//------------------------------//
// Case 4:  Meet the Satins 
// Story: Clover Clues and the Shattered Salon 
// by Argentium 
//------------------------------//

Case 4:  Meet the Satins

Burlington Satin was an unexpectedly imposing pegasus. His suit jacket was simple, but impeccably tailored. He was one of the tallest ponies I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot of ponies in my line of work.

The Satin family estate wasn't what I was expecting. For one, it wasn't an estate. It was the penthouse suite in an exceedingly fancy high rise. We sat in large pillow-lined chairs on the building's roof, magically shielded from the high winds.

"..and that's how to properly perform a Fancy hooficure," he concluded.

My lips clumsily searched for the straw in my glass of peach tea as I let him talk. I found that asking about a pony's profession is an easy way to break the ice. "Well, thank you for taking me through all that, Mr. Satin, I...actually think you've won me over. I might go get one when I have a chance. Now. Back to this morning's incident." I withdrew my notebook from my saddlebag and magicked a pen to the ready.

For a brief moment, Mr. Satin fidgeted like an awkward colt, but he quickly regained composure. "I don't know what to tell you, Detective. Sheerie flew in through an open window, screaming that there had been a break-in. Break-ins. All my shops..."

"We will find who did this, Mr. Satin."

"I don't much care who. I want to know why. I loved those windows. My sister hand-lettered each one. 'The Satin Salon' in bold, elegant script. Now they're gone. All gone. Why would someone do this?"

I put a comforting hoof on his shoulder. "That's what I'm here to find out. Now I need to ask this, but do you know of anypony who would wish you or your business harm?"

Mr. Satin gazed out over the city, lazily tracing the skyline with a wingtip. "Apart from a few, and I do mean very few, dissatisfied customers, I cannot think of anypony." 

I nodded and set down the tea on a small glass coffee table. "Well, thank you sir. That's all for now. I'd like to get your wife's side of the story as well. Do you know where she is?"

Burlington scratched his chin with a hoof. "Knowing her, she's probably in our Manehattan location, trying to shoo away police so she can start cleaning up."

I stood up quickly. "Ah, I'd better be on my way then. Thanks for the tea!"

~~~

I found Mrs. Downy Satin in a very heated discussion with a long suffereing beat cop. "Now you listen here," she seethed. "This is my property, and I demand you let me through!"

"I--I'm sorry Mrs. Satin, I can't let anypony through until...oh hey Lucky! Here, Detective Clues is the lead investigator on your case. You can talk to him." The uniformed officer quickly made his escape from the small but imposing pegasus.

I gave the officer an 'oh gee thanks' look, and turned to the Lady Satin. She seemed to be the opposite of her long, lean husband. Downy was small and curvy, and very much embodied her name. But this outward softness belied a sharp tongue and a shrewd intellect, which was responsible for the financial success of her husband's salon franchise. She glared at me with the fury of Celestia's rising sun.  I'm ashamed to admit that I quailed under her fiery gaze, even though she had to look up to stare those daggers at me.

"Well, detective? My storefront is in shambles. Are you going to let me inside so I can start fixing it, or do you have something more important to do?"

"Ah, well ma'am, I...yes. Come with me."  I figured I could conduct my interview while investigating the scene, while keeping her from assaulting an officer of the law. "I'd like to inspect the windows. Then I'll be happy to help with the cleanup."

"Now you...oh. Alright." She seemed surprised at my offer.

I smiled at her. "I want to see this place back up and running as soon as possible, ma'am. Now, has anything been moved or cleaned up already?"

"No...they wouldn't let me," she said softly. She seemed to be calming down.

"Just give me one moment, and we can start making this right." I closed my eyes, let my horn glow, and recited my cantrip. "Sight beyond sight, sound beyond sound, help me find that which cannot be found."

I opened my glowing eyes and faced the broken window, looking carefully at the pattern of shards on the floor. The bricks had made contact at a low point in the windows, allowing most of the glass to fall straight down. They seemed to be thrown in just the right place to completely destroy the large panes. "It almost looks mechanically done," I murmured to myself. "It's exactly the same as the other shops." I blinked a few times, and the glow faded.

"You could tell all that just by looking?" said Mrs. Satin skeptically.

I nodded confidently. "Yes ma'am. And with the information I've gathered here, and the evidence being analyized by our experts at the station, we're getting closer to catching the vandals."

That seemed to satisfy her for the moment. "Good. Now help me clean up. This place looks deplorable."

I smiled obligingly. "With pleasure, ma'am."