Page 14 of Sebastian

Bastian stared at the words for a moment, then took the time to leaf through the other pages before snapping the file closed.

“Well, I’m not surprised. It would have been too easy if the man we’re looking for just showed up like that. Thanks again for bringing this. Now I can start looking elsewhere.”

I nodded, while trying not to let my disappointment show. His words sounded like a dismissal. Now that he had what he wanted, he had no reason to stick around, and I certainly wasn’t enough to keep his interest on my own.

Before he could say anything else, or I could do something shameful like begging him to stay and talk to me, an alert rang on Bastian’s phone. It was a cheery little tune.

A tune I recognized.

My hand acted before my brain could speak up, and I snatched his phone off the table. There it was, right on the screen. An alert notification from one of my favorite Obscure games.

All thoughts of DNA tests and missing brothers were forgotten as I looked up at Bastian with wide eyes.

“You play Lemur Conspiracy?”

CHAPTER 7

Sebastian

Fuck, his eyes were really blue. I’d noticed it before, but the lavender shirt he wore highlighted their color and made them look almost purple.

How was I supposed to respond when those eyes were looking up at me, as big as saucers, and twinkling with excitement?

My phone chimed again. Oh, right, the game. For a moment, I considered just grabbing my phone and walking out of the coffee shop. I’d never told anyone, not even my brother, that I played video games. If I did decide to tell someone about my hobby, I definitely would have picked something better than Lemur Conspiracy.

There was nothing wrong with the game. It was a fun mystery solving adventure about a lemur that escaped from a science lab, and solved mysteries using its newly acquired human intelligence and the ability to speak with animal ghosts. One of the selling points about the game was that new mysteries and clues were always being added.

Which was exactly what my phone was alerting about now. A new clue had just dropped, and the colorful cartoon art style was challenging me to come find the next piece of the mystery.

My fingers itched with a desire to start playing. I never could resist a good mystery. The rush I got from solving a difficult puzzle was almost more satisfying than anything else. It was one of the best parts about being a private investigator. There were plenty of real-life puzzles to solve.

Well, that, and the opportunity to help people.

While I hovered in indecision, Newt started scrolling through the game on my phone.

“Wow. You’ve solved so many of these. You even solved the Haunted Goldfish Bowl. I could never get through that one. Where’d you find the last clue?”

That had been one of my favorite levels since it was particularly difficult. Many people didn’t even get past the opening. At first, it seemed like the setting for the level was a kid’s bedroom. However, if the player looked inside the goldfish bowl, they would find that the little decorative house inside was actually a fully functioning mansion. The actual mystery took place inside that mansion, which was haunted by all the ghosts of the fish that had lived in that bowl before its current resident.

Blue eyes pointed toward me again, and I had no choice but to answer. “There’s a safe behind the portrait in the bedroom. At the beginning of the level, when you’re talking to the old lady fish, the date she mentions for their anniversary is different from what was captioned on the picture. The two numbers together are the code for the safe.”

“Oh, cool.” Newt put down my phone and pulled out his own. A moment later the familiar tune for Lemur Conspiracy started playing. “A new clue just dropped. You’re doing the River Maze, right?”

I looked at my phone still sitting on the table, then looked at Newt.

Was that it?

I expected snide comments about how I didn’t look like the type to play video games, or maybe questions about why I was playing something meant for children. The few times in the past that I’d even hinted at liking video games, those were always the reactions I got. Newt’s unquestioning acceptance caused my brain to short circuit. I stared at him dumbly, my hand hovering halfway to my phone without picking it up.

Newt must have mistaken my confusion for anger, because the light in his blue eyes dimmed. “Oh, sorry. That was rude. Can’t believe I just grabbed your phone like that. I get tunnel vision when I’m excited and I forget about everything else. Even manners, apparently.”

He laughed, awkwardly tugging at one of the ears on his hat. It was such a cute sight. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah, I’m doing the River Maze.” I picked up my phone and reopened the game. I think there’s a hidden room in the bottom of the boat, so hopefully, the next clue will lead us there.”

Newt’s smile lit up his whole face, so even his freckles seemed to glow.

“A hidden room? Really? I had no idea. No wonder I keep getting lost. I’m missing more clues than I thought.”

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