The next day...
Buddy and I just got off the train to main street.
"Okay, Buddy, today's the day! Our destiny lies just down those stairs. Let's get down there and find some fresh cases!"
We went down the staircase and walked to the street.
"Hey Luis." We said as we walked past him. "Hey guys." he greeted back.
Luis is the paperboy of this street. Just yesterday, he handed out papers saying that I became a junior agent. News travels fast.
We made it to the street. Now where to start? I looked left: Saw nothing. I looked right: Saw Gino come out of his Pizzeria with an upset look. Potential case, maybe?
I went to him and asked, "Hi Gino, how are you?" "Terrible! You have to help me! Aaron, I've lost my maps!" Maps? Not tomatoes this time? Finally.
"I'll take the case, what's up?" "Oh, Aaron, I'm ruined! There was a fire!" "Whoa! In your restaurant?!" "Yes. Derek, Shirley, and Patrick were all having dinner. Suddenly, smoke and flame started pouring out of my stove!" "Were you the first one out?" "Yes! But the others soon followed. After the flames died down, I went back in to confirm that I was ruined. Not only was my stove destroyed, but my safe was open! Someone took my maps!"
"You kept maps in a safe?"
"Of course! Those maps show the secret locations where I find my arcane herbs and forbidden cheeses."
If they're meant to be secret, should he really be shouting so loudly?
"How'd they get the combo to your safe?"
"I don't lock it."
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...
...
...
"Okay. So either Derek, Shirley, or Patrick 'cracked' your safe during the fire."
Seriously, who doesn't lock a safe if there's something that special to you inside? Whatever, I brushed it off as I went inside the restaurant.
Today's new case: Who stole Gino's prized map collection?
Let's see what I can find.
Looking around the restaurant, there's not really much to see. But what I can see, is the smoke from the oven, and Gino's open safe. That must be where the maps were. Let's see where they went. I pulled out my magnifying glass and saw some footprints and followed them.
First they led to the trashcan by the door, then out the door. As curious as I was and me being a dete- junior agent and all, I looked inside,. In there was one of Gino's maps! Looking at the prints leaving the building, I'm starting to think that the thief got rid of more of the maps as they left.
I followed the prints out and they led to the street.
See, this is the problem with this magnifying glass. In certain areas, the footprints will seem either more or less faded.
On the street, they look more faded than on the sidewalk. I still followed them, because I could still see them. They got less faded as they looped back onto the sidewalk. They went to a trashcan outside the park and continued in the park. I looked in the trashcan and in it was another map. I continued to followed the footprints and they led to a tunnel in the back of the park.
That tunnel leads to the park forest.
I went through the tunnel and came out in the forest. The prints lead to another trashcan and in it was another one of Gino's maps. There can't be any others because this is the only trashcan in this forest. I would know, I've lived in this city for a long time. I followed the prints again, but only for a short time because they end here, by this gap.
But maybe, and this is a heck of a maybe, the thief probably used this log here, went over the gap, climbed on top and over the huge stump over there, and got up to that ledge.
Like I just said, I did exactly what the thief probably did.
When I got up to the ledge, the only thing I saw was a monolith...and these a piece of paper on top. I pulled out my crowbar and hit it twice, making the paper fall down. It's a note that read:
Dear Derek, Thank you for the delivery, Love Morcucorp.
So, Derek made a 'delivery' to Morcucorp. It could be Gino's maps.
I headed back to Gino. I had to give back his maps.
Outside Gino's Pizzeria...
"Hey, Gino, I found your maps!" "Oh, fantastico! Your a life saver, Agent Aaron!"
I handed Gino his maps.
"Oh, but...one is missing! My map of the mountains..." "What do you know? They were only interested in one of your maps, Gino. You see, the ones I found were discarded in the trash." "I'm ruined!" "Gino, this is a solid lead. Hand tight, I'll get to the bottom of this."
So, they only wanted the mountain map. Let's see if any of the three are interested in mountains.
I saw Derek across the street. Derek's the Main Street neighborhood bully. He's a blonde with white skin and has on a black baseball cap on his head, he has on a black T-shirt with a white 'don't' symbol on the front, blue jeans, and black and white shoes. I hate the guy. Who doesn't?
I went across the street and said to Derek, "Hey, Derek, what happened in Gino's restaurant?" "Buzz off, Agent Moron!" "Derek, you need to answer my questions. I want to learn what caused the fire." "Why should I care?" "Derek, I think the fire wasn't an accident." "Your face is an accident! I'm not talking to you Agent Face-Accident."
See why I hate this guy?
"...Nice. Before I go, know anything good on mountains?" "What? Mountains? Go away, Agent Loser!" "Derek, if you'd just let me help out here for a minute-" "What do you want from me? I don't know anything about anything. Buzz off!" I rolled my eyes and left.
That's when I noticed Shirley walk out of her shop.
Shirley's the hairdresser on this street and owns a hair salon called Shirley's Hair N' Nails a few meters down the street from Gino's Pizzeria. She also happens to be Derek's aunt. Yeah, just let that sink in for a bit. Shirley has a kind of pink beehive hairstyle, she's slightly tanned, and has on gold cat eye sunglasses, cheetah print dress, and pink shoes.
I ran to her and also asked what happened in there. "I was sitting there, eating my salad, when I heard Derek yell out, 'FIRE! GET OUT!'" "And you left immediately?" "Dropped my fork and bolted! I've been out ever since." "Good to know. Quick question: You know much about anything relating to mountains?" "Mountains, Hon? Hmm..." "Don't worry, Shirley. If you haven't heard anything, that's fine." "Yeah, sorry Hon. Nothing comes to mind." "No problem. Thanks."
Before I left to go see Patrick, she said, "Come by later, Hon. I've got a mystery for you." "Sure thing, Shirley. See ya."
I saw Patrick on his way back to the construction site. I caught up to him.
Patrick's a construction worker. He's working on constructing a new building just down the street. He's tan but lighter than Shirley, has 5 o'clock shadow, brown hair, and a hard hat and construction uniform on.
I asked him what happened and he said, "Well, I was diggin' into a slice of Gino's Ultimate Meatball Pizza. Then, all of a sudden, there was smoke everywhere!" "I see, it happened very suddenly." "I couldn't even breathe, but a managed to finish my slice on the way outside." "*raises eyebrow* You finished your pizza, even though there was a fire?" "Meatballs are too tasty to waste, sport. Who needs to breathe when you can eat?"
Eh, he's got a point.
"Say, Pat, you got any info on mountains?" I asked. "Huh. As a matter of fact, Derek has been goin' on nonstop about mountains." "Is that so?" "Yeah. Kid must have gotten into snowboardin' or something." "Thanks, Patrick. Very useful to know."
I turned around and went back to Gino's.
The mountain map's the only one gone missing, and Derek's gotten into mountains lately. That can't be a coincidence.
Inside Gino's Pizzeria...
Looking at the pizza oven, it looks to damaged for me to take a look at and see what caused the fire. I'll have to fix it first.
I pulled out a wrench and looked around for some spare parts for me to grab.
Moving the story along, I gathered a part from a gumball machine, and Gino's safe. I used them to fix the oven. I should be in better shape now. Now taking a better look in the stove, the fire seems to have started from a lack of ventilation.
I went outside and told Gino, "Gino, it looks like your fire was caused by a lack of ventilation. One of your chimneys must be blocked." "Impossible! I clean the chimneys all the time!" "Well, somethings up then. Is there anyway I can reach the chimneys to check them out?" "Climb the ladder behind my building. But hold the ladder tight, Aaron, it's slippery with delicious pizza grease."
Why- Never mind.
I did as Gino instructed. I climbed the ladder, which was a little slippery, and made it to the roof. I looked in each of the three chimneys. In the last one I checked, for some reason, there was a baseball wedged in there. Whoever shoved this in the chimney, started the fire!
I got back down and looked around. Derek was conveniently tossing a baseball up and down. I went to him and asked, "This yours?" He looked at it and said, "Yeah, my vintage pro 2004 baseball! It's the one I stuck in the- Nowhere." "Your not very good at this whole 'criminal' thing, huh Derek?"
So Derek started the fire. Either to get the maps, or because he's just a jerk.
I went to tell Gino that the case was solved.
Inside Gino's Pizzeria...
"So what happened, Aaron? Who stole my maps?"
I switched my glasses for my sunglasses and said, "All signs point to Derek being the thief, Gino."
Gino turned livid. "WHAT?! That Derek is the cause of my ruination?! Why!? How!?"
"Derek was hired by Morcubus to steal your maps." I started,
"Derek stuffed a baseball in your chimney to cause the fire. When the fire started, he stole the maps and ran off, dumping the maps Morcubus didn't want in the trash along the way. He then left your mountain map out in the forest at a pickup site for Morcucorp operatives to pick up."
I took my sunglasses off saying, "Sorry, Gino, but I don't think there's any way to track the map down any further." Gino looked upset.
A second later Derek walked in and said, "Gino, I want a slice of sausage and pepperoni. And make it quick! I'm busy."
Gino went back to livid and yelled at him, "YOU ARE BANNED FOREVER!"
"Wha- No! I love you pizza, Gino!" Derek said, "You can't do that to me! I'm a loyal customer!"
"YOU WILL NEVER EAT MY PIZZA EVER AGAIN, MAP THIEF!"
"Aw man." Derek then left.
Gino went back to smiling and said to me, "That was great! I've been wanting a reason to ban him for so long! You're a lifesaver, Aaron!" "Just doing my job, Gino." "Here, I'll make you a special pizza, just for you." "I couldn't, Gino." "No, I insist! Come." "Eh, why not?"
I guess you could say, that's case closed.