I followed the man in the fedora's directions and about ten minutes later I was out in front of a concrete staircase leading up to an office front. There was a window sticker with the shape of an all-seeing eye that read, E. Grimwood, Private Eye. Clever.
But hold on a minute. It looks like a light is on in the back. I went up closer to the glass. Under the window sticker it said, Office Hours: 7PM to 5AM. Are you serious?! What kind of hours are that?!
It didn’t matter. I was this far, and they were here. Wasn’t even sure if he could help me anyway. Rather than waste time by coming back I might as well inquire and see where that gets me. Judging by the newspaper it didn’t look like I’d get myself committed for asking people about the Devil at any rate. I grabbed the door handle and went on in.
Inside and around a sharp corner I found a small waiting room with two chairs and the secretary's desk. No one was there at the moment, but the lights were in fact on. I was about to ring the bell when someone came out from the back office and said, “Can I help you?”
I turned and saw a short girl black shoulder length hair and dressed in a Victorian Lolita-style Goth outfit standing there. She had porcelain white skin, green eyes, black lipstick, and not a stitch of color on her clothes aside from some silver trim. She must have been about five foot two by my best guess, though her boots may have provided another inch or so.
“Ah, yes. I’m here to see Detective Grimwood. I was told he could help get information on someone I’m looking for.”
She stood there looking blankly for a moment before responding, “Well here I am…I am Detective Grimwood.”
My mouth hung open and I began to feel embarrassed. I had been in this situation before not too long ago with Anabel back at the Red Dragon Inn. I began laughing nervously and started to apologize profusely, ”Ha Ha Ha, oh geez. Sorry about that. I thought you were the secretary. I didn’t see anyone when I came in ya know…” This girl couldn’t have been older than eighteen or nineteen, how the hell is she the Private Eye?
She smiled at me and said, “That’s quite alright. It happens all the time. As for the secretary, I fired her. Couldn’t swing the graveyard shifts and she was late all the time. Please, come this way.”
Thunder began to roll, and lightning could be seen flashing from the windows as she led me back to her office. I introduced myself before sitting down as she sat behind her desk and started sipping coffee from a black mug.
“My name is Eric Noble and I’m kinda here on a whim.”
“Emily Grimwood, pleased to meet you. Coffee?” she offered.
“Oh no, that's quite alright.”
“Well then Mr. Noble…”
“Eh, Eric is fine…” I corrected her honorifics.
“Alright, Eric, what can I do for you?”
“So, I’m…from out of town. And I’m looking for an individual…but I’m not quite sure who they are.”
“Cheating spouse?”
“Eh, no.”
“Identity theft?”
“No.”
“Hit and run?”
“Perhaps I’m going about this all wrong…you see, I’m not sure who, or what, or where this person may be. But I really have no one else to turn to and it was by chance that You were recommended to me. Maybe I’m wasting both of our time.”
“Mr. Noble…”
“Eric…”
“Sorry, Eric…I’ll be frank with you. I’m Emily Grimwood. I’m a bonafide super genius investigator. I can find anyone, even with the slightest bit of information. Hiring me is like mixing a hundred proof Hurricane made up of Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Dick Tracy, and a dash of Perry Mason before slamming it down the hatch.”
“Okay, I don’t doubt you one bit. But that brings me to another issue…see, I don’t have any money.”
Her eyes widened and she leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed and said,
“Then you have no case.”
“I understand, I totally get it. I’m not even quite sure why I thought this would be a good idea. But perhaps I could help you with something? Maybe you could use my help in solving another case? We could partner up and if I’m of help to you then you could pay me back?”
Stolen novel; please report.
“I work alone,” she said in a somewhat aggressive tone.
I exhaled and said, “Fine. I understand. I’ll see myself out then. Thank you for your time.”
As I started out of the room, I thought to myself that I really didn’t even need to be here. I could go back to the Mansion right now and it wouldn’t make any difference. But then I thought about Stephanie and how she scolded me for giving up on things before I’d even start them. I remembered my original idea in the first place. To come here to get practice for the more difficult challenges I would surely face. What good would I be if I couldn’t even find a Devil?
Then I got an idea. Given the nature of this world, it would not be totally out of left field to mention that I’m a world walker. I know that’s a term I picked up from Bristol, but could it be possible that my situation is actually not all that farfetched for Emily to believe? If I told her outright that I was from another world, maybe it would spark interest in my case for her. I could tell her straight up that it was for the greater good to stop the Devil King here. If money was still an issue, then I could eventually make some local cash and pay her but maybe she’d work on an IOU for now. That settled it! I had to try!
I was just about to leave the office with Detective Grimwood still sitting behind her desk sipping coffee when I abruptly turned around and said, “Listen, Miss Grimwood. I’m desperate here. I have something I want to tell you, but it might seem like it's kinda crazy, but I assure you it's the truth. You see, I’m not actually from this world. I come from another realm and I’m hunting Devils. I defeated one just over a month ago in a third realm and I’m here now to find one in this world. I don’t know anything about this place, but I promise you that I’m not without skills and can probably help you as much as you can help me.”
She didn’t respond immediately. She had a look of slight surprise on her face for a moment before straightening up. As she stood up from behind her desk she sat her coffee mug down, clasped her hands behind her back and paced towards the window. Finally, she replied, “I knew something was going on but I couldn’t possibly have guessed the otherworld bit. I did, however, notice that your haircut was out of style and your shoes were unusual. Also, you aren’t wearing cologne. No man would be caught, living or dead, out on the streets at this time of night without cologne on,” she turned and smiled at me before continuing, “it’s the little things, really.”
“So does this mean you’ll help me?”
She started pacing in my direction and said, “As it turns out, I am facing a rather difficult case at the moment and could use a little muscle. Judging by your physique it would appear you were capable of some kind of combat. I myself am not a fighter and guns aren’t my thing. If you accompany me on this case and help keep me safe tomorrow night, then I’ll find this Devil of yours. But on one condition.”
It was nice she noticed my physique. I guess training with Moreau really had paid off and the fight with Washington was certainly some bonus points. But what on earth could the condition be?
“I want you to take me to your world?”
“You what?! But why?”
“If I’m being totally honest, this world is boring me. It has its quirks. But it's always the same old thing. Personally, I’d like to retire from professional investigating. I don’t mind it as a hobby, but maintaining an office and dealing with common thugs every week is grating on me.”
Retire? Just how long has she been a detective?
“Don’t worry, if I go to your world and I don’t like it I’ll come back. Anything’s gotta be more interesting than here though.”
I’m not sure if I’d call this world uninteresting but I could see why she could use a vacation.
“Okay, it's a deal,” I extended my hand and asked, “Partners?”
She smirked, shook my hand and replied, “Partners.”
Just as I was about to leave, she turned around, hopped up on her desk facing me and
said, “ All right. Let’s get to it then.”
“Let’s get to what?” I asked.
“The sex. We gotta seal the deal don’t we?”
“What?!”
“Try not to get any bodily fluids on my pantyhose though. You can keep them to smell afterwards if you want, but then you’d have to wash them.”
I backed up as she leaned back on the desk and said, “I’m not interested in having sex with you! What the hell? I’m not even certain you’re of legal age!”
“Err,” she growled, “you said you wanted to be partners? How can we go about being a dynamic duo if we don’t do the duo?”
“What are you? Some kind of nymphomaniac?!”
“That’s what my therapist said!”
“Please, keep your underwear on! We really don’t need to. The handshake was enough,
I swear.”
“Alright,” she adjusted her dress and hopped back off the desk, “where are you staying tonight anyway?”
I caught my breath and composed myself after that abrupt episode and said, “I wasn’t really staying anywhere. I thought maybe I’d go back to my world, but I suppose that it might be more trouble than it’s worth if I’m needed here tomorrow.”
“You’re welcome to stay at my place, though it’s kinda small.”
“I…don’t think that’s a good idea. Perhaps I could just stay here at the office?”
“You can’t. Janitor is coming by in an hour. How about this? I’ll give you some petty cash to get yourself a cheap motel room and a little food. Call it an advance on your pay. Though, I really thought the sex would have sufficed.”
She actually blushed a little bit. It was super obvious with her pale white skin.
“Thank you, that would be perfect.”
She went to her little purse and gave me some of this world's currency. We bid each other good night and agreed to meet here tomorrow afternoon. She said we had a bit of a journey out of town to make.
In the meantime, I went down the street and got a surprisingly totally normal meal at an all night diner before finding a nearby motel. It was a small room, but it was clean and safe and it wasn’t outside.
I decided to kick back and watch a little of this world's television. When I turned the TV on there was some kind of home shopping network channel on. The host had an Egyptian Pharaoh’s headdress on and said, “100% genuine replica Staff of Anubis, Next time a burglar breaks into your home, you can steal their soul with this and hold it until the items are returned.
Now…take a look at this deal we’ve got on Hoodoo Hot Foot Powder…”
I turned it off. Another time it would be interesting, but I had a feeling this world was gonna get to me real fast.