The Clock that Struck 13 Times

The Clock that Struck 13 Times

Chap.1: Pocket Watch

Notes: This is rated PG-13 due to murders. Forgive me if the manga characters are a little off and this is my first story on Cain. Sherlock Holmes stories are out of place here as to the time period, but I wanted them in my story anyway. The non-Count Cain characters and story plot belongs to me.

Hickory, dickory, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down!
Hickory, dickory, dock.
Recited Merryweather in a singsong voice of the rhyme. "Cain, how long will it take for your pocket watch to be fixed?"
"It will not take too long. Do not forget I fell on it a number of times," said Cain to his little sister while Merryweather had on a bored expression on her face, and she was in a lilac and white dress to his left.
"Master Cain, if you would just stop running around and getting yourself into trouble, you wouldn't be having your favorite pocket watch being re-fixed all the time!" lectured Riff to Cain's right in a gray suit.
"Oh Riff, I do not get into trouble. I only put myself in eventful situations, which makes our lives more interesting," replied Cain while leaning against the counter of the clock repair shop in London with a brown suit on. "If my pocket watch is not repaired in a half hour, I will take you to a tea house and we can get something to eat Merryweather.
"That will be great brother! Also, can you buy me a newspaper? I want to read the next part of Sherlock Holmes. My Last clipping left off when he just got to this place where there is this ghost hound attacking a family. Merryweather then gave her brother Cain her winning pleading smile.
"Okay, if it will make you happy." Merryweather gave Cain a crushing hug.
"Miss Merryweather, I disapprove of you reading that violent series. It is not fit for a young lady to read," advised Riff.
Cain sister was interrupted when the shopkeeper came out behind a curtain. "Master Hargeaves, I was able to repair your pocket watch. I replaced the broken class cover and a gear also I removed the dent on the top metal case," stated the shopkeeper.
"Thank you Mr. Brown, and how much for your repair work?" replied Cain.
"Oh, I say about ten pounds should cover it."
After this was said and Cain put down the money, a middle aged woman rushed into the shop. "Mr. Brown! Mr. Brown! Come quick, another murder happened again! It is at poor Mr. Kent's shop this time."
"I can not belive it, Molly! This will make it the ninth murder this year!" The shopkeeper's eyes widen in disbelief. Mr. Brown quickly took up the money. Thank you Master Hargeaves for coming to my shop and have a nice day. I am sorry, but I have a little matter to attend to with Mrs. Robbins now. May I show you out to the door?"
"Do not trouble yourself, come Merryweather let us go." Cain and his little group left the shop. He waited off to the side until Mr. Brown and Mrs. Robbins came out, and Cain started following them.
"Not again Master Cain!" lamented Riff. "Why do you always insist on going to murder scenes?"
"Oh Riff, where is your adventurous spirit? Now, hurry up, we must not lose them." And, Cain quickened his pace.
"Brother, I hope you will be more careful with your pocket watch on this adventure of yours," said Merryweather.
Cain does not reply and kept his quarry in sight. He followed the pair for a while. Then they came upon a crowd of people and Bobbies that were standing in front of a clock shop. Cain moved about the mass picking up gossip while Riff and Merryweather waited for him to come back.
First woman said, "This is the ninth murder and what are those Bobbies are going to do about it to stop this rampage!"
Second woman said, "It just happened last week that the eighth person was killed by this clock murderer."
"Poor Mr. Kent, this will hurt his business for sure. Soon all the clock shops will have no business at all," said a man.
Mr. Kent grumbled, "Bloody hell, I wish that stupid murderer had picked someone else's clock shop to leave a corpse in."
After Cain heard enough, he artfully got passed the two Bobbies guarding the shop door. Cain quietly went pass some large clocks until he spied the inspector writing down notes in a black book. Cain located where the body was. In a tall grandfather clock near the inspector, the bloody parts of the body were placed inside it. It was the blood smears on the glass and the arms that caught his attention to the clock.
The inspector muttered out, "the dismembered body was found around eight o'clock by the shopkeeper, Kent Adler." He then looked around the site and saw that Cain was in the shop. "Sir how did you get in here? I must ask you to leave right now, this shop is under investigation and is not open to the public" The inspector looked very annoyed and moved toward Cain.
"I am sorry inspector. I just wanted to see what had happened here." Cain made a fast retreat out the front door pass the startled Bobbies. Cain reached Riff and his sister. "I need a place to think, so to a tea house we go!"
"Yes, we are going to a tea house Riff! Brother, you promised to buy me a newspaper," said Merryweather as she skipped along after Cain.
Riff followed them with a worried look for his young master.

TBC

To the reader: reviews are welcomed, and if you want to barrow my fic to place it somewhere, please contact me by e-mail.