Le Livre Noir

You can't begin to imagine how tough it is being a private detective these days; if the police aren't getting in my way when I approach a crime scene, it's the customers thinking you only exist to find missing people or snap pictures of cheating spouses. I didn't want to join the police despite being told I was the next Sherlock Holmes; both a compliment and an insult, Sherlock never had to deal with being a woman.

As a child I grew up reading detective novels and solving "mysteries" in my home village of Thillbach which believe me when I tell you isn't hard given the village only has 500 residents and most of them either retired or ready to retire so most of the mysteries were "Find my Cat" or "I've lost the remote to the TV" which were never really hard to solve. Occasionally I would end up helping the local Constabulary with their enquiries, but only because the local police didn't have any detectives. Not that Thillbach was sprawling with murder cases. I moved to Edinburgh after I finished school, my plan was to go to university and then join the police. Everything went well and according to plan, with the exception of joining the police. During my time at Uni I joined up as a volunteer police officer to get my feet in the door. By the time I finished uni my plan was shot down. The constabulary that I had joined up with as a PCSO decided not to put me forward for a detective job. Instead they wanted me to remain a PCSO, a volunteer. So I quit. I worked odd jobs until I had enough to undergo a Private Eye Course. Soon after I passed the course I decided to open up my own detective agency and solve crimes my own way. Which brings me up to the present day.

I was asked by a customer to investigate the death of her son, who lived in London. After travelling to the crime scene in Hammersmith; and after convincing the police to let me into the crime scene it was clear that it was an open and shut case. The guy had died of a drug overdose. This news would shock his mum; she painted him as somewhat of a saint. After liaising with local police detectives there was no evidence of foul play. It turned out the guy had become addicted to all sorts of drugs when he moved to London, it seems partying was too hard to refuse. His mother asked me to collect a few things should the worst come to fruition, so I took a look around his home and collected up the items she asked for. I had just gathered up all the items when I noticed something odd at the back of his wardrobe, there was a hidden compartment. It was plain enough that your average bobby or detective from the local station would miss it. I levered open and pulled out what was inside. I brought it out to the light, it was a little black book.

By the time I got home to my flat in Edinburgh I had dissected to little black book, front to back. It had a little text on one page that read 'Call this number and await for instructions' which I struggled with decision of whether or not I should call it. It could explain how my recent customer's son ended up dead. I decided to put on my big girl pants and call the number in the book. The phone rang out for a minute and then disconnected. I put the phone down and was about to walk away when it rang. A deep male voice started speaking "The game has begun, you have 24 hours to get to your next location. Your locations is" I quickly grabbed a pen and paper ready to write down the location "I stand up tall and made of steel, with baguettes and garlic at my heel i love the colours red white and blue, but obviously not as much as you i am a marvel for all to see, though to some i am a monstrosity! what am I?" The phone went dead. The voice had given me a riddle to solve in order to find out where to go. Trouble was it was too easy, the answer was The Eiffel Tower.

Quickly I booked myself a train ticket from Edinburgh to Paris via St. Pancras in London. I decided before I left I would have a shower and a quick bite to eat. I quickly got myself some clean clothes, put on my trusty boots and grabbed my hat and jacket before running to the bus stop to get to Princes Street. It wasn't long before I was boarding the train to London. It would take about eight hours so I pulled my hat down over my eyes and got some shut eye as the train would be travelling overnight. My trip there wasn't that comfortable, I woke a few times when someone sat next to me or the snack trolley stopped by, or when nature called. Worst of all was the assholes who kept asking me if I wanted to join the Railroad Fun Club, they stopped after I gave one guy an uppercut to the nutsack. By the time I arrived and London I had lost two hours as there were delays during the journey. With the ten hours of train travel plus the two hours between the call and me boarding the train I had already wasted half the allotted time. By the time I had arrived in St. Pancras another hour had passed, I dislike the underground as I always end up going the wrong way. I waited for another hour before boarding the train to Paris, about an hour afterwards I was in Paris. I exited the Gare du Nord and headed towards the Eiffel Tower. It was around the sixteen hour mark when I reached the top of the tower, as I looked out over Paris a man in a tan jacket carrying a deerskin suitcase handed me an envelope. I looked at the envelope, my name was on it. I looked up to ask the man a question but he had disappeared, I then opened up the envelope. The envelope had a card on the inside that had 'Your next destination is the title of a song by The Four Lads. You have until noon London Time tomorrow to arrive'. Cryptic Clue in hand I made my way to the nearest coffee shop. Sitting outside the coffee shop I watched Paris go by wondering if anyone else was involved in The Game, how many other people in the city had little black book with a riddle in it.

I looked at my watch, it was 1600 London Time, in the rush here I didn't set my watch for Euro time. That meant I had 20 hours to make it to my next destination, I pulled out my phone and googled The Four Lads. The first song that came up was called Istanbul (Not Constantinople), which I took to be my next destination. With this new piece of information I booked myself on the next flight to Istanbul and then made my way to the airport. It was a late night flight out of Paris but it would get me into Istanbul early enough that I'd be able to make it for noon. The only problem is that Istanbul is a city of two halves and I was provided with no place to be other than the city itself. Would the man in the tan jacket carrying the deerskin suitcase be there? Or would someone else be there to point me the way to the next destination. I made my way to the Hagia Sophia in hopes that I'd be in the vicinity of the metaphorical goal. I waited about an hour before I got my next clue. A short man who could only be described as vaguely human handed me an envelope before walking off. I opened the envelope and pulled out the card and on it was 'You have 8 hours to get to Cluj-Napoca'. My heart started beating fast and I stared to sweat. The past two clues I've near enough a full day to travel, now I had to make it to the destination fast or it was game over. I pulled out my phone and looked up the nearest Hire Car location and ran for it. By way of luck I was on the road within the hour, I had to make my way to Romania (I had discovered Cluj-Napoca was in Romania whilst sorting out the hire car) in seven hours or less; they did this sort of thing on Top Gear so it should be no problem for me.

I had gunned it as fast as I dared travelling from Turkey to Romania and with a shade of luck I managed to make it Cluj-Napoca in seven hours. I only had a little time left so I parked the car outside a shop that sold food and went inside to get something to eat. I ordered a local delicacy and as the shopkeeper handed me my food he also handed me an envelope. I took both back to the car and opened the envelope. 'The train for 47°13′05″N 1°33′10″W leaves in 30 minutes. Here are your tickets, be on it' was written on the card inside. I quickly scarfed my food and drove to the train station. By the time I got there I had 10 minutes to find my location and the train heading in that direction. I opened up google maps and punched in the co-ordinates, they took me to Nantes in France, oh great back to France. I boarded the train to Paris and settled in; now was my chance to get some shut eye. As the train sped across Europe I managed to get a reasonable amount of sleep and give myself a hookers wash in the bathroom. I got off the train at Paris and boarded the train for Nantes.

By the time the train arrived in Nantes it was getting dark. I walked around Nantes and got stopped by a Gendarme who instructed me in his best English to wait outside the St Nicolas Basilica at 0900 tomorrow. I booked myself into some accommodation for the night and before the shops closed grabbed myself some fresh clothes and a bag for the dirty one. I was lying in the hot bath I had ran for myself; and as the hot water eased myd and achy muscles I reflected on the past few days. It had all flashed past in a blur. It was just one thing after another, I was grateful for this moment to unwind and relax. I soaked for a while before getting washed; I soon got out to dry myself and took a moment to check myself out in the full length mirror. I hate to blow my own trumpet but I look good. I threw on a some pants and a t-shirt and climbed into bed. It was 0700 and my phone's alarm woke me from my deep slumber. I had two hours to get to the basilica. I got dressed quickly and stuffed my old clothes and anything else I bought into the knapsack I bought and quickly rushed across Nantes to my destination. I arrived outside the basilica with 15 minutes to spare and waited for the next instruction which wasn't long in coming. The Gendarme from the previous night walked past me and handed me an envelope; inside was a card with the word Tetris on it. This was the vaguest clue yet; but I decided that I would travel to Moscow given that Tetris is a video game from Russia. I made my way back to Paris and headed for the airport, once there I booked myself on the next plane to Moscow.

The next day I found myself wandering around Red Square wondering when and where the next clue would take me. The person running this Challenge Anneka style run around Europe clearly had to be watching me, or had someone watching me. Using my detective skills I looked around Red Square for any sign of suspicious activity. There were a lot of tourist about which made it difficult, the perfect camouflage. Any one of these snap happy tourists could be watching me; but I saw through the crowd and spotted a man near the State Historical Museum watching me with a pair of binoculars. As I made my way toward him he moved away and rushed into a nearby car and drove off before I could catch the registration plate. Suspicions confirmed, I was indeed being watched by the host of this Game. Feeling a little like Carmen Sandiego I walked around the Red Square for an hour before a man in an Estudiantes kit handed me an envelope; I opened it hastily and read the note within 'Time to seperate the wheat from the chaff, only the first 8 people to the next destination will continue the game. You have 12 hours'. Where was the clue? I frantically searched the note and envelope looking for some guide as to where to go when it dawned on me, the Estudiantes kit! They were a basketball team in Madrid. I rushed to the airport as fast as I could and booked myself on a flight to Madrid. With any luck I can find transport on the other side to get me to the WiZink Center. I boarded the plane to Madrid and wondered how many other people on this flight were in The Game. I knew my luck was running out so I had to start thinking strategically. Whilst waiting for take off I booked myself a taxi from the airport to the WiZink Center. This jaunt around Europe was now past the point of being expensive, would I be able to claim these as business expenses I thought to myself. The plane soon took off and we were bound for Madrid; on the flight I started to review the trip to this point. Thankfully I had purchased a diary with a map in the back of it and without letting any other passengers see I had plotted out where I had been in the past few days. Connecting each city by a line in order of travel it looked like I was criss crossing Europe with the line intersecting in France. I couldn't make out where but the end goal must be there. Without drawing attention to myself I tore out the page from the diary and tore it up into smaller pieces.

The plane landed in Madrid and I raced my way through customs to get to my taxi in the pick up point. I noticed that there were at least ten other people rushing to get through customs, were these people also in the game? My driver was waiting for me at the exit, soon I found myself in the taxi driving towards my next destination. The driver spoke little English and my Spanish was not the best, so most of the journey was in silence save for the time he driver put the radio on. It wasn't long before the taxi pulled up outside the arena, I paid the driver what I owed him and little more as a tip. I rushed into the arena and headed for the customer services desk and the young man behind the counter handed me a ticket for the game that night. I hung about in the arena bar and restaurant until it was time to watch the game. I took my coat and hat off and sat down in my seat and looked around. I couldn't tell if anyone was watching me nor could I tell who my competition in The Game was due to the large crowd. The seat next to me sat vacant until the game started. An attractive woman sat next to me and handed me an envelope before leaving, I must admit to checking her out as she left. I opened the envelope and pulled out the note 'Remember the woman who sat next to you, she'll be your at your next destination. Fist you must travel to the Neuer Wall and purchase a gift for the woman and deliver it to her. She'll be waiting for you in HafenCity. You will not be permitted to plan your journey until after the basketball game has finished so please enjoy yourself. You cannot use air, rail, or a car to get to your next destination. Only the top four will be allowed to continue' was what written on the card. This meant I had to travel by bus as I doubt I could charter a boat to get me to my next destination. I was being watched so I couldn't plan ahead, nor could I research where I was supposed to go, the locations sounded German but that didn't mean that I was going to Germany.

After an hour or so the game ended and I rushed towards the exit, I hailed a taxi and asked to go a bus terminal that would take me on a bus out of Spain. During the ride to the terminal I looked up Neuer Wall and HafenCity; both of them were in Hamburg, I was right I was heading to Germany. At the terminal I found a bus that would take me to Barcelona and from there I would get a bus to Chalon-sur-Saone. From there I could get a bus that would take me to Hamburg but I was looking at a day and a half by bus. 37 hours later I arrived in Hamburg tired, stiff, and smelling of sweat from the sweaty guy who sat next me. I found a bus that was heading towards Neuer Wall and climbed aboard, before long I was in a really expensive looking shopping mall. I ran into the first shop and purchased a really nice looking scarf that would look good on the woman I was to meet at HafenCity. I raced out of Neuer Wall and headed towards HafenCity. After some time I arrived at HafenCity tired and out of breath. I saw the woman standing in the centre of the square at HafenCity and rushed towards her. I handed her the bag with her gift in it, she pulled it out and immediately wrapped it around her. She leaned over whispered in my ear "Thank you" and kissed me on the cheek. She handed me an envelope and left promptly afterwards. I pulled out the note and it said "Your next destination is in The Cote D'Azur. There is only one location that is correct and only two people can continue. Be at the destination by sunset tomorrow. I found a place to eat and to plan the next leg of my journey. The Cote D'Azur wasn't a small place, it was a good sized part of France. This time there was no clue, I'd have to pick up a destination and hope that it's right. I looked at the map and decided for the city of Marseille. As there was no restrictions I made my way to a Hire Car Firm and got myself a car for the journey. Soon after I was on my way to the south of France.

After a 15 hour drive I found myself in the city of Marseille. I drove around for a while and decided that I would sip coffee by the Old Port as sunset came. I sat watching the sun set sipping my coffee in the Old Port before an elderly man sat down opposite me. He too had coffee "Sunset is such a beautiful time of day don't you think?" he said. I looked over the port "I do like a good sunset, it's a good way to wind down. Still I think sunrise beats a good sunset" I responded. "You make a good point. Can I ask why you are here?" was his reply. I pondered for a second and said "I'm on a Challenge Anneka style hunt around Europe." He sipped his coffee and looked to the horizon before pulling something from his jacket "Does it have something to do with a little black book?" I was stunned when he produced a little black book "I've been keeping an on you, what happened to the original owner of that book?" he asked. "He passed away from a drug overdose, can I ask what this is for?" I responded. "Of course, I have cancer and will be dead by this time next week. Instead of leaving my fortune to my children who do not deserve it I decided to hold a competition. First to reach the final destination wins my £100 million fortune." He laughed a little as he said it. "My condolences" was all I could say to a dying man. "Do not look so glum Sam Dixon, that's right I know your name. I know the names of everyone in this contest. Believe it or not there were 100 people in this race" he proclaimed. I was shocked at the fact he knew my name; but I shouldn't be surprised given how he's been watching me since I got into Paris. "So what now?" I asked. He handed me a gold envelope, I opened it and on a gold card was the message 'X Marks the Spot'. "Just to let you know your opponent was last seen heading to the train station about 10 minutes ago. "That means I am falling behind!" I said with a sense of urgency. The old man placed his hand on top of mine "Nonsense, you still have your hire car, he's getting a train. Do you know where you are going?" he asked. "I have a hunch" I replied. He stood up and straightened his clothes "Don't let me keep you, and good luck Sam" he said before walking away. I ran to the car and pulled out my map and phone. I looked at the map where the lines intersected and set my satnav for Mulhouse, France. After a 7 hour drive I had arrived in Mulhouse, decided to drop the car off at the hire firm and continue on foot. I was walking the Parc Zoologique et Botanique de Mulhouse when I spotted the woman from Madrid wearing the scarf I bought her.

I walked up to her and she introduced herself as Sofia. She escorted me inside the Parc and walked with me to the Botanical Gardens within. Waiting at a table was the elderly man I saw at Marseille and two other men. The elderly man took me by the hand and said "Congratulations my dear, you have won!" I was shocked, my heart was in my throat and I was struggling to talk. He sat down and introduced his lawyers "They are here simply to ensure that everything is legit and above board." I gathered my wits about me and asked "Why me? What happened to the other guy?" The old man laughed and pulled out his phone, he called a number and put it on video call "Your opponent is in Bern, Switzerland. Seems he wasn't too handy with a map." My hands were shaking, after days of travel and a small fortune spent on expenses I had reached the end. Sofia leaned over and cupped my hands in hers to soothe my nerves, her hands were as soft as silk and smelled of coconut. "This is my assistant Sofia, she eagerly offered to help me after she saw you in Paris" he said "I think she likes you." I looked Sofia in the eyes and I could tell she liked me which was good because after Madrid I kind of liked her too. "What now?" I asked. One of the old man's lawyers opened up "Once you sign this document the full sum of £100 million will be transferred to your bank account, we already have your bank details." I grabbed a pen from inside my jacket and signed on the dotted line the minute the lawyer put the document in front of me.

After a glass of celebratory champagne I boarded the train for Paris with my new girlfriend. I no longer had to worry about my student debts or the cost of living in Edinburgh. As the train left Mulhouse I took out my little black book, all the notes had been carefully stored inside. Who knew so much joy could come from something as simple as a Little Black Book.

Note: This was initially written for the Little Black Book contest but as I am not a Vocal+ member I am not eligible to enter. So please enjoy this short story I have had fun writing