The Next Day...
London wasn't the quietest in the early afternoon, people wandering about and cars driving past. Still, it hadn't woken Hershel Layton until about 1 in the afternoon. Thankfully, it was a Saturday, which meant no classes to teach. The fleeting bit of panic faded, and he gave a sigh of relief. Being late was certainly not what a gentleman would do. But he was awake, so there wasn't any use staying in bed. He could brew some tea and then sit down to check the news, before going out to restock on groceries.
The professor made himself some tea, saving a bit for Luke when he came by ( hopefully soon, or else it'd get cold ), and moved to sit on the couch in front of a little television. Turning it on, Layton took a sip from his cup as the first bit of morning news played. Nothing too interesting, just a bit of weather ( it was supposed to rain later in the day ) and something about London Yard. But just as he was about to go and read yesterday's paper, which he hadn't finished the day before, a little banner reading, "Breaking News" appeared on the bottom of the screen. A young man was standing in front of a town's sign, apparently Brooksville from what the professor could read. In the background there seemed to be a burnt house, and the reporter began to speak.
"This is Sean Schaf, reporting from Brooksville, a small town on the outskirts of London. This morning, the town and majority of it's citizens were found burnt to a crisp. There was no evidence left, but a small note card on the scene. Police will not disclose what it said at the time."
Shock was evident on the professor's face as the reporter continued, showing images of the scene. Which were quite gruesome, to be honest. Apparently, there hadn't been any suspects so far, and most of the living townspeople had fled. It was almost like a ghost town, and all in the course of a day. The professor was about to keep watching, before a phone rang. Getting up off the couch, he picked up the phone and cleared his throat, preparing to speak before another voice cut him off.
"Layton? We need you at the station. There's something we need ta show you." A gruff voice said, familiar at that. Layton immediately recognized it as Inspector Chelmey's. Thinking he might just leave it at that, he quickly responded.
"Inspector? Does this happen involve the case I saw on the news the morning?" He asked, his fingers tapping against the table used to keep the telephone. A slight guffaw was heard from the other end, before he got his answer.
"That intuition of yours never fails, don't it? You're right, it's about that whole "town burstin' int' flames incident. There's some things we need checked out."
The professor nodded, saying "Alright, I'll be there right away Inspector." before hanging the phone up. Taking his top hat and adjusting it on his head, he took his keys and went on his way. In case Luke came by and he wasn't back yet, Layton scribbled a note for him, along with a puzzle on how to get into the flat. Smiling to himself, the professor was sure he'd get a kick out of that. He stuck it to the door, locked it, and hurried to his car (which they had lovingly dubbed "The Laytonmobile" ). Starting it up, he began to make his way down to London Yard. The last thing he wanted to do was keep Chelmey waiting.
Parking in the front, the Professor made sure to lock his beloved vehicle before heading inside to Chelmey's office. The inspector was waiting sitting at his desk and flipping through a file. Barton was next to him, leaning over his shoulder to look and chewing a doughnut. As Layton cleared his throat, Barton gave a startled jump and Chelmey just sighed and looked up, irritated with his partner's behavior.
"Afternoon, Layton. From what we discussed on th' phone, I'm guessing ya already know a bit 'bout what happened in Brooksville." He paused waiting for the professor to confirm this and let him continue. After he nodded, Chelmey went on, "We didn't let the news know about any details yet, the only thing they know about is that note and what they can see. But we thought you should see this." He stopped, pulling a small piece of paper from the file and sliding it across the desk. The Professor picked it up, noticing the surprising lack of burn marks on it before reading it over.
"To those who find my note,
I hope that the show left you amazed
shocked would work too, though.
This is only the opening act,
I have many more tricks up my sleeves.
Especially for my esteemed guest,
Professor Hershel Layton.
Do come to the show tonight, when you get the chance.
I'm very excited to show off some magic
at exactly 9pm.
See you there, it'll be a blast!
Sincerely, Secrets."
Looking back at the inspector, and to the note again, the professor placed it back on the desk. This person could be anyone, and the way the wrote reminded him of an old case. But the culprit behind that couldn't be the very same, no, this had to be an imitator. Unfortunately, he and the Yard had dealt with some before. All of them idolized some past criminal, deciding to carry on the legacy for some reason or another. But what was different about this one, is it seemed they wanted to be found.
"Inspector, you noticed the certain letters underlined, correct?" He asked, moving his hand to his chin as Chelmey spoke.
"Oy we did. Didn't think much of 'em though. What d' you have in mind about 'em?" He asked, Barton nodding his head in agreement with the question, mouth full of doughnut. Layton took a spare piece of paper from a stack, writing down each underlined letter.
ISLLIEREV
Chelmey leaned forward to get a look at what he had wrote, raising an eyebrow before Layton spoke again. "I believe this is an anagram, and not just a bunch or "random" letters or a coincidence. Grabbing a pencil once again, the Professor began to write out a word.
SIERVILLE
Chelmey nodded, reading what he had written. "There's a town called Sierville next t' Brooksville. Or what used t' be Brooksville anyways." He grunted, causing Layton to nod.
"I believe that is where this, "Secrets" is planning on striking next. They seem to be leading us for them, so I'd be cautious. Who knows what they might be planning." He said, moving a hand from his chin and back to his side. Chelmey nodded, mumbling to Barton about getting a squad over there and watching him salute and rush off. He turned back to Layton, giving a heavy chuckle.
"Once again, figuring out everything we aren't. You'll be coming with?"
"Of course, Inspector."