(Warning, Mild swearing in this chapter)

Night Shift

And

Freeze Blade

Private Eye Adventures

Chapter 3

The Thrift Store Art Swap Part 3

As Night Shift walks through the halls of the now modernized art museum looking for clues, he only gets a few feet before he hears a crash. He lets out a long sigh and turns around to see Freeze Blade wrapped up in threds from a tapastry of a very tacky looking semi-unidentifiable creature, his arms behind his back and his legs split, one out front and the other behind him.

"Let me guess, a loose thread?" He asks with a small smug smile.

Freeze Blade just turns his head with a frown and puffed cheeks and says,
"Just get me out of this. Please."

Night Shift floats over and pulls three threads and suddenly Freeze Blade along with all of the other threads just fall to the ground, though the former with a very large THUD. Freeze Blade procedes to stand up and dust himself off, he then plasters on one of his trade mark grins then say,

"Thanks partner." and skates off to another part of the meuseum.

Night Shift shakes his head and thinks to himself,

'The messes I have to clean.'

As he turns to go the opposite direction of his partner, he notices in a nearby potted plant a crumpled piece of white paper. Night Shift grabs it and unfurls it, as he starts to read it he realises its a recipte for some of the paintings, thouhg its only some of them and the subtotal of the cost.

'Wow, these were some cheap paintings' He thinks to himself as he pockets the recipte, then turns to go find Freeze Blade. He only gets as far as a nienty degrees as he hears a very loud,

"NIGHT SHIFT!"

Said detective sighs and proceedes to yell,

"WHAT?!" as he turns nienty more degrees to come face to face with his compatriate.

"Look what I found! I found part of a recipte!" He reports gleefuly.

Night Shift furrows his brow and says,

"Wait a recipte? Let me see it."

Freeze Blade proceedes to pull out half of a recipte and present it. Night Shift then takes that piece and lines it up with the piece he found, it was a perfect match. The reciept's header read 'Molly's Modern Arts'. Night Shift then pocketed both halfs and wrote down the name in his note book.

"So should we head to that shop?" Freeze Blade asks in a curious but whiney tone.

"Yes, but first I need to know where you found this piece." Night Shift asks in a serious tone.

"Oh, I found it in a potted plant. I would have been hard but I was always good at the 'wheres moledow' books as a kid." Freeze Blade replies triumphetly.

"Of cource you were." Night Shift replies half listening as he writes in his note pad 'recipte - planted?' "Alright, lets go to that store." He proclaims as they leave out the front door to see that all of the reporters had dispersed. Night Shift let out a not-too-common happy sigh.

"Alright, I just called us a taxi." Freeze Blade says as he puts away a flip comunicator.

"Really? What happened to your super fast speed?" Night Shift teased.

Freeze Blades stomach started to gurgle at the suggestion of top speed and he starts to pout. "Im just not feeling to hot." He responds as they get into the taxi and head for the store.

As both detectives enter the store they both have looks of either mild disgust or confusion looking at the art as they apporach the register and ring the bell.

"Hello?" Freeze Blade yells trying to get the attention of anyone. Just after he yells, a female mabu pops up behind the counter.

"Yes?" She asks in a hurried tone of voice.

Freeze Blade jumps back a bit with a jolt, not expecting the mabu to just appear. However, Night Shift remained stock still and unfazzed by the sudden appearence.

"We were wondering if you could tell us about a customer who came in and bought a large sum of paintings at" Night Shift glances at his note pad "Nine-o-five a.m."

"Ah, how could I forget him. Tall, lanky, green skin, Long tail, darting eyes, and flicking tongue. All while dressed in a fancy white suit." She replies "After he came here, purchases have gone through the roof."

"Hmm... is there anything else?." Night Shift asks.

"Well he did have a members card for the terra pit in his chest pocket in front of a hankey, but thats about it."

"Thank you very much for your time." Night Shift says with gratitude as he pulls Freeze Blade away from a painting he was about to touch. "what did I tell you about touching stuff in stores?"

"Dont do it unless its free?" Freeze Blade asks.

"No, the other thing." Night Shift corrects.

"Oh" Freeze Blade says as he remembers "You break it, you bought it."

"Exactly, now lets head for the terra pit." Night Shift says as they get back in the cab and head there.

"Thank goodness we have member cards from the tapioca bomber case." Freeze Blade chimes.

Night Shift shivers at the memories of the case. "We agreed to never, EVER, talk about that." He groans as they get out of the cab infront of a club with a blue neon sign reading 'The Terra Pit'.

"Hey! The payment?" The cabby asks.

Freeze Blade goes up to the window and says "I dont have any money on me, but what I can do is give you a crisp high five." He proceedes to high five the cabbys open hand and he skates to the entrance. The cabby looks to Night Shift as the detective starts to pull out his wallet with a sigh and give the cabby his fare. The cabby drives away and Night Shift goes to the door with Freeze Blade. As the apporach it though, the way seemed to be bared by a very tall pharoh-esk skylander with a crystal sword dressed in a suit.

"Halt!" He proclaims "Only members are permited to enter." he says griping his sword handle with two hands as its point is currently rested on the ground, but he is still prepared to fight.

"Relax Krypt King, its just us." Night Shift reasures as both detectives lift their hats and show their i.d. cards.

"Oh, sorry Shift. Its just my brothers headlining tonight and I dont really want any mean spirited folks to ruin it." He replies as he steps out of the way.

"Your brother is in? Good, we will need to talk to him about a regular." Night Shift replies as he and his compatriate start to head in.

"Wait till after the song he is doing, thats his one-hour break period" Krypt king warns.

As the pair of detectives decend a set of stairs and take a few turns they end up in a spacious floor room with soft lighting. To the left was a bar with none other than terrafin in a fancy suit, although its missing the arms, mixing some drinks for s siting at it. In the middle were tables arranged with lit candles in the middle and a basket of breadsticks. to the right were circular booths with the same arrangments on the table. They both decide to take a seat at a booth close to the stage as a woodburrow fox waiter approaches the table and asks in a french accent "Would the kind sirs like anything this evening?"

"Two milk shakes, one chocolate and the other strawberry if you please. Shaken, not stirred." Night Shift orders the two usuals.

"Right away monsieur." With that the fox scurries back to the bar and minutes later comes back with two milk shakes. "Complemets of the house."

"Thank you." Night Shift replies and looks towards terrafin cleaing a glass and hoists his own in a sign of thanks. Terrafin nods his head with a smile. Both detectives start to drink their milk shakes as a very familiar skeleton in a blue helmet and a tux belts out the final line of a song as the band hits a creshendo.

"I did it, MY WAAAAAAAY!" The performer sings the final note and he takes a bow as the crowd starts to cheer for him though one person in particular felt the need to whistle very loud, catching the attention of the afformentioned singer. As he looks over he notices two men dressed in trench coats, though its not noticable he smiles under his helmet as he catches sight of the two regulars and makes his way to them.

"Well i'll be an arkean conquretron, if it isnt my two favorite detectives Night Shift and Freeze Blade." Chop-Chop said in a sort of chipper tone as he takes a seat across from the detectives. "How are you two? Wait, business or pleasure?" He asks.

"Ah sadly its business old friend." Freeze Blade sighs as he downs half his milk shake and proceedes to proclaim very loudly "Brain freeze! Oh my strawberry majesty, why do you torture me so!"

Both Chop-Chop and Night Shift get a good laugh out of the irony of the situation at hand. After though Night Shift says,

"We need information on a regular here." a he sips at his own milk shake.

"Alright, do you have a name?" Chop-Chop asks curiously.

"No all we know is that he is a reptile that is partial to white suits and that he frequints this club." Night Shift sighs as thats all they have at the moment.

"Ah, you must mean Calcifer the Clollecting Cameleon." Chop-Chop proclaims.

"Wow, alliteration. Now we know this guy is super serious and evil." Freeze Blade interjects, his brain freeze finaly over.

"Make no mistake, Calcifer is a VERY deadly adversary. His skill is as deadly as his love for art, he can blend into anything as well but he prefers to do it to paintings. Though he hates modern art, He just cant blend into it." Chop-Chop confides.

"Hmm, then why plant modern art at the museum?" Night Shift wonders.

"Well what better way to leave a fake trail leading away from him than with somthing he hates." Freeze Blade says, actually coming up with somthing smart.

"Wow, that is... actually a good idea." Chop-Chop says surprised all the while.

"Kind of scary." Night Shift comments. "Chop-Chop, do you know a home adress?"

"Yes, actually. Four thirty-two grassline rowe." He says.

"Thanks old friend, tell terrafin the shakes were excelent as usual for us if you could." Night Shift says as both partners start to depart.

"I will. Fare thee well, old friends." Chop-Chop replies as he waves good-bye.