The Broken Crown. My favorite bar. I'm sitting at the counter, drinking, when Tiffany walks in. She takes a seat next to me and the bartender hands her a coke. "Thanks Sal" She opens her backpack and takes out her laptop. "So, what now boss?"
"I don't know Tiff. Something about this new Magpie is eating at me. I feel like I'm the character in that Poe book about a raven"
"You mean 'The Raven'?"
"Yeah. Any advice?"
"Got any bird seed?"
"Serious advice Tiff"
"I am being serious. Use something to bait out the Magpie"
"We've tried that. They're too smart for that. Has Emily sent us any more info?"
"Not yet. Perhaps we could work on some other case in the meantime?"
"What other case? Schrodinger's garden gnome?"
"Well, not that one. The missing car case then"
"Mr Trent probably just forgot where he parked. He is old after all"
"You've got to do something. We are running low on funds"
I finish my drink. "Fine. Let's go check up on Mr Trent" I say in a defeated tone. I get up off the bar stool and head out with Tiffany. We head to the train station and before I step inside, I get a text. It's from Emily. It says "Just another blank page"
"What's up boss?"
"Emily being cryptic again. They've got nothing. As expected. Come on, we don't want to miss the train" Me and Tiffany sit in silence on the short train ride to Mr Trent's house.
We arrive at an opportune moment as Mr Trent is taking out his trash. He sees us approaching and waits for us. "Hello ladies. Nice to see you again. Have you had any luck finding my car?"
"Not yet Mr Trent. We were just hoping we could have another look at the crime scene" Tiffany explains.
"Of course ladies. Would you like to see the evidence I've gathered too?"
I look at him with a confused expression. "What evidence?"
"After you visited me, I cleared out my garage and found something that must have blown under some old boxes. Come on inside, I'll show you"
Curious to see what he found, me and Tiffany followed Mr Trent into his house.
"Please wipe your feet and take your shoes off before you come inside" Mr Trent asks. No point in fighting with him over something so insignificant, we do as he asks. "Would you ladies like something to drink?"
"Something very strong please" I ask.
"Actually, no drinks for us. Could we just get down to business please?" Tiffany is more interested and impatient to see this evidence than I am.
"Very well" Mr Trent takes a small wooden box off his bookshelf. "This is what I found. It's some kind of bird feather"
We don't believe our eyes. Inside the box was unmistakably, a magpie feather. But why? I don't understand. Why on earth would the Magpie steal this random, old man's car? "Tiff, don't tell Sophie"
"Sure thing boss" Tiffany is clearly as shocked as I am to see this feather. "Boss. I don't understand. How is this possible? It's as if we were ment to have this case. But...how?"
Tiffany you genius. A thought just appeared in my head. A missing piece of the puzzle that was right under our noses the entire time. "Mr Trent. Why did you come to see us?"
"What do you mean? You came here. This is my house"
"No. I mean, why did you report your missing car to us? Why not the police?"
"The lady at my dentist said that you are the best at finding missing things. Besides, the cops aren't very helpful. I was mugged once and they never made any progress in the investigation. I figured I'd let someone else try."
"Wait. Hold on. What lady?" I ask.
"This young lady with long black hair. I was just chatting with her while I waited for my appointment. It was the same day my car went missing. Almost missed my appointment"
"Mr Trent. May we take this? We will return the box as soon as possible. I promise" Tiffany asks.
"Keep it. Anything to help"
"Thanks Mr Trent" Tiffany takes the box from him. "Can we chat outside, boss?"
"Uhh sure. Thanks Mr Trent" Me and Tiffany leave Mr Trent's house.
"So Tiff, what's up?"
"As soon as I saw the feather, I had a random thought. What if there's something else missing that the Magpie stole? Something so insignificant that nobody would ever consider"
"Where are you going with this?"
"Our imaginary lawn gnome. Come on Mandy. You're the investigator"
"Holy shit. We better go see Miss Lighter"
We head off back to the train station. A few feet away from Mr Trent's house, I point something out to Tiffany. "By the way, I have uncovered something. This new magpie has never left New York. I don't know why I didn't see it before"
"You didn't see it boss because the third theft, two words, United Kingdom. They stole some classified tech that even Sophie never figured out what it was"
"Urrgg fuuuuck!" I reach into my coat pocket and take out my phone.
"Who are you calling?"
I hold my finger up to silence Tiffany, then the person at the other end of the line picks up. "Heya Sophie. Long time no see. It's your conscious speaking. You should go see your ex. She's got a break in the
magpie case" I hang up before Sophie can get a word out.
"You're an ass boss. We're going to see miss Lighter, remember"
"Yeah I know. Sophie can wait at the apartment. There's food and water. Plus I'm pretty sure we left a window open. Besides, she deserves it"
One hour later, me and Tiffany arrive at Miss Lighter's house. The suburban home seems normal and fits in with the others in the neighborhood. Aside from the front yard filled with garden gnomes, fake mushrooms and other fairy tale ornaments. "This is...intense" Tiffany says, a little creeped out by the 'magic forest' on display.
"I'll say. I'm gonna have to drink a lot to
forget this shit" I approach the front door and ring the doorbell.
A woman in her forties answers the door. "Who are you? What do you want? I'm very busy you know"
"Wow. Rude and annoying. Listen lady. We're here about your missing troll"
"What? Who do you think you are? You come to my home and harass me like this"
Tiffany intervenes before things get out of hand. "Hello miss. Sorry for my friend's rudeness. I'm Tiffany from M.O. Investigations. We spoke on the phone. You called about your missing garden gnome"
"Oh finally. I've been calling you for days. Someone stole Jeffrey. One of my beloved
gnomes. And I know who"
"Oh yeah? Was it a fairy? Or an evil witch?"
"It was the Magpie you dumbass. A feather was planted in the ground where Jeffrey once stood. I still have it right here" She opens a draw next to her and pulls out a magpie feather. "I've been watching the news. I know what this feather means"
"Why not go to the police? Why call us?"
"I don't trust the police. They waste time and shoot stuff. They are no help, that's for sure. I got a letter in the mail the morning Jeffrey went missing. It was an ad for your investigation business. I decided to call you but now I'm starting to regret my decision"
"Can we take the feather please? It could
help us in our investigation. And the letter too, if you still have it" Tiffany asks kindly.
"Fine. No arguments here. Just make sure Jeffrey comes back safe or I'm suing your asses" She hands us the feather and letter and shuts the door on us.
"What a nice lady" I say sarcastically. "That's two for two. We need to head back and go through everything we just learnt. Besides, Sophie won't stop calling me" Me and Tiffany head back to our office.
After a while we arrive back home. I reach for the door handle and find it unlocked. That means Sophie is still here. I open the door and see Sophie sitting at my desk, Chris sitting on a chair up against a wall while reading a magazine and Emily laying down on my sofa, drinking our soda collection and typing on her laptop. "Finally" Sophie yells. "We've been waiting
here for hours"
"I'm happy to see you too Sophie" I walk up to Emily and take the two litre bottle of soda away from her. "You're cut off" I can't tell under her trademark sunglasses but I think she's mad. I turn to Chris. "You. Out. Now. No cockroaches allowed in my house" I take the magazine away from him and put it in a cabinet underneath my bookshelf. "Alright ladies gather round. It's time for a little show and tell" I turn to face Tiffany. "Tiff, you first. What have you got to share with the class?"
She opens her bag and pulls out the box Mr Trent gave us. She opens it for everyone to see. "Ta da!" Inside are two magpie feathers.
"Wait. What? Where did you get these? What's going on here Mandy?" Sophie asks
in disbelief. Shocked to her core that we found two more feathers.
"I'm just as surprised as you are. Guess what was stolen. Go on. You'll never get it"
"An old man's car and a woman's lawn gnome" Sophie responds confidently.
"Yeah. Actually. How did you...?"
"You have no password on your computer"
"God damn it. Well here's something else. The Magpie has purposefully led these two thefts directly to my door. What do you say to that?"
"Hold on there. What do you mean exactly?" Chris asks.
"You're still here? I suppose I should get
some bug spray or a large boot"
"Mandy please. Just tell us what's going on" Sophie demands.
"Fine. Mr Trent had his car stolen a week ago. Miss Lighter had her gnome stolen five days ago. Both of them have trust issues with the police and both were sent my way by an anonymous third party. I don't have any proof that says it was the Magpie but I can't think of anyone else. Except for you Sophie"
"Me? You're accusing me? That's absurd. What could you possibly be thinking? You must be drunk. Again. You know Amanda, you're a shit detective. It's a good thing you got fired, you'd just sit around the office all day ignoring phone calls and wasting police resources on childish pranks"
"Oh fuck you bitch. Believe it or not, I've solved every case I've been given since I opened this business. I'm a damn good detective and no butt slut is going to say otherwise"
"Mandy! What the fuck? You know what whore. Fuck you. You can't make us wait for hours then just start an argument with me. Whatever partnership we have going on is over. Come on guys. We're leaving"
"Fucking bitch" I grunt silently under my breath. "Hold on OK. Just hold on. Please?" I say defeated and sincerely. Sophie stops before she gets to the door. "The reason I suspected you was because one of our victims said a young woman with long black hair recommended me to him. You fit that profile exactly. Besides, I don't know any other people who fit that description"
"Well it wasn't me. But you think it was the Magpie themselves?"
"I wouldn't be surprised. They probably see me as a pawn to toy with. Why though, I don't know. Maybe because of my father but I can't say for sure"
"Have you spoken to him recently?" Sophie asks, trying to be gentle around the tough subject.
"No. It's looking like I might have to though"
"Can we take the evidence for processing?" Chris asks.
"Yeah sure. Tiff, give the boy his toys" Tiffany hands over the box containing the feathers and the letter to Chris.
"Anything else Mandy or is that
everything?" Sophie asks, in a rush to process the new evidence.
"Yeah. Besides one theft in the UK, this new magpie has never left New York. It's probably just a coincidence but I don't believe in coincidences. There's something there but I can't figure it out yet"
"If anything happens, let us know right away please" Sophie leaves, followed closely behind by Chris and Emily.
After they leave, I sit down at my desk. "Fuuuuck"
"I'd say that could have gone worse"
"Sorry Tiff. I know you don't like it when we argue"
"It's fine. So, what now?"
"Sophie's a good detective. She'll try to find the missing car and dust the letter for fingerprints. There's not much we can do at this point" I grab my phone and make a call. "Hello. This is Miranda Orson...yeah that's right...I'm glad it's you, makes things easier when it's someone who knows the situation...tomorrow morning is fine...ten o'clock, sure...thanks, bye"
"What was that about?" Tiffany asks
"One of the only things I can do right now. I'm going to see 'him' tomorrow"
"Need me to come with you? I could call Sophie"
"No thanks. This time, I'm going alone"
"Suit yourself. So, are we done for today?"
"Pretty much. You can come in tomorrow morning but I won't be here. Just make yourself comfortable. This is your home too Tiff. You don't have to go back to that youth hostel, you know? There's plenty of room here"
"You know I would love to but I can't. Those people I live with need me. I'm the most emotionally stable one there"
"You're too kind Tiff. See ya tomorrow"
"Goodnight boss" Tiffany packs up her things and leaves.
"Oh Tiff. When will you be honest with me? I'm a detective. I already know you are homeless. You left the hostel months ago. Please stay safe." I say aloud, long after she's gone. "Right then. What time is it?" I look at my watch. It says 9:45
"fuck, it really is late. Better stay here tonight. I don't want to miss my meeting" I go into the kitchen, make something for dinner and sit on the couch, watching TV.
Somewhere in the city, Tiffany is walking down the street when she catches someone following her. She takes the first left down an alleyway and hides. She waits a minute before she peaks her head out to see if her stalker is still there. She's alone. She let's out a sigh of relief and prepares to carry on walking.
"Heya Tiffany" Emily says as she appears from nowhere, causing Tiffany to jump from fright.
"Damn it Em. What the hell was that for?"
"I thought it would be funny. I was right. Anyway, what's up? Why are you in my neighborhood?"
"How did you know I was here?"
"I've hacked the security cameras. All of them. For safety reasons"
"Uh huh. Sure" Tiffany thought this might be a little much but she's not one to complain about safety.
"Sooo, why are you here?"
"I'm here to see you. I don't feel safe at the hostel I was staying at. Do you mind if I sleep over at your place?"
"I see. Come on then. You can crash at my place tonight, no problem."
Meanwhile, at the precinct, Sophie is alone, working hard filling out paperwork from today's new developments. The night shift usually starts soon so Sophie finishes up her work before they arrive. Too late. The first night shift worker arrives. Which means..."Heya Sophie. How's my precious little detective doing?"
"Hey Holly '' Holly is a tall, slim forty four year old trans lady with long blonde hair and big boobs. After Sophie and Amanda divorced, Holly was there as a shoulder to cry on for Sophie and the two ended up becoming fuck buddies for a time. It didn't last though, Sophie's job will always come first to her. "Can we not do this today please? I've had a rough day"
"Oh sweetie" Holly sits down next to Sophie. "Tell momma Holly all about it"
"It's Amanda. Again. She's such a bitch. She's so full of herself. Acting like she's the queen of the world and doing her best to make me look bad"
"Let me guess. The Magpie again"
"Yeah. She even uncovered two new thefts. It's like this whole thing is a game to her"
"Actually Sophie. I think you don't understand. Her dad was the first Magpie. That alone must make things difficult for her. This new magpie is bringing up bad memories for her. Perhaps she's trying so hard because she wants to put this case behind her and move on"
"But why's she such a bitch about it? Why not just tell me how she feels"
"News flash Sophie, you divorced her. And got her fired too. You need practice understanding people's feelings. Especially those closest to you. Take me for example. I'm feeling very horny right now and I could use a cute detective to help me relive myself"
"Nice try Holly. But I see your point. I'll try to be nicer to Mandy"
"It's a start I suppose" Holly gets up off her seat and walks away. "Just don't forget, even if she's not showing it, she's probably struggling to keep it together"
'Her feelings too huh. Damn I really am a bitch' Sophie thinks to herself.
The next morning, I arrive at Rykers Island
Prison. I get escorted through the building to an interrogation room and told to sit down. The room is gray with bars on the windows and an incredibly high tech security system in place to stop prisoners from escaping. There is a light hanging from the ceiling that gives out an awful glare. In the middle of the room is a table bolted to the floor with two chairs, one at each side, also bolted to the floor. There is an attachment on the table where prisoners are handcuffed for extra security. As I wait in the room with a guard standing behind me, the door opens and a prisoner is escorted in. It's a tall, middle aged man wearing an orange jumpsuit, with short gray hair and brown eyes. He sits down on the other chair and the guards handcuff him to the table. One guard then leaves and the other stands behind the man. "Hello dad. You're looking well" My dad just sits there in silence, his
eyes staring into mine. "Alright dad. If you're not going to talk then I will. Who is the new magpie?" He doesn't react to my question. "Damn it dad. Alright then, why did the new magpie steal mundane stuff like a car and a lawn gnome? Are they planning something? Are you in contact with this new magpie?" Again he sits there silently and motionless. "Urgh. This was a waste of time. Look dad. Clearly the new magpie wanted me involved, otherwise they wouldn't have sent two of their victims straight to my door. What's going on here exactly?"
Finally my dad reacts. A look of confusion forms on his face. "What do you mean? The Magpie doesn't tell people that they stole something. It's against the Magpie's code. Take a thing, leave a feather, don't get caught. That's it. Why would the new magpie lead two victims to you
specifically. It doesn't make sense"
"That's what I want to know, dad. Why? Why do this? It makes them more likely to get caught"
"How did they send the victims to you exactly?"
"One was given an advertisement in the mail for my investigation business, ads that I've never made. The other was recommended in person by a mysterious young lady with long black hair. Know anyone with that description?"
"That's not...but...damn it. Fine. Yes, I know who the Magpie is, they wrote to me. But I can assure you, it's not a young lady with long black hair"
"Who is it then dad? Tell me. Please"
"I suppose it's OK to tell you at this point. There's a storage unit at Maximum Storage, in unit twenty six, is a small black box. Inside that box is a photograph of the Magpie"
"We're done here. Guards, I'm ready to leave"
"Amanda. Be careful. Someone else is playing the game and I don't know who. It wasn't the Magpie that sent those people to you. Someone else is trying to interfere and I don't know why"
My dad genuinely looks worried. I can't tell if it's because of his plans being interrupted by a mystery person or because I might be in danger. Either way, I'm not backing down. Not by a long shot.