[Will Chase]

How do you deal with something you don’t know. If your name is William Chase, you obsess. You focus all of your time and effort on that one thing, and only let go when you finally know the truth. If you can’t find the truth, you obsess further. You ask questions, track down leads and examine every tiny little facet of the information you have. But Will hadn’t yet gone through that, he was still at the beginning, still hopeful that this would be an open and shut case like so many he had gone through before. This was before everything changed. Claire, Mason and Alice had wandered off, apparently planning to go to the former’s apartment. Dominic has split off on his own. That left Will and Persephone standing alone. She may well have been feeling awkward, but he was too focussed to even register it, running back over what had happened in his head, trying to find something to link the events. A car crash, and a miracle doctor that left nothing behind, no way to contact them. It didn’t make sense; while he hadn’t been keeping nearly as keen an eye on the hospitals nearby as he had the police department, he would’ve heard about a doctor as skilled as the one who had saved them. Hell, he’d had friends who could’ve used such a person. Maybe they were new… But no, that didn’t explain why no one had recognised them. They hadn’t signed off on the charts, hadn’t done anything but save the six of them and then vanish. “Hey Persephone,” he said, breaking the silence. “Does this whole situation just feel… off, to you?” Knowledge is power, guard it well Will Chase 279 Words

♛

[Persephone Dean]

The Case of the Mysterious Miracle

The whole situation felt all too rushed and all too slow simultaneously. On the one hand, Persephone was relieved that they’d been released from the hospital so quickly. It meant real clothes, fresh air and freedom from the claustrophobic confines of hospital wards. On the other, leaving meant the splintering of their party.

Dom was straight off to the office, which was admirable if a little disappointing for Persephone. She’d hoped he would be a key player in pulling strings to help unravel the mystery of their accident immediately, but the man had priorities and Persephone’s hopes were probably a little high. Then Claire, Mason and Alice had left as a trio – unsurprisingly – and that left Persephone and the PI.

Which, considering Persephone’s own current priorities, was probably the best result she could have hoped for.

She laughed good-naturedly at Will’s question. “I think that’s quite the understatement,” she said, secretly pleased that he was getting straight on topic. “A meddling expert posing as a doctor saves the lives of six completely unrelated victims of a horror crash, only to disappear without a trace? That seems quite off to me, yeah.”

Persephone glanced around, suddenly aware that maybe she shouldn’t be talking of such things quite so loudly and quite so publicly.

“Look, I don’t feel good knowing that I owe some enigmatic stranger my life,” she stated firmly. “I think we need to get to the bottom of this fast before anything else… "off" happens.”

She glanced around again.

“But not here. Any ideas?”

She’d offer her apartment – private, central (and, importantly, with internet access) – but for the simple reason that Persephone would rather live through another horror crash twice over than invite someone into her personal space. No way, no how, no thanks. Just thinking about it made her feel queasy. Plus this guy was like… old. The neighbours she persistently avoided would surely talk.

ψ

[Will Chase]

So. He wasn’t the only one who knew something was wrong. That was good, excellent even. The others may have been able to just leave but Will… Well, he couldn’t let something like this go so easily. Still, Persephone was right. They shouldn’t be discussing this here. He wasn’t quite sure why, but Will had a feeling that their miraculous recovery was not going to be one without consequence. A mysterious stranger saves six lives and then disappears? He could’ve laughed aloud at the thought. No. Nothing happened without reason, and a person that skilled would not have done such a thing out of something as trivial as a desire to do good. Or rather, if they had done it out of the goodness of their heart, they wouldn’t have disappeared, they would’ve kept working in the hospital, and they would’ve been widely known. He had to be missing something, but what? What reason could there have been? Why was it them who had been saved, and not others? But he was obsessing again, and he took a moment to drag his attention back to Persephone in order to answer her question. “I’ve got an office that’s about an hour away on foot, but I know a couple of other places where we probably won’t be overheard. What would you prefer?” Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven Will Chase 221 Words

♛

[Persephone Dean]

The Case of the Mysterious Miracle

It was interesting talking to Will alone. There was a ferocious intensity to his expression that she hadn’t really picked up on before. She’d noticed that he could be useful, certainly, but he was positively fixated by the case at hand. Maybe they had more hope of solving this mystery than she’d initially thought.

“We could get a cab…” she mused. “Dom called some for all of us. I bet we won’t get charged.”

There was quite the internal battle going on as she said this. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful to Dom by rejecting one of the many taxis he’d phoned for, especially after Claire had opted for public transport. Yet she was already trying to escape being in debt to one “kind” stranger, to be in debt to another virtual stranger was not an ideal position.

Then again, she’d been perfectly happy to accept lifts from work colleagues in the past, and that was a pretty similar situation. Persephone reluctantly concluded that there was a distinct possibility that she had grown a little paranoid over the course of their hospital stay.

Will was valuable to her for the time being. Accordingly, Persephone was going to have to get on his good side. He at least tolerated her – she’d been perfectly pleasant in the hospital – but a little subtle fawning never hurt.

“I trust your judgement,” she said smoothly, trying to appear unquestioningly earnest. People liked to believe they were trustworthy authorities, in her experience. “Wherever you think is best; we’ll go.”

ψ

[Will Chase]

She was very good. The tone was flawless, the body language excellently crafted to create an image, an illusion of an earnest young woman. But despite how clever she obviously was, she had made one fatal error. She had underestimated him. Maybe if she’d been just another person on the street he wouldn’t have noticed it, but she was another part of the mystery, another piece of the puzzle that fixated him, and Will was dangerously observant when he was obsessed. Still, she could keep doing that for as long as she wanted. The case was more important than whatever her reasons were. Enigmas may have fascinated him, but even investigating interesting people like Persephone fell by the wayside when he had something this significant, and this impossible, to work on. “We can take a cab and go to my office, I still need a pair of glasses, and I’ve got some things there that make it easier for me to work on a case. The neighbours are used to me working at weird times too, and no one will raise an eyebrow over you visiting a PI’s office in the way they would if we visited my home or yours, or a cafe.” To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe Will Chase 204 Words

♛

[Persephone Dean]

The Case of the Mysterious Miracle

Persephone fought back the instinct to laugh at his mention of raised eyebrows. Although the thought had occurred to her, she hadn’t realised that Will would also be thinking of such things. It seemed such a petty issue, old women’s gossip. She was definitely relieved that a more personal setting hadn’t been suggested, of course. A more professional environment would contribute to the thinking process without the whimsical distractions often present in people’s homes.

Not Persephone’s home, obviously. It was clean with neutral colours, brightened only by the multitude of plants she kept both inside and spilling out onto the small balcony. There was no space for entertaining guests, just a kitchen and a loft area for her bed. It was a space utterly devoid of sentimentality – even the plants were tended for in a methodical, impersonal manner.

She didn’t feel a need to offer much small talk in the cab. The driver attempted a quip about “No rest for the wicked” upon hearing that they weren’t heading straight home from hospital, but Persephone just smiled politely in response and remained silent.

“So you have a good track record with private investigation?” she asked, genuinely curious. “I’m not so sure this’ll be easy to crack.”

She wanted him to retaliate, dismiss the case as child’s play. Just any indication that there was potential for real progress to be made, and quickly.

Persephone wouldn’t admit it, but her creativity was somewhat lacking. She was strategic and meticulous when she applied herself – her chess prowess reflected this natural ability – but she knew that she’d be pretty lost in this investigation by herself. It was unsteady ground to be standing on and she didn’t like it one bit.

Unsurprisingly, when the cab finally drew to a stop, there was no charge.

ψ

[Will Chase]

The cab ride was free, as Persephone had predicted. Well, they had to put up with some frankly appalling jokes from the driver, but that was nothing new. Hell, even police officers on stake-out had better senses of humour than some of the cab drivers Will had needed to put up with, and he’d heard some pretty awful jokes on stake-outs Still, a free lift was worth the torment. Persephone’s question left him thinking for a little while, collating the information in his head and trying to find a way to put it into words. “I’ve only been a PI for a little while, but I was a member of the police department for almost twenty years, and worked in investigation for more than half of that. I am very good at my job Miss, and my record speaks for itself. But this case… I don’t know. I said earlier that there was something off about it, but let me clarify that now.” “This whole situation makes no goddamn sense.” “Let’s say we assume for a minute that this mystery miracle worker did all of this out of the kindness of their heart. Why haven’t we heard of them before? Why did they disappear so suddenly, without leaving so much as a name? Why did even the doctors at the hospital have no idea who they were? It simply doesn’t make sense.” “And if they didn’t do it because they’re a good samaritan, why did they? Why save us, of all the people in that crash? And two days? Two days? I remember being skewered like a pig, but here I am, less than two days later, right as rain. That level of medical ability is not just incredible, it’s impossible.” “I’ve spent my whole life looking for and finding the answers to questions, but in this case I’m not sure if there are any that I’ll be able to find.” Will knew that he’d been ranting. It was something he normally tried not to do, but this whole situation was hitting all of his buttons. It worried him. He’d never before come across something where he couldn’t see any possible explanation. There was always something, some possibility, no matter how small. But this? He couldn’t see it. He needed time, time to process, a chance to gather more information. “... Sorry about that, I get overly passionate in situations like this.” The rest of the cab ride passed in silence, with even the driver quietened by Will’s rant. They came to a stop, and Will remembered himself enough to thank the driver for the lift before leading Persephone to the door of the apartment building and typing in the code to let himself in, quickly ascending the stairs to the fifth floor. He grabbed the key from his pocket - luckily it had survived the car crash and been on the table beside his hospital bed - and let them in. The room was spartan, a couple of landscapes on the right wall and a plain wood desk facing the door. Indeed, the only thing that in any way made it unique was the huge board on the left wall. It was clean at the moment, because he hadn’t had a case for a few days, but Will knew in his gut that the whole thing would be covered soon enough. He used it in his cases to help with his thinking processes, pinning what he knew to the board and drawing connections between pieces of information. While Persephone looked around he grabbed some contact lenses from the side and put them in. It was the desk that he moved to next, grabbing up a set of post-it notes and a pen from one of the drawers before turning to Persephone. “So, what do we know?” To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge Will Chase 618 Words

♛

[Persephone Dean]

The Case of the Mysterious Miracle

Persephone nodded silently in agreement as she listened to Will’s rant before sitting back, eyes wide, to absorb everything he’d just said.

To start labelling things that had actually happened as “impossible” was worrying, but Persephone could see his point. They’d have to discard the idea that this was a plain and simple medical feat and explore other options that fit the bill of impossibility more snugly.

Another worry Persephone had was that she still had absolutely no memory of the crash. She’d had a nurse help decipher the hospital notes about her condition upon entering the hospital and it seemed that she had been most likely on the path to permanent, life-altering brain damage. It was hard to trust that everything was in working order when her brain was failing to conjure up memories even now, when she felt beyond recovered in every other part of her body.

Then there was the fact that Will had confessed to being very, very qualified and even he was lacking in confidence that they’d find any answers to the never-ending pile of questions. Things were feeling very big and Persephone was feeling very small – which was not a feeling she entertained often.

The office was perfect. No useless diversions save a couple of arbitrary landscapes on the wall which weren’t offensive. The room could have used a potted plant or two… but each to their own.

“We were all travelling on the same road on the morning of June 3rd,” Persephone began. “Each with our own separate destination and purpose – there’s no link there. There was an accident involving a car drifting into the side of a coach which led to a lethal, three-lane domino effect and the six of us were caught in the middle of the pile-up.

“Emergency services were swamped but we were all fortunate enough to make it to Zuckerberg General in various terrible states – I don’t think any of us had exactly the same injuries…

“Cue the witchcraft,” she finished, rubbing her neck. “We don’t know much except that the curtains were drawn and no one witnessed her work. There’s a potential our saviour has been caught on camera somewhere though, and we can work out where she went afterwards…”

ψ

[Will Chase]

Everything Persephone was saying went on a note and got pinned to the board. The road, the events of the crash, the hospital, the names of all six of us. It was so little, when he stepped back and had a look. Taking up only a tiny part of the wall. Will had a feeling the whole thing would be covered before the case was solved. “There’s not enough, dammit there’s not enough. I need more information, some hint of what connects everything.” He didn’t realise he was speaking aloud, so focussed was he on the board. “The camera idea might work, but if someone doesn’t want to be recognised then it’s relatively easy to avoid them. Cameras in hospitals tend to be used only in very specific areas, and there’s no guarantee that our miracle doctor made use of them. Still, it’s worth checking.” “Wait, no. Of course, if this person doesn’t want to be found out they’ll have thought of cameras. Chances are the tapes will be wiped. Never mind how difficult it’ll be to get access to the tapes of cameras in a hospital; maybe I could do it if I was still a detective, but not now. No, I need something that most people would miss, something they wouldn’t think to get rid of.” Will walked past his desk and sat in the chair, leaning back and putting his hands over his eyes. He needed to think, he needed quiet. Then, a few minutes later, an epiphany. “Of course. It’s so obvious, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier. The desk.” He spoke quickly, not giving Persephone a chance to get a word in. “Everyone entering a hospital has to sign in if they want access to the patient rooms, you can’t just waltz in.” In short order Will was up and heading for the door, stopping only to snatch his overcoat off the hook he’d left it on before leaving to visit his sister, just before he’d been in the crash. God, it felt like a decade ago. “You can stay here if you like, or you can go home. If you want any sleep tonight, you’d best not follow me, because I’m going to be working all night.” It is beyond a doubt that all our knowledge begins with experience Will Chase 376 Words

♛

[Persephone Dean]

The Case of the Mysterious Miracle

There was a pause.

“You’d best not follow me”?!

Persephone was indignant but kept her expression neutral, as though considering her options. She was pretty furious that they’d finally made a breakthrough only for Will to clearly express that he wanted to work alone. It was a heavy indication that he thought she’d be holding him back somehow which… okay, could be true. She had no experience in private investigation, but she’d thought that Will could have recognised her intelligence at least.

She tilted her head in thought and smiled as warmly as her chilling temper would allow. “I guess I’d be no use to you while I’m sleep-deprived, after all.” Her gentle nods were slow and forced – Will would have picked up on her reluctance to leave the case no doubt. Her fury was in check, thankfully. She would just have to settle for seeming overeager.

“Please do keep me updated,” she pressed. “I’ll be at my apartment, it’s pretty central.”

With that she brushed past Will, who had been on his way out anyway. It was a petty power move but Persephone was not about to be the one left standing alone in his office. She was fine, really, honestly. She was glad to be going back home. Who needed to solve mysteries when you had a horde of plants to attend to?

And with that, Persephone was on her way.

ψ

[Will Chase]

Okay, that hadn’t been what he’d intended. Will cursed himself. Dammit, he’d thought he’d been dealing with this problem well, but apparently he’d pissed off Persephone. Had he been too abrupt again? Had he implied something he hadn’t meant to? Shit. Ashley had told him again and again, and he’d been trying so hard to do better, but apparently he’d screwed up again. He was out the door as soon as possible, and after taking a few moments to lock up he went down the corridor as fast as he could, moving at just shy of a run. He was too slow however, and the elevator doors shut just before he got there. He took the steps two, sometimes even three at a time, skidding to a halt at the bottom just as Persephone was stepping out onto the sidewalk. “Hey, Persephone.” The words were spoken with a slight breathlessness; Will was fit, but he’d almost fallen a couple of times and he’d picked up a little bit of adrenaline. He gathered himself and continued. “I didn’t mean to offend you, I just thought you might need some sleep. I mean, hell, I need some. But I wasn’t joking, I probably will be working through the night, and maybe all of tomorrow as well. If that’s what you want I’d be happy to have you along, it’s always easier with someone as smart as you helping.” To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge. Will Chase 236 Words

♛

[Persephone Dean]

The Case of the Mysterious Miracle

While the clothes that had been provided for her were stylish in an understated way and the kind of comfortable that only comes with a price tag, Persephone was feeling quite ill at ease in them. She normally wore exceedingly plain clothes and even had three pairs of identical jeans, so to be wearing a full outfit of strange new clothes was a huge derailment from normalcy – and it was throwing her off. Maybe Will had been right to send her home.

Except, arriving in a flurry of hurried footsteps, it appeared that he hadn’t. Her simmering temper dissipated instantly, curiosity getting the better of her. Then, as he continued talking, she allowed a real smile to creep onto her face. Not all of it, but enough to show her gratitude. He seemed a little enthusiastic with his final line of flattery but she was mollified that he was even trying at all.

“Please, it’s nothing. I’m just happy to help.” She attempted to thrust her hands into her pockets– forgetting that she wasn’t in her usual attire – and grimaced as her hands swiped at the unfamiliar fabric. It was bothering her more than it should, but pursuing the “doctor” with Will was sure to be a welcome distraction.

“So, to the hospital? I hope you’ve got a plan.”

ψ

[Will Chase]

A plan? Hah, he wished he had a plan. If he had a plan, that would mean that he knew what he was looking for, and knew roughly where to find it. Unfortunately, he was instead in a situation where he had no idea. He was looking for the reason they had been saved, but the identity of the miracle doctor was just the first step and he had no way to see beyond it. “We’ll be heading to the hospital first to check the sign in book and see if we can find the doctor’s name. If we find something I’ll be getting in touch with a few old friends and seeing if they can find out more. We’re in a position where we have very little to rely on unfortunately, so there’s definitely a chance that we won’t be able to find anything, or that even if we do the name will be fake.” “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it, but I’ll probably have a look around the hospital, see if I can’t pick up anything else.” No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience Will Chase 182 Words

♛

[NoSuchThing]

Every move you make
Every step you take
I'll be watching you

The enormous glass cylinder at the front of the building was lit up in the failing light of a winter evening, it’s own artificial lights shining through the windows and proving that the building never slept. The occasional doctor or nurse could be seen walking along a windowed corridor, but the area was mostly quiet, apart from the constant background noise of ay large city occasionally broken by the wail of a siren.

Despite the lights, the structure of the hospital seemed forbidding, looming, as though it knew why Will had come and was refusing to give up it’s secrets. A figure on the roof watched the PI cross the plaza with his companion and enter via the front doors. Invisible against the night sky, they nodded once and dialled a number on a phone before turning away from the now empty square.

“I was right about that one. Although he has company...”

Will Chase & Persephone Dean

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Will Chase]

The doors of the hospital slid open in front of him as he approached, but Will paused for a moment before stepping in. He glanced around as circumspectly as he could, but couldn’t see whatever was causing the apprehension he felt in his gut. He shook himself and stepped through, but kept alert. The desk was in front of him, the woman working there looking half asleep. He strode over to her and smiled when she looked up. “Hello, I’m Will Chase. I was in the car crash a few days ago, and I was wondering if I could have a look at who signed in that morning. It’s just that a particular doctor saved my life and I’d like to thank her, but no one I’ve asked knows what her name is.” After a short conversation the woman, Sarah, going by her name tag, was gracious enough to let him flick through. “Here,” he said, gesturing Persephone over to take a look. “There’s four doctors here I’m unfamiliar with, but only one of them is a woman. Elaine Bennet.” Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance Will Chase 180 Words

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