Elizabeth awoke with a start and held her arms closer to her middle. After she had managed to blink awake, she struggled to her feet and unlocked the bathroom door. It was almost completely dark outside, and a mildly bright light was emitting from the kitchen. She stepped into the living room, rubbing her arms against a sudden chill. Her aunt looked up from the table and noticed her.

"Ella." She greeted the teenager with a look of confusion mingled with curiosity.

"Hallo." Ella muttered back.

"Are you alright? You looked dreadfully frightened earlier." Her aunt mused.

"Fine." Her niece replied curtly, choosing an empty chair. Her aunt handed her a plate and chose her own seat.

"How was your first day in America?" She started, attempting to strike up a conversation.

"Tolerable. I don't fancy the ridiculous amount of automobiles." Ella replied, picking at her food.

"Ah. I suppose it has grown rather fast." Her aunt chewed her food thoughtfully. "How about that boy you were with this morning? He seems around your age. Maybe he could help you about the city." She continued. Elizabeth forced herself to eat a potato. At her mentioning Patrick, she felt bile rise in the back of her throat.

"He's... nice. He showed me around town." Elizabeth summarized, leaving out several important details from that afternoon. Her aunt returned to her food and cleared her throat.

"That's nice of him." She nodded. Her niece shoved the food around on her plate and stood abruptly. She glanced at her aunt and pushed her chair out.

"May I be excused? I forgot to do something." She asked hurriedly, rushing to grab a petticoat before her aunt could reply.

"Yes, but-"

"Thank you." Ella nodded, swinging the door open and exiting without a second glance. She pulled her coat tighter as the night chill set in. She wasn't entirely sure where she was going, but if she were lucky, he would be waiting. She hurried up to Jimmy's and tipped back onto her heels. The lights inside the trinket store were off, and as far as Ella could tell, no one was inside. She huffed in frustration and turned towards the train station. The other place she'd thought he'd be. She crossed the slightly damp cobblestone street and pushed the station door open. Much to her surprise it caved, opening her to an uncomfortably dark and silent room. The clicking of her heels echoed eerily off the marble.

"Patrick?" Her voice sounded shaky the more she tried to make it even. Suddenly the silhouette of a figure sat up on one of the benches.

"Elizabeth." He whispered back, finding his way through the dark to her side. He felt around and managed to grab her hand. "I'm glad you found me. I stopped by you're aunt's house but she said you weren't seeing visitors. I got worried." He admitted. "I figured I could tell you in the morning."

"Tell me what?" Ella gaped. He glanced around and lowered his voice even more.

"I searched the body."

"What...." She gasped. He laid a hand on her arm as if to comfort her.

"Don't worry... I did it carefully. He was a man called Leonard Stewart. I've never seen his style of clothing in my life, and I know most everyone of the residents here... at least by name." He mused. "I didn't recognize his face neither."

"Either." Ella corrected out of habit. He clicked his tongue, and she could imagine him rolling his eyes.

"Doesn't matter. I found his wallet and inside was seventy-five dollars. That's... about fifty-six pounds." He translated. "This wasn't a robbery or anything. He was murdered in cold blood." Even his voice sounded grim.

"What should we do?" She hissed. He shrugged.

"Go to the police. Tell them where to find the body, and we leave the rest to them." He bit his lip. As Ella's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, she was able to see his face. His eyes were searching her's. Before she could stop herself, her arms reached around his middle and clasped around his back. He stiffened, not sure how to react.

"I know I kind of hate you, but I need a hug." She whispered. He smiled gently and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. They stood in silence for several minutes before Ella shifted. She shrunk out of his grip, straightened her dress, and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry... I don't know why-"

"It's alright." He assured her quickly. "I think I needed it, too."
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"Here it is." Patrick whispered. He reached out a steady hand and knocked on the large wooden door in front of them.

"Coming." A gruff voice answered seconds before the door swung open. A man downed in a policeman's uniform with dark, brown eyes peered at the two teenagers. "What can I do for you?" He grumbled.

"We found a body." Patrick replied boldly, instinctively reaching a hand back to grasp Elizabeth's. She didn't reach back.

"A... a body!?" The man looked suddenly more awake. "I'll be right back." He disappeared inside and reappeared with a baton and a flashlight. "Where?"

"At the foot of St. Mary's Hill. I'll take you there." Patrick explained, taking off so fast the clicking of shoe against cobblestone almost combining into one. Ella had to jog to keep up with him. By the time they arrived at the base of the hill, the sun had completely set, and the officer had to pull out the light.

"Where?" He repeated. Patrick looked around earnestly.

"It was right here, sir." Patrick insisted. "They could have moved it, or-"

"Are you sure this is the spot? It all looks the same in the dark." The officer scratched his head.

"I promise!" Patrick protested. "It was right next to this rock. I even checked his ID. His name was Leonard Stewart." He gestured to a rock in the shape of half a heart.

"You saw it, too?" The man turned to Elizabeth.

"Yes. He was shot in the head." Ella shivered. The policeman waved his light several more times over the hill before adjusting his hat and giving them a look of what seemed like disapproval.

"Is this a prank?" He demanded.

"No!" Patrick and Elizabeth blurted at the same time. "Promise." Patrick added. The officer removed his hat and scratched his head.

"Well, there's nothing much else I can do without solid evidence. Sorry." He shrugged, returning towards the city. "Teenagers and their practical jokes." He muttered under his breath. Patrick sniffed.

"A lot of help he was." He scoffed.

"What do we do now?" Elizabeth realized shakily. She wasn't feeling much like herself anymore.

"We find proof." Patrick finalized. "We find proof, and show them."
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Ella clutched Patrick's arm as he helped her back down the hill.

"Where do we start?" She mused, shaking slightly in either cold or fear... she couldn't tell.

"The victim... Leonard Stewart. I'll ask around to see if anyone's heard of him." Patrick offered.

"What can I do?" Ella turned to look at his face. She hated feeling useless.

"I'm not sure. Maybe you could look into your uncle's death to satisfy your aunt's curiosity." He suggested as they stepped onto her aunt's porch. Elizabeth bit her lip.

"Oh alright, but we'll have to do that in the morning." She yawned. Patrick squinted at the now risen moon.

"Of course. Good night, Elizabeth Gaines." He tipped his newspaper boy hat her direction and gave her a mischievous smile.

"Good night, Patrick Dunn." She returned with a small wave.
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