Chapter 2: Best Inspector EVER of all time
The next day Zenigata was sitting at his desk sulking over Lupin's escape, but one thought kept forcing it's way to the forefront of his thoughts.
Why had Carmen Sandiego, a thief just as notorious as Lupin for her ability to avoid capture, delayed her escape to help him. It just didn't make sense. Not that he wasn't great full, that would have been quit a fall. However he could have easily caught her, or was she that confident? But the underlying reason of WHY was what had him stumped.
"Inspector?" Came a timid voice from his office door. It was the same officer that brought him Lupin's challenge the other day.
"What is it?" He said a bit more gruffly then he intended. The kid was still new and he flinched a bit at the reply.
"This was found in the museum last night. In the ancient artifact section. No one can seem to figure it out, and since you were the only officer there last night... They wanted me to give it to you." The young man had his eyes on the floor as he spoke with arms out stretched.
Zenigata leaned over his desk to take the item.
"Thanks uh... what's your name?" He had seen the kid around but had never bothered to get his name before.
"Um, Jeremy Sir. Jeremy Warren."
"Thank you Warren, you can go now." And he shooed the young man away. He complied with a smile closing the door behind him as he did.
Zenigata looked at what he was handed. First it was the report of what was stolen and then something left by Carmen herself.
Oh right she had a similar tendency for leaving calling cards except... Carmen would always bait the cops on to another hist in the near future. Lupin would usually only send Zenigata a challenge to stop him. Carmen would steal first THEN challenge anyone smart enough to try and stop her next one.
He sat and looked over the clue Carmen left multiple times. He had his head propped up by his hand with his elbow on the desk. His vision started to blur as his eyes slipped closed. Then it hit him like a bolt out of the blue.
"That's it!" Once he figured it out he found it surprising that no one else had figured it out. Sure it took his nearly half asleep mind to figure it out and that's what made it so ingenious. He got up and grabbed his coat and hat dashing out of his office without a word to anyone, straight to the airport.
Some hours later Zenigata found himself in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. He looked around for a bit then much to his surprise he saw a familiar red coat and hat siting in an open air cafe with an ice tea on the table next to her and a book in hand as if she hadn't a care in the world.
"Carmen Sandiego." Zenigata growled stomping over to the woman. Hearing her name she closed her book and looked up at him.
"Well hello there Inspector. Taking a bit of time off after your latest run in with Lupin?" She knew just how to rub salt in the wound and it only made him angrier.
"NO!" He roared. "I'm here to stop YOU!" He pointed an accusing finger at her.
"You already succeeded in that Inspector." She lifted her right foot just enough to show off an ace bandage wrapped around her ankle. This motion drew his eyes to her ankle as intended and a small blush crept across his cheeks as he recalled how she received said injury. His blush made it clear to her he hadn't forgotten. And with that she crossed her legs showing off a lot more skin, witch only severed to darken the inspector's blush as his eyes had lingered a little too long. "Of course that clue was left before hand. However I am in no condition to carryout said theft now."
"You have plenty of henchmen that could." He wasn't sure why he gave her an option, maybe he actually wanted her to try.
"Now where would the fun be in that? There will be plenty of time. It's not going to fly away. However I am surprised it was you that figured it out first." She gave him a playful smirk.
"I'm not stupid!" He raised his voice again stepping closer to her his fingers ready to pull out his hand cuffs. Her smirk faded some not liking his return to shouting and so close to her.
"I never said, nor implied that you were Inspector." She remained calm. "However I would have thought you would be far more concerned with Lupin then little old me." Zenigata didn't know how to reply to that comment as by all accounts it should have been true. He took a deep breath and took a seat across the table the woman sat at. This drew a confused look from her. "What are you doing?" She raised a brow at him her one visible eye watching him suspiciously.
"I have a question to ask you." He started and Carmen put her book on the table and turned to face him more.
"Witch is?" There was a long pause before he spoke again as a soft breeze made it's way through the aria ruffling some coats and hair, even thought Zenigata and Carmen where the only 2 wearing long coats this time of year.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you help me? Ya know, off the ledge."
"Did you want me to let you fall?" Carmen answered his question with one of her own.
"No, or course not. I mean... how were you not already gone?"
"Did I run from you Inspector?" Again another question from the Lady in Red.
"No."
"And was there any security in the museum aside from yourself?"
"No."
"There's your answer."
"Wait." Zenigata had to think for a moment. "So you thought I couldn't catch you? So there was no need to run from me?" The older man seemed offended.
"No no, you misunderstand." Carmen began to clarify. "I knew you were more interested in stopping Lupin. So you would have no time for me." She smirked. "So why rush? And it was a good thing I didn't, hmmm?" Her smirk turned into a smile as she looked at him. But why had she bothered to correct him? Would it have made a difference if he thought she looked down on him? Zenigata looked down at the table mulling over her words. "Care fore a drink Inspector?"
"Huh? What?" He looked up at her, confusion and surprise etched on his fetchers.
"Drink, would you like one?"
"No, I know what you said. But why are you offering me a drink."
"Well you seem to be off the clock or you wouldn't be chatting with me like this. However if you prefer, I can just run off again." She shrugged, it made no difference to her. "I was just being civil." Zenigata frowned at her words.
"I bet." He grumbled, he was not going to fall for her tricks.
"Then I bid you good day." She stood and turned to walk away.
"Not so fast." The inspector quickly stood and pulled the cuffs from his pocket.
"Really?" Carmen looked back over her shoulder at him. Just then the Paris police showed up, someone else had figured out the clue and actually told the locale authorities, and now Carmen and Zenigata where surrounded.
"Sorry not today boys." And with that Carmen retrieved a device from her pocket a pushed a button. Before anyone could react the gentle breeze turned into a localized gale as a small red helicopter came seemingly from no where and hovered over head lowering a ladder to the lady in red. Taking a hold of the ladder she waved at the officers she left on the ground, being raised into the craft.
"Au revoir." She called in a delightful tone before getting into the pilot seat . The helicopter changed bringing in its propellers and turned into something more a kin to a jet and was gone.
Once Carmen was gone Zenigata got praised for having cornered her, never mind that she had in the end got a way. Tracking her down alone was a feat in of it's self. The inspector blushed and took the praise forgetting about the short and kinda strange talk he had with the thief.
Once he was back home he got similar praise.
"Still didn't catch her." One officer mumbled in the back of the room.
"A small price for her not getting what ever it was she was after right Zenigata?" Zenigata nodded in agreement, though he was not expecting either reaction.
The next few weeks were an odd few that's for sure.
Lupin was laying low trying to figure out what to do with his prize, wile Carmen Sandiego on the other hand was not. And even though it was not his primary job Zenigata was tasked with dealing with Carmen's thefts. Why him? Well when no one else wants the head ache of dealing with her, who else? No rest for Inspector Zenigata.
