The Manor Murder

Chapter 4

It was five in the morning. 32/A on Elm street was the only one exuding light at that ungodly hour. It was Daniel's house. Daniel you can say was a 'morning person'. A very morning person as you can make out if a fellow voluntarily woke up at five in the morning.

He was a very methodical person, which helped him keep his mind clear. Two other things that helped him keep his mind clear was an early morning jog and building card houses.

There was something about stacking cards that helped him focus, get his facts in order. Others often looked on in astonishment when his long ,nimble fingers worked swiftly to stack card after card without a fumble.

The jog was the reason Daniel was up at that hour. At sharp 5:15AM, the lights went off and Elm Street once more plunged into darkness. The front door of 32/A opened and shut. If anyone had cared to look closely enough, they could see a lean, tall man jog down the stairs.

Daniel took in a deep breath. As always, it stabilized him, kept him firmly attached to the ground. At 42 he was as fit as a 20 year old man.

He wondered whether he should rouse William, his best mate and the Watson to Daniel's Sherlock. He let it be. It was common knowledge that Will Andrews was NOT a morning person. He shook his head, smiled and set off on his jog.

His instincts were tingling. That was how he knew that the day was going to be interesting. One thing he had learned over years of experience was to trust his instinct. It was a well accepted fact that Dan's instincts were the closest thing to real life premonition.

When he returned from his jog, he found his house bustling with activity. Theresa, his housekeeper, was bustling about getting breakfast ready.

He entered the hall and called out
" Will, pray tell as to why you are doing such a bad attempt to conceal yourself behind the sofa?"

Will let out a groan and said" How? It is not possible. You cannot be human. I didn't make a single noise this time. What gave me away?"

" Perhaps the next time you want to surprise anyone, I suggest you keep your signature khaki coat on yourself rather than hanging it out in the hallway for anyone to see" Dan replied.

" Humph! Only you Dublin, only you." Said Will. At this Dan let out a hearty chuckle.

"So will you please tell me as to why you have graced me with your presence this morning?"

" Well, I want you to meet one of my friends nephew Elijah, who has just joined the force. He was top of his class at the academy. Nice young lad. He has recently been transferred to Ealing to inspect a recently committed murder." Said Will.

"Murder?" Questioned Dan.

Suddenly the ringing of the telephone broke the sudden silence that had come over the both of them. It was George Safarov. Dan picked up the phone spoke into it for quite the length and kept the phone back in its place. When he turned back to face Will, there was a certain sparkle in his eyes which immediately told Will that Dan had found himself a new case.

"Well? What is the new case that you are going to work on?" Asked Will.

Dan smiled and replied " None other than your Ealing county murder my friend. It seems that the universe has once again conspired to keep me working on murders. Come let us eat and then visit this Elijah of yours."