A SHOT IN THE DARK
EPILOGUE
Weeks passed, then months, and finally it had been a year since the night Alfendi Layton and Keelan Makepeace shot each other on the rooftop of Forbodium Castle. A cursory investigation into the actions committed that night took place, and the death of Keelan Makepeace was ruled as Killing by Self-defense. No charges were brought against Alfendi Layton, who at the time was still recovering from injuries received that night.
Two weeks after the anniversary of Keelan Makepeace's death, Alfendi Layton requested that he resume duties as an Inspector at Scotland Yard. Due in part to a desire not to put undue stress on the young man, the Commissioner gave Layton his job back, albeit in a somewhat different form.
From now on, Alfendi Layton would be Chief Inspector in what was commonly known as The Mystery Room—a subdivision for all those cases deemed "inactive". Layton's role here would be nothing more strenuous than going over old, unsolved cases, and seeing if there was anything left to glean from them.
Much to everyone's surprise, after only a few months of working in The Mystery Room, Layton built a curious device that, after receiving sufficient data, could reconstruct a crime scene down to the last detail. Although Layton kept the details of how this device worked, it effects proved to be almost immediate; the amount of "inactive" cases solved doubled nearly overnight.
Despite the astounding new records, all was not always well in The Mystery Room. Layton's methods were odd, at best, and it soon proved to be impossible to find anyone who would actually work with him. Countless times the Commissioner transferred a bright young thing to work as Layton's assistant. Each one quit in about a month, with frightening regularity, all leaving with much the same complaints.
Layton was insane. He talked to himself all the time, sometimes even shouting with himself, to the point where it seemed he might start attacking his own being. But his mood swings were the worst problem. Sometimes he would kind, polite, and mild. Then, right when he had lured you into a false sense of security, he would snap, and become inexplicably violent, yelling invectives, cackling evilly, and striding about like one possessed.
There were times when the Commissioner flat-out considered firing Layton. But then he remembered the staggering amount of cases Layton had solved—and he recalled the days when a fiery-haired Inspector and his friends had been the best team of all Scotland Yard, the days when laughter filled their common room as often as did mocking yells. And now the Commissioner looked at the weird, twisted creature in the Mystery room, and he could not bring it upon himself to fire him.
All the Commissioner could do was hope that someday, things would return to the way they had been. That Justin Lawson would no longer look like a man with an impossible burden of guilt. That Hilda Pertinax would cease to freeze her features into a cold, fragile mask of contempt for everyone and everything. And that Alfendi Layton would cease flickering wildly from one side to another, and become whole once more. The Commissioner could only hope.
THE END
A/n: And that's all, folks! Thanks so much for reading and supporting this story! I had so much fun writing it (and no, Brandishing No.2 Pencils, I am not a psychopath, I swear, really). Now, after much hemming and hawing, I have decided to end this story after this wee little epilogue. HOWEVER, a sequel, entitled Fire Returned, is in the works, so keep an eye out for it! It will feature all of the same characters, plus Lucy Baker. Speaking of which, quick question for you guys; how do you feel about Lucifendi? I'm pretty sure I like it, and I will probably include it in the sequel, but I'd love to hear your thoughts! Again, thank you so much for reading, and blessings upon you forever more!