drink?”“I’d like to but William’s waiting for me.”“We should all be so lucky to have a hunky cop waiting for us! Enjoy your evening Liza!” And with a wink Clara was gone.
The Present
Eliza popped a random bubble that had strayed too close to her nose. It burst in front of her, causing her eyes to water.
Should I accept Patrick’s offer? It would lower my expenses, and it’d be nice to have a steady income for a change. But… will he lord it over me? Micromanage everything I do? He doesn’t seem like the type…
Eliza groaned again and dunked her head beneath the bubbles. She heard a muffled knock on the door.“William?” She asked, popping back up just enough for her mouth to be above the bubbles.“Yes. Eliza, I’ll go away but I have a tray for you, do you want it?”Eliza could tell William was trying to sound calm but there was an undercurrent of worry in his voice.“Come in William.” He couldn’t even respect my privacy for one evening? Eliza thought irately.Then the door opened and a wonderful scent wafted over to Eliza. William came in carrying a tray laden with a bowl of homemade tomato soup, a grilled cheese sandwich, and a chocolate chip cookie. A tiny vase was at one end holding a single red rose. Eliza also noticed a large mug of steaming tea. William carefully balanced the tray across the tub and turned to go. Eliza’s hand reached out to grab his forearm.“Wait.”William turned around to look at her, wanting desperately to make all of her problems vanish.“Would you sit with me?” Eliza asked softly, all of her previous annoyance dissolving away.William nodded and pulled out the stool they kept in the bathroom. He sat down at the side of the tub and watched as Eliza took a few deep breaths, trying her best to tamp down on her emotions. She looked down at William’s hand, resting on the edge of the tub and covered it with hers before looking up to meet his gaze. She swallowed then spoke, her voice quavering slightly.“You… you say all the time that I am your heart, and I know that, I feel that with all my being.” She gave him a watery smile, her emotions welling up inside her.William sniffled, unsure where the conversation was going but feeling hopeful that she was opening up to him.“But I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, you … you are my strength. I can do what I do, help the people who hire me, because I know that at the end of the day there is this incredibly supportive man who is there for me, waiting for me to talk to him, lean on him, and I’ve gotten so used to having you there, holding me up, that at times it frightens me just how much I need you, and that perhaps my independence is just an illusion, that without you I would fall.”William’s brow knit in confusion, unsure of what Eliza was trying to say.“So when I came home today I… I didn’t want to rush to you, to have you help me, I… I foolishly thought I could come to a resolution on my own. And I realized I can’t.”William gave a small smile, starting to understand what his girlfriend was trying to tell him. “Do you know what happens every time I have to make a decision?” Eliza shook her head. “Even if it’s just deciding what t-shirt to wear, the first thing I ask myself is, What would Eliza do? I turn to you all the time, I don’t always do it in reality, or I’d be texting you every 10 minutes, but you are such a large part of me, always. It’s not about losing independence, it’s about having a partner to help shoulder your burdens. If you want to talk without me trying to help you I can do that. I’ll just listen.”Eliza was openly crying now, some of her tears falling into her soup. I want to tell her not to cry. I want to hold her in my arms and tell her not to worry. I want to tell her I’ll take care of her… but I don’t think that’s what she wants… So William sat on the tiny stool, watching as the love of his life cried her heart out, and silently held her hand, letting her know that he was there for her in whatever capacity she desired of him.After a few minutes Eliza’s tears stopped running and she wiped at her nose with the back of her arm.“I must look a fright.” She said with a smile. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face red, but despite all that William was looking at her as though she were as beautiful as a woman walking down a red carpet.William shook his head and returned her smile. “Nah, if we just tuck this one strand here…” he pushed a wet tendril of hair behind her ear. “There! Stunning!”Eliza snorted a laugh so hard she nearly slid beneath the water. “What?” William asked, pretending to sound aggrieved. “I’m not lying.”“I know, that’s what makes it so funny!”“If you say so…” William was confused but he didn’t care enough to ask her to explain, he was just thrilled that she sounded better. Eliza pat his hand then let go so she could bring the spoon up to her mouth. Her eyes widened in surprise as she tried the soup.“This is good!” She took another spoonful. “Really really good!” “I added a can of that Rotel stuff. I pureed it.” William told her proudly.Eliza laughed. They had learned later on that rather than being a pasta sauce, Rotel was usually mixed with melted Velveeta cheese, to use as a dip with tortilla chips. She picked up the grilled cheese sandwich and dunked one end into the soup before taking a bit. “Mmm…” Eliza chewed then looked at William a bit sheepishly.“William, could you forgive? For being so… immature?” Eliza asked.“Sweetheart, there’s nothing to forgive. You’re allowed to have some time to yourself. I know it can’t be easy, going from living by yourself for all these years to suddenly having this big lumbering man underfoot.” William hesitated. “ I’m sorry I interrupted you. You’ve been in here for nearly two hours and I was worried.”“Two hours?!” Eliza looked aghast. “No wonder I’m all prune-y!” She held up her hand, looking at her wrinkled fingertips. William took her hand and kissed it.“Were you pondering the meaning of existence?” He teased.“No. My finances. And Patrick.” Eliza said as she polished off the grilled cheese then took a bite of the cookie. “Yum!”William was ready to go pull out his checkbook to give her a blank check, but when he heard Patrick’s name he growled.“What did he do?”“Offer me a job.”“Again? That’s nothing new.”“I know…”“But…?”Eliza sighed as she finished the cookie, wishing there was a second one.“I made a whole batch. Want another cookie?” William asked, as though he could read her mind. Which he probably could to some extent.“Yes.”“Listen, dry off before you dissolve in there, then come downstairs and we’ll have cookies and tea and you can tell me everything. Okay?”“Yes.”William smiled at her and rose from the stool, his joints creaking. “I’m getting old.” He muttered. He was about to take the tray but Eliza stopped him.“Kiss?”“Of course.” He leaned over and kissed Eliza’s lips softly, wanting only to give her his love, knowing she was tired and frustrated. Eliza kissed him back, a tender and unspoken ‘thank you’ passing between them.William left as Eliza looked at all the bubbles surrounding her. I’m never going to get this all off!
A Bit Later
“Theesh are sho goood.” Eliza said as she began to work on her third cookie.“Thanks! The secret is sprinkling them with flaky sea salt.”They were sitting at the kitchen counter, Eliza looking much better, wearing her favorite t-shirt, munching on cookies. William was watching her, careful not to push her into talking about what was bothering her. She glanced at him and caught him trying to school his features into looking patient. Eliza knew it was time to tell him what was troubling her.“My rent is going up.”“Here? I thought it was rent-controlled.”“I mean at the office.”“That’s normal, when’s the last time they had raised it?”“A while back. But now it’s going up to…” Eliza whispered the number into William’s ear, not even wanting to say it aloud. His eyes went wide.“Whoa…”Eliza pulled back and nodded. She watched as he seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say. She decided to make it easy on him.“You can say it.”“Say what?” He asked innocently.“That I shouldn’t worry and that you’ll give me the money.”“And then you’ll say you want to do it on your own, that you don’t want to be bailed out of your problems.”“And then you’ll say it’s not like that and that you love me and what’s yours is mine, etc…”William smiled tentatively. “So where does that leave us?”“I really don’t want to take your money.” Eliza scowled as she picked up the last cookie and stared at it.“Then your only other option is to work for Nash?”Eliza bit the cookie angrily, not liking her choices.“Eliza, I have an idea. Will you hear me out before you decide?”“Alright…” She eyed him suspiciously.“I moved in, what? Less than a month ago?”“Yes…”“And you had already paid the rent here and the utilities, right?”“Yes, I assumed we’d split that 50-50 next month.”“Right, but that’s not really fair, is it?”Eliza cocked her head. “What do you mean?”“What if we divide things, but on a sliding scale? I make more money so I’ll pay… say two-thirds of the bills, that’s in proportion with my salary. This way you can use your money to pay the rest of the rent on your office. And you wouldn’t have to go work for Nash. At least not yet if you don’t want to.”Eliza chewed thoughtfully. “That’s very generous of you.”“But…?”She shook her head. “No ‘buts’. I accept.”“You do? No arguments?” William looked a bit lost, he had been coming up with reasons as to why she should accept his help. Now that he didn’t need to use them he was trying to reorganize his thoughts.“No arguments. Just a heartfelt thank you. And a question, do you want the other half of the cookie?”“You’re welcome. And yes.”Eliza passed William the remaining cookie and they shared a smile, each of them feeling better at having reached a compromise.“And how was your day? I’m sorry I hadn’t asked sooner.” Eliza said as she cleared away the tray and their mugs.William shook his head and sighed. “Fitzroy is overthinking things again.”“With Hattie?”“No, the upcoming boxing match between us, FDNY, and DSNY. He feels like he has something to prove, since he had been mercilessly teased as a rookie, and I think he also wants to make Moses proud.”“Moses is proud. Olie’s come such a long way. He’s an incredible boxer, I’ve even seen him give you a run for the money.”“Oi! That’s only because he’s younger than me!”Eliza gave William a look as she began to wash their dishes but before he could defend himself Eliza’s phone beeped.
*BEEP-BEEP*
“Who is it?” Eliza asked.William picked up her phone and unlocked it. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t our southern friend, Klepto Clementine.” William read the message, mouthing the words to himself as he tried to decipher them.“What does she want?”“I can’t figure this out… she’s rambling about a truck and a cow? And that Judge Loon.”“Isn’t that the new version of Judge Judy? I haven’t watched it yet. Read me her text.”William cleared his throat and did his best to put on an unnecessary southern accent:“Ima headed y’all’s way, to da Big Apple City to get some major bucks back from my cussin’ cuz Kleymentine, not dat ‘un y’all met, the udder one on my ma’s second step dad’s half-sister’s daddy’s side of the tree. She dun took off in my prize pickup and turnt the calf who was gonna be my best stud bull into a steer and turned his balls into Kleymentine’s Calf Fries! I was gonna make me some money from him by pimping him out to cows at the rodeos! Imma comin’ to New Yawk so Judge Loon can get me some money back from her! She not only ruint my pickup by haulin’ the calf diwreckly in the back, but then she ruint my calf by eatin’ his balls! How am I suppost to get rich n’ go hang gliding with Klementein, the one you met, if I can’t breed him?!?!?!?! So anyhoos, I wanna see you and that fine stud ya got, and go to one of ‘em fancy schmancy places with 9 forks and o’course see me some New Yawk nekkid men. And you’re gonna take me! I won’t say nothing at’all if ur guy is one dem nekkid men…”Eliza rubbed her temples with her wet hands. “I can’t even wrap my head around all that.”William put Eliza’s phone on silent mode then went over to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “Leave that now, even if you ask her to explain it still won’t make any sense.” Eliza turned within his embrace and held him back, resting her cheek against his chest. She let out a soft sigh.William held Eliza silently, rubbing circles along her back, any remaining tension she held in her body slowly dissipating until she was limply leaning against him, half-asleep. He carefully scooped her up and carried her upstairs, her breathing deepening as she gave herself up completely to her slumber.William gently lay her on their bed and slid in behind her, cocooning himself around her, relieved she hadn’t woken up. Sleep my love, I’m here for you, now and always. With that final thought, William closed his eyes and joined his girlfriend in the land of dreams.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
LONDON - 1883
Eliza
Eliza Scarlet stared at Patrick Nash’s outstretched hand. Her eyes flickered over to the brass nameplate that Thomas had just affixed to the office door. It was like a siren calling to her, refusing to let go of her mind. Eliza Scarlet
Chief Investigator Before Eliza knew what she was doing she placed her hand within Patrick’s and he clasped it firmly, as though securing her there so she wouldn’t change her mind. She met his gaze, a slow smile spread across his face, his eyes twinkling. It wasn’t just a look of victory, he also seemed genuinely pleased, which made Eliza’s initial trepidation fade slightly.“And so begins a new partnership!” Patrick said joyfully.“I hope I don’t regret this!” Eliza teased, but she couldn’t help but feel warmth at his use of the word ‘partnership’ .“You won’t! I’ll make sure of that. Now, when can you start? How’s this afternoon? We’re backlogged and I’m eager to return to France to set up the new branch there.”Eliza laughed. “Patrick, slow down, I still have cases to wrap up at my agency.” And so much to adjust to. What would Father have thought of this? What will William? Eliza frowned as she pictured the inevitable shock William would display upon hearing her news. She shook her head, shoving the thoughts aside, He’s probably busy with Arabella anyway… Still...
William
You are in love with her… You are in love with her…You are in love with her…You are in love withher…youareinlovewithher…youareinlovewithher…youareinlovewithher…yourinlvewthr…yourinlvewthr…yourinlvewthr…yourinlvewthr…yourinlvewthr…yourinlvewthr…yourinlvewthr…yourinlvewthr…
“AGGH!” William Wellington sat up in his bed, the sheets sliding down his sweaty torso. He wiped at his forehead with the back of his hand.
My one rare day off and I can’t even sleep in! Blast it Eliza, even when you’re not here in person you can find a way to aggravate me.
Giving up on sleep, William pulled on a Henley shirt and trudged downstairs to his drawing room to pour himself a much needed breakfast whisky.
You know you weren’t happy with Arabella anyway.
I wasn’t ‘unhappy’ either. William argued with himself as he took a deep swallow, the amber liquid burning as it went down his throat. After all, I was getting fed.
Yet you always had Eliza in the back of your mind. Or not so back, as Arabella pointed out, she was all you would discuss.
I see her everyday, of course I’m going to talk about her! William thought defensively. She’s the most important person in my life. She just saved my life! That thought had him hesitating for a moment, the memory of the fear he had felt when he had heard the soft *snick* of the bomb activating… of Eliza’s refusal to leave… the fact that she hadn’t even considered leaving him, not even for a moment, made him feel… hopeful.“Shit. Now what do I do?” William said aloud to his reflection in the mirror over his mantle. He narrowed his eyes at himself. He looked tired and drawn, his hair sticking up every which way. Before he could contemplate his next move there was a sharp knock at his door.
*KNOCK-KNOCK*
“What?!” He growled, flinging the door open. Eliza, startled, took a step back, nearly tripping off of his stoop. William quickly reached out to grab her arm, steadying her before letting go.“William? Are you alright? Well, obviously you’re not but… what happened?” Eliza’s face scrunched in concern, she took a tentative sniff. “Are you drunk already?” She eyed him from head to toe, taking in his red eyes and unkept beard, her gaze flickering over the open buttons of his Henley, then pausing as she studied the smattering of his dark chest hair. She quickly looked back up, relieved that he didn’t seem aware of her examination of his body.“What? No, it was one drink. I couldn’t sleep.” He explained.“It’s noon.” Eliza pointed out.“It is? What are you doing here?” William ran a hand through his hair, making it worse.“I… I wanted to talk to you. If that’s alright.” William’s odd behavior was throwing her off.William held his door open, his brain still sleep-addled and confused from Eliza manifesting in front of him just as he had been thinking of her.“Very well. I have something to tell you too.” William blurted before he realized he wasn’t sure what precisely he was going to tell her about his current (lack of) romantic status.When she entered his drawing room she whirled around to face him. They spoke simultaneously. “I accepted Patrick’s offer to be Chief Investigator.”
“Arabella and I have parted ways.”“What?!”
“What?!”“It’s prestigious. And fiscally advantageous.”
“I didn’t love her. To be honest, I don’t even miss her.”They stared at one another, breathing heavily.“We need to talk.”
“We need a drink.”Eliza smiled as William chuckled. He poured two generous glasses of whisky then passed one to Eliza. They took seats on the settee, each of them taking a swig before looking at one another then quickly looking away.“So Patrick?”Eliza nodded. “I accepted. I… I want to try this William. I want to succeed, to prove to everyone, no to myself, that I can do this.” Eliza said fervently, as though willing William to understand.
He’s awfully quiet. Does he think that this is a bad idea?
‘Eliza’s ambition will outweigh everything, even her feelings for you. Nothing will ever be enough for her. Certainly not the future you envisage.’ William thought sadly of Arabella’s parting words, wondering how Eliza’s new position at Nash & Sons would affect their relationship.“William? Are you angry that I didn’t discuss this with you first?” Eliza asked hesitantly. William looked at her in surprise.“No, of course not, it’s your decision, you would’ve done as you pleased, regardless of what I think.” The offhand way he said this caused Eliza’s stomach to clench. He believes that his opinion doesn’t matter to me. That isn’t true though. Eliza frowned, her hands balling into fists. She was about to argue when she took a closer look at him, he was hunched over, his forearms resting on his thighs, his hands turning the whisky glass round and round, causing it to catch the dim light filtering in through his windows.
He’s hurting. Not that he would ever admit it.
“I’m sorry about Arabella. What happened?” Eliza asked softly.William shrugged. “There isn’t much to say. I… I wasn’t there for her. I was always late, or sometimes even forgot, our rendezvous. She had had enough. In retrospect we didn’t really have much in common.”“Oh.”William glanced at Eliza after her noncommittal reply.
Does she sound relieved? Should I ask her to dinner?
They sat side-by-side, neither sure what to say.
I couldn’t even deny what Arabella had said. I ‘do’ love Eliza. And I’ll be damned if I let her slip through my fingers. Tempus fugit…
Perhaps he’s not as upset about ‘her’ as I had thought… but with my new position I’ll be so busy… then again, I could’ve lost him…
William cleared his throat as Eliza took a deep breath.“I was thinking, perhaps to celebrate your new position, we could dine tomorrow…”
“Ivy won’t be home tomorrow and I’m afraid I’ll give myself food poisoning…”“Yes!”
“Yes!”“I’ll pick you up at 8 pm?”
“Gilberts?”“Yes.”
“Yes.”They shared shy smiles, Eliza blushing slightly.“I’d best be going, I have a lot to do.” Eliza said as she rose from the settee.“Of course.” William led her to the door. “If you need me, I mean anything, let me know, I’ll help.”“Thank you William.” Eliza said, turning back around to face him. “Your support means a lot.” She began to walk through the door when William took her hand, stopping her.“Eliza, regardless of if you had accepted Patrick’s offer or not, I hope you know that Henry would be incredibly proud of you either way. As am I.”Eliza felt relief course through her body. She reached out with her free hand to place it lightly against William’s chest. She could feel his warmth through his thin shirt, the tips of her fingertips just barely grazing his bare skin.“Thank you William.” She whispered, moved by his words, before hurrying off. She walked rapidly, turning a corner and leaning against a brick wall to catch her breath, inadvertently pressing the fingertips of the hand she had touched William with against her lips, as though to transfer his warmth to the sensitive skin there. Goodness, this day has not turned out at all as I was expecting! And when did William get so… so muscular? Her thoughts all a whirl, Eliza headed back to her agency, eager to start planning the next exciting, and unexpected, chapter of her life.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
NEW YORK - 2023
“‘Morning sweetheart. You’re up early.” William kissed Eliza’s cheek as he passed by her to pour a cup of black coffee. He took a deep swallow, “Ahh…” then smacked his lips with satisfaction. Eliza smiled but didn’t look up from her tablet where she was reading something intently.“Figuring out Clementine’s case?”“No, well yes, I did that already. From what I could tell her other Kleymentine cousin ruined her truck by transporting her bull, whose testicles she had eaten. Now she’s coming to New York to be on that new Judge Loon TV show, hoping for financial recompense.”William blinked. “That requires more coffee for my brain to process.”Eliza huffed a laugh as William topped off his NYPD mug then joined her at the kitchen counter, looking at her screen from over her shoulder.“‘Basil on Time’? You read that crap?” William asked with distaste as he saw the journalist’s header on the website Eliza was reading from. “He’s writing about Pizza Rat again?”
Eliza shrugged a shoulder. “It’s an article about the increase of $1 pizza slices. Look, I know you’ve had run-ins with him…” William interrupted with a rude snort. “...but he is one of the most widely read journalists in the City.”“You’re scheming something, aren’t you?” William asked, but to Eliza’s relief he didn’t sound too annoyed.“I was thinking of placing an ad on his website.”“Oh.” William mulled that over.“Do you think it’s a good idea?”“Yes… but I don’t know if it’ll be the esteemed clientele you’re hoping to attract. After all, Frank advertises on there.” William said with distaste. “Why don’t you advertise in the Times?”“It’s expensive.” Eliza muttered beneath her breath, glad that William hadn’t heard her, he was checking the messages on his phone.“Gotta run, duty calls.”“Case?”“No, Fitzroy’s having a panic attack.”Eliza tried not to laugh at Oliver’s expense, but she couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.“I’ll see you tonight. I’ll cook.”William’s face lit up. “Sounds good to me.” He rose from his seat, cupped Eliza’s face between his hands, and kissed her passionately. Eliza returned the kiss with equal fervor, reaching up to loop her arms around his neck. Just as she began to press her chest into his William pulled back, but only enough to rest his forehead against hers.“Eliza… if we start… I won’t want to go… God I love you.” He murmured regretfully.“Tonight then.” Eliza replied huskily.“Tonight.” William kissed her forehead then stepped away. “I love you.” He repeated.“I love you too.”William winked and Eliza watched as he nearly walked into the doorframe as he left the kitchen, a look of longing still on his face.Eliza giggled and shook her head at her boyfriend’s antics.
Silly man, I’ll see him later! Perhaps I should buy some new underwear…
Eliza was about to open a new browser tab when she remembered she was supposed to be emailing Basil Sinclair about advertising her agency on his website.
Right, work first, play later.
Ad Placement Request
From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Mr. Sinclair,My name is Eliza Scarlet and I am a renown Private Detective. I would like to enquire about placing an advertisement for my well established agency on your website. I’m sure as you know, one can never have enough exposure!If this would be agreeable with you please let me know the cost and resolution size of the image you would need.Regards,Eliza Scarlet There! Eliza thought happily as she clicked on the ‘send’ button. That sounds professional and not at all desperate! Perhaps Hattie could design a snazzy ad for me! Eliza was trying to shake the image of a pigeon wearing a Sherlock Holmes style hat from her imagination.
She was just about to refill her mug of tea when her tablet pinged.
That was fast!
Eliza quickly sat back down and opened the email.
Re: Ad Placement Request
From: [email protected] To: [email protected] My dear Miss Scarlet,I believe such a request would behoove us both! Would you perhaps be interested in meeting in person to discuss terms? ‘Discuss terms’? Eliza frowned. It’s a simple advertisement. Perhaps he’s going to charge more than I was expecting. Eliza realized there was another sentence she had initially missed in her haste to read his reply. Her frown turned to a scowl as she continued to read the email.If you don’t mind me asking, you are the Eliza Scarlet of the Food to Die For investigation, correct? Partner to the esteemed Detective Sergeant W. Wellington?Yours truly,Basil What does William have to do with this? Eliza drummed her fingers against the counter in annoyance. Following the arrest of Arabella Sanchez, both she and William had been mentioned in the papers, but to Eliza’s dismay it was William’s name that always had come first, and had been mentioned multiple times within the articles. Eliza’s name was simply an afterthought, in one article she had even been referred to as a damsel in distress that the handsome sergeant had rescued from a sure death.Though she was incredibly proud of William, a part of her couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy that would occasionally overcome her. William, being in tune at reading his girlfriend’s feelings, never brought up the subject. Eliza was pretty sure at times he had hidden newspapers from her that cast her in an unfavorable light.
Re: Re: Ad Placement Request
From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Yes, I would be interested in meeting in person. I am available today if that suits you.And yes, I occasionally partner with Sergeant Wellington and the NYPD. - ElizaEliza waited a moment to see if a reply was forthcoming. When her tablet remained silent for a few minutes she sighed sadly and began to look up recipes for dinner that night. Perhaps I should reconsider Patrick’s offer. Eliza reached into the pocket of her tablet’s case and pulled out the business card he had given her. Idly she ran her finger over the gold embossed letters, tracing over the ‘C’ of ‘Chief’ multiple times. I can’t even afford a business card this fancy!
*PING!*
Re: Re: Re: Ad Placement Request
From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Dear Eliza,I happen to have an opening in my busy schedule for today! Let’s say 11:30 at my offices. I look forward to meeting The Lady Detective in person! - Basil
The Lady Detective? I know I should be happy, but why do I have a bad feeling about this?
Despite her misgivings Eliza closed her tablet and went to prepare herself for her meeting at the Basil in Time headquarters.
Clementine
“Er mah gush, this place shor looks like the shed great-granny raised her 14 chiltren in.” Clementine expertly popped her pink bubble gum as she took in the dingy surroundings of the Brooklyn apartment she had rented for the week of filming. The windows were coated in layers of grime, when the nearby subway passed on the elevated track the entire building shook, and a random roach seemed to have decided to be her roommate. It had taken up residence in a leftover Chinese takeout container that had been left out on the coffee table.“That Airbnb is fulla cow manure. Why’s the toilet in the kitchen? Welp, I reckon it helps if you get some bad food or can’t hold your alky-hall. Ain’t that right Bubba?” She said, addressing the roach, whom she had decided to keep as a pet.She let go of the handle of her bright pink roller suitcase and took five long strides across the living room, which brought her into the tiny kitchen. “I guess I’ll warsh up then find myself a slice of that famous NYC Pizza. Gotta call ‘Liza too, an’ tell’er her Okie frand is in the big, big city and I’m ready for revenge!”Clementine turned the knob of the cold water faucet, but nothing came out.“Well, shooten tooten, I just wanna wash the travel germies off my hands. Mebbe this city water is diff’rent from back home.” Clementine forced the knob all the way, left it open then tried the hot water side. Every so slowly a trickle of water began to flow.“Whoopee, look’it me, making it in the Big Apple! Aint this a hoot! Klementein’ll be so jelly! But I’ll take that girl hang-gliding once I get my stud money back! Right off Carter Mountain! ” Clementine told the roach, which had come over to inspect her. It waved its antenna at her, as though in agreement. “Aren’t you the cutest little cock-a-roach I e’er did see? We don’t have bugs like you in the country. You're tee-niney. You shud see dem June Bugs the size of your fist. Well, my fist, not yours, but you catch what i’mma sayin’. They shore seem at big as a fist when they fly into yer hair at night. WHAT IN THE GOOD LORD’S NAME IS THAT!?”Clementine jumped backwards, no easy feat in her six inch high stilettos, and stared aghast as red water began to gush out of the faucet, the high speed causing it to splash against the counter, causing Bubba to seek refuge in a mug.
“We aint in Oklahoma no more!” Clementine reached into her pocket for her phone and began to dial rapidly.“C’mon ‘Liza, pickup! Damn it! She ain’t answerin’. Now what?” Clementine brightened as a new idea came to mind. “Thet’s it, I’ll call that hottie copper of hers. Now what are his digits agin?”
Eliza
Eliza glanced at her phone as it began to ring with the song she had linked to Clementine’s number, Way Too Pretty for Prison. She quickly turned it off as several reporters looked up at her from their desks. Eliza smiled sheepishly and put her phone away.
Clementine’s cow can wait. Oh, there’s Basil!
A tall reedy man strode over to her, the smile on his face not matched in his eyes. Eliza felt a shiver go down her spine, but she too plastered a smile on her face as she rose to meet him, her hand outstretched.“If it isn’t The Lady Detective in the flesh!” Basil took her hand and turned it over to place a kiss on the back of it. To Eliza’s relief his lips never touched her skin. The last thing she wanted was William to go to jail for murdering the journalist. She quickly pulled her hand back.“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Sinclair.”“Please, you must call me Basil. I can tell, we are going to become very good friends! Come along, we have much to discuss.”Eliza, feeling as though she was about to make a deal with the devil, followed behind him, wondering if it wasn’t too late to turn tail and run. She mentally gave herself a shake. I’m being ridiculous! It’s a simple business meeting, and to help me. I have to at least hear him out. Basil led her to a private office, a large mahogany desk taking up most of the space. Files, papers, and newspaper clippings lay in orderly stacked piles. Eliza took the proffered seat across from Basil, admiring how neat the space was.“Can I get you some coffee or tea?” Basil asked.“No thank you, I’m quite alright.”“Eager to get to the matter at hand? I like that.” Basil eyed Eliza. “I must admit, you are not what I was expecting.”“Oh?” Eliza raised an eyebrow. “Most are surprised to find I’m female, though you already knew that.”Basil chuckled. “Yes, yes. My surprise is at your youth and beauty.”Eliza narrowed her eyes. “I must tell you that Sergeant Wellington…”Basil burst out laughing. “My dear Eliza, for a private detective you’ve quite missed the mark, I have no romantic interest in the female sex.” Eliza turned red at her presumptuousness as Basil went on. “My interest lays in the fact that you are highly marketable.”“Marketable?” Eliza asked, confused.“Yes. As I was saying, a young and beautiful woman such as yourself, who is also a brilliant and brave private investigator, makes for intriguing news.”“Mr. Sinc… Basil, I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific. I came here to run an advertisement for my agency on your website.”“Yes, but wouldn’t a series of articles be so much better? ‘The Lady Detective’ does have a rather nice ring to it, doesn’t it? I coined it myself.”“You want to run a series of articles about me ?” Eliza parroted, knowing she wasn’t sounding very intelligent at the moment.“Yes. Yes I do. Tell me, what is your most recent case? A chilling murder? The kidnapping of a baby? The crown jewels being stolen?”Eliza stared at him. “You do realize those sound more like the plots of a Patterson novel? And I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”Basil chuckled. “But you will Eliza, you will. You see, I can give you exposure beyond anything you could ever dream of. Clients will be lining up to knock at your door, wanting services from none other than The Lady Detective.”Eliza leaned forwards in her chair, captivated by the thought of having so many clients that she would perhaps even need to turn several away.“What say you Eliza?” Basil was leaning forwards too, as though willing her to say yes. Why did he want to know about William? The thought was fleeting as it was overtaken by a fantasy. I could get a bigger office! Maybe even hire employees! That would give Patrick a run for his money! “Yes! I say yes!”“Excellent! Now, please do tell me about your latest case.” Basil picked up a fountain pen and notebook. Eliza gulped.“Uh… It’s quite involved, it’s… it’s two cases in one!” Two wacky cases, but still, that’s the truth. Mostly. Basil perked up at that. “Really? How fascinating! Do tell.”“Um, so my friend Clementine is coming all the way to NY from Oklahoma for my services.” Which no doubt she wasn’t planning on paying me for. I suppose I’m doing it out of friendship, not that I’d tell Basil that. “Her prize cow… eh, I mean bull, or is it steer? Nevermind, he had been stolen, along with her priceless vintage truck, which the bull had been transported in, so it ruined the truck. And then its balls had been cut off!”Eliza finished in a rush, watching as Basil’s jaw nearly dropped to his desktop.“Never in all my years have I heard a story like that…” He was genuinely stunned.“That’s Clementine for you! Haha.” Eliza let out a nervous laugh. I should be called ‘The Lady Lunatic’. I just blew it. “...Well, that along with some of your partner’s cases should make for very interesting reading! I look forward to starting…”“Wait, what does William, eh, Sergeant Wellington have to do with any of this?”“Oh, nothing, perhaps we can add a dollop of romance to the articles, the beautiful PI with the handsome detective; break into the romance market while we’re at it.” Basil said offhand, not meeting Eliza’s eyes as he quickly scribbled his notes.“Hmm… Okay…” Eliza said, unsure of what to make of that comment.
I’ll disregard it for now. If he brings up William again I’ll simply tell him that I can’t discuss his cases with reporters.
“Now, for our next steps…” Basil went on to tell Eliza what he would need from her. All of her concerns about William’s potential involvement dissipating as she was drawn into the conversation. She even forgot about her phone, her voicemail inbox flashing with unheard messages from Clementine, whom she was supposed to be helping. Instead she spent the remainder of the meeting explaining to Basil the culinary importance of Rocky Mountain Oysters.
William
🎶…How come your dog don’t bite nobody but me?…Well you tell me that you love me you make me feel so good…But I don't feel that you're treating me the best way that you could…Well I gave you all my money then you tell me to come around…But all that's waiting for me at your door is your overgrown bloodhound…🎶
“Bloody hell, why is she calling me?” William fumbled for his phone as it rang with Clementine’s ringtone. He hit a few buttons until the phone stopped trilling and the screen lit up.“Clemen…”“Hey they’ay lovah boy! How’s them sexy buns of iron? Still covered in pink glitter?” Without fail every single head in the bullpen turned towards William, smiles on all the officers, clerks, and perps, faces.“Shit, shit, shit. Clem…” William tried to cut her off to no avail. “Why is this on speaker? FITZROY!”“You given’ it good to mah gal, strippah man? The two of y’all together are…”“Sir, what language is that?” Oliver had hurried over at William’s frantic shouting. “English, sort of. Get this off speakerphone, and quickly!”The detectives were all laughing, one perp was hooting, and a prostitute was catcalling, asking William to pull his pants down and give them a show.“Shut up!” He said pointing to her. She clamped her mouth closed, but that didn’t stop her from smirking at him. “All of you. I… I had been undercover.”“Here you go Sir. But she’s talking about blood. And a cow I think.” Fitzroy handed him back the phone with Clementine still yammaring a mile a minute.“Back to work. All of you. You, with me.” He said to Fitzroy, heading to his office and slamming the door closed.Even off of speaker mode Clementine was so loud that both William and Fitzroy could easily hear her with the phone just resting on his desk.“Clementine, Clem, calm down. Where’s Eliza?” William asked, trying not to panic.“That’s what I beena tryin’ a’tell yah. She ain’t pickin up and I got all this blood flowin’ out, it’s nearly up my heels. Ruinin’ mah shoes and nearly drownin poor Bubba.”“Is Bubba your cow?”“Wha? Golden Steak was my bull until my cuz ate his testicalls so now he’s a steer. Bubba’s my bug. You ain’t listenin’ are ya? Yer one hot copper but ya elevator ain’t goin all the way up today.”“Eliza. Where is Eliza?”“I dunno. She ain’t answerin.”
Maybe she met with Sinclair today. I’ll call her after this.
“What’s with the blood?”“It’s comin outta the sink faster than hunters on the first day of deer season.”“Sink? Where are you?”“The City of course. Your City, not mine.”“I know that.” William said, trying not to shout in frustration. “Where in the City?”“My Airbnb. In Brook-a-lyn.”“Do you have an address?”“For shuh. I’ll text it to ya. Golly, this is so much blood I kin take a bath in it.”“Are you sure it isn’t hair dye?”“Shugah, believe you me when I say I know the diff’rence between blood and hair dye. Besides, I ain’t nevah heard of hair dye coming out of a sink? Too bad it ain’t hard liquor, like that Clamato stuff Granny drinks!” Clementine chortled loudly.William rubbed at his forehead wearily.“Clementine, stay put, I’ll be there shortly with Detective Fitzroy.”“He a cutie patootie lack you?”Oliver beamed. “I am a fairly handsome man, according to my girlfriend.”“You is a cutie! I kin tell from your voice. You got a girl? Good for you. You sound lack a young thang, you a kid?”“I’m twe… Duke, you hung up on her!” Oliver said, aghast and William’s rudeness.“Come on, she just texted me the address. Shitty neighborhood.” William grumbled as he grabbed his things and headed from the office, Oliver close at his heels.In short order they were on their way, William opting to drive an unmarked Ford rather than wait for an officer to drive them. “Driving in Oklahoma was easier than this.” He grumbled as they got stuck turning trying to turn past a crosswalk full of jaywalking pedestrians. William honked the horn, and elderly lady pushing a metal shopping wagon turned to face them. “I’m walkin’ here!” She shouted before giving them the finger.“For God’s sake!” Grumbling for the remainder of the drive, they finally made it in one piece to the address Clementine had given them.William took the stairs two at a time and when he reached apartment 2B he went to knock but looked down as he felt his shoes getting wet. “What the…? Clementine?”“You’d best get yer butts in heyah! Door’s open.” She hollered from inside.William turned the knob cautiously, a flood of pinkish-red water rushed at him, nearly as high as his ankles. “Why didn’t you turn off the water?” William shouted as he squelched his way into the kitchen and tried to turn off the tap.“I sho’nuff tried! Damn things were stuck. I cain’t ruin my manicure. It’s gotta be perfect, I’m fixin’ a’ be on TV you know. You the cutie from the phone?”“Hello ma’am, yes, I’m Detective Oliver Fitzroy.” Oliver said, smiling up at her. Clementine was standing on the rickety coffee table, holding a mug in her hands. “Would you like me to help you down from there?”Clementine eyed the ground suspiciously. “I cain’t ruin my shoes, eeder. But iffen you could take Bubba, I think he’s gittin hangry.”Confused, Oliver took the mug from her, then nearly jumped out of his skin as the biggest roach he had ever seen looked up at him.“GAH! What is this?”“My new pet. I tol’t ya win I called.” Clementine sounded miffed.“Yes, yes you did. I just wasn’t expecting… I suppose he is cute. Duke, are you alright?”William returned to the living room, completely drenched. “Do I look alright? What in bloody hell is going on?”“Dat is why I called you, sugah. Wheyah in the Sam Hill did all the blood come from? Is there a butchah upstairs or somethin?”“I don’t know but you can rest assured I’m going to find out.”“Ya better, I ain’t payin no Airbnb cleaning fees!”William looked around at the small apartment and the bloody water. “Is the body in the sewer?” He wondered aloud.“Sir, if I recall correctly, I had watched an episode of Dirty Jobs where Mike Rowe is tasked with cleaning a water tower. It is possible a body had been placed inside and bled into the water supply for the building.” Oliver said helpfully.“Huh… It can’t be easy to bring a body up to the roof, climb the water tower, and dump it inside without leaving a trail.”“Mebbe it was a prank? Some kids doin’ a dare?” Clementine offered up her theory. Which was more logical than William had been expecting.“We’d best go to the roof to check it out. We’ll be back shortly.” William told Clementine.“I ain’t stayin’ heyah by mahself, all in my lonesome. I’ma coming with y’all.” She held her arms out as though expecting William to carry her.“You want me to carry you?”“I am not ruinin’ my heels! Hop, hop, time’s a wastin!”William eyed Clementine, he had no doubt he could carry her, but she was a good foot taller, not to mention bigger than Eliza, so scooping her up would be awkward. Not only physically, but William felt uncomfortable with the idea of holding a woman who wasn’t his girlfriend. So he turned around, his back towards her.“Climb on my back. But as soon as we’re clear of the water I’m putting you down.”“Don’t get your hot pank panties inna wad! I know yer ‘Liza’s and she’s a peteet’un, but I ain’t gonna mess with her! She probably know some Kung Fu Panda/Tie my quando shit.”“She doesn’t, but she could no doubt kick ass when she needs to.” William said as Clementine clutched him tightly around his neck.“Whoowhee, ride’em cowgirl! This is better than riding’ a buckin bronco at the saloon! Gid’up Sexy Sergeant!”With a beleaguered sigh William carried Clementine out into the hallway and up a few stairs, ensuring that the ground was dry before putting her down.“Fitzroy, call this in once we get upstairs, something’s going on, even if we don’t find a body.”“Yes Sir.”The three of them walked up to the roof, William holding a hand out as he stopped before the metal door. “It doesn’t look as though the lock was tampered with.”“So either they had the key or it wasn’t locked in the first place?” Oliver asked.“Aye. Make a note to ask the super if this door is usually left open.” William said as he pushed it open using a handkerchief over his hand. “Clementine, try not to touch anything in case there are fingerprints.”“Suh Yes Suh!” She said, giving him a salute.William pulled out his gun and cautiously stepped out onto the roof. He looked around before signaling to Oliver and Clementine that it was all clear. He placed his gun back in his holster.“No one’s up here. I definitely would have seen them.” William told them as he shaded his eyes and looked around. The rooftop was small, the water tower taking up most of the space. A small table was surrounded by a couple of lounge chairs. A flower pot with a dying plant was beside one of the chairs. William glanced inside. It was full of cigarette butts and burnt ends of blunt wraps. “Hmm…”Oliver approached him. “Duke I called it in, a couple of officers are on the way. They asked if there was a body.”“We’d best check.” He glanced over at Clementine, who seemed quite content snapping photos of the view. She was true to her word and not touching anything. William gave a pleased nod then turned to look at the water tower. “Cripes, that’s tall…” He eyed the metal ladder that was affixed to the side. The rungs were narrow but there was a safety cage surrounding it.William took a deep breath then began to climb.
Don’t look down, don’t look down, I wish I had a chance to tell Eliza I love her.
William gritted his teeth as his wet shoes slid on one of the rungs. He grasped it tightly, hanging on for dear life, his knuckles turning white with the pressure.“Sir, are you alright?” Oliver called up to him, his hands cupped around his mouth.“You got this, Willie! Yah gotta live ta strip for another day! Like tomorra!” Clementine shouted loudly.“Aye, cause stripping is my priority.” He groused to himself, but the pep talks seemed to be working. He continued his assent, wanting to get it over with. Once he reached the conical top he hooked his arms over the top rung and gave himself a moment to breathe. He glanced around at his surroundings, and couldn’t help but admire the view.Though the building wasn’t very tall, it was spaced out enough that he could see across the rooftops and get a glimpse of Manhattan’s skyscrapers. It was a beautiful view, the slowly setting sun casting its light on the myriad windows, causing it to reflect and dance across the buildings.
I wish Eliza were here by my side to enjoy all this with me. He chuckled to himself. She’d probably be more interested in finding the body than observing the view. William struggled a bit to lift the hatch of the tower. Carefully pulling out his cell phone he turned the flashlight on and held it into the darkness of the water tower.
Is that…? Damn it.
There, floating in the center of the tank, was the body of a woman, face down, her long brown hair streaming around her like seaweed. William could just make out her white nightgown stained red with blood.With a heavy heart he climbed back down to tell the others.
Eliza
It’ll be perfect! All I have to do is write up my case notes for Basil! And make sure that the case is interesting, with cliffhangers in each article to keep the readers coming back for more. How hard can that be?
Eliza mulled all this over as she let herself into her apartment. “William? Are you home? I have some exciting news! William?” She could hear voices coming from the kitchen. Eliza stopped short as she took a moment to look around. A pink suitcase lay open in front of the couch, with various articles of clothing spilling out, a pair of matching pink stilettos casually tossed beside it. Why is Clementine staying here? Eliza pulled out her phone, she had ignored it after her meeting with Basil, her thoughts had been alternating between excitement and a tinges of unease.
My voicemail inbox is full? Oh no, William texted me too. He must’ve been so worried. Or perhaps not…
Uproarious laughter could be heard coming from the kitchen. Eliza smiled and headed that way, nearly tripping over an empty bottle of rosé. She paused in the kitchen doorway, incredulous at the scene in front of her.Clementine was standing in the center of the kitchen, between the counter and dining room table, clenching the back of a chair, her head was thrown back, and to Eliza’s disbelief she was mooing loudly, and it was pretty spot on.“I yelt after’er, but she done gone and took mah truck n’ my bull and was drivin’ away like her dairy’rear was on fie’ah.” Clementine switched to an engine revving noise, she tilted the chair as if it were a steering wheel and her imaginary truck was careening out of control. She began bouncing up and down, as if the road had turned to gravel, her ample bosom and buttocks jiggling with the movement, for all the world looking like an old fashioned pink gelatin dessert, shaking before being served. “When I done got caught up wiffem the next day, my prized bull was missin’ ‘is balls.” She stomped one of her fuzzy pink slippered feet. “It ain’t funny Willie. That was my golden bull was my ticket to riches. I could have made me some big bucks with a hot stud bull like ‘im.”“I’m sorry Clem, I’m not laughing.” Said William who was very obviously laughing.“You ain’t got no sympathy for a damsel in dee’stress copper.” Clementine pouted. “Now pour me some more of that fine boxy wine so I can drown mah sorries.”William pressed the spout of the largest box of wine Eliza had ever seen. He filled a mug and passed it to Clementine. “Starting the party without me?” Eliza asked wryly.“There you is! I thought you’d gone missin’!” Clementine said with a pout. “You misted all the fun. I found me a body! Not a hot’un like Willie heyah, but a dead’un.” Clementine said proudly.“Really?” Eliza perked up. Perhaps it’s a case I can take on. Basil might prefer murder to cows and pickups. “Aye,” William shook his head sadly, “young woman, just about to get married too, she had on an engagement ring.”“Yeah, you should’ve seen the size of that rock!” Clementine added, but Eliza ignored her.“Oh, William.” Eliza said softly as she approached William and rested her hands against his chest.
It’s so hard for him, telling the families, especially the partners of the victims.
Eliza’s eyes were full of sympathy. William smiled but his eyes were tinged with sadness. He leaned over to softly kiss Eliza’s lips. Clementine cleared her throat loudly.“How about gettin’ a gal some grub?”“Sounds like a good idea. Pizza?” Eliza asked, pulling out her phone to order.“Yeah, I’m so hungry I could eat a whole pie!”“Pizza with everything…” Eliza muttered as she put in their order.“Extry sausage!” Clementine said.“Extra sausage… there! Should be here soon.” Eliza told them. “Now, tell me about this case!” Eliza said, her eyes lighting up with excitement.William chuckled and poured Eliza a mug of wine. “Sit down, it’s a long story…”
An hour later…
“According to Fitzroy a water tower can hold 10,000 gallons of water…”“I wonder how they got the body up there? Was the door unlocked? Why was she in her nightgown?”“‘Liza, slow down!” William said around a mouthful of pizza. “ We only just started investigating!”“Hmph!” Eliza was annoyed, wanting to know more.William couldn’t help but smile at her impatience. “Fitzroy interviewed the building’s super. He said the door to the roof was kept unlocked because people kept breaking the lock to go outside to smoke weed. The building has no doorman, no security cameras, so anyone could’ve gotten access. We still don’t have a positive ID on the woman. Fitzroy’s going through missing persons’ cases and Mr. Potts is working on the autopsy. I left Officers Murphy and Honeychurch to interview the neighbors.” William scowled at the mention of Honeychurch. He was a thorn in William’s side. No matter what assignment William would give him he would inevitably find a way to screw things up.“I’m sure you and Oliver will get to the bottom of it quickly. And if you need my help…”“You kin’t help him , you’re my PI!” Clementine reminded her. “You gotta help me find mah truck. My no good cousin hid it! Iffen that Judge Loon don’t help me, I’m outta some big bucks!”“Of course.” Eliza tried to infuse her voice with some enthusiasm for Clementine’s case, but from the look William was giving her she wasn’t succeeding. Clementine on the other hand, didn’t even notice and continued rambling on.“I gotta be at the TV station tomorra, and yer comin’ wit’me! You kin interior-dimate Kleymentine afty-wards. I wonder where she hid my steer in this heyah city…”“So do I.” Eliza muttered. “Clementine, would it be alright if I share your case with a newspaper…”Clementine’s eyes went wide, her ponytail bobbing crazily as she nodded exuberantly. “You gonna get me free newspaper coverage? Wowee, you’re worth every penny I’m gonna pay you! Back home only dah crim’nals get in the paper.”“You’re going to pay me?” Eliza asked in disbelief. “Yer dang right. As soon as Ah get my money back from that bertrayin’ cuz of mine. And I’ll take you hang gliding with me n’ Klementein, the good’un. We gonna put my steer on the side of milk cartons like they do with the missing people?”
“Um… I’m not sure that’s done anymore. I think coverage in Basil on Time should suffice.” Basil’s going to get a run for his money. If anything people will read about the case because it sounds insane… “I’m gonna be famous! I’ll call myself Cowgirl Clementine in New York City! Whooee! I gotta warm up my hand, everyone’s gonna want mah aut-oh-graph! Ah just thought of sumetin’.”Clementine hurried off, they could hear her rummaging through her suitcase, tossing things aside, muttering curses and Eliza heard a crash and winced.“I hope that wasn’t anything valuable…”“Here. I wanchoo to keep this safe for me.” Clementine said breathlessly as she thrust a piece of paper at Eliza.“Okay…” Eliza took the rumpled sheet from her and tucked it into her tablet’s case. “Is it peeling?” She asked noticing some pink on her fingers. She wiped them on her napkin and looked at Clementine but she was in deep discussion with William on the best way to perform a castration.William had gone pale. Eliza laughed and reached for another piece of pizza.
Later That Night…
“I’d ask if you want to make love but…” William looked as exhausted as Eliza felt as they lay side-by-side on their bed, holding hands between them.Eliza squeezed William’s hand and turned her head to look at him. “Anticipation is part of the excitement. I’ll buy some new underwear for tomorrow.” Eliza let out a yawn.“Not pink. Any color but pink.” William muttered as he fell asleep to Eliza’s peals of laughter.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
LONDON - 1883
William
I’m having dinner with Eliza tonight!
William smiled at himself in his office mirror. He looked put together and all traces of weariness were gone. He had even splurged and bought a new waistcoat, in a brighter blue shade than he was wont to wear, and a cravat that very closely matched the color of Eliza’s eyes.“You can’t go in there!” William could hear Phelp’s voice shout out from the hallway. “Oi! Miss!”William opened the door to see what all the commotion was about. A young woman barreled into him. “Sir, you have to help me. Please! My life is in danger! Why won’t anyone listen to me!” She cried out in near hysterics. “I swear he’s coming after me!” She rambled on, clutching at William’s waistcoat.William gently pulled her hands off of his body, shooting a glare at Phelps.“Sorry Skipper, she got past that one.” Phelps jerked a thumb at a harried Fitzroy, who had run up behind him.“I apologize Sir, she was rather aggressive about getting in and…” Fitzroy tried to explain.William held up a hand, cutting him off.“It’s alright. Ma’am why don’t you have a seat and you can tell me why you believe you’re in danger.”Mollified by William’s calm demeanor the woman sat down and wiped at her face with a handkerchief. “Thank you Sir.”“Inspector Wellington.” William said, sitting down at his desk. He waved a hand indicating that Phelps and Fitzroy were dismissed.“Now, why don’t you start from the beginning. Who is coming after you?” William pulled a sheet of paper towards himself, an empty file, and picked up his pencil, poised to write.“I… I don’t know. I haven’t seen him.” The woman admitted, her brown eyes wide with fear, and her chestnut colored hair falling down from her updo and flowing over her lean shoulders.“Okay…” Perhaps she isn’t right in the mind. “What’s your name?”“Melissa. Melissa James.”“Very good Miss James. You said you haven’t seen who you’re fearful of?”Melissa shook her head. “No, but I can sense him there, following me.” She leaned forwards and dropped her voice to a whisper. “He lurks in the shadows, all I ever see is a dark form. No matter where I go, he’s there.”“And when did you first notice this shadow?” William asked, no longer taking notes as it seemed the woman had no useful information for him.“A week ago.”“Did anything significant happen a week ago? Did you go somewhere and attract the attention of someone?” I’m grasping here, it’s like pulling teeth. Is she simply paranoid? “No. Not at all. My fiancé Eric proposed, but nothing else has happened.” Melissa twirled her engagement ring nervously. William noted that it sported a rather sizable stone. William narrowed his eyes and wrote that down. “Do you have reason to believe he might be following you?”“Eric? No. Why would he? Besides, this shadow is larger. And sinister.”“Uh-huh. And how do you know it’s sinister?” William asked, his patience beginning to fray.“Because it’s dark.” She said as though it should be obvious.
I don’t know how much longer I can humor her.
“And what precisely would you like me to do about this sinister shadow?”“Stop him from following me. You can do that, can’t you?”“Miss, you have received no threats, no physical evidence that someone is following you?”“I’ve seen him, he exists .” She insisted. “Can’t you arrest him?”William sighed and tried not to run his hand through his hair so as not to mus it up. Instead he stroked his beard.“Miss, I apologize but I can’t go around arresting shadows. Unless you have something more for me, or one of my officers to go by, I don’t think there’s anything we can do to help you.”“So I have to get hurt first before you’ll do anything?” Melissa asked angrily, pushing the chair back from William’s desk.“Miss, that’s not…”“Fine. Don’t believe me.” She turned on her heel and stormed out of William’s office, nearly knocking into Fitzroy on her way out.“Sir, is everything all right?” Fitzroy asked, watching Melissa leave with concern writ on his face.“Aye, she spoke of a shadow following her but there’s no proof that it’s not simply a figment of her imagination.”“Did you want me to follow her?” Fitzroy asked.William considered his offer for a moment then shook his head. No doubt she needs to be placed in an asylum but I’m loath to be the one to have her committed. “No, we have too many open, and tangible, cases to deal with. Take a seat, we have two robberies, a home break-in, and a murder to deal with.”“Yes Sir.” Fitzroy took the seat that Melissa had just vacated, his face still concerned. But as the two men began to discuss the caseload each of them forgot about the woman with the sad brown eyes.
Eliza
Goodness, I have more files than I realized!
Eliza sat back in her chair, letting out a whoosh of breath. She had spent the morning organizing her case files into ‘closed’ and ‘in progress’. Hmm… many of these cases had come to me via Patrick… Perhaps being his Chief Investigator will go smoothly. And I’ll always have William as access to the Yard’s files. William… Eliza’s thoughts changed direction as she mentally conjured up an image of him. Our friendship has been on such rocky ground these past couple of months. I hope dinner with him will strengthen our bond… bond, hmm… he is my closest friend… Eliza frowned as the memory of William kissing Arabella floated in her mind. Hmphh… I can’t imagine why he would want to kiss her. Slowly Arabella’s colorful evening gown transformed to a blue day dress, her dark hair lightened to blonde, and finally her face morphed into Eliza’s. Eliza closed her eyes, imagining the feeling of William’s bristly beard beneath her fingertips, his breath on her face, his lips, full and warm, pressed to hers as she kissed him back daring to meet his tongue with hers…
*KNOCK-KNOCK*
Eliza felt her heart thump hard in her chest as her eyes flashed open. “William?”“No, it’s just Moses.” Moses said wryly as he entered her office. “Are you expecting the Inspector?”Eliza flushed and quickly shook her head, causing Moses to narrow his eyes thoughtfully. “Ah, but you were hoping it was the Inspector.” It was a statement, not a question.“Not at all. I simply thought he was stopping by following his weekly visit to the barber.” Eliza’s lie sounded hollow to her own ears. And if Moses chuckle was any indication he didn’t believe it either.Eliza scowled at him.“You’ve been busy.” He said as he removed a box from one of the chairs across from her desk and sat down.“Yes, Patrick wanted me to start as soon as possible, but I have so much to do, pack the office up, resolve a couple of cases, set up my new office, meet my new employees… I’m going to have employees Moses! 20 men nonetheless!” Eliza clapped her hands together in excitement.“You’re going to be a very busy lady.”“Yes! I can take on even more cases, and make more money! I’m so glad you decided not to go to Paris with Patrick.” Eliza hadn’t realized how relieved she was that Moses was staying until she had begun to give him assignments, then realized if he left he wouldn’t be able to finish them.“I am glad too, Eliza.” Moses gave her a genuine smile. “Ah, the reason for my visit.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew an envelope. “Nash asked me to give this to you.”Eliza raised an eyebrow questioningly as she took it. When she opened it it was a list of the 20 men he employed with short bios. “Wonderful! I was hoping to learn a bit about each of them before being formally introduced.” Eliza already began scanning the document, noting which men had been prior police officers, which had notorious pasts as conmen, and which were green to the job.“Good day Eliza.” Moses said, realizing that he had lost her attention.“You too.” She muttered distractedly as she made notations next to several names.Eliza read through the document thoroughly. After her third passthrough she sat up and stretched her neck from side-to-side, her gaze falling on the clock at the side of the desk.“Shoot.” I have dinner with William tonight. She looked down at herself, she was covered in dust and her updo and mostly fallen down. I can’t meet him like this. If I rush I should be able to freshen up before he arrives. Eliza hurriedly grabbed her purse and headed home.“Ivy!” Eliza called out as soon as she stepped inside her hallway. “I need some water to…” Eliza groaned. “She’s gone for the day to meet Mr. Potts’ cousin. Maybe there’s some water left from yesterday.” Eliza hurried into the kitchen to check the water pails. To her dismay only one pail held any water and it was hardly enough to fill a glass, let alone to wash up with. Nothing for it, if Ivy can collect water so can I! Aha, here are a couple of pails! I’m sure I can carry both. Save myself a trip. Feeling pleased with herself, Eliza grabbed the pails and made her way to the nearest pump in the street. To her relief there was no queue. Should be a simple matter, simply push the lever up and down. Eliza placed her bucket under the faucet and began to pump the lever. Nothing happened. “What? Perhaps I need to work more rapidly.” She began pushing and pulling the lever up and down as fast as she could, putting all her weight behind the movement, which caused her to quickly break out into a sweat.“ARGH!” She raged as nothing appeared to be happening. She nearly knocked over the empty pail in her frustration. She heard a giggle from behind her. “WHAT?” She shouted, she was already tired and could barely see with her hair matted to her forehead and falling into her eyes. When she saw that a little girl of 8 or 9 had been the one laughing she felt bad for yelling.“Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout at you. I don’t suppose you know how this works?” It’s a long shot, but perhaps she’s clever for her age. “You’re doing it right Miss.” The girl told her, approaching with a smile on her face.“Then why is there no water?” Eliza asked.“Because, it’s not time yet.” The young girl pointed to the clock in the square. “Mama told me that the big hand has to be on the top number.”“They turn the water off?” Eliza asked dumbfounded. Does Ivy know this? Eliza shielded her eyes to read the time. “Ten more minutes.” She muttered. “I suppose I can wait.”“Do you only have the two pails Miss?” The young girl asked curiously.“What do you mean by only ?” Eliza felt a shiver of trepidation flow down her spine.“Mama gets lots and lots of water. She sends all of my brothers. You need water for everything.” The girl pointed out, then began to tick off a list on her fingers. “Cooking, cleaning, bathing, urm… not drinking, sometimes it’s yucky, washing…”“Wait, just how much water do I need?” Eliza asked the sky in despair. Suddenly church bells began tolling in the distance.“You should try again Miss, before there’s a line behind you. People are impatient.”Eliza nodded and began to pump again. Water began to pour forth. In her delight, Eliza stopped pumping and clapped with glee. The water began to reduce to a trickle. “Oh!”“Keep going!” The girl cheered her on. Then her cheering abruptly stopped. “Miss, are you hurt?”“What? No. Why do you think… Oh...” Eliza stopped pumping and jumped back, but the lever continued its movements, working itself up and down as the water turned pink, then bright red as it gushed out, spilling over the low lip of the fountain and puddling at Eliza’s feet.“Is that blood?” A woman with a pail asked as she stepped up to see what the holdup was.“I think so…” Eliza said, looking down at the pools of red settling in the cracks between the cobblestones. “Goodness, now we have to go to the other pump.” A collective groan rose from the people, primarily maids, waiting to collect water. “That pump is so crowded.”
“Last time a bunch of children were playing in it, wasting the water.”
“It smells funny too.” The crowd of people continued to grumble to one another as they headed up the street.“Miss, your dress is all ruined.” The girl told Eliza. Eliza sighed, her hem was soaked, her arms were sore, and she had nothing to show for it.“Why don’t you go home to your mother. I’ll report this to the authorities.” Eliza told her.“Okay! Good luck, miss!”Eliza nodded then dragged her forearm across her forehead, wiping the sweat away. She stared into the pails full of disappointment.
I’d best go tell William. And that we’ll have to change our reservation for a bit later. I’ll have to find a way to bathe before dinner.
Disgusted, and more worn out that she had ever been tracking down a criminal, or a wayward flock of pigeons, Eliza flagged a cab to take her to Scotland Yard. “Sorry Miss, you’ll ruin the inside of me cab with that wet gown of yours.” The man drove off before Eliza could even protest.“Damn it! No one will take me in this state.” With a sigh Eliza clenched fistfulls of her skirt so as to keep the wet fabric as far away from her feet as possible and began to walk to Scotland Yard.
William
William smoothed his free hand over the front of his waistcoat as his other hand held a large bouquet of red roses. Here goes nothing. With a smile on his face William knocked. And waited.
Perhaps she’s not used to answering the door with Ivy gone.
William knocked again, a bit harder. He tapped his foot impatiently.
I did say I was meeting her here, didn’t I? Or was I supposed to meet her at her office? Or Nash’s?
William frowned, lost in thought. Absently he tried knocking again.
Should I let myself in through the back?
Before breaking and entering he leaned over the railing to sneak a peek through Eliza’s drawing room window. Everything was dark.William’s face fell along with his heart.
I can’t even blame her, I set myself up for this. She’s never going to change.
Disappointed and heartbroken William turned away from Eliza’s front door and flagged down a cab. Little did he know, had he waited five minutes longer, Eliza would pull up in a cab, wearing her filthy gown covered in diluted blood, hoping he would be there to comfort her after an aggravating day.Instead he found himself at the pub, drowning his sorrows in a whisky, the bouquet of roses haphazardly tossed on the table next to him.“Oi Guv’nor, you already have a fight with Miss Scarlet? She barely left the Yard not ten minutes ago.” Phelps plopped himself down across from William, his tankard of ale already half empty.“Wait, what?” William asked, turning his full attention to Phelps.“Yeah, she stopped by looking for you. Going on about some red liquid coming out of a water pump.” Phelps scoffed and took a long swallow, William was just about ready to reach across the table and shake him to get him to talk faster. “She kept insisting it was blood. I figure it was dye from the nearby textile mill.” Phelps snorted a laugh into his drink. “Women. Always hysterical over the smallest things. Me missus…”William didn’t bother to wait for Phelps to finish. He grabbed his coat and the flowers then ran from the pub as quickly as he could to call a carriage.
I’m an idiot. Is she hurt? Why couldn’t I wait ten minutes longer? Can’t this carriage go any faster?
William rapped at the top of the carriage and hopped out before it even fully came to a stop. He tossed a coin to the driver then went on foot the rest of the way, berating himself for his short temper.As he approached Eliza’s street he saw her, trudging towards her door, a pail of water in either hand, some of its contents sloshing over the side. She was so far hunched over that the pails nearly dragged on the ground. “Put those down. Right now.” William demanded. Eliza nearly dropped the pails as she looked up in surprise. She hadn’t even noticed William coming towards her.“William? I waited for you, but my neighbor told me you had left. We must’ve just missed one another. You came back?”“Aye. Eliza, I’m so sorry. I thought…”“You thought that I had gotten caught up in a case?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.William nodded. “I’m sor…”“William,” she said, cutting him off, “there’s nothing to apologize for.”“Wait, what? There isn’t?”“No. I haven’t exactly been punctual regarding our dinners.” She smiled sheepishly. “Or I’d forget them completely if you didn’t remind me. I can’t blame you for assuming I wasn’t going to show up. So, no apologies.”William nodded, smiling back at her. “I still feel terrible.”“Good. Then you can carry the water!”Eliza took the flowers that were tucked beneath William’s arm and walked past him. William chuckled and easily picked up the half empty pails.“Eliza, what were you planning on doing with this? There’s hardly enough to even wash your face.”“I know.” Eliza sighed as she let them in. “And I had to walk so far for it. William, I swear there was blood coming out of the pump nearby. I had gone to tell you, but you weren’t in your office. Phelps wasn’t very helpful.” She said, still sounding miffed. “I am going to have a talk with Phelps about this.” William said fiercely. “He should know better by now than to not believe you. For God’s sake Eliza you’re an established private detective, not some fanciful woman coming off the street.”Eliza lifted the bouquet of roses, hiding her pleased smile and the faint blush that appeared across her cheeks.William placed the pails down. “Where do you want these?”Eliza looked down at her ruined dress, then at the hallway vase, which was full of dead flowers. She removed them and looked into the vase, it was empty.“Here.”William, a bit confused, filled the vase, nearly emptying the one pail. Eliza took it back from him and placed the roses inside. “There, that’s perfect.” William looked at her. “Well there’s no saving the dress anyway. Or our evening I suppose.” Eliza looked dejected by that. William smiled.“That’s not true.”“Gilberts will be finishing their last service by now. And I can hardly go like this.” She told him, gesturing at her dress.“We’re not going to Gilberts.”“We’re not?”“No. I’m going to set up your tub and then get you more water.”“William, that’ll take forever!” Eliza exclaimed. “So? Do you have anything better to do?”“No. No I don’t.” Eliza bent over to pick up the remaining pail. Then grunted. “That’s still heavier than I had thought. How does Ivy do this every day?”William snorted a laugh and took the pail from Eliza. “Eliza, everyone does this every day. At least everyone who doesn’t have a housekeeper.”“Humph.” Then, “really?”“Really. How do you think I get water?”Eliza mulled that over as she followed William into the kitchen where he put down the pail, removed his coat, and began to roll up his sleeves. Eliza watched as more and more of his forearms were being revealed.“Yes, but you’re you .”“What does that mean?” He asked, but he was smiling as he said it.“You’re,” she waved at his arms, “big.”“Big?”“Muscular. Fine, William, you're one of the strongest men I know.”“One of?”Eliza scoffed. “Very well, the strongest man I know.”William couldn’t help but preen slightly, even though the compliment had been coerced out of her.“Now, where’s your tub stored?”Eliza blinked.William sighed. It’s going to be a long night…
An Hour Later…
Eliza was happily soaking in the tub full of hot water William had fetched and heated for her. He had worked tirelessly for the last hour, never complaining about how much water was needed, even though he had gone to the pump further away, not trusting the other one, though it had stopped running red. This is lovely. I could get used to being cared for like this! Eliza flicked at some bubbles then began to scrub her hair. But if William and I… were… he and I were… together… so to speak… he wouldn’t be doing this for me. Would he expect me to do this for him every night? To fill a tub… help him undress… touch his broad shoulders… caress his chest… What does his chest hair feel like? Eliza was beginning to feel very warm, and it wasn’t from the water. Realizing she had been soaking for a while, and that William would return soon, hopefully with some food, she regretfully exited the tub, dried off, donned a dress, and began to brush out her damp hair.“Eliza?” William called out as he entered her house. “I found a bakery that was still open!” Well technically I woke the baker who lives in the apartment above the bakery, but there were still some mince pies left from this morning. It’s not Gilberts but it’ll have to do. William, feeling pleased with himself, was lost in a daydream of Eliza greeting him with a face of pure adoration as he stepped into the kitchen. Instead he was met with Eliza’s loud gasp of shock. His daydream burst like the few remaining bubbles in the tub.“William! I wasn’t done yet.” Eliza said. She was wearing a simple gown, sitting at the kitchen table. She hurriedly began plaiting her hair. William quickly turned around.“Eliza, I’m so sorry, I thought you’d have finished by now. I'll just go back upstairs until…”“William, William, it’s fine. It’s not as though you’ve never seen me with my hair down before.”“But we had been children.” William replied, still keeping his back to her.He felt a soft touch on his shoulder and turned around. Eliza stood in front of him, her hair cascading in waves over her shoulders. She smiled at him shyly.“If I had two doves right now…” William muttered beneath his breath.“Sorry, what was that?”“Nothing, nothing. Just that you’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
“You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and whatever else I am unsure of in my life, the one thing that I know is that we’re meant to be together.”
The words ran through each of their minds, circling round and round, with tenacious hooks, not letting go. Neither of them wanted the words to go. Yet neither knew what would happen following them. I love her.
He loves me. I thought I wanted a wife.
I thought I wanted to succeed in my work. Maybe I was wrong.
Maybe I was wrong. “There was a pump of death.” Eliza blurted out. “In 1876. The Aldgate Pump contained liquid human remains. The underground stream which fed it had been contaminated by the nearby cemeteries.”William gave her a tender smile. A smile that said, I understand. You’re scared. So am I. You’re not ready. Well I can wait. I’ve waited years, what’s a little longer? “Tomorrow we’ll go.”“Go where?”“To the Commissioner of Sewers. They’ll have someone who can test the water.”“And the body?”“We’ll find the body. Together.”It was that look, the one Eliza was giving him with her bright blue eyes, emanating pure joy, that made William realize that he would do anything to make her happy. Even if it meant she was happy only because he was helping her prioritize her work. She’s not going to change, and perhaps I’ll never come first, but so be it. I’ll lose either way. Having her partially will have to suffice. Accepting that realization caused a form of peace to fall over William. He let himself stroke Eliza’s cheek with the back of his hand, doing his utmost to resist the temptation of running his fingers through her damp hair.
William wants to partner with me! He said ‘together’! No more ‘wait in the carriage Eliza,’ or ‘you can’t have a gun Eliza,’ or ‘it’s too dangerous Eliza.’ He’s treating me like an equal! That’s all I’ve ever wanted.
On impulse, Eliza rose onto her tiptoes and kissed William’s cheek, his beard feeling abrasive against her soft lips. She turned her head upwards slightly, now grazing the smooth skin of his cheek. She could also taste the salt of his sweat from his previous exertions. It was making her feel heady, as though she were drunk on a very potent alcohol.She felt William tentatively span her waist with his large hands, holding her loosely in case she wanted to break out of his grasp. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck, causing him to tighten his grip on her so they wouldn't fall backwards. He pressed his cheek against hers, and she responded in kind, letting one hand trail to the soft hair at the nape of his neck. He in turn ran a hand up and down over her back in a soothing movement.“I’m sorry you had such a bad day.” William murmured. He felt, rather than saw, her lips quirk in a smile.“Actually, it’s turning out to be a very good day after all.” She replied, feeling calmer and more settled than she had in a very long time.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
NEW YORK - 2023
Eliza
“Whooee, would you get a look at this!” Clementine let out a low whistle as she took in the set of ‘Judge Loon’. She was craning her neck so far back to look up at the domed ceiling that Eliza thought it would snap. To be fair, Eliza couldn’t help but be impressed too. They were in the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, not one of the downtown courthouses, but if Eliza hadn’t seen all of the cameras and equipment scattered about she easily would’ve thought she was in 60 Centre, the New York County Supreme Court. “They went all out… it really looks like a courtroom.” Eliza muttered.“Yeah, even down to that there fancy seal with the chicken.” Clementine replied, making Eliza wonder just how many times she had seen the inside of a courtroom. Before she could ask, Clementine had wandered off.“Ain’t nobody back home gonna believe this!” Clementine exclaimed loudly as she walked around, taking selfies in several different parts of the pretend courtroom. “Our courthouse back home is only two stories an’ we’s all the way up on the 14th floor here! Well, 13th I think but someone here for shore cain’t count cuz they left out thirteen! I don’t know who does the hirin’ round these parts but they need to check some backgrounds betta!”“I think we need to find the waiting area so we don’t miss when they call your name,” Eliza said in a low tone, hoping to curb some of Clementine’s enthusiasm. Cast and crew members were beginning to stare at them. Eliza wasn’t sure if it was from all of Clementine’s shouting, or the fact that she was once again clad head-to-toe in bubble gum pink, from her 6” stilettos, to the pink three piece suit she had on, with a matching fedora.“Oh! Yer prolly riot. Let’s ask that hunky chunk over yonder.” In Eliza’s estimation Clementine chose the ugliest guard in the room to strut up to. “Hey, honey pie. Kin you tell me where’s we spost to sit-n-wait?” The guard simply nodded his head and pointed to some benches lining the hallway outside. Eliza began walking to a bench which still had two empty seats, neglecting to see the Clementine look alike sitting at the other end of the bench. Clementine grabbed her arm to stop her. “We cain’t sit next to that betrayin’ hussy!” She hissed. “Let sit over they’ah. Yer skinny. We kin squeeze in.” Clementine practically dragged her over to another bench, which was already occupied with two burly men. She gave them her flirtiest smile then plopped down in the free seat, Eliza squeezing in next to her with a resigned sigh. I suppose I could take some notes for Basil. Awkwardly she pulled out her tablet and began to type on one crossed leg, using one hand.
Notes for Basil
There! That’s a start.
Eliza stared at her screen blankly. I don’t even know much about this mess. Idly she hit the option for a bulleted list.
Clementine’s bull was accidentally(?) castrated
Then her truck was stolen by her cousin Klementyne
And the steer was transported in said truck
I need a real case
To Eliza’s relief, Clementine missed reading as she had typed that last bullet, so she quickly deleted it. She looked up guilty to see Clementine fiercely popping her gum towards her cousin, who was studiously ignoring her as she held her hand up, admiring her bright yellow manicure.If looks could really kill, Klementyne would have been dead in the hour it took for their names to be called. Clementine had spent the entire hour alternating between reading over Eliza’s shoulder, then pinning her traitorous cousin with a death stare that could’ve killed thousands.Eliza let out a whoosh of relief when the fake bailiff called their names. “Clementine Jolie vs Klementyne LaFou.”Clementine popped her gum one final time before standing and smoothing down her tight pink pencil skirt. Eliza quickly put her tablet back in her bag and hurriedly followed behind Clementine, who was walking like a woman on a mission, her heels clacking loudly against the marble floor.Eliza saw Klementyne throw a smirk their way before she cut in front of them with a toss of her long brown hair and strode confidently into the courtroom.“Did you see that?” Clementine hissed at Eliza. “That hussy…”“Clementine, I think we’re supposed to head over towards the judge.” Eliza took Clementine’s elbow and after some ushering from a harried crewmember, everyone took their respective places in front of Judge Loon. “He shore looks a lot different than I ‘spected.” Clementine whispered to Eliza, who was standing slightly behind her. “I’da thunk he’d be smaller.” Eliza glanced towards the judge, silently agreeing with Clementine’s appraisal. For someone who shared a name with a bird, Judge Loon looked more like a French bulldog. His forehead was lined with permanent furrows of incredulity, no doubt from all the inane cases he had tried over the years, along with a mouth sporting a smile forever turned down. Bushy eyebrows arched above icy blue eyes that had the potential to freeze the audacity out of any outrageous participants. A thin line of beard trailed from his nonexistent hairline, along his jowls, then up over his thin upper lip. The only thing birdlike about him was the hawk-hooked nose in the center of his face. “Clementine versus Klementyne.” Judge Loon said in a booming voice. “This is a first for me, cousins with the same first name. I’m certain there is a story there, but I do not have the time for any long stories today. Let’s see here, Ms. Jolie, you are suing your cousin Ms. LaFou for the return of your prize steer and pink pickup truck, along with lost income due to the eating of the calf testicles. Please go into some more detail for me.”Eliza couldn’t help but admire the fact that the judge hardly seemed ruffled by any of that.“Well, Your Highness…” Clementine began only to be interrupted by Judge Loon.“Your Honor.” He corrected her.“Why’re you callin’ me that? I was tryin’ to start mah story.” Clementine started again.The judge barked out a laugh. “ You are supposed to call me Your Honor, not Your Highness.”“Oh, mah bad. I shore do apoleegize, Your Honor. This here is mah story, my Granny Tangerine left me some cows and calves in her will after she had done passed on. Granny was never much good with math and we were each supposed to receive three and one third cows. I picked Golden Steak as one of mine. I done raised him since he was a tiny thing. His sperm wudda been solid gold. He was sired by Barry YumYum, the daddy of all the best bulls on the rodeo circuit.” “He was gonna be my lovely-hood until my cousin,” she shot a glare at Klementyne before resuming, “took him from me with my prize pink pickup. Then I heard from my cousin Klementein, that’s K-L-E-M-E-N-T-E-I-N, Cooper thet this here Klementyne LaFou had him calf-strated and then fried up his balls and ate them! He cain’t sire no calves now so I cain’t make no money off’em. I am suing her to get my bull and my pickup back but also for the bucks I shudda made from breedin’ Golden Steak.”Clementine ended with a heaving breath then crossed her arms beneath her bosom. I’m sure it’s pretty safe to say that Basil’s readers will never have read anything like this before! Eliza surreptitiously took notes throughout the proceeding, doing her best to fade into the background, not sure how her reputation would suffer if she were to be caught on camera, and then, heaven forbid, recognized by future clients.“Very well Ms. Jolie. Now, Ms. LaFou, let’s hear your side of the story.”With bated breath everyone turned to face Klementyne.“Wheel, Yer Honor, the pink pickup belonged to Granny Tangerine. I had no idee she had left it to Clementine Jolie, and since Granny is gone and under some dirt, how in tarnation was I supposed to ask to borry it? As for the cow, I thought Golden Steak was my ⅓ of a cow so I took the back ⅓ and ate me some golden fried Rocky Mountain Oysters. I sho’ wuddn’t gonna raise no baby calfers. They’s mean! But those golden fried sperm sacs was sure deli-she-oos!” Klementyne stopped her speech for a moment to throw a look of righteousness towards Judge Loon and the audience, as though her explanation had made more sense that her cousin’s, before plastering a look of sorrow on her face. “Ever darn tootin’ one of Granny’s cows had Golden in they’s names because they all descended from a cow name Golden Teets because all of the butter made from her milk turned yeller! Granny said it was the durnedest thang she never did see! Anyhoos, Yer Honor, how was I supposed to know which Golden cow was Clementine’s and which ones was mine? I thought Goldy Cakes was Clementine’s! I just wanted a sweet big steer to remember my Granny Tangerine by!”Klementyne finished her dramatic monologue with a flourish, huge crocodile tears leaving twin trails of mascara down her heavily rouged cheeks.With a roll of his eyes at her performance, Judge Loon asked, “Do either of you happen to have a copy of Granny Tangerine’s will?” “I have a copy, Your Honor.” Eliza answered for the cousins, as she pulled the will out of her bag. Klementyne flashed Eliza a look of absolute horror as Clementine gratefully accepted the rumpled paper she had entrusted to Eliza the previous evening. “Who might you be, young lady, and how are you connected to the Clementines?” Judge Loon asked as the bailiff walked over to Clementine to retrieve the paper so he could deliver them to the judge.“Yer Honor, this here is my personal inspector, Eliza Scarlet. I mean private investigator.” Clementine quickly changed her response as Eliza elbowed her in the side and whispered the correct words to her. Judge Loon nodded to Eliza and then ordered a brief recess so he read over the will. During the recess, one of the cameramen walked over to Clementine to question her about the case and what she hoped the outcome would be. “I just want my steer and Granny’s pink pickup back.” Clementine replied while wiping a tear from her eye. Meanwhile, a makeup artist approached Eliza with a massive foundation brush. “May I?” she asked politely. “You are showing up on camera, and your nose is a bit shiny.”“Oh.” Eliza nodded and made a mental note to step further back. No sooner had the makeup artist finished, Judge Loon reentered the courtroom. Clementine looked gleeful, he had returned before any of the cameramen could ask Klementyne any questions. He cleared his throat and asked for order. Once everyone quieted down, he spoke.“I have read over the will, and made note of three things. First, Granny Tangerine left her pink pickup to Clementine Jolie. Second, she also gave Clementine Jolie first choice of her three and one third of the cattle. Last but not least, this was the first will I have ever read that looks like it was written in crayon.” Judge Loon did not appear to be finished with his statements, but Clementine interrupted him.“Your Honor, it’s fussheeya lipstick. Granny Tangerine’s favor-right color and the only thing she had. Ya see, she left her purse at da house but lucky her, she carted her lipstick between her ladies, jest like she taught her grandgirls.” Clementine accentuated this comment by making certain her ladies were standing out, straight and proud, and proceeded to pull out her own pink lipstick from between them. “That law feller didn’t even have a writin’ utensil with him. No-buddy in the bar did.” “Well,” Judge Loon said as he put his hands together and looked at the two cousins. “I have reached a decision based on the testimony and documentation provided. I find that Clementine Jolie did have a right to the pink pickup and Golden Steak as Granny had wished in her will. I also grant her her requested damages in the amount of $10,000. Klementyne Lafou, you have until this time tomorrow to return both the pink pickup and the steer named Golden Steak to Ms. Jolie.” Klementyne tried to respond to the judge but he held up his gavel and shook his head. “I will hear no more, court is adjourned,” he said as he banged his gavel.“Whooee!!! We donned it ‘Liza!” Clementine whooped. “Go-n-git now an’ get me my bull and my money!” She said, turning towards Klementyne.“Ya ain’t gettin’ either!” Klementyne spat back.Eliza put a hand on Clementine’s shoulder, restraining her from attacking her cousin.“Ms. Lafou, regardless of whether you like the outcome or not, you have to comply with the judge’s verdict, if you don’t you’ll most likely be thrown in jail.” Eliza explained, though she wasn’t quite sure to what extent a TV Judge could actually uphold the law.Klementyne gave a careless shrug, for all the world looking like Tweety Bird when he managed to evade Sylvester the Cat. “I’ll tell ya where da bull shittin’ now but that’s all ya git today.”“Ah need the pank pickup to gittem back ta Okie and that ten thousy bucks.”“Pshew. Don’t get yer granny panties in a wad. You’ll git your money.”Clementine eyed her suspiciously. “Iffen you gots any nickels, they’s wooden.”“I gots way more nickels than that. I’s gots,” Klementyne paused with a confused look on her face. “Ne’er mind. I do gots em. Cuz I got top prize at the Testy Fest with them Golden Steak’s balls.”“But ya ett them. ”“I ett one. I put the udder’in in tha contest. Bulls got two balls ya know.” She said pedantically, as though explaining simple biology to them.Eliza shook her head. “What dare I ask is a Testy Fest?”“That there world famous Testicle Festival. In Goobertown, Ar-kansas. There’s biiigg bucks for the best tastin’ balls. Ah’m gettin tired of yer bull sheet. Where is my bull?!?!?!“Inna zoo.” Klementyne returned to studying her nails.“THE ZOO?” Clementine shrieked. “That’s my steer! Why’d’ya put ‘im in the zoo?”“‘Cuz I got my retarnation on you. And ya thank he cudda fit in one of these tiny Neryarkie apartments? Him’s was too wide for the front door!”From the way she said this Eliza gathered that she had actually tried to lure the steer into wherever she was staying.“Klementyne, you mean to say you drove Golden Steak to NY in the pink pickup? Even though you had already, ahem, eaten his testicles in Arkansas?” Eliza asked dumbfounded.“Fuh shore. When I got da summons about the case I figured I’d have to return ‘im, and da truck. So I bought ‘em with me.” She said, her reasoning sounding almost logical.Eliza rubbed at her forehead, deciding that trying to wrap her mind around that would be a waste of time. And brain cells.“Which zoo?” She asked instead, trying to remain the sensible adult of the group, even though she felt like she was Alice, falling down a rabbit hole into Wonderland. Only it wasn’t turning out to be so wonderful.“That biggun.” Klementyne reluctantly admitted.“The Bronx Zoo?”“Eh… naw, not that’un.”“The Queens Zoo? In Flushing Meadows–Corona Park?” Eliza tried again, hoping one of the words would jostle something in Klementyne’s memory.“Nerp.”“Central Park Zoo?”Klementyne snapped her fingers. “Yes’m, thet’un thar sounds right. Why ya not start with that’un?“Yes, why didn’t I?” Eliza muttered, growing more and more exasperated.“And mah pank truck?”Klementyne shuffled guilty, her heels scraping against the marble floor. “ahdunno.” She muttered.“YA DUNNO?” Clementine blew up.“Blame ya’self. Aftah I dun got here and saw dem hotel room prices I sold ‘em to pay for my ere bennabee. Aint’ nothing lack the End ah da trail heyah.” Klementyne’s phone began to ring with Boys Round Here, it was playing as loudly as the tiny device would let it. “Oee, that there my boo. Ta-ta.” Before they could stop her, she was gone in a cloud of perfume and high-pitched chatter.“‘Liza, whadoahdonow?” Clementine asked, for the first time since Eliza’s known her, looking sad and forlorn. “I still want mah Goldie, even if he jest a steer now.”Eliza put a hand on Clementine’s arm and squeezed sympathetically. “Let me make a call…”
William
William leaned back in his desk chair as Officers Honeychurch and Murphy debriefed him on their interviews of the tenants at Clementine's airbnb building.Oliver was sitting in a chair at the side of William’s desk, taking notes.“And no one saw anything?” William asked incredulously, wishing it wasn’t too early for his afternoon whisky. “Someone carried a body, through a building, to the roof, then dumped it into the water tower and no one saw anything? ” He repeated. “Screw it.” He muttered to himself and opened his drawer and poured himself a small shot. He tossed it back quickly. He knew it wasn’t professional, or strictly even legal, but he also knew the other men in the room wouldn’t snitch on him.“Sorry Sir.” Murphy said. “Let me tell you, Duke, we walked so much.” Honeychurch piped up. “We even interviewed the buildings on either side and across the street!”Murphy shot an odd look at the younger man. “Yeah, and this one here managed to step in gum, trip over the curb, and nearly tasered himself. I didn’t even think that was possible.”William sighed. “Okay, good work.” He said, but it was more directed to Murphy than Honeychurch. “I always work my hardest!” Honeychurch said proudly. “I owe you a drink.” William silently mouthed to Murphy, who grinned.“Fitzroy, any luck IDing our victim?”Fitzroy’s face fell. “No Sir, not yet. But I did find something on the security footage from a nearby gas station,” William perked up at that, “but it might not even be related.” Fitzroy rose from his chair and headed over to William’s computer. “May I?” He asked, gesturing towards William’s mouse. William nodded and pushed back from his desk, Honeychurch and Murphy came to stand behind them. In a few clicks Fitzroy had pulled up a grainy mp4 file and blew it up to fill William’s screen.
Cripes, what the hell is this? It looks like a VHS recording from the 90s that was taped over one too many times!
William squinted, watching as people walked by, and cars drove through the gas station that was on the corner of Tilden Street. It didn’t even have a direct view of the building’s entrance.He was just about to ask Fitzroy what the point of the video was, when Fitzroy exclaimed excitedly and pointed to a dark figure on the screen.“There! Doesn’t it look like that person is dragging someone with them?”“Kid,” Murphy said, patting Fitzroy on the back, “that’s quite a leap.”Honeychurch cocked his head. “They could be drunk. Very drunk.” He amended as the person being carried almost fell to their knees.“You can’t even tell if they are male or female.” William pointed out. The figures were so blurry, it was making them look wider than they probably were, and they were wearing baggy clothing.They continued up the block then vanished as the frame ended. It wasn’t clear if they turned into the apartment building or had just continued on up the street.William turned to look at Fitzroy, whose face had fallen with dismay.“Good job though Fitzroy.” William quickly said. And he meant it. “Murphy, Honeychurch, take over looking through the missing person reports.” The two men nodded and left. “Fitzroy, you’re with me.” William stood, reaching for his jacket.“Yes Sir. Where are we going?” Fitzroy asked as he followed William out of his office and through the bullpen.“To the morgue. Let’s see if Mr. Potts has found anything.”
Eliza & Clementine
An Hour Later
“We waitin for a religious dude named Moses? Can he part traffic?” Clementine asked as they jogged across 5th Avenue at 46th Street to reach the Central Park Zoo’s entrance. “Where he at anyways?” Clementine shaded her eyes with her hand and looked around for an old white dude with a beard and robe.“Don’t worry, he’ll be here.” Eliza said distractedly as a new email from Basil pinged in her inbox.
Testicle Search Progress
From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Dearest Eliza,I am simply on pins and needles waiting for an update on your oh so intriguing case. Please bring up to speed me at your earliest convenience.And whilst we’re on the topic, a little birdie has told me that your better half is currently the lead detective on that case involving a young woman’s body found in a water tower? Such a shame for one so young to have perished! But perhaps you should consider taking on that case too. A hot Scottish detective and his girlfriend partner would make for some very interesting reading.Regards,- BasilEliza frowned and suppressed a shudder as she read Basil’s email.
Does he think my life is a historical romance? And why am I ‘just' the girlfriend partner? I’m a detective in my own right! And how did he find out about William working that case anyway? I’m sure Basil has informants inside the NYPD. William will not be happy about this. But… that’s only if he finds out.
Eliza hesitated for a moment, composing her thoughts, then quickly replied. I’ll see what I can do. She typed. She stared at the one line of text, her worry and stress levels rising, but hit send anyway. I’ll just figure this out later. Moses should be here any moment. No sooner had she put her phone away she spotted Moses sauntering towards them.“I still don’t see a Moses character. You sure he’s comin’?” Clementine asked impatiently.“Clementine, he’s right here.” Eliza said. While Clementine had been looking in the opposite direction, Moses had walked up to them and was standing besides Eliza.“Clementine Jolie, this is Moses.” Eliza said, biting back a grin as she saw Clementine’s jaw drop.“You? Where are the ten commandments?” Clementine demanded. “Yer way too hot ta be ‘Moses’. You gotta diff’rent name?”“Just Moses.” “Honey, ya’self ain’t just anything. Mmm, mmm…” Clementine took her time, starting from his shiny black Magnanni’s and working her way up along the length of his legs, to his trim waist, broad chest, and ending at his face. “He doesn’t usually look like this.” Eliza explained with a laugh, as Clementine’s eyes wandered back to the open V of Moses’ crisp white shirt, and the gold lion’s head pendant he wore around his neck.Moses grumbled something unintelligible and reached into his pocket. He withdrew an elastic band and tied his long dreadlocks back.“This is the last time I go undercover for Nash.” Moses told Eliza. “It’s more trouble than it’s worth.”“Which he more than amply compensates you for.” Eliza pointed out.Moses grinned at her. “And when are you going to take the plunge and join me there?”Eliza glared at him, then turned to look at Clementine, who had let out an odd whimpering sound.“Shugah, tell me ya da only one in ya king-size bed.” She said, licking her bright pink lips. “Cuz iffen ya cold, I ken keep ya warm.”“No need. I have a wool blanket.” Moses said, not amused by the attention she was showering on him. “Now, why am I here? You said it was urgent.” He said to Eliza.“It is. I know you have a connection with the Wildlife Conservation Society. We need to set up a…ah.. jailbreak, I mean rescue , from the zoo.” Eliza explained, purposefully remaining vague.“Fuhget Golden Steak for him. I’d like one a’ him.” Clementine said quickly. She looked ready to devour Moses.“Golden Steak?” Moses narrowed his eyes at Eliza. “Don’t tell me this is another animal case. I said no more after those pigeons.”“He’s not just an animal!” Clementine protested. “He’s had the tastiest testy cals anyone’s ever eaten!”Moses subconsciously folded his hands in front of his crotch. “Is she a cannibal?” He asked, taking a step back, just in case.“Honey, I need ya balls attached for the plans in mah mind.” Clementine batted her long eyelashes, which only added to the eeriness of her statement. Moses turned to Eliza for an explanation.“Her bull was castrated by her cousin, turned into a steer, then placed in the Central Park Zoo. Now we have to get him back by order of the court of Judge Loon.” Eliza said, proud of her concise explanation.“With you, that almost makes sense.” Moses said. “Come on then, I have better things to be doing.”“We gonna go get ‘em?” Clementine asked excitedly.“Yes. I know a guy.” Moses said, but he was already turning onto the tree-lined sidewalk into the park and walking rapidly.“Yeeah, this is da bestest thang, ‘Liza! I knew you’d help me fine’em!” Clementine promptly got distracted by Moses’ rear end. “Jesus, ‘Liza, yer surrounded by hot men! Hold yah horsies honey, I got some more questions for ya!”Eliza laughed as Moses walked even faster, but he was no match for Clementine on the prowl. Even in her heels she managed to catch up to him and loop her arm through his, effectively gluing him to her side.“This is going to be a very interesting case indeed!” Feeling better about her day, Eliza followed them, happy to have something, no matter how bizarre, to report to Basil later that day.
William, Fitzroy, and Mr. Potts
The Morgue
William looked down at the young woman laying on the morgue’s table. A sheet was pulled up to her neck. Her face was eerily pale and sunken, as though she had been drained of all of her blood. Which was most likely true considering how much blood had flown out of the tap.Fitzroy stood across from him, his face full of sorrow. “She looks only a couple years older than Hattie.” William shook his head. “I know it’s difficult,” he said not unkindly, “But it’s best if you don’t start thinking that way.”Fitzroy nodded glumly. He still found it hard to dissociate the victims from who they might have been, the people they loved, and the people that loved them in return.“Sergeant. Detective.” Mr. Potts said, interrupting their conversation as he bustled his way into the room.“Potts.” William inclined his head in greeting. “What can you tell us about her?”Mr. Potts went over to the computer at the side of the room and pulled up the victim’s file. At the same time it was mirrored on a screen by the table. William squinted at the fine print.“Could I get the highlights?” William asked as he gave up trying to read it. “Did you ID her?” His priority was to notify her family. If she “Unfortunately, no.” Mr. Potts said, approaching William. “At least not yet.” He amended as he saw William’s frustration flash across his face. “But there’s a strong possibility that she was married. Or engaged.” He pulled on a pair of latex gloves before moving the sheet aside and holding up her left hand. There was a pale white strip of skin contrasting against the tan of the rest of her hand.“She must’ve had that ring on all the time.” William muttered, knowing how the skin on his wrist beneath his watch paled in comparison to the rest of his arm. “What else can you tell me?”“She did recently have unprotected sexual congress. There were still traces of semen.”“Violent?” William asked.“No. Consensual. We found estrogen and progestin in her blood results.”“Birth control…” William said, recognizing the two active ingredients. Fitzroy scribbled in his notebook.“I have a sample of the sperm, but I would need someone to match it to.”William nodded.“So she drowned in the water tower?” Fitzroy asked, looking up.“Oh, not at all.” Mr. Potts said. “She had been poisoned. With arsenic.”William started with surprise. “ And she bled out? Jesus.”“She was poisoned first.” Mr. Potts explained. “Her stomach was full of alcohol and she hadn’t eaten all day. The wound on her back happened posthumously,” he moved to the screen and swiped, a photo of the victim’s back flashed up. A large gash bisected her shoulder blades all the way down to her waist. Fitzroy winced. “There was no water in her lungs.”“Why would the killer go through all that trouble to dump the body in a water tower?” William had seen a lot in his career, but this baffled him completely.“Perhaps they assumed no one would find the body? We might not have if she hadn’t bled into the pipes.” Fitzroy pointed out logically.William scratched at his beard, lost in thought. “True. Eventually the water would have smelled rancid, but not for a while yet. So she was wounded in the water tower? There was no trail of blood anywhere near the crime scene.”“Sir, if I may point out,” Fitzroy bounced on his toes a bit nervously, “if her stomach was full of alcohol she could have been in the security video from the gas station.”William didn’t want to completely discredit his subordinate's idea but… “They were wearing baggy clothing in the video.”Fitzroy’s shoulders slumped. “If she was undressed afterwards…?”“The killer had a lot of time to commit the murder.”“It is NY after all. No one would’ve paid them any mind on the street.” Fitzroy said, standing firm regarding his theory.William nodded, not quite convinced but he didn’t have any of his own ideas, at least not until they did some more investigating.“Do we have an estimated time of death?” William asked Mr. Potts.“Between 12-14 hours from when she was found. She hadn’t been in the water for more than 5 or 6 hours.”“That would coincide with the CCTV footage.”“Hmmm…” Perhaps the kid’s onto something. Not that that video contained anything useful. William broke out of his musing. “The water tank had barely been half full. That would explain how the blood ended in the building’s plumbing by the time Clementine had turned on the tap.”Fitzroy and Mr. Potts waited to see if William had anything else to add. When it was obvious that he was thinking everything over, Mr. Potts cleared his throat, “I do have the ahem, nightgown she had been wearing.”William couldn’t help but give a wry smile as he watched Mr. Potts’ face go red at the mention of ladies’ nightwear.Mr. Potts handed a clear evidence bag to Fitzroy. “It was all she had on.” He added.“Her nightgown is quite beautiful.” Fitzroy said as he studied the lacy garment inside. “The lace is very intricate. I wonder if it’s handmade. Lacemaking is quite the lost art. Many bobbins are used to…”“Fitzroy… FITZ!” William said, trying to get his attention.“Oh, um, yes Duke?”“Take photos of the nightgown and send them to me. It’s a long shot but…”“...it might be sold only in a boutique shop!” Fitzroy’s face lit up. “I’ll do some digging!”William thought it was a long shot, but he knew that Fitzroy would feel more useful having something constructive to do. “Do that. And see if ID’ing her is possible.” William looked at the drawn face, between the loss of blood and waterlogging, he could hardly tell what she used to look like.“I’ll… I’ll try to do a reverse photo lookup online.” Fitzroy said with a gulp, knowing he would end up with either no results, or too many results that wouldn’t be conclusive. I’ll start looking into the lace nightgown… “If that’s all gentlemen?” Mr. Potts said, obviously eager to move on with his work.“Yes, of course. Give Ivy my regards.” William said as he and Fitzroy took their leave. They were just about to head to the elevator bank when William’s phone went off, the theme song from ‘Remington Steele’ began to play, sounding incongruously melodious in the stark hallway.“Hey love. I’m just finishing up at the morgue…” William trailed off as he had a hunch that Eliza had some bad news for him.“William! I found another body. I think it might be related to your case.”William could hear noises and lots of voices coming through the phone. Eliza was practically shouting to be heard over the commotion.“I’ll be right there. Where are you?”“Central Park Lake, the West side of it.”“On my way.” William hung up. “We gotta go. Thanks for the info Mr. Potts.” Barnabus nodded, having a feeling that he’d be seeing William again soon.“Was that Miss Scarlet?” Fitzroy asked, hurrying to follow William out of the morgue.“Yes. There’s been another body.”
Eliza, Clementine, and Moses
Earlier that Day
The three of them stood at the petting zoo pen, staring at Golden Steak, who was being showered with attention by a group of young children at the zoo on a school trip.A young girl with pigtails was petting his tail, a boy was kissing him on the nose, and the other children were patting his sides, their faces wide with excitement as their teacher spoke to them about farm animals.“And what sound does a cow make?”“MOOOO!!!” They cried out in unison, even Golden Steak joining in with a loud bellow of his own. All the children burst out into giggles.“He shore looks happy.” Clementine said. Though she was smiling, her eyes were sad. She couldn’t help but sniffle.Eliza smiled sympathetically and rubbed her back. “He does. He’s very charismatic.”Moses watched the two women incredulously. “A moment ago you were talking about eating him!”“Jest his balls! And that weren’t me , that was Klementyne.” Clementine explained.“Are you going to take him home?” James North, one of the zoo’s managers, and a friend of Moses, asked as he walked up to them. “I was here when your cousin dropped him off. It was suspicious but I couldn’t turn him away, he’s so friendly.”The steer, upon hearing James’ voice, plodded over to them and stuck his huge head over the fence. James chuckled and rubbed his nose. Clementine sighed and shook her head. “No. He’s found his life’s purpose here. And I dunno ware mah pank truck is. And,” she perked up as she had a revelation, “it’ll get me a reason to visit mah New Yawk friends.” She said as she eyed Moses, who frowned.Clementine rubbed Golden Steak’s neck. “I love ya, great steer o’ mine, but ya’s got new frands now. Granny’d be happy and I’ll be too. Soon. I hope you love yah new home in this here Big Apple.”Golden Steak turned and gave Clementine a lick with his massive tongue, all the way from her chin to her forehead.“Yeauck. Golden!” She exclaimed. “Ah needa teeshoe. Ware they at?” She rummaged through her purse, looking for a tissue or napkin to wipe her face with. Meanwhile Eliza turned her attention to James.“You said you were here when Golden Steak was dropped off?” Eliza asked, taking out her tablet to type in some notes.“Yes.”“Did you happen to see the vehicle he had been transported in?”James snorted a laugh. “Hard to forget, it was a bright pink pickup truck. Lucky he’s a calm beast, any other creature would’ve tried to jump out the way that woman had been driving. That truck was not in a good state.”“Oh?”“The truck bed was nearly touching the ground and there were scratches all along the side of it. When I told Ms. LaFou that it was dangerous she told me not for much longer, she was planning on selling it for parts.”Clementine let out a wail. “Mah truck! She’s classic!”Moses looked thoughtful. “I know a guy who deals in vintage vehicles. Even if she had taken it for parts any good mechanic should know its value. They would go through Joe to get a better price selling it as is.”“Ken yah call’im?” Clementine asked, looking hopeful. Moses already had his phone out and stepped away from them. All three craned their necks forward, trying to eavesdrop.“Uh-huh. Okay. Yes, I understand. Good. Thanks.” Moses hung up and turned around, startled to see everyone crowding around him.“Dooz he have it?” Clementine asked, nearly bouncing on the balls of her feet.“He might.”“He might? What in tarnation? He either has it or don’t.”Moses sighed. “He’s not at his shop in Brooklyn, he’s out on the Island. He’ll be there tomorrow, we can meet him then.”“We on an Island? What’s this “Island”?” Clementine asked.“Long Island.” Eliza explained. “Manhattan’s the City.”“Y’all confusing but fine. I suppose I can wait till tomorrow.” Clementine shrugged then hugged Golden Steak around the neck. “I’ll come visit you every day before I go home. I promise.” She squeezed him once more then let go. “Now, where can we go get some grub? I could go for a good cheeseburger!”
Two Hours Later
Moses had quickly slipped away before Eliza could invite him to join them for lunch. Clementine was initially disappointed, but when Eliza reminded her that they would see him tomorrow she perked up again.They had walked crosstown, through the park, to Shake Shack and were now circling the lake, watching frustrated couples rowing over the placid water.“Them there ain’t gonna stay married long!” Clementine chortled before taking a long slurp of her Triple Chocolate Brownie shake.Eliza couldn’t help but laugh at the plight of a young couple as the husband continued to row, headless of his wife’s warning, as they promptly crashed into a random tree root at the edge of the lake.Everyone could hear them arguing. “You didn’t listen to me! I told you there was a tree right there!”“I couldn’t see!” Her husband shouted back. “It was behind me.”“That’s why I said, look out for that tree. But did you listen? No. You never listen. You… AGHHHH!” The wife let out a loud shriek as she had tried to disembark onto the muddy bank. Whatever had startled her caused her to fall backwards, her husband catching her in his arms. “My… my hero!” She said, all of her previous ire fading away.“That did not sound good.” Eliza muttered to herself as she tossed her custard cup into a nearby garbage pail and jogged around to the side of the lake, where the rowboat had gotten stuck ashore.“Are you alrig…” Eliza’s voice trailed off as she saw what had caused the woman to scream.A woman’s body, clad only in a lacy white bra and panties, was laying face down, her wavy brown hair obscuring her face. Though knowing it was futile she checked for a pulse. She pulled her hand back, not wanting to contaminate the crime scene and gestured for the couple to stay put in the rowboat. They nodded their agreement as they realized she was going to call the police. Clementine for once had the common sense to stay back by the path. Either that or she was afraid of ruining her heels.With a heavy heart, Eliza pulled her phone out and quickly dialed William.“Hey love. I’m just finishing up at the morgue…” William trailed off as he had a hunch that Eliza had some bad news for him.“William! I found another body. I think it might be related to your case.”“I’ll be right there. Where are you?”“Central Park lake, the West side of it.”“On my way.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
LONDON - 1883
“Detective Fitzroy, Inspector Wellington.” Eliza said as she approached the two men who were standing in front of Scotland Yard, waiting for her. Eliza wore a small smile on her face, almost looking at William shyly, the events of the previous night still at the forefront of her mind. She knew it would be a while, perhaps never, before she would forget the feel of William’s brawny arms around her. The lingering sensation of his touch had kept her up all night.
Fitzroy glanced between the two of them, perplexed by their expressions.
“Miss Scarlet.” William replied, inclining his head. He knew he wore a silly grin on his face and he had to resist the temptation of taking Eliza’s hand and kissing it. Or pressing it to his cheek and
then
kissing it. “After you.” William gestured towards Arthur and the waiting carriage. Eliza entered and settled herself on the seat.
“Sir,” Fitzroy said to William, stopping him in his tracks, “are you and she…?”
“No.” William said firmly pointing a finger at Fitzroy. “Maybe.” He amended. “Not another word about this.” William said as he entered the carriage.
A huge grin broke across Fitzroy’s face. He bounced on his toes briefly then quickly followed behind William.
“Are we going to the Commissioners of Sewers?” Eliza asked once the carriage began to rumble down the street.
“Aye, they’ve commissioned a Dr. Sedgwick Saunders and Professor Wanklyn ever since the Aldgate Pump incident. They regularly monitor the water, although I’m not exactly sure if anything is being done regarding its purity.” William mulled this over. He never gave much thought to water, being a whisky man himself, he used it only for bathing and on the rare occasions he cooked for himself.
Fitzroy meanwhile was nodding in agreement. “Water quality
has
improved since the Public Health Act of 1848 was passed. There is a General Board…”
“Then it’s interesting that the pump had been contaminated by blood.” Eliza mulled this over. “I
know
it was blood.”
“We’ll find out shortly.” William said gently. “It certainly looked like blood on your dress.”
“Thank you William. For believing me.” Eliza subconsciously reached out to touch the back of William’s hand. William grinned. Fitzroy grinned, then quickly looked out the carriage window as William shot him a look.
It wasn’t much longer before they reached the Commissioner of Sewers and were led into an empty office. “Dr. Saunders will be with you shortly.” One of the clerks told them as he gestured they should take seats at the room’s conference table.
True to his word an older gentleman entered shortly after. His mien was of seriousness, and he looked troubled by the presence of the police.
“Gentleman. Miss.” He added as an afterthought. “You are from Scotland Yard?” He queried as he sat across from them.
“Aye. I’m Detective Inspector Wellington, this is Detective Fitzroy and Private Detective Scarlet.” William said, introducing all of them. To Eliza’s surprise Dr. Saunders seemed to take in his stride the fact that she was female. She couldn’t help but smile at that.
“How may I be of assistance?”
“Miss Scarlet had been pumping water at her neighborhood pump and the water ran with blood.” William explained succinctly.
Dr. Saunders’ eyebrows rose in surprise and he absently stroked his long gray beard.
“That is rather odd. Especially considering…
“Considering what?” William asked.
“How much do you know about our waterways and sewage system?” Dr. Saunders asked, changing the topic slightly.
William shrugged, “Not much.” Fitzroy leaned forwards, eyes bright with excitement at the prospect of learning something new. Eliza removed her notepad from her purse and held her pencil poised ready to write.
“Hmm… Well, if you’d permit me a brief explanation,” William waved a hand indicating that the doctor should continue, “the quality of our water has vastly improved since the General Board of Health had been established. Now that we know that cholera is in fact waterborne, as opposed to airborne, Joseph Bazalgette, the Chief Engineer of the Metropolitan Board of Works, has made considerable improvements over the years. We now have interconnecting sewers, carrying refuse out towards the Thames Estuary, embankments along the river… I am quite surprised your pump would run with blood. If your pump is being supplied by a river near a slaughterhouse it is not impossible that perhaps it had been contaminated…”
Eliza frowned, looking up from her detailed notes. “I… I hadn’t considered that it could be from an animal carcass.” She looked a bit embarrassed.
“No doubt in your line of work your first thought would be of a human body.” Dr. Saunders said politely.
“Perhaps it had been done in revenge?” Fitzroy piped up.
“Revenge?” William asked, wondering what his mentee was thinking.
“Yes,” Fitzroy nodded, “is it not true that embanking the river caused issues? I had read that warehouses and businesses along the riverfront lost their boat access to the Thames. It caused quite a stir, many lost their livelihoods and entire communities had been demolished.”
Dr. Saunders shook his head. “The majority of the work had been completed in 1870. Why wait over a decade to extract revenge? Most everyone is satisfied with the work, having clean water is of the utmost importance. It just remains to be piped directly into homes!”
Eliza couldn’t help but sigh wistfully.
How lovely that would be! I could take a bath every night!
“Could you tell us where the source of the water for Miss Scarlet’s neighborhood pump on Mayhew Avenue is?” William asked.
Eliza glanced at him.
I thought he would assume it was animal blood!
“It can’t hurt to double-check.” William said, as though reading her mind.
Thank you.
She mouthed to him over Fitzroy’s head.
“Of course. If you give me a moment I will go check.” Dr. Saunders left the room.
An hour later found the three of them walking along the side of a little river which flowed into the Thames, and fed Eliza’s neighborhood pump. They had found nothing suspicious.
Eliza, frustrated, kicked at a rock. William, who had been slightly ahead of her, turned back around and waited for her to catch up to him.
“I must apologize, William. It seems that this was a fool’s errand.” Eliza looked down at her feet, feeling a bit embarrassed.
William gently tipped her chin up, “At least now we know for sure that it was nothing.”
“True. Will you allow me to buy you dinner, as a thank you for your time?”
William’s eyes lit up. “If you’ll let me buy dessert, then yes, I accept.”
Their eyes locked, William was thrilled from head-to-toe, Eliza had not stepped away from him as she was wont to do during intense moments between them.
Does she want me to kiss her?
I want… I want him to kiss me…
William tipped his head slightly to the side and lowered it. Eliza’s eyes slowly fluttered closed. There was nothing around them but the sound of the river’s waves lapping at the shoreline and a few random birds…
“Inspector! Miss Scarlet! I’ve found something, come quick!” Fitzroy called out from a few yards away.
Eliza’s eyes flashed open, just in time to catch the look of disappointment cross William’s face.
“We’re coming, Detective Fitzroy!” She called out a bit huskily.
William swallowed and nodded as they walked towards Fitzroy, William’s hand lightly pressed against the small of Eliza’s back in case she slipped on the wet ground.
“I’ve found this.” Fitzroy pointed to something white caught on a low shrub.
William crouched in front of it. “A piece of lace? Why would this be out here?” William looked around then caught sight of another piece of white a bit closer to the waterline. He hurried over, realizing that peeking out from beneath the white fabric was a bare foot.
When he reached it he realized it was the body of a young woman, laying facedown right at the entrance of the pipe leading to the water main.
“Shit.” He muttered as he carefully turned the body over, then froze. “My God…”
“Sir, isn’t that…?”
“Yes, the woman who had come to my office yesterday. Melissa…” William scrambled to recall her last name. “James. Melissa James.”
“You knew her?” Eliza asked, kneeling at the woman’s side. “She’s lost a lot of blood.” Being careful not to handle the body too much Eliza began to examine her. “She has a large cut along her side, that was how her blood flowed into the pipe… William? Are you alright?”
“In a way. I’ll explain later.” William cleared his throat, a look of guilt upon his face.
Eliza narrowed her eyes.
Just how well did William know this woman? She has brown hair… as did Betsy and Arabella. Is that what he prefers?
Eliza thought of her blonde locks then shook her head.
This is more important than William’s physical preferences in a female.
Eliza pulled out her notebook and quickly began to sketch the gown Melissa James was wearing.
“What are you doing?” William asked.
“Sketching her gown. It’s a wedding gown, the lace is quite beautiful. Perhaps we can identify who had sold it to her. Ivy is planning on looking at fabrics for her wedding gown, I’ll go with her and bring the drawing with me.”
William nodded and gave Eliza his hand to help her to her feet.
“She was only recently engaged.” William told her.
“Was her wedding day today?” Fitzroy wondered.
“I dinnae know. Fitzroy, take Arthur, head back to the yard and send several constables to collect her body to bring it to Mr. Potts. Stay there and start looking for her family’s address.”
“Yes Sir!” Fitzroy hurried off, nearly slipping on the rocks.
“She came to me for help.” William said once they were alone. Eliza nodded, waiting for him to continue. “And I brushed her aside. If you had heard her, Eliza… rambling on about sinister shadows, she didn’t sound right in the head. I dismissed her without so much as even thinking to offer any help…”
William hung his head, full of shame.
Her death is on my hands. I could’ve at least had a constable follow her for a day.
He felt Eliza touch his forearm. “You couldn’t have known, William. All we can do now is do our best to find out who killed her.” Eliza let her hand slide down his arm until her palm met his and she intertwined her fingers with his. William finally turned to look at her.
“Thank you.” He said softly, squeezing her hand.
They stood silently, hand-in-hand, waiting till the constables arrived. As soon as William heard them he squeezed Eliza’s hand then let go to meet them.
Eliza waited with Melissa James’ body, looking it over once more.
She was so young. Interesting… if today had been her wedding day she hadn’t finished getting ready. The only article of clothing indicating a wedding is the gown. She has no shoes, stockings, or jewelry. Did she not have an engagement ring?
Eliza made a note to ask William if he had noticed her wearing one during his brief meeting with Melissa James.
“The constables will handle it from here. I’d like to get back to the Yard and see if Fitzroy made any progress in locating her family and fiancé.”
“Of course.” Eliza walked with William, wondering if he was planning on including her in the case now that it was a murder and no longer involved a simple sewage issue.
“If he has, we can interview her family today,” William went on, “if you’re not otherwise engaged.”
“I’m not!” Eliza said quickly, a smile lighting her face. “I still have some time before I transfer to Patrick’s agency.”
Not that I’ve discussed that with Patrick yet. I’ll just tell him another case came along that I have to wrap up first.
“Good.” William gave a nod and they entered his waiting carriage.
On the ride back to Scotland Yard Eliza studied her sketch and flipped through her notes. “William, I’ve been meaning to ask, Melissa James wore no jewelry, do you recall if she had an engagement…”
“Cripes, she did. She had a ring, I remember it because the stone was larger than anything we had seen at that jeweler…” William trailed off as they once again remembered the romantic words William had spoken at their fake proposal.
“Hmm…” Eliza flushed recalling that she had told William she would be happy with a small stone, “well she wasn’t wearing it. Robbery?”
“Seems a little odd considering how she was dressed. This feels more deliberate.”
“Do you believe someone dressed her in a wedding gown?”
William shrugged. “We’ll know more once we speak with her family. They’ll be able to tell us when she was supposed to wed.”
They remained silent for the rest of the ride, William staring thoughtfully out of the window, Eliza rereading her notes.
When they entered William’s office Fitzroy was already there, waving a sheaf of papers. “I’ve found them! I found Miss James’ family!” He said proudly.
“Good work Fitzroy. Tell us what you have.” William sat at his desk and Fitzroy and Eliza took seats across from him.
“Melissa James is the daughter of Frederick and Anne James. I found their file!”
“Their file? Have they been arrested in the past?” Eliza asked curiously.
“No, they had filed a missing person’s report regarding Melissa actually. Miss James had run away for a few days but had returned on her own. ”
“Does the file say where she had gone?” Eliza asked curiously, learning over Fitzroy’s shoulder to try to read it.
Fitzroy shook his head. “No. Just that she had safely returned. I do have an address for the James’.”
“When had she been reported missing?” William asked as he scribbled some notes.
“A mere three weeks ago.”
“Hmm… Eliza, let's go talk to her family.”
“And me Sir?” Fitzroy asked.
William glanced over at a stack of files on his desk.
Fitzroy chuckled. “Filing?”
“Aye, sorry lad, could you go through these? Give any open cases to Phelps to meter out.”
“Yes Sir.” Fitzroy collected the stack and left William’s office.
The James’ Residence
“I… I still can’t believe that Melly is gone!” Anne James cried into her handkerchief. “Her life was only just beginning!”
I would hardly consider marriage the
start
of one's life.
Eliza thought a bit grumpily. She glanced over at William, his mien serious, but not detracting from his handsomeness.
No one would say that about a man!
Eliza knew she should be paying attention but she couldn’t help a brief flash of her imagination, Arabella, resplendent in white, walking up the aisle to meet William at the altar. But as Arabella went up the last few steps to take his hand, his gaze drifted away from his future bride’s to Eliza’s, who was sitting in the front pew. Eliza smirked.
Although I do wonder how far William would’ve gone with her if she hadn’t broken things off first…
“...missing three weeks ago. Do you know where she had gone?” William asked. Eliza turned her attention back to the interview.
Frederick and Anne exchanged a glance. “No.” Frederick replied, but he had answered haltingly.
“Sir, we are doing our best to solve
your
daughter’s murder. If you aren’t being completely hon…”
“We don’t know where she had gone.” Anne said firmly. “She was… excited. About her engagement to Eric.”
“Eric?” Eliza piped up.
“Yes, Eric Taylor. He’s the foreman at the Cromford Textile Mill.” Anne said proudly, then her face fell. “It was such a perfect match!” She wailed.
William heard footsteps and looked up. Sitting on the stairs was a young girl of 15 years or so. She had scrunched her face upon hearing her mother’s words.
William surreptitiously tapped Eliza’s knee. When she glanced at him questioningly he tilted his head slightly. When Eliza spotted the girl her eyes widened.
“If you would excuse me for a moment, may I use your privy?”
“Oh, we recently had our home redone with indoor plumbing.” Frederick told her, sounding rather smug about it. “There’s a water closet in the hallway by the stairs.”
“Thank you so much. I… I look forward to using it.” Eliza said as she hurried off.
“Hello there. What’s your name?” Eliza asked softly as she took a seat next to the girl on the stairs. She looked like a younger version of Melissa James, there was no denying that they were sisters.
“Amelia. Father and mother are lying to you.” She said with annoyance.
“Oh? How so?” Eliza asked, eager for a clue.
“Melly ran away. To talk to Herbie.”
“And who is Herbie?”
“Herbie Rolands, her best friend, from when we were young. We used to be neighbors, but we moved away when father became rich.” Her face scrunched in annoyance. “It was nicer before. We were happier.”
“Do you know what she and Herbie talked about?”
“Probably about Eric. She didn’t want to marry him. He’s handsome but boring. Father arranged the marriage, he liked the fact that he’s a foreman with prospects at the mill. I thought she had run away forever, but she came back. And had agreed to marry Eric. I don’t know why.”
“Hmm…” Eliza had a few theories in mind, and none of them good.
“Did you notice if she was acting strangely when she had returned?”
Amelia nodded. “But it wasn’t right away.”
“No?”
“No. It started when…” She cast her gaze upwards, thinking, “when she and Mother started to make wedding plans. Gowns and the like, you know.”
“Um…”
“Aren’t you married to the handsome Scottish man?” She gestured towards William, who was still talking to her parents.
“No.”
“Oh. Can I have him?”
“NO! You’re too young. Thank you for your help.”
Eliza rose from the stairs, Amelia grabbed her hand. “You’ll find him won’t you? The man who did this?”
“Yes. Inspector Wellington and I will do everything in our power to find her killer.”
“Thank you.” Amelia looked down and sniffled. “I do miss her so.”
“I know.” Eliza gently pat her on the shoulder then returned to the drawing room.
“Did you notice if Melissa had been acting strangely these past few days?” Eliza asked as she took her seat again. From William’s frustrated expression she didn’t think she missed anything useful from the conversation.
“It was simply pre-wedding nerves.” Anne explained. “Like all brides. I’m sure you’ll get them too.” She said, waving a hand between Eliza and William.
“We’re not…” They both said simultaneously, then faltered as they shared a look.
William cleared his throat. “Did she not mention to you a shadow following her?”
Frederick’s expression turned to one of anger. “What are you implying?”
“Nothing!” William said, taken aback at his change of demeanor.
“Our daughter was fine. There was no sign of her being mentally unstable.”
William’s eyes widened in surprise. “You
did
know something. You feared you’d have to have her committed to an asylum?”
The James’ looked guilty. “She was ranting about being followed. We thought it was a ploy to postpone her marriage.” Frederick admitted.
William sighed.
I can’t blame them for ignoring their daughter’s fears. I’m equally to blame.
“If… if only we had listened!” Anne wailed, fresh tears streaming down her face.
“Is that all?” Frederick asked, looking tired as he wrapped an arm around his sobbing wife’s shoulders.
“Just one more question. Is this the wedding gown that Melissa was to wear?” Eliza showed the James’ her sketch.
Frederick glanced at it and shrugged disinterestedly. Anne shook her head.
“No, although this is a beautiful gown. Melly’s gown was in the final stages of being altered. I… I had asked a friend from our old neighborhood to design and sew it for her. She… she needed the money and is an excellent seamstress. Melly had one last fitting arranged for next week. Her marriage is, was, supposed to be the week after that. Why do you ask?”
Neither Eliza nor William wanted to tell them just yet that their daughter had been found dressed in a wedding gown that wasn’t her own.
“Simply a line of enquiry.” William replied noncomittantly.
William looked at Eliza, “Anything else?”
“No, I think that wraps everything up for now.” Eliza said, putting the sketch away.
“Thank you for your time.” William said. “We’ll interview Eric Taylor next.”
“He’s away.” Anne sniffled. “Visiting family in the country. He is supposed to return tomorrow. He… he doesn’t even know about Melly!”
“We’ll tell him tomorrow, first thing.” Frederick told her.
William and Eliza rose from the settee. “We’ll show ourselves out.” Eliza said softly.
Once outside Eliza turned excitedly to William.
“Melissa James had a best friend. A
male
best friend whom she confided in.” Eliza said.
“Is that what her sister told you?”
“Yes. We need to speak to a Mr. Herbie Rolands.”
William nodded as Eliza relayed the rest of her conversation with Amelia to him. When she finished he pulled out his pocket watch.
“It’s late now and Eric Taylor’s still out of town. How about we resume the interviews tomorrow?”
“Yes! That sounds ideal.” Eliza said, trying not to sound overly enthusiastic. But from the smile on William’s face she realized she hadn’t fooled him.
“Eliza,” William said, taking his hand loosely within his, “I know we spent yesterday evening together but, would you perhaps like to have dinner with me tonight?”
William looked hopeful, Eliza’s face lit up. “I’d lo…” Then she frowned.
I haven’t even checked my mail or messages from today.
“William, I’m sorry, I still have much to do at my agency. I haven’t even given Patrick a definitive transfer date.”
“Oh, of course.” William began to let go of her hand, but she gripped his tighter, using both of her hands to keep him from backing away.
“Rain check for tomorrow?”
I can’t risk losing him. Not again.
She really means it!
William smiled. “Tomorrow it is.”
Eliza let out a sigh of relief. William raised her hands to his lips and kissed the back of her knuckles. “Have a good evening.”
“You too William.”
He let go of her to flag a cab, then watched as she entered and waved as it took off down the street.
Things are different now. I can feel it, and I know she does too! I just have to go slowly so as not to scare her off. She’s not like any other woman I’ve known.
William returned to his office, knowing that a long night of catching up on cases was ahead of him.
Eliza
“William?” Eliza called up from her desk as she was going through the days’ message. “No, Patrick, I can hear your cane.” She realized as she heard the soft thump of his cane on the hardwood floors.
“Why do you continue to use that? You no longer need it.” Eliza asked as he entered with a smile.
“True, but it comes in handy in a fight.”
“You go out of your way to
avoid
fights.” Eliza teased.
“I find myself in more of them since having met you!”
“I can’t even argue with that!” Eliza laughed.
“You were expecting the Inspector?” Patrick asked as he took a seat.
Eliza shook her head, “No, no. We were working on a case together, I wasn’t sure if he had a breakthrough and had come by to let me know. We’re going to resume investigating tomorrow.”
“Ah. So you have a new client?”
Eliza fidgeted slightly in her seat.
“Not precisely…”
“Eliza! I have plenty of well paying cases for you, you hardly have to work pro bono.”
Eliza blushed then picked up a glass of whisky that she had at the side of her desk and drank, trying to hide her discomfort.
I see, she wants to work on cases that intrigue her, regardless of getting a fee or not. Or… perhaps it’s the fact that she’s partnering with the Inspector... Is that what she truly desires? His esteem more so than the actual case?
Patrick taped his chin thoughtfully, rethinking Eliza’s motivations.
I believe it’s a bit of both. But soon she’ll have 20 men under her, she won’t have to rely on him as much for information. Still, it can’t hurt for her to have a contact in the Yard.
“...so if I could just have a week to wrap things up…”
Patrick gave himself a mental shake and returned to the conversation.
“If you must.” Patrick begrudgingly agreed, not wanting to come across as a pushover.
“Thank you.”
I wonder when he plans on leaving for France. Then I can do as I please. He said I could take on whatever cases interest me, he never added the stipulation that they had to be paying ones! Though I would prefer to get paid of course.
Eliza still feeling slight misgivings about having agreed to work for him pushed them from her mind.
All will be well! This will be my final case as Eliza Scarlet, Private Detective. Soon enough I’ll be Eliza Scarlet, Chief Investigator and they’ll be no stopping me!
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
NEW YORK - 2023
Eliza let out a soft sigh as she slowly moved through her Sun Salutation, flowing through Chaturanga and Up Dog, then ending in Down Dog, where she pedaled her feet out, feeling her spine slowly begin to loosen up.
Clementine had gone off to hang out with Golden Steak, she mentioned something about having breakfast with him, and they still had a couple of hours before they had to meet Moses, and his contact Joe, regarding Clementine’s truck.
William was still fast asleep upstairs. Despite her promise to buy new lingerie and make love the previous night, she hadn’t found the time to shop, and not that that had mattered anyway, she and William had fallen asleep as soon as their heads had hit their pillows.
Several months ago she had taken up yoga as a way to destress, and though she didn’t do it often, she found that when she could squeeze in a short session her mind felt clearer and her body calmer. She took another deep breath and forced herself to push aside any thoughts of work, bull testicles, and Basil’s email, turning all of her attention to the soft-spoken voice of the yoga instructor piping out of her tablet’s speakers.
Eliza continued with her practice, lost in a peaceful place, then noted with some surprise that the class was already wrapping up.
Did 45 minutes go by already?
She wondered as she tilted her shoulders, first to the right, then to the left, feeling her joints release with the stretch.
She was just about to end her practice with one last Sun Salutation when she instinctively felt a presence behind her. A very large and very male presence.
She smiled, knowing it was William, most likely enjoying the view. She also knew that he wouldn’t want to startle her, unsure if she had finished or not. He had tried yoga once, at her insistence, and had quickly decided that after falling out of Warrior One, that it wasn’t for him.
Eliza looked over her shoulder coyly at him and winked before turning her head forwards. She shook her behind enticingly at him.
William grinned.
“Eep! William!” Eliza said, startled at feeling his strong hands on her rear end. “What are you doing?”
“Giving you a massage.” He explained.
“On my butt?”
“Hey, it’s a muscle too.” He argued, kneading her cheeks between his hands. He then took a step closer to her and ran his palm up her spine, holding her hip firmly with his free hand so she wouldn’t topple over.
“Mmm…”
She felt his fingers dance over each vertebrae in the space between where her exercise bra ended and her waistband begun. The calluses on his fingertips were rough against her smooth skin. He paused at the top of her buttocks, building anticipation. She shivered, then her knees nearly buckled beneath her as he turned his hand downwards and cupped her between her legs and put pressure on her mound with his middle finger.
Eliza spread her legs a bit more and wiggled, pushing herself against him. He chuckled softly, then leaned forwards. “How attached are you to these pants?”
“How attached…?” She asked, confused. Then she felt his finger tracing along the seam of the crotch.
“There’s a small hole here.” He said huskily, “I would think that would be detrimental to your exercise.”
Eliza snorted a laugh, knowing William had no idea what he was talking about, but if he said it in a sexy voice she’d give in.
“Yes William, the very tiny hole in my pants would completely ruin my workout.” Eliza said, trying to sound serious but failing.
“Shame.” William muttered, not really meaning it.
Eliza gasped as she felt him press a little harder, this time his finger went through the hole and she could feel the tip of it against her panties. He crooked his finger, just barely brushing against her clit.
“Oh… William… Please…”
“May I?” He asked, wanting to make sure that was what she wanted.
“Mmm… yes, please…”
Eliza gasped as William managed to push his fingers through the weakened seam and yank hard, the fabric tearing loudly. She felt cool air against her panties, then warmth as William yet again placed his hand between her legs.
He took his time, stroking her up and down, parting her folds, her panties dampening more and more with each pass.
She was just about to beg him for more when he stopped and bent over her, his hands sliding up her ribs, then pushing the edge of her sports bra up and over her breasts, freeing them. He gently massaged one first, then the other, pinching her nipples to hardened peaks every so often.
Eliza whimpered, not knowing if it was from arousal or from her arms nearly giving out beneath her as William’s weight was slightly resting over her back too. But she most definitely did
not
want him to stop.
He seemed to realize she couldn’t bear the physical strain for much longer and, with a final tweak to each nipple, he released her and stood, supporting her with one hand under her belly, the other one pulling at the waistband of her panties through the large rend in her pants.
With a grunt of satisfaction he managed to lower them enough to expose her slit to him, glistening with moisture.
Eliza, expecting William to use his finger a bit more, was surprised as she heard the ties of his drawstring sweatpants open, then the tip of his penis was just barely pressing against her. She waited with anticipation for him to enter her, but instead he slowly circled around her vagina, sometimes rubbing against her clit, before retreating.
“Argh…” Eliza groaned with annoyance.
“Is this what you want?” He asked, as he inserted just the tip.
“More.” Eliza demanded.
“More? Tell me what you want Eliza.” He growled, wanting to hear it, wanting to know how much his woman wanted him. He pulled out completely and began to tease her again. Penetrating her with just the tip over and over again, driving her wild.
“I want your cock. I want
you
.” Eliza finally managed to gasp out. Her hair had come undone, she was sweating, in an awkward position with half of her clothing on, the other half torn, and all she could think about was how much she wanted her man to make wild and passionate love to her.
“Good.” William replied, then began to inch inside her at such a slow rate she wanted to scream. But to her relief, William began to pull out, and thrust at a faster pace.
“Oh. My. God.” Between William’s hips pounding against her, and her arms weakening from the awkward position, Eliza’s body was shaking completely.
“Sweetheart, I’m going to lower you down.” William murmured, knowing Eliza would never admit to being worn out.
Gently, without even withdrawing from her, he supported her as her knees and forearms met the yoga mat beneath them.
Eliza let out a sigh. “Why did you stop?” She asked as she looked back at William, licking her lips.
“You. Are. Never. Satisfied.” William said, punctuating each word with a thrust, circling his hips in the way he knew she liked. He grinned as he felt her inner muscles tighten against him, squeezing him so hard he knew he wouldn’t last much longer.
“Come for me love.” He said, his tone so soft and tender in contrast to his body’s physical movements.
“Aargh!” Eliza cried out as her orgasm shot through her, her body tensing and contracting with each wave of pleasure. She felt William stiffen as he too found his release.
Simultaneously they each collapsed, Eliza flat on the mat, William flat on top of
her
.
“Sorry love.” William muttered. He kissed her back, her sweat salty on his lips, then carefully pulled out and moved just enough so he wasn’t crushing her.
“That…was…incredible…” Eliza finally managed to say once she had caught her breath.
“Aye. I'm really starting to like this yoga stuff!” William happily agreed.
Eliza tried to laugh but she was too exhausted.
They lay there, in content silence, William’s left arm and leg draped over Eliza, his sweatpants still around his ankles. Eliza’s clothing was in tatters but she ignored that and had her cheek pillowed on her hands, facing him.
They held one another’s gaze, smiles on their faces. There was no need to talk. No need to exchange ‘I love yous’. The feeling of love was all around them, an invisible blanket that was never far from their sides.
Then William’s phone beeped from somewhere near his feet.
“F’n phone.” He cursed in annoyance. “I’m of a mind to just kidnap you and run off to a deserted island and make love to you nonstop. Actually I take that back, we’d need a break to eat pizza.”
“On a deserted island?” Eliza asked, amused by William’s fantasy.
“Yes. Pizza Island. I’ll make sure they have some salad too. Just in case we tire of pizza. Which is unlikely.” With a groan, William rolled onto his back, raised his legs up and let his pants slide down to his thighs before pulling the waistband over his buttocks and tightening the ties. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
“Texts from Fitzroy.” He told her, a perplexed look on his face as he read the rambling texts that continued to ping as they came in. “Why can’t he just send them all in one message?” He muttered.
“How is your case going?”
I truly want to know. I just have to be careful not to accidentally reveal anything to Basil.
William returned his phone to his pocket before turning to her. Eliza had pulled her bra back down and was leaning over him, lightly caressing his beard.
“Complicated. So damn complicated.” William scrubbed at his face. “Thanks for preserving the crime scene yesterday. I can’t believe people want to take photos and videos of something like that.” William had gotten home so late, he had been too worn out to tell Eliza what had happened after she and Clementine had left the park. He had eaten some leftover pizza straight from the fridge, then promptly joined her in bed. “Fitzroy just texted me that he’s still working on trying to identify the body. But he does have a lead on her nightgown.” William wrinkled his nose in confusion. “Though I dinnae ken how that’ll help identify her.”
“Really?” Eliza said, perking up. “Is it bespoke?”
“Be-what?”
“Bespoke, custom made. Who's the designer?”
“Eh…” William pulled his phone back out, “it’s one of those two word type of names… Ah, here it is, Knots & Knickers. Her Instagram hashtag is #NotYourMamasKnickers.”
Eliza couldn’t help but snort a laugh. She took William’s phone from him and scrolled through the Knots & Knickers Instagram page, mentally filing away some of the items she spotted for herself, before clicking on the direct link to the shop.
“Wow, this stuff is pricey, it’s all handmade. She even makes custom underwear for special occasions.”
“Like yoga?” William waggled his eyebrows.
“No! Like for wedding nights.” Eliza continued to read, not noticing the expression of tenderness on William’s face. He was imagining Eliza in a beautiful white lace corset, and not much else, other than a pair of matching stockings and garter belt. He reached up to push some of her hair back from her face and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.
“William, apparently a shop on 6th Ave called Love & Lace takes orders and passes them along to… Lacey Lacewal, owner and designer of Knots & Knickers.” Eliza let out a woosh of breath. “That is very complicated to say. I wonder if that’s her real name…?”
William, having stopped listening, leaned up on one arm to kiss her lips.
“Mmm… William, I love you too, but if you keep kissing me…”
“If I keep kissing you what?”
“I… I’ve forgotten what I was going to say…” Eliza slowly let herself sink back down into William’s body as his arms encircled her, pulling her close, her chest pressing against his when…
“Yoohoo! Y’all done with the bedroom rodeo?” Clementine called out from the hallway.
William groaned as Eliza rolled off of him, pulling the yoga mat over herself, to spot Clementine, now approaching the living room doorway, shielding her eyes with her hand.
“How long have you been here?” William asked, horrified at having possibly put on a show for her. He tried to shield Eliza with his body, then realized he was probably being ridiculous. Clementine had seen him strip, and Eliza was mostly covered anyway.
“Naw, not long. I jest heard some kissy noises. You done? We gotta go see my cutie patootie now.”
“Who’s her cutie patootie?” William asked Eliza.
“Moses.” She replied with a grin.
“Seriously? Poor guy.” He muttered beneath his breath.
Eliza giggled into William’s neck. Clementine didn’t seem to have heard them.
“I’ll just give y’all a moment.” She said, walking past them as if it were an everyday occurrence to find a half naked couple on the living room floor surrounded by yoga gear. And for her perhaps it was.
William waited until Clementine’s footsteps faded away before helping Eliza to her feet. She was wearing the yoga mat like a towel, wrapped around her waist.
“You owe me a new pair of pants.”
William grinned.
“And
not
the cheap dollar store ones!” She added, not putting it past her boyfriend to buy another pair he could shred.
William’s face fell. “What if I get you two pairs? One cheap and one better quality?” He asked hopefully.
Eliza pretended to mull that over. “I think that sounds like a good compromise!” She forgot that she was holding the mat up and let it fall as she flung her arms around William’s neck to kiss him. His hands immediately grabbed her bare arse as he kissed her back.
“‘LIZA!”
“I’d better go get dressed.” Eliza said regretfully, pulling away from him and picking up her makeshift coverage.
“Tonight?”
“Tonight!”
William grinned as he watched her awkwardly climb the stairs to their room, her hips swaying enticingly despite nearly tripping over the mat.
Better add shopping to my to do list! I definitely want to do that again!
Eliza, Clementine, and Moses
“It was so exciting!” Clementine said as she hung onto the subway pole for dear life as it took a sharp turn, all of the passengers careening to the right.
Eliza smiled. “I’m glad you didn’t get lost.”
“Naw, Google got me rat thar. Red circle to yellow circle then YIPPEE! I was there with Golden Steak in a jiffy!” Clementine looked rather pleased with herself. “I even spied me some critters havin’ their breaky-fast on the tracks! As cute as a freckle on a pollywog. Wouldn’t mind takin’ one home with Bubba.”
“Ah.” Eliza said as she filtered Clementine’s words through her head. Then she immediately panicked. “Wait, you brought Bubba to my house?”
“Don’t rip yer yogi pants,” Clementine said with a sly wink before continuing, “he’s in the backyard. I fed ‘em this morning. He’s like Willie, likes thet cold pizza. Must be a New Yawk thing.”
“As… as long as he stays outside…” Eliza said.
And if he doesn’t, well… he’s fair game then.
“Where we meetin’ my hunk?” Clementine looked around. “Imma thinkin’ I rode this train this mornin’.”
“Yes, but going in the opposite direction of how you went this morning.” Eliza explained as the train rattled its way into Brooklyn.
“Whoo haw, this city for real is huge! Idy-bell could fit a hunnert times here!” Clementine pushed a few people aside to look out the window but there wasn’t anything to see other than the dirty tunnel.
“Isn’t it just?” Eliza replied, smiling at her friend’s enthusiasm.
They reached their stop in short order, much to Eliza’s relief, because Clementine had started talking to everyone in the train car, asking if they were “real New Yorkers”. It turned out most of them were tourists.
“Clem, we’re here.” Eliza said, taking her arm as the crowds jostled against them to get on the train. The two of them hurried upstairs into the sunlight.
“Phew! That was jest lack tryin’ to get into Walmarts on Black Friday!” Clementine exclaimed as she brushed off her tight hot pink miniskirt. She was just adjusting her sequined tank top when she spotted Moses walking towards them.
“Oh naw, someone pult all yer hair out?” Clementine asked as she eyed him, slightly disappointed. “You look totalleeee diff’rent.”
“My undercover case is over.” Moses explained. He looked more like his usual self this morning. Gone were the dreadlocks, gold chain, and snazzy shoes. He was now wearing rather nondescript clothing, black jeans and a dark shirt, to fade in with the crowds, and his hair had been cropped close to his head.
“Tsk tsk. Aw well. I’m more interested in what you gots underneath than up top anyhoos.” Clementine said, looping her arm through his before he could step away. “Now let's go get my wheels back. I ahm sure that Panki Bok misses me sumtin awful.”
Moses sighed and began to lead Clementine up the street, Eliza trailing behind, wondering if Panki Bok was the name of Clementien’s truck. It was a beautiful day out and Eliza couldn’t help but stare wistfully at a woman sitting on a park bench, reading a book and enjoying a cup of coffee.
I really need a vacation. I also really need a salary.
Eliza narrowed her eyes at Clementine’s back.
Did Klementein pay her the $10,000 in damages? Should I just ask her? She did say she planned on paying me for my services.
But Eliza remained silent, not wanting to interrupt Clementine and Moses’ conversation. To her disbelief Moses was actually laughing at something Clementine had said.
Eliza smiled.
I’ll ask her tonight.
As they walked the brownstones began to fade away and the area became more industrial. Warehouses, recycling facilities, and garages began to fill up the blocks.
“We’re here.” Moses said, coming to a stop in front of one of the many car repair shops on the street.
“Joe’s Under There Fast Repair.” Clementine read the crooked sign, a grin lighting up her face. “I lova this place! Gimme a pank wrench ‘n’ I’ll be right to home!” She looked around in awe as they walked inside, all around were vintage vehicles in various states of repair. Clementine nearly balked when she saw a 1967 Frost Turquoise Ford Mustang being taken apart for parts. “Poor baby.” She muttered to herself. “I’d give you some good lovin’.”
“Moses! To what do I owe the pleasure?” A tall thin bespectacled Latino man was striding towards them, a grin on his face. He had a navy jumpsuit rolled down to his hips, the sleeves tied tightly around his narrow waist. Though he was lean, Eliza could see muscles rippling beneath his black tank top and his tattooed arms looked strong. His brown hair was shaved on the sides but the rest was long and tied back into a ponytail.
“Señoritas,” he said, sweeping a mock bow as he quickly let his gaze slide over Eliza and Clementine’s bodies. But Eliza noted it was more with curiosity than sleaziness. “How may I be of assistance?”
“Ain’t you a fine model of a man…” Clementine waved a hand in front of her face as if she were about to melt into a puddle of pink pleather in Joe’s presence. “But sorry, honeybug, I gotta stay focused, much as I wouldn’t mind you
undah theyah.
” Moses raised an eyebrow at Eliza, who was trying not to laugh. “I’m here for mah pink Panki Bok Pickup.” Clementine gestured to herself, as if Joe didn’t know what color pink was.
“Punky Bow?” Joe repeated. Moses was just about to explain, but Joe went on, “You mean that 1955 beauty of a Chevy Cameo? She as fine as you.” Joe reached for Clementine’s hand and picked it up, pressing a kiss to the back of it.
“So you’ve seen her? Panki Bok?” Eliza asked, hoping to solve the case as quickly as possible and get paid.
Joe nodded, but he didn’t look happy. “Yeah, I did. Some guy bought her in and dumped her here. Said he paid top dollar for her but she could barely run. I got her for a steal.” He shook his head. “Still can’t figure out what was transported back there to make her sink so low.”
Clementine let out a strangled cry. “My Golden Steak dun did that. My dumbass cuzin don’t know nuttin ‘bout bulls’n’trucks. Him’s too much bull for the back.”
Joe looked at her, confused for the first time since they had met him, but he didn’t ask her to elaborate. Probably for the best.
“Is it, sorry,
she,
here?” Moses asked, looking around hopefully. He was eager to get back to Nash’s office and pick up a real case.
“No.”
All three groaned, but for different reasons.
“I sold her to a collector. He was very eager. Does his own tinkering, didn’t even want me to fix her.” Joe said apologetically.
Clementine stomped a pink high-heeled foot in frustration. “She’s worth a hunnert kays!”
Eliza’s eyes widened in surprise. “Seriously?”
Joe nodded. “In working condition.” He gave a shark-like grin, “He gave me $5,000.” He gave a chuckle. "Which is $4,500 more than
I
had given for her."
“He paid you wut?” Clementine repeated in disbelief.
Joe sealed his lips shut.
“Howyam ah gunna get her back?” Clementain wailed. “I ain't got no bucks on me!”
I guess her cousin didn’t pay her yet.
Eliza thought sadly.
“Look,” Joe said, placing an oil-stained hand on Clementine’s shoulder, “I can give you the name of my customer, but the odds of him selling it back to you are…”
Clementine nodded, “Slimmer than a frog’s chest hair.”
“Yup.”
“We’ll take his name anyway.” Eliza said, opening her tablet to take down the man’s name. She grimaced when she saw an incoming email from Basil.
Shit.
She ignored it for the moment and opened her file with Clementine’s case notes.
“His name is Kostas Galanis.”
Eliza’s finger hovered over the keyboard, her entire body stiffened at the name. She looked up slowly then glanced at Moses, who shared a look with her. Only Clementine didn’t seem to notice that the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.
“Awesum possum! Let’s go find’im!” She looked around as she realized everyone had gone silent. “Wut? Why you looking funny? Is he famous or sumtin?”
“He is a very
infamous
man.” Moses said, being vague.
Eliza scoffed. “That’s an understatement. He’s only the head of the Greek version of the mafia.” Eliza said with a sigh. She closed her eyes.
And I’ve already had a run in with his family.
Clementine’s eyes widened.
“Wowee! This gonna be the best vacay evah!”
“Doesn’t it just?” Eliza said wearily.
I suppose this day can’t get any worse. Might as well rip the Band-Aid off at one shot.
She flipped open her email app while Moses explained who Kostas “Gus” Galanis was to Clementine.
Updates Required on Steer, Truck, and Water Tower Cases
From:
[email protected]
To:
[email protected]
Dearest Eliza,
It seems you are a
teensy-tiny
bit behind on providing updates on your cases. I do so hope this is because you are scurrying about like a rat on the tracks searching for clues!
Please let me know how you fare as soon as possible. I would like to begin publishing the articles soon. We both know how important good PR is!
Regards,
- Basil
Eliza gritted her teeth and began to type.
Re: Updates Required on Steer, Truck, and Water Tower Cases
From:
[email protected]
To:
[email protected]
Good day Basil,
I sincerely apologize for not having written to you sooner. I have indeed been busy on
my
cases.
Clementine’s steer, Golden Steak, has been found at the Central Park Zoo. That is to be his new home.
Her truck was stolen by her cousin Klementyne. We are currently in the process of recovering it.
The Water Tower Case is being investigated by the NYPD.
Regards,
- Eliza
Eliza wanted to kick herself, none of that sounded remotely interesting for anyone to read. And she most definitely was
not
going to mention Gus Galanis.
I know Basil won’t be happy about this. Especially not the Water Tower Case. Maybe I can ask William how it’s going tonight. I’ll just keep pushing Basil off for as long as I can.
Eliza turned back to her friends, ignoring the feeling of dread in her stomach.
William
“Good day sir and welcome to Love & Lace, the premier store for all of your wedding night needs.” A tall thin woman sauntered over to him. William had a feeling if she turned sideways he wouldn’t even be able to see her. Though her wheat blonde hair was pulled back austerely, and she had a no-nonsense demeanor, her smile came across as being genuine and William started to feel at ease in a store filled with skimpy underthings, bolts of lace, and women. Lots and lots of women. He heard several of them titter as his gaze roamed around the store. His face turned red and he grew uncomfortable once more and he had to remind himself as to why he was there.
“Ahem.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Is there perhaps some place private we can talk?” He didn’t want to put the saleswoman on guard right away.
Let her think I’m here to buy something for my fiancé. Besides, if no one here is involved I’ll probably be back. Eliza would look lovely in that pale blue, um… laced up thing. I wonder what that’s called…
“Of course. If you’d follow me.” The woman turned and began to walk, her heels clicking on what William realized to be a marble floor. A young woman, standing amongst her friends, wiggled her fingers at him in a wave.
“I’m not the bride.”
She mouthed silently to him before running her tongue over her upper lip suggestively.
“I’m taken.”
William mouthed back, giving her a shrug.
“Drat.” She said aloud, which set her friends off laughing again.
“Don’t worry Millie, we’ll find someone for you!” One of them told her consolingly.
“Besides, John’s friends are coming from the West coast. You can hook up with one of them!” A woman, William was assuming the bride, told her.
Before he could hear Millie’s reply, the saleswoman was showing him to an office at the back of the shop.
“Now, how can I help you Mr…?” She said in crisp tones as she indicated William should sit in a plush chair across from her desk. She stood to the side, pouring him a glass of water.
“It’s Detective Sergeant Wellington.” William clarified, watching her for any indication of nervousness. But her hand didn’t even tremble as she passed him the glass. He took a sip before putting it down on a marble coaster, conveniently placed on the desk for him.
“And are you here for business, or for pleasure?” She asked as she took her seat.
“Busi…” He wrinkled his nose. “Probably both.” He admitted.
She smiled. “I appreciate your honesty. My name is Patricia Bliss, proprietor of this establishment, and yes, before you ask, that is my real last name.”
William chuckled and nodded in understanding. “My nickname’s Duke.” He told her before continuing, “I’m here about a purchase.”
“Oh? Do you know who the customer was? We keep detailed records of our sales.” She turned to her computer, fingers poised over the keyboard. William felt a bit foolish hoping the customer could be found from the nightgown.
“Eh, not quite… I know it’s a long shot, but would you be able to recognize a piece of lingerie from a photo?” William pulled his phone out and began to scroll through the images Fitzroy had sent him. “All we know is that it’s from Knots & Knickers.” He handed her the phone, the photograph of the wet and bloody lace nightgown blown up on the screen.
Patricia tsk’d at the state of the nightgown. “Yes, this is one of Lacey Lacewal’s creations. She has a very distinct way of making the lace, I’d recognize it anywhere. And in any condition. If you don’t mind my asking, how did this happen? Lacey’s lingerie is not cheap. Customers tend to be very careful with it. Even in the heat of passion.” She chuckled to herself at something amusing and began to type rapidly. William flushed even though there was no way Patricia could’ve known how he himself had left his girlfriend’s clothing that very morning.
“Unfortunately the nightgown belongs to our victim. We’re trying to ID her body.” William said this gently, in case Patricia knew the victim.
“Oh dear.” Her mask of professionalism slipped for a moment and William saw true sorrow on her face. “I do hope you catch the person responsible.”
“We’re doing our best.” William replied. Patricia turned the computer screen to face him. It was filled with thumbnails of various lingerie.
“These are all Lacey’s. We take the orders and pass them along to her. She designs them and handmakes everything. She’s quite in demand, her waitlist can be even up to a year.” She clicked and ran a filter. Images of underwear, corsets, and various underthings vanished until only nightgowns remained. William glanced at the results. There were five pages with approximately 20 items on each page.
“Cripes, that’s still about 100 possibilities.” William muttered.
Patricia looked at the photo on William’s phone again, studying it thoughtfully. “I can’t say for certain, but it looks like one of her newer designs, she’s been using larger flowers within the lace this past year. Let me narrow it down to this year.”
William nodded and watched as more garments dropped away. Two pages remained.
“That’s much better.”
“Yes.” Patricia clicked on an image and slowly began to scroll through them. None seemed like a match until…
“Aha! I think this might be it!” Patricia pointed to one of the images.
William squinted. Everything was starting to look the same to him, white and lacey. “I’ll trust your judgment.”
Patricia smiled and opened the file associated with the image.
“Ah…” She said and made a strange face.
“Is something wrong?” William asked, peering at the customer’s name at the top of the screen. “Martha Jones? Did you know her personally?”
Patricia remained silent for a moment. “I don’t like speaking ill of the dead…”
“This is a murder investigation.” William reminded her.
“...but I had overheard her talking with her friends when she had come here to have her measurements taken.” Patricia looked uncomfortable, but went on, “she was telling them that she was having a final fling with her fiancé’s best man before the wedding. She was more excited to show
him
her new lingerie than her fiancé. I remember this because it all happened this past month.”
William nodded and typed the notes into his phone, simultaneously copying them over to his texting app to have Fitzroy do some background searches. He was just about to wrap up the interview when his phone pinged with a text from Fitzroy.
The second victim was wearing Bobbins & Boobies undergarments.
“Bobbins & Boobies?” William read aloud.
“That’s one of Lacey’s companies.” Patricia told him.
William raised an eyebrow.
“She doesn’t really advertise the fact that she owns it, it’s not as um,
delicate
you see. She doesn’t want it to hurt her image of selling innocence on a wedding night.” Patricia gave a wry smile, it was far and few in between to find a bride who hadn’t already ‘done the deed’ before her wedding.
“Eh? Sorry, you’re going to have to spell it out for me. Delicate?” William said, completely confused as to why Patricia had turned red.
Patricia let out a breath, trying to figure out how best to explain, “We don’t sell
that
line here. It’s more affordable undergarments, Lacey designs them but has everything mass produced. Each set comes with
ahem,”
she lowered her voice to barely a whisper,
“bondage gear.”
William blinked.
“Her advertising campaign is called Bound by Black. Her signature item is black ribbons.”
Patricia was talking so low that her voice had gone hoarse. William didn’t know whether to laugh or look it up to buy something for Eliza.
“I’ll look into it.”
He whispered back, then cleared his throat. “Thank you for the information.”
“Now, would you like something for your lady friend?” Patricia asked, eager to get back to what she did best, making women feel beautiful.
William imagined Eliza in the pale blue contraption he had seen at the front of the store…
“Yes. Could I purchase something from Knots & Knickers?” William had liked what he had seen on Patricia’s computer. To his surprise Patricia chuckled.
“Unfortunately it’s not that simple. She’s already booked through for the remainder of the year.”
William furrowed his brow.
“But, she does run a monthly contest, ‘Alrighty to the Nightie’ off of her app, which is also called ‘Knots & Knickers’. If you submit a lingerie or romance related question with the hashtag, #NotYourMamasKnickers, you’re automatically entered into the raffle. Although she does get many submissions.”
William nodded. “That’s fine, I’ll come back to shop another time. I liked that blue… thing, at the front of the store. Do you have contact information for Miss Lacewal? I might need to interview her too.”
“She’s quite the recluse. She doesn’t like dealing with clients, which is why we take the orders for her. We have a very detailed form to fill in. I’ve never met her in person, but I do have her email and a phone number.” Patricia pulled out a notepad from her desk drawer and began to write down Lacey’s contact info. “Here you go Sergeant.”
William took it from her and tucked it into his pocket.
“Thank you for your time Ms. Bliss.” He stood and held out his hand, but rather than shake it, Patricia grinned and picked up a catalog she had on a shelf behind her and gave it to him.
“To give you some more ideas.” She said with a knowing smile.
William laughed, it was a catalog for the shop, with multiple brands of lingerie within.
“Thank you. I’ll be in touch.”
William left, a new set of customers in the store eyeing him as he exited the office, but his mood had lifted as he thought of Eliza, wearing nothing more than a few scraps of lace.
This is turning out to be a pretty good day after all!
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
LONDON - 1883
“Lizzie, this is beautiful! But goodness,” Ivy dropped her voice, “have you seen how expensive it is?”Ivy quickly dropped the tag from the bolt of silky fabric she had been examining as though it were a hot coal. Eliza wrapped her arm around Ivy’s shoulders and hugged her tightly.“It’s your wedding and if you like this, then no cost is too high!” Eliza picked up the tag and studied it. “Is that for the whole bolt?”“No, Lizzie that’s for one yard. ”“Seriously? Is it made with gold thread?” Eliza went to touch the fabric, then pulled back, afraid to leave any fingerprints on it.“Can I help you ladies?” A stately elderly woman approached them, looking down at them through her round spectacles.Eliza straightened her shoulders. “Yes. We were looking at your selection of fabrics for a wedding gown.”“Then that one is not for you…”Eliza bristled at her tone, assuming she had heard her comment regarding the cost. She was about to say she could afford two bolts, when the shopkeeper continued.“... this one would suit your coloring much better.” Sounding pleased with herself she pointed out another bolt, a silken fabric that had more of an ivory hue than white.“Oh.” Eliza said, feeling a bit chagrined for thinking badly of the woman. “That is lovely.” She was just about to mention that she wasn’t the one getting married, but then recalled the sketch in her purse. “My friend recently had this gown made. I was rather intrigued by the lace, it’s very intricate and nearly covers the entire gown.” Eliza reached for the drawing, Ivy eyeing her with suspicion.“That is beautiful, but with your petite frame I would recommend a simpler gown, with less layers. It is your wedding day, your gown should frame your loveliness, not steal the spotlight from you. Your fiancé should not be able to pull his eyes away from you as you walk up the aisle.”Eliza blushed as she had a flash of an image of William, standing in his tux, watching her walk down the aisle, he took a step down from the altar, eager to meet her before she could even reach him. “You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever…” “Lizzie? Lizzie!” Ivy was lightly shaking her arm. “Are you alright? You look flushed.”“I’m… I’m fine. Um, but the lace in this gown, do you recognize it?” Eliza asked, trying to regain her focus. Ivy curiously looked at the sketch from over Eliza’s shoulder. Why is Lizzie asking so many questions about this wedding gown? Ivy glanced at her, catching the telltale look of Eliza on a case, bright eyes, intense concentration, and an unusual interest in a topic that she had absolutely no regard for. Weddings.Ivy shook her head, but she wasn’t truly surprised. A case would certainly explain her sudden eagerness for this shopping expedition! If only she would work up this much enthusiasm on an actual wedding. Hers. To the Inspector. Then Ivy frowned. What does he see in that Arabella? Lizzie is much prettier than she is. “Unfortunately, I don’t recognize this lace. I can tell from the drawing that it is very high quality. We do have some other lace options that perhaps I could interest you in?”Eliza sighed with frustration as she returned the sketch to her purse, but she continued to follow the shopkeeper to the lace section. For Ivy’s gown of course.
An Hour Later
“Lizzie, would you care to explain what is going on? I’ve never seen you so interested in wedding gowns before.” Ivy looped her arm through Eliza’s as they began to walk up the street to their next stop, another wedding store, but a larger one, which also housed a milliner, glove maker, and cobbler.“It’s for a case.”“I assumed as much.” Ivy said with a smile. “Runaway bride?”Eliza shook her head. “No, most likely a murder.” Eliza said casually. “She might have been stalked. William and I are working on it. Together.”“Oh? That’s nice…”“He’snotcourtingArabellanylonger.” Eliza said in a rush, her face going bright red. Ivy’s face lit up. “Really?”Eliza nodded, “Really. Although…”“...although what?”“He said that she was the one to break it off. But he was a bit vague as to why . I… I can’t help but wonder if he misses her. Although he didn’t seem overly upset over it.” Eliza wrinkled her nose. “It’s all so very confusing.” He said I was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen… Eliza opted not to tell Ivy about her evening when William helped fill her tub, and saw her with her hair down.“Only if you make it so.” Ivy hesitated, then decided to plunge headfirst into the conversation, as Eliza was for once being rather open about her relationship with William. “Lizzie, don’t you think that perhaps it’s time to give him a chance to… Lizzie?”“We’re here!” Eliza pushed the door open, the bell above them tinkling merrily. She stopped short as she recognized the mustachioed man who began to greet them with a smile, which immediately turned to a scowl. “You!”
“YOU!” Ivy looked between them with confusion. “Lizzie, do you know this man?”Eliza scoffed and crossed her arms. “He is Mr. Salisbury, former employee of Wentworth’s.”“I beg of you, keep your voice down Miss Scarlet!” Salisbury looked around, hoping his new employers weren’t listening in.Eliza’s eyes shone. “I will. Under one condition.”“And what might that be?” Salisbury asked nervously.“Two conditions actually.”“Fine! Get on with it.” He said crossly.“Do you recognize the lace on this gown?” Eliza asked as she passed him the sketch.Salisbury raised the sheet to his nose and squinted. “Goodness, yes, I do.”Eliza nearly squealed with joy. “Is it sold here?”“It is used on our higher-end gowns. I recognize this pattern but I cannot recall the supplier's name.”Eliza’s face fell. “One moment.” Salisbury waved over a shop girl. “Delia, do you recall the makers of this lace?”“Yes, Mr. Salisbury. It’s from the Wallace’s shop.”Salisbury snapped his fingers. “That’s right, they make incredibly intricate lace.”“And gowns Miss. As they are a small shop they can’t keep up with all the orders they receive. Their prices are rather high, so they sell the lace to certain stores and seamstresses as an alternative for brides with lower budgets.” Delia sighed. “To have a dress made by them… what an honor!”“That will be all Delia.” Salisbury shooed her off. “We have very high quality gowns here too.” He added for good measure. “Now, what was your second condition?” He asked, wanting to end the interview as quickly as possible.Eliza grinned. “You give Miss Woods a discount on her wedding gown. A sizable discount.”
William’s Office
“... then Ivy and I headed to yet another shop, wedding gown shopping is exhausting by the way, and that shop is also supplied with Wallace lace! According to the shopkeeper there, Wallace lace is completely made by hand. The flowers in the lace can be customized to the bride’s exact specifications.” Eliza ended with a flourish, sitting back in her chair and taking a sip of the whisky William had given her.“That’s excellent work Eliza. Did you go to the Wallace shop?” William asked, pleased with all the information she had gathered.Eliza shook her head. “No, unfortunately I had run out of time. I didn’t want to miss interviewing Herbie Rolands and Eric Taylor with you. Perhaps we could go to the Wallace’s afterwards? Together?”“And dinner…?” William asked, hoping Eliza hadn’t forgotten her promise to dine that evening.“And dinner.” She said with a smile.William grinned and rose from his desk, walking over to her. He held his hand out for her empty glass of whisky and their fingers brushed lightly. Eliza felt a warmth flash through her as she remembered the feel of William’s fingers pressed into her waist, and then her back, as he had held her, comforted her, after her bath that night. It had become that night in Eliza’s mind. I wonder what it would be like to kiss his lips… “Thank you Eliza. For sharing the information with me.” William said, pleased that Eliza hadn’t held anything back from him.Eliza thought William’s words over. I suppose that’s true… I usually do hold something back. And he could tell. I… I like sharing with him, it feels… good. Though I suppose it does go against my nature. Perhaps I can be more forthcoming with him in the future. And not just on cases. She realized William was waiting for her reply.“No, thank you for allowing me to go on the interviews with you.”“Then we’d best be going. Fitzroy’s tracked down Herbie Roland’s address for us.”
Herbie Rolands’ Interview
A short while later Eliza and William stepped from the carriage onto a block of less affluent homes than where the James’ currently resided.Eliza looked around. “Amelia, Melissa’s sister, had said that they had been happier living here.”William shrugged. “With money comes problems I suppose.” He scoffed, “Not that I would know.” He muttered beneath his breath. Eliza couldn’t help but laugh in agreement.“It would seem Mr. Rolands remained in his childhood home.” Eliza said as she rapped on the door of the address William had directed her to. The door was answered quickly, causing Eliza to take a step back in surprise. She immediately felt William’s hand at her lower back, steadying her.“Mr. Rolands?” William asked the young man who had opened the door. He was tall and thin with curly ginger hair. His brown eyes looked haunted and his shoulders were hunched forward.“Yes. Could you come back another day? I’m not interested in becoming a Mormon today.”“Eh, no. I’m Detective Inspector Wellington. This is Private Detective Scarlet. We’re here to ask you some questions about Melissa James.”“Melly’s dead!” Herbie wailed. He swayed like a reed in a lake on a windy day. William, unsure if the young man was going to fall over, stepped around Eliza and placed his hands on Herbie’s biceps, steadying him. Herbie, misunderstanding the gesture, leaned forwards, nearly folding himself in two, then rested his forehead on William’s shoulder and began to cry.Though it was a far from humorous situation, Eliza couldn’t help but bite her inner cheek to keep from laughing. William’s expression and gone from confused to horrified in two seconds flat. In the end he settled on looking lost as he gently pat Herbie on the back. Help! He mouthed to Eliza.Eliza simply shrugged. William narrowed his eyes at her.“Mr. Rolands…”“Herbie.” He corrected with a hiccup.“Eh… okay, Herbie, why don’t we go inside where we can talk more comfortably.”“Yes, you’re right. It’s awkward bending over you. We can sit on the settee.”Eliza nearly choked on her laughter as Herbie led Wiliam inside with an arm around William’s shoulders. She quickly followed behind them, not wanting to miss anything.Herbie led William to a small settee in a small apartment and pulled him down to sit next to him. Before he could begin crying on William’s shoulder again, William thrust a handkerchief at Herbie.“Here. Cry into this.”“Shankyooo.” Herbie sniffled then blew his nose loudly into the handkerchief. I’m glad that wasn’t one of the ones Eliza had given me! William thought as Herbie went to hand him back the soggy handkerchief but William gestured that he should keep it.“Did you a…arrest Eric?” Herbie asked in a tremulous voice.“Eric Taylor, her fiancé?” Eliza said, standing a safe distance away by the fireplace.Herbie nodded rapidly, his curly hair flopping against his face. “Yes.”“Do you have reason to suspect that he killed her?” William asked. “She was planning on leaving him for me. We were going to elope.”“Amelia said that when Melissa had returned she had agreed to marry Mr. Taylor.” Eliza pointed out.“Only to appease her parents while I prepared for us to leave London. We didn’t want anyone coming to look for her in the interim.” Herbie hung his head. “I never should’ve sent her home. If only we had just run off that day!” Tears began to run down Herbie’s cheeks again and he began to gravitate towards William, who quickly stood.“Do you know why she had been acting strangely when she had returned home?” He asked, hoping to distract Herbie from further waterworks.“I suppose it was because she was nervous about running off with me. We’ve been friends for so long, it was only under the threat of her being promised to another that we realized how much we meant to one another.” Herbie shook his head. “I should’ve told her I loved her from the moment I had met her. I… I thought I had all the time in the world!”William felt a chill go down his spine at Herbie’s words. He couldn’t help but glance at Eliza, who wore a funny expression on her face.“It wasn’t due to her planned elopement. Amelia said she had begun acting oddly once the wedding plans were fully underway.” Eliza said.“Then I don’t know. We had decided to keep contact to a minimum so no one would be suspicious of her. We were worried that if her parents were to catch wind of our plans they’d never let her out of their sight!” He heaved with a sob. “What I wouldn’t give to tell her I love her one last time!”William nodded to Eliza, indicating that he had no further questions. Eliza turned to go, but William hesitated then placed a hand on Herbie’s shaking shoulders and squeezed lightly.“I’m truly sorry for your loss. I promise we’ll do everything in our power to find who did this to her.”Herbie looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. “Thank you. But that won’t bring her back.”William silently agreed, but not knowing what to say to ease the young man’s pain, he turned to follow Eliza and they left, his words “I should’ve told her I loved her from the moment I had met her. I… I thought I had all the time in the world!” echoing in William’s head.
Eric Taylor’s Interview
Vampyre was Eliza’s first thought as Eric Taylor walked towards them down the hallway of the Cromford Textile Mill. Her initial appraisal of him was further reinforced when he gave them a grim smile, his incisors looked like fangs. Adding to that, he had pale, nearly translucent skin, cold blue eyes, and thin fair hair that was brushed to one side with so much pomade it was nearly plastered to his skull.“I’m a rather busy man.” He said in a flat tone. “How can I help you?”William frowned. “I’m Detective Inspec…”“Yes, the James’ told me you’d be coming to speak to me.” Eric interrupted William. “I don’t know anything in regards to Miss James’ death. I wasn’t even here.”Eliza was a bit surprised at the sharp contrast in reactions between Herbie and Eric. Eric seemed rather blasé about the entire affair. She and William had gone to Eric’s residence before being told that he was at the mill for his scheduled shift. He hardly seemed broken up over the gruesome fate of his fiancé.“Murder. She was murdered.” William pointed out. “And yet you still came to work?”Eric looked confused. “As opposed to what?”“Nevermind.” William muttered. “Are you familiar with a Mr. Herbie Rolands?”“Who?”“He was a childhood friend of your fiancé’s.” Eliza explained.“Oh. To be frank I hardly knew Miss James. All of our meetings were chaperoned and she was a rather timid and quiet girl. I was under the distinct impression she was uninterested in marrying me.”“Yet you still wanted to marry her?” William asked, a bit baffled.Eric shrugged. “I need a wife.” “I need a wife?” That’s a rather callous way of looking at matrimony. Then William had a flash of a memory, a random dinner with Arabella…
…“Are you enjoying the spinach William?” Arabella asked, a pleasant smile on her face.
“Aye, it’s delicious! You certainly know how to keep a man well fed.” William replied happily, thinking he could get used to being treated like a king at a feast. “How was your day?”
“Good.” Arabella replied, raising her fork to her mouth and not elaborating any further…
Then another memory…
“It was so exciting William, I can hardly describe it!” Eliza’s face was animated, her blue eyes lit with enthusiasm.
William chuckled as he did his best to swallow a piece of very dry chicken. “I take it you found the box?” He asked with a cough. Eliza refilled his wine glass and passed it to him. He took a long swallow.
“Yes! And guess what was inside!”
“The will?” William knew that she had been searching for the missing Langford Will for a week. She had always been close to getting her hands on it, but a long lost nephew had stolen it, hoping that an older will, naming him sole heir, would be the one to go to probate.
“No! Nothing! It was completely empty!”
This time William did choke. “What?”
“Precisely my thought. But then Moses found the nephew and…” Eliza drew this out, causing William to lean forward, eager to find out what had happened.
“And?”
“He was trying to eat the will!”
“No!”
“Yes! He was cutting it up into tiny pieces and chewing it! Luckily he had only eaten the letterhead, if the whole thing had been gone I never would’ve gotten my fee. More chicken?”
William glanced over at Eliza. I don’t need a wife. I had thought I did. What I need is her. Even if it means forcing down an entire chicken’s worth of stringy meat every night for the rest of my life. “Does this mill produce fabric for wedding gowns?” Eliza asked, looking around at the massive pieces of machinery organized in neat aisles up and down the factory floor.“This is wool.” Eric told her.Eliza’s frustration was mounting, William quickly interjected.“And you were gone from London for how long?” He asked.“Four days. I was visiting family, to tell them in person about my upcoming nuptials.” Eric said.“In person? Wouldn’t sending a message have been more expedient?” Eliza asked.“I had. They didn’t believe me.” Eric’s expression finally changed to one of confusion. “I don’t know why they found the fact that I was getting married so odd. I had gone in person to deliver the invitations. It still took some convincing.”“Erm, thank you for your time Mr. Taylor.” William quickly grabbed Eliza’s arm and led her away and around a corner, out of earshot.Eliza burst out laughing, tears of mirth streaming down her face. “I’m sorry William! It’s just…” Eliza wiped at her cheeks. “He’s so odd…”William nodded. “I can see why Miss James didn’t want to marry him.” William sighed, “Let’s go to the morgue, perhaps Mr. Potts has the autopsy results.”Eliza composed herself and took William’s arm, letting him lead her out of the factory.City Mortuary “Ah, Miss Scarlet! Just the woman I had been hoping to see!” Mr. Potts called out jubilantly from the doorway of the City Mortuary.“Did I hit my head?” Eliza muttered to William, who couldn’t help but laugh.“Nay, because if you did then I did too. I’ve never seen him like this before…”“Miss Scarlet, might I have a word with you?” Mr. Potts asked, practically skipping down the steps to meet them.“Of course Mr. Potts, anything for… family.” Eliza said, realizing the words were soon to be true. William smirked from beside her, knowing she wanted entry to the morgue without the usual back-and-forth she and Mr. Potts usually had to go through before he inevitably gave in to her.“I was hoping that perhaps you could discuss with Iv…Miss Woods, the possibility of moving up the date of our nuptials. You see she’s quite concerned with leaving you to your own devices, afraid you might starve or some such, but a year is a long time, a very long time, to wait. At our age it’s best to seize the moment lest it fade…” Mr. Potts rambled on, practically dragging Eliza down the corridor. She looked over her shoulder at William, pleading with her eyes for help.William shrugged, What can I do? He mouthed to her all the while grinning. She narrowed her eyes at him, then turned her attention back to Mr. Potts.“I’ll… I’ll see what I can do Mr. Potts, but Ivy is quite obstinate when she wants to be.”“Yes, yes, anything you can do would be greatly appreciated.” Mr. Potts seemed to break out of his matrimonial thoughts. “But you are not here in regards to our nuptials?”“No. The Inspector and I are working on a case together.” Eliza explained.“Ah, the young woman in the wedding gown?” Mr. Potts asked, already leading her to the body laying on the table covered by a white sheet.Eliza nodded.Mr. Potts looked uncomfortable. “Might I give the information to the Inspector to relay to you?”Eliza wanted to stomp her foot. “But seeing as I am standing right here…”“Ahem. Yes, that is true. But… this is a rather delicate matter.”“Delicate?” Eliza asked, confused. William stepped up behind her.Mr. Potts turned his back to them, searching for the file amidst the pile of folders on the desk.Eliza looked up at William. “ You are going to be eating overcooked cauliflower at our next dinner!” she said, still miffed he hadn’t helped her earlier.“Eliza,” William said, a gentle tone in his voice, “that’s hardly a threat. I look forward to it.”Eliza’s eyes widened in surprise but before she could think of what to say, or calm the sudden pounding of her heart, Mr. Potts returned with the file. And handed it to William. Eliza snatched it from him and quickly opened it and skimmed over the document inside.“She… she wasn’t an innocent.” Eliza said in a clinical tone as the two men blushed. Apparently Miss James had lost her virginity. And recently. Eliza tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I can’t imagine her with Mr. Taylor. But Mr. Rolands didn’t mention having an affair with her.”“They were going to elope. Perhaps they decided to move up the wedding night.” William said. He cleared his throat. “Was it, eh, violent?”Mr. Potts shook his head rapidly. “No.”“Mr. Potts, how was she killed? Her blood had been draining into the water system.” Eliza said.“Ah, you are referring to the cut along her side. That had happened post mortem. Probably very quickly following her death.”Eliza’s eyebrows went up. “Then what was the cause of death?”“Arsenic.”“Was she around old wall-paper?” Eliza wondered to herself as she examined one of Miss James’ hands. “It wasn’t long term exposure,” Mr. Potts explained, “you won’t find any skin lesions or hyperkeratosis on her palms or the soles of her feet.”“Hmm…. Marsh test?”“Yes, in suspicious deaths I test for arsenic by default. After all, it is one of the most popular poisons.” Mr. Potts said. “I added a small tissue sample to zinc and acid.”Eliza nodded, already knowing the result. Arsine gas would have been present.“She could have been fed something poisoned and never would have known.” Eliza said, covering Melissa James’ hand with the sheet.“Aye, it’s tasteless and odorless.” William agreed.“Whoever used it on her must have had access to it in its original state.” Mr. Potts pointed out. “Following the Arsenic Act of 1851, arsenic is required to be colored indigo, to make it harder to disguise.”“So it was someone who uses it, perhaps for work.” Eliza mused.“I can have Fitzroy make a list but it wouldn’t narrow it down much.” William said. “It’s used in nearly everything, paint, candles, that hideous green color.” William grimaced.“William, you don’t like Scheele’s Green?” Eliza teased, referring to the very popular shade of green that was all the craze amongst the wealthy female set. Entering a party was akin to entering a forest of humans clad head-to-toe in the vibrant green shade.“I prefer blue.” He said, eyeing Eliza in her blue day dress. “Or even better, red.”Eliza blushed, thinking of the maroon dress she wore when she needed a favor from William. She had seen how he looked at her when she had it on.“It’s also used in food.” Mr. Potts offered up his suggestion. “How I do like a good blancmange.” He absently patted his belly, thinking of what Ivy would be making them for dinner.“Someone fed her poison?” Eliza turned the options over in her mind. “Did she poison herself? If she was so eager to elope why commit suicide? Why wear a wedding gown that isn’t even hers?”Mr. Potts tsk’d as he shook his head sadly. “Such a shame, she was in the first bloom of her life.” He turned to retrieve the massive notebook William would have to sign in triplicate. “And the second one this week.”“What do you mean, ‘the second one this week’?” William asked.“There had been another young woman murdered. With arsenic.” Mr. Potts said casually.“Was she wearing a wedding gown?” Eliza asked as she put a restraining hand on William’s forearm. He looked ready to throttle Mr. Potts.“Yes, come to think of it. Very intricate lace.” Mr. Potts replied as he passed William the notebook and pencil. William stabbed at the line where he was supposed to write his name.“And ye dinnae think to say something sooner?” William muttered beneath his breath, knowing it wasn’t really up to Mr. Potts to link cases, but still feeling peevish about it. Mr. Potts either didn’t hear him, or ignored him.“Did it look like this?” Eliza asked, showing him her rumpled sketch.“Hmm…” He cocked his head thoughtfully as he studied the drawing. “Similar, the lace looks the same, but the dress was um, poofier.” He held his hands out towards his sides, indicating a bell shaped gown.“Do you know who the detective is on that case?” William asked after scrawling his name in some random spots, even in the margin, just for good measure.Mr. Potts scowled as he saw the mess William had made but wisely didn’t say anything. “That case is closed. I had ruled it as a suicide. Her body had been found in a park near her residence. Would you like the case file?” Mr. Potts asked.“Yes. Please.” William replied.“Mr. Potts, was she wearing an engagement ring?” Eliza asked.“I don’t believe so. There is a list of everything she had on her in the report. Her family has already collected the body.”“Thank you for your time.” Eliza said.“Of course. And you will talk to Miss Woods on my behalf?”“Certainly.” Eliza said, but she cringed inside. So much is changing, I haven’t let myself think about losing Ivy. She glanced over at William, standing by her side. Or perhaps gaining William. William chose that moment to look back at her and smile, causing butterflies to twirl maniacally in her stomach.“Shall we?” He asked, offering her his free arm, as he was holding the autopsy reports in the other.Eliza silently took his arm and they departed from the morgue.“I think we should leave interviewing the shopkeepers of Wallace’s till tomorrow. It’s late already and I’m hungry.” William said. “Eliza, are you alright? You’ve gone very quiet.”“I’m fine. Just thinking of the other girl who was murdered.”William nodded and stopped walking, turning Eliza to face him. “I know what you really want.”“You… you do?”“Aye. You want to read through the autopsy reports and skip dinner.” He said with a smile. Eliza laughed, relieved that William couldn’t truly read her mind, and that she had been thinking of him and how he fit into her life.“I have an idea. Let’s stop for some baked goods and eat at your office, it’s quieter there and we can take our time and read everything over. How’s that sound?” William asked, feeling a bit proud of himself for trying to compromise with what he thought Eliza would want to do.She smiled back at him and nodded. As they resumed their walk she stepped closer to him, their sides brushing with every step. It was cozy and intimate. Eliza glanced up at William, he was looking straight ahead but wore a small smile on his lips. He’s been smiling more. Eliza suddenly realized. Is that due to me? She reached up to touch her mouth, realizing she was smiling too.They made a quick stop for cheese and wine, then for minced pies and some bread, catching the baker right as he was closing, finally heading to Eliza’s office where they spread out the files and their simple repast. To William’s surprise Eliza sat next to him on the side of the desk opposite her chair.“I figure we can read the files easier this way.” Eliza explained as she pushed her chair a bit closer to William’s.“You just want to steal my food!” He joked as he broke off a piece of bread to pass it to her.“Me? Steal from a Detective Inspector?” Eliza asked in mock horror, handing him some wine she had poured into a teacup.William snorted a laugh and began to cut up the cheese. Eliza leaned forwards and started to skim over the file of the young woman who had been killed first, Louise Rogers. “William, It’s not a very detailed report, but what is here shows a great many similarities between the two women.” Eliza said, pointing to the physical description of Louise Rogers, then picking up the bread and placing a piece of cheese on top before chewing thoughtfully.William nodded, his mouth full of minced pie. He swallowed deeply. “Both were brunettes, both found in wedding gowns, neither were, ahem, innocents…”“I wonder if that matters…” Eliza interrupted, taking a piece of minced pie straight out of William’s hand as he was raising it to his mouth. Eliza took a large bite, talking around her chewing. “We know that Melissa James hadn’t had physical relations with Mr. Taylor, he said they were always chaperoned, and I doubt he has the imagination to lie. And not that Mr. Rolands’ mentioned it, but it is most likely that he was her lover…”“I was going to eat that.” William muttered in annoyance as Eliza polished off his pie. To his shock, and Eliza’s if her expression was anything to go by, she popped a piece of cheese directly into his mouth, her fingertips grazing his lips and mustache.“There, have some cheese instead.” She said, trying to sound calm, but the intimacy of her gesture, and how easily it had come to her, had her feeling very confused.“Oh. Erm, thank you.” William responded, equally flustered. He pulled forward one of the photographs of Louise Rogers, laying on the mortuary’s table. “She had been found in a park, near her home.”“I wonder why the killer left Miss James’ by the river.”“Eliza, look at this. It says here she was found slumped against the park’s water fountain.”“Is water a clue?” Eliza mused. “It’s cleansing. Purifying?”“Aye.” William agreed, turning to face her. Their faces were very close, as their heads had been bowed over the file as they studied it.“Do you think it could be a priest who had found out they had carnal relations prior to marriage?” Eliza asked.William scoffed. “Then there’d be bodies piled up everywhere.”“Many women remain innocent till their wedding nights.” Eliza pointed out, trying to hide her embarrassment at the turn their conversation had taken.“True, but an equal many don’t.”“That wouldn’t bother you, would it?” Eliza realized William could have ended up marrying Arabella, a widow, with experience in that aspect of married life.William shrugged. “I don’t care what my wife’s done before our marriage, as long as she remains faithful to me for the rest of our lives.” He glanced over at Eliza, “As I would too.” Is she concerned by her lack of experience? William was a bit confused but felt the need to reassure Eliza.Eliza nodded, then couldn’t help but yawn. William smiled and lightly placed his hand on Eliza’s upper back before pushing up from his chair. “I’d best be going, it’s late. Tomorrow I’ll have Fitzroy look for any case files on Louise Rogers.”“Shall I meet you to go to Wallace's shop?” Eliza asked as she too stood.“Yes, come by the Yard in the morning, this way if Fitzroy finds anything on Louise Rogers you can read it before we go.” William cleared his throat and looked vaguely uncomfortable. Eliza scowled.“William, what is it?”“I, I suppose I just have a bad feeling about all this. Please be careful if you do any further wedding gown shopping with Ivy.”Eliza laughed off William’s concern. “I hardly match the description of the two victims.” Eliza said as she pointed to her hair. “And anyway, I’m not shopping for myself.” But William didn’t look any less worried.“Eliza, please. Humor me then. Your safety is not a laughing matter to me.” William said, his expression still somber. They were standing close, so very close that Eliza could feel the heat emanating off of William’s body, his breath was warm across her face, the urge to touch the source of it, his lips, was tempting her. Instead she balled her hands into fists at her sides.Before she could supply a retort, William went on. “ You’re important to me. Very important to me.” William’s eyes were beseeching her to understand, to read deeper into his words. To hear the unsaid I love you. Words he was still too afraid to voice aloud as he had only recently begun getting used to hearing them in his head.Rather than argue, to their surprise, Eliza nodded slowly, her nose nearly brushing against William’s waistcoat.They stood silently in the dark, William loath to ruin the moment by touching Eliza, Eliza secretly longing for William to touch her.Eliza looked up, meeting William’s gaze. His face was turned down to hers, their noses accidentally brushed with her movement. Eliza gasped at the sudden intimacy. William went to take a step back, but Eliza stopped him with one word. “Wait.”William swallowed as Eliza took the initiative, reaching out with one hand to take his larger one and press it to her waist. In the darkness of the room the only thing she could make out were his eyes, full of hope and longing.“Would you… would you like me to hold you?” William asked, trying to find his voice.“Please.”His hand slid to the small of her back and once again Eliza quickly found herself encircled within his arms. It was easier in the dark, less real and more of a dream, easier for Eliza’s mind to process that this man, this man she had known for nearly the entirety of her life, wasn’t just her dearest friend, but a part of her. A part she hadn’t known how much she had needed until she had nearly lost him.She let out a sigh, her cheek pressed to William’s pounding heart.“Is… is this alright?” Eliza’s voice came out muffled. I’m not ready for more yet. Please understand. “Eliza, I can honestly say I have never been happier.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
NEW YORK - 2023
William
“Dukedukedukeduke!” Oliver was running down the hallway towards William, waving a scrap of paper, his laptop tucked under his arm. “I found them!”
“Whoa, slow down. Found who?”
“Martha Jones’ fiancé
and
the best man.” Oliver took a deep breath. “After you texted me her name, it was easy. She put
everything
on social media.
Everything.”
He said in a bit of an undertone, his face turning red.
“Any chance you ID’d our Central Park victim?” William asked as he and Oliver headed back towards the bullpen.
Oliver’s face fell. “No. Sorry Sir.”
William clapped a hand on Oliver’s back. “We’ll find her. You did a great job finding Martha Jones’ acquaintances. Did she have any family?”
Oliver shook his head as they entered William’s office. He began to set up his laptop. “No. She did have lots of friends though. A lot of
male
friends.”
“She was promiscuous?” Willia asked as Oliver turned the laptop towards him.
“She seemed to be, but after her engagement it looked as though she had settled down with her fiancé. Until…” Oliver had pulled up Martha Jones’ Instagram account. Two men had their arms slung around one another, grinning at the camera. “Until Chad.” Oliver scowled, “He looks like someone who used to bully me in boarding school…”
“Hmmm… Chad…” William squinted at the screen. Two young and very handsome men were standing on a sunny beach, their muscular torsos on display. One wore swimming trunks, the other a Speedo. “Does Chad have a last name?”
“Powell. And her fiancé is Ryan O’Brian.”
William instinctively knew that Chad Powell was in the Speedo.
“Why don’t we go pay Mr. Chad Powell a visit?” William said. “We can stop in on Ryan O’Brian afterwards.”
Oliver nodded and began to pack up the laptop.
“Were you able to get an address for Lacey Lacewal?” William asked.
“No. She didn’t pick up at the number you had given me, nor did she respond to the email I had sent. For a popular designer she’s very good at hiding herself.” Oliver seemed impressed.
William was not. “I wonder if that’s even her real name.”
“Officer Murphy was helping me to look for her online.” Oliver said as they walked into the parking lot. William held up a hand to the officer in the booth, indicating he needed a patrol car and driver. The officer nodded and spoke into the radio on his shoulder.
“Murphy? Really?” William was surprised. Murphy was one of his best officers but known more for his brawn than brains. William had hoped the man would consider becoming a detective but he always said he was content being a beat cop, helping people on the street.
Oliver nodded. “I like working with him.”
William glanced at Oliver. Many of the officers had trouble keeping up with the lad, he was brilliant, but had the tendency to think erratically and wouldn’t get to the point until going off on five other tangents. The fact that Oliver actually liked working with someone, other than William, said a lot about Murphy.
“I’ve been showing him how to use various social media platforms. He’s very good at digging through things.” Oliver looked thoughtful. “Although perhaps he’s enjoying looking into Ms. Lacewal because of all of the underwear…”
William let out a loud laugh as their patrol car pulled up in front of them.
“Well, if he finds her address I don’t care how he gets it. C’mon, our ride’s here.”
Thirty Minutes Later
“You son of a…”
“No,
you
are a son of a…”
An odd noise ensued. It sounded as though fish were flopping around on a tile floor.
William and Oliver looked at one another in confusion. They were standing in front of Martha Jones’ fiancé’s apartment door. The odd noises were coming from inside.
William turned to push his shoulder against the door.
“Are you sure we should go in there?” Oliver asked as the smacking noise ensued, but this time punctuated with a high-pitched scream.
“It’s our duty. But stay behind me.” William said, not sure what they were going to face once the door opened.
Oliver nodded and pulled out his gun. He was a great shot. When he wasn’t nervous. Which was hardly ever.
“POLICE! OPEN UP!” William hollered.
“See what you did!” Someone from inside shouted.
William rolled his eyes and shoved against the door, it broke open much easier than he had been expecting. He stumbled inside, Oliver close behind him. They both stopped short, gaping at the scene in front of them.
The two men from the photo on Instagram, Chad Powell and Ryan O’Brian, were slapping at one another, most of the hits missing as they had turned their heads to the side and couldn’t see where the open handed blows were landing.
“Is this a new form of martial arts?” Oliver asked as he reupholstered his gun. “It doesn’t look very efficient.”
“If it is, it’s not one I’ve ever seen. Looks like they have hot dogs for fingers…”
“Should we wait for them to finish?” Oliver asked as the two men continued their slapping. They must have been going at it for a while, despite being in great shape, both men were panting, sweat running down their temples.
“We’re finished.” The one they recognized as Ryan said as he doubled over and took a deep breath.
“What were you two doing?” William couldn’t help but ask.
“Slapping.” Chad said, as though it should’ve been obvious.
“Yes, I could see that. But my question is,
why?”
“Because, we don’t want to damage our faces.” Chad replied. “You should understand.” He said to William, who looked utterly baffled.
“I should?”
Am I in the Twilight Zone?
“Yes. You’re handsome, like us. You can’t risk your good looks in fisticuffs. What do you use for moisturizer? You have very good skin.”
“Eh… whatever my girlfriend leaves around.” William admitted, still unsure as to what was going on, but as there was no longer any hostility in the room he figured it couldn’t hurt to get on the mens’ good side and try to figure out if they had any useful information pertaining to Martha.
“And
you
have lovely hair.” Ryan said, eyeing Oliver’s ginger-brown hair.
“Thank you! I use a horse mane shampoo.”
“Good stuff.”
“Yes. It…”
“Ahem. I’m Sergeant Wellington, this is Detective Fitzroy. We’re here…”
“About Martha. That’s why we were fighting.
That
one couldn’t keep his hands off of
my
fiancé.” Ryan said, crossing his arms over his broad chest and glaring at Chad.
“C’mon, isn’t it better that you know what she’s like
before
you marry her?”
William looked at the two men, neither seemed overly upset about Martha’s demise. Which made him realize…
“Why do you think we’re here about Martha?” William asked.
Chad turned towards the couch and picked up a towel. He scrubbed at his face, then began to towel off his chest. Ryan was swigging water from a gallon jug.
“Isn’t it obvious? She wants to be with
me.”
Chad said, puffing out his chest. “So she called the cops to intervene.”
William couldn’t help but let out a strangled sound. “Is
that
what you think we do? Interventions?”
Chad shrugged. “Sure. And give out parking tickets.”
William’s face turned an interesting shade of red.
“You should’ve proposed to her before I did.” Ryan said as he passed Chad the bottle of water. Despite their odd fight the two men still seemed friendly. Chad smacked his lips.
“I would’ve but I was still dating Cindy.”
“True. She was hot.”
“When was the last time either of you saw Ms. Jones?” William interrupted them.
Both men stared at him blankly.
“A few days ago?” Ryan said, not sounding very sure. “She said she didn’t want to see me too much before the wedding. Bad luck and all that.” He scowled and shot a glare at Chad. “Turns out she was running around with
him
.”
“And when did you last see her?”
“Eh… I was supposed to see her a couple of nights ago. Huh.” Chad said as he realized something. “She said she had something to show me. But she never showed up.”
“And you didn’t think to follow up with her?” William asked incredulously.
“We were keeping it cas.”
William wanted to smack himself in the forehead but refrained, knowing he’d need all his brain cells to deal with the two men.
“I should probably call her.” Ryan said, pulling out his phone. Oliver reached out and put a hand on his forearm stopping him. Ryan gave him a perplexed look.
“Perhaps you should sit.” Oliver said gently.
Ryan and Chad groaned. “Did she run off with Mo?”
William felt as though
he
needed to sit.
“Dude, how could she have? He moved to France.”
“There are these things called
airplanes.
Perhaps you’ve never heard of them?”
“She was murdered.” William said, trying not to shout.
The men turned to look at him. “Is this a joke?” Ryan asked. “Are we being punked?” He grinned, but it was an uneasy smile. Chad was looking around, as though searching for cameras.
“No. It’s not.” William replied. The two men sat down, side-by-side on the sofa.
“Aww, man…” Chad said sadly as Ryan looped his arm over his shoulders.
“What happened?” Ryan asked, his eyes rimmed red.
William explained how Martha had been found.
“Arsenic?” Ryan said as Chad spoke, “DNA sample?”
“Yes, and yes. She had recently had consensual sexual congress. If it had been neither of you…” William trailed off, letting the men reach their own conclusions.
“Do you think it was James?”
“Could’ve been Tom.”
“She said he smelled weird.”
“True.”
Oliver glanced over at William, who looked fit to be tied. Before he could say anything to William, his phone beeped.
“Murphy couldn’t get an address for Lacey. He’s going to see if tech can help.” Oliver said softly as he leaned towards William to show him his phone.
William sighed. “I don’t want to wait that long. I… I know someone I can ask.”
Oliver looked at him curiously, but he didn’t elaborate.
“Would you like me to get the DNA samples?” Oliver asked, the two men were still going through the list of potential lovers that Martha could have had.
“Yes. And get all those names from them. I’ll need you and Murphy to interview them.”
Oliver nodded and walked over to the two men.
I can’t believe I have to go to ‘him’. I know Eliza still uses him from time to time but…
William was lost in his own musings. He finally shook himself out of it and turned to go, catching the tail end of Oliver talking. “...Hattie’s beautiful…”
“And she doesn’t cheat on you?”
“No, she loves me. I love her too. You should try it, being with just one person. I don’t even know how you could find more than one.”
“Dude, you got it made, quality over quantity!”
William couldn’t help but chuckle softly over that. He thought of the catalog. And Eliza.
The sooner I talk to ‘him’ the sooner I can be with Eliza.
And with that thought William hurried off, leaving Oliver, Chad, and Ryan pontificate the meaning of love.
Frank’s A.S.S.
William didn’t know who was more surprised, him or Frank, when he stepped into Frank’s Assorted Spy Supplies, a dingy storefront in the Lower East Side, but packed inside wall-to-wall with the latest spy tech gear.
Frank’s jaw dropped as William approached, his cigar falling onto the glass countertop, ashes flying everywhere.
“Shit!” Frank exclaimed as he patted some sparks that had landed on his stained shirt. “I don’t know what Lizzie told you, but I charged her a fair amount. Even gave her a discount for having a...” His voice trailed off as William shot a glare at him.
“But you’re not here about that…” Frankly said shrewdly. Despite not having worked with William in years he could still read his former partner pretty well.
“Ineedyourhelp.” William mumbled.
Frank’s eyes widened. He was so shocked, he didn’t even have a witty retort.
“Did you get sacked?” Frank asked, his voice low.
William scoffed. “No, of course not. I need an address. And quickly. I have a name, phone number, and email but…”
“...they’re not picking up?”
“No.” William practically growled. “The tech team’s working on it but…”
“Bunch of incompetents.” Frank muttered, already pulling a laptop towards himself. “Couldn’t find the Hudson River even if they were thrown into it.”
William couldn’t help but smile. Frank used to go head-to-head with the “IT goons” more often than not. It was what had thrust him into the world of hacking in the first place. Unfortunately he had taken it a little too far, and William couldn’t turn a blind eye to the gray area that Frank had wandered into.
“What d’ya have for me?” Frank asked.
“What will I owe you?” William replied, but he was pulling up Lacey’s information on his phone.
Frank went silent.
“Firstborn?” William asked sarcastically.
I need his help, I can’t antagonize him. I can’t believe we used to be partners. Friends.
“Call it a freebie.”
William hesitated, wondering if he was going to owe Frank a favor in the future. One he wouldn’t want to fulfill.
Frank met William’s gaze, holding it, his face lacking its usual levity. “Duke, I mean it. Freebie. Now who am I tracking?”
William passed Frank his phone. Frank tapped a few keys, “Let me just pull up Kali.”
“Kali? I thought you worked alone?” William asked, confused.
Frank snorted a laugh and picked up his cigar. He dusted it off and stuck it back between his teeth, chewing on the end. “Kali Linux. One of the programs I use.”
“Oh.”
Frank looked at William’s phone then back at William. “You’re looking for Lacey?” He pushed William’s phone back towards him, as though it was toxic.
“Wait, you know her?” William pressed his hands onto the counter and leaned forward, eager for information on the recluse designer.
Frank hemmed and hawed. “Might be a bit of a
conflict of interest
here.”
“You said you’d help me.” William pointed out.
“That was
before
you told me who it was you were looking for. What’d she do?”
“How do you know her?”
The two men stared at one another, neither willing to relent. William was trying not to let his eyes tear up, despite not having blinked for several moments.
“How. Do. You. Know. Her?” William repeated, trying to sound firm despite the burning in his eyes.
“She’s a client.” Frank finally gave in. “I have client confidentiality to protect.”
“You’re not a doctor, Frank.”
“She’s still a client.”
“Two women were found dead in underwear she designed.”
Frank burst out laughing. “You’re kidding right? That’s like saying you found two bodies with McDonald’s burgers in the stomach contents. Lacey designs tons of lingerie. You think she’s involved?”
“I don’t know. That’s my whole point. I want to talk to her.” William narrowed his eyes. “
You
are protecting her.
That’s
how she stays hidden?”
Frank shrugged. “I hide a lot of people.”
“What made you remember her?”
“I also built her app. What?” Frank said defensively as he saw William raise an eyebrow. “It’s
underwear
Duke. On models. And she pays me well.”
“Have you met her in person?”
“No. But that’s not unusual.”
“Do you have a way to contact her where she’ll actually respond immediately? And why is she hiding? She’s a popular designer. And is Lacey Lacewal even her real name?”
Frank glared at William. “I don’t work for you anymore.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
William drummed his fingers in annoyance on the counter.
“Look, I’ll write to her and tell her that you’re looking for her. How’s that sound?” Frank asked, a part of him not wanting to argue with his former partner.
“We already tried emailing her.”
“Yeah, but
I
have her personal email. She’d write me back sooner than you could get a warrant.” Frank pointed out.
“Fine.” William grunted. He ran a hand through his hair while Frank typed, then looked around the shop. “People buy this stuff?”
“Mostly rent, like your girl. It’s expensive and the tech changes so quickly. There, done. I’ll text you when I hear back from her. “You could also enter her contest. I can rig it so you win. Well, so Lizzie wins.”
William tried not to bristle at Frank calling Eliza by her nickname. Instead he pulled out one of the dusty stools by the counter and sat down.
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s monthly but you’re in luck, the drawing is this week. All Lizzie has to do is download the app, ‘Knots & Knickers’, hold on, let me show you.” Frank pulled out his phone and turned the screen towards William, pointing to a red icon with a lacy nightie depicted on it.
He clicked on the icon and a variety of lingerie popped up.
“Ignore all that, go to the menu and choose ‘Alrighty to the Nightie’ and have her submit a lingerie or romance related question. You can also use the hashtag #NotYourMamasKnickers, but it’s easier for me to
ahem
, adjust the results through the app.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. And if she isn’t involved at the least your girl will still get some nice undies for you to enjoy.”
“How will you know which question is Eliza’s?”
Frank laughed. “I’ll know. If you wanna make it easy for me, tell her to use a nickname.”
“Lizzie?”
“Naw, something anonymous. You don’t have a pet name for her?”
William shrugged. “I call her love. Or sweetheart.”
“How original.” Frank retorted. He held up his hands in surrender as William glared at him. “Sweetheart’s fine!”
William put his phone away, still keeping the glare on his face.
“If she contacts you…”
“I know, I know, I’ll let you know ASAP.”
William inclined his head and turned to go, but he stopped with his hand on the doorknob. “And Frank?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
William smiled, not having to look at Frank to know that he had stunned him.
That alone made this a worthwhile visit!
Home
…and her love for her beloved steer… no, that sounds like a fairytale, not a news report.
If looks could kill Eliza’s tablet would’ve been a puddle of melted plastic and metal over an hour ago.
Why is it so hard to write a simple update for Basil? He’s just going to embellish the story anyway.
“Sweethe…” She heard William enter, then cut himself off as he used his usual endearment for her.
“William? What’s wrong?” She asked as he entered the kitchen.
“Is it silly when I call you sweetheart?” He asked.
“Silly?”
“Well, unoriginal.”
“You’ve been calling me that since we’ve been together.” Eliza said, confused as to what had brought about the topic. She reached out to stroke his cheek. “I like it. Besides, you can’t really go around in public calling me ‘sexy cheeks’...”
Eliza’s comment was cut short as William cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. Rather than pull back to ask him what was wrong, she kissed him back, her tongue stroking his as her lips teased against his. When he finally drew back, he rested his forehead against hers.
“Cripes, I can’t get enough of you. I love you.” He panted.
Eliza smiled. “I love you too. Now, what happened?”
“Where’s Clementine?”
“Out exploring. She wanted to ride the subway some more.”
William stared at Eliza.
“Yeah, I don’t understand it either.” She said with a laugh. “But we have the place to ourselves. She’ll probably be back late.”
“Okay.” William reached into his back pocket and tossed something onto the counter. “I’ll tell you what happened, but do we have any food?”
An Hour Later
William sat back content as can be while Eliza cleared away their dishes. He had been so hungry during dinner that he had barely come up for air. So Eliza decided to wait as patiently as she could until he was ready to talk about his day.
She had just loaded the dishwasher when she spotted what William had tossed on the counter earlier.
“William? What’s this?” Eliza asked, a smile on her face as she held up the catalog from Love & Lace. She flipped through the pages curiously.
“See anything you like?” William asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder, closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, his breath warm on her neck.
Eliza stopped skimming the catalog to reach up with one hand and caress the side of William’s face. He nuzzled into her, his beard tickling her.
“I do.” She said softly. “I like
you.”
“Good, ‘cause I like you too.” He puckered his lips and kissed her.
“Do you want to go to bed?” Eliza asked as she turned around, still encircled within William’s arms.
“No. I hardly got to talk to you today, it was so busy. I missed you.”
Eliza tossed the catalog onto the counter and entwined her arms around his neck. “I missed you too. Let’s go upstairs, we can talk in bed. This way if you fall asleep, at least you’re already in bed.”
“Okay.” William said, sounding almost like a sleepy young boy who wanted to stay up past his bedtime. Eliza smiled and took his hand in hers and led him up the stairs to their bedroom where they changed then slid in beneath the covers and automatically faced each other, their hands reaching out to rest on one another’s waists.
“Tell me about your case with Clementine. And how are things with Basil?” William asked, feeling a bit bad that he hadn’t followed up with her sooner.
Eliza sighed. “With Clementine it’s craziness of course.” She told him all about Golden Steak, causing him to laugh uproariously, shaking the entire bed, then finally about going to Joe’s garage. She trailed off before reaching the part about needing to speak to Gus Galanis. William immediately picked up on her hesitation.
“Eliza…”
“We know where Clementine’s Chevy is.”
“That’s great. Isn’t it?” William asked, narrowing his eyes and wondering why his girlfriend didn’t look more enthusiastic about having solved the case.
“Gus Galanis has it.” She muttered.
“Gus… Galanis!? For God’s sake Eliza, don’t tell me you have to go to
that
man.” William’s grip on her waist tightened, he pulled her closer to him as though trying to protect her.
Eliza fidgeted, but didn’t try to break out of his hold.
“You did enough for him, helping his nephew. You could’ve gotten into a lot of trouble over that.” William didn’t add that it was a good thing he was a Sergeant and was able to prevent her from being arrested. She had gotten out of a sticky situation by the skin of her teeth. And with some help from Fitzroy.
“I know.” She said softly, lightly tracing swirls along his chest, feeling the soft hair beneath her finger.
“Seducing me isn’t going to distract me.” William said, but his voice was husky and his eyes had gone dark.
“No?” Eliza asked coyly. “I did like what was on page 3 of that catalog.”
William cleared his throat, trying simultaneously to get his mind back on track.
“Anyway, just be careful sweetheart. You can’t trust him.”
“I know. And I will.” Before William could ask again about Basil, she changed the topic.
“And how’s
your
case going? Is that catalog a clue?”
“Not quite. But how would you like to enter a contest to win some lingerie?”
“Oh?” Eliza queried, she threw a leg over William’s hip and scooted closer to him. He grinned. “I’m listening.”
William reached over Eliza and picked up her phone from her nightstand.
“This.” He showed her the app she had to download. She took her phone from him and began to install it whereas William rested his hand on her upper thigh.
“You couldn’t get her contact info?” Eliza asked, her attention still on her phone.
“No.” William grumbled. “I had to go to Frank.” He squeezed her and began to massage her leg, his hand working its way up and over to her behind. Eliza let out a soft sigh but tried not to let him distract her.
“You haven’t spoken to Frank in…”
“Years. Yeah.” William explained what had happened, leading up to why he had to go to his former partner for help and how he was going to rig the contest for them.
“I’m sorry you had to deal with him.” Eliza said as she began to browse through the ‘Knots & Knickers’ app.
“He was actually being reasonable. For the most part. I don’t know why he couldn’t just give me Lacey’s address.”
Eliza shrugged, “He has his own code of honor I suppose. I found the contest. What should I ask?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Hmm… How about… My boyfriend has an insatiable appetite. At times I’m afraid he’ll eat me alive. What kind of undies would sate his cravings?”
“Eliza,” William said, pulling back to look her in the eyes, “that makes absolutely no sense.”
“None of these questions really do. It’s meant to be fun.”
William laughed. “Fine. Just sign it ‘sweetheart’ so Frank can do whatever it is he does and make you win.”
Eliza typed rapidly, trying to keep her focus as William began to knead her buttocks with increased vigor.
I wonder if I could tell Basil about my part in William’s case. After all, I am helping him. Maybe I can just hint at… oooh!
“Oooh!” Eliza squeaked as William pulled her on top of him. Her phone fell from her hand.
“No more work. After all, I am hungry.” William said, a gleam in his eyes.
“You just ate.” Eliza teased.
“Nothing but you will ever satisfy me.” William said in a husky voice.
“Oh William.” Eliza replied, her worries about her case and her predicament about Basil, fading from her mind as William held her tight. He began to kiss her neck.
“Yum.” He muttered as he lightly nipped at her, working his way to her ear. He gently pulled on the lobe between his teeth, his hands firmly grasping Eliza’s cheeks, spreading her legs even wider.
“You still have pants on.” She pointed out as he began to thrust his hips against her.
“I’m sure you can remedy that.”
Eliza reached down between their bodies, her hands roaming over William’s thighs, before moving back up to his waistband. “This is tricky.” She said, but she managed to reach under the fabric and grasp his manhood in one fist and free it from its fabric confines. “There!” She exclaimed, happy with her progress. Then she heard a ripping sound. “William!”
“Sorry! It’s not my fault your panties are so skimpy.”
Eliza sat up, still holding his erect penis in her hands. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“What?” He said, trying to look innocent. “You’re going to win a new pair anyway.”
Eliza sighed, pretending to be annoyed, but she rose up to her knees, and angled William at her wet slit, slowly sliding down his hardened length.
“Shit.” William said. She caught him eyeing her chest.
“
I’ll
take it off, don’t you dare rip my t-shirt!” Eliza said, hurriedly grabbing it by the hem and pulling it off over her head. She shook her hair out.
“You. Are Perfect.” William said as he bent his arms and held his hands up. Eliza’s palms met his, then his eyes fluttered closed in bliss as Eliza rode him, her hands pressed to his as leverage.
She rocked against him, closing her eyes as she chased her pleasure. She knew William so well that she could tell from the grunts he was making, from the way he bent his knees behind her, and from the roll of his hips, that he was close to coming.
He knew too that Eliza was on the brink. He squeezed one hand and she let go. He reached between them, stroking with a finger to spread her folds, then began to rub her swollen clit.
“Oh…”
“Mmm…”
As one they stiffened, letting waves of pleasure break over them. Eliza trembled slightly in the aftermath. William caught her in his strong arms as she leaned forward, exhausted, sweaty, and sated.
“So sleepy.” She muttered as William gently pulled out of her and curled himself around her.
“I know sweetheart.” He said softly as he stroked her hair. “That was wonderful.”
“Are you still hungry?” She asked, her voice muffled as she spoke into his chest.
She never heard his reply as his laughter, rumbling through his chest, lulled her into a deep and contented sleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
LONDON - 1883
“Good morning Lizzie! Reading the crime pages?” Ivy asked as she entered the kitchen, hastily tying her apron.Eliza looked up with a sly smile on her face. “Someone came home late last night!”Ivy turned bright red. “Well, Barnabus and I, we, ahem, lost track of time. Any nice murders?” She said, trying to change the conversation around. She reached for a pot and the oats.Eliza looked at her, eyes full of mirth, and decided to let it go. For now.“I am actually reading the marriage announcements.” Eliza had an idea. “You should announce your wedding soon, shouldn’t you?” Eliza noticed Ivy’s shoulders stiffen. “We have some time yet.” Ivy said nonchalantly as she added milk to the pot.“Mr. Potts seems eager to wed.”“He spoke to you?” Ivy asked, a little cross that Barnabus was trying to recruit Eliza to his side of the issue.“He mentioned it briefly when William and I were at the morgue yesterday. Ivy, why are you delaying? I told you I would be fine on my own. For the most part.” Eliza said, trying to lighten the mood.Ivy dumped a scoop of burnt oatmeal into Eliza’s bowl then filled one for herself.“You must be upset,” Eliza said, studying her breakfast, “this looks like something I would’ve made.”Ivy couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m just frightened. It’s a big change Lizzie, not just for you, but for me too. This life is all I’ve known.” She said, waving a hand about.“But you love him.” Eliza said, covering Ivy’s hand with hers. “Isn’t that all that matters?”“I could ask the same of you!” Ivy said, lightly tapping Eliza’s nose with the back of her spoon.“I… I don’t know how I feel about him .” Eliza muttered, eating her oatmeal and not even noticing that it had an odd taste.“Come Lizzie, that’s not entirely true now is it?” Ivy asked gently. “He devours you with his eyes every time you’re together. And you look no less interested in him than he does in you!” She said this smugly, pleased to see Eliza squirming in her seat.“He is rather handsome I suppose.” Eliza conceded, absently touching her lips, almost feeling William’s warm breath against them. Ivy sighed. “I was referring to more than his countenance. But I suppose that’s a start.” She grumbled, hoping Eliza would realize that she had a deeper, emotional, connection with William. When she noticed Eliza gazing off into the distance, a smile on her face, Ivy grinned.“You have kissed him, haven’t you?”“Ivy!” Eliza said horrified. “No!”Ivy looked surprised. “Really? You’re not even curious?”“I… He’s my dearest friend! Have you kissed Barnabus?” Eliza threw back.Ivy shrugged, a smug smile on her face. “There’s a reason I came home late last night.”Eliza’s jaw went slack. “You… you hadphysicalrelationsbeforeyourwedding?” “Lizzie! No! We just kissed. I’m not telling you to jump into bed with the Inspector. Just give him some encouragement. A kiss never hurt anyone.”Eliza thought back to hers and William’s kiss when they were younger. And how she slapped him with all her might. “Yes they can.” She said softly.“It’s okay to be nervous, Lizzie. I am too.” Ivy admitted.“About?” Eliza’s mind was racing, unsure what they were talking about. “The wedding night.” Ivy said in a hushed tone. “You’ve never…?” “No.” Ivy shook her head. “But I love Barnabus, and trust him. A part of me is excited.”Eliza reached over for Ivy’s hands. “Then you should marry sooner. Don’t put it off, he loves you too.”Ivy nodded and sniffled. “My dear girl. What will I do without you?”“Have less stress?” Both women laughed.There was a knock and the back door then William let himself in.“Good morning ladies.” He said cheerfully, removing his hat.“William! I thought I was to meet you at the Yard.” Eliza said.William held up a folder in his hand, a grin on his face. “Fitzroy found a file for Louise Rogers. I wanted to share it with you. We can go to the Wallace’s from here.”“Oh. Thank you.” Eliza took the file from him and began to read as Ivy set up a bowl for William.“Did Eliza make this?” He asked Ivy, pushing around the burnt bits.“No. Unfortunately I was distracted while cooking.” Ivy told him.“Ah. I’m sure you have a lot on your mind what with your upcoming wedding.” William said, eating some to be polite. When he realized it wasn’t half as bad as anything Eliza had ever served him he continued to eat.“William! I take it you’ve read this?” Eliza reached out, her hand gripping William’s forearm, her face full of excitement.“Aye.”Ivy observed carefully as Eliza continued to let her hand rest on William’s left arm, her fingers tightening around him as she continued to read.“Her family had her committed to an asylum. It says here she was paranoid… she too had gone to the police.”“At another precinct. Fitzroy took the initiative of asking officers at other precincts if they had any cases similar to ours, missing young women, acting erratic or paranoid. His hunch had paid off.” William sounded proud of Fitzroy.“Should we visit the asylum and talk to the doctor who had treated her?” Eliza asked. “Perhaps he can give us more insight.”Ivy watched, amazed, as William finished the entire bowl of oatmeal. She wasn’t sure if it were that, or the fact that Eliza hadn’t let go of his arm, that astonished her more.“We can go there first.” William said as he wiped his mouth with his free hand. Eliza squeezed him one final time before hurrying off.“I’ll just go get my things!” She called out as she ran upstairs.Ivy sat down in the seat Eliza had vacated and looked at William.“What?” He asked.Ivy’s gaze flickered to his arm before meeting his eyes again.William shrugged, but had a pleased look on his face. “I… I think things might finally be changing between us. Slowly.” He added, but he still looked joyful.“I’m so happy for you.” Ivy said softly. “Don’t give up on her.”William nodded. “I won’t. She’s what I want.” He said earnestly.“Good.” Ivy pat him on the shoulder and began to clear the table, Eliza returning just moments after.“Ready?” William asked as he rose from the table and gathered up the file.Eliza nodded and breezed past him, already heading to his waiting carriage. William chuckled and with a quick farewell to Ivy, followed after Eliza.
Hanwell Asylum
“We are progressive of nature here, we believe patients who preserve their everyday skills have less difficulties in returning to their lives.” Dr. Charles Ellis, Superintendent of the Asylum told William and Eliza as they walked the expansive grounds just on the outskirts of London. Dr. Ellis’ wife, Mildred, nodded her agreement.The scent of fresh bread wafted by as they passed the bakehouse. Eliza could see through the open door that a group of patients were kneading dough.“Do you remember this woman, Louise Rogers?” William asked, handing him the photo of Louise, laid out on the mortuary table. Dr. Ellis clucked his tongue, having caught site of the phrase, ‘suicide by arsenic’ on the page of notes.“Yes. She committed suicide? I’m surprised.” He said as he returned the photo, his shoulders slumping slightly. His wife took his hand and held it.“No actually, we believe she was murdered.”“Really? That would make sense.” Dr. Ellis mused.“You knew she was in danger?” Eliza asked.“Not precisely. Come, sit and I’ll explain.” Dr. Ellis led them to a ring of benches within a small garden. He sat down with an ‘oof’, patting his portly belly. His wife sat by his side, holding his hand again. Eliza and William took seats across from them.“Miss Rogers’ parents had her sent here under the assumption she was acting out to avoid her upcoming nuptials. She stated that she thought she was being followed by a shadowy being.” Eliza leaned forward listening attentively. “At first I was going to diagnose her with acute paranoia, she had all of the symptoms, but as I talked to her further I realized she might truly be in danger.”“Did she say when she noticed that she was being followed?” Eliza asked.Dr. Ellis’ face scrunched up with concentration. “Hmm… it was a week or so before she had been admitted. She said the plans for her wedding were underway.”“Was she looking forward to her upcoming nuptials?” William asked.“No actually, but she was going to go through with it because her parents wished it.”“Did she mention being in love with someone else?” Eliza asked.Dr. Ellis hesitated before answering, his gaze flickering over to his wife. He looked vaguely uncomfortable.“Come now Chuck,” she said softly, “I’ve heard plenty in my time here.” Mildred smiled at him.Dr. Ellis cleared his throat. “She mentioned having had paramours, but no one she was attached to.”“Hmm…” William stroked his beard, processing the new information.“What made you decide that she wasn’t paranoid?” Eliza asked.“Her entire demeanor changed once she realized she was safe here. And as I spoke to her more she was always lucid, always aware of what was going on. I told her she should speak to the police again. They didn't believe her the first time but I told her I would give her a letter declaring her of sound mind. She agreed, realizing that she couldn’t hide here forever. I suppose she didn’t make it in time.” He said sadly.“Did she describe the person following her in any detail aside from ‘shadowy being’?” William asked.“No. She never had a good look at them. She only ever saw a dark coat flapping. She described it like bat wings.” The doctor sighed. “I’m so very sorry I didn’t escort her to the police personally.”“I don’t think she ever had a chance to report it the second time.” William told them. “There was no new police report filed.”“She might have been turned away.” Eliza pointed out gently, not wanting to upset William for reminding him of having turned Melissa James away.“Or her parents didn’t let her report it. When they came to bring her home, and I explained the situation, they looked more annoyed than worried. They could have disregarded her fears. Unfortunately young women are marked as being ‘hysterical’ all too quickly without trying to discern the underlying reasons for their upsets.”Eliza couldn’t help but like the progressive doctor and his soft spoken wife.
He seems very forward thinking and open to new ideas…
Eliza was considering something when she felt William lightly touch her arm. “I think we’re done here.” He told her.“We’ll walk you to your carriage.” The doctor said, he took a deep breath and groaned as he rose from the bench. “I should watch my figure.” He said with a wry chuckle.As they walked along the path Eliza let herself fall back to talk to the doctor. His wife, taking the hint, stepped up to William’s side and began chatting with him.“You wished to speak to me privately?” Dr. Ellis asked, keeping his voice low.“I… I was just curious. In your methods. I didn’t see any restraints being used here.” Eliza said, skirting around the topic that was really on her mind.“We don’t use them, or any type of force or violence on our patients. We work with talk therapy, discussing their problems and ways to resolve them.” He explained.“Ah. Um… do you use that method of therapy with people outside… What I mean to say is…” Eliza looked uncomfortable and nervous.“Are you asking if one could come here, to talk, and not be committed?” The doctor asked kindly.“I suppose.”The doctor smiled. “If you’d like to come talk one day at your convenience I would be happy to listen to you. Everyone has troubles, I find that discussing them with an impartial third party is sometimes easier than talking with a friend or family member.”“Thank you.” Eliza said, inadvertently looking at William’s back. “I… I might take you up on that.”They reached the carriage, William waiting with the door open. He took her hand and helped her in.“Thank you for your time.” William told the doctor and his wife. Once in the carriage William looked at Eliza. “Is everything alright?”“Yes, why do you ask?”“I wasn’t sure if you were suspicious of the doctor. I wasn’t under the impression he was involved.”“I don’t think he is either. I was asking him about… the bodies being found by water and if the killer thought he was purifying them.”“Ah, good idea.” William replied.But Eliza noticed he hadn’t asked her what the doctor had replied. They spent the remainder of the ride discussing their next steps, Eliza jotting down questions to ask at the Wallace’s shop.
123 Rue D’Amore
“There is a ‘123 Rue D’Amore’.” Eliza said with a laugh as she noticed a small decorative street sign that had been affixed to the corner of a building. They were actually on High Street, a busy shopping district, but Eliza assumed for advertising purposes renaming the street to something romantic held more appeal for customers.“Hmm.” William said, his attention on an elaborate lace gown being displayed in the window.
Wouldn’t Eliza look lovely in that? William let his imagination take over, he pictured Eliza in the allover lace gown standing in front of him, her hands resting on his shoulders, his on her waist, as they swayed side-to-side, a string quartet playing faintly in the background. William closed his eyes halfway, seeing Eliza’s hair falling into soft ringlets around her face, his bowtie had gone missing and his first few buttons were undone. Eliza’s hand slid across his chest to rest within the V of his open shirt. “William?” Eliza said, tugging lightly on his cuff. “Are you alright?”“Eh…” Before he could reply a group of women stepped out from the shop, giggling and talking loudly. They stopped and eyed William and Eliza, but mostly William. “He’s a handsome one! Isn’t she lucky?” “I’d take him for a go.” “Lucy! You’re getting married!” “So? I’m not becoming a nun.” A few more giggles followed before the women vanished up the street.“I feel bad for her future husband.” William muttered as Eliza walked up the steps to the shop.“Welcome to Wallace’s where all of your wedding day dreams come true!” A cheerful young woman greeted them. She was tall and slender, and bore a wide smile, her curly auburn hair was falling out of her updo. Upon first glance she was wearing what seemed like a simple black dress but as Eliza took a closer look she noticed that intricate lace had been sewn around the neckline. The lace was of a very dark green, nearly blending into the fabric, but when the saleswoman moved, the light from the window would hit it at an angle, causing the lace to reveal itself.“Your dress is beautiful.” Eliza said.“Thank you! Mr. Wallace made this lace.” She said, touching her collar. “The flowers had come out a little smaller than he had hoped, so I was able to purchase it.” She leaned forward conspiratorially, “He’s very particular about quality, but there is nothing wrong with it that I can see! I am sure you will love your gown! And your fiancé too of course!” She winked at William.“She’s not my…” William began to say, but stopped himself and simply smiled. No one believes me anyway when I say we’re not married. Besides, I do want to marry her. “I agree!” Eliza said politely, talking over William. “Is he here? Mr. Wallace that is. We would very much like to meet him.” William glanced over at Eliza, surprised that she hadn’t mentioned the true reason for them being there. “No.” The saleswoman put a sad look on her face, which vanished quickly as her innate nature was to be joyful. “But perhaps I can help you? My name is Eveline, but you can call me Evie.” “I’m Liza, and this is my fiancé, Will.” Eliza let out a sigh of disappointment. “We were so hoping to meet Mr. Wallace, we’ve heard such wonderful things about his lace.”Evie nodded enthusiastically, “It’s the perfect marriage of talents.” She let out a giggle at her pun. “Mr. Wallace makes the lace, by hand of course, and Miss Wallace, his twin sister, sews the gowns. They design them together. Would you like to tell me if you had any ideas for your gown? I’m quite adept at sketching and I help take the orders. But, I must admit, we are quite busy at the moment, when is your wedding?” Evie asked as she pulled out a sheet of paper and a clipboard to draw on.Eliza’s head was spinning at the barrage of questions. This woman could give Hattie a run for the money! William placed his hand on her lower back and smiled at Evie. “My fiancé has been overwhelmed with all the wedding planning.” William said, the word fiancé tripping easily from his tongue. “Darling, why don’t you show her your sketch.”Eliza rummaged for the drawing as William continued to talk to Evie. “We have some time before our wedding, we’re only recently engaged. I want Liza to have the best of everything!”“Well she’ll certainly be the most en vogue bride if you have your gown made here! We keep abreast of all the modern fashions, especially those from France. At the moment floral wreaths are all the rage! You would look quite lovely with ecru roses and bright green leaves in your hair. I wouldn’t recommend pure white with your coloring.”“Are the flowers’ leaves Scheele’s Green?” Eliza asked, excited at having a potential lead.“Of course! We wouldn’t use anything less vibrant! Mr. Wallace dyes the lace himself. He’s even developed a safer way to create the same green shade without using arsenic!” She said proudly. “Sometimes his apprentice, Oscar, helps with the dying, but he is very knowledgeable about the entire process.” Evie said, as if to reassure Eliza that her gown would still be considered a Wallace creation, even if someone else had worked on parts of it.“My friend wore this gown. I thought it might be from here. Do you recognize it?” Eliza asked nonchalantly, passing Evie the sketch. She was a bit disappointed upon hearing that Mr. Wallace didn’t use arsenic. Would that cross him off from being a suspect? Does he even have a motive? Eliza wondered.Evie’s face lit up. “Yes, this is a Wallace design.” But then she wrinkled her nose in confusion. “I don’t recall it being made though. Are you sure your friend had gone through with the order?”“Yes. I saw the gown.”“How odd, I’m usually the one who double-checks and packs the gowns for delivery. I would remember this, it’s stunning. Oscar is out too, but perhaps… one moment please.” Evie turned away from them. “Jeremy! Could you come here please?” “Yeah?” A young man wearing a dark brown cap and a long tweed brown coat approached them.Eliza and William shared a quick glance, each thinking the same thing, he could look bat-like in dim lighting. “Do you remember delivering this gown?” She asked the lad. She let him examine the sketch as she turned back to Eliza. “Jeremy helps me box up the gowns, we don’t want any mixups.”“Naw, but I do remember Mr. Wallace working on a lace panel that looks like that.” Jeremy scratched at a patch of acne on his face as he glanced at Eliza. “You’d look awfully pretty in his newest design.” Jeremy said with a lewd undertone. He ran his gaze up and down Eliza’s body as though appraising it. Eliza couldn’t help but cross her arms around herself. William stepped up to her side and shot Jeremy a glare. Jeremy held his hands up. “Just sayin’.”“Jeremy! That will be all.” Evie’s face went red. “I apologize, Mr. Wallace’s latest design is, ahem, a bit scandalous.” She said in a low tone. “Jeremy seems to think he can find a bride to wear it. He usually stays in the back but I’ve heard him showing Mr. Wallace’s sketch to customers.” She scowled. “I thought Mr. Wallace had put an end to that, but Jeremy didn't listen. He’s very good at deliveries though. Now, why don’t you two have a seat and we can begin discussing your gown?”“Out of curiosity, which is the gown that Jeremy was referring to?” Eliza asked as she sat down, William taking the armchair next to hers.Evie looked around, the shop was empty other than them, and Jeremy who had returned to the back. She held up a finger, indicating they should give her a moment. She reached for a folio which had been in a locked desk drawer and returned with a drawing. Eliza took it and gasped. “It’s… it’s stunning…” Eliza breathed out.“Jesus, Liza, you can’t wear that in public.” William said, looking at it over her shoulder. “But damn, what I wouldn’t give to see you in that…” He muttered to himself.Eliza turned to glance at William, having heard what he had said. He returned her stare, his eyes full of desire and a hunger she had never seen in them before. Eliza swallowed nervously, and turned back to the sketch. Despite it being an allover lace gown, it even had sleeves and a modest neckline, the parts not covered in lace were transparent, indicating that bare skin that would show through. Eliza lightly reached out a finger and touched an area on the hip which would give a tantalizing glimpse of skin. I… I want to wear this. For William only. Eliza suddenly realized. She looked back at him, he wore an expression of embarrassment, as though he had revealed too much of his thoughts, and was worried it had upset her.Eliza swallowed then smiled at Evie, “I think this would be for Will’s eyes only.” William’s face lit up with surprise. Eliza smiled shyly at him.Evie grinned broadly, pleased that the design hadn’t been immediately rejected. “If you decide you’d like it, we could work something out. I know Mr. Wallace would love for someone to enjoy it, even if it isn’t worn in a ceremony. Several of his designs are a bit too modern, but so lovely.” Evie sighed with longing. “Perhaps one day women will be able to wear them.”“Does Mr. Wallace offer those gowns to women anyway?” William asked, wondering if he somehow forced the women to wear them then killed them.“Goodness no. He rarely talks directly to the brides. His sister and I do the consultations. He seems to know exactly what is needed from our description and drawings. He’s a genius.”William tried to hide his dismay. It feels as though we keep hitting walls. He sat back in his chair and looked around the shop. The front room was small, containing an area with a pedestal surrounded on three sides with mirrors. A small settee was near it, presumably for the brides to show their gown off to their family and friends. William, Eliza, and Evie were sitting at a small table off to the side, a bookcase was next to them bearing books and magazines with titles in French on the spines. A sketchpad and pencils were on the table for taking notes. There aren’t any bolts of fabric. Or samples laying about. William suddenly realized. Perhaps they keep that in the back? William looked at a curtained door that was just behind Evie’s shoulder. His hands clenched the armrests of his chair, Jeremy was standing in the shadows behind the curtain, his focus entirely on Eliza. It made William’s skin crawl. He forced himself to tune back into the conversation.“...yes, we sell Mr. Wallace’s lace to other shops, even to other seamstresses. Sometimes he makes too much, he’s very intense when he works and doesn’t always know when to stop. Other times it’s pieces Oscar practices on. The discounted rate makes it viable for all brides to have a small piece of luxury on their gowns! And we have the raffle.”“Raffle?” Eliza asked.“From the advertisements. We let future brides write us with descriptions of their dream gowns and we’ll print our favorite ones in our next ad. Not that we need the business, it had been Miss Wallace’s idea from when the shop first opened and they needed customers. They kept it up as tradition. Occasionally they’ll have a raffle and pick a bride to win a gown. It’s very kind of them, it’s usually women with financial difficulties.”“That’s very interesting. In which newspaper do you advertise?” Eliza asked. Perhaps I should look at more than just the crime section from now on. “The London Journal…” Evie replied then trailed off as William cut her off.“Sweetheart,” he said to Eliza, “I think we should get going.” William said stiffly.Eliza looked at him confused, wondering why his demeanor had suddenly changed. “Will?”“We’re going to be late for our appointment with the baker. About our cake.” He said, rising from his chair and taking Eliza’s hand.“Oh, what a shame!” Evie exclaimed. “We didn’t get to discuss your dress. If you’d like to return in a couple of days the Wallace’s will be back. They went to visit a silk mill for a custom fabric.”“That would be wonderful.” Eliza said as William practically dragged her from the store. “Thank you Evie!” “It was so very nice to meet you!” Evie called back, her voice fading as William led her outside.“William!” Eliza hissed, once they were out of earshot. “What is going on?”“Jeremy. He was staring at you from the back room.”“So?”“Something felt off about him. I didn’t like how he was looking at you.” William said a bit fiercely.
Is he being overly protective, or are his concerns warranted?
William’s mouth was set in a grim line. Eliza saw him look in the reflection of a nearby storefront.Suddenly she felt herself being pulled around the corner and pushed up against the brick wall. William’s body was pressed against hers, she could feel his chin against the top of her head. She inhaled deeply, trying to steady herself, unsure if they were in danger. William’s familiar scent flooded her nostrils, his cologne, the ubiquitous smell of whisky, and the soap he used to shave with. Even if there was danger, she knew she was safe, he’d never let any harm come to her. As she would never let any harm come to him.Eliza slid her hand into her pocket, she had begun to carry a small folding knife with her even though she knew it wasn’t as intimidating as a gun. But she would rather fight with words rather than weapons whenever possible.She let her purse fall to the ground and turned, brandishing the knife, as William reached an arm out and grabbed the man following them.“Why are you following my fiancé?” William snarled, slamming Jeremy into the wall, pressing his forearm into Jeremy’s throat, holding him in place.“William, he can hardly answer if you’re choking him.” Eliza said wryly as she put her knife away.“I… I recognized her!” Jeremy said, grabbing for William’s arm, trying to loosen his hold. “Isn’t she The Lady Detective ? I didn’t know she was engaged! Let me go!”With a final glare William let go of Jeremy, who straightened out his coat and dusted off his lapels. He looked at William sullenly, realizing he wouldn’t be able to get away from the larger man. Dejected, his shoulders slumped. “I didn’t do anything.”“Why were you looking at Miss Scarlet lewdly?” William asked.“Lewdly? This is my face!” Jeremy exclaimed, a bit offended. “I wanted to make sure it was her. I was hoping she was investigating.”“The murders?” Eliza asked.“Murders? She’s dead?” Jeremy asked, grief-stricken.“Who do you think is dead?” William asked.“The pretty lady. I don’t know her name, she was a customer.”“Why are you so upset if you didn’t know her?” Eliza asked.Jeremy looked down, shuffling his feet. “She’s beautiful and I like her. She’d come in with her friends to talk about her wedding gown. But she never came back for her final fitting. I was worried.” Jeremy admitted, his face had gone red.“So you had a crush on her and when she didn’t return your feelings you killed her?” Willam asked.“What? No! Why do you keep saying she’s dead?”William gestured to Eliza, who had the files in her purse. She pulled out photographs of Melissa James and Louise Rogers and showed them to Jeremy.“Is she one of these girls?” Eliza asked.Jeremy shook his head. “No, thank goodness. But she looks a lot like them. More like this one.” He said pointing to Louise.” What happened?”“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.” William said. “I’m Detective Inspector Wellington of Scotland Yard.”“Ah, so you were undercover?” Jeremy asked as William nodded. “Shame, you really would look lovely in that gown Miss Scarlet.”Eliza smiled, knowing it would irk Willam. “Thank you. I’ll consider it.” William glanced at her and raised an eyebrow as if to ask, and who precisely are you planning on marrying? Eliza casually shrugged one shoulder in reply.“Jeremy, do you have any information that could help us? Tell us about the woman you were thinking of.”Jeremy nodded. “I don’t know much, honestly. She’d come in with her bridesmaids and I overheard them talking. She said she had been looking to have a final fling before marrying an older man in a marriage her parents had arranged. I was kinda hoping she’d have that fling with me.” Jeremy took his cap off and twisted it within his hands. “She smiled at me.”“Just because a lady smiles at you doesn’t mean it’s an invitation to… to other things.” William said.“I know that. But she has such a beautiful smile.” Jeremy sighed wistfully, leaning against the brick wall, a dreamy expression on his face. “I followed her a couple of times.”William didn’t know whether to be annoyed or glad, on the off chance Jeremy had seen anything.“And? Did you notice anyone else following her?” William asked.“No. I didn’t follow her for long.” Jeremy said. “Just twice.”“And where was she going?” Eliza asked.“The first time she went with her friends for tea. The second time she headed to an office building. I think it was a newspaper.”“The Police Illustrated News?” Eliza asked, knowing it most likely wasn’t that newspaper, but wanting to see if Jeremy would lie.“No. Something with a Journal. I think it’s the one that the Wallace’s advertise in.”“The London Journal?” William asked.“That’s the one!” Jeremy snapped his fingers, happy that he was able to contribute something, and that William had stopped glowering at him.“Perhaps she was one of the raffle winners?” Eliza wondered aloud.Jeremy shrugged. “Could be, I didn’t hear anything about that.”William reached into his pocket and handed Jeremy his card. “If you think of anything else, you come find me immediately. Or if you see anything odd going on.”“Yes Sir!” Jeremy gave a salute with the wrong hand.“Just go. And stop following women!” William said, shoving him from the alley.Eliza smiled to herself. “Should we ask Evie about that client? If we do, we’d have to tell her who we truly are.”William frowned, considering their options.“No. Let’s go to the newspaper’s office. Hopefully they can tell us who she is. I don’t want to blow our cover at the Wallace’s in case we need to question them again.”Eliza nodded, fixing her hat, as they stepped out of the alley to get a cab, for all the world looking like a couple that had had a spontaneous romantic interlude.
The London Journal
“Could you repeat that? Who are you?!” The editor of the London Journal shouted. “I can’t hear you!” He cupped his hand around his ear, causing his spectacles to fall askew on his nose.“THEN LET’S GO TO YOUR OFFICE!” William bellowed. They were standing on the ground floor of The London Journal, where the presses were running with the day’s late edition. “Why don’t we go to my office?” The editor said, fixing his spectacles, then gesturing that they should follow him.William grumbled some curses, causing Eliza to laugh. He couldn’t help but laugh too as he saw her beautiful face light up.Once they reached the relative quiet of the editor’s office, William took a deep breath of relief.“You said you’re here to place a marriage announcement?” The editor asked as he picked up his pencil and a piece of scrap paper which William could just make out a shopping list having been written on.“No.” Eliza said, shaking her head. She glanced at the editor’s name plate, “Mr. Adams, I’m Private Detective Eliza Scarlet, and this is Detective Inspector William Wellington.”Mr. Adams stared at them. “And what day is the wedding?”“I’m not marrying the Inspector.” Eliza tried to explain.“Ah, apologies, and who is the lucky man?”“No one!” William growled. “She’s not marrying anyone…” except for me. Even if it is a decade from now. He didn’t say the words, but from the look Eliza gave him, she had a hint of what he had been thinking. Shit, I’m screwing this all up. William’s face fell. I need to focus on this case, and all I can think about is holding her and telling her I love her. “I’m not planning on getting married. Yet.” Eliza told the editor, but was looking directly at William as she spoke. “Perhaps one day.” She added softly.The transformation in William’s expression was astonishing, he transitioned from shock to pure joy, his eyes shining, his smile broad. He’s so handsome when he’s happy. Eliza idly thought.“Then why are you here?” Mr. Adams asked, scratching his temple with the back of his pencil.“We’re here regarding the advertisements placed on behalf of Wallace’s Wedding Gowns.” William said.“Ah, you want to post a reply? Perhaps win a gown? But I thought you weren’t getting married.” He said to Eliza. “Are you getting married, Inspector?”William groaned. “I give up.”Eliza had to admit that she was surprised William hadn’t lost his temper sooner.“We’re here to inquire after the name of the latest winner of the raffle gown.” Eliza said.“Oh! Why didn’t you say so?” Mr. Adams rummaged around on his desk, pushing aside papers. “Aha, it was,” he squinted at at the writing, “salmon and gelatin? Oh, that’s my wife’s grocery list. Was I supposed to go to the market? Maybe that’s why there was no dinner two nights ago. Huh.” He scratched at his head thoughtfully.“The name?” William reminded him.“Yes, yes, Samantha Alden, she was so pleased to have won. Those gowns are pricey, I’m glad my wife didn’t know about them back when we had gotten married. She wore a simple gown, but still very beautiful. Happiest day of my life. I think.”“Do you have an address for her?” Eliza asked hopefully.“Sure, it’s here somewhere.”Both Eliza and William waited impatiently for Mr. Adams to locate the address, write it down, then hand it to Eliza. “Parsley?” She read aloud.“Shoot, that was today’s list. Could I just borrow that for one moment?” Mr. Adams took the paper back from her and rewrote the part he had torn off. “Eggs too… Wonder what she’s making for tonight.”“Nothing, if you don’t remember to buy any food.” William muttered.“What specifically does the ad say? And does Mr. Wallace himself come to place them?” Eliza asked.“It’s the same ad every week.” Mr. Adams cleared his throat, “ Your dream dress is waiting, let us design it for you, send in a description to 123 Rue D’Amore and we'll sketch it and send it back to you!” He quoted perfectly.“How does he remember all that but can’t remember to buy eggs?” William asked no one in particular. Eliza kicked his leg lightly.“So he doesn’t come here?”“No. Oscar does, to pay for the ad running. He comes once a month. He also gives me the entries they liked enough to run. Those get delivered straight to their shop.”“Oscar is his apprentice, correct?”“Yes, Oscar Clifton.”“You don’t happen to have his address, do you?” William asked.“Actually I do.” Mr. Adams got up from his desk and headed over to a filing cabinet. They watched as he flipped through several files before pulling one out. He dropped the thick file on his desk, several newspaper clippings and scraps of paper falling out. “Aha, here it is! On the original invoice.” He handed it to Eliza who quickly copied it over the word ‘tripe’.“Thank you for your time.” Eliza said after sharing a glance with William that he too had no further questions.“My pleasure, and when you’re ready to get married let me know, I’ll run your marriage announcement.” Mr. Adams said pleasantly.Once outside Eliza handed William Samantha Alden’s address. “William, I’m worried Samantha Alden could be our next victim.”“I agree.” William said, tucking the paper safely into his pocket. “I’m going to have an officer watch her house tonight. Tomorrow, first thing, I’ll go talk to her and her family. Did you want to meet me afterwards to interview Oscar Clifton?”Eliza nodded. “Yes. William, I’ve been thinking…” Eliza took his arm and began to walk up the street, with no particular destination in mind.“Aye?”“Anyone could have seen any of the sketches from the Wallace’s. It seems as though Evie, and Jeremy, are eager to show the designs to the customers. Perhaps someone had seen a sketch and had the dress made.”“Hmm… Would the Wallace’s recognize the stitching if it was one of theirs? But we don’t have Louise Rogers’ dress, and Melissa James’ dress was practically destroyed.” William pointed out, carefully guiding Eliza around a woman pushing a pram along the sidewalk. “Other than going to every dressmaker and seamstress, I’m not sure how to figure out who had made the dress.”They walked silently, each lost in their own thoughts. I could… Eliza felt excitement bubble within her as an idea began to formulate in her mind. But William would never speak to me again if I were to do something so risky… surely it would help us get answers much quicker… and we both want to get to the bottom of this… Eliza ignored the pit in her stomach as her idea quickly turned into a plan. She slowed her pace, nearly pulling William’s arm back.“Huh?” William looked up, not having realized how far they had walked. He spotted Gilbert’s at the next corner, then turned to Eliza.Having pushed away her thoughts, not wanting William to see them on her face, she was now looking up at him expectantly. He couldn’t help but feel a deep pleasure course throughout his body.
She’s waiting for me to invite her to dinner! But I haven’t been back at the Yard all day, I probably have a pile of work nearly up to the ceiling waiting for me.
“Eliza, I…”Her face scrunched up, realizing that William wasn’t about to ask her to dinner.“...I want to check if the Wallace’s have any police records. And have a guard put on Miss Alden’s house.”“I understand.” She said, trying to hide her disappointment. William couldn’t help but smile. He reached out and gently cupped her face in his hand, lightly stroking over her cheek with the pad of his thumb. Eliza leaned into his touch, closing her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, she realized that William had stepped closer to her, their torsos nearly touching.“Tomorrow?” He asked, his lips nearly touching her cheek with each syllable spoken.“Mmm…” Eliza agreed. What is happening to me? I… I feel as though I miss him already and he’s standing right here in front of me! Eliza took a step back, breaking from his touch, confusion writ across her face. Damn it, I frightened her. William realized with dismay, his arm falling to his side. Shoot, I’ve hurt him. Again. Eliza took a deep breath and reached out to grab William’s hand between both of hers.“Tomorrow.” She said firmly, squeezing his hand. She held his gaze. I’m trying, I truly am. William nodded, his eyes full of tenderness. “Shall I call you a cab?”Eliza shook her head. “It’s not that late. I think I’ll walk for a bit.”“Very well. Be careful.” William said, knowing she wouldn’t heed his words.“I will. Goodnight William.” She let go of his hand.“Goodnight Eliza.”She watched as he turned and walked up the block. Once she was certain he was out of view she quickly made her way to a shop they had passed earlier that day and hurried inside.Eliza spent nearly an hour there. When she left she wore a satisfied expression, looking for all the world like a cat that had gotten into the cream.She couldn’t help it, she lifted the corner of the lid to take a quick peek into the box in her arms.Inside, nestled on tissue paper, lay a light brown wig, chestnut streaks glinting in the glow cast by the gas street lamps.
He wouldn’t like it one bit if you did this…
…but you might prevent other young women from being murdered… surely he’ll forgive you, he always does…
…until the one day when he won’t… Eliza firmly closed the box, and effectively silenced the voices in her head.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
NEW YORK - 2023
The Next Day
Eliza
“Mmm… William… William?” Eliza squeezed what she thought was William. Except it easily gave way beneath her grasp. She blinked her eyes open and couldn’t help but smile at the pillows William had tucked around her. A note had been left on one of them. Sorry love, had to go in early.
The second victim was just ID’d.
I’ll see you tonight!
XOXO,
-W
Eliza picked up the note and opened her bedside table drawer. She carefully placed the note on top of a pile of other notes William had left her on the days he had to be up and about early.
His drawing has quite improved from the smiley faces he used to doodle.
She stretched languidly, enjoying the quiet, knowing that it would soon be over…
*BEEP-BEEP*
Eliza rolled over and picked up her phone to see a message from Hattie.@FontFanaticLuvsFitz: Eliza! I need advice! I’ll exchange your ear for a bag of bagels… 🙏🏻🥯
Eliza laughed.@F1rstLadyDetectiveInLoveWithHotScotDick: Sounds good. You can meet my friend Clementine, she’s visiting with us for a while.@FontFanaticLuvsFitz: Great!No sooner had Eliza washed up and changed she heard the doorbell ringing. Well that was fast! She began to head downstairs, but Clementine, who had been sleeping on the couch bed, was already at the door, her voice echoing loudly throughout the apartment.“Whatta marning! Fie-na-lee found sum’un in Na Yawk who gots great fashion sense! Why, you’re as cute as Bubba! Pank is yer color!” Clementine exclaimed enthusiastically.
Eliza smiled as she saw Hattie’s astonished expression grow as Clementine took her hand and twirled her around, bag of bagels and all.“Oh, um, thank you! I made this dress myself. I even embroidered the flowers on it!” Hattie said, teetering a bit in her chunky pink heels. She still looked dazed as Clementine looped her arm through hers and began to drag her into the kitchen as she extolled the virtues of pink.“...is way bettah than red. We need pink stop signs, pink on da flag. Ah all-so think that…” Eliza grinned and hurried after them, the siren’s call of bagels was not to be ignored.When she entered the kitchen Hattie had her tablet out and was showing Clementine some of her designs. Clementine was looking at them in rapture.“Aye need me one d’ose! But I ain’t got no business. Ken ya just make one for mah name? Ah’ll get stickah’s made an’ put them everywheres!”Hattie flushed with pleasure. “Thank you!” “Maybe ah will start a business once I get mah Panki Bok back!”“What would your company be?” Hattie asked curiously, her tablet’s pen poised over the screen. Eliza could tell that a multitude of ideas were swimming through her friend’s mind.Clementine shrugged. “IDK.” Clementine tapped her chin thoughtfully. Then her eyes suddenly lit up, causing Eliza to feel a bit of trepidation.“I got it! The Pinkest Plushest Pleasure Palace on the Prairie!” Clementine said triumphantly.“Um… would you be selling Pleasure Toys? ” Hattie whispered.“Huh…? Naw, not that kinda pleasure. A warehouse full of pank plushy squishy minky cushions fo’ persons ta jump an’ relax an’ sleep on! Liken to a massage but without the massage. Great idee huh? I jes needa sometin to make me lotsa bucks to go skydiving! But mayhaps I kin add a secret type room in back for the other pleashure thangs….”“I thought it was hang gliding?” Eliza said, as she spread cream cheese on an everything bagel.“Hang gliding is with these bucks.” Clementine pulled her pink phone out of the pocket of her pink fluffy robe and tapped her screen then showed it to Eliza proudly. The $10,000 dollars in damages that Klementein owed her was listed as the latest deposit. Clementine’s bank account total was now $10,000.29. “I din’nt forget, I’mma takin’ ya too! Wanna come, honey?” She asked Hattie. “My treat!”Hattie turned green. “Thank you, but heights disagree with me.”“Darn, too bad. You coulda designed us matchin’ tees, ‘Clementine’s Crazy Cun…”“Bagel?” Eliza interrupted loudly, passing the bag to her.“Oh, I plum forgot. Whoowee, this’un rainbow? What’s it taste like?”“Food coloring.” Eliza said. She had a smile plastered on her face but inside her stomach clenched. She did get paid. Should I ask for part of my fee? I did help her with the first half of her case, we found Golden Steak, and got her money from her cousin… “Eliza?” Hattie said, her intuition strong that something was bothering her friend. “Is something wrong?”“No, no. All’s well. I was just thinking about our plan for today, after you tell us what you needed advice about.” Eliza lied smoothly.“I’m the advice guru back home in da countree!” Clementine interjected proudly. “But first, today we gunna be high-rollin’! Ah’m tarred’a waitin’ in a place smellin’ lack a chicken house back home. Here, put in yer digits and I’ll send ya the first half of yah fee and sum extry for travel and what nots.”Clementine handed Eliza her phone. Eliza hoped the relief on her face wasn’t too obvious. She quickly typed in her account number and handed it back to Clementine to finish the transaction. Clementine tapped for a moment, making funny faces all the while, then Eliza’s phone pinged with a text confirming her payment. She opened it then gasped.“Clementine, this is my entire fee. And then some! You made a mistake.”“Nah, gurl. I gave you some for stayin’ here. Ah got mah money back from that Airbnb. Plus a pet fee for Bubba.”
She only had 29 cents in her account before. How did she… never mind, she didn’t mind paying and now I can pay Frank back!
“Well, thank you!” Eliza said, full of appreciation. She munched on her bagel in a much better mood.“Now, you tell me what y’all needin’ help with.” Clementine said, facing Hattie as she took a huge bite out of her rainbow bagel.Hattie took a deep breath. “I want to ask Olie to move in with me!”“Olie? As in Willie’s Oliver?” Clementine asked.“Yes.”“Fitzy something?”“Fitzroy. How did you know? Are you psychic?” Hattie asked excitedly.Clementine let out a guffaw. “Naw, I met him when Willie came to rescue me and Bubba. He’s a cutie that one. Y’all’s a cute couple! Even more cuter than when Klementyne and Root Beer got homecoming King and Queen.”Hattie turned even redder. “I love him.” She said softly. “I really want to be with him every day, even when he writes poetry and fan fiction then leaves Post-its everywhere, even when he plays chess against Imaginary William,” Eliza blinked at that, confused, “even when he’s anxious and forgets to eat. Even when…”Clementine held a hand up, cutting her off. “If that ain’t true love, then I don’t know what is.” She looked impressed.“So I’m trying to come up with a way to propose that to him.”“Sexy.”
“Nekkid.”Eliza and Clementine replied simultaneously, then grinned at each other.“Oh!” Hattie looked taken aback. “I was thinking flowers…”“On your nekkid body.” Clementine said, nodding.“If you use roses, don’t forget to remove the thorns.” Eliza grimaced as an unbidden memory popped up. “But keep bandaids on hand, just in case.”“Got it!” Clementine said, looking smug. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and began to tap on it rapidly. “Dang, where is that video…?”Eliza turned on the coffee pot then she and Hattie continued to eat, watching various expressions of consternation cross Clementine’s face until it finally morphed into triumph.“Here! Getta a load of this!” She handed her phone to Hattie, who held it out so Eliza could see too. Eliza watched incredulously as the video went on and on. She began to shift back and forth from foot to foot, wanting it to end already. Hattie on the other hand looked overjoyed.“Clem, this is perfect!” She squealed. “I can do different fonts for each…”“Yeah gurl! And use lotsa pink!”“Yes! Can I send this to myself?”“Fuh sure!” Clementine said as she picked up her rainbow bagel once more.
If I did something like that for William I think he would get frustrated very quickly…
The scent of the freshly brewed coffee was proving irresistible to Eliza. She left the ladies discussing the best type of tape to be used on skin to pour three steaming mugs.“Here you go.” She said as she passed them around. “We could also see what this app I’ve recently heard about suggests.” Eliza said. Though she wouldn’t admit it aloud, or to herself, she was curious to see if she could learn anything of use for William’s case.
As long as I’m careful as to what I tell Basil, it should be fine!
And she also couldn’t bear watching that video for a second time. Hattie’s finger hovered over the “replay” button.“App?” Hattie asked, distracted.“Yes, this one, Knots & Knickers.” She held her phone out, the two women moved to stand on either side of her, watching eagerly as questions to Lacey began to flash by.Eliza sipped her coffee, glad her plan of distraction had worked.
“Dear Lacey, It’s my wedding night, but my fiance’s already seen it all! Any recommendations to spice things up once we’re husband and wife? Dear Lacey, I’ve read that red is the color of passion, and my fiancé is red-hot! Could you suggest something for a romantic night together? Dear Lacey, My boyfriend has an insatiable appetite. At times I’m afraid he’ll eat me alive. What kind of undies would sate his cravings?”
Clementine let out a snort at the last one. “Sounds like you ‘n’ Willie…sittin’ neath a tree…L-o-o-v-i-n-g-......”It was Eliza’s turn to go red. “Ermmm…” But thankfully Clementine and Hattie were too busy giggling over the questions, and the answers, to notice. Eliza handed them her phone.“You should read some of Petunia Mathews, that lady knows how to write .” Clementine told Hattie as she fanned herself. “That milkmaid story…”“Aha!” Eliza exclaimed triumphantly as she spotted something on the counter. “This too!” She handed Hattie the catalog from Love & Lace. Hattie spread it open and began to peruse the pages. Then she started to giggle uncontrollably. She pointed to an item on the top of the page. Clementine’s face lit up.“A willie warmer for Willie!”Clementine said gleefully. “‘Liza, you gotta get him that. The pink sparkly one of course! He a large, or an extry large?”“Erm…” Eliza looked at the sizing chart thoughtfully. “Extra large should work. They don’t come any bigger?”Both Hattie and Clementine stared at her, jaws dropping in awe.Eliza shrugged. “He’s a big man. I’ve measured.” She said with a wink.“Girl, yer turnin’ inta me!” Clementine crowed gleefully.“I can make alterations.” Hattie said in all seriousness as she studied the product page. “If I open this seam here, I can add some fabric…”“Gotta be pink!”“...and extend the length…”Hattie and Clementine went on about alterations as Eliza continued to scroll through the app.
I hope I hear back from Lacey soon. What’s this?
An ad had popped up on her screen. Eliza groaned.“Eliza? What is it?” Hattie asked.“Ugh, this,” she said, pointing to her screen.“Ech… What is that?”Clementine burst out laughing. “Them are Bulls Balls.”
https://www.amazon.com/MINNIE-NUTS-25-Pack-Variety/dp/B09MFTDHMD/ref=sr_1_43?crid=1Z3PZUOB4TLFB&keywords=Brand%3A%2BBulls%2BBalls&qid=1693960637&sprefix=brand%2Bbulls%2Bballs%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-43&th=1
“Bulls Balls?” Hattie repeated.“Yup. For the back of your truck. Imma gonna buy you girls each a pair!”Before either Eliza or Hattie could stop her, Clementine was already on her phone, buying a pink glittery pair for each of them.“Eh… thank you Clementine.” Hattie said. “Maybe I can put them on my bicycle…”Eliza tried to hide her smile. “I should put mine on the back of the patrol car that William usually uses…”The women burst out laughing.“Oh dear, look at the time!” Hattie said once they’d calmed down. “I’d best be going. I want to start working on Operation Ask Olie to Move in with Me. Thank you both for all of your help!” Hattie said as she began to pack up her things.“Mah pleasure!” Clementine said. She gave Hattie a bear hug. “You gotta tell us all ‘bout it!”“Of course!”With a final wave Hattie showed herself out.“Youg’uns. So un-edgy-cated in da ways of love.” Clementine said, shaking her head. “I em shore glad I was here to help! Lord knows she needs sum good ideas to catch’n’keep a good’un these days.”Eliza simply nodded, not sure how beneficial Clementine’s advice was going to be. But at least Oliver will have fun with it! I think it’s something he’d enjoy doing. Eliza sighed as her thoughts turned back to work. We’d best head to Gus Galanis. There’s no point in putting it off any longer. “Come on Clementine, we’d best get going. It’s a long drive out to the Island.”
William
“Duke!”William flashed his badge at the officer in the 1PP front entrance booth then walked a bit faster across the open plaza to reach Murphy, who had just called out to him. Oliver was by his side, looking simultaneously excited and anxious. They’ve discovered something, but it’s not necessarily good. William realized, knowing Oliver well enough by now to be able to accurately read his expression.“What do you have for me?” William asked. The two men fell into stride with him as they entered the headquarters.“The fiancé of the second victim!” Oliver said excitedly.“You found him? And her identity?” William asked, impressed.Oliver frowned. “Not exactly…”“He found us Sarge.” Murphy explained wryly.William raised an eyebrow.“He came to file a missing person’s report. Officer Lee recognized the description of the vic. Thought it might be her. She asked him to wait, said you’d want to talk to him.”“Why’d he wait so long to file?” William muttered, more to himself, as they entered the bullpen.“Apparently Miss Cora Hansley was in the habit of vanishing for extended periods of time. With, ahem, various gentlemen.” Oliver said. “That’s him, Eliot Levine.” He pointed discreetly to a man sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, his head was bowed over, resting in his hands. When he heard his name he looked up.“Why won’t they tell me what happened to Cora? Where is she?” The tall willowy man stood up abruptly, swaying slightly on his feet. His black hair was sticking up every which way and his green eyes were bloodshot.“Mr. Levine, why don’t you come with us.” William said gently, leading the young man towards his office. “Have a seat.” William inclined his head towards Oliver, who immediately filled a glass of water and placed it on the desk in front of Eliot. He took the water gratefully and drank, his hands trembling the entire time. When he finally placed it on the desk he looked at William and held his gaze.“She’s dead isn’t she?”William nodded. “I’m so sorry…”“I knew it. That bitch…” The anger in Eliot’s voice was powerful and raw. The three men stared at him.“Not Cora. Symphony.” Eliot explained.“Symphony?” William asked, pulling his notepad towards himself.“Symphony Ellis.” Eliot said. “My girlfriend.”“Your girlfriend?” Murphy asked, sounding a bit impressed.“Well, one of my girlfriends.”“One of?” Oliver asked incredulously.William glanced at his clock. It was barely 9 am and he already had a headache.“Explain.” William said gruffly.Eliot took a deep breath. “Cora and I have an open relationship, after all, that’s how we had met. At a party through a mutual friend. We hit it off right away. We tried the exclusive thing, but after a year or so we were looking for ways to spice things up, the bondage can only go so far you know, so we opted to go back to an open relationship. And before you ask, yes we were marrying because we love each other, and yes it was still going to be an open relationship, it is possible. But I was planning on cutting back on a couple of my girlfriends. Symphony was one of them. And she was not happy about it. She had even threatened Cora.” Eliot’s eyes narrowed, “She was getting too jealous. I can’t stand possessiveness, it’s such an unattractive trait. Don’t you agree?” He let that all out in a whoosh, then took the glass and gulped down the remaining water. Oliver silently refilled it, mulling over what they had just been told.William muttered something incomprehensible under his breath. Murphy smirked at him. The whole precinct knew how protective of Eliza William was.Eliot was on his phone, scrolling through something. “Ah, here it is.” He handed his phone to William. William instantly recognized Cora Hansley. The pretty brunette was standing next to Eliot on his right. On his left stood a platinum blonde woman with deeply tanned skin. Her lips were puckered in a moue and she was practically draped over Eliot’s shoulder. She looked as though she were clinging to him for dear life.“And you think Miss Ellis was jealous enough to murder Miss Hansley?” Murphy asked.“She has a horrible temper. Half of our relationship was spent with me calming her down.”“Then why stay with her?” Oliver asked.Eliot shrugged. “She was a good lay.”William tried not to sigh. “I’ll need Miss Ellis’ contact info. And the names of any family members Miss Hansley has.”“Sure and no. Cora didn’t have any family. Just me. And her boyfriends.”“I’ll also need a list of her boyfriends.”“Right. That’ll take some time…”
Eliza & Clementine
“Whooeee, lookee at dem columns.” Clementine craned her neck up. And up. And up. The entire exterior of Kostas “Gus” Galanis’ house was an exact replica of the facade of the Parthenon. Eliza did her best to try not to look impressed. She steeled herself for what she knew was going to be a very disagreeable meeting.“Ideekay why’s yer so uptighty. Ain’t you helped him afore? In my neck a’de woods we call that there an IOU.” Clementine asked.“Not quite. I had helped him because I already owed him a favor for helping me with something…” Eliza said softly. Though she tried to hide it, she trembled slightly as the memory came to mind.Clementine, sensing it was serious, remained silent.“You can’t tell anyone. Especially not William.” Eliza said as they slowly walked up the long drive, the Uber driver had been too afraid to take them through the daunting black metal gates so they had gotten out and walked after announcing themselves in the speaker.Eliza took a deep breath. “William, and I, had been responsible for the arrest of Tony DiNapoli.” Clementine let out a soft whistle, even down in Oklahoma the mobsters name was uttered with fear. He had a long reach across the entire country. “Let’s just say Tony didn’t take it very well. Even in prison he still had a huge influence in how the mob was run. He… he put a hit out on me and William.” Clementine gasped and took Eliza’s hand in hers and squeezed it. “I never told William. He would’ve made us go into hiding, or worse, try to take matters into his own hands. Instead I went to the second largest mobster in town.”“Gus.”“Right. I told him if I helped him, gave him inside information on the DiNapoli mob, he could take over what was left of them. And in exchange…”“He’d took the targets of yer tooshies?”“Yes. And he did. And then I owed him.”“That whadn’t good’nuff for ‘im?”Eliza shook her head. “Not for a man like Gus. So I helped his nephew.”“So now iffen you ask’em for sum’tin…”“...he’ll want one in return.”Clementine abruptly stopped walking, jerking Eliza’s arm.“Ow. What’s wrong?”“‘Liza, we’ra leavin now.”“But your truck!” Eliza protested. “I promised to help you get it back.”“Not iffen it means more trouble fer ya!” Clementine looked worried. “Look, I LUV Panki Bok, but yer friendship means way more’en dat truck.”Eliza looked moved by Clementine’s words. “Thank you, but Gus is fair. He won’t ask for a favor that’s incommensurate with the return of Panki Bok. Let’s just see what he says.” Eliza said, trying to sound confident, but deep down she was secretly worried about owing the Greek mobster a favor. One that she wouldn’t want to fulfill.They walked up the marble steps, but before they could ring the bell a man opened the front door.“Καλωσορίσατε δεσποινίδες.” An impressively mustachioed man said in Greek before switching to heavily accented English. “Mr. Galanis is expecting you. He is in the garage. If you’d follow me.”
He already knows that we’re here for the truck? I bet Joe warned him.
Eliza didn’t know whether to be annoyed, or glad, that she didn’t have to explain the entire situation.They followed the man through the house. In actuality it was more of a mansion. The inside matched the theme of the exterior, floors and columns of marble, lifesize statues of Greek gods and goddesses lined the corridor as they headed towards the back of the mansion.Clementine’s head kept turning from side-to-side so rapidly Eliza was afraid she was going to snap her neck.“Wowee, these statures sho’ must have been a pretty penny. Like a billion of ‘em or something like’at!” Clementine said in awe.Eliza bit back a laugh, but she did notice the Greek man smile.“Κύριε Γαλάνη, η Κυρία Ντετέκτιβ είναι εδώ. Με τη ροζ φίλη της.”
[Mr. Galanis, the Lady Detective is here. With her pink friend.] The man called out across the massive garage to a short dumpy man, who was at the other end talking to a man who was obviously a mechanic.“Ah, Miss Scarlet, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Gus Galanis asked, a wide smile on his face as he walked over to them, wiping his hands on an oil stained rag.Before Eliza could explain, Clementine yelped. “Panki Bok!” She ran over to a heavily damaged pink pickup. “ My po’ sweet pank baby picky truck! What did that skanky bitch do to you? Mama have you running right here’n a jiffy.” Clementine wrapped her arms around the hood and began noisily kissing her truck.Rather than look annoyed, to Eliza’s relief Gus merely looked bemused. She studied him as he watched Clementine grab a wrench from the mechanic, lift the hood, and begin tinkering on the engine muttering “my po’ pank baby” the entire time. He hasn’t changed much. Eliza thought. Gus Galanis barely came up to her chest, was portly, with a shiny bald head ringed monkishly with graying brown hair. He also sported a bulbous nose, mustache, and eyes filled with keen intellect.“Joe called me.” He said, turning his attention to Eliza.“So I gathered.” She said wryly. “I don’t suppose we can just buy Panki Bok back from you?”Gus laughed heartily. In turn, Eliza’s heart dropped.“Αχ, Ελίζα μου.” Gus tsk’d and shook his head in mock sadness. “You should know better by now how these things work.”“A girl can hope, can’t she?” Eliza said, trying to sound optimistic.Gus snorted a laugh. He was about to speak but got distracted by Clementine, who was in a loud discussion with his mechanic.“For shu my baby is 1 in 10,000! Panki’s an original!” They heard her say proudly. “She’s got a 283-cubic-inch V8 engine, fiberglass, chrome, even a radio!” In her enthusiasm, Clementine was waving the massive torque wrench around, nearly decapitating the mechanic, who ducked in the nick of time.“She loves her… what is it, Panki Bok?” Gus looked gleeful, knowing he could ask for a larger favor than he had been expecting.Eliza sighed, knowing it was hopeless.“What do you need me to do for you?”“Come now Miss Scarlet, why the despair? I’m a reasonable man.” Gus said slyly.Eliza gave him a pointed look.“A mere introduction to an acquaintance of yours will suffice.”“Introduction? To whom?” I don’t know anyone of consequence. If he thinks I’m going to introduce him to William so he can ask him to manipulate evidence… I don’t care how precious Clementine’s truck is. I’m not going to… “Mr. Nash. Mr. Patrick Nash.” Gus replied, interrupting her thoughts.“Patrick? Seriously? Why?” Eliza asked, relief coursing through her. “I’d like a PI on my payroll. And I like Mr. Nash’s style.” Gus explained as he twirled his mustache, which really wasn’t long enough for twirling.“You need a PI.” Eliza said flatly. She felt like waving her hand in front of Gus’s face just to make sure she wasn’t invisible. He knew what she was thinking.“It’s for some, shall we say, of the less up and above work. I wouldn’t want a nice lady like yourself getting your hands dirty.”
I know Patrick sometimes works in a gray area, but it’s always to help someone innocent, not to cover things up for a mobster!
Eliza suddenly felt sick to her stomach. “What if he doesn’t want to?” Eliza whispered.Gus shrugged. “Men like him have ways of being persuaded.”It was on the tip of her tongue to say no, grab Clementine and get out of there, when they heard the truck’s engine roaring smoothly.“Whooee, she’s ALIVEEEE!!! Ah knew it’d only take a jiffy.” Clementine hollered from the driver’s seat. The mechanic looked astonished.“Are you sure you want to disappoint your friend?”“Damn it.” Eliza cursed, knowing she had lost.
William & Oliver
🎶…I'm gonna marry the night, I won't give up on my life, I'm a warrior queen, Live passionately tonight, I'm gonna marry the dark , Gonna make love to the stark , I'm a soldier to my own emptiness, I am a winner , I'm gonna marry the night, Leave nothing on these streets to explore, M-m-m-marry m-m-m-marry m-m-m-marry the night, Oh m-m-marry m-m-m-marry m-m-m-marry the night…🎶 “I… I’ve never heard singing quite like that.” Oliver said in awe as Lady Gaga’s song was being belted out loudly all the way into the hallway of the apartment building Symphony Ellis resided in.“Is she yodeling?” William winced as she tried to hit, then missed, a high note.Oliver cocked his head. “She sounds like a cat being…”William held up his hand, not wanting to hear what was undoubtedly going to be a very creative, and gross, simile. “Let’s just interview her and see what she knows.”“You don’t think she did it?”“We have no indication she knew Martha Jones.”“Maybe she knows Chad Powell or Ryan O’Brian?”William grunted in acknowledgement then pounded on Symphony Ellis’ door.“MISS ELLIS!”
🎶…Judas, Juda-ah-ah, Judas, Juda-ah-ah… aaaaaaaaa!!!...🎶
William had a bad feeling the song was going to be stuck in his head for the rest of the evening.“Aaaa… I’ll bring him down, bring him down down…” Oliver hummed low beneath his breath. William shot him a glare. “Sorry Sir. It’s catchy…”William was just about to pound on the door again when it was flung open by Symphony Ellis. She looked more annoyed than surprised to see two men standing there. A towel lay draped around her neck and she picked up one edge to daintily wipe at her cheeks and forehead. It was obvious from the skin tight exercise bra and leggings she wore that they had interrupted her workout.“Miss Ellis?” William said, despite having recognized her from the photo Eliot Levine had shown them.Symphony looked between the two men. “Did Ricardo send you? You’ll do just fine.” She said to William. She glanced at Oliver’s face, then down at his crotch, her face scrunched in thought. “I suppose you’ve got it where it counts. Ricardo knows better than to send me someone who…”William held his badge up before she could continue talking. Poor Oliver was so embarrassed he looked as though he was going to melt into the hallway carpet.“Cops? Humph. I suppose Eliot sent you. You might as well come in, my workout’s ruined anyway. Kombucha?” She offered as she headed to her refrigerator, not even giving them a second glance.“No thank you.” William said, wanting to get straight to the matter at hand. “You were expecting us?”Symphony let out an exaggerated sigh. “Eliot makes such a big deal out of things. He’s so dramatic.”“He said you threatened his fiancé, Cora Hansley.” Oliver said. Symphony waved a hand and breezed past them, drinking from the kombucha bottle.“As I said, he e-x-a-g-g-e-r-a-t-e-s.” She enunciated each letter slowly. “It was a harmless joke, just a bit of Photoshopping.”“You posted an image of her with a steak knife through her heart and wrote ‘Die Bee-yotch’ in red across it.” William said, trying to pronounce ‘bee-yotch’ correctly.“I liked the font. I needed a reason to use it.” She sat down and picked up a bridal magazine and began to pretend to read it. William grabbed the top of it and lowered it.“Cora Hansley is dead. She was murdered.” William said.From the way Symphony’s eyes widened and her fingers loosened on the magazine William could tell that she was genuinely shocked.“Murdered? OhmyGod . Am I next? Is that why you’re here? To put me in witness protection? Will I have to change my name to something boring like Rhoshandiatellyneshiaunneveshenk Koyaanisquatsiuth?” She wailed. “What about all of my men?”“You didn’t kill her?” Oliver asked.“What? No. Why would I?”
This is getting us nowhere.
William sat down and barely managed to stop himself from rubbing his temples.“Because she was marrying Eliot and you were jealous.”“I was, at first , but my therapist helped me to realize that it was only because she was taking away something, sorry, someone , that I felt belonged to me. It was the principle of the matter. I would have reacted that way if it had been any of my men.” Symphony flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Besides, Cora was my friend.” She said this softly, and looked down at her hands, her overly pouty lips turned down into a frown. “Eliot had introduced us and we hit it off right away, he didn’t tell you that, did he?” William shook his head, Symphony let out an unladylike snort. “Of course not. She and I would compare notes , if you know what I mean. Eliot wasn’t the most exciting of lovers, but he was very generous. He was even going to buy us bespoke undies from Love & Lace. We were hoping to have Lacey, from Knots & Knickers, design something for each of us. We’ve worn garments from her Bobbins & Boobies line. Not that that made Eliot more fun. Even bondage can be a downer with him. He kept complaining that the pleather chaps chaffed.” Symphony scoffed. “That’s what the baby powder was for.” Again Lacey Lacewal’s name keeps popping up. William thought, a frown on his face. Frank better have come through for us. “When was the last time you had seen or heard from Cora?” William asked.“Um…” Symphony looked up at the ceiling. “She had messaged me a few days ago. She was a teensy bit upset about the Photoshopping. But she forgave me.” She added hurriedly as she pulled out her phone from the back pocket of her tight leggings. Where on earth did she have that? William wondered.“See.” Symphony held up the phone. There was a very long text exchange, ultimately ending with Cora accepting a roundabout apology from Symphony. William read the last message and frowned.@ThatManStealingBeeyotch: I’m heading to Love & Lace tomorrow if you still want to join me. I got the last appointment of the day… but just know that I will be buying the sexiest undies for my wedding night!“And did you? Go with her?” William asked.Symphony shook her head. “No. I had plans with Robert.”“Do you happen to know Martha Jones, Chad Powell, or Ryan O’Brian?” Oliver asked.“I don’t think so. Are they swingers? Some people use pseudonyms.”Oliver pulled up photos of them and showed Symphony. “Nope, don’t know them.” She looked down at her hands, then back up at William, her expression serious. “She’s really gone, isn’t she?”William nodded.“I… It’s hard to believe… I’ll have to find someone else for the threesome on Friday.” Despite the seemingly callous words Symphony sniffled and looked at the photo of her friend on her phone. “I should call Eliot, to help with the funeral arrangements.”William nodded, “Thank you for your time. We’ll show ourselves out.”Symphony nodded, tears streaming down her face as the men left.“I don’t think she was faking her sorrow, Sir.” Oliver said as they headed outside. “I agree.” William said with a nod. “Did Cora even make it to her appointment at Love & Lace? Miss Bliss had recognized the Bobbins & Boobies garment line but she said they didn’t sell it there. I never showed her a photo of Cora Hansley to ask if she had been there.” William frowned, annoyed at himself.
When Eliza wins the contest she can gather intelligence. I don’t want anyone there on their guard. So far the only factor tying both women together is Love & Lace and/or Knots & Knickers.
“Duke?” Oliver said as he caught William’s arm. “You’ve passed the car.”William stopped short, he had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even realize he had nearly walked up the block.“Right.” He said, clearing his throat. He turned around and entered the squad car. “1 PP.” He told the officer who had been driving them. “Actually, stop by the Seaport, I haven’t eaten all day.”“Yes Sir.” The officer said as he pulled away from the curb.Both men were silent during the ride. William mulling over the case, Oliver lost in some dreamland of his own making. When they pulled up in front of the Tin Building William told the driver to head back to 1PP and that he and Oliver would walk back.They walked up the steps and entered, heading to the sandwich and salad bar at the front. After grabbing their lunch they headed outside to the long wooden steps that lined the waterfront and sat down to eat.“What’s bothering you?” William asked Oliver. He could tell that the young man had something on his mind, between being silent on the ride, and the way he was surreptitiously not trying to look at his phone, William knew something was up.Oliver sighed. “It’s Hattie.”William quirked an eyebrow in surprise. “Really?”Oliver quickly shook his head. “Not like that. Everything’s fine, more than fine. It’s just…”“Spit it out man.” William said, hoping Oliver would get to the point within the next half hour.“I want her. More. I mean I want to be with her forever.”Willam grinned. “Are you planning on proposing?”“Not yet... I was thinking that I want her to move in with me, in case… in case she wants to change her mind. About being with me.”“I think she already knows precisely what type of man you are.” William said warmly, clapping a hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “Sure you have your quirks, but you are without a doubt one of the most loyal, trustworthy, and sincere people I know.”Oliver turned to look at William, wide-eyed. “Thank you.” He said in a choked voice.“You want to hug me don’t you?” William asked wryly.Oliver nodded sheepishly.William laughed and held an arm out, keeping the sandwich in his other hand safely out of the way from being crushed. Oliver lunged forward and hugged him quickly, but tightly. “Thank you. You’re everything I aspire to be as a man.”Now William was feeling all sentimental. “Ahem, eh… thank you too. Pass me that pickle.” William said gruffly.Oliver grinned and handed William the pickle. “Do you think I should write Hattie a story to ask her? Or a perhaps a poem?”“Nay, neither of that.”“Then what?” Oliver asked curiously.“Naked. Ask her naked.”Oliver stared at him. “Is everything you and Miss Scarlet do in the nude?”William mulled that over. “Yep. 90% of the time. Works without fail.”“I suppose I’ll have to try that…”“Good. Trust me, it’ll work. But before you do that, I need you and Murphy to interview all of Cora’s boyfriends.”“It’s a long list.” Oliver said, recalling all of the names Eliot had given them.“I know.” William said, not envying all the work Oliver and Murphy had ahead of them. “I want to cover every base.”“Of course. We’ll get on it as soon as we get back.”“Good lad.” William pat him on the back and they finished their meal, each of them hoping for a break in the case.
Eliza & Patrick
“Eliza, it’s just a meeting. I don’t mind.” Patrick said as he took Gus Galanis’ business card from her, then leaned back in his chair and crossed his long legs, his ankle resting over the opposite knee.“Patrick, he’s a mobster.” Eliza said in a hushed tone despite being secluded in Patrick’s office.Patrick chuckled. “He’s not the first mobster I’ll have dealt with. Besides, I’m sure he pays well.”Eliza glared at him. “You are not taking this seriously!”Patrick held his hands up in surrender. “If I don’t meet with him then what? Your friend loses her truck? Or worse, you’d have to do something for him?” Patrick’s tone turned grave. “I will not have you deal with him.”Eliza looked surprised at Patrick’s vehemence. “You sound like William.”“And like your possessive and hulking boyfriend I care for you too Eliza.” “I don’t need you to protect me.” She said with a huff, crossing her arms. But she secretly felt flattered that she knew she had such a strong friendship with Patrick that she could rely on him no matter what. Even though she still didn’t want to work for, or with, him.“It’ll be fine. I can handle Gus Galanis. Now go home and rest, you look exhausted.” He said, but not unkindly.“Will you promise to let me know if he asks you to do anything untoward?”“Yes, I promise.”“You’d better!” She said as she pointed a finger at him before rising from her chair.“I swear! Scout’s honor!” Patrick replied, holding up two crossed fingers.“Patrick!” Eliza couldn’t help but laugh.“Whoops, I meant this!” He said, giving the Vulcan salute.Eliza shook her head.“Incorrigible man.”Patrick grinned shamelessly. “I know. Now go before your boyfriend comes after me for holding you up. I’m more afraid of him than any mobster!”Eliza, feeling petulant, stuck her tongue out at him before leaving. Patrick waved cheerfully. It’s a good thing William knows how lucky he is. If he didn’t, I would’ve snatched her up! Patrick thought with a wistful sigh. He shook his head then picked up his phone and began to dial.“Hello, this is Patrick Nash for Gus Galanis.”
Eliza
The Lady Grease Monkey
…and so, with a torque wrench in hand, Clementine Jolie strode confidently over to Panki Bok and began tinkering on the engine. Faster than a fly filling up at a Sunday picnic, the engine purred to life, a pure celebration of man, well, woman, mastering machine!
And thus another case successfully wrapped up by The Lady Detective!
Eliza re-read what she had written for the umpteenth time, then hit ‘send’, followed by thunking her head against the kitchen counter where she had been working.
That is absolute rubbish. I know Basil will edit it anyway. I just couldn’t send him an email that said, ‘case closed, I traded my friend’s private eye services so my other friend could get her truck back.’ I truly hope Patrick doesn’t get into trouble.
Eliza barely had a chance to continue her wallowing when her tablet pinged.
*PING*
Re: The Lady Grease Monkey Article
From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Dear Eliza,Although I do find your “Panki Bok” case absolutely fascinating, and I assure you I will be posting this story because of its incredibility and therefore it will give my readers a laugh, but… I do recall telling you that murders always procure more readership. How fares Sergeant Wellington’s case? I trust a detective of his caliber has already made significant strides in apprehending what is most assuredly a serial killer. After all, it is our duty to inform the future brides of New York what dangers lurk on their path to the altar!I eagerly await your reply, - BasilEliza bristled in anger.
The audacity of that man! My case ‘will give his readers a laugh’! The nerve! Why I’m going to give him a piece of my mind…
Eliza’s hands were poised over the tablet’s keyboard when…
*PING*
Congrats! You are an ‘Alrighty to the Nightie’ Winner!
From: [email protected]
To:
[email protected]
Dear Sweetheart 🍬🩷,I have the absolute pleasure to inform you that you have been randomly chosen to win a custom nightie, or bra and pantie set, for your upcoming nuptials designed by me, Lacey Lacewal!Please arrange a fitting at Love & Lace. They will take your ideas and pass them along so I can work my magic. Rest assured your items will be made to your specifications and your sweetheart will devour you!Ta ta! - Lacey“Shit.” Eliza muttered. “I thought I’d meet her in person. What is she hiding?”
*BEEP-BEEP*
@FranksASS: Hey doll. Did I do good, or did I do good?@F1rstLadyDetectiveInLoveWithHotScotDick: Yes and no.@FranksASS: What d’ya mean? You won, didn’t you?@F1rstLadyDetectiveInLoveWithHotScotDick: Yes, but she told me to go to Love & Lace for the nightie. How am I supposed to meet her to talk to her?@FranksASS: Shit.@F1rstLadyDetectiveInLoveWithHotScotDick: Yes.@FranksASS: Let me see what I can do, doll. Don’t get your panties in a twist just yet.@F1rstLadyDetectiveInLoveWithHotScotDick: Okay. Thanks.Eliza let her phone drop to the counter.
I can’t believe we’re relying on Frank! I don’t know what he thinks he can do. William won’t be happy about this…
“Hello love.” William’s voice carried into the kitchen. “I bought wine. I figured with Clem here… ‘Liza? What’s wrong?”“This.” She handed him her tablet, the email from Lacey open on the screen.“She wrote you back!” He sounded excited as he put down the shopping bags then sat down next to her. “Oh…”“And this…” She handed him her phone with Frank’s messages.“Bloody hell, this is ridiculous. I need to interview that woman.” William growled.“I know.” Eliza said as she reached into one of the shopping bags and pulled out a Three Buck Chuck red wine and passed it to William. Absently he opened it and handed it back to her. Eliza took a swallow straight from the bottle. William raised an eyebrow.“Want some?” She asked, licking her lips.“Yes.” Before she realized what was happening William grabbed her around the waist and thrust his tongue into her mouth. Eliza reached up to clench his hair in her fists and kissed him back.“Yum.” He murmured against lips when he finally pulled back. “Good vintage.”Eliza laughed and held him close.“We’ll figure this out. I’ll try to make an appointment at Love & Lace for tomorrow. I’ll tell them it’s an emergency.”“Emergency?”“We’re eloping.”“Sounds good.” He pressed his lips to the sensitive skin of her neck. “Go undercover.”“Really?”“Aye, just in case the store is somehow involved.”“Very well Dr. Liam Evans.” Eliza said coyly.“And be unfaithful.”Eliza froze in his arms. “Excuse me?”William chuckled at her look of horror.“I mean talk about being unfaithful. To me. Well, to Dr. Evans.”“Oh! Of course.” Eliza looked chagrined at not having realized what William had meant. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and smiled lovingly at her.“What an odd concept though.” Eliza said thoughtfully. “Why on earth would I ever cheat on you ?”William burst out laughing, but his face had turned red and he looked rather pleased by her comment.“Am I the perfect boyfriend then?” He joked, knowing she’d probably tease him in return.Eliza didn’t answer right away. She seemed to be mulling his question over. “Yes William. I do believe you are!”William’s face lit up with pure happiness. “Come here.” He whispered as he tipped her chin up. Eliza leaned in and they shared a kiss, tender and gentle.“I lo…” Before William could finish his sentence a loud whoop came from the doorway.“I GOT MY PANKI BOK TO CIRCLE AROUND THE GAY-RAHGE!” Clementine looked like a crazed woman. Her ponytail had come partially undone, the hair framing her face had frizzed, her pink outfit was covered in grease stains, and the heel of her left shoe had completely broken off and was now in her hand. “That’s great!” Eliza said. William was cursing softly under his breath, still trying to kiss Eliza. She patted his cheek, then slid off of her chair to unpack the rest of the groceries.“Fo’sure! It was da bomb! Then the bumper went splat.” Clementine shrugged and tossed aside the broken heel. “I’ll fix ‘er tomorrow. That Gus is a toot an’a hoot. Said he was okey-dokey with me comin’ back by. He sho’ knows his way under a hood. Ooh, that there some fancy French wine? Give it‘ere.” Eliza passed the bottle to Clementine. I hope she doesn’t get too friendly with Gus. Who knows what he might want from her. She watched Clementine chug down nearly half of the bottle then burp loudly. Then again, perhaps she would give Gus a run for his money! “So, what we havin’ for dinner?”Eliza smiled and her worries drifted away as they spent a fun evening together full of laughter, cheap wine, and burnt lasagna.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
LONDON - 1883
Eliza
“Miss Scarlet, it’s lovely to see you again.” Dr. Ellis told her as he gestured for her to take a seat in his office. “Would you like some tea?”Eliza hesitated, then nodded.“Excellent, because I already have my breakfast on the way up!” Dr. Ellis said with a laugh.“I hope I’m not interrupting you.”“Not at all. Ah, there’s Mildred. Hello darling.” Dr. Ellis greeted his wife.“Hello dear. Miss Scarlet, I was told you were here, I’ve bought up an extra cup. And extra food.” Mildred began to set the items onto her husband’s desk.“Thank you, it’s very kind of you.” Eliza said, eyeing the toast and jam hungrily. She had left very early, not wanting to tell Ivy where she was going. She also wanted to make sure to be back in London in time to interview Oscar Clifton with William.“Not at all. If you have need of anything else please let me know.” Mildred leaned over to kiss Dr. Ellis’ cheek then left, closing the door behind her.After passing Eliza a plate with toast and cheese Dr. Ellis began to eat his breakfast, waiting patiently for Eliza to feel comfortable enough to talk.Eliza spread the jam slowly, gathering her thoughts. She looked out the office windows, across the sprawling grounds, and began to speak.“William and I have known each other for years.” Eliza smiled, “actually most of our lives, we’re childhood friends. At times I feel like I know him better than myself, at other times he’s a complete mystery to me.”Dr. Ellis nodded. “He’s important to you.”“Very. And I only recently realized how much so.” Eliza frowned. “But there’s something I need to do, that could help solve this case, and I worry he’ll be very annoyed when he finds out I’ve gone ahead and done it.”“Miss Scarlet, is this something you truly need to do, or simply want to do?”Eliza fidgeted. “It’s as though I’m split in two. I know deep down that I shouldn’t but I can’t let go of the idea, once it’s in my head I have to see it through. I have to solve the mystery.”“But you can’t do that with the Inspector?”Eliza looked hesitant. “But I want to be the one to solve it. To prove myself.”“To prove yourself to whom? Granted, I’ve only see you with the Inspector once, but he seems to hold you in high regard if he’s partnering with you on this investigation.”Eliza huffed. “It’s… it’s not enough. I need to show William, no, everyone, that I can do this on my own.”“But is that true? Are you truly doing this on your own? You must have some help.”“I…” Eliza thought about it. “I do, I have Moses, and Nash. Even Ivy at times. And William of course…”“Miss Scarlet, whether you realize it or not, we don’t operate in silos. Even you questioning a suspect is still you relying on that suspect for information, it is a version of help, regardless of if they are telling you the truth or not.”Eliza sat back in her chair and took a bite of her toast, mulling things over. “But I like my idea. Why shouldn’t I go ahead with it? Just because I’m worried about William’s reaction? Will everything I do depend on what he wants me to do?”“Is this about more than just the case?” Dr. Ellis asked gently.“Argh!” Eliza groaned, “I had even made a cake, just to prove a point, and he didn’t even try it.” Eliza muttered, the old hurt resurfacing. “What do I do?”“Have you tried talking to him? Honestly and openly?”Eliza scoffed. “I try to explain, but then he loses his temper and storms off. He… he thinks the worst of me at times.” Eliza’s face fell. “At one point I had offered him a job at my agency, so he wouldn’t have to transfer to Glasgow. He got mad of course. He thought I wanted to use him for his connections.”“But?”“I DIDN'T WANT HIM TO GO!” Eliza shouted, the vehemence of her words startling her. She took a deep breath to calm down.“Did you tell him that?”“No… I couldn’t. How could I ever be the reason to stop him from moving up in his career?”“Do you think he would’ve stayed behind for you?”“Yes.” Eliza answered without hesitation. “If I had told him what he had wanted to hear.”“Which is…?” Dr. Ellis prodded.“I love him.” Eliza whispered. “I love him and it frightens me, so much so that I hide, I hide behind my work, I hide behind lame excuses as to why we can’t be together, why I don’t want to marry, and why I don't want a family.”Dr. Ellis was about to speak, but there was a sharp knock on the door. A nurse poked her head in.“Doctor, I know we were told not to disturb you, but we have an emergency with Mrs. Sykes. She’s having another crisis.” The nurse explained.“I’ll be right there.” He told her before turning back to Eliza. “Miss Scarlet, please wait, I’ll only be gone a moment.”Eliza nodded, her mind a whirl. She closed her eyes, trying to steady herself.
I love William. I… I think I always have. He loves me too, I know it. It scares me so much…
Ten minutes later Dr. Ellis returned to his office. Eliza was gone.
William
Where’s Fitzroy when I need him? William was kneeling on the floor, flipping through the “W” files in the archives room. He had grown accustomed to Fitzroy finding everything he needed, and very quickly, that when he had to look for something it frustrated him and made him even more short-tempered. They may not even have a file, and there’s no proof that the Wallace’s are even involved in the murders. There is a “Wallace” file! Excited, William sat down on the floor and leaned against the cabinet, not caring that his clothing was getting mussed.“Murdered purebred poodle? What…?” William shut the file and tossed it aside, then groaned and thunked his head back. “Ow.”“Wellington?” Superintendent Munro’s brogue could be heard from the doorway.“Shit.”“Why are you down there lad?” Munro eyed William skeptically. They had effectively called a truce following Fitzroy and the other detectives attempted mutiny. Munro left William alone and in turn William didn’t cause Munro any headaches. Generally.“Sorry Sir, I was hoping to find something on a potential suspect. Instead I found a dead poodle.”Munro looked at the younger man sitting on the floor, feeling a bit concerned. William was generally stoic and steadfast. An honorable man. The fact that he was rumpled and wearing a dejected expression had Munro a bit concerned. He hesitated momentarily then walked over to William and pulled out a chair from the table and sat with an “oof.”William eyed him warily. “I won’t bite ye lad. Why don’t you tell me what troubles you?”William debated on whether to speak or not. I haven’t had anyone to talk to in a while. Not since Henry… William couldn’t help but smile at the fact that he was now a mentor to Fitzroy. But that doesn’t mean I no longer need someone I can confide in. “It’ll be off the record.” Munro added, noticing William’s reticence.“I’m not making much progress.” William admitted.“On your case? Or on a different matter?” Munro asked wisely.“Both…” William ran a hand through his hair. “I… I didn’t listen to a frightened young woman’s concerns. Now she’s dead.” William said, the guilt still gnawing at him, “and I’m not any closer to finding out who’s behind it.”“You’re working on this with Miss Scarlet, correct?” William sealed his lips.“Wellington, it’s no secret she comes and goes as though she owns the place! I’m not going to tell you not to work with her, Lord knows she’d probably give me a piece of her mind if I did. What I was going to say is, does she have any ideas? She’s a clever lass.”“Oh.” William looked taken aback. “I’m seeing her a bit later, I’ll ask her. But her ideas tend to be dangerous.” William scrubbed at his face. “God knows what she’d come up with.”Munro smiled. “It’s hard isn’t it?”“What’s hard?”“Loving someone so headstrong and determined.” Murno said, grinning at William’s shocked expression. “You’ll adapt lad, as I had to when I married. You’ll be fine.”Munro stood, feeling almost as good as he did after having drunk half a bottle of whisky. He was whistling to himself, nearly at the door, when William called out.“Sir?”“Aye?”“Thank you.”
The Alden Residence
“Sir, good you’re here!” Fitzroy practically bounded over to William, his face lit up with excitement, making him look even younger.“Did something happen?” William asked.“I took over for Officer Murphy early this morning. Nothing had happened until a messenger arrived. They’re still shouting.” Fitzroy said, pointing out the obvious.William could hear a man yelling inside. Something shattered. William reached for his gun and ran up the stoop, then banged on the door with the side of his fist.“WHAT?” A frazzled elderly man asked. In the background William could hear a woman crying.“I’m Detective Inspector Wellington of Scotland Yard…”“How did you get here so quickly?” The man interrupted.“Eh?”“I just sent for the police. Have you found her already?” The man asked hopefully.A woman joined them at the door. “They didn’t make it to Scotland?” Her eyes were shining with tears.“Perhaps we could come in and you can explain…” William was grabbed by either arm and practically dragged inside. The man and woman, whom he gathered to be Mr. and Mrs. Alden, talked over one another.“...and she said she was fine marrying Mr. Planchet. We wouldn’t have forced her…”
“...she’s so spirited, perhaps he is a tad too old for her…”
“...but to have run off with the butcher’s son!”
“...and not have a proper wedding! Oh dear, eloping is so…”He soon found himself on the settee, squeezed in between the two of them as they continued to ramble on.“...Scotland is so very far…”
“...I just hope she comes home…”
“...We’re not angry, just worried…”“Pardon me for interrupting,” William said, trying to get a word in edgewise, “but you have confirmation that she is safe?”“Safe? What do you mean? Alton’s a nice lad, just not wealthy.” Mr. Alden said, unsure of what point William was trying to make.“She won’t be wearing silk gowns, that’s for certain.” Mrs. Alden said. “But at least her wedding dress will still be lovely.”“The message you had received, was that from your daughter?” William asked, wiggling a bit to try to make more room for his shoulders.“Yes. Here.” Mr. Alden handed it to him.The note was short and to the point. Papa, Mama,
All is well! I’m getting married to Alton! We’re halfway to Scotland, I’m sorry for eloping but we can have a second wedding upon our return!
Love,
Samantha William let out a sigh of relief and looked at Fitzroy. “She’s fine.”“Why wouldn’t she be?” Mrs. Alden asked.“There’s been a string of murders of brides-to-be. We’re just trying to keep everyone safe.” William explained.Mrs. Alden gasped. “If you can get word to her, you might recommend they stay in Scotland for a bit, just until the matter gets resolved here.” Although, she might be safe if she’s already married. The victims so far hadn’t been wed yet. William mulled that over as he ignored the Alden’s talking over him. He ungracefully tried to extricate himself from the settee but he was wedged in too tightly. Fitzroy grinned impishly as William glared at him. Then he quickly realized that William in a bad mood inevitably lead to being shouted at, he held his hand out and helped pull him up. “Thanks.” He said with a grunt. They showed themselves out, the Alden’s conversation fading behind them.“What’s next Sir?” Fitzroy asked.“Miss Scarlet and I are going to interview Oscar Clifton.” William pulled out his pocket watch. “But it’s earlier than I had expected.” William looked around, mulling over his options.“Would you like me to get a message to her?” Fitzroy asked.“I’ll head to her office, in case she’s there already.” William looked doubtful though, knowing Eliza wasn’t an early riser. “Try her house, if she’s not there leave word with Ivy that I’m waiting for her.”“Yes Sir!” Fitzroy hailed himself a cab as William told Arthur to take him to Eliza’s office. He was hardly surprised when arrive there her door was locked and there was no light shining through the upstairs window.“Arthur, head to Nash & Sons.” William said, settling back inside.Not twenty minutes later Patrick Nash was striding across his office to greet William.“Inspector Wellington! To what do I owe the pleasure?” Patrick asked. “Is there a case the Yard needs our assistance with?”“No, not at the moment. Is Miss Scarlet here?” William asked, looking around the room. Nash’s, soon to be Eliza’s, staff were working busily at their desks, they had hardly looked up when William had entered. His gaze rove over a door, then went quickly back again as he spotted the brass name plate affixed to it.
Eliza Scarlet
Chief Investigator
Nash & Sons
He smiled slightly, proud of Eliza, yet also wondering how she would fit into his life now that she would be busier. “She’s an incredible woman, isn’t she?” Patrick said, having spotted what William was staring at.“Aye. That she is. And stubborn.” William added.“How does your, ahem, lady friend feel about your friendship with her?” Patrick asked. William narrowed his eyes at him, but he genuinely looked concerned.“She’s no longer my lady friend.”“Because of that?”“Essentially.”“Ah.” Patrick hesitated before continuing, “William,” William looked at Patrick with surprise, he never used his Christian name before, “if I may be so bold, she is dear to me too, not in the way you are to her,” he quickly added as William’s expression turned murderous, “but this job is important to her.” William began to wonder if this was an odd way of Patrick telling him to step back so Eliza could flourish at her work with no distractions. “She’ll need you there for her. Managing twenty men won’t be easy. It isn’t even for me . I’ll be in Paris most of the time. I’m hoping you’ll advise her, guide her, if she’d even accept the help.” William and Patrick both chuckled. “She’s my priority.” William said softly, knowing the reverse wasn’t necessarily true.“‘Screw your courage to the sticking place.’” Patrick quoted.William snorted. “I’m never going to get away from that play.”Patrick grinned. “As to the matter at hand, no, she’s not here. I haven’t seen her lately. She said she was wrapping up her cases, the last time I had seen her was when she had accepted my job offer a few days back.”William nodded. “I’ll head back to her office.” He turned to go, but stopped. “Thank you.”“Anything for my two closest friends.” Patrick replied cheerfully.William shook his head but was smiling as he left.Once more in his carriage, William sat back mulling over what Patrick had said to him, surprised at how on spot his observations had been. She’ll need me. And not just for files but for support. But Eliza asking for my advice? William scoffed to himself. Would she even take it? Lost in thought, he exited the carriage, once again in front of Eliza’s office, but this time as he stepped down Eliza was running towards him, hat in hand, loose tendrils of hair blowing in the wind.“William! I apologize, I lost track of the time.” She came to a stop in front of him, breathing heavily.“Not at all, I finished earlier than expected with the Aldens…”“Samantha?” She asked, doubled over and still gasping.“Is safe and happily eloping in Scotland. I told them that, if they can get word to her, to tell her to stay there for a bit longer. Eliza, take a moment to breathe!”Eliza nodded and righted herself. William gently placed one hand on her shoulder to steady her and idly began to tuck her hair back into her updo.Before William could ask Eliza where she had been, she took one final deep breath and was all business.“Shall we go to Oscar Clifton?” Eliza asked, already walking towards William’s carriage.William chuckled as he helped her inside. “I thought we should try his house first. If the Wallace’s are still visiting the silk mill perhaps he’s at home rather than at the shop.” William was thoughtful for a moment. “The shop isn’t very large…”“Are you wondering how they make lace, dye it, and make all the gowns there?” Eliza asked.“You read my mind! Yes. We need to find out if they have another location.”Eliza nodded and made a note in her notepad. William smiled, we work well together… William couldn’t help the daydream that began to formulate in his mind…
… “Eliza!” William entered their office, bypassing his desk to head straight to Eliza’s which was set at a 90 degree angle from his.
“You found it?” Eliza asked, eyes bright with excitement.
“I found it!” William concurred as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a stunning diamond necklace, topped off with a massive sapphire heart, dangling from an ornate chain.
Eliza let out a squeal of delight and clapped her hands together. She pushed back from her desk and hurried over to him.
“Mrs. Willson will be thrilled to have this returned!” She exclaimed. “And we’ll get double the finder’s fee for retrieving it so quickly!”
“We’ll go out to celebrate. Now, turn around.” William said, not handing the necklace over.
“What?”
“Eliza, for once, just listen to me.” William said, bemused.
Confused, Eliza turned around, then felt the heavy weight of the stone against her sternum.
“William!”
“It’s late, we don’t have to return it till tomorrow. Why not enjoy it, even if it’s just in here?”
Eliza felt William place his hands on her shoulders and slowly lead her over to the mirror over the mantle. She smiled as she looked at their reflections. It wasn’t the necklace she was admiring. Her eyes held William’s gaze as he slowly lowered his head to brush his lips over her cheek.
“Thank you Eliza. For trusting in me to be your partner.”...
“William?” Eliza was smiling as she touched his knee. “You fell asleep. We’re here.”“Wha…? Oh, sorry.” He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. Eliza stifled a laugh as one particular piece was a bit ornery and stuck straight up. “What?” William asked, confused by the look she was giving him.“Here, let me fix that.” Eliza slid over to his bench and sat next to him, their thighs touching in the cramped space. She reached up and gently pushed back his hair. Then frowned. “Why didn’t that work?” Using her palm she tried to flatten it against William’s hair. He rolled his eyes upwards trying to see the results. “There!” She eyed him critically. “That’s better. In a way.”Before William had a chance to wonder just how bad he looked, Eliza hopped out of the carriage and was already hurrying up the stoop.“For God’s sake Eliza, can’t you wait…” William grumbled as he hurried after her.“Hello? Is anyone home?” Eliza had stuck her head through Oscar Clifton’s front door and was peeking inside. “It was open.” She told William who was leaning over behind her.William decided to take action since Eliza never listened to him. He put his hands around her waist, easily lifted her a few inches off of the ground, and put her back down. Behind him.“William!” She hissed angrily, but she also couldn’t help being rather impressed by how easily he had picked her up. She could still feel the warmth of his hands around her waist.“Stay behind me. Please.” William said as he withdrew his gun and cautiously entered the house. It was dark inside. William let his eyes adjust to the lack of light then sniffed and wrinkled his nose.“It’s the dyes I think.” Eliza added, popping her head from beneath his arm.“Is this their second location?” William wondered aloud. “Eliza, can’t you just…” William took a few steps inside, waving at Eliza to keep behind him.He heard her sigh loudly then place a palm against his back as he continued to walk ahead. The house hardly looked like a residence. Bolts of fabric either leaned against the walls or were laid out carefully on the floor with tarps beneath them to prevent them from getting dirty. The coat hooks by the entry held no outer garments, instead, a beautiful floral garland hung from the hooks, as though set out to dry. Something glittered from around the stairway post. Eliza walked around William, who tried to grab her but gave up, and went to see what it was. She gasped upon realizing it was a diamond diadem.“Wow…” She breathed out as she turned it about, studying the gems. “Is this real?”“It most certainly is. Only the best for our clients.” A handsome young man came traipsing down the stairs. He didn’t even seem curious as to who they were and why they had invaded his personal space. “Mr. Wallace hand picked each stone, checking for cut and clarity. It truly is a masterpiece. Unfortunately…”“Unfortunately what?” William asked, reupholstering his gun.“It was never meant to be worn.” The man carefully took it from Eliza and hung it from a coat stand. It swayed back and forth before coming to a standstill.
I don’t even care for diamonds or jewels, but that piece is truly magical.
Before William could ask “why?” the man turned to them, seeming to realize that he had no idea who they were. “Are you looking for the Wallace’s shop? This is my private residence.” He looked around, taking in the space from their perspective. “Not that you would know it.” He chuckled wryly, his blonde hair falling into his eyes. He brushed it aside with the back of his hand, blinking his light brown eyes as he did so. Eliza noticed that his fingertips were stained red and pink.“Were you dying fabric?” She asked.“Huh? Oh, yes, roses actually, for wreaths. They’re very popular at the moment.” He frowned slightly at that and Eliza made a mental note to follow up on his reaction.William glanced at Eliza, who returned his look. It was obvious Oscar hadn’t seen his gun, William wasn’t sure if they should remain undercover, or reveal who they truly were. Eliza decided to take matters into her own hands. She told the truth.“Mr. Clifton?” She asked as the man nodded in assent. “I’m Private Detective Eliza Scarlet, this is my partner, Detective Inspector William Wellington. We have a few questions we’d like to ask you.”Oscar’s eyes widened in surprise, then his face fell and his shoulders slumped. “It’s about the green, isn’t it? Did someone fall ill? Or die?” He asked, his eyes full of sorrow.William narrowed his eyes at him. “Perhaps we could have a seat and discuss this further.”“Of course, if you’d come this way.” Oscar led them into a drawing room filled with scraps of fabrics, fashion plates from France, and a drafting board by the bay window. He hurried to the settee and removed a sketchpad and some colored pencils, before gesturing that they should take a seat.William sat beside Eliza and grimaced as a pencil Oscar had missed stabbed him in the buttock. He removed it from between the two seat cushions and placed it on the coffee table.“Sorry!” Oscar said. “I can’t seem to keep a maid for more than a fortnight.” He scratched his head, “I still can’t figure out why.” “Why do you suspect someone falling ill or dying?” Eliza asked, cutting straight to the chase. “Is it due to using Scheele’s Green? We were told that Mr. Wallace had developed a nontoxic version.” Eliza leaned forwards, her Oscar fidgeted uncomfortably. “It’s not so simple. You see he thought he had, but…”“It didn’t work?” Eliza asked.Oscar nodded. “Brides started to notice that the green wasn’t as bright.” He grimaced at a memory, “One unfortunate woman had green dye from the leaves in her wreath running down her face as she walked up the aisle. Everyone thought she had an exotic disease…”William couldn’t help the chuckle that he let out. Oscar sighed, “If it wasn’t so horrific I’d laugh with you. She came storming into our store straight from the ceremony. Her face remained green for a week! Thankfully this was towards the beginning of the store opening. People eventually forgot, and placing the ads in the London Journal helped.”“So since then Mr. Wallace resumed the method using arsenic?” Eliza asked.“Yes. But he is working on a solution! And he doesn’t use as much arsenic on the smaller leaves in the wreaths.” Oscar hurried to defend his employer. “I told him I wouldn’t dye anything green until he invents a safer method. So I do the roses.”Eliza and William shared a glance.“Why are you looking at each other like that? You never told me what happened.” Oscar’s mien changed to one of horror, “did a bride’s face permanently turn green?”“No. Two brides were found dead.” William said.Oscar sat back letting out a whoosh of relief. “Thank goodness. I thought we were being sued. I mean… I mean… That’s not what I meant, I’m sorry they’re dead. What happened?”“They were found dressed in wedding gowns, with lace from Mr. Wallace’s shop. And they were poisoned with arsenic.” Eliza told him.Oscar wrinkled his nose in confusion, looking even more boyishly handsome. “Miss, if you don’t mind me pointing out, arsenic is nearly everywhere, despite the new laws in place trying to limit its usage. And Wallace lace is sold in many stores. Do you have a reason to suspect Mr. Wallace? He’s been through enough, the poor man, I truly can’t imagine him hurting anyone, let alone killing them.”“What do you mean by ‘he’s been through enough’?” William asked.Oscar hesitated, Eliza thought he was unwilling to talk about Mr. Wallace behind his back, but then she realized he was stalling to build up the apprehension. It didn’t work, William growled low in his throat. Oscar gulped and hurriedly began to speak.“It’s quite the tragic story.” He said dramatically. “Mr. Wallace was engaged to the lovely Miss Artemisia Crane. Alas, they were never to be wed.” He added forlornly.“Oh. Did she pass away?” Eliza asked.“Huh? No. She ran off with a man nearly a decade younger than Mr. Wallace. We never heard from her again. That diadem in the hallway was meant to be hers. Mr. Wallace couldn’t stand seeing it, so I keep it here.” He said with a nonchalant shrug, as though it was commonplace to keep a diamond encrusted crown haphazardly hanging from a coat hook.“Is this where all the work is done?” William asked. “The shop is rather small.”Oscar laughed heartily. “No, no, not at all. We have a larger premise, by the docks. Mr. Wallace rents out one of the smaller warehouses.” Oscar wrinkled his nose. “I swear It still smells like sardines at times. But the space is adequate for our needs.”“How long ago was Mr. Wallace jilted?” Eliza wondered.“Two weeks.”“Two weeks?!”“Yes. He threw himself back into his work, he went with Miss Wallace, his twin sister, to observe one of the silk mills they’re thinking of sourcing thread and fabric from. They should be back tomorrow. Is today Wednesday?”“Tuesday.” William replied.“Ah. Then tomorrow or Thursday. I forget. I work from home when they’re away.”“You don’t design the gowns?”“Me? Goodness no. He’d never let me.” Oscar frowned as though realizing he had said too much. “But you want to?” William queried.Oscar nodded slowly then passed them the sketchbook he had moved earlier.“These are stunning!” Eliza said. “Different from the Wallace designs we’ve seen.”Eliza flipped through the drawings, pausing at a pale blue gown. Despite its off the shoulder neckline, it was simpler than the other gowns, with no lace or other adornments to take away from the bride’s natural beauty.
“Yes. I like using more colors, they prefer whites and ivories.”“Can’t you sell them anyway?” William asked, mentally noting the page Eliza had stopped on.Oscar shook his head sadly. “No. The cost is akin to that of a wedding gown. No one would buy one of these for a ball. It’s too memorable, they’d only be able to wear it once.” He took back the sketch pad and closed it firmly before clearing his throat.“You won’t tell Mr. Wallace that I told you about Artemisia, will you? He doesn’t like talking about her.” Oscar said, a bit nervously.“Not if there’s no need to.” Eliza said, knowing she was probably lying. “You knew her?” she asked, curious about the ease he felt when using her Christian name.“Why yes, I had introduced them after all. Didn’t I mention? She’s my cousin. A couple of times removed.”“No one in your family thought to look for her?” William asked astounded.“She was always a free spirit, I think that is why Mr. Wallace was attracted to her, they were both very different types of people.”“Then why marry?”“Her parents thought it was a good match, they encouraged her to accept, they wanted her to settle down. She, ahem, had many male friends .” The way Oscar said this gave them the impression that she was most likely intimate with those friends. “I suppose Artemisia probably thought it would be exciting to marry a famous wedding gown designer and lace maker. Perhaps it wasn’t enough.”“Who did she elope with?” William asked, now engrossed in the story.“A jockey, from Wales. At least we think so.”“What makes you think that?”“A week after she ran off we saw in the paper that a new horse named Artemisia had won a race. And that her jockey was newly wed. It was easy to put two and two together.”“Ah.” William said, not sure how, even if, any of that fit in with the murders.“Do you happen to remember either of these women?” Eliza asked as she handed him the photos of Melissa James and Louise Rogers.”“To be perfectly honest, no. I work mostly from home or the warehouse. I rarely meet the brides personally. Huh… interesting…”“What is?” William asked.“They look a bit like Artemisia. Similar heart shaped face.” Oscar scrutinized the photos carefully before handing them back.“Artemisa has brown hair?”“Yes.” There’s no question about it. I have to put my plan into action. Eliza, woolgathering, let William wrap up the interview and followed him outside to his carriage.“...I find it interesting that… Eliza, are you even listening to me? You’re awfully silent.” William peered at her. “Are you tired? We can postpone our dinner.” William tried not to sound put-out by the idea.Eliza smiled at him. “I’m quite alright. But rather than dine out, perhaps we can eat at my home? I’m sure Ivy’s cooking something…”
Twenty Minutes Later
“... I’ve left you, and the Inspector, dinner.” Eliza read Ivy’s note with a sinking feeling in her stomach. “But I can’t even heat up food properly!” She said with a harumph, tossing the note back onto the small hallway table.William chuckled and reached over her to hang up his hat. “I’ll take care of that part. You can stir the pot.”True to his word, a few minutes later, William had arranged the coals to heat the stove at a low temperature and handed Eliza a spoon while he cut up a fresh loaf of bread.They worked in companionable silence, mostly because as Eliza stood at the stove, idly stirring the pot, she was staring off into the distance, completely lost in her thoughts.“But what would Ichabod Wallace’s motivations be to kill the women?” She wondered aloud.Then she felt, rather than heard, William step up behind her and gently remove the wooden spoon from her hand.“Eliza, if you keep stirring this any longer the meat will disintegrate.” “Oh. Sorry.” Eliza let go but didn’t move, if anything she let herself lean backwards slightly, almost resting against William’s chest.William resisted the urge to slide his free arm around her waist and pull her close. Instead, he tapped the spoon against the edge of the pot and set it aside.“When he and his sister return from the silk mill we’ll talk to them.” William assured her.“William,” Eliza tipped her head back to look up at him, “I… I have a confession to make.”William laughed softly, his chest heaving behind her. “What did you do? Don’t worry, I won’t shout.”“You won’t? And what makes you think I’ve done something?” Eliza narrowed her eyes at him.“Didn’t you?” William teased.“No. Well not yet.”“I must admit I’m surprised you didn’t just go ahead with whatever it is you want to do. You usually don’t tell me your plans ahead of time.”“I know.” She huffed in annoyance. “But you’ve been nothing but fair to me on this case. I don’t want to keep anything from you.”“Why don’t you tell me over dinner? The stew’s about done.”Eliza nodded and went to get the bread William had sliced, whereas William carried the pot over to the table and served them.“Now, what’s this plan of yours?” He asked as he broke off a piece of bread and dipped it into his steaming bowl.“A wig.”“A wig?”Eliza nodded, her enthusiasm making her blue eyes sparkle. “Think of it, what do all the women have in common?” She dropped her spoon to hold up her closed fist. “One, they all were getting their gowns from Wallace’s.” She held up one finger then began to tick off the rest as she continued. “Two, they were all coerced into arranged marriages by their parents. Three, from what we know they either loved someone else, or wanted to be with someone else before getting married. Four, none were virgins, and five, they all have brown hair!”“So you bought a wig?”“I bought a wig.”William took another spoonful, trying to think of what to say that wouldn’t anger her.“You’re going to say it’s too dangerous.” Eliza said, trying to remain calm.“Yes. And what if Evie is there? She’d recognize you regardless of the wig.”“I’ll find out which days she’s off.” Eliza said with a shrug. “I know you said you wouldn’t shout, but you usually do by now, so by all means…” Eliza waved a hand expectantly.“Eliza,” William sighed, “I’m not going to shout, it does no good and we both get upset. I don’t want to fight with you.”“And you won’t storm off?” She eyed him suspiciously.“No. After all I’m still eating.”Eliza laughed and threw a piece of bread at him. William caught it effortlessly and popped it into his mouth with a grin.“I think I like not arguing with you. Are we going ahead with my plan?” Eliza asked as she leaned forward, eager for William’s response.“Eliza,” William held his hand out, palm up on the table. Confused, Eliza placed her hand lightly on top. His fingers gently closed around hers. “I’m not disregarding your plan, but we still have avenues yet to explore. We have yet to interview Ichabod Wallace. Could we do that first, and if he’s a dead end then we’ll find a way to implement your plan? Safely.”Eliza’s expression swiftly changed from annoyance to pleased.“Alright William. I agree.”“Really?”“Really.”“Thank you.” William stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. Eliza couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran through her. “Are you cold?”“No, no.” Eliza blushed and pulled her hand back. “Just, ahem, ticklish. More bread?”
An Hour Later
“Thank you again William.” Eliza said as she curled her legs beneath her and sat next to William on the settee.“What for?” He asked as he passed her a glass of whisky and turned to face her.“For not discounting my idea. I appreciate it.” Eliza took a sip, and though the whisky burned as it went down, it was the look on William’s face that made her feel hot inside.“You’re welcome. After all it is a good idea.” William idly turned his glass around in his hands. “Eliza, I know it’s none of my business, but where were you this morning? I had trouble finding you.”“It wasn’t related to the case. I’m not holding anything back.” Eliza said a bit testily.“I know, I didn’t mean to imply that you were. I was just worried. You don’t owe me an explanation, I apologize.” William said a bit contritely, hoping he didn’t ruin the evening.Eliza shook her head. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. I… I had gone back to Dr. Ellis actually.”“Really? So you do have a reason to suspect him?”“No. I just wanted to talk to him. He’s kind.”William nodded. “I think I understand. I actually talked to Munro today.”“You’re joking!”“No.” William smiled. “It was a good conversation. He’s a decent man when he’s not under pressure. But it’s not the same as…”“I know.” Eliza said softly. “I think of him every day.”William held up his glass. “To Henry.”“To Father.” Eliza said clinking the edge of her glass against William’s.“William, I know I don’t say this enough, actually at all, but I’m glad you’re in my life.” Eliza moved a little closer to William, he lifted his arm and draped it over her shoulders.“As am I.” William replied. He looked down at the crown of Eliza’s head, resting against him. Her breathing evened out, he could tell that she had drifted off. “I love you.” He whispered, brave enough to say it aloud because he knew she couldn't hear him. He then closed his eyes, the turmoil of the day fading away, leaving room only for his love for Eliza to fill the empty space.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
NEW YORK - 2023
Eliza & William
Eliza heard William’s footsteps from behind her. She smiled when she heard him stop short in the bedroom doorway and gasp. Rather than turn around she continued with putting on one of the gold hoop earrings Clementine had lent her. She swayed her hips from side-to-side, knowing the tight pink pleather miniskirt would drive William wild.
Like clockwork she heard him mutter, “Fuck.” She grinned.
“I don’t have time for that right now, remember? I have an appointment at Love & Lace.” Eliza reminded him. Frank had come through by canceling someone else’s appointment and sliding Eliza into the free slot, but he still hadn’t had any luck on discovering Lacey’s address.
“Make time.” William growled, taking long strides across the room to her.
Eliza held a palm up, stopping him. He nearly tripped over the edge of the rug. “No.” She said firmly.
“No?” The lust faded from William’s eyes and worry replaced them instead. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, of course! William, I just don’t want you messing me up after all the work Clementine put into this.” She gestured along the length of her body. Along with the miniskirt she was wearing sparkly high heels and a long sleeved shirt that wrapped around her body, the ties criss-crossing beneath her chest, leaving her stomach bare. Her hair was in a high ponytail and William had never seen her wear that much makeup before. The false lashes made her blue eyes look even larger and her lips were pink and pouty.
“Oh.” He looked relieved but his face fell shortly afterwards. “Not even…”
Eliza glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Under one condition.”
“Anything!”
Eliza laughed. “Lay on the bed.”
“Yes ma’am!” William quickly obliged, pulling off his tee shirt before laying back.
Eliza walked over to a bright pink bag on the bench at the foot of the bed. “I know I saw them somewhere in here…” She rummaged around, leaning so far forwards that William had a wonderful view of her breasts from inside the low cut shirt.
“Aha!” She called out triumphantly as she dangled a pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs from one finger. “I know you promised not to muss me up but… better safe than sorry!” Eliza walked to the side of the bed. William grinned and slid his hands between the rungs of the headboard. Eliza kicked off the high heels then hitched up her skirt and stradled William, her chest pressing into his face. The handcuffs clicked closed just as William began to kiss the upper curve of her left breast. Eliza sighed. “William, stop that!” She reprimanded as she backed away from him and playfully swatted at his chest. He gave her an unrepentant grin.
“What’s next?” He asked, his body fairly trembling with anticipation.
“We have to be quick, I don’t want to be late.” Eliza slid lower down and began to rock against his groin.
“No problem there.” William muttered. He was already hard and eager. Eliza stroked the length of him through his sweatpants, her newly manicured nails scratching the fabric. William’s hips bucked.
“Steady!” She said. He had nearly tossed her off.
“Sorry…” William’s face was red with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to… Ah!” William let out a groan as Eliza slid her hands into his waistband and lifted it over his erection before lowering them to mid-thigh. She fisted his manhood and gave a long and slow stroke.
“Forwards or backwards?” Eliza asked as she ran her thumb over the tip.
“Let me see that beautiful arse of yours.” William said.
Eliza grinned and carefully turned around, not letting go of him. Now straddling him backwards she raised up to her knees and with one hand slid aside the crotch of her yellow lacy panties. William watched enraptured as she rubbed his cock against her clit. She was moaning softly, teasing both of them. She shifted slightly, just letting the tip of him penetrate her, her wetness coating him, before pulling out again.
“Sweetheart, you’re killing me.” William said through clenched teeth. The handcuffs rattled as he instinctively tried to reach for her. He knew Eliza was smiling even though he couldn't see her face. He also knew that she wouldn’t be able to resist for much longer, so he took a deep breath in an attempt at being patient.
True to her nature Eliza pumped him with her hand a couple of times before moving back over him. To his relief she lowered herself in one fluid motion, taking all of him at once.
“Thank goodness…” He muttered, feeling her warmth surround him, her inner muscles clenching around him.
Eliza ran her hands down his legs, pushing his sweatpants past his knees. She reached behind his legs and pulled lightly. William took the hint and bent his knees so she could rest her palms against them. Immediately she began to piston up and down along the length of him, the pleasure of it all rolling through her in waves. She slid one hand down William’s thigh, enjoying the feel of the soft hairs before reaching for his balls and lightly squeezing them.
William’s cursing intensified. He loved watching her body as she rode him, her arse glistening with sweat, his cock covered with her moisture, the in-and-out motion mesmerized him, he couldn’t peel his eyes away from where they were joined. He growled low in his throat.
Eliza knew his body nearly as well as she knew her own and knew that he was ready. She moved her hand to touch herself then let herself go, the climax shaking her to her very core. It was the same for William, who thrust upwards and spilled his seed into her with a loud growl.
When Eliza finally could see straight she slumped forwards, draped over William’s knees.
“Bloody hell… that was…”
Carefully Eliza slid off of him and began to straighten her clothing. William stared at her balefully.
“No cuddling!” Eliza said, knowing what he was thinking.
“Humph. Not even a kiss?”
Eliza looked at him, a sweaty mess, sweatpants tangled around his calves, his arms still trapped above his head. He was breathing heavily, his muscular chest heaving with the effort.
She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
“You are so fucking beautiful.”
“Now how can I resist such sweet words?” Eliza walked closer to him, leaned forwards and pressed the quickest kiss to his lips, not wanting to smear her lipstick.
“Unlock me.” He murmured into her lips.
“Nope. Not yet at any rate.”
“I won’t grab you.”
Eliza eyed him.
William sighed. “Fine, fine. Will you at least leave me the key this time?”
Eliza stiffened at his words.
“You don’t know where the key is, do you?”
“Ummm…” She backed away and headed towards the hallway. “CLEMENTINE!”
William groaned and flopped his head against the pillows.
Still, it was worth it!
An Hour Later
“...and be careful. We can’t wire you since you’ll be undressed to be measured.”
Eliza reached up and cupped her hand against William’s cheek. “I don’t think anyone will try anything in a busy lingerie store! Besides, I have my baton.” She patted her purse, trying to relieve some of her boyfriend’s anxiety.
“Okay. Just be careful. I love you.”
“I love you too.” She leaned forwards so Oliver and Murphy couldn’t hear her. “Clementine doesn’t want these clothes back, so tonight…” she trailed off suggestively, knowing William’s imagination was vivid enough to fill in the blanks.
“For God’s sake Eliza, I’m ready to throw you over my shoulder and…”
Eliza danced away from him before he could make good on his threat. “Ta ta!” She gave a wave to him and Oliver and Murphy before turning the corner to enter Love & Lace.
“Welcome to Love & Lace, the premier store for all your wedding night needs!” A cheerful voice greeted her.
“Ohmygawd!” Eliza inwardly cringed at how ridiculous she sounded, but it was too late to change her cover now. “This store is bee-a-you-tiful!” She gushed enthusiastically.
I sound like a complete airhead!
To her relief the saleswoman didn’t seem to mind, and practically skipped over to her, her stylish black bob bouncing with each step.
“It is, isn’t it? I’ve been working here for a few years and I still can’t believe how incredible everything is! How may I assist you?”
“I was like, totally lucky, you know, and won Lacey’s ‘Alrighty to the Nightie’ contest! Can I meet her?” Eliza said in one breath, deciding to keep with the persona she had created. She twirled the end of her ponytail for good measure.
“Then you must be the future Mrs. Lizzie ‘Sweetheart’ Evans!” The woman said as she discreetly checked the tablet in her hand for the list of that day’s appointments.
“That’s me! I’m marrying my one true love,
Dr.
Liam. I
must
have the sexiest wedding undergarments. Can I meet Lacey? I
love
her designs!”
The woman chuckled, “Unfortunately no. She’s the reclusive creative type. She does what she does best by leaving all the day-to-day functions of her company to others. That frees up her time to make beautiful things for beautiful brides, like you!”
Eliza put a disappointed pout on her face.
“But please, don’t worry,” the woman added hurriedly, “we’ll take good care of you here. My name is Ricki Rachel, but you can call me Rickrack or Ricki.”
Eliza couldn’t help but laugh at that. Ricki grinned back at her.
“Come, sit, and tell me about your fiancé and what you, and he, would like.” Ricki gestured to a desk tucked away at the back of the shop. “Coffee?”
“Yes! With five sugars.” Eliza said as she took a seat.
Ricki quickly worked the espresso machine and handed Eliza a steaming cup with a cookie on the side.
“Is that why your fiancé calls you ‘sweetheart’?” Ricki asked as she watched Eliza sip at her sugary coffee.
Eliza smiled and shook her head. “No, no. I think he just likes the endearment.”
“Ah yes, it says here he has ‘an insatiable appetite.’” Ricki read Eliza’s winning question. “We could incorporate real candy into the undergarments if you’d like. We could use lace in bright colors, with ribbons and frills!”
Eliza plastered a smile on her face.
I’m going to look completely ridiculous…
Eliza imagined herself standing in their bedroom looking like the slutty Halloween version of Little Bo Peep.
Ricki detached the digital pen from her tablet and began to sketch. “Tell me about Dr. Liam.”
Eliza let out a deep breath and leaned back. “He’s the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. But it’s not just his looks, he’s very kind.” Eliza noticed Ricki nodding approvingly.
I’d best change my tune, I can’t gush about him too much.
“But…” Ricki looked up from her drawing at the change in Eliza’s tone. “He’s not around much, he is always
sooo
busy working. I get that he’s like, saving lives and stuff, but I have needs too.” Eliza harrumphed and crossed her arms, feigning annoyance. “He’s also totally possessive. I can’t even have any guy friends. But that might change…” Eliza said with a conspiratorial wink.
“Oh?”
“I met someone.”
Eliza whispered. “At… um… at the Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest! I like contests.” Eliza said in a rush. “His name’s Pat! He’s… he’s tall! And has a funny mustache.”
Patrick would most certainly not like that description of himself.
“And are you going to, ahem,
have relations
with him?” Ricki asked, her voice having gone flat. Eliza pretended not to notice. She nodded.
“I think so. He makes me laugh.”
“But you’re still going to marry your doctor?”
Eliza let out a theatrical sigh. “It’s sooo very complicated.”
Ricki merely nodded, her bubbly personality had deflated during their conversation. Silently she turned around the tablet, showing Eliza what she had sketched. “You can add strings of candy necklaces to the…”
Eliza gasped.
“My goodness, Wil… Liam would
love
that. That’s… wow…”
“Maybe you should try talking to him before you do anything rash?” Ricki suggested gently as Eliza took the tablet from her. “You seem to truly care about him. Believe me, I can tell.”
Eliza began to panic.
Shoot, I’m supposed to be an unfaithful slut! Why is this so hard?
She looked up at Ricki, her expression of confusion genuine.
“Don’t give in so easily to temptation Lizzie. Take it from me, it’s not worth it.”
Eliza nodded, having a gut feeling that Ricki was talking from experience.
“Would you like another sketch?”
Eliza shook her head. “No, that’s absolutely perfect.”
William’s going to be disappointed, I feel like I’ve failed.
Ricki was about to speak, Eliza presumed to tell her to have a nice day, so she blurted out, “Does Lacey really make all the lace by hand? That must be
tots
difficult.”
Ricki smiled again, some of her former warmth returning. “Yes, lace making has been in her family for generations. All the way back to her great-great-grandparents!”
“Wowza! That is
so
cool! You seem to know a lot about her. Have you met her?”
Ricki visibly stiffened at the comment and hesitated before answering. “Once…”
Eliza wanted to crow with joy.
“Really? What’s she like?”
Ricki shrugged. “Shy. I only met her for a brief moment. Now,” she looked around and leaned forwards, “would you like to know about the
second
part of your prize?”
“Oooh… there’s a second part?” Eliza asked, pretending to be excited, but something felt odd about the situation.
“Yes. We only do this for some of the brides. Those who think outside of the box with their designs. Like yours!”
“What do I get?” Eliza asked eagerly.
“A top secret photoshoot in your new undies! But you can’t tell
anyone.”
“Not even Liam?” Eliza whispered back.
“Especially not Liam. Don’t you want the photos to be a surprise for him?”
“Yes, of course!” Eliza nodded so rapidly her hair began to come loose. “What do I do?”
“Nothing yet. I have your contact info. As soon as your lingerie is ready I’ll be in touch with all of the details.”
Before Eliza could ask any more questions Ricki pressed a button on the phone on her desk and the intercom squawked on. “Denise, please come to see about measuring Lizzie. Thank you.”
A young woman wearing a tape measure around her neck quickly entered from the back room and approached them.
“If you’ll come with me Lizzie, I’ll take all of your measurements!”
Eliza rose from the chair and looked at Ricki, who was once again as bubbly as she had been when they had first met.
“You’re in good hands! Don’t worry Lizzie, I’ll be in touch.” She winked at Eliza and before Eliza could say anything she was whisked away to the back room and measured within an inch of her life.
An Hour Later
“You’re alright? What took so long?” William asked as soon as Eliza met back up with them a few blocks away from the store. He looked her over from head to toe. Other than being slightly rumpled from having undressed, she looked no worse for the wear.
“William! Calm down. I
might
have some information, but I’m not sure how it helps us.” Eliza entered the nondescript white van they had arrived in and began to tell him, Oliver, and Murphy, what had transpired in the store.
“No one mentioned Martha Jones nor Cora Hansley having had a photoshoot done.” Oliver pointed out after Eliza had finished talking.
“There might not have been one. Maybe it was just an excuse to get them where they needed them to be so they could be murdered.” Eliza replied, causing William to look very worried.
“This was a bad idea…” He muttered. “I never should’ve…”
“William,” Eliza put a hand on his arm, “I know that something is going on here, and I want to help solve it. This isn’t any more or less dangerous than other cases I’ve had in the past.”
“
I
put a target on your back!”
“
And
you’ll also have my back. We’ll set up a sting operation for the photoshoot and catch them red handed. And, if it is truly nothing, at the very least you’ll have some very nice photos of me.”
“Can I get one wallet sized?”
“Ahem.” Murphy interrupted, not liking where their goo-goo eyes were headed.
“Sorry.” William mumbled, embarrassed. “So when will… Rickrack? Ricki? Be in touch?”
“As soon as the underwear is ready.”
“So we’re stuck waiting until then.” William groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t like this.”
Eliza glanced over at Oliver and Murphy, who were deep in discussion.
“He-who-must-not-be-named is still trying.”
Eliza said in a low voice.
William nodded. “I know, I don’t like relying on him.”
*PING*
“Who’s that?” William asked, distracted by Eliza’s phone going off.
Eliza pulled it out of the tiny purse she had taken with her. “Basil.” She muttered beneath her breath.
“I thought you were done with him.”
“So did I. I… I think he wants to go over Clementine’s case for the article. I’d better call him.”
“Okay. Be careful Eliza.”
Eliza tore her eyes away from the email to look up at her boyfriend’s worried face.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Besides, the lingerie isn’t even ready yet.”
William reached out and cupped Eliza’s face between his hands. “Be careful.” He repeated before kissing her. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Eliza plastered a smile she wasn’t feeling on her face, “I meant what I said, Clementine doesn’t want the clothing back.”
“Good.” William looked cheered up at that.
Eliza waved goodbye to Oliver and Murphy then stepped out of the van. She walked a few blocks away before flopping down wearily onto a nearby park bench.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Eliza thought as she pulled out her phone again to read Basil’s email.
Subject: On to bigger and better!
From:
[email protected]
To:
[email protected]
Dear Eliza,
I am a man of my word, and will run your “Panki Bok/Golden Steak” case as promised, but
you
my dear aren’t completely holding up your end of the bargain.
Any tidbit of information on Sergeant Wellington’s case would bind our agreement for the successful publication of future articles starring The Lady Detective.
I urge you to consider our agreement.
- Basil
Eliza looked up, staring blankly at the passerby. None of them registered in her mind.
What should I do? I need the publicity. But William… Perhaps I can tell Basil something minor, nothing that would affect the case… Just to get him off my back.
Eliza cautiously began to type her reply.
Re: On to bigger and better!
From:
[email protected]
To:
[email protected]
Basil,
I apologize for my delay in responding to you. I’ve been incredibly busy wrapping up Clementine’s cases, and yes, assisting Sergeant Wellington on his bridal murder cases.
…
Eliza hesitated, not sure what else to reveal. She quickly went online to skim over the headlines in the news. It seemed most of the reporters only had the basic information available to them, the victim’s names, the locations of the murders, and that they were preparing for their upcoming nuptials.
She tapped her chin thoughtfully then carefully continued with the email, hoping to embellish some nonsense while making it seem plausible.
…
The fact that they were found in, or near, water implies purification of the promiscuity of the women and their lingerie.
I look forward to reading the Clementine article.
- Eliza
She quickly hit send.
Perfect, I didn’t reveal anything that he wouldn’t already know.
Eliza, feeling pleased with her ingenuity, let the tension she had been carrying slowly fade away, not realizing the extent of Basil’s ability to piece together missing facts with hypotheses from his overly active imagination.
I wonder how Clementine’s progress with Panki Bok is coming along…
Clementine
*WHACK*
Gus watched in awe as the Southern woman continued to pound back into shape the tailbed of the bright pink truck.
He couldn’t help but admire her as she worked. Clementine, feeling eyes on her, stood up slowly and turned around.
“Why’ya starin’ at me?” She asked, but she didn’t sound annoyed. She knew Gus could change his mind at any moment about not letting her take Panki Bok home.
“You are quite handy with that.” He took a step back, though not usually a fearful man, he knew what a woman with a massive wrench could get up to.
Clementine shrugged, “My granpap dun showed me how to fixup trucks.” She hesitated, then decided she had nothing to lose by asking. “Whatcha wantin’ Mr. Nash to do ya for?”
“You care about him.” Gus asked, deflecting.
“Sugah, I don’t know’im. But I
do
know ‘Liza, and she ain’t gonna be happy if you get her friend inta trouble.”
Gus eyed Clementine. “I know.” He let out a tired sigh. “I will tell you the truth. Come, sit.” Gus walked over to a bench at the side of the room and sat down, his legs barely touching the floor. Clementine, figuring she didn’t need the wrench as a weapon, put it aside and joined him.
“A long, long, time ago, back when I was a handsome young man,” Clementine couldn’t help but smile at that, “I lived in Greece, on a tiny island with more goats and olive trees than people. But, despite there being only a very small population, I found the one girl that was perfect for me, and we fell in love.”
“Aww… Ain’t that cuter than…a pollywog in a puddle.”
“Ah, but it wasn’t all happiness and roses.” Gus tsk’d. “I wanted to prove myself to her, to show her, and her family, that I could be more than just a goat herder. So I left my home to come here, to the Big Apple.”
Clementine turned to face Gus, her eyes wide as she listened in rapture. “What ‘appened next?”
Gus looked down at his hands. “Two years went by as I worked hard, and made money. Lots of money.” He looked at her to see if she understood that it hadn’t all been above board. Clementine nodded.
“I was so busy, I did not write often, but when I did I assured her of my love. I thought everything was fine. But then one day I received a letter that she married another.” Gus looked deflated at that. “I should’ve gone back and whisked her away, but I was young and angry. So I did nothing and focused on acquiring more wealth. But now…”
“He dun left’er to tame lions in da circus and ya wontta steal her back?” Clementine asked, thinking of the most soap opera-like plot she could.
“Eh? Παιδάκι μου, τι λες τώρα;”
Clementine didn’t understand the admonishment, but she could tell Gus was slightly chastising her.
She shrugged, “What? I’ve heard weirder. Like that time when my aunt Nekt Irene fount a black widder spider in her bathroom an’ made it a pet. Calt ‘em Herman.”
“Well, no. No circus. And he’s actually still alive and well. It’s the child I want to find. I’ve had word from a relative that he looks suspiciously like me. I… I could have a son!”
“WHOA… and ya think Mr. Nash kin find’em? Why not use Eliza? Lord knows that girl could use a vacation.”
“Despite what you, and she, might think, I do not want any harm to come to her. She helped me very much in the past. I will not repay that favor by putting her in danger. I think my son is involved with some very bad men. I want to get him out of Greece and here, where he’ll be safe.”
Clementine nodded as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. “So yer wanton Mr. Nash to go ta Greece ta getcher son for ya?”
“Precisely.”
“I kin unnerstand why’s a man better fer that!”
“I knew you were a reasonable woman! Now come Miss Clementine, it is time for lunch and my cook has made my favorite, παστίτσιο. We will eat and you finish your Panki Bok after.”
“Yummers! Workin’ under dem hoods makes me a starvin’ Marvin! Ah’m so hungry ah cud eat sum ‘coon baked on the side’a the bypass in July! You got any of that ouzo stuff?”
Gus scoffed. “I distill it myself in my basement. I have enough to last a lifetime. Actually, two.”
He and Clementine shared a laugh over that as they headed upstairs for what was to be one of the most delicious meals of her life.
Hattie
I wonder how many of these little signs I’ll need…?
Hattie looked at the pile of tiny colorful papers scattered around her.
Is point 6 too small of a font size to read?
She leaned forward, squinting at her computer.
Perhaps ‘American Scribe’ isn’t the best font to use… although I do love a good handwritten script font…
“Oops!” As she leaned back into her chair, she had accidentally knocked over a pencil holder full of Copic markers.
“I know! I’ll write them by hand for a more personal touch!”
Satisfied with her artistic decision, Hattie proceeded to come up with the inane signage.
“He is going to LOVE this!”
Patrick
It won’t be so bad, being on the payroll of a mobster.
Patrick tried to convince himself as he walked up the stairs to Eliza’s office, his cane tapping out the beat of a song in his head, rather than assisting with his walking.
Though he was rather vague about what he wants from me, other than it being a missing person’s case. I wonder if I’ll have to travel out of state. That could be fun.
He broke out of his musings as he reached Eliza’s office door.
“Eliza? It’s me, Patrick.” He rapped against it with the knob of his cane. When there was no reply he tried the doorknob but it was locked.
“Shoot.” He turned around quickly and bumped into something, no, someone, smaller than he, and very curvy. The woman yelped in surprise as he caught her by her upper arms, preventing her from falling over. His cane landed on the floor with a thud.
“Are you alright? I’m ever so sorry miss.” Patrick said, not letting go, even though it was obvious that the young woman had regained her balance. He also noted, quite happily, that her palms were still pressed against his chest.
“Quite alright.” She replied, her dark brown hair, which had been pulled back into a tight bun, had begun to fall around her face.
Patrick stared at her, mesmerized by the mismatched eyes that met his gaze steadily.
“Were you looking for Liza?” She asked.
“Eh? Oh, yes.” It took Patrick a moment to remember why he had even gone to Eliza’s office in the first place.
“Was it about a case?”
“Not precisely. I’m a…” Patrick hesitated,
What precisely am I to her? Friend? Acquaintance? Colleague? Rival?
“I’m Patrick.” He said, opting to keep it simple.
“Patrick?” The woman scrunched her face, as though trying to recall why she recognized his name. “Patrick… Oh!
That
Patrick?” The woman snapped her fingers, Patrick was immediately disappointed that she had stopped touching him. Reluctantly he released her arms.
Patrick smiled. “Does Eliza know that many Patricks?”
The woman shook her head, smiling back at him, “No, you’re the detective who keeps giving her a hard time!”
Patrick frowned. “I do
not.
I simply want to acquire the most talented detective in the City.”
“Humph. I’m not sure she sees it that way.”
Patrick shrugged and smiled again, turning the charm up to levels he had never attempted before. “I know a
woman’s
worth when I see it…” he said, trailing off suggestively.
Rather than being charmed, the woman stepped back, looking put off.
“Well good luck to you Patrick.” She turned to go.
“Wait!” He held a hand out, as though to stop her. “Please, at least tell me your name.”
The woman stopped, but didn’t reply. She wrapped her arms around herself, the oversized black zip-up hoodie she was wearing making her look younger and vulnerable.
“I’m sorry.” Patrick said in a rush. “I…” he sighed, “That was an abhorrent attempt at flirting. I think I’m only good at it when I’m drunk.” He admitted. That earned him a tentative smile from the woman.
“Please don’t hold it against me.” He didn’t know why, but he felt a pull towards the woman, there was a depth in those mismatched eyes, a world of hurt and pain, but he saw joy in there too. A joy he wanted to experience. With her.
“Clara.” She said, her smile widening a bit more as she saw Patrick’s evident happiness at having solved the mystery of her name. She waved goodbye, her trim figure fading down the flickering phosphorescent hallway.
“Nice to meet you Clara.” He whispered to himself.
All thoughts of the short fat Greek man faded away and were replaced by the beautiful brunette.
I will definitely be seeing you again!
Eliza and William
*To listen to your messages, press 1.*
Eliza flopped onto the couch, still dressed in the morning’s get-up, and tried to make sense of Clementine’s drunken ramblings.
“...and gurl, lemme tell ya, Shorty can du—rink! He drank mo’ ouzo than a…garden gnome in a thunda storm… and ah’m so tarred…”
Eliza heard Clementine yawn loudly here,
“...Ima gonna sleep rat here on this loveseat… ain’t as soft as my pink palace gonna be, but it shure darn close… night-night and give your hunk a goodnight muahahah from me too!”
Eliza smiled at her phone as she finished listening.
I’m sure she’ll be alright. After all, she has that wrench. I’ll go see what William’s up to.
She could hear William’s familiar footsteps walking around from upstairs. But before she could get herself off of the couch her phone rang. It was William.
“Hello beautiful. Talk dirty to me.” He said in a husky voice.
Eliza grinned.
“Hello there you big sexy hunk of…” Eliza froze, her mind suddenly blanked, “ice-cream.”
There was silence from the other end of the line.
“William? Are you still there?” Eliza asked as she checked her phone’s signal.
“Ice-cream?”
She could tell he was trying not to laugh. She scowled at her phone.
“Trust me,” she said in her normal voice, “you’d like this ice-cream if I was going to lick it all off of you.”
She heard a rustling.
He must be leaning back against the pillows. Or undressing.
She ran her tongue over her lips.
“What do you mean
if
?”
“Hmm… depends on if you’ve been a bad boy or not.” Eliza said, putting her sexy voice back on.
“I’ve been good! I mean bad. I mean whatever’s going to get you up here with that pint of Ben & Jerry’s Whiskey Biz…”
Eliza let out a throaty laugh. “Hold your horses lover boy.”
“Eliza, if you don’t get that arse of yours up here in the next ten sec…”
Eliza grinned. She tossed her phone onto the couch, she could hear William loudly counting backwards from the other side, she ran into the kitchen, deftly grabbed a spoon, threw open the freezer and grabbed the pint before hurrying upstairs.
“ONE!” William shouted loudly just as Eliza skidded in through the doorway.
“You called?” She asked, cocking her hip to the side and holding up the pint.
“The service in this joint…” William said with a mock scowl. He shook his head, but his expression quickly changed as he watched Eliza pop the top off the ice-cream and throw it aside. She dug the spoon in and heaped some of the creamy confection onto it before placing it in her mouth and moaning. She turned the spoon over and closed her eyes.
“Yum… oopsy! How clumsy of me!” The bit of ice-cream had fallen off the spoon and landed in her cleavage. “And here I am without a napkin. Whatever am I to do?” She batted her eyes at William, the long false lashes fluttering.
William was already crawling to the edge of the bed. “Come’re.” He sat down, his legs dangling over the side and held his arms out. Eliza put the ice-cream down then seductively walked over and straddled him. No sooner had she settled, his face was between her breasts and he was running his tongue over the swell of one breast, then the other, finally making his way to the dollop of ice-cream that had begun to melt between them.
Eliza watched through half-lidded eyes and ran her fingers through his hair, holding him close. His hands bracketed her torso, preventing her from falling over backwards.
William’s tongue flicked out, following the trail of sweetness until the fabric of Eliza’s wrap shirt hindered his progress. He hooked a finger in the neckline and tugged it down, revealing her yellow lace bra.
Eliza let out a sigh, undulating her body against William’s. “More.” She whispered.
William obliged, moving his mouth over her nipple. He suckled at her through the fabric, tugging lightly with his teeth.
“I love you so much.” Eliza said, her voice breathless.
William’s plans of going all caveman and tearing off her clothing faded as her sweet words permeated through the haze of his lust. He lay back, pulling her down with him, and gently rolled her over.
“What happened to ravishing me?” Eliza asked, languidly stretching her arms over her head.
“All in good time.” William replied with a wink. “I love you too.” He said softly, leaning over her to kiss her lips. “Where’s that ice cream?” He mumbled into her chest.
Eliza waved a hand vaguely in the direction of where she had left the pint. William leaned over the bed and picked it up. He scooped up a spoonful and dropped it by her collarbone.
“Oops. I meant for that to fall lower.” William narrowed his eyes at the lump of ice-cream that seemed to have a mind of its own. Eliza tipped her head up to look down at herself.
“This is going to get very messy.”
“Aye.” William agreed. He bent over and licked at the ice-cream. Eliza sneakily took the pint from him and squirmed upwards on the bed to place it on the nightstand. William didn’t seem to mind, he had undone the ties of her shirt and was now running his tongue around her belly button. “Yum.”
His hands slid over her ribcage and cupped her breasts before pushing the thin lace up and over them so he could pinch her nipples. Eliza arched beneath him, her hips pressing up into his neck.
“Steady!” William said with a chuckle. He moved to grasp the hem of her skirt and push it up to her waist, revealing the matching yellow panties she wore.
“You look good in yellow,” William said, “but I think you’d look even better with nothing on.”
He spread her thighs wide and began to lick at what he truly desired, the cleft between her legs.
“Ohmy…” Eliza gasped, her legs wrapping around his shoulders.
William’s tongue worked over the lace, drenching it, teasing her by not having direct contact with her skin. She squeezed him tighter.
“Easy…” William muttered, hooking a finger at the crotch of the panties and pushing it aside. He flicked the tip of his tongue over her folds, deeper and deeper with each pass, her body opening to him.
He swirled his tongue around her aroused bud before delving deep within her. Eliza was panting, her body was covered in sweat, and she was making moaning noises, egging William on.
William sucked a little harder at her clit, causing her to buck beneath him as she came hard, the pleasure becoming borderline painful and she scrunched her eyes closed and grasped at William’s hair. Instead of letting go, he continued his ministrations, wanting her to feel good for as long as possible. When her trembling finally subsided he gave her a final kiss before letting go of her hips and looking up at her.
Eliza had one arm bent over her eyes, her clothing and underwear was in shambles, and other than breathing, she could barely move.
William grinned, feeling pleased with himself. “You alright love?” He asked as he slid up the bed and lay alongside her.
She nodded and swallowed. “Yes. But if you think I’m going to be able to do anything after that…”
William stroked her hair back from her face. “Glad you liked it.”
“
‘Like’
isn’t even strong enough of a word to describe
that.
” Eliza let out a sigh of contentment. “Could you just take me as I lay here?”
William burst out laughing then narrowed his eyes at her. “Wait, you’re serious?”
“Yes…” Eliza said, opening her legs and finally looking at him. “I’m exhausted.”
“Eliza, we don’t have to…”
Eliza cocked an eyebrow, pointedly looking down at William’s groin.
Rather than say anything, William sat up and gently worked his hands beneath her back, undoing the hooks over her bra. He gently slid it off of her shoulders, then began to unzip the pink pleather skirt and pull it off, along with the panties, in one fluid motion. Eliza shivered as she began to cool down.
William gripped the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it off. He began to run it over Eliza’s body, wiping up her sweat. “I don’t want you to catch a chill. Want me to run a bath for you?”
“Only if you’ll join me.”
William smiled and kissed her on the lips. “I’ll be right back.” He promised.
He hurried to the bathroom and turned the bathtub tap. It let out a massive groan, the pipe connected to the knobs shaking ominously before the water spat out.
Damn it, that does not sound good. I’ll have to have a look at it.
His plumbing worries evaporated as the thought of Eliza, laying all naked and content in their bed.
But first things first!
Later
Following a bath that was steamy in more ways than one, they were now back in bed, Eliza leaning against William’s chest, her tablet balanced on her lap. William had one arm around her waist, the pint of ice-cream in his hand as Eliza alternated dosing out spoonfuls of ice-cream between the two of them. She held the spoon up and William ate off of it before looking down over her shoulder. “We’re going to need more ice-cream. Do they have any other boozy flavors?”
“I don’t know, I’ll check. Ouch…” Eliza said as she got distracted by the show playing on her tablet.
William turned his attention back to the tablet where Eliza’s favorite TV show,
Baking Naked,
was playing. Crystal Adams, one of the people who had taken a class with the murderer, Arabella Sanchez, had won Season 1 and now had her own TV series, a (very) late night cooking show called
Sustenance Seduction.
All of the food and recipes were sex themed. Some of the specialties were sizzled sausage, creamed eggplant, and, almost always, peaches being utilized in a dessert.
But that was on later, and for now they were on Season 2 of
Baking Naked
, and despite not knowing the contestants on the new season Eliza was still hooked on the wacky show. William didn’t quite see the point but watched it to keep Eliza company.
“Someone’s going to lose their cock one day.” William muttered as a massive meat cleaver was carelessly being swung around.
“We should audition!” Eliza said absently. She frowned, noticing they had finished the ice-cream.
“Wait, what? Seriously?” William growled.
“What? I’m better at baking now.” Eliza pointed out. She put the empty pint and spoon aside then looked up at him. “I haven’t set anything on fire in ages. And whyever not? It looks like fun.”
“First off, you’d be naked. Secondly, you’d be naked. And Thirdly…”
“I’d be naked?”
“Correct.”
“But it’s all about the baking.” Eliza said, in all seriousness.
William’s jaw dropped.
“No.” He said firmly. “No one is looking at you naked. ‘xcept for me.”
Eliza turned around and straddled him, looping her arms around his neck.
“You’re so jealous.” But she didn't sound annoyed.
“I… hmm… you would be okay with people looking at
me
naked?” William asked, not sure how happy he was about that.
Eliza smiled and pushed his hair back from his forehead. “You don’t remember that day at the beach, do you?”
“Huh?”
“We were walking along the water,
everyone
was eyeing you. You
really
didn’t notice?” Eliza caressed his cheek. William was handsome as it was fully clothed, but in his swimming trunks, with his muscular physique, he was the epitome of ‘eye candy’.
William thought back to the day they had spent at Coney Island. “I remember. I was glaring at all the men who were looking at
you.”
Eliza laughed and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “You had your fair share of admirers.”
“You weren’t jealous?”
“Nope. And you want to know why?”
“Why?”
“Because,
I
know you only had eyes for
me.
”
William smiled and leaned forward to nuzzle his nose into Eliza’s neck.
“Aye.” He murmured softly. “Only you.” He gently lowered himself to lay flat on the bed, pulling Eliza down with him.
They curled up around one another, William’s larger body neatly enveloping Eliza’s petite one. Eliza’s hands were pressed against William’s chest and his face was buried in her hair. They each let out sighs, feeling warm and safe, knowing they had a partner to rely on. To love.
But little did they know that due to one careless line in a brief email to a ruthless journalist, all of that was about to be put at jeopardy.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
LONDON - 1883
This is an itchy pillow.
Eliza reached up to scratch the top of her head then stiffened as her fingertips felt something unfamiliar and rough.
William!
William was breathing deeply, his cheek pressed to the crown of Eliza’s head. Somehow, at some point during the night, Eliza had ended up across his lap, using his body as a mattress. His arms were wrapped around her, securing her so she wouldn’t fall off the settee, and his long legs stretched out in front of him.
Eliza left her hand against William’s cheek, her fingertips curling slightly against his beard.
What would it be like to wake up by his side every morning?
She studied his face, peaceful in repose, then let her hand slide higher up, almost into his hair. She used her thumb to trace over the fine lines at the side of his eye.
“‘Mornin’ sweetheart.” He mumbled, turning towards her touch before falling back asleep.
Eliza’s mind momentarily went blank at hearing the endearment from William’s lips.
Why did that sound so natural, so right?
She didn’t move, unsure as to what to do next, but she didn’t have to wait long, William’s eyes fluttered open, then widened in shock.
“Eliza? I… I wasn’t dreaming?” He asked, his thoughts still in a muddle from sleep.
“No.” Eliza replied. “You… you called me sweetheart.”
William turned red and cleared his throat, “I… I apolog…” he stopped at looked at her, realizing she didn’t look annoyed, if anything she wore a mildly confused expression on her face.
“I don’t think I mind, but I don’t quite understand what all
this
is.” Eliza admitted, using her hand to gesture between them.
“Eliza, it’s affection,” William gently pushed a tendril of hair behind Eliza’s ear, “and tenderness.” He took a risk and leaned forward to press a kiss to Eliza’s smooth cheek. When she didn’t respond he hesitated briefly then went for the word he truly wanted to say, if he was being honest with himself, had wanted to say to her for years. “Love.”
“Love?” Eliza repeated, not wanting to admit she had been thinking similarly as him as of late.
“Love.” William held her gaze, his eyes pools of adoration, and longing. “Eliza, won’t you give me a chance to love you? Please?”
He held his breath as he waited for Eliza to answer. When she didn’t, his heart fell into his stomach as he expected her to inevitably pull away.
Did I just ruin our friendship?
William opened his mouth to apologize, to try to take back that one tiny four letter word that had the power to break his heart when Eliza suddenly pressed her mouth to his in the most awkward kiss of his life. William grinned broadly, causing Eliza to kiss his teeth and part of his mustache. Despite all that William felt a warmth flood through him and he held Eliza a bit tighter, not wanting the moment to end.
All too soon Eliza pulled back and looked at him, brow furrowed. “I don’t think I’m very good at this.” She muttered. “It had been better when we were younger.”
William burst out into laughter full of relief and joy, his entire body shaking with mirth.
“What’s so amusing?” Eliza asked, unsure if he was laughing at her expense.
William shook his head. “Nothing. Nothing at all. I have a suggestion.”
“I’m listening.”
Seeing that Eliza hadn’t slapped him, in fact she had done the complete opposite of what he had been expecting, William wanted to keep the momentum going while it was in his favor.
“Can we talk to each other? With no pretenses, no holding back. If you ask me something I’ll tell you how I feel. And if I ask you something…”
“I understand. Can I go first? To ask you something?”
William smiled, “Of course.”
“Yousaidyouwantachancetoloveme?” Eliza turned red as the question came out in a rush.
“Are you asking me if I love you?”
“Yes, I suppose I am. Do you love me William?”
“Yes. God help me, yes. I love you Eliza.” He let out a breath, a weight he didn’t even realize he was carrying lifted from his shoulders and he finally felt free, free to tell Eliza everything. “All this time I had thought I wanted a wife. What I really wanted is
you.
I love how brave and fearless you are, I love how your face lights up when you put clues together, Hell, I even love how you aggravate me. Eliza, you stir my soul.”
“Oh.” Eliza said softly, looking down at her lap, a bit in awe of the outpouring of emotion from William.
“Eliza, you don’t have to say it in return.” William tilted her chin up, his look full of understanding.
“I… I don’t?”
“No. I’m… I’m just glad I finally told you.”
“Will… will you give me time? I… I’m so confused.” Eliza said sadly, feeling turmoil within.
“Of course.” William said as he lightly stroked her arm, trying to soothe her. “Do you want me to leave?” He asked, unsure as to what to do next.
I’ve never told anyone that I love them before.
“Are
you
alright?” Eliza asked, ignoring his question. She noticed how William too now wore a confused expression.
“I just realized I’ve never said that before. To anyone. That I love them.” He added, just in case it wasn’t clear what he was talking about.
“Never?” Eliza asked skeptically, knowing William had had his fair share of paramours.
“Never. No one ever mattered this much to me.” William thought that over. “Huh, I suppose that sounds a bit sad.”
Has no one ever told them that they love him either?
Eliza wondered, horrified at the thought.
I may not be ready to say it back, but he’s important to me. I need him to know that.
Eliza wrapped her arms around William’s neck, holding him tightly. “I don’t want you to go.”
“No?” He asked relieved.
“No. Actually, I’d like some breakfast. And I think I need to practice kissing you more. Even I know that that was pretty horrible.”
William let out a loud guffaw. “Eliza, I can honestly say that was one of the best kisses of my life.”
“One of?” Eliza asked, pulling back, but still keeping her arms looped around him.
“Our first kiss is still in the lead.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” William lightly touched Eliza’s cheek as it turned pink. “Would you like me to make breakfast?”
“Yes please!”
“Do you have any eggs?”
Eliza laughed. “I make sure Ivy always has them on hand. For emergencies.”
Half an Hour Later
Eliza tapped her perfectly boiled egg with the back of her spoon. She had freshened up while William had made them breakfast. Now they were alternating between discussing their plans for the day and casting shy smiles at one another.
“Should we try to find Ichabod and Irene Wallace at their home or at the shop?” Eliza asked as she passed William the salt.
“Hmm… I’m rethinking the idea of you joining me on the interview.”
Eliza froze. “Why?” She asked, trying to maintain a level voice.
William, focused on cutting a piece of ham, didn’t notice her mood change. “Because if we do go through with your plan, and something
is
going on at their shop, we wouldn’t want him recognizing you.” William looked up, realizing he had gone silent. “Eliza? Are you alright?”
It was on the tip of her tongue in that moment, to say it, to tell him that she loved him too. That she appreciated him for listening to her, for wanting her plan to succeed. Had she known what was to come, what her actions would set in motion, she would’ve reached across the table to take his hands in hers. She would’ve kissed him again, giving him her heart with no reservations. She wouldn’t have even cared how lousy of a kisser she was.
Instead nerves got the best of her and she clammed up as she stared at the cracks running through the top of her egg.
“Eliza?” William repeated, leaning forward to lightly touch her arm, causing her to jump.
“Sorry! Just lost in thought. Yes, I agree. You should interview the Wallace’s on your own. Are you going to go to their residence or the shop?”
William mulled that over, “I’ll take Fitzroy and go to their shop. If Evie’s there I can always say I’ve come to discuss purchasing the risqué dress as a surprise for you.” He gave her a cheeky wink and a grin.
Eliza, startled by the comment, dropped her spoon then laughed. “It was one kiss William, don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“A man can dream, can’t he?” William, still smiling, pulled out his pocket watch and sighed.
“Go. I’ll clean up.” Eliza said, knowing he was eager to find the Wallaces.
“You mean you’ll put the dishes in the sink and leave them for Ivy?” William said as he rose from his chair.
“Precisely.”
“Incorrigible woman.” William walked to her side and tipped her chin up with a knuckle then planted a kiss on the tip of her nose. “I’ll send you a message later, let you know what we find.”
Eliza blinked, trying to rapidly adjust to the newfound physical affection between them. Before she could say or do anything, William’s thumb lightly brushed over her lower lip, then he was gone.
Eliza touched her mouth with her fingertips, trying to decide how she felt about the slightly possessive gesture.
I must admit… I didn’t dislike that. No, I didn’t dislike that at all…
Still smiling, she placed the dishes into the sink, letting them slide about haphazardly. She turned around and leaned against the ledge, letting her gaze soften as she let her imagination run rampant as she picked up where she had left off from her daydream…
…“You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen…” William greeted her at the bottom of the altar steps, their friends watching amused from the pews as he broke with tradition and wrapped an arm around Eliza’s waist to guide her up to the waiting vicar, who was smiling at the obviously happy couple.
Eliza passed her bouquet to Hattie and faced William, stepping closer to him to encircle her arms around his waist, their eyes only on one another. Eliza could feel the heat of William’s hands through the thin lace fabric. Despite the gown being scandalous it suited her perfectly, the glimpses of her bare skin giving William a tease of what was to follow on their wedding night.
As his grip tightened slightly around her, Eliza was doubly glad that she had opted for the Wallace gown that no other bride had dared to wear. Even though she knew she looked beautiful, a large part of her couldn’t wait to be out of it. And standing naked in William’s arms…
Eliza gasped, feeling an intense warmth flood through her body.
Focus! I have to focus. On the case, not William’s lips!
Eliza mulled that over.
They were soft though… his mustache is a bit scratchy, I don’t think I was supposed to kiss that high up…
Eliza gave herself a mental shake then groaned. “If he’s interviewing the Wallace’s, what am
I
supposed to do?” She conveniently ignored the fact that she had an office to finish packing, the file on Nash’s men to read, and mail and messages to sort through. “I know, if William and Fitzroy are going to the shop perhaps
I
could go to their house. I wonder if Moses could get me their address…”
William & Fitzroy
“Fitzroy, why are you looking at me like that?” William asked, arching an eyebrow at the younger man who was grinning inanely at him.
“You seem to be in a particularly good mood today Sir. And you’re wearing yesterday’s suit.” Fitzroy added gleefully.
“Ididn’thaveachancetogohomeandchange.” William said in a rush, wondering why he felt as though he had to justify himself to his subordinate. They were walking at a fast clip towards Wallace’s, having abandoned Arthur and the carriage once the traffic had become a hindrance.
“Ah, I see. And you were with Miss Scarlet I presume?” Fitzroy added an extra hop to his step to keep up with William, who was using his longer legs to his advantage. To bystanders it looked as though the large Scotsman was running away from his junior detective. When William turned and caught his disheveled reflection in a storefront window he realized how ridiculous they looked and slowed down.
I don’t have to tell Fitzroy anything. It’s none of his business.
Fitzroy easily caught up to William and waited expectantly.
“ItoldherIloveher.” William admitted, feeling good about having someone else to confess that to.
Fitzroy’s face lit up. “That’s wonderful Sir! And did she reply in kind…?” his face fell as William’s smile dimmed slightly.
“Not precisely… she said she was confused and needed time. But she didn’t push me away. She… she kissed me. In a manner of speaking.”
“That’s promising! Was it a romantic kiss?”
“No. It was pretty horrible actually.” Despite his words William was grinning again.
I’m not quite sure what he means, but he looks happy! Perhaps I should suggest he read her some Byron. It’s a sure way to secure a lady’s heart. Though it never worked for me…
“Now enough of that, we have an interview to conduct.” William removed his bowler hat, smoothed back his hair, and finally adjusted his cravat. “I still have to tell you what we learned from Oscar Clifton.”
He proceeded to catch Fitzroy up as they resumed walking at a marginally slower speed.
Eliza & Moses
“Moses, I need you to get me a home address for this man, Ichabod Wallace.” Eliza handed Moses a slip of paper. They were standing in her office, empty boxes scattered around them.
Moses raised an eyebrow, “Shouldn’t you be packing?”
Eliza picked up a heavy Italian dictionary and dropped it into a box. “There, I packed.” She said smugly.
Moses burst out laughing and shook his head. “Very well. Who is he? A robber? Mastermind criminal?”
“No. He designs wedding gowns and makes lace. Oh, and he might be a murderer, we’re not sure yet.”
“Ah. You are working with the Inspector?”
Eliza nodded, her face went bright red. Moses picked up on it right away.
“Something happened between you two?”
“No. I mean yes if you consider the fact that he told me he loves me.” Eliza waved a hand as though to brush the comment aside, but Moses wasn’t going to let her off the hook so easily.
“And what did
you
say?” Moses asked, knowing full well that Eliza was out of her depth more than she was letting on.
Eliza shrugged a shoulder as she picked up a Latin dictionary and dumped it into the box with a loud thunk. A cloud of dust flew up, causing her to sneeze.
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
“I said, ‘oh’. What was I supposed to say? Thank you?” Eliza asked, her annoyance bubbling to the surface. But it wasn’t towards Moses, it was towards herself, for knowing that William deserved much more than an “oh”.
Moses leaned against Eliza’s desk, waiting for her to continue. She stopped fiddling with her shelf of dictionaries and turned around to face him, crossing her arms.
“It caught me off guard. I didn’t know what to say.” Eliza said defensively. “I also kissed him.” She pointed out. “Doesn’t that make up for me not saying it in return?”
Moses’ jaw dropped slightly before he smiled again. “I’m sure that made the Inspector happy.”
“Not really. I kissed his teeth and mustache.” Eliza muttered, embarrassed but still feeling the need to talk to someone.
Moses was laughing so hard he was practically crying. Eliza handed him a handkerchief.
“Ah, Eliza, that was…” He shook his head, having no words to describe the moment.
Eliza couldn’t help but laugh too. “He made me breakfast afterwards, so he wasn’t annoyed.”
“Wait, did you say
breakfast
?” Moses asked incredulously.
“Nothing happened! We fell asleep. End of story.”
“I hope it isn’t. Eliza, I may not always see eye-to-eye with him but he’s a good man. You know that.”
“I do, of course I do. I’m just confused…” She added softly, looking down at her feet. “This is all so new to me.”
“Perhaps,” Moses said, pushing off of Eliza’s desk, “but think of the alternative. Do you want to risk losing him again?”
Eliza shuddered, “No. Most definitely not,” she said beneath her breath. She looked up to meet Moses’ eyes, her gaze resolute. “After this case. I’ll tell him. I swear it, no more dallying.”
Moses nodded, his hand on the doorknob, “Good. I’ll have this address for you soon.”
“Thank you Moses. For everything.”
William & Fitzroy
“Closed for lunch? This early?” William said incredulously as he read the sign hanging in the Wallace’s shop window. “They keep saying how busy they are.”
Fitzroy had his hands cupped around his eyes and was looking into the dark shop. “It certainly looks empty. Are we coming back or are we hearing a voice calling out in distress? Perhaps a bolt of fabric has fallen across one of the clerks, trapping them?”
William grinned at his mentee’s creativity. “We wouldn’t want them to drown in a pool of silk now would we?”
“Most assuredly not!” Fitzroy moved to stand in front of William, who had casually bent over and began to pick the lock.
“How does Eliza make this look so easy?” He muttered as he fiddled with the tumblers. After what felt like an eternity he finally heard a click and the door easily opened before them. They hurried inside, Fitzroy bumping into William’s back as he had stopped short to let his eyes adjust to the dim light.
“Sorry Duke!” Fitzroy said, blinking rapidly. “Where’s all the fabric?”
“They have a warehouse by the docks. They mainly see clients here.” William began to head towards the back, past the curtain separating the store from what appeared to be a tiny office and a door leading out back. He could hear Fitzroy puttering about in the front, flipping through sketchbooks and fashion plates.
“It must be nice to be married.” Fitzroy said, talking more to himself than to William. “That is if you love your spouse. I wouldn’t want a relationship like my parents’.” Fitzroy sounded so forlorn that William actually popped his head out from behind the curtain.
“You are
not
your parents. And you are
nothing
like your father.” William softened his tone. “Oliver, you’d make a wonderful husband to a lucky young lady, don’t ever think otherwise.”
Fitzroy looked at William in surprise, he rarely called him Oliver, and though he did praise him when he did good work, it was very different to be complimented on a more personal level.
Fitzroy beamed. “Thank you Sir! And you’ll make Miss Scarlet an excellent husband, I’m sure of it!”
William smiled a bit wanly, not knowing what was going to happen in the future, and turned back to the task at hand. There wasn’t much in the small space, other than a desk. William walked around to the other side and sat down in a wooden chair, which had mismatched pillows on the seat and at the back.
He squirmed a bit, trying to get comfortable, then tried to open the single drawer at the desks’ center, but it didn’t budge.
“Shit, this is locked too?” With a sigh, William began to pick at it, grumbling all the while and hoping no one was going to come back too soon. “Fitzroy, keep an eye out in case anyone returns.”
“Yes Sir!”
William heard Fitzroy put something down and his footsteps recede as he headed towards the front door.
“I should’ve bought Eliza with me… Ah!” William happily pulled the drawer’s handle, but it was stuck. “For God’s sake…” He yanked a bit harder, the paper which had blocked it ripping in the process. “Damn it.” He pulled out the sheet, a rough sketch of a dress, and did his best to smooth it out. The drawer was full of random drawings. “So much for that… what’s this?” As William pushed aside the sketches as a glossy type of paper stood out amongst the matte sketch paper. William’s eyes widened in surprise. “Hanwell Asylum… Does Dr. Ellis have something to do with the murders? But Eliza didn’t think so…” William was about to replace the brochure for the asylum, not wanting the Wallace’s to know that someone had been rummaging through the desk, but something shiny at the very back of the drawer caught his eye.
He stuck his hand in as far as it could go and closed his fingers over something small. Carefully he pulled it out and opened his palm, gasping as he realized what it was, an engagement ring with a massive pear shaped diamond set in the center, surrounded by tiny emeralds.
This isn’t the one Melissa James had been wearing, that didn’t have emeralds. It could belong to Louise Rogers…
“It could also belong to Artemisia Crane. Perhaps she had returned it to Mr. Wallace.” Fitzroy interjected into William’s thoughts, startling him.
“How…?”
“You were talking to yourself…” Both men froze as the sound of a key in the front door met their ears.
“I left the door…” Fitzroy said guiltily.
“C’mon, let’s get out of here.” William pocketed the ring and quietly pushed the drawer shut. Fitzroy already had the back door open and was gesturing for William to follow him. William hesitated just a moment, catching the tail-end of Evie talking to a customer.
“...yes, they’ve returned just this morning! Both Mr. Wallace and his sister will be in shortly, they will be here in time for your appointment Mrs. Stamford. Miss Stamford, I think you’ll be more than happy with the sketches they’ve worked up for you!”
William, pleased to know that the Wallace’s were back, and could now be interviewed, quietly closed the back door as he slipped into the alleyway behind the shop. Once a couple of blocks away, Fitzroy spoke up.
“Did you find anything other than the ring Sir?”
“A brochure.”
“For…?”
“Hanwell Asylum.” William said grimly.
Fitzroy’s eyes widened with surprise. “Do you think they are involved somehow?”
“I don’t know. But I intend to find out.”
Eliza & Moses
“This isn’t creepy at all…” Eliza muttered to Moses’ amusement as she walked around the Wallace’s drawing room. Having discerned that no one was home, Eliza had worked her magic and easily picked the lock to the modest townhouse the siblings resided in together. Now the pair looked around, noticing that there were two of everything, and everything, from the furniture down to a couple of porcelain vases, were laid out symmetrically, as though the room were split in half.
“You said they are twins, correct?” Moses asked, picking up a photo in a silver frame which had been on an end table.
“Yes. Wow…” Moses had tilted the photograph towards her, giving her a better look. “They look almost exactly identical.” Eliza said as she studied the photo. Moses chuckled and replaced the photo precisely as he had found it, having a hunch that the Wallace’s would notice if anything were even a hair out of place.
“I’m going to see if there’s an office or study.” Eliza told Moses, already heading towards the hallway.
Her footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor. Eliza took her time, looking at a series of portraits lining either side of the hallway walls.
The family resemblance is incredible…
In awe, Eliza noticed that, despite the style of clothing becoming more modern in each painting, the features of each family member of the Wallace bloodline were remarkably similar. From the long nose, high cheekbones, thin-lipped mouths, and close-set eyes, everyone looked like a copy of their ancestor.
I must not get distracted! I wonder if this is the study.
Eliza, pulling herself from the paintings, tried a doorknob and pushed. It was unlocked and swung open beneath her touch.
She looked around the study. Unlike the drawing room, it was fairly typical. Bookshelves lined the walls, but rather than the usual novels or historical texts to be found in most homes, these were books and magazines about fashion. Eliza absently perused the titles until something of greater interest caught her eye.
“Yes!” Eliza exclaimed happily as she made her way over to the desk by the window. She looked at everything and took a mental photograph so she could replace everything as she had found them. Once satisfied that she could, she opened a slim leather notebook centered on the desk.
Hmm… so they were away at the silk mill.
Eliza traced her fingertip across the dates in the calendar. Neat penmanship filled the lined boxes with times of various appointments. It was even color coded.
Black seems to be for meetings with business associates and vendors… green for personal appointments… and blue is for brides! They have a bridal consultation right now! I wonder if William and Fitzroy were able to interview them.
Eliza grinned as an idea began to formulate in her mind. She quickly reached into her purse for her notepad and a pencil. She began to scribble down the names and addresses of the bridal consultations that had been marked in blue for the next day.
“Eliza?” Moses called out to her. “Did you find anything? We don’t want to be here if they return.”
“They won’t!” Eliza shouted back. “I have their calendar here, they have back-to-back appointments at their shop for the remainder of the day!”
Eliza hurriedly copied the remaining appointments, not wanting Moses catching her in the middle of her task.
“I think I found something…” Moses said as he entered the study. Eliza looked up at him with a smile on her face as she casually returned her notepad to her purse.
“Really? What is it?” She asked, stepping around the desk to go over to him.
“This!” He brandished a framed photograph, but interestingly there was no glass covering the photo to protect it. Eliza realized that was deliberate as her eyes widened as she recognized the man in the photo, Ichabod Wallace, as he stood next to a woman. Eliza only knew it was a woman because she was wearing a gown. Her face had been completely scratched out.
“My God…” Eliza took the frame from Moses and turned it over. Carefully she removed the photograph and pointed gleefully to a pair of initials written on the back above the year.
“I.W. and A.C. That’s Mr. Wallace’s fiance, Artemisia Crane. She had left him for a jockey. Moses,” Eliza looked up at him, her face shining with excitement, “Could it be that Mr. Wallace is behind the murders?!”
“To what end?” Moses took the frame and photograph from her and began to put them back together. “Wouldn’t he be angry at his ex-fiancé?”
Eliza frowned thoughtfully and began to pace across the room. “Perhaps it’s a form of revenge? He can’t kill Artemisia Crane, since she’s fled to Scotland, but he could be taking out his anger on potential brides who aren’t being faithful.” Eliza tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I don’t have expertise with psychology but… I could go to Dr. Ellis and ask him if that’s plausible…”
Or… I could go undercover and catch him red handed. After all, William did say my plan was a good one…
Moses shrugged and headed back to the drawing room, Eliza silently following behind him as she began to formulate her next steps.
Moses looked over his shoulder at her and frowned.
She’s up to something, I can tell. She’s only this quiet when she’s thinking of doing something dangerous.
He was just about to ask her what she was thinking, and come up with ways to dissuade her, when Eliza stopped by the mantle.
“Did you do this?” She asked as she picked up a frame which had fallen over.
“No. It was like that.” Moses said. “I didn’t see it before.”
“This is Irene Wallace. I wonder who she is with…” Eliza squinted at the blurry photo. Irene was sitting primly in an armchair, a man who looked to be close to her in age stood to her side and slightly behind the chair. Curiosity piqued, Eliza began to remove the photo, but to her dismay nothing had been written on the back. “Darn it.” She muttered as she replaced it. “Evie never mentioned Miss Wallace being romantically involved with anyone.”
“Could be a relative.” Moses said with a shrug.
“They don’t look alike.” Eliza muttered. But soon her thoughts turned back to the brown wig which was hidden in a box beneath her bed.
“Where are you going next?” Moses asked.
“Huh? Oh, um… to William of course! To tell him what we’ve found.” Eliza lied smoothly.
“And you will go with him to this Dr. Ellis?” Moses asked.
“Of course!” Eliza gave her brightest smile. “After all, I do want to spend more time with him.” The last part was true, and from her softened tone Moses decided she was being honest.
“Very well. Eliza, promise me you’ll be careful.” Moses said as they headed outside and stood on the corner together.
“I will! Moses, I promise!” Eliza added as he gave her a wry look. “Now, I’m off to William. I’ll let you know if I need anything else.”
Moses nodded, but before he could even say goodbye Eliza was already gone.
The Inspector is going to have his hands full!
With a chuckle he turned in the opposite direction to head back to town.
William
William and Fitzroy had just pulled up to Scotland Yard and Fitzroy was alighting from the carriage. Since the Yard had been on the way to Hanwell Asylum, William planned on dropping him off before making his way to question Dr. Ellis.
Eliza is not going to be happy with me.
William thought glumly.
But I can’t spend half the morning tracking her down. And if the doctor is involved it could be dangerous. I don’t think she’ll be kissing me again any time soon.
William was just about to pull the carriage door shut when Phelps came running from the building, huffing and puffing for breath, waving a piece of paper.
“Skipper, wait!” He said, resting his hands on his knees.
“You shouldn’t eat so many mince pies.” Fitzroy said, trying to be helpful. “They make exercise much harder, due to…”
“You looking to get punched again?” Phelps growled.
“No…no…” Fitzroy took a step back.
“Phelps, what is it?” William asked, rapidly losing his patience.
“Another body. A woman.” He passed William the paper. It was a memo from another precinct. A body had been found by a waterfall in a folly on the outskirts of London.
“A bride?”
Phelps shook his head. “Don’t know. We just got word about it. Thought you’d want to know ‘cause it was found by water.”
“Shit.” William debated with himself on what to do.
Seeing the body is more important. Besides, I don’t have any concrete proof that Ellis is involved. I’ll go first thing tomorrow. With Eliza. I can also tell her what we’ve found.
Feeling better about his decision, he turned to his detectives. “Fitzroy, send a message to Miss Scarlet, tell her I’ll see her tomorrow and update her on the case. Phelps, you’re with me.”
“Yes Sir.” Both men said. Fitzroy hurried off to follow William’s instructions whereas Phelps gave Arthur the location of the body.
They were quickly off, William, despite his anger at more women being killed, couldn’t help but also feel relieved that he had made the right decision regarding Eliza.
I’ll buy her dinner tomorrow too. She’ll understand that I won’t have time to see her tonight. I wonder if she made any breakthroughs today? I trust her now to tell me before she does anything rash.
Then all thoughts of Eliza vanished from his mind as they pulled up to the folly’s gates.
“This way Sir.” Phelps said, leading William past a pile of mock Greek columns, the sound of water growing louder with each step.
William pushed aside a hanging vine and a beautiful and serene view spread before him. A Gothic inspired pavilion was perched at the top of a waterfall. William followed the flow of water towards the small pond, where the idyllic scene ended and turned macabre.
A body, dressed in white, lay half-in, half-out at the edge of the water, long brown hair haloing around her head.
“Skipper?” Phelps asked, William’s disappointment obvious on his face.
“I had been hoping…”
Phelps nodded. There was nothing to say. All they could do now was their jobs and catch the killer before any more women lost their lives.
“Let’s go.” William said as he continued on. Hoping that this time there would be some sort of clue that would lead to a breakthrough in the case.
Otherwise Eliza might have to put her crazy plan into action and I DO NOT want her to get hurt.
Fitzroy
It is with utmost regret that I must inform you that the Inspector cannot join you tonight for dinner. But he promises to see you tomorrow and provide you with all the updates on your mutual case. And he loves you.
Fitzroy stared at the last sentence.
I can’t write that.
He thought forlornly.
Duke would have my head.
He gave the note some consideration then began to erase parts of it, changing the last line to,
and he misses you very much.
It’s no Byron but it’ll have to do!
Fitzroy was just about to step outside to find George, or one of the other street boys, to deliver the message when a young lad stepped in front of him.
“The Inspector here? I ‘ave a message for him.” The boy said, looking around the station in awe.
“First time here?” Fitzroy asked.
“Aye, I ‘ave a message.” He repeated, showing Fitzroy a note that was covered in grimy fingerprints.
“I can take it for him.” Fitzroy said with a smile.
“No.” The boy said full of suspicion. “The missus told me I must give it to Inspector Willie Wellyton.”
“It’s Wellington. Is this from Miss Scarlet?”
“‘Ow do you know that?”
“She’s a friend.”
“Ach.” The boy looked confused, unsure if he should trust Fitzroy.
“Look. I’ll take the note and you can bring her this one. Tell her it’s from Oliver Fitzroy, she’ll tell you she knows me.” Fitzroy reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin.
“A’right then. But if yous lyin’ to me I’ll come back and… and… tatle on ye!”
“That’s fine.” Fitzroy said, amused. They exchanged notes and Fitzroy headed towards William’s office to leave it there for him.
But, what if it’s important?
Fitzroy shifted from one foot to the other.
Should I perhaps read it?
Fitzroy reached William’s office, but continued to hold the note in his hand.
No, it’s wrong!
He placed the note on William’s desk. Then hastily picked it up again.
What if it falls to the floor and accidentally opens up! It would only make sense to read it then!
Humming to himself Fitzroy let the note fall to the ground.
“Oh no! The note has fallen! I must pick it up!” He said to no one in particular, or perhaps to his conscience, as he bent over to retrieve it. “Would you look at that? It unfolded!”
William,
I’ve made plans regarding my plan for tomorrow morning! But don’t worry, Hattie will be with me. I’ll come find you afterwards.
-E
Fitzroy reread the note, confused.
That’s not very romantic. What plan? But she’ll be with Miss Parker, so I’m sure everything will be fine.
And with that final thought, Fitzroy left the office to catch up on filing.
Eliza
Eliza crossed another name off of her list and frowned.
I’ve found two of the women, neither had brown hair, and one wasn’t home. I hope Miss… Vivian Maple pans out!
Pushing her frustrations aside, Eliza plastered a smile on her face and headed up the steps to the address of the final bride which she had copied from the Wallace’s appointment book.
“Hello, can I help you?” A young woman answered. Eliza held back a triumphant cheer. The woman had brown hair, brown eyes, and a heart shaped face.
“Yes. Are you Miss Vivian Maple?”
“Yes I am. And you are?”
“Evie uh… Evie Smith. From the Wallace’s bridal shop.” Eliza said, hoping that Miss Maple hadn’t met Evie in person. It was quickly apparent that she hadn’t as her face lit up.
“Oh, hello! Yes, my mother had made my appointment for tomorrow. I’m ever so looking forward to it… is something wrong?” Her excitement quickly faded as she saw Eliza’s expression change.
“Yes. I’m so very sorry, but we have to reschedule your appointment. Due to an emergency.” Eliza said. “Um… We ran out of silk!”
“You ran out of silk? Goodness, you are busy! But please, tell me we can reschedule? I’ve been dreaming of my wedding for years! I’m marrying my dearest friend, you see.”
Hmm… Perhaps she wouldn’t be killed, she seems happy to be getting married. I’ll have to make sure I play up the infidelity. And that they come after me, and not Miss Maple!
“We can reschedule…” Eliza thought quickly, trying to recall the few blank spots in the Wallace’s schedule, “...for Friday!”
If no one is in prison by then!
Miss Maple’s anxious expression quickly changed to one of relief. “Friday is fine! I’ll go pencil it in right now and let mother know! Thank you Miss Smith, for coming in person to let me know. What wonderful service!”
Eliza smiled back at her, only feeling a slight twinge of guilt at her deception. What she did feel was slightly more guilt at not having told William that she was going through with her plan.
“Eliza, won’t you give me a chance to love you? Please?”
His heartfelt words, spoken just that very morning, circled through her mind. She groaned.
Fine, I’ll head to my office and send William a message.
Eliza, her mind half on William, the other half on a cover story to tell at the Wallace’s the following day, walked to her office, trying to organize her tumultuous thoughts.
I must send word to Hattie to join me tomorrow. And message William of course. And I have to pack my office still. And practice kissing William. But not tonight, he’s too distracting.
Eliza reached her office and saw one of George’s friends hanging out on the corner of the street.
“Oh, hello, you’re one of George’s friends, aren’t you?” Eliza asked him.
“Aye. You’re the missus who sends all them messages!”
“Yes, I am. I was wondering if you would deliver one for me.” Eliza asked, already reaching into her purse for her notepad and pencil.
“‘Suppose I can. Whosit for?”
“Inspector William Wellington, at Scotland Yard. Deliver this to him only.” Eliza said as she hastily scribbled, not wanting Phelps to intercept the message.
William,
I’ve made plans regarding my plan for tomorrow morning! But don’t worry, Hattie will be with me. I’ll come find you afterwards.
-E
Eliza tore the page from her notepad and folded it in half before handing it to him.
“Right you are miss!” The boy said, pocketing the note and the coin she retrieved from her pocket. “‘Hoo should I tell ‘im it’s from?”
“Miss Scarlet.”
“Right then. Cheerio.” And with that, the boy scampered off.
Eliza smiled as she unlocked her front door and headed upstairs.
I wonder if William found nothing of import at the Wallace’s. Wouldn’t he have let me know if he had? Melissa James never went to their shop, but did her seamstress?
Eliza let her mind run wild with unanswered questions for a while before remembering that she had yet to write Hattie and Moses.
I should’ve asked the boy to wait to deliver both messages. I suppose I can find someone else to deliver it.
No sooner had she finished her note to Hattie, asking her to join her tomorrow morning, there was a knock on her door and the before from before entered, looking a bit nervous. Eliza smiled to put him at ease.
“Did you find Inspector Wellington?” Eliza asked, wondering at his nerves.
“No Miss Scarlet. But I gave the note to Ol…Oliver Fitzy. ‘E said ‘e was a friend.”
Eliza smiled, putting him at ease, “That’s fine, he is.”
“‘E also gave me this note for you.” He handed her Oliver’s note.
“Thank you, did a wonderful job, uh…”
“Larry.”
“Larry. Would you like to deliver two more messages for me?”
“Sure!” Larry held his hand out. Eliza passed him the note for Hattie and another coin. His face lit up.
“Thanks!”
“This is for Hattie Parker.” Eliza told him her address and had Larry repeat it back to her. “And this is for Moses.”
“Just Moses?” Larry asked.
Eliza smiled. “Yes, just Moses.” She gave him his address too.
“I’ll go right now! Anytime you need a messenger, I’ll do it!” Larry exclaimed enthusiastically as he waved goodbye.
No sooner had the door slammed closed Eliza opened Fitzroy’s message.
It is with utmost regret that I must inform you that the Inspector cannot join you tonight for dinner. But he promises to see you tomorrow and provide you with all the updates on your mutual case. And he misses you very much.
Eliza reread the note several times.
That’s odd, the last sentence has been changed…
She reached for her magnifying glass, realized she still hadn’t purchased a new one, but remembered she had a loupe from an old case involving plaster diamonds.
She pulled it out of her drawer and placed it over the sheet of paper. Slowly she managed to make out the words…
And he loves you.
Eliza let out a whoosh of breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding in.
I will be very careful tomorrow, and go to William immediately after Hattie and I go to the Wallace’s. We’ll solve the case quickly and then celebrate!
Despite her optimistic thoughts, she knew, deep down, that following through with her plan on her own would not endear her to William.
She forced herself not to think of him and continued making her plans for the morrow, ignoring the growing pit in her stomach.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
NEW YORK - 2023
William let out a deep sigh and stretched, Eliza sliding down his chest, but not waking. His eyes still closed, he tangled his fingers in Eliza’s hair, and inhaled deeply, but instead of smelling her shampoo, he smelled sugar and whisky.
What? Oh, right, the ice-cream.
He grinned.
That was fun. Maybe I should get a gallon tub next time!
He ran his hand through Eliza’s hair and was about to rub her back when his phone began to vibrate incessantly from the nightstand. William reached over and picked it up.
“Murph, what is it?”
Eliza, now awake, sat up and rested her head against William’s shoulder, her arms looping around his neck. He switched the phone to speaker mode and held it out in front of them.
“...double homicide. Makes no sense, Sarge. Both murders are identical, but on the
opposite sides of the City.”
“Copycat?”
Eliza mouthed to William, who looked angry and perplexed.
“Murphy, text me the addresses. I’ll go to the closer location first. Call Fitzroy, have him meet me there.”
“Yes Duke.”
William hung up and dropped his phone before leaning back against the headboard and letting out a groan. Distressed, he ran his hands through his hair.
“I keep hitting dead ends on this. Who knows how long it’ll take for you to hear back from Lacey. I bet the victims are wearing her lingerie too. I need to find that woman.” He growled.
Eliza placed her palm against William’s cheek and gently turned his head to face her.
“I know. And you, no,
we
, will. If Frank can’t even track her down then…”
“...she knows how to stay hidden. Didn’t think it was possible in this day and age.”
“Me either.” She leaned over to kiss his lips softly. Just as William began to return the kiss his phone beeped.
“Those are the locations. I’d best be going.”
Eliza nodded and watched as William quickly began to get ready for what was undoubtedly going to be a very stressful day.
Crime Scene #1
“Jesus…” William muttered as he looked at the young woman’s limp body. “What in the hell…?”
“Hello Sir.” Fitzroy approached William at a jog, then slowed as he too saw the body. His eyes widened. “How…?”
“Blast if I know.” Murphy said, removing his cap and wiping his forehead with the back of his hand before replacing it. “Of all things… There are large bodies of water in plenty of places. Why a drinking fountain? There’s a big water fountain right over there.” Murphy jerked his thumb towards the water fountain in the center of Madison Square Park.
The men all turned to look at the stone fountain before returning their attention to the body of the brunette who was laying limply over the drinking fountain, her body angled so that her shoulder was pressing the button, causing a stream of water to splatter against her face.
“Who found her?” William asked.
“Jogger. Thought she was drunk and went to help her. When she approached, she realized she wasn’t breathing. Says she didn’t touch anything. She “watches Law & Order” and “knows better”.” Murphy threw up air quotes but William was secretly glad that the jogger hadn’t touched anything.
“That’s her?” William asked, but he didn’t bother waiting for a reply and headed over to a short, curly-haired, brunette who barely reached Officer Lee’s shoulder. She was wearing floral exercise shorts and a blue exercise bra.
“Duke, this is Danica Rivers, she found the body.” Officer Lee said. “I was just about to take her statement.”
William nodded to Officer Lee then turned to the petite woman who was bouncing on her toes. “Miss Rivers, thank you for reporting it.” William said.
“Ididn’ttouchanything!” She said in a rush, her face beaming with pride. “IwatchlotsofLaw&Orderandyoushouldnevermesswiththecrimescene!”
William nodded, trying to keep up with her exuberance. “How did you know she was deceased?”
“Ah,that’sbecauseIusedtowatchERandisawherchestwasntmovingandIthoughtofdoingCPRbutherfacewasallbluesoI’mguessingshehadbeendeadforafewhours.AmIright?”
“Eh… our coroner will have to examine the body. What time did you find her?”
“Around5:00am.Itwasstillprettydarkoutbutthelamplightswerestillon,soitwasprettyinhere.Why wassheinherunderwear?”
“Did you see anyone around here at that time?” William asked, ignoring her question.
“Justjoggers.Onelookedsupsicious.”
“Oh?”
“Theywerewearingallblack.Blacksweatpants,blackhoodie,blackcap.Ithoughtitwasstrangebecauseitwasn’tthatcoldthismorning.Theyalsohadabagovertheirshoulder,itkeptbouncingastheyran.Lookedlikeacamerabag.Whorunswithacamera?ButI’veseenalotofweirdthingsonmyruns.I’veevenseensomeonewalkingacapybara!IthoughttheywereillegalintheCity.Aren’tthey?”
“They might be, you’d have to ask Animal Control. This person in black, could you tell if they were male or female?”
Danica shook her head. “Nope.Theyewerejoggingprettyquicklyoutoftheoppositeendofthepark.”
“If it was them, that means they were here for a couple of hours at least. And no one saw anything?” William said, more to himself.
Danica shrugged. “It’sNewYork.Mostpeoplemindtheirownbusiness.”
“Aye.” William agreed. “Thank you for your time. Officer Lee will finish up taking your statement.”
William headed back to the body, stopping by the large fountain on his way.
It’s empty. Did the killer improvise? But the second body was found in the same way. Are there two broken fountains in the City? Or are the killers coordinating with one another? It could be one very expedient killer.
William’s head was spinning as he walked, images of a capybara jogging occasionally disrupting his thoughts.
“Do we have an ID?” William asked Oliver who was still by the body. Murphy had gone to herd back the crowds that had begun to grow as the rush hour traffic increased.
“Not yet Sir. All she has on her is…”
“…the underwear.” William noted. He looked at the skimpy lingerie the victim was wearing. It was such a pale shade of pink that it was practically white. But there was no mistaking the intricate lace.
William heard the sound of voices getting louder. The crowds were growing. “Murphy, finish up here, I’ll head to the next scene with Fitzroy.”
Murphy gave a salute in acknowledgement. William gestured for Oliver to follow him.
“Does Hudson River Park have a water fountain?” William asked as they headed to the patrol car.
“Hmmm… Not that I know of.” Oliver was already pulling out his phone to check. “Well, this is interesting, Parks has just put one up as part of a temporary art installation. But it seems to be functioning.” Oliver held his phone out to show William a recent video someone had posted that very morning on Instagram. It showed a water fountain that resembled a crane, the mechanical kind, not the feathered, spewing out water at different rates at randomly timed intervals.
William glanced at it, not overly impressed. “But the body wasn’t found in it?”
“No Sir. She was also draped over a drinking fountain. Do you think it’s a copycat?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to do everything I can to find out.”
Eliza
Eliza yawned and stretched, feeling very very good.
I never knew ice-cream could be so much fun! Maybe we should purchase an ice-cream maker!
Eliza, liking her idea, reached for her phone to do some shopping, but before she could click on the New York Times article reviewing ‘The 4 Best Ice Cream Makers of 2023’ a different article, from a different news source, caught her eye.
Her hands began to shake, not liking what she was seeing from the first sentence alone.
“...A source close to the Detective Sergeant spearheading the case tells us that…”
“WHAT IN THE HELL???” Eliza bolted upright and with shaking hands did her best to scroll through the article and read.
“I… I never wrote him those things! Well, not like
that
at any rate.” Eliza, talking angrily to herself, began to hurriedly dress. “I… I have to fix this. How could he!?”
Enraged, she pulled on sweatpants, realized they were William’s, but she didn’t care. Half-walking, half-tripping, she hurried down the stairs, holding up the waistband with one hand and trying to pull on a t-shirt with the other. Once in the foyer, she slid on a pair of sneakers while calling for an Uber.
“Come on come on come on! Finally!” She cried out as her phone beeped, alerting her that her driver was three minutes away. She ran outside and began to pace in front of the building.
I hope no one has seen this yet! Maybe I can get him to take it down before William and Clementine see it. Where is that car!
Eliza began to jog to the corner, hoping to meet the Uber quicker. To her relief the car was just turning up the street. The driver stopped short as he noticed she was flagging him down, her phone in her hand.
“Wow, you sure are in a rush lady.”
“I’ll tip you 10 bucks more if you can get me there even faster!”
“You got it!”
‘Basil on Time’ Office
“I never told, well e-mailed, you those things!” Eliza shouted as she stormed into Basil’s office, startling a couple of journalists who were in a meeting with him.
“Miss Scarlet…” He said in his annoyingly calm voice. “What a pleasure to have my number one source visit. Please, won’t you have a seat?” Basil gestured to a chair. The journalists took the hint and scrambled out of there.
Eliza sat and took a deep breath before narrowing her eyes at Basil.
“I am
not
your source! You have to take that article down. Immediately.”
Basil sat back and steepled his fingers.
“My dear Miss Scarlet, you have absolutely no authority over me or what I choose to publish.”
Eliza sputtered, “but, but, I never told you those things!”
“Ah, I beg to differ. If you would care to look here, the proof is in black and white.” Basil turned his screen around to show her, pointing at her old emails to him.
He knew I was going to come! He had all this prepared ahead of time!
“...her love for her beloved steer…”
“But… that… I… I’m not a writer! I was just trying to explain how much she cares for Golden Steak! Clementine isn’t crazy!”
Much.
“And here,” Basil continued, ignoring her,
“I’ve been, etc… assisting Sergeant Wellington on his bridal murder cases. The fact that they were found in, or near, water implies purification of the promiscuity of the women and their lingerie.”
Basil gave his shark-like grin. “So you see, you
did
reveal all that to me.”
“But you made it sound so horrible. Half of that information was already available to the public! You already knew the location of the murders and that they were preparing for their weddings!” Eliza was fighting her hardest to keep the tremor out of her voice but from Basil’s look of false sympathy, she could tell she was failing miserably.
“Ah, but it was
you
who pointed out the implication of the water, and the lingerie.”
“I was MAKING THAT UP! It was conjecture from a Psych 101 class I had taken back in college!”
“And makes for very fine reading. Our ratings have gone up astronomically today!” Basil pulled up a chart of statistics for the website. Eliza felt faint when she saw the viewership numbers.
It’s too late. There’s no way William and Clementine haven’t already seen this.
She looked at Basil and from his expression she knew, that he knew, that he had already won.
Crime Scene #2
“Hey Sarge, you finally made it. Busy morning, eh?” Officer Hewitt ambled over, his potbelly proceeding him. He was a large man, as tall as William, but whereas William was 90% muscle, Officer Hewitt… was not. But he was an enthusiastic officer and very thorough. He inclined his head politely to Oliver, who returned the greeting.
“To say the least.”
“Spoke to Murph, from what he said this crime scene seems to match the other one.”
William and Oliver followed Hewitt beneath the crime scene tape and stopped short when they reached the body draped over the fountain.
“Sir… are they…?” Oliver stared aghast at the woman’s face.
“Twins. They are twins.”
Two Hours Later
William had left Oliver at the second crime scene, tasking him with listing all the similarities between the two murders.
He knew he had a lot of work, besides this case, and other things were piling up on his desk, but his mind kept wandering, and flashes of the scantily clad victims kept rushing through his mind, taunting him for not solving their murders.
William rubbed at his face wearily, the sound of the river not soothing him at all, as he had hoped.
Might as well head back to 1PP.
He turned left, back towards the hub-bub of the City and began to rapidly walk cross-town, but he happened to glance at a storefront and stopped short.
I kept saying I would get one. No time like the present I suppose.
William took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
An Hour Later
An hour later he stepped outside, lightly touching his left forearm.
That wasn’t so bad! I wonder what Eliza will think.
He began to walk again, feeling a bit better.
I’ll stop at Frank on my way back, ask him if he’s had any luck, or if anything stood out about Lacey from his online interactions with her.
*BEEP-BEEP*
William pulled out his phone.
Sergeant Wellington, the Commissioner requests your presence immediately.
William stared at the text from the Police Commissioner’s assistant and blinked.
I wonder what’s happened. He knows this case is my utmost priority. Is someone putting more pressure on him?
William looked up, wondering what was going on. The crowds continued to flow around him, no one stopping for the lone man standing in the center of the busy sidewalk.
William looked around and to his relief, spotted a patrol car.
“Excuse me, Officers, Sergeant Wellington.” William showed his badge and ID to the two cops who were standing by the vehicle. “I need a lift to 1PP. I have an urgent meeting with the Commissioner.” He showed them the message to encourage a sense of urgency.
The male officer whistled through his teeth. “That doesn’t sound good. Sir.”
“We’d best hurry.” The female officer was already opening the driver’s side and sliding in. She popped the back door open for William and he quickly got in. The male officer rode shotgun.
As they sped off William, sitting where the perps usually do, had a very ominous feeling take root in his stomach.
1PP
“What is the meaning of this Wellington?” Police Commissioner Munro asked without preamble as soon as William stepped into his office.
“Sir? I… I don’t know, I was at two crime scenes all morning.” Munro had turned his computer screen towards William, a familiar website prominently displayed in full screen mode. With dread William approached and sat down to see better. As he read his mouth fell open in shock and he thought his heart had stopped momentarily.
“I… I…” He sputtered helplessly. There, plain as day, in black and white, was Basil Sinclaire’s article about Eliza’s case. But not only.
“...A source close to the Detective Sergeant spearheading the case tells us that, “The fact that they were found in, or near, water implies purification of the promiscuity of the women and, as they were wearing their bridal lingerie,…”
William swallowed before continuing, not believing his eyes as he read aloud,
“...makes one wonder if all the brides of this fair City are at risk.”
William’s voice trailed off. He turned to meet Munro’s eyes, and he knew at that moment that everything he had spent years building was about to crumble beneath him.
“Sir…”
“I take it this is Miss Scarlet’s handiwork?” Munro said. It wasn’t a question, though it had been phrased as one.
William remained silent.
“I assume she was involved in the case?” Munro pressed for an answer.
William nodded dumbly.
“And you, and she, didn’t go through proper channels involving her participation?”
William shook his head.
“One would think she would’ve known better, even without having signed an NDA.”
William hung his head, knowing he had no valid defense.
“You didn’t know she was talking to the journalist?” Munro’s voice softened slightly. William looked up.
“No. Not about this.”
“The cow?”
“Aye. It was supposed to be about the cow. Only the cow. And the pickup.”
Munro sighed. “She must’ve let something slip.” But even he didn’t sound convinced.
“What happens now?” William asked.
“It’s not good Laddie, not at all. The Mayor’s saying we have a leak. I’ve managed to keep your name from him, but…”
William nodded, knowing what was coming. “I’m fired, aren’t I?”
“No, not fired. Suspended, pending an investigation.”
William let out a deep sigh, knowing the outcome most likely wouldn’t be in his favor. He had supplied his girlfriend with crucial information. And now that it was leaked to the public there was a good chance the murderer would go into hiding and it would be even harder to catch them.
“Lay low, talk to your Union about hiring representation. Build your case. If you manage to twist it to make it seem like Miss Scarlet spoke by accident…” Munro didn’t look hopeful though. Eliza had been cited as a source, meaning she had willingly supplied the information. “Until then, I’m sorry Laddie, I need your…”
William rose and was already reaching for his badge and gun. He looked at the two items in his hands, items that he had proudly worn every day of his life since his early twenties, and placed them on the desk. He suddenly felt very very naked.
“Go home Laddie.” Munro said gently. “There’s nothing more you can do here.”
“Yes Sir.” William said, barely above a whisper. He turned and walked from the building which had been a second home to him for so many years.
Who… who am I without my badge?
He absently traced the outline of the shield along his forearm, the fresh tattoo protected by a bandage, before looking up at the sky. People glanced at him as they passed by, this large handsome man, standing just outside of the gates of 1PP, tears streaming down his face, but no one stopped to talk to him, everyone was too wrapped up in their own problems.
Then William had a second, horrific, realization.
I… I don’t even have Eliza to turn to for comfort.
His expression changed from sorrow to anger as the depths of what his girlfriend had done to him began to sink in.
She betrayed me. And for what? A few moments of fame in an article by a sleazy journalist? All our years of friendship, our time as a couple, and still, STILL her work means more to her than me. Will I never be enough?
William snorted a laugh. “Of course not.” He said aloud to himself as he began to walk with no clear destination in mind. “Of course not.” He repeated, his thoughts darkening with every step, his pain so raw he wasn’t even sure how to handle it. So he walked and walked, ignoring the sound of his phone ringing and beeping with messages.
There’s no coming back from this.
Eliza
“... unhinged southerner in love with a castrated bull…”
Eliza read Basil’s article yet again, her body reacting to the words as though she had a fever. She was shaking, her hands trembling as she scrolled up and down along the page, and her heart was racing. But worst of all was the anguish she was feeling, knowing she had unintentionally hurt the two people who were so very dear to her.
After leaving Basil’s office, she had spent the remainder of the day trying to reach Clementine and William, but neither were picking up.
There was the sound of a key in the lock.
“William. Finally…” Eliza looked up, waiting for him to enter the kitchen.
As he stepped into the light, she gasped. He was a haggard mess.
“William…”
William didn’t speak. He stood on the opposite side of the counter, his eyes blank.
“William, what… what happened?” She asked, though she had a feeling she already knew. She slid from the barstool and on shaky legs approached him. When she reached out to touch him he took a step back.
“William, you have to believe me, I only told Basil that…”
“So you
did
tell him something. Knowingly.”
“Well, yes, about my case, and then he kept asking about…”
“
My
case. Which I had foolishly let you in on.” His words fell flat, as though he was reciting things he knew he was supposed to say, but it seemed as though he didn’t really care either way. He hadn’t even spared her a glance from the moment he had walked into the room.
“I only said they were found near water in their underwear. That was it! William I swear, I… I… I was just trying to get him off my back! William, please, won’t you look at me?”
William turned his head robotically towards her.
“I was suspended.”
Eliza gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, shaking her head. “Nonononono…”
“But do you want to know what hurts even more?” Finally, emotion began to tinge his voice. He didn’t wait for her to answer. “What hurts even more is that I feel broken inside and it’s because of
you
. And the
only
person I have in my life who is supposed to be there for me, to comfort me is
you.
And now… now I have absolutely no one. You
were
my family.” He said angrily, his blood beginning to boil. “The
love of my life.
My
partner.
And now you are nothing to me.”
Eliza was sobbing and shaking her head. “No, please, let me explain…”
William shook his head and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his keyring and removed the red key patterned with hearts, and placed it on the counter. Eliza clutched the back of a kitchen chair, trying not to pass out as she realized what William was doing.
Leaving her.
“You can’t go. Please, please don’t go. William, I’m begging you, please forgive me. I’m so sorry, you can’t imagine how sorry I am.” She was crying hysterically now, feeling as though a madness had overcome her as her life shattered in pieces around her.
William stared at her as she wept but it wasn’t with compassion, Eliza realized he looked disgusted. “Eliza, I probably will forgive you, after all, I always do. But right now I need to be alone.”
It was then she realized that the disgust had been directed at himself. He was disgusted by the fact that he loved her, so much so that he would forgive her anything. Even betraying him.
Rather than feeling hopeful, it just made her feel worse.
“Good bye Eliza.”
Eliza’s legs sagged beneath her as she collapsed to the floor.
William was gone.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
LONDON - 1883
Eliza
Eliza studied herself critically in the hallway mirror. The brown wig suited her more than she had been expecting, but figuring out a way to mask her bright blue eyes had been troublesome. Until Hattie had come up with a brilliant idea.“They are tinted, but won't you have trouble seeing? They are after all my prescription.” Hattie said, clutching at the strings of her reticule and pulling on them nervously.Eliza turned and blinked owlishly at her, a pair of large round spectacles, tinted brown, perched on her nose. “I will simply be…oh!” Eliza had taken a step forward and nearly stumbled as her depth perception had completely been thrown off. “Um. I’ll hold onto you!” She said as she hooked her arm with Hattie’s.“Eliza, are you sure Inspector Wellington is okay with this?” Hattie asked. “Eliza? Why has your face gone red?” She asked curiously.“It’s nothing! Nothing at all!” Unbidden, William’s romantic confession ran through her head, “I just realized I’ve never said that before. To anyone. That I love them.” A small smile tugged at Eliza’s lips as she recalled William’s surprise as she kissed him. We never practiced kissing again. Tonight. Most definitely tonight. Everything will be fine. “Everything will be fine!” Eliza said aloud, a bit too perkily. Hattie narrowed her eyes at her.“If you say so. I dare say this will be an adventure!” Hattie replied, Eliza’s enthusiasm beginning to rub off on her.“Now, you must keep your bonnet on, as you have brown hair too. Although you are engaged and already have your wedding gown, so they shouldn’t pay you any mind.”Hattie wasn’t sure if she should be offended, or relieved.“Remember, I am Miss Vivian Maple, about to be wed, but I’m stepping out on my fiancé with another man.”Hattie nodded, firmly planting the information in her head. “And who is your fiancé and your true love?”“He’s just another man. He doesn’t have to be my true love.” Eliza said as she began to tug Hattie’s arm towards the door. “It doesn’t matter.”“Eli… I mean Vivian, that’s not very romantic though. I can give you some ideas! Peter is quite the romantic, even though we still can’t communicate very well. Perhaps your true love is wooing you through floriography! Or sending beautiful handmade cards on high quality paper…”Eliza ignored Hattie as she rambled on with some ridiculous ideas, even mentioning swans, during the carriage ride to the Wallace’s. When they finally reached the shop, Eliza cut her off as they peeked through the storefront window.“Good! I don’t see Evie, although I can’t imagine how she would’ve recognized me anyway. That is Irene Wallace, I recognize her from her photograph. I wonder if her brother is here…”Eliza eagerly headed to the front door and pushed it open, the bell tinkling over her head as she tripped over the edge of a rug.Miss Wallace was quick as she caught Eliza’s arm. “Miss Maple? Are you alright?” she asked, genuine concern on her face.Eliza, hoping her wig and spectacles hadn’t become too askew, stood tall, discreetly patting her hair and pushing the spectacles back up to the bridge of her nose. She placed a hand to her chest, pretending to be flustered, but in actuality she was checking that her mother’s wedding band was still affixed to the chain she had threaded it on and was now wearing beneath her blouse. On her left hand she wore a large diamond ring. She was hoping it wasn’t obvious that it was a Murano glass stone.“La, yes!” Eliza tittered, grimacing internally at how inane she sounded. “I… I am very sensitive to light.”If Miss Wallace thought her comment to be bizarre she hid it well beneath a very professional exterior.“Then why don’t you and your companion please have a seat, and we can discuss the gown you would like for your wedding.”With a hand at Eliza’s elbow, Miss Wallace guided her to the small table, Hattie at her heels in case Eliza ended up falling backwards.Once they had sat down, a tea service had already been prepared for them, Miss Wallace efficiently served them then pulled out a sketchpad and a small case containing various colored pencils.“Now, why don’t you tell me about your wedding plans, and a bit about your fiancé.” She asked with a kind smile. “I want a grand wedding! La, my fiancé, Paddy, is rather ostentatious, and he does like to spoil me.” Hattie looked at Eliza as though she had lost her mind. Eliza shot her a look, then plastered a smile back on her face, “He gave me this beautiful ring!” Eliza wiggled her fingers quickly then placed her hand on her lap before Miss Wallace could see the large fake emerald from up close. “His favorite color is green. I was hoping to incorporate that in my dress. He’s Irish.” Eliza added, wanting to smack herself in the head.To her relief, Miss Wallace didn’t seem to find her behavior peculiar and was scribbling notes at the side of the page.“My brother, Ichabod, is rather skilled at producing a beautiful Scheele’s green. We could do a dress with green lace, perhaps along the bottom, fading to a lighter shade at the bodice. You would look lovely with a tinge of pink at the neckline. To bring out that lovely bridal blush!” Miss Wallace said, smiling as Eliza flushed. She rapidly added a few strokes to her drawing, then picked up a pink pencil and began to shade in parts of the gown.“Oh, that’s beautiful.” Eliza said in awe as she studied the sketch upside down from her side of the table. Miss Wallace passed the sketchpad to her. “William would love this.” Eliza said softly to herself.
“William? I thought your fiance was Paddy?” Miss Walace said, now eyeing Eliza suspiciously.“Uh…” Eliza realized this was the perfect segue to her undercover story, “He is. Paddy is my fiancé but William…”“...is the love of her life!” Hattie blurted out, trying to be helpful. And she had remained silent for ten minutes straight and couldn’t help but finally speak. “He’s Scottish.”Eliza narrowed her eyes at her. Hattie shrugged, what? She mouthed, I’m trying to help. Eliza did her best not to sigh and put on her best ditzy voice, “La, my dear friend Miss Poots is correct.”“Then, if you don’t mind me asking, why aren’t you marrying him instead?” Miss Wallace asked, a bit of a chill had entered her previously friendly tone.Eliza let herself sigh dramatically now. She removed a handkerchief from her purse and began to pat at her, dry, cheeks. “La, unfortunately my beloved William is not a man of great means, and,” Eliza lowered her voice and leaned forward, “my circumstances have left me rather destitute. A woman does have needs after all.”Miss Wallace was openly frowning now. “So you would forsake your true love for fortune?”“I haven’t completely forsaken him.” Eliza tried to sound coy but was scrambling slightly for something scandalous to say. “We’ve been… together. ” She said, barely above a whisper, her face bright red. “His mustache is very ticklish.” Eliza said to add a measure of authenticity to her story.Hattie looked wide-eyed at Eliza, something in the way she had said that rang true.“El… Vivian! Is that true?” Hattie asked. It played in nicely with the role so Eliza nodded. “Yes. Alas, I… I am now a fallen woman.”Miss Wallace stared at her. “And does your William know that you plan on going ahead with your wedding?”“La, yes. He knows I can’t marry a… night soil man.” Hattie nearly choked on laughter from Eliza’s response. More so because she was picturing what the Inspector would think if he was hearing their conversation. He would not be a happy man to learn of this! Miss Wallace glanced over at Hattie. “He… William that is… is rather odorous. In the physical sense. He’s overall a very nice man. But gruff at times.”“It matters not.” Eliza said dismissively. “Paddy will buy me diamonds. I mean emeralds. Now, my gown?”Miss Wallace took a sip of tea before picking up a pencil to point out details of the gown. “The green…”“La, about that. Do you use arsenic? I wouldn’t want to fall ill walking down the aisle!”“Perhaps William could clean up after you if you did.” Hattie muttered beneath her breath. Thankfully only Eliza had heard her and kicked her leg beneath the table.“No, of course not.” If Miss Wallace was lying she hid it well. Either that or she wasn’t privy to the fact that her brother was still using arsenic in his dyes. “My brother has developed a much safer way of coloring his handmade lace. There is no risk to the bride at all.”Eliza nodded, a smile on her face. Liar , she thought as she noticed a slight twitch at the side of Miss Wallace’s right eye.“I’m quite satisfied with the gown.” She handed back the sketchpad. “What happens next?”Before Miss Wallace could reply, Eliza heard a faint rustling sound from the curtain at the back of the room. She panicked for a moment, wondering if it was Jeremy, who could potentially recognize her, but to her relief it was Ichabod Wallace, a look of consternation on his face.When he realized that he had been spotted he quickly backed away from the curtain, letting it swing shut.Eliza shivered. How much did he hear? She wondered. If he’s the murderer perhaps he’ll come after me! Rather than fear, Eliza felt a rush of adrenaline, then realized something potentially dangerous.“Oh, la, silly me, I have to update my address!” Eliza said, interrupting Miss Wallace before she could answer her question.“Your address?”“Yes, I’m… I’m staying with Miss Poots before the wedding so Paddy won’t see me and bring bad luck!” Eliza grinned, showing all of her teeth. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face.Miss Wallace blinked but refrained from saying anything having already decided that her client was a bit soft in the head. “And what address would you like me to use to contact you?”Eliza gave her own address. I might have to keep this wig on longer than I had planned. I wonder if William will like it. Arabella had brown hair… and didn’t Becky? No, Betsy. Does he prefer brunettes? But… She recalled him calling her “sweetheart” asking, so full of hope, to love her. He loves me. For who I am. Right after this I’m going to tell him what has happened here. He’ll forgive me. She realized that Miss Wallace had still been talking and turned her attention back to her.“...take your measurements and a deposit of fifty percent is required up front.” Eliza gulped. “Fifty percent? And that would equate to…?”Miss Wallace scribbled on a sheet of paper, folded it in half, and slid it across the table to her. Eliza hesitated, more afraid of the amount written down than if it had been a live bomb, then picked it up and opened it. She tried not to gasp at the extravagant cost.
This would pay my butcher’s bill for the entire year! Perhaps two years!
Before Eliza could come up with an excuse to postpone payment, Hattie was already reaching into her reticule. “I have it here!” She said cheerfully, removing several coins. “Miss Maple is a dear, but can be rather scatterbrained with these things!” she leaned forward to tell Miss Wallace conspiratorially. Miss Wallace nodded, not even batting an eye at the oddness of the situation.“We can take your measurements later this week, or…” Miss Wallace pulled out a planner, the very same one Eliza had copied the appointments from in her home. “...we do have an opening for later today if you don’t mind coming back. We had a last minute cancellation.”“That’s fine!” Eliza quickly said. I can arrange to meet William afterwards! “La, it’s perfect.”“Vivian,” Hattie hissed at her, “I can’t come with you later. I have plans with Peter.”Eliza waved a hand. “La, how you do worry my dear friend! I’ll be quite fine on my own.” And perhaps I’ll be able to get more information about the arsenic and the other brides if I return by myself. “Then it’s settled.” Eliza watched as Miss Maple penciled in her name in red. “I will be seeing you this evening!”Eliza rose and nearly crashed into the chair. Hattie slid an arm around Eliza’s waist, catching her. “Oof. Thanks.” Eliza said, a bit embarrassed. “Ta ta!” She called out as Hattie practically dragged her from the shop.“Eliza,” she said, once they were a block or so away, “you’re going to go back alone?”Eliza looked around, checking that no one had followed them from the store.“Yes, what choice do I have?”“Can’t you at least take Moses or Mr. Nash with you?” Hattie asked, her voice full of concern.“Hattie, please, don’t worry, I’ll send word to William. And Moses.” She added as she saw the worry written on her friend’s face. “I promise.”Hattie nodded slowly.“Good. Hattie, how did you come to have so much money on you?” Eliza asked curiously.“My wedding gown was quite expensive. I thought it couldn’t hurt to bring some extra money.” Hattie looked a bit embarrassed, knowing from her aunt that Eliza’s finances were rather erratic.“Oh.” Eliza said softly. She reached out and took Hattie’s hand between hers in an uncommon show of affection. “Thank you Hattie. For that and for accompanying me. I promise I’ll pay you back.”“Goodness Eliza, you’re my dearest friend. I will always help you when you need me! Besides, it’s great fun being a detective, isn’t it?” Hattie said, her brown eyes lighting up.“Isn't it just?” Eliza replied with a grin of her own.
William
Where is that woman? William thought in annoyance as he let himself into Eliza’s office. He had finished late last night at the crime scene then opted to skip going to his office in the morning and head straight to Eliza’s to have her accompany him to Hanwell Asylum. And to hopefully steal a kiss in the carriage ride there.He looked around at the half-full boxes and felt a pang in his heart as he realized that soon he would be stepping into Eliza’s new office at Nash & Sons. Time moves on, my dear boy. William smiled and turned. Henry’s ghost was reclining comfortably in one of the armchairs by the unlit fireplace.“I know. It’s just… this place holds so many memories.” William said as he leaned against the desk. “Do you remember our first drink here after you had just opened?”Henry chuckled and nodded. “Poor Lizzie got so drunk!”William laughed at the memory. “I nearly had to carry her home. She was not happy about that. She does hold her liquor better now. But not by much.”“You told her you love her.” Henry stated, changing the subject.William swallowed nervously. “Yes Sir, I did.”“About time!” Henry said jovially, “I was wondering how long it would take you to decipher Tempus Fugit!” William’s eyes widened with surprise. “I thought you gave me that for my promotion. As a hint that I should’ve applied sooner.”Henry shook his head sadly. “Yes and no. It was always obvious that you had feelings for Lizzie. I should’ve pushed you harder to go after her.”“You… you wanted us together?” William asked, a bit flabbergasted.It was Henry’s turn to look surprised. “Of course. You’re good for eachother. Why wouldn’t I?”“I… but I…” William stammered, a bit at a loss, “I had nothing, was nothing. If you hadn’t helped me…”“My dear dear boy,” Henry rose from the chair and stood in front of William, reaching out as though he wanted to touch him, but knowing he couldn’t. “I saw something in you, all those years ago. I saw a good and kind young man, down on his luck. My daughter,” he let out a sigh, “is so headstrong, but she is worth fighting for. I know you see that in her.”William nodded rapidly. “Of course I do. She’s brilliant and incredibly brave. And reckless. And stubborn…” Henry laughed heartily as William’s list of adjectives began to change.“...but so beautiful too. I trust her with my life.” William said. “I just wish I knew where she’d run off to. I came to pick her up to continue working on the case together.” And to kiss her, William added mentally, but from the smirk on Henry’s face he had the oddest feeling that his mentor knew what he was thinking.“Henry, do you think she loves me too?” William asked, still feeling a bit glum that Eliza hadn’t reciprocated his feelings right away.“My dear boy. I know she does.” Henry said, and with a final smile he began to fade away.William sighed and rubbed wearily at his face. “I’m losing my mind.” He glanced at the clock on Eliza’s desk. I can’t waste any more time. I’ll leave her a note here and try to find her again later.
Eliza,
I stopped by this morning to have you accompany me to Hanwell Asylum. I think the doctor is somehow involved. I’ll explain when I get back.
Please stay safe.
William hesitated. He was going to sign with a simple “W” but changed his mind at the last moment.
I love you,
-W
He nodded firmly to himself. She knows how I feel. I don’t have to hide it any longer. I’ll tell her everyday, even if she can’t say it back yet.
Eliza
“Yoo-hoo, Miss Wallace? Tis I, Vivian Maple.” Eliza called out as she entered the Wallace’s shop. It was dark inside and with the tinted spectacles on Eliza was afraid she was going to really hurt herself. She banged her knee into something low and hard.“Ow.” She muttered, “this is ridiculous.” She lowered the glasses to perch on the edge of her nose and quickly hurried across the room till she reached the table and sat down in the chair she had occupied earlier. She pushed the spectacles back up, and not a moment too soon, Miss Wallace was entering from behind the curtain.“Miss Maple. I thought I heard you arrive.”“La! Here I am! Ready to have my measurements taken.” Eliza said, throwing her arms out wide, “and please, call me Vivian.”“Vivian.” Miss Wallace repeated, as though saying her name left a bad taste in her mouth.Eliza blinked rapidly and gave a bright smile. “Paddy is excited for me to get my gown.”“I thought you weren’t seeing him before the wedding.” Miss Wallace said, still standing across from her.“Oh, la, I didn’t see him, I sent him a letter! And he wrote me back.” Eliza explained.“Ah. And what of William?”Eliza furrowed her brow. “What of him?”“You had said you were, ahem, intimate with him. What if you are with child?”Eliza was taken aback by Miss Wallace’s blunt questions. “That… that’s a rather forward question.”“I apologize,” Miss Wallace replied, hardly sounding apologetic for her nosiness, “I simply want the brides who wear Wallace gowns to be sure of whom they are planning to meet at the altar. After all, marriage is not to be taken lightly.”“You speak from personal experience.” Eliza said softly, Miss Wallace’s words having rung with an undeniable truth. She had been personally hurt.Miss Wallace remained silent.“I… I love William.” Eliza said happily, the words easily tripping from her tongue. She smiled, her heart flooded with warmth, “I love him, and I want to say those words to him .”
If I can admit it to Dr. Ellis and to Miss Wallace, I can say it to William! He needs to know.
Eliza thought of him, the concern he always had for her, his strong desire to keep her safe. “I’ve made so many mistakes.” I never should have come here alone. Leaving a message for him at his office wasn’t fair. “Miss Wallace, I’m sorry, I must go to him.” “And what of Paddy?”“Paddy? What about him?” Eliza asked, confused.“You’re just going to abandon him? No explanation?”“Oh, he won’t care.” Eliza said flippantly. She was about to stand from the chair to leave when Miss Wallace held up a hand, indicating she should wait.“Why don’t we share a cup of tea first?” Though she was smiling, it looked more like a predatory animal baring its teeth.“Uh…”“I’ll be back in a jiffy!” Miss Wallace said, already halfway behind the curtain leading to the back room.Eliza shuddered. Something is very wrong here. Suddenly she heard arguing coming from the back.“Irene! You…”“Ichabod, stay out of this! You…” When did Ichabod come in? Or was he always here? Eliza’s curiosity got the better of her, rather than leave, she lowered the spectacles and tip-toed over to the curtain to eavesdrop better.“...she’s just a harebrained woman…”“...not fair…”“...not your problem! You have to stop!...”The voices began to merge, Eliza had trouble discerning if it were Irene, or her twin brother Ichabod, speaking. She had just hooked a finger around the edge of the curtain, to try to see, when she heard a rustling. Hastily she replaced the spectacles just as the curtain was flung to the side.“You really shouldn’t have done that.” A voice said, but Eliza couldn’t tell which of the two shadowy figures was speaking. Both were tall and wore dark clothing. She squinted, trying to make out the figure approaching her. It held something in its hand. “Oh no.” Eliza muttered as a sickly sweet scent reached her nostrils and she realized it was a scrap of fabric, dipped in chloroform.“Please… don’t…” Eliza turned, trying to get away. She couldn’t see and the smell was growing even more noxious.Just as her fingertips reached the doorknob, her head was yanked back, the wig pulled off painfully, part of it still pinned to her hair.“What…?” She heard her assailant exclaim.“Ow!” Eliza cried out, hoping the wig would come off, even if it meant losing some of her own blonde tresses. But to her dismay, she felt herself being grabbed and the scrap of fabric pressed to her nose. She tried to fight back, but the arms around her had her trapped. She tried to lift her foot to stomp on theirs, but despite herself, her eyes began to flutter closed.“Time to sleep, little bride. Then, you will pay for your sins.”Eliza’s last thought was of William, and she knew in her heart that she might never see him again. William… I’m so sorry… Then everything went black.
William
William sat in his carriage, a scowl on his face, as he studied the two items he held in each hand.In his left, he had the Hanwell Asylum brochure, in his right, the engagement ring he had found in the back of the drawer at the Wallace’s shop.
This ring must’ve cost a pretty penny. If the shop is doing as well as everyone claims, then Ichabod Wallace could easily afford this for Artemisia Crane. But did she give it back when she had eloped? She easily could’ve taken it and sold it.
He held up the engagement ring between two fingers and couldn’t help but admire the pear shaped diamond surrounded by bright green emeralds. Curious, he turned it this way and that, trying to see if there was perhaps an inscription on the inside of the band. With everything going on, he hadn’t had a chance to examine it more closely until now.
IW + AC
William nearly dropped it.
So it does belong to Ichabod Wallace. He had given it to Artemisia Crane.
The huge diamond caught a beam of light that filtered in through the carriage window.“ I’d prefer a simple, small stone. As long as it’s in a gift box with a bow, I’d be happy.” William smiled as he recalled Eliza’s words, right before he had discovered the bomb. Perhaps a sapphire, to match her eyes. A baguette cut would do nicely, so as not to get in the way of her lockpicking! He chuckled at the thought, then forced himself to focus on the case again.
Yesterday’s murder coincides with the Wallaces having returned from the silk mill. Did Ichabod go mad when his fiancé had left him? Was his sister planning on committing him to Hanwell?
William wanted to kick himself for thinking of more questions that might have led to the answers he needed to solve the murders.The sound beneath the carriage wheels changed to gravel and William realized they were heading up the drive to Hanwell Asylum. He pocketed the brochure and ring then hopped from the carriage before Arthur had even come to a full stop. Arthur must have announced him at the front gate, for the door to the main building was already opening as he walked up the stairs.“You’re here to see Dr…” Before the man could finish his sentence, William was brushing past him and heading to Dr. Ellis’ office. He didn’t even bother knocking, and instead, burst in.“Inspector?” Dr. Ellis, rose slowly from his chair, his belly hitting the edge of the desk, “Is something wrong?” His eyebrows shot up, “Is Miss Scarlet alright?”“Why do you ask that?” William queried as he entered the room and stood across from the doctor. He had figured Eliza was investigating, but the way the doctor had phrased his words, caused his heart to pound rapidly in his chest.“Because you stormed in here. And because the last time I had seen her she said she had an idea as to how to solve your case. And I was under the impression that you wouldn’t be happy with her method.” Dr. Ellis sat back down. “I ordinarily keep doctor-patient confidentiality, but in this case…”“Damn it! For God’s sake, she couldn’t wait? She had promised…” William shook his head to clear it. “I’ll go find her as soon as I leave here. What do you know about this?”William pulled out the brochure for the asylum and slapped it on the desk.Dr. Ellis pulled it towards himself and looked up at William, perplexed. “Our brochure? We hand this out to families interested in our institution. Why, I have a stack in my desk drawer.” He pulled open a side drawer and placed around ten of them on the top of his desk.“Did you happen to give one to Irene Wallace?” William asked, he finally took a seat in a chair across from the doctor.“Wallace? Irene?” The doctor furrowed his brow. “The name does sound vaguely familiar.”William pulled the ring out and showed it to the doctor. “There’s an inscription inside. Do the names Ichabod Wallace or Artemisia Crane sound familiar to you? It’s their initials.”Dr. Ellis took it and narrowed his eyes, trying to read it. “IW and AC? IW… You said Ichabod?” “Yes.”“No. I mean, well, I think you have it backwards Inspector.”“How so?” William asked, he felt a tingle run from the nape of his neck down his spine.Dr. Ellis fidgeted, it was one thing to mention his concern regarding Eliza, knowing she could be in danger, but another to disclose information regarding other people.“Doctor, please tell me. I think Ichabod Wallace is responsible for the murder of Louise Rogers, and at least two other women.”“No.”William growled but Dr. Ellis held up his hands. “That’s not what I meant, I mean, no, it’s not Ichabod to whom this ring belongs.” Dr. Ellis handed it back to William.“What?” William asked as he took it back, realizing that he had made a grave mistake. He knew what the doctor was going to say before he even opened his mouth. “It was Ichabod who had come here requesting information for his sister , Irene. That ring belongs to her. She was engaged to, um, Allan? No, Alistair. I think his surname is Carpenter. He wasn’t very forthcoming, but I had been under the impression that Miss Wallace had been jilted, a rather unfortunate affair, and it changed her, broke her emotionally and mentally. Her brother was quite concerned for her, but never returned. To be honest I had forgotten about it, I thought that maybe everything had turned out alright in the end.” The doctor suddenly realized what was truly going on. “Irene Wallace is murdering brides?”“Unfaithful ones. I think she’s using the arsenic her brother dyes the lace green with.” William said, standing.“But why murder unfaithful brides?”“I… I don’t know.” William replied, halting at the doorway. “I had thought it was Ichabod, his fiancé eloped with another man. I assumed he was taking out his anger on other unfaithful brides.”“He and his sister seem very close. Perhaps her fiancé stepped out on her with another unfaithful bride? Perhaps she is exacting revenge on brides because she cannot on Alistair Carpenter? Or she sees him as being blameless and someone had enticed him away from her? It would make for an intriguing study…” Dr. Ellis mused as William tried to get his head to stop spinning from the onslaught of information.William nodded, “Thank you for the insight Doctor. I’d best go find Eliza.” His expression was full of worry, and a bit of anger.“One last thing.” The doctor said,“Yes?” William’s hand was already on the doorknob, he was itching to get to Eliza.“Inspector, I don’t think she meant to hurt you.” He said, but when he saw the pain and sorrow flash across William’s face he added, “she does love you.” “Well she has a funny way of showing it.” William replied, but it was in a weary tone, his anger fading at the doctor’s words.Dr. Ellis sighed as William left. I hope everything works out for them.
Eliza
Oh, my head… Eliza groaned but quickly silenced herself. She didn’t know where she was, or if the Wallaces were nearby. She kept her eyes closed and took a deep breath, trying to remain calm and assess her surroundings. I’m on a hard floor. She realized as she pressed her shoulder down. She was laying on her side, curled up slightly, but something felt tight around her torso.Surreptitiously she peeked one eye open and immediately felt a wave of nauseousness and dizziness overcome her. She quickly scrunched her eyes closed, waiting for the side effects of the chloroform to pass. “And the side effects of chloroform are?” She could hear her father’s voice in her head as she had sat at the kitchen table with him when she was but a young girl.… “Fatigue, dizziness, and headache. But just to be sure, could we test it out on William? For scientific purposes only?”
William had just walked into the kitchen, but from his expression had heard what Eliza had said.
“Lizzie…” Her father said in a warning tone.
William sighed, his relationship with his mentor’s daughter was complicated to say the least. William found her to be beautiful, and brilliant, but also the biggest pain in the neck. She wasn’t like any other girl he knew. Which is why she fascinated, and exasperated, him.
“Okay.” William said, to everyone’s surprise, even his own.
“What?” Lizzie asked, turning around to look at him, her eyes wide.
“You can experiment on me.” He said, pleased, if nothing else, that he had managed to startle her. “But you can’t cut my hair while I’m knocked out.”
“Can I shave off your weird mustache?” She asked, excited by the prospect.
“Oi! What’s wrong with my mustache?” William was proud of his incoming facial hair, despite it being patchy. And incredibly itchy.
“You look like a mangy dog.”
“So like Skip?”
“Skip is not mangy! He’s… he’s shedding!”
“If you say so.” William replied with a grin.
“Lizzie, we are not chloroforming William!”
“Awww, but Papa, he said it was okay.”
“No. It’s too risky. We’ll try it on a… on a frog!”
“Really?”
“Yes.” Henry said, grinning.
William looked between the two of them, he couldn’t help but smile at the oddness of their exchange.
This must be what it’s like… what it’s like to have a family.
William thought, a twinge of sadness in his heart.
I wish I could have that too…
No sooner had he finished his thought, he felt a small hand slide into his and squeeze it. He looked down at Lizzie.
“I promise I’ll chloroform you when we’re older and Papa can’t yell at us.” She whispered loudly to him.
William leaned over. “I’ll hold you to it!” He whispered back.
I’m… I’m part of their family too, aren’t I?
And he realized it to be true as Lizzie pulled on his arm till he sat down and gave her his undivided attention as she rambled on about her day at school and how lockpicking should be added as a required subject to the school’s syllabus…
Why didn’t I listen? Eliza berated herself. Now I’m in danger, and even worse, William will be so disappointed in me. Why do I smell fish? Eliza sniffed then wrinkled her nose. Sardines! I’m in the warehouse that the Wallaces’ rent. Will William remember that too? I hope he can find me. I can’t even move very well. Eliza, having given up on being still, began to try to move, but to no avail. Her arms were tied behind her, she could feel the rope chafing at her wrists, and her ankles were bound in similar fashion. When she looked down at herself she flinched.She was wearing the nearly see-through lace wedding gown from the sketch that Evie had shown her and William. The very same gown no bride had been daring enough to wear. I… I was undressed? Eliza shuddered at the thought, she also quickly realized she had no undergarments on. Did Ichabod…? She knew she had to stay calm, but the thought of someone, someone other than William that is, having touched her so intimately repulsed her to her very core.She bit back a sob. I can’t panic. She took a heaving breath, trying to focus on the present moment. I can feel sorry for myself later. In William’s arms. She didn’t let herself think about the fact that William might not forgive her. She needed the hope of seeing him again to keep a level head. I will tell him I love him. Her determination to escape kicked in again and she began to writhe on the floor, trying to at least sit upright.She had nearly rolled onto her back when she heard footsteps. A shadowy figure was approaching her, a black cape and hood obscuring the person’s features. It did look as though a massive bat was flying towards her. But then it stopped and her chestnut brown wig was thrust forward and her abductor pulled back the hood, revealing the angry and twisted features of Miss Irene Wallace.“So it was you.” Eliza said. She had guessed as much, but she was still annoyed with herself for not having seen the signs earlier.“Were you expecting my brother?”Eliza tried to nod but her head was at an odd angle. “Initially. Then I realized it was you. Just too late. Writing my name in red should have been a giveaway.” Irene Wallace scoffed and threw the wig at Eliza’s feet. “You are a private detective? How interesting.” She removed one of Eliza’s business cards from her pocket. “You need to work on your acting skills… Miss Scarlet. Although you were quite convincing about your William. I almost believed he existed.” She paused as she saw an odd expression cross Eliza’s face. “Ah, I see, he does exist. You weren’t lying about everything then. Is he your husband? I found your wedding band. Although your engagement ring is obviously fake.”Irene held up the chain that had held Eliza’s mother’s wedding band whilst she was undercover. She had also threaded the Murano ring beside it.“Give that back!” Eliza said through gritted teeth.“Give that back? Not those ?” Irene repeated, cocking her head. She held up the engagement ring and got no reaction. But when she showed Eliza the band, Eliza’s eyes narrowed with anger. “Ah, so it’s the wedding band that matters to you.” She crouched in front of Eliza and held the wedding band pinched between thumb and forefinger.“Did your William give this to you? Did you marry in a church with all your friends and family watching happily from the pews? Did he gaze at you with so much love you thought your heart would burst?” She practically spat those final words at Eliza, who flinched.“It’s my mother’s.” Eliza said softly, hoping to diffuse Irene’s temper. If I can stall her, maybe William will find me before she… Irene couldn’t mask her surprise. “Your mother’s? Not yours?”“Not mine. Not yet.” Eliza said with regret.“Not ever if I have my way with you.” Irene corrected.“Why kill those women? What did they do to you? I thought it was your brother, killing women who looked like Artemisia, women who had betrayed their fiancés.” Eliza tried not to grimace as her shoulder wrenched in its socket. She was trying to wiggle her fingers to undo the knot, but it was just out of reach.“Ha! My brother, a killer? No, he’s too weak and soft. True he was upset when Artemisia had eloped, but he quickly got over her. His work was more important to him anyway. That’s also part of the reason she had left him. He’s always busy with his threads, and chemicals. And meddling in my life.”“Really? How so?” Eliza asked, genuinely curious.“Enough with the questions. I have a question for you. ” Irene was so close, her nose nearly touching Eliza’s. Eliza blinked.“What have you done with my engagement ring?”“Your engagement ring?” Eliza asked, genuinely confused.“Yes. You must have taken it, it wasn’t in my desk drawer at home.”“I swear, I don’t know what you are talking about. I didn’t take anything from your home.”“Irene, she didn’t take it.” A male voice said from the shadows.“Then who did?” Irene stood and stamped her foot angrily.“ I did.” Ichabod Wallace stepped into a dim beam of light, it cast odd shadows across his long face. “I did. And I’ve lost it.”
William
William jumped from the carriage before it had even come to a full stop.The Wallace’s shop was dark.“Damn it! Was she here already?” William muttered to himself in frustration. He banged his fist on the door, knowing it was futile. There was no sound from within.He rested his forehead against the door, his hat tipping backwards. He was angry at Eliza, no, angry at himself for not being able to protect her. Where did Irene take her? To Oscar Clifton’s house? He thought that over. No, I don’t think he’s involved. Think William… William was trying to go through everything he knew, but his thoughts were interrupted as he heard footsteps behind him, then a warm solid hand on his shoulder. William turned around. Moses was behind him, Fitzroy a few steps behind, waving a piece of paper in his hand.“Do you know where she is?” William asked Moses. Although Moses could see that William was frustrated, behind that he also saw the depths of his worry. And something else…
“No. I mean yes if you consider the fact that he told me he loves me.”
The words Eliza had spoken to Moses floated through his mind. He squeezed William’s shoulder reassuringly before letting go.“No. But we had gotten notes from her.” Moses replied. He reached into his pocket to hand William a crumpled piece of paper. William quickly opened it and scanned the scrawled note.
Moses,
I’ve a plan for tomorrow morning! I’ll be with Hattie.
-E
“I shoulda known she was up to something. She was acting all sneaky.” Moses said. “I didn’t get this note till today. It was so obscure, I tried to find you, but you weren’t at the yard. Then I found…”“...me!” Fitzroy piped up. “She had this delivered for you.” William took the message and unfolded it, his brow furrowing as he read.
William,
I’ve made plans regarding my plan for tomorrow morning! But don’t worry, Hattie will be with me. I’ll come find you afterwards.
-E
“I even wrote her back!” Fitzroy rambled on. “It is with utmost regret that I must inform you that the Inspector cannot join you tonight for dinner. But he promises to see you tomorrow and provide you with all the updates on your mutual case. And he misses you very much.” He ended his recitation, his face dropping as he saw William shoot him a look.“Do you have any idea as to what plan she is referring to?” Moses asked, bringing them back to the urgent matter at hand.William thought carefully. “Damn it… That wig…” His eyes went wide as he recalled their conversation over dinner a few nights back…
“Now, what’s this plan of yours?” He asked as he broke off a piece of bread and dipped it into his steaming bowl.
“A wig.” “Wig?” Fitzroy asked.“Aye. She had bought a wig, to go undercover as an unfaithful bride.” William ran his hands through his hair, knocking his hat off. Fitzroy deftly caught it before it could hit the ground. “My God… her plan must have worked! But I’m not there as backup.” William growled.“Inspector, think. ” Moses said in a firm tone, he placed both hands on William’s shoulders and held his gaze. “If not here, where else would they have taken her?”William shook his head, “I…” He stopped short. “I don’t think Oscar is involved but he did mention sardines…”“Sardines?” Moses looked at William as though he had lost his mind.
“Is this where all the work is done?” William asked. “The shop is rather small.”
Oscar laughed heartily. “No, no, not at all. We have a larger premise, by the docks. Mr. Wallace rents out one of the smaller warehouses.” Oscar wrinkled his nose. “I swear It still smells like sardines at times. But the space is adequate for our needs.”
“By the docks!” William said, his voice filling with hope. “They rent out a warehouse that smells like sardines!”Moses’ face lit up with understanding. Fitzroy was practically bouncing on his toes. “That’s wonderful! How many warehouses smell like sardines?”“I don’t know,” William said grimly, “but we’re going to search all of them. Moses, find a footpatrol man, have them send a message to the Yard for all available back up, then meet me there. Fitzroy, go to Nash, tell him where I’ve gone. Then do a background check on Alistair Carpenter. See if he’s even still alive.” William knew that Fitzroy was most useful when doing research. He was also afraid of the young man hampering him when he needed all of his attention focused on rescuing Eliza.“Yes Sir!” Fitzroy gave a salute and hurried off, he was close enough to walk to Nash & Sons. “We will find her Inspector.” Moses said.William nodded. “Thank you.”Moses tipped his chin then hailed himself a cab as William entered his. “To the docks Arthur. And hurry.”Arthur didn’t even bother wasting time with a reply, he snapped the reins sharply and the horses were off at a quick trot, picking up speed as they left the crowded streets.
I will find you Eliza. And then never let you go.
Eliza
“You’ve lost my ring?” Irene shrieked in an eardrum splitting voice. Eliza wished her hands were free so she could cover her ears. The sound was nearly inhuman and full of rage.“I… I had it at work…” Ichabod held his hands out, as though trying to appease her, “and then I noticed it missing from the desk drawer. Along with…” he sputtered, not wanting to finish his sentence.“Along with what?” Irene asked in a threatening tone, her full attention now on her brother.Ichabod was hunched over, clearly afraid of his twin sister’s wrath.“What Ichabod? I demand you tell me.”“A brochure for Hanwell Asylum.” He whispered in reply. We never asked Dr. Ellis about the Wallaces’. We hadn’t known. Eliza wanted to kick herself. If we had… we possibly could’ve prevented Irene’s murdering spree. But she had stopped for a bit. Was that while they were away at the silk mill? Eliza was running everything she knew through her mind as the twins argued.
The murders only started fairly recently. Someone obviously broke Irene’s heart. It must have been recent… or did something else trigger her?
Eliza tried to move again, but she ended up rolling onto her back, her arms pinned beneath her. She tried not to cry out in pain as her shoulders took the brunt of the impact against the hard concrete floor.Eliza took a deep steadying breath. She watched as her rings swung on the chain still being held in Irene’s hand.“The man in the photograph…” Eliza muttered to herself. Irene and Ichabod heard her and turned to face her. Eliza briefly regretted having their full attention on her, but her desire to solve the case got the better of her.“The photo on the mantel, it had been turned over. Irene, you had someone special in your life, and then something happened?” Eliza asked gently, as though talking to a dangerous animal. Which in a way she supposed she was.Irene crouched beside Eliza, her face twisted into a scowl. “You broke into our home?”Eliza ignored the question. “Why are you murdering unfaithful brides?” Her eyes lit up as a possibility crossed her mind. “Did he have an affair with a woman who was being unfaithful to her betrothed?”A strange expression crossed Irene’s face. Eliza gasped.“Was your fiancé cheating with his fiancé?” Eliza asked, stunned by the possibility. “But Artemisia ran off with someone ten years younger…”“Alistair was younger than me.” Irene whispered.“Irene! Why… why didn’t you tell me?” Ichabod asked, horrified. “I… I never even knew with whom she had run off with. I… I thought it was a jockey.”“That had been Alistair’s dream, to ride in the races. He… he said I was holding him back. I was just afraid of him getting hurt. We fought about it.” The anger had faded from Irene’s voice, her eyes were wet and her lower lip was trembling. “If he were injured… we had too much to lose.” Irene turned to look up at her brother, seeing his stricken face. “ That you know.” Eliza wasn’t quite sure what Irene meant by that but kept listening. “I… I drove him away, into Artemisia’s open arms. They had met at Lady Bartholomew's house party, you remember that night, I saw how he looked at her, but thought nothing of it… until… until I caught them together.” Irene sobbed, Ichabod dropped down by her side and wrapped his arms around her. “It was horrible Ichy. Alistair at least had the grace to be embarrassed, but Artemisia…” Irene stiffened in her brother’s embrace and pulled away from him. “That hussy smirked at me. Can you believe that? She had the nerve to smirk. At me !”“Irene, killing women who… who look and act like Artemisia isn’t the answer.” Ichabod said.“It’s my answer. Since I can’t find her, bloody woman ran off to God knows where, this… this had to do instead. ” Irene placed a hand at her throat and Eliza realized she was opening the top button of her high-collared shirt. She reached inside and pulled out a simple gold chain. Strung on it were sparkling engagement rings. One for every victim. “So you found your victims in the women who came to your shop. But Melissa James’ gown wasn’t made by you. A friend of the family had made it…” Slowly more pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “But she had bought the lace from you…She told you about Miss James’ elopement…”“Yet another hussy to take care of. People don’t realize how much they reveal just by gossiping.”“But Oscar never mentioned your engagement.” Eliza said, wanting to know more about Irene. “Why? Was it a secret?”“You spoke to Oscar too?” Irene asked, then scoffed. “I suppose you were being thorough. Yes, it was a secret. I wanted to marry quickly. I… I had a surprise for him.” Her voice faltered and Ichabod just looked sad and dejected.“Why leave their bodies near water?” Eliza asked, trying to keep her talking. “You undressed them, put them in gowns, then forced them to drink arsenic?”“I was purifying them of their sins.” She explained. “And it wasn’t just to drink it.” She smirked, her eyes flickering along the length of Eliza’s gown. Eliza’s eyes widened in horror.“The gowns… they’re…”“Dipped in arsenic.” She said smugly. “Ichabod has so many bottles of it laying about.” She tsk’d. “He’s always trying to find a way to make a safer Sheele’s green.” She shrugged. “He still hasn’t, so there’s always extra arsenic around.” She waved a hand indicating the space around them.Eliza hadn’t been able to see much after she had awoken. Her position on the floor had her turned to face a door set into a wooden wall. Now, on her back, all she could see were the ceiling’s rafters. Cautiously she turned her head as far as it would go then gasped.She was in the Wallace’s warehouse by the docks. She could hear the faint sound of the sea, but it was the rows and rows of wedding gowns, hanging neatly around the room that astonished her. A single gown on a pedestal was the focal point at the back end of the room, it was full length of ivory satin with lace roses trailing from to bottom of the bodice to the hemline and absolutely stunning.
“My God…” Eliza breathed out.“That is for my next victim.” Irene said nonchalantly as she saw where Eliza’s gaze was focused. “I gave you the most scandalous one. I thought it suited your personality.” Eliza tipped her chin, looking down at herself. She felt itchy as she recalled what Irene had said, about dipping the gowns in arsenic.“Is… is it enough to kill me?” Eliza asked, trying to think if there were any antidotes for arsenic. But her mind wasn’t focusing clearly, no matter how hard she tried to clear her head.“No, unfortunately not. That’s why I have this.” Irene pulled a vial out of her pocket and held it up. A pale yellow liquid gently swayed within. “You’ll need to drink this too.”Eliza felt a surge within her and did her best to turn to her side.She promptly vomited.
William
What was it that Oscar had said?
William wanted to run and rampage through all the warehouses, but he knew that that wouldn’t help him, or Eliza. Instead, he stood still and tried to clear his mind. He closed his eyes and let the sound of the sea and seagulls calm him.
“No, no, not at all. We have a larger premise, by the docks. Mr. Wallace rents out one of the smaller warehouses.” Oscar wrinkled his nose. “I swear It still smells like sardines at times.
“Sardines…” William’s eyes flashed open. To his relief, he saw several dockworkers nearby, moving crates off of a ship.“Inspector Wellington.” He said, flashing his warrant card. The men stopped what they were doing and eyed him warily.“What brings you here guv?” One man asked as he chewed on a piece of tobacco.William knew that a lot of illegal commerce and smuggling happened at the docks, but he didn’t care about any of that.“I’m looking for someone. My… my sweetheart’s been kidnapped.” Another of the men let out a whistle from between his teeth. “Do you know where there’s a warehouse with wedding gowns?” William was growing more and more desperate with each passing moment.“Gowns?” A man repeated, scratching his head.“It smells like sardines.” William added, not sure if that would help.“Oh, you mean that small one, they never could clean it. It’s at the other end.” The first man, with the tobacco, pointed toward the end of the dock.“Thank you!” William said as he had already begun to run as fast as he could, dodging men, crates, and rats, his feet pounding against the wooden dock as madly as his heart was.
Please, please, don’t let me be too late!
Eliza
Irene held a rag in her hand. At first Eliza absently thought that it was to wipe her mouth clean. Then she realized that Irene had uncorked the vial. She was planning on forcing Eliza’s mouth open by preventing her from breathing through her nose.“Irene, please stop!” Ichabod said, plaintively. “Let this all be over.” Eliza watched as he slid a shaking hand into his pocket. He seemed to be clutching at something within.Irene glared at him, causing him to cower. He seemed powerless against his twin sister’s wrath.“This is as much your fault as mine.”“How?” He asked, baffled by his twin’s logic. Or lack of.“You. You told me not to keep it.” A splash of arsenic sloshed out of the vial as Irene’s hand shook. “ You made me go there.” Keep what? Go where? They were just at a silk mill. But how could she mean that? Eliza had a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t sure if that was from the arsenic, being absorbed through her skin and continuing its way through her bloodstream, or if it was because…“You were pregnant…” Eliza whispered. “You… you had an abo…”Tears were openly streaming down Irene’s face, the vial held precariously in her trembling hand. “It’s for the best.” Irene said, obviously mimicking words her brother had told her. “How could you care for a baby? You’re too distraught.” She switched back to her own voice. “You were just worried about losing business if I couldn’t work.” Irene spat at him.“Irene!” Ichabod looked more hurt by what she had said than by the fact that his twin sister was a serial killer. “How could you even think that?” There was a flash of something shiny, metallic like, gleaming from his hand, but Eliza couldn’t make out what it was.Irene almost looked contrite, then schooled her features back into stoniness.“It’s time for you to drink.” She said, turning back to Eliza.“No!” Eliza tried to wiggle free. Her head was pounding, the dizziness having returned, “Please, don’t! You’re a romantic woman, I… I have to tell William I love him. I have to…” Eliza said weakly, blinking her eyes to try not to pass out. “No…” She whispered as the rag approached her face. She tried to turn her head, to do anything to… to…
*BAM*
William? Eliza thought. You came? She squinted, she felt something wet and sticky on her face, but it wasn’t William who had shot Irene.“I… I…” Ichabod stood frozen as a statue, a smoking gun in his hand, his sister’s body slumped over at his feet. He looked down at Eliza. “I’m sorry.” He said, his voice sincere and full of sorrow. He raised the gun, pointing it at Eliza, but to her shock, he continued the movement, raising it higher and bending his elbow.“No! Ichabod, don’t!” Eliza tried to shout out.“I’m so very sorry.” He whispered again. “I… I should’ve tried harder to stop her…”
*BAM*
She saw as Ichabod’s eyes widened in surprise, but he had never pulled the trigger.“What…?”Ichabod’s body swayed like a lithe tree in a windstorm before his legs gave out and he collapsed over his sister’s body, the gun clattering from his hand.“Eliza!” William’s deep voice called out loudly as he quickly holstered his gun and ran to her side, sliding on his knees along the ground, kneeling beside her and scooping her up into his arms. “Jesus, Eliza! Are… are you?” William tried to process everything he was seeing, Eliza tied up, in a nearly sheer lace gown, and a smell of sickness emanating from her.“William… I’m… I’m so sorry…” She was growing more and more distraught now that he was there. William pulled her close and began to work at the knots on the rope keeping her hands tied together.“Hush…” He said. “Dammit. I need a…” He looked around, spotted a large table with fabric and cutting shears on it. “I’ll be right back.” He told her gently as he saw her begin to panic. He carefully lay her back down then hurried over to the table, grabbed the shears, and began to cut at the ropes.“Ring… my ring…” Eliza gasped, trying to point once she was freed. She could hardly raise her arms.William followed her finger. Her mother’s wedding band and an engagement ring were still on the chain, Irene’s fingers clutching them. He reached over and snagged the chain and tucked it into his pocket. He was nearly startled out of his wits when he noticed Irene’s chest faintly moving up and down.“Will…” Eliza’s voice calling out to him broke him out of his reverie. He quickly turned back to her.“I have it… I have it… shh… shh…” He was just about to cut the binds on her ankles but didn’t have a chance. The warehouse door burst open, officers filed in, led by Fitzroy, Moses, and Nash. They hurried over to check on Eliza, Moses took the shears from William and began cutting the remaining rope around her ankles.“I… I… dress… so sorry… water… need water…” William looked worriedly at her. She was incredibly distraught, he had never seen her that way before. “She’s barely coherent.” William muttered, feeling at a loss as to what to do.“Eliza?” William said softly, wiping at the corners of her mouth with the sleeve of his coat. Her eyes had glazed over and weren’t focusing.“Take her home.” Nash said.“We’ll handle everything here.” Fitzroy added.William nodded and rose, cradling Eliza against his chest. She was silent, curled up against him, her fingers clutching at his coat lapels.He could feel the three men watching him as he walked as quickly as he dared, not wanting to jostle her needlessly.Once they reached his carriage, and he carefully placed her inside, her stupor seemed to have faded and she clutched at him frantically.“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. William, you have to believe me… I… I never thought it would… I’m sorry…” Eliza’s blue eyes were bloodshot as she cried and reached for him. William gently took her hands within his.“I’m not mad Eliza. I’m not mad at you.” He let go, just enough to reach into his pocket to pull out the chain of Eliza’s rings. He glanced curiously at the engagement ring, guessing it was fake, it didn’t look like something Eliza would ever wear, then opened the clasp and pulled off her mother’s wedding band. He took her right hand and slid the ring on smoothly.“Thank you.” Eliza whispered. It wasn’t until he had pulled her back into his embrace that she realized William had explicitly forgiven her. Or said that he loved her. Have I… have I ruined everything? With a soft sob she buried her face into William’s shirt, hoping with all of her heart that they could repair their budding relationship.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
NEW YORK - 2023
That Night
Eliza
“Clementine, please, let me explain! I didn’t tell him any of that…”“I’s is more pissed off thenna wet momma chicken. Ah thunk we was frans, ‘Liza. Makin’ whoooopee with a cow? For sho, thet duz heppen inda kuntry sum, but it’s nuthin’ I’d never never do!”“I DIDN’T SAY THAT YOU MADE LOVE TO A STEER!” Eliza shouted into her phone. “I SAID THAT YOU LOVE THE STEER. YES, I KNOW THAT HIS BALLS WERE CUT OFF AND HE CAN’T…!”It was close to midnight. Eliza had spent the entire evening trying to call William, but he had turned his phone off. To her relief, Oliver had shot her a quick text saying that William was with him and that he would look after him. Eliza just hoped that Oliver could calm William down enough so that he would talk to her. Following that, Eliza had called Clementine, praying she hadn’t seen the article and could mitigate any damage done. But it was too late, the feisty southerner had read it. Multiple times apparently.Clementine interrupted Eliza’s apology, “My cuz Klementye sawed it all’da way back home. Do ya know wut she’s atelling everyone? The crazy tales she’s aspreading? People dun think my fam is crazy anyways…even Uncle Orange cain’t talk ta me on da phone without hollerin’ with laughter. I mite not ever kin sho’ mah face down ther’yah again.”“Clementine, I’m so sorry…”“Ah’m gunna stay with Gus. He may be one’dem mobber people, but at least he’s mah reel frand.”
*BEEP-BEEP-BEEP*
The dial tone continued its piercing sound as Eliza stared at her phone, a part of her wanting to throw it across the room in anger, but then she wouldn’t know if William was trying to contact her or not.
Unlikely. How did I single-handedly manage to ruin my entire life?
No sooner had she hung up from the call…
*RING-RING*
“William?” Eliza fumbled with her phone, nearly dropping it in her eagerness to pick up. But it wasn’t him.“Hey doll.” Frank’s rough voice came through the speaker.“Frank?” Eliza said, trying to speak in some semblance of normalcy.“‘Liza? You sound funny. You and him shagging or something? Can’t it wait till we’re done on the phone? Hehe.”“Frank…” Eliza’s voice turned threatening.“I’m teasing, I’m teasing.” There was a pause. “ Are you alright? I saw that article. Whooee, he must not be happy with you. Revealing details…”“Frank?”“Yeah?”“Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” Eliza snarled, her patience had completely run its course.Frank was silent for a long moment. “Lizzie, what happened?” He actually sounded concerned. “William was suspended. He left me.” Eliza said flatly. She picked up a bottle of wine and slid down to the floor where she opened it and took a long draw. “Is that why you called? I don’t want to talk about it.” She burped loudly and wiped the back of her hand over her mouth.“Fine, fine. Go easy there on the booze doll. You’ll want to be sober when you hear what I have to tell you.” Frank said in a sing-song voice.Eliza put the bottle down and sat up straighter. “You found Lacey?”“Not quite, but I did find something interesting once I figured out that Lacewal wasn’t her real name.”“It isn’t? Hold on.” Eliza scrambled to her knees to reach for her tablet, which was on the kitchen counter. She grabbed it and sat back down on the floor, opening it up on her lap. “I’m listening.” She said, her fingers poised to take notes.“Her real name is Wallace. And get this, she has a twin sister.” Frank sounded triumphant.“That still doesn’t mean one, or both of them are committing the murders. William wanted to talk to them because they’re the only common denominator in all the cases.”“True, but…”“But what? Frank…” Eliza said threateningly.“Hold your horses, you’re ruining my attempt at building up suspense here.”Eliza growled, sounding a lot like William.“Geesusss, you and him… tsk, anyway, get this, there’s a history of insanity in their family. Voilá!”“ That is your magic reveal?” Eliza asked incredulously. She eyed the wine and decided she deserved another swig. She took two, just for good measure.“Sweet cheeks, their great-great-great- I might be missing a ‘great’ but you get the point, grandmother was wackadoodle.” He let out a long whistle before continuing, “Don’t ask how, but I managed to uncover a police record from 1883. Irene Wallace had been imprisoned for murdering unfaithful brides. She had used arsenic and dressed ‘em in wedding gowns or something then dumped them in water. She had a daughter while incarcerated, Inoncencia, and then she had a daughter, and so forth. Lacey’s middle name is Irene.”“Frank. What’s her twin’s name?” Eliza asked, her heart pounding.“That’s a doozy, Ricki Rachel Inoncencia Wallace.”Eliza gasped. “OhmyGod.”“Lizzie?”“Frank, I know her! I think they’re working together! It has to be them. Oops.” Eliza, in her excitement, knocked over the empty bottle of wine. When did I finish this? She quickly straightened it, her eyes gleaming. “How did you uncover all this?”Frank scoffed, “‘Cause I’m good at it doll.” Frank coughed, a bit embarrassed, “Actually, I should’ve found this sooner, but I hid Lacey a bit too well. When I had built her app she also had asked me to hide her online. Kinda ironic considering how famous she is now. Lacewal is…”“...an anagram.”“Yeah.”“Frank, This could be it!”“Could be what?”“The way for me to win William back! If I can catch the two of them, and give him the credit, maybe they’ll overlook this whole mess!”“Eh, ‘Liza, not that I’m one to talk, but don’t you think that’s risky? If something were to happen to you…”Eliza couldn’t believe her ears. Frank was actually cautioning her to be careful. As if he cared.
But for whatever reason he does. And he might have a point.
“Patrick.”“Huh?”“I’ll go to Patrick, he’ll be my backup. Moses too.”“Okay. If you need any gear, I’ll give you the Sweet Cheeks discount.”Eliza couldn’t help but smile. “I appreciate that.”“My pleasure. Huh, I’m not even lying.” Frank chuckled. “One more thing.”“Hmm?”“For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t worry about you and Willie, he circles you like a dog in heat. He won’t be able to stay away for long.”Eliza gave a snortlike laugh, some wine dribbling from her nose.“What? It’s true!” Frank said petulantly.“Frank?”“Yeah?”“Thanks. For everything.”“You got it doll. Peachy dreams.”“You too.”Eliza hung up, oddly feeling better after the bizarre exchange. She took a deep breath.
I have to focus now and figure out a plan… I still don’t know how to find Lacey, but now that I have her real name, maybe Moses…
Before Eliza could call Moses her tablet pinged with a new email.
*PING-PING*
Your ‘Alrighty to the Nightie’ is Ready!
From: [email protected]CC: [email protected] To: [email protected] Dear Future Mrs. Lizzie ‘Sweetheart’ Evans 🍬🩷,I have joyous news for you! Lacey was so inspired by the design that she has worked tirelessly through the night! Your ‘Alrighty to the Nightie’ is ready for pickup! Isn’t that wonderful? And, as promised, we would like to set up a photoshoot to commemorate your new lingerie, and to give your Mr. Sweetheart a truly sweet gift!Are you perchance available tomorrow evening? The location is top secret, we’ll send it to you via the ‘Knots & Knickers’ app. And… Lacey might even make a rare appearance! What a treat!Please respond at your earliest convenience! And don’t forget, this is just between us!Ta-ta! - RickiEliza dropped the tablet in her lap and stared, glassy eyed, at nothing in particular in front of her. Slowly a smile spread across her lips. This is it! She thought excitedly, this is how I fix everything! I’ll solve the case and give William the credit! I’ll talk to Patrick and Moses first thing tomorrow. Then William will get his job back and he’ll forgive me. Eliza purposefully ignored all the other thoughts that were trying to get her attention.
You betrayed his trust.
You put your work first.
You don’t love him enough.
“SHUT UP! That’s NOT TRUE!” She shouted aloud. “He’s EVERYTHING to me and I will win him back. Now stop talking, I’ve got work to do.”Eliza effectively blocked out her inner voices and began to write Ricki back.
RE: Your ‘Alrighty to the Nightie’ is Ready!
From: [email protected] CC: [email protected] To: [email protected]OhmyGAWD! How EXCITING! YES YES YES! I would love to take photos tomorrow evening. I will keep an eye on the app for details!Thank you so so so much! - Lizzie“And send.” Eliza muttered as she pressed the button and heard the familiar whoosh of an email heading out into… wherever emails went.“There. I have a plan now.” Eliza thought happily as she headed upstairs.“I have a plan and everything will be alright. I have a plan and everything will be alright. I have a plan and everything will be alright.” She repeated her new mantra over and over again as she prepared to bed, up until the moment she pulled the sheets over her head.“I have a plan and… and… everything will be alright.” She said through gritted teeth, ignoring the tears streaming down her face. She instinctively reached out for the warmth and comfort of… William’s pillow?“It. Will. Be. Alright.” Eliza muttered, grabbing William’s pillow and squeezing it within an inch of its life. She let out a fresh sob as she inhaled the faint traces of William’s scent.“It has to be, doesn’t it?” Eliza said plaintively to the pillow. “It… it has to.” And with her revised mantra running through her head, Eliza fell into a restless and fitful sleep.
William & Oliver
“It’ll be alright Sir.” Oliver said as he passed William his fourth, no fifth, beer or the evening.“Olie, I’ve said it, and I’ll say it again. I’m just William now. No more Sarge, or Sir, or… even Duke. Just William.” William slung an arm around Oliver and nearly toppled them over.As the evening wore on, and William’s inebriation increased, they had moved from the couch to the floor, William drinking nonstop while Oliver did his best to make sure that William was eating something. He passed him another chicken wing. William took it, but rather than eat it, he waved it about like a magic wand, as though it had the ability to piece his life back together.“All I ever did was love her. So much.” William hiccuped as Oliver tried to right him as the bigger man leaned against him. “I gave her my heart. And my soul. I’ve loved her since I met her, you know. Back in High School.” William let out a sentimental sigh and took a bite of the wing. “She was such an outcast. So beautiful, but no one understood her. I understood her. Her loneliness. I have no family but her.” William explained.Oliver felt a bit affronted, but merely nodded.“I saved her life, you know. That’s how we officially met.”“Oh?” Oliver perked up, he never did quite find out how the pair’s initial meeting.“Aye. I’d see her in the hallways, but we only spoke when I had saved her from a burning chocolate cake.” William huffed a laugh. “Her first words to me were, “I’m quite alright, I don’t need any rescuing.” Home Ec was her nemesis. Ms. Dawkins really had it out for her. So did that chocolate cake. She nearly burnt the school down. I had to sling her over my shoulder, fire extinguisher and all, so the firemen could get in and put the fire out with hoses.”William’s eyes turned distant, as though he were watching his past like a movie, flashing by on a screen only he could see.
*BEEP-BEEP*
William suddenly snapped out of it as a phone pinged with a text.“I told her I needed time…” William said angrily.“It’s my phone!” Oliver said quickly, showing him the text from Hattie.William squinted as he read it.“She wants to go for tacos? I’m sorry for ruining your evening lad.”Fitzroy’s face turned bright red. “Ahem, not quite… tacos is an euphemism.”William arched an eyebrow. “For what?”“A lady's private… area.” Oliver ended in a hushed tone.“And here I was, thinking I knew them all. Huh.” William hung his head. “Do you want to go to Hattie? I wouldn’t blame you if you did, sitting here with me probably isn’t how you expected to spend your evening.” William tossed the half-eaten chicken wing back into the bucket. “I miss my taco.” He sighed.Oliver quickly typed Hattie back that he couldn’t meet up with her and that he’d explain tomorrow. He turned to face William.“Si…William, no one’s relationship is perfect.” He said gently, hoping William would hear him out if he was already admitting that he missed Eliza. “And no person is perfect. Love isn’t only about loving during the good times, but also the bad.” William looked up at his young friend, his words seemed to be penetrating through his dark thoughts. “You have to decide how much you want her mistake to shape your future, and what type of man you want to be, one who forgives, or one who holds a grudge.”William wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. “I’m so angry.”“I know. And I also know you’ll make the right decision in the end.”“And how do you know that?”“Because,” Oliver said with a smile, “as I’ve told you before, you’re everything I aspire to be as a man, and the man I look up to would forgive the woman he loves.”William was nodding. “You’re right lad.” William scrubbed at his face with the heels of his hands. “I was going to forgive her anyway, but probably resent her. I… I have to find a way to let that go.”Oliver nodded. “Besides, didn’t she forgive you about lying about her father being dead?”William winced. “Aye. And she never held it against me.”“See! You’re not perfect either!”William chuckled. “Aye, fair point. When did you get so wise?”Oliver shrugged, but couldn’t hide the pleased look on his face. “Live and learn. When you reach my age…”William burst out laughing and slung an arm around Oliver’s shoulders and hugged him.“I’m lucky to have you lad. Don’t think I don’t know it. You’re my family.” Oliver hugged him back. “You’re my family too.”They sat silently for a while, enjoying the quiet, before Oliver heard an odd noise coming from William. He glanced up at the big man and smiled. He had fallen asleep, his head awkwardly placed on Oliver’s shoulder, and was snoring loudly.Oliver tried to slide out from beneath him without waking him up. After crashing into the coffee table and knocking over the bucket of wings, he finally managed to wiggle free. He reached up to the couch and grabbed a pillow and gently placed it beneath William’s head, then rose and picked up the blanket to cover with him. There! Oliver thought happily. William was asleep on the floor, his legs sticking out from beneath the blanket. Everything will be alright!
The Next Day
Eliza
“Eliza?” Patrick rose so quickly from his desk, his cane fell to the ground. “What happened?” He caught her as she stumbled into his office, her vision blurred with tears. She had thought she was done with crying, but everytime she saw something that reminded her of William, it would set her off again. This time it was a slice of pizza on one of Patrick’s investigator’s desks. “Is William hurt?” There was nothing else that he could think of to work her up into such a state.Eliza nodded.“Which hospital? We’ll go immediately.” Patrick was already shepherding her to the door but she wasn’t moving with him. Instead, she sagged against him.“Not like that.” She said, shaking her head. “I… I broke his heart Patrick.” She looked up at him, her eyes wide. “You didn’t see?”“Didn’t see what?” Patrick asked, confused. He had been busy coordinating travel plans for Greece. He was leaving the very next week. When Eliza came in, his first thought was that Clara had told her that he had been looking for her.“The article… Basil…” Eliza pointed to Patrick’s computer. Still holding her, he headed to his desk and sat down. To his surprise, Eliza plopped herself on his lap and began to cry into his neck, muttering something about ‘the wrong smell’. What the hell happened between them? Patrick wondered, deeply concerned, and now worried that he hadn’t worn enough deodorant. He absently rubbed Eliza’s back as he worked the mouse with his free hand to pull up the ‘Basil on Time’ website. He sucked in air through his teeth as he read. “Shit.”Eliza nodded. “William… he got suspended. I… Patrick, I don’t know if I can fix this.”“Eliza, look at me.” Patrick leaned back and gently tipped Eliza’s chin so she would face him. “That man, as stubborn and bull-headed as he is, loves you with all his being. Hell, the whole atmosphere in the room changes when the two of you are together. It’s a beautiful thing to behold.” He said tenderly, his eyes full of… Eliza looked at him…
I think he loves me too. I never thought…
She felt Patrick’s hand supporting her back, he too was strong, a bit stockier than William, and he also had a comforting presence, which is what she needed at the moment. But the scent of his cologne was wrong, and though his blue eyes were kind, they weren’t William’s warm green-brown ones.Her face turned red as she realized she was in a man’s lap, and he wasn’t her boyfriend. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Patrick said softly, having correctly guessed Eliza’s thoughts. “I do care for you too, but not like that. Maybe in a different lifetime…” Patrick chuckled. Eliza nodded and wiped at her eyes.“Why don’t you start at the beginning?” Patrick said.Eliza nodded again and hugged him tightly, but briefly, around the neck, before releasing him and rising to sit in the chair across from him.“I’m sorry, I thought I had finally calmed down, but...” Eliza said, plucking a tissue from the box he proffered her. She began to explain what had happened since she had last seen Patrick, ending with, “I never thought I would do something so… so stupid and thoughtless and hurt William so deeply. It wasn’t intentional, I need him to see that. I have to make this right.” A fierce gleam of determination shone in Eliza’s eyes. Patrick couldn’t help but admire her steely resolve. Even though it was the same resolve that kept her turning down his multiple job offers.“How can I help?”“I have a plan.” Eliza grinned and the familiar twinkle of excitement of wrapping up a case appeared in her bright blue eyes. “I need you and Moses…”
William
“Damn it.” William grumbled as he sat up and rubbed his head, which he had hit on the underside of Oliver’s coffee table. “Why do I smell like wings?” Suddenly the previous day’s events came flooding back into his mind, causing him to groan.“What time is it? I have to get to work… Oh, that’s right I don’t.” A twinge of anger resurfaced, but William pushed it back down and reached for his phone and turned it back on. The device went haywire as unanswered messages and voicemails from Eliza flooded in.“Shit.” William bent his knees up and rested his forehead against them. “Where do I even start?”He began to skim through her texts, opting to avoid listening to the voicemails for the moment, and as he read, each message of apology was like a tiny dagger piercing his heart.“Forget it, let me just text her back.”“I… want… to… talk…” He muttered as he typed. Then he hit send.An instant later he had a reply.@F1rstLadyDetectiveInLoveWithHotScotDick: Yes! Please! Can we meet?William took a deep breath before writing back.@HotScotDickInLoveWithF1rstLadyDetective: Washington Square Park Diner? In an hour?@F1rstLadyDetectiveInLoveWithHotScotDick: Yes. Thank you William.William sighed again and slowly rose from the floor and stretched. A note on top of the coffee table caught his eye.
Morning William!
Went to work. Help yourself to anything you want from the fridge. I left coffee in the pot.
- Olie
“Coffee…”Feeling like a hungover zombie William began to prepare for what he was hoping to be a better day than the previous one.
An hour and 15 minutes later…
Eliza
Where is he?
Eliza paced in front of the diner, wondering what had happened to William.
Was he lying about meeting? I was going to tell him all about my plan to meet Lacey and Ricki. No more holding back information from him.
Eliza walked to the corner, shaded her eyes, but didn’t see any tall handsome Scotsman walking towards her.
*BEEP-BEEP*
Dammit. Is he canceling? Huh, that’s not from my messages app…
Eliza’s eyes widened in surprise as she realized she had received a notification via the Knots & Knickers app.
Hello Future Mrs. Sweetheart!
You can meet us at the Tony Dapolito Outdoor Pool, at 1 Clarkson Street. 6:00 pm sharp!
C U there!
Ricki
Eliza stared at the text. It’s an outdoor pool. Isn’t it closed for the season? I thought they drain them every year. She scrunched her face, trying to recall something she had heard or read about the recreation center the pool was located in. Frustrated, she decided to Google it instead.She gasped as she read the amNewYork article that had popped up.
Parks Department closes Tony Dapolito Recreation Center in Greenwich Village… Built in 1908… wow, it’s older than I realized, hmmm… the closure was due to structural integrity issues. Well, if Lacey and/or Ricki are planning on murdering me there no one would find my body for a long time. It was closed in July of 2021.
https://www.amny.com/news/parks-department-closes-dapolito-pool-greenwich-village/
Eliza tapped her lower lip thoughtfully then checked her watch.
It’s noon. Where is William? I need time to prepare for our plan.
Eliza groaned in frustration. A man looked at her then hurried up the street.“C’mon William.” She dialed him, but his phone went straight to voicemail.“Aargh!” She shouted at the phone. “I’M SORRY AND I LOVE YOU! WHERE ARE YOU?”
*BEEP*
“Shoot, I just left that as a voicemail. Fine. Don’t meet me. I’m just going to go and try to save your career. Which I destroyed.” Still talking to herself Eliza left to ready herself for the photoshoot and to hopefully fix her horrible mistake. “I’m going to find you William, and we are going to talk.”
William
“She’s very adamant.”“She’s a private investigator after all.”“We got sloppy.”“We?”“Fine, I got sloppy.”“Now what do we do?”Pause. “Kill both of them. He’s a mess anyway.”“Okay.”William shook his head, trying to force away the grogginess, but all it caused was a massive headache. He stayed still, hoping the dizziness would pass. Why is everything dark? Wha… What happened? He scrunched his eyes closed, trying to remember. I… I was on my way to meet Eliza… someone stopped to ask me directions… something was sprayed in my face… Why am I in so much pain? William shifted slightly. He quickly realized he was laying on his side, the ground was oddly smooth and cold. His arms were bound tightly behind him and he had a hood over his head.“This is why we only cleanse women. Men are too heavy to deal with.”“I know, I know.”
Is she talking to herself? The voices sound exactly the same.
William cocked his head. He could hear footsteps against a tile floor and the sound of water gushing out of something.
Am I in a bathroom? Is it a faucet?
“This hose is heavy.”“It should be done filling up soon. It doesn’t need to be too high. Try wedging it under the diving board.”
It’s definitely two people. Diving board? Am I in a pool? Oh shit… But why do I hear the traffic so clearly? Am I outside? Everything sounds so echo-y…
William slumped onto his side, a pain shot up his shoulder. Suddenly he realized what had happened.
The murderer has me. And there’s two of them. But I don’t fit the profile… What were they saying?
William strained to remember the beginning of the conversation he had overheard.
“She’s a private investigator after all.”
They put two-and-two together! They must have realized that Eliza leaked the information to Basil. That means they know she’s “Sweetheart.” How did they figure that out? And that she’s my girlfriend?
William tried to fight against the bonds holding him in place, but his shoulder ached and he thought a rib might be cracked or broken.
I taste blood. And my ankle hurts. Did they beat me up and I don’t remember?
“Yoo-hoo!” A cheerful voice called out from the opposite end of wherever they were. William’s heart sank as he recognized the voice. “It’s meeee… Future Mrs. Lizzie ‘Sweetheart’ Evans!”
Nononononono.
William swallowed and tried to speak, but his mouth was dry and not cooperating.“Well hello there Mrs. Sweetheart . But you can drop the act Ms. Eliza Scarlet , Private Investigator. We know everything.” One of the voices said.“Hello Ricki. Or are you Lacey Wallce? It’s hard to tell the two of you apart.” Eliza said in a flat tone.“I’m Lacey. This is Ricki. We must admit, we’re quite impressed that you found us. We worked very hard at staying hidden.”“It wasn’t easy.” William heard Eliza admit. “To be honest, I had no hard evidence that you were the killer. Until now. I presume you lured me here to drown me?”“Cleanse you. That was before we had known who you really were.”“And now?”“You’ll die. And so will he.” Suddenly there was light as his hood was removed. William blinked, his vision blurry.“‘Liza?” He croaked, trying to look around, but everything seemed to be white. Am I already dead and this is a nightmare? He felt something cold hit his feet and begin to puddle beneath him. Water.“William!” Eliza cried out. “What did you do to him?”“Tsk, nothing. He fell into the pool and broke a few bones.” Ricki, or Lacey, replied. “Okay, actually we dropped him into the pool.”“He was heavier than we realized. Oops.” The other twin replied.He heard a splash and footsteps approach him. There was a chuckle from behind him, but he couldn’t turn to see which twin it was, then Eliza was in front of him, her face hazy.“William…” She said softly, but with an undercurrent of anger. Her palm pressed to his face. “Let him go.”William felt, rather than saw, Eliza shift and look up at his attackers.“ Sweetheart , you know we can’t do that.” The other twin said, her voice sounding louder as she approached. Eliza stiffened at hearing his endearment for her coming out snidely from someone despicable.William shook slightly as the cold water rose, making its way into his ear. He felt Eliza’s arms wrap around him, trying to hold him close.“You two are romantics right?” She asked the twins. “You’re killing unfaithful women. I love William, isn’t this going against what you believe?”“We believe in staying out of jail.”“That’s our priority.”Eliza let out a sigh, William could tell that she was frustrated by not getting through to the psychopath twins. She changed tactics.“You were hurt, weren’t you?” Eliza asked, gentling her voice. “Before your wedding?” She’s stalling. William realized, a brief flutter of hope coursed through him. Perhaps she did come with backup. He tried hard to blink to see, but between the headache and all the pain he was in, it was proving to be impossible. Instead, he closed his eyes, letting Eliza’s body warm him, and did his best to listen.
Eliza
Eliza shifted slightly, William’s nose was against her abdomen, near the wire she was wearing to record the twins’ confession. She glanced down at him and did her best not to fall into despair and cry.His face was puffy and bruised, the skin around his right eye was swelling up. His breath was ragged and unsteady. As she cradled him he would occasionally wince if she moved unexpectedly. She tried to stay as still as possible so as not to jostle him. She looked past his legs and swallowed back the bile that threatened to rise up into her mouth. His right ankle was twisted at a very odd angle. What if he can’t ever walk again? This was why he didn’t meet me? He had been abducted? Eliza was horrified. I told Patrick and Moses to wait until I had a whole confession! They won’t come in time! I need to speed this up. She took a deep breath and tried to keep her calm as she ignored the rising water and the unforeseen fact that her boyfriend was laying hurt in her arms. She was sitting cross-legged, but the water was now up to her thighs.“Did your fiancés cheat?” Eliza asked, trying to sound sympathetic. “Mine did.” Ricki spat out. “And I never found out with whom or you could be certain that…” She trailed off, clenching her fists in anger.Lacey pat her sister on the back, an odd expression on her face.Eliza looked at the two women, they were mirror images of one another. They each sported short black hair, athletic bodies, and were quite beautiful, if one could look past the cold look in their eyes. Eliza tried to refrain from shivering, she didn’t know if it was due to the eerie women, or the cold water.“So you decided to murder the unfaithful brides?”“They don’t know how lucky they are, having loving fiancés.” Ricki said bitterly. “Listening to them talking so openly about cheating as they’re purchasing lingerie for their wedding nights.” She scoffed.“Hence the cleansing.” Eliza said. “How did you get Martha Jones into the water tower? William couldn’t work it out. It was very clever of you.”Lacey huffed a laugh. “We’re stronger than we look.”“She asked to stop for a drink before her photoshoot. If I had known just how much she was planning on drinking I wouldn’t have bothered with the arsenic. She threw some of it up anyway.” Ricki added before looking down. “This isn’t filling up very quickly.” She said to herself.“And you carried her up the street?”“Yes, how did you know that?”“It was caught on camera. But it was only one of you.”“I met up with them afterwards.” Lacey said. “I guess you didn’t see that part. Seems like you don’t know everything.” Lacey let out a sigh of relief. What am I missing? Eliza frowned. And why hasn’t Patrick and Moses come yet? William feels so cold. “Carrying her up was easy. The water tower had actually been Martha’s idea. She wanted to do something edgy.” Ricki threw up air quotes with her fingers. “She climbed fairly readily with our assistance. We even had a blanket set up for her to pose on. Pushing her in was two seconds’ work.” Ricki grinned, looking pleased with herself.“And then you killed Cora Hansley and the twins.”“ That was a nuisance. Who knew the fountain in the park wouldn’t be working.” Lacey said.“Cheating twins…” Eliza muttered. Something about that niggled at the back of her mind. “That must have been quite a coup for you.”“Now enough of this psychobabel. Put this on.” Lacey quickly cut Eliza off and held out the finished nightie. Eliza didn’t take it and instead frowned at her.“Why?”“What do you mean why?”“I didn’t cheat on William.”“No. But you did betray him.”“How did you piece all that together?” Eliza asked, genuinely curious. She tore her eyes away from the colorful nightie, which she hated to admit was indeed very beautiful, and met Lacey’s eyes.“It was easy. Ricki was already suspicious of you, you sounded too much like an air-head. Then, when the article came out, it was easy enough to call the NYPD Tips Hotline and ask for the Detective Sergeant in charge of the case. They readily supplied his name.” Lacey poked William in the ribs with her toe. She was wearing galoshes and the water didn’t seem to bother her. Eliza swatted her foot away and held William tighter. To her relief, it seemed as though he had passed out, but he was still breathing. “All it took was a simple Google search to link his name to yours, there are even photos online!”“For a private eye you should try to maintain a lower profile. Who’s going to talk to you if they recognize you?” Ricki pointed out.Eliza ignored her and turned her attention back to Lacey. “So you kidnapped him?”“Yes. He was getting too close to figuring out who we were. And Frank kept pestering me with emails. I knew it would be all too soon before he managed to find me. He did do a good job hiding me though.”“Are you going to go after him too?” Eliza asked.“Eh, maybe. Depends on if he continues to be a nuisance.”Eliza absently stroked William’s hair, willing her mind to work faster.
Cheating twins… cheating twins…
“Cheating twins…” She realized she was muttering it aloud.“Shut up.” Lacey tossed the nightie at her. It hit her in the face before landing on William’s head. Eliza moved it aside and clenched it in her fist.Suddenly Eliza’s face lit up. “Cheating twins! That’s it, you cheated with her fiancé!” Eliza said triumphantly.Ricki froze. “What?” She asked in a voice so cold that even Eliza cringed as Lacey did.“Ignore her, she’s just wasting time. Let’s just kill them.”“Is she right? Were you the one who cheated with Richard?”“It worked out for the best, didn’t it? Now you know what a jerk he was.”“You…” Ricki was trembling with rage as she turned to face her twin, pointing an accusatory finger in her face. “You. Ruined. MY LIFE!” Ricki reached out and shoved Lacey hard, sending her sprawling backwards.“Ow! What did you do that for? I helped you murder those women. Doesn’t that make up for it?” Lacey said angrily. “Make up for it? MAKE UP FOR IT?!” Ricki shrieked and lunged forwards, her hands around her twins’ neck as she tried to shover her head beneath the rising water.Eliza took their distraction as an opportunity. She gently lay William down, pillowing his head on the nightie, and snuck up behind Ricki and grabbed her.“What are you doing? Let me go!” Ricki said as Eliza grappled with her. “I have to kill her!”“You both have to be arrested.” Eliza said as she reached for the microphone’s wire to wrap around Ricki’s wrists.“Leave my sister alone!” Lacey yelled as she tried to catch her breath to fight Eliza.Eliza quickly stood and held her fists up. Lacey lunged towards her. Eliza rammed a punch into Lacey’s gut, causing her to double over.
That was for William!
There was a shout from behind her. Ricki wrapped her arms around Eliza’s, trapping her. But Eliza used the situation to her advantage, she leaned back, putting her weight into her assailant, and lifted her legs just in time to land them squarely into Lacey’s torso. Lacey went down quickly, clutching at her ribs.
One down, one to go.
Eliza’s movements caused Ricki to loosen her hold. Eliza reached for Ricki’s left arm and leaned as far forwards as she could. Ricki, thrown off balance, had no choice but to follow her body’s momentum, and she ended up rolling over Eliza’s back and crashing to the pool floor, the water breaking some of her fall.
*BANG-BANG*
“Eliza, we’re coming!” The muffled voice of Patrick came through the door leading to the main building of the recreation center.“What took them so long?” Eliza muttered.Ricki and Lacey were trying to stand.“I wouldn’t waste my time if I were you.” Eliza said, standing over them, her breath heaving, her face full of rage. “But if you want to try it…” Eliza made a fist, ready to pound into them. “POLICE!” Oliver shouted loudly.“Oh good.” Eliza muttered, suddenly exhausted. She sank down to her knees next to William.
Thank God, he’s still breathing.
Then, holding him once more in her arms, she wept and wept.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
LONDON - 1883
Eliza & William
William carried Eliza up the stairs of her stoop, the tragic irony of the situation not lost on him.He was finally holding the woman he loved, wearing what had been a stunning wedding gown, over the threshold, and it wasn’t at all how he had imagined it would be.Eliza had woken up once the carriage had pulled up to her house and had begun to panic again. She had seemed woozy and incoherent, muttering about dripping or dipping into something. William couldn’t make out her slurred words and was going to send for a doctor as soon as he got her inside.He kicked at the door but there was no response.“Shit. Ivy’s not here is she?” He muttered. Eliza must have heard him for she looked up at him, her face sad.“Potts. Always with Potts.” She grumbled.William nodded, his face grim. Then he kicked the door hard, causing the lock to break, and it swung open, slamming into the hallway wall.Eliza let out a sigh of relief, feeling safer now that she was at home. William cautiously let her go, still supporting her, and he thought that she had finally regained her senses. That was until she saw herself in the hallway mirror.Her hair was in tangles, the bun that she had made to tuck it beneath the wig had mostly come undone. Her eyes were still red, her face puffy, but worst of all she was still wearing that gown. The beautiful, yet toxic, sheer lace gown.Her breathing grew rapid, causing alarm to race through William’s body. “Eliza?”She turned to look at him, her eyes pools of tears. “It has to come off.” She said this in a detached tone, but her sudden movement contradicted that.“Eliza, wait!” William grabbed Eliza by the biceps, trying to stop her from scratching herself as she ripped at the lace fabric by her chest, as she did her best to tear off the skintight dress from the neckline. “You’re hurting yourself!”“Get this off of me!” She pleaded, as she looked up at him, her eyes wide, her body trembling with fear and leftover adrenaline. Red lines streaked her skin, where her nails had tried to dig in beneath the fabric. “It… it was dipped in arsenic!” She managed to gasp out.“Damn it. That’s why you were sick…” William stood behind her, eyeing all of the tiny buttons trailing down from her upper back to the hem of the short train.“Just rip it.” Eliza begged.William nodded, his face grim, as he hooked his fingers on either side of the button band and yanked with all of his strength. The harsh sound of tearing fabric echoed throughout the drawing room. Before William could even reach for a blanket to protect Eliza’s modesty, she was already pushing the fabric down her body, shimmying to remove it even faster.William looked away from her nakedness, and grabbed the blanket from the back of the settee.Once the gown was a puddle of shredded lace and threads at her feet, she turned and threw herself at William’s torso. He caught her in his arms and enveloped her in the blanket.“I’m sorry William, I’m so very sorry.” She sobbed into his chest. “I should’ve listened to you.”William tightened his grip around her, his fury banking to the back of his emotions, as his concern for her took priority.“Were you… were you hurt in any way.” He put emphasis on ‘hurt’, not wanting to say aloud what horrible thoughts he had been thinking.Eliza, her forehead resting against his waistcoat, shook her head. “No. I… I don’t think so. I would know, wouldn’t I?” She asked, looking up at him, worry writ across her face.William cupped her face with one hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Do you know if you were unconscious for very long?”Eliza scrunched her face, trying to organize her thoughts enough to recall her abduction. “I don’t think so. Just long enough to be undressed, and put in that gown.” Eliza kicked at it, causing the blanket to slide down her shoulders. William quickly pulled it back up.“Eliza, let me run a bath for you.” William said softly. “We have to try to wash the arsenic off of you.”Eliza nodded. “You’re very mad at me, aren’t you?”“I’m not shouting.” William said, deflecting somewhat from answering the question.Eliza hung her head. “That’s worse.”“Would you like me to break something?” Though he tried to say it jokingly it came out sounding flat. Eliza looked up at him, her gaze hollow.William sighed. “I knew loving you wouldn’t be easy, for either of us, but Eliza, you have to meet me part way. I’m not even asking half-way, I know that would be too much for you.” The gravity of William’s words sank into Eliza’s heart like a leaden weight.William turned, keeping his arm around her shoulders as he led her to the kitchen. Eliza was clutching the blanket so tightly her knuckles had turned white. She sat silently as William gently pushed her down into a kitchen chair then went to retrieve the tub. They didn’t speak as he set up her bath, using the majority of the water Ivy had stored for the day. He made sure to keep at least one bucket aside for tea should Eliza request it.After emptying the last of the heated water into the tub, William rolled up his shirtsleeves past his elbow and dipped his arm inside. “It’s ready.”Eliza numbly rose from the chair and let the blanket fall. “Jesus Eliza!” William closed his eyes and tried to keep his balance as he nearly tripped over an empty pail. When he heard her sob he felt like crying too.
I hate seeing her in pain. Why couldn’t she have waited? Why didn’t she listen to me? Just once?
“Eliza? Are you alright?” He asked instead. When there was no reply he risked squinting one eye open. Eliza’s back was to him, she hadn’t entered the tub yet but her hands clenched its rim, her head was down, her hair obscuring her face. She looked as though she could barely keep herself upright, her reserves of strength having been completely depleted. Her shoulders were heaving with her deep breathing as she tried, and failed, to keep her tears at bay.Suddenly she felt weightless as William scooped her up into his arms. She blinked at him, her usually bright blue eyes dim and reddened. “I’m here for you.” He said softly.Eliza curled up towards him and reached up to touch the edge of his beard. “I keep hurting you.” She whispered.William didn’t even dispute that as he gently lowered her so that her toes were touching the water.“Too hot?”She shook her head. William slowly slid her into the tub, letting out a sigh of relief as her body was completely submerged. His mind and his body were at war with one another. He wanted to take care of Eliza, but the rareness of her having to need him, and seeing her naked while trying not to look, was making his head spin.“I’ll be just outside the door. Should I send for a doctor?” William asked.Eliza shook her head. “No. Please don’t. I’ll be fine.”“Very well. Call for me if you need anything.” William hesitated then kissed the top of her head before stepping into the hallway and closing the door behind him.Eliza stared at his retreating back, feeling worse than she had earlier. He still hasn’t told me that he loves me. To her shock the absence of not hearing those words from his lips was the worst part of the entire ordeal she had just been through.William could hear Eliza’s crying resume. Heartbroken, he leaned against the door as his legs gave out beneath him and he slid to the floor.Feeling like a young child, he drew his legs into his chest and wrapped his arms around them, bowing his head forwards to rest against his knees. I don’t know what to do. Keep loving her one-sidedly? I think she tolerates my love more than desires it. But the thought of not having her in my life… what would be the point? William sat there, feeling lost. He listened carefully, Eliza had stopped crying and he could hear the faint sound of water splashing. I’d best send word to Ivy and Barnabus, and let them know that Eliza is unharmed. And fix the door. William slowly got to his feet and went to write the message. Does Ivy even know what Eliza had done? With a sigh he contemplated what to write without alarming Eliza’s motherly housekeeper.From the other side of the door, Eliza could feel his footsteps retreat and a sudden panic came over her. She scrambled from the tub, trying not to slip on the wet floor.
He said he wouldn’t leave me!
Eliza reached for the knob, then stopped as she heard William returning a short moment later.“Eliza? Did something happen?” He called from the other side, having heard a noise.“I thought you had left.” She admitted.“I went to have a message sent to Ivy and Barnabus.”“Oh. Thank you. William?”“Yes?”“I really ruined things between us, haven't I?”When William didn’t reply right away an overwhelming despair washed over her in a wave so strong she realized that everything that she thought should be a priority in her life wasn’t. The man on the other side of the kitchen door should’ve been at the top of her list, yet he always got relegated to the bottom. A task to be pushed aside for another day.“I love you Eliza. You know that, but I’m not sure if that’s enough. I can’t keep doing this, yet I can’t find a way to break free of you.” William’s voice hitched. Eliza reached out and placed her palm against the door. “Arabella was right.” Eliza stiffened on hearing that woman’s name. “She said your ambition would always come first. I thought I could live with that, having an unconventional relationship with you, giving up on the possibility of a family. Of children. But when you knowingly put yourself in danger… I’d be alone. You’re all I have. Losing you would kill me.”Eliza’s thoughts were in a whirl, so much so she had to rest her forehead against the door as she carried out an internal dialogue.
He was going to give up on his dreams of a family for me? That meant everything to him.
No, you mean everything to him. Every time you put yourself in danger you hurt him too.
But that’s part of my work! I don’t stop him from going into dangerous situations.
You held an unloaded gun at Frank to save him. You stayed by his side to defuse a bomb. You were with him. But did you ever take him with you?
No.
“NO!” Eliza said aloud.“Eliza?” William, concerned by her outburst, mirrored her position. He placed his palm against the door, in the same place as hers. “‘No’ what?”Eliza remained silent.“Perhaps it’s best if I go.” William said, realizing Eliza wasn’t going to respond.
No, don’t go.
Eliza moved her free hand to the knob, then hesitated. Despite what William had said she could tell he hadn't moved away.
Are you going to leave him hanging again?
On the other side William reached out for the knob.
I can’t live without her. I’ve tried.
Resigned, William turned the knob and pulled.
Fearful, yet resolved, Eliza turned the knob pushed.“You stayed!”
“You opened the door…”They stood staring at one another, not having truly expected the other to compromise. William exercised an iron will to keep his eyes above Eliza’s neck. Not that that mattered, she looked beautiful, her wet hair was curling around her face, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were shining full of hope. But then she shivered, setting William into action.“If you walking around naked is a foreshadowing of our future, I like it.” William teased as he wrapped Eliza in a robe he had taken from her room when he had written Ivy the message.Eliza laughed, embarrassed, as she focused on knotting the belt around her waist. “With everything going on I hadn’t been thinking…”“I’ve been trying very hard not to think. Or look.” William muttered, rubbing his hands over Eliza’s arms to warm her.Eliza smiled, finally feeling better. “William, I honestly never expected anyone to touch me, except for you.” Her smile faded as she thought of Irene Wallace putting her into the lace wedding gown.William fluctuated between feeling flattered and worried for Eliza.“I’ll be fine.” She said, noticing his expression.“I know, you’re a strong woman. But I’m here for you. Whatever you need. I love you.” Eliza smiled again, it was on the tip of her tongue to say it, I love you too, when her stomach growled loudly.William chuckled ruefully. “Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll make us something to eat.”Eliza nodded, then had a thought. “Ivy should be coming back soon.”“Eh…” He looked at her sheepishly.“William?”“In my message, I had asked her to give us some time alone. Do you want me to go get her?”Eliza shook her head slowly. “No. I’d like that. Some time alone with you.” Eliza smiled then turned to go upstairs.William watched longingly as she faded from view. She’s so beautiful. His anger and worry began to fade as he began to fantasize about the few glimpses of her body he had seen, the curve of her breasts, a tinge of dusky pink at the peak, the blonde curls protecting her… ENOUGH! Feeling like a cad, a very aroused one, William sacrificed some of the remaining water to splash his face before using the rest to make a simple vegetable soup. When Eliza came back down it was to see him standing by the stove, stirring the contents of the small pot, while he muttered curses at himself.She leaned against the doorframe and watched William, a warmth blossoming in her chest.
I know what I have to do now.
Eliza stepped up beside him and placed her hand on his back.“That looks… Um…”“Wonderful. Thank you William for making dinner?” William said wryly.“That looks like something I would make.”William snorted and began to ladle out two bowls. When he turned to pass one to Eliza, his breath hitched as he took a good look at her.She was wearing a very simple day dress, her arms were bare where the cap sleeves ended, and the hemline just barely grazed her ankles. Her hair was woven in a thick plait, hanging over her shoulder. But William was most relieved to see that the haunted look in her eyes had faded.“You look lovely.” He told her, taking a seat at the table after she had sat down.Eliza scoffed but grinned back at him, “I’m questioning your fashion sense.” She passed him a chunk of bread. William smiled back at her and began to eat. He stared at the bowl in dismay. “I think I did something wrong.” He shrugged and continued to eat.“William.” Eliza said, causing him to look up.“Hmm?”“I love you too.” She said simply, as though remarking on the weather.“Wha… ach…” He began to choke on his soup.Eliza put her spoon down and steepled her fingers then rested her chin on them, she smiled beautifically at him, enjoying his astonished expression.“Could… could you repeat that?” William asked, shaking his head slightly, thinking his hearing had gone off for a moment.“I love you William Wellington. I love you, and I’m so very sorry.” Eliza said, swallowing deeply and blinking back the tears that threatened to fall.William sat frozen like a statue. Eliza, growing concerned, rose from her chair to approach him. She reached out and tentatively caressed his cheek. “William?”“No one’s ever said that to me before.” He said, his voice husky as he looked up at her, his eyes wide with awe. “I’m… I’m glad that it was you. To say it to me first.”Eliza sniffled and nodded, “So am I. So am I.”William opened his arms and Eliza slid onto his lap, looping her arms around his neck. “I’ll meet you halfway William. You deserve nothing less than that. It… it might take some time but I truly want this to work.”Rather than reply, William simply nodded and held Eliza close. She buried her face into his neck and clung to him. William closed his eyes and held the woman he loved in his arms, alternating between stroking her back and her hair, hardly daring to believe that he wasn’t dreaming. When he heard soft snores coming from her he smiled and rose carefully from the chair so as not to wake her.He carried Eliza to her room, laying her down carefully on the bed, but when it came to disentangling her arms from him, she wouldn’t let go. “Stay.” She murmured sleepily.“Are you sure?” William asked.“Yes.” Eliza said firmly, pulling him down so that he nearly fell on top of her.William chuckled and lay on his side facing her. Eliza immediately slid closer to him and tucked herself against his chest. She promptly resumed her snoring.“I love you.” William whispered before he too followed her into a deep slumber.
The Next Day
William awoke in the most wonderful way possible, to Eliza lightly kissing his lips. He kept his eyes closed, feigning sleep, as she explored his mouth, pressing her lips to his upper lip, lower lip, the corners of his mouth, even kissing his mustache again, though he wasn’t sure if that one had been intentional or not.When he couldn’t help himself any longer he smiled, which caused her to draw back.“You’re awake!” She said, a bit embarrassed at having been caught in the act.“Mmm. I could get used to waking up like this!”Eliza blushed, but didn’t pull away. She stroked his cheek lightly with the back of her hand.“William, I know I said this yesterday, but I am sorry.”“I know sweetheart.” William said, cupping her face in his hand.“You… You didn’t actually accept my apology yesterday.” Eliza said. She had realized it earlier that morning. As she had watched him sleep she had replayed their conversation over in her head. She had told him she was sorry, that she loved him, but he had focused on the later part of her words.William remained silent. Eliza closed her eyes, her heart heavy.“You… you won’t forgive me?” She whispered.“I… I can’t. Not yet. But I will. Eliza, look at me.” He tipped her chin up, waiting for her to open her eyes. When she did, she saw a world of hurt within his.“You are so precious to me.” William’s voice cracked slightly. “I know that you’ll try to keep your word, to be more careful, to meet me partway, but…” he took a deep breath, “but I also know you . And I know, no matter how well intentioned you are, you will always get so wrapped up in your cases that you won’t see anything around you. You won’t see me. I’m not ready to accept your apology, I think I have to come to terms with the fact that something like this will happen again, it’s inevitable, but Eliza, know this,” William reached up to cup her face within both of his hands, “I love you. We’ll disagree, we’ll fight, but it will never stop me from loving you.”Eliza nodded, tears streaming down her face. “I… I understand William.” And I have to prove him wrong. I do see him, and I never want to hurt him this badly ever again. A firm resolve sparked within her. William noticed and couldn’t help but smile, feeling optimistic about their future.
This will work. I can see she wants it to as much as I do.
“Now, no more tears or they’ll be no more kisses.” William said sternly, then frowned. “That’s stupid, I want to kiss you.”Eliza burst out laughing and kissed William on the lips again. “Now, show me how to do this properly.”William chuckled and nodded. “Hold on.”“Hold on? To wha…?” Eliza was cut off as William’s arms wrapped around her waist as he rolled her over onto her back. Now he was looking down at her, her blue eyes full of surprise.“It’ll be easier if I take the lead.” William’s body was completely covering hers, he belatedly realized that he might be coming on too strong. He pushed up to his forearms. “Sorry.” He muttered, abashed, as he went to lay next to her, but Eliza’s arms wrapped around his upper back, holding him in place.“No, stay. I… I like how you feel.” Feeling brave, she stroked William’s shoulders, her touch featherlight. “Lay back down.” She whispered, wanting to reach more of him.William obliged, careful not to crush her as he moved slightly to the right, then rested his head in the crook of her neck, his breath warm against her skin. Eliza was giddy with… well, she wasn’t quite sure with what, having never felt that way before, but she was excited and her hands eagerly wandered over William’s shoulder blades and across his broad back. She let out a nervous giggle.“‘Liza? What’s so funny?” William mumbled into her neck.“Doing this. With you.” Eliza explained, as she let her hand come to rest in the dip of William’s lower back.William turned his head a bit more, his nose brushing against her cheek.“And that’s funny why?” He was amused, but also not quite sure what was going through her mind.“Because, it’s you. I’ve known you for so long, I see you nearly every day, except when we fight.” She huffed a laugh. “But I know you’re always there. And now you’re here, with me, like this, and… and it feels so nice. I… I didn’t know it could feel this way. That I could be this happy. With you. I didn’t expect it, but I’m so glad that… Mmm…”William’s lips cut her off her rambling as he kissed her passionately, his tongue lightly gliding over the seam of her mouth. Eliza gasped, causing him to stop.“Too much?” He asked. He’s been with other women, many if the rumors are true, am I being naive? Does he expect more from me? “No…” Eliza said, but there was a furrow in her brow. William gently smoothed it away with the pad of his thumb.“Breakfast?” He asked, a smile on his face.“Is that okay?” Eliza asked, realizing that perhaps she had been too bold with what she had initially said, but she truly wasn’t ready to take on anything more intimate.“Eliza, it’s always okay. Promise me you’ll always be honest with what you feel comfortable with.”Eliza nodded, “I will. And thank you.”“Of course. Now, let’s see if you have any of those eggs left!”“William, at this rate I might need to invest in a chicken or two!”Chuckling, William took her hand and helped her from the bed. They headed downstairs, hand-in-hand, two eternal optimists, looking forward to a future, together.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
NEW YORK - 2023
Two Weeks Later
William
“I can’t see you right now. Please, just go.”
William lay staring up at the hospital’s ceiling tiles, the words he had spoken to Eliza just the previous week running through his mind on a loop.William was still a bit fuzzy on the details of what had happened after he had been abducted. He had been on his way to meet Eliza at the diner when someone in dark clothing, their face obscured by a cap, stopped him to ask for directions. He leaned over to point out where they had to go on the phone’s map that they were holding out. He never even noticed as they removed a spray bottle and sprayed him with something. He had felt arms catch him with difficulty, and then he had blacked out until waking up in the pool. He knew that Eliza had come for him, remembered her scent and warmth, had heard her fighting, but the pain had caused him to black out for most of it. When he had come to, it was in a hospital bed, his right foot wrapped in bandages, his ribs too, and he could tell that on his cheek he sported several stitches. Numbly, William began to count the cracks in the ceiling, wondering how many of his ribs were also cracked, when there was a knock at the door and Patrick barged in, carrying a massive bouquet of flowers.“Hello sunshine!” He said cheerfully as he set the flowers down on William’s end table, knocking off the bedpan and some packaged bandages. William groaned in reply and closed his eyes, hoping Patrick wouldn’t be there when he opened them again.“Are you in pain?” Patrick asked. William opened his eyes, Patrick was leaning over him, nearly nose-to-nose.“No. Why are you here?”“Eliza told me what happened. That you asked her to leave.”“And I suppose you’re here to tell me I should forgive her.”“No.”“No?” William actually perked up, seeming interested in the unexpected reply. Patrick hid a smile, glad that he had captured his friend’s attention. William had ignored anyone who visited him, not answering any questions, and everyone was extremely worried about him.“She hurt you. Betrayed you. Went out of her way to catch the Wallace twins despite the danger. Everything that annoys you.”Each of Patrick’s sentences was like an old wound being reopened, his love for Eliza bleeding out of them.“Is this reverse psychology? Am I supposed to say I love her and none of that matters?”“No, of course not.”“But…”“But perhaps you should talk to her. When you’re ready. She’s not doing that well either.” Patrick added gently.William squeezed his eyes closed, ignoring the tears that were trickling from them.“I hate that I’m going to forgive her.” William said. He felt Patrick’s hand cover his and squeeze it.“I don’t think you really mean that. But you don’t have to forgive her any time soon. Just talk to her. Okay?”Patrick didn’t wait for a reply, he pat William’s hand one final time, then left.Once his footsteps receded out of earshot, William let out a deep breath.
This is not going to be easy.
And with that, William fell into yet another sleep plagued with nightmares.
One Week Earlier
Eliza sat by William’s bedside, as she had for the past week, idly tracing the outline of the NYPD shield tattooed on his forearm, wondering when he had gotten it done, as it was still fresh. As were the myriad wounds he had sustained at the twins’ hands.He had been dropped into the empty pool, that was when he had sustained most of his injuries, the cracked ribs, the badly sprained ankle, which thankfully wasn’t broken, he had bitten his tongue, his cheek had stitches, but all Eliza could think of were the words of the kind nurse who had tried to console her that very morning. “ He’s young and healthy. He’ll heal. It’ll just take time.” But will his heart ever heal? Eliza reached out to gently place her hand over William’s heart, the feel of it pounding against her palm soothing her. He had spent most of the past week sleeping, his body needing time to heal. Eliza hadn’t left his side, not even at the urging of their friends.Everyone had been supportive, coming by to see William, to talk to her, to force food upon her. Even Clementine had found out what had happened, probably from Moses, and the moment her friend had seen the anguish on her face, all of the anger Clementine had for her had evaporated faster than a teacher running out of the schoolhouse on the last day of school…* * *
“Liza, Imma so sad to hear ‘bout Willie boy!” Clementine ran into William’s hospital room and stopped short at seeing William, laying prone on the bed, looking very small for such a large man.
“Jesus…” She let out on a shocked breath. She looked at Eliza, who stared at her with red rimmed eyes.
“It’s bad Clem. So very bad.” Eliza didn’t even bother wiping at the tears that were running down her face.
Clementine approached Eliza slowly and crouched at the side of her chair, no easy feat in the 5” high heels and tight pencil skirt she was wearing.
“He’s a stong’un though, so he’s gunna be ah’ight.” Clementine did her best to try to sound convincing, but it wasn’t fooling Eliza. She just nodded in reply.
“It’s all my fault!” Eliza said. “And having you angry at me…”
Clementine quickly cut her off. “Nah, an’ ah’s also sorry bout thinkin’ you said all that bull poo to that Basil guy. I been talkin’ to Gus, and dat man had a point, I know in the deepest deeps of mah heart that ur my friend and you’d never ever say that bout me.”
“Thank you. For forgiving me.” Eliza said, clenching Clementine’s hands between her own. “Thank you.” She whispered gratefully.
William moaned in his sleep, both women glanced at him, faces full of worry.
“Now ya let me know if ya need anytheen, ya hear? Ima stay with Gus for now, but ah’ll get heyah quicker than junebug headed to a porch light.” Clementine could tell that Eliza wanted to be alone with William.
She hugged Eliza tightly, rocking her from side-to-side, before standing. No sooner had she started to head for the door, Eliza was already gingerly sitting at the edge of William’s bed, stroking his face and muttering endearments softly to him…
* * *
This was such a disaster. It could’ve gone so horribly wrong. If I had known that William had been abducted I never would’ve told Patrick and Moses to wait till I had a full confession. I swear William, you would’ve been my priority, the case be damned.
She shook her head to clear it.“You are my priority. Now and always. I’m so sorry I never made you feel that way. So very sorry.”Eliza continued to stare at William’s pale face.“I love you so much.” She whispered.William stirred slightly, moaning.“Hush, I’m right here.” She stood and stroked the hair back from his face. He had been moaning in his sleep, and Eliza had realized it was from nightmares, and not always from physical pain.William’s eyes flashed open, with more awareness than any of the other times he had been awake.“Eliza?” He struggled to speak.She quickly dipped a clean washcloth in water and pressed it to his dry lips. “Shhh… you’re safe now.”William looked straight at her.“I can’t see you right now. Please, just go.”And Eliza’s heart broke all over again.
Present Day
William
William had been in the hospital for a total of three weeks. Other than being heartbroken, the doctors saw no need for him to stay there any longer. They gave him a bag full of prescriptions, a list of what had to be done to care for his various wounds, and the business card of the NYPD Psychiatrist. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay with me? Or Oliver?” Patrick asked as he held out three different canes.“I only need one.” William said wryly as he reached for a cane that caught his fancy. It was the simplest one, a black cane with a silver handle engraved with a scrollwork design.Patrick grinned.“What?”“Eliza liked that one too. I of course prefer something with more style.” Patrick held up his 3-headed lion’s cane proudly.“I believe you mean ostentatious.” Oliver supplied helpfully.“Potatoe-potato.”“Still, the offer stands, I have a spare room.” Patrick said. “You wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor.”Oliver looked affronted. “He could have slept on my couch. I just couldn’t get him up there.”“I’ll be fine. Besides, all my things are there. And I can’t avoid her forever.”Patrick and Oliver shared a worried glance. William wouldn’t even say Eliza’s name aloud. The men had been texting her with updates on William’s health, but every time they mentioned having her visit, he was adamant that she shouldn’t. Not wanting to distress him, they eventually stopped asking.They slowly made their way outside to Patrick’s Tesla, where Moses stood, leaning against the hood. Patrick grimaced, but didn’t say anything. Moses grinned.“Ready?” Moses asked as William approached.“As ready as I’ll ever be.” He replied with a sigh. Despite healing, he still looked haggard and exhausted. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and he had lost an alarming amount of weight. Patrick and Oliver had no trouble helping into the passenger seat.“Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?” Oliver asked, wringing his hands.William shook his head. “I’ll be fine. Thank you. All of you, for everything.”The men nodded, said their farewells, and watched as Patrick drove off.Moses glanced at Oliver.“You’re worried.”“Aren’t you?”“Yes.”Oliver’s shoulders slumped. He had hoped for a more optimistic reply, but appreciated being told the truth.“Come, let's spar for a bit. It’ll help both of us.” Oliver nodded and followed Moses up the street.
The Scarlet/Wellington Residence
Is that William? Patrick told me he was going to bring him home today.
Eliza practically ran to the door, skidding on the wooden floor.“William!” She cried out as she flung the front door open. He nearly stumbled when he saw the state she was in.Eliza was pale and gaunt, her hair tied in a messy ponytail, she was wearing stained sweats, and a ripped t-shirt that made her look waif-like. Her face was blotchy from the nearly constant crying and her eyes were bloodshot.She reached out to him, but he held out a hand stopping her.“Eliza, I really need time to myself. I can’t deal with you, with us, yet.”“Can’t deal…?” Eliza took a step back and hugged herself. “Oh. Okay…” she said shakily. “Okay. Whatever you need. Excuse me.”She turned quickly and hurried away.“You don’t think you were being a bit harsh?” Patrick asked, not unkindly. He hated seeing his friends in pain. Especially because he didn’t have many and Eliza and William were the closest thing to family that he had.William let out a deep breath.“My mind’s too jumbled, too many drugs. I can’t think straight. I can’t talk to her just yet.”“Okay buddy. Let me help you inside.”Patrick led William to the couch and set him down. William heard footsteps from upstairs. Eliza seemed to be pacing.“Do you want anything before I go?” Patrick asked.William snorted a laugh. “How about a time machine?”Patrick gave a wry smile. “I was thinking more along the lines of a glass of water.”
That Night
Eliza
Eliza hadn’t stepped a foot downstairs since William had returned late that afternoon. She didn’t need anything anyway. Except for him.She had stood at the top of the stairway, wishing she could see into the living room. Instead she strained her hearing, listening to William dropping his cane, cursing, spilling something, then finally quiet as she surmised that he had at last lay down to sleep.Wanting to remain as close to him as she dared, she decided to sit on the top step, and continue to listen, in case he needed anything and changed his mind about talking to her. Please William, please talk to me. Was her final thought as she rested her head against the bannister and reluctantly fell asleep.
William
William covered his eyes with his arm. Sleep was not coming easily, and even if it had, the persistent nightmares would torture him before he could wake up, anxious and sweating, thinking he had been abducted all over again.He reached for his phone and decided to clean out the old voice mail messages he hadn’t listened to.
*BEEP-BEEP*
You have 23 unheard messages. Press 1 to list…
*BEEP*
Message number one…
There was the sound of traffic passing by on a busy street before Eliza’s voice came screaming through the phone’s speakers, startling William and causing him to drop the phone on his lap. He winced as it hit a bruise then quickly put it to his ear.
“Aargh! I’M SORRY AND I LOVE YOU! WHERE ARE YOU? Shoot, I just left that as a voicemail.”
*BEEP*
To delete press 7… To replay press 9…
William pressed 9. Again. And again. Eliza’s voice shouting out “I love you” over and over, oddly soothing him despite the volume.
Tomorrow, I’ll talk to her tomorrow.
And with that, he finally fell asleep.
Eliza
Ow… my neck. Eliza tilted her head sideways, trying to get the crick out her neck. She stopped halfway through turning her head to the other side. What’s that sound? Still wanting to respect William’s wishes for privacy, she tiptoed to the base of the stairs and stood for a moment. Then she heard it again, a moaning sound followed by protests.“No, no… don’t…”Eliza ran to the couch and crouched at William’s side. He was trying to toss and turn, but he was still bandaged and had gotten tangled in the blanket.“William, William, please, wake up. I’m here, shhh… I’m here.” She reached out to grasp his clammy cheeks between her hands. “Wake up.”“Eliza?” William’s tongue felt thick in his mouth.“It was a nightmare. Just a nightmare.” Eliza explained. “I’m here.”“I… I was falling. I keep falling and… I dread the landing. It hurts so much.” He muttered, closing his eyes, but to her relief he wasn’t pushing her away.“Do you remember? You were dropped into the pool.”“I only remember bits and pieces. These dreams…” William gasped, as though trying to breathe. “I can’t sleep. I haven’t slept in so long.” He said sadly. “I’m tired. So tired.” He sounded so weary, Eliza wanted to cry. Instead she blinked back her tears, they wouldn’t help either of them and decided to take a risk.“Please William, come to bed with me. I know you hate me right now, but let me comfort you.”“I… I don’t… Wait, you think I hate you?” William was instantly more awake and turned to look at her.“Don’t you?” She asked in a hushed voice. “I know I would.”“Eliza, I don’t hate you. I just can’t think straight. I… I can’t process everything that’s happened, and you and me… it’s just too much.”Eliza nodded. “Will you come to bed?” She asked again. “Let me hold you. We don’t have to talk. Not until you’re ready.”“Alright.” William acquiesced. Eliza’s face lit up as she smiled broadly.“I missed seeing that on your face.” William muttered as he reached out to touch her lips. They were dry and cracked beneath his fingers. “Jesus.” He muttered.
She’s in pain too. We’re both hurting so much. She truly is my soulmate, we feel each other’s pain… The anger, the hurt, it’s not worth it. We’ll work through it.
“I’ll need the boot.” William pointed to the foot of the couch, where the boot had ended up after he had tossed it aside.“Okay.” Eliza retrieved it then slid her arms beneath William’s to help him into a sitting position.
He’s so thin.
She tried not to fall into despair as she helped him put the boot on then stand, one arm over her shoulders, the cane in his free hand.Slowly and carefully they made their way up the stairs, one at a time, each of them breathing deeply with the exertion.By the time they made it to the bed William lay back, completely spent.Eliza raised his legs and removed the boot, checking that the bandages hadn’t been loosened. She carefully pulled the blanket over him before walking to her side and sliding in.“Can I… can I hold you?” She asked timidly.“Aye.” He said drowsily.Eliza reached out and carefully curled herself against William’s side, her left hand resting over his heart, her right cradling his head, and her face next to his.“Sleep my love, sleep.” Then she too closed her eyes and let the rise and fall of William’s chest lull her to sleep.
William
Where am I? William blinked, confused. The room was silent, there was no beeping of hospital machinery, no sounds of nurses walking by his door, no hallway lights shining in. Just the sound of… Eliza breathing. And it felt… right.
I have to learn to forgive her. Somehow.
The anger ebbed and flowed at random times through William, he knew he needed Eliza, but that undercurrent of feeling betrayed wouldn’t go away. And he desperately wanted it to. For both their sakes. “Hello my dear boy. Seems like you’re having a tough time of things.” Henry’s voice came from the doorway, causing William to jerk in shock. Instinctively he pulled the blanket up over Eliza. “Henry? Aren’t you and Skip still traveling? I thought you were in Japan now. Or is it Korea? I’m not even sure what day it is.” William said.Henry chuckled kindly and Skip gave a joyous yip from where he was nestled beneath Henry’s arm. “I just left Korea! On my way to China next! I’m just a figment of your imagination. And the cocktail of drugs you’re on!” Henry said cheerfully as he stepped closer to the bed.
“Then you already know everything that’s happened.”
“Yes. Your side of it.”
“And now I’m supposed to argue with myself?”
“It’s your daydream.” He said with a shrug. “You can do as you please.” William’s lips quirked in a half smile as he thought of what his friend and mentor would say to him.
“She forgave me, when I had to cover for you being undercover.”
Henry nodded. William paused, knowing what was coming, but Henry took over for him.
“She’s only human, my boy, as are you. And yes, she made a grievous error in judgment. But is that enough to cause the two of you to part?”
Henry tipped his chin, indicating for William to look down.Eliza was still curled around William, her fist clenched into his t-shirt. Rather than a peaceful mien, her brow was furrowed, and from the tight set of her jaw, William could tell that she was grinding her teeth in her sleep.
Nothing can part us. I won’t let it.
William leaned forward and pressed his lips to Eliza’s forehead. She immediately relaxed, her fingers went slack, and a small smile formed on her lips.
I love you. And I always will.
William looked at Henry once more. The older man smiled at him in approval, then he and Skip began to fade away.
Thank you.
William wrapped an arm around Eliza, ignoring the twinge of pain from his ribs, and kissed the top of her head.
I’m not well, as much as I hate to admit it, I won’t be able to do this alone. I… think I need to find that doctor’s card. I need help, or I won’t be able to be the man I need to be for Eliza.
He squeezed her slightly.
I forgive you.
And suddenly his heart felt light and he fell into a dreamless sleep.
A Week Later
William stood in front of the wooden door and read the name engraved on the gold plaque affixed to it. Dr. Charlene Ellis NYPD Psychiatrist He took a deep breath before reaching out and turning the knob.
Here goes nothing…
An Hour Later
“Thank you Doctor.” William said, feeling better for having spoken to someone who was outside his circle of friends.“You’re very welcome, William. I’ll see you next week, same time…”“...same place. Yes.”
I’m glad my health insurance didn’t stop during my suspension. I really think she can help me.
William was lost in his thoughts as he left the office, wondering what to do with himself next. He still had difficulty walking, but wanted to get around on his own as much as possible using rideshare services. With a sigh he pulled out his phone to call for a car, when he received a text.
Wellington, the Commissioner requests your presence immediately.
William felt a shiver of Déjà vu as he read the text from the Police Commissioner’s assistant.
No use delaying the inevitable I suppose.
And with that, his hopeful mood vanished in an instant as he called a car to take him to 1PP.
Eliza
I hope William is doing okay. He seems much better, but lately I’ve been having trouble figuring out what he’s thinking.
Eliza picked up her coffee mug, took a sip, then grimaced as she realized it was black, she had forgotten to add milk. She put the mug back down and groaned. The NYPD shield logo was on the other side, taunting her.
Everything will be alright. Everything will be alright… It’s just coffee…
Still, not wanting to tempt fate, she poured the coffee into a pink mug Clementine had left behind and added milk before heading to the living room with her tablet.
I will not read the news. I will not look at Basil’s website.
She turned on her tablet and stared at the homescreen.
I need a hobby. Maybe I should take up knitting…
Eliza opened the YouTube app and typed in “Yarn.”
Whoa… Wow, you can dye yarn with Kool-Aid?
Distracted, Eliza began to peruse the videos, slowly going off topic.
Giddy to be Gowned in Scheele’s Green? What on Earth is that?
Curious, Eliza clicked on the video and began to watch as an animation of two skeletons began to waltz across the screen, the lady skeleton clad in a beautiful green gown with a matching paper wreath adorning her head, the man in a green velvet suit. Soon the music faded out and the narrator’s smooth voice came through the tablet’s speakers.
Giddy for Green, the crème de la crème of London society, went crazy for Carl Wilhelm Scheele’s latest color, a beautiful and vibrant green, reminiscent of fiddleheads and ivy vines. But little did they know the deadly nature behind the color. Or did they…?
The narrator’s voice dropped, and Eliza, despite knowing nothing of dying yarn or fabric, was mesmerized by the story which began to unfold. She watched and drank her coffee, her morning’s problematic thoughts fading away. Until…
…but when one of the most famous lacemakers of the Victorian Era, Ichabod Wallace, rose to fame for his lace and innovative wedding gown designs, his twin sister, and business partner, Irene, would too. But for all the wrong reasons…
Eliza’s eyes were glued to the screen as she watched and learned that Irene Wallace had poisoned unfaithful brides with arsenic, dressed them in wedding gowns, and left the bodies by water.She thought back to what Frank had told her about Lacey and Ricki…
“Sweet cheeks, their great-great-great- I might be missing a ‘great’ but you get the point, grandmother was wackadoodle. Don’t ask how, but I managed to uncover a police record from 1883. Irene Wallace had been imprisoned for murdering unfaithful brides. She had used arsenic and dressed ‘em in wedding gowns or something then dumped them in water. She had a daughter while incarcerated, Inoncencia, and then she had a daughter, and so forth. Lacey’s middle name is Irene.”
Eliza shivered and slowly lowered her tablet screen, the video going silent. Why does 1883 seem like a significant year? It gives me the oddest sense of Déjà vu … I think I should go for a walk. I need to clear my head, and William won’t be back yet. William… Why is it so easy to picture him in a Victorian Era suit? Then again he looks good even in sweats. I miss him… With an odd feeling still lingering over her, Eliza went out to try to enjoy the afternoon, but thoughts of how to work things out with William were still at the forefront of her mind.
William
1PP
“Hello Laddie.” Munro said.William tried to gauge his superior’s mood. Everyone else in the bullpen had been happy to see him, albeit horrified at how battered he still looked. With Munro it was hard to tell.“Whisky?” Munro asked, holding up a decanter that he too kept hidden in his desk drawer.William shook his head. “Thank you, but no. Too many meds.” He explained as he gingerly took a seat and tried not to trip over his cane.“Ah yes, you took quite the banging up.” Munro replied, eyeing William a bit sadly. “I’m sorry laddie. But not that sorry.”William looked up, wondering at the callous response.“Sir?”“Well you and your Miss Scarlet’s adventures seemed to have made the headlines. The two of you are being labeled as heroes.” Munro said, a smile twitching at the edge of his mouth.“What?” Am I still in the hospital dreaming? “I suppose you haven’t seen this yet.” Munro said as he turned his computer screen around.William couldn’t help but feel a bit panicked. That was until he began to read…
@CUInMyLace<3 Twin Terrors Shed Tourmaline Tears! That’s right gals, it’s finally safe to get married, and cheat, again!
What is this City coming to when a promiscuous gal can’t go around and have a bit of fun before being shackled for life?
Well have no fear, the intrepid Sergeant William Wellington and his gal pal, the incredible, indelible, and irreproachable, Eliza “Sweet Cheeks” Scarlet, have once again made our filthy City a safer place for future brides.
Yeah, you read that correctly, the Twin Terrors, Lacey Irene Lacewal, and her twin sister, Ricki Rachel “Rickrack” Inoncencia Wallace (ain’t that a mouthful, seriously, what were their parents thinking?) have been apprehended and arrested by the dynamic duo.
Despite facing near drowning, poisoning, ill-fitting undies, and death, our brave heroes forged on with no regard to their own safety to keep you safe in your pre-marital beds.
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that we all owe a huge THANK YOU to the Sarge and Sweet Cheeks. In fact, I think the Sarge should get promoted and Sweet Cheeks a commendation.
Just sayin’. 🍑
“Sir, I don’t understand.” William said, feeling a glimmer of hope and hoping it wasn’t for naught.“This is your ‘get out of jail free’ pass Laddie. The Police Commissioner can hardly fire you now. And the Mayor never even knew it was Miss Scarlet that leaked the information. Instead of a hearing, etc., they decided to hush everything up. You’re back on duty. Sergeant.”Munro was grinning as he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out William’s badge and gun.“Of course, you’ll still have to wait till you can actually walk again.” Munro added, eyeing William's leg, which was stretched out in front of him. “Yes Sir.”“And one more thing, call it a warning if you will.”William looked at Munro.“If Miss Scarlet helps with any future cases it has to be above board. You need written approval and she has to sign an NDA. I know the two of you are close, and I’m sure you share a lot, being in the same line of business, but no more bed talk about cases unless she’s been cleared. Capiche?”“Very capiche. I’m surprised that I can still work with her.” William said.Munro snorted a laugh. “Don’t have much choice. The two of you are the newest media darlings. And it’s good PR for us. I wouldn’t even be surprised if you both end up on a morning show.”“Oh.” William replied a bit dumbly. None of this conversation had gone how he had expected.“Now go rest, we’ll see you once the doctors sign off on your papers.”“Yes Sir. Thank you Sir. Thank you so much.” William said as he shakily stood and held out his hand.Munro clasped it warmly then made a shooing gesture.William headed back to the bullpen, a bit unsteady on his feet, but more from the news than from his ankle troubling him. Suddenly, from all around him, came applause. The entire bullpen, officers, detectives, even some of the perps, were clapping for him.In a heartbeat, Oliver was at his side.“I suppose I should go back to calling you Sergeant now?”William grinned, “I’m still ‘William’ until I can walk again.” He replied, looping an arm around Oliver’s shoulders and pulling him close.“Did you all know?” William asked as Officers Murphy, Lee, and Hewitt approached him.They all nodded with beaming smiles.“You should read the news more often, Duke.” Murphy said.“Isn’t it interesting how Basil’s website was updated?” Hewitt pointed out.Lee hid a laugh behind her hand.William lowered his voice before speaking, “I know, I know. I don’t know what possessed him after everything we’d been through but…” William felt a surge of gratitude for his former partner.“Guilt?” Murphy said.“It doesn’t matter, you’ll be back soon and everything will be alright!” Lee said cheerfully.“Yeah, and you’ll prevent another murder when you return.” Murphy added.As one, all their heads swiveled towards William’s office, where Lieutenant Hudson was railing at a detective for not having gotten a DNA result in time.Lee pounded a fist into her other hand. “I pretend it’s his face when I’m boxing.”Oliver turned pale at that.“Olie?” William said, before realizing, “Oh… right the ‘friendly’ NYPD/FDNY/DSNY boxing match is soon… I had completely forgotten about it. You’ll be fine. I’m betting all my money on you.” William said thoughtlessly before realizing that would stress Oliver out even more. The young man gulped nervously and nodded.“Would you like us to call a patrol car for you?” Hewitt asked as they escorted William outside.“Nah, it’s alright, I’ll get a Lyft. I have a stop to make before I go home.”“You’ll be alright?” Oliver asked.“Aye lad, I’ll be just fine.”
Later
🎶…Because I’m happy… Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth …Da da da… Clap along if you forgot the lyrics to the song… cha cha cha…🎶 Eliza stopped short in the hallway. Is that William singing? She hurried to the kitchen and stared at her boyfriend from the doorway.He was sitting at the counter, a massive basket in front of him, and peaches lay everywhere. He was carefully placing them in the basket, checking that they wouldn’t topple out. Occasionally he would pause to take a bite of a peach he had sacrificed to his growing appetite.
He’s eating! William’s appetite had been erratic of late, just seeing him munch on a peach made Eliza want to do a happy dance. Instead she cleared her throat and entered.“What’s all this? And this ?” She quirked an eyebrow as she spotted the latest issue of Playboy next to the basket. “Are we trying something new?” She asked hopefully. They hadn’t been intimate since the whole incident and Eliza didn’t want to push her luck with anything, as William seemed to have forgiven her. They slept together, held one another, she’d soothe him if he was having a nightmare, but they hadn’t actually done anything more than share fleeting kisses.“Wow, how does she not tip over with boobs this size?” Eliza ogled the centerfold image and let out a sigh before glancing down at her, much smaller, chest.William didn’t even glance up from where he was fiddling with a bow to say, “‘Liza, your boobs are perfect, you know that.” He looked up to give her a wink. “Open Basil’s website.”“Wha…? Why?” Eliza actually took a step back away from her tablet, as though it was going to shoot laser beams at her.“Just do it. Trust me.” William insisted.
He’s not angry, the complete opposite in fact. So did Basil retract the original story?
Trying to stop her hands from shaking, she pulled over her tablet and propped it up. Warily she clicked on Basil’s website to the newest entry filling up the entire home page. William watched her expression change from one of shock, to glee, to pure joy.“That explains all these peaches… Wait, did you… Your job?” She almost didn’t dare hope…William nodded with a wide grin. “Aye, I did. Munro called me in. I can return to duty as soon as the doctors see fit!”“Oh William!” She flung her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. He chuckled and pressed his face to hers.She stroked the hair at the nape of his neck and pressed her body into his. William leaned away slightly and kissed her cheek before returning his attention back to the skewed bow atop the basket.Eliza tried to mask the surprise she felt at being rejected by her boyfriend. William must have sensed her tension because he turned back and around cupped the side of her face with one hand, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. Not yet. I’m not ready. She could read his expression easily this time. She nodded and pressed his hand to her face before kissing his palm. William looked relieved.
Thank you.
“Why don’t I help you with this bow?” Eliza offered.“Now that sounds like a plan.”She stepped up to his side and they worked in a comfortable silence, Eliza making loops while William held them in place so she could knot them.“Not bad.” William said a few moments later, eyeing their handiwork.“I think he’ll really like it.”“I can’t believe I feel grateful to that wretch. I still can’t help but wonder why he did it.”“I think that perhaps in some way, he wants to redeem himself. I know he hurt you,” Eliza added quickly, “but he also looked up to you. Everything that happened… it must have hurt him too.” “Huh.” William seemed to mull that over. He nodded slowly. “I’ll have this delivered to him.”“Before you do that, I… I have a present for you too. Come with me.” Eliza handed William his cane and walked by his side to the living room, where she helped him down onto the sofa before sitting by his side.She took a deep breath and reached for an envelope and pair of scissors which she had left on the coffee table.“This is for you.” She said, handing him the envelope first.William, baffled, took it from her and opened it. He didn’t know what was going on, but he could tell it was significant and he had the oddest feeling that it could change the course of their relationship. Of their future.“Eliza? This is your private investigator’s license.” He squinted at it. “Does it need renewing?”“What? No. Here.” She handed William the scissors.“Eliza, what are these for? What’s going on?”“I’m giving it up. All of it.”“All of what?” He still couldn’t figure out what was happening.“William,” she said softly, “I’m giving it all up, being a private investigator, the office, all of it.”William was rendered speechless. His jaw dropped as Eliza began to explain.“I’ve given it a lot of thought actually. It’s not a financially viable job, and more importantly is the fact that I nearly lost you over it. I almost lost you for a job . And my hubris. I won’t let that happen again.” Eliza said adamantly, shaking her head. “So I’m done. You can cut it up.”“Eliza…”“You are my priority William.”She pressed the scissors into his hands. Instead of using them, he put them, and the license, back onto the table and took Eliza’s hands within his.“Eliza,” he said, a sad smile on his face, “I can’t accept this. Not now, not ever.” Eliza’s eyes widened in surprise.“I thought…”William shook his head, “It’s not what I want. I don’t want to strip you of who you are. Eliza, I love you for who you are , a brave and inquisitive woman, who wants to help her friends, but I… I need to feel important to you. I know I am,” he held up a hand, forestalling her, “but…”“...I don’t show it the right way. And I rush into everything… and I push our relationship aside.”William nodded. “Eliza, I’m… I’m still not well. Not yet. Today, at the psychiatrist, it helped, but it’s just a first step. I need your support too.” He let out a sigh. “The nightmares are fading, you do help with that, but I have a long way to go. And I get these flashbacks… Some very odd ones…”WIlliam let go of her to scrub his eyes with the heels of his hands. She reached out to pull his hands away from his face, revealing the tears streaming down his cheeks.“I’m so sorry William. I feel so guilty all the time…” Eliza sniffled back her tears.“Sweetheart, no, I don’t want you to feel guilty anymore. What’s done is done, and we need to find a way to move on. Together.”Eliza nodded. “Come here.” She whispered.William obediently followed her lead and lay back, his head pillowed against Eliza’s chest as she reclined sideways on the sofa. She stroked his hair as her tears fell from her face down onto William’s, their pain intermingling as they cried together.There was a comfort in it, healing wounds so deep that only the other could understand. Soon their breathing evened out and they simply held one another.“I love you William.”“I love you Eliza.”
The Next Day
Eliza looked around her office and sighed.
So many years, so many memories.
She smiled at the old calendar on the wall, perpetually turned to May. Though it was called The Top 12 Hottest Cops of the NYPD there was no contest. William, Mr. May, was the hottest of them all.Eliza looked at her worn leather desk chair and imagined a younger version of her father there. She smiled as a memory floated through her mind…* * *
“My dear girl, what troubles you?” Henry asked as Eliza barged in. With a huff she dropped her backpack and sat down in the chair across from him. Her blonde hair was falling loose from the ponytail she had hastily tied it in, and there was chocolate, or no, was that soot on her face? She also seemed to have changed into her gym clothing. “Lizzie?” Henry asked, growing worried. He didn’t know if it was one of her many chemistry experiments gone wrong, or worse, a disaster in Home Ec.
“I just can’t believe the nerve of that man. I mean boy.” Eliza bristled, crossing her arms and scowling.
“Which boy?” Henry asked, fighting to hide a grin. He was secretly pleased that someone had finally gotten Eliza to notice them. He worried about her tendency to be a loner.
“ That boy. Wilfred? Wilheim? I wasn’t paying attention.” “And what did Wilfred/Wilheim do that was so egregious?” Henry asked. Eliza never forgets a name, he thought, she’s lying about not remembering. He must have really made an impression on her!
“He picked me up and carried me!”
Henry’s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in anger. “I’m calling your school. Lizzie, you were assaulted?”
“What? No!” Then Eliza realized what she had said and groaned. “Hesavedmylife.” She muttered. “Sort of.”
“He what? Lizzie, you’d better tell me what happened right now.” Though he was generally affable, if his daughter’s life was in danger, Henry became very protective.
“I was baking a chocolate cake. My first one sank, I don’t know why. Cakes are stupid.” She blew her breath out, causing a tendril of hair to fly up then land back down on her nose. “So I made another one. But how was I supposed to know that you should only fill the tray two thirds of the way?” For a smart girl, Henry was oftimes surprised at her lack of common sense. “Anyway, I filled it too much, it dripped, caught on the flame beneath the gas stove, and WHOOSH, I may have started a teesny-weensy fire. But Papa,” she said, seeing Henry’s incredulous expression, “I was putting it out! I do know how to use a fire extinguisher.” She said proudly. “But then the flames grew and that boy came in to tell me to run. But I wasn’t done. So he had the nerve to pick me up and sling me over his shoulder. Then the fire men came. I was perfectly alright. I did not need his help.”
Henry made a mental note to call the school and find out the boy’s name to personally thank him.
“His name might be William,” Eliza went on, oblivious to Henry at this point, “he’s very tall. I think he’s older than the other boys. Maybe he was held back.” She mulled this over briefly. “Perhaps he’s not very academic. He’s tall, oh I already said that, and Scottish I think. He has a faint accent. His hair is brown and his eyes are very interesting. They’re not quite brown, and not quite green. He’s obviously very strong.” Henry gave up and knew he was grinning. She’s interested in a boy! Maybe he’ll take her to prom!
Eliza looked up at her father, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. “He’s dating a cheerleader. Meghan.” She said, knowing what her father was thinking. She conveniently left out what had happened following her rescue. “And before you ask, I do NOT like him.”
* * * I love him. Eliza thought with a smile. It had taken time, a tenuous friendship, many escapades, and even more years to go by, but they had finally ended up together.
I will NEVER EVER hurt him again.
*RING-RING*
Eliza’s desk phone rang, breaking her out of her thoughts. She didn’t recognize the number on the Caller ID.“Eliza Scarlet, Private Investigator.” She said, wondering if it would be the last time she spoke those words from her office.“Hello my dear girl!” Henry’s cheerful voice called out through the static-y line.“Papa! Are you and Skip in China?”“Yes! I just wanted to call to see how you were. I had the oddest feeling you needed to talk.”Eliza let out a laugh which quickly changed to sob. “If you only knew the half of it!”“Why don’t you tell me what troubles you. I have all the time in the world.”Eliza nodded, then realized her father couldn’t see her. She let out a deep breath and began to catch up Henry on everything that had transpired, ending with, “So I’m thinking it’s time for me to move on and work for Patrick. I… I hope you’re not disappointed…”“My dear dear girl, why ever would you think that?” Henry asked. “How could I be disappointed in you? You’ve taken the agency so far, I’m the proudest Papa in the world! And I would know, since I’m traveling it!” He let out a guffaw and Eliza could hear Skip barking excitedly in the background.Eliza sniffled and wiped at her tears, feeling a huge burden eased from her shoulders.“I will caution you just one thing.”“Yes?”“Don’t forget to keep your priorities in order.” Henry said firmly.“Yes Papa. I am never making that mistake again!”“Good girl. Now give my love to William and tell Patrick you want 10% more than what he’s planning on offering you!”Eliza laughed. “I will. I love you.”“And I love you too. Yes Skip, you love Lizzie also, I’ll tell her. Skip sends his love.”With a final goodbye they hung up.Eliza let out a whoosh of air.
I feel much better. Though I still have some reservations about working for Patrick, or more so the clientele that hires him, I know he’ll do right by me. I’ll be able to spend more time on the cases than trying to find clients.
Eliza reached out to pick up her phone, but accidentally jostled the mouse on her desk. Her screen lit up and she saw she had a new email. Her eyes went wide as she read and she slowly retracted her hand, realizing she wouldn’t have to call Patrick after all.
Freelance Investigator Position Available
From: [email protected]To: [email protected]Good day Miss Scarlet,I’m writing to you on behalf of the Judge Loon Court TV show of which you recently aided Ms. Clementine Jolie in Episode 23: Steering a Steer: The Clementine Jolie vs Klementyne LaFou Case . We were very impressed with your work in assisting Ms. Jolie in recovering her missing steer and her truck. Therefore we would like to enquire if you would be open to being an investigator on retainer for our studio. We have many cases, which despite Judge Loon having given a verdict, we unfortunately can not always enforce that justice is served. We would need you to continue investigating and follow up so that any missing items, monies, or people are recovered and returned to the rightful owner.If this is an arrangement that would interest you, please provide us with your current rates and we will work out a monthly compensation agreeable to both parties.We look forward to hearing from you,Peter NorthExecutive Producer, Judge Loon Court TVEliza knew she must have looked ridiculous. Her jaw had dropped and she was staring at her screen rereading the email until she finally had to blink.
I… I don’t believe this! This is perfect! It solves all of my problems! I’ll have a steady monthly income, I’ll be helping people, I won’t have to go looking for clients, and I won’t have to work for Patrick!
Eliza clapped her hands gleefully and spun around in her chair, laughter erupting from her in waves.
*KNOCK-KNOCK*
“‘Liza? You alright? I haven’t seen you in ages!” Clara cried out as she entered Eliza’s office, her face full of relief. “Where have you been?”“Clara!” Eliza rose from her desk to hug her friend. “Do you have a couple of hours?” She asked wryly. Clara checked her watch and nodded. “I have time before my next class starts.”“Great. Give me one minute, I have an email to reply to and then I’ll tell you everything.”Clara nodded and sat down across from Eliza. Eliza quickly wrote back to Peter North, expressing her interest and giving her rates, then turned her attention to her friend.“Would you like a drink?” Eliza asked, pulling out the bottle of whisky she kept around for William.“Just a small one, I don’t want to fall over teaching Samba!”Eliza poured two glasses and told her story for the second time that day.Clara stared at her the entire time, the whisky glass half-raised to her lips, but never making it to her mouth.“Whoa…” She finally said, “and are you and William…”“Getting there.” Eliza sighed and looked down at the glass in her hands. “We’re doing much better, but we haven’t been intimate since all this happened. I… I miss him, but I don’t want to push him either.”Clara’s face lit up, “I have an idea!” She leaned forward, her face lit up, “Take a dance class at my studio! It’ll definitely bring you closer. You kept saying you would do it one day. Why not now?”Eliza sat back and thought it over. “William’s doing better, he’s going to PT, but I wonder if his ankle will be alright.”“I can also teach lap dancing.” Clara said with a wink.Eliza laughed. “Let me talk to him and see if he’d feel up to it.”Clara nodded. “You could also ask your friends. Oh, by the way, Patrick had come by looking for you, but you’ve seen him since then.”“Huh, he didn’t tell me that.” Eliza shrugged. “I wonder what he wanted.”“You could ask him if he wants to take the dance class too. But he has a cane…”Eliza laughed, “The cane is for show. He doesn’t really need it. Clara, are you interested in Patrick?” Eliza’s eyes were shining with excitement.Clara took a sip of whisky, stalling for time. “He seems nice. Not the best at flirting though.”Eliza smiled. “He’s a good man.”“But you don’t want to work for him?”“It’s not him per se, I just want to be my own boss. I’ll invite him. And Oliver and Hattie, and Clementine and Moses.” “Wonderful! Just let me know when William feels up to it and I’ll pencil you guys in!” Clara downed the remainder of her whisky and stood, grabbing the back of the chair for balance. “I’m such a lightweight!” She giggled as she waved goodbye.Eliza waved back, feeling much happier than she had in a very long time.
I should call William and tell him all the news!
Hattie and Oliver
“You want me to what?” Oliver asked as he ran a hand through his hair, completely confused.“Poke my belly! See!” Hattie pulled up her shirt revealing a circle drawn around her belly button. She had written Poke Here in a curlicue script using a pink marker. “This wasn’t easy, I had to do it backwards in a mirror!”“Okay…” Oliver tentatively reached out and put his finger into his girlfriend’s navel.
Is this a new fetish? I hope I like it if it is. Actually, I don’t really care, I’d do anything she asks of me.
Smiling, he watched as she dropped the hem of her t-shirt and held out her left hand almost robotically.She had written PUSH along her knuckles. Oliver obliged and she turned her hand over, revealing an arrow drawn upwards along her wrist.“Push up my sleeve!” Hattie whispered.Oliver tried, but noticed a piece of yellow paper caught there. “Am I supposed to read this?”“Yes!”He unfolded it and began to read. “Pull down my sock…”Hattie stood with one leg forward, Oliver could see a piece of paper tucked in the elastic band.“Pull down my shorts… Hattie, this font is Comic Sans, even I know that!”Hattie burst out into giggles. “I was wondering if you’d catch that! Keep going!”
Twenty Minutes Later
Oliver was wearily pulling more signs off of a half-naked Hattie. She was standing in her lace undies with just her shirt on. Colorful paper was scattered all around them.
“Just a few more! Hang in there Olie!”Oliver’s stomach rumbled in reply.“No.”“No?” Hattie blinked in shock. She couldn’t remember Oliver ever saying those words to her.“No. Hattie, what is going on? I came by because I had something important to ask you, and we’ve been at this for quite a while.” He suddenly froze, “You’re… you’re not breaking up with me, are you? Is this some new way to let me down gently?”“What? Olie, no, of course not. I’m not breaking up with you, the opposite in fact!” Hattie pulled up her shirt revealing her naked breasts. “Olie! Look a bit higher up!”Oliver drew his gaze upwards, and there, written beneath her collarbone, were the words, Will you move in with me? With hearts doodled around them.“Yes! That’s what I’ve been trying to ask you!” Oliver grabbed Hattie around the waist and swung her around, the scraps of paper fluttering around them as though they were in a psychedelic snow globe.Hattie wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, her long brown hair flowing behind her.“You were really going to ask me that too?” Hattie asked, breathing heavily.“Yes. But we were supposed to be naked. That’s what William had said.”Hattie giggled. “I think we can make that happen.” Taking Oliver’s hand she led him to her bedroom for a night full of fun and passion.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
LONDON - 1883
Four Months Later
The bride walked down the aisle, resplendent in a modest ivory gown. Her eyes were brimming with tears of joy. She sniffled, trying to suppress them, but one managed to escape and trail down her cheek. A handkerchief was surreptitiously passed to her by the person walking her down the aisle. She smiled gratefully at them then turned her attention to the man waiting at the top of the altar for her. He too looked tearfully happy and she couldn’t help but quicken her pace, her eagerness to be his wife driving her forward.Eliza bit back a laugh at Ivy’s enthusiasm. It was she walking her dearest friend, the woman who had been a mother to her most of her life, towards Mr. Potts.“Your bride.” Eliza said, handing her off to her future husband. “I’m so happy for both of you.” Eliza whispered before taking a step off to the side. She settled into her position of bridesmaid then glanced across at William, who to his utmost surprise, had been asked to be best man.William winked cheekily at Eliza, who blushed, then they both turned their attention to the pastor, who had cleared his throat to begin the ceremony.It passed in a whirl, the pastor’s words of love and faithfulness flowing around her as she snuck looks at William. He in turn had given up on paying attention and continued to gaze at Eliza, openly admiring her in the pale pink gown she was wearing. Matching roses had been artfully arranged in her updo.“You look lovely.” William said softly to her as they followed the bride and groom out of the church.“Thank you.” Eliza replied, squeezing William’s hand tightly. “You look very handsome yourself. Pink suits you.”William looked down at his pink waistcoat, embroidered with roses in gold thread, and chuckled. “Never would’ve chosen this if you hadn’t insisted.”Eliza grinned. “I’m always right.”“Yes dear.” William joked, not minding at all that he was wearing something other than his usual black, navy, or grays. Eliza had insisted on accompanying William to his tailor, she had chosen the fabric, wanting him to match with her. Initially he was going to protest, but then she had rested her palm against his chest, studying the fabric against his skin tone, and instead of disagreeing with her, he had tipped her chin up and kissed her. Right in front of everyone in the shop. She hadn’t minded.He smiled at the memory then glanced down at her. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, are you free for lunch tomorrow?”They stepped out of the church, squinting in the bright sunlight. Their friends were surrounding Ivy and Barnabus, congratulating them.“Of course. Tomorrow’s Friday. We usually have lunch on Fridays.” Eliza replied, a bit confused. Following Eliza’s harrowing abduction, and her declaration of love, they had begun to have lunch together at least a couple of times a week and spent nearly all of their evenings together. Before she could ask William what was going on, he nodded.“Good. Dress comfortably.”“Dress comfortably? William Wellington, what are you up to?” Eliza asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.“It’s a surprise.” He leaned over to kiss her smooth cheek. “Now come, we have the breakfast celebration to get to!”Eliza let William lead her to a waiting carriage, butterflies in her stomach, as she hoped her guess as to what was to happen on the morrow was to come true.
The Next Day
“Damn it!” William grumbled. “This wasn’t at all how it was supposed to go.” He looked around for a clean handkerchief but all of them had been used to wipe up the wine. “Shit.”Eliza couldn’t help but giggle. They were sitting on a blanket beneath a large oak tree in the park. William had laid out a feast worthy of a king, but he was a nervous wreck. He had accidentally spilled some wine, knocked over a jar of strawberry jam, and now, just to add fuel to the flames, a dove had done its business right on his shoulder.Eliza reached into her purse, pulled out a clean handkerchief, and leaned over to wipe at his shoulder. “Thanks.” He mumbled a bit sheepishly, knowing he was overreacting.“William, perhaps you would like to ask me what it is you wanted to ask me before we lose half of the meal to your nerves?”“So you know?” He asked glumly. Eliza nodded in reply. “Stupid question, of course you do, you’re a brilliant detective after all.” He tenderly stroked her pinkened cheek with the back of his hand. “I love you.”Eliza smiled back at him. “I know. If you ask me, I’ll say ‘yes’, so you have nothing to be nervous about.”William burst out laughing. “I’ve made a right mess of this, haven’t I?”“Not at all. Now ask quickly, I think it’s about to rain.”“Of course it is.” William sighed then gave himself a mental shake, focusing on the woman in front of him. “Eliza, you’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” Eliza felt tears running down her cheeks. William cupped her face with one hand and gently wiped them away with his thumb. “Don’t cry love or I’ll get emotional too and won’t be able to finish.” Eliza laughed tearfully and placed her hand over William’s, turning her head to kiss his palm.“Now, where was I?”“You were telling me I’m beautiful.”“Right! You are, even that time you were covered in pigeon poop. When I saw you, that day, God Eliza, I knew, I knew deep in my heart that whatever else I am unsure of in my life, the one thing that I know is that we’re meant to be together. You are my heart. I’m just sorry it took me so long to act upon it.”Eliza shook her head. “I wasn’t ready.”“But now you are?”“Now I am.” Eliza said firmly.“Then, Eliza Scarlet, would you do me the honor of being my wife? My partner in life?” William let go of Eliza’s face to reach into the picnic basket. He pulled out a fairly large box.“William! What? Is my ring that large?” She asked, flabbergasted as she studied the box as he placed it on her lap. She shook it curiously. It seemed as though a few things rattled inside.“You’d best hurry. There’s about twenty boxes in there and I think I hear thunder.” William said.Eliza was laughing so hard she was bent over the box. “William, did you really…?”“Well yes, you said you like unwrapping more than the actual present.”“I did. But twenty boxes?” She began to undo the pale blue ribbon on the first box.“There are a few things inside.” William explained.She pulled the lid off of the first box. An envelope was jammed to the side as a smaller box was taking up most of the space. She picked up the envelope and opened it, pulling out a folded sheet of paper.“William! This is… this is Oscar Clifton’s wedding dress sketch?”“Aye, I noticed you had studied it more than the other ones. I asked him if the gown could be made. He said yes, he’s taking over the Wallace’s shop, renaming it, and not selling any lace, or anything dyed with toxins. I thought you might like a blue dress, just because…” William trailed off, loath to bring up the day she had been abducted and dressed in the sheer white lace gown.“I do. I do so very much.” She trailed a finger over the sketch. “I love it. Thank you.”There was a loud crack of thunder. William looked up worried.“Care to help me?” Eliza asked, placing the box between them.“Yes.” William opened the next box and handed it to her before opening the next one for himself. “This one has chocolates.”“And this one has a magnifying glass!” Eliza said cheerfully. “It’s perfect!” She said excitedly, holding it up to her eye. “It’s small enough to fit in my purse!”William chuckled. “You’ll probably like that more than the ring!”“Well it is useful.” Eliza said, defending her enthusiastic response.“I know. Here.” They went through the boxes together, they were filled with various gifts and treats, all of them becoming smaller as the nested boxes shrank in size. The blanket began to fill up with scattered boxes, wrapping and tissue papers, and ribbons in every possible color.At last, Eliza pulled out the final box, a dark blue velvet one. She lightly ran her finger over the top of it, a combination of nerves and excitement causing her to tremble.“Will you… will you give it to me?” Eliza asked, her voice barely above a whisper.William nodded. He took the box from her, opened it, then turned it around to show her the ring inside. “Eliza, will you share your life with me?”Eliza nodded, openly crying and not caring. She held her left hand out. William, sniffing himself, removed the ring from the box and slid the baguette cut sapphire ring onto her finger. No sooner had it hit the base of her finger, Eliza flung her arms around William’s neck and kissed him.His arms quickly wrapped around her petite body, pulling her close. He kissed her back, pouring all of his love into the act.No sooner had Eliza’s tongue lightly flicked against his, a deluge of rain broke out, drenching them both. They pulled back to look at one another, grins on their faces. William’s hair had fallen in waves over his forehead, he looked boyish and happier than Eliza had ever seen him.“Should we seek shelter?” William asked, making no move to salvage their picnic.“No. I think we can weather this, and any future storms, together. It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Eliza asked, looking up at the cloudy gray sky, the cool rain splattering against her face. But it couldn’t put out the flame of love burning inside her. Nothing ever would.“Aye. Isn’t it just?” And William bent over, capturing his fiancés lips with his, and continued their kiss as two white doves watched from above amongst the shelter of the oak tree’s branches.
Hanwell Asylum
“Jack and Jill, Went up the hill, To fetch a pail of water, Jack fell down, And broke his crown, And Jill came tumbling after.”
An eerie cackle followed the offkey singing.“And how are we today Miss Wallace?” A nurse clad in white cautiously entered the room with a tray of food. A single paper sheet covered the tray in lieu of a plate. There were no utensils.Irene Wallace’s eyes flashed up to the nurse. A slow and deranged smile spread across her thin lips.
“Jack and Jill went up the hill…”
“Yes, I know.” The nurse said, trying to suppress a shiver. Working in the Criminally Insane ward was one of the least desirable shifts. But someone had to do it.
“To fetch a pail of water…”
The nurse did her best to refrain from sighing. No matter how hard Dr. Ellis tried, Irene Wallace refused to say anything, other than singing the same nursery song over and over again. “Enjoy your dinner Miss Wallace.” The nurse said, knowing it was futile to expect a different response.She exited the room, keeping her gaze on Irene the entire time, then locked the door, double-checking the knob to make sure there was no way for the woman inside to escape.Had she stayed by the door a moment longer she would have heard Irene change her tune…“Don’t worry little one.” She said as she rubbed her distended belly, “No one will ever hurt you little Inoncencia. You’re mine and I will keep you safe. They can’t take you away from me. ” She whispered. “No matter how hard they try. Even Uncle Ichy couldn’t. You. Are. Mine.” She repeated. Then she gasped as she felt a kick from within. “One day sweetling. One day we’ll get our revenge.” She cackled again.Ignoring the meal that had been left for her she once again picked up her tune where she had left off.
“Jack fell down, And broke his crown, And Jill came tumbling after.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
NEW YORK - 2023
Two Weeks Later
William
“Ouch…” William could hear Patrick saying to their friends as they sat in the front row of the NYPD/FDNY/DSNY “Friendly” Interagency Boxing Match.William glanced over at the ring. Oliver had just gotten punched in the face, hard, and was stumbling backwards.“KICK HIS ASS OLIE!” Hattie shouted as she stood on her chair looking like a colorful cheerleader. She was holding silver glittery pom-poms, had put streamers in her pigtails, and was wearing a short skirt.Patrick waved his cane threateningly at the man sitting behind them, who was more interested in Hattie’s legs than the match. The man immediately averted his eyes.“How’s he doing?” William unnecessarily asked as he and Eliza approached.“William! You need to help cheer him on. He’s losing!” Hattie exclaimed sadly. Moses was at the edge of the ring, moping Oliver’s face with a towel. The young man wore a dazed expression on his face.“He’s fightin’ worse that a half-blind, lame rooster in a cock fight.” Clementine exclaimed, never peeling her eyes from the ring for a moment.William found he couldn’t disagree, so he nodded and headed up there to see how he could help.Eliza moved to stand between Patrick and Clementine.“How’s he doing?” Patrick asked, inclining his head towards William, who was talking in Oliver’s ear, the young man seeming to perk up.“Much better. He hardly needs the cane now.” Eliza said, eyeing Patrick’s with a grin.“And the two of you?”Eliza smiled at Patrick, “We’re getting there. Speaking of, my friend Clara mentioned us all taking a group dance class…” “She asked about me?” Patrick asked in a rush, his face lighting up.Eliza grinned slyly, “Maybe…”“Yes. Tell her yes.”“Hush ya’ll I cain’t watch with y’all yammerin’ like’at!” Clementine interrupted as the match resumed, Oliver, though still bloody, looking much cheered up.Patrick and Eliza shared wry looks, it was so noisy, there was nothing to hear but shouting.William returned to Eliza’s side, looking rather pleased with himself.“What did you say to him?” Eliza leaned up towards his ear to ask.“That Hattie’s going to do something special for him tonight if he wins.” William winked.“Is she?”William shrugged, “I have no idea, but it seems like something she would do. And look, it’s working!”Oliver had gotten his second wind. He was steadily pummeling a DSNY worker who was twice his size. But Oliver was lithe and fast and was using it to his advantage to weave and duck around his opponent. The crowd was going wild, but unfortunately most of them had bet against Oliver and they didn’t want the underdog winning.William felt a clap on his shoulder. His officers, Murphy, Lee, and Hewitt joined them.“Glad I bet on the kid Sarge. I’m gonna make a pretty penny off of this!” Murphy said gleefully.Lee scoffed, “You bet on both of them!”Hewitt burst out laughing. “Better safe than sorry, eh?”“Illegal gambling?” Munro asked in mock seriousness as he came up to them. Everyone shuffled a bit guiltily.“Sir…” Hewitt began to explain.“The lad’s doing well.” Munro cut him off. “Glad I bet on him too.”They all burst out laughing.“HE WON!” Hattie shouted, jumping up and down. Patrick quickly put an arm around her legs to prevent her from falling off her seat. She dropped her pompoms and cupped her hands around her mouth, “YOU WON!!! I LOVE YOU BABY!”“Whooeee… Theyah’s gonna be sum good stuff goin’ down…I mean comin’ up with’em tonight!” Clementine added for good measure. “Hey, Moses. You need any help gettin’ anythin’ up tonight?”“I never need help.” Moses replied with a grin as he leaned over the ring’s ropes.Oliver staggered to the edge next to Moses and draped himself over the rope, he was sweaty, bloodied, and sported a black eye but from the wide grin on his face he didn’t even seem to realize the state he was in.“I… love… you… too! All… of… you…” He huffed as he collapsed to the ground, wheezing.Hattie quickly made her way to the ring, Moses helping to pull her up. The others began to follow but Munro put a hand on William’s arm, stopping him and Eliza.“There’s an NDA on my desk with your name on it.” Munro told Eliza.“Sir, I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” Eliza glanced at William who also looked confused, until his face registered surprise.“Shoot, with everything going on, I had forgotten to tell you.”“Tell me what?”“It seems your escapades have put the NYPD between a rock and a hard place. The press loves the idea of a couple, ‘partners at work and in love’,” Munro threw up air quotes before continuing, “solving cases together. We’re allowing it, for now, but it has to be completely above board. NDA and all that.”“William…”William turned to her guiltily. “Eliza, I’m so sorry I had forgotten to tell you. I was distracted, and not being at work…”But Eliza looked far from annoyed. Instead she was beaming and reached out to grab William’s hands.“We’re finally going to be official work partners!” Elia exclaimed joyfully. “After all these years!”William smiled, a memory from high school resurfacing…* * *
“Our first case?” William had gone to retrieve the roll of paper towels. He turned back to look at Eliza over his shoulder.
“Yes. I’m sure we’ll have many more once we’re partners. We’ll solve lots of mysteries together.” Eliza took a sheet of paper from him and dropped it on the floor.
* * *“Yes sweetheart, we are.” William leaned forward to kiss Eliza’s cheek. She let him, but then quickly pulled back to turn to Hattie and the others, who had come down from the ring.“Hattie! You can design my new logo!” Eliza said excitedly. Hattie nodded enthusiastically, not quite sure what Eliza was talking about, but game to help out.“We needa go out-n-partay! Girl’s night out! Wheech strip club in this big City have the hunkiest man people?” Clementine asked, with a wink in Moses’ direction.The ladies began to chatter, looking up strip clubs and bars on their phones.“Should we do the same?” Patrick asked.“Drinks on me!” Oliver weakly said, but despite having his arms looped over Patrick and Moses’ shoulders he was still grinning widely.They all began to head outside, Eliza sidling up to William and taking his arm.“Strip club?” William asked with an arched eyebrow.Eliza shrugged a shoulder. “Jealous?”“I do prefer it being my pink glittery ass you admire, but go have fun.” Eliza burst out laughing and gave William a side hug.“You too.”
That Night
What is this? William stared at his hand as he pulled it back from the doorknob. He chuckled as he realized it was pink glittery body cream.He quietly let himself in and bit back a laugh at the scene that met him in the living room.Eliza, wearing a hot pink outfit that was obviously Clementine’s, was sleeping on the couch, her head practically hanging off of the side, her hair was tangled and brushing along the floor. He could see the pink glitter in it shimmering in the moonlight which was streaming in from the windowHattie was sleeping on her side under the coffee table, hugging a massive pink elephant doll. And Clementine was actually sleeping on the table on her stomach, her limbs dangling off the edge.William carefully knelt by Eliza’s side, wincing slightly as he put pressure on his ankle. Gently, he lifted her head, tucked a pillow beneath her cheek, then kissed her forehead. Eliza smiled but didn’t awaken.
Good night sweetheart.
Then he headed upstairs, tasting pink glitter on his lips.
N-E-1 Can Dance
“Left, William. No no no, the other left!” Clara called out worriedly as William went one way and Eliza the other.“OW!” Eliza cried as William stepped on her foot for the third, or was it the fourth, time.“Sorry love.” He muttered sheepishly. “It’s my ankle…”Eliza stopped swaying to the music and crossed her arms to glare at him. “Your foot is affecting your sense of direction?”William shrugged, grinning shamefacedly. “Aye? It’s like acupuncture. The can feet relate to many other parts of the body.”Clementine scoffed loudly as she and Moses expertly waltzed by them, Oliver and Hattie gracefully right behind.Clara and Patrick approached. Eliza smiled as she noticed he had an arm around Clara’s waist, and she had a pink flush across her cheeks.“Why don’t we switch up?” Clara suggested.“It’s your toes…” Eliza replied as she took Patrick’s hand. William shot her a look but didn’t really have the grounds to argue.“You and Clara look cozy.” Eliza remarked once they had danced a bit away.“I like her.” Patrick said bluntly.“Oohh…” Eliza grinned.“Yes. She’s… special.” Patrick replied. “She’s funny and sassy and… I think she’s holding back a bit.”Eliza pat Patrick on the chest. “Hang in there. She’s been through a lot.” Patrick nodded. “I figured something was up.”“Give her time.” Eliza said as she glanced at William who was cursing colorfully in Scottish Gaelic, something he only did when truly annoyed.Patrick nodded. “I understand.”Meanwhile Clara was staring incredulously at William, the least coordinated person she had ever met.“What?” He growled, then immediately felt bad. “Sorry. I’m so bad at this. I should get an award.”Clara burst out into uncontrollable laughter, mostly because she was at her wits end from guiding him to the left nearly every time they took a step.“Perhaps your talents lay elsewhere.” She said kindly.“Eh… I’m good at drinking whisky!” He perked up and looked around. “I don’t suppose you have any?”“I don’t, but Eliza keeps that bottle in her drawer…”William winked. “I’ll be right back. Give your feet a chance to recover.”Eliza saw William quickly make an exit and shook her head. Patrick was laughing so hard he was practically leaning on Eliza.By the time he could get himself under control, William had returned with the bottle of whisky and some paper cups. He headed over to the stereo system and fiddled with it until…
🎶…Ooh…You can dance…You can jive…Having the time of your life…Ooh, see that girl…Watch that scene…Digging the dancing queen…🎶
William grinned and swayed his hips as he began to pour out the whisky and pass around the cups.“Now this is a party!”Eliza laughed as she took a cup and he swung her around by the waist.“Those pants are looking good on you.” William said into her ear, sliding his free hand down to cup her buttock and squeeze. “Someone has good taste.”Eliza slid her hands into William’s hair and pressed herself against him.“I know for a fact that Clementine helped you pick these out.”“But they’re not pink.”“Close enough, they’re… what’d she call it? Coral?”“Very peachy.”William pulled back. “You’ve been talking to Frank too much.”“Could I get a refill?” Oliver hiccuped from next to them.Hattie giggled, equally inebriated. “I… only gave them a quarter of a cup.” William said in awe as the pair burst out into giggles.“A quarter of a cup too much.” Moses said.“Wowsa. If just a lil’ whisky duz that to’em, they’d best not try mah unca’s moonshine. One sniff and they’d sleep fer a week!” Clementine said with a grin, but she was looking a bit tipsy herself as she leaned her weight onto Moses and pressed her bosom into his ches. Moses didn’t seem to mind, either the alcohol had mellowed him to her attentions, or the general celebratory mood of the room was putting him in a good mood too.Clara was smiling, watching from the stereo, where she adjusted the playlist to disco music.“Hello.” Patrick said as he came over with a cup for Clara. “Can I tempt you with some of William’s whisky? I know for a fact it’s the good stuff.”Clara took the glass, but her lips were pressed into a tight smile.“What’s wrong?” Patrick asked softly.“I… um nothing. I just don’t want to get too drunk.”Patrick’s eyes widened in surprise. “I would never take advantage of you. Or any woman.”“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply…” Clara sighed, her mismatched eyes cast downwards.“Someone hurt you?”“My ex-husband. ‘Liza helped me out. A lot.” Clara said. “But the whole experience made me overly cautious.”Patrick nodded thoughtfully. “Do you like me?”“Sorry?” Clara looked up at him in surprise at his blunt statement.“Do you like me?” He repeated, a smile on his face.“Yes… I think I do.”“Good! Because I think I like you too. How about we go slow? Perhaps I can buy you lunch to start?” Patrick loosely took her hand within his.“Okay.” Clara said shyly. “Next week?”“Sure… Damn it, I’m going to be in Greece. Rain check?”Clara looked a bit put off.“I’m going alone. For a case. Please don’t tell Eliza.”“That sounds odd.” Clara said, feeling suddenly suspicious.“It’s not, I swear it. I’m trying to keep her safe by working with a mobster so Clementine could get her truck back. I have to go to Greece to find his son. At least he thinks it’s his son.” Patrick also looked confused. “I don’t have a great many details to go by.”“That sounds so weird it has to be true.” Clara looked lost in thought for a while. “I want to go with you.”“Wait, what???” Patrick was so astonished he nearly dropped his cup.“I want to go with you.”“I thought you didn’t even trust me.”“Patrick, I’m tired. Tired of being afraid and guarded. Tired of thinking the worst of men. I… I want to throw caution to the wind and do something crazy for once. I want to go with you.” She repeated firmly.“But… but…” Patrick sputtered. “It’s too dangerous even for Eliza!”Clara reached out an arm, placed it on his shoulder, then swung a leg around behind his knee. He suddenly found himself on his back, Clara straddling him, her hands pressed to his chest.“I can take care of myself.”“I can see that. I don’t have much of a say in this, do I?”“Nope.”“Ah.”Though he was worried, a part of him felt very happy that Clara was being so adamant about joining him.“What happened?” Eliza asked as they all ran over.“I think I’ve fallen in love. Literally.” Patrick said happily.“You two have the right idea.” William said before pressing his lips to Eliza’s cheek. “Let’s go home.” He said to Eliza.“William Wellington, you are not ruining these pants!”“Don’t worry, I bought a back up pair!”
The Scarlet/Wellington Residence
Giggling like school children, it took a few tries for William to get the key into the front door lock. Once the door finally opened, he took Eliza’s hand and pulled her inside. His lips were a mere few centimeters from hers when…
*BANG-BANG*
“What in the hell is that?” William instinctively reached for his gun before realizing he didn’t have it.Eliza had her baton out, her inebriation quickly vanishing as the adrenaline began to pump through her.
*BANG-BANG*
“Is it coming from the walls?” Eliza leaned her ear against the hallway wall.“Is there a rat in there?”“I… I think it’s the pipes…” Eliza followed the banging up to the bathroom. The banging seemed louder closer to the bathtub.Hesitantly they peered over the tub. Tiny droplets of water were falling from the tap.William laughed. “That’s not so bad! I’ll have a look at it tomorrow.”“Alright. If you need help, I can call the landlord.”“Nah, I got this.”
That Night
William leaned over to kiss Eliza.
*DRIP*
He missed her lips and kissed the pillow as she turned her head to face the bathroom.
*DRIP*
“That’s annoying.” She said.
*DRIP*
“Ignore it.”
*DRIP*
“It’s really loud.”
*DRIP*
“It did it again!”
*DRIP*
“I’m going to sleep on the couch.” Eliza grabbed her pillow, held it over her head and ran off.
*DRIP*
“ARGH!”
The Next Day
Who said plumbing was hard? This wasn’t so bad!
William smiled as he stood in front of the bathtub, pleased with his handiwork on the faucet. After spending the past two hours working on the incessant drip that had been driving him and Eliza crazy all night, he had finally managed to fix it. And now, sweaty and tired, he was desperately longing for a nice hot bath. “It’s a-me, Mario!” He said in a horrible Italian accent as he hefted the wrench in his hand, about to return it to the toolbox. He had just bent over when he heard an odd rumbling noise.“What the hell is that?”“William?” Eliza called from downstairs, “did you hear that?”William watched horrified as the thin pipe leading up to the knobs began to rattle as if The Blob was about to burst out of it. Or worse, New York sewage.“Eliza, stay back!” William held his arms out, blocking her from entering the bathroom.“Will…”
*VROOM*
A huge spray of water shot out of the tub’s faucet with so much force that it sprayed back out of the tub and hit William squarely in the face and chest. “William, stay there!” Eliza shouted over the noise of the steady spray. “I’m going to go in from behind you to turn it off! Cover me.”William stood, feeling a bit stupid, with his legs spread and his arms wide, slowly walking forwards, acting as a human shield for Eliza who was peeking out from behind him. When he got closer to the tub, Eliza slid from his side and sidled up behind the faucet, catching it unawares. She reached for the closest tool, a hammer, and used it to whack at the knobs. Just as abruptly as it had started, the water stopped.She turned around to face William, triumphantly wielding the hammer like a prized trophy.William blinked, water dripping from his eyelashes.“Oh no!” Eliza exclaimed, but she began to giggle as William slowly came to.“You find this funny, do you?” William said seriously.“I… I’m sorry…” Eliza replied, feeling guilty. William was completely soaked. “I didn’t mean…”“Well, let’s see how you like this!” William grinned then shook himself off like a great big bear just exiting a river.“William! Stop!” Eliza said, shielding herself with her arms. “I’m getting all wet!” She laughed and nearly fell over. William caught her around the waist and pulled her close.“Good thing I wasn’t working on the toilet.” William joked.Eliza smiled back at him and reached up to push his hair back from his face. It was good to see him smile again. A true smile that reached his eyes. In that moment Eliza knew, come what may, they would always be alright.“My body misses yours.” William said softly.Eliza nodded and reached for a nearby towel, which wasn’t much drier than William, but she used it to gently wipe over his chest. She focused on his wet body, actually feeling a bit shy, before taking a deep breath and looking up at him. “My body misses yours too.”She heard William’s breath hitch in his chest before he leaned forward to nuzzle her neck. “I miss your taco.”“Huh? Do you want tacos for dinner?” Eliza asked, confused by the turn the conversation was taking.William snorted a laugh into her ear, his body heaving with mirth. “I was told the taco emoji symbolizes…” Eliza felt his hand slide down her back, over her thigh, before trailing to her inner thigh, his palm cupping her…“William! My… hoo-ha is a taco?”“According to the kids these days.” William squeezed her lightly, pressing his palm upwards, causing her to squeak in surprise. “At least in emojis.”“Are… are you sure you want to?” Eliza asked nervously. “We haven’t… ahem since…”William let go of her to cradle her face between both hands. “Yes. I’m sure. Eliza, you’re everything to me. And you made a mistake. I’ve learned to get past that.”“But… I don’t know if I can.” Eliza said softly. “ I still feel so guilty. You were almost killed, because of me.” A sob wracked from Eliza’s chest and she tried to cover her face with her hands, but William wouldn’t let her.
She’s in more pain than I had realized. I… was thinking of myself this entire time. Thinking of how she betrayed me, how hurt I was. I… I think I always thought I loved her more than she loved me. I know I can’t live without her, but perhaps, she can’t live without me either.
William broke out into a huge grin, his heart suddenly felt very light.“Will… William? Are you alright?” Eliza stared at him, not sure what her boyfriend was thinking.“I am. Eliza, I…” William laughed, his entire speech of forgiveness flowing out of his mind as he realized words didn’t matter. “Fuck it. I love you.” Suddenly she was in William’s embrace, so tight that her feet dangled off the floor. His mouth was on hers, kissing her as though he needed her to breathe.Eliza gasped in shock then kissed him back.“You are my woman. My soulmate. My partner. And I’m yours.” William grabbed Eliza by her peachy cheeks and hefted her up, her legs instinctively wrapping around him.“Nothing, come hell or high water, will ever part us.” William said emphatically. “Okay?”“Okay.” Eliza said, letting William carry her to their bedroom.“Good. Now, where were we?”“I believe we were talking about my taco. And dinner.”“Yum.” William growled as he tossed her onto the bed, with his body landing on top of hers.“I’m going to eat your taco.” William began to kiss his way down Eliza’s damp body, pulling up the hem of her t-shirt.“Yum.” He said again, licking her over her panties. “Lettuce flavored.” He paused, hearing his words in his head.“This just got weird.” Eliza said.“Aye, didn’t it just? I think ice-cream works better.” William shrugged and hooked his fingers through the waistband of Eliza’s panties and began to slide them off. She shimmied her hips, helping him, then removed her t-shirt.William looked her over appreciatively. “How I’ve missed you.”Eliza sniffled. “I’ve missed you too.” She whispered as she held her arms out.William embraced her, her hands wandering over his back to remove his clothing.She fisted his t-shirt and began to tug on it, William turned onto his back so she could straddle him, then pull it off. She made short work of his sweatpants too. Then they just stared at one another.“Come here.” Eliza obliged, pressing herself along the length of William’s torso. His arms wrapped around her and he simply held her close. Their breathing began to match and their hearts beat as one. They let out soft sighs.“I love you.” Eliza murmured as she hugged him tightly.“I forgive you.” William replied, realizing it was the first time he actually said those words aloud to her as he saw the surprise register on her face.“Thank you.” She whispered.He kissed the crown of her head. “My love.”Eliza spread her legs on either side of him, hinting that she was ready for more. William chuckled and gently rolled her over so he was now on top of her. Almost reverently he kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, then finally her lips. Eliza arched into him, her moans breathy. William took his time, savoring the taste of Eliza’s skin beneath his lips. He was treating her as though it was their first time together. So different from when they had first made wild passionate love in the NYPD gym.Eliza in turn slowed down, caressing William wherever she could reach, whispering soft endearments before placing kisses along his body, claiming him all over again.When he entered her she couldn’t help but let out a cry of relief. Finally, everything felt right again.They moved as one, undulating their bodies like waves crashing against the shore. Slowly, then building up in power and speed as their bodies met, causing spikes in their pleasure.It wasn’t long before William couldn’t control himself for much longer. “Let go… let go my love.” Eliza said.With a loud groan William’s body shuddered, Eliza’s hands gripped his buttocks, pressing their pelvis’ as hard together as she could, her lover’s trembling setting off her own chain of orgasms. She came, and came again, the pleasure of it all almost bordering on pain. But she never, ever wanted it to end.At last, it could’ve been seconds, it could’ve been minutes, it could have even been forever, William collapsed on top of her, spent. His eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply, but he carefully turned onto his side, making sure Eliza was comfortable.“Sometimes it feels like I’ve loved you for multiple lifetimes.” Eliza said sleepily as she curled up against William.“Aye, my love, doesn’t it just?”Eliza snored in reply.William quickly fell asleep, a smile on his lips.Neither of them heard the drips resuming.
Next Day
“What’s this?” William muttered to himself as he picked up a box that had been left on their stoop. Eliza was gone for the morning, she had a meeting with the Court TV producers, whereas William was home, preparing himself to return to work the next day.“I don’t remember ordering anything.” Curious, he carried it into the kitchen, picked up a butcher’s knife, and slit the tape.“What in the hell… For God’s sake Eliza, what are we supposed to do with an entire bag of… are these…?” He burst out laughing. “Pink glittery Bulls Balls. I bet Clem ordered them. We should decorate a Christmas tree with these. And what’s this? A Willie Warmer?” William studied the crochet Willie Warmer in disbelief. “I think I need an extra extra large.” He chuckled as he looked at the design, a baseball bat and two baseballs. “Can’t hurt to try it on. I’ll take her out to the ballgame!” William chuckled at his horrible pun. “Gotta work on that.”
Meanwhile
“This my order of vibrators?” Frank had taken Knots & Knickers in a very different direction. Originally he was going to shut down the site, but his inbox kept getting flooded with questions and he realized he had a flair for answering them.And so he decided to rebrand as Peachy Squeezer and sell technologically advanced adult toys. He was almost making more money doing that than with the spy supplies.“This doesn’t look like vibrators. Unless I accidentally ordered 100 of ‘em.” Curious he scanned the large box with a wand, nothing beeped, so he opened it.“What? Is this a joke?” Frank chuckled as he pulled out the latest issue of Playboy. A plain piece of paper fell out.
Thanks.
-W
Frank smiled. “You’re welcome. Partner.” He said before reaching for a peach and taking a bite, the juices dripping down his chin.“I should make a pie with all this.” His eyes lit up. “I should send peaches with every order. He he. Or making peach flavored…”
Meanwhile
“WHOOOOO!” Clementine screamed as she soared through the air as she and her favorite cousin, the other Klementein, were hang-gliding over a beautiful meadow. “I definitely gotta bring ‘Liza next time! This heyah shore is a dream come true!”
Meanwhile
“Mooo!” Golden Steak bellowed happily as the children who came to the Central Park petting zoo fed him some fresh hay. “Mooo!”
#TheEndForNow