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"It's Phryne, Jack, she's missing!"
My blood ran cold through my veins. It was a phrase favored by popular dramatists and novelists but for once I finally understood the words. The blood that gave me life was suddenly icy hot inside me. My heart beat slower, as though Jane's voice was magic, her words slowly killing me. The girl in question burst into uncontrollable sobs and fell into my arms. I glanced around the room. There were an uncommon number of constables in City South Police Station today. In fact about half of them were off duty today but were here anyway. What was that about? I would have to ask Collins about this later. The one thing I noticed about every man in that precinct? They were all staring at the little girl in my arms with a great amount of concern. My Jane. She had lost so much in her life, the people she loved were never a constant. In her experience, people left her, whether they wanted to or not. Until Phryne. Phryne always loved her. Phryne never left her. Until now. The girl was frantic and I clutched her close to my chest whispering platitudes that I desperately hoped I could deliver on. 'We would find her. She'll be fine. This is Phryne Fisher we're talking about.' And the like. I stood to address the men around the station but Jane wouldn't let go. I half smiled at the girl and simply pulled the growing child up with me, holding her in my arms as one would a small toddler. (Of course she was not a small toddler and was, in fact, quite heavy for me to be carrying around everywhere I went but for now she needed this, needed me, and I wasn't about to let her down, literally or figuratively.) The girl wrapped her legs around my waist and tucked her head into the crook made by my neck and my shoulder, clinging tightly. I glanced at Collins, silently asking him to take my place and address the others. The young man's face was steel. Angry and almost vengeful. Of course, I had to remind myself, he loved Miss Fisher too, in a different way, but she was family.
"You heard the girl!" He barked at his peers, his demanding, forceful tone making me proud. "Miss Fisher is responsible for as many arrests as any man here. This is one of our own. Do the city south policemen just let someone kidnap one of their own?!" A resounding no was the immediate reply but evidently Constable Collins wasn't quite finished. "Miss Fisher would put herself in the cross hairs for any one of us, are we going to let her down?" Again, the men at the station responded with vim and vigor but it was more than that. Most of them had stood, ready for action, and a few had gone so far as to begin strapping on their guns or reaching for the phones.
"Gentlemen," Constable Johnson added with a cheeky smile, "them he most beautiful woman in Australia is in trouble. Who will be the man to come to her rescue?" A hollering hoot went up at this and the tips of Collins' ears flushed scarlet as the men sprang to action, messy, unorganized action, but action none the less. Jack whistled to bring their attention back.
"Collins and I will go to Miss Fisher's residence and interview the staff. Constable Johnson I take it you can hunt down those rabble rousers she's always gallivanting about with and see if they know anything. They'll also likely want to help. Let them. They can get men to talk who won't have a thing to do with coppers like us. Constable Elroy, find Dr. MacMillan if you would, it is her day off down at the morgue so my first guess would be volunteering at either the school or the women's hospital." I peered at the other police officers, eagerly awaiting their assignments. I shouldn't have been surprised that Phryne Fisher had had such an effect on them, after all I was no poster child for the unmoved as was my initial plan upon meeting the hurricane like woman. But I never noticed the near devotion to her. I would have to ask Collins about that as soon as I got the chance. "Who would like to speak to her Aunt Prudence?" As if water had been thrown on a fire the mood in the room changed. Where enthusiasm and assuredness had existed before now hung nervous avoidance. "Prudence Stanley? Old woman. Lives alone. Maybe four feet tall." I outlined her for them and stared them down but not one man would meet my gaze. "Are you all afraid of Prudence Stanley?" I realized with a start. The men shifted where they stood and I sighed. "Morgens. Take Peaks with you if the tiny old woman scared you so badly but don't come back until you have her full statement." I gave them the most commanding look I could and the two shuffled away. "Edwards man the phone, the rest of you, be prepared to canvas and search the moment any of us calls back with new information." A spattering of 'Yes, Sir's' filled the air and instantly I turned to make my way to the car, shifting Jane in my arms just slightly.
Oh. Yes. My family was here.
"I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me. I have work to do that is rather pressing."
"Yes, John, of course." My mother nodded, keeping her eyes trained on Jane the whole time. I didn't have time to analyze that. Phryne was missing. Phryne could be-no. No. It's Phryne Fisher you're talking about. She isn't dead. She can't be dead. Someone with that much life in them doesn't just die?
Do they?