As his carriage pulled up outside the station house, Edmund swallowed a small lump of nervous apprehension.  He was not used to working without Annabelle - indeed, he never worked without her, and usually made some sort of excuse to wait for her during the times that they were separated.  He was masterful at making such excuses, and he wondered, now, as the carriage came to a halt, why he hadn't done so this time.  All he knew was that Annabelle had thought the doll important, and hearing that it was at the station house, he had an overwhelming feeling that it wouldn't be safe there...so he acted on instinct, to head off any one else who might try and intercept it.<br/><br/>His thoughts were interrupted as the excited bobby threw open the carriage door.<br/><br/>"This way, sir," he said, and Edmund leapt out of the carriage, following the bobby inside.  A moment later, the young, excitable young constable produced the doll, handing it to Edmund carefully.<br/><br/>"'Ere it is, sir," he said, a bit out of breath, "I just knew you'd think it important, sir...it's why I grabbed it, rather then let it be swept up with the rubbish, sir.  So, wot's it about, then, eh?"<br/><br/>Edmund looked at the doll, his face a portrait example of intense scrutiny and deduction; his mind, however, was another story.<br/><br/><em>"It's just a bloody clay doll,"</em>he thought to himself, as he pretended to look over it for clues as to its worth,<em>"Why the devil does the girl think it so important?"</em><br/><br/>Still, who was he to question Annabelle?  She was the brains, and if she thought it important, he should to.  He wondered if he shouldn't head to the docks, to see if there was anything else there that might look important, more so, perhaps, than this silly doll.  Looking up at the constable, he changed his face to one of determined resolution.<br/><br/>"Now, now, Officer," he replied to the young bobby, stowing the doll away carefully in a hidden, inner pocket of his overcloak, "I hardly think we have time for a bit of show-and-tell.  Quickly, take me to the docks where you found this."<br/><br/>((Edited - I thought it was a rag doll, reread and saw it was clay.  Edited to make it match!))