<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Claude Baldwin - The Cooperative Police Detective</span></div><br/><br/>The whole party had finally gathered. Claude thoughtfully looked around whilst James briefly left for the drinks and Alexandra delivered a speech. Impressive for her age and inexperience, if he did say so himself. He couldn’t help but admire her bravery for recovering such a loss to get on with the job, just as her father would have done. “Silverman, we’re dealing with our recent boss’ - your father’s - demise. It would be disgraceful for us to neglect his child as to make them deal with this case alone. It’s all we can do to repay his service.” Claude hummed with a sense of honour and duty, as though Mr. Silverman had been a brother in the army alongside him. At least to Claude, it felt that way, and could see that the same sense of Silverman leadership had been, in turn, running through Alexandra’s veins. Everyone else before him seemed to also be in approval of helping out with this case, which produced a small smile across Claude’s face. Evelyn Meyer was right - the man had a way with his words, and often times than not helped each person before them out in ways they probably never even knew about. In Claude’s case, the man had offered him the job of his dreams. The chance to be more than just one of the weaker coppers handling evidence.<br/><br/>These recent days had been turbulent times indeed, so it was refreshing to see some determination to solve this, in the name of Silverman. This death was so unexpected, so out of the blue, so out of character, and what did the PD have to say about it? Disappointingly little.<br/><br/>“Walder, the PD, as per usual with the cases they give me for our agency, have not much useful evidence to say for the matter. Educated assumptions such as overdosing on smokes and alcohol, leading to an eventual heart attack, are basically the only leads we’ve got so far. A very limited report, but that’s what we’re here for.” He glanced back at Bert with a respectful nod before looking Thomas’ way. “Lee’s got a gut feeling and I say we also look deeper for this one. Even though it could have simply been a heart attack, it just seems too… Prompt, for something like that to happen, y’know? I’m no doctor, but smoking and drinking are some of the most common recreations among men. The people I’ve known generally don’t go down that fast, and at such an age, too.” His lips formed into a hard line as he scratched the side of his face. Could it have been poison in the smokes or in a drink? “Meyer, it may well have been so. We should get the physical evidence produced for you to analyse.”<br/><br/>When James had returned to pass everyone their respective coffee, he thanked the boy as he came his way. It felt pleasantly warm to hold as he cupped the drink, the satisfying fragrance of dark coffee further enveloping him into the engaging discussion. He smiled at the unique pattern that decorated his cup before taking a tentative sip. Mm, nice and strong, as usual. “You did indeed. It was quite heartwarming, if I may say so,” he mused to James at his cheeky inquiry, “and I’m assuming you’ll also be here to help us out?” Putting the coffee once more to his lips, it felt as though the air had stirred with newborn potential. So many questions, but he was sure they could find the answers. After all, they<span style="font-style: italic">were</span>Silverman’s team, weren't they?