Mac sighed with exasperation. Sometimes she wondered how she ever let Phryne talk her into these things.

She had been carrying on with business as usual, coming home from a long day at the hospital she had arrived to find a very impatient Phryne Fisher in her living room with the sort of mischievous twinkle in her eye that Mac knew meant she would not be having the calm evening she had anticipated.

As it turned out Phryne was on a case. Not a murder this time, instead she was on the hunt for an elusive jewel thief. She had pleaded, and Mac had obliged. She should've realised it would end up with them hiding in a bathroom from a potentially dangerous burglar who was currently sneaking around somewhere on the premises of the rather expensive house they had broken into.

"How long exactly do we have to stay in here Phryne?" She huffed.

Phryne who currently had her ear pressed against the door flapped her hands at Mac as a sign to shut up. Mac rolled her eyes and put down the toilet lid to use it as a seat. She waited tapping her foot until Phryne pulled away from the door.

"I can't hear any footsteps in the corridor." She noted leaning up against the sink.

"Remind me again why you needed to bring me on this endeavour. Where's your inspector?"

"Jack, is not my inspector, and as it happens he has not been assigned this case, instead there's some dreadful subordinate from another station who despises the notion of a female detective and told me that it was 'unseemly of a lady'."

Mac snorted derisively.

"And it's always so handy to have someone with you on a break in." She added with a sly grin.

"Why is that" Mac asked, a feeling of dread growing in her stomach.

"Oh you know…just in case anything goes wrong." Phryne said dismissively

Mac stared at Phryne who put on an all too innocent smile before moving back to the door.

"It should be safe to go out now." She twisted the handle. Nothing happened.

"It's locked" Phryne said shocked.

"How did that happen?" Mac demanded

Phryne looked dumbfounded "It wasn't me. It must've been someone outside. Probably our thief"

"Well surely there's an internal lock."

Phryne shook her head "There's a keyhole, no lock."

"What kind of bathroom has a keyhole?" Mac exclaimed. "Who brings keys to the bathroom?" She cried.

Phryne went over to the window. "It's too much of a fall" She said poking her head out.

She turned back and began rummaging through the drawers in the vanity.

"What are you doing?" Mac asked with a sigh.

"Well seeing as we're locked in here it can't hurt to have a look around."

"How did I know that I would end up in some utterly ridiculous situation if I agreed to come along." Mac muttered to herself. "You go looking for trouble." She noted as Phryne pulled apart the rooms contents.

Phryne grinned "Don't be ridiculous Mac, trouble finds me." She threw a towel at her. "Besides, beneath that cynical exterior you love it too."

Mac smirked "Don't be ridiculous." Before throwing the towel back at Phryne.

"So what do we do?" mac asked

"We wait until they come let us out I suppose. Or we jump out the window."

"Waiting it is then." She said leaning back and tilting her cap over her eyes. Phryne walked over and plucked the said cap off her head.

"Well you're no fun."

Mac sighed again. "I try."

"So tell me Phryne…"

It was a full hour of conversation later when Phryne finally decided to stand up and return to the door.

"What are you doing Phryne?"

"Letting us out of course."

"What, you said it was locked."

"It is locked. But I have this.

As she spoke she lifted up her skirts to reveal the hidden dagger in her garter.

Mac stared at the dagger and then at Phryne. She was not impressed.

"You had that the whole time!" She shouted.

"Calm down Mac, I had to lead the thief into a false sense of security."

"For an hour!"

"They have a very specific method they follow. By now they should be finishing up. Just in time for us to catch her!"

Mac groaned "And you couldn't have just told me?"

"No, she was waiting outside the door for a good fifteen minutes."

Mac groaned.

"And if you keep shouting she's bound to hear us, so just be quiet and let us catch a criminal." Phryne whispered excitedly.

She jiggled the dagged in the lock until there was a small click. With a satisfied smile she stood up and opened the door.

"Hold this." She said holding the dagger out.

"And what am I supposed to do with it?" Mac asked picking it up with her fingertips. "I don't have a sheath in my garter, I don't even wear garters!"

"I'm sure you'll make do." Phryne said walking out into the hallway, closely followed by Mac. At that precise moment a figure clad in black walked into the hallway, promply dropping the enormous bag of jewels in their hands.

"An hour on the dot. Exactly what I predicted." Phryne said.

At this point the jewel thief began sprinting away.

Phryne sighed but grinned. "They always run." She said to Mac before racing off after her.

Mac groaned before she began to run too.

"Typical."