Obtaining a copy of Phillip Dearborne's will was not difficult in the least. Each charity that he had willed money to possessed a copy of it. Each copy was the same as the next – there were no discrepancies and I know of no charity that would commit a murder to help their organization. I was back at square one and each time that Mrs. Wintergrace passed through my door, it was with a heavy heart that I had to tell her that there was no news.
She had come to my office at the exact same time for several days – I had a nagging feeling that she did not come solely for news of her father…I believe that it was a time of day when she needed some form of freedom from her home. I had noticed other bruises on her, which she tried to conceal without much luck. Despite this fact, and my lack of news for her, part of me looked forward to her visits.
I sat behind my desk at eleven thirty, waiting for the dark beauty to grace my doorway…she did not arrive. Mr. Wintergrace appeared in her place…
"Are you the one who my wife has been coming to?" the man asked.
Unaware of who he was – at first – I said, "That would depend, sir, on who your wife is."
"Victoria Wintergrace. I know she's been asking about her father. He has run off with a woman, Constable Crane, there is no need for an investigation."
The man stood several inches taller than me and, doing my research, I learned that he was a prominent lawyer in the city. "Mr. Wintergrace, if your wife believes otherwise, she…"
His face grew red. "She is a foolish woman who would rather believe her father dead than admit that he ran off with a harlot."
"Mr. Wintergrace…"
"If she ever shows up here again, it shall be against my wishes. You will tell her that you are no longer able to waste your time on a murder that did not occur."
"That's not exactly the truth…" The man lunged at me, grabbing my neck and holding me an inch off of the ground.
"That is what you will say, Constable." He dropped me, my throat burning. "Are we clear?"
"Y…yes, Mr. Wintergrace."
"Good." He turned and left without another word.
"Jonathan?" My young ward appeared in my doorway.
"Yes sir?"
"I…I feel the need to go out and clear my head for a bit. Should anyone need me…"
"I will ask them to come back later, sir."
"Thank you." I left my office and was more than relieved when the autumn air invaded my senses. My head was spinning, thoughts of Victoria as well as her ogre of a husband dominating my thoughts. I wandered without paying much attention to where I was going – I have since learned not to do that, for as I wandered…I stumbled down a flight of steps. Waiting for me at the bottom was a body – or what I at first took to be a body.