While Jones and Marie were meeting with Chief King, the two of them met with his granddaughter Cathy. It was then that King explained that Cathy can be a fearful hacker if she was ever on the wrong side of the law and it was those words that made Jones realize that Cathy was the @rtist. King got concerned when he saw Jones give Cathy a funny look and he said, "I'm curious Jones, why are you looking at my granddaughter like she's some kind of freak? I mean, I know the pink hair is a little bold, but still!"
Jones started to sweat and he laugh nervously while playing with his shirt collar and he said, "I'm sorry Chief. It's just that I didn't expect your granddaughter to be the @r..."
Marie stepped on his foot before he said anything and she finished his sentence by saying, "He means he didn't expect her to be the most adorable woman she is!"
Cathy started to bite her nails nervously and said, "You're too kind Inspector Jones. And it's great to finally meet you face to face Marie, but I gave to get back to class. I'm sure we'll see each other again very soon." And as soon as she ran out the door Jones mumbled with cross eyes that he and Marie were looking forward to it.
After Cathy left, King said to the two officers, "Cathy's a bright girl and she'll go far, but sometimes I wish she would change the color of her hair. But now that she's gone, back to the case. I was told Mikhail Levin has accepted to undergo a lye detector test. Unfortunately, the machinery hasn't been used in a long time and it might need some tuning. I think that's pretty much a job for a technical genius like Marie."
After Marie accepted the lie detector, she and Jones went back to their desks so Marie could fix it when Jones said, "Ok Marie, my head is starting to spin like crazy right now! Cathy King's initials are C.K. and the chief himself said she can be a fearful hacker if she wanted to. And on the other hand, we've got the @rtist, the best hacker that we ever met, whose first band happens to be Cathy and wise initials are C.K. too. So, there's no doubt about it; Cathy King is the @rtist and she's Chief King's granddaughter! I just can't believe this! Can you Marie?!"
Marie was about to say that she did know, but before she could say anything, Jones started to once back and forth and he ranted, "All this time she's been helping us while staying off our radar! The way she owned up to her game makes me feel so obsolete!"
Jones then started to dig through his desk drawer for some cookies to help him cope. After he took a few out and chomped on one of them, he sighed in relief feeling a little better. After Jones relaxed, he said, "Still, and I hate to say it, but with her hacking skills, Cathy's still a solid suspect. I'd rather not let my imagination wander on how all of this will turn out in the end."
Jones continued to eat his cookies and Marie let out a sigh and said, "Hopefully that'll be it for today's surprises. I suggest we go and have another look at the gymnasium since Tyler liked to hang out there."
Jones agreed to her plan and then he suggested that they should go and talk to Dean Donna Walker again and see his she feels now that Mikhail is back in jail. Before they could do either one of those things, Marie decided to check out the lie detector that the chief gave her. When she looked at it, she saw that it hasn't been used in decades and when she tried to turn it on it started to flash like crazy asking for a reset code. Marie then opened it and started to turn the dials until she found the right code to reset the lie detector.
The two officers then headed backward to the prison to give Mikhail the test to see if he really did kill Tyler. Jones smiled giddily from ear to ear thinking that he can't wait to see Mikhail all wired up. As soon as they got there, Jones and Marie were face to face with Mikhail in the prison's interrogation room. Marie then asked him, "Just for the record Mikhail, you've agreed to undergo this lie detector test. Am I right?"
Mikhail nodded with a smirk and said, "And I just can't wait to see your faces when this hunk of junk draws you to a total blank. Why don't you fetch me some popcorn cause I want to be sure that I enjoy this."
After they hooked Mikhail up to the machine, Jones started with a simple question and asked Mikhail where he was born and Mikhail lied by telling Jones that he was born on the moon. Marie then asked him, "We understand that there was a rivalry going on between you and Tyler. Did you kill him just to get rid of the competition?"
Mikhail then smirked and said truthfully, "You do realize I'm only doing this stupid test cause it beats the shit out of sitting in a cell right? That doesn't mean I have to answer anything you say if I don't want to."
Confused by what he was hearing, Jones asked, "Stop acting dumb Mikhail?! How could someone as thick-headed as you even manage to break out of prison in the first place?!"
Mikhail then answered truthfully, "Breaking out of here was a blast! I just hacked my way to freedom by accessing the prison's mainframe!"
Marie crossed her eyes at the man and asked, "And then you decided to chill out on campus and take your chances with the local cheerleaders? Is that why you're still wearing a 'Vote For Madison' badge?"
Mikhail smirked and answered truthfully, "That's pretty much it babe! The chicks and the bicycle equipment!"
Mikhail then lied about him and Madison making out and he thought that she's in love with him. Jones thinks that Madison is pretty lucky now that Mikhail is locked up and they decided to move on to the next question. Two hours later after asking him many questions, Jones and Marie were at their last breath and Marie sighed deeply and asked, "Okay Mikhail, we're going to ask you this one last time and you'd better give us a straight forward answer; did you or did you not kill Tyler Wright?!"
Mikhail then smirked at them and said to them in a lie, "What do you even know? Maybe I prayed so hard for this koziol to die that it actually happened! Or maybe I killed him in some parallel universe and some sort of reality branch put him in the Dean's office!"
Jones got really red in the face and shouted at the Russian man, "Spare us your low-rent wits Mikhail! Answer us YES or NO! And trust me on this cause you don't want to push Marie to the limits!"
Mikhail chuckled deeply and said truthfully, "How can you rely on such fragile concepts? Honestly, I expected a lot more from top cops like you."
After they were done giving Mikhail the test, Jones and Marie slumped down in their seats in exhaustion after asking him what felt like about fifty questions. Jones then complained, "We must've asked that guy at least a hundred questions back there! I'm so exhausted that I think it's about time to sound the cookie break alarm."
Marie then suggested to him, "How about one of my energy bars instead? I always keep them with me whenever I feel a wave of exhaustion like right now."
Marie then pulled a bar out of her drawer, unwrapped it and she bit into it. Jones asked for a caramel one, but Marie told him that she was all out and tossed him a strawberry yogurt one instead. After Jones unwrapped his bar and but into it, he swallowed what was in his mouth and said, "The only way we can be sure the answers on the graph that you obtained from the lie detector are accurate is to send them to Alex. He'll definitely know how to decipher this kind of data."
Marie agreed to send it to Alex and after a few minutes he was done analyzing the test they gave to Mikhail. When Marie asked Alex if he found out if Mikhail killed Tyler, he shook his head and explained, "It's kind of a pity that you couldn't get Mikhail to answer whether he killed Tyler or not because the lie detector would've spotted his lie by a mile off."
Jones rolled his eyes and said, "It's not for wanting to try. I saw and heard everything and Marie must've asked him that same question about twenty times! Is there anything in that lie detector that you can be totally sure about Alex?"
Alex nodded and said, "When you asked Mikhail how he escaped from prison, he replied with a flawless, straight answer."
Marie remembered what Mikhail said that he got out by hacking the prison's security system. She then thought that that guy has some brains after all. Alex also told them that Mikhail was also telling the truth when he made use of the campus' bicycle equipment. Jones then slapped his forehead with a groan and exclaimed, "You've got to be kidding me?! Out of all the hundred questions that we asked him, he only gave us two straight answers?! I gotta give him this; the man sure knows how to lie!" And Marie highly agreed to her partner's words.
Before Jones and Marie talked to the Dean, they decided to check out the gymnasium one last time. Once they got there, Marie and Jones started to look around the training mats until Marie's eyes got the attention of the pin board on the wall. When Marie looked closely at it, she saw that there was a broken heart pinned on the board. She the saw that the graffiti on the pin board got lost when someone ripped up all the poster layers and she took her powder out and brushed over the posters until they revealed a mask.
As she looked closely at it, Marie saw that it was the same mask the @rtist wore and there was also a message written underneath. Jones also leaned in to read the message and it said, 'Cheaters beware. I do not forgive. I do not forget.' After they read the message, Marie got to thinking and she said, "We already know that C.K. was already in a relationship with Tyler until he cheated on her and now this message."
Jones scrunched his eyes and said, "Well whether she's the chief's granddaughter or not, we need to treat her like any other suspect. I think it's time that we talk to her directly this time Marie!" And Marie agreed and they set off to talk to Cathy not as the @rtist, but as a person.
After looking around the campus for a few minutes, Jones and Marie finally found Cathy and they approached her. Once they were in front of her, Marie asked, "Cathy, before we start, could you please confirm it with my partner and I that you are indeed the @rtist?"
Cathy scratched the back of her head and said, "I am indeed and the one and only. Geez, it's so weird talking to you guys face to face without my mask. Anyway, I have to thank you for not letting it slip while we were in grandpa's office. He must never know that I'm a part-time hacker who's been helping his own people by giving them stolen hacked evidence!"
Jones then got to thinking that the info she has been giving them was stolen and he said, "Now that you mention it..."
Marie then got back on subject and asked Cathy about the graffiti she left in the gymnasium and the message she left on the pin board. Cathy started to bite her nails nervously and she thought, I wish I could hide my embarrassment behind my mask. She then said to them, "Sometimes I get a little emotional and sometimes I find that a little graffiti helps me calm down."
"A little graffiti that warns cheaters what you're all about; like Tyler for example?" Jones asked sternly.
Cathy rolled her eyes and thought, not this again. She then explained to the two officers, "Yes, I was in a relationship with him! Look, I know I'm a suspect here, so just do what you have to do, but please don't judge me too quickly!"
Marie sighed sadly and said, "Okay Cathy, we won't, but please stay out of trouble while we're on this case."
Cathy smiled and thanked Marie for understanding and she gave her a big hug. During that hug, Cathy whispered, "I knew you were nice enough not to doubt me big sis."
After they were done talking to Cathy, Jones and Marie set off to talk to the Dean. While they were walking, Jones looked at Marie curiously and asked, "What did Cathy say to you back there? Cause I couldn't hear a word she said when she whispered it."
Marie told him that it was nothing and thought that someday she would tell him that Chief King's her grandfather and Cathy is her little sister. Once they reached her office, Jones told Dean Walker that Mikhail is back in prison and he thanked her for coming to them as soon as she spotted him. Dean Walker sighed and said, "I guess I should be relieved, but honestly I've been biting my nails all day just thinking about meeting Tyler's parents again. They're such bullies! I mean, just look at the child they produced; he never studied and he just spent all his time at either in the gymnasium or flirting with the girls on the campus lawn."
"I suggest you find yourself a good a lawyer before you incriminate yourself any further Dean Walker," Marie suggested.
The Dean started to sweat and said, "But I thought since you caught Tyler's obvious killer, the case was over."
Jones crossed his arms and said, "Just because we caught one likely suspect, doesn't mean we'll stop investigating every lead!"
After they were done talking to the Dean, Marie and Jones headed out to the campus lawn and Marie said, "I know the Dean has to deal with hundreds of students and some of them might be pains in the rear-end, but the grudge she holds for Tyler is out of the world!"
"But it's thanks to her that we now know that Tyler liked to spend his days on the campus lawn," Jones said and suggested that they should check it out.
Once they got there, they started to search around the bicycle racks until Marie found a pile of leaves and she started to search through it. After digging through the leaves, Marie found an old newspaper article from the Grimsborough Tribune. When she looked closely at it, she saw that the headline mentions Bryan Vigman and there's even a picture of him on the front, but he looked a lot younger. On the headline, it read, 'Student Officer Vigman kicked out of Police Academy.' After they read the article, Jones said, "Well that's a surprise. Given how serious Vigman is about his security job on campus, I would've though that he would've made a great cop."
Marie started to read the rest of the article and said, "Look at this David, the rest of the article states that the reason he was kicked out was after they found pot in his locker. He didn't face any charges, but he was banned irrevocably."
Jones shrugged and said, "Well everyone has a past I guess. And I think it's high time we ask Bryan about his."
After they looked around the campus, the two officers finally found Bryan. Once they approached him, Jones showed him the article they found and said, "Mr. Vigman, we happened to find an old article that claims you got kicked out of the police academy for having drugs."
Bryan rolled his eyes angrily and explained, "It was a set up! The pit they found belonged to one of my fellow students who I was about to denounce! My only mistake was having to warn him first! Talk about a backfire! They kicked me out without a second thought, but maybe it's for the best after all. Now the university has the best campus security officer there is!"
"Understatement of the year," Marie started first.
"Troublemakers beware," Jones said secondly.
"Officer Vigman is watching you," both officers finished together.
Bryan chuckled at the two of them and said, "You're damn right about that. I mean, just today I spotted some students who violated curfew and I can tell you this, they're in big trouble! I hacked into their smartphones to link them up with my own and from that I could pinpoint them like polka dots on a battleship board! I admit I got a lot of fun out of it. It was even better than a video game. Heck, I almost bit my fingers till they bled from all the excitement."
Jones then thought, so much for privacy rights, but it's all about the greater good of the students, I guess. As they were heading back to the car, Marie sighed sadly and said, "I fell sorry for Bryan. Losing out on your dream career all because some of your fellow students framed you."
"And call me Captain Obvious, but given that Vigman wears a bike helmet, it clearly means that he rides bicycle," Jones said and Marie agreed.
After a hard day's work, Jones and Marie were slumped on their desks when Cathy showed up and said to them, "Hey you guys. I rode my bike here as fast as I could cause I have something I want to give you."
Jones and Marie looked at each other awkwardly and then they looked at Cathy and Marie said, "Cathy, this might sound kind of awkward, but given that you're a suspect in this investigation, I'm not so sure that you're allowed in the police station."
Cathy started to bite her nails nervously while looking around and said, "That's why I came actually. I feel really bad about acting really mysterious and all. So, as a gesture of good faith, I brought you something; a picture of the killer." And she showed them her smartphone with a blurred image.
Surprised and shocked by what he was seeing, Jones asked, "How did you even manage to get such a picture?!"
Cathy told them that she hacked into Tyler's Friendnet profile and while she was using it, she tracked it back to the killer's computer. Cathy didn't have time to gather an IP or a name, so she hacked into the killer's webcam. Unfortunately, the only picture she managed to take is very fuzzy. Marie smiled brightly and exclaimed, "Wow! Your skills are truly overwhelming Cathy! You handle most of these things like they're a hobby to you!"
Jones placed a hand on Marie's shoulder and said with a wink, "And I'm pretty sure Marie will know what to do with this cause picture enhancement codecs are like a common language to her."
Soon, Marie took Cathy's phone and she started to type in the right code cause the fuzzy photo would be useless to her and Jones if she doesn't make it clearer. While she was typing Marie knew that she was the only one to find the right enhancement codecs to make the picture visible. After trying for a few seconds, Marie finally turned the pixel mash into a sharp image. Not wanting to take the piece of evidence for granted, Jones wanted to believe really hard that the picture Cathy gave them is a real picture of the actual killer.
Jones suggested that they give the picture to Alex and see if he can find out if the picture is accurate or not. After they dropped the photo off with Alex, Jones and Marie went back to their desks while Jones was complaining about the photo and if it'll prove that Mikhail is actually the murderer and if he committed murder twice, his father Anton is probably rolling around in his grave right now. Jones then sat down in his chair, let out a deep breath and said, "This case is even more baffling then the Russian case itself."
Just then, Marie heard a ping on her computer and she looked and saw that someone has sent her an e-mail. As soon as she opened it, she saw that it was from April. Once she opened it, Marie's eyes went wide when she saw that they were all pictures from Marie's high school days. Jones got curious and he looked over Marie's shoulder to see them. As Marie was clicking through them, Jones saw that Marie was apart of almost anything when she was in high school; she was a part of the dance team, she was a mascot, she was a part of the youth UN, she was a football manager, basketball manager, soccer manager and a softball manager, she was a part of the yearbook committee, the newspaper club, the golf team and a bunch if things.
Just then, Marie clicked on one picture that caught Jones' interest and he asked, "What picture is that Marie?"
Marie smiled when she saw it and she told him, "That's my prom picture."
Jones looked closely at it and saw Marie with her hair dolled up in a bun and she was wearing a ball gown that was red and white and he saw that the girl with her brown hair curled up and wearing a yellow ball gown was April. Jones then got curious about the two guys Marie and April were with in the picture and he asked, "Who are the two guys in the picture with you two?"
Marie told him that the boy with the brown-cropped hair was her prom date Jaden and the boy with the black shoulder-length hair was April's cousin Aster and they went to the same school with her and April. Marie went in to tell Jones that after graduation, Aster went on to become the manager of Cerberus, a company his family owned and he still runs it to this day. Just like April, Marie keeps in contact with him time to time. Jones got curious about Marie's prom date and asked, "What about Jaden? Do you still talk to him?"
Marie leaned back with a sad look on her face and said, "I would, if he wasn't six feet under."
Getting curious, Jones asked what happened to him. Marie then explained to him, "A few weeks after prom, Jaden was diagnosed with a kidney disease that was slowly killing him. The doctors told me that I was a good match and if I donated, I was sure to save his life. However, a couple doctors and nurses were kind of discriminate with me and they found another match for Jaden and he got the kidney. But a couple weeks later, Jaden got sick and they said that the kidney that was given to him was tainted and it came from a patient who had AIDS and they passed away already. Jaden was only given a few months to live, but he lived for a month and he died at the end if that month.
"Those same doctors and nurses were fired the next day for tampering with the medical files. Afterwards, everyone in school blamed me for Jaden's death. But the only ones who stood by and defended me were April, Aster and my band and even some teachers too. Jaden didn't deserve to die like that, everyone loved him; he was funny, nice and a big teddy bear to everyone. He was a good friend to me too."
After he heard Marie's story, Jones looked at the young man in the picture and said, "I guess you had it rough in high school too didn't you?"
Marie stood up and started walking with Jones following her and she said while looking at her feet, "Death seems to strike at everyone in my family. My great-grandmother list her parents during a pox infection and I lost my parents, my grandmother and a good friend. It seems like wherever I go, the reaper always know when to strike and he knows where to find me. Sometimes I wonder if I'm gonna lose someone important here before I get transferred; it could be the Chief or it could be you David."
Jones looked down and began to think that the chief always seemed to favor Marie a lot lately. He then thought that maybe Marie was really important to the chief just like Cathy. Just then, he heard Marie ask him, "Hey David, I have a question. If you could choose to kill me even if it wasn't your choice, would you do it?"
Shocked by what she was saying, Jones exclaimed, "Now why the hell would you go and ask that?! You know I would never hurt you Marie! Even if I did kill you, I would never forgive myself and I would also die by that very same gun! In fact, if you ever die then I would die with you so we would never be apart. You would be reunited with your parents and if I to choose between you or Charlotte then I would definitely choose you!"
Marie stopped walking and looked at him with a sad look on her face. Jones the rubbed the back of his head thinking hard, when he just remembered something and he said to Marie, "Do you remember that time I was accused of murder and you were left to fend the killer by yourself till I got there? We caught him then, but we did it together like we always did. It was then that we found out that he framed me to get me out if the way so he can get to you because he blamed me for Charlotte's death. No one even thought that he was Charlotte's little brother."
"But that was different. You had Harry's help back then. If I was facing a barrel of a gun that would kill me, I would rather be killed by someone I know even if he's someone I care about, but he doesn't care about me," Marie said with a sad tone in her voice.
Jones then exclaimed, "How can you say that?! You know what my feelings are for you! Even if I didn't live you, I would never go out of my way to kill like that! In fact, I would kill myself if that ever happened!"
Suddenly, Jones took out his gun and he opened the gun cartridge and emptied out most if the bullets except for two. After Jones put the cartridge back in the gun, he looked at Marie sternly and said, "If I ever do choose to kill you, I'm gonna leave only two bullets in my gun; one for you if you do get killed and one for me so I can take the fall afterwards."
Eddie then appeared behind Jones and asked him, "Are you sure about that sport?"
"I'm positive," Jones said in his mind.
Marie then looked at Jones with a surprised look and then she stepped close to him and hugged him tightly and Jones petted the back of Marie's head with a loving hand. Soon, Alex was finished analyzing the photo and he called Jones and Marie to the tech lab to tell them what he found. Once they were in front of him, Alex explained, "I've looked at the photograph taken with the killer's webcam and I can assure you that it's absolutely genuine. It's signature matches the same one that I found on Tyler's laptop! And pardon me for asking, but how did you guys manage to even get a hold of such a picture?"
Jones and Marie then started to struggle nervously if they should tell Alex that Chief King's granddaughter was the one who gave it to them. Marie then cleared her throat and said to Alex while playing with the hem of her shirt, "Well, it was nobody Alex. The thing is, the investigation is still pending and it's not like we can share everything with you, you know?"
Alex made a smug face that said 'sure you can't.' He then said to them, "Anyway, even though we can't see the killer's face in this picture, we be sure that they're very supportive of Madison."
Jones and Marie looked down closely at the phone and saw the 'Vote for Madison' badge. It was then that they knew that that was the most critical piece of evidence they were looking for. After that, Marie was ready to cowgirl up and arrest the killer. After she got the files of their suspects from Daniel, she started to flip through her notes to find Tyler Wright's killer. The first person Marie looked at was Dean Walker but then she excluded her cause even though she bites her nails and she uses permanent marker, she doesn't have hacking skills, she doesn't ride a bike and she doesn't wear a badge.
Marie also excluded Stuart O'Neil cause even though he bites his nails, he uses permanent marker and he wears a badge, he doesn't have hacking skills and he doesn't ride a bike. Marie then looked at Mikhail Levin and saw that rides a bike, he has hacking skills and he wears a badge, but he doesn't bite his nails and he doesn't use permanent marker so Marie excluded him. The next person Marie looked at was Cathy and she saw that she bites her nails, she has hacking skills and she rides a bike, but she doesn't use permanent marker and she doesn't wear a badge so Marie excluded her. The final person Marie looked at was Bryan Vigman and she saw that he matched everything; he bites his nails, he rides a bike, he has hacking skills, he uses permanent marker and he wears a badge.
After she showed Jones her findings, they set off to arrest Bryan Vigman for the murder of Tyler Wright. As soon as they confronted him, Jones announced, "You had my sympathies Bryan Vigman, until my partner figured out who you really were!"
Confused by what was happening around him, Bryan asked, "What do you mean by that? Is this some kind of joke?"
Marie scrunched her eyes and the man and said to him, "You were going to be a fine policeman Bryan. So tell me this, where did you fall off the merry-go-round?"
Bryan let out a deep sigh while thinking, what's the point. He then explained to them, "I was fixing my bike when I overheard some students say that Tyler Wright was about to share the term quizzes on Friendnet. I found that swine in the gymnasium and dragged him to the Dean's office, but she wasn't there. That's when he started grinning and pretending to say that his parents would have me fired. It really made my blood boil and I just can't stand cheaters! So I grabbed a paper knife and ripped that little demon to shreds! After that he wasn't laughing anymore!
"How can you conceive a decent society when students start cheating and putting themselves above the law? Someone had to set an example!"
Jones got really at Bryan's words and he exclaimed to the man, "You seriously believe that cheating is punishable by death?! You really ought think those words over when you're in prison." And when Jones gave Marie the nod, she pulled out her cuffs and arrested Bryan.
The following day, Bryan was standing before Judge Hall for Tyler's murder. The man then saluted to her and said, "Your Honor, I'll duly accept the sentence. I've always been committed to abiding by the law and that will never change!"
Baffled by his words, the judge said, "How can you say you're a law abiding citizen when you've just broken one of the cardinal rules all because you caught a student cheating?!"
Bryan then looked up at her and said, "Your Honor, I assume that a woman in your position understood a long time ago that cheating is the mother lode of all evil! When I found out that Tyler was about to share his forfeit with the whole campus, I felt that I had to give him the justice that he deserved."
Shocked by his words, Judge Hall exclaimed that justice is about balance and understanding, not blind, mindless retribution. Bryan smirked and told her that that's not a definition he's not sharing and he told her that with a bit of common sense, she'll know that he acted right. Judge Hall then banged her gavel repeatedly and then she sentenced Bryan to life imprisonment for the senseless murder of Tyler Wright and after that court was adjourned.
After the trial, Jones and Marie walked outside the courthouse and Jones said, "It makes you think doesn't it Marie? I certainly don't want to give credit to Bryan Vigman cause the way he took is not the one to be taken."
Marie nodded in agreement and then said, "But seriously, what becomes of a university with excellent students when most of those students spend most of their energy cheating instead of doing their homework? At that age, nothing seems important. As they always say, 'youth is wasted on the young.'
Jones nodded in agreement and said, "And we didn't find another Rorschach test this time, but we'd better keep our eyes peeled for them Marie cause something tells me that our serial killer is about to prepare for another murder and it could be the most gruesome one yet."
After they were done with Bryan's trial, Marie and Jones headed back to the station and as soon as they got there they headed straight for Chief King's office. As soon as they got there and King saw Marie come in, he said to her, "You brilliantly lead this investigation down the right path Major Marie, but now that you're here we have a more pressing matter; we still don't know how Mikhail Levin got out of jail! I mean, how could he get out of prison without anyone noticing?! I'd like you to interrogate him about this cause we need to know if he has an accomplice! This is also kind of reflecting badly on our reputation, but don't worry cause I know how to settle with the media. Stuart O'Neil has asked for an interview with you Marie so impress him the best you can do he'll write a nice article."
Just then, Ramirez burst into the office asking the chief if he's seen Marie, but then he stopped when he saw her. Marie asked Ramirez what the problem was and he started to sweat and said, "Donna Walker, the college Dean, has just summoned you to her office Major. You didn't do anything bad did you?!"
King then slapped his forehead and said, "Come on Ramirez, this isn't high school you know! She's not just gonna go and punish someone for a student's misbehavior! Why don't you accompany Marie and see for yourself?" And Ramirez looked at Marie and agreed to go with.
After Marie was done in the chief's office, she was getting ready to go when Alex approached her. Once he was near her, Alex said, "Hey Marie! I have something I need to tell you, I won't be available for a while and you'll never guess why! The most prettiest girl I've seen has stopped by my lab earlier and she asked me to pick her up at eight! I don't really know how that happened, but I think it's totally awesome!"
Curious, Jones asked, "You don't mean Cathy by any chance do you?"
Alex nodded with a blush and he told them that he'll be busy preparing everything yo make the date perfect and he doesn't want them to him for anything until then cause he'll be unavailable. Alex then skipped to his lab and locked it just Jones was calling him to tell Alex that Cathy was the @rtist, but it was too late and they doubt that he'll hear them from cloud nine.
After the hustle with Alex, Marie and Jones agreed to meet at the prison to talk to Mikhail so Marie can go with Ramirez to talk to the Dean. Once they got to the Dean's office, Ramirez started to look around nervously and he said, "Marie, being here always gives me the heebie jeebies! Ever since I was a kid, I've always hated being called into the principal's office! Do you think the Dean's gonna lecture us? I hope she won't call our parents or anything."
"Ramirez calm down okay? There's nothing to worry about. And besides, even she did call my parents, they're dead anyway and I'm sure we were called here for work reasons," Marie said to him calmly and Ramirez started to breathe calmly to relax his nervousness.
Once they were in front of Dean Walker, she smiled at Marie and congratulated her for catching Mikhail Levin and putting Bryan Vigman behind bars. She then said, "You've protected the students of this university once again Major, but I hope no other murder will befall on us. The students can't seem to work properly in those conditions. And I know you're busy, but I have a favor to ask. Could you and your partner check my office? I want to be sure that there's no trace of Tyler's murder left in here."
Marie agreed to do it and Ramirez also agreed and he said, "We'll look really thoroughly to make sure your office is clean and devoided of any murder traces. Marie here can spot a blood splatter from a mile away!"
After they Dean stepped out, Ramirez and Marie looked around trying to find any trace of the murder, but they couldn't find anything except a broken diploma frame. Ramirez looked at Marie and said, "I'm relieved that there's no trace of that young man's murder here; besides that broken frame you found. Poor Mrs. Walker, she has so much to do now that her head of security is in jail."
Ramirez then suggested that Marie should fix the frame to spare the Dean some trouble and Marie agreed to do it. Soon, Marie put the broken diploma back together and the two of them leaned in to read it and it said that the Dean won the award for 'Best Disco Singer' and she got a mention for her "groovy moves in awesome platform shoes." Ramirez started to giggle thinking that the university taught disco, but Marie told him that it's a joke diploma and he blushed and mumbled, "I knew that."
As soon as they were in front of the Dean, Ramirez told her that her office was clean and there were no traces left of the murder, but her diploma was broken and Ramirez asked Marie to fix it. Dean Walker started to ask which diploma they were talking about until she saw it when Marie showed it to her and she blushed a deep red and thought, I thought I'd hidden that! The Dean thanked Marie for fixing it and she said, "I would like you to keep this a secret. I love disco and my Dana Winter imitations are really famous. But I would like it if the students didn't know about them."
Ramirez then started to sweat nervously and he began to apologize over and over again telling the woman that he was the one that talked Marie into mending it like he was a student in trouble. The Dean smirked and told Ramirez not to panic and that she's grateful for their help, but she wished that Ramirez wouldn't be so zealous. Dean Walker looked at Marie and said to her, "I still like to go dancing sometimes, maybe I'll go next Saturday to change my mind after this case is over. You should join me Major Holmes!"
Marie smiled at Dean Walker and said, "I haven't danced since our disco themed dance back when I was in high school. I would love to ma'am!" And the two women shook hands.
After Marie was done visiting the Dean with Ramirez, she set off towards the prison where Jones was waiting for her. As soon as she got there and Jones was waiting for her they headed towards the prison's interrogation room where Mikhail was waiting. As soon as he saw them, Mikhail crinkled his nose and said, "What are you govnosos doing back here? I thought the killer was arrested and the escapee was back in jail and the investigation was over?"
Jones smirked at the grumpy Russian man and said, "Tired if your little cell already Mikhail? Cause you sound a little bitter. Coming back here must've been tough after your little vacation. Anyway, your jailbreak us the whole reason we're here again. You never to,d us how you escaped in the first place, besides the security hacking."
Mikhail then let out a loud laugh and said to Jones, "I just knew that you wanted to know! Well you can stick it where the sun doesn't shine Inspector cause I cooperated enough with that lie detector test!"
Marie crossed her eyes at the loud man in front of her and she told, "Take it down a notch Mikhail! I'll discover hoe you did it one way or another, so don't even think about wasting our time! You couldn't have escaped on your own so you must've had an accomplice!"
Mikhail got really red with anger when he heard Marie saying he had an accomplice and he exclaimed, "Hell no I didn't! I cheated the guards all by myself! The only help I got was from Tyler and I was already out of here, but he barely even recognized me! Satisfied? Now fuck off!"
After their "talk" with Mikhail, Jones stomped out of the prison in anger and he said, "You think he would learn a little respect by now! I wonder what he meant when he said, 'Tyler barely recognized me.' I mean, he hasn't change that much since he was in prison."
Just then, Marie thought of something and she looked at Jones and said, "It probably meant that Mikhail disguised himself to fool the guards and then he went to Tyler who helped him enter the campus. And since Tyler always hung around the gym, maybe he hid the clothes there." And they set off towards the campus gym to find the clothes to confirm Mikhail's claim.
Once they got there, the two officers started to search around, until Marie found a pile of clothes and she thought that Mikhail's costume might be in it and she started to dig through it to show the Chief some proof. After digging through the clothed, Marie found a blonde wig and when he saw it, Jones thought that they were dealing with a cheerleader with hair issues. Marie then suggested that whoever wore the wig last, must've left their own hair inside it. Which means that Grace can run a DNA test on it and Jones thought that it would sound priceless if Mikhail was the one who wore it last.
While Jones and Marie were waiting for the wig to be analyzed, Tess Goodwin was on the phone with someone and she was agreeing with what they were saying. Tess then sighed deeply and said, "I'm doing all I can to stall her. I promise, she won't find out our secret."
The person then told Tess, "See that she doesn't. Alden failed after he killed Rachel before she could spill anything. I think you should give her a challenge cause the closer she gets, the closer our reputation gets diminished."
Tess then scrunched her eyes and asked, "What do you expect me to do?" And on the other end the person Tess was talking to gave an evil smirk.
After a while, Grace was done analyzing the wig and she called Jones and Marie to the forensics lab to tell them the results. Once they got there, Jones started to say excitedly, "So Grace, tell us everything that you know! Pretty please with a cherry on top that the wig Marie found among those girl clothes belongs to Mikhail!"
Grace rolled her eyes and said, "David calm down! You look like a little kid who's on a sugar rush. I just spent a few hours separating human hair from the wig hair and I can happily tell you that the results from the DNA analysis are crystal clear. I confirmed that the hair in the wig is Mikhail Levin's hair. He must've worn the wig to deceive everyone and run away afterwards. I even checked the prison's camera records and I spotted him wearing it."
As soon as Jones saw Mikhail in a cheerleading outfit, he started to crack up hysterically. Marie shook her head in embarrassment and thanked Grace for her help and soon she left the lab while dragging Jones behind her so they can return to the prison to confront Mikhail. While Marie was dragging Jones he exclaimed, "Mikhail in that cheerleader's outfit was the most hilarious thing I've ever seen! We have to get to the prison quickly cause I can't wait to see his face when we tell him that we now know about his costume!"
Marie rolled her eyes and dropped Jones to the floor and said to him, "Keep laughing like that David honey and you'll kill yourself that way."
Just then, Marie heard her name being called and she saw Alex approaching her angrily. When Marie asked what was wrong, Alex exclaimed, "WHY THE HECK DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ANYTHING?!"
Getting nervous, Marie saw that Alex can be pretty tall when he's mad and she asked, "I thought you were "unavailable until your date with the @rti..."
Jones then stood up quickly and corrected Marie by saying, "She means Cathy!"
Alex rolled his eyes and said, "I was, but then I just heard the truth! Cathy is the @rtist! I HAVE A DATE WITH THE @RTIST! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS BEFORE?!"
Alex then left in a huff while Jones called out trying to tell him that he did, but Alex slammed the door to his lab and locked it. Jones snorted in anger and said, "That's it! I've had enough with that love-struck idiot! I'm gonna go back to funnier topics and to Mikhail's cell Marie!"
"Don't forget, you were a love-struck idiot yourself remember? You had the same look in your eyes when you met me," Marie said and Jones knew she was right.
Once they got back to the prison, Jones said to the Russian man happily, "Hey Mikhail! We're back! And you'll never guess what Marie found in the gymnasium? Your pretty blond wig! I can't believe you dressed up as a woman to escape!" And then Jones fell to the floor laughing hysterically.
Mikhail then growled in annoyance and he said in a humph, "So what? It worked didn't it? Now that you know how I got out of jail, can't you leave me alone already?"
Jones then got off the floor trying to choke back some laughs and wiping his eyes and he said while giggling, "Don't be like that man, that long blond hair suits you! Especially with that pink bow! We've seen the security camera records and we can print out a picture if you wanted to keep a memory!"
Just then Mikhail had enough and he exclaimed while red in the face, "Fuck off dude! I've seen your Friendnet page! You look just like a lozenges in that heroine outfit!"
Just then Mikhail got an idea in his head and he said to Jones with a smirk while placing an arm around his shoulders, "You know what, I've just gotten a really good idea, we should start a club; the Grim's Drags. I bet it'll be a success, especially if you wore that outfit again."
Jones then struggled out of Mikhail's grip and backed away while exclaiming in anger, "Don't you even dare man! I'm so done with that Friendnet thing and with you! I don't even know what "kozel" means in Russian!"
Jones then let out a deep sigh and told Mikhail that he's stuck in prison again and then he and Marie left to get something to eat to calm Jones' nerves, but not before Jones called Mikhail "Miss Levin" on the way out. After they were done with their snack, Marie decided to meet up,with Stuart O'Neil to give him his "interview." Once they met up with Stuart on the campus lawn, Jones smiled at the boy and said to him, "I'm really glad that you asked Marie for this interview Stuart. I can't wait to hear her answering your questions. It almost feels like we're celebrities or something."
Stuart then snickered a little bit and he said to Jones, "You're pretty famous yourself Inspector Jones. I heard that the "Oh my Jones!" Friendnet page has more than 1000 hearts."
Jones then dropped his smile and said, "Very funny! I haven't found a way ti shut it down though and the chief won't even think of helping me! Now can we get the interview started already?"
Stuart agreed to start the interview and he looked to Marie and asked if she was ready and she told him she was. Stuart then started to explain that he'll ask some questions and then he'll take some pictures on the campus lawn and that it'll accompany his article. But then, Stuart realized that he was missing his notebook and he started to bite at his nails nervously cause he knows that he can't do the interview without it cause it contained the questions he was going to ask.
Shocked and surprised, Marie agreed to help him find it knowing that he must've dropped it on the lawn somewhere. After looking around for a while, Marie found the notebook leaning against the fountain, but some of the questions fir the interview were erased. Soon, Marie took out her powder and started to brush over the words until they were visible again. After she did that, Jones got curious about what kind of questions Stuart will ask Marie and if he was mentioned in any of them.
Marie looked them over and told Jones that he was mentioned in a few questions and he blushed deeply feeling flattered that that he would finally get some recognition. He began to wonder if Stuart will ask him any questions too. Marie then started to giggle and she said to him, "You'll get a kick out of these questions David, they're really funny."
Shocked by what she said, Jones snatched the notebook out of her hands and read the questions which said, 'Inspector Jones isn't the brightest?' and 'Is Jones ever thinking about anything else besides eating?' Jones then exclaimed, "No way! Stuart can't write this!"
Marie then took the notebook back and said, "Just let the kid do his job okay? It'll be over before you know it." And soon they headed back to Stuart to give him his notebook back.
Once they were in front of the boy, Marie gave him back his notebook and Jones was beginning to tell him that he read his questions and he started to tell him if he'll get away with it, but Stuart brushed him aside and asked Marie if she's ready for her interview cause his readers are anxiously awaiting and are eager to know more about her. Getting annoyed, Jones exclaimed, "Hey! Don't ignore me! I refuse to let you publish those questions about me! That's just slanderous!"
Ignoring Jones, Stuart asked Marie how long she's worked for the Grimsborough Police, what her most difficult case to solve was and after all the murders on campus, does she still have faith in the next generation. Marie began to think of her answers, while Jones shook her desperately telling her in a panic to say something and that she can't let Stuart do this to him. Stuart then started to bite his nails and said, Before we talk about more of the "saucy topics," I have some gift vouchers as a thanks you for you Major Holmes. They happen to come from a very overenthusiastic sponsor."
Marie thanked him and soon, they got to work on the interview much to Jones' embarrassment. After the interview, Jones and Marie were back at the police station, with Jones slumped in his chair with his soul slowly leaking out of him. Just then, Alex approached Marie wearing a tux and his headphones around his neck and he asked Marie, What do you think of my outfit Marie? Don't I look good? I still can't believe I'm having dinner with the @rtist! I have a date with Cathy!"
Just then, Chief King showed up after he heard Alex's words and he asked in shock, "Cathy?! Are you talking about my granddaughter Cathy?!"
Alex then told the chief with a wink, "I don't know sir? Is your granddaughter the most cutest girl I've ever seen with a rocky hairdo?"
King nodded repeatedly and he asked in anger, "What are you proposing to do with her Alex?!"
Alex then started to sweat nervously and then he backed away and ran off, but then the chief started to chase after him in anger shouting, "GET BACK HERE IMMEDIATELY ALEX! I WON'T ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN!"
Marie shook her head and chuckled while watching her grandfather chase Alex around like a farmer chasing his chickens. She then looked down at Jones who was still dazed and she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek and said to him, "At least he approves of our relationship. And no matter how foolish you are, I will always love you." And she smiled knowing that he might've heard her, but he probably didn't in his state.
Preview:
Marie's POV:
A couple days later, Jones and I get called to a school classroom where we find a girl with her throat slit. During the investigation, we found out that the victim's parents aren't the nicest of people expect for her little sister. We also discovered of a social circle that forbade people from revealing any LGBT relationships in any form or fashion. Could our victim's lesbian relationship have anything to do with her death? And when will we figure out the identity of the serial killer that's been haunting the university since I started here?
Next Time: An Elementary Murder