( chapter twenty-three ! )
"Young Master, we caught some suspicious-looking guy!"
Bursting through the door, Finnian nearly knocks the wood off its hinges when he and the other Phantomhive servants make a roaring entry. They all have a mild look of unease on their face. But the first thing to catch anyone's attention is the bag tightly clenched in Bardroy's hand.
The sudden intrusion causes a stir among the guests, snapping their heads toward the door. If not for the words that left the servant's mouths, they would be deemed a little too unruly.
Even Ciel himself appears startled, stiffening beside Leah, who instinctively grabbed ahold of his arm. Neither dares to teenager speak a word yet. Only an exchange of eyes is passed between Leah and Anna, an almost knowing glance.
When the chef notices that the mysterious fellow isn't following them, he raises his voice without a second thought. "Come on, get in already!" he demands, his face expressing agitation.
With slow, deliberate steps, a man clad in a suit takes his entrance. He has a tall stature and appears to be on the older side, with a noticeable lack of fat on his cheeks that draws attention to the area and his temples. His hair is black and slicked back, his eyes harsh and unwelcoming, his mouth turned into a frown, and his slightly large nose. However, the most noticeable thing is the rope tied around his waist and restricting his arms.
"Huh?!"
The reactions around the room are somehow both similar and varied.
"Wha- He was real?!" yells Charles in distress. "Where on Earth was he hiding?!"
Ciel's eyes are wide, and he hides as he takes an almost invisible step closer to Leah. "You're.." his voice trails off to silence.
"So you mean.. this is the killer?!" sweat drips down Woodley's face, equally as shocked as Charles.
Unlike the others, Lau lives up to his reputation and merely smirks. "To think the fifteenth guest would show up this soon. Even I am a little surprised."
He rises from his seat. If Lau wasn't so nonchalant, everyone would be holding their breaths. Instead, he is just watched in mild curiosity as he stops beside the man and places a hand on his shoulder.
"So, who're you again?" asks Lau, a semi-smile on his face.
Before the young Earl can have a chance to protest against Lau's behavior, the man speaks up. "My name?" he smirks, rainwater dripping down his face.
Ciel's eyes darken, listening to the thunder outside the window. His fiancé can sense his small shift in demeanor but doesn't mention anything. He's always been a sense of mystery to her, no use in questioning when she won't get an answer.
"It's been a while, Jeremy," he doesn't offer a smile and keeps his hands stuffed at his side.
Lau almost appears surprised. "Earl, is this old guy a friend of yours?" his word choice earns a cocked brow.
"Y..yeah," says Ciel, sounding hesitant and making his way over to the man, ignoring Leah's irritated pout. "This man is Father Jeremy Rathbone. He's a popular advisor to the local church and somewhat of a famous person."
Behind the boy, Jeremy is now smiling kindly. "Please, just call me Jeremy."
The silence of the guests causes a rift in the room, eyeing him warily. It's hard to tell if his smile is genuine or unnerving and fake. That and he's the potential murderer.
"Clearly not famous enough if I don't know him.." Leah mutters dramatically, trying to jab at Jeremy, which almost gets a reaction out of him.
A couple of feet away, Arthur is focusing on the new identity. "A.. father?" his brows knit.
If suspicion isn't a good enough reaction, then surely Woodley causing another scene is.
"Like I'd trust a suspicious-looking guy like you!" he shouts as he points an accusatory finger, flashing the many rings that adorn his hands. "The only one who could have committed the murders of the fifteenth person without an alibi. No matter how you look at it, it has to be this guy!"
Still standing by the window, a grimace crosses Leah's face as she covers her ears with a soft hand. "Indoor voices.." her voice is no more than a mere whisper that coaxes a glance from Ran Mao and Anna.
Flashing a smirk, Jeremy keeps all attention on him. "Actually, your reasoning is utter nonsense, Mister Woodley."
"How do you know my name?!" Woodley yells in distress and aggravation, beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks.
"Looking at your ring, it's actually quite obvious," Jeremy leans in uncomfortably close, his height almost dwarfing Woodley's. "The only place you'd be able to mine a large diamond like that would be South Africa. Furthermore, the only way you'd be able to get the special round brilliant cut this diamond has is with the latest polishing machinery recently developed by the Woodley Company. I've also heard that the London jeweler, Daniel Anderson, has been holding sales talks with women, saying it's a rare item that hasn't really appeared on the market yet," his lips curl. "If you consider that one of the people invited to the Earl's evening party is wearing such a rare ring, it is most likely the director of the Woodley Company. In other words, you, Mister. Am I wrong?"
Leah's hands twitch, the primal urge to groan at the rambling and explanation trying to claw its way out of her throat. She manages to keep herself together, though, forcing a large swallow and training her eyes directly to the floor. 'Don't draw suspicion.' she reminds herself. 'But surely the others find this boring as well? It's the same as Sebastian. Just talking your ear off.'
However, no one else around the young lady seems affected. It appears she may be alone on this one, as she tends to be.
"More importantly, how in the world.." Arthur stops to correct himself. "No, why and since when have you been here?" he rephrases his question, gaining the attention of Jeremy.
"Sheesh, nothing but questions," huffs Jeremy before turning to Bardroy, who still has ahold of his bag. "Hey you, would you mind opening my bag?"
Being no stranger to following orders, Bardroy moves to set the bag down and carefully opens it to reveal its contents. But what is inside causes a stir of surprise in both noises and action, for a sleeping white owl lays peacefully on a cloth with a letter wrapped around its claw.
"Woah!"
"This is Mister Sebastian's owl!"
Meyrin's face contorts in discomfort, eyeing the creature from some feet away. "I—Is it dead?" her voice wavers.
"No," Jeremy responds with a shake of his head, "but since it resisted, I put it to sleep for a while with some medicine. It will wake up soon."
"Wha— Just because it resisted a bit! How cruel!" yells Finnian in exasperation, his face almost darkening.
On the opposite end of the room, Leah's interest is piqued. 'An owl?' She's never seen one up close before. So naturally, as the spoiled girl she is, she immediately takes it upon herself to approach the unconscious animal. 'It's so cute!' There's a noticeable curl on her lips.
"Please look at the letter at its claw."
The words don't register to Leah's ears until she feels two bodies beside her, noticing Ciel on her left and Jeremy on her right. She can't help but shift uncomfortably and subtly scoot closer to her fiancé's side, eyeing up the intruder. The action could go on for days, but Leah decides to focus on the letter in Ciel's hand, pushing her head close to his, causing their hair to brush together.
"Young Master! What did Mr. Sebastian say?!" asks Meyrin, her hands clasped by the sound of Ciel's silence.
He shuts his eyes, both in thought and in an attempt to stop a faint flush from working its way onto his cheeks at the feeling of Leah so close. "It seems that he anticipated that he would be killed and sent a letter to Jeremy," Ciel crumples the paper tightly in his hand before shoving it in his pocket, slightly upsetting Leah, who didn't get to finish reading.
"Oh my.. Mr. Sebastian.." Meyrin's voice is low as it trembles, her hands brought closer to her mouth.
Leah, lacking the empathy she typically does, stands with the owl nestled between her arms, cradling the creature as if it were a baby. There appears to be a content look on her face, finding the image of a sleeping owl adorable.
Some people aren't so happy, though, like Grimsby. "But you can't prove he isn't the killer with just a piece of paper! If he came from outside, he could just as well have committed last night's murder!" he protests.
"Actually, I have a simple solution to your lack of evidence," counters Jeremy with an aloof expression. "In my coat pocket."
Being the closest to the man, Finnian is the one to shove a hand deep within the pockets, pulling out a crumpled item. "A ticket.. is it? For a play.." his voice is filled with confusion and wonder.
"What's the date?" asks Ciel, his gaze half focused on his betrothed holding an owl.
"Yesterday.. It's for the evening show on March nineteenth. The place and program are um.. the.." Finnian's voice trails as he struggles to sound out the letters and words. "The Lady of the Lake at the Lyceum Theatre!" It takes him a moment, but he succeeds.
Irene chimes in, finally breaking her silence. "The Lady of the Lake is indeed playing at the Lyceum Theatre at the moment."
"Indeed, I went to the Lyceum Theatre in London last night," Jeremy nods and lowers his head. "The play ended at ten p.m. Even if I took Hansom cab and threw him a sovereign, it would still take over two hours to get here. Furthermore, in this rain, the road would become so muddy it'd take at least twice as long as usual," he explains.
Hardly paying attention to the conversation at hand, Leah runs a hand over the owl's soft feathers. They feel nice between her fingers, tickling the skin and drawing a faint giggle. She should certainly be more concerned with the situation at hand, though.
But when has she ever?
With raised brows, Irene speaks up once again. "A Hansom cab in this rain?" she questions.
"In this rain, the river along the road would be flooded, there's no way you'd get over the bridge in a horse-drawn carriage!" says Bardroy, eyes flickering to the window where the rain pours down against it.
"Of course, there are countless ways of getting here. Walking or swimming.. Though those aren't really ways I'd recommend for normal human beings," a smirk is evident on Jeremy's face, water still dripping down his hair. "There are always as many ways of getting to a result as one can count the stars. But there is only one truth."
Leah's attention is now drawn. The attention is not good, though. She can only shift in discomfort, trying not to tighten her grip around the owl and potentially harm the creature. 'Normal human being..?' her thoughts can't help but trail to Sebastian or Thomas. Two people she would prefer not to think about.
Her fiancé notices this change in her demeanor, lowering his head to take a look at her face. Ciel can see the unease written all over. As much as he would like to attempt to comfort her, he can't afford to get distracted in his very moment. So, instead, he pushes the thought to the back of his mind for later.
"In other words, you mean that you cannot be involved in the killings because you were in London last night.." Arthur butts in. "Am I right?"
Jeremy nods in approval. "As expected of a master novelist, thank you for speeding up the conversation."
"Huh?!"
"You can find out a lot about people's jobs and the like from examining their looks and habits, you know," Jeremy gets close to Arthur's face, just as he had done with Woodley.
Uninterested, Leah places the owl down with a slight reluctance. As much as she would like to hold the thing forever, it would wake up eventually. And who knows, perhaps it would claw her face off due to not recognizing her.
Shuffling back over to Ciel, she stands close and keeps her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't like that man.. he is strange," she bites her lip.
"He is not a bad man," Ciel shakes his head. "He just acts odd sometimes. If you can be comfortable with Lau, surely you can grow to not want to claw this one's face off?"
Leah's face shows uncertainty, but she doesn't dare protest anymore. She can't find it in her and wants to try and trust Ciel's judgment more.
"Well, now that your doubts should have been lifted, would you mind getting this rope off of me?" Jeremy cocks a brow, drawing attention to his arms that are still bound. "It seems that the air around this mansion is heavy with the smell of a crime that will rid me of my boredom."
After unbinding Jeremy's arms, everyone returns to their seats. As much as they would wish, it still isn't calm. Their silence is due to the information of the previous nights being explained, courtesy of Arthur, who is in charge of the investigation.
"That's all that happened from the time of the first murder up until the murder of the butler that called you here," says the wordsmith.
"I see.. That's very interesting," Jeremy thinks over this newfound information, his hands pressed together. "Could I first see the bodies? They will eloquently tell me nothing but the truth."
Some people share glances, but no one else dares speak. If Leah wasn't so tightly pressed against Ran Mao to avoid being any closer to Charles, she would be staring directly at Anna, who is a few feet behind her.
Arthur rises from his seat. "Well then, let's go to the basement wine cellar together."
"Stop!"
"Huh?!"
"I would like you to move each of the bodies to a separate room," says Jeremy, as if this is not an odd request.
A rift and discomfort is caused by this.
Beads of sweat drip down Arthur's cheeks, gazing questionably. "But why?" he asks.
"The scent might be a clue to the crime. If we put the bodies together, their scents will interfere with each other," Jeremy explains as if this is common sense. "Also, the wine cellar will have a particularly strong scent of wine. On that note, can you lend me three rooms, Earl?"
Ciel only offers a shrug and an initial silence. "That would be fine, I guess," he turns to his servants. "You guys, divide the bodies over three rooms."
"Certainly."
With those orders, the Phantomhive servants quickly take their leave to carry out their duties.
Watching them leave, Jeremy makes his way over to the young boy. "Earl, will you allow me to change my clothes in the meantime?"
"Sure.. The clothes of my predecessor might be a little too small. I'll lend you some clothes of the dead butler," Ciel doesn't offer any smile, not bothering with hospitality. "I'll take you there."
Over on the lounge, Leah can't help but shudder. 'Wearing the clothes of a dead person? Seems rather.. weird. Disrespectful even so soon after his death.' Nonetheless, she doesn't let this show.
It only takes about fifteen minutes for the bodies to be gathered and moved, indicated by the fact that Leah isn't throwing a tantrum from boredom. There are only a few things that the girl hates more than being utterly bored.
As if on cue, Bardroy opens the door just as lighting crackles above the manor. "Young Master, we have finished transferring the bodies."
Ciel only manages a nod, but Jeremy loudly claps his hands together. "Well then! I'd like you to show me the bodies in the order that they were killed," there is a hint of a smirk on his face, lacking discomfort at the thought of dealing with dead bodies.
"We'll start from Lord Siemens then," nods Arthur.
Walking over with a raised arm, Charles inserts himself into the mini-circle. "I'll come along too."
As the men gather themselves, a certain young lady can't help herself from feeling nosy. Well, it's more about combatting her boredom. Murder is off-putting, but that doesn't make the situation any more interesting to sit in unnerving silence.
"I want to go too!" Leah quickly stands from her previously seated position, giving Ran Mao more space to move.
Once again, Ciel can't find it in himself to attempt to argue with her presence. Her involvement doesn't hinder much unless you count her occasional insults. Responding with a sigh from his nose, he simply sets off out of the door and shortly down the hall.
"Over here."
Only some feet away, three doors file down a wall. Each looks similar, but they all contain something different.
"The bodies of Siemens, Phelps, and Sebastian have been placed in order of this side of the hallway," drones Ciel, keeping a hand on Leah's wrist to guide her.
Jeremy nods in approval. "That'll save us some trouble."
Stepping inside the first room, the group glance down at the tarp covering Georg Von Siemens' body. It isn't the first time they've seen it, certainly not, but it doesn't make it any less uncomfortable, at least for Leah. The men around her seem almost unfazed.
This can be seen in how Jeremy mindlessly kneels beside the body and rips the tarp off, immediately beginning his examination. He spares no time to unbutton his coat, staring down at the blood against the white fabric.
"The only external trauma is the wound on his chest. A single stab with a sharp-edged blade, it seems." he holds the coat open, digging inside to retrieve a watch. "He was quite the violent drinker during his lifetime, wasn't he?"
Charles raises a brow. "How do you know?"
"I knew as soon as I saw this," Jeremy turns the watch around for the others to take a look. "This is an expense pocket watch, but the area around the winding keyhole is full of scratches. You'd only do this if you were either a very crude person or drunk, right?" he says as though this is something many would consider.
Leah, off to the side, doesn't look very impressed. As a matter of fact, any good stance with the man continues to dissipate when he starts smelling the air.
"And this strong scent of alcohol is proof that he was gulping down strong liquor up until the moment before this death," with his nose held high, Jeremy continues to sniff.
"What's wrong?" asks Ciel, trying to ignore the incredulous gaze Leah stares at him with.
She tries to stay silent. She does. But watching Jeremy now stuff a handkerchief he borrowed from Arthur deep inside Georg's mouth, a grimace covers her usually soft face.
"This man is weird!" she whispers harshly, though only Ciel and Charles seem to hear it.
With Georg's examination being done, everyone starts to file out of the room, including Ciel. "You can complain my ear off about him later. For now, just occupy yourself," he whispers back, his voice quieter and more detached.
Nonetheless, they move on to Phelps.
Phelps' examination goes quite quickly since one of the other things to observe is the holes in his neck. So, naturally, Jeremy has them all go up the stairs to view the scene of the crime.
Just up some stairs is the crumbled door to Ciel's bedroom, pieces of wood lying on the floor of the entrance. As everyone else cautiously steps inside, Jeremy opts to speed towards the bed, seemingly pulling a magnifying glass out of nowhere.
"Where did he get that?" Leah shakes her head. If she could get an award for being unwelcoming and hostile towards people without truly knowing them, her house would be full beyond its capacity.
Jeremy does respond to this, though, pulling back from a piece of rope. "It seems there are several killers in this crime."
Noises of surprise across the room, widened eyes staring him down.
"So there were multiple culprits after all.." mumbles Ciel, letting Leah take a step closer.
"It will be simple to catch Georg's killer, but it will be quite troublesome to catch Phelps' killer. In order to avoid any further victims, it'll be better if we make sure to catch this criminal soon," says Jeremy in thought, a finger pressed to his chin. "No human will be able to get out in this storm, anyway."
Arthur pipes up. "What do you mean?"
"In order to catch Phelps' killer, there are two requirements. One is to wait for nightfall, the second is.." Jeremy's eyes wander to Ciel. "Your cooperation, Earl," his lips curl up in a grin.
Ciel's grip on Leah tightens ever so slightly, looking a tad bit uncomfortable with being placed on the spot. "My cooperation?"
"Yes, yours," Jeremy nods. "I'll tell you everything when night has fallen."
Everyone begins to leave the room again, heading towards the last room to check Sebastian's body. However, Leah can't help but notice the odd look Ciel and Jeremy share. Their eyes meet, Ciel with furrowed brows, but Jeremy is appearing still in the face.
Waiting for the man to leave first, Leah turns her head to her fiancé. "Why are you two looking at each other like that?" she asks. She ignores a lot of details, but she isn't stupid enough to let everything slip by her.
When she doesn't receive an answer, she fights back a pout.
"Well, exercise caution. I still think he'll kill someone.. No non-murderer acts like that."
The door to the room that holds Sebastian opens up with a creak, revealing the body lying center on the floor. It doesn't appear any different than last time, but it's hard to say when the tarp only leaves the feet in view. To the wall, tall windows stand to show the rain and set the atmosphere, the lovely curtains clashing against the environment.
Rain does little to frighten the group, though. Having seen three murders— three bodies —rain is one of the last things that can deter them.
Yet again, Jeremy is the first to approach the body. "I believe you told me that the butler was stabbed to death after being hit," he says for confirmation, leaning down to slightly lift the tarp off Sebastian's body.
Before the body can even be entirely revealed, Ciel doubles down in the back, tightly holding on to Leah for leverage. His face has darkened and paled quite a bit, hand covering his mouth to give the illusion of feeling sick.
"Earl?!"
"Ciel..?"
"Are you alright?" Leah questions before Arthur has the chance to, placing an arm on his shoulder. Although she is typically horrible with comforting people, sickness is different than crying.
"I'm sorry. Seeing Sebastian's corpse so many times.." Ciel buries his face into his fiancé's hair, trying to hide his face and trembling voice, "is just too much for me.."
A frown crosses Leah's face, ignoring all others to place her entire focus on Ciel. "Perhaps you should step outside and get some air. Or sit down for a moment?" she suggests, thinking of what she can do with the little knowledge of what her betrothed is feeling.
"Thank you.." says Ciel, his voice shaking as Leah and Arthur lead him out of the room.
However, some are so convinced.
"What?" Charles deadpans, his eyebrows raised. "Weren't you fine when you stripped the butler's corpse a while ago?" he asks as he follows the trio out.
By this point, Jeremy has finished examining the last corpse. They all now slowly walk down the hall, preparing to go back to the sitting room. It is surprisingly calm despite the activity.
"It's almost dinner time, I'm hungry~" sings Charles, earning a look of shock from Leah as she fights back an insult. "What's on the menu today?"
Ciel also looks tired but isn't ready to claw at the man's throat. "Who knows? Shall I ask the servants?"
"No, it's fine, I'll be looking forward to it," Charles swiftly turns around with the wave of his hand. "I'm heading back," he sets off down the hall, leaving the others behind.
Any other voices drown out against Leah's ears as she focuses on Charles walking away, only recognizing the feeling of Ciel guiding her in a direction. It appears as though she is lost in thought, but she is actually subconsciously listening in on the faint noise of Charles' movements. This is evident when she hears the sudden sound of his footsteps picking up, barely noticeable but louder.
"I think I hear him running..?" her voice sounds uncertain.
Sadly, she is mostly ignored.
After a bit of a long wait, the dinner table is full—but the plates are clear. The meal was delicious, evident in the content expressions as everyone at the table finishes up. But, some think this more than others.
"Ahh, I'm full!" Charles smiles widely with a hand on his stomach, stacks of plates piled in front of him. "It was delicious~ Today's hamburger steak meat wasn't greasy at all, I could've gone on eating forever. As to be expected, the meat used by the Phantomhives is something else," he compliments.
Ciel finishes off his wine. "Thank you."
Across from Charles, though, Leah isn't so kind. "Gluttony is a sin," she smiles, but it is nothing but condescending.
Charles shares the smile, though his eyes are squinted into a glare. If they weren't surrounded by people, he would consider lunging. But so would Leah.
Before either can make another smart remark, Lau brings attention to himself. "Well then, now that we're all full, why don't you finally let us in on the truth of these incidents?" he waves around a napkin as he speaks.
"Well, let's not be hasty now. There are still some things I want to prepare before that," replies Jeremy as he dabs at his mouth. "Will you lend me your assistance, Earl?"
Ciel, not finished with his food, pauses his motion of bringing another bite to his lips. "Yes, what should I do?"
With a twinkle in his eyes, Jeremy's lips curl. "Well then, Earl.. take off your clothes."
Gasps ripple throughout the room, including Leah nearly choking on her drink. What could the man possibly have in store?
"What?!"
Later that same night, Ciel lies in his bed. Jeremy, Arthur, Charles, Leah, and Anna all sit by the door, waiting for an abnormality. Jeremy had only told Ciel of his plan; the others left in the dark.
Anna's surprising appearance isn't as thoughtful as it seems, though, as she simply refuses to let Leah in a bedroom as her fiancé sleeps. Let alone surrounded by other men.
The wait isn't as long as anticipated. For a strange sound begins to travel into their ears, making them look every which way. It draws closer, but they can't make out where exactly it is coming from. Not until they notice a movement in Ciel's bed.
"Now! Step aside!" shouts Jeremy, signaling Ran Mao—the one truly under the blankets—to throw it off with a swift kick.
The fabric falls to the floor with a quiet thud, triggering Charles to draw his sword. "Gotcha!"
This attempt is stopped by Jeremy, saying something that Leah doesn't pick up. She is too busy dragging a half-asleep Anna over to the bed, using Arthur's candle as a light source.
Finally able to see, the culprit is revealed before them.
"This is the killer?!"