Chapter 5: Chapter 5 Looking for clues

Hollyhill town, surprisingly, had a police station. Though it was to be expected that they only had an incredible number of two entire men working there; Officer Wilson, who was old enough to die at any second, and his son, Officer Wilson Jr. It truly was no wonder why the Mayor had called in an outsider to help with the investigation. 

   Collins told Elliot to sit and wait in the lobby as he would go talk to the officers. He found Officer Wilson snoring on a worn, leather couch and moved on to find Officer Wilson Jr., who thankfully seemed to be at least somewhat reliable. 

   He was handed the files to the murder at Mayor Donovan’s request and he got as much information out of the officer as he could. 

 

The victim, presumably Sherry Lamb, had deceased on May 7th, and was later found by a local sheep farmer named Mary Enfield in the forest leading up to the Hemmingway estate. She had been working on the farm when she noticed the gate hanging open. Realizing that one of the sheep had escaped, she began chasing after it. She had then, on accident, found the body of Sherry and ran to the police station as fast as she could with the sheep tagging along with her. 

   She had told the officers what she had found but when later questioned, hadn’t given them any useful clues. She did not have a clear alibi but didn’t appear suspicious to the officer who had questioned her. 

 

Collins had asked if they had interrogated anyone of the Hemmingway family and apparently they had not, aside from a simple few questions to the family butler. The butler had confirmed that the Hemmingways were all inside and sleeping at the time of the murder. He himself had been staying up that night to “deliver his duties”. Whatever that meant. It sounded very suspicious if anything. 

   It seemed that this road was taking Collins to the Hemmingway estate and there was no escape from it. At least now he had Elliot with him to, maybe, break the ice and lower the guards of the rest of the family. 

And so they headed off to the Hemmingway manor. Elliot, who had seemed happy to be an assistant to a detective, seemed to look more and more uncomfortable the closer to the estate they got. Collins decided not to bring it up and just see where things went. 

   The forest trail was mossy and a thick fog rose up from the ground covering most of the forest floor. Thankfully, it stayed down near the ground so the fog did not impact their visibility. Elliot walked ahead, knowing very well where he was going, Collins following close behind him. 

   As the huge manor appeared in the distance, Collins had to take a moment to stare at it in awe. It truly was magnificent and clearly a lot better taken care of than any other building in the entire town. There was a huge iron gate that was slightly ajar and the path that led up to the front door was surrounded by wolf statues, watching over the two, as they walked past them. 

 

Elliot knocked on the door after exhaling extremely deeply. The door was soon opened by an older-looking gentleman. This must be the butler, Collins figured.

   

“Ah, young master, you are home a lot sooner this month than usual”, the butler said as he bowed deeply, completely ignoring Collins’ existence. 

 

Elliot looked quickly annoyed, “It’s my house, aren’t I allowed to come and go as I please?”

 

“Of course, I am simply overjoyed and wish that the young master would show his face here more often” The words this man said did not match his expression at all. It was impossible to tell from his blank stare and dry voice if he was being genuine or sarcastic. But from the way Elliot clicked his tongue in annoyance, Collins assumed the latter. 

 

They were led inside the manor and into a living room that was more lavish and extra than anything Collins had ever laid his eyes upon. And that was saying a lot for someone who had had to deal with many rich assholes in his past. 

 

“Please, wait here. The master of the house will be joining you shortly”, The butler said before disappearing into another room. Elliot flopped down onto a decorative bench unceremoniously. It was hard to imagine this sloppy person as a wealthy young master. 

 

“So, I have to warn you, Detective. My father and I don’t really get along. If we start arguing, I apologize ahead of time”, Elliot rubbed his face while his foot tapped against the wooden floor. It created an irritating sound that Collins had a hard time listening to. He could guess from Elliot’s behavior that the man was very anxious, so he let the matter be, despite his own discomfort.  

 

“No, on the contrary; if you start a fight, I might find out a lot more about this person than he would ever let me in on.” Collins sat down on another bench and pulled out his notebook, ready to write down things as they came to him. 

   Elliot watched him in thought for a moment, seemingly considering the detective’s words very carefully. He laughed eventually, “Haha, well, I’d rather try to have a peaceful conversation first, but I’ll keep that in mind”

 

They didn’t have to wait long before the butler returned with a very tall and prestigious-looking man with him. He had a dark long beard that was tied at the end by a dark blue satin ribbon that matched the color of his seemingly hand-tailored suit. Why Collins assumed it was hand-tailored was simply because the man was very built and bulky, and because the suit fitted him perfectly, it was hard to believe anyone his size would find a suit that was mass-produced in a store. 

   But what Collins really should have expected, especially when he had told Elliot that he did believe his werewolf story, was that this man also had dark wolf ears and a tail attached to him. 

 

“Isaac Hemmingway, pleased to meet you”, the man said to Collins and shook his hand firmly. Collins cleared his throat before introducing himself as well.  

   He managed to pull himself together surprisingly quickly as he shared the reason for his sudden visit, “You may be well aware that I am here to investigate the death of Sherry Lamb. I heard she had been romantically involved with your son”

 

Isaac Hemmingway let out a cynical laugh, “Ah yes, she and Elijah were ready to marry just a few years ago. I didn’t approve of it, which is why Sherry ended up marrying James, a better match, I’d say. Poor Elijah never got over her, I assume. He is in a state of shock and unresponsive. If you’d like to interview him, I’m afraid you won’t get a single word out of him at the moment”

 

“What do you mean by ‘unresponsive’?”, Collins inquired. 

 

“The doctor said his shock after finding out what had happened to Sherry was so great that his mind sort of ‘collapsed’. He spends all day sitting on his bed and staring into nothingness. He hasn’t said a word or moved a muscle aside from when he is escorted to relieve himself. As I stated: Unresponsive”

 

Who could have guessed that such a problem would arise so soon. Collins took a look at Elliot, who hadn’t said a word to his father ever since he had arrived, and saw him picking at the skin around his fingers nervously. It would have been great to have a family member act as a bridge for communication, but that seemed to be off the board at the moment. 

 

“I’m sorry your son is in such bad shape, but if you don’t mind, I’d still like to see him at least. As a detective, you must understand that I simply cannot just take your word for it.”, Collins was being genuinely sympathetic, however, he still needed to keep up with his professionalism. Thankfully, Isaac Hemmingway didn't seem offended, though he did glance at his butler before answering,

 

“Of course, please follow me”

The Manor had a huge main staircase that led up to the second floor. At the top of the stairs came a long hallway that had many rooms on either side. All the doors had locks on them, so there was a high chance they were the family’s bed chambers. The group walked up to the last door on the right and knocked. There was no response so the butler opened the door to let them in. 

   Inside was a sizeable bedroom, with a king-sized bed standing in the corner. On the bed sat Elijah Hemmingway, dressed in a white nightgown, staring at the wall. He was handsome but the empty look in his eyes took away any charm he might have had. The butler walked up to him and bowed, “Young Master, you have a guest”

 

There was no response. Elijah didn’t move a single muscle, he didn’t even bat an eye when the group entered his room. His wolf ears stood facing forward as though he could not even hear.

 

“As you can see, I wasn’t lying, detective” Isaac Hemmingway walked up to his oldest son and placed a hand on his shoulder. Even then, Elijah did not move. 

 

“Is he aware of things around him and just chooses not to react? Or is it that he can’t?” Collins thought out loud. He placed his hand under his chin in contemplation. 

   Isaac Hemmingway patted his son on the back before ushering everyone out of the room. As they were exiting, he said,  “I could guess as much as you do. The doctor said he was fine physically but that the problem is a mental one”

 

Collins nodded, “I see”. He wanted to try whether he could crack Elijah by asking him questions that would irritate him but he knew that was a very bad idea and there was no way he could do that with his father in the room. 

After they had headed back downstairs, Collins began asking Isaac Hemmingway more questions. The man spoke matter-of-factly and didn’t seem to be lying but somehow, he came off a bit cold even though they were talking about such heavy topics. Despite his suspiciousness, he answered every question with no problems and didn’t appear nervous in the slightest. Still, Collins thought it’d be best to keep an eye on this man as well. 

   The trip wasn’t of no cause when Isaac Hemmingway told them that the woman, who had found the body, Mary Enfield, was currently working on the Hemmingway sheep farm. It wouldn’t hurt to go talk to her as well. Even if the police had interrogated her before, there was a chance she might have some clue in her story that everyone thought was useless information. In cases such as these, every little detail counted. A detective had to think outside the box and use everything they knew to paint a picture, to create a story in their heads as to what might have happened. 

Mary was hard at work, throwing piles of hay from a wheel barrel into a trough. She was focused enough that she didn’t notice she had company until Isaac Hemmingway called out to her. The sound threw her off and she yelped, dropping her pitchfork to the ground with a loud rattle. It seemed she was very clearly on edge. 

 

Collins stepped forwards and tried to talk in a calming tone, “Afternoon, ma'am. My name is Detective Collins, would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

 

Mary looked like she had seen a ghost. And Collins guessed a dead body wasn’t far off from that. The poor woman nodded her head as she picked up the pitchfork from the ground and placed it against the wall. Inside the pen, echoed the deep baas of many sheep. 

 

Isaac Hemmingway left to handle his own business, which made Elliot breathe a sigh of relief. He had been very quiet the entire time, making Collins wonder if he had any plans to help him at all. Though, he supposed that Elliot was fighting his own demons at the moment and perhaps would come back to reality once they’d left the estate.

 

Mary sat down on a wooden stool as she retold her experience: “Well, I was doing my job, as usual. Then, I saw the gate was open, and I’m sure I hadn’t left it open. I always close it. Anyways, I counted the sheep in the pen and noticed one was gone so I figured it had run off. I ran after it into the woods. It was dark and I was already freaking out. I heard the sheep and I ran towards the sound and then…”

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“Then you found the body”, Collins finished the sentence.

 

Mary nodded, “I screamed, because well yeah, and then I ran to the police station. I didn’t even notice the sheep was following me at all until Junior pointed it out, Officer Wilson Jr., I mean”

 

“Is there anything you remember, even if it doesn’t seem important?” Collins asked as he wrote down in his notebook. 

 

Mary swallowed heavily, “I mean, it was nighttime, it was dark, I couldn’t see much. Just that the grass was burnt and…”, she trailed off. Her voice had begun to sound shakier and more unnerved. 

 

“Can you show us where you found the body?” Collins didn’t want to freak her out any more than this but he didn’t have many choices.

 

Mary looked at him reluctantly but nodded her head, “Y-yes, I’ll just check the sheep and we can go”

They left through the gate, Mary leading them through the woods to the crime scene. Soon they arrived in a small clearing in the trees. 

   The grass was burnt, it was a miracle the fire hadn’t spread too far. Maybe the suspect had managed to control it. A quick look-a-round the place didn’t show any more evidence. The ground was covered in grass and moss, no footsteps could be found and there were no empty canisters or anything that could have shown what the suspect had used to burn the body. The forest was eerily quiet, with no signs of life around them, as though the land itself was holding its breath.

   Elliot sniffed the air, “It smells both awful and sweet at the same time” This was the first time he had spoken after they had met Isaac Hemmingway. 

 

Collins tried to sniff the air, “I don’t smell anything but grass”

 

“That’s because you don’t have a nose like mine,” Elliot said proudly. He was slowly regaining his cheerful nature.

 

“So, what exactly can you smell then?” Collins played along. He walked over to where Elliot was walking in small circles.

 

“It’s musky and sweet, but also burnt flesh. It’s been a week but I can still smell it. There’s also something else… alcohol?”

 

Collins rubbed his chin as he thought, “That’s probably how they set the body on fire”

 

He had completely forgotten about Mary’s existence until he heard her throw up in a nearby bush. He realized a little too late that he should have sent her back way earlier. 

 

“You can leave, miss Enfield”, he said awkwardly. Mary nodded her head as she ran off back to the manor as fast as she could. Collins felt really bad. 

 

Elliot, on the other hand, was laughing at the situation, ”Pfft hahaha! That poor woman, she was really freaked out!”

 

”Is it that funny?” Collins asked as he scoured the area. 

 

”No, not at all" Elliot said, holding back his laughter.

 

”I see…” Collins crouched near the ground trying to see if the burnt area would reveal something new to him. Sadly there was nothing. Maybe this trip was of no use after all. 

   He hadn’t been paying attention for a while but had apparently been too quiet for the anxious man behind him. He heard Elliot kick the ground.

 

”You know, it wouldn’t hurt for you to loosen up a little” He sounded like he was pouting. Guess he was a spoiled rich kid after all. 

 

”Why?” Collins asked, trying to hide his amusement. Because his tone of voice was naturally very monotone, it wasn’t unusual for people to think of him as someone humorless. More often than not this worked to his advantage in this profession, so he rarely let others know he did actually have a sense of humor.

 

”Well doing this kind of work…doesn’t it wear you down? You've got to have a dark sense of humor to cope with death right?” Elliot said as he was pacing back and forth. 

 

Collins stifled a laugh, ”I suppose….I’m just….in a very serious state of mind right now” He figured Elliot would get to know him over time. There was no need for him to lay out all of his cards. Especially when Elliot himself wasn’t yet clear of suspicion. A detective knew to keep his guard up. 

 

Elliot shrugged his shoulders before taking a walk around the area. Despite their search, no new clues could be found. Still, there was no knowing if this trip was a waste of time until the case was closed. 

-

The two decided to go their separate ways when Collins said he would retire for the night. Elliot was slightly bored of him as today’s game of playing detective was a lot less exciting than he had hoped. He was obviously going to go drinking tonight. And he had promised Barry he’d meet up with him later anyway. 

   

 

Peach's bar was less packed tonight than usual. All the loud old men who tried to get in his favor were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps their wives had finally had enough of them flocking to the bar on weekdays. 

   Elliot walked up to the counter and placed a nicely packaged bottle on top of it. Ms. Peach watched him angrily but took the whiskey without a word and placed it on her shelf. It was a gift of reconciliation from Elliot for having vomited on her floors again. 

 

Barry was sitting in his usual spot, drinking his beer in a brooding manner. When he saw Elliot he looked annoyed but waved for him anyway. The two sat together at the very corner of the bar. 

 

“I saw that bottle looked expensive, there’s no way it was something you bought”, Barry said after a moment of silence. 

 

Elliot snorted, “You’re right, I stole it from my old man earlier today”

 

Barry looked at him unimpressed and shook his head. It wasn’t like he was surprised, Elliot was this kind of person after all. 

 

“I thought you were playing detective,” He said, his tone a lot harsher than he had intended. Thankfully Elliot didn’t seem to read too much into it.

 

“I am. I was being a double agent and managed to pull off a great heist while the detective interrogated my father”

 

Barry sighed but didn’t comment on the matter any longer. He had known Elliot his whole life so he, if anyone, knew Elliot wasn’t going to change his ways so easily. The only thing he could do was silently disapprove and continue keeping him company. It was quite clear that Elliot was going to spend tonight at his place. He should’ve bought more food. 

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