As kids, we see the world with different eyes. I know, what a profound thing to say. But it is true. One aspect where this is particularly obvious is the way kids look at careers.

They don’t have to worry about how hard it is to reach these goals or whether they will actually earn enough money to afford a living. Kids can wildly imagine what they want to be. Often, this means they want to have the same job as someone they look up to, be it a real person or a fictional character.

This is how you end up with kids wishing to be knights or, more confusingly, princesses. I don’t quite understand why someone would look at a damsel in distress and think, I want to be that, but what do I know? I always wanted to be the cool animal sidekick in those kinds of stories. You know, like a friendly dragon or a loyal wolf. Sadly, that was not a realistic career path, as young me had to find out.

But even a lot of real careers that kids might want to pursue are often either much more difficult to reach or a lot more boring than they think. Like the cliche answer of an astronaut. As an introvert, I can relate to the idea of wanting to be far away from civilization, but I don’t think it’s quite as fun as kids imagine. Not to mention how unlikely it is to achieve this career.

But I think, besides the glorification of these careers, warping the kids’ perception, it is also essential to keep in mind that kids can’t really get a taste of many careers. They can’t just cut someone open to do surgery on them or climb into an enclosure at the zoo to feed the animals. Well, they can, but they shouldn’t. And so, typically, the way they experience these jobs is by playing pretend, which is, all in all, a good thing. Not only is it fun for them, but they also stay away from potentially dangerous situations.

Would you rather your kids play pretend investigators or chase down actual criminals? Not every junior investigator is as lucky as Xavier, Natsu, or Mika. But that still doesn’t stop detective-obsessed kids from trying their hands at solving actual mysteries and crimes. Believe it or not, the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and the Three Investigators are not the only ones that can get kids hooked on investigations. So, too, can the D&M Detective Agency. But see for yourself as I recount the events of this next case.

Case #64: The Mask of Death

Monday, August 5, 7:55 am: High School, Lawreyville

Xavier was leaning against the old school bus. His eyes wandered over the nearly empty parking lot.

“Hey, thanks again for tagging along.” The man next to him ran his fingers through his ruffled hair. Some of the dark strains had been bleached, making for an almost checkered look. “I got really nervous when Mrs. Byers had to cancel.”

“She’s the one who was originally meant to tag along, right?” Xavier asked.

“Yes. She’s a much more experienced teacher. Man, this is the first school trip I’m in charge of. What if I mess up?” the young teacher said nervously.

“You’ll do great, Mr. Walker.” A meek boy said. He was sitting in front of the bus, holding onto his large backpack. Some of his shoulder-length, brown hair was tangled around his glasses.

“Absolutely. You’re like the coolest teacher we have,” another boy said. He was standing next to the shy one. He wore a football jacket and carried around a large, mud-stained sports bag.

“They’re right, Percy. I’m sure nothing will go wrong. I mean, we have to keep an eye on like ten teenagers. How hard can it be?” Xavier said.

“I’m not sure if you should be this relaxed. But at least I don’t have to do this alone.”

“It’ll be fine. Plus, there are more teachers at Abercrombie Academy who can help as well.”

“Actually, a lot of them are currently absent because of summer break. But you’re right. I’m sure it will be fine.”

“I haven’t asked. Why did you call me to tag along? Not that I’m unhappy to help, but it seems a bit random.”

“I mean, you weren’t my first choice, no offence. But all the other teachers were busy, and the parents declined. I thought about asking Abby, but then I remembered she wasn’t allowed to,” Mr. Walker said.

“What do you mean, she’s not allowed to?” Xavier asked, confused.

“Are you serious?” Mr. Walker seemed taken aback. “Don’t you keep up with politics?”

“Not really. Frankly, I think it’s just depressing. All the news I get is either through social media or the occasional episode of Last Week Tonight, when Amy decides to watch it in the living room.”

“Ignorance is bliss, I guess. But come on, you're friends with multiple trans people. Shouldn’t you at least keep up with the news relating to their rights?”

“Guess that’s a bit of a blind spot.”

“Ms. Walker can’t come with us because trans people aren’t allowed to work with kids. Which includes being a chaperone on a school trip,” the shy boy explained.

“Thanks, Sasha,” Mr. Walker said.

“What the fuck?! When did that happen?”

“It was literally one of the first things the president signed off on.”

“Shit. I should probably call Jordan and check in with them,” Xavier said.

“Who’s Jordan?” Mr. Walker asked.

“A friend I went to high school with. They were part of my theater group. They wanted to become a teacher, but I guess that’s not happening now.”

“And you haven’t talked to them since?”

“No, I guess I never really thought about them since high school ended.”

“I’m sure they’ll be happy to hear that you decided to call them only after you heard about the effect a nearly four-year-old law has on their rights,” the athletic boy said.

Xavier wasn’t sure what to say.

“Wow, you’re not pulling any punches, are you?” Mr. Walker asked. “I mean, I agree with you, but I’d assumed you’d go easy on him. You were the ones to suggest him as a chaperone, after all.”

“The kids suggested me? Why?”

“They look up to you. They have their own detective agency. Isn’t that right?” He looked over to the two boys.

“Yup. Our leader keeps going on about you. It’s great to finally meet you. I’m Parker, by the way,” said the athletic-looking one.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Sasha said.

“Nice to meet you too. I’m looking forward to seeing what cases you solve.”

“Truth be told, I was a bit skeptical. I mean, I can’t just invite a stranger along just because the kids ask me to. But my cousin vouched for you. Apparently, you helped her a few months ago.”

“Yes, in March. She’s been at my house a few times since then because she and my roommate work together.”

“Amy, right? Abby mentioned her.” Mr. Walker looked down at his watch. Hopefully, the last few will get here soon. Parker, Sasha, do you know where the rest of your club is?”

“No idea,” Parker answered while pulling his phone out of his football jacket.

Sasha simply shook his head.

“We’re here, Mr. W!” yelled a boy who’d just come running around the corner. Another boy of the same age followed him, trying not to spill his energy drink.

“Wow, it’s really you!” The boy said excitedly as he got to Xavier.

Xavier looked at him, trying to remember where he had seen him before. The face looked familiar to him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

The boy had a wide smile on his face, his nose was covered in freckles, and his blonde locks shimmered in the light.

“Do you remember me? You saved me from that kidnapper a while ago.”

“Of course! You’re one of the kids from Case #7: The Tinman’s Clearing. Wow, that was a while ago, I mean, I was still in high school back then.”

“Yes, and since then, I’ve been working hard to become an investigator, just like you and Natsu. Here’s our card.” He handed Xavier a professionally designed business card.

“Oh wow, let me see.” Xavier started reading the card out loud. “The Lawreyville Boy Detectives, no mystery is too big for us. Team leader Jim Baxter.”

“That’s me, the excited boy pointed to his shirt. It had the same logo on it as the card, a skull wearing a deerstalker hat like the one Sherlock Holmes is known to wear. Behind it were two magnifying glasses arranged like the crossed bones on a pirate flag.

Xavier continued, “Second in command, Parker Hobbes.”

“He’s the muscle of the group,” Jim explained.

“Espionage, Kenny Madigan, aka Sasha.”

“Everyone just calls him Sasha. What show is the name from, you said?” Jim asked.

Sasha looked up, seemingly uncomfortable. “Oh, I don’t remember. Just some show I watched as a kid. The name just kinda stuck.”

“I see.” Xavier looked back at the card. “Records and research, Sameer Naim.”

“That’s me,” the fourth boy said before taking a sip of his energy drink. His forearms were covered in notes written with a Sharpie. Some had started fading away, while others looked fresh. They included things like names, addresses, phone numbers, and various other notes, probably taken during an investigation.

“Sameer is basically our guy in the chair. He monitors the investigations from our secret base,” Jim explained.

“Sounds pretty professional. Here, you can have one of my cards. I recently printed a new batch.”

The new business cards now listed Alice alongside Xavier and Natsu. Xavier had also taken the liberty of adding the slogan “Be gay, solve crime”, to Alice’s annoyance.

“Okay, kids, get on the bus. You’ll have enough time to talk to Mr. Diaz on the road,” Mr. Walker said.

“How long is the ride?” Jim asked.

“About six hours, without delays,” Sameer answered, looking at his notes.

“Yes, it’s gonna be a long ride, but I’ve prepared some snacks and games. I’m sure you’re up for some Kahoots,” Mr. Walker said.

“Let’s go, boys, we have to defend our honor, no one’s better at quizzes than the Lawreyville Boy Detectives,” Jim said as he got on the bus, where the other students were already waiting.

Sasha tried his best to lift up his heavy backpack.

“Hey Sasha, need any help with that?” Parker asked.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Jesus, you’re weaker than my little sister,” Parker said while picking up Sasha’s backpack.

“Is that so bad? You’re the muscle, not me,” Sasha said, smirking.

The four got on, followed by Xavier and Mr. Walker. The motor started, and the bus began to move.

Xavier leaned back in his seat, trying to get comfortable for the long ride. But while phones and the games Mr. Walker had prepared were enough to keep the other students busy, they could not compare to the fascination of talking to one’s idol, so the young investigators spent most of the drive talking to Xavier, asking him all sorts of questions about his work. They even recounted some of their own cases.

I believe it’s at this point that I should tell you some more about the situation Xavier is in, although most of it has already been brought up.

Lawreyville High recently received an invitation from Abercrombie Academy. The invite offered some students the opportunity to visit the academy during the summer break as a school trip outside of the regular semester. The offer was made due to the close friendship between the two schools’ directors.

The students would get to stay at the academy for a few days and explore the old building and its surrounding area.

Mr. Walker had been put in charge of the trip with another teacher, but when she got into an accident, he had to look for another chaperone, which brings us to how Xavier ended up here.

Monday, August 5, 11:15 am: Shore, Loch Bowfin

Mika sat on a tree branch and looked out onto the lake with binoculars. They slowly took a bite from their sandwich and directed their attention over to an old building near the lake.

The lake was surrounded by cliffs, on top of which stood Abercrombie Academy, which resembled old, fancy, European architecture. The bright, white walls shimmered in the sunlight. The paint had only recently been redone. The white walls contrasted with the vibrant flowers in front of every window, and the old woodwork, which was exposed in some parts of the building.

“You know, this kinda reminds me of back home,” Mika said.

“How about you stop eating all our rations and help me set up the tent?” Alice said while trying her best to bend one of the tent poles.

“Okay.” Mika calmly jumped down and walked over to Alice. Lupin followed their example and landed on their shoulder. “You’re not doing this right. The pole has to go through there first, or it won’t hold up the tent.”

“Thanks. I haven’t set up one of these in a while. Or ever, now that I think about it.”

“I have. Grandpa Tzuriel recently took me on a grandpa and grandkid camping trip.”

“I guess that makes you the expert.” Alice handed Mika the second pole.

Mika nodded excitedly. “He showed me how to make fire and how to store food so that wild animals like bears can’t take it. Do you think we’ll see a bear?” Mika was fidgeting around excitedly, barely managing to set up the tent.

“I hope not. But I brought gummy bears if that’s an acceptable substitute.”

“Yummy! Do you have licorice, too?”

“Why would I have that? No one likes that tar masquerading as candy.”

“What?! I love licorice.”

“Somehow, that is the weirdest thing you’ve ever said, and you grew up in a cult and your pet is a zombie monkey.”

“That’s mean! I don’t judge you for liking mochi.”  Mika made a grossed-out expression.

“Hey, that’s uncalled for. You can’t just compare some sugary root to a culturally rich, delicious dessert.”

“Weeb,” Mika answered jokingly while sticking out their tongue.

“Where did you learn that word?” Alice asked, confused.

“Cousin Amy said I should call you that whenever you talk about something Japanese.”

“Of course she did. Well, Cousin Amy is a weeb herself. She’s watched every episode of One Piece at least three times. Wait, now that I think about it. Haven’t you done the same with Detective Conan?”

“Not all episodes. But every episode I watch, I watch once in English, once in German, and once in Japanese with subtitles.”

“Why?” Alice asked, before accidentally whacking herself with the tent pole.

“I’m just trying to see if there’s a difference.”

“And, did you find anything yet?”

“The German openings can be pretty different, but other than that…” Mika stopped and turned around after hearing the sound of a car in the distance. “Do you think that’s Xavier?”

Alice looked at the time on her phone. “Nope, he won’t be here for at least another three hours.”

“Does he know we’re here?”

“I haven’t told him.”

“Good, that makes it easier to prove my point,” Mika said.

“How does that make it easier? You’re point is that every time an investigator goes on a trip, they get wrapped up in some case.”

“I read that when doing a scientific experiment, it’s best not to interact with the subject beyond what’s necessary.”

“Oh yeah, what else did you read?” Alice asked while finally finishing setting up the simple tent.

“I fell down a rabbit hole about codenames for experiments and their subjects. And now I think we should have codenames.”

“For this experiment or in general?” Alice asked while lying down in the tent.

“In general. We can’t use our real names during secret operations.”

Alice opened a can of Coke. “What kind of codenames did you think of?”

“Not sure. From what I read in my books, they should sound cool and fit the specific person. My nickname could be Fox, because I like the Clever Foxes. Your name could be Shadow, you know, because the Crimebuster is for hiding in the shadows. Maybe Xavier could be called,” Mika paused to think about it. “Maybe he could be called Knuckles, because he boxes.”

“Great, now we just need to befriend a blue hedgehog and the gang’s complete,” Alice answered jokingly.

“You don’t like them?”

“They’re okay, but I’m sure you can think of better ones.”

“Okay, I’ll come up with the perfect codenames,” Mika said enthusiastically.

Monday, August 5, 2:40 pm: Entrance, Abercrombie Academy

Xavier had fallen asleep along the way. As he woke up, the bus passed through an arch with the words “Welcome to Abercrombie Academy” written on it.

It bent over the plastered forest path.

The bus had left the last town behind a while ago, as Abercrombie Academy was in the middle of the woods. The old building was built by a wealthy Scottish family, originally as a home, not a school. Only a few decades ago, it was repurposed by the descendants as an all-boys academy that offered a variety of courses ranging from 6^th to 12^th grade. That might sound like some exclusive elite academy, but the education received in this school is nothing more than average. However, students who attended it often praised it for its comfortable climate and how it builds a sense of camaraderie.

It was located far north in New York State, near the Canadian border.

“Look up there, that’s the academy!” one of the students shouted.

Most of the boys jumped up and ran to the right side of the bus. The imposing building could be seen between the treetops as it towered over the area.

“Sameer, what do we know about the academy?” Jim asked commandingly.

“It was built by the Abercrombie family, who own most of the area. The current owner is Mr. Duncan Abercrombie, the director. He’s friends with our director.”

“Any information on the students?”

“From what I could gather from their social media profiles, most are currently at home or on vacation. Only a small bunch is currently at the academy. Apparently, the school is well known for its wide roster of extracurricular activities, which are mostly student-led.”

“Any myths or urban legends surrounding the place?”

“Well, there seem to be some basic campfire stories, but nothing too serious. Some rumors about a treasure hidden inside the castle, but there’s nothing to actually back this up.”

“Good job. Maybe we should look into that treasure, just in case. But no matter what, a trip like this will sooner or later lead to a case. Investigators can’t go on a trip without that happening,” Jim said.

“You sound like someone I know,” Xavier said, smiling.

“Who?”

“One of my colleagues. A junior investigator. I’m sure you’d get along great. They know a ton about detectives.”

“They, as in nonbinary?” Sasha asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“Oh, nothing. I just wasn’t expecting a trans person to be one of your investigators.”

“Is that the vibe I’m giving off? Actually, after this morning’s conversation, that might be the case. You know what? I’ll introduce them to you when we get back. They’re currently visiting my roommates, so they should still be around when we get home.”

The bus came to a halt in front of a large gate. There was only a small parking lot with just enough space for the bus to turn around. As the group stepped out of the vehicle, the gate opened, and a middle-aged, well-groomed man stepped out, followed by some boys slightly older than the guest students.

“Ah, I’m happy you made it. Welcome to Abercrombie Academy. I’m Mr. Abercrombie. And you must be Mr. Walker.” He walked up to the young teacher and shook his hand firmly.

“Yes, Percy Walker, that’s me. It’s an honor meeting me… you, I mean.” Mr. Walker was stumbling over his words, nervously looking around to see if his students had all gotten off the bus.

“An honor? That makes me feel like some celebrity.” He turned to greet Xavier.

“And I assume this is your assistant chaperone, yes?”

“I’m Xavier Diaz.”

“Oh, a firm handshake. Say, the name seems familiar.”

“You might have read my name in the news at some point. I’ve been featured a few times for my work as a private investigator. I wouldn’t pay much attention to those articles, they’re mostly pretty bad.”

“No, that’s not it. Ah, now I remember. Weren’t you on the track team back in high school? I remember my friend mentioning you.”
“Yes, I was team captain during my junior and senior years.”

“I knew it. One of the best athletes your school ever had.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Well, anyway. It’s nice to meet you. How about I show you around? And afterward, your students can spend some time exploring the building. I’m sure they all crave some activity after the long ride.”

Jim walked up to the director, hesitantly followed by his friends. “Say, Mr. Abercrombie, have there been any strange occurrences lately? Maybe some unexplained happenings?”

“Listen to you, almost sounds like you’re a young ghost hunter.”

“Here’s our card. We’re young investigators. Should you have a case for us, we’ll gladly take it.”

“Are these your understudies?” the director asked Xavier, chuckling.

“No, but I am interested in seeing them demonstrate their skills. So, should you have a mystery to solve, I’d recommend you ask them for advice.”

“Well, maybe they can solve the mystery of the disappearing food. I assumed it was simply rats, but maybe this building has a hungry ghost.” Mr. Abercrombie started laughing.

The director began his tour and showed the guests around. A few of the academy’s students tagged along.

The tour started in the large entrance hall, passed the dorm rooms and classrooms, and eventually led to the dining hall.

As they left the large room, the director pointed to a door down the hallway. “This will be our last stop before we head out. I want to show you the gymnasium.”

“Where does that door next to it lead? If I’m right about the layout of the building, it can’t lead outside, so there must be a room behind it,” Sameer said.

“Well observed. That door leads to the cellar. Please refrain from going down there without explicit approval.”

“Why, is something secret down there?” Jim asked.

“No, I’m sorry to disappoint. The building was damaged during an earthquake a few years ago, and we haven’t gotten around to fixing all the damage.”

As the group walked past the basement door, Xavier noticed a faint breeze coming from behind it.

“So, here we are, the beating heart of the academy,” the director said as he opened the door to the gym.

“This room is used for sports classes and all sorts of gatherings. It is also used by some clubs, like our theater group. Connor, how about you tell them a bit about your club?”

One of the older students who’d tagged along stepped forward. He was taller than most of the other students and much more muscular. His short, black hair was missing a patch, which was caused by a noticeable scar above his ear. He proudly displayed a tattoo on his left arm. The lines were shaky at best, but the motive was still recognizable as a sword and a helmet.

“Hey, I’m Connor. I’m the leader of the theater group. Well, that title doesn’t really mean much for our club. We do everything as a team. We mostly perform plays that we ourselves came up with.” He waved over another student about his age. He was taller than Connor, had a blonde buzzcut, and clearly refused to shave the few hairs growing on his upper lip. He, too, had the same tattoo.

“This is James. He’s our main writer.”

“Hi.” He waved and pumped up his chest to make himself look taller and more imposing.

“The show we’ve been working on since before the summer break is called Alien Circus. It’s a dark comedy. Sadly, not all our performers are here, or we could have used you as a test audience,” Connor continued.

“Thanks, you two. I’m sure if our guests have any questions, they can come to you. They’d probably prefer asking someone around their age over an old coot like me.”

Connor and James nodded, and the tour continued outside, where some clubs, like the gardening or forest exploration clubs, were stationed.

Monday, August 5, 3:10 pm: Shore, Loch Bowfin

Alice picked up a rock and flung it out onto the lake. It bounced nine times before sinking. The two had left their campsite and had been walking along the shore for a while.

“Wow, can you show me how you do that?” Mika asked, fascinated.

“You’re telling me you live by the ocean, and you’ve never done this?”

“No. But it looks cool.” Mika sat Lupin on the ground and picked up a rock.

Alice tried showing Mika how to throw the rock at just the right angle and with just the right force, which proved to be more difficult than expected.

“I don’t get it. When you throw it, it jumps, but mine just dives under.”

“You got the angle right, but you don’t put enough power into it.”

Mika focused and swung the rock. Instead of letting go, they spun around two more times before releasing it. Instead of flying out onto the lake, the rock catapulted uncontrollably into some reeds, where it seemingly hit something hard.

“What are you, Crash Bandicoot?” Alice asked. She had grabbed Lupin and taken cover behind a tree.

“You said I needed more force.”

“Maybe not that much. How about we put the rocks down for a mo…” Alice saw Mika walk away.

“Where are you going?”

“I wanted to see what I hit.”

“Probably just some driftwood.”

Mika gasped and jumped into the batch of reeds. Alice could only hear a splashing sound as Mika disappeared behind the plants.

“You know that’s your only pair of shoes you just soaked, right?”

“Look what I found!”

Alice now saw it too. Mika was standing next to a small rowboat that had gotten stuck in the reeds.

“It must have gotten loose and drifted down the river,” Alice said when she noticed the rope hanging from the small vessel.

“Do you think we can take it out onto the lake?”

“Not sure if that’s a good idea,” Alice recalled the last time she was out on the water and nearly threw up.

“Please, it will be a great adventure,” Mika begged while making puppy eyes at Alice.

“What if we’re attacked by the monster of Loch Bowfin?”

“There is a monster in the lake?”

“Yes, a really scary one.”

“We have to find it!” Mika said excitedly.

“Shit, I forgot who I was talking to. Listen, Mika, I don’t do well with boats. I get easily seasick, remember?”

“Fine.” Mika looked sad as they climbed out of the water. Alice had to help them up onto the ledge.

Looking at Mika’s sad expression, Alice started to feel bad. “You know what, maybe it won’t be so bad. There aren’t any waves, after all.”

“Does that mean we can go for a ride?!”

“Sure, why not.” Alice shrugged and felt Mika’s arms wrapping around her. The overjoyed junior investigator had seemingly forgotten that the two were standing on the ledge. They lost their balance and both fell into the water.

Monday, August 5, 6:00 pm: Dining Hall, Abercrombie Academy

About two dozen people were gathered in the dining hall, eagerly awaiting the food.

Xavier was sitting at one of the three long tables, together with Mr. Walker and the Boy Detectives. The other students, both from Lawreyville and Abercrombie Academy, had gathered along the tables. They were getting along, talking about hobbies, pop culture, and what living at the academy was like.

“Okay, mission: Depth Chamber will commence as soon as the lights go out,” Jim whispered to his team.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Sasha’s right. I mean, we have no idea if there is anything down there,” Parker agreed.

“But it’s the best place to start.”

“Hey, you better not be planning on causing trouble,” Mr. Walker said. His tone was not very convincing, making his comment come across more as a suggestion than an instruction.

“We would never. We’re just discussing how to track down the treasure that might be hidden here,” Jim explained.

“Yeah, by going down into the basement. If you’re planning on breaking the rules, don’t discuss it in earshot of your chaperones,” Xavier said.

“Or, better yet, don’t break the rules at all,” Mr. Walker added.

“We’re sorry, Mr. Walker,” Sasha apologized.

“Oh, don’t worry, just don’t go down there. Especially considering the treasure isn’t down there.”

“What?!” the four said at the same time.

Mr. Walker pulled an old-looking paper from a folder he had put on the table. “I found this when I was checking out the library. Seems to be a series of hints leading to a treasure. I thought we could look for it as tomorrow’s group activity.”

Jim grabbed the paper and showed it to the others.

“Nice try, but it’s obviously a fake,” Sameer explained with a smirk. “The writing is too precise for a human. You’d see slight differences in repeated letters. This was clearly typed out on a computer using an old-fashioned font. And the printed paper was made to look old using different techniques like using coffee or pencil shavings, and singeing the edges lightly.”

“Wow, you have a good eye,” Mr. Walker noticed, surprised.

“That’s our research expert for you,” Parker explained, while patting Sameer on the back.

“Good job, Sameer,” Sasha complimented him, with an impressed glimmer in his eyes.

“Could you do me a favor and not tell the other students about this?” Mr. Walker asked. “I want to surprise them with this treasure hunt.”

“No problem, we’ll just play along,” Jim said.

At that moment, the door to the kitchen opened. Some students, who had helped prepare the food, walked out with large pizzas. They put them all down, and one table after the other went to get their slices.

As Xavier and the rest of his table stood up, the door to the hallway opened, and another student came in. His hair was messy, multiple Band-Aids were stuck to his body, and his glasses were cracked. He walked up to the front, grabbed two slices, and walked out again.

Confused, Xavier grabbed some slices and sat back down.

“Is it good?” Connor asked. He and James sat down next to Xavier. They had both helped in the kitchen.

“Yes, it’s really good,” Mr. Walker answered.

“You can thank the gardening club for that. Some of the ingredients, like the tomatoes and the paprika, are fresh from the garden.”

James took a bite from his Pizza. “So, how do you like it here?” he asked with a full mouth.

“It’s an interesting building. We’ve spent the afternoon exploring the attic,” Jim answered.

“So you’ve already found the way up there. Hey, if you like exploring, you have to check out the caves around here,” Connor said.

“I read about those. There is a huge cave system in this area. There are apparently even some underground hot springs down there.”

“Just bring some nose plugs when you go down there,” James recommended. “The caves are nicknamed Stinky Caves for a reason.”

“I actually planned a small trip to the caves for tomorrow’s expedition,” Mr. Walker said.

“Have fun with that. Maybe you’ll find one of the lost students,” Connor said.

“Lost students? I haven’t read anything about that,” Sameer said.

“Maybe the school is covering it up,” Jim theorized.

“Don’t listen to him. It’s a stupid ghost story he tells new students,” James explained, rolling his eyes.

“Come on, why’d you have to tell them?”

“Cuz it’s not funny. I heard this stupid story so many times now.”

“You’re the writer here, so how about you come up with a better one?”

“Or we spend the time working on the actual story I wrote, so we finally make some progress on our play,” James answered, clearly annoyed and stressed.

“Is someone a bit grumpy today?” Connor asked in a teasing tone. “How about you go to Keanu, I’m sure he’ll cheer you up.”

“Shut up, dude!”

“Sorry, forgot you’re a bit sensitive about that,” Connor said, trying not to break out in laughter.

“You know what, I’ll actually go to Keanu. Not because of any gay shit, but because he’s less annoying than you,” James retorted angrily.

“Make sure to put a sock on the door handle!” Connor yelled after him while chuckling to himself.

James simply flipped him off while walking away.

“Aren’t you being a bit mean?” Xavier asked, looking at Connor judgmentally.

“Oh, don’t worry, he’s not actually gay. I’m just teasing him with that because he’s a bit old-fashioned in that way. He grew up in a very conservative family. But believe me, he’s a good guy. He just has some biases.”

“I see,” Xavier answered with a doubtful look on his face.

“Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that,” Parker said. “I have yet to meet a fucking bigot who’s a decent person overall.”

“I know what you mean, but believe me, James is an exception,” Connor defended his friend.

“Hey, Connor. I was wondering, what’s the deal with the tattoos?” Sasha asked. “I noticed that you, James, and that other student who immediately left after getting his pizza all have the same one.”

“All the members of our group have it. It’s the symbol of the Bowfin Knights.”

“Cool, maybe we should get our logo tattooed as well,” Jim suggested.

“Absolutely not, my mother would kill me,” Parker said.

“Currently, James, Keanu, and I are the only Bowfin Knights here. The others are at home.”

“So, Keanu is the guy who was only here for a few seconds?” Jim asked.

“Yes. He’s part of the theater club as well. He’s barely left his room in the last few days because he’s busy working on something for the performance.”

“What is he working on?” Xavier asked.

“Not sure, some kind of special effect. He’s our personal crazy scientist, always working on something explosive or flammable.”

“And your teachers are okay with that?” Mr. Walker asked.

“Nothing has happened yet, so they let him do his thing, as long as he regularly reports what he’s working on.”

They continued eating. After a while, Jim leaned over to Connor. He whispered, but Xavier could still hear what he was saying. “Where is the key for the basement door? Or is there another entrance?”

Connor smiled. “The director is holding onto the only key. But maybe there is a secret entrance. I can’t tell you, but as investigators, you should be able to find out for yourself.”

Before Jim and the others could plan to look for the secret entrance at night, Mr. Walker told them off, hoping that would do the trick.

After everyone had finished, the students spent some more time exploring and playing before everyone headed to bed.

Monday, August 5, 8:35 pm: Island, Loch Bowfin

Alice’s eyes wandered over the lake. Everything was quiet, and Alice enjoyed the moment of calm.

She turned around to see the small hut that Mika and she had spent the afternoon building. Mika was sitting inside, carving something into a piece of wood, while Lupin was drinking from his baby bottle.

“Hey Mika, what are you doing?”

“I’m making a sign for our island agency.” Mika held up the wood. It showed two stick figures holding hands next to the unfinished text that was going to say: Mika & Alice Island Detectives.

“Pretty cool.” Alice patted them on the head. Mika smiled and continued to carve.

“I thought about your codename idea. How about we just use numbers? Something like 007 or 47. It’s simpler to come up with than some elaborate names.”

“No, that would be boring. But I had an idea for your nickname. How about we call you Crimebuster, like your suit?”

Alice grabbed her shirt, which she had hung out to dry, after falling in the lake. “No, that would just cause a Venom effect.”

“What’s that?” Mika asked, confused.

“You don’t know who Venom is? I thought you started reading comics.”

“I only read DC.”

“I guess that checks out. You know, that just because they're labeled Detective Comics, doesn’t mean most of them are actually about detectives, right?”

“I was confused about what a stretchy woman and a robot had to do with that.”

“Wait, you’re reading Doom Patrol?! I’m in the middle of catching up on the show. You should totally watch it with me. Can’t hurt broadening your horizon beyond investigators.”

“Okay, but can you please explain what the Venom effect is?”

“Sure. Venom is the name of an alien parasite. When he combines with his host, named Eddy Brock, they become one entity, which is also called Venom. You see the issue? Venom plus Eddy equals Venom, that doesn’t check out.”

“I see. And the same goes for you and the Crimebuster.”

“Exactly.”

“I’ll have to think some more, then.”

“Good idea.”

“Why did you name your suit after those books anyway?”

“What books?” Alice looked at Mika.

“Wait, so you didn’t base the name on the books?”

“Again, what books? I just liked the name.”

Mika considered telling her, but decided against it. “You know what? I think it’s funnier if you don’t know.”

“I can just look it up, you know.”

Mika’s smile faded. “No, don’t do that. You have to find out without using Google, like a real investigator.”

Alice smiled. “You know, investigators also use search engines.”

Alice put on her shirt and looked to the horizon, where the sun was slowly disappearing behind the treetops. “Say, how about we head back after you finish the sign?”

“What, why?!”

“It’s getting late, and we haven’t eaten anything since lunch.”

“We had some gummy bears.”

“You know what I mean. We can go back and have a relaxing evening at the campfire. What do you say?”

Mika shook their head profusely.

“We can come back to the island tomorrow.”

“But there are still things to do today!” Mika jumped up.

“They can wait. Aren’t you tired from all the adventuring?”

“No. I still have a lot of energy. I can… Hey, who is that?” Mika pointed to the shore.

Alice turned around to see what Mika was talking about. “I don’t see anyone.”

“Weird, I could have sworn I saw someone in a bright shirt. Maybe we should go look for them,” Mika suggested.

“If there was anyone, it was probably just a student. How about we eat lunch, lie down, and listen to some episodes of the Clever Foxes? I downloaded some on my phone.”

“No, we need to go have an adventure!” Mika said, growing frustrated.

“I don’t get it. Is something going on?”

“I don’t want to relax. We need to use all the time we have for more adventures.”

Alice looked at them, confused. “All the time we have?”

“We can’t waste time with the Clever Foxes! We…”

Alice gently grabbed their hands. “Mika, it’s okay, we can explore some more after dinner,” she said softly.

“Really?”

Alice nodded. “But can you tell me why you’re so upset?”

“I just want to have more adventures with my big sister.” Mika avoided eye contact and frowned.

“I don’t know why you’d think our time for adventures is limited.”

Mika hesitated. “Well, it… It’s because of school.”

“What about school?”

“Grandma told me I’d have to go to school beginning at the end of this month. That means I can’t come visit you anymore.”

“Of course you can.”

“But I’ll be busy with all the homework, and I’ll only have two days off every week.”

Alice didn’t have to think long. “Remember what I told you, after our first case? I told you I’d come visit you, no matter the difficulties. And compared to a blizzard or a volcano, school isn’t much of a hurdle.”

“Do you promise it?”

“Of course. Why would I not want to spend time with the best little sibling in the world?”

Mika hugged Alice tightly. “What episodes do you have?” Mika asked while still holding onto Alice.

“I have the newest one, you’re personal top ten, and some of my favorites.”

“Can we listen to your favorite episode?”

Alice nodded. Mika grabbed the piece of wood to finish it later, and the two got in the boat. Mika held their hands in the water while Alice rowed them back to shore.

As Alice had suggested, they spent the evening relaxing next to the campfire, listening to audio plays, until Mika eventually fell asleep, their head resting on Alice’s lap, while they hugged Lupin.

Alice finished the episode before falling asleep. Although she barely understood any of the German audio plays, she had been using them to learn the language. For the older episodes, she could pull up the English translation of the books, but she was having a much harder time than Mika had when they learned German this way.

As someone with experience in learning a new language from scratch, I can relate to Alice’s struggles. It can be very hard, especially in the beginning. When you understand some of the words, you can at least start filling in the gaps, but before that, you have no idea where to start.

Obviously, not every method works as well for every person. You need to find the right method that suits you. To be fair, using entertainment media is often a good idea. So, Alice might be onto something. However, she should probably not use that as an excuse to ignore all the other methods.

Tuesday, August 6, 9:25 am: Woods, Near Abercrombie Academy

Xavier was walking alongside the students through the woods. The ones in the front held the paper Mr. Walker had prepared. The group had been following the hints to find the fabled treasure.

While Mr. Walker was near the front of the crowd, happily observing how much fun the students were having, Xavier was at the back of the group, keeping an eye on four students in particular. The young investigators had little interest in the treasure hunt, knowing it was only a game made by their teacher. They were busy whispering about something else.

“We have to find the secret entrance during the day,” Sasha said.

“I mean, it was predictable that most of the doors would be locked during the night,” Sameer said.

“If only we had someone who could pick locks,” Jim said while looking at Sasha.

“I’m sorry. I’ve only recently started learning it.”

“Don’t worry, Jim is just in a bad mood,” Sameer said.

“Not like he was any help,” Parker added.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m just saying, don’t blame Sasha for being bad at something you’re even worse at.”

“You’re right, a good leader should be better than that. I’m sorry, Sasha.”

“It’s okay, no hard feelings.”

“So you guys broke your promise?” Xavier asked.

Sasha and Sameer looked at him in surprise. Parker and Jim seemed much calmer.

“If I remember correctly, we promised not to make any trouble. We didn’t do that,” Jim explained with a grin on his face.

“And before you say anything, we also didn’t enter any rooms that were off limits,” Parker added. The two had clearly prepared this explanation, in case they were caught.

Xavier shook his head, smiling. “You know, as your chaperone, I should call you out on exploiting a cheap loophole, but as a fellow investigator, I have to agree with you. This is exactly the shit we pulled when we were your age.”

“Wow, did you hear that, guys? We’re like Xavier Diaz!” Jim said happily.

“Hey, don’t put this all on me. I said we, as in Natsu and I.”

“I read about his death,” Jim said. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine how I would feel losing my second in command.” He looked over at Parker.

“Natsu isn’t my second command. We’re of equal importance.”

“Really?” Sameer asked, surprised. “Most news articles I read on your agency only mentioned him fleetingly, while focusing on you.”

“I know. Just another reason I mostly ignore news articles. Most of them don’t know what they’re talking about.”

“Well, either way, I’ll make sure to keep my team members safe,” Jim said.

“The best way to do that is by avoiding dangerous cases. Be careful not to get ahead of yourselves. There’s still is a lot you have to learn.”

“Like lockpicking?” Sasha asked, seemingly feeling guilty for not knowing how to do it.

“It’s definitely a good skill to have. But don’t feel too in the dumps over it. I can still barely pick locks. I mostly have my colleague do it.”

“You mean this Alice Baker, who’s listed on your card?” Jim asked.

“Yes, she’s the specialist for infiltration and lockpicking.”

At that moment, some of the other students started cheering loudly. Apparently, they had found one of the locations the paper hinted towards. A tree, a part of which vaguely resembled a scary grimace.

While the students were happily celebrating this discovery, they clearly missed the obvious contradiction in front of them. If this riddle were truly centuries old, the tree would have looked very different back then, or might not have even existed yet.

Although, to be fair, some of the students already assumed it was simply made up by their teacher and were just playing along and having fun with it anyway, hoping for a nice reward at the end of the treasure hunt.

The group decided to take a quick break before looking for the next location.

“Xavier, can you tell us more about your cases?” Jim asked.

The four investigators and Xavier were sitting on a fallen tree. The bark was overgrown with moss and fungi.

“Sure, but I’ve already told you about a lot of them. Soon I’ll run out of material. After all, I can’t tell you about the confidential ones,” Xavier bragged.

“You have some top secret cases?!” Sasha asked, impressed.

“Yup. The police or the FBI would probably get pretty upset if I told some random hobby investigators about them.”

“So you work together with the police and the FBI?” Sameer asked.

Before Xavier could answer, his attention was pulled somewhere else. He could hear noises coming from nearby, behind some thick bushes.

To his surprise, a soccer ball shot out from the thicket, heading directly towards Sasha.

Just in time, Parker jumped up and caught the ball before it could hit the junior investigator, who was frozen in surprise. He landed on the floor with a skillful roll. With the eyes of a hawk, he looked around to determine the projectile's origin.

“Where did that come from?” Jim asked. It didn’t take long for him to find out, as at that moment Alice and Mika broke through the greenery, followed by Lupin, who quickly climbed up on Mika’s shoulder.

“Alice? What are you two doing here?” Xavier stared at them in surprise.

“Three,” Mika corrected him. “Don’t forget Lupin.”

“Wait, that’s Alice?!” Jim said, surprised.

“Aw, have you been bragging about me?” Alice looked at Xavier with a teasing grin.

“I’m not gonna say yes, or your ego would just inflate even more. But my question still stands. What are you doing here?”

“We wanted to go camping. And I wanted to use the opportunity to prove my theory.”

“What theory?” Xavier asked.

“I can’t tell you. A good scientist does not interfere with their test subjects.”

“So I’m your test subject?”

“Oh no, I’ve said too much. Big Sis, what do I do now?”

Alice looked at Xavier with an emotionless look on her face. “Xavier, why would you say that? No one talked about test subjects.”

“What do you mean? I said that,” Mika asked, confused.

“It’s called gaslighting,” Alice explained calmly.

“And Alice is really bad at it,” Xavier added.

“Or maybe I’m so good at it, I made you believe I was bad at it?”

“Nope, you’re just bad at it.”

“Hey, is this your ball?” Parker asked, holding up the dirty ball.

“Ah, thank you. Mika and I were just playing one of my favorite childhood games, Forestball.”

“What’s that?” Parker asked.

“It’s a game I came up with as a kid. You simply run through the woods, kicking the football around, trying to pull off different trick shots without stopping or tripping.”

“Don’t you mean soccer?” Xavier asked.

“Oh, of course you’d call it soccer, you Yank.”

“What are you talking about? You’re an American, too.”

“But one with class.”

Xavier shook his head and pulled Alice aside, leaving Mika alone with a group of strangers, much to Mika’s discomfort.

“Why are you really here?”

“What do you mean?”

“This was clearly a last-minute decision. Don’t tell me this is just so you don’t have to do chores.”

“Of course not. Although that’s a positive side effect. But yes, there is actually another reason why I took Mika camping.” Alice pulled out her phone and opened up a news site. It took a while to load due to the bad connection.

“Here, this is why I wanted to go away from civilization.”

“Armed bank robbers still at large?” Xavier read out the headline on the screen.

“What?” Alice looked back at the screen. An ad had popped up, changing the layout so that a different article was now in the center of the screen. The bank mentioned in the article was in a town further up the river, closer to the Canadian border, and had been robbed two days ago.

“I meant this one.”

“Mysterious serial killer claims new victim.” Xavier read out loud, just quiet enough for Mika not to hear him. He had already read about the killer mentioned in the article, as it was mentioned in a TikTok post he’d come across.

Recently, a series of murders had started with no end in sight. Most of the murders were committed in New York State or near the state border. The murders were all connected by the same symbol of a moth being found at the crime scene. It was sometimes left behind on a calling card, it was carved into some of the corpses, graffiti of the symbol had been found, and even the bullets that could be retrieved had the symbol engraved in them. Because of this, the media had begun calling the killer Moth. But little was known about the killer, and some even theorized that Moth might actually be multiple killers.

Even the motive was unclear. For a while, it was believed the killer might be politically motivated, as a lot of the victims openly promoted themselves as conservatives online, but that was not the case with all of the victims. Some of them were the opposite, being very vocal about their liberal beliefs. Besides political, they also seemed to be of different demographics, having not a single trait in common as a collective.

“I don’t get it. Are you afraid Mika could be in danger?” Xavier asked.

“No, well, not technically. What do you think happens if Mika finds out about this?”

Xavier shrugged.

“They would probably want to solve the case.”

“But we have a rule about not pursuing serial killers.”

“That’s your rule, not theirs.”

“You might have a point. I guess it can’t hurt to keep Mika away from this.”

Mika, all the while, was nervously looking around at unfamiliar faces.

“So, you are Mika?” Sasha asked.

“Yes, who are you?”

“We are the Lawreyville Boy Detectives. Here’s our card,” Jim said proudly. “We heard you work together with the D&M Detective Agency. What’s that like?”

“It’s really fun. I love working together with Alice and Xavier.”

“And who’s this? I’ve never seen a monkey like this,” Sameer said, having noticed the little animal.

“Oh, this is Lupin. He’s unique. Isn’t he just the cutest?” Mika gleefully scratched his chin.

“I’m not sure if that’s how I’d describe it,” Parker said.

“Can I pet him?” Sasha asked.

Mika nodded excitedly.

Xavier and Alice returned to the group. “So, what about Amy? Was she not in the mood for camping?” Xavier asked.

“You know, some people have to work for their money,” Alice said.

“You’re one to talk. Pretty sure I do more work than you.”

“Making unsuccessful YouTube videos doesn’t count as working.”

“Don’t understate my audience.”

“Fine. But yeah, Amy is at home, working. Well, if she finds time between sucking face with that reporter.”

“Laura? I knew they were hanging out a lot, but I didn’t know they’d gotten this close.”

“Probably not. Knowing Amy, she’s the kind of person who only kisses on her 20^th date. Which might actually be coming up soon.”

“Who’s this Amy you keep talking about?” Jim asked.

“A friend. She sometimes helps us, but she’s not part of the agency,” Alice explained.

“Yet,” Xavier added.

“Just give it up already,” Alice said. “If she chooses to join, that’s her decision, but stop pushing her.”

“But she helped us with our last few cases.”

Alice simply rolled her eyes and turned to the others. They continued talking for a while. The junior investigators kept asking Alice and Mika questions.

Mika was happy to tell them more, not even noticing that Sasha could not seem to keep his eyes off them.

Tuesday, August 6, 9:55 am: Woods, Near Abercrombie Academy

The treasure hunt continued. Alice and Mika had decided to tag along for a while.

“What is this stench?” Alice asked, pinching her nose.

“I don’t smell anything,” Mika answered, trying to pick up the scent.

“Do I really have to remind you?”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot that my nose doesn’t work.”

“How come, every time we hang out, my nose gets assaulted?” Alice asked, annoyed.

“That’s not true.”

“Case #56, your horrible experiments, Case #57, the zombie spores, and now this.”

“What about the other cases?”

“I think three is already an alarming number.”

“I think that stench comes from the caves. One must be nearby,” Xavier explained.

This was a good sign for the students, as their next hint pointed towards the caves. Some of the students excitedly picked up their speed. The seven investigators were more relaxed and continued to talk about their cases.

That is, until they were interrupted by disturbed screams.

Xavier, Alice, Jim, and Parker immediately sprang to action. Turning around the corner, they came face to face with the abyssal darkness of one of the entrances to the vast cave system.

They didn’t take long to notice what had shocked the students. Close enough to the entrance to still be reached by the sunlight lied a lifeless body. The disturbing sight was made more bizarre by the strange jester mask the corpse wore. The mask, which was firmly stuck in the uncanny valley, stared at them with a toothy grin. The greenish skin implied the depiction of something inhuman, like an ogre or an alien. It served as a haunting reminder of the absent humanity of what they saw.

“Kids, please follow me,” Mr. Walker said, trying to lead the students away from the corpse. His eyes kept darting back to it while he was trying to get the disturbed group under control.

“Listen to him, maggots! Leave this to the professionals,” Alice yelled in a much more commanding voice than Mr. Walker’s.

The other investigators had caught up and noticed the corpse as well, while the other students slowly followed Mr. Walker. The ones that seemed less sensitive to the sight tried to take pictures, but Alice quickly chased them off.

Alice sighed, turning back to the tragic scene.

“See, I was right,” Mika said triumphantly.

“Not now, Mika,” Alice said, trying to stay calm. This was, of course, not the first corpse she’d seen, but by far the youngest.

Jim knelt down beside the corpse. “Sameer, take notes.”

Sameer pulled out a pen and a notepad.

“The victim seems to be about our age, likely a bit older, female, blonde, about 5’7’’.”

“Hey, Detective Conan, how about you leave this to the adults? Pretty sure murder’s a number too big for you.”

“Actually, Conan Edogawa regularly investigates murders,” Mika pointed out, correcting Alice.

“I know, I just called him that because… Doesn’t matter. Also, I’m not getting criticized on my knowledge of anime by someone who called me a weeb.”

“Wait, is weeb like an insult?” Mika asked.

“Kinda,” Alice answered.

“I’m sorry. Amy just told me to call you that when you praise something from Japan. She didn’t say what it meant.”

Alice rolled her eyes and turned back to see Xavier helping Jim with the investigation. He reached out and grabbed the mask.

“Let’s see, who’s under the mask.” Xavier had trouble removing it, as it seemed to stick to the victim’s face. A first sign of what awaited them under the theater prop.

“Oh fuck!” Parker let out.

Sasha quickly averted his eyes, trying not to throw up.

The other investigators seemed disturbed as well, to varying degrees.

What lied under the mask was a gory mess. The face was unrecognizable. Parts of the skin were missing, others were singed, and all of it was covered in blood.

The gruesome sight starkly contrasted with the bright yellow shirt she was wearing, with the motive of a cute platypus on it.

For a moment, no one knew what to say.

“I really think it would be best if you leave this to us,” Alice said, in a much softer and empathetic tone.

“She’s right, this is clearly too much for inexperienced investigators,” Mika agreed.

“That goes for you, too,” Alice said.

“What, but I’m part of the agency?!”

“You’re still a kid.” Alice could barely bring herself to look at Mika. The victim was likely only a little older than they were. The thought of Mika ending up like this drilled itself into Alice’s head, no matter how hard she tried to shake it off.

“Just because we’re kids doesn’t mean we can’t handle this,” Jim said.

“It’s too late to prevent us from seeing this, anyway. It would probably be better for us if we could help solve this case, or we’ll just be left with this disturbing sight and no explanation,” Sameer added.

Xavier pulled Alice aside, again. “No matter what we say, they will pursue this case. I would have done the same at their age.”

“So what, you want to let them investigate this murder. Dude, this shit is on a different level. Her fucking face is missing. I’m disturbed by this and I…” Alice paused. “I’ve seen much more than these wannabe Sherlocks. So if even I’m shaken by the sight, I can’t imagine what that shit does to some kids.”

“I totally agree, but think about it. It’s better to let them tag along. That way, we can keep an eye on them.”

Alice hesitated. “Fuck! Fine, you’re right. They would absolutely investigate it, no matter what we say.”

“Weird,” Mika thought out loud to themselves.

“What?” Xavier asked.

“Somehow, I feel like I’ve seen her before, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

“You know the victim?!” Sasha asked, surprised.

“No, I don’t think so. I just think I’ve seen her before.”

“Sameer, note down that the victim seems to be a trans girl who’s likely been on hormones for a while,” Jim noted.

Mika, Alice, and Sasha looked at him in surprise. This specification had piqued their interest in different ways.

“Can I ask, how do you know that?” Alice asked, already having a suspicion.

“I mean, there is a pretty obvious sign, if you know where to look,” Jim explained bluntly.

“Did you just check her crotch, you little creep? What is this, fucking Danganronpa?”

“What? I was checking if there are any other wounds on her body. It’s not like I was only checking her crotch. I paid just as much attention to her elbows, or her hands, or any other part of her body.”

“Doesn’t make it any better.”

“Do you think her being trans has something to do with the case?” Xavier asked.

“Well, statistically it does,” Mika said, with a shaky voice.

“Do you mean because of the high amount of violent crimes directed at trans people?” Sasha asked.

“That’s not the kind of statistic Mika looks at,” Alice explained. She hoped Mika had not been confronted with those statistics.

“I was talking about mystery stories. Now, most of my data in this specific field relates to cop dramas, as they seem to consistently have some kind of episode that uses transness as a gimmick. A lot of the other media I’d usually consult is disqualified one way or another.”

“All the ones I read, or watched, which involved a trans character had that as a central theme of that episode or story. Basically, treating it as a special gimmick.” Mika paused. “Transness is typically used in two ways in those stories, either on the murderer to make them seem more scheming, villainous, or disturbing.”

“Yikes. The old Silence of the Lambs treatment,” Alice said.

“Actually, Buffalo Bill isn’t trans. It’s stated in the movie.”

“Doesn’t change the fact most people will still make the connection and use it to fuel their transphobia, does it?” Parker pointed out.

Mika shook their head. “The other way comes up when the trans person is the victim, like in this case. It is often shown in gruesome detail, even to the extent of basically being misery porn, often adding multiple layers of tragedy and violence. Much more than with the average cis victim.”

“Wait, how do you know that word?” Alice asked, surprised.

“What word?”

“Porn.”

“Oh, that’s a common word used when analyzing murder in media. Terms like misery porn or torture porn often come up. I’ve also heard of food porn, but I think that’s unrelated.”

“So you don’t know the word porn on its own?”

“No, what does it mean?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Alice said, relieved.

“Hey, Jim, did you notice this when investigating the corpse?” Xavier asked, pointing to where the face should be.

“What do you mean?”

“There are scorch marks. They seem similar to powder burns, which are caused by firing a gun from close up.”

“I didn’t know that. Does that mean this was caused by a gun?”

“Unlikely, I can’t see any projectiles. But gunpowder was probably still involved.”

“Sameer, do you know any weapon that would fit that description?”

“Not really, I’d have to look into it. The only thing that comes to mind would be an explosive. Judging from the damage, some illegal fireworks might be strong enough to cause this.”

“Jim, did you find any hint pointing to her identity?” Mika asked.

“Nope. She was carrying nothing on her. Well, that’s not fully true. I didn’t find an ID or anything like it, but I found this.” He held up a wooden token. A familiar symbol had been burnt into it.

“Isn’t that the symbol of the Bowfin Knights?” Parker noticed.

“Why would she have this?” Sameer wondered.

“Don’t know. But it hints at a connection to said group,” Jim said.

“So we don’t even know her identity? How are we supposed to know who killed her if we don’t even know who she is?” Alice asked.

Xavier stood up and sighed. “I think we should follow our only leads. This mask. I assume it belongs to the theater club. And the three members of the Bowfin Knights who we know are here.”

“And what do we do with the body? We can’t leave her here,” Parker pointed out.

“But we can’t bring it to the academy, that would cause panic,” Sasha said.

“We can hide the corpse in our tent,” Alice suggested.

“That should probably be fine,” Xavier agreed.

Alice and Parker carried the corpse to the tent before the group headed to the academy.

Mr. Walker wasn’t very happy with the idea of letting his students help with the investigation, but he agreed with Xavier’s logic. He also suggested distracting the other students, trying to get them to think about something else, even though it was obviously impossible to forget such a sight.

Tuesday, August 6, 10:30 am: Gymnasium, Abercrombie Academy

As they entered the gymnasium, they noticed the small group that was gathered near the stage. Mr. Abercrombie was talking to James and Keanu.

While they walked up to them, the director noticed them. “Oh, there you are. You wouldn’t happen to have seen Connor, would you?”

“No, why? Is he missing?” Xavier asked.

“Looks like it,” James answered.

“How long has he been missing?” Jim asked.

“The two of us share a dorm room. I last saw him when I went to bed,” James explained.

“And we noticed he wasn’t around this morning,” Keanu added.

“I just assumed he’d gotten up early when he wasn’t in the room when I woke up.”

“And I guess you already searched the academy for him,” Sameer said. He hadn’t bothered taking out his notebook and was taking notes on his forearms.

The director nodded.

“About an hour ago, I wanted to install something on the stage,” Keanu began. “When I got here, the door was unlocked, but no one was around, which is weird because only the director, the Janitors, and Connor currently have a key to this room. They’re all instructed to lock the gym if no one’s in there.”

“I assume you asked the janitors if they were the ones who unlocked the door, right?” Jim asked.

“Yes, it wasn’t one of them. And as you can probably guess, it wasn’t me either,” the director said.

“Which means Connor was the one to open the door,” Parker said.

“Or someone stole his key,” Xavier pointed out.

“We’ll definitely keep an eye open. If we see any clue to Connor’s whereabouts, we’ll follow it,” Sasha said.

“On an unrelated note, is this mask part of your theater equipment?” Alice asked, holding up the mask in a way that the three couldn’t see the blood on the inside.

“Yes, that’s the alien clown! Where did you find it?” Keanu asked. He wanted to grab it, but Alice quickly pulled it away.

“Doesn’t matter where we found it.”

“May I ask who you are?” the director asked.

“I’m Alice, and this is Mika. We’re members of the D&M Detective Agency.”

Mika was hiding Lupin in their jacket to avoid unnecessary attention.

“I see. I don’t know how you got here so quickly, but I’ll take any help I can get to find my missing student.”

“We can help with that,” Sameer said.

“It’s probably a good idea to split up, now that we have multiple things to investigate. I’ll take half of the Boy Detectives and search the academy, and you two take the rest and look around backstage,” Xavier suggested.

The others agreed. Xavier left, together with Jim and Sameer. The director, James, and Keanu also left to continue their search, leaving Alice, Mika, Sasha, and Parker behind.

“So, what should we look for?” Parker asked as they approached the stage.

“Any hints at all. The killer must have, at some point, come here to get the mask,” Alice said.

“Couldn’t the victim have worn the mask before getting killed?” Parker asked while looking through a box filled with random props.

“No, the deadly wound was under the mask. Had she worn it when getting killed, the mask would be damaged,” Sasha pointed out.

“You’re right. I should have thought of that.”

“You know what I’ve been wondering? Why was she even here?” Sasha asked.

“Good point. This is a remote location. The only people here are part of the academy, which is an all-boys school,” Parker realized.

“Maybe a closeted student,” Alice guessed while looking at what seemed to be pyrotechnics.

“No, that’s highly unlikely. As Jim said, she’s likely been on HRT for a while. It would be pretty hard to hide that,” Sasha said.

“Even if she was binding to hide her breasts, she could not do that all the time,” Mika said.

“Seems like someone learned their lesson,” Alice said, grinning.

Parker had seemingly come up with an explanation. “Hear me out, what if it went like this. The victim and one of the students had met online and were in a long-distance relationship. She then decided to visit her boyfriend. The topic of her being trans never came up beforehand, and when the boyfriend found out, he was so caught off guard that he killed her.”

Sasha looked very uncomfortable with the idea. “You’re talking about the concept of trans panic? I guess it isn’t impossible, but most trans people don’t hide their transness, partially because of exactly that.”

“We should certainly keep it in mind. After all, that could both explain why she was here and why she was killed, as messed up as the motive is,” Parker said.

“Big Sis, what is trans panic?” Mika asked.

Before Alice could answer, Sasha started talking. “It’s an awful legal defense used to…”

“It’s bullshit you shouldn’t worry about,” Alice said, quickly stepping in.

“Oh,” Mika said, confused.. They grabbed Lupin and cuddled him for comfort.

Parker and Sasha looked at Alice in confusion. “Don’t you think they should know about…” Parker began.

“No, they don’t! Their life is perfectly fine without knowing about that sort of stuff. It adds nothing.”

The others were unsure how to counter that. Suddenly, Lupin started sniffing the air.

“What’s he doing?” Sasha asked.

“I think he picked up a scent. Mika let him lead the way,” Alice said.

Mika put Lupin on the ground. He quickly ran towards a dark corner.

“What is he looking for? There’s nothing there,” Parker said.

Lupin was excitedly scratching the ground.

“Let’s see.” Alice crouched to the ground, knocking on the wooden planks and listening closely.

“What have we got here?” Alice said triumphantly. She felt the wood for any small gaps she could reach into. The others watched as she lifted up a hidden trapdoor.

“That’s the secret entrance to the basement!” Parker realized.

Sasha and Parker quickly climbed down the makeshift ladder. Mika patted Lupin on the head. “Good job, Buddy.”

Alice hesitantly followed them down into the basement.

Tuesday, August 6, 10:50 am: West Hallway 2, Abercrombie Academy

Xavier and Jim walked through the hallways of the old building, followed by Sameer, who was busy checking his notes.

“Where have we not looked yet?” Jim asked.

“We’re mostly done with the west side. The only thing missing is the dorm rooms. Besides that, there’s obviously the west side of the building. Also, both the basement and the attic are still on the agenda,” Xavier answered.

“The basement door is still locked, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be down there, he hinted at a secret entrance after all,” Sameer pointed out.

“Correct. We’ll just have to get the key from the director. As for the attic, we’ve been up there before. There are certainly enough hiding spots.”

“We should definitely check that out. But first, we should take a look at his room. Maybe he left some hints behind,” Xavier suggested.

They had already asked for Connor’s room number, or rather name, as each dorm room had a name based on an animal. They quickly got to the room labeled as the Badger Sett. After they had knocked, the door was opened. James looked out at them, seemingly surprised.

“What do you want?”

“We’re here to look for any clues to the whereabouts of Connor,” Jim explained while making his way inside.

“There’s nothing here. You think I wouldn’t check here first?”

“With all due respect, who’s the investigator here? You or us?” Jim said with a confident smile on his lips.

“Pretty sure only the lanky guy is an official one.”

“And by working with me, they become officially involved in the investigation,” Xavier said. “Shall we?”

The three quickly started searching the entire room, much to the chagrin of James.

“You’re not gonna find anything here. By the way, this is a massive invasion of privacy. Are you even allowed to search this room?”

“Look at this,” Xavier said, showing off his detective license. “According to New York State law, this license authorizes me to investigate any property without a warrant as long as there is reason to believe it would help with the investigation.”

As you might have guessed, all of this is a blatant lie. Not only has Xavier’s license been revoked, but it also doesn’t give him the stated authorization, even if it were still valid.

James gritted his teeth. “Fine, just get it over with.”

Luckily, most teenagers don’t have a solid grasp of legal procedures, allowing Xavier’s lie to remain undetected. At least by James, that is, as Sameer gave Xavier a look that made clear that he’d seen through his bluff.

Jim looked at some dumbbells that had been placed in one corner of the room. After closer inspection, it became obvious that they had been there for a while, considering how much dust they’d gathered. Even a spiderweb was stuck to one.

“Bet you couldn’t lift those,” James said with a grin on his face.

“I prefer to focus my training on my mind,” Jim answered calmly.

“Yeah, I knew you’d come up with some dumb excuse. What else would you expect from such an obvious beta? An alpha like me can easily bench these.”

“If you say so,” Jim answered, not falling for the obvious attempt to provoke him.

“How much dirty laundry can two students produce?” Sameer asked, looking at the laundry basket, which was overflowing with dirty clothes and towels.

“We just procrastinate cleaning it until we run out of clean clothes.”

“Gross,” Sameer said.

“What, real men don’t worry about beta shit like cleanliness. Cleaning’s for women and gays.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot that it’s gay to be clean,” Xavier said, rolling his eyes.

“Dude, are you looking through my dirty clothes?” James asked Jim who had started looking closer at the basket's contents.

“It can’t hurt. I’ve heard of a detective who used the dirt stains on someone’s clothes to detect where they regularly went, based on the type of dirt alone.”

“Just watch out for the cum socks.”

“I’ll say it again, gross,” Sameer said, putting down the blanket he was holding and wiping off his hands, just to be sure.

“Yeah, normally you don’t talk about that kind of stuff with strangers,” Jim said, backing away from the basket.

“I mean, it’s normal. A guy has certain needs, and there are no hot chicks here, so…”

“Let me stop you right there. I really don’t want to hear that,” Xavier said. He looked around the room one more time before making his way outside.

The hallway had gotten noticeably darker, as more clouds had gathered in front of the sun. Raindrops were hitting the window as a first sign of the storm that was brewing outside.

“Did you notice anything in there?” Sameer asked after leaving the room. His facial expression made it clear that he was unhappy with how the investigation had turned out.

“Not really, besides the fact that this guy is one hundred percent gay,” Xavier said.

“What, why would you think that?”

“Please, I’ve never seen anyone overcompensate this hard. And I can speak from experience, I grew up in a very conservative household that tried to teach me to hate my own queerness.”

“But we found nothing that helps with the case,” Jim said, similarly disappointed as Sameer.

“No. We should probably head to the attic next. But I wanted to get your input. Do you have any theories on who could be our killer?” Xavier asked.

“Considering how the victim was murdered, Keanu comes to mind. The others described him as a crazy inventor who works with explosives. Plus, he seems like a brooding loner. Certainly fits a common killer profile,” Sameer said, reading the notes from his arms and notepad.

“I agree. What are your thoughts on Connor as a potential suspect?” Xavier asked.

“He does seem suspicious. He disappeared during the night of the murder. Maybe he’s hiding out because of the crime he committed,” Jim theorized.

“Or he’s missing because he witnessed the murder,” Xavier suggested.

“That brings up another question. Is he still alive? Maybe we just haven’t found his corpse yet. It’s not absurd to imagine a murderer killing a witness,” Sameer added.

“Let’s hope he’s still alive. The faster we find him, the higher the chance of that,” Xavier said. The three headed up to the attic to continue their search.

Tuesday, August 6, 10:50 am: Basement, Abercrombie Academy

Alice pushed aside a large crate, and the ladder was hidden behind it. The light of Sasha’s phone wandered through the room. Now, the group could determine where the secret passage had led them. They were standing in the middle of shelves and crates, filled with food.

“Looks like we’re in the food storage. Maybe we can solve the mystery of the disappearing food while we’re at it,” Parker said, jokingly.

“What disappearing food?” Alice asked while inspecting the cracks in the wall.

“The director mentioned that food has been disappearing from the storage recently.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the director was right and they simply have rats down here,” Sasha said.

“Sounds likely,” Parker agreed.

“Does Lupin smell something?” Alice asked.

Mika put the little monkey on the floor and watched as he ran off towards the door. The group followed him down the hallway to another room.

“Oh shit, now I smell it too,” Alice said as she opened the door. A faint stench filled the room.

Looking around the room, it looked like it was used to store old furniture and school materials.

The walls were even more cracked than the ones in the rest of the basement.

“Looks like this place could collapse any minute,” Parker noticed, concerned.

“Lupin, wait!” The little monkey ignored Mika and slipped through some chairs piled up against a wall. Mika crawled under them to try to catch up to their buddy.

“Mika, be careful, this pile doesn’t look very well constructed,” Alice said.

“Guys, you have to see this!”

“What is it?” Parker asked.

“This crack is wide enough to slip through! I think this leads somewhere!”

“Mika, wait, that could be dangerous!” Alice said.

“But you can’t come with me, you’d get scared,” Mika explained.

“Sasha, you fit through these chairs, right?” Parker asked.

“Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Then, how about you, Mika, and Lupin go ahead. I won’t fit through these chairs. I’ll just come later. Alice and I will have to take care of these chairs first.”

“Okay, I’ll make sure to follow the cave protocol so you’ll find us.”

Sasha disappeared under the chairs and followed Mika into the crack.

“I guess we’d better start carrying these chairs out of the way,” Parker said, looking for a good place to start without the entire pile collapsing.

“Alice, don’t pull on that chair, it’s a vital stabilizer,” Parker said, noticing how Alice was in a rush.

“Where should I start?” Alice asked, annoyed.

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“Maybe because my little sibling just went off on their own, while there is a murderer with a record of killing trans people on the loose.”

“They’ll be fine. Mika doesn’t seem as weak as you make them out to be. Plus, they’re not on their own,” Parker said, trying to calm her down.

“Lupin isn’t really some kind of gorilla. He can’t protect them, and don’t take this the wrong way, but neither can Sasha.”

“Pretty sure Sasha would actually appreciate that comment,” Parker laughed, while continuing to test the stability of the pile. “Pretty sure he’s trying his best to seem weaker than he is.”

“Why would he do that?” Alice asked while yanking on a chair leg. Parker was just in time to stop the pile from collapsing.

“Dude, I get that you have some protective big sister instinct, but we can’t rush this. You won’t be of any help with a chair leg pierced through your head.”

“You’re right. I just get nervous when I can’t protect Mika. I want to at least make sure you get to them as quickly as possible.”

“Can you grab this chair? That way, we can keep the pile from falling apart.”

Alice carefully untangled the chair, finally lifting the weight off Parker’s shoulders.

“Thanks. You know, I get it. I’ve been going through a similar thing you’re going through.”

“I doubt that.”

“No, really. I sometimes feel like I have to be the shield for our team. Like it is my job to ensure the safety of the others. It sometimes feels like I reduce myself to this role of the protector.”

“And you think I’m like that?” Alice asked, confused.

“Is that not right? You underestimate the capabilities of those you love and try to overcompensate for their perceived weaknesses.”

“I don’t underestimate Mika. They are one of the most capable and impressive people I’ve ever met.”

“And yet you try to shield them from everything that could challenge or upset them.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alice asked, angrily.

“The whole trans panic thing,” Parker said. “I mean, it’s like you try to encapsulate them in a bubble, not knowing about any discrimination they might face.”

“Fuck off, you don’t know me!”

“You have yet to prove me wrong.”

“You know what?!” Alice said, tossing aside the chair she was holding. “Maybe I am trying to protect Mika. Yeah, maybe I do try to shield them from stuff that could upset them. So what? What’s so wrong with that? They had their fucking childhood taken away by a monster that dares to call itself a mother. I heard only a little of what she said to them, and I wanted to fucking take her head off. You know what it does to a child to be called broken and to be blamed for all their parents’ misfortunes?”

“No, I don’t. But that…”

“No buts! You have no right to speak on the matter!”

“So you’ve been through something similar?” Parker asked, having stopped handling the chairs.

Alice didn’t answer and turned away, getting back to taking the pile of chairs apart.

“Is that how you got your scar?”

Alice seemed to grow even angrier, but she kept quiet.

“It looks pretty badass. You know, I actually got my fair share of scars from our investigations.”

“Stop trying to act like we’re anything alike. This isn’t some silly scar I can brag about. It’s a reminder to always stand up to injustices.”

“Sorry, I had just thought it was some scar you got while protecting your friends.”

Parker hesitated. “So, how did you get it?”

Alice turned around and snapped at him. “Mind your own fucking business!”

“Sorry, I just… I…” Parker tried to apologize.

“Just shut up and help me with these chairs.” Annoyed, Alice continued moving the chairs around without saying another word.

Tuesday, August 6, 11:00 am: Bowfin Caves, Under Abercrombie Academy

The narrow space, Mika and Sasha were squeezing through, opened up in front of them. They landed in an underground tunnel that seemed to be part of the cave system.

“Which way should we go?” Mika asked while Sasha was getting something out of his pocket. They looked both ways with the help of their phone’s flashlight.

“Does Lupin show any reaction to either of the directions?”

“Nope. Let’s just go left.”

“Okay, let me just mark that.” Sasha drew an arrow on the wall with the chalk he carried around.

“Oh, cool, that’s just like the three investigators do it. Well, they use question marks. Wait, do you have different colors for every team member, too?” Mika asked excitedly.

“I don’t know who the three investigators are, but yes. Mine is red.”

“Cool, that’s like Bob Andrews. Well, not in the original series, that is.”

“I still don’t know who that is.”

“You got some bad chalk, though, that looks pink, not red.”

“That’s just what red chalk looks like,” Sasha said, flustered.

“Really? Wow, I’ve been imagining it all wrong.”

They started following the tunnel. They had to be careful not to slip on the wet rocks.

“Dear god, James didn’t exaggerate, these caves really stink,” Sasha said, while pinching his nose.

“I don’t have a sense of smell, so I’m fine,” Mika explained. “Here, maybe this helps, if you hold it in front of your nose.” Mika pulled out a small piece of cloth.

“What’s this?” Sasha looked at the colorful piece of fabric. The motive depicted a zombie idol group from an anime. “Is this a tissue with a Zombie Land Saga print on it? I didn’t know they sold these. I love that show!”

“It’s a reusable lens wipe, actually. I had it specially printed. Did you know you can just tell someone on the internet to print a picture on something, and they’ll send it to you?”

“Yeah, although I’ve never seen it on lens wipes. Wait, so you watch the show too?”

Mika shook their head. “I had it printed for Alice. Her birthday is in a few months, and I thought I’d print her some of these with pictures of her favorite shows and games. I have one for Persona 5, One Piece, Inazuma Eleven, Doom Patrol, and this one.”

“Cool. Does Alice wear glasses?” Sasha asked. “Wait, why do you have it with you if it’s a gift for Alice?”

“Oh, they accidentally printed them twice, so I kept one as a napkin for Lupin. I thought the zombie theme fit. Don’t worry, it’s clean. And for your other question. Alice has this cool suit that she sometimes wears during investigations. The Crimebuster. She mentioned the helmet's lenses quickly fog up, so I got her these.”

“That’s thoughtful.”

They reached a split path. This time, they decided to head right. The path was slightly angled upwards, and some water was flowing along the ground. It was probably rainwater finding its way into the cave system.

Should you ever get lost in a cave system, this is something you should keep an eye out for. The water had to get inside somehow, and an entrance can also be an exit. Although that’s no guarantee it will work for a human, it’s always worth a shot, though. And even if you can’t get out that way, your voice can, so use it as an opportunity to call for help.

The same goes for air. That’s why you should always carry some matches with you, as the flame picks up on even the slightest breeze and can lead you outside. Sorry, I got caught up in another tangent.

It felt like an eternity as they walked through the tunnels, slowed down further by the wet rocks, as they had to be extra careful not to slip up.

“Do you think we should go back and check out another path?” Sasha asked, exhausted.

“As long as we haven’t reached the end, we should continue on this path. If we quit now, we might miss something important.”

Sasha nodded and took another step. Just then, he slipped and fell on the ground.

“Are you okay?” Mika asked, concerned.

“Ow, my knee hurts. Does it look bad?”

“It’s bleeding. Here, Alice gave me these. Look, aren’t they cute? They’re pink with little duckies on them!” Mika showed the Band-Aid off with a broad smile on their face.

“Thanks, “Sasha said, looking at Mika, confused.

“Is something the matter?”

“No, it’s just, I didn’t think you’d like something so girly.”

“They’re not girly, they’re just cute!” Mika answered in protest. “Alice picked them, and she hates being called girly.”

“I guess you're right. Sorry, I’ve just been thinking about gender a lot. I guess not everyone is insecure about such things.”

“Why were you thinking about that?” Mika asked, confused, while sitting down next to Sasha.

Sasha looked unsure. “I… I have,” they paused. “I have a friend who thinks they might be a trans girl, but they’re not sure. How did you know you were, you know, trans?”

“I don’t know. I guess I was just uncomfortable. I didn’t like my name, how others saw me, or what my mom wanted me to be. When I first left my home, I just didn’t introduce myself to anyone, and somehow I felt more comfortable, not having to hear my old name. And then, one day, I read a book with a nonbinary character in it, and it felt like I had finally understood what all these feelings meant.”

“I see, sounds like a good book, if it helped you like that.”

“Oh, no. It’s pretty bad. But it definitely helped me.”

Sasha chuckled. “I guess what you're describing is similar to what my friend is going through. But they’re afraid of how their friends and family will take it. How did yours react?”

“My mom didn’t take it well. It really hurt, but when I talked to Grandma and Grandpa, they simply said that I should not worry about how she feels about it. My grandpa put it like this: You can always disagree with someone’s choices. But being trans is not a choice anyone makes. Not accepting someone for who they are, on the other hand, is one. And a choice based on disrespect does not deserve to be respected.”

“Your grandparents sound great.”

“They are. Thankfully, I get to live with them, since my mother’s in jail.”

“Your mother is in jail?! What for?”

“Murder,” Mika answered nonchalantly.

“I’m sorry, what now?!”

“Hey, tell your friend I wish them good luck with discovering themselves,” Mika said, while getting up from the ground.

“Thanks, that means a lot to me.”

Mika looked at Sasha in confusion. “Why does it mean a lot to you? I’m helping your friend, not you.”

Sasha was confused about Mika not picking up on the typical use of “I have a friend” when asking for advice, but just decided to follow them. To be fair to Mika, I can fully understand how someone wouldn’t realize the actual intent behind it, without someone pointing it out. Sometimes I wonder if people try to make things confusing on purpose. I mean, why would you talk about a made-up friend if you’re actually just talking about yourself?

After some more walking, they finally found something, unaware that they had gone in a circle and were almost exactly where they had started.

“Look, there’s something here!” Sasha realized.

The tunnel widened around the corner.

“Looks like a secret hideout!” Mika assumed. They walked forward and almost stumbled over a wooden plank that had been propped up on the floor.

“Kinda reminds me of our detective headquarters.”

“You have a hideout! Me too! Mine is in a lighthouse.”

“That sounds so cool. Ours is the basement of some abandoned building.”

“That’s cool too.”

“Sure, if you ignore how cold, wet, and dirty it is.”

“Hey, check this out!” Mika pointed to a large graffiti on the wall. Sasha immediately recognized it.

“That’s the symbol of the Bowfin Knights! So this is their hangout spot.”

“You mentioned them before. Who are they?”

“They’re a group of students. Connor is part of them. According to him, he, James, and Keanu are the only members currently at the academy.”

“Hey, maybe they have a map of the cave system,” Mika suggested.

“Maybe. Although it would be pretty hard to chart it out on a two-dimensional plane.”

Mika sat Lupin down on a stack of old pillows. While the little monkey watched, the two started searching through the piles of scrap, random toys, snacks, and other junk.

“Sasha, look over here!” Mika held out something that looked like a gun, made from scrap.

“Wha…?!” Sasha screeched and ducked down. “Don’t aim that at me, what if it goes off?!”

“I was being careful,” Mika said, insulted, while lowering the weapon. “You scream like a girl.”

“Really?” Sasha’s eyes lit up.

“Or Lupin when he has to take a bath,” Mika added, unintentionally making Sasha’s smile disappear.

“Can I see that?” Sasha grabbed the gun and took a closer look.

“Do you know anything about guns?”

“A little. My brother is into them, so I inevitably learn about them.”

“Can you use it?”

“Don’t know. I can’t even figure out how it’s meant to work. It’s obviously handmade, but it isn’t close to any model I know. Sasha looked down the barrel of the gun. It became wider towards the opening, resembling a funnel. The inside was covered in black marks.

“It has definitely been used. There’s what looks like gunpowder residue inside.”

“Here you are, I knew I had heard you,” Parker said as he entered the hideout.

“Parker, look, we found a gun!” Mika said triumphantly.

“What do you think, could it be the murder weapon?” Parker asked, looking at the strange device.

“Possible,” Sasha answered. “Where did you find it, by the way?”

“Over here, next to this backpack.” Mika lifted up a small backpack with an embroidered, floral pattern.

“Do you think that belongs to one of the Bowfin Knights?” Parker asked.

“I mean, it looks nice, but I can’t picture any of them wearing it,” Sasha said.

“Let’s find out.” Mika opened up the backpack and searched through it. There wasn’t much inside. Some fresh clothes, a phone, a sandwich, a bottle of water, and a wallet.

“Look, here’s an ID. It belongs to Nancy Jorgensen.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell,” Sasha answered.

“Wait, isn’t James’ last name Jorgensen?” Parker noticed.

“You’re right.” Sasha grabbed the ID and looked at it. “She looks a lot like him. She could be his sister.”

“And judging from her age, they’d be twins.” Parker stared at the picture on the ID. It took him a minute to realize what his subconscious had already picked up on.

“Oh god, I think she’s the victim! Look at her hair and the height listed here.”

“You’re right, that would fit. Maybe she was here to visit her brother,” Mika added.

“Do you think James knew she was coming?” Sasha wondered.

“He hasn’t mentioned her,” Parker said. He suddenly seemed to remember something. “We can figure it out later. Right now, we have to get out of here.”

“Why? We still haven’t found Connor,” Sasha said.

“Have you not noticed that the rain is flooding parts of the cave system?”

Mika and Sasha listened closely, hearing the sound of water flowing down the tunnels.

They didn’t need much convincing and quickly followed Parker back, taking the backpack and the gun with them.

Overjoyed, Alice hugged Mika as they got back.

Sasha returned to the room they were staying in to study the weapon. Sameer soon joined them, while the others continued to search for Connor.

Tuesday, August 6, 5:50 pm: Dining Hall, Abercrombie Academy

The students were slowly starting to gather in the dining hall.

“So you haven’t made much progress?” Parker asked the others after they had summarized their investigation.

“Nope, no hint towards Connor’s whereabouts,” Jim answered.

“Yeah, we couldn’t find him either. But it’s likely he’s somewhere in the caves. After all, he had access to the gymnasium and thus the secret entrance to the cave system.”

“What do you think we should do with the information you got on the victim?” Sameer asked.

“We should probably keep it to ourselves. That way, the killer doesn’t know we’re aware of the identity of the victim,” Xavier explained.

“And we shouldn’t tell James about it before we find the killer,” Sasha added.

“Yeah, losing your sibling must be a lot to take in, so the least we can do is clear up any possible questions,” Parker agreed.

The door swung open, and two figures dressed in raincoats came into the room. They were both drenched and left a wet trail behind as they walked over to the group of investigators.

“Hey, how’d the search go?” Xavier asked.

Alice and Mika sat down exhausted. They had spent the afternoon searching the woods for Connor.

Alice put her crowbar down next to her. She’d brought it camping mainly as a trusty tool, but now she considered it more a means of self-defense.

The tool had undergone a visual transformation since it had last been shoved into the maw of a robotic dinosaur. It was still perfectly functional, but Alice had taken to partially wrapping it in bandages, possibly in an attempt to hide the scratches. There wasn’t much practical use to the bandages, after all.

“Nothing. At least the corpse hasn’t been touched,” Alice said, exhausted.

Mika flopped on the table. “Man, I thought I had seen him, but that doesn’t help us.”

“What do you mean, you thought you’d seen him?” Xavier asked, surprised.

 “Mika apparently saw someone yesterday, while we were out on the lake. They thought it could have been Connor.”

“It would have helped if that had been him. The person from yesterday was wearing such a brightly colored shirt, he would have stood out among the…” Mika paused. “I’m so stupid! That wasn’t Connor. It was the victim! I finally realized why she looked so familiar. It was the bright, yellow shirt.”

“That definitely confirms our assumption that she died last night and not before that,” Sameer said.

“But it doesn’t tell us anything new,” Jim said, disappointed, looking over to the kitchen. He was eagerly waiting for the food to be served.

“You know, seeing you in that raincoat reminds me of our first case together, Yellow Phantom,” Xavier said.

Mika jumped up. “That could be your codename!” they said excitedly.

“That doesn’t really make sense, though. Not like my raincoat is a defining feature.”

“You’re right, we have to think of something else.”

“What are you talking about?” Xavier asked.

“We’ve been trying to come up with codenames for us. I suggested Knuckles for you, but Alice didn’t like it.”

“My suggestion is Sherlock,” Alice said, grinning.

“Oh, that’s such a cool nickname for an investigator. What an honor to be named after the most well-known one of all time,” Mika said, impressed.

“Mika, she said that ironically. She’s been calling me Sherlock sarcastically since we met. Plus, I already have a codename.”

“What!”

“Do you think you’re the first to come up with the idea of codenames?”

“You never mentioned a codename,” Alice pointed out.

“What’s your codename?” Jim asked, curious.

“Usagi.”

“Oh sure, but I get called a weeb,” Alice said.

“What does it mean?” Sasha asked.

“It’s the Japanese word for rabbit, but that’s not really important. Natsu gave me that nickname back in kindergarten, after he had recently moved here from Japan, so in a way it connects me to him, even if he isn’t here.”

“I guess it’s a pretty cool codename,” Alice admitted.

Xavier made this friendly nickname his codename a while ago, despite not being fully aware of the deeper meaning that Natsu had never told him about.

Natsu also picked his childhood nickname as his. The nickname Xavier had given him was Flow.

The reason why Xavier chose that nickname is somewhat complex. During the time he met Natsu, he was under a lot of stress. It was around that time that his parents abandoned him, and he had to move in with his grandparents. He would sometimes sneak out, which wasn’t very hard, and take the bus to Coleson. On Colepeaks was the spring of the river that passed through Coleson, Lawreyville, and Ashbypond. It was a place he could feel good and relax, far away from all his problems. He once explained that being around Natsu gave him the same feeling of calm and safety.

“Mika, how about you use the codename Kettler? They’re your favorite investigators after all,” Xavier suggested. An obvious pick for the number one fan of the Clever Foxes.

“Thanks, but no. You made me realize that the best nickname is given to you by the person who means the most to you and has a strong emotional meaning. So I want my big sister to choose one for me.” Mika looked at Alice expectantly.

“I don’t know, I’m not good at giving nicknames.”

“Come on, Alice, you don’t want to disappoint your little sibling, do you?” Xavier said tauntingly.

“Sip it, Bunnyboy.”

“What’s the problem. All you have to do is show some emotional vulnerability and come up with a personal and meaningful nickname. You’re good at that, aren’t you?”

Alice sighed and thought about it. She might have acted like she had to think hard, but in truth, she knew right away what name she would pick.

“Fine, I have one.”

The others looked at her with high expectations.

“I suggest Shrimpy.”

“What?!” The group said in disbelief. Only Mika didn’t react.

“Take this seriously, Mika asked you to give them a nice nickname, and you just insult them!” Xavier said angrily.

“It’s not an insult. You said I should pick an emotional nickname. Well, here it is.”

“Mika, should I make an actual suggestion?” Xavier asked.

“No, Shrimpy is fine. If Alice thinks it’s a good codename, then I like it.”

“You don’t understand, she’s teasing you,” Jim explained.

“Shut up, twerp. Why did you even ask if you’re just gonna disagree with my suggestion?”

“Okay, then tell us, why did you choose Shrimpy?” Xavier asked.

“I don’t have to tell you shit.” Alice stood up and angrily left the room. Mika quickly followed her.

“Maybe the name does have a deeper meaning?” Parker wondered.

“Maybe. I was certainly not expecting her to get this angry,” Xavier said.

“I’m pretty sure she just got that nickname from an anime,” Sasha pointed out.

The food was brought out. This time, it was a small buffet with different toppings to make Burritos.

Like the last evening, Keanu quickly came, got his food, and left again. Xavier and the Lawreyville Boy Detectives had waited for this and followed him to his room.

Tuesday, August 6, 6:15 pm: Keanu’s Room, Abercrombie Academy

Xavier, Jim, Parker, Sasha, and Sameer waited for Keanu to answer after they had knocked on his door.

“Don’t you think we’re giving away our hand if we confront him now?” Parker asked.

Sameer swallowed the bite of his burrito he’d just taken. “We have barely any leads. This way, we might at least make some progress.”

The door opened, and Keanu stared at the group. “What do you want?” he asked, confused.

“We’re still looking for Connor and wanted to ask you a few questions,” Xavier explained.

“Haven’t you already done that?”

“We have some more questions,” Jim said, entering Keanu’s room.

“Waltz right in, why don’t you. Not like I have a right to privacy.”

Xavier closed the door behind him, and the five stood around Keanu.

“We looked for Connor in the caves today. There we found the hideout of your group,” Sasha explained.

“Wait, you were at the hideout? You didn’t remove the rain protection, did you?” Keanu asked nervously.

“What rain protection?” Parker asked.

“On the floor, I built a small barrier so the rainwater stays out.”

“No, we didn’t touch that. But we found this.” Sasha showed the gun they had found in the hideout.

“Why did you take that?” Keanu angrily grabbed the gun from Sasha’s hands.

“Are you allowed to keep a gun on school property?” Xavier asked.

“Technically, the caves aren’t part of the school.” Keanu stared at the weapon. “Please don’t tell me you told the director about this.” Keanu checked the gun to see if they had done anything to it.

“No, we haven’t. But we wanted to ask you a few questions about it,” Sameer said.

“Fine, what do you want to know?” Keanu walked over to his desk, which was covered in tools and metal scraps.

“How does this gun work?” Sasha asked.

Keanu grabbed a dirty towel and started polishing the gun. “It’s really simple. You fill this compartment with gunpowder. When you pull the trigger, it creates a spark in the chamber, setting off the gunpowder. All the pressure and heat are compressed in the chamber and forced out the front.  You can either put some projectile in the barrel for long distances or use the sheer force of the explosion for close-range attacks. That’s the versatility of the Cloud Shaker.”

“So this…” Parker hesitated. “This Cloud Shaker is meant for combat?” he asked.

“I didn’t make it for a specific purpose. I just thought it would be cool. We mainly use it for random things. A week ago, we blew up a bunch of old pottery. And you should have seen what it did to the pig belly we tested it on. That shit was obliterated.”

Keanu grabbed a small bag from his table. It was filled with gunpowder, which he poured into the gun. “Hey, did one of you fire this thing?”

“No, why?” Sameer answered.

“Then it must have been one of the others. Damn it, how often do I have to tell them to fill it up again after they used it?”

“Wait, so the gun is always loaded?” Xavier realized.

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Parker asked.

“Don’t worry, I’m a responsible inventor. It is basically impossible for this gun to go off by accident,” Keanu explained.

“That’s not very reassuring,” Sasha said.

“Keanu, we wanted to ask you some questions about the Bowfin Knights,” Jim said.

“Haven’t you asked me enough already?”

“If you don’t answer our questions, we’ll report to the director that you and your club carry dangerous weaponry,” Xavier said.

“Then ask, not like I have a choice.”

“You, Connor, and James are currently the only knights here. I was wondering what your relationship was, both to each other and to the Bowfin Knights as a whole,” Sameer asked, getting ready to take notes.

“I don’t know what I should tell you. James came here almost 6 years ago. Apparently, he and his parents aren’t on very good terms. He’s barely ever talked to or about them, ever since I’ve known him. But that’s his business. Anyway, Connor and I got here one year later. We both got shipped off to this place after getting into some major trouble at our old schools. All three of us joined the Bowfin Knights, and since then, we have kinda become the group’s center. Most of the older members have left, and most of the younger students aren’t interested in joining. So obviously, we are tight, being some of the last knights. We have to stick together after all. Connor is especially invested in our friendship. I don’t think he’s ready to let the Bowfin Knights come to an end.”

“So you think the group will end soon?” Parker asked.

“Probably. Next year, the three of us will graduate. We’ll all go our separate ways after that. And it’s not just us. Most of the other members will soon graduate, too. I think Connor is too attached to let go.”

“Can you tell us about the tattoos?” Jim asked.

“Do you like them? They were Connor’s idea. He suggested it after I showed him the tattoo gun I created.”

“Seems like a painful thing for kids to get. How long have you had them?” Xavier asked.

“About two years. Every current member has one on their arm. Before that, we just had these weird wooden tokens as proof of membership.”

“You mean like this?” Xavier showed the wooden token he’d gotten from the corpse.

“Yes! Where’d you get that?”

“We found it in the hideout,” Xavier quickly explained, before anyone else could answer.

“Man, seeing one of these is really nostalgic,” Keanu said.

“Thanks for answering our questions,” Xavier said.

The group said goodbye and left.

Tuesday, August 6, 6:15 pm: Faculty Room, Abercrombie Academy

Mika opened the door to one of the empty rooms for faculty members. Alice and they had been assigned this room to stay in, after Xavier had demanded they sleep at the academy until the murderer had been found.

Alice was sitting on the bed, stroking Lupin’s head while he was drinking from his baby bottle.

“Alice, aren’t you hungry?”

“No, I don’t feel like it.”

“Hey, I just wanted to tell you that I like the codename.”

“You can be honest with me, I know it sucks.”

“No, it’s cute. But why did you choose it?”

“You guys wanted an emotional nickname. This is the only one I could think of.”

Mika sat down next to Alice and patted Lupin on the head. “What makes Shrimpy such an emotional nickname?”

Alice hesitated.

“You know what? You don’t have to explain it. The name has a strong enough meaning just by coming from you.” Mika put their arm around Alice’s shoulder.

“Shrimpy was a cat,” Alice began. “When I was homeless for a while, I had completely given up on life. I had no reason to keep going on, and I basically just waited for death.”

Mika looked at Alice with a worried expression.

“I didn’t intend to tell you about it, because I didn’t want to have you worry about me. You’ve had to go through enough shit already.”

“I’d worry more if I didn’t know why you were so upset,” Mika said.

“Fine. Back then, that’s when I first met Shrimpy. An old alley cat. It looked so weak and sad. I gave some of the food I had left to it. Probably because it seemed just as down on its luck as I was. But despite it looking like it could die any minute, it stayed alive for another year. And it would always come back to me, cuddling with me during the cold nights. It sometimes even brought me food, which it probably got from the dumpster behind a restaurant. I nicknamed it Shrimpy because shrimps were its favorite food. Even after it died, I still see it as a symbol of hope, camaraderie, and perseverance. And as weird as that might sound, every time I see you, I feel the same way as back then. That weird feeling of being saved by someone weaker. I should be helping you, not the other way around. But despite everything you’ve been through, you’re always so happy.”

Mika hugged Alice tighter than ever before. “What are you talking about? You saved me before, and you bring me happiness every day.”

“I doubt you need me to be happy.”

“Why do you think I’m always happy? That’s not true.”

“But I told you to tell me if something’s bothering you.”

“Just how you tell me about the things that worry you?” Mika asked.

Alice realized the irony.

“I’m not always happy, Big Sis. I have nightmares almost every night of Dei coming to punish me. Taking you away from me. Doing horrible things to my grandparents. Cursing my friends. The reason it looks like I’m always happy is because I am, as long as I’m with my friends and family. Because I feel safe, and I know they are too.”

“I had no idea.”

“You didn’t know for the same reason I didn’t know about your struggles. I didn’t want you to. That’s why I don’t talk about my insecurities. Or how I get bullied. Or the guilt I feel for…”

“Wait, did you just say you're getting bullied? Tell me who’s doing it and I’ll…”

“No, it’s okay. There’s nothing you can do about it. I just need to find some friends who can stick up for me.”

“I do that.”

“But you can’t be around me all the time. And you already do so much for me.”

“Fuck, I hate that you’re actually kinda right. But just so you know, if those dickheads continue messing with you, I’ll pay them a visit.”

“You don’t have to tell me that you’ll always be there for me, I already know. But, just so you know, I’m also here for you. That’s what good siblings do.”

Alice started crying while hugging Mika. “You are the nicest person I’ve ever met. And I’m so proud to have you as my sibling.”

The two continued talking until they fell asleep next to each other, with Lupin curled up next to them.

Wednesday, August 7, 7:15 am: Dining Hall, Abercrombie Academy

A few people had already gathered in the dining hall. Alice was standing in a corner, talking to someone on her phone. Xavier was talking to Mr. Walker, reporting the last day's events. And James was sitting with some other students, talking about a hike they were planning.

The door opened and Mika walked in, holding Lupin in their arm. The weather had cleared up, and Mika had snuck out for a quick walk with Lupin.

As Alice saw them, she quickly ended the call.

“Who were you talking to?”

“Aren’t you a nosy one?” Alice tapped on Mika’s nose, which made them smile.

“I can’t tell you yet, because it’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“For me?” Mika asked excitedly.

“Maybe.”

The two walked over to Xavier and Mr. Walker.

“I’m really worried. Do you think we should leave early?” Mr. Walker asked.

“I get that you’re worried, but think about it. If you tell you’re students they have to leave early because of an unsolved case, what do you think four certain students will do?” Xavier countered.

“They’d probably rush to solve the case, getting themselves in even more danger. You’re right. But it just feels like I’m endangering the students. I mean, someone was murdered here, a student disappeared, and apparently there are bank robbers on the loose.”

“Bank robbers?” Mika asked.

“I read about it yesterday. Apparently, two guys robbed a bank upstream,” Alice explained.

“This morning, they released new information. Seems like the robbers escaped in a rowing boat,” Mr. Walker explained. Alice and Mika froze up.

“I guess that means they likely escaped downstream,” Xavier theorized.

“You’ll probably not like this, but Mika and I found a rowing boat on the lake. We assumed it had gotten loose and drifted off, but maybe it belongs to the robbers.”

“Shit! That means they’re probably not far from here,” Mr. Walker realized.

“It’s likely but not guaranteed. It could be a different boat, or they could have gotten out further upstream. Even if they got out around here, who says they haven’t already left the area?” Xavier suggested.

“That’s right. They’re on the run after all,” Alice agreed.

“Then what do you propose?”

“Keep your students in the academy. I’m sure you have some bad weather plans,” Xavier started.

“Yes, of course, I have some activities prepared, which we can do inside. A ghost hunt, quizzes, a twister tournament, and much more.”

“Great. You do that while we solve this case. I’m sure the Boy Detectives will want to tag along, so we’ll make sure to keep them safe.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll solve this case in no time,” Mika promised.

Just as Mr. Walker was about to answer, the door flung open. Sasha and Sameer ran over to Xavier and the others.

“What happened?” Mr. Walker asked, seeing how exhausted and panicked the two were.

“We… we went to the caves… and we…” Sasha was out of breath.

“Why did you go down to the caves?!” Xavier asked, although he wasn’t actually that surprised. He would have likely done the same in their situation.

“When the rain had stopped, we wanted to continue searching for Connor. So we split up. Both teams took a walkie-talkie with them to keep in contact. But in the middle of a transmission, they went radio silent, after Parker had yelled out,” Sameer explained.

“Do you know where they could be in the caves?” Xavier asked.

“They probably left arrows behind,” Mika pointed out.

“Yes, they should have. At least until something prevented them from doing so,” Sasha agreed.

“But, there’s also another problem. Just before they disconnected, we heard some voices through it. And they weren’t Jim or Parker’s.”

“What should we do?” Alice asked.

Xavier was tapping against his forehead, and Mika was nervously fidgeting with their fingers.

“Maybe Lupin can help track them down with his nose,” Mika suggested.

“Alice, do you think you can handle the caves?” Xavier asked.

“I don’t know. I can try, but I can’t guarantee anything.”

“No, we don’t know what awaits us down there. In a dangerous situation, you’d only be a burden if you had to fight against your claustrophobia.”

“Then I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the junior investigators. I assume you want them to stay away from the action,” Alice suggested.

“Good idea. Can you also tell the director what happened?”

“Sure thing.”

“Wait, but we want to help save our friends,” Sameer said. Sasha nodded in agreement.

“Listen, we’ll save them. But with you down there, we’d just worry about your safety,” Xavier said.

The two agreed, understanding his point.

“I’ll come with you,” Mr. Walker said. “I’m supposed to keep them safe. And I’m sure you could use a capable helper.”

“Good. So it’s the two of us and Lupin.”

“I have to come with you. Lupin won’t listen to you,” Mika said.

Xavier hesitated. “Fine, you can come, but stay in the back, should there be any danger.”

“You’d better keep an eye on them,” Alice said. She looked at Mika and handed them the crowbar. “Here, so you can defend yourself, should things go south.” She gave Mika a reassuring nod.

Mika looked at the tool with a smile, happy to be trusted with it.

“I promise I’ll keep them out of danger,” Xavier said. “Sasha, Sameer, could you get us something from the other two so Lupin can get the scent?”

“Of course.”

“So, do you think we’re prepared for this?” Mr. Walker asked.

“I think we should bring someone who knows the caves.” Xavier walked over to James. He quickly explained the situation, and James agreed to come along.

Sameer returned and handed them one of Parker’s sweatbands. Sameer watched as the group left and got an idea. He quickly told Sasha and Alice about it, and the three headed to the dorm rooms.

Wednesday, August 7, 7:40 am: Caves, Under Abercrombie Academy

The group of four had to be careful maneuvering through the caves. The rocky ground was still slippery from the rain, and some spots were still partially flooded.

The group followed the blue and white arrows drawn on the walls. They made sure to stay quiet so as not to alert any enemies.

“Look at that,” Xavier whispered. He picked up a broken radio from the ground.

“That’s probably Jim and Parker’s. I’ve seen them use this exact model,” Mr. Walker confirmed.

“Mika, is Lupin picking up anything?” Xavier asked.

The small monkey was eagerly sniffing the air.

“I think so.”

“Lead the way. And make sure to hold him tight, we don’t want him to run ahead.”

Mika nodded and followed Lupin’s nose.

“If we go that way, we’ll get to the lakeside entrance,” James explained.

“How far is that?” Mr. Walker asked.

“Not far. The entrance is well hidden and directly leads to some large caves. We sometimes use it to sneak out when we want to go for a swim.”

“Sounds like a good hiding spot,” Xavier said.

They walked further and stopped abruptly. Not far from them, they could hear voices.

“What the fuck are we supposed to do now?!” A man asked angrily.

“I don’t know, we can’t let them go,” the other said.

“I know that!”

“Why did you think hiding here was a good idea?”

“How should I have known these caves are filled with nosy kids? I thought it was far enough away from the academy. And I didn’t hear you complain about us having an easy source of fresh food.”

“That was before we ran into that dumb kid!”

Xavier carefully looked around the corner. He saw two strong-looking men in the middle of the cave. In one corner were three duffel bags, likely filled with money from the recent robbery. Next to the robbers were Jim, Parker, and Connor, all three of them were gagged and bound.

Xavier thought about what he should do. He couldn’t act without thinking, or he’d endanger the hostages. He noticed that one of the robbers was carrying a gun.

While Xavier was trying to come up with a plan, Mika leaned forward, trying to see around the corner.

Lupin was wriggling nervously in their arms. Combined with the wet floor, it was enough to make Mika slip and fall.

The sound of them hitting the floor echoed through the caves, and the robbers turned around in shock.

“What the…!” The two robbers stared at the small monkey running towards them. The armed robber quickly reached for his gun.

Xavier knew he had to act fast. He jumped out and ran towards the baffled criminals. While running towards the one with a gun, he hurled the broken radio towards the other, hitting him right in the face.

Xavier felt a bullet tear into his shoulder, but it was already too late for the robber. Xavier threw himself with all his weight against him and shoved him to the ground, quickly kicking the gun away.

The other robber looked around, confused. Seeing Xavier pinning down his accomplice, he picked up a rock to smash it over Xavier’s head.

But Parker saw his chance. Still tied up, he rolled onto his back. Quickly rocking back and forth, putting all of the momentum into a strong kick, targeting the assailant’s shin.

A loud cracking accompanied the criminal’s fall to the ground.

Mr. Walker seized the opportunity and pinned him to the ground.

Mika and James untied the captives and used the ropes to tie up the criminals. Lupin, meanwhile, sat proudly next to Parker, happily wagging his tail.

“Kids, are you okay?” Mr. Walker asked.

“Yes, we’re okay,” Parker answered, cradling his right arm.

“Xavier, you’ve been shot!” Jim exclaimed, concerned.

Xavier pressed his hand against the wound to slow down the bleeding. “Don’t worry. It’s not the first time I’ve been shot. And I’m now two for two for getting shot while saving you,” Xavier joked.

“Parker, that was quick thinking,” Xavier complimented him.

“I think you broke his leg,” Mika noticed.

“An eye for an eye is all I can say about that.” He gestured to his broken right arm.

“Let’s get you two to a hospital. James, could you run ahead and notify the police?” Mr. Walker asked.

James hadn’t heard him. He and Connor had locked eyes, exchanging looks of relief and guilt.

“James, call the cops!” Xavier said.

“Oh, sorry, of course.” James ran ahead. He had to leave the caves to get reception.

The others lead the criminals back to the academy. Xavier held onto the gun to make sure they wouldn’t get any stupid ideas, and Mika threatened to send Lupin after them should they try to run. A questionable threat for sure.

Wednesday, August 7, 8:30 am: Nurses Office, Abercrombie Academy

Xavier stared at the two robbers. They were both tied to chairs in the side room.

“Xavier, I think it would be best if you’d lie down,” Mr. Walker said.

The nurse had treated Xavier’s wound, but he was still waiting for an ambulance so that the bullet could be removed. The ambulance would take a while to get to the academy because of how far away from the nearest hospital it was.

“I don’t get it,” Xavier closed the door and sat back down on one of the beds. Parker was lying on the other one with his arm in a sling. The others had gathered in the room, too. Jim sat next to Parker, staring at his injured arm, Keanu and James comforted Connor, and Mika ate some of the nurse’s old candy while feeding Lupin some treats for doing a good job.

“Why would they kill her, but not the other three? And why would they use a weapon that belongs to the Bowfin Knights? That doesn’t make sense,” Xavier said, reflecting on the case.

“What do you mean, murdered? Did someone die?” Keanu asked, surprised and concerned.

“I guess now we can tell you about it. We found the corpse of a girl around your age, down in the caves,” Mr. Walker said.

“What if she wasn’t killed by the criminals?” Jim asked. “The weapon points to the Bowfin Knights.”

“Watch your mouth! Why would we kill someone?” Keanu said angrily.

“That’s what we’d like to know,” Sameer said while walking in.

“What’s that supposed to…” Connor stopped in the middle of the sentence and stared at what Sasha was holding up.

Everyone looked at the shirt covered in blood.

“We found this in James and Connor's laundry basket, hidden all the way at the bottom,” Sasha explained.

“What, when did you go into our room?!” James asked.

“While you were in the caves. I thought it was weird how you acted yesterday, so I asked the lockpicking expert to unlock your room,” Sameer pointed to Alice.

“Judging from the size, it belongs to James. But we didn’t just find this shirt, but also an old blanket covered in blood. So, do you two want to share something with the class, or should we reveal our theory?” Alice explained.

James looked nervously at Connor, who couldn’t think of anything to say. He just stared at the incriminating evidence.

“Okay, then let us tell you what we think happened,” Alice said.

“The victim used to be a member of the Bowfin Knights, judging from her token of membership. But not just that, based on the ID we found, we know that she was James’ twin sister,” Sasha began. “She likely left this school before coming out.”

“She hiked here through the woods, where she was spotted by Mika. She was most likely planning to pay you a surprise visit, so she decided to go through the caves and wait for you in your hideout,” Sameer explained.

“For some reason, Connor and James headed to the hideout in the middle of the night. Both are placed at the crime scene based on the evidence. Connor has the key, and James wore the blood-splattered shirt.”
“Which is also backed by the nervous looks they keep throwing at each other,” Sasha pointed out.

“Now, as we’ve heard from Connor, James has certain biases towards queer people, which could mean that his sister never came out to him. Considering he never leaves school and barely has contact with his family, information like that might get lost on him,” Sameer theorized. “Now, just imagine, he unexpectedly meets his sibling again, who now reveals to him that she’s trans. Maybe that made him mad, and he got into an argument with her. Maybe he was mad enough to grab the loaded gun that was lying around in the hideout, and in the heat of the moment, he pulled the trigger.”

“Connor, who saw all of this happen, got scared that his friend would get taken away, so he told him to go back to their room, while he’d hide the body. They wiped up the blood with the blanket and put a mask over the victim’s face, so as not to leave a bloody trail behind. Maybe he intended to throw the corpse into the lake, but somewhere along the way, he was unfortunate enough to run into the criminals, hiding in the caves, who then tied him up, so he could not rat them out,” Alice concluded.

“You never mentioned having a twin,” Keanu said.

“Because I don’t!” James answered. “They are clearly just making shit up.”

“Yeah, I mean, do you have any proof, besides the shirt and the blanket? I mean, we regularly blow up meat with that gun. It’s only natural to get blood on our shirts,” Connor explained.

“So, you’re saying that blood stems from blowing up meat?” Alice asked confidently.

James and Connor nodded.

“Then I’m sure you won’t have a problem with us handing it to the police for a DNA analysis. It should be easy to distinguish human blood from whatever meat you blew up.”

Both students froze up.

“Why don’t you admit it already? I mean, we have the testimony of the criminals who ran into you while you were covering up the murder,” Xavier said, hoping they would buy the bluff.

James didn’t know what to say. But Connor made a decision and began to speak. “Okay, it’s true. James killed her, and I tried to cover it up. But the motive isn’t right.”

“What are you doing?!” James asked nervously.

“They got us. This is our only way of getting out of this.”

“No, don’t you dare say another word!”

“The truth is, the victim wasn’t James’ sister.”

“Shut up!”

“The victim was James.”

“What?!” The group let out in disbelief and confusion.

“What do you mean, the victim was James. He’s standing right in front of us,” Jim said.

Most of the group was just as confused as he was, but to Alice, Mika, and Xavier, the situation started to make a lot of sense.

“I got to the hideout first, where I met her. She was confused when I didn’t recognize her. She introduced herself as Nancy and explained that she used to go by James, back when she attended school with me. Looking at her, she defenitelly had a striking resemblance to him. As James walked in, the two were confused about seeing each other. But Nancy quickly realized what must have happened. Apparently, she had seen a flash of light that gave her a headache while walking through the woods. She believed she must have traveled here from an alternate timeline or a parallel universe or something like that.”

“Connor, shut your fucking mouth!” James said angrily.

“No, I’m doing this for your own good. Nancy proceeded to talk to James. She explained that she, too, hid her true identity for a long time. But she was so much happier when she got to live as her true self. Even her parents eventually came around to accepting her. She encouraged James to be true to themselves.”

“Himself! I’m a guy, not a tranny!”

“How about we hold back on the slurs, bitch!” Alice retorted, putting her arm around Mika, who was growing uncomfortable from the discussion.

“Anyway, just like you said, James grabbed the gun and shot her.”

“How is that meant to help James?” Keanu asked, confused.

“Don’t you get it? If her story is true, James technically didn’t commit murder. He committed suicide because he killed himself.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You know how stupid that sounds?” Jim asked.

“Even if James and Nancy are technically the same person, she was not okay with dying. It’s still murder,” Parker pointed out.

Xavier tapped his forehead. “He might have a point.”

“What?!” Alice exclaimed. “She’s her own fucking person. He had no right to kill her!”

“I agree, but the problem would be to convince the court. There are no laws that account for alternate timelines,” Xavier explained.

“See, I helped you,” Connor said.

 “But that wasn’t me! I’m not a…”

“Say that word one more time and I’ll make sure Nancy isn’t the only version of you who’s pushing up the fucking daisies,” Alice said, angrily cutting him off.

Xavier got out his phone and walked over to the door.

“Who are you calling?” Mika asked.

“Toby. I have to ask him how I should proceed.”

Xavier stepped inside an empty room and called the inspector. He explained the situation to him.

“Wow, that is really complicated. Would you mind if I added someone else to the call?”

“I assume the FBI member you mentioned last time.”

“Exactly. I was instructed to consult her on any further matters relating to alternate timelines.”

Not long after, a woman answered the call. “So you are the private investigator who’s been snooping around in our case?”

“In case you haven’t been informed, it was my case first. And it was my partner who became the first known target.”

“Fine. What’s this situation you wanted to talk about?”

Xavier and the inspector explained the situation.

“How many people know of the alternate person?”

“Depends, the ones who know about the corpse include a teacher from Lawreyville and his ten students, the two students involved in the murder, and their friend, and maybe two criminals we’ve apprehended. However, not all of them know about the alternate timeline story. Six of the students from Lawreyville are not in the know.”

“How much do the others know?” Inspector Wilson asked.

“They only know of this case, but they do seem to believe in all the timeline stuff.”

“I understand. I want the names and addresses of all the people who know about the corpse, so we can make sure they won’t tell anyone about it.”

“What about the murderer and his accomplice?” the inspector asked.

“They’re off the hook.”

“What?!” Xavier let out.

“I’m sorry, but they murdered an innocent person,” Inspector Wilson pointed out.

“To me, it sounds like an in-the-moment reaction, based on this very specific situation, so we won’t have to fear them repeating it. No one will miss the victim, so we can easily cover up the death.”

“You can’t just let them…” Xavier began, but he was cut off.

“The matter of these parallel timelines underlies strict secrecy. Do you think we can just drag this into court? That would inevitably reveal all the progress we’ve made.”

“But there needs to be a way to…”

“I’ve made myself clear, Inspector. This is bigger than the death of a single teenager. If you two don’t act as you’ve been told, I’ll make sure to have you arrested, understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ll send some agents over to the academy so they can have a talk with the witnesses to make sure they won’t tell anyone about this. It will inevitably take a while, so make sure no one involved leaves.” The agent left the call without saying goodbye.

“Well, I guess you know what you have to do,” the inspector said, clearly unhappy about it himself.

“Toby, the FBI doesn’t know about Alice and Lupin, right?” Xavier asked, concerned.

“I haven’t told them, and they never brought them up, so I don’t think they know.”

“Thanks,” Xavier said, before ending the call.

He walked back into the nurse’s office.

“And?” Mr. Walker asked.

Xavier turned to Alice and Mika with a serious look on his face. “Alice, take Mika and Lupin and get out of here.”

“Why?” Mika asked, but Alice realized how serious Xavier was. She quickly grabbed Mika and left the academy, heading back to their tent to get their stuff before heading to the nearest bus stop about five miles away.

Xavier proceeded to explain the situation to the others without giving away any unnecessary information.

Wednesday, August 7, 9:20 am: Shore, Loch Bowfin

Alice dragged the corpse out of the tent while Mika was packing up their stuff.

“Seems like you made a new friend,” Alice said. “Sasha mentioned that you two wanted to stay in contact.”

“Yup, he gave me his number, so I could call them whenever I want.”

“Sounds great,” Alice said. She stared at the corpse, overcome with a strange sense of grief and empathy. Just because Nancy was from a different timeline, her death supposedly meant nothing. In the eyes of this timeline, no one would miss her.

Alice felt deeply uncomfortable with that thought.

“Alice, I thought of a codename for you.”

Alice turned around, trying not to let them see her sadness.

“I thought about it, you're so nice and supportive. You’re always there when I need a hug. And you're strong and fierce. So, how about Shark?”

“I like it. But since when have sharks been known to be cuddly?”

“Well, I read that many other trans people have plush sharks. I don’t have one, but you are kinda like that. You’re always there to comfort me.”

Alice smiled. “Thanks, it’s a great codename.” She continued packing up their stuff.

“What about Amy? She’s not an official member, but she needs a codename, too,” Mika said, while trying to pull the pegs out of the ground.

Alice walked over to them. She easily removed the pegs using her crowbar. “Let’s just call her Inazuma. If she’s anything like me, she’ll like it.”

Mika agreed, not even asking for the reason, and the two finished packing.

As they were done, Alice turned to Mika. “You know, I have a surprise for you, too.”

“The one you talked about this morning?” Mika asked excitedly.

“Yes. I called your grandparents and asked them if it’s okay for me to stay with them for a few weeks.”

Mika’s mouth opened wide in excitement.

“You know, just to help you adjust to the new schedule of going to school and doing homework. And maybe to mess up some bullies. I’ll also help out in the store, so you don’t have…”

“Thank you, that’s so cool!” Mika jumped up to Alice, excitedly hugging her.

“Mika, I get you’re excited, but you’re strangling me!”

“Sorry.”

Alice grabbed her backpack and looked back one more time, staring at the corpse. It was crudely dumped next to a tree, like old furniture you put next to the road. No matter how Alice looked at it, she could not feel like this case was truly solved. In her eyes, the point of investigating was to bring justice to the victims and reveal the whole truth, but there was nothing just about this outcome.

The two walked towards the bus stop, keeping out of sight of anyone driving by.

While they were on their journey home, Xavier had to endure a lecture from some FBI agents after he’d been brought to a hospital.

And with this, another case comes to an end. And if this case achieved anything, it was to make Xavier and Alice much more aware of what they’d gotten themselves into. Will they solve the case that has been plaguing the agency for nearly a year at this point, or will the interference of the FBI risk not only the case but their safety as well? There are more cases to go, until we know for sure.

But as always, I will leave you with a taste of what’s to come. Next time, we’ll see what happens when a bunch of grand personalities clash on the battlefield of art, passion, and business.