The Last Song [Black Butler] [Kuroshitsuji]

CHAPTER VI

Detective Chief Inspector Aberline? I suppose he's the one I should talk to.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it," I said, smiling. "Are you here to escort me?"

Eyes flickered up through pale lashes to glance at me before the man turned an even more startling shade of scarlet as he nodded, briskly turning away.

Let's hope this inspector doesn't really think me mad as the doctor had claimed.

What I didn't expect was the fact the so-called detective chief inspector didn't stare at me as if I were a nutter. Rather, his gaze seemed to suggest me as something to be feared.

"Ah, you must be - "

His greeting immediately stopped short upon meeting my gaze. All the color leeched away from the man's face and his mouth hung open.

Detective Chief Inspector Aberline was a copper-haired man, perphaps in his thirties, with a neat mustache, pale eyes, and a square jaw. Unlike all the other policemen, Aberline wore a beige trench coat and a brown hat with a slanted brim. I assumed the lack of uniform was an indication of position.

He also had a mouth dangling open in the most unseemly manner.

"Er, yes. Hello, Chief Inspector. I'm the one who phoned Constable Dubois yesterday . . . " I trailed off as the the senior officer's face didn't change.

"Sir," the flushing one muttered imploringly.

Snapping his mouth shut, Aberline's icy-blue stare persisted.

"Oh. Yes. Yes, of course," he rambled, his eyes latched onto mine as if fearing I would disappear at the merest distraction.

He looked at me as if I were a ghost.

"And your - uh - name is . . ?"

"Katherine Daniels."

"Yes, you did say that," the DCI muttered. Peeling his eyes away, Aberline then told the sargeant to fetch the witness papers and collect statements from all the other patients.

Only when his associate left did the redhead's face flatten into an expressionless mask.

"Your name is not Katherine Daniels."

I swallowed.

The icy eyes narrowed and the detective leaned forward, planting his hands on the wooden table, and the forms fluttered at the sudden rush of air.

Tilting his head, Aberline peered down his nose at me. "You know, I was wondering who phoned Dubois. I already checked the files, no one by the name of Katherine Daniels exists in Britain. To think it was you - " He cut himself off with a scoff, shaking his head of curls. "Unbelievable."

Confusion fogged my senses at the detective's words. What was he going on about?

"Well?" He sputtered. "Have you nothing to say?"

Hackles rising, I tilted my chin up at the shell-shocked officer.

"Sir, I'm afraid I haven't a clue as to what you are saying, so if you would please be so kind as to enlighten me," I said, squaring my shoulders in defense at the man's incredulous gasp.

"You must be joking."

I scowled. "I never jest."

There was doubt in DCI Aberline's eyes and I opened my mouth to continue. "I actually phoned the police with the intentions of speaking about this."