Young Writers Society

Casius Fletcher: The Adventure of the Australian Emerald

When I graduated from Pharmacy School in 2009, I had no idea that my talents would soon be used in such a unique and effective way, with such a unique an effective companion. My name is Howard Jones. After graduating with a major in Pharmacy, and a minor in General Medical Knowledge, I intended to open up my own pharmacy. However, I soon realized the high cost of such a lofty project, and thus searched for an opportunity to provide money to save for my ambitions. I found this opportunity in the form of a remote job, working for home, writing for a prestigious medical journal. Although my column wasn’t very large or well known, I made $60,000 a year, and living in a small apartment complex, was able to save a goodly amount of money each year, while increasing my knowledge of pharmaceuticals.

After a year of living in this condition, I began to tire of the hectic, noisy apartment complex atmosphere, and began looking for a cheap rental house to move into. A friend of mine from college was good friends with a realtor, and promised to ask her if she could keep an eye out for a house like the sort I was looking for. Thus the stage was set for the event that would change my life, and funnel my energy into a world more exciting than I ever dreamed.

It was in the winter of 2010 when I received a phone call from my friend. “Well Howard, I believe my friend may have found just the house you were looking for. It’s a two story split foyer in Kingsport, for just $200 dollars a month. However, there is just one problem.” Puzzled, I inquired of my friend what this problem was. “Well Howard, you’d have to share the house with a roommate. A Casius Fletcher, born in America, but went to college in England. He’s come back after finishing his studies, and was looking for much the same opportunity as you were.” “Well,” said I, “I suppose there would be no harm in meeting this fellow, and looking at the house.” “Excellent!” My friend exclaimed. “Can you be there at one o’clock tomorrow?” This was agreeable to me, so I marked the time on my to-do list, and wrote some on my column.

I woke up early the next morning, finished and turned in my column for the medical journal, and ran some errands about town. I followed the directions my friend gave me, and was at the appointed place at 12:45. Stepping out of my car, I looked at the house. It certainly appeared to be in good shape, quaint, comfortable, with a fresh coat of paint on the front. Seeing my friend on the front porch, I walked up to him, ready to meet my potential roommate. Right as I started up the stairs, an old, brown beater off a car zoomed into the driveway. A tall, thin man jumped hurriedly out. Everything about him was brown, from his hair, to his boots. Overcoat, scarf and all. He vaulted up the stairs, and excitedly extended his hand for me to shake. “Pleased to meet your acquaintance, I’m Casius Fletcher. So, how was pharmacy school? My dear fellow, don’t look so surprised, your college ring has a pill on it. No, no, it’s nothing remarkable, simply observation and deduction.” I stammered out a greeting, then followed my energetic new companion into the rental house. “The house has nothing wrong with it according to the house facts, correct?” The realtor talked with Casius while I looked around the spacious new home. “After a thorough look around the house, Casius took me and the realtor aside. “Excellent, me and Mr. Jones will take it. Where do I sign?”

Within thirty minutes, I had signed the papers, and was riding in Casius’s old car to my apartment to pick up some necessities, before sending the moving truck to get the rest in the morning. Although still slightly confused about all that had happened transpired, I found my new roommate amiable, in a quirky sort of way. “So,” I ventured to ask. “What do you do for a living?” Casius smiled. “I’m a person that people with problems too hard for the police, or with problems that fall out of the jurisdiction of the police, come too.”

“Oh,” said I, “A private investigator then.” Casius frowned. “Well, I prefer not to use that term. It sounds like an intellectual mercenary. I am, in fact, a person that helps, enjoys the problem, and is compensated enough for my services to have a comfortable living. Some of my cases are quite singular and interesting, and if you would like, I’d like to have you come along on them, and chronicle them, as well as let me bounce ideas off of you. I’d pay you, off course, and once you either get a job or quit working remote, you can do it more at your leisure.” I started in my seat. “Well, I’d love to go with you, since I work remote. I get bored having all day by myself, and love a good conundrum or puzzle to challenge the mind. And I don’t intend on quitting working remote anytime soon, so I’ll be glad to help. But how in the world did you know I worked remote?” Casius laughed. “A educated guess. You mentioned the need to pick up your laptop at once, you have a medical journal in the backseat of your car (I saw it when you opened the door to get your toboggan), and your schedule was flexible even on a work day.”

“Marvelous!” I cried. “You must help train me to be more observant! It will do wonders for my writing!” Casius laughed. “Of course. But here we are at your old apartment, so you’d best run along and get your things.”

The next two weeks were a blur of activity. Casius seemed to never be in the house more than fifteen minutes, excluding nights, when we sat and played Rook in the living room. One night, curious as to my friend’s activities, I asked him, “Casius, are you working on a case? Perhaps I could help?” My companion smiled, then stretched backwards and picked a letter off his easy chair. “No, I haven’t had a case since we met, and it’s killing me. I’ve been doing research mostly, compiling data in my archives on my laptop. However, I was going to ask you something after this trick, however, since you seem interested in my work, I suppose I will ask you now.” Casius handed me the letter. “This letter is from my deceased Uncle’s will. Apparently he left me a modest flat in New York City, totally paid off. Personally, I’m delighted. Think of all the cases we will come across in The Big Apple! Well anyways, I was going to take a one week vacation, go up to New York, and look around my new flat. I may very well look around the museums, as well.” “Casius,” I asked, scared that my new companion might be moving away already. “You aren’t planning on moving to New York City, are you?” Casius laughed. “No, no, a thousand times no. I may stay a month or two total up there a year, but I couldn’t bear the big city for long. I’m perfectly content in our current situation here in Kingsport. But would you like to come up for the week also? Perhaps we will get lucky, and find a case.” I laid down a yellow 1. “Sure I will. Advantages of working remote. But in the meantime, I believe I won this trick.” Casius smiled and laid down the Rook. “Think again.”

A few days later found us in New York City. Casius’s new flat was a modest, two bedroomed affair, right near Times New Square. The first two days we went to a few museums, but it wasn’t until the third day, or night, rather, that our stay got interesting. I had fallen into a sound sleep in my room, when I was woken by a siren outside my window. Sleepily, I sat up in bed, right before my door exploded open. “Quickly Jones, get dressed! A robbery in the jewelry store down the street. We may be of assistance.” Wide awake now, I hurriedly got dressed, and stumbled downstairs with Casius. Outside, I hurried to keep up with him. “Casius, will the police let us in the crime scene?” Casius gave a nod. “I helped the police chief down here out one time, in a very singular case involving his son. I’m sure he’ll let us in.” We ran up to the crime scene tape, and I pulled a pen and pad out of my pocket. “I’ll take notes,” I said. “Perhaps it will help us in later review.” Fletcher nodded. “Good thinking, now we just need to-why, here is the chief now!” After a brief conversation with the chief, we were in.

“Take a look around, Fletcher. We may very well need your help.” The chief’s obvious trust in Casius made me even more eager to start our investigations. “Jones,” Casius said. “Can you come with me? We’ll listen to the witnesses story, and I’ll let you jot down notes. Times, descriptions, anything valid.” Casius entrusting me with such a task made me determined to do my best. The witness was the owner of the store, a Jim Rowely, a portly, short, bald, bespectacled man. His story is as follows—“ I was working late tonight, ‘cause I had just got in a shipment that included an Australian Emerald. A fine gem, a fine gem. I was cleaning the gem, and was putting it back in the safe, when my clock there struck twelve. (At this point he pointed to a grandfather clock. Casius seemed to grow excited. “Twelve you say? Are you sure? There’s something…..bah! It’s nothing. Pray continue.” Mr. Rowely appeared to pale somewhat, but he kept on going with his narrative.) “A few minutes later, the lights went out. Apparently someone turned off the breaker box. I rushed to my office for a flashlight, and when I went back, the safe was open, and the gem was gone. At this point, the alarm went off, and the police were called by my security system.”

Casius turned to me. “I’m going to take some photographs. Please ask Mr. Rowely a few questions you deem relevant.” After a few minutes, Casius came and got me. “We’ll find nothing else here, I’m afraid. Let’s go back to the flat, and discuss things. Mr. Rowely, We’ll meet with you tomorrow morning, with the chief here. I believe me and Jones can wrap things up tonight.”

Back at the flat, Casius sat in his recliner. “What do you think, Jones?” He asked.

“Well, at first glance it seems like a robbery. But if it wasn’t, that is exactly what the criminal would want us to think, right?” I sat for a few minutes. “Casius!” I exclaimed. “I think I’ve got it! If the criminal truly turned off the power, then the security alarm would not have gone off! Mr. Rowely’s story doesn’t add up.” Casius clapped his hands together. “Excellent Jones! Excellent! I thought the same….but when I examined the security alarm, I found it ran on back up batteries in case of a power failure. However, you ARE right…..Rowely’s story does not add up. Why, if someone successfully got inside the store, turned off the power, and retrieved his prize, why would he be so clumsy as to trip the alarm going out?” Casius stood up and paced around the room. “Well, I’m going to get a few hours of sleep. Tomorrow, if things go as I hope, this mystery will be solved.

The next morning, we were at the appointed place at the appointed time. I was as anxious as anyone to solve the problem, and I wanted to impress both the police chief, and Casius. We had no sooner stepped through the door, however, than Casius gave a cry of joy, and ran into the store. “I was right! I was right! Mr. Rowely, I accuse you of insurance fraud!” Mr. Rowely turned pale. “What…what do you mean?” Casius smiled, and pointed to the Grandfather clock against the wall. “That clock runs on electricity from the outlet in the wall. The power has been turned off since the robbery, to preserve the crime scene, correct? Yesterday, I made a big deal over the fact that the robbery happened after the clock rang twelve times. I made sure you knew that I had heard you say that. While Jones questioned you, I took a picture of the clock. See, here the clock is at 11:56. Now, however, the clock is set at 12:02. You came in and moved the clock up a few minutes to make your story look better. You took out insurance not only on the emerald, but you wanted to sue the security alarm company for their “defective” alarm as well, didn’t you?”

Mr. Rowely blanched. “Well….I…..” After some persuasion from the Police Chief, Mr. Rowely saw things our way, and admitted to his crimes. After returning the Australian Emerald, he was taken to the police station. Thus my new friends astonishing powers were demonstrated in a very singular fashion.