Blood was blotted on the thick carpet. The candlelight lit the city and flickered as the cold night chilled Lady Allee. Her corset loosened as she approached the lustful room under Big Ben. Ms. Grayson lied on the floor breathless and soaked with the ruby liquid.
“Oh, my dear Lily.” Mr. Grayson repeated as he inspected Lady Allee’s attire.
Everyone knew that Lady Allee was a female detective, perhaps the only one.
“Wait, everyone back away…we don’t want the body exposed.” The roaring Mr. Zachary Cliss entered the highly decorated room ready to race before the judged, yet beautiful Lady Allee to crack the case. Zachary Cliss and Lady Allee hated each other; they were sworn enemies. With pages bound with leather, Lady Allee’s hand moved so fast you couldn’t watch her hand, or you would get motion sickness. She recorded the clues and tried to ignore the oaf in the room. Done! She thought as her hand came to a sudden stop. She tightened her corset and skipped out the door. Stars still shone but were slowly dispersing as the sun peeked through. Morning approached and Lady Allee walked through the streets reflecting.
Chatter started around the town. “Can you believe a lady detective?” “What a fool that Lady Allee is making of herself.” Her footsteps quickened.
“Allee!” She heard a yell. She looked back and saw the golden hair glistening in the morning sun.
“Avery!” She stopped and waited impatiently until Avery caught up with her. Compliments greeted each other and Allee was filled with terror as her eyes filled with water. Lady Avery was highly respected in the busy city life. Allee’s boots were coved with a thick coat of mud, while Avery’s slippers were new and clean as a new shiny coin. They walked in each other’s company and Bong! The clock of 8 continued to band towards Allee’s house. The house maid rushed out.
“Ma’am where have you been? Your hands are ice.” Lady Avery left avoiding getting in trouble, as well as the thick mud surrounding the house. Eyes peered at the scratched writing on the pages. The blue pupils shifted back and forth, and her thoughts raced a thousand miles a minute. Her hands clenched the arm of the chair as the heat rose from her swollen feet to her body.
“I will never become a good detective if I cannot solve the case and kick that… that goon off the case.”
The tears slid down her cheek plop! A ripple touched the surface. Ms. Grayson! Plop! Mr. Grayson! Plop! Mr. Zachary Cliss! Plop! Ms. Emma, the maid! Plop! Mr. Love! Plop! Mr. Hender! Plop! Mr. MacAfee!
“Wait!” she shouted. The tears evaporated as she realized the people, her suspects, and the clues. “Of course, Mr. MacAfee.” She tightened the corset around her waist and put on the highly decorative, yet mud covered sweater. She sprinted out the door, slamming it behind her. Mud flickered upwards as she arrived on Bakers Street. Mr. MacAfee’s house was more like a mansion than a house. Mr. MacAfee was filthy rich and proud of it. The house maid turned the handle, the door creaked open and Allee pushed through the door towards the main living room.
“Mr. MacAfee, I need to speak a few words to you about…” Her words tripped as she saw Zachary Cliss coming out of the kitchen hand in hand with Mr. MacAfee. Her tongue twisted as Mr. Cliss left with a huge smirk on his face ready to pounce on a new lead. She greeted Mr. MacAfee
“I’m sorry about this predicament, but you knew Ms. Grayson?” He replied in a hushed tone sad to speak of the dead.
“Yes, me and Lily…sorry me and Ms. Grayson…spent time together at church and we would wave to each other as we passed by during our strolls…” he paused and then continued to talk more about his experiences with Ms. Grayson. “We grew up together and would play park games, we were very acquainted with each other. I’m so sad that she passed, and we can’t say our hellos on our strolls.” Allee asked more questions, but from all the answers she concluded Mr. MacAfee was not the person that Allee was looking for. Their hands joined as they said their goodbyes. Allee’s blood chilled as she grasped the thin sweater around her body. Her brain rocked with all the things Mr. MacAfee said. “Yes, we would, yes, no, yes, no, well, Mr. Henderson, or was it, no, Hender.” Her mind stopped and thought about the things rehearsed in her head. The thought stuck like a slop of wall plaster on a wall. Mr. Hender was the owner of Hender’s Bakery Co. and lived right across the street from the Grayson’s. As a lady, Allee walked lady-like past The Times Café where the competition lurked in his chair.
“Come sit down.” He urged her.
“I don’t know, I’m very busy.”
He stood abruptly, pulled up a chair, and showed her to the metal cold seat. Frosty flakes fell and stuck on their eyelashes. She closed her eyes and cherished the cold feeling as the froth from her breath spoke.
“What have you found from the case?” She asked hesitantly afraid that he would judge her for being unladylike. She hated the aspects of being a lady, the hair, the clothing that was tight and itchy.
“Well, my first suspect was Mr. MacAfee, but I’m not so sure now, my brain is frozen in this cold.”
“I know, my head is spinning, but all the clues are mixed in my head.”
“Nice visit, but I need to think alone and without my competition near.”
“Good evening.”
“Nice talking to you.”
Her feet trotted behind her. Her hair almost frozen, her eyelids almost closed shut, the freezing cold sensation rose her spine chilling every bone.
“Mr. Henders, how’d you do?” He, of course responded with a fine, and a thank you.
“I was wondering if I could ask you some questions?” She spoke timidly, but a bit firm so the point was understood.
“Do you know Ms. Grayson?”
“Yes, she would always come by for an hour or two.”
“So, do you know that she died?”
He responded like a family member had been killed. Allee went onto ask more questions and gathered information that pointed to a relationship between Mr. Hender and Ms. Grayson. She spoke quietly so he wouldn’t be offended with the next question.
“Were you in an affair together?” She waited earnestly for an answer that could point her to the guilty and the murderer. She waited for an answer, but it was apparent that no words were going to be spoken. His palms sweated, his face turned a shade of red and he nodded slightly, and an overwhelming feeling of relief fell upon Allee. Allee’s suspicions were confirmed and then there was a personal question that needed to be asked.
“Are you married?”
He looked back in both terror and disbelief of this question that was both intriguing and personal, he took a deep breath from exploding and nodded.
“Thank you. Hope you have a good day. This is another strange question…” She turned to look at his bearded, calm, and awaiting face. “Where can I find your wife?”
His face appeared disgusted, and his brows rose. “She’s part of the Lady’s Society of Wilthred, you can find her there every day at 9am.” He spoke shivering from the cold and the fright, his hands trembled, soaked with the cold sweat, and the chill creeped up his back.
“Thank You.”
Lady Allee left the ring of the bakery’s bell on the wooden door and ran quickly home. “Ma’am!” The maid rushed over as Allee entered with blue numb hands and a red flushed face. The flaming hot coals warmed her body. She sat almost asleep on one of the many red fabric chairs that had been passed down from generation to generation. She drifted off to her dreams of solving the case but was awoken.
“Ma’am, I know you are exhausted, but there’s a man here to see you. He’s quite charming.” She said as she held the door partly opened.
“Well, let him in, you don’t want him to freeze in that monstrous weather.”
The tall, proud, young man entered and took the well-furnished seat next to Allee’s. “Welcome, please do make yourself comfortable,” she said annoyed that the “charming” man was the man who she despised.
“Did you find any leads?” He said stoutly and bluntly.
She answered as if in a business interrogation. “Why? You are the best detective in London. Why do you need to know my leads?”
“All my leads and clues have led to a dead end.” Yes! She thought as she kept a straight face. “Well, looks like I’ve outsmarted you.” Lady Allee stated now confident in her potential and her detective skills.
“Now, look who’s proud.”
“You better leave now,” Lady Allee said sternly with her mouth straight as a street.
The door slammed and rumbled the frames on the opposite far wall in the kitchen. The sun shone through the transparent glass as the clock bonged the walls at 8. The corset tightened and the blue floral dress slipped over her waist. The door opened and her eyes adjusted as she was almost blinded by the shining white sheath. The footprints imprinted in the snow as she entered the home of the Lady’s society. With mud covering her apparel, she wasn’t much of a lady, but she was confident that she could crack the case before the goon, Mr. Zachary Cliss.
Peering eyes crossed each other and whispering voices started as Lady Allee asked, “May I please speak with Mrs. Hender privately?”
The ladies crowded, “Look at her boots, covered with 5 inches of snow and mud.”
A woman hopped out, “I am she.”
“I’m going to be blunt. My name is Allee Thatcher, I’m a detective and am solving a case involving Ms. Grayson. Do you know her?” She nodded.
“Now, I’m going to be perfectly frank. Did you kill Ms. Grayson?”
Mrs. Hender’s waist narrowed as anger almost blew her top off like a train. Choo Choo! Chugg Chugg!
“I did not!” She said hesitantly and continued with her thoughts. “That lady deserved what she got. Yes, I killed her. She and Rob…” She started to cry out loud above the swarming voices of the busy bees.
“Ma’am, will you please come with me.”
“Yes.” Her voice was depleted and sounded desperate for help.
The local officers walked down the street and held Mrs. Hender with her hands behind her back. Lady Allee was relieved and confident in the case she cracked, as she watched the middle-aged woman look back.
“You did good, Allee.” She heard a voice behind her, she turned. “Mr. Cliss.” She paused. “How are you?” She thought how ridiculous that question was after she just solved the case before him. “Just fine…I have an appointment, good day.” Mr. Cliss reached to her hand, lowered his head, looked deep into her eyes; there were like a deep sea of mystery, and his rosy delicate lips pressed against her soft skin.
“Zachary.”
He turned, “yes?”
“Did you know about Mrs. Hender?”
His body faced hers and grinned. “Yes.”
“Wait, then how…why didn’t you catch her first?”
He took a step towards her and grabbed her hand. She felt his frigid hands press on her soft, yet callused hands. He answered, while looking deeply into her eyes. “I don’t care about the case, I only care about you.”
A smile showed on her face as her rosy cheeks shined into his brown eyes. He looked deeply into her eyes as he seized her hands grabbed her by the waist and pressed his lips on hers. After embracing each other, he held her and walked towards Allee’s home. They reached the porch and embraced each other with open arms. Allee’s candle used to be flickering, ever twitching because of the love she never had and the confidence she lost. But now, the candle was full and warm because of the true love she gained and the confidence she found, so who cares what people think, her light still shines bright.