Ash N Roses

1: Coffee For One

A clock ticking nearby counted the seconds that passed,  and with every tick that resounded through the air it seemed at if the Spring storm that poured outside would never end.    "A hot cocoa latte with 2 espresso shots for Melody!"  The employee of a small café said,  moving her gaze around in search of a young woman with firey red hair.
The red head came into view moments later,  paying for her drink and wishing the baristas a good day on her way back to her seat.

    Melody Rose watched the rain pour and dribble down the window next to her in wonder,   her thoughts became lost in the file she read the night before.   Melody had been working with her Father to solve cases as a junior detective since her childhood,  she had taken over the role of head detective after her father passed away 2 years ago.
The file she looked over was a troubling one as it's contents didn't thoroughly line up.  It was as if a few things were left out of the report.   Melody planned on meeting her assistant Bonnie to talk about it,  her assistant however was running a bit late due to midday traffic.
    The sound of the seat across from Melody and a girl's heavy breathing indicated that Melody's coworker and friend finally arrived.    "Barton Boulevard is an absolute mess!"  The girl sighed as her head rested in her arms.   "That street is always a disaster to navigate in this weather.  Besides,  there is something so cleansing and refreshing about a good Spring shower."   Melody stood from her seat and gave Bonnie a smile,  "You sit back and relax while I get you some Earl Grey tea."
    It didn't take too long for the young detective to return,  handing the cup of fresh tea and a plate of cookies to Bonnie.    Melody pulled out a piece of paper with some notes and passed it to her friend.
"You read through the case,  right?"  The blonde girl nodded,  quickly glossing over the paper.   "Melody, doesn't the information resemble that cold case from 15 years ago?"

    15 years ago a terrible illness broke out across Froah City,  taking many lives in its course.   One Pharmaceutical group had risen to the challenge of tackling the Tapsistous Virus,  Abrams Pharmacy.
During this race to find a cure Mrs. Abrams had been murdered, however the clues and suspects' information was all jumbled up with a lot of crucial evidence missing.   The Abrams case was deemed a cold case and left forgotten.   This had become a lifelong project for Victor Rose,  Melody's dad.

    "It does,  that had been a question floating around in my head since reading it.   If I can solve this then maybe my dad would be able to finally rest peacefully."   Bonnie hummed in response and sipped her tea,  folding up the paper of notes and passing it back to Melody.   They shared a moment of silence,  simply enjoying the sounds of the world outside while sipping their drinks.  The cookies of course we're not forgotten.   The calling of orders,  the pitter patter or rain, and the chatter of customers were relaxing sounds for the two.
    "Melody,  I have a feeling this one is going to be a doozy."   Bonnie's pale blue eyes met Melody's vibrant Green ones that held amusement.   "Every job we accept always is Bonnie,  we just need to be prepared for what is to come."

    The rain cleared up by the time they left the café. a light fog, however, still coated the city in a gloomy atmosphere.   Such is a normal thing in Froah,  it was almost like time stood still compared to anywhere else.   The girls arrived at the parking lot where Bonnie's car waited, hopping in and driving off to the Froah City Detective Institution.  F.C.D.I for short.    It was a cozy and lively building both inside and outside,  the workers there were also decent and easy to cooperate with.   Melody and Bonnie exchanged greetings with their coworkers before settling in Melody's office,   both set on further discussing the contents of that file.