240 First Customer in Rijssen

It was a Saturday morning in Rijssen, the coastal city. The sun was, as usual, shining brightly, penetrating through the thin, white curtains and hitting Graham right in his face. The warm sunlight gently kissed his tan skin, waking him up from his slumber.

"*Yawn* Good morning, Val," he said as he sat up and stretched his arms, "Today is another sunshiny day, it looks like. Rijssen hasn't changed."

Nights in the coastal city was usually very cold, but by the time the sun started shining, the temperature would rise, although not by much since it wasn't Summer.

Going to the bathroom, Graham washed his face in front of the mirror that had seashells decorating its edges. The sink itself was also beautifully made of a carved piece of wood with corals embedded into it, magnifying the ocean vibe the whole bathroom was giving off.

"The water here feels fresh, compared to Sloten, don't you agree, Val?" he muttered as the cold morning water touched his face. "It just has some kind of... natural feeling to it, but it's not salty, mind you."

After he had finished washing his face, Graham brushed his teeth and then left the bathroom. The sliding door slid through nicely, separating the bedroom from the bathroom.

Standing in front of the big wooden wardrobe in the room, he started getting dressed. It was a relatively cold morning, but days in Rijssen were not as cold as those in Sloten at that time of the year, so Graham wouldn't want to wear something too thick. He grabbed a plain white shirt that was rather thin and put it on, the loose shirt swayed in the morning breeze as he opened the balcony door.

"Morning, Mr. Hymes," greeted his neighbor who was currently his housemate. The young medical student was also standing on the balcony of his own room, enjoying the morning view.

"Morning. Got a good night's sleep?" asked Graham casually.

Luuk nodded, his face lit up in joy, "In fact, it might have been the best sleep I've had in a while."

Graham began observing the young man and noticed that the black circles that were his defining characteristics were almost gone.

"Good for you. Now, why don't you make us some breakfast," asked Graham.

The previous day, the two of them had gone to the market and bought several things, including cooking ingredients. The villa provided a refrigerator and a gas stove, along with several other kitchen equipments, so it was very possible for them to cook their own food.

"Give me a minute. And besides, I only cook toast," the young man said, rather reluctantly.

"That's fine by me,"

Graham stared at the ocean in front of him with its sparkly water and gentle waves. The warm sunlight blanketed his skin and the sea breeze blew his hair. He felt at peace at that moment.

Ding... Dong...

His moment of peace was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell, carrying with it a feeling of excitement.

"It's our first customer, Val!" he said joyfully.

The previous day, he had also advertised his new detective agency in Rijssen, using the medium of the local newspaper. He had also used divination to see when he would get a client, that was why he knew who was coming. His advertisement must have been printed in the morning newspaper and had brought the person his way.

Graham wanted to jump down the stairs, but he had an image to maintain, so he walked down calmly instead.

On the first floor, he passed Luuk who was already in the kitchen, preparing to make his toast. Graham noticed that the young man had also taken out some eggs and an avocado that they had managed to purchase yesterday.

"Who is that, Mr. Hymes?" asked Luuk curiously, noticing his housemate who was heading for the door.

"My client, most likely," he replied casually, hiding the excitement in his voice. He was really curious about what kind of person would be his client in this city.

Luuk didn't say anything and Graham just continued on, reaching the door in no time. The cold wooden floor massaged the bottom of his feet softly.

Creak...

The wooden door made a noise as he opened it. Behind the door was a man in his early thirties, wearing a simple white shirt and a pair of khaki pants. The man was wearing a worried look on his face, his fingers clamped together tightly.

"Good morning. How may I help you?" greeted Graham warmly.

The man with the light blonde hair saw the host's friendliness and smiled back, his anxiety still showed in it.

"Morning. Is this the Hymes Detective Agency that is advertised here?" he asked, taking out the newspaper that he was clutching in his armpit. The man then looked around nervously.

Curious about his own advertisement, Graham checked the section of the newspaper that the man was pointing at. It turned out to be exactly as he had instructed them, so he was happy with the results.

"Yes. I am Graham Hymes. Please come in," he beckoned his guest.

The man nodded and then looked around some more. After that, he entered the bright villa that was painted white, following the host. He then took off his shoes before climbing on to the main floor platform that looked squeaky clean.

After closing the main doors, Graham led his client to the office that he had prepared and sat in his armchair, leaning back comfortably. The man looked around with his brown eyes that had black circles around them and sat on the chair opposite the detective.

"Who am I speaking with, if I may know?" Graham asked politely.

"My name is Derrick Damreau. I'm in dire need of your help, Mr. Hymes," the man said.

Graham could feel the stress that the man was experiencing from his voice alone, but his name reminded him of another Derrick and it evoked a different emotion in him.

"So here's the thing. I am being followed by some people, so I need your help to be my bodyguard until things are settled. I'll pay you a lot of money if my safety is guaranteed," Derrick added vaguely.

"First of all, you can call me Graham, just like everyone else," he said, although most people still called him Mr. Hymes anyway, "Now, Derrick, please tell me why you're being followed."

There was hesitation on the man's face.

"I can't really tell you. It's a private matter. As long as you protect me, that all that matters," he retorted.

Graham squinted and looked at the man sharply.

"Derrick, I'm a detective. I'll be able to find out about your problems one way or another, so it's better for me to hear it from your own mouth. Besides, I need to know who I will be dealing with," convinced Graham. There was no sign of threat in his voice, but it seemed to be enough to convince the troubled man.

After that, there was silence. Derrick seemed to be in deep thought.

"A-alright then," he replied after staying quiet for a while, "I am a drug smuggler, and I've offended the wrong person..." he said weakly.

"So that's why you came to me instead of the Police. I got it. Anyway, your secrets are safe with me," Graham said casually.

He really had no qualms about helping the man in front of him. After all, his own partners were mostly misfits. As long as they didn't challenge him and were not his enemies, Graham had no problem with whatever kind of person he was assisting, unlike Valentine who really hated bullies.

"Thank you, Mr. Hymes!" Derrick said gratefully, "You are right. If I go to the Police, they will have me locked up in no time. You're my only hope."

"Then tell me the detail. I want everything,"

Derrick went into deep thinking again.

Although Graham had agreed to help, he still had to be sufficiently prepared. The money might not worth the risk if he had to deal with people who were too powerful.

"*Sigh* so besides being followed, I've actually received a death threat, Mr. Hymes. It all happened yesterday. I don't know what had gotten into me, but I decided to run off with my client's money and keeping the goods with me. I thought my client was just a nobody, but it turned out he was backed up by a gang. It's my own stupidity, I know, but I still want my life intact..." Derrick explained, his anxiety was still audible.

Graham couldn't help but facepalm. Besides risking his life, he also risked his reputation as a smuggler by not delivering his end of the deal like that. The man in front of him didn't seem to be that kind of stupid person, but his action was indeed very stupid.

"I know, right, Mr. Hymes? It's a very dumb thing to do and it's unlike me at all. I really don't know what had driven me to do that," Derrick Damreau said weakly.

"Well, I guess you can look at the bright side. You won't get any clients anymore now, so you have no other choice but to change your career," Graham shrugged.

The man smiled bitterly.

"Anyway, do you know who you've offended? I need to know what I'm dealing with, here," asked Graham.

Derrick leaned back on the chair.

"I don't know either. I just know that someone's been following me. They're most likely looking for the chance to get rid of me once the situation is perfect for them. I haven't been able to go home since last night because I had to stay in the crowd all the time so they couldn't do anything to me," explained Derrick.

"Then I have to find out through another means. You can stay here for the time being, and I will need some privacy here for a short while. Meanwhile, you can go to the other room and enjoy some breakfast-- my assistant should be about done cooking right now. Just make sure you include it in your final payment later," offered Graham with a meaningful smile.

"Then I'll take you up on your offer. Just remember that I cannot pay if I'm dead, Mr. Hymes," replied Derrick jokingly. His anxiety had apparently lessened.

Showing his client out of his office, Graham closed the door behind the man.

"Can I help you?" asked Luuk, who was currently placing plates on the dining table in the kitchen.

The kitchen wasn't separated by a door, so it was visible from the living room where the door to the office was. It was located on the right, just under Luuk's bedroom, and had a long glass window with the ocean view behind it.

"Uhm, Mr. Hymes offered me to stay here and to have breakfast while waiting for him," said Derrick.

Luuk frowned but then nodded at the guest.

"Then have a seat. You can eat that one," the young medical student pointed at one of the toasts on the dining table. He then returned to the kitchen counter and took out the ingredients that he had put back in the refrigerator, ready to make another one.

Derrick Damreau sat at the dining table and looked at the food in front of him. It was a piece of toast with slices of avocado and a poached egg on top. There was also something that looked like sour cream underneath the avocado slices and chopped herbs mixed in it.

Using his hands, he began eating the toast that was presented in front of him. The moment he bit into the egg, the warm, runny yolk filled his mouth, and the soft, almost sweet avocado touched his palate. The cold and herby sour cream added a beautiful character to the overall flavour of the toast and filled Derrick's heart with delight.

"This is really good," Derrick said, complimenting the food.

"Why thank you," replied Luuk shortly. He was still annoyed that he had to make another one. Luckily, he hadn't done the cleaning yet so all the tools and kitchen equipment he needed were still there and ready to use.

Creak...

The office door was opened and Graham came out, walking directly towards the dining table. Without waiting for an invitation, he sat where another toast was served and began eating right away, using the knife and fork that was lying next to the plate.

"Is it a habit for the people here to eat using their hands?" asked Graham, noticing that Derrick was using his hands instead of the utensils.

"Yes, Mr. Hymes. Locals usually use their hands for eating almost everything. That doesn't count soup, of course," replied the man, "Anyway, what have you found out?" he asked curiously. The detective hadn't left the house and had only stayed in his office for a short while. He wanted to know what the man had been able to do in such a short time.

The detective ignored the man and kept eating the toast that his neighbor had made him. Even Graham had to admit that the toast was very tasty, and it fit the ocean mood in the villa perfectly.

After he was satisfied enough, he finally replied with confidence brimming in his voice, "In fact, yes. I've found a lot about who we're dealing with. And it's even easier to uproot them once and for all rather than wait for them to attack you. So, are you in?"

There was a meaningful smile on Graham's face.