Warning: This should be obvious to anyone who's played this case (and is a spoiler but anyway) but this chapter does discuss sexual assault. It's only mentioned near the end (since the end of the chapter is when I reveal the murderer). I didn't put this in the warnings in my intro because I hadn't realized this would be discussed (although honestly I should've expected this considering the other subjects this game deals with). Anyway, my long message aside, just warning to anyone in case that subject makes you uncomfortable❤️

The team arrived in Morocco to one of the Bureau's many safehouses across the world.

There were several rooms--four with twin beds, one single with a desk and a queen--all with their own bathrooms. They were all in a row, similar to a dormitory and connected by an open plan living room which included a small kitchen and another bathroom.

The safehouse was, conveniently, not too far away from the offices so not everyone needed to be there at once if needed.

After assigning everyone to a room and everyone got settled, they all went to the office.

Ingrid looked extremely nervous so when she asked Grace to come into a conference room, she didn't need to ask twice.

"Grace, what a catastrophe! With Chief Ripley dead, we have no one to command this ship! What will we do?! I still can't fathom who'd want to kill her. She was such a strong, intelligent woman. The best the Bureau's ever seen. We're doomed!"

"Woah! Calm down, Ingrid! Breathe." Jack instructs as he came into the room.

"Archer, I didn't hear you come in! I...was just having a chat with Grace."

"I saw that. Figured Grace could use some backup." He jokes, winking at the detective.

"I can take care of myself...but thank you." Grace retorts.

"Anyway," Ingrid interrupts, "now that we're in Morocco, we don't have a second to waste! We must go after Ripley's killer!"

"We know the orange dye on the dart that killed the Chief comes from a poppy flower native to Morocco, meaning the killer is here, or was here recently. It's not much but it's a start!" Jack explains.

Ingrid pulls up a paper with info on a dark skinned man in a blue suit with dark hair and eyes.

"The US embassy's granted assistance for the investigation. Your contact is Adam Hassan, the military attaché to the ambassador. Mr. Hassan is waiting for you on the docks. Grace, I'm counting on you to bring the Chief's killer to justice!"

"You got it, Ingrid. We'll get down there shortly."

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"Grace, the man in that fishing boat looks just like our contact. Please me he's sleeping...or drunk." Grace bites her lip, her stomach filling with dread as she creeps closer to the kayak where the body is.

"OH MY GOD!" She shocks, surprised as she sees the attaché dead with a dart in his neck.

"I can't believe it! Our contact's dead! Of all rotten luck!"

"Wait...that dart! It looks exactly the same." Grace realizes.

"You're right, Grace. Adam has a dart in his neck that looks exactly like the one that killed Ripley! Not only is our contact dead, but now we've got a double homicide on our hands! The question is, who'd want them both dead?"

"I don't know. Let me look around real quick and see what I can find."

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"This cellphone you found is a good place to start. Can you unlock it, Grace?"

"Of course. I also found this." She hands Jack an amulet centered with a blue eye.

"This charm you found near the body has a message on it. I'll get the dusting kit so you can take a closer look. Alright, Grace, we've got TWO murders to solve! Let's do this for Ripley!"

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"Great work on that charm you found at the docks, Grace! Now, if we could figure out what those symbols on the bottom mean."

"You think Dupont would like to see it?"

"You're right! Strange eyeball charms and bizarre are Dupont's specialties."

"I also unlocked the phone."

"Clearly it belonged to the victim." Jack says as he looks it over and Grace nods. "Hm...the victim has 10 missed calls from a certain Ambassador Stern, who apparently--"

"Can someone tell me why Adam isn't answering his phone?! I've called him a million times!" Grace turns around, trying not to jump. A blonde woman wearing black glasses, a blue scarf, a gold necklace and a dark red power suit appears before him.

"...really wanted to reach him." Jack murmurs, finishing his interrupted his statement under his breath.

"Are you Ambassador Stern?" Grace asks.

"Yes. Who are you? And where's Adam? He's not answering his phone!"

"Detective Grace," Grace introduces herself with a business card, "this is my partner, Jack Archer. We're with the Bureau. We were supposed to meet Adam Hassan here at the dock...unfortunately, he is dead."

"We'll need to ask you some questions." Jack adds.

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While the Bureau brought the body back to headquarters and block off the dock, Grace and Jack went with Ambassador Stern back to her office.

"I can't believe Adam's dead! I knew something was up when he didn't bring my favorite dates from the souk around the corner. He does it every morning!"

"As you know, Chief Ripley was killed by the same type of dart that killed your attaché. That's quite a coincidence, don't you think?"

"What are you implying, Detective Jack? That it's the embassy's fault?!" Grace tries to step in before things escalate.

"Of course not, Ambassador. We are just trying to--" The ambassador suddenly stands up from her chair, causing Grace to step back.

"This isn't our fault! This is the Bureau's fault! You couldn't keep your Chief alive and now you've killed my military attaché! Go away before you cause any more trouble!"

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The door slams behind them and Jack isn't happy about the conversation that just occurred.

"Did Ambassador Stern actually imply it's our fault the Chief is dead?! Who does she think she is?!" Grace nods and then realizes something.

"She mentioned something that could help us though. Remember when she talked about Adam getting dates for her?"

"Yeah, she mentioned he went to the nearby souk every morning. Well, a lead is a lead. Let's go check out the souk."

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"Of all the things here, you picked up a torn photo?" Jack asks, unimpressed.

"Jack...you have no idea how many torn photos I found which have turned out to be clues! It's evidence."

"Whatever you say, Grace. I see your mind is set: let's just restore it." Grace smiles, satisfied and drags a basket over to show her partner.

"That basket you grabbed is more my kind of clue. Let's have a look inside!"

"Told you!" Grace says after a few moments, handing Jack a restored photo.

"Crafty work on that photo, Grace. It shows our victim with some woman at the beach. Unfortunately, the woman's face is cut off. If only people took decent selfies! At least buy the stick!"

"Pff! Of course that's your concern! I'll run it through the database when we get back to headquarters. Want to see what I found in the basket?" Jack nods and Grace hands the evidence over to him.

"You found some broken pieces in the basket? We could be onto something...if you repair it first."

"Alright...shouldn't be too hard."

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"They look...like binoculars?"

"You're right, Grace! That thing you repaired does look like a pair of high-tech binoculars! Let's send them to Elliot and Gretta!"

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Once Grace identified the woman in the photo--Christy Mathis--she was sat down in an interrogation room.

"I can't believe Adam's dead! How sad!"

"We found a photo of the two of you on a beach. We take it you were friendly?"

"We dated for a little while, but it wasn't serious. We ended it a few weeks ago. He was nice, charming, and of course, handsome but I was getting distracted. I needed to concentrate on my studies--that's why I'm here, after all. So I broke up with him."

"And did you see him after that?"

"We'd run into each other at the souk. We'd tried to talk, but it was awkward. And now we'll never talk again!" Christy sobs, loosing her composure.

"Ms. Mathis, you can't blame yourself...but please stick around in case Detective Grace has more questions."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Christy." Grace says before the two leave.

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"Salaam, Grace! Isn't Morocco just beautiful? I wish the kids were here to see it!" Angela greets them in the morgue. "If only we were here under better circumstances. So sad what happened to the Chief."

"Yeah," Jack agrees. "And now we've got another murder to solve besides Ripley's, one that seems awfully close, too."

"Keen observation being that both murders are indeed exactly alike. Your victim was killed by the same type of poisoned blow dart used on Chief Ripley, identifiable by the orange-feathered tail." Angela glances in Grace's direction, "the blow dart is the murder weapon, Grace."

"Alright...but we already knew that. What's different about this one?" Grace asks.

"This time the killer was sloppy. They left traces of crocus sativus, commonly known as saffron, all over the dart."

"So our killer eats saffron! If only that wasn't in every dish here." Grace gives Jack a look. "Sorry, Grace. We need to track down this killer before they can dine on another murder!"

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"Grace, it's comforting to see you again. I'm disconsolate at the loss of our Chief. Quel dommage. Please let me know what I can do to help."

"I know how you feel Dupont. You can start by telling us about the amulet we found at the docks."

"Ah oui! You mean the curse amulet. Quite an intriguing artifact!" Dupont brightens significantly.

"Curse amulet?! Who believes in curses?"

"Many, many cultures, Jack. Besides, I want to hear about it." Grace retorts and Jack looks incredulous.

"Apparently, your killer does as well. This is the evil or ayn al-hasud in Arabic. Many cultures believe that it's a curse cast by a malevolent glare, causing the receiver misfortune or injury."

"Well, our victim was dead. That's as injured as you can get."

"What does the inscription say?" Grace asks.

"That's what's fascinating. Etched onto the amulet I discovered it's an ancient form of Arabic, dating back to the Nabataean Empire of 2nd century BC. It wasn't easy, but I managed to translate the message: 'An eye for an eye.' Quite fitting, don't you think?"

"So our killer knows ancient Arabic! Well, Grace, that should limit our search!"

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"Hey, Grace. How are you not melting? It's a hundred degrees here!" Elliot asks.

"I'm not joking--I'm dying in here!" Gretta adds, equally as dramatic.

"What are you complaining about, Elliot? You never go outside."

"You know it'd be easier for you two if you didn't wear black clothes all the time--absorbs the sun." Grace points out logically.

Neither of them seem too happy by the suggestion and Grace sets down the magazine she was using to fan herself.

"You're hilarilous." She deadpans.

"I guess you want to know about the binoculars you found in the basket at the souk?" Elliot asks.

"So they are binoculars? I knew it! Well, Grace knew it. Did you find anything on them?"

"Uh, yeah. They're digital recording binoculars capable of shooting both video and still images with wicked high def and 3D technology."

"I looked them up." Gretta pipes up. "They're actually really cool--super expensive though!"

"Although, these were pretty beat up," Elliot says as he brings up his computer, "I was able to extract a saved photo from the memory card. It's a photo of your victim."

"A photo of our victim? That means someone must have been following him. But who?"

"We're already one step ahead of you. When I was looking up the binoculars, I decided to look up these specific pair." Gretta says, tapping the edge of the binoculars to prove her point. "They're pricy and were in limited production because they were military issued, so it was easy to track down the owner. His name is Jonah Karam."

"Nice job, Gretta!" Grace compliments her daughter. "What happened to him after the military?"

"He went rogue," Elliot explains, "left the military a while back, binoculars in hand."

"So this Karam guy was staking out our victim. I wonder what he'd want with Adam? Grace, let's go smoke this rogue solider out from wherever he's hiding!"

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They tracked down Jonah at the souk. He was dark skinned with green eyes and a scar near his right eye and was wearing a blue outfit, a black backpack and military dog tags.

"Jonah Karam. I'm Agent Jack Archer and this is Detective Grace Kemble. We've got a few questions regarding the murder of Adam Hassan."

Jonah looks suspiciously at them.

"Adam's dead? What do you want with me? I didn't kill the man."

"Then why were you following him?" Grace asks, getting into his space and getting straight to the point.

"We've got proof. The question is: why is an ex-military following an embassy attaché?"

"I was paid to follow that guy. It's my job." Jonah explains, clearly getting irritated by their questions.

"So you're a hired gun? That makes you suspect number one. Any chance you'll tell us who hired you to spy on our victim?"

"I already told you all I know. I was paid to follow a target. That target happens to be dead. Guess my job here is done." Jonah replies, smirking smugly at Jack.

"You're not done yet. I'll be back if I have any more questions." Grace replies, glaring at him.

He studies her for a moment, trying to intimidate her by crossing his arms and standing at his full height. She doesn't flinch.

"We'll see about that, Kemble."

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"Grace, I'm glad to be back where there's air conditioning. It's hot out there!"

"Don't let Gretta and Elliot hear you say that." Grace murmurs.

Suddenly, Ingrid appears with a serious face.

"Grace, what are you doing back here so soon? Did you find the Chief's killer already?"

"Ingrid, Grace and I were just about to go over the case notes--"

"We don't have time for pleasantries, Archer! What do you have?" Ingrid snaps.

"Geez! Okay! We know the poisoned dart used in Adam's murder was the same kind used to kill the Chief, we just don't know how else the cases are linked. We found our victim's ex. They were dating, but she broke up with him because she wanted to study more. We also met Jonah, rogue soldier come hired gun. He was paid to follow Adam, but that's all we know because that's literally all he told us. Ambassador Stern is one morning date away from a diplomatic meltdown. Have you met that woman?! And we still--"

The door swings open, interrupting Jack's speech.

"Hey Grace, didn't want to interrupt Archer's award-winning monologue there, but I got some information for you."

"What is it, Elliot?"

"I think I know why your victim was killed! You know those high-tech binoculars you had Gretta and I check out? I managed to extract another photo from the memory card."

"Well...what are you waiting for?!" Jack interrupts, impatient.

"Since you asked so nicely...I found another photo of Adam, but this time he was meeting with some pretty elusive rebel tribal leaders. To get a meeting with them, you've got to have deep connections."

"Well, he was an attaché to an ambassador so I guess that makes sense." Grace guesses.

"What would Adam want with rebel leaders, though? I wonder if this was sanctioned by the embassy or if he was at this alone?"

"That's what I was wondering too."

"Do you have any idea where they'd meet?" Jack asks Elliot.

"Because I'm awesome, I do. I zoomed in on the background for distinguishing marks that identify the location. First, the interior courtyard and central water fountain indicate it's a riad. Second, there are two columns with a certain stonework known to be the style of one sculptor, specializing in ancient architectural replicas."

"You did all that since we last talked? That's...impressive." Jack says, genuinely surprised.

"I know. But I'm not done." Elliot pulls up an address on his laptop. "I cross-referenced the picture with the sculptor's work and found the exact riad we're looking for. Even got the address for you."

"Wow! Thank you, Elliot." Grace says, impressed.

"Well, you heard the kid, Grace! Let's get to that riad!"

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Gretta pops her head into the conference room once Ingrid, Grace and Jack are gone.

"Hey." Elliot smiles as soon as he notices her. She waves, coming inside and closing the door.

"You tell them everything you found?"

"Yep. Your mum and Jack are on the way to the location now." Elliot explains, going back to his laptop.

Gretta walks over and kisses his cheek.

"Nice job!" She praises, giving him a side huge.

"Stop it! Someone could see us!" He chastises with a small smile.

"Oh shush! You're just saying that because you're blushing." Elliot sticks his tongue out at her, making Gretta laugh.

"So um...you going to tell your mum about us at some point, right?"

"Yeah...I guess I'll have to. But I want to take things slow. Besides, getting use to a new country is bad enough."

"Mm." Elliot hums in agreement.

"Come on! Let's go back downstairs." Gretta suggests after a few minutes.

"Why? We could just stay up here."

"Yeah, but it's so much easier to cuddle you in a more private space." Gretta teases and Elliot scoffs.

"Come on!" Gretta encourages with a bright smile, holding out her hand.

"Alright fine." Elliot says, rolling his eyes and following her out of the room.

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"What a sweet place! Not what I expected for a rebel hangout. Let's see what you found!"

"I found a business card and a briefcase."

"Whoa! This is quite the sexy business card...and I know sexy. It belongs to a certain 'Asal, private dancer'. It's addressed to our victim and there's a message written on it. Grace, you should definitely dust that!"

"Alright fine--only because it has the victim's name on it."

"The leather briefcase you picked up looks unassuming, but why don't you decode that lock and see what we find!"

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"'Adam, I'm always yours.'" Grace quotes directly from the card. "They must've been close."

"And there's a phone number too. My kind of lady."

"I honestly don't know how I put up with you." Grace lets out a long sigh.

"Why don't I give her a call, Grace? After all, talking to women is what I do best."

"Fine. Call her!" Grace deadpans, rolling her eyes. She begins to pace around slowly as Jack dials the number, but sticks close by to hear the conversation.

"Hello, can I speak to Asal...uh...private dancer?"

"This is Asal. Whom may I ask is speaking?" A young woman's voice is on the other line, had to be near her early 30s by the sound of her voice.

"This is Agent Jack Archer. We need to talk to you asap."

Once he hangs up, he turns back to Grace.

"Surprised?" He asks as she looks at him with her jaw on the floor. She shakes herself, quickly recovering.

"...a little." Grace coughs to cover up her embarrassment. "I unlocked that briefcase by the way."

"Geez! There's lots of stuff in it though!"

"Yeah," Grace grimaced. "Maybe we should send it to the kids?"

"Good idea! Let's send it to Gretta and Elliot. They're got nothing better to do."

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"Marhaba, my friends! May I dance for you?"

"Uh huh...I mean yeah." Grace thumps Jack in the shoulder. "I mean--ahem--we spoke earlier."

"Ah, yes. You're investigating Adam's murder. It's so tragic. He was a fascinating man."

"Were you two close? Dating, perhaps?" Grace asks the belly dancer.

"Adam and I? It was strictly professional. He would hire me for the private parties he'd host for politicians and dignitaries. Always the lavish feast. He'd even import my favorite saffron, just for me. As you can see, he always made it worth my while."

"I can see why." Grace pinches Jack's arm this time. "I mean, you should stick around. I--we," He corrects himself once he notices Grace glaring. "Might need to talk to you again. I hope."

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"Grace, you think we have nothing better to do than rummaging through a briefcase?" Grace raises an eyebrow.

"Well...do you?" Both teens look embarrassed.

"...no." They say in unison.

"So...did you two find anything?" Jack asks.

"The briefcase belongs to the riad's owner, Omar Bahir."

"You knew who owned the riad and you didn't tell us?!"

"You didn't ask!" Elliot argued back.

"Who is he?" Grace asks.

"He's just a professor...or at least he was...until we found this." Gretta holds out a USB stick to the crowd of two.

"Okay...what was on it?"

"The data on the key was cloaked, but it took mere seconds to find Omar's research on tribal leaders. I found evidence Omar's got connections to some dangerous people, including the ones that met with Adam."

"How does this professor have so many connections? And enough money to afford his fancy home?"

"It's very suspicious." Grace agrees.

"The money isn't coming from teaching. Omar Bahir is not only the leading scholar on ancient Arabic, but also a highly sought-out advisor on ancient tribal strategy. Both ventures equal big bucks for the professor."

"Looks like Omar Bahir can now add 'leading suspect in a murder investigation' to his credentials. Come on, Grace. Let's go quiz Omar on his connection to Adam's death."

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"Welcome to my home! Please make yourselves comfortable. May I get you a dish of saffron rice? It is, as you say, to die for." Grace and Jack look at each other uncomfortably at that last part.

"Um...no thanks. Mr. Bahir, we found proof that you hosted a meeting between Adam Hassan and some rebel leaders in your home. Is that normal in a professor's line of work?"

"The gentlemen you are referring to are elder tribal leaders. Whether or not they happen to be part of any rebellion is of no importance to me...or my line of work. Adam had contacted me through his embassy and requested information regarding ancient tribal influences on modern rebel intelligence. We'd meet regularly to discuss my research. I became his mentor. I figured he'd benefit from talking to some of the tribesmen, so I arranged a meeting."

"Do you often invite your mentees and rebelling tribesmen to your home?" Jack asks his next question.

"Adam and I would normally meet at the souk, but for this I thought it best to meet at my home. It's such a shame what happened to Adam, Detective Grace. He was so eager." Professor Bahir says, addressing Grace for the first time since they came in.

But she was glad their meeting was finally over--something about that man made Grace's skin crawl. But they did get some useful information and decided to head back to the souk.

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Grace found a faded notebook with the victim's name on it and a blow dart, which they quickly gathered a sample from to determine if it was the murder weapon. Finally, there was a tangine dish.

"Oh great, Grace, you got us lunch!"

"No, Jack. I found it on the ground, it's a piece of evidence!"

"Wait...you want to dig for clues in a tagine? But that's food! If you think you can find something in there, knock yourself out."

In a few minutes, Grace found a sample from the blow dart for lars, a notebook covered with strange symbols to send to Marina and, finally, the tangine dish.

"Grace, I still can't believe you actually searched through that tagine you nabbed at the soul. I lost my appetite!"

"Well, I have something even more appetizing--a clue!" Grace explains, holding up an engagement ring with a green gem.

"The engagement ring you found looks pretty expensive. There's a message engraved on it: 'Christy, forever mine, Adam.' Christy? As in Christy Mathis, the victim's ex?! Christy said her relationship with Adam was casual, but it looks like anything but. Time to pay her another visit to see why we found her ring in a tagine!"

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"Yes, Adam and I were engaged, but I broke it off!"

"So why did you lie to us?" Grace asks.

"Because I didn't think it was a big deal. Things end all the time."

"Yeah," Jack admits, "but they don't always end with the expensive engagement ring in a tagine. That's making a statement. A strange one but a statement nonetheless."

"I was angry." Christy finally admits. "I was at the souk with Adam buying some saffron. We were fighting, so I took off the ring and threw it. I just wanted it off!"

"It must've been a heated fight, then." Grace guesses.

"You'd be angry too if you learned your fiancé had cheated on you! He slept with my roommate and who knows how many more women! That man was a pig!" Christy snaps, glaring at Grace and then she starts to break down. "How could I have been so gullible to think that a charming man like Adam could be faithful to a quiet, ancient Arabi student like me? He broke my heart!"

"I'm sorry, Christy...and unfortunately, I can somewhat relate to what you're going through." Grace stands up from her chair. "Just...take some time to collect yourself and we'll be back if you need anything."

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"It's always nice to see you, Grace! Archer, you, not so much."

"You're such a tease, Marina." Jack blushes.

"Yes...well, I assume you're here to discuss the notebook you found at the market. The handwritten annotations are, in fact, surveillance notes. The numbers indicate date and time while the words indicate locations and actions. Your victim's every movement had been detailed meticulously in this notebook."

"We know Jonah Karam was paid to follow Adam. This is probably his notebook."

"Well, whomever this Jonah person is, he's a dangerous individual. Though the science of graphology, I could determine certain characteristics about your suspect. Let me explain: the pointed letters indicate he is aggressive and intense; the messy quality of the script means he is quick and impatient; and the fact that it's illegible means that he expects privacy."

"That doesn't sound too dangerous to me. I'm sure I could take him."

"Sure, you could." Grace deadpans.

"What concerns me is the variation in slant and baseline." Marina continues. "It indicates a struggle between containing and revealing emotion which translates into a volatile instability, seen primarily in serial killers."

"I knew there was something off about him! Grace, we have to talk to Jonah before he goes serial killer on us...from a safe distance, of course!"

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"Mr. Karam, we need to speak with you." Grace explains as she and Jack come over to the table where he is sitting in the souk.

"You again? Can't a man eat his saffron rice in peace?"

"Mr. Karam, we found your surveillance notebook detailing all of Adam's movements." Jack says from where he is standing behind Grace.

"I told you already, I was paid to keep tabs on him."

"But what you didn't tell us is that you were a serial killer in the making!"

"What? You're talking crazy, man. I ain't no serial killer...but I have been known to kill a man or two. I was a sniper in the army, stationed out here because of my expertise in ancient Arabic. But I wasn't aiming at sniping Adam. That fool was up to no good. Getting involved with dangerous people. I was trying to figure out what it was, but got as far as the notes you read before he was killed."

"Mr. Karam, you better be telling us the truth, 'cause if we find out you killed Adam, you'll see just how crazy dangerous Detective Grace can be!"

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"How's the case going, Grace? I'm still shocked at what happened to Ripley. It's not right! We need to find whomever did this!" Lars says as they come into the lab. "And I might have some info that can help! I can confirm that the blowpipe you found belongs to the killer!"

"Really? That's great!" Grace says, glad to have some good news.

"In your sample, I managed to identify the molecule for crocus sativa, which is--"

"Saffron!" Jack interrupts in realization. "Angela said there was saffron on the dart that killed Adam...so this blowpipe has to belong to our killer!"

"Right! Along with that, I also identified the mentha spicata cultivar's R carvone molecule. Not surprising since it's served almost everywhere around here."

"Awesome! Uh, what does that mean?"

"Mentha spicata is the scientific name for spearmint. It's used in a variety of local dishes, but primarily mint tea. And due to the color of the sample, I'd say that's exactly what this is."

"So our killer drinks mint tea! Grace, we've got to hunt down our killer before they serve themselves another cup of steaming hot murder!"

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"Grace, do you have any new leads on Chief Ripley's murder? Time is of the essence!"

"Hello to you too, Ingrid. You know, Ripley had a much softer bedside manner. Just saying. Grace and I are hot on our suspects' trails! Jonah is an unstable, trigger-happy, ex-sniper capable of wiping us all out in a moment's notice. Christy was engaged to Adam, but apparently he was quite the playboy so she broke off their engagement. And I got the number of a sexy belly dancer, so I'm counting that as a win!"

"Was that last part really necessary to add into the report?" Grace questions, incredulous.

"More importantly, does any of this have any bearing on Chief Ripley's murder?"

"We're not sure...yet. Adam had some pretty dangerous ties and Jonah was pad to follow him. I'm wondering if Jonah found something out about him and, as a result, Adam ended up on the wrong side of the poisoned dart."

"Grace, I need you and Archer to--excuse me. My phone is ringing." Ingrid clicks a button on the side of her headpiece to answer the phone. "Bureau Headquarters. Uh-huh...yes...I see...I understand."

"Who was that?" Grace asks.

"That was Ambassador Stern. The Bureau must leave the country...today!'

"WHAT?!"

"This is a catastrophe, Grace! She's closing down the embassy."

"By the end of the day? That's impossible! We'll never be able to catch Adam's killer so fast!" Jack argues. "She can't do this to us. We're the Bureau!"

"Well, she can and she is. She is the Ambassador."

"We won't let this happen! Grace, we need to talk to Ambassador Stern, asap!"

"We should go by the professor's place again, see if we can find more clues." Grace suggests.

"And you're right, we should also swing by Omar's riad again. There's something about that place I can't put my finger on."

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"Grace, I don't have time for this. As you can see, I'm shutting down the embassy."

"I understand that, Ambassador Stern but--"

"Where's my mint tea!" The ambassador shouts through her office door.

"But our investigation isn't finished yet!" Grace argues, frustrated.

"That's why we're here. Why the sudden urge to vacate the country? And like Grace said, we're not done investigating Adam's death yet." 

"Adam's shenanigans have caused a political scandal. It's seen as a weakness in our security and I can't have that; therefore, I'm temporarily closing this embassy as a show of authority."

"Yeah, but you're kicking us out! It's like you don't want to solve Adam's murder."

"I don't care if he'd been tarred, feathered and dragged into a chorus line of Mamma Mia. That double-crosser tried to steal my job! Did he think I wouldn't find out?" The Ambassador snaps, slamming a fist on her desk.

"Wait, back up." Grace says, trying to figure out if she heard that right.

"Adam tried to steal your job? Sounds like a motive for murder, wouldn't you say, Ambassador Stern?"

"Don't try to pin this on me! HE was the traitor! This is MY embassy!" She snarls.

A little boy with blonde hair pops his head into the office, interrupting Stern's tirade.

"Mom, I'm done with my homework. Can I play video games now?"

"Of course, my darling. Whatever you want, my little angel. Mommy loves you." Grace attempts to hide her shock at the woman's sudden change in tone.

"YOU have a son?" Jack asks. 

"You have until the end of the day to complete your investigation and leave this country or you will be escorted out...by force!"

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"I knew we were right to come back here! Our victim's name is written on that paper you just found, but it's covered in leave. Time to play housemaid and vacuum them up!"

Grace nods and brings over a bowl, trying to be delicate and not get anything on herself.

"Whoa...what's in that bowl? It smells like...ugh! Is that...pee?! Who does that? I'm NOT touching that! You take the sample, Grace."

"Yeah, alright, you big baby! It's just some liquid!" Grace argues before sitting down with a portable vacuum and a dropper.

She hands the invoice to Jack once she's finished.

"Vacuuming all those dried leaves revealed a message to the victim: 'Adam, you owe me 50,000 MAD!' I guess whoever wrote that message was really 'mad' at Adam."

"MAD is Moroccan dirham. It's the country's currency." Grace explains, a bit distracted as she carefully gets the sample from the bowl.

"Oh, Grace, MAD stands for Moroccan dirham? I knew that."

"Is the invoice signed?"

"No, it's not. But the leaves you collected on it might tell us who wrote it. Let's send them to Lars!"

"Mm-hm. I got the sample also." Jack wrinkles his nose.

"I still don't understand how you were okay with doing that." Grace smirks.

"Why not? It's better than the blood I see everyday."

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"Wait, Grace, you're telling me the urine you found in that bowl in the riad was our victim's?" Grace shrugs.

"DNA doesn't lie."

"What is our victim's urine doing in a bowl at Omar's house? That's just weird. Regardless, we need to have a talk with Omar!"

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"Back so soon, Detectives? What a nice surprise. Can I offer you some mint tea and dates? One of my students just made a fresh pot before she left. Christy Mathis. I believe you know her."

"Christy is one of your students? She didn't mention it."

"She probably figured it wasn't important, Detective Archer. After all, this is a murder investigation, not a census of my students."

"So, while we're here...we wanted to ask you about a...uh...questionable item when we came back here." Grace explained carefully.

"We found a bowl of Adam's...urine...in your house. Care to explain?"

"That 'bowl' is an ancient artifact uncovered from the third century Roman civilization of Banasa. It cost me a fortune to secure it!"

"So...what happened to it?" Grace inquired.

"Adam arrived one evening intoxicated, demanded I give him the contact details of all my tribal associates, and when I refused, he proceeded to relieve himself in that artifact! I'm not surprised he ended up murdered. He had no respect for order, history or authority!"

"Mr. Bahir, you better hope that's not a confession, because if it is, you can be sure to kiss your days of tea and dates goodbye!"

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"Hey, Grace, I heard the ambassador wants us out today. Too bad, I was really liking Morocco. Just started getting into mummification...and look at my new hat! I know it's Egyptian, but there's just something about the Sahara that inspires my inner mummifier!"

"Sorry, bro. I know how excited you were. What could you find out about those dried leaves Grace found on the invoice?"

"Right, the leaves. You found yourselves a hefty dose of lawsonia inermis, known traditionally in many countries as henna. Henna also refers to the dye made from the plant and the temporary body art created by staining the skin with the dye. Women who use the dye tend to paint intricate designs on their hands and feet."

"Intricate designs? Grace, didn't Asal have something like that on her hands? This invoice must belong to her!"

"You're right. I do remember that."

"Let's go have a chat with Asal to see why Adam owed her so much money! Do I look okay?"

"Jack, please. She's a suspect in a murder case!"

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"Hello, Detective Grace! It's a pleasure to see you again. May I pour you a cup of mint tea?"

"No, but thank you."

"What, no welcome dance? Ah man." Grace lets out a loud cough.

"We wanted to ask about this invoice that you wrote that he owed you 50,000 MAD. I'm not saying that you did it...but it definitely looks like a reasonable reason for murder."

"I didn't kill Adam, Grace, but I wanted to. I bent over backwards, literally, to make sure his guests received supreme entertainment. But at his last party, he became very intoxicated. He threw me into the night barely dressed and refused to pay me! I had to beg for him to at least throw me my clothes! I went to university. I have a degree in ancient Arabic and I had beg that man for my clothes! He humiliated me! Unforgivable!"

"Your reasonings are understandable, but if I find out you killed Adam, I won't be as forgiving!" Grace warned.

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"Before you ask, Ingrid, the answer is no. Grace and I have not arrested Adam's killer yet. But we're close, I can feel it!"

"Close is not enough, Archer! Ambassador Stern is in the process of shutting down our entire operation and forcing us out of the country. We don't have time for you to 'feel' things! Between Chief's and Adam's murder, you are dealing with one, possibly two, sophisticated killers clearly out to target high ranking authority. This must be stopped immediately! Now, we've got a case to solve! I suggest you return to the docks promptly. The fishermen are returning home for the evening and all evidence will be lost for good!"

"This could make or break our case, Grace! Let's get back to the docks to see what we can reel in!"

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"We don't have a lot of time, Grace? What did you find?"

"I found--ugh!--this fishing net...and a book." Grace explains, suddenly out of breath after dragging the fishing net over.

"A fishing net is bound to drag in all sorts of stuff. Hopefully something we can use to fry our killer. You've got a sharp eye, so I'll let you search through it. And this book seems to be written in the same ancient Arabic script as the one on the killer's amulet. There's also a phrase circled in red in it."

"Wait...oh my god! I didn't see that before. Look, it's the same exact phrase!"

"You're right, Grace! The phrase circled IS the same phrase etched into the amulet. This can mean only one thing...this book belongs to our killer! There seems to be blood on the book too. I wonder if it's the killer's? Grab a sample for analysis, quick!"

Grace started with the blood sample and then handed it to Jack. Next, she searched through the fishing net.

"Grace, you sorted through all that sea stuff and found a piece of cloth and a crab, and you want to send the cloth...and the crab...to Lars?"

"Jack, I'm getting desperate here--and I didn't search through that net for nothing!"

"If you think it'll help us throw the net around our killer, go for it!"

"Great...let's go then." Grace sniffs her arm and wrinkles her nose. "Ugh! I might have to get a change of clothes when we get back to the office though. I smell like fish guts!"

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"Grace, the crab you sent in with the blue cloth is feisty! Too bad the kids aren't here. He'd make a great pet! I think I'll name him Cliff." Grace laughs under her breath--it was nice to have some humor with everything going on.

"Anyway...about the cloth that was attached to Cliff here, good catch on finding a piece of the killer's clothes, Grace!"

"How do you know this piece of cloth belongs to the killer?" Jack asks.

"I put the cloth under the microscope and discovered faint traces of blow dart poison. Angela confirmed it's the same poison used to kill your victim. The molecular composition of the cloth also indicates it's one hundred percent cotton, dyed indigo. Which means your killer wears a blue veil or scarf!"

"So our killer wears a blue scarf! They'll have another reason to be blue once we send them to jail for red-hot murder, Grace!"

"Okay...what about the blood sample?"

"Right, the specimen you obtained from the killer's book is indeed blood. I cross-referenced it with the victim's blood and it didn't match; therefore, it's the killer's!"

"How could the killer get so much blood on that book? That's one hell of a papercut."

"The killer suffers from hemophilia: any injury that draws blood will have them bleeding for longer than average. I also extracted a DNA sample from the blood in order to create a genetic profile and discovered that your killer is a female."

"Grace, let's get going! We've got ourselves a femme fatale to find!"

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"Christy Mathis, you're under arrest for the murder of Adam Hassan!"

"What? Me? I would never hurt Adam."

"Christy...don't make this harder for yourself." Grace advises.

"If you didn't, then why did Detective Grace find the amulet you left with a message written in ancient Arabic? 'An eye for an eye'. Sounds like deadly revenge for his cheating ways!"

"He might have cheated on me but that wouldn't merit me killing him. That would be crazy!"

"You mean crazy like killing him with poisoned blow dart that was covered in the saffron you bought at the souk?"

"That's ridiculous! I wouldn't even know where to get a poisoned blow dart...and besides...I was at the library studying all last night."

"We have your DNA, Christy." Jack explains, getting frustrated. "You do realize you're also our main suspect in the recent murder of the Bureau Chief? I'd start telling the truth, if I were you."

"What?! I didn't kill your Chief! I just killed Adam! I swear! I only used the same weapon because I heard about it and thought you'd think it was the same killer!"

"Okay, if that is true, why did you kill him?" Grace asks.

"Is it because he cheated on you?" Jack butts in.

"He didn't just cheat on me! Do you think I would have killed him for that?!"

"So what happened, Christy? Tell me." Christy looks hesitant to answer Grace's question and then opens her mouth to speak.

"He...the night I broke up with him, he got really drunk...and angry...and mean. He said he'd remind me why we were so good together. He...he...I never thought he could do that to me." Christy started to loose her composure and a pit of dread made its way into Grace's stomach. She had a feeling she knew where this was going and she attempted to keep her composure as she asked her next question.

"Christy...did he force himself on you? Um...harm you in some way?" Christy didn't say anything and suddenly started sobbing.

"I told him 'no' and he didn't listen. And he left...as if nothing had happened. Do you understand now why I killed him, Detective Grace? What if he did that to another student? I wouldn't be able to live with myself not after what he did to me!"

Grace is too speechless to speak so Jack takes over.

"What Adam did you is foul and unforgivable. No one should ever be forced to suffer through that. But...it still doesn't excuse murder. I hate to say it, but Christy Mathis, you're under arrest."

As soon as Christy was taken away, Grace rushed out of the room to an empty office space. She wanted to calm and try to clear her head.

"Grace?" Jack appeared at the door in the office. She looked up at the clock and realized an hour had passed.

"So...what was the verdict?"

"Chirsty's getting ten years...even with what happened." He looks down at Grace, where she's in a chair, staring ahead.

"Are...are you okay?" Grace shakes her head and then suddenly started crying.

"I...I'm sorry." She uncovers her hands from her face and grabs some tissues, continuing to have tears blur her vision.

"It's just...I've been doing this job for years now and I...it never gets any easier."

"Yeah...I hear you." Silence falls between them as Grace blows in a few breaths to calm herself down.

Once she's not as much of a nervous wreck, Jack places his hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't I take you back to the safehouse? Get some rest and then tomorrow we'll start again and look for clues on Chief's killer, alright?" Grace nods, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Sure...and thanks, Jack. For checking on me."

"Hey, it's the least I can do! After all you put up with me all day."

"Ha! That's true. Alright...let's go back to the safehouse." 

Author's Notes

I feel so bad for Christy. I know that she's a murderer but no one should be violated like that. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the law, what she did was wrong and it wouldn't be considered self defense (for some reason!) So yeah...ethically the sentence seems wrong but legally there's nothing that can be done :/

Anyway, moving onto less heavy topics...

Here's a blueprint of who is rooming with who in case you are curious:

-An apartment with several bedrooms with two beds, one single and one queen.

-Ripley takes the single, which has a desk and serves as her makeshift home office (when she returns to the team)

-Elliot and Gretta take a bedroom as do Dupont and Jack, Carmen and Grace, Marina and Ingrid.

-Angela and Lars share the queen (for obvious reasons since they are married).

-There's (small) en-suite bathrooms to each room, a big living room space and a tiny kitchen.

-There's also a small room by Elliot and Gretta's door which serves as a tech space for emergencies.

Meanwhile, I had a fascinating conversation with my dad about attachés because I didn't know what they were--basically, for our purposes, Adam was a middle man for Ambassador Stern (for diplomatic reasons only, obviously).

Also, sorry to Jack, but having Grace tear into him is great. She has no time for his nonsense! Although I was merciful and gave them a nice moment at the end.

And, just thought I'd let you all know my headcanon for Grace and Gretta's heights: I'd say Grace is about 5'7 (so she's pretty tall for a woman) and Gretta is about 5'6 (I also headcannon Elliot as 5'5 which is what he meant when the couple had their first kiss that she was taller than him by an inch).

Hope you all enjoyed! I'm working my way through Death in the Desert as we speak so I'm hoping to get part 1 of Crossing the Desert very shortly!

BatgirlGeek❤️