Chapter 3: Who-Dun-it part 3

I glanced down at the iron ball attached to my ankle, then over at Mi Fan, who had no idea what was about to happen. I smiled. A small smile, but one filled with purpose.

With almost casual grace, I started to walk back to the table, the metal ball dragged over the floor denting it as it slithers around. The sheriff watched me intently, his eyes gleaming with anticipation, expecting to see me struggle under the weight of the ridiculous antique he had chained me to. But instead, I moved with the same ease as always. The iron ball, despite its massive size, weighed nothing to me.

The sheriff’s eyes widened, and his expression shifted rapidly—from smug satisfaction to pure confusion. Mi Fan was left speechless, her mouth slightly open, and even the mayor frowned, clearly puzzled by what he was seeing.

When I reached Mi Fan, I gave her a light pat on the head, as if to say, "Everything’s fine, we’re leaving now."

I smiled again, this time towards everyone present, and, without missing a beat, I leaped onto the table, striking a dramatic pose like those Zhounese dramas I’d seen a few times. We always appreciated a touch of theatrics.

“AAIIYA! I train a lot, gentlemen,” I declared, grinning even wider as I jumped back to the floor.

I walked towards the door, moving with the same grace as if I weren’t tethered to anything. The iron ball clanged against the floor, but it didn’t seem to hinder me in the slightest. And with each step, I could feel the eyes of everyone in the room glued to me.

“H-H-How did you do that, Mister Ma... Mimic?” Mi Fan stammered, following close behind, her eyes still wide with amazement as we made our way out of the station.

I shot her a sideways glance, a mischievous grin curling at the edges of my lips.

“Yoga,” I said nonchalantly, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Mi Fan, usually so stoic and restrained, let out a small huff of frustration. Breaking a bit from her usual demeanor, she gave me a light kick to the leg, clearly knowing I was just teasing her.

The tap was soft, but the gesture said it all. I let out a small, exaggerated ah of surprise, more for the humor of it than any actual pain.

But then something hit me—something important. The most critical detail. In every good detective drama, there’s a fundamental rule: the body. And I had absolutely no idea who had been murdered.

I stopped dead in my tracks, my tail twitching slightly as I realized my mistake. I spun around quickly, leaving Mi Fan blinking in confusion behind me, and hurried back toward the interrogation room, letting my footsteps and the iron ball echo loudly across the hall. The atmosphere of the room, once heavy and oppressive, now felt lighter, though still thick with an odd tension.

As I burst back into the room, the eyes of the sheriff, the mayor, and everyone else widened in surprise, as if they’d seen a ghost or hadn’t expected me to return so soon. We knew how to make an entrance, after all.

I stopped dead center in the room, my breathing steady, and without missing a beat, I blurted out the question that had been on my mind since this whole ordeal began:

“Where can I find the body?”

A moment of absolute silence followed, the kind of stillness where you could hear a pin drop. A whisper of uncertainty floated through the air as they processed my question. The sheriff narrowed his eyes, clearly baffled by my sudden return, but before he could respond, I added another question, this time with more emphasis:

“And who was murdered?”

After securing a notepad and a pencil, which I tucked behind my right ear, I felt an odd but comforting sensation. Solving a murder made me feel like I was ten years old again, playing detective, carefree. But of course, my mission was something else. This was merely a convenient way to ask questions without raising too much suspicion.

Though… I did feel a bit guilty about using the dead as a sort of scapegoat in this little game.

“You’re enjoying this way too much, Mister Ma... Mimic,” Mi Fan said, breaking the silence as she lightly kicked the iron ball with the tip of her foot, as if she needed to check it was real, though she knew it was.

I shot her a mischievous look, the smile curling up on my lips.

“Little lady, you’ve got to enjoy every moment of life. That’s what we’re here for.” I flashed her a charming smile, the kind I use when I want to disarm people, like something out of a commercial.

She didn’t flinch.

“You only say that because you’re a spoiled cat,” she retorted, emotionless, but with that dry tone that showed Mi Fan was starting to understand my ways.

Ah... those words. I felt a small tug in my chest, a soft pang of nostalgia. My friend used to call me that, too. A spoiled cat. Back then, it was a joke he’d throw at me constantly. But times had changed.

I fell silent for a moment, my smile fading slightly. We were much more than that now. Time had passed, and “spoiled” was not something I could claim to be anymore. Well... maybe there was still a bit of that in us. I couldn’t deny it entirely.

I looked over at Mi Fan, who was watching me from the corner of her eye, still giving the iron ball small kicks, lost in thought.

“Being spoiled isn’t so bad, little lady,” I said in a softer tone. “But, believe me, things aren’t always what they seem.”

“Then, what are we doing…?” Mi Fan asked, her tone finally losing that constant seriousness she carried with her. “My mother told me not to ask too many questions, but... what are we really doing in this town, Mister Ma... Mimic?” She looked at me with eyes that were no longer as stoic. She was starting to let her guard down.

I looked at her for a second, smiling like someone who’s holding onto a small secret.

“Well... to tell you the truth, I don’t know.” I paused, knowing what I was about to say would sound strange, but I said it anyway. “Maybe you won’t understand when I say this, but someone called me here. I don’t know who, how, or why, but I feel like someone is waiting for me here.”

Her ears twitched slightly, and for the first time, I saw her laugh. Mi Fan let out a natural laugh, something I had never seen from her before. And even though what I said didn’t make sense to her, I suppose the absurd honesty of my words relaxed her.

“That makes no sense,” she replied, laughing.

I smiled even wider. We knew it wasn’t going to make sense, but that was never the important part.

“I told you it wouldn’t make sense,” I replied, shrugging. “But hey, all we need to do is walk, ask questions, look around... and feel. If there’s nothing, we’ll just head back.” I nodded as if it were the most logical plan in the world.

Mi Fan, still smiling, nodded too. She was beginning to understand how my mind worked... or at least, she was accepting that things didn’t always have to follow strict logic.

“And the dead guy?” she asked suddenly, her tone more curious than concerned.

Ah, yes. Our dear dead friend. According to the sheriff, he was an old bear who took care of the external garages. If my memory wasn’t failing me, he could’ve been the one we saw the previous night. His death, however, didn’t hold much relevance for me. I didn’t know him, and his passing didn’t change my mission.

“Well... first, we see the dead guy.” I paused for dramatic effect. “We’ll solve the case while I search for clues all around town, okay?”

Mi Fan looked at me, and for a moment, I thought she was about to throw one of her dry observations at me, but instead, she smiled. I wasn’t sure if she was smiling at the idea of seeing the body or just because she wanted to finish her mission and leave this place. I’d like to believe it was the latter.

But with Mi Fan, you’re never completely sure.