The day after the big bomb of probable rouge or double agent hypothesis, Zhu arrived at the precinct, the tension lingering in her mind about whether Elias was a rogue or double agent was almost palpable. Yet, in the midst of her inner turmoil, it seemed she had become the center of attention. Who wouldn't stare when you've got a secret admirer showering you with desserts—even on your day off? Talk about dedication, right?
"They have a new delivery bangboo that delivered that earlier, Captain," Qingyi said, leaning back in her chair with a mischievous glint in her eye.
Zhu glanced at the dessert box from J.D. "Good to know. The café might need our report so they can file insurance for that exploded bangboo... poor critter." She set the box aside, inhaling the sweet scent of chocolates.
"You're gaining weight, Captain," Qingyi joked, her expression awkwardly off guard, Zhu shot back, "Yeah, I know! At this rate, I'll probably gain more weight thanks to J.D.'s treats."
She turned her attention to Seth, who was unusually quiet and looking more flustered than usual, hunched over his desk. He nervously glanced around, tugging at his collar as if it were choking him—though it was clearly his nerves doing the real damage. Rumors were flying, courtesy of Amy, who had overheard Qingyi's loud accusation from yesterday.
"Hey, Seth, good morning. How are—"
Seth practically shot out of his seat. "M-Morning, Captain! I'm fine. Really fine. Totallygreat, actually. Just, you know, doing my job." He gave an awkward chuckle, eyes darting around like he was searching for the nearest exit. Then, in his mind, he added with growing panic,
"Wait, did the writer just switch the cover of the story? Why am I the one front and center? Captain's supposed to be the main character! Please stop picking on me..!"
He cleared his throat, trying to keep his cool while secretly wondering if he'd somehow ended up in a spin-off he wasn't prepared for.
Qingyi couldn't resist the urge to tease, sipping her hot water like a judge at a dessert contest.
"So, Captain, just a hunch... Seth told me yesterday that he may know the dessert sender." She slides her chair towards Zhu whispering but Seth overheard her. "One of it is the chief."
"What?!" Zhu exclaimed, genuinely oblivious. "Seriously?"
"Wait, why is the chief in this now? I thought we settled on Mr. Smith!" Seth interjected, clearly flustered.
Qingyi grinned, stretching her arms lazily. "Oh, we're just keeping our options open, Seth. Anyone could be 'J.D.' Even you." She winked.
Seth turned beet red jolting up his seat, hissing like a cat. "I told you, I'm not J.D.! Stop spreading rumors, Qingyi!"
"Sure, sure," she replied, her tone playful. "But you do seem to know a lot about desserts these days. You usually start your patrols at the café, right?"
Zhu couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "I'm only after the donuts; you know that!" Seth protested, clearly on the defensive.
"And yet," Qingyi leaned in conspiratorially, "you were the first to spot the raspberry cheesecake last week, weren't you?"
Seth opened his mouth to retort, then shut it again, thoroughly cornered. He crossed his arms in a huff. "This is dessert profiling!"
Zhu, still chuckling, shook her head. "You two are ridiculous. But seriously, It's not yet my priority who might be behind this." She glanced at the dessert box again, a flicker of suspicion crossing her mind.
Could Elias be the one? It was just like him to play coy with his mysterious agent ways. But no, that didn't feel right, her mind still fixed that 'Jane' is playing this prank on her. Besides, she had bigger things to worry about than who was sending her desserts. For now.
Suddenly, Qingyi leaned forward, her voice low but playful. "Captain, there's only one way to find out. Just ask Mr. Smith directly next time.His reaction will tell us everything."
Zhu rolled her eyes blush creeping on her cheeks. "Because that won't be awkward at all. 'Hey, Elias, by the way, are you my secret dessert admirer? Also, please don't turn out to be a double agent.Ha-ha L-O-L'" she replied with a mocking tone.
Seth's eyes widened in mock horror. "Captain, you can't mix dessert and serious accusations! There are rules to this."
Zhu shot him a mock-serious look crossing her arms. "I wasn't aware."
"Okay, by the way, I'll be giving you anassignment." Zhu said, grabbing a folder from her desk.
"You can hand over the clearance and report to the café owner for the insurance claim on the bangboo during your afternoon patrol."
Seth's eyes darted nervously toward Amy and the others, all of whom were leaning in, eager to catch a glimpse of the folder. He was acutely aware that one misstep might lead them to believe he really was J.D.
But in his anxiety, the folder slipped through his fingers, sending files fluttering to the floor like confetti at a disaster-themed party.It felt like the universe was playing a practical joke, with Seth at the center of the spectacle.
Qingyi couldn't contain her laughter, and even Amy snickered, along with a few other officers. "Well, I'mcooked," Seth mused to himself, his cheeks burning hotter than a stovetop.
As Zhu knelt down to help him gather the scattered files, he couldn't help but steal a glance at her. She looked focused, her brow furrowed in concentration, and for a brief moment, he thought,Wow, she really is attractive no wonder J.D. kept sending Captain desserts. But then reality crashed back in, reminding him that he wasn't J.D., and this was definitely not the moment to get distracted.
"Here, let me help you with that," Zhu said, completely unaware of the swirling rumors. As she handed him a couple of files, their fingers brushed, sending a jolt of awkwardness through Seth. He fumbled, clutching the papers too tightly, as if trying to hold onto a lifeline.
"I, uh—thanks, Captain." he stammered, trying to sound casual but only managing to sound more flustered. "I need to fix this and probably find out who J.D. really is so I can clear my name." He shot a nervous glance around the room, half-hoping that the ground would swallow him up.
That afternoon, Seth was off on his patrol. Grabbing the folder to hand over at the café owner, he had no real plans for street duty today. His mission? To unearth the identity of J.D.
"I want to clear my name. If Qingyi hadn't made that risky joke yesterday, I wouldn't be here," he sighed, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all.
Handing over the files to the owner, he lingered a bit too long, his instincts kicking in as he turned into an unofficial café bouncer he even took off his PUBSEC uniform. "Just blending in like a true undercover officer," he thought, trying to muster some semblance of confidence. He settled at a table beside the counter, determined to eavesdrop for any hints that might lead him to the elusive J.D.
"Okay, Seth," he muttered under his breath, "it's just coffee and casual listening. You're not breaking any laws... yet." With a slight smirk, he ordered a coffee and discreetly set up a listening device on his table, pointing it toward the counter. Clearly, this was against his duty for the afternoon, but the thrill of the chase was too enticing.
"I can almost hear my academy instructors gasping in horror," he chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee. "What are they going to do? Fail me for excessive caffeine consumption?"
As he pretended to read a newspaper while simultaneously trying to overhear the conversations around him, he couldn't help but think about the ridiculousness of the whole situation. "A secret admirer sending desserts and now I'm playing Sherlock Jones in a café. I really need to get my life together."
But no matter how hard he tried to focus on the task at hand, his thoughts kept drifting back to Zhu. "She doesn't even know what's going on," he mused, "and here I am, caught in the crossfire of rumors like some sort of pastry-shaped martyr. All I wanted was to blend in—not become the subject of office gossip!"
Seth leaned back in his chair, determined. "Alright, J.D., show yourself. Or at least send a dessert with a note. That'd be nice."
He stayed there, his butt aching from prolonged sitting. It was getting late, and Zhu was asking for his report for the day over the radio. "I might clock out late, Captain." he replied, trying to sound casual, though he was definitely not enjoying his impromptu stakeout.
All the conversations at the counter seemed casual, nothing suspicious at all. Just as he was about to pack up his things around 9 PM, he heard the cashier chime in, "Hello, Sir! The usual order? We might not have a chocolate lava cake for this upcoming week. We're out of supplies on chocolates." It sounded like a normal order, but he peeled off the newspaper, glancing at the customer.
Wait a minute—was that the manager? From the Random Play Video Store? It was Wise!
"Oh. Let me just call someone," Wise said, reaching for his pocket, he dialed someone on the phone.
"Uhm, they won't be having a chocolate lava cake this week, so we can't place an advanced order," he said.
Seth leaned in, straining to catch every word, the adrenaline pumping through him like he was training for the "World's Most Unwanted Spy" Olympics.
"Okay, I'm checking the data... anything with lava cakes, caramel perhaps?" came a female voice muffled response.
Wise leaned forward over the counter. "Mister, how about any lava cake? Caramel? What a pity, officer probably got used to chocolates. But I guess a change of flavor might be good?"
Seth's eyes widened, his heart racing like he'd just sprinted through an obstacle course of desserts. This was not what he expected! "Did he just mention Officer? Placing an advanced order for lava cake too?"
"Still anonymous note, Sir? So, you will be placing an order for one week? If we have a chocolate flavor, we'll switch on that one, right?" the cashier asked.
"No, we're okay with a week of caramel lava cake," Wise replied, swiping a card and hurrying out the door.
Seth sat there, shocked and panting like he'd run a marathon. "This is what it feels like to be undercover? I'm not sure if I'm excited or terrified," he mused, a whirlwind of thoughts racing through his mind.
He had a suspect! It was Wise from Random Play. "But why? Did he really like Captain? And who is his informant? Do they have a dessert profile for her?" He scratched his head in confusion, oblivious to the absurdity of it all.
"Maybe they have a 'Dessert Admirer of the Week' club," he chuckled to himself. "I'd like to sign up! Just imagine: 'Seth, the Sweet Tooth of the Squad!'"
He shook his head, trying to piece together the puzzle. "Alright, time to connect the dots. Wise from Random Play is involved, an informant and they have a dessert profile. This just got a whole lot more complicated—and delicious."
Right after that, Seth hastily packed his things, ready to make a swift exit from the café.
However, as he reached the front door, he was caught off guard by Amy, the notorious gossip of the office, flanked by a couple of her fellow officers. "Oh! Hi J...D...? Did you just place an order for our Captain?" she teased, a mischievous grin spreading across her face like she was reliving the best high school drama.
"I... It's not what it looks like!" he stammered, his cheeks reddening faster than a stop sign."Oh? Really? Convince us," she shot back, leaning in like a detective ready to crack a case.
Flustered, Seth fumbled for words. "It was the case files! The clearance... I handed it over to the owner! You know, the folder from earlier?"
The officers exchanged skeptical glances, clearly not buying it. "Oh, Seth," Amy said, suppressing a laugh, "you're not very convincing when you're sweating bullets. Maybe you should hire a lawyer for this case of... dessert obstruction."
"Enough with the gossip, guys!" Seth interjected, his face marked with deep concern.
"Captain has enough stress already. We're working on a complicated case here, and I don't want to see her getting distracted by dessert drama."
"No, Seth," Amy said, waving a hand dismissively. "We're just teasing you! Cheer up! You need a little banter to lighten the load. Honestly, you've been behaving so much like our Captain lately—overly serious, with a side of doom and gloom."
"Well, that's just great," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Now I'm being compared to Captain Serious. Just what I needed."
Amy tilted her head, concern flickering in her eyes. "What's going on with this case you guys are working on? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Seth sighed, glancing around to ensure no one else was eavesdropping. "Well, it's complicated..." he whispered, recalling how mentioning it to Jane had left him feeling like he was on a tightrope without a net. "I'll share the details when it's over. Just know that I might need a lifetime supply of stress-busting desserts by then."
"Noted! I'll get the order in—one chocolate lava cake and a side of your dignity!" Amy winked, her laughter echoing as she and the officers moved on.
Seth watched them go, half-relieved, half-embarrassed. Great. Now he not only had to crack a case but also fend off a swarm of dessert-loving gossipers. Just another day in the life of J.D.—the Jokester of Dilemmas.