Bloody Mary

Chapter Twelve~Stranded

Chapter 12~Stranded

"Captain Barnes, I believe this intrusion to be related to the kidnapping of my daughter. This case should be handled with your utmost expertise, and attention."

"Of course, Governor." Benedict gave a curt nod of his head to the superior figure. Both men sat in cotton chairs with floral designs sewn into the fabric, and both of them sat with respectable statures. It could not be avoided though, that the heavy bags under the both of their eyes were quite obvious. "I will do my best to bring your daughter, and my wife back to Kingston in healthy condition."

"Thank you Benedict," the older man said kindly. "You have free roam of my study to investigate."

Benedict rose to his feet and gave his superior a respectful bow before following the Governor's gesture, and made his way up the stairs to his study.

All I wish is for a night's rest where I find myself sleeping without awakening from terrific longing for my beloved... A wistful sigh managed to escape Benedict's lips as he gently pushed the door to the study open. He examined the door's broken knob, coming to the conclusion that it had been forcefully dealt with in order to gain entrance to the room. It lay battered on the floor before him, and he carefully stepped over it and entered the room.

At first sight the room didn't strike him as odd, but as he stepped inside and began to survey his surroundings he began to notice the smallest things. Small footmarks in the rug, tiny particles of dirt staining the floor, greasy hand marks on the desk in the room, as well as on the handle of the safe's door. He stepped closer to the safe and reached a hand into his pocket. From it he withdrew a pristine golden key, which had come from the Governor's pocket before it had made its way into his. He'd shared that he had always kept a spare, and then had handed it over to Benedict when he realized he would need it for investigation.

Now, with the key in his hand, Benedict placed it in the lock and turned. The door swung open completely, and revealed the completely emptied safe. Just as the Governor had told him when he came to Benedict with news of a burglary.

Whoever had completed such a task obviously had skill in doing so. That much he could tell from the thief's escape and entrance route. Benedict had deduced that the thief had made his way in from the dining room. On the night of the burglary there had been a ruckus within that particular room, which was later revealed to be a broken plate. It was the only explanation for this particular occurrence. It must've been used as a distraction for the guards at the main entrance. From there the thief may have been able to duck under the cover of the table, or even the curtains before scurrying into the main hall, up the stairs and to the door to the study.

They broke the knob in their haste before sneaking inside. They saw the safe, and they saw the keyhole. The thief must had known prior to the burglary that the key to that safe would've been hidden in the lower right drawer beneath a secret compartment. This made Benedict think there was a man working on the inside, which meant he would have to be on his guard more than ever now. Nonetheless, what happened next amazed him even more.

All of what had been deduced would've been possible for any normal man. No one could be so silent and stealthy as to sneak directly behind a pair of guards and up a set of stairs. Surely there would be footsteps?

But what happened after the initial stealing of the dowry struck him as completely ridiculous. For one, there were far too many coins and jewelry pieces for the thief to climb out of the window with, right over top where a set of guards were situated...

But then again, those guards were only knocked unconscious, and since the event, they had awakened. They both provided statements, each describing that a large sack of coins had fallen on top of one of the guards' head, and the thief had dropped himself onto the other. There was no description of the attacker, and they weren't seen anywhere throughout the city after that point.