/ / MONDAY - Early afternoon / /
"Collins," Jack called from his office, his lunch sitting half eaten on the desk before him.
"Y-yes sir?" Hugh rushed to reach his superior's door at the call, and Jack raised his eyebrow at the crumbs across the front of the Constable's uniform.
"Could you bring me your notes from questioning Mr Atkins this morning?"
"Yes sir."
Hugh disappeared momentarily and returned shortly with his notepad in hand, flicking through the pages as he walked, then passed the item over. Jack accepted it with a nod and began to read aloud.
"William Atkins, co-owner of H.A. Windows and Glass. Friend and business partner to the victim. Confirmed identity of victim as Francis Hammond..." he continued to scan the page for relevant information. "Found the body upon arriving at their shared office at half past six this morning... Mr Hammond usually arrived for work around that same time each day... Would be unusual for Mr Hammond to have come in over the weekend – spent the days off with his family..." Jack flipped the page.
"Ah, here we are, Hammond had been nervous in the lead up to a business deal to be finalised today." The Detective Inspector looked up to Hugh, waiting for a moment.
"The same deal his wife mentioned, sir?" the young Constable queried.
"Could be, Collins. Mrs Hammond said the deal had been talked about for months, would change their future. We need to find out what this deal was, and with whom."
Hugh nodded and the Inspector handed back the small notebook. "Get me Mr Atkins on the phone, Collins. I need him to come in and answer these questions."
"Of course, sir; right away, sir."
Jack watched as Collins left his office and the door swung shut behind him. He sighed, looked at his half eaten lunch, and began to eat again.
/ / /
That evening, when Jack had knocked off duty and returned to Miss Fisher's home for dinner as planned, he had a relatively good lead ready to be investigated the following day, and a small titbit of information that had the corners of his mouth twitching into some semblance of a smile.
He hung his coat and hat by the door, and gratefully sank into the chaise in Phryne's parlour with a pre-dinner drink and a game of draughts being set up on a small side table. Phryne knelt on the floor as she placed the pieces across the board in a starting position, and she remained there quite happily as they played.
She won the first two games easily, and was on her way to winning the third when Mr Butler announced their meal.
"To be continued," Phryne teased, bringing herself to her feet and leading Jack through to the dining room.
Candles lit the room in soft light, and Jack pulled out Phryne's chair before taking his own place at the table, adjacent to her.
"How was your day, Phryne?" he asked domestically, tucking in easily to the exquisite meal Mr Butler had prepared.
Phryne gave a shrug, pushing away the lingering thoughts of her brother's sudden arrival.
"Pleasant enough. Dot and I had a look in a department store; I bought a lovely scarf, and then we went to lunch at the Windsor."
"Nothing of excitement?"
"Nothing noteworthy," she lied, sipping a glass of really very good wine. "I think I may take a trip. I feel restless. Would you mind terribly if I went away a few days?"
"Where?"
"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I don't really mind, but I might have a look at some brochures tomorrow and have Dot call ahead. I'll most likely drive, so I shan't go too far away..."
She shrugged again, and conversation stopped as they finished their meal.
Dessert was a lovely pudding that left the two detectives both feeling full and heavy around the middle, but they moved happily together to the parlour and Phryne played a record as Jack found her paper from that morning and flicked through the pages.
Retrieving her book Phryne joined him on the chaise, and splayed her legs across his lap as together they sat silently in her parlour and read.
Eventually though, Jack finished the newspaper and Phryne peered at him from over her novel. He smiled at her.
"Yes, Inspector?" she murmured, hiding her amused smile as she turned back to her story.
He didn't say anything, but stroked his hands along her legs, her silk stockings smooth under his palms. Phryne bit her lip and continued reading, ignoring the feeling of Jack's fingers pushing her dress higher and higher up her thighs.
"Phryne," he murmured eventually.
She didn't look up. "Yes, Jack?"
"Tell me about this trip you want to take," he prompted, tracing at her knee with his fingertips. "Why the sudden decision?"
"Oh," Phryne said, her voice just a touch too high for Jack to believe a word she was saying. "No reason."
"Do you have a case you don't want me involved in?"
"No."
"A friend you want to visit, a new hobby you feel like partaking in? Any reason at all other than mere whimsy?"
At that comment Phryne marked her page and looked up at Jack sternly. "I can do as I please; reason or not, Jack."
He sighed, squeezing her leg, "I know that, I'm not- I'm not trying to stop you, Phryne."
"Good."
"But I would like to talk about it. I would like to know where you are going and how long you will be away. I would like – in future of course - to have more warning before you decide to make a trip. As much warning as you can offer, please," he reached for her hand and kissed it. "Because now that things have... changed between us, Phryne, I find you are never far from my mind. And if you are away, I will worry. And I will miss you."
Despite herself Phryne smiled, "Oh shush," she said. "We both know you were doing that already, as you demonstrated quite clearly this past July," she teased him easily and moved the hand he'd taken to kiss to in turn grasp at his, pulling it unconventionally to her own lips and kissing his knuckles softly.
He watched her carefully and her eyes sparkled from under her lashes as she looked up at him.
"Would you like to move upstairs now, Inspector?" she asked.
Jack swallowed, still somewhat unused to her boldness. But he managed to compose himself quickly and utter back, "I believe I would, Miss Fisher."
She grinned, fanning her legs out of his lap to the floor before standing and offering her hand. He took it and stood with her, pausing briefly to turn out the lights before he followed her up the stairs to her boudoir.
"I'll leave after lunch tomorrow," she said once inside the bedroom, her hands already working on removing Jack's tie. "And I will call the station before that to tell you where I'll be staying."
"And say goodbye I hope."
She smirked. "Oh, I can do more than just say goodbye Jack," and he blushed as she chuckled, pulling his tie free and dropping it to the ground. "But yes darling, we can say our goodbyes. As for how long I'm away; well that depends on how much fun I'm having. Two nights should be enough, but perhaps as long as a week. Unless you have any engagements you need me for?"
Jack shook his head, marvelling that she had managed to strip him down to his undershirt already and he'd barely started on the buttons lining the back of her dress.
"Excellent," she kissed him softly and pulled back with a smile that Jack couldn't help but return.
"I believe I will still miss you."
"Miss me?" Phryne asked. "Or miss the benefits of spending a night at my house –and to be clear Jack, I do not mean Mr Butler's cooking."
To Phryne's delight Jack laughed, his hand curling around her to hold her closer before he leant forward and brushed his lips to her ear. "Why don't I show you what I will miss?"
And so he did, the two of them stripped bare and falling into Phryne's large bed. He caressed her from head to toe, worshipping her with his kisses, with words whispered into her skin. Phryne found release in his arms, and he spent himself inside her as she collapsed onto his chest, panting happily. For a long few minutes the couple lay, their bodies glistening pleasantly with sex and sweat as they caught their breath and enjoyed their post coital embrace.
Far from being sleepy after their actions Phryne stretched happily and rolled from Jack's arms to her back, reaching for his hand as she looked up to the ceiling.
"Tell me about your day, Jack," she asked, hoping to distract her mind with the puzzle of one of his cases.
If Jack found this request strange he didn't show it, just opened his mouth and talked.
"I did have one curiosity today," he told her, stifling a yawn before he continued. "I have a new case. Murder of a businessman in his office. Place torn apart, files of paperwork everywhere. He was supposed to have an important meeting today with his business partner and a man from Sydney. They had a deal in the works that would, if it was agreed to, give their company a real boost forward."
Phryne rolled to her side, listening happily, but becoming distracted by the planes of Jack's naked chest. She trailed her fingers across his skin, smiling to herself as he paused to frown at her.
"Go on," she prompted.
Jack rolled his eyes and turned onto his side, mirroring her and retaliating with his own fingers dancing across the top of Phryne's somewhat ticklish hip.
She shuddered and he gave a smug grin before continuing. "I called the business partner in to ask more about this deal, and he tells me all the paperwork concerning that meeting, in fact anything at all that could have had this other company's name on it, was gone."
"So? Clearly this businessman from Sydney is your killer, trying very badly to cover his tracks."
"Yes, that's what I think," Jack murmured; sleep beginning to tempt him into its depths, like a siren at sea.
"So what's so curious about it?"
"Hm? Oh, curious, yes. What I found curious, was the man's name," he said, smiling. "Sounds rather like another world, one you'd find much more pleasurable I think, where a woman would have more say over a man."
Phryne raised her eyebrows and Jack chuckled.
"The man's name was Jack Fisher," he said, and his eyes closed tiredly as he returned to his back, and pulled Phryne to curl into his side. "And I thought if you ever decided you are the marrying kind, you might try your hand at convincing me to give up my name in favour for yours."
"Jack Fisher?" Phryne repeated, making a strong effort to keep her voice steady. "What a- what a curious coincidence."
Jack hummed his agreement, clearly lost for the rest of the evening. And sure enough, within minutes Phryne heard the soft sound of his snoring fill the room.
She in turn lay in his arms quietly, worrying her bottom lip. No matter how much she tried to distract her mind with other thoughts -her trip for example, and the delightful activities that had tired Jack out so- Phryne couldn't help but think about how her brother had introduced himself to Dot...
"Jack Fisher. Pleased to meet you."