Katherine walked into the police station, her heart filled with guilt. She calmly looked at the officer at the desk and morosely bowed her head. "My name is Katherine Sanders...I would like to turn myself in... For the murder of Lord Nathaniel Monthall... He ruined my Father's life, and I poisoned him covertly using the passage inside the walls of the house I discovered... I... I never wished to hurt anyone else, only avenge my Father... And I do not wish to see an innocent maid go to prison instead of me..." The officer looked at her, surprised, and went to get the chief. As he did, Katherine looked at her pocket watch. 11:28... She found it a bit odd how suddenly this attack of conscience had come on, but... As she stared at the watch, she knew it was the right thing to do... And absentmindedly, she began letting it dangle from her fingers, watching the gentle movement, back and forth, back and forth... It made her feel better...

---

Millicent could hardly believe it as she walked up towards the massive manor. Just yesterday, she had been falsely accused of the murder of her previous employer, and now... She had been personally extended a position at Lord Elias Underton's home... Clutching her few belongings, she nervously knocked on the door. She was readily welcomed inside and led to her room, a lovely, if old, bedroom with a large bed, the sheet decorated in images of lovely purple flowers. As she lay down on the wonderfully soft bed, she noticed a small piece of paper under the pillow. In beautiful handwriting were the words *Relax into the boat, Millicent*, and a drawing of a whirlpool underneath. Millicent yawned softly, feeling a soft, relaxing sleepiness coming over her, and she fell fast asleep, a cute smile on her face as she dreamed of floating in a deep, placid sea...

---

Detective Archibald Greene sat on his armchair, hands folded in contemplation. The entire case surrounding Lord Nathaniel Monthall's murder seemed terribly suspect.  Especially in regards to the alleged 'Hannah Underton', a claimed 'Amateur detective' and her partner 'Argyris'. Within a day of their arrival in the city, the case was completely thrown on its head. After a single conversation with them, the lead suspect, Lord Monthall's maid Millicent Brooks, claimed to have recalled the experiences during her blackouts as merely being temporary trances wherein she hardly did more than stare blankly as if sleeping on her feet. And more suspiciously, Lord Monthall's neighbor Katherine Sanders gave a full confession to the police of having committed the murder the next morning, claiming she could not bear the guilt of letting Millicent take the blame for her murder. And from what Detective Greene had deduced from his own investigations... Her confession was genuine. The motive, means, and opportunity all worked perfectly... But he had heard from Miss Sanders' maid that two 'amateur detectives' had come to see her that day... A few of the police falsely believed he was merely bitter about being shown up by an amateur, but that was not the case at all. Whoever this 'Hannah Underton' was, she was up to far more than merely messing with his case. 

He had not forgotten the recent desecration of the late Lord Hector Underton's grave. 'Hannah' taking the last name of a lord recently desecrated could not be a coincidence. And additionally, Lord Elias had been awfully quick to invite Millicent Brooks to work for him after the case ended. Detective Greene's investigations into the Underton family had predictably revealed no 'Distant cousins' by the name of Hannah. Although Lord Hector's younger sister did bear that name, it absolutely could not be her, seeing as she had gone missing, presumed dead, over a century ago. So this lady had clearly taken on her name, possibly to try and gain favor with Lord Elias. Whatever it was, Detective Greene would not rest until he found out what it was. Some of the police had mockingly parroted his mesmerism theory back to him when he spoke to them about her, but that was clearly not the case. Mesmerism simply did not work like that.