In the lounge of Birdbrain's Lawyering Co, Mina reclined on a beanbag chair with Raven sitting across from her. The avian-like man observing her like a curious crow. "So you're saying, that the butler did it?!"

Mina nodded as her auburn eyes lit up. "Heck yeah! And I'm not servant-profiling due to all those mystery books I've read. I think that Giles the butler set Monty Banks uowith that bomb!"

Raven rubbed his scruffy goatee. "And what exactly is the motive kid? Anger towards his minimum wage salary?"

Mina shook her head. "As justifiable as it is, I don't think it was a case of minimum rage! Rather..."

Resting her chin on her hand, she tapped her cheek with her finger. "Er ...uh....my thesis is still a work in progress! I have a tendency of handing them in at the last second!"

"Well," Raven chuckled. "Don't take too long that, kiddo. The due date is the day after tomorrow!"

Mina sunk deeper into the beanbag chair and her misery. "Don't remind me. Ugh...this is definitely the most difficult case I've ever taken on."

"Luckily," Raven said, rising from his beanbag chair. "You can mull it over at home. You know, instead of watching Ninja Kitty and all those other kidtoons! Now come, we're closing up shop today."

Reluctantly, Mina followed her mentor out of their office and down the stairs to the foyer. She didn't want to budge from the beanbag, but she had no choice. This mystery wouldn't be solved in a day.

"By the way," Mina said as Raven changed the open sign to closed. "Can you take me home? I'm not in the mood for walking or paying for a cab. I kinda blew my money this month on Junk-O pop figurines of Ninja Kitty!"

"Aren't there like a gazillion of those?" Raven exclaimed. "Kinda wish I was famous enough to get one of me. Anyway, sure kid I...."

Raven's E-Phone started to play a familiar jingle from his pocket. It was the theme song of their lawyering company's mascot, Harvey Birdbrain. Raven immediately picked it up and pressed it to his ear. "Yello?" he asked.

His mirthful expression changed to something darker. "You need me? Now ...? Jeez...I was about to go home and eat a falafel or something. Ok. Yeah sure ....buh-bye!"

Mina's eyes widened. "Who was that?"

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"The chief!" Raven said with a wiggle of his eyebrows. "She needs me...for stuff..."

Mina shook her head. "Isn't the police headquarters on the opposite side of town?"

"Yep," Raven said. "And you know what that means. Looks like I won't be driving you home kid. I gotta work overtime!"

"Are you kidding me?" Mina exclaimed her hands dropping in disbelief. "You're making me walk home?"

"Hey," Raven said wagging his finger. "It's good exercise, kid. Imagine what it'll do for your calves!"

Mina glared harsher at him and pointed to her hot pink shoes. "You do realize I'm wearing Dewey Glutton heels right?"

"Hey now," Raven said, looking down at her shoes. "I don't choose your wardrobe for you. I said it was casual Friday."

Mina's pasty white cheeks turned tomato red. She was ready to dig her heels into his shins but he relented "Hey well, I can drive you halfway at least! Nothing scares me more than the hellfire of a woman scorned."

Mina nodded. "Thank you."

Raven threw a hand forward. "Don't mention it kid. Now let's go before the chief really skins me alive."

***

The duo drove through town in Raven's bright purple car. The sun was just hitting the horizon, leaving a purple-gold tint on the twilight skyline. They past familiar landmarks like Le Coffee Shoppe and Les Schargo's when Raven pulled to the side of the curb. "Alright kid. That's as far as I go."

Mina sighed.

"Just be thankful." the man squawked. "At least you get to go home. For a busy birdie like me, my work is never done."

"You're right," Mina said as she left the car. "As soon as I get home, I'm gonna just be jamming in my jammies to Ninja Kitty!"

Raven gave her a friendly salute. "If I don't come back," he answered. "I said something sarcastic that annoyed the chief."

Mina laughed and bid her mentor farewell. Raven zoomed off toward the opposite side of town leaving her all alone.

Turning around, Mina saw something that made her groan and curse her luck--a shadowy, narrow alleyway was the quickest way home. "Gee thanks, Raven," Mina muttered. "Sometimes I wonder if he does these things on purpose."

Urgently wanting to get home, Mina briskly walked (and sometimes wobbled on her heels) past mounds of garbage and debris, overflowing dumpsters and suspicious silhouettes that dogged her in the alley. The sun was blocked entirely by buildings, leaving her a barely lit pathway. "What could possibly go wrong in a dark alley way?" Mina grumbled to herself as she moved as fast as possible on heels.

There was a loud unpleasant laugh that echoed in the cavernous alleyway. It was awful, but it sounded very familiar.

"Oh ho ho...leetle girl. Wat could possibly go wrong? Well, I'd say just about everything and then some, mon Cherie..."

"What the huh?" Mina exclaimed, stopping in her tracks. The voice was extremely familiar. It sounded like a New Jersian impersonating a bad French accent. The sliding shing of unsheathed steel rang in Mina's ears and then she saw him, standing across from her and brandishing an enormous kitchen knife.

It was the blond and greasy haired Bunting Dupree with a dagger like smile to match his bright blade. "So, at long last," he chimed. "We meet again, my good fiend."

"What are you doing here?!" Mina asked, noticing the five o'clock shadow on the normally clean shaven face of Dupree.

"I'm here to warn you, leetle girl. If you get zat terrible mayor off scot free, you will have to escargo-away forever!"