LMJ Rewrite
Chapter One: The Hand That Feeds, Part One
"There, that should do it." Kat said to herself, glancing around the room after shutting off the vacuum cleaner.
The place hadn't been leased in quite some time, so dust and dirt had managed to accumulate up to an inch deep in some spots. Needless to say that all had to go before anything else could be moved in! Of course, Kat then noticed some dusty cobwebs and sighed, a bit discouraged.
By now, Kat had hoped that at least one friend or relative would come over and help. Some said they would be there later, but never said how much later, seeing it was already three in the afternoon, and she had been at it since 10:30 that morning!
A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.
"Who could that be?" She pondered above a mutter, as she went to answer it.
Standing there before her was none other than the uni-fresher from the other day.
"Oh, hello Ernest." She greeted, initially surprised; though she really shouldn't have been, she did give him the address after all. "I...I haven't exactly opened up shop yet."
"I know." Ernest replied, rubbing the back of his neck as the faint pink hue returned to his cheeks. "But after class ended, I thought I could help out. I-if you need it, that is."
"I could, actually. Thank you." She responded, as she let him in, wondering if this was only coincidence.
He started with the cobwebs, since he was slightly taller, and could reach better with the step-stool, while she took care of previously overlooked dust in the back. It took about an hour and a half to get the place tidied up enough to move the furniture in when it finally arrived in a small van.
One by one, both of them, along with the hired movers, brought in all that was needed for the little office; Kat's desk and cork-board, a chair and table to complete the space for customers, and a set of selves for references, and later archives. There were still other things in unopened cardboard boxes, but Kat decided to hold off on those, having them placed upstairs in the mean time.
Afterwards, the remaining pair then continued where they left off, opening boxes, and putting things where they needed to go. This went by rather quickly, as well, about half an hour.
Once they were finished, Ernest and Katrielle looked on, satisfied with their work while wiping the sweat away from their foreheads.
"Well, I could go for a nice, cold drink, how about you?" She suggested, as she went to get her handbag.
"Oh, uh...Cer-certainly, yes." Ernest stammered, blushing as he questioned to himself as to whether this counted as a date.
Chancer Lane was something of a bustling up-and-coming street in London, lined with a variety of businesses, shops, eateries, and apartments on either side. While there were many people, the lane was still much quieter than most in the borough; this, coupled with the street lamps illuminating as afternoon turned to evening, made the pair feel a little more secure being out in an otherwise unfamiliar place.
"Oh look, what a lovely terraced area this restaurant has." Kat commented cheerfully, within earshot of one of the waiters.
"Ciao bella! Can I take your order, signorina?" The waiter called Coda, according to his name tag, greeted her while seemingly overlooking Ernest.
"Ha ha, thank you." Kat replied, deciding this would be a good place to cool down and have a nice meal.
Golly, he's a little overfamiliar, isn't he? thought Ernest, as he reluctantly followed them to a table.
"Now, neither of us have eaten here before, so we'll have whatever you suggest -if that's alright with you, Ernest." Kat spoke, to which the uni-fresher nodded in agreement.
"I recommend the chef's special, the Ominous Omelette." Coda replied.
"That does sound good." Ernest remarked, smiling.
As they ate their omelettes -which were rather yummy-, and had their drinks, a few thoughts crossed Ernest's mind; briefly, these thoughts were entwined to where he wasn't sure what to say first.
"I was just thinking, miss." He started off, to be sure she was paying attention. "I-if you need help with advertising, the copier room in my building is open all hours." He stated, straightforwardly. "I could easily make a hundred flyers and tape them at every corner within a thousand feet of the university!"
Kat blinked at the realization she really hadn't gotten around to advertising her new detective agency at all! "That would be good, if you're able to, thank you. I suppose we'll have to think of a few ideas for flyers."
They decided to hold their brainstorming session back at the agency, after splitting the bill (with Kat contributing to the bigger half), of course.
Each one surprised the other at how well they could draw, and Kat was amazed at Ernest's longhand writing.
"How's that, miss?" He asked her, in regards to the one he had just finished.
"It's wonderful! How do you like mine?" She asked in response.
"Absolutely perfect!" He exclaimed.
The clock on the wall chimed, interrupting their conversation.
"Gosh, it's already gotten so late." Ernest remarked. "But at least we got a lot done today."
"'We'?" Kat repeated, questioning.
"That is, if you'll have me. A-as your assistant, I mean!" He stammered, flustered at the realization his words might otherwise be misinterpreted.
"Hmm...I haven't given it much thought." She softly spoke, as she paused to ponder the idea. "I suppose running this business will be rather hectic on my own. The only thing is, I'm only just starting out, so I won't be able to pay you at any rate right away."
"That's alright." He smiled.
He's a university student who's willing to work without pay...Somehow, I highly doubt this will be the strangest thing I hear.
"When do you have your classes, again?" She asked.
"I'm usually studying from nine in the morning, to two-thirty in the afternoon." He stated.
"Are you allowed to work?"
"Of course, as long as it doesn't occupy too much of my time."
"Then if you can come in around 3:00 pm, and work until say around eight, most days. I have a feeling that will be my busiest time." Katrielle stated. "Let's say your first job will be to take those flyers to the copier room in your building, and display them throughout the city."
"That'll work out perfectly for me!" Ernest beamed, as he took up the samples they created together, gently placing them in his backpack. "I'll see you after class tomorrow."
"Good night. And thanks again." Kat said as she saw him out.
The streets of London were dark and deserted, save for those closest to the business and entertainment districts, the commotion of which could be heard in the distance, or the occasional car passing through or the footsteps of other people nearby.
For the walk back to his flat, Ernest didn't mind this too much. In fact, it gave him time to reflect on his assisting Miss Layton, and that perhaps one day -when the time was right- he could go to her for another case of his own...
A few weeks went by since then. Surprisingly, for Katrielle anyway, the mysteries had been few and far between. And each turned out exceedingly simple, to boot!
First, it was a man initially requesting the aid of Kat's father, bruising a bit of a sore spot for her. His case was that shortly after moving into their new house, his family seemingly vanished.
Then about a week after that, another man came in in regards to his wife apparently becoming possessed shortly after buying her a new dress.
And then just the other day, a woman claimed her late husband returned from the dead, standing clearly before her.
These cases were each quite easy to explain in the end, as she found out every time. But after those three, Kat (and Ernest, when he wasn't at school) found she had an abundance of free time on her hands. Not that it was entirely an issue; in fact, it allowed her the chance to focus on one particular mystery.
"Right then..." she mumbled, as she took a step back from the cork board dotted with a few photos and notes. After more than a few minutes of observing, however, she sighed defeated, realizing there wasn't much for her to go on yet.
"Is something wrong, Miss Layton?" asked Ernest, who had just arrived as this was occurring. It was Saturday morning, which meant he was free to come straight to the office.
"Hello, Ernest." She vacantly replied. "It's only a case I'm working on."
"A new one?" The uni fresher inquired, joining her at the cork board.
Kat shook her head. "Do you remember the case I was investigating while solving yours en passant?"
"Mm-hm." He replied. "Does it have to do with that detour to the archaeology department?"
She gave a small nod before continuing. "Do you know anyone by the name of Hershel Layton?"
"You mean as in the Professor Hershel Layton?" Ernest asked in response, his eyes widening at the mention of the seemingly enigmatic figure. "I have heard stories of his expeditions."
"Well, eleven years ago." Kat paused in order to maintain her composure. "During their latest expedition, he and his former apprentice, Luke Triton, vanished practically without a trace. Their families have been searching for them since."
"Especially you." Ernest commented, much to her surprise, which must have been quite apparent to him. "It wasn't too hard to figure out. Though to be perfectly frank, I didn't even know he had children!"
"I was too young to join my dad on his adventures like my brother and sister did." Kat stated. "And he tried as much as possible to otherwise keep our lives private, so Flora and Alfendi were never in that many interviews."
She looked up again at the spotty clues on the board, and Ernest did the same.
"I intend to find them both, and bring them home." She said, determination in her eyes.
They then heard knocking at the door, followed by a familiar voice.
"Kat! Are you in?" called Inspector Hastings, as he entered the little office.
"Inspector Hastings, whatever is the matter?" Kat inquired, concerned yet intrigued, as his appearance there could only mean one thing. "You look positively beside yourself."
"You won't believe what's 'appened!" The burly cop exclaimed. "I've got a case I need you on, Kat. And I need you on it right now."
Excitement swelled up inside Kat. "How intriguing. Why the urgency? And why do you need me in particular?"
"I know you 'aven't much experience, but with your little grey cells on the case, we'll 'ave it solved in no time." He explained, though his demeanor showed only apprehension.
"Don't you worry, Inspector. There's not a case in the world that Miss Layton couldn't crack." Ernest confidently remarked.
"'Any Mystery Solved'." Kat quoted her motto.
"Well, let's 'ope you can put your money where your mouth is, 'Cos we need all the 'elp we can get on this one." said Hastings, barely moved at all.
"Perhaps you should tell us what has happened, Inspector?" Kat suggested, hoping he would get on with it already.
"I think you better just come to the scene. Than I'll explain everythin'." Hastings stated.
"That sounds like a very good idea. Lead the way." Kat replied, as she gathered her hat, coat, and handbag before strutting up to the door.
"Where are we going, Inspector?" Ernest inquired.
"Just down the road, as it 'appens. To Big Ben." The burly cop bluntly told them.
Both the younger adults were briefly taken aback.
"Big Ben? The Elizabeth Tower, I presume?" Kat questioned. "Not Burly Benjamin who lives a few doors down, surely?"