Detective Archibald Greene stepped out into the cold, foggy city streets. He checked his pocket watch. 11:17. Perfectly in time. Assuming those buffoons at the station hadn’t decided to take their leave early, he should be able to give his conclusions to them before midnight, and the case itself should be wrapped up by the end of the week. He steadily walked towards the station, his cane clacking against the cobbled streets. While his body may have deteriorated somewhat over the years, a nasty limp forming in his right leg, his mind was as keen as ever. A blessing for the local police, what with all the mysterious happenings as of recent. Just two days ago, the late Lord Hector Underton's grave was found to have been tampered with, the soil clearly having been disturbed and hastily replaced, the perpetrator apparently having attempted to hide the evidence of their actions. He was keen to investigate this mystery, but another, much more shocking one, had occurred just this morning. Lord Nathaniel Monthall, a respected accountant, was found murdered in his home office, poisoned. The only person other than himself who had access to his office was his housemaid, who had professed her innocence. The police were unsure of the state of her innocence, but Detective Greene had, through his keen eyes and calculating mind, discovered the true facts of the case. Now, all he must do is present it.

The streets outside the station were active, for this late at night. A carriage was rolling past, a pair of citizens were speaking quietly under the nearby streetlamp, and a group of urchins were skulking around, likely looking for some unattended money. Detective Greene rapidly knocked on the station door. Constable Johnson answered, looking a bit surprised to see the detective. “Already finished the investigation, sir?” Detective Greene nodded curtly. “I have. Once the facts were laid out before me, it was quite clear.” Johnson nodded. “So, is the girl guilty then?” Detective Greene smiled pridefully. “Nothing so simple as that, Constable. I have the evidence that she committed the crime, yet she possesses no motive. But, I believe the crime may not have been entirely her doing.” The constable began to speak, before Detective Greene silenced him with a glance. “You’ve noticed her erratic behavior, yes? Emotional outbursts, Anxiety, and importantly, Inconsistent Memory. The woman is clearly not in her right mind. I have come to the conclusion that this was due to a mesmeric suggestion placed upon her.” The constable was unsurprisingly confused. “A what?” Detective Greene smiled pridefully again. “A mesmeric suggestion. Some unknown perpetrator, wanting Lord Monthall dead, utilized psychological tricks to implant a suggestion into the maid's subconscious, ordering her to carry out the murder against her will or knowledge at a certain time. A near-perfect crime, had he been more careful not to leave his unwilling accomplice in such a state.” The constable nodded, attempting to convey understanding. “Yeah, truly. So, the maid's good to release? “ Detective Greene shook his head. “No, our mesmerist may have implanted other suggestions into her mind. It is best to keep her locked up. Now, a list should be compiled of any of Lord Monthall's enemies who may have advanced knowledge of psychology.” The constable nodded. “Sure thing, we’ll get on that first light tomorrow!” Detective Greene glared impatiently. “It is imperative that this list be compiled immediately, lest this devious mesmerist make plans to escape.” The constable suppressed a sigh and went back inside to inform his superiors. Detective Greene sat down on the bench outside the station, and was beginning to light his pipe when he became aware of someone approaching him. Looking up, he saw the two people he had spied conversing earlier approaching him. 

“What do you want?” He asked tersely as they stopped before him. The smaller of the two, a young woman, answered hesitantly. “We… Wished to ask you about the case you were working. Lord… Monthall, right?” Detective Greene pursed his lips. “I do not speak of my cases to random passersby.” He returned to lighting his pipe when she spoke again. “Well, you see, I… May have some insight that could prove useful.” He looked up, interest beginning to outweigh annoyance slightly. “Who are you, then, that you believe you have insight to share?” She paused slightly, as if considering how to introduce herself. “My name is Hannah Underton, and this,” she gestured to her companion, “Is Argyris.” Detective Greene looked skeptically. “’Underton’, hm? Would you happen to be related to Lord Elias Underton, then?” Predictably, ‘Hannah’s’ demeanor became flustered, likely not expecting to be called on her lie so directly. “Ahem, uh, yes, he’s my… Cousin… A distant cousin.” Detective Greene looked her over as she attempted to recover. She certainly bore a resemblance to the family, with the dirty blonde hair, tall slender build, and light features. Likely the reason she felt so confident claiming relation. He also noticed her strange eyes, a deep shade of purple, seeming to suggest wisdom and experience far surpassing her youthful appearance. 

Detective Greene cleared his throat. “Now, what was this ‘insight’ you claim to have?” As Hannah appeared lost in thought, absently retrieving something from her belt, Argyris responded for her, his voice deep, with a slight foreign accent. “Me and Hannah are, hrm, amateur detectives… We figured we could help work out the case.” Detective Greene glared disdainfully at him. “I have no need for the help of amateurs. And besides, I have already solved the case.” Hannah looked back up. “Well, I happen to have experience with, uh, mesmerism. And besides, you haven’t found the actua…” She trailed off as she realized she had said too much. Detective Greene stood up, standing tall despite his limp. “Pardon me, what was that?” She began nervously fidgeting with the deck of cards she had retrieved, her voice high and worried. “Oh, uh, just some speculation, you know, uh…” Detective Greene glared at her, furious. “You were spying on me. What for?” She began shuffling the deck as she struggled for an answer. “Uh… Well… We… Okay. Fine, I’ll just tell the truth. We overheard you talking to the policeman, and… Well, the case sounded interesting. So… Just a little white lie, you know…” Detective Greene could tell there was still something she was hiding. As he studied her, he examined the cards she was holding. It wasn’t a standard deck of playing cards, certainly.  They appeared to have intricate artwork on them, but she was shuffling them too fast to examine. What he could see of the artwork was rather eye-catching, however. She noticed him looking at it. “Oh, you, uh, like my cards?” He shook his head curtly. “I was merely observing your tic of shuffling them.” She nodded. “Yeah, it helps me…” She paused. “It helps me Focus and Relax…”

Detective Greene noticed something odd in her tone, but she continued speaking. “I find that the action itself helps me calm down my mind when I’m stressed. The repetitive motions keep my mind occupied on something other than the stress, just focused on the soothing feeling of the cards against my fingers…” Detective Greene ignored her ramblings, attempting to get a clear view of the artwork. There was clearly something about it she didn’t want him to see. One specific flashed image seemed to stick in his mind, and he felt he had to see it clearly. “And the sound, the soft ruffling of cards as they softly pass by each other, helps drown out any unwanted thoughts and worries… It frees up my mind to Focus on more important things.” Detective Greene still inspected the cards. The image kept flashing by… An eye, staring at him… He had to know more. “And what is the purpose of the artwork, then?” Hannah’s voice seemed to become slightly deeper and more relaxing as she replied. “Ahh, yes, the beautiful art. The visual stimulus helps to free the mind from its rut, to help think outside the box. As the images flash by, it triggers the mind to recall knowledge in new and unique ways. Every image has a purpose, every image intended to guide the mind into thinking a certain way… The more you focus on the art, the more your mind begins to make connections you could never consciously realize… The more you focus, the easier it is to let the images guide you… Just focus…” Detective Greene began to realize something was wrong. Something about her tone was… unsettling. And the eye… staring at him, before disappearing. He began to try and straighten up. “Are you-“ He suddenly felt a strong hand gently tilt his head back down. “Just focus on the images, detective… Let them guide you…” Argyris rumbled, his deep voice relaxing and soothing. Hannah moved the deck slightly closer. “That’s it, detective. Let the images guide you… Let your brain flow free… Let the images flow through you… See, information wants to be shared, detective… Your mind wants to tell you something… You should listen, detective… Just stare, listen, and-“ She snapped her fingers, and the eye was suddenly on top of the deck. Staring into his soul… Telling his mind all sorts of things… Drawing his mind deeper and deeper into a vortex of time and thoughts and-

SNAP! Detective Greene looked up, his mind sharp and clear. Hannah was putting… something he didn’t notice away on her belt. She looked at him expectantly “So, about that information you agreed to give us!”  Detective Greene remembered these two. The amateur detectives. He figured it may be worth informing them of the case. “Yes, indeed. The facts are thus: At 8:15 this morning, Lord Nathaniel Monthall was found poisoned in his office. The poison was a common chemical, used in the disposal of vermin. The door was locked, and nobody except him and his housemaid possessed a key. His housemaid has professed her innocence, but I have deduced she was under a mesmeric suggestion to murder him, against her knowledge. The identity and whereabouts of this mesmerist are unknown, but the police are compiling a list of suspects as we speak.” Hannah nodded, intrigued. “Interesting… Where is the maid? I would like to speak with her.” Detective Greene began to hesitate, unwilling to bother the chief inspector with amateur detectives, but he caught a glimpse of her eyes… Such powerful eyes… Pulling him deeper… She snapped her fingers. “Sorry, you seemed lost in thought. So, where’s the maid? Can we speak to her?” He quickly answered. “She is currently in the station holding cell, to be transferred out tomorrow. I will request you be allowed to see her tonight. Follow me.” He led them to the station, rapidly knocking on the door. Constable Johnson answered again, looking tired and surprised. “Back so soon?” He looked at Hannah. “This the, uh, memorist?” Detective Greene shook his head, annoyed. “No, this is… Hannah, and she is not a mesmerist, she is a detective. An amateur one, admittedly, but I have come to request an interview with the housemaid on their behalf.” Johnson looked over his shoulder. “Well, we’re all pretty busy with gathering the suspect list, and I don’t know if the chief would want two random people talking with a prisoner…” Detective Greene glared at him. “I believe they will provide important insight into the case. Do you doubt my judgement, Constable?” The constable shook his head nervously. “Uh, alright then, sir. I’ll do it, but the chief might not be happy. “ Detective Greene grimaced. “He never is.” As the constable escorted them inside, Detective Greene checked his watch. 12:46. Perhaps he should head home. Normally he would prefer to stay out and observe the night for a while, but he felt he must get home soon. He felt oddly tired, for some reason…