Yeah, it's been a pretty long time since I last decided to update this story. Things have been pretty hectic in my life lately; graduate classes are starting to make things harder with the workload, and I'm currently subbing for a middle school on a long term basis. It's pretty interesting having to juggle my own work while also worrying about those from the students I'm charged with for the rest of the year. Even though they are crazy in their own way and always try to drive me nuts, it's hard to not get used to it and grow a connection with the kids.

Anyway, I'm sure none of you are interested in my current life affairs. Here's the new chapter that most of you have been waiting ever so patiently for. Normally, I would dedicate this section to those who reviewed my story and became new favorites and followers. However, it's been so long since I last made an update that I've honestly forgotten who are new and who are old. Nevertheless, I would like to take this time to thank everyone for their continued support and everlasting patience for this story to generate new chapters.

But before I leave you all to read the new chapter, allow me to go over all the evidence and character biographies that have been collected thus far. Remember, I'm trying to make this story into an interactive mystery thriller where you as the readers can try to figure out the true culprit as you're reading along. I suppose it's like one of those book-and-pen style RPGs, and I hope you all enjoy it!


Evidence:

Mock Interpol Badge: A simple metal button with the Interpol insignia on it. It was given by Salem and allows Tails to take the Interpol final exam.

Show Flyer: An advertisement for a live fan show during the Teen Wolf convention. It's set to take place at around 3PM. On it is a list of characters that are to make an appearance during the show: Scott, Stiles, Lydia, Allison, Isaac, and Human and Werewolf Derek. The pictures of all the cast members sit next to their respective characters.

Profiles:

Miles "Tails" Prower: A thirteen-year-old fox who's the co-owner of the M&M Legal Agency. He's currently studying to become a full-fledged detective through the Interpol training program and is about to take the final exam.

Salem: A twenty-three-year-old black cat who works with Interpol. He is Tails' designated overseer for the final exam and accompanied the teen to the Interpol test site. He often holds a cool yet approachable demeanor and is protective of Leon.

Leon: A nineteen-year-old albino lion who works with Interpol. He's afflicted with the rare genetic disorder Feralysis Syndrome and thus walks on all fours. He's carefree and somewhat irresponsible, much to the annoyance and concern of Salem.

Amy Rose: A seventeen-year-old hedgehog currently on summer vacation. She interns for the Mobius Times. She is attending the Teen Wolf convention as both a cosplay fan and an entertainment journalist.

Christopher "Chris" Thorndyke: A twenty-three-year-old man who passed all his Interpol classes with impressive results. Like Tails, he is at the convention to take his final exam. He is also a fan of Teen Wolf as shown by the Scott-imitation leather jacket he won in a raffle and proudly wears.


Chapter 7: Criminal Unconventionality Pt. 4

"So where should we start?" Chris asked. He and Tails just got permission from Leon to investigate the scene. While excited, he also seemed a bit overwhelmed at suddenly being given the entire place to search. "We got a lot of ground to cover."

"Maybe we can start with where the body was," Tails suggested after noticing it was the spot least populated by police. "They look mostly done there. Seems like a good place to start, too, since we don't have anything to work with.

"Still, I'm wondering how this'll play out," he continued as a thoughtful frown graced his face. "We might have free reign to search the scene, but Leon's still in charge. We can't look at everything or get test results without his consent. And it might be hard to convince the officers that we're helping them out."

"You got a point there. That's not mentioning this'll be our first real case. I mean, it'll be my first case," the young man quickly corrected. "You already worked on a few before."

"It's more I was forced into them because of circumstances; now I've got some training to work with. Believe me when I say this's different from working on instinct alone."

"Yet instinct is one of the best weapons a detective has," Leon said as he planted himself before them. He gave them his trademark grin as the two stopped in their tracks. "Relying just on your training won't get you very far. Unlike in the courtroom, you can use your instincts and common-sense thinking to your advantage. That's one advantage we have over a court system that frowns upon lawyers using common sense in most instances.

"Just think of it like this," he continued after noticing Chris's confused look. "What Tails lacks in training he makes up for in field experience; what you lack in field experience you make up for in training. You're both opposite sides of the same coin! If anything, that makes you two the perfect partners for this."

"You really think so?" Tails asked.

"I wouldn't have said it if I weren't," the lion simply replied before making his way to the door where an officer was standing guard. He also said while walking away, "And don't worry about the guys here. I've already cleared you two with them. Explore to your heart's content and ask for any results you need or want done!"

"I think that clears us over not having Leon's consent," Chris said with a quizzical shrug. "Don't know why he thinks we'll be great partners, but whatever."

"Well, who're we to argue against our mentor," Tails sighed with an equally confused shrug. "Let's just help him get this investigation over with. I'm really curious as to what got Interpol's interest."

With nothing more than an agreeing nod, the young man followed the fox to where they found the victim. As Tails noted earlier, there was only a scant amount of officers in the area. The victim had already been taken to the hospital, so the only thing left was the white outline indicating where and how he was found. There were also a couple of loose items around the outline. One of the officers was taking pictures with his digital camera before putting down evidence markers and taking more shots.

"Is it okay if we have a look around?" Chris asked as the officer looked through his work.

"Would it stop you kids if I said no?" the officer bitterly countered. He did not bother looking at the two who were taken aback by the attitude. "You'd probably just whine to that feral Interpol agent and get my ass burned! Do what you want; just don't get in my way or do anything to compromise the scene."

"Thank you, sir," Tails professionally replied while shuffling a justly angered Chris to the outline. "We'll try not to bother you working."

"What took a chomp out of him this morning?" the young man scoffed just as the officer walked away. There was no sign the comment was heard, however; the officer simply continued with his work.

"Who knows," the fox said with a sigh. "He's either having a bad day or isn't happy with Interpol being here. Don't let it bother you. You'll occasionally run into people like him."

"Too bad they don't teach you how to deal with that in training. Anyway, what're you hoping to find?" Chris asked as he scanned the area.

"Whatever we end up discovering. At the least, we can try figuring out what the victim did before we found him. At best, we can learn if he suffered a medical condition or if someone caused it. The stuff around the victim should be a good place to start."

Since Tails already had gloves on, he knelt beside the outline and picked up one of the items. Chris had to spend a few seconds looking for some before being able to join in. By then, the fox had unfurled a crumpled piece of paper and was studying it.

"This's weird. Listen to what's on this, Chris. If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy? If our love's insanity, why are you my clarity? Sounds like the start to some kind of sad poem."

"It's the lyrics to a song," Chris answered as he read over Tails' shoulder. "I've heard it a couple of times on the radio but never caught the name. I think it's supposed to be about a couple in a failing relationship. I didn't pay much attention, though, since it's not my kind of music. You think it means something?"

"It could. I mean, whoever wrote this Note chose some pretty strong words. It shows that the victim was in a relationship worth its weight in trouble."

"Too bad it's typed, though," the young man said with a frown. "A handwriting analysis could've told us if the victim wrote it."

"I kinda doubt he did, Chris," Tails said as he moved aside to make it easier for the other to read. "It was crumpled when I took it. Why would he make this Note only to ball it up right after?"

"Maybe he had second thoughts after typing it. That's also possible. Still, I think it's safe to say we agree on this being a sign of relationship troubles."

The fox simply nodded before putting the Note back down. He then shifted his attention to the other piece of paper that happened to be lying right-side up. As such, he already knew it was a Picture of some kind before taking it. What he did not expect, however, was for there to be some writing on the back until Chris said something.

"'Love you always!'" Chris read thoughtfully as Tails concentrated on the picture which showed five people huddled together, their smiles bright and arms around each other's shoulders. One of them had Feralysis Syndrome and was seated in front of the group. "It's a simple but effective piece of writing. This had to have been given to him!"

"It better be with an inscription like that," Tails replied with a lighthearted scoff. "He'd have to be a real self-centered guy to make it out to himself!" He did not bother to turn over the Picture. Instead, he located where the victim was standing, up in the upper-left corner where he started the arm-over-shoulder chain. He was dressed in only swim shorts along with his friends, their smiles bright and playful. "I'm also thinking it was someone in this group who wrote it. This is where a handwriting analysis would come in handy."

"Who's in it with him, by the way? Does it look like any of them could potentially be his girlfriend?"

"No, and I'm sure you'll know why once you see this." The fox then handed the Picture to Chris with a knowing half-smile.

"How can-" Chris started before cutting himself off. It took him a second before saying, "Oh, this can't be from a girl if everyone in it's a guy. B-But what if there was a girl working the camera?" he quickly countered. "It's a fifty-fifty shot at best, you know?"

"Yeah, you're right. It's too soon to be making conclusions. Let's just keep this in mind and see if the officers can figure out who're in the Picture.

"Speaking of, we still haven't figured out who the victim is," Tails sighed. "I was kinda hoping the things around him would've told us. All we got was that he was having relationship troubles with possibly someone in that group."

"I think I can help you with that!" Leon's chipper tone suddenly cut in. The two turned their attention to the room entrance and saw the lion walking towards them with a manila folder in his mouth. Amazingly enough, he kept his speech from sounding slurred despite biting down on an object. "We just got the victim's medical report."

"His medical report?" Chris repeated as the fox took said document. "So he's still alive for now. How's his condition?"

"Critical, at best," the agent replied with a weary sigh. "Doctor's said he would've died if we hadn't found him and started first aid. Frankly, I'm surprised he survived the trip to the hospital!"

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know if you noticed while you were helping me, Chris; but the guy was barely breathing! The fact he's still alive at this moment is a miracle! Whatever poisoned him must've been extremely potent."

"Yeah, it says as much on Mr. Delgado's Medical Report," Tails confirmed. He had been reading through the document while the others were chatting.

"That's the victim's name?" Chris asked.

"His full name's Tyler Delgado. From what they were able to find on him, he's a twenty-four-year-old college student. They think he's majoring in acting since he has an ID card from a place known for its performing arts program. He has chronic asthma severe enough to require an inhaler but no other preexisting health problems. We don't have a toxicology report yet, but they found no reason to classify this as a poisoning. Whatever happened to him, it was strong enough to literally put him on the brink of death!

"But that has me thinking," the fox continued as he passed the file to Chris. "Leon, you just said that Mr. Delgado was poisoned. I'm pretty sure you said the same thing when we first found him. I've read the report, and whoever wrote it is concluding against it for now. Why'd you say it was a poisoning?"

"Because that report came from the local precinct," Leon explained, his voice hushed like he was doing something wrong. "That was with Interpol's okay, but I never gave them the thing I suspected to be poisoned."

"Are you saying you withheld evidence?"

"Only from police; Interpol knows, though," the lion said with an innocent smile.

"Is that even legal?" Chris asked.

"This is a joint investigation as far as everyone's concerned. As long as Leon makes a report to either his boss or the local precinct, he's covered," Tails explained. "I feel like this is a replay of that smuggling case last year, though."

"Don't worry, Tails; the weapon has nothing to do with that. It's honestly just a small common item. Besides, that case's almost closed. Just a few loose ends to tie up and it'll be as good as done."

"How small are we talking about?" the young man inquired. He still had Mr. Delgado's Medical Report and only just started to skim through it. "And how exactly did Mr. Delgado get poisoned?"

"Do you remember that Small Pin we found next to the victim?" Chris slowly nodded, clearly not understanding where this was going. "I didn't want to risk it being compromised by people trampling all over it, so I had you preserve it. I gave it to Interpol while the police were on their way, and they confirmed my suspicions. It was covered in poison that's strong enough to down someone with just a poke!"

"You're saying he was taken down by not even a drop of poison?" Tails asked. His tone was heavy in disbelief. "Does something that strong even exist?"

"Well, Interpol forensics stressed that the stuff was extremely potent. Apparently, it was dipped in mercury and then covered in a white powdery substance. Whatever that combination is, it was enough to take down a full-grown man with just one poke."

"And you made me touch it? I could've been the second victim!" Chris exclaimed. The officers looked at him suspiciously, almost as though they were waiting for a reason to kick him out. "I haven't even washed my hands yet!"

"They also noted that it's lost most of its potency," Leon calmly added. "They assume it's because of the two poisons mixing together. They're now working on separating the second chemical from the mercury but are having some trouble. Still, they stressed that it's no longer deadly."

"I'll still feel better once I've washed my hands," the young man said before shoving the file back to Tails. He then excused himself, presumably leaving for the bathroom.

"So how long would the mixture stay at full strength?" the fox inquired as he opened the report once more.

"They're still trying to figure it out. Once they do, we'll have an idea about when he was poisoned. I'm guessing that's why you asked?" Leon received a nod. "I promise you'll be the first to know once I get those results. We'll just have to work without it for now."

"At least we have a time of when we found him. Depending on how fast it works, when he was found could be important."

"Yeah, it's a start," the lion agreed. "They put that in Mr. Delgado's Medical Report; it's based on the call you made to police. The timestamp they have read 9:47 AM."

"Wow, one of the rare moments we're dealing with an exact time," Tails said with an amused smile. "Kind of ironic, though, that we stumbled onto this thirteen minutes before my finals started. And what about the Small Pin you found? Were you able to lift anything useful from it?"

"Nope. We were lucky to have enough of the poisons to examine; fingerprints and other kinds of DNA are out of the question. All we know is that it has signs of being broken on one end. It must've been a part of something, but there's no way to tell what that is. Unless there's a miracle and we can find the broken item, there's no way we'll figure out where the Small Pin came from.

"However, they did notice some fibers on it," Leon continued. "It looks like it came from Mr. Delgado's shirt. If that's so, then it means the victim was stabbed through his clothes! Considering that just being pricked was enough to knock him down, it could've acted as a sort of barrier against the potency."

"If that's true, then talk about being lucky! Speaking of the victim, do we know anything about him?" the fox asked as his gaze subconsciously moved towards the body outline.

"Not much apart from what's already in that medical report. If there's more about him to know, I'm sure we'll learn it during the investigation."

"I kinda expected that answer," Tails admitted with a shrug. "What about this room? Does he have any reason to be in here?"

"Not that we know of. Everything that was already in here isn't his nor did he touch anything," the lion explained as he used his head to gesture around the room. "Based on the Crime Scene Details everyone's scavenged together, he just randomly came into this room."

"Guess he just got lost then," the fox concluded with a shrug. He then said with a frown, "There's just one more thing that's bothering me, though. I can't shake the feeling that I've seen the victim before."

"Really? When?"

"That's the thing; I don't know. That can't be possible since I never saw him before until we burst in here."

"Might be a déjà vu moment," the lion suggested before letting loose a carefree grin. "Or maybe you knew each other in another life!"

"How realistic, Leon. Oh well, it's probably just some off feelings."

"Alright, I'm back!" Chris suddenly announced. Some of the officers looked at him as though he were crazy as he came back onto the crime scene. At least he got the message to not say anything else, but he was clearly embarrassed at the unwanted attention.

"You need to be more subtle with your entrances," the lion suggested, though his smile stayed playful. "You're going to be known as the annoying upstart if you keep that up."

"I'm not doing it on purpose," the young man mumbled. Most of the officers had gone back to their work, although some still kept a wary eye.

"How'd you get back so fast?" Tails asked as he quickly changed the subject. "I thought the restroom nearest here was close to the entrance."

"No, there's one just down the hall. It's close to where we were supposed to go for our final; we just never got that far to see it. At least it's easy to get to since it's not flooded with convention-goers."

"Is there a way out through there?"

"No, it leads to an assembly room," Leon explained as he stepped towards a relatively unoccupied area and took a seat. Tails and Chris had to follow along to stay within earshot. "There's no way out there."

"Doesn't it have windows, though?"

"There aren't any, Tails. It's just a room with a stage and rows of chairs that's kept cool with a state-of-the-art cooling system. For all intents and purposes, it's a dead-end. The only people in there are Interpol agents in charge of overseeing your finals."

"So the only way the suspect could've went was into the crowd of convention goers," Chris concluded while crossing his arms. "That means we have to find someone who was nearby before we found the victim."

"That's going to be really hard," Tails sighed as he made a mental note about the Crime Scene's Hallway. "We don't know how many people were around when we first announced an emergency. Lots of them could've already left; we'd be lucky if we could find someone to give us a good statement!"

"Not to mention it'll take a whole lot of time that neither Interpol nor the local police will be willing to commit," Leon added. "If you're thinking of going down that route, then you better have an idea of who we can drag in to question."

As much as the fox wanted to answer, he knew he did not have anyone in mind to ask for a statement. The main reason was because he literally knew nobody at this convention; those he knew were all a part of Interpol. Then there was the fact he did not make it a point to remember the people he passed by. Even with so many people near the crime scene, he had to admit that Leon was right about this going to be beyond difficult.

"There has to be someone we can ask!" the young man growled after noticing Tails' lack of a response. "What about that pink hedgehog? Wasn't she bugging you the whole time during and after you called police? I'm sure the hallway was crowded after Leon shouted for help, so she must've been nearby in order to be right in front of you!"

"…You're right, Chris!" Tails admitted, his eyes widening in realization. "She was bombarding me with questions until I shut the door on her. It'd have been impossible for her to make it through that thick crowd to me, so she must've been nearby when we first broke down the door!"

"Geez, of all the people to consider," Leon groaned. Their little exchange from earlier was still fresh on his mind. "I really don't feel like hearing from her right now. Then again, she really might be someone who was around before we found the victim…"

"And isn't it our duty to question all potential witnesses?" the young man gently prodded. He knew there was some animosity between Leon and Amy; he saw it himself earlier when they ran into each other. To have it last for a year over an article that showed little sympathy for Interpol secrecy, however, seemed overboard for the otherwise happy-go-lucky man. "You can't let personal feelings get in the way of your work."

"I know that; I'm just taking time to get over my dislike over the idea." He took a couple more seconds to himself before changing into his serious persona. "Go ahead and bring her in, Chris. Let's hear what she has to say."

"Got it!" Chris said in an upbeat tone as he made his way back into the hallway. "I just need to find her first, though."

"I doubt she'd be too far," Tails said, remembering clearly how he was bombarded with questions while the detectives were preserving the scene. He then mentally wondered, "If we're lucky, she'll think it'll be her chance at an exclusive story when we ask her questions. It'd be an easier time if she's more willing. Whether or not we can learn something new is another story, though."

"This better be worth the hassle we're putting ourselves through," Leon grumbled, his head low in a sulking manner. "I don't wanna be put in charge of redacting duty over what she writes again."

The fox could only shrug in sympathy. He knew this could potentially give the lion more work down the line, but it was a necessary evil. That and whatever animosity he still had left over towards Amy needed to be put aside if they wanted to figure out what happened. As much as he knew the agent's ability to be professional when it counted, he could not help but wonder if he would make an exception this time around.


New Evidence:

Note: It was found crumpled next to the victim. It reads, "If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy? If our love's insanity, why are you my clarity?" Chris confirmed it's lyrics to a song; it's also assumed to be a break-up note, though it's unknown if the victim made or received it.

Picture: It was found lying next to the victim. On it is a group of five guys happily huddled together for the shot. The victim is seen as the leftmost person. Inscribed on the back are the words, "Love you always!" It's assumed one of other four guys is the victim's boyfriend. One of the guys has Feralysis Syndrome.

Mr. Delgado's Medical Report: A report on the victim's current condition. He was first discovered at 9:47 AM, the time when Tails called police. Despite Leon's claims and the lack of a toxicology report, it mentions nothing about poison playing a part in this crime. He's currently under detox as per Leon's advice. He has asthma severe enough to require a mandatory inhaler.

Small Pin: A suspicious object Leon found by the victim when first discovering the scene. Only Tails, Chris, and Interpol know about it. It was covered with two poisons, mercury and an undetermined white powder. The combination can kill by just a pin prick, although the potency is extremely short-lived. It's theorized the victim's clothes kept him from getting a lethal dose. It's broken off from something, though it's impossible to tell from what.

Crime Scene Details: A combination of scattered facts on the victim's movements. No one saw the victim enter the room, and no reason has been found for him to be in it. Nothing in the room belonged to him nor did he touch anything.

Crime Scene's Hallway: There are two directions the criminal could run after leaving the crime scene. However, one leads down to a set of bathrooms and a conference room currently occupied by Interpol agents overseeing the finals. It is also a dead end with no way out of the building.

New Profiles:

Tyler Delgado: The victim of a poisoning. He's a twenty-four-year-old student enrolled in a college known for its performing arts program. He's currently in intensive care. He suffers from chronic asthma.

Updated Profiles:

Miles "Tails" Prower: A thirteen-year-old fox who's the co-owner of the M&M Legal Agency. He's currently studying to become a detective through the Interpol training program. He convinced Leon to let him help solve the case as part of his final. What he lacks in use of practical training he makes up for in field experience.

Christopher "Chris" Thorndyke: A twenty-three-year-old man who passed his Interpol classes with impressive results. Like Tails, he's at the convention to take the final. He convinced Leon to let him help solve the case as part of his final. What he lacks in field experience he makes up for in use of practical training.

Leon: A nineteen-year-old albino lion who works with Interpol. He's afflicted with the rare genetic disorder Feralysis Syndrome and walks on all fours. He's carefree and somewhat irresponsible, much to the annoyance and concern of Salem. He has taken charge of the investigation.


And that's pretty much it for this chapter. It's nothing more than the start of the case's investigation, bu I promise that it's a good lead-in to the cross-examination portion for the next chapter. Besides, I needed to introduce some evidence somehow; the Logic Chess technique can't be used for the entirety of this case. We need evidence in order to solve the case and figure out who poisoned the victim.

Anyway, that's all I really have to say at this point. I know this is a pretty lackluster author's note compared to others I've made, but my mind's not exactly in it at the moment. There's way too much work for me to be doing, both for my graduate classes and what I have to do at work. It's amazing how I'm able to squeeze in a bit of free time every now and then to type this up. That and I'm also at work on my break time posting this. That's a good enough reason to be on a slight rush mode, isn't it?

But yeah, I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter, and I'll see you all on the next update to this or any of my other stories on here! And please don't forget to leave a review before you leave. I like to see what you guys think of all the stories I post, and it helps me to see any kind of inconsistencies or mistakes that some of you might catch but I managed to miss. Thanks again!