I woke up to find a silent and distracted Steven Blazing at the breakfast table. One look at him and I understood that he didn't want to be disturbed. I sat down with my breakfast and ate silently. When I was finished, I noticed he was STILL playing with his bacon and eggs. I had to ask him:

'Are you okay, Blazing?'

He was a little surprised.

'Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't notice you were there.'

'I literally just sat down and had breakfast in front of you.', I said.

'Yes, I zone out sometimes when I'm in deep thought.', he smiled.

'So, how are you planning to start the investigation?', I asked him.

'Not me, US.', he replied.

'Yeah, okay...where do we begin?'

'Its always a good idea to begin by talking to the eyewitnesses.'

'But there aren't any, in this case.'

'Exactly. So we move on to the next best thing. The One who reported the crime.', he replied.

'You mean Ms.Sanders?', I asked.

'Indeed. Get dressed. We'll leave in half an hour.'

Both of us dressed up. Blazing chose to wear a hoodie this time, with denims.

We hailed a taxi to Michael's neighborhood. The police had cleared out the place, the tapes were gone, and only two policemen remained on guard. Evidently they had thought that all clues were dealt with.

When we got to Ms.Sanders's house, however, we had to be disappointed. She wasn't home. We went to HER next door neighbors and asked them about her whereabouts. They told us she had left for work. Blazing asked them where she worked. They replied that she was a waitress at the Starbucks on 1385 Metropolitan Avenue. When asked as to what time she comes home, they replied 'around 9:30 p.m.'

So, I told Blazing: 'Well, it doesn't seem we can talk to her today, huh?'

He replied, 'No, Bolt, this cannot be delayed. We MUST talk to her today itself, even if it means calling on her so late.'

'Well, then, what do we do till then?'

'You go on home, Bolt. I need to go somewhere else now.', said Blazing, and left without a word.

Finding nothing else to do without my guide, I returned home.

Steven Blazing returned 6 hours later. When I asked him where he had been, he shook his head.

'Not now, Bolt. I'm sure you'll come to know soon, but in case you don't, it will give us another clue.'

I swear all of this was going over my level of intellect.

At 9 p.m, Blazing told me to get ready within half an hour, that we would call on Ms.Sanders at 9:45 p.m. I suggested that we better notify her beforehand about our arrival, but Steven Blazing dismissed that idea.

'Its a big mistake to allow your questionees to be prepared. We MUST catch them off-guard.'

We arrived at Ms.Sanders house at 9:50 p.m. and knocked. A woman of around 60 years answered.

'Yes?'

'Are you Ms.Sanders?'

'Yes, why do you ask?'

'Sorry for calling on you so late. My name is Steven Blazing. This here is Charlie Bolt. We have been hired to investigate the dreadful death of Mrs.Turner, and so we would like to ask you some questions, if you don't mind. We won't be long.'

She looked worried.

'Of course, come in.'

She led us into her living room and told us to take a seat.

'Can I get you two anything?'

'No, we're good, thank you.', replied Blazing.

I would have liked some hot cocoa. Ever think about MY FEELINGS, Blazing?

'Well, I'm going to make myself some hot cocoa. It's been a tiring day, you see.', she said.

She went into the kitchen.

I looked around. Her house was quite neat and tidy. She didn't have lots of furniture about, nor too many pictures. I wondered why she didn't marry.

I saw Ms.Sanders make her hot cocoa, then she took the cup in her right hand. It was shaking, so she supported the cup with her left. I went to help her.

'Its okay, Ms.Sanders, let me help you.'

'Thank you dear, I've been all shook up ever since that horrible incident. My body doesn't listen to me anymore.', she smiled.

Both of us returned into the living room, when she gave a surprised cry.

'Wait, I know you. You are that guy who came in thrice to the coffee shop today!', she told Blazing.

He smiled and said, 'Yes, that was me.'

So, THAT was where he had been. No wonder he didn't require any beverages. He was already full of caffeine. So much for being his colleague.

'I haven't see you there before. First time?', she asked.

'No, I've gone there earlier. Maybe not during your shift.', he replied.

'So, what's up with coming in for coffee three times in 6 hours?'

'Oh, you know. This case has me racking my brains. I needed a stimulant.', he smiled.

'Okay, so what would you like to ask me?'

'Can you describe the incident from your point of view?', I asked.

'Well, it was midnight. I was having a hard time sleeping. I was just dozing off when I heard a scream. I sat up, and saw from my window that The Turners' lights were on. I ran down and went outside and reached their house. The door was unlocked. I went inside and saw... Michael crouching beside his wife. She had a big wound on her chest and lay motionless. I saw a bloody knife close to them. I was so scared, I wasn't thinking straight. I accused him of killing his wife, and when he threatened me, I ran back and called the cops. '

'Isn't it weird that you determined where the scream came from so accurately?', Blazing asked, with a raised eyebrow.

'I just told you their lights were on.', she said, irritated.

'Its okay, Ms.Sanders. What next?', I said, quickly.

'The police came, took Michael in custody. I do not know what happened next.'

'Do you think Michael killed his wife?', I asked.

'Frankly, no. I've been their neighbor for two years now, and I can't say that they aren't a beautiful couple. Of course, they had the occasional fights, but that's normal. He was devoted to his wife, although the last few days, there were a lot of arguments between them about something. But no, I don't think he can do such an act.'

'Do you mind if I take a look around your house, Ms.Sanders?',asked Blazing suddenly.

She looked at him curiously.

'Go ahead.'

Steven went off upstairs directly.

'How long have you been in New York?', I asked.

'5 years. I used to stay in Brooklyn earlier, but it was far from my work place, so I shifted here two years ago.'

'Why didn't you marry, Ms.Sanders? Don't you feel lonely?', I then asked.

'No dear, unfortunately I didn't meet any sweethearts in my younger days. I was quite, as you youngsters would say it, a nerd. But I guess my job keeps me busy, and I have some very nice neighbors.', she smiled.

Steven Blazing came downstairs.

'Well, thank you for your time, Ms.Sanders. You were very helpful.', I said.

'Anytime, dear. Please get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. I don't like this anxiety at all.'

'We'll try our best.', replied Blazing, and the two of us left.

When outside, and waiting for a taxi, I asked him:

'Was this successful?'

'What?'

'The DCE interrogation of yours.'

'Yes, in fact, it worked better than I expected. I congratulate you on a job well done. This interrogation was quite instructive.', he said.

When safely back at our apartment, Steven Blazing called Detective Walker. It was 11 p.m, but he didn't listen to me, as always. He put the call on speaker mode.

Walker sounded sleepy. Poor guy, must have been working hard.

'Detective Walker, hi. Its Steven Blazing. How's Michael?'

'He's okay, he's been asked to stay in a different apartment for now, with a policeman watching over him. Look, can't we talk tomorrow?'

'Don't worry. I am not calling for a long chat. I just wanted to let you know we've talked to Ms.Sanders, the neighbor. And so, now I would like to talk to the other suspects of the case, other than Michael Turner, if you don't mind.'

Walker sounded surprised and fully awake now.

'Other suspects?'

'Yes, why?'

'But... There are no other suspects.'

Hope you liked the chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment, guys!

The investigation has officially begun, so stay tuned for the slow unraveling of the mystery!

You may follow to stay notified, but I know you beautiful people will read it nonetheless!

Thank you once again for reading. Don't forget to read the next chapter when I publish it. Till then,
Happy Unscrambling!

-S. B.