Criminal Case One Shots (Seasons 1-3)

The Ultimate Rage of Some Guy...

     "Thank God we're out of Innovation Valley, Val! I swear, if I see one more robot, I'll scream! But the only thing people care about Paradise City in is having fun!" Frank exclaimed. "I came here once before, and I drank so much I forgot my own name."

     Chief Marquez obviously didn't like Frank's comment. "Sounds pretty quiet by your standards, Frank! Anyway, Paradise City isn't heaven. Gambling, prostitution, drugs - the list goes on! Not only that, but the number of robberies is going up! Specifically in the big casinos at the strip!"

     "Wait, what do you--"

     Chief Marquez interrupted Frank again. "This town needs to be put back in the straight and narrow! And Val's the one to show these corrupt locals how real police work's done."

     Frank put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "And if we happen to play some poker in the process, what's the harm in that..."

     She waved her hand, shoving him up. "No way, Frank! I don't need a gambling addict on my team!"

     He sighed. "But, Andrea! That's like showing a man a steak dinner and then telling him that he could only eat the salad! Everyone gambles in Paradise City!"

     I put my hand on his shoulder. "Come on, let's go find a problem to solve, 'kay?"

     "Oh, alright. Come on, Val. Let's go check out the Strip, see if there's any crime that can take my mind off the casinos."

     "Nice work! There was a message on that casino playing card!" Frank told me. He looked over my shoulder at the card.

     I said, "The message reads, 'You will pay for this, Mr Croupier.'"

     "Ha!" Frank chortled. "It looks like the victim was as good as annoying people as he was at dealing cards. But how can we know who wrote on this card?"

     I grinned. "Russell?"

     Frank rolled his eyes. "Think know-it-all Crane can help? Alright, I guess we've got nothing to lose."

     Russell studied the playing card thoughtfully as we came in. "You know, Val, playing cards originally came to the West from Persia. They were also used as currency, advertising and as a place to write secret love letters!"

     Frank grinned and put on a stupid British accent voice or something. "That's very interesting, Professor, but the playing card Valentina found in the casino didn't have a love note, it had a threat."

     Russell smiled. "Well, I used my graphological skills to analyze the script on the message. Do you see how the garlands between the letters are curled and elongated?"

     He showed me the card with a close-up on the letters. "Yeah, I guess."

     "Whoever wrote this message is someone highly educated and used to writing in Arabic. Most probably an Arabian prince!" Russell explained. "And as luck would have it, Hannah tells me an Arab prince registered for the tournament. Sheikh Abdullah bin Faisal."

     "Say what?!" I asked.

     "Sheikh Faisal, for short."

     Russell snapped his finger. "You win this round genius. Come on, Val, let's go see why this Sheikh threatened our victim!

     Faisal seemed polite enough. "Salaam, Sergeant Perez. How may I assist you?"

     I nodded. "It's about Alfie McNaulty, sir. We found the threat you sent him."