24 Hours Earlier:

Apollo and Athena stood, facing each other in the middle of the Wright Anything Agency's office. The atmosphere was tense. It seemed to be a competition as to who would speak first and Apollo was the one who finally caved.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do it. I've got my own case to take care of, Mr Wright keeps yelling at me to get some shopping and this place is a mess." Apollo looked around at the piles of junk on the floor, the sofa and the top of the piano. The word mess was an understatement. "Why am I the only one who ever puts the files back in the cabinet after reading them?"

"I'll buy you dinner tonight," Athena pleaded. "Not Eldoon's, somewhere fancy. With dessert."

"Can I come?" Trucy asked, popping her head around the door. It was just like Trucy to show up the moment someone mentioned dinner. Like father, like daughter, Apollo supposed.

"We're not having dinner," he replied irately. "I have too much work to do, I can't take on yours as well, just because you want to go to some book signing."

"It's not just any book signing!" said Athena. She fumbled around in her bag and drew out a well-thumbed paperback. "This is the new book in Novie Lista's bestselling series: 'The Trials of Trials.' I used to read this back in Europe, when I went to law school. The good old days!"

"You only left law school last year," Apollo reminded her, but the girls ignored him.

Athena handed the book to Trucy, who flicked through it eagerly. "Wow, this author is French, she might never come to this country again. You have to go to her signing while you have the chance!"

"It's just one little visit to the morgue to pick up an autopsy report," said Athena, pressing her advantage as far as it would go. "I'll buy both of you guys dinner, I'll get the shopping tomorrow morning and I'll even clean this place up a little. What do you say, Apollo?"

"Fine," he sighed. Athena squealed with glee and pulled him into an uncomfortable hug.

"Tell the CSI guys that I need the autopsy report for Miss Toxi City," she said. "My latest trial has been delayed for ages because they haven't been able to identify the poison in her system. The defendant, her boyfriend, has been languishing in the detention centre for weeks, but now they've finally managed to find something."

"Why does the nature of the poison matter so much?" Apollo asked. It might not have been his case, but he was still interested to hear what his friend was working on.

"The defendant works in a pharmaceutical company, and he's been developing one particular poison. If it turns out that his special poison was what killed his girlfriend, getting a not guilty verdict will be almost impossible." Athena grimaced at the mere thought of the trial ahead. "Mr Druges has no alibi, a clear motive since his girlfriend was cheating, and there are no other suspects."

"But you believe he's innocent?" asked Trucy.

"Yes." There was no hesitation in Athena's voice. Not even a single shred of doubt. That was the voice of a lawyer who believed in her client. "I believe that he's innocent, and I intend to prove it, just as soon as I get this autopsy report."

"You can count on us." Apollo told her. "For now, though, you've got a book signing to get to."

Athena hugged them both, before grabbing her bag and sprinting out of the office door. It slammed shut behind her and a calm silence descended, like they had reached the eye of the storm.

"I guess the case of the stolen cheeseboard will have to wait for now." Apollo picked up the address she'd left for him and looked at the address of the morgue. "The autopsy report is at... Healsome hospital? Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Rumour is, the hospital's haunted." Trucy replied. "It was on Ghostchasers one time, they said they found some weird ectoplasm in the basement, but I could tell they were using green jelly. I know all the tricks they use in that show."

Apollo wracked his brain for where he'd heard the name of the hospital, but it wouldn't come to him. Oh well, they'd find out soon enough. Hoisting Trucy's bag over his shoulder, he scrawled a note for Mr Wright and the pair left the warmth of the agency for the icy winds of a cold February morning.