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Chapter Ten: Pearls and Perfume
August 18th, 1962
New Grace Hospital, New York
HowardPOV
Howard sighed heavily to himself as he watched one of his closest friends through the window looking into her hospital room. Peggy was laid out on the bed, certainly appearing as though she has seen better days. At least half of her body was covered in gauze, and the other half was either badly cut up, bruised, or burned, curtesy of the explosion that she had unknowingly walked into just the previous day. Anyone with eyes could see that with injuries like that, she was sure to be in terrible pain, but thankfully she was under some strong medication and couldn't feel it yet. Howard would be lying to himself if he said that he hadn't been on edge since he got the call about the incident, and he felt no sense of relief, even now after Peggy had survived hours of surgery. He looked on as she rested, with Will dutifully sitting by her side, having not left since he was allowed to go into the room over an hour ago. He was holding his wife's hand in his, tracing his fingers delicately over her knuckles as though he were afraid that he would break her if he handled her too roughly. Howard knew that Peggy couldn't stand being treated in such a way—her independent, stubborn, bull-headedness dated back to the very first time he ever met her. However, considering the devastating expression on Will's face as he gazed at the woman he loved in such a state, he could understand that this was definitely an exceptional circumstance.
"Mr. Stark?"
Turning away from the window, Howard rubbed his forehead in a futile attempt to subdue the headache that had been plaguing him for most of the day as he faced a young man who was striding down the hallway towards him. He recognized him as one of the few undercover S.H.I.E.L.D agents that he had placed at the hospital entrance when he had first arrived that morning. Simmons was his name, if he remembered correctly. Immediately drawing himself up straighter, Howard locked eyes with the rookie before him.
"Is my driver back yet?" Howard asked.
"No sir, but we're keeping an eye out," the rookie replied.
Howard nodded at this. He had sent Jarvis to pick up Evie at the airport when her flight landed, so it shouldn't be too much longer before he expected them to arrive.
"How is Director Prescott, sir?" Simmons inquired.
"Still alive, thankfully," Howard replied briskly. "Is there a reason you are not at your post?"
"Forgive me, sir, but I was instructed to pass along important information to you," Simmons said, glancing around for any potential eavesdroppers before adding in a whisper. "About the explosion."
Howard's lips thinned and he instantly understood the sensitivity of the situation. Without a word, he gestured for Simmons to follow him, and the two men walked down the hallway together. They were able to find an empty waiting room just around the corner, and once they were inside, Howard turned towards Simmons and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for him to speak.
"I just received word from Agent Jalinski, sir," Simmons began, reaching into his suit to pull out a manilla envelope and holding it out to Howard. "I'm sorry to say this sir, but there's evidence that this was not an accident."
"What?" Howard said, his tone sharp and surprise flickering across his face. "What are you talking about, Simmons? There was a gas leak, the man who owns the damn building was behind on the inspections."
"Agent Jalinski and his men did some more thorough examinations of what was left at the site," Simmons explained as Howard snatched the folder out of his hands. "Based off of the evidence they found, it wasn't a leak at all. This was a deliberate attack on Director Prescott."
"No," Howard muttered, his eyes quickly scanning over the documents in the file, as well as the many pictures that were taken at the scene.
"I'm afraid so, sir. The room the Director was in when the suffered the brunt of the explosion when it happened, and our analysis team concluded that it shouldn't have, not when the leak and the source of the fire was supposedly in the back room. There was nothing flammable that could have caused the damage to be as bad as it was, and multiple suspicious looking fragments of some sort of device was located at the scene as well. Our teams are observing it now, but based off what they were able to find, it looks like it was—"
"A bomb," Howard hissed angrily, glaring down at the picture of the scattered fragments. He cursed loudly, snapping the folder closed and resisting the urge to throw it across the room. Taking a moment to collect himself, Howard began slowly pacing in from of Simmons, drawing in deep breaths. How could he have been so stupid? Peggy had called him before she left S.H.I.E.L.D, said one of their undercover agents had something big to disclose, but the people they were tailing were getting very suspicious of him, and he asked to meet with Peggy in secret. If this was any other mission, Peggy wouldn't have easily agreed to it, but this organization they were following…there were rumors going around that sent only those on the "need to know" basis on high alert. Something only Howard, Peggy, and extremely few others knew. If it was true, this could create both wonderful and horrible consequences, not just for them, but for the world.
"What about the undercover agent we had infiltrating?" Howard asked. "Was his body found?"
"No, sir," Simmons replied. "We have checked with witnesses around the area, no one saw Director Prescott go inside the building with anyone, nor anyone else enter that they were aware of. There was something that one of Jalinski's men had, but we're not sure if it means anything."
"Well, what is it?" Howard demanded. He was willing to grasp at anything he could at this point.
"Well, there was a homeless woman sitting on a stoop just a few blocks away," Simmons explained. "After the explosion happened, she looked over and saw the smoke that was rising. She didn't move from her spot, said whatever was going on had nothing to do with her. But a few minutes after, she heard someone rushing down the street past her, like they were in a hurry. She assumed it was someone who got spooked and ran away, scared."
"Was she able to see what they looked like?" Howard said.
"Yes. It was dark, the person wore black slacks with a dark, navy blue coat, but she said that it was definitely a woman. Said she could tell by her figure. She wore a blue Setson hat that covered her hair and most of her face, as well as expensive-looking heels. The homeless woman thought she saw a pearl bracelet poking out of the coat sleeves, and she caught a whiff of strong perfume when she passed by. Chanel No. 5, but unfortunately she couldn't remember anything else—"
"Hold up!" Howard said, whipping around to face Simmons, his eyes blown wide and his body going rigid. "What did you just say? Which perfume?"
"Uh, Chanel No. 5," Simmons repeated warily. "But it's not a very uncommon brand, it barely narrows down the list of potential suspects."
"There's only one person I know that has time to make herself look like she just walked off of a walkway even when pulling off a hit," Howard almost growled, his mind working on overdrive as unpleasant memories cascaded through it. "Someone who only wears the best brands, has an affinity for pearls, and always wears Chanel No. 5, no matter the occasion. It's a strong hunch, but I need more proof. Simmons, find that homeless woman and bring her in for more questioning. We need concrete confirmation."
"Who do you believe she saw?" Simmons asked.
"Underwood," Howard answered. "Dottie Underwood. Director Prescott and I had the misfortune of dealing with her in the past. She's a skilled assassin and fighter, and most certainly had the means to pull this off. She's been in the wind for years now, but it looks like she may have finally surfaced again. Simmons, once we can confirm it was Underwood who did this, I want you to head back to S.H.I.E.L.D and assemble the best agents that are free."
"Of course, sir," Simmons agreed instantly. "What are your instructions?"
"Assign half of them to locate our undercover agent that was supposed to meet Director Prescott. We need to make sure that he is safe and find out if he had anything to do with the attack. Because if he has, if he has defected, then I will strangle the life out of him myself. You and whoever remains will get started on tracking down Underwood."
"And what shall I tell the council members?" inquired.
"I will inform them of the situation myself," Howard replied. "With everything we've discovered, it's safe to say that tonight's events were not an accident—Director Prescott was deliberately attacked and almost killed. We are going to pull out all the stops to make sure the one responsible will face justice for it."
"Peggy was what?"
At the sound of a new voice joining the mix, Howards snapped his head over towards the entrance to the waiting room and his stomach dropped in a matter of seconds when he saw that Evie was standing there, along with Jarvis, and another man that he didn't know. It only took one look into Evie's eyes—which had a burning anger in them—to know that she had heard most of, it not all, of what he had just said. Cursing himself for what he knew was coming, Howard ran a hand through his hair, letting out a sound that was a mix between a grunt and a heavy sigh. Telling Simmons to give them some privacy, he waited until the agent left before turning around to face the new arrivals fully.
"Evie," he greeted softly, a part of him happy to see his friend despite the circumstances.
"Howard, so help me, if you even think about lying to me, or keeping me out of the loop…" Evie started in a low tone.
"Good to see you too, Mon Cherie," he said with an eye roll. "I'm doing well, thank you, how are you? I've missed you like crazy, as per usual. Oh, Maria? She's amazing, but that's really nothing new."
Evie let out an exasperated huff of annoyance, yet she still strode forward and gave him a tight hug, some of her tense muscles relaxing when he returned it.
"I've missed you too, you idiot," she muttered, giving him a squeeze before releasing him. Howard flashed her one of his signature smiles and then turned his attention to the unknown young man that Evie had brought along with her. This man was standing off to the side, a somewhat shy and awkward aura around him. He had light brown curls atop his head, with dark brown eyes that was observing Howard with a certain curiosity. The engineer was used to meeting people that would stare at him with a type of awe in their faces, or an eagerness to charm him for one reason or another. Seeing this man's lack of either one was odd, but it also gave him an idea of who the man might be.
"You must be Elias?" Howard asked him.
"Yes, sir," Elias confirmed with a nod, walking forward with his hand outstretched. "It's good to meet you, Mr. Stark."
"Please, call me Howard," he said, approving of the strong, confident grip Elias had as they shook hands. "I'm glad Evie finally decided to share you with someone other than herself, although I do admit that I wish we were meeting under different circumstances."
"Howard," Evie cut in, her tone calm but her demeanor practically screaming her need for answers. "What happened with Peggy?"
A heavy sigh was what Howard offered her in response before looking over at his faithful butler.
"Jarvis, would you please be a pal and go with Elias to get some coffee?"
"Of course, sir."
"I'm sorry son, but I'll have to save my 'If you hurt her, I will make sure no one ever finds you' speech for another time," Howard said to Elias. "Right now, Evie and I have to talk shop."
Elias didn't appear too happy to being left out of the conversation, but a part of him seemed to understand that whatever was going on was just a little above his pay grade. He eventually nodded and then—after giving Evie a soft kiss on the cheek—followed Jarvis out of the waiting room. Once they were gone, Howard and Evie had the room to themselves, and he gestured for her to take a seat on some available chairs. She accepted without question, and the very moment she sat down, she turned her body to face him, looking expectant, and waited for him to start talking. Knowing very well how she was going to take this information, Howard clasped his hands in front of him and decided it was best to just get it over with.
"We quite literally discovered new evidence that this was not an accident," he explained, knowing that she wanted him to get right to the point of the matter. "Peggy was set up. I believe I had a strong hunch as to who was behind it, but I'm waiting for solid confirmation before we make a move against them."
"Who?" Evie said, her eyes narrowed.
"Dottie Underwood," Howard replied.
"The assassin you both told me about? The one who kidnapped you?"
"The very same, yes. We have a witness that we are going to be bringing in, hopefully within the hour, so we can be one hundred percent sure, but I's positive that it's her. We don't have an inkling of a motive, but we can work all of that out once we get here in here."
Howard watched as Evie took in a slow breath, knowing that she was more than likely trying to control her emotions. She clenched her hands into fists on her lap, and he briefly wondered if there would be any light emitting from her palms if she were to open them. After a minute, Evie asked him where Peggy was when it all happened, and he told her all about the tip that Peggy received from their undercover agent. He also told her about the evidence they had found at the sight of the explosion, and his theories as to why he thought Underwood was the cause of it.
"But why would Peggy go to meet this man completely alone?" Evie asked, the frustration clear in her voice. "She knows better than that, she should have had someone with her to watch her back! What was so important that she had to go to that warehouse straight away?"
It was here that Howard hesitated, drawing his eyes away from hers, an uncomfortable feeling twisting uncomfortably in his gut. Absentmindedly, he began rubbing his hands together, his mind going a thousand miles a minute to figure out exactly what to say to his best friend. Lying to her was not an option—he had learned from that mistake years ago. But how would she take news as big as this when it was nothing more than unconfirmed, hushed whispers?
"Howard?" Evie said, brining him out of his thoughts. "Howard what is it? What are you not telling me?"
She needs to know this. Drawing himself up straighter, Howard cleared his throat.
"Evie, before I tell you this, you need to know that this is all just gossip and rumors," he started. "We have no idea if this intel is real, and no evidence was presented to back it up. The undercover agent that Peggy was supposed to meet had crucial information to share with her, information that couldn't wait. He had infiltrated a criminal organization, they call themselves the Scarlet Knights. I swear, whoever came up with that name deserves a life sentence. Anyway, there was a rumor going around that the Knights had discovered something big, something that only the high-ranking members were aware of. Our agent's mission was to find out what that classified information was and report it back to us."
"What was it?" Evie asked him.
"Rumor has it that this organization located the crash sight of the Valkyrie and is planning on digging for Captain America's corpse to use any salvageable parts to try and recreate the Super Soldier Serum."
There was complete silence after Howard spoke, and he eyes Evie carefully to gage her reaction to this news. The woman has turned into a statue where she sat, unmoving and it was hard to tell if she was even breathing. For a moment it seemed like her entire form had frozen over, her face blank. The only reaction that he could visibly see was the ones flickering through her eyes like a light switch, and he could only imagine the turmoil that must be raging inside of her body. A few minutes had passed without any other sort of reaction, and Howard started to worry that he might have broken her. He called her name a couple of times with no response, and just as he was thinking he should flag down a nearby nurse, Evie appeared to come out of her state of shock. She slowly stood to her feet and began pacing at a snail's pace in front of him, just as he had down earlier. Her hands were clasped together as if in prayer, forming a shaking fist that she pressed against her mouth.
"They found him?" she whispered.
"Maybe," Howard answered. "If anything, they think they did. Our agent supposedly was going to tell Peggy all the details and risked his cover to deliver them as quickly as possible. That's why Peggy went off without backup—she knew how important this was. But we don't know if the Knights somehow found out they were infiltrated and hired Underwood to do the hit, or if our man betrayed us. We haven't been able to find him yet. Remember, we don't know for sure if this is even true."
"But there is a slight possibility," Evie stated, her voice still quiet as she moved.
"Yes," Howard confirmed honestly. "And if they did, if they find any remains at all…"
"No."
Evie suddenly whipped around to face Howard, and he finally could see a clear expression on her face: Rage. Pure, unadulterated rage, with fire dancing in her eyes. Howard was truly surprised that her body wasn't glowing, even though he could practically see it vibrating from where he sat.
"No," Evie repeated in a low, cold hiss. "They are not going to ransack that plane for Steve's parts to create their own mad science out of it!To try and recreate him! I refuse to let that happen!"
"Evie, I know you're upset—"
"Upset!" she exclaimed. "I am beyond upset at this point! I want to hunt every last one of those bastards down and strangle the very life out of them! You and I spent years searching for him, Howard. Years! Now these lowlife criminals think they can just desecrate his tomb and take him away when I tried so hard to bring him home?! No!"
Evie then began ranting off in her native German tongue, and given the heat behind her words, Howard was sure she was rounding off every single cuss word she knew. She continued on like this for a little while and he just let her, understanding that she needed to get this off of her chest. He knew that she would react this way, but he could not blame her at all. A part of him was also angry at the fact that the Knights had the gall to try and grave rob America's greatest war hero and the world's first superhero, who also happened to be the love of his best friend's life in the past. He could never forget the devastation on Evie's face when she realized they would not be able to find Steve Rogers and have a proper burial for him, nor the guilt that ate away at him for so long for having failed her. All Howard could do at the moment was be there for Evie in whatever way he could. When she was finally done with her yelling, she fell quiet, taking in sharp, deep breaths to try and calm herself once more. She had closed her eyes, mouthing words to herself that Howard did not understand, and when she opened them again, his chest hurt a little when he saw the unshed tears in her hazel orbs.
"How long have you known about this?" she eventually asked him.
"About a month," he told her. "Our agent had been undercover longer than that, but when we started hearing the rumors about this, he was already getting in with the higher ups in the group, and we've been working our asses off trying to get confirmation about it. I swear Evie, I wasn't hiding it, I just didn't want to get your hopes up and have them crushed again. If we found out it was true, you would have been the first one I called."
"I know," Evie said, sniffling slightly. "I believe you, Howard. Thank you for telling me the truth, it means a lot to me. You said that your men were bringing in a witness to confirm if Underwood caused the explosion?"
"Yes," Howard said with a nod.
"Good. Because if it was her that did this to Peggy, whether she is a member of the Knights or not…I am going after her."
A few years ago, Howard would have tried to talk Evie out of it. He would have reminded her that it was crucial for her to remain lying low, to keep her abilities and identity a secret from those who would wish to do her harm. Tell her that vengeance was not the answer, that it would end up doing more harm than good, that this case was a job for S.H.I.E.L.D, not civilians. She was way too attached to this, and he knew it. But seeing her now, with a righteous fury burning in her face, a need to avenge someone she loved and prevent the Knights from doing treacherous things, possibly to others…he knew he could not deny her. If he did, there was no doubt in his mind she would hunt Underwood down—hunt them all down—on her own. At least this way he can keep watch over her and protect her as best he can.
It's a good thing I upgraded her pistols, then,
"All right," he agreed. "You'll have your clearance to be involved with this. But Evie, you are only to assist with bringing Underwood in. Alive. We will get the information we need out of her, and then S.H.I.E.L.D will put a stop to the Knights ourselves. I know that you can kick ass, but you are not a specially trained agent, and you haven't been in a battle of any sort for decades, now. This situation needs to be handled delicately and discreetly. Do we have a deal?"
Howard could tell by the look on her face that Evie wasn't in favor of this arrangement, but after a moment of silence, she huffed and then gave a nod of agreement.
"Deal."
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=
EliasPOV
"I thought you said that part of your life was over."
"It is over, Elias. I just need to do this one thing, and then I'll be done."
"Why do I have a hard time believing that?"
Evie sighed in a way that Elias knew all to well—half in exasperation, and half in frustration, but he couldn't find it in himself to care at the moment. Not when his girlfriend was about to do something so incredibly stupid that could get her hurt. The two of them were currently standing in the foyer of Howard Stark's mansion, arguing over the mission that Evie had volunteered herself for. It had been two days since they arrived at the hospital to visit her friend that had been badly injured. Apparently, there was much more to the story than that, and in a way, Elias was still trying to wrap his head around it all. After he had returned from the cafeteria with Mr. Jarvis, they all stayed at the hospital for a while so Evie could see Peggy and comfort her husband, Will. Elias had stuck to a corner of the room for the most part, not wanting to intrude much on the scene. He couldn't imagine what Mr. Prescott was going through. If something had happened to Evie, and he found out that it wasn't an accident…he would definitely lose his mind. Elias would no doubt be broken up inside and have a dangerous thirst for revenge if someone had purposely harmed the woman he loved with all his heart. There wasn't much that he could do and it bothered him to be so helpless, but he knew that he had to be there to for Evie. The Prescotts and Starks were her family.
After a while, Howard had told his butler, Mr. Jarvis, to take him to take both Elias and Evie to his home so that way they wouldn't need to stay in a hotel. While Elias had been grateful for his kindness, he knew that something was off with Evie. From the moment they left the hospital, there was a look in her eyes he had never seen before, and it made him a tad uneasy and worried. She had been quiet for the whole drive to the mansion, and even though it was late at night, neither one of them felt like sleeping. Therefore, Jarvis had made them some coffee with cookies, and it was then that Evie explained to him what she had Howard talked about.
To say Elias was absolutely stunned would be an understatement. Evie told him all that she knew about Peggy's attempted assassination, and the people who were most likely behind it all. As she talked, the look in her eyes had ignited tenfold and he had a feeling—even before she told him—of what she was planning to do.
And now, they were still fighting over her decision days later. Howard informed them that it was confirmed that Dottie Underwood was behind the explosion that nearly killed Mrs. Prescott, and if there was ever a time when Elias hated Evie's fierce determination and unbearable stubbornness, it was most definitely now.
"She tried to kill one of my best friends," Evie said in a tone of barely restrained calm. "There is no way I'm going to let her get away with it."
"I'm sure that Stark has people under his command that can handle this," Elias countered. "They don't need you, why does it have to be you that brings her in?"
"There will be other agents with me, I won't be alone," Evie reminded him.
"I'm pretty sure this Underwood woman will have an armed and trained escort of her own, if she thinks that someone's picked up her trail," Elias stated. "And I'm guessing this is no ordinary hit woman either, right? Otherwise you wouldn't have been assigned a team to go with you. She's dangerous, isn't she?"
"She is," Evie replied reluctantly. "She's probably one of the most fiersome foes that Howard and Peggy ever had to deal with."
"Yet you're running off to go face her?!"
"I can't just sit around and do nothing!" Evie exclaimed heatedly. "Someone hurt my family!"
"You're my family, Evie, and dammit, I can't lose you too!" Elias yelled back.
Evie's angry expression fell and she looked shocked at what he said, while Elias cursed softly to himself, feeling his cheeks burn a bright shade of red and he turned away from her, running his hand through his hair.
"I know you can take care of yourself," he muttered, keeping his voice even. "And I understand how much your friends mean to you, I really do. But these people, this organization, they sound horrible and it reminds me too much of HYDRA. What if something goes wrong? What if you go right into a trap, and they take you, or kill you? I couldn't—I…"
His voice trailed off and he needed a moment to collect himself, refusing to let his emotions get the best of him. It was quiet between the two of them, and as the seconds rolled by, Elias felt his heartbeat become more steady, repressing the agitation bubbling inside of him. Then, Evie spoke, so low that he had to strain his ears in order to hear her properly.
"They might have found Steve."
Elias turned around, his eyes widening in surprise and his churning, whirlwind thoughts coming to an abrupt halt.
"What?"
"The Knights," Evie clarified, swallowing thickly. "They might have found the plane, and they're—they're going to scavenge for any possible remains from the body and use them to do God knows what. That's why Peggy got hurt. She was meeting someone to gather any information she could because she knew how much it would mean to me to give Steve a funeral. To bring me peace. My sister was almost killed because of me, and I need to make it right. I have to."
For a moment, Elias just stood there, listening carefully to what Evie was saying, and he couldn't deny the fact that he was feeling a conflict of emotions running through him. There was a part of him that was hurt, knowing that Evie's drive to hunt down Underwood had to do with her old love, Steve Rogers. Or, as Elias knew him, Captain America. Evie had opened up and finally told Elias about him only recently. She told him that they were together when he died saving the world, and the idea that she may still have feelings towards the hero, even though he was gone, was hard for him to hear, and he could feel his heart ache terribly inside his chest.
But the more logical side of him now had a better understanding of Evie's motives. She felt responsible for her friend getting hurt, and someone was threatening to tarnish the legacy of someone she had loved as well. Someone she still felt the loss of, even if it was minimal in size. Despite his objections, Elias could tell that Evie felt as though she needed to do this, to right a wrong that has such deep connections to her past. A past so traumatic that it was difficult to put into words.
And I would know plenty about that. Soon enough, Elias came forward towards Evie and cupped her face in his hands, tilting it up so that they were staring directly into each other's eyes.
"You're going to go, no matter what, aren't you?" he asked. "Nothing I say or do will change your mind?"
The brunette's eyes were deeply apologetic as she nodded, placing both of her warm hands over his chest. Elias closed his eyes, ignoring the pain that seared through his very being, and he leaned his forehead against hers, lowering his voice to a whisper.
"Promise me that you will come back," he pleaded. "Promise me that you will do anything it takes to come back to me. Don't do anything rash that will get yourself killed. Please."
"I promise," she breathed pushing herself closer to him. "I love you, Elias."
"I love you, too. So much."
Their lips met in a kiss, and Elias poured all that he could into it, holding his love against him and reveling in the way she fit so perfectly into his arms. Her hair smelled like summer roses, and her lips tasted like sweet berries that he couldn't get enough of. They broke apart only when the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted their intimate moment, and the two of them looked over to see Jarvis standing by the front door. The older Englishman seemed embarrassed at having stepped in on them, his cheeks a bit pink, however he was still very proper as he spoke to them.
"I am sorry to interrupt," he said to them. "But it is time to go, Miss Erskine. Mr. Stark is waiting for you at Headquarters."
Evie thanked Jarvis, and as the butler opened the door for her, she turned back to gaze up at Elias. His heart fluttered a bit when he saw the tender love she had shining in her beautiful eyes.
"I'll be back soon, darling. I promise."
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Hello everyone. I'm sorry for the late update for this chapter, and I'm sorry if it seems a bit rushed at the end. I've been at this for hours and I'm very, very tired, but I wanted to get this chapter done for you all. I hope that you all like it, I diverted from my original storyline so for the next couple of chapters at least, I'm kind of winging it. Hopefully I don't mess it up too bad.
NOTE:I have never watched the "Agent Carter" series, but it is something I intend to get around to eventually. Any and all information I have on Dottie Underwood or any references to the show are strictly from what I was able to research online. I have no idea if she was into pearls or Channel No. 5, I was only incorporating my own flare into what little I know of her character, so if I am completely off the mark, please go easy on me. Also, this is my first time ever trying a hand at a mystery/film noir kind of chapter, so I know it sucks, but I will get better with practice.
Please leave a review to tell me what you think, and I will see you guys in the next chapter!
