Jonah couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief as Violet's eyes fluttered open. He hated to think that she was scared of something, even if it was only a dream. The relief faded away, though, as he pulled him into a hug, trembling slightly from either cold or leftover fear. This time, he didn't hesitate to return the gesture. "It's okay, I gotcha. You're okay."

It was another moment before she pulled away, muttering and apology. Jonah just smiled softly, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You don't have to be sorry. Everyone get's nightmares, it's only human." Slightly embarasses by the cheesiness of his own words, the glanced away, only now looking at the glowing green digits on his watch. 1:32 pm. When had it gotten so late? And why wasn't he tired? Maybe he had dozed off for a few hours. Either way, he really didn't want to go home right now. If the choice was between staying with Violet and going home to and empty house, the answer was a no brainer. But they couldn't stay out here forever, or they'd both die of cold.

Forcing his legs to wake up, Jonah rose to his feet, offering his had to the dark-haired girl. "You wanna go find a cafe or something? I don't know about you, but I'm losing all feeling in my fingers." Just another poor attempt at humor. Thank God he wasn't a comedian.

Violet smiled and she said, "Okay." She put her hand on top of his and she got up. Violet then saw a car pass by. The person in the car was Kirby and two other people she didn't know but seemed familiar. "So... Where should we go?" Violet asked because she knew it was late and she didn't know what would be open at this time. She felt cold and her body wasn't fully awake. Violet wanted to go home but she wanted to stay with Jonah.

Kirby glanced out the window and caught sight of Violet and Jonah, who looked to be getting quite cozy on the bench. Maybe it had been best for him to hang back. The look the two shared gave off flirtatious vibes and Kirby chuckled to himself a bit. He kind of felt like Cupid... If Cupid was an out of work 20 something with a taste for odd music. He looked back towards the front seat and caught Rik checking him out.

"What? Got something on my face?" He laughed playfully.

Even though she seemed like a tough nut to crack, Kirby liked her. She was beautiful and confident, something he found extremely attractive. He hoped that Rocky would give them a few minutes alone at some point. Not that he didn't like Rocky, but he'd love to get to know Rik a little better. Rocky was definitely here to stay it seemed. Kirb didn't mind at all, since he didn't have many friends.

She stepped on the breaks as they stopped by a building. "Welcome to my place. First floor's the lab and second floor is my humble abode."
Rik turned off the engine and boarded off the police car. She pulled Rocky into one side and asked, "Are you sure you want him around?"
Rocky shrugged and said, "Of course, don't worry Rik he'd be okay." Then he walked back towards Kirby.
"So my man, Let's go," Rocky opened the door into his laboratory as the two followed him.
When Rik was about to enter, Kirby was on his way inside as well making them squeezed by the shallow door way.
"Ooofff! Hey..." Rik complained as two of them was caught between.

That question threw Jonah for a loop. He had absolutely no idea where they should be going. Of course, he wasn't going to admit that. "Uh, my gut says this way," he finally replied, pointing down the street in the direction they'd originally been heading in. It was as good a direction as any at this point. As they made their way down the sidewalk, the brunette had to do a double take on one of the cars that passed. Sure enough, there was Kirby. He'd wondered where the older guy had run off to. But wait, were those cops with him? How had he gotten mixed up with the police. Luckily, though, he didn't seem to be in handcuffs or anything. He'd have to ask what that was all about the next time he ran into Kirby.

At the moment though, he just continued walking with Violet, his hand unconsciously holding hers. To his eternal shock and awe, the actually did find a small coffee shop after a few minutes of walking. Half smug and half relieved by this discovery, he stepped forward and opened the door for her. "Ladies first." Jonah really hoped Vi wasn't the type to get offended by an act of chivalry.

Violet smiled as they walked towards the place they've been walking to before. She blushed as Jonah held her hand. Violet thought about why Kirby was with those people. She saw the coffee shop and she hoped that in was warm in there. Violet said, "Thank you" as Jonah opened the door for her. She entered and as she became warm again, she walked towards a seat and she waited for Jonah to come join her.

Kirby stepped back and held out his hand, allowing Rik to enter.

"I'm sorry... After you" He said with a smile.

Inside, Kirby marveled at the scientific equipment with a whistle. He turned to Rocky, who was turning on the lights.

"Damn, Rocky! I've never seen anything like this before!" He exclaimed.

Rocky laughed and made his way over to a table with different instruments spread out like toys in a child's room.

"My lair... It's a nice place, but it kinda creeps out the ladies" Rocky said with a frown, taking a seat. "Make yourself at home, Kirbynator!" He added, clapping his hands together.

Kirby looked over at Rik, who was standing quietly off to the side. He had a question burning its way through for some time now, and so he figured he'd ask. What harm could come of it?

"Rik? I was wondering... I'm kinda looking for work... Do you need any help? Like doing police stuff?" Kirby questioned, annoyed by his own choice of words. "I mean, I know I'm not Dick Tracey, but I'm really good with computers and keeping files in order" He mentioned, hoping that would make him sound more useful. "I always wanted to be a private eye when I was younger, and I know what you do is serious business, but maybe I could just tag along and hold a flashlight? I'd be good company too!" He announced with his hands on his hips like a super hero. "I could help you if a stranger jumped out of the bushes or something! POW ZIP BOOM!" Kirby said, throwing punches and making 60's Batman sound effects.

Rocky laughed and continued to work.

"How bout it, Rik? Need a sidekick? You're always complaining that you've got no partner, since I spend so much time here in the lab" Rocky said, itching his nose.

Kirby smiled and stood at attention.

"I swear I could be helpful! I know I've been kind of annoying, I can tell from your tone of voice, but I promise I wouldn't let you down, Officer Lawson!" Kirby exclaimed with an almost childlike excitement.

"How bout it, Rik? Need a sidekick? You're always complaining that you've got no partner, since I spend so much time here in the lab" Rocky said, itching his nose.

Instead of giving a definite answer, Rik sighed and stood up straight and glared at Kirby for bringing up such topic.
"I swear I could be helpful! I know I've been kind of annoying, I can tell from your tone of voice, but I promise I wouldn't let you down, Officer Lawson!" Kirby exclaimed with an almost childlike excitement.
Then she came up with a mischievous idea, "Oh sure why not, there's an opening. The chief has been telling me to look for a runner. But you might not be interested, it's a bit of a messy and dangerous job you know."
There was a hint of sarcasm and annoyance in her voice. She'd make Kirby apply to be a runner, a dirty job for a nobody to ask around for clues without anyone noticing that he works for the police. But the danger lies when the the person tend to get nosy and ask the wrong people.
She'd given up on thinking he could be a possible suspect, since he would have shot them at the sight of the gun she left by his side and run away with the evidences that she and Rocky are working on for the past few hours.
"So are you man enough for the job?" She walked up to his seat, placed her right arm on the back of his chair and lowered her head almost face to face with Kirby's. A trick she always does to intimidate other people. She knows she has exotic beauty and she uses it to her advantage.

Once Violet had stepped inside, Jonah entered after her, gratefully soaking in the warmth. Despite the fact that it was past midnight, there were still a few people enjoying baked goods and warm drinks. And he thought people in Los Angeles stayed up late. There weren't even any parties to go to here. At least, none that he was aware of. Shrugging it off he walked over to the table where Violet had sat down, fishing his wallet out of his sweatshirt. "I'm going to get something to drink. You want anything? My treat." It was only then that it occured to Jonah that whay they were doing could easily be considered a date. That thought actually made him blush a light shade of pink. When had that happened. The brunette had never had a girlfriend in his life, and now he'd managed to end up in a date situation without even knowing it?

Man. Weird town.

Rik lowered her face to eye level and spoke softly. Kirby smiled, swooning a bit at the beauty of the officer.

"I can do it..." He said confidently. "Whatever I can do to help you, Rik... You just let me know..." He added, giving her another wink once he was sure Rocky wasn't looking.

He laughed a bit and adjusted his glasses. This was going to be fun. Spending a little time with Officer Gorgeous and playing detective. He had often watched Noir films and longed to work the beat. This killer didn't stand a change against Kirby, he had seen plenty of movies and could recite almost every line to The Big Sleep. He had stepped in to Bogart's shoes and it felt good.

"So where do I start, boss?" Kirby asked standing and saluting Rik playfully.

Looks like her style isn't working on the guy. She decided to take another look at the specimen under the digital microscope and examine it when Kirby asked in a salute position, "So where do I start, boss?"
"Hold your horses. It's already 10pm, there's nothing we can do at the moment. Unless-" She paused and looked at Rocky then at Kirby with a suspicious look.
"Unless... you know the killer," She was referring to Kirby in a judging manner.
"That's funny!" Rocky commented.
"But I don't think Mr. Kirby does, right?"
"Here have a wine. Good thing Rocky is well stocked with the goods," She handed Kirby a wine glass.
After a few more minutes, Rik excused herself to go to the washroom but she suspiciously brought her bag with her.

And when she excited from her break she grabbed her bag and continued. "I gotta go back to the precinct to check more things with the other evidences. Shall we call it a night?"
"Well yeah, it's a dead end unless you got more samples or anything we can compare this things with. Oh and I'll be needing some thumb mark prints for the letter," Rocky didn't bother looking up from his work.
"Okay then, I'll send you copies and I'll be back tomorrow. See you around Mr. Kirby," She was about to exit the doorway when Rocky called her attention.
"What?" She complained. "I thought he's gonna be working for you starting tonight?" Her friend pointed towards Kirby's way.
"Well it's late. Let's just meet up here at around 8 am." She waved goodbye and hurriedly boarded her police car.

A few minutes on the road, she checked the rear view mirror how far she is from Rocky's place and to make sure no one is following her. She then pulled a large then a small zip-lock plastic from her bag. It contained a glass wine that they were using earlier and another that contained a piece of hair, Kirby's in particular.She needed his DNA and thumb mark.
She turned left then right and in a matter of time she was already inside her office in the town's police hall. She had the local investigation crew to check the hair follicle and thumb mark.
Rik is now examining the computer and trying to check if Kirby's thumb mark is identical to those found in the victim's body.
The computer emitted a piercing beep and a mark registered:

Negative

Rik felt a surge of both relief and disappointment. Relief because at least she's safe even if Kirby is around and that he actually intend to really help and not sabotage her career. And disappointment because trying to solve the case seems to be really far from her reach.

She picked up her keys and is ready to call it a night. While walking down the hall towards the parking lot, her cellphone rang.
"Agent Lawson speaking," She flipped it open and didn't bother checking who it was.
"RIK!" She quickly removed the phone from her ear because of the shout who was obviously Rocky panicking.
"Could you not shout and destroy my ear drum?" She complained.
"I know! I know! But we have a problem. The evidences we have are gone and-" Rocky didn't even bother to breath.
"What do you mean gone?!" Rik's voice raised.
"I don't know. I- Kirby and I- We-," He was stuttering on the other line.
"Kirby?!" She shouted
"No! No! No! Not Kirby. He was about to go home. We walked back to 7-11 to grab a midnight snack. We went separate ways and I when I got back everything was a mess! The ripped letter was gone, the string even my sneakers. But-"
"I'm on my way. Just don't touch anything," She ended the conversation and rode back to Rocky's place.

Kirby listened from the other room while Rocky called Rik. He felt terrible about all this, and kicked himself for not watching the evidence more carefully. When Rocky was finished with his call, he returned to Kirby, who was sitting on the sofa nervously.

"She thought it was me, didn't she?" Kirby laughed.

Rocky smiled and scratched the top of his head.

"Well at first, but I straightened it out... I could have sworn I locked up before we headed out" He mumbled, trailing off as he pondered.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, which caused both men to jump. They laughed it off and Kirby followed Rocky to the door. When they answered however, they found a middle aged man in a suit instead of Officer Lawson. The man smiled.

"Hello, I'm Detective Quentin Monroe: FBI" The man said coldly.

"Um... Hi? I'm Rock-" Rocky stuttered but was cut off.

"Yes, I know how you are. I was hoping to speak with you about the murder earlier. People upstairs though you guys could use my help" Monroe said, trying not to sound like he was taking over their investigation.

Kirby squinted and stared at him.

"Are you alright?" Monroe asked after noticing Kirb's glare.

"Have we met before?" Kirby asked.

Monroe laughed and pushed his way inside.

"I have one of those faces, I think... I get that a lot" The man explained.

Kirby followed him, leaving Rocky at the door. just as he was about to close it, Rik's car appeared. She wasn't going to be happy about this. Kirby watched Detective Monroe admire the lab.

"I'm David Kirby, by the way" He informed Monore. "I'm working on the case too" He added quickly.

Monroe nodded.

"So you're with the department?" Monroe questioned, not seeing much of a cop in him.

Kirby grinned.

"No, I'm a private eye" Kirby announced, laughing internally at how cool he sounded.

Violet shook her head then she looked at Jonah blushing. She had a confused look on her face then she realized why he was blushing. Violet blushed too then she asked, "Is this kinda like a... date? I'm sorry I brought it up..." She felt nervous because she had felt like that this is the first person she had dated because of her memory loss. Violet felt worried that she had ruined the night for both of them. Then she saw the same car Kirby was in from the corner of her head. "Should we see if Kirby is alright?"

Rik parked the car, went off and slammed the door louder than the usual. Rocky and Kirby was talking to someone she is totally unknown to.
"Guys!" She called.
"Thank goodness you're here! I'm really really really sorry. I swear I made sure the hall was locked. I even-"
"Save it. I need to check the scene," She was carrying her investigation case and already wearing a pair of disposable rubber gloves. "And who are you?"
"Oh sorry, he is Detective Monroe," Rocky introduced the stranger.
"I was gonna shake your hand but I need to keep my gloves un-contaminated. Anyway I'll just talk to you later. Gotta do something first." She went pass by the three guys and was about to open the lab door when Rocky called after him.
"He said he wanted to investigate on the matter and the murder," She doesn't know whether Rocky was getting shy or ashamed.
"Sorry. No can do Detective. This is an official assignment and I just can't sabotage the evidences. In fact, looks like we already lost a couple of them," She gave Kirby and Rocky the evil eye. "Now if you'll just pardon my frankness. Kindly stay away from this place and not go beyons the yellow tape." She expertly rolled out the "Keep out" tape and whistled to call Kirby's attention.
"Kirby as for your first assignment, make sure no one, as in NO ONE, crosses this tape alright?" He gave his shoulder a heavy pat, in fact it looks like she purposely hit him too hard.
"Rocky can you escort Detective Monroe out of the building then make sure the front door is locked after?" She looked at Rocky then faced the new arrival. "Have a goodnight Detective Monroe," With that she head inside the Lab's door and locked it from the inside.

"Sorry about that Detective but I suggest you try talking to her tomorrow. She might have calmed down by then," Rocky suggested and apologized.
"Shall we? I really don't want to fuel my friend's anger. You don't want to see her enraged. Trust me on that one," He gave off a loop sided grin and shrugged his shoulders.

Inside Rik placed a lab cap on her head to prevent her own hair to contaminated any evidence. Even her shoes were covered with what looked like baby booties. She turned all lights out and opened her black light. There were smears on the table. With a cotton swab she got some sample and shoot it in a zip-lock. 30 minutes after she has 4 swabs of cotton and 2 hair samples. But she still wasn't satisfied, the samples could be anyone. It could have been Rocky's, Kirby's or even her's.
She was about to open the lights when she saw a partial shoe print with a bit of mud. She quickly took a picture with her night sensor camera and made multiple shots. She knew it wasn't from the three of them. Rocky was wearing flip flops, Kirby was wearing Chuck Taylor and they usually have "Converse" printed at the bottom and she is wearing her leather shoes. This one in particular seems to be coming from a pair of woman's shoes. A stiletto or something with a pointy heel.
"A woman?" She asked herself and tried to look for more. But it seems that the shoe print was a single shot.
"She removed her shoes..." She figured. "She knew we'd find about it." A rush of hope flooded her.
She flipped the lights open as well as the door.

Kirby and Rocky were sitting at each side of the small hall. The man who referred to himself as a detective was no longer there.
"I've got something," She declared.

Kirby looked up at Rik, who had called out to them.

"What!? You did!?" Kirby exclaimed rushing towards her with Rocky.

As he approached though he stopped short.

"Wait... Am I allowed to come see? I have to watch the door..." He said pointing over his shoulder.

Monroe walked down the street, stopping the check his watch. He sighed and realized he'd forgot to check in with the agency. No one would be at the office, and he cursed the female officer's name, who was already on his mind and easy to blame. Who did she think she was ordering Monroe around? Quentin calmed himself and started back towards the center of town, hoping to look for clues there. That is... If these smalltown hicks hadn't mucked everything up beyond repair.

"Well I've got everything in my hands anyway- I think. So yeah you're free of your guarding duties," She tilted her head to signal the guys to come and follow her upstairs where Rocky lives.
She had been going in and out of his building for more than a decade, Rik had always felt at home in Rocky's crib.
"Cricky, I'm really sorry. I swear I won't be careless next time," Rocky was pulling the end of her police uniform and was saying his apologies.
"Don't... call... me... Cricky," Rik said through gritted teeth, stopped on her tracks and looked at Rocky with a glare.
"Just kidding. I just want to see you smile. It's been a while since I saw one on your face," The playful friend in him blurted out as he shrugged his shoulders and shielded his self as if Rik was going to hit him.
She let out a stiff sigh and decided to sit on the steps of the stairs. Letting all her frustration out, her eyes were then filled with tears.
"I... I'm sorry," She sniffled and quickly wiped her eyes with the rim of her sleeves.
"Aw Rik! It's okay to cry," He rushed to her side and comforted her friend. He placed his right arm over her shoulders and consoled her.
"I just hate it every time that I thought I have something that would lead me to solve the crime it always ends up to a dead end," Her shoulders shook as she grabbed the handkerchief that Rocky handed her.
She then looked at Kirby and apologized, "I'm sorry you have to see me like this." Her eyes were almost dry but traces of sadness were still visible.

"Well I've got everything in my hands anyway- I think. So yeah you're free of your guarding duties," She tilted her head to signal the guys to come and follow her upstairs where Rocky lives.
She had been going in and out of his building for more than a decade, Rik had always felt at home in Rocky's crib.
"Cricky, I'm really sorry. I swear I won't be careless next time," Rocky was pulling the end of her police uniform and was saying his apologies.
"Don't... call... me... Cricky," Rik said through gritted teeth, stopped on her tracks and looked at Rocky with a glare.
"Just kidding. I just want to see you smile. It's been a while since I saw one on your face," The playful friend in him blurted out as he shrugged his shoulders and shielded his self as if Rik was going to hit him.
She let out a stiff sigh and decided to sit on the steps of the stairs. Letting all her frustration out, her eyes were then filled with tears.
"I... I'm sorry," She sniffled and quickly wiped her eyes with the rim of her sleeves.
"Aw Rik! It's okay to cry," He rushed to her side and comforted her friend. He placed his right arm over her shoulders and consoled her.
"I just hate it every time that I thought I have something that would lead me to solve the crime it always ends up to a dead end," Her shoulders shook as she grabbed the handkerchief that Rocky handed her.
She then looked at Kirby and apologized, "I'm sorry you have to see me like this." Her eyes were almost dry but traces of sadness were still visible.

"Well I've got everything in my hands anyway- I think. So yeah you're free of your guarding duties," She tilted her head to signal the guys to come and follow her upstairs where Rocky lives.
She had been going in and out of his building for more than a decade, Rik had always felt at home in Rocky's crib.
"Cricky, I'm really sorry. I swear I won't be careless next time," Rocky was pulling the end of her police uniform and was saying his apologies.
"Don't... call... me... Cricky," Rik said through gritted teeth, stopped on her tracks and looked at Rocky with a glare.
"Just kidding. I just want to see you smile. It's been a while since I saw one on your face," The playful friend in him blurted out as he shrugged his shoulders and shielded his self as if Rik was going to hit him.
She let out a stiff sigh and decided to sit on the steps of the stairs. Letting all her frustration out, her eyes were then filled with tears.
"I... I'm sorry," She sniffled and quickly wiped her eyes with the rim of her sleeves.
"Aw Rik! It's okay to cry," He rushed to her side and comforted her friend. He placed his right arm over her shoulders and consoled her.
"I just hate it every time that I thought I have something that would lead me to solve the crime it always ends up to a dead end," Her shoulders shook as she grabbed the handkerchief that Rocky handed her.
She then looked at Kirby and apologized, "I'm sorry you have to see me like this." Her eyes were almost dry but traces of sadness were still visible.

Nodding awkwardly when Violet assured him she was fine, Jonah strode over to the counter and ordered a hot chocolate for himself. He wasn't a big fan of caffeine, and staying awake wasn't the goal so much as staying warm was. Luckily, the line wasn't all that long, so he was back at the table in a matter of minutes. When he returned, though, the brunette noticed that the girl seemed a bit... troubled. "Hey, you alright?" He sat down, a flicker of worry in his chest. Had he done something wrong?

'Is this kinda like a... date?'

Under normal circumstances, Jonah was the kind of person who could control his emotions well, so blushing usually wasn't a problem. Since he'd met Violet, though, this wasn't the case, as he constantly felt his face heating up when he was around her. This moment was no exception. In fact, be was probably blushing even worse than before. "Oh! Uh, w-well... I guess, it could, technically... I mean, if you don't..." Jonah groaned, slapping a palm against his forehead. God, he was crap at talking to girls. Taking a deep breath, he tried again. "If you want to call it a date... I'd really like that." He may as well be honest with himself. He liked Violet. A lot.

Trying to get his blush to fade, he glanced out the window, too shy at the moment to face the girl in front of him. And what should be parke outside other than the car he'd seen Kirby in earlier. His curiosity from before having returned with a vengeance, Jonah nodded at the Vi's next question. "I guess it couldn't hurt." To be honest, he was a bit worried about the guy. They'd only talked for a short amount of time, and yet he was already convinced that the older man was a good person and didn't like the idea of him being around a bunch of cops. Police officers hadn't exactly been the brunette's best friends in the past. "Come on." Grabbing his drink, Jonah stood up and once again held the door open for Violet. "Yeah, you should probably get used to this," he advised her, trying to make his smirk as charming as possible. Man, he'd really fallen hard for this girl.

[Same for me. This will be filled in a little later on today :D]

Violet smiled as she saw Jonah blush.
She thought it was cute.
Violet nodded when Jonah said, 'Yeah, you should probably get used to this.'
She thanked Jonah when she walked out of the door then she pointed to the left.
"I think the person drove in this direction" She said.

(OOC: Still waiting)