- Chapter 2 -

Baekhyun pored over the stack of newspapers before him as Kyungsoo quietly sipped his tea. He had crawled into bed for a few hours after they had returned, but judging by his friend’s tired eyes, Baekhyun had not slept at all. That explained the inordinate amount of coffee on the table.

“The viscount’s here,” their housekeeper announced, annoyance plain as day on her wrinkled face. Moments later, the tall, gangly form of Park Chanyeol strolled into the dining room. He took a sausage from Kyungsoo's plate and popped it in his mouth, his other hand picking up the pot of tea.

"You're late," Baekhyun said dryly, tossing another stack of finished newspapers onto the wooden floor. Chanyeol merely shrugged, his mouth too full to speak. Kyungsoo quickly stabbed his remaining sausage with his fork before his friend could take it.

"You'd think Xiumin would feed you first before letting you out the house," he mumbled. Chanyeol's new butler was competent enough, but still lacking when it came to reigning in his wild, irresponsible master.

"He tried," Chanyeol replied cheerfully after swallowing a gulp of tea. "But you know how terrible I am at following orders."

"Well you better start listening to me," Baekhyun snapped, wadding up his napkin and aiming it at Chanyeol's head. Chanyeol easily caught it; he wasn’t the ton’s finest fencer for nothing. "We have a lot to do today if we have any hope of solving this case."

Chanyeol visibly sobered, his eyes becoming bright with anticipation as Baekhyun began his explanation. The dramatic transformation from careless viscount to serious investigator was shocking, though Kyungsoo had long become accustomed to it.

"Four girls were found in the river this past month, floating near the Fireworks Pier.  Only one of the bodies has been identified."

"Kim Dani," Chanyeol said as he quickly scanned the newspaper clipping Baekhyun had handed him. "Daughter of a spice trader and younger cousin of Woo Jiho.” He looked up and exchanged looks with Baekhyun, his lips pursed.

“There were no physical marks on any of the bodies,” Kyungsoo piped up, reading from the notes he had taken the night before. “No cuts or bruises of any kind.”

“So either all four happened to drown when they were out for a midnight stroll, or we have a very clever criminal on our hands.” Though Chanyeol’s tone was light, his amber eyes hardened.

“Not as clever as he thinks he is,” Baekhyun answered, his chair creaking as he stood. He waved the stained scrap of cloth in his hands. “We can start by finding where this came from.”

~*~

They took Chanyeol’s carriage, a spacious vehicle fit with large cushions subtly emblazoned with the phoenix crest. Outside, the late-morning sun shone down on harried servants rushing from store to store, their every step sending dust into the spring air. Their carriage passed by the bustling Marketplace and stopped at the less-crowded Promenade. The Season was in full swing, which explained the absence of giggling debutantes and their mothers (who were likely recovering from a ball or dinner from the night before).

Like the shops beside it, Madame Kim’s had large glass windows behind which stood mannequins in elegant dresses of the latest fashions. A tiny bell chimed as they entered the shop and they were almost instantly greeted by shopkeeper herself.

“Good day, monsieurs. How may I be of assistance?” Kim Heechul glided soundlessly towards them, her earrings catching in the sunlight. With her smooth skin and silvery-blond hair, it was difficult to believe the ridiculous rumours that Madame Kim was in fact, a man.

“Mr. Do here is looking for a dress for his niece,” Baekhyun answered smoothly with a disarming smile.

“Er, right,” Kyungsoo mumbled, fidgeting with the rim of his top hat. He hoped she would interpret his confusion as that of a doting uncle, rather than someone with fictitious relatives created at the whim of his friend.

Thankfully, Chanyeol accompanied him as they followed Madame Kim deeper into the shop, where pastel day dresses and jewel-toned evening gowns hung from wall to wall. It seemed that they were not the only customers.

“Ah, Misses Hwang!” Chanyeol called out cheerfully to the fashionably-dressed lady standing before the looking glass.

“My lord.” She smiled as she inclined her head, her auburn hair bright as copper beneath her black, wide-brimmed bonnet.   

“May I introduce Misses Tiffany Hwang, one of my sister’s dearest friends.” Kyungsoo ducked his head in a bow. Even Kyungsoo, who had avoided social functions like the plague, recognized her as the belle of six Seasons past, whose rejection of an earl in favour of an aging (but wealthy) ship captain had left the ton whispering for weeks. And they had continued whispering when she remained unmarried long after the early death of her husband.

He watched her from the corner of his eye, nodding dumbly as Madame Kim showed him dainty dresses in girlish pinks and yellows. She was certainly comely; her large eyes crinkled into half-moons whenever she laughed at one of Chanyeol’s witty remarks. But her slightly sallow skin and bony frame was evidence of her fading beauty. Kyungsoo almost felt sorry for his non-existent niece, destined to bloom and wither with the passing of time.

“He’ll take the periwinkle one, with a matching ribbon and chemise,” Baekhyun instructed. Kyungsoo snapped back to attention and flashed an apologetic smile at the tailor.

Minutes later, they were in the carriage, bouncing along Fleet Street towards home. Baekhyun surprised them both when he announced that they had completed their mission for the day.

“So what did you find out?” Chanyeol asked eagerly. Baekhyun quickly tore open the package, pulling out the dress.

“While you two were being excellent distractions, I managed to examine the ladies undergarments at the shop.” He held the stained piece of cloth in one hand and the white chemise in the other.

“And?”

“The fabric is the same; a fine linen imported from France, according to Madame Kim’s inventory list.” Only Baekhyun could make sense of an entire list of cloths and what-not in less than ten minutes.

“So the victim was a customer of Madame Kim’s?” Kyungsoo said slowly. The revelation was hardly useful for their case.

“Not quite,” Baekhyun replied. “Madame Kim’s clientele mainly consists of well-known, respectable families. Except for Kim Dani, each of the girls were unidentified.”

“Meaning the victims were likely orphans or children of those too poor to approach the police,” Chanyeol added, his brows wrinkled in thought. Baekhyun nodded. “Which begs the question. Why were they wearing such expensive clothes when they died?”