Scarecrow of 1889
Chapter 24: Behind cell bars!

Chapter 24: Behind cell bars!

Sylvester found himself in a cell in the local prison, where his handcuffs were removed. He had made his phone call, which was to his sister, but no one had picked up the phone. Someone had killed Margot and the blame had fallen on him. He paced back and forth in the cell, until a guard arrived.

"The detectives wish to speak with you," the guard announced before unlocking the cell door.

As a young woman and man entered, Sylvester pleaded his innocence, desperation creeping into his voice. "This is a mistake. I swear I didn’t kill anyone. Detective Addison, can you please contact my sister and inform her of what’s happened?"

Addressing Sylvester, Addison’s voice was firm as he spoke of the damning evidence. "Mr. Crowley, we’ve ordered a thorough re-examination of all evidence. Thus far, the fingerprints found at both your mother’s apartment and the scene of Sebastian Daniel’s murder match."

"Sebastian Daniel?" Sylvester asked in worry. "I don’t know who that is. I’ve never harmed anyone, let alone my own mother!" Panic laced his words. "Someone is trying to frame—"

"Ricardo Wood," Jane uttered, her gaze unwavering on the accused. She noted his growing unease.

"I didn’t kill him either!" Sylvester protested.

"You are Ricardo!" Jane asserted, pointing an accusatory finger. But Sylvester shook his head adamantly. "Your fingerprints matches in the crime scenes."

"No, I am not!" Sylvester insisted, bewildered by the woman’s baseless accusations.

"This is the man I’ve been meeting for lunch. Ricardo Wood," Jane exclaimed, frustration evident in her voice as she ran a hand through her hair. She had come here to apprehend Sylvester Crowley, the one sharing the same fingerprint as Agnes Holloway. But encountering Ricardo threw her off guard; she knew it was him!

Addison’s surprise was evident. He knew Miss Jane had been meeting a man who dropped her off after lunch, but he’d only caught a glimpse of his back and never saw his face.

Struggling to make sense of the situation, Jane addressed Ricardo with a mixture of disbelief and irritation. "Mr. Wood, this isn’t a joke anymore. Unless you’re trying to tell us you have a twin, you are Ricardo Wood. You work at the Frontier Hall Opera House."

"I do work there, but I am Sylvester Crowley!" Sylvester continued to insist, noticing Jane’s expression turning grim.

"M’lady, this is Sylvester Crowley," Addison whispered urgently to Jane. "He is Lady Delilah’s son, and as far as I recall, she only had two children: one daughter and one son. I interrogated them both when Lady Delilah was murdered."

Sylvester desperately tried to assert his innocence, "I’ve never harmed a soul, Mr. Addison! I’ve been stalked, I tell you. There was an intruder in my home. I even filed reports, twice! Once when they restocked the kitchen and then—"

"That was you?" Jane cut in, her frown deepening question. She remembered the incident, finding it oddly amusing, but she hadn’t expected it to unravel like this. "Addison, we need to head out," she declared, abruptly leaving the cell to gather her thoughts.

As the detectives departed, leaving Sylvester behind, he felt himself being dragged into a tangled web of deceit. He longed for his sister to receive the news, hoping she would come to his aid. With no one else to rely on, he felt a sinking sensation in his chest.

If only his mother were alive, Sylvester thought bitterly. She would move mountains to clear his name. But with her gone, falsely accused of her murder, his hope dwindled to nothing.

Outside the jail, Jane massaged her temples in frustration while Addison pondered, "This has turned into a mess. Did Mr. Wood ever mention his address?"

"No, he kept that information close to his chest. But there are ways to find out," Jane muttered, her mind already formulating a plan. "Let’s head to Hootenanny Avenue."

Arriving at the crime scene building, Jane observed a lingering crowd, delaying the workday. As she moved to ascend the stairs, she crossed paths with Sergeant Gruger descending with purposeful steps.

"Ah, Miss Reinhart, fashionably late as always. Were you busy primping and preening?" Gruger jibed, his tone laced with mockery.

Jane shot back, her smile tight, "I don’t need embellishments to shine, Sergeant. It’s a natural gift. And as for the chores, I have maids for that."

He then said, "Anyways, you don’t have to worry about the case as it is finally closed. The culprit has been caught and the evidence has been taken away from here," and he left with two men who followed him out of the building.

"What’s our plan with the lack of evidence, Miss Jane?" Addison whispered as they ascended the stairs.

Jane surveyed the accused’s apartment, noting the disarray likely left behind by the officers. Her gaze settled on the telephone, and she strode over, lifting the receiver to dial a number. She said to Addison, "Let us see if the numbers match."

"Hello, Mrs. Lint? It’s Jane," she said, speaking into the receiver. "Yes, everything’s fine... I need you to call the number listed under Ricardo Wood in the telephone diary... Yes, as soon as I hang up... Alright."

Jane replaced the receiver and waited anxiously. After a couple of minutes, the phone rang, and she swiftly picked it up, pressing it to her ear.

"Hello?" Jane’s voice trembled as she heard Mrs. Lint’s familiar tone, but the words hit her like a ton of bricks. It felt as though the ground had shifted beneath her feet, leaving her mind reeling and her breath heavy. "Hello, this is Mrs. Lint speaking. Can you hear me?" the maid’s voice came through the line.

"Yes, Mrs. Lint. I can hear you. Thank you. That will be all," Jane replied, her voice barely a whisper, before gently placing the receiver back in its cradle. Her eyes then met her assistant’s gaze, who was patiently waiting for her to speak. She stood there in silence for a long time, before she finally spoke, "Ricardo is Sylvester."

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