𝗠𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥, 𝗦𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗘

𝘒𝘌𝘕𝘚𝘐𝘕𝘎𝘛𝘖𝘕 𝘈𝘍𝘍𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘚

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Adele felt bad about last night. Truth to be told, she was not used to being told no, she was not used with things not going her way, but she didn't mean to offend the inspector. Not at all. She wanted to help. Not because it was her ambition that pushed her to do so, but because she knew she was capable of making a change. She had a set of fresh eyes that were trained for spotting suspicious matters and there was nothing holding her back, so yes, she fit the detective profile perfectly.

So, when the morning came, Adele returned to the section and found it almost empty. The only man she saw in the lobby was Constable Attaway, the man that was on duty last night as well. With sleepy eyes, he greeted her.

"Good morning, Constable Attaway. Here, this is for bothering you last night," she said, offering him a paper bag and a cup of coffee. "I'm here to see the Inspector, but don't worry, I know where to find him this time. Enjoy your breakfast."

The man nodded and thanked her. Adele smiled and started to walk towards Inspector Styles' office, knocking twice. This time, however, she waited for a reply before she opened the door. He was already mad at her, she couldn't bust in his office now.

The door to his office opened slowly, making a squeaky sound, and it revealed a tired version of the man she was so eager to see. For a few moments, confusion was spread all over his face. He wasn't sure why she was here again, but then he realized it must be morning already, so he invited her inside, then closed the door for some privacy.

Unlike him, Adele looked like she has had an amazing night sleep. Her skin was glowing, her hair was carefully styled in golden waves, her makeup was on point, and she was surely dressed to impress. Not to mention the sweet, floral perfume she was wearing that somehow spread in the entire office and invaded his nostrils.

"Good morning, Inspector. I assume you haven't had breakfast yet," Adele pointed out, taking a seat. Then, she placed a paper bag in front of him. "But there's nothing coffee, toast and freshly baked cookies can't solved. Enjoy your breakfast."

Skepticism was written all over his face. "Is there something else you've done and I haven't found out already, Miss Richardson?" he asked with a grumpy, morning voice, then took a look at the contents of the paper bag she brought. "Forgive my manners, good morning to you too."

"No," she was quick to dismiss his idea. "Trust me, I would've told you otherwise. I just feel a little guilty about upsetting you last night, that's it. I can assure you that my intentions were good, but I guess my actions were not."

"I wouldn't put the words trust and you in the same sentence. Is that some sort of apology?" Harry asked, taking a sip of coffee. "Because if so, I'd like to hear a proper one."

"Maybe?"

"That's still not a proper apology but oh well. It's probably the best I'm going to get." Harry sighed. "Are you going to stay away from Mr. Kensington's case from now on?"

"Maybe?" she repeated, but this time, her reply was more delicate and it caused Harry to groan loudly in frustration. It was too early for this.

"I will take that as a no," he stated. "Tell me what you had in mind last night."

"So does that mean I can still get some insights on the murder case?" Adele giggled. "Inspector, it's not exactly polite to ask a woman about what wanders through her mind at night. The answer might or might not surprise you," she teased him, trying to brighten up his mood.

Adele she witnessed something she didn't expect. Harry's cheeks started to burn a little, showing some color. He cleared his throat quickly, dismissing her idea, and shook his head. "The case, Miss Richardson. I was talking about the information you had on the case."

"Of course you were." Adele nodded her head, biting her lower lip so she wouldn't chuckle again. "Apparently, Mr. Kensington had an affair with a woman whose name I'm yet to discover and they were madly in love. He wanted to propose to her and, according to my sources, he already had the perfect engagement ring for her. I cannot tell you if it's some family ring or if it's something he bought recently, but I will as soon as I find out."

"And who exactly is your source?" Harry asked, then spoke again before she could say anything else. "I need to know for the sake of the case, of course. People can't be trusted."

"A lady never kisses and tells, but there's only one thing you should know: the information I gave to you is real," Adele reassured him. "That brings us to the next question: what if someone didn't want the mysterious woman in the family, so they decided to make sure the engagement will never happen?"

He ignored her inappropriate comment. "If so, why wouldn't that person go after her? It would be easier to murder the bride-to-be rather than the man in charge with the family business."

"Indeed. But you know who would benefit from Mr. Kensington's death and the mysterious woman's absence?" Adele inquired, knowing that she just provoked him.

The inspector's gaze met hers and they both nodded at the same time. "The Kensington children," he replied.

"Exactly. With their father gone before the wedding, she wouldn't get her hands on any money and the siblings will inherit the company, the wealth and the title," Adele explained.

"I have to admit this, Miss Richardson, that is a brilliant idea. But don't let it get to your head," Harry warned. "Let's imagine you are right. We have the motive, but we don't have anything that would point us in their direction. Nothing but a poisoned teaspoon. How can we prove that they did this? Were they both involved or was it just one of Walter Kensington's children? Or maybe a distant relative? There are many questions that remain unanswered."

"And I hate to remind you, but if there's a person that can find out some more answers from the inside, that has to be me. So tell me, Inspector, do I have your blessing to proceed with my research on this case?" Her eyes sparked with hope. "I promise you that I will tell you everything I discover as quickly as I can, and I will leave no details out. Well, at least not the details related to the case."

He took a deep breath and considered his options before nodding. "Yes, Miss Richardson. But do not think of this as a free pass to every case from now on. It's one-time only."

"I've heard you loud and clear. I will not disappoint you." She got up with a wide, pleased grin on her face, then left the office in a hurry. "Have a good day, Inspector! I will see you soon!"

The day passed by, quickly and uneventful. But the night came with an opportunity she could not miss. She had a hard time waking up and it seemed like the man that kept her company last night did too. Kent Kensington was still asleep when Adele opened her eyes and got up from the bed, wrapping a black silk robe around her bare body.

She went downstairs and asked Bobbi to pour her a cup of coffee, then she looked at the clock on the wall. Her handsome wealthy man did not disappoint her at all, she didn't expect him to tire her out like this. 

Soon enough, he joined her for breakfast and coffee. Bobbi knew how this worked: she found something to do elsewhere but the kitchen, so that they could have some well-deserved privacy. It was a rule that applied every time Miss Richardson brought a man home, which was actually pretty often.

"Somebody's up early," Kent said, placing a sweet good morning kiss on her lips.

Adele smiled and wrapped her hands around his neck, then pulled him closer. He took his time to get dressed before he came downstairs, but she had something else in her mind.

She couldn't ruin the moment by asking questions last night. She had to make sure he fell for the game she was playing, so she waited for the perfect moment. One by one, Adele undid the buttons of his shirt, displaying his bare chest in the end. She had her legs wrapped around his torso and she took a sip of her coffee before saying anything. "We both slept in, Kent. It's almost noon and we just woke up."

"I think we can afford a cheat day, sweetheart. We had a long night, after all."

She chuckled and leaned in for a kiss. It started as innocent, but it quickly turned into a passionate, hungry one. Her hands made their way to his back, nails tracing new scratches down his skin. The Kensington heir lifted her in his arms after he took the coffee cup she was holding and placed it on the counter, then he took a step backwards, starting to walk towards the door again.

"Mmh, don't bother." Adele let out a soft moan, briefly explaining to him that they don't need to go upstairs. She grabbed his shirt and took it off, then threw it on the ground. "Nobody will interrupt us here either."

Kent's hands found their way underneath her elegant robe and wandered over her delicate, soft skin, then desperately squeezed her hips. He didn't only want to feel her, he craved it. He craved her. She knew how to make a man lose his mind and for him, discovering that she wore nothing underneath the silk robe was the biggest turn-on. He untied the knot, pressed her against the kitchen door and undressed her again, almost ripping the provocative piece of clothing off her, then kissed her neck, getting crazy at the thought of having her again.

The two strangers that turned into lovers overnight were now sitting by the fireplace, fully clothed. Adele could see it in his eyes, the man was trouble. Not in the good way, but rather the committed, enamored way. He looked at her and imagined a whole life ahead with just the two of them, conquering the world together.

However, she was not the woman to settle.

"Is Dorothy any better?" she asked, smiling at the sight of his hand caressing one of her thighs. "I know Bobbi stopped by your house yesterday to check up on her again."

"Losing our father was hard for both of us, but it affected her more than it affected me," Kent admitted. "I have to be strong for her, but I'm sure you understand that," he replied, whispering in her ear, then pressed a gentle kiss on her temple.

Adele nodded. "Of course I do. It's a tragedy, I'm terribly sorry for what happened," she said. "The worst part is that when something like this happens, nobody lets you grieve in peace. All the relatives you never heard about suddenly come out of nowhere, asking for a part of the inheritance. Honestly, it makes me sick."

"We don't have to worry about that. Father made sure to leave all he had to my sister and I. There's no one else," Kent said. "They're free to try if they want, but they have to face Dorothy and believe me when I say, nobody wants to be on her bad side when it comes to business."

"Oh, how come?" Adele asked.

"It might sound hard to believe, but she is the one who handles most of father's actual affairs," he confessed. "I'm dealing with the social part mostly: making contacts, finding sponsors, inviting them to parties, making them feel good, but she handles what happens behind the curtains. She is a genius when it comes to business."

Adele nodded her head. She liked the direction this conversation was heading to.

"So, I assume that whoever tries to get their hands on your family's money has to speak with her." She chuckled. "That's impressive. I'm surprised. In the good way, of course."

"My love, why are we wasting time talking about such serious matters?" Kent asked. "It's a wonderful day and I have the most beautiful woman next to me, I'd rather love and cherish her than bother with the problems that wait for me right outside your door."

He was starting to back off from the conversation, but it was fine, she got what she wanted anyway. All there was left to do now was to report back to Inspector Styles. But first, she had a man to take care of. She smiled when he kissed her and leaned backwards, her back touching the soft material of the sofa, and she gently wrapped her legs around him once again.

She had no time to stop by the station to update the inspector. It was Barbara that discovered the odd connection Dorothy Kensington had to a foreigner at the docks, and Adele knew she was onto something, so she followed her there. The woman was talking to a man and even though she couldn't get close enough to hear what they were saying,  Adele knew the ship he was working on was Russian. And what did the Russians sell, among other shady stuff, on the English black market?

Cyanide.

Adele wrote a letter to Inspector Styles, letting him know about everything she found out, including where she was going to be by the time he gets this letter. Then, she asked Bobbi to deliver it for her, in case she didn't return home by midnight. And so the woman did.

The blonde detective had every piece of the puzzle now. She just had to wait to see Dorothy doing something that will incriminate her and this whole story could finally come to an end. What she didn't expect, however, was to be seen by two other Russian sailors while she was eavesdropping.

"Hey! You!" a voice shouted, in a language she hasn't spoken for long. The man was obviously angry that she was tailing them. "Come here! Vasiliev, get her!"

That sounded pretty bad. She had no clue who Vasiliev was, but she was convinced that she didn't want to find out either, so she rose back on her feet and she started to run, trying to get out of their sight and find a place to hide. The situation got worse once guns were involved.

"Damn it!" she said to herself, running for cover.

Adele grabbed her pocket gun and shot twice as a distraction, but she was well aware she stood no chance against them. She didn't have as many bullets as they did, and they were most likely more skilled than her. And, most importantly, they weren't afraid to kill. She had to buy herself some time, hoping that the inspector received her message, and that he will show up soon to save the day.

She had to be careful, she had already been threatened by the Inspector once. She couldn't hurt anyone and risk going to jail, but it wasn't like she intended to shoot anyone in the first place. No. Right now, all she wanted was to get out of here, alive and unscathed, preferably. She had all the evidence she needed. Adele thought she lost them when she hid behind some old barrels, so she allowed herself to rest for a little while.

But before she could catch her breath, she was roughly grabbed by a third man who showed up to help his buddies. She tried to scare him away by shooting next to his leg, but he managed to disarm her and bring her on board. He grabbed some rope and wrapped it tightly around her hands, securing them into place, then he brutally pushed her towards a door that most likely led to the captain's room.

Her mouth was covered with tape. She couldn't scream, but her legs were free. She used this opportunity to turn around and kick the man's ankles, sweeping him off his feet. She couldn't do much, though. She couldn't move her arms, but she could run. She had to admit that wearing a dress and high heels on a mission at the docks hadn't been her brightest idea, but changing her outfit would have meant wasting precious time.

However, when the man got up and shot in her direction, Adele lost balance and fell on her knees, grazing her skin. Before she could realize what happened, or worry about what was going to happen next, multiple shots were heard from the distance, one bullet hitting the man that held her captive and injuring him badly enough to keep him away from her. A silhouette jumped on the deck with agility and ran straight to her, while three others followed, but stopped to cuff the injured man.

"Bloody hell!" the man cursed when his eyes laid upon the blonde woman. He quickly untied her hands and ripped off the tape that covered her mouth. "You really are the most reckless woman I've ever met, Miss Richardson," the Inspector admitted, helping her get back up. When he noticed her knees, he furrowed his eyebrows in concern, but he still managed to crack a joke. "Looks like somebody is going to wear pants for some time."

"Inspector Styles!" Adele exclaimed, flashing him a wide grin as soon as her eyes met his. "Such a shame, this will definitely leave a scar." She chuckled. "Please, tell me you got Dorothy Kensington."

"Well, the boys did. Constable Attaway, actually. I was a little too busy running to help the damsel in distress. You see, priorities," Harry said.

"You saved my life, inspector," Adele said. "Thank you."

"And you, Miss Richardson, somehow solved the case of Walter Kensington's murder," Harry admitted. "Congratulations."

Just when she thought her smile couldn't grow wider, it did. "Well, I can get used to hearing this from you."

"Let's not cross the line. I think you've had enough adventures for a while."

"Oh, Inspector, you have no idea.."

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this chapter was edited.

i am terribly sorry to disappoint any of you that expected more explicit sexual content in this chapter but i do not and will not write smut. i don't feel comfortable with it. yes, i will hint it and write until a certain point but then i will move on to the next scene. anyway, the second case is solved and i hope you enjoyed it! thank you for your support, see you in the next chapter!