IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE! Three quick, classic cases.

A CHILDISH KIDNAPPING, PART ONE

It turned out that soon meant exactly one week.

Alderton was half-listening to an almost desperate attempt made by a man to be helped in the case of a disappeared boy. Kidnappings were not his specialty, he worked more with murders and other violent crimes of the sort, but that wasn't the main reason why he didn't want to accept; it wasn't even about how interesting the investigation might turn out, or about being too occupied with other matters (he spent way too much time pondering over useless, abstract questions, that couldn't be denied). No, it wasn't about any of that, it was because of something, or better yet someone, the gentleman had mentioned: he was fretting so not out of preoccupation for the victim, but for the policemen assigned to the case, Mr. Price and Mr. Dallas. Who were they? There is not much needed to know about them, except for the fact that they were incompetent and seemed to possess an empty cranium. The detective had had the great pleasure of working with them once, experience he vowed to never repeat, as both sabotaged each step of the way – not on purpose, they weren't clever enough for villainy; worst of all was the sheer arrogance of stupidity (not ignorance, the pair was fairly well educated), that made him seethe with rage. So much time, so much energy wasted on a case that would have required a couple of hours at most. After that, every time he was contacted, he would ask about police involvement; if the officers sent were Mr. Price and Mr. Dallas he would find any possible excuse to refuse.

Well, that day, as soon as the poor man had mentioned the two infamous characters, Alderton's brain had stopped processing what was being said, becoming more concerned about his next meal – with the recent good case he had a not indifferent amount of money to spare, even after paying rent, so he could afford to go to a restaurant.

As his mind was wandering, he heard the doorbell ring from downstairs. Instinctively he yelled: "Come on in, the door is open." When he saw the client's mortified expression, he felt bad at being caught ignoring him, so he added: "I apologize, I'm expecting an important package."

What came up was no package – the detective wasn't actually expecting one, as far as he knew – it was better than whatever could get shipped in a box: Miss Camden, with all the calculated grace of her movements, her enigmatic countenance, her air of gravity. He had thought he might only like her ways in a dire situation, some people expressed their truest selves there and never again. She was still proving him wrong, once again after the dinner at Beckwith's.

"Greetings, Detective Alderton. Have I found you at an inconvenient time? I can come back later, or another day."

In a second a naughty idea came up in his mind. As his assistant, she would have to be able to adapt to any circumstance, to come up with solutions to problems, to make the investigation run smooth; he wanted to see her under a different kind of pressure – of course, with a strictly professional interest. He stood from his chair. "Miss, you could not have come at a more perfect time. How do you say we start the trial right away?"

She furrowed her brow, looked at the vexed man in front of the table, who had also gotten up reflexively, then looked back at Alderton. "We haven't discussed any aspect of the job yet."

"What is it you're worried about? The pay? We start at a base of thirty percent of every earning, and the percentage goes up the better and more efficient work you do. It is always negotiable, I am not stingy. Perhaps I shouldn't say this, for my own interest, however, I'm easily convinced too."

"Well, what about my duties?"

"You'll have to take notes during questioning. For the rest, go with your instincts. Whatever helps is good."

"How would I know what I need to write down? I do not have any experience in this profession, as you may have already guessed."

"Trust me, you'll know it when you're there. And you'll get better with practice."