I think I better do another one-shot in here before I let this thing curl like linoleum... o.O

Done in first person POV. Semi-AU in respect that PP never happened.

17. Investigate

It's what he did now. Nothing more, nothing less..

People drop by my office every now and again, bringing me old missing persons reports and asking me to solve cases that all other people thought were unsolvable. In a sense, I'm like a last resort to people- definitely not someone you want to go and see first. Why? Beats me. I thought I charged a pretty darn good amount of money to do my work. Times are hard in Amity Park, and my workload has been overflowing on my desk- so much I have to clean it and reorganize my papers once a week. I'm a pretty clean person. It's just that those manila envelopes keep stacking and stacking on my desk.

I have one pile for murders, one pile for kidnappings, and still another one for missing people who haven't been kidnapped. And Sam wonders how I manage to get all my papers mixed and mingled with each other on my desk. The piles are literally two feet high- I measured once when I was trying to solve the Foley/Gray case of their missing daughter. Turns out she went into the ghost zone for a bit for a school dare or something. Honestly, who does that sort of thing? I know I didn't in the day.

I'm a private investigator now, if you didn't notice. New cases come in every day, and I have to go through each of them one by one. I have to see what I recognize from the data they give me. I have to ask them questions that they don't want to answer. I have to go and chase ghosts sometimes to try and get the answers I want. Hell, sometimes I have to go back to my own family and ask them things about the past they want to stay buried.

Look, I don't know what happened to Amity Park over the years, but from what I saw, it deteriorated under Mayor Masters' rule. Ghosts came in more often. My high school life became more intense. College was looming over our heads like some sort of crazy ghost trying to escape from his thermos. And now I see the city for all it's worth. After so many grim realizations came into play...

My identity exposed by Vlad Masters himself... Sam moving out of the city... college...

God, it's really been hell.

But that's beyond the point right now.

Sam moved back to Amity Park around two years ago, and since then, we've started a private investigator business that has practically made us millionaires overnight. No one else seems to want to solve these wonderfully gruesome cases besides me and Sam. What I don't get is why Tucker won't join i on the whole thing. Probably because of the fact he's wanting to settle down with Valerie and his little girl.

I've been out of college for ten years now. Graduated in 2015 after getting my MD- Master's Degree.

Fun? Can't say it's been all fun and games tracking down criminals.

I'm not here to talk about my life story, though- even though I did give you a run-down of what's happened so far.

My latest customer just so happened to be my sister, Jazz. She's been off doing some psychology work and hasn't had any time to see me for the past few months. I just thought she came by to visit me for a moment before she went off to some asylum again to help other people in their own little world. urns out, she's got a case for me now, too. My own sister has a manila envelope for me to study. Isn't that a nice way to greet your brother you haven't seen in months?

She put down the envelope and took off her coat, eyeing me warily, as if I was some sort of time bomb. "Sorry for bursting in on such short notice."

"What notice?" I tried to quip.

Jazz moved it in front of me and studied my reaction as I opened the folder and looked at the contents inside. Papers of his disappearance, newspaper clippings, DVDs of some of his more infamous speeches... I raised an eyebrow, gritting my teeth. She had to be kidding me. Jazz wanted me to look for him? I looked up at my sister and put down the folder. "Why? What's so important about him?"

She looked flustered and winced at the slightly sharp edge in my voice. "Well, he's one of my patients, Danny. I have so man things of him ranting about you and his ghost powers and everything. He's still mad about everything that's happened over the years that you've been a half ghost. And he talks about that day that he exposed you to the city..."

"I don't want to hear about that day," I told her flatly. "It brings enough bad memories as it is. You really think you gotta put salt in the open wound?"

The woman looked distressed. "No one else will take this case. You're the only person left, Danny. You've gotta find him."

I ran my fingers through my raven hair. "At what cost, though, Jazz? I don't know what he's going to do if I find him. And if what you're saying is true, he's going to practically destroy me on the spot."

She looked really upset by all of this now, giving me awkward looks and glancing at the papers on my desk. It really did pain me to see her in this right state, and the last thing I wanted to do is turn down someone in need- especially my own sister. A sigh escaped my lips and and I pulled the file towards me. "I'll get on it as soon as I can. You can pay me when I get back to you about the result of the whole thing."

Jazz looked happier than when she was probably having one of her patients in a room with her. She stood up and grabbed her coat, giving me a warm smile. "I need to thank you for this. Really. How can I repay you?"

I shook my head. "I'll tell you later. Just... just get back to what you were doing before you dropped this off, all right?"

She nodded and walked out the door moments later. After hearing it shut, I leaned back in my chair and groaned.

The disappearance of Vlad Masters- no wonder no one else wanted to solve it. He had been gone for quite a number of years... give or take, probably four. And everyone was fine with it- until war for power broke out amongst the citizens.

It would be put away for another day. I had too many other murders and kidnapping to solve right now.

Was it a mistake to even take Vlad's case file in the first place?

Okay, then... someone say weird. Anyways, school is done next week- June 5th. Eight more days. -sighs- Projects, papers, exams... need I say more?