Zoe moved into apartment 5A as its new occupant. Since Lydia was moving out with four months left on her lease, she offered the apartment to Zoe. Zoe gladly accepted, appreciating her friend's generosity. Lydia then informed Uncle Richard, Kyle's father, that she was leaving, and a ‘friend’ would be taking over the lease for the remaining four months.

Zoe drove to the diner to spend the last half of her break. She walked into the noise of customers chatting at tables filled with saucers, plates, and cups. "Hey Zoe!"

It was Tonia, the youngest of the four workers at the diner. She dropped the empty tray at the counter where Zoe sat. "How's it going, Tonia?" Zoe asked, staring at her chestnut brown hair held in a ponytail.

"Oh, you know... school, work... all good," she replied. "I must say, you look... corporate."

Zoe chuckled. "A little upgrade from the T-shirt and overalls?"

"Heck yeah!" Tonia exclaimed, digging both hands into the pockets of her apron. Her freckled face lit up with a smile.

"Well, I'm a detective now," Zoe stated and watched as Tonia's smile turned into a gasp. Just then, a lady walked in with a toddler. Tonia spotted her. "Hold that thought, Zoe. I'll be back," she said and hurried off.

"That girl is incredible," said Aunt Rita from behind the counter, announcing her presence. Zoe turned to face her.

"I agree. How's it going, Aunt Rita?"

"Pretty good. I can guess the same for you."

"Yeah," Zoe said, glancing briefly at her watch. "My break will be up in 22 minutes. Where's Pops? In the office?"

Aunt Rita smiled. "No, dear. He never stays there for up to 30 minutes before leaving."

Tonia walked past them. "One mac and cheese, two juices, Aunt Rita."

"Greg will handle it," Aunt Rita called out to Tonia as the kitchen door closed.

"Did he say where he was going?" Zoe asked.

Aunt Rita shrugged. "He said he was going out with a friend from the law firm."

"Okay. I just wanted to let him know that I got an apartment close to the precinct."

"Wow! Already? Neighbor problems at your place? Some can really get on your nerves."

Zoe smiled. "None of that, ma."

Just then, Tonia walked past the counter with a large tray. The aroma of freshly made mac and cheese wafted into Zoe's nostrils. She closed her eyes and sniffed, remembering her other reason for coming.

"I'll bet you want some of that," Aunt Rita said.

"Read my mind, ma."

Aunt Rita chuckled as she made her way to the kitchen.

Alone at the counter, Zoe got up from her stool and absorbed the noise from the diner. Cutlery clinking on porcelain mixed with the moderate tones of conversation and laughter. She was going to miss all this. Oblivious to Tonia standing beside her, she continued to listen.

"Earth to Zoe!" Tonia called out, waving her hand. "You zoned out for a moment."

"Sorry... I was just thinking."

"Ohh! Detective stuff."

Zoe laughed. "More or less."

"Tell me, what police station do you work at?"

"Well... it's the 12th precinct in Bairro Imperial."

Tonia's eyebrows furrowed. "Isn't that the place where the bioweapon was stolen?"

"I guess the news has spread. Now people should be alert... those criminals are still out there," Zoe noted, and Tonia nodded. "But it happened close to the 16th precinct in Tijuca Sul."

"Oh! Okay... oh shoot! The boss is back."

Zoe looked up from her watch. Arno approached them, his face all red. Tonia scurried off to the kitchen.

"Aunt Rita, make the meal to go!" Zoe called out as Arno sat on the stool. "You look like you got into a fight, Dad. What happened?"

"A rascal tried to mess with me, and I let him have it," he replied, raising his clenched fist.

"Goodness!" she exclaimed; eyebrows raised.

"He tried to harass the woman I was with and..."

"Hold up, your friend is a woman?"

Arno looked straight at her. "Anything wrong with that, Zoe Hernandez?"

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"No... no," she said, raising both hands in surrender. "I thought it would be hard for you to open up again after Mum passed away."

He laughed heartily at her comment. "Zee, we're just friends... besides, she knew your mother too."

Aunt Rita appeared and placed a lunch bag on the counter. "Sorry I took so long, dear. We ran out of paper bags, and Greg didn't tell me."

"Ma!" Zoe said as she inspected what was in the bag. "I'm not going to school, you know. This is too much food!"

"Keep the rest for dinner then," Arno chipped in. "You can warm it up."

"Welcome back, Arno. How was your outing?"

"He got into a fight," Zoe blurted.

Aunt Rita folded her arms. "Really?"

Arno raised his index finger. "False. I just taught a guy some manners."

"I've heard enough," she said, unfolding her arms. "Zoe, talk to him."

Arno laughed again as Aunt Rita shook her head and walked into the kitchen. "Whenever I got into a fight as a kid, your grandma would say the exact same thing."

Zoe peered at her watch again. "I have twelve more minutes before my break is over, and I wanted to tell you..."

His face straightened. "What is it, Zee?"

"You were worried about how I would pay my upcoming rent... you don't have to do that anymore," she said, carrying the bag from the counter in both hands.

He stroked his chin. "Let me guess, someone paid for you?"

"Even better! The apartment is close to the precinct, and I don't have to pay for the last quarter of this year!" Her dimple appeared as she smiled.

"That's great! You get to save up on the rent for next year."

"Mm-hmm, you got that right. And I might not need the car... so you can use it," she said, balancing the bag in one hand.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he said, shaking his head. "My driving days are over. I just order my rides now."

"I'll park it in the garage in case you change your mind."

"When will you move in?"

"Tomorrow," she replied and moved closer to peck his cheek. "Gotta bounce, Pops."

"Take care, my little rebel."

Two days later, she was settled in the well-furnished apartment 5A, a few blocks away from the precinct. It was bigger than her former place by one room. Lydia had shown her how to operate the appliances in the kitchen and the sitting room.

She was up the next day, a Thursday, and was getting ready for work. Her doorbell rang. "Oh shoot! I'm not dressed," she said as the ringing continued. She put on a bathrobe and hurried to the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Pascal... I came to see if you were ready."

What the hell is he doing here? How does he know where I live? the thoughts burned in her confused mind.

"Zoe, are you there?"

"Ah... yeah! I'm almost ready... you can go, I'll join you at the precinct," she said as she fought with the towel on her head.

"Oh no! I can wait, so we would go together."

Her eyebrows raised. I'm working with a pest, she thought, then took a deep breath.

"Okay, Zoe... you can deal with him. If he goes too far, kick him in the groin," she whispered as she approached the door.

"Zoe?"

She unlocked the door and opened it. "Morning, Pascal... come on in," she said, smiling through clenched teeth.

He walked through the door, looking at the nice decor and furniture. "What a nice place you've got here."

Zee, you're not gonna let him get on your nerves, she thought as she locked up.

"Thanks. Just sit tight. I'll finish up," she said, gesturing to the sofa arrangement.

"Still haven't dressed?" he asked, noticing she still had her bathrobe on as she headed for the door leading to the bedrooms.

She stopped and turned. "Yeah..."

He chuckled. She closed the door behind her.

Eight minutes later, she was in a brown shirt and black pants. Her dark brown shoes matched her short hair parted on the left. She grabbed her suitcase and coat and hurried out.

"Okay, we can..." She walked into an empty sitting room. "Pascal?"

The smell of fresh toast lingered in the air. She left her things on a nearby sofa and raced to the kitchen. "What is he up to now?"

"Oh, Zoe!" he said as he buttered a thin slice of bread. "I hope you don't mind... I just wanted to make us some coffee and toast."

Now he's making breakfast, she thought.

A slight smile appeared. "Oh, I don't mind... but

you shouldn't have," she said, staring at her watch. The toaster beeped, and two slices popped out.

He swiftly took them out and put in the last two slices. "Don't worry about it."

"I have instant coffee," she said, leaning on the door frame. "It's in the cupboard above you... right there."

"Okay, thanks."

Zoe never liked to help out in the kitchen. She would sneak out when she was younger to eat at her friend Kyle's place. He was the only son among four sisters. There was always food in their house. She would come back home to severe scolding by her mother for not doing the dishes or helping out.

"Zoe... what are you thinking about?"

She didn't realize that she was lost in thought.

"Uhh... nothing serious," she replied and noticed two cups of coffee on the table. The toaster beeped again. "I'll get that."

She switched off the toaster and got a plate. "Thanks a lot, Pascal... for breakfast," she said and bit into one slice. "This is good."

"You're welcome, Zoe," he said and sipped his coffee.

They ate over small talk. Zoe found out that Pascal lived on the upper floor of the building.

We're neighbors! came the alarming thought.

I have to be careful around this guy, she thought again as she took the last sip.

"Shall we go now?" Pascal asked moments after he put away the utensils.

She put on her coat and grabbed her suitcase. "Yes, we shall," she said, smiling.

They got to the precinct. It was bustling with people; the most crowded Zoe had ever seen since she started.

"What's going on here?" she said aloud, maneuvering past the men and women in her way. Pascal was doing the same.

"I think it's a panic situation, and people have come to complain to the HPO," he said, loud enough for her to hear.

They got to their cubicle, which was less rowdy, and met a newspaper on Zoe's table. Pascal picked it up, and they scanned the front page. ATTACKERS OF WEAPON TRANSIT ESCAPED FROM PRISON CELL.

"I thought they had it covered," Zoe said.

"Well, they didn't... it seems one or two people spotted them here and came to give a report."

Zoe sat in her chair. "That didn't look like one or two people... I think they're worried about their safety."

"It's none of that."

They faced Shawn, who stood a few meters away. "There was an attack at the Imperial Park, and all these people are suspects," he said with a straight face. His grey mustache moved as he talked. "Someone was shot."

"Aww... come on!" Pascal exclaimed as his arms rose and fell. "All those people are suspects? That's ridiculous!"

Zoe couldn't sit any longer. "You were there, right? Who was shot?"

"The CEO of Spring Labs... he was there with his team to get some specimens for his experiment," Shawn said, fishing out a handkerchief from his pocket.

"What specimen?" she asked.

"What experiment?" Pascal asked.

"I can see you're both interested. HO Marco sent me to tell you two to head over there."

Zoe faced Pascal, who was as surprised as she was. "What?"

"You heard me," Shawn said as he took off his cap and wiped his face. "The others are busy with interrogations, and he found something for you two to take care of."

"Okay," Pascal said. "Where's our case file?"

Shawn smirked. "You're not on the case. You two will just go there and get clues for the detectives on the case." He put on his cap. "Have fun, newbies," he said and walked away.

"What a jerk!" Pascal muttered.