The body was horribly mangled and misshapen. The face was contorted in a way that made it barely recognizable as human. Thin strands of blond hair poked out from the scalp in patches, as if someone had started tearing it out. Bones poked out of the skin in odd places, and bruises covered the body like paint.

Walatson's mouth had gone into a straight line, as if suppressing the urge to throw up, although Spudlock knew she could handle seeing gore like this.

"All means of identifying her are gone. We just know that she was found with the potato," said Hollow.

"Where?" asked Spudlock.

"Outside the U-Store on the corner of Worthington and Spandles. The store manager came to check up on his building and found her there, right outside."

"How long has she been here?"

"Since yesterday morning. I was trying to contact you a week ago because of the break in and theft. As well as something else. Follow me."

Hollow walked out of the room and waited for Walatson and Spudlock to join him in the hallway before he closed the door. Then he went further into the building and down another flight of stairs, where he pulled out a key to unlock a metal door. He ushered Walatson and Spudlock inside before closing the door and joining them in the room.

The room was plain, with white walls and a cement floor. A single strip of overhead lights ran down the center of the ceiling. Cameras were in each corner of the room and a single table was in the center, upon which the potato had been placed.

"This is an unusual room for a police station to have," remarked Spudlock, spinning slowly in a circle as he took everything in.

"We had the room installed a few years ago. Someone who no longer works here came up with the idea."

"I see. . ." Spudlock crossed over to the table and took a look at the potato. After a moment he sighed and looked at the Detective with disappointment. "This isn't it."

"What?"

"This isn't the potato. Whoever left this with the body upstairs left it as a warning."

"A warning? For a potato?!"

Spudlock turned to face the inspector with a dramatic twirl. "That potato is very valuable, Inspector, so the sooner I find it the better. Do try not to waste any more of my time with false claims." Spudlock swept towards the door , opened it, and climbed the stairs at a moderately fast pace. Walatson, after a moment of hesitation, followed after him.

Soon they were out of the police station and walking back towards their apartment in silence. Walatson could tell that Spudlock was thinking things through, so she let the silence last, but eventually she spoke up.

"Any thoughts?"

"First of all, the Inspector lied to me. That girl was not found in front of the U-Store, she had been left on a beach somewhere, probably a very popular one for her to still be considered as a warning. Secondly, they know who she is. Or at least, they will once a certain report comes back to them. Her teeth were still intact and they can easily find her dental records. Thirdly, I know where the potato is. If we retrieve it today, we can bring it back to the owner tomorrow and collect our reward, as his plane lands in. . ." He paused to check the time on his watch. "Three hours."

"And you got all that from looking at some poor girl's' body?"

"She wasn't poor, she was actually quite wealthy." Seeing Walatson's look of confusion, Spudlock restated his claim. "There was a plastic baggie on one of the counters containing her possessions. Inside was a gold watch, diamond earrings, and a diamond ring, among other things."

"Okay, so she was rich. What does that tell us?"

Spudlock turned to Walatson so that she had to stop abruptly in the middle of the sidewalk.

"It tells us exactly where the potato is, Walatson. Exactly where it is."