Detective Francis De Rectom was the greatest detective in the land. If anoyone could solve a mystery it was he. So one day, as he sat in his office smoking his tobacco and drinking his tea, a loud knock came from his door. He smoothly got up out of his chair and opened the door. A woman opened the door, middle-aged, and had a look on her face so horrified and in such a state of terror that you'd think she'd just witnessed the bombing of Hiroshima. Yet Detective Francis was not unnerved. He asked the woman cooly, "Is everything alright Madam?" The woman replied talking so quickly that her words blurred together. "Noeverthingisnotalrightdetectiveyouseemysonhaswentmissinghisnameisbob,bythewayhewasatworktheotherdayandeverythingwasalrightbuthewenttodinnerwithihisfriendsthefollowingnightandineversawhimagainpleasehelpmedetectivepleashelpme." The woman began to pant and almost passed out but the detective caught her. He asked her calmly, "Where did he go to dinner and who with?" "I don't know where they went," the woman said, now calm,"but I know he went with Jack, they were best friends since children." So of course, Detective Francis went over to interview Jack. Detective Francis questioned Jack on where Bob went after dinner. Jack said that Bob had started walking home after they parted, but he saw a man in a black suit whom started talking to Bob in an angry way. They began to walk off together, and he didn't see them again. Jack then described the man, and a portrait began to form. The man was identified as Harry Bernstein, a colleague of Bob. Detective Francis did some background research, and saw that Bob was next in line to be Vice President of the company, after Bob. Detective Francis wrote on his notepad, motive-check, and decided that he should go and question Harry. Harry said that yes, he was next in line for office, but he had not seen Bob in weeks. He said that Jack was probably lying to protect himself. So Detective Francis went back to his office and began to think. He realized something. He had never told Harry anything about Jack, yet Harry began to attack him. And Jack had looked calm when talking to him, as if he wasn't a suspect of a murder. He had finally figured it out. He picked up his coat and ran to the ally where Bob had dissapeared. Sure enough Bob's body was found. He looked for clues around and saw that Bob looked as if he were strangled. Bob was a large man, and Harry was a very skinny man. He realized Harry couldn't have strangled him. Though Jack, an even larger and stronger man could have easily defeated Bob. Yet why would he kill his best friend? For money. Detective Francis realized what had happened. Harry had promised Jack a large amount of money if he kiled Bob. Harry would get a promotion and a bonus, and Jack would be rewared. Jack was an extremely poor man. Yet how could he prove it! Detective Francis kicked over his chair in frustration. So he had an idea. He talked to the President of the company, and told him to make someone else Vice President. The "new" vice president was under survellience, no one could get to him without being caught. Days past, and nothing was heard of Harry or Jack. Then one day alarms were set off. A man with a black shirt who had no weapons was heading straight for the new vice president! As he approached closer, and closer, the man pounced on the vice president and began to strangle him! The new vice president began to call for help! Then the police jumped out from their hiding places, subdued the man, and pulled off his mask. Sure enough, Jack was there. Jack confessed to everything, and ratted out Henry so that he could get a shortened sentence. As the police took Jack and Henry to the London jail, Detective Francis pulled down his hat over his eyes and walked down the dark alley, back to his office. He could solve any case, and everyone knew it, inlcuding him. Yet he couldn't help but think that the woman he saw was oddly familiar, in an eerie way. He knew he had seen her before.