After Julian whispered in her ear and spoke her a bit, Charlie came to her senses. Her eyes fluttered open as the cold air hit her face. She sat up and looked around. Did she get drunk again? Or was it all a dream? Charlie stood up, dusting herself off.

The professor took a look at Julian. His eyes were red and puffy. “Hey, hey what happened? Dont cry... come on, lets go home. I don't wanna be here anymore. This place is creepy!” Charlie tugged on his arm.

Julian wrapped his arms tightly around Charlie for a moment, glad that she had returned to the land of the awakened. "Don't... don't leave me again," he whispered before wiping his eyes dry. Straightening his top hat, Julian retrieved the ring from his pocket and showed it to Charlie. "Mission successful, at least. We should return to the lady... and maybe call the cops."

He cleared his throat and stepped away from Charlie, returning to his former uncaring demeanor. "See what kind of trouble you get us in? We were almost part of someone else's detective case! At least we both looked fabulous for it, but we would have been found in that cesspool of a house. No thank you. I would rather my murder scene be in a more civilized location." He began to walk off towards where they had come from. There was a lot in that house that was interesting, but he wanted to put as much distance between himself and Mad Maddy as possible. Indeed, as he walked away, his hands would not stop shaking. "Let's stop off at the police along the way," Julian suggested.

Charlie blushed as she was met with a warm embrace. It certainly beat the cold metalic feel of her creations.

"No Julian! We can't do That! The police will question what we were doing in her house! Let's just wait, someone is bound to report the rotting flesh smell. Let's get out of here ASAP!" Charlie jumped up and tugged poor Julain’s arm nearly out of his socket.

Julian thought calling the authorities would be the best idea. After all, they were there on official business and it wasn't illegal to enter an unlocked door, right? Well... sorta. Perhaps Charlie was right though, and since she was the boss, she got to decide what they did. Julian allowed himself to be yanked back towards the office, his brain not feeling like working up excuses or reasons to not hold her hand.

The journey back to the office was just as long as the jaunt out, but Julian was even more quiet, trying to parse what he had just seen. How could someone be that insane and still be allowed down here? Everyone had an important role to fill in this city, from research to engineering to construction. What was hers before she went crazy? The garden near her house suggested perhaps botany played a role, or perhaps that was just a hobby of hers. In any case, Julian couldn't get the images out of his head: the lifeless rotting skull staring back at him from the comfort of the woman's embrace as she shoveled wedding cake down her gullet.

Julian shuddered, and his grip tightened on Charlie's hand.

They finally arrived, and Julian closed the door behind them before leaning against it. "You really know how to pick them," he muttered with exhaustion. "Please tell me we're getting paid well for this job."

Charlie shrugged. “Ms. Bitterling said she would but I dont know what she’ll pay us in. Oh, I hope its food... I’m starving...” she grumbled. Money was something their business needed. They didnt get paid often unless one of Charlies trinkets were sold or when they solved something minor. Hopefully, Ms. Bitterling would pity the two and give them a handsome tip.

“Whatever, lets just go to bed. I wanna sleep for the next few days. Or weeks.” Charlie yawned and headed into her room to go change into her pajamas and sleep off the bad decisions made that night.*

*As morning arrived, the pair found themselves sitting across from each other at the breakfast table, eating their meal in awkward silence. Julian finally spoke up, his tone about as professional as he could muster. "So, about yesterday, I wanted to apologize if my actions seemed... forward. I mean, when I carried you from that house. It was the fastest method I could think of, and, well... I wished to get out of there as fast as possible. Speaking of..."

Julian tossed the ring on the table for them to examine. "We should get this back to the woman at the bakery. I am sure she'll be ecstatic to see it safe and sound in her possession once more. In the meantime... are we going to talk about Mad Maddy? I fear something should be done about her before she becomes a danger to more than just herself and her deceased husband."

Charlie took a large bite of her pancakes and shrugged. “That’s alright. I’m surprised you could carry me. I’ve been gaining a lot of weight lately... I’m impressed!” Charlie blushed. She had never been picked up before. Maybe by her father when they played games but never like this. It made her feel cared for.

“And after breakfast we can return the ring. But about that lady... I dont want to get involved... Come on, lets just return the ring. I dont want to think about that girl anymore.” Charlie shoved her face full of pancakes and ended the conversation.

"I might look it, but I'm not weak!" Julian protested. In fact, he worked hard to be in as good shape as he was, and he had a rather muscular frame under his fashionable attire. Although Julian thought there was much more to learn about the crazy woman, he deferred to his employer, instead nodding politely. She paid his check, so she was more than welcome to make the big decisions.

Following breakfast, the two began the journey back to the bakery, ring in tow. Julian would be glad to be rid of this job; there were simply too many hazards. If he were going to risk his nexk for work, he would have joined the police force. On the other hand, then he wouldn't be able to work with Charlie...

Charlie burst into the bakery with the ring in her hand.

“MS. BITTERLING WE GOT YOUR RING FOR YO- oh hello!” Charlie said, walking in on the police officers inside. The two were talking to Ms. Bitterling and writing down everything she said. They all looked at Charlie and Julian, waiting for their next move.

“U-uh... we got your ring back!” Charlie took out the ring and placed it in the old woman’s hands.

“Oh, thank you! You two did a wonderful job! Ah, I’ll have to mail your check to your house...” Before Ms. Bitterling could finish, an officer stepped in front of her and stared down and Charolette and Julian. He had a thick beard and mustache combo and we was muscular, nonetheless. Overall, he looked like a grizzly bear. No one would want to get on his bad side.

“Actually, Ma’am, I’d like to ask you and your partner some questions. Where did you find this ring? Be honest.” He growled.

“U-uh, at the house Ms. Bitterling gave her last wedding cake to...” Charlie said nervously.

“Mm hm...” He said, writing it down. “Was anyone in the house?”

Charlie gulped. “Y-yeah, the wife was, um, and her-“ Before he could finish, the chief’s partner got a call. The dots and dashes the machine created made his face curl.

“God dammit, we need to go to the house ASAP! They need back up!” The two bowed and took their leave. After a few minutes of silence, Charlie spoke up.

“What was that all about?” She asked.

“Oh, the woman I sold the cake to... she... she killed her husband. You may have already saw it. She went into a horrifying rage when she found out her fiancé was cheating on her. But something even more strange happened. After she killed her husband, she killed herself. She felt so awful that she couldnt live with the guilt. But people claim to have seen the woman walking around town, stumbling like shes drunk or crazy. I don't believe in spirits but its still rather scary...” Ms. Bitterling explained.

Charlie stood there in shock and looked at Julian.

Julian stood silently by as Charlie answered the cops' questions. She was his boss, after all, and Julian was just glad that they weren't also investigating him for killing her. He nonchalantly inspected the cinnamon rolls, trying to not catch the officer's eye in case they made him talk, and thankfully they were called out fairly quickly.

Bitterling's testimony, on the other hand, quickly got Julian's full attention. "You must have heard wrong, ma'am," Julian protested. "I talked to her. She was as alive as you or I... a bit crazy though. I call her Mad Madeline." Julian shook his head. "Maybe we should help out the cops. They know we were there now anyways. If nothing else, they might hire us as consultants. Think of the press we'd get!"

“Oh no, I’m not mistaken. She had poisoned her glass of wine the night they were married. I’ve heard people couldn’t feel her heart beating... oh dear, this is rather depressing. How about I give you a case of macarons for your troubles? Just tell me which ones you want.” She offered. She went behind the counter and pulled out an empty box.

“ALL OF THEM!” Charlie exclaimed.

Julian certainly hadn't gotten close enough to feel a heartbeat, nor had he wanted to. Staying a fair distance away from a potentially undead maniac seemed a good tactic. On the other hand, he was certain that Mad Maddy were real. He didn't hallucinate unless there was something really weird in that cinnamon roll, and he was certain he wasn't dreaming. There were only two possibilities: either Mad Maddy were alive (either the original bride or an impostor), or ghosts were real. Julian had a hard time believing the latter.

As Charlie collected the macarons, Julian tried pondering over what he had seen, trying to make sense of it. The house had obviously not been taken care of in some time, and garbage had been piling up. Did someone break in after the wedding night and use the house for her own twisted fantasies? The only way to find out would be to return and continue investigating, although that option was less than desirable right now.

Charlie smiled as she held her box of sweets. “Come one Julian! Lets go out to eat! We can figure this out better with full stomachs! I wanna eat at that new cafe!” She said. “Bye, Ms. Bitterling! See you soon!” She dragged Julian by the wrist and walked outside down the street.

“Julian, youre paying for lunch since I payed for the macarons!” Charlie said, even though they were free.

Charlie's insistence on a meal so soon after receiving sweets was perhaps a bit suspect, as was her insistence that he pay for it. Julian hesitated but a moment, already worried about his own finances before buying gifts for others. He needed to either repair or replace a recently-ripped vest of high fashion, for example. However, he found it difficult to deny a request from her, especially one that felt almost like a date.

Julian allowed himself to be nearly dragged to the new cafe, and he requested a table for two from the maitre d. They were soon seated at a small table outside the building with a decorative parasol, their view overlooking the ocean world outside the dome. Sea creatures of all types would randomly float past to inspect the light from the dome, giving customers a great view.

Once the two sat down, Charlie folded her arms and sighed.

“Julian, about that girl... was she really dead? If she was, were we just hallucinating? I’m not so sure about this. This could be something big Julian. But I’m scared...” Charlie was visibly uncomfortable. She knew that something seriously wrong was going on in Grimsworth that could change the town forever. But she didn’t know what.

Before she could continue, the waiter came by asking for what they wanted to drink. Charlie ordered a plain water and waited for Julian.

Julian requested a lemonade and sent the waiter away. "If she was dead, she was the most living dead person I've ever seen," he replied. "But I'm pretty sure we were not hallucinating. There has to be some real explanation."

He leaned back in his chair, staring out at the midnight blue expanse. "This is an opportunity," he said finally. "We've been chasing small fry jobs for too long. I'm tired of find where Grimsworth's latest lost kitten went. We have a chance to be part of something that matters. And sure, it's scary, but we can't shy away from an opportunity like this, right?"

Charlie sighed. “Y-yes yes it’s true. Do you want to try and solve it? If we do, a lot of things will change for us. We could easily get killed for knowing what we know.” Charlie rubbed her temples and sighed. It was a big decision. But she was going to take it.

“Alright, lets do it. Let’s go back to her house after lunch and see what we can find.”

"Well hold on a moment!" Julian replied. "If we just jump into the case, who's gonna pay us? We gotta get a client lined up first." He shook his head, wondering how Charlie kept a business running for so long. "I'm fine with risking my life for the greater good and all, but not for free. Let's get first scope out a client, get a contract, and then the cops won't shoot us when we show up. Unless you want to work with the police?"

The waiter returned with their drinks and Julian ordered a simple sandwich, not wanting to feel like throwing up again from too many sweets. "Let's at least go over and see what the cops found out. Nothing wrong with that, right?"

Charlie nodded and stuffed her face full of pasta. They definitely needed a client. Maybe someone who wouldn’t mind giving quite a bit of money towards them to help solve the case. Charlie could see it now, she could finally pay her bills on time without picking up an odd job!

“Lets do it!” She said with her mouth full.

Of course she would get pasta, a dish costing nearly double what his sandwich did. Why did he agree to pay again? However, her enthusiasm was as infectious as ever despite the mildly uncouth way in which she displayed it. With their goal determined, Julian began mentally calculating just how long he would have to work to pay off this meal. Too long.

With their meal complete and Julian paying for the check before Charlie could get the bright idea of getting dessert, the pair began the long trek back towards Mad Maddy's house. "You know, it would be better if we took a cab," Julian suggested. "We could bill it to our client and save ourselves the hassle of walking three hours."