Trevor Kantner; Detective Tales 1 Chapter 2

2.

The building described by Lady Farley was indeed rundown. We found out from the others who resides there that the place was a shelter for the undesirables. Nevertheless, Trevor asked to be taken to the room which the gentleman was seen in his alleged abduction. The man who stood there at the door was not willing to budged for us despite the presence of the constable.

"I had let in a lady this morning, and yet we have not committed any crime. Tell me why must I do so for you now? We have not done anything wrong." The man stood firm at the door.

Trevor did the most unexpected thing; he used the heavy cane he carried as a baton. He thrust the head of his cane into the doorman's midriff. Then he raised it up to hit the man below the jaw. The doorman collapsed backwards, and the door was cleared for us.

"I knew those lessons would come in handy." Trevor spoke up as he stepped over the fallen doorman. We made our way up and found ourselves in the room. It was devoid of any build furnitures, but some crates and a partially broken off mirror, but can still rendered a reflection of one's face. The window was there and we checked the window sills. We checked any thing that worth our checking but nothing was of any use.

Trevor then asked the constable to take down the details of the people who were in the building. That request caused a stampede of legs as the inhabitants of the place made haste their exits. The constable tried to grabbed some of them but found himself pushed to the ground and then trampled.

There was one more left behind by the stampede; the doorman. He was dragged up the stairs and questioned by Trevor with the constable standing guard.

"I know not all who sheltered here as we do not divulge names here except the coins of their payment for shelter." The doorman was adamant he knew nothing more. I was looking at the man and then by coincidence I looked outside. I learned from my days of watching TV in my other timeline; the guilty one do turned up at their own crime scene. Outside there were a crowd that was constantly changing but there was one I have laid my eyes; a beggar who stood there by the wall with a coin box at his feet. He caught my attention as the vagrant or beggar was not looking at his coin box, but at the building. And more to it, the street we are on was hardly a place for a beggar but maybe for drunks and the hungry.

The beggar saw me looking and walked away leaving his coin box. That really intrigued me as that was probably his prized possession in his trade.

Soon we were back at our place and Trevor was truly baffled by the case. There was no new development and no clues to begin any development. He kept on looking at the note and then at the Promissory Note.

"Allie, the writing are by one well educated. Note the strokes; they are well defined." Trevor passed me the Notes. "Both of them bear the same strokes as if it was written by the same person."

"Trevor, would it be possible that the victim may not be the victim but the real culprit?" I raised the doubt.

"Blasphemy! Why would someone kidnaps himself?" Trevor raised his disbeliefs and then paused in his words. "Its possible. Others have posed their own death and yet why not kidnap?"

It was then Trevor felt it was justified to learned more of this victim and that means a trip to his estate. I loved to travel and more so, I want to travel with Trevor. So it was the next morning we were on the train to Hershey. At the station, we we were confronted by an incident of the porters trying to stop a beggar from boarding the train but he was allowed in the end.

"The beggar paid his fare but we had to put him at the rear wagons." The train master explained the accepted solution to the issue. The train left finally; late by ten minutes and our trip was a rushed indeed. We arrived at the victim's house and was met by the Lady.

"No, my dear Sir." Lady Farley explained herself. "I met Ronnie some years back and we got married. But I knew naught of his inheritance and of his family. He told me he was from the main continent and was estranged from his family. I cared not of that as I love him and he loved me."

"He never involved me in his works and neither have I asked. I am his children mother, not of one but of three. They are more than a chore for me alone, as I have no nanny. We could afford one but I preferred to take care of them." Lady Farley explained to Trevor.

"I am not guilty of neglect when I left for London to search my husband as I left them with the care of the gardener's wife." Lady Farley broke down in her words. "I am guilty however that my intention to search my husband was not true as mentioned earlier. I followed him as I was weak in my faith of his love."

"Weaken by the faith of love? You meant to say that you think he may be having some others outside." I laid it out plain to her. She nodded and broke down to cry. It was then the glass door of the room we were in was opened and the beggar came in. He rushed to Lady Farley and kneel before her.

"Forgive me, my love. I have betrayed you all these years. I lied of my work too. I am actually a beggar who had acquired all these wealth that you lived within." The beggar pleaded with the lady. "But never have I strayed from your love."

"Ronnie?" Lady Farley looked at the beggar who had now looked up to her. "Its you. But how can that be?"

"My love, let me explained to you after I have taken my bath and changed." The beggar stood up and then bowed to her. He proceeded to walked out of the room. Meanwhile I pulled at Trevor to leave.

"Lady Farley, its time for us to leave. I believed your husband is back now." I spoke to her and then proceeded to walked out. The lady was still in shock but that was something she would need time and her personal strength to overcome. On the way leaving the estate, Trevor turned to me.

"You knew for sometime but you chose not to tell me. But how?" I looked at him. He won't understand if I told him that I read that in the books that speaks of a great fictional Detective.

"You can called it a ladies' instinct." I replied.

I smiled. I have him for the next two hours, alone and for myself only.