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Chapter 3

"Hm." Espio adjusted the microscope and peered at the crumbs they had found at Amy's. "Looks like cake,"

"Hey," Vector walked over to Espio. "The bullet that shot Knuckles was a small caliber, a .22. You know who has a gun like that? Rouge."

"Let's go."

---

"Oh, Rooooogue," Vector called as they wandered into the cave that Rouge was currently calling her home. "Are you here?"

A figure tumbled from above and landed in front of them.

"Who wants to know?" Rouge asked, hands on her hips.

"We need to see your gun." Espio said.

Rouge raised an eyebrow. "That's very forward of you."

"It's for the case." Vector said.

"I don't have it." She shrugged.

"What do you mean you don't have it?" Charmy asked.

"I don't have it." She repeated. "It's not in my possession. I do not currently hold in my collection of items, a gun."

"OK, we get it." Vector held up a hand to stop her.

"Where is it then?" Espio asked.

"Beats me." She said. "It disappeared sometime yesterday."

"So somebody stole it." Espio said.

"I guess so." Rouge said. "Unless it grew legs and walked off all on its own."

"Ha, ha." Vector rolled his eyes. "Thanks for your cooperation."

"Anytime." Rouge waved a hand as they turned and left the cave.

"Well that was a waste of time." Vector sighed. "A dead end."

---

"I wonder if she can hear us." Laya said, looking at Amy's sleeping form. The young red-headed Seedrian moved closer. "Hello?"

"Stop it." Sumowa smacked her on the shoulder. "If she can hear you you'd be freaking her out."

"She's fine." Laya said. "My presence is comforting."

"Next to what?"

Laya made a face. "Why don't you go visit Knuckles?" She taunted. "You find his presence comforting."

"Shut it." Sumowa mumbled.

Laya sat down on the chair beside Amy's bed. "Did the doctor's know when she would wake up?" She asked.

Sumowa shook her head. "They didn't know."

"Poor Amy." Laya patted her arm. "If you can hear me," She raised her voice. "We're all rooting for you."

"Yeah, come on, Sonic has nothing to do now that you're lying here and not harassing him all the time." Sumowa said, fixing the crinkled bed sheets.

"If Sonic doesn't wake her up I don't know what will." Laya shrugged.

"Hey, where's the food court around here?" A voice from outside the door called.

Sumowa frowned and rolled her eyes. "Don't people know this is a hospital?"

Laya gave her a look. "I don't think Amy minds." She got up from her chair and went over to the door. "Of course. It's Charmy. I'll be right back, I want to ask how the case is going."

"Sure." Sumowa replied as Laya left.

Laya stopped a little behind Charmy. "Hey Charmy!"

"Ahh ah ah ah!" Charmy yelled, dropping to the ground. "Oh this is it! I'm next, I'm gonna die! Vector, Espio, you're the best friends I ever had!"

He cowered with his hands over his head. A couple of nurses had stopped what they were doing and stared.

Laya stared at his trembling form with disbelief. "You honestly think the killer would attack you in the middle of the hospital in front of everybody?"

"Oh, hey Laya." Charmy hopped off the floor and floated at eye level.

She shook her head. "You call yourself a detective."

"Right, that reminds me." He suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked at her suspiciously. "Do you like cake?"

Laya shrugged. "Who doesn't? Though I prefer a danish. Why, do you have cake?"

"I'll ask the questions." Charmy circled around her. "Have you been anywhere near Rouge's cave recently?"

Laya frowned. "Am I being interrogated?"

"Just answer the question." He insisted.

She crossed her arms. "Charmy, if I was the killer, don't you think I would just burn them into oblivion?" She said, referring to her fire-starting powers.

"That's true." Charmy nodded. "But maybe that's what you want us to think."

"Cut it out!" Laya said, shaking her fist.

"OK, OK," Charmy held up his hands. "Just trying to do my job."

"I just wanted to ask you how the investigation was going."

"I cannot divulge any information pertaining to the case." Charmy held out a hand.

"So you have nothing."

"I didn't say that."

Laya rubbed her temples. "I'm walking away now, and getting something to eat." She headed towards the stairs.

Charmy perked up at the prospect of food. "Hey, wait for me!" He buzzed after her and they walked into the stairwell.

---

Sumowa turned when she heard a knock on the door and saw Cream walk into the room, Cheese floating after her.

"Hi Cream." She said.

Cream smiled. "Hi. I came to say hi to Amy and give her the flowers I picked for her." She held out the bouquet of blue flowers she was holding.

"They're beautiful."

Cream walked over to the bed and put the flowers in a vase on the bedside table. "Hi Amy. I brought you some pretty flowers, it's a very nice day today."

"Chao, chao." Cheese circled in the air above her head.

Suddenly they heard shouts outside the door and they hurried to see what was going on. When they opened the door they saw Laya and Charmy being carried out of the stairwell, followed by Sonic.

"Oh no!" Cream cried.

"What happened?" Sumowa asked as they ran over.

"I don't know." Sonic shrugged, frowning with worry. "I was coming up to visit Amy and Knuckles when I found them. Charmy had a bump on his head and Laya was at the bottom of the stairs."

Cream started to cry.

"Hey, what's going on?" Vector and Espio came out of Knuckles' room to investigate. "Charmy!"

They watched, shocked, as Charmy and Laya were taken into rooms and taken care of.

"They were attacked." Sonic said.

"This is getting ridiculous!" Vector grabbed his head. "When is this guy gonna stop?"

"When we stop him." Espio said.

---

"Do you see anything Vector?" Espio asked, surveying the scene at the top of the stairs.

"Nothing yet." Vector replied from the bottom.

Espio scanned the area then stopped when something caught his eye. He crouched down.

"What've you got Espio?" Vector asked.

"It looks like a yellow powder." Espio scooped the substance into a small envelope. "I'll take a closer look at it later."

"Well," Vector sighed. "I've got nothing. Again."

"Hopefully we have enough now to catch them before they hurt anyone else." Espio said.

Vector shook his head. "I hope Charmy'll be OK. Poor little guy. And poor Laya, taking a header down these stairs."

"They'll be fine." Espio said. "Right now we have to concentrate on the evidence."

---

"Well?" Vector, having no other evidence to process, paced behind Espio, who was peering through the microscope at the yellow dust he had found.

"It appears to be pollen." Espio answered.

"Maybe the killer took a walk through the garden." Vector shrugged.

"Maybe."

The doorbell rang, interrupting them.

"Now who could that be?" Vector went to the front door, Espio following.

He opened it, and Cream stood, holding a covered plate.

"Hi Cream." Vector said, stepping aside. "Come on in."

"Thank you Mr. Vector." Cream walked inside. "I brought you some cake; I thought it might make you feel better. I'm sorry about Charmy." Tears filled her eyes.

"Aw, don't worry Cream." Vector patted her on the shoulder. "He'll be alright."

"Yes." Espio agreed. "He's very resilient."

Cream set the plate down on the kitchen table.

"So many people are getting hurt." She said sadly. "Not even the robots are safe. I'm getting scared." Her lip trembled. "If a big scary robot like Omega can't stop the killer man then how can I?"

"Don't you worry Cream." Vector said comfortingly. "We'll find the guy soon. We're getting real close, I just know it."

Cream sniffed, then smiled at the both of them. "Thank you Mr. Vector and Mr. Espio. You're great detectives. I should probably go now, I'm supposed to meet Tails." She headed to the door.

"OK then, bye Cream." Vector said as she walked out. "Say hi to your mom."

"Thank you for the dessert." Espio added.

"Isn't that nice." Vector closed the door. "She brought us cake."

"Yes, cake is always nice." Espio nodded. "But right now we need to find the killer."

"Aw, come on Espio." Vector pleaded. "Just a quick break?"

"No." He insisted, heading back to the lab. "We'll have plenty of time for cake later."

---

"Hm." Espio sat thoughtfully, surveying the evidence in front of him. "Crumbs, a hair, a bullet from Rouge's stolen gun, and pollen."

"None of it fits together!" Vector said, frustrated.

"It doesn't seem to." Espio said. "Maybe if we can find out who's hair it is,"

"How are we going to do that?" Vector asked.

"I have no idea." He sighed. "This is all very frustrating."

"Well, let's try to think of who could've stolen Rouge's gun." Vector started pacing.

Espio spun the chair around. "It could have been anyone."

"Not anyone," Vector corrected, holding up a finger. "It had to be someone small enough to get by Rouge."

"Or fast enough."

"You think it's Sonic?"

Espio shrugged. "I'm just laying out our options."

"OK, so it could have been someone fast."

"No wait," Espio stopped him. "The closet at Amy's, it was small. Too small for Sonic."

"OK, so scratch off fast. Think small."

The telephone rang, wrecking their train of thought.

"Stupid phone!" Vector stomped over and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

He paused and nodded as the person on the other end spoke. "Mm-hm. Yeah. What?! Oh no, that's terrible! Oh man. OK, we'll be right there." He hung up.

"Who was that?" Espio asked, expecting the worst. "Bad news?"

"That was Sonic. He says that Cream and Tails were attacked." Vector said sadly. "Cream's in the hospital and Tails is dead."

"Oh dear." Espio sighed. "That is bad news."