There he was, standing over the lifeless body of a wealthy man. The room previously filled with jewelry and valuables is now empty and covered in blood. Only a few candles provided some light in the dark space. Orion looked around to take in his surroundings. He understood nothing about this situation. The sound of horses and guards took him out of his concentration. Orion quickly grabbed some money and a ring lying on the stained nightstand and crawled out through the half-open window onto the rooftops. It was fortunate that the city was so poorly lit; it hid his movements through the night. The rain made the roofs and boards slippery; foot work was extra important now. The road to the bell tower was also so long. Orion’s thoughts were only with the sight of the dead man he had found. At the edge of the rooftops, he almost lost his footing. Just in time, he managed to stop.
“Shit, I almost missed it and still have to go down. Luckily, the night is quiet today.” He whispered and made his way down into the dark streets. Every chance to be seen. He sneaked around the streets, hiding behind buildings, doors, walls, crates—anything he could find that was useful to hide behind. Every now and then, it was a matter of passing guards as quietly as possible. It seemed like hours, but there it was: the bell tower. He squeezed along a beam to get into the dividing walls of the tower. Slowly, he climbed all the way up until he reached an abandoned room in the tower. This was his room, his hiding place. Orion tossed the ring onto the small, worn table and exhaled a sigh.
“The deal was to steal a ring, not find a dead body and steal it,” he said in frustration with the whole situation. Now he had the ring but no idea what his client should do with it, and murder was certainly not on his agenda for the night. Orion leaned against the frame of the worn window and looked down. There wasn’t much to see—just the rain and a few people who quickly looked for shelter. When he looked up, a dove flew toward him. The pigeon descended into the frame and had a note on its leg. Orion took the note from the paw and read it.
‘The Belle Noir, huh? Talk about strange meeting places.’ Orion said this and shook his head. He grabbed the ring from the table and climbed through the window, then jumped onto some shelves just below it. “Better I get a big payday for this.” Orion whispered as he moved through the upper levels of the city. The rain still hadn’t stopped, and he had almost slipped a few times. After sneaking around for a while, Orion arrived at the Belle Noir. He went inside, where a portly, older man in trader’s clothes stood. Almost all of his fingers had a ring on them, and it was clear that he earned quite a lot from his trading work.
“Ah, Orion, good work as always. I assume it worked?′
“Yes, but you didn’t say anything about a dead target. What do you need that ring for anyway, Charles?”
“I thought you didn’t like asking questions.” Anyway, this ring is worth a fortune, even more now that Sir Doyle is dead. I’m going to sell it for a nice price, but more importantly, He was my ring. Until Doyle stole it. A simple steal-back action.”
“That doesn’t answer my question about finding a dead Sir Doyle.” Orion said, his tone sharp and penetrating.
“I don’t know anything about that either. Why don’t you try out that bloodhound nose of yours, hm? Find your perpetrator and get a nice reward for it too. Can you pay the price on your own head?” Charles laughed at his own jokes. As annoying as it was, it added some extra atmosphere to the room.
“Find out for me who killed Sir Doyle.” It was a clear order that Orion had no desire to listen to.
“I’m a thief, not a detective.”
“Do it, and I’ll pay you extra.” Charles threw a bag of gold pieces on the table as payment for stealing the ring.
Orion sighed. He could use an extra payment now. “Fine, I’ll do it. Make it worth it to me.” His tone indicated how annoyed he was about the situation. Orion didn’t want to stay longer than necessary. He got up, took the bag of gold pieces, and disappeared into the night.
“A criminal never goes back to the scene of his crime, but it looks like I’ll have to make an exception.” Orion said with a sigh in his voice. Suddenly, he heard some talking and footsteps. His eyes scanned the area, looking for a way out. The footsteps were getting closer, and it seemed that his only way out was directly in the direction of the footsteps. He saw some crates and quickly hid. Just in time, too. Two guards passed by and stopped just in front of the Belle Noir. They were talking and blocking Orion’s way out. He slowly picked up a stone that he felt next to him. He aimed at the lantern near the bar and threw the stone at it. The moment the stone hit the lantern, the guards looked up.
“Did you hear that too?” said one of the guards.
“Yes, I heard it. Come on, let’s get in before anyone sees us here.” The other replied. They looked around for a moment and went inside to continue their conversation. Orion was relieved that it had worked and crept away past the crates. The fact that he knew all the roads within the city helped him quickly find the place where he last stole. Orion stood against the wall next to the window and cautiously looked inside. There was no one there, but the body was already gone. Orion gave a small punch to the wall he was standing against. The body was already gone. This night could hardly get any worse for him. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his crowbar and carefully lifted the window to enter. Once in the room, Orion looked around for clues. He hoped all the clues hadn’t been removed yet. After looking at everything for a while, it was clear that everything else was left as it was. Only the body had been removed. Near the bedside table where he had taken the ring was a knife covered in blood. This must have been the weapon used to kill Sir Doyle. Orion picked up the blade and examined it.
“Silver, serrated, handmade on the handle, about 10 cm long, and apparently something has been scratched off. This was specially made, which is a shame; it would have cost a pretty penny.′ He noted this as he put the knife in his pocket and continued looking for more clues.
The knife was the easiest to find. Orion was unable to take the rest of the clues with him. These all had to do with the room itself and its current condition, but he couldn’t say much about it yet. He needed more information. He could forget information about the body for now. The morgue was under tight security, and Orion had no idea where to look. The only thing he had any use for now was that knife, and he knew exactly who to ask for more information. Orion exited through the window again and returned to the bell tower. The sun was almost up; he had to be quick. The moment the sun’s rays shone into his secret passage, he had crawled between the walls and beams. Once in his room, he put his bag away and flopped down on his old, worn-out bed. This night was so tiring that, as soon as he laid his head on his pillow, Orion fell asleep.
After several hours of sleep, Orion woke up again. The sun shone brightly in his face through the open window. He slowly got up and walked to the window to stretch and look out over the city. When he turned around again, his eyes fell on the knife he had found the night before, half out of his bag. He picked up the knife and looked at it again.
“I think Ellenor can help me with where this knife came from. That would be a good start.′ Orion said as he placed the knife on the table and went to change into his normal clothes. To blend in with the people, he put on a brown coat with a red scarf around his neck. Orion also put on a brown hat to hide most of his short, pure black hair. He grabbed the knife, put it in his jacket pocket, and went out the window. He walked on the planks, and without anyone noticing, he climbed down to walk into the streets. Orion walked through the market that was there, and at a stall that sold fruit, he quickly, without anyone noticing, grabbed an apple and started eating it. It was busy, and people were busy buying what they needed for nice meals. This would be a time when a master thief like Orion could indulge in stealing gold coins and other valuables from those around him, but not today. The gold pieces he would receive for his current assignment were worth more than what he could steal now. At the end of the market, Orion went into an alley. The alley was long and far from the hustle and bustle. It led to the black market. All prohibited products can be found and purchased here. Orion stopped at a shop called Ellenor’s Cutlery. He went inside, and the store was laid out with different types of knives on shelves. At the end of the store was a counter, behind which stood a woman with blonde hair and a red dress.
“Ah, Orion, do you need a new pocket knife?” The woman said it with full enthusiasm.
“No, but you can give me something else.” Orion replied as he walked to the counter.
“Now you’re making me curious. What can I do for you, honey?” The woman leaned over the counter with great interest in what she could do for the young man.
“Can you tell me where this knife came from, Ellenor?” Orion asked and took the knife from his jacket pocket to show it.
Ellenor looked at the knife and was amazed that Orion had gotten his hands on such a knife. She took it and looked at it. ’This is clearly Owen’s work. He is the only one in town who makes knives with real silver. The handle is also characteristic of his work. Although someone did try to get his brand out, and sloppily too. Furthermore, it has not been used much; there are almost scratches on it. Just some dried blood, so it was used recently.”
“Thanks for the information. So my next visit will be with Owen.” He held out his hand to receive the knife back. Ellenor gave him the knife back.
“What do you actually need this for? You don’t often ask for my knowledge.”
He looked at the woman for a moment and remained silent for a moment. Then he looked around and leaned forward. “You’ve probably heard by now, but Sir Doyle has been murdered. I found him dead when I stole a ring from him for Charles, and Charles has assigned me to solve the murder for a large payout. This knife was the weapon that was used.” Orion explained.
“I saw the murder in the newspaper. Charles knows how to keep it interesting for you. I have heard that in addition to guards, police are now also being called in for the safety of the city. So be extra careful with what you do.”
“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. Until next time, Ellenor.” As he said this, Orion walked to the door to leave the shop. Once outside, he walked back through the alley towards the crowds. Owen’s workshop was well-known and easy to find. Everyone knew that if you wanted a knife on demand, you had to go to him. Although you also had to have the gold pieces to pay for such knives, He didn’t know anything about the lower classes, and he was good friends with many people from the higher classes. Sir Doyle was also on this friend list. Because the knives were made on request by Owen, Orion could not just pass by. He would immediately be asked where he got this knife from, and there was no good answer. This meant he couldn’t get his information about it until the night, but Orion already had another idea of what he could do to find out more. He walked past a flower stall, where the owner was busy with customers who wanted to buy flowers from him. He seized his chance and grabbed a bouquet of flowers. With the bouquet of flowers, he went to Sir Doyle’s house. Once he arrived, he knocked on the door. It took a while, but someone opened the door. A woman in a lady’s clothes stood right in front of him and looked at him, waiting for his introduction.
“Good day, ma’am. My name is Sir Laurence, and I am an old friend of Sir Doyle. I heard about his tragic death, and I came to express my condolences to his wife. May I come in and deliver these flowers?” Orion said this and looked at the woman kindly.
“Please come in. I will fetch Lady Margaret for you.” He received the answer from the cleaning lady, and she made way for him to enter. Orion went inside and took a seat in the living room. While he waited, he looked at the room. He looked around and took in the room. This was his only chance to see anything, so he had to work quickly. His observations were disturbed when he heard the voice of Lady Margaret.
“Sir Laurence, Betty told me you came to express your condolences on the death of my husband.” A woman with long, brown, curly hair entered, wearing an elegant blue Victorian dress.
Orion stood up to greet the woman. He leaned down to kiss her hand. As if he really belonged to the upper classes. “That’s correct. I have travelled a long way to be here. I share my sincere condolences for the loss of your husband.” Orion said as he offered her the flowers he had stolen. Lady Margaret accepted the flowers and examined them.
“Thank you for your compassion. These are very beautiful. Betty, put these in a nice vase, will you?” She passed the flowers to her cleaning lady, who took them from her and left the room with a small bend in her knees to do as she was asked. Meanwhile, the woman continued her conversation with the young man standing in front of her.
“You say you were friends with my husband, but I have never seen you at the parties my husband liked to throw.” He was not surprised that she would immediately start asking him probing questions. He had already thought about this during his walk.
‘You have a sharp eye, ma’am. I and Sir Doyle were friends before he met you. I lived nearby at the time, and we met up regularly. Unfortunately, my work took me to another city and kept me so busy that we no longer had the opportunity to talk or meet up much.’
Lady Margaret seemed to approve of his answer and sat down with him. “Betty?” she called, looking at the door to see if her cleaning lady was coming. When Betty came in, she continued her sentence.
“Would you be so kind and make us some tea?”
“Coming soon, ma’am.” Betty replied and left the room to go to the kitchen. Orion could now finally start with the questions he had, and he did so immediately.
“Lady Margaret, all I was told was that Sir Doyle had died, but I wasn’t told how. I wonder about this because he was such a healthy and vibrant man.
“He certainly was, but unfortunately, he was tragically murdered.” He was answered.
‘Murdered? That must have been a really tragic discovery for you and so heavy.’
’I was spared from this image, but poor Betty was not. She was the one who found him on the floor of our room. She was kind enough not to let me in and spare me from the pain.”
Orion absorbed this answer well. Betty found him, so he thinks she might have had something to do with this. He also noticed Lady Margaret’s attitude. She seemed completely emotionless at the loss of her husband. Without her noticing, Orion looked at her to see if there was anything that caught his eye. Along the edges of Lady Margaret’s dress, he noticed a few bruises that were partly hidden. He needed to know more and continued his conversation.
‘That was thoughtful of her, indeed. Are there any suspects, according to the police, who could have murdered your husband?’ he asked. His attitude was cautious but also seemed to carry a concern. At that moment, Betty also came back in with the tea she had made for them. When she poured the tea, Lady Margaret answered Orion’s question.
’No, unfortunately, the police have not yet been able to find any suspects. All they know is that he was apparently murdered with a knife. They are still busy finding the perpetrator.”
“I hope they catch the killer soon.” Without clues, it will be difficult, but I am sure they will do everything they can to get justice for your husband. Forgive my question, but have you hurt yourself somewhere?′ His question was a bit tentative, and he didn’t know if he would get an answer to it. Lady Margaret touched one of the bruises with her hand and looked at Orion.
“Yes, I tripped, fell, and hurt myself. Nothing serious. Thank you for your concern about this.′ She answered his question. He could immediately tell from her attitude that it was a lie. He took a sip of the tea before continuing.
“Of course, I also take care of my friend’s wife.” He didn’t understand half of the sentence he had just said. “I mean, you are my friend’s wife, who is now deceased. It goes without saying that I will be concerned if a murderer is still on the loose.”
There was a moment of silence until Lady Margaret stood up. “Would you excuse me for a moment, Sir Laurence?” She left the room without waiting for an answer from him. He didn’t understand why she suddenly left, but it did give him an opening to ask Betty some questions.
“Betty, could you please tell me what kind of man Sir Doyle was to his wife?” Like I said, I hadn’t spoken to him in a long time and didn’t know anything more than their marriage.”
Betty looked at the young man. She was clearly unsure whether she should answer this. Ultimately, she decided to tell her side of the story while she still could. “Sir Doyle, your friend, was a terrible man to Lady Margaret. Always drunk and never satisfied. She deserved much better than such a disgusting man.”
“Did he ever hurt Lady Margaret when he was drunk?”
’He hit her regularly, and I often heard them arguing. The night of his death. As far as I’m concerned, Sir Doyle got what he deserved. He treated everyone badly. That’s what he was known for. Only his so-called friends always agreed with his behavior. Betty was frustrated with how Sir Doyle treated others, and her way of talking about the man was therefore not friendly.
“So the discovery of his murder was actually more of a relief for you.” Orion asked to see what her reaction would be. Her reaction was different from what he expected to get.
‘Oh, dear God, no. It was terrible to see Sir Doyle like that, and I didn’t want Lady Margaret to see him like that. Really horrible. He deserved it, but so brutally.’ Betty said that and sat down, remembering the night of the murder.
“But how did you discover it?”
Betty was just about to answer this when Lady Margaret came back inside. “Sir Laurence, please forgive my absence, but I regret to ask you to leave. I still have a lot of things to sort out. You are welcome another day.′ Her attitude was completely different from the beginning, but he had no choice but to listen to her wishes.
“Of course, Lady Margaret. I will come by again soon. Thank you for having me.′ Orion stood up and made his way to the front door, where he was let out by Betty. He found the sudden change in mood strange, but there was little he could do about it. He already had a better idea of the home situation in which Sir Doyle found himself. He didn’t have many more clues at the moment, and he slowly walked back to the bell tower. He would continue the rest of his research during the coming night.
When Orion was back in the bell tower and walked to the window, he saw a small package with a note on it. He took the note and read it.
“A small tool.”
Orion looked at the package and opened it. There were new picks in it for him to open locks. His old ones were indeed already damaged, but he had not yet requested a new one. There was no sender on it, and these were different from his normal picks. Orion looked outside to see if he saw anyone walking away, but he saw no one. It was strange, but a welcome addition. He put the new picks in with his old ones and thought back to his conversation with Lady Margaret. It bothered him that she suddenly got up and walked away. He couldn’t place what it was, but it wasn’t right. Orion hoped to learn more over the days and solve that mystery. In the time he had left, he wrote down his conversations with Lady Margaret and Betty, the cleaning lady. Orion wanted to be able to return to these conversations later.
When it got dark, he got ready to leave. The moment the lights in houses slowly started to go out, Orion went outside. To get to Owen’s workshop quickly, he decided to go over the roofs. Once he arrived at Owen’s workplace, he climbed down. When he stood in front of the door, Orion first looked around to see if there was anyone in sight. He then took his old picks to open the lock, but they didn’t work. He couldn’t open the lock. He thought for a moment and then grabbed the new picks.
“It wouldn’t be.” Orion whispered and tried to open the lock with it. After trying for a while, the lock opened, and he was able to enter. He was amazed that his new picks could open this lock. It was too coincidental, but he didn’t have time to think about this right now. Orion entered stealthily and closed the door quietly behind him. Except for the little moonlight that came through the window, everything was completely dark. He grabbed his lighter to get some more light. The room was filled with a stone oven, an anvil, a work table, some tools, a pile of coal, and other things normally found in a blacksmith’s shop. There was a door on the right side of the workshop. This is where Orion went first. He was lucky; the door was unlocked, and he was able to get in. This was clearly the room where the paperwork was done, and he went looking for something like a list of customers in it. After a quick search, he found a black book that listed all customers, along with the specific request and date of delivery. Orion turned the pages to this week and looked at the names. He saw an acquaintance return among the names. Sir Doyle. He had requested a knife. The request matched the knife Orion had found.
“The man was murdered with a knife that he himself requested.” He noted it softly. He looked at the date the knife should have been delivered, and this corresponded to the day Sir Doyle was murdered. When Orion looked around even further, he found a stack of letters. He wanted to see who these letters would go to, but at that moment he heard a noise outside. Orion looked up, quickly grabbed one of the letters, put it in his pocket, put everything else back where it was, and quickly blew out the fire on his lighter. As quietly as he could, he tried to find his way out again. With a pounding heart, he looked past the door of the small room. He saw nothing except the outside door, which was slightly ajar. “I should have closed it, right?” Orion whispered in confusion. He looked past the door one last time to see if he saw anyone. He saw no one, and carefully, he crept towards the front door. At the door, he felt the wind through the crack, and the door swung gently back and forth with a soft squeaking sound. Orion felt his heart pounding in his throat. Now he began to doubt whether he had really closed the door. He didn’t want to think about it anymore; it was time to go.
He carefully pushed the door open further, but he had not yet taken a step when he was suddenly pulled back. His body collided with something hard and solid, and before he could push away, something sharp was held against his throat.
Orion knew exactly what it was. It was a knife. A blade that would kill him with one wrong move. Adrenaline was rushing through him, but he tried to remain calm. Orion slowly reached into his pocket to take something out. He quickly found it and took a silver coin from his pocket. He flicked the coin away with his thumb.
The coin hit the anvil in the workshop and then the ground. This was enough to distract his attacker. The person behind him turned and lowered the knife. The moment the knife was away from his throat, Orion took his chance. He elbowed the person behind him hard in the stomach. The person let go and staggered backwards in pain. Orion escaped and disappeared into the night.
His thoughts were completely focused on what had just happened. Who attacked him and why? He made a jump to get to another house, but slipped. Orion was able to grab hold just in time. His gaze was fixed on the ground far below him. “This whole detective thing is really not good for me,” he said, grabbing the edge of the building with both hands to pull himself up. It took a while, but he eventually managed to climb up. After Orion had recovered a bit, he continued. Once back in his room, Orion fell onto his bed and exhaled a deep sigh. He thought about what had happened. So far, he only had isolated events that seemed unrelated and nothing logical.
‘Murdered with a knife that he himself requested. His wife has been abused, and he shows no emotion for his death. The cleaning lady who finds it, a stack of letters, new picks that happen to fit Owen’s lock, and a direct attack on me. What’s the link?’ Orion wondered. “I’m missing something, but what?” He still didn’t know enough, but what was his next step? The adrenaline subsided, and he started to feel tired. “Let’s make tomorrow a normal day.” He yawned and closed his eyes. Normally he could easily pull an all-nighter, but after what happened, he felt too tired to do anything else. Orion tried to fall asleep, but he couldn’t. He lay awake, thinking about the attack.
That morning, he wanted to go out and make it a normal day, as he had planned. Although it was intended more as a distraction, But before he left, he grabbed the letter he had brought with him. The letter was addressed to Lady Margaret. He opened the letter and began to read it.
’My beloved Lady Margaret,
I love you. They are simple words, yet they were never spoken or written in ink by me to another living soul, only to you. I will never love another the way I love you. I will never cherish another as much as I cherish you. I will always love only you.
It will be the happiest day of my life when you and I can finally be together. When I can save you from your current life and offer you a new one, The day I can finally call you mine. I look forward to this day and the day I receive another letter from you.
With lots of love,
Your beloved Owen.”
It was a love letter, and according to the letter, the feelings were mutual. “Love has always been a good motive.” Orion said as he changed clothes and went outside. Doing what he did best helped him to forget about last night’s events and to let the letter sink in a bit. He also had an idea of where his next stop would be. With fleeting and clever movements, he stole rings, bracelets, and gold pieces. Whatever he had easy access to. He smiled, and the soft clinking in his pockets felt nice through his fingers. He was distracted for a moment and bumped into someone. He froze and stopped. A pocket watch fell to the floor and caught Orion’s attention. He looked at it until it was quickly picked up, and he heard a distinctly angry, deep voice.
’Watch your step, you worthless bum. And keep your eyes off my property.”
Orion looked up, and right in front of him was Owen. A sturdy man with brown hair, piercing brown eyes, and a mustache. His clothes were typical clothes for a blacksmith, and he glared at Orion. Orion was about to answer but was interrupted.
’Well, are you going to move aside? Or what about it?”
He moved to the side so Owen could pass him, and he watched him go. He didn’t know why, but this caught his attention. Orion wanted to know what he was up to and followed Owen. In daylight, it was difficult to make sure no one would see you. A few times, Owen looked back to see if anyone was following him. Orion hid well enough so that Owen couldn’t see him. He looked back one last time and turned into an alley. Orion looked into the alley and saw Owen talking to a woman. The woman looked suspiciously like Betty, and it didn’t take long before it was clear to Orion that it was really Betty. He was confused by the situation but continued to watch. He heard them talking, but it wasn’t clear what they were saying. Orion saw Owen give something to Betty; it looked like the pocket watch he had seen earlier. Then they hugged each other and went in different directions. Orion was unsure whether to follow them, but decided to continue with the plan he had for today and walked towards the morgue. Once at the morgue, Orion went inside. Inside, a nurse was writing down information about one of the deceased, who was lying on a table.
‘Good day. My name is Sir Laurence Williams, and I am looking for my recently deceased brother Edward Williams. I was told the greenhouse is so big that he would be here.’ Orion said to get the nurse’s attention.
The nurse looked up and turned her attention to him. “There’s no Edward here.” She said it stiffly and continued her writing.
‘Can’t you just ask for me? I’m really desperate to find him.’ He took off his hat to gain more sympathy for his situation.
The nurse looked at him again and sighed. ‘I’ll ask for you. Stay here and don’t touch anything.’ After she agreed, she left the room to look through the papers to see if the so-called brother was here. Orion waited until she was out of sight and quickly checked all the papers at the tables to find Sir Doyle. It took a long time, and the man was behind something. When he found Sir Doyle, he took the report hanging on the table and put it in his coat pocket. He looked around for a moment to see if the nurse was returning yet. Not yet; he still had time to look. Orion raised the white cloth that covered Sir Doyle and placed it halfway over the body so that he could examine the body.
He started by examining the stab wound. It was as deep as expected, but surrounding the wound was the imprint of the blade’s protector. Orion looked thoughtfully at the print and then examined the hands. There were cuts on the hands. They were not deep, but it was clear that Sir Doyle was trying to defend himself. There was also a cut across the cheek on the right side. ′ The protection pressed into the skin of the amount of force used in the attack. You must hate someone very much to do that.′ Orion said softly. While he was thinking, he heard soft footsteps coming. He put the cloth back over his body, ran back to the front, and walked quietly back and forth. As if he had never left his place.
“Like I said, there’s no Edward Williams here.” The nurse said this as she walked over to him.
’That’s really unfortunate, but thanks for watching anyway. I do have another question. A good friend of mine, Sir Doyle, passed away a few days ago, and his wife asked me to take back any belongings he had with him. She was very upset that she had not yet gotten his property back. Can I take these belongings with me, please?”
“You don’t know whether your brother is here or not, but are you sure about Sir Doyle?” asked the sister, looking sharply and suspiciously at Orion.
‘Sir Doyle is from this town, so it makes sense that he would be here. My brother is not from here; he was a trader and traveled a lot. That is why there is uncertainty about where exactly he is.’ Orion explained this to the nurse.
She still looked at him suspiciously. “I’ll see what Sir Doyle had with him.” She said that and went back to get the things. This time Orion waited, and it wasn’t long before the nurse returned with what he could see was a letter in her hands. He waited patiently for her to give the property to him.
“Sir Doyle didn’t have much on him. Just a letter and a cufflink. Can I help you with anything else?′ She asked as she handed the letter and button to him.
‘No, thank you. Lady Margaret will be grateful to you. Goodbye.’ Orion smiled kindly and walked to the door to leave. He no longer heard the nurse’s return greeting. His thoughts were already elsewhere.
As he walked back, he put the button in his pocket and opened the letter to read it. It was a letter from Lady Margaret to Owen. From this letter, it was clear that the two were having an affair and had been for quite some time. ‘This means Sir Doyle knew about the affair. If this were to come out, it would be a huge shame for both Lady Margaret and Owen himself,’ he said. He put the letter back in his pocket and grabbed the report. The report confirmed the defensive wounds on the hands and the cut on the face, but there was more. The stab wound was double. It was described as being first stabbed and then pushed with a lot of force. Finally, it stated that arsenic had been found in the blood. Not enough to kill, but enough to cause symptoms of poisoning. According to the report, there was already damage from long-term exposure to arsenic. ‘Arsenic. So murder had been planned for some time. Now we just have to find out which of the two ladies administered the poison.’ Orion said that and put the report back in his pocket. The last thing he looked at was the cufflink the nurse had given him. The button was gold and had initials on it. An O and an S. “Oh, S. Owen is the only one who has anything to do with Doyle and Margaret so far, but that says nothing about this button.” He continued, looking at the button. Orion shook his head and put the button back in his pocket. Back in the bell tower, Orion took a rest before his nightly visit to the home of Sir Doyle and Lady Magaret.
When he arrived that night, there was still a light on in one of the rooms. Orion slowly opened the window he was sitting by, pausing frequently to see if anyone heard him. So far, no one. He went inside and crept through the house. There was light in the hallways, so he had to be extra careful. He examined the doors, looking for any clue as to which room he should be in. He came across a door with Betty’s name on it and stopped in front of the door. He looked down to see if there was any light coming from under the door, but he couldn’t see it. The light from the hallway made it unclear where the light was coming from or not. Orion took the risk, grabbed the door handle, and carefully opened the door to see more. At that moment, he saw that there was a light on in the room.
“Yes, Lady Margaret?” he heard from the room, followed by footsteps heading towards the door. He let go of the door handle and quickly hid behind a cupboard in the hallway. Betty came out the door and looked around.
“Lady Margaret?” she repeated. Orion crept slowly towards her. He watched every step he took to make sure he didn’t make any unnecessary noise. As soon as he was close enough, he stood up, grabbed Betty from behind, and hit her hard on the neck. Betty lost consciousness from the blow and fell straight into his arms. He pulled her into her bedroom and laid her on the bed. Now he could see the room. Orion looked in all the places where a vial of poison might be hidden but found nothing. He opened all the doors and drawers and looked at the things in the cupboards, but there was no Arsenic. He did find a small leather pouch with the letter B printed on it. He opened the bag, and there were picks inside. He brought out his own new picks and compared them. They were the same. “So, you are my great helper.” Orion said softly and put the bag back. “Only one spot left.” Orion whispered and left the room. He continued through the house and went to the second floor. He remembered this from the first night he was here. Everything was dark in the corridor of the second floor, except in Lady Margaret’s room, where there was light visible from under the door. Orion hid and looked around for something to get Lady Margaret out of the room. Through the light coming through the window, he could see a glass statue. He slowly crept over, grabbed the statue, and crept back to his hiding place. He aimed at the wall opposite him and threw the statue against it. The statue broke, and the sound of breaking glass was enough to attract attention. As quietly as possible, Orion remained where he was, waiting for Lady Margaret to come out. It wasn’t long before the door opened and Lady Margaret came out into the hallway. She walked in the direction where the broken statue lay, and he followed her. She saw the statue and leaned over to take a closer look. Orion was right behind her, and just like with Betty, he hit her hard in the neck. Lady Margaret fell unconscious on the floor, and he pulled her into her bedroom to put her on the bed. This way, both would wake up thinking they just fell asleep. In Lady Margaret’s room, he did exactly the same thing as in Betty’s room. He searched everything to find the poison, but he didn’t find anything in her room either. There was no trace of the poison to be seen. “Then where else could it be?” he said softly, trying to think of another place. “The kitchen.” He continued, and Orion made his way back downstairs to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Orion turned on the light and searched the cupboards and drawers to find it, until he saw the trash can. He searched the trash and found what he needed. There was a small bottle at the very bottom of the trash. He took it out and looked at it. Arsenic was written on the label. He had found the vial of poison. When he held the bottle up to the light, he could see that there wasn’t much left in it. This gave no indication to whom it was administered, but it did indicate that it was administered here in the house. Orion put the bottle in his pocket and turned off the light in the kitchen, ready to leave.
When Orion was out of the house, he stopped. “Let’s see if our great friend Owen can be excluded.” He said that and left to go to Owen’s house. On the way, he also passed Owen’s workshop, where he saw a fleeting light coming from under the door, and he smiled. This meant that Owen wasn’t even home. Arriving at the house, Orion opened the lock on the front door and went inside. He went up the stairs and walked down the hall. It didn’t take long for him to find the bedroom. The room was quite a mess. There were mainly clothes strewn across the floor and pieces of furniture. Orion began to examine the garments to see if a button was missing. None of them missed anything. ‘Wait a minute; it’s a cufflink. And cufflinks are not sewn in place.’ He said that and walked to a chest of drawers in the room. He searched through the drawer, and there he found what he was looking for. “Gotcha.” He said that and grabbed the cufflinks that were in the drawer. Orion took out the cufflink he had in his pocket to compare them. They were the same. This proved that Owen was with Sir Doyle on the night of the murder. Orion put both buttons in his pocket and left the house, going back to the bell tower. He knew who did it and why it was done, and he had a plan to lure the killer out of hiding. The next night, everything would become clear.
Once back in the bell tower, Orion grabbed some papers, ink, and a pen. He sat down at his old table and started writing. He wrote three letters and folded them. Orion put the three letters in his pocket and went back outside to deliver them. He slipped the two letters under the front doors of the recipients of his letters and returned to the bell tower. As soon as he got back, Orion fell onto his bed and closed his eyes. He slowly fell asleep, hoping that his plan would work. Unfortunately, he had to wait until the next night for this. There were still things that weren’t completely clear to him yet, but he would get this answer soon enough. Over the next day, Orion sought the highest day of the city and spent his time looking over the city. He prepared himself for the confrontation that would take place the coming night. At sunset, it was time to go to his chosen place. Orion stood up and made his way to the harbor. There, he entered an old, abandoned warehouse. There was nothing more than crates, and there he waited for the killer to arrive.
The wait seemed to last forever, and Orion began to wonder if his plan had worked, but then he heard footsteps. He looked from behind the crates to see who it was. It was a man. The man looked around for someone and stopped. Waiting for someone else to arrive. The wait was rewarded with the arrival of two other people. They all seemed to know each other. This was the moment Orion finally emerged.
“Thanks for coming, Owen, Lady Margaret, and Betty.” He began
All three looked up in alarm after hearing Orion’s voice. Orion stood in the light, so they could see him. Lady Margaret recognized him and was amazed.
“Sir Laurence?” What are you doing here?′ asked Lady Margaret.
“I’m here to solve your husband’s murder, and I must say, it was cleverly done. So much trouble to find even a shred of evidence.′ Orion answered her, but corrected Lady Margaret. “I know exactly who did it and why.” He continued.
‘As if there is anything to prove. We have nothing to do with that at all. Come on, Margaret, let’s go. This clown really isn’t fooling me.’ Owen said that and turned to leave.
‘I would not do that. I have evidence of your affair, and I think the newspaper would be very interested in it. Not that it would make much difference, but I think I would like to be spared that shame.’ Orion took out the letter describing the affair and waved it.
“You were hired by Sir Doyle to do this, weren’t you?” I certainly wouldn’t have looked for blackmail after you.′ Betty said this in defense of Owen and Lady Margaret.
“To answer your questions, no, I have not been hired by Sir Doyle, and I have no interest in blackmail unless necessary.”
“Then what do you want from us?” Owen said he was frustrated. He began to pace back and forth impatiently. His nerves were running high, and it was clearly visible. Lady Margaret was silent; she just watched. She didn’t want to show any emotion about what was happening now.
“You say you know who killed Sir Doyle. Then tell us. Who is it? Betty said it in a challenging manner. All three of them wanted nothing more than for this to be over. Orion was silent and looked at the three people in front of him.
“Normally this is when I say it was one of you, but then I’d be lying.” He began. He wanted to continue his story, but Owen interrupted him.
’Well? Then which one of us is it? Are you sure you don’t know? What nonsense this is! He became increasingly impatient and just wanted to leave. Whether Lady Margaret went with him or not. Orion smiled. Somehow, he had expected these reactions; only Lady Margaret was special to him. He couldn’t read her but decided to continue his story.
“All three of you are murderers. All three of you took part in Sir Doyle’s murder. And I know exactly why.′ Orion said, and he looked straight and serious at all three. It was quiet for a while until suddenly laughter could be heard.
“Hahahaha, how do you come up with something so absurd? This simply cannot be taken seriously. Are all three of us murderers? Never.′ It was Lady Margaret who started laughing. “I really have nothing to do with this. I don’t know about these two, but I certainly don’t.′ She continued.
Both Betty and Owen looked at her and were a bit surprised by her reaction. Then Owen started laughing too. ’You’re right; it’s too absurd for words. How do you come to the conclusion that we have anything to do with this?
Orion took the cufflinks from his pocket and showed them. “Oh, S. Owen Smith. These are yours, right? Owen.′ Owen saw the buttons with his initials on them. They were indeed his, and a panic came over him. ’How did you get that? You definitely just stole them; give them back. Kind of trying to trap me. Not so, you dirty thief.”
‘I did indeed take one of the buttons with me, but the other? No, it was clutched in Sir Doyle’s hand. Besides, this knife was made by you, as requested by Doyle. That means you were there on the day of the murder. You were with him, and you stabbed him.’ Orion said that and also showed the knife that was used in the murder. Owen couldn’t ignore this. That was proof that he had done it. This realization broke Owen, and he started talking.
“It was Margaret’s idea. She promised me that if I killed him, she and I would be together. We wouldn’t have had any chance of being together otherwise. He abused her, and I hated him. I hated him so much. He deserved to die, but it wasn’t my idea.”
“Owen, you said you would keep your mouth shut about this. That’s what we agreed on.′ Lady Magaret said she was shocked by Owen’s reaction to seeing the cufflinks and the knife. Orion smiled and continued his story.
“Sooner or later, Sir Doyle would have died. If it was not due to a stab wound, then it was due to the poison that was administered over time. That makes you two equally guilty of murder.”
“And where’s your proof that poison had anything to do with it?” Betty asked. Orion put the buttons and knife back in his pocket and took out the almost empty bottle of arsenic. “This was in your trash can in the kitchen. And you, Betty, are doing everything you can to help Lady Margaret. Administering poison to her abuser of a man is not far-fetched. Moreover, you are familiar with the work on the other side of the law. I found your picks. The same set that was also brought to me—you are also the one who attacked me that night. That’s also why I got them. Not true?′
Betty was quiet. I was thinking about what to say to this. It didn’t work; Orion was on to them, so there was no point in hiding anymore. She closed her eyes and smiled. ’Yes, that is correct. I did my own research and found out quickly enough who you actually are. Orion, master thief. I wanted to stop you before you found out more. Too bad you escaped that night.”
“This just proves that those two committed the murder, and I had nothing to do with it.” Lady Margaret said, hoping Orion had forgotten her earlier comment. Orion shook his head. “It was your idea. You wanted to get rid of your husband to be with Owen without losing the money. It was only by luck that Owen ultimately committed the murder. It was not planted before that night. It only got to this point because Sir Doyle discovered you were having an affair. He found your letter to Owen and confronted him about it the night Owen was supposed to just deliver the knife. After all, Owen was friends with Sir Doyle. It was blind rage and panic that he stabbed him. Sir Doyle didn’t have much of a chance after having poison in his body for so long.′
Lady Margaret’s attitude changed, and she had had enough of his talking. “Betty, finish what you started. Get rid of him.′ Owen looked at Lady Margaret and wanted to stop her. “Margaret, let’s just go.”
He was ignored, and Betty pulled out a knife. “I’m going to enjoy this.” She said that and attacked Orion. She threw the knife she was holding in his direction, and he dodged it. She took advantage of the time he evaded to launch a second attack. She grabbed a second knife and tried to hit Orion in the stomach that way. He quickly realized it and parried her attack. Betty didn’t hesitate for a moment, and she launched her next attack. This time, she went right for his face. Orion managed to avoid this just in time. He had a lot of experience in street fighting and was able to block her attacks, although she came close to hitting him a few times. During one of her attacks, Orion jumped away and grabbed a rope lying on a crate. With one quick movement, he put the rope around Betty and tied her up. During their brief fight, Owen and Lady Margaret tried to get away but were blocked in their way by the police, who came running. At that point, Orion quickly hid and put all his evidence in a crate that the police could easily find. This was where his third letter had gone. He had written down all his findings and where they could find the evidence. After finding the evidence, Owen, Betty, and Lady Margaret were arrested, and Orion disappeared into the night. He stood on the rooftops and looked at the stars above him with a smile. “You were right, Charles; this was a fun challenge.” He said this and looked at the cufflink he had been holding in his hand.
