Zor: The First Case - Part Three

Zor waited for a few moments as the doctor stuttered. When there was silence for more then a minute Zor piped up. "And if I asked him about your story would he tell me so?" The story in question was the alibi Dr. Goldferb the Brown Lupe of a doctor had told to Zor. The person in question was Commander Bipid who was accused of having strange dreams.

     The Lupes face twisted in confusion. Then he muttered, "Yes...yes I believe so."

     That was it for Zor. The Lupe had to be lying. "Thank you for your time. I'm going to go now." Dr. Goldferb nodded and ushered her out with a cold glare.

     The Faerie Zafara walked out of the office, down the long flights of stairs, into the lobby of the enormous building, out the front doors, and into the busy streets of Neopia Central. Her next destination wasn't very far away but she was nervous about going to it. The address she was given wasn't in the best part of Neopia.

     After a lot of roaming around the deserted streets in the outskirts on Neopia Central she found the house. The windows were broken in and the front lawn seemed as if it was mauled through by a rabid Gelert. The door was duct taped to the frame of the house. For a moment she wondered how she would get in until she noticed a large piece of wall was cut away to make an opening. This opening was covered with a blue tarp. The house looked bad and she didn't want to see the people who lived inside.

     She cautiously walked the curved pathway to the makeshift door and rattled on the tarp. Zor caught the movement of a figure inside. Caught by surprise she jumped back as the tarp was pulled away from the temporary entrance. A tall Skunk Grarrl stood before her. He wasn't scary in the least mind but she reminded him of Arkados... She quickly remembered who this was. Arkados' brother.

     "How may I help you?" came the gruff voice of the Grarrl. Then a surprised look came on his face. "You're that guy Ark..." his voice trailed off for a minute.

     Zor smiled and nodded. "Yes, I worked with him. I need to ask you a few questions."

     "Okay..." the Grarrl paused, not knowing what to say. His hand then darted out. "I'm Ekern."

     Zor took the hand and firmly shook it and Ekern stepped outside and closed the tarp gently behind him. When he noticed Zor was staring at him strangely he added, "It's a mess inside. Nowhere for you to sit."

     Zor nodded and pulled out her notepad. "Were you there on the night of his death?" Zor avoided saying Arkados' name in front of his brother. He still didn't seem over it. Actually, nor was she but she tried hiding it.

     "As a matter of fact I was," he said, craning his neck around. "Arkados had asked to see me a few days before and I had just gotten around to doing so that night."

     "What did he want to see you about?" Zor asked, scribbling on her pad.

     Erkern shrugged. "He wasn't there. He wasn't dead but he wasn't there." Ekern lowered his head. "I should have stayed there and waited...I...I could have stopped it."

     Zor put a comforting hand on Ekerns' back. He hadn't gotten over yet and didn't want to talk about it. Zor had figured that she should leave. Ekern seemed innocent and, in his state, was enough for Zor. "I'm going to go..." she said loudly before leaning to his ear and whispered, "Try not to dwell on the past...remember the good things."

          "There were no good things," Erkern said in a low voice.

     That was the occasion for Zor to start heading. She didn't want to hear anything bad said about Arkados. She was taught to never speak ill of the dead and now wasn't the time to start. Another person was to be interviewed. The only lead left. The only piece of evidence until she went back to the office and thought for hours on end. Only one...

     Unfortunately, this one person was in Terror Mountain and that would take quite a while to get to. She planned to travel on boat and from there catch a lif up to the area where the house was. From there she had to walk.

          When she arrived at the house it wasn't the favorite of sights. This mountain was the place where she was at the time of Arkados' death. This was the place where all the memories were kept. She shook the thoughts out of her head and knocked on the wooden door. She waited outside the brick building until someone answered. The door opened and Zor gasped.

     "Hello again!" a Red Chia exclaimed. "Zor, isn't it?"

     A shiver ran through her spine. This was the person who had taken care of her when she had fallen in the snow alone, ready to die. His name...what was his name... Zor thought back long and hard. Dra-et. Zor immediately grew suspicious. Why would someone from that time come back as a suspect to the murder of her partner? Neopia was too big of a place; the odds were too large... And what scared her the most was that he remembered her. It was as if he was waiting for years for her to come back. "I need to come in," she said.

     Dra-et ushered her in with a smile. A smile that Zor looked right through. He had something...something big to hide. "So, are you here to thank me?" he asked in a sarcastic manner. He was met with a blank stare. "Apparently not." He paused his speech for a moment and then motioned towards the couch. "Please sit down."

     Zor took a seat cautiously, looking around the familiar room. The fireplace was lit and cast glowing shadows on the wooden floor. The flames seemed to lick the red couch were Zor was sitting. The walls were covered in paintings and shelves. A few doorways were put off to the side. Dra-et took a seat next to her, seeming to get comfortable. "Why were you at the detective agency?"

     "Me?" he said in a mock voice. Then a serious face returned. "Because I had some business to take care of."

     The words sent a chill through Zors skin. "What was that business?"

     Dra-et chuckled. "Taking care of someone."

     Immediately, Zor jumped up and reached into her handbag which held her notepad and the files. She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Dra-et. "Read it and then come with me." Zor watched his eyes scanning the paper and as soon as he was done he stood up and smiled.

     "Take me away, madame."

          The pair arrived at the agency a few hours later. Zor led the Chia into her office and harshly slammed his body in a chair. "What did you do?"

     "None of your business," Dra-et replied, smirking.

     Zor approached him and leaned into his face. "Tell me!" she yelled, grabbing his wrists and squeezing it. "I'll do whatever within my power to make you tell me."

     Dra-et chuckled. "Do your best. You can't break me."

     "I will burn your house and possessions. I will make you scream," Zor threatened.

     "Those things to not matter to me. I will tell you if you want it. Show me you want it," Dra-et said slyly.

     Zor felt tears brimming around her eyes. "What do you want me to do?" she shouted, her face now matted down with tears. "Please! Tell me!" She felt herself drop to the floor and dig her face into the carpet. "Please...please..." her muffled voice yelled. "Please...I...please..."

     Dra-et smiled. "Fine. I will...because you want it." He cleared his throat and looked at Zor and made sure she was listening. Then he started his story loud and clear. "I worked out a plan with Seremdra. She would give a confession if I did the dirty work. She would set me up for a shot. And it worked. It worked very well. She was covering up something I created. Something I did. And I killed him." He laughed dryly. "And he deserved every last gasping breath."

     Zor leaped up and grabbed his throat. "YOU'LL PAY!" She then released her hands from around his neck as the door opened and Bipid came in.

     "I heard yelling...Zor, have you been crying? What's wrong?" he asked in a concerned voice.

     "He...he did it...he...he killed him," Zor stammered. She felt more tears falling down her face as she pointed towards the killer. "Please...do something...I..." She fell to the ground with a thump.

     Zor awoke several hours later with a splitting headache. Her vision was blurry but she could make out Bipids' office. Someone was hovering over her...Dra-et...no...no...Bipid.

     "Everything is okay," came the Chias' soothing voice. "Rest. You've had a long and emotional day...just go back to sleep."

     "Thank you..." Zor muttered quietly before drifting off into a deep and dark sleep. A part of her heart had been mended. Maybe now...now she could get on with life...on with what she was supposed to be doing. Solving crimes.

THE END

Authors' Note: Thank you so much for reading this. I've had a thrill writing it. I have a few people I'd like to thank. Blubblub317 (or Blubbeh as most people know him) helped me edit the beginning of the series to make it perfect. Zor for letting me develop her character fully and develop a sense of reality for her. Zor has to be one of my favorite characters and I plan to write much more about her and her cases. Thank you! :)