Stretching his long, green arms over his head in relief, Vector said, "We're finally here, boys," to Espio and Charmy as the trio got off their plane. As Vector led, Espio and Charmy followed closely behind.

"Woo-hoo!" exclaimed Charmy.

"Finally! I've grown tired of that flight. It was quite noisy," groaned Espio.

"C'mon Espio, it wasn't that bad," Charmy said. Espio shot him an annoyed glance. Charmy, being normally so loud and hyperactive himself, didn't quite understand what Espio was so miffed by.

As part of his ninja creed, Espio had been attempting to get in some valued meditation time while on the plane. Unfortunately, their flight had too much noise on it for him to get his quiet time.

"I could barely hear myself think. In order to have a successful meditation session, I need absolute silence, and that flight of ours always had something knocking in my ear!" Espio snarled.

The trio walked out from the terminal and walked through the bustling lobby room over towards the luggage conveyor belt. They grabbed their luggage then made their way towards the front door.

"Well, Espio, we're here now. You can probably find plenty of places on the beach to do your meditation" said Vector.

"Yay! We're going to the beach! We're going to the beach!" Charmy happily sang repetitively as he flew around his two older companions. His hyperactive behavior was not overly appreciated by Vector and Espio.

"Knock it off, Charmy!" Vector commanded the bouncy bumblebee. Charmy immediately stopped and pouted with his arms crossed and his antennae wilting. Espio shook his head at his more boisterous partners.

Vector sniffed the air. "I can smell that ocean already. Let's go out find our hotel, boys. It's time we had some rest and relaxation."

"Yeah!" said Charmy. Espio said nothing. He simply nodded his head slightly in agreement.

The Chaotix Detective Agency was desperately in need of a good vacation at this point. For the past few months or so, the trio, consisting of Espio (the quiet, thoughtful Chameleon) , Charmy (the young, hyper, and perky Bee), and Vector (the muscle and leader Crocodile), had taken on several cases such as finding a missing child, tracking down a jewel thief, and even a few small cases of helping young kids find their lost toys.

Now that they had scrounged up a good deal of money from the cases, they could finally afford the vacation they deserved. They had decided on coming to Paprika Island, for it was known for its fabulous beachside, fun amusement park, and numerous other tourist attractions. It was the perfect place for one to come and simply take a break from work.

The Chaotix climbed into a taxi cab and asked to be driven to The Coconut and Pineapple Hotel near the beach. The trio looked in amazement at the beauty of the island as the cab drove down the road. The sun was glowing bright in the sky, the palm trees were blowing, there was a slight breeze along the paths, and the grass on the field was lush and green.

"Cool!" remarked Charmy.

"Yeah, this looks significantly more amazing than it did in the brochure," said Vector.

As the cab got closer to the beach, the smell of sea water began to thicken. Finally, the beach started to appear in the distance, as did the 16 story hotel towering over the beachfront. All three Chaotix stared in awe at the beautiful sight.

The cab finally arrived in front of the hotel. Vector tipped the cab driver, and the Chaotix started for the front door.

"Nice place," Vector remarked at the tall, fancy hotel.

"Cool!" said Charmy.

"I expected nothing less," replied Espio, subtly smirking.

The three walked through the front door and into the main lobby of the hotel towards the front desk. "I'll check us in, you two wait over there near the couches," said Vector.

"Okay," said Charmy.

"Yes, sir," said Espio.

Espio walked over towards the couch on the left side of the room. The TV was on tuned to the local news. Charmy simply flew and bounced around the room.

"Beachy beach. Beachy beach" the bee sang out as he bounced about.

Ignoring Charmy, Espio turned his attention to the television where a man was giving out the day's headlines.

"In other news, around 9am this morning, a young, female hedgehog was found lying dead in the city park behind a shrub," the anchorman reported. Espio looked up at the TV. That news story caught his attention immediately.

"The body was found covered in various gashes around the thighs, throat, and torso, and had the mark of the lotus slashes on the forehead. Through dental records, authorities have identified the body as that of 22 year old Crystal Marie the Hedgehog," the anchorman said as the TV displayed a picture of a purple female hedgehog on the screen. Espio's eyes widened at the mention of a "lotus mark on the forehead."

"It would seem that we have yet another victim of the mysterious Clawed Lotus murderer. Police are currently investigating, and hopefully more information will be found."

Espio cocked his head to the side as he contemplated this new information."Should I tell Vector about this?" he wondered to himself. Vector would probably be intrigued to hear about a murder case. As Espio was finishing his thought, Vector called out to him and Charmy.

"C'mon boys, let's head on up to our room," he said.

"Coming!" called Charmy. Espio got up from the couch and walked over towards his companions. "That news report," Espio thought to himself. "Something about that murder story sounds very familiar."

To Be Continued….