The Offices of Thalia Trimble, Private Eye - vol 1

Cynthia grabs the bread and pops two slices into the toaster. "Hey, you don’t have to tell me twice. I have no problem with laying around eating your food and watching the Price is Right." She puts on a more serious face. "You be careful out there today. I don’t think either one of us can handle another day like yesterday. Admittedly, you had the worst of it. I don’t think I really have to persuade you not to get into any more techno-gun fights... just be careful."

---

Jamal sits at his workbench hunched over the sonic whatsis. It only took him a few minutes to solder together some wires with the appropriate connection needed to charge the device back up. After making sure it works he disconnects the charger and picks up a screwdriver. He deftly dissembles the device so he can get a look at its insides.

He reaches into a nearby drawer and pulls out a pair of jewelers glasses with a mounted light and lets out an impressed whistle. "This is something else, Thalia. Please tell me I’m not handling stolen government property here. I’ve read about how they have been looking into developing non-lethal sonic weapons that could be issued to cops nationwide. This is the first time I have seen anything resembling a working prototype though." His eyes squint as he pokes around a bit more at the insides of the device. "This isn't a prototype, is it? Have you... no you wouldn’t." He raises the glasses to the top of his head. "You have used it, haven’t you!?"

Jamal sits with jaw dropped as you recount the tale of yesterday’s battle and everything that the sonic whatsis was able to dish out.

"While you did a great job learning how to use this on the fly, I actually think you missed some of the functions. See this circuit board leader to these metal bits here, here, and here?"

He spins each of the dials back to their lowest levels and switches his grip on the sonic whatsis so he is able to get fingers on each of the metal plates at once. It is an awkward and unintuitive way of holding the device. More akin to how you would hold a pen then a weapon. But when he does it, a light on the device changes from red to blue.

"You can do a lot with sound. I can’t be certain without testing it, but I think this mode could be used to induce a number of undesirable effects on the target. The range when in this mode is considerably smaller than the offensive blasts. You’d probably have to hold the thing right up against their temple, but I think this could be used to induce dizziness, migraine headaches, temporary blindness, confusion, memory loss... In the right hands, this thing could really wreak havoc on someone’s head."

Thalia promises Cyn that she'll be careful. Of course, she's always careful. It's just that sometimes it doesn't help.Thalia shudders when Jamal mentions blindness. She tries not to talk about it, but she's always very aware that what "super powers" she possesses depend entirely on her being able to see.

"Would all the effects be temporary? I used it full blast in the 'red mode' and didn't kill anyone. Do you think 'blue mode' would be the same?"

She gives him a brief rundown of what she's gleaned from her examination of the Lawson case files. "If the people who made this gun - or at least, the people who are sending out goons armed with them - are also responsible for the murders Lawson was framed for, they might have used one of these in blue mode to subdue the father. They might have used one on Andrew Lawson to mess with his memory and make him confused. Well, I think a certain amount of general confusion is his default, but still."

She ponders the gun some more. "You think there's any way to trace this back to its manufacturer? Is there anything that would serve as some kind of signature? I need some bread crumbs here, Jamal."

Remembering something, she laughs and says, "And before I forget to mention it, your Extend-O-Ladder performed beautifully. I take back every stupid objection I made when you forced me to take it."

"By design, the device is limited to only inflict temporary impairment. In theory it could be used to induce permanent disability but the design automatically switches back to ‘red mode’ if the user turns up any of the dials. They put a lot of work into making sure it is all but impossible to bypass this security feature, but that doesn’t mean it can't be done. Knowing that something like this is out in the hands of unknown operatives does not make me feel safe.

"As far as I can tell, using this device to induce side effects on someone would be nearly undetectable. No chemical trace in their bloodstreams to look for. Maybe, and this is a big maybe, they could see something in an MRI. Any passage of time would make it more difficult though. As for tracing the device itself."

He slides the jewelers glasses back into place and turns the light back on. It was obvious there was no serial number or anything stamped into the sonic whatsis. Jamal pokes around a bit at the insides but ultimately comes up with a frown. "Everything on this thing is custom. Fabricated in house. In my experience that rules out both government and independent super geniuses like me, Angelo Cortez, or even guys like Andrew Lawson. No brag intended. Governments outsource as much as they can. Everything they make has to be labeled and have a serial number. Guys like me tend to put stuff together from whatever we have laying around. Re-purposing mass produced tech into ways that no one thought of before. Every tiny little piece of this device is custom made.

"You said you’re neck deep in Lloyd Laboratories business with Kate Lawson, right? They are the exact type of multinational corporation with the money and resources to produce this. It's a good thing you have an inside source that might be able to tell you who was working on something like this. I just hope you can trust her."

Jamal gets a big wide smile on his face when you compliment him on the Extend-O-Ladder. "Now that is more like it. I hope you won’t roll your eyes next time I try to help you out. But seriously, Thalia, I’m glad I could help. And I want to thank you again for getting me in touch with that PI in Chicago. He’s got a few ideas about what might be going on. I really think he’s going to make a difference. For that, I cannot thank you enough."

Thalia puts a hand on Jamal's arm and smiles. "I'm so glad to hear that Marshall's going to be able to help you. I was about to ask if you'd talked to him yet. Keep me posted on his progress."

Jamal's description of the failsafes built into the sonic gun to prevent permanent damage to the victim in the "blue mode" offers Thalia a small measure of relief, although he's right - if someone is determined to get around the failsafe, they'll find a way. Her best bet in terms of her own safety is to avoid letting anyone get close enough to put that thing against her head.

Well, it's good to have goals.

In the meantime, her only shot at determining if someone's been attacked with the "blue mode" is getting them into an MRI machine and hoping it left a discernible trace. Not promising.

And she's not terribly thrilled that the only bread crumbs he can offer lead her back to Kate Lawson. "Yeah, it's starting to look like I'll have to circle back to Kate Lawson if I'm going to find out more about this gun. And no, I don't trust her one bit. Her one and only priority is the protection of her career and reputation, and I think she sacrificed her own brother on that altar. She won't even blink before serving me up in the same way."

She makes a brisk sigh and slaps her thighs with both hands, rising. Leaning down to give Jamal a peck on the cheek, she says, "Thanks as always. You can hang on to this thing if you'd like to do more tests, but make sure no one sees it, okay? I don't want to find out I painted a target on your back."

She leaves his apartment and drives out of his neighborhood before pulling over at a pay phone. She dials Kate Lawson's private number. When it's answered, she doesn't identify herself or engage in any preamble. "We need to meet, and I'd like a little more egalitarian arrangement this time. I want the same amount of autonomy as you - the ability to end the meeting whenever I want. And as soon as possible. Time is probably of the essence, as usual."

There is a long pause before Kate responds. "Stay where you are. Someone will pick you up in 10 minutes," and she hangs up. Not quite what you were looking for. A little over six minutes later a black luxury sedan pulls to a stop by the phone booth. No one gets out to let you in this time. A window rolls down and you recognize the man from Cyn's photographs. His San Espero University hoodie is replaced with a fine suit. "You said time was of the essence. Either get in the car or follow us in yours. We’ll take you to Mrs. Lawson."

Another 10 minutes go by and you find yourself sitting at a red light. Looking out the window you see Kate Lawson in the car next to you. She motions you over. If you took the ride, then you simply need to switch cars. If you took your own car, then one of Kate’s men comes around and is ready to take over driving yours. He lets you know that he’ll stay right behind Mrs. Lawson’s car and you don’t have a thing to worry about.

"Sorry about all the swapping. I hope you’ll believe me when I tell you this was done in the interest of time saving and not because of a lack of trust in you," Kate Lawson says in her trademark no nonsense voice. "The terms you suggested are acceptable. I just hope you don’t forget that you are working for me and not the other way around. Now, what do you have to tell me, Ms. Trimble."

Thalia chooses to drive her own car; she'd taken a stand about autonomy, after all. When Kate motions her over to her car, Thalia is just about to say something like, "Sorry, I'm a bit busy driving right now," but is startled by a rapping knock on her driver's side window. She lets the man open the door to let her out and feels a slight pang of worry as he impatiently adjusts the seat waaay back before he can get in.

It's not that she's worried about his driving. It's that there are a few customizations to the car - courtesy of Jamal - that she's hoping he doesn't stumble upon accidentally. "Whatever you do, don't turn on the hazard lights," she yells, but a car behind them honks and she's pretty sure he didn't hear."No problem," Thalia says, waving off the apology. "And I'm glad to hear that you trust me. You've probably noticed that I kept my little adventure yesterday out of the media completely. The Lawson name is safe so far.

"But I'll be honest - I'm a little worried about some things. Somebody figured out that I had requested your brother's case files from his trial attorney. They knew when the files were going to be delivered, and they mocked up a fancy cargo van with my DBA to fool the delivery guy. Fireworks ensued, as you know, and I kept the files secure. But the lawyer and I were cagey about the file transfer, so I'm concerned about how whoever tried to steal them even knew they were being sent to me.

"Another thing: Whoever did that is super well-funded. They sent so many guys on that job that I'm actually kind of flattered by it. But more to the point, these goons were heavily armed with the most Jetson kind of crap I've ever seen, and absolutely no sign of any logos or serial numbers on any square inch of it. So best guess: someone at Lloyd Labs is desperate to get hold of your brother's case files, and probably because they want to trash your career. How am I doing so far?"

For just a moment, you almost see a little hint of a smile from Kate Lawson. "It would appear I put my money on the right horse. I have no doubt that the men that came after you were hired by a colleague of mine. Lloyd Laboratories is a very cutthroat corporation. To be perfectly frank; they encourage this type of... rivalry. The type of public action that happened yesterday, however, is strictly not tolerated. Rest assured, my superiors are doing their own investigation into what happened yesterday and the instigator will be dealt with. Harshly.

"Cute stunt you pulled at the police station, by the way. And kudos to your lawyer friend. His arguments to keep this mess as quiet as possible were very convincing. I believe the money I wired over prior to him speaking with anyone helped a bit, though. You don’t have to tell him that. Men can seldom deal with the blow to their egos that comes with learning they aren't responsible for their supposed victories.

"On the matter of someone finding out about the document transfer and you being attacked... I made a mistake. I am followed every second of every day but my enemies. I knew you would be followed after our meetings and have no doubt your phone and apartment are tapped.

"I did not believe any of my colleagues would go after you. You are now a known associate of mine, and any harm that befell you would be an obvious attack on myself. For this reason, I did not believe my colleagues would go after you; just as I did not think they would go after Andrew in the way they did. The games we play at Lloyd Laboratories favor subtlety and tact. Obvious and direct action is usually not taken. I owe you an apology for my misjudgment. And one to Andrew as well.

"It is now painfully clear to me that someone I work with is behind all of this. It seems that they got sloppy when they framed Andrew and now fear the truth getting out. If they were willing to make such a bold public attack, I have no doubt the information you hold will be enough for me to take this foe down for good.

"I am going to need you to turn over all the documents and tell me everything you know and everything you suspect about who did this and how they did it. After that, your part in this investigation is complete and a bonus that you will find to be more then adequate will be wired to your account."

Thalia can feel her body temperature plummeting as Kate's story slowly turns her blood ice cold in her veins.

"Hang on, slow down. You're telling me that my apartment, my office, and my phones are bugged? You expected me to be followed - so I would assume you also expected them to tap my phones - and you didn't warn me? And how could you possibly think they wouldn't come after me? The fact that they successfully got your brother convicted of murder wasn't enough of a demonstration of how far they're willing to go? Are you crazy, or just criminally self-involved?"

She manages to bite off the rest of what she's about to say, since calling Kate Lawson every name she can think of is unlikely to yield anything productive. It's an effort, because Thalia is scared - not just for herself, but for all the innocents she's inadvertently put in harm's way by involving them in this case. Cyn, Jamal. Dylan. Three college kids.

Oh, and Eddie Ramirez. And Reuben Phillips, a high school kid. Crap.

Taking a deep breath, as much to demonstrate to Kate that she's exercising self-control as to actually calm herself down, she starts over. "Look, you're right about Andrew's frame-up. It was very sloppy, with enough holes that you could use it to drain spaghetti. But that's the scary part - they didn't have to worry about whether the story made sense. They got Andrew arrested, charged, tried, and convicted anyway, which means they bought people in the PD, the DA's office, and quite possibly the jury or the even the judiciary. If they're now worried about the truth coming out, Kate, then it doesn't matter how much money you wire to my account. I'm going to be a target, because I've seen the files.

"I know you like to maintain the illusion of being in total control of your life and your immediate environment, but you need to recognize that your rival isn't playing by the same rules anymore. If they feel safe attacking your brother, or another of your 'known associates' like me, there is absolutely no reason for you to feel safe from attack yourself. And I don't just mean some kind of chess gambit thing like you're used to dealing with. I'm talking legal jeopardy, physical jeopardy. And your superiors are either allowing this, or they are powerless to stop it."

She looks Kate square in the eye. "I think the only shot we have of surviving this is to work together. You've seen how I work; I'm resourceful, and I can think on my feet. If you'd hired me during Andrew's murder investigation, I could have given you the leverage you needed to sink it before it even got to trial. So I propose that you lean into that trust you say you have in me and come clean. Tell me everything - the name of this rival, what he might have on you, all of it."

Kate tries to maintain a stoic expression but you are able to pick up on tiny flickers of emotion. Anger. Embarrassment. Hope. Putting everything else about her aside, Kate Lawson is a realist in many ways. She sees the truth of what you have said and ultimately has to swallow her pride.

"If I knew exactly who it was then we wouldn’t be sitting here having this discussion, Ms. Trimble. You are right, though. I am too close to this and you have proven yourself remarkably talented and resourceful. I am putting a lot of trust in you right now. I hope you realize how significant that is.

"As you know, I am the head of Research and Development at Lloyd Laboratories. I have access to notes on every single piece of proprietary information documented by this company and its employees. The technology that went into the sonic weapons used against you is primarily the combination of the work of two individuals: Arthur Fisher and Martha Bradford.

"Fisher personally developed the offensive capabilities. He is a gifted scientist and does not usually get involved in the politics of Lloyd Laboratories. Bradford used to lead the team developing tools to manipulate the human mind. We have never seen eye to eye. Her team submitted a working prototype that was much more devastating than the one used against you. I know you have a low opinion of my morals, but I do have limits.

"I assigned Fisher to combine the two devices and put in place the security limits that kept the capabilities of Bradford’s device within... humane levels. In addition, I successfully petitioned for a change in leadership of Bradford’s department. I didn’t want to risk her undoing the limits I put in place. She was moved to a must less prestigious division and in retaliation she had Fisher transferred to work under her. She makes sure he suffers every day under mountains of red tape and is never able to pursue the projects he is passionate about.

"The changes I had Fisher put into place made the manufacturing costs for the device skyrocket. No longer cost efficient, the project was cancelled.

"I looked into the one working prototype we have in storage. It is safe and secure. Just like the blueprints, it has not been checked out or accessed by anyone since the project was stopped several years ago. There is no way these weapons could exist without the involvement of Bradford and/or Fisher. If they aren’t responsible for all of this, they are certainly aiding the culprit."

It's a relief when Kate starts to share her information so freely. Thalia is still terrified for all the people she's involved in this mess, but at least she's no longer fighting her own underwriter in addition to the bad guys.

Lacing her fingers and resting her hands atop her head, Thalia closes her eyes, trying to organize her thoughts as Kate explains what she knows. "All right, thank you. Having some inside perspective on this helps me a lot. Now, I have a bunch of questions.

"First: if the working prototype and the blueprints have been secure for years at Lloyd Labs, does that mean that Fisher or Bradford could have blueprints of their own? If so, is it possible they could have manufactured a small battalion's worth of the things at Lloyd Labs without anyone knowing? If not, where else in town do you think they could have gotten them made?

"Second: When they decided to start making these guns, why would they have included the safety restrictions you ordered that made them so expensive and got the project killed? It seems like Bradford, at least, would have reverted to her earlier design that had no humane limits. I mean, if you're going to make an illicit product of a project that's been eighty-sixed, why not go for broke and make the ethical nightmare you originally envisioned, right?

"Third: What made you decide to combine Fisher's and Bradford's projects into a single device? It seems to me that the sonic weapon would have made a solid product that could have made Lloyd a ton of money. You obviously have a brilliant mind for R&D, so you had to know that the changes you ordered were going to make the device too pricey to produce. Why not leave the projects separate, force the safety changes onto Bradford's device, and kill that project alone?

"Oh, and there's another thing you might not realize: someone at Lloyd Labs took possession of Andrew's working Sticky Gripper prototypes. I'm assuming it wasn't you, just because it's logical to think that it's the same person or persons behind his frame-up. Is there a way for you to find out where those are being stored?"

She pauses, not to give Kate a chance to answer yet, but because the next item is more personal for her, and more galling to talk about. "Look, I'm unique in my field, and I'm great at what I do. But I'm a one-woman show. I have a tiny office that I run alone across the hall from my one-bedroom apartment. I don't have a security team or an alarm system, and until now I've never even thought about needing them. I'm worried because a person in my business gets things done by consulting sources and exchanging favors and information.

"What I'm saying is, in the course of working this case, I've had to involve other people. I've called them on my phones, I've talked to them in my office and my apartment. If my places are wired, the bad guys already know everything I knew before getting into this car. And they know everyone who's heard any part of it from me."

It kills her to say the next part, and she has to stare straight ahead at the back of the front seat just to choke it out. "I can't protect them; I don't have the resources. But you do." She sighs. "I'm going to need your help with that."

Kate’s responses to each question:

First:
"In theory, all blueprints are required to remain on site. If someone wants it bad enough, they could get the blueprints out. The fact that yesterday was the first time that I am aware of this device turning up outside of Lloyd Laboratories is a good indication that a rival firm is not wholesale manufacturing them.

"It would be very difficult to get as many as they had made inside Lloyd Laboratories without anyone noticing. One, no problem. Getting that one outside Lloyd Laboratories undetected; difficult but not impossible. If I were behind this, I’d have 100 different firms working on 100 different parts and assembling it in a private lab. This would further add to the costs which is troubling. It would mean someone with greater resources then myself is involved."

Second:
"This is why Bradford is my top suspect. She is a brilliant manager but has little in the way of engineering or scientific gifts. With enough time, you can explain complex mechanics to her but it is not her strength. She is a master in extracting the full potential of those that are gifted. I made sure no copies of her department’s original device or their research were allowed to exist. The only blueprint she could have snuck out of here was for the handicapped version."

Third:
"Because the goal was to kill both projects. I can only control a project until prototypes are finalized and it is certified gold. It is inevitable that the safety changes I made to Bradford’s device will be undone. Having the project buried was the best available option to delay that as long as possible. Rolling Fisher’s project into that was acceptable collateral damage which ensured Bradford would be stopped before it was out of my hands."

Sticky Gripper:
"I know exactly where they are stored. I personally checked those two prototypes into storage and I am the only individual with any record of entering that room since. I am aware of one more prototype but have been unable to locate it, despite my best efforts. The kid who was in possession of it keeps changing his story. First he said it was stolen, then he said he destroyed it. I can’t find a trace of it either way. If it was the murder weapon, I have no doubts that is has now been destroyed. Why would one hold onto that evidence?"

Upon your request you can see Kate doing mental calculations. "My men are good but they are not invisible. This will let the enemy know that we are scared and could lead to them taking more bold actions. Not warning you about the bugs and enemies following you was a calculated risk. I didn’t want anyone to think what you were doing was of any particular importance to me. We are now far beyond that. Get me a list of names and I’ll make sure they are as safe as I can make them. Personally, I think it is best to keep everyone as in the dark about this as possible, but I will leave it up to you whether you tell you're friends about my men watching over them."

Kate's explanation about the security of the blueprints makes sense. The kind of ultra-smart people recruited by Lloyd Labs could be hindered by strict security protocols, but not easily stopped entirely. With enough determination - and especially, with enough money - such people can always find a way around obstacles.

"Yeah, the funding consideration is especially concerning. Unless Bradford's net worth is far beyond your own, and you haven't mentioned anything about her being independently wealthy or the daughter of a billionaire, then it seems likely that someone else is bankrolling this endeavor. So the next question is: do you have another enemy who is rich enough to pour this kind of capital into a campaign to drag you down? Someone who'd stop at nothing, including murders and jailing of innocent people, to ruin your life?"

When Kate agrees to protect the people Thalia has involved in the case, she breathes a secret sigh of relief and writes down all the names: Cyn, Jamal, and Dylan; the college students Victor, David, and Danielle; even Richard Selmer, the intern she'd sent with a note to Eddie. Hmm...

"This last guy, Selmer - I gave him a phone number to call to leave a message with a tracer I sometimes subcontract, Eddie Ramirez. The instructions were for him to find and keep track of Reuben Phillips, the kid with the outstanding prototype. I don't know whether Richard managed to leave the phone message, but he did the other things I asked him to do, so I'm assuming he did. But I haven't heard back from Eddie yet. I'm not unduly concerned, because I did tell Eddie to only talk to me directly, no messages. But now I think I need to make talking to him a priority. I'll let you know if I need to add him or Reuben to this list.

"As for me, I think you should forego putting any of your goons... sorry, your men on me. If we leave my bugs in place and I'm moving around unprotected, maybe the enemy will focus on me and not put your men to the test where my friends are concerned. Speaking of communications, I'll probably need to get set up with a pager. I'll leave my phones tapped, but that doesn't mean I want them hearing all my phone calls." If Kate has any help to provide on this communications hurdle, Thalia will most definitely accept.

Kate has to hold back a laugh when you ask if she has any enemies that could fund this campaign. "Only every executive and the entire board of directors of Lloyd Laboratories. I’m sorry if that doesn’t narrow it down at all. As the head of Research and Development, I am a prime contender to move up the chain of command. My superiors fear me as much as I fear them.

"It’s kind of funny when you think about it. For all the progress man claims to have made, here I am fighting with people who think themselves kings and queens. I believe taking out their pawns is our best course of action." Kate seems happy with herself regarding the metaphor. Completely oblivious to the fact that in this metaphor you would be considered a pawn worthy of the other side taking out.

Kate reads over the names you wrote down and presses a button to roll down the tented glass between you and the driver. She hands the list to the bodyguard riding shotgun. He gives an affirmative nod that he understands the assignment. She leaves the divider down as the two of you discuss security. You have no doubt the two men in the front of the car have been listening this whole time. If anything, keeping the divider down only drops the illusion of privacy. When you mention the need for a pager, Kate snaps her fingers in the direction of the passenger. He gives a look to the driver and they unclip a pager from their belt and hand it to Kate.

She gives you the device. It is a relatively normal looking pager. "Add 4494 to the end of the number you use to reach me and you will be redirected to a payphone which one of my men will answer. I have them standing by payphones throughout the city 24/7 on a rotating basis. You can leave messages with them and they will securely transfer them to me. Before you call, hold the pager up to the receiver and press that button for 5 seconds. If you hear a tone, hang up the phone and find another. It indicates with 99.9% accuracy when a line has been bugged. It doesn’t prevent signals from being intercepted elsewhere, but it is the best I can do.

"If I need to contact you, I’ll page you a number. Only respond from a payphone after checking for bugs. It is still not as fast as an open line, but quicker then these in person meetings while being nearly as secure."

Thalia stares at Kate as she nearly laughs - laughs - at the admission that there are too many people she can think of to narrow it down when it comes to being both super-rich and willing to kill innocent people to achieve career goals. She shakes her head in disbelief. "You know, I really don't give a flying fig about how the other half lives, except for when it has a direct bearing on how my half lives... and dies. You might try thinking a little more about the welfare of all us 'pawns,' Kate. You and your cronies may very well be the ones determining which way the world spins, but all the rest of us are what actually makes the turning happen."

The revelation that the privacy screen was mostly for show only confirms what Thalia had been assuming all along. People playing at Kate Lawson's level have clearly made their peace with the ubiquity of listening devices, and Thalia hadn't really been able to picture Kate regurgitating their conversation for the purpose of giving her goons their marching orders. At least now they were all dispensing with the fiction of privacy.

She accepts the pager and listens carefully, if with some level of horrified amusement, to all the instructions and explanations of the tech. "Thanks. You can let me out at the next intersection. Have the guy in my car pull into that gas station lot up there. And do me another favor - tell your guys to let me know if anything happens with any of my friends. Anything weird, even if they prevent it from happening, I want to know about it."

Once she's back behind the wheel of her own car, Thalia drives around aimlessly for a while, looking for signs of a tail. She doesn't see any. Finally, she pulls over and walks a block to a tavern. There's a payphone outside, about ten feet from the entrance. Time to test out the new toy.

She lifts the receiver, holds up the pager, and presses the button as instructed. There is no tone. She dials Emilia Howard's number and gives her the pager number. "Just in case you have any reason to get in touch with me, use this number until further notice. Oh, and by the way, thanks for sending Dylan my way. He's been a big help."

When that call is done, she calls her home number. Cyn answers, but before she can say anything more than hello, Thalia says, "Boy, what a morning I've had. Nothing but headaches. It's just like that time we had with Ben Stafford, remember? But at least with him, we got him expelled."

This is a reference to Thalia's earliest "investigation," which had begun in their junior year of high school as a result of hearing about girls being blackmailed by Ben, who'd somehow gotten naked photos of them. Thalia and Cynthia had located and expose a couple of cameras hidden within walls in the girls' locker room with small holes drilled into them, and managed to unearth a chain of evidence to link it to Ben. The two of them now use Ben Stafford's name as shorthand for spying.

"Anyway, I decided to finally join the rest of the modern world, as you like to say, and got a pager. So you can now reach me no matter where I am. Here's the number." Cyn confirms that she's written it down, and Thalia pushes on. "Without going into detail - 'cause I don't have a lot of time - are you and the kids okay?"

"You’re welcome," Emilia responds. "Dylan’s the best. Been trying to convince me for years to give up the public defender gig and join his firm.... Thalia, I’m terribly sorry about everything that happened yesterday. If I had any idea someone would go to those lengths to get those documents I would have been more covert with the delivery. I wouldn't have had an intern show up at your doorstep like that. I feel like I really dropped the ball on this case and now you’re paying the price while investigating it. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know."

---

Cynthia initially tries to go into her English butler voice when she answers the phone, but you stop her dead in her tracks. When you ask about the kids her response is dry and serious. "Good... they’re doing good. Arguing as usual. They’re playing some, uh, video game and all think they know the right way to solve the puzzle. Thankfully that is about as exciting as things are at the homestead. Oh, one more thing before I forget. Eddie, the caterer, called and said he’s willing to talk about adding reuben sandwiches to the platter but wants you to swing by and try one first. I told him you had a busy morning but could probably make it there around noon. Do you want me to come with?"

Thalia breathes a silent sigh of relief. Part of her had feared that Emilia would say, "Dylan who?"

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Emilia. I don't think either of us was aware of what we were up against in this thing. But maybe you should take Dylan up on his offer. The workload can't be any worse, right?"

---

Thalia smiles at how easily Cyn picks up on her code regarding the wiretap. "No, you should probably stay there with the kids. Tell them to stop squabbling out loud and start writing it all down instead. That should quiet things down at the homestead." With any luck, her friend will read between the lines on this cryptic statement as well as she had the other. "Anyway, I gotta run. Have a good day. I'll bring home pizza."

Hanging up, Thalia checks her watch and notes that it is, indeed, nearly noon. She walks the block back to her car, keeping an eye out for anyone who seems to be following her, and then continues that watchfulness as she drives. She takes an extra-indirect route to Eddie's office - which is really just the back room of an arcade.

Once she's sure she hasn't been tailed, Thalia finds a place to park on the street and walks into the cacophony of Game Time. There are gaming cabinets lining every wall, and more freestanding in the middle of the room. The noise, as always, sets Thalia's nerves on edge. Every kind of coin-op game available is represented, none of which interest her in the slightest at the moment as she scans the crowd of kids and people who are too old to be here, all pounding on buttons and staring into displays.

Winding her way through the maze of machines, Thalia nods to Alf, the owner of the joint, and slips into the back room to see Eddie.

Eddie is seated at his desk, leaning back with his legs up as he watches the news on a small TV that gets absolutely terrible reception. His eyes don’t stray from the TV as you enter, but he gives you a nod of acknowledgment. "So this is how we do business now, eh Thalia? You have some punk kid telling me how to spend my time and how to do my job?" A smirk slowly grows on his face as he gives you a ribbing. He has always been impressed by your skills but likes to poke fun when he has the chance. Eddie puts up a hand to stop you before you can talk.

"No matter. I did what you asked, no questions asked. I am a professional, after all." He grabs a remote control from the desk and presses a button. The static filled TV changes to a crystal clear picture of what you presume to be Reuben Phillip's bedroom. Reuben is seated at his desk and appears to be doodling. "I know you said to keep an eye on him, but I can only watch so much. You know how teenage boys are. Thank god he’s done now." Just in case things weren’t crystal clear already, Eddie does a hand motion which really pins down exactly what he didn’t want to watch Reuben doing.

"I hung around the place and kept an eye out for anyone tailing him. Nothing. No signs of anyone staking out his house either. The only bug in the place is the one I put in there. I don’t know what kind of danger you think this kid is in because I didn’t see anyone taking an interest in him. Please tell me I can take that camera out of there and never have to look at this pipsqueak again."

Pulling up a rickety chair and dropping into it, Thalia sighs and says, "No, keep it on. It's possible that I've already tipped off the bad guys about him, so chances are, things might get more interesting for the kid. Unfortunately." She frowns irritably. "So this is it? You've just been watching him in his room?"

Eddie looks a little offended and takes his legs down from upon the desk. "Come on now. What kind of amateur do you take me for? I watched the coming and goings of that whole family since I got your message. Tailed the kid everywhere he went until I could get in there and get my gadgets set up. Anytime a door opens anywhere in that house I can see exactly who opened it. Made sure I had some muscle ready to back me up if anyone made a move on the kid. Also poked around a bit inside his place while I was setting up in there."

Eddie reaches under his desk and pulls up a cardboard box which he slides across the desk to you. The box is filled with VHS cassettes. "You know, you gave me practically nothing to go off here, Thalia. I first figured the kid got in over his head with some drug dealers, until I laid eyes on him and realized he probably considers caffeine a narcotic. When I was poking around in his house I found his VHS collection and camcorder. Got me thinking he might have accidentally filmed something he wasn’t supposed to see. So I swiped the tapes, made copies, and put them back.

"You know, for all the flak I’m giving Reuben, the kid ain’t a bad little filmmaker," Eddie laughs. "Got some real Hammer vibes from his stuff." He sees you have no interest in Reuben’s skills in film and moves on. "All the tapes were complete film cuts. Except for one. One tape was blank. Like suspiciously blank. As in someone made it blank on purpose."

He can see he’s getting your attention, but once more Eddie holds up a hand for you to slow down. "Before you ask, yes of course I could recover what was originally on the tape. And no, it wasn’t that interesting. It was the uncut footage of a film he was working a while back. Monster movie about a guy turning into an octopus and losing his mind. I thought it was looking pretty good, but they were having trouble getting the tentacle prop to work. Ended up getting frustrated with it, filled it with fake blood, and tossed it into a running lawn mower!" Eddie laughs. "It looked pretty damn cool. No clue why he never cut the whole film together."

Eddie indicates the tape in question in case you want to watch it. "So we going to talk figures now? Lot of time and effort went into this operation and now it sounds like it is an ongoing assignment. I hope this has all been worth my time, Thalia."

Thalia had only been slightly sincere in her audible irritation; it's just really fun to wind Eddie up. She sits back and enjoys his torrent of complaining, thinking that he must enjoy this as much as she does, or he'd have simply given her this report to begin with.

Her interest increases abruptly when he starts talking about the videotapes. When he tells her that he recovered the images from the erased tape, she can't stop herself from sagging and breathing a sigh of relief. She scrubs her face with both hands, suddenly noticing how tired and beat-up she feels. She's pushed herself through the morning on sheer adrenaline, and it looks like that's running out now.

"Yeah, it's been worth your time, Eddie. Quote me a price for your work. Also, I need you to make copies of that tape with the tentacle - one for me, one each for a couple of attorneys, and one that I want you to stash somewhere. If anything happens to me, I'll want you to do something with it. I'll work out what and send you the instructions. In the meantime, let's have a look at the young auteur's unfinished masterpiece."