Chapter Text
Station House 4-Toronto, Ontario
George Crabtree was stumped.
Henry Higgins found the constable murmuring and tapping his pencil in quick succession on his desk, head bent over the morning edition of the Toronto Gazette. "Good morning, George," Henry tried. His superior ignored him, which in and of itself wasn't unusual. The younger man frowned, leaning over George's shoulder. "What are you doing, sir?" Henry asked him, craning his neck around to look at the paper.
George continued scratching out letters and crossing them off, muttering to himself. Henry rolled his eyes. "Sir!" he yelled, slamming a hand down on George's desk, startling the older man and bringing the commotion in Station House 4 to a screeching halt.
"What?!" George barked, startling so badly he snapped his pencil in half. Henry jumped back, in case George started swinging. George looked around him, first to Henry, then around the rest of the station. "What are you all looking at?" he asked, and suddenly his fellow officers all had things they needed to do.
George pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at Henry, who only looked semi-apologetic. "Sorry, Higgins," he sighed.
"No worries sir, but…what were you doing?" Henry asked. He pointed. "Whatever it was, it really had your attention. Does it have to do with a case?"
"Not a case, exactly," George explained, straightening his uniform and nodding to the paper. "Something that needs to be solved, however. Today's puzzle in the newspaper has me completely baffled."
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Sir?" he questioned, amused.
George rapped the paper with the back of his hand. "It appears to be a letter substitution cipher, but I can't figure out the key to unlocking the code."
"Have you asked Detective Murdoch?" Henry asked him. "These sorts of things are right up his alley." George looked at him sharply, and he attempted to backtrack, "N-not that you're not capable of figuring it out, I just thought-"
He was saved by the telephone on George's desk ringing, and George snapped it up, glaring at Higgins as he answered it. "Station House 4," he snapped.
The person on the other end was yelling loud enough for Henry to hear.
"Please! You have to help me! The puzzle, I-"
The line went dead abruptly, and George leapt up from his chair, receiver still in his hand. "Operator!" he yelled, bringing the attention of Station House 4 back to his desk again. "Where was this call from?" he demanded. He listened for the answer, then hung up. He grabbed his hat and snapped his fingers at Henry. "Let's go, Higgins."
Henry followed him out into the street. "What did the caller mean about the' puzzle'?" he questioned George.
"I'll explain when we get there. We have a stop to make first."
Henry rushed to keep up. "What stop?"
George was already straddling a bike, kicking off the pavers. "We need to find Detective Murdoch. He's out with the missus, but he won't want to miss this!"