Entry 9

"A double homicide!" I exclaimed. "Whatever makes you say that?"

Shirleigh began to pace the room once more. As she passed by me, she flung the papers Mr. Hudson had given her into my chest. Taking hold of them, I held them in front of myself with outstretched arms. My eyes skimmed through what was an old newspaper article but it wasn't one from London. In fact, it was in a language I could not understand at all, much like the writings on the walls of the manor.

Flipping through the rest of the papers, I attempted to make some sort of connection to our case but I could not bring myself to make sense of any of it when it was all in a foreign language. I  closed the folder, prompting my flatmate to look up at me with curious eyes. I shrugged and shook my head.

"I can't make any sense of it," I admitted, handing over the folder. "Some words look familiar, but I cannot translate them. It looks as though it may be the same language as the strange writings back at the crime scene."

"That is because it is all written in Italian," Shirleigh told me, receiving the folder. "They are newspapers and police records from Italy."

"Italy?"

"What comes to mind when you think of Italy?"

"Pasta," I said, realising my hunger may have influenced my answer.

Shirleigh shook her head.

"Art?"

"The beaches!" Shirleigh exaggerated. "The weather, the sea!"

"I reckon most people would agree that pasta comes to mind first."

She stared at me with the blandest expression I had ever seen before holding up the papers before me.

"These are multiple police reports describing a chain of criminal activity," she said, pointing to where I needed to focus my attention. "They vary in nature, but most of them turned up as murders. The police were never able to determine the cause of death of the victims but around them were scrawls of writings and drawings."

I stared at one of the images she had pointed to and I gasped.

"Those look just like the ones in the manor! Do you think it may be a calling card of some sort?"

An expression crossed Shirleigh's face that was new to me. Her eyebrows raised for a moment and the corner of her lips tugged upward in a sort of half-smile.

"That is precisely what it is," she said.

She walked over to the sofa to retrieve my bag and pulled out a device that I had become quite familiar with. It was a device that resembled a large smartphone or small tablet depending on how you looked at it. Attached to it was a handle that could be folded for convenient travelling purposes. On the front of the device were a few simple buttons.

 The first time I saw this curious contraption was the day I moved in. The day we set out to confront Evelyn, Shirleigh received it from Mr. Hudson but she did not have a use for it that particular day. She told me it was a portable digital magnifier. When it was turned on, it acted just like a magnifying glass, however, it had more capabilities given that it was digital, one of which was the ability to take photographs of the subject in its view. So, it also served as a camera and Shirleigh often had me take photos of crime scenes with it while she investigated.

She approached me and handed me the magnifier that was turned on and displayed a photo of the walls from the manor. She raised the police report photo beside it allowing me to compare the scenes.

"This essentially tells us exactly who perpetrated these crimes and will allow us to bring an end to their reign after all these years," Shirleigh said, looking at the photos herself.

"Well," I started. "If the calling card says who the culprit is, why haven't they been caught yet?"

Shirleigh snatched the notes she had scribbled down earlier and flourished them in the air.

"Because the Polizia were unable to determine what the blue blood was."

With that, Shirleigh flung open the door and rushed down the stairs, leaving me by myself in the middle of the living room.

I stood there for a few moments, looking around in uncertainty. I would have followed but I had yet to eat anything and I refused to work on an empty stomach. Seating myself at Shirleigh's work desk, I scanned the daily paper for a place to order food.

A minute passed and I heard rapid footsteps progressively grow louder as they approached. Shirleigh stuck her head in the room and stared at me.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for something to eat," I replied bluntly.

She groaned and came into the room. Grabbing my wrist, she pulled me away from the table and dragged me out of the room.

"Hey! Wait-"

"We'll eat on the way there," she said. "On me."

I sighed, unwilling to argue against free food. She released her hold on me and seemed to slide down the staircase. Mr. Hudson gave us a nod and we were out the door once more.

»»————-　♔　————-««

"What are you in the mood for?"

Shirleigh rocked back and forth on her heels waiting to hail a cab.

"It doesn't matter," I answered, looking up and down the street. "I'm not picky."

She did not say anything after that. Instead, she began humming to herself, still rocking on her heels. If it was a particular song, I could not place it. I would not be surprised if it was a tune she had entirely made up herself. She flagged down a cab and we climbed in.

"1 Westfield Avenue, thank you," Shirleigh said, crossing one leg over the other.

"You got it, guv."

The cab driver started toward our destination, which, if my memory served me correctly, wasn't too far from our lodgings.

"It isn't far," Shirleigh said, seemingly reading my mind. "I didn't want you to wait any longer than you already have."

I gave an acknowledging noise and watched the people outside as we passed them by.

"Goin' out to eat, are ya?" the cab driver asked. "Meeting up with friends or just the two of ya?"

"Oh, no, just the two of us," I replied, knowing Shirleigh never engaged in small conversation. She found it a pathetic attempt to occupy silence. But silence is so much more awkward, isn't it?

"Two friends, eh? Like partners."

The driver didn't seem to say this to anyone in particular, rather he was saying it to himself. I gazed into the rearview mirror to see his eyes focused on the road ahead.

"I wouldn't say-"

"That is quite a nice way of putting it," Shirleigh mumbled to herself. "Partners..."

I turned to look at her, but her attention was fixed on her fingernails, which she inspected one by one.

When we arrived at our destination, Shirleigh paid the cab driver and leapt out of the vehicle. I trailed close behind as she led me to the most quaint cafe.

The bistro was enclosed with an ornate iron fence, the pickets were rectangular and the finials were forged into fleur de lis-like shapes. Overhead were wooden beams that stretched from one side of the bistro to the other. Hanging from them were potted plants filled with greenery suited for the chilly weather. Warm, spherical lights were delicately strung between the plants and provided an incredibly cosy atmosphere.

A young gentleman dressed in a black suit stood behind a podium just behind the fence and greeted us in the utmost genial manner. He and Shirleigh exchanged a few words before he opened the gate to let us in and showed us to our table. After handing us the menu, he departed with a promise to return.

"This is absolutely lovely," I said, taking in my surroundings.

Shirleigh had her nose stuck in the menu, blocking her face from view.

"Are you looking for something to eat?"

"May as well since we are here."

I straightened my posture suddenly curious as to what kinds of foods Shirleigh liked to eat. It was hard to even place a guess. I came to discover that she did drink smoothies, so maybe she preferred greens or fruits.

"What's the matter?"

I opened my eyes and found my companion staring back at me, her hands folded atop the table. 

"Oh, nothing," I said, shaking my head.

She lifted her head and focused on the lights above.

"It bothers me," she said aloud.

"What does?"

"Sometimes I find myself unable to figure out what it is you're thinking."

"Is that a bad thing?"

She shrugged.

"It only occurs on rare occasions," she continued. "Most times, I can read you like a book."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Do not take offence," she said, looking into my eyes. "You are very expressive."

I sat back in my chair and folded my arms. Shirleigh took the glass in front of her and tapped her fingernails along the stem.

"Do you dance?" I asked.

Shirleigh looked up at me with what was a slightly surprised expression. She opened her mouth and closed it again.

"I used to," she admitted. "I took ballet classes when I was younger."

"I knew it!"

She raised an eyebrow and I covered my mouth. The people at the other tables shot inquiring glances my way and I quietly apologised.

"It's just," I started in a quieter voice. "The way you move. Everything you do has a certain gracefulness. Just like when you exited the cab earlier."

"Mm."

"Do you not dance anymore?"

"I did say 'I used to.'"

"I mean, why don't you anymore?"

Shirleigh took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling.

"I just," she began. "I didn't like it."

I frowned. That wasn't true. I can see it in the way she walks and in her gestures. Every action she made was fluid and she loved it whenever I complimented her, I could see it in her eyes. Her lips may not smile, but her eyes certainly did.

The waiter returned with a pitcher of water and some plates. The each of us told him our orders and I was unable to hide my pride after hearing what Shirleigh had ordered.

"What now?" she asked me after the waiter had left. "You're shocked at my order."

"Oh," I silently cursed my expressiveness. "It was just- I was attempting to predict what you liked to eat. Or, at least what you were going to get."

"How did you figure it out?"

"Huh?" I was caught off guard by the sudden question. "I don't think..."

"You are timid in voicing your reasoning," she told me. "You cannot be afraid to be wrong. That kind of fear is what holds so many people back."

"Right..." I muttered. "It was- I remembered that you had a smoothie before we left. Most smoothies are either purees of greens or fruits. I was unsure of which you preferred, so I went with the safe route and thought you might order the fruit salad. It was just a guess in the end."

"An educated guess," she said. "Maybe my methods are beginning to rub off on you."

"Oh no," I said, waving my hands in front of me. "It was nothing. I could never get to the level that you're on."

"Not with that kind of mindset."

The waiter approached us with our orders before leaving us once more.

We quietly enjoyed our meals, the murmurs from the surrounding conversations filling the silence.

"Excuse me," a man walked up to our table. "You're Juniper, right?"

He was tall and his skin was bronze. His wavy, dark brown hair touched his shoulders. The eyes in his head were large and of a beautiful grey colour I had never seen before.

"I'm sorry, you probably don't know who I am," his voice was soft and gentle. "Maxwell Morstan. We went to the same university."

"Oh, um, yes," I stammered. "I think I recall seeing you in the hallway from time to time."

We stared at one another for a few seconds before someone cleared their throat. I looked over at Shirleigh who had quite an annoyed look on her face.

"Right," Morstan spoke. "I've been living in London for a while after some time in Egypt. I just opened a practice a week ago and still need to fill some offices. You were studying general medicine, right? I could use a physician like you if you're looking for work."

"Oh, um," I started. "I actually, stopped studying medicine recently. I don't think I'm your best choice at the moment, I'm terribly sorry."

"Oh, no, that's my bad," he said. "I didn't know. I should have known better than to walk up and ask you such a specific thing out of the blue. But...you were one of the top students in the school. What happened? If you don't mind me asking."

I shook my head.

"That's alright," he stated. "Well, if you ever change your mind or if either of you need assistance, I have a great team a few blocks from here.

He held out a business card to both Shirleigh and me. I took it into my hands and watched as Shirleigh stared at it, unmoving. I reached over to take it offering an awkward and apologetic smile toward Morstan.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again," he waved before heading back to his table.

I waved in return and stopped when I noticed the look on Shirleigh's face.

"That's a new one," I accidentally said aloud.

She relaxed her facial features and turned her attention elsewhere.

"What was that look for?"

"That was the most awkward encounter I had ever witnessed in all my years of living, forgive my cringing."

"Wha-"

"And while you two were stuttering at each other, I have made progress in our investigation."

Shirleigh rose from the table and started for the gate. I fumbled to gather my things to catch up with her before I inevitably got left behind again.