Scarlet Wing And Ancient Secret - Part 1

"Miss Wing, I am impressed", Mr. Londwill said. "According to the newspaper, not only were you swift, but the police has no hints to follow as well."

"Wasn't this what you paid for, Mr. Londwill?", Miss Wing replied calmly and added. "But the police will have a suspect soon. A case such as this one cannot remain unsolved."

It was easy to see how Mr. Londwill winced.

"Don't worry, Sir", the woman said, "Of course there is no trace leading to you. That is, unless your housekeeper lacks decency."

"I pay her well enough to be ensured her loyalty and no further questions when I give her a day off. Business often requires ... untroubled and unshared privacy."

Mr. Londwill went over to one of his cupboards and tok out two small glasses.

"May I offer you a drink, Miss Wing? To our successful business", he asked. Only now the woman showed a movement as she shook her head.

"I don't drink, Mr. Londwill. I will raise my glass, but will not empty it", she stated.

Her business partner looked confused for a moment before showing a smile. 

"I assume it's owed to your profession. Very well then, Miss Wing. It was my pleasure having business with you" He said after putting the glasses away again and escorting the woman to the door, where Miss Wing offered him her hand.

"The pleasure was all mine. I hope the next time we will see each other again, it will be because you have another removal request", she said. Mr. Londwill placed a blown kiss on her glove and then she left.

"How did it go?", Miss Wing  asked after a while.

The other woman made a dismissive gesture.

"It was almost too easy. From the look of it, the local police either trusts female reporters too much or thinks they are not competent to invent a complex lie."

"Look on the bright side. This means they would never suspect two unmarried sisters of comitting such an outrageous crime", Miss Wing smiled.

"Very true", the other woman agreed. "Still, I will be relieved once we leave this place. I ensured the next airship to Singapore will take off with us on board."

"Singapore? I though we were going to Moscow next", Miss Wing wondered.

"The Russian Empire will have to wait. The millionaire we killed was too well known in Europe. Just in case there is a competent detective who will not buy the false delinquent, I ensured we will be out of reach. Besides, it should not be hard finding another promising arrangement."

The next day the zepplin flying to Egypt, Arabia, India and the Jade Empire left London. It was one of the modern airships with a mutli-storey nacelle. On board this zeppelin were also Miss Wing and her almost indentical twin sister.

Currently they were sitting in the dining hall. Across the whole room ran a net of rails, connecting the table to the kitchen. A small kinetic automat could move along those rails. There was one for every rail. The one wich belonged to the table the sisters were sitting at, was standing by right, waiting for an order to take to the kitchen. On the table stood a teapot, designed to look like a white swan and the dark grey cups tried to imitate the hatchlings.

It was then when a tall man wearing the uniform of the airship's crew approched their small table.

"Excuse me, Ladies", he began. Scarlet's sister turned her face towards him, while Miss Wing stared at the blue sky to hide her eyepatch.

"Yes? How may we help you, officer?", the woman asked friendly and offered the man her hand. He laughed nervously.

"We got a strange message, Miss. Someone wants to talk to you right now it seems."

"Is it very unsual you get messages from passengers?"

"Oh, not at all! In fact we get that often. But the frequency used -", the man began, when the woman interrupted him.

"Oh please, good Sir. Do not forget that I'm just a woman. I have no idea about the secrets of frequencies, radios and the other wonders of modern technology. But let us not keep the one who called waiting.", she said, got up and linked arms with the surprised operator before leaving for the radio room.

Scarlet, now left alone, sent the automat away to get her a newspaper. She wasn't really interested in the news, but it gave her an excuse to sit alone at her table and examine the other passengers.

The dining hall was not well patronized at the moment. It hasn't been long since the airship had departed. An elderly man was sitting alone at his table, pored over a book. At another table an old man and his son or son in-law were discussing with low voices but excessive gestures. Somewhere else, a young man was intensly writing in a little book. On another table, a probably newlywed couple sat and was mostly staring at each other while holding hands. An elderly woman was knitting at another table, her small dog layed lazily at her feet. Shortly after Miss Wing's sister had left, three young men entered the dining hall. All of them wore a bright and slightly dim-witted smile on their clean shaved faces. Along with the reddish tone of the skin and its gleam, Miss Wing could tell the three had done some justice to the liquor. The men now sat down at a table, sadly it wasn't far away from the young woman. The automat next to their table clicked and began moving towards the kitchen. Immediately, the men were bored and began looking around. miss Wing knrew she was probably the most appealing victim in the room and sighed before pretending to be reading. she wasn't msitaken as she heard the footsteps on the wodden floor and chairs scratching over it. Then the nearness of the unpleasant kind followed.

" 'Ello, my dear. Me and my friends saw you sittin' 'ere all alone. Such fair thin' as you should have company", the man next to her slurred. He was obviously the leader of the trio. His breath smelled of absinthe and sugar.

"You're too kind", Miss Wing stated, not putting down the newspaper. One of the other young men chuckled but was silenced by a short glance from the leader.

"Why are you so rude, Miss?", he asked sulkily.

"Am I? Forgive this dame, Sirs", Miss Wing gave back with a monotone voice, still not looking at the men but the newspaper. The already very thing patience of the trio's leader snapped. He wasn't used to be ignored like this, especially not by a woman. With an angry wave of his hand, he wrested the newspaper from Miss Wing, who calmly let it happen and moved her hands below the table.

"What are you reading there anyway? Woman shouldn't read, it just confuses their brains", he snapped. Miss Wing removed the veil shading half of her face before slowly turning towards the enraged young man.

When he saw her eyepatch, he flinched for a split second. This one wasn't the simple black one Miss wing had worn at Mr. Londwill's house. This one was made of thick dark leather, framed with small brass studs. At it's center, there was a circular imprint with small black smudges, as if something heavy was once pressed against it. Miss Wing knew the eyepatch alone could give her a dangerous look. She lowered her voice to a hiss, so only he could hear her words.

"You should leave now, boy. Take your petty friends with you. This eye", she said an hinted at her eyepatch, "has seen things gruesome enough to turn your hair as white as snow. You really don't want to annoy me."

The young man almost jumped off his chair. Not only was he drunk, but also a coward. Miss Wing had already her knife ready, but there was no need to reveal it. Her words alone were enough to make the trio leaving the dining hall. The three men would probably spread rumours about a crazy wench with an evil eye aboard this ship, but their drunken state alone ensured nobody would believe them. Satisfied, Miss Wing picked up the newspaper and continued to pretend reading it. Shortly after this incident, her sister came back.