CHAPTER 215: EXPOSE (DOWNFALL PART 3)

"Our top story this morning...Police have seized documents at the Landgraab Corporation building in the ongoing investigation into fraud and murder allegations connected to that company.  There have been no arrests so far but police say that given the strength of the evidence they have so far it won't be long before some, or more, people in the company will be arrested.  Police also refuse to confirm or deny rumours that members of the Landgraab family themselves will be taken into custody..."

"Suzy, darling...come and see this!  It's all happening with the Landgraabs!" said Neil

She walked over to the sofa where he was sitting, watching the TV.

"Jeremy..." she said, softly.

"What's that?" asked Neil.

"Jeremy.  He must have found something really incriminating.  This is huge...when they say 'murder' that must relate to the attempts on Madelyn Buchanan's life and that murder case Action is working on.  That's going to drag Malcolm Landgraab into the investigation.  Wow.  This is it, Neil, the unravelling of all that family has been doing."

"And your article is going to hit the newsstands any day now..." he said, looking knowingly at her.

"The significance isn't lost on me..." she replied.  "I might get called in to be a witness"

At that moment the telephone rang.  "That might be the D.A. now..." said Neil, half joking.  Suzy went to pick it up; she had a knot in her stomach through nerves.

"Hello...Suzy Humphries speaking" she said.

"Hey, Suzy...it's Alan Cuffe here..." said the voice at the other end of the line.  Suzy let out a sigh of relief that it was Alan and not the authorities.

"Alan, nice to hear from you, it's been ages since we last spoke."

"It has, Suzy; far too long.  Say, have you got some free time today to drop round the mansion?  I want to talk with you about...recent developments.  I don't want to say more over the phone, you never know who's listening."

"Erm...I'm due in the office today but I can swing by your place this morning.  Sure."

"Great.  See you then." and he rung off.  Suzy turned to Neil and shrugged her shoulders.

"That was Alan Cuffe of all people" she said.  "Wants to see me about 'recent developments'"

"How did he sound?" asked Neil.

"Quite positive, almost happy." she replied.

"Could be a good sign...another who's happy that the Landgraabs are getting their just desserts." he said, turning back to watch the news.

Suzy grabbed her handbag and house keys and kissed Neil just before we left.  "I'll see you later, darling.  I'll head straight to Alan's and then to work." she said.

She rang the doorbell but instead of a butler appearing at the door it was Alan Cuffe himself.  He was smiling and seemed genuinely pleased to see Suzy.  

"Suzy, wonderful to see you, just wonderful.  Come inside...actually, let's go out the back to the garden because it's a beautiful day" he said, welcoming her enthusiastically.

"I see you're in fine spirits, Alan" she noted.

"I am feeling very well thank you.  As you may have heard I had to go into a private hospital to undergo some treatment brought about by overwork, stress and some fever the name of which I can't pronounce.  Ha-ha.  And Madelyn and the Kittens have been taking very good care of me in the interim."

"I bet they have..." said Suzy, knowingly.  There's nothing Alan loved  more than to have all his Lothario Kittens, in their skimpy cat outfits, fawning all over him.

Suzy was impressed by the garden.  "It's mainly a project of Madelyn's" he said.  "I'm not much of a horticulturalist but she is"

"So I've heard..." said Suzy.  During her research into Malcolm Landgraab, Madelyn's name was often mentioned in relation to drug cultivation and sales.  It made sense that she 'grew her own'.  "It's lovely out here, Alan, and I can see a painting in progress on that easel.  Do you paint?"

"I do.  Something I've taken up recently in order to help my state of mind.  I know your husband is a very talented artist who has found some success."

"Neil is so gifted as a painter...and, yes, his work is now selling enough that he was able to quit his day job.  He paints mainly landscapes...that view over the lake and the mountains here must provide plenty of inspiration for painting." 

"I paint mainly nudes" he said.  Suzy was not at all surprised.

"Did you want to see me about something specific, Alan?" Suzy asked.

"Yes.  As you know I own a significant stake in your magazine, Hey Wow.  When your article about the Landgraabs was read by the editorial board there were....shall we say 'mixed' feelings about whether to publish it or not.  The key issue in the sceptics minds were what the legal ramifications for the magazine would be if the Landgraabs sued."

"I can assure you, and the editorial board, that everything I wrote in that article has a credible source."  said Suzy.

"I'm sure it does, Suzy.  That's why I'm confident the magazine would win if it went to court.  I think the Landgraabs have overstepped the mark in trying to silence me and my close associates and the city would be better off if they had their wings clipped.  That is why I'm going to personally foot the bill for the legal defence of the magazine...and you."

Suzy was taken aback and didn't respond immediately.  Eventually she managed to say "that's very generous of you, Alan."

At that moment Madelyn Buchanan appeared and she too seemed happy to see Suzy.

"I'm so glad you were able to come" she said.  "As you can see, Alan and myself are entirely at ease with...recent developments." she said, trying to sound cryptic but Suzy knew she was referring to the troubles the Landgraabs were currently going through.

"Have you spoken with Detective Action, Madelyn, about his recent investigations?" asked Suzy.

"That there have been two attempts on my life, specifically?  Yes he has.  Sadly, we can't rest easy until this McGregor woman is behind bars but at least her paymaster might soon be." replied Madelyn.

"The article Suzy wrote is damning evidence against Malcolm, that's for sure" said Alan.

Madelyn looked at Alan and nodded approvingly.  There was something in her expression and body language that outwardly seemed calm but betrayed an underlying anxiousness as well.  You're still concealing something, Madelyn... Suzy thought.  

She also suspected that Alan was unaware of Madelyn's secret that she was holding back.  She may be his right hand woman, a confidant and much of the reason why the Lothario company was a success but whereas she knew all of his life, he had still much to discover about hers...

Suzy didn't want to dig deeper at this stage.  Alan's offer of legal protection if the Landgraabs threatened to sue was very generous and his influence in getting her article to be published couldn't be understated.  To now dig up dirt about the goings on of his personal assistant would be ungenerous of her after Alan had been so helpful.  Unprofessional conduct for a journalist?  Maybe.  But Suzy felt that Madelyn's secrets didn't have the same amount of maliciousness and destructiveness of the Landgraabs'.

"Well, I must be getting to the office now.  Alan, Madelyn, thank you so much for your hospitality and generosity.  Goodbye."

Within the hour Suzy had arrived at the offices of Hey, Wow! and found a flurry of activity there.  Photographers, advertising reps, printers, staff writers and about a half a dozen gophers were all scurrying around the place.  One of the sub-editors called Suzy into his office the moment she arrived.

"Suzy, sit down, I have to brief you on what's going on today" he said, motioning towards the sofa opposite his desk.

"What's up?" she replied as she sat down.

"You.  You're what's up"

"What's going on?  It seems like everyone is on panic stations" she said.

"They are.  It seems your article is causing a stir and the issue's only just hit the news stands.  We've got press from all the major newspapers and TV networks pestering us for a comment and...an interview with you."

"Wow." she said, shocked.

"Yeah, 'wow' just about describes it.  Now the editor has said that you're not to do any interviews until we've checked things through with our legal department first.  You're to lie low here, in the office, until it's time to go home.  You don't answer the phone, you're not available and we'll bring lunch to you so you're not ambushed by reporters if you go out."

"So what am I supposed to do in the office all day?" she asked.

"You were hired as a fashion journalist...do some fashion journalism for a change!" he said and with a wave of his hand he dismissed her from his office.

As she went back to her desk she saw Gillian, a teenage aspiring model, parading around the photo studio.  A few months ago Suzy had provided her with contacts in the fashion industry in exchange for information about Malcolm Landgraab.  It seemed Gillian had put those contacts to good use because she was here modelling clothes for the in-house stylist.

"OK...give me more, sweetheart!  Give me your left!  Now your right!  Turn and look over the shoulder!  Look up!  Look down!  Great!  I'm loving it!  Now I'm spent...OK, Gillian, take 5.  Sharon, I want my coffee now!  SHARON!"  Today's photographer had a voice that bellowed throughout the office and Suzy wondered if he would end up shattering a window.  Gillian stepped away from the backdrop and lights and came over to greet Suzy.

"Suzy!  Hi there!" she said with a big smile all over her face.

"Gillian, you're looking great.  How's this gig going?" Suzy replied, looking all around the photo studio.

"Oh this is the best!  I'm going to feature in next month's issue!  Suzy, thank you so, so much for giving me a start in my dream job!"

"That's alright.  You've taken to it well"

"Gillian, love, we need you in the next outfit:  Number 6" called out the photographer.

"Oops, that's me!  Gotta go!" said Gillian to Suzy.

"Well, I'm meant to help out here so I'll be hanging around.  See you after you've changed.

"OK, give us more attitude, Gillian...challenge the camera...defy it!" said Suzy, trying to coax a particular look out of her.  "That's it!  That's what we're looking for!"

"OK, Suz, I've finished the roll" said the photographer. 

"Perfect, Gillian, you're a natural." said Suzy.

When the work day ended, Suzy went to leave the office building by the main front door but she could see that there were reporters out the front, presumably there to try and doorstop her with questions about her article.  She was worried and hesitated about going out through that door as other work colleagues were pestered by the reporters as they left.

There was a noise behind her.  "Psst!"  Suzy looked around and saw Neil standing at the other end of the reception lobby.  "Suzy...this way, we'll get you out via the loading bay!" he said in a loud whisper.  She didn't hesitate to take him up on the offer of escape.

"Neil, what are you doing here?" she asked as he maintained a 5 foot lead on her, checking left and right to see the coast was clear.

"The TV news has been running a LOT of stories about the Landgraabs and you made the midday news.  I knew the press would be down here like a pack of wolves trying to catch a wounded deer so I thought I'd act as your bodyguard."

"It's greatly appreciated, love!" she said, admiringly.

"I say we don't head straight home; the press are probably camped out there as well.  We need to lie low for a few hours, go somewhere where they'd never think of finding us..." said Neil.

"Do you have anywhere specific in mind?" asked Suzy.

"The Romance Festival!" he declared.

"This is a great idea...no press and only a handful of middle aged couples; as it always is.  Absolutely the worst place for a single person under the age of 40 to meet another single person." said Suzy, giving Neil a kiss out of appreciation for his concern for her and quick thinking.

"Hey, we met at the Romance Festival" He protested.

"Oh yeah...so we did.  But how random was that?"

"Not random...providence!"

They got some exotic food from a vending stall and sat down to eat and discuss things.

"The article gets published tomorrow..." said Suzy.

"Great publicity for Hey, Wow...and you of course.  Are you ready?" asked Neil.

"I've been ready for months now.  The more I've learned since the beginning of the year, the more I've been horrified by what that family has done...not just recently, but for the last 150 years.  But I feel I've barely scratched the surface in this investigation." 

"More about the Landgraabs?  We still don't know what's underneath that mansion nor what Gregory Landgraab's role in it all was."

"Not just that...the book alludes to dark secrets of the Feng family.  Once the fallout from the Landgraab article settles you can be sure two smart cooklies like Lily and Victor Feng will have their guards up."

"That's for another day to think about..." said Neil, raising his glass in cheers.  "Hey, there's the Goths over there and...do my eyes deceive me?  They're smiling and having a good time!"

"They are smiling!  I've never seen Mortimer smile before and I've seen him twice and the Humour and Hijinks festival where he did not even crack a grin.  I wonder what they're so happy about?"

"A rival gone?  Or at least going?" suggested Neil.

Mortimer noticed Suzy and Neil and he looked at them both.  He just stared for two seconds and then smiled, nodding at the pair.  Suzy nodded back in acknowledgement.

"I think you maybe right, Neil" she said.

CHAPTER 208: Follow The Trail

In the police life the saying 'the early bird catches the worm' holds a lot of truth.  Most arrests were done between the dawn and the time most people finish breakfast in order to catch the suspect.  Action found himself at Cacti Casa in Oasis Springs at 7:45am ready to catch a Mr Jameson Huntingdon III of that address before he had got his pants on.

Outside the house was a young woman checking the mailbox.  Action didn't recognise her or know who she was but guessed she must be a resident, possibly Huntingdon's girlfriend, because she was collecting the mail.  Action approached her.

"Excuse me, Ma'am" he said.  "Do you know if Jameson Huntingdon is in?"

"J?  Are you from the police?"  she replied.

"Yeah, I'm Detective Action, Sim City PD.  Is he in?"

"Yeah, he's in...say, have you any leads on the guy who was murdered here?" she said, wide eyed with concern.

"Only one....and that's J. himself.  Did he tell you he ran away from the scene when that guy died at your front door?"

"No!  I mean, why?" said Zoe, shocked.

"That's what I'm going to find out..." said Action, heading to the front door of the house.

Action went straight in and saw three young men sitting on a couch and watching TV.

"Captain Kangaroo?  Seriously?" said Action when he saw what they were watching.  "The name's Action, Sim City PD.  I want to have a word with you, Huntington" 

J looked shocked whilst his friends exchanged looks between themselves and Action.

"Whoa, J, what kinda mess are you in?" asked a big, Hawaiian guy.

"I...I...couldn't possibly comment, Officer" said a nervous looking young black man seated in the middle."

"OK, Huntington...nice place you guys have here...do you want to talk about the day before yesterday here or will I have to haul you downtown?" said Action, sitting down on one of the plush couches and eyeballing the nervous young man.

"OK...I'll talk" blurted J.  "Not here...and not down at the station either, Action.  Look, we've met at a Kitten Club meeting..."

"We have?" said Action, cynically.

"Well...not properly.  But we've seen each other at meetings and Alan...Cuffe, that is...he can vouch that I'm not a flight risk"

"Except for that one time when you ran away from the scene of a crime." replied Action, his eyes narrowing in as he had J. squirming in discomfort.

"OK...I admit, that was bad.  It was a one off...I wasn't....erm....how can I put this?  I wasn't feeling myself that day."

"I'm not surprised after you dropped a tab of acid" said Action, suddenly getting up to his feet.

"Whoa?  You dropped acid?" said the Hawaiian guy.  The lady, Zoe, slapped her forehead in frustration.  J just shrugged in resignation before standing up.

"Let's go somewhere more private and less embarrassing for you to have our little talk, Huntington" said Action, leading J out of the room and house.

Not far away was a bar Action knew fairly well:  The Rattlesnake Juice Bar.  Its clientele was mixed with a combination of locals and some shady characters who liked the intimate, out of the way booths and tables where dodgy deals would go down.  Action once had a knock down fist fight in the bar with the mobster, Packer, when he was a rookie cop and that boosted his reputation on the force.  Today those secluded tables would be ideal to get information out of J. Huntington III.

They sat down and Action ordered a couple of Bourbons for them.  J kept looking around him to see if they were being watched.

"You look nervous, Huntington" said Action.

"Wouldn't you be in my situation?" came the reply.

"I wouldn't know.  OK, I'm going to start by telling you what I know:  Tasha and Don Lothario..." Action said that name with a mocking tone "...have already told me quite a bit.  The three of you got together at your place to drop acid and have a threesome.  You took the first tab and started tripping out.  That's when our John Doe started hammering at the door.  Don got up to answer it and as soon as he had, the victim collapsed into your hall and died on the spot.  Then you freaked out and ran down the street.  How does that sound?"

J took a big sip of Bourbon and placed the glass on the table firmly before drawing a deep breath.  "Yeah, that sounds about right." was his response to Action.

"So that leaves two questions:  Why did you run and did you recognise the guy?" asked Action.

"I can answer those two questions in one, Detective:  I did recognise him and that was one of the reasons I panicked...well, other than the drugs that were in me.  Look, I think I should get a lawyer at this point."

"We can do that...but I'm less interested in the drugs and the leaving the scene of a crime I can make go away but I have to know who this guy was and what is his connection to you.  If you give me a heads up right now I can reduce the drugs charge to a misdemeanour."

J nodded.  "Well...it's like this.  His name is, or was, Tom Green.  He supplies drugs for fashionable parties.  I've met him a few times..."

"Where?"

"Various hi-status events.  Anyway, he supplied the acid for that day."

"When was that?"

"Oh....let me think.  Three days ago.  Yeah, that was it."

"And how did you go about dealing with him?"

"I'd see him at one of these parties I mentioned and he'd always have some acid, speed or hash on him that he would pass discretely whilst the buyer would hand an envelope in the other direction."

"Sounds high trust:  Didn't the both of you check the contents of each envelope before making the exchange?"

"He only dealt to people he knew and trusted.  That could mean a friend of a friend.  This is the party set here, Action.  We all know each other well enough."

"Well enough that he knew where you live?" asked Action, pointedly.

"Yes.  He'd been to the house a couple of times before.  Now before you go off charging he only ever visited when I was there on my own.  Zoe, Gavin and Mitchell know nothing about this." J replied, defensively.

"So the question remains; why did he come to your front door?"

"I don't know!  The money I gave him was legit and the correct amount.  I'm only a casual, recreational drug user...that's only the second time I've even dropped acid.  I barely know the guy; I don't know why he was coming to me!"

"Where did you make that last deal with him?"

"It was at the Kitten Club."

Action thought about all this and had a working idea but it was based on a mere supposition.  Eventually he said "alright, Huntington.  Get yourself a lawyer and we'll take an official statement downtown tomorrow."

"Don't forget about the deal we made!" said Huntington, again with that air of desperation and defensiveness he had maintained throughout their conversation.

"Yeah, yeah.  But you put down in your statement everything you just said because if you don't, it's jail time!"

J got up and walked away looking upset and angry.

Action went inside the bar to use the payphone to call the precinct house.  The person he wanted to speak to the most was the duty forensic officer:  Bibi Stahler.

"Bibi?  It's Action.  I've got that one remaining witness statement....have we got the autopsy report yet?  We have?  OK, I'm on my way back to the station....meet for lunch?  OK, we can do that instead.  That's good, I have other places to go today so shall we meet down at the Hare & Hedgehog, OK?"

Action got in his car and drove back over the river to Windenburg in order to meet with Bibi.  The Hare and Hedgehog at the Lykke Centre was just a short trip from Precinct 13 and he knew that Bibi preferred the food and drink there to the dull fayre on offer at the station.  She swore that H&H did the best strudel in the city; almost as good as back home in Germany.

"Hey, Bibi" said Action upon seeing her.  "Out of your uniform I see"

"Of course" she said in her clipped voice.  "I would not wear my labcoat to go and have lunch in; that would be weird."

"It would.  Anyway, let's grab a seat and talk more." He said, ushering her towards an outside cafe table.

"What have you found out, Action?" she asked.

"Got a name:  Tom Green.  He's a drug dealer for the glitterati..."

"Please.  I do not understand the word 'glitterati'." she interrupted in her clipped German accent.

"It means high status, wealthy, fashionable."

"Ah, yes.  Continue"

"This Green character supplied drugs at trendy parties; most recently to J Huntingdon III.  That's where the LSD tabs we found came from.  So that's the angle I'm going with...a drug deal gone bad or maybe he overdosed on his own goods..."

"He did not" Bibi interrupted again.

"Oh?" asked Action, surprised.  "What did the autopsy say?"

"He died of internal bleeding from a burn wound.  Not catching fire; more like a cutting torch going through the flesh and in to the body.  But that's not the strange part...."

"It isn't?"

"I am hungry and I came here for lunch" she suddenly declared in a determined tone of voice.  "First we order food, then I tell you the strange part" she said, standing up.  Action had little choice but to follow her in to the cafe.

Bibi was in no rush to provide Action with the autopsy findings.  Instead she talked about her lunch.  "This is one of the few places in America where they do decent brown rye bread."

"Fascinating" said Action, with a mixture of sarcasm and impatience.

"But I am full now so I will tell you what the pathologist found" she replied.

"What did he die of?" asked Action.

"A single wound to the chest.  Not a knife, or a gun but more like he was burned...scorched."

"What caused that?"

"The fatal wound was caused by something that produced intense heat and burning but in a very precise way as the diameter of it was smaller than the entry wound of a mid-calibre sized bullet.  So maybe something like a welding torch or..."

"A laser" interrupted Action, as an idea suddenly popped into his mind.

"Yes.  Just like the laser hole we found in the Fashion District when an attempt was made on Lily Feng's life."

"That's where you're wrong:  The attempt was on Madelyn Buchanan.  I'm convinced about that.  It all fits...Buchanan was also present when our colleague, Marina, was injured in that fire bomb at Cuffe and Buchanan's mansion.  Also, Tom Green was known to deal drugs at swanky parties and was dealing at the Kitten Club where Buchanan is the assistant manager.  It all fits.  Someone wants her dead and I know who..."

"Your mysterious, vanishing shapeshifting assassin; Leanne McGregor" said Bibi.

"I fancy a walk down by the bay...there's too many people here" said Action, motioning his head towards the waterside promenade nearby.

It was, as Action had figured, deserted except for the two of them.  He once again mulled over what Bibi had told him but then she broke his train of thought.

"Action...I didn't tell you this back in the cafe because it seems incredible even to me but....that's not all we found on Mr Green's body." she said with a note of hesitancy in her voice.

Action turned to face her.  "What else?" he said.

"We found marks all over his torso and the back of his neck.  They were shaped like....the marks an octopus or squid would leave on a body." she said, trying to not sound crazy at the bizarre findings.

"So he wrestled with a squid before being shot with a laser?" said an incredulous Action.

"That's one theory..." she replied.  "And one other thing:  His internal organs were in a considerable state of decomposition:  Unexpected in a man of his relative youth and yet there were no traces of drugs in his system.  We're at a loss as to what caused that."

"You're not the only one" replied Action, rolling his eyes.  Before continuing to speak to Bibi he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, well, well...talk about appearing right on cue" he muttered.  Off in the distance was none other than Madelyn Buchanan.

"Are you going to question her?" asked Bibi.

"No.  Instead I'm going to tail her.  See what she's up to." he replied.

"Shall I come too?"

"Are you trained in tailing techniques?"

"No."

"Then you stay here or else return to the precinct house.  Catch you later..."

Action followed Madelyn through the Lykke Centre at a discrete distance all the way to a cab rank where a shiny black limo; possibly belonging to Alan Cuffe, was waiting.  Action closed the distance between himself and Madelyn as she paused to talk to the limo driver.

"I trust your meeting went successfully, Madam?" asked the limo driver.

"Satisfactory, thank you" Madelyn replied.

"Home, Madam?"

"No...take me to the club.  Is Mr Cuffe still at home?"

"He is, Madam.  He says he is not well enough to travel to the club this evening"

Madelyn smiled and said "good" before getting in to the limo.  Action was able to overhear all this and he formulated yet another idea...

He headed straight back to the cafe but there was a surprise waiting for him...and a pleasant one at that.  His girlfriend, Katherine, was already there.

"Hey, darlin'...you sure are a sight for sore eyes" he said to her, caressing her cheek.

"You've forgotten, haven't you?" Katherine said with a wry smile on her face.  Action was caught unawares but he tried to bluff his way out.

"No!  Never!  I'm here, aren't I?" he said, trying to act cool.

"I know I'm early but we did agree on going out this evening."

"Yes..." he said, the penny finally dropping.  "Yes we did...I've just gotta tie up some loose ends with work first."

"How long is that going to take?" replied Katherine.

"Oh, not long at all...as a matter of fact I wanna ask you:  Are you up for a bit of dancing..."

"Why of course..."

"A bit of wining and dining..."

"Definitely..."

"And maybe a bit of clandestine mystery thrown in?"

"Wait, what?"

"Have you ever been to The Kitten Club?" he asked.

"No...but I'd like to" Katherine replied.

"Then tonight's your lucky night!  I'm a member; I can get us in"

"Hang on...I suspect there's a catch" she said, giving him a suspicious look.

"Just a small one:  I need to get some information there and I can't get a search warrant in time"

"Will it be dangerous?"

"Probably not"

"That's a shame.  OK, but will there still be wining, dining, dancing and some romance involved as well?"

"Well yeah, honey, it'll be like one of those Cary Grant mystery-romance..."

"...comedy" she interjected.

"...movies.  I can tell you're up for it!" he said, with a wink.

Katherine took a deep breath and let out a sigh.  "I did say I wanted to be more involved in your life...and I guess that means your work as well."

"That's my girl!" 

At that moment Bibi found the two of them sitting on the bench and approached them.

"So, did you manage to tail Madelyn?" Bibi asked.

"Who's Madelyn?  And who's she?" asked Katherine, pointing to Bibi.

"Yes...she got into a limo and is headed to the Kitten Club" said Action to Bibi.

"Oh we're going to the Kitten Club to find a woman called Madelyn, are we?" asked Katherine, who was now brimming with questions about Action and these random women.

"No.  I want to know who she's going to meet and find out if she has someone called Tom Green working for her...well, had working for her" said Action, trying to field multiple questions from these two women next to him.

"Who's Tom Green?" asked Katherine, visibly confused and annoyed.

"The murder victim I was telling you about."

"And Madelyn might have killed him?" continued Katherine.

"No.  Probably not.  We're looking for an assassin called Leanne" interjected Bibi.

"Leanne!"  Another random woman's name.  "And Action...who is SHE?" Katherine repeated the question whilst jabbing her finger in Bibi's direction.

"Oh, this is Bibi.  Bibi this is Katherine" said Action.

"Ahhh, so you're Katherine!" said Bibi, her eyes widening with interest.  "Action has told me a bit about you"

"Oh he has, has he?" replied Katherine, folding her arms and glaring at Action.

"I must have mentioned Bibi to you before, darling.  Yeah, Bibi from work.  Our forensics expert"

"You told me she was a white haired old lady in her late 50s" said Katherine, still glaring.

"That's our other forensic officer, Katherine" said Bibi.  "Has he not mentioned me before?  We work quite closely"

Katherine's eyebrow just raised in a questioning manner.

"Well, I'm glad you chicks got a chance to finally meet" said Action, clapping his hands and rubbing them.  "Bibi, I will see you back at the station.  Katherine, let's get our party gear on and groove on down to the Club."

"This had better be the night of my life, Action..." said Katherine, switching her glaring look between Action and Bibi.

"...and that's all we know about this guy, Green.  I think that explains it" said Action as they stepped out of the cab and walked towards the Kitten Club.

"More than enough.  So what's the plan?  Do we wine and dine first or go snooping around?" asked Katherine.

"Let's get inside first, establish ourselves and take it from there..." replied Action.

The two of them headed straight to the dance floor with Action checking out the place as well for anything or anyone that looked suspicious.  But mainly he was good to his word with Katherine by not letting work distract from their date.

"Phew, I could do with a drink now" said Katherine when one song had stopped.

"Good idea, the bar's this way" said Action, escorting her from the dance floor.  They grabbed a couple of stools, ordered the drinks and checked out the scene at the club.

"This place has a cool vibe" said Katherine.  "So have you seen anything suspicious yet?"

"Madelyn's over there, berating a customer for touching one of the Kittens.  That's a rule here:  Look but don't touch."

"A rule that would get broken the more the men drink" Katherine replied, wryly.

"But...it means she's been called away from her office and look at that...she left the door open." said Action, nodding towards the manager's door.

"Providence...let's not waste any time" said Katherine.

"Now you're thinking like I think!" replied Action.

They discretely walked over to the office and Katherine kept guard whilst Action searched the room.

He was an old hand at this kind of thing; knowing where someone would hide a file that they didn't want noticed by others who had access to this office but at the same time needed to be kept here because the person who hid it needed to update it regularly.

"How's it looking out there, Kat?" he asked as he rifled through a filing cabinet.

"The guy's really drunk and he's kicking up a fuss.  Madelyn's calling for security now." she replied.

"Good, that will take up all her attention"

"What about your search?  Have you found anything yet?"

"There's an old trick to hiding an incriminating file or ledger...tape it to the inside top of a filing cabinet and...yep, there it is!"

He pulled out a black ledger book, carefully peeling back the Scotch tape so he could stick it back once he had looked at it.  

He thumbed through the ledger, from back to front, looking for any mention of Tom Green.  

"I'd be quick if I were you...security is manhandling the drunk out of the club right now" said Katherine.

Action flicked through pages until he found something.

"For services rendered:  T.H. Green.  $2,000...wow, that's a lot of dough" said Action.  "OK, that establishes a link between our Madelyn and the deceased.  OK, let's put this little black book back where we found it and....OK, let's get outta here...but smoothly"  

They went back to the bar and ordered another round of drinks.  Eventually, a stressed looking Madelyn walked right past them without acknowledging their presence and headed straight for the office.  Action and Katherine watched with interest as the door was shut firmly behind her but no other sounds could be heard over the music and chatter in the club and neither did she emerge from it whilst they were sitting at the bar.

"OK, Action...I admit, that was fun.  Now we've wined, we've dined, we've danced and rifled through someone's office without a search warrant.  I was wondering what else you have planned for this evening?  A car chase?" said Katherine, looking at him sultrily.

"Something vastly more interesting than that...how about we have a nightcap at my place?"

"That sounds potentially more dangerous..." she said with a wry smile.

"I see what you're doing there..." said Katherine, as Action tried the old making a move trick.  They were back at his house, listening to his blues albums and enjoying one last drink before bedtime.  

"You have the right to remain sexy..." he said, smiling.  "Anything you wear will be taken off"

"Will there be handcuffs?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't figure you to be that kind of gal" he replied.

"Alright, officer, I'll come quietly...well, mostly quietly" she said, standing up and leading him by the hand towards the bedroom.

FOOTNOTE:  It is with sadness that we mark the death of the actor, Richard Roundtree, who has died this week at the age of 81.  Roundtree became famous for playing the private dick who's hot with all the chicks:  Shaft.  The Shaft movies were big hits in the early 1970s and ushered in the era of Blaxploitation movies.  Roundtree was a handsome, stylish and charismatic leading man and was perfect casting for John Shaft.  His style defined an era and although today it might look dated, it never looked bad or cheesy on him.  Of course, Roundtree as Shaft provided the main inspiration for my own character, John Action.  I have tried to infuse in Action the qualities that made Shaft one of the greatest detectives in cinema history.  Thank you, Richard, for breathing life in to that role.  RIP.