Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Meme
Memed from justice_turtle and dbskyler:
In honor of All Hallow's Eve, I'm inviting trick-or-treaters to my 'door.' Comment "trick-or-treat" to this post and...well, you know the drill. Treats can be anything that strikes my fancy (pics of fave actors or pairings, one sentence fics, graphics, a few words why I'm glad to have you on my flist, etc. etc.). The more "houses ( Read more... )
In honor of All Hallow's Eve, I'm inviting trick-or-treaters to my 'door.' Comment "trick-or-treat" to this post and...well, you know the drill. Treats can be anything that strikes my fancy (pics of fave actors or pairings, one sentence fics, graphics, a few words why I'm glad to have you on my flist, etc. etc.). The more "houses ( Read more... )
***
Dr John Smith had suddenly recalled that he was actually Sir John Smith Pearsby of Scotland Yard - it was finding his police badge and papers that did it - and abandoned his assumed persona of bored academic and amateur forger to hasten to the house of Lady Pollard, who was complaining that a pink elephant had been stolen from the stables.
This should have seemed a little unlikely, but somehow it didn’t.
*
“Thank you for coming, Inspector,” said Lady Louisa. “It must sound rather odd, but my husband is away and I hardly knew what else to do.”
He nodded. “Perhaps you can enlighten me, Lady Pollard - was this a misleadingly named horse called Pink Elephant or has a large and unusually-hued pachyderm actually gone missing?”
“It was an elephant,” she admitted. “The circus were in dire need and wanted somewhere to put her -.”
“Her?”
She glanced at him in mild surprise. “Pearl,” she informed him. “The pink elephant. She’s terribly rare and relatively small as elephants go. And now she’s vanished. I don’t know what to make of it and the owner of the circus is being quite beastly about it.”
“I see,” he murmured. He didn’t, not yet, but it wouldn’t do to admit to bafflement to civilians quite so soon. “I think I had better question the rest of the household.”
*
He started with the daughter of the household, since he assumed that if anyone was likely to have had the time and inclination to take an interest in a visiting elephant, it would be young Miss Pollard.
*
“Did you want to take my fingerprints?” Miss Pollard asked almost immediately on entering the room. “I don’t mind, you know. I think this is all jolly exciting. Much more fun than that dreadful murder with Miss Wright and Professor Smith.”
He coughed. “Miss Pollard -?”
“I’ve been looking for footprints because you’d think an elephant would leave some, but no luck. I’m sure you must have done, though. I expect you’re dreadfully clever. Did you?”
“Miss Pollard, if I could just -.”
She leant forward. “I think that circus owner had something to do with it. I mean, it’s awfully suspicious, isn’t it? ‘By the way, Lady Pollard, do you want to look after my pink elephant?’ and two minutes later someone’s swiped the animal. Maybe it’s an insurance fraud?”
“Miss Pollard!”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ve thought of all that already. I should say that I’m sure it’s not Jem the stable boy, because he would never harm an animal. I can give you my word on that.”
“If I could possibly -.”
She turned thoughtful. “Why would someone steal an elephant? I mean, there’s been no ransom note and unless it’s one of those professional burglars looking for a challenge -.”
He gave up on doing the interrogation himself. “Do you want to join the police force?”
“Oh, no. I’m going to be an explorer,” she returned. “Mind you, it would be a thrill. Can I be your plucky assistant?”
He said, “I’d be delighted, but you’re still a suspect, young lady.”
“Oh, so I am. How funny. What about if you search my room and check there are no elephants there?”
He paused. “You might, having time on your hands, think this sort of thing an amusing practical joke.”
“Well!” She stared at him open-mouthed. “Do you know, I think that might be the rottenest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
He shrugged. “It had to be asked.”
“Have you any reason to believe I’m the sort of girl who goes around pinching pink elephants for a lark?”
Sir John swallowed. “You did try to run away from home last month.”
“That’s different. That was because Mother was talking about having me presented again and I said -.”
He gave in. “You know, I could use a plucky young assistant. I don’t know how it is, but police sergeants never have a proper sense of humour.”
“That’s an unfair generalisation,” she pointed out.
He smiled at her. “So it is. Perhaps you could tell me if you’ve observed anything unusual around the house and the grounds in the past few days?”
***
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