The Fiendly Pub

Story by Leila Jasarevic, 804

It was a crisp summer night The moonlight was spilling over the bustling city of London, and Margret couldn’t help but stare at the starry sky She was thrilled, as this was not something you could commonly encounter in the city. She tore her attention from the glorious sky to the dingy pub across the cobblestone street

Fiendly Manor Pub was a run-down place with a heart of gold and was currently providing drinks to Iggy, Matthew, and Penny, Margret’s dearest friends All of which were awaiting her arrival

Margret roughly shoved the doors open to reveal Iggy swigging down what seemed to be his fifth beer, While Matthew had a silent argument with Penny.

“I refuse to spend another bit o’ my money on that damn doctor. The boy’s plenty fine, and there’ll be no need for pediatricians in my house!”

“But Matthew, Daniel needs to see the sea. His coughing has gotten worse. I swear this godforsaken air is the cause of it Please, Mathew, let me - Oh dear Margret, you finally made your way Sit down. I’ll ring you up an order o’ ale.”

Penny jumped from her stool, giving a piercing look to Matthew as she rang up an order of ale. Margret sat down and debated whether or not to bring up the pediatrician but thought better of it Matthew and Penny were hard-working people who took no one's pity money, but times were rough, and money didn’t go as far as it used to

And if that wasn’t enough, their son Daniel had caught the flu, leaving him bed-stricken with a horrible cough

With the sudden expenses, a sick son, and work hours getting longer and longer, Penny kept it no secret that she yearned to leave the city (and her husband) behind her and start again on the seaside

Margret sat quietly on her stool, sipping her ale, trying not to overhear Matthew and Penny arguing. She tried to start a conversation with Iggy, but he had one too many beers and started snoring on the counter. That’s when Matthew burst

“You stupid women don’t know what’s good for ya unless it's slapping you in the face.”

And with that, Margret heard a wicked sound and saw Penny stumble onto the floor She had a bright red mark on her face and slowly made her way to the door.

Sobered by this realization, Matthew followed her, begging for forgiveness for his actions But Margret could see Penny would have none of it and stormed out of the pub, as Matthew lumbered along close behind

Suddenly, Margret realized that the pub had been deathly silent during the scene that had just unfolded, but as soon as they had left, the mindless chatter resumed Stunned by what she had just seen, Margret glanced at Iggy to see if this had woken him from his slumber But it seemed he was still in a drunken sleep. Sighing, Margret hauled Iggy onto his feet, making a slow journey back to her apartment

It had been about a week since the pub, and there had been no connection made to Matthew or Penny by anyone else but Iggy, because he and Matthew had their daily drink back at the pub Margret had been busy lately with her latest case. The pediatrician, Doctor Merilow, had been murdered in his apartment in the dead of night The crime scene had more clues to count but no suspects in mind

Doctor Fred Merilow was an upstanding citizen who cared for others more than he did himself and never missed an opportunity to pull his weight. He wasn’t a penny in debt, with no feuds or disagreements between himself and others.

Margret leaned further into her chair, wishing for a breakthrough in her case, but nothing came, so at around two o’clock, she decided to head down to the pub and try to drink her way to a conclusion

It was at its emptier times, as most people were still working instead of drinking, and the only people who made an appearance were the bartender, a few employees, and a handful of people who’d given up hope on finding a job. As Margret made her way to the counter, she saw Iggy in the corner, more upbeat than usual, talking quickly to someone on the other side of the phone

“

2:30 sharp, I’ve got it with me, and I’ll be coming in a bit Yeah, yeah, yeah, don’t get your knickers in a twist. All right, bye ”

“Iggy, who’s that you were talking to?”

The sudden appearance of Margret made him jump as he realized she was standing behind him, wearing the stern look she would have whenever she was in an interrogation, trying to get a criminal to crack Most men and women cowered under this gaze, but Iggy never did. He said she looked like a mad rabbit

“I was just conducting some business of mine Don’t worry I’ll tell you about it later. I have to rush. Meet Matthew and me here at ‘round 5, our usual drinking hour, and I’ll explain everything ”

With that, Iggy sped out of the bar to his mysterious appointment at 2:30 Margret ordered a light gin, not to go too overboard, as it had just passed noon Margret had burning questions she yearned to ask Iggy. The significance of 2:30 His sudden alertness when he saw her come. All in good time, she thought to herself

It was almost four when Margret left the pub to return home She wanted to take a bath, dress in more comfortable clothing, and take a short nap before she could return to the pub and find raging alcoholics, including her two idiotic friends, that she most certainly was going to have to carry back to their homes

It was nearly six when Margret woke up to a banging noise on her door It was the short, tubby bartender, Arnold He was in a frantic state and beckoned her to the pub

“It was so fast. One second I was pouring some drinks for the poor fellas, and the next thing I know is that he was spread out on the floor, dead as a doornail.”

“Who?!”

“It’s Iggy, ma’am.”

She stopped dead in her tracks at the mention of his name. Margret ran towards the pub, Arnold’s words still ringing in her ears It couldn’t be Iggy She was supposed to meet him and Matthew at the pub. Maybe this was just some sick joke, and by the time she got there, he’d be on his feet laughing at her demise and offering her a drink as comfort But once she saw the scene at the pub, her false hope was squashed. The police were wheeling out someone's body, covered in a white blanket, and hauling another into a police carriage

“Officer John, please tell me it isn’t true! Please tell me that the thing on the stretcher is someone else!”

“I’m sorry, Margret”, he said with a solemn look on his face,” I’d be giving you false comfort, and to make matters worse for you, we’ve arrested Matthew on suspicion of murder ”

“No, you can’t, John. Matthew would never do something like this. He’s a family to support, and Iggy is, was his best friend!”

He wouldn’t hear anything of this and left her in front of the pub Silent tears ran down her face as she watched the carriage speed down the old cobblestone road.

In her grief, Margret snapped back to life Penny She took off in a run to tell Penny of the news. Iggy’s passing, Matthews's arrest She needed to hear it from someone close to her instead of someone else. If she had told Penny herself, Penny would be able to grieve in front of Margret instead of some stranger As Margret turned the corner to Penny’s, she suddenly saw her entering the building. This took Margret aback Where would Penny be at this time of night? She couldn’t have gone to the pub. She seldom came unless she craved a night out or a special occasion But she never went when it was Iggy and Matthews's drinking hour That was very queer, Margret thought in her head She decided to observe Penny, watching her fumble with something in her pocket and toss it into a nearby sewer.

Penny!” Margret called out, making her look wildly around “Penny, it’s me, Margaret. I have dreadful news. Iggy’s dead, and they arrested Matthew as a suspect Penny, you must go to him They’ll bring him into interrogation any moment, and he needs you. I’ll watch over Daniel while you go Penny, stop with that dumbfounded look on your face and hurry about!”

But she stayed in the same spot, a shocked look on her pale face “But Iggy… No, he can’t be. That couldn’t have happened.”

“Penny, go to the jail and be there for your husband. I’ll watch Daniel while you're gone.”

Penny looked at Margret with solemn eyes, shaking a bit while her mouth twitched.

No need, Margret. I sent him on a train to my parent's house He needs the clean air, and I didn’t - I mean, I don’t want him to be around this ”

That disrupted Margret's thoughts What did Penny mean when she said she didn’t want Daniel around this? The news of Iggy’s passing had only occurred moments before Margret tore through the town to deliver the news of his passing. Something was off, and Margret was going to find out She bade good night to Penny and headed to her apartment, puzzled beyond reason. Did Penny plan for Daniel to leave the city days before this even occurred? Or perhaps she misspoke and meant it was convenient that he wasn’t here to witness the occurrence? But it still made no sense So Margret decided to do the thing all reasonable detectives did. She looked for answers

Margret woke bright and early. She put on her tattered running boots and trousers, then tucked her long hair into a hat, successfully disguising herself as a man. She could get better information this way Oh well

Margret put on her coat and headed to the train station. The station was busy during the morning, but this was London It would never be silent Margret stopped at the railway operator and put her detective skills to work

"Scuse me, sir, have you seen a woman with her young lad?”

“I see plenty of people buying tickets with their little ones. You’ve got a picture of them?”

Yes, just a moment.” She fumbled in her pocket for her wallet and grabbed a picture of Penny and Daniel

“Ah yes. The lass came with her boy and bought two tickets, for herself and the little one The next day I saw the boy come with a man The boy got on the train and headed for the coast.

The man stayed there and left the platform when the train left the station.”

That poked a hole in Penny’s story Daniel left a few days ago, not that night, accompanied by a man, not a woman Margret pulled out a picture of Matthew to show the operator

“Was it this man?” she said as she showed him the picture

“Sorry lad, the man who took the young one on the train was entirely different Hang on a moment That's the man I saw ”

He pointed to the picture of Iggy Margret froze for a moment How could this man have seen Iggy bring Daniel to the station?

“Are you sure that this man is whom you saw?”

“I’m sure of it That man came with the young one ‘round 2:30 in the afternoon Then...” he pointed to Iggy’s photo, “ he waited with him at the platform for the train ”

“Thank you for your help, sir.”

She then returned home with more questions than answers.

It wasn’t Penny or Matthew who brought Daniel to the station It was Iggy. Margret's head was swimming with questions It made sense now, the phone call Iggy had on the last day he was alive

Lately, Margret had been working on two cases: solving the murder of the pediatrician, Fred Merilow, and the murder of her dear friend, Iggy. The C O D results for the pediatrician had been a blunt force trauma to the head multiple times. But Iggy’s report was still under review Margret wondered what could have killed him It couldn’t have been any natural causes, or Matthew wouldn’t be in the local jail. No one shot or stabbed him. She knew this because when she went to identify the body, there were no fresh marks on his head, chest, or stomach Margret was stumped, so she decided to head to Penny’s Even though Margret was suspicious of her, she wanted to get away from the case, and by going to Penny’s, she could keep her under close watch

Margret arrived at around noon, and Penny eagerly invited her in By this time, it was about lunch, so Penny fixed her something in the kitchen. They sat down in her compact living room. They munched on some sandwiches and drank tea They finished, and Margret decided to discard the leftover crusts as Penny put away the dishes When throwing away the crusts, Margret noticed the top of a glass bottle sticking out of the compost That was unusual for Penny because she always kept compost and garbage in separate bins, always getting annoyed whenever someone would mix them up.

Secretly, Margret dug it out of the bin. It was familiar, and Margret realized it was the same shape and color as the bottle Penny had thrown down the sewer a few days before Margret read the label - Morphine In red bolded letters.

“Whatever are you doing?” a voice behind her asked

“Nothing Penny. I accidentally mixed the compost with the rubbish I just need to fish it out ” Margret replied as she carefully placed the bottle in her pocket

Penny gave her a sour look but turned away The recent days had taken a toll on her The sudden arrest of her husband, Iggy’s death, and the departure of Daniel left Penny working longer hours to keep up with rent. There was always an empty apartment awaiting her arrival at the end of her shifts It might have been why she was eager to invite Margret in, despite their last interaction leaving the both of them uneasy

Margret followed Penny to the table, careful to depict her next moves

“Penny dear, how has Daniel been fairing? I know you’ve had problems paying the pediatrician, don’t try to deny it “Penny looked at her with a slight surprise.“ I know you hate borrowing money, but do try to push away your pride ”

Penny stood up warily from her chair. An almost calm expression on her face.

“Margret, you needn’t worry about giving money to pay for the pediatrician Our pediatrician was called Fred Merilow Do you recognize that name?"

“How would you know that name?.” Daniel’s pediatrician was the man whose murder Margret was currently investigating. Suddenly, Margret’s face went cold

“Penny, Mr Merilow’s murder is not known to the public What do you know?”

Penny showed nothing on her face but a strain. As if she was trying to hold back a smile

“Dear Margret Who do you think killed him?”

Her stomach dropped It was as if someone took out her organs and replaced them with lead.

“Penny, do you realize what you’ve just confessed!”

A wave of confusion washed over Penny’s face, then she looked shocked.

“Margret, that’s not what I meant! I know who killed him. It was Matthew.”