by Flodian Tue Nov 24, 2009 6:38 amThis story was inspired from many mystery stories as well as much of my own input. So hopefully you will enjoy it, as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Also a note to the grammer police, English is not my mother tongue, so I'm sure there will be mistakes, if it impedes your ability to understand the story please inform me and I will make the corrections. Enjoy!! p.s. I'm sorry for the massive wall of text. xD
The Case of the Golden Fog
Part 1 - A lucky Afternoon
You know that feeling, where you have all these butterflies in your stomach? Not from nerves but from sheer terror mixed with a few drops of excitement? Well, it is perhaps my fortune (or misfortune if you count the dangers involved) that I am exposed to regular experiences of such euphoria. It was the year 1897 that I graduated from Kwantlen University of Arts and decided to go and seek my own destiny so to speak. However as you could have guess, things rarely go as planned. After being kicked around from town to town due to my lackluster profile and getting robbed more times than I care to remember I decided to turn to the cozy little town of Vancouver.
However being on the wrong side of 30 and having a minimum wage job that would bore to death even the most devoted of individuals doesn’t do you much good anywhere, even if this anywhere is Canada. After returning from my costal mountain trip of failed expectations, I have come to the conclusion that my life isn’t special enough for any excitements and I should therefore settle on a life of hard labor to come.
On the very day that I had come to this miserable conclusion, I was standing at the Hudson Station, when someone tapped my shoulder. Turning around I saw a tall gentleman around 30, dressed in a sleek black suit with white waistcoat and enormous horn rim glasses staring at me with utmost interest.
“Do I know you sir?” I ask incredulously
“Lestlen! What haven you been doing all these years eh? Don’t you remember me? I’m Harmon, Harmon from Kwantlen! Common now, you must remember!”
It suddenly hit me; it was Peter Harmon, the high-strung geek with a serious esteem problem from back in college. Nonetheless, a friendly face in these dire times is welcoming to say the least. And after a few remarks we decided to have lunch together at the Donaldson inn.
“So mate, what have you been doing all these years eh?” he asked me in undisguised wonder. “You don’t look so well Les, all skin and bone left man.”
I gave him a condescended version of my misfortunes, as we rattled along in our hansom.
“Sounds like someone placed a curse on your eh mate?” he said after listening to a tearful account of my adventures “ So what do you plan on doing now?”
“Nothing much, finding somewhere to live would be my primary concern at the moment, how are you doing these days?”
“Ah, nothing much published a few award winning books, won a few science prizes and set up a few laboratories across the country; nothing special.”
I grimaced, but apparently Harmon was still too full of himself to realize.
“Anyways mate, here we are, I’ll treat you to lunch today eh?” he said as he pushed up his monstrous glasses.
”That is most kind of your Harmon.” I said as we stepped down from the hansom. As we turned, we were greeted with a most spectacular sight. A small short pudgy gentleman about 30 years of age was barreling down the street shouting “Get AWAY from me, you dirt devil!” with absolute terror in his eyes. Not far behind him was a tall skinny gentleman no more than 30 with piercing blue eyes and an eagle like nose, “Come back sir! I mean no harm! Please!”
I had just enough time to step back as the short fellow rolled by, however my colleague was not so lucky for he and the pudgy fellow collided in the most magnificent fashion possible and the two proceeded to roll down Donaldson street like a gigantic snow ball.
“That’s quite a hit, but I’m sure your friend will be fine, after all he will always have a soft landing. Anyways, hello my name is Vincent Redd nice to meet you sir ”
“ Hi….Hi…” I muttered, still in shock. “I am Lem Lestlen… why were you chasing that other man anyways? Did he commit a crime?”
“Ah, no, not at all. He was actually running away from me.” Redd said with a laugh. “We were originally sharing a room down at Claud however after a few weeks my complete ignorance of hygiene and tidiness apparently scared him off. Oh well… looks like I need to find a new roommate.”
"How dirty can you possibly be? You don't seem to be the kind of gentleman who completely disregards his tidiness."
"Well I am slightly absentminded about my conditions, however my friend there is a staunch supporter of cleanliness."
“Erm.. if I may ask, how much is the cost of sharing this room?”
“Oh, it’s quite good about seven dollars a month, only disadvantage I would say is the noise, since the building is located near a heavy intersection where countless people pass through the day.”
My ears have stopped listening at the seven part. “You don’t say… well if you don’t mind I would love to share accommodations with you, for I am in desperately in need of a place to stay”
“Splendid! What a stroke of luck this is indeed, however I must warn you of my shortcomings. I am not the most tidy of people, as you know, I am also extremely lazy, and my mood varies greatly. I hope that none of those will give too much trouble.”
“No..no we are actually quite similar” I smiled
“Wonderful!” he said cordially, gripping my hands with more strength than I could have imagined from his stature. “You are a left handed artist I see, and you have just returned from the mountains due to finical problems as well I perceive. Well I think we will get along just fine.”
“How on earth could you have guessed?” I ask in astonishment. “I don’t recall seeing you anywhere on my journey!”
“Well it is really quite simple my friend. Firstly I noticed that you where left handed from the way you adjusted your coat and glasses. Then as I shook your hand I felt the indentation near the base of your right thumb due to long hours holding the paint pallet as well as discoloration near the same area due to paint. From those these points I deduced that you where a left handed painter.”
“What about the mountain trip? And the finical problems?”
“Ah those where even easier, but first lets have lunch, for I see that your friend is already being helped to the nearby hospital” he said stretching his neck to see past the crowed of gathering people.
Once we got our seats at the Donaldson Inn, I immediately raised the question again. “Pray, please continue with your deduction. This is absolutely amazing, I have never seen anyone capable of such intriguing methods!”
“If you insist my friend, but really it is nothing special, I see near your waste coat there are spots of red mud, and the only place under construction in Vancouver is near the Hudson station. And from that I guess that you have been traveling. Also the ticket stub stuck out of your pocket gave away the fact that you have just returned. Consequently that Quaking Aspen protruding from under your shoe tells me it was a mountain trip since the Quaking Aspen is only native to the Rocky Mountains."
“My financial issues?”
“You gave that away yourself, by the way you asked my how much the shared accommodations costs and also your shoes and coat seems to be rather worn-down therefore strengthening my argument.”
“It sounds easy the way you explained it, but surely you don’t expect me to believe that you can do all of this in a matter of seconds?”
“Perhaps not for the untrained eye, but as a keen student of the arts of deduction this is rather simple. Anyways our lunch is here, pray no more questions until we have finished.”
I was still in a state of bewilderment at how anyone on this planet can have such an acute sense of deduction that I was dying to try out his abilities once more. I glanced around the room, trying to find a subject that would suit my purposes. Just then a young lady with a round face and chestnut colored hair fell through the double doors.
“Look here Redd, I bet you that she is some poor beggar off the streets, perhaps we should lend her a hand”
“I think you mean the governess of Duke Warinton who like you, came from Hudson Station except she did on the left side of a dog-cart, and she appears to be in a state of immense distress.”
“Dammit” I thought, he knows that I have no way to prove his guesses. As we spoke the young lady hurried to the rear of the Inn and spoke with the manager.
"I'm sorry Lestlen, but it looks like I might not be able to show you our room straight away."
"Why is that?" Just as I uttered those words the young lady came to our table.
“Excuse me, but do either of you know of a private investigator by the name of Vincent Redd?”
I blinked “You can’t be serious…”
“Why? Did something happen to Mr.Redd?” the lady asked in horror
“No madam, I think my friend here is amazed at our string of fortune this afternoon. I happen to be the man you are looking for, Vincent Redd at your service. And it would be out pleasure if you would join us for lunch after your hard trip on the dog-cart governess.”
“You have been following me sir?"
"Don't mind him my lady, Mr.Redd here likes to pretend he understands every situation."
"No, no in fact I have heard rumors of your abilities Mr.Redd but this is quite impressive."
"It's not thing really, as you know Lestlen, governesses are responsible for taking care of and teaching young children, I assumed she was a governess due to a child's purple hand mark near the end of her dress and the fact that the way she is dressed is quite clearly in a governess fashion. She comes from Duke Warinton's mansion since she has the Warinton crest on her shoulder. Lastly she came on the left side of the dog card from Hudson, since I see multiple spots of red mud on the left side of her left arm, and the only way those spots could have got there would be from sitting on the side of a dog cart."
"No one asked you to explain." I thought in my head
"That is all very reasonable sir, but I'm afraid we have no time for such matter. I am in dire need for you help! "
"Please madam, calm down and explain in detail what happened."
"I'm sorry.. but... okay I'll try to calm down." she said as she took a deep breath "My name is Caroline Marret and I am indeed like you said the governess employed by Duke Warinton. I am here today because there has been a horrible tragedy at the Duke's manor."
"Tragedy? Please elaborate madam with as much detail as possible."
"I will try my best sir, I feel that I should start my narration from a month ago."
I had just been released by my former employer Mr. Wellfaire and was therefore searching for a new position. I have tried advertisements and such but no luck came my way. Finally I decided to try the governess agency down at Kingston. The procedure for applicants is quite traditional, where every lady is accepted into the small office of Mrs.Timder and she then goes over the positions available based on your interests and expertise. When I entered the room I was greeted by Mrs.Timder and a large bulky gentle man with a very distinctive scar on his left cheek. This I learned was Duke Warinton, however when I came through the office doors he gave quite a jump in his chair and stared at me as though I was not from this earth.
"This is the one" he said before turning to Mrs. Timder "You have quite an amazing business here."
"Are you looking for a position?" asked Mrs. Timder in her sharp peaky voice.
"Yes madam"
"What would be the salary you had in mind?"
"I was paid 12 dollars a month with my previous employer"
"Oh, what a shame!" cried Duke Warinton, "how can such a beautiful lady be paid 12 dollars a month? That is criminal! If you would be so kind as to join in my service I would pay you 25 dollars a month!"
"As you can imagine Mr.Redd, this proposal as good as it sounds seemed almost too good to be true. However Duke Warinton must have sensed my doubts, thus he pulled out his check book and wrote me two month of my pay in advance!"
"I have never met so caring and thoughtful man in my life Mr.Redd and so I took his offer. However before I finalized the transaction I asked if there was anything special about this position other than taking care of the children. And to this Duke Warinton said "Ah, nothing too different, taking care of my son will be your primary duty. However I must ask you to obey all the little trivial tasks that my mother asks of you. She is a bit old, so she likes all the formalities and such, that won't be a problem for you will it?"
"No, no sir I would be happy to help."
"Splendid! When can you start work?"
"As soon as you wish sir"
"Come to my house tomorrow then, I will pick you up."
It is from there Mr.Redd that my adventures started. The very next day Duke Warinton arrived at my door with his carriage. He was as amiable as ever, and so we set off to his domicile. The duke's house is really quite remarkable, with all the crystal chandeliers, and the spiral stair cases that depict prosperity. For the next few weeks things went rather smoothly. My employer did not ask me to do anything out of the ordinary and his son was such a charm as well. There weren't that many rules within the house, yet there was one rule that especially puzzled me. There was a large room, right beside the master bedroom completely unused by anyone in the house and it was constantly locked. I have tried many times to see what was in the room from the outside, however the blinds were always down. When I asked Duke Warinton about the room he got rather angry and told me to never raise the question again."
"What a strange fellow" I interjected
"Yes, indeed but the strange room is only the start! Two weeks ago I was told that his mother wants to see me in a new dress. And.."
"Sorry to interrupt you again Ms.Marret but what was his mother like?"
"She was a very typical women, though I have never heard her say anything."
"So it was not she who told you to wear the dress but rather Duke Warrinton?"
"Yes"
"Please proceed"
"Well, since I agreed to do these little biddings, I did not hesitate to agree in trying out this new dress. It was sky blue in color and made of expensive materials. When I put the dress on, the Duke seemed to be extraordinarily happy, and then he told me to sit by the window with my back turned against it while he read to me. This continued for about a week, where I was asked to try on a new dress and sit beside the window. With each time I grew more curious and wanted to know what was behind me. So then one day I broke apart my hand mirror and hid a piece of the mirror in my handkerchief. With it I was able to see what was behind me. But to my surprise there was nothing there, except for a middle aged man dressed in an English style suit. I took no notice of him that day. However on the next day when I was again asked to sit by the window, and he was there yet again and it was clear that he was staring at me."
"Did you ask the duke about this man?"
"Yes, I asked him that night, and he told me to pay no attention to it and he will try and remove that man the next time he comes. This practice of sitting beside the window went on for another week, each time the Englishman stood just outside the house staring at me. However it was two days ago, that he stopped coming and it was also the day that my world turned upside down."
"After reading to me that day Duke Warinton stood up and kneeled in front of me and ask me to become his wife.. He said that we were destined together and he would take me in has his head lady. As you could have guessed Mr.Redd that I was utterly shocked at hearing this. However I am not a woman who would sell my love for profit, so I rejected the offer. I have also decided to resign as governess and return the one month of wage back to the duke."
"I seem to remember that the duke had just held a marriage ceremony about a year ago, why in the world would he be proposing to you now?"
"I don't know sir, I have never seen his wife before."
"What was the duke's reaction to your rejection?" I asked
"Excellent question Lestlen"
"He handled it like a gentleman, but I can tell that I have deeply hurt his heart. Anyways that night I made up my mind that I was going to leave early in the morning so as to save myself an apology and an awkward goodbye. I woke up at dawn that day and packed up my bags. Then I carefully closed my own door and made my across the master bedroom to the front gates. However just as I was passing the locked doors I heard a low whistling sound followed by a metallic clang. I thought no one would be up at this hour, so my curiosity took over. I tried to turn the door handle, however it was firmly locked from the inside. But just then from behind the door came a sharp click and the door swung open. What stood before me will be forever etched into my brain. A lady of my height was staring at me with bloodshot eyes, her hands were firmly clasped around her throat. I starred not know what to do, then she came over to me and with all the strength she could muster she whispered to me "The Golden Fog".
"The Golden Fog?" I ask
"Yes yes, I was sure of it, even though she wouldn't speak very loudly I was sure that I heard the Golden Fog. After the lady uttered those words she keeled over and fainted. Her face was a shade of dark purple and her lips where jet black, I leaned over to see if she was alright, but to my amazement she was no longer breathing. I was so utterly shocked by this that I ran across the lobby and sprinted through the doors. I remember faintly the shouts of Duke Warinton behind be, but I was too scared to notice. And from there the last thing that I remember tripping from some rock and fainting. When I regained consciousness I came directly to Vancouver in search of the police."
"Where they unable to shed any light to this situation?"
"They said that my case has hardly any evidence or in fact any cause of alarm at all. But I know Mr.Redd for a fact that the lady before me was in pain, and she could be dead right now for all I know!"
"Actually Ms.Marret, she IS dead and you are our only witness to this crime so far."
Standing by the door was a massive gentleman, easily six feet tall with broad shoulders wearing the Canadian police uniform that seemed much too small for him.
"Ah, Inspector Jacky, what a pleasure to see you today." said Redd good naturedly.
"No time for chitchat Mr.Redd, I have to bring this woman back to the station immediately
"Are you sure that is wise Inspector?" my new friend asked
"Why would it not be sir?"
"Well if we look at this matter from another angle, you should realize that it would make a lot more sense if we were to bring this lady to the scene of the crime and see if she can remember and tell us anymore details."
The big hulky police slapped his forehead repeatedly, "You are absolutely right inspector! We should do that right away, Mr.Redd could you be so kind as to join in our investigation and shed some light upon this case?"
"I would be more than happy to, but I must ask for one small favor, that my new acquaintance here is allowed to come with me."
"I see no problem in that, a friend of Mr.Redd's is a friend of the police force,"
"How did you know I wanted to come?" I ask, half expected another long lecture
"Do you really want me to explain?"
"No, please and thank you."
"Well, then it is all set, Inspector Jacky we will meet you the Shelck Station in half an hour's time. And Ms. Marret if you can spare the time, you are more than welcome to stay with us."
"I would love to sir. I am too afraid to go anywhere at this time"
"What do you make of this case Lestlen?"
"It sounds quite dark and sinister."
"Indeed, but have you formulated any theories about it?"
"Well... my best bet would be a group of hooligans who wears gold colored coats as a symbol that tried to rob the Duke's manor, however this lady apparently found them in the act and in order to silence her, they killed her."
"You seem to be missing a few points there my friend."
"What do you mean? I thought it covers all the different areas quite well."
"Well, you have yet to address the fact that the victim's room was locked at the time from the inside making it a sealed room. Also the victim happens to reside in the one room of the house that is constantly locked, so really Ms. Marret here who has been residing in the house for over a month has never seen her before. Do you not find that rather strange? Also if there were robbers, chances are that Ms. Marret who were coming down from the stairs at the time would have heard them. And lastly your explanation does not address the whistle and the metallic clang what so ever."
"Well how can you explain this then? Do you suspect Ms. Marret then?"
"A good detective will never judge anyone by mere appearance, the kindest of souls have been know do participate in the darkest of dealings. I'm sorry Ms. Marret but you are just as much a suspect and a witness. "
"It is alright Mr.Lestlen, I can understand why Mr.Redd thinks this way, it is perhaps what has made him successful."
"You are barking mad I tell you! Stop trying to act so smart god dammit! What kind of ideas do you have then? All you have is talk!"
"I do not generally formulate any conclusions before seeing actual evidence, however I do have a working hypothesis. If we consider what Ms. Marret have said here to be true, then the criminal could only have been from inside the house. Do you know any suspicious servants within the household madam?"
"No sir, they are all very traditional maids and butlers."
"Once we have limited down some suspects we can start thinking of motives, however this cannot be done at the moment since we hold in our hands only vapors of the actual crime, nothing can be confirmed and finalized until we arrive at Warinton Manor.
Twenty minutes later we meet up with Inspector Jacky at the station and together we set off towards Warinton Manor. It was a beautiful day, with a bright sun and the occasional wondering cloud. My new acquaintance sat in front of me with hand on his chin staring out into the beautiful country afternoon.
"Here we are Mr.Redd, Warinton Manor." said Inspector Jacky
The manor was indeed impressive with two gleaming golden trimmed double doors and with two giant pillars running down the sides, it was practically oozing out fortune.
"Over here Jacky!" came a voice from the court yard
"That would be Chief Inspector Fitsner I would assume."
"Indeed sir, and it would be best if we could hurry along, Inspector Fitsner does not liked to be kept waiting."
The Case of the Golden Fog
Part 1 - A lucky Afternoon
You know that feeling, where you have all these butterflies in your stomach? Not from nerves but from sheer terror mixed with a few drops of excitement? Well, it is perhaps my fortune (or misfortune if you count the dangers involved) that I am exposed to regular experiences of such euphoria. It was the year 1897 that I graduated from Kwantlen University of Arts and decided to go and seek my own destiny so to speak. However as you could have guess, things rarely go as planned. After being kicked around from town to town due to my lackluster profile and getting robbed more times than I care to remember I decided to turn to the cozy little town of Vancouver.
However being on the wrong side of 30 and having a minimum wage job that would bore to death even the most devoted of individuals doesn’t do you much good anywhere, even if this anywhere is Canada. After returning from my costal mountain trip of failed expectations, I have come to the conclusion that my life isn’t special enough for any excitements and I should therefore settle on a life of hard labor to come.
On the very day that I had come to this miserable conclusion, I was standing at the Hudson Station, when someone tapped my shoulder. Turning around I saw a tall gentleman around 30, dressed in a sleek black suit with white waistcoat and enormous horn rim glasses staring at me with utmost interest.
“Do I know you sir?” I ask incredulously
“Lestlen! What haven you been doing all these years eh? Don’t you remember me? I’m Harmon, Harmon from Kwantlen! Common now, you must remember!”
It suddenly hit me; it was Peter Harmon, the high-strung geek with a serious esteem problem from back in college. Nonetheless, a friendly face in these dire times is welcoming to say the least. And after a few remarks we decided to have lunch together at the Donaldson inn.
“So mate, what have you been doing all these years eh?” he asked me in undisguised wonder. “You don’t look so well Les, all skin and bone left man.”
I gave him a condescended version of my misfortunes, as we rattled along in our hansom.
“Sounds like someone placed a curse on your eh mate?” he said after listening to a tearful account of my adventures “ So what do you plan on doing now?”
“Nothing much, finding somewhere to live would be my primary concern at the moment, how are you doing these days?”
“Ah, nothing much published a few award winning books, won a few science prizes and set up a few laboratories across the country; nothing special.”
I grimaced, but apparently Harmon was still too full of himself to realize.
“Anyways mate, here we are, I’ll treat you to lunch today eh?” he said as he pushed up his monstrous glasses.
”That is most kind of your Harmon.” I said as we stepped down from the hansom. As we turned, we were greeted with a most spectacular sight. A small short pudgy gentleman about 30 years of age was barreling down the street shouting “Get AWAY from me, you dirt devil!” with absolute terror in his eyes. Not far behind him was a tall skinny gentleman no more than 30 with piercing blue eyes and an eagle like nose, “Come back sir! I mean no harm! Please!”
I had just enough time to step back as the short fellow rolled by, however my colleague was not so lucky for he and the pudgy fellow collided in the most magnificent fashion possible and the two proceeded to roll down Donaldson street like a gigantic snow ball.
“That’s quite a hit, but I’m sure your friend will be fine, after all he will always have a soft landing. Anyways, hello my name is Vincent Redd nice to meet you sir ”
“ Hi….Hi…” I muttered, still in shock. “I am Lem Lestlen… why were you chasing that other man anyways? Did he commit a crime?”
“Ah, no, not at all. He was actually running away from me.” Redd said with a laugh. “We were originally sharing a room down at Claud however after a few weeks my complete ignorance of hygiene and tidiness apparently scared him off. Oh well… looks like I need to find a new roommate.”
"How dirty can you possibly be? You don't seem to be the kind of gentleman who completely disregards his tidiness."
"Well I am slightly absentminded about my conditions, however my friend there is a staunch supporter of cleanliness."
“Erm.. if I may ask, how much is the cost of sharing this room?”
“Oh, it’s quite good about seven dollars a month, only disadvantage I would say is the noise, since the building is located near a heavy intersection where countless people pass through the day.”
My ears have stopped listening at the seven part. “You don’t say… well if you don’t mind I would love to share accommodations with you, for I am in desperately in need of a place to stay”
“Splendid! What a stroke of luck this is indeed, however I must warn you of my shortcomings. I am not the most tidy of people, as you know, I am also extremely lazy, and my mood varies greatly. I hope that none of those will give too much trouble.”
“No..no we are actually quite similar” I smiled
“Wonderful!” he said cordially, gripping my hands with more strength than I could have imagined from his stature. “You are a left handed artist I see, and you have just returned from the mountains due to finical problems as well I perceive. Well I think we will get along just fine.”
“How on earth could you have guessed?” I ask in astonishment. “I don’t recall seeing you anywhere on my journey!”
“Well it is really quite simple my friend. Firstly I noticed that you where left handed from the way you adjusted your coat and glasses. Then as I shook your hand I felt the indentation near the base of your right thumb due to long hours holding the paint pallet as well as discoloration near the same area due to paint. From those these points I deduced that you where a left handed painter.”
“What about the mountain trip? And the finical problems?”
“Ah those where even easier, but first lets have lunch, for I see that your friend is already being helped to the nearby hospital” he said stretching his neck to see past the crowed of gathering people.
Once we got our seats at the Donaldson Inn, I immediately raised the question again. “Pray, please continue with your deduction. This is absolutely amazing, I have never seen anyone capable of such intriguing methods!”
“If you insist my friend, but really it is nothing special, I see near your waste coat there are spots of red mud, and the only place under construction in Vancouver is near the Hudson station. And from that I guess that you have been traveling. Also the ticket stub stuck out of your pocket gave away the fact that you have just returned. Consequently that Quaking Aspen protruding from under your shoe tells me it was a mountain trip since the Quaking Aspen is only native to the Rocky Mountains."
“My financial issues?”
“You gave that away yourself, by the way you asked my how much the shared accommodations costs and also your shoes and coat seems to be rather worn-down therefore strengthening my argument.”
“It sounds easy the way you explained it, but surely you don’t expect me to believe that you can do all of this in a matter of seconds?”
“Perhaps not for the untrained eye, but as a keen student of the arts of deduction this is rather simple. Anyways our lunch is here, pray no more questions until we have finished.”
I was still in a state of bewilderment at how anyone on this planet can have such an acute sense of deduction that I was dying to try out his abilities once more. I glanced around the room, trying to find a subject that would suit my purposes. Just then a young lady with a round face and chestnut colored hair fell through the double doors.
“Look here Redd, I bet you that she is some poor beggar off the streets, perhaps we should lend her a hand”
“I think you mean the governess of Duke Warinton who like you, came from Hudson Station except she did on the left side of a dog-cart, and she appears to be in a state of immense distress.”
“Dammit” I thought, he knows that I have no way to prove his guesses. As we spoke the young lady hurried to the rear of the Inn and spoke with the manager.
"I'm sorry Lestlen, but it looks like I might not be able to show you our room straight away."
"Why is that?" Just as I uttered those words the young lady came to our table.
“Excuse me, but do either of you know of a private investigator by the name of Vincent Redd?”
I blinked “You can’t be serious…”
“Why? Did something happen to Mr.Redd?” the lady asked in horror
“No madam, I think my friend here is amazed at our string of fortune this afternoon. I happen to be the man you are looking for, Vincent Redd at your service. And it would be out pleasure if you would join us for lunch after your hard trip on the dog-cart governess.”
“You have been following me sir?"
"Don't mind him my lady, Mr.Redd here likes to pretend he understands every situation."
"No, no in fact I have heard rumors of your abilities Mr.Redd but this is quite impressive."
"It's not thing really, as you know Lestlen, governesses are responsible for taking care of and teaching young children, I assumed she was a governess due to a child's purple hand mark near the end of her dress and the fact that the way she is dressed is quite clearly in a governess fashion. She comes from Duke Warinton's mansion since she has the Warinton crest on her shoulder. Lastly she came on the left side of the dog card from Hudson, since I see multiple spots of red mud on the left side of her left arm, and the only way those spots could have got there would be from sitting on the side of a dog cart."
"No one asked you to explain." I thought in my head
"That is all very reasonable sir, but I'm afraid we have no time for such matter. I am in dire need for you help! "
"Please madam, calm down and explain in detail what happened."
"I'm sorry.. but... okay I'll try to calm down." she said as she took a deep breath "My name is Caroline Marret and I am indeed like you said the governess employed by Duke Warinton. I am here today because there has been a horrible tragedy at the Duke's manor."
"Tragedy? Please elaborate madam with as much detail as possible."
"I will try my best sir, I feel that I should start my narration from a month ago."
I had just been released by my former employer Mr. Wellfaire and was therefore searching for a new position. I have tried advertisements and such but no luck came my way. Finally I decided to try the governess agency down at Kingston. The procedure for applicants is quite traditional, where every lady is accepted into the small office of Mrs.Timder and she then goes over the positions available based on your interests and expertise. When I entered the room I was greeted by Mrs.Timder and a large bulky gentle man with a very distinctive scar on his left cheek. This I learned was Duke Warinton, however when I came through the office doors he gave quite a jump in his chair and stared at me as though I was not from this earth.
"This is the one" he said before turning to Mrs. Timder "You have quite an amazing business here."
"Are you looking for a position?" asked Mrs. Timder in her sharp peaky voice.
"Yes madam"
"What would be the salary you had in mind?"
"I was paid 12 dollars a month with my previous employer"
"Oh, what a shame!" cried Duke Warinton, "how can such a beautiful lady be paid 12 dollars a month? That is criminal! If you would be so kind as to join in my service I would pay you 25 dollars a month!"
"As you can imagine Mr.Redd, this proposal as good as it sounds seemed almost too good to be true. However Duke Warinton must have sensed my doubts, thus he pulled out his check book and wrote me two month of my pay in advance!"
"I have never met so caring and thoughtful man in my life Mr.Redd and so I took his offer. However before I finalized the transaction I asked if there was anything special about this position other than taking care of the children. And to this Duke Warinton said "Ah, nothing too different, taking care of my son will be your primary duty. However I must ask you to obey all the little trivial tasks that my mother asks of you. She is a bit old, so she likes all the formalities and such, that won't be a problem for you will it?"
"No, no sir I would be happy to help."
"Splendid! When can you start work?"
"As soon as you wish sir"
"Come to my house tomorrow then, I will pick you up."
It is from there Mr.Redd that my adventures started. The very next day Duke Warinton arrived at my door with his carriage. He was as amiable as ever, and so we set off to his domicile. The duke's house is really quite remarkable, with all the crystal chandeliers, and the spiral stair cases that depict prosperity. For the next few weeks things went rather smoothly. My employer did not ask me to do anything out of the ordinary and his son was such a charm as well. There weren't that many rules within the house, yet there was one rule that especially puzzled me. There was a large room, right beside the master bedroom completely unused by anyone in the house and it was constantly locked. I have tried many times to see what was in the room from the outside, however the blinds were always down. When I asked Duke Warinton about the room he got rather angry and told me to never raise the question again."
"What a strange fellow" I interjected
"Yes, indeed but the strange room is only the start! Two weeks ago I was told that his mother wants to see me in a new dress. And.."
"Sorry to interrupt you again Ms.Marret but what was his mother like?"
"She was a very typical women, though I have never heard her say anything."
"So it was not she who told you to wear the dress but rather Duke Warrinton?"
"Yes"
"Please proceed"
"Well, since I agreed to do these little biddings, I did not hesitate to agree in trying out this new dress. It was sky blue in color and made of expensive materials. When I put the dress on, the Duke seemed to be extraordinarily happy, and then he told me to sit by the window with my back turned against it while he read to me. This continued for about a week, where I was asked to try on a new dress and sit beside the window. With each time I grew more curious and wanted to know what was behind me. So then one day I broke apart my hand mirror and hid a piece of the mirror in my handkerchief. With it I was able to see what was behind me. But to my surprise there was nothing there, except for a middle aged man dressed in an English style suit. I took no notice of him that day. However on the next day when I was again asked to sit by the window, and he was there yet again and it was clear that he was staring at me."
"Did you ask the duke about this man?"
"Yes, I asked him that night, and he told me to pay no attention to it and he will try and remove that man the next time he comes. This practice of sitting beside the window went on for another week, each time the Englishman stood just outside the house staring at me. However it was two days ago, that he stopped coming and it was also the day that my world turned upside down."
"After reading to me that day Duke Warinton stood up and kneeled in front of me and ask me to become his wife.. He said that we were destined together and he would take me in has his head lady. As you could have guessed Mr.Redd that I was utterly shocked at hearing this. However I am not a woman who would sell my love for profit, so I rejected the offer. I have also decided to resign as governess and return the one month of wage back to the duke."
"I seem to remember that the duke had just held a marriage ceremony about a year ago, why in the world would he be proposing to you now?"
"I don't know sir, I have never seen his wife before."
"What was the duke's reaction to your rejection?" I asked
"Excellent question Lestlen"
"He handled it like a gentleman, but I can tell that I have deeply hurt his heart. Anyways that night I made up my mind that I was going to leave early in the morning so as to save myself an apology and an awkward goodbye. I woke up at dawn that day and packed up my bags. Then I carefully closed my own door and made my across the master bedroom to the front gates. However just as I was passing the locked doors I heard a low whistling sound followed by a metallic clang. I thought no one would be up at this hour, so my curiosity took over. I tried to turn the door handle, however it was firmly locked from the inside. But just then from behind the door came a sharp click and the door swung open. What stood before me will be forever etched into my brain. A lady of my height was staring at me with bloodshot eyes, her hands were firmly clasped around her throat. I starred not know what to do, then she came over to me and with all the strength she could muster she whispered to me "The Golden Fog".
"The Golden Fog?" I ask
"Yes yes, I was sure of it, even though she wouldn't speak very loudly I was sure that I heard the Golden Fog. After the lady uttered those words she keeled over and fainted. Her face was a shade of dark purple and her lips where jet black, I leaned over to see if she was alright, but to my amazement she was no longer breathing. I was so utterly shocked by this that I ran across the lobby and sprinted through the doors. I remember faintly the shouts of Duke Warinton behind be, but I was too scared to notice. And from there the last thing that I remember tripping from some rock and fainting. When I regained consciousness I came directly to Vancouver in search of the police."
"Where they unable to shed any light to this situation?"
"They said that my case has hardly any evidence or in fact any cause of alarm at all. But I know Mr.Redd for a fact that the lady before me was in pain, and she could be dead right now for all I know!"
"Actually Ms.Marret, she IS dead and you are our only witness to this crime so far."
Standing by the door was a massive gentleman, easily six feet tall with broad shoulders wearing the Canadian police uniform that seemed much too small for him.
"Ah, Inspector Jacky, what a pleasure to see you today." said Redd good naturedly.
"No time for chitchat Mr.Redd, I have to bring this woman back to the station immediately
"Are you sure that is wise Inspector?" my new friend asked
"Why would it not be sir?"
"Well if we look at this matter from another angle, you should realize that it would make a lot more sense if we were to bring this lady to the scene of the crime and see if she can remember and tell us anymore details."
The big hulky police slapped his forehead repeatedly, "You are absolutely right inspector! We should do that right away, Mr.Redd could you be so kind as to join in our investigation and shed some light upon this case?"
"I would be more than happy to, but I must ask for one small favor, that my new acquaintance here is allowed to come with me."
"I see no problem in that, a friend of Mr.Redd's is a friend of the police force,"
"How did you know I wanted to come?" I ask, half expected another long lecture
"Do you really want me to explain?"
"No, please and thank you."
"Well, then it is all set, Inspector Jacky we will meet you the Shelck Station in half an hour's time. And Ms. Marret if you can spare the time, you are more than welcome to stay with us."
"I would love to sir. I am too afraid to go anywhere at this time"
"What do you make of this case Lestlen?"
"It sounds quite dark and sinister."
"Indeed, but have you formulated any theories about it?"
"Well... my best bet would be a group of hooligans who wears gold colored coats as a symbol that tried to rob the Duke's manor, however this lady apparently found them in the act and in order to silence her, they killed her."
"You seem to be missing a few points there my friend."
"What do you mean? I thought it covers all the different areas quite well."
"Well, you have yet to address the fact that the victim's room was locked at the time from the inside making it a sealed room. Also the victim happens to reside in the one room of the house that is constantly locked, so really Ms. Marret here who has been residing in the house for over a month has never seen her before. Do you not find that rather strange? Also if there were robbers, chances are that Ms. Marret who were coming down from the stairs at the time would have heard them. And lastly your explanation does not address the whistle and the metallic clang what so ever."
"Well how can you explain this then? Do you suspect Ms. Marret then?"
"A good detective will never judge anyone by mere appearance, the kindest of souls have been know do participate in the darkest of dealings. I'm sorry Ms. Marret but you are just as much a suspect and a witness. "
"It is alright Mr.Lestlen, I can understand why Mr.Redd thinks this way, it is perhaps what has made him successful."
"You are barking mad I tell you! Stop trying to act so smart god dammit! What kind of ideas do you have then? All you have is talk!"
"I do not generally formulate any conclusions before seeing actual evidence, however I do have a working hypothesis. If we consider what Ms. Marret have said here to be true, then the criminal could only have been from inside the house. Do you know any suspicious servants within the household madam?"
"No sir, they are all very traditional maids and butlers."
"Once we have limited down some suspects we can start thinking of motives, however this cannot be done at the moment since we hold in our hands only vapors of the actual crime, nothing can be confirmed and finalized until we arrive at Warinton Manor.
Twenty minutes later we meet up with Inspector Jacky at the station and together we set off towards Warinton Manor. It was a beautiful day, with a bright sun and the occasional wondering cloud. My new acquaintance sat in front of me with hand on his chin staring out into the beautiful country afternoon.
"Here we are Mr.Redd, Warinton Manor." said Inspector Jacky
The manor was indeed impressive with two gleaming golden trimmed double doors and with two giant pillars running down the sides, it was practically oozing out fortune.
"Over here Jacky!" came a voice from the court yard
"That would be Chief Inspector Fitsner I would assume."
"Indeed sir, and it would be best if we could hurry along, Inspector Fitsner does not liked to be kept waiting."
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