The Mysterious Object

William Murdoch was one of the finest detectives in Toronto, and as such he was rarely as stumped as he was now. Not that he would ever voice his confusion to the constables who were working the case with him. He spent a great portion of his time explaining inventions and theories to George and Henry but now that the tables were turned he did not wish to have this particular phenomenon explained to him.

An unusual scowl graced his features as he looked down at the man who had gotten him into this mess. The smell coming off the body could not have been completely attributed to decomposition, it was clear the man hadn't bathed in months. He had no identification and nothing to suggest his identity apart from the foreign object that was responsible for a fit of giggling from Henry and a deep flush from George. William was hesitant to pick up the object that had drawn such a reaction and promptly ordered Henry to take it back to the station as evidence.

When Julia had walked in and seen the object in Henry's hands her eyebrows all but disappeared into her hairline. The small smirk that he loved so much formed on her delicate lips and under any other circumstances William would have smiled. He did not like the feeling of being in the dark however and vowed to do some research when he returned to the station.

After a brief discussion with Julia he was no closer to identifying the cause of death nor the identity of the victim. At Julia's laugh and suggestion to follow up with the 'intriguing belongings' the man had been found with William departed the crime scene in search of the closest library. Had the scene been less crowded he may have asked his wife about the foreign object but alas he was left to his own devices to discover its identity.

Now that he was married William reasoned that he should be comfortable discussing personal matters more openly. Just the thought of his after-hours activities with his wife made him flush and he shook his head in an effort to rid his mind of such thoughts. He felt as though each passer-by knew what he was thinking of and he hastened to reach the library to be rid of their gaze.

The moment he stepped through the familiar doors William let out a sigh. After a moment to collect himself he made his way into the main reading area to find a book that might enlighten him on the situation. It took only a moment for William to realize that he had no idea where to find such things in the library, or if the public library would even carry such things. He was not about to ask the elderly librarian Mr. Houghton whether they had books on sexual objects. Judging by the man's face and his old age William worried he might have a heart attack at the thought of it.

With a sigh William left for the station empty handed and just as confused as before. Upon his arrival the inspector questioned his lateness, a fact he attributed to a conversation with Dr. Ogden over possible causes of death. Once free from his superior's company William hastily made his way into his office and closed the door. He would assign the constables to work on the unknown object while he analyzed the crime scene and the victim's clothes for clues. William figured that was a fool proof plan to make it through the day. Perhaps in the constables report they would give some hints as to the nature of the object.

The day passed slower than most, with William jumping at every knock on his door. By the end of the say there were no new leads and he decided to visit his wife in the morgue and sort the situation out with as little embarrassment as possible. It wasn't as though they had not shared a bed for months since they had married. He mentally encouraged himself as he made his way down the street to the familiar door and turned the knob.

His wife, dutiful as ever, hardly heard him come in. She was clearly absorbed with her work on the victim's liver which lay in a bowl on one of her side tables. William cleared his throat to announce his arrival and Julia's head spun to face him. A beautiful smile broke out on her face and William momentarily forgot the original purpose of his visit. She walked up to him, removing her gloves and apron and placing them on a nearby chair. When she wrapped her arms around his neck William's hands automatically went to her waist. He smiled down at her, marvelling at the fact that she was his as he often did when he was with her.

She moved to kiss him but William put a finger to her lips to stop her actions. He wanted to be present in the moment whenever he was with her, and right now something was distracting him. He cleared his throat once again and tried to decide how best to approach the topic. Julia smiled slightly, familiar with her husband's many distractions. She waited patiently for him to speak what was on his mind as she traced her fingers over his shoulders.

William finally decided to phrase his question with as much candor and bluntness as possible, knowing that Julia might laugh but would answer him truthfully and without judgement. He took a deep breath, "that object we found today, on our victim." He began. "What was it?" He asked, the nerves returning to him as he gazed into his wife's face.

As he predicted Julia let out a light laugh but moved her hand to rest it on his face. "My sweet William," she said with a grin. "I should have guessed what has been on your mind."

William frowned in confusion, which only made his wife laugh harder. She took a moment to collect herself before answering. "It's a rather ingenious device if you ask me," Julia said, running her hands up and down his arms. "You see it creates electrical pulses of a sort, and when placed on a woman it can cause intense pleasure from what I've heard." She said, again laughing at his obvious discomfort.

"But who would invent such a thing?" William asked incredulously.

"A British doctor in fact," said Julia. "Joseph Mortimer Granville I believe his name was."

William shook his head, still baffled at the idea of electricity being used for such things.

"Oh William don't trouble yourself with the why of such things, simply use the device to find the identity of your victim." Said his wife with a degree of understanding that he greatly appreciated.

William nodded and smiled for the first time that day without distraction. He helped Julia into her coat and the couple exited the morgue, with Julia still giggling under her breath. They walked the familiar path back to their hotel and William found himself lost in though once again. This time however, it was not over the mysterious belongings of his victim. His mind was now focused on a much happier thought. He had a wife who loved him, regardless of his inexperience in the physical aspects of marriage. He looked forward to the rest of their lives teaching each other the endless knowledge that they had. William would readily admit, he still had much to learn.