Valkyrie laid in bed right next to Chase, however comparison to other night sleeping in the bed under same roof, both agreed to sleep on opposite sides of the bed, Valkyrie once on the left side, closer to the wall, now sleeping on the right. In direct view of the room's door. The Saluki stared down the wooden door as if it was going to move at any second like a monster waiting in the closet.
However, the inanimate door wasn't what was keep her on the edge of her seat, it was indeed a monster in her own eyes, very much and fully expecting Elena to burst in through the door and make quick work of Elena and possibly Chase and then dump their bodies in a ditch.
One at a time her mind played out crazy scenarios of the Black German Shepherd making entry in some ludicrous way, weirdly fantasizing it all in her head as even though her mind was ready, her body wasn't. Valkyrie looked at the nightstand at what on her side to see it was just a few minutes after 10, Also not helping that she was in bed and mattress and pillow spoke volume to her.
Valkyrie's eyes began to weaken as one began to shut, losing half the battle in her will to stay awake. Pressing hard until finally giving in and shutting both her eye lids and letting out a yawn for the ages to see. Suddenly, hearing silent rapid tapping. Her eyes shot open, and she lifted herself out from bed and onto the floor, taking a fight position toward the door with a mighty growl to protect herself and Chase only to see…. nothing.
However the rapid tapping would continue as if Valkyrie's reaction wasn't enough to scare off whoever was making that sound, but in this case, it was whatever. "Val calm down, it's just the rain" Chase groaned, half-awake as Valkyrie looked behind her to see outside the window, Chase was right, slowly drizzling outside and surely to turn into a heavy rain cast.
"Oh, Sorry Sweetie" Valkyrie chuckled and tried to play off as she hoped back into bed with the German Shepherd. Tucking herself back in before looking back at the door to see a surprising sight, the hallway light was on, its illumination shined through underneath the small gap of the door.
Valkyrie's ears perked up as she turned her head back to Chase and looked back at the door. "I'll be right back, feeling a bit thirsty" Valkyrie whispered hoping right back out of the comfort of the bed. "Alright" Chase faintly muttered as he groaned his way back to dreamland.
The Saluki paced her way slowly toward the door, reaching the gateway as she peeked her eye through the keyhole of the lock to see on the other side, just to make sure no one was going to be watching her as she would go downstairs not to get a drink and head safely back to bed, but instead put an end to the question that has been boggling her mind ever since she was tested on it. Simple what was down in the basement.
Valkyrie grasped the door noble and twisted it ever so quietly and slowly as if the slightest noise would alert the whole county. The door itself let out a slow creaking sound as Valkyrie shortly eyed Elena's door which was just a few feet away from Valkyrie and Chases'.
Seeing no such activity, Valkyrie treaded on with her final investigation down to the stairs and into the Basement, The Heavy Rain's intensity grew as loud cracks of thunder roared outside, bright sudden flashes of lighting from outside window came with a nanosecond each moment as Valkyrie tip toed her way down the stairs, looking around the corner from the stairs to the ground level to still see nothing and no one in her way or question her.
"Alright, Just a small look then I'm out and back upstairs, she'll never know" Valkyrie silently stated to herself and herself only, de-escalating down to the bottom floor of the Homestead and finally walking herself over to the doorframe of the basement.
As always, the door itself was open, just like it had always been ever since she noticed it from the start. "Time to see what you're hiding" Valkyrie said, as she placed her front paw on the first step of the stairway, small creaks but nothing that would indefinitely give away the Saluki.
Valkyrie stepped down, one after another down to the lowest level of the House, It was dark, there was no debate about the lack of light in Valkyrie's mind, but Valkyrie didn't need much light see there was surprisingly not much down here except for some large beige boxers and large sacks of whatever sitting in the corner, with an orderly pile of sharp gardening tools hung up against the wall.
"Hmmm….Nothing really screams murderer here, But I bet there's something in these boxes" Valkyrie stated before stepping forward and immediately slipping and falling to the dirty floor, slamming her canine body hard against it in the as of result, Valkyrie looked over to see a cylindrical object rolling away from her, must have been the thing she tripped on.
She reached out for the object, feeling the items for a second to figure out what it was. "Heck yeah" Valkyrie exclaimed as she fidgeted with the object so more before a beam of light came shooting out of it. A Flashlight being useful as Valkyrie continued to investigate the boxes some more.
Grabbing one of the boxes she decided to randomly pick and weigh it down on the floor, placing the flashlight one of her paws as she used to the other fully opened the box reveal…nothing. Well, nothing that would point to Elena being a killer as the Saluki's suspicion surely, really the box was filled with one would call just 'memories.
Photos framed and non-framed, Small 1st place ribbons and medals as well that seemed to be tokens of winnings from Elena's childhood. If she wasn't guilty of murder, she was certainly guilty of being a good sports participant.
"Just stuff, stuff, stuff and more stuff" Valkyrie frustratingly said as she dug through the box, gently pushing away each trophy and picture until concluding that there was nothing really in there.
"Alright, Next box" She said confidently as she did the same thing with the next box, instead hovering the flashlight right over the top of box just to see some of the same, childhood relics and trophies. Valkyrie continued to illuminate the inside of the box until noticing a small photo stuffed underneath the box.
Peaking Valkyrie's interest as she reached around under the box to retrieve photographic slip, shining the flashlight on it to see it was a family photo of Elena as a pup and her parents. In the photo, Elena sat in front, her chin up high as a show of class, but something was off about the Black pup in the picture, she wasn't smiling. Pups loves to smile and be happy, in the photo she looked so serious, it's not like smiling wasn't allowed, it was a family photo to keep and enjoy, not a passport photo.
The Background of the photo was definitely a sight to notice, At the very top of a Private Penthouse lounge with the family standing right in front of a large window that overlooked a large city with a beach site visible on the ground in the distance. Not that uncommon for families to green screen themselves in a luxurious setting for the sake giving off the appearance of fancy living, but it was real.
Elena's Father stood on the left, Another Black German Shepherd, A Bowtie around her neck with his fur neatly combed and groomed to perfection, Elena must have enjoyed the childhood of wealthy family indeed. However, the wholesome vibe of family enjoyment came to abrupt stop as Valkyrie looked at another canine in the photo, standing next to Elena's Father and over Elena herself. It must have been the mother of Elena, difficult to make out as the picture of Elena's mother was scratched out with a sharp item.
The scratches were very much intentional as whoever scratch out the mother of Elena's face clearly meant it with anger and frustration just by looking and observing. "Yeesh, Mommy Issues much" Valkyrie stated at the sheer violence done to the picture as she tossed it away from her, letting it slowly float to the floor as of result.
Getting back to her previous routine of sorting through boxes, finding a big binder along side the usual stuff, just like the family photo Valkyrie found seconds before, the collection of photos would be something to investigate. Aiming the flashlight directly onto the cover of the binder, Valkyrie used her paw to brush the mass amounts of dust that covered the front, revealing an identification number.
'Class 103'
Valkyrie's head twisted at the sight, seeing something very familiar that those line of numbers. Opening the binder to see a bunch of dusty photos, not of Elena's middle school, but instead of her in the Police Academy, group photos with other Cadets in her Academy Class included a family male German Shepherd, Chase.
The Policing Paw Patrol Participant was seen multiple times in photos, whether in the background of a photo that Elena was supposed to be the subject in, eating right next to Elena in a mess hall or even Elena and Chase sleeping in the same dorm. With the photo showing Elena making a goofy face at the top of a bunker bed with Chase smiling whilst sitting on the edge of the bottom bed.
"What are you doing down here?" The Voice that struck Valkyrie like a whip across her back, The Saluki already know who it was aimed her flashlight back right behind just to look her in the eye, she was caught, there was no way she could worm her way out of it.
"Elena, I promise you, This isn't what it looks like" Valkyrie claimed, I don't know what she think it could have been, but Elena definitely wasn't having any of it. "Really, because it certainly looks like you purposely came down here after tell you to stay out of the Basement just to find you snooping through my stuff like a raccoon" She replied.
"Yeah, this isn't a good look for me"
"You think huh, what in the world did you think you were going to find down here?" Elena almost yelled in frustration as she walked closer to Saluki, making Valkyrie back up further behind as she slowly sunk back into a wall.
"J-Just stuff"
"Normal people don't go searching like this, answer me, what on earth did you think you were going to find down here?" Elena pressed, if there was ever a definition of Anger ever in history, it would have a picture of Elena in that moment.
"Because I thought you were a killer and I was looking for evidence!" Valkyrie shouted shielding eyes away from Elena, even in her own mind not sure why she did, was it a few of being straight up in the face or straight up embarrassment. Well after saying such a reason, Valkyrie got her answer. Elena's lips held tight before bursting open in a fit of laughter.
Elena fell back onto the floor and rolled all over as if she had just heard the funniest joke ever in her entire existence. Valkyrie looked as the German Shepherd that had a furious attitude just seconds before, was now as cheery as Jolly Old Saint Nick himself.
If it wasn't for the Heavy Rain and Thunder outside, She would have woken up the entire house with her laughter, slowly calming her laughter down as she pushed herself up from the floor to look back at Valkyrie. "Oh man, I haven't heard a joke like that in forever, but seriously thought why you are down here?" Elena asked once more, not angry as before as that 'joke' better her in a better mood than before.
"Well I-I just you know…. thought you were really a murderer" Valkyrie replied again with the same answer, but less confident as her whole argument of Elena's Guilt was slowly crashing down in her mind. "Alright Val, its joke has passed, it was way funnier the first time, where you looking for extra blankets or something?
"I'm serious, I genuinely thought that like…. you killed people" Valkyrie stated rubbing the back of her neck as there was nothing much to say to defend herself because the fact that Elena didn't even take her seriously not once, not even twice when she confessed, it was no use.
"That-That's, I mean just…Wow, What the Heck, Why would you ever think of me like that?!" Elena's joyful mood being over, time for frustration and confusion to come in a take its place. "Well there was that arm thing a few days ago, I saw a literal arm in one of your dirt piles in the backyard when you were digging, Explain that" Valkyrie said.
"Oh yeah that, I put fake arms in my dirt piles just to scare my neighbours, I know its pretty rude to scare them like that, but I think they like, I haven't gotten any complaints from them about it actually" Elena replied, surely explaining the realistic arms in her backyard
"Okay fine, Well what about when you were at that booth and asked for Pesticide that gets rid of blood, What about that?"
"I work with the Crime Scene Division in the Sheriff Department, I'm pretty much always getting drops of blood on my uniform and my fur, that stuff is hard to get out you know, I don't wanna look like a weirdo walking into the dry cleaners with a blood uniform, so I'd rather look like a clean weirdo with a bit of funky smell, Although I do have to take longer showers so I don't smell like a total dump"
"Really, you smell alright to me" Valkyrie stated, never noticing any smell problem with the German Shepherd until she stuck her paw out. "Smell that" Elena sternly said as the Saluki went in for a sniff, and immediately regretted it.
"Geez, Alright Alright fine, I believe you" Valkyrie covered her nose that awful smell that came only from directly smelling into Elena's paw, not from a moderate distance.
Okay fine, I'll admit it, I was super wrong, You're just a bit weird"
"I don't know if I'm supposed to feel offended or happy at that, but I'll take it" Elena replied with a smile as both of them saw eye to eye in a friendly way ever since they met. "Hey, one more thing though" Valkyrie suddenly and politely asked for a final question to be answered.
"Sure, whats up?" Elena replied in a very chill tone
"Why did you not want me in the Basement?"
"Oh, that's because the lock on the basement door is broken, once you shut it, it's really hard to open it back that's why I keep it open at all- "Suddenly, A Loud Slam was heard, very much like a door closing shut. Elena threw her view back behind her to view the shut door, now realizing, a broken door too, the only light being available was the flashlight Valkyrie had in her possession.
"W-Was that the door you were talking about?" Valkyrie stuttered, hopefully wishing it was some other door Elena mention that would trap anyone if they just so happened to be inside.
"Yeah, Yeah it was"