The storm continued to rage as Professor and Gordon stealthily descended toward Mrs. Wilberforce's quarters, poisoned pie in hand. Upon reaching the bakery door unnoticed, Professor presented Gordon with an ultimatum in chilling whispers.
Deliver this and our troubles end. Refuse, and you'll meet the same fate. Consider your choice carefully.
Gordon trembled, clutching the fateful tin as Professor vanished into darkness. He hesitated outside her door, conflicted between self-preservation and mercy.
Inside, Mrs. Wilberforce sat mending by lamplight, pondering mysteries of the strange men above. A knock disrupted reflections, revealing Gordon's anguished face beyond the threshold.
Come in from the cold, child, she beckoned kindly despite intuiting further unease. Gordon entered numbly, presenting the pie with a despondent plea for forgiveness.
Her brow furrowed analytically upon noticing flecks within the filling. Nightshade! She recognized the poison immediately, yet sensed the danger extended beyond simple culinary harm.
Gordon buckled under interrogation, divulging all - the botched robbery, Professor's threats, their lethal intent. The widow grasped his shoulders bracingly. Fear not, help is at hand. Now, play along and finish delivering that pie upstairs!
Bewildered yet grateful, Gordon obeyed as Mrs. Wilberforce hurried off into the storm with her medical bag. Arriving drenched, she rapped sharply upon Professor's door above.
The crimelord answered, visage switching from charm to unease upon seeing her soaked form. Come now, out of the rain with you. Leave us in peace, he demanded coldly.
Peace is what I aim to find, she declared boldly, barging past towards the ransacked living quarters. Where has your young colleague gone with that dessert I sent up?
Professor glanced nervously toward the pie, abandoned upon entering. Realizing Gordon had betrayed their scheme, rage contorted his face as he lunged at the encroaching widow.
A scuffle ensued amid the tumult, evading blows as furniture crashed around them. Professor brandished a fireplace poker menacingly before Mrs. Wilberforce outmaneuvered him, jabbing a syringe firmly into his neck.
Her mystery tranquilizer acted swiftly, subduing the criminal into unconsciousness. Out cold, he slumped heavily to the floor as the bakery woman stood victorious, catching her breath above the fallen schemer.
Though danger had passed for now, greater trials likely lay ahead ere this volatile tale reached its climax. Little did any suspect how swiftly the tide would turn once more that fateful night.
YOU ARE READING
A case of pies and plotting
Mystère / ThrillerA charming criminal known as "Professor" rents rooms above a bakery owned by a pious old woman named Mrs. Wilberforce under the guise of being a professor of music. In truth, he is assembling a crew for a sophisticated casino heist. Over time, Mrs...
