„Life shows us the path, but we decide if we go on it or not”

  A light knocked and a few minutes later the door to the hotel room, where Keen had stopped, opened, and he was so surprised to see Emily standing in front of him, although he did not know who this elegant woman was.

  „The detective Vincent Keen?” Emily asked him, looking gently at him, who was even more surprised by the manner she was talking to him as if she was trying to win his sympathy from the very first words.

  „Let’s say I’m this person. But … who are you?”

  „My name is Emily Davis. You probably heard about me before,” and, smiling, Emily took off the gloves, to take off her hat later, fully revealing the beauty of her face. „Can we talk inside?” she said, a request Keen had not expected.

  „Are you sure about this, Miss Davis? It can bring some unpleasant words, addressed to you later.”

  „As if I cared so much about gossip,” Emily said, and, pushing him slightly to one side, she passed him.

  Before closing the door, Keen made sure no one had seen Emily enter, as later, after returning to the room, to look completely unarmed at Emily, who had taken off her coat and sat down on the couch, but though there was nothing vulgar or seductive neither about her clothes, nor in the position in which she sat, her presence here seemed strange and alarming to Keen, but he decided to keep those thoughts to himself.

  „May I offer you something to drink, Miss Davis?”

  „You better take a seat. Let's just say that formalities don't help any of us. Let's talk business better.”

  „Business? What kind of business?” but Emily was in no hurry to answer, just as Keen was in no hurry to sit down, who poured first brandy into two glasses and, approaching Emily, he placed one of the glasses on the coffee table in front of her, and only then he sat down in the armchair in front of her.

  Miss Davis glanced at the glass of drink, but she did not hasten to drink it. „It seems to me that your attack is inappropriate, detective. To serve brandy to a young lady, when you are only the two of you in a hotel room, it seems more than just a simple invitation to romance to me.”

  „And yet you came here alone. I didn’t invite you, and I only served the drink as a sign of courtesy - nothing more.”

  „Really?! However, it seems to me that this is how you try to take advantage of me, and I'm not referring here physically, but … the alcohol always makes a woman talk, even about things she doesn't want to talk about."

  Keen stared at her. He did not expect this attack from the woman in front of him, but he still was not ready to give up. Not in front of her. „And yet, why are you here, Miss Davis?”

  „Because I heard you're looking for me!”

  „Me? Looking for you? May I know from whom did you hear this?”

  „Helen Walker!” and Keen winced, hearing this name for the second time that day.

  „As far as I know, this woman is dead for more than eighteen years already. I’m not sure, but you don't look like a shaman woman.”

  „And yet I know her story very well. Just like you seem to know her and her story. That's why I want to ask you: how do you know Mrs. Walker?”

  „Let's just say I researched her escape with Mr. Alfred Stonebridge more than eighteen years ago. At the request of Baron Beneath.”

  „Is that it?! And yet, you could have done her a favor and not tell that child about that past, which everyone seems to be trying to hide. Including the one directly involved in this, and I'm referring here to Baron Beneath's son, to Brian.”

  „Don't take it personally, Miss Davis, but all I did was get into the game of that child, as you name her. Nothing more, nothing less. A game that I don't understand at all, to be honest.”

  „And you don't even have to understand it, because it has nothing to do with you, detective. Tell me, please, if it came to that, why are you here and why are you looking for Eva? Or, better to say, by whose order are you investigating this case?”

  „I prefer not to answer this question.”

  „And I prefer to insist.”

  „Why?”

  „Because it can ruin my protégée's life, and I'm not going to allow that.”

  „Does it seem to me that these words are threatening?”

  „I don’t know, did it sound threatening?”

  „Miss Davis, I don’t know to which point you are involved in this case, but it seems to me that directly threatening a man of the law, you risk more than you should because I'm not going to allow anyone to get involved in my business or lose a case like this.”

  „And what I think is that it's too much for you to call yourself a man of the law, when you're not more than just a private detective, who, in most cases, investigates love triangle relationships only.”

  „And yet you know me.”

  „I heard about you.”

  „May I know where or from whom did you hear about me?”

  „Let's just say you're not the only one who prefers to keep secrets from him only.”

  „So … Miss Stonebridge told you about our little talk in the park.”

  „Not at all.”

  „Then?”

  „I know you better than I should have known you, detective Keen. And even if I don't care about you: neither as a man, nor as a person, nor as a detective, I'll allow myself to give you some advice – withdraw from this business before it's too late, for I am not going to lose or give up on my plans” and, saying this, Emily got up abruptly and began to get dressed.

  But Keen remained in his chair, watching her gentle movements carefully as she put on the gloves and she was adjusting her hat, and these movements made him even more interested in her, but not as a man to a woman, but as a detective investigating a delicate case, for her movements, seemingly sure, were hiding in them certain anxiety, and that always brings troubles.

  Personally, he had never known Emily before, but he had heard of her and her relationship with Luis Chesterman, but most of all he had heard of her possible involvement in the black activity of the „Red Ants,” but although he had once begun to investigate this secret of theirs, out of purely personal interest, he couldn't find out anything about it, which confused him.

  After she finished dressing, Emily turned to him, and then she took the glass of brandy in her hand and smelled its scent, which made Keen look at her with interest, while she analyzed the color of the liquid. „I love watching how alcohol can change color depending on the circumstances. As happens with man's life. So, tell Sophie Anderson Bell to stay away from Eva and the baby, if she doesn't want to deal with me” and she drank alcohol without even breathing.

  Keen smiled instead, watching how Emily set the glass down on the table and served a candy later taken from a tray on the bedside table, for even if it did not seem so, Keen was the man who loved sweets, because that always brought him good thoughts and easy solutions to complicated cases.

  „You knew right from the beginning who hired me, didn't you?”

  „No. Although I suspected something, I wasn't sure until I got here” and, Emily looked at the desk where Keen had an open file, and it had Sophie's name written on it. „You're probably wondering when I was able to read what is written there.”

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  „Right.”

  „Actually, I didn’t read it. Now you are the one who has confirmed to me that my suspicions are real and that makes me think you still have a long way to go before you become a real detective.”

  „Your words offend me, Miss Davis.”

  „That was my intention. So, I expect good thoughts from you, detective. Have a good day!” Emily turned her back on him and walked to the door.

  „And … if I'm not going to drop this case, then what happens to me?” Keen asked directly.

  Without looking at him, Emily smiled, although the displeasure could be read on her face. „Life will show us the way forward, Mr. Keen. And our safety depends on us” and she went out, and behind her came the slamming of the door, which showed that the future was uncertain for both of them.

  Keen sat for a long time in the same chair in which he have sat while he talked to Emily, still playing with the brandy glass in his hand, but from which he didn’t serve even a drop, because in his mind the questions rushed one after the other, for the woman who had just left the room began to intrigue him, and that was something he had never felt before — rivalry with a woman.

***

  When Emily left the hotel, it was already dusk. Albert was waiting for her by the carriage, but even though everything was boiling inside him, apparently, he was calm, for no one needed a scene of jealousy at that moment, that could have done even worse than it was till that moment, and, even though he knew that Emily had entered Keen's room just to protect Eva and nothing more, he still hated that man.

  Seeing her approaching the carriage, Albert quickly opened the door, but Emily stopped beside him, and, before talking to him, she waited for a couple to pass by as if what she was going to tell Albert was a big secret.

  „Miss Davis?” Albert interrupted her thoughts, for though the passers-by were already far from them and no one was around, Emily remained silent.

  „Let's talk in the carriage,” Emily whispered and climbed up immediately. Albert closed the door, got on the front chair, and, urging the horses, they hurried away.

  Although Albert was eager to find out how the conversation between Miss Davis and Keen had ended, Emily was silent, and he did not have the courage to ask her about it. So, the two fell silent for much of the way, but when it was less than three miles to Lorenne's house, Emily ordered the teamster to stop the horses and get in the carriage with her.

  Albert complied with her request and climbed in the carriage, sitting down next to her, but not before making sure no one was around to see them sitting in the same carriage.

  But in the carriage the same thing happened - Emily was silent, but after about 10 minutes of standing like that and without looking at him, she said: „Keen is dangerous, Albert. He knows more than he says. We must get rid of him.”

  „But, Miss Davis. Keen is a man of the law, though. Even if it doesn't look to be this way, he still has a lot of contacts within the police. This can be even more dangerous than the death of Edward Anderson Bell.”

  „I don’t care,” Emily said sharply, looking him in the eye. „This man can ruin our lives if he tells someone what he knows.”

  „Was he sent here by Mr. Beneath?”

  „Worse - he's hereby order of Sophie Anderson Bell and as you know this woman is a viper who does not give up her prey, and she learned that from Marianne Chesterman.”

  „It would be easier to get rid of Sophie Anderson Bell, than of Keen. And it would be even safer for you.”

  „That would be riskier, Albert, for if the daughter also dies, as the father died, in strange circumstances, it can play against us, because many will think that someone is trying to organize a political attack. And that's not what I want."

  „A political attack? What do you mean?”

  „Edward was involved in negotiations with the King of France, regarding new fields of trade development, but he was not ready to give up on our Southern Sea, that is why the talks were concluded before they could be completed."

  "That's why you asked me to end his life in the woods leading to Brighton."

  „Exactly. It's the perfect place for political rivals to do business."

  „And yet…! If we make her look like that herself…”

  „No, Albert. It's risky. And more than that … if anything happens to Sophie Anderson Bell, Brian Beneath will have free rein for being with Eva, and the baby…”

  Albert shuddered. He had not expected such a confession from Emily. But she did not lose her temper, and, straightening her posture, she said in a stern voice: „Get rid of him. Tonight. I can't risk losing what I've fought so hard for."

  „But … what about Eva? What about her feelings?”

  „What about me, Albert? Eva still has time to fulfill her dreams. I don’t have such pleasure. So, do as I said, and if you really love me, you’ll do that.”

  Chess and checkmate in favor of Emily. Appealing to his feelings for her, she completely disarmed Albert, who left the carriage without saying anything else. But he knew in his heart that Emily was just using him, trampling on his love for her. But even so, Albert didn't blame her, but he just blamed everything on the circumstances that had influenced her life.

***

  „To hell with this sleep,” Keen murmured unhappily while moving restlessly in bed, but even though it had been hours since he went to bed, the sleep was avoiding him, and that made him nervous.

  Finally, he sat up and looked at his watch: two and a half at night. It had been 5 hours since he had tried to fall asleep, but Emily’s figure leaving his hotel room was always appearing in his head and this gave him a lot of trouble.

  „And yet, this woman seems fierce to me,” Keen murmured, getting out of bed and taking a few steps around the room. „But I can't say that she lacks the audacity if she came this far and threatened me directly… wait, wait, threatening is little said. This woman dared to order me to abandon a case. To me, to Vincent Keen! Who the hell does she think she is?!” Keen murmured and he took further a few steps toward the window.

  It was a dark night outside that could be cut with a knife as if it was a beast. But even so, Keen opened the window and let the cold air in, while he stood in front of the open window, with his eyes closed and sniffing the air.

  „Will it rain tomorrow?” he wondered, but only the echo of the room answered to him. „I can feel the stench of black clouds hovering above the sky from here. And yet, I hate the rain.”

  A rustle in the garden alerted him, for although he was on the second floor of the building, the garden was clearly visible, and any movement could be seen and watched carefully. But even if he forced himself to enter the night with his gaze, Keen didn't see anyone. „Did it seem to me?! Maybe it was a cat only?” but still the instinct of the cop did not give him peace. „I better not try my luck,” he said at last, and quickly closed the window. However, before going to bed he once again made sure that the window could not be opened from the outside, after which he lay down in his still-warm bed, despite the fact that the room had cooled rapidly under the cold night air.

  „Now I can breathe,” Keen whispered with his eyes closed and he pulled the duvet over his ears.

  The ticking of the clock began to ring rhythmically in his ears, and this rhythmic sound eventually plunged Keen into the world of sleep, but woe to that sleep, for he was always moving restlessly on the bed, writhing as if caught in the snake's mouth and most of the time he woke up hearing footsteps approaching him.

  But when he sat up and looked through the room, he realized he was alone, but even so, he could not rest. He only fell asleep at about 4 in the morning, but when his sleep began to be sweeter, he felt something cold touching the skin of his neck.

  At first, he didn't understand what it could be, nor did he open his eyes, fearing that it would again be an illusion of his own mind. But when someone suddenly raised his head and wrapped the noose around his neck, Keen sensed danger.

  At that moment he grabbed the thin twine with both hands and pulled it away from his throat, but even if it cut the flesh of his fingers to the core, Keen didn't want to give up his life. That's why he started writing in bed, while his executioner, kneeling on the bed behind him, was tightening the grip harder and harder.

  Keen finally managed to find strength and, grabbing the water bottle on the table next to him, he smashed it hard on the attacker's head, who was forced to loosen the grip of the noose and so Keen had a chance to jump off the bed.

  But the attacker's experience spoke for itself, and he quickly recovered from his dizziness and attacked the detective again.

  The two began a hand-to-hand fight, while Keen kept trying to rip the mask off his opponent's face and to see who the bastard is, but most of the time his hand slipped as if something greasy was greasing the skin of the attacker's face, to see blood on his hand later - Keen had smashed his head with the bottle, but even so, the rival was strong.

  Finally, throwing him hard against the wall, Keen lunged at the dressing table and, pulling the revolver out of the drawer, he shot the attacker in the back, just as he was about to run away, jumping out of the window.

  Although the guy appeared dead, facing the floor, Keen was afraid to approach him immediately, and even when hotel employees and other occupants burst into his room, brought there by the sound of the bullet, he did not allow anyone to approach the intruder.

  The attacker's identity was revealed only after police entered the room and, making sure the individual was dead, they had removed the mask from his face. But Keen did not recognize the 20-year-old who had fallen victim to his bullet, which had actually hit his neck and not his back, as Keen had initially thought.

  „Did you know him?” the policeman finally asked Keen, being now both in the lobby and watching how the dead body was taken out of the hotel on a stretcher.

  „No,” Keen finally replied.

  „And yet, if someone dared to attack you here, it means that you have crossed someone’s way, a path that you should not have crossed.”

  Keen smiled, remembering Emily's words. „Everything is possible," he replied. „In my job, it's impossible not to cross from in front of someone, but I still don't know who might have ordered the attack."

  „We'll investigate this,” the policeman said confidently, looking at Keen with some superiority, for it seemed to him that Keen knew all too well who had attacked him, but he had preferred to keep this a secret from him and not to make their work easier. „We are waiting for you at the ward, detective. For statements.”

  „Of course. Of course. I'm coming today, of course,” Keen replied practically mockingly, but while he was on his way to his room, he was convinced to pay Emily a visit first and to make sure that she gave the order of his death and no one else.