It was a beatiful Monday afternoon and the sun was shining brightly, but Ema’s face looked like thunder as she burst into her apartment. That morning she had been feeling quite cheerful, but now she was feeling worried. The more she thought about it, the less sense it made: tonight, she was going out for dinner with Klavier Gavin. I can’t go out with him! He’s vain, smug, childish, and most of all... sooo cute... Argh!
Ema sighed and sat down in her chair. First she was kind of excited about having a date again, although it was with another man than last Friday, but after a while she realized it was weird. At work she had always been complaining about Klavier: there wasn’t anyone who dared to talk about him when Ema was around. If her colleagues discovered that she was now going on a date with Klavier, it would certainly raise a lot of questions.
Ema tried to be happy for herself, but somehow she couldn’t shake off the feeling that bad things would happen if she went out tonight. While she was driving herself nuts by doing nothing, someone rang her doorbell. Klavier already? Ema thought, as she walked to the door. He said he’d pick me up at 7!

But when she opened the door, it wasn’t Klavier standing in the doorway. It was a flower delivery-man with a big bouquet of white roses.
“Miss Ema Skye?”
“That’s me,” Ema said with a surprised look at the roses.
“Then this is for you. I took the liberty to read the card, and there’s no name on it! It seems like you have a secret admirer. Well, just take these flowers out of my hands, I want to go home to watch the Teletubbies. Have a nice day!”
Ema accepted the white roses and as the delivery-man walked away, she closed the door. She read the card: Roses as beautiful as your eyes and as white as your lab coat. With a smile on her face Ema went to her kitchen to put the flowers in a vase. She thought the message was a bit cheesy, but meant well, and the roses were a bit too standard, but at least they were white and not red, so she liked them anyway. She wondered one thing, though:
Why would Klavier send me flowers if were going on a date this evening? He could just have given them then...

It was six o’clock in the evening and Ema was panicking in front of her mirror. She couldn’t decide whether she should wear a pink bracelet, which would go perfectly with her glasses, or a bracelet with the same color as her dress, black. Eventually, she decided not to wear a bracelet at all.
When she looked over her shoulder, the clock told her she had still about an hour left. But since she had been stressing so much, she was already ready to go. She sat down on her couch and turned the television on. While she was zapping, she suddenly saw a familiar face. She stopped switching channels and saw Klavier with a blonde woman by his side on some gossip programme. The reporter said:
“Klavier Gavin, famous lead singer of the Gavinners, has been spotted several times with this unknown woman. When we asked him for comments, he just ignored us. Could this lovely lady be his new girlfriend?”
Ema blinked. That can’t be. He wouldn’t ask me out if he had a girlfriend... would he? Ema told herself. She waited for some more information, but as the reporter was now talking about one of those teenage stars buying a kangooroo for helping her with her homework, Ema switched the tv off.

More than an hour later Klavier and Ema entered an Italian restaurant together.
“... I really wouldn’t know what to say if anybody we knew saw – oh, this is a classy restaurant!” Ema said.
“Well Fräulein, you have really helped me out by taking that case, so I wanted to thank you properly.”
“I haven’t done anything yet and I’m sure you would have found another detective if I had refused, but no problem anyway. And oh, thank you for the flowers.”
“What flowers?”
“The white roses you’ve sent me, of course!”
Klavier opened his mouth to answer, but someone tapped his shoulder.
“Mr. Gavin? Follow me, please.”
Ema looked curiously at the man in the tuxedo and asked Klavier: “Where are we going?”
“I’ve reserved a special place so that my many, many fangirls won’t find us. Somehow I’ve got the feeling you don’t like them very much,” Klavier said with a grin.
Duh, I don’t like anyone who tampers with my precious crime scene, Ema thought. But wait, then I’m not supposed to like Klavier either...
Suddenly his mobile phone beeped: a text message. Ema tried to read it, but Klavier covered the display with his hand and said: “Don’t be so curious, ja?”
“Why not? This evening is to please me, anyway,” Ema huffed.
“Who said this evening is to please you?” Klavier asked playfully.
“But –”
“You can go and sit here, mister, madam.” The man in the tuxedo pointed at a table surrounded by plants, so that it was only visible from one side.
As the two sat down, Ema tried to get a glimpse of the cell phone again, but Klavier had already put it away. Did his girlfriend send him that text message? Ema thought. Well, if there is a girlfriend at all... I have to investigate this... scientifically!

“Have you decided already, Fräulein?” Klavier asked after they both had inspected the menus.
“I don’t know, I think I have a misprint. I don’t see Snackoos anywhere on this list!” Ema said.
Klavier laughed. “As it’s already put in the name so subtly, Snackoos are snacks. You can’t buy snacks in an Italian restaurant.”
“What?!” Ema exclaimed.
Quickly Klavier added: “Don’t get mad, please! I know Snackoos are very precious to you but... you can even pick the expensive dishes if you want to, all right?”
Ema was sulking, but she nodded. She took a glance at the menu, but as everything was Italian, she didn’t really recognize anything on it. Eventually she said:
“I’ll take whatever you take. As long that isn’t bratwurst or something.” What am I saying? Who eats bratwurst in an Italian restaurant?
Klavier gave her a curious look, but that wasn’t anything new. Once he started reading the menu again, Ema’s thoughts took the chance they got to run free.
Why do I feel so stupid? He’s the stupid one here. I still can’t believe he persuaded me to go out with him. Well, actually I can, but I wish I couldn’t. Maybe I shouldn’t have let Jamie off the hook, he didn’t make me feel so stupid. But maybe that’s what love is about, making each other feel stupid. If that’s the case, Klavier sure loves me a lot.
To calm down her nerves, Ema started inspecting her knife for fingerprints. She didn’t find any, which wasn’t really weird since the knifes were cleaned after every use. Ema’s messed up brain had almost shared this not-so-genius invention with the outside world, but luckily it was interrupted by the waiter. Klavier ordered in Italian, so all Ema understood was:
“Blah blah blahio, blahi blaho blah blah, prego.”
Show-off, Ema huffed to herself.

As the waiter walked away, a blonde woman dashed to Klavier and Ema’s table – it was the woman with whom Ema had seen Klavier on TV. She started rambling in German to Klavier, who just looked at her with big eyes.
After a while, Klavier said to Ema: “I'm sorry, Fräulein, I have to go with her... I’ll be back as soon as possible, I promise. Please don’t start hating me more than you already do.”
And he walked away with the blonde woman in front of him.

Ema didn’t even get a chance to be bewilderd, because the moment Klavier had left his seat, another man headed to Ema’s table and sat down at Klavier’s chair.
“Hi, err... Froylain,” the man said nervously. Ema raised an eyebrow. Who on earth is this man? she thought.
“Well, hello.”
“Did you like the roses I sent you?”
“What?! They were yours? But... how do you know my address? Wait, more important question: who are you?”
“Oh right, I should introduce myself, how could I have been so stupid to forget that?” the man said, more to himself than to Ema.
“I’m Ed Myre. I was in court about a week ago, sitting in the audience, and you were a witness. Even though your whole testimony was ripped apart, I thought you were quite brilliant out there.”
Ed’s face went all red. Ema just stared at him. On one hand she was very flattered, that someone thought she was ‘quite brilliant’, even though it was because of the one of the worst testimonies she had ever given. On the other hand, he was... well, just very unattractive. Or at least not Ema’s type. First of all, he was very shy and jumpy, whereas her unexpected feelings towards Klavier had pointed out she liked confident men a lot better. And second, his clothes were awful. He was wearing a pinkish blouse combined with orange jacket and a ‘necklace’: a string with a cardboard ‘E’ on it.

Finally Ema said: “Thank you... but as you might have noticed, I’m on a date right now, so –”
Ed, suddenly very alert, interrupted her: “Oh, don’t be silly! That stu- I mean, Klavier has left you. So now you can fully concentrate on me. Do you want to tell me more about myself, or do you want to tell something about you first?”
He gave Ema a very intense look. A very, very intense look. Ema got a bit intimidated, so she decided to let him talk first. She shouldn’t have. Ed started rambling about every bit of his life, the uninteresting parts included (well, to Ema his whole life was an uninteresting part), and about all his weird hobbies, from chess-piece painting to ostrich admiring.

As Ed was blabbing on, Ema’s thought drifted slowly, no, quickly to her actual date: Klavier.
Where the hell did that fop go to? Why did I trust him? I’ll bet all my Snackoos that he won’t come back. No wait, I don’t, too big of a risk. But was that blonde woman his girlfriend? If she was my girlfriend, I’d dump her, she didn’t seem very nice. Or maybe raging is some German way of showing your affection.
Maybe it’s for the best if Klavier doesn’t come back. Before you know it, things happen, and then we would have to start dating, which would cause all sorts of problems. Nah, only one. I really couldn’t tell my colleagues. On the other hand, maybe Jamie already told them about Friday night and everyone is gossiping about us this very moment.
Wait, was Ed really talking about his grandmother’s armpit hair just now? Klavier Gavin, get your lazy glimmerous butt over here, straight away!

After an hour of listening (or at least pretending to listen) to Ed, Klavier still hadn’t come back yet. Ema, who was withering, decided to cut the knot and said:
“Listen Ed, you’re a great guy and all that stuff, but I’m going now. Thanks for the flowers and well... good luck with the rest of your life, because as far I can tell, you’ll need it.”
Ed gasped, then pouted. “But I’ve bought you Snackoos...”
Ema, who had already started walking away, turned around, walked back and grabbed Ed’s shoulders.
“WHERE are they?!” Ema bellowed.
“Er... in my bag...” Ed stammerd. Ema grabbled in his bag, took out the Snackoos and walked away again.

When Ema stepped outside, she noticed it was raining. Oh, that’s just great.
She pulled her coat over her head and started heading for her apartment. After five minutes of walking, Ema suddenly heard the roaring of a motorcycle. As she was still mad with Klavier, she wanted to avoid him. Trying to get away fast, she found herself jumping in the nearest bus. As she was looking for a seat, she saw the motorcycle she had heard passing by: on it was a big, dark-haired woman.
Ema hoped she had accidentally chosen the right bus, but when she noticed the sign with the destination of the bus on it, she realised she hadn’t. So when the bus stopped again, Ema immediately got out. As she looked down the street, she started to panic. Where the hell am I? She looked around, but didn’t recognize anything, so she just headed off with the hope of seeing something familiar eventually. She once again heard a motorcycle, but didn’t expect it to be Klavier this time. It wasn’t Klavier indeed, but Ema never could have guessed who was riding the motorcycle: Ed! How surprised Ema was when she looked over her shoulder!

“Hey, Ema!” Ed yelled. He tried to stop his bike right next to Ema, but he had a hard time trying not to fall on the ground. Finally, he took off his helmet and said:
“Do you want a lift? I mean, er... Wanna ride?”
Ema raised an eyebrow and asked: “Do you ride the motorcycle?”
“At the moment, yes.”
Even though that wasn’t the comforting answer Ema had hoped to hear, she was still lost in the centre of town and someone offered her help. Unfortunately that someone was a complete fool in this case, but desperate as she was, Ema decided to accept Ed’s offer. She climbed on the back of the motorcycle and put on a helmet. Oh, this is just great for my hair.
When they drove away, Ema’s worst expectations came true: Ed didn’t seem to have any control over his motorcycle and was zigzagging between the cars and the poles on the pavement. Ema’s heart was in her mouth and she was thinking: I don’t want to die! I can’t even investigate my own body if I die! But with Ed’s dangerous driving style, it was only a matter of time until something bad happened. Soon Ed crashed into a car, which caused Ema to fall of the motorcycle. Even though she was wearing a helmet, the impact on her head was so big that she lost consciousness.

A few minutes later, Ema could hear a voice very far away.
“Ema, wake up! Ema! ... Oh come on, Fräulein!”
The last word made Ema open her eyes immediately. She was still lying on the road. She wanted to say something, but suddenly she began to feel so much pain, that she didn’t dare to move anything except for her eyes, not even her mouth. Even eating Snackoos would be painful now, Ema thought sadly.
“Thank God, you’re alive. Considering the way you were flying just a while ago, I think you have been very lucky,” Klavier told her.
Ema tried to speak, but first she could only moan. Then she managed to say:
“Ed... where’s... he’s...dead?”
“Ed? The idiot who brought you in this state? No, he’s still alive unfortunately, and he’s even doing better than you. He was apologising to you – as if you were listening – until the police arrested him.”
Ema nodded slowly. “So... how did you... get here? And where’s... your girlfriend?”
Klavier laughed. “My girlfriend?” he began, but suddenly they heard the ambulance arrive and Ema was carried onto a brancard and into the ambulance. Since she was lying on her back, she didn’t notice Klavier going into the ambulance with her.

As Ema was contemplating about everything that happened that evening, she slowly fell asleep. When Klavier saw that she was sleeping, he silently took his mobile phone out of his jacket and pushed some buttons. Then he held the phone right next to Ema’s ear and pressed one final button. ‘Guilty Love’ started blasting into Ema’s ears, causing Ema to be sitting upstraight in just a moment, looking in the eyes of a laughing Klavier.
“Ouch!” she said, because she suddenly felt her wounds again. Then, annoyed: “Cut it out, stupid glimmerous fop!” Then, surprised: “Wait, what are you doing here?!”
“Well, I’m sitting and I’m annoying you,” Klavier said.
Ema rolled her eyes. “No, I mean, why are you here, in this ambulance in the first place? Or even more important, how could you be on the place of the accident so quickly?”
Klavier smiled faintly and said: “The accident happened right in front of the TV studio where I was having an interview.”
“An interview?” said Ema, who was now starting to feel comfortable with sitting upstraight.
“Yes... about my ‘girlfriend’.”

As Ema didn’t notice the sarcasm in Klavier’s voice, she started to freak out.
“So you do have a girlfriend! And still you ask me out on a date! That’s so inappropriate, you fop!”
Klavier couldn’t help but laugh. Of course, Ema got offended.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because you’re funny when you get angry.”
“Oh, I hate it when people say such things.”
“And because she isn’t even my girlfriend.”
“She isn’t? Wait... who isn’t?”
“The woman who stole your date of course.”
Ema nodded, and then said: “So, what did she steal you for?”
“Well, for the TV interview of course. Linda, that’s her name, is my manager. I told her to cancel the interview, because of my date,” Klavier said, smiling at Ema. “She is new in the managing world, so when the TV company told her they wouldn’t accept a cancellation, she didn’t try to push them, she tried to push me to go anyway. She didn’t succeed at first, but when she yelled at me at the restaurant, she looked so scary! But you know that I have this thing for woman who yell at me, don’t you Fräulein?”
Ema huffed, but laughed on the inside. “And why did you follow me into the ambulance?”
“Because you’re still my date this evening and I’m not done bothering you,” Klavier said.

Ten minutes later the ambulance arrived at the hospital. After they did some tests with Ema, Klavier stayed at her bedside. They chatted a bit about the cases they had been through together, when Klavier suddenly said:
“Did you know that our last kiss is already three days ago?”
“Oh really?” Ema said sarcastically. As if I’d forget such a thing, she thought.
“Hmm hmm,” Klavier said, and looked Ema in the eyes. Oh no, don’t stare at me with your amazing blue eyes. And don’t bring your lips closer to mine! Don’t –
Being disobedient to Ema’s thoughts, Klavier kissed Ema. And not caring about her own thoughts either, Ema kissed him back.

Suddenly a doctor came in and coughed, interrupting the ‘magic moment’.
“Miss Skye?” he said, raising an eyebrow meaningfully.
“Err, yes,” Ema stammered.
“You have a concussion and some big abrasions. You will have to rest for two weeks and make sure you rub in your abrasions every day for a week. Mainly in the beginning someone will have to take care of you, because we want to make sure you rest enough. That’s it. Any questions?”
“Er no, that’s OK,” Ema said. And here I was, thinking I was feeling light-headed because of Klavier, when the real cause was a concussion... Or was it?
The doctor made a grumpy face, mumbled: “Go on, have a love life together even though my wife just cheated on me,” and walked out of the room.
Klavier said smiling: “So, someone’s going to have to take care of you, hm?”
Oh, he’s going to take care of me, how sweet! Ema thought.
“What’s Lana’s phone number?”
“What?! I thought –”
Klavier grinned. “Don’t worry, Fräulein, I was just teasing you!”

Ema was sitting behind her desk, eating Snackoos. She took a look at the clock in her office. It was 4.55 PM, she would be allowed to leave in five minutes. Normally, she would have had to work until six o’ clock, but she was going to a concert that evening, so she asked if she could go home earlier. It wasn’t busy at the department, anyway.

A Gavinners concert. She always said she would never ever go to the Gavinners, because that would mean she had to see that glimmerous fop of a prosecutor, Klavier Gavin, after working hours and she wasn’t sure if she could cope with that. But, about a week ago, one of her colleagues, a detective called Jamie Tyson, had come into her office and had asked her if she wanted to go to a concert with him. Jamie was kind of handsome, and Ema had always liked him. She didn’t have a problem with going to a concert for free either, so she had said yes. What she didn’t know back then was that she would be going to a Gavinners concert, she heard that after she had said yes. But she didn’t want to cancel her date just because she didn’t like Klavier. She had decided to go anyway.

Right now she was feeling really nervous, though. Jamie would pick her up at her apartment around 8 o’clock that evening, and together they would go to the Sunshine Coliseum, where the concert would take place. They would also be in the crowd together, and Klavier might notice them. She hoped he wouldn’t, for Klavier would probably start teasing her if he did. And if there was someone who had to shut up about Ema’s relationships, as far as those existed, it was Klavier Gavin. Maybe she should go in disguise? Nah, she’d probably look silly then, and by the way, Jamie had once told her he liked the way she looked because her look was so natural. She just had to make sure she wouldn’t be conspicuous and then everything would be all right.

Ema was still struggling with her hairdryer when she heard the doorbell ring already. She quickly put away her dryer, feeling the left side of her hair was still wet from showering, whereas the right side had already been dried, and ran to the door to open it.
“Hi, Jamie, come in, I still have to get my stuff,” she said with a nervous smile. She saw his hair was different: he had put some locks half in front of his eyes, a bit like... Nah. It looked cute, anyway. Jamie walked to the couch and sat down, while Ema was looking for her mobile phone. When she found it, she returned to her living room and asked Jamie:
“You didn’t forget the tickets, did you?”
“Of course not. You’re not at work Ema, just stop stressing for a while,” Jamie answered.
He smiled, but he also had an expression of concern on his face. Ema looked at him and smiled again, but this time more relaxed. I’m so lucky he asked me out, she thought.
“Well, I’m ready, let’s go!” she said.
Jamie took her hand and led her to the door. No more than a second after he had closed the door, Ema came back rushing into her apartment. She had almost forgotten her pink glasses.

When Ema and Jamie arrived at the Sunshine Coliseum, there was a big line in front of the entrance.
“Guess we’ll just have to wait for a while then,” Jamie said.
Ema nodded. Even though Jamie had tried to soothe Ema several times, she still felt very nervous. Somehow taking her date to a place where Klavier would also be made her feel uneasy. She tried to suppress the feeling though, because she didn’t want to spoil Jamie’s night. And her own night, of course.

They were already waiting for a quarter of an hour, when they suddenly heard a lot of screaming. Hysterical fangirls around them were freaking out, and as Ema looked past them, she saw why: the Gavinners had arrived. Ema tried to look away from them, not wanting to see that prosecutor she hated so much, with his stupid fangirls and that annoying German accent, but Jamie said: “Look, there they are!”
Ema had no choice; she looked over her shoulder and saw Gavin and his band coming nearer and nearer. Gavin in front of course, removing the hair from before his eyes in a way that made all the girls swoon. Except for Ema, of course.
Jamie noticed and asked her: “Why do you look so grumpy? Don’t you like him?”
“Well... he’s so... he’s such a... glimmerous fop!’ Jamie raised an eyebrow.
“So... if you don’t like Klavier Gavin, then why did you agree to go to this concert with me?” Ema hesitated. “Because of you, of course.”
Jamie lit up. “That sounds like a good reason,” he said happily.

Then, all of a sudden, Klavier Gavin was right next to Ema.
“Ach, Fräulein, how good to see you here! I must say I didn’t expect you, though.” Ema just looked at him, trying not to throw the Snackoos, which she had tucked in her coat, at him and his shiny face.
“But I don’t like it when pretty ladies have to wait outside in the cold,” Klavier continued, giving Jamie an apologising look for calling his date pretty. “If you want to, you can follow me, then you won’t have to wait in this boring line, ja?”
Ema opened her mouth to refuse, simply not willing to accept an offer from Klavier, but Jamie answered earlier: “That sounds wonderful, prosecutor Gavin!”
Ema moaned. Klavier led the two detectives to the entrance, and said to the girl who was checking the tickets:
“These are two of my respected colleagues, so they’re going in with me, ja?”
The girl nodded, not able to say anything out of amazement. When the group had passed, she immediately texted her best friend:
I saw Klavier Gavin IRL! Omigosh, he’s so cute!

After the Gavinners, Ema and Jamie had entered the Coliseum, they seperated ways. But just before they did, Klavier whispered to Ema: “Please stay for a while after the concert has finished, Fräulein.”

At nine o’clock, the warm-up had finally ended. Ema wanted to say to Jamie how bad the music had been, but to her surprise, she saw that Jamie had actually quite enjoyed it. Oh well, tastes differ, Ema thought. She felt weird at the the thought of Klavier being on stage in a few moments. Normally she would just have felt hatred, but because of what Klavier had just whispered to her, she was confused.
Why on earth does Klavier want to see me after the concert? Maybe it’s because – no, I can’t be thinking what I think I’m thinking, right? Wait, he just said I should stay, not that he wanted to see me. Maybe it’s all just a trap. He’s trying to spoil my date! I hate him, that glimmerous fop. If he’s messing with me, that is. No no, I hate him anyway! But what if he did mean it?

Ema’s thoughts were interrupted by a lot of loud screams: the Gavinners appeared on stage.
“Guten Abend, Sunshine Coliseum!” Klavier screamed.
Suddenly Ema found herself screaming along even louder than the rest. Jamie gave her a surprised look, and for one moment, Ema thought Klavier was looking at her too. But he wouldn’t be able to see her with all those spotlights and the big distance between them, would he?
The Gavinners started with their biggest hit of the moment, Guilty Love. After that, they played some other hits and all the time the crowd sang along. Ema sang too, but she did her best to hide it. She thought some of the songs were actually kind of catchy and Klavier’s voice sounded divine – err, not bad. But no way she was going to tell anyone, she could just picture Klavier’s smug face if he knew. She wouldn’t let him have that pleasure, so she just mumbled along with the songs she knew.
After an hour there was a break. Jamie smiled at Ema and said:
“Still hate the Gavinners?”
“Hey, I never said I hate the Gavinners! I just hate Gavin.”
“You do seem to enjoy his music, though.”
“Yeah... I mean, I do?”
Jamie grinned. “Let’s get some drinks.”

Jamie and Ema were sitting at the bar, Jamie drinking a beer, Ema with a cola in her hand. They were chatting about the concert, work and themselves. Ema was quite enjoying herself and was glad she had agreed to go to the concert with Jamie, even if it meant seeing Gavin even more. She still wondered why she had to stay after the concert, but because her ideas were driving her mad, she tried not to think about it.

But as Jamie was talking about his dog, Ema took a glance at the television behind the bar. On the screen was Klavier, rocking with his band, at a concert one year ago. Ema realised she hadn’t known him back then. They had only known each other for eight months. Yet Ema felt like Klavier had been annoying her all her life. As she watched his lips moving on the screen, she was reminded of his whispering again. He had sounded like he meant it, but on the other hand, the words he said had been very vague.

Suddenly Ema noticed that Jamie had stopped talking. He was just looking at Ema, very intensively. Ema looked back and saw a sparkle in Jamie’s eyes. He was slowly bending forward and... Oh my God! He’s going to kiss me! Ema thought. What I’m supposed to do?
But before Jamie’s lips could reach hers, a loud noise sounded: the concert would be starting again in a few minutes. Ema got off her stool quickly and headed for her seat. What a coincidence, she thought. I’m saved by the bell.

Back in her seat again, Ema thought about why she didn’t want to kiss him back. It’s probably just the nerves. Why do I always have to be so tense?
She looked at Jamie, and when she saw his cute face in the dimmed light, she decided that the next time Jamie would try to kiss her, she would kiss him back.

Then the sound of guitars filled the Stadium again. In no time the Gavinners got everybody rocking again. But while a group of youngsters were still headbanging, all the sound faded away. A piano came in sight, and a woman dressed in blue walked upon the stage: it was time for the Guitar’s Serenade. After only a few seconds lots of mobile phones were waving in front of Ema’s eyes. She got a bit dizzy from looking at them, so she turned her head to Jamie. She got the idea he had been watching her all the time. Again, she saw a sparkle in his eyes. First, by instinct, she wanted to shrink back, but then she remembered her decision. Jamie’s lips came closer and closer and touched her lips softly.
Why does his kiss remember me of the time I ate fingerprint powder? Ema thought. Suddenly, she heard a guitar miss a beat. As Jamie noticed this too, both detectives looked at the stage, and for one moment Ema could swear she saw Klavier looking at them.

“That was an awesome concert, wasn’t it, Ema?” Jamie asked as they were walking to the exit. Ema nodded.
“Yeah, especially when I wasn’t able to see that fop’s face. He made me nauseous.”
Jamie smiled faintly. “I know you don’t like Gavin, Ema, but I think you’re exaggerating. What did he ever do to you?”
What a stupid question, Ema thought. “Isn’t that obvious? He... he teases me!”
“Oh my god!” Jamie said sarcastically.
Ema gave him an offended look, with her cheeks all blown up. “It’s very annoying when you’re trying to do your job, mind you.”

Only a few feet away from the exit Ema remembered that Klavier had asked her to stay a bit longer.
“Jamie, wait! I have to... brush my teeth!”
Jamie raised an eyebrow. “But –”
“I mean go to the toilet! Please let me go, I feel like I could pee my pants any minute!”
“Okay... I’ll wait here.”
Relieved she had made up something, Ema walked back into the Stadium. She had no idea where she was going or where Klavier was, so she went in a random direction. She didn’t hear Jamie’s voice shouting:
“Ema, the toilets are on the right, not on the left!”

After a while she saw the bar where she had been drinking with Jamie. Maybe the Gavinners will grab a drink here, too, Ema thought as she sat down on a stool and ordered herself another cola. Just then she heard that familiar voice behind her:
“You’re not going to pay your own drink, are you, Fräulein?”
Ema opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say. Come on, say something clever, she thought, but she closed her mouth because she was afraid she would start drooling.
“Where’s your lovely date?” Klavier asked, who was now sitting on the stool next to Ema.
Ema took a look around. How was it possible that there were no fangirls hanging around Klavier? When she looked back at Klavier again, she saw he was wearing a wig and sunglasses. It was the most transparent disguise she had ever seen, but apparently Klavier’s fans were stupid enough to fall for it.
“Jamie is waiting for – he’s waiting in line to go to the toilet,” Ema finally answered.
“And while he’s making a pipi, you’re getting a drink at the bar? One drink?” Klavier asked with a smile on his face.
Ema hesitated. Her own lies were confusing her.
“Jamie talking about... liquid made me thirsty. I asked Jamie if he wanted a drink too, but he err, didn’t want to fill his bleather just after emptying it. Yeah, that’s it.” What on earth am I blabbering about?
Klavier tried hard not to laugh, as he knew how easily Ema got mad, and ordered a beer.
“So it’s not because I asked you to stay?” he asked.
Ema turned red. “Of course not, why would I stay for someone as glamor- glimmerous as you?”
“Well –”
“Don’t answer.”
Klavier was surprised. Was she already mad at him this quick? That might be a new record, he thought. No wait, that was probably when I ‘accidentally’ knocked over her bottle of Luminol.

“So, Fräulein, did you enjoy the concert?” Klavier asked.
Ema, now irritated and not in the mood for some nice chit-chat with someone she loathed (at least most of the time), answered:
“I don’t know, there was this annoying guy on stage, with long blond hair and a stupid necklace... oh, it was you!”
Klavier pouted. “Don’t be so mean to me, ja? If I’m not mistaken, I saw you singing along and ah, thanks to Jamie you could even enjoy yourself without music.”
Ema gasped. “So you did see me and Jamie kiss!”
Klavier chuckled sneakily. “Oh, did you kiss?”
Ema quickly took a sip of her cola.

“This might be the first time I see you without a white labcoat,” Klavier said.
Ema said nothing, afraid she would say something stupid again.
“I must admit that this dress looks good on you.”
Ema gave Klavier a bewildered look. Is he giving me... a compliment? She saw a playful light in his eyes:
“Especially in combination with those pink glasses of yours.”
Ema flushed. “Yeah well, they’re my lucky glasses you know, I’ve had them since high school, and –”
Suddenly Klavier kissed her, right on the mouth. Ema’s brains told her body ‘run away, run away!’ but somehow she couldn’t move. When the kiss ended, Ema looked in Klavier’s eyes, but he didn’t look back at her. As a matter of fact, he looked over her shoulder. Ema turned around and saw Jamie.

She wasn’t surprised he went to find her, she must have been away for half an hour by now. She was surprised by his timing, though. Jamie looked at Klavier. First he looked confused, but the moment he recognized the blue eyes he shouted:
“Ema! I just can’t believe it! How could you do that?”
Then he ran away. Ema noticed that everyone in the room was looking at her. Quickly, she said:
“Don’t worry guys, it’s just my brother from the asylum!”
Eventually, everyone turned away. She immediately felt sorry for Jamie, but she couldn’t help it: she always said weird things when she panicked. Next to her, she could hear Klavier snicker.
“Stop laughing!” she hissed. “You just spoiled my date! Just like you always spoil my crime scenes, with your stupid motorcycle and your stupid fangirls! God, I wish you weren’t so damn cute, then I could just hate you!”
For a while, Ema and Klavier both silenced.
Then Klavier said smugly: “You think I’m cute?”
“Arrgh!”
“I’m sorry. Does it bother you that I have spoiled your date?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you smiling?”
Ema paused. She didn’t know. She hadn’t even noticed she was smiling, until Klavier told her.
“Because you are going to buy me loads of Snackoos to make it up,” she answered.
“Am I?”
“Ja!”

Monday morning, Ema was sitting at her desk once again. Even though it was very early and she just had breakfast, she was filling her stomach with Snackoos. This time the snacks tasted even better, because they had been bought by someone who had finally made up for all the annoying things he had done. Of course, he hadn’t promised to never do such things again, but as long Ema had her Snackoos, she was happy.
Ema heard someone knocking on her door.
“Come in!” she said. Klavier entered her office.
“Hello, Fräulein. I have a request.”
Ema looked up. “What is it?”
“Well, even though Detective Tyson enjoyed my concert last Friday, he doesn’t want to work with me anymore. I believe I heard him mumble something about ‘stealing his date’. Could you please take over the case?”
Ema answered: “If you buy me Snackoos.”
“But I’ve already bought you five packages!”
“Yeah... but I’ve only got one left,” Ema grinned.
Klavier thought for a while. “If you take the case, I’ll take you out for dinner tonight.”
Stubbornly Ema said: “I prefer some more Snackoos, really.”
“But would you like it if I told the whole precinct you think I’m ‘damn cute’?”
“...All right, I’ll take the case.”
“Danke.” Klavier walked back to the door again, but before he disappeared, he said:
“Don’t forget your pink glasses tonight, Fräulein.”
That stupid glimmerous fop, Ema thought, but this time, she did notice she was smiling.

At nine o’clock, the warm-up had finally ended. Ema wanted to say to Jamie how bad the music had been, but to her surprise, she saw that Jamie had actually quite enjoyed it. Oh well, tastes differ, Ema thought. She felt weird at the the thought of Klavier being on stage in a few moments. Normally she would just have felt hatred, but because of what Klavier had just whispered to her, she was confused.
Why on earth does Klavier want to see me after the concert? Maybe it’s because – no, I can’t be thinking what I think I’m thinking, right? Wait, he just said I should stay, not that he wanted to see me. Maybe it’s all just a trap. He’s trying to spoil my date! I hate him, that glimmerous fop. If he’s messing with me, that is. No no, I hate him anyway! But what if he did mean it?

Ema’s thoughts were interrupted by a lot of loud screams: the Gavinners appeared on stage.
“Guten Abend, Sunshine Coliseum!” Klavier screamed.
Suddenly Ema found herself screaming along even louder than the rest. Jamie gave her a surprised look, and for one moment, Ema thought Klavier was looking at her too. But he wouldn’t be able to see her with all those spotlights and the big distance between them, would he?
The Gavinners started with their biggest hit of the moment, Guilty Love. After that, they played some other hits and all the time the crowd sang along. Ema sang too, but she did her best to hide it. She thought some of the songs were actually kind of catchy and Klavier’s voice sounded divine – err, not bad. But no way she was going to tell anyone, she could just picture Klavier’s smug face if he knew. She wouldn’t let him have that pleasure, so she just mumbled along with the songs she knew.
After an hour there was a break. Jamie smiled at Ema and said:
“Still hate the Gavinners?”
“Hey, I never said I hate the Gavinners! I just hate Gavin.”
“You do seem to enjoy his music, though.”
“Yeah... I mean, I do?”
Jamie grinned. “Let’s get some drinks.”

Jamie and Ema were sitting at the bar, Jamie drinking a beer, Ema with a cola in her hand. They were chatting about the concert, work and themselves. Ema was quite enjoying herself and was glad she had agreed to go to the concert with Jamie, even if it meant seeing Gavin even more. She still wondered why she had to stay after the concert, but because her ideas were driving her mad, she tried not to think about it.

But as Jamie was talking about his dog, Ema took a glance at the television behind the bar. On the screen was Klavier, rocking with his band, at a concert one year ago. Ema realised she hadn’t known him back then. They had only known each other for eight months. Yet Ema felt like Klavier had been annoying her all her life. As she watched his lips moving on the screen, she was reminded of his whispering again. He had sounded like he meant it, but on the other hand, the words he said had been very vague.

Suddenly Ema noticed that Jamie had stopped talking. He was just looking at Ema, very intensively. Ema looked back and saw a sparkle in Jamie’s eyes. He was slowly bending forward and... Oh my God! He’s going to kiss me! Ema thought. What I’m supposed to do?
But before Jamie’s lips could reach hers, a loud noise sounded: the concert would be starting again in a few minutes. Ema got off her stool quickly and headed for her seat. What a coincidence, she thought. I’m saved by the bell.

Back in her seat again, Ema thought about why she didn’t want to kiss him back. It’s probably just the nerves. Why do I always have to be so tense?
She looked at Jamie, and when she saw his cute face in the dimmed light, she decided that the next time Jamie would try to kiss her, she would kiss him back.

Then the sound of guitars filled the Stadium again. In no time the Gavinners got everybody rocking again. But while a group of youngsters were still headbanging, all the sound faded away. A piano came in sight, and a woman dressed in blue walked upon the stage: it was time for the Guitar’s Serenade. After only a few seconds lots of mobile phones were waving in front of Ema’s eyes. She got a bit dizzy from looking at them, so she turned her head to Jamie. She got the idea he had been watching her all the time. Again, she saw a sparkle in his eyes. First, by instinct, she wanted to shrink back, but then she remembered her decision. Jamie’s lips came closer and closer and touched her lips softly.
Why does his kiss remember me of the time I ate fingerprint powder? Ema thought. Suddenly, she heard a guitar miss a beat. As Jamie noticed this too, both detectives looked at the stage, and for one moment Ema could swear she saw Klavier looking at them.

“That was an awesome concert, wasn’t it, Ema?” Jamie asked as they were walking to the exit. Ema nodded.
“Yeah, especially when I wasn’t able to see that fop’s face. He made me nauseous.”
Jamie smiled faintly. “I know you don’t like Gavin, Ema, but I think you’re exaggerating. What did he ever do to you?”
What a stupid question, Ema thought. “Isn’t that obvious? He... he teases me!”
“Oh my god!” Jamie said sarcastically.
Ema gave him an offended look, with her cheeks all blown up. “It’s very annoying when you’re trying to do your job, mind you.”

Only a few feet away from the exit Ema remembered that Klavier had asked her to stay a bit longer.
“Jamie, wait! I have to... brush my teeth!”
Jamie raised an eyebrow. “But –”
“I mean go to the toilet! Please let me go, I feel like I could pee my pants any minute!”
“Okay... I’ll wait here.”
Relieved she had made up something, Ema walked back into the Stadium. She had no idea where she was going or where Klavier was, so she went in a random direction. She didn’t hear Jamie’s voice shouting:
“Ema, the toilets are on the right, not on the left!”

After a while she saw the bar where she had been drinking with Jamie. Maybe the Gavinners will grab a drink here, too, Ema thought as she sat down on a stool and ordered herself another cola. Just then she heard that familiar voice behind her:
“You’re not going to pay your own drink, are you, Fräulein?”
Ema opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say. Come on, say something clever, she thought, but she closed her mouth because she was afraid she would start drooling.
“Where’s your lovely date?” Klavier asked, who was now sitting on the stool next to Ema.
Ema took a look around. How was it possible that there were no fangirls hanging around Klavier? When she looked back at Klavier again, she saw he was wearing a wig and sunglasses. It was the most transparent disguise she had ever seen, but apparently Klavier’s fans were stupid enough to fall for it.
“Jamie is waiting for – he’s waiting in line to go to the toilet,” Ema finally answered.
“And while he’s making a pipi, you’re getting a drink at the bar? One drink?” Klavier asked with a smile on his face.
Ema hesitated. Her own lies were confusing her.
“Jamie talking about... liquid made me thirsty. I asked Jamie if he wanted a drink too, but he err, didn’t want to fill his bleather just after emptying it. Yeah, that’s it.” What on earth am I blabbering about?
Klavier tried hard not to laugh, as he knew how easily Ema got mad, and ordered a beer.
“So it’s not because I asked you to stay?” he asked.
Ema turned red. “Of course not, why would I stay for someone as glamor- glimmerous as you?”
“Well –”
“Don’t answer.”
Klavier was surprised. Was she already mad at him this quick? That might be a new record, he thought. No wait, that was probably when I ‘accidentally’ knocked over her bottle of Luminol.

“So, Fräulein, did you enjoy the concert?” Klavier asked.
Ema, now irritated and not in the mood for some nice chit-chat with someone she loathed (at least most of the time), answered:
“I don’t know, there was this annoying guy on stage, with long blond hair and a stupid necklace... oh, it was you!”
Klavier pouted. “Don’t be so mean to me, ja? If I’m not mistaken, I saw you singing along and ah, thanks to Jamie you could even enjoy yourself without music.”
Ema gasped. “So you did see me and Jamie kiss!”
Klavier chuckled sneakily. “Oh, did you kiss?”
Ema quickly took a sip of her cola.

“This might be the first time I see you without a white labcoat,” Klavier said.
Ema said nothing, afraid she would say something stupid again.
“I must admit that this dress looks good on you.”
Ema gave Klavier a bewildered look. Is he giving me... a compliment? She saw a playful light in his eyes:
“Especially in combination with those pink glasses of yours.”
Ema flushed. “Yeah well, they’re my lucky glasses you know, I’ve had them since high school, and –”
Suddenly Klavier kissed her, right on the mouth. Ema’s brains told her body ‘run away, run away!’ but somehow she couldn’t move. When the kiss ended, Ema looked in Klavier’s eyes, but he didn’t look back at her. As a matter of fact, he looked over her shoulder. Ema turned around and saw Jamie.

She wasn’t surprised he went to find her, she must have been away for half an hour by now. She was surprised by his timing, though. Jamie looked at Klavier. First he looked confused, but the moment he recognized the blue eyes he shouted:
“Ema! I just can’t believe it! How could you do that?”
Then he ran away. Ema noticed that everyone in the room was looking at her. Quickly, she said:
“Don’t worry guys, it’s just my brother from the asylum!”
Eventually, everyone turned away. She immediately felt sorry for Jamie, but she couldn’t help it: she always said weird things when she panicked. Next to her, she could hear Klavier snicker.
“Stop laughing!” she hissed. “You just spoiled my date! Just like you always spoil my crime scenes, with your stupid motorcycle and your stupid fangirls! God, I wish you weren’t so damn cute, then I could just hate you!”
For a while, Ema and Klavier both silenced.
Then Klavier said smugly: “You think I’m cute?”
“Arrgh!”
“I’m sorry. Does it bother you that I have spoiled your date?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you smiling?”
Ema paused. She didn’t know. She hadn’t even noticed she was smiling, until Klavier told her.
“Because you are going to buy me loads of Snackoos to make it up,” she answered.
“Am I?”
“Ja!”

Monday morning, Ema was sitting at her desk once again. Even though it was very early and she just had breakfast, she was filling her stomach with Snackoos. This time the snacks tasted even better, because they had been bought by someone who had finally made up for all the annoying things he had done. Of course, he hadn’t promised to never do such things again, but as long Ema had her Snackoos, she was happy.
Ema heard someone knocking on her door.
“Come in!” she said. Klavier entered her office.
“Hello, Fräulein. I have a request.”
Ema looked up. “What is it?”
“Well, even though Detective Tyson enjoyed my concert last Friday, he doesn’t want to work with me anymore. I believe I heard him mumble something about ‘stealing his date’. Could you please take over the case?”
Ema answered: “If you buy me Snackoos.”
“But I’ve already bought you five packages!”
“Yeah... but I’ve only got one left,” Ema grinned.
Klavier thought for a while. “If you take the case, I’ll take you out for dinner tonight.”
Stubbornly Ema said: “I prefer some more Snackoos, really.”
“But would you like it if I told the whole precinct you think I’m ‘damn cute’?”
“...All right, I’ll take the case.”
“Danke.” Klavier walked back to the door again, but before he disappeared, he said:
“Don’t forget your pink glasses tonight, Fräulein.”
That stupid glimmerous fop, Ema thought, but this time, she did notice she was smiling.

“Have you decided already, Fräulein?” Klavier asked after they both had inspected the menus.
“I don’t know, I think I have a misprint. I don’t see Snackoos anywhere on this list!” Ema said.
Klavier laughed. “As it’s already put in the name so subtly, Snackoos are snacks. You can’t buy snacks in an Italian restaurant.”
“What?!” Ema exclaimed.
Quickly Klavier added: “Don’t get mad, please! I know Snackoos are very precious to you but... you can even pick the expensive dishes if you want to, all right?”
Ema was sulking, but she nodded. She took a glance at the menu, but as everything was Italian, she didn’t really recognize anything on it. Eventually she said:
“I’ll take whatever you take. As long that isn’t bratwurst or something.” What am I saying? Who eats bratwurst in an Italian restaurant?
Klavier gave her a curious look, but that wasn’t anything new. Once he started reading the menu again, Ema’s thoughts took the chance they got to run free.
Why do I feel so stupid? He’s the stupid one here. I still can’t believe he persuaded me to go out with him. Well, actually I can, but I wish I couldn’t. Maybe I shouldn’t have let Jamie off the hook, he didn’t make me feel so stupid. But maybe that’s what love is about, making each other feel stupid. If that’s the case, Klavier sure loves me a lot.
To calm down her nerves, Ema started inspecting her knife for fingerprints. She didn’t find any, which wasn’t really weird since the knifes were cleaned after every use. Ema’s messed up brain had almost shared this not-so-genius invention with the outside world, but luckily it was interrupted by the waiter. Klavier ordered in Italian, so all Ema understood was:
“Blah blah blahio, blahi blaho blah blah, prego.”
Show-off, Ema huffed to herself.

As the waiter walked away, a blonde woman dashed to Klavier and Ema’s table – it was the woman with whom Ema had seen Klavier on TV. She started rambling in German to Klavier, who just looked at her with big eyes.
After a while, Klavier said to Ema: “I'm sorry, Fräulein, I have to go with her... I’ll be back as soon as possible, I promise. Please don’t start hating me more than you already do.”
And he walked away with the blonde woman in front of him.

Ema didn’t even get a chance to be bewilderd, because the moment Klavier had left his seat, another man headed to Ema’s table and sat down at Klavier’s chair.
“Hi, err... Froylain,” the man said nervously. Ema raised an eyebrow. Who on earth is this man? she thought.
“Well, hello.”
“Did you like the roses I sent you?”
“What?! They were yours? But... how do you know my address? Wait, more important question: who are you?”
“Oh right, I should introduce myself, how could I have been so stupid to forget that?” the man said, more to himself than to Ema.
“I’m Ed Myre. I was in court about a week ago, sitting in the audience, and you were a witness. Even though your whole testimony was ripped apart, I thought you were quite brilliant out there.”
Ed’s face went all red. Ema just stared at him. On one hand she was very flattered, that someone thought she was ‘quite brilliant’, even though it was because of the one of the worst testimonies she had ever given. On the other hand, he was... well, just very unattractive. Or at least not Ema’s type. First of all, he was very shy and jumpy, whereas her unexpected feelings towards Klavier had pointed out she liked confident men a lot better. And second, his clothes were awful. He was wearing a pinkish blouse combined with orange jacket and a ‘necklace’: a string with a cardboard ‘E’ on it.

Finally Ema said: “Thank you... but as you might have noticed, I’m on a date right now, so –”
Ed, suddenly very alert, interrupted her: “Oh, don’t be silly! That stu- I mean, Klavier has left you. So now you can fully concentrate on me. Do you want to tell me more about myself, or do you want to tell something about you first?”
He gave Ema a very intense look. A very, very intense look. Ema got a bit intimidated, so she decided to let him talk first. She shouldn’t have. Ed started rambling about every bit of his life, the uninteresting parts included (well, to Ema his whole life was an uninteresting part), and about all his weird hobbies, from chess-piece painting to ostrich admiring.

As Ed was blabbing on, Ema’s thought drifted slowly, no, quickly to her actual date: Klavier.
Where the hell did that fop go to? Why did I trust him? I’ll bet all my Snackoos that he won’t come back. No wait, I don’t, too big of a risk. But was that blonde woman his girlfriend? If she was my girlfriend, I’d dump her, she didn’t seem very nice. Or maybe raging is some German way of showing your affection.
Maybe it’s for the best if Klavier doesn’t come back. Before you know it, things happen, and then we would have to start dating, which would cause all sorts of problems. Nah, only one. I really couldn’t tell my colleagues. On the other hand, maybe Jamie already told them about Friday night and everyone is gossiping about us this very moment.
Wait, was Ed really talking about his grandmother’s armpit hair just now? Klavier Gavin, get your lazy glimmerous butt over here, straight away!

After an hour of listening (or at least pretending to listen) to Ed, Klavier still hadn’t come back yet. Ema, who was withering, decided to cut the knot and said:
“Listen Ed, you’re a great guy and all that stuff, but I’m going now. Thanks for the flowers and well... good luck with the rest of your life, because as far I can tell, you’ll need it.”
Ed gasped, then pouted. “But I’ve bought you Snackoos...”
Ema, who had already started walking away, turned around, walked back and grabbed Ed’s shoulders.
“WHERE are they?!” Ema bellowed.
“Er... in my bag...” Ed stammerd. Ema grabbled in his bag, took out the Snackoos and walked away again.

When Ema stepped outside, she noticed it was raining. Oh, that’s just great.
She pulled her coat over her head and started heading for her apartment. After five minutes of walking, Ema suddenly heard the roaring of a motorcycle. As she was still mad with Klavier, she wanted to avoid him. Trying to get away fast, she found herself jumping in the nearest bus. As she was looking for a seat, she saw the motorcycle she had heard passing by: on it was a big, dark-haired woman.
Ema hoped she had accidentally chosen the right bus, but when she noticed the sign with the destination of the bus on it, she realised she hadn’t. So when the bus stopped again, Ema immediately got out. As she looked down the street, she started to panic. Where the hell am I? She looked around, but didn’t recognize anything, so she just headed off with the hope of seeing something familiar eventually. She once again heard a motorcycle, but didn’t expect it to be Klavier this time. It wasn’t Klavier indeed, but Ema never could have guessed who was riding the motorcycle: Ed! How surprised Ema was when she looked over her shoulder!

“Hey, Ema!” Ed yelled. He tried to stop his bike right next to Ema, but he had a hard time trying not to fall on the ground. Finally, he took off his helmet and said:
“Do you want a lift? I mean, er... Wanna ride?”
Ema raised an eyebrow and asked: “Do you ride the motorcycle?”
“At the moment, yes.”
Even though that wasn’t the comforting answer Ema had hoped to hear, she was still lost in the centre of town and someone offered her help. Unfortunately that someone was a complete fool in this case, but desperate as she was, Ema decided to accept Ed’s offer. She climbed on the back of the motorcycle and put on a helmet. Oh, this is just great for my hair.
When they drove away, Ema’s worst expectations came true: Ed didn’t seem to have any control over his motorcycle and was zigzagging between the cars and the poles on the pavement. Ema’s heart was in her mouth and she was thinking: I don’t want to die! I can’t even investigate my own body if I die! But with Ed’s dangerous driving style, it was only a matter of time until something bad happened. Soon Ed crashed into a car, which caused Ema to fall of the motorcycle. Even though she was wearing a helmet, the impact on her head was so big that she lost consciousness.