THIEF OF BREAN (VOL-1)|✓

INKLINGS- XX

"I thought all this hounding was done by yesterday," the nun who spat fire with every word was an Abbess. She was in her late thirties, wore a grey worsted wool tunic and a knitted black flowing cloak over it.

Carl put his hands into the pockets of his coat and jutted his jaw in disregard. "It's done only when the culprit is found. I am afraid I am required to hound people until then." He spun to take the door to Lily Freeman's ward and the Abbess had decided to bite his head off.

The woman was of the kind who got irritated very easily. "I wish they had thought you some etiquette when they thought you how to fit into a gumshoe." She looked away from him and adjusted the veil of her truncated hennin strapped around her chin. "This is an infirmary working under the Order of Umania, not a Manor hospital where you can barge in anytime, bustle around and prod ill-people with a bunch of stupid questions."

By the time she was finished, Giles had thrown himself between them. "Oh, Janess..." his words trailed when she did not give him her name. Still, he went forward to reason her with an extra coat of politeness to his voice. "This is important, let us please do our duty."

She snorted. "Duty is it, Officer? Tell me who is wrong-a person who saves you from death or the one who keeps harping about the killer?"

"Alright," Carl threw his hands up in frustration. "I think we should leave if the Janess wants us to," he told Giles. "And maybe I'll have to report the General about my incompetence to settle a discord with the monastery."

"You really think you can do that, Officer?" The Abbess crossed her black gloved arms over her chest.

"I can and I will, because you see I am not working under the Order of Umania. I am a mere hounding dork of LEA who knows very well when people should be named as complicit in a cover up."

Major Giles winced. His pain of being crushed between the bulging arrogance from both sides was palpable. "Detective," he put an arm on Carl's shoulder. "Let me, let me handle it," he said and turned to the woman with an apologetic face. "Uh, I am really sorry, Jannes. Detective Lavely is just pointing out about the legalities... he doesn't mean to be rude in any way. It is just that we are at a crucial point in the case where it has become really taxing. I hope you understand."

"And I hope you understand how much all of this will be stressful for the patient in its turn."

"We are bound to do this over and over again because Mrs Freeman is dealing with memory loss. You are aware of that too. We have questioned her so many times about her family and all she has managed to do is not tell us about her own child."

"A child?" The Abbess was aghast. She turned averse about the idea in a moment and the words spat through her teeth, "Unbelievable."

"Yes, I know, unbelievable for us too. We don't know where this child is now. So if you could please let us..." he sighed.

The Abbess fidgeted her gloved arms, taking her time to give a thought on Giles' genteel requests before giving in.

"But mind you, Officer. She is suffering from psychological condition. You cannot depress her more. She keeps asking about her husband and we tell that her he is getting better."

When they saw Mrs Freeman again, the same nurse as on the previous day was checking up on her.

Despite the fact the voices in head were telling him that he was going after wrong leads, Carl had decided to continue with his investigations on the Freeman case. Firstly, because it was as challenging as any other case. Secondly, he had this faint notion that maybe somewhere the two cases were linked in some way or the other. Even if it didn't, he would just be happy to know that he had helped a family by hunting down their offenders.