Dr Richard Klein, his wife Anne Marie and son Ernst sat at their dining table awaiting Dinner they lived a comfortable life in their modest three-bed house with all the trimmings of a respectable Doctor working for Daumann.
“Had a good day at school Ernst?” Dr Klein asked breaking the tension around the table
“Yes father, today in history we learned about the lead up to the 80 years war,” Ernst replied curtly.
“Good, good,” Anne-Marie replied “Can you please find where the maid has gotten to Ernst. ”
“Okay, Mum,” Ernst replied.
Ernst then got up and headed through the darkened house, past the landing into the kitchen, where he gasped in horror when found the maid dead, he turned sharply racing to tell his parents what happened when a cloaked figure hiding the dark hit him with a large blunt object with some force rendering him unconscious.
At the same time three more hooded figures burst into the dining room taking the Kleins by surprise as they sat aback seeing three figures uninvited in the sanctuary of their home standing brazenly as Richard, was about to ask what their intentions were the main doors to the dining room burst open and entered a man in his early forties dressed in a Rheinwher army officers uniform, in addition, he wore leather gloves.
“Good evening, sorry to drop in like this.” The uninvited man said taking his cap off to reveal jet black hair, then while dropping the cap to the table and take off the leather gloves he continued “No actually I’m not sorry at all, you see you wouldn’t get far in my line of work if you went about the place feeling sorry for yourself now would you.” Dance said smiling suavely towards the end of the conversation.
“My name is Captain Dance and I am here to ask you a few questions.” Captain Dance continued.
“I don’t understand, what questions?” Richard asked while holding the hands of his wife in an attempt to reassure and comfort her that everything would be alright. “Are you with the Rheinwher army?” Richard enquired.
“If I was with the Rheinwher army would I do this” Dance retorted unholstering his pistol and first shooting two plates off the wall “Or this?” Dance enquired. Before putting a round into the abdomen of Richard. Sending Anne Marie screaming in shock before she reached over to Richard to see if he was seriously injured while Richard himself was writhing in excruciating pain.
“Are you insane!?” Anne exclaimed
“Quite, possibly yes.” Dance retorted “Right, questions!” Dance exclaimed reclining into a chair opposite keeping the pistol aimed at Dr Richard. “Where is Robert Balfour?” Dance enquired
“He is not here!” Dr Richard exclaimed mustering some strength to sit back up in his chair.
“Yes I know that otherwise I would not be asking now would I?” Dance replied getting irritated “ Now where is he?
“I would rather die than tell anything about our son!” Richard exclaimed
“Oh, how about your wife?” Dance replied moving the pistols aim to her “Are you happy for her to die to, I really wouldn’t mind shooting her too.” Dance continued.
“ You are too late he is gone!” Anne replied with an air of triumph which did not last long.
As an orange glow filled the dark rooms connected to the dining room and smoke started to fill the room Dance whistled and the hooded figures tied the Kleins to their chairs.
“Your house is on fire, your children have fled now tell me where to find him and I will leave you alone.” Dance continued
“No!!!” Anne replied as one of the hooded figures searches her to reveal a transmission pad, the hooded figure then places it in the outstretched hand of Captain Dance.
“Stuttgart, Freistadt, Freeport 1, Cambridge well now it doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to deduce where he is heading.” Dance paused with a Gleam in his eyes. “ New London, calling,” he finished with Anne whimpering.
With this Dance nodded towards Richard taking his hat and gloves Dance strolled out the burning building which was once the Klein family home which was now fully engulfed in flames.