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Deadguy and Valkadaidan pulled up to the apartment building on Davison Street that was home to Professor Jeremy Langley and his daughter, Vanessa. It looked like it was a high-class place a few years ago. DG let out a whistle. "Still pretty impressive," he remarked.
"You can admire it later," Valk said.
"What if I want to admire it now," DG asked, annoyed. "You're always trying to ruin my fun."
"I'm trying to keep things professional," he responded.
The Heroes walked into the apartment building. "You know they have a word for people like you," Our Hero pointed out.
"Don't care," Valk replied as they started up the three flights of stairs to the Langley's apartment.
"Yes you do," DG shot back. "I can hear you caring. Those little 'concern' gears are spinning at high speed in your head."
Valkadaidan stopped and stared at him for a few moment with a look that showed what he was really thinking about Our Hero.
Deadguy continued up the stairs, ignoring his look. "Come on. It's not nice to leave a lady waiting."
The guys arrived at Apartment 321. Deadguy knocked out a familiar tune. "Hero Pizza," he joked. "Delivering justice in thirty minutes or less."
Vanessa opened the door. The smell of wet hair and fresh perfume wavered from the apartment. "I didn't expect you so soon." She looked like she hastily got dressed.
"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition," DG answered. Valkadaidan glanced over at him, then turned back to Vanessa.
"Miss Langley, we're here to investigate the kidnapping scene," Valk said.
"Yeah, because the cops might have missed something when they were here," DG remarked.
She looked at him in confusion. "Please, come in," Vanessa offered finally, holding the door open a bit wider. The Heroes looked around the moderate apartment. The living room had a small white couch, a nice sized television, and various pictures decorating the wall. Above the couch was a wide mirror. Vanessa walked into the small kitchen and prepared some coffee for herself and the Heroes. "How do you like your coffee?"
"Black," the Heroes answered at the same time.
"Like your wardrobe," she remarked. Valk chuckled.
"Alright, enough chit chat," Deadguy said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them. "We're here for answers."
"They broke into my dad's study back there," she said, pointing down the small hallway.
"Leave it to me then," DG offered. "I am the clue master. Clue Master D." He started to walk towards the living room.
"Hey. Clue Master Dim," Valk called out. Our Hero stopped. "The crime scene's in the study."
"Knew that," he answered. "That was a test of your observation skills. You passed." He confidently strode past Valk and continued on to the study. He nudged the door open and looked around at the mess that was caused. Books were dumped off the shelves. Drawers were ripped out of the desk, the contents within scattered on the floor. Pictures were yanked off the walls and smashed onto the floor. He continued looking as Valkadaidan came up behind him.
"Well, 'Clue Master', what do you see," he asked.
"Books all over the floor," DG noted.
"Is that important?"
"Means they were looking for information."
Vanessa trailed in after them, coffees in hand."One of the books are missing," she exclaimed.
"How can you tell," Our Hero asked.
"My dad had Twenty-Eight books on that shelf, but there's only Twenty-Seven on the floor," she explained.
"You know which one that's missing," Valkadaidan asked.
"Um...not at the moment," she replied, thrusting the coffee cups into the their hands. "Maybe if I put them back up..." The Heroes watched as Vanessa put all the books back on the shelf in an order that she remembered. After a few moments, she stepped back and admired her work. There was a small spot where a book was meant to go. "That's the one that's missing," she announced.
"Great," Deadguy said. "Now which book is that?"
She thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers as she remembered. "The Legends and Lore of Egypt!"
"You'd think it would be a little bigger," DG commented.
"It was part of a series," Vanessa explained.
"What was that volume about," Valk asked.
"Ma'at, I think," she replied. "The Egyptian Goddess of War and Battle."
"Mat's a weird name for a goddess," DG remarked.
"Not 'Mat'," Valkadaidan corrected with a growl. "Ma'at. Two a's and an apostrophe."
" I beg your pardon," he said, his voice oozing with sarcasm. "When did you become an Egyptologist?"
"I know things," the Supreme Warrior simple responded.
"Yeah, that's not going to come back and bite us in the ass in a later episode," Our Hero remarked, rubbing his eyes.
"Jill, we may have a clue," Valk said when she answered.
"What is it," she asked.
"Whoever took Professor Langley also took a book about Ma'at," he explained.
"Why that one," she questioned. "What's so important about him?"
"Her," the Dragon Blooded corrected. "Ma'at is a war goddess."
"Okay, fine. What's the plan?"
"Deadguy and I are heading to the closest bookstore to see if we can find another copy of said book."
"Alright. See you when you get back."
Valk hung up the phone. "You do know how to behave in a bookstore, right," he asked Our Hero.
DG glared back at him. "I'm pretty sure I know how to act in a bookstore. Unless ninjas show up, then I cannot be held accountable for what I do."
"I'm sure ninjas don't show up at random bookstores," Valk remarked. "Just drive."