AG8210V

“Girls are complicated,” Troy puffed.

As Troy stood in his office, he started to stare at his stained window. As his back arched downwards, Troy began talking to Jackie May on his silver phone. Even though she was back on his home planet, Troy could visualize Jackie staring at her computer, while stuffing her face with puffed chips. Troy knew Jackie so well that he was positive that she was pressing the gray phone she’s had since she was fourteen years old near her ears.

Besides the fact that he knew Jackie was going to be angry, Troy updated Jackie about his current job position on Earth, his frequent encounters with Angeline, and why the human girl constantly bothered him.

“What did I do?” Troy aimlessly asked Jackie over the phone. “I somehow, erm, I w-wanted the father’s help, you know, since he’s my supervisor now and I obviously need to chat him up to get on his good side,” Troy started to ramble on as he scratched the back of his neck. “I do not need the She-Finn’s hand!”

“Let’s just have some hope in the She-Finn.”

“What if she thought I was asking her on a date?” Troy grimaced. “I wanted her for the resources, not her, erm, body parts! Human girls always had a much more advanced thought process than any other species I could name. I mean, all I said was, see you around. What else could that have meant? Jackie, you’re part human girl-- what do I do?”

“Troy!” Through the phone, Jackie exclaimed and caught his attention. “What the fuck did you smoke? Why are you thinking so deep of this? Honestly,” she laughed at Troy’s nervousness, “what’s up with you?”

“I just,” Troy sighed loudly as he pressed a hand on his hip, “need to stay focused. I do not want any distractions along my way. I came here for a reason, and I don’t need another one to be here.”

“Yo, why so serious?” Jackie asked solemnly. “Do you, uhhh, want to talk about something or something?”

Troy looked around his office and pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes. He thought about how humans were always so complicated with their choice of vague language and symbols.

Before he said anything, Troy heard his main phone line ring. As his eyes flipped open, Troy stood up behind his desk. “I’m getting a call from Detective Finn, fill you in later.”

“Alas, the planet will wait,” Jackie laughed before getting cut off by Troy.



“What’d we got?”

As a human officer informed him about the case, Troy brought out his badge and flashed it to pass the yellow barricade tape.

“Victims Ed Dhar and Allison Drew, both store owners from Massachusetts. Came here to check out the place before finalizing their lease. They were planning on opening a shop here. Both were shot multiple times, close proximity.”

“Witnesses?”

“Only the mirrors.” While cutting off the other human, Detective Kanes spoke, this time, looking at Troy plainly. “Sorry to barge into your case Detective Vladimir, but Detective Finn called me in for backup.”

Detective Barrett Kanes was dressed in a gray plaid button-up shirt and navy blue slacks. His hair was tousled up and visibly full of hair product. His blue eyes were narrow and full of distress, similar to his buddy Linus’s eyes. His lips never refrained from more than a thin line. When he spoke, Barrett looked pissed. All the fucking time.

Troy peered swiftly over at Linus’s partner before kneeling down at the bodies. “How close?”

Barrett walked closer to the victims and said, “Based on the multiple identifiers, I’d say they were shot maybe ten to fifteen feet. Trajectory, I would approximate forty-five degrees. The shooter must've known the victims were coming here since there are no signs of a break-in or struggle.”

Troy scrunched his nose and slowly got up. He shook his head and sighed, “I don’t get it, what is the motive? What were they looking for?”

“PD found wallets, phones, rental keys and anything valuable right here,” Barrett said sharply while looking down at the victims. “Muggers out of range.”

Troy reached for the black gloves from his back pocket and slide it over his hands. He squinted at the bodies, focusing on a small black business card in the man’s bloody palms.

“Crook knew they’d come here late. Waited for them back here. What’d you find, Troy?”

Troy held the dark card up to the light and said, “Something tells me that whoever the landowner of this building is, they have some explaining to do.”