CLOVER

Ring Ring Ring

Red and white striped colored walls were standing before their eyes. It almost seemed like a little circus was taking place, but instead of actors or acrobats, there were only masks flying around from one hand to another. The crowd was going absolutely insane over the masks as if they were missing pieces of a treasure. "Make way, make way!" an irritating voice shouted. "Each and every one of you will get a mask that is designated to be yours! But for that... You will need to be patient and wait in a line!" The man continued explaining. William and Scarlett tried to get a glimpse of him behind the crowd they were standing, but it was almost impossible. The man was fairly short, and he appeared to be wearing a costume similar to the jester of the poker cards. The crowd refused to take for granted any of the words that came of the man's mouth. Ladies started fighting for the masks, and some of them even ended up tearing the masks apart. The man seemed to have had enough after his figure started disappearing in the depths of the store. Just a few minutes later, he stomped his feet on the floor of the balcony above the store, asking for everyone's attention. Weirdly enough, everyone turned their heads to him still with their lifeless and angry faces.
"Hear here and wide! We all are pleased to see how many of you are here to get our masks for the upcoming ball! Unfortunately, we must say that it is not quite possible for us to sell the same mask to a certain number of people. Our masks are one of a kind, and it is hard for us to create more than one as they are special and very hard to work on!"-the man gave the speech. William's and Scarlett's attention was also drawn to him, which made them realize the man was quite familiar to them.  "Isn't that who I think it is?" Scarlett placed her hand near his ear and cheek to block the voice from being heard. William looked at the man, and he chuckled as their eyes locked. "Chiswik is added to my conspiracy board from now on."-he turned to Scarlett, putting his hands inside the pockets of his pants. Chiswik was found in a loss for words as soon as he recognized them, but he still continued his speech. "We have decided to invite each and every one of you in a rather friendly competition to get our best masks. This way, you will get to feel unique when you make your  attendance in the ball. Only the unlucky ones shall be attending with our most simple masks!" "Do Apsley's own this store too, kind sir?"- William interrupted the silence of the crowd by making everyone turn their heads to him now.  Chiswik was sweating, anxiously grabbing his collar to allow him to breathe.  "I have no idea of what you are talking about, sir!"-Chiswik managed to let out an answer. As soon as everyone thought that he had taken his leave, he was struggling to bring what seemed like a gong. "Hear near and far! By the time I ring this gong, the bidding for the masks will start! Only our dear ladies are allowed to participate in the bidding. Remember, it is the ceremony ball of the year! You must look flattering that specific night only!"- he dropped a smile to the crowd, though deep inside, he felt the rush of anxiety creeping around his body.  The ladies left out a cheerful scream and placed their parasols on the side, making their way for the contest. Some of them seemed to leave and take with them the casual masks as they were not ready to spend a huge amount on just a mask. Chiswik hit the gong with all the power and strength that he got. The gong left out a long and screeching noise, and the ladies found themselves blocking their ears with the palms of their hands. "Stay here."- William ordered Scarlett handing her a small leather bag of golden coins. "Get yourself a beautiful mask."
"And where are you going?"-she stopped him shortly. "To see if Chiswik prefers feathers or thread more!"- he turned and made his way inside the store. Since the ladies were all lined under the balcony, it was easy to find a way to get inside now. William found himself exploring the unusual and unfinished masks inside the store, but what troubled his mind was that no one else was inside. Chiswik was continuously ringing the gong and throwing off a mask to the lady who offered the most golden coins. This kept going on for a while until the ladies disappeared slowly one by one. Only a few were left but enough to fight over the last mask.
"Now dearest gentle ladies, for our last mask, the prices range from 10 to 15 golden coins!"-Chiswik shouted confidently. The ladies lowered their heads hearing the price. They could not afford to lose that amount of gold just for a night. They slowly took their leave until Scarlett was the only one remaining in the center. "Well, Chiswik, do you think that mask would suit my ivory dress?" Chiswik panicked and rushed to the stairs of the balcony so he could get down to the store. On his way down, he saw William blocking his way. Now he knew that there was nowhere else to go and he had to give up sooner or later. Chiswik wasn't so ordinary at all. He slowed his steps and sat down on his waiting desk, putting his hands on his head. Scarlett made her way inside the store and closed the door as she got in. "So, don't Apsley's non-existent tailors pay you enough? That's why you work two different jobs, am I right?"- William confronted him, demanding answers. "Why do you always reffer as "we" when there is only you behind all of this."- he continued his questions. "You have to give up."- Chiswik whispered in a lower tone. "She will win." William and Scarlett looked at each other confused. "Who do you mean by "she" ?"- they asked him. "The woman with the red lipstick. The woman that killed the tailors." William's face changed its expression as it turned into a confused and realization look. "You need to start from the beginning, Chiswik. You can not refuse. We are from the detective forces, and we need to get you to talk about this specific information." Chiswik seemed to not take it anymore. He broke down and finally spoke. "Miss Clover got all her costumes from us. We sewed everything carefully for her, and as a way to pay us, she would bring us half of the stolen goods she got from the men she killed. We always wanted to know what was the reason behind her murder desire and specifically only directed to men. She never cared enough to tell us about it, and we eventually gave up trying and continued with our business. Later on, she found out about our gemstone box and wanted us to compromise and share half of them with her as a sign of truce and partnership. We certainly disagreed because the offer was not fair at all! She killed the three of them on the same day, leaving her deadly kisses laying on the tailors skin. I figured out that she never wanted the gemstones, but she still needed her costumes, and that is why I am here alive and breathing. I knew I would have to sew your costumes way before you arrived in my shop. She knows your every single move, so you should give up from trying to catch her. And if you two do, I will finally be able to stop sewing for her." -"You will be free of her if we catch her as well. You can help us, Chiswik!"- William tried to convince him. Chiswik nodded in disagreement and handed the mask to Scarlett. "I can not describe it properly, but it is like your luck is sealed. You can not change or prevent what is going to happen. If it was that easy, you two would have gotten to her way before. Come to pick up the costumes after 2 days." Chiswik turned to walk at the back of the store as William and Scarlett left from it. "Maybe we are doing this the wrong way."-William spoke. He wanted to confirm one last time to himself that he could somehow be able to find a way to  find where she was even though everytime he thought of the chance to talk with Jennifer, disgust covered his all body and feelings. He knew he wouldn't be able to say much but still wanted to try. He saw a telephone cabin in a distance and reached it in a hurry. He formed the digits of a number and placed the telephone to his ear.
"Hello?"- her voice appeared. "It has been a few days since you've been off to London, Jenn. Any luck on finding her files?" -"William? It's you! I'm glad to hear from you. Actually, I think it might take a bit longer and I believe I can't come until the beginning of June." "Why so?"-his tone changed. "I got an unknown invitation to the ceremony ball that is being organized for the Big Ben! It is really odd, but I accepted it. You should have come here too. Any word from Clover so far?" -"No. Not really. I think we might need to close the case soon."- William added, the feeling of lying to her felt wrong, but it was most definitely necessary. "I am sorry to hear that. Well, I should stop looking for Scarlett's files then. It won't be necessary since she will leave after the case is closed." "Yes that is true. I hope to hear from you soon! I have to leave now."-he ended the phone call. Placing the telephone back to its spot, he turned to Scarlett in disappointment. "I think what is left to do is to wait for the cermony date to come." Scarlett left out a sigh and waited for him to come out of the cabin. Both of them walked in a distance, making their way back to the hotel. Weirdly enough, the telephone started ringing just seconds after they left.
Ring* Ring* Ring*
It kept ringing.
Ring* Ring* Ring*
The telephone lost its balance from the place it was hanging and fell being held by the twisted, curled cable, letting out a worried and thin voice after being open.
"I think someone is following me!"