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Nov-7-2009 22:10

"Brr... I'm cold."

Those were the first words that came out of Elizabeth March's mouth as she entered the hall of the well located house in London. Luckily, the place was warm and cozy.

Empty, too. She wondered were all the servants were.

Well, they'd show up, eventually. She could bet they were in the kitchen, talking and playing cards. She didn't mind. They deserved their rest and some fun.

With that in mind, she moved to the living room, dragged a chair near the fireplace and sat there, just staring at the roaring fire.

Much was in her mind. Her past life as a burglar still haunted her. All the wrong things she had done still lived in her nightmares. The woman let out a tired sigh. All that was in the past now.

She had a new life. An agency. Friends. A new name.

Yes. A new life.

It could be a better one, if she didn't have to carefully hide her past from everyone. She had to mind every word that came out of her mind. Every letter she received. Every phone call...

RING. RING.

Damn phone.

She sighed and got up, reluctantly.

"Hello."

"Miss Elizabeth March?"

"Yes. Who's there?"

"Just a friend who wants you to know that dreams may shatter like glass..."

"What, what do you..."

He had hung up, and so did she.

She was still standing by the phone, trembling, when she heard the footsteps. She didn't turn around. It was probably just one of the servants. Yes, it was Gerald, her butler.

He had asked something whose meaning she couldn't reach. Maybe how she was.

"Sorry, Gerald. I'm fine. I was talking on the phone, and felt slightly light-headed."

She forced a smile to the man. He smiled back.

"Maybe you should take a bath and rest, ma'am.", the man suggested, carefully.

"Not now. I've got a phone call to make. After that, I'll do what you say."

She watched as the man left the room and picked the phone back up. She dialed a number, hoping the person on the other side was home. (...)

Nov-23-2009 12:01

Well, it couldnt be helped. Molly thought to herself, as she changed her blouse yet again. And blood was so hard to get out.

She opened her door and crossed the hall, tapping lightly on the door to Elizabeth's room. After a moment, Charlie peeked out and she motioned him into the hall.

"Elizabeth." she called, "We'll just be in my room for a moment, I need to tell Charlie the arrangements I had to make for Pierce, and his funeral. I'll leave the door open, shout if you need ANYTHING."

With that, Molly and Charlie moved into her room where they closed the door save for a hairline crack.

"Pierce's funeral will be tomorrow," she said. "They could not reach his relatives so arrangements fell to me. I've purchased him a modest plot in a cemetery nearby. I wish I could do more, but I have no money to speak of..."

They spoke at length about the arrangements, their attention momentarily diverted from the woman across the hall...

Nov-23-2009 19:51

Elizabeth was trying hard not to sleep as Molly tapped on her door. She looked at Charlie and nodded to the other woman, muttering an 'all right, I'll be fine' to her.

Little did she know that she'd be very far from fine in that thin slice of time in which she was alone.

She went into the small lavatory to wash her face, and heard footsteps.

"Oh, Charlie, you came back real..."

She froze in the middle of the sentence. It wasn't Charlie. She took a deep breath as she looked at O'Leary.

"So, it's you.", she whispered softly. The woman looked calm, which was pretty odd.

"This is how it ends, then", she murmured as O'Leary prepared to shoot her.

Her eyes closed. She didn't want to see the bullet that was about to end everything...

Nov-23-2009 20:21

Marc and Joseph ran through the hotel and up the stairs. There was a commotion and a sound of someone gasping. It wasn't far. They reached the end of the hallway to find O'Leary holding Elizabeth at gun point ready to pull the trigger at any given second.

"Freeze! Hand's up O'Leary!" Marc shouted. O'Leary froze and turned around slowly with the gun in his hand. He smiled and said, "I wondered how long it would take you to realize it was me, detective Lacrimosa."

He held the gun and pointed it down range at Joseph and Marc. "Don' t you move!" Someone yelled. It was Charlie Cain. Molly was right behind him. She had a tear in her eye as she held her gun. Clift Garret came around the corner holding his gun as well but someone was gone. It was Pierce Evans Malone. Marc didnt' have time to wonder where he was but he could only assume the worst.

Tim O'Leary let out a laugh. "So, this is it? This is all the help you've got to arrest me? Oh come ON! Marc, if you needed this many people, there is seriously something-"

"Shut it, O'Leary" Joseph said cutting him off.

"To be honest with you," Marc said, "We met by chance. I've worked with them before and they're the finest detectives I've ever seen. But when we all come to find each other chasing a scum wad like you, there is something wrong with that. I think you've picked the wrong reformed burgaler to mess with."

The smile still hung on his face and he replied, "Haven't you learned Marc? Reformed burglars never rest." He slowly raised his gun to Elizabeth.

"Don't do it, O'Leary"

"Suffer," O'Leary said as he put his finger on the trigger. He began to squeez the trigger slowly.

BANG!

A gun shot echoed throughout the hallway. Six detectives in the hall way. Five with their guns drawn and one held at gun point. Elizabeth wasn't shot. But it was O'Leary who had been shot. He grabbed his leg and let out a howel of pain as the bullet tore through the back of his knee. (Contin..)

Nov-23-2009 20:30

O'Leary fell with in a heap. Everyone made their move. Except for Elizabeth who stood over him and watched him, bleeding helplessly. Marc could only imagine what she was thinking. But he didn't want to. Joseph grabbed O'Leary and handcuffed him, handing him over to Marc.

"When you're done with his trial here in London, We'd like to take him back to New York where he as warrants for his arrest out there. I'll stay here and make sure he get's back to the States okay," Joseph said.

"Sounds good to me. Will they let you stay that long?" Marc asked and Joseph nodded. O'Leary was hauled down to the jail house to await trial.

Marc returned to the hotel room to find everyone in Elizabeth's room. "Tim O'Leary is gone, Ms. March. No longer will you be black mailed or threatened." Marc explained. The look in her eyes went from stress to instant relief. It had taken him almost over a week to solve this case.

Elizabeth reached for some money. "Name your price," She said.

Marc smiled and removed his fedora. "How about we negotiate prices," he said as he sat down. The criminal was gone and Elizabeth was safe.

Nov-23-2009 20:30

O'Leary fell with in a heap. Everyone made their move. Except for Elizabeth who stood over him and watched him, bleeding helplessly. Marc could only imagine what she was thinking. But he didn't want to. Joseph grabbed O'Leary and handcuffed him, handing him over to Marc.

"When you're done with his trial here in London, We'd like to take him back to New York where he as warrants for his arrest out there. I'll stay here and make sure he get's back to the States okay," Joseph said.

"Sounds good to me. Will they let you stay that long?" Marc asked and Joseph nodded. O'Leary was hauled down to the jail house to await trial.

Marc returned to the hotel room to find everyone in Elizabeth's room. "Tim O'Leary is gone, Ms. March. No longer will you be black mailed or threatened." Marc explained. The look in her eyes went from stress to instant relief. It had taken him almost over a week to solve this case.

Elizabeth reached for some money. "Name your price," She said.

Marc smiled and removed his fedora. "How about we negotiate prices," he said as he sat down. The criminal was gone and Elizabeth was safe.

Nov-23-2009 20:49

Molly whistled, and went to the handcuffed O'Leary to rummage through his pockets. She pulled out a piece of paper.

"You've been a busy man." she said, looking over the list of arrival and departure times of each team member to and from the hotel. "A photograph of Elizabeth...gosh, this is elementary."

O'Leary snarled and shouldered her roughly. He couldn't have known about Molly's injury, but his bony shoulder hit the spot and she shrieked like a banshee and slammed the butt of her pistol into his face on pure reflex as she hissed various unladylike obscenities under her breath. The others only raised their eyebrows as she swiftly sought to regain composure.

"Oh quit your whimpering." she said to O'Leary in disgusted tones. "This is the third blouse today!" For indeed, the first hints of blood were seeping sluggishly through the cloth.

"At this rate it'll never close up." she said with a sigh, and sat on the corner of the bed. "Marc, celebrate your success now for I'm afraid I have some awful news..."

She kept her eyes fixated on the floor as she spoke, not daring to meet anyone's eyes as she said it.

Nov-24-2009 18:42

In due time she had told them what had occurred, and then excused herself to go to her room while the others dealt with the apprehended criminal. There, she sank into a fitful sleep, succumbing to her exhaustion until the next morning.

When she awoke, her shoulder was too swollen and stiff to be moved without excruciating pain. Taking deep breaths, she navigated her flattering black dress well enough, but was forced to give a strangled shriek at the agony of putting the matching black shrug on.

"I hope you enjoyed that." she addressed Pierce, not entertaining very kind thoughts about the deceased. "Now you've gone from a proverbial pain in my side to a literal one."

She locked up the room and padded down the hall, starting for the cemetery where Pierce was to be laid to rest early. She expected if any of her companions decided to come to Pierce's funeral then they would come by at the appropriate time.

In her hand she carried a letter that she had written to the man, and intended to place in his coffin. She had refused to take a cab, and instead walked alone on the mostly deserted sidewalks (it was rather early), looking a striking figure dressed all in black against the grey of the London morning.

Nov-24-2009 19:17

Elizabeth dropped on a chair as Marc removed his fedora. She felt really tired, but her pale face was soon as calm as usual again.

"Reformed burglars never rest. Sounds like the name of a mistery novel. Maybe I should write on. I mean, no one would ever believe it."

She smiled and took some time to talk to Marc about his price, and thank everyone else for their help.

She took everyone's adress, as she planned to send them a little something afterwards. She had plenty of money, and no one to spend it with, so...

The next morning found her in a black dress, ready to go to Pierce's funeral. She had barely known him, but he was one of the people she owed her life to.

As Molly arrived to the cemetery, she could see the woman standing in there, a white rose in her hands. As she saw Molly, she squeezed her hand for a moment. A hug wouldn't be a good idea, considering how her shoulder looked.

"He's at peace now. And you'll find peace too, I trust", she murmured softly.

Nov-24-2009 19:48

Marc went to the funeral the next morning after getting paid from Elizabeth. Not only did he go, everyone else went too. When Molly saw them her eyes lit up a little bit. Pierce Evans Malone. He was a good man. Although Marc never knew him but only for a short time, he felt as though Pierce's death was his fault.

A tear came to his eye and he wiped it away. "How could I have let them go out alone like that?" He thought to himself. But, everything happened for a reason. Jack Billings had killed Pierce for reasons unknown to Marc.

Elizabeth approached Molly and took her hand. Marc didn't hear what was said but he knew that it was comforting.

He grieved for Pierce and Molly. God only knew what she was going through. After the funeral service he approached Molly.

"Molly, I-" He paused for a moment. He tried to search for the right words to say. "I'm sorry for what happened to Pierce. He was a good man. I know he was. If you need ANYTHING, you know how to reach me."

And with that, he turned and headed for the exit of the cemetary. As he walked toward the gate, another tear came to his eye. The death of a detective. It just tore him up on the inside. He couldn't help but blame himself. Molly had told him not to concern himself with this. He let them go after Jack alone. He wiped the tear from his eye. He reached the end of the gate and turned back around and saw the others comforting Molly for her loss.

Marc reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigar and lit it. He walked out onto the sidewalk and sat down where he slowly smoked his cigar.

Nov-24-2009 20:04

Molly squeezed Elizabeth's hand back and the modest service began. She was genuinely happy to see everyone there. It touched her heart to know that even if they hadn't known him personally, they respected the sacrifice he had made and come to support her.

Afterwards, Marc came up to her and said, "Molly, I-I'm sorry for what happened to Pierce. He was a good man. I know he was. If you need ANYTHING, you know how to reach me."

He then strode off, and Molly cocked her head slightly, for she had seen the evidence of fresh tears in the poor mans eyes. Everyone offered her a few more words of comfort, but she smiled and said, "I'll be back in just a moment."

Marc had taken a seat on the sidewalk, and she followed him, delicately kneeling beside him. She straightened her skirt meticulously with her good hand as she spoke.

"Marc, I can't help thinking that you feel a measure of...responsibility in Pierce's death. I just wanted you to know that you aren't to blame. Pierce was a friend, but he was my bodyguard, and he swore an oath. He died protecting me and my daughter, fully aware of the danger of what he was up against. I am sad to have lost him, but he went in the best way possible, standing up for something he believed in." Molly's words were soft, but her eye shone with peace. "He wouldn't have it any other way."

She stood, and squeezed his shoulder. "I just thought you should know that."

She then walked off, leaving Marc with his thoughts. She saw the others grouped in a loose semi-circle around the grave, but at the last moment changed directions and took a seat on a bench a little ways off. She sat there, thinking about Pierce and where she should go from here, when after a moment a shadow fell over her...