It was 8:30 PM at night. Tails, Vanilla, and Cream were having a quiet dinner. They were having fresh steak, corn on the cob, and for dessert, carrot cake.
Tails poked his steak with a knife, wondering if the meat was too red to eat.
"Tails," said Vanilla with her mouth full, "are fuu mm-mght?" She chewed and swallowed down the piece of steak in her mouth and sighed.
"That's better! What's wrong, Tails? Don't you like your steak?"

Normally, Tails didn't mind eating meat. But he still felt unsettled when it came to being around Cream now. All day he'd been avoiding her,
trying to get some alone time with Vanilla to talk. But no matter where he went, Cream was one step ahead of him. She was always on his tails,
following him everywhere. Even when he was just going out for a walk, he knew she was right behind him, somewhere.
He could tell because he heard the sound of ears flapping in the wind. Like a spy in the sky, she just wouldn't leave him alone.
What did he do to deserve this, he thought.

"Tails?"
Tails snapped out of his daze to see Vanilla's sad eyes. She was standing next to him, giving him her worried look.
"Are you feeling okay? You've been acting strange all day. At lunch, you didn't feel like eating either. Even when Cream offered to feed you.."
Cream gave Tails a smug look.
"Yeah, Tails. I would've fed you your lunch, if you just let me."
Tails grumbled something under his breath.
"What was that, Tails?"
"Oh, it's nothing, Ms. Rabbit," he said, pretending to be content. "I'm not feeling too well, since last night, you know?"
Vanilla thought back to last night, remembering how her weight hurt his tail. She put a hand on his cheek, feeling guilty.
"Tails," she whispered in his ear, "I promise I'll make it right..tonight." Tails blushed, but the warm feeling in his heart quickly turned to fear
when he heard a loud clink sound. Cream had stabbed her steak, as if she was trying to kill something that was already dead.
"What," said Cream slowly, "are you guys talking about over there?"
Before Vanilla could reply, the doorbell chimed.

"No need to get up," said Tails excitedly, "I'll get it!"
He leaped up and out of his chair and ran for the door. When he got there, he felt an unbridled sense of joy fill his very being.
"They're here, they're here!"
He opened the door, only to be rewarded with disappointment at the sight of the muscle-headed member of Team Chaotix, Vector.
"What...Vector? Where are the other guys?"
In one hand, the croc had his headphones. He kept his other hand preoccupied by using his index finger to dig in his ear.
"Vector! Do you hear me? VECTOR!"
Somehow through his ear, Vector heard him. He popped the finger out of his ear, wiped it on the side of the door, and slapped his headphones back on.
Then he grinned through his razor-sharp teeth and said, "Never fear! The Chaotix is here!"
"Uh, no they're not! It's just you! Why aren't Charmy and Espio with you?"
"Hey," the crocodile bellowed, "AREN'T I GOOD ENOUGH FOR YA!"
Tails hushed him. "Quiet, damn it! Vanilla and Cream don't need to know you're here!"
"But why not?"
A voice called from the kitchen. "Tails, who's at the door? Is it the mailman?"
"No, Ms. Rabbit! It's...nothing! Hahah!" He faked a laugh as he pushed Vector outside and went after him.

He shut the door softly, then gave the croc his full attention. "Okay, so I'm guessing your friends are too busy to help out, huh?"
Vector nodded his head. "Yeah! Espio's out in the forest somewhere training, honing those..uh, nin..nin..what'd he call em?"
"Ninjitsu?"
"That's it! His ninjitsu skills! And Charmy's out spreading the word about our detective agency! He's throwin flyers everywhere, so we'll be rollin' in dough soon enough!"
Tails shook his head. He thought Espio's speed and Charmy's wits would come in handy for what he had in mind. But with Vector...it would be like pulling teeth.

"Crap. Well, you know what they say. Make do with what ya got."

"Enough small talk," said the croc impatiently. "Let's get to it! What's my mission, and what does it pay? Cause you know the Chaotix don't work for free!"
Tails told him all about Cream and the threat she'd issued to him, to which he replied...

"And?"
"And..what?"
"Is that it? You're scared of what may have NOT been a threat from a little girl!"
Tails got mad. "You weren't there when she gave me that look, man. You don't know what I'm dealing with here!"
"And you want me to what now?"
"Dig up some dirt on her. You know? Like a detective! That's what you guys do, isn't it?"
"OF COURSE! But this doesn't seem right. Investigating a kid to see if she's a murderer? Come on, Tails! I wouldn't take that case for nothing!
You can't buy my sleuthing skills!"
Tails pulled out a wad of ten dollar bills and handed it to Vector. He counted it in his hands. One-hundred big ones.
"Okay. Sounds interesting! The mighty Vector will consider your case! So all's I got to do is find out if she's a killer or not?"
"Yep. That's it. And once you're done, meet me atop the first loop closest to the Sunset Hill Zone. It's at least three miles from here.
Cream won't follow me farther than the oak trees down the road from here. At that distance, she could care less if I ended up alive or dead.
So long as I stayed far away from her mom."
Vector gave Tails long, hard look. "W-what, Vector? Is there something wrong with the mission? Can't do it?"
"It's not that, it's just...why do you want to find out if she's a killer, anyway? If she wants to keep you away from Ms. Rabbit, then I don't see the problem!
It's not like she's special to you in any way, right?"
Vanilla was special to him. He didn't want to lose this new relationship he had with her. So he pulled out five ten dollar bills and handed them to Vector.
"Huh, what's this?"
"This is your silence fee," said Tails slyly, "to keep your mouth shut and to...no matter what happens...not rat me out to anyone.
That means don't tell Cream or especially Ms. Rabbit about the mission you're on for me! If anyone asks, you're here to see the swamp!"
"But," said Vector, "there's no swamps around here!"
"I don't care! Make something up! And don't screw up your mission. Or I'll tell the world that the Chaotix Detective Agency is an unreliable group of losers
that can't even conduct a simple task to save their own lives!"
"Okay, okay! I got it! Yeesh! Ya don't need to rip mah head off about it! I'll hide somewhere close and sneak into her room at night. Then, I'll take some clues,
get some sources, the usual thing!"
That was the answer Tails was looking for. "Excellent. Then get to work."

Tails was ready to go back in, when Vector said...

"Hold it! How am I going to get in and get out of the kid's room if she's in there? I don't think you know this, but I'm not the stealth guy of the group!"
To this, Tails pulled out a small, white and red pill.
"Not a problem. Cream's going to take a long, long nap. I whipped this up with some paprika and jasmine tea I found in the kitchen. Can't tell you how hard
THAT was with just a screwdriver and my bare hands. I'll slip this into Cream's cup before dinner is over. And then, for the next 10 hours, she'll be out like a light."
"And then, I'll be free to do my job?"
"Yeah. The walls in the room I'm staying in are soundproof, And I'll...uh, keep Ms. Rabbit busy the whole time. She won't have a chance to leave my room.
I'll make sure of that."

Tails drooled again at the thought of Vanilla's sexy body. He could hardly wait for tonight.
"Uh-huh! Sounds perfect! I like this plan!"
"Me too, Vector. Me...too. Alright, I'll see you again later at the Sunset Hill Zone.
Don't forget, it's on the first loop not in the Zone, but close to it. There's trees and bushes and stuff."
"I got it, dude! But, uh..one more question?"
"Didn't I just pay you a silence fee?"
Vector panicked. "I-I know, I know! No questions! Keep my yap shut about it! But I'm just curious.
When you pushed me outside, you called Cream's mom...by her first name!"
Tails felt a shock run through the back of his tail.
"How'd you get her to give up her first name, Tails?"
"I...I...that does it! You can either give me back my money, or get going!"
Vector waved his hands in defense. "No need to get touchy! I'm going, I'm going!"
And Vector went behind the little cottage to hide. Tails went back inside, feeling queasy, nervous, and afraid.
But he gave himself a slap in the face and pulled himself together. He held on to the pill tightly in his hand and stamped his feet on the ground.
He was ready.

"Alright, it's showtime!"