Ch 28 :More clues
Written by Kavya and Concept by Sidhant First go to previous blogs if you have not already....
Daniel, his brow furrowed in concentration, responded without hesitation. "Sir, I believe our first step should be to interview the staff at the palace. The previous incident—the cook’s death—was it truly an accident? What if it wasn’t? What if she was the one behind all of this? And then there’s Finland... The egg was delivered by Alex to the cook's house. Just a single egg. Why would she accept it? Why would she take such an inconspicuous object to the family she worked for? Cooks don't bring in groceries like that, let alone a single egg. It was odd. Very odd."
Charlie nodded thoughtfully. "You make a fair point, Mr. Daniel. But as for Lady Patricia, we’ve yet to uncover any evidence suggesting that the replica egg was delivered to the cook. It seems more likely that it was already in the egg basket. In fact, we have found no indication of any foul play in that case. Lady Patricia herself purchased the eggs."
The room grew quiet as the four exchanged uncertain glances. They had reached an impasse.
Breaking the silence, Charlie spoke again, his tone resolute. "We must work with what we have. Daniel, Hershel, I’d like you both to interview the palace staff. Look for anything—anything—out of place, and check if there’s any new work being done around the place. Shree, I’ll take you to Lady Patricia's house. Let’s see if we can find something there."
It was uncharacteristic of Charlie to venture into the field. He was more of an office agent, content with paperwork and strategy. But this was an opportunity. He could spend time with his sister—after all, who knew what tomorrow might bring? And who would have thought that Lady Patricia’s house, tucked away along the Thames, would provide them with such a unique journey? They could avoid the city's traffic entirely and reach her residence faster by boat.
The cruise along the Thames was, as Charlie had anticipated, a pleasant and serene way to view the city. The historic landmarks—the Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye—slid past them, each a living testament to centuries of history. It had been six years since Charlie and Shree had shared such a long stretch of time together, and though their two-hour journey was but a fragment of the full 24-hour cruise, it felt like an eternity in its own right.
When they arrived at Lady Patricia’s house, it was a somber scene. The house had been sealed off since the incident, yet, to their surprise, it was exceptionally well-kept—almost unnervingly so. There wasn’t a speck of dust to be found. Charlie approached the guard on duty and asked if someone had been coming to clean. The guard confirmed that, no, no one had entered the house since the unfortunate incident.
"The ghost of Lady Patricia resides here," the guard continued, his voice low, almost as though he believed in his own words. "Strange sounds come from inside—clanking of utensils, the voice of a woman, the stove lighting itself. Once, I even saw a fire burning in the kitchen, but by the time I went closer, it vanished."
Charlie raised an eyebrow, his skepticism clear. He didn't believe in ghosts. Neither did Shree. But this whole situation was becoming ever more bizarre.
"Shree," Charlie said, "stay here while I go inside and take a look."
But Shree wasn’t having any of it. She had only just found her brother again after six long years—how could she let him go inside alone? What if he disappeared too? Her worry overcame any fear of the house, and she followed him inside.
The house, though eerily quiet, appeared normal. The rooms were tidy, the furniture untouched, but two rooms upstairs were locked. As Charlie made his way up to inspect the terrace, Shree heard a strange noise coming from one of the locked rooms. Her heart raced.
"Charlie!" she shouted urgently, but he dismissed her concern. "You must be imagining things," he said, brushing her off.
Shree, irritated and upset, retorted, "You never listen!" But her attention was diverted when she spotted something peculiar—a bouquet of fresh flowers, sitting on the table in the hallway.
"How is that possible?" she asked, staring at the flowers in disbelief. "Nobody has been here since the incident."
Charlie called the guard in once more, this time asking about the flowers. The guard, with a nonchalant shrug, explained that Lady Patricia’s husband often visited the house, bringing fresh flowers with him each time. He would spend hours inside, sometimes even staying the night.
"Doesn't that make him a visitor?" Charlie asked sternly.
The guard hesitated before replying. "Well, no, not really. He owns the house. How could he be a visitor?"
Charlie was on the verge of saying something else when his phone rang—it was Hershel. Something needed his immediate attention. He turned to Shree. "We have to go. Let’s head back to the palace."
But Shree was determined. "No," she insisted. "I know I heard something. I need to get to the bottom of this."
Reluctantly, Charlie agreed to stay. He called Daniel to join them and waited for his colleague to arrive.
Once Daniel had arrived, Shree quickly recounted her suspicions to him. "Charlie doesn't believe me. He thinks I’m just scared. But I know I heard something inside that locked room. Can you help me figure out what’s going on without actually unlocking it?"
Daniel, ever the problem solver, had just the right tool for the job. He pulled out a small, compact device from his bag. "This," he said with a knowing grin, "is a Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor. It's used to detect human presence by their movement, but there's a limitation—it only works if the person is in motion. This, however," he continued, pulling out a second device, "is a Bird-EYE sensor. It detects humans even if they are stationary."
Shree, her excitement palpable, urged Daniel to use it at once. He positioned the sensor outside the first locked room. Nothing. No vibration, no indication of presence. But when he moved to the second room, the device hummed to life, vibrating with a clear signal.
Shree’s face lit up. "There’s someone inside!" she exclaimed, triumphantly.
Charlie, though still skeptical, was forced to concede. He returned with the keys to the locked room. Permission had been granted by the Queen herself, though it had not been easy.
When the door finally opened, the sight that greeted them was one of both relief and horror. There, on the floor, lay Lady Patricia. She was alive?, but barely so. Her clothes were torn, her face pale, and she was delirious, speaking in broken words. The first thing she uttered, almost in a whisper, was the name of her husband.
Charlie let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. Relief washed over him. His instincts had not failed him after all.
He looked apologetically at Shree. "You were right. I’m sorry."
Lady Patricia’s condition was grave. Charlie quickly contacted the Queen's office, arranging for her to be taken care of. The police were also alerted to search for her husband, whose name was now at the forefront of their investigation.
The detectives were hopeful that, once Lady Patricia regained her strength, she would be able to shed light on the mystery. Until then, the case remained far from solved, but they were one step closer to the truth.
