Thursday 03.11.2016 The shared flat, Oulof Palme, Athens

After about five minutes, which seem like hours to me, the internet browser opens. The smartphones, TVs, tablets and laptops of the eleven other flat mates are tugging at the internet connection. 

I want to find more information about African art and culture, maybe it will help us if we come to another dead end. Tobias would certainly be quicker and more precise at this task, but I can just imagine him standing in the kitchen and burning his frozen food. 

I am expanding my knowledge of various traditions, festivities, mythologies and the background of well-known and ancient works of art on several websites. Most of the figures represent gods, animals or lucky charms, which are used in rituals and as offerings.

No matter where I look, I see nothing of our six little friends. It is unclear to me why anyone would steal such figurines if they don't seem to be worth much. Again, this means the suspects are not art connoisseurs. Then why didn't they take everything? asks a voice in my head that belongs to my thoughts. If I were a burglar, I would take everything I could carry.

"Pisces?" He's lying on the bed playing a strange lawyer game on his Nintendo. I'm using his desk to compensate for the fact that he's opened a sanctuary for his plants in my room. "What reason could burglars have, not to take everything?" Pisces pauses for a moment. "That question seems to have been on your mind all evening." 

He looks up from his game, gazes thoughtfully at the wall, the smell of dinner hangs in the air and I want to get up to open the window. Then I remember there's no window here. 

"Hm, what's it all about? What was stolen?" he asks. I recall the picture and describe the figures as accurately as I can. In fact, they all have something in common, which means they must have been done by the same artist. I promise to send him the photo as soon as I have it in my hands again. Even if it's not right to let outsiders in on it, Pisces can be trusted in this case. Besides, he's also somehow part of the law-and-order department.

"If you don't know any better," now he looks over at me, "I suggest that they were either carrying too much or were surprised." I almost said it was nonsense, there were undeniably several people involved and no one saw anything, then I remember small, innocent and bright eyes that could only be those of a child. A child that I never got to see in person. 

I know from my own experience that children rarely share their secrets with their parents, but are happy to share them with strangers, especially if they are two extremely friendly police officers. I really must investigate this tomorrow.

"Pisces, you're wonderful!"

I declare my work done for the evening and bid Pisces goodnight. The hallway is dark, voices are coming from the living room, behind Scorpio's door I can hear someone crying and swearing on the TV because someone killed his brother.

I enter my room and my bed looks more comfortable than ever. With headphones in my ears, I try to fall asleep to relaxing music. 

I don't know what to think about, let alone what not to think about. The only light here is the message light on my cell phone, which is often blinking, the streetlights outside and the moon.

It's waxing again.