Ripley caught sight of the tall slender man walking away from the hill and hurried down it to stop him. She nearly broke her ankle along the way, but she persisted and caught up to the tall man.

Wearing a navy-blue long coat over grey trousers, oiled black hair covered with a navy blue bowler hat with a black felt wrapped around it, the tall slender man stopped in his tracks.

"Who're you?" Ripley demanded answers from the tall slender man.

She heard back, "I am the adjudicator."

He didn't tell her his name nor will he and Ripley stood defensively as she asked him about Mallory and her grave.

"Miss Malloy entrusted me with her affairs prior to her death and I intended to follow through them until the end," the Adjudicator informed Ripley about his duties that he oversaw.

He explicitly told her that Mallory contacted him to help with her affairs and ensure there's no issues with them long after her passing.

"What the hell does that mean?" Ripley wanted clarification.

The Adjudicator informed her that Mallory essentially hired him as her living will and testament. It is his duties to dole out any money she left, any valuables, anything of that nature to whomever Mallory explicitly told him.

"In short, Miss Malloy is no longer with us, I'd thought the grave would've been evident," the Adjudicator noted that it should've been explicit since Ripley and in extension Matt, saw Mallory's grave.

"What about her husband?" Ripley's curious about Mallory's husband.

With everything she told her of him, he should've been there at Mallory's grave, too, but surprisingly the Adjudicator knew the answers.

"Miss Malloy informed me that her husband's receiving a massive fortune alongside some personal items she willed him. I'm to contact him after you two depart, she needn't a scene with the three of you," he calmly told her what Mallory wanted.

She loved her husband so much, she didn't want him to cry in front of others, and instead to do it long after Ripley and Matt left.

"He will be the last person I inform of her death," the Adjudicator summed.

Shifting in her spot, Ripley looked at the man from the back, he never turned around to face her nor planned it. She asked him questions about what'd happened to Mallory and stunned when she heard the answers.

"She was murdered," the Adjudicator casually told her.

Someone found her body left in a creek somewhere and recognized her, found the number to the Adjudicator, and called him. When he saw the body himself and confirmed, he went to work as Mallory intended.

"Someone killed her?" Ripley's dismayed.

Yes, Mallory had her own set of enemies, but she seemed to deal with them with ease and had a plan to get out of her troubles every time.

Smarter than she looked, even Ripley couldn't deny the woman knew how to get out of trouble, but the Adjudicator informed Ripley that it wasn't her usuals that killed her.

In fact, she knew her killer and that they'd kill her.

"Who?" Ripley wanted answers.

However, the Adjudicator wouldn't tell her, not yet, not until he went through the explicit instructions that Mallory laid out for him just before she died.

Although, he had some ulterior motives of his own that prevented him from telling Ripley outright who killed Mallory. It's in his interest to keep that far from Ripley's reaches.

"All I can tell you, Miss Ripley, that she was aware of her demise," the Adjudicator ominously told Ripley.

"You're telling me she knew she was going to be murdered?" Ripley's dumbfounded as the Adjudicator causally told her.

He nodded and affirmed, that indeed, she knew when she was going to die.

When asked why she didn't do something, the Adjudicator wary stated that there's things that cannot be changed under any circumstances. Even if some liked them to change.

Mallory knew her time's coming to an end and chose, wisely in the Adjudicator's opinion, to utilize the short amount of time given to arrange her affairs.

Hence her employment of him.

Normally, he wouldn't dream of working with someone like Mallory, but there was something in the details that interested him.

So, he took the job and doing it now, in accordance to the arrangement.

Mallory didn't even have to pay him, not that'd money mattered to him.

No, the Adjudicator's interested in something more than money.

Money's nothing to him, means to the end, perhaps, but nothing he'd want.

Rather, it's something more valuable and interesting that fit the bill and Mallory gave it to him in exchange for his help.

Of course, she colourfully expressed her disdain for him, but that didn't bother him the slightest.

Since he's the only person for the job, Mallory put up with him until her death.

Alas, poor Mallory, her life of treachery and deceit cut short in her prime, survived by her loyal husband.

Ripley noted that the Adjudicator couldn't hide his discontent with Mallory and narrowed her eyes.

"Be sure, I'm only doing what we agreed upon," the Adjudicator assured Ripley that he won't muddle Mallory's affairs for his own amusement.

"If she knew who killed her, then who did it?" Ripley demanded answers from the Adjudicator.

She heard him chuckle and became irate with him, but he kept his cool and told her, "That's what we agreed upon."

Mallory used the knowledge of her killer to pay the Adjudicator to help her.

It's bizarre and to the Adjudicator, it's a valuable trade.

Ripley bluntly asked who killed Mallory and the Adjudicator didn't turn around to face her when he said cryptically, "I'd tell you the answer, but I believe that you already know it."

He insinuated that Ripley knew Mallory's killer and didn't need him to tell her.

Struggling, Ripley couldn't think of anyone they'd both know. Anyone still alive.

"I don't know," Ripley argued as the Adjudicator remained motionless.

She heard back, "I've told you what she wanted you to know."

Ripley grew irate with him once more and demanded answers to her question, but watched helplessly as the Adjudicator slowly walked away from her.

He affirmed that she knows the answer already and that answer he won't say outright.

"You know who killed her," Ripley heard in the distance as the Adjudicator disappeared through a gate, latching it from behind.

Left standing in her spot, Ripley's frustrated and turned her head when she heard Matt coming down the hill after her.

Managing to come down the hill without hurting himself, Matt rejoined Ripley and asked what happened.

Ripley told him about the Adjudicator and what he said to her. Frustration in her voice towards the end when he stated that Ripley knew who killed Mallory.

"Must've been someone we knew?" Matt suggested.

Ripley shrugged and reminded him that the people who they knew through Mallory's dead. Unless their spirit sought justice, there's no chance they killed her.

"God, I can't imagine her husband," Matt frowned as he realized that Mallory's husband hadn't heard the news.

The only condolence Matt could've offered's that Mallory's husband knows people to rely on in this trying time.

"She knew she was going to die and she didn't do anything," Ripley flinched as she looked at Matt, frustration in her eyes. "Why didn't she do something?"

Even though she's not exactly her friend, Ripley knew Mallory wouldn't go down without a fight, and she always had plans. Backup plans and the like, anything to gain an upper hand.

Matt comforted her by wrapping his tweed arms around her. Holding her close to him, Matt squeezed her gently as he felt Ripley do the same.

"She… she always had plans… this is just a sick joke of hers, right?" Ripley tried to explain this in the only way she could.

Hoping Mallory's pulling one over them, Ripley waited for the punchline and she can yell at Mallory for it.

She never showed herself and the more Ripley thought about it, the more she felt distraught.

"Ellie," Matt forgot himself and used her real name, but in this moment, it's the only way to snap her back. "She… she's… gone."

All the times they've wished Mallory would've left them alone, they never expected to eat those words. Here they were, mourning the loss of the femme fatale thief that caused them numerous headaches in the past, and knowing there wasn't anything they could've done.

Feeling the frustration bubbling, Ripley shut her eyes close as she hid her face in Matt's chest.

Ripley always hated crying.

After that day when Jodie told her she couldn't adopt her, she vowed that being the last day she cried.

Yet, here she was, ready to turn on the faucets for someone she barely liked.

She felt Matt's gentle hand rubbing her back as he rested his head on hers.

No matter how much the pair wanted, Mallory's dead and she wasn't coming back.

Ripley felt air trapping in her lungs and she tried to stifle it, she hated it, and she didn't want to look foolish.

"Shhh," she heard Matt comforting her as he held her.

The pair sobbed in each other's arms as a gentle breeze passed by them, kicking up loose leaves.

It took time, but eventually the pair calmed down enough to look at each other.

Both red nosed, reddened eyes, clear liquid pouring from both eyes and noses, not a pretty sight.

"Wh-what do we do?" Ripley asked Matt for guidance on what they should do in this situation.

Matt frowned as he told her, "We live. It's what she would've wanted."

It's the only thing that came to mind and Ripley slowly nodded, trying to stifle her body's urge to sniffle.

Leading her away, Matt walked with her back to the TARDIS and inside they cleaned up before Matt took them back at the shop.

This adventure soured their appetite and none of them wanted to continue working for the day, so they closed up shop for the evening and spent time in Ripley's flat.

Sitting on her couch, the pair shared solemn looks.

"I can't believe it," Matt softly spoke.

Ripley frowned as she mustered, "Believe it."

Turning towards her, Matt wondered who the Adjudicator was and why Mallory sought him.

"He said they had a trade, guess it was information, didn't seem fond of money," Ripley shrugged.

Matt lightly touched her face and she reached up to touch his hand.

"Pain in our backsides and here I was crying," Ripley lightly scoffed.

Never thought the day come where she'd cry for someone like Mallory.

"First for everything, I guess," Matt stroked her cheek lightly.

The pair sat quietly on the couch, trying to collect their thoughts.

It wasn't long before they noticed the time and decided to order in.

Matt waited for the food while Ripley readied the table for them.

As she put plates down for them, she pondered to herself the response the Adjudicator gave her.

He told her she knew the answer to her question.

She couldn't think of anyone they'd all know who's still alive and wanted to kill Mallory.

Thinking back, Ripley remembered the library incident and how Mallory wanted the journal. So desperate for it, she would've sacrificed the entire team if it meant she'd get it.

She told Ripley it belonged to the most dangerous man, but no name came to mind, nobody Ripley knew could've killed Mallory.

As Ripley poured their drinks, Matt returned with food and sat the bags carefully down on the table. He separated his and Ripley's orders and they sat around the table eating their food.

"Why us?" Matt wondered aloud.

Swallowing her food and taking a swig of her cider, Ripley asked what he meant.

"Out of all people, why'd she want us to know?" Matt elaborated.

Wiping her mouth with the napkin, Ripley frowned as she tried to think of the answer and responded that possibly Mallory felt guilty about nearly getting them killed.

Frowning, Matt wondered, "Wish we could've done something at least, I wonder how her husband's taking it."

Since he's the next one the Adjudicator contacted, it's a matter of time before he saw his wife's lonely grave.

"She always talked about him," Ripley noted. "Probably on his knees right now."

The pair continued their discussion until they finished their late supper and decided to ready for bed.

Sitting on her bed, Ripley came up with an idea. She'll make a sugar skull for Mallory on top of the other skulls for Samhain.

It's not something she would've normally done, but with this, Ripley made an exception.

Poking her gently, Matt got her attention and she told him what she planned.

"It's weird, but I want to do one for her," Ripley shared her thoughts.

Comforting her, Matt told her that Mallory would've liked that. She probably would've wanted it fancy, but she seemed like a humble person underneath it all.

"I suppose you're right," Ripley sighed as she fell backwards on her side after turning off the light.

The pair bid each other goodnight and drifted off to sleep.

On their minds the same question.

Who killed Mallory Malloy?

THE END