Are you okay?

It was a quiet day at City South police station, the open cases had been closed one after another, mostly due to the whirlwind lady detective. Detective Inspector Jack Robinson were leaning back in his chair, eyes scanning the for once empty desk. Eyes traveling towards the corner, before he turns his attention towards the chair place in front of his desk. The Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher have yet to grace him with her appearance, then again; if she’s staying at home there is a bigger chance that anyone would end up losing their life. A calm and quiet Sunday is something this town needs, it didn’t mean he missed having her around, he has after all gotten quite used to her presence by now.

Hearing the phone ringing from the front desk, Jack couldn’t help but to turn his attention towards the door. Starting to wonder if he had somehow managed to jinx everything now, it wouldn’t be the first time. Hearing Collins answer the phone and when the young man didn’t call him within a few seconds, Jack forces himself to relax once more. The moment Hugh Collin’s shows up in the door opening to his office a few seconds later, Jack finds himself being on the edge. The ash colour and fear in his eyes made Jack worried and the fact that Hugh is trying not to look at him directly makes Jack want to just jump out of his chair and head for his car.

“That was Dottie, a man managed to break into the house and…”

Jack didn’t let Collins finish the sentence, he finds herself leaving his chair and throwing on his jacket. He reaches his car in record time, Collins managed to enter the car in the last second ash Jack speeds down the road, steering his car towards Wardlow; his heart in his throat and every single scenario of what could have happened is rushing through his mind. Every scenario being worst than the last one and once they reach the two-story house, Jack isn’t sure what’s real or it’s in his mind in this moment.

The car hardly come to a complete stop when he jumps out and heads for the door, knocking hard, he makes sure to look around himself in a try to find any clue of what have been going on. Forcing the worry feelings down, he tries to remind himself that this is in fact Miss Fisher’s house, a woman that have time and time again shown him that she can take care of herself. He didn’t have to wait for long, the door opens just a few seconds after he knocks, and he ends up standing face to face too Dorothy Collins. Her eyes are red from crying and he can see that she still has tears running down, sharing the same ashy colour as Collins had when he enters his office a couple of minutes earlier.

The young maid steps to the side when her eyes lands on Jack, pointing towards the stairs behind her. Taking the hint, he enters the building, his eyes landing on the blood stains on the carpet. Feeling the fear from earlier rush through him once more, he rushes up the stairs to the second floor, not thinking straight and having no real idea of where to look. Running down the second-floor hallway, he heads for her bedroom. Reaching the open door, he comes to a complete stop, every image he had have during the drive over is nothing compered to what his eyes has landed on this moment. He must take hold of the door frame to keep himself from falling over as his legs are suddenly failing him.

“Phryne!”

He can hear how weak and broken his voice sounds as he somehow managed to say her name; making Mr Butler and Phryne turn their heads towards him. The later forces a smile upon her lips as her weak eye’s lands on him. He sees her open her mouth, about to speak, only to start coughing. Forcing himself to move towards the bleeding lady, he falls to the floor beside the woman that have turned his world upside down. From the corner of his eyes, he sees Mr Butler moving to give the two of them space.

Her breathing is irregular, and he can see it was hard for her, just as he realises, she’s fighting to stay awake. Taking her in properly for the first time since finding her, his eyes lands on at least two-gun wounds. It seems like Mr Butler have patched up the wounds as best as he can, but she’s bleeding through. With a shaky hand, he reaches out, brushing her hair away from her eyes, earning a smile from Phryne.