10 Chapter 10

"Sir, where should we start?" Officer Karma asked Detective Rodney, "This place is so big, I can't seem to think about where to start"

Detective Rodney nodded. "Well, this place is so big, I'm not sure either. But since they're already investigating the upper floors, we should start here."

"Hey, you can't investigate without me." Thlong said, "I'm supposed to keep an eye on you, just like Lucy said."

"Fine, do whatever you want." Detective Rodney said, "Come on Karma, we should start investigating. I'll check that side," He said, pointing at one direction, "and you'll check that side." He pointed at the opposite direction.

"Yes, sir." Karma said.

"Now hold it," Thlong said, "how am I supposed to keep an eye on you two if you're both in opposite directions?"

"Yeah, well, that's your choice then." Detective Rodney said to Thlong, "We're police, so we have to do this."

Detective Rodney started to investigate, while an agitated Thlong was standing with Karma.

"You gonna investigate or what?" Thlong asked Karma irritably, "I can't stand here all day, you know."

"Fine." Karma said, starting to investigate, "Let's just get this over with if it makes you stop ranting."

Karma started investigating the other side with Thlong following him when they came to a flight of stairs. As they started going down the stairs, Karma noticed some dirt stains on the ground. As Karma bent over to take a closer look, he put some on his hand and analyzed it.

"Hmm," he said, "Mr. Thlong, so do you really leave you're building dirty like this?"

"No, of course not." Thlong said, "It must be recent then, if the janitor didn't clean it up yet."

"Okay then." Karma said. He pulled out his walkie talkie and turned it on and called Rodney.

"Detective Rodney, sir." Karma said, "We've found something important here, some dirt tracks leading downstairs. Could you please come here to check?

"Okay, where are you?" Detective Rodney asked Karma.

"At the second door on the opposite side you went pass Mr. Lusserson's office," Karma said, "the door with the words "FIRE EXIT" on top."

"Alright, I'm on my way." Detective Rodney said, "Don't do anything until I arrive."

"Yes, sir." Karma said as he hung up.

"Well?" Thlong said, "What does the detective want us to do? Stand around?"

"Yes, that's what he wants us to do." Officer Karma said, "We probably should listen to him."

Thlong sighed. "Yes, I guess we should." He looked at his watch and muttered, "This is taking up my precious time. I can't believe that Lucy kicked me out to keep a watch on these cops."

Karma didn't have time to listen to Thlong's mutterings, so he decided to return his attention to the trail. He noticed a shiny object on the ground, and he put on some gloves to examine it. As he was looking at it in his hands, Detective Rodney showed up.

"I came here as fast as I could." Rodney said, panting. "What did you find? Any evidence or what?"

"Well," Officer Karma told Detective Rodney, "I did find this shiny object, sir. Do you know what it could be?"

"Hmm." Detective Rodney said, picking it up and examining it. "Seems to be some kind of jewelry. I wouldn't be surprised if it belonged to Lucy van Lusserson." Detective Rodney turned around and faced Thlong. "So, does this belong to Lucy."

"Well, it probably does." Thlong said, "With all that jewelry on that guy, I wouldn't be surprised if it was his."

"I'll question him myself later, then." Detective Rodney said as he put it in a plastic bag and put it in his pocket."

"Alright, let me examine this. Please move." Detective Rodney told Karma as he stooped down to analyze the footprints. "Hmm, size 10 and a half," Detective Rodney said as he scraped a bit of the dirt and smelled it, "Smells recent enough. Around 10 minutes ago, I'd say."

"You can tell all that by just looking at it?" Karma asked Rodney, impressed.

"It's really nothing special." Detective Rodney said. "The shoe size is the same as mine." he said, lifting up his foot for them to see. "And as for the dirt, it must have been here recently, since we've just came here a while ago and we didn't see it."

"Oh, okay then." Detective Karma said, "So, what does that mean, sir?"

"Well, it means that whoever left these footprints here came from the outside." Detective Rodney said, "And we'd better find why they went outside. We'd better follow the trail they made for us." Detective Rodney pointed to the trail of muddy shoeprints that came from the bottom of the staircase.

"Let's go." Detective Rodney said, following the trail with Officer Karma and Thlong tagging along. They turned the corner of the staircase, showing a long hallway.

Detective Rodney started running to the end of the hallway, and when he turned the corner, there was yet another hallway.

"How many hallways are here?" Detective Rodney asked Thlong, panting.

"I don't know!" Thlong said, also panting, "Lucy was the one who designed the building, ask him, not me!"

"Whatever then, let's just keep going." Detective Rodney said. As they turned the corner, the trail turned once again on another corner, but it also turned at a door.

"What's this place?" Detective Rodney asked Thlong about the huge door.

"Well, it's the stock room." Thlong said, "This is where all the supplies are. Well, the large ones, at least, or the ones that are almost running out, so it's easier to keep track of them."

"I see, you mind opening this door for us?" Detective Rodney asked. "There might be vital evidence in there."

"Do I even have a choice?" Thlong said irritably, "Fine. Here, let me open it." Thlong grabbed a pair of keys and unlocked the door for them. "Done, here."

Detective Rodney and Karma entered the room, which was really dark, and tried to turn on the lights, but the light switch didn't work.

"Thlong, why isn't this working?" Detective Rodney asked Thlong.

"Well, you see, since this room isn't used much, we've decided not to repair the lights." Thlong said, "They died out a long time ago. Anyway, I've got a flashlight, here."

"No problem, I've got my own." Detective Rodney took out his own flashlight and started investigating the room.

Karma also investigated the room, but got interested in a pile of leaves that was lying on a pile on one of the shelves.

"Sir, what are these?" Officer Karma called Detective Rodney over. Detective Rodney examined the leaves. "I'm not really sure." he said, "They must be nothing, maybe they were from outside when the person came in?"

"I doubt it." Thlong said, "It was in a pile, I don't think it could just be a coincidence. Perhaps it's one of the extra stock of medicinal herbs that we get."

"Maybe," Rodney said, "but how are we supposed to know what kind they are?"

"I'll ask Lucy later, he's the expert." Thlong said. Detective Rodney turned to the empty box that was in the spot that the trail led. He and officer Karma opened the box, but it was empty.

"What's supposed to be in here?" Detective Rodney asked Thlong.

"Oh, that box?" Thlong went forward, but then froze, "Wait, that box…"

"What about that box?" Detective Rodney asked Thlong.

"It was right in Lucy's office. I asked him a couple of times what's in the box, but he wouldn't say."

As they were busy talking about the box, the door was suddenly locked behind them from the outside.