Chapter Five.
'The Five Orange Lips'
The wind howled around the tall apartment block that was Harbour Way, and as the night drew in rapidly, the storm grew wilder and louder and the rain lashed the windows with a savage ferocity.
Emma Watson's stylish flat was on the twenty-fifth floor of the serviced building by the River Thames, and it was her pride and joy. The main room had a contemporary look with hardwood floors, underfloor heating, and air conditioning. There was a fully equipped kitchen and three large bedrooms.
Having lived by herself since moving here, Emma had of late given up one of her bedrooms to that unique of females, Scarlett Holmes. By some odd peculiarity, or maybe a curious abnormality in the universe, the famed private detective of the 19th century had been transported to the year 2023.
Scarlett's good fortune was to run into Emma, the great grand-daughter of her once closest confidante and lover, Doctor Watson. Emma looked up from reading a newly delivered film script and saw Scarlett sitting by herself in a mood. It had been a quiet week for both, and boredom inevitably set in.
Both started at the buzz of the intercom, which indicated a visitor.
"A visitor? On a night such as this? Could it be a case?"
Emma looked out of the window which ran in streams of water.
"If so, then it must be a serious one for someone to come out on a night like this."
"Hello?"
Emma spoke into the speaker phone at the sound of a woman's voice downstairs.
"Hi, Emma? It's Lucy. Lucy Pinder."
"Open the door when I buzz."
Emma pushed on the entry button for three seconds to let the brunette glamour model in. After five minutes she knocked on the front door and Emma ushered her in.
"Scarlett. Emma."
"My dear, Lucy. Why you're soaked through. Take off that coat so we can dry you off."
Scarlett helped her off with her floor-length raincoat and shook it in both hands. Lucy wore a figure-hugging dress with such a small neckline as to be virtually nonexistent. The vivacious brunette exuded sex appeal as she took a seat and fluffed her dark hair.
"How are you, my dear Lucy? quite a jolly romp we had at Buckley Hall, wasn't it?"
Scarlett made reference to the recent sex orgy they had all taken part in.
"It was certainly memorable. Rhian is still having wet dreams about it."
"Emma, some tea."
"Right."
As Emma raced off to the kitchen, Lucy looked into Scarlett's big green eyes and stifled a sob.
"Miss Holmes. I don't know if you can help me, but I am sure that if you can't, then no one can."
Scarlett turned an electric fire towards Lucy's chair and sat on the arm to comfort the smoking hot model.
"Here, have some tea and tell us why you have come out on this horrendous night."
Emma passed a cup to Lucy and took a seat equidistant from hers. Once the hot liquid had warmed Lucy's throat she began to relax.
"It's my great-aunt, Prudence, on my mother's side. I've hardly ever met her, but it seems she was proud of my charity work with 'Animal Rescue.' She's now died, and her solicitor has told me she has left me a very nice sum of money. To help out the poor dogs and cats. She loved animals. It's six figures."
'Result!" Said Emma cheerily.
"Yeah, nice. The trouble is, her stepson has a jealous side and thinks it should be he who gets to inherit the money and not me. Rather than leave her legacy in a bank or property where it could be easily gotten, she has hidden the endowment. In diamonds by the way, in a secret location. Prudence was quite the fan of you Scarlett, and she has set me a challenge. A challenge, that if solved, will lead me to the money. Nobody else has the clues, so this way she would have been sure it was I that found the diamonds."
Holmes patted Lucy on the shoulder and the lecherous golden blonde unashamedly leered down her low-cut neck at her substantial cleavage.
"This is capital! I love a challenge such as this."
"This is what she left."
Lucy handed over a handwritten note to Scarlett who held it up to the light.
"Basildon Bond writing paper in pale blue with the watermark that states established in 1911. Despite the smooth paper and line guide to ensure uniform writing, your great-aunt's hand veers to the right sharply. A left-hander most like, and written in a hurry to boot. The message is cryptic, to be sure."
"What does it say,' asked an excited Emma. "Read it out loud."
Scarlett stood up and spoke slowly for dramatic effect.
"Whose was it? She who has gone, Who shall have it? She who will come. Where was the sum? In five orange lips. How shall we give it? 1x1x1x1x1."
Scarlett rubbed her chin in deep thought.
"A perplexing message to state the obvious. Have you any idea of what it means, Lucy?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. There was another letter in the same envelope. It contained five names and a tiny symbol underneath. A picture of a tattoo template. A pair of pursed female orange lips."
"Curious. And the names?"
"Three women. Two men. Susy is from Barcelona and earns a living as a stripper. Grace teaches a yoga class in the City every Monday and Wednesday evening. Ana is an insurance saleswoman. The men are identical twins. Aged twenty they play rugby for the University of Cambridge."
"An intriguing collection to be sure. All known to your great-aunt no doubt?"
Lucy nodded and warmed her feet by the fire as Scarlett ruminated on the facts.
"Have you figured it out, Holmes?"
"Well. She who had it is no doubt great-aunt Prudence. And she who shall have it is obviously Lucy. The clue to the location of the hidden diamonds seems likely to be secreted in these five lips. Body tattoo's? 1x1x1x1x1, or the five individual lip tattoos, plausibly conceal the solution to the placement of the said diamonds. In order to discover the whereabouts we must endeavour to root out the five tattoos and put all pieces of the puzzle together."
"Do you think the five will be willing to let us scrutinise their tattoos?"
Emma looked at Scarlett and then back to Lucy.
"Hopefully willing. If not, we must do whatever is needed to study them closely."
"Anything? But they might have their ink, well, you know. In private places."
"I agree totally."
"So how do you propose to do that then?"
"Why, isn't it obvious? We shall seduce them all and fuck them."
