The Broken Lantern Ch. 1 After dropping off her baggage at The May Fair Hotel and refreshing herself with sleep and a meal, a new day for her began less than twelve hours after arriving in the United Kingdom. Grabbing her satchel and drapping the long brown woven handle over her shoulders and across her chest she stepped out of her hotel room and headed towards the elevator. On her way down she held onto a piece of paper with directions on how to get to her Gram's old friends residence.
It was around two pm, and the sidewalks were somewhat busy on this wendsday afternoon. She didn't care, she was finally in London, alone and, thus, happy. Taking note of nearby eateries and, oh! A bookshop! 'Definately have to go in there!' she mentally cried out in delight, and made notations on her little bit of paper as she walked along following the directions. Crossing across the 'park' she found herself on the other side in no time and on Tweed st. where she was suppossed to end up. 'Perfect...now where the heck is building 117?' mulled the women in her thoughts. 'Hmm, 111, 113...' she counted upwards as she headed right and down the sidewalk. Finally after passing each mundane grey building she came upon a somewhat sorely sticking out white stucco three storied building amonst all the grey two storied houses. Surprisingly the little japanese restauarant, after all these decades, was still open and operating. Right on the left side of the door leading to the restaurant, was a glass window featuring a lovely blue silk kimono and various lanterns of all shapes and sizes. Her eye was instantly drawn to a small red one tucked into the corner with a rice paper screen 'hiding' the small flicking electric candle which was giving off the softest little glow. Dragging her eyes away from the display, a black door tucked into the building next to the window was her priority now. Stepping on the small step and then a landing she meandered over to the list of names with a corresponding button. Fourth one down had her smiling.
She held up the piece of paper with characters and after a moment, matched it up neatly. Without a moments hesitation she pushed the button and was rewarded with the every annoying "EEEEEEEEENT" noise. A moment. Two moments. Three momen- "Who is bugging this beautiful old woman?" A soft mischeavious and aged voice crackled out of the com.
"Mrs. Ayama, it's Jan Leire. I'm Roxanne Astrone's granddaughter. Do you reme-" Jan did not finish that sentence when a buzz and a soft click signifiying the unlocking of the front door caught her attention. "I'm at the very top. Only door. Hurry up!" The com shut off and Jan quickly hopped up the last step leading to the massive black door and let herself in. Jan listened to the heavy door thud shut behind her as she looked up at the winding stairs in front of her. Seeing the elevator just off to her left, she ignored it in favor of sprinting lightly up the steps. Hopefully to ease out some of the nerves and bit of the anxiousness she felt. By the time she made it to the top of the steps the door was already open and small woman with oriental features stood there peering at her. Jan walked over to her and within a few feet of stopping at her she finally noticed the small smirk around the womans mouth. Seeing laugh lines visibly noticed around her mouth put her to ease a bit more. Her own grandmama had deep lines like that. She did love to laugh and smile.
"I can see my Roxanne in you. Rest her soul. Come in!" The lady turned and motioned Jan should step in ahead of her. Walking in, Jan didn't notice Mrs. Ayama turn and look around quickly before shutting the door and sliding the dead bolt into place. A silver tray with a red enamel lacquer which held a jade green tea pot and two empty tea mugs sat on the coffee table, steaming and waiting to be poured. Motioning to take a seat, Jan sat down on an old fashioned winged back chair that was reupholstered in a very loud shimmery shade of purple. Mrs. Ayama picked up the pot and carefully poured tea into either mug and then handed one to Jan. Blowing carefully before sipping, she felt the mild and swift taste of oolong upon her taste buds.
"The tea is excellent, thank you." Jan replied softly. "You're grandmother loved that old silly chair. I had it redone in purple. Her favorite color, I'm sure you know." At Jan's nod, she continued on. "How long have you been in London Jan?" asked Mrs. Ayama smilingly from her seat on the white puffed two seater couch. Finishing her next sip, Jan took her mug and lowered it between her slightly between her knees.
"About fourteen hours, I'd reckon," she replied. The oriental lady's manicured eyebrows shot up and her lips quirked up ever so much in the corners of her mouth.
"Well, anxious to hear about your Grandmother's life here, are we?" "Yes, Mrs. Ayama and you dont' know how much I appreciate you talking to me about this. I do vaguely remember her bringing me here to visit with you, she was always happy here when she visited." Jan needn't had to say the rest. Her Grandmama's home life was hard for awhile, but her grandfather, due to his chronic drinking and stupidity, thankfully died early enough that she could spend the rest of her years free and happy. Mrs. Ayama's face was solemn as she stared at Jan through her strong brown eyes and then nodded once. "Yes, your grandfather was a stupid, strongwilled man. Thankfully he died early. I know we should not speak ill of the dead, but he had no honor. The only good that, that...man did was to have a daughter who would one day have you." A smile touched back and for a moment Jan let out a soft snort before giving a soft chuckle. "Mrs. Ayama, I do believe that is the kindest phrase ever given to grandfather." A shake of her head and soft laugh as well came from the elder woman. Taking a moment to look off to the side and think to herself, Jan waited in silence as she took in the room for a moment.
The walls were done in a sort of standard apartment beige, but all around the room was color. Even the bookshelves spanning the lower part of the walls all around the room were painted a reddish brown. Every nook on the shelves had either books or pretty little knick knacks of sort. On the top part of the walls held numerous pictures starting in a subdued watercolor prints, to black and whites then colored photos. Most were of various people, mainly family, guessed Jan. But she knew instantly that a six by eight headshot in black and white was her late grandmama, but when she appeared to be in her mid twenties. Biting her tongue she looked away after a moment to see Mrs. Ayama looking right after her in small piting way. "It's not hard to see you miss her. You both look so much alike...", with that, Mrs. Ayama got up and walked over to the picture of her grandmama Roxanne that was hanging on the wall and every so carefully, lifted the wire off the hook that it was suspending the picture from. Holding it, she walked back over to the coffee table and gently setting it picture side down on the table she started working the back of the picture off. She pushed the wired tabs up and then lifted the soft black velvet away from the back of the frame. An envelope sat sitting there. Mrs. Ayama picked it up and handed it right to Jan.
"This is yours, my dear. She mailed it to me just a scant two weeks before she died. Her sense of timing was always good. It's addressed to you, I haven't opened it." Jan took it from her lightly clenching and unclenching her jaw, in an effort to hold off tears. For now it worked as she took a deep breath and looked up at the kind woman who had once been her grandmama's best friend and confidant. Right up until the very end. "May I read it here?" softly spoken and a slight nod was her response. Jan took the offered letter opener and softly ripped away at the the envelope. Opening the folded twice letter a small business card fell onto her lap. Scanning the card it read:
Bank Of London M-F 8am - 6pm
08916070/1/18/9/5/11 Box 21
"There is writing on the other side as well, dear." Jan turned the card over and sure enough:
Sherlock Holmes, 221B Beaker st.
Not sure Jan tucked the card into her wallet that she retrieved from her satchel and went back to the letter. Upon watching her read, and set back further into the couch, Mrs. Ayama occupied herself by getting up and heading into the kitchen. She had food prepped for when her dearest friends granddaughter would come to visit and set about making them a dinner for them both. Maema missed Roxanne and was happy to be able to tell her descendant all the funny and sometimes downright stupid things she and her friend once accomplished, so many years ago.
Six days had passed since Jan had gone and seen Mrs. Ayama, whom declared that she felt too old by that name and insisted that she call her Maema for now on. Jan had promised Maema that she would be back next week for another dinner with her, but this time downstairs in the restaurant that her grandson now owned. She looked forward to it, especially since Maema proudly stated that their sushi was the best in all of London. She didn't doubt the proud older woman.
The letter and business card sat back in her hotel room tucked away in the bottom of her suit case. She wasn't ready to deal with all the emotions left in her heart and decided that she would spend the next five days being a tourist and taking in the splendors of London. The late afternoon had her meeting Maema at her door and going downstairs to the restaurant for the promised dinner and to meet her grandson. Thankfully Maema wasn't an old ditty match maker and she didn't have to deal with awkward pauses when left alone briefly with her grandosn Garrett. He was charming and genuinely happy to meet her. His meemaw had told him about her and he agreed with her out loud that she did resemble her grandmama greatly and she considered it more of a treasure than a burden. After the meal and a great praise to the cook, who was Garrett as well, she promised to definitely return to eat as often as she could. The sushi, she told him was by far the freshest she ever had had. Maema walked with Jan back to the door and stopped and turn to look at her.
"You are coming up with me right? Yes?" Jan could only smile and nod. To be honest she was full and looking forward to sitting down for a bit... "Good. Head down the street here and three blocks down is a Mr. Yuwa's Grocery store. Ask him for Maema's tea blend. It will aid our digestion well as we talk." Maema nodded smartly and turned to let herself into the apartment lobby.
Blinking for a moment at the old womans back she smiled and turned around to head for the store. Her own Grandmama did the same thing with her so she wasn't taken aback. Walking down the sidewalk she felt a calm serene feeling enter much like the feeling Grandmama used to be able to conjure around her. It took her by surprise and for a moment she stopped and breathed deeply. After a few deep breaths she headed on her way to pick up the tea. While in the shop paying for Maema's tea is when she felt the earth shudder followed by the loud boom. Or was it the boom then the shudder? Jan wasn't sure but the pale look on the weathered old mans face scared her.
"That sounded like a bomb..." Jan muttered out to him. His deep set eyes swiveled over to her and years seemed to add onto him in a blink of an eye. "Yes, bad times. Bad people. Peace happens in still moments now, instead of days." he breathed out. Jans' heart lurched at his response and grabbing her bag with the tea she went to head outside, but Mr. Yuwa grabbed her arm gently. "Please wait a few moments. Make sure there are no other explosions. Maema wouldn't forgive me for letting you go right now, just to be hurt." Jan a little shocked by the fact that there were bombs apparently going off in London, a city she had fallen in love all over again, nodded and stood over by the window looking outside.
The people she did see outside were staring off down the street and pointing or having pulled out phones were busy on them. Some taking photos, texting or, hopefully, calling emergency personnel. Mr. Yuwa picked up his phone, and put it back down after a moment. "Phone line is out." he breathed out. He then pulled out a cell phone from within his vest and within a moment was talking to someone. Jan didn't hear him but instead focused on the people outside. Now others had been running past the store and further back down the way she had come from. She gave a little jump when she felt Mr. Yuwa touch her arm gently. "Jan?" she nodded at him. Mr. Yuwa looked at this young woman and with a pang in his heart recalled how this woman with the slight reddish hair had conversed happily with him about Maema. Her happiness would be gone in a moment now. "Jan, I called my wife who is upstairs on the top floor. We have a very good view all around us. I want you to go upstairs now with me, ok? It may still not be safe yet outside."
He then locked the front door to the shop in front of her and lead her to the back of the shop and up some steps just as she heard the first of the sirens blaring down the road. Mrs. Yuwa had tears in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks when Jan saw her the first time. In years to come, whenever they would meet, Jan would always remember her with the tears falling down just as she fell into her husbands arms. Together with their faces pressed closely in one another, they spoke softly in Japanese and Mr. Yuwa held his aging wife tightly to himself. Jan had walked over to the windows and when she realized what she wasn't seeing...Maema's building, she spun around with wide eyes and looked at the Yuwa's. Mr. Yuwa gently led Jan down to an armchair with sad eyes, while Mrs Yuwa could be heard setting up a kettle for tea. "Please stay here until it is safe," Mr. Yuwa softly murmured. Jan only nodded mutely and stared down at the rug under her feet.
Nearly two hours later it was now dark outside and Jan felt the shock had receded enough to leave on her own without the Yuwas' calling a taxi for her. She insisted that she would be ok, and that she would stop in next week sometime to check up on them. Mr. Yuwa led her out of a door that was next to the shop at the front of the building. He extracted another promise from the petite woman to come back and watched her for a moment as she crossed across the road and headed down the blocks towards what used to be Maema building and home.
So now Jan stood at the corner across the street staring off at the building that was now even at two stories high instead of three. Standing stockstill and holding onto the lamp post next to her, she watched as investigators, fire and ambulance workers seem to finish up what they were doing. Statements from what she saw as random people were being concluded with handshakes and nods just before the people seperated ways. She was somewhat vaguely aware as a taxi pulled up next to her and some people stepped out of the cab. Murmured voices and the cab went, back up, made a U-turn and left back the way it had come due to the road being blocked off from passing traffic.
Out of her peripheral vision she saw two men, but the taller of the two had stood and looked at her for a moment longer than necessary before turning and striding towards the building. She watched them hawklike now as she saw them approach the taped off area and easily walked under it and to a detective inspector. He seemed to wave him off and briskly walk inside despite the annoyed shouting from the inspector. The shorter of the man seemed to shake his head a bit before walking in after his partner. Still, not even twenty minutes, Jan was clutching onto the lamp post trying to calmly breathe and not think about how she wouldn't even be existing right now if Maema hadn't wanted her tea...Her tea that was still in the bag that was clutched tightly in Jan's hand. Looking down in a bit of surprise to see that she hadn't dropped it she finally noticed that the front of the paper bag had bright blue japanese lettering on it. Relaxing her hand a bit she took a deep breath and looked back at the building just to see the tall man come around from the back of the building via the small alley between the building and its neighbor. Dimly Jan noticed that Garrett had locked up his restaurant and was leaning off to the side against an ambulance with his head bowed down. Still Jan didn't move, though her eyes took in the tall man who seemed to be erratically pointing and whirling around while talking to the shorter man, who had a bit of sandy hair.
It was then that the tall man with brown hair swiftly turned around towards her. The fading warmth of the day had left and only when she saw him slowly step carefully, as though trying to seem to not come towards her, when in actuality he really was, did she feel the slight cold in the dark night air.
Jan became aware of herself when she felt the tug in her stomach, the slight tug on her that roused her enough to try to not look directly at the man making his way towards her. She casually made to look in the opposite direction of left, but was already moving off to the right towards the busier part of the road where she could hail a cab. Within not even a few seconds she felt, rather than saw, the man start actually heading towards her and her own feet moved quickly into the crowds that had still lingered amongst the street.
Still clutching the bag she obeyed the feeling in her stomach which was only screaming at her to "RUN! NOW!" when the man came towards her. There were butterflies now in her stomach and she was running on adrenaline. She slightly turned her around to the side and managed to catch a glimpse of him jogging to catch up to her. She looked forward and moved just a fraction bit more faster.
What she saw of him, the trench coat and scarf, for some reason sticking out to her was subconsciously retained into the back of her mind for later. Hearing the familiar sound of a taxi coming up, Jan took the risk and leapt out onto the road and flagged one that had just come up around the bend. The driver stopped easily enough for her and up until this point, her persuer had not uttered one word to her.
It was just as she was sliding into the seat and just as she slammed the door shut she heard a rich and deep baritone voice call out to her. "Stop! I know you're aware of me! I'm calling out to you to stop running-!" Jan slammed the door and locked it as she shouted to the driver to just go.
"Please just go go go!" The driver, having had seen what he had deemed a familiar scenerio of a woman trying to evade an ex, sped off leaving Jan staring at the man who had just a few feet left between himself and the cab right as it took off.
Jan looked at the man's face, and was relieved that she was being pulled further away from the man and his ice blue eyes and angry shouts. The high cheek bones and the furrowed brows, Jan was slightly dismayed to see that he wasn't breathing deeply and not out of breath. As the driver round the corner and just before she lost sight of him, she noted the sandy haired man having had caught up to the taller man, who had slightly rocked back on his heels and was keeping up a steady gaze with her eye to eye as he casually lifted his chin up a bit and shoved his hands into his trench coat. Jan couldn't get over the feeling that he was just too...sure of himself.
Giving the driver the name of her hotel, she also gave him her many thanks for getting her out of there quickly. He briefly looked over at her in the rear view mirror and that was it, with a nod of his head. During the ten minute or so ride, his radio came on and asked for if he had a passenger and what the destination was. The numb tingle in Jan's stomach was still with her even as she stepped out of the cab ten minutes later and gave him a big tip. He gave her his name and cab number and said he'd be pleased to drive her again. As the front door man held open the door for her as she walked into her hotels lobby she felt like she was still being persued by the man in the trench coat.