Colix leaned down to pick up a paper on top of one of the multiple stacks occupying the floor. He put his pipe to his mouth and clopped up to his partner Dena and the murder board.

"I think we need to consider a mind control angle for the suspect," he said, sipping at his pipe. He savored the flavors for a minute before exhaling, the smoke lingering around him as he continued, "We know she and the victim had a long-lasting and friendly relationship, both at their current employment and their previous job. No indications of bad blood according to either family, nor friends or co-workers." Colix puffed a few more times before concluding, "Their activities immediately leading up to the killing showed no deviations from their typical behavior. From the witness accounts, it's almost as though the suspect just suddenly snapped and killed the victim out of annoyance. We should look into their social circles and see when either would have encountered a mesmerist."

Dena waved her hat to clear the fumes around the board and muttered, "No, the 'suddenly snapped and killed out of annoyance' angle is making a lot of sense to me."

...

I finally have a scene with my investigative duo, Dena Tipir and Colix Dawnveil. They don't always get along, but they get the job done.

Dena and Colix are mine. Art by  sdark391.