chapter word count: 518

noir heart: one hundred and four

It amuses Elsa how easily one is able to acquire information. All she needed to do was a game of trial-and-error searching for the correct telephone service provider, find a particularly gullible operator and then impersonate a police officer. A little bit of convincing later, and she learned the address of one Mr. Nicholas St. North.

It's a rustic, old-fashioned log and timber cabin-style house situated a half hour outside the city limits. As she walks up the dusty path toward the main door, with the well-tended lawn either side of her and the multitude of flowers creating a border around it, she gets the sense Mr. St. North really likes Christmas. Between the two pine trees on the veranda flanking the front door, the wooden carved reindeer either side of the steps to the veranda, and the giant bauble peeking out from behind the house's left corner, half-painted red with intricate white filigree, she has no idea how she gets that vibe.

She knocks briskly and firmly, two strikes against the smoothly carved and varnished door, and inspects the babushka doll design carved into the wall above the doorframe. She tries to recall the details; not long after the news reports of Jack being investigated as a result of accusations of misconduct, Mr. St. North was reported to be retiring from the police force. It was the timing that did, and still does, arouse Elsa's curiosity - so if anyone knows what it was that sent Jack on his dark road, his old captain will.

There's a heavy clunk muffled slightly by the door, and Elsa takes a few steps back in response. Which was sensible...as Mr. St. North is nearly seven feet tall. Sporting a great bushy white beard, coal-black eyebrows and youthful eyes, wearing a tent of a red sweater and parachute-sized black pants, his girth approximates that of his height - but Elsa has the weird sense that it's not fat, he's naturally huge. Craning her neck up thanks to her five-four height, even with the advantage of being four steps away from him, Elsa adjusts the fake spectacles and clutches the notepad to her cardigan-covered chest.

She adopts as bright and innocent an air as she can muster, and smiles widely. "Good afternoon, Mr. St. North!" she says. "I'm Ilsa Menzel, we spoke on the phone?"

His eyes crinkle, and two points of his beard hitch up in a smile. "Da. I remember. You are here about Jack Frost."

"That's right." Elsa nods. "I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about him? Some of us feel he was unfairly raked over the coals by the media and by the police, so I was hoping to learn more about him and-"

"You want to set record straight, da? And please, call me Nicholas."

Elsa's smile becomes lipped, but it's still sincere. "Precisely."

He claps his hands together, and cracks a booming laugh. "Otlichno, Miss Menzel!" he bellows excitedly, "Please, come in."

well, well.

Thanks to oninoko for their assistance with Russian language. North's speech is actually really hard to write.

special thanks to: stefalove, oninoko, doomstone, last future of embryo, jpbake, littletimothy, waguneru, a reader and guest for the reviews!