Scarlet Rose

Chapter 48

8th oh July 1925 (Wednesday)

Detective Shaw started his Wednesday morning at work, as he would have started every other morning. With the files of the cases he had been in charge of and a hot cup of tea. There was still not that much of a progress on the case of the break in, in Lord Wooster's residence. He really hated that. He had taken the statements of Lady Ophelia, and Terry Graham, the victim - Christian Blake - who sounded cagey at points and his girlfriend, Rose White. She too, he had felt, was hiding something. If he recalled his brief chat with her, the moment he touched the subject of her relationship with Christian, she had become defensive. Mr. Blake who had a pristine record in all other accords, had said he had a lot in his mind but by the method of subtraction, money problems was the one that rung the alarm bells in his mind. But overall, he felt he had reached this wall, he couldn't get through. 

He took a sip from his tea and picked the file from his desk. A police officer had brought it over the evening before. He opened it and read the summary at the front, while brushing his moustache with his thumb and his index finger. He reached the bottom of his page.

Items gathered at crime scene:

a. Pocket knife - used at the stabbing.

His eyes widened.

"Constable Grable!!" He yelled from his desk.

The officer showed up through the door of Det. Shaw's office after a couple of minutes. "Did you ask for me, Detective?"

"I have!" Robert exclaimed. "What can you tell me about this here?" He asked and turned the file, with his finger pointing at the bottom of the page.

Melvin leaned towards the page, read the bit Robert was referring to.

"Ah! The knife!" Melvin said knowingly. He raised his head up and looked at Robert. "Lord Wooster's wife called us yesterday morning. She was tending the flower beds in the garden - she found a pocket knife by the flowers next to the side window that was used to break in the house."

"What the good Lord's name?! Why wasn't I informed straight away??" Robert said, sounding angry.

"It was yesterday sir! It was your day off..."

"There are no days off for a detective!" He shouted. "Where is the knife??"

Constable Grable disappeared on the spot and came back a few minutes later with a pocket knife in his hands and a little card attached to it.

Item A - Pocket Knife

It wasn't a very big knife. Standard pocket knife, ideal to hide on the body of the carrier. In a concealed pocket perhaps, inside a boot, strapped mid-leg. The carvings on the handle however...a black bird with its wings tucked on his body. A raven it could be, most definitely. At the very bottom however...two tiny letters. Initials?

CB

"Melvin!!" He shouted while putting the knife inside his pocket. The police officer showed up on the spot.
"I'm going out if anyone asks for me" Robert said as he put his hat on. "Police matters, ok?"

"Certainly sir!" Constable Grable said. He saw Detective Shaw leaving the police station in a hurry, wishing one day, it would be him a detective, running out the same door on an important mission.

~~~~~~~~~~

The rehearsal had finished for quite some time. People had started gathering outside, taking their seats in the auditorium. If Terry played with as much fire in his gut and his gaze the same night, Hamlet would rock the theatre to its foundations.