Twelve days later all the boxes have been indexed, inventoried and cataloged.
Now the critical work begins - matching claims to information against the inventory. Vastra and Jenny have already started, but with over two-thousand claims it will require the whole team.
Sitting in front of the foursome, in the middle of the table, is over seven hundreds sheets of typed paper in a two-ring binder ... the contents of over one-hundred boxes.
The process was simple, verify the names one by one against the insurance claim list. It was checked and notes were made of any discrepancies and passed to the person on their left who repeated the process. This method continued until all twenty-nine hundred and thirty-two claims were checked four times.
If anyone had a discrepancy that particular information was put aside and would repeat the process a second time for a total of eight reference checks.
Vastra wanted to be unquestionably certain that the information given to the insurance company was as accurate as possible.
Nine days later the research was completed and questionable names have been found. A telegram was immediately dispatched to Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company.
Most were of the discrepancies were simply doubles but majority had no documentation, duplicate mailing addresses or lacked proof they were a passenger on the Titanic when it sank to the bottom of the sea.
This will save the Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company likely millions.
Vastra had Fiona type two documents, in duplicate, the first alphabetical by last name and the second in ascending order by claim number. Each had multiple columns one for the name, claim number, and notes to invalidate the claim.
One copy was placed in the two ring binder and the other was put into a manila envelope and delivered in person by Vastra and Jenny.
Now they wait for instructions or payment.
The first day it was easy to relax after going through all those names. Alaya and Jenny are playing gin rummy, Vastra is reading The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Fiona is playing pencil cricket on the table.
The second day was a little harder. They were hoping for a quicker response. They all had a good workout in the basement, started to play five-hundred rummy and other card games just to keep their minds busy. Fiona decided, since she was in the drawing-room, to study glands.
The third day Vastra reads out loud to everyone The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which leads to an excellent debate. Jenny and Alaya believe that John Jasper is the murderer. While Vastra and Fiona hazard that Edwin Drood was not actually dead, the body was never found.
The fourth day Fiona begins to explain to the captive audience the history, rules and game-play of cricket. Fiona begins with 16th-century England Tudors and continues all the way to the 20th Century rule changes. She is animated and drew little diagrams to aid understanding.
After five hours and two pots of tea Fiona asked if anyone had questions.
Vastra didn't have a question, "I understand a Roman helped you with your routine cricket exercise. Please demonstrate your routine."
Fiona held her cricket bat and began with her stance low as if hiding under a bush with the cricket bat to her side. She whips the invisible bat upward and swings to the left and back down the same crouched position. Fiona counts to ten and then strikes it upward and swings to the right. A quick swing to the left and right and back into the same low position. Fiona continues through the same routine five times to the right and five times to the left. Fiona concentrates and remembers each instruction handed down from the man in the Roman costume. She ends in a standing motion and slowly pulls her left leg back and swinger her whole body to the left. The routine ends in an act of genuflection with the cricket bat upright parallel to her body.
"You do this every day?" Vastra asks as she walks around the bent body of Fiona.
Fiona taking in deep breaths and standing upright, "Twice, a day for over three years. Did you notice my mistake?"
"Yes you landed on your left instead of your right."
"It frustrates me. Since the man in the Roman costume no longer visits, I do not know how to fix the stance."
"Let's see if we can't get you to land on your right."
Fiona nods.
Jenny gets up and heads to the kitchen, "I am going to get something harder than tea. If was informative dear, but give me the katana with criminals over watching a cricket match. Five days? Who has the luxury?"
The fifth day Jenny is woken up by the doorbell ringing. She tries to get up, but the green lizard lady attempts to negotiate, "Warm. Stay."
Jenny turns and tries to break free until the doorbell rings again. Vastra licks the air and pops open her eyes, "Telegram" and dives under the covers.
Jenny gets up to retrieve the telegram and returns to the bedroom. A green scaled hand pops out from under the cover. Jenny places the telegram in the hand. The arm disappears back under the white sheets.
Vastra sits up, "Wake up our Alaya."