You explained everything you’ve known so far.

Alice sat on the edge of her seat, listening to every single detail with bated breath.

When he said that he had done his own research on the Affectionates in his spare time, she didn’t realize how much he had actually done.

Nobody else she knew could have known this much. Hell, she had been actively trying to know more about the group herself, and even she didn’t know as much as John did!

She never considered the possibility that he would know so much already. At worst, Alice expected him to be the type that wouldn’t even take the Affectionates seriously at all.

Not only was he just as suspicious about the group as much as she was, but he actually learned more about the group than she ever could by herself.

Her eyes brimmed widely as she felt an excitement course through her veins.

Alice gulped as she knew for sure...

This guy is her jackpot!

——————

You went on to explain everything you’ve known so far. Really though, it’s mostly just the surface information. Without being able to actually go out and take the time to do the proper research yourself, you won’t be able to discern any more information about the cult unless the founder himself decided to reveal his face to the world.

Finalizing your points, you concluded, "Anyway, that's only what I was able to figure out from the surface. I'm sure it must not be substantial enough for any use, but-"

"What if I told you," Alice interrupted, with a hopeful gleam in her eyes that as she faced you, "that everything you just told me has been more substantial than anything anyone else has ever bothered trying to figure out."

"That... would be a surprise, considering it shouldn't be that difficult to figure out this stuff... You only need to watch any news station or newspaper article to see the obvious."

Alice tilted her head at you in fascination, before leaning back in her seat. "I guess it would come as a surprise to you then, if only you knew just how willfully ignorant the populace and media are about the Affectionates. Believe me when I say this, you're the only person I've ever talked to that's known more about the Affectionates beyond the fact that they're a religious group and that they're getting popular." Curling her hands together in thought, she continued, "So either everyone else just isn't paying attention... Or perhaps you're much more attentive than anyone else. Which would make sense, considering your occupation."

"Which do you think it is, then?" You asked considerately.

"Knowing what I know about the group, things that no one else could possibly comprehend or believe... I honestly put my bet on the latter." She told you.

...

You swung your chair around to hide from her as you secretly held back tears. That was literally the kindest thing anyone has ever told you in your few months as a detective. There was some part of you that secretly believed that you were completely worthless and unneeded as each day passes by without any cases or clients. So hearing that from her made you much more relieved and confident about yourself than she could possibly know.

Calming yourself down, you swung around again to face her, leaving behind no evidence of any tears. She looked above you again and almost blanched in confusion at whatever she saw, before raising an eyebrow at you.

"So what exactly does this all lead up to? What do you need me to do?" You asked her.

Resuming the topic, she steadily asked, "What if I told you that I was willing to pay whatever was necessary for you to research and discover as much as you can about the Affectionates?"

"I'd ask what exactly your relationship with the Affectionates was, and why you were so interested in learning more about them yourself." You answered her, "Even though I, myself find the group suspicious, it doesn't exactly explain what your motivations are."

"Mm..." Alice hummed. "And if I told you I'd be willing to share that only once you accept the job?"

"There's still the fact that I could be potentially putting myself in harm's way. It's a rather large group after all, and judging by the fanatics in the group, I'd wager they wouldn't take kindly to someone trying to sneak in to snoop as much info as possible. There's also the fact that I'm very much wary about how they indoctrinate people to become members. I don't personally want to join this group, so the potential scenario that they'd use whatever tactics they have to **** me to become a member is slightly horrifying for me."

"And the incentive of $10,000 isn't enough for you to ignore these risks?"

"Miss Bellarose, $10,000 is a very tantalizing amount of money, do not get me wrong. However, I only have one life. Perhaps a criminal or a missing person would get me to take on a case of that amount in an instant, but we're talking about a shady organization that seems to apparently have the growing support of not only the American populace, but it's government too. Should the worst case scenario happen, I don't think my life would be worth $10,000 at that moment. The risks are too high."

Yeah right! $10,000 to go on a mission to find out more about a cult and uncover a potential conspiracy? This is everything you've ever dreamed, risks be damned! It's like a detective film in the making!

However... You weren't sure if $10,000 would be enough to cover the time and expenses needed to take on such a daunting task. If only you could convince her to maybe up the price, and even pay upfront on even a portion of the cost, you'd be able to finally afford the time and equipment needed, and not have to worry about taking cheap odd jobs for the next few months.

Add in the fact that she admitted to being **** to get any help out of you in regards, you’d be an idiot not to play it safe and see what else she can offer.

This might be the case that could finally turn your career around! In fact, this might be the case of the century!

This girl is your jackpot!

"Hm..." Alice hummed depressingly, "You make... some good points. It might be a bit much for me to ask a single man to do something this big. But... hm..." Rubbing her eyebrows, she told you, "Perhaps give me some time to think things over."

As you watched her run her left hand through her hair in thought, you wondered if you should ask her something. You've been meaning to point it out earlier, but you've hesitated since you were worried it might be a sensitive subject.

"I've wanted to ask this since I first saw you. Are you doing this because the Affectionates did something to your left hand?"

She froze in place, glancing over at you with eyes widened in surprise. "What did you say?"

"Your left hand. It's a prosthetic, isn't it?" You asked her.

Almost like a reflex, she curled her hand into a fist and defensively hid it away from me, giving wary glances at me. "How could you possibly know that?"

"My uncle was a soldier in World War 2. He lost his entire right arm in the battle of Normandy in 1944. He was given a prosthetic hand, and he's used it for the rest of his life." Pointing at her hand, you explained, "The way the joints of the fingers move stiffly and never curl up perfectly, it reminded me of his wooden prosthetic hand. Although I had to admit, it took me a while before I noticed. It's a lot more lifelike- well, at least compared to the one that my uncle had."

Hesitantly, she slowly pulled off the silk glove that was covering her left hand to reveal everything above her wrist to be completely... artificial. You didn't know what the material was made out of since it didn't look like wood or leather. But you can definitely tell that it was fake.

"Carbon fiber, in case you were wondering. One of the latest advancement in the medical industry that hasn't been revealed publicly yet. It's more lightweight compared to wood and easier to clean and maintain." She gave a distasteful smile, "Nobody else except my parents knew about my condition. I've been hiding it well all these years, and yet you've managed to discover it only moments after meeting me. You are definitely something else, aren't you?"

You shrugged, unsure how to respond. It's not like it was unnoticeable. Once you know what a prosthetic limb looks like, you could easily tell the difference.

"To answer your question earlier," She continued, "no, the Affectionates had nothing to do with my missing limb. The two are unrelated from each other. But moving on from the topic, I wanted to ask... What else have you noticed about me that I might not have realized myself?"

"You want me to profile you?" You asked.

"Nothing that ****. Just, right off the bat, can you describe what type of person I am beyond the limited knowledge about me that you already know?" She requested, leaning forward with a bit of intrigue.

Well, you weren't one to make assumptions of people, but...

Giving her a once over, you began your list of characteristics about her that you instantly noticed firsthand, "You're in your twenties. You have a dignified aura around you that suggests you care about your image around others and work hard to maintain it. From the makeup you wear, you're the wealthy type who usually and consistently surrounds yourself with others of the same social status."

"Yes, all that is well and obvious enough." She rolled her prosthetic hand forward, motioning for you to move along, "How about something more deeper than that, though?"

Hm...

"You haven't slept well for weeks, maybe even months. There are strains under your eyes that's hidden with makeup. You've been dealing with stress more frequently than you're used to." As you point that out, she instinctively brought her hand up to touch the bags under her eyes. You continued on, "Judging by the subtle marks around your neck and the ear piercings, you're used to flaunting your wealth. You favor extravagant jewelry, suggesting that you're either a braggart or someone that uses her social status as a means to persuade or intimidate others. You're very fond of using your appearance to manipulate others in your favor."

She nods along seriously, not once taking offense to anything you say or attempt to stop you.

"You have a pet of some kind with white fur." You also pointed at as you gestured to the right glove covering her real hand. "There's a strand of fur on the pointer finger of your glove. It shows that you used your real hand to stroke its chin and cheeks. You're very caring and affectionate towards it. Although, this does make me aware of the fact that you seem to favor using your real hand much more than your prosthetic. The way you move your fake limb, it's very convincing. If I wasn't paying attention, I would have never even guessed that you had a prosthetic limb in the first place. That level of realism comes from skill, I think. You practice moving your fake hand every day to try to make it look as convincing as possible. You've become skilled enough that I wouldn't be surprised to see you juggling three or four balls in the air. Yet despite all that training, you still use your right hand more frequently. Either because you're worried about making mistakes, or you're just not very proud of your prosthetic limb in general."

She tensed up as you went on about her prosthetic hand, but after realizing it, she started to relax a bit as she curled and uncurled the prosthetic's fingers.

"Out of curiosity, do you read a lot of Sherlock Holmes?" She suddenly asked.

You shook your head, "I never finished any of the books."

"Oh really? Why's that?"

"I couldn't find the patience to sift through the large texts. Plus, it felt predictable anyway." You scratched your head awkwardly. "I prefer watching the detective genre in films and television, to be honest."

She scoffed incredulously, “Predictable, you say? My goodness, you are an entirely different species of man, aren’t you?”

Uh...

“Is... is that a compliment, or...?” You hesitantly asked.

“A compliment, I assure you.” She smiled back, putting back on her glove to hide her prosthetics.

Ah, good. You could never tell sometimes, due to your lack of social awareness. You once thought that it was an endearing compliment when people said you were touched in the head before you learned what the phrase actually meant...

Just to be clear, you were not touched in the head.

You don’t think so, at least...

————————-

Alice, now coming to a decision, stood up from her seat and moved to bend forward on the detective’s work desk.

John flinched, leaning back into his seat as he blinked in confusion.

“I’ve made up my mind.” Alice said confidently, leaning down further to reach his gaze, “You’ve impressed me with your skills as a detective.”

“I have?” He asked in disbelief.

“When I first came here to visit you, I didn’t know what think to be honest. I was scared of you at first, only to find out you were actually much more bumbling than I assumed. But I cannot deny your resourcefulness and your conceptualization skills.”

Walking around the desk, she decided to be a bit forward as she sat herself on his desk right in front of him and crossed her legs as she leaned back.

“I was worried we might not have been able to get along, but I’m glad that isn’t the case so far. If I hired you, I’d feel much more confident in my chances to finally uncover the mystery behind the Affectionates and what they’re doing in America.” Crossing her legs again, she said, “Name your price. I’ll pay whatever in order to get you on my side.”

Alice could see him widened his eyes as he slowly gazed up and down upon her visage. She smirked, knowing that her alluring charm might have helped in convincing him to take her case.

Briefly looking up, she could see the number above his head slowly rising. 49, 50, 51, and counting.

“Uh... when you say name my price, does that mean I’m allowed to pick any number? How much is too outrageous? Is there a limit?” John cautiously asked, stiffly rooted in his seat as he did his best to avoid looking at her crotch sitting right in front of his face.

An idea formed in her head as she smiled, knowing she might have found a way to guarantee his partnership.

Leaning forward, she took her real hand and brought it under his chin in order to tilt him up to look at her eyes.

In a smooth voice, she offered, “The highest I can give you is a hundred thousand.”

The number 55 went up straight to 70.

She continued, “If you accept this, I’ll also let you have my body for the rest of the night.”

70 turned to 85.

She smirked.

“Do we have a deal, Detective Doe?”