A Murder Shall Commence.

Chapter 7

I broke out into the chilly bite of the night wind whipping down the street outside. It gave me a bit of a wakeup slap, and I almost easily wiped the tears away that had been streaming down my face.

Although the wind was bitter, it cooled my overtired, overworked mind as I wandered aimlessly away from Scotland Yard, looking vaguely around for a cab to take me home. As I walked, a loose newspaper page blew down the street, catching on my skirt and tangling in my legs. In the light of the streetlamp in front, a dark shadow zipped across my path, or at least...I thought it did. I was very tired.

In a sort of dreamlike trance, I bent down to remove the page from my skirts. The headline flashed up at me, catching my attention.

NEW ATTRACTIONS AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE EXHIBITION

I hesitated, thinking of the dark shadow. But my intuition-and my curiosity-got the better of me, and I hurried to the streetlamp so I could read the rest of the article.

Skimming down the list of attratctions, I shook my head as I spotted a certain item.

No. 34. Original Brand: Princess Sewing Machine

It was fair to say, I was creeped out. I knew I had lived off my luck before, but this was too lucky to be true. I sucked my lip again as I considered my options. The wind made the paper in my hand rustle and tear, flying clean out of my grip, although I barely noticed. I did, however, watch it blow away, a little white speck in the looming darkness. I licked my cold lips. Time to find a cab.

I must have only walked two streets or so when I was able to flag one down. I climbed in, grateful for the slight warmth and protection from the biting wind.

"Harley Street, if you please" I called to the cabbie, and the carriage rattled off. I knew it would take a little while to get there, so I used the time to get a little bit of shut-eye. If my plan was to go ahead, I was going to need all the sleep I could get.

I was deposited in Harley Street a good fifteen minutes later. It didn't take me long to find Dr. Scott's practice. He lived in a flat up above it, I knew, and I hoped dearly he was at home.

Five minutes of doorbell-ringing and loud knocking later, a rather irritable Dr. Scott arrived at his door.

"Oh. It's you" he sighed, as he saw me standing rather meekly on his doorstep. I smiled as innocently as I could manage.

"What trouble have you got yourself into this time, Alianna Winter?" the doctor asked, as he ushered me inside and up the stairs into his little apartment.

"You're going to think I'm crazy" I began, as he settled me down on his sofa with a cup of tea in front of his fire.

"Don't I already?" he commented cynically, leaning forward on the chair opposite me.

"Crazier" I corrected myself. Dr. Scott chuckled, shaking his head.

"What's the plan?" he asked. I took a deep breath.

"We need to break in to the Crystal Palace."

"I knew I'd regret asking that" the doctor murmured, in the silence that followed.

"Look, I don't have much time" I sighed. "I don't want to, but I don't have a choice. I just need a little bit of help getting rid of the guards."

"Drugs?" Dr. Scott said reluctantly.

"Temporary, of course" I added hastily. "I only need fifteen minutes, at the most."

"What happens if you get caught?" the doctor reasoned.