Mina's heart pounded as she returned to the police station. She had just enough evidence to expose her own client as the dirty, scandalous letch that he was. Even if it was going against her own pledge to defend Todd Le Matinee, she had to get to the bottom of the sordid affair.

Mina burst through the doors to see Todd standing behind the glass. His face hidden by his Mantron robot disguise. She picked up the phone and greeted him without a smile on her face.

"Todd..." she said. "We need to talk."

"Beep Boop..." Matinee said, fully immersed in his robotic personage. "Serious demeanor detected. Unlike us robots, your flexible meaty face is capable of a thousand emotionz. Don't let it freeze in such an ugly scowl!"

Mina shook her head. "No seriously, Todd. Enough with the robot shenanigans. I just found something that could possibly incriminate you. With this, you're no longer just a suspect, I'd say you've got the biggest motive out of anyone to kill Christian!"

Todd pressed a button on his mask and it immediately retreated, revealing a curly haired Frenchman with a nervous smile. "Say what?" he asked, his pupils shrinking in fear. "Vat could you possibly be talking about?"

Mina made an awkward dance pose betraying her polar white complexion. "In the words of funkmaster and circus entertainer, James Clown, "Uh...you're a sex machine!"

Todd took a step back. "Excuse me, mademoiselle. Are you implying that my DeFunkt personage knows how to get funky in more ways than one?"

Mina thrust her finger directly at the bullet proof glass. "That's exactly what I'm saying. And you got funky with the girlfriend of the most unfortunate person ever, Christian DeChamps Frere Jacobson...aka your robot partner, Ladbot."

"Sacre Bleu!" Todd shrieked to high heavens. "Zis eez impossible! I 'ave been set up!"

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Mina crossed her arms and bellowed. "TELL IT TO THE JUDGE, JURY AND EXECUTIONER!"

"Zee executioner?!" Todd screamed. "Gadzooks! Mademoiselle, oo's side are you on?! I'd get the death penalty of 'aving a suspected affair?!"

Mina giggled. "Sorry...I got carried away with the last part. I guess even Blind's theatrics are getting to me. Anyway, now's the time to check your aura."

Mina placed her fingers to her temples, chanted a loud and obnoxious "ommmm!" and her EAP was summoned with a magic glow of her butterfly pendant. The entire room went black. Now it was only Matinee and herself. She was completely alone with just her suspicious client and the shrouded truth. A mysterious white smoke circled around Matinee. It was an aura indeed, but its color gave no indication of his allegiance to either good or evil. "Drat rats!" Mina muttered. "I can see his aura...but it's colorless!"

Suddenly, her head began to ring violently. She grasped it and trembled. "Ugh...what the huh is wrong with my head?!"

"Relax...." a deep, middle aged voice said. "It's only me...Madame Butterfly doing another head-phone call!"

"Phew..." Mina sighed. "I thought it was severe tinnitus!"

Frida's voice echoed in her brain, bellowing in her mysterious medium manner. "You may be able to see his aura, but it's true it is veiled in a colorless smoke! You must uncover it by traversing deep into where the truth lies."

"And where exactly is that?" Mina asked. "His heart?"

"I was gonna say his heart," the medium answered. "But that heart nonsense is just a sappy metaphor for a person's true essence. Truthfully, you must get to the brain of the matter!"

Mina nodded and smiled. "Yes. I'll pick his brain matter! That actually makes a lot more sense than looking into his cardiac muscle!"

"Now..." Frida said. "Let me present to you a new item...The Scale of Ultimate Justice!"

A shining golden scale appeared over Todd's head. A true beacon within the endless darkness.

"With this, you will weigh his mind against three feathers. If his brain is lighter than them...he is innocent. But if his mind weighs it down..."

"Bingo Bangles!" Mina grinned. "He's guilty as sin!"

"Just be careful!" Frida warned. "Ask him too many wrong questions and the scale will be worthless and you will never know the truth. And even worse...you will be lost within the darkness that surrounds your own mind!"

Mina was speechless for five seconds. Then she screeched. "You could have told me that to start!"

"You never asked," the evasive Madame Butterfly chuckled. "No pressure! Now if you excuse me, I have a delicious calzone with ricotta cheese to catch up with!"

The medium hung up her head-phone leaving Mina alone with the truth, lies and fear she would be lost forever in the maze of both.