The day passes like an eternity. The sky becomes gloomy as the sun sets, the lights flickering in the distance. Herbert takes notes diligently, while Eleanor does as well; her Laboratory Manual's pages are again subjected to the tip of her pen.
After loitering in the pub for three hours, the sun starts to set. Herbert stands up and puts a hand on Eleanor's shoulder. "It's dark; we have to look for lodging now."
"I know; let's go."
They walk past the pub until they reach a small alleyway. A few stray dogs run away from the sound of footsteps while Eleanor and Herbert continue walking down the narrow street.
"There's a nearby hotel, right?" she asks, putting her hand on her forehead.
Herbert looks back at her. "Do you have a migraine?" he asks.
"Um, a what? Where'd you hear that?" she asks, sounding defensive. "The book was not that hard! And... focus on looking for the hotel!" she says, refusing to look at him.
"Fine, fine." He gives her a sarcastic smile before turning around. He looks around the empty alleyway before heading to the end of the road, stopping in front of a large white wooden door. He knocks on it multiple times before walking inside.
"Hello?" he calls. He sees a dim light coming from behind the door.
A well-dressed man opens the door.
"Um... We want to get a room." Herbert says.
"Yes, yes. You can get a room." the man says, leading them to reception.
"Thank you so much," Herbert bows slightly.
"How long do you plan on staying here?" he asks.
"A night, perhaps." Herbert answers.
"You'll have to check with your friend, though," the man adds, gesturing at Eleanor, who had been silent the entire time.
Herbert turns his head to look at Eleanor.
"Are you OK?"
"Yea, yea," Eleanor shrugs off.
As the man leads them down a narrow staircase and turns to the left, there lies a small hallway filled with rooms and doors with numbers written on them. Each room looks the same; dark, messy, or dirty, with barely any decorations on the walls. After passing numerous doors, they arrive at an empty room with two beds.
"Here we are. Do you have enough money?" the man asks.
'Enough,' Eleanor thinks to herself.
"Yes, we do. Thanks. We will pay you later."
"All right. Have a good night."
Herbert hands over one thousand pound bill to the man before he leaves them alone. As usual, Eleanor goes to the bathroom first. After a while, she walks out. As they stare at each other, Eleanor suddenly feels nervous and flustered looking away from him; she starts taking her slippers off and setting them against the wall beside the bed.
"What's wrong?" he asks.
She shakes her head, "Nothing."
"Are you sure?"
"Yea…" She stops speaking abruptly when Herbert places both hands on her shoulders.
"Look," he continues quietly, "If everything has become too overwhelming for you, we can-"
"I am not tired." She interrupts.
"But you seem nervous…" he adds in a gentle tone.
She closes her eyes. "...I am just nervous. It's just that I haven't slept since I got here."
"That's normal after working so long," he tells her. "Why don't you sleep for tonight? Tomorrow, you should rest and try to relax."
"Really?" she asks, surprised.
"Absolutely. Just get a couple of hours, and we will leave tomorrow morning."
"OK, thanks. I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight. Sleep tight."
"Goodnight…" she smiles and takes the towel off her head.
He grabs her by the elbow. "What about you?"
"Oh," she blushes, "It's cold. I guess I'll stay here tonight."
"What are you talking about? I only got 1 room for us."
"Oh." Eleanor sits on the bed; then she lays on the bed. The bed's not exceptionally soft or hard, but it feels comfortable. She lies down and faces the ceiling, feeling tiredness creeping up to her body like water rising in a river.
Herbert takes his wallet out of his jacket pocket and takes out a note. It's the note of leave he got from the hospital. He reads it carefully.
He suddenly realizes there is one clause that he's neglected to read... A transfer notice to London.
He looks down at Eleanor. She's peacefully asleep, and her chest slowly rises and falls. He gently pulls her closer to him and wraps her in an embrace. His arms hold her close.
Herbert's heart starts to beat faster and faster. She smells sweet, like lavender soap and chocolate milk.
'Oh well, time to rest.' Herbert tucks himself into bed.
His arms are warm around her, and he can feel her breathing against him. He rests his head on the pillow. Closing his eyes, he begins to fall asleep.
As per the schedule, the city starts rhythmically humming, reminding him of the ocean waves' rhythm—the waves' sounds lulling him to sleep. The temperature outside is almost freezing.
The air is thick with humidity, yet he knows it will rain soon; the clouds are already forming above him.
He feels peaceful as he lets himself drift into unconsciousness.
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The sound of his alarm wakes him up from his slumber. He groans loudly and tries to ignore the annoying noise. The room is dark. The curtains are drawn, and the sun isn't shining through the window. He hears Eleanor muffled snoring. She sleeps soundly beside him, not having disturbed him during the night.
With one last glance at her, he gets up. He doesn't bother to change clothes; instead, he picks up some trousers. As soon as he puts them on, he notices Eleanor's hair lying all over the pillow. She has turned onto her side.
He steps toward the door but hesitates. Shouldn't he wake her up first?
Before he decides, it was made for him as she hauls herself off the bed like clockwork.
She reaches for a shirt and starts pulling it over her head.
He bites his lip nervously, unable to avert his gaze. 'Should I say something? Or is she not ready to talk to me?'
"Morning," she says as she stretches her arms over her head. "Did you sleep well? I didn't mean to wake you up..."
"No, no, you didn't wake me up..." he replies slowly. "You were sleeping deeply."
She sits up and ignores him, focusing on her Laboratory Manual. She also grabs her music player and plays the song.
Herbert watches her for a moment. "Is that 'Gravity Waves? Is that your favorite musical piece?" he asks.
"Uh... Yeah," she mumbles absentmindedly, still focused on the page. "I'm sorry if I woke you up."
He walks over to the desk.
"Not at all. Your voice was soothing... I like your singing," he pauses and swallows hard. "Anyway, let's start our day, shall we?"
"Yeah. Let's," she says, nodding her head vigorously.
After breakfast, they make their way into the streets of Manchester again.
Herbert sighs heavily, trying to hide his frustration. They walk together silently, neither of them saying anything.
The streetlights illuminate the path ahead as the smog covers the entire sky, making the landscape unbearably dark.
Even though most people wear their hoodies, they still feel cold despite the thick layers of clothing.
Eleanor is holding her coat closer to her. She keeps shivering. Her hair covers part of her face, preventing Herbert from seeing her expression.
They are walking towards the pub they've been in just yesterday when they see a Royal Police standing around the perimeter.
Herbert stops dead in his tracks and stares at the soldiers, who seem oblivious to his presence.
"What's going on?" Eleanor whispers to him, concerned.
"I don't know," he mutters, looking at the soldiers. He quickly looks to the side, scanning the area as a precaution. "Something isn't right here. Stay here."
He starts running towards the officers, who turn around when they hear him running.
Eleanor follows closely behind.
"Who are you?!" a tall officer barks at him.
"Sir, I am Dr. Lombard Newton," he replies, using a fake name. "This is my companion, Miss Madison Park. What happened?"
The officers' exchange puzzled glances with each other. One of the men steps forward, revealing a badge.
"Dr. Herbert, I presume. You must know that the police are investigating a suspected drug trafficking ring here."
"Drug smuggling?"
The officers nod, "Yes. This area is under suspicion of being used by drugs and criminals."
Eleanor watches from afar as the police search the area. Herbert stands silently next to the policeman, watching as the officers examine every inch of the ground and the buildings. After some while, a stretcher is pulled out of the building; a dead body has been found.
"Oh, okay," Herbert says. Honestly, he doesn't care about these things. There must be many gangs in this city. Even if there isn't, he's confident it won't take long to discover the culprit.
The police officers move away from the scene, and the stretcher disappears.
"Come on!" Eleanor shouts. She catches up with them. Herbert turns to look at her. 'What the fuck is she doing?'.
She's smiling at Herbert. "We're snooping! Come on!" she exclaims excitedly. She rushes toward the street and holds the edge of Herbert's sleeve. "Come on!"
Reluctantly, he nods his head. "All right, all right, just let go..." he mutters before giving in.
He runs after her.
"Don't worry, Doctor, you'll find more clues," one of the officers assures him.
"Thank you!" he responds politely.
"We need to find some evidence to prove this crime occurred!" another one says. "Do you have any suggestions?"
"Um, I could help you search."
Herbert doesn't know what he's saying or what he's supposed to do. These officers are probably mistaking him for a bigshot physician.
"We could use a doctor's help," one of the officers says. "If you don't mind, sir?"
Herbert shakes his head. "No, of course, yes."
"Great! You have an appointment at 9:30, so meet us at the police station at 9:00. We'll need a man who knows how to cut up dead bodies."
'You mean an autopsy,' Herbert thinks. "Yes, yes! The Doctor will come." Eleanor quips.
The Police Officer looks at her in disgust. "Little Lady, don't interfere with men's business."
"Excuse me, I wasn't meddling—" she retorts.
Herbert stops her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Yes, officer, we'll be there."
"Great, Dr. Newton! See you then."
As they walk out of the police station, Eleanor is fuming. "That asshole insulted me and called me little lady," she growls. She takes a deep breath. "Sorry."
"Nothing to apologize for," Herbert assures her. "He should learn that women aren't unqualified. And you should learn to control your anger."
"Control my anger!? Police officers have grown arrogant just because they are a few centimeters taller than me. They also act as if I should bow down at their feet. Who does that?"
Herbert looks at her, confused. "What?"
"The way they treat women. Don't they understand that women have lives?"
"Don't be too angry-"
"What, are you one of them too?" Eleonor shoves him.
"Hey, look at me." Herbert puts his hands on her shoulder. "Don't let it get to you. Think calmly and look at the situation. You can't change anyone, but you can use their situation to your advantage."
She huffs quietly. "Fine." She lowers her hands to her side. "Let's continue searching."
"Are you sure you want to continue walking with me, my lady?" He smirks slightly. "I thought you might want to stay away from me."
Eleanor frowns. "I thought you liked me."
'This man's teasing me too much. If this goes on, I'll put laxatives in his coffee.'
They loiter around until the time is approaching 9 in the morning. At 8:55, the two friends stand outside the police station. The officers are nowhere to be seen.
They step inside and walk past the counter. A few policemen are working on the computers at the side of the room. The computers aren't clean and look like they've been recycled and repaired countlessly. There are stacks of papers everywhere on the desks.
They approach the receptionist.
"Can I help you?" She sounds bored as she speaks, her eyes glued to the computer screen. She looks up at them with disinterest.
Her left cheek has a number tattoo on it, and her uniform looks slightly different from the others. It appears she wears a similar badge to theirs, only it has an extra square symbol attached to it.
"Uhh, I'm Dr. Newton," Herbert says, holding his breath for a second; he is in disbelief.
She stares back at him in silence. Then, without glancing at him once, she reaches over the counter. She types something on a keypad and turns her chair around. She continues typing, ignoring everyone else in the room.
She continues for several seconds. Then the phone rings.
"That's for you, Dr. Newton." the woman says without looking at him. She turns back around and continues typing.
A young officer enters the room, handing a piece of paper to the receptionist. "Have a nice day, doc!" he smiles widely at him.
The young officer walks towards Herbert and gives him a smile and a wave. He then walks out.
He then walks out.
Herbert goes to the phone on the wall and gets the receiver.
"Hello?" he answers tentatively.
"This is the police speaking. Can you confirm your ID number, please, Mr... Newton?" A voice asks through the speaker.
'Oh shit!' "Uh, I can definitely get my I.D number in the future. But I'm afraid my ID number is classified."
There is quiet for a moment. "Can I ask for our identity card number?"
'Oh shit'
"Dr. Newton's ID number is 23207777!" Eleanor says.
There is silence on the other side. The police officer clears his throat. "Is what the woman says true?"
"Yes, officer," Herbert says, trusting her completely.
"It's true, my ID is 23207877, but my name is not registered. My ID numbers are classified, so if someone asks me my ID number, it will show as 23107777 instead."
"Okay, thank you for confirming this. Please leave a piece of contact information for our investigators so we can call you again whenever. Have a good day."
"Thank you."
He hangs up the phone and sighs.
"So, what did they say?" Eleanor asks curiously.
"You saved my ass." Herbert chuckles.
"So, what did they say?" Eleanor asks impatiently.
"They bought it."
Herbert pauses. "The police bought my ID number."
"What?"
"They scanned their database and saw a Dr. Newton."
"And?"
"And they don't think it's fake anymore."
Eleanor squeals. "Finally! Thank god I didn't mess anything up!"
'That was for a test!?' Herbert sighs as he holds her hand, walking with her to enter the swing doors to the back of the station.
Two officers guide them to the autopsy room. "Dr. Newton, you may enter. But I suggest you keep your wife out." One of the officers tells him.