Chapter III

Sean and Anna dived quickly into the case. The perpetrator had not been so neat in his most recent crime. Clues abounded, fingerprints, breadcrumbs, even a discarded bread bag was found in the trash. The two spent late nights poring over this scant, but intriguing evidence. Sean would often play the skeptic to Anna’s over bounding enthusiasm. Anna’s imagination would often get the better of her. She favored over-arching conspiracies culminating in the death of either her or Sean. He, on the other hand was more levelheaded. He thought the crimes merely the work of some miscreant, perhaps a disgruntled employee. They balanced each other, poking and prodding the evidence until every last clue could be gleaned. They quickly hatched a plan to procure the fingerprints of all those in the office and compare it to the prints they had found in the toaster. Sean had a fingerprinting kit at home, but he was evasive about where he had obtained it and for what purpose. Sensing a new mystery, Anna probed Sean for details, and sensing her curiosity Sean became more and more vague about the details of his life and habits. Each built up a healthy mistrust for the other, one pushed while the other pulled. In this way their investigation wore on.

They both concluded that the easiest way to obtain prints was to hold a party, by coincidence Sean’s birthday was in a few days. He was well liked in the office and they were sure everyone would attend. In order to be thorough they also invited a few of the bricklayer’s themselves since they all had access to the kitchen. However, neither Sean nor Anna truly believed a bricklayer had done it. They were rarely seen at the union offices and almost never ate toasted bread. So a party was planned, invitations sent out, and food and beverages bought. Anna began to enjoy spending time with Sean apart from the case. She fooled herself into believing it was because of the mysterious aura surrounding him, but in her heart of hearts she found herself liking him. She shook off these feelings as unprofessional, but every so often there would be a look or touch and a bond was beginning to forge that neither of them had planned on. The day of the party was set and Sean had bought special drinking glasses that would hold prints better. He was a little worried that one of their coworkers might take it upon themselves to wash these glasses when the party wound down; they looked quite expensive and were of a fine cut glass. But Anna assured him that none of their co-workers had showed a propensity for cleaning up even their own messes let alone someone else’s. Anna bought a new dress for the occasion, telling herself that she wore it to seem less formal, around the office she wore a severe vest and blouse combo that made her appear stern and unapproachable. Which was of course just how she wanted it. But the dress was a light yellow color and for once she seemed like a real girl in her mid-twenties. She hoped this look might soften her co-workers, make them more willing to talk. She also wondered if Sean would notice.

In the days before the party Sean and Anna kept a vigilant watch over the new toaster oven, which Jerry had begrudgingly agreed to buy. However, there was no disaster. The toaster oven remained in its pristine condition and soon the day of the party came. All of their co-workers had confirmed attendance and everything was in readiness. Anna wondered why she felt nervous pulling on her yellow dress. Sean wondered if anything would actually come of this party. And Steve wondered, well no one really ever cared what Steve wondered, did they?