Franziska and Simon followed Toughy into a small room. It had a fridge, a few cupboards and a locker.

"What is this room?" asked Franziska.

"This is my room." said Toughy. "As deputy warden, I am in charge of keeping a copy of the list of inmates in here. Can't let the warden keep track of everything."

"So you have a lot of duties around here?" asked Simon.

"Quite. Not so much that I don't know which end is up, but it's not a breeze."

"But I assume your salary makes up for it?"

Toughy let out a small laugh.

"Not even close. The warden gets paid too much for what he does. I, on the other hand, do all the hard work and get pittance. Who said life is fair?"

"And yet, you work hard to keep this place afloat, don't you?"

"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. We all gotta do our bit in this world."

"That's one way to look at it." said Franziska. "Anyway, what about the list?"

"Oh, right. Wait a minute."

He turned to the locker, took a key out and opened it. Franziska glanced inside. Aside from a bunch of papers, pens and pencils, it also had some unrelated supplies. For example, it had bandages, band-aids, iodine and antiseptic bottles and cotton."

"Those seem like weird things to keep in one's work locker." thought Franziska.

"Ah, here it is." said Toughy. He closed the locker and came back to them with a list in hand.

"There is something I noticed." said Franziska. "I don't mean to be prying, but…I glanced at your locker's contents. And not all of them seem relevant to your duties."

Toughy sighed.

"I know what you mean. It's simple, really. This locker also doubles as my fist-aid kit."

"Why is that?"

"Two words: budget cutbacks. The boss has a policy of only spending money on what is necessary for the employees. And, according to him, a first-aid kit is not a part of that category. He said "You have your own locker, what more do you need?"

"Wow, sounds like a real penny-pincher." commented Simon.

"Tell me about it. I've been feeling that every day for too many years."

To make his point clearer, Toughy opened one of the drawers.

"Look here."

They both looked. The drawer had one knife, two forks and two spoons inside.

"What are those?"

"I also eat food in here. No cafeteria for the staff. I bring my own lunch. These are my utensils And I have to eat it cold as there is no oven for heating. I barely convinced him to install this fridge to keep the food until the lunch break."

"Sounds like a hard way to work." thought Franziska. "Oh, what am I thinking?! I'm getting sidetracked here!"

"So, about the list…"she said, trying to get back on topic.

"Oh, yes. Sorry for rambling like that."

"No problem." said Simon. "We are here to listen to your woes should you need someone to do so."

"I'm not here for that!" thought Franziska.

Touhy read through the list. He seemed very scared once he got to a certain part of it.

"What is it?" asked Simon. "You are as white as a sheet."

"Th…the cell is 3B, correct?"

"Yes." said Franziska. "That is the cell across that of Mr. Waterloo. Who is staying there?"

"I…I never thought this would happen…"

"Come on!" Franziska began to lose her patience. "Out with it!"

"His name…is Francisco "The Spider" Black."

"Um…who is that?" asked Simon.

"Hey!" said Franziska. "Wait a minute! I…I think I remember that name! I had read about him in the newspaper He was some kind of…career larcenist, wasn't he?"

"Indeed. He had created a whole gang of people who robbed banks, stores and houses. He had amassed a fortune of many million dollars."

"Sounds like a real deal." said Simon.

"He was, in the bad way." said Toughy. "He dominated the marker by eliminating all the competition. He wiped out all other criminal gangs in the area."

"He killed them?"

"Not personally. He had some of his men do it. And so, after they caught him, they had no evidence to tie him to any of the murders. So, he was only convicted of many cases of larceny. He was sentenced to 7 years in prison."

"Only seven years?"

"That's as much as you can get for larceny. However, he still made an escape attempt, during which he was caught by a security guard. He killed him to silence him."

"Killed him?"

"Yes. He tried to cover his tracks but he failed. And so, he is now serving life in here. The world is safe form him."

"Good to know he got what he deserves." said Franziska.

"But it seems not even prison is enough to stop him."

"What do you mean?"

"There are rumors of him having created an entire network for smuggling illegal goods in and out of here."

"Network?"

"Yes. Naturally, he has many inmates working for him. But there is no way to prove anything. There are only rumors."

"He sounds like a real troublemaker." said Simon. "Do you think…"

"What?"

"Well…"

"Could he be involved in this?" asked Franziska.

"Well…not directly. We are keeping a watchful eye on him, just to be sure. But it's not impossible he had someone else do it."

"You mean some of the inmates could have done it for him?"

"Maybe. There are inmates I here who have benefited a lot from him. So, they are ready to do just about anything for him. Even…you know."

"Hmm. He definitely sounds important enough to talk to." said Franziska. "But first…could you perhaps give us all information you have on him. Maybe we can get some more ammunition to corner him, should it come to that."

"I see. If it helps you in your case, I will gladly share all my information with you."

Witness testimony

Everything about the spider

Francisco Black is a very dangerous man! That's why we call him spider!

He is a seasoned, hardened criminal and can take a lot of pressure.

Like I said, there are rumors that he is controlling a network of smuggled goods in this prison.

I always try to stay away from him. There is something wrong with him, that's for sure!

Just see his eyes! It's clear he is not well in the head!

"You seem quite informed about him." said Franziska.

"I have to. I am deputy warden, it is my duty to be aware of the background of all prisoners here. Particularly the "special cases." Like Black."

"I see. Now then, though it seems pointless, I need to cross-examine your testimony."

"Very well. I will provide you with whatever complementary information you need."

"Appreciated."

Cross-examination

Everything about the spider

Francisco Black is a very dangerous man! That's why we call him spider!

He is a seasoned, hardened criminal and can take a lot of pressure.

Hold it: "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Well…from what I heard at least, the police were interrogating him for eight weeks…and they still couldn't get a confession out of him."

"What?!"

"Sounds like a tough nut." said Simon.

"That's what I'm saying. Even when the court found him guilty and announced his incarceration here, he still didn't even flinch. He is always stone-cold serious. I've never seen that amount of self-control by anyone."

Hmm. That could be problematic for me." thought Franziska. "If he is that tough, we might not be able to coax information out of him."

Like I said, there are rumors that he is controlling a network of smuggled goods in this prison.

Hold it: "Is there any proof of that?"

"Unfortunately, no. We have tried interrogating him, but in vain. As before, his patience outlasted all of us."

"If the professionals couldn't crack him…" thought Franziska. "I don't even want to imagine how hard it will be to get him to cooperate. I will need different tactics than usual."

I always try to stay away from him. There is something wrong with him, that's for sure!

Hold it: "if you always stay away from him, how do you know so much about him?"

"Don't be confused. What I know about him is limited to rumors flying around prison and what the files say. I have never even talked to him. He is not exactly the kind of guy you want to go for drinks out with. He is the kind of guy that makes you want to switch pavements."

"So he scares you?"

"Kinda. Am I not justified? That guy is in prison and still manages to start an entire smuggling organization! Wouldn't you be scared? It looks lie nothing can stop him!"

"Hmmm. He certainly sounds like the type who strikes fear in people hearts." thought Franziska. "But he will not intimidate me! I will have to scare him to make him talk! But judging for what I've been told…that will be no easy task."

"I agree." said Simon. "We might have to use a more psychological approach."

"Psychological?" You know psychology?"

"Of course. I have studied it."

"You have?"

"Yes. I plan to use it in my trials. Being able to analyze your opponent's phycology and find an emotional weakness to exploit…it works like a charm!"

"Hmmm. I never thought about that." she thought. "I was always used to using my whip. It's all I've ever needed. But perhaps…I need to adjust my methods. That's something I'll need to think about once this case is done. For now, I need to focus on my garget and take him down with the means at hand!"

Just see his eyes! It's clear he is not well in the head!

"That was the entire testimony." said Franziska. "Thank you for your help."

"So, you will actually take him on?"

"We have to. He could be considered a suspect, if anything. We need to have a word with him."

I agree." said Simon. "Mr. Black is definitely hiding a lot. Can you take us to him?"

"He should be in the courtyard at this time. I know where he hangs out…but don't expect me to take you all the way to him. He spooks me out!"

"No problem." said Franziska. "Just point his location to us and we will handle the rest ourselves."

"Okay. Come on."

He took them to the courtyard. There, he pointed a man to them.

"That's him."

Franziska took a look at him. His face had a few scars, couldn't count them for that far away, he had big muscles and long hair.

"He does seem scary, doesn't he?" said Franziska.

"I know." said Simon. "And his eyes…it's almost like there is death in them!"

"I know." said Toughy "I warned you his eyes are all you need to see."

"Well, he and his…surprisingly spooky eyes will not stand in the way of justice. We will go over there, tell him who we are and he will have to tell us everything he knows"

"Good luck with that one." said Toughy. "His respect for the authorities is lower than his respect for cockroaches."

"I will crash him like a cockroach if he doesn't talk!"

"Okay then. Have fun!" said Toughy. He then left quickly.

"He seems eager to leave."

"I guess seeing that guy scared him."

"I can see why. For now, let's go talk to him, he is still a crucial witness."

They both walked over to Black. He saw them, but didn't react. He remained expressionless.

"Mr. Toughy wasn't being dramatic when he said he is like a stone." thought Franziska.

"Good day to you, Mr. Black." said Simon. "We would like to have a word with you."

"Go away. Not talking to you." he said.

"Short and to the point." said Simon. "I like that. However, I don't thinly you are appreciating the importance of…"

"Don't care. Go away."

Simon began to lose his cool.

"You are aware a murder has occurred here right?"

"I am."

"The victim's cell was located directly across your own."

"So what?"

"Did you have anything to do with his death?"

"How? Iron bars, duh."

That's when Franziska decided to jump in.

"Maybe you had someone else do it. You do have your own posse in here after all."

"Don't know what you are talking about."

"You are running an entire smuggling operation from within the prison walls!" said Franziska. "That's quite a serious offense."

"You got proof?"

"Well…not exactly..."

"Got nothing to say."

That's when Franziska decided to pull rank on him.

"I am prosecutor you know."

"Don't care."

"If I pull a few strings, I can have you thrown in solitary confinement. You won't be able to control your affairs from in there. Do you care now?"

For the first time since they walked up to him, he actually turned to face them.

"God! His stare is much more fearful when he's staring at you!" thought Franziska, but tried to hide it.

"I am a suspect?"

"Possibly. Can you help us?"

"I am innocent. Does that help?"

"No."

"Then not."

Franziska pulled out her whip.

"Alright, you foolish fool! Talk or else I swear I…"

"You won't. No right. Can sue."

Franziska pulled back. It was the first time no one was even slightly intimidated by her whip.

"He is not saying anything no matter what we do!" said Simon. "I feel we are just wasting our time here."

"No really." said Franziska. "We are just using the wrong kind of weapons."

"What do you mean?"

"You need to adjust your weapons to your opponent. Neither my whip nor your manipulation can help us here. We need another avenue."

"What do you have in mind?"

"It's a little trick I've leant from my brother. I can use it to get him to open up without even realizing it."

"Then do that. I trust you. You can get this done the right away."

"Thank you. Now then…time to do like my little brother and get a little crazy."

Her background faded away. She was surrounded by a chessboard

"Now, let's analyze the situation."

She noticed Black had four pieces. One pawn, one rook and one knight were guarding the king.

"He seems a very competent opponent. His biggest strength is his ability to remain calm and unaffected. This is important in chess. I don't know much about chess…but I do know that I can't go all out or he'll easily take me out. I need to be careful. I need to know when to just wait and let things play out. But once I find an opening, I will go all in. And now, let the match begin.

Logic chess begin

"Mr. Back, why are you so insistent to remain silent? Are you perhaps hiding a secret?"

"No."

"if you are innocent, you should cooperate. Then we can establish your innocence."

"Don't know anything. Don't know anything about murder."

"You don't know?"

"No. Don't care for details."

"Do you know if Mr. Waterloo had any enemies?"

"Didn't care for him."

"Were you enemies with him?"

"Maybe."

"if you leave it that vague, we can assume you had a motive."

"Don't care."

"You don't care if you get accused of a murder?"

"I won't. You have no evidence."

Franziska decided to take it a bit further.

"Time for a bit bluffing."

"If you want to know, we have quite a bit of evidence that could be used against you."

"Bluffing."

"Why do you say that?"

"Hanged in cell. No witnesses. No evidence. Have no idea who did it."

"Wait a minute…" she conjured a pawn in her head. "If you really didn't care about the murder's details how do you know so much about it? Why do you know the murder weapon?!"

Her attack was a success, the pawn was destroyed.

"Got nothing more to say."

"You are starting to worry I will get you."

"Can't. I have done no wrong."

"Then why are you not talkin?"

"Don't care. Got other matters to handle."

"Like what?"

"Not your business."

"Is it related to the smuggling operation?"

"No."

"Then what is it? I can't imagine a prisoner has too many things to worry about."

"Wrong."

"Are you I contact with people from outside?"

"No. Got no friends."

"Family?"

"No."

"What do you do every day?"

"Eat, sleep, read."

"Anything else."

"No."

"I will just wait here." she thought. "Maybe he will talk too much."

"Don't stare at me." he said. "Got nothing to say. Can't accuse me. Just 'cause I got visitor once a month…"

"Hold it!" she said. "You get visitors?"

"So what?"

"if you don't have any friends or family, why do people come to see you here?"

Her pawn struck his rook. The attack was a miss.

"Trying to bait me? Not falling for that."

"Who is visiting you."

"A friend."

"You are lying. What is the truth?"

"A friend."

"I can check the records. And then I can ran background checks on your "friend." How does that look like."

"Good luck."

"You don't care about him. As I thought, He is not a friend."

"Ugg."

For the first time he flinched. His jaw moved ever so slightly, hinting he was beginning to panic.

"As I thought, he must be one of your contacts. How else could you arrange a whole smuggling operation without help?"

Her attack successfully took out his rook.

"Stop talking."

"Beginning to crack, are we?"

"No."

"So we know you have a smuggling operation. The question is: how?"

"Not talking."

"You don't need to. It's obvious. You have friends in here."

"Friends?"

"Some of your ex-henchmen were caught and thrown in here. With their help, you built all this operation.

"Henchmen? Pah! Don't need them. Can do everything myself. Smuggling was my idea…"

"Gotcha!" said Franziska. "I knew it! So you do have a smuggling ring in here!"

"Grrr!" he flinched even more as his knight was taken out.

"Walked right into that one. So, are you ready to talk?"

"No. Got nothing…to say…"

"In that case, I will finish this myself. I know how you set it up."

"Don't. Bluffing."

"I am not. I fact I have already spoken to the warden about it."

"Still bluffing."

"You greatly underestimate me, Franziska von Karma. I figured everything out quite easily. And the warden has been convinced. He is very eager to put an end to your scheme.

"Wh…what?!"

"They are scouring the cells for your accomplices. And one of them is bound to cough up everything."

"Ha! No accomplices in here!"

"And I thank you!" said Franziska with a self-satisfied grin. "You gave me the weapon to beat you!"

"H...huh?"

"If your accomplices are not in here they must come from outside. That's who you get visited by every month! One of your lackies. And since divulging the entire plan inside the visiting room, which could be watch, would be too risky…you had to resort to some other methods. Phones!"

"P…phones?"

"Yes. Burner phones! I'm sure a seasoned criminals such has yourself has access to those! And I'm sure a search of the prison will prove that fact! Your phones are hidden around here, aren't they?!"

"G…rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

This time, his entire face filched. He started sweating as his king was taken down.

"Checkmate." said Franziska. "Wow! This feels great! Is that what my little brother always feels like?"

End logic chess

"Well…" said Simon. "Looks like we are getting to the meat of the case."

To be continued