"You have my undivided attention, Detective." The giantess nods at me, putting the magnifying glass away. She adjusts her posture and pulls out her notebook to follow along with me. She wears a different expression now. Though her gaze is still censorious as ever, it lacks the displeasure. Calling it friendly is a stretch, but it's more...welcoming, I suppose. She clicks her pen and nods at me to hurry it up, "I also have quite a lot to share with you."

Best not to keep her waiting.

"I haven't quite cracked this case yet, but I'm several steps closer now." I explain, referring to my notes. I begin to list what I've learned so far. "I've managed to confirm both the cause of death and Collins' story. This was definitely carried out by a Lilli, and I'm certain it was him. I pulled his fingerprints from the victim's finger. Everything matched up down to the tiniest detail." I take along breath before I tell her the next part. "I realized this when we were interrogating Officer Linda. The laws of this country don't allow Lillis to be tried or convicted in your courts. In the event of an arrest with just cause, they must be sent home and tried there. Brobs can't enter Lilliputia, for obvious reasons, and Gullis have their whole 'neutral zone' thing going on." I pause to allow her to finish writing before moving to my most important point. "I am confident that Mr. Collins believes his confession will result in being sent away, only to receive a very lenient trial. Given the widespread resentment of Brobs, some might even call him a hero. I think he would be sentenced to a few months at best, probably in a very luxurious cell."

Detective Claire seems very bothered by that, but she doesn't comment. "Hmm."

"Do you disagree?" I ask her, wondering why she's become so quiet. 

"No. I think you're right. That aligns with what Linda said. There are at least three people involved in this murder. Herself, an unnamed person who coerced her, and the killer, Mr. Collins. It makes sense that they both acted on that same fact." She goes quiet while her eyes scan her notes. She flips the page back and does the same. "Leave it to criminals to use the legal system against us. Good work, Detective. We're that much closer to piecing together the puzzle, thanks to you."

"Ehh, don't thank me yet. Even after figuring that out, I'm still completely lost when it comes to the motive. I couldn't get anywhere with that." I sigh, feeling deflated.

"You're in luck. I may have the answer you're looking for." She tells me, and I swear I can see the smugness on her face even from down here. She turns her notepad to face me and points with her pen. "I managed to catch Mrs. Harmond just before she left, and she gave me some vital information. It turns out that Mr. Harmond was planning to slash the cost of Moxanen in Lilliputia, even though it would lose him a fortune. I suspect the third person involved in this was a member of the board, Mr. Fabian. Collins' file mentions he is close with him."

"I remember that name, I think? Sounds familiar." I check my notes, though I don't find his name anywhere. I must not have written it down. "Do we have anything on him?"

"Nothing at all. He's as clean as can be. Well, as clean as a billionaire can realistically be." She shrugs her shoulders. "In terms of the means, he certainly has the money. He could have paid Mr. Collins handsomely. Linda too, who I know was struggling for money."

"I don't know if money alone is enough of a reason to pin everything on this guy." I tell her, feeling skeptical about her idea. "I feel like we should bring the guy in and interrogate him. That'll give us more to work with."

"We will certainly do that, but first, please indulge me. Putting together all of your findings and mine, I believe I might have the full story. Allow me to explain, but don't hesitate to interject." She says, which surprises me. 

Having not come up with a cohesive narrative yet, I'll be impressed if she did. I'm interested to hear what that gigantic head of hers came up with. I listen carefully as she clears her throat and begins, "Mr. Harmond plans to cut the cost of Moxanen which upsets Mr. Fabian, who stands to lose millions. Unable to convince the man, he decides to get rid of him before he can go through with his idea. He somehow convinces another investor, Mr. Collins, a Lilli who also stands to lose a lot, to carry out the murder. Convinced they can both maximize their profits while suffering minimal consequences, they proceed with their plan. Fabian provides the Lilli-sourced Virelith, pays for it to be processed and weaponized, and provides Collins with all he needs to get it done. Collins commits the murder, resulting in the death of Mr. Harmond and promptly claims responsibility for it. Providing such detailed information in his confession confirms to the Chief that it was him, resulting in his deportation and trial in Lilliputia. In case you get too close to the truth, Officer Linda is tasked with keeping an eye on you, and disposing of you if need be. Mrs. Harmond, who was against the decision to begin with, would rise to CEO and keep things as they are."

I stare at the Detective in surprise. What a remarkable ability to piece together all the information into such a convincing timeline. To her credit, I'm not sure I could have done it better myself. It's solid detective work. I shake my head, realizing I'd gone totally silent.

"Your story makes sense to me. There are some small assumptions that need a once-over, but I'm willing to bet my name on this." I tell her, rapidly updating my notes with this new information. "This makes Collins' not only a killer, but a goddamn traitor to his people. Back home, he'll be celebrated for killing a rich, old Brob. If only they knew the truth..." I scowl, knowing full well that information will never go public. "I'm going to enjoy tearing into his partner."

"Me too. I won't let him play us all for fools." Claire declares, rising from her seat. She puts her notebook away and adjusts her clothes after sitting for so long. By the time she reaches for the carrier, I'm already seated inside. I'm brought up at settled on her ear, and she pulls out her phone to dial someone. Putting it on the same ear, I can hear the conversation fairly well. "Hello, Sergeant. We've got a lead in the investigation. Hold off on charging Mr. Collins, we have reason to believe he wasn't working alone."

"What makes you think that?" A man with a deep voice answers back.

"New information has come to light. Particularly, the victim's wife's testimony." She tells him, sparing the other details for the sake of time. He must have a lot of trust in her if she can get away with that level of vagueness. I know my Sergeant would never.

"I see. Well, you'll need to act fast. Chief Perry is moving things along pretty quickly." He lets out a tired sigh right into the mic, causing some static. "Who is this person, exactly?" 

"Fabian Reyes. He's a member of the board at HP." She waits as he goes to pull up his file. I hear the sound of typing on a keyboard. "Yes, he was at the gala, too. He was questioned at the scene, but determined not to be a suspect. What do you plan to do?"

"I'm going to pay Mr. Fabian a visit at his home. Without a warrant, I'm afraid I can't do much." She replies, huffing in frustration. "Any chance you can get me a warrant within the hour?"

"Dream on, Detective. Go ahead, but keep me in the loop. Meanwhile, I'll try to buy you some time." He says, the sound of typing resuming once more. There is a pause, where it sounds like he's going to say something, but doesn't.

"Thank you, sir." She says before hanging up. She pockets her phone and shakes her head a little. "He always forgets to hang up."

The Detective and I leave the precinct and head to the parking lot. She walks over to a dark blue sedan which automatically unlocks when she steps close. It's good thinking to take her personal car, as a cop car might be too obvious. The last thing we need is for our suspect to see us and flee. She get in, starts the engine, and quick makes here way over to his address. 

On the way there, we are both relatively quiet. She is focused on the road while I am simply observing my surroundings. As much as I try to get used to being in New Brobdingnag, it's not an easy adjustment. Everything is familiar, yet alien. I recognize most things, but they just seem wrong. For example, this relatively small car is absolutely massive. Everything I see outside the window is blurry, and what I do recognize is impossibly large. My eyes can hardly follow. 

"This must all be so strange to you." Claire speaks, snapping me out of my daydream. "Being in our world."

"You're awfully perceptive. How did you know I was thinking about that?" I ask, curiously. I try to look at her face, but my position makes that impossible. The most I can make out is her cheek and the corner of her mouth.

"I've been thinking about how Lillis see things. You opened my eyes to that earlier when you read the suspect's pulse." She says, momentarily lifting a hand from the wheel to mimic how I'd done it before. "It must be very different?"

"There are differences, but it's mostly the same. Just bigger, mostly." I think about what I've seen and continue, "Less technology, but otherwise the same." I pause for a moment, considering how much I want to share with her. She is probably asking because she wants to know how I feel, inviting me to open up a little. Normally, I would never let myself seem vulnerable, but this woman did save my life. Brob or Lilli, that puts me in her debt, and if only to pay it back, I'll satisfy her curiosity. "Between you and me, it's pretty frustrating. I don't like relying on others for everything."

"I can imagine." She nods. "Though, it is okay to rely on others."

Her comment comes across as odd to me. I could have let the conversation end there, but I can't resist saying, "I just work better alone. It's easier when there's no one else to worry about, let alone burden. I figured you were the same?"

She takes a deep breath through her nose, exhaling slowly. "Recently. Until a few years ago, I had a partner." She lifts her hand off the wheel to show me her finger. A gold ring that's lost its luster comfortably sits on her finger. "He...died in the line of duty."

"I'm sorry." I say, my tone softening. I let the irritation go, as I try to be considerate. I can't think of much else to say. Naturally, I am curious about who he was, but I know better than to pry.

She shakes her head. "No, it's fine. I'm the one who brought it up."

We continue to drive for a few minutes, this time in silence. I can't tell whether Claire is upset or simply done chatting. Looking at the display, I see that we are just a few minutes away now. I try to keep myself occupied, but it proves difficult. I have been trying to limit any interactions that don't have relevance to the investigation, but that has made me feel guilty. I can't believe I'm feeling guilty about the way I'm dealing with a Brob. And I can't believe what I'm about to do, either.

"I was married, for a while. Twenty years, which is more than 'a while'..." I begin, starting the conversation back up. "Things didn't work out. After the divorce, I threw myself into work. Turns out I'm really good at this when I'm desperate for a distraction."

The Detective is quiet for a moment, thinking about something. Her mouth opens to speak, but the words take a second to find their way out. "I wish I could disagree with you, Detective. Perhaps we're more alike than I'd thought."

I think deeply about that for the rest of the ride.

The Detective enters the compound, briefly speaking with their security before letting her in. She continues until she pulls up at the address and steps outside. Up ahead is a huge villa that looks like it costs an absurd amount of money. She follows the steps up to the door, and we immediately notice that something is wrong. The door is slightly ajar, it's lock destroyed by what appears to have been gunshots. Through the gap, we see a body of a man on the floor laid on its front. The Detective reaches for her weapon and draws it, assessing the situation before going in.

"I'm calling for backup." I tell her, dialing the precinct. "Can you tell if he's alive?"

"No. I don't see any bullet wounds, either, but there's blood on his clothes. Call EMS while you're at it." She suggests as she slowly pushes the door open.

"What are you doing?! This is dangerous!" I yell at her, but she takes a step inside anyway.

"I need to check if he's alive..." She whispers, before raising her voice to address anyone else who might be in the house. "NBPD! Is anyone else here? Identify yourself!" Her heads turns left and right, weapon is the high-ready, in case she needs to use it. There is no response, nor a sound in the house other than the AC. I have a bad feeling about this, but I can't exactly stop her. Slowly, she approaches the motionless body, standing over it. We do a visual assessment of the body. We can tell the person is breathing, and there is no injury to be found. She maintains a safe distance, addressing this person directly. "Police. I'm here to help. Can you hear me?"

The person doesn't respond.

"Dispatch, this is Detective Flint. We have a victim down with unknown injuries. EMS is needed immediately. House is not yet secured." I communicate with them, receiving confirmation that they have moved and are on their way.

Detective Claire takes a step closer, scanning for a wound large enough to match the amount of blood on the back of his shirt. After keeping her distance so well, she ends up taking another step forward. That is when I notice the man's arm moving. 

"Detective, get back!" I yell, but it is too late.

The man reaches for her leg, with a syringe in hand. She is quick enough to notice, but he still manages to stab her with it, through her trousers. Pressing his thumb to the plunger, primed to inject whatever is in the syringe into her leg. She pulls her leg out of his reach just before he can push it properly, steps backward, and fires two shot into her assailant. The bullets rip into his legs, and the man cries out, before turning on his back and writhing in agony. Now that he is facing us, we can see that he is wearing a mask to conceal his identity. It becomes clear to us that he was not injured at all. This was all an act to lure the Detective close enough for him to strike. Was his plan to strike and then flee the scene?

"What the hell did you inject me with?!" She yells at him, weapon aimed and ready to fire another shot. She glances at her leg, suddenly very nervous. I can tell from the shakiness in her voice, she's terrified. "Tell me!"

The man struggles to form words, but he manages to give her answer, "Same stuff... the old man got... You're finished..." He manages a cruel smile.

I can tell that Claire is about to make a very bad decision. Her finger moves to the trigger and she bares her teeth at him. I have to stop her!

"No! No, Claire!" I yell as loudly as I can. It's so loud that I can hear my own voice coming from the earpiece above me, and she winces. I lower my voice a little, but still yell, "He's not a threat anymore! Shooting him will make you a killer! You need to get to a hospital, immediately! Don't waste any more time here!"

She keeps her weapon aimed, and for a moment, I think she's panicked enough to do it. Then, she removes her finger and lowers her weapon. She takes a few more steps back, toward the door, all the while keeping her eyes on him. I cover the rear, making sure no one else is here in case he had an accomplice. We can't afford to be jumped right now. She makes it to the door, stepping outside to safety. There is no way the man will be able to run now, not while he is in no much pain. It is probably taking all he has just to remain conscious. That is not important, though. Turning my attention to the Detective, my worry grows as she suddenly staggers. The carrier stabilizes the room, even as she loses her balance, falling against the wall for support.

"Detective? What is going on, talking to me." I encourage her. She is becoming dizzy, and her pulse is spiking. This isn't good... "Claire, just focus on me for-"

Suddenly, Claire's legs give out and she collapses to the ground. No amount of stabilization could have saved me from an impact like that. I brace myself, holding on the the nearest seat and tense my entire body. Her body hits the ground in two parts. The first, being where she falls on her butt, and the second where she falls over onto her side. Both are terrible for me. I end up losing my grip and being thrown across the room. I hit my head against the opposite wall, seeing a flash and drawing blood. Once everything is still, I pick myself up and check that I haven't broken anything. The blood from my forehead is from a cut rather than a skull fracture, thankfully. Then, my attention returns to my partner.

"Claire! Claire, say something!" I yell at her, but she just moans in response. I can't tell if she hit her head on the way down, or if this is just the results of whatever is flowing through her system now. 

I am about to contact Dispatch once more, intending to inform them of what's happened, when she finally responds, weakly. "Flint..."

"Yes, I'm here!" I answer, trying to keep her from slipping unconscious. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain?"

She grunts while slowly sitting up, barely managing to rest her back against the wall in a slumped position. Her chest rises and falls rapidly as she continues to try to catch her breath. She appears to be sweating quite a lot as well. "I'll...be alright. Virelith doesn't work that quickly. This must be something else...right?" She winces in pain, clutching her chest. 

I'm no expert on toxic plants, but I did do my research once I took on the case. Virelith can act quickly, depending on the dose. In higher does, it can take a lot less time to do its work. Mr. Harmond died a few hours after exposure, but his dose was low by Brob standards. The amount in that syringe was easily enough to drop an adult Brob in minutes. If he'd gotten all of it into her, she'd already be gone. Then again, I'm not even sure that amount of Virelith exists in all of the world. I doubt it was a pure poison. Most likely it was a cocktail of at least one other drug. Something that raises the heart-rate, which could in theory help the Virelith to act faster. I have no way to confirm this, so it's a working theory.

Something about this bothers me. We've all but confirmed Mr. Fabian had a part to play in this. He was so careful in the beginning, orchestrating the 'perfect' crime. Hiring this thug to bait the Detective and then kill her with Virelith doesn't fit his MO. She'd die, then this guy would kill me with no difficulty, before fleeing the scene, all while keeping his face hidden. He's using yet another person to carry out his dirty work, keeping his hands clean. This, however, isn't subtle at all. Killing two detectives in your home? It won't matter how far he distances himself from this. Wherever he goes, he'll be tracked down. For him to have done this, he must have been desperate. He must have known that we were closing in on him. A criminal like him must have a plan of escape.

There is only one place on Earth he could be heading to right now, and I know exactly where that is.

As glad as I am to have cracked this case, I have more pressing matters to attend to. Claire is awfully weak, and seems to be getting worse. EMS won't make it here in time. There isn't anything I can do, either. If only she were a Lilli, I could try something...anything! My first instinct is to get the hell out of this carrier and go check on her leg, at the injection site. Maybe I could squeeze out some of the poison? Unfortunately, her leg is several kilometers away. She'll be dead before I reach her stomach.

While I desperately try to think of a way to help her, she begins to move. She sits up a little, her arm moving to her pocket to retrieve something. With a shaky hand, she pulls out a small bottle of tablets. Popping it open, the brings it to her mouth and swallows two of them. "Depressants." She says, trying to slow her breathing. "Definitely not safe to take alongside a stimulant, but it's preferable to dying. Thank heavens for my severe stress..." She chuckles.

She sits there for a few more minutes, quickly calming down. I don't question her, nor do I say anything that she might feel the need to respond to. She needn't waster her energy with that. To my utter surprise, she eventually gains the strength to stand up. Still wobbly, she takes a step forward, then another, and another, until she is walking normally. She's tough! For the second time today, I'm seriously impressed! She returns to her car and lets out an exhausted groan.

"Are you sure you're alright?" I ask her, the concern in my voice plainly heard.

"As fine as I can be for someone who's going to die in the next few hours." She answers, without much feeling. "It took Mr. Harmond three. Given my dose, I'd say I have an hour, maybe an hour and fifteen, at best."

"Drive yourself to a hospital. There may still be time-" I try, but she cuts me off.

"Don't worry about me, Detective. We've got to catch Mr. Fabian." She starts the engine and the navigation on her display. It plots a route to the airport for us, which should take about twenty minutes. "You've figured something out, haven't you? You were too quiet back there. Tell me where he is."

Against my better judgement, I share that information with her. "He's at New Brobdingnag International Airport. He's probably about to board as we speak."

"Then we need to hurry." She says, inputting the destination before driving off. "I'm not letting him get away, if it's the last thing I do."