Part One
To fully understand everything used in this story it is recommended you read "Arkados and Zor" which was featured in Issues 137 and 139.
Chapter One: Leave No Stone Unturned
Zor had done nothing ever since that day that she discovered Arkados, her friend and partner, had been killed. And what bugged her about it was that she could of helped him. She could have stopped him from dying. In a state of panic and confusion, Zor had quit her job as a detective and ran out, never to have any contact again.
The Faerie Zafara adjusted herself on her red sofa. It was very uncomfortable but she didn't have much income except for a little money from her friend, Stacey. She hadn't had contact with her since college. Recently, a few months after the Arkados ordeal, she stepped up again and offered to help in anyway possible. At the time, Zor had declined that offer figuring she'd find a job and get paid off of that. It wasn't the case. Word spread around and no agency nor store would accept someone in such an emotional state.
But her emotional state had passed. Well, at least the one involving her partner. A new one arose and that was the overwhelming feeling of self pity. She hated what she had become. She stayed at home day and night, sitting in front of the fire; staring at the embers burn the hickory logs with a depressed face
There was one time that she went out and that was about three months ago. It was only for a few minutes but she needed to take care of some unfinished business. A few months after getting the job of a detective she opened a bank account that all her money was forwarded to. Though she took it out every few weeks, she had not collected interest and refuse to do so until she needed it. That was a time that she needed it. It was the worst time of her money troubles, or it was then. The agency that she had previously worked for took the money away, claiming she was responsible for the death and her money would go towards the funeral and any other things that needed to be done. And she went bankrupt.
Zor was snapped out of her thoughts as a booming knock on the door brought her to her senses. She gracefully got up and walked to the door, peering out the window first to see who it was. As she did so, a gasp escaped her lips. Commander Bipid, the head of the detective agency, was at the door in a black overcoat to avoid the steadily falling snow. She quickly opened the door and stood in the doorway, looking into the eyes of her former commander.
"May I come in?" the kind voiced Chia said, blue fur tufting out from bits of his jacket.
The Zafara nodded and moved away to allow him in. "Why are you here?" she asked in an almost rude tone.
Commander Bipid seated himself on the couch before answering. "Well," he exasperated. "Some new evidence has popped up and...Seremdra had nothing to do with it. It was someone else...but that is why we need you. We want to rehire you to solve this case. You know him best and you know his friends and what he did and where he went."
Zor stood there, surprised. "Do I get paid?" she asked. It was rude but acceptable in her case.
"If you wish," he replied. "Anyway, and I don't mean to get off the subject, how have you been?"
"Horrible," Zor answered. The truth. There was no use hiding it from the commander. He would find out eventually that she went into bankruptcy. "I'm bankrupt, have no one supporting me, and no job. How are you?" A very sarcastic comment.
It looked as if Bipid was taken back by her attitude. "What happened to you?" he asked in a very curious manner.
Zor shook her head furiously. "A lot. Ever since I quit...things have just happened one after the other and my life has been taken out of my grasp and pulled into a vortex of horrible events."
"I've offered you the job back many times and you-"
"You did no such thing," Zor replied rudely. "I heard no notice, mail, letter, or statement stating that I was allowed to come back. I know your manipulative games that you play. You always do the right thing, right? You have never done the right thing..." she trailed off as a tear rolled down her face. Zor then quickly apologized through her tears and turn away.
In a matter of seconds she felt a firm grasp around her shoulder. "Don't cry," Bipid whispered. "You're right. I lied. I never sent you anything but I wanted to bring you back but, unfortunately, it would not go over well with Henry. He's in the position of power over me. And he wasn't very fond of the idea to bring you back. But that doesn't mean I didn't push it. I did..."
Zor turned back towards him. "What can I do to help?" She had decided, almost without a thought, that she would help him.
Bipid smiled before retiring back to the couch to inform her of his plan. "I want you to find out about all his enemies. I know he had to have had a lot of them. After putting so many people away, I was surprised in didn't happen sooner. But, anyway, I'm figuring it was one of them. Don't limit your search to the people he put away. Check their friends, their families, and even their enemies. Check Arkados friends. He may have been having a fight with them at the time or someone may have had a grudge against him. I need you to check every aspect of his life. Please, Zor, leave no stone unturned. We need to find his killer. It's very important to me...and you...and everyone who cared about it."
Zor nodded. "Do you have any idea how long this project will take? It sounds very vast. I think I need some form of help. There is no way I'll get this done unless I work nonstop for five years." She walked around the room, her hands behind her back and her face in a perplexed form. She was about to solve another puzzle - without the master puzzle solver.
"I could assign a few data searchers to get you the files and brief you on them. This would lesson up time, would it not?" Bipid said. He didn't even wait for a word or nod to that question as he immediately started to speak again. "This would mean you'd only have to investigate and interrogate. The easy stuff." Bipid winked as he said this because any detective knew that trying to solve the case and put the pieces together was harder than anything else related to a case.
The Faerie Zafara chuckled at the small joke. "When can I come in?" she asked, anxious to begin starting the case.
"Tomorrow," Commander Bipid said as he rose from his seat on the couch. Walking over to him he stuck out his hand. Zor grabbed it and gave him a firm handshake it as a farewell. Then, the Chia put his arms around his chest and walked outside as Zor held the wooden door open.
Zor awoke refreshed and awake when she arrived at the detective agency that morning. It was good to be back to the wooden walls, desks, floors, and ceilings. Very plain but in a way modern from the design of the furniture. Cubicles lined the right wall and office doors lined the left. She walked straight down a long corridor filled with exits, entrances, book shelves and tables. Then, in front of her was a large wooden door. On a plaque it read "Commander Leften Bipid.". Zor quickly knocked on the door and it creaked open, revealing a large office with green carpeting, a black desk, and large bookshelves spanning the walls. Behind the desk was a humongous red chair in which the Chia sat, hovering over a few papers.
"Commander?" Zor whispered quietly, trying not to seem too intrusive.
The Chia lifted his head up and smiled. "I'm glad you could make it. I've been waiting for you here for quite some while. Had a bit of a trouble getting here?"
Zor shook her head. "No, I stopped to get a cup of coffee," she said as she lifted up the plastic container in her right paw. "Needed some caffeine to boot up the old system. Can't run without the old coffee cup."
Bipid grinned again. "Take a seat. There is much to go over."
Zor sat down at a black chair adjacent to the desk. It was awkward for her to be in a room she had never planned to visit again. "Where is the case file? I need time to look it over and see what evidence you have compiled thus far."
Commander Bipid grabbed a manila folder from his deck and placed it in Zors free paw. "It's quite a few pages long so I'd suggest taking the time to read over it as soon as possible. I have located a vacant office for you on the first floor, very similar to your old one..." He stopped as he saw the look on Zor's face. He quickly added, "There is another one like mine the second floor if you'd like it."
Zor quietly nodded. She was ashamed of herself. She was unable to face the office that she had spent so many years in...with Arkados. It just didn't seem right.
"Macky will show you to your office," he pointed to a chubby Shoyru who Zor had not noticed in the corner of the room. "If you need anything, tell me. I'll be here are day and most of the night."
Zor then got up from her chair, file and coffee in hand, and nodded her head towards Bipid as a sign of thanks. Bipid then gave a motion to Macky and he scurried to the door to hold it open. "Thank you," Zor said as she followed Macky through the halls of the office and, eventually, to her office...
To be continued...
Part Two
Chapter Two: The Lucky Thirteen
The office was quaint. It featured an abundance of furniture, most of which were in the colors of black and grey. She had a sleek, metal black desk that held a few papers, bins, and random office supplies that may or may not be needed. To the right she had a large grey bookshelf. On this were rows of books that dealt with detective work and mystery solving. On the left wall there was a black workstation which featured more office supplies, two chairs, and even more paperwork.
Zor sat behind the desk in a large black chair to match the desk. She rolled around and swerved on the grey carpet and stared up at the black ceiling, attempting to get a sense of relaxation. She was very tense. The paperwork in front of her wasn't much but because she hadn't done the job in quite a long time it seemed overwhelming. She flipped through it and noticed it was thirteen pages long. Too much for her to read at that moment. She did nothing.
Then, after getting bored of maneuvering the chair under the desk she stilled herself and leaned over the file that was lying in front of her. She quickly flipped open the folder and started to read.
It droned on and on. Every little bit of evidence was covered, some irrelevant to the case. Hairs were found on the floor. Of course they were. It was the main corridor. People walked in and out of there like walking in a shop at Neopia Central. Fingerprints covered every square inch. Everyone dropped files, tripped, bent down, or just touched the floor for no reason. It was an office building. But, they cancelled out all the workers prints and were left with one hundred and sixty four people. They removed from that list the visitors within the past three months and were left with twenty. They then ran a scan on who knew Arkados. Three. Three lucky people who would be interrogated by Zor.
Zor was presented with a list of names. Each name had a small photo and a file number. She grabbed the sheet that had this information and headed out of her office down to the filing room. She arrived there with speed, remembering all the exact turns to get there.
Zor was now in a dimly light room with filing cabinets covering the walls, each labeled in minuscule numbers. She looked around and found the filing cabinet she wanted. All the names were under the number prefix 718. After grabbing the files she made the five minute trek back to her office to sit down and sift through the newly accounted for files.
And that she did. Once at her desk she immediately got to work on reading the files. They were filled with all the information Zor needed to get a firm base started on the case. She made two separate piles. One was immediate suspects in which the few Zor thought she should check out immediately due to some strange research that left her puzzled. Others she put in the hold pile which contained the ones that didn't seem too suspicious but not as valuable to go through as the others. Though the two piles weren't that big but it gave Zor a general idea of who was important.
The boring part was now completed. Now Zor could move on and get her adrenaline gland pumping as she actually faced the suspects and asked them the questions she had been writing down on a notepad while researching. And there was the first file. Dr. Zinidad Goldferb. A doctor who had treated Arkados for a serious injury a few years prior. But things went wrong and Dr. Goldferb did something and Arkados was mad at him from then on. Zor was hazy on the details and never bothered to look deeper into the story.
She grabbed Goldferbs file and walked out of her office, down the stairs, and out the front door with a determined look on her face. She would squeeze out every bit of information she possibly could from the doctor.
In about twenty minutes she arrived at a white painted building on the corner of Aisha Avenue. People rushed past the office barely noticing its existence. But it was a massive building and hard to not look at. Zor assumed that it was home to a variety of doctors all in various stages of their career.
When she walked into the building through the transparent door she was hit by the hospital smell she dreaded. The sickly smell that filled the airwaves and the noises. Beeping and clanging and rolling and stomping. She felt like she was going to throw up on the spot.
Zor took a breath and walked towards the receptionists' desk. "Excuse me," she said softly to the Usul who was leaning back in her chair, reading. No response. "Excuse me," Zor said a little louder this time.
This caught the Usuls attention and she looked up from the black covered book. "Yes?" she asked in a light and friendly voice.
"Where is Doctor Goldferbs office?" Zor asked, adjusting the file in her paw.
The Usul pointed to her right. "Take that staircase up to the sixth floor. Do you have an appointment?"
Zor shook her head. "No. I'm from the Neopian Detective Agency and I need to ask him a few questions."
"Oh...erm...okay..." she uttered, a shocked face on. "Yeah, sixth floor..." she stared at Zor as she left the lobby and then returned to reading her book.
The walk to the sixth floor took about five minutes. Zor traveled up about ten flights of stairs until she reached a transparent door which read: "Dr. Zinidad Goldferb - Trauma". When she opened that door she was hit by the same wave of hospital smell that lingered on the first floor.
Another secretary was seated at a desk. Zor walked over to the Aisha and shook her from a few papers on her desk. "Oh, my, I didn't see you there. How lovely you look today! Please take a seat. You're a good person, you know that. Just go take a seat and no troubles or fears will come your way." The secretary put on a smile that Zor could see right through.
Zor raised and eyebrow and stared at her for a moment. She then recalled that Dr. Goldferb was a Trauma patient and that the Aisha was attempting to make her feel good. "Nothing is wrong with me. I'm from the detective agency and I need to speak to Doctor Goldferb."
The Aisha had a worried look on her face. "Oh...he's in with a patient right now," her stare darted to a clock on the wall. "He'll be about five more minutes if you can wait."
Zor nodded and walked away from the desk. After looking around the small waiting room she spotted a chair next to a depressed looking Yellow Wocky. After sitting, she noticed the Wocky was shivering. "What's wrong?" Zor asked in a quiet voice.
"They-they're coming. The Meepits...they...oh...they're coming to kill me," the Wocky muttered in a quaky voice. Then her head turned to Zor and with large eyes she said. "You are not safe."
The Faerie Zafara immediately jumped from her seat. Trying not to sound rude she muttered a "Nice meeting you". She then scurried away to wait by the desk.
After a few minutes a Brown Lupe walked out of a door on the right wall. His mouth was moving very slowly. Zor then noticed he was talking to a Quiggle who had a few papers in his hand. Then the Lupe walked over to Zor and smiled. "How may I help you?"
Zor then realized this was Dr. Goldferb. "I need to ask you some questions."
"Do you have an appointment?" he asked, looking over at his secretary. She was unresponsive, buried in her papers.
"No," she said. "I'm from the Neopian Detective Agency. Your name came up in a file."
The Lupe had a worried look on his face. "Oh...uhm...come right into my office. Make yourself at home."
Zor nodded and walked into the open door, making note of her surroundings. Wood paneling lined the walls which were windowless. There was a small bookshelf behind a large oak desk. A couch was adjacent to the desk and beside it was an oak end table. The end table had a stack of magazines, a box of tissues, and a lamp. Zor took a seat on the couch and took out her notepad as well as a pen.
Dr. Goldferb sat across from her at his desk, looking uninterested. "What is this about? Did one of my clients get in trouble?"
"Kind of..." Zor said. "You treated a patient by the name of Arkados, correct?"
"Yes, I remember him. His Petpet ran away and he came to me for a few sessions. Nice person, really."
"Hm...let's just say he's not alive anymore."
A confused and dazed look overtook the doctors' face. "What? How did this happen?"
"Maybe you can tell me. Why were you at the detective agency the night of his death?"
"When was this?"
"April 3."
The Lupe stood up and went into the bookshelf behind him. He then pulled out a rather large book and started to flip through it until he found what he was looking for. "Yes, I was there. About what time did it happen?"
"About nine o'clock," Zor answered. She couldn't tell if he was stalling and try to make up a story or telling the truth.
A puzzled look came upon the Lupes' face. "Yes, I was there at that time. Someone with the last name of Bipid had had some scary dream the night before and needed to see if it had any relation to what had happened a few days ago. He was given quite a spook."
Bipid was scared of something? Zor knew he could be sensitive but he never saw him be outright scared of something - especially a dream which he knew was fake. Zor even remembered something he had told her when she started. "This job is tough and you may dream some horrible dreams. They're just dreams. Try to brush them off." Unless the doctor was lying. "And if I asked him about this he'd tell me so?"
Dead silence.
To be continued...
Part Three
Chapter Three: A Familiar Face
Zor waited for a few moments as the doctor stuttered. When there was silence for more then a minute Zor piped up. "And if I asked him about your story would he tell me so?" The story in question was the alibi Dr. Goldferb the Brown Lupe of a doctor had told to Zor. The person in question was Commander Bipid who was accused of having strange dreams.
The Lupes face twisted in confusion. Then he muttered, "Yes...yes I believe so."
That was it for Zor. The Lupe had to be lying. "Thank you for your time. I'm going to go now." Dr. Goldferb nodded and ushered her out with a cold glare.
The Faerie Zafara walked out of the office, down the long flights of stairs, into the lobby of the enormous building, out the front doors, and into the busy streets of Neopia Central. Her next destination wasn't very far away but she was nervous about going to it. The address she was given wasn't in the best part of Neopia.
After a lot of roaming around the deserted streets in the outskirts on Neopia Central she found the house. The windows were broken in and the front lawn seemed as if it was mauled through by a rabid Gelert. The door was duct taped to the frame of the house. For a moment she wondered how she would get in until she noticed a large piece of wall was cut away to make an opening. This opening was covered with a blue tarp. The house looked bad and she didn't want to see the people who lived inside.
She cautiously walked the curved pathway to the makeshift door and rattled on the tarp. Zor caught the movement of a figure inside. Caught by surprise she jumped back as the tarp was pulled away from the temporary entrance. A tall Skunk Grarrl stood before her. He wasn't scary in the least mind but she reminded him of Arkados... She quickly remembered who this was. Arkados' brother.
"How may I help you?" came the gruff voice of the Grarrl. Then a surprised look came on his face. "You're that guy Ark..." his voice trailed off for a minute.
Zor smiled and nodded. "Yes, I worked with him. I need to ask you a few questions."
"Okay..." the Grarrl paused, not knowing what to say. His hand then darted out. "I'm Ekern."
Zor took the hand and firmly shook it and Ekern stepped outside and closed the tarp gently behind him. When he noticed Zor was staring at him strangely he added, "It's a mess inside. Nowhere for you to sit."
Zor nodded and pulled out her notepad. "Were you there on the night of his death?" Zor avoided saying Arkados' name in front of his brother. He still didn't seem over it. Actually, nor was she but she tried hiding it.
"As a matter of fact I was," he said, craning his neck around. "Arkados had asked to see me a few days before and I had just gotten around to doing so that night."
"What did he want to see you about?" Zor asked, scribbling on her pad.
Erkern shrugged. "He wasn't there. He wasn't dead but he wasn't there." Ekern lowered his head. "I should have stayed there and waited...I...I could have stopped it."
Zor put a comforting hand on Ekerns' back. He hadn't gotten over yet and didn't want to talk about it. Zor had figured that she should leave. Ekern seemed innocent and, in his state, was enough for Zor. "I'm going to go..." she said loudly before leaning to his ear and whispered, "Try not to dwell on the past...remember the good things."
"There were no good things," Erkern said in a low voice.
That was the occasion for Zor to start heading. She didn't want to hear anything bad said about Arkados. She was taught to never speak ill of the dead and now wasn't the time to start. Another person was to be interviewed. The only lead left. The only piece of evidence until she went back to the office and thought for hours on end. Only one...
Unfortunately, this one person was in Terror Mountain and that would take quite a while to get to. She planned to travel on boat and from there catch a lif up to the area where the house was. From there she had to walk.
When she arrived at the house it wasn't the favorite of sights. This mountain was the place where she was at the time of Arkados' death. This was the place where all the memories were kept. She shook the thoughts out of her head and knocked on the wooden door. She waited outside the brick building until someone answered. The door opened and Zor gasped.
"Hello again!" a Red Chia exclaimed. "Zor, isn't it?"
A shiver ran through her spine. This was the person who had taken care of her when she had fallen in the snow alone, ready to die. His name...what was his name... Zor thought back long and hard. Dra-et. Zor immediately grew suspicious. Why would someone from that time come back as a suspect to the murder of her partner? Neopia was too big of a place; the odds were too large... And what scared her the most was that he remembered her. It was as if he was waiting for years for her to come back. "I need to come in," she said.
Dra-et ushered her in with a smile. A smile that Zor looked right through. He had something...something big to hide. "So, are you here to thank me?" he asked in a sarcastic manner. He was met with a blank stare. "Apparently not." He paused his speech for a moment and then motioned towards the couch. "Please sit down."
Zor took a seat cautiously, looking around the familiar room. The fireplace was lit and cast glowing shadows on the wooden floor. The flames seemed to lick the red couch were Zor was sitting. The walls were covered in paintings and shelves. A few doorways were put off to the side. Dra-et took a seat next to her, seeming to get comfortable. "Why were you at the detective agency?"
"Me?" he said in a mock voice. Then a serious face returned. "Because I had some business to take care of."
The words sent a chill through Zors skin. "What was that business?"
Dra-et chuckled. "Taking care of someone."
Immediately, Zor jumped up and reached into her handbag which held her notepad and the files. She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Dra-et. "Read it and then come with me." Zor watched his eyes scanning the paper and as soon as he was done he stood up and smiled.
"Take me away, madame."
The pair arrived at the agency a few hours later. Zor led the Chia into her office and harshly slammed his body in a chair. "What did you do?"
"None of your business," Dra-et replied, smirking.
Zor approached him and leaned into his face. "Tell me!" she yelled, grabbing his wrists and squeezing it. "I'll do whatever within my power to make you tell me."
Dra-et chuckled. "Do your best. You can't break me."
"I will burn your house and possessions. I will make you scream," Zor threatened.
"Those things to not matter to me. I will tell you if you want it. Show me you want it," Dra-et said slyly.
Zor felt tears brimming around her eyes. "What do you want me to do?" she shouted, her face now matted down with tears. "Please! Tell me!" She felt herself drop to the floor and dig her face into the carpet. "Please...please..." her muffled voice yelled. "Please...I...please..."
Dra-et smiled. "Fine. I will...because you want it." He cleared his throat and looked at Zor and made sure she was listening. Then he started his story loud and clear. "I worked out a plan with Seremdra. She would give a confession if I did the dirty work. She would set me up for a shot. And it worked. It worked very well. She was covering up something I created. Something I did. And I killed him." He laughed dryly. "And he deserved every last gasping breath."
Zor leaped up and grabbed his throat. "YOU'LL PAY!" She then released her hands from around his neck as the door opened and Bipid came in.
"I heard yelling...Zor, have you been crying? What's wrong?" he asked in a concerned voice.
"He...he did it...he...he killed him," Zor stammered. She felt more tears falling down her face as she pointed towards the killer. "Please...do something...I..." She fell to the ground with a thump.
Zor awoke several hours later with a splitting headache. Her vision was blurry but she could make out Bipids' office. Someone was hovering over her...Dra-et...no...no...Bipid.
"Everything is okay," came the Chias' soothing voice. "Rest. You've had a long and emotional day...just go back to sleep."
"Thank you..." Zor muttered quietly before drifting off into a deep and dark sleep. A part of her heart had been mended. Maybe now...now she could get on with life...on with what she was supposed to be doing. Solving crimes.
THE END
Authors' Note: Sappiness time! I love this series. :) And, really, only one person helped me with it remotely (even if it was only for the first few paragraphs). Tis was blubblub317 (or Blubbeh for teh 1337...or 1336...or...or...people). Thanks. :P So...erm...yup...I'll be writing more about Zor at some other time and place and in some other story...ooh...Seris and Zor! Maybe...goes off to ponder