captives. An hour later Croc woke up and found him self sitting in a dark room with bright lights shinning down on his face, keeping a good part of the room shrouded in shadows. His body was wrapped in chains with several pad locks holding them in place. “Good you’ve woken up, now I can get started.” Shade said, from the shadows.

“When I get out of this I’m going to bit off your head and floss my teeth with your spine.” There only came a faint laugh from all around Croc.

“Please Croc, you’re a smart person, smart enough to frame a kid for your dirty work. I must say I am rather impressed on your delivery system, getting your goods to your buyers right under the police noses, Be honest the kid told me how many times he ran past the police station delivering that bread, most of the time he could have taken a quicker route and avoided the cop station, but I’m guessing you sent him that way as a little inside joke.”

“Yeah, it was, to be honest I didn’t know what was funnier, the fact that I kept having the kid run past that building, or the fact that he never knew what was going on, but I’m sure nether one of them will compare to how much I’ll be laughing when I get my hands on your throat. You know what happens when you start strangling some one Ghost.”

“They make a funny little noise, I’ve read dickens Croc. Your not going to frighten me by sounding like a far better killer, and please don’t insult me with that kind of trick again, it’s far beneath a man of your intelligence. To rig up that room, to set up that trap door, and to have that car waiting for you in the sewer. These are not just minor things Croc. These are the signs of great mind, a very cleaver mind. In fact I dare say you might be the smartest person I have ever had to match wits with.” A smile crossed Crocs face as shade said these words. “Don’t get cocky… That’s not saying much, with the mindless idiots that work the under world, of this city.” The smile vanished from Crocs face, as he squinted and tried to see who was talking to him. “I’ve taken the liberty of examining your goods Croc, and I must say it’s rather interesting. I’ve also seen the effects of it, also very interesting. In fact if it didn’t come from a person that was able to trick the entire police force, into thinking that a 12 year old boy shot the chief of police, with a gun that hadn’t been fired for two hours, I would dare say that you weren’t the real master mind behind this drug, and that you are nothing more then a slightly smarter pawn.”

“Hey!” the reaction was almost automatic and it was Shades turn to smile.

“But then again, it came from you. As I said, from a smart person like your self this might have only taken you a few hours to create.” there came no response from Croc. “What not talking now?… oh of course, where are my manors your in my lair and I’ve been so rude not to offer you anything to eat, now let me remember what did your file say about you… Oh yes, you had a love of fine dinning, I bet you love mushroom soup.” Croc lips quivered slightly. “Your body betrays your Croc, I saw your lips quiver, in fact I think I see the edges of your mouth watering.”

“Yeah so what, so I like mushrooms.”

“Alright then, seems we can carry on a conversation, just not on empty belly.” with that a door was heard opening, and closing. After half an hour under the hot lights the door opened again and shade walked out of the Shadows with a bowl of mushroom soup. “Alright Croc now before I start to feed you, I’m going to point something out. The keys to the pad locks are in the other room, the place that your at is sound proof. Try and bit me, and you’ll starve to death, and no amount of information you give me, no amount of pleading or begging will get me to feed you again, understand.” Croc’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Shade.

“Alright Ghost, just give me the soup.” with that Shade stepped forward and lifted the bowl to Croc’s mouth and poured the soup in slowly only to stop ever so often when Croc mad low grunt. “You seem to like my cooking Croc.

“Oh yeah, that’s the best soup I’ve had in ages, never tasted anything like it, and I’ve eaten a lot of Mushroom soup before but nothing like this it’s so good. What kind of mushrooms did you use.” Shade smiled slightly as he looked at Croc.

“Well Croc I just finely diced up some Psilocin and the broth is an old family recipe.”

“You should can it, that’s the best stuff I had in my entire life, give me some more.” with that Shade poured more soup down Croc’s open mouth, until finally it was all gone. When it was finished Shade smiled as he looked at Croc. “Alright Croc, let’s get serious now.” Shade said, as his tone turned stern. “So far you’ve been here for about of an hour, had a bit to eat, and admitted that Kit had really no idea what he was delivering, as well as had nothing to do with the shooting of the chief of police.

“Yeah, so what? It’s not like you can just go and tell the cops that, and even if you force me to sign a piece of paper stating that it can’t be used in a court of law.”

“True, if I forced you to admit those things the evidence would be thrown out.”

“Yeah, so your right I framed the brat, but even your word isn’t worth enough to get the kid off the hook.” Shade smiled as he looked at Croc.

“Again true, Croc.” with that the hot lights went out and the room lights came on, revealing to Croc that he was sitting in a police interrogation room. “That nice little device hanging just above the light is a microphone, and just behind that mirror is an officer is working a talking picture camera, I’m pretty sure your filmed confession, will have leave a very good impression, on a jury of your pears.”

“YOU DIRTY RAT I’LL KILL YOU!!” As Croc started to threaten Shade he walked out of the room and smiled as he was joined by Detective Lupe..

“Alright, with that filmed confession Kit’s as good as free, and since we’ve taken down the mastermind behind the drugs in this city we should see a drop in crime.” Lupe stated, as she walked beside Shade.

“Not likely Detective, Croc isn’t the mastermind behind the drugs.”

“But he just.”

“He claimed to be the mastermind, but two clear signs that told me otherwise. One his reaction when I told him that if he didn’t come up with the drug that he wasn’t as smart as I built up his ego before that point, it came to quick as if he was insulted by the statement if he was the creator of the drug his ego would have only been boosted more and he would have remained silent.” As Lupe, and Shade, walked into her office, where five phone books sat back to back on her desk.

“I hope your other reason is more convincing.” Lupe said, as she looked at Shade. Who handed her a gun that was sitting on her desk. “What? His gun is your other reason?”

“No, I want you to fire a round into those phone books and compare it to the round removed the from Chief.”

“Alright, but before I do that, what was your other reason?”

“Easy, If he was the maker of the drug then he would have known that the mushroom that I told him I made his soup with was the same kind of mushroom that is found inside of his drug.”

“But, how do you know that?”

“The same why I know the chiefs real name.”

“And that is?”

“You know your record keeper sleeps about 18 hours a day.” Lupe signed and shook her head as she covered her eyes with her hands knowing what Shade was getting at.

“Yeah, he kept falling asleep on post, he has about three more weeks until he retires.” with that Lupe smiled, and then looked at Shade with a stern face. “You’ve been going through are records?”

“Your’s and the hospitals, I needed information to see if I could come up with a cure for the drug, unfortunately if the reports are correct then the cure is almost as worst as the drug it self, the people using it are going to go through a lot of pain, as their bodies try and break the addiction, and no kind of pain killer is going to help.”

“I see,… That still doesn’t give you the right to go through police, or medical records.”

“I’ll keep that in mind next time.”

“You better or next time, helpful or not, I’ll lock you up.” with that Lupe turned her back to Shade, and fired the gun, Then turned around only to find that Shade was long gone. “Ghost?” Lupe looked around the office her office and under her desk, just before several officers ran into her office.

“Ma-am is everything alright?”

“No, I swear one day I’m going to nail his feet to the ground, just so we can finish a conversation.” Shade smirked slightly at the threat, as he made his way along a ledge of the police station, and then slid down a drain pipe. After making his way back to his lair he smiled as he walked in and walked Kit sleeping by tomorrow morning he would be cleared of all charges and he would be able to return him, where he belonged. As he walked up to sleeping he smiled slightly knowing that at least one of them would be able to enjoy a family once more, but his work wasn’t finished, not by a long shot Croc