Lucy stood in front of the counter, waiting for the water to finish heating up with her thoughts brewing inside. The case file that Justin had left her still in hand, she debated whether or not she was going to look into it. The Prof must have a reason to reject such a case, as from even what she had seen in the photographs and small blurb of explanation, it was more than just children getting killed without mercy. Taking a deep inhale of air, she opened the file.
It took her a moment to come to grips with what the case file truly entailed-it was certainly more than what she had bargained for at first glance. From photographs to detailed descriptions, it was filled to the brim with detail. Flipping through photographs, she felt incredibly queasy even as it was her second time around.
The police report didn't do her any better-whoever wrote them chose to write them without sugar coating. Not that they'd sugar coat this. Anyone with a heart would be sick to their stomachs. Blimey... Children. Young children getting killed? And the Prof wants nothing to do with it? Why not? What's gotten him so riled up that he can't take this specific case?
According to the person who wrote the case file (upon close inspection, it was Justin who had done so), the case was apparently reminiscent to the Vampire Chronicles case, where the murderer would place a fresh page of a book about vampires on the body of the victim. The pages tended to be dependent on the age of the victim—in this particular case, it was all children's books about the vampire on Sesame Street, the Count. Only difference was that the Vampire Chronicles had a solution to them, a certain Keelan Makepeace, who had been dead for four years. It must be a copycat scenario, by someone who either admired or just plain wanted to fool the authorities with.
The police had been stumped for ages, with no considerable leads. The only reason why they had caught Makepeace in the first place was because he wanted to be caught and anything after couldn't have been done by his own hand. It surprised Lucy that she didn't hear about this case, at least on the telly. A mass murder of children couldn't be that easy to ignore. She supposed that it was meant to be secret; complete media blackout. Or perhaps they were silenced. Lucy wasn't so sure.
She wondered for the families of the children, how they would have to live with the rest of their lives pretending this didn't happen or telling lies through their teeth. It was a tragic truth—vampires were still taboo in this time and age despite such dramatic retellings in television and book. They wouldn't even be believed by others, citing insanity or other means to say that they were complete falsehoods. How her family would react if they knew she was a donor...she could only imagine that they wouldn't believe her either.
The heater beeped, slipping Lucy back into reality. She made her choice. She was going to ask the Prof to stand aside his biases and delve into the case, to bring justice to those young children. Closing the file, she made the Prof's cuppa and made her way to the Mystery Room. The Prof was looking at a case he most likely pulled from someone who probably spoke to him while she was gone. Maybe the Commissioner? Sniffer? Florence? Whoever it was, he was focused to the file until she stepped in. The atmosphere changed when he realized that she hadn't dropped what Justin brought to their attention just five minutes ago.
He frowned, most likely having several different objections on the tip of his tongue. The way his eyes darkened, it was no mistaking it—he was going to fight her to the very end against her bidding. Under any normal situation, she would have given up and understood that he didn't want to get involved for reasons that she would happily gave way to. But this wasn't any normal situation. It was his livelihood, her livelihood at this point. Justin asked them for a reason.
"Prof—"
"Lucy, I know what you're going to tell me. I also know you're still new and you haven't seen the things I have." He cut her off without hesitation, "But please understand that it would be better if we didn't get involved. Trust me on it."
I don't think I can trust you, Prof. She ignored the thought boiling in her, controlling her shaking. She had never wanted to ever go against the Prof-he generally knew what was right and could make judgements that Lucy couldn't, at times.
"Children, though, Prof?" She bristled, placing the cuppa down in front of him. She took a seat adjacent to him to control her shaking-of fear or anger, she wasn't sure. "Why can't we get involved?" The Prof let out an exasperated sigh at her persistence.
"Someone will do it if we don't, Lucy. May I remind you that we aren't the only investigators out there." The Prof responded, taking a sip. His mouth traced the ghost of a small smile from the accurate taste before he turned back to his stoic expression. "The case will be solved regardless of who takes it. Justin just wants to drop it on my lap for a reaction. Never trusted the guy in all my time working with him."
"But Prof—"
"Lucy, please. I don't want to argue with you. It's not worth it to argue about things we don't have any need to worry about." He slammed the cup on the saucer, indicating that he was holding out on her when it came to his frustration. She wouldn't give way, however.
"What are you are even afraid of, Prof? The only plausible reason you've said to me was that it wasn't our area. But you promised we'd solve every case that would grace the Mystery Room." Lucy huffed, crossing her arms. The Prof stayed silent for a moment, as though he was having some sort of internal debate. "We're at liberty to do summat about it. Why don't we?"
"It's out of our control—"
"And neither was how these children died! Do you think they wanted to die? Do you think it was under their control to do so?" She slammed her hand on the desk, silencing him. His eyes lit up in surprise, watching her seething expression with interest, but also equal frustration, "Give me one good reason why we can't be a part of this."
He let out a low sigh, once again massaging his temples. The argument took wind out of him, even if it was so short. "Lucy, your emotions are clouding your judgement. I understand your concern, but please, just return the files back to Justin and drop it. We have a different case, right here. The proper people will figure it out themselves."
He had already made his decision-Lucy knew arguing would serve very little in what she wanted. Lucy frowned, turning on her heel and walking away with a deep resentment.
Lucy knocked on Justin's door, waiting quietly for an answer. Even as her argument between the Prof was only of a short while, she was frustrated as it was. How dare he say that emotion was clouding her judgement-not to say that it wasn't, but it still irritated her all the same. His plain refusal upset her, no less made her sad. She thought of him better, thought that he had morals and could put it past his own deep internal hatred for what he was to help find closure and/or prevent more from cropping up.
"Oh, Lucy." Justin's voice brought her out of her dramatic reverie, looking down to her. "I take it Al didn't want the case even though you fought for it? Even bringing up the children, he still didn't budge, hm?"
"How'd you know that?" She felt her cheeks turn red and he laughed heartily.
"Walls ain't soundproof. Can hear your argument clear as day when I passed by. Luckily the office is so far back that the only everyone in a short distance could hear." He motioned for her to come in, his office a complete 180 from what the Prof's looked like. For Prof's being a cluttered tidiness, Justin's was the pinnacle of cleanliness, save for the mountains of paperwork on a nearby table. Dreary yellow walls, the filing cabinets were all labeled based on what kind of case they were: high profile, vampire, werewolf... The desk itself was bare, save for a lamp, some pens, and a photo frame. She took the adjacent seat to his as he took his own and looked to him.
"Ee, this is quite the office, Justin." She said, crossing her legs as she watched Justin twirl a pen in his hand absentmindedly. She placed the case file on the desk.
"Thanks. It's big enough for me to think. I'm not one for extra items that don't matter." He adjusted the toothpick in his mouth, "Look, Lucy, there are reasons why Al doesn't want to get into this, but he's also a downright dimwit. I worked with Al back then. He was...different. I'm sure everyone has told you this, so I won't bore you."
"Aye everyone does. I don't quite understand it. Searching for answers leaves me with nowt." She scratched the back of her head, "He's never been anything but kind to me. Constantly correcting my errors, being a part of my journey to be a better Detective Constable. He even cares when he feeds from me, making sure my diet is fine and I drink those shakes. There's no such malice to me." Justin smiled at her description.
"You see, that's where the problem lies, Lucy. He used to never be like that. Sure, there's the general respect he tended to deliver, but my old partner was a ruthless man. He'd stop at nothing to solve a case. He became a Detective Chief Inspector quicker than I had ever seen anyone become. Then he became a vampire after...well, I don't want to tell a story that isn't mine to say."
"If he has such a reservation towards this case, surely he won't tell me anything about his past." Lucy bit her lip, "You've been the closest to telling me what's wrong with him."
"I can't." He frowned, leaning back against his chair, "Tell me, Lucy, has Al ever gone strange to you? Not necessarily to you, but to the criminals you've faced so far?"
It had been their third case together when his dark side debuted. They were trapping the suspect-soon-to-be-convicted-murderer in a corner, figuratively. The Prof was on his own roll of questioning, forgetting that Lucy was even there. Every sense had been lost on him-he was just going for it.
"I can see how this could amuse every now and then, but it's quite the stupid mistake for even someone of your intellect to have made." Lucy glanced to her beloved mentor, surprised at the sudden change of tone. "Quite the fool's errand with such a large mistake."
"Ee, Prof?"
"I don't see what you mean, Inspector. I would never kill my ex-husband. I disliked him, yes, but I would never!" The suspect, Ophelia Jameson, had murdered her husband in cold blood after his discovery of her affair with the hypnotherapist. She claimed to had have no recollection of doing so, expressing that she still loved him and had no reason to possess a gun that was registered under the hypnotherapist's name.
"But you did it in broad daylight! Right in front of so many witnesses!" Lucy responded, pulling out all the witness statements that Ophelia did, indeed, pull out a revolver to shoot her husband in front of their once shared flat.
"Stop yapping! You're not seeing the brilliance! There's another person at play here. Oh that's brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Please, I can't believe my incompetent other side didn't see such a thing! I knew hypnotherapy was possible, but to use it to murder someone? Oh dear me."
"If you think my dear Kedan-"
"You're digging your own grave the more you speak! Tell me Lucy, that you see what I'm seeing. That there's more than just one competent brain working here!" Lucy fumbled, surprised at his sudden address to her. He had to be talking about Kedan Killingsworth, the hypnotherapist that Ophelia had been seeing to come over her smoking problem.
"Are you saying that she was...hypnotized?"
"Exactly that, Baker! We have yet to sharpen your mind to this level, but it will do for now." He smiled wickedly to Ophelia, "You were hypnotized by your hypnotherapist to kill your husband-it would kill two birds with one stone, you see? You were already in the process of divorcing him, there was no real gain for you to kill him-just resentment. But if you went entirely with the divorce, your husband would bring the fact of your affair with Kedan and thus he would lose his medical license! So he got you to take the shot. It would incriminate you, which would lead to no affair ever present and he would continue on his day. What an idea! What an absolutely splendid idea! His mistake to have given you his revolver, but nonetheless! How I wish I could have been the one to do it, but of course, I'd much rather prefer blood on my own hands..."
"Blimey Prof, we get it!" Lucy said, shaking his shoulder. The Prof seemed to have regained his consciousness-well, his calm.
"Urgh.." The Prof pinched the bridge of his nose, blinking at the lights.
"Prof?" Lucy asked, taking hold of his arm. "Are you okay?"
"I'm alright, Lucy. Sorry. Did I get emotional again?" He asked sheepishly, as though he hadn't just blown the case right out of the water.
"Quite so." He gave her a small smile, before turning back to Ophelia, who had been processing the information. "Mrs. Jameson, I think it's safe to say if we called your hypnotherapist, we will gain more answers..."
"Ee, you mean him going all Jekyll-and-Hyde and losing all sense of calm?" Lucy asked, coming back to her senses after such a memory, "Plenty of times. They don't last very long though. But he's never had the edge against his tone until he talked to you and Hilda. He's only ever...threatened people and talked about wanting blood on his hands."
"Then I fear just as much." Justin murmured, then looked at her with absolute certainty, "Lucy, I need you to be careful. Tell me when he gets like this, especially if he hasn't fed for awhile. For your safety, Lucy."
Her thoughts came to what the Prof had said during their spat, "The case will be solved regardless of who takes it. Justin just wants to drop it on my lap for a reaction. Never trusted the guy in all my time working with him."
"Alright, Justin." She affirmed, taking a stand and walking towards the door. Justin called for her one more time and she turned to him.
"Trust me, Lucy. I know what's right for you." She nodded, but all she felt was a deep sense of foreboding terror, rather than warmth of the promise of trust.