Eleanor dropped her decorative fan and gossip manual on the table and casually sat down on the makeshift couch. Massaging her foot, she continued
"The poor man was attacked last night. He had a high fever all night after that; the incident almost sent him straight into a heart attack"
"Thieves? " he asked inquisitively, even slightly doubting that to be the answer. The old couple were retired; he doubted there was anything worth stealing in the apartment. At the same time, he confirmed the incident on the paper was definitely not Mr Langley
"I don't know much about the matter, but I hope the goddess can foresee his quick recovery", Eleanor said distractingly as she massaged her aching foot.
Felix frowned slightly. All the time they had spent in this apartment, they had never had a case of burglary or assault. The news of Mr Langley's attack was very absurd. At the same time, he was starting to really worry about the apartment's safety.
"He is a devout follower of the sovereign, I don't think the goddess would pay any heed to his prayer", Felix added distractingly, masterfully trying to lift the heavy atmosphere and change the topic.
Eleanor frowned, pouting at her brother, not finding his jab one bit funny as she lectured, "Regardless of what he believes in, we are all equal in the eyes of the divine mother".
Felix almost toppled over after hearing her expected answer. She was probably the number one advocate of the goddess. At this point, he wouldn't be surprised if she joined the convent as a nun. Her main worry when they moved to Hallow was that there were only two churches dedicated to the goddess in the city, and that it was filled with mostly sovereign devotees
Eleanor sniffed the air as she suddenly noticed the bowl of stew by the counter and the side of jacket pie, bread and butter. Her expression then lifted into a wide smile, her auburn hair twinkling under the red sun as she exclaimed
" You bought a jacket pie ?" Her lips almost watered as she stared longingly at the street snack. "… Isn't it a bit costly?" Felix let out a hearty laugh while noticing his sister's longing smile as he lied through his teeth.
"They were on sale for cheaper, because the shopkeeper accidentally baked one too many "
She eyed her brother suspiciously, seeing no change in his expression, she said nothing and hurriedly rushed into her room to change into something comfortable for supper.
Eleanor rushed back to the counter after she was done changing to join him for supper. She heartily recounted the events from the garden party while gobbling down some jacket pie and stew.
"Madam Gertrude's god-daughter, Lady Sophia, ran away to East Blackwater with some pirate. It was so scandalous that she had a tab written about her in the Lady's register," she paused to swallow as she recounted her breath.
"Trust me, it was so embarrassing, Madam Gertrude had to host this garden party to extricate herself from the matter"
Felix listened silently to the recounts of her day as well as the other gossip. In typical Eleanor fashion, she also mentioned some good ladies she thought Felix should definitely meet. He was lost in thought while sipping his stew, savouring the opportunity he had to be alive and listen to her babble about random gossip.
" Oh, Eleanor, I saw Senior Constable Graves in the city centre today", he began as he saw her look of surprise "He is now an inspector; he got transferred to Hallow"
"its been so long since we've spoken with him, I would write to him and go meet him later after he has gotten used to his role at hallow " Eleanor said while taking her plates to the sink to be thoroughly washed after finishing her meal.
Felix also recounted a modified version of his day's events, including the discussion he had with the inspector. while removing any content concerning his strange situation. As the siblings continued to chatter, the crimson rays of the sun disappeared into the clouds, and the siblings tidied up, bade each other goodnight and got ready to head to bed.
The early red rays from a bright new morning filled the room, as Felix groggily got up to close the windows. A great deal of shuffling and knocking was going on in the corridor outside. He stood up, then groomed and gathered himself, putting on a dark brown coat to go have a look at the commotion outside.
Inspector Graves was sitting on their makeshift couch, having a conversation with Eleanor while the other iron constables stood around the room. Felix quickly thought about the possible reasons their unit could have been overrun with constables from the royal constabulary as he froze, panicking slightly.
Is this for the trouble I got myself in last month? Is the trouble so serious that it attracted an inspector to come check it out? He forced himself to think clearly as he analysed the situation further. If it was simply a visit from Inspector Graves, there was no need for the iron constable barrage. He calmed down as he thought about something, which was that they didn't seem to have come for him !. Apart from the obvious clue that he was currently not restrained, none of the Iron constables paid too much attention to him, apart from Inspector Graves, of course.
He discreetly let out a sigh of relief as he greeted, " Good Morning everyone. To whom do I owe the pleasure of this fine visit?"
Inspector Graves nodded in acknowledgement of his greeting, his black hair glistening under the light. Eleanor spoke up, addressing her brother, "The fine gentlemen from the royal constabulary had come to do a check-up following the attack on Mr Langley" She then again added sadly, "They claim an important item was taken after the attack"
"Thieves! How absurd, may the goddess look after us all," Felix explained while drawing a sun symbol on his chest. Eleanor sincerely followed suit
Inwardly, he quietly reasoned, such a matter would usually not be taken seriously by the royal constabulary; they would at most send an iron constable or two to check the situation after a report was filed. They won't even send a senior constable, not to talk about an inspector. The other odd thing about the situation was that it was definitely not possible for the couple to have already filed a report; Mrs Langley has a severe issue with her legs and cannot make it far on long distances, so she was bedridden most of the time. Mr Langley also could not have filed the report he had a high fever all night!. Plus, he had never heard about any close family members the couple may have had. Felix stilled as the gears in his head turned. This was definitely an excuse to investigate another secret matter!!
Inspector Graves stood up from the couch, sighing slightly as he bellowed, "Indeed, how unfortunate, we hope you can cooperate with us for the search" While pulling out a search warrant from his iron grey coat, he added, "its just routine procedure, all the people in the apartment would be searched as well"
Eleanor nodded as she led some of the iron constables to her room to begin the search. She was very cooperative with the search, probably because she was a bit worried about the entire turn of events, and it would feel much safer if the constabulary investigated thoroughly.
Felix, on the other hand, panicked the moment a search was mentioned and a warrant was produced. This was because he still had that batch-less pocket watch in his drawer; he certainly couldn't go back now and hide it, that would seem very suspicious. He was sure that if it was found, his case would be sent straight to the guild of engine works and then straight to 15 years in prison. He wasn't even sure they had enough money to pay for a lawyer to represent him in court.
A cold chill ran down his spine when Inspector Graves ordered the iron constables to check his room, then smiled while tapping his shoulder, "Don't worry, son, there is probably nothing there that us men would not understand", he said as he gave a slight wink. Felix had the urge to cry at the way the situation was unravelling. He misunderstood the situation. also wasn't he acting out of character?. Felix smiled back at the inspector, slightly surprised that such a usually stern man could make such a crude joke.
Felix could only fake a false front of confidence and lead the iron constables to his room. If he were not caught, he would definitely become the most devoted devotee of the goddess. The constables rushed into the room and began thoroughly inspecting. He was now a hundred per cent sure that the Mr Langley incident was only a cover-up; he was quite curious about the real matter.
Inspector Graves looked. around the room, his eyes settling at the shattered mirror on the wall, then looking away. Felix decided to distract the inspector as well as get more information on the real reason they were here. If he stayed quiet any longer, his nerves would probably reveal the fact that he was definitely concealing something.
"Inspector, is the case with Mr Langley serious enough to attract an inspector?" Felix decided to ask directly; the question would hopefully be serious enough to distract the hawkish onyx eyes of the inspector. The inspector paused as he rubbed his eyes. Felix suddenly noticed the dark circles under his eyes. The inspector probably did not get enough rest
" I would reveal the truth to you, but the case is quite serious ", the inspector warned. "There is a high-profile, dangerous person involved in the case. " He sighed as he added, "Unfortunately, the couple themselves are not cooperating at all to further the case"
Felix was now even more confused. Why would a victim be protecting their abuser? It was very unlikely for the Langley couple not to complain, considering that was all Mr Langley did. Inspector Graves' eyes darted around the room again and settled on his toolbox that was placed on the desk next to the new journal he bought from Mr Nibbs Book store, and gave Felix a strange look before ultimately looking away.
The iron constables were searching every nook and cranny of the room, overturning his books, his bed frame; they were not missing any part of the room at all. The blaring light from the red sun did not help in concealing anything at all. Felix thought hard, trying to find another way to extend the conversation and distract the inspector.
He suddenly remembered the issue on the paper about the man who caused a disturbance and escaped from the constable's arrest. Considering the inspector was newly transferred, he was probably not yet aware of the case. Since that man looked like Mr Langley, Felix came to another possible conclusion: perhaps the reason the couple were protecting their attacker was that they were related to him !!
"Inspector i read about a case in the paper yesterday, the man in the paper looked eerily like Mr Langley" Felix suddenly spoke up. The inspector and the other iron constables paused as they looked at each other. One of the constables walked up to the inspector, nodding while he whispered something into his ear. The inspector paused as he fell deep in thought.
"Can you show me the paper? We need to confirm something. Felix nodded to the inspector as he left the room and headed to the counter, where the newspaper was rolled up. The inspector exited his room while muttering under his breath.
"What do you think ?" Felix looked at the inspector, who was currently peering at the sketch photo of the wanted person while answering.
"I think he's related to the crime. It would make sense if the couple did not report him because of a family affiliation"
The inspector nodded, smiling gratefully at his analysis "To tell you the truth, kid, we wrongly profiled Mr Langley as the highly dangerous person we were after," he paused as he rubbed his fingers together "I opened this case to closely monitor him, but this makes a lot more sense," he said while pointing at the sketch on the paper.
The inspector's serious expression made Felix deeply curious about what the case was about and how serious it was. Was it possible that the paper did not exaggerate the situation?
" Would you go after the dangerous individual now? " Felix asked curiously, dropping the paper back on the counter
Inspector Graves chuckled as he answered, " There is nothing people like us can do to people like them. I can only report them to 'that' department" Noticing Felix's confused face, Inspector Graves said nothing as he smiled and headed back to the room. Felix woke up from his reverie a while after and hurriedly followed behind him.
As Felix entered his room, he felt his body jerk back in panic, his palm sweating. The moment the inspector reached for the drawer, something tightened in his chest. He stepped forward instinctively, then stopped himself just as quickly.
"Is that necessary?" he asked, a touch too late.
The inspector had already moved straight to the desk without asking, pulling the drawer open with a firm hand. He searched it quickly, then checked again, more deliberately this time.
" All done, searching the room, sir !!" an iron constable reported back to the stern Inspector standing in front of the drawer.
The inspector nodded and stepped away from the room, joining the other iron constables in the living room.
Felix stood back, his mind reeling in shock as he stood still looking into the empty drawer; the journal and the pocket watch he personally put in there were nowhere to be found.
Gone