Chapter 2

William was flipping through channels on the old TV attached to the wall in front of him. Half the programs were in French, and the ones that were in English were cheesy, teen movies. William sighed and put the remote down on the blanket beside him.

"Hey, how are you feeling," James asked, as he walked in, "I brought you something to eat since I was just down the hall" he said, placing the tray down on the table.

"Thanks. I've been better," William responded ruefully, "any idea when I can get outta here?" He asked hopefully.

"Not for a little while. We're still waiting for you to regain some strength and for your chest to heal a bit more," James answered, causing William to grumble.

He went back to going through the TV guide, and managed to find the local news. He clicked 02 on the keypad, and a reporter popped up on the screen.

"There have been a number of robberies reported by Jewelry stores in London and the surrounding area," the reporter said, addressing the store behind him, "law enforcement suspects one person is responsible for these."

"Ugh, another one," William groaned, "they've been trying to catch this guy for weeks!"

"Yeah, I know," James replied, as he sat down in the chair by the bedside.

"The team investigating keeps letting them get away," William hit the mattress in anger, "the times they've gotten there quick enough, he just slips away!"

"I've heard this guy is quite slick," James said, "he is quite smart though, you have to adm-"

"He slips right through their fingers!" William shouted, cutting off James.

"Mate, I'm sure they'll catch em' eventually" James comforted, as William stared at the reporter who was still on the TV, seething.

"It's been brought to our attention that there been another theft at a store just a block down from here, the police didn't catch the thief, and they have no suspects as of yet," the reporter conveyed, "Back to you, Tim" and then the TV went back to the news anchor.

James took the remote and switched off the TV. William took a few deep breaths before he spoke.

"If I wasn't stuck here maybe my boss would put me on the case. Or at least let me do something. Maybe look around the scene. This is pitiful!" William started getting worked up again.

All of a sudden William's expression changed. He's eyebrows unfurrowed and he turned to face James with a cheeky grin.

James raised his eyebrows questioningly, "what?"

"You said you're good at noticing details and are a fan of detective work, right?" William inquired.

"Yeah…" James said cautiously.

"How would you feel about doing some poking around for me...?" William asked slowly.

"Oh no, I don't think that's a good idea," James said frantically.

"Why is that?" William replied.

"For one, I'm not discreet enough for that, second, It isn't your case, so if I got caught doing this for you…" James frowned.

William could tell he was going to cave sooner or later.

"Pleaseee" William begged, practically pouting at the boy.

"My shift finishes at three o'clock," James muttered, "I'll go to the last shop that was robbed, they're open again"

"Yes!" William cheered, "thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Yeah yeah" James said with a hint of a smile.

There was a slight pause.

"Unfortunately there's no way to get the security cam footage" William said to himself.

"Actually there might be…" James said, pulling a face like he was thinking.

"What? How?" William said in surprise.

"Well…maybe not legally…" James muttered.

"What do you have in mind?" William asked without hesitation, surprising James.

"I- I wouldn't have thought you'd consider breaking the law," James replied, "ya know, with you being a detective, and all..."

"If I was able to go to work I would have found a way to get it out of someone…and it's fun to rebel once in a while" William shrugged, "So, what did you have in mind?"

"Oh, well, my flatmate, Liam, is a whiz with computers," James stated.

"That's interesting, but I don't think he'd be able to get into the police database," William said sceptically.

"Oh trust me, he can," James said confidently, "he's gotten a few of our friends out of speeding tickets. He also hacked into my account here at the hospital, and made it so when I signed in it showed a picture of the girl from The Ring," James chuckled, "I screamed and almost pissed myself in front of a patient!"

"Genius!" William laughed.

"Alright, my shift ends in-" James checks his watch, "-an hour. I'll go to the store first, before it closes, and then I'll talk to Liam."

"Sounds good," William agreed.

"I should probably get back to my job," James said as he stood up from the chair he'd situated himself in, "I'll tell you if anything's out of the ordinary at the store."

"Alright, see ya," William waved as James made his way out of the room.