CHAPTER 127: Tinkling The Ivories

 

Ah, the peace and tranquillity of Desert Bloom Park in Oasis Springs on a warm sunny May morning was just what Julia Epstein had needed after the weekend she just had.  Her parents came to visit ostensibly to spend time with their only daughter but also, Julia suspected, to check up on her and snoop on her life.  They couldn't help it:  They were protective parents who didn't even like the idea of her moving out of the family home to come live in Willow Creek.  In between the meals and the time spent playing bridge, Monopoly or watching the TV came the incessant questions about her personal life.

"Are you saving up enough?  You're a doctor, they should be paying you more!" said her dad.

"Gideon, I'm sure she's doing just fine in the money department but the décor could do with a bit of sprucing up and frankly, Julia, so does your wardrobe....how are you going to land yourself a decent man if you dress like a beatnik?"

"Thelma, don't hassle our Julia with talk about men!  It's her financial security that's important!  Julia, you should move into private practice once your hospital rotation is finished."

Talk of men invariably brought up a few names, namely Kerry Fry.  "You know his mother's such a dear" said Thelma Epstein.  "Does a lot for the Rotary Club and her pot roast is divine!  The husband...meh...but he's a decent man.  What does Kerry do again?"

"He's in ecology" said Julia.

"Ecology..." said Thelma, shrugging her shoulders.  "Well, at least it's an -ology.  You should pursue him, Julia, before someone else does!"

Even a visit Saturday night by Aunt Elle added to the chaos but, fortunately, she had taken her medication so her mood was a lot less volatile.  But the overall feeling was that Julia felt like a visitor in her own home as it was taken over by her family.  So it was some relief when they went home early this morning and Julia sought some peace and quiet by visiting her favourite park.

A smartly dressed young man entered the park area and sat down at a table near where Julia was finishing up preparing some food...her idea was to make a batch of grilled sandwiches and take them to work to share around but this young man looked at them with keen interest.  Julia had noticed the man was dressed in what was currently very popular among men:  A pale coloured shirt and tie combination.  It was a look that Julia approved of and wished more men would adopt.

"Hey, good looking, what you've got cooking?" he said to Julia.

Momentarily taken aback, she ignored the attempt at flattery and merely said "Those are hamburgers; I made loads so please help yourself to one".

"I'll just do that" said the man, winking.

"Are you on your way to work?" asked Julia.

"Kind of...I'm ahead of the game today:  Got some time to spare to come down here and I just happened to have lucked out by getting some delicious chow and meeting a little desert blossom here" he said, again smiling flirtatiously.

"Where do you work?" asked Julia, avoiding responding to the attempts at flirting.

"I'm a senior....at Buckingham High...yeah, I'll be soon graduating and going on to Britechester to study law.  I haven't seen you around, do you go to another school?"

"I'm a doctor over at Willow Creek Hospital" said Julia, flatly.

"You mean...you're not in high school?  But I could have sworn...." said the young man, suddenly looking pale and shocked.

"I'm twenty two" said Julia.  "And to be fair, you look a lot older than....17 I guess?"

"Erm, yeah, erm, thanks for the burger, lady...I mean, Doctor...bye!  Got class in a few minutes" and with that he got up and ran off.  Julia did smile this time:  The boy was sweet thinking he could impress her by trying to sound mature.  But he was right about one thing...time was pressing on and she needed to get to work.

"No, to be fair he was really sweet and I felt sorry for him as he ran away in embarrassment" said Julia, recounting her story to Francesca and Harper at work.

"Your problem is that you dress like one of those bookish high school seniors, Julia" said Harper.  "One day you, me and Francesca will head on down to the Fashion District and give your wardrobe a thorough makeover!"

"Anyway, Dr Epstein..." interrupted Francesca "...we need to clear some bed space this morning so you'd better get on with it.  Here's a list of patients and their prescribed treatments"

"I will get on to these with pleasure....Harper, put your idea on hold...indefinitely!" said Julia.

The first patient was Judy Keith, age 17.  The girl was a very pretty blonde and Julia surmised that she was the type that was used to getting attention and didn't like it when she didn't.

"Finally, a doctor has come to see me!  I've been in here nearly 2 hours and have seen no one, no one!" said Miss Keith.

"That's because our doctors have been analysing your samples and making diagnoses, Miss Keith" replied Julia, checking her notes.  "Now it turns out that it was just a stomach upset, nothing more serious than that.  Here's some medication for you to take and it should sort out your problem over the next 24 hours.  Until then, get some rest"

"Get some rest!  I've got a date tonight!  Doc, tell me straight...this stuff you're giving me; it won't give me spots or make my hair fall out?" said Judy, worriedly.

"It won't...but I'd call a rain cheque on that date if I were you" said Julia.

"Well, I'm not you.  I've got a date with a real dreamboat tonight and I've got to be there otherwise he'll go off with that Lulu Strang!  Grrr!  Lulu Strang!  She's always sniffing around the guys I like!"

"I can tell you that if you do go on that date and you get a recurrence of your stomach problems then you'll be barfing all over the place and he won't like that at all.  Plus, if he's so easily lured away by this...ahem...Lulu Strang or whatever her name is then he's not the right guy for you in the first place"

"Ugh, you sound like my mom!" replied Judy.

"Just take the medicine, Judy" said Julia, handing her the cup.  Judy looked at it suspiciously for a moment before pinching her nose and gulping it down.  

After that, the young girl was told she could leave and she hurriedly put on her trendy street clothes and checked her makeup before running out of the hospital to meet her parents in the lobby.  Julia watched her leave; all flustered about being late and continually checking her hair and brushing any lint on her skirt away.  Teenagers, Julia thought, she didn't understand them any better now than she did when she was one.

The next patient was a Miss Michelle Prather, age 29.  "That's more like it" thought Julia.

"What seems to be the problem, Miss Prather?" asked Julia

"Ugh, I keep getting these headaches, hot flushes and jittery nerves" replied the patient.

"OK, I'm going to perform some tests and ask you a little about your health in general..." said Julia.  She felt around the head, then around the stomach...looking for some signs that might indicate whether Miss Prather was pregnant or not.

"Now are you sexually active at the moment?" asked Julia.

Miss Prather started to breathe rapidly and shallowly.  "NO!" she said, loudly, and with tears welling up in her eyes.

"OK...we can rule out you being pregnant" said Julia, awkwardly.  Clearly she'd touched an emotional raw nerve there.  "OK, let's get a scan of your head instead..." Julia led Miss Prather off to X-Ray.

The X-ray having been performed, Julia went to write up her case notes whilst she waited for radiology to report back.  As she typed up the diagnosis and treatment of Judy Keith and began a preliminary report on Michelle Prather she could detect that her supervisor, Dr Murakami, was looking up from her own work to cast a beady eye on her.  She never missed a trick to put Julia on the spot...well, she thought, I have to make these notes thorough.

As she typed, she noticed that one of the lab analysers had broken and the water reservoir inside it had sprung a leak, disgorging its contents all over the floor.  Murakami looked up, noticed the sparks and the puddle and looked over at Julia.  With a cough and and a tilt of her head, Murakami let her know that she expected Julia to deal with it.  With a supressed sigh, Julia got up, switched off the analyser and grabbed mop from the janitor's cupboard.

But there was to be no respite:  The reports on Miss Prather came back and it appeared that there was nothing on her brain...no injury, no tumour and nothing to cause immediate concern.  

"Miss Prather; your tests show that there's no injury or nothing on your brain.  I think it's to do with stress...do you currently take any medication for nerves?" she asked.

"Well, just some Valium...maybe 1 or 2 a day...or maybe 3 or 4." replied Miss Prather.

"In that case I would recommend cutting right down on those and take up something more involving and non-drug related like join an exercise class or even a yoga session.  I routinely attend yoga classes and it helps me stay calm and focussed...and, might I suggest, it's a good way to meet other people.  Other, single, people"  Normally Julia would counsel AGAINST romance but this young woman was clearly too stressed out and taking more and more Valium was not the answer for her.  

And after that there were more patients to see....businessmen who had injured themselves playing squash...

...and the return of Mr Savalani:  The man who thought he was god's gift to women doctors.  Well, what if she made it that he had to go for some tests at the same time as Miss Prather...maybe they'll strike up a conversation.

It was getting near the end of her shift and Julia had fixed the analyser, cleaned up the mess, cured 3 patients and diagnosed a couple more and then finished her reports.  She felt exhausted and in need of a rest...it was then that Dr Murakami appeared in the staff room.

"Doctor Epstein...I've read your reports and observed your performance today" said Murakami.

Julia's heart sank, Murakami usually spoke to her like this when she thought Julia hadn't done enough in one shift.  Here comes the rebuke...

"You've done very well, recently.  I'm promoting you one grade as of today" said Murakami.  Julia was lost for words.

"Well, don't rest on your laurels...more is expected of you now." said Murakami but Julia didn't mind that part so much; she'd been promoted!  However, she was in need of some fun...and she had an evening gig at the Blue Velvet this evening!  A bit of tinkling the ivories would help.

Julia was keen to perform her cool jazz set this evening to see if the regulars down at the Blue Velvet would like that kind of music.  It was known as a pretty hard core Blues venue but a little bit of jazz would broaden the repertoire.  As she played, more and more people started to gather around the piano and started to listen appreciatively.  This was cool jazz so no dancing or bopping here but people stood, sat and nodded along to the music.  Then the audience started to throw money into the large brandy glass placed at the end of the piano for tips.  The more she played, the more full that glass became.

The tips alone could buy her a meal at the club and have plenty left over so she made her way to the bar after her first set to get a plate of the chef's special.  Along the way she received plenty of plaudits for her playing.  This was, without doubt, the best public performance she had ever given:  The gamble to play a jazz set had paid off.

As she sat at the bar, enjoying a rest, Liberty Lee showed up and was full of bounce and joy.  "Julia!  Great set!  I should come down here more often to catch you performing!"

"I'm glad you liked it" said Julia.  "You don't think it was too...jazzy, do you?"

"I wasn't a fan of jazz before, I am now!  Anyway, let me buy you a drink and celebrate lots of good things!" said Liberty.

"Well...I got a promotion today" said Julia.

"It's your day today, isn't it!" said Liberty, enthusiastically.  "Well I have good news to celebrate as well:  I've been assigned as one of the pad crew for the next Gemini mission!"

Julia didn't know quite what that meant but she raised a glass of cheer to Liberty. 

"So I fly down to Cape Canaveral in a few weeks time and I'll be there, with the actual capsule, doing the pre-flight checks for the crew" continued Liberty.  Julia just about could work out what that might mean.

"So you're not actually going to go into space?" asked Julia.

"Oh no!  You still have to be a pilot to fly into space" Liberty shrugged.  "But this is the next best thing as I get to actually sit in the capsule and flick switches"

"Well, we do have a lot to celebrate tonight...let me buy you another drink from my takings" said Julia.

"Good set tonight, Julia" said the barman.  "You've packed the place!  You can have a weekly residency from now on"

"Wow!  Gosh!  Thank you!" said Julia, wide eyed with excitement.

"Just one suggestion..." added the barman.  "...the beatnik style really isn't the scene around here:  Could you spruce up what you wear when you gig here next?"

Julia let out a sigh...

CHAPTER 126: Mindbender

 

"Dang!  You are looking sharp today!" said Action to himself as he checked out his reflection in the bedroom mirror.  It was going to be a smooth day off:  A workout, a trip down to the old Spice Quarter for a bite to eat and then taking Katherine down to the club for a little dance and a date and finally back here, with girlfriend in tow for a little woohoo magic between the sheets.  

But his moment of self-satisfaction was burst when there was a loud and repeated banging on his front door and ringing of his doorbell.

"Sheesh!  Calm down, bucko, where's the fire?" he sighed in exasperation as he headed to the door.  The pounding and ringing weren't letting up and, as a precaution, Action reached for his .38 service revolver from his shoulder holster.

"Who is it?" he said, before he opened the door.

"Alan Cuffe!  This is a matter of urgency, Detective!" came the voice, which sounded like Cuffe's alright.  Action opened the door but made sure the chain was still in place.  Peering through the gap with his pistol at the ready, he could see it was Cuffe.  He slid back the chain and let him in.

"It's my day off, Cuffe.  This had better be urgent" said Action.

"It is, Action, otherwise I wouldn't be here!" replied Cuffe.

"OK, how about you tell me what's going down?" said Action, offering Cuffe a chair whilst he put the pistol back in its holster.

"I'm being followed, my every move observed" said Cuffe.  

"Who'd want to do that?" said Action, leaning back on the wall and folding his arms.

"Them!  The people who are out to get me!"

"OK, let's back this up here...so what happened that makes you think that?"

"I was playing chess in Desert Bloom Park with Victor Feng...we occasionally meet up to play or talk and today it happened to be the park...when I noticed this guy following us, watching us from the other side of the park and using something that looked like a diary only he wasn't writing in it.  He just held it in front of him but in our direction"

"How can you be sure he was following you?  What if he was following Feng instead?" Action felt Cuffe was being paranoid.

"Because after our game Victor went to do some fishing while I headed home...this guy followed me from the table to where I'd parked my car, still holding his diary thing in front of him as if it were some kind of camera" said an agitated Cuffe.

Action stood up and paced the room, slowly.  "This could have waited, Cuffe, until you could get to a police station.  This is my day off" he said.

"Action!  I know if I bring you in on this the job will get done!  These...people...they're getting closer to me and that can't happen!  I want shot of the lot of them, I want no further part of their plans!  Get them off my back, Action!"

Action stood before Cuffe.  "OK, what did this guy look like?" he said.

"Red hair, a little long at the back and Brylcreemed down the sides and at the front.  Pale skin, really pale, and with a tiny downwards pointing triangular beard...also red, like the hair.  Blue/grey denim jacket and faded red pants."

Action wrote this all down.  "OK, I'll make some enquiries" he said.

"Do it, Action...I know you want to catch these people and I think this guy's working with Leanne." said Cuffe.

Action took a deep breath.  "I was thinking the same".  That clinched it; if he could get this guy then maybe he could catch Leanne.  She was the key to the whole mystery.  So the work out will just have to wait...

On his way into town he bumped into his work colleague, Prisha Dhatta.  Action hadn't seen her in that dress before:  It was long with an abstract pattern but cut very, very low to reveal a whole different side of her than Action was used to.

"Dhatta, all dressed up...I hope you have somewhere to go" said Action.

"I'm meeting a guy, Action, it's my day off as well" she replied.

"I didn't know you had a man in your life, Prish" said Action, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"There's a lot about me you don't know" she replied, coyly.  "And right on cue, here he is"

"Prisha!" cried the man, enthusiastically, as he walked down the road.  He was one of those button down types with neatly parted black hair and big, round glasses.  He approached Prisha and kissed her on the cheek.

"Action...this is Herbert" she said, making the introductions.

"Is your name really Action?" said the man.

"Is your name really Herbert?" replied Action, shaking the guy's hand.

"Anyway, we must get getting along now" said Prisha, fearful that Action would say something snide to Herbert.  "I'll see you on Monday, Action"

"Have fun you two" he replied.  Herbert!  He thought.  The guy even looked like one.

The Fashion District, San Myshuno was Action's destination...a diversion of his original plan to hang out in his old neighbourhood of the Spice Quarter where he would shoot some hoops, eat some Ramen and hang with the local cats down at the Waterside Warble.  The Fashion District was a different scene; hip, happening and in touch with the Now Generation.  It was also where Leanne, or one of her associates, tried to shoot Lily Feng and Madelyn Buchanan.

Action cased the area, half in hope that his suspects would show themselves.  Realistically he thought about a line of enquiry he and the police should have taken in the first place, but failed to do so.  They searched the immediate area, they questioned everyone who was in this specific corner of the Fashion District but they hadn't interviewed the food stall vendors or the bar staff.  Action was here to correct that oversight.

As he made his way through the district he came across an anti-war demonstration.

"1...2...3...4...we don't want your Vietnam War!" yelled someone holding a megaphone.  The others present held up signs with the peace symbol and other slogans on them.  Action looked on:  He'd been out there and he knew first hand what it was like.  He didn't have much time for the senior leaders who were mismanaging the war, in his opinion, and getting mired in the dirty business between North and South Vietnam but he still had buddies...fellow Marines...putting their lives on the line and doing their duty and he wondered what they'd think if they knew some folks back home weren't supporting them.  

One of the people at the protest looked on but didn't seem engaged by it.  Action approached her and showed her the photo-fit image of Leanne McGregor and gave a description of this new suspect, asking if she'd seen either of them.  She shook her head.  Action then headed over to the food vendor and was surprised to see that the guy behind the counter was the spitting image of the man Cuffe had described.  He sat down at a bench.

"Hey, can I get a hot dog with onions and mustard?" said Action.

"Yes, certainly sir" said the man, who flashed a momentary look of surprise when he saw Action.

Your hunch payed off, Action he thought to himself.  Yes, it made sense...if this guy was an associate of Leanne's then he'd be the lookout whilst she set up the hit on Lily and Madelyn.

When Action went to collect his hot dog he paid the guy and started to casually question him.

"Say, do you know either Victor Feng or Alan Cuffe?" Action asked.

"I might do, who wants to know?" said the man.

"Detective John Action, Sim City P.D." said Action, showing him his police badge.

"Look...I can't talk now, I'm still on my shift.  I finish in half an hour; I'll meet you over at Planet Honey Pop"

"You'd better" said Action, taking his hot dog and sitting down to eat...all the while observing the vendor.  Once he'd finished he headed over to the bar.

The place was half empty; most patrons were over at the bar..  Action scoped out a place where he could keep an eye on the vendor, in case he decided to slip away.  As he was surveying the scene a familiar looking woman approached him.

"Hi, Action" said Tasha, aka Miss Ginger, in a sultry voice.

"Are you here on business...or are you off duty?" she said.

"A little of both.  Say, do you know who that guy is over there?  The one selling hot dogs?" Action replied.

"Him?  Yeah, his name's Luke...don't know his last name though.  He works over there and usually comes in here at the end of his shift to have a few drinks." Tasha replied.

"Does he have any friends or a crowd he hangs out with here?"

"Not that I know of.  He usually comes and leaves alone but sometimes he'll chat with other customers.  I don't know, I can't quite put my finger on it but he kind of gives me the creeps.  Nothing definite, you know, but there's a creepy aura about him.  Why?  Is he a suspect?"

"Maybe...but I'll need something more to go on than a creepy aura, Tash.  Stay cool, I'll catch you later" said Action, giving Tasha a smile.

"You'd better" said Tasha, flirtatiously.

Action made his way over to the bar and noticed that he could see out the window to the food shack.  Luke continued serving until he pulled the shutter down, whereupon Action lost sight of him momentarily.  He got off the barstool and walked closer to the window, ready to pursue the guy if he tried to cut and run.  But, after a few minutes, this Luke character had changed his outfit from his work overalls to a shirt and tie combo and made his way to the bar.  He saw Action and walked over, sitting down next to him. 

"Detective John Action, I am here as agreed" said Luke.

"What happened to your moustache?" asked Action, noticing that the man's appearance had slightly changed from when he first saw him.

"Appearances can change" replied the man, flatly.

"And you're called Luke...what?  What's your last name?" asked Action.

"You don't need to know" replied Luke, in a cold voice that would chill anyone who was less resilient than Action.

"I think you've forgotten the fact I'm a cop and when I ask someone a question I get an answer; one way or another"

"Not today, John Action.  You have interfered with our activities enough.  Now you will stop."

Action laughed and shook his head.  The audacity of this guy!

"Listen, bud, I've dealt with people who've tried to beat, stab, shoot and blow me up since I began to crawl...many have tried to stop me; they've never succeeded.  Now for the last time, I want some answers to my questions and I'm not intimidated by a hot dog seller who stalks local businessmen."

Luke gave Action a hard stare before saying "You people are so linear thinking...I can hurt you with a thought.  With the power of my mind.  You do not know who and what you're dealing with, John Action." 

Action looked sceptical.

"Very well" continued Luke.  "You will have to be dealt with" and with that, he put his fingers to his temples before shutting his eyes and thinking hard.  Suddenly, Action started to shake and feel a hot, burning and painful sensation in his head whilst a pulsating noise pounded his brain.

"You will forget all about me, about Leanne McGregor, The Visitors, the shooting and the fire bomb...John Action.  You will remember nothing about them." Luke didn't say these things out loud:  He was transmitting them straight into Action's mind.  Action grabbed the counter hard, his knuckles white with the effort of holding on.  He tried with all his might to resist this intrusion into his mind but this was nothing like he'd ever encountered before.  

"Must...resist..." he gasped out loud as he tried to resist whatever it was that Luke was doing to him.

"Forget...it...all" went Luke's voice in Action's mind.

The burning sensation and pulsating stopped.  Action's head jerked forwards and he sat there, dazed.

"You look tired, Detective John Action:  You should go and have a lie down" said Luke.

"I...must...lie...down..." said Action, who stood up and staggered to one of the deep filled sofas in the bar.  He felt so sleepy, barely able to stay awake and when he reached the sofa he flopped down and drifted off.

"Sleep, Detective John Action...deep sleep" said Luke.  The world turned an inky black to Action.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Action!  Action!  Wake up!" came a voice, a woman's voice that sounded familiar.

"Urrugghhhh....soup...soup's good for you...wha?  Wait...where am I?  Katherine?" said Action as he came around.

"No, it's Suzy" said the woman.

"Suzy Q?" said Action

"No.  Suzy Kent.  What happened, Action?  Did you have one too many?" asked Suzy as she helped him to sit up.

"No...I...I don't know.  Why am I here, at the Planet Honey Pop?  Is Katherine here?" he said, groggily.

"I haven't seen her." said Suzy.  Action indicated that he wanted to stand up and Suzy helped him to his feet.  Then she noticed that under his jacket he was wearing his shoulder holster with his gun in it.  "Are you on a case?" she asked.

"I don't know...I remember talking with Prisha Datta and her boyfriend and then...I was going to go for a run and meet Katherine.  But this isn't our usual haunt.  I'm...yeah...I'm meant to be off duty today.  Why have I got my gun on me?"

"You're not steady on your feet...let's talk over here where it's a little more private" said Suzy, indicating a table nearby that was away from the bar.  Action was still very dizzy and couldn't make sense of his surroundings or why he was even there.

"So, Action, Neil and I have discovered some more things about that mysterious tree...I'm not sure it's related to Leanne or not."

"Who? asked Action.

"Leanne McGregor...the woman we think is behind the hit attempts on Feng and Cuffe" 

"What hit attempt?  Who are you talking about?  Do you mean Victor Feng and Alan Cuffe?  I've never met them."

Suzy looked shocked.  "Action...this big case!  Don't you remember?  You've been chasing after this woman for over a week now!"

"Look Suzy, I've just busted that cross-dressing house thief...I know nothing about no attempted murder case."

"That cross-dressing thief you arrested over a month ago!" said Suzy.  "Action, what's happened to you?  How could you forget this case?"

"I...I don't know.  I don't know why I'm here...something happened, Suzy.  Something happened to me today and I just don't know what!"

CHAPTER 125: Return To The Glade

 

"You know, we really should get the plumbing in this place sorted out" said Neil as he grappled with the broken kitchen sink.  "This thing is always springing a leak and how many times have I had to fix the ballcock on the toilet?"

"I didn't know you were such an expert in plumbing" said Suzy.

"You have to be in this place!  Anyway, I've replaced the washers and that should be that.  Phew!" he said, mopping his brow.  "Have wrench, will travel" he added.  "But...have you given any thought to moving to a bigger...better equipped place?"

"What, leave Foundry Cove?" exclaimed Suzy.  "I guess...but this is where all my friends are!"

"I know, we don't have to move far...we can stay in Willow Creek...but we're doing well financially and after the wedding we'll have some savings to put down a deposit on a nicer house"

Suzy bit her bottom lip and hummed.

"I'll let you think about it" said Neil.  "Right, time to take these old, cracked washers and these dirty rags to the trash can" and with that he put the broken bits of the sink and the mopping up rags in a bag.  He then hauled it outside where he dropped it into the trash but then he heard his name being called out.

"Neil, Neil Humphries!" came a woman's voice.  Neil turned around to see Nancy Landgraab in her keep fit tracksuit, signal to him.  Neil wondered what she was doing calling out to him:  He hadn't spoken with her for months, what did she want with him now?

"Mrs Landgraab, what can I do for you?" he said.

"Nothing much" she replied, coldly.  "I just wanted to inform you that the Landgraab Foundation is currently re-structuring."

"Really?  What does that involve?" he replied.

"We have to focus on what is paying dividends and what is a useless asset.  Trim down the fat and the excess so to speak."

"I'm not a businessman, Mrs Landgraab" said Neil.

"No, but you have been the beneficiary of Landgraab Foundation funds to help your burgeoning career in art and, so far, you have failed to impress the trustees"

"Oh really?" said Neil, seeing where this was going.  "I had my works shown in galleries, I did some commissions for you and I have stuck to the terms of the funding grant"

"We've redefined the criteria of aspiring success and decided...you're not it" she said, again, in an icy cold voice.

Neil took a deep breath.  "Mrs Landgraab; cut the crap.  You know and I know that this isn't about my art, it's about getting at my fiancée.  She told the truth and you can't handle it" he said.

"Personally I'm very disappointed in you, Neil.  I introduced you to her so you could be a distraction for a little while...I never knew you were going to end up as her faithful sidekick."

"Maybe I'm just copying the example of your husband?" said Neil, his anger starting to bubble under his placid exterior.  This woman was as dishonest as the day is long and he actually felt good to be rid of her money.

"I'm warning you, Neil, do NOT make an enemy of me!" said Nancy with a sudden harsh tone to her voice.

"Do as you will!  I don't need your money anymore...I think I've done enough to...what did you call it?  Define my own criteria for aspiring success." he said, turning around and walking away from her.

Nancy watched him leave.  I could crush him like a bug she thought.  But not now.

Nancy began to jog again but she was stopped in her tracks by a familiar, but unwelcome face.

"Nancy Landgraab" said Leanne McGregor.  "The Alan Cuffe situation" 

"It's been dealt with:  Cuffe no longer wants to know anything more about us and is stalling the police investigation.  He's frightened, that's the next best thing to having him killed...in fact, better; killing him would have attracted too much attention" replied Nancy.

"We are monitoring Alan Cuffe.  However, it has come to our attention that the one known as Suzy Kent is interfering with your operations."

"Oh her?  It's nothing, I assure you.  She wrote a bothersome article about my son which led to him being...briefly...investigated by the police.  The judge dropped the charges.  It's purely an internal family matter, nothing for you and your associates to worry about."

"Small incidents have a way of becoming large problems if left unchecked.  Keep this Suzy Kent under control or we will have to arrange another accident."

"You're taking a great risk!" exclaimed Nancy.  "I know the police have your name and description on file and you know the detective who's looking for you lives right over there!"

"Appearances and names can change, Nancy Landgraab.  Heed my words; sort out Suzy Kent" and with that Leanne cast a glance towards the Kent residence.  Nancy too looked that way and when she turned around to face Leanne, she noticed the sinister young woman had vanished.

Meanwhile, back at the house, Neil entered and let out a sigh.

"Is everything alright?" asked Suzy.

"I just had a talk with Nancy Landgraab:  She's going to cut my arts funding" he said.

"Oh no!  How dare she!" exclaimed Suzy.

"Actually, I'm relieved:  I felt bad taking her cursed foundation money whilst I knew all the dirty tricks she pulls.  This is a release and, hopefully, the start of the next phase of my art...my work, my way"

"I'm proud of you, honey" said Suzy, smiling warmly at him.  Then she noticed someone running past the house.  "Well it looks like the great and good of Sim City have decided to walk past our humble home this morning.  It's Alan Cuffe...I want to have a word with him." she added.

Suzy ran outside to greet Alan.  "Oh hello, Suzy" he said warmly, but in a diffident and distracted way.

"I wanted to ask you..." said Suzy "...what's the response to the Malcolm Landgraab article been like?"

"Very good, very good indeed.  Sales for this month's 'Lothario' have been excellent and in part between your article and this month's Kitten...shame she's quit now.  Anyway, that's by the by, you did a good job."

"I hear Nancy Landgraab is angry about it"

"Don't worry about her; she's my problem to deal with" said Alan.  "I believe in free speech and honest reporting and your article stuck to the facts that other newspapers and magazines refuse to publish out of fear."

"That's reassuring to hear" said Suzy.  "Can I talk with you a bit about a potential follow up article I have in mind?"

"Sure, fire away" said Alan.

"I want to do a piece about the fire at your house and the police investigation" 

Alan went quiet.  "Let's not talk about this in the street...can we discuss this at your place?"

Suzy nodded.

"This is my home, it's not much but I like it" she said.  "Oh, this is my fiancé, Neil.  Neil, this is Alan Cuffe"

"Glad to know you, Neil.  So you're the man who has captured the affections of Sim City's most beautiful and courageous journalist?" said Alan, firmly shaking Neil's hand.

"You're here!" said Neil, his eyes wide with being star struck.  "You're Alan Cuffe and you're here!" 

"Well I've got be somewhere" said Cuffe, nonchalantly.  "I take it you're a Lothario reader?"

"Only the one issue, the one with Suzy's article...but I recognise you from that TV show:  Lothario After Dark"

"I get around" replied Cuffe.  "Suzy, about this article idea of yours:  I want you to drop it.  The whole incident was very traumatic to me and everyone else involved." he said.

"But Alan, this could help the police investigation as well...a detailed and truthful article about an ongoing case could prompt a member of the public to come forward with more information!" said Suzy.

"Suzy, Suzy...this isn't just a criminal case.  The FBI and State Department are rumoured to be all over this.  Please, not now...don't write this now." said Alan, with a pained and worried look in his face.  Suzy was sharp enough to notice it.

"Very well Alan" she said, picking up on the cue.  "I'll find something else" she said, solemnly.

"I look forward to reading it when it's finished.  I must be going now.  Nice to meet you, Neil."  and with that Alan Cuffe left to resume his run.

"He's covering for something" said Suzy as soon as the door shut.

"Or he's genuinely traumatised by seeing a friend nearly burned to death?" replied Neil.

Suzy shrugged.  "Well, I have a couple of topics to cover next...one is a review of Cuban Heeled Boots and the other....is investigating that tree and glade again."

"I think I can guess which one you'd prefer to write about" said Neil with a grin.

"Now be careful as you walk along the passage" said Suzy to Neil as they stood in front of the hidden entrance of the Foundry Cove tree.  "It's pretty dark in there and at one point there's a stream you have to cross.  Not wide, but get your footing wrong and you'll get wet feet."

"And it leads to some glade?  It seems impossible!" said Neil.

They both entered with Suzy leading Neil by the hand along the narrow, earthy tunnel.  They stepped over the stream and headed towards the sound of a gentle breeze and a pinkish light that was up ahead.  Eventually they stepped out of another hole of...presumably...another, almost identical tree and entered the mysterious glade.

"This...isn't possible!" said Neil in astonishment as he looked around.

"It's as beautiful as I remember from my first visit" said Suzy.

"But I made a careful note about how far we travelled" said Neil.  "I make it 200 yards from the entrance to hear.  That should put us just inside the fence of the container yard.  I can see no trace of the facility here!  And this sky...it looks like sunset but my watch says it's 11:48am!  

"Is it sunset or a dawn?" said Suzy, looking around.

"I can't tell" replied Neil.  "OK, I guess we look around to find out more about this place"

The two split up and looked out for something of interest.  Everything looked familiar but it was the lushness of the place and so many different flora from a variety of places around the world growing side by side that attracted their interest.  Neil attempted to collect a small branch off of a sapling that caught his attention but the entire tree just fell apart, as if it had melted, in his hands.  All that was left was a pile of sludge on the ground where the sapling once stood.

"Now that is bizarre" he said.  

"Let's look for something else we can take a sample of" said Suzy, scanning the scene.  "Wait!  Look over there...it looks like mushrooms or toadstools but they're in a hexagonal pattern" she said, pointing to a patch of ground where there were 6 little dirt mounds with thin, grey mushrooms sticking out of them.  The mounds formed a hexagon shape when viewed from above.  Suzy went to harvest a couple of them but they too, like the sapling, instantly turned to mush.

"How peculiar!" she said.

"Well, even though it is just a pile of slush I'll grab a sample" said Neil, producing a handkerchief and scooping up some of the mush into it.

They walked around the glade some more, trying to make observations.  "I wish I'd remembered my camera" she said.  "We'll just have to make a mental note for now and the next time we'll bring a camera."

"There's no doubting this place is strange yet beautiful.  I might come back with my sketch pad next time" said Neil.

"I told you it was a special place" she said, smiling at him.  "Now you know...thanks for being by my side on one of my adventures"

"Where else should I be?" replied Neil, returning the smile.  They stood and looked at each other warmly before being overcome by an urge to kiss each other.

"And we'll bring a picnic" she added as their lips parted.

"Let's get home" he replied, brushing a strand of her hair from her face.

But their presence and behaviour had been noticed.  On the far side of the glade a glowing, translucent ball emerged from the pond.  It hovered above the water, scanning the glade with a bright light that was contained within the ball.  It detected the two lovers and slowly, and silently moved towards them.  As it flew slowly across the glade, weaving in an out of the trees and long grasses, it left a little sparkling trail of light behind it.  

It stopped about 20 feet away from the couple and ducked behind a flower bush.  There it could observe the couple without being noticed.  It waited to see what they would do next and when the two stepped into the hole in the tree and left, the ball remained for another minute before heading back to the pond.

They went home and Neil put some of the pulped mushrooms...if that's what they were...into a jar and in the fridge.  Suzy entered the kitchen and sighed.  "Let's unwind...shall we say down at the Blue Velvet?"

Neil agreed and they headed off to the local bar to unwind, have some drinks and talk about what to do next.  

"So, what do you think we should do with that sludge?" said Neil.

"Get it to a biologist, or chemist...you know, some kind of scientist" she replied.

"Unfortunately I don't know any...well, if you except Julia." said Neil.

"Well, she might know or know someone at her work.  OK, we'll ask her.  Wow, it's really starting to get busy in here!"

Suzy spotted Liberty Lee at the far end of the bar and waved to her.  "Hey, Libs!  On your own here tonight?" she said.

"Yeah, the others bailed on me but Gary will be along shortly" replied Liberty.

"Hey, Neil and I have found out more about that tree!" said Suzy, barely able to contain her excitement in this crowded place.

"What is it?" replied Liberty, keen to know.

"We've got some plant material from there we want analysing.  You don't happen to know anyone in your line of work who could examine it?"

"I'm a rocket engineer and we're planning on going to the Moon where there's no plant life.  Sorry, can't help"

"Oh well, it was worth a shot" shrugged Suzy.

"Hey, Suzy!  Are you going to sing tonight?" called a voice of one of the regulars.

"I wasn't planning on doing so..." she replied.

"Go on, sing!" another person shouted.  And then another, and another...even Neil lent his voice in support of her singing.  Suzy shrugged and went on to the microphone.

"Well, that's over and done with" as she put the microphone back on the stand after her performance.

"That's the second best version of 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' I've ever heard" said Neil.  "Shame you don't want to do an encore"

"I will spare the audience that for tonight" replied Suzy.  "Let's sit down over there where it's less busy" 

"I'm still buzzing about what we found today" she said.

"The beginnings of a new article?" replied Neil.  

"Maybe...eventually.  But I wonder if it has anything to do with Action's investigation?  What if they're linked somehow?"

Neil nodded in thought.  "The Landgraabs certainly know about what lies beyond that tree, it's mentioned in their maps and plans for the area.  Who knows who else in The Triangle knows?" he said.

Suzy shut her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.  When she opened her eyes she looked at Neil in a very warm and seductive way. 

"Hmmm, maybe it's the fire, the drinks, the music and the fact that you're a wonderful companion but I'm feeling....hmmm....very, very warm".  She said the word warm with a soft, inviting pout of her lips.

"Suzy!  Must you be so suggestive in public?" said Neil, feeling the heat under his collar.

"I can't help myself sometimes...after all, that's how I got my man!" she replied.

"Oh you've got me alright but let's move this to back home before you get carried away any more!"

"I want to get carried away" she said, standing up and grabbing his hand.  Without another word she had whisked him back home.

They wasted no time hanging around outside but hurried to the bedroom where Neil, usually so proper and gentlemanly, let himself go, had her dress unzipped and was fiddling with her bra strap.

"I had a thought...we could hand the sample over to Action" he said, in between kisses.

"Neil...shut up" Suzy replied.