As we stepped out of the warehouse, I noticed the setting sun. The sky was painted with vivid orange and violet hues. The once-crowded streets were now empty, and the silence was only broken by the distant chirping of crickets. A thick blanket of fog had descended over the city, shrouding everything in a mysterious yet enchanting veil. The air was damp and cold, sending a chill down my spine. The street lamps cast a soft amber glow over the surroundings. The sound of our footsteps echoed through the empty streets. My dress was not suitable for cold weather, I felt like I was going to freeze. The brown skirt of my dress felt like a ring of ice around my legs and the hat was giving me a headache and tangled up my hair. I was envious of the men’s practical uniforms. Meanwhile, Adam was comfortably clad thick brown ulster coat. His chestnut hair tousled gently by the breeze. Behind him, A charcoal trenchcoat with several pockets hugged Cecil’s frame. His silky black bangs and frame of his glasses obscerved my view of his eyes, but what I could he was shivering slightly, betraying his carefree exterior. We stopped at a crossing to wait for a carriage when Adam turned to Cecil.

“You know, you can go home.” He began. “He said we were dismissed.”

Cecil gasped dramatically turning to meet Adam’s gaze. “Surely you didn’t forget, you are taking me to see Monica!”

“Monica, you know her?” I asked. The two men ignored me.

“I told you that wasn’t happening.” Adam snapped.

“It’s for work! We have lots of business to discuss ever since she was fired!”

Fired?

“Quiet, Cecil. I told you not tonight. She doesn’t want to see you.”

“Monica worked with you guys?” Once again my question was overlooked.

“Oh please, she can’t hide from me forever. Neither can you Adam!” He sang. Adam rolled his eyes and headed towards the approaching carriage.

“I said go home.”

Despite Adam’s instructions, Cecil followed us inside the carriage.

The carriage ride was mostly silent. Adam was unimpressed by the turn of events and I was upset at the two ignoring me at every turn. At least Pigeon acknowledged my existence. But I soon reprimand myself for having any positive thoughts about that dreadful man.

The carriage slowly came to a stop outside Adam’s house. The group exited the carriage and walked around the path. The exterior was dark, except for a single lamplight shining through the window assumingly from Monica’s bed chambers.

“Mayla, go inside. I need to talk to him.” Despite my exhaustion from being told what to do and overlooked, I gritted my teeth and headed inside the house. I’d deal with this later.

Adam waited for Mayla’s retreating figure to enter the house before he left the carriage himself. His thoughts were cut short by a hand on his knee.

“Alone time, Adam?” He purred, slowly running his hand up Adam’s leg. “Why didn’t you tell me you changed your mind?” He sneered lowly in Adam’s ear, his lips brushing it slightly.

“Shut up,” groaned Adam, pushing Cecil’s hand away “And we aren’t alone, Cecil. Let’s go” Adam stepped out of the carriage and dropped coins into the coachman’s hand. After the carriage rolled away Adam nodded his head toward the house, signaling Cecil to walk.

Cecil’s question cut through the tense atmosphere like a knife.“What’s this about?”

Adam remained quiet for a moment as he walked, hands clasped behind his back in a gesture of restraint.

“As I said before, I think Monica knows.”

Cecil came to an abrupt halt and turned to Adam, chuckling nervously.

“How could she? She’s been sick ever since the incident. Have you told her anything?”

“No,” Adam replied in a hushed tone. “I don’t know how but she suspects something.”

Cecil thought to himself before answering. “Then we need to get rid of her too.”

Adam’s heart dropped as he wheeled around towards Cecil, eyes wide in bewilderment. “Absolutely not!” He spat, voice caked with defiance

“Easy, easy.” Cecil placed a hand firmly on Adam’s shoulder. “It is merely a suggestion. The truth is she’s been a pain in our side since the beginning. We all know she wouldn’t have gone with it. That poison should have been lethal, Adam.”

“How can you even say that?” Adam growled. “She was always more skilled than you. This shouldn’t happened at all.

Cecil let out a wry chuckle. “This isn’t about skill, you know that. If she knew the truth about Andrews she would have turned us all in and we would have been swinging from the gallows within seconds. She’d have no problem killing us. And now, it seems we aren’t too far from that.” He said shortly.

“And we’d deserve it,” Adam replied, barely above a whisper.

“Maybe,” Cecil conceded. “But we are already too far into this.”

Cecil stopped in his tracks and turned Adam around by his shoulder, his voice soft and resolute.

“Whatever happens, we need to finish what we started or everyone’s in danger.

Adam said nothing as he looked into Cecil’s dark gaze until he finally broke his silence.

“Okay,” He said softly. “I trust you.” He placed a cold hand against the other man’s neck, rubbing it with his thumb slightly, their eyes never breaking off each other. Cecil took that as an invitation. He pressed soft lips against Adam who without delay, kissed back. As their kiss deepened, Adam parted his mouth slightly as their tongues intertwined in a wet embrace. Their bodies were pushed together and hands explored each other’s bodies. The obsidian-haired man seized Adam’s waist, bringing their bodies impossibly closer. An emerald gaze stared instantly into a sapphire one. Adam hooked his hand in Cecil’s hair with a cry as the latter traced the curve of his partner's jaw with his tongue. He gradually lowered his head unto a particular spot on Adam’s neck that turned his cries and whimpers into moans. After a few moments of bliss, they broke away to catch their breath.

“I’ve been waiting to do that again forever.” Cecil mused between gasps for air.

Adam looked away in shame. “Poor Monica.”

“Well, I still want to speak with were. I wonder how she’s changed after all these years.”

Oh my god.

I stood with my cheeks pressed against the glass watching Adam and Cecil break apart. Despite the veil of darkness that overtook the front yard, I could not possibly mistake the closeness of their silhouettes and the roaming of their hands on each other’s bodies. Once they finally pulled away from each other, I retreated from the window to not be seen and to think of what to do next. Do I tell Monica? Do I confront them? Both? Neither?

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Whatcha’ looking at, my dearest?”

Things could not be worse. As I shakily turned around the sight of Monica greeted me with frazzled hair and in one of her sleeping gowns. By the bags under her eyes I could tell she had just awoken.

“Oh! Uh,” I hastily tried to think of a reply. She must have noticed the guilt written across my face because her expression dropped.

“What’s wrong? Is something out there?” Her tone became a bit more urgent as she approached the window.

“No! No! It’s jus-”

Her gasp as she peered out the window cut me off. Her face curled in a rage I’ve never seen on anyone before.

“Is that?”

“Cecil yes,” I replied quickly. “Adam didn’t want him here but he insisted on coming. That’s what I was looking at.” It wasn’t a bad lie. As I looked out the window myself I sighed a sigh of relief that they were far enough from each other and approaching the house in a manner where one could never guess their previous activities.

After a few moments of heavy breathing Monica unfurrowed her brows and lifted her pale lips into a smile.

“I’ll put tea on.” She said curtly.

The door opened and the two men entered. Cecil’s face housed a big grin, Adam’s the opposite. I tried to avoid their gazes as much as I could as I ushered them into the kitchen where Monica was preparing tea in an unusually quiet and erratic manner. Her delicate hands shook slightly as she poured the tea into teacups. She grinned as she handed me a cup as the men retrieved their own.

The room was filled with a tense silence as I swirled the tea in my glass with my finger and Monica wiped down the kettle with a glass.

Once she was done she set it down in the left side of the sink and wiped her soapy hands on her gown. She pivoted towards Cecil, who was cleaning his glasses on his coat and humming to himself. Adam stood beside him adjusting his collar.

“Cecil, long time no see.” She uttered. “Who do I owe these pleasures too?” Her tone betrayed her statement.

“Chief Otis Ironheel, ma’am.” scorned Cecil.

Monica scoffed and rolled her eyes back, then met Cecil’s mocking gaze once again.

“He’s the chief now, is he? Well, I suppose there was no one else to object after what you three did with Enfield, is here.”

Adam tensed up as Cecil let out a nonchalant chuckle.

“I truly have no idea what you are talking about.” He stated.

“Why are you here?” Monica brusquely let out.

“Don’t be so rude!” Cecil ejaculated. “I’m here on friendly terms, I swear. Ironheel was just wondering if you had any idea where that missing evidence went. It’s crucial to concluding the Andrews’s case you know. He was just wondering if you had an epiphany over all these years.”

“Evidence? I truly have no idea what you are talking about!” Monica mocked.

“Ah, ok. I see what game we are playing. The man replied darkly. “The family would love to have that ring back you know.”

“Well, I do hope you find it. Is that all?”

“Perhaps I could search your bedchambers? The chief has some pretty strong evidence that you may have it. Maybe you accidentally stuck it in your handbag all those years ago and forgot about it?”

“Oh maybe!” She expressed. “Ever since that terrible poisoning, my memory has not been the same! It’s so sad, maybe I’d be able to help you if that damned Andrews’s didn’t intervene. Oh, I was in the hospital for weeks. It was a terrible ordeal but I suppose it was inevitable. Wasn’t it, dear Adam?”

Adam snapped his neck towards Monica at the mention of his name.

“Y-yes, quite indeed. So horrible.” He stuttered out.

Monica clasped her hands over her mouth in fake shame.

“Oh, how rude of me! I should thank you for going to the trouble of retrieving that medicine! It saved my life and relieved my symptoms for a short period. You always go out of your way to help me don’t you Adam?”

She didn’t wait for him to answer before she turned to me and pinched my cheek between her fingers.

“But I owe you the most thanks, dearest Mayla! I’d surely be dead without that medicine you concocted!”

“Oh, please,” I said nervously. “You gave enough thanks over these past days.”

She giggled as she released my cheek and looked back up at the blue-eyed man.

“Forgive my rambling.” She apologized. “I don’t wish to keep you anymore, you are a very busy man. I’m sure you have some boots to lick.”

Cecil chuckled dryly as he shifted his weight uncomfortably.

“Sure. I’ll tell the Chief you don’t have it. But if you happen to think of where it could be please do contact me.”

“Of course. Bye.”

She took the empty tea cup out of my hand and turned back towards the sink. Cecil took this as his signal to leave. He waved me goodbye and patted Adam on his shoulder, then made his exit.

As we stood in the dining area, the atmosphere was tense and uncomfortable. Monica was silently washing the dishes, and Adam avoided eye contact with both of us, staring intently at the wall on the other side of the room. The only sound was the steady stream of water from the sink.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Monica suddenly turned off the water and spoke up. "Perhaps you should get to bed, sweetheart," she said to Adam. "You have lots of work to attend to tomorrow."

Adam simply gave a curt nod before turning on his heel and making a beeline for his bedchambers.

After the sound of Adam’s retreating footsteps ended, Monica turned to me, slender lips turned upwards in a pleading smile.

“Mayla, my dear, humor me will you?”

Yes?” I asked turning my head to meet her gaze. “What’s up?”

“It may be a bit strange,” She began. “But I need you to retrieve something for me.” Her gaze was dark and serious.

“Uhh, what?” I responded cautiously.

“The murder weapon.”

My mouth gaped open in shock. “M-murder weapon? Like from the case?”

“What else!” She giggled, bringing a frail hand up to her mouth. “Do you have access to the evidence room?”

“No, I don’t” I replied. “Plus, stealing evidence is against the law, ma’am!”

She laughed out again, golden curls bouncing against her shoulders.

“Maybe so, but what those two have planned is much more sinister.”

“Wha-” Before I could ask my question Monica dropped an old pair of keys into my hand.

“Here, for the evidence room. Bring that butterfly statue to me, and don’t get caught!”

“I can’t! Plus where did you get these keys? Are they Adam’s?”

“No, they are mine.” She placed a slender finger against her lips. “I made a copy of all my keys before the chief confiscated them.”

“So, you worked at the Yard?”

She yawned. “That’s a story I can tell you tomorrow. It is much too late. ‘Night!”

She rubbed my head and retreated to her room, leaving me alone in the kitchen weighing my moral obligations.

I clasped my hands over my face and sighed out. I was so tired of constantly being lied to.

I looked at the keys in my hands and wondered who to trust, or if I could trust anyone. Solving a murder? Stealing evidence? How did my life get so out of hand?

I fell against the soft, cushioned bed and gazed up at the dark, looming ceiling, the keys cold against my fingertips as I placed them carefully beside me on the polished nightstand. Questions raced through my mind like elusive shadows, each one more perplexing than the last. Why would she want the murder weapon in the first place? What connection could she possibly have to the case? My forehead creased with the effort of deep contemplation, but try as I might, the pieces of the puzzle refused to fit together. The suspect, a foreign student, seemed to have no conceivable link to Miss Yoshida, the victim, a noblewoman with whom she would likely have had no prior interaction.

However, as I pondered further, a faint recollection surfaced. Cecil had mentioned that Monica used to work with him. Could it be possible that Lady Lotusburg, the target of suspicion, had a connection from a past case she and Cecil had collaborated on? The idea tugged at the edges of my thoughts.

My head throbbed with the weight of the day's revelations. I removed my hat and unbuttoned my dress, the fabric heavy with the weight of the day's events, and allowed myself to sink into the plush comfort of the bed. These enigmatic questions would have to wait until tomorrow. It was evident that I wouldn't find the answers easily unless I delved deeper into the intricate web of connections myself.