Law & Order: Leanbox

The Lynx

by Derald Snyder

Part 4- Investigation

*Back at police headquarters...*

"Ma'am- Ma'am I'm not the one that arrested your son! I just want to-" Bennie heard a click, then a dial tone. "Well, so much for that one."

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," Eddie groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Wish we could switch places, but you don't know how to work a computer..."

"Yeah, a non-computer savvy guy in Gamindustri. Go figure, right?" Bennie quipped. "OK, next guy is... Kyle Daidouji." Eddie entered the name into the database search, pulling up his profile and looking through his family and contacts.

"Hey, wait a minute," The blond man said after a few minutes of searching. "Says here his chemistry professor was one Dr. Alisa C. Pear... and she's got a rap sheet herself."

"What, using love potions to seduce her students?" Bennie snarked.

"Reckless endangerment, property damage, and disturbing the peace," Eddie read off. "She was given probation... apparently spent some time in the hospital."

"Sounds like one of her experiments blew up in her face," Bennie pondered. "Well, we might as well pay her a visit... give us an excuse to get away from our desks, if nothing else... and your eyes away from that screen."

"Sounds good to me," Green nodded as he shut down the program and stood up...

APARTMENT OF

ALISA C. PEAR

SEPTEMBER 17, 4:14 PM

"Y'know, it's funny how we're investigating a theft, even though we're homicide," Eddie couldn't help but observe as they walked up the stairs. "I mean, sure, it's not any run-of-the-mill theft we're talking about here, but..."

"Well, hey, that's what happens when the murder rate's down," Bennie shrugged as they reached their destination, knocking on the knob-less metal door.

"Whaddaya want?!" a raspy female voice yelled from the other side.

"Dr. Alisa Pear?" Bennie inquired.

"...Who wants to know?"

"Leanbox City Police. We wanna ask you some questions, Doctor..."

"...All right, all right, just give me a minute." Almost exactly one minute later, the door slid open, revealing a woman with white hair and dark skin sitting in a hover-chair which obscured her legs. A large bulky visor covered about half her face, the other half turned downward in a perpetual scowl.

"Uh..." Eddie took a step back in shock.

"Not what you were expectin'?" the old woman growled. "Go ahead, laugh. Laugh at the old cripple!"

"You'll have to excuse my partner, he's still a bit of a rookie," Crisco cut in, trying to defuse the situation. "We wanted to ask you about your former student, Kyle Daidouji..."

"Daidouji?" Alisa looked over at Bennie, nonplussed. "What, he get in trouble or somethin'?"

"He's sitting in jail for illegal cloning," the old man explained. "And one of those clones is running around loose..."

"What, and you think this clone's bunking with me? Ha!" Dr. Pear scoffed. "As you clearly see, I have enough trouble just takin' care of myself..."

"Mind if we search your apartment, Dr. Pear?" Eddie asked.

"Search away!" Alisa waved dramatically. "Ain't no one in this small space but yours truly!" The two detectives promptly entered and looked around...

"Ow!" Eddie grunted as he collided with an apparatus. "What's this for?"

"To help me get my clothes on!" Alisa answered. "In case you haven't noticed, I've only got two limbs to work with here!"

"...Well, looks like you're right, Doctor," Bennie conceded as he finished his search. "Doesn't look like anyone else's been here recently."

"Told you so," the cripple sniffed. "But why would you think this clone was with me anyway?"

"We were looking into your student's associates, and you just happened to have a rap sheet," Bennie explained.

"Reckless endangerment, property damage, disturbing the peace," Eddie recalled the charges. "Sound familiar?"

"Wish I could forget," Dr. Pear shook her head. "That accident cost me dearly, as you can see... completely paralyzed from the waist down, and my lab completely destroyed... Only reason I got off with probation was because of this," she gestured to her hover-chair. "And before you ask about this," she tapped her visor, "this is due to old-fashioned macular degeneration. Bulky thing was the only thing I could afford, and even with it, I can only make out basic shapes..."

Just then, Eddie's phone rang. "Excuse me, I gotta take this," the detective said, stepping outside.

"So, you didn't know anything about what your old student was up to?" Bennie pressed.

"...Well, he called me a while back, saying he was working on something big..." Alisa admitted. "But I'm tellin' you right now, I had nothing to do with that cloning experiment."

"What about any other experiments?" the elder detective asked.

"Wasn't involved in the conduction of any other experiments either," the old woman shook her head. "Why you so interested in findin' this clone, anyway?"

"You hear about that rash of high-profile thefts recently?" Bennie asked. "The Lynx?"

"The Lynx?! You mean that thief is..." Alisa took a deep breath. "Wow, that's a surprise... I can safely say I had no clue about that."

"Hey, we gotta go," Eddie said to his partner as he walked back in. "Dead body, a few blocks from here."

"Figures. So much for the murder rate being down," Bennie snarked. "Well, thanks anyway, Doctor..." The two waved good-bye as they quickly exited.

Once they were gone, Alisa bit her lip, before allowing herself a slight smile. "...Doctor. Been a while since anyone actually called me that..."

*A short time later...*

Bennie and Eddie pulled up in their unmarked police cruiser, getting out and ducking under the crime scene tape as they walked into an alley. "Whadda we got?" Bennie inquired.

"Male, late 30's or early 40's," the medical examiner called out. "As you can see, cause of death was immolation, but there's also evidence of several bruises..."

Eddie tried to keep his stomach from churning as he looked upon the badly burned corpse. "Someone use a flamethrower on him?"

"Makeshift flamethrower, maybe," the ME answered, pointing to two nearby marked objects on the ground. "A can of hairspray and a lighter."

"Perp was likely a woman, then," Bennie deduced as he looked over the the evidence. "Beautiful Hold- that's not cheap stuff. My ex-wife can attest to that."

"Any idea who he is?" Eddie asked, trying to keep his focus away from the victim.

"Any ID he had likely burned up with him. Have to get him to autopsy to run dental records," the NPC replied.

"Detectives!" An officer ran up holding something. "Found this buried in the trash nearby. Didn't smell right, so I did some digging..."

"Some sort of electronic device?" Eddie mused as he examined the burnt metal. "Hey, I think there's lettering on the back... hard to make out, though."

"Get this to Forensics and have it checked out," Bennie ordered the officer.

"Detectives! Over here!" another NPC officer called. Green and Crisco walked over to a nearby wall, where several cat-like paw-prints were visible. "Look familiar?"

"The Lynx," Eddie deduced. "Does this means she's gone from a thief to a full-blown murderer?"

"I did no such thing!" a female voice cried out from high up. Several guns swiftly cleared leather, pointing up towards the roof of the building... sure enough, there was a lithe female figure standing there, who jumped and turned a few flips, before landing in a kneeling position, then standing straight. She was dressed in a form fitting black outfit, with paw-prints on the palms of her hands. Her short, heather blue hair and matching eyes were fully exposed, and a horn protrusion was visible on the left side of her head.

"Well, speak of the devil," Bennie muttered as holstered his revolver, gesturing to the other officers to hold their fire. "What happened to evading capture, Miss Lynx?"

"Because I don't want you incompetent LEOs to get the wrong idea," The Lynx retorted. "I'm a witness to this crime, not the killer." She looked over at Eddie Green. "How's your groin, Detective?"

"Well, I'm not peeing any blood, so I guess it's fine," the blond man snarked. "You got any way to prove you're not the killer?"

"All I have is my firsthand testimony," The Lynx admitted. "But, as a sign of good faith," she put out her hands, "I will surrender myself without a fight."

"Well, that's awful nice of you. Turn around," Bennie ordered as he pulled out the handcuffs. "You got a proper name, or just a clone number?"

"So you know I'm a clone? I may have to take back that 'incompetent' remark," The Lynx observed as she was cuffed. "Call me Tenten, Tenten Ryghts."

"OK, Tenten Ryghts," Bennie said, "You're under arrest for grand theft and larceny, for starters. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?"

"Crystal clear," Tenten agreed as she was escorted to the police car...

*To be continued...*