The scene--a Jackson City fast food joint, occupied by groups of teenagers all laughing, talking, and eating. Miss Mospheiran and Angie sit at a table in a corner, away from the others.

Angie: "So you think he was lying?"

Miss Mospheiran: "Of course he was lying. Mrs. Tyers doesn’t know the first thing about food. Did you know that Finesse’s cheesecake with tomato sauce was originally an accident?"

Angie: "No, I didn’t. I’d always wondered where they came up with it."

Miss Mospheiran: "Somebody put tomato sauce on the plates one night instead of berry puree by mistake. Everybody who works there knows the story. They said it was served to President Tyers’ table."

Angie: "No way!"

Miss Mospheiran: "Yes way."

Angie: "Oh, my God!"

Miss Mospheiran: "Here’s the thing--Mrs. Tyers didn’t even notice. She ate her whole desert and insisted there was nothing wrong with it."

Angie: "And there was?"

Miss Mospheiran: "There definitely was. Every cheesecake that went out with that order had tomato sauce on it. Now you tell me how someone like that could have gotten third place in the Harbor Foods Bakeoff last year."

Angie considers this for a moment.

Angie: "Well, it wouldn’t be impossible."

Miss Mospheiran: "No, but not very likely, either. And it’s actually pretty common for people to enter for family members. There’s a rule that you can only enter a certain number of times, if you make it high enough in the rankings, so after someone places their three times or whatever, their son or daughter or whoever enters for them."

Angie: "So, like, has President Tyers actually placed three times in the Harbor Foods Bakeoff?"

Miss Mospheiran: "No, he hasn’t. I looked it up last night. I doubt it would cause any international difficulties, but I bet somebody would figure there was some favoritism going on. And he’d probably be embarrassed to admit that he was the one who came up with the recipe for Delightful Damighindi Muffins."

Angie: "So who would steal the green sauce recipe? And how did they get it out of the safe?"

Miss Mospheiran: "As for who, I bet there are some sore losers who’d want him out of the competition. Or opposition so desperate to dig up some kind of dirt that even this would look good to them."

Angie: "But how would any of them get into the safe?"

Miss Mospheiran: "They didn’t. It had to be an inside job."

Josh enters the restaurant. He looks around, spots Miss Mospheiran and Angie, and heads towards them.

Josh: "Hi, Missy."

Angie: "So anyway, it was, like, totally the coolest shirt I have ever seen. And it was on sale, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God!’ Oh, hi, Josh."

Josh: "Missy, I need to talk to you."

Miss Mospheiran: "That’s funny, isn’t that what you’re doing now?"

Josh: "No, I mean I need to talk to you alone."

Miss Mospheiran: "No, I don’t think you do."

Josh: "Missy, Amy’s so shallow. She doesn’t understand me. I’ve made a terrible mistake."

Miss Mospheiran: "Well, live and learn."

Josh: "Missy, I love you."

Miss Mospheiran: "That’s nice. Now go away."

Officer 2 enters the restaurant, looks around, spots Miss Mospheiran, Angie, and Josh and heads towards them.

Josh: "Missy, I can’t live without you. I swear, I’ll die if I can’t have you."

Miss Mospheiran: "Oh, that’s a shame. I don’t have anything to wear to a funeral. I guess I’ll have to go shopping."

Officer 2: "Is there some problem here?"

Josh: "I’ll die without her. I love her."

Officer 2 pats Josh on the shoulder.

Officer 2: "That’s rough. Women--you know, there’s no understanding them. But I’ll tell you, this is your big chance."

Josh: "My what?"

Officer 2: "Your big chance. Every great artist is miserable. See, you were too happy before to really tap your creative depths. What you need to do now is go home and write some poetry. Or better yet--do you play the guitar?"

Josh: "A little."

Officer 2: "Well, there you go."

Josh considers this in silence for a few moments.

Josh: "What rhymes with ‘death?’"

Officer 2: "There, see, what did I tell you. Pure inspiration. You go right on home and get that guitar out."

Josh exits the restaurant, muttering "Breath...Beth...."

Officer 2: "Why are you looking at me like that? He’s gone, and you didn’t have to break his legs."

Miss Mospheiran: "Officer 2, have you met my friend Angie?"

Officer 2: "No, I haven’t. Glad to meet you."

Officer 2 shakes Angie’s hand and sits down.

Miss Mospheiran: "So, what’s up?"

Officer 2: "I stopped by your apartment but you weren’t home. I was hoping I’d find you here. I was wondering if you could help me out with something."

Miss Mospheiran: "And that would be...?"

Officer 2: "It’s this case we just got. This afternoon, Officer 1 and I were called to the scene of a murder. The victim had been stabbed to death."

Miss Mospheiran: "And how do you think I can help you?"

Officer 2: "The crime scene is...a little strange. For one thing, there was green sauce everywhere."

Angie: "Green sauce?"

Officer 2: "Green sauce. And someone had stuck their finger in the green sauce and written "Rachel" on the wall."

Miss Mospheiran: "Was there anything else?"

Officer 2: "I’d have thought that would be plenty."

Miss Mospheiran: "Was there anything found that shouldn’t have been there? Besides the green sauce and the writing on the wall?"

Officer 2: "No. Why do you ask?"

Miss Mospheiran: "Oh, no reason. So I guess you’ve already done the obvious and checked out all the Rachels the victim knew."

Officer 2: "Well, not exactly, not yet. When Officer 1 saw all the green sauce, he was sure this had something to do with atevi, and he’s at the University now trying to find out if "Rachel" means something in Ragi. I tried to tell him it was probably just a name, but he wouldn’t listen to me. Still, there is something odd about it. I mean, why green sauce? It’s not anywhere near as popular here as it is on the mainland, or so I hear."

Miss Mospheiran: "Can we take a look?"

Officer 2: "Are you free right now?"

Miss Mospheiran: "Sure, let’s go."