In Equestria law and order is hardly brought into question. We all play our part and get along with each other quite well. The pegasi help with the weather, the earth pony help with labor and the unicorn help with creating technological advances. Most of us see that we are all, in one way or another, dependent upon each other.
I pushed my way through the hustle and bustle of the city streets of Green Borough. The city was alive with the coming festivities of the night. Fillies and colts were dressed in costumes ready to collect candy.
The city had arose around 3 years ago and was already boasting itself as a jewel of the newest western expansion of land purchased from the buffalo tribes. The ground upon which the city was built on was rich in minerals and had wonderful farmland potential. So the population boomed from 15 to 26,000 in only three years. What aided this was the promise of gold and gems, it was a modern gold rush.
Although I wasn't a police officer I helped the local law enforcement by "keeping an eye on things" and tonight was no different. I was a Detective. My name is Detective Flat Hooves.
As I pushed through the crowds of ponies all shuffling in costume I kept close watch on my surroundings. Looking for any thing from pickpockets to assault. Usually with this large of a crowd mischievous colts will become brave and steal, and usually the right look can scare them out of their troubling ways. Of course this night was no different as Celestia began to lower the sun I spotted a colt lifting a wallet from the saddlebags of a older mare. I calmly walked up behind him and placed a hoof on his shoulder.
"Maybe you should put that back." I said sternly
The colt jumped and dropped the wallet in the saddlebag and turned around to meet me. I recognized him as the blank flank that ran up and down the streets to get his cutie mark in crime.
"How about we go down to the station?" I said as I pulled out a set of hoof cuffs.
The colt began to look around and without warning darted through the crowd knocking down others in his wake. I began to gallop but decided to halt my pursuit after having galloped a block. This city was full of petty crime and there was no way that I could keep up with him. I made a mental note to inform the officers to be on the look out for the young colt. I turned back to join the crowd and to watch for anything else worthy of my attention. The sounds of the festivities drowned out all use of my ears. I looked around and spotted only a few suspicious characters, but I wrote it off as Nightmare Night. I continued to walk through the crowd and tried my best to avoid bumping into other ponies.
"Excuse me, detective" an unfamiliar voice spoke loud enough over the crowd. I turned around and saw a mare, who I assumed was out of costume.
"Yes ma'am" I said in my usual tone
"My name is Ginger root" she began to speak "My son, Beet Root, has been separated from me and I don't know where he could have run off to" for a mother who had lost her son she was very calm. I looked around and found a coffeehouse that was open.
"Ma'am lets go in here and discuss this in private" I said placing a hoof on her shoulder.
We walked across the street and into the coffeehouse. I held the door open for her as she walked past me. She had a scent of ginger snaps, it was intoxicating. She found a seat in a booth and I followed her lead floating out a pad and pen to take notes. She sat calmly looking out the nearby window.
"Alright ma'am to start off with I have to ask, how long has your son been missing?" I said heading my notes with "missing colt"
"About 4 hours" she said not breaking away from the window.
"Four hours" I repeated as I wrote it in my notes "where was the last place you saw him?"
"The Green Borough city building, we were there to enjoy the nightmare parade" she said still looking out the window.
I wrote the information down in my pad and looked back up to her. She was a sandy brown mare with a orange mane. She looked beautiful, but somehow off. I looked at my notes and confirmed what I had wrote.
"Do you have a picture of your son?" I asked pulling out a paper clip.
She broke her concentration on the window and Rummaged through a small satchel that hung from her waist. She produced a picture of a deep red colt and slid it over to me. "He didn't even have his cutie mark yet" she said as I clipped the picture to my pad and that's when I noticed the tears in her eyes. She wasn't taking this easily, hell who would?
"Ma'am I'm going to try my best to find your son for you" I said as I floated the pad back into my coat. I floated back out my business card and slid it to her. "If you have anymore information that could help me come by my office and let me know"
She smiled and took the card "thank you" she said.
This time I saw her eyes in a different light she did look off, was it grief, or worry? I nodded and tipped my hat and made my exit. As I made it to the door she was still there looking again out the window.
"This is why I don't have a family" I muttered as I stepped out of the coffeehouse and back into the crowd now searching for a small colt.
I trotted my way to the precinct making sure to stop off at the City Hall building. Of course this was just procedure, making a mental note of the area for possible routes the colt could of taken. I continued my walk and noted that the streets were still full of ponies.
"Not going to be easy Flat Hooves" I said as I used my magic to grab a self rolled tobacco cigarette and a lighter.
As I inhaled the first sharp drag off the cigarette I saw something catch my eye. It was a scrap of parchment that looked like it had been trampled on from the parade. I floated it up and examined it with nothing but shameful curiosity. The parchment seemed to be a sling sliver of a document and only read
"Rele - of t - For Th - Dema - So Th - Onc - Comm -"
Unsure of what this meant I folded it and placed it in my pocket. I left the city hall grounds and trotted the block back to the precinct. I walked up the stone stares and opened the double doors to the lobby of the Green Borough Police Department. The usual staff were there sitting at desks taking phone calls and attempting to connect leads.
"Hello Detective" the officer at the front desk said as I walked in.
"Good evening, Officer Shackles" I said as I doused the cigarette out in the ash tray.
She was a young mare, yellow coat and blue mane. Her uniform contoured to her athletic frame and one could not help but follow the way the boots on her hind legs completed the vision that was her. Of course being a stallion I couldn't help but look at her flanks every chance I got.
"What brings you in from the festivities?" She said leaning forward noting I didn't have a suspect in cuffs.
"Got a case" I said pulling the note pad out and placed it in front of her "missing colt"
She scooted the pad toward herself "hmm third one tonight" she said allowing me to return the pad to my coat. "I'm sure nothing serious probably out partying"
I nodded and began to walk to the desk I had come to call my own "let's hope so shackles" I said
"Hey detective" she called as she turned around "you should take some time for yourself, you need to find a nice mare and take her to dinner."
I smirked and turned around "you asking for a date Shackles?" I said
She blushed "n n no just a suggestion" she spun around.
I laughed and sat down at my desk and pulled out the note pad and began studying the colts picture. Was this just a simple case of a colt getting lost in the city, or something more. I pulled out the map of the city I kept in my desk along with some push pins. I pushed a pin into the map at city hall.
"Okay and the mother was 5 blocks away when she met me here" I pushed another pin into the map at the coffeehouse.
I floated out a piece of twine and tied the ends to the pins. I was far from finished with this case so I expected little from this map at this moment. I got up and walked back to the front door of the precinct, making sure to catch s glimpse of Shackles flanks.
"Hey if you ever want to get dinner let me know" I said with a smile as I opened the door to leave. As of now this case was cold. Perhaps the morning would bring it to heat.
I woke up early, earlier than usual. I rolled over and saw my two morning prescriptions greeting me one for high blood pressure the other for severe anxiety, no one knew without these I would be a wreck. It was a little shameful, here I was possibly one of the youngest stallions to make detective and I rely on prescriptions to make me function. I grabbed my pills in my magic and walked into the adjacent bathroom. I sat the pills on the counter and reared up on my hind legs and relived myself, like clock work if I did not make it to bathroom within two minutes I'd piss myself. I flushed and went over to the sink and turned the water on. I washed my hooves and splashed some water on my face. I floated a glass from off the shelf and filled it with water and opened the pill bottles and took out my need dosage. I took the pills with ease and shut off the water. I walked out of the bathroom and went to my drawers and pulled out my badge, gun and black skinny tie. I laid the on the bed and returned to the bathroom this time to shower. I made quick work of the shower and dressed myself for the day. I floated my badge and gun down stairs where my holsters and coat waited for me. I sat the badge and gun in the writing table next to the door and walked to the kitchen to find some sort of breakfast. After rummaging for five minutes or so I emerged with a piece of buttered toast and black coffee. I sat them down on the dining table and went back to the door to retrieve the daily paper. I grabbed the paper and turned around only to have my routine interrupted by a knock on the door. I stopped and opened the door to be greeted by Iron Bars, the police chief.
"Good morning, Chief" I said ushering him in from the chilly morning.
"Good morning to you, Detective" he said as he entered.
I walked back to the dining table and picked up my coffee mug in my magic "Coffee sir?" I said offering him my untouched cup. He reached out with his hoof and took the cup and drank greedily from it.
"I needed this after what I just seen" he said returning to the cup for more.
I poured another cup for me and returned to the table and sat down and took a bite of my toast.
"What did you see Chief?" I said taking another bite
He sat his cup back down and looked at me. His expression was grim. "We need to head downtown after you finish, whatever case you are working on doesn't matter now there's been a murder" he said picking up the cup and finishing it. "Hurry, I have a carriage waiting outside."
The carriage pulled us up in front of the city building. This time the scene was ominous. Celestia had just started pulling the sun up. The low light added to the grim scene. I followed the chief to a nearby alleyway. The entrance was blocked with yellow tape of course.
"Alright squints" the chief yelled "gather more evidence after me and the Detective leave" the alleyway emptied to reveal that at the dead end of the alley hung a splayed carcass of a colt.
I approached cautiously, minding where my hooves touched. The entire front of the body from jaw to hind legs in the front had been skinned off with precision. All internal organs had been removed and placed on the ground in front of the body. Upon closer inspection the bindings on the colts legs had wore marks into the skin indicating the colt was alive at the time mutilation. I used my magic to turn the body slightly to see if the colt coat color could be determined. Through the blood I saw that his coat was deep red, the same as Beet Root. I stepped back in shock as I came to revelation that this was Beet Root, the colt who had been separated from his mother last night. I turned around and walked over to the chief.
"This is my case" I said looking at the ground
"Well yes that's why I brought you here" the chief said
"N n no this was the case I was given last night" I said walking out of the alley "that's Beet Root, he went missing last night the mother came to me personally to help her find her son."
The chief was silent for a moment and took a deep breath "it seems we need to inform the mother that her son was found dead"
I straightened up and got a grip and found the nearest officer "I want all of the information about this case on my desk by noon. Also send out a message to the papers with a picture of the colt asking if anyone has seen him" I floated the note pad out of my coat and retrieved the picture and gave it to the officer. "I am pulling rank now you report to me and only me do you understand" the officer nodded "good I want the lead forensics officer with a separate report at my desk ASAP" I turned and walked back to the carriage with the chief following.
I got in the carriage and sat down looking out the window.
"I like the way you handled yourself back there" the chief said as he shut the door "you'll make chief yet"
"Don't compliment me yet" I said looking back at my notes and I began to write some more information down "let me solve this first, then you have my permission to compliment me"
