//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 (the Singer) // Story: the city part 1 // by keithsterling //------------------------------// We had no job opportunities for the first few years; we opened the detective agency we named the C and J private eye detective agency. If we were any other detective agency, Cadence and I would have fold-up the business after the second year of no business. We did have a few cases, primarily disgruntled spouses with an axe to grind with their lovers. We joked that we should have opened a marriage counselling service to help those disgruntled spouses, not a detective agency. But still, my mare Cadence stays at my side during this time of poor business for our agency. After I took my mare to lunch at our favorite diner, we returned to our office. In the office, my mare was attired in a gray great Gatsby dress with elbow-length sleeves; over the dress, she wore a black velvet duster coat. On top of her head, behind her horn, was a light Gatsby linen cloche hat with a lace band and a flower. Her slenderly gracefully rounded, gorgeous-shaped pair of delicate pink bare feet with lush, deep green toenail polish was resting on the desk with her ankles crossed, wearing black T-strap sandals. She was busily filing her nails on her five-fingered hand with a small emery board from her purse. As for me, I was sitting in a chair behind the desk staring at my mare shoed feet, wearing brown tweed herringbone two buttons slim fitted tapered vested suit with black wingtip dress shoes on my feet. My slate-colored fedora rested on top of my desk within reach, and hanging on a coat rack next to the door was my tan trench coat. My dear mare Cadence gifted me the tan trench coat for my birthday. I heard soft chuckling from my dear mare Cadence behind me as she uncrossed her ankles. I watch a very light cornflower blue magic aura form around the buckle of her shoe and begin to unbuckle it. Went it was undone, she lifted her foot up and, using the same magic aura, opened a gap between the insole of her shoe and the bottom of her foot. I looked over at my dear mare, who had a massive smile on her snout. Went she nodded her head, I knew she was just as bored as me with the current circumstances. She softly giggled as I scratched the light pink skin on the bottom of her foot with my finger. And without missing a beat, she continued filing her nails on her hand, enjoying the itch sensation on her light pink sole. "Huh?" Cadence exclaimed as she quickly removed her feet from my desk, causing her loosen shoe to fall off her foot completely, falling on the floor with a light thud went she sat back up. “Justice! Look at the window." Cadence said, drawing my attention to the window on the door. Through the window in the door appeared a shadow of unicorn pony morph from the build and the single feather décor on her head we figured it was a young mare. Through the door steps a gorgeous pearly purple unicorn mare with fern green mane and tail. Her 5ft 9in curvaceous equine figure was attired in a black deco beaded black mesh sequin curve hugging Veronique fringed flapper dress. Why on her toned pearly purple legs were black fishnet stockings held on her legs by two black garters. And on her eleven and one-third inch, long, flawless and unblemished shaped pearly purple bare feet with cobalt blue toenail polish were black T-strap heeled sandals with short kitten heels. On her head beside her unicorn horn was a black rhinestone feathered headband. This unicorn mare was Speakeasy singer Emerald Luster an up-and-coming singer in the entertainment industry. "Greeting mare, how may I help you?" I asked the unicorn mare, who seemed a bit nervous as she had a dead mare grip on the silver antique beaded party clutch she held in front of her. “Are you two private detectives?" the unicorn mare inquired as her sky blue eyes moved from me to my mare partner standing next to me, who seemed a bit shorter than usual. "We are," I answered as I quickly glanced toward my mare partner and blinked with surprise. I noticed she was standing barefooted on a wooden floor as she used her magic to remove her other shoe to keep her balance. "My name is Justice Silverlight, and this mare next to me is my partner, Cadence Aperture," I said as Cadence placed her hand on my shoulder. I noticed her standing barefooted, and she subtlety shook her head no before bending down and kissing me on my cheek affectionately. “My name is Lounge Singer Emerald Luster. I am hoping you can help me find some pony?” Emerald asked politely with an elaborately casual expression as Cadence sensed hidden deceit in this unicorn mare client and whispered a warning into my ear went she kissed me. “Who is this some pony you want me to find, Miss Luster?” I asked as I reached over and squeezed Cadence's hand very subtle before resting the lower half of my snout on the back of my hands in a Contemplating manner. "This some pony is my long-lost father; I have not seen him since the end of the war. He was a soldier in Los Ungulas infantry and said he would return to find me." Emerald explains, pretending to be heartbroken as I felt the side of my dear mare soft barefoot rub against my ankle and tell me she lying. “That will be no problem, Miss Luster. What information can you give us about your long-lost father? That will help us? Plus, do you want us to secure or locate him?" I asked as Emerald thought for a little while before answering my question. “If you could just locate him, I’ll set up the meeting with him.” Emerald comment as she smiles like a saint, and Cadence rub the side of her barefoot against my ankle again, this time more aggressive, telling me she definitely lying. "All right, Miss Luster, we will just locate him for you, and you can handle the rest. So now, what information can you give us?" I asked as Emerald's features had a remarkably composed and angelic look as she wrote down the information she knew. "Oh, that very nice ring you have on, Miss Luster. Where did you buy it from? I have been looking for something like that.” Cadence asked as she gently grabbed hold of Emerald's hand to look at the ring on her finger; she forced a smile. "I am sorry, Miss Aperture; I don't know it was a gift from a patron at one of my shows in Neigh Horseleans. So I don't know where he brought it from?" Emerald says as she quickly pulls away her hand nervously. "That fine, I'll probably find something like that sooner or later here in the city," Cadence explains as we watch Emerald leave the office after she left her contact information. A few minutes later, Cadence sits on my desk with her legs crossed, one knee tossed casually over the other, holding her slenderly gracefully rounded gorgeous shape, light pink barefoot with lush, deep green toenail polish in the air. "That mare is not looking for her lost father," Cadence comments as she taps her light pink barefoot soundlessly in the open air. “Could she be looking for her lost lover then, my dear mare?” I asked as Cadence stopped her foot and allowed me to caress her well care for soft light pink barefoot. "That a big maybe, Justice! But not likely? Went I grabbed her hand to look at her ring. The palm of her hand was slightly rough to the touch. Plus, she says she was in Neigh Horseleans for a show." Cadence commented as she spread out her toes to allow me to look between her slightly plump elegant, and dynamic slender long toes with my fingers. "And from what we know about Neigh Horseleans from our LUPD experience. In that city, there is no distinction between a mare and a stallion if you commit a crime in that city. They will put you in jail or work camp for your sentence." I comment as Cadence stretches her equine neck out and kisses me on my lips attentively as she immensely enjoys me caressing her well care for soft light pink barefoot. "So, my dear mare? What do you think her game is?" I asked as Cadence floated her removed black T-strap sandals from the floor and set them on the desk next to her. So she could begin putting her shoes back on her slenderly gracefully rounded, gorgeous shape pair of light pink bare feet with lush, deep green toenail polish so we can start investigating. "That I don't know, my dear stallion…Till we go, speak to Mr. Alphabittle Blossomforth, the owner of the crystal tearoom that high-end speakeasy in the Sunspot luxurious hotel in downtown Los Ungulas. He knows more about the dark side of the entertainment industry." Cadence said as she slipped her shoes back on her slenderly gracefully rounded, gorgeous shape pair of light pink bare feet with lush, deep green toenail polish and re-buckles them to obscure her feet. At that same time, at the Sunspot luxurious hotel in one of the larger penthouses on the hotel's top floor. A sizeable slender white with a hint of pink five-fingered hand with stiletto cut nails painted with dark red nail polish leisurely spins a thirty-eight special smith and Wesson snub-nose bicycle revolver on top of the desk in front. As the camera pans up, the rest of the figure is obscured by the deep shadows of the room. The only other thing visible resting on the desk is a pair of relatively large, long, full, thick and plush white with a hint of pink luxurious bare feet. The figure’s toenails are painted in the same dark red nail polish as the fingers contained in black patent leatherette peep-toed T-strap evenly pumps. Standing in front of the desk was an earth pony stallion; his face was a mask of terror as the finger continued spinning the revolver; each gun turn caused the earth pony stallion's blood pressure to go up. “Now Jacob Varn, you lost me quite a bit of money went the Neigh Horseleans police department seized my shipment of illegal funds. Those funds were to get my large plush foot in the door in Neigh Horseleans underworld and those rackets.” The mare voice said coldly as the ample hand rest on top of the revolver in front of her, and Jacob's eyes widened in alarm. "But boss mare, how was I to know that stupid mare singer was going straight to the airport when she finished her last show at Speakeasy," Jacob said as his voice exploded out of him fearful. Went he heard the heavy creak of a chair from the shadows, large feet disappeared from on top of the desk, and a pair of long white with a hint of pink arms appeared, followed by white with a hint of pink snout with brick-red lipstick. "Boss mare, Please!" Jacob's voice breaks as she pulls the revolver up points it at him, and pulls the trigger. Jacob's heart pumps spastically went; the hammer struck click but the weapon was not loaded. “Oh good heaven, I forgot to load my gun." The boss mare said, a bit disappointed that she forgot to put bullets in the chamber. But it didn't matter as Promoter Jacob Varn fainted dead away. "Now, boys, please take Promoter Jacob Varn to see the sites all the way to Las Pegasus and make sure he’s never lose my money again.” The boss mare said sharply as two earth pony stallions picked up the unconscious promoter and carried him down the back staircase. "What about that singer mare, sister?" a second mare voice asked as dark cyan-colored eyes appeared from the shadow nearby. "That singer mare is no threat to our business. As a matter of fact, sister, I call our talent agency to put Miss Emerald Luster on the black list. From what they told me, she was more interested in her career. Then making trouble for us. Besides, we have a party to get to below." The boss mare said as the click-clacking of heels on oak wire-brushed engineered hardwood floor is heard leaving the room. Meanwhile, at the wayward star, a low-budget hotel in the heart of West Applewood, Miss Emerald Luster sits on her bed in her rented room in her magnificent pair of flawless and unblemished pearly purple eleven and one-third inch slender and elegant stocking-clad bare feet. Her gorgeous pearly purple mare face with fern green mane is etched with sorrow; she just got off the phone with her ex-talent agent, who informed her that she had been blacklisted. Her sky blue eyes are bloodshot from crying; being blacklisted means no one with take her on as a client, and her singing career is over. "Everything has been taken from me. My love was killed in the war. My singing career is over." Emerald's voice was as cold as death as she brought her thirty-eight detective special up and pulled the trigger just after cleaning pony came out of the bathroom. (Click-click-click) "I am sorry, Miss Luster, I can't let a client take her life. Before she pays off her debt to me." Justice said as the clink of bullets echoed in the room as Justice spilled the brass out of his hand on the table from Emerald’s gun. "Mr. Silverlight! How did you find me?" Emerald asked, shocked went. Justice sat on the other bed in the room in front of Emerald. “This only hotel in all of Los Ungulas that caters to entertainers, plus a gorgeous unicorn mare like you, is not hard to miss. I just had to ask the front desk clerk if he saw a unicorn mare, and he pointed me right to this room." Justice explains as he floats her gun out of her hand and places it on the table with the bullets. “What do you have in mind, Mr. Silverlight? For a broke singer like me to pay you back?" Emerald said, skeptical as she didn't try to fight back; he grabbed hold of the toes of her stocking-clad foot. “You will work for my partner and me as a spy (jaw drops). To sweeten the deal for you, Miss Luster, I can get you a new talent agent to get you better and high-paying gigs. This agent doesn't care if you are blacklisted." Justice comments as the look of delight appeared on Emerald's face. “You got my attention, Mr. Silverlight. Who is this agent?" Emerald asked as she jerked her foot back went. Justice's thumb went over the ball of her foot and hit her arch. “This agent is Miss Aretha Melody from Liberty Records here in Los Ungulas. Do we have a deal, Emerald?" Justice asked as Emerald's sky blue eyes glinted with pleasure as she yanked her foot out of his hand. Before tackling him on the bed to hug and kiss him because this is the first time, a stallion believes in her. A few months later, Emerald sits in the office talking to Justice and Cadence. Justice made good on his deal with her to help her meet with his friend Miss Melody; at that first meeting, Miss Melody asked Emerald to sing for her. Miss Melody was taken back by how beautiful Miss Emerald Luster's singing voice was and quickly cut a record with her. “By the way, did you ever locate that slimy Promoter Jacob Varn for me?” Emerald asked as she crossed her long unicorn legs, one knee tossed casually over the other as Justice and Cadence's mouths quirked in annoyance. “Not at all, Emerald, that promoter Jacob Varn disappeared off the face of Equestria! The last report of some pony, seeing that Jacob Varn went, returned from Neigh Horseleans.” Justice said indignantly as Emerald reached down and unbuckled her royal black vintage T-strap leather sandal. Revealing her magnificent flawless and unblemished pearly purple eleven and one-third inch long slender and elegant barefoot with cobalt blue nail polish. "(cadence softly chuckles) It's amazing what the sight of a barefoot mare does to calm Justice down when he’s hot from losing his suspect," Cadence comments as she walks over to Justice to hug him and cheer him up. "But anyway, Emerald, why did you want us to find Jacob Varn for you?" Cadence asked as Emerald set her royal black vintage T-strap leather sandal down on the sofa next to her leaving her foot exposed. "That slimy promoter got me thrown in jail in Neigh Horseleans for transporting laundered funds. For the six months sentence I was given for transporting illegal funds, I was humiliated, forced to wear an ill-fitting prison jumpsuit and left barefooted. Don’t get me going about the unwanted attention from the other prisoners. Went I was released from jail, I was more than happy to leave Neigh Horseleans on the first plane back to Los Ungulas." Emerald said irately as she snorted angrily at the thought of being in jail dressed like that. "Is that why you wore stockings when you arrived at the office, Emerald?" Justice said as Emerald's breath caught in her throat. "I can believe you figured that out went I first arrived, Justice," Emerald commented as Justice smiled at her. "Yes, after six months of being barefooted, my feet were so rough that I had to carefully put my stocking on," Emerald explains as three ponies continue to talk about the events of Emerald coming to see a detective.