Prologue

In our line of work, we put our lives on the line to get to the bottom of things. We often find ourselves in harms' way. That's just how the cookie crumbles in this town. Risk and reward. But willingly entrusting yourself - and your ears - to someone who could be your worst nightmare? It doesn't matter how pretty she looks or how smooth her voice is or how every little thing she does is meant to disarm you harder than the toughest soldiers in the Army. There's a word for that in my books, see?

Madness.

Sheer madness.

Perhaps this town has turned me mad after all. But madness is the only way things get done nowadays.

Knowing this, the new kid and I followed Fauna to the back of the cafe. Like a doctor, Fauna laid out her ear-cleaning instruments for us to see. They were her weapons to send me and the new kid to heaven - one way or another.

No refunds, of course.

And so, as Fauna chose her first victim, I volunteered. The new kid was surprised, but she didn't make a fuss. She understood what she had to do.

Isn't that right, new kid?

…

Kiara stood close to Ame and whispered, "Thanks for trusting me, senpai. I won't let you down."

"You'd better not." Ame smirked at Kiara, "You're the first person I've trusted this much aside from Ina!"

"Senpai…!" Kiara's bright pink eyes shone with glee.

"Is something wrong?" Fauna interjected, wondering what was taking so long, "The booth is ready for you, Miss Amelon."

"Apologies, ma'am." Ame promptly answered with a dapper smile, "Erika wanted to go first, you see."

"Oh, Miss Erika will have her turn too!" Fauna promised happily, "Please take a seat at the counter for now. I'll call you when it's your turn, okay?"

Kiara, disguised as the quiet 'Erika', nodded and excused herself with a servantile bow. Then, Ame disappeared into the booth and Fauna slid the curtain door closed behind them.

As soon as Kiara was alone, she dropped her 'Erika' act and wore a serious expression.

"I've got to hurry!" She whispered to herself.

With that, Kiara started walking briskly around the unattended cafe. She searched for clues that were hidden in plain sight first. The photographs hanging on the wall then caught her attention.

Kiara approached the photographs and started taking note of what she saw. In one photograph, she saw a scene where a younger Fauna posing together with a younger Gawr Gura. The two of them were smiling happily, showing off their high school diplomas during the Spring. It was the kind of photograph that starkly contrasted the vicious image that Gura had on the newspapers and on the radio and TV broadcasts.

I wonder how many people have seen this side of the Queenpin of the Shrimps of Ocean Street? Hmm… I wonder if the Shrimps know just how cute their boss is! Maybe she's trying to put on a tough image.

The Phoenix furrowed her brow, but she heard the ticking of the clock hanging on the walls. She also heard the soft whispers of Fauna to reassure Ame from the booth.

C'mon Kiara. Just take notes for now!

She quickly wrote down her thoughts and theories and moved on to the other photographs on the wall.

The next photo that caught her eye was a picture of Fauna entertaining Irys, the Nephilim Club's famous jazz singer. The photograph even bore Irys' autograph signature.

"HiRys! It's IRyS! Thanks for having me, Fauna! Ex-oh-ex-oh." Kiara read the handwritten message.

Hoh… I wonder why she writes her name as 'IRyS'. What if she's working with the Feds!? Are they trying to get Gura in a sting operation? Tax evasion charges? Hmm. That reminds me… tax season is coming up soon and I haven't done my taxes yet.

Kiara paused and forcefully broke her train of thought.

Ame-senpai's rubbing off on me, ahahahaha…

She shook her head and watched the photograph with a keener eye. That was when Kiara started seeing some more familiar faces.

Gura's in this photo too - together with Fauna, of course. They're at the same table as Irys… and is that Miss Hakos? The casino train operator?

Kiara squinted.

That is Miss Hakos! There's no mistaking that red hair. That pinstripe zoot suit of hers can't hide it. Hakos was in the Navy too! I won't forget the day she sold me a pack of cards for two dollars! TWO dollars! And a wedge of Government Cheddar! What a scam! And she called me a CHICKEN too!

The former Navy girl pouted at the grinning image of Baelz Hakos. Kiara clenched her fists, hoping that she wouldn't ever have to see Bae's face again.

After all, Kiara's fist and Bae's face had a lot of catching up to do.

All of a sudden, Kiara heard a loud noise coming from Ame's booth.

"Ahhhhhh~~! That's the spot!" Ame exclaimed.

"Ufufufu~ this isn't my first rodeo, Miss Amelon." Fauna cooed, "Just relax~! Mother Nature will take care of you! Now turn around. Time for your other ear."

What in the world is going on in there? Ame-senpai doesn't seem to be in pain, but… I don't want to know. I don't have a lot of time left.

Kiara finished off her notes about the photographs and quickened her pace around the cafe. She eventually found herself behind the cafe counter. There, she found two large hardbound books: the ledger of the Mother Nature Cafe and the guest list.

Bingo!

The plainclothes rookie detective brought out the two books and started thumbing through them. She went through the ledger first. It didn't take her long to notice some interesting patterns. Kiara tapped on those entries twice with her finger and took down notes.

Fauna's getting her fruits from the Lemon Shark Fruit Cannery. That's not surprising. But she gets her teas and herbs from Swingwell Trading and Freight Union on Industrial Way. That's Deadbeat territory! It's not just a one-time deal either!

That ledger left Kiara with more questions than answers - questions that she hoped that the guestbook would answer. Kiara returned the ledger to its place under the counter and she proceeded to flip through the pages.

There's a lot of people from Shrimp and Deadbeat territory coming here often. Don't they know they're having tea with their rivals here? This place could be the next Nephilim Club shooting… and it's so close to City PD!

While Kiara was thinking about City PD, she also started noticing familiar names among the Mother Nature Cafe's regular customers.

Chief Enma? Detective Ouro? Officer Oozora? And Doctor Ninomae!?

Kiara couldn't believe her eyes at first. However, the fancy cursive writing matched the writing she saw on the chalkboard when Ina gave her briefing.

There was even a sketch of a tiny octopus-like creature beside her signature. It even had a cute little speech bubble with a single word.

"Wah!" Kiara raised her brow, "Wah? What does this mean!?"

Before Kiara could read into the ledger entries any more, the bell at the front of the cafe rang and the front door swung open. Kiara instinctively ducked behind the counter and stuffed the ledger back to where she found it.

"Excuse me? Anyone home?" A full-bodied feminine voice reached Kiara's ears.

The new customer sauntered towards the counter while Kiara cowered in fear. She dared to scoot over to the corner of the counter. Then, she took a peek of the newcomer and gasped.

That's… Calliope Mori!

…

Queenpins

Chicken Scratch

…

To Be Continued