After her talk with Dr. Dangerfield, Tifa found herself alone in her office, bored. Scott was deep in work, and Will had gone off with Logan to check on the guy Cloud had found. Tifa sat at her desk, played with a biro and finally decided to read the remaining files about the current case. However, she couldn't really concentrate on the case – until a detail sprang into her eye that she had overseen before. Quickly, Tifa jumped up, yelling:
"That's it!" Scott was startled and stared at her wide-eyed when she started to pace around in the room.
"Girl, what's the matter with you?" the officer asked astonished, but Tifa didn't seem to hear him.
"I can't believe no one noticed that!" The brunette exclaimed, and Scott rose from his chair.
"What? What did no one see?" he asked. Tifa grabbed the file she had been reading and threw it on Scotts desk.
"There!" She said, pointing to a line of the text. Scott read it, and his eyes went wide. "Dear God!" he yelped before he read the fact Tifa had discovered out loud.
"…as we found a note on the floor next to the victim, with the completely senseless sentence Strife won't find peace." Scott looked up, horror in his eyes.
"He's after Cloud!" he then said.
While Tifa and Scott made that horrible discovery, Cloud was driving home, unaware of the danger he was in. Cloud parked his car in the garage he owned, got out of it and walked up to his apartment. He opened the door, closed it behind himself and leaned against the wood, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, his gaze fell on the picture that stood on the small desk, next to the phone. It showed him and his murdered wife, Sarah. Cloud closed his eyes again as salty, hot tears welled up.
"Oh God, I miss you so much…" he whispered, fingering the wedding ring he wore around his neck on a thin silver chain, under his shirt so no one would see it. Finally, Cloud let go of the ring with a little sigh and walked into the kitchen. He opened the cupboard and pulled out a bottle of Ancient Age, a well-known and cheap bourbon. The blonde inspector opened the bottle and didn't bother to use a glass; he drank directly from it, the bourbon running down his throat and giving him a warm feeling in his belly. Suddenly a knock at the door interrupted his drinking, he frowned, quickly put the bottle back into the cupboard and walked out to see who was visiting him. When Cloud opened the door, he found himself looking at Tifa, who stood there panting and very pale. Cloud frowned and asked:
"What's up with you?"
"You're in danger." Tifa panted, and Cloud frowned.
"What do you mean, in danger?" Tifa quickly explained the fact she had discovered in the file, and when she was finished, Clouds face was even paler than hers. He leaned against the timber set, deep in thought.
"Thanks for warning me, Lockheart." The inspector finally said. "And…sorry about me being so harsh before. After all, you were just worried, and I snapped at you." Cloud looked down at the polished tips of his black shoes. "I can be a real asshole sometimes." He then admitted. Tifa smiled and patted his arm.
"Nevermind, Sir." Cloud gave her a weak smile and took a step aside.
"Want to come in for a second?" Tifa smiled, but declined.
"Sorry, I have to go home. Johnny is waiting for me."
"Your boyfriend, I guess." Cloud assumed, and Tifa nodded.
"Yup. He'll be surprised when I come home earlier today." Cloud gave her a little smile.
"See you tomorrow in the office, then." He said. Tifa nodded, shook her boss' hand and left while Cloud closed the door.
"Great." He thought to himself. "She has a boyfriend. Forget it, Cloud." Sighing, the inspector grabbed his car keys and decided to go for a drive, something that always relaxed him.
Tifa walked up the stairs that led to her apartment, playing with her keys in the process. She unlocked the door – and stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the weird moaning noise that came from the bedroom. Tifa walked over to the door and opened it. The sight that was offered to her almost made her heart stop. Johnny laid on the bed he usually shared with Tifa, completely naked. Lucy Higgins, the woman who was Tifas best friend, sat on his hips, riding him with passion.
"Oh God." Tifa whispered, her whole body starting to shake. "Oh God, dear God, no…" The apartment keys slipped out of her suddenly numb fingers and landed on the floor, the clattering noise tearing Johnny and Lucy out of their passion. Johnny looked over to the door, saw who stood there, and his eyes went wide.
"Tifa!" he exclaimed, and Lucy turned around to look at her, shock in her face. Tifa took a few steps back, tears streaming down her face.
"Tifa, I can explain that! It's not the way it looks!" Johnny babbled, but Tifa just shook her head, spun around on her heels and ran out of the apartment, crying.