CHAPTER 113: A Friend In Need

"So that's the dress, the maid of honour dress, the signature colour, the date and the venue sorted out..." said Suzy to her fiancé, Neil.

"And the car" he interjected.

"Oh yes, the car.  You'll be glad to note that I've rehearsed getting in and out of the car with grace and panache" she added.

"One more thing, the entertainment.  We've got Bakko doing that" said Neil.

"Good point...well, that just leaves..."

"About another million things to organise" said Neil with a sigh.

"We'll get it done...it's only six weeks away now.  Anyway, I must get to work.  We've got a big fashion promotion going on."

"Hey, isn't that a new dress you're wearing?" said Neil.

"It is...thanks for noticing" she replied.  "Don't worry, I haven't spent our honeymoon money on this:  It's a freebie from one of the designers we work with.  They're actually paying us to wear their gear and in return we get to keep it.  What do you think?"

"That sounds like a good deal" said Neil.

"No!  Not the deal,  the dress...in fact, the whole outfit:  They gave me the dress, the shoes and the tights"

"It's....quite short" he said.

"Yes.  That's the latest fashion" said Suzy, matter of factly.

"I mean, it's bound to attract attention"

"It's meant to turn heads but actually I'm not displaying that much flesh.  It's got long sleeves, a turtle neck and my legs are covered by these tights...don't you just love the colour and the pattern?" she said slowly running her hands up her leg.  Neil let out a contented sigh.

"You like it when I do that" she said, with a wink.

"You've got the best pair of legs in Sim City" he said, shuffling closer to her.

"Kind of you to notice" she said and they leant in to kiss.  Neil went to place his hand gently on her knee but no sooner had he done so she stood up.  "I really, really, really want to continue this but I've just noticed the time...time for work"  she said.

"Wow, I need to be off as well...love you" he said, giving her one last peck.

"You too, now scoot!" she replied.

Suzy arrived at the offices of "Hey Wow" magazine, dazzling the reception staff in her new outfit.  She made her way to her desk, which was in an open plan office.  As a hip, with-it magazine, the proprietors and editor thought an open office was ideal for the staff to throw around ideas to each other to create a happening vibe.  Suzy, her expertise being fashion, sat next to Layla; who was the magazine's music reporter.

Suzy was hammering out a piece on "top 10 trends you MUST have NOW" but her mind kept drifting to what the Landgraabs and Fengs were up to right now.  She desperately wanted to find out more but that article didn't pay the bills but this trends one did.

"Say, Layla, what's happening in the world of music?" she asked her colleague.

"I've received some singles to review:  Chris Montez, Bobby Fuller and something called...let's see..." she said picking up one of the records.  "My Little Red Book by Love...never heard of them.  Oh, it's written by Burt Bacharach; I'm off to see him in concert on Friday.  He'll have Dionne Warwick and Cilla Black performing with him as well."

"Lucky you" said Suzy.  "I'll still be at this desk on Friday if I can't think of 4 more must have trends"

"Hats?" suggested Layla.

"Actually I was thinking more like belts.  Lots of belts.  Thick ones made of plastic or metal rings.  That's it, only 3 more to go"

Suzy picked up a newspaper that was lying on a nearby coffee table to get some inspiration and saw a photo of Nancy Landgraab attending a large, charity event.  "What makes her tick?" she mused.  Suddenly the last 3 fashionable items didn't seem important to her anymore...getting to the truth was more important.  She went back to her desk, ripped out the sheet of paper she was typing and started again....this time the title was Top Seven Trends You Must Have Now.  Layla looked over at Suzy's desk with curiosity.

"Why change it from 10 to 7?" she asked.

"Because the truth is you don't need 10...you only need 7.  If I were to pad this out unnecessarily then I wouldn't be truthful" Suzy replied.

 Later on, back home, Suzy and Neil caught up with each other.  "How about I open a bottle of wine and we have a nice, relaxing night in?" he said.

"Sounds great...I'll just powder my nose first" said Suzy.  Neil went to get the wine and some snacks when there was a knock at the door.

"The best laid plans of mice and men..." he sighed as he went to answer it.  It turned out to be a friend of his, Andre.

"Andre?  What's up man, you look like you've had a nasty shock" said Neil.  Andre was looking downcast and miserable.

"Neil, old buddy, I don't think I can take this dating malarkey any longer!" said Andre in a panicked voice.

"Did tonight's go badly?" asked Neil.  He knew that Andre had been trying to get a date these last few months since he broke up with his old girlfriend.

"Badly?  It was a disaster...and I've had three of them this week!"

"Come inside and I'll pour you a drink...tell me all about it" said Neil.  The romantic evening in would have to go on hold.

"So what went wrong?" asked Neil

"Monday's date....she got drunk and proceeded to smash up the bar" sighed Andre.  "Wednesday's date took one look at me and screamed like I was..."

"One of the Beatles?" said Neil.

"No, like I was Vincent Price" said a despondent Andre.  "And tonight's date walked into the bar, took one look at me and walked out without pausing or stopping"

"Oh..." said Neil, stuck for something encouraging to say.  "Well, old buddy, just hang out here with us for a little bit...you've got friends here" he eventually said.

Neil went to see Suzy, who was in the bedroom touching up her make up.  "Suz, slight change of plan" he said.  "An old friend of mine has just popped around and he's in a pretty bad way"

"Oh, what's the matter?" asked Suzy.

"He's been jilted...a lot.  Got stood up on his wedding day last year and he's never really recovered from that.  He's trying the dating circuit again and...well...it's going really badly for him.  He needs a bit of cheering up so I invited him to hang out with us.  Is that OK?  I know it means putting our nice evening in by ourselves on hold"

"Ouch!  No, poor guy, by all means let him hang out here.  Do you want to just be you guys and I'll lurk in the background?"

"You don't have to...maybe a woman's perspective could encourage him?" said Neil.

Suzy went out to say hello to Andre, who she had never met before.  "Hi, I'm Suzy, Neil's fiancée" she said.

Andre stood stunned when he saw her and looked her up and down before speaking.  "I'm Andre...wow, you're everything Neil said you were"

"I'm hoping he said nice things" said Suzy.

"Only nice things" said Andre.

"Neil said you've had a rough time this evening...a date went badly?" she asked.

"It was the worst!" Andre replied.

"Well you seem charming and polite so she must have had a problem" said Suzy.  "Come and have a seat and Neil will get you something to drink.

 Andre asked for a coffee and sat down at the table.  Neil tried to encourage him.  "Suzy works for 'Hey, Wow' magazine...I bet she has loads of tips for dating"

"As a matter of fact, I wrote a column about it last month" said Suzy.  "The key thing is to remain positive, despite the setbacks"

"I don't know...the more I strike out, the harder it gets" said Andre with a sigh.

"Some women sense panic and fear..." said Suzy.

"You sensed panic and fear in me when we first met" Neil replied.

"Actually you radiated positive energy when we first met" Suzy corrected him.  "You talked passionately about your art, which is what attracted me.  It was only afterwards, when we got talking more that I realised you were shy and needed a little coaxing"

"That's true!" said Andre.  "Back in college, Neil was too terrified to speak to girls!"

"But get him talking about something he likes and he relaxes and becomes positive, strong and....attractive" she said, winking at Neil.  "And that's what you need a bit of...positive energy, Andre."

"How do I get that?" he asked.

"Start with your body language...now sit down over here and show me you being relaxed" said Suzy.  Andre gingerly stood up and walked to the sofa where he sat down next to her.

"You've got to be confident in yourself and let that radiate out" said Suzy.  "Right now you appear all tensed up"

"I am all tensed up" he replied.

"But there's no need to be.  Make yourself comfortable and at ease"

"I don't know if I can manage this!  What if everyone thinks I'm a loser?" 

"Don't think of yourself like that" said Suzy, trying to encourage him.  "OK, let's try something different.  Stand up.  Now give me a power walk"

"A what?"

"A walk that says you're in charge, you know who you are and what you like..." she said.

"Where did you get that line from?" asked Andre.

"An advert for men's cologne but that's not important...what is important is that you need to have better body language.  Now stand up, inhale, exhale, clench, unclench, shoulders back, head held high, you OWN this room!  Say it!"

"I own this room" he replied, meekly.

"More positive!" she said.

"I OWN THIS ROOM!"

"That's better...now give me a quick walk and turn.  And one...two...three....turn...hello!"

"How do you feel now?" she asked.

"Stupid...but I see where you're going with this" Andre replied.

She gave some more tips for Andre while Neil kept everyone supplied with drinks.  Andre thanked both of them for their time and went home.

"Aww, poor guy...his confidence has really taken a hit" she said.

"Yeah, he never gets the lucky breaks which is a shame because he's a really nice guy" said Neil.  "Which makes me all the more lucky because I found you" he said, giving her a kiss.

"Hmm, love you too" she said.  "Is Andre on our guest list because..."

"I know where you're going with this...yes he is.  Who do you have in mind?"

"Hmmm, Layla...she's from work.  Or Julia"

"Julia?  Isn't she a bit...resistant to dating?" said Neil

"Details, details!" replied Suzy.  

"Yawn...I'm getting real sleepy so I'm going to head off to bed" said Neil.  "You coming?"

"Not just yet...I'm still buzzing!" said Suzy.

"You always are when you've got a project.  Good night, see you in bed"

"See you, honey." she replied.  Looking out of the front window she saw a familiar face.  Gillian:  Malcolm Landgraab's ex girlfriend and wannabe model.  She wanted to catch up with her for a number of reasons.

"Gillian, isn't it?" asked Suzy.

"That's right...you're Suzy Kent from 'Hey Wow" the girl replied.

"Yes...how is it going with the modelling; are you still interested in that as a career?"

"Very much so.  Thanks for that contact you gave me:  I had a professional photographic portfolio done and now I'm applying for jobs"

"You're welcome.  I hope it goes well for you.  And are you still in touch with Malcolm Landgraab?"

Gillian shook her head.  "That louse stood me up and then dumped me for this French girl!"

"Oh...that's too bad" said Suzy.  "Well, I suppose you're better off out of his scene"

"Absolutely!  I could tell you a few stories about what he gets up to, believe me!"

"Oh I do believe you...you must tell me"

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...."