The Killer's face

"Mr. Basil!"Mrs.Judson almost screamed "for the heaven's sake, what are you..."

"Shhh"Basil cut her off, spilling a small drop of a green liquid on the scrap of stiff. The scrap released a small cloud of reddish smoke "uhm...very intresting..."

"But...but..." Mrs. Judson's face was getting purple. The room was completely messed up: documents, photos and old newspapers were anywhere, and there was a terrible chemical smell.

"I'll arrange everything later"he assured, pushing the shocked Mrs. Judson in the kitchen. After he closed the door behind her, Basil went back to the table and placed the scrap on his microscope.

"Look, look..."he mumbled to himself, then he opened a large trunk who was near his work-table and began to search something "I'm sure that..."

He suddenly stopped, staring shocked at one of the old newspapers inside the trunk. He took it: it was of eight years before. Basil read the article on the first page: it said that Baroness Theresa Gwendolyn Alistair, one of the noblest and most brilliant women in London, was disappeared the 12th March 1887, a few days before her wedding with the Duke of York. The authorities tought she had been kidnapped, but there hadn't been any request of ransom. The Baroness was only 22 years old.

Basil read the article another time, then he stared again at the photo of the Baroness on the first page. She seemed five or six years younger, but he had recognized her.

She was the same woman of the photo he had seen in Ratigan's study.

"Ginevra"said Ratigan, trying to pass through the thousand of books, clothes and any sort of objects on the ground "what do you think about clean up your room?"

"Later"said Ginny, without turning. She was sitting on the bed, reading a book.

"Not 'later', young lady. Now."

"Oh, come on, daddy! Geniuses like Mozart had untidy rooms...I could be the next one!"

"Ginevra Patricia Ratigan, I warn you..."

Ginny immediatly closed the book and stood up. When her father used her full name, he was really going to piss off "Ok, ok, I'll clean my room. Now. Immediatly."

Ratigan grinned. "Good girl" he said, leaving the room.

"Professor!"one of his henchmice called him "there is a woman who wants to talk with you!"

"Talk with me? And what does she want?"

"She says that she had seen the face of the Killer on Alleys!"

A few minutes later, a little black bat about eight or nine years old got in. "Hi, Ginny. You're cleaning up your room?"

"Noo, I'm having fun" Ginny grunted "of course I'm cleaning my room!"

"Let me guess"said the bat "you're not in the mood to stand me, aren't you?"

"I'm never in the mood to stand you, Nuts." she snarled.

Donald 'Nuts' Worthley chuckled. "You know you love me."

"Oh,shut up!"

"Ok,I'll keep my mouth shut...and I won't tell you the last news about the Killer of Alleys!"

Ginny looked at him. "What news?"

He little bat grinned. "Sorry, but you told me to keep my mouth shut, didn't you?"

Ginny grabbed the bat and lifted him for his troath whit her right hand, pressing the claws of her left hand against his cheek and staring into his light-orange eyes. "Allow me to make myself clear"she snarled "if you don't tell me everything, I'll make sure that you will never open your stupid mouth anymore, and my father will have to find another little spy."

"Oh, come on" said the boy "I mean, I'm your best friend...you would never hurt me."

She smiled, revealing her sharp fangs. "Are you sure?"

Nuts gulped. "Uh...ok, ok, I'll tell you everything. Happy? Now let me go!"

She released him, letting him fall on the ground. "Ouch!"

"Tell me everything." she ordered.

Nuts stood up and looked up at her. "He killed another person the last night."

"So what? He kills somebody almost every night!"

"This time is different. The victim menaged to tore off his mask before be killed, and a woman saw his face from a window!"

Ginny shuddered. "You're jocking!"

"I would never joke about this."

"You joke about everything!"

"Well, this time I'm telling the truth!"Nuts exclaimed.

Ginny took a deep breath. "Ok, I trust you.Where is now that woman?"

"Fidget told me that she's talking with the Professor in his study."

"Very well"she said, then she left the room. Nuts followed her. "Ehi, wait a moment!Don't tell me that you're going to eavesdrop the conversation!"

"Exactly."

"Your father would get mad!"

"The Killer of Alleys killed my mother"Ginny said drily "I have all the rights to know who he really is."

"But..."he began. Ginny cut him off. "You're a spy or not?"

"Of course I am!"Nuts said proudly "I'm the best spy of all London!"

"Then start acting like a spy!"

"...and then he ran away."Mrs.Blunt finished.

Ratigan handed to her a packet of money. The old widow grabbed it. "Thank you, Professor. God bless you."

The Professor snarled. "God did never care of me, Mrs.Blunt. Are you able to draw his face?"

Mrs.Blunt stared stupidly at him. "You mean God's face?"

Ratigan sighed. "The face of the Killer of Alleys, idiot! Can you draw him?"

"Of course I can.I'm good to draw."

"Very well" he placed a paper and a pencil on the table "you'll have more money if you draw his face on this paper."

"Now?"

"No, tomorrow. Of course you must draw him now!"

Terrified, the widow took the pencil and began to draw. "Fidget."Ratigan called.

"Yes,Boss?"

"Say to Morgan and Somerset to bring Basil here.There is something he must see."

"Did you hear her?"asked Ginny, her ear pressed against the wall.

"Every word"said Nuts "that woman is really an idiot!'Do you mean God's face?' Bah!"

"It doesn't matters how idiot she is, it only matters that she can draw his face. With his portrait, Basil will surely catch him!"