I was sad to think this, but, my gut as a police officer was telling me, there was something wrong with Dawn, something fishy.
That girl too, Nora was it? Although they definitely knew each other, there was just something smelly in their relationship, something that wasn't supposed to be there.
After school, I headed to the shooting range to practice my skills, I couldn't miss the next time the Hatter appeared, he was the bane of my existence, and I swore I would catch him.
Putting on some headphones, I turned towards the target, held my pistol up, and started pulling the trigger.
"Bang!Bang!Bang!BangBangBangBangBangBangBangBangBangBangBangBangBangBang Click! Click!"
Completely emptying out my first magazine, I quickly dropped it and stuffed in another one.
"Bang!Bang!Bang!BangBangBangBangBangBangBangBangBangBangBangBangBangBang!"
Counting the bullets this time, I stopped right at the exact number, and then dropped the magazine, before laying my gun down on its side and taking my headphones off and putting it all on the table in front of me.
Then, I pressed the button that pulled in the human sized dummy made of a hard plastic and other things.
As it came closer, I smiled, as I saw that, every single one of my bullets had hit within 0.5 mm of each other, with all the shots of the first magazine making a giant sized hole in the head of the dummy, and all the shots of the second magazine creating a giant hole in the place where the dummy's heart was.
Pulling up the computer diagnostics, I smiled at my stats, I was slowly getting better and better with my aim.
Now, all I really needed to do was find a way to beat the Hatter's unusual attacking methods, and I'd be able to bring him down.
After finishing my check over my stats, I reloaded the gun and put it in my shoulder harness, making sure that the one on the other side still had its safety on, and then I put my puffy jacket back on and left the shooting range, making my way to the slums.
You see, earlier today, we had gotten information from one of our informants that there was a new information hub down in the slums, and supposedly, it was trading information on the Hatter.
Hearing about this, Boss and I knew immediately that we had to at least check if this hub was credible.
So now, I was heading to the supposed location.
With my hands buried deep in my pockets, I put in some wired earbuds, and walked towards the slums as the sun slowly set behind me.
...
I was huddling under the yawning of the club where the information hub was supposed to be.
You see, in the middle of my walk here, as the sun fully set, a light drizzle had started.
Of course, I had an umbrella, but the problem right now was the two huge guys in front of me.
It seemed that, although this was a club in the slums, it was pre-tty high class.
Finally, after showing that I indeed had enough money to get in, the guards let me through.
Entering, I found myself in a strange atmosphere.
The entire floor that I was on was bathed in a calming purple color, the walkways lit up by blue and green neon lights.
There were dark sculptures, random walls, and unassuming pillars everywhere on the floor, and, although it looked like these were there so that people could have private conversations, my police intuition was telling me that these obtrusions were great ways to lose people, and if worse turned to worse, there could even be a gunfight fought from behind these structures.
Anyways, forgetting about all of this, I proceeded to head deeper into the floor, until I reached the bar that had no shape nor form, as if it was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Sitting down at it, the bartender immediately came over.
"What would you like today, my dear guest?" Asked a hot, sultry voice.
"A simple whiskey on the rocks would do fine, a large piece of ice please."
"One whiskey on the rocks coming right up." She "shouted", although her voice was as calm and soothing as ever.
I watched the bartender as she made it, with a lot of expertise I might add, her movements looking extremely fluid and natural.
Placing the glass down in front of me, I looked at what was inside.
There was a warm amber liquid, and just a spherical, ball shaped piece of ice in it.
(A/N: Like the ones in Bungo Stray Dogs.)
Picking it up, I drank it, sip by sip.
After finishing, I pushed it forward.
"Another one?" Asked the bartender, as she was cleaning a glass.
"No thank you, but, I would like to try some of your White Condor, I heard somewhere that it was just magnificent."
"Just magnificent?"
"Even Divine, I might add."
Hearing this, the bartender smiled, before reaching her hand under the counter, and pushing a button I supposed.
Smiling myself, I watched as a stairway appeared in the floor of the ever-changing bar, and so I walked down into it.
Descending to the bottom of the stairs, I found myself in an even fancier room than the first floor of the club.
This one was basked in an orange light from the many candles and gas lamps hanging around the walls.
The walls were made of wood and nicely carved with swirls and loops as the main design, almost as if it was trying to hypnotize you.
In the middle of the room were two velvet couches, their frames were made out of gold, that faced each other, and a table in between.
Seeing this, I sat on the left couch, and waited for the information broker to enter the room.
Only having to wait 2 minutes, I looked up at the slim, impeccably suited man that had entered the room, a phantom of the opera mask covering half of his face.
"What information would you like to learn today, Dear Customer?"