5 a.m. arrived too early for the private eye. Despite the sharp cry of the alarm, his brain still wished to be fast asleep. Only through pure mindless reflex was he able to find his way to the blasted motel coffee machine. Jones was a connoisseur of the beverage. Being mechanically inclined in conjunction with his passion motivated him to explore brewing his favorite beverage to the fullest. He had built his own coffee machine at home. He sorely missed the product of his ingenuity at that moment. The drink that was now pouring out of the motel coffee machine appeared to be coffee, but barely could be lumped into the same category of his home brew. Jones, admittedly, used an overly complex method to brew his coffee. Such a design did yield a superior quality in spite of the criticism of his one friend. This friend was of the mind that by making his own coffee taste so good, he was creating a standard unreplicable. The man had a point. Jones'' machine made this swill even more horrendous to bear the taste of.


    After the caffeine had a moment to take effect. Jones updated Claudia''s father on all of the important details he had uncovered so far. There was some hope of solving the case yet, but Jones was reticent to overplay his hand. For he knew that the world had a cruel way of playing out uncertain truths to those it meant the most to. The talk was over quickly as Gary urged Jones to get back to work, "Remember you are on my dime so don''t you dare dilly daddle." The boss of the whole operation said this with a hearty laugh and wished him luck in the endeavor. He ended the call with a thank you.


    This wish of luck was similar to the kind a demanding parent gave to their kid before a sports event. The luck here was to achieve the result that the hard work beforehand warranted. Jones knew that even the most strenuous of labor did not certainly yield anything without some luck.


    The Lake House''s courtesy office was to open at 11 a.m. Just before then was the time Mr. Hartmann arrived for the day. As arranged the day prior, he was supposed to meet with Luca before work began. Jones'' thoughts last night before he slept led him to believe a rescheduling was in order. Luca was to be surprised by how quick 11 a.m. would arrive. Jones'' objective was to transform 11:00 to 8:00. It was magic how something so set like time would change through the mere assertive suggestion that the clock was lying.


    The venue of the meeting would have to change as well. An office would not suffice in providing a venue conducive to Jones'' inquisitive intentions He had found Luca''s address in the yellow books quite easily and planned to leverage their relative privacy accordingly.


    Luca''s home was closer to one of the fancy shopping villages than Yeoville. The residence was only a single story tall. Jones was surprised at the overall modesty of the square footage given the salary Luca must earn in his position. Gilded candelabras at work to an executive ranch at night did not seem quite right. Managing a place as affluent as The Lake House must place one''s wealth into the upper stratosphere. Prior to seeing Luca''s home, Jones thought that this must be one of the few jobs in the world that would be worth killing for.


    Despite its compact size, the land Luca lived on must have been worth something given the magnanimity of the landscaping. The unimpressive dwelling was being paired with the king''s garden. Spring had pushed many flowers into bloom already. Jones was no horticulturist, but the landscape still managed to be appreciated by a man who usually had no time for flowers.


    Jones silently pulled into the driveway with his green muscle car. Luca was definitely at home still with his car still in driveway. Jones was in no mood to wait and hopped right out.


    Jones knocked and Luca opened the door with a completely distraught look. It quickly became apparent that the look was less from the sudden appearance of Jones and more from the ongoing collapse of Luca''s mind. The Lake House''s general manager was unable to offer the resistance necessary to make this planned interrogation at least mildly interesting. Jones had no stomach for beating on the weak. To portray the disheveled look in its full form, the youthful manager reeked of alcohol. One would expect the scene more from a freshman recovering from a hangover rather than a man who outwardly appeared to have all of his ducks in a row. The million dollar house was paired with an interior worth little more than zilch.


    Jones exclaimed "Since when has this place looked so decrepit? Hire some cleaners."


    Luca was instantly apologetic for the state of his home, yet he made no attempt to fix things. One could not fix a calamity in a minute, but he could have at least given an effort. No matter how ineffectual it would have been. Luca sat down on a couch half littered with worn clothes and gazed upwards, "A week. I have been enjoying living in squalor."


    Jones stayed standing. There was nowhere for him to go. The seat Luca had taken for himself was the only place for rest in the whole of the living room. Even so, trash was piling at the edge of the couch seat.


    Jones'' initial plans of an intense questioning on the circumstances of Claudia''s hiring was collapsing. He knew that he could not pursue the matter so aggressively lest he risk breaking the man''s spirit entirely.


    "Who hired her?" asked Jones as neutrally as he could.


    "What do you mean? I hired her of course." replied Luca with a mark of confusion.


    "Without any correspondence or undue influence?" clarified Jones.


    "Yeah, I usually have a say on all hires. That is if they meet the prerequisites. No one else was involved with Claudia. My boss and the owner''s son were both out of town. I did not feel like informing them about it. Why?"


    "Can you explain to me why you hired her with no prior experience then?"


    "Oh. Well I was upset with having to always go with the overqualified. Their wages are much higher than someone new. They only really come here for the money. We are hemorrhaging profits enough through an overinflated wage bill. Vincent refuses to change. Success is not just prestige to me. But, like I said everyone else was out of town so for Claudia I thought it better to ask for forgiveness than for permission. If she was interviewed two days later, she would not have gotten the job"


    "I see." Jones was ready to admit on what he thought was a promising lead. Luca appeared to be telling the truth once more. Truthfully, Jones had hoped for a more revealing answer than this. He hoped for the answer to reveal some sort of murder-worthy intrigue. Instead, he was up another dead end.


    The only thing he could do to possibly check whether Luca was telling the truth was breaking into the HR office. There also might be something of note in her file regardless. Hopefully the file had not already been thrown out.


    "Where does that leave us then?" Luca chimed in, interrupting Jones'' deliberation on what to do next. If Jones was being honest with himself, he would realize that he was almost out of avenues to explore. The direction of the case towards Claudia''s work appeared so singular that either Luca was not telling the truth or he knew more than he was letting on. Further, the disappointment in Jones'' work yesterday failing to reveal anything compounded the private eye''s confusion on where to go next.


    Jones'' thoughts turned to The sty he had led his apartment become indicated some sort of guilt about something. He did not seem like the murdering type nor did it look like she could even imagine how one would administer heroin.


    Jones returned to the conversation after moving some clothes and take-out food containers. After a bit of effort, he was pleasantly surprised to discover there was still a seat on the reclining chair. The seat was comfy enough under all of that mess, especially to a sore Jones. The bed he had slept on still remained on his mind.


    "Not much peculiar seems to be going on where she worked. I found out she did not say much to her co-workers. I probably talked to them more last night than she ever did. Were there any changes in her behavior over the past few months I should know about?


    "Yeah there was."


    "Go on." said Jones, now confused why he had not mentioned such a detail earlier. Luca was never asked by Jones about Claudia''s behavior before directly, but still the P.I. could hardly believe his ears. An important detail was being held from him. Jones was visibly upset.


    Luca began to explain what he meant by a change, "She became obsessed with money. Right after Claudia had a visit with her father she shifted her focus in life.  First, she started to pinch pennies. She even began to sell what little was in her apartment. At some point you can only have so little right?"


    "Pinching pennies? Most people her age save their money. Most do not buy expensive bottles of liquor." The single malt scotch on the coffee table in front of Luca cost 200 dollars easily.


    "Sure, most do. I do not need to live so frugally." Luca realized the boast about his wealth was in  poor in taste. He returned to the topic of Claudia,


    "I noticed it when she dropped her tip at Drake''s from 20 to 15 percent for the first time. I made fun of her about that afterwards. The girl who would always get upset with me before about how much I tip turned into quite the stingy lady indeed. It was a playful teasing. 15 percent is not that bad of an amount. Even so, she refused to divulge why it was 15 percent this time. I thought then she couldn''t bear to criticize the wait staff, but they had done something  A week later she asked if there was any extra money making opportunities for her. I was her boss I could arrange a raise for her easily seeing as no one knew that we were dating and her performances dually justified her more. She refused my offer. She asked again the next week if I had heard anything she could do to bring in more, but when I said I had not heard anything again she stopped asking altogether."


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "What lack of thought possessed you to not mention any of this earlier?"


    "I don''t know man. It was all so innocuous to me." Luca''s youthful na?vity was beginning to shine through.


    "I get you are trying to find her killer, but people looking for extra money is not that much of note to me. I thought she was just becoming a reasonable adult" Luca had finally finished polishing off the bottle and took out a cigarette. He did not seem to be an experienced smoker. The taste of his first drag made him cough. It took him a few tries to get to the light on, but still seemed relieved with the exhale."


    Jones could just wait for the man to finish. He was beginning to question the Luca''s purpose in this all if he were not the killer.


    "No it is not normally something to be too concerned about, but people are not normally killed. People normally live normal lives. But, there is nothing normal about this. People do not get killed everyday. We have to tear apart her life no matter how hard it may be for you. Her father can only rely on us two for now."


    Luca took a single puff more on his cigarette before a knock on the door was heard by both men.


    "Who could that be at this hour?" asked Luca as if Jones had any way of knowing. Jones took it upon himself to open the door as Luca was in no condition to perform any social interaction.


    On the other side of the door stood a police man, maybe 6 foot tall. His profession was clear enough by the noir style trench coat. If there was any worry about impersonation, the pistol visible through the peephole being nestled safely in a standard issue police holster sealed the deal. After introducing himself as Lieutenant Lovemarine, the peace officers made his way through the door. Despite normal police protocol, he told the two men visible from the door that he was alone.


    After making his way into the living room, Lovemarine became alarmed at the state of the home. "Are we sure the murder did not occur here?" he stated with a chuckle. If the murder indeed had taken place here, the smell would not have been able to break through the reeking trash laden about.


    "Whose murder?" retorted Jones, not willing to submit to any humor just yet. Investigating a murder without the police''s knowledge could rub the local authorities the wrong way. Regardless, a police officer showing up unannounced was never a good sign. The detective being without a partner was a positive sign.


    "Claudia Wells. You already visited her apartment so I thought you would know." Lovemarine simply waited for Jones to answer the accusation. It was too apparent to Jones that the detective hoped to manipulate the private eye into revealing his hand bare. Breaking the law was a good way for a police man to obtain leverage over a situation, even if Lovemarine''s visit was not strictly sanctioned by the department.


    Luca was too zonked to assess the situation properly. From his demeanor, it was clear that Luca had been drinking all night long.  The manager was only a reluctant witness to the brief interrogation of the private eye. Attention would later return to the man increasingly becoming less capable of sitting up straight.


    Jones initially did not know what to make of Lovemarine''s intentions and decided to release the truth into the air.


    "I let myself in to investigate her death. I was hired by the father of the victim so the breaking and entering won''t stick."


    Lovemarine''s chuckle returned, "Don''t be so defensive, mister?"


    "Jones, private eye down near the emerald beach." He too showed the detective his license. It was a quick flash of the license, but Lovemarine did not protest at what could have been a sleight of hand.


    "So you are investigating her death and that has brought you into cahoots with this esteemed gentleman." beckoned the detective for an introduction of the man on the couch.


    "The esteemed gentleman is the boyfriend of the deceased, Luca Hartmann – general manager of the place she worked, The Lake House." Jones thought to mention the country club''s name in case the detective was fresh to the case. The detective would quickly disprove any worry Jones had of needing to bring him up to date on the details. A partnership was to be formed from the pair''s mutual interest in solving the murder case.


    Lovemarine''s observation of Luca''s esteem was meant here with severe irony. Reputation and position suggested a man with his life together. Whatever shakiness that had begun to appear the day prior was now exposed to the core. To all but the blind and deaf Luca exuded no composure. If the lack of clear form in voice and posture could somehow be excused, it was deniable that any man with esteem would never let his house become so tainted.


    "And why did this boyfriend not come to aid in settling the final affairs of Claudia Wells? Do you not feel a little responsible for caring for her after death?" asked the detective with the intent of completely unraveling the man.


    Luca gathered himself as best he could and explained, "I thought she killed herself and could not deal with admitting she was gone." The bit about responsibility was completely ignored by Luca. He obviously felt that the accusation was beneath him. Jones thought to himself that either Luca was a good actor or felt himself to be earnest enough to not entertain the possibility of misdeed. The detective clearly thought it still possible the man was feigning patheticness.


    Lovemarine, a man who appeared in the doorframe to be at least semi-jovial, had fully turned harsh. The pointed question about inaction was superceded in judgment through the revealing the detective''s thoughts on the Luca''s behavior, "That is a bit pathetic for a grown man, don''t you think? It is clear that only two of us in this room are taking it seriously that she was murdered. In fact, we might be the only two people in the world who actually care for the her after death.  Well, three including the father who identified the body and now has to bury his daughter alone. Thinking that no one who knew her cared, well maybe he was right?"


    Lovemarine was goading the man while he was down, a common tactic employed by veteran police officers to achieve the desired result. That result was to penetrate the core of a man to reveal the entirety of their personality. One risked shattering a meek person completely, but Lovemarine did not seem to mind. Jones and Detective Lovemarine seemed to be of the same opinion here that Luca could not be the culprit. Provocation was the manner through which the hypothesis was to be tested.


    Jones knew of the tactic. It matched the age of the gray haired detective. The provocation was so harsh that Jones was unsure of whether this was an attempt to bring out the aggression necessary to murder or to bring Luca to tears. Luca could muster neither. He just looked down knowing to mimic indifference would be a lie. However, to appear indifferent was the only way he could not make the situation about himself.


    Not even an angel could not make eye contact with the man. There was no winning answer. No response would bring his side into the right and Lovemarine into the wrong. His soul could only assert itself to be real. Everything else around the man morphed into blurry insignificance. Even if Luca''s eyes were physically in position to make contact with the outside world, the necessary will of the soul was lacking.


    While Lovemarine stood there still near the door with this hand rubbing the stubble of his beard, Jones decided to intervene. He could not bear to witness Luca Hartmann''s spiritual death for any longer. His uncomfortability gave Jones the proper excuse to ask a question to to the older detective.  "How did you know that I was in her apartment?"`


    Detective Lovemarine, proud of his police work, explained his knowledge of Jones'' intrusion and his actions afterwards thoroughly, "the neighbor who originally phoned the police said that he saw a man pick the lock into her place through his peephole. Murder makes people a bit more paranoid of their surroundings it turns out. He further added that this strange man had gotten into a green muscle car of some sorts. His inability to identify a Ford from a Chevy was a severe hinderance, but I spent the entirety of yesterday and this morning in town looking for you. I guess I got lucky by seeing you leave that motel."


    The detailed response gave Jones cause to ask two more questions, questions that were more pertinent to finding the killer, "What led you to believe that I was still in town and why do you suspect she was killed?"


    "I didn''t know you were here still. For all I knew you were the killer visiting the scene of the crime – quite a few sickos return to the scene of the crime. I guess looking for that phantom green car is also infinitely more appealing than sitting around the police station. Knowing a killer is on the loose and inaction is one of the worst feelings in the world." Lovemarine paused to give a side eyed glance to Luca.


    "I know she was murdered because she would never have spent that much money on heroin when nothing in her house was worth more than a few dollars. The absence of objects are often more informative than the objects themselves." Jones did not ask for investigative lesson, but Lovemarine was proud of the wisdom he managed to impart. The detective tapped on his temple and resumed.


    "Well all was so cheap in that apartment, mind that picture frame. It appeared to be a genuine article of value. I wish I collected antiques at that moment. My wife would benefit from a more beautiful home. Nevertheless, the exception proves the rule. She was a cheapskate and not buying expensive heroin."


    Luca woke up from his inebriation for a brief moment of clarity, "what picture frame are you talking about?" Jones knew exactly what the detective was talking about and exclaimed  "the one that contained the picture of Claudia with a surfboard. It had the weight and design of an antique, the one with the flower pattern on the top."


    The depressed manager responded confused, "Please stop yanking a down man around. There is no need to lie to me. I saw that picture of her with a surfboard once, but it was never in a picture frame. She kept it in the cabinet with all of her clothes. I asked her about it once. I wondered who had taken the picture. She looked so happy in it. I remember that clearly. "


    Lovemarine interrupted the manager''s dragging on thoughts on with another question, "When were you there last?"  Luca replied, "Exactly a week before her death." Luca was half of the mind to add why they were meeting, but for once he had guessed correctly that neither Jones nor Lovemarine were particularly interested in that moment. Monday was date night for the two.


    With the interruption to his sunken rumination, Hartmann was beginning to realize that his importance to Claudia''s life was gradually slipping away. Either he was to help her now or he was never able to again. Reality was gradually coming graspable to him once more.


    Still, Luca did not say a word as Jones'' and Lovemarine''s began to discuss their confusion. The sudden arrival of such a prized possession was a clue they could grasp onto. Figuring out who owned that frame previously could be a trail right to the killer. The frame was certainly a better clue than the nothing Jones had at the beginning of the day. It did not take Lovemarine''s investigative expertise to know that money was the most common of motives. The question was could a frame hold so much value that cover-up murder costing a few bags of heroin be tenable.


    Jones'' contributed further to the discussion  by adding Claudia''s recent uptick in frugality. Lovemarine posted that the frame could have been a gift from a rich suitor. A suitor that Claudia went after in the search for more money. Luca was indignant at the idea. He believed her to always love him, "even now in heaven."


    Jones then suggested that Claudia may have viewed the frame as an investment. Lovemarine was not convinced, "if that were the case then why would she have put her own picture in the frame. Would it not have been a valuable safer hidden? There was always a chance the frame was stolen. A man rich enough to afford expensive photo frames could be one disturbed enough to kill. That being said not many people in the world were deranged to kill over a frame worth at most half a thousand dollars."


    If it was not a faux antique, as Jones had half suspected, the genuine that frame must have been worth a hefty sum given the quality of craftmanship. Lovemarine''s estimation did not account for sentimental or historical value.


    "There were only a few places that would deal with such valuable antiques in the lake regions." was a fact that Lovemarine, as a local, was able to offer. Perhaps, this was the first time that Jones was glad that the murder had occurred here and not near the beach. Investigating stolen valuables was such an unenviable task that he would not take the case. A client could come perfectly well behaved to the private eye and still the amount of places the valuable could possibly be led Jones to more often than not pass on the opportunity.


    The detective was the quickest of the two to suggest a change in scenery. "Let''s go back to the scene of the crime and make sure Mr. Hartmann is correct about not seeing the frame before."


    At the behest of the detective, all three men travelled to Claudia''s apartment. Also they were to hop into Lovemarine''s car. Without saying as much, Lovemarine meant to establish that he was in charge henceforth. Perhaps out of worry that the implication of giving orders was not enough for the drunk Mr. Hartmann to comprehend, he would make it explicit on the drive that he was to lead the investigation.


    The drive did not last long, but no one said a word after Lovemarine established the power dynamic. Luca was still distraught. Lovemarine''s remarks did not help his willingness to speak in the slightest. Still, authority was somewhat sobering to the general manager as his posture in the car demonstrated marked improvement.


    Jones knew better than to talk with or around cops when not necessary. At this stage, unless Lovemarine spoke to him he was determined to remain silent. The homicide detective could still railroad him with a breaking and entering. Any hope of having a vacation after this would be thoroughly dashed if he were to make an enemy of the man. All he could do was go along and get out quickly. There was little more to do than hope that Lovemarine had the best intentions in his heart. Nothing pointed to the detective being corrupt, but Jones'' exhaustion was starting to induce a degree of paranoia that he could just not shake.