Private Detective for hire

Utmost confidentiality guaranteed

Contact:

I Greene

52a Billhurst Street

London

Very reasonable rates

Ida screwed up the newspaper sheet and threw it towards the fireplace grate. She missed by about 6 inches, but felt too lethargic to get up.

3 weeks. It had been 3 bloody weeks since she placed that advertisement, using up a significant amount of the money Holmes had given her, and nothing. Wasn't London supposed to be the capital of crime?

'Miss Greene!'

Her landlady's piercing voice echoed up the wooden staircase. Ida groaned, no doubt this was going to be yet another request for the rent she could no longer afford.

'Miss Greene, a visitor for you!'

A visitor! At last! Ida sprang to her feet

'Send them up, please!' she called, clearing a space on the table she used as a desk by gathering up an armful of papers and stuffing them into a drawer. She hurriedly drew the curtain which separated off the corner of the room where she slept from the main part which was to serve as an office, and tried to tidy her appearance, just as there was a hesitant knock at the door.

'Come in!' called Ida

The door opened, to reveal a familiar face.

'Clarence,' said Ida, flatly.

'Ida!'

He stepped into the room, and looked around, a grin permanently fixed on his features,

'I hardly dared hope it was actually you, when I saw the advertisement…But I came anyway…'

'…do you need to hire an investigator, Clarence?' said Ida, hopefully,

'Oh, heavens no! You've cleared up the mysteries that were plaguing my family already…'

'…Well, I think that was Mr Holmes…' interjected Ida, but he wasn't listening.

'You're probably wondering what I'm doing in London…'

'…er…yes…'

'I've been accepted by the Slade. I'm going to study fine art.'

'Gosh. Congratulations.'

'So I'll be living in London.'

'Right, of course.'

Clarence seemed to want to say something else, but kept hesitating. Ida stared at a damp patch on the wall behind him, and…

…there was the sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs, and her landlady's voice calling, 'wait, madam! She already has someone in there…'

Someone hammered at the door, and Ida could hear the sound of muffled sobs.

'Sorry, Clarence,' she murmured distractedly, moving to the door.

A middle aged woman clutching a velvet bag almost fell on top of her as she swung the door open

'Please!' choked the visitor, 'you have to help me!'

'I'll do my best, managed Ida, trying to take her arm

'Mr Greene,' said the strange woman, addressing Clarence, 'I have been most woefully wronged…'

'Oh,' said Clarence, I'm not Mr Greene, I'm Mr Fortescue. This is Miss Greene, here.'

The woman stared from one to the other, blinking fat tears from her eyes in confusion.

'I want Mr I Greene, the private investigator…'

'I am Miss Ida Greene, the private investigator,' said Ida firmly. 'Now, Mrs…'

'…Locke, Miss…'

'Mrs Locke, if you would care to sit down, and explain what's happened, I'll see what I can do…' Ida sent a glare across to Clarence, indicating that he should go, but he had perched himself on the edge of her desk and was staring with undisguised interest at the proceedings.

Ida helped Mrs Locke into the one armchair she possessed, and took up a seat herself behind the desk. She carefully unscrewed the cap of her pen and took out the notebook that Holmes had given her when she played the part of the secretary.

'Now, Mrs Locke,' she said, 'please begin at the beginning…'

THE END

Well, that's it guys…I hope that you've enjoyed reading this (I've certainly enjoyed writing it)...I hope I managed to pull off the final few chapters without it getting too insane... Thankyou so much for all the reviews, and hopefully I'll be around here again some time in the future… Now that I'm done with this I can give my attention to the excellent other stories in this fandom!