To Search And Find

Chapter 3: Looking For Different Options

Author's Note: Starting to see the pattern in the chapter names? Get it? Cause Its called "search and find"?

"Look"?

I'm not funny

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Joseph walked through the park with his hands in his brown tweed pants, huffing and kicking at stray pebbles that skewed across the sidewalk's path.

He kicked one clear across the park in anger, with his arms spread out, growling "How am I supposed to find the bastard if I don't have any fuckin clues?!"

He sighed, sliding down an old cedar tree and sitting down in the green grass.

He looked up to the bright blue sky littered with wispy white clouds.

"How? How could I do this? You gotta show me, it's the only way..."

He clasped his tan, calloused hands and mumbled under his breath in what seemed like a desperate prayer. For clues or to keep his sanity, he didn't know.

He finished and closed his coffee-colored eyes, laying back against the tree fully. He rubbed his temple and picked at blades of grass in thought.

"They said he was spotted at the Bonnefoy Estate... But I searched that place top to bottom, picked it clean and there wasn't a clue in sight! What he was doing there, I have no idea, but I need to find out even if it kills me... I tried to ask the lady of the house but she's always unavailable... Top priority is getting her assistance... But how to do it...?"

A high pitched voice rang out right beside Joseph's ear.

"Hello~!"

The blond screamed audibly and jumped back, getting his suit dirty with mud.

The speaker, a young boy, frowned in realization of his mistake.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to scare you..."

He pouted and looked down at his scruffed up sneakers and oversized, ripped shirt and pants, the shirt a dirty purple and the pants a glaring, bright orange. A surprisingly clean suitcase was beside him, the handle worn. He looked up, his bushy and unbrushed black hair bouncing with his quick movement.

The boy smiled again and held out his hand.

"Hi! They call me Bean! I couldn't help but overhear your mumbling rant! You sound insane! Are you insane?"

Joey fumed as he stood up, trying to brush off the mud off his vest and pants, pointedly ignoring the boy's outstretched hand.

"No. I'm not insane. And what kinda name is Bean? I'd call ya Snake, sneakin around and listening to people's conversations..."

Bean grinned cockily, putting his hands in his pockets, a pinky finger showing from a hole.

"So, you admit to having a conversation with yourself?"

Joey growled out and pinched the bridge of his nose, "You know what I mean kid. Now beat it. I got a case to work on and you're CLEARLY not helping!"

Bean frowned, "I was going to say I could help you, but now...? You're being awfully mean to a poor orphan like me... I might not want to help a deranged lunatic... Maybe I might want to turn him in to the authorities?"

Joey scoffed and flicked his clean, blond hair back.

"Like anyone would believe ya, kid. I'm a grown up! And ya aren't."

The boy smiled and pulled out a manilla folder from behind his back, looking through it.

"Ooh~ what's this? The Mechanical Murderer? Sounds spooky! But no clues or leads? Aw... It'd be a shame if this were to.... Fall into the wrong hands?"

Joseph's eyes widened as he patted his coat pockets, searching for the very classified folder he was seeing in a grubby boy's hands.

He smiled hesitantly, edging towards the boy slowly.

"Kid.... Bean... My man! Wouldn't ya mind givin' that to ya old pal Joey ova here? Huh?"

Bean looked through it still, smiling.

"No, I don't think I want to."

Joey was at a loss.

"So... Ya wanna help me? Uh... What with?"

Bean's purple eyes glowed brightly as he tapped his feet together.

"I knew you'd come around!"

He then set the black suitcase on the ground and covered up the lock with his small palm as he punched in what looked like a complicated mess of numbers and slid the folder in, locking it.

Bean grinned cockily.

"If you want to solve this case, you're going to have to take me with you."