111 The Mind Eraser Deviation

A/N: Ever wonder WHY Ema hates that glimmerous fop so damn much? I give you…the roots of the antipathy! 😛

“There’s an opposite to déjà vu. They call it jamais vu. It’s when you meet the same people or visit places, again and again, but each time is the first. Everybody is always a stranger. Nothing is ever familiar.”
~Chuck Palahniuk

Ema Skye and Lana Skye
The Borscht Bowl Club
April 17, 2019, 10:00 PM

“I wish that pianist would shut the holy hell up and seize his horrendous caterwauling already!” Ema exclaimed, dramatically putting her hands over her ears. “I’m not drunk enough yet to block out that lugubrious warbling! Will he ever stop?!”

“He hasn’t ceased polluting our ears for the past 5 minutes, although it feels like 5 years!” Lana agreed, wrinkling her nose in the direction of the blond piano player, who was presently emitting an unforgivable, god-awful butchering of “The Lady Is A Tramp” by Frank Sinatra. “He’s not a bad musician … It’s just…”

“It’s just that his vocal massacring is totally harshing on the celebration buzz of my big sister’s bachelorette party!”

“Come on, Ema, this is ludicrous!” Lana protested laughingly as the two women moved through the tavern. “How can you possibly claim that this is my bachelorette party when due to the currently incarcerated status of the future bridegroom, I have no wedding date within sight and have been only been engaged for approximately 24 hours?”

“Quit your grousing!” Ema shot back with a grin, spotting a few of her sister’s University girlfriends sitting in a corner at the table and waving at them as she and Lana made their way through the crowded bar. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to throw together this quickie stagette celebration at the last minute?!”

“And I appreciate it, I do!” Lana insisted. “It just seems like stagette is a crazy thing to refer to it as, all things considered…”

“Would it make you feel any better, Sis, if we just called it: ‘your engagement party before you ship off to Europe to begin extensive undercover Interpol training’… for God knows how long?” The science lover countered. “I still cannot believe I came back from Europe to visit my favorite sister, merely a sennight ago, only to have you be shipping out not even a week after! Had I known that was going to happen, I would’ve ducked out of school sooner, so I could have had more time with you!”

“I’m sorry, Ema,” the elder Skye sighed mournfully as they shuffled their way through the swarming masses towards the table. “But you know I have to take this offer, as it was a stipulation of my parole. If I do this and partake in the top-secret mission after my training, they will completely expunge my criminal record after a decade. At the risk of sounding cliché, they made me an offer I just couldn’t refuse.”

“What about Jake?” The wannabe scientist’s brow furrowed with concern. “What are you going to do if he gets paroled early while you’re away on your undercover mission, which I am 100% positive is going to be beyond life-threateningly dangerous, otherwise anyone would be leaping at this golden opportunity!”

“Then I guess my cowboy will just have to wait for me, the way I promised I’d wait for him,” Lana replied hollowly, a haunted look coming over her face at the mention of her beloved fiancé. “But don’t you worry about me, little sister. I was a trained detective, after all, so I am hardly a stranger to danger!”

“I know. You’re right.” The younger Skye put a hand on her sibling’s shoulder then. “But Sis … I’m also allowed to express concern for the only family I’ve got left, aren’t I?”

“Ema Skye, don’t you dare make me cry at my own bachelorette/engagement party!” Tears filled the newly betrothed’s eyes. “Don’t you know that leaving you, my baby, is the hardest thing of all? If I didn’t think you were going to be in good hands staying with Hope, I never would’ve taken this mission.”

“Don’t worry.” Ema pulled her sister into a tight embrace and swallowed back the lump in her throat. “Your coroner friend has been an absolute angel. And I’m a big girl now. I’m going to finish my schooling to become a forensic scientist, and make you so proud of me! Maybe someday, we’ll be working alongside each other!”

“Absolutely nothing would bring me greater joy.” Lana sniffled, wrapping her arms around the girl she’d raised as a daughter and hugging her fiercely. “No matter what you do, Ema Skye, know that I will always be proud of you.”

Suddenly, a passerby jostled the siblings while trying to walk past them, and the teary-eyed sisters reluctantly separated and smiled sheepishly at one another.

“Man, we’re a couple of party poopers, huh?” The ex-detective attempted to joke while dabbing at her eyes.

“No kidding! This tragic, abysmal mood calls for immediate upheaval, via mind erasing obliteration!” The lab coat wearer declared, gently giving her sister a gentle shove towards the table. “I’m going to go get the first round you go enjoy yourself with your girls. How’s a couple of Mind Eraser shooters sound?”

“Throw in a couple of G-String cocktails, and you got yourself a deal,” the former jailbird grinned. The younger Skye arched an eyebrow at the name of the drink and she shrugged. “What? You know Jake used to croon country songs to me while strumming at his acoustic guitar … G was his favorite chord! It reminds me of him, OK?”

“Hey, no judgment here!” Ema put her hands to indicate her lack of intended offense. “I’ll be right back with the drink that’s named after a guitar string… not the butt floss!”

Giggling, Lana strolled away as the petite brunette attempted to fight her way through the chockblocked room towards the swarmed bartender. She stood there patiently in line, arms crossed and absently drumming her slender fingers against her forearm until at last, she was the next person to be served.

Suddenly, without warning, just as Ema was about to step in front of the bartender, she felt herself being roughly jostled as a tall, flaxen-haired man – wearing sunglasses of all things, even though it was nighttime and indoors! – shoved past her and butted right in front of her in the line, as though he Goddamn owned the place! Without even looking around, he snapped his fingers arrogantly to get the server’s attention.

“Two Jägerbombs, ja?” He ordered brusquely, apparently blissfully unaware of what he had just done. “Just put on my tab.”

“Right away, Mr. Gavin, right away!” The bartender replied quickly, already reaching for the requested liquor bottles, much to Ema’s irritation. “Will that be all?”

“Um, excuse me?” Completely livid, Ema reached over and tugged at the raisin-colored sleeve of the wannabe Corey Hart. “You just completely cut in front of me! I was here first.”

Taking advantage of the intruder’s momentarily startled state as he unconsciously took a step backward, she stepped forward, while purposefully keeping her back turned to the line jumper. She then solely addressed the man behind the bar, as though the blond man were not even present.

After all, if he wasn’t going to even pretend to acknowledge her existence, why should she do otherwise?

“I’ll have two Mind Eraser shots and two G-String cocktails, please.”

“Sorry, Miss.” The bartender looked at her apologetically. “I didn’t see you there. Er – do you mind if I take care of this lady first, Mr. Gavin?”

“Mind?!” Ema snapped. She tossed her long brown hair back over her shoulder and subjected the obnoxious customer to her best contemptuous scowl before turning back to the mixologist. “I should hope good manners would dictate that Mr. Gavin wouldn’t at all object to being served in the order that he arrived, which was right after me!”

The tavern employee glanced nervously at the incensed brunette, and then back at the now amused-looking male patron, who had crossed his arms across his tanned, muscled chest, revealed by the top three unopened buttons, and was flanked by a heavy-linked chain, from which dangled a huge silver G pendant.

“Excuse me, Miss…” The barkeep bent over and put his head down, lightly touching the sleeve of her lab coat, indicating her to lean closer to him. “A word, please?”

“Yes? What is it?” Ema was beyond exasperated now as she tilted her ear towards him. “May I get my drinks sometime this century, please?”

“Don’t you know who that is?” The bartender hissed in her ear. Seeing her blank stare as the response to the question, the young man’s eyebrows nearly jumped into his hairline and his tone was incredulous now. “Have you never heard of the internationally renowned rock band, The Gavinners?! This man is their lead singer, Mr. Kla –”

“Don’t worry about it, Christian,” the blond man interjected smoothly. “The young Fräulein was indeed here before I was, so go ahead and serve her.”

Christian appeared relieved at being granted “permission” and hurried about getting Ema’s order. The supposed rock singer then pushed his dark sunglasses up into his chin-length, tousled waves and peered down at her irate face, a slight smirk playing upon his full lips.

“I honestly didn’t see you there,” he said offhandedly, in an unmistakably thick German accent. “So do you think you could quit glaring at me now, Fräulein?”

You’re so full of Scheiße, your eyes may as well be brown! Ema fumed indignantly, her admittedly short-fuse reigniting at the most graceless non-apology known to man! The bloody Arschloch damn near flattened my boob with his arm when shoving past me!

“Is that supposed to be how the so-called men apologize in Germany?” Ema demanded, putting her hands on her hips, and, hating how his leanly muscled frame towered over her by nearly a foot, drew herself up to her full 5’1. “Listen, Stretch, I may be small, but I am no more invisible than I am an idiot!

You deliberately shoved past me and you damn well know it! You just weren’t expecting me to say anything, just because apparently you’re in some little rock band or something!”

The smirk disappeared from the man’s tanned face and he narrowed his cerulean eyes slightly.

“Little rock band?” He repeated disbelieving, as though she had just uttered blasphemy. “I beg your pardon, Fräulein. Don’t you even know who I am?”

Ema could not believe the gall of this audacious Schwein! Regardless of who this guy was – he could’ve been Mick Jagger for all she cared! – what the arrogant jerk was still sorely lacking were basic decorum and social etiquette! At this point, she couldn’t have given a rat’s ass who the hell he was! She didn’t even give a damn about the fact that he was good-looking. Which she supposed he was, in a tanned, blond, Adonis, man-pretty sort of way. If that was your thing. Which, of course, it most certainly wasn’t!

“Asking me if I even care would’ve been the better question!” She retorted, reaching over and grabbing the drinks the bartender was now pushing towards her at the bar. “Regardless of who the hell you think you are, here in America, we wait our turn in line amongst the other mere mortals, regardless of our supposed celebrity status, or inflated sense of self-importance!”

Rather than looking annoyed, or even affected by her outburst, the man turned towards the bar for a split second to grab the two drinks he’d ordered as well, and then had the nerve to cock a derisive, well-groomed brow at her instead, which only infuriated her even more.

“Are all American girls as feisty as you, Fräulein?” He asked silkily, leaning down towards her so that she could catch a whiff of his woodsy aftershave. “Or is there something about me, in particular, that seems to have gotten under your skin?”

She felt her face growing hot for some reason at his sudden nearness, and now that they were down at near face to face level, she could see the man’s eyes were quite an electric blue, but not in the recurrent way the phrase ‘electric’ was used. Ema was a scientist, and thus had spent many hours in the lab swirling and concocting many variously-hued liquids in test tubes and knew all colors and the many different shades there were to them. To every shade, there were ten more shades abaft it, and this smug man’s eyes were the perfect kind of electric blue for him. Striking yet soft. Not the charging shock that paralyzed you or crawled under your muscles, but the kind that made your blood dance. She felt her face growing even warmer.

“Omigod!” A girl suddenly squealed from behind the man. “It’s really you! I can’t believe it!”

The next thing the scientist knew, a voluptuous ginger-haired harlot had lurched herself at the singer from behind, sending him sprawling forward, face-first, into the unsuspecting Ema’s previously abused chest!

The brunette shrieked as the jostled drinks in her hand splashed all over her pristine white lab coat! Miraculously, the man managed to lift his arms in the air so she didn’t wind up wearing his drinks as well, but she was completely drenched and utterly fuming as, rather than apologizing, he turned around instead to stare at the clumsy, blushing fangirl! The redhead who had caused the accident was now staring at the two of them with enormous, alarmed eyes, as she clapped a hand over her mouth in horror.

“I’m so sorry!” She gasped. “Somebody bumped into me, and I stumbled into you – I swear it was an accident!”

“No harm was done, schöne Frau,” the musician replied easily, flashing a toothy, megawatt smile, making him look like he was auditioning for a toothpaste commercial, which only made Ema even more irked, and made the fangirl visibly swoon.

“This is such a thrill, you have no idea!” She gushed, batting her heavily mascaraed lashes. “I’m your biggest fan! Do you think you could give me your autograph?”

“I’d be delighted to. Do you have a pen?”

The spluttering and soaked forensic scientist just stood there, with her blood boiling, at this entire exchange!

“You’re even more gorgeous in person, you know!” The fangirl fished into her purse for a pen. “Holy cheese and tiny little crackers! I don’t seem to have anything to write on!”

“Huh. That does complicate things somewhat…”

“In the meantime, you can make out the autograph to Candi. With an ‘i‘ by the way,” she cooed, then gave a saucy wink. “Again, I’m so sorry about the incident, by the way!”

“Think nothing of it schöne Frau! Now, where shall I sign?”

“How about … right here?” Candi breathed, thrusting out her pneumatic chest, amply displayed in a sparkly tube top that looked as though it’d been spray-painted on! “You can write … ‘to clumsy little Candi … I’ll never forget how we met’.”

“Ah…” The musician gulped and appeared slightly uncomfortable. “Perhaps I can write on a surface where all that writing…er, won’t be necessary? After all, there’s no use crying over not yet spilled Jägerbombs, ja?”

“Might I make a suggestion?” The rage in the forensic scientist student’s tone was unmistakable as it became glaringly evident that the singer was wholly oblivious to what he had just done to Ema! “Perhaps we can weep over spattered shooters and dripped drinks, instead?”

The rocker spun around, appearing extremely grateful for the reprieve from a potentially awkward as hell situation! However, the relief on his face was immediately replaced by one of utter mortification as he took in her pink-splattered lab coat and cringed at her tightlipped, stormy-eyed expression.

“Achtung Baby!” He gasped, looking genuinely contrite now. “Did I do that?!”

Ema’s temper had now reached a fevered pitch, partially spawned, she was dimly aware, of the fact that this boob-baring bimbo had gotten to be dubbed pretty girl in German, whereas she had merely been addressed as the more polite Miss and was hence first completely overlooked and now, to add insult to injury, utterly ignored, up until this moment!

“Perhaps if my assets were as aptly displayed as Miss Candi’s golden globes over there, you would’ve more clearly remembered giving me a G-String shower when you launched, face-forward into my chest?!” Ema shouted, her face red with fury. “You klutzy, arrogant, superficial … Dummkopf!”

The musician flashed what he hoped was a charming grin as he forced himself to meet her Arctic gaze, feeling unexpectedly drawn into her eyes. The icy green generated the feeling of being pulled into a swirling ocean of frozen emotions. It was as if all the myriad shades of turquoise swirled together to form a whirlpool of apprehension. He could tell by her body language that she did not like him, and those flickering teal orbs confirmed his thoughts. However, he’d never encountered a woman in his entire life that he hadn’t been able to beguile… yet.

“Fräulein, I’m terribly sorry. Is there any way I could make this up to you… Perhaps tickets to my next concert?”

“Is this your idea of some kind of bad joke?!” Ema exploded wrathfully. “On what universe could you possibly think that seeing a second-rate, undoubtedly lousy show for your little boy band – which I have never even heard of! – would make me feel better about the fact that I am now wearing my drinks! I mean, hello! I’m earth! Have we met?!”

As he was more accustomed to adoration from the opposite sex and not much else, the rock star was unfamiliar with being on the receiving end of such wrath from anyone, least of all, of the female persuasion! While the tiny brunette’s fury was understandable, for some reason, he also found it somewhat endearing, and intriguing.

“You know Fräulein, you’re rather cute when you’re mad,” he grinned, attempting to further crank up the charm. “This certainly was not an intentional occurrence. I was bumped from behind and lost my balance… Can we not find some way to put this behind us?” He leaned forward and lowered his voice an octave as he affixed her with his most sultry stare. “Perhaps I could further pique your interest if I were to offer you a more private concert sometime, ja?”

Ema stared at him, her unmitigated rage temporarily subsiding as her lips parted in shock.

What the ever-loving titty-fucking hell? Is this glimmerous fop seriously trying to now hit on me?!

“Are you for real?!” Her voice was shaking with barely suppressed anger as her fury doubled over. “Or do you merely have the emotional range of a watercress sandwich, you – you glimmerous fop!”

The man reeled back, as though she had physically struck him – which Ema had to admit she was almost tempted to do by this point! – but she at least had the satisfaction of seeing a hint of surprise and even, unless her mind was playing tricks on her, some hurt, in the azure eyes at her response.

“Please forgive my grossly delayed apology, Fräulein,” he responded, rather humbly. “Since you’re evidently not a Gavinners fan, feel free to disregard that offer, but at least allow me to replace your drinks.”

Before the appearance of the bimbo, Ema would’ve considered taking him up on the drink offer, and even accepted his apology, but that was before she saw what a pompous, shallow, prick he was, and one who was easily swayed by flash over substance!

“Argh! Just forget it!” She seethed through gritted teeth. “As for your concert… Private or otherwise… You know exactly where you can shove that electric guitar of yours!”

Without waiting for an answer this time, she spun on her heel and stomped away back into the crowd, not realizing until she reached her sister’s table that she was carrying two shooter and two drink glasses which, thanks to the collision with the clumsy clod/wannabe rock God, were now each only a quarter full!

Lana paused in the middle of her laughing conversation with her girlfriends and regarded her sister’s newly decorated, pink-splotched lab coat, irate face, and nearly empty glasses with an expression of amused concern.

“Couldn’t wait to get back here before you started quenching your thirst, Ema?” The future bride quipped. “What took you so long?”

Ema glowered at her sister, and Lana let out a gasp of dismay.

“Oh my gosh, Ema! What the hell happened to your lab coat?!”

“A glimmerous fop from some wannabe boy band is what happened!” Ema scowled, slapping the glasses down onto the table with a groan. “His clumsy clod self bumped into me and made me spill my drinks – and then instead of apologizing right away, I had to stand there and endure him flirting with some slutty, red-headed groupie! I’m so sorry to return empty-handed, Lana.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, don’t apologize!” Lana waved her hand dismissively. “Lissianna and I can go to the bar, honey. Why don’t you hightail it to the bathroom and see if you can get those splotches off before they turn into permanent stains?”

“Good idea…” Ema’s words faltered as a drop-dead gorgeous blonde waitress, who looked like a younger Pamela Anderson’s doppelgänger (and whose impressive bust put even Candi’s mammoth twin peaks to shame!) came by that moment, and placed four tall shot glasses on their table.

Ema stared at the buxom beauty.

Oh shit! I think I may be a little gay now…!

“Four Mind Eraser shooters for y’all!” The bombshell drawled with a sunny smile. “Enjoy!”

“Thanks, but we didn’t order these,” Lana stated, looking confused.

“Drink up! There’s one for each of ya ladies. They’re courtesy of some fella named Peter Stroker who just got engaged tonight to some Anita Lai dame,” the waitress explained in her sultry Southern twang. “He’s celebrating by buying a Mind Eraser shot for everyone in the bar tonight. Cheers!”

And she sauntered away.

“I don’t know about you, but I know I need one of these desperately!” Ema declared and tossed back her shot without a moment’s hesitation. “I wish I could mind erase this entire night already!”

“Cheer up, kiddo,” Lana coaxed, putting a cajoling hand on her sister’s arm. “This is supposed to be a fun girl’s night out! Don’t let some klutzy idiot ruin it for you!”

“You’re right, Sis.” Ema sighed, and then beamed at Lana. “I am not going to let that glimmerous fop completely ruin my mood and rain on your parade! I’m going to go head to the bathroom right now and see what I can do to salvage this coat!”

“You go do that, sweet girl! Come on, Lissi…Aurora can hold down the fort here at the table to make sure no one swipes it while we head over to the bar…” The rest of Lana’s sentence suddenly died on her lips, and her pretty face turned ashen as she suddenly saw something over Ema’s shoulder that made her eyes nearly bug out of her head.

“I changed my mind.” The elder Skye sibling quickly turned her head away and grabbed her purse. “Also, I’ve been inspired to order my next cocktail! Lissi, would you mind getting the drinks? I’ll have two Red-Headed Sluts! In the meantime, I’m going to go outside for a cigarette with Aurora, right now.”

“Knights of Columbus!” Ema gaped at her sister, completely thunderstruck. “Lana, you don’t smoke!”

“It’s a habit I picked up recently,” her sister retorted flippantly, turning to grab Aurora by the arm and all the yanking her friend out of her seat. “It’s something I tend to do when I’m drinking.”

“Since when?!” The scientist demanded.

“Since I got out of prison if you must know!” The former Chief Prosecutor snapped. “Now this is my party, and I will have a fucking cigarette if I want to! So butt out, Ema!”

The younger Skye blinked, completely stunned by her sister’s harsh tone, but wisely said nothing. As Lana and Aurora headed towards the back exit to the outside patio, she turned to follow Lissianna towards the bar, which was also in the general direction of the bathroom.

That was when she spotted, in the far corner, on the other side of the bar, Phoenix Wright, Dick Gumshoe, and Miles Edgeworth! They were seated at a table for six, with two vacant seats that had two purses hanging from them, along with some other, lanky guy Ema didn’t know, who had gravity-defying hair and a goatee. She felt a jolt of simultaneous astonishment and pleasure.

What a small world! She thought jubilantly. I need to go pass by after I’ve cleaned up! I can’t have the sexy Prosecutor Edgeworth seeing me look like such a complete slob! Wait – didn’t Lana see them too, since she was facing in this direction?! Why wouldn’t she want to go say hi to them?! After all, they’re our friends!

“Lana, wait!” Ema called to her sister’s retreating form. “Didn’t you see who was here at the bar? Detective Gumshoe, Phoenix Wright, and Miles Edgeworth! Aren’t you going to go say hello to them, first?”

Lana halted, but only for a moment, and gave a strained smile.

“Oh, are they? I didn’t even notice!” She replied, her normally level voice sounding strangely high. “Yes well, that’s very nice, but I’m sure I’ll bump into Phoenix and, um, Miles, a bit later on tonight. After all, it’s still early, and I’m sure they’re not going anywhere!”

Ema scrutinized her sister’s inexplicably flustered face, which for the life of her; she couldn’t comprehend in the least! After all, she and Lana owed Phoenix everything, and the dreamy Prosecutor Edgeworth had been Lana’s subordinate, who had worked under her for years, and was no stranger to either one of them!

“I’m off to have that cigarette now,” Lana announced, turning back around and hastily rushing to follow Aurora outside. “You better take care of those stains before they set in, little sister!”

Ema shook her head with confusion as she headed towards the ladies’ room, still completely flummoxed by her sister’s bizarre behavior.

Why in God’s name would my non-smoking sister mysteriously prefer to give herself lung cancer rather than greet a couple of hunky as hell Ace Attorneys?!

Ema Skye and Dick Gumshoe
Criminal Affairs Department
February 1, 2026, 9:00 AM

“Welcome back to Los Angeles, pal!” Gumshoe rose from his desk when the sullen Ema entered and enfolded her into a warm embrace. “Look at you, all grown up now! It is such a pleasure to see you again after so long, Ema!” He released her and smiled broadly at the pensive-looking young he’d known as a bubbly teen. “Or would you rather I call you… Detective Skye?”

I wish you were calling me Forensic Scientist, Ema Skye! She thought miserably, blinking back the tears of disappointment that were prickling behind her eyelids.

She hated herself for them, as she’d now had more than a year to get over the devastating news. Regardless, it still felt like a sucker punch every time she heard the title of the new job that her sister’s influence had alternately gotten her instead as the world’s shittiest consolation prize. It was little comfort to know that she had “come close, but no cigar” with regards to passing the final forensics examination, which had resulted in a complete turnabout in her career path. As a result of her lousy fate, she’d spent nearly a year in New England, training for this new job which although had been Lana’s legacy, was the furthest thing possible from what Ema had desired to do with the rest of her life!

Los Angeles Police Detective. Otherwise known as the career she had never wanted.

However, she supposed she should be grateful for the fact that as the Chief of police, she was at least working alongside an old and dear friend, one whom she knew had pulled strings to get her into his particular precinct. Still, Ema was only human, and at times still couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with bitter resentment at the unfairness of her plight, even if it meant she was finally back at home.

Home sweet hell.

“It’s great to see you too, Chief.” She forced herself to smile at the kind of man whom she’d adored as a teenager. “I guess you can call me whatever you want – after all, you’re my boss now, right?”

“On paper, I suppose I technically am,” Gumshoe chuckled good-naturedly, then his expression grew somber for a moment as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Ema, I’m truly sorry about the test. Believe me, I’ve been inquiring on your behalf regularly! You have to know that I’d be the first one to tell you to go take that blasted thing again in a heartbeat if we had a place for you. Unfortunately, there are absolutely no free openings in the LAPD for another forensic scientist.”

“Thanks for the update, Chief,” Ema replied numbly, looking down at the floor. “I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s OK.” She swallowed hard against the sudden lump in her throat. “After all, you can’t always get what you want, right?”

“Buck up, kiddo,” he said quietly, giving her arm a gentle squeeze. “I know this wasn’t your first choice, but I for one, am delighted to have you not only on my team but back here in the States, where you belong. And I’m sure not the only one who’s eager to welcome you aboard on your first day. In fact, how about I introduce you to your “other boss”…that is, your partner in crime? Prosecutor Gavin specifically made the trip down from the Prosecutor’s Office to have a meet and greet with you, but he just stepped out to the cafeteria to grab a coffee. He should be back any minute…”

“And here I am, Chief Gumshoe.” An unknown, yet somehow, eerily familiar man’s tone suddenly was heard, coming from right behind Ema.

“Prosecutor Gavin, I’m glad you’re here!” Gumshoe boomed, a broad grin on his face. “I’d like you to meet your new partner, Detective Ema Skye.”

“Greetings, Fräulein Detective.” The German-accented voice intoned pleasantly, causing an eerie sense of déjà vu to come over the LAPD’s newest hire. She whirled around at the sound, her eyes widening in disbelief as she looked at the instantly recognizable mien of the man to whom she would now be a subordinate, her lips frozen open in a soundless gasp.

It was the same glimmerous fop from seven years ago at The Borscht Bowl Club! While his flaxen hair was now worn in a long braid, and he’d swapped his violet shirt for a black one, and now wore a plum-colored blazer over it, Ema would’ve known that obnoxious, blingy, oversized silver G-pendant and knowing, smarmy smirking mug anywhere!

The worst part of all was there it was not even an iota of recognition on that irksome, self-satisfied mug of his whatsoever as he smilingly extended a bronze, well-manicured hand towards the stupefied Detective, his cordial expression entirely one that indicated she was naught but a total stranger to him!

“Detective Skye, I’ve heard so much about you.” A blinding white smile, which the cop positively
itched to slap right off that smarmy, pretty-boy kisser! “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Ema felt her blood pressure already rising as she, at last, found her voice.

“Holy Shiitake Mushrooms! You’ve got to be kidding me!”