Murdoch and the Chimney Sweep

15.

"Everything needs to be covered, I don't want to be tainting your beautiful home with ash" she speaks as Murdoch moves one of the smaller chairs next to the fireplace and Julia covers the ground and furniture closest to the fireplace with white sheets. Julia moves to find her medical kit, which she happens to carry everywhere, and sets everything she might need on a small round table close to the chair Murdoch had moved.

"Alright, what's next?" Murdoch questions,

"You stand back" the chimney sweep speaks and listens as two sets of footsteps walk away from the fireplace. Stephanie tries her best not to drag all the ash with her as she tumbles out of the fireplace and onto the covered floor of Murdoch's home. She stands slowly and moves to the covered chair next to the fireplace, Murdoch and Julia emerge from around the wall on the far side of the room. Julia quickly approaches seeing the amount of blood running down the girls leg.

"Do you have a name?" She questions the girl, who's petrified eyes looks from her to Murdoch,

"It's best not to ask too many questions Julia" whispers Murdoch watching the chimney sweep with a fixed gaze. The girl was scared, that Murdoch could tell from the beginning.

"Ok, I'm sorry -"

"Chimney sweep" the girl pipes up quickly before falling silent, her breathing uneven while her eyes dart around the room,

"I'm sorry chimney sweep, for being forward, and for the fact that this is going to hurt" she speaks dipping a piece of cloth into a bath of water and cleans away the ash from the wound. "Murdoch, would you have any alcohol?" She questions him still cleaning the girls wound, "Murdoch." She speaks bluntly after a moment and looks back at him, his gaze solely fixed on the girl,

"Yes?" he questions back, unaware of what was asked,

"Do you have any alcohol?" She questions slightly softer, knowing that Murdoch can get so lost in cases he doesn't pay much attention to his surroundings. The detective gets up and quickly moves to find the alcohol.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Julia questions looking back at the girl and wringing out the cloth, the girl nods in response as Murdoch returns with a bottle of scotch. "I'm surprised you had a bottle of scotch lying around" Julia speaks eying off the detective who sits back in the chair he was before,

"I'm not a drinker, it's for the Inspector, whenever he comes around he likes a glass" he speaks, Julia nods, knowing the Inspectors drinking habits all too well.

"This is going to hurt" she looks back the girl who nods and sits back on the chair, Julia coats part of the cloth in scotch before wiping over the wound. Stephanie tries her best to be inaudible with her cries of pain as Julia continues treating her wound.

"I wanted you to stay, chimney sweep, because you know more about the happenings on the street than we do" he begins, Julia looks at him as if to say 'seriously now you want to talk business', Murdoch dismisses her look, "has anyone talked about this recent case?" He questions, "has anyone been acting strangely?" He continues, Stephanie waits for a moment to consider her options. Murdoch doesn't yet know that she is Stephanie Lynn, but by the way he's been surveying her, he'll figure it out soon enough.

"I did hear through the grapevine that Stephanie's boss asked why she was talking to the police" Julia and Murdoch look to her with interest,

"Do you know what she said?" Julia questions,

"No, but I do know that this case is turning heads Detective" she replies, turning her attention to the Detective sitting forward on his seat, "Be careful how you handle this case from now on, there are lots of eyes that you don't see around Toronto" she finishes hoping the detective would heed her warning about her boss.

"I shall keep that in mind" he replies as Julia wraps gauze around the girls wound.

"There, all done" Julia speaks standing up and taking a step back from the girl, Stephanie looks down to the wound finding it all cleaned up and ready for her to move. "I suggest that you keep it out of water, and possibly not climb through chimneys for a day or two to make sure that it holds." Julia finishes, the girl looks up to her,

"Thankyou" she speaks quietly a shy smile on her face, she stands slowly and quickly makes her way towards the chimney,

"Wait, where are you going?" Murdoch questions catching the girls arm gently, she looks at him tentatively,

"You have a job," she speaks bluntly wriggling out of Murdoch's grasp, "As do I" she finishes and hurries up the chimney, slowly making her way up being careful of her wrapped wound,

"If you see Stephanie, tell her I want to talk, tomorrow 11am at Station House no. 4" he calls up the chimney as Stephanie jumps out and scurries back to town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Stephanie!" calls Henry as he an Alexander were getting dressed back into clean clothes, Stephanie was making her way along the stream down to her brothers. She had already washed herself and was dressed in clean clothes,

"Hey, what happened?" questions Alexander pulling up his pants and pointing to her wrapped leg,

"I was injured tonight and someone patched me up" she speaks standing before the two boys,

"If you're patched up, that means-" they both come to a realisation,

"Someone saw you" they speak in unison becoming concerned about Stephanie and her chats with the Detective,

"Who patched you up?"

"Did they hurt you?"

"Guys, calm down" she speaks stopping them and stepping closer, "Can we not talk here?" she questions looking around, the trio were out in the open, anyone could overhear their conversation, the boys look around and acknowledge what Stephanie was thinking before the three make their way back into town so they could talk somewhere more secure.