Little Discoveries
Phryne Fisher felt her heart hammering in her chest. Really it was not all that adventurous, nothing in comparison to standing in front of a killer with bare hands or taking home a handsome stranger. But nevertheless, the excitement of the chase always got to her. With as much grace as the height of her heels allowed, she slipped into a doorway and waited till the woman she was pursuing had moved on from looking half-heartedly at some colourful scarves displayed in a shop window. Phryne wasn't exactly sure why she had even taken this case. Maybe it was simply boredom or the way the man had looked when he talked about his lovely wife. Adulterers really didn't concern Miss Fisher much, personally. Her moral codex just wasn't strict enough to feel the need to judge anyone on grounds of who they slept with. Then again, a nice man standing in her Salon deeply upset about his wife cheating on him, hadn't lost his effect on her. So she was now following Mrs. Iris Walker through the streets of Melbourne's city. The lady didn't seem particularly nervous for a philandering wife on the way to her lover and the biggest challenge so far had been to not lose her in the crowds of Bourke Street. In a wild and rather unladylike dash, the Honourable Miss Fisher closed the gap between the target and herself, just seeing the brunette throwing one suspicious look over her shoulder, before stepping into a more quiet side street. Phryne turned the corner seconds later and let out a sigh of relief as she spotted the well cut bob not too far in the distance. Her own heels cluttered a bit too loudly on the cobbles of the sidewalk, now that they weren't drowned out by the chattering of hundreds of pedestrians and the roaring motors of the cars driving past. In fact the noise seemed to echo somewhat of the walls. But still Mrs. Walker did not turn around. She must feel quite safe, Phryne pondered with some confusion. Really, Iris Walker didn't strike her as the typical cheating wife. There was no guilt to the way she looked, no sneaking about in her movements, no hiding in the clothes she dressed in. Actually, she was wearing a beautiful piece that Phryne Fisher felt almost compelled to ask her about, once this was over. Then again, if the detective cemented her divorce, Mrs. Walker was unlikely to feel like sharing her fashion secrets with her. Which was a shame. With a sway of her slim hips that would probably take any man's breath away, Iris stopped and turned towards the front door of a small coffeehouse. Phryne tried to halt as casually as she could by busying herself in a newspaper stand that just happened to cross her path at the right moment. Picking up a paper, she locked her eyes onto the lady who seemed to ponder if she had chosen the right place. She had as it turned out, since she pushed the door open with some resolve. Alright, so this was finally getting interesting. Throwing a few coins at a grumbling newspaper seller, Phryne hurried over to the big window just in time to catch a glimpse of Iris Walker greeting a tall, dark-haired man with a hug and a kiss to the cheek. He was turning his back to her but the detective couldn't help it – he seemed familiar. Her heart skipped a beat as the stranger turned. He was familiar! Miss Fisher's mouth fell open as she stared at the face of a very happy Jack Robinson. Iris wasted no time in taking his arm and leading him further into the Café and therefore firmly out of Phryne's view. The lady detective pondered this for a moment. She could probably leave right now and tell Rupert Walker that he had been right about his wife meeting another man. A clever and handsome one who would likely have feelings for her or otherwise he would not meet her at all. Phryne shook those thoughts off as fast as she could. The couple had a date in a coffeeshop rather than in a grubby hotel room which meant they were probably still in early stages of their relationship. It was even possible that Jack didn't know that Iris was married. Then again, he was a policeman and a good one at that. He could not have missed it, could he? Phryne bit her lip, trying to fend of the unreasonable feeling of disappointment creeping under her skin. She was in a good mind to leave it at that but then again, she could not. She needed some hard evidence to present to her client. A clear gesture, an overheard conversation, a signed confession – Anything would do. Phryne Fisher straightened her shoulders and stepped through the glass door. She spotted them straight away. Jack and Iris sat in the far back in a dark little corner of the busy Cafè, each nurturing a cup of coffee and chatting along animatedly. "Looking quite cosy." Miss Fisher mumbled under her breath, ignoring the silent stab in her chest at the view.
"Pardon me, Ma'am?" A waiter asked who had snuck up on her. Phryne almost jumped at his voice but found her composure quickly enough to order a tea to be served to a table near the lovely couple. They were in fact looking nice together she found with a start. Jack's face was glowing in amusement and Iris Walker was an even more attractive woman from the front than she was from the back. She also looked very at ease as she told Jack an obviously highly entertaining story, her red mouth smiling and her hands waving through the air. Mrs. Walker really seemed like an incredibly nice person. Phryne hated her.
Quietly she slipped onto a chair that was seperated from Jack's back only by a small passageway and a rather ugly pot plant. Neither of the two had noticed her, too deeply were they enthralled in their conversation. The buzz of the busy coffeeshop made overhearing their exact words near impossible, but bits and pieces were carried over to Phryne's curious ears. Obviously Iris was telling a childhood story from her boarding school involving Amphibia of an unknown sort. Jack laughed a throaty, relaxed laugh that made Miss Fishers spine tingle and woke the urge in her to get up and strangle him. Or possibly kiss him. The thought floated past before she could get a grip on it. What? She shook her head in disbelief and stirred sugar in her cooling tea. Her ears pricked when the mood on the next table shifted.
"So, you are considering a divorce?" She heard the Inspector ask before a newly arriving group of costumers muffled the rest of his words. Then hers.
"...Rupert just doesn't seem to care anymore."
Phryne felt herself tense. So he did know. And he was sitting over there, relaxed and laughing with a woman who would leave her husband for him. A man with big, sad eyes, waiting at home for a wife who was in the arms of Detective-Inspector Robinson. She gripped the cup so hard that it spilled tea over her fingers. Swearing under her breath Phryne wiped the liquid up with her napkin. She could really leave now. Everything was said. But something let her stay glued to the spot.
"You know it's not easy. Being divorced." His thoughtful words drifted over in an almost silent moment. The sorrow colouring them broke her heart. Glimpsing through the leaves of the plant, she could see Iris respond something that was completely inaudible and reach out a hand to put it over his soothingly. He had never talked with her about his divorce from Rosie. Miss Fisher had found out by a slip of the tongue from Hugh Collins and decided to not mention it till Jack would. Which he never had. He obviously rather talked with Iris about this kind of thing, let her comfort him when he hurt. The lady detective suddenly made a very uncomfortable discovery. There were unasked for tears in her eyes and that finally convinced her body along with her mind, that it was time to leave.
With uncoordinated fingers she grabbed for her handbag and hat and was about to rush out of the Cafè without much regard of who could see her, when her heel got stuck on a inconveniently placed terracotta pot. With more noise than should be provided by a silly little Maidenhair Fern, (a name that Phryne didn't know but would have found ironic if it would have been pointed out to her,) the plant toppled over, spilling soil over the floor while brushing the Inspector over the head with a shower of leaves. Phryne wished for earth to open up, but it stayed stubbornly solid under her feet. Jack turned and rose, his eyes widening in surprise, then a knowing smirk joined into the variety of emotions displayed in his mimic.
"Miss Fisher?" He said with less astonishment than was to be expected.
"Jack?" Phryne's voice sounded shrill to her own ears. "What a surprise. I didn't know you to visit this place."
In fact, she didn't know him to go to Cafés at all, she realised. The policeman never had taken the time to invite her to a cup of coffee and laugh at her stories from boarding school. She felt tears prick at the back of her eyes and chose to ignore them. Her look got caught by Iris Walker, who examined her with interest before getting up to calm down a rather hysteric waiter enquiring about the health of the plant. While to her feet the staff started to clean up, Phryne couldn't move. The rest of the costumers had lost the interest in the scene and chatter picked up again. The Inspector was the first to find his voice in the invading silence.
"Miss Fisher, may I introduce you to Mrs. Iris Walker..."
With a wave of the hand, Phryne cut him off.
"Jack, I'm afraid, I need to talk to you. In private. Please excuse us."
She smiled a tight lipped smile at the other woman and pulled the surprised Inspector away from his lover, who watched the scene unfold with interested eyes that glimmered in amusement.
"What are you doing, Jack?" The lady detective whispered urgently. He raised his brows in a way that let her know in no uncertain terms, that he considered her to have gone completely mad now.
"What are you referring to, Miss Fisher? Drinking coffee? Being bashed over the head with pot plants? Spending an afternoon not chasing after a murderer?"
"Jack, she is married! Iris! To Rupert Walker, who cares so little about her that he sent me after her to find out who she's cheating on him with!" On the last sentence Miss Fisher's voice had grown rather loud, not caring any longer if Iris could overhear their conversation.
Now, the Inspector looked gobsmacked.
"Phryne..." He started but found himself interrupted yet again.
"I know it's really none of my business. I just haven't ever seen you as someone who would have an affair with a philandering wife."
That was true, she realised with a start and the overwhelming disappointment threatened to take her breath away. Panting, she stopped. Phryne could imagine what she looked like right now. Slightly dishevelled from her incident with the fern, upset without a real reason and embarrassed beyond belief. She had to leave and fast, before she would break into tears and make everything worse. Her resolve was completely derailed by Jack grabbing her arm and pulling her back to his table, where Mrs. Walker was waiting with a curious look painted on her pretty face.
"Let me try this again." The Inspector said in his calm, authoritative voice that allowed no protest.
"Miss Fisher, may I introduce Mrs. Iris Walker, my cousin. Iris, this is the Honourable Phryne Fisher, a brilliant, if slightly insane lady detective, that thank god, has gotten it completely and utterly wrong today. It is the final prove that she is human after all."
The Inspector glanced over to a blushing Phryne with a twinkle in his eyes. A moment long she thought she would die on the spot, then, in an act that would have astonished stylists across the planet, the Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher returned; straightened her shoulders; shook her hair back into place and switched on a smile.
"Nice to meet you."
Iris was obviously surprised by this turn of events but took the offered hand after only a seconds thought.
"Even though the Inspector has never told me he had family in town." Miss Fisher added.
"You never asked." He replied, without missing a beat.
"I, on the other hand, have heard plenty of you, Miss Fisher." Iris smiled, which caused Jack's brows to rise, yet again.
"Have you now?"
"Of course. Miss Phryne Fisher is causing quite a stir in society, Jack. Sharp mind and even sharper sense of fashion." The Woman smirked, letting the Inspector all but release a sigh of relief. The real reason why he's had no intention whatsoever to bring those two women into one room at any time in his near future, lay in something completely different, that he would make damned sure to never mention. Of course Miss Fisher had derailed this plan completely in her usual subtle fashion.
"Would you like to join us for some coffee, Miss Fisher, or were you in a hurry?" He asked pleasantly. The Inspector was not sure, what answer to hope for, but Phryne didn't have to think about this offer twice and sat down, disposing of her hat.
„How lovely of you to invite me, Inspector. I really would like to meet your family." Jack groaned inwardly, but nevertheless dropped back onto his own chair.
„I am really sorry about the inconvient timing, but I am afraid I have to see to a rather urgent matter. Maybe another time?" Mrs. Walker pushed in, getting up.
Torn between disappointment of not getting to know Jack's cousin after all and being able to spend some time alone with the Inspector, the lady detective shook Iris' hand and watched on, as she brushed a kiss onto Jack's cheek.
"Take care of yourself, old chap. I'll see you at Christmas. For Uncle Walter's duck, God help us."
To Phryne's surprise, Jack giggled (!) at this and with a friendly "nice to meet you", Mrs. Walker swept out the door. Two pairs of eyes followed her, then Jack picked up his cup and lifted the cold coffee to his lips.
„So you have a cousin in town." Miss Fisher stated conversationally. „And an Uncle Walter, who enjoys cooking duck."
The cup clattered back onto the saucer, but the Inspector took his time to swallow.
„He enjoys shooting duck. The cooking is done by his wife Esmeralda, who is, if I say so myself, the worst cook on this side of the world."
„So that's three family members you have never told me about, Inspector."
"True, Miss Fisher. I also have two siblings, plenty of cousins, grandparents, an adorable niece and a less adorable nephew and amazingly I am even in possession of a father."
"What about your mother?"
"She died, five years ago."
"I'm sorry, Jack."
He looked at her over the table and knew that she was. Why had he never told her, he wondered. Maybe really because she had never asked. He just couldn't figure out, what he was supposed to share with her. Her eyes begged the same question. So he shared. Everything.
Meanwhile, a street further down, Iris Walker crossed to the other side of the road, just to be grabbed by a man who had, up till a moment ago, leaned against a wall, smoking a cigarette. He pulled her into a quick kiss, then backed off laughing.
"So, how did it work out?"
"They are not having an affair." Iris stated.
"But you don't look too happy."
The woman chewed on her lip thoughtfully before answering.
"He's head over heels in love with her."
Silence invaded the conversation for a while.
"That's worse, isn't it."
"For Rosie? Yes, it is. She's fighting a lost battle and she knows it."
"I'm sorry, love, I know you were hoping they would would get back together."
"She's my best friend, I introduced them and she still loves Jack. Of course I was hoping. But it isn't to be, Rupert. I will tell her tomorrow."
She took his arm and for a while they walked quietly along the pavement.
"Honestly, I don't understand what this little charade was trying to achieve. She divorced him, didn't she?"
Iris Walker sighed.
"Yes, she did. But I wanted to find out for her what's going on between them and I couldn't exactly ask him to invite her along. And... from her reaction, I tend to believe, Jack's battle might not be as lost as Rosie's."
"You think she is in love with him, as well?"
Iris shrugged, pulling her husband closer to herself.
"I'm afraid, I'm not enough of a detective to figure that one out. I am not even sure, if she is."
They smiled at each other and then they walked home, arm in arm.
Oblivious to this, a pair of detectives was still sitting in a small Café just off the major roads of Melbourne City, currently sharing stories involving Amphibians of unknown description. Suddenly Phryne stopped, putting on a face that told Jack she just had a thought shaking up her brain.
"What is it, Miss Fisher?"
"You are aware your cousin has been lying to you, right?" She asked, matter of factly.
He smirked.
"Yes, I am. But so were you."
She shared his smile. He knew her too well and Phryne was surprised to find, she didn't mind in the slightest.