Making it Bizarre and Weird - The Detective Girl

Chapter 02 - The Red Letter

The ride towards Nottingham by carriage was long and cramped. His knees kept bumping into the detective girl's, making him apologize more often than necessary. Even with the coat he was wearing, it was a chilling night. Since he was shivering, he couldn't help but wonder if she wasn't cold. She only seemed to wear a brown detective cape and hat beside her dress, the material thinner than his. Yet, she didn't seem affected by the cold temperature at all. It was courtesy to offer a man's coat when a lady was cold, so he swallowed his own desperation for warmth.

She laughed.

"Look at you!" she exclaimed. "I think you would freeze  to death if I take you upon that offer. I'd nearly offer you my own coat, pathetic as you look right now."

Alright, so he was wrong in that. The person in front of him is definitely not a lady.

He wrapped his arms around him, embarrassed by his attempt to be polite. He decided to switch subjects. "This case... how did you get it?" he asked her.

"Reputation," she casually replied.

"Really?" his voice mocked her. And she sharply found his gaze, her eyes narrowing in silent allegation. "As I recall, you have been in business for five months now and your previous cases seem nowhere near that important," he announced.

She looked at him skeptically, the silence thickening between them. "You've investigated me," she concluded.

"Of course. After you hired me," he replied. "I am a writer. We're naturally curious."

"...Well, what else do you know?"

The young man folded his arms together, a frown appearing on his face as he started to sum everything up. "You're a small organization plundered underneath the bigger detective agencies in England, who have more experience then you do. You usually take the smaller police cases to build a reputation and to pay the rent," he started telling. "Other agencies know you as the 'the red-eyed girl detective', a nickname that once started as an insult to your age and gender. Most other detectives dislike you, but mostly for your sharp attitude."

She continued to gaze at him with her eyebrow raised and for a moment he hesitated, before he decided to state exactly what had been bothering him. "Your assistant was named Nerill Akery. She never resigned. She disappeared over two months ago." The detective girl's eyes flashed dangerously, but the young man felt that he needed to continue. If he didn't voice this, it would hang between them for the rest of their cooperation. "There are rumors that you two... never got along," he voiced. "That you might know more abou-"

Without warning, he was roughly yanked forward, her fingers clutching the collar of his coat tight. He felt his heart leap in his chest when she pulled him close to her face.

"Don't you dare..." she threatened. Her narrowed eyes nearly glowed in the darkness of the night and he felt her warm breath on his face. "Don't you dare say another word... You will not mention that girl in front of my face again. Do I make myself clear?"

His wide eyes stared back at her and he found himself nodding stiffly in response. Her grip slowly loosened, allowing him to take a shaky breath. With one last intimidating stare, she returned him his freedom.

She turned her head away from him, her lips tightly pressed together. He found himself looking anywhere but the detective girl as well, his heart still racing at what just occurred. With each passing moment filled with silence, it became more and more evident that he wouldn't receive an apology.

It started to rain outside, something common in autumn. It was more of a blessing than a curse. He shifted his attention to the window, watching random raindrops stick against the glass. His frustration with the detective girl's behavior lessened as the minutes passed and after a while, he started to forget his anger. The uncomfortable quietness inside the carriage took some time to get used to, but as the hour passed, he started to relax his tense shoulders.