"Why is this coming out as green when starch isn't in this substance?!" I moaned annoyingly, leaning over the chromatographic analyzer in the department of Forensic science laboratories.

Faisal carried a crate of test tubes in the separate racks and hustled about busily.

"Right, calm down. Put liquid hydrogen peroxide into the aquifer." Faisal pointed.

I narrowed my eyes and stared uneasily at the unidentifiable substance.

"Faisal, it's just not matching our drug criteria."

"Well, that's good ain't it? That means there is a chance that it may not be a drug."

"No, but - the texture and shape matched perfectly, just not the structure."

"The texture can be made out of calcium bi-carbonate. In that case it is toxic but -"

"I don't know." I switched off the machine and sighed impatiently, tossing my eye goggles off my face and thrusting them on the granite worktop.

"What are we going to tell the doctors?"

"That we couldn't find it; the substance is negligible." I said pessimistically.

"We can't say that!" Faisal whined.

"Well, then what?"

Faisal bent down lower and used the tongs to heat up the substance once again, while dealing with my irritation.

"REEM!" He cried suddenly and my head jerked towards his directions.

I ran across the laboratory and leaned over his shoulder.

"What? Did you find anything? Huh?" I asked desperately.

"Look closely - can you see that tiny cell? See it's cell membrane."

"Oh. My. Gosh. Ain't that looking similar?" I cried, flinging my hands across my face.

"It's a sleeping pill." Faisal straightened up with a stern look on his face.

I gasped.

"But how did he consume a sleeping pill?" I asked worriedly.

"I don't know. Maybe something he drank or ate recently?" He turned to me questioningly.

"Well - he did drink a wine at Tunisha's h...."

"So you're saying -"

"I'm not concluding anything." I sighed, stopping him abruptly.

"After all, why would Tunisha do that to us? She's good friends with him. In fact, they seem to be coming closer...." I went into a trance.

"But, we're going to have to check her glasses and wine bar I'm afraid."

"Huh?"

"Yes. I know she's your friend but we're only doing our job."

"Alright. I'll call her and say we're c...."

"No!" Faisal interrupted quite suddenly.

I motioned my hand downwards in surprise.

"We can't call a thief and say "oh hello Mr thief, we're coming to arrest you soon, just warning you. Bye bye, have a nice day!" Faisal teased with a high pitched voice, rolling his eyes into a serious look at the end.

I didn't smile.

"Are you calling my friend a thief?"

"No I...." he began uneasily.

"PRSSSST!" I burst out laughing.

"Alright, if you say so. But be ready to face the consequences!" I winked.

He scowled.

💓

We knocked at the little mansion on the end of Sunrise road, revealing a familiar face.

"Hi T..." I began enthusiastically.

"Ahem ahem, greetings, Miss Sharma. We are the official investigators of Forensic duties and we are here for some work. I hope you don't mind us just taking a look around."

Tunisha glanced from Faisal's face to mine in utter confusion and fortuitousness.

I looked at him and face palmed myself in my head.

"Err, hi...?" Tunisha began rather startled by our strange arrival.

"If you wouldn't mind can we..." Faisal pointed inside her house.

"Oh... um - yeah... come in. Would you like a coffee?"

"Oh yes pl.....!" I started excitedly.

"UM. No, we are fine, aren't we Reem?" Faisal looked at me and smiled through gritted teeth.

My smile vanished and I rolled my eyes.

"She's only my friend..." I sang playfully, whispering in his ear.

"We'll see about that." He whispered back, giving Tunisha a large wide smile when she sat down on the sofa.

"Now, as part of our process. We require you to show us your house plan please."

"I don't think I have it...." Tunisha stuttered while twiddling her fingers.

"Alright no worries!" Faisal said in a sweet, high pitched voice.

He got up abruptly. I followed his action.

"We'll take a look around ourselves." He nodded and beckoned me to follow him.

I shrugged at Tunisha when she seemed to ask with her eyes: what's going on?

"Oh wow! A bar room! How unique..." Faisal went around the table and wine bottle holders with his arms behind his back.

Tunisha stood still at the doorway, watching with fright.

"So - Marjería.... oh my goodness!" Faisal let a small chuckle slip.

"You must be rich to afford that, young lady."

I shook my head playfully, knowing there wasn't a mystery to solve.

"Why is a 19th century bottle in your house?" Faisal's tone instantly changed from polite and happy to stern and suspicious.

My smile faded as I watched Tunisha stutter.

"My father owned a business."

I nodded.

"He - he worked in wine factories..." she burst out.

"But - I thought you said you didn't know what business he owned?" I narrowed my eyes. "You were too young right?"

"O-oh... I found out from my sister a couple of days ago." She stammered.

"Sister, ay? Who's the sister? Sister, where are you?" Faisal shouted across the house.

"She - doesn't live with me. She's married."

"Ah, is she? Arranged or love marriage?"

"Excuse me?" Tunisha giggled.

"I said, arranged or love." Faisal spat.

Tunisha was rather taken aback. She got up in fury.

"May I ask you one thing? Why are you in my house without my permission, interrogating me as if I'm some criminal?" She eyed us.

"Oh, you are?" Faisal teased.

Tunisha rolled her eyes.

"Do I look like one?" She said impatiently.

"I think so..." Faisal responded quickly, picking up a wine bottle.

"That's not even got to do with anything?! I'm telling you it was my father who ran that business, NOT me. I have nothing to do with wine. At all. So please leave me alone."

Faisal watched her eyes flicker from object to object. 

"Who's this house under?"

"My father's name."

"What's your father's name?"

Tunisha blinked at us and blanked out.

"Tunisha, what's your father's name?" I asked, supporting Faisal.

"Daveed Sharma." She spoke softly.

"Ahh!" Faisal cooed. "Dear old Daveed. What a pleasure; the greatest bootlegger of the 19th century."

My hand flung to my mouth.

"What?!" I gasped. "Y - your father is a criminal?" I turned to Tunisha.

"No no, not at all. Maybe you're talking about Daveen Sharma. My father was not involved in all this. In fact he was innocent because....." she stopped abruptly.

"Hmm, how do you know Daveen Sharma? No one knows him except for the police department." Faisal sounded intense.

"Well, my father knew him." Tunisha nodded frankly.

"Boys!" Faisal clapped a few raid officers came into the place.

"Begin." Faisal pointed and much to Tunisha's horror, the elements in her house were being destroyed.

"Faisal! What is this? How can you doubt her? I know her from... from so long and - hang on! You know her too..."

"That's why I need to check."

"But why?! Trust your friends! Otherwise you'll never be able to rest in this 'cloud' you're in." I tried to tell him.

"Friend or not, my job is a job. And I'm doing just that." He walked away, inspecting the raid.