A/N: I know I'm not the first to post a Layton mystery, but I might as well give it a go! Enjoy.

May 13, 1962 2:37 A.M.

The sky was pitch black, the stars spread across its face like billions of eyes gazing upon the sleeping town below. All seemed quiet, calm and peaceful, just like any early London morning. But looks, as any wise grandparent may tell you, can be deceiving. Actions speak louder than words, and some actions are so horrid, that no eyes, even those of thestars, should ever have to behold them.

In a dark alleyway in a particularly empty part of town, a figure stood leaning against a wall, waiting just as a predator may wait for its prey. It was a woman, very tall and lean, dressed in black pants, shoes, and a black hooded-sweatshirt. At first glance, she seemed to be alone on the deserted road. But close by, a man stood.

The man was thirty-eight year old Abraham Hayberg, a psychology teacher at Gressenheller University, married to Eleanor McGold and father to twin sisters Rachel and Rosemary Hayberg. Now, you may think it was a coincidence that the two strangers were on the same street at the same time, but in reality, the female in the alley had followed Abraham out onto the early morning streets. Truth be told, she had actually been following him for quite awhile. She had found Abraham quite fascinating when she first saw him, and decided to do a bit of research on him—carefully disguised as she gathered the information, of course. What she found, however, caused her to become quite jealous of the man, and she began to hate him. Now, she decided, was the perfect time to confront him on this hatred of hers, once and for all.

Clearing her throat and pulling up her hood on her headas to shadow her face; she stepped out from the alley and walked toward where Abraham was smoking a cigar.

"Good evening, sir!" she called out cheerily. "Or should I say, 'Good morning'? With the sky this black, I haven't got the foggiest idea on the time."

Abraham turned and observed the strange figure walking towards him. She seemed a bit sketchy, with her hood hiding her face and clad all in black, but nevertheless he glanced at his watch and said to the woman, who was now standing next to him, "According to my watch it's about 2:37 in the morning."

The woman gasped, "My! I didn't realize I had been out so long. I had a few things on my mind, so I decided to go out and walk for a few minutes, but I guess minutes turn into hours pretty quick, huh?"

Shaking her head she reached into her pants pocket and produced a small book of matches and a clove cigarette. "Mind if I join you, sir?"

Abraham raised an eyebrow, "Well now, smoking is more of a man's habit, wouldn't you say, ma'am?"

"Ha! I don't follow stereotypes like that, my good man. I do whatever pleases me, and that's that."

He nodded. I guess that's a fair reason, he thought as he took another drag from his cigar. The faint smell of cloves and tobacco tickled his nose as the stranger's smoke wafted from her open lips and into the cool early-morning breeze. There was a comfortable silence as they continued to smoke, and when they were both done, the woman tossed her cigarette on the ground and used her shoe to squash it flat. Abraham, who was not fond of littering, pinched the cigar to put it out, then tucked it in his coat pocket so he could throw it away when he got home.

"Now, sir," the woman said, and Abraham looked at her. "I'm quite a regular out on the streets at night, probably because I'm what people might call an insomniac." She shrugged briefly and continued, "But as often as I've been out here, I don't ever remember seeing you."

He chuckled, "Well, that might be because this isn't what you would call a 'regular routine' for me. I, like you said about yourself earlier, had a few things on my mind. I decided to come outside for a stroll and a smoke, thought it might clear my mind."

The stranger cocked her head towards him, "My, isn't that strange. Two strangers out on the street at the same time for the same reason."

"Yes, quite the coincidence, eh?" chuckled Abraham.

"Not quite," was the stranger's reply, but before he could ask what she meant, he was caught with a question: "So, my good man, what was on you're mind tonight?"

"Well, erm," he began, feeling uncomfortable with the stranger's slightly personal question. Nevertheless, he decided to ignore his suspicions and answered, "Well… you see, for the past few weeks I've felt a bit, well…"

"Watched?" she offered.

"Oh, well, yes." Abraham nodded. "Watched and a bit insecure. I don't know why, but I feel like I can't get a moment of privacy no matter where I go. I've spoken to a few people about this, but I fear they're beginning to label me insane."

"My word, that is quite a predicament. I certainly couldn't sleep knowing I could have a potential stalker lurking just outside my door… or mere inches away, for that matter."

"Hm?" Abraham was once again confused by the stranger's words. Something about her… was unsettling, and yet, vaguely familiar. He squinted his eyes and peered under her hood ever so slightly. He gasped when he saw her eyes, exactly the same as one of his favorite pupils, one he had spent many after school sessions with. But it couldn't be, this woman standing before him was far too mysterious, dangerous, even. "Wh-who are you?" he managed to stutter.

"Shh, shh," she said, putting a finger to his lips. "No need to begin panicking, Professor Hayberg."

"Y-You're no student of mine!" he said, stepping back. "So who the hell are you?"

"Let's just say I'm someone who likes equality," the woman said, "and sir, I'm afraid to say you have something that I—along with many others—don't, and to me, that's hardly fair." With that, she reached into her pants pocket and produced a small pistol.

"Now, I think I know what you may be thinking: 'What could I possibly have that this woman wants so badly?' But it's not just me, sir. Oh no, there's many more people out there who would gladly have what you have, so in reality, I'm fighting for their equality as well. Kind of like a Saint, once you think about it." Her lips curled into a cruel smile. She raised the pistol to his head and watched as Abraham sank down to his knees.

"P-please," he begged, "My…My wife, M-My children…"

"Did you get the chance to say goodbye to them, tell them you loved them and that they meant the world to you?" She watched as he shook his head. "Would you like to say that all now?"

Putting his hands over his heart, he managed to whisper, "I'm sorry, Elle, girls, I l-love you all s-so much..."

BANG!

Abraham fell to the ground, arms landing at awkward angles, and his eyes half opened. Blood pooled slowly from the wound in his head. This would be a haunting image for those who found his body in the hours to come. As for the woman…well, killers shouldn't cringe at the site of their own deeds.

Smiling, the woman slipped the gun into her pocket, and kneeling down she said, "So long," into the dead man's ear.

Getting up, she began to walk away. There was still one last order of business she had to take care of.

It took her almost twenty minutes, but she finally arrived at her destination: a block of flats. But she was interested in one flat in particular. Silently, she walked up to the door she wanted to enter and began to pick the lock with one of her hairpins. Mere seconds later, a small click signaled her to enter.

Carefully, she opened the front door and crept through the living room. Walking up to a small coffee table, she reached into her sweatshirt and retrieved an envelope marked with the name of the intended recipient and enclosed with a wax seal of an image of a phoenix, the bird of eternal life and her signature. Dropping it onto the table, she smirked and turned and walked away.

She opened the door once more and began to walk out. Before she was completely outside, however, she turned around.

"I expect to be seeing you soon," she whispered over her shoulder, "Hershel Layton."

A/N: Dun, Dun, Duuuun…Cliff hanger! What does this killer chick want with the Professor? Haha, hopefully this has piqued your interest, but I won't know unless you review! It helps me know people are enjoying this story and gives me the will to write faster!

Until next chapter!

~Lizz