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Post by Eyes on Jun 26, 2017 0:45:11 GMT -5
"Now, this is a red piece of cloth from a red shirt. Who here was wearing a red shirt that day? I couldn't remember, so I decided to take Hardstuckle into my confidence and we went through everyone's clothes."
"You did what?!" cried Walton.
"You pervert!" cried one of the women.
"Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do, but I had a hunch that it would help crack the case."
Walton frowned at Hardstuckle, who slunk back meekly.
"I found that everyone except for Mr. Gothart, Hartley, the Major's nephew, and myself had a red item in their possessions. I looked closely at the shirts and found that one of them had a small tear..."
He paused impressively, then took out a red shirt and said, "Mr. Picard, I believe this shirt belongs to you."
Picard was dumbfounded. "But I-"
"There is a small tear here. If I fit the piece of cloth into it, it appears to be a perfect match."
"Gunnarson, Picard was ruled out because of the cigarette clue, remember?" Walton said.
"That was your mistake. I tell you now, never rule out a suspect until you know for certain who did it. Picard is guilty all right."
"Who are you kidding, Gunnarson- you've been eliminating suspects all day!! And then you been reconsidering them even after logical elimination! No, our mistake was letting you contribute to this investigation. Either practice what you preach or be quiet!" Walton ordered.
"Just give me another minute and I'll explain" Gunnarson replied.
"But-" said Picard.
"Gunnarson," warned Walton.
"If you would kindly let me explain, I can tell you what really happened in that cave. And if you still don't believe me, I know of further evidence I was unable to present before that cements Picard's guilt. Now, this is what really happened..."
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jun 26, 2017 1:23:47 GMT -5
""Before I do anything else, let me give an overview of the events of the murder. First, the Major secures his rope on the precipice and begins climbing down. Then, as he's climbing down, the killer sneaks up and cuts the rope with the knife. The Major falls to his death. The killer stands there for a bit, admiring his work while smoking. The killer then heard a noise, and panicked, he or she ran away; tripping and tearing his or her shirt on the stalagmite. He or she gets up and hides. As it happens, he goes down to look at the body; inspecting it further, which it why the major stank of cigarette smoke. Eventually, the killer leaves, but to avoid suspicion comes back later and acts ignorant." Gunnarson finished.
"And the killer was Picard?" Hardstuckle asked.
"Exactly" Gunnarson replied.
"Hold it! I never met the major before today, and had no substantial relationship with him; I have no motive by your logic! And also, what gives? 20 minutes ago you were detailing how I was innocent because of my lighter being planted. Didn't you say that the broken flint was a giveaway for it ring planted" Picard pointed out; using Gunnarson's own words against him
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Post by Eyes on Jun 26, 2017 2:34:30 GMT -5
"I did, and it was planted, by none other than you. I know it sounds like I'm throwing wild hunches around, but I'm not, in a minute I'll show you piece of evidence than cements the fact that you are guilty, but first - the cigarette lighter was planted by you to look like someone had tried to frame you. So many of my cases began with one person seemingly the obvious one, and it turns out, the obvious one is the one who did it. It's the same in this case."
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jun 26, 2017 17:38:14 GMT -5
"That doesn't change the fact that that I was not actually smoking; my lighter is broken, and I lost it days before, remember?" Picard pointed out.
"Then, why did you stink of cigarettes?" Gunnarson asked.
"From standing next to the nephew!" Picard practically screamed.
"It's true... I was smoking in the caves; I admit not the smartest thing I've done but I couldn't help myself" Cronwall admitted.
"Wait, that's a valid point; Picard said he lost his lighter days before; how could he have planted it?" Hardstuckle pointed out.
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Post by Eyes on Jun 26, 2017 23:57:54 GMT -5
"Ever heard of a thing called 'lying'?" said Gunnarson sarcastically.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jun 27, 2017 0:12:26 GMT -5
"Even if we assume he lied, what about his motive? He hasn't got one and he did not know the Major personally" Hardstuckle pointed out.
"Let me present some of the other evidence I found and it will become clear. I will start with this..."
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Post by Eyes on Jun 27, 2017 0:16:50 GMT -5
"What is that?" I asked. (I couldn't see very well from where I was.)
"This, my friend," said Gunnarson, "is more proof that Picard is guilty. It is..."
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jun 27, 2017 0:24:51 GMT -5
"...something I found in Picard's room. This matchbook was on his dresser" Gunnarson says.
"You do realize that in and of itself proves nothing, right?" Walton asked.
"Yes, but consider this..."
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Post by Eyes on Jun 27, 2017 0:32:29 GMT -5
"Gunnarson, we don't need considerations we want the truth," said Walton.
"I know and if you wouldn't interrupt you'd get it. Now then, ahem, consider this..."
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jun 27, 2017 0:50:09 GMT -5
"his lighter was broken, yes. But who is to say that he didn't have matches with him" he explained.
"Me" Picard said, taking the matchbook. "As you can see... it is unused" and low and behold, not one match was missing.
Gunnarson kept a straight face, trying to hide embarrassment; at least, that's what I think.
"Right; I think you've wasted enough of our time Gunnarson. Mr. Picard, you have one chance to tell the truth... did you, or did you not kill the Major?" Walton said sternly, looking at Picard.
"No! I didn't know him, I have no reason to kill him! I never even said more than a hundred words to him!" Picard said, desperate to prove his innocence.
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Post by Eyes on Jun 27, 2017 1:08:29 GMT -5
"And that is where the third clue comes in and fits everything into place..." said Gunnarson, as he stood up, and moved the door. He opened it and in walked a woman.
Picard instantly jumped to his feet. "St-stella?!" he cried in disbelief.
"This, ladies and gentlemen, is the ex-wife of Mr. Picard, Stella Bronovitch. She has with her some papers written by Mr. Picard that prove that he did in fact know the Major and had a very good reason to kill him."
"Hold on!" cried Walton jumping up. "How in bloody hell did you even manage to find this woman?!"
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jun 27, 2017 1:22:01 GMT -5
"And far more importantly, what does she have to do with anything?! Gunnarson, I've had it up to here with your subversion of the law!" Walton said.
"Now now, dont pull out the cuffs just yet; I can explain. I found her by..."
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Post by Toz76 on Jul 4, 2017 22:29:26 GMT -5
"Calling her. You see, she can provide the crucial piece of evidence that exonerates Picard and points to the real culprit... Stella's cousin."
"This is a really roundabout way of going about things, but okay." Walton sighed.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jul 5, 2017 18:45:11 GMT -5
(Tug said he's ready to go; he said to "bring us back to the cave and I will take care of the rest" so here we go- the big finish)
"So you see, I found her by looking through Picard's diary, and that's when I concluded..." Gunnarson began.
"You know what, enough! Gunnarson, I've had it up to HERE with your incompetence! In the last half hour you have accused three different people of being the murderer, ignored evidence and pursued absurd hunches that only proved you are completely incapable of forming a coherent train of thought! No more of this nonsense; as an officer of the law, I am forbidding you from contributing to this investigation any further!" Walton declared.
"Wait, wait, I can explain!" Gunnarson shouted.
Picard, still in shock, looked upon this woman, when he realized, "Wait a minute... we may have been apart for four years, but even THAT is not enough time for blue eyes to turn brown!" Picard shouted.
"What are you saying?" Gunnarson asked, confused.
"I'm saying this woman is not Stella... this is not my ex-wife!" he screamed.
"Stella" suddenly looked nervous and tried to run away... but Hardstuckle grabbed her and arrested her. She kicked him in the shins and tried to bolt out the door. At the last moment, Gothart and I grabbed her arms and restrained her; long enough for Walton to cuff her and a recovered Hardstuckle to go and force her to sit on a chair. Then Walton turned his attention to Gunnarson.
"You incompetent Swede, you've crossed the line and hindered our investigation long enough! Adolf Gunnarson, you are under arrest and charged with falsifying evidence and obstruction of justice!" Walton boomed as he grabbed Gunnarson's arm.
"How did I falsify evidence?!" Gunnarson asked, shocked.
"You brought in a fake witness to implicate Mr. Picard of murdering the Major!" Walton boomed.
"But I swear, I did not meet her before today! We had no contact beyond the phone call I made but a few hours ago!" Gunnarson explained.
"And I suppose it's just a coincidence that she would willingly appear by some miracle and solve this case like a God from the machine! What kind of idiocy do you believe I would fall for?!"
"I am no criminal Walton, and I can prove it! You remember from the court cases; we may not see eye to eye, but we both can agree in the importance of the rule of law and how justice must prevail. There is still a killer in this room, and I must urge you- catch the greater evil first, before you get distracted and we let him or her slip away." Gunnarson pleaded.
Walton stood silent for a minute, before at last releasing Gunnarson's arm. "You have one chance Swede; if you cannot determine who the killer is by the end of the day, without relying on hunches, then I will take you in for the crimes I listed. I do not deny that you have found some important evidence at this point, but it still does not yield the killer" Walton said.
"Then let me go into the caves one more time. If I cannot find more evidence that implicates Picard, or shows us who the real killer is, then I will turn myself in" Gunnarson replied.
"Very well. Hardstuckle and I need to interview this person, so... Mr. and Mrs. Hartley- you will go into the caves with Gunnarson and ensure that he doesn't just run away or do any funny business, is that clear?" Walton said.
"Well, since you have ordered us to do so, so be it" I said, as Cricket and I stood up. The three of us went back to the caves, and proceeded to head back to the cave entrance.
"You two wait out here; the last thing we need is you getting in trouble for tampering with a crime scene" Gunnarson said.
"Very well, but only since you insist" Cricket replied.
Ten minutes passed before he finally arrived at the murder scene. Gunnarson looked it over.
"So he secured the rope, it was sabotaged while he was climbing down... but then..." Gunnarson saw something that didn't add up.
"Wait a minute, the way this rope was cut, and considering the angle of this ledge... the person who cut this rope, had to have done it with their left hand!" Gunnarson said surprised. Then he thought back to when he saw Picard write a few notes earlier, and when they were eating in the dining hall. "But... but Picard is right handed! Come to think of it, no one has shown any signs of being ambidextrous either, and the only left handed person on this trip was..." and Gunnarson heard a click... A familiar click... the click of a gun...
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Post by Tug on Jul 5, 2017 18:47:18 GMT -5
"Well Well Well... You finally figured it out, look at how smart you are... Adolf Gunnarson..." said a familiar 'female' voice...
"I should have realized it was you, I was thought there was something off about you... CRICKET!" declared Gunnarson as he turned around to look at his assailant, but remembered Cricket had a gun pointed at him, now clearly seeing it was aimed at his head, with him instinctively putting his hands above himself in defeat...
"Now that's a good boy... I'm surprised it took you this long to figure out I did it, I would give you a medal but seeing as you're about to be murdered, there really is no point..." laughed Cricket evilly
"But why, why kill the Major? Where's Hartley? What's your objective in all of this?" asked Gunnarson
"Seeing as you're about to be killed, I might as well reveal my plans... As they say 'dead men tell no tales'... If you're wondering why I killed the Major, I never intended to kill him, I had to work in low lighting and took a gamble when cutting the ropes knowing I would only get one chance... Let's juts say I lost that gamble..." replied Cricket
"If he wasn't the target, then the only one you could have been trying to kill would be..."
"Yes! Look how clever you are! I was trying to kill you all this time! I'm an assassin called 'The Cricket', I'm so quiet in my infiltration that the only noise my victim hears is the sounds of their own death, the 'chirping' of my bullets going through their thick skulls. I've been lying in wait trying to set up the perfect point to off you and after arranging this 'vacation getaway' I thought I finally had the perfect opportunity..."
"But the Major asked me to come here... Also, how could you have been hired to kill me, we found you in Cadaver's Warehouse!" questioned Gunnarson as he was pushed closer to the cliff's edge...
"Oh you naive fool... Who do you think probed the Major with the offer of, 'How would you like to get into contact with the one and only famous detective Adolf Gunnarson, I heard you were a pretty big fan of his...'. Also, I can't believe you fell for the oldest trick int the book, that warehouse was a stage to an act! A lot of set up went into that one. First we convinced the Dirty Four that our man "Cadaver" could help them get money out of clients who weren't paying it back; then once we had enough bodies we set up a killing warehouse to fool you. Heck, we even paid Cadaver to make some phone calls to throw off the police in case our lines were tapped." answered Cricket
Suddenly it all made sense to Gunnarson "no wonder why I couldn't find a reason why you would be tied up in that warehouse. Not only were you kept alive but there wasn't a logical reason for you to be there- you were working with The Man and had no connections to the Dirty Four". Gunnarson observed, "If you're out to kill me why didn't you do it while I was defenseless in the hospital?"
"Too many witnesses"
"But what about that whole thing with the father and the lawyer and the restraining order?"
"Easy really... let's start with the restraining order: there never was one! Come on, did you honestly believe an angry father would forgive THAT easily and take away the restraining order that quickly? He was a hired thug pretending to be my father to make sure my act was more believable when that God awful Hartley popped the question... The lawyer was in on it too, he owed me a couple favors..."
"Speaking of Hartley, why did you get so close to him, and what's this business with the 'Man' I've heard about from him?"
"I did it as it was my assignment from Bur..", Cricket clicked her tongue, "My 'Employer', because YOU are so closely related to him, getting to him would be easy for me to use as a stepping stone to get to you. I mean, seriously, a 'knight in shining armor helps a damsel recover after imprisonment by psychopaths in body part warehouse', what do take this for, a fairy tale? Also, the Man has a personal history with me, he has some sort of vendetta against that Hartley I for the life of me could give less of a care for, that he asked me to carry out. I refused as work comes first and my employer would not like competition getting in the way, so I turned him down..."
"But what about that business when I was in prison?" Gunnarson asked.
"Do you think I am so stupid that I would raid Scotland Yard just to kill you? I knew I couldn't get close to you during this case, so I remained close to Hartley so I could keep tabs on you" Cricket informed.
"Okay, but there's still the matter of One-Eyed Jack's goons using the gas on you back in the hotel, what was the point if the Dirty Four was working with BURY the whole time..." asked Gunnarson telling Cricket he had caught her slip up...
Cricket, grudging, replied, "Turns out word gets around that I had interactions with the 'Man', and since the Dirty Four had a history with him, they thought I would be a way to get to him. The idiots didn't realize I was working with Bury and undercover, but in the end their blunder only helped to sell my innocent victim act all the more... Also, this just came to mind but to rub salt in your metaphorical wound, 'Stella' is an associate of Bury, so with his luck and money he'll be able to bail her out of jail on easy charges, with no paper trail mind you..." laughed Cricket. "Heck, I figured you would try to look through Picard's history; the phone lines were rerouted, so that if you tried to call her, you would end up calling "Stella" and she would come instead of the real one" she laughed again.
"Well Cricket, even if you kill me, they'll figure out it was you, since you've left all this evidence behind..." said Gunnarson as the rock under his back foot fell into the chasm behind him...
"You think I didn't plan for that, I'm a professional assassin after all, and by the way I'm an only child and not under any Cocktails, so I first knocked out Hartley and for the last ten minutes while you have been walking over here, I planted enough dynamite to blow up the entire eastern section and cause a cave in, so after you 'fall' down that chasm, you'll be buried under so many piles of rock that your body will probably never be found... "
"What about Hartley, what about Picard?"
"I obviously was going to leave that loser in the cave in, he's no longer of use to me, just a means to an end. With you two dead, all the evidence I left behind to implicate Picard, with my testimony after this of Picard trying to fake himself being guilty by saying it was me who did it, using the shirt as a way to divert attention from himself and frame me, with your final words being the justice to put that Frenchman behind bars... Also, you oh so helpfully played a part in thanks to your always reliable 'hunches', I'll get away with it scot free since the crime scene will be no more and the only one who looked at the thing for more than five damn minutes will be dead! And with no evidence besides he said she said evidence, this case won't even be prosecuted. Now, Adolf Gunnarson, any last words?" asked Cricket menacingly as she licked her lips and watch as Gunnarson's foot lost ground as the rock underneath it crumbled...
Just then, a male voice responded with, "I do, I want a divorce!" as a shovel came down on Cricket's head sending her to the ground, with the gun falling out of her hands and over the cliff's edge, revealed to be carried by none other than myself, James Hartley, who had woken up a few minutes ago to stumble in on this speak and hear everything...
I then helped Gunnarson onto solid ground as we surveyed the events that had just transpired...
"Hartley, you have once again saved me! Sorry for your loss but I think we should get out of here..." said Gunnarson
"Right Gunnarson, better hurry, come on and help me grab her..." replied myself
"You two, will not be the victors this time.. If I'm going down, you're coming with me!" shouted a still awake Cricket as she had crawled to a rock revealed to be hiding presumably the detonator..
"HARTLEY RUN!!!" shouted Gunnarson as we bolted to the cave exit with sounds of explosions and maniacal laughter emancipating from behind us, with dark black smoke surrounding us on all sides, we just barely jumped for the east section's exit as rocks fell just shy behind us, blocking off that area of the cave for a good while, maybe forever...
Just as quickly as we jumped, sounds of people shouting and a ruckus being brought about was now being raised as black smoke filled the cavern...
"Well, we better get a move on, this much smoke isn't good for one's health..."
.....
"A little while later, in a payphone miles from the getaway spot, a heavily injured and soot covered woman was using a payphone in the dark of the night...
"Yes Mr. Bury sir I failed my mission and my cover was blown, what are your orders sir?" asked the woman
"Return to base, I have a new assignment for my little Cricket, Gunnarson can wait another time, plus your face will all be too clear not just for him but to the police in London, so for now I have a more 'international' job for you..." replied the man in the phone
"Yes, the alias 'Cricket Hartley' is dead or whatever that fake name was, I will see you shortly sir..." replied the woman as she hung up the phone and exited the phone booth...
"Ugh, I need a stiff drink. I'm sick of all this damn coffee" 'Cricket' said to herself.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jul 5, 2017 18:53:03 GMT -5
(Oh... my...God... that... was... BRILLIANT!! I didn't see that coming Tug! Ok, let's see if I can match that)
In the end, I realized her love was not true. As I look back on those months I was married to Cricket... or whatever her real name is... I came to realize something important though. Love is not something that develops overnight. Love is more than passion alone... it is something more, something deeper. Though I am once again a single bachelor, I do feel that one day, I will meet the right woman, and after spending time with her and developing our relationship to be more than based on passionate feelings, we will experience a truer love than what Cricket was able to offer me. I guess a fool will always have a foolish heart, and with a fool like me, I couldn't ask for more.
Since the events of this story, I have returned to Scotland, and moved back in with my brother's family; I could not continue living in the home Cricket and I shared; it brought to mind memories I would rather not recall. Roger does not mind though; after our father died, it's just the two of us now.
He is married and has children, and after I shared my story with him, he had this advice for me.
"James, love may seem simple, but the truth is it is more complicated that you can imagine. Sarah and I have known each other since we were ten, but marriage was never a thought until just before I entered the service. Look at where we are today; a loving family with two sons and a daughter. I always thought of her as a good friend, but it took that one party we went to in 1937 to realize we were meant to be more than friends. You can say your experience with Cricket was extraordinary, but that doesn't change the fact that your relationship was based on passion and extraordinary circumstances. Remember this James- I know you will find love one day, but until that happens, just know that you can't expect an overnight miracle. Maybe you will meet her tomorrow, or ten years from now, but you will find someone out there, who will make Cricket's "love" seem insignificant" he assured.
And I have taken that to heart.
And what about Gunnarson, you ask? I still keep in touch with him by phone and letter; but it has been a while since we physically met with each other. But a promise is a promise, and I will continue to chronicle his adventures for you, the loyal followers of this series.
Surprisingly, it was Gunnarson that insisted that I go back to Scotland; with that awful "Man" after me, both he and I feel it best to lay low and ensure "he" doesn't find me. I only hope that when "he" comes again, I will be ready...
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jul 5, 2017 19:14:14 GMT -5
EPILOGUE:
At Scotland Yard, Commissioner Gent was hard at work when Detective Walton came into his office. "Commissioner Gent, we need to talk" Walton fumed.
"What's the problem, Walton?" Gent asked.
"I will give you a hint- he's a pain in the neck, he's incompetent and he's Swedish" Walton informed.
"Surely you do not mean Gunnarson..." Gent said, taken aback.
"I do. This last case he was on was an absolute disgrace. He accused three different people in just 30 minutes and he kept jumping around changing his mind on who the killer was, even going so far as to ignore important evidence just to pursue hunches!" Walton declared.
"Now Walton, yes it is true Gunnarson can be rather unorthodox at times, but that doesn't change the fact that he has proven quite useful to solving cases" Gent informed.
"I do not deny that, but this case he went too far! Subverting the law, obstructing justice, FALSIFYING EVIDENCE for Christ's sake! I told the homicide department about this little incident, and I can assure you, none of my colleagues are happy to hear about this" Walton said sternly.
"So what do you want me to do? He doesn't work for Scotland Yard, I cannot boss him around" Gent informed.
"No, but as sworn officers, we do have the authority to keep civilians like him out of crime scenes, which is why come tonight, we are sending Gunnarson this letter" Walton informed. Gent took it and read what was on it.
Adolf Gunnarson,
It has come to our attention that your recent casework involved actions that were legally questionable and subverted the rule of law. Though we will not arrest you this time, considering the extraordinary circumstances, please note that from this point on, the Homicide detectives of Scotland Yard have been made aware of your subversion, and from now on will treat you with greater discretion. Below signed are the detectives who will no longer allow you on crime scenes, and rest assured the other departments will be made aware of your recent actions.
Sincerely,
... and Gent read off the names. He was shocked. "But... but this every homicide detective except Stein, Byrne and Greene" Gent said, shocked.
"We're only doing our duties sir; and that Swede needs to be stopped before he subverts the law further" Walton informed, before taking back the letter and going to mail it to Gunnarson.
"Gunnarson, I know you are no murderer but... what were you thinking this time?" Gent thought before returning to work.
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Post by Eyes on Jul 5, 2017 22:25:10 GMT -5
EPILOGUE PART 2:
I thought it was a shocking turn of events, this narrative my friend Hartley wrote down here. I myself was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next in this mystery, and I admit, I've often looked like a fool and this time was no exception. I only solved this case moments before... well, you saw it didn't you?
Hartley gave the manuscript to me to read over and I was most impressed, though curious as to where it came from. Apparently, it all came from a dream he had (in my opinion, one of his better dreams... the less said about the others the better!). He talked it over with his wife, who found it interesting herself and gave it the all-clear. Then he showed it to me, and now dear readers... it lies in your hands. Hope you enjoyed it! I most certainly did.
But the truth of the matter is, a dream is only a dream, and while I'm sure Hartley saw Cricket in a new light for a few days, I assure you they are as much in love with each other as ever. So, maybe they did rush things a bit, but doesn't everyone? (Here's looking at you, Hartley!)
Long story short, you'll see more of Cricket in the next adventures Hartley chooses to investigate. First, however, there is a female detective that appears to be making her introduction in the next Literary Mosaic... stay tuned!
~Adolf Gunnarson
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jul 5, 2017 23:39:08 GMT -5
An Afterthought from James Hartley
So this story may have been a dream, but I must come clean on something. Some of the events of this novel are true- Cricket and I did move to Scotland, down the street from my brother's family, to lay low from that "Man" at Gunnarson's insistence, and Gunnarson did receive that letter from the Homicide detectives, but it was in direct relation to another case.
But... but for the last month or so, I have hardly been able to look at or talk to Cricket. Yes, we live together, share meals and the like, but I have not been able to bring myself to talk to her in a while. After talking to Roger about that dream, he told me that "in this situation, that is exactly what I would have told you" he explained, and that just made it sink in further. But thinking about what he said, and that musing that came from my own thoughts... it has genuinely affected me in a way that is impossible to describe. Is my love for Cricket real, or just based on something ultimately meaningless?
So, if you are reading this dear, I do apologize if it looks like I have been ignoring you Cricket... but after what I experienced, and the fact that it all felt so real, I don't know if I am worthy of your love anymore. I do hope that if a copy of this story finds its way to you, you will forgive me.
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Post by Eyes on Jul 6, 2017 0:11:33 GMT -5
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