CHAPTER 247: The Card

Jeremy had entered the living area of his home to be greeted by the sight of Barbara doing her exercises.  He took a look at her in all her glory, appreciating every elegant curve all the way down to those amazing legs she has.  Every day he quietly gave thanks that they had found each other.

"Enjoying staring at me?" she said as she touched her toes.

"Sheer admiration, sweetheart"  he replied with a smile.  She then stood up, put her hands on her hips and smiled back at him.  

He then changed the subject.  "You're up early this morning" he noted.

"I'm going to the shop this morning to receive a delivery of new stock.  I wanted to do my exercises now before showering and then heading off."  She replied, finishing her routine and heading to the sofa.  The two of them sat down on it.

"Do you need any help at the shop?" Jeremy asked.

"No.  It's not a big a job; just be there for when the delivery men arrive, sign a document and they put the gear in the storeroom.  All I have to lift is a pen.  Have you made any plans?" she replied.

"Not really...although there's something bugging me in my mind...about Darrin.  He's just disappeared."

"It's only been two days.  Maybe he's out of town visiting family or on business and he's forgotten to call you?"

Jeremy shook his head.  "No.  He's such a single-minded guy that if he says he'll contact me about the Landgraabs he will do it come rain or shine.  I think something bad has happened to him."

"And you've spoken to Action about this?"

"Yes.  He's doing some digging and I'll see him later about what he's found but...there's something I'm missing here.  Maybe he did get a message to me but I haven't figured out how or what yet."

"Well, I hope you work it out.  Anyway, I have to take a shower and get dressed.  I'm meeting the delivery men in an hour.  Don't fret though..." she said, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek before getting up and heading to the bathroom.

Jeremy went to the study and his desk and picked up the birthday card Darrin had sent him before his disappearance.  He studied it in minute detail trying to find a single clue.

And then he realised something....something potentially big.  He put the card in his jacket pocket and headed straight over to Action's place next door.

"Sup, Jezza?" said Action as he opened the door. 

"Have you had a chance to look into what happened to my missing friend?" asked Jeremy.

"I've started an investigation and it looks like your hunch about foul play is probably correct." Action replied.

"What have you found out, Action?"

"Your friend lost his family back in 1962 when they were poisoned by a chemical spill...caused by the Landgraabs!  And then they went out of their way to avoid taking responsibility!"

"That makes sense!  That's why Darrin was set on bringing them down!" replied Jeremy.

"So I go over to his place to see if I could find any clues and...nada.  Not one thing.  The place has been cleaned out and sterilised.  It's like no one has ever lived there."

"And you think Landgraab has something to do with that?  Making him disappear?  Surely that would be too obvious, even for them!  A company employee of his level just vanishing like that and his house cleared out with no trace...even your superiors would think suspiciously of the Landgraabs!"

"Even my chief would suspect them.  But they're involved...somehow.  Maybe they hired a hitman or something.  Say, there's one clue though:  That birthday card he sent you, I'll need to examine it."

"Do you think it contains a clue?"

"You're damn right I do!  Think about it.  This cat Darrin Lew is methodical, he has a hatred of the Landgraabs and he's got compromising material on them.  But he's also a smart cookie...he knows he's being spied on....what does he do?"

"He disguises the information as something normal and innocuous!" Jeremy blurted out as the penny dropped.  "The birthday card!  But Action, it's just a simple happy birthday message...there's no information there."

"Or is there and you can't see it?  You say the card contained a typewritten message, not handwritten?"

"That's right"

"I've looked into his background.  He was in the army in the late 50s AND in cryptography.  I was a grunt in the Marines so we didn't go into all that fancy intel stuff but I know those spooks in those branches learned all about codes, concealing messages and sneaking information out under the enemy's nose.  I'm thinking a microdot here.  Now get me that card!"

CHAPTER 246: Missing Persons

John Action had just returned from a lunch date with his girlfriend, Katherine.  They had wined and dined at the Kitten Club; now that he had been given membership by the owner, Alan Cuffe.  It was a great time and Action wanted their date to continue but Katherine had a family engagement to attend and so they parted with a kiss and a hug, promising to resume their romance as soon as both had a day off.

But when Action had arrived home he found his neighbour and friend, Jeremy Saint, waiting at his front door and looking agitated. 

"Yo, Jeremy...what are you doing hanging around out here?  Locked yourself out again?  Babs thrown you out?  What gives my man?" 

"I have something weighing on my mind...it could be nothing, it could be something big.  I need to get your expert opinion." said Jeremy, rubbing the back of his neck in worry.

"On chicks, yeah, on drinks, I'm your man...but police business?  That should be done down at the station house." Action replied.

"It might be of interest to the police...let me explain..." began Jeremy.  "I have a friend...well, more like a work colleague...actually it's former work colleague.  I knew him before I was fired from Landgraab..."

"Get to the point" interjected Action.

"OK, this colleague...former colleague.  I was working with him to get the dirt on the company; he hates them as much as I do.  Anyway we fell out when I went to the police early and he wanted to wait until we had gathered more evidence."

"From what I could tell, Jeremy, Landgraab security were closing the noose around you...if you hadn't had gone to the cops when you did you could have ended up in more trouble than just getting fired."

"That's what I told him...anyway, we eventually patched things up and were working together again to get more compromising evidence against them."

"And have you?" asked Action.

"Darrin...that's his name...said he had got something and was going to get it to me so I could pass it on to you and Suzy.  That was supposed to be yesterday but he never showed up to the rendezvous point we'd agreed on.  I phoned him, no answer.  I visited his home, still no answer.  He's usually so precise and a man of his word that it's not like him to fail to show up for a meeting and then not tell me."

"Hmmm" said Action.  "When was the last time you had any contact with him?" he asked.

"Four days ago.  Is it too soon to launch a missing person's case?" asked Jeremy.

"Does he have a wife?  Any family in the city?" said Action, not answering Jeremy's question right away.

"No.  I know hardly anything about his background other than he had deep, personal reasons to hate the Landgraab family."

"So did he find any extra information and pass it on to you?" asked Action.

"He called me to say he had something and wanted to meet.  Oh, and he sent me a birthday card yesterday...but my birthday's in February!" 

"Hmmm, now that is interesting." said Action, stroking his chin.

"I thought he'd made a mistake..." said Jeremy.

"You said he was precise and methodical...so he'd have your birthday written down in a diary and would consult it if he were wishing you a happy birthday." Action replied.

"So you think he was trying to send me a message?" asked Jeremy.

"Yeah, he's one smart cat.  OK, now you've got my interest...let me look into the matter and, oh, do you still have the card?"

"Yes...do you want it?" 

"Not now.  Keep it in a safe place and DON'T throw it away!  I'll be needing it later..."

The next day at work Action thought about this missing person's case.  He consulted his colleague, Cole Michaels.

"Yo, Michaels...I'm looking into a missing persons case:  The guy's name is Darrin Lew, he's from Windenburg and he was last heard from two days ago.  Any of your 'Mod Squad' hear of anything.?"

"How old is this Mr Lew?" Cole replied.

"36.  I've got a description of him as well.  5'11", medium brown hair, average build and with a goatee beard."

"My squad covers the teen beat but I'll put the word out to see if any of our street contacts have heard of anything.  Is this Mr Lew connected to the underworld or in some important position?"

"He's an insider at Landgraab and was one of the people who got us information about Geoffrey's criminal activities so, yeah, he's important."

"You know who becomes the leading suspect if something bad has happened to him...?"

"Yeah, don't I know it!  I'm gonna be locking horns with that family again...OK, later, Michaels"

Action then proceeded to records to look up the case files he had on the Landgraabs.  Maybe there was something that could link Lew's disappearance with either Geoffrey's murder or young Malcolm's drug dealing empire.  It was there where he found his most trusted work colleague:  Bibi Stahler.

"Bibi, just the person I wanted to see" he said the moment she walked into the room.

"And what is it this time, Action?  Is what you're working on an official case or one of your side projects?" she replied.

"Maybe something that can link the the two.  It's a missing person case right now but it has links to the Landgraab Corporation."

"You are still going after them even though the Geoffrey Landgraab case has been turned over to the FBI?"

"New information, Bibi...and I've been entrusted with it.  A man named Darrin Lew was one of our informants...working alongside Jeremy Saint.  Now Lew's gone missing."

"Alright, let's assume for this moment his disappearance is linked to the Landgraabs?  Have you checked his home?  Known hang outs?"

"I'm off to check those right now...In the meantime can you run a full background check on Lew?  Any criminal record?  Where he's from originally?  Known associates, family, the works.  Can I leave all that with you?"

"Leave it with me, now...schnell!  You'd better get moving on your end." said Bibi, coolly.

WINDENBURG:  1420hrs

Action arrived at the address he was given and from the outside it looked neat and well looked after...and quiet.  After looking around the outside and seeing nothing noteworthy he tried knocking at the door to see if anyone was in and he wasn't surprised when there was no answer.

Taking a look around to see no-one was watching he pulled a set of skeleton keys from his pocket and used them to get in the house.  He would bother with a search warrant later, for now it was all about having a look around.

Once inside the first thing that struck Action was how sterile the place was.  Sure, there was furniture and all the basic comforts but no personal touches, no artwork, photos or mementos of any kind.  There was also no dust, not even under the sofa or chairs.  The whole place was impeccably clean.

Looking through the bookcase didn't reveal anything either.  Two dictionaries, a cookbook, a guide to Sim City...it was all so generic.  There wasn't a single novel or anything to indicate what Darrin Lew's taste in books were.

And it was the same upstairs:  Clean, spotless and ordered.  The bed was made with the precision you would find in a hospital.  The drawers and closet contained clothes, all perfectly folded and stored but, again, no personal effects.  Action thought about this...was this really Darrin Lew's home or merely some kind of front?  The other possibility is that someone had been here and removed all his personal belongings, anything that would reveal what kind of man he was.

Eventually Action gave up searching around.  A look for some kind of secret compartment revealed nothing and so he left, pausing to search the empty letterbox out the front.  If Lew did have compromising material on the Landgraabs it wasn't in this house.  He considered the possibility that Nancy, or whoever was running her security, had the place searched, cleaned and stripped of that material.  As for Lew...Action didn't hold out much hope of finding him alive.  He had no proof of that, just his gut instinct.

As he went back onto the streets of Windenburg he pondered what his next move would be and then he noticed there was a bar just across the way from Lew's house.  Could that be a place where he was recognised and known?  Well, only one way to find out.

It was a nice, cosy establishment...well kept but nothing outstanding about it.  Action had arrived just before the place started to fill up so he found getting to the bar and getting served no problem.  He also found striking up a conversation with the attractive barmaid no problem either.

"Say, sister, I'll have a bourbon on the rocks" he said to her.

"You got it...we don't get many cops in this joint.  You here on official business or is this a social call?" she replied as she poured him his drink.  There was definite sass to her voice and Action liked that in a woman.

"A little of both.  Nothing heavy...Miss?"

"Call me Emily" she replied.

"Call me Action" 

"Yo shittin' me?"

"No, my name really is Action.  John Action."

"You look it.  So what's the official part of your business or do we skip straight to the social?"

"I'm looking for a man..."

"And there I was getting my hopes up"

"Steady, sister, that's not what I'm talking about.  The cat I'm looking for is called Darrin Lew.  White guy, mid 30s, brown hair and a light beard.  Lives nearby."

"Darrin?  Yeah, I know him.  He visits here regularly.  What's up?" she said in surprise.

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"He was in here three nights ago.  Had a couple of drinks, chatted a bit but then said he had an early start the next day so went home about 9"

"Was he with anyone?"

"No, that evening he was alone.  He usually comes in here not with anyone but just to have a few drinks and talk to some of the regulars.  Poor guy, he's still reeling from losing his wife and child a few years back.  Likes to come here to forget all the pain."

"Do you know what happened to his family?" asked Action, now very intrigued by this new information.

"I don't know the details...it happened back in '62 I think.  Some kind of accident, chemical spill, like I said I don't know the details and I didn't want to be curious and bring up bad memories for him by asking too much.  Say, is he in trouble?"

Action took a sip of the bourbon before answering.  "We're just looking for him, that's all." was his eventual reply.

The bar was starting to fill up with more customers and one of them looked in Action's direction and tried to get his attention.  Emily the barmaid noticed her.

"One of your girlfriends has just breezed in" she said, nodding towards the door.  "Tall, willowy redhead in a yellow dress"

Action looked around and saw Bibi right where Emily was indicating.  "A work colleague, Emily.  Thanks for the drink...here's a tip" and he passed her a $10 bill before getting up and going to greet Bibi.

"Ah, Action..." she began.  "I had a guess that you would be in a nearby bar...investigating, of course.  You were investigating this case of the missing man, ja?"

"You doubt that?  Yeah, got some good information as well.  His house; it's immaculate, I mean it's spotless, clinical...as a German you would love it." Action replied.

"I think that's a compliment.  Anyway I did some looking into the files of the missing gentleman and I discovered his name in one file:  Back in 1962 there was an accident..."

"And his wife and child were killed.  Yeah, so I heard.  Any specifics in the file as to how they died?"

"Yes.  At that time he was a land surveyor for the State.  In June 1962 he was doing a survey of the national park and invited his family to join him as a kind of small vacation...I think that's the proper term.  In German it is mini urlaub.  There was a chemical spill and a lot of people were hospitalised...including the Lew family.  Darrin Lew pulled through after a few days, his wife and daughter were not so fortunate."

"I was in the Marines back then and out of country so I missed that story.  Did they find who was responsible for the spill?" asked Action.

"Yes.  It was a tanker truck that crashed into the lake.  The brakes were faulty.  It was a Landgraab Corporation vehicle filled with highly toxic chemicals."

"Landgraab!" muttered Action, disparagingly.  "No wonder he wanted to bring the corporation down!  So was no-one held accountable for the deaths?"

"Landgraab were not charged, the matter never went to court."

Action pounded his right fist into the palm of his left hand in frustration.  "Damn you, Landgraab!  I tell you this, Bibi.  If anyone is capable of making a man vanish, it's that family!  You've done great work and...wait a minute!" he said in a moment of revelation.

"Vas is das?" asked Bibi, looking puzzled.

"Lew's a family man yet there were no family photos in his house.  No mementos, no pictures, no love letters from his wife, no keepsakes of their daughter growing up.  You know, the kindergarten picture on a fridge or the first school report, that kind of thing.  Landgraab had their agents clean the place out!  Those heartless bastards!  I'm going to hunt them down and make them pay!"

CHAPTER 243: She's Behind You

With Barbara still off work ill, it was left to Jeremy to open the shop this day.  He had never run the store without her before and he resolved he would attend to the business and let their shop assistant, Toni, deal with the customers' queries.  

He was also brooding on Suzy and Neil's request to try and find out more about the Landgraabs and the mysterious 'visitors'.  He was persona non grata around their offices and wouldn't dare take one step into the Landgraab Building, lest he fell foul of their security.  Besides, they weren't above murder to further their aims...

Toni arrived just before opening time and Jeremy kept her informed about Barbara's condition and what he wanted her to deal with today.

"So you deal with the customers and fashion enquiries and I'll run the store and keep things spick n' span." he said to her.

"Is Barbara alright?  I hope it's nothing serious" said Toni, looking concerned.

"The doc says it's a 24 hour thing.  She's resting today and will be back tomorrow, hopefully."

"Wish her all the best from me, poor thing." 

Trade was brisk but a little on the light side that morning.  When it got around to lunchtime Jeremy pondered his predicament about the Landgraab Corporation...he did have one contact there that he could tap for information but whether they would help him was another matter.  He thought about the implications before he decided to make the phone call.

He picked up the receiver and dialled the number...waiting a few seconds before the operator answered.

"Landgraab Corporation, which department or specific individual do you wish to speak to?" said the pleasant sounding receptionist at the other end.

"Darrin Lew, Property Acquisitions, please"  Jeremy replied.

"Who shall I say is calling?"

"Just say it's Mr Jezza.  He'll know who that is."

Meanwhile at the Landgraab Corporation building, Darrin Lew was off to his office after attending a departmental meeting.  He was glad it was over because he was in danger of being overwhelmed by tedium.

At that moment he was intercepted by the new guy who shared an office with him.  Darrin thought that he wanted help operating the photocopier or wondering where the mail room was.  He was a nice enough guy, Darrin thought, but very green when it came to working in such a large company as Landgraabs.

"Darrin...phone call for you on your extension." 

"Who is it?" asked Darrin.

"Someone called Mr Jezza...said he knows you."

"Mr Jezza?  Hmmm, I can't place the name.  OK, I'm coming." said a puzzled Darrin.

Darrin headed back to his office and picked up the phone receiver on his desk.  "Darrin Lew speaking"

"Darrin...it's Jeremy, Jeremy Saint" came the voice from the other end.

"You!  I should slam the phone down right now!" Darrin replied, very annoyed but not raising his voice so his colleague couldn't hear him.

"Please...hear me out!  Can we talk about something important?"  said Jeremy, panicked.

"How important?" answered Darrin.

"It's continuing our work with the corporation...that level of importance"

Darrin shook his head, rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh.  "OK...let's meet.  But not around here.  There's a cafe in Windenburg we can meet, discretely..."

Jeremy noted down the address and said goodbye, the meeting was set for 2pm.

Darrin put down the phone receiver and said and did nothing for a few seconds as he wondered what it was the Jeremy wanted to talk about.

"Is everything OK, Darrin?" asked his young colleague.

"Yeah...fine..."

"Who was that, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Old business...before your time here..." was Darrin's vague reply.

Up one level and on the other side of the building, a meeting was taking place that affected Darrin Lew...although he was completely unaware it was taking place and that he was the subject of the discussion.

"I think I have discovered who Jeremy Saint's co-conspirator is within the company, Mrs Landgraab." said Alice Ethington; the eyes and ears of the Landgraab Corporation.  A seemingly efficient, courteous and pretty young secretary but who had the ability to be aware of everything that went on in the company and who answered only to Nancy Landgraab and her father, Malcolm Landgraab III or "Big Mal" as he was known.

Nancy's interest was piqued.  "I thought it was Fanshawe" she said.

"That's what most of us thought, Mrs Landgraab.  His rapid departure from this firm and back to Dewey, Cheathem & Howe after our internal investigation was seen as a sign of guilt but we never had any concrete evidence it was him.  However, our wiretap detected an incoming phone call from Pack's Clothing Boutique in Magnolia Promenade."

"A business owned by Jeremy Saint..." said Mrs Landgraab.

"Indeed, Mrs Landgraab.  The wiretap shows it was a man calling and he identified himself as 'Jeremy'"

"So who was he calling?" asked Nancy.

"Darrin Lew...he is deputy head of Property Management."

"Darrin Lew....well, well..." said Nancy, sounding surprised.  "I never suspected it was him."

"With all due respect, Mrs Landgraab, I did.  The two would often sit together at lunch times and I observed them having brief meetings now and again.  Although I was never able to ascertain what their conversations were about to gather any evidence of collusion between the two of them.  These meetings took place before we increased the security of the company, I might add."

"Yes, yes" said Nancy with a nonchalant wave of the hand.  "So what did Saint want with Lew?"

"Saint wants to meet up with Lew at the South Square Coffee House in Windenburg at 2pm"

"Well then, you'd better get there and see if you can find out more."

"Yes, ma'am." was Alice's polite and curt reply.

After his phone conversation with Darrin, Jeremy had a word with Toni.

"I'll be going for a little while.  If I'm not back by 5pm can you lock up the store?"

"Sure thing, Jeremy." she replied without asking why he was leaving early.

Jeremy got in his car and drove down to Windenburg for his meeting with Darrin.  After parking up and heading to the address he was given, he was met by a stern looking Darrin Lew.

"You've got a nerve!" said Darrin, angrily.

"Darrin, I can explain..." replied Jeremy.

"You jumped the gun!  I said we needed to play the long game, get more evidence and then go to the Feds but you had to go running to them as soon as one document came your way."

"Look, can we sit down and discuss things calmly before people notice us rowing?" said a nervous Jeremy as he looked around the square.

Darrin nodded and they went to sit down at a table outside of the coffee shop. 

 "I know that to you it looks like I acted prematurely and without thought but that incriminating dossier that came my way would implicate Geoffrey and his lackeys only for a short period of time.  If I held on to it they would have transferred that stolen money to their offshore account and the Treasury wouldn't have been able to find anything." said Jeremy, by way of explanation.  "Besides, they were going to arrest and charge Geoffrey later that day..."

"They would have just got him; I was planning on bringing the whole family and company down!" said Darrin, still seething.  "And wasn't it just convenient that he died that day as well...his crimes going to the grave with him.  Now I'm back to square one and you're no longer at the company to help me!"

"Aren't there others who would help?  Like Fanshawe?" asked Jeremy.

"Fanshawe jumped ship before he was pushed.  He's back at DC&H." said Darrin.

"I didn't know..."

"Well, now you do.  So what's the purpose of this meeting, Jeremy?"

"My colleagues who have been working from the outside to expose Landgraab have come across new information that is of potential interest.  It also involves Victor and Lilly Feng."

"Feng?  What is this information?" asked Darrin, now intrigued.

"Both the Landgraab family and the Fengs are working in collaboration with an organisation known only as 'The Visitors'.  Have you come across them before?"

"Can't say I have.  I know Landgraab and the Fengs collaborated on a few projects years ago but they seem to have gone cool on each other of late.  Do you have any more information on these visitors?"

"Not much...well, not much that I can tell you.  They seem to supply hi-tech equipment to the Landgraabs and have aided Victor's political career over the years.  I've heard rumours they may be a Soviet front...I was wondering if you could have a look around in the company files to see if there's any mention of them."

"Is this a reference to the source of Gregory Landgraab's great fortune?  Those files, along with every file that has anything to do with Oasis Springs is the highest level of security.  My clearance doesn't go that far."

"But you know how to sidestep clearance to get to them though?"

Darrin sighed.  "Yes I do...and you know I do.  But it's a risk..."

"But you said your operation to bring the company down has stalled.  I can tell you what to look for but I can't get the files in person.  You can but you don't know what you're looking for."

"The Visitors?" asked Darrin.  

"Yes, and more.  Try searching for them plus dirigibles and the tunnel that runs under Affluista Mansion.  Then try looking for material pertaining to the tree in Foundry Cove.  Finally 1947 seems to be an interesting year.  That's when the Visitors first made contact with Victor Feng and there may be references to that in the files."

Darrin made notes in a small pocket book and put it back in his suit jacket.  "I'll see what I can do.  The heat at the Landgraab Building has died down a little but I still need to look over my shoulder now and again..." he said.

What neither man knew was that they were being watched.  Alice Ethington had discretely followed them to the coffee shop and had taken cover in a cloister next to it where she could observe Darrin and Jeremy without being spotted.

"So will you help?" Jeremy asked Darrin.

"I'll get back to you.  I'm not promising anything; the information you want might be well above my security level, but if I find anything, I'll let you know." Darrin replied.

"Well, I'd better be getting back to the shop.  All the best, Darrin" said Jeremy.

Darrin still looked put out but with some reluctance said "you too, Jeremy"

Alice had overheard only a few words but they were enough to convince her something nefarious was going on.  She decided not to follow Jeremy Saint but to see what Darrin Lew did next.

Darrin stood up and walked away in a direction that was towards the Landgraab Building so Alice decided to follow him from a distance.  As she broke cover she found Jeremy walking towards her but he hadn't realised who she was.  Quickly, she turned her face towards the coffee shop and looked in the window in an effort to not be spotted.  He passed by, oblivious to her.

Back at the Landgraab Corporation Alice gave her report to Nancy.

"Unfortunately from my vantage point I could only make out a few things they were saying, Mrs Landgraab, but I thought it prudent to remain undetected."

"That's acceptable...but what did you hear?" Nancy replied.

"There was some talk about Geoffrey and the Treasury Department then they mentioned Victor and Lilly Feng..."

"Did they now?" said Nancy, intrigued.

"And then they mentioned something about visitors and that Saint wanted Lew to look into them.  I don't get the reference as to who they were talking about."

"Don't worry about that, Alice.  I get the reference." Nancy replied, cool and calmly.

"It looks like Saint wants Lew to pass on company information to him but Lew seemed very reluctant to do so."

Nancy sighed.  "I warned Geoffrey not to trust Jeremy Saint..." she said.  Then she slapped the palms of her hands on her desk and stood up.  "You did well, Alice:  You shall be rewarded for your diligence."

Alice smiled.  "Thank you, Mrs Landgraab.  If I can be of any other service..." she said as she took the cue to stand as well.

"You've done enough for now.  Please return to your regular duties.  I will deal with this situation from now on."

"Of course, Mrs Landgraab."

"I'm so glad we can count on diligent young people like yourself" said Nancy, with her best and most insincere smile she used to wrap people around her finger.