Mysteries Unlimited

<Gun Store>

Calvin fell back, clutching his chest. Aster stepped in and tried to steady him, but he just smiled and immediately got up. "It's alright." he said to the stunned shape-shifter. "Undead, remember? Let's go catch that guy."

They ran out of the store, and started chasing the gunman.

Hecklock and Officer Juac arrived at Ludovic's Workshop. It was seemingly ordinary, though Hecklock knew it was probably more. Juac mentioned that this place usually complies with the cops, so he'll go first to talk to the man at the counter about tracing the bullet.

The robber ran down the street, pushing past several pedestrians and vaulting over a bin. When it looked like his escape was all but guaranteed, a large lorry with the Books LLC logo pulled up in the road in front of him, blocking his escape. Panicking, the man dropped the cash register, cocked his AK and spun around to open fire on his pursuers, and those unfortunate enough to be standing in his line of fire.

<Ludovic's Workshop>

Officer Juac: "h"

Clerk: "Oh, hello, sir."

Akol Juac, Task City Police Department investigator, asked the clerk about Ludovic. He learned various things about the victim, including his work habits and general demeanor. Aside from occasionally mixing his flawless English with a few French phrases and words, not much seemed unusual about him. Overall, Ludovic seemed like a good guy. However, on the night of the murder, he had taken someone else's bag for an unknown reason. He refused to say why.

Juac went to Hecklock Holmes, and told him of this 'nw information,' as he called it.

---

<Outside the Gun Store>

Rainn leaped away from the incoming fire, his leg nearly getting seared by a passing bullet.

Rainn: "HE'S SHOOTING AT US!!"

He pulled out his pistol and fired back at the robber, hoping to hit him.

<Outside the Gun Store>

Aster and Calvin saw the robber cock his AK, and immediately dived behind the nearest parked car. However, Calvin wasn't quick enough, and took a bullet to the leg. While this wouldn't cause him to bleed out, it would make walking quite difficult for a while. Aster knelt down and dragged him over to the car, so he could sit up and rest.

"It's okay, Aster..." Calvin hissed. "Just leave me here, I'll work it out."

"How are you going to work it out?" she asked. "We can't exactly take you to the hospital."

"JUST. Leave me here and deal with him."

"Fine." Aster huffed, and proceeded to shape-shift into a pigeon. She easily flew into the air, evading the robber's fire, and landed behind him, where she shape-shifted back into human form, drew her gun and aimed at the robber's back. "Drop that god damn gun." she hissed.

-----

<Ludovic's Workshop>

As soon as Juac had walked away, the clerk took out his phone and sent a text message to a contact labeled 'Sophie'. "Lads poking round," it said. "I told them what you said"

'Sophie' responded with a simple

At the same time, several miles away on a bus, a man who almost certainly was not called Sophie put his phone back in his pocket and sat down. He still had a week and a half of free time left before he had to move on to another city, and he wasn't going to let the cops stop him from sight-seeing. If that meant shooting a few more people, then so be it.

"Then it's as I thought," Hecklock blew some smoke out of his pipe towards the exit, as the door was open. "Ludovic is most likely related to his case. The fact everything checks out but a refusal on part of a bag," he sighed, "seems suspicious."
"Aye, hcklock," responded Juac. He had a strange accent that combined letters, sounding as if he removed one. This wasn't the first time Hecklock dealt with someone like this, so he didn't give a heck, as usual.
"Then we need to go to Ludovic's place. Contact the police HQ for a warrant, Investigator Juac. I'll stick around in the store."
Juac nodded and went back to the police car to radio in their findings, and request a warrant. Hecklock moved into the building, watching the clerk for anything unusual, but in a way that wouldn't be noticeable. He simply notched up his "Heckless Field Generator," so the clerk would just feel as if he wasn't there. He noticed that the lady kept messing with her phone, so he contacted Akol Juac.
"Try to intercept any messages or calls coming into this place, or forward that request to the police headquarters."
"Say no more," responded Akol Juac. Unfortunately, his comms weren't working. "It seems something's jamming my radio out here. All I get is static."
"Hmmm," questioned Hecklock. "Keep trying. I'll stay in here and keep watching."

<Sulrai, Private Eye HQ>

It had been a month since the mystery surrounding Ludovic Marois' murder was solved. Rainn Sulrai and his colleagues had been in many investigations since then, eventually catching the attention of billionaire Valentine Clark. Clark offered an opportunity to Sulrai's firm that could not be ignored.

Rainn quietly read from an etiquette book while sitting on an oak desk directly facing the door of his office building. He was waiting for all of his employees to arrive. The weather was cool, with a clear azure sky. There should be no delays, he thought to himself.

<Sulrai Private Eye HQ>

The door in front of Rainn creaked open and a black leather boot stepped on the carpet. The full form of Lord Jasper Silverwood quickly emerged from behind the door and shut it behind him. Despite his old age and the white bandage wrapped around his forehead, Jasper was looking as healthy as ever. After being released from hospital, Jasper had bought himself a new black overcoat and several new gimmicks for his weaponized cane. He had also grown a short grey goatee.

"Hello, my boy!" Jasper cheerily said to Rainn as he strolled over to sit on the sofa behind him. "I don't suppose you've heard from the others? Nobody's been returning my calls as of late."

While he waited for Rainn to respond, Jasper took a moment to remember what happened to his colleagues over the past month or so, and whether those events had anything to do with their current silence. He had heard that Calvin had been injured following an altercation with an attempted robber, and that the skirmish had attracted the attention of the police. The cops of Task City easily disarmed and arrested the robber, but they were horrified when they discovered Calvin's true nature. When they tried to bring him in for questioning, Calvin fought his way out of their custody and disappeared.

Unknown to the others, while Jasper was in the hospital, he had hired some detectives of his own to keep tabs on the detectives of Sulrai Private Eye. After a couple days of research, Jasper's detectives informed him that Matthias Stolz had been arrested for joyriding and Calaran was considering taking an offer to join a modelling agency, but Aster and Sir Hecklock Homie were nowhere to be found at all. Jasper wasn't sure what to make of this, so he immediately dismissed his detectives and took measures to speed up his recovery so he could look for them himself.

Now, in the present day, Jasper sat in the lounge with Rainn and talked about the weather, while still uncertain of the fate of his friends.

The two oddest members of the investigators, Sir Hecklock and the Masketta Man, arrived at the scene. No one really knew how Masketta reappeared, but he was the same as ever, a melodramatic brooding character. Hecklock's smiling character really brightened the mood around him, making it easier for others to approach.

"What's gucci my Investigators?" questioned Hecklock. Normally he would take a hit of his pipe right about now, but he had quit smoking, deeming it "heckling health nonsense of psuedo-sophistication." Masketta Man stayed quiet.

Jasper was astonished, his detectives found no traces of Hecklock or The Masketta Man, yet here they both were, in broad daylight.

"I didn't even call either of you," stated Rainn."

"Yeah, well, I got my ways."

*Suddenly, one of Rainn's chairs changed colour, from light brown to a pure silver, and began changing shape*

*A few seconds later, the chair was gone, and Aster stood in its place, wearing an appalling and frankly inexplicable Christmas sweater that she should not have been even allowed to buy*

*She turned to Jasper, and frowned*

Aster: Don't think I didn't hear you had people looking for me, Lord Silverwood. I managed to scare them into keeping whatever they had found out about me to himself, so it wasn't a problem, but in the future, never do that again. Are we clear?

*Without waiting for Jasper's answer, she turned to Rainn*

Aster: So, what do you want from us this time, Rainn dear?

*At exactly the same time, a man dressed in a Santa costume walks by outside, laughing heartily*

<Sulrai Private Eye HQ>

Rainn: "Hmm, glad to see you all. Apparently you spied on us, Jasper. Good work, that's how it's done."

*Rainn looked over to Aster, and narrowed his eyes.*

Rainn: "I almost sat on you."

*He cleared his throat and awkwardly adjusted his collar.*

Rainn: "ANYWAY, how many are you are familiar with the billionaire Valentine Clark. I think you met him, Aster."

Sir Hecklock: "Why should we give a heck, haha?"

Rainn: "Because he's paying us a lot of money to be his bodyguards tonight. I'll explain. Valentine Clark is a billionaire involved in the real estate and biotechnology industries, along with other ventures. Some of these ventures have been ethically....questionable, and have attracted the ire of several groups and individuals who are rather extreme in their methods. Tonight, Clark is hosting his fourth wife's birthday party and inviting everyone who is important in this city. Obviously, a high profile event like this has top notch security, but Valentine still feels insecure. That's where we come in. We'll be dressed as party guests, and everyone will think that's why we're there. However, from time to time, we'll be watching for any suspicious activity. Now, I'm willing to be a bodyguard for the sake of doing so, but I'm sure some of you will be swayed by the massive paycheck. Any questions?"

<Sulrai Private Eye HQ>

Aster: I wouldn't have minded, you have a great butt. And who knows, maybe I would've returned the favour. *wink*

*She sits down in a real chair and crosses her arms*

Aster: Clark, huh? He was kind of a shit. So yeah, two questions. How big is the paycheck, and what could he be so worried about?

<Sulrai Private Eye HQ>

Rainn grit his teeth while slightly blushing, but then continued.

Rainn: "Two million in total. We each get $400,000, and whoever does best gets half of my share."

<Sulrai Private Eye HQ>

*Aster shrugs*

Aster: I'm up for that. When does the party start?

<Sulrai Private Eye HQ>

Jasper: Valentine Clark?! Well I never. We used to play golf together at a nice villa on Guernsey a while back. He'll be surprised to see me here, no doubt. Now, will we be provided the costumes, or expected to cough up for them?

*Jasper brushes a few strands of cat hair off his coat, just in case he'll have to show up at the party in his usual attire*

"Well, anything for a good mystery. Knowing how everything goes, everything will go wrong, but I'll be alright, with my heckless field generator." Hecklock threw his hands out and shrugged, with Masketta Man grumbling on the job.

"If you stay close to me, they won't notice your ugly af mug."

"Huh?

Heck you"

"Heckling, that's the way I like it."

<Sulrai Private Eye HQ>

Rainn: "It starts the day after tomorrow, and it's black tie. Should give you enough time to rent a tux or find a dress."

---

((Two days later....))

<Valentine Clark's Mansion>

Rainn got out of his car and threw the keys at a valet. He walked over to the other side and opened the doors for each of his assistants, all dressed in appropriate attire (save for Hecklock, whose heckless field generator made everyone not give a heck about what he was wearing).

Hecklock Holmes: "Hey, Masketta, since you've been close to me no one gives a heck about your outfit either, and they don't notice your ugly face aff face haha."

Masketta: "You got that long kaka face so I wouldn't talk."

Rainn: "Behave, Clark's inside."

They all were let into the foyer of the beautiful mansion (which will not be fully described due to laziness) and greeted by various servants. Valentine Clark sauntered up to the group, and greeted each of them with a smile.  

Valentine Clark: "Valentine Clark, pleasure to meet you."

He greeted Aster and Rainn with a 'good to see you.'

Rainn: "Mr. Clark, likewise. Where do you need us?"

Valentine maintained his facial expression, but his voice turned into a whisper.

Valentine: "Just survey everything, everyone is suspect. Have one of your people stay close enough, but don't act suspicious."

Rainn turned to his group, and nodded, telling to disperse. Many important people and recognizable celebrities were attending, some of them were good friends of Clark, while others pretended to be his friend. The detectives recognized people such as renowned NFL All-Star and businessman Deing Abdelkadir K., Task City Police Commissioner Nathaniel Benjamin, and Ramona Clark (Valentine's fourth wife, the woman of honor). At the moment, mingling with the crowd was the best plan that they had.

<Valentine Clark's Mansion>

"Good to see you too, Mr. Clark." Aster said, all while smiling the kind of smile you'd give your boss if you had him round for dinner and he'd just made an inappropriate remark about your wife's body. After listening to Clark's explanation, she walked away from him as quickly as possible, crashing into Deing Abdelkadir K. in the process.

Deing Abdelkadir K.: "Huh."

Deing raised his eyebrow and looked at Aster.

Deing: "You alright there? Name's Deing."

Behind Deing, Aster noticed a closet with a door slightly ajar.

Meanwhile, Rainn went to where they were serving drinks to see if there was any idle chatter that would give him some tips. He eavesdropped on a conversation while in line, but found it necessary to jump into it.

???: "So I saw 'The Re-animator' last night, old 80s gem."

???2: "Eh, Jeffrey Combs' performance wasn't my cup of tea."

Rainn: "Well, I for one think he's a fantastic actor."

???2: "A little overrated."

Rainn grew visibly annoyed at the objectively wrong opinion that stood before him, and left the line. He bumped into an Asian-American man in a black suit and red tie who seemed somewhat familiar.

Rainn: "Sorry."

The man smiled, and continued on his way, greeting a senator nearby.

Hecklock noticed the man Aster bumped into. "A red tie is noticeable in a place as dull as this, isn't it Masketta?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"You should track him," mentioned Hecklock.
"And what will you do?"
"Why, mingle of course!"
Masketta Man proceeded to follow the oriental man with a red tie, and Hecklock went to approach the famous NFL All-star, Deing Abdelkadir K.
"Why, if it isn't the man himself! I saw your game last week against the Miami Heat, quite a match! If it wasn't for you game-winning half-court shot, you would've lost."
"Yeah, thanks man. To be honest, between you and me, the people here only care about my business acquisitions, not my career," stated Deing.
"So I can tell. Related to that, I have a question, what were your thoughts on your acquisitions of Ludovic's Metalworkings"
"Well, it was pretty simple, after my cousin Doug's death, in his will he gave me the workshop to help the construction companies out here in town, as Task City has been expanding in recent years, he knew it would be good money. He was a good friend."
"Hmm, clever boy." Hecklock sipped a glass of tea he stole off one of the servants' trays. "Thank you for your time, Deing. It was a pleasure meeting you." He extended his hand for a handshake, and Deing returned the offer with a firm grip. Hecklock went on his way, with Deing thinking in his head What the heck did I just see?

The Asian man noticed that Masketta was following him, and glared at him, as though he were saying "WHO TF IS THIS?????" He excused himself from the Senator, and turned to Masketta with the most fake smile ever.

???: "I'm sorry, have we met?"

---

Hecklock Homie also noticed that the door of the closet near Deing was slightly ajar. He and Aster had the option of investigating, or going somewhere else.

---

Rainn entered the kitchen, acting as though he were lost. Some of Clark's servants and caterers yelled at him, and he left. Rainn silently went over the faces he observed, just in case. You never know: maybe the butler would do it.

Jasper was confused. Valentine Clark, an old acquaintance of his, had just looked him in the eye, but without a single hint of recognition or acknowledgement that they had met before.

Jasper (thinking): Perhaps it's the goatee... or this blasted outfit. Clark knows I'd never be caught dead in something like this, yet here I am.

On that note, it occurred to Jasper that Clark could have lost respect for him for giving in to the modern fashion trends that he had vowed to reject years ago. Of course, this would be ridiculous, but the Mr. Silverwood's reasoning was another mystery in itself. Once Jasper finished moping, he angrily undid his black bow tie and stuffed it into his breast pocket as he pushed through the crowd, hoping to catch up to Clark. He had no interest in conversing with anyone else at the party, or even sticking to the task he had been given by Rainn. In his mind, his reputation was at stake, and that was more important than anything else.

It wasn't long before his ears picked up Clark's winsome voice over the rest of the chatter. He homed in on it and found the billionaire reciting a memory to a group of other businessmen while sipping on a martini.

Valentine Clark: "So there I was, heading for a meeting on Wall Street, and all of a sudden this oaf comes out of nowhere and asks me for the price of gold. So of course, my first thought is 'who is this man? How does he know I know what the price of gold is? Do I really look that rich?'"

Clark paused for comedic effect, even though what he was saying wasn't that funny. It took a few moments for his listeners to realize this, and awkward laughter followed. Clark took this as a positive sign and continued.

Clark: "So, I told him that gold was around $1300 an ounce. And before I knew it, he starts puking his -"

The billionaire was interrupted by the metal thump of Jasper's cane on the floor next to him. Clark turned to look at him and Jasper returned a knowing smile.

Clark: "Why, hello. You're one of Mr. Sulrai's, aren't you?"

Jasper: "That's one way of looking at it, but we've met before."

Clark glanced over to his guests, who all returned blank stares.

Jasper: "Yes, on the Shetland Islands. I recall certain blueprints changing hands. Certain blueprints that, if shared and exposed, could put the owner in a difficult position."

By this point, the party guests listening to Clark's story had moved on to find other things to do, leaving the two of them alone. Clark raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, demonstrating that he was at least five inches taller than the duke. Jasper simply smiled and silently hoped that Clark knew what he was talking about. At last, realization hit.

Clark: "Wait a second. Jasper? Is that you?"

Jasper: "In the flesh."

Clark: "Good Lord, I never realized! After all these years!

Clark almost moved to hug Jasper, but stopped when questions about Jasper's reappearance overshadowed other thoughts.

Clark: "What are you doing here? Are you... wait. Are you using Sulrai to-?"

Jasper: "Everyone has hobbies, Val. I'm here for business. As soon as I was given this assignment, I knew I had to check up on you."

Clark: "Look around you, Jasper. Evidently, I'm not the one who needs checking up on. You are. For instance, what happened to your face? I don't remember you having heterochromia or that scar before."

Jasper touched his goatee again, but this time, he parted the hairs on his chin to reveal a deep vertical scar.

Jasper: "Discovery requires experimentation, and my only willing subject decided to saunter off to be a hero, leaving me with no-one but myself."

Clark: "You tested the-"

Clark stopped and looked around to make sure anyone was listening, but Jasper had already had the same thought.

Jasper: "I may be here to get you back in the fold, but I'm also here for your protection. Nobody's listening in."

Clark: "That could change at any moment. Follow me."

The two gentlemen strolled towards the closet, whose door was still slightly ajar. Clark noticed this and frowned.

Clark: "Hm. That's odd."

Jasper: "What is?"

Clark: "The closet's been opened. Only two people have the key, me and the janitor."

Jasper: "You have a janitor?"

Clark: "I'm a billionaire. Although, he doesn't complain. As long as I feed him hot pockets, he's mine forever. He comes from one of those planets from the Fortune system... Tievie, I think."

Jasper: "I'll take a look."

Jasper opened the door and stepped into the closet.

OOS: Klak, that's your cue.

<Valentine Clark's Mansion, Closet>

The closet was just like any other walk-in closet, coats, boots, shoes, and other garments all neatly arranged in their respective areas to adorn the cherry hardwood closet. Jasper noticed an opening in the a wall behind a row of black coats, as though it were a secret door that could slide open with a minimal amount of effort. He had a choice: either open it now and jeopardize his relationship with Clark, or wait till they were finished to pursue this mystery.

--

<Valentine Clark's Mansion, Reception Room>

Now that Jasper was inside of the closet, Hecklock and Aster were able to investigate alternative leads. A woman wearing a black Venetian mask that matched with her lace dress slowly made her way up the nearest staircase, suspiciously giggling to herself about something. No one else in the party was wearing masks, and the birthday party was not a masquerade ball.

--

<Valentine Clark's Mansion, Second Floor Patio>

Rainn quietly moved through the crowd of revelers while sipping from his glass of champagne. One of the guests had gotten rowdy, for he apparently already had too much to drink (and the party had just started). While being escorted away, the guest kept telling the bodyguards that they were "being narcs" and that they needed to "legalize ranch". Rainn was confused by this, but did not let it distract him. He was focused on the mission.

Sulrai stopped in front of the balcony and sighed, observing the vast yard full of expensive sculptures. He recognized some that were from elsewhere in the galaxy, a remarkable feat (even for someone as wealthy as Clark). A man in a tuxedo with greying black hair nodded at Rainn, and politely smiled.

???2: "Amazing, isn't it? Least that's one place he's got me beat."

Rainn: "You're a competitor of Clark's?"

???2: "In some ways, yes, but we might form a partnership some time down the line. Plus, it is his wife's birthday. Wives are important, even if they're married to my enemies."

Rainn made a mental note of this, but hid his suspicion with a smile.

Rainn: "Detective Rainn Sulrai."

???2: "Melchias. Melchias Apolion. You're with the police? I recently spoke with your Commissioner."

Rainn: "No, I'm a PI."

Melchias Apolion: "Ah, yes, you're the hero of Task City! I don't come here often, but you've gone viral, kudos to you."

Rainn: "Thank you. "Kudos" to you for being a respectable businessman."

Melchias nodded, and smiled. The two continued to chat, as Rainn was hoping to gain any information that could possibly help him, should anything go wrong.

OOS: POSTS UNTIL EVENT: 4.

((Waiting on Nif for the mysterious Asian man, and DRJ for the rest.))