“Hmm,”

Pigeon bent down, his face almost touching the floor as he carefully examined a particular spot on the mauve carpet. I let out an audible sigh, feeling a tinge of impatience as he seemed fixated on the same area for what felt like an eternity.

"You’ve been examining that same spot for thirty minutes! Maybe we should look somewhere else?" I suggested, hoping to redirect his attention.

Pigeon, however, took this as an opportunity to launch into one of his characteristic "detective lessons" and sprang up with renewed enthusiasm. "Ha! To the untrained eye, it might seem like there's nothing there! But look closely at the squished carpet, a footprint!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement.

Humoring him, I knelt down to inspect the carpet alongside him. As I examined the smushed fibers, I couldn't help but wonder about the significance of this seemingly innocuous detail.

"So what?" I voiced my skepticism. "We are in the middle of a manor, and many people live here. Besides, the bobbies have been here all day, so we have no way of telling if it is the footprint of the killer."

Pigeon looked momentarily crestfallen at my response. "Perhaps... you are right," he conceded, standing up slowly.

I couldn't help but question how Pigeon had landed a job as a detective. Yet, in that moment, I couldn't deny the possibility that I might be equally ill-suited for the role as a forensics scientist.

"Perhaps we should look in Lady Lotusburg’s room, you know, where she was murdered?" I suggested, hoping to steer our investigation in a more productive direction.

Pigeon's face immediately lit up with renewed determination. "Quite right! Let’s get a move on!" he squealed.

We ran up the marble stairs and to the farthest room, however, the grand wooden door was blocked by a plump maid with graying hair.

“Wut do you gibfaces want?” She spat

Pigeon was undeterred by this woman’s rather unapproachable manner. “Good morning, ma’am! We are here the examine the crime scene of the murder of Lady Lotusburg! I’d thank you for getting out of our way!”

The woman stomped her portly leg. “You hornswollers are goin’ nowhere! You an’ those blue ha’ed buffons have been prowling in the la’y’s room all morin’! Do you have no respect ‘or privacy?”

Unlike I, Pigeon was able to decipher the woman’s words. “Those blue-hatted buffons work for the Yard, my dear lady. And excuse my ill manners, but the Lady is dead! What privacy is there to respect?” He laughed heartily.

The maid, understandably turned red as a rose.

“Agh, no respect! No respect at all! Piss off you lil’ ratbags, go, be gone!”

With that, the woman continued to shove us until we were standing back near the staircase, then stomped off, back to her guardpost.

Pigeon shook his head. “Oh dear, it seems that didn’t go well.”

“Of course not you mumbling cove!” I retorted. “Next time don’t insult the dead!”

“Having trouble?” A voice boomed from the ground floor. Pigeon and I peered over the railing and stared down the figure of Adam and Cecil. “Once again, I had a feeling things go awry!” Cecil added.

“Quite!” I yelled back. “This boy is as annoying as a fly! Can’t you fire him, Adam?”

“I’m afraid not, dear!” Adam replied, putting his fists on his hips. “I wasn’t the one who hired him.”

Pigeon broke out in a fit of laughter again. “Ha! Your plans are foiled!” He sang. “Only Cecil and Ironheel have the authority to fire me, and they wouldn’t dare!”

“Treat the lady nicely, Pigeon, or you are fired!”

“Of course, Boss! I wouldn’t dream otherwise!”

We went back down the stairs the join the two men.

“Let me guess,” Cecil began. “It’s the maid isn’t it?”

“Quite right sure!” Pigeon confirmed. “Your deductions are always spot on!” Adam sighed.

“Yes, she was here yesterday as well,” Cecil commented. “Can’t say she was very pleased by my presence.”

“Just tell her to leave like the rest of the staff,” Adam interjected. It’s a police matter after all.”

Cecil shook his head. “Of course, I tried, my dear Adam. As you can see it didn’t quite work. That woman’s name is Bernice Davenport. She has been Lady Agatha’s maid, and self-asserted body guard since the day she was born. As you could expect, they grew a strong bond. Once I was tasked with the burdensome task of telling Miss Davenport about Lotusburg’s demise she refused to leave the house. Once she found out the bobbies went through all the late woman’s items, she was furious and started guarding the door.”

I groaned. “Can’t we just arrest her?”

“I’m afraid not. Ironheel gave specific orders to us and the bobbies not to detain her as she hadn’t caused any harm. As bothersome as it is we just need to get her to leave.

I moaned. “This is so boring, Adam! I’m doing my first case because a bothersome woman refuses to leave and some soft man won’t arrest her.”

“Ah, don’t worry, Mayla! Cecil will talk to her again, won’t he?”

“What!” The ink-haired man exclaimed. “That’ll go as well as it did yesterday!”

“I told you to take care of this,” Adam warned.

Cecil gave a deep sigh. “‘Wish we could just throw her out the window.” He muttered heading up the stairs.

Once Cecil left Price turned to Adam.

“Ah, Detective Clarke! How lucky am I to be blessed with the presence of the great detective two days in a row?” I rolled my eyes.

Adam turned towards him. “Detective Price. I’ve heard things about you.” He didn’t specify what type of things.

“What an honor!” Pigeon chirped. “You must be jealous you were stuck with this one instead of a charming assistant such as myself!”

“Of course,” Adam answered sarcastically, adjusting his tie.

Pigeon’s ranting was interrupted by voices upstairs who I assumed were Cecil and Miss Davenport.

“Piss off you wimpy wanka’! I told ya to leave for good!”

“Pardon me madam, I-”

“I said scram!”

With a very short interaction, Cecil was pushed to the stairs in a similar style as I did. He walked back down them in a sorrowful fashion.

“A dismal failure!” He announced. “Adam! Why don’t you use your unwavering charm to seduce her into leaving?”

Adam was not a fan of this idea. “Why don’t go convince Ironheel to let us detain her?”

After staying silent through this affair I decided to announce my genius plan!

"I have an idea!" I exclaimed with confidence, eager to share my thoughts. To my annoyance, Pigeon was the first to respond, his sneer dripping with condescension.

"How adorable," he mocked. "But don’t you think this is a bit out of your league, little girl?" Ignoring his taunts, I pushed past him and ascended the creaking, winding stairs.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Miss Davenport, with her hawk-like gaze, fixated on the staircase. As soon as she caught sight of me, she unleashed a torrent of words. "You spawn offa’ devil! I’ve had it with you and your packs’ rats! Shoo!"

"Just one word, miss! The suspect of the murder has been detained at the station! They want you to head there right away!"

A look of belief blanketed her face. “Wut now? You stupid girl, shoulda told me sooner!” She screamed. “I’ll kill that wretched murderer with me own ‘ands!” She exclaimed, barreling down the stairs and out the door, almost knocking Pigeon to the floor. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and the three men joined me in front of the door to Lady Lotusburg’s room.

“Huh,” Adam leaned over the snowy white marble railing of the stairs, and at the door, the woman sprinted out. “That was easier than we made it.”

As I entered the expansive room, my eyes were drawn to the lofty marble walls adorned with a striking collection of paintings. A scent of flowery perfume still lingered from what would be last time Agatha Lotusburg entered the room Each artwork depicted the vibrant, bustling lights of London and other cities, creating a sense of grandeur and opulence. However, it was the largest painting, housed in a resplendent golden frame, that immediately captured my attention. The subject, a regal elegant woman who I presumed to be the late Lady Lotusburg, holding a glass of white in a beautiful lilac dress and white bonnet. Ribbons of brown hair falling out and reaching her shoulder.

Beneath my feet, the floor boasted checkered marble tiles, except a soft raven-colored carpet that extended under the bed and dresser. Above the Edwardian bed, a billowing white veil adorned with delicate pink fabric fibers and blue plastic butterflies.

Turning my gaze to the dresser, I beheld a grand vanity adorned with the same glistening gold as the frame of the magnificent painting. At the far end of the room stood a stately mahogany china hutch, showcasing a collection of porcelain dolls,

"How creepy," running my finger along the edge of the glass door of the china hutch.

“And that's not the worst part.” Adam quipped, shouldering to a red paint outline in the middle of the room surrounded by tape. As I approached a sinking feeling felt my gut. The paint very held the shape of the outline of the body. Crudely drawn, but I could still tell one the body was in a fetal position with her left arm reaching out.

“How horrific,” Pigeon whispered.

“You should have seen it when I got in here!” Cecil guffawed, leaning over the outline. “The blood pouring out her head nearly covered the whole room! He cried out.

“You cleaned it up?” Asked I. “I thought you weren’t supposed to tamper with evidence.

“Usually no.” He yawned. “But we had more DNA samples than we needed. Besides, walking in here was like treading through a swamp of blood. Would’ve been difficult to perform any investigation.

After he mentioned this I examined the tile floor closely. I could see streaks of red, and some white tiles had a reddish tint to it. Yuck.

“Oh, dear. I don’t envy the person who had that job!” Pigeon rang out.

“Focus on the investigation,” Adam ordered, tired of this gorey discussion,

“Uff,” I moaned. “There’s nothing else to find! What are we here for, the Yard already collected all evidence.”

“Now now,” Cecil began. “That’s hardly the attitude of a good forensics scientist.”

“Ha! Perhaps to the untrained eye!”

Not again.

“There is always more to every situation!” Pigeon announced “You just have to look hard enough.” He picked one of the flowers on the bed veil. “See, right here. Regular flower ornament or spy camera?” Cecil ripped it out of his hand and placed it on the nearby dresser, answering his question wordlessly.

“We’ve searched this room over and over for hours” Adam leaned against the wall and twisted his pocket chain around his gloved finger. “Perhaps you should just admit defeat, Cecil?”

“Hmph! Just a little longer.!” He protested. “Or maybe we aren’t looking in the right spot?” He asked him.

“Umm excuse me, sir.” I inquired. “Are we looking for something specific?” Cecil was burrowed in his thoughts, so Adam answered for him.

“Cecil here thinks the student is completely innocent, and that she was framed.” Adam pointed a thumb over towards the man. “But clearly, there’s no evidence of this.”

I tapped my cheek in thought.

“Who would have framed her? She is a student from overseas. Who would have known her long enough to be so upset to frame her for a murder?”

“Exactly.” Adam sighed. Cecil broke from his thoughts.

“Have you heard of the Lion’s Den?”

“Is that a store?” I guessed.

“It’s a criminal organization,” Pigeon intercepted condescendingly. “They believe the law and government are corrupted, their goal is political reform by slowly taking down important figures. A case the old police chief, Constance Enfield got caught up in.” I remembered Cecil mentioning that name.

“Quite right,” Cecil answered, adjusting his glasses. “And I have reasons to believe the student was the unfortunate victim of evidence tampering.”

I thought about it, but the pieces still didn’t quite go together. “So why would a political reform group have anything to do with a girl from an entirely different country?”

“Exactly.” Adam once again.

Cecil chuckled. “Just as skeptical as your boss I see. But the key word was caught.”

“Pardon?”

Cecil continued. “To understand you need the understand the business Lady Lotusburg was part of. She was an extortionist.”

“Huh? But Adam said she was loved by everyone!” I interjected in pure confusion.

“That she was,” He answered. “This was not known by many. As being of noble birth, Lady Agatha at much influence. She extorted businesses big and small and disguised them as patronage so people wouldn’t get suspicious of her close ties with certain businesses. For anyone that caught wind of her deeds, she’d pay them off, alternativity, have them killed. She even had her own assassins.”

Unbelievable!

“We have one in custody,” Pigeon added proudly “I tracked him down myself. Named Ambroise, last name unknown. He refuses to speak a word. Currently, he is getting a mental evaluation so he’s not available for questioning. Not like it would do any good”

I couldn’t believe any of this! How could a person held in such high regard by the public be a criminal mastermind?

“But,” I began. “Then how do you know all of this Mister Hans? This seems like a lot of knowledge, even for a police officer. You said she killed anyone who knew so shouldn’t you be dead?”

Cecil laughed out. “Quite forward are we? Well, I have my ways and that’s all you need to know about that.”

I was not satisfied by this response and turned to Adam in the hope of more information, but he just shrugged his broad shoulders, not adding anything either.

“So, then maybe she was murdered by the Lion’s Den in the name of reform. But then why frame an innocent student?”

“That’s the question. And I’m afraid it takes a bit more explaining to understand. One of the companies the Lady extorted is called Ironclad Innovations, the same company the student was here to examine. The company specializes in engineering parts for heavy machinery. One of the most prestigious engineering companies in the world, which is why people travel land and seek to land an apprenticeship there. One of which was Violet Yoshida, the suspect.

“So they framed the victim of her extorting?”

“Ha! Instead of asking so many questions, try finding the answers to them yourself!” Pigeon sneered. “They didn’t mean to frame her. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, you see. In order to take and give money under the radar, companies would have to use agents to give the money to Lady Lotusburg. Very often the agents have no idea what they are doing, instead under the impression that the money is for some sort of sponsorship. When I detained Miss Yoshida, she was holding the murder weapon, a bloody golden butterfly statue, and a sack of bank notes. When I questioned about the money, she said she was on her way to deliver money to Lotusburg for her sponsorship. When asked about the statue she said she found it on the floor next to the body of Agatha Lotusburg. Unfortunately for her, she was the only one around, so her alibi wasn’t very believable, and was promptly arrested.”

“Then perhaps she was murdered the night before.” I threw it out.

“Unfortunately, that can’t be right.” Cecil sighed “According to the coroner, the body was fresh. She could have only died moments before Violet was arrested. Leaving the chance of murdering a woman and escaping by the time the police arrived very slim. But there are two very important unaccounted for.

“Such as?”

“First, the cyanide as we discussed in Ironheel’s office. Poison was found in her system, however didn’t contribute to her death. The second; The autopsy says she was murdered at 6:34, however, the police call that informed us about the murder took place at 6:20. Which means, somebody knew she was going to die, and called the cops and they arrived coincidentally at the exact time Violet Yoshida, the only one in the area, was in the victims' room.”

I was dumbfounded “So if it wasn’t the Lion Den, who else knew about the murder?”

“Unfortunately, we don’t know that,” Cecil replied. “But we can rule three things out. First, that Violet murdered the Lotusburg. If she did, how would the individual know beforehand and report her? Also, the door can only be unlocked by a key only the house staff and Agatha herself had. According to the staff, Lotusburg always had her door locked when she was inside. This means, that in able for her to enter the door had to have already been unlocked by someone. So the culprit is either a staff member or someone who had access to the manor long enough to snag a key. The only plausible sequence of events is that Violet walked him after the murder took place.’

‘Next is the Lion’s Den framed her. Despite their rather questionable intentions, they are dedicated to their form of justice. Framing an innocent would contradict everything they stand for. Additionally, there would be no reason to report the murder before it happened. If something went awry and the assassin took longer than usual, they would’ve been caught in the act. Third is the mysterious caller. We weren’t able to trace the person, but we found the phone booth where the call took place. In the shopping district west of the Yard. In other words, the other side of the town. They could have not possibly known what time the murder would take place. In that case, the only solution is that there was an accomplice.”

I was almost at a loss for words. “Why on earth would a random person know about the Lion’s Den plans to kill the noblewoman and report the murder just to frame a random girl?”

“They had no idea the Lion’s Den was going to murder Agatha Lotusburg,” Cecil answered simply. He must have read my face and decided to explain.

“They didn’t know someone else was going to kill her. Remember the cyanide? I am absolutely certain whoever placed the call was related to the poison. What would have happened if the Lion’s Den didn’t kill her with the statue? She would’ve still had to die. They didn’t report the Lion’s Den murder, they were trying to report their murder. Someone tried to poison her, but she was killed before the poison took place. They called the police so they would arrive in time to find the woman dead from poison. Instead, the Lion’s Dead got to her first, additionally, they didn’t know about the arrival of Yoshida, so the unlucky girl was caught in a two-way murder.”

“Good lord, that poor girl!”

“Indeed,” Adam spoke up. “So the question remains. If Cecil is correct then the real killer is the Lion’s Den. So who tried to poison her? Who had access to her long enough to administer her poison? Very likely a staff member.”

Cecil grinned. “You are finally getting it, dear! But now our job is harder. We need to track down two assassins this time.” He turned to me and Pigeon. “You two should go and speak to the suspect. Adam and I will stay here.”