I've seen James solve some cases. They seem so easy when he explains them, yet trying to put the pieces together yourself...

I'm Chris Perry, James's friend from elementary school.

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We'd known each other for six years, and James was always somewhat of a quiet kid. But he did seem like a perfectionist in everything he did.

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We were at the community college he was taking summer school at. He didn't do so well in English and it was his uncle who suggested he retake it.

We were at the community college because there was a play that night, and neither of us were doing anything. I didn't care for plays myself, but James was a different story.

It was a variation on Romeo and Juliet, and it was more dramatic than I thought it should be. I mean, I know it was supposed to be a drama, but whenever someone was supposed to cry a bit, the entire stage would absolutely bawl. It became quite annoying.

I wasn't exactly excited about the play, and it was one of those long-winded speeches made out to nobody which didn't really make sense unless you studied Shakespeare, so I looked at my booklet and flipped through:

Romeo... Drew Linderman

Montague... Benjamin Vic

Lady Montague... Jodi Chan

Benvolio... Shawn Pent

Abram... Rick Wong

Balthasar... Marc Tortelli

Juliet... Lynn Lerch

Capulet... Denzel Tucker

Lady Capulet... Brenda Davis

Nurse... Reese Chloe

Tybalt... Ray Finn

Petruchio... Taylor Lanes

Escalus... Maxwell Hooke

Paris... Robin Key

Mercutio... Graham Ashton

And there were other miscellaneous names...

There were other things talking about how the theatre was a respected one and had been used by elementary, middle, and high school kids and was recently renovated, and that the teachers were so great and had such-and-such people working with them to achieve "perfection" and everything else that could possibly considered "fabulous". I got bored with the booklet as well.

I looked up and the cast was walking back onstage stage right and giving their bows. The entire audience stood and applauded including James, which was strange because he was failing English, yet he really loved watching plays.

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We waited afterword for about a half-hour while James talked to the cast and some of the crew. It seemed as if he knew everyone behind and in the scenes. I, on the other hand, stood by near the exit waiting to take him home.

"You can learn so much from hands," he told me, "that many people overlook. For example, I could tell that there were a few gymnasts in the group because their hands were very bruised and calloused. Jodi Chan, for example, had a bunch of marks on her hands and she was short - perfect for a gymnast. Well built and everything. I bet she could become a stuntwoman and not have to use the cords. You could also tell who worked out by some callouses, and you could tell who used gloves - there was one hand in particular, I believe it was that of Denzel Tucker, who had grainy fingers, yet the palms were clean, though I must say the cut on the back of his hand is a bit strange. I could also tell he wasn't working out for a long time because he-"

James was cut off by a loud shriek behind the curtains. He grabbed my hand (I couldn't tell how much detective work he had done from his hands) and dragged me behind. The curtains seemed to open for everyone as we rushed backstage. Light shone from the doors leading outside and the rest of the auditorium.

There. There he was. The dead body of Dung Kalam, or so I was later told by the police. Inside, I was exclaiming just how cool it would be to see James in action, but on the outside, I looked concerned.

"Call the police."

James's face was absolutely changed. His eyes were cold. He was cold. Everyone except the two of us was a suspect in his eyes.

James pointed to the neck and whispered the single word, "Look," into my ear, and there I saw bright red bruises around his neck. It was... a murder...!