The Ivory Painting

~Chapter 1: Pride & Problems~

     Fog was all that could be seen that dreary day as the young detective walked the streets of London. She headed west down a side street in search of her favorite book store, patting her fog-dampened, blonde hair down. She stopped abruptly . . . she had gone the wrong way. Instead, she stood in front of a seemingly ancient, deserted pub. Having taken a wrong turn a street or two back, Lilith sighed.
“Damn this bloody fog” she muttered as she pushed open the door to the pub, hoping to find someone who could direct her back towards the main street.
She entered the pub, only to find it was dimly lit by a single, hanging lamp in the middle of the room. The bartender looked up at her, nodding towards an odd couple at a booth in the far corner of the dark room. She didn’t have to ask, he didn’t have to explain. She moved towards the two men in the booth.
“Ehem… good day, gentlemen” she said calmly, her green eyes glancing towards the door cautiously.
“Hmm? Well, hello dearie!” a charismatic young man turned to smile at her. His caramel eyes glimmered with youthful, devious mischief as he removed his bowler in greeting. His brown hair was ruffled by the sudden removal of his hat.
“What can we do for you, madam?” the brown haired man’s companion asked politely. He was a slightly younger man, with slicked back, black hair and dark eyes.
Lilith stood there for a moment, stunned by the two men. They sat in such a shabby little pub, but both of them were dressed in such fine suits. Before she could speak, the brown haired man passed his bowler to his companion, and stood. He took Lilith’s hand, lifted it to his face, and bowed slightly.
“We should probably introduce ourselves. Alastor Windell, a pleasure!” The brown haired man then kissed her hand, and smiled up at her charmingly.
“Emmet Windell; my brother” Alastor motioned to the black haired boy in the booth, who nodded politely in response.
“Lilith. . . Lilith Hawthorne” she replied calmly, slowly. She was intrigued and perplexed by the duo of brothers. They seemed completely normal, in themselves anyway. Yet, they sat here; in this shack of an old tavern, drinking what looked like stale beer.
She made the mistake of letting her thoughts show on her face; something she had learned, as a detective, to never do. Alastor’s smile widened.
“Oh, don’t mind us, dearie! We’re just two lonely brothers chatting about our problems, doing nothing at all to solve them” he laughed charismatically.
“Oh, I'm sorry… about your problems, I mean. But believe me, you aren’t alone” Lilith said calmly, her mind spinning.
“Anyway… I wanted to ask if you knew the way back to main street. I can’t see a yard in front of me with this dreadful fog” she continued calmly, slowly, analyzing the situation she was in. She thought quickly, a talent that came with being a detective. She didn’t know anything more about these gentlemen than basic facts. Alastor was energetic and charismatic, likely older than Emmet, who was calm and polite. Both men were dressed nicely, yet sat in a dingy little pub, drinking old alcoholic beverages as they spoke of their “problems” they couldn't seem to do anything about. She decided she would let her curiosity lead her. After all, meddling where you shouldn’t was the essence of investigating.
“However, may I ask about what problems trouble you?” She tried sounding casual and polite at the same time.
“Hmm? Oh, it's a long story, dearie” Alastor said as he motioned for her to join him and his brother in the booth. Emmet tried sneaking a scowl to Alastor, but Lilith caught it in the corner of her eyes. An immediate red flag, she thought.
“I'd love to, but I’m… well, I'm not busy. Just slightly lost” she said as she slid into the booth next to Alastor. Much to her surprise, he moved away a bit; giving her respectful distance. There didn’t seem to be anything off about him…yet. He was very polite and respectful, albeit energetic and possibly overbearing, yet somehow… charming. Emmet seemed more refined, and he had an air of intelligence about him.
“It all started last wednesday!” Alastor said brightly, like he was a radio announcer. Lilith realized that was just how he spoke, but it didn’t stop her from thinking it was strange… and familiar. She felt as if she had heard that voice before.
“My dear brother and I arrived at our family’s chateau. And upon entering, we found our beloved father dead!” Alastor exclaimed far too energetically.
“I-I…I’m sorry, what?” Lilith stuttered in shock. Death wasn’t unfamiliar to her, she was a detective. She investigated deaths and other such things for a living. It was the way he said it that baffled her.
“You skipped the part about mum” Emmet interjected
“Ah, yes! Father found our mother dead about three days before we found him dead” Alastor said with absolute indifference, waving the subject away.
“I…well, that’s certainly a tragedy. I'm sorry for your losses'' she said calmly as she composed herself. Inwardly, Lilith was beginning to anticipate an unusual problem around these two men.
“Oh, don’t worry about it, dearie. We’re doing quite alright” Alastor said cheerily.
“Actually-” Emmet tried to interject.
“Fine and splendid!” Alastor beamed, sending a quick, sharp glare at Emmet.
“-there is a problem among the estates” Emmet continued, despite Alastor’s interrupting.
Alastor groaned, and Emmet flashed a momentary smirk. The fleeting grin gave Emmet’s intelligent face an astonishingly menacing expression. That threw Lilith off of her initial plan. She had a few go-to’s, as a detective. This was such a bizarre situation, and none of her usual approaches would work.
“Well, these problems of yours may be able to be… aided. I happen to work in that particular field” Lilith said promptly, choosing to ignore what was supposed to be a hidden grimace from Emmet.
“Oh?” Alastor grinned wickedly.
*What on earth is happening?* Lilith’s mind was racing a marathon, her adrenaline was causing her heart to beat in her ears, despite the fact that she was sitting down.
“Indeed. I am a… former police investigator for a unit in Wales. Just recently, I’ve left the force and opened my own commission of sorts. I investigate privately” Lilith said calmly, a hint of pride in her eyes.
“*Oh ho ho?* A detective?” Alastor said smugly. He raised his glass and took a long swig of something that smelled potent.
“We’re just fine, thank you” Emmet said politely
“Ah, but a detective is *just* what we need, brother!” Alastor smiled broadly, setting his empty glass down.
“What I need is a better lawyer. What you need is an exorcism” Emmet muttered
“I… uhm, I’d be happy to help, if my services are needed” she offered politely, choosing to ignore Emmet’s mutters.
“Splendid, splendid!” Alastor grinned charmingly.
“May I know exactly what I’m investigating?…The details, I mean” she smiled politely
“It’s simple, dear. Our mother was found dead, strangled actually, in her and our father’s bedroom. Three days later, our father was found dead in the garden. Your guess is as good as ours, or perhaps *better*” Alastor laughed charmingly
“They think they both committed suicide” Emmet interjected indifferently
“Sorry, who are *they*?” Lilith asked calmly, though her head was frantic as she tried to piece together the disoriented puzzle.
“The local police. They weren’t much help” Emmet stared into his drink.
“*Yes*…well.” Alastor cleared his throat
These two brothers seemed to be close, yet there was something hidden there. They were chatting and conversing just fine one minute, then staring at or away from each other the next. There was an unspoken difference between the two men, and not the one Lilith and everyone else could see from the outside.
“Your assistance would be very much appreciated, Mrs. Hawthorne. Appreciated and well rewarded, I can assure you” Alastor said calmly, the first time Lilith had heard such a tone from him. Perhaps it was the topic of business, salary, or such things that could bring out the calm, collected man in him. How intriguing.
“It's just Miss, actually” she mumbled, scribbling a few notes in a pocket notebook to distract herself from that awkward conversation she felt coming.
“*Oh?* How fortunate for me” Alastor said lowly, which Lilith didn’t catch. Emmet had, however, and shot Alastor a dirty glare.
“Well, I’d be glad to help you gentlemen. I’d like to see the crime scene first, obviously, as it is a clear necessity” she explained
“Ah, that may be a problem. The bodies were removed just a few hours after the incidents themselves occurred” Alastor said indifferently, smirking. Then she saw it again, the mischievous glimmer in his eye. He was challenging her.
“That won’t be a problem” but it very much *would* be a problem.
“Excellent!” Alastor grinned. He still had the gleam in his eyes, he was humored and entertained by the fact that she would try to investigate regardless of the lack of a crime scene.
“How helpful” Emmet mumbled as he rose, sitting his glass down and brushing himself off. He paid the tab he and his brother had apparently accumulated with a sour expression. Did they not have enough to pay? Clearly they did, but Emmet’s expression told a different tale. Lilith stood as well.
“Very well. I should excuse myself to go back to my flat. I’ll have a messenger send the case file from the police station. The case file will be in my possession, upon your approval,” Lilith said, to which Alastor nodded promptly “and will be thoroughly investigated. I’ll have your address within the file, so I shall meet you gentlemen tomorrow. Perhaps noon?” Lilith spoke with respectable authority.
“Noon it is, dearie!” Alastor said cheerily. Emmet nodded to her as he opened the door to the pub for her, and the company of three stepped out onto the foggy streets of London, each going their own way.
Lilith, now heading back towards the main street to catch a cab, walked slowly. Her mind was excitingly frantic. The two brothers were so odd, and their story was… well, certainly a story. It was hard to describe, but there was a silent challenge of sorts from Alastor. She was determined to find out who had killed their mother, and he was excited about the entertainment in store. He seemed to hint at it without ever saying it; that he doubted she could do it, mostly because of the lack of a crime scene, thus a lack of evidence. She silently accepted the challenge, which seemed more like a foolish decision the longer she thought about it. She stopped in an alley just off the main street. She would put the facts together, she would figure it out, and she would prove it to him; that she could solve the case. But why prove it to *him*? She didn’t know him, but she still felt the need to prove herself as a capable detective. She would do it more to gratify herself than the brothers.
She continued walking, taking out her pocket notebook once more. She stepped out onto the main street, leaned against a light pole, then began writing.

- Alastor and Emmet were brothers who just lost both parents. The mother was killed in her and her husband’s bedroom. The father was found dead in the garden.
- Both were believed suicides by the police, which wasn’t at all likely. One had to have been killed, what happened to the other? The mother went first, so why the father?
- There was a silent disagreement among the brothers that caused silent issues. They both seemed indifferent to the deaths.
- Emmet was cold and simply didn’t care much.
- Alastor was energetic and wanted help solving the mysteries.

Or did he? He seemed keen to find something entertaining, maybe this was it. Maybe he just wanted to laugh as Lilith failed to solve the mysteries of his parents’ deaths. Despite these facts, and she hated to admit it, Lilith was intrigued by the handsome reward the finely dressed man had promised. If Alastor wanted to laugh at her failure, well, she'd be sure she succeeded; for both the money and the bragging rights.
With these final thoughts, Lilith stepped out from under the light pole. She hailed a cab, and departed to her flat, where she would ponder over her thoughts for the next few hours, rather than getting the sleep she knew she obviously needed.