A/N: If you don't like the plot or characters that I have placed, then don't read this story. If there are any mistakes, I solemnly apologize, I'm not very familiar with the 1920's era, especially Australia 1920's.
DISCLAIMER: All is owned by Kerry Greenwood and the amazing people who brought the books on screen.
WORD COUNT: 2,566
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Dreams of Thieves
Chapter 2: Suspects?
Jack knelt down in front of the body. The young boy was splayed across the ground of the park, dumped haphazardly in a large bush and during the course of the late morning, a young couple were taking a stroll in the park and they found a hand peeking from the brush. The man, who was later identified as Henry Wilkinson, ran to help (who he thought was) a boy in need of help, only later to pull the boy from the bush and find that he was dead.
That was what Jack had heard from Hugh when he asked about witnesses.
"I also took the liberty of calling Miss Fisher, sir. Maybe she could know somebody who could help identify this John Doe for us?" Hugh suggested, looking up at Jack.
"Good thinking, Constable. But right now, the only lead we have, is the young girl that Constable Harris brought in, yesterday." Jack showed Hugh the drawings.
"Oh my goodness, sir! Do you think that girl drew those?" Hugh asked, in awe of the young girl's talents.
"Well, she has signed her name on the bottom. I believe we will need to track down Miss Lawson. let's see if there's any Lawson's living nearby to see if they're missing an Anastasia."
"Yes, sir. I'll get right on it." Hugh started to walk, scribbling in his notebook, before he stopped and turned back to Jack. "Uh, sir, are you going to Miss Fisher's now?" At Jack's questioning gaze, Hugh quickly fell over himself to explain his question, "just so I know where to contact you if I come through any connection with Anastasia Lawson."
"Oh, yes. I'll be heading over there shortly. Just ring there if there's anything worth value telling me." Jack ordered, nodding at Hugh who nodded back and set off to the police car and he drove away.
Shortly after, the Medics came and took the body away in a stretcher, no doubt going to deliver the body to the coroner. He hoped Dr Mac was in, she was always more forthcoming than Dr Johnson.
(..)
"A young boy?" Phryne asked, her horrified expression captured exactly what Jack had felt when he gazed at the young unidentified boy who lay on the grass, dead. He had seen too many bodies like that, and not just in his career. Every time he had the unfortunate chance to see a young man, barely reaching adulthood, lifeless. It always pulled him back to the endless nightmares in the trenches as they fought for Queen and country. It was a never-ending nightmare and he just wanted it to end.
A feeling of pure, animalistic rage threatened to take him. What had the war been for, if boys were still dying to survive in a world that, to them, was cold and cruel? What did he fight for if the beloved Queen wasn't doing anything to help those in need?
"Jack?" Phryne pulled him out of his reverie, her soft hand pressed against his forearm, gently shaking him to reality.
Jack took a deep shuddering breath and nodded. "Yes, a young boy. Barely twenty." He couldn't stop the uneven tone of his voice as he rubbed his forehead with his fingertips in agitation.
Phryne noticed every emotion and every little movement Jack made. He was livid, as was she. Both were reminded of worse times, both had seen death and the lives of those who could have made an impact on the world, those who had families and children to go home to. Those that had nothing to go back to, but fought for honour, for Queen and country, not expecting to come home alive and then those who were young, thought to be invincible and those who came back, were never the same again.
Jack had witnessed death, the sound of the gun and the blood spatter that accompanied a gunshot wound, fatal or not fatal. He knew it all too well. The lush tearing of skin as a bayonet tore through the stomach in one swift motion and the agonizing screams that followed.
Phryne had a much different view, yet it was bathed in the same horrible light. Men, screaming for death, welcoming it as she tried to keep them alive. The men holding her hand as they whispered for her to tell whoever they lived with, their children and their partners, mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers to tell them of their love with their dying breath. Her hands soaked in blood from different men, different wounds, every one took its toll. Men had died in her arms as she soothed them with her shaky words and her angelic face and they left with some sense of peace that they would be reunited with their families once more.
The death of this young boy would take its toll on both Jack and Phryne and they knew it.
"We have reason to believe that Ana, or, as we have just discovered, Anastasia Lawson, is connected to the deceased." Jack said, trying to rid himself of the dark thoughts that overrode him.
Phryne looked up at Jack, the haunted look in her eyes slowly disappearing as her deductive skills seemed to be at work. "The girl that was in your office, the one accused of stealing? How is she connected to the young man?" Phryne asked in confusion, her dark eyebrows furrowing.
Jack reached into his pocket and produced the notebook, in a brown envelope, taking out and handing it to her. "Look at the loose papers inside and you'll see." As Phryne did as she was told, Jack explained. "I had a flip through the notebook, it seems to be a small diary of sorts. His hand is quite neat and he is well articulated for a boy who lived on the street which suggests perhaps an unfinished education. He speaks of various people, including our suspect, Miss Lawson." Jack explained and Phryne opened up one of the folded papers and gasped at the image displayed.
"This is magnificent." Phryne surveyed the landscape of Melbourne sketched from some rooftop somewhere. Obviously capturing Melbourne in its glory. She took the wad of folded papers and looked at the various portraits of little children that posed and even some people in the street that were unsuspecting. She opened each one and every one took her breath away, she got to the last one and opened it, revealing the younger version of Ana drawing herself in the broken mirror and tears welled in her eyes. "Jack. ." She whispered.
"I know. She looks so young and so innocent, not suited for the harsh conditions of the streets." Jack breathed, looking at Phryne. "Do you think Jane would know where I could find her? Maybe Miss Lawson and Jane crossed paths during the duration of her time on the street?" Jack asked, looking at Phryne questioningly.
"Let me call her down." Phryne said, standing and walking upstairs.
A few minutes later, Phryne came back with Jane in tow.
"Good morning, Inspector." Jane said, politely with a soft smile which Jack returned.
"Good morning, Jane. I was hoping you could help me with something." Jack said, gesturing to the notebook and the opened sketches lay on top of one another in a messy fashion.
Jane nodded. "Phryne told me. Is it alright if I take a look through these?" Jane asked, pointing to the papers. Jack nodded, motioning for her to do ask pleases. Jane sat in the seat that Phryne had vacated earlier and started to sift through the pages, smiling as she observed each one. "They're so beautiful. Majestic even." Jane murmured to herself, but Phryne caught most of it and smiled at the perceptiveness of her adopted daughter. Jane revealed the sketch of Ana and nodded. "That's Ana. She helped me out a couple of times when I needed a place to stay. She always let anybody in the fold. Even if it was for a night and she would feed us and give us some soap and a bucket to clean ourselves as well as we could. One of my only fond memories of the street is being in the care of Ana. She was so kind and so helpful. I remember that I never wanted to leave." Jane said gently, closing her eyes as she remembered her friend.
Phryne and Jack looked at each other. Jane had been in the care of this young girl and it was enough for Jane to remember years later. Extraordinary.
"Jane, do you remember where she let you rest your head?" Phryne asked, softly. She softly ran her hand against Jane's head.
"She's not in trouble is she?" Jane asked, her eyes guarded. She would protect her friend.
"No, not at all. We just need her help identifying a young man that was killed. We believe she may know him." Phryne placated her daughter.
"Do you remember where you stayed? We just need to find her. She hasn't done anything wrong." Jack agreed and Jane seemed to calm down.
"They all live in an abandoned apartment building. I remember where it was. I can write it down for you." Before Jack or Phryne could agree, Jane was already heading up the stairs to do so.
Jack and Phryne smiled at each other and waited for Jane to come down with the address.
(..)
Jack and Phryne pulled up to the apartment building in the police car. It didn't look safe for any kind of inhabitants. That's probably what made it so easy for them to squat inside it. They both stared at the windows and could see some movement inside.
"There are people inside the building. We have to be careful." Jack said to Phryne who nodded in agreement. "Okay." Jack acquiesced and they both got out of the car, slowly and carefully making their way to the front and Jack held his hand back and made contact with Phryne's stomach, as she went to surge forward. "Slowly." Jack mouthed and he looked down at his hand and then back at Phryne who grinned up at him with her green eyes twinkling so many hidden meanings that jack nearly forgot about the task at hand.
Mentally shaking himself from the seductresses web, he rolled his eyes playfully and taking his hand away from her stomach, he rest it at the rusty doorknob before slowly turning it and he was met with no resistance. He slowly pushed it open and as the natural light was let in, Jack and Phryne's hearts broke at the sight they witnessed.
So many little children were playing around in their filth ridden home, they were playing a game of football with an empty food can, laughing and having fun, finding joy in even the darkest crevice. The older kids were sitting down, looking miserable with the conditions they lived in, but they were talking amongst themselves, sharing a few jokes here and there. Both Jack and Phryne's eyes scanned the room until they noticed one auburn-haired girl sitting on an old crate, her head bent low, concentrating on a beaten up sketch pad that was over flowing with sketches and was nearing the end of its journey.
As soon as the light hit the children, they all stopped and looked up to the newcomers. The younger ones screamed in fear, believing them to be the bad Child Services people and ran to hide behind Ana, who, not noticing who they were, had thrown down her sketch pad and tried to protect them with her body. Even the elder children hid behind Ana, apart from a few who helped form a battle line of sorts.
"What do you want?" Ana snarled, not knowing who the intruders were.
"Miss Lawson, nice to see you again." Jack said, walking out of the sunlight and his face was recognizable.
"Oh, Inspector Robinson! H-how do you know my last name? I never told you that." Anastasia said, instantly straightening from her defensive stance in front of those in her care and she looked rather apprehensive. "I've never met you before. How do you know my last name?"
"Does this look familiar?" Jack asked her, revealing the leather bound notebook, which was overflowing with the loose sketches.
"Oh God, no." Ana whispered, brokenly and she fell to her knees as her face betrayed such anguish and pain that Jack had never seen on such a young face.
"That's Sam's!" Thomas said, pointing to the notebook. "Where did you get it?" He demanded, looking at Jack with narrowed eyes.
Jack and Phryne looked at Ana, who was shaking. "He's gone. Sam's gone." She whispered and Phryne couldn't take it anymore. She ran to the young girls side and embraced her tightly and Ana let go of her control, screaming and crying into Phryne's arms. "SAMMY!" She howled, holding onto the older woman as a child would their mother.
Jack walked to Phryne and knelt down beside her, taking one of Ana's hands in his, hoping to somehow let her know, in her grief, that she wasn't alone.
The children all looked at Ana stricken, tears running down their cheeks and they slowly moved for Ana, still apprehensive of the newcomers. Yet one boy blatantly walked up and looked at Phryne and Jack. "You won't hurt me, will you?" He asked, his doe brown eyes wide with acceptance. Jack and Phryne both shook their heads, stating they wouldn't. As soon as that was done, the young boy launched himself onto Ana, holding her tightly.
"F-F-Freddy!" She sobbed, pulling the child onto her lap, still holding Jack's hand as she was still in Phryne's embrace.
"I've got you, Ana. I've got you." Freddy whispered, holding onto the girl who he thought of as his second mummy.
Soon enough, the other children started to gather and they started to hug Ana and give her a kiss on the cheek or a hug of reassurance.
Jack and Phryne looked at the scene, stunned. This young girl had touched the hearts of so many children; from some to the early age of five to the age of seventeen. She was a remarkable young lady.
Ana cried harder, unable to get herself under control, the grief too much for her.
"It's alright, darling. It's alright to cry." Phryne whispered, clutching Ana and now Freddy to her chest, Jack still holding Ana's hand, running his thumb back and forth in a soothing motion.
Neither Jack nor Phryne had thought they'd see the day when they would comfort a young girl together, like concerned parents.
What was this girl doing to them?
