Chapter 2 part 2 - Echoes of Delphinium

Her work wasn’t challenging. For her, that was. Her entire life, she had felt torn from the norm– Hunting those that did the same wasn’t much of a difference. She sought out the peculiar and ensured it wouldn’t bother those that knew less of it than she did. The pay was enough to cover her rent and a meal or two at the café twice a day, though admittedly, Alastair helped her out more than he should’ve.

She was standing on the cobblestone steps of a rickety old cottage owned by Ms. Campbell. A sweet old woman scared out of her wits because she believed something harmful was in her walls. At least, that’s what Constance had picked up from the letter she had been sent. She had done a great deal of walking to get there, as the bus only took her as far as the edge of the forest, and from there, she needed to take a rather windy path to the secluded home.

She raised her hand and promptly knocked at the door, still wiping croissant crumbs from her forest-green skirt that swung smoothly around her ankles.

Before she could finish knocking, the door was pulled open from the opposite side. Her hair was messy, and her eyes were crazily distant.

“Oh good, you’re here. This thing has been bothering me all day and night!” Ms. Campbell scuttled aside, motioning for Constance to enter. She bowed her head and smiled before stepping through the doorway.

“I have a few questions before we begin our examination, Ms. Campbell,” Constance spoke smoothly, with ease she had learned from many cases since the day she first ran from home. She had stayed in her hometown, which made it far easier to work, seeing as she was familiar with many of the people here– Her family had moved soon after the incident, allowing her to emerge from hiding and begin starting her own life.

Solving mysteries was a hobby she had while striving for a place in her family. Now, she could turn a corner and be presented with one– One she could solve within a day and get paid for. It was heavenly. Exhausting, seeing as she was the one the entire town turned to whenever something slightly piqued their curiosity, similar to how Ms. Campbell likely just had a tiny critter in her walls.

“Of course. I’ve made tea; please, sit and have some.” Her house was maximalist, to put it lightly. The walls were crammed with mirrors and paintings galore, without so much an inch left untouched. The floors were cluttered with boxes and furniture placed uncomfortably close together and looked as if they might fall apart with so much as a blow.

Constance gingerly sat by the coffee table, accepting the ornate teacup her client offered.

“What kind of tea?” She questioned, raising it to her lips.

“Hibiscus and lemon balm, supposedly good for the soul,” she poured herself a large glass and gulped down the contents within seconds.

She let the sweet mixture slide across her tongue for a moment and fought to keep a straight face as she placed it delicately back on the glass table. “Thank you very much,” she smiled in thanks. “Let’s talk about this creature; why don’t we?”

“Oh, oh right,” she placed her empty teacup down. “You can call me Amelia first,” she smiled and cleared her throat. “Secondly– My apologies if my description isn’t quite up to par. I haven’t slept very much because of all the scratching.”

“No worries at all, go on,” Constance crossed her legs and intertwined her fingers over her knee, listening intently.

“Well, it started just about a week ago. Nothing seemed to trigger it– It just happened. I thought it was some sort of critter and waited it out… But the longer I waited, the worse it got,” Ms. Campbell’s voice was hushed as if she believed the creature would hear her if she were to talk too loud. “Eventually, I woke up in the middle of the night to see boxes toppled over or lamps on the ground– And holes in the walls!”

“Holes in the walls?” Constance tilted her head. “How large?”

Amelia stood, wobbling over to the wall and removing a rather large picture frame to reveal a decently sized hole in the wall. Two feet by two feet, she estimated– But the size wasn’t the most shocking feature. It was its perfection. The hole had been strategically carved as if with some kind of tool. It was a perfect circle.

“Hm,” Constance stood, walking over and quickly ducking her head through the hole.

“Oh! Constance, are you sure–” Amelia began.

“Very,” Constance hummed, pursing her lips and squinting before pulling her head back out of the wall.

After a moment of dusting herself off, the two sat back down once more.

“What do you think it is?” Ms. Campbell bit her lip.

“Well, in all honestly, Amelia,” Constance inhaled. “I haven’t a clue. I’ve never seen anything like this,” she shook her head and exhaled. “Best I can tell you to do for now is stay with a family member and wait until I figure out what this is.”

“A family member,” the old woman glanced at the thick phonebook resting atop a pile of boxes. “I suppose I could do that….”

“Perfect!” Constance stood, grasping her briefcase and clicking it open. “For now, wear this as protection,” she sifted through the many necklaces she held stacked in her case and removed one in particular, with a sigil carved into light gray stone. She closed the briefcase once more and handed it over to the woman.

“Thank you, thank you so much,” she gathered the necklace into her hands and quickly tossed it over her head. “I cannot thank you enough,” she slipped a hand into her pocket and removed the keys to her home. “Take these for when you come back later. I should be all set up by then.”

“I haven’t even started,” Constance smiled brightly and held her briefcase with two hands. “I’ll come back later today after a bit of research and take it on.”