Late. Hope you saved some PS for me.
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Alex straightened a little and finally spoke, calm like he was explaining a recipe. "I am pretty sure there were two killers."
The room went quiet.
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Two killers?"
Alex nodded. "First one poisoned his protein shake." He pointed toward the trash bin near the desk. "In there. See those cockroaches and the flies?"
Ella leaned closer, squinting. "Oh wow. Yeah. That is… not great."
"Those things do not just drop dead for no reason," Alex continued. "Whatever was in that shaker was strong enough to kill insects fast. You see, cockroaches are known for their incredible resilience, resistant to many common insecticides, and they can even live for over a week without their heads. One dead cockroach? Okay. Five dead cockroaches at the same time and place? Not so good. If it can do that to cockroaches, imagine what it does to a grown man who drinks it straight."
Chloe crossed her arms. "So poison in the protein powder... That's our killer number one."
"Yes," Alex said. "But that was not the only thing going on."
He turned slightly and pointed up. "Check the AC vent."
Chloe frowned, then dragged a chair over. She climbed up and reached for the vent. Her fingers paused.
"The screws are missing," she said.
"Killer left in a hurry," Alex replied.
She pulled the vent loose and tipped it forward. Something small rolled out and clinked softly against the metal.
An empty glass vial.
Chloe stared at it, then looked back at Alex. "You've got to be kidding me."
Alex shook his head. "Nope. Someone released airborne poison through the vent. That is our killer number two."
Ella straightened slowly. "Okay. Wow. That is… wow."
Alex went on, still steady. "Nobody questioned the smell because everyone was distracted by the new gym equipment. New machines always smell like chemicals, rubber, and oil. It is normal. That made it easy to hide the scent of the poison."
Chloe climbed down from the chair with the vial. "So he drinks poison, then breathes poison or vice versa."
Alex nodded. "Pretty much. He never had a chance."
Ella looked between the shaker, the vial, and the body. "That is messed up. Also impressive. Mostly messed up."
Chloe turned to Ella. "Can you run a quick field test?"
"Oh yeah," Ella said, already pulling out a kit. "I live for this stuff. In a professional, non-creepy way." She swabbed the inside of the shaker, then carefully tested residue from the vial. "I can tell you if there is any poison, but I need to run it through the lab to get detailed information." She waited a few seconds.
The strip changed color.
Ella's eyes widened. "Well. That is poison. Like very strong poison."
Chloe slowly looked back at Alex. "Please tell me you do not also know who did this."
Alex smiled. "Nope. That would be showing off."
Ella narrowed her eyes at him. "But you do know something else."
"I do," Alex said. "One of them left us a clue."
Chloe sighed. "Of course they did. Fine. Show me."
Alex stepped out into the hallway. Chloe followed him. He stopped just outside the room and bent down near the mat edge where the floor met the doorway.
He pointed. "That drag mark."
"Yeah, I saw it," Chloe said.
"That mark is new, compared to the other floor marks around this particular area. Whoever left dragged their foot. Either they have a limp or an injury bad enough that lifting their feet hurts, or a very big and nasty infected toenail."
Ella shook her head slowly, smiling. "I am saying this with love. You are terrifying."
Alex grinned. "I get that a lot."
Chloe looked at the lady officer. "Ramez, did anyone leave the building?"
"No," Ramez replied. "We've rounded up everyone in the lounge downstairs."
"Alright, let's go and see if our killer is hiding in plain sight or not," Chloe said, looking at Alex and giving a nod that said she was impressed.
...
The lounge downstairs was too big with too many motivational posters. Ten people stood in a loose line, shifting their weight, whispering, trying very hard to look innocent.
Chloe stood in front of them.
"Alright," she said evenly. "This will be quick if everyone cooperates. Shoes off. All of you."
A ripple of confusion moved through the group.
One trainee laughed nervously. "Shoes? Seriously?"
"Yes," Chloe replied. "Very seriously."
People bent down, untied laces, slipped out of sneakers. Socks hit the floor one by one.
Then one of the trainees froze.
She looked down. Then she looked up. Then she bolted.
"Hey!" Ramez shouted.
The trainee sprinted for the side exit, panic written all over her face. She made it exactly three steps before Ramez tackled her clean to the floor like he had been waiting for this moment his whole career.
The room erupted.
"What the hell?"
"Did she just run?"
"Oh my god."
Ramez snapped cuffs on her wrists and hauled her upright. As he did, one of her shoes slipped off completely.
Everyone saw it.
Her toenails were thick, curved, yellowed, and twisted forward like something out of a medical textbook.
Alex let out a low whistle. "Well. That was easy."
Chloe walked over, crouched, and looked closer. "Onychogryphosis," she said.
The trainee started shaking. "I did not mean to kill him. I just wanted to scare him. He gave me AIDS."
"Oh!" Alex and Ella both said at the same time, with a flinch in their expression.
Chloe stood. "So, how did you kill him?"
Tears streamed down the woman's face. "I bought a bottle of airborne chemical from a friend and I've placed it in the vent. I thought he would just get sick. I swear."
Alex nodded. "You were killer number one."
The trainee looked up sharply. "Number one?"
Chloe turned slowly and looked back at the rest of the line.
"Because you were not alone."
The room went quiet again.
Alex moved forward, looking at the faces around him. He stopped in front of the manager.
The man was in his late forties, wearing an expensive polo shirt and a gold watch. His soft belly poked out against the fabric. He held a shaker bottle in his hand.
Alex pointed at it.
"You," he said casually. "You are our second killer."
The manager laughed, but it came out tight. "Is this some kind of joke?"
Alex shook his head. "No offense, but with that belly, you do not look like a guy who hits the gym or drinks protein shakes. So why are you holding one that looks exactly like the victim's shaker?"
The manager glanced down at it without thinking.
That was the mistake.
The manager swallowed. "I just grabbed it from the desk upstairs."
"Oh, cut the crap. Here's what I think happened," Alex said with a knowing smile. "You poisoned the protein powder beforehand, but you weren't sure if Randy would mix it from the pack you swapped. So, you probably had a backup plan..." He pointed at the shaker. "An identical shaker with premade protein shake with poison... in case Randy picks the wrong one and survives." He made a hand gesture. "So, when Randy went to the bathroom or outside the room, you sneaked in and swapped the shaker."
"Haha," The manager chuckled. "That's absurd."
"Well, drink it," Alex said with a side nod.
"I... Haha..." The manager was sweating buckets. "I... don't drink protein shakes."
Chloe walked toward him. "You're holding one, might as well take a swig."
The manager shook his head fast. "No. I am not drinking that."
Chloe did not raise her voice. That somehow made it worse. "Surrender and confess, and maybe the jury will take pity on you for killing a rising star."
He hesitated. His fingers tightened around the shaker.
Alex sighed like a disappointed teacher. "Buddy. You are holding a bottle full of poison in a room full of cops. This is not a strong position."
The manager's jaw clenched. His eyes darted to the exit, then to Ramez, then back to Chloe. He knew better than to run. He knew he would not get far.
Slowly, very slowly, he set the shaker on the floor.
Ella stepped forward and crouched, pulling out another strip. She opened the shaker and dipped it, waited a beat, then looked up.
"Oh yeah," she said. "There's poison in the shake."
The manager's shoulders sagged.
Chloe crossed her arms. "You want to explain yourself now?"
He swallowed hard. "He was going to ruin everything."
Alex tilted his head. "Ah. There it is. The money sentence."
The manager laughed once, sharp and bitter. "I built this gym. I made him who he is. I promoted him, trained him, and protected him. Then he starts talking about leaving. He was talking about new managers, bigger contracts and cutting me out."
Chloe nodded. "So you poisoned him."
"I put something in the protein powder weeks ago," the manager admitted. "Just enough to kill if he used it. But he somehow survived. So I brought a backup shaker today and..."
Ella grimaced. "His luck ran out."
Chloe stepped forward, snapped cuffs onto his wrists, and read him his rights. Then she looked at Ramez. "Take him in."
Ramez and one other officer took both the killers into custody.
...
[30 minutes later] [In the car]
Chloe drove with one hand on the wheel, focused on the road. She kept a calm and professional posture. To anyone watching, it looked like just another quiet ride back to the precinct after finishing a case.
Alex spoiled that image. He sat very still, wearing a patient and smug expression. He was looking directly at her, chin slightly raised, lips pressed together like a child waiting to be praised for cleaning their room.
He cleared his throat. "So." He smiled wider. "I just want to say, Detective Decker, that I found today very educational. I learned about police procedure, teamwork, and the surprising dangers of protein powder. Also toenails. Learned a lot about toenails from Ella."
Chloe exhaled slowly. "You are enjoying this way too much."
"Yeah, I am. I solved a homicide without touching anything or technically breaking any rules," he replied.
She finally looked at him. "You pointed out two killers in a crime scene after five minutes... That's a record."
"Four," he corrected gently.
She shot him a look. "So, what do you want?"
He replied after thinking for a bit. "I want many things, like a nice kiss or 'Good job, Alex. Without your help, this case would've dragged on for weeks.' But, if you ever need a consultant..."
"You are not getting a consultant badge."
"I would settle for a sticker."
"What about your Hollywood career?" She asked.
"Well, I'm at the position to not work for the rest of my life and enjoy it and take care of everyone without any worries. I can simply produce movies and hire other directors. See, Hollywood career saved," Alex said with a shrug.
"You'd do that just to work with me?" Chloe glanced at him for a moment before looking back at the road.
"I won't lie, it was fun. So, why not?"
"Don't even think about it. I love to watch your movies... And I've loved Mr. & Mrs. Smith. So, don't give up on a whim," She said with a serious expression.
Alex simply looked at her face. "This is why I love you. Maybe I'll cast you for my next film."
"Hahaha, oh, no," Chloe let out a little chuckle. "I can't act."
Alex was going to bring up her topless scene from the Hot Tub High School movie, but Chloe continued... "And don't even bring up that Hot Tub High School."
Alex nodded with his hands raised.
"Just think about it."
Chloe pulled the car onto the side road and took a deep breath. "I'm ready... I mean, we are ready."
Alex shifted a bit. He knew exactly what she was talking about. "Ready... Ready?"
Chloe nodded with a smile.
"Yes. Trixie and I talked about it and... Well, we are ready to take the next step. And you looked hot back there when you were revealing everything layer by layer. And now, I'm going to kiss you," She whispered.
"What are you waiting for?" Alex whispered.
She stared at him for a second, then reached out, grabbed the front of his collar, and pulled him in without another word. Their lips met. The kiss was firm and warm and very Chloe, all intention and no hesitation. His hands came up instinctively, cupping her cheeks.
When she pulled back, just slightly, he smiled against her lips. "You aren't leaving tonight, are you?"
"Oh, yeah," Alex replied. "I'm going to commit a big felony tonight."
"Umm," Chloe pecked his lips softly. "I can't allow you to commit a crime."
"What are you gonna do about it?"
"I'm gonna arrest you and..."
Chloe's phone rang, breaking the heated moment.
"...Talk about timing..." Alex said, kissing the tip of her nose.
Chloe smiled and said, "I'm gonna punish you and turn you into a good citizen."
"We'll see about that..." Alex said, meeting her eyes.
Chloe pulled back. She took out her phone. "Yeah, Decker here..."
While Chloe talked on her phone about a case file, Alex decided to do something he had been stalling for a long time now. So, he took out his phone and texted Rachel.
[Hey, babe, can you use your contacts and arrange some good fighters for me and a ring. Or maybe an underground ring fight? I want to let out some steam.]
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[4 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] [No double billing.]
+ [Reborn in Castle: 3 chs- Early access]
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