To say Basil was being uncooperative was an understatement, even for him. The next Morning, Grace went back to Basil's place to show him new information. But when she walked in, she saw the man sitting at the board like a grade-school child, staring at it. "What are you doing?" Grace said in an annoyed voice, hands on her hips like a teacher watching a student doing something bad. Giving no reply, Grace stood right behind him and smacked his head with the file in her hands.

  jumping slightly, Basil turned around fast, "uh-hey-hi!" He said in a jittery voice. "I see that you found something?"

  "Basil...." Grace said with a sigh, "I know you're focused on... this right now. But we have a case, not only that, we have a missing child". Grabbing onto Basil's arm, she lifted him onto his feet. Basil stood like a drunk man, wobbly, unable to balance himself.

  "Did you not sleep again?" Grace said as she watched him stand like a baby learning how to walk. Rubbing his face, he shook his head and crashed himself onto the couch.

  "I slept perfectly well!" Basil said.

  "I beg to differ," she said in a plain voice, "We connected the victim to another woman," she said, handing Basil the file in her hands, "records say that she's his ex-wife, Olivia Sam. Divorced a few years back."

  "Mhm," he said into the pillow.

  "Are you even listening to me?!"

  "Of course." Sitting back up, he tucked his legs into his arms as he spoke, "If this murder is involved in some kind of religious... thing. Then chances are, the victim's family members may also be part of it. In other words, we find the ex-wife, we find the cult."

  "Thats assuming they're even in the cult."

  Soon, he stood and marched towards the door, "With no further data, all hypotheses must be regarded as true and equal." Basil said, "That's how you avoid the mistake of tunnel vision!"

  But Grace stood in place, "Even so, why would Kim be killed? Surely you're not proposing that one of her family members did."

  "That explanation is not off the table. However, I suspect that Mr. Kim may have had some dirt on the cult," he stated.

  "And.... why?"

  Basil then said casually, "Because there was a hidden key behind that altar."

  Grace blinked. She paused for a moment to process what she just heard, "...A key."

  "Yup."

  "Where is it?"

  "I didn't take it."

  Grace's mind exploded, "YOU WHAT?!" she cried, "BASIL! Do you have any idea how important that is?! That could be a huge lead!"

  "Grace, the key isn't important," he said with a grin, "It has no real value to this case."

  "How do you know?!" Grace replied angrily, "The people who killed him might have wanted it. If they find it, then whatever shady stuff they were doing may never be brought to light!"

  "If they wanted to find it than the place would have been tossed and turned." Basil stated, "Kim's home was clean, meaning he was killed for another purpose. No sense of struggle, yet the victim didn't know he would be killed that night, means he wasn't himself while it happened, perhaps asleep or drugged in some way."

  "Hm, Ok," Grace said calmly, tilting her head into her hands. She thought, "Assuming that this is a cult, and what he's saying is true, then the chances of Kim or even his wife being former members would be extremely high." Looking back at Basil, who was on his couch again, about to drift off to dreamland. She smiled and quietly left.

  She knew Basil needed rest, seeing that he didn't sleep at all; this may be the only time he would. Leaving him there for now would be the best option, for his sake, as well as for her own sake.

  .

  .

  .

  It took Grace quite a while to arrive at Olivia's place, an hour to be exact. Olivia lived in an apartment similar to the one Kim lived in. Asking the front desk, Grace learned that Olivia lived on the 5th floor, room 527. Knocking on the door, she saw a petite asian lady walk out, similar in age to Kim, but looking tired and skinny. She had an old pink apron over her plain T-shirt and sweatpants, her hair was tied into a ponytail, and her hands looked as if she had done all the chores in the world.

  "Hi, Ma'am." Grace said with a gentle voice, "My name is Detective Grace Avery. I'd like to ask you some questions if you don't mind."

  The woman looked at Grace for a moment before speaking in a quiet voice, "Sure." Opening the door more before moving towards the living room.

  Stepping inside, Grace saw a home that was less about looks and more about feel. A home that doesn't offer much but provides more comfort than any home out there. From what Grace could see, the living room was slightly on the smaller side. There was a brown Leather couch that looked slightly beaten up, with a few cracks in the leather here and there. In front of it was a shelf, no TV, just full of pictures and books that were stacked. To the right of the door was a hallway, a small one, with a few pictures hanging on the wall, and a 3 doors, which most likely were doors to the bathroom and bedrooms. A small black table is placed, touching the wall next to the hallway, with two chairs for dining. The Kitchen was in front of the doorway.

  Sitting down on the couch, Grace turned her body towards Olivia, leaning back slightly, "I'm sure you've heard about your Ex-husband's death," she said with a calm voice, "I'm sorry for your loss."

  "It is unfortunate. But what pains me isn't that," she said, "Have you found my child?" she said with a painful expression.

  "We're doing everything we can," she replied, "Can you provide any information that may help us in the search? We suspect that this case may be connected to a religious group. Can you give us any information on that?"

  Olivia sighed, her eyes looked fearful, but of what is a mystery to Grace, "Yes," she said slowly, "my husband and I were involved in a religious group called 'Sangama'. They had helped my mother in times of need, but slowly, we realized that they were taking advantage of my mother's circumstances, and by then, my mother was too far gone to be helped."

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  Grace listened intently. Basil and Masuda were right, this murder may have something to do with a cult. But what Olivia was telling her isn't enough to open a full investigation, "Is there anything else you know about this group?" she asked.

  "Not really. My husband and I divorced due to this. He thought that it was safer if we moved, especially for our child, but I didn't want to leave my mother behind." Slowly, Olvia's voice trembled slightly, "I was so foolish for thinking that way. Now my child is gone, and someone is dead."

  Grace placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her that it's not her fault. It's only human to feel this way, Grace understood that perfectly. "Is there anything else you may know? Perhaps a guess on who may have taken your child?"

  Olvia paused for a moment, her eyes shifted slightly before looking back, "Yes, my mother may have her, or at least may have more clues," she said, "My husband and I take turns looking after our child, alternating every week or so. When it's my husband's turn, my mother often goes over to check on the child. She may have seen something."

  "Thank you so much." Grace said, "I'm truly sorry for your loss."

  "No problem," Olivia said. Then, she reached out to Grace's hand and held on to it, "And please. Please find my child. I don't know what I'll do without her."

  Grace returned with a reassuring smile, saying, "We'll do everything in our power to find her."

  .

  .

  .

  Giving Masuda a call, Grace learned that he already found the child. The child's name was Sammy, nine year old girl who was indeed at her grandmother's home. Overnight, Masuda found and connected the family's connection with Sangama and eventually narrowed the location of Sammy to her grandmother, Maria Sam. Grace was quite impressed. This wasn't the kind of speed you see from average detectives; perhaps Japan demands this kind of speed, but it was still impressive to a certain extent. By the time they hung up, Grace was back at the bakery. It was around 6:35 PM, the sun was basically down, and the sky was getting quite dark. Walking up the stairs, she wondered how Basil might react when he finds out that Masuda beat him to the next lead. She can picture his face going into pure shock before acting petty. When she stepped in, she saw the room was dark, and the lights were on. Basil was still curled up on the couch, sleeping soundly. She slowly approached the sleeping man, placing a blanket on him before sitting on the other couch, quietly reviewing her notes.

  She thought, Sangama often means union or harmony. If this cult is related to Kim's murder, then we'll need more to go on. Simply suspecting isn't enough to start anything. Only knowing isn't enough. She finds something to start an investigation. Speaking with Maria is the best option, but what if she doesn't give them anything useful?

  "I suspect you have something?" Basil said suddenly. His body slowly came alive; he stretched his arms and legs like a cat waking up from a nap, making all kinds of weird sounds as he did.

  "You're awake." Grace said, "You see how good sleep can be for a human being?"

  "Meh. I could be thinking, or eating, or..." Basil paused, "something."

  Sighing, Grace tossed her notepad at Basil, signalling him to take a look. As Grace spoke, Basil flipped through the notes with focus, "Kim and Olivia were both involved in a group called Sangama. According to Olivia, her mother, Maria, was helped by the group in times of need. Only later did they realize that the cult was taking advantage of Maria, but Maria was already fully brainwashed by them to get help."

  "Hm." Basil said as he read through the notes, "And the kid?"

  "Masuda found her. Sammy, she was at Maria's home."

  Despite seeing a hint of disappointment on Basil's face, Basil's lips curved into a smile. "This case is quite fascinating indeed. I want to meet Maria. Tomorrow, if possible."

  "Alright," Grace said. She stood up, ready to leave. But was stopped by Basil.

  "Why don't you just sleep here?" Basil said in an almost innocent tone. Grace, on the other hand, gave Basil a confused look. One of her eyebrows rose, and a smirk of confusion appeared on her face.

  "What?" Grace said in a perplexed tone. She turned fully around, looking at the man who had just asked a woman to stay for the night, as if it were an everyday question.

  "I said why don't you just sleep here? '"

  "No. I heard you the first time." Grace said, returning to the couch.

  "Then why'd you ask me again?"

  "It was a rhetorical-" Grace face-palmed, "nevermind."

  "Well, if you stay the night, then we won't have to waste time tomorrow waiting for you to come here, and then going."

  "Hm." Grace considered it. He makes a fair point, but staying in Basil's place feels slightly unprofessional and inappropriate. But then again, it's not like she's never stayed over. "Fine."

  .

  .

  .

  They arrived at Maria's home at 9:30 AM, bright and early. The home was similar to Olvia's home, only it was fuller and slightly more furnished. Sammy was still at Maria's place when they got there. According to Masuda, they have to properly verify Sammy before sending her back to Olivia, to prevent any unknown leads. Maria herself was a sweet old lady. Though she was old, roughly in her 70s, she still smiled and greeted people gently, able to make even the toughest people feel like family. While Grace was speaking to Maria, Basil was roaming around the home. One pattern stood above all. There were many items and posters of one group. Sangama.

  Around the home, Basil saw many things. Lucky charms, yellow bells, and wooden disks that had writings carved into the wood. But what made Basil most fascinated were the posters on the wall. Many of them had one figure as the central focus. a man, with brown skin, likelu indian or Middle Eastern, dressed in a white robe and with grey hair. "Possibly the most generic design for a god." Basil mocked with a smile. Basil saw that most of the posters all had the same thing, besides the man, almost like a catchphrase or a symbol.

  Obey. Submit. Ascend

  At the very top of every poster and charm was a triangle that that seeemed to have lines stretching outward, symbolising light. With the same three words, placed at each point of the triangle. He looked back at where Grace was speaking with Maria. According to what Grace told him, this old lady was going through issues, but she didn't say; based on the lady's lifestyle, most likely financial problems. This cult was the one who helped her, but from what the home looks like, it seems quite the opposite. There were a few expensive pieces of furniture around the house, yet the living conditions of this place were, from an objective point of view, lower-class.

  Why would there be such a mix? Basil thought, And how does this cult relate to the murder? How does it all connect? He continued to ponder. Just then, Grace called out to him with a firm voice.

  "Are you going to come join us or not?!" She said, snapping Basil out of his rails.

  As he walked over, he caught his scent from the kitchen. Soup. The smell was amazing, comforting. It reminded Basil of when he was a child. "You seem hungry." Maria said, "Would you like some?"

  The rest of the visit was composed of two things. Grace is speaking with Maria, and Basil drinking soup. The soup was in no means special. It was a simple beef broth with carrots and potatoes. The seasoning felt a little bland, which was odd since the kitchen smelled like a spice shop. The soup was a contradiction, yet it was perfect.

  The soup cleared Basil's mind. He knew that further investigation would be pointless if they didn't get data. The cult was indeed real, and it had almost a direct link to the murder. The key hidden behind the altar was important enough to be hidden but worthless enough for it not to be taken. To truly solve this, they must think of something.

  "Maria." Basil said suddenly, "What's the name of this group you're in? I can't help but notice all the posters on the walls."

  Grace gave Basil a confused look. She swore that she had told him about the group. Why ask now?

  "Oh." Maria said with a chuckle, "Sangama is the group that saved me in hardship. You see that man in the poster?" She said as she pointed at one of them, "That man is named Father. He was the one who opened my eyes to the world. He's like a god on earth."

  Basil listened carefully. A man posing as a god, who saved her. "Where can I find him?" Basil said with a saddened voice, "I've been going through many troubling things; I think he may help me." He said, ignoring Grace's stares. As Grace was about to comment, he stepped on her foot, gently, making her yelp slightly, getting weird looks from both of them.

  "Please," Basil said, pulling out a piece of paper from his coat. "Would you write down an address for him on this piece of paper?"

  Maria gladly accepted. She took out a pencil and wrote down an address that seems to be located west of where they are. Once they left, Grace asked Basil what he was doing.

  "What on earth are you planning?" She said, "No way you actually believe in this crap."

  "Of course not. A man who poses as a god is as fake as the earth being flat."

  "When, why are you trying to get in?"

  "My dear Grace." He said, "We do not know what's true and false. Based on what we can see, what is true is hidden deep within the group."

  "What are you and Earth talking about...." Grace replied as if looking at a crazy person."

  But Basil only laughed as he entered the elevator, "Everything falls into logic to some extent. And once you know what is true, you'll know what must be true."