Chapter 2: Back in the Saddle

Mondays. Bane of both adults and children alike. That was, unless you were someone like Elsa. This wasn't to say that she lived for her job. She just found it a whole lot simpler than her personal life. People were complex, secretive, and almost impossible to discern. Their deeds were a lot easier to understand. The evidence never lied. Almost anyone could hide who they were, but almost nobody could hide what they had done.

With that, Elsa had figured out a tentative way to discern her assistant's true intentions. If he had truly intended to see the artefact he had talked about up close, then surely he was quite knowledgeable about it. If not, then it was almost certain that he had other intentions. But what exactly? Was he simply concerned for Elsa' wellbeing? Or something else. Blast all of these divergents. Way too many divergents. It would never occur to her to simply ask him what he meant by it. No, far too easy to twist the truth.

Elsa stopped just short of the door. Eight Forty-Five. Deep breath. Nothing to get worked up over. He would come around eventually, scarf or no scarf. She patted her coat furiously. She had forgotten. How could she have forgotten? Now she was the queen of isolation and otherthinking. She needed some work, fast. She put her key into the lock, and- nothing. It wouldn't budge. Was the door really this dated? Or had someone-

"Oh, hey there, boss." Adam opened the door with Elsa's key still inside. "Thought I would come in early today. Didn't mean to scare you or anything." Elsa found him surprisingly chipper. Of course. She was still beside herself with worry and he'd probably forgotten about the whole thing come Saturday. Typical.

"That's fine. You had a good weekend?" Elsa asked. She just had to know for sure.

Adam shook his head. "Never mind that." Oh gods, here it came. "You're not going to believe this. We got another client already." He was right. That was hard to believe. Even Adam had accepted that they were a last resort in all but the name. "That's not all, either. This request is from the Bellisi Museum of arts."

The gears whirred in her head. Bellisi Museum of Arts, the name was familiar. Of course, the exhibition for that Tear. "So, what was the request for?"

Adam sighed. What was his deal today? "You been living under a rock? Here." Another copy of today's paper, only this time on the front page.

Elsa had to rub her eyes. "What? Stolen? How could that possibly be? Arendelle Port City is supposed to be the most secure city in the world." Heist or no heist, even Elsa somehow doubted this.

"Yeah, try telling that to guy who made off with the Tear. Personally, I think it was Phantom Red that did it."

She looked up from the paper. "Really? And who or what exactly is this Phantom Red? The whole thing sounds like sensationalist nonsense."

He seemed to get defensive all of a sudden. "Hey, no need to take it out on me. It's just, I looked into it a bit before you got here. Apparently, this isn't the first time this has happened. One by one, all of the treasures of Albernon have vanished from their rightful owners. All perfect crimes. The first one, the Crest of Falling Sun was taken from a collector in London, and left a calling card that depicted a spectre, cloaked in red. So everyone's taken to calling the thief Phantom Red."

Elsa rubbed her temple. Perfect crimes. Why did that give her a feeling of dread? "But it's all speculation, correct? There's no decisive proof that these are the work of a single person, especially considering there's no proof to begin with."

"Here's what I've found out." he motioned to his computer, where he had several pages of news, blogs and even a fan page for Phantom Red. "There are too many parallels with each of the known thefts. Each time, all of the guards fall unconscious at the same time, and any electronic security either fails to notice anything or blacks out as well. This has happened all over the world, far too many times to be an inside job." He minimized the page. "Look, the curator can probably explain this better than I can. You should head over right away. And before you ask; yes he insists on seeing you in person. He's offered to pay you just for your time."

"I doubt there is much I can do the police have not done already, but I see no harm in humouring him. Just keep things in order here, I will likely be out until the afternoon at least."

She re-adjusted her coat. At least hearing about this now saved her the bother of unpacking for work.

"Will do. I'll see if I can't find anything else about this Phantom Red."

Elsa sighed. Did he really expect to dredge up anything useful that he hadn't already. "Good luck finding anything that isn't steeped in conjecture, or just flat out fabricated."

"Hey, I like to think I've learned a thing or two in my time here. Like not to believe everything I hear." He laughed softly. While technically true, that was basic sleuthing knowledge. Anyone could be a skeptic. It took an expert to see the truth from the lies. Even Elsa doubted herself sometimes.

Time to go. The museum was too far to walk, but the city monorail would take Elsa close enough. It would even give her a glimpse of the morning cityscape.

"Wake up, Red!" Bang, bang, bang.

She rolled over in bed. "Whu- jus fuh, just five more minutes, please."

"I said, wake up!" It was even louder this time. That did it. There were a number of things Red could take. Losing her beauty sleep was not one of them. She had repeatedly said that losing her beauty sleep was not one of them. "I swear, if you don't-"

The door flew open, smashing into the wall. "What?" Rex was the one who stood on the other side, now uncertain whether he had awoken an accomplice or some kind of monster. Red's hair looked more like a bird's nest, and what little of her eyes were open were glaring holes into him.

"You know perfectly well what, princess. The- wait, what have you done with this place?" Rex looked in the modest room which looked absolutely nothing like it had not three days ago. It was meant to be a room for sleeping and little else, but clearly Red was having none of it. The floor was covered in shopping bags, the bed's garish green blanket had been replaced with a full duvet covered in a vibrant pink, and the metal desk now had several glass fragrance bottles and had a round mirror adorning the wall.

"You didn't really expect me to spend all of the last two days stuck in here, did you? There's this huge department store down the road, just begging for me to go there. Don't worry, I didn't take anything. This time. And I used cash as well. No one's going to come knocking our door down because some tourist had a little splurge."

Rex looked at all the recent additions. Red certainly didn't do things small. "You really should have asked first."

They stared at each other. Like that would have gotten her anywhere. "Pfft, yeah I thought I'd just save us both some time and go out anyway. You know, keep my skills in top shape."

Rex opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Red's look just told him that anything he said was sure to fall on deaf ears. "At least tell me you got something to wear while you were sneaking out."

"It's like you don't know me at all." Red rummaged through a few of the bags on the floor until she found it. "Ta-da!" It was a full length dress that just about covered the shoulders, and had a bright green colour with flowers all over. "They were having this sale so I asked the man what kind of thing would suit me and he said he had-"

He held up a hand, cutting her short. "I don't need to whole story, Red. You just need something to wear when the boss shows up, remember?"

Red stared at the floor. "The boss, the boss. Wait, you mean the boss boss?"

"Yes!" He needed a moment to calm down. He very rarely got through a conversation with Red without this happening at some point. "He wants to speak to you at six. So be ready by then. And please, try not to run off before then, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Can I go back to bed now?" Rex groaned and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Red took that as a yes, and dropped back off not minutes later.

The museum of Bellisi arts. Similar to many other exhibits around the world, it was never sufficient that the building house numerous works of art. It had to be a work of art. Or at least, Elsa assumed that was the architect's intent. The building proper was several stories high covered in lustrous white marble, complete with pillars resembling those of the great Greek temples. The stone path to the main entrance has a large fountain people could seat themselves around, complete with a number of hanging abstract shapes moved by the flow of water.

However, none of this was of much interest to her. Elsa was more focused on the number of officers either patrolling or standing guard. It appeared that the museum wasn't cordoned off any longer, but they were still screening any entrants. Had the force completed their investigation already? She could only hope that any inspection she attempted wouldn't be impeded at every turn.

Once past the security checkpoint, the inside was quiet. Even for someone like Elsa who believed that many of the best things in life were enjoyed in the quiet, this seemed off. The exhibit should have been filled with patrons and tourists, admiring the works that had been collected and restored for public appreciation. Instead, the place was reduced to a crime scene, as more officers kept a watchful eye on the areas that were still blocked off. It was time to meet the curator.

"Oh, it's a travesty! My life is well and truly over." Elsa covered the scowl on her face. The curator would be a handful, that was for sure. There was no mistaking his profession from the brown jacket he wore to the ornate desk and furnishings that filled his office, but now she was beginning to suspect he had missed his calling as an actor. Professional or not, he was still the client, and she felt obliged to at least be polite.

"I imagine this theft constitutes a loss of years of dedicated work." Elsa nodded slowly, steeling her nerves for the lecture she had almost certainly brought upon herself.

The curator gasped. "Finally, my words fall on sympathetic ears. My fellow historians told me of the horrors of losing the treasures of Albernon, but I refused to listen. Oh, hubris, why must you curse me so?"

Elsa wanted to feel sorry for the man. She really did. Even with his over emphasis, his losses were genuine. But she was not a shoulder to cry on. "Why don't you tell me what exactly you want me to do? I would also like to hear a little more detail about why this tear of yours is so valuable." Perfect plan. Meet him halfway.

"Of course, of course. Why don't come along with me. I'd like you to look at where the Tear of the Goddess was due to be displayed." The man rose from his antique chair and opened the door of the office, motioning her to follow.

They walked through the halls, the curators ID tag allowing him to pass by the security forces unchecked. "So, the tear is one of the ten Treasures of Albernon, correct?"

"Precisely. There are a great many remarkable things that can be said for the treasures, so I will try to keep this as brief as possible." Elsa wasn't holding her breath. "Each of the treasures dates back at least three thousand years, though being more precise than that is rather difficult. from what we have been able to piece together, these are the remnants of an ancient civilisation that had managed to spread itself to the four corners of the world."

Elsa stopped. "All over the world? That doesn't seem possible. Not so many years ago."

The curator motioned her forward. "Please, save your questions. Though your doubt is reasonable. To hold dominion over almost the whole world with no technology seems impossible. However, what little remnants we could find all bore the same emblems. We even found evidence they used the same language. There was no way that this could be mere coincidence. What's most telling is the similarities between the ten treasures they left behind. All of them are made from flawless gemstones. All of them show no sign of wear or damage from the collapse or their original civilisation or the thousands of years that followed. But the strangest thing is, for all of our technology and understanding of gems, the way they were cut is impossible for us to emulate."

Elsa pondered the meaning of what she had heard. When she first read that the tear was appraised at one hundred million dollars, she found the notion absurd. But if what he said was true, then there was nothing like these gems anywhere. A notion only slightly less unbelievable. Just who had crafted them, anyway? They had left quite a lot on their plate, as Elsa had just noticed. "You know, I had wondered why when faced with the series of thefts, the owners had not considered using a decoy."

The curator nodded. Elsa realised that the possibility had been considered. "We had been warned that the thieves had a considerable arsenal of technology at their disposal. In order to create a convincing replica, we would need to use gemstones not only of the same quality, but cut perfectly down to the last molecule. This is where even the most learned craftsmen and finest cutting tools have sadly failed."

It was all too clear that she could listen all day and they would only scratch the surface of properties of the treasures. Elsa already had a strong enough grasp on the why at this point. Now it was the found themself at another police barrier.

A man in blue uniform bearing the ACPD logo stopped them. "I'm sorry sir, this area is currently undergoing investigation."

Elsa had expected the curator to force the issue, but apparently even he hung his head in resignation. If Elsa didn't expect to be much use before, then there was no doubt now. The police would surely keep hold of any relevant evidence long before she was allowed to examine the crime scene.

"Elsa, is that you? It is you!" Elsa snapped from her ruminations. The voice was police chief Roe's. He was wearing a white shirt and grey trousers, and despite being almost a whole head taller than her she never felt particularly uncomfortable in his presence. "I must say, I'm intrigued by the new look. What brings you here today?"

"We were expecting to get a look at the crime scene. The curator has requested my help." She sighed quietly. The chief's ability to small talk had not improved a little bit in the past two years. "I suppose we shall have to return later, or perhaps tomorrow."

"Oh, come now. We both know that you won't find much if you wait until then. "If curator Heimer thinks you will be of help, I see no reason to stop you. However, I must ask that he stay put for the time being."

Elsa locked eyes with the curator. "Please, find the Tear. And give those blasted thieves what's coming to them!" He asked.

What was she supposed to say to that? It was unlikely that the perpetrators had left anything remotely incriminating. As good as she was, making promises was sure to invite misfortune. "I assume that is your request of me. I will do what I can. If there is something to find, I will find it."

Heimer bowed, and walked away. The officer on guard lifted the barrier, Elsa exchanged the curator for the chief as a walking and conversational partner. Around them, investigators were still taking pictures of the room.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Elsa. Though in retrospect I shouldn't be surprised. That curator would probably hire the whole city if he thought it might return his artefact."

Now that she had a closer look, she could see between the subtly untidy hair and eye bags that the chief had been running himself ragged. In spite of the stereotypes, this was the first time she had seem him like this. "The loss of this gemstone appears to have affected him deeply. The fact that you waved me through tells me there's a very real chance someone will have to explain to him he won't ever see it again."

"I never could hide anything from you, could I?" She got the feeling that she was supposed to be encouraged by the smile he gave her. "I suppose I may as well run you through the facts as we have them. Just after 1 AM on Friday night, the alarm was raised and we responded in less than five minutes. What we discovered was little more than a confirmation of our worst fears. The Tear of the Goddess was missing, without a shred of evidence as to how. All of the electronics had either been disabled or showed no sign of any intruder. And all the the people guarding the museum all fell unconscious at the same time. It was just like the other thefts around the world."

Elsa put her mind to work. Outside hacking? No, closed network. Arendelle facility would not be secure with anything less. Thief had to have some knowledge of hacking, or know someone who did. What about the guards. All fell at the same time. Had to be the same time, or the alarm would be raised. Would also need to happen after the infiltrator compromised the electronic security. There were no known signals or sounds that could render so many people unconscious. No, had to be a gas or something in the bloodstream. How would they administer something like that? Inside man? She shuddered briefly at the thought. No doubt the police would run background checks, but it was far too easy to dig a traitor in deep if the stakes were high enough. She needed more information for now.

"First of all, the thieves only took the Tear, correct? Nothing else was taken or left at the scene."

The chief shook his head. "We didn't find anything else. Whoever they were. They were only after one thing. Do you think the perpetrator might have left something else?"

She paused. Did she? It was only a hypothesis. "It's the way the security was compromised. If it was a closed network, they would have to bypass it on site. Unless there was more than one criminal, they would likely have left a device to keep the system from resetting."

"Go on." He smiled and nodded. He wasn't about to stop her now.

"They would also need to be completely sure that every guard was completely unconscious at the exact same time. The sedative would either need to be inhaled or ingested. How such a thing is possible with so many variants to account for, I haven't figured out a solution as of yet." She took a breath. That was quite a mouthful.

"Yes! We did a health check on the security personnel, all of them tested positive for traces of a powerful concoction. By our calculations, a regular dose would induce at least half an hour of sleep. How it was administered, we're still looking into." He laughed a little. "Just like the good old days. We haven't even checked out the scene yet and you're right on the money. Any other ideas?"

Elsa examined the room where the Tear was intended to be displayed. No other exhibits. No windows or vents. Just a glass case with a perfectly cut circular hole. "What about shoe prints? Unless our thieves have become capable of flight."

"No good, I'm afraid." Roe shook his head. "There won't be anything that would identify the thief's shoes in particular. We suspect they use a fresh pair for each heist. They certainly have their bases covered."

Elsa examined the now empty pillow case. "I fail to see how my speculation will lead us to anything decisive."

"On your own, maybe."

Elsa spun round and grimaced. How long was he planning on asking? "I can't go back, sir. Not yet."

"You're a detective, Elsa. Not some second-rate snitch. You even called me sir. I know deep down you want to come back. I'm sure we can figure something out for your personal investigations."

Elsa wanted to shout at him. She really did. This was her choice. The good and the bad. "We both know how that will go down. I'm too personally invested to continue that case. Why would that change now? I know you all want me to let that case go, but I fear if I don't find an answer, I will spend my whole life regretting it."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I won't ask again."

She looked around. "I hardly believe it matters much. Even I am no match for a perfect crime."

The Re-Patra needle. The tallest skyscraper in Arendelle by far. That was all Red really needed to know about the building. That, and sitting at the very top was one of the fanciest restaurants the city had to offer.

Red forced herself forward out of the elevator in her new dress. Damn that saleswoman. She could have made an ant believe it was half a size smaller than it really was. Why did she have to fall victim to her charms? Still, at least she looked like she actually belonged here, at least until she had to open her mouth.

"Madame?" A waiter asked, making Red gulp. That time was now.

"Look, I'm supposed to be here, okay? All I was told was that I should come here and, and-"

The waiter kept a stiff expression as Red tripped over her words. "Madame, if you would like to follow me, your host is waiting."

"Right, right. Follow you." Red was not looking forward to having to walk again, but she may as well have gotten this over with. She needed something to distract herself. The decorations would do. There were certainly enough of them. There were fresh flowers on every table, complete with crystal vases. Large panes of glass would give a spectacular view of the city if it weren't so dark. And above it all was the largest chandelier she had ever seen. Even standing here felt like it cost a fortune.

From the far end she could make out a single table for two distanced from any of the other tables. A man was already sitting there, in an expensive looking white suit. It was him. the boss boss. Just stay calm. And don't say anything stupid. She cringed. If Rex was here he'd probably just tell her to keep her mouth shut. She sidled over, unsure of what was making her more uncomfortable at this point.

"Please, take a seat." The man motioned to the chair opposite him. Red found his voice almost hypnotic. Both her inner and outer discomfort faded as she worked her way into the seat.

She just needed something to say. "Uh, hello?" Idiot. "Sorry if I'm late. I had a little snafu with make-up because someone doesn't know the difference between the peach and beige, then I had to fix my hair after that and-"

"Please, please," the man waved a hand, and Red shut her mouth, blushing a little. "It wasn't exactly fair of me to impose this on you so suddenly. I simply had to meet you before our business concluded."

She exhaled sharply. This wasn't the stiff, scary man she had envisioned when the words boss boss sprang to mind. "I see, thanks, boss boss." She slapped her mouth. How the hell did that slip out?

"Please, there's no need to be so formal. Call me Hans," he said, stifling a laugh. Red was doing everything wrong, she just knew it. So how was this going right? Okay, deep breath.

"So, is there something you want, mister Hans? Some kind of problem with my work?"

He only smiled. "Not here. This isn't the time or the place to discuss business. Though I am a huge admirer of your work. And I look forward to your final performance with great anticipation."

Red thought for a second. If he was going to talk about it, that meant one thing. "So, the star-"

He nodded. "Soon. You'll know what you need to when the time is right. But tell me, what do you think of this place?"

"It's so fancy. Seems really expensive too. Don't tell Rex that I'm here, he'll probably have a heart attack." She rolled her eyes.

That comment seemed to confuse Hans for a second. "Oh, you mean-? Don't worry about him. This is on me. I know the owner quite well, though we haven't spoken in a while. So please, feel free to order anything you like."

"Thanks, I guess." Red tried to conceal her face from him. "I think maybe I'll try the steak. I know that's not as lean as what I should have, but when am I going to be back here?"

"Don't worry about it. As soon as our business is concluded, you'll be able to eat here for the rest of your life if you wanted. I think I'll start with a glass of red." He closed the wine menu before switching to the mains.

"I think I'd like to explore the world first, see what it has to offer." Red knew all too well in this business that information, especially about yourself is probably the most valuable thing you have. With that and her dress forcing her to move it around every few seconds, Hans had another thing coming if he thought he was going to get anything else out of her, boss boss or not.

Elsa hurried out of the shower to get to her phone, ringing on the table. It still played the common, and honestly rather grating default tone which she had simply not taken the time to change. She checked the screen and scowled. The chief. Was her answer earlier in the day not satisfactory? No matter, she would reiterate it as many times as it took. She pressed the button.

"Chief."

"Elsa, you're not going to believe it. We did a full sweep of the museum, and we found something in one of the electronics boxes. We think it's some kind of cracking device, but we can't be sure. Whoever planted it there had it blow itself up afterwards."

She sighed and pulled back her dripping hair. Could this not have waited? "Are you still at work, chief? I thought you would at least remember my concerns about a healthy work-life balance."

Silence. Then a forced laugh came from the other end. "The crime of the century just took place in Arendelle city, Elsa. And on my watch. If heads haven't started rolling, they will soon."

Elsa sighed. It wasn't his fault. The enemy there were up against was more advanced than them and seemed to be one step ahead at every turn. But that was not the way it was going to appear to the public at large. "I really am sorry, sir. There just aren't any leads left for us to follow."

"Not for the theft of the tear, maybe. Listen to me Elsa. We only have one chance. The Scarlet Star, the last treasure of Albernon, is here in Arendelle city. This is the only time that more than one had been in the same place."

It didn't take long for Elsa to catch on. "So you plan to use it as bait. Our one and only remaining chance to catch these thieves in the act. If this plan fails-"

"I know what will happen if I fail!" he snapped. "Which is why I would consider it a huge favour if you would assist us. We can make you a consultant if that placates you. We'll even pay you anything within reason." Elsa stepped back. She had her own investigations, even if they were going nowhere. On the other hand, if he wasn't so busy she suspected the chief would be at her door on his knees. It was never easy to give something up. "Oh, and Elsa, there's one more thing." She paused, expecting another plea. "Haven't you noticed yet? Criminals performing perfect crimes? Using extremely advanced technology? Even using inside men to achieve their goals?"

She nearly dropped the phone. "No. No no no, you can't be serious. it doesn't fit the profile. They never committed larceny before."

"It's just a hypothesis, but we believe they may have decided to diversify. And the rest of it fits as well. Elsa, they didn't simply vanish. They left Arendelle altogether. And now they've returned."

She said nothing. The chief was right, how could she have missed it? She must have been so focused on the main nature of the crimes in question, all of the details fell by the wayside. "You seriously believe the White Hand is behind this?"

"Well as we always say. If the boot fits. We have no concrete evidence, I know, but everything we do have only points towards this hypothesis. If they really are the culprits behind the thefts, this may be the last chance we get to catch them."

"If," Elsa repeated. "It matters little. You've presented a compelling, if not completely convincing case. This is something I can ignore no longer." Elsa walked into her bedroom, looking over the cross-section of notes, maps and other pieces of information she had managed to assemble. "I have made my decision. I will join your investigation and this trap you have set, but only as far as finding the culprits, and recovering the stolen gemstones. That is my first, and final offer."

"Very well. Then I consider it my privilege to work with you again. Come to the Northgate conference center tomorrow, ten o'clock. We'll talk about the plan there." The phone went back to sleep.

Elsa whipped her laptop open and started a flurry of research and revision, her interrupted ablution all but forgotten. The White Hand. Phantom Red. It didn't matter who came after the Scarlet Star. She would find her culprit and get to the bottom of this. She always did.