It was a relatively small hangar. They had passed numerous commercial hangars that more than dwarfed this one. Regardless, Ares was eager to take a look inside. Dan led the way with Alexandria in tow.

Skipper hit the switch for the lights as they entered. The large halogen lamps wavered as they lit up and Ares found himself squinting. It was as bright as daylight inside but once his eyes adjusted he examined the hangar.

There were only two planes. The other three must have either been outside or out flying. The planes were much smaller than he had anticipated, each one sporting a gleaming set of propellers on their wings. Ares imagined a bumpy, yet thrilling, ride. He would have to learn how to fly someday.

"Well, where would you like to begin? Heh, I'm kinda new to all this. Would you like me outta your hair or do you mind if I stick around? I could always do some paperwork in the office and keep outta your way."

"We could always use a fresh set of eyes, Mr. Skipper," replied the Detective. "It's also a good idea to have the client present during the initial investigation to answer any question that might pop up. Now then, Ares, would you grab the trunk out of the car? Thank you."

Ares fetched the Detective's trunk and his spare bag out of the Hummer and carried them inside. The trunk was a suitcase made of mahogany leather and was covered with faded golden leaf designs. It was compartmentalized and separated into numerous drawers and spaces of varying sizes. Ares stood the suitcase on its side and unlatched the metal clasps. There were a few odds and ends the Detective had picked up over the years inside, intermixed with documents and old forensics supplies, which had proven useful while investigating.

"What equipment were you thinking of, Detective?" Ares asked while he opened a couple of drawers and looked in. Alexandria walked over to take a peek. Ares proceeded to ignore her.

"Actually, never mind. I think I'd like to take a look around for now. Get out your notebook and we'll begin with some notes."

Ares sighed and closed the trunk. He and Alexandria headed back over to the Detective and Skipper.

Ares was retrieving his notebook from his pocket when one of the tools from his lock picking kit slipped out. The sound of the pin hitting the floor seemed to slow time, echoing thunderously throughout the hangar as if it were an empty cavity. Ares dropped to the floor and retrieved the tool in a heartbeat. Were he capable of sweating, he'd have been standing in a puddle. Concerned that someone had noticed, he glanced at his colleagues. They were all standing in front of one of the planes, listening to Dan, and it seemed that no one had noticed. Ares let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, humans were practically deaf.

"Ares, are you coming? I dare say, what's the hold up?" Docherty asked. He turned back toward the plane and placed his hand on his chin thoughtfully.

"Mr. Skip, you mentioned the problems only happened on the planes themselves, correct? No issues in the hangar?"

"That's correct."

"Make sure you mark that down, Ares," Docherty instructed him.

"Of course," Ares said while he got out his pen.

"Now then, may we go aboard?" the Detective inquired.

"Absolutely. I'd love to show you around." Dan retrieved a stepladder and rolled it over to the door of the plane and then walked up the steps to open the latch. Once open, he stepped inside.

After a moment he popped his head out, shouting, "Come on up!" He held out his hand for Alexandria, who was the first up the ladder. Ares rolled his eyes. What was the world coming to—couldn't she walk up the ladder herself? How could his one escape from human ridiculousness be so polluted?

Ares and Docherty were right behind them. Ares kept a close eye on Daniel, who reeked of masculine desire. He did not trust the man around Alexandria.

"Come on over here and step into the cockpit, Alex. Ever seen a cockpit up close before?" Dan asked, his tone saturated with intent.

"Oh, uh no," Alexandria answered. "I can't say that I have." She tripped and almost fell forward, but stopped herself by grabbing on to one of the aisle seats. Ares eyed Dan suspiciously.

"Are you alright?" Dan asked.

"Yes, sorry. I must have tripped on some wires."

Ares looked by her feet and didn't see anything. He watched them continue to the cockpit before turning toward the Detective. They were still within earshot and he knew he could get to them easily if he heard anything questionable.

Docherty was busy taking a close look at the passenger seats and aisle way with his magnifying glass. Generally speaking, the two of them were never without their notebooks or gloves, but the Detective kept a few additional instruments, such as his magnifying glass.

"Hm," the Detective said out loud.

"The plane appears pretty clean," Ares commented, fairly sure he was thinking the same thing.

If it were goblins they would have torn the plane apart. They were entirely conspicuous, leaving nothing but dirty hand and foot prints all over the place, with detritus and damaged belongings everywhere—but this plane was spotless.

Considering the damage was done specifically to the plane, which had remained mostly intact, it was becoming less likely that pixies or goblins were the culprits. Ares was disappointed he had not guessed right, but time would tell.

Dan's heavy steps came up behind him. "Find anything?"

Ares's senses were overwhelmed with the smell of commercial masculine cologne.

"Well, I don't know how you'd find anything in this mess," Alexandria said. "Honestly, where do you begin?" she asked, stepping out of the cockpit.

For a moment, they all stared at her. Ares was pretty sure they all looked like they were on a poorly written sitcom that had just hit a bad punch line. Slowly, yet surely, they all came out of it. Docherty was the first to respond. "Ares, get to the trunk—the headbands."

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