Modern Thief: Shenanigan.
Shenanigan. 4.3.2018.
Whenever we work in a case, Ame would ask me to check the nearby camera surveillance--not just those which were watching the crime scene or around the crime scene, she wanted every footage for every surveillance camera she noticed.
So for this notebook disappearance case, I had looked around the library for a camera. I saw one, and only one located at the southwest of the room. Pretty placed. The receptionist just on its nose.
But the metallic rectangle was limped and cracked--I thought it was just old. I pointed at it, "what happened to that?"
"Oh…it's the bird."
I went along with her joke, "weird bird I say."
'What?' I thought when Ina looks at me dubiously, 'why am I the one who got that look after following your joke.'
She finally uttered, "what?"
"You said it was…the bird."
Her tiny jaws dropped, "NONONO, I'm sorry. I meant when it was not my shift a bird did tha--ack," she bit her tongue perhaps. With a ball of water at the side of her eyes, "I sho, shouldn't tell you this. It's confidential…maybe."
I shrugged, "Then don't."
When she heaved a sigh of relief, I continue, "But I should tell you what I think happened. That the only surveillance camera in this room, a couple days ago was hit by a bird."
She cried, "how did you know?"
'Who doesn't when a minute ago you almost told me everything of this confidential matter.'
When she said how did you know I felt as 'her'. So I decided to follow the signature move: sharp smile and twirling the finger and saying, "simple as boys."
Her eyes froze at me, maybe my depressed profile failed to fit the Holmes enthusiasm…but then Ina laughed. "You missed something…her pocky stick."
I shrugged, "I'm not obsessed with chocolate as her."
"But that's what makes her charm!"
To me her charm was getting in people hairs, humming, and testing people's state of mind. "All right, let's stop about her now."
I never liked talking about Amelia Holmes. How would one when this great detective was the one put me into a hell hole three months ago?
Her video 'shenanigan' exposed my corruption as the president of the student council.
"Shenanigan?" called Ina.
I sighed, 'yes shenanigan…that's me. I swear, all this calling me shenanigan thing making me forget my real name.'
I wonder what was my real name. I don't bother checking now. It was a pain to remember my old self. Being the hated and infamous shenanigan was enough of better, though there were the ups and downs.
Ina asked, "I realized my slip of tongue. I never told you when it happened."
"Ah, it's simple. I know that any broken public property in White Book have to be fixed in three days, though they always fixed it on the very last day. And you also said it was not your shift when that happened. The camera couldn't be broken yesterday then, because your shift was on Tuesday and Today, Friday. Seeing the camera is still not fixed, it could only means it was two days ago it got broken."
Ina stares at me…I doubt I made it clear for her. Or she needed some time to process.
I cleared my throat, "I take it the camera is not working now."
Ina nodded, "it only recorded black screen."
"Surely a bird of unfortunate. If not for it, we could've solved this case easily."
Ina scratched her plump cheek, "yeah, it quack us up..."
what?
Despite her last... remark? she continued, "it was weird. Ron was the one who witnessed all that happens."
"Witness?"
"H'hm, That day, it was his shift on the receptionist desk. I find it all too unbelievable at first when he told us a bird just flew in and clashed with the camera. Good enough, sensei Quiv found the story did happen and sent us the clip the footage took to the librarian group chat."
I smiled, feeling good I managed to hook her into telling me more. "A clip? Perhaps you can show me."
"What? But why?"
"You don't think it could relate to our current case?"
She shook her head, "but this happened two days ago. Or are you…suggesting someone trained a bird, told it to destroy the camera, and stole my notebook?"
I shrugged, "maybe." How would you train a bird anyway?
"But then couldn't they have done it yesterday."
Ina impressed me with her sharp thinking but, "It was not their plan." I said.
"Plan?"
Ame told me how Sun Tzu Art of War could be useful in detective work. Knows your enemies, was a must to do.
"To able steal your notebook in mere a couple minutes, our culprit has to be calculative, and sneaky almost as if he has an assassin build. Not bold. He knows well that this evening past four, there'd be little people here."
"How did he know?"
"He is regular of this library." My hand stroke a strand of hair, as I felt the thrill of connecting the dots. "First, it's hot. The air conditioner is off at this time--well, you know why most students came here anyway. And second, today is special, almost every student join the movie club's activity. These two reasons explain why only two of us are here. You have to monitor the library, while me..." now I couldn't tell I came here to stalk her.
She declared, "could be the stalker?"
Scratching I was her stalker too, I nodded. "Perhaps. If there's only a way for us to know who's a regular here."
She laughed dryly, "our library doesn't keep track of such a thing."
I asked her, "so about the clip, have I convinced you enough that it connected?"
She nodded, "um, yes. But I don't if I should--" she broke. Looked around the library, nodded three times, and took out her purple phone. She tapped for a while and then turned around her the screen to me…almost as if scared of me touching it or seeing her phone numbers.
It was a minute of the clip:
For the first twenty seconds, the video showed a boy standing on the receptionist desk looking out the open window and loud buzzing noise from the fans. Then it happened, a flying object in silhouette flew over the open window and rocketed itself to the screen. Thud. Crack. The video played on a black screen. But the sound still captured. At the end of the video, loud enough the boy shouted. "Shit, a bird!"
When the video ended, Ina pulled her phone back and pushed it into her skirt pocket. She looks at me, "don't tell anyone I show this to you."
I smiled, "not if it's unnecessary."
Ina pouted but decided to shake her head, "so if it's connected have you find something in the video?"
"Why is the window open?"
Ina answered, "he said it was his mistake. I meant, Ron. He is a newcomer after all and thought he could open the window…to let some cool air."
I doubted that was his reason. Maybe there's another reason. I chuckled, "maybe Ron just want to see girls playing volleyball. The girl's court just out the window."
Ina flustered, "R, Ron is not like that!"
"Ah," she shocked me with her sudden reaction, "right right. You two appears to be close."
She shook her blush, "he's just a friend…and he opened the window by mistake. I--we forgave him afterwards."
"Is that so…have anyone else witnessed this?"
"Two girls. One claims it was an eagle..I don't know if Acadasia ever has an eagle. Maybe it escaped from the White Book's Moon. And the other girl...ahaha,"
"What's the matter," I asked.
She shook her head, "she saw it...weird."
"What did she saw?"
"Um...something like...a living Gargoyle."
Gargoyle was a gothic carve on a building, "right..."
Ina was quiet. It meant I have to search for other clues.
I walked to the nearest window. The lock was inside. Then I checked another window. Another one. And I was walking around the library to check all the eight windows.
Ina had been following me cutely.
"Shenanigan," Ina called when I got on the seventh window.
"Stop with the name, already."
Maybe I didn't say it clear enough, Ina said: "Shenanigan, where are we going?"
"To checks, the probably another door the culprit could use."
She was silent for a moment and then she snapped me a question, "I heard of your story."
I stopped my track, "really, did you like it?"
"Are you really the…the corrupted president three months ago?"
Maybe I looked different from the past. More straight posture and sharp looking. Compare to me now, wearing a grey hoodie, dark depressed eyes and apathetic tone. I wonder which was the best version of me…
"That's me, all right."
Ina gulped loudly, "why did you do all that?"
"Money." I confessed, "it's sad that the great detective was my opponent. She had me good."
"Can I ask you another question?" she asked and I consented. "Why is Amelia Holmes invited you to her club?"
I shrugged, "the Holmes, though as great as everyone proclaims she is, also have her limit. Nobody dares to join the book club. So she asked me to be her assistant. As for why me? maybe because I'm no scared of dying."
Ina took my words silently and nodded, "thank you for telling me this."
"As long as our princess is happy." I couldn't say that I satisfied her curiosity to win her heart. Though it may be obvious for anyone.
At the last window, I turned to her. "It seemed like I have it negative. The windows were all locked from the inside. But this gave us that our culprit didn't use the window to escape."
Ina shoulder slumped, "it's all too confusing…then how did he disappeared with my notebook?"
I said, "but I left this possibility for last resort. The rumoured secret door. Sounded unbelievable, but we have no other lead."
Ina stared at her feet, "I guess that's so."
"Princess Ina, what's this about the rumour?"