“What cases did Rhys give you? Are they any good?” Slinky asked.

“As a matter of fact, I’ve got one here that we could start with.” Roswell said.

“Well, go on. Debrief us.” Higgins said as he took a seat.

Slinky nudged Matter to sit down and Roswell began to relay the case to them.

Several decades ago…

A young man was sitting at a kitchen table looking through the mail when he spotted a letter from his parents. He opened it and read it while his wife sat next to him, eager to hear what it said.

“The family is getting together this year at the vacation house. Would you like to come?” Asked the man.

“It sounds fun but this is your invitation. You should go by yourself and enjoy your family.” She said to him.

“Alright. I’m going to miss you, though.” He said with a sigh.

“Oh, Bill. It’s only a few days.” She said as she put a hand on his cheek.

Soon it was time for the reunion and the family met at the vacation house as planned. However, the body of Bill’s father laying in the foyer was not part of the plan. Bill, his mother, his brother and his sister all stood before the lifeless corpse of their father. They looked up at each other and said nothing for a moment. Then, the blaming began with each of them yelling at one another gradually pushing distrust between them. It all culminated in them going their separate ways and remaining that way for many years.

“Do we know if it was murder or suicide?” Roswell asked.

“Supposedly the father took his own life according to the police’s findings at the time.” Slinky said.

“But I assume someone believes there is more to this story than that.” Higgins said.

“Correct. This Bill believes there was some ulterior motive in play and firmly believes his father would never kill himself.” Continued Slinky.

“So I guess we’re talking to some people then.” Said Matter.

“Yeah, obviously.” Slinky said as he looked over to see Matter reading other cases.

“Hey one case at a time!” Slinky exclaimed as he took the files from him.

“Aw man. That one involved an old house and a crazy dude.” Matter said, defeated.

“I’ll take Matter and talk to the mother and maybe take a look at the old vacation home.” Higgins said.

“Well Slinky, shall we have a word with the sister then?” Said Roswell as he got up.

“Sounds like a plan.” Slinky said.

Meanwhile…

Bill was watching TV when his phone rang and he picked it up.

“Hello?” Bill asked.

“Hello, this is the SCPD. I’m chief Rhys and I wanted to inform you that we are taking another look into your old case involving your father. If you have anything useful for us don’t hesitate to give us a call.” Rhys said.

“Ah, thank you sir. I had lost all hope years ago but I’m interested in your findings. We’ll keep in touch.” Bill said.

He hung up the phone and his wife, who was sitting near him on the couch, asked “Who was that honey?”

“Oh it was the police station. They were saying that they’re reinvestigating the case with my father.” Bill explained.

“Oh, I see. How wonderful.” She said, giving him a smile.

Upon arriving at an older home near the outskirts of the city, Higgins knocked on the door.

“This is the right place, right?” Higgins said, turning to Matter.

Yes, we’ve quadruple checked the GPS and this is for sure the place.” Matter said.

The door opened a bit and an old woman peered out and asked “Who is it?”

“Hi there. I’m Higgins with the SCPD and we are reinvestigating your husband's death. Would you mind answering some questions?” Higgins asked.

“Oh my, what good news. Please come in.” The mother said as she opened the door wider.

The mother was small in stature and white hair adorned her head as she slowly made her way to the dining room table.

After ushering the detectives to sit she asked “Would either of you like some coffee?”

Higgins passed on the offer but Matter perked up and said “Some coffee would be great!”

As the mother prepared Matter’s coffee, Higgins asked her a series of questions to which she answered honestly.

“So you don’t know who could’ve killed him?” Higgins asked.

“I’m afraid not. Our family all loved each other and none of us had any reason to kill.” Said the mother.

“Interesting. Tell me, how do you view your son Bill?” Asked Higgins.

“Bill? Well he is the nicest man that I could’ve ever asked for. I will say, though, that he did come across as rather off when we all met for the reunion.” The mother answered.

The mother placed a cup of coffee in front of Matter and he picked it up and took in a whiff.

“Mhm. This smells amazing!” Matter said before taking a big gulp.

He put down the cup and made a funny face. He looked down at the coffee and then at Higgins and the mother.

“Um, is there something in this?” Matter asked.

The mother chuckled and Higgins grew alert.

On the way to the sister’s residence, Roswell did some further research in the car as Slinky kept driving.

“It looks like the family hasn’t gotten back together since the incident. I talked to Bill earlier and he said he’s been wanting to get together with his family again but his wife has been keeping him busy so he hasn't had the chance to.” Roswell said.

“Well I know that feeling! My late wife always kept me busy.” Slinky said.

They pulled up to an apartment and walked up the stairs to the door and rang the doorbell. A woman answered and Slinky explained who they were.

“Oh, sure, come on in. You can sit anywhere.” The sister said.

“So, what’s the scoop with my dad?” Asked the sister.

“Well I don’t want to scare you but we believe murder is on the table.” Roswell said.

“Do you have suspects yet?” The sister said.

“We do. We’ve been in contact with your mother and your brother and we’re compiling evidence as we speak. Can you tell us about each of them?” Slinky said.

“Sure. My brother was always a great guy and it’s no wonder he was able to pull such an attractive wife. My mother was always such a great mom and she loved dad like crazy. Sure they had their little disagreements but they always seemed to work it out.” The sister explained.

“Alright, very good. Anything else you can tell us?” Slinky asked.

“Hm. Well the only other thing I can think of is that when we all arrived at the vacation house, there was one too many vehicles I thought but I just brushed it off since I didn’t know everyone’s circumstances since we hadn’t seen each other in a very long time.” The sister relayed.

“Understood. Thanks for all the info you’ve given us.” Said Roswell.

Meanwhile at the mother’s house…

“Matter? What’s wrong?” Higgins asked.

“Wow, whatever is in that coffee is not something I would ever put in it.” Matter said as he gave a disgusted expression.

Higgins’ eyes darted over to the mother who looked unfazed. He put a hand on his belt and looked her right in the eye.

“What did you put in that coffee?” He sternly asked her.

“Oh, you must be referring to the syrup.” The mother said.

“The…what?” Higgins said, confused.

“Why, the syrup of course. I’ve found that it sweetens the coffee and makes it much more enjoyable to consume.” Explained the mother.

Matter put down the cup of coffee and wiped his mouth as he looked at Higgins and let out a burp.

“Did you drink the rest of it!?” Higgins exclaimed.

“Well yeah. It was actually pretty good even though it was different from what I’d usually drink.” Matter said.

Higgins sat back down and let out a sigh before saying ‘And here I thought you were poisoned or something.”

Suddenly, Higgins’ phone rang and he heard Roswell on the other side.

“Hey, we wrapped up with the sister here. How’s it going over there?” Roswell asked.

“We are about done here too. Have you got any leads?” Said Higgins.

Well the only thing we’ve got is that there was an extra car at the vacation home for the reunion but the sister doesn’t know who it belonged to.” Explained Roswell.

“My, your partner believed that I’d poison you?” The mother asked.

“Oh, he’s just defensive about these things.” Matter said.

“Boy, the only poison I’m familiar with is my son’s wife. My sweet Bill can never catch a break with that woman. It’s a shame that our reunion was cut short and he had to go back home to her so soon.” The mother said.

Higgins, who was listening to her, put the phone back to his ear and said “Roswell, I’ve got an idea brewing. Meet us at Bill’s house.”

Higgins and Matter left the mother’s house while Slinky and Roswell jumped in their car as they left the sister’s apartment. They convened at Bill’s house as they rang his doorbell.

“Higs, what’s going on in your head?” Roswell asked.

“You’re about to find out.” Higgins said.

Slinky, Roswell and Matter looked at each other and followed Higgins’ lead as Bill opened the door.

“Oh, hi there detectives. What can I do for you?” Bill asked.

“Well for starters you can let us inside.” Higgins said.

Bill, surprised, opened the door for them and, after everyone was inside, Higgins looked around.

“Where’s your wife?” Asked Higgins.

“Oh, I think she’s in our bedroom.” Bill said as he led them to the bedroom.

As the door swung open, Bill’s wife stood across the room with a gun pointing directly at them.

“Well, this is quite the interesting turn.” Slinky said.

“Nobody moves.” The wife said.

“Hon, what are you doing?” Bill nervously asked.

“Bill, tell these men to leave our house and never bother us again.” The wife demanded.

“W-why?” Bill said.

Roswell pushed Bill out of the way and the four of them stepped into the room.

“Stop! One more step and I shoot.” Threatened the wife.

“Lady, you’ve sorely misjudged the situation.” Roswell said.

Slinky readied his stretchy arms, Matter clenched his fists and Roswell and Higgins pulled out their guns.

“Read the room, dear. You’re a bit outnumbered.” Slinky said.

“Drop the gun and we’ll play nice.” Higgins said.

The wife chuckled and dropped the gun before falling to the floor herself. The detectives arrested her and as she passed by Bill he saw the look of a crazy person in her eyes.

“Allow me to straighten the story.” Higgins said.

The detectives put the wife into the back of their car and then sat down on the couch along with Bill.

“It’s actually a simple case of obsession. You see, Bill’s wife loved Bill. A smidge too much. So when Bill received an invitation for a reunion with his family that would mean Bill would leave her for a few days. Longer than she would like. She grew desperate and couldn’t stand the thought of being anywhere else but in this house with her. So, in her desperation she decided that she’d go to the vacation home herself and create a reason for Bill to come home right away. Unfortunately, his father was an innocent victim of her scheme and, although her plan was a success, she didn’t account for the astute observation of Bill’s sister. As she arrived she noticed that there were one too many vehicles but didn’t think much of it. The mother was also of great help since she observed how Bill’s wife really behaved towards Bill and how it was affecting him and his relationship with the family. So there you have it. The murderer is Bill’s wife.” Higgins explained.

Matter clapped as Slinky said “Wow, nicely done man.”

“Agreed.” Said Roswell.

They said goodbye to Bill and drove back to the station and put Bill’s wife into jail after informing Rhys about the solved case.

“Well that was an eventful day.” Slinky said.

“No kidding. So, which case should we tackle next?” Higgins said.

As they all looked through their cold cases, Roswell put one down on the desk and said “How about this one?”

The detectives looked at each other and they all nodded in agreement.