After Beatrix's confession, the Coast Guard immediately took her into custody in the ship's holding cell. The rest of the cruise felt somber as we made our way back to shore. Once we were fully docked, everyone had their final breakfast, grabbed their luggage, and disembarked.

  Now, as we stood on the dock waiting for our respective Ubers, Syd wrapped Maria in a hug. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked gently. Syd and I had decided to stay with Maria until her ride arrived.

  "Yeah, I'll just work at my father's tech company for a while as a secretary or something until I can get on my feet. But it won't be the same. Cesar was my world. He was my everything. I don't want to just move on with my life. I just wish I could have my Caesar back; he was my everything." Maria said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

  "I completely understand. Ever since Tom started traveling for work, I've worried that someday I'll get a call saying he's not coming home. If that were to happen, I'd be absolutely devastated." A tear rolled down Syd's cheek. I pulled her close and held her tight.

  "You guys are so adorable; I wish you all the best." Maria said, wiping a tear from her eye. A car pulled up right in front of us. Maria looked at her phone. "Well, that looks like it's for me," she said, moving both luggage cases.

  "Here, let me give you a hand." I said, taking one suitcase.

  After we placed the luggage in the trunk, we each gave Maria a hug. "Stay in touch; we still need to go on all those vacations we talked about," Syd said as she pulled away from the hug.

  "Yes, that would be really nice," Maria said, wiping another set of tears from her eyes. "Alright, you both be safe." Maria said right before she got into her car and drove away.

  Before we could say anything, my phone rang. I looked down, and it was Karlo.

  "Karlo must have gotten word that I used the badge he gave me. He's calling right now." I said.

  "I just hope he's not about to tell you that you can't go home because it's too dangerous." Syd said.

  "Probably not…I hope; let me take this." I said, answering the phone.

  "You're kidding! That might be the craziest horse story I've ever heard!" Karlo laughed over the phone as I filled him in on the weirdness of what happened during our cruise. "I'm glad I gave you that badge; otherwise, I'd becoming home to bail you out. There are a ton of mafia dudes who frequent the city's jail. When they found out who you were, you might have become one of their girlfriends, or they would've killed you."

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "Ha. Ha. What's the real reason you called me? We are on our way back to the apartment, and I want to spend as much time with Syd before I hit the road again." Syd looked up at me with a pouting face.

  I mouthed, "I'm sorry." Making a face, she put her head down and looked at her phone.

  "I have some good news for you. Kalina Rose, one of our top investigators, has taken over the case with the mob. She specializes in murder investigations and works tirelessly to solve them. There's a rumor she only sleeps four hours a day, which I totally believe. Kalina gained her abilities by training at the Monarch of Sorcery. She can detect lies, read people's intentions, and if she has probable cause, she can look into a person's past at the time of the crime."

  "Oh, I forgot to mention that I already met Detective Rose at the hotel where I was staying. She spoke highly of you."

  "You met her already? Yeah, she's odd, but not as strange as her brother-in-law. He's in charge of the architecture of his mansion. I'll have to take you there sometime. I work with them as a side job."

  "Can't wait. But anyway, that's really good news. So I should be safe walking around the city now?"

  "Yeah, mostly. I want you to stay cautious, though. But first I need you to do something for me."

  I felt my eyebrow raise in surprise. "What do you need me to do?"

  I need you to collect all my things from Luana's place. I have a plan I'm cooking up, and so now is the perfect time to collect all my things and start separating from her."

  "Oh, snap, the big day is coming up?"

  "Hell, yeah, brotha."

  "Well, don't tell me now because she might be listening, but I'm happy for you, man." I said. The police pulled up to the side of the curb. "Of course I can get your stuff; send me her address and I'll get right on it."

  Karlo provided more details about where to find Kalina and warned me how to evade her traps. When our call ended, we needed to speak with the local police.

  We completed our police interviews, and I turned over the evidence while describing the cruise ship events. Beatrix was then led away in handcuffs and placed in the back of a police vehicle.

  We made our way back to the Uber pickup area to wait for our ride. As we stood there, Syd noticed something and touched my face with concern. "Oh my gosh, Tom, there's a piece of glitter in your eye," she said.

  "Huh? It doesn't hurt," I said, rubbing my eye. "Did I get it?"

  "No, it looks like it's right in the middle of your iris," Syd said, getting a closer look at my eye.

  Using my phone's camera, I looked at my eye, and there it was—a purple speck right in my eye. "Huh, that's so weird. I wonder how it got there." I said, putting my phone away. Driving towards us was our Uber.

  "You might be one of the lucky people to get Alexandria's genesis," Syd said, grabbing her bag off her suitcase.

  Our Uber pulled up right in front of us. I started loading our suitcases into the trunk while continuing our conversation. "I highly doubt it. That condition is incredibly rare. Most people are either born with it or get it from that Monarch guy while their subscription is active."