The old man just shrugged as if it were of no importance to him, and popped a peanut into his mouth.

Jimmy the Jew stared at the bag of peanuts in surprise. “Where did you get those?” he asked.

“The star vendor. You took a really long time to use the bathroom, and I got hungry,” the mad man said.

Jimmy shook his head slowly. What on earth had he gotten himself into?

“All right, old man, I-”

“I would prefer if you called me the Star King, or Your Highness, please,” the man interrupted, while staring down the last peanut in the bag.

Jimmy sighed. “Okay, Your highness,” He made sure to make the sarcasm drip off his words, “So why did you bring me here if this cloud is useless?”

The Star King looked surprised, as if Jimmy had just asked the most ridiculous question in the world. “That has to be the most ridiculous question in the world,” he said. “You’re a detective, so look for clues. I want to know why the cloud died.”

And with that, the old man sat down on his new pants and waited for Jimmy to begin.