The Almost Detectives

Chapter One: But, why though?

It was a supposedly calm, simple day. The morning air was fresh and clean as the sun seeped through the house windows, and warm, gentle rays of light filled every room. Unfortunately, that meant the day had started, and the peacefulness of the night had left. That also meant Harris had to wake up, and he was unhappy. As soon as he opened his eyes and saw the daylight, he groaned, he had never been a morning person, and never would be. "I wish mornings never existed," he grumbled, and got out of bed and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He looked in the stained mirror at his hair which looked like a bird's (abandoned due to fire) nest, his chocolate-colored skin that looked a bit crusty, and his tired face. Tired, that's how he always looked. But it's hard not to look tired sometimes, especially after what he did.

Meanwhile, Olivia, his best friend, and partner in investigating crime, had been up since dawn, she had already dressed and was out the door, she fidgeted with a ring and called him, who sounded like he'd just woken up. "Harris," she said when he picked up the phone, "Where are you, we were supposed to meet at seven! It's ELEVEN!"

"I woke up late, I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Well what are you doing anyway!" she shouted.

"Getting ready now, where are we going again?"

"You didn't read the message I sent you!?"

"That Email was FOUR paragraphs long, I AIN'T reading all that!"

"Harris you have got to be kidding me," she closed the door, "I'll be there in a minute, be ready." She hung up the phone and started towards his house, leaving a tired, cranky Harris dumbfounded about what to do. "For what?" he muttered to himself.

After he lazily dressed and put his shoes on there was a loud, furious knock on the door, and there was Olivia. Fuming, she was so mad that her face turned a bright red, despite her dark skin. "You mean to tell me that you didn't read the message I sent you, you woke up late, and you're just now putting your shoes on?" she whispered, well, it sounded more like a hissing cat.

"Again, I'm sorry. Can you just explain why I have to get up before my mom to talk to you?"

"Come on," she grabbed him by the hand and dragged him down the damp sidewalk, her curly pigtails bouncing behind her.

The warm smell of autumn filled the now foggy sky, everything smelled like pumpkin spice and cinnamon, and the fancy houses across from them were decorated with fall leaves, fake pumpkins in every shade of orange, and dark brown and beige furniture. The other less costly dwellings just had pumpkins, one house had a skeleton on the front door. It gave Harris the creeps. (which made no sense since he was being trained to deal with things like skeletons, usually with flesh and stuff still on them) However, Olivia seemed to calm down as they walked along the gravel path, passing the fiery trees in the park, the one with the duck pond, not the one without it. That one was closed the day before.

"There's a party the neighborhood was invited to a few weeks ago. It was supposed to be today, but it got canceled. Mr. Jacobs is sending us to check it out since one of the family members died yesterday, so he sent us to find out more since we can blend in with a crowd easily and—"

"Wait, what place was throwing the party?" Harris asked, growing tense, "Wait, we get to go?"

"Yes, of course, we get to go. And the Grover estate, why?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed under his breath, pumping his fist in the air, "Oh, and maybe—"

His phone buzzing cut him off, and he lifted the screen to his face, "Mom," he muttered and answered the Facetime call.

"WHERE ARE YOU!" she shouted so loudly the audio glitched out for a second, clearly relieved at the fact her son was alive and well, but still very angry and frightened, "You almost gave me a heart attack! I would have DIED!"