Nick set out down the road, heading to God knew where. He had no idea where to start, and it pained him to admit it. There was really nothing he could-

Wait. The police precinct. I could start there. They might know something. Might not, too, but it's worth a shot, at least...

He was surprised he'd thought of that, but he didn't stop to think of how it came to him. Rather, he picked up the pace, and began to almost jog to the police station.

The station was about two miles away from his apartment. He knew it well; one of his good friends worked at the station, at the front desk. The receptionist, though the Chinese didn't call it that. They called it something else, but Nick couldn't recall it offhand.

He turned onto a different street. About a mile and a half to go. He could smell the tell-tale odors of one of his favorite noodle joints, and his stomach growled loudly at him. It was only then that Nick began to wonder how long it had been since he'd eaten.

He counted back as far as he could think, and discovered that it had been almost three days since he'd eaten.

"Damn..." he said aloud. "It's been that long... I can't do this for very much longer."

He slowed down, and stopped in front of the noodle cart. The man behind the cart turned to say a harsh word to him, but smiled when he saw who it was.

"Nick!" the man said. "It's been too long. Why you no come by here?"

"I've been having to deal with a death," was all Nick said. "But I'm needing something big. I haven't eaten in a few days."

The man's eyes widened. "You no eat in days? I fix that." He turned and picked up a to-go box, and began piling noodles onto it. He added the vegetables and beef that he knew Nick liked, and he turned to give it to Nick.

"How much?" Nick asked, reaching for his wallet.

The man shook his head. "No charge this time. Think of it as welcome-back gift."

Nick laughed, and he was shocked to realize that it was almost a foreign sound to him. He hadn't laughed in so long...

"Thanks, Soon," he said, taking the box from him.

"By the way," Soon said, "who died?"

"My fiance Kira," Nick replied. "I don't think you knew her."

"She was with you before," Soon pointed out. "Here, a few times. And here, once or twice, by herself."

"Oh," Nick remembered. "Yeah. Well, I'm trying to find out what happened to her. I think her death wasn't an accident."

Soon thought for a moment, then looked up at Nick almost excitedly. "Did she have friend here? I see her with man many times, walking down road."

This piqued Nick's interest. "Do you remember what this man looked like?"

Soon smiled and turned, rummaging around in a side-pocket of his apron. He pulled out a photo booklet, and leafed through it. He found what he was looking for, and held out a photograph to Nick. "That him, the man."

Nick took the photograph and looked at it. The girl in the photo was indeed Kira, and she was walking down the road with a man who looked to be about Nick's age, though he was definitely Chinese.

"Do you know him?" Nick asked.

Soon shook his head. "No, I no know him. But I know someone who does. He run bar down the road a bit, Shiu-Ni."

"Shiu-Ni Tavern...? That's right next to the police station, right?"

Soon nodded. "Police over there all the time, get drunk and shoot into the sky. Scares hell out of me every time."

Nick thanked Soon for the meal and the information and walked away. He began to eat, slowly at first but then more ravenously. His hunger flared as the food hit his empty stomach, but then it began to ebb. Still, he ate as fast as he could, and his walking speed matched.

Eventually, the entire plate was finished, and Nick looked down at it in surprise. He had never eaten that much food in his life, regardless of how hungry he was.

Before he knew it, he made it to the police station. He saw the Shiu-Ni tavern right next to it, and was almost tempted to just barge right in and start accosting people. His common sense told him where that would lead, though, so he opted to enter the police station.

As always, it was open 24 hours, and his friend was sitting at the front desk. He looked extremely surprised to see Nick standing there.

"I have not seen you in weeks," Mio said, standing and shaking Nick's hand. "How have you been holding up?"

"Not well," Nick admitted. "I just ate for the first time in three days."

Mio looked concerned. "Kira's death getting to you?"

"Yes, which is why I'm here. I received a phone call from... somebody, and she told me that Kira's death wasn't an accident."

"Are you sure?" Mio asked. "There was nothing to indicate that her death was anything but an accident. I can let you look at the body, if you want, just to allay any fears."

"Thank you," Nick replied. He began to walk towards the back, when the door opened behind him.

"Hey, Nick!" a voice called out. Nick turned around, and his blood ran cold.

The men standing in the doorway were members of one of the Chinese gangs that Nick had dealings with in the past. Three of them stepped inside, and Nick could see two more standing outside.

What really scared Nick, was that all of them were armed.

The leader of the group pointed his Ruger at Nick, aiming straight at his chest.

"We could've let you be, Nick. But you just couldn't let bygones be bygones, could you?"

"You're not talking about-"

The leader aimed the Ruger at the ceiling and fired a shot, sending plaster raining down on both of them. Mio drew his weapon as well, aiming it at the group.

"You had your chance, Nick. But you couldn't let it be. Now, we'll make sure the only way you leave this place... is in a body bag."