Although it was only the second time that Jake had gone into the asylum he knew that he would never forget the general feeling that he got every time that he went down the nearly deserted hallway, with the sharp contrast to the noise that was caused by people that were sitting in the shadows of their room. The familiar tunes still rung in his ears, or more likely the sounds were playing out like they always had, and always would.

“Ah you’ve returned. It seems like so long since I’ve gotten to see you,” Ralph said from within his cell.

As Jake glanced into Ralph’s cell he noticed that he looked worse than the last time that he had seen him. Ralph seemed tired, with dulled eyes as though he hadn’t had much sleep, but there was still a pleasant smile on his face.

“Why haven’t you been sleeping?” Nick asked Ralph voicing both his and Jake’s thoughts.

“I’ve had dreams,” Ralph replied bluntly. “I know what they’re about because the guards tell me that when I wake up I start going berserk, cussing and attacking whatever or whoever is closest. The only time that I’ve been like that is when I think about my sister’s murder.”

“So you’re having dreams, but when you actually wake up you can’t remember who and what you see,” Jake asked.

“It’s like that, but I haven’t had any problems like this since last year, I know that there’s something that I know, otherwise there wouldn’t be a reason that this has started now,” Ralph said miserably.

“Maybe we can figure it out together,” Jake suggested.

“No, I’m sure that I can’t remember anything related to the case in the waking world. Why don’t we talk about your problems instead of mine,” Ralph said even more miserably, but in such a way that both Nick and Jake realized that argument would be pointless.

“Fine if that’s what you would rather talk about. I’ll make it simple and clear. Today Jake and I were called by Captain Steel to help with a case. The case in question is at an orthodontist office, upon getting to said office, Jake and I found a room in disarray and two possible suspects…,” Nick said as he started in relaying all of the evidence.

Three minutes later Nick finished up. “Oh, yes and I also forgot to tell either of you that when I was driving here Captain Steel called me, and told me that the victim has regained consciousness, however he has no recollection of who attacked him, he claims that he simply walked into his office to get something, but now he can’t remember what it was. He saw a figure stooped over his desk, and then he can’t remember anything except waking up.”

“Well that’s a dead end,” Jake said.

“I hope this stating of the obvious doesn’t develop into a habit,” Nick replied.

“It may be a dead end, but there’s always more than one lead,” Ralph added.

At that moment the guard stuck his head in, pointing at his watch. “You only have one more minute Ralph, then I have to take you to your appointment with Doctor John.”

Ralph turned his eyes towards Jake and placed his finger tips together in thought, attempting to ignore the ticking clock, until finally his eyes brightened. “Jake thank you for helping me solve an important piece to the case. You see when people such as Jake don’t have bodies that tolerate smoke they will often cough in an attempt to dispel smoke from their lungs. If you remember, you told me that Jake started coughing when exiting through the back door of the crime scene. Now that may be of no importance, unless we assume that the smoke that I can guess was probably in the air came from Ms. Robert’s cigarette that she claims to have been smoking, operating on those assumptions Ms. Robert’s alibi looks stronger than your other suspects.”

“Wow, you never cease to amaze me,” Nick commented looking slightly stunned, “but we only have one other suspect, why did you say suspects?”

“Simple, Doctor Mint could have faked that attack for some reason, you always have to think about all options, even the possibility that the doctor hurt himself so that he could sue someone, you said so yourself that his employees claim that he’s broke, which means that he has motive,” Ralph explained.

“Thank you!” Nick exclaimed that will definitely help with the case.

“Don’t thank me, thank Jake he did the coughing.”
***

As Jake and Nick left the insane asylum Jake asked a question. “Where did Ralph learn so much about science?”

“He used to be a CSI,” Nick explained “,just like I used to be a detective.”
***

At that same time Doctor John was entering a small square room with a small, square table and two chairs, one of which was already occupied by Ralph.

Once Doctor John had entered, he lit a cigar and attempted to start up a conversation. “So you’ve met the lady that’s going to replace me, right?”

Doctor John was disappointed at first, because Ralph just sat there, not even blinking, then Doctor John realized that Ralph was staring at his cigar.

Grumbling Doctor John snuffed out his cigar and as soon as he had done so Ralph replied. “Yes.”

“Good, now I need you to tell me what you see.”

Ralph spoke in a flat monotone as each strange black splotch was shown to him. “Knife, mask, splotch, smudge, stain.”

Doctor John was used to obnoxious patients which was the only way that he managed not to let his annoyance show. That and cigars. Doctor John walked out of the room and had Mr. Peterson light one of his cigars after he briefly spoke to Ralph. “If you won’t take this seriously then I think I’ll just let the new doctor try out her skills on you.”
***

Later upon their return to the orthodontist’s office Jake asked Nick one thing that he had been meaning to ask him. “Here’s a question that I bet you haven’t heard before, how are we suppose to search Mrs. Clarke, if we can’t get a warrant?”

“What?” Nick asked.

“I was just talking to Captain Steel and she said that the judge won’t issue her a warrant based on what we know,” Jake explained.

“Well that certainly complicates things,” Nick replied shaking his head. “On the other hand we’ll get paid more the harder that this case is.”
***

“Okay let’s look at this scene from a different angle,” Nick said. “So we have an x-ray machine, it might have finger prints on it, because it has obviously been moved from where it’s suppose to be.”

“Are we sure that all that blood and those teeth are Doctor, Mint’s?” Jake asked.

“Most likely,” Nick replied, “Rachel is able to tell that the blood is the same type all around, Captain Steel has already called me and said that Doctor Mint has one more space in his mouth than we found teeth.”

“Let’s see, there’s also one chair in here, and only one chair,” Jake commented.

As realization struck him Nick said, “there’s also one chair in here, and only one chair.”

“Yes I already said that, why are you repeating me?” Jake asked quizzically.

“I’m repeating what you said, because it’s helpful to our case. Mrs. Clarke has sticky fingers, it must be a habit and she even did it with a bunch of investigators and police officers nearby.”

“Wait, when did you see all of this?” Jake asked, looking around as if Mrs. Clarke was doing it then, in that room.

“I just realized it, Mrs. Clarke did it very sneakily, at one point Ms. Roberts put her purse on the chair and when Mrs. Clarke burst in she put her coat down on the chair, when she took up her coat again the chair was empty,” Nick explained.

“Well done Nick!” Jake said enthusiastically (moving his hand to clap Nick on the shoulder, but managing to restrain himself at the last second). “There’s just one problem, there’s almost no chance that the judge will give us a warrant considering that all we have to go off of is your memory and he didn’t want to give us a warrant for my cough.”

“If you’re right, then it would take an incredible amount of evidence to sway the judge in our favor, rather than Mrs. Clarke, a mother and wife,” Nick said with the appropriate note of exasperation.

“Actually I was thinking of gaining super powers instead of an incredible amount of evidence,” Jake replied, “I was thinking of X-ray vision, what did you have in mind?”
***

“Mrs. Clarke we have a few, more questions for you,” Captain Steel said from the doorway of Doctor Mint’s office.

“Come on! Haven’t you questioned me enough?” Mrs. Clarke yelled, enraged.

“Actually I should rephrase what I said,” Captain Steel stated menacingly. “Close your eyes. Think of it as a command rather than a question.”

“Can I open my eyes now,” Mrs. Clarke asked, not having seen the flash of the x-ray machine that Nick had just fired at her purse.

“Yes, but I suggest that when you do you don’t move very far, because when I get these pictures developed people who want to will be able to see the money that you got in your robbery gone bad,” Nick announced triumphantly. “Perhaps if we’re lucky we’ll see one of Doctor Mint’s teeth, the one that the CSIs couldn’t find.”
***

That night Jake checked his email and found a particularly interesting email from Rachel that read as follows. “Hey Jake, I heard about how you and Nick solved the case, nice work. I hope to see you soon, or you can just call me at 540-392-4259.”