I stride through the swinging doors to find a silent massacre has occurred. Dead bodies of chefs and cooks are strewn across the floor, with identical slash marks across their faces. I hear Anthoni yell from the dining room.

"Hey! What happened?"

I hear her but do not respond. Besides, I work better alone anyways. I kneel and study the nearest body sprawled on the tile floor; a young woman whose features are unintelligible due to bloody marks across her face. The slashes are thin; obviously made by a sword or machete. Bloody footprints lead away from the killings and out the back door. I pull out my iPhone and start taking pictures of the prints and slashes.

I hear Anthoni again. "Come on Savanna Jackson! I'm too lazy to get up... you know how lazy I get when I'm bored and HUNGRY!"

I roll my eyes and study the prints closely. Size eleven men's. Hiking boots. Most likely made of leather. But upon looking closer, I notice something strange. One print, undoubtedly the left, has been muddled; which tells me the murderer limps on his left foot. There's something else too; something someone else would have overlooked. The heel of the right boot is missing a chunk of rubber, almost as if some small animal came and bit a piece off.

"I AM NOT coming in there.... I WILL NOT.... I don't care what you're doing...." Anthoni yells, and I hear a chair fall over, quickly followed by the sound of a knife slice through the air to wedge itself in an innocent wall.

I roll my eyes again. She always did this to me back in Britain. Complain and try to get me to call her in. Not. Going. To. Happen. "What ever you say, and I didn't think that wall had done anything to hurt you," I call sweetly, knowing that will set her on edge, and begin my searching again.

I notice that nothing else in the kitchen has been touched. Pots, pans, knives, dishes.... everything seems fine and untouched by the killer. This means he used his own weapon, and no one knew he was there, or certainly they would have tried to defend themselves. It seems as though the killer came in, delivered a slaughter, and left.

"But why?" I mutter to myself, pacing around the dead bodies and doing my best not to step on them. Those filthy, petty policemen would want the crime scene in peak condition. "Why would someone do that? What were their motives?"

Suddenly it hits me. "It's so obvious!" I practically shout, and I am not at all surprised when Anthoni yells, "What is?"

But naturally I do not respond. If she wants to know, let her come herself. The answer is as plain as daylight itself. The owner of this restaurant had a row with some producer. Perhaps he did not pay a debt or bill. The producer got angry, and killed all the workers of the man who had done him wrong.

Simple really.

I bounce on my toes and stride out of the kitchen, tracking bloody footprints on the maroon carpet of the simple dining room and completely ignoring the holes Anthoni was boring into my back with her eyes. I take the stairs two at a time and find myself in front of the frosted glass door sporting the label "Manager." I turn the brass doorknob and let myself into the stuffy office room. Bookshelves and file cabinets line the walls, and a simple shaggy rug adorns the hardwood floor. Luckily the blood on my shoes had wiped clean on the floor below, so nothing suspicious will seem to have occurred in this room to a police investigator's ignorant eye.

Nothing appears out if place, until my blue eyes notice the creamy file sitting open upon the mahogany desk that centered the entire room. I stride to it and grasp the top paper, which appears to be a sales record. Circled in red pen is a name.

Antonio Banderez.

"Gotcha." I whisper, place the paper back in the file and stuff the whole thing into a large pocket inside my trench coat. Souvenir.

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Back in the dining room, Anthoni stands up and shakes her red head. "Well, this was at least distracting, but pointless none the less." and heads out the door, the bell tinkling noisily behind her.

She strides down the street, rain soaking her to the skin as she only has a simple crocheted scarf. The rain does not seem to bother her though, as she is deep in thought.

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I practically leap down the stairs and into the empty dining room. Finally! Something interesting to cure me of the absolute DULLNESS that seemed to follow me like a plague.

Wait.

Empty dining room. Where was the other plague?

I run to the door and wrench it open, watching Anthoni's form grow slowly smaller as she clutched nothing but a meager scarf.

"Just where do you think you're going?" I call, but I doubt she can hear me over the sound of police sirens drawing nearer.

I have no choice, and take off into the sopping weather after Anthoni.

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"Where.... Are.... You.... Going?" I pant as I pull up alongside Anthoni.

She huffs. "I can't stand puzzles, so I left before I was compelled to stick around." And she starts to walk away again.

I grab her wrist as she tries to get away and force her to face me. "You didn't answer my question at the restaurant."

She grabs my wrist and glares at me with severity. "You didn't answer mine."

Even given the situation, I was doing my bloody hardest not to laugh. Anthoni always looked like a wet cat when she's drenched.... of course tonight isn't any different. Certainly I am no better; in fact, I have been told I look like some sort off dog mixed breed.... an American beast, oh what was it, a Labradoodle? Whatever. Have I not clarified that Americans are demented?

Instead I stare just as intensely into Anthoni's eyes, trying to stare her down. "Which was?"

She hates it when I play stupid.

"Where is it?" she asks, her voice dark. "The file from the police station. You took it."

I grin childishly. This game I could play. "I don't have it."

Anthoni is seething. I can see it in every feature of her face. "Then why did you call me here?!" she yells in my face.

I pulled a face and waved my free hand in front of my nose. "Whoa! Bloodly awful garlic breath!"

Anthoni narrows her eyes. "I hadn't even eaten!"

I shrug, and decide to answer her previous question. "I thought it might cure your boredom. I'll tell you what," I say as I uncurl Anthoni's fingers from my wrist and try to rub feeling back into my poor hand, "I'll give you the file if you go on an adventure with me."

"What makes you think I'd do something so stupid and foolish? I'd rather go finishing in a dry wall for remotes." she retorts.

I cock my head and raise an eyebrow amusedly, waiting for an explanation.

"You don't need to know the story on that one." she speaks hurriedly. "The point is, if I were to kill you before this adventure even starts...." she breaks off and seems to rethink her point. I wait patiently, my arms folded across my chest. We're both oblivious to the driving rain. "I'm sorry to break your heart, but that's just the way it is." she finishes.

My eyebrow goes still higher.

Anthoni rips her hands away, shoves them in her pockets, and begins to walk off.

"So you'll not want to come then?" I call to the retreating back. "Who knows? I could use someone else of intelligence on this mission."

She turns around, her lips pressed tightly into her signature smirk. "Why don't you go fetch the waiter then? He seemed intrigued by your loud, demanding voice."

"Very well." I spin to walk in the direction of the restaurant, but then I spin around, mock surprise etched across my face. "But, oh wait, I can't! Why? Because he's dead." I state bluntly.

She stops dead in her tracks and turns slowly. I hadn't noticed the rain had stopped periodically until it began again. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"You heard me. They were all slaughtered. If you hadn't left, you'd have known that." I reply, with a little more force perhaps than was needed, but hey, I was getting bloody frustrated with this girl.

Anthoni takes one step forward, slowly, her eyes trained on the ground as if testing to make sure it is safe. "Intriguing."

"Indeed." I take one step back.

"Now, does this have anything to do with the blood on your shoes, perhaps?" she asks slyly.

"Not at all." I reply sarcastically.

"Hmmm," she sighs, as though she is bored. "All right then, have fun on your adventure...."

But before she takes off I shake the managers file in front of her nose. "See this? Its all the evidence I need. All I have to do is track him down. For that I'll need your help, as you were always so good at tracking." I hadn't meant to compliment her. But I did require her help.

"Spent all of my free time tracking you down, I should be, but you seem to have that all covered now as it took you so little time to find me...." she breaks off, as if trying to let something sink in. "Oh wait.... unless, you didn't do it yourself...." she smirks.

"Shut up." I say exasperatedly.

"Ooh, touching on a sore topic, hmm?" Anthoni gloats, and I can't help but know she's right. Unfortunately for her, I also know that if she knew the help I had received, her ears would turn pink and her face green with envy. So, I decide to keep that juicy detail till later.

Not letting any thoughts show outward, I grit my teeth and say nothing.

"I simply don't do puzzles anymore. I'm sick of the games. And that's...." she pauses and seems to choose her next words very carefully. "That's why I'm turning down your 'fun' little quest."

I huff and stride down the street. If she doesn't want to join me, very well. I have other people to speak with, and this is wasting my valuable time. "Fine." I say, so fully and completely outraged with Anthoni that I feel my head will burst.

But unfortunately, (and humiliatingly, I might add,) I have to turn around and stride past her, mumbling, "My flat's that way." as I had gone off in the opposite direction. Funny thing is, we would now be traveling the same direction. I hoped the dim light of the street lamps wouldn't reveal the embarrassment written across my pale face. Usually I am the one with flawless directions.

"Coincidence?" I barely hear Anthoni mutter behind me. "No, I think not. You're much too clever for that." and I hear her footsteps slightly behind my own as she heads the same way.

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Hello! Here is the next chapter, now go head over to @Animalsandadjectives for the next one!

Just a slight announcement, I will not be back with a chapter for quite possibly a few weeks, as I am moving and will not have access to WiFi. But, I will hopefully get it installed soon and be back to write yet another chapter!

@HalfABrandybuck