October 13.
Today, I infiltrate Strife Delivery Services. If this is my last journal entry, please give the Cloaked Schemer to Demyx Dolor. I think she likes him.
Zexion peeked across the street at the worn sign that announced the presence of Cloud Strife's reasonably prosperous local business. Strife Delivery Services was Twilight Town's number one shop of choice for the movement of things from one place to another. They might have done storage or something too, Zexion couldn't really remember. In any case, today, Zexion Drew was going undercover as a man who needed a delivery. His cover story was that he was a local librarian who needed a box of books moved from his house to the library. Cloud was sure to fall for it, because it was true, and that made it exceedingly clever. With a deep breath, Zexion stepped forward and across the road, pushing open the door and almost shrieking with fright when the obnoxiously loud bell rang. Almost.
Immediately, he noticed that there was no shop cat. That was the first strike against Cloud. Besides the conspicuous lack of cat, however, the store was pretty ordinary. One wall had some chairs, the other had some cardboard boxes that were for sale, and at the back of the store was a counter with a tiny sign that said "Ring Bell For Service." Zexion thought that was rather silly, since the door had a bell, too, but hey, it wasn't his store. He rang the bell.
"Coming," came a voice from deep in the bowels of the shop. Finally, Cloud emerged, carrying a heavy-looking box of something-or-other that he deposited on the counter, dusting off his hands. He was wearing a sleeveless top that flatteringly showed off his arms, which were very muscley, indeed. Zexion, however, did not allow himself to appreciate them, because that would be cheating on Demyx Dolor, mentally, or something. Plus, he couldn't be sure, of course, but he suspected that he was pretty unsubtle when he was checking someone out.
"Hello, Cloud," Zexion said.
"Hi, Zexion. What can I do for you?" Zexion allowed his eyes to travel across the box. Any item in the store was a potential clue, after all. This box, however, was tightly shut. Zexion Drew would not be solving its mystery, not today. He could have sworn the box was laughing at him.
"I need a box of books moved from my house to the library," he explained quietly. Cloud raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't your house next door to the library?" Zexion blushed, stammered, and couldn't come up with a reply. "Ok, sorry. I'll be happy to do it," said Cloud. "Just fill out the form." Once again hoisting the laughing mystery box, Cloud disappeared into the back of the store.
The form was simple- how many boxes, how far, when, that sort of thing. Zexion nibbled the end of the pencil, and decided not to fill it out just yet. He had to stretch his time, so he'd have a chance to check out Cloud, er, the store, after all. After a full minute, he'd managed to write his name. When he was sure no one was watching, he peeked over the counter to the back area of Strife Delivery Services. Much to his disappointment, the place had nothing to see. Cloud was very organized, with boxes piled on shelves, neatly labeled with names and phone numbers, and very cleanly swept floors. Zexion wasn't going to find anything in this place. He sighed, and went back to filling out his little form. Just when he'd resigned himself to a dismally failed mission, he was startled into a yell by the loud clank of the door opening.
"Oh, sorry I scared you. I've been telling him to replace that thing. Is he here?" The unfortunately monikered Leon Leonhart had just entered the store, and was looking at Zexion expectantly. Zexion supposed that the man was rather good looking, by objective standards, but he simply just wasn't his type. Zexion Drew was a gentleman, and he preferred blondes.
"Uh, yes, he is. Um. Do you want me to ring the bell?" he asked awkwardly.
"No, it's fine, I'll just go back." Leon walked straight past him and through the nearby door with the aggressive "EMPLOYEES ONLY" sign. Zexion blinked. That door was just… open? Any old person could walk through? He probably shouldn't, though, since it said employees only. But then, how far would the great detectives of literature have gotten if they were stuck obeying signs all the time? Zexion looked around to make sure no one was watching him, and he shoved his now complete form into a pocket and tip-toed over to the door, pushing it open a tiny crack. When no immediately bad consequences dropped down on him, he gained a smidgeon of confidence, and stepped inside. Now, he had successfully infiltrated Strife Delivery Services.
Zexion slid in between the first two racks, pulled out his journal, and quickly began jotting down names and phone numbers, though he didn't recognize any of them. They must all people in neighboring towns, he deduced. He made a note- Cloud's clientele must take him out of town pretty frequently. If Cloud traveled a lot, then there was a distinct possibility that his fiancée's murder had been an outside-of-town job. That was a possibility that Zexion didn't especially want to consider, since it would make his job in solving the mystery about a million times more difficult. So, he shelved the outside-job theory for closer examination once he'd thoroughly investigated all of the locals.
He was moving into a second row when he heard Cloud's voice. Apparently, he and Leon were having some kind of heated conversation. Zexion leaned close to hear better.
"-just think it's in pretty bad taste," Cloud was saying.
"Well, how long's it going to take?" Leon's voice was less clear, which probably meant that he was facing away from where Zexion was hiding.
"Leon, the doctor called to tell me he's coming in with her cause of death today. Now is really not the time to be talking about this."
"Cloud-"
"No." Zexion heard footsteps, which meant that Cloud had ended the conversation and was walking away. Walking away, straight towards where Zexion was standing. He desperately looked around for a hiding place, but Cloud kept his store much too neat for that. But if he stayed where he was, he was going to be fou-
"Zexion?" Cloud was standing right in front of him, out of nowhere, and staring down at him, his face crinkled oh-so-slightly into confusion. "Oh. Did you come find me to give me your form?" he asked. Zexion silently thanked whatever God was watching that day, for speaking through Cloud and giving him an explanation for being where he was right then, besides 'eavesdropping like a crazy person.'
"Yes. Here. Thank you," he said, maybe too quickly, pulling his crumpled form out of his pocket and handing it over. Cloud once again raised an eyebrow, but he accepted it silently. "Uh, goodbye. Thank you," Zexion said again, and he shuffled his way back to the door. Behind him, he could hear Leon trying to talk to Cloud again, though he couldn't make out the words. It would be too risky to go back, now. He'd gotten more information than he expected to- for example, he now knew that Dr. Hicks had found a cause of death. But how would he find out what it was, before the rest of the town did? Cloud had mentioned that the doctor would be coming by today. He would have to find an excuse to hang around the store.
After fifteen minutes of cardboard box shopping, Zexion realized he couldn't stall anymore without drawing suspicion, or, more likely and more unsettling, derision. He'd have to keep an eye out for the doctor outside. With a final glimpse around the store, he slunk back out into the harsh daylight.
Fortune smiled on Zexion that day, because he only had to wait two and a half hours for Dr. Hicks to show up at Strife Delivery Services. Zexion had parked himself on a bench nearby with a good book and some sweet tea, a drink he normally wouldn't touch because it made his teeth hurt, but he thought a drink would go well with the book-and-sunshine image he was trying to create. After all, he never read outside, and he didn't want people to notice him. He was simply an observer.
Zexion observed as Dr. Vexen Hicks walked across the road and opened the shop's door. He could hear the bell all the way across the street, and was ashamed to admit that it still scared him a little, even from a distance. But now that the doctor was inside, he would have to get closer. Zexion glanced around to make sure he wasn't being watched- no one was ever walking around downtown, but still, detectives always had to make sure they weren't being watched- and then got up and walked quickly back over to the store, hopefully for the last time that day. He was getting a sunburn.
"Hi, Dr. Hicks. Thanks for coming to tell me in person." Zexion could hear Cloud's voice easily from outside- something about his voice projected. The doctor's voice, however, was higher pitched and raspy, and Zexion had to struggle to hear it.
"Well, I'm sorry to say, but the news I have is not good news," the doctor said. Or, he might have sneezed. Zexion was about 80% sure he was talking, though.
"What do you mean?" Cloud said emotionlessly. If Zexion hadn't just heard him raise his voice to Leon, he would have suspected the man felt no emotions at all. Wait, was Leon still inside? Zexion hazarded a glance in the window. Yes, Leon was there. He loitered where he was, expertly viewing the unfolding scene with his peripherals, the same way he watched grubby little kids in his library to make sure they wouldn't tear up his precious books and spill high-fructose corn syrup goo-juice on them.
"I wasn't able to perform a full autopsy," Dr. Hicks explained.
"What? Why?" That was Leon's voice, now, even deeper than Cloud's. Zexion saw Cloud glare at Leon, presumably for interfering.
"You see…" the doctor said quietly, and Zexion leaned closer, straining his ears.
"I couldn't perform a full autopsy, because Aerith was pregnant."
Of course she was.
Review plz? :D
