CHAPTER 219: Sideshow

 "Ah, Action...sit down.  Have you heard the news?" asked Captain Amos when Action arrived for work that morning.

"About Geoffrey Landgraab?  Sure, who hasn't?  The news can talk about little else right now." Action replied.

"And how are you about it?  I know you have history with that family"

"I'm a professional, Chief.  I was lead on the Malcolm Landgraab drug bust but I think I did a pretty good job on that one."

"You did.  I need to know where your head is right now.  Geoffrey's death is a whole new level."

"I know, Chief.  So what's happening with the case load?  I take it there's the fraud case and now Landgraab's inquest."

"FBI and the IRS are handling the fraud, it's out of our hands now.  Yes, his death will be investigated but preliminary reports suggest Landgraab died of a heart attack."

"Do you want me on that one, Chief?"

Captain Amos leant back in his chair and didn't respond immediately.  After taking a breath he just said "No, I've got other cases for you, Action.  Schuster's lead on the Landgraab death."

"But sir, I just said I'm a professional...my feelings about the Landgraabs don't..."

Amos cut him off "I know.  You're not being assigned to Geoffrey's death not because I don't trust you; it's because you already have an ongoing murder investigation with the Tom Green case and some loose ends of the Goth burglary.  Schuster's next senior in the detective division."

Action returned to the squad room where he put the latest bits of evidence and clues on the crime map.  Witnesses on the day saw a woman, wearing a blouse and jeans, cute, red head...Action instinctively knew who the killer was:  Leanne McGregor.  She had gone to ground though and no one knew where she was.

He turned to the other detectives in the room.  "Hey, any of you got any leads on McGregor?"

"If we had you'd be in the loop, Action" said Cole Michaels.

"Yeah, she's public enemy #1 right now so it's not like any of us are slacking" added Schuster.

"You've got the street contacts, Action, aren't any of them coughing up info about her?" asked Michaels.

Action sighed.  "No..."

A uniformed officer came into the squad room.  "We've got an incident down at Britechester U.  It's kicking off and they need anyone not busy down there, now"

Action got up and holstered his .38 service revolver.  "I can't act on anything until we get some information about the whereabouts of McGregor.  OK, I'll bite...give me the details, officer."

Action wasted no time in getting to the campus.  Apparently there was some kind of disturbance, a clash between students.  "Hippies and radicals vs the John Birch society, no doubt" Action thought as he sped through the city to the university.

When he got there he found a fight in progress.

"Alright!  Break it up!" he said, brandishing his badge.  The two young men at the centre of the fight ignored him so Action grabbed one of them by the shoulders and physically flung him to one side before pushing the other combatant away before he could put the boot in.

"The name's Action...Sim City PD...and I haven't had my mid-morning coffee yet so don't make me even angrier.  Calm it right down, keep your distance and tell me what's going on."

He noticed a young, fair haired man standing on the sidelines and scowling.  "What are you looking at?  Are you involved in all this?"

The man shook his head and stepped back from Action.

Action pointed to a young man who was wearing red shirt and had a black, rockabilly hairstyle and sideburns.

"You, Elvis...what's your name?" asked Action, forcibly.

"Frederick Mouser" replied the man in a haughty tone.  Action wrote that down in his notebook.

"What's the beef you've got going with Beach Boy here?"

"It's Julian, officer" interjected the other combatant, who had long blonde hair.

"Ooh, Julian.  Julian what!"

"Julian Lydon...with a y"

"With a y...OK, Julian with a y, you wait here whilst Frederick explains why you two are creating a public disturbance."

"He's a dirty liar, a con artist and a thief!" said Mouser.

"Wow, that's a list of crimes..." Action replied.

"He's hyping it up, officer!" interjected Lydon.  "I never said I was taken, Freddie.  You chose to believe that...I just didn't deny it, that's all.  And unless we've re-introduced chattel slavery without me knowing you can't steal a person."

The penny dropped with Action.  "Ah, you're fighting over a girl!  Presumably you, Miss?"

"Anahi Loh" said the pretty Asian girl standing with the group.

"Are you going to book them, officer?" asked the fair haired bystander.

"You still here?  Buzz off, no onlookers"

The man sulked off, grumbling all the way.  Action looked at Miss Loh and there was a hint of recognition there.  Where had he seen her before?

"OK, Elvis and Beach Boy..." began Action.  "I'm letting you off with a caution; but in future keep your fists to yourself when squabbling over a woman."

"Is that all, officer?" asked Mouser.

"That's all" Action replied.  Mouser walked off but Lydon couldn't help himself.  

"That's right, Freddie!  You run!  You run away!" he called out.

"Knock it off, bucko!" said Action, tersely.  

Lydon left as well and that just left Miss Loh.  "Are you alright, ma'am?" he asked.  It bugged him that he knew her from somewhere but couldn't place her.

"Thanks officer...those two are just college jerks.  I find each one amusing in their own way but they take these things way more seriously than I do."

"Both of them think they're alpha males.  You know, I never forget a face and I'm sure we've met before." 

"Yeah, I get that sense as well." she giggled.  "I've never fallen foul of the law before so you can't have hauled me in to police headquarters."

"Maybe it's social.  Where do you work?"

"At the Landgraab Corporation.  I'm a secretary there."

And that's when the penny dropped:  Action had met her before, but at the time he was in disguise as a maintenance worker.  Now this was awkward..."

"Ah, maybe it was at one of Mrs Landgraab's police fundraising events" he said, hoping that would suffice as a cover story.

"That must be it then"

Action saw an opportunity to get some information about the Miss Loh on the sly.  "Terrible news about your boss.  What's the mood amongst the staff?"

"It's hit us all hard, officer.  First the fraud allegations and now Mr Landgraab dead.  He took fitness very seriously, you know?  Often went for runs during office hours, worked out, a perennial at the health spa and he always ate sensibly.  He must have had a congenital heart problem."

"Must be.  Anyway, thanks for remaining calm whilst those loudmouths were sizing each other up.  Stay safe." he said, with a wink, before walking off.

On the drive back to Precinct 13 he thought about what Anahi Loh mentioned.  Must have been a congenital heart defect.  Only Geoffrey Landgraab had access to the best doctors in Sim City...in America.  Surely they would have warned him about overdoing the exercise?  He'd seen Geoffrey many times running around the city, working out at the gym and yes, you can overdo things but then again, you can manufacture the circumstances to overdo things as well...

Back at headquarters, he went straight to see the Chief.  

"Have we got the coroner's report on Landgraab's death yet?" he asked, pointedly.

"Action, I told you you're not on that case."

"Have we or have we not?"

"Yes, it's in.  Died of heart failure, probably brought on by spending too much time in the sauna."

"Pretty strange for someone who's health conscious, don't you think?" said Action.

Chief Amos drew a deep breath before answering "This case has nothing to do with you, Action.  Now get back to your existing case load!" he snapped.

Action went back to his desk feeling frustrated but he got through to the end of the shift.  He had an idea though:  Go to the Perfect Balance Spa, where Geoffrey died, and do a bit of investigation himself.  But he would require some assistance and he knew exactly who to enlist.

"Bibi, what are you doing for the next couple of hours?" she asked his forensics colleague with a broad, warm smile as if he was giving her an offer she couldn't refuse.

"But you're not on this case, Action" said Bibi.

"I know that but Schuster needs all the help he can get." Action replied.  "Besides, don't you feel a bit put out that you're not involved in such a high profile case either?"

"I work on whatever cases the Chief deems necessary.  I do not let emotion get in the way" she said, haughtily.

"Anyway, you're here.  Let's go and check out the sauna....in a professional capacity!" said Action.

They went upstairs to the sauna; any members of staff who were puzzled by the sight of Action and Bibi looking around in great detail were shown his police badge.  He had managed to bluff his way into access of whatever he wanted to see there, even though this wasn't his case.

"Well, Bibi, this was where Landgraab fell and died.  What did the crime scene report say?" 

"A Miss Judith Ward noticed the door to the sauna rattling and she went over to investigate closer.  She thought someone might have been inside so she summoned an attendant who tried to open the door but found it was locked...."

"From the outside?" interjected Action.

"Ja.  There is no way to lock or unlock this door from the inside of the sauna.  The attendant went to fetch the key and on his return unlocked it and Geoffrey Landgraab staggered out and collapsed right there."

"Where's the thermostat?" asked Action.

"Here, inside this control box..."

"Which is also on the outside of the sauna, not the inside."

"But you need another key to access the box.  You suspect foul play?" she asked.

"He was a man with a thousand or more secrets about to go to prison, it would be worth someone's time to silence him." Action replied.

"But whom?"

"Take your pick from at least a dozen suspects.  But whoever it was they had access to the keys to this sauna and the thermostat."

"But, Action, you're not working on this case, right?"

"But...you're not working on this case....RIGHT?"

CHAPTER 96: The Penny Drops

 

"Yo, Rookie...what do you have for me?" said Action as he entered the squad room at Precinct 13 headquarters.

"The suspect...Damian Blount...in cell one needs interrogating.  And I ain't no Rookie anymore; I served my probation time and am a grade 1 patrolman"

"Until I see you cut it on the streets when the crap hits the fan, you're a rookie to me.  Now, who's Damian Blount?"

"He's the breaking and entering specialist who has a thing for women's shoes"

"Oh him!" Action said, remembering the first time he'd encountered Damian.

"Come on, Twinkletoes, time to sing" said Action as he let Damian Blount out of his cell to be interrogated.

"You had nothing on me last time, Detective, and you've got nothing this time" replied Damian, a sound of overconfidence and disdain in his voice.

"You got off on a technicality and were lucky the judge was weak...but wait 'till you see what I've got this time"

"Ooh, don't tease me!" said Blount, in a mock flirtatious voice.

Action gave Blount a big shove in the back and marched him off to the interrogation room.

"I know it's you hitting all those expensive houses, Damian, you have a distinctive M.O." said Action, shining the desk lamp into Blount's face.

"Oh do tell, Detective" replied a defiant Blount.

"You have expensive tastes and they need paying for...not only do you break in and steal cash, jewellery and other items of value....you like to take dresses, shoes and other ladies' apparel.  That makes you a bit different"

"It's not a crime in this state to like women's clothes, Detective" 

"Hey, if you want to dress up as a woman that's your gig: I don't care one way or another.  But you can't do it in clothes you stole either" There was an awkward pause in the interrogation as Blount remained defiant.

"Prove I stole them, Detective"

Action said nothing but reached into a file and slid a document across to Blount.

"We searched your apartment, Damian" began Action "and found a gold lamé dress belonging to Nancy Landgraab and reported stolen a week ago by her in your closet"

"That dress is legitimately mine" responded Blount, still remaining calm.

"Then how come on the inside lining of the dress there's a pinned dry cleaning invoice MADE OUT TO NANCY LANDGRAAB?" Action raised his voice and jabbed his index finger down on a photocopy of the invoice in front of Blount.

"Erm....I....I" stuttered Blount; his composure collapsed.  Action had his man bang to rights....Blount ended up confessing to a series of robberies and once Action had got a signed confession from the suspect and with that job done, he put him back in the cell.

That job done and dusted, Action headed to the Chief's office to update him on the case being closed and ready for trial.

"Well done, Action my boy, well done" said the Chief, enthusiastically when told the news that they'd got a confession out of Damian Blount.  "We've been after that one for some time and you were the one that closed the case"

"It still has to go to trial but that confession will help secure the conviction" said Action.

"It'll go to the D.A.'s office and they'll sort it out...well, what are you waiting for, Action, go get out there and crack some more cases!" the Chief said, abruptly.

SAN MYSHUNO, 13:05 hrs

It didn't take long for something to happen downtown that Action needed to deal with.  As he was talking to a local by the name of Arun Bheeda a very attractive but panic stricken young woman came running up to him.  Looking at her she seemed vaguely familiar but he couldn't place where he'd seen her before.

"Officer!  Officer!  I need your help, urgently!" she said, out of breath as she came running to him.

"What's the matter, Ma'am?" Action replied.

"I had something of mine stolen, out of my hands, just around the corner from here!" she explained, pointing to a spot around the corner from where they were standing.

"What was stolen?" asked Action.

"An envelope containing some photos" she replied.

"That's all?  Your bag wasn't taken was it as well?"

"No, just the envelope" she explained.

Action took a moment to think about the significance of an bunch of photos being taken but a woman's bag, presumably containing her cash and valuables, was ignored.

"And can you describe the man who took this envelope?"

"Yes, he was a black man, in a tank top and flat cap" she said.

"Hey, I've seen that guy around here a lot!" exclaimed Arun Bheena, all of a sudden.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have a look around this area and call in some back up" said Action, instinctively checking his .38 service revolver was still in its holster.  "Here's my card; if you see the guy who robbed you, call this number"

"Can I have one of those cards as well, Detective?" asked Arun.  "If I see this guy, and I'm pretty sure he hangs out around here a lot, I want to let you know"

"Sure Mr Bheeda, here you go" he said, handing a second card to the keen and eager young man.  However, Action had another person he wanted to interrogate...someone who sees all but is hardly ever noticed.

"Howdy Cowboy" said Action as he approached the mime artist who was being a living statue for the day.

"Gnnnaaa arrraaayy" the mime replied.

"I have a few questions to ask you" Action said, flashing his warrant card.

"I shaid....gna array. G'naim trynggghhh to rorwk here" said the mime.

"I don't care if you're trying to work just standing around hoping a pigeon will crap on you...I'm the police and you will answer my questions either here or down at the precinct house"

The mime relented and stopped standing motionless.  "Fine, what do you want?" she said.

"Snatch n' grab a little while ago.  Black guy in a tank top and wearing a cap stole a large envelope.  Did you see it happen or the guy who did it?"

"Yeah, I heard something...a scream then this guy hurtles past me at high speed carrying a big, yellow parcel or something like that.  He went that way, towards the bar that's over there"

"And have you seen this guy around here before?" Action asked.

"Oh yeah...he's catcalled me a few times and shouted my act is garbage.  I don't know his name though"

"Thanks for the help...and you say he went in that direction?" The mime nodded.

"Say, you should try being more still, Detective.  Cast off the cares of the world and let your body be still and at peace"

Action scoffed.  "I stand still for no man" he replied and he headed off to the bar where the suspect was last seen heading to.  His eyes scanned all potential lurking spots but he couldn't help shake the feeling that something about this crime was amiss:  Why steal photos unless there was something incriminating about them?  And who do they incriminate?  

Up ahead he saw Arun Bheena frantically gesturing off to his right.  Action figured he'd seen something, possibly the perp himself.  He quickly jogged over to Arun to find out what was going on.

"He's there...the guy who stole the envelope!  By that payphone!" said an excited Arun.

Without saying a word, Action crept up on the suspect.  Using his Vietnam jungle skills to move silently and undetected he was up on the perp in a flash and had his service .38 jammed into the small of the suspect's back.

"Don't move or you'll have a tunnel going all the way through your guts.  Now drop the envelope you're holding right there and down on your knees, sucker!" said Action.

Action cuffed him, read him his rights and called for a Black & White to pick him up.  Witness statements were taken from Arun, the Mime and the young woman at the centre of the theft.

"We've retrieved your photos and arrested the man who took them, Miss?" said Action, asking for the woman's name.

"Pizzazz.  Penny Pizzazz" she replied.

The "penny" dropped for Action: "Of course, you're the gossip columnist and TV personality" said Action.

"That's me" she replied.  "Can I have my photos back now?"

"They're material evidence, Miss Pizzazz.  They'll be returned to you in time but for now we need to keep hold of them."

"But they're important for my work!" she protested.

"Don't you have copies?  Can you make more from the negatives?" he said.

"Well...yes...I suppose" she said in a faltering manner.

"Good.  We'll be in touch, Miss Pizzazz" said Action.  His curiosity now piqued as he wondered what was in those photos...time would soon tell.

Back at the station, Action went to seek out the forensic unit.  "Say, can you boys in the lab check these photos and this envelope out...I'm not just looking for fingerprints, I want those photos analysed for every last detail."

"Sure, Action" said the forensic chief.  "What are we meant to be looking out for?"

"I don't know at this stage....look over them and enlarge any section that you think looks of interest or out of place".  Action had a hunch the photos were stolen for something they contained that incriminated someone...but Pizzazz wasn't a known criminal with a habit of blackmailing people...or was she?

At the end of his shift Action headed home for a rendezvous with his girlfriend, Katherine.  They were both pretty beat after their work days but perked up once they saw each other.

Action gave Katherine a massage.  "Hmmm, that feels good!" she said.  "You've got the magic touch"

"You should see all the other things I can do with them" he joked, flirtatiously. 

"You've got my attention if it's anything like this massage" she replied.  They headed to the bedroom to get more intimate.

"My day was so boring" began Katharine.  "Attending all these meetings of charity bodies, organisations and listening to one dull speech after another.  How was your day?"

"I got a confession from that thief who steals women's jewellery and clothes and arrested a street robber who mugged Penny Pizzazz, the lifestyle reporter on the news" he replied.

"Oh I know Penny" said Katherine.  "Is she alright?"

"Yeah, she didn't get hurt...it was this package of hers that got stolen.  Say, do you know her well?"

"A little" replied Katherine. "We attend some of the same events"

"Would you say she's on the level?" he asked.

"Penny?  Sure!  She's sweet, knows everyone who is everyone and is a positive kind of person.  Why do you ask?"

"It was this envelope she was holding...it contained some photos and I was wondering if, in her line of work, the photos would be embarrassing to someone?"

"Penny's not a blackmailer if that's what you mean...well, she doesn't come across like one.  I'm tired..." she said, yawning.  "Let's go to bed"

"Sure thing" said Action, smiling and undoing his shirt.  It was time to put work to one side and to enjoy some playtime.  In the morning, Action looked forward to one of the treats of his day...Katherine's scrambled eggs for breakfast!

CHAPTER 57: The Clue's In The Shoes

On occasion John Action got up early at the crack of dawn and travelled down to The Rattlesnake Juice Bar in Oasis Springs as they did a pretty good breakfast for those who didn't fancy cooking themselves. He could also avail himself of unlimited refills of coffee while he was there.

But today was a full working day and he was keen to get to the bottom of the graffiti vandal mystery before those pesky kids and their stupid dog could crack the case. Just after his 3rd cup of coffee, Action headed to 13th Precinct HQ. Almost as soon as he arrived, he had been summoned to see the Chief.

"Ah Action, glad you could join us. Now I've called you and Detective Schuster in to give me the latest on that vandalism case. Schuster, what have you got?"

"Well, sir, I believe this was the work of neighbourhood kids who took the opportunity to get in the house when no one was there and just wreak havoc with their spray paints. We're currently working with the Juvenile Crime Unit to see if the witnesses recognise any repeat offenders." said Schuster, who was precise with his report.

"And you Action?" asked the Chief.

"I disagree with Detective Schuster, sir" Action began. "For starters sir, the front door was expertly picked, not forced open indicating someone who's precise. It's the same with the graffiti; the handiwork is not random or chaotic...there's form to it. I think we're dealing with maybe a solo or a small team of pros here."

"And what are you doing about this, Action?" asked the Chief.

"Well sir, I intend to go through the files to see if any similar crimes have been committed and by whom" replied Action.

"OK you two....keep following your leads and report back to me when there's been a breakthrough. Dismissed."

Action knew he was facing hours of painstaking research down in the records department and he was on his way there when Desk Sergeant Kitchen called him over.

"Action...this gentleman wants to speak with you" said Sergeant Kitchen, indicating a largely built black man.

"I'm busy on a case right now" said Action, trying to get away.

"You'll be interested in this one....it's another vandalism case"

"OK, show the gentlemen to the interview area, Sarge" said a suddenly interested Action.

"My name is Eric Lewis and I live over at Cypress Terrace, Sage Estates. Well, last night I and my family went out to the movies and when we returned we'd discovered our house had been broken into, the electrics all messed up and spray graffiti was all over the place."

"I see" said Action, taking notes. "Was this graffiti made by someone proficient or was it all just random squiggles?"

"It looked pretty professional...for graffiti art" said Mr Lewis.

"And nothing was taken?"

"Well, my wife noticed one thing missing....a pair of her shoes. They're expensive imported ones, black leather...but they didn't touch anything else except for mucking around with the electrical fuse box."

"That is interesting..." mused Action. "Well, Mr Lewis, we've had a similar break in occur in two days so this might be a serial offender. We'll be over with a team to investigate in more detail shortly"

Graffiti...sabotaged fuse box...stolen shoes. What did this all add up to? Action gathered up a couple of his fellow beat cops and headed over to the most expensive bit of real estate in Willow Creek: Sage Estates.

The Spencer-Kim-Lewis Estate, 11:05am

"Impressive place you've got here, Mr Lewis" said Action, on arriving at the house.

"Yes...my wife and I designed it utilising the latest in ultra-modern and minimalist decor" replied Lewis.

Action got on with photographing the vandalised parts of the house and noticing that the central electrical control device for the whole house had been expertly tampered with. To what end, Action couldn't be sure other than it was meant to disrupt any security devices on the premises. One of Action's colleagues approached him. "We've got a couple of witnesses for you" they said.

The first witness was someone Action was already familiar with. "Well, well, well...if it isn't Fatima Steele. The last time I saw you was down in Oasis Springs where you were having a bad acid trip. Don't tell me you're mixed up in this as well?"

"I'm clean, Action!" said Fatima. "I went on that recovery programme the judge sent me to and I haven't had a tab since"

"So what did you see here?" said Action.

"Well...nothing much. I was walking past the place and it was pretty quiet, except for this one guy who was pacing up and down outside the house."

"Did you recognise him?"

"No. I remember he had tight, curly hair, was overweight and was wearing shorts but that's all"

"Did you speak to him?"

"I asked him for the time and he said he didn't know and why was I bothering him with such trivialities...his words"

"Hmmm, thanks Fatima....stay cool" said Action. The second witness was a more prim and respectable looking young lady.

"Well, officer, I didn't notice any man standing around the house or inside it for that matter" the witness said. "I saw a woman leave the house though."

"What did she look like? Like Mrs Kim-Lewis?"

"No, not at all...she was a plump lady in a shapeless maroon dress, wearing a matching floppy hat but I did notice she had these really expensive black leather shoes on...they didn't go with the outfit."

"Hmmm, very interesting" said Action.

On the ride home to 13th Precinct HQ Action mulled over the information...yes, this was definitely the same person who turned over Travis' house but now some little details became apparent to Action. The way they got in and out was the key...people saw one person hanging around but then they vanished and another person would be seen leaving. Was this Mystery Inc's "ghost" or a more mundane explanation? He had a hunch.

"OK, I want an APB put out on a young, overweight man...or woman...curly hair. Short tempered person as well. They're either wearing a sweater top and shorts or a baggy maroon dress and hat....but with expensive women's shoes." he said to the squad. Pretty soon, a report came in that someone matching that description was seen at the Willow Creek archive.

Willow Creek Archive, 4:50pm

When Action entered the library, he found his suspect right away.

It was a young, plump man with curly hair and wearing a blue sweater and white shorts...but what gave him away were the shoes he was wearing.

"You couldn't bear to take them off, eh?" said Action, sitting opposite him.

"I don't know what you mean, officer" said the man.

"Such lovely shoes...you just had to have them. You broke your pattern, chum. You like to break in places and spray your 'art' but not take anything but this time you had to have those shoes...the ones you're wearing now. Now if you were fully dragged up as your other persona, you might have got away with it but a man wearing a pair of expensive women's slingbacks is a bit of a giveaway"

"How did you know I dragged up?" said the man, inquisitively.

"It makes sense...people see you, the man, hanging around the property you vandalise but they never see you leave...they see a woman instead. I ruled out an accomplice because the descriptions of you and the woman overlap too much. But what I haven't figured out is why you do this?"

"It's simple, officer" said the man with some glee at being able to reveal all "I am an artist. I see other peoples' houses as canvasses. I take drab, ugly modernist houses and make them more flamboyant...I enter as Myron, destructo-artist and leave as Myra, the artiste!"

"Well, you'll find prison shoes a lot less exciting as those ones your wearing. You're under arrest...you do not have to say anything but anything you say...."