Pride and Felony
By Dennis D. Georges
Chapter 1
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a criminal mastermind in possession of a well-thought-out crime must want a protagonist.
It was a dark, gloomy, and foggy night when the unexplainable occurred. The crime took place on the corner of Netherfield St. and Longbourn Ave. A handsome man wearing a brown trench coat and a classic tan felt Fedora disappeared into the night. Only one witness saw this event. The police thought she was crazy. They said, "No man can just disappear into the night. There has to be a trail of some kind."
The woman went home to her one room apartment and cried. She knew she was not imagining this event. She knew she was not crazy. She turned on the small old black-and-white TV to get her mind off the event. She was half-asleep when she saw a paid program.
The host said, "Have you seen an unexplainable event and everyone thinks your crazy? If the answer is yes, then call the Bennet sisters. Jane and Elizabeth Bennet have been solving crime, since they were young. Jane is now 22 years old and Elizabeth is 16…."
The woman called the number at the bottom of the screen.
A woman answered the phone, "Hello?" she sounded old.
"Hello, is Jane or Elizabeth there?"
"Oh, let me guess, you want them to solve your case."
"Yes indeed."
"Hold on."
Another voice picked up the phone and said, "Hello?"
"Jane? Is that you?"
"Caroline Bingley, is that you?"
"Yes. It's nice to hear a familiar voice."
"What's wrong?"
"My brother, Charles, has gone missing."
Jane was in shock and was truly sad.
"Jane are you there? Jane!"
"Yes I am here. Can you explain what happened?"
"I can, let me come over in the morning, and tell you what happened."
"That sounds like a deal."
Jane hung up the phone and ran to Elizabeth, who was in the living room. Elizabeth was lying down on the couch, but when Jane entered the room, she stood up.
Elizabeth asked in a worried voice, "Sister, what's wrong?"
"Oh, how I have bad news. Remember Mr. Bingley."
"Yes, that nice gentleman that you have a crush on."
"Yes, well he has gone missing."
"What!" replied Elizabeth.
"Miss Caroline Bingley has hired us to find her brother."
Jane sat down in the chair next to her sister and started to cry. Elizabeth handed her a tissue and hugged her. After a minute of crying, Jane pulled back and said, "She will be here in the morning to tell us what happened."
Chapter 2
Jane was lying awake in her bed and reminiscing about the time she first heard the name Bingley. It was about five months ago that her mother came running to Mr. Bennet and telling him the good news. Jane, Elizabeth, and Kitty were listening in on their conversation.
"My dear Mr. Bennet," said his lady to him, "have you heard that Netherfield St. has been let."
Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.
"Mrs. Long has just been here, and told me all about it."
Mr. Bennet made no answer.
"Do you not want to know who has taken it?" cried his wife impatiently.
"You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it."
This was invitation enough.
"Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that the house on Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from England. He came down on Monday and was so much delighted with it, that he agreed with Mr. Morris, his real-estate agent, immediately. Some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week."
"What is his name?"
"Bingley."
"Is he married or single?"
"Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!"
"How so? How can it affect them?"
"My dear Mr. Bennet," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them."
"Is that his desire in settling here?"
"Desire! Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes."
"I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better, for as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley may like you the best of the party."
"My dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary. When a woman has five grown-up daughters, she gives up thinking of her own beauty."
"You must indeed go and see Mr. Bingley when he comes into the neighborhood."
"It is more than I engage for, I assure you."
"I dare say Mr. Bingley will be very glad to see you; and I will send a few lines by you to assure him of my hearty consent to his marrying whichever he chooses of the girls; though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy."
"I desire you will do no such thing. Lizzy is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is not half so handsome as Jane. But you are always giving her the preference."
"They have none of them much to recommended them," replied he; "they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters."
"Mr. Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such a way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion for my poor nerves."
"You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least."
"Ah, you do not know what I suffer."
"But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young men of four thousand a year come into the neighborhood."
"It will be no use to us, if twenty such should come, since you will not visit them."
"Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty, I will visit them all."
Jane out of her other two sisters was the most eager to meet Mr. Bingley.
Chapter 3
The family woke up to the doorbell ringing and a pounding at the door. Mr. Bennet got out of bed and walked slowly down the stairs to open the door. He opened the door slightly just to see who was there. After seeing Miss Bingley, he opened the door and let her in.
"I'm sorry to intrude this early in the morning. I just want Jane and Elizabeth to find my brother quickly," Caroline said.
"Well, I will go wake them up. Would you like any tea?"
"Oh. That would be delightful."
Mr. Bennet went upstairs and knocked on the door to his daughters' room.
"Jane, Elizabeth, Miss Bingley is here to see you."
"Almost ready father," Jane replied.
Jane and Elizabeth entered the room when Mr. Bennet handed Miss Bingley the tea. Caroline Bingley stood up, walked to Jane, and hugged her. Caroline pulled back and started to cry. She shook Elizabeth's hand and they all sat down.
"It's nice to see you again Jane. I really have missed you."
Elizabeth replied, "Shall we start?"
Miss Bingley said, "Where shall I begin."
Elizabeth whispered to Jane, "From the beginning."
Jane smiled and Miss Bingley said, "It all started last month. My brother and his friend, Mr. Darcy, went to London for work. My brother sent me emails and letters telling me how everything was going. It was going fine until the last day they were there. I received a letter saying that it wasn't safe for him and he was coming back earlier than planned. I waited in my living room for the cab to pull up to the front of the house. I looked out the window and saw a cab pull across the street, got out and a bus was passing next to him and then the unexplainable happened: he disappeared."
Jane replied, "That is truly interesting and sad. We need to see the letters that your brother sent you."
"I keep all my letters in a box under my bed. When I get back home I will send it to you through UPS."
Elizabeth stated, "Do you have this Mr. Darcy's number? Maybe he can give us more insight in to what happened in London."
Miss Bingley replied, "I don't have his number, but I do know where he lives. He lives at 4626 E. Pemberley Lane."
Jane asked, "Does your brother have any enemies?"
Miss. Bingley replied, "None that I know of. He is a kind and earnest man. I don't know why anyone would want to harm him."
Elizabeth wanted to interview Mr. Darcy because she remembered the feelings she had when they first met at the dance.
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