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b2memFormat: Fic
Genre: Casefic
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, Dwalin, Fili, Kili
Pairings: n/a
Creator’s Notes (optional):
Summary: Police AU set in 1930s, follows Episode 1
[A voice announces: Inspector Durin Mysteries, Episode 2 – The Man in the Navy Blue Jacket]
As Inspector Durin walked away from the walled garden, he was assailed by his nephews.
“We’ve been thinking,” Fili began.
Durin sighed, “Well, I suppose there has to be a first time for everything.”
“Don’t be like that, Uncle Thorin,” Kili said. “We’ve been really thinking hard.”
“And we think we saw a man in a navy blue jacket walking down the path to the greenhouse early yesterday evening. Neither of us recognised him,” Fili added.
“I see,” Durin said. “It’s quite possible someone else knows him though, so it will be worth asking. If nothing else he might be able to help us.”
Fili and Kili led the way to the conservatory by the dining room, where Bilbo and his other students were gathering for lunch.
“I understand a man in a navy blue jacket was seen in the vicinity yesterday evening,” Durin said. “Does anyone know who that might be?”
Most of the students shook their heads, and Bilbo said, “I’m certainly not aware of anyone other than my staff and the students being on the premises last night.”
One of the girls said, “I don’t know who he is, but I think I may have seen him before.”
“And you are?” Durin said.
“I’m Sigrid Bowman.”
“Related to the head gardener?” Durin asked.
“His elder daughter,” Bilbo explained. “The Bowmans live in the dower cottage and Sigrid is currently one of my students. I suppose it’s possible someone saw her brother Bain last night.”
“But Bain’s away at university at the moment,” Sigrid said. “And the man I saw was more Dad’s height and build, Bain’s much skinnier.”
“That does sound like the man we saw,” Fili said.
“Hmm,” Durin said. “I shall need to speak to each of you independently after lunch.”
“Ooh, to establish our alibis?” a red-haired girl asked.
“And to see if you can throw any more light on the events of yesterday evening,” Durin replied.
“It’s okay, Uncle, I was with Tauriel all evening, until, well, we went to bed,” Kili said.
Durin couldn’t see anything, but he sensed Bilbo rolling his eyes.
“And I was with Sigrid and walked her back to her cottage about half past nine,” Fili said. “Her father was definitely there then because he called out when she opened the door. I didn’t see her little sister though.”
“I think we can probably assume her sister had gone to bed,” Durin said. Sigrid nodded.
The two other students promptly added they’d been with the group for the first part of the evening, and when Fili and Sigrid left they’d had a few games of ping pong before going to bed.
“And nobody saw anything out of the ordinary?” Durin asked.
The students all shook their heads.
Durin was about to say something else, when he saw Sergeant Dwalin and a man he suspected to be Bowman approaching.
Dwalin held out an object and said, “Look what Mr Bowman found in the bonfire he lit this morning.”
It was a navy blue jacket.
[End of episode music. An announcer’s voice saying ‘Tune in next week for another thrilling instalment’]
