"So, the Big House is occupied again," Detective Strauss said, looking down at his morning newspaper on his desk. "Oh?" his partner asked in a tone of voice that indicated he could not care less. "Yeah. Some heir to the Üstrel fortune, it seems." Detective Wade looked up. "I didn't think the Üstrel's had any children." "They didn't. This is a distant cousin or something. Aleksandar... weird spelling... Svet... Svot... Svetzo... something or other." "Give that here." Detective Wade snatched the newspaper from his partner's hands. "Hey!" Detective Strauss complained. "Svetoslav. Aleksandar Svetoslav. Huh." "What?" "Oh... nothing. Just... the notice says he's British." "So?" "His name isn't British. It sounds Hungarian or something." "Right, 'cause families never immigrate." "Shut up." "Can I have my paper back, please? I want to do the Sudoku."

Rolling his eyes, Wade tossed the paper at his partner and returned to his breakfast. "Hey," Detective Wade said as a young police officer walked past. She was relatively new to the central city precinct, and, with her caramel skin and thick dark hair, was pretty enough for Detective Wade to make an effort. He stood. "Heard you were involved in the Green murder case." Alicia Wilde raised an eyebrow. She might have been new to the force, but she had been around more than her share of self-impressed men. "Yes, sir," she said guardedly. Wade mistook her searching gaze for one of appreciation and he grinned. "That was beautifully done, the whole thing." "Well, it wasn't just me. Detective Brody did the lion's share." Taking a moment to glance across at Detective Brody, who sat hunched at the desk he shared with Officer Wilde, staring down at a newspaper and looking as dishevelled as ever. "Come on," Wade said. "You don't need to be modest. Everyone knows what a flake Brody is." Officer Wilde scowled and Wade knew he had overstepped his bounds. "Anyway," he said quickly. "We should get a drink to celebrate." Alicia shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm pretty busy." She lifted a file and shook it. "Work, you know?" "Another time, maybe?" "Maybe." Alicia offered a mirthless smile and moved on to her desk. "When are you going to leave that poor girl alone?" Strauss asked, not looking up from his paper. "Never. Latina ladies are spicy; just the way I like 'em." Strauss rolled his eyes and Wade sat back down, finally logging onto his computer. "Wade giving you trouble?" Brody asked without looking up as Officer Wilde sat heavily in her chair opposite him. "Nothing I can't handle," she replied with a smile. "Are you sick? You've gone grey." Detective Brody shook his head and folded the newspaper away. Alicia snuck a glance at the article he had been reading. The "Big House" as the residents called the sprawling, ruined estate that sat on the hill on the outskirts of the city was once again occupied, the heir of the Üstrel fortune having apparently been found.