I’ve talked about the concept of omnipotence before in this book. Or rather, I wrote about it.

What I didn’t touch upon back then was the power that humans can actually hold. People can’t be omnipotent, but they can be very powerful. The power one human has over another can come in many different shapes and sizes.

Politicians and the richest people get to dictate and make important decisions that affect everyone. Celebrities have an influence on their fans, getting them to buy products, spend their time thinking about their idol, or even change their beliefs to fit those of the celebrities. I mean, we even call online celebrities influencers.

But power can also come in much smaller sizes, not impacting thousands but only a few people instead.

Parents hold a lot of power over their children, especially when they are young and impressionable. A similar thing goes for teachers. They don’t necessarily have the same effect as parents, but they still hold a lot of power, even some that parents might not.

Now, someone being powerful or even more powerful than others isn’t a bad thing in theory. It all comes down to how you use it.

Having people make decisions for a country isn’t a bad thing if they use it for the good of the people, such as maintaining public properties like parks and roads, strengthening the education system, or supporting people in need.

But if people with this much power use it to start public witch hunts of innocent people or bomb other countries, all just to distract the public from the fact that the country's economy is falling apart, that’s when we should absolutely question if these people should have such power.

Sometimes, though, power can be abused, or rather misused, not out of malice but sheer incompetence.

When I was in high school, I had a teacher who was loved by seemingly all her students. She acted like she was friends with the students, going off on long tangents to tell stories of her travels or her home life. No one in the class learned a word of Spanish in class, despite that being her job.

Clearly, instead of using the power given to her to teach us something, she just ignored her job to the detriment of those at her mercy.

But in this example, there is actually another layer. One day, a student actually called her out, telling her to do her job. The class’s grades were crap because of her lack of teaching, after all. In that moment, a fascinating change happened. Seemingly becoming fully aware of her power, she sent the student to the principal’s office. And from that point on, while she acted friendly and down-to-earth to the others, she kept picking on that student. Which brings us back to misuse with malicious intent.

As I said, in theory, people being powerful isn’t a bad thing. But I believe that every human is susceptible to getting corrupted by power. It just varies in how much it takes.

Thinking about it makes me question whether religious people might have a point. After all, if people will always be corrupted by power, maybe it takes something beyond humans to harness this power and responsibility without getting corrupted by it.

But why am I talking about this? Well, as always, my rambling connects to the case I want to tell you about. And this case is no different, as I want to tell you about the case of the D&M Detective Agency’s most powerful client.

Case #61: Prehistoric Conspiracy

Friday, July 12, 1:20 pm: D&M Detective Agency, Ashbypond

The office of the agency was filled with loud yelling and the sounds coming from the TV.

“This is unfair, you two are way better at this game!” Xavier said, while giving his best to keep Little Mac from falling off the stage. The three housemates were spending the afternoon playing Super Smash Bros.

“Tough shit. We’re simply better than you in every game,” Alice said tauntingly.

“She does have a point,” Amy said as she was firing a barrage of bullets with Bayonetta, keeping both her opponents away.

“Even Mika managed to kick your ass in Guilty Gear, and they can barely hold the controller when they get excited,” Alice said, lining up for another attack.

“I maintain my point that it is absurd that a yo-yo can do that much damage. If the game were more realistic, I would have won.”

“You have a problem with the yo-yo’s damage output, but not with the demon teddy?” Amy asked.

“I can show you how much damage a yo-yo can do. Give me one and I’ll strangle or bludgeon you to death. I’m sure you have one in your backpack,” Alice said.

“I do have one, but I won’t give it to you,” Xavier said, desperately trying not to lose.

“Just admit that you’re bad at video games,” Amy said, smirking.

“Well, I’m better at real games.”

“Like what?” Alice said, as she easily dropkicked Xavier’s character off the stage with Bowser.

“Like chess,” Xavier answered as he frustratedly put down his controller.

“No way, Amy got you beat in that.”

“Monopoly.”

“Nope, Alice robbed you blind last time we played,” Amy said, not taking her eyes off the screen.

“What about Clue?”

“No one beats Mika at that,” Alice said while setting the stage ablaze.

“That’s not fair, they’re not even here!”

“Siblings share, so their powers get passed onto me when they're not present,” Alice explained.

Just as Amy and Alice were crashing into each other, the doorbell rang.

“Bam! I win!” Alice yelled.

“No fair, the bell distracted me! I demand a rematch.”

“You do that, I’ll go check who’s at the door.” Xavier got up and walked downstairs.

Outside stood a woman. She was a little younger than Xavier, wore glasses, and had blonde hair with some purple streaks. Her baggy clothes bore the emblem of a school club.

“Hey, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here, Angie?” Xavier said with a smile on his face.

“I didn’t think you still remembered me.”

“Of course, I still remember you. I never forget a client. And it hasn’t been that long since we solved your case.”

“It’s been well over a year.”

“See, not that long. Come inside. Can I offer you anything, tea, water, coffee, juice…”

“A water will do, thanks.”

“Who was it?” Alice asked as the two walked in, her eyes glued to the screen.

“Hi, I’m Angie.”

Alice paused the game and turned around. Amy got up and shook Angie’s hand.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Amy.”

“I’m Alice.” She didn’t bother to get up, assuming the others were about to sit down anyway.

“I think I’ve seen that logo before,” Amy said, pointing to the emblem on Angie’s clothes, while taking a seat next to Alice.

“It’s the emblem of the Laws and Fiction Club.”

“What kind of club is that?” Alice asked.

“It’s a club at Corbin University. We analyze fictional stories through the lens of real-world laws.”

“Oh yeah, you upload some of your discussions online as a podcast. I think I’ve seen some of your Ace Attorney episodes.”

“Yes, we’ve been doing that for some time now. The club is really just a fun way to practice for law students.”

“I might have to write that down. What did you say the club was called?” Alice asked while getting her phone out.

“Wow, I was expecting you to make fun of it for being so nerdy,” Amy said.

“Why would I say that? This sounds like something Mika would enjoy.”

“Which inherently makes it not nerdy?” Xavier asked, coming over from the kitchen.

“Nope.”

“Mika’s like the nerdiest person I’ve ever met,” Amy pointed out.

“You take that back!”

“Why? Not like it’s an insult,” Xavier said, putting down a glass of water next to his cup of tea. As always, it was a flavor from his vast collection of teas he’s assembled over the years. This time it was a cup of chocolate tea. Which I didn’t even know existed.

“See, nerdiness is inherently uncool. And Mika is really cool, so nothing they like can be nerdy.”

“I don’t think you’re logic checks out there, buddy,” Amy said, taking a sip of her tea. She’d let herself be convinced to try one of Xavier’s more unusual teas. In her case, it was pancake tea. I frankly can’t decide if it is more normal or stranger than Alice’s cannabis tea.

“Plus, I won’t let anyone with an anime figure collection tell me anything about how uncool nerdy interests are,” Amy added.

“My collection isn’t that big.”

“You’ve been here for like 6 months, and you already have about 20 of them.”

“Absolutely not! It’s no more than 18,” Alice protested.

Angie looked back and forth between the two. “Is this how they normally act or not?”

“Yep, that’s most days they spend together,” Xavier said, taking another sip.

Amy and Alice finally snapped out of their argument and turned their heads to Angie.

“So, who’s this?” Alice asked. “Another ex of yours?”

“Why are you saying it like you regularly meet any of my exes? You’ve only met Ryleigh.”

“And Natsu,” Alice added.

“He’s not my ex! We’re still together, you dumbass!”

“Geez, sorry.”

“Anyway,” Xavier said, composing himself again. “Angie is one of my previous clients. Natsu and I had to go undercover in her private university to figure out the truth behind some strange occurrences.”

“You two really helped me back then.”

“Don’t sweat it. It’s actually one of my favorite cases I’ve worked on.”

“And what brings you here? Is there another case you need us to solve?” Alice asked.

“So you two are part of the agency?” Angie asked, surprised.

“Just her. I just live here,” Amy clarified.

“But she is a trusted advisor of the agency,” Xavier added.

“In that case, I guess I can talk about it in front of them. I came here because I need help with a case. And knowing how reliable your agency is, I wanted to ask you to take it.”

“Sure. What kind of case? Another secret part of your school’s history? Or are some students being terrorized by paranormal occurrences?”

“No, it actually has nothing to do with the school. It’s much more personal.” Angie looked worried as she said this.

“Seems like it has really taken a toll on you. What happened?” Xavier asked, taking the last sip of his tea.

“That’s the thing, it hasn’t happened yet.”

“What do you mean, it hasn’t happened yet?” Alice asked. “Clearly, something happened that got you upset.”

“Xavier, I assume you know who my father is, right?”

“Sure, Scent isn’t the most common last name.”

“Wait, don’t tell me you’re the daughter of Richard Scent!” Alice said, surprised.

“Yes, although, like most of his children, I barely have any contact with him. Only occasionally, I stop by to check in on my little brother. That’s when I found this.” Angie pulled a note out of her pocket and gave it to Xavier.

The note read, “Accept the deal, or we’ll make your family go extinct.”

“What the fuck!” Alice let out. While the others were focused on the text, she was much more interested in the bottom of the note. Instead of a signature, there was a red stamp in the shape of an eye.

“You don’t think…?” Alice asked.

“Seems like it. Maybe we can finally find out more about the Red Eye.”

“I don’t understand. You know who wrote this note?” Angie asked.

“We know little about them. What we know is they are a criminal organization that has at least some power over parts of law enforcement,” Xavier explained.

“What kind of deal do they want with him?” Amy asked.

“He’s one of the richest people in the world. I know many things they could want from him,” Alice pointed out.

“That’s true. I asked him, but he simply shrugged it off. Truth is, this note clearly is a death threat, and I think I know when the assassination attempt will take place.”

“You do?!” Amy said in surprise.

“I was thinking about the specific wording used in the note. Extinct seems a bit weird, doesn’t it?”

Xavier nodded and waited for her to elaborate.

“Well, tomorrow, a new dinosaur-themed amusement park attraction is opening its doors. And Richard organized for him and my brother to be the first to ride it.”

“I can definitely see the connection between dinosaurs and extinction,” Alice agreed.

“But can’t he just skip the event?” Amy asked.

“You’ve clearly never met Richard. I told him the same thing, and he refused to change his plans.”

“What a piece of shit! He’s putting himself and more importantly, his son, in danger for a day at an amusement park?” Alice said angrily.

“He might have a point. Think about it. This way, he at least knows where to expect the attack. I don’t think they’ll just stop trying to kill him if he didn’t show up at the event. And next time they might not be considered enough to give him a heads up,” Xavier explained.

“Is he taking any special precautions?” Amy asked.

“No.”

“Wait, what?!” the three said at the same time.

“He says his bodyguards are enough. He hired two pro wrestlers to protect him.”

“What are they gonna do, wrestle the assassin’s bullets to the ground?” Alice asked, outraged.

“Fair point, the security is clearly lacking. But we can also not ignore the other possibilities. Assassinations can come in many different ways,” Xavier said while tapping against his forehead.

“But what can we even do? I feel like this is a job for the police,” Alice said.

“Does that mean you don’t want to give it a shot?” Xavier asked.

“Hell no! A kid might get assassinated if we don’t do something about it.”

“So you’ll take the case?”

“Of course. Say, the theme park you’re talking about wouldn’t happen to be Time’s Gate?” Xavier asked.

“How did you know?” Angie asked, surprised.

“Well, it’s nearby and I went to that park a few times when I was younger. Natsu and his father took me there. He was actually waiting for this ride to reopen, so I was already aware of the ride. It already existed back when we went, but they did a complete overhaul. He’s a massive dinosaur fan, so that ride was his favorite.”

“I read an article about it recently. Isn’t the ride about shooting dinosaurs with laser pistols to get the most points? That sounds like a dinosaur lover’s worst nightmare,” Amy said.

“He’d always pretend that his gun was actually a food blaster, so instead of killing, he was feeding them.” A smile crossed Xavier’s face.

“So, what’s the plan?” Alice asked.

“I’d say we go talk to Dick first. Afterward, we should check out the ride itself,” Xavier suggested.

“Sounds like a plan.” Alice got up to get ready.

“Good luck with your case,” Amy said, while turning off the console.

“What do you mean? Aren’t you coming?” Xavier asked.

“I’m not an investigator.”

“But you’ve helped us before,” Alice said.

“I think it’s best if I don’t get involved. I would probably just mess it up.”

“Why do you think that?” Xavier asked, baffled.

“Because I’m not an investigator. How can I make this any clearer?”

“Don’t bother, she’s been this way for the last few cases,” Alice said.

“Fine, but just so you know, you’ve been a great help in every case you worked on.”

The three left the house and drove off in Angie’s car.

Friday, July 12, 1:45 pm: D&M Detective Agency, Ashbypond

Amy had just closed the door behind her and was about to go back to her room when someone rang the doorbell.

“Did you forget something?” Amy asked while opening the door.

“Hello, is this the D&M Detective Agency?” the young person outside the door asked. She wore her brown hair in a ponytail and had a friendly smile on their face. Despite the warm weather, they were wearing a bright red trench coat with multiple large pockets sewn on. A pin was attached to it, decorated in stripes of pink, white, and two different shades of grey, with “She/They” written on it.

Amy looked at her, confused. “Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

“Probably the people that just left,” the stranger guessed.

“Yeah, exactly. But to answer your question, yes, this is the agency, but you just missed the investigators.”

“So you’re not one of them?” they asked, surprised.

“No, I just live here.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you Amy Baker? You fit the description I was given.”

“Who did you talk to about me?” Amy asked, confused.

“So you are Amy. Great! Oh, I totally forgot, I am Laura Baudelaire.”

“Nice to meet you, Mx. Baudelaire, but my question still stands. Who told you about me?”

“Oh, please, Laura will do. No need for formalities. And to answer your question, I called the police, and they referred me to this agency. I believe the officer I talked to works under Inspector Wilson, who I was told had worked with the agency previously.”

“Yes, Inspector Wilson is a frequent collaborator of the agency. But, like I told you, sadly, the investigators have just left for a case. I have no idea how long they will be gone, but I can leave a message for you. Or you can just call them.”

“No, that won’t do. The situation is urgent. Can’t you take on the case? I was told you helped with other investigations before.”

“Sorry, I stay away from that stuff.” Amy was about to close the door when Laura stepped closer.

“Please, I might never see my bird again if you don’t help me!”

“What happened to your bird?”

“He was stolen. My poor little pal was kidnapped,” Laura made a dramatic gesture.

“Please, I don’t know what I will do if something happens to him! You’re my last hope.” They came closer to Amy and stared deep into her eyes. They were close to tears.

“O-okay, I guess I can try to help you,” Amy said, starting to blush from how close Laura was to her face.

“Really?! Thank you so much!” She excitedly hugged Amy.

“I have to ask you some questions to get a better understanding of the situation.”

“Of course. We can do that at my place.”

“Great. But just so you know, I can’t guarantee anything. I’m not an investigator, after all.”

“I understand. But I’m sure you’ll do great.”

Friday, July 12, 2:15 pm: Scent Tower, Coleson

Xavier and Alice stared up at the massive high-rise. It was the tallest building in Coleson, closely beating out its competition by three feet, thanks to a solid block of concrete that doesn’t seem to serve any purpose besides adding some extra height.

“Someone’s clearly compensating for something,” Alice said, scoffing at the oversized statement piece. It seemed to combine a modern approach with mostly blank, white surfaces with fancy, old-school details made of gold, resulting in a disjointed, messy look.

As they entered the lobby of the apartment building, they gazed upon a giant screen displaying a picture of Richard Scent. An image that was screaming of a midlife crisis.

The other screens scattered across the room switched between Mr. Scent’s social media posts and ads for his different products, like his train company, space program, bear brand, and his exploding hammers, which were known to be less than up to code.

“Richard lives in the penthouse. Over there is the elevator,” Angie said, while pointing next to the reception.

Xavier and she walked over, while Alice was still staring at one of the screens. It had just switched to an image of Richard Scent as he was trying to look cool by holding a gun in front of his crotch. Alice let out an exhausted groan. “What a fucking prick.”

“You’re not a fan?” a sing-songy voice behind her asked. To Alice, it came across as overly friendly. The strong smell entering her nose only added to her irritation. It must have been some sort of blueberry pie-scented perfume.

Alice turned around to see a woman who could only be described as the amalgamation of every housewife from a fifties sitcom.

“What?” Alice asked, trying to ignore the scent that was somehow both comforting and unnerving.

“I’m sorry, hon, I didn’t mean to catch you off guard,” the woman said in a strong southern accent. “I’d just overheard you talking about the picture to yourself. And I have to agree with you.”

“You think he’s a prick, too?” Alice asked, chuckling to herself, imagining the woman using such a word.

“Well, I wouldn’t use such colorful language, but I do agree that he seems quite unlikable.”

“Agreed.”

“Oh, sweety, what happened to your face?” the woman asked, dropping her smile. She reached for Alice’s face to feel her scar, but Alice took a step back before she could.

“That’s none of you’re business. I don’t even know you,” Alice said, getting defensive.

“My bad, I didn’t mean to upset you. But if it’s my name you want, you can call me Nemo.”

“Like the fish?” Alice asked, confused.

Nemo started laughing. “I, that too, I guess. But I personally prefer the comparison to the Jules Verne character Captain Nemo.”

“Is that the guy who hunts Moby Dick?”

Nemo had just calmed down and started laughing all over again. “No, sweety, what do they teach you in school these days?”

“I mostly skimmed the books we had to read in school.”

“It doesn’t matter. My name is Dagmar Nemo, but Nemo’s just fine, hon.”

Alice nodded, looking around for the others. “Well, it was great to make your acquaintance, but I have to go now.”

“The pleasure was all mine, …” She ended with a pause, clearly waiting for Alice to say her name, but Alice had already run off.

“Where were you?” Xavier asked while pressing the button to call the elevator. The three waited for it to come, staring at the number on the digital display above the door.

“I was just looking at some of Dick’s awful posts.”

“Why? Did you see anything you like?” Xavier asked jokingly.

“Yeah, I was thinking about getting one of those exploding hammers. You know, as an upgrade from my crowbar.”

“Nothing stealthier than that, I’m sure.” He looked over at Angie. “Do you know what the schedule is for tomorrow?”

“You mean for the grand opening? I only know a rough outline. Richard and my brother will get there around 11 am. They’ll eat dinner backstage, and at 1 pm, the ceremony will start with a speech from the park owner, followed by Richard and my brother taking the first ride.”

With a loud bell sound, the elevator door opened, and the three stepped inside.

“How will the two get there?” Alice asked.

“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Richard. But I assume he’s planning to ride in a limousine. He recently bought up a limousine rental company, so he probably wants to show that off.”

“Makes sense,” Xavier said.

“That can come with a whole host of problems. If the assassins know what car he’ll take, they can use that to their advantage. They could tamper with it beforehand, crash into it, or snipe the passengers JFK-style. And that’s just a few possibilities.”
“Alice is right, we should be prepared to change parts of the schedule to throw off any plans the attackers might have prepared. But in the end, every possibility has its own shortcomings.”

“You know, this actually reminds me of a story Mika told me about recently. They’ve been branching out by doing research on actual crimes and investigators.”

“By listening to true crime podcasts?” Xavier asked.

“Don’t bring those up in the presence of Mika. They hate those. No, they’re mostly interested in historical cases. You know, Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac Killer, the Pinkerton Detective Agency, and so on.”

“Does Mika do anything not related to crime and mysteries?” Xavier asked, watching the number on the display go up.

“Of course. They help out in the store, and they recently started learning to skateboard. Granted, they got interested in skateboarding because of Detective Conan, but that doesn’t matter. Oh, and we’ve been playing poker online. Another game I’m better at than you, by the way,” Alice said teasingly.

“I’ll think of a game I’m better at than you, I swear.”

Finally, the elevator came to a halt, and the doors opened.

“Angie!” A little boy called out happily. He had been waiting in front of the door.

“Terry, have you been waiting for me?” She hugged the kid. He wore a baseball cap that barely contained his spikey, blonde hair. On his shirt was a picture of a Velociraptor. To be exact, it was the depiction common in pop culture as seen in Jurassic Park, and not biologically accurate in the slightest. A lot of people don’t know this, but Jurassic Park’s depiction of this dinosaur is actually horribly inaccurate. The real ones were actually way tinier.

“Yes, I waited to show you the new toy I got. It’s my favorite dinosaur!” The kid excitedly held out a plastic dinosaur with a distinctively bony head.

“What kind is it?” Alice asked in a friendly tone.

“Come on, that’s obviously a Pachycephalosaurus,” Xavier said.

“You know my favorite dinosaur?!”

“I know someone who’s obsessed with all dinosaurs. I’m sure you’d get along greatly with him.”

“Isn’t every boy’s favorite dinosaur the T. rex?” A man entered the room. It was clearly Richard Scent, as seen in the lobby, even though most of the pictures had obviously been edited to make him seem younger and more muscular.

The middle-aged man wore his cap backward, trying to hide his receding hairline. All his clothes were branded with different companies he owned. The look he was going for screamed of a midlife crisis.

“Who did you bring in here?”

“They’re the investigators I told you about. I asked them to help with the situation we talked about.”

“Who?”

“You know, the agency that solved the case at Corbin University.”

“I thought that guy’s sidekick was a dude, not some ugly chick.”

“Have you checked a mirror recently, Prince Repulsive?” Alice asked. “You look like the bastard child of Vanilla Ice and Marky Mark after a week-long bender.”

“Also, can I just point out, Natsu isn’t my sidekick. We’re equally high-ranked,” Xavier said.

Mr. Scent rolled his eyes. “Sensitive much.” He turned to Angie. “Come on, I already told you, I’ll be fine. I got the best security. And what can some randos even do to help me?”

“I assure you, you won’t regret asking for our help. I promise we’re fully invested in the well-being of you and your family,” Xavier explained.

“Pah, ask for your help? I would never. My stupid daughter was the one who wanted to get you involved, not me.”

“Which one of the many daughters that have already cut contact with you?” Alice asked teasingly, before getting jabbed in the side by Xavier, so she would stop angering the potential client.

“Is something wrong? Why do we need investigators?” Terry asked.

“Everything is fine, Terrynator,” Mr. Scent answered.

“How about you go play in your room? I’ll play with you later,” Angie said calmly, trying to get her brother to leave the room.

“Okay. I’ll prepare the dinosaurs.”

Terry left as Alice and Xavier stared at Mr. Scent.

“You named your kid Terrynator?” Alice asked in disbelief.

“Yup, I named him after the cartoon from the ‘80s. You Zoomers probably don’t even know it. It cost me a good amount to get around the licensing rights of the name. Do you want to know what Angelina is named after?”

“They don’t need to know,” Angie said, shaking her head.

“She’s named after Angelina Joy, the hottest actress. Well, at least when my daughter was born. Now she’s all used up.”

“I honestly don’t know how to respond to that,” Alice said. “Like, there’s so much wrong with what you just said, I can’t even comment on it.”

In case you aren’t up to date on your celebrity trivia, don’t worry. I had to look her up as well, which made me realize how questionable this comment was, as she was 37 when he said this, and from what I can tell, there was nothing wrong with the way she looks even now. I’m also choosing to ignore the gross implication of the comment, considering Angelina was only 17 when Angie was born.

“Maybe it’s best if we just stick to the reason why we’re here,” Xavier suggested.

“As I said, I don’t need your help.”

“Richard, you received a death threat! And it wasn’t just directed at you!” Angie said angrily.

“What even is this deal that the note mentions?” Xavier asked.

“If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.”

“What?!” Alice let out.

“Just kidding. I was recently approached about sending a satellite made by an unknown company into space.”

“I understand. It’s very reasonable not to accept that. This satellite could be used to spy on people or control weaponry. It could have tragic consequences if some sketchy group has such a tool,” Xavier said.

“What? No, that’s not the reason. I currently hold the record for the biggest satellite in space with my SS 69. Their satellite is bigger than it. I can’t let them beat my record.”

“You put your own life and those of your family on the line because of some stupid record?!” Alice asked, baffled.

“It’s not just some stupid record! It’s my favorite of my seven world records.”

“If it’s that important to you, why do you lie about the actual title?” Angie asked. “Last I checked, the record was for the largest artificial satellite in space.

“What’s the difference?” Mr. Scent asked, annoyed.

“Can we please just help protect you and your family? We’ll do it for free as a favor for Angie,” Xavier suggested, getting fed up with Mr. Scent’s refusal to cooperate.

“Okay, fine. Let’s shake on it.” Mr. Scent held out his hand. Just as Xavier wanted to shake it, he pulled it back. “Sike! I’m not taking advice from some random investigators my daughter dragged in here.”

Xavier, Alice, and Angie looked at him exhaustedly.

“Can I at least make a suggestion?” Alice asked. “I would recommend taking public transportation in disguise instead of riding in a limousine.”

“The only public transport I take would be one of my own. You know, like the Scarlet Thunder, I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”

“The limousine draws too much attention and could be tampered with. The method I’m proposing was actually used to prevent an attempted assassination of Abraham Lincoln. If you think about it, we are suggesting to treat you like a president,” Alice said, trying to make the plan sound more appealing.

“Really, I’ve never heard of that. But if you put it like that, it sounds like a good plan.”

“Great. It’s actually a really interesting story. You should look into it. It was actually the first known female detective who…”

“Wait, now I see what this is?”

Angie slapped her face, and Xavier shook his head, while Alice realized that she’d gotten carried away and ruined it.

“This is some woke attempt at making me look stupid. You’re trying to embarrass me by getting me to take public transport. That’s not happening.”

“Are you serious right now?” Xavier asked in disbelief.

“Absolutely. Get out of my apartment, or I’ll call security!”

“Maybe I should give you a better reason to stay at home,” Alice said angrily while rolling up her sleeves.

“We’re leaving!” Xavier announced loudly while pulling Alice to the elevator.

Angie followed them, and the door closed.

“What the fuck, Xavier?! Why are you giving up so easily? A kid’s life is on the line!”

“I’m not giving up. But it is clear that we’ll have to work around him, not with him.”

“So, do you have a plan?” Angie asked.

“I want to check out the ride itself. Hopefully, they let us in when we tell them you hired us.”

“Okay, I’ll stay here with Terry. You can have them call me to confirm that I hired you.”

“So our next stop is Time’s Gate?” Alice asked. “Great, that name certainly doesn’t have any negative connotations.”

“What are you talking about?” Xavier asked, confused.

“Nothing good has come out of anything titled something with Gate. Heaven’s Gate, Watergate, Ocean Gate, all the morrons that believe in Pizzagate,” Alice listed, while the others stared at her. “Elsagate, fucking Gamergate, Bill Gates, gatekeeping, and the list goes on.”

“You certainly have strong feelings regarding this,” Angie said.

“Am I wrong? I mean the word has become synonymous with controversy.”

“Sometimes I worry about your mental health,” Xavier said in a dry tone.

“What, are you not happy with my examples? Thanks to social media, I’m now well aware of the intricacies of Cakegate and Tattoogate, and believe me, I will never get the time back I invested in those dramas. It’s times like those when I miss living on the street with no access to the internet.”

“Did you just put some internet drama on equal footing with Watergate?” Angie asked.

“You got a problem with that?”

“Let’s just check out the theme park,” Xavier said, shaking his head.

“You can take my car. Here are the keys,” Angie offered the two, handing Xavier her keys.

They said goodbye to Angie and left.

Friday, July 12, 2:15 pm: Laura’s Apartment, Lawreyville

The lock clicked, and the door to the small apartment swung open.

“Here we are. It’s a bit messy. I left in a hurry after I noticed Oliver was gone.”

“No problem. It looks more organized than my room.” Amy looked around. Most of the furniture looked old. Newspapers and letters were piled up on the dinner table.

The appearance of the apartment resembled more the home of an elderly person than that of someone in their mid-twenties.

“I assume Oliver is your pet bird, right?”

“Yes.” Laura smiled. “I named him after Oliver Queen.”

Amy chuckled. “My childhood pet was also named after a DC character.”

“Really, which one?”

Amy walked around he room, looking for any hidden nooks Laura might not have checked yet. “Ray Palmer. Well, my brother actually named him Ray Pawmer.”

“That’s cute. I assume Ray Pawmer was a dog.”

“Yup. A little Pomeranian.” Amy looked at the few pictures that were put on the shelves. They depicted an older couple. “Do you live here on your own?” Amy asked.

“No, this is actually my grandpa’s apartment. I’m staying here until I can find a place for myself.”

“I see. That means you two have a key to the apartment. Does anyone else have one?” Amy asked while looking at the lock. It showed no traces of being forced open.

“I’m sure the owner of the building has a copy, but other than that, no.”

“Alright, well, it doesn’t look like the door was broken open. So either someone used a key or picked the lock. Unless I’ve missed another way in.”

While Amy continued looking around, Laura pulled out a notebook from her pocket and started writing something down.

“What are you writing?”

“Oh, just ignore me. I want to help you, so I’m taking notes.”

“Thanks. So, where was the bird kept when it disappeared?”

“Out on the balcony is an aviary. That’s where the bird was until this morning when I came back.”

Amy followed her outside. She’d already noticed the aviary through a window. It took up most of the balcony. What wasn’t already blocked by the aviary was closed off with a net, making it impossible to get in or out over the balcony without removing it. On the floor were white stains from the bird excrement.

Fun fact: the white stains you’ve surely seen before are not just the bird’s poop but also their pee, as it comes out in the form of a white paste that gets mixed in with the fecal matter. Just thought I’d throw that out there. I know a surprising lot about animal excrement. Did you know that owls don’t poop, but instead throw up pellets, made up of hair, bones, and anything indigestible, really? I would know because in third grade, we had to dissect owl pellets with our bare hands. I’m just now realizing that that’s why owls give me the creeps.

Enough about poop, though.

Scattered over the floor were also some small, bright green feathers.

“I was wondering, what kind of bird were you keeping? Must be a special one if someone would want to steal it.”

“He’s absolutely special. Oliver is a kakapo, a very endangered species of parrot. My grandpa was keeping him for research purposes. He’s an ornithologist.”

“That certainly explains why someone would steal it.”

“What now? How can we possibly find my little pal?”

“Does the building have Wi-Fi?”

“Sure, but it’s not very good. Most people living here have their own service. Do you need the password?”

“Yes.” Amy picked up one of the feathers and walked back inside. She sat down at the dinner table and pulled her laptop out of her bag. “If I’m lucky, I can use it as a way into the security system, should it be connected to the Wi-Fi. That way, I could access the security footage. There are cameras in the hallway that probably picked up the birdnapper.”
“You can do that? That’s impressive. No wonder the agency needs your help.”

“They do perfectly fine without me.”

“But I’m sure they’d do even better with your help.”

It took a while for Amy to access the right files. Her laptop was already starting to heat up, and the fan was audibly working overtime.

“I got it. Check this out.” Amy played a clip from the security footage. A woman whose face was hidden under the brim of a cap walked up to the door, unlocked it, and entered the apartment. Shortly after she came back out, carrying a cardboard box with multiple holes poked into the lid.

“That’s the thief! But we can’t see her face.”

“We don’t need to, at least if she took your bird not too far away. A few months ago, I developed a tool for Xavier that connects to most traffic and security cameras in the area. Ashbypond, Lawreyville, and Coleson are all well-equipped with cameras. If she went anywhere in those places, we could track her down.”

“How does it work?”

Amy started up her program and looked for the right starting point, cross-referencing the time stamp on the surveillance footage. “Here, you can see her get in this car. My program goes through all the data it’s presented with, and by using image recognition, it stitches together the route the car took. It’s still in the beta stage, but the results have been satisfactory to say the least.”

“You developed a program like that?!”

“Yes, Xavier and Alice needed it to track down an art thief. I’m sure something like it already exists, but it’s not available to the public.”

“Still very impressive.” Laura wrote something in their notes.

Amy leaned back. “Now we just have to wait. It can take a while.”

“Great! Thank you so much.”

“No worries.” Amy looked around. “Hey, where is your bathroom?”

“Over there.” Laura pointed in the direction of two doors. Amy wasn’t quite sure which one she meant, but was too awkward to ask again. Besides the kitchen, the two doors lead to the only other rooms in the apartment.

Amy opened a door, but it was clearly the wrong one as it led to a bedroom with a single bed in it. She quickly opened the other door that led to the bathroom.

As she walked back to her laptop, a thought crossed her mind. Suspicious, she looked over to her client, who didn’t notice the observing glance.

Amy sat down and stared at the bright green feather she had put next to her laptop. While Laura went to the kitchen to get a glass of water, Amy pulled out her phone, looking up pictures of kakapos.

“How far is the analysis?” Laura asked as they returned to the table. Amy quickly switched off her phone.

“It’ll still take some time. I feel bad asking this, but when working, I always have a specific drink. It’s something like a ritual of mine to help me focus. Could you please get it for me?” Amy asked.

“Sure, what kind do you want?”

“Do you know Alaskan Treats?”

“You mean that ice cream place in Coleson?”

“Yes, that one. They have great milkshakes. Could you get me one with coconut and blueberry flavor? It needs to be from that place. They make them exactly the way I like them.”

“I guess. You’re helping me find my bird, after all.”

“Thank you. I really need a sugary treat when working.”

Laura left, and while the program was still running, Amy pulled her phone out again to continue her research.

Friday, July 12, 3:05 pm: Time’s Gate, Coleson

Xavier and Alice stepped through the large arches at the entrance of the theme park into a world of blinking lights, sweet smells, and children’s laughter.

“This brings back memories,” Xavier said excitedly while grabbing a plan of the park.

“This place is way too noisy for my taste. I’m just glad Mika isn’t here right now.”

“Come on, show some whimsy. Did you never go to a theme park as a kid?”

“No, I didn’t. Thanks for bringing that up.” Alice looked around grumpily.

“Seriously?”

“Well, when I was old enough to enjoy a theme park, my brother was already too old. At least that was my parents’ explanation.”

“Then we definitely have to ride some rollercoasters while we’re here.” Xavier walked up to a stall and bought some chocolate-dipped fruits. He handed Alice one of the skewers.

“You do remember that we’re here to stop an assassination, right?”

“Of course. I might have gotten a bit carried away, though. It’s just that this place makes me really nostalgic. It’s all just like when I was a kid.”

“I can tell.” Alice pointed to a mascot that was made to resemble a stereotypical depiction of a Native American. The mascot was standing between a caveman and a princess. All of the costumes had large heads that looked pretty heavy and uncomfortable to wear.

“Yeah, some of the mascots haven’t aged that well.”

Alice pushed him forward. “Get a move on, they're coming over here.”

“What, are you afraid of them?” Xavier asked teasingly.

“I swear to god, mascots were created as some kind of demonic vessels.”

“Ha, didn’t think the tough Alice Baker was afraid of some people in costumes.”

“I’m serious. As a kid, I went to Tony Tusk’s Indoor Jungle, that indoor playground in Coleson, and my childlike innocence died that day. The only thing worse than mascots are animatronic mascots.”

“Come on, they’re funny looking.”

“Mascots are evil, and if I could legally kill them, I would.”
 “Good to know, should I ever investigate a case like that, I know who to suspect.”

“What direction do we have to go?” Alice asked, still pushing Xavier forward past the crowds of children excitedly gathered around the likes of a robot, a pirate, and a knight.

“Well, the different areas are themed around different time periods. Looks like the center is themed after the 22nd century. Right next to it is Dinosaur Land.”

“I’m not even gonna try to make sense of that strange layout. I assume that the tall spire over there is part of the future setting.”

“Yes, it’s the Space Spire 3000. A platform gets raised to the top so people can overlook the entire park.”

“Sounds like a great spot for a sniper,” Alice pointed out.

“Sure, but they would be in there with other people. I assume they would choose a more secluded spot to camp out.”

“I’ve been thinking, shouldn’t the targets wear some sort of protective gear tomorrow? That would make it much harder to kill them.”

“Yes, but it would probably be hard to convince Dick of the idea. Maybe we can at least get his son to put some on.” Xavier looked back on the plan. “We have to go left now, and then we should be there in no time.”

As they left the future-themed area, they were greeted with large statues of dinosaurs and the like. To the side of the entrance stood a Tyrannosaurus and a Triceratops growling at each other. An Ankylosaurus stood on the roof of the bumper car arena, and the nest of a Pterodactyl was placed on a food stall. Ever since I was little, I thought the label of Dinosaur Land was not fitting, as it includes creatures that are not all dinosaurs, such as this Pterodactyl. However, they couldn’t have named it after a general time period, as the area included creatures that lived millions of years apart. I guess there really is no winning. It’s sort of similar to how Jurassic Park has a misleading title, as it mostly features creatures from the Triassic period.

“Over there, that must be it,” Alice pointed to a building hidden behind scaffolding and tarps. Images were printed on the tarps advertising the grand opening of the ride.

 “What’s the plan? Should we knock?” Alice asked, holding her fist up to one of the poles.

“I say we just walk in. We can explain ourselves when we find someone inside.”

“Sounds good. We’ll just have to find an opening.”

While they looked for an opening, sneaking around the building, they were quickly spotted by an employee. “Hey, the ride isn’t open yet!”

“Ah, good to see you. We were looking for a way in. Could you help us?” Xavier asked the employee, to the man’s utter confusion. Before the employee could say anything, Xavier had pulled out his already revoked detective license and showed it to him.

The scrawny man stared at the card. He scratched his stubbly chin three times and chewed on a toothpick.

“You’re detectives?” he asked, surprised, after Xavier had put away his license.

“We’re private investigators, and we’re here on behalf of the Scents.”

“Why would they send private investigators here?”

“Because of this,” Alice handed him the threatening note.

“Is this some kind of joke?”

“I assure you, it’s not a joke. This note was delivered to the apartment of Richard Scent. I can call Angelina Scent if you want to confirm this with her. She was the one who hired us.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ve heard about you from Officer Rhody when she and her special unit solved a case here. Apparently, you’re agency has made quite the impression on those young investigators.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of Caytlin Rhody before. She works with a close advisor of mine. Although I’m not aware of this special unit you mentioned,” Xavier said.

“Really? Anyway, if I understand it right, because of the usage of the word extinct, you assume the sender of this note will attempt their attack tomorrow during the grand opening, right?”

“Yes. We’ve already talked to Dick, I mean, Mr. Scent, about it. He has no intention of taking the deal. That’s why we want to make sure their safety can be ensured.”

“You ran into the right person. I’m the head of security. The name’s Alex Smith.”

“You’re the head of security?” Alice asked judgmentally.

“What, am I not physically fit enough for the position?”

“Nope, just didn’t expect it. I’m Alice Baker.”

“And I’m Xavier Diaz.”

“How about we head inside for this discussion? It’s best not to let the guests hear this.” Mr. Smith pulled aside a part of the tarp and led the two inside the building through a side entrance.

They walked through a hallway, normally not seen by the public. Along the walls were pipes and cables. The quiet, concrete corridor stood in stark contrast to the colorful theme park.

Mr. Smith knocked three times before opening a door that led to a room filled with tech. “This is the control room. The machines run automatically, but there’s always at least one person here to keep an eye on everything.”

“Is that live footage?” Xavier asked. He pointed to a green-tinted screen, showing footage of the inside of the ride.

“Yes, that way, we can directly react should something happen. But believe me, we tested the ride like 300 times. Nothing can go wrong.”

“Boss, who’s that?” The woman sitting at the control panel asked.

“They’re here to have a look behind the scenes. They want to make sure everything goes as planned tomorrow.”

“I thought we had it all under control.”

“They were hired by the Scents.”

“We’re just here to act as two extra pairs of eyes,” Xavier said. “Alex, can we talk in another room?”

“Sure, if you want to.” Mr. Smith led them down the hallway into another room. Some carts of the ride were placed on a track. They were made to look like small safari vehicles with just enough space for four people. Laser pistols were attached to it with short cords, allowing the guests to shoot targets with them.

“We always have some reserve cars. They’re placed here, together with damaged ones. See the gate over there? It leads right into the ride.”

“So that track is directly connected to the ride,” Alice realized, looking at the tracks that continued through the gate.

“Yes, midway through the ride is a split path, one for the ride, the other one leads in here. Obviously, the gate is hidden behind a prop.”

“Okay, we should talk about the plan,” Xavier said.

“Can I ask, why did you want to talk in another room? Do you not trust my employees?”

“I just can’t ignore the possibility. We’re up against an influential opponent, so it isn’t absurd to imagine that they have placed a mole among the employees.”

“That makes sense. But I tell you, I trust my employees. They’ve all worked here for a long time.”

“How many people have access to the ride?” Alice asked.

“That depends. A lot of people are involved. But for the supervision and control of the ride tomorrow, I’ve placed three employees in charge, two in the control room, and one at the entrance. I’ll also be there, and before everything goes down, we’ll go through it with three mechanics. We’ll look over the ride one last time before the grand opening.”

“So seven, including you.”

“Yes. But is it not possible that the attack might happen outside the ride?”

“It’s absolutely possible. That’s why we need to be prepared for everything.”

“I’ll make sure to put some extra security in place outside. We might also want to contact the police.”

“I’ve been thinking about that too,” Alice said. “From all we know, the Red Eye is very powerful, and we’ve already learned that they have control over some cops.”

“Dear god, what kind of organization are we up against? I think it would be smarter to call the opening ceremony off.”

Mr. Smith pulled out his phone. It rang for a while until Mr. Scent picked up.

“Yes?” Xavier and Alice could hear his voice. They could already predict how the call would go.

“Hello, Mr. Scent. We have two private investigators here who informed me about the threat you received, and…”

“Oh, that, don’t worry, I have it all under control.”

“How so? Did you come to an agreement with them?”

“What?! Of course not. But I hired some pro wrestlers. They’ll protect me.”

“Sir, I don’t think that’s enough security, and frankly, there are too many variables to ensure your safety. I would advise you to delay your visit until the situation…”

“What are you talking about? I’ll be there tomorrow as planned.”

“But, Sir, it is too dangerous.”

“My son wants to ride this damn attraction, and what kind of father would I be if I wouldn’t make sure he’s the first to ride it?”

“Please, think about this again. Is this really more important than the safety of you and your son?”

“Did you forget that I own half the fucking park? If you ruin this day for my son, I will make sure you lose your job. And fuck it, I’ll make sure you never get hired again for any job!” Mr. Scent angrily hung up.

“What the fuck was that?!” Alice asked.

“A massive problem,” Xavier answered while frustratedly tapping against his forehead. “Although it wasn’t unexpected.”

“If we can’t call the event off, then we just need to do our best to win the upper hand,” Alice said. “Think about it, you said there are too many variables, but that is also the case for our enemy. There are so many possibilities that they can’t prepare for all of them. We just need to get control over as many situations as possible. They rely on a sniper. We just place someone at every good spot for a sniper. They want to kill them on the ride. We check every nook and cranny. They want to manipulate the limousine. We force Dick to take a different ride, even if he doesn’t want to. If we mess enough with their plans, they will eventually run out of strategies.”

“She’s right. We can’t control everything, but we sure as hell can make it as hard for them as possible,” Mr. Smith agreed, nodding his head three times.

“Great. It is definitely a good move to boost the security with some extra guards. I will contact Toby. I’ll tell him to gather his most trusted officers so they can hide in the crowds, looking like guests.”

“I assume this Toby is a high-ranking officer, right?”

“Yes, he’s very reliable and has worked with me on many cases. I trust his judgment.”

“Understood. I’ll make sure to search for every spot a sniper could be interested in and place an employee there.”
“Good, and I’ll get Dick to ditch the limousine,” Alice said.

“I’ll leave that task in your hands then. Now, we should be present as well, but Dick made it very clear he doesn’t enjoy our presence.”

“Wait, so you’re not here on his behalf?” Mr. Smith asked, surprised.

“As we said, we’ve been hired by his daughter. Dick blew us off, just like he did you. But we won’t let that stop us.”
“I see.”

“I think it’s good if I stay behind the scenes. That way I can keep an eye on everything going on, without risking Dick making a scene,” Xavier suggested.

“And I’ll stay close, hiding in the crowd. The Crimebuster allows me to step in should things escalate.”

“You can’t walk around in the Crimebuster, you’ll attract too much attention.”

“What’s the Crimebuster?”

“It’s basically a combat suit. Just more badass,” Alice explained.

“I’m sure we can find a way. It would certainly be good to wear some sort of protection.”

The three continued to strategize for a while.

Friday, July 12, 3:15 pm: Laura’s Apartment, Lawreyville

“I’m back!” Laura said in a melodic voice as they opened the door. She was holding a milkshake.

“Did you find out where the birdnapper went?”

Amy was standing in the middle of the room, nervously staring at her. She was hiding one arm behind her back.

“Is something wrong?”

“Nope. Say, what’s the name of your grandfather?”

“Quentin Davidson. He’s my grandfather on my mother’s side. Why?”

“Where is he at the moment? I noticed there is only one bed in this apartment.”

“He’s in the hospital. I’m taking care of the place and his pets.”

“Pet or pets?” Amy asked, her brow furrowing, as she stared the supposed client down.

“Sorry, I meant pet. What is going on? You seem stressed.” Laura put on a friendly smile.

“While you were gone, I did some research. The feathers in the aviary look nothing like those of a kakapo. They resemble those of common parakeets much more. Additionally, I did a background check on Quentin Davidson. He has no children. In fact, it seems like he has no family living nearby, considering I discovered a Facebook post of his where he looks for someone who can feed his parakeets and water his plants while he’s in the hospital. Who are you really?”

Amy tightened the grip around the kitchen knife she was holding behind her back. Obviously, she was begging for the situation not to escalate, but she wanted to have something to defend herself with, just in case.

“Wow, I’m impressed. You found out all that while I was gone?” Laura sounded impressed, but not really surprised.

“Don’t come any closer! Just tell me who you are and what you want!”

“Are you holding a knife behind your back?” Laura almost started laughing as they asked the question.

“How did you know?!”

“There’s a mirror behind you.”

“What?!”

“It’s kinda cute how you’re trying to act tough and confident, while missing such an obvious thing.”

“You think this is an act? I’m prepared to use the knife if you come closer.”

“We both know you’re not gonna do that. Either way, you can put it down. If I wanted to attack you, I would have. And according to my information, I could definitely take you on, even if you’re armed. Xavier and Alice might have been a problem, but not you.”

“Who are you?!” Amy asked again.

“I’ve told you, I’m Laura Baudelaire.”

“I don’t get it. What do you want from me?”

Laura took a long breath while she sat down. “I’m sure you have no problem with me taking a sip, right? Last I checked, you weren’t big on sugary treats like this.” Laura held up the shake they had gotten as per Amy’s request.

“Knock yourself out.”

Laura took her sweet time, drinking about half the cup before putting it down, and starting to explain the situation. “Where do I begin? I’m a journalist, and I’ve been reporting on the Red Eye’s crimes for a while now, among other stories. Naturally, without pointing out that I’m aware of their connection, or even mentioning the Red Eye. Recently, your agency started coming up during my research, so I was interested in seeing your skills for myself.”

“Bullshit. I’ve looked you up online. You’ve been reporting on the agency for over two years.”

“Nice to know a cutie like you is stalking my online presence.”

“Shut up,” Amy said, clearly flustered.

“Yes, it’s true. I’ve been interested in the agency before that, too. No wonder I would find out about it when my two main targets interacted with each other.”

Laura paused to drink some more. “Can you blame me for wanting to get a closer look at the agency’s new recruits?

“But I’m not even a member of the agency!”

“Who are you kidding? You’re clearly just as much of an investigator as the others. Why else would you stay here just to question me?”

“I just… I had to make sure that I didn’t mess something up again, that’s all.”

“What did you mess up before?”

“None of your business!”

“Okay. Well, I still haven’t fully answered your question. I have a contact on the inside. They help me unearth operations of the Red Eye occasionally. They gave me an opportunity to track one of their current operations by arranging for one of the animal smugglers to pick up a package here. Don’t worry, obviously, the birds were not in that package. They’re in a safe place at the moment. Anyway, my informant told me to get your help when trying to find out more. Clearly, they were onto something.”

“Why would your informant be interested in the D&M Detective Agency?”

“Seems like they’re a big fan. Something the two of us have in common.”

“So you just lied to me and used me to get information on a highly dangerous organization?!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll just give the location to the police so they can deal with the smugglers. And I won’t name you or the agency in my article, I know how dangerous that could be.”

Angrily, Amy walked over to the table and grabbed her laptop.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m leaving. Engaging with you probably just puts my friends and me in danger. This is why I’m not an investigator. I just mess up, and others suffer because of my failure.”

“You didn’t fail. In fact, what you did is highly impressive.”

“I should have never fallen for your lie.”

“I’m sorry. I…” For a second, it seemed like Laura’s calculated mask was slipping. Clearly, they had hoped for a different outcome.

“I wrote the address down. It’s some warehouse in Coleson. Just keep me and the agency out of this.”

Before Laura could say anything else, Amy had left.

Friday, July 12, 3:45 pm: Dinosaur Safari, Time’s Gate

The room was badly lit. In the darkness, Xavier could see some plastic rocks, plants, and even a small dinosaur. A Compsognathus, to be precise.

Alice was sitting in one of the carts, which were made to look like small safari vehicles, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the pale light.

With a loud click, the lights turned on. The room still wasn’t perfectly lit. Clearly, it was merely the atmospheric lighting of the ride, judging from the greenish tint.

“Shall we?” Mr. Smith asked as he walked into the room. The three were at the beginning of the ride, where a row of carts waited for customers, all lined up along a single track.

“Let’s go,” Xavier said while getting in the same cart as Alice.

Mr. Smith sat down in the backseat and held a thumb up into the air so that it could be seen on one of the cameras.

The loudspeakers started playing ambient sounds like birds singing and dinosaurs growling in the distance.

The cart screeched and set into motion.

“The ride is pretty simple. The cars drive through different rooms designed to resemble prehistoric terrain. During the ride, the guests can use these guns to shoot targets.”

Mr. Smith grabbed the laser gun in front of him and fired at a glowing spot on a tree next to the cart. He had good aim and kept pulling the trigger in intervals of three times.

Alice excitedly picked up her gun and started firing with the precision of an experienced gunslinger.

“See, another game I’m better at than you,” Alice said while hitting the target on a tree stump. The Archaeopteryx sitting on it opened its mouth and screeched. It flailed around its wings as if it were scared by the shot.

“This doesn’t count. This isn’t even a game.”

Alice pointed at a small display built into the car. It showed the points of Alice racking up, while Xavier was still at zero. “If you can earn points, it’s a game.”

“So what, the Chinese social credit system is a game?” Xavier countered.

“It can be, if you do it right.”

They were coming up on an opening in a wall that led them out of the forest into a rocky wasteland. The lighting took on a warm yellow or maybe light orange tint.

Mr. Smith put his gun back to focus on the ride. “As you can see, most of the dinosaurs are animatronics. They either have programmed movements they cycle through constantly, or they react to certain targets getting hit.”

Alice hit a Dimetrodon’s spine sail, which made the animatronic move closer to the cart on a hidden rail. The animal hissed at them. The sound was likely a recording of a crocodile, which is actually quite fitting, as their relation to dinosaurs is just as often confused as that of the Dimetrodon. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that crocodiles are not actually the descendants of dinosaurs, as many people mistakenly believe. They’re actually close relatives instead. But what you might not have known is that the Dimetrodon, despite often being seen as one, is not actually a dinosaur.  They weren’t even around during the Mesozoic era. But I see that I’m getting off track once again.

“Every time a sensor is activated, or a target gets hit, it blinks up on a screen in the control room. That way, we can see if they all work correctly,” Mr. Smith explained.

As they came to the end of the wasteland, Xavier noticed that the track bent downwards.

“Here comes the big drop.” Mr. Smith grabbed onto the safety handle as the cart slowly tipped over the edge.

The cart picked up speed and descended a floor deeper. The surrounding was designed after an underwater landscape, with the lighting turning blue. Replicas of Mosasaurs, Ichthyosaurs, Anemones, Trilobites, and a Plesiosaurus lined the walls. All of them were wrongfully labeled as dinosaurs in the ads for the ride. Further down the line was even a Dunkleosteus, a giant armored fish.

“What the fuck?!” Xavier let out as the cart was descending. The track led straight forward towards a large shark head, or rather that of a Megalodon. As the cart got faster and faster, it seemed like it was going to crash into the head, but at the last moment, the track split. The cart turned and drove past the head.

“Seems like the drop works fine. The Megalodon head can be pushed to the side, and the track leads to the room we were in before. You know, the one with the reserve carts,” Mr. Smith explained.

“So you can switch which track the cart follows?” Xavier asked. He was still flustered by the drop.

“Yes, it can be controlled from the control room.”

“Now that’s a real trolley problem. Do you pull the lever and rid yourself of the guests or not?” Alice said.

“Every day I believe more and more that you’re just Amy’s evil clone,” Xavier said. He turned back to Mr. Smith to ask him another question.

Mr. Smith gave him a knowing look. “I know what you’re about to ask. I’ll be the only one at the control panel tomorrow so that no one else can input any false commands.”

Xavier nodded.

The cart drove up and continued through a forest. The head and spine sail of a Spinosaurus poked out from a small lake.

Alice shot another target in a tree that seemingly activated a chain reaction as it made a Velociraptor scream. Some other animatronics were programmed to appear as though they reacted to the scream. For example, further down the track was a Microraptor standing on a rock. Normally, it looked straight out at the track, but as the Velociraptor screamed, it turned its head by about 70 degrees to look straight at the cart.

As they drove past the Microraptor, they finally saw it, the largest of the animatronics. A giant Tyrannosaurus, standing next to the track. As they came closer, it opened its mouth and slowly lowered its head. Nervously, Alice looked at the sharp teeth that were left and right of her.

Just as the cart had passed the dinosaur, the mouth closed shut.

“I thought that thing was gonna close around us,” Xavier said.

“That’s what we want the guests to think. But don’t worry, it is timed perfectly. That rock with the Microraptor on top has a small sensor placed in front of it. It recognizes when the cart passes it and sends a command to the Tyrannosaur. We know exactly how many seconds it takes for the cart to get past the dinosaur.”

“So it always closes after the cart has passed the mouth,” Alice said.

“Exactly. The whole animation of the Tyrannosaur starts when the sensor is activated and lasts 23 seconds until the mouth is closed.”

After they passed a few more dinosaurs, they arrived back at the beginning. A screen next to the exit showed the points they had gathered.

“2,372,460 Points!” Alice read out loud proudly.

“Congrats, that’s a record. None of our testers managed that. But we’ll have to delete it,” Mr. Smith said.

“What, why?!”

“Mr. Scent wants to be the first official person to go on the ride, so we can’t have someone else’s record displayed.”

“I fucking hate that dickhead.”

“Oh, hey, look at that.” Xavier pointed to the screen. It had switched from displaying the points to showing a photo. It was taken right as the cart was in the Tyrannosaurus’ open mouth. Alice’s nervous expression was perfectly visible.

Alice’s demeanor changed instantly. “Delete it!”

“Come on, it’s a great picture. Maybe I’ll buy it and display it in the office,” Xavier answered.

“I’m not joking, if you do that, I’ll punch you so hard in the nuts that they fucking pop.”

“Are you seriously challenging a boxer to a fight? Oh, I just realized. That’s a game I’m better at than you.”

“Boxing isn’t a game, it’s a sport!” Alice said in protest.

“Chess, poker, and e-sports are also sports, and you counted them.”

“That’s not the same, and you know it.”

The two said goodbye and went home, discussing the plan for the next day.

Friday, July 12, 4:45 pm: D&M Detective Agency, Ashbypond

Slowly, Alice opened the door to Amy’s office. Amy was focused on her screen, lost in the game she was playing. The gameplay was barely comprehensible as the screen was filled with enemies.

Amy was listening to music over her headphones. Her phone was openly displayed next to her on the desk. Without her noticing, Alice snuck up on her, holding her finger on the volume-up button of the phone.

“What the fuck?!” Amy quickly paused the game and threw her headphones away.

“Jesus, what was that for?” She angrily looked at Alice.

“Sorry, just wanted to pull a prank on you.”

“Yeah, great job. Making me go deaf, that’s what I call an epic prank. You should start a fucking YouTube channel.”

“I said I’m sorry.” Only now did Alice notice the expression on Amy’s face. Her eyes looked red and watery.

“Have you been crying?”

“No. And why would you care?”

“I’m not even gonna try to make sense of you. What are you playing?” Alice asked, trying to change to subject.

“Borderlands, but with a mod that continuously spawns enemies at an increasing pace.

“That explains the mess on the screen. Anyway, could you maybe have a look at this?” She put a portable hard drive on Amy’s desk. Xavier had been carrying it around in his backpack, just in case. It had enough space for five terabytes of data.

“What’s that?”

“We made a copy of the code that controls the ride. The park staff is also looking over it, but we don’t know who we can trust. Could you see if…”

“How many times do I have to repeat myself?” Amy said angrily. “I’m not an investigator. Don’t you get that people’s lives are at stake? Why would you put that responsibility on some random person?”

Alice sighed. “Fine. I’ll leave the drive here. Just in case you change your mind. Oh, and if you’re in the mood, Xavier wants to play some games to find one he’s better at than us.”

“I’m not in the mood.”

Alice nodded and left, making her way to the office.

“And?” Xavier asked as Alice walked into the room. He was lying on the couch, looking at his phone.

“She’s not feeling up to it. I left the code with her, though.”

“Good. Maybe she’ll change her mind.”

“You know, I don’t think she’s doing too well. You haven’t said anything mean to her, have you?” Alice asked, looking uncharacteristically worried.

“Of course not, why would I?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think I insulted her. Well, at least not more than normal.”

“I thought she was feeling better lately. Any idea what could be messing with her?”

“How should I know? I don’t mess with all that emotional bullshit.”

“I forgot, you’re a badass 24/7.” Xavier rolled his eyes.

“What are you looking at?” Alice asked, trying to catch a glimpse of Xavier’s phone screen.

“Nothing much. Turns out Dick has made like 17 posts about us.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yup. He was apparently not very happy about our help.”

“Some libtard cucks are trying to cancel me for getting to ride the dinosaur safari first. WTF is this, communist Russia? Those dipshits will always find something to get mad at.” Xavier read out loud.

“Wow, what a great guy.”

“Oh, that was probably the tamest one. Half of these I don’t even want to read out loud. This one’s just a list of slurs. Most of which don’t even apply to either of us.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I think he called me the N-word about 8 times and you the T-slur at least 10 times.”

“Probably a good thing we didn’t tell him our names or that of the agency. Could have been really bad for business.”

“Watch out for some wimpy immigrant who calls himself a private investigator. Where has this country gone that we leave law enforcement in the hands of these people?”

“He might have a point about you being wimpy,” Alice said.

“You wanna know what he had to say about you?”

“Don’t get me started on that ugly bitch that was with him. Pretty sure she was checking me out, but no way I would get anywhere near that ogre.”

Alice just looked at Xavier with her mouth wide open. “What the fuck?”

“I think he just couldn’t think of anything clever to say about you,” Xavier said while continuing to read the posts.

“Thanks for all the love. We won’t be stopped by some cringey soyboy cucks. Don’t forget to invest in Harambe Coin and show up at the grand opening tomorrow. And if you see those two, make sure to…” Xavier put his phone down. “It’s probably best if I stop reading this stuff.”

“How about we just save the kid? Maybe it’s for the best if we…” Alice made an unambiguous gesture, running her thumb along her neck.

“No!”

“Come on, he’s basically asking for it.”

“We’ve been tasked with stopping the assassination, and we will do so.”

“I mean, the assassination can’t happen if he’s already dead.”

“I’m sure I don’t have to say why that is a stupid argument.”

“Fine. But just so you know, if we only save the kid, that’s a success in my book.”

Saturday, July 13, 10:00 am: D&M Detective Agency, Ashbypond

Amy was sitting alone in her office, correcting some code she had written. Ever so often, she glanced over at the hard drive, still lying where Alice had put it.

Xavier and Alice had already left, leaving the house quiet.

The doorbell rang. Amy couldn’t hear it through her headphones, but a notification popped up on her screen. She had recently connected the doorbell to her computer.

Slowly, she put down her headphones and walked over to the door.

“What are you doing here?” Amy asked, upset as she opened the door, looking at Laura.

“I know you’re upset because of what I did. I’m here to apologize.”

“I don’t care for your apology. Just leave me alone.” Amy was about to shut the door when Laura put their foot in the way.

“Did you hear, the police caught the smugglers. They busted them last night. All thanks to you.”

“Couldn’t your informant just tell you the address? Seems like I wasn’t very important.”

“They wouldn’t. Your involvement was part of the deal we made.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Can I maybe come inside? The situation is a bit complicated to explain.”

Amy hesitated. “Fine, come in.”

The two sat down in Xavier’s office.

“Thanks for listening to what I have to say.”

“Just get on with it.”

“Okay. Like I said, I have an informant who’s part of the Red Eye. They recently approached me, offering me a deal. They would help me bust one of the Red Eye’s businesses. But they also wanted something from me.” Laura paused.

“My informant is quite the character, but behind that playful facade is a scarily calculated mind. They had predicted that one of the Red Eye’s current projects would get Xavier and Alice involved. They also predicted that you would refuse to help.”

“How would they know that?”

“Apparently, they assumed that a recent case led to a traumatic experience. Is it possible that you’ve been refusing to help investigate because you blame yourself for something that went wrong during a recent case?”

Amy jumped. She shuddered as the image of Cody Davis’s lifeless corpse crossed her mind.

“I guess that means yes. Well, my informant is a big fan of this agency. They’re surprisingly invested in your personal lives. They were worried about you blaming yourself and throwing away your talent as an investigator. So, they came up with an elaborate scheme to get you involved in an investigation. The entire case was fabricated by them. Well, besides the animal smugglers. Those were real.”

“I don’t get it. Why all of this? I’m just some programmer, not Sherlock Holmes.”

“They seem to think differently. They clearly see a great investigator in you. And I can see it too. You not only solved the case you were tasked with, you even saw past the fabrication.”

Amy looked conflicted. She was unsure what to say.

“I don’t know what happened, but I’m sure it wasn’t your fault. Maybe you let a criminal escape, maybe you failed to protect someone. Failure is normal. It doesn’t mean you’re doomed to ruin every case you’re involved in. Use your past failures and negative experiences as fuel. At least that’s what a wise man once told me. Think about it. The only way you guarantee the failure of a case is if you don’t even try to solve it.”

Amy sat still. She was lost in thought.

“Well, in the end, it’s not my decision to make. Thanks again for listening to me. I really didn’t mean to hurt you.” Laura stood up and walked over to the door.

“Wait! Do you have some time? I need a ride.”

Laura nodded, satisfied.

Amy quickly got her laptop and plugged in the hard drive. Already, while walking to Laura’s car, she was reading through the seemingly endless lines of code.

Saturday, July 13, 10:45 am: Time’s Gate, Coleson

Alice looked over to the entrance. She could feel a heavy weight push down on her shoulders. She had a hard time walking around, getting past the park guests. Ever so often, she had to stop and pose for a picture.

“Are you in position?” Alice could hear Xavier’s voice over her headphones.

“Aren’t you looking at the camera footage?” Alice asked, annoyed.

“I am, but all I can see is some cute, big-headed princess,” Xavier said in a teasing tone, barely trying not to laugh.

“Very funny. This stupid costume is more humiliating than the stuff I had to wear when my mom made me compete in a child pageant. I swear, if I find out you chose this costume for me on purpose, I’m going to kill you.”

“I promise, it was the only costume left. And you were the one who wanted to wear the Crimebuster.”

“But not under one of these costumes. I feel like I’m in an oven.”

“I know what that’s like. By the way, how’s your claustrophobia doing?”

“I can manage it. Thankfully, it mainly acts up in small rooms, not when wearing something like this.”

“That’s good. I only just realized that the costume technically is a tight space.”

“My brain seems not to register that. It’s much more hung up on the fact that I’m somehow not only forced to dress up as a mascot, but also wear a dress.”

“Good to know you’re focused. Hey, Angie called, seems like they’re on their way. They’re taking a cab. How did you manage that?”

“Simple, really. I just had to slit every tire of the rental limousines, plus all spare tires. And for good measure, I snuck into the garage and did the same with Dick’s cars.”

“Dear god, I’m not even gonna ask how you did all that in one night without being detected.”

“Are all the cops in place?” Alice asked.

“Yes, my team is in position,” Inspector Wilson confirmed over the radio. “It’s a good thing you took care of the car rental. I sent two officers over. They found multiple traps implanted in the cars. Some had their brake fluid drained, others had their steering tampered with. One of them even had a remote-controlled explosive in the tank.”

“Seems like they attempted different strategies to maximize the chance of a trap not being found,” Xavier assumed.

“Have the officers found out who’s responsible?”

“Not yet, but it was likely one or more of the employees of the rental company. They’ll report back if they find out anything new. One of my superiors, Officer Rhody, is on the case. I informed her about the situation, and she offered to take on some of the responsibilities. I originally intended for the chief of police to help us, but he’s busy working on a case from last night. He was tipped off to an ongoing smuggling operation.”

“I guess we’ll have to hope Officer Rhody and her team find out more,” Xavier said.

“Alice, I just want to reiterate, you have to make sure not to cause a panic. Should you notice anything, take care of it discreetly or notify us,” Inspector Wilson said.

“I know. You think I want to be caught in a human stampede?”

“I just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page.”

“Would you look at that!” Alice said, surprised.

“What?” Xavier asked.

“Check out the camera to see who just walked in.” Alice walked up to Amy, who’d just entered the park. She was still holding the laptop, frantically analyzing the code.

“Hello, little nerd, how can I help you?” Alice asked in an overly melodic tone.

“Alice, is that you?”

“Who else could it be?”

“Well, judging from your general disdain for femininity, probably anyone but you.”

“Disdain for femininity? Have you forgotten that I regularly wear thigh-highs?”

“Clearly, you’re a champion of femininity. I mean, you dress like a femboy who hasn’t fully committed to the look.”

“Like you’re one to talk.”

“I just wasn’t expecting you to wear a dress, that’s all.”

“Well, the outfit wasn’t my choice. Still better than any of the racial stereotypes, I guess.”

“That’s true. Anyway, I’m happy I ran into you. Do you know where Xavier is?”

“He’s in the security office. I’ll show you on the plan.”

“Thanks. I’ll head there right away.”

Alice nodded, almost losing her balance in the process.

Just after Amy had disappeared, a large crowd started gathering at the entrance. Alice could barely make out what was going on, but it quickly became obvious that the special guests had arrived.

Mr. Scent, his son, and Angie walked into the park. By their side were two men who looked like walking mountains of muscles. They were squeezed into suits and wore sunglasses, which made them appear like what would have happened if the men in black were really into steroids.

They seemed mostly concerned with making a path through the crowd and posing for pictures, not really paying attention to the people they were meant to protect.

While the special guests were walking further into the park, some mascots gathered closely around them.

Alice used the opportunity to also get closer, as it seemed like the mascots were the only ones to get near the special guests.

Angie was nervously looking around while holding her brother’s hand. Mr. Scent was busy taking pictures with the mascots depicting an African shaman and a Native American and posting them online. Naturally, with captions that I will not repeat in this book.

His son’s attention seemed to fall on a Tyrannosaurus mascot. Happily, he walked closer to the mascot.

Among the crowd of guests were reporters, busily taking pictures.

Just as the flash of a camera went off, Alice noticed something. She could have sworn something in the dinosaur’s claws had just reflected the flash of light.

She tried making out what it was, but the mascot’s fist was tightly clenched, hiding whatever was inside it.

As the dinosaur slowly bowed down to the young boy, waiting to embrace him, Alice knew she had to act. Even if it was a false alarm, she could not risk it.

Without hesitation, she stepped between the two. She grabbed the dinosaur’s arms and started dancing with it, slowly moving away from the special guests. Terry was clearly sad about not getting to hug the dinosaur, but he started smiling as he saw the goofy dance the two were doing. The clumsy moves were mainly due to Alice being unused to the costume and her general inaptitude for dancing.

As the bodyguards led the three VIPs away, Alice tried to open the dinosaur’s fist after leading it away from the crowd that was focused on the special guests.

“Let go of me!” the person in the dinosaur costume said.

“How about you give me your knife first?” Alice answered, grabbing them even tighter. She could hear how Inspector Wilson gave the command to one of his officers to help Alice.

“Let go!”

Alice could feel something pushing into her stomach. She looked down and saw the knife that had pierced the costume, but not her Crimebuster.

Alice quickly grabbed the handle as the officer arrived to pull the assassin away. The dinosaur didn’t try to resist the arrest, choosing to simply hand themselves in.

“Good job, Alice!” Inspector Wilson said. He was watching the surveillance footage together with Xavier.

“Thanks for the flowers.”

“No, I’m serious, you did great. That was professionally done.”

“I’ll stay close with the targets until they arrive at their destination. After that, I’ll make my way over to the ride.”

“Perfect,” Xavier said.

“Is Amy with you?”

“Yes, she just got here. She’s busy analyzing the code,” the inspector confirmed.

“Good. Tell her to speed it up a bit. I don’t want to be the only one doing any work here,” Alice said jokingly.

Saturday, July 13, 11:20 am: Security Office, Time’s Gate

“Yes, I understand. Please continue and inform me of any new information.” Inspector Wilson put away his phone and turned back to the screens showing surveillance footage of the park. Inside the security office were only the inspector, Xavier, Amy, and Mr. Smith. Inspector Wilson had asked the other employees to be on standby nearby.

“Anything new?” Xavier asked, leaning back in an office chair, dangerously close to falling over.

“Yes and no. Officer Rhody and her team seem to have apprehended the culprits behind the sabotage. A chauffeur and a mechanic. But they refuse to tell us anything. They say they’re too afraid of what would happen.”

“Because their employer is too powerful and influential. It’s the same as last time with the cult members.”

“Exactly. And not just that. I’ve already relayed the information to my contact at the FBI. They’ve had an eye on the Red Eye for a while, no pun intended.”

“Do they know more than us?” Xavier asked.

“She couldn’t tell me much, but it seems like they have a hard time getting any useful information out of the criminals tied to the Red Eye. Even if they talk, they’re just small fish and don’t know much about the larger operation.”

“Dammit! How can this organization stay hidden with such ease?”

The inspector hesitated. “I’m not sure if this is the right time to bring it up, but this contact, Agent Skye, has been officially put in charge of the investigation.”

“What do you mean?” Xavier asked.

“Well, all the information I obtain regarding the Red Eye, I have to directly report to her.”

“When did that happen?”

Inspector Wilson looked guiltily at the floor. “Last August.”

“Wait, what?! That’s when Natsu disappeared!” Xavier realized furiously.

“Yes, it was exactly that case that caused it to happen.”

“So, you knew the Red Eye had something to do with Natsu’s disappearance?!”

“No, I swear. They barely gave me any information. Only last May did I learn about the connection.”

“Why would you not tell me?!”

“Xavier, I’m sure he had a good reason,” Amy said, looking up from her screen.

“I was worried for your safety.”

“I’m not some kid. I can take care of myself. Clearly, I can investigate the Red Eye without getting myself killed.”

“That’s not it.” Inspector Wilson seemed hesitant.

“Then what’s the reason?”

“Agent Skye demanded that only trusted personnel would get involved in the investigation, which didn’t include you. But no matter what I tried, you kept snooping around in the case, which I understand, but I…”

“But what?!”

“I was scared the FBI would arrest you for interfering with their investigation. So I had your detective license revoked.”

“That was you?!” Xavier yelled, his fists clenched. “Not only did you keep me from investigating my boyfriend’s disappearance, but you also put the agency at risk by taking away my license?! You nearly destroyed Natsu’s life’s work!”

“I know that I put you through a lot, but I promise you that I would have never let that happen to the agency. And I only did what I had to do to keep you safe.”

“I don’t want you to keep me safe! I had just lost the love of my life, and you couldn’t think of anything better than making the situation worse for me?”

“I had just lost a good friend in Natsu, too. I couldn’t let anything happen to another one of my friends.”

“If I had been able to finish my investigation, maybe I would have found him,” Xavier said, close to tears.

“You know that’s not true. What happened to him was beyond what we could have imagined. You couldn’t have changed anything, as much as it hurts me to say so.” Inspector Wilson looked heartbroken as he said this.

Xavier shook his head. “I can’t believe you would do this to me.” He turned to Amy, ignoring the investigator. “Have you found anything yet?”

Amy was unsure whether she should address what had just happened, but one look at the upset faces of the two made it clear that it wouldn’t help anyone if she got involved. “Depends. There are lines scattered throughout the code that seem to make no sense. Like, look at this. This line checks the current date. But I can’t find any other line that refers back to this.”

“So it could be part of some trap?” Xavier asked.

“Can’t you just delete those lines, just in case?” the inspector suggested.

“Maybe to that first question and no to the second. I can’t just delete them, not knowing what they do. Sure, they seem suspicious and unnecessary, but maybe they are important. Maybe somewhere deep in the code is a line connected to this one. Coding is unique to every programmer. What makes total sense to one programmer might be an outlandish way to code to another. Coding is messy. Maybe the line is part of some trap, maybe it is an integral part of the program, or maybe it is a completely useless line. The only way of knowing is for me to understand the whole script.”

Amy nervously scratched her scalp.

“Hey, you’re doing great,” Xavier said in a calm tone, hiding the emotions that were still stirring inside of him. “And don’t forget, this is not all dependent on you. We’re all working hard to prevent the threat from becoming a reality. We’re a team after all.” Xavier glared over at Inspector Wilson.

“Thanks, Xavier.” Amy smiled.

“I’ll go get some cold water for you,” Xavier said, walking over to the door.

“Hold on a minute, seems like they’re about to get their food.” The inspector pointed to a screen showing the VIP lounge in the same building they were in.

The three special guests and their bodyguards had taken a seat at a fancy-looking table. At the head of the table sat an older gentleman, the owner of the park.

“Wait, couldn’t the food be poisoned?” Amy realized.

“Don’t worry, we thought of that,” Inspector Wilson explained. “We made sure there were always multiple chefs in the kitchen. Plus, we’ll demand that the chefs test the food.”

“That was actually my idea. They obviously don’t know about the tasting yet, or they could have put some non-poisoned food aside for the test,” Xavier added, trying to show up the inspector.

At that moment, two chefs appeared on screen. They were both carrying trays with carefully plated food.

“Man, I could go for a bite, too,” Amy said.

“I’m surprised to hear that from you,” Xavier said, with a friendly smile.

“I ran into this woman outside who smelled of blueberry pie, and now my stomach won’t  shut up.”

“I can relate to that. A colleague of mine has a strawberry-scented body wash, and every time I run into him, I start craving strawberries,” Inspector Wilson said.

“What’s for dinner?” Xavier asked while gesturing to the screen.

“I don’t know. But I heard that Mr. Scent asked for some really pricey ingredients. The chefs apparently made just enough for all six people, with barely any lefto…” Mr. Smith stopped.

Everyone stared at the screen as one of the chefs stumbled over seemingly nothing. He clumsily grabbed onto the other chef, pulling him to the ground with him. In the process, all the food was dumped on the floor.

The transmission didn’t have any sound, but just from the video, it was obvious Mr. Scent had some choice words for the clumsy chef.

“What now?” Xavier asked.

“I don’t know. We don’t have the necessary ingredients for the dish. I’ll quickly check in with the boss.”

After Mr. Smith returned, he reported that the VIPs would instead be dining in the fanciest restaurant the park had to offer, which didn’t mean much, as the bar was quite low.

Xavier and the inspector decided to stay in the surveillance room to continue keeping watch over everything.

Amy and Mr. Smith, on the other hand, headed over to the dinosaur safari ride to make some last-minute tests.

Saturday, July 13, 11:45 am: Dinosaur Safari, Time’s Gate

Alice was standing next to a staff member in the control room. She’d taken off the costume, now only wearing the Crimebuster. The staff member was one of the people responsible for regularly updating the code. The other one had left not too long ago to make a phone call.  Alice was keeping a close eye on the one working at the control panel as she heard a knock on the door. The person outside the room knocked three times.

“Look who decided to finally show up,” Alice said as Amy and Mr. Smith entered the room.

“Is everything going as planned?” Mr. Smith asked.

“Yes, sir. We can start the final test if you’re ready.”

“Great, if you would please stand back, I’ll start the test.”

The staff member got up and stood next to Alice, keeping an eye on both the security footage and the control panel.

Amy was still busy, scrolling through the code on her laptop, while Mr. Smith sat down and started up the ride.

“Alright, let’s see.”

One cart after the other drove through the decorated tunnel. Mr. Smith let three of them go through the entire ride, arriving safely at their destination.

“Looks good to me, sir.”

“Yes, it seems all right.” Mr. Smith looked skeptically at the control panel, slowly tapping his finger three times.

“Does something concern you?” Alice asked, keeping an eye on the staff member next to her.

“If you’re uncertain, we can give it another go, sir.”

“Maybe I’m a bit overly cautious, but something just doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Did you check the ride up close, too?” Alice asked.

“Yes, just this morning. As I said before, some of my team members and I went through it to see if something was amiss.”

“We couldn’t find anything,” the staff member added.

“Let’s give this another go.” Mr. Smith sent another three carts through the ride. Again, they arrived without anything going wrong.

“I guess it truly works as planned.” Mr. Smith leaned back and whistled three notes.

“I’m sorry, is three like your favorite number or something?” Alice asked, sounding slightly ticked off.

“Yes. Oh, I guess you must have noticed my tendency to repeat things in threes. Maybe you’ll call me superstitious for this, but I believe three is my lucky number,” Mr. Smith explained.

“Is something the matter?” Amy asked.

“No, I thought I was onto something, but I must have been wrong,” Alice answered.

“Go on, there are no bad ideas,” Mr. Smith said.

“I was just thinking, if you do everything in threes, that would guarantee that the VIPs would take the ride in the fourth car. Or any number one above a multiple of three. 4, 7, 10, and so on. Knowing that, someone could surely lay a trap with that. But we just saw six cars drive through the ride.”

“That would include the fourth car, obviously,” Mr. Smith said.

“Wait, I think you’re actually onto something!” Amy wildly scrolled through the code.

“If you take these few lines into account, together they could be used to not only determine how many cars have taken the ride, and check the current date, but also reset the count every day. There clearly is something here. And it not activating during the test can only mean one thing,” Amy explained eagerly.

“I get it! It must be connected to something we neglected to test,” Alice said excitedly.

“Which would likely be hitting the targets and getting points,” Amy added.

“You’re right, but testing it would be pretty risky if we don’t know what potential dangers could await,” Mr. Smith said.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. I’ll just jump out, should something happen,” Alice said. She opened the door that led right into the ride.

“Wait, I don’t want to risk it. I’m sure I can figure it out if you just give me a few minutes.”

“Are you sure?” the staff member asked. She seemed nervous.

“Yes, if I think about it logically, the assassin would want to alter as little as possible, to fly under the radar. Meaning, they would likely use something that is already part of the ride to kill the targets. And there are only so many things that come to mind.”

The other three watched as Amy quickly looked through the code, clearly searching for specific keywords.

“Aha! I knew it. As soon as the first cart of an interval of three reaches 100 points, a signal would be sent out. You remember the split path, at the bottom of the drop? Well, the signal switches the paths, meaning the cart would rush down the wrong track, and before the emergency brake could be pulled, it would crash into the shark head.”

Alice put her hand on the staff member’s shoulder. “If I remember correctly, you and two colleagues were responsible for checking and updating the code. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind talking to the police about it, right?”

“What?! I didn’t do anything!”

“Then you shouldn’t have a problem explaining that to the cops.”

Alice left with the suspect, while Mr. Smith and Amy made sure to remove the dangerous lines of code.

Alice also made sure to direct some of the officers in the direction of the other two people in charge of the code.

Saturday, July 13, 11:45 am: Security Office, Time’s Gate

“I just got confirmation, the VIPs arrived safely in the restaurant,” Inspector Wilson said.

“Good. Do you mind making yourself useful for once? Can you hold down the fort? I have to do something?” Xavier asked.

“I assume you’re gonna take samples from the spilled food,” the inspector answered, ignoring Xavier’s passive-aggressive remark.

“Yes, just to be sure.”

“Perfect. You can bring them to me so I can send them to the lab.”

“Yeah, I’d rather have Ralph take a look at it.”

“I doubt he’s the right person for the job. Mr. Cabrera might have been some Jack of all trades scientist, but Ralph isn’t.”

“You doubt his scientific prowess?”

“I’m sure he’s a great marine biologist, and he surely knows a lot about other scientific fields. But he’s not an expert in detecting poisons.”

“At least he’s trustworthy.”

“Okay, listen, Xavier. I was gonna wait to have this talk, but if this argument is getting in the way of solving the case, we have to discuss it right now.”

“I’ve already said everything I had to say. You’re a traitorous snake, that’s it.”

“You think I like working for the FBI? They don’t tell me shit, and treat me like some dumb puppet.”

“Then don’t work with them!”

“Like I have a choice. Even just the information I’m currently keeping from them puts me at a high risk of getting arrested.”

Xavier seemed taken aback. “What do you mean, keeping information from them?”

“I haven’t told them anything about your involvement with the Red Eye. And they don’t know about Alice or Lupin.”

“Wait, but what about Case #56?”

“The cult one? They know you were there, but not much more. I simply told them that you and Amy didn’t take the talk about the Red Eye seriously.”

“So they think we’re not pursuing the subject further?”

“No. But it’s been difficult to keep up the lie. I not only have to keep it from the FBI, but also most of the other officers.”

“Sounds like a lot,” Xavier said, audibly easing up.

“Thankfully, I have some trusted allies who help me. My superiors, Officer Bailey and Officer Rhody, for one, as well as some officers working directly under us. Especially Officer Peralta has been a huge help.”

“I didn’t know you were doing so much for us. Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“Would it have changed anything? You wouldn’t have gone easy on the investigation, so I would have had to do just as much work keeping your involvement a secret.”

“Yeah, but I would have at least known what you were going through.”

The inspector smirked. “What, so you could feel bad for me?”

“I don’t know. It just feels like I should have known. I feel kinda bad for not realizing.”

“Listen, Diaz, how about we finally become the team again we used to be before Natsu disappeared? Only that way will we be able to solve all of this.”

Xavier nodded. “Works for me. So, I’ll keep you updated on my cases, and you continue what you’re doing.”

“And I’ll inform you of what the FBI and I discuss.”

“Sounds good.” Xavier hesitated.
“What are you waiting for? I thought you wanted to go take samples.”

“Toby, I’m sorry for how I treated you. I know I have a habit of acting like a dick.”

Inspector Wilson smiled. “Just get going, Xavier.”

Xavier quickly left and entered the VIP lounge. The smell of meat and different seasonings filled the air. The chef who had caused the mess was in the middle of cleaning the floor.

“It’s a shame seeing this food go to waste,” Xavier said.

“What?” The chef looked up. “Oh, yes. We worked so hard on it. And it feels especially bad to waste something an animal had to die for.”

“Are you a vegetarian, Mr. Gonzalez?”

“How do you know my name?”

“It’s written on your uniform,” Xavier explained calmly. He kneeled down and picked up one of the towels stained with food.

“Ah, yes, I keep forgetting that. And no, I’m not a vegetarian. But that doesn’t mean I like wasting animal products.”

“I get that. Hey, I’m a bit of a hobby chef. Could you maybe give me some advice? I’ve been struggling with a specific dish.”

“Sure, I’ll just have to get this cleaned up first.”

“Here, let me help you.”

The two quickly cleaned up. Xavier made sure to put some samples aside without being noticed.

Just as Mr. Gonzalez was putting the cleaning utensils back into the broom closet, Xavier followed him inside and closed the door.

Mr. Gonzalez turned pale and stared at him. “Are you… Are you one of… I mean, I-I’m sorry, I just… I…”

“Am I one of who?” Xavier asked, clearly having expected a reaction like this.

“N-never mind.”

“You thought I was a member of the Red Eye, right?”

“How did you?! I mean, I have no idea…”

“Drop the act. Watching you, I’ve come up with a theory. Please correct me if I’m wrong. You were somehow forced by the Red Eye to kill the VIPs. You probably didn’t want to do that, but they threatened you, which is why you’re so on edge. You poisoned the food because you couldn’t just refuse flat out. You spilled all the food, making it seem like an accident, hoping the Red Eye would show mercy. Am I right?”

“N-no, that’s not true. Why would I… I would never…”

“Listen, if the Red Eye threatened you, they don’t care if you refuse, fail, or succeed. They won’t leave any open ends. They’ll come for you no matter what, so just tell me what you know and I’ll do my best to protect you.”

“Who are you?” Mr. Gonzalez asked, confused.

“I’m just looking for answers. I have connections to the police, and I promise you, they’ll protect you with all they’ve got if you give us information on the Red Eye.”

“F-fine. I have debts with a loan shark. Recently, he approached me, telling me he had a way for me to get rid of my debt that I could not refuse. I don’t know much about the Red Eye, just that they’re a powerful organization that could get me, even if I tried to flee.”

“You weren’t the only one to be tasked with killing the VIPs. Do you know who else was given this mission?”

“No, I… All I know is that they tasked multiple people. People working for the park, I think. They… they wanted to maximize the chance of success.”

“I understand. Come with me to the police. You can tell them everything in detail. I’m sure they’re interested in learning the identity of that loan shark you mentioned.”

Xavier led the chef to an officer and headed to the dinosaur safari ride, after dropping the food sample in the security office, even though testing it was probably unnecessary now.

Saturday, July 13, 12:15 pm: Dinosaur Safari, Time’s Gate

Outside the ride, a large crowd had gathered. A small podium stood in the middle. The park owner was in the middle of a speech, while the VIPs waited off to the side.

Xavier had snuck closer, trying not to be noticed by Mr. Scent.

“Hey, how’s the situation?” he whispered to Angie.

“Pretty tense. I’ve decided to get on the ride with my brother. Maybe I can protect him in an emergency.”

“Does he know?”

“I might have told him. I just wanted to make sure he stays vigilant today, but I guess the rest kinda slipped out.”

“I see.” Xavier looked over to the boy who was nervously pulling on the shirt of Mr. Scent.

“Dad, I don’t want to go on the ride.”

“Of course you do.”

“But there are bad people who want to hurt us. I don’t want us to get hurt.”

“Don’t worry, Daddy’s got this. We’re in no danger.”

“But Angie said something could still happen.”

“Why are you scaring your brother?” Mr. Scent asked angrily. Xavier quickly turned his head, trying not to get recognized.

“He’s only scared because you won’t listen to reason! How is an 11-year-old more reasonable than you?”

“You worry too much.” He turned back to his son. “Hey champ, you’re going to be the first one to ride the dinosaur safari. Don’t you want that?”

“No, can we just go home, where we’re safe?”

“Listen, I made sure you could be the first to ride this ride, so you’re going to enjoy it! Understood?” Mr. Scent asked angrily.

“Y-yes, Dad. I’m sorry.”

It pained Xavier that he couldn’t step in. Taking a quick peek over his shoulder, he noticed that Angie had the same defeated look on her face.

Xavier heard how the park owner’s speech came to an end. The VIPs were asked to come to the front so that Mr. Scent could dedicate a few words to the occasion.

Everyone looked at him with big expectations.

“Man, finally this guy is done talking, am I right? Anyway, I’m sure it’s an honor to have me attend this opening. Stuff like this really isn’t a big deal for me. If you want to live a lifestyle like mine, just buy my book and don’t forget to invest in Harambe Bucks. And for those who really want to live a great life, consider joining one of my Scent Compounds.”

Xavier simply rolled his eyes and headed inside while Mr. Scent continued talking about the Scent Compounds, which are basically communes for people dedicated to worshipping him.

Amy, Alice, and Mr. Smith were waiting in the control room.

“Man, is this guy for real?” Mr. Smith asked. They could hear a broadcast of Mr. Scent’s speech, which was basically just a long ad, in the control room.

“This better not turn into another Jonestown situation,” Alice said, before noticing Xavier. “Hey, Sherlock Holmes is here too!”

Amy looked up from her screen. She could barely hear Alice over the loud music she was listening to. She freed one of her ears from her headphones before talking. “Hey Xavier, did everything go well?”

“We caught one of the chefs trying to poison the food. Thankfully, no one ate it. The chef is ready to testify against the Red Eye, but he barely knows anything about them.”

“I guess that was predictable,” Amy said.

“Amy actually found a trap that one of the programmers had set. We’ve already taken care of it,” Alice explained.

“Great job!”

“Thanks. But I’m still not done, analyzing all the code. I just hope I haven’t missed anything.”
“I hope so, too. It’s almost time to start,” Mr. Smith said.

“How can you focus on reading the code with the music blowing up your eardrums?” Alice asked. The hectic melody of Megalovania was audible even without wearing Amy’s headphones.

“What, you’re not a fan?”

“Can’t say I am. Unlike you, I listen to actual music, not some nerdy shit like that.”

“How about I turn on something more your speed?”

Alice nodded, but her face turned red in an instant as soon as she heard what Amy was playing. The sound of a Japanese pop song came on, performed by a slightly robotic-sounding singer.

“That’s not my type of music!” Alice yelled defensively.

“Really? And here I was, thinking I heard you singing along to a Hatsune Miku song two days ago,” Amy answered with a grin on her face.

“That’s not even Hatsune Miku you’re playing, that’s Kasane Teto!”

“I think you just proved my point.”

“Shut up!”

“Nothing wrong with singing along to music you enjoy. I think most people sing in the shower,” Xavier said.

“I don’t sing in the shower,” Alice said in protest.

“That’s true, she’s very quiet in the shower,” Amy confirmed.

“Don’t say it like you’re there with me,” Alice said.

“Oh, I would never want to be in there while you’re showering. I can’t even enter the room after you showered because of all the steam. Seriously, how do you not boil to death every time you take a shower?”

Alice seemed caught off guard and slightly ashamed for some reason. “Well, I… It’s just that I… I’m not some wimp, so I can stand the heat. Unlike you.”

“Okay, Shadow the Hedgehog, we get it, you’re a badass,” Amy said jokingly.

“Hey, can you discuss this later? It’s starting.” Mr. Smith pointed out.

“Well, that’s it,” Mr. Scent said. “Let’s get this party started!” he yelled, before dropping the mic, trying to look cool. Frankly, I have no idea how this man could have established such a loyal cult following.

The VIPs walked over to the entrance of the ride. Mr. Scent sat in the front seat of the cart, holding a laser gun in each hand. Angie and Terry sat in the back, clearly less excited.

Slowly, the cart started driving along the track.

Xavier, Amy, Alice, and Mr. Smith watched nervously as the points racked up and the cart passed one animatronic after the other.

Amy was sweating as the cart sped up, going down the drop. But as intended, the cart drove past the Megalodon head.

She sighed in relief and watched as the cart entered the final room.

Mr. Scent hit the target in the tree with ease. Just like the day before, it activated a chain reaction, making multiple dinosaurs turn their heads and scream.

Slowly, the Tyrannosaurus opened its mouth and lowered its head.

“What’s this?!” Mr. Smith let out, opening his eyes wide.

“What?” Xavier asked.

“The Tyrannosaurus is way too early!”

“That can’t be, it worked normally during the tests, and there should be nothing wrong with the code,” Amy said.

Mr. Smith pressed the emergency brake, but nothing happened. “Oh god!”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Xavier said, concerned.

Slowly, the cart got closer to the animatronics’ open maw.

“It won’t stop!”

Before Mr. Smith had even finished the sentence, Alice had already kicked open the door. She jumped over some plastic bushes and got to the track. Looking around, she immediately saw the giant animatronic, towering over the cart.

It felt like everything was moving in slow motion as she ran over to the cart. She looked into the scared faces of Angie and Terry. Mr. Scent had still not caught on to the fact that something was going wrong, even as the teeth closed in on them.

Alice jumped on the hood of the cart and rammed her crowbar into the mechanism of the jaw.

The animatronic came to a stop. A loud creaking filled the air, and Alice looked over to the teeth that could snap shut around her at any moment, should the crowbar get loose.

She could feel the cart move slowly under her feet, making it difficult to keep a solid stance.

“What is going on?!” Mr. Scent asked angrily.

“I’m saving your life, you fucking idiot!”

A light flashed as the cart continued to move further. Alice was struggling to keep the mouth from closing.

Angie was nervously pushing against the safety handle, holding them in place.

“It won’t open!”

“That’s kinda the purpose,” Alice said, sounding exhausted.

In that moment, she could feel how the cart stopped moving and the jaw stopped crushing her crowbar.

“What happened?” Angie asked.

“Amy got the emergency brake working!” Xavier said. He came running and helped Alice down from the car.

“Wait, it’s you! Didn’t I tell you to stop getting involved with my personal affairs?” Mr. Scent asked.

“How about you fucking thank us, you absolute piece of human waste?!” Alice asked.

“How dare you talk to me like that?! I’ll tell all my followers to harass you online!” Mr. Scent pulled out his phone. At that moment, the safety handles opened, letting the three get out of the cart.

“You’ll never be able to show your faces again. I…” Mr. Scent’s phone started ringing.

“Yes, Big Dick Richard talking.” Alice and Xavier rolled their eyes and watched as he walked away to talk in private.

“Are you two okay?” Alice asked.

“Thank you so much, Ms. Superhero!” Terry hugged her with tears in his eyes.

“No need to cry, you’re safe now.”

“I don’t know how to thank you two,” Angie said. She, too, had tears in her eyes.

“It’s not just us who protected you. Members of the staff, the police, and our friend Amy helped too. And without you taking action, we would have never done it,” Xavier said.

Alice leaned over to Xavier. “What now? It’s not like the Red Eye will just stop trying to kill them.”

“Good news, the Red Eye stopped trying to kill us!” Mr. Scent announced loudly.

“What?!” Alice, Xavier, and Angie asked at the same time.

“We came to an agreement.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?! You couldn’t have done that before all of this?” Xavier had to hold Alice back as she was about to smash her crowbar across Mr. Scent’s face.

“Well, let’s leave. My adoring fans are waiting.” Without saying goodbye or thanks, Mr. Scent left, dragging along his son.

“I’m so sorry for how he’s treating you. Just know, Terry and I are unbelievably grateful for your help.” Angie said goodbye and quickly followed the others, promising to stop by the office later to go over the case again.

“I guess that’s that,” Xavier said, baffled.

“But how did the dinosaur activate too early?”

“It has to be something with the sensor that caused it,” Amy explained, as she approached the others.

“Wait, I might have an idea!” Xavier said. He walked over to the Microraptor, where the sensor was.

“I knew it, the sensor has been placed somewhere else. It’s not at the bottom of the rock, it’s in the mouth of the small dinosaur.”

“Of course, during the tests, the dinosaur looked straight ahead, meaning that the sensor would be activated with the normal timing. But should it turn its head, the sensor picks up the cart too early,” Alice realized. “If I had to guess, that was changed this morning when some of the staff members checked the ride a final time.”

“That makes sense,” Amy said.

“But why did the emergency brake not work?” Alice asked.

“I assume that there were some last changes made to the code that weren’t in the version you gave me. The new command must somehow have blocked any commands coming from the control panel, including the emergency brake. We’ll have to analyse the code further to see how it was activated.”

“Then how did you stop the ride?” Alice asked.

“With the copy you gave me, and thanks to Xavier carrying around the right wires to connect my laptop to the ride. That way, I could send the emergency brake command with my laptop, instead of using the control panel.”
“I see,” Alice said.

“I’m always prepared for everything,” Xavier said, gesturing to his backpack.

“Dud, you’re just a hoarder.” Alice paused. “But fair is fair, all that stuff can be useful, every now and then.”

“Thanks. If you’ll excuse me, I have to call Toby.” Xavier walked away, pulling out his phone.

“I’m not sure if what you did was stupid or brave,” Amy said, looking at Alice.

“Probably both.” Alice had to laugh. She looked down at her crowbar. “Ah, dangit, now it’s covered in scratches, and it’s slightly bent.”

“I’m sure Xavier would gladly get you a new one.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll stick with this one.”

“Aw, are you sentimental about the gift Xavier gave you on your first day as an investigator?”

“At least Xavier has given me a gift,” Alice countered jokingly.

They waited for Xavier to return. He and Inspector Wilson had decided that the case from here was up to the police.

They walked over to the exit. Alice leaned over to Amy and patted her on the back. “You did great today. I’m happy you came to help us.”

Amy just looked at her in surprise.

The three stepped outside into the sunlight.

“Hey, Alice, now you have a good picture!” Xavier said. He pointed to the screen showing a photograph taken during the ride. It showed her heroically stopping the Tyrannosaurus.

“Holy shit, I look badass in this!”

Xavier put his credit card into the machine and printed out the picture. “Here you go. As a consolation prize for losing against me yesterday.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I beat you in Mahjong.”

“That does not count. I barely know the rules of the game.”

“What about Mikado?”

“Great, you’re better at picking up sticks, big deal.”

“I also beat you in Risk.”

“Being good at war is nothing to brag about.”

“Okay, I’ve had it with you. We’ll decide this once and for all. I challenge you to every game they have in this park!” Xavier declared loudly.

“What do I get when I beat you?”

“The loser has to do all chores around the house for an entire month.”

“Does that include my chores too?” Amy asked, having no intention of joining the competition.

“Absolutely,” Xavier confirmed.

“Deal!” Alice confidently shook his hand. Amy followed them to a can tossing stand, where they started their competition. While Alice and Xavier ran to the next game, both holding a large plushie, Amy looked at the keychain she had won. It was a small, plush turtle.

Amy turned around, noticing Laura standing in the crowd, snapping pictures.

“Hey, Laura!” She walked up to the reporter.

“Oh, there you are. Seems like you were successful. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. Listen, I wanted to apologize.”

“You want to apologize to me? I’m the one who lied to you.”

“But you helped me. I should not have gotten so mad.”

“We all go through a slump sometimes. I’m just happy to hear you’re doing better now.”

“Here, you can have it. A small thank you.” Amy handed them the keychain.

“Wow, a turtle keychain. You are a great investigator, you somehow found out my deepest desire,” Laura said, laughing. “No, seriously, I really like it.”

“Do you want to go get something to drink?” Amy asked.

“I’d like that.”

And so, another case is closed. The group ended up spending the rest of the day in the park. In the evening, they met up with the inspector to go over the case after Amy had said goodbye to Laura and exchanged phone numbers.

Tragically, they couldn’t find out more about the Red Eye, but at least they managed to thwart another one of their plans.

I will send you off with this teaser. During an investigation, many different things can become a challenge, even the identity of the victim can sometimes be a mystery that needs to be solved.