Private Investigation

Worst fears

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"Dot!" Hester warned as she paced around the room waiting for the results regarding the gun.

Dot quickly retracted her hand from the wooden table she had been impatiently tapping her nails against before Hester could do anything. "Does it always take this long?" she questioned followed by a long sigh. The pair had been waiting for just over two hours now and both were far past annoyed.

"This is why I normally bring Ani." Hester mumbled but unfortunately Dot overheard.

"Believe me, I know."

Hester then turned her quickly attention to Dot, surprised by her sudden change in attitude. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means it's bad enough that you always make me feel like a third wheel but do you really have to make me feel useless at my job." Hester's brow furrowed at Dot's outburst but she didn't say a thing. "I work just as hard as the both of you and you know I can do it. You never used to act like this but then Anadil came along and now it feels like you are just looking for a reason to get rid of me." Dot got to her feet putting distance between herself and Hester. "Well you've got your wish." Dot sighed, her eyes trained on the ground. She couldn't bring herself to look at Hester, she knew the minute she did she would take it all back and beg for her approval. She hated it be she knew she would.

For a few moments there was silence. Hester was completely lost. What wish? What was she talking about? Before she could ask, Dot started talking again. "My dad found me a job back at home. It means I'll get to be with my family and I won't be in your way." Dot was now battling against her tears and as the more time went by without an answer the more difficult it got.
"You're going back to Nottingham?" was all Hester could manage.
Dot simply nodded.
"No!" Dot's head flew up to look at Hester. "You're not going anywhere. I don't care what they're offering you. I'll match it, hell I'll double it. Yes, I love Ani but you are my closest friend."
"Hester, I'm your only friend." Dot laughed through her tears.
"We have worked together for way too long for you to ditch me now."
"But you think I'm useless."
"Dot I don't know what I'd do without you."
Hester turned to her with a look of horror across her face "I'd have to learn to use a type writer, oh god I'd have to be nice to people. Dot you can't leave me, being nice would kill me." Hester was relieved when a smile etched its way onto Dot's face.
Before anything else could be said the munitions expert returned to their waiting area.
***
Hester was furious it was the news she expected, hey it was the news she wanted but to hear it out loud, to have it confirmed made her blood boil.
She marched out of the building, Dot jogging behind to try and keep up, when someone called after them. Hester turned on her heels and glared at the individual. The girl looked barely old enough to have left school let alone work in a lab. She had long black hair scrapped back into a high ponytail. Her cheeks were flushed a deep red against her tanned skin which proved Dot wasn't the only one running to catch up to Hester.
"What do you want?"
"My name is Valentina Perez, you came to me with your letters last week." She managed to say between deep breaths.
Hester didn't say anything and waited for her to carry on. Valentina's eyes quickly darted to Dot who nodded for her to carry on. "We have a match to the second letter."
"What second letter?" Hester questioned sounding far more intimidating than she meant to, her mind currently occupied by the gun now lying at the bottom of her bag.
"Y-your partner, detective Brooke, gave it to us. I can show you if you like?" The girl reached into the folder, under her right arm, and pulled out the scrap of paper. At first she held it out to Hester but when the tattooed detective didn't take it she gave it to Dot, whose face immediately went pale.
"Hester, did you see this before Anadil handed it over." Hester shook her head so Dot turned it to face her. "Is this who I think it is?"

Hester could feel her blood boil. She was right, of course she was. But she didn't want to be, she so desperately wanted to be wrong on this occasion.

As a silence hung between the two detectives Valentina spoke up. "It matches to several letters we have on record. Most of them are threats thought to come from-"

"Rafal Mistral." Dot and Hester said in unison.

Valentina nodded.

***
By the time the two detectives had finally made it back to the Manor the wind was starting to pick up, and the gale made it nearly impossible to hear anything outside of the room you were in.
Hester entered the study and made a bee line for the desk while Dot shrugged off her damp coat and tried to undo the damage done to her hair by the wind in the reflection of a photograph. Hester unlocked the bottom drawer and placed the gun back into the chest from Japeth's room and locked it away.

Anadil could tell Hester's temper was at boiling point so didn't dare say a word, especially when she knew what she had to say would only make things worse. As she turned to talk to Dot, Anadil heard a loud crash as Hester push everything from the desk, making Dot jump.

Dot quietly walked over to Anadil and gently pulled her sleeve to guide her out of the room. One in the corridor Dot looked around to make sure they were alone before beginning. "The letter you found, it was from Rafal."

Anadil glanced at the door, she knew that would make Hester angry, but not this angry. "You know that letter on ester's chest of draws at home?" Dot questioned and Anadil nodded in response. "Have you ever read it?"

"No, she wont let me. Say's it isn't important."

Anadil started to worry as Dot closed her eyes to think of the best way to explain it. They heard someone down the hallway, so started to walk to the Kitchen. "A year after Yara Winters was arrested we got a letter, that letter. It was ridiculing us for not solving the case, that person knew who the true culprit was. That letter has tormented her ever since." Anadil could feel her heart drop as Dot carried on. Hester was always so private and it hurt to realise she knew so little. "When we saw the letter, and it was the same handwritting, it wasn't only confirmation that Rafal was involved in the murder-"

"It meant he is the one that accused Yara too." Dot and Anadil spun around to see Hester in the doorway to the kitchen. "We need to speak to Japeth."

"That might not be possible." Anadil said cautiously. "Hort said he left this morning and they don't know when he will be back." Dot and Anadil waited for Hester to completely lose her temper but to their surprise she remained calm.

"I guess we're spending the night here then."