Ali Noel Vyain's Blog, page 62

Chapter 10 The Socialite

An excerpt from The Titanium Mysteries Book 1: What Is She Doing Here?

Jessa paced around her apartment. She couldn’t stop thinking about Zeta. Jessa scoffed at the beauty who didn’t seem interested in anyone around her. Jessa frowned. So, everyone knew Phillipe was dead. So what? He had it coming to him. Jessa knew that much.

In fact, she was glad he was dead. She smiled at the thought. What did he need Zeta for? He wanted a book about himself, and he claimed he couldn’t write well. Jessa was no judge of writing. She never read anything more than social media postings and comments.

Her spelling was atrocious. Her grammar not much better. She had never cared. She had the perfect body. She had lots of charms. She didn’t need to be a brain. She loved her life. She was able to date as much as she wanted. She had many boyfriends she saw on a regular basis.

But Phillipe had been turning cold to her ever since Zeta had shown up. Jessa fumed just to think of the elf. Jessa had never liked elves. She thought they were too snotty. So full of themselves. Much too quiet. Why didn’t they talk more? She was quite adept at small talk.

So, why had Phillipe become cold towards her? Why did he lose interest in Jessa? It was obviously Zeta. It had to be her. There was no other explanation.

So it was good that Phillipe was dead. Jessa stopped pacing and smiled. It suddenly occurred to her that perhaps something could be done about Zeta. Yes, there had to be a way to ruin that writer. She had to be useless in the world. Just one more elf who thought she could order Jessa around.

No, Zeta would never get the chance to order Jessa around. Jessa would be the one who could order the elf around. That was it. It was just a matter of time. Jessa smiled bigger and began to laugh.

It would be all too easy to ruin Zeta’s life permanently. That was just the way to do it. Jessa thought a little longer. She would have to go see Toni, Phillipe’s business partner. Toni had to be a part of the plan. Jessa sat down on her couch and grabbed her phone computer.

She wasted no time sending a message to Toni. He answered her back immediately.

She replied to him, “That’s right. I could make you so happy for a night. If you’re any good, then we can have a repeat. But not until after I try you out.”

She laughed again. She continued to plan their date. She had something special in mind for him.

**********************

Toni was tired. He had just finished a long day of running his business by himself. He walked home to his apartment. He sighed when he was home. He sat down on the couch. His phone computer beeped at him. He found a message from Jessa on it.

He answered her immediately. Of course he would be delighted to go out with her. He sighed again. It would be good for him to spend time with someone who knew his partner Phillipe. He rubbed his eyes. He was much too tired to do anything else tonight.

He stood up and stretched. He walked to his bedroom. He pulled the covers back. He took off his clothes and crawled into bed. Soon he was asleep.

He dreamed of Phillipe. Phillipe was alive and they were working together as they had for years. It was a pleasant dream for a time. It was somewhat of a memory of the time they had together. They were coming up with a name for their business.

“Let’s use robot in the name.”

Phillipe smiled. “Of course we can use robot in the name. Our company is about robots after all.” He continued to smile. “How about I, Robot?”

“You mean as in the book from Isaac Asimov?”

“Yes, exactly.”

Toni smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

Then the dream changed into a nightmare. There were women coming and going in rapid secession. Toni wanted to scream. He tried to warn his friend of the impending danger. Toni had lost his voice.

Then it was too late. One too beautiful woman bashed Phillipe on the back of the head. As he lay unconscious, she pulled out her knife from her purse and slashed him in a few places. Then she left soon afterwards.

Toni found his friend unconscious and bleeding to death on the floor. He screamed.

He woke up alone in his bed wondering who the murderer was.

Chapter 9 The Up and Coming Writer

An excerpt from The Titanium Mysteries Book 1: What Is She Doing Here?

Detectives Julian and Zelda were going over more known data on Zeta. There was quite a bit of documentation on her writing career. Her work history was solid on the writing, but spotty when she had worked for employers.

“Jule, I hope this is helping.”

He sighed. “How is this supposed to help?”

“You’re getting to know her background. I find it always helps to get to know a woman I find myself attracted to.”

He half smiled at her.

“Here’s a site which has reviewed her work. She’s self published so some of these comments are a bit snotty.”

“But there are some good comments on her work. Sounds to me like she knows more about how to package books than some of the traditional publishers.”

“Yeah, interesting. That can’t be easy to do all the book work.” Zelda touched the screen and found more information. “Here’s her personal website.”

Julian looked at the site. “It’s organized well. I can follow all of this information. She’s transparent. She’s doing a lot of work.”

“I think she spends a lot of time alone.”

“To be a writer is to be alone.”

Zelda pulled up her work history with her former employers. “Oh, do you see this, Jule?”

“Yeah, she has a terrible work history with employers, but she does work. Perhaps she works better on her own than for someone else.”

Zelda smiled. “Feeling better yet?”

“I’d feel better when we solve this case.”

“What if she’s guilty of murder?”

“Then I won’t see her again.”

“You’ll miss her.”

Julian blinked. “I don’t know. I hardly know her.”

“If she’s innocent?”

“Then I would try to be her friend.”

“Just her friend?”

“Uh, yeah. She probably won’t accept anything else.”

Zelda chuckled. “I’m not sure there’s any hope for you.”

“Oh, that’s not good…”

“What’s the problem? Other detectives don’t seem to care and sleep with the suspects.”

“That’s unethical. Besides she would kill me if tried.”

She shook her head. “I’m glad you’re my partner instead of those other detectives.”

“Because I treat you better than they would.”

“Yeah, and you don’t seem to care I’m a lesbian.”

“I don’t care. That’s your business. We just work together.”

“So you wouldn’t want to date someone you work with?”

“That’s not ethical. And what happens when the relationship goes sour?”

“Good point.” She checked over more data. “Jule, I’m not sure Zeta committed murder.”

“No? What makes you say that?”

“Because it wouldn’t make any sense to kill the person who hired her to do a job that she loves so well. She enjoys a challenge and I’m sure he gave her one.”

“Good point. I hope she didn’t kill anyone.”

Zelda shook her head and smiled at him.

Chapter 8 The Detectives

An excerpt from The Titanium Mysteries Book 1: What Is She Doing Here?

Julian was sitting in the office alone. He reviewed the evidence and all the known suspects so far. He saw Zeta’s image again and sighed. Zelda walked in.

“What’s wrong, Jule?”

“Oh!” He gestured towards Zeta’s image.

“Oh, she is pretty.”

“You’re not helping.”

“You know I like women just as you do.”

“I know.”

“We do have an appointment with her today.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, so we need to get going after we finish reviewing the data.”

“Right. What she told me checks with the records. Phillipe hired her as a ghostwriter. Look how much he’s paid her already before the book is ready for release.”

“Wow.”

“I’m sure she will be fine for quite some time.”

Zelda nodded. “She seems to be the only one who doesn’t have a motive.”

“No reason to kill the victim. Interesting.”

“Let’s go.”

They left the office and took the hovercar to Zeta’s place. Zelda landed the car outside the stone wall. She looked at Julian. He sighed. They got out of the car and walked to the gate. She pressed the button to be admitted.

“Who is it?”

“Detectives Julian and Zelda.”

The gate opened. The detectives walked inside the property. They saw the lone tiny house. They approached. Zelda knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

They entered to find Zeta sitting at her desk. The inside was cosy. The detectives saw her crutches in their designated place. Julian turned back to Zeta and looked down at her feet. She wasn’t wearing her shoes and he could see her braces.

“Can you run?” he asked.

“Not anymore.”

“That’s why you couldn’t get out fast enough.”

Zeta nodded. “Phillipe told me to run and get out as fast as I could.”

“Did you see him get murdered?” asked Julian.

Zeta shook her head. “I asked him why and he said he couldn’t tell me. But he urged me to leave. So I did.”

The detectives took notes.

“Did you know Jessa or Toni?” asked Julian.

“I’ve met both of them. I don’t know either one well.”

“What do you think of them?” Julian looked right at Zeta.

“Toni was always professional and business like with me. Jessa never liked me. I don’t want to have anything to do with her.”

Julian looked to Zelda.

Zelda asked, “Did you like working for Phillipe?”

Zeta shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t know him that long. He tried to tell me jokes and flirt with me. I didn’t care for the flirting. Although he didn’t do it as much in the end.”

Zelda nodded. “That’s all our questions for now. Don’t leave the planet, we may need to contact you again.”

“Okay. I’ll stay here and work as I usually do.”

The detectives nodded to her and left her house and the property.

Chapter 7 Uncle Xavier

An excerpt from The Titanium Mysteries Book 1: What Is She Doing Here?

Zeta sat at her desk reading the notes. It had been hours. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. She looked out the window and thought about her Uncle Xavier. She had always liked him. She smiled as she thought about him and what he had told her he did for a living.

He traveled for a living. He would rate different hotels, resorts, restaurants, and other places on their services. No one knew who he was because his picture was not posted with his reviews. He used a different name just for this job. Or at least that was what he had told his niece. But most important of all, he loved his job, but he would be gone for months at a time.

Zeta never knew when he would show up. And when he did show up, he was never around for long. He never stayed on the property. She was alone for much of the time. No one bothered her. Eventually, she went to college and had a part time job. She was able to pay for her own food.

By the time she had earned her degree, she was no longer in her teens. But she still lived alone. She remembered the day her uncle had given her the news that his work was keeping him away for much longer periods of time. He had made arrangements so she could manage the property by herself.

Little did he know, that he did a good thing for her by letting her have full control. The property was still in the family per the stipulations. It was just passed on to the next generation before his death. Xavier didn’t care to keep the property to himself. He had always wanted to get rid of it, but knew he could not. At least he could give it to his niece and keep her safe.

Being left alone so much made Zeta wonder what all Xavier did. She could see his reviews that he posted online, but it nagged her there was more to it. She shook her head. He wasn’t going to tell her even if she asked him. She had asked him in the past and he had never told her anymore. He alway had changed the subject too quickly.

She sighed. She needed to get back to work. But she had a feeling she wasn’t going to see her uncle any time soon. She may not even hear anything from him. She might see some more reviews from him, but that would be all. She cover her face with her hands. She knew there was something he wasn’t telling her.

But what. And why? She wondered if he was doing the reviewer gig as a cover for something else. That had to be it. But what was he really up to? Why did he keep moving around so much? Why did he not communicate with her for months at a time?

She lowered her hands and stared at the notes without seeing them. She knew then she may never know what her uncle really did. Perhaps it was better that she didn’t know. She blinked. If it was anything illegal, then she was innocent of any knowledge and did not participate in his work.

She sighed and went back to work.

Chapter 6 The Suspects

An excerpt from The Titanium Mysteries Book 1: What Is She Doing Here?

Detectives Julian and Zelda were in their shared office. They were posting pictures on the big screen that took up one wall of the small office. The screen was of course a high powered computer built right into the wall. Their small portable computers could interact with it without any problem.

“Alright, Jule, today we are going to talk to Jessa more in depth about her relationship with Phillipe. Feeling up to it?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

They left their office. They took a hovercar to visit Jessa in her apartment. She was waiting for them to arrive. She let them in. They sat down on her couch.

“Have you found the murderer yet?”

Both detectives shook their heads.

“What’s taking so long?”

“We need you to answer a few more questions,” asked Zelda.

“Oh? Like what?”

“Describe your relationship with Phillipe.”

“Oh, we were definitely more than friends. You know more like friends with benefits.”

The detectives took notes.

“How long have you known him?” continued Zelda.

“For about a year now.”

“Did he ever give you the impression that he thought he was being watched or followed? Did he mention anyone threatening him?”

“No. No. Nothing at all. He was always very flirty and playful. Whenever we met, he was always ready for fun. He was never worried or anxious or anything like that. Just relaxed.”

“Did he ever give you any gifts?” asked Zelda.

“Yes, of course he did. He was always so generous. Not just with me, but with his other lovers as well.”

Julian raised an eyebrow.

Zelda went on. “Were you ever jealous of his other lovers?”

“No and he wasn’t jealous of mine either. We always got along.” She paused to look at both of the detectives. “Was there anything else?”

Zelda looked at Julian. She turned back to Jessa. “No, that’s all for now. If we have any more questions, we’ll contact you. Don’t leave the planet.”

“I won’t.”

Zelda and Julian left the apartment soon after. They got back into the hovercar they had parked on top of the building. Julian was driving.

“Now where to?” he asked.

“To Toni’s. He’s next on our list.”

“Then on to Zeta.”

“Yes.” Zelda smiled.

A few minutes later, he landed the hovercar on the roof of Toni’s apartment building. They got out and went to his apartment. Unlike Jessa, Toni was visibly upset. He had dark circles under his eyes.

“Just sit down in the living room. I’ll be right behind you.”

The detectives sat down on the couch. Toni sat down in his favorite chair. He sighed.

Julian asked, “Are you alright, sir?”

Toni shook his head. “My business partner and friend had just been murdered. Why would I be alright? I now have to run a business by myself.”

“That’s a lot to deal with at one time.”

“Yes, it certainly feels that way. I supposed you want me to talk more about the last time I saw him alive?”

“Sure, you can start there.”

“I remember he had a meeting with Zeta his ghostwriter that day. So, I let him be. She’s quite strange, but highly intelligent and beautiful. I’m sure you noticed.”

Julian smiled. “Go on.”

“I know how Phillipe is, I mean, was with women, so I left them alone. But I do remember him saying it was purely business with her. He said she hardly ever smiled. So, when I found him on the floor and she had gone, I didn’t know what to think. I called the police immediately.”

“It never pleasant to find someone dead, especially when they are murdered. How long have you known Phillipe?”

“We met in high school. We were both sent to a private school because our parents were rich and didn’t want to deal with us.”

Julian smiled.

“It wasn’t until we went on to college that we decided to go into business together.” Toni smiled. “We had some fun with our schemes back then. We were never sure we’d be as rich as we have been. But we certainly did have a lot of fun along the way.”

“Any fights or disagreements?” asked Julian.

“Oh, yeah, occasionally over the years. I suppose we all do from time to time. But we usually made up fairly quickly.”

“Anything lately?”

“No. But he was starting to get distracted. I wasn’t sure what was wrong. He refused to talk about it.”

“Oh?” asked Julian.

Zelda raised an eyebrow.

“I was worried, but knew better than to pry. There were times in the past when he would get like that and it had always blown over before. I guess I thought that would be the case this time, but it wasn’t.” He paused to sigh. “I hope you two can figure out.”

“We will,” said Julian. He looked to Zelda. He looked back at Toni. “That will be all for now. If we need anything more, we’ll let you know. Please don’t leave the planet.”

“I won’t be going anywhere. I have a business to run.”

The detectives left. Julian flew the hovercar away.

“Now is it time for Zeta?”

“No. We don’t have an appointment with her today.”

“Why not?”

“She has a doctor’s appointment. She said it was just a routine check up, but she couldn’t cancel at the last minute.”

“Oh.”

“We’ll talk to her another day.”

“Okay.”

Zelda studied Julian’s face. It was clear to her that he wanted to see Zeta again and under better circumstances.

Chapter 5 Tiny House

An excerpt from The Titanium Mysteries Book 1: What Is She Doing Here?

After the accident, Zeta was claimed by her uncle Xavier. He was still single and had no children of his own. He had watched her grow up. Now, she was an orphan and still a minor. He did the only thing he could for her. He had a tiny house built for her on his property. Before it was built, he had asked the hospital staff what Zeta would need.

It had taken some time for the house to be built. But Zeta wasn’t out of the hospital just yet. She and her uncle agreed that she should stay a little while longer until the house was built. By that time she was getting more comfortable walking with her crutches or her leg braces. She was independent as she could be.

When the house was ready, he took her out of the hospital and back to his property. There was a stone wall around the perimeter of the property. A tiny house was the only building inside the wall. Zeta looked at the house and then at her uncle.

“Xavier, is that it?”

“Yeah. I hope you like it.” He carried her crutches.

She was wearing her leg braces underneath her pants where no one would see them. She sighed.

“I packed up your things and moved them in to the house already. I even packed up some of the other things your parents had like dishes and towels. I just wanted you to have what you needed.”

“Oh.” She frowned.

They kept walking to his property. Eventually, they reached the gate. He opened it and let her walk inside first. She bit her lip as she looked at the house.

“I added passwords and other information to your tablet computer. You should be able to get online without any trouble here.”

She said nothing. She had finished up her classes and was waiting for her diploma to be approved. Now she just had to decide what to do for work or to go on to college. They reached the tiny house and stopped. He opened the door for her. She stepped inside.

It was tiny to be sure, but there was a comfortable desk and chair just inside. Zeta walked over to it and sat down. It felt right. She looked around and saw the tiny kitchen area nearby. There was another chair at a table not too far from the desk. She stood up and walked back a little ways to find a bathroom with the right kind of shower for her. The bedroom wasn’t too far behind that.

She smiled as she continued to look around. There was railing around the walls at the right height for her. There was even a special out of the way place to set her crutches and her leg braces. She opened a closet door in her bedroom and found her clothes. She saw her blankets on the bed. The few stuffed animals she owned were sitting on the pillows on the bed.

Xavier stepped inside the house. He put her crutches where they belonged. “Well, what do you think?”

“I like it. Is this just for me?”

“Yeah. Just for you. I travel so much that I don’t need a place here.”

“Then why did you keep this property?”

“It was a stipulation when I inherited it. I wasn’t allowed to sell it.”

“Oh.”

“Besides, if I do stay here, I will be in a tent. Or I might have a tiny house built just for me.”

“Okay.”

“I also know you like your privacy. The nurses mentioned it to me. You shouldn’t have trouble in this house. But if you do, you won’t have trouble calling for help.”

She nodded. She sat down on her bed. “Thanks for the house.”

“Uh, are you done with school yet?”

“Yes. I’m just waiting to hear if they approve my diploma.”

“Wow. Now what?”

“I don’t know. I think I need to get a job or I might go on to college.”

“I can put a good word in for you. However, you’re young. Employers tend to be more willing to give young people a chance.”

“Right. I’ll keep that in mind.” She paused. “How long will you be in town?”

“Oh, not much longer. I need to get moving again for my work. But you can get a hold of me if you need anything.”

“Oh.” She sighed.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine on your own. You’re independent and you’re mobile. Definitely more mobile than what some of those doctors said you’d be.”

Zeta looked at her uncle. She knew his work had always kept him far away from everyone. But how was she to live on her own?

“Oh, I stocked up the pantry and fridge with plenty of food that I’m sure you like to eat. There’s a market not too far from here. You can walk there and get whatever you need.”

She stood up and checked the pantry and fridge. “I don’t have much money.”

“Well, the property and all the utilities are covered by me. Let me know if you run out of food as you don’t have a job. I can send you some money.”

“Okay. What should I do for work?”

“Have you ever had a job before?”

She shook her head no.

“Oh, there’s always restaurant and cleaning jobs. They’re not always so great, but they will at least give you some money and experience.”

“Okay, I’ll start with something like that.”

Chapter 4 The Evidence

An excerpt from The Titanium Mysteries Book 1: What Is She Doing Here?

It was a small office shared by the detectives Julian and Zelda. One wall featured a wall screen. It was a high powered computer which could interact with their small portable computers they kept with them at all times. They were busy reviewing the murder of Phillipe. They had some evidence which was on the wall screen.

Julian frowned. “So, there were three people on the property who didn’t live there.”

“We talked to all of them already.”

“But we may need to talk to them again.”

“Of course. We just started this investigation. I would imagine we’ll talk to all three of them again. I take it, the servants are still being questioned?”

“Yes, by some of the officers.”

“Good. We’ll have that data before long. But this is interesting. At this point I don’t know who could have done it. Do you have any idea?”

“No.” He sighed.

She raised an eyebrow in his direction. “What was that sigh about?”

“Uh, I hope Zeta didn’t do it.”

“Oh, is that it? I’m not sure she did it. From what the servants said, they had a purely business relationship. Zeta was described as being cold and somewhat unapproachable.”

“She was hired to be his ghostwriter.”

“Yes. What motive would a ghostwriter have to kill someone they work for? Look how well she was paid before he was murdered.”

“I see. I guess she doesn’t have to worry about much for some time.”

“Unless she has a spending habit.”

He shook his head. “She wasn’t wearing any makeup and I’m betting she doesn’t spend much of anything on her hair either.”

“Reminds you of me?”

“Yeah, she didn’t look like she takes great pains to doll herself up to attract anyone.”

“Yet, you found her attractive.”

He sighed again.

Zelda smiled. “I couldn’t tell what her preference is. But from what the servants observed, she doesn’t like to hear how beautiful she looks.”

“I can be quiet about that.”

“Good for you. Too many guys don’t understand that could become sexual harassment all too easily. It’s better to be quiet about it and treat us all as people.”

He smiled. “That’s what I try to do with all of you.”

“So, you can be taught.”

He chuckled. “So, who would want to kill the deceased?”

“Excellent questions. Jealousy would be an obvious answer.”

“Of course. He was quite successful. He’s created lots of jobs and opportunities for other people.”

“There’s evidence that he liked women a lot.”

“I heard that too. Do you think a woman did it?”

“It’s possible.”

“Our suspects other than the servants are two women and one man.”

“I know. The man Toni is his business partner. If he did it then it might be that he wants the business to himself.”

“Right, but we don’t have evidence of that. There’s the writer and who was the other woman?”

“Jessa is a major party girl. Very easy to catch.”

“Not my type.”

Zelda smiled. “Not into easy?”

“No. I’d rather have a long term committed relationship.”

“Somehow I’m not surprised.”

“I see we have the autopsy report.”

“Oh, there it is. It was definitely murder.”

“Skull fracture and a fatal belly knife wound.”

“Looks like there were more knife wounds than just that one.”

“Where’s the weapon?”

“It hasn’t been found yet.”

“Great.” He sighed again. “The knife may not be what caused his skull fracture. We should have the police look for something which could have caused that.”

Zelda wrote up the request on her tablet computer.

Chapter 3 The Car Accident

An excerpt from The Titanium Mysteries Book 1: What Is She Doing Here?

Zeta sat at her desk with Phillipe’s notes. She stared out the window as she remembered the accident which had changed her life so suddenly. She was in her teens. Still too young for adolescence. She and her parents were in a private ground car. A taxi, it was called. It all happened so fast that the memory was still a blur.

Another car had collided into theirs and it killed the driver, her parents, and the driver of the other car. Only she had survived. But at a price. Her legs were damaged. At first she couldn’t walk. Some doctors claimed she would never walk again.

She had spent months in the hospital. She didn’t even want the nurses to bathe her. She just couldn’t stand to be touched. There was a nurse who understood and made sure Zeta had a private bathroom with a special shower. She had learned how to bathe without having to stand up. She was just as clean as before.

Later, she was able to stand and hold on to a bar so she wouldn’t fall over. Eventually, she was able to learn how to walk again. But that wasn’t until her legs had healed up. Before then, it had been too painful. That same kind nurse hadn’t pushed her too far. In fact, it was recommended to let her heal from the bruises and broken bones before she tried to walk again.

No one had pushed Zeta as hard as she had pushed herself. She was determined to learn how to walk again. While she was learning, her uncle Xavier came to visit her. She was in the physical therapy room with her therapist when he had arrived the first time.

He had cringed when he had seen her. He had seen her strain herself trying to walk between two bars. She had gripped the bars with her hands and had used her arms to pull herself forward.

“Hi, Zeta.”

She had stopped at the sound of his voice. She had turned her head in his direction. Her vision had blurred. At first she hadn’t recognized him. “Xavier?”

“Yes, it’s me. I heard what happened. I came as soon as I could. I’m sorry I couldn’t come before now.” He sighed at looked down at the floor.

“I know you’ve very busy with your work.”

“That’s no excuse. I should have come right away. I… I’m sorry. This must be hard on you.”

She had sighed. “I will walk again on my own.”

He had looked up and had smiled at her. “Of course you will. You were always so determined and hard headed even when you were younger.”

She smiled at him.

“Well, I wanted you to know that I’m going to look after you. You’re still technically a minor and need a legal guardian looking after you.”

She had nodded. “That’s good to know. Will I live on your property?”

“Of course.” He had paused to frown. “But I don’t have any buildings on the site yet.” He had paused again to look at her and to study her face. “I’m sure I could get something built at least for you to live in. And if you need anything special in the house, then I’m sure the hospital staff will let me know.”

“I’m sure they will.”

After that her uncle Xavier had made it a point to visit her as much as he could prior to her release. He had seemed to be the only who could have gotten her to laugh again. They talked about her education. Since she hadn’t been able to go to school in person, the school let her finish up her classes via her tablet computer right there in the hospital.

It had made her days go by quickly as she had learned to walk again. By the time she had been released from the hospital, she had been able to walk. But not without crutches or leg braces. Her legs were still bad off. She had never learned to run after the accident. When she had left the hospital, she knew she would never run again.

She blinked at the memories and looked back at the notes. She began to read them carefully.

Chapter 2 Caught

An excerpt from The Titanium Mysteries Book 1: What Is She Doing Here?

Zeta walked as quickly as she could. She wasn’t able to run anymore. Not since the accident. But she still tried to walk as fast as she could. There was something about the way Phillipe had said he couldn’t tell her and the way he had been acting that made her try to hurry. But she wasn’t fast enough. She heard the sirens and gasped.

Still she couldn’t move fast enough. She hoped Phillipe was alright, but she wasn’t so sure now. She kept walking. She heard the emergency vehicles get closer. Not only they were too fast for her, they also could fly. She could never fly. She was just an elf. What on Titanium was going on? Titanium was the only planet she had ever lived in. It was the next planet further out from the sun from Platinum.

Phillipe’s words echoed in her head.

She knew she would read his notes more carefully once she was safely at home. But when would she get home? She heard someone running behind her.

“Stop! Come back here!” It was a male voice.

Zeta sighed and stopped walking. There was no point. He would catch her. She turned around slowly to face him. He stopped in front of her and held up his badge. She could see he was a detective and an elf. She blinked.

“Ma’am, I need to ask you some questions.”

She nodded her head and bit her lip.

He blinked. Was there something wrong with him? He had never found any suspects attractive before. “Please don’t be afraid. Just answer truthfully.” He raised his tiny scanner that was attached to his right middle finger to her face. “I see you’re Zeta. You’re a writer.”

Zeta nodded her head.

“Why are you here?”

“I was hired by Phillipe to ghostwrite a book for him. We just had a meeting today. He wanted me to come in person to make sure I got his notes.”

Detective Julian nodded and took some notes. “I see.” He looked up at her. “So, how long ago did you see him?”

“Oh, about 15 minutes ago.”

“So, just before he died.”

Her eyes got big and round. “What?”

“Yes, Phillipe is dead now. How long have you known him?”

“Only for about a month.”

“That long?”

“Well, I’ve heard about him before that, as I’m sure most everyone has.”

“Yes. He was a quite popular entrepreneur. How did you get your ghostwriting job?”

“I was networking to find some work. I offered my skills as a writer. Then a mutual acquaintance of ours introduced us. Phillipe said he was looking for a ghostwriter to help him with a book. He didn’t think he could write well enough for his story to be told and be interesting.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve seen some of the things he’s written and have heard him speak. He’s not good on his own.”

She shook her head. “No, he isn’t. But I can understand what he means.”

“Did he like your work?”

“Yes. He said it was the right style he was looking for. He told me based on my other writing that he thought I would do a good job.”

Detective Julian took more notes on his tiny computer. “So, that all happened just within a month?”

“He just hired me last month. He’s been showing me around his place and chatting with me. He wanted to make sure I understood him before he showed me his notes.”

“Okay. Very good.”

She could see a few police officers roaming the grounds taking pictures and notes on the scene. She blinked.

“Thank you for your time. You may go now. But don’t leave the planet. If my partner or I need to talk to you some more, we will contact you.”

She nodded.

“Take care.”

“You, too.” She watched him turn away from her and walk away.

He didn’t stop until he approached a woman. They talked. Zeta was too far away to hear what they were saying. She blinked. They were both elves as she was. Phillipe was human as far as she knew.

Not that Zeta or Phillipe had ever mentioned it. It was obvious she was an elf due to her pointed ears. His were round. But she knew that vampires and were creatures could appear to be human. Many were thought to be human until it was discovered by DNA testing or they changed or attacked people.

Zeta shook her head. It was best to leave. She turned back and sighed. She almost couldn’t believe Phillipe was dead. He had been kind to her even though he had found her attractive. Now, he was gone and she had his notes. Would the detectives want the notes?

Probably, but for now they were hers. She wanted to get home and read them right away before handing them over to the police. She was curious as to why Phillipe was so jumpy and couldn’t tell her out loud why she needed to get out quickly. She just hoped she was quick enough.

She resumed walking and thought about Detective Julian. He seemed to find her attractive as well. She sighed. Why was she so attractive to guys? She didn’t do anything to attract them. In fact, she spent much of her time ignoring those who wanted sex from her. She had to be rude and not talk to them. Otherwise, they would think they could do whatever they wanted with her.

She just wasn’t interested in anything casual. She preferred friends. She didn’t care to date. She sighed again.

Chapter 1 The Job

An excerpt from The Titanium Mysteries Book 1: What Is She Doing Here?

Phillipe’s eyes darted too and fro. He nearly jumped when Zeta arrived. She was so quiet, that he didn’t realize she was there until he had turned around. “Zeta!”

“Hello, Phillipe.” She blinked.

“Still not going to smile?”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“Very well. Are you ready to get started?”

She nodded her head.

“Good. Over here. I’ve been writing up some notes of things I want in my book.”

“I see and on actual paper. Why not use a computer?”

“Because I don’t want anyone but you to see the notes before the book is released.”

“Oh.”

There was a noise. Phillipe turned his head in the direction of the sound. Zeta saw what it was.

“It’s just a bird.”

“Right.” He paused to sigh. “Where were we?”

“Looking at your notes.”

“Oh, yes.” He picked up his paper notes. “I hope you can read them.”

She blinked as she looked at the papers in his hand. “Yes, I can thanks to your penmanship.”

He smiled. “So, you can crack a joke at my expense.”

“I wasn’t joking. Most people can’t even write out the letters of the alphabet anymore. Your handwriting is very legible.”

“Very, well. Have it your way.” He handed her the notes. “Do you have any questions for me?”

“Hmm.” She looked over his notes. She scanned the pages as best as she could. “It looks detailed enough.”

“So you won’t have to embellish anything?”

She looked up at him. “Why would I? Your notes are very straightforward.”

“Oh, I see.”

There was a thump outside the room. Both turned their heads in the direction of the noise.

He gasped. “Uh…”

“What is it?”

“Perhaps you better go. Just take the notes with you.”

She slipped the notes carefully into her bag. “As you wish.”

“You need to hurry.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”

“I… I can’t tell you. But I wrote everything you need to know down in my notes. Keep them safe. Don’t let anyone see them.”

She gaped at him.

“Hurry. Now. Before someone catches you on the property.”

She closed her mouth. Then her bag. She nodded her head and left the room just as quietly as she had entered. Her mind was in a whirl. But she didn’t run. She walked. And not fast enough.