Chapter One
In Which I Do Not Have A Hangover
Ahh, summer. The sweetest time of the year. That feeling you get when the final bell rings on the final day at the end of the final class. That, my friends, is the feeling of true freedom. You don't have to do anything for anyone if you don't feel like it. No more school, no more early mornings or study-induced insomnia. That feeling lasts about the two minutes it takes you to realize you need a summer job.
Allow me to introduce myself, I am Solei Watson, drum player for the band The Irregulars, college student (pre-med), and detective extraordinaire. Our bass player is Alexander Holmes, one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world. Lorelei Moriarty (lead singer), Kevin Lesrad (lead guitar), and James Mortimer (acoustic and electric guitar) round out the ranks of the Irregulars. It used to be just the four of us before Lorelei's uncle put out a hit on her to collect the inheritance and she was shot in the arm, and we had to recruit Kevin to play guitar.
Anyway, we're all pretty close, what with being in the same band and all, so Lorelei graciously allowed me to crash at her mansion this summer, coincidentally allowing me free room and board. I have the basement all to myself, which is depressingly bigger than my last apartment.
I was awakened at the ungodly hour of 11 a.m. by Alex Holmes pounding on the basement door.
"Wake up Watson!" He yelled through the door.
"No! Go away!"
"Solei Watson, I won't leave until you open the door."
I grumbled to myself and rolled out of bed to open the door.
"I've got a lead in that case." Holmes said. I pried open my eyes to look at him. Holmes didn't look like he'd gotten much sleep, since he was still wearing his clothes from the concert last night.
"What we? I don't remember anything about a case." Normally I would be interested, but right now that part of my brain was still asleep.
"Maybe that's because you were drunk." Holmes offered.
"I wasn't drunk." I protested.
"You were in exuberant high spirits. I'll meet you out front in ten minutes." And off he went.
Grumbling about life in general I changed into something less rumpled. Lei was probably still out cold upstairs, but the wonderful housekeeper Mildred had put on a pot of coffee. I poured myself a tankard and went outside to find Holmes sitting impatiently in the driveway. Not feeling the least bit sorry I climbed in the van.
"Now," I said after a few gulps of coffee cleared the fog from my brain. "What is this case you've been going on about?"
Holmes sighed and shook his head. "I can't believe you don't remember. If you hadn't been flirting with that singer from Stone Glory…"
I cut him off. "I was talking, not flirting. Why are you so grouchy? I just got up, what's your excuse."
"I didn't go to sleep." He sighed. "Sorry. It was that case from work, remember? The car theft ring?"
"Oh, yeah." Work was an internship Holmes had landed at Scotland Yard. The car theft ring was the case he'd been working on all summer. Technically, interns weren't supposed to do much outside of the station, but those same contacts that had helped him land the job in the first place also allowed him a bit more freedom.
"We think that the profits are funding a larger organization." Holmes explained as we sat in traffic. "Cars reported missing turn up in China, and cars stolen in China wind up here. A smaller group would just resell or chop up the cars for parts. We need to find the organization behind this before we arrest the car thieves."
"So?"
"So, we're going undercover."
"Thanks for telling me."
"You're welcome."
I thought about this for a minute. "Scotland Yard wouldn't let an intern, much less a college student go undercover, no matter how many connections he had. You're doing this on your own." I accused. He simply shrugged.
"It'll be easy."
"Until we get shot."
Holmes parked outside of Scotland Yard before responding. "If you don't want to go undercover I understand. But I need someone who knows the whole story, just in case… Just in case."
"Just in case they try and throw you in jail?" I offered.
Holmes ignored me. "I want you to see the case file."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Questions, comments, critisicms, complaints? Make your voice heard.
.•´¨`•»¦«•Kerowyn•»¦«•´¨`•.
In Which I Do Not Have A Hangover
Ahh, summer. The sweetest time of the year. That feeling you get when the final bell rings on the final day at the end of the final class. That, my friends, is the feeling of true freedom. You don't have to do anything for anyone if you don't feel like it. No more school, no more early mornings or study-induced insomnia. That feeling lasts about the two minutes it takes you to realize you need a summer job.
Allow me to introduce myself, I am Solei Watson, drum player for the band The Irregulars, college student (pre-med), and detective extraordinaire. Our bass player is Alexander Holmes, one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world. Lorelei Moriarty (lead singer), Kevin Lesrad (lead guitar), and James Mortimer (acoustic and electric guitar) round out the ranks of the Irregulars. It used to be just the four of us before Lorelei's uncle put out a hit on her to collect the inheritance and she was shot in the arm, and we had to recruit Kevin to play guitar.
Anyway, we're all pretty close, what with being in the same band and all, so Lorelei graciously allowed me to crash at her mansion this summer, coincidentally allowing me free room and board. I have the basement all to myself, which is depressingly bigger than my last apartment.
I was awakened at the ungodly hour of 11 a.m. by Alex Holmes pounding on the basement door.
"Wake up Watson!" He yelled through the door.
"No! Go away!"
"Solei Watson, I won't leave until you open the door."
I grumbled to myself and rolled out of bed to open the door.
"I've got a lead in that case." Holmes said. I pried open my eyes to look at him. Holmes didn't look like he'd gotten much sleep, since he was still wearing his clothes from the concert last night.
"What we? I don't remember anything about a case." Normally I would be interested, but right now that part of my brain was still asleep.
"Maybe that's because you were drunk." Holmes offered.
"I wasn't drunk." I protested.
"You were in exuberant high spirits. I'll meet you out front in ten minutes." And off he went.
Grumbling about life in general I changed into something less rumpled. Lei was probably still out cold upstairs, but the wonderful housekeeper Mildred had put on a pot of coffee. I poured myself a tankard and went outside to find Holmes sitting impatiently in the driveway. Not feeling the least bit sorry I climbed in the van.
"Now," I said after a few gulps of coffee cleared the fog from my brain. "What is this case you've been going on about?"
Holmes sighed and shook his head. "I can't believe you don't remember. If you hadn't been flirting with that singer from Stone Glory…"
I cut him off. "I was talking, not flirting. Why are you so grouchy? I just got up, what's your excuse."
"I didn't go to sleep." He sighed. "Sorry. It was that case from work, remember? The car theft ring?"
"Oh, yeah." Work was an internship Holmes had landed at Scotland Yard. The car theft ring was the case he'd been working on all summer. Technically, interns weren't supposed to do much outside of the station, but those same contacts that had helped him land the job in the first place also allowed him a bit more freedom.
"We think that the profits are funding a larger organization." Holmes explained as we sat in traffic. "Cars reported missing turn up in China, and cars stolen in China wind up here. A smaller group would just resell or chop up the cars for parts. We need to find the organization behind this before we arrest the car thieves."
"So?"
"So, we're going undercover."
"Thanks for telling me."
"You're welcome."
I thought about this for a minute. "Scotland Yard wouldn't let an intern, much less a college student go undercover, no matter how many connections he had. You're doing this on your own." I accused. He simply shrugged.
"It'll be easy."
"Until we get shot."
Holmes parked outside of Scotland Yard before responding. "If you don't want to go undercover I understand. But I need someone who knows the whole story, just in case… Just in case."
"Just in case they try and throw you in jail?" I offered.
Holmes ignored me. "I want you to see the case file."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Questions, comments, critisicms, complaints? Make your voice heard.
.•´¨`•»¦«•Kerowyn•»¦«•´¨`•.