When I visited her in her bedroom, Fanny's anxiety assuaged at the sight of my face; from my explanation of encountering Richter and Rorschach finally in our search, she requested to meet them at noon on the fourth floor veranda of the hotel that overlooked the natural scenery fencing part of the hotel's perimeter. We approached the railing together, her arm tucked under mine, and watched as zephyrs made waves and sways in the trees, subtle undulations of a jagged, emerald sea.

Distantly gazing out towards the greenery, Fanny, in a long-sleeved, cotton cream frock and a dark brown, brimmed hat that adeptly covered her eyes from my angle, clutched the inside of my elbow as we settled ourselves at one of the tables nearby to wait for the covert duo.

"I do suppose...that these Richter and Rorschach fellows might be able to find Friedrich, Theona?" She dabbed her cheeks with a kerchief, her sniffles gentle and suppressed, like hearing the sound of fluttering birds' wings behind cupped ears. "I just wish for a sign; some kind of token to indicate that he's alright. That's all..."

Before I could provide words of comfort, a familiar voice came from behind our seats, "Then it is but a token that you require us to fetch, ma'am? That sounds manageable, even for us, Alan," said Emil Rorschach, sharing his childish smile with us. He gave me and my tweed suit a once-over. "You're looking wholly recovered there, Mister Bulloch."

"And you, Mr. Rorschach, are looking ever the caterpillar," I snorted, witness to the smeared phantom of ink left between his eyebrows by the pen Alan threw. He squiggled his temporary monobrow in a way that resembled a squirming caterpillar amusedly.

Fanny was not impressed, directing her attention to the tall, dark-haired man beside the caterpillar clown. Alan Richter removed his hat to greet her properly. "Miss Normann, I presume? My colleague and I were told that you might be in need of our services. I assure you, my good madam, that while we are light-hearted and comical beings, we take our work with the most gravest seriousness that you could ever think possible."

Fanny, slightly convinced but still skeptical, looked to me for support. I gave her an encouraging nod.

"If we may begin, Miss Normann," Alan said, as the two gentlemen seated themselves among us, "could you please begin with any changes in mood that your husband may have exhibited prior to his disappearance?"

Fanny closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, then began: "Ever since the release of 'The Grand Duke's Finances' in January, Friedrich has been in a slump. Going out for walks that lasted days on end, and I am always concerned for his health, you know, if he is eating or sleeping alright when he is not at home...

"When I first met him, Friedrich was a solitary man. He would go out for walks in the forest for hours on end, keeping to himself. But he is a kind man," reassured Fanny, eyes glistening as she thought of her husband. With her forehead bordered by the brim of her summer hat, she blinked quickly to hide tears in the wells of her eyes, "My Friedrich is a strange man, but he is good-natured. He tends to the elderly, and is as capable around the home as I am. He never waits to help those in need..." She hesitated, something morbid crossing her mind as she pictured her husband.

"Miss Normann, it would help us a great deal in finding your husband if you could provide for us every detail, however unorthodox it may be," said Emil, who, despite his ridiculous appearance, spoke with resounding conviction. "I believe we will be able to find your husband Friedrich, but only with your cooperation and knowledge. No one else knows him better than you do."

Fanny, uncertain now of whether to trust me, exchanged a look of reluctance, fearing my judgment more than divine retribution. I am afraid that you will forsake me, Theona, if you hear the tale, said her eyes earnestly.

"I will do no such thing!" I blurted, to my embarrassment, aloud, but shamelessly stood by my words nonetheless. "You are an honorable woman, Fanny, and what you say...I will not promise to believe it, but I am sure you speak truth."

For the first time since Friedrich's disappearance, Fanny Normann smiled, and even graced us with a soft giggle, entertained by what had just transpired. And just as quickly as her happiness arrived, so too did it exit, as she continued, more solemnly than ever before. "The figure of his character, Orlok, stalks my sleep. It is almost as though I am awake to the world we know of, and yet it is not our realm, for I see his shadows, his being, following me like a lost limb in search of its owner. At times, I can hear his whispers in my ears as I lay in bed, half-asleep. Other times, I awake in my dreams to see him at the bedroom door, watching my every movement.

"When we were newly married, he told me of a remote, incorporeal world that he resided in, a place where things and people were not what they appeared and that there were far more grotesque creatures than the vampire he played. He told me that he was inspired by these creatures, that they were his silent guardians and confidantes when he was a child that remained by his side evermore..."

Fanny's face, scrunched with the bewilderment of her husband's condition, held her hands in a tight ball on the table. "While I never comprehended what he meant by all that, I tried to be as attentive as possible to his needs, asking him if these creatures were harmful to him or anyone else. In our homeland, traditionally, we do not...we do not condone such ideas, but it was as much a part of Friedrich as the air that he breathed. I think that is why he has always been alone, because there is no one he can confide in without fear that they will think him mad....

"Before he disappeared, Friedrich voiced a worry to me, disturbed by something in the darkest strokes of night. He said that his heart would not be able to withstand the world, that he needed to escape before he perished by the hands of man. He would not speak of who this 'man' was, but fell back into a deep slumber soon after, as though he had been talking in the dreamworld the whole time. I remained awake the rest of the evening, hearing him mumble foreign words for the first time in our marriage, but returned to bed, spent and at the time too influenced by my own exhaustion to pursue Friedrich when he emerged and announced to conduct his morning stroll. And when I was finally aroused, it had already become mid-day, and Friedrich still was not returned from his stroll..."

As Fanny's fanciful account came to a conclusion, Richter and Rorschach each contemplated a set of his own queries to interrogate Miss Normann even more so.

"Forgive my impudence towards your husband, Miss Normann, it is out of necessity for us, but has he ever been suspected of being..." Emil tried to be as delicate as possible with the matter, "a cake-eater?"

"Cake-eater?" Fanny and I quipped in unison, unfamiliar with the phrase.

"A ladies' man," replied Alan informatively, but also cautiously. "Was there ever a possibility that his strolls were to meet a lady companion of some kind, Miss Norma--"

"Friedrich is no such man!" snapped Fanny, suddenly realizing the duo's meaning. "He would never. We do not express our love outwardly, but Friedrich would not commit such an offense."

"How are you so convinced, Miss Normann? You have seen him strolling?" inquired Emil.

"I have not," she replied defensively.

"Then how do you know?" said Alan.

"Because I trust Friedrich." Fanny's confident proclamation sufficiently silenced the pair, although whether or not they were convinced was still a mystery, as the two shared a surreptitious conversation with their eyes amongst each other that lasted an awkward silence.

"Regardless of whether our investigation proves satisfactory to you or not, Miss Normann," ventured Emil, "You wish for a token of your husband?"

"I pray for our reunion, but I am not a fool. Whatever news of my husband you find, I want it, along with the token of him, for my solace."

"Then we must arrange payment, Miss Normann," proceeded Alan, "We require a deposit before we begin, to fund our initi--"

"You have carte blanche, Misters Richter and Rorschach," interrupted Fanny, resolute in her decision, whereas I was not so much enthused by the concept.

"Wait a moment, Fan--,"

"Absolutely?" said Alan, searching for confirmation.

"If I had a kingdom, I would give you a province for a token of my husband. Yes. Absolutely."

"Then it is settl--,"

"FANNY!" I cried, rising out of my chair, "I mean no offense to you, Mr. Richter, Mr. Rorschach, but I implore you, Fanny, to please reconsider your choice. While I am certain that they will do their best in finding Friedrich, I don't think providing carte blanche will motivate them any more or less. How can you be certain that they will not just run off with your money?"

"This is true, you can't be certain," agreed Emil, acquiescing with a series of nods. "Which is why we enlist your company, Bulloch, to prevent any concerns of swindling, and to ensure that your friend Miss Normann is up-to-date on all of our findings on her husband Friedrich."

"I will also be required to sign off on your future transactions regarding Miss Normann's case to assure that you are spending her money righteously," I added quickly, attempting to fail-safe the operation to the best of my abilities. "And any withdrawals from her account without my stamp will be null and void. If that sounds suitable to her..."

Fanny smiled briefly once more, agreeing to the conditions, but hints of concern tickled her features as she pondered the idea a little more. "Theo...you have done the world for me already. I cannot ask more of you. To remain with these gentlemen? We are uncertain of how long it will take for Friedrich to be found, and for you to persist throughout however much time..."

"Fanny, I would not suggest such a thing if I did not believe myself capable of it," I declared, a hand on her back for comfort. "I want to see the both of you reunited more than anything, and if I have the power to assist, I will not hesitate to use it."

"Thank you, Theo." She took me into her bosom for an embrace that lasted a good, long while, and afterwards, looked to Mr. Richter and Mr. Rorschach for final queries.

"Miss Normann...you do not, then, presume your husband to be mad?" remarked Emil in wonder.

"A bird can be a loon or a lark, a shrike or an albatross, just as humans can have an immeasurable number of differences to their natures. Friedrich is odd, by society's conformities, but I do not presume his quirks to be symptoms of madness than I would presume myself to be mad for believing him. Do you think me mad?"

"We will have to see," answered Alan, who quickly added, "to investigating your husband's case in conjunction with several others on our agenda, Miss Normann. Will you mind?"

"Not at all, gentlemen."

"Then we have ourselves an arrangement, Miss Normann," said Alan with a charming smile, his hands retreating into the pockets of his pants. "If there's nothing else to discuss, we must take our leave. There's another matter to attend to, and we shan't be late to it."

∞