FictFile 13a

I could tell when I entered the room that the two officers had already questioned the suspect at great length. The room was stagnant, and the sputtering oil lantern didn’t help. Instead it gave the air a shrouding mist that hung irritably about the throat and nose. I introduced myself as the Detective on Duty and began to question the suspect, a one Richard ‘Dickie’ Crest. Dickie was the owner of a pub Elkside of Charleston, a place were questionable things were rumored to happen. Tonight he had been brought in on charges of attempted arson.

The officers [Names Redacted] informed me when found it appeared Dickie had removed all the money from the register and the safe, and had attempted to set two fires. When the officers found him he seemed dumbstruck, staring at the small burnt spots with the monies in a carpetbag beside him upon a table, next to which sat an empty small shallow box, which they assumed he had kept the tinder in.

Richard told me quite a different tale, once I had calmed him and convinced him I had no plans at start to resort to violence. The monies from the register and the safe had been taken that evening to the basement lock up and were still upon the premises. (A fact which was confirmed.) The cash he had been found with had been brought by two gentlemen, who were meeting him to purchase a necklace Richard had come to possess. (He claimed this was what the box had contained.) Covered in pearls, tourmaline, citrine, and other stones, all Richard knew about the necklace was that it was valuable. He admitted he thought it looked ancient, despite many modern elements of design. Richard claims that while meeting with these two other gentleman that a third individual interrupted them. He described the man as having a wide smile despite being dressed for mourning. He raised an object that looked like a candlestick at them which erupted with a great flash like that of a camera's powder. When Richard had recovered from the dazzling light, he realized that his two companions had been reduced to small piles of smoldering ash, and the stranger in black was calmly walking away with the necklace.

“She would find it distasteful, her treasure bartered in a back room like this. She was a Queen. But then again, your history holds no memory of her I imagine. Pity. See you in time, Mr. Crest. Perhaps next April, on your birthday.” Richard claimed the man said, adding he had a pleasant and polite tone. He was certain he remembered the words exactly, and it was at this time in his story that Richard seemed to display genuine fear.

He would not reveal the identity of the individual who had supplied him with the necklace, nor those of the two alleged ‘victims.’ So there is no way to verify this story.

At this time I recommend we at least continue holding Richard Crest until Dr. Perrin can decide if he is sane. I have my doubts.

-Report filed by Rodney Jacobson, Detective, CPD
Oct. **, 1882

Mr Crest's Stranger?

Author'sNote: FictFiles are works of Fiction. Recently I had been composing various stories to accompany different sculptures and jewelry I've been working on. After sharing them else-site, I was encouraged to collect and produce more of these stories. The FictFiles posts here in this blog are one of my ways of both sharing these stories with a wider audience, and collecting them in a easy to locate place. I hope folks enjoy. 

I would also like to apologize for the gap in postings, October was a very busy month for the Captain and I, however I have had some great experiences I hope to share with folks soon.