Could have what Basil said been true? That Mr. Virg survived? That was a question Grace had when she watched Basil zoning out on his couch. Usually that means he's thinking, other times that means he's daydreaming. But that was beside the point. What matters is first, find Mr. Virg. But how?

  She stood up from her wooden stool, looking down at Basil with her hands on her hips, "for crying out loud can we make some process?!" She said.

  But Basil didn't answer, instead, Grace received a loud and long snore sound. Kicking Basil on the side, she asked once more, "CAN. WE. MAKE. SOME. PROCESS!!", Her face now beside Basil's ear, screaming as loud as she could.

  "UGHHHHHHH....." Basil groaned as as he turned around, facing his back to her, "Isn't it obvious? Virg placed the bomb."

  "What?!", Basil felt a hand on his shoulder, and the next thing he knew, he was flipped over, facing Grace yet again, "If he placed the bomb, why would he? There's no motive."

  "A charming question." Basil said as he got up, stretching his arms out whole making weird noises, the same you made when you stretch. "But honestly, Mr. Virg placing the bomb is the only explaination that makes sense as of right now. However, we must get more data before theorizing."

  Then he turned to Grace, "tell me, has Virg acted weird recently? Anything at all?", his eyes sharp as ever, and Grace could feel it.

  "Maybe, sometimes I would see him glance at his phone." She said as she thought back, "Mr. Virg wasn't the type of person to use phone."

  "Excellent!" Basil's eyes beamed with light as he heard this. He rushed to get his coat and jumped over the coffee table to open the door, "I think this case may be easier than I originally thought." He said.

  Before Grace could say another word, Basil rushed out. Grace chases after Basil all the way outside the bakery. It was slightly snowing, the temperature outside was cold, not very. If under different circumstances, Grace wouldn't mind being taken in a date in this time of the month. Unfortunately, she's stuck with a man child playing detective.

  When she caught up, she walked slightly in front of Basil, "tell me!" She Said, catching her breath. Her cheeks slightly red from the cold, each breath let out mist, "what did you find?!"

  "A man's office tells a lot about the man." Basil said, "when I first saw Virg's office, it was symmetrical, not organized, symmetrical. This could mean Virg is not simply just a man who likes being organized, he is a man who is obsessed with perfection."

  Then he added, "but yesterday, when I saw him waiting for us, I saw a hint of wary in his eyes, his breathing naturally slow, and he was hiding his hands. Taking a glance at his office, I noticed a note book tossed carelessly on his desk, several small pens moved out of place, adding in the phone detail, these are signs of a man who is nervous, not of a business or professional issue, but a personal one." His steps growing faster and faster, then, he turned sharply, stopping.

  "Couldn't that just mean that he was nervous about a.... CERTAIN. DETECTIVE. Assaulting another detective?"

  "Not likely, at least not likely after you told me about the phone situation."

  Grace looked puzzled at Basil's deduction, what made her more puzzled was why they were standing infront of a random house. They've been walking for maybe 20 minutes, and Grace had to endure for 20 minutes. "Whose house are we at?" She said, glancing at Basil.

  "Your boss's house."

  "What?!" She looked at him with a shocked expression, "how on earth did you know where he lived?"

  "Less talk more work" he said as he walked up the stairs and examining the door.

  "Less talk you say..." Grace was now glaring at Basil, as if Basil was any better at not talking during cases. She cautiously walked up the steps, still irritated by how Basil just casually ignored her question. Then she saw something that horrified her, "HEY! IDIOT! You can't just do that!" She cried out, watching Basil pull out a tension wrench and a hook pick from his pockets, picking and playing with the door.

  "What?" Basil stopped momentarily and looked back, "aren't you a cop?"

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  "No dumbass!" She said quietly before forcing Basil alway from the door, "Warren's exit for a reason, you can't just break in like that!"

  "Hm." Basil looked at the door the glanced back at Grace with a mischievous grin. Probing the pick upwards slightly until he heard a soft click sound, "good thing I'm not a cop." He said, pushing the door open and walking in."

  "Basil!" Grace whispers in a quick voice, trying to pull him out butter arm fell short. She looked around panicking, hoping that no one is seeing the scene, "get out at once!" She said, "or I'll arrest you do break and entering!"

  "Go ahead~" Basil said nonchalantly, wandering around the house like his own, first looking around Virg's living room, than taking a quick peek at his kitchen. "Come on my dear Grace, just come in." He said as he opened the pantry and took out a bag of chips. "Come on."

  Grace stood, refusing to enter. She stood by the door way, staring at Basil as if waiting for a puppy to come back to their owner, but Basil has a trick up his sleeve, "I'll buy you that necklace", he said with an innocent smile. Grace on the other hand, looked shook.

  "How- what do you mean?" She said with both curiosity and embarrassment.

  "You've been eyeing it on your phone a few times when we ate. I think it was when you were waiting for the water to boil... or something."

  Her eye's twitched slightly, it was a tempting offer, but still.... "Hmmmmm." Grace thought. Finally, she stepped inside, "if we don't find any leads, we're leaving."

  .

  .

  .

  The house, like Basil suspected, was as basic as a straight line. Grace took note of her boss's home; The living room was of decent size, with two brown leather couches and a glass coffee table. There was a rug on the floor that looks to be the price of a house, and everything bit of furniture seemed to be placed and measured by the millimeter. Basil's eye's scanned the place, though the place seemed to be too perfect, something must be missing.

  Then they headed upstairs, Basil completely ignored everything other room and headed straight to Mr. Virg's room. Grace, followed slowly behind, opening and checking everything room Basil ignored to make sure they don't get flanked from behind.

  "Clear." She said.

  "Huh?" Basil turned around in confusion, "clear what?"

  "Clear- like, you know- ugh...." Sighing in defeat, he cannot stand this level of idiocy from a mind so sharp, "Nevermind." She said.

  Turning the door knob, Basil paused for a moment before pushing Grace towards instead, "Ladies first." He said, hiding behind her smiling. With an eye roll, Grace cautiously opened the doors checking the room inside. Virg's room was where his heart really lied. There were a few old movie posters, ranging from hit 90s action films to poorly made romance shows. His desk was as clean and sharp as a sharpened pencil, and his bed was also well made. From what Grace could see, his closet was a combination of suits, trousers, and more suits.

  While Grace was scanning the area, she felt someone's head slowly slide over her's, and resting onto of it, "clear..." Basil whispered. He passed through Grace, looking around, before jumping on the bed and spreading his arms and legs wide. "Virg was indeed anxious about something." He said, turning to his side, facing Grace, "His house is generic, almost obsessively so, and yet his room looks to be a mess."

  "Mess?" Grace looked around the room, the looking at Basil as if he's gone made, "nothing about this room screams 'mess'"

  "To be messy is not an objective expression. Rather it's a subjection way to describe the lack of organization." He slowly rose, walking towards Mr. Virg's closet. "A man who is organized to the point of obsession would only leave bread crumbs of messes", with that, he opened the closet and took out all the suits hanging in it. Grace watched Basil toss hundreds dollars worth of suits like trash on the ground.

  Slowly, as light shined through the dark closet, a vintage brown cabinet is seen, placed right in the middle of the closet, deepest it could be placed. Grace shined her flash light on it to get a better look, "no dust, must have been moved her recently." She said.

  "Quite so." Basil said, "go on. Open it."

  "Why me?"

  "You're the cop here."

  "But you found it!"

  "And you're the person with the gun, so you open it."

  Out of insults, Grace reached her hands into the closet, getting a grip on the cold metal handles, and pulled the cabinet open. What was inside shocked the both of them. Inside was not filled with tools or medications, instead, there were pictures, may pictures, of a young girl with beautiful long blond hair, pale white skin and a smile as innocent as an angel, taped and decorated around the inside. There were a few widget toys that were placed inside as well. Both Grace and Basil stared at the cabinet like a fine art piece, not knowing what to make of it.

  "What Mr. Virg secretly a pervert?" Grace thought out loud. It's not every day you see a cabinet filled with pictures of a girl hidden deep within a man's closet.

  "Nonsense!" Basil cried, "it is a fool's mistake to theorize before gaining data, my dear." He slowly pointed at a few pictures taped on the doors of the cabinet, "take a look at this." Pointing at a picture of the girl smiling happily while looking at the camera, she seemed to be sitting on a bench in a park, "look at her wrist, it is the same bracket Virg has over there." He said, now pointing at his desk, which indeed, had a small, pink bracelet placed neatly on it.

  Then Basil pointed at another picture, this one seemed to be some kind of picnic, the girl was busy easting a sandwich, not focusing on the camera. "Look closely at the bottom right" he said.

  And when Grace leaned in to see. Just slightly cut off, she could make out a hand, one that's slightly pale, slightly wrinkled, but still quite young, as well a nails that are cleanly trimmed. Even though it's a bit blurry, it's no mistake that it's Mr. Virg's hand.

  "His hand..." she said slowly, "so then-"

  Basil nodded gently, "the facts point to one answer."

  "Her daughter."