"Hey, mum. Thanks for coming over again," Matthew helped his mother with her luggage.

"No problem, son," his mother sighed as she lugged her heavy baggage into the apartment.

It was only four in the morning, but Matthew's mother apparently did not seem tired at all, which puzzled Matthew. "Mum, if you want to get some rest, please do so later," he suggested. His mother, however, held up her hand in disagreement.

"Oh, no. Yesterday, I slept oh so early. At seven, I think. Anyway, it only took less than an hour to drive here from Edison. Plus, take into account the fact that there is no traffic at this time," she explained.

"Alright then, I'm going to get ready," Matthew said as he went into his room to change his pyjama outfit into a formal one to look more like an intelligent detective than just any regular civilian.

After finalising his luggage packing, Matthew zipped it up and placed it in the doorway. He then went into Amelia's room. She was still sleeping quietly, so all he did was pat her shoulder gently. "Goodbye, Ames. Uncle will be back soon."

"It's 4.35 am already; better get going, Matthew," his mother reminded.

"Alright, I'll see you again on Friday. Thursday if I finish up faster," Matthew replied as he adjusted his collar. Pulling his luggage, he left his apartment with a wave at his mother.

Matthew texted his friends. Some of them, like Daniel and Megan, were early birds, and they were either arriving or were already at the airport. Meanwhile, Matthew had just left his home. Only Emma didn't respond, so he guessed she was either still sleeping or taking a very long shower.

Despite this, he wasn't bothered by Emma because, somehow, she always had a quick solution to big problems, including being late. She claimed she had the "magical ability" to solve any problem. After getting into his car, he drove through the empty roads swiftly and smoothly.

Due to his task-focused attitude (and because of the light traffic), Matthew could arrive at LaGuardia Airport in thirty-five minutes.

After grabbing a small bite at one of the cafés in the airport, Matthew proceeded into the departure hall. Unlike the rest of New York, the airport was pretty crowded at such an early time in the morning. For an airport, it wasn't surprising, however.

Matthew then saw himself comfortably roaming around the departure hall of the newly opened Terminal E. He soon found his gate—E48. He saw Daniel, Megan, and Daniel waving to him from their seats as he moved towards them.

"Hey. Any idea where's Emma?" Daniel asked as soon as Matthew took a seat in the waiting area.

Matthew shrugged plainly. "She's not responding to any of my texts," he replied as he checked his phone once more.

"Same for me," Megan shook her head.

"I'll try giving her a call again," Daniel suggested as soon as he brought out his phone from his pocket.

The line rang for about ten seconds before a sleepy voice finally responded. "H...hello?" Emma slurred.

"Emma, where are you? We're at the airport already," Daniel questioned, worried about her.

Right then, an ear-piercing scream blasted through Daniel's phone speaker. He immediately cringed and brought the phone far away from him. "Damn, I forgot! I-I'll be there ASAP!" Emma stuttered before the call ended.

"Looks like she overslept," Megan shook her head in dismay, muttering some other words quietly.

"Yes, overslept by a lot," Matthew added.

Daniel frowned, clicking his tongue rapidly. "She forgot. Completely!" he then shrieked.

"Hope she comes on time," Megan murmured.

"Attention. Boarding for flight AA1948 first-class passengers begins now," an announcement was made over the PA system.

"Oh, that's our call," Daniel got up with the rest of the detectives.

"Looks like Emma's still not here. I hope she arrives on time. The next flight to Lehigh Valley comes back in four hours," Daniel said subconsciously as he adjusted his jeans whilst getting up.

The three found their seats and sat in a row of four seats—perfect for their group's size if Emma would arrive in time. Unfortunately, another passenger had claimed the last seat in the row already.

"Attention! This is the final call for flight AA1948. The gate will be shut in a minute. Thank you," a new announcement was made in the terminal as the cabin crew prepared to shut the plane door.

Fortunately for the detectives, they found a panting Emma rushing into the aircraft right before the cabin door could be shut. Her hair was fuzzy, her eyelids were swollen, and her face was abraded.

"Looks like you woke up from the wrong side of the bed," Daniel teased as he watched her walk down the aisle.

"You think so? I even have to sit in coach now," Emma groaned as she pushed through the divider curtains.

"The flight is only an hour, so don't worry," Megan reassured before Emma entered the economy class cabin.

Finally, the pilot made an announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be leaving shortly. The flight may be a tad bumpy due to turbulence, so please keep your seatbelts fastened. Enjoy the flight."

* * *

"'A tad bumpy'. More like vomit-inducing bumpy," Emma retched as soon as she got off the plane.

"Luckily for us, we had comfortable recliners and blankets. Wide seats too. Helped to distract us from the turbulence," Daniel smirked as he boasted about the perks that he and the others had received.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You're just lucky for once. There was this big man that was so large that he was squishing against my seat. I couldn't even sit up properly."

Megan sighed. "Don't body-shame him. You're not that slim anyway," she insulted Emma.

"Damn, Meg! What a savage!" Daniel exclaimed, snapping his fingers upon hearing Megan's perfectly crafted insult.

Again, Emma ignored their remarks and continued to scroll through her Instagram feed.

"Anyone got baggage to claim?" Matthew asked as he continued to lead the group out of the arrival hall.

All of them shook their heads, knowing that luggage wasn't required for a four-day business stay. All they had brought was just a personal carry-on: a haversack being their preferred choice.

"We have about two hours for now. What should we do in the meantime?" Daniel asked, looking at the others.

"Check in to the hotel?" Emma suggested unconsciously, her eyes still glued and focused on her screen.

"The hotel isn't even ready for check-in now!" Daniel, teasing Emma again.

Again, Emma was just engrossed with her phone, now scrolling through TikTok videos.

"Maybe we should just pop by a café or something?" Megan thought, which was a better suggestion compared to Emma's.

"Good idea. I need some caffeine anyway; that comfy first-class seat sure made me drowsy!" Daniel emphasised the word "first-class" in an attempt to annoy Emma even more.

Suddenly, Emma looked up from her phone, coming to her senses. Completely missing what Daniel had just said, she went, "Wait, did someone ask if anyone had baggage to claim? Because I do."

The three detectives stared at her, shakingtheir heads.