Disclaimer: I don't own either Agatha Christie or Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro.
Notes: I saw someone had written a story based on 'And Then There Where None' by Agatha Christie, and, being a HUGE Agatha Christie fan, I loved the idea ^-^. However, that is my least fav story she has written, so I decided to make anouther one based on a story I like.
The Veiled Lady
I had noticed for some time that Neuro had been growing increasingly dissatisfied and restless.
We had had no big mysteries of late, and that meant no puzzles, and no puzzles meant no meals for Neuro. This had not been a pleasant week for me.
This morning he had flung me [after announcing I was late-I wasn't] across the room, and as I hit the wall he made an impatient hissing noise.
"It's your fault that we haven't gotten any puzzles of late." Neuro stated with distaste. "You're not famous enough, so we're not getting any mysteries from far away, and food grows scarce here because criminals know you're in the area."
I didn't tell him that the second part was his fault for making me so famous in the first place. It was safer that way. "What about the Bond Street Jewelry robbery that you solved the other day?" I reminded him.
Neuro looked slightly annoyed.
"A man with a loaded cane smashes the plate-glass window of the shop and grabs a number of precious stones. Passersby caught the man, but when the police checked the jewels in his pocket, they found them to be paste. He already confessed to passing the stones to another associate of his, one of the before mentioned 'passersby'. He didn't know his associates real name, and the police have yet to find him." He sighed.
"It was far too light eating, louse. I used up all the energy I got from the meal just by walking there."
It was my turn to sigh. "How about this?" I pointed to the paper I was reading. "Here's an Englishman found dead in Holland."
"His death was natural. He just ate some bad tuna."
Wow. Neuro must be getting pretty desperate to have checked up on the stories in the paper himself.
"Ah." An evil smiled played across Neuro's lips. "We have a customer worm."
A minute later our customer walked in. She was heavily veiled, and it was impossible to distinguish her features until she raised the veil of black Spanish lace. The young lady was extremely pretty, with fair hair and blue eyes. She wore an expensive looking dress, and turned towards me looking rather distraught.
"Miss Yako I presume?" said the lady in a soft, musical voice. "I am in great trouble. I really don't know if you can help me, but I heard such wonderful things about you that I come to you literally as my last hope to beg you to do the impossible."
"Oh, teacher has done the impossible many times before! Sometimes she's done as many as six impossible things before breakfast! Look! She's doing the impossible now!" Neuro chirped, twisting my head completely around.
Our fair guest hesitated.
"You can tell me." I said, as calmly as I could with a claw digging into my spine, and my windpipe crushed.
"I will trust you." The girl said suddenly. "You have heard of Lady Millicent Castle Vaughan?"
Immediately my interest grew. The announcement of Lady Milli's [as she was fondly called] engagement to the young Duke of Southshire had appeared a few days previous. According to rumor, she was in Japan on a honeymoon location hunt.
"I am her," continued the girl. "You may have read of my engagement. I should be the happiest girl alive right now, but oh, Miss Yako, I am in terrible trouble! There is this man, this horrible man, his name is Lavington; and he-I hardly know what to say. There was a letter I wrote, when I was young, only sixteen at the time, and he-he-"
"A letter you wrote to this Mr. Lavington?" Neuro interrupted Lady Milli right when she looked on the verge of tears.
"No! Not him! A young solider I was fond of, he was killed in the war." Lady Milli sniffed a bit at the last part. " It was a stupid letter. An indiscreet letter, but nothing too serious. However, in the wrong hands bearing wrong interpretation…"
"I understand," I assured her soothingly. "But why does Mr. Lavington have it?"
"I'm not sure how he got a hold of it, but he threatens me, that unless I pay him an absurd amount of money, an amount I can't raise, he'll send it to the Duke."
"Can't you just tell the Duke the truth?" I asked.
"I dare not! The Duke is very particular and very jealous. If I tell him I might as well break off the engagement!"
There was a moment of silence after Milli's outburst.
"Dear, dear." Neuro smiled [more like continued smiling, since his face hadn't changed through the whole sad story]. "but whatever do you wish us to do?"
"I want you to get the letter back."