They had questioned Constantin about the whereabouts of the manuscript and he gave an answer after some convincing.

So, here Grace and Carmen were, digging through flowers in a wheelbarrow, getting dirt everywhere and generally having an awful time at nearly 1:30 in the afternoon.

"I got it!" Grace announces triumphantly as she pulls the manuscript bound in red leather and accented in gold with a fancy "P" symbol in cursive gold on the front.
"Great! Now we can bring this back and—"Carmen's phone rings and that exact moment and she frowns.
"Hey Ingrid. What is it? What! Alright, we'll be down there in a moment."
"What was that about?" Grace asks.
"Oh, someone was seen in the Hall of Mirrors and we've been asked to investigate." Grace sighs.
"Alright fine. Let's go down there and get this over with."

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They had gotten there and back to headquarters rather quickly.
"All that searching for a cigarette case!" Grace says, exasperated as she handed off the decoded manuscript to a staff member to be given to Dupont.
"Mm-hm. At any rate, while we wait for the manuscript, do you want to put your skills to the test and analyze the fluid?" Carmen asks and Grace nods in agreement.
"I don't have much of a choice." It takes a few minutes and once she's done, she hands the orange goo sample off to Lars to analyze.

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The manuscript was done in a few hours so Carmen and Grace went to Dupont first.
"My dear Grace, you have indeed found the manuscript from which that page was torn! And what a beauty it is! However, I was surprised to find modern markings within the manuscript even though the Promethian cult ended centuries ago."
"Wait...Promethians? Is that what the "P" on the cover stands for?" Carmen asks.
"Yes. They're an ancient cult that was believed to engage in human sacrifice."
"Oh...lovely." Grace murmurs.
"Do you think the cult could've orchestrated the murders of Prince Albert and Annette Sommeur? What about those modern markings you mentioned...can you decipher them, Dupont?" Carmen questioned.
"Ah, malheureusement, I do not have the tool required to uncover their meaning." Grace suddenly remembered something from earlier that day.
"Jacqueline mentioned having a decryption tool earlier. Maybe we should talk to her about it?"
"That's right! She must've known the manuscript is coded. Come on, Grace! We should talk to her right now."

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They arrived at the Louvre Gardens.
"Ms. Proust, you said you would need a decryption tool from the Louvre to decipher the manuscript, didn't you? We can help, but you'll need to share your findings with us."
"Wait, does that mean you have found the manuscript?! Let me see it!" Grace hands Jacqueline the book, which she accepts eagerly.
"Thank you. Oh, and we don't need the Louvre. I memorized their decryption tool and made one myself from cardboard!" Jaqueline says with a wink before getting to the work.
"Well, there are markings! Looks like there's date...let's see," Grace attempts to lean over to try and see what she's seeing, "oh, that's tomorrow!"
"What's tomorrow?" Grace asks, hanging on her every word in anticipation. Jaqueline frowns.
"I can't tell, some of the words are missing. But there is a place mentioned: Germany."
"Germany?" Grace repeats.
"Think you could narrow it down to a city? Germany's not exactly Lichtenstein." Jaqueline shakes her head at Carmen's question.
"I can't be any more specific. But if you leave the manuscript with me, I can keep working on it!"

Grace's phone dings with a message and Carmen looks angry by Jaqueline's suggestion.
"The manuscript is a piece of evidence from the murder investigations of two people so far! We're not leaving it with you." Carmen snaps, taking it back from the author. Jaqueline looks disappointed, but presses on.
"Then let me have a copy of it! I promise I will share my findings with you!"

Grace looks up for a moment and shrugs.
"I think Jaqueline has a point. It couldn't hurt." Carmen looks shocked by Grace's suggestion but agrees.
"You're sure we can trust, Grace? I wouldn't if I were you but you're the boss."
"The agency will send a copy of the manuscript, Ms. Proust. In the meantime, Carmen, we have to go back to The Bureau: Lars has finished analyzing the cigarette case."

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"Got the answer that you need, Grace, rock star that I am!" Carmen rolls her eyes, tired of Lars' nonsense.
"Spit it out Lars..."
"Ok, ok! That sample you found on the cigarette case was hypo clearing agent. Photographers use the agent in dark rooms to cut down the wash time for film."
"Photographers, huh? Want to hazard a guess this case belongs to Grace Goude."
"We'll have to talk to her and find out."

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"Ms. Goude, we found your cigarette case and we're curious about what you're still doing lurking around the crime scene?" Ms. Goude's eyes dance with laughter as she hears Carmen's question.
"Please! I wasn't 'lurking around'...I was just preparing for another photoshoot! Someone offered me $100,000 to photograph them! This could launch my career now that Annette's gone."
"You mean you don't know who it is? Did they contact you directly?" Grace asks.
"They slipped me a note when I was buying Annette's coffee. I didn't see who it was because she was barking at me to hurry up. There was no name. I must have left the note somewhere near the boutique."
"Do you think we should look into this," Carmen caught Ms. Goude's eye, "sorry, but $100,000 is a bit too generous not to hide something. Let's go have a look around the boutique and see if we can find that note."

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"Well," Grace begins as she stands up, "that wasn't too hard to find." She waves the note around and Carmen grabs it to recite.
"'Ms. Goude, I NEED you for my next photoshoot. I will pay you $100,000.' Looks like the signature is smudged. Think you can fix it?" Grace nods and finished quickly. Her eyebrows furrow as she sees who it is.
"Princess Sofia of Girona signed it."
"I'm curious...why would Princess Sofia be ready to pay so much for a photoshoot? Let's go ask her, Grace."

Conveniently, the princess was at the boutique herself.
"You want to know why I was ready to pay a fortune for a photoshoot? I'm launching my political career! I'm going to run as head of the right wing in Spain!"

Oh no. Grace thinks, a pit of dread sinking into her stomach.

"Politics?" Carmen says with surprise, "I would have expected something different from royalty." Sofia begins seething in anger.
"Typical left-wing assumption! You people think that royalty does nothing but live off taxpayer money, but that's not me! It's time someone pulled Europe out of its crisis! And with me leading the right wing faction, all Europe's problems with be solved!"
"So you decided to hire Grace Goude for an official photoshoot? In the Versailles palace?"
"Yes, well, I've had a closer look at her work and I've changed my mind. It's far too avant garde for my campaign!"

Before she rushes off, Sofia hands some of the money she was going to pay Ms. Goude to Grace instead. Give it to "your widows and orphans or whatever" in her words.

"Well...that was...concerning. Seems like you touched a nerve with her, Carmen." Grace murmurs and Carmen hums in agreement.
"Should we head back to the agency?"
"Sure, but first I need something eat, I'm starving." Grace pauses for a moment and speaks again,
"On second thought, maybe I'll grab a drink after the day I've had!"

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After the two ate lunch at a local restaurant (without any alcohol), Chief Ripley greeted them back at headquarters.
"Grace, congratulations on finding the Promethians' manuscript! It looks like this 'ancient cult' is still going strong today. If the recent murders are any indication."
"Yeah, and according to Jaqueline, something is going to happen in Germany next."
"This makes sense. Oktoberfest starts tomorrow! Our informants have told us the festivities in the town of Bierburg could be a target."
"So...you're saying I should prepare to travel again?" Grace asks and Chief Ripley smiles.
"You're catching on! Think about it: Oktoberfest is an institution and large crowds gather every year to celebrate. It would be a prime target for the Promethians, a way for them to show the world that they can strike anywhere at anytime!"
"Mm. In that case, Carmen and I better start packing."

Author's Notes

I did sort of rush the events of this chapter so sorry if it seems short😅

Germany will be the next destination, but first chapter 8 is very special as it's a text based chapter instead of a regular chapter because I wanted to shake things up a bit :)

BatgirlGeek❤️