Fear is an interesting feeling if you think about it. It is one of those feelings we want to avoid at all costs, unless it’s part of a cheap thrill, like watching a horror movie or going on a rollercoaster. But we feel it for a reason, as it is essential for survival. Back in the Stone Age, for example, if someone stumbled upon a feral beast, we had to feel fear, to know we had to protect ourselves. Be it by running away, hiding, or fighting back.

Nowadays, stumbling onto some wild beast isn’t quite as common, but fear still protects us from making bad decisions that could harm us.

But if we blindly listen to our fear, we would also miss out on things, which can sometimes be even more damaging in the long run. It is important to understand when fear is a sign to retreat and when it just means to be cautious.

Obviously, this is especially true for people who encounter dangerous things on a regular basis, for example, as part of their job. This is the case for the members of the D&M Detective Agency. In most of their cases, they run into danger, as you’ve undoubtedly noticed. But one case where it might have been for the best for them to just turn heel and not walk towards the danger took place at the end of last May.

Case #57: Zoology of the Undead

Saturday, May 25, 9:30 am: D&M Detective Agency, Ashbypond

It was a morning like many others. Alice was sitting on one of the couches in the office, staring at her phone as if she were waiting for something. She was seemingly ignoring Xavier, who was angrily working on the computer.

“Stupid pile of junk!” Xavier yelled at the screen while getting up and walking into the kitchen.

“What’s the matter?” Alice asked, looking up for a second and then focusing on the screen again.

Xavier came back with a bag of strawberry-flavored pretzels. “This crappy computer is the problem. Yesterday I worked multiple hours on the file for our last case, and now everything is gone.”

“Did you forget to save?” Alice held out her hand.

Xavier opened the bag and handed Alice some of the pretzels. “No. How could I? The computer turned off before I had a chance to, all because of this stupid power outage.”

“We had a power outage?” Alice asked, confused.

“How do you not know that? Last night, the power in the entire area went out. Even large parts of Coleson were affected.”

“Hold on. You said you were working on the documentation of our last case. That was a month ago.”

“I might have procrastinated.”

“Wow, you only work a few days a month, and you can’t even get that done in a timely manner.”

“It’s not my fault, I’m not good with these computers. And Natsu is normally responsible for the archive. So really…” The sound of the doorbell rang, and Alice quickly jumped up, ignoring Xavier. She quickly ran downstairs. With a big smile, she opened the door, only to be confused by the man standing outside.

“Good day,” the man said in a friendly voice.

Alice still looked at him, confused. The man was in his 40s, Asian, and wore a simple shirt that he’d stuffed in his jeans.

In his right hand, he was holding his keys, which he was fidgeting with. Alice could see a hybrid car outside that likely belonged to the man.

“Who are you?”

“Ah, yes, my name is Takaya Masuda, and who am I talking to?”

“Alice.” She wasn’t paying him much attention. She looked past him, seemingly looking for something on the street.

“Pleased to meet you, Alice. I was meaning to talk to Xavier, is he here?”

“Yes, I am. What do you want?” Xavier had just gotten downstairs and looked at Mr. Masuda, annoyed.

“As friendly as always, I see. I’m here due to a potential case for you.”

“There are enough other investigators out there. Ask one of them.”

“You’re still acting like a stubborn child, it seems. I was hoping someone as smart as you would realize how immature he’s acting.”

While the two were staring at each other, Alice forced her way past Mr. Masuda. A bus was driving past the house, which was seemingly the thing she’d been waiting for.

Mr. Masuda watched her leave before turning back to Xavier.

“If there’s nothing else, then you can get off my property,” Xavier said, already grabbing the door.

“Get a grip! I’m here because…” Xavier slammed the door shut and walked back upstairs, leaving Mr. Masuda outside, shaking his head.

Mr. Masuda was just about to ring the doorbell again when the door opened up again.

“Hello, I’m sorry for his behavior. He’s not in the best mood today,” Amy said.

“To be frank, I was expecting him to act like this. Childish and stubborn as always.”

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I happened to overhear parts of your conversation. Am I right to assume that you are related to Natsu, Mr. Masuda?”

“That is right. I’m his father. You can call me Takaya, by the way, no need for formalities. And you are a new member of the detective agency?”

“Kind of. I assist with some of the cases, but I’m not an official member. I’m Amy Baker. Amy is fine, though.”

“Nice to hear that Xavier is not completely shutting out everyone around him. I hope he’s not too much of a nuisance.”

“No, he’s great, as long as he’s not around older people.”
“I know. He’s always been like this. I can’t really blame him, but he should probably act a bit more mature.”

“You mentioned something about a case?”

“Yes, I came here from work because of it. It is a bit of an emergency.”

“Come on in. You can tell us all about it in the office.”

Mr. Masuda accepted and followed Amy upstairs.

Saturday, May 25, 9:40 am: Bus stop, Ashbypond

The bus stop wasn’t far from the agency, and so Alice made it there quickly. It was the last stop for the bus before it would turn around again.

The doors opened, and a short person with long, blonde hair jumped out excitedly. They ran up to Alice and hugged her, overjoyed.

Alice smiled too and hugged Mika back.

“How was the journey?”

“It was great. When we were on the train, I read Murder on the Orient Express and imagined that a murder happened on our train too, so I could solve it. Sadly, there was no real case for me to solve.” Mika’s eyes were glowing with excitement.

“What did we say about wishing for crimes to take place?” Maeve was getting off the bus behind Mika.

Mika looked down sheepishly, scratching their head with their left hand. They were wearing a glove on that hand, likely to cover the tattoo and the small scars, that served as an ever-present reminder of the Disciples of Dei.

“It’s okay to want it to happen, as long as I don’t say it out loud,” they said, probably directly quoting their grandma.

“Exactly.” Maeve nodded, laughing.

“Did you enjoy the journey as well?” Alice asked.

“It was a good idea to take the train, even if the connections are a bit annoying to navigate. That way, I could sit back and relax. Well, I had to keep an eye on this little bundle of energy. They were running around the train as if they’d drunk a liter of coffee.”

“I was looking for a new case,” Mika explained defensively.

“I’m surprised you were reading something other than The Clever Foxes.”

“I have to wait for the new one to come out. And it’s all part of my research. The more I know about investigators, the better I get at being one. I’m currently reading the books of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. Well, the ones I haven’t read yet. And I’m watching Scooby-Doo.”

“Scooby-Doo certainly seems like a good preparation for working as a real investigator.” Alice laughed.

“Don’t encourage them. They’re stuck to the damn TV ever since they moved in with us. Maybe we should put a time limit on the TV.”

“That’s not fair, I need it to learn!”

“How about you learn something that doesn’t need the TV? How about swimming? Tzuriel said he’d give you some lessons.”

“But that’s so hard. And the water is cold.”

“I can promise, we won’t be watching TV this week,” Alice said. “We’ve watched enough during our video calls.”

“What about my research?!”

“You’re staying with actual investigators, isn’t it more fun to learn from us?”

“Really, can I come solve a case with you?”

“Sure. We can use a junior investigator with your talents.”
“Remember what we agreed on, Alice. You always keep an eye on Mika and don’t do anything dangerous with them.”

“I know, don’t worry. This is no more dangerous than any other internship, but way more exciting.”

“That sounds good,” Maeve said, relieved.

“We’re not even working on any cases at the moment.”

“What, so I won’t get to help you with any cases?!”

“How about we head over to Coleson later, to look for some new cases?”

“Okay, that sounds fun.”

They spent some more time talking before the bus drove off with Maeve. They stayed at the bus stop until the bus had completely disappeared. Mika was waving goodbye the whole time.

They then headed back to the detective agency.

At this point, I might have to explain some things.

After the conclusion of the last case, which ended with Mika’s mother being arrested for murder and the cult disbanding for the most part, they were supposed to be placed in the care of a relative. But the only known relative was their uncle. When he was notified about this and the Bandas had gotten in contact with him, he quickly decided they would be better at taking care of Mika than he was. So Mika got to stay with the Bandas while occasionally sneaking off into the lighthouse, which still served as their hideout.

They had also kept in contact with Alice, as did the Bandas. Due to that, it was quickly decided that Mika would get to stay with Alice from time to time.

With a book fair in Toronto on the way, that Maeve would attend, she’d proposed to head there early, dropping Mika off on the way there and picking them up when returning home. Giving them about a week to spend in Ashbypond.

Saturday, May 25, 9:40 am: D&M Detective Agency, Ashbypond

While Mika and Alice were happily reunited, the mood in the office was the exact opposite.

Xavier and Mr. Masuda were sitting opposite each other, exchanging annoyed looks.

Amy brought over a tray with three cups of tea and sat down next to Xavier.

“Why did you invite him in? I already told him, we weren’t interested in his case.”

“You haven’t even heard him out. I, for my part, want to know what kind of case he’s talking about.”

“I don’t need to hear any more. No matter what case he has for us, he can ask some other investigators to take care of it.”

“Do you really still follow the mentality of all adults being out to get you? If you haven’t noticed, you and your friends are adults too, even if you don’t act the part,” Mr. Masuda said angrily.

“That’s different, we aren’t, we… No, we’re not like… Fuck, I can’t think of the words, but the point is we don’t use the fact we’re adults as an excuse to treat others badly and belittle them!”

“You’re right, you don’t. You simply use the fact your family treated you badly to do so,” Mr. Masuda answered, immediately regretting what he said.

“Get out of my house! I’ve told you before, you are not welcome here!”

“Xavier, listen, you aren’t the only one who misses Natsu. He’s my son, for god’s sake, do you really think his death is not hurting me just as much as you?”

“He’s not dead! If you truly cared for him, you would do everything to find him.”

“Do you think I don’t want that to be true? I would give my life if it meant for him to come back. But I’ve seen the evidence.”

“All the more reason to believe he’s not dead.”

“He wouldn’t want to see you like this, Xavier. He wouldn’t want you to ruin your life over grieving his death.”

“Better than just moving on like nothing happened.”

“Xavier, that’s enough! Both of you are hurting. If you can’t handle being in the same room as him, then leave. He came here because of a case, not to fight with you,” Amy said angrily, but still trying to calm him down.

“Fine, you want to take his case, be my guest, but don’t expect my help.”

Amy shook her head and turned to face Mr. Masuda. “Takaya, could you tell me more about this case?”

“Of course. I work at the Coleson Zoo. Last night, during the power outage, some strange things happened.”

“What things?” Amy asked, curious.

“Different structures were damaged and vandalized. It also seems like some food was stolen, and one of our penguins went missing.”

“See, probably just some stupid vandals, that’s not a case for us. He can just go to the police,” Xavier said.

“I thought about it, but the weird nature of the damages made me believe this agency would be the best fit to solve the case.”

“Doesn’t this intrigue you?” Amy asked.

“No.” Xavier put on his headphones and went back to working on his computer.

“Well, I can’t promise I’m as skilled as Xavier, but I would be happy to help you, if that’s fine with you.”

“I don’t see why that would be a problem,” Mr. Masuda answered.

“Great. I would suggest continuing this investigation at the scene of the crime.”

“Sounds good.”

The two drove off in Mr. Masuda’s car, leaving Xavier behind.

Saturday, May 25, 10:00 am: D&M Detective Agency, Ashbypond

Xavier hadn’t been working for long before Alice and Mika walked into the office.

“Here we are, the heart of the agency,” Alice explained, playing up her enthusiasm.

Mika looked around the room, seemingly excited about every detail, even though barely any of it was anything to write home about.

“So this is where you work on your cases?”

“If we’re not investigating the crime scenes. Here we interview clients, discuss our progress and theories, and prepare for further investigations. We also keep the physical archive in here.”

“Please don’t bring up the archive, it drives me insane,” Xavier said, having taken off the headphones when they had come in.

“What are you working on, a new case?” Mika asked excitedly, looking at the screen.

“No, I’m editing a video.”

“Oh,” Mika answered disappointedly.

“I actually run a channel where I upload food reviews. In this video, for example, I…”

Xavier looked up at Mika, who wasn’t paying attention to him.

“Am I boring you with my interests?” Xavier asked jokingly.

“What? Oh, don’t worry, it’s not that.”

Xavier smiled and adjusted his glasses. “You want to know more about my work as an investigator, right?”

Mika nodded enthusiastically.

Alice watched confused as Xavier walked over to a corkboard. Alice had never paid attention to it, as it was covered in a few notes, shopping lists, to-do lists, and video ideas.

Xavier grabbed the corkboard and, with a grand gesture, flipped it around.

The backside was full of all sorts of papers, in parts connected with strings.

“You see, Mika, some might consider this to be old-fashioned, but I prefer physical notes to be far superior to digital ones. There’s nothing better for an investigator than looking at a good old evidence board.”

“You mean a conspiracy board?” Alice asked.

“Same thing,” Xavier answered, proudly standing in front of the board.

“This looks insane. Are you related to Charlie Kelly by any chance?”

“I have no idea who that is,” Xavier answered, not understanding Alice’s reference.

“This is so cool, what case is it for?” Mika said excitedly. They walked closer to read the notes.

“This isn’t about a single case. This is about the biggest mystery this agency has ever faced.”

“Why you’re so bad at organizing your shit?” Alice suggested.

“No, this is all about finding out the identity of Paradox.”
Mika looked at Xavier. “Don’t tell me that’s your archnemesis.”

“Correct. Paradox is the one villain who keeps getting away, even if we thwart their plans.”

“So cool! What do you know about them?” Mika started fidgeting with their fingers and was totally focused on Xavier.

Xavier smiled, pleased with himself that he’d managed to get Mika so excited. Although that’s probably not all that hard, considering they tend to hyper-fixate on anything related to investigators, besides their YouTube channels, that is.

“Paradox is a very tricky person. They’re a master of disguises. Anyone could be Paradox, even Alice.”

“Say what now?” Alice asked, confused.

“I’m joking, there is no way they could be Alice.”

“I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult.”

“Neither. Anyways, we first faced off against Paradox in Case #10: The Glowing Phantom. They had infiltrated a theater group to blackmail its most famous member. Since then, it seems like they made it their life’s mission to toy with us. Be it by creating new cases for us or getting involved in preexisting ones. We already had to deal with their shtick seven times.”

“Wow, it’s so cool that you have an actual archnemesis.”

“With everything I learn about your life, it sounds more and more like some kind of TV show,” Alice said, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Funny that you would mention that. Paradox seems to think the same.”

“How so?”

“Are you familiar with the Truman syndrome?” Xavier asked.

Both looked at him, confused.

“This might not perfectly describe Paradox, but basically it…” At that moment, Xavier’s phone rang. Annoyed, he pulled it out of his pocket. He was about to reject the call, as he noticed who was calling him.

“What do you want, Toby?”

Xavier listened carefully, clearly getting more nervous as the call continued.

“Wait, what?! Yeah, I’ll head over there right away.”

“Did something happen?” Alice asked, concerned.

“That would take too long to explain. It has something to do with an old case. I have to go, I promise I’ll tell you more about Paradox some other time.”

“Should we come with you?” Alice asked.

“No, you two can enjoy the day. I’ll be fine.”

The two watched cluelessly as Xavier grabbed his backpack and ran out of the house.

“Do you know what that was about?” Mika asked.

“No idea. But I haven’t looked into his old cases.”

“Don’t you want to know more? What if he’s in trouble?”

“I’m sure if he wanted us to know more, he would tell us. And he’s tough, so he can probably handle himself.”

“You’re right. He’s a great investigator, so nothing can get in his way.”

“How about we finish this house tour and then head over to Coleson?”

“Sounds good.”

Saturday, May 25, 10:10 am: Near the Zoo, Coleson

Amy and Mr. Masuda were currently driving along a road next to the Zoo. Amy was looking out the window, seeing the wall around the zoo pass by. It was decorated with a large mural, depicting all sorts of exotic animals in the wild, stretching all around the property.

“We’re almost there,” Mr. Masuda said, clearly tense, as he drove the car into the parking lot.

They passed the main entrance. Amy couldn’t see many guests, probably due to the weather that had been switching between cloudy and rainy on an hourly basis lately.

Amy’s attention was drawn to a small crowd of people standing next to the entrance. It appeared to be a group of protesters, judging by the signs they were holding, even though Amy couldn’t read them from where she was.

Even though she only saw the group for a few seconds while passing by, she could have sworn one of them was Ralph.

“Best to ignore them. Pretty sure they picked up some kind of conspiracy theory online,” Mr. Masuda explained, while parking his car in the employee-only parking area.

They entered via an employee entrance. Mr. Masuda walked straight toward a closed-off area, while Amy grabbed a map of the zoo. She quickly tried to catch up with him.

While walking, she opened the brochure. Besides the map, there were some points of interest listed, like the live feeding sessions and a short lecture held in the House of Primates.

Mr. Masuda grabbed the tape blocking the way and pulled it up, letting Amy easily walk under it.

“The first spot is right ahead. We had to block the area off until we’ve fully assessed the situation,” Mr. Masuda explained.

“Say, why are you in charge of taking care of the situation? Are you part of security?” Amy asked.

“No, I’m actually the head chef. But I’m friends with the head of security, and he told me about it. He called the police, but I offered him to get some additional support. Having a semi-son-in-law who’s an investigator.”

“Semi-son-in-law?” Amy asked.

“Well, my son never got to marry him, but I still see Xavier that way.”

“That didn’t really come across before.”

“Well, he’s always been hotheaded, especially towards adults, even when he was little. But it certainly got worse when… Well, you know.”

Amy nodded and continued following him.

They were in an area of the zoo mainly dedicated to animals of the African savanna. Mr. Masuda stopped in front of the lion enclosure, looking down at the floor.

“Take a look at this.”

Amy was curious and came closer. As soon as she saw the spot, she froze up, her eyes wide open.

Taking up the entire path was a large, spiral-like pattern, carved into the ground. It looked very similar to one she had seen before. The mysterious pattern in the alleyway where Alice had appeared.

Mr. Masuda noticed her shocked expression. “Is something the matter? Have you seen this weird pattern before?”

Amy thought about it for a second. She wasn’t sure if she should tell him what she knew so far. “No, I was simply surprised. I wasn’t expecting something like this.”

“I know what you mean, it is pretty bizarre. If this is some act of vandalism, I don’t know why it was done in such a difficult way.”

“That’s a good point.”

“You know what’s even stranger? There are three more of these curious patterns. They all have a similar shape and are carved into the ground.”

“Where are those?” She had pulled out a pen to mark the strange symbols on the map.

“One of them is inside the petting zoo, one outside the House of Primates, and the last in the penguin enclosure.”

Amy marked all the positions and looked at the map, hoping to find something they had in common.

“What other things happened last night?”

Mr. Masuda thought about it. “As I said, one of the penguins disappeared from its enclosure. There are also two more spots that have been vandalized in some way, the worst one isn’t that far from here.”

“Then lead the way.”

They walked for a bit until they got to the zebra enclosure. Amy saw immediately what had happened. At the back end of the enclosure was a large hole in the wall, leading directly out into the street. The hole was covered in tape. Some onlookers had gathered behind it, looking inside the zoo.

“How did this happen? I mean, was there some loud bang, like an explosion?”

“Not to my knowledge. I wasn’t here last night, but the night guard didn’t report anything like that. He’s the head of security I mentioned before. I’m sure you’ll meet him during your investigation.”
“Good. Man, this looks pretty bad.” Amy stared at the large opening in the wall.

“Thankfully, the zebras are currently not in the enclosure. I don’t want to imagine the chaos that would have happened if they had just walked out into the city.”

“Why are they not in the enclosure?” Amy asked curiously.

“I don’t really know. That’s outside my responsibilities. I heard someone mention they were all staying in the stable for a few days.”

Amy nodded. Mr. Masuda opened a gate, and Amy walked over to the hole in the wall. Getting closer, she could smell a disgusting stench. She covered her nose, assuming it came from zebra poop or some small, dead animal, hidden in the nearby bushes.

She covered her nose and investigated the hole. Looking at it from up close, she noticed something new. It was hard to make out, but between the cracks were spiraling lines leading away from the hole. Some of the lines even reached the floor, continuing in the dirt.

Amy took some pictures and followed Mr. Masuda to the next spot.

Saturday, May 25, 10:20 am: Parking Lot, Coleson Zoo

The police car came to a stop in the nearly empty parking lot. Both Inspector Wilson and Xavier got out.

The two shared the same agitated facial expression. Quickly, they walked over to the entrance.

Xavier was seemingly too deep in thought to notice his friend whom he walked past. Ralph simply watched as the two disappeared into the zoo.

“And you are absolutely certain it is the same?” Xavier asked, trying to stop himself from shaking.

“I’m telling you there is no doubt about it. My colleague sent me a picture,” Inspector Wilson replied, stressed.

“Does he know anything about it?”

“Of course not. Barely anyone knows about that damned spiral, and we intend to keep it that way.”

“Good. The less people are in the know, the better.”

“Did you tell anyone?”

Xavier hesitated. “Only Pablo and I fully trust him.” Xavier made a pause. “Trusted him, I mean.”

The inspector looked at him with a look of pity. “You know I’m here for you if you ever need to talk.”

Xavier looked up and forced a smile. “What good would that do? Not like we’re anything more than colleagues.”

“If you say so. I just want you to know that you’re not alone.”

“Toby, you know who visited me today?”

“Who?”

“Takaya. We ended up talking about the case, and he mentioned he’d seen evidence.”

“Yes, we’d shown him the camera footage, for him to identify his son. And he was very insistent on seeing the crime scene firsthand.”

“Does that mean he knows about the spiral?”

“No, that piece of the floor had been broken out and brought in for research, and to keep it a secret. I believe he was simply told that the hole in the floor was what was left. Not too far off from the truth, I guess.”

“So, you lied to him?”

“I didn’t do anything. But yes, the police lied to him. But only about that detail. And does it really make a difference for him, knowing the exact way the ground had been damaged?”

“I guess not.”

“You didn’t end up telling him anything about it, did you?” Inspector Wilson asked, concerned.

Xavier simply shook his head.

“So, only Pablo, or is there anyone I don’t know about?”

“Amy and Alice have seen the spiral, too, but I haven’t told them anything about it.”

“How did they see it?!”

“Well, they saw a different one. Back in March, a new one appeared.”

Inspector Wilson stopped in his tracks and grabbed Xavier. “A new one appeared, and you didn’t think to tell me about it?!”

“It has to do with a different case. I didn’t want to involve the police unless absolutely necessary.”

“God damn it, Xavier! This is the kind of shit why you were stripped of your license. We’re in this investigation together!” the inspector yelled angrily, with concern in his voice.

“Fine, I’ll make sure to tell you next time I find one.”

“You’ll have to come to the station with me after this investigation. I need to take your testimony regarding the events from March.”

Xavier rolled his eyes and continued walking. Not long after, they reached the House of Primates.

“Here it is,” Xavier said with a trembling voice. The spiral-like pattern had been carved in the path leading to the entrance of the building.

“Like I said, definitely the same as back then.”

“That’s for certain. Not like I can forget that sight,” Xavier confirmed.

“I can see that. But it makes me wonder, why these places? A storage facility and a zoo.”

“Plus, a random alley in Lawreyville,” Xavier added.

“Do you see a similarity between the three?”

“Nope. Besides the fact that they are all around here. They’ve only appeared in Lawreyville and Coleson.”

“You know what’s interesting? Before, it was only one each time, but now it’s multiple at the same time.”

“Maybe we should take a look at the other spots,” Xavier suggested.

The inspector nodded, and the two walked off.

Saturday, May 25, 10:40 am: Fodder Shed, Coleson Zoo

Amy stared at the weird symbol sprayed on the wall of the fodder shed. It resembled a raised paw that ended in a fishtail at the bottom. Behind it were two wings spread out majestically.

“Have you seen this symbol before?” Amy asked while taking a picture.

“No, I don’t think so. Do you think it has some kind of meaning?” Mr. Masuda said, looking at the graffiti.

“I’m taking a shot in the dark, but the raised paw as the centerpiece reminds me of some human rights movements. The comparison to a raised fist is at least not that farfetched.”

“So you think it might be some kind of animal rights symbol?” Mr. Masuda asked.

“I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“So these protestors are probably behind this,” Mr. Masuda realized.

“I wouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet. One of them is a good friend of mine.”

“Even if your friend didn’t do it, that doesn’t mean that none of the others could be behind this. They’re not some sort of monolith.”

“I’ll keep it in mind and check in with them later. Maybe Ralph can tell me more about the others.”

“Oh, you were talking about Ralph?” Mr. Masuda realized in surprise.

“Do you know him?”

“Of course, he was a good friend of my son. Such a nice young man.”

“So I assume you agree that he’s not a suspect, is that right?”

“I trust him wholeheartedly.” Mr. Masuda looked off into the distance, deep in thought.

“Is something the matter?” Amy asked.

“What, oh nothing. I was just thinking, maybe I should have a listen to what exactly they’re protesting. If he’s involved, there might be some truth behind it.”

“We can head over there later.”

“I probably should head back to the kitchen soon. But I’ll for sure talk to Ralph soon.”

“I understand. This is the only graffiti that appeared recently, right?” Amy asked.

“Yes, all the other vandalism consists of these spirals.”

“Maybe they are separate things. Or maybe it is meant to shift the blame on the protestors.”

“You think that might be the case?”

“Too early to tell. But I’ll figure it out.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Now, you mentioned that food was stolen from the freezer.”

“Yes, some meat. Do you want to inspect the freezer? It is a room in the back of the shed.”

Amy agreed and followed him inside the freezer, but with little success. After they left the freezer, Mr. Masuda said goodbye and walked over to the zoo restaurant. It was right next to the shed. A large, old-looking building, decorated with murals of plants and animals.

He also promised to put in a good word with the head of security for her.

Saturday, May 25, 11:00 am: Entrance, Coleson Zoo

After checking out all the other places Mr. Masuda had pointed her towards, Amy had returned to the entrance.

Ralph immediately noticed her and came up to her. “Hey, what are you guys doing here?” Ralph asked, happy to see her.

“What do you mean, you guys?”

Ralph looked at her, surprised. “Wait, so you’re not here with Xavier?”

“No. Why do you mean?”

“I saw him walk in together with Inspector Wilson. They looked pretty serious.”

“Weird. I’m here because of an investigation. But Xavier didn’t want to be part of the case.”

“What kind of case would he turn down?”

“Mr. Masuda is the client,” Amy answered.

“Ah, I see. Now it makes sense.”

“I guess you’re here to investigate the dead animals?” Ralph asked.

“What dead animals?”

“So you haven’t heard? That’s the whole reason for our protest.”

“Dead animals?”

“You really don’t know.”

“Does it have something to do with the absence of the zebras?” Amy asked.

“Yes! Let me explain. Apparently, the animals in this zoo are way more likely to get sick than in other zoos. And we’re not just talking about a cold. They allegedly get so sick, they need to be put down.”

“That would mean the zebras are in quarantine at the moment?”

“If they haven’t been put down yet.”

“Do you have an idea what could be behind this?” Amy asked.

“Not exactly. Someone leaked some of the internal documents, but nothing specific about the illness. But there is definitely something up. If you look at the data, you can see that certain kinds of animals are way more affected by it.”

“So there is some kind of pattern.”

“See, that’s the weird part. Any way I look at it, I can’t pinpoint the commonality. The animals that are most affected by this mystery illness are the zebras, kangaroos, boars, snow leopards, and penguins. See what I mean, they’re not all mammals, they have different diets, they’re from all over the world, the only thing I can see is that they all live on land.”

Amy was looking at her map. “And they all live in the front half of the zoo.”

“Oh, you’re right. Maybe it…”

“Who’s this?” A young woman had walked up to them, followed by a strong cloud of floral perfume. Her hair was braided, and she wore thick glasses.

“Oh, this is Amy. She’s a friend of mine. Amy, this is Penny.”

“Nice to meet you, Penny.”

“Same. Did I hear you correctly? You’re investigating a case?”

“Yes. But I can’t say too much about it yet.”

“She’s a member of the D&M Detective Agency, you know.”

Penny’s eyes widened. “Wow, I read about you online. Didn’t you solve some art theft last month?”

“Yes, but I wasn’t involved. The others took that one on by themselves.”

“I see, so you are some kind of support member. Are you their gal in the chair?”

“I handle some of the tech and research if you mean that. But I’m not actually a…”

“Do you make their gadgets, like Q for James Bond?”

“Not really.”

“Go easy on her, I’m sure she’s busy,” Ralph said, smiling.

“Sorry. I guess I got a bit too excited. It’s just interesting meeting a real investigator.”

“No worries. I actually wanted to ask you something. Have any of you seen this symbol before?” Amy pulled out her phone, showing the picture of the graffiti.

“Nope, never seen it.” Ralph shook his head.

“Me neither, but it looks pretty cool,” Penny answered.

“I understand. Thanks anyways.”

“If there’s anything else we can help you with, just ask,” Penny offered.

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Hey Amy, you’re still up for our session later, right?” Ralph asked.

“Oh shit, I almost forgot. I guess I can make some time in between researching.”

“Good. I was worried we’d have to cancel.”

“Isn’t that pretty normal? We cancel like every second session.”

“But this one’s special. I thought some D&D could calm Marlo down. You know, with the surgery being one day away.”

“You’re right. I’ve got plans for tonight, but during the afternoon I can squeeze it in.”

“Perfect, I’ll see you then.”

Amy headed to the nearest bus stop, doing some research about the zoo while waiting for the bus.

Saturday, May 25, 1:30 pm: Ice Cream Parlor, Coleson

“Speed it up, I don’t have all day!” A man yelled, waiting in the queue that had formed behind Alice and Mika.

“Hey asshole, how about I cram a cone down your throat?” Alice threatened him.

The man was about to say something back, but one look into Alice’s scarred, angry face made him shut up.

“I’m sorry, it’s so hard to choose, there are so many options,” Mika said while looking at all the ice cream in front of them.

“Taking two scoops gives you 400 possible combinations. If you add a topping, then it goes up to 3600.”

“How are you so good at math?” Mika asked, surprised.

“I just like it.”

“I’m sure Xavier would know exactly what kind is the best.”

“He would probably recommend some absurd combination.”

“How do you decide?”

“Just choose the ones that grab your attention the most. Not like you’ll never get another chance to try the other combinations.”

“Okay!”

A little later, the two left the parlor, both with a cone in their hand. Alice had banana and chocolate with some whipped cream on top. Mika was holding a bright green scoop of chocolate-chip mint and a purple scoop of blueberry, topped with rainbow sprinkles.

“Thank you for the ice cream.”

“No problem, I hope you like it. Where do you want to go next?”

The two walked while eating their ice cream, dodging the other people on the sidewalk.

“I want to go somewhere quieter,” Mika answered, feeling observed by the other people.
“I get that. And I know just the place, but we’ll have to head back to Ashbypond.”

“Okay.”

“The next bus stop is behind the zoo. We can just walk along it and we’ll get there.”

“A zoo, that makes me think of Book #178 of Die Cleveren Füchse. In that they had to solve a case in a zoo.”

“Sounds interesting,” Alice said while eating her ice cream.

“It’s okay. It’s on 85 in my personal ranking. Unless we count specials and spin-offs, in that case, it would rank lower. I actually prefer the audio play based on the book. It’s more atmospheric.”

At this point, I will not subject my readership to the long monologue that followed. I’m impressed by how much they can say about a single topic. Although I have a similar tendency. Ask me about something I’m interested in, like animals, and I can talk to you for a few weeks straight.

Saturday, May 25, 1:45 pm: Gas Station, Coleson

The zoo stretched far back as it had been expanded again and again in the past. The back end was located on the outskirts of Coleson.

Alice and Mika reached a gas station that doubled as a bus stop. It was mostly vacant. Only a pickup truck was parked there. The driver was inside, waiting at the register.

Mika was still talking about their favorite franchise when they got there and sat down on the bench. “Young Kettlers is pretty good too. It is made for a younger audience, after the main series started writing about more mature subjects like murder. But Deadly May is bad. It is the other spin-off and it…”

Alice slowly got up while Mika continued talking, not even noticing her leaving. Alice had noticed something behind the dumpster.

“Is someone back there?”

Mika had now noticed that Alice had gotten up. They quickly walked over to her. The driver of the pickup truck had noticed as well, after leaving the building, and slowly walked up to them.

A quiet whimper sounded from behind the dumpster, and slowly, a small girl came closer. She was likely no older than six.

“What in god’s name is this?!” the driver yelled, disturbed.

An intense reaction, if you ask me, although it might be justified, considering what he had just laid eyes upon.

The girl had lost most of her hair, and her skin was unnaturally red and leathery. She was holding onto a dirty teddy bear with her bony arms.

“Do you need help?” Alice asked in a soft voice. She reached her arm out and crouched down.

The lifeless eyes of the girl stared at Alice. She stumbled slowly forward.

Alice held her hand out. At that moment, the girl opened her mouth. Greenish saliva was dripping from her teeth in long, thick strings. Before Alice could react, she could feel teeth burrowing themselves into her arm.

She quickly pulled her arm back and stared at the girl in shock.

“Zombie!” the driver yelled. He pulled a gun out and aimed it at the girl, but Alice got in the way. Standing between the barrel and the girl.

“Are you insane?! Do you seriously want to shoot a child?”

“That’s no child! That is some kind of monster!”

“Get a grip, you idiot! She’s obviously sick. If you want to help the situation, call a damn ambulance!”

Mika looked at Alice, unsure of what to do.

The man took a few steps back before he called the ambulance. He then left in a hurry, fearing the girl would eat his brain or something like that.

Seemingly, even the paramedics were clueless about the state of the little girl. They carefully helped her in the ambulance, trying to keep their distance where possible.

Alice and Mika watched the ambulance drive off.

“Why didn’t you tell them about the bite?” Mika asked, confused.

“Do you think I’m crazy? Getting it checked would probably cost me an arm and a leg. And it’s just a small bite, nothing that my body can’t handle.”

“But what if it is more dangerous than a normal bite?”

“What, you think she’s a zombie too? I promise, if I become a zombie, I won’t eat your brain. It would probably taste too nerdy for me anyway.” Alice started laughing.

“No, I don’t think you’ll become a zombie,” Mika said defensively. “Wait, show me your arm!” Mika had seemingly realized something and was nervously pulling on Alice’s arm.

“Why?”

“If the bite is venomous or infectious then that stuff needs to be sucked out of the wound before it spreads.”

“Let me guess, the Clever Foxes taught you that.”

“No. I read it in Young Kettlers Book #74.”

“I knew it. But I’ll be fine. Plus, if it was toxic and you started sucking on it, you would probably make some mistake and poison yourself.”

Mika was about to say something as Alice cut them off. “And no, that doesn’t mean I think it is actually some kind of venomous bite. Some disinfectant will take care of this wound.”

Under Mika’s heavy protest, they headed back to the agency without checking in with a medical professional. But Mika was at least able to get Alice to take it slow for the rest of the day and relax at home, watching a marathon of Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated.

While those two were watching TV and Amy was playing D&D, Xavier was busy giving protocol on everything he knew about the spirals, although he kept the theory on their connection to parallel timelines a secret.

Saturday, May 25, 9:30 pm: Restaurant, Coleson Zoo

While Mika was fast asleep on a couch in the office and Alice was working on some new secret project she had started a few days ago, Amy had arrived at the zoo.

She had left home shortly before Xavier returned home. Apparently, Inspector Wilson had kept him at the station for quite a while, possibly noticing that Xavier wasn’t telling him the whole truth.

The restaurant was completely swallowed by darkness, besides the occasional blinking red dot, coming from the security cameras. The beam of Amy’s flashlight wandered over chairs, tables, benches, and potted plants. The wooden room dividers that had the shapes of animals cut out of them projected spooky shadows on the walls.

Amy had a creepy feeling she was being watched, and she could feel the goosebumps on her skin.

She made sure to check every corner before heading to the elevator in the back. Like the rest of the building, the elevator seemed to be quite old. All the more suspicious-looking was the control panel. It was very new with a built-in touchscreen and had seemingly been built on top of the old control panel.

There were four floors available. The two floors of the restaurant, above them, were some offices, and the last floor was a basement, mainly used for storing materials.

She went to the highest floor and walked along the hallway until she found the door labeled with security.

She opened the door and was greeted with the glowing lights of the screens, illuminating the otherwise dark room.

“Oh hey, you're that girl Taka mentioned, right?” A middle-aged man with spikey hair with frosted tips, and a stubbly beard was looking at her through his sunglasses. He was sitting in an old office chair and had put his feet on the desk in front of him. In his hands, he was stacking Lunchables, which he proceeded to dunk in hot sauce.

“Yes, I’m Amy Baker. He said I could ask you some questions, Mr. Davis.”

The man pulled down his sunglasses. “What’s with the formalities, Sis, just call me Cody. You’re in the chillax zone now.”

“Okay, Cody, is it fine if I ask you some questions?”

“Easy peasy, that’s why Taka sent you the security master himself. He said you had like a real Sherlock Holmes thing going on.”

“Yes, I’m currently working as an investigator, if that’s what you mean.”

“For sure, Sis.”

“Takaya said you were present during the blackout.”

“That’s right. I was sitting right here, watching the cam footage. Got a sweet setup, don’t I?”

“Yes, I assume it covers the entire zoo.”
“Yup, I even saw you looking around the restaurant. You were actin’ real professional like. You know, making sure every corner was in the clear ‘n stuff.”

“Well, I would rather avoid getting jumped.”

“Sick. Hey, you want something to drink?” Mr. Davis leaned back a bit further. A minifridge had been crammed in between the equipment and wires. It was slightly tilted, and Mr. Davis had to be careful while opening it.

“No, thank you.”

“If you change your mind, you know who to call. I’m your trusted security guard, slash main witness, slash bartender.” Mr. Davis opened an energy drink and took a big sip, trying not to spill, while reclining.

“To start off, I just want to ask some basic questions. You’ve been working here for a while, right?”

“Sure have, been here for 19 years, and I work most of the nights as the only security guard.”

“There is no other night guard working at the same time as you?”

“Why would there be? Not like someone’s gonna steal an elephant.” Mr. Davis started laughing and almost choked on some of his drink.

“I’m sure some of the animals would go for a good price on the black market,” Amy suggested.

“Shit, for real? Man, that would be whack. Wait, do you think the meerkats could be in danger?”

“I don’t think so. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just that those little dudes and dudettes are like my favorites.”

“I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be the main target of any thieves,” Amy tried to calm him down.

“Nice.”

“Considering all of this happened during a power outage, I have to ask, is there a backup generator?”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t connect to the cameras. I think it’s responsible for stuff like freezers, you know, stuff needed for the animals and the elevator.”

“Is there an emergency exit? I didn’t see any stairs leading up here.”

“Nope. Well, I have this sick emergency plan where I open my window and slide down the gutter drop, like some action hero.”

“I see. You mentioned it was not connected to the security system, so all the cameras turned off when it happened.”
“Yup, gave me a real scare. I thought I’d get abducted by aliens.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Before the electricity went out, there was like a bright flash of light on some of the screens. Kinda reminded me of some alien movies I’ve watched.”
“I think that’s enough for now, if I think of more questions, I’ll hit you up.”

“Absolutely, Sis. The security master is always here.”

“I’ll check out some more areas of the zoo if that’s fine.”

“Sure thing. Just make sure that the aliens don’t get you.”

Amy rolled her eyes and left, not before leaving her number for Mr. Davis to call her, should he see something on the surveillance footage.

Saturday, May 25, 11:50 pm: D&M Detective Agency

While Amy was out investigating, Mika was tossing and turning in their sleep. They were probably having a nightmare.

Soaked in sweat, they shot up and opened their eyes wide, panting nervously. They could feel a sharp pain in their chest. The binder they were wearing under their shirt was making it hard to breathe.

Confused, they looked around the room, their long hair hanging over their face and making it hard to see.

They noticed the dim light coming from the desk. Xavier was sitting there, absentmindedly staring at a piece of paper in his hand. Next to him was an almost empty bottle of scotch.

Mika slowly got up, regretting their decision to leave the binder on while sleeping. The floor creaked as they walked over to the table, but Xavier didn’t seem to notice.

“Xavier, is everything okay?”

Xavier was clearly startled. He quickly grabbed the file in front of him and put it in a drawer, together with the paper he had been staring at.

“Having trouble sleeping?” From his tone, it was obvious he had been drinking for a while, as he seemed to stumble over his words.

“I had a nightmare. But what about you?” Mika asked, worried.

Xavier had to laugh but started coughing “You’re worried about me? The kid that was raised in a cult by a murderer is worried about me. I really have to get my shit together,” he said, jokingly, after he’d calmed down.

“Is it possible that you’ve lost someone close to you?” Mika asked.

Xavier looked up at them in surprise, rolling back a few inches in his chair.

“Wh-what makes you think that?”

“Well, there’s the name of the agency, the D stands for Diaz, but who’s the M? It is also a common trope for a talented investigator to go through a divorce or experience the death of a loved one, just to then turn to alcoholism to drown out their feelings.”

“Are you saying I’m the cliché of an investigator?” Xavier smirked.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I sometimes don’t think about how my words sound to others. I have a hard time…”

“Oh, don’t worry, I think you’re right. I’m a fucking joke.”

“No, you’re not. You’re awesome! I’m allowed to live a happy life because of you and the others.”
Xavier looked at Mika and started to smile, while he was holding back tears. “You know, you kinda remind me of him. You’re both such lovable dorks. Choosing the wrong words and then apologizing for minutes on end. And always worried about my well-being.” He ruffled Mika’s hair in a way an older brother or cousin would.

Mika looked at him, confused.

“I fucking hate it. I should be the one protecting you guys. But I just make you worried about my bullshit.”
 “But you do protect us.”

“That’s nothing compared to what you all do. You, Amy, Alice, Ralph,” Xavier hesitated, “and Natsu too. I failed as an investigator, and he had to pay for it.”

“Was Natsu your partner?”

“He’s the nicest person I’ve ever met. We met when we were five years old. He’d just moved to America with his dad. He barely spoke English back then, although it wasn’t very noticeable. He rarely spoke to begin with. Since back then we always ended up in the same class, went to the same theater group, and shared a love for mysteries. We started solving them as a hobby, but it ended up becoming our career. We even moved in together, after my great aunt had passed away.” The words were flowing out of Xavier’s mouth in a way they would have likely never done, were it not for the alcohol.

Xavier pointed to the bedroom door that had been closed for months.

“That’s our bedroom. I can’t bring myself to open the door. It’s like my entire body is fighting against it, ever since Natsu...” Xavier stopped.

“Where’s Natsu now?”

“I don’t know. Like I said, I messed up and he paid for it. Half a year ago, we were investigating a case. We couldn’t agree on how to approach the investigation, so we split up. He ended up following a lead into a storage facility in Coleson.” Xavier paused.

“The surveillance cameras in the area filmed how he entered. After him, a guy smoking some strange pipe went inside. His face was hidden behind the thick, blue smoke. A flash of light appeared inside, and the figure left. But Natsu… he never did.”

Xavier got up and pulled the file out of the drawer. It was labeled Case #51: Missing.

“The police and I investigated the place. No secret exit or anything of the sort. The only thing that was left was a spiral-like pattern, carved into the floor.” Xavier showed a picture taken at the scene of the crime. The pattern was the same as in the alley and the zoo.

“Of course, they looked for him, but after a while, they said that it wasn’t possible that he left the building alive.” Xavier showed a missing person report. It was the paper he’d been staring at before.

“Do you think he’s still out there?” Mika asked, looking at the photo of Natsu.

“Yes, I do. I know that he’s still alive. I can feel it.”

“Then I’m sure you’ll find him. You’re a great investigator. And you have some great people helping you.”

“Thank you.”

Mika wanted to hug him, but Xavier excused himself to step out of the house, still holding back his tears.

Sunday, May 26, 12:30 am: Zoo, Coleson

Amy was walking past all sorts of enclosures. Only a few of the animals were still awake at this time, like a porcupine that was staring at her in confusion.

She was shivering, in part because of the cold, but also because of her nervousness. The calming sound of crickets was interrupted by Amy’s phone ringing.

“What, did something happen?!” she asked, scared, trying not to make too much noise.

On the other end, the crinkling of a bag of chips could be heard. “No, don’t worry, I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

“Jesus, you nearly scared me to death!”

“Sorry ‘bout that. Didn’t mean to ruin your vibe. Have you found anything yet, Sis?”

“No. I’m kinda relieved to be honest.”
“I get it, wouldn’t wanna deal with those aliens either.”

“What is it with you and these aliens?”

“I saw one. It scared the shit out of me.”

“Wait, you saw an alien?”

“Yup, during my shift. The dude just appeared in the restaurant while I was down there. Real scary shit.”

“That didn’t happen last night, did it?”

“No, that was about two weeks ago. It’s kinda rad that I got to see one.”

Amy opened the door to the building dedicated to Australia’s animals. “Can you tell me more about it?”
“Hell yeah, I can! Got that shit locked down, like it’s a core memory or something.”

Amy’s steps echoed through the stone hallway as she listened to Mr. Davis.

“Well, I was going down to the kitchen, 'cause I was out of snacks. I was walking back to the elevator, and then I saw it. I was all like, holy shit what are you, dude?!”

“What did it look like?” Amy asked while walking past some terrariums, filled with lizards, snakes, insects, and spiders.

“It was dark, but I could still get a solid look. It had like saggy, rubbery skin. Its eyes were huge, and it had a weird growth where its mouth should have been. Don’t get me started on the weird misshapen back, it looked super we…”

Amy almost dropped her phone as something hissed at her. She looked over into one of the enclosures. After searching the bushes with her flashlight, she finally noticed a small, black, furry creature. It was staring at her and showing her its sharp teeth. The ears had turned red as it continued hissing.

“Fuck, that scared the shit out of me,” Amy sighed in relieve.

“You okay, Sis? What happened?” Mr. Davis was still chewing while talking.

“False alarm, it was just some small animal in the Australian building.”

“Oh, you mean the Tasmanian devils? Yeah, those little dudes don’t like being disturbed at night. Got some real gnarly anger issues.”

“Then I’d best leave them alone.”

“Oh, don’t worry, they’re actually really chill. They’re not anything like the cartoons show them. Like, they actually love to cuddle with you if they know you.”

Mr. Davis was certainly right about that. Tasmanian devils are mostly show, rarely biting humans, and only if they’re threatened. In fact, they typically don’t even go after living pray, mostly scavenging dead carcasses. That doesn’t mean that they don’t hunt at all. But look at me, going of on another tangent. I’m sorry about that.

“I wasn’t really worried about them attacking me,” Amy said. “But speaking of dangerous, did that alien seem dangerous to you?”

“It just ran away, so probably not. But it was as tall as me, so it could probably take on an adult if it felt like in danger or something. That would be kinda sick, seeing it in a wrestling match.”

“Okay, if this thing is really hiding somewhere in the zoo, then I should definitely be careful. You didn’t see where it went, did you?”

“Nope, it like disappeared completely. Not even the camera picked up on it.”

“Wait, there is no footage of that night?”

“There is, but the alien and me are not on there. Do you think it has some invisibility cloak, like that wizard guy? I think his name was Henry or something whack like that.”

“Pretty sure you’re mixing sci-fi and fantasy there.”

“But don’t aliens have that stuff too?”

“I guess it could have some sort of cloaking device. But to me, it seems more likely that either it hacked into the surveillance system, looping some footage, or you just dreamt that whole thing up.”

“That’s what my boss said.”

“That the alien was looping footage to stay hidden?”

“No, the dreaming part.”

“So you told your boss about it?”

“I’m the protector of this casa, obviously, I have to report that kind of thing to him.”

Amy walked past the interior part of the kangaroo enclosure, looking over the sleeping animals.

She had reached the end of the hallway and opened the door. Cold air greeted her. Between the scent of fresh air and the characteristic smell of a barn, she could smell something else. Only faintly, she could smell the same rotten stench she had noticed in the zebra enclosure.

“I think I’m about done here. I’ll head back to your office and then...” Amy stopped. She had the feeling she had heard an animal near her. Looking around, she couldn’t make out what had made the sound.

“Something wrong, Sis?”

“I could have sworn I’d just heard a monkey.”

“I mean, you’re in a zoo, like, if there’s one place, I’d expect to hear one, it’s here. And the jungle, I guess. And maybe some other places where monkeys live.”

“But are there any monkeys near the Australian house?”

“The house of Primates isn’t that far, but you would probably only hear like an angry gorilla from where you are. Those dudes and dudettes can get real noisy.”

“Weird.”

“I’ll tell my boss to check if a monkey is missing. Maybe it like broke out.”

“I’ll be on the lookout on my way back.” Amy ended the call and returned to the security office. After checking in on Mr. Davis, she decided to head home to get some rest.

Sunday, May 26, 11:10 am: D&M Detective Agency, Ashbypond

Amy could barely open her eyes when she woke up. The sunlight came through a gap in her window blinds, hitting her face with a comical precision.

She got up, looking at her phone to check the time. While getting ready for her morning jog, she heard the doorbell ring. She quickly got dressed before leaving her room. She hurried to the front door, but Xavier got there first. He’d also only just woken up. The sound of the doorbell felt like it was piercing into his brain.

“Oh, I hope I didn’t wake you up.” Mr. Masuda noticed instantly how tired Xavier looked.

“Hi, Takaya. I assume you came to see Amy,” Xavier said, sounding tired.

“Yes, I hope she’s awake already. I heard she worked late yesterday.”

“I think she’s still asleep, but you can come in and drink a tea if you want, I guess.”

Mr. Masuda looked at him, surprised. Then he noticed Amy coming closer.

“Good morning, Amy. I hope you got enough rest.”

“Yeah, I have. You probably want to hear what I’ve found out, right?”

“I do. I’ve already spoken to Cody, but he couldn’t tell me much.”

“That makes sense. I couldn’t learn much. But I intend to go back there tonight to do more research.”

“Great, I did some research, too. Maybe I can share some new information with you.”

“How about you do that in the office? Or do you two want to discuss the case at the front door?” Xavier suggested.

They followed Xavier upstairs, looking at each other, confused about Xavier’s sudden hospitality.

Mika was sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, sipping on some cocoa.

“Oh, hello, I don’t think we’ve met.”

Mika shook their head and continued drinking.

“My name is Takaya. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Mika,” they hesitated for a moment, “my pronouns are they/them.”

“I see. Mine are he/him,” Mr. Masuda answered while sitting down on the other couch.

“Hey Mika, can you go check if Alice is still asleep?” Amy asked while going to the kitchen to grab an apple.

Mika got up and walked to the door of Alice’s room. They dragged the blanket behind them like a long cape.

“Alice, are you up?” Mika opened the door far enough to poke their head inside. The room was messy with fabric and sketches scattered around. The Crimebuster was put on an old mannequin Alice had found at a junkyard.

Next to it was Alice, her head resting on the desk. She was still asleep, having spent most of the night working on her newest project.

Mika was about to close the door as Alice sat up. “Mika, is that you?”

“Yes, I just wanted to see if you’re awake.”

“What time is it?”

“11 am.”

“Really? Wow, I must have fallen asleep.”

“Were you working on something?” Mika curiously came closer.

“Well, it was meant to be a surprise for you. But I guess I can give it to you right now.” Alice grabbed a piece of clothing from her desk and showed it to Mika. It was a fluffy, oversized jacket. It was seemingly made of an assortment of differently colored fabrics. The neon look of it would be best described as a Frankenstein’s monster-esque combination of different poison dart frogs. The hood even had a pattern that resembled large eyes, like those of the red-eyed tree frog, which seems like an outlier, as it isn’t actually poisonous or venomous. A daring fashion statement. I guess that would be a nice way to describe it.

Alice looked slightly unsure of her creation. “I know it doesn’t look exactly like the real thing, but I couldn’t get it right, so I mixed in my own ideas.”

Mika’s eyes lit up with joy. “I love it!” Mika jumped forward to hug Alice. Alice couldn’t hide her smile, but she quickly realized something. Nervous, she pulled her right arm back and hid it behind her back.

“Is something?”

“Oh no, don’t worry, my back was itching.”

“Show me your arm,” Mika demanded, worried.

Alice reluctantly stretched her arm out. Mika looked shocked. “You need to see a doctor!”

Mika was absolutely right in their concern. Not only was the bitemark clearly infected, but the skin around it was agitated and red, as if she’d been scratching it for hours. But the most concerning part was her veins. They were clearly visible and had taken on a dark color.

“Don’t worry. I’ve been bitten by a rabid dog before, and I was fine. Well, I did feel a bit under the weather, but that’s just because I wasn’t vaccinated against rabies. Compared to that, this wound is nothing. It just looks bad because it is so recent.” Alice grabbed one of the gloves that were part of the Crimebuster and put it on. It was long enough to cover most of her forearm, but some of the symptoms were still visible.

“But we don’t even know what kind of disease Teddy has. And you are clearly infected.”

“Teddy?”

“The girl who bit you. We don’t know her name, but calling her the infected girl or zombie seems kind of rude.”

“Makes sense. But don’t tell me you believe she’s actually a zombie.”

“I didn’t say that. But it is clear that she’s sick, and you are probably as well because of the bite. So we have to go show it to a doctor.”

“Okay, how about this? We visit Ralph and see what he thinks. He’s a biologist, which is close enough to a doctor.”

Begrudgingly, Mika agreed. Alice got ready, and the two walked into the office.

“Nice jacket,” Xavier complimented Mika, as the two were about to head out.

“Thanks. Alice made it for me.”

“Looks cozy,” Amy said.

“It is. You know, this is based on the jacket of Rainbow Croak,” Mika started explaining.

“Who’s that?” Amy asked.

“She’s a character from the second movie of Die Cleveren Füchse. She’s a pop star who always wears clothes like this jacket. She’s awesome.”

Mika and Alice left while the others got back to their discussion.”

“Where were we?” Amy asked.

“You were talking about the protesters,” Mr. Masuda answered, calmly taking another sip of tea.

“Ah, yes. I don’t think that they, as a group, are behind this. It might be possible that some individual members are behind it, though.”

“I agree. As I said, I trust Ralph would not do something like this.”

“That still makes me wonder why these specific actions were taken.”

“Because of the sick animals, right? That’s what they’re protesting after all,” Mr. Masuda theorized.

“That’s not what I mean. If they just wanted to do vandalism, why in so many different, seemingly disconnected ways? Stealing fodder, abducting an animal, spraying graffiti, and then these spirals.”

“The spirals concern me. I’m sure you realized that this is not the first time they’ve appeared,” Xavier said.

“You’ve seen this symbol before?”

“Yes, it appeared in another case back in March,” Amy explained.

“If Pablo was right with his assumption, then that would mean…”

“I see where you’re going with this, and you might be right,” Amy gestured to Mr. Masuda, indicating that they should not mention anything about the possibility of different timelines being involved in front of him.

Amy proceeded to summarize the information she’d gathered the night before.

Mr. Masuda slowly nodded. “Yes, I heard about the monkey situation. But apparently none of them were missing this morning.”

“Maybe it came back?” Xavier suggested.

“Or it was a monkey from outside the zoo,” Amy countered.

“Either way, I don’t think we’ll get closer to the answer for now. So, how about I share my research with you?”

“What did you look into?” Xavier asked.

“For one, I tried to verify the claims made by the protestors, after speaking to them. Their information checks out. After looking into the internal files, thanks to a coworker of mine, I can confirm that not only is there an alarming rate of animals getting sick from an unknown illness, but the zoo also regularly puts those animals down and replaces them with new ones. Interestingly, I noticed that all the animals that seemed to be affected by it lived in enclosures that have been around since near the beginning.”

“The front areas, I noticed that too.”

“Yes, well, because of that, I thought maybe it had to do with the buildings being old. Maybe there was some problem stemming from that, like mold. Or the classics of using things like lead and asbestos in building materials. But that actually led me to an interesting discovery.”

“Really, did you find out what makes them sick?!” Amy asked.

“Sadly, no, but when doing research on the construction of the zoo, I realized that it was surprisingly hard to find information. Both the internet and public archives had barely any information about the early days of the zoo.”

“That seems weird. I’m sure newspapers would write about a local zoo being built,” Xavier said.

“I agree. I asked my friend again. She’s responsible for managing the finances of the zoo and has access to an internal archive. There was information on the construction cost of the zoo, even from back then.”

“And?”

“For one, I noticed that there was apparently a large underground aquarium being constructed. It was never opened to the public, and according to the archive, it was demolished and filled with cement. There was no reason given in the files.”

“I’m sure that would have been a big attraction. Why would they just get rid of it?” Amy wondered.

“I couldn’t find any plans, but apparently it was a huge deal. They had planned for it to have multiple hallways lined with large aquariums that all lead to a glass tunnel. The glass tunnel would allow you to walk through a huge aquarium, and at the end, you would get to an underground restaurant with glass walls, so you could watch the fish while eating.”

“And they had already sunk a lot of money into it, I assume,” Xavier said.

“Yes, considering how much had been built, it seems like they had almost finished it. But that wasn’t even the weirdest thing that I noticed. You remember that they filled it up with cement afterwards, right? Well, beginning with that, every time the zoo needed construction to be done, they hired exclusively small businesses, even for huge projects.”

“Maybe it was cheaper?” Amy suggested.

“Or they just wanted to support local businesses,” Xavier added.

“Yeah, maybe, but it doesn’t seem right. Plus, it does not seem all that cheap. Early on, maybe, but the later ones take on enormous prices.”

“Good job, Takaya. We’ll certainly keep this information in mind,” Xavier said.

Mr. Masuda looked at him, surprised. “No problem. I’ll try to get some more information.”

“Good. We should definitely investigate the zoo further. What do you say?” Xavier looked at Amy.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Good. Just wanted to confirm, after all, this is your investigation. I’m simply the assistant.”

Amy blushed. “Do you really think I can lead an investigation?”

“You’ve been doing a great job so far. I’m no better than you. I might actually be worse, considering I refused to take the case.”

They said goodbye to Mr. Masuda and decided to do some research before heading to the zoo. They wanted to conserve their energy as they had a long night ahead of them.

Sunday, May 26, 12:15 pm: Ralph’s Home, Lawreyville

Alice and Mika were standing outside the apartment building where Ralph lived. They had already rung the bell multiple times, without getting a reaction.

It was very obvious why no one was answering. Even from outside the building, loud guitar playing could be heard, coming from a window on the second floor.

“What should we do?” Mika asked.

“Let me handle it.” Alice rolled her eyes and walked up to the wall. She climbed on top of a windowsill on the first floor with ease.

“What are you doing?!”

“Don’t worry, not the first time I had to do this.” She jumped up and grabbed the sill of Ralph’s window. While pulling herself up, she had to mainly rely on her left arm, as the right one was in a lot of pain.

Looking inside, she could see Ralph playing the guitar, clearly zoning everything else out.

“Hey idiot, open the fucking door!” she yelled, while banging her fist against the window.

After he’d noticed her, he quickly unlocked the door. Alice dropped down, catching her fall with grace.

“Sorry, I must have zoned out for a minute,” Ralph said as the two entered his apartment.

“How have the neighbors not gotten you kicked out yet?”

“No idea.”

Alice noticed that Ralph seemed stressed. “Did something happen?”

“Why do you mean?”

“That song you were playing. You only play it when something’s bothering you.”

“Really? I guess you’re right, I never noticed that.”

“So, what’s up?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Marlo’s currently undergoing surgery. I think I’m more nervous than he was going into it.”

“Oh, that’s today?”

“Yes. His parents promised to call me when he wakes up.”

“If you’re busy, we can leave,” Alice said, trying to get out of having to show him her wound.

“No, you promised to show him the injury,” Mika said angrily while grabbing Alice’s arm.

“Fine.” The two proceeded to summarize the recent events that led to Alice getting bitten.

Ralph looked at them, perplexed. “So, you’re telling me, you met a zombie girl, who then bit Alice in the arm, and now she’s infected? And instead of treating the wound or seeing a medical expert, you came to me?”

Alice and Mika looked at each other. “Yes,” Alice replied dryly.

“I am a marine biologist, not a doctor. I don’t even think I could help you if you were a fish.”

“Well, we’re mostly here out of concern for Teddy,” Alice explained.

“No, that’s not true. We came here for the wound,” Mika said, concerned.

“I don’t know what you want me to do. I haven’t even seen this zombie girl. And the wound definitely needs to be treated by a professional.”

“Maybe you can guess what kind of disease she has based on the symptoms,” Alice suggested.

“Do you know what a marine biologist does?”

“Maybe she has a fish disease,” Mika said in complete seriousness.

“Okay, let me think. The behavior you described sounds like rabies, but humans normally don’t behave like that when infected. So it would have to be something similar, or a mutation. The physical changes don’t fit that description, though. Maybe some kind of skin disease? That could also have caused the hair loss. The problem is that no specific disease comes to mind. The most plausible explanation would be that some kind of disease, which previously only affected animals, mutated so it could affect humans as well, leading to new symptoms, unseen in the animals. But take all of that with a grain of salt.”
“Is there a zombie-disease?” Mika asked.

“I thought you didn’t believe in zombies,” Alice pointed out.

“I just want to consider every possibility. Even in Scooby Doo the monsters are real sometimes.”

“And Scooby Doo is famously a documentary based on the real stories of a talking dog,” Alice replied sarcastically, but without her typical rude undertone.

“Well, there isn’t really a zombie disease, but there is a parasite that frequently gets called zombie fungus.”

“Yes, I know. I’ve played The Last of Us. That fungus is used in half the modern zombie stories,” Alice said.

“Then I assume you already know what I’m about to say. It only affects ants, so for it to take over humans, it would have to mutate to an insane degree. And to my knowledge, no such changes have been documented.”

Alice nodded her head slowly. Her face turned into a pained expression. A sharp pain shot through her arm.

“Are you okay?” Mika asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just bumped my elbow.”

“Against the couch?” Ralph looked at her, clearly seeing through her lie. “You really need to get your arm checked.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll just run some water over it.” Alice forced a smile while getting up.

“Ah, yes, a tried and true medical procedure to cure an infection.”

“Shut up, Ralph!” There wasn’t any anger or malice in her voice as she said this. Before the others could say anything else, she left the room.

“Such a stubborn idiot. I’m not surprised Xavier is friends with her.”

“I’ve been telling her she needs to see a doctor, but she doesn’t want to. I don’t know what I should do.” Mika was sitting on the couch, their arms wrapped around their knees, looking to Ralph for help.

Ralph sat down next to them. “When dealing with people like Alice, Xavier, or even Amy, advice can often fall on deaf ears. They work through their shit at their own pace and that can’t really be changed. But it is very nice of you that you care so much for her.”

“But I’m scared something bad will happen to her. What if her arm needs to be amputated?”

“Let’s not worry about that just yet. I’m sure she will see a doctor when it gets worse. I don’t think it will come that far.”

“You think?”

“I do. But looking at the injury, I would recommend letting the authorities handle this case.”

“What, but we have to help Teddy!”

“And it is great that you want to do that. But what would you even do to help her?”

“Maybe we can find out the cause,” Mika suggested.

“That isn’t a guaranteed way to create a cure. We know the cause of many diseases, but we still can’t cure them.”

Mika let their head down.

“I know, it’s easy to get swept up in danger during an investigation. But it’s important to know your own limits."

"But I'm sure Xavier would solve a case like this, too.”

“Yes, but he’s also a bit of a stubborn doofus. And even he has certain lines he won’t cross.”

“Really?”

“Yes. He has a strict rule against taking on serial killers. He and Natsu decided that there is too much of a fret involved.”

“I didn’t know he had that rule.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I wish Paradox would commit more crimes. At least they don’t pose a threat to his safety.”

“Oh, Xavier told me about Paradox yesterday! That’s his archnemesis.”

“Yes, they are.”

“But why do they not pose a fret?”

“They have a strict code, not to cause significant harm to any innocents.”

“That’s cool. I like it when villains still have some honor and morals.”

“You’re talking about a real criminal here, not some book character. Even with that rule, they still commit crimes on the regular.”

“Certain people have good reasons to commit crimes,” Alice said as she came back from the bathroom.

“Sure, there are exceptions. But we should still not cheer for a criminal, just because they have the decency not to kill or maim anyone.”

“Did you guys find out anything new while I was gone?”

“Nope, we only talked about how you shouldn’t pursue the case any further.”

“Ha, good one. We both know that won’t stop us, right, Mika?”

Mika nodded. “After all, danger is part of the job.”

“You sound like Xavier,” Ralph said, shaking his head.

“Really?!” Mika asked excitedly.

“Being compared to Xavier is typically not a compliment,” Ralph explained.

“Oh. But if we solve this case quickly, we can help Amy with her case.”

“So, she hasn’t solved it yet? That could actually explain it,” Ralph thought out loud.

“Explains what?” Alice asked.

“Oh, nothing. Don’t want you to get any more stupid ideas.”

“I see this is a classic case of the secretive informant,” Mika explained, to the confusion of the others.

“A what?” Ralph asked.

“In mystery stories, there is often a character who delivers exposition to the investigators. But they leave out certain information because it makes for a more suspenseful story. Naturally, that often ends badly, and the investigators end up in danger for not knowing something important.”

Ralph stared at them with an open mouth.

“You hear that? As our junior investigator said. If you don’t tell us everything you know, you’re endangering us,” Alice said, grinning from ear to ear.

“Well now I’d look like an irresponsible asshole, if I don’t tell you my theory.”

“Good job, Mika.” Alice showed a thumbs-up, and Mika began beaming with pride and joy.

“I didn’t even mean for that to happen.”

“Never admit that, when something goes well. Just act like it was your plan, it makes you look badass,” Alice explained.

“Okay!”

“Now, what’s that theory of yours?”

“Not like I can convince you to abandon the case. You said Teddy appeared near the Zoo, right?”

Alice and Mika nodded.

“Then her disease might have to do with Amy’s case. Animals in the zoo are getting sick at an absurd rate. Maybe they have the same disease as Teddy.”

“Seems like we have a new lead.”

Mika nodded excitedly and jumped up from the couch.

“But please be careful. Keep in mind, you’re not just endangering your own health, you’re also putting each other at risk. And Alice, I have a friend who practices medicine. Will you at least talk to him about your arm?”

“When we’re done with the case.”

“I’ll organize an appointment for you. You better show up.”

Alice rolled her eyes and left, followed by Mika, who thanked Ralph before leaving.

Sunday, May 26, 5:00 pm: Entrance, Coleson Zoo

Even though the zoo hadn’t closed yet, Amy and Xavier had decided to go there already. Hoping they could find some information they might have missed during the night.

Unlike the days before, the weather on that day was exceptionally good. Which meant that a lot of people were visiting the zoo, even this late in the day.

But not only were the visitors there, the protestors were too. It wasn’t exactly the same crowd as the day before. Some, like Ralph, weren’t there anymore, but some newcomers had joined in their stead.

As Amy and Xavier were about to enter the zoo, they were noticed by Penny, who instantly ran up to them, accompanied by her usual smell of flowers.

“Hi! Are you back for some more investigating?”

Amy looked at her nervously. “Yes, but keep it down. Not everyone needs to know.”

“Oh, I see. Sorry, I’m just so excited.” She looked over to Xavier. “Wait, don’t tell me you’re Xavier Diaz!”

“That’s me,” Xavier confirmed, trying to look cool.

Penny ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and shook it enthusiastically. “Wow, it’s an honor meeting you. I’ve read so much about you online. You’re a real-life master detective!”

“I don’t think I’m that big of a deal. Although I have solved some tricky cases.”

“And where is the rest of the team?” Penny was still holding his hand and looked at him expectantly.

“Alice doesn’t work on this case.”

“Oh, I’m not talking about her.” Penny’s words seemed like they were slowed down to let every single painful word sink in. “I’m talking about Natsu. Where is he?”

Xavier felt like Penny's enthusiastic look was piercing into his heart.

“Oh wait, I think I read something about it online. He’s missing, right? I’m sorry for bringing it up. But I’m sure a master detective like you can find him.” The tone of Penny was meant to come across encouragingly, but to Xavier, it sounded like the words of a demon, meant to tease him.

Amy noticed immediately and grabbed Xavier by the shoulder. “I’m sorry, Penny, but we’re very busy. We have to go investigate.”

Amy pulled Xavier back and was about to walk away as Penny called out to her. “Wait! You asked me about the graffiti yesterday, right?”

Amy nodded and waited impatiently for her to continue.

“Well, I think I’ve seen it before at a gathering of animal rights activists. Don’t know who it belonged to, but in case it helps, some of the other protestors were there too. I already asked them about it, but they didn’t remember anything else.”

Amy thought about whether to question the others, but decided not to. “Thanks for the info. We’ll keep it in mind. But we really have to get going.”

“Have I been wasting your time?” Penny asked disappointedly.

“Oh no, don’t worry.”

“Okay. Well, good luck. But I’m sure after solving 55 cases, you’ve got the hang of this.”

Penny is obviously right about that. Although that number includes cases long before the agency was formed. Back then, Xavier and Natsu didn’t have actual clients. They simply walked into investigations and mysterious events. In fact, an early case of theirs took place in the same zoo as their current one. Case #3: The Scarlet Basilisk. Compared to some of their later ones, it was a rather harmless case. Animals were going missing and reappeared, sometimes painted in weird colors and patterns. As it turned out, some film students had taken them for one of their projects. A monster movie featuring large Kaiju, in the style of the older Godzilla movies.

Back then, Mr. Masuda had only recently started working for the zoo and wasn’t very happy about his son sneaking around the zoo at night.

Ironically, he now asks the D&M team to do so. Although tragically, his son cannot partake in the sneaking this time.

Amy had led Xavier into the zoo, and the two sat down on a bench.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” Xavier’s head was hanging low, and he was trying to avoid eye contact with Amy.

“Listen, I can’t say that I know what it feels like, losing someone so close to me, but just know, I’m always there to provide an open ear.”

“Thanks.” Xavier paused. “Fuck, I’m an idiot, aren’t I?” Xavier started awkwardly laughing in frustration.

“What makes you say that?”

“I can’t get over myself. No matter how often I’m told that others are there for me, I act like I’m all alone. Like it’s me against the world. I will never change.”

“Just admitting that seems like a step forward. And I saw that you made an effort this morning with Takaya. You can’t just change your habits from one day to the next, but if you keep up the effort, you will make it.”

“Why are you so nice to me? You deserve better than the way I treat you.”

“Don’t say that! You’re always so nice to me. I never told you this, but you really helped me.”

“Helped you with what?”

“Since I moved in with you, I felt like I had an actual home. A place where I felt comfortable. Every single minute I spend with you feels great. Even the bad moments somehow become great thanks to you.”

Xavier looked surprised. He tapped against his forehead for a while and jumped up, excitedly.

“How about we spend some more quality time? We could go camping sometime after this case is done.”

Amy looked at him happily. “Yes, that sounds great.”

“Perfect, then let’s get this case done.”

Sunday, May 26, 8:10 pm: Surveillance Room, Coleson Zoo

After spending some time investigating the zoo and making a plan for the night they headed to the surveillance room.

“Hey Cody, how are you doing?”

“Everything’s tight. Hopefully, more is gonna happen tonight, I need some excitement. I mean it’s real chill, getting to just hang back and all, but I want some sick action, you know?”

“It would probably be for the best if something happened. We need to make some progress in this investigation,” Amy answered.

“And who’s that fresh dude?”

“Hi, I’m Xavier.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Cody. Welcome to my sick Codycave.

“Like the Batcave?” Xavier asked, confused.

“Of course. Just make yourself at home. Mi casa es su casa. Any of you want something to drink? Maybe a snack?”

“I assume nothing has happened yet,” Amy said.

“Nope, nothing interesting. Well, the baby elephant is cuddling with its mother, and it is like super sweet. Here I’ll show you.” Mr. Davis turned to the keyboard and started looking for the footage.

While he was doing that, Xavier let his eyes wander over the different screens. One of them instantly grabbed his attention. It showed footage of a path along the outer wall of the zoo.

Speechless, he watched as a person appeared on top of the wall. The person wore a familiar, colorful jacket.

“Are they for real?!” Amy had now noticed as well.

“Wait, there’s someone breaking in!” Cody noticed.

“Don’t worry. We know them,” Xavier explained.

“If Mika’s here, then Alice isn’t far away. But why are they breaking into the zoo?”

“Maybe they want to help us,” Xavier suggested.

“Alice certainly is building up a reputation. Last time she tried to rob the cult, and now she’s breaking into a zoo.”

“I’ll go over there to see what they’re up to.”

“No wait, I’ll go. You stay here in case something happens. You’re faster and stronger, so you can take better care of a suspect than I.” Amy walked over to the door.

“Here, take one of these.” Mr. Davis tossed her a small radio. “We can talk to each other with these rad walkie-talkies.”

“Can’t we just use the phones like yesterday?”

“Nope. I was taking some sick pictures of this cute lion cub to send to my daughter. We used to come here when she was little, and the lions were always her favorites. But the funny thing is, I dropped my phone in the moat. Epic fail, I know.”

“I see. Well, walkie-talkie it is, then.” Amy attached the radio to her belt and left.

Xavier turned back to the screens, but he couldn’t see anyone. “Where did they go?”

“Maybe a different camera is picking them up.” Cody started looking through the other cameras.

“Weird, I can’t find them. And not just that, Amy disappeared too.”

“I don’t like this.”

“Yeah, but what should we do, Bro?”

Xavier started nervously tapping his forehead, trying to think of a solution. “First, we should check in on Amy.”

Sunday, May 26, 8:20 pm: Zoo, Coleson

While Xavier contacted Amy, Mika was standing on top of the wall, looking down at Alice, who was wearing her Crimebuster.

“I made it!”

“Good. Just be careful.”

Mika slowly dangled down from the wall, letting go and falling on their back. “Oof!”

“Are you okay?” Alice asked from the other side of the wall.

“All good. I landed on a patch of grass!” Mika tied the rope they were carrying around a trash can and threw the other end over the wall.

Amy climbed up the wall, ignoring the pain in her arm. She jumped down from the wall, landing next to Mika.

“Shouldn’t we have just asked the others to let us in?”

“This has more style. And I’m sure you don’t want to give them all the credit for solving your case.”

“Okay. Where should we go first?” Mika asked excitedly while fidgeting with the rope. They could barely keep their hands stable enough to untie it.

“To the zebras, they’re currently in quarantine. We can see if they have similar symptoms to Teddy.”

“Sounds good.”

Alice led Mika to the nearby zebra enclosure. They walked across the empty area directly to the stable.

“Is it not dangerous to be in there with so many sick animals?” Mika asked.

“I’ve come prepared. Don’t worry, I’m armored. And I don’t think they want to take a bite from me.”

“Why?”

“Are you serious? I used your stinky chemistry experiments on me. I stink worse than a pile of rotten eggs.”

“I still don’t get it, it really doesn’t stink.”

“Are you kidding me? I’ve never smelled anything worse.”

“You’re overreacting,” Mika defended their experiments. To a fault, I might add. I will not state again how bad some of those tinctures smell.

“They definitely don’t smell bad enough to repel zombie animals.”

“How about this, have the clever foxes ever had a case on a farm?”

“Yes, 6 cases in the main series. 7 if you count Curse of Eagle Valley.”
“Did they work around horses in those?”

“Yes, in Book #29: Trail of the Wandering Scarecrow, they ride horses,” Mika explained, confused by Alice’s line of questioning.

“See, horses are friends of investigators. And what are zebras, if not stripy horses?”

“That makes sense.”

“You can wait outside. I’ll go in alone. That way it’s safer for you.” Alice opened the gate slightly, accompanied by a loud creaking. She quickly slipped through, and without hesitation, Mika followed her.

Inside, it was dark and quiet. The smell coming off of Alice, combined with some other stenches, likely coming from the hay and animals, created an indescribable odor.

Alice turned on her phone’s flashlight and looked around the room. Mika pulled out a flashlight and did the same.

The two beams of light danced around the room. They were reflected in the eyes of the animals that were all still awake and staring at the intruders. The zebras were in separate, small boxes. Their heavy breathing filled the air.

“They don’t look as sick as Teddy,” Alice pointed out while walking up to one of them.

“But they don’t look healthy, either. They seem very tired,” Mika said.

“Aha, I knew it!” Alice startled both Mika and some of the animals.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. But look at this.” Alice directed her light at one of the zebras. “It’s shedding. And look at the skin, it’s red. Maybe not as bad as Teddy’s, but it still seems like the same disease.”

“But they don’t seem like they want to bite us.”

“Maybe it’s the stench of your concoctions, or maybe they recently ate. There are many explanations for that,” Alice answered.

“Where to next?”

“Let’s check on some other animals. You can decide which.”

“Maybe the boars,” Mika said while the two left the stable.

“Boars it is. Let’s…” Alice stared at the large hole in the wall. “What happened there?”

She came closer to the hole. She looked perplexed as the light revealed the familiar pattern.

“That looks kinda weird. I don’t think those are normal cracks in the wall.” Mika pointed to the spiraling ends of the lines.

“Why would they not tell me about this?” Alice said quietly.

“What’s the matter?”

“Oh, nothing. It would take too long to explain.”

“Fine. Should we go see the boars?”

Alice turned around but stopped, as she smelled something weird. “Eww, what is that?”

“What?”

“What do you mean, what? This gross stench!”

Mika sniffed the air. “I don’t smell anything. Are you sure you’re not just imagining things?"

"Of course I’m sure.” Alice followed the smell to a nearby bush. “Ha, I was right!”

Mika came closer and saw what Alice had discovered. On the ground was the opening of a large air duct.

Alice quickly opened it with a screwdriver that was stored in her Crimebuster’s pouches. “Fuck, now it stinks even more!”

“I still don’t smell anything.”

“Wait, can you smell anything at all?”

“Sure, I can. I just haven’t smelled anything recently,” Mika explained calmly.

“That’s not how smelling works. I think you might have fried your sense of smell with your experiments.”

“What?! But a good investigator needs all senses.”

“You're still a great investigator, even without it. And smell is probably the easiest sense to replace. Why do you think so many investigators have dogs?” Alice tried to calm Mika down.

“You're right. I just need to convince Grandma and Grandpa to get me a dog.”

“Just don’t tell them I gave you the idea.”

“Okay. But if you say that the weird smell is coming from down there…” Mika began thinking.

“…Then that could be the source of the disease. You’re right,” Alice completed their thought.

“Good, let’s tie the rope to one of the trees and I’ll climb down there.”

“Absolutely not. Who knows what’s down there. I’m not letting you down there.”

“But we have to investigate this lead. And you can’t go down there, you’re afraid of tight spaces, and your arm is injured.”

“My claustrophobia isn’t that bad, and I can still climb. If anyone goes down there, it’s me.”

“Fine,” Mika said disappointedly.

They attached the rope to a tree while Alice got ready.

“Okay, when I get to the bottom, I pull on the rope three times. You wait ten minutes. If I haven’t pulled on the rope again when the time is up, you go and get help.”

“Okay, but be careful.”

Alice nodded encouragingly and started climbing down. She immediately regretted it. The walls felt like they were wrapping themselves around her, even though they didn’t touch her. With every inch she lowered herself down, her arm felt worse.

Just as she was adjusting her left arm again, it felt like her right arm was bursting open. For a split second, she loosened her grip and started falling. She couldn’t move her body out of fear.

It felt like an eternity until she came to the bottom. The duct made a ninety-degree turn, which Alice felt with her entire body.

She hit against an air duct cover. The rusty screws broke from the shear force and she flew out, landing on something hard. Her body was aching, and she nearly blacked out.

Sunday, May 26, 8:20 pm: Surveillance Room, Coleson Zoo

Xavier and Mr. Davis stared at the radio. They were trying to get in contact with Amy, but they could only hear static noises.

“Fuck, something must have gone wrong!”

“Hey, check this out!” Mr. Davis pointed to one of the monitors.

“I looked up the footage of that person in the colorful jacket. Look at this. They are climbing on top of the wall and then…”

Xavier’s eyes widened. “They just disappear, as if the video had a cut in it.”

“Amy said that freaky alien might have hacked in and like replaced the live footage with a loop, or something.”

“Quick, switch through all the other cameras!”

Mr. Davis clicked through the different footage. Xavier stopped him while staring at what had just come up. The live footage showed the inside of the House of Primates.

Xavier had noticed a silhouette moving around in the dark.

“Dude, I think that’s the alien!”

“Whatever it is, it shouldn’t be there.” Xavier grabbed a radio and ran outside.

As a skilled athlete, it didn’t take him long to get to the House of Primates. He wasn’t even out of breath when he got there. Before going inside, he pulled something out of his backpack. Night vision goggles, which surprisingly fit in the bag among all the other stuff. He put them on and looked around. He could see everything with no problem.

He opened the door slowly. Looking around, he saw large windows. Behind them, he saw gorillas and chimpanzees.  A bit further in, he saw orangutans sleeping in their nests.

He listened carefully. The sound of something tapping on metal echoed through the hall.

He nervously looked around. Beton walls, glass windows, more walls, more windows, stone stairs, a metal railing, and a pair of eyes staring at him.

Xavier jumped, but quickly realized they belonged to a harmless-looking animal. That’s at least how I would describe it. Others might call it creepy or ugly, but that’s just rude.

“Hey little one, what are you doing here?” He came closer, looking at the weird animal.

Its bushy tail was swiping along the metal railing. The large ears were carefully listening while it was tapping against the metal bars with its bony middle finger.

Xavier clearly had never seen this animal before, judging from his expression, but I, as an animal lover, can tell you that he was looking at a lemur, an aye-aye to be precise. Very adorable and interesting animals. Judging from the tapping, it was looking for some bugs to snack on.

“I don’t think you should be out here.” Xavier carefully picked the lemur up and walked down the hallway, looking for the right enclosure.

“Why is the door open?” Xavier walked inside. He put the aye-aye on a branch and left the enclosure.

Just as he closed the door, a thought crossed his mind. “Why would they block out camera footage but then forget the one they actually appear on. And why release a random animal? Oh, fuck! It was not a mistake! It was a distraction!”

Xavier ran back to the entrance of the building. “Shit, it’s locked!”

Panicked, he grabbed the radio, hanging from one of the suspenders he had dangling from his pants. “Cody, can you hear me?”

No reaction, just more static.

“Amy, are you there?”

Again, no answer. But instead of static, music started playing. Xavier turned pale as he recognized the melody from a previous case. It was a mischievous yet haunting violin piece.

Sunday, May 26, 8:35 pm: Zoo, Coleson

Amy was listening to the melody coming from her radio. She’d been trying to reach the others for a while and was on her way back. She hadn’t managed to find Mika and Alice yet.

Out of nowhere, a ghastly, pained scream sounded through the quiet of the night. It sounded weird and not like the scream of a human. But Amy didn’t know an animal that made sounds like that.

The scream had come from the direction she was headed. She ran as fast as she could.

She could see that the fodder shed had been opened. She slowly came closer, her flashlight turned off, so as not to alert any potential attackers.

She listened for any noise from inside, but it seemed like there was no one there.

Turning on her flashlight, she could see bales of hay and packages of fodder stacked on top of each other, filling up the large shed. Some tools were attached to the walls or scattered throughout the building. The large, metal door of the freezer in the back reflected her light as she slowly entered the shed. It was clear that it hadn’t been closed properly.

Gathering all her courage, she closed in on the door. With every step, she could hear the scratchy sound of hay getting crushed under her feet.

She wasn’t looking at the floor. Her full attention was directed at the door. While taking another step, she almost stumbled to the floor as she stepped on something. A cylindrical object that slightly gave in under her weight, but Amy could feel that the object must have had a hard inside.

She turned around, looking for the object. The blood in her veins froze as the beam of her flashlight landed on a pair of legs.

She moved the light to reveal the rest of the person lying behind some hay bales. Her hand was shaking, and she would have undoubtedly let out a scream as the light revealed the face of Mr. Davis if her fear hadn’t held her back.

The lenses of his sunglasses threw the light back at Amy’s shocked face.

It took her a while to recover from the shock. Well, recover might not be the right word. She was still clearly in shock as she forced herself closer to her trusty informant. She knew she had to get a better look to be sure of his condition.

Feeling his wrist, she sadly confirmed the lack of a pulse.

Looking at the rest of his corpse, Amy discovered a dirty print on his chest, left behind by some animal’s huff. The uniform he was wearing was partially torn around his left shoulder, revealing a bite mark. A small piece of flesh had been ripped out. Although likely not a life-threatening injury, it was not a pleasant sight. Mixed in with the blood was a greenish, viscous substance.

Sunday, May 26, 8:40 pm: Surveillance Room, Coleson Zoo

Just after the scream had ruptured the silence of the night, Xavier had managed to break the locked door open. Not knowing what was going on, he had run back to the restaurant, missing Amy and not noticing the open fodder shed.

Nervously, he stumbled into the surveillance room. The door was already open, and Mr. Davis was nowhere to be seen. Xavier turned to the screens, hoping to see any of his friends, wishing to confirm that they’re safe.

In his hand, he held the radio that was still playing the melody that was slowly driving Xavier insane.

His eyes jumped from one screen to the next, while he quickly switched between the different security cameras.

He could feel a chill running down from the feeling of helplessness and uselessness.

He knew his friends were out there, but he had no way of knowing if they needed his help. Even if he knew they did, how would he help them if he didn’t know where they were or what he was up against?

The panicked thoughts started clouding his mind, which is probably why he never once thought about looking around the room.

A shadowy figure emerged from behind the door. Xavier was so focused that he didn’t even notice until something poked his neck. He barely had time to turn around before his body gave in and he fell to the floor. The last thing he saw were what seemed to be large, soulless eyes staring down at him. But his vision and mind were so clouded already that he wasn’t even sure what exactly he was looking at.

Sunday, May 26, 8:45 pm: ???, Coleson Zoo

Alice was trying to get up, fighting against the pain. She had almost managed to get up, but as she tried getting on her legs, she fell down again, as her left leg simply gave in under her weight and sent a horrible pain through her body.

Trying not to throw up from the pain, she simply sat up, trying to move her leg as little as possible.

She couldn’t see anything. Not a single ray of moonlight made its way to wherever she was.

She could feel the hard object she had hit during her landing. She couldn’t turn around, as she was trying to minimize her movements, but it seemed to her like she was leaning against some sort of stone bench.

Searching her pockets, she couldn’t find her phone. Thankfully, it wasn’t far, as Alice could easily find it on the floor.

The screen was cracked, but it still turned on. As she turned on the device’s flashlight, she could finally make out her surroundings.

She was in some underground hallway. The walls were lined with what seemed to be small aquariums. They had no water in them, and most of the glass panels were either cracked or completely broken. All the walls sparkled as the light hit the moist surfaces. Most of the concrete was covered in moss and mushrooms.

The air was filled with some kind of particles. Alice was relieved she was wearing a mask, as the particles were so dense they turned the light a sickening green.

It was only now that she dared to look down at her leg.

“Shit!” Alice let out. Dread started setting in as she counted one too many bends in her left leg. Under her clothes, she could clearly see the outline of her broken shinbone pushing against the fabric.

“Are you okay?”

Alice directed her light at the air duct Mika was carefully climbing out of.

“Didn’t I tell you not to come down here?” Alice tried to sound stern, but her voice sounded both concerned for Mika and relieved about having someone try to help her.

“You fell down and didn’t answer. I had to make sure you were safe.”

As Mika got closer, they started coughing. “Wha… What is thi… this pl… place?”

“Cover your nose and mouth. You shouldn’t inhale these spores.” Alice tore off a piece from her pants and handed them to Mika. They quickly grabbed it and held it over their face.

“Bu… But that’s your Cri… Crimebuster.”

“Doesn’t matter. I can easily fix it.”

“Did you get hurt?” Mika asked, kneeling next to Alice.

“Nothing to worry about, but maybe you can go find a way out, while I take a minute to collect my thoughts.”

Alice was careful not to direct her light to her broken leg.

“Just be careful, okay.”

Mika looked at Alice. “Are you lying to me?” Mika sounded concerned and unsure of their own words.

“What, why would I lie to you?”

“I don’t know. You say that your wound isn’t all that bad when it clearly is hurting you. So maybe you are lying now, too. I feel like you think you can’t trust me. Like, I can’t handle bad news. And I can’t tell if you’re lying to me. I just, I just want to help you!” Mika almost started crying.

Alice quickly pulled them closer. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“But then why don’t you tell me the truth? Why are you hiding your pain from me?”

Alice tried to answer but couldn’t think of one.

“You’re right, I was injured during my fall.” Alice showed Mika her broken leg.

“We have to get you to a doctor!”

“I know. But for that, we have to find a way out.”

“I’ll go look for one, you stay here and…” Mika turned around. They could hear something that almost sounded like a crazed cackling coming from the dark.

“What was that?” Mika said nervously.

Alice started searching with her light. “I don’t know, but it didn’t sound good.”

A small creature appeared in the light. It looked like a squirrel monkey, but it was missing large patches of fur, and its skin was red and leathery. Looking closer, it had some deformities like larger ears and a flattened nose, making its head look more like that of a bat.

The small monkey stared at Alice and showed its teeth, greenish saliva dripping from its mouth. It slowly crawled closer, while letting out an exhausted hissing sound.

“Get away from her!” Mika jumped between the monkey and Alice, spreading their arms wide. The light landing on Mika’s back, shining through the fabric, almost made it look like the neon colors of their jacket were glowing.

Nervously, the monkey stepped back before running off into the darkness.

“Thanks,” Alice said, relieved, after the monkey had disappeared.

“I don’t think I can leave you behind while looking for an exit. If there are zombies down here, it would be too dangerous for you,” Mika said.

“Damn it! Why couldn’t I just hold onto the stupid rope?!”

“No point in getting angry at yourself. I’ll just have to help you walk. Do you think you can get up if I help you?”

“Sure. At least I hope.”

“Take as much time as you need.” Mika grabbed Alice’s phone so she had both hands free to push herself up. Together, they managed to get Alice off the floor.

They slowly made their way along the mossy walls, careful not to slip on the wet ground.

After a while, the walls opened up into a large hall. The path was lined with metal arches. It was clearly some sort of glass tunnel, but like with the aquariums before, most of the glass panels were broken.

“I’ve never seen a place like this,” Mika said, clearly impressed by the interesting space.

“I’ve seen something like this before in brochures. It’s a large aquarium you can walk through.”

“Looks abandoned, though.”

“I am noticing a significant lack of fish,” Alice joked, trying to ignore how exhausted she was feeling.

Looking around, Alice noticed something weird. In the actual aquarium itself were tables and machines, forming some sort of temporary laboratory.

“Seems like we’re not the only people interested in this place.”

“Do you hear that?” Mika asked.

Just after they had pointed out the sound of a machine further down the path, they heard a loud clicking sound. Floodlights that had been placed around the large room started flickering and then turned on completely.

“Who are you?” A deep voice asked.

At the end of the glass tunnel was an area that looked like a restaurant. Someone dressed in a dark hazmat suit was standing there. Next to him was a donkey, which clearly showed the same symptoms as Teddy and the monkey. On its back, the animal was carrying large chunks of meat, probably part of the zoo’s supplies.

As the man drew closer, it became obvious that he was wearing some sort of gas mask connected to a container similar to those used by divers. With some imagination, his appearance could certainly appear alien to an observer.

“I’d recommend you follow my orders. I’d really hate for you to become snacks for my little monsters.”

“Please, you have to help us, my big sister is injured!”

Alice looked surprised over to Mika. Being called a sister seemed to fluster her.

“Stop yelling! Shrek here doesn’t like loud noises. It makes him nervous. And you probably don’t want to make him nervous.” The man gestured to the donkey next to him.

“Please, we won’t tell anyone what we’ve seen here.”

“Yeah, I can’t really risk that. How about you head over there for now? And no tricks. One press of this button, and Shrek will come and get you.” The man was holding up a small, boxy machine. It was apparently a modified version of a mosquito, a speaker that lets out a high sound, similar to a dog whistle, although with a lower frequency so it could be heard by some humans and probably donkeys too.

Mika and Alice looked over to the spot the person was pointing to. They saw multiple cages. They were likely used to transport animals, although they seemed much too small to ensure a comfortable journey for the animal.

“Make sure not to enter the wrong one. Pingu and Simba aren’t the best roommates.”

Slowly, the two walked over to them. Nervously, they looked at the other cages. An infected lion and penguin were staring at them.

“Get on with it!”

“Her leg is broken. She can’t go faster.”

“Well, I’m sure you know what happens to wounded animals in the wild,” The masked man said gleefully.

Mika helped Alice inside and turned around, grabbing the bars of the door. “Who are you, and why are you doing this to these poor animals?”

The person came closer, pulling out the key for the cage. “You can call me Frankenstein. And you don’t need to worry about my work here. A little kid like you wouldn’t understand.”

“Hey, leave the cage open! There’s still some room for their friend!” A second person came from the abandoned restaurant. Mika could see the elevator in the back of the restaurant closing.

“Are you kidding me, Helsing?”

“What?” the other person asked. Their voice was much higher than the growly tone of Frankenstein. Behind them, they were dragging Xavier.

“Everything has been going great, and since you’ve shown up, all hell’s broken loose. What are all of these snoopers doing here?”

“Not like I didn’t try to get them out of the way. I locked their leader in the House of Primates, but he must have escaped.”

“And what about the others?”

“Well, I was hoping the girl would be distracted by the protestors. And I’ve never even seen these two. How did they even get in here?”

“You tell me! My job used to be so fucking simple, just me and my research, but then you and the higher ups start getting impatient and look where that got us!” Frankenstein locked the door after Helsing had dropped Xavier inside.

Alice thought she could make out a strange scent, but as Helsing walked away, that feeling stopped. She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, it was almost like, among the stench of the aquarium, there was the smell of flowers.

“We might have another problem, though. I wanted to tranquilize the guard, but when I got to his office, he was gone,” Helsing explained, pointing to their belt. Multiple syringes were holstered in it, one of which was empty.

Frankenstein was wearing a similar belt with syringes on both sides. Unlike Helsing’s, it seemed like Frankenstein’s syringes held two different liquids, although it was hard to make out a difference in the dark.

“Don’t worry, he surprised me in the shed, but I locked him in there, after Shrek had knocked him out.”

“Great. And you get mad at me. You let him see the donkey?!”

While the two were arguing, Mika noticed something behind their cage.

“Is that a dead penguin?!” They stared at the carcass, which had big bites taken out of it.

“That’s what will happen to you if you get too close to Pingu,” Frankenstein said, trying to sound as threatening as possible.

 “We had to drag the thing down here because our feathered monster got to it first,” Helsing explained further in a much calmer tone.

“I see. The zombies all appeared at the same time. Unfortunately, one of them appeared in an enclosure,” Alice said, thinking back to the spiral markings she’d found.

“What do you mean, appeared?” Mika asked.

“That’s what the spirals signify, don’t they? Something from another timeline appears. These animals are from another timeline.”

“How do you know all that?!” Frankenstein asked, confused.

“I see.” Helsing started laughing. “I think the situation of our test subjects hits close to home.”

“Wait, are you saying…?”

“Yes, this prisoner here must be one of the misfires.”

Helsing turned to Alice. “How long have you been in our timeline for?”

Mika looked at the three, confused.

“Why would I tell you?”

“Maybe I can tell you how to get back.”

“Like I’d trust you.”

“Suit yourself. But let me just confirm with you, you and Amy are the same person, right?”

“How do you know her?!”

“I’m not an idiot. When she started investigating, I looked into her identity. And believe me, with my connections, it was easy to find out who she is. Amy Alice Baker, 22 years old, grew up in Lawreyville and currently lives in Ashbypond in the same building as the D&M Detective Agency. She’s...” Helsing stopped as the sound of a machine could be heard from the restaurant.

“Why the fuck is the elevator coming down here?!” Frankenstein yelled. He’d just locked the donkey in one of the cages. The two criminals hurried over to the elevator, both grabbing a syringe.

Mika and Alice tried to see what was going on, but it was hard from where they were.

Slowly, the door of the elevator opened. To the surprise of the two people, dressed in protective clothing, the elevator was empty.

“There’s no one in here,” Frankenstein said, while stepping inside.

“How would it even move? The option of this floor is hidden in the code.”

“I know! The only way would be if someone hack…” Frankenstein turned around. The door was closing. He tried to get out, but it was too late.

“Helsing, open the damn thing! I left my remote in the lab.” Frankenstein started banging against the door.

Helsing didn’t answer. They didn’t even attempt to open the door.

Surprisingly calm, they walked off, further into the restaurant, out of the sight of their prisoners.

Not long after, a small sliding door in the wall opened up. Behind it was a dumbwaiter. Amy carefully climbed out of it, just for Helsing to hold the cold point of a syringe to her neck.

“And that makes four. I have to congratulate you on your clever plan. Using the elevator as a trap, very creative.”

“Well, seems like it doesn’t matter. I couldn’t trap you, Penny.”

“Wow, so you realized it was me?”

“How wouldn’t I, your… your perfume gi-gives you away.” Amy started coughing after inhaling the air.

“Fair point. I have to somehow disguise the stench of this place. Believe me, you’ll stink for days after this.”

Amy looked around the room.

“How about you go over there to your friends? And grab a mask for you and Xavier, while you’re at it.” Penny pulled out two medical masks from a fanny pack and handed them to Amy. She then quickly grabbed Amy’s phone, poking out of her pocket.

Alice watched as Amy walked over to them. Mika, on the other hand, was busy in the back of the cage. There seemed to be a quiet squeaking sound coming from the back of the cage.

“You know, I had expected for Takaya to get the D&M Detective Agency involved. But I was really surprised when you showed up here on your own.”

“How so?” Amy asked.

“Well, I had assumed Xavier and Alice would be invested in the case too.”

“So, you already knew about me before this case,” Alice realized.

“I can’t hide it. I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while now.”

Penny opened the cage and let Amy in.

“Did you cause the blackout on purpose, or was it caused by your experiments?” Alice asked while Penny was locking the door.

“So you made that connection, too. You’re definitely promising investigators. The blackout was a fortunate side effect. The machine used for the timeline travel had never been used for that many objects at the same time. It led to the entire electrical grid being knocked out. It is being transported to a different, more stable facility, as we speak. Well, maybe not right now. It’s the middle of the night after all.”

“But why? Why all of these experiments and why bring these animals here?” Amy asked.

“Good, always ask questions. It’s the most important part of being an investigator. Well, to answer your question, my employers were involved in covering up the horrible construction errors of this place.”

“I assume you’re talking about an organized crime syndicate. That’s also why all these small businesses were hired. I’m sure they are also employed by your higher-ups, right?”

“You really know your stuff. Yes, that way they can prevent anyone from finding out about this place. And they can squeeze money out of the zoo, just because they were too cheap to actually fill this place up with concrete.”

“But why the experiments?” Alice asked.

“A few months ago, someone had noticed the spores down here. My employers wanted to find out if they could be weaponized. That’s why they hired Frankenstein. But he didn’t deliver satisfying results, so they decided to help him out by using their tech to transport some affected subjects here, from another timeline, where the effects of the spores had been much more severe.”

Penny pulled out a gun and aimed it at Alice. “I’m sure you know that I can’t let you go, after I’ve told you all of this.”

“Put the stupid thing down, we both know you never carry an actual gun.” Xavier was slowly getting up.

“Come on, just let me have some fun. I need to see how these new characters react to danger,” Penny answered while tossing the gun aside.

“Since when do you work for organized crime, Paradox? I always considered you an independent nuisance.”

“You know, I really missed this thing. It’s been so boring with you not solving any cases for half a year. Did the show go on hiatus or something?” Penny, or rather Paradox, asked.

“Wait, this is your archnemesis?” Alice asked, surprised.

“You told your new friends about me? I’m flattered.”

“Yeah, this is Paradox. Although I was hoping not to see them again.”

Xavier turned to Paradox. “Why did you decide to show up again? This doesn’t seem like your style.”

“I just thought it was about time I showed up in another episode. I’m sure the fans missed our dynamic. What can I say, I’m a fan favorite.”

“What the fuck are they talking about?” Alice asked.

“Just ignore it. They think we’re part of some kind of TV show.”

“Exactly, The Adventures of D&M. I’m sure the fans appreciated that title drop.” Paradox turned to an imaginary camera, giving it a wink, which was hidden behind the mask.

“Has anyone ever told you that no one knows what you’re talking about?” Xavier asked.

“You have. But that doesn’t matter. Did you recognize the melody by the way?”

“I did. Are you running out of ideas? That’s the same one you used in our last case.”

“Well, I thought about it and realized that every good villain has their own theme. Do you like it?”

“Paradox, I really don’t want to deal with your bullshit right now. Just let us out of here and do another one of your grand escapes.”

“I can’t do that, I’m the villain. Plus, I really want to see more of your new team. It’s a daring choice to make such a large change in the dynamics of the main cast. Switching from a duo to an entire team.”

“How can you act like this, after you killed an innocent man?!” Amy asked angrily.

“What do you mean? I never kill.”

“They’re right, they might be an obnoxious criminal, but not a murderer,” Xavier said.

“They work on a bioweapon, wouldn’t that lead to countless deaths?” Alice pointed out.

“Knowing Paradox, there is more to this. They stick to their moral code.”

“That is true. The audience would not like it if my character murdered someone. It would be a betrayal of the established canon.”

“Tell that to Cody, you psychopath!”

“Hang on, I have to get to the bottom of this.” Paradox pulled out a remote and opened the elevator.

“Finally, took you long enough.” Frankenstein angrily walked up to the cages.

“Frankenstein, what happened to that guard?” Paradox awaited his answer.

“What do you mean? I told you already, he’s locked in the shed.”

“That’s a lie! The shed was open, and Cody was dead!”

“Did you kill the guard?” Paradox asked, sounding like an upset parent.

“Okay, listen, when I was in the shed, he surprised me and Shrek. The donkey went nuts and bit him. The saliva of all of the infected subjects is venomous. The guy was dead in an instant,” Frankenstein tried to calm Paradox down.

“That’s absolute horseshit! The venom isn’t powerful enough for that,” Alice said.

“What do you know about my subjects? You have no idea how their venom works.”

“I’m living proof. I was bitten over 24 hours ago, and I’m still kicking.” Alice took off her glove and showed her wound to the two criminals.

“Interesting, you wouldn’t possibly have used one of your lethal injections on the guard, would you?” Paradox asked in a hauntingly calm tone.

Frankenstein didn’t answer. He just looked at his belt. One of the syringes on his right was empty.

“I wonder what the higher-ups will think when I tell them that you were selling your research data behind their backs. As far as I know, the Red Eye doesn't take kindly to traitors.”

“What?! That’s not true! I didn't do any of that!” Frankenstein said, confused.

“Who do you think they’ll trust, you or me?” Paradox pulled out their phone.

“You damn rat!” Frankenstein pulled out one of the syringes. He angrily lunged forward, trying to jab Paradox with it.

They dodged, trying to grab one of their own syringes, but they were hindered by the repeated attacks.

“Go get him, Lupin!” Mika threw a small piece of meat, which they had torn off the dead penguin, in the direction of Frankenstein.

Everyone watched as the small monkey, that had been sitting behind the cage, quickly climbed up the bars, jumped forward, and landed on Frankenstein’s head.

“Get off of me, you stupid worm!”

The small animal started pulling on Frankenstein’s head. The other animals in their cages started screaming, as if they were cheering the small monkey on.

Mika’s quick thinking and the monkey’s direct attack gave Paradox the opportunity to jab Frankenstein in the neck.

“Nighty night.”

Frankenstein quickly fell to the floor, losing consciousness.

“Great job, Lupin!” The monkey jumped through the bars and landed in Mika’s arms.

“Lupin?” Alice repeated.

“Like the gentleman thief,” Mika explained.

“A great name. I’m impressed, you were not only brave enough to tame him, but you successfully pulled it off,” Paradox said, impressed.

“Well, typically, whenever criminals use animals for their schemes, they are defeated by the investigators teaming up with the animals,” Mika explained.

“An interesting approach. What’s your name?”

“Mika Banda. I’m a junior investigator.”

“I’m looking forward to facing off against you, Mika. But for now, I have to say my goodbyes.”

“What, you can’t just leave us here!” Amy said.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll call the police. And an ambulance for Alice.” Paradox calmly dragged Frankenstein into the last empty cage. After locking it, they put the key on one of the desks.

“Paradox, you know more about these spirals, right? Please tell me, what happened to…”

“Sorry, no can do,” Paradox stopped Xavier in the middle of his sentence.

“I can’t reveal my hand yet. I’ll wait for the season to finally. But now I have to make my grand escape. Till next time.” Paradox bowed and calmly walked to the elevator. Amy tried to stop it from going up, using her phone that was still connected to the controls, but Paradox had put it on a table, out of reach.

But as expected, they held up their promise, and not long after they had left, the police showed up.

Inspector Wilson was carrying the remote that Paradox had left in front of the elevator. He couldn’t stop shaking his head while the officers let the four investigators out.

Monday, May 27, 9:20 am: Hospital, Coleson

While Xavier and Amy were brought into the police station to report the events in detail to the inspector, Alice had been brought to the hospital.

As she slowly opened her eyes in the morning, she saw Mika. They were sitting on a chair next to her bed and had fallen asleep at some point, exhausted from the eventful night.

Somebody knocked on the door, and Ralph entered. He grabbed a chair and pulled it closer to the bed.

“Does it really take this much for you to go to a doctor?” he asked quietly, so as not to wake up Mika.

“I came to see you, didn’t I? I trust your word much more than that of any doctor.”

“Yet you still wouldn’t listen to me,” Ralph answered, smiling.

“I said I trust you more than a doctor. That doesn’t mean I actually follow your advice.”

Ralph shook his head.

“Did you do what I asked of you?”

“I did. The monkey is at my apartment.”

“Thanks. Mika seems pretty attached to the little monkey. I couldn’t let them take him away from them.”

“What happened to the other animals? And what about Teddy?” Ralph asked.

“I assume the animals are in some facility to research their disease and Teddy is still in the hospital. Quarantined, as far as I know.”

“Hopefully they’ll find a cure,” Ralph said, leaning back in his chair.

“They were at least able to heal my arm. I have hope for Teddy and the animals.”

Ralph nodded and looked over at Mika. “So, they now know that you’re from a different timeline?”

Alice nodded.

“How did they take it?”

“Well, they were a little upset that I hadn’t told them, but they seem to understand why I did. Besides that, they took it surprisingly well.”

“I guess to them, most things don’t seem strange. Considering what environment they were raised in.”

Ralph stayed with Alice for a while, eventually leaving with Mika to go check in on Lupin.

Monday, May 27, 11:30 am, D&M Detective Agency, Ashbypond

Amy was still fast asleep. She’d been up until the early morning, answering the police’s questions and trying to process what had happened.

Xavier, on the other hand, was sitting in his office, across from Mr. Masuda. He hadn’t said anything since his client had gotten there.

“Thanks for inviting me here. I have to thank you for a job well done. I heard some of what happened. God, I wish I hadn’t put you in so much danger,” Mr. Masuda said.

“No problem. Danger is part of the job.”

“How is Alice doing? I heard she was injured.”

“I’ll go visit her this afternoon. I already spoke to her on the phone. She’s doing fine. She’s tough. She’ll recover quickly.”

“That’s good to hear. So, have you heard anything about the criminals?” Mr. Masuda asked.

“Well, like I told you, our friend has managed to evade capture once more,” Xavier said.

“Yes, you mentioned that before. It does seem like Paradox sticks to their principles at least.”

“Yes, well, they did condemn their colleague for murdering Mr. Davis, which apparently had some unintended consequences.”

“How so?”

“I just got news from Toby. Having failed the Red Eye must be such a terrifying fate that it was enough for Frankenstein to end his own life.”

“Jesus!”

“Yeah. Apparently, he managed to grab a cop’s gun and shot himself in the head. Which leads me to wonder…”

“Why would Paradox associate with such a terrifying group?” Mr. Masuda finished Xavier’s train of thought.

“Exactly. Well, I guess we’ll see.”

“At the zoo, they’re already looking into the sketchy construction history. The current boss has already made a statement. He’s currently under investigation by the police. He swears he didn’t know anything about the doings of the criminals. He wants to fill in the aquarium with cement to stop the spores from doing more damage, once the investigation is over.”

“Let’s hope that’s the truth this time.”

“That’s fair. I’ll try to keep an eye on the events. But I guess that puts an end to the case, right?” Mr. Masuda said, relieved.

“More or less. There are still some loose ends, but for now, we can close this case.”

“Good.”

“But I actually called you here for something else,” Xavier said with a trembling voice. He slowly got up.

“Really, is something wrong?” Mr. Masuda asked, concerned.

Xavier walked over to the door of the unused bedroom. He slowly put his hand on the handle.

“I haven’t been in this room since he’d disappeared. I couldn’t bring myself to face it.”

Dust flew up in the air as the door slowly opened. Mr. Masuda followed Xavier into the room.

Everything was covered in a thin layer of dust. Besides the double bed were a closet, a desk, and some shelves in the room. The shelves were lined with dinosaur models and books. They mainly covered the subjects of mystery, zoology, and especially paleontology. Everything was carefully arranged and ordered.

Mr. Masuda sat on the bed as he looked around the room, overcome with emotions.

Xavier walked to the desk and grabbed a stack of papers.

“Before he disappeared, Natsu was working on a book. It was meant to be a mystery story focused on two dinosaurs who worked as investigators.”

“He always loved dinosaurs. I’m surprised he didn’t become a paleontologist,” Mr. Masuda said, smiling, but with a look of sadness in his eyes.

“No matter what he was interested in, dinosaurs never left his mind. This entire stack of paper is just dedicated to worldbuilding for his book. He never got around to writing it, because he’d always come up with new ideas.”

“That sounds like him.”

“I think you should have it.” Xavier held out the stack of papers.

“Are you sure?!”

Xavier nodded. “I just let everything in here gather dust because I couldn’t face my own emotions. I couldn’t handle being reminded of him. You actually treated him with respect after he disappeared. You were right. He wouldn’t want his absence to break us. He’d want us to live on and always remember him fondly.”

“We all mourn in our own way, Xavier.”

“Ha, just that my way of mourning is treating everyone around me like shit and running away from my emotions.”

“You think I never want to run away from it all. You think I’m not mad at myself because I couldn’t protect my son? It’s normal, but you can’t let these emotions define who you are. I felt the same as you when I lost my wife. That taught me how to better process this sadness.”

Xavier formed his hands into fists. His head hung low, and tears ran down his face. “I-I don’t want… I can’t accept that he’s dead. I don’t th-think I could handle the p-pain. Just thinking about him m-makes my chest ache like it is ab-bout to burst open.”

“Sit down,” Mr. Masuda said in a comforting tone. He gestured to the spot next to him on the bed.

Xavier sat down, and Mr. Masuda put his arm around Xavier’s shoulders.

“It’s important to let yourself experience that pain. If you keep it all inside you, it will only get worse. And if you don’t think you can handle the pain, you always have people around you. You’re no longer the lonely child you were when I first saw you. You have so many friends now. Ralph, Amy, Alice, Mika, Inspector Wilson, me, and so many more.”

“Thank you, Takaya,” Xavier said, tears rolling down his face.

“No problem, Xavier.”

They stayed in the room for some more time. Neither of them said a word, but somehow it seemed like they could understand each other better than ever before.

And that concludes another case. But like many other cases, there are still unanswered questions, and I hope you will join me to answer these questions eventually.

As for the next case I’ll be telling you about, let me just say, get your diving gear ready, as the next case takes our investigators out on the open sea.