Scarlet Rose

Chapter 38

Det. Robert Shaw came straight out from the New Scotland Yard ranks. A highly commented, experienced detective in his mid thirties, he was quite ambitious in his profession with the aim of reaching, who knows one day, even the post of the High Commissioner of Scotland Yard itself.

What had happened the previous night had created waves up the levels of Metropolitan police, had rattled high ranking officers behind desks and reached even the office of the High Commissioner of the Scotland Yard. Lord Wooster was a personal friend of the Prime Minister and a distinguished member of the House of Lords.

To begin with, the one person on everyone's minds was the Raven. Stealing jewellery from the mansions of aristocracy in the dead of the night when no one was in, was definitely his style. But this time, several things didn't follow his way of doing things.

First, Lady Ophelia Wooster was at home. True, the staff had all, but the Butler, left the property for the family was to move to their summer residence in Buckinghamshire once the weekend was over. Tuesday morning to be precise, given that the Hamlet premiere was to take place on Monday evening. However, that particular evening given that both Lord and Lady Wooster were to attend the soirée, they had given James the night off. Raven never had made a mistake before. In fact, he seemed to having been perfectly informed of every move the residents and the staff of the homes he had entered in the past. A mystery in its own accord, that was certain. They hadn't been able to find a connection to all those burglaries.

Then it was the soirée itself. The Raven always chose to strike on nights when there was something significant taking place on the social calendar of London's High Society. That night fitted him perfectly. But just considering the proximity of the two places, the two mansions were side by side. Of course, given the size of both residencies, plus the surrounding gardens, it wasn't as if their walls were touching but still...If this burglary had been orchestrated by Raven's hand, it was a cocky move. Had he become too sure of himself? Too arrogant to allow errors creep in? That's how usually all the great burglars were caught. They became too full of themselves, too certain they could evade everyone everywhere, with dire consequences.

And if the night hadn't ended the way it did, then Det. Shaw would have been almost certain that Black Feathers as the Raven was known affectionately within the underground crime circles had made his first mistake. But the mention of the woman from two different sources had turned the Raven theory onto its head. There was never an occasion where the Raven had an accomplice. Not inside in any case. Could it be that the famous thief was a woman? It did not tie with the quarrelling Lady Ophelia had heard however.

Detective Shaw turned the tap at the toilet sink off. He wiped his hands dry while looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He brought his right hand over his moustache and smoothed it with its fingers. His gaze was lost inside the mirror. In his mind, he was flicking the pages of the report he read in the morning, once more. To say that the stabbed man was the most important witness to date regarding the burglaries that plagued London's high society was an understatement. He opened the bathroom door and walked down the hospital corridor. This could be the end of the Raven, and Robert Shaw was above all, the most glad, that they managed to keep Christian Blake alive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time they reached her place, she had stopped crying. He couldn't dismiss the heavy clouds that had gathered inside her green eyes. Bloodshot as they were, due to lack of sleep and the crying, they looked like the first grass of spring, so bright it was almost translucent.

She came out of his car, when he switched off the engine. He was reluctant to follow her. Candy sensed his hesitation.

"Please, come in..." She said to him, without any other feeling in her voice, but tiredness, "I won't be long, but there is no need to sit and wait here."