A knock at the door brought Diana out, an annoyed Mulligan waiting for her with a small package in hand.

     “The record of the business call serving as Mr. Cash’s alibi, as requested.” Mulligan handed it to her, rolling his eyes, “Don’t know what you expect to find, it’s two hours of boring sales drudgery.”

     “We’re only going to be checking one part of this, I’m looking for something to confirm a hunch.” Diana explained, beginning to play the tape, “Eight-fifty-nine PM, let it play…”

     The executives rambled on about things that Diana couldn’t possibly manage to care about, stocks and bonds and whatnot. At precisely nine PM Diana found what she was looking for. They were interrupted by the chime of a grandfather clock, ringing out nine times.

     “And there it is.” Diana smiled, snapping her fingers.

     “There what is?”

     “The clock, Mulligan! It’s all about the clock! Cash was having his clock fixed on the second, it couldn’t have rung!” Diana explained in a fervor of excitement, “This was recorded at another point in time, before the first! Which means…?”

     “Which means Cash’s alibi doesn’t exist anymore!” Mulligan clapped his hands together, nodding, “He’s got motive, he’s got opportunity and he just lost his alibi! Let’s get down to the department and tell Argil!”

     “Ahh, uh… I can’t.”

     “What?”

     “I’ve got some plans tonight.”

     “Can’t you reschedule?”

     “Not on your life.” Diana glared, “Go get Argil, get an arrest warrant and get Cash down to the department. I’ll come by to speak to him tomorrow.”

     “Right, uh… good luck?” Mulligan shrugged, leaving the apartment, “Should I send an officer by?”

     “I am not having anyone following me. Not tonight.” Diana narrowed her eyes, sending a shiver shooting down Mulligan’s spine.

     “Right, no officer, got it.” Mulligan tipped his hat and left, hurrying out of the apartment.

     Diana checked her clock, five-thirty. Hurrying into her bedroom, she changed into something a little nicer than her torn jeans and tank top. An ironed white button up, as well as a nicer pair of black jeans she had bought for the occasion. She finished the look with a pair of polished shoes, a navy blazer and a nice silver watch, all topped off with some blue lipstick, admittedly a bold choice, but it was her favorite.

     She cycled from her apartment, keeping a leisurely pace, to a nice little restaurant in the heart of town, arriving just after six. The Ambrosian Heart was a small, romantic restaurant popular for first dates, a charming brick building with a small patio area out front and a lamp-lit interior.

     “Diana! I wasn’t sure you’d show.” Trixie was waiting for the detective outside the front door, dressed in a beautiful reddish-pink blouse and a pair of high-waisted white jeans, “I know this is a little off the cuff…”

     “Not at all! It’s just a little soon, is all.” Diana and Trixie were waved through by the man at the door, taking a seat at the back of the restaurant.

     “I don’t like to beat around the bush.” Trixie admitted, “It’s so hard to meet good people in this city… but if you think we’re rushing into this-”

     “No, not in the slightest! I’m just used to a… slower burn, is all.”

     “Well, I hope you aren’t opposed to a little speed instead.” Trixie suggested, as they were given their menus.

     “I live for the thrill, after all.” Diana neglected to open her menu, ordering a rare steak while the waiter was still there, “That’s why I got into the business, you know.”

     “For the thrill?”

     “That’s right, I just wasn’t set out for normal life. I wanted the thrill of solving cases, nothing’s more exciting than being hot on the trail of a criminal.”

     “Nothing?”

     “Nothing I can think of.” Diana dipped her finger into the water they were served and used a small gadget to test it, finding no trace of poison.

     “Why not just become a police officer then?”

     “I tried, didn’t reach the minimum required college hours. Wasn’t ready to be tied to student loans, so I moved to be a PI instead. But what about you?”

     “Well, what to say… I spent a few years in college, got my degree in runic sciences…”

     “Runic sciences? I thought we already knew everything about them?”

     “That’s a common misconception, runes are fascinating things, and we still know really very little.” Trixie smiled, a gleam in her eyes. It looked like the same gleam Argil always said Diana had when she was hot on a lead. She was starting to see the appeal herself, “I believe that the next ten years are going to be a turning point in runic research, we could use runes for so much more than just basic utility!”

     “Gee, sounds like you got a much more interesting life than I do.” Diana laughed, “All this rune stuff is really complicated.”

     “Oh, it’s quite simple when you understand it, Diana. Here, I’ll show you, see?” Trixie took a napkin and scribbled a shape onto it, “This is a basic heating rune, but with a slight modification, it can become a glow rune, or even…”

     The candles burned lower as the night passed by, the sky outside darkening and giving the restaurant a more private atmosphere. The two women passed the hours in comfort, deep in conversation with each other, but were interrupted by a phone call.

     “Sorry, it’s work, I have to-”

     “I get it, you take your call.”

     “Thank you, sorry.” Diana bowed her head a little and picked up her phone, “DN-144, Diana speaking.”

     “Diana, get to Hesperides Financials, now.” He didn’t bother to say his name, but Diana could recognize Argil’s voice, and an urgent tone she knew all too well meant something had gone wrong.

     “What is it? Did you get Cash?”

     “We got him alright. Only problem is somebody else got him first.”