Curse of the Samurai's Flame

(A/N) So this is the sequel to the Bloodied Dagger – Olivia is still the sidekick, etc. 2/6 in my Jonathan Creek series, please review :) I don't own Jonathan Creek (the show or character), or Adam Klaus…but I do own Olivia ;) (A/N)

In a large house, a few miles outside of London, lived Dominic Peterson – after inheriting a good few millions from his parents after they died, he invested it in several oil industries in Africa, tripling his fortune overnight. Now, he had retired to his manor home – retired being a fair debate, given how he'd never actually worked in his life.

One of his favourite hobbies was spending his immense fortune – on anything and everything. Things from custom-made mirrors, to his limited edition statuette of the Jackson Five. And, to be the pride of his collection, was the Samurai's Flame – an antique gold medallion, only the size of a flattened fob watch, with an intricate flame engraved into the front of it and a thin chain around it.

"Legend has it, that it would grant godly powers to whoever may wield it in battle – such was a well-known and notorious legend, that it was buried in a field over a hundred leagues long, so that it may never be found again. After its reign of avarice had ended, it lay underground for hundreds of years, until a small landscaping firm unearthed it, and turned into a multi-million dollar mega-industry after it was auctioned away. And this, is the real deal,"

The tour guide, dressed neatly in a pristine blue suit and a white shirt, was reading out the same, scripted monologue he'd read out a hundred times now. His name was Dennis, and he'd worked for Mr Peterson for nigh on five years now, reading out the lines Peterson had printed off from Wikipedia for him. However, he'd been in the family for years – the two families had a long and noble history of servitude and loyalty.

At the end of his speech, he punched in the code into the keypad on the wall, causing the three inch think sheet of bulletproof glass to slide to the right, exposing the Samurai's Flame to the adoring public.

"Now, of course, we have the utmost security measures in place; not only the secure glass pane, but also the circulation of guards outside the room and the electrocuted fence around the perimeter. In fact, it'd probably take superhuman powers just to steal the thing…"

This produced a small gaggle of giggles from the crowd, before Dennis ushered them away, into the Manet gallery. Automatically, the glass pane returned to its place, sealing the treasure back in its chest.

It didn't happen until much later that night. The house was officially closed to the public, and Dominic was unwinding from his stressful day of sitting around and drinking by sipping an old whiskey by the fire. The last few servants were going home, engulfed in the darkness of the fast approaching night.

"I'll be turning in now, Mr Peterson," said Thomas, the aged butler, as he removed his perfectly straightened tie slowly and methodically.

"Okay, Thomas," Dominic replied, not turning away from the roaring fire. "Take care,"

"Thank you, sir. Will do, sir,"

Five minutes later, the house was almost dead; all but a handful of the guards remained, 8 out of the ten of them guarding the perimeter, the other two watching the inside rooms. The entire floor dedicated to the antiques and exhibitions was now off limits, due to the excessive security measures in place.

Dominic finished the last of his drink, before setting the empty glass down on the table next to him. Slowly, he rose from his armchair, before wandering to his bedroom in a half-asleep trance. Like a sack of potatoes, he dropped into the bed, letting the silk sheets engulf him completely.

After half an hour, a vicious alarm broke the tender silence, tearing through the midnight peace. With a jolt, Dominic rose from his bed, taking deep and ragged gasps of air for breaths.

"Oliver, what the hell is happening?" he roared down the intercom to Oliver, his head of security.

"Sir, there's an intruder in the parlour!"

"Yes, I can guess that, Oliver! Get after him!"