"Hey there, Adalet," Frank slid in behind his partner crouched down so that her chair hid most of him from view, "got an investigation going on? I need to lay low, Andrea's looking for me . . ."

"Ah, Frank, there you are!" Andrea appeared behind him, "you really think I would have forgotten about your community service time?!"

"I'm a cop, Andrea," he responded, "you can't get more community service than that."

"Yes you can, and it's called cleaning up the garbage! Don't make me get you your court order!" she threatened.

"Ahh . . . Am I forgetting something?" Adalet asked confused by the conversation.

"I told him not to drink in court, Adalet, but of course he wouldn't listen! Community service is an appropriate punishment," Andrea smirked, "I'm sorry, Adalet, but could you keep an eye on him for the time being? The order is to clean up the Swamp Forest."

"Sure!" she grinned, "some fresh air might do him some good!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever . . ." Frank grumbled, "come on Adalet, let's go take a walk in that stupid forest."

After a few minutes walk . . .

"Damn, why does it have to be me?!" Frank growls slapping yet another fly on his neck, "I hate forests, they're crawling with bloody insects that won't budge when you scream at them! Bloody community service . . ."

Adalet just laughed at her partner. She had come prepared and had out on bug spray on her own body and Dean and Hunter's furs.

"Oh, yeah, you can laugh, Adalet, but you know my Gold Stag is sacred to me! No one touches it, not even the Judge!" he swore, "wait, there's something weird with that big plant over there . . . Looks like we're gonna clean more than just garbage in here!"

The cops neared the strange plant Frank had spotted and gasped at what they saw. There was a dead woman inside the plant and from the slight movements of the leaves, it was eating her body. Adalet managed to spot a set of dog tags near the base of the plant because the sunlight was reflecting off of the metal, and Dean and Hunter found a torn card a few feet away.

"What the hell happened here, Adalet? We have to take that body out of that plant!" Frank exclaimed rushing to help her.

Between the two of them, they slowly pulled the poor woman's body out of the giant carnivorous plant. Her feet hit the ground and they dragged her to the side and gently laid her down on her back.

"How exactly does one end up eaten by a giant plant?!" he cried.

"Not by an accident!" Adalet replies, "let's take the victim to Roxie, she'll tell us exactly how that poor girl got murdered."

"Our victim's uniform screams military," he remarks nodding at the camo gear, "but she has no ID."

"Actually, I picked up these," she jingled the dog tags.

"Oh, you actually found some ID, Adalet? A pair of dog tags? Not bad, not bad," he nodded approvingly, "let's just see if you can manage to make them readable, or they'll be useless."

"And there's some kind of card there, looks torn up . . ." she picked up one of the pieces, "some tape oughta help that."

"What the hell would a card like that do in a place like this?" he wonders, "you're right Adalet, you'd better fix it."

"How about this leaf?" she points at the giant plant leaf.

"But I ain't touching this monster of a plant again, Adalet," he drew the line, "so if you want to take a look at the leaf you picked up, you're doing it!"

Adalet just rolled her eyes. She picked up the giant leaf and took a closer look at the yellow stain on the edge of the leaf. It was still moist so swabbing off a sample was easy to get off.

"The part you took from Flowerzilla here was covered with a yellowish, sticky substance!" Frank comments as he watches her slather it onto the slide, "alright, you've got a point, it could be linked to the murder! Let's send that sample to Yann right away!"

Adalet placed the sample into her case and took the dog tags next. Most of the words had just faced from age and the elements, so a quick dusting of powder across the tags recovered them easily.

"The dog tags indicate that our victim was Lieutenant Nora Lewis, currently stationed at Fort LaFayette! Good job, Adalet, I'm almost impressed . . ." Frank teases, "but what would a Lieutenant be doing in the middle of the swamps without a team? Trust the old dog on this, something's not right."

"Well, we're going to have to go check out that base then!" Adalet decided.

"You want to go to Fort LaFayette, Adalet?" he blinked, "well, that's where I went for basic training back in the '80s, I'm sure I can call in one or two favours!"

While Frank began making some calls for them, Adalet picked up the torn card. She taped up the backsides of the pieces and repaired the business-like card in a blink. She got Frank's attention when it was down and held it up for him to read.

"The business card you put back together is from that Priestess Mabayo!" Frank told her as he read the info on the card, "Special discounts on all items for military personnel"? Is she trying to sell her voodoo potions to the Army?!"

"Given the fact that the card was near Nora's body, it must have been her's!" Adalet reasons.

"You think that card must have been in our dead soldier's possession, Adalet? Makes sense . . ." he pondered, "which means the victim may have had contacts with Mabayo! Let's pay her a visit!"

After the body had been sent over to the lab along with the sample from the plant's leaf, Adalet and Frank left the scene. They stopped by Erikah's house on the way to the military base to ask her why one of her cards was found near their victim's body.

"Capt. Adalet, you're back," Erikah opened her eyes, "and I see you have found one of my cards. Are you interested in love potions, Capt.? My discount might interest you . . ."

"Don't count on it, darling. We found that card next to a dead soldier, care to give us an explanation?" Frank asked with his signature grunt.

"I must have given it to them, those soldiers are my best customers! Far away from their home and their loved ones, they need all the affection they can get!" she answered holding a hand over her heart, "but I gave out so many, I can't say for sure. I keep having to go back to the forest to get my ingredients, I sold out of love potions in the first week! So if you think I had anything to do with a soldier's death, think again. Why would I kill my best customers?"

At Fort LaFayette . . .

"Ah, the stale air of Fort LaFayette!" Frank took a deep breath, "I can't say I missed it, but it touches something inside, you know? Brings me back to the soldier I was!"

"Careful or you'll breath in a bug!" Adalet teases walking over to a line of lockers along the outside hanger wall.

"What, so many things to look at, and you want to look at a boring locker?" he frowned as he followed behind her, "oh, you're right, there's the name of the victim on it! Well, better take a look inside then!"

"And how about this torn paper?" she held up the pieces.

"Well," he smirked, "I'm still ready to bet you that torn-up paper will turn out to be a false lead! C'mon, put it back together, show me if I'm right!"

Adalet smirked at the challenge laid out before her. She laid out the piece of paper on the ground before her and placed strips of tape along the sides where two half met to make a whole.

"Well, your instincts were spot on again," Frank remarked, "the paper you found is the mission schedule for our victim!"

"She was supposed to be off-base all week, working on something called A.U.D.R.E.Y.," Adalet read, "we'd better send Nora's schedule to Hannah, she'll crack it in no time!"

Setting the schedule aside and reached inside her case for her lock picks. She inserted the hooked ends into the keyhole and moved them around until there was a click and the door was able to be opened.

"Well, you got our victim's locker opened, I'll grant you that. And there's a picture inside . . ." Frank pulled off the taped picture, "wait a minute, that guy looks familiar! Damn, I can't place his face! But I'm sure I've seen him somewhere, maybe without the hobo outfit . . ."

Adalet took the photo, "if you say he's familiar, he might be in our database!"

"You think you can match that hobo face with the Police database? Be my guest, Adalet!" he invited.

Adalet scanned in a digital copy of the photo onto her tablet and pulled up the police database. She compared the man's features to similar ones they had on file and managed to find a man who matched the one in the picture.

"I'm impressed you managed to identify the man in that picture, Adalet . . . and I can't believe it!" Frank gaped as he saw who the man was, "that's Jeremy Pratt! He's been missing for more than a year!"

Adalet cocks her head, "who?"

"What? You don't know him, Adalet?" he gasped, "the guy was an expert on survival techniques, he had his own TV show where he would go alone and survive in the most hostile of environments! But he was lost while shooting an episode in the swamps. The whole police force looked for him, but nothing. It seems Nora Lewis was luckier than us."

"Well then, I'll just have to go looking!" she grinned.

"Wait, you intend to find the guy?" he asked eye going wide, "you may be the best Captain. we've had in a while, but there's no way we can . . . Oh alright, let's go then."

Arriving in the forest . . .

"You really want to do this, Adalet?" Frank asked as they ducked under some trees, "I told you hundreds of cops looked for the man and nobod-"

"RAAAAH!" a scraggly man dressed in leaves jumped in front of them with a spear in his hands.

"AAAAH!" he yelled before he got a look at the man, "what the . . . Are you kidding me?"

"Get out of here! Leave! Leave this place!" Jeremy orders brandishing his spear.

"Well I'll be . . ." he whispers, "you found Jeremy after all, Adalet! Don't you move a muscle, Mr. Pratt, Capt. Adalet is here to interrogate you!"

"What do you want? Why won't you leave the plants alone?" he asked.

"We're investigating the murder of Nora Lewis. She died right here, did you happen to see her around?" Adalet inquired.

"The soldier? I told her not to go too deep into the forest! It's dangerous, the plants here, they can eat you alive! You have to know them, you have to accept them, and then they'll let you live with them inside the swamps," Jeremy explained, "that's how I survived when I got lost here. I went too deep, but the plants saved me, and now this is my home! And I will defend it! If other soldiers come, if they want to hurt the plants in revenge, I will stop them!"

"Alright . . ." Frank grabs Adalet's arm, "Adalet, I think we should go. Don't want Jungle Jim here chopping my head off!"

Later at the station . . .

"Your victim was killed by the plant's digestive acid, Adalet! You know, I think it's fascinating how a liquid that's harmless for one thing can be so deadly for another . . ." Roxie muses.

"Wait, you're telling us the murder weapon is Flowerzilla?!" Frank exclaimed in shock.

"Exactly! Small carnivorous plants normally trap small insects inside them with a kind of natural glue, and they're slowly digested by the plant. Same thing as a stomach, really. Multiply the size of the plant, and well, multiply the size of the snack. But even then, your victim would have been able to fight back!" she rambles, "problem is, she was knocked out. And I also found fertilizer on her body, which explains why the plant decided to eat her."

"The killer seasoned the victim for the plant?" Adalet deadpanned.

Roxie laughed at the crude joke, "that fertilizer was custom-made, Adalet, which means your killer has one hell of a green thumb! They know gardening like the back of their hand!"

"Great, another gardening killer . . ." she rolled her eyes, "how about you, Yann?"

"The sample you collected from that carnivorous plant was not secreted by it!" Yann started, "it's a fresh extract of lemongrass! It doesn't grow in the swamps, but it's widely used to keep mosquitoes away from one's skin!"

"I checked the victim after Yann asked," Roxie chimed in, "and there's no trace of lemongrass on the victim!"

"And since the extract is so fresh . . ." he took over, "it means whoever killed Nora sprayed themselves with lemongrass!"

"And the schedule, Hannah?" Adalet asked the techie.

"Looking at some military property, Adalet? Be careful with those jock-heads, they tend to be--"

"If you want to disrespect the army, kid, wait till I'm gone. Or I'll be using that tablet of yours as a paper clip," Frank promised.

"Is there anything you won't take personally, Frank? Geez . . . Anyway, your super-secretive military code? I cracked it," Hannah almost looked bored, "so, Lieutenant Nora Lewis was working on a project, codenamed A.U.D.R.E.Y. Which means Alternative Universal Defense Resources on Elective Youth."

He blinked, ". . . Sorry, what?"

"Exactly! It doesn't mean anything! I tried to look into it, and I think it must be a cover-up for the real mission. Unfortunately, uncovering it would take weeks," she explained, "but I got the identity of the mission leader. It's Colonel Spangler, the head of Fort LaFayette! Honestly, I think you should talk to him directly, Adalet."

"I'll take you up on that offer, Hannah," Adalet says, "Frank, let's have a little chat with Colonel Spangler!"

When Adalet and Frank got back to Fort LaFayette they were immediately brought to the Colonel's private office. They closed the door behind them and after introducing themselves, Adalet quickly filled in the man about the Nora and case.

"One of my lieutenants died and I have to learn about it by the Police?!" Colonel Spangler fumed, "why am I the last one to know about it?"

"Sorry Colonel, euhm, I mean, sir, I mean," Frank salutes, "this is a criminal investigation and not a military one. Could you tell us what mission was Lieutenant Lewis conducting in the swamps?"

"Lieutenant Lewis was deployed to find new grounds for our military training. There was nothing more to it. The swamps are known for their hostile habitat, but Lewis was a trained officer. Not for a moment did I think she was in actual danger!" he swore, "again, Capt. Adalet, this is a military matter, and I sincerely think that you should let the Army take care of it."

"With all due respect, sir, the murder happened on civilian soil," Adalet reminded, "which makes it our mission to investigate it. But your cooperation is appreciated, sir."

With that done and over with, Adalet and Frank made a quick exit from the office.

"I can't believe I saluted Colonel Spangler!" Frank sound repulsed with himself, "he wasn't in place when I was training here, but I guess old habits die hard! Let's stay on our guard, Adalet. This investigation has roots that go deeper than what we imagined."

"Agreed!"

Back at the station . . .

"Okay, Adalet, let's recap! You found Lieutenant Nora Lewis dead in the Swamp Forest, inside a giant carnivorous plant. We have to find out who put her there!" Frank mused, "we've met with Priestess Mabayo, who seems to think the Army is as good a client as any for her voodoo stuff . . . But at least she didn't try to curse me this time!"

"Good thing too! Adalet laughed, "I wouldn't be able to handle you complaining about another headache by voodoo doll!"

"Haha. And you found Jeremy Pratt too, you're right Adalet! That guy's been missing for a year, the swamps turned him completely cuckoo!" he whistled the last part, "well, only thing that makes sense so far is Nora's superior, Colonel Spangler. A stiff upper lip and the smugness to match."

"Adalet! Finally! I found it, I cracked it!" Hannah celebrated as she ran over to the captain.

"Calm down, kid, the hell are you talking about?!" Frank demanded.

"I've done it!" she echoed, "I've found what A.U.D.R.E.Y. was really about! I hacked into Fort LaFayette's servers . . ."

"You did WHAT?"

"I hacked into the army's servers, Adalet," she repeated, "and I've found that your victim was investigating a top-secret project before she got killed with that giant plant! That's what project A.U.D.R.E.Y is all about! The swamps were the base for the illegal experiments led by a leading pharmaceutical company, Pacific Pharma!"

"A pharma company . . ." Adalet hummed under her breath.

"The experiments were stopped a couple years ago and the lab's abandoned now. Still, I'll upload the coordinates in your tablet in case you want to check it out, Adalet," Hannah rambled working on her tablet, "I've also arranged a meeting with Sally Perkins, Pacific Pharma's current CEO. I hope it's okay with you."

"Less work for me is always good in my book, Hannah! Nice job," Frank praises, "so what is it gonna be, Adalet? Would you rather inspect the deserted laboratory, or talk to Sally Perkins?"

"Let's go see Sally," Adalet picked.

Adalet and Frank drove over to the Pacific Pharma headquarters to see what Sally had to say about the experiment. The secretary showed them into the CEO's office and told them that the woman would be in shortly. The investigators made themselves comfortable on the couches while they waited. They heard the sound of heels clicking on the floor and the door opened a second later.

"Capt. Adalet, sorry for the delay," Sally apologized as she entered her office, "I was personally testing a new lemongrass product! So, what does the Pacific Bay police want with our company?"

"Mrs. Perkins," Adalet stood up, "we've learned that your company used to work in the swamps on a classified project. Could you tell us more about the experiments led there?"

"I've never had access to those labs. I've only been nominated as CEO a year ago, and that information has been lost for longer than that. All I know is that a group of our scientists were sent to the swamps to work on a secret project, under the protection of the military," she explains, "don't expect the military to help you with this, though. Everyone who knew about the experiments has vanished into thin air! To be fair, most of us thought it was nothing more than an urban legend."

"So you can't tell us anything. How convenient, isn't it Adalet?" Frank snorted, "well, thank you for your time, Mrs. Perkins, I'm sure we'll meet again."

Inside the secret laboratory . . .

"This lab looks like something out of a zombie movie, Adalet!" Frank comments as he ducked under a large vine, "look at it, only a couple of years and Nature's already reclaimed the place!"

"It's like a jungle in here!" Adalet agreed, putting her clues on a table.

"Everything is old and dusty in here, except for those vials you found! You think you can find something relevant on them, Adalet?" he questions, "and there's also those notes you found . . . Looks like a bunch of rubbish to me, but if you think you can clear them out, be my guest!"

Adalet took the vials first. Most of the liquids inside were dried up or had turned to a questionable sludge. But on the outside of the vials, she had managed to find some powdery substance and brushed off a sample of it and placed it into a dish.

"Gotta say, that was fast, Adalet! Let's get the powder you've collected from those vials to analysis!" Frank says taking the dish.