The Murders that Bind Us [S. Sakamaki]

The Maple Box

The jewellry box was made with the finest maple tree wood and had been smoothed so much that it appeared shiny. Sheila's name had been engraved onto a thin, silver platter that had been stuck beneath the silver lock which had no key. Jessamine and Shu had been in the office for hours attempting to open it.

"Is there anything in the book that would tell us?" The woman asked with a long sigh as she perched herself on the window, hugging her good leg close to her chest and pressing her cheek against her knee.

"Where is your brother?" Shu asked once again as he eyed the little box, attempting to lockpick it. Jessamine sighed.

"Why do you want to see him so much?" She asked, "Am I not enough?"

"You are hardly helping me."

"My leg hurts."

"Only your brother can use that excuse." Jessamine scowled at Shu but said nothing more as she leaned against the window, looking at the droplets of rain racing down the glass pane.

"It's raining again."

"Thank you for that vital piece of information, Jessamine."

"You're far from a gentleman," she then said, "shouldn't you refer to me as 'Miss Clarke'?"

Shu placed down the thin needles with a heavy sigh, lifting his gaze from the box to Jessamine's face. "Very well, Miss Clarke." He said, "Would Miss Clarke be kind enough to find her brother for me, Mr Sakamaki?" Jessamine's blood boiled. How had he not caught on.

"Jensen isn't here." She then said, "He doesn't live here." She wanted to see just how ridiculous her lies could get before he caught on.

"Don't lie to me, Miss Clarke." He'd returned to the jewellry box now. "I can smell him."

"The last time you smelt him, you were led to me."

"That…" he looked up for a brief moment, "is a very good point." He sighed. "Have you any wine?" Jessamine raised an eyebrow and he sighed, "Miss Clarke?"

"Whyever do you need wine?"

"Because," he said, "this is boring and as lovely as you are, I would much prefer to get this over and done with." Jessamine scoffed as she pushed herself off the windowsill. "And please bring your brother in."

"He works very hard," Jessamine then said by the doorway, her hand wrapped around it, "and he's only human. We need to rest, you know." She left before he could reply.

Elias Clarke stood in the kitchen, stroking his long beard in thought when Jessamine wandered in. She paused. She hadn't spoken to the man since she'd found out his dark secret. It wasn't as if he hadn't tried to talk to her, he made her breakfast everyday and even wrote little letters begging for her forgiveness. She wouldn't give it to him.

"You haven't slept much these past few nights," the doctor said as she opened the wine cabinet and pulled out an old, red bottle. "I worry about you. You come home with wounds that are obviously inflicted by someone. If you don't wish to speak with me anymore then fine. However, don't neglect your health." She said nothing as she entered the study.

"I assume you know of your father's little secret." Shu said, taking the bottle from Jessamine's hands as she made her way past him. She scowled but said nothing as she sat at the desk, lifting the box to examine its lock for the fiftieth time.

"The whole town probably knows by now," she replied with a scoff, "all of his patients have moved to farther, more expensive doctors because of this."

"And how do you feel about it?"

Jessamine's eyes widened ever so slightly at the Vampire's innocent question. No one had ever asked her how she felt about the situation. "I grew up hating my mother," she said after a while, licking her lips as the man before her downed half the bottle of wine, "she killed my brother, she ruined my life…" Jessamine sighed as she picked at her skirt, "and it was all his fault… because he'd slept with another woman and she'd fallen pregnant with his child. If he'd never done that, my mother would be home, my brother alive, my…" she took a deep breath as she looked at her leg, "instead, I have the face of a well-known bomber and people tend to shy away from me."

Shu blinked at her for a moment before he offered her the large bottle, leaning his head against his hand as he turned his gaze to the window. "I asked about your feelings, not your sob story."

"I don't know how to feel about it," she replied, "how would you feel?"

"My brother murdered my mother," he said with a shrug, "he also murdered my best friend… but I don't mope around about it."

"I don't mope." She huffed, earning a small smirk from Shu. "How did you feel, though?"

"I was never close with my mother," he said, "and as I said earlier, killing a vampire is how you show your utmost love for that being."

"I don't understand that."

"Immortality is a curse, my Dear."

"And your best friend?"

"I was devastated," he admitted after a few moments, "he'd been the one person to actually understand me."

"Do you still speak with your brother?"

"We don't get along," he said, "mostly due to jealousy on his behalf. I am the heir, he is the second best, the first to lose. Other than that, I don't care."

"You… don't hate him?"

"Why would I?" He asked, as if the answer were obvious, "It's a waste of time to hate someone for something they've done. If you deteste their character, however, that's a different story."

Jessamine said nothing as Shu took the wine back. Her eyes were trained on him as he finished the bottle's contents, placing the glass on the table delicately.

It was at that moment that she decided she would forgive her father when she next saw him.

♡♡♡♡

Dr Elias Clarke had lived a life filled with many,  many regrets. Arthur and Jessamine, however, were not any of those regrets. He'd adored his children and he'd done his best to raise them as best as he could… until everything had been destroyed.

All he'd been able to do was blame Jessamine's mother. It was Magdelaine's fault that Arthur had died, Magdelaine's fault that Jessamine's leg was forever distorted. But no… it wasn't her fault; it was his.

And so that was why he stood in the dark alleyway, pocket watch in hand as he awaited his impending doom. The clock struck four and he was immediately knocked down by a long-haired figure. "Long time no see, Elias." Taunted the voice as the figure pulled out a long, sharp blade from within their coat.

The murder of Doctor Elias Clarke was done quickly and he wouldn't be discovered until the morning fully dawned.