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120_minutenTeam: Mond
Challenge: Schreibaufgabe - nicht chronologischer Erzählverlauf
Fandom: Julian Lynes and Ned Mathey
Zusammenfassung: Das Geheimnis wird gelüftet
Wörter: ~850
Rating: PG 12
Charaktere: Julian Lynes, Ned Mathey, Inspector Hatton
A/N:
Inspector Hatton seemed less than enthusiastic about being dragged to Lewis’ house again.
“Now, Mathey would you please tell me what you couldn’t tell me at the station.”
“Well”, Ned opened his metaphysician’s set and pulled the prepared inks and ingredients out, “I think for this a demonstration is required.” He pulled out the last ink snapped the case shut again. “When you asked about ways how someone could have gotten into the study I never considered one possibility because I thought it was completely implausible.”
Hatton now looked annoyed and interested. “And which would that be?”
“Opening a hole in the wall and closing again.”
Hatton stared. “Wait, so you can do that? Or not?”
“There’s a variety of ways to destroy things. And also to repair them again. But like invisibility, they are complicated and time-consuming. Not to mention noisy. You can’t smash in a brick-wall quietly. No matter if you do it with your hands or with magic.”
The inspector now showed clear signs of impatience. Ned seemed to pick up on them as well. “Allow me to demonstrate.”
The butler was confused by Julian’s request but let him into the garden without further questions. Julian scrutinised the back of the house and pointed at one area of the wall.
“That’s the study, right?” The butler was still puzzled but nodded in agreement. Next, Julian investigated the ground closer to the house, below the study. And gave a small exclamation of joy when he found what he’d been looking for. The butler’s eyes followed his.
“Imprints from a ladder.”
Julian smiled. “Exactly.”
“But there’s no window on this spot. The study window is over there.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“What?”
“I need to see the study now.”
He found exactly what he’d expected there as well.
Ned performed the spell carefully and deliberately, quietly mouthing the words. Julian had been with him when he had practised the spell and seen it before but he still couldn’t help but stare in amazement when a rectangular piece of the wall disappeared from one moment to the next. Beside him, Hatton gasped and rushed towards the wall. He raised his hand, about to push it through the hole but stopped just before it had reached the place where the wall had been just a moment ago and gave Ned a questioning look.
“It’s real and quite safe. The strength I used will keep it open for around five minutes.” In awe, Hatton first pushed his hand through and waved it around, then he stuck his head out and looked down.
As he pulled back, Ned continued: “I figure, if I want, I can easily keep it open for around half an hour. One hour would exhaust me but not so much that I’d collapse. That should be more than enough to climb in, stab a man and climb out again.”
Hatton still stared at the hole but now kept a respectful distance, as to not accidentally get a part of him stuck in the wall once the five minutes were up. “You said that was impossible.”
Ned grinned. “I said, destroying a wall and rebuilding it again was. But that’s not what I did.”
The exhaustion crept back into Hatton’s voice. “Then what did you do?”
“Reminded the wall that it once was a window.”
Ned waved a sheet of paper in the air. “That’s from Hatton. He’ll meet us over at Lewis’ house though he has written 'For whatever that will be good for'. And he has some more news.”
Julian got up from the couch on which he’d napped a bit after they had gotten very little sleep the night before. “And what would that be?”, he asked while grabbing his coat.
“Lewis did sent a letter to his solicitor. It just said it would be about the testament, without further clarification.”
Julian froze mid-movement. “And he didn’t think he should have mentioned that before?”
“For once it’s not really the lawyer’s fault. Lewis was with Griffith & Macpherson. Or rather with the latter. So he sent the note to him. Only Macpherson wasn’t here for a week due to a family emergency. Since Lewis’ letter was addressed to him and not marked urgent Griffith didn’t open it. And when Scotland Yard asked for the will, Griffith handed it to them without saying anything because he had no idea.”
Julian buttoned his coat. “Things are looking bad for young Lewis.”
“Very bad.” Ned agreed.
“You did what?”
“Are you familiar with the Georgian window tax, inspector?”
For a moment, it looked as if Hatton wanted to ask Ned if he was insane. Then it dawned on him. “You paid tax for each window in your house.”
“And because many Georgians any more than necessary, they bricked up as many of their windows as they could. And this was one of them.”
Metaphysics didn’t quite have a sense for timing. Once Ned had indicated the window it took several long moments before the air seemed to flicker and the bricks re-appeared. Despite the delay, Hatton was just as amazed by that part.
“Are you planning to visit Lewis’ son now?”, Ned asked.
“I guess you want to accompany me?”
“Well, this spell requires some ingredients that aren’t part of a standard metaphysician’s kit. If he has them I’d love to ask him why.”
“In that case, I think you should definitely come along.”
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Date: 2018-09-14 07:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-20 01:33 pm (UTC)