Detective Moss
Case Two: Chocolate
Part Two

"If that there chocolate was meant for ya, then... Then someun was tryin' ta kill ya, Mr. Moss!" Hamish exclaimed, his eyes widening.

"Mr. Moss, you have to find out who did this!" The woman exclaimed, grabbing on to his arm. "You've solved just about every other damned case in this neighborhood! Even ones that didn't need to be solved..."

"Now, y'all need ta jus' settle down," Moss said, eying the two for a moment. He couldn't help but feel a chill spread through his spine, however. Someone tried to kill him? Who? And why? He turned his gaze to the woman in front of him. "Ms. Yarda, yer always sittin' on yer porch all day... Did ya see who left the chocolate on my doorstep?"

"No. I don't just sit there and stare at your house all day! But I can tell you this..." she replied. "There isn't anyone who entered the neighborhood all day..."

"So then... Whoever left the chocolate lives in the neighborhood." He scowled, picking up his hat and jamming in on his head. "I'm goin' ta get ta the bottom o' this! Ms. Yarda, tell me, is there a crime scene?"

"Crime scene? You mean with a tape outline and such? No, there isn't. Kalen died in the hospital; they took the chocolate with them so the doctors could get a sample of the poison so they could save Robin..."

"Right..." So this investigation would have to go on testimony alone... Which meant that he was going to have to fetter out a liar... "Ms. Yarda, I want everyone in the neighborhood in that hospital in an hour, got it?"

"Yes, I understand," she replied.

"Hamish, let's git goin'. I want ta get ta the bottom of this." Moss tipped his hat. "Ms. Yarda..." With that he went past her, mounting his skimmer, Hamish clumsily following.

When they were up in the air, Moss let out a heavy sigh.

"Are ya alright, sir?" the boy asked quietly.

He straightened, as if startled that he wasn't alone. "Oh, what? Yeah, fine. I jus'... Well one o' my neighbors is dead, the other in the hospital cuz o' me. How do ya think I feel?"

"Oh... Well I figured tha' yer jus' used ta people dyin' and everythane..."

"Well it ain't ever been personal before," Moss replied, his eyes narrowing. "Course, that jus' gives me more o' a reason ta find the real culprit."

They flew the rest of the way in silence, the only sound being that of Bessie's blades swirling. They soon landed outside the small hospital, Moss almost immediately jumping off, followed by Hamish.

"Come on, son... Let's see if Ms. Robin is awake yet... Maybe she knows somethane..." He made his way up to the desk in the waiting room, asking to see Ms. Robin.

"I'm sorry,sir, but she hasn't awakened yet... But don't worry, it looks like she will be fine. It's lucky she didn't ingest as much as the poison as her husband..."

"Yeah," Moss replied. "Pretty lucky... Do ya have the box of chocolates still? I'd like ta take a look at it..."

The receptionist blinked. "Just who are you, sir?"

"Oh right... I forgot ta introduce myself..." Moss reached into his pocket and withdrew his badge. "Detective Moss, here ta figure out who murdered my neighbor."

"Don' forget me, sir!" Hamish exclaimed.

"Oh right... And Hamish, my assistant."

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I've heard of you... But I didn't know you had an assistant."

The detective shrugged. "He's new... Now, the chocolates, if you wouldn't mind?"

"Yes, of course," she replied, getting up. "Let me just get one of the doctors for you... If you would just wait here? And make yourselves comfortable."

Hamish sat himself down on one of the beige couches, glancing down at the stacks of old magazines. "So who do ya think did it?"

"Well, I'm not about ta make assumptions without talkin' ta the suspects," Moss replied, settling himself down next to the boy. He picked up one of the old magazines and thumbed through it.

"Yer neighborhood is filled with lots o' suspicious people... I reckon it could be any o' 'em... Like that creepy Duken guy..." He shuddered. "Or that angry guy who yelled at you about the newspaper!"

"Don' forget Yarda," the detective replied, scanning a month old news article with disinterest. "She's hated me ever since I had her husband arrested."

"Yeah... Her too..."

"Are you acusing me of something?" Yarda stood in front of them, arms crossed, Duken and Arad behind her.

"No, 'course not," Moss was quick to reply. "Yer jus' a suspect is all... Where's the rest o' the neighborhood?"

"They wouldn't come to the door... Why should they? It's the middle of night! Couldn't this wait until morning?"

"Naw, I want this squared away as soon as possible," the detective replied. "Before the murderer can think of a foolproof alibi."

"And you think it's one of us?" Arad demanded, scowling. "There's probably tons of people who'd want to kill you!"

"I told you that no one else has entered the neighborhood!" Yarda exclaimed.

"... That you know of," Duken hissed quietly. "Were you really out there the whole time?"

"Of course I was!" she exclaimed.

"You didn't have to use the bathroom or anything?"

"Well... I suppose I did, but... I wasn't there long! Not long enough for someone to enter and leave... Besides, what about you, slinky man? Oh, don't look offended! I saw you skulking about around Moss's house!"

Duken let out another hiss. "What reason have I to try to kill the good detective here?"

Arad shrugged. "Well I wouldn't really know, but if you were around his house all day, you have to be the killer!"

"Shush," Moss hissed. "Yer all suspicious! Arad, what was it you were sayin' earlier about me gettin' my comeuppance?"

Arad paled considerabley. "By that I didn't mean...!"

"And you," he looked to Duken. "Wasn't it you who was offerin' Hamish some candy?"

"Hmm... Did I?"

"And Yarda, I believe yer motive is as clear as day."

"Why I never!" she exclaimed haughtily.

Moss crossed his arms, staring them all down. It was then that the doctor entered the room. "Detective Moss? I believe you wished to examine the chocolates?"

The detective nodded and walked across the room. Not wanting to be left alone with the angry neighbors, Hamish was quick to follow. The detective took the box in his hands and opened it up, searching for a clue. There were four pieces missing, and as he picked up pieces, he could tell that something had been inserted in the bottom. Most likely a needle. "So it wasn't an accident at the factory, that's for sure..." He closed the box and handed it back to the doctor before returning to the group. "Alright, I want ta know what you three have been doin' all day."

"I already told you that I was on my porch," Yarda snapped. "And I saw Duken slinking around your house."

"Yes, I was walking around the neighborhood yesterday," he replied quietly. "The old hag even yelled at me for it. Said: 'What are you doing in front of Moss's house? Don't you know he could have you arrested? As he should...' She went on and on... But I never even stepped foot inside your fence."

"Old hag! Why you little-"

"That true Ms. Yarda? Ya saw him outside my house and yelled at him for it?" Moss asked.

"Yes... Something like that happened..."

"Did ya see him go in my yard?"

"No..."

"Was he carryin' anythane?"

"No..."

"And Duken, ya saw Ms. Yarda on her porch?"

"Yes..."

"Did ya see here leave her porch at anytime?"

"Not while I was out there..."

"And Arad, where were you all day?" the detective asked.

Arad scowled. "My house. I didn't go outside until I went to go get my paper... Which your skimmer was parked on."

"Is there anyone who could confirm this?"

"Well, I... No... Wait! Yarda, you didn't see me leave my house, right?"

"No," she replied. "I didn't..."

"But your house is right next to Moss's. You could have easily snuck to his porch and back without anyone noticing," Duken pointed out.

"Well what about you? You were sneaking around outside his house! Did you see me?"

"No... But I wasn't there the whole time... I went home..."

"But ya came back, didn't ya? Ya were in the house creepin' me out!" Hamish exclaimed.

"Yes... But that was after Robin got the chocolates..." Duken said quietly.

"And how did ya know when that was?" Moss demanded.

"Because... I was around your house when you were talking about it... I snuck in a few minutes after Robin walked away."

"... Why?" Hamish asked. "Why were you sneakin' inta Mr. Moss's house?"

Duken blinked. "Do I really need a reason?"

"Well, um..." the made the boy think for a few moments. "Yeah! Yeah, it does! Cuz normal people don't usually go around sneakin' inta people's houses!"

"Hmph... Well, if you must know... I'm a scavenger."

"A what?"

"Scavenger."

"He means he picks through people's trash," Moss explained, eying him with disgust.

"I see nothing wrong with living off of what other people so foolishly throw away... Any way, I only wished to share with Moss something that I found in his garbage..."

"You were in Moss's house!" Arad exclaimed. "You were probably hiding out there when you left the box on the porch!"

"Why would I hide in his house of all places, hmmm? More like you're just scrabbling to find a scapegoat for your crime... What's your alibi again? That you were alone in your house?"

"And you said Moss would get his comeuppance, right?" Yarda pointed out.

"Oh yeah? What about you, old hag? What's your alibi? That you were on the porch all day?"

"Duken saw me!"

"Well he said himself that he wasn't there the whole time!"

Moss just stood back, watching the bickering calmly. In his mind, he was trying to sort out what was fact and what was lies... Beside him he could see Hamish trying to follow the argument, but he was obviously having trouble.

"Uh..." the doctor reentered the waiting room, clearing his throat. "Ms. Robin is awake... I believe the good detective here wished to speak to her?"

Moss nodded. "Yeah... Hamish, keep yer eye on these three, would ya? Don't let 'em leave."

Hamish nodded, saluting him. "Yes sir, Mr. Moss sir!" He straightened, watching the neighbors with a new sense of diligence.

Shaking his head, amused, he made his way after the doctor to Robin's room. "Ya feelin' okay?"

"Yes," Robin said quietly. "Except that Kalen..." Her eyes began filling with tears. "If only he hadn't made that bet..."

"Yes... I'm surprised he made it, after already seein' the film and all." Moss shook his head. "He was always such an honest guy..." He pulled up a chair and sat beside her bed. "Tell me what happened..."

"Well, I brought the chocolates home... Kalen ate three of them, then offered one to me and I ate it... That's why I'm here... because I ate one."

"And you both fell ill at the same time?" he asked.

"Yes... It was dreadful... When he stopped responding..." Tears rolled down the side of her face. "I was able to called the hospital with the message crystal, but by then... It was too late..."

"I'm sorry," Moss said quietly. "If I hadn't given ya the chocolates..."

"Then you'd be the one dead instead... It's a good thing I didn't let Hamish eat the chocolates," she said quietly. "At least... At least I did something right..."

"Didn't let Hamish eat them?" Moss said out loud, tipping his head to the side.

"Yes... If I had let Hamish eat them, he would be dead too... Mr. Moss... Are you going to find the killer?"

He nodded. "Yeah... Actually, I already know who it is."

"You do? Already?"

"Yeah," Moss replied. "Wasn't too hard to figure out... Doctor, would ya tell Hamish ta herd the others in here?"

Within a few minutes, the others were all standing in the small hospital room.

"Well?" Robin sniffed. "Which one of them killed my Kalen?"

Moss smirked slightly, staring each one of them down for a few moments. "The murderer? The murderer... is you!" he exclaimed, thrusting out his finger to point at the culprit. "Ms. Robin! Yer the one who killed yer husband!"

"Wha-what!" she shrieked. "Moss, this is no time for jokes!"

"Moss, you're insane!" Arad hissed. "She's poisoned herself! Why would any murderer do that?"

"To keep herself from bein' a suspect o' course!" the detective explained.

"No," Yarda said. "There's no way."

"Yes, Mr. Moss, what are you saying?" Robin asked.

"You said earlier that it was good that you didn't give Hamish any of the chocolates because Hamish would have died, right?"

"Of course! Do you want your assistant dead?"

"But that wouldn't have been the problem," Moss replied. "The problem would have been that Hamish didn't die!"

"Mr. Moss, what're ya sayin'?" Hamish demanded. "Ya want me dead?"

"No you twit!" the detective exclaimed, annoyed. "I'm sayin' that the box of chocolates on my doorstep wouldn't have killed ya!"

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because it wasn't the box that was poisoned! No, it was a totally different box!"

"What? How... How can you say that?" Robin demanded.

"Because, you made one mistake," the detective replied. "There are four pieces of candy missin' from that box."

"Yeah? And...? I already told you. Kalen ate three then offered me one and... Ah!"

Moss smirked. " That's right... Ya forgot to factor somethane inta yer little story there... That ya already ate a piece of chocolate right in front o' us! There should be five pieces missin' from that box, not four! So then the naxt question would be why is there four missing instead? The answer is because she ate the chocolate from a seperate box! You couldn' risk that I wouldn' eat the box instead o' givin' it ta ya! So ya bought two boxes, one which ya put on my doorstep, the other which ya poisoned!"

"Can you prove that there was another box of candy?" she demanded.

"Ya probably jus' threw it away!" Hamish exclaimed. "We can look at the trash, right Mr. Moss?"

She smirked. "Yes, except that garbage collection happened shortly after I got home, meaning evidence of such a box would be lost forever, wouldn't it?"

Moss mirrored her smirk. "Except it wasn't, was it, Duken?"

"Hmm...? Me...?" he asked blinking.

"What was it that you offered Hamish?"

"Oh! Candy!" Hamish exclaimed. "He reached inta his pocket when he said it..."

"Tell me, Duken... Where did ya get the candy?"

"Your trash," Duken replied.

"You can't prove that it was I who threw that candy in there! It could have been there for days! You know how disgusting Duken can be..." she replied.

"'Cept I can... Thanks to Hamish!"

"Huh? Me, sir?" Hamish asked, blinking.

"Yeah, son. Ya knocked over the grabage can, remember? But the funny thane about that was that no garbage came out... Ya know why?" He stared at them all for a moment. "Because it was empty! That means that between Hamish knockin' over that can and Duken enterin' my house, someun had to put those chocolates in there! The only one who had the opportunity to do that... was you!"

Robin stared at him in shock for a few moments before swallowing. "I should have known better than to try to use you as my witness," she said quietly. "I thought that if you were trying to find someone who was trying to kill you... That your thinking skills would be impaired..."

Yarda gasped. "So Robin... you?"

"Yes... It's like Moss said... I killed Kalen... What tipped you off? Was it really the amount of chocolate in the box?"

"Naw... It was the fact that ya mentioned a bet. Kalen never would've made a bet against ya if he already saw the movie..." He shook his head. "He was too honest for that... After I realized that, everythane else fell in place... Ya should have chosen yer lies more carefully, Ms. Robin."

"Yes... Yes, I suppose I should've... Well... I suppose you'll be calling the police soon? If you'd excuse me... I'd like to rest some more before they show up..." Sighing, Robin closed her eyes, leaving everyone staring at her.

Shaking his head, Moss put a hand on Hamish's shoulder. "Come on, son. Let's go."

Hamish followed after him, glancing back at her once more. "Mr. Moss...?"

"Yeah, son?"

"How can ya do it?"

"Do what?"

"Solve hard crimes like that?" Hamish looked back once again. "I never even suspected..."

Moss shrugged. "Well... Ta tell ya the truth... I don't really know... Thanes jus' fit tagether for me..."

"Oh... Do ya think I'll be able to do it someday?"

The detective smiled in amusement. "Not on yer life, boy... Not on yer life."

End Case 2

A/N So... What did you think?