Ava's first official day in Ravenhurst began with the sound of raised voices echoing through the precinct's narrow halls. The cacophony was a fitting soundtrack for a city that seemed to thrive on disorder. She walked briskly toward the commotion, clutching her freshly assigned case file—her first in this new chapter of her career.
It wasn't a high-profile investigation or a headline-grabbing mystery, just a run-of-the-mill burglary case. A local jewelry store had been cleaned out overnight, and the owner was demanding answers.
Ava scanned the sparse details in the file as she made her way to the briefing room. The theft had occurred on Aquino Street, a notorious hub for petty crimes, yet the report was barely three pages long, littered with gaps and vague statements.
Inside the room, a handful of officers were gathered, their expressions a mix of boredom and thinly veiled annoyance. Caspian leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, his ever-present smirk firmly in place.
Across the table sat the jewelry store owner, a middle-aged man whose face was flushed with anger.
"I don't know why I bother calling the police in this city!" the man barked, slamming his fist on the table. "You people couldn't find a thief if they walked up and confessed!"
Ava took her seat at the head of the table, setting the file down with deliberate calm. "Good morning," she said evenly, ignoring the man's outburst. "I'm Detective Vancé, and I'll be handling your case."
The store owner shot her a skeptical glance, clearly unimpressed. "Great. Another detective. Let me guess—you're here to tell me my case isn't a priority?"
"Actually," Ava replied, opening the file and pulling out a blank notepad, "I'm here to solve it."
Her confidence seemed to catch him off guard, though Caspian snorted audibly from his corner. Ava ignored him. She gestured for the man to recount the details, taking meticulous notes as he described the break-in.
According to the store owner, the thieves had bypassed the alarm system, dismantled the security cameras, and made off with nearly half a million dollars' worth of jewelry. The job had been executed with precision, suggesting it was more than just a spur-of-the-moment crime.
As Ava asked questions, it became increasingly clear that the initial investigation had been sloppy at best. The responding officers had failed to secure the crime scene properly, and key pieces of evidence—such as boot prints near the rear entrance—had gone uncollected.
The only lead was a grainy image from a nearby traffic camera showing a dark van leaving the area around the time of the burglary.
"Did anyone canvass the neighboring businesses?" Ava asked, her pen poised over her notepad.
The silence that followed was deafening. One of the officers, a younger man with a nervous expression, cleared his throat. "Uh... no, ma'am. We didn't have enough manpower that night."
Ava resisted the urge to sigh. "Right. Let's fix that. I'll handle the canvassing myself."
"You're wasting your time," Caspian drawled, pushing off the wall. "This city eats detectives like you for breakfast. You really think you're going to crack this case? It's just another day in Ravenhurst."
Ava leveled him with a cool stare. "Then I'll consider it my warm-up."
Within an hour, Ava was on Aquino Street, her boots crunching against the cracked pavement. The air smelled faintly of smoke and fried food, and the streets buzzed with activity despite the early hour.
She started with the shops closest to the jewelry store, introducing herself and asking if anyone had noticed anything unusual the previous night.
Most of the shopkeepers were hesitant to talk, their distrust of the police palpable. Ava pressed on, her patience unwavering, until she found a young woman working the counter at a nearby convenience store.
"Yeah, I saw something," the woman admitted, glancing nervously over her shoulder. "There was this van parked out back, around midnight. Didn't think much of it at the time, but it was weird. It didn't have any plates."
"Did you get a good look at who was driving it?" Ava asked, her tone encouraging.
The woman hesitated, then nodded. "Two guys. One of them had a scar on his cheek. The other... I don't know, he was wearing a hoodie."
Ava jotted down the details and thanked her, her mind already piecing together the puzzle.
The description matched a pair of known burglars from her earlier research—low-level criminals who had been linked to several unsolved cases in the area.
By the time Ava returned to the precinct, she had compiled enough evidence to push the case forward. She spread her notes and photographs across her desk, mapping out the timeline of events and cross-referencing the suspects' known associates.
Caspian strolled over, eyeing the organized chaos with a skeptical brow. "You really think you're going to get anywhere with this?" he asked.
"I don't think," Ava replied without looking up. "I know."
Before he could retort, one of the younger officers approached, holding a freshly printed report. "Detective Vancé, we got a hit on the van. It was spotted abandoned in an alley on the south side of town."
Ava stood, grabbing her coat. "Good job, Hannah. Let's go."
The van sat exactly where the report said it would be, tucked into a shadowy alley reeking of neglect. Its paint was chipped, and the doors hung open as if the thieves had fled in a hurry. Ava approached cautiously, her flashlight cutting through the dim light of the setting sun. The surrounding area was eerily quiet, save for the distant hum of traffic.
Caspian followed behind her, his usual smirk absent. "I'm just saying, you've been chasing ghosts all day. What makes you think this heap is the break we need?"
Ava ignored him, slipping on a pair of gloves before stepping closer. "What makes me think? Evidence. Something you'd be familiar with if you stopped sulking at your desk long enough to do actual work."
Caspian chuckled, leaning against a nearby wall. "Evidence doesn't solve cases, Vancé. People do. You're too stuck on playing detective instead of understanding how this city works."
"Your cynicism is noted," Ava shot back, shining her flashlight into the van's interior. Her eyes caught the glint of something metallic beneath the driver's seat. She crouched and pulled out an empty jewelry case, turning it over in her hands.
"Empty boxes don't scream 'case closed,'" Caspian quipped.
Ava shot him a sharp look. "You're right. They don't. But this does."
She reached for a smudge on the dashboard—a partial fingerprint. Her excitement was tempered by caution as she pulled out her phone and snapped a photo. "Fingerprint, likely fresh. Combine that with the cases, and it's enough for a warrant."
Caspian folded his arms. "Warrant for what? You don't even know where they are."
Ava straightened, fixing him with a confident gaze. "Not yet. But we will. Let's get this processed."
The warrant was granted quickly, thanks to Ava's meticulous documentation and the fingerprint match linking the van to a known suspect: Darren Slate, a low-level thief with a history of working in small-time crews. His address led them to a crumbling apartment building on the outskirts of the city, a structure so decrepit it seemed to sag under its own weight.
Night had fallen by the time Ava and her team arrived, cloaked in the relative anonymity of darkness. She peered through her binoculars at the dimly lit apartment windows. "They're in there," she said softly.
Caspian leaned against the unmarked car, clearly unimpressed. "And what's your brilliant plan? Knock on the door and ask nicely?"
Ava sighed, lowering her binoculars. "My plan is to get them out without a firefight. Unless you have a better idea, maybe stay quiet for once."
Caspian smirked. "I just hope you're as good at improvising as you are at lectures."
Ignoring him, Ava turned to the officers flanking her. "Slate and his partner are likely armed but not professional. We move fast, secure the area, and minimize risks. Understood?"
The team nodded, and Ava took a steadying breath. She glanced back at Caspian. "You coming, or are you just here to provide commentary?"
He shrugged, pushing off the car. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
The team moved in with precision, surrounding the building and cutting off possible escape routes. Ava led the charge, her weapon drawn but held low. They reached Slate's door, and an officer pounded on it.
"Police! Open up!"
The sounds inside were immediate—frantic footsteps, muffled curses. Ava signaled, and the door was forced open. The chaos that followed was brief but intense.
Slate bolted for the window, only to be tackled by Caspian, who appeared far more capable in action than his earlier antics suggested. Ava, meanwhile, cornered the second suspect in the kitchen, her gun trained steadily on him as he fumbled to raise his hands.
"Don't even think about it," she warned, her voice calm but commanding.
Within minutes, both suspects were cuffed, and the apartment was secured. Ava walked through the cluttered space, her eyes scanning for the stolen items. A closet door slightly ajar caught her attention.
Inside, she found several duffel bags stuffed with jewelry. Relief washed over her, though she didn't let it show. Instead, she turned to Caspian, who was helping secure Slate.
"Looks like evidence does solve cases after all," she said pointedly.
Caspian smirked, brushing off his jacket. "Lucky break."
"Luck had nothing to do with it," Ava shot back, her tone sharp. "This was about doing the work."
Caspian opened his mouth to retort but stopped himself, his expression briefly thoughtful. "Maybe you're not as hopeless as I thought."
Ava raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as high praise coming from you."
Hours later, the suspects were processed, and the stolen jewelry was returned to the store owner, whose gratitude was effusive despite his initial doubts. Ava sat at her desk, her exhaustion tempered by the satisfaction of a job well done.
Caspian wandered over, a cup of coffee in hand. He set it down in front of her without a word.
"What's this?" Ava asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Peace offering," he said with a shrug. "You did good out there. Even if you're still a pain in the ass."
Ava allowed herself a small smile. "Thanks, I think."
As Caspian walked away, Ava leaned back in her chair, taking a long sip of the coffee. The first case in Ravenhurst had been messy, frustrating, and far from perfect—but it was a win.
And in this city, wins were worth savoring.