CHAPTER 11

That Saturday morning, Alice left two hours earlier than she normally did.

Knowing her siblings, they'd still be exceptionally pissed from last night. She'd managed to find an empty compartment on the train to Sussex. Alice looked around, as if someone might be watching, before she pulled the letters out of her pocket.

Antonio's letters.

She hadn't had the chance to read it, with all that was going on with her case. She took out her Swiss Army knife and slashed the letter open. You could never be too careful with the Spanish bastard. She pulled out three small pieces of folded paper. They were covered in chicken scratch. Alice frowned. That wasn't Antonio's handwriting.

Alice adjusted her glasses, trying to get a better look at it.

It wasn't in English. Or in any language. It was written in code, a mix of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, Greek numbers and letters, Celtic symbols and... Viking runes? There were several more there that Alice didn't recognize. Well, shit. She made a note to call up Lovino and ask what the hell his husband was doing...and to visit a library that specialized in that kind writings.

She put it back in her pocket as the train pulled into a halt. Hell, maybe Elizabeta would know something.

XXX

"Who te hell are you?"

Alice raised an eyebrow at the woman in front of her. Brown hair, green eyes, one heel still on and smeared lipstick. "Have fun last night?" She caught Elizabeta's questioning glare. "You reek of alcohol."

"Listen, I don't know who you tink you are, but-"

"Alice." She held her hand out. "Alice Kirkland."

Elizabeta's jaw dropped and all hostility was forgotten. "Y-you're te one who saved Feli and Luddy!" Alice thought she was going to shake her hand, but was pulled into a fierce hug, instead. "Köszönöm! Köszönöm!"

Alice didn't know Hungarian, but she had a good guess at what she was saying. "Uh, sure. Can I come inside? I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Igen, igen." Elizabeta pulled Alice inside and closed the door behind her before rushing off to the kitchen. "Are you hungry? Something you'd like to drink? Milk? Tea? Juice? I have some Zwack."

"No thanks," Alice shook her head. "I'd just like to ask you some questions about a, um, case I'm working on."

"Oh, tat's right!" Elizabeta smiled. "You're a homicide detective. I just got done doing a job last night, too, you know. He was a mocsok disznó, but boy, he knew how to run."

"Right," Alice chose to ignore the fact that Elizabeta had just told her, a homicide detective, that she just killed someone. "Would you mind if I sat down?" Away from the kitchen...Alice thought, remembering what Lovino had said about frying pans.

"Oh, right," Elizabeta smiled, leading her to the living room. "And call me 'Lizzie'. I'm sort of like teir mom, you know? Or big sister. I used to watch tem and take care of tem when tey were just kisfiúk."

Alice nodded, absently and sat down on one of the sofas. "That's what Kiku said."

"You talked to Kiku?" Elizabeta said, also sitting down. "How is he?"

"He owes me five pounds." Alice deadpanned. "He was the one that gave me your address."

"Gave you my address?" Elizabeta repeated. "Your case must be serious for him to do tat."

"See for yourself." Alice slid the case files across the Hungarian's coffee table. Seriously, with the amount of times she'd shown this confidential information, Alice should've been behind bars by then.

It didn't take long for Elizabeta's eyes to scan through the file papers.

"I see."

Everything about Elizabeta changed. It was if a dark, menacing aura sizzled around her in a cloud of come-near-me-and-I-will-kill-you-ness. Her green eyes went dark and her once kind face was over shroud in pure, unfiltered anger. Suddenly, the fact that she was part of the Mafia didn't seem so unbelievably.

Alice tucked the folder back into her briefcase. "Are you willing to help me?" She asked, looking up at the pissed woman in front of her.

Elizabeta was too absorbed in her shivering anger to say anything other than "Igen".

Alice began to fiddle with her pocket watch. "Can you tell me, where you were all last week?"

"Working." Elizabeta responded. "I have a day job at te local nursery school."

Alice didn't say anything about how unusual that was for a woman who slayed people with frying pans. "Do you have anyone that can vouch for you?"

"Igen, two oter women were on te same shift as me. Sammy Dodgers and Lavender Borne." Elizabeta continued, "You can check wit te train managers, as well. Tey keep records on who comes and goes. I've never been to London."

"All right," Alice nodded. "Have you ever heard the names Isabelle Blackwater or Olivia Forester?"

Elizabeta paused, thinking for a moment. "I tink I heard Vash talking about tem once or twice. We go on missions togeter, sometimes. I tink he was fighting wit...Isabelle? And he kept switching from German to English tat it was hard to get anyting but a jist of what he was saying."

"What do you make of this?" Alice gave Elizabeta the letters that were given to her by the man on the dirigible. "They were delivered to me by one of Carriedo's men, but they don't look like his handwriting."

Elizabeta nodded, frowning deeply. "Tis isn't Antonio's writing, but it looks familiar. Also, Antonio doesn't know crap about ancient symbols or hieroglyphics. Perhaps, someone is trying to frame him or te person tat deliverd te letter is te one who gave you tis message."

Alice nodded. "I was thinking that, too. I'll have to call a meeting with Antonio and Lovino, see what's going on." She paused, "You said that the writing looked similar?"

"Ah, igen." The Hungarian frowned at the letter before handing it to Alice again. "I only met te man once or twice, but he's dead now."

"All right," Alice stood, deflated. "If there's anything else, please call me." She gave Elizabeta her card.

XXX

"Oi, Macaroni Brain."

"Do you know what fucking time it is?" He shouted over the phone. "I got shit to do."

"Is your husband there? I need to have a word with him." Alice's voice left no room for objection. "It's important."

"Vai avanti."

Alice knew she was on speaker phone, there was no way Lovino wouldn't be listening in. "Did you send someone to give me a letter?"

"Qué?" Antonio's voice was filled with annoyance and confusion.

"I received three letters on the dirigible flight back to London." Alice explained. "They were given to me by one of your men, Southwestern accent and terrible grammar."

Some Spanish cusses were hissed out. "Yo no he enviado ninguna carta."

"Ragazza..." Lovino paused, possibly looking at Antonio. "Are you-a sure it-a was-a one of-a Antonio's people?"

"He had the tattoo, Lovino." Alice hissed, making sure no one was watching her. "He had the bloody tattoo!"

"...We'll call you when we land in Britain..." The phone hung up.

Translations:

Köszönöm! Köszönöm! = Thank you! Thank you!

Igen, Igen. = Yes, yes.

Mocsok disznó = Filthy pig.

Kisfiúk = Little boys.

Vai avanti = Go ahead.

Qué? = What?

Yo no he enviado ninguna carta. = I haven't sent any letter.

Ragazza = Girl.