CHAPTER 206: Murder Most Foul

 

"Hey, how's it hanging?  Marina, congratulations on the promotion" said Action as he sauntered into the 13th Precinct squad room.

"Thank you for noticing the new stripes on my tunic but where the heck have you been?  The shift started 30 minutes ago" she replied.

"Wrapping up some loose ends, you know how it is"

"Yeah, and what was the name of this 'loose end'?"

"Action don't kiss and tell.  Anyways, I'm here now and ready to handle whatever you have got for me." he said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together in anticipation.

"Those old case files" she said, nodding to a big cardboard box filled with folders.

"Ah..." he said, his face changing from enthusiastic to that of a man who's been pointed in the direction of a mountain of potatoes and told to peel the lot.

He sat down at his desk and started to fill in the arrest forms from the previous week.  At around 10:30am Sergeant Kitchen approached him.

"Sarge, you'll be pleased to know I've sorted out a pickpocketing, two stolen vehicles and a flasher..."

"Can it, Action.  We've got a bigger situation to deal with:  A homicide down in Oasis Springs.  Can you handle it?  You're the senior detective here."

"Give me what details you have and I'll be there" said Action, wasting no time in getting up and checking that his .38 service revolver was ready to go.

"Here are the details..." said Kitchen, handing Action a case file.  "Officer Gunn is there and securing the crime scene.  You and forensics are to head out now."

Action quickly headed towards the parking lot to get his car but at the front desk he spied a familiar but not welcome face:  Daphne Blake.  "Oh no, she's probably got one of her cockamamie ideas about some spooky goings on which is probably just a cat stuck up a tree" he said to himself.

"...and then it turned out it wasn't a ghost, just someone dressed as one and when we pulled off the mask we discovered it was old Mr Wickles, the county museum curator!" she was saying to the confused looking officer at the desk.

Geez, I could have told you that!  Hello, he's the only person you had contact with down at the museum...it was obviously him! Action thought as he headed to his car.

Heading out of Willow Creek he drove south, over the bridge that divided the lush bayou area from the more parched and scrubland of Oasis Springs.  Locals often commented that in Summer the heat from the Springs hit you in the face as you crossed the river and already Action had his car air conditioning turned up as he drove along.

The crime scene was in a suburb known as Parched Prospect.  It was the kind of place people lived in when they were on the rise and they had money to spend on these new mod styled houses that came with every modern labour saving device yet developed.  The actual house where the body was found was shared by 4 young professionals who had pooled their resources together to buy and live in a house that would have been beyond their pay packets had they'd purchased it individually.  The main name on the deeds was a Mr Jameson Huntingdon III; a name that Action knew...he was a young socialite and member of the Kitten Club who he'd spied at their meetings, using his charm to get his way with the ladies.  Mention of the Kitten Club invariably meant Alan Cuffe being involved as well and Cuffe was already a "person of interest" to Action.  Could this homicide be linked to Cuffe or the trouble he had been in?

Action parked his car right outside the front, showed his badge to the officer on duty and crossed the hazard line that had been erected around the property to keep bystanders out.  Inside the coroner's team had just finished their cursory examination of the victim and were taking photos.  Action spoke to the other officers present and got a better picture of who this guy was and what had happened here.

Name: Unknown.  No ID on the victim.  Age, approximately 35-40 years of age.  Sex: Male.  Race: Caucasian.  Pale blue eyes, a round, pale face and close cropped fair hair; probably a military style crew cut.  Height:  5'8".  Victim was wearing a red and yellow Hawaiian shirt, tan slacks and brown leather shoes.  No hat.  No obvious marks or wounds on his body, no traces of poison but that could only be ruled out once they had got him to the morgue.  

"So we have no idea who this guy is...and we don't know what his connection to this place is.  He's not listed as one of the residents" Action said, reading the duty officer's notebook.  Once the outline of the body had been taped onto the floor and it had been transferred to the coroner's wagon he took some crime scene photos himself.

There were a couple of witnesses, none of them residents of this house but there were present when the man had died.  After he had finished taking the photos he looked across the living room and recognised one of them:  Tasha Michel.  She was a model, one of the most well known in Sim City and also Miss Ginger, one of the Lothario Kittens of the Month.  Now she was sitting at a dining table looking frightened.  Her sad expression changed to surprise mixed with relief when she saw Action.

"Action!  Thank goodness you're here!  Listen, I didn't have anything to do with this guy!  I don't even know who he is!  He just stumbled in..." her words came out as a torrent awash with panic.

"Cool it, Tash...how about we slow down and let me take a statement, OK?" said Action, raising his hands in a calming manner.  She nodded and he sat down, taking out his notebook and pen to get her statement.

"OK, so let's back this up a little.  Where's Jameson?" asked Action.

"He...left.  Ran out.  He got spooked by this guy showing up here and dropping dead and all that" she replied.

"And that's what happened is it?  This guy dropped dead right inside J's house?"

"Pretty much.  Well it was like this; J, Don and myself were all hanging out here and there's the doorbell rings.  Don offered to answer it to see who it was and it was that guy...he staggered in here, trying to say something but couldn't get the words out.  Then he collapses right there.  J's panicking and Don goes over to check on the guy and says he's dead.  I then call 9/11 and that's when J says he can't be seen here with a dead body in his house and with the cops on the scene so he high tails it out of here."

"And you said you don't know who this guy is?" 

"No.  Never seen him before."

"Are you sure?  Maybe he's a client at the Kitten Club or attended one of Cuffe's parties?"

"Well...maybe.  I don't recall meeting him though."

Action scribbled down all this information and was thinking that Tasha was telling the truth about not knowing who this guy was but Huntingdon's behaviour was highly suspicious.  Maybe he knew who this guy was?  Action thanked Tasha for her information and he turned to the other witness who was present:  The man Tasha referred to as 'Don'.

"OK, and what's your full name?" asked Action.

"Don Lothario"

"You're kidding me..."

"No, it really is that.  Here's my driver's licence.  See?  Donald Lothario of Sultry Springside, Skyward Palms, Oasis Springs."

"OK, I believe you" said Action, waving him away.  "So you tell me what happened here"

"I was visiting J and Tasha was with us and, you know, we're just hanging out and having a little fun..."

"What do you mean by having a little fun?" asked Action.

"Does that have anything to do with the stiff?" said Don, defensively.

"Well, maybe this guy wanted in on the fun?  Maybe he was here to stop it?" 

"Well...it's like this...we were...uhm...goofing around" said Don, awkwardly.

"Action...we found this in the living room" said one of the other policemen.  He was holding two tabs that were half the size of a postage stamp but twice as thick.  Action took one look at them and knew what they were.

"Acid...I'm guessing there was a third of these but J took it" said Action, giving Don a hard stare.

"OK, so we were taking some LSD and you're right, J took one before we did and just freaked out when that guy crashed into the house." 

"Action...we're not...well, regular users." said Tasha, apologetically.

"I'm more interested in this 'stiff' as you call him.  Now both of you are certain you've never seen this guy before?"

"Positive"

"Never"

"OK, Tony...take down the rest of their statements and let's finish up with forensics before heading home" said Action, closing his notebook.

The rest of the shift was taken up with getting the forensic evidence down to the lab, filling in some forms and trying to find out who this guy was.  The coroner hadn't worked that one out so it was a lot of ground pounding by detectives and uniform to I.D. him.  By the end of Action's shift, no one was the wiser.

He went home but wasn't feeling hungry at all.  He found a message on his answerphone from Suzy Humphries saying that she wanted to see him soon as she'd had an idea about an old case of his.  Returning her call he found that she wasn't at home that evening, but had gone down to the Movers and Shakers gym.

He made his way down there and saw what he thought might be her, running on a treadmill but that she looked very different to normal as she wasn't wearing make up and had her hair tied back. 

"Suzy?" he asked as he approached her.  "You look very different from how I usually see you" he said, impressed by her rhinestone studded pink exercise outfit.  "That's a very Las Vegas look you've got going there."

"A leftover from my failed attempt at becoming a ballerina...I take it you got my message then?"

 "I did...so have you got time to talk?"

"Yes." she said and she pushed a button on the treadmill to get it to stop.  She grabbed a small hand towel and patted her face gently with it before stepping off the machine.

"I've found some things out and I have a bit of an idea I want to run past you" she said.  Action was intrigued.

"I'm always one for a good idea" he replied.

"I'll let you be the judge of how good it is" 

"OK, I'll head on next door to the Blue Velvet and you can tell me more there" said Action.

"Give me 5 minutes to get changed and I'll be over" replied Suzy.

The 45 minutes that elapsed between that conversation and Suzy's eventual arrival wasn't a waste for Action as he caught up with friends, colleagues and bar regulars.  When she arrived Action noticed how well poised she always was; not a hair out of place, make up immaculate and she had a swagger that turned men's heads when she walked in the room.  She didn't just walk, she glided.

He had claimed a small table over by the fireplace for their conversation and, after getting the drinks in, they settled to have their conversation.

"You look serious, Action"

"It's a serious business I'm in" he said.  "I'm currently working on a homicide case.  John Doe just shows up on the doorstep of some swanky pad in Oasis Springs and just dies and no one knows who he is or why he was there.  BUT, and there's always a but, the house is owned by one of Cuffe's Kitten Club members and he had one of the Lothario Kittens in the pad so there might be a connection.  Trouble is, the house owner's gone on a drug fuelled run somewhere.  On top of that, Leanne McGregor's shown up again..."

"Oh her?  Are you any closer to catching her?"

"Nope.  And get this...she's changed her appearance.  I mean, like radically.  Apparently she's knocked 10 years off her age, lost 6 inches in height and is now some perky waif like redhead.  Or maybe it's just someone in the same line of work with the same name and working towards the same ends.  Some days this job throws up more questions than it ever answers."

"If it's any help I've found some things out about the Landgraabs; mostly background detail so far but their wealth was obtained through highly dubious means...always was, for nearly 200 years.  It's Nancy who's the real boss, Geoffrey's a figurehead."

"None of that is surprising" said Action, flatly.  "I've long since suspected that but do you have proof?  With proof I can move against them."

"Well, not quite yet but I've got plenty of leads..." said Suzy, wishing she could give Action that little extra so he could make an arrest or two.

"Have a look into Malcolm a little more..." she continued.  "I think he's the one who tried to shoot Madelyn Buchanan.  The two of them used to peddle drugs but their working relationship went south and he was left in the lurch.  Malcolm's a nasty, vengeful character so my idea is that he wanted to get back at her.  Lily Feng was never the target."

Action nodded.  It mostly made sense except that he knew the weapon used against Madelyn was some kind of laser.  Where would Malcolm get hold of one of those?

Their chat was interrupted by friend and neighbour Travis Scott.  He was dancing away and spotted his friends having a conversation so he waved and danced his way over to them.

"Action, Suzy...two people I haven't seen for a while!" said Travis, cheerily.

"Travis, nice to see you; how's the wedding planning going?" asked Suzy.

"Sheesh, is that all you chicks can talk about?  Yeah, it's going OK.  Summer's organising most of it, I've just been measured for a suit.  I think Sum's got some things to ask you about the whole deal so just warning you before she calls."

"I look forward to it.  Tell her she can call on my anytime to talk about it." Suzy replied, the excitement of wedding planning broke her train of thought about the Landgraab investigation.

All Action wanted to know at this point was when was the date for the wedding and was he invited?  He pondered for one brief moment whether he would one day get married but almost instantly brushed that idea out of his mind.

"Suzy...I'll look into that matter with Malcolm and let you know how it's getting on.  In the meantime, can I ask you a favour?  Look into the dealings of a Mr J. Huntington III.  He's a socialite and from old money so he'll have cropped up in your style magazines I'll bet.  I know he's a member of the Kitten Club and hangs with Cuffe but see if there's any connection between him and the Landgraabs."

"OK...J. Huntington III.  We'll trade information again, soon" she replied.

CHAPTER 171: The Mystery Of The Goths

 

Action gulped down the protein drink whilst he checked the mail.  Bills, and bills...and his Police Detective's salary just about stretched to cover them.  "Dang, I need a case to secure a promotion and soon!  My bank account's gonna be drier than Arizona at the rate I'm going!" he said to himself.  But Action was a man of taste and style and it cost him money to maintain his lifestyle.

As he popped the last cheque in the mailbox he saw playboy millionaire, Alan Cuffe, jogging past his house.  It had been a while since he'd seen Cuffe and rumour had it that the guy was losing his marbles over some incident.  Well, Action had a hunch what caused it:  A deep, dark secret that Cuffe refused to share with anyone.  Maybe the good fortune of having the guy jogging past him right at this moment was too good opportunity for Action to miss out on.  

"Alan, have you got a few minutes to spare?" 

"Sure, Action...what's up?  Is this about work or a friendly chat?"

"Mostly just friendly.  How have you been?  Anyone tried bothering since we last spoke?"

"You said this was a friendly chat but it sounds more like work"

"The two often collide...so?  Life settled down to whatever it is you call normal, Alan?"

"Have I seen that strange woman since the fire?  No, Action, I have not.  Nor have I seen the man who I thought was following me...it must have been my imagination:  I've been working too hard."

Action noticed that Cuffe's fist was clenched and that he looked nervous.  His eyes darting left and right to see if anyone untoward was about.

"Well, we never did catch those people who tried to get you...or your assistant.  You know where you can find me if there's anything bothering you.  We can even keep it off the record." said Action, knowing that Cuffe was hiding something but that he wouldn't confess straight up here and now.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm doing fine.  Gotta keep moving, you know?" said Cuffe before he continued his run.

"Yeah, I know..." muttered Action.

Later, at 13th Precinct Headquarters Action saw that Officer Marina Beckett was helming the front desk.  Now Marina had some 'history' with Cuffe and Action's curiosity was aroused by his encounter with the man this morning.

"Marina...I bumped into a friend of yours this morning" he said to her.

"Oh yeah, who?" she replied.

"Alan Cuffe."

Marina hesitated a moment before replying.  "Oh yes, did he have anything interesting to say?" she asked.

"Absolutely nothing at all, but I know something's bothering him.  You know him a lot better than I do; do you know what's eating away at him?"

Again, Marina hesitated before answering.  "He's not been the same since the fire.  He's acting...erratic."

"You've not said much since the fire either.  Do you know if those responsible have confronted either you or him since then?"

"Wait!  No!  You don't think I've held anything back since that day!  My loyalty is beyond question!" she said, indignantly.

"I never said it wasn't.  Listen, Marina, anything that Cuffe confides with you that pertains to the case...you let me know, OK?"

"Isn't the FBI handling it from now on?" she asked.

"You don't think the people who've been trying to kill Cuffe and do all those other things have left Sim City, do you?"

At that moment a young woman entered the station and made her way to the front desk.

"Well, Action, you've got a lot of work on today...you can either deal with this young lady's problem or deal with a breaking and entry at the Goth Mansion." said Marina.

Action looked the young woman up and down and liked what he saw...but he knew where the big case was.

"I'm sure this young lady's problem can be dealt with by Detective Michaels and his team.  I'll take the Goth Mansion case."

Marina handed him a folder with some case files in it and Action went to the squad room to take a look at them and familiarise himself with the case.

The Goth Mansion was one of the oldest residences in Sim City, it's construction dating back to the 1870s.  Mortimore Goth was a well-known author and his wife, Bella, a onetime model, bit part actress and now full-time housewife and socialite.  They have two children and no priors...except for a few years ago when Bella Goth had gone missing for a time but had suddenly shown up alive and well some time later.  Police didn't treat that as a crime at the time..."strange", thought Action.

He made his way to the Goth Mansion, keeping a look out for the officer who was first on the scene:  Patrolman Jesse Navarro:  A young, keen but somewhat reckless cop.  Action would take charge of the crime scene once he was there.

The house was in an old and wealthy part of Willow Creek.  Even among the "Gay Nineties" architecture of the surrounding neighbourhood, the Goth Mansion stood out as it was darker, more gothic and sinister looking...and that was just the outside.  Inside the decor matched the exterior...apparently the Goths weren't big on lighting.  Action walked up the stairs to find Officer Navarro, half expecting Vincent Price to emerge from the shadows.

Upstairs he found Officer Navarro pondering over an antique chess set.

"There's no time to be playing games, Officer" said Action.

"Oh, Detective Action!  No...erm...I wasn't...I was waiting for a forensic team to dust this chess set."

"Why?  There's nothing missing there" replied Action.

"Well, I thought that Chess obsessed thief you arrested might have been responsible for the burglary.  I hear she's out on probation." 

"She is, but she didn't do this..." Action knew that the woman was a reformed criminal and one of his informants.  "So, what is actually missing?" Action added.

Navarro pulled out his notebook and started to read what he had written down earlier.  "Let's see...a crystal decanter and goblet set, a bronze bust of an Ancient Greek lady...said to be an original from about 300 B.C....some silverware and various books and papers."

"Books and papers?  Why steal those?  Are they especially rare editions?" asked Action.

"From my notes, not especially."

"OK, can you show me where the books and papers were stolen from?" asked Action.

"Yes...but aren't you more interested in the ancient sculpture or silverware?" asked Navarro.

"Not now..." said Action, curtly.

Navarro showed Action the bookcase that had volumes stolen from it.  "Has it been dusted for prints?"

"Erm, yes sir...the only prints they could find match the family's and Miss Joiner's"

"Who's Miss Joiner?" asked Action.

"Mr Goth's research assistant.  She's downstairs being questioned as a witness."

"Send her up here, Navarro"

Miss Janice Joiner was a nervous and distraught young woman in her early 20s.  She was in the house when it was broken into and was now traumatised by what happened to her.

"I was downstairs, at Mr Goth's desk arranging papers for him, when these two people...wearing masks...burst into the room.  They grabbed me and shoved me in the cellar, locking the door.  I must have been in there for half an hour when a neighbour came to investigate what was going on and heard me banging on the door."

"Can you tell me what books are missing from this bookshelf?" asked Action.

"Oh that's Mr Goth's reference library.  It's where he keeps books he uses for research for his novels.  Oh..." she said, but suddenly she stopped in mid sentence.

"What's wrong?" asked Action.

"Well, as you can see these books are about the paranormal.  The top shelf is the ghost section, then mythical beasts, legends and lore and so on but one section is completely missing." Miss Joiner replied.

"Which one?" 

"UFOs and aliens" she said.

"Are those books particularly rare or valuable?" 

"Not particularly.  But Mr Goth likes writing notes in the margins of his reference books so they're unique.  And there's a couple of books I'm not allowed to touch or read.  Those are strictly private and for his eyes only.  They're missing as well."

Action nodded his head.  "Thank you, Miss Joiner, you've been very helpful."  The distraught young lady left the room.

Checking the room one more time Action noticed a scrap of paper on the floor, probably torn from one of the pages of the books that was stolen.  He put on a disposable glove and picked the scrap up gently with his thumb and forefinger.  Examining it, the scrap had two handwritten words on it:  WHY BELLA?

"Why indeed?" muttered Action.

He made his way downstairs where he was greeted by Sergeant Kitchen, who had taken over command of the investigation team.

"We've got a full inventory of what's been stolen...those busts should give the insurance company a nightmare." he said.

"That's a ruse...so was the stolen silverware" Action replied.  "The real target for the thieves were his papers and reference books.  We're not dealing with common criminals out to make a quick buck.  Whoever did this wants information that only Goth has."

"A bunch of books about little green men?  Come on, Action, why would anyone want those?" said Sergeant Kitchen.

"Because of what Goth wrote in them.  He scribbles notes in the margins.  I bet he's the kind of guy who slips notepaper with his ideas into books as well.  Where is Goth, anyway?"

"In Europe on a speaking tour.  He won't be back for another week."

"Dang!  Any other witnesses?" Action asked.

"Oh yes...and you'll just LOVE her" said Kitchen, sarcastically.

Action went to see this other witness...another young lady in her early 20s but blonde, bubbly and wearing large glasses.

"Hi, I'm Honey...Honey Pleasance" she beamed.

"But of course you are" replied Action.  "Can you tell me what you saw?"

"Well, I live nearby and I love to take walks along the beautiful tree lined boulevards, especially on a day like today with all the flowers and blossoms from the trees..."

"Just cut to the bit where you saw something suspicious"

"Oh, OK...well, normally I quicken my pace when I walk past the old Goth mansion on account of all the strange stories that you hear about the place but today I notice two people run out of the building and down the street clutching large, army style rucksacks."

"Did you get a look at their faces?"

"No, they were wearing masks.  But they left the front door open so I summoned up enough courage to step inside the house because, as I said, you hear stories about the Goths and their home and those creep me out.  Anway, isn't it an amazing place?  I mean, still creepy but so much interesting stuff as well....oh, sorry, I'm just shooting my mouth off here, I really should focus you know?  My tutor at college is always saying I should be more succinct in my speech....oops, I'm doing it again, aren't I?"

"Just a bit" said Action.

"To cut a long story short, I heard a banging noise from behind a door and I opened it and there was that woman trapped in a cellar.  Then I phoned the police.  Maybe I should have given chase to the thieves instead!"

"No, you did the right thing.  The thieves may have been armed." said Action.

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that!" replied Honey.

"You mentioned that you've heard stories about the Goths...any ones in particular?" asked Action.

"Well, they do talk about that time Mrs Goth went missing." she replied.

"Was it a kidnapping or did she just walk out and return sometime later?"

"Oh none of those things..." Honey looked nervously around the room and leaned in closer to Action.  "They say supernatural forces were at work.  She was here, then gone and with no trace, then she returns with her memory all gone from that period of time."

That struck a chord with Action:  A complete memory wipe of an event....just what had happened to him.

"Thank you, Miss Pleasance" he said.

"Call me Honey" she said, smiling broadly again.

"I sure will" he replied.  "You've been most helpful."

After she had left Officer Navarro had a quiet word with Action.  "That one is clearly tripping on something.  I should pull her over to see if she's carrying any narcotics"

"Leave it" said Action, putting a hand on Navarro's arm to restrain his eagerness.  "We've got a lot to do with this case.  Is there another witness?"

"Just one more" said Navarro.  "A Mrs Giordano"

"Si, I saw them run away from the building" said Mrs Giordano in a thick Italian accent.  "And I tell you; one of them was a woman"

"A woman?" said Action.

"Si!  Yes!  I said a woman.  I could tell....her shape, the way she run.  A woman"

"You seem very certain.  Well that's very helpful." said Action, writing down her statement and closing his notebook.  With forensics moving in to do more analysis it was time for him to head back to the precinct house.

He typed up his initial findings in a report including his assessment that the papers were the real objective of the thieves and that the theft of a few objects d'art and antiques was merely a cover.  He wasn't sure that would go down well with the Chief though as it wouldn't be a simple open and shut case...

He went to the station archives to find information about Bella Goth's disappearance.  There were crime scene photos of her abandoned car, found in the outskirts of Oasis Springs, and the surrounding area but it was still a cold case...made freezing by Mortimore Goth's insistence that no charges would be pressed and that, in his view, no crime had been committed because Bella had returned alive and well, no ransom was ever demanded and nothing had been stolen; therefore, no crime had taken place.

But there was a mystery nonetheless and one that related to a crime that had just taken place.  Mortimore Goth had done his best to conceal it but someone knew the truth of what happened to her and had obtained the evidence for themselves.  Goth was out of the country right now but not Mrs Goth.  Action determined to go and question her in person.

He travelled back to Ophelia Villa to see her.  The forensic team had just departed and he saw Bella Goth standing outside the house with a small boy of about 8 years of age.  Action deduced that he was her son.

Everything he'd heard about Bella Goth was true:  She was alluring to the point of hypnotic, her very presence had a magnetic and sexual allure; this was accentuated by her dress which clung to every smooth curve of her body, her long arms and smooth finely sculptured shoulders exposed, the shortness of the hem revealing a perfect set of legs, accentuated by expensive dark hosiery.  Her eyes and lips enticed as she looked directly into Action own eyes...it was an effort just to concentrate on asking her questions.  She had to have been in her late 30s at least and yet she looked 10 years younger.

"Mrs Goth, I'm Detective John Action of the Sim City PD.  I'd like to ask you a few questions." he asked, composing himself.

"Certainly but I did tell your colleagues everything I know about what was stolen.  I'm afraid I don't know who could have committed such a crime or who had the motive or means.  As for the items, we are insured." she replied, her voice a soft purr.

"Even your husband's files and notes that he wrote in all those books he had about UFOs?" 

Bella paused before answering.  "Alexander, dear, run along inside.  I will join you soon." she eventually said.

"Yes Mother" replied the boy, looking sullen.  He trudged off inside, pausing once to turn towards his mother for some reassurance, which she gave by nodding and smiling at him.

"So, Mrs Goth, about those books of your husbands..." said Action.

"I know of them but I've never read any.  That is my husband's affair" she replied.

"So you don't know what he wrote in them or why he's interested in the subject?" asked Action.  "Somehow, Mrs Goth, I don't quite believe you."

"Dectective Action, I resent that insinuation!" she said proudly and indignantly.

"Let me tell you my own story, Mrs Goth, a true one.  A few weeks ago I was on a case and I found a lead, a really juicy one, and something happened.  I went to meet someone to get information and I went missing for a few hours.  Then I emerged, unscathed but with my memory of that meeting and the case I was working on completely gone:  Sound familiar?"

Bella Goth said nothing.

"I have a good buddy of mine whose mind's been messed with as well.  He went for a job interview but can't remember anything about what happened.  A few days later and he's working at that company but now he's developed a hatred for people he once liked.  Turned out he was subjected to brainwashing but he can't remember how it was done...again I ask you, Mrs Goth, is this ringing any bells?"

"Detective, I honestly cannot remember a single thing that happened to me during that time I went missing.  That is the truth." she said, nervously.

"But your husband has an idea, which he wrote down in those books and which someone has stolen.  So that means a few people know what happened...has he said anything to you about it, over the years?"

"My husband is extremely protective of me.  He refuses to talk to anyone about my disappearance and that includes me."

"And you're not curious?"

"Of course I am curious, Detective!  Six weeks of my life...SIX WEEKS...was stolen.  When I got back I was prone to blackouts and falling into semi-consciousness for months afterwards.  Mortimore cared for me but he also wanted to know what happened.  So he went searching and...well...wrote in those books and kept a journal of the whole affair...what he knew of it.  But he refused to share that with me, no matter how much I pleaded.  Eventually caring for Cassandra and Alexander and my charity work occupied all my attention and when I recovered, I stopped asking Mortimore for information."

Action nodded and took a step closer to Bella.  He could smell her exotic perfume and she seemed more alluring than ever to him.  "When your husband gets back from his trip, I want to see him and he will see me!  You tell him that."

FOUNDRY COVE, WILLOW CREEK

Geoffrey Landgraab huffed and puffed his way along the empty streets of Willow Creek.  No matter how much he ran, he could never shift that bit of extra weight around his stomach.  But, like his wife, he pushed himself onwards and onwards to try to keep fit.

"Geoffrey Landgraab" came a voice behind him.  Geoffrey stopped and looked around.  He saw a young man with red hair and casual attire walking towards him.

"Geoffrey Landgraab...we need to talk" said the man.  Geoffrey instinctively knew who this person was despite never actually having spoken with him before.

"Ah...yes..." Geoffrey said nervously.  "I usually deal with a young woman from your...organisation."

"She has been altered and reassigned.  You will now deal with me: I am Luke Kendall.  I am concerned information about our activities becoming known by others.  Leanne McGregor had to be altered.  What are you doing about the leaks, Geoffrey Landgraab?"

"I have conditioned one of my employees...a man who lives just over there...to be a willing puppet to our cause.  He will provide no obstacles.  And I believe you dealt with Detective Action."

"Affirmative"

"Nancy has arranged for Goth's evidence against us to go missing...as a matter of fact she's already accomplished that.  That only leaves Suzy Kent.  Shall I deal with her or will I leave her up to you?" said Geoffrey, sinisterly.

CHAPTER 120: The Chase

"STOP!  IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!" Yelled Action as he gave chase to the mysterious woman who went by the name of Leanne MacGregor.  She was the new chief suspect in the attempt to kill Policewoman Marina Beckett, Alan Cuffe, Madelyn Buchanan and Lily Feng.  Action had been alerted to Leanne's presence in Foundry Cove by his neighbour, Suzy Kent, an intrepid reporter who had done much to uncover who was behind these crimes.  Suzy had spotted Leanne in the street, confronted her and found out her name before being threatened by the strange woman.  Suzy then immediately roused Action, who grabbed his .38 service revolver and set off in pursuit.

Action had an athlete's physique and was able to run at speed as soon as he shot out of his front door.  Within seconds he had turned the corner into the main road and could see Leanne up ahead.  He yelled his challenge, all the while preparing to ready his revolver in case she was armed.  But the woman just walked casually ahead, not gathering pace but not slowing down either.  She completely ignored the challenge he had shouted and walked on.

"STOP!  POLICE!" he yelled again, gun in hand.  She ignored him and walked on.  Action was perplexed:  He was running at full speed and yet despite the fact she appeared to be casually walking he hadn't gained on her:  She was always constantly 30 feet away from him, he didn't understand how.  He now considered firing a warning shot to stop her but, suddenly, the brilliant white headlights of a car which was heading towards him momentarily blinded his vision.  

When he'd recovered his eyesight, seconds later, Leanne was nowhere to be seen.

Action was mystified by all this:  Where did she go?  How did she maintain that same distance from him despite his chasing after her?  He looked down the road:  It was the main road through Foundry Cove with no side streets for 500 yards in the direction she was heading so she couldn't have gone down there.  He frantically looked into people's front yards and in the communal garden in case she was hiding but she was nowhere to be found.  Perhaps she lived locally and had vanished into one of these houses?  He decided to go door to door, prepared to wake people up if necessary, to find her.  After two hours of this he'd turned up nothing:  No one had seen her, no one had heard of her name and although some people had heard him shouting to her to stop, no one had witnessed anything.  He went back home, called Precinct 13 and explained the situation to the head of the night shift.  An APB was put out for any units in the area who had seen her:  They were to detain her and take her to the precinct house.

The next day Action arrived for his shift despite only getting 4 hours sleep the night before.  This case had now moved up a gear and he was too restless and fired up to take things easy.  He headed straight to his desk in the squad room to file a full report on what he had seen and the actions he took the previous evening.  Seeing Action working frantically at his desk, Duty Sergeant Kitchen approached him.

"Did Night Shift find anything, Sarge?" Action asked.

Kitchen shook his head.  "They did a thorough house to house search and turned up nothing" he replied.

"Well, we've got a name, an age and a physical description so the next step is to get a photofit image of her and get it to all units." said Action.

"Have you considered that might not be her real name?" asked Kitchen.

Action said nothing but gave Kitchen a look that said "don't insult my intelligence".  

A uniformed policeman entered the squad room and said "The chief wants to see you, Action".  Action got up from behind his desk and went to the Chief's office.

Two other police officers were present, one of them being Cole Michaels of the Juvenile Investigation Team...or 'Mod Squad' as it was informally known as.

"Action!" bellowed the Chief.  "What's the latest on this woman?"

"I'm getting a photofit image of her so we can distribute that to all our mobile units, witnesses and newspapers.  We have a name...which is probably false but nonetheless a name she uses.  She gave her age as 27, which fits her physical description and another clue is that she says she's originally from out of town."

There was more Action could have mentioned:  The claims she was a hypnotist, or could levitate or that strange way she could just stay ahead of him as he chased her without breaking into a run.  To bring up those things to the Chief would probably lead him to being suspended and sent off to see a psychiatrist.  Instead, Action suppressed that information.

"So how did she get away?" said the Chief.

"She's skilled at escape and evasion, she managed to infiltrate Cuffe's house and plant a bomb and she's most likely the one who tried to shoot Lily Feng.  My guess is that she's a spook" replied Action.

"A spook?" the Chief didn't recognise the term.

"A spy, a secret agent...maybe one of ours, more likely a foreign agent.  That hint 'I'm from out of town' could be a clue.  It fits that she's works or has worked for some Intelligence agency."

The Chief paced up and down the office.  "Dammit!  If that's the case then we'll have the F.B.I. and the N.S.A. on our backs!  The paperwork...the paperwork!" he said.

"Sir...I want to get back out on the street, I want to shake down my informants...one of them should give us a lead." said Action.

The Chief nodded before turning to Cole.  "And I want your team to work their contacts and informants as well.  Apparently she's a fashionable young woman so she might be known in the latest trendy spots...your pimply squad should know where to look"

Cole said a brisk "yes sir!".

Action and Cole left the Chief's office and walked down the hall to the reception area together.

"So, Action, what avenue will you be pursing next?" Cole asked.

"Question everyone working for Cuffe and the Fengs.  Maybe this Leanne works in either organisation or has a contact in them.  I've asked one of Cuffe's Kittens to meet me here to give a statement.

"Well...if you need any help interrogating her then I'm available" said Cole.  "I mean I could be good cop, you could be bad cop"

"Easy bucko..." said Action.  "I know your angle:  This isn't a pick-up joint.  You get your squad out there into the clubs and I'll work with Miss Black Cat herself".  They could see, at the front desk, a strikingly attractive black woman who Action recognised from the time he had attended a Kitten Club meeting.  Her name was Yadira Rosado but was known publicly as Miss Black Cat:  Kitten of the Month for May 1966.  

"Yadira, good of you to come down" Action said.  "I need to ask some questions about the fire"

"Sure" Yadira replied.  "But I wasn't there so all I know is what I learned from Alan and Madelyn...oh, and what I saw on the news"

"Maybe you can shed some light on another matter" Action replied.  "Does the name Leanne McGregor ring any bells for you?"

"No, can't say it does" replied Yadira.

"Take a look at this picture...does she seem familiar?" he said, showing her the photofit image.  Yadira studied it for 10 seconds.

"Yeah, she does seem familiar.  I've seen her about...we did a show down at the Blue Velvet club last month and I saw her in the crowd.  It was weird; everyone was dancing and grooving but not her...that's why I remember...it seemed odd and out of place that she wasn't joining in.  Then, last week, I saw her again outside the Kitten Club in Newcrest when we had the big grand opening.  Again, she didn't come in to the club but she was hanging around for quite a while outside.  I remember arriving at the club in my normal clothes, going in to change into my costume and when I was ready I walked past the entrance and she was still there!  Half an hour after I'd arrived and still standing in the same spot!" 

 All this went into Action's notes but now he had to follow up this lead and head over to the newly built Kitten Club itself.

The club had opened only last week and was one of the brand new developments in Newcrest.  It looked pretty smart on the outside and Action was impressed.  He couldn't work out if Alan Cuffe, the founder of the Kitten Club and proprietor of Lothario magazine was the sexually liberated man of pleasure he made himself out to be or was he hiding something more sinister and criminal?

The interior didn't disappoint either.  It was large, modern and decked out in black, white and red.  Action sauntered past the bar and noticed the large dance floor in an adjacent room.  He nodded to the bartender "Is the boss in?" he asked.

"Upstairs" the man replied.

Action headed straight upstairs to find Cuffe and noticed his assistant, Madelyn, dressed up in her Kitten outfit and talking to a smart looking business type.

"Why, Detective Action, is this a business visit or....are you here for pleasure?" she said, flirtatiously.

"It's business today.  Is Cuffe around?" replied Action.

"He's over there...shame you're here on business.  Why not visit another time and have a little fun instead?" she said, winking at him.

"I might just do that" said Action.

Action saw Cuffe in the distance, talking to a member of his staff.  He sauntered over to the man and directly interrupted their conversation.

"Under no circumstances are the staff to reveal any of their personal details:  Last names, addresses or phone numbers.  You got that?" said Cuffe.  The man nodded.

"Mr Cuffe" said Action.

"Detective...you have this unerring gift of showing up when I'm at my busiest" replied Cuffe.

"I need to ask some more questions"

"I figured that the moment I saw you enter...let's go over here; it's more discrete."  Cuffe showed Action over to a seating area with deep, leather sofas.  "Do you like the place, Detective?  This is phase 3 of my grand business plan."

"What were phases 1 & 2?" asked Action.

"Phase 1 was the establishment of Lothario magazine, phase 2 was the creation of a social club and an image in human form..."

"The Kittens"

"That's right.  This is phase 3:  The building of a bricks and mortar venue for men of taste and sophistication to meet women who can satisfy those needs"

"Some might call that prostitution" said Action, cynically.

"Detective, I am disappointed with your grubby imagination.  This is not vice...no money changes hands for 'services rendered'.  This is a venue to facilitate liberated social interaction, I make money from club membership, food and drink and merchandising.  Now I thought you were investigating the attempts on mine and Madelyn's lives"

"And also my colleague, Marina" said Action.

"Of course.  I hear she's been discharged from hospital now.  Excellent news.  Now what do you wish to ask me about?"

Action pulled out the photofit image.  "Do you recognise this woman?  She goes by the name of Leanne McGregor" he said.

Cuffe took the image and looked at it, at one time holding it at arms length from his face.  "Hmmm, can't say I do" was all he replied.

"Look at it again.  This woman was standing for half an hour outside of your club on the opening day.  One of your closest members of staff remembers seeing her and I bet if I asked around more would recognise her as well.  Funny that you don't, seeing that you oversaw everything on that opening day."

"Well, the face does seem quite familiar..." said Cuffe, nonchalantly.

"She was also the woman seen standing outside your home on the morning of the fire, the woman seen talking to Nancy Landgraab."  

"I was a little preoccupied that morning with Marina at that time, so to speak"

"I bet you were" said Action, cynically.  "I'll ask you again; do you recognise this woman and believe me, Cuffe, I'll haul each and every one of your staff down to the station to interrogate them until I get a straight answer.  You could save a lot of lost time and business if you level with me now."

Cuffed hummed and eventually said "Yes, I have met her...only the once.  I met her at a bar in Willow Creek and got chatting.  I thought she had the potential to become a Lothario Kitten and offered her a position in my organisation.  She declined and looking back I think it was a good decision:  There was something in her manner that was cold and remote...not the qualities I look for in a Kitten."

"And on the day of the opening?" continued Action.

"Well....yes..." Cuffe was getting defensive now.  "A couple of times but I was too busy to take an interest in what she was doing there."

"I'm getting the impression you're not being entirely straight with me" said Action, a forceful tone in his voice.  "This woman clearly makes you nervous just talking about her.  What else do you know?"

"Look, Action, she's way above your pay grade.  Don't ask me how I know, I just know that she's best left to the F.B.I. or C.I.A. or someone at that level.  A local plod just won't cut it even if he does swagger around in a fancy suit."

"Is she a foreign intelligence agent?  I have good reason to suspect she is" said Action, homing in on what Cuffe had just said.

Cuffe paused and looked at a random patch of the carpet as he composed his thoughts.  "Yes...along those lines, Detective.  Like I said, she's above your grade."

Action stood up, pointed his index finger at Cuffe's chest and pressed hard.  "Don't hold ANYTHING back from me in future, Cuffe.  Or else I might just have to run a background check on your staff"

Action walked away but paused to speak with Madelyn again.  "Say, Madelyn" he began "do you recognise this woman?" he said, showing her the image.

"Yeah, that's the woman who came to fix the electrics in the living room" said Madelyn.

Action nodded and walked out of the club but as he did so he saw a familiar face, and not particularly a welcome one either.  Aurora Ahmed:  A career criminal who specialised in breaking and entry.  He'd busted her a few months ago for her part in a string of robberies but the D.A. cut a deal before she went to trial where she gave up some names of pretty important organised crime bosses in exchange for a suspended sentence.  Now she was here in the Kitten Club.

"Well, well, well, a bad penny always shows up" he said, sitting next to her.  "You should be doing jail time"

"I cut a deal with the D.A....I don't want to do another stretch in the slammer so...get this...I'm now a paid police informant.  Get a load of that" she replied.

"There's no justice in this world.  But seeing as you're an informant now and I'm still the law I need to put you to work."

"I charge a fee" she replied.

"I'm sure you do.  Here's 50 Simoleons to get you started.  I want to find this woman" he said, once again showing the image.  "The name's Leanne McGregor, age 27, probably foreign but speaks English fluently.  We think she's with some kind of secret agent."

Aurora studied the photo.  "And if I find her I want a bonus" she said.

Action then headed to downtown San Myshuno where he had more informants.  It was the same routine:  Show the photo and give out the name.  

After pounding the beat, he did see one more person he was keen on speaking with:  The woman who began this whole investigation when a folder containing photographs from a fashion shoot belonging to her was snatched by a local petty criminal working for someone higher up and unknown.  That woman's name was Penny Pizazz.

"Miss Pizazz" said Action as he approached her.

"Detective....Action, is it?" she replied.

"That's right, do you have a moment to talk?"

"Sure, Detective, what's up?"

"Those photographs that were stolen from you?  Were they all the photos that were taken that day?"

"Oh goodness me, no" she replied emphatically.  "The photographer will shoot reels and reels of film but only select the very best for publication, which is what I had in that folder."

"What happens to the other photos, the one's not chosen?" asked Action.

"Well, the photographer will have the negatives of those and the proof sheets:  That's a photo print of all the negatives...small, thumbnail sized images...on one photograph."

"Where can I find the photographer who took them?"

"His name's Michael Hemmingstamp but he's a British photographer who spends most of his time in the UK and only occasionally visits Sim City."

Action cursed under his breath.  He needed to see those photographs to see if one of them captured the gunman more clearly.  "Well, if you hear from him or he returns to the city can you give me a call straight away...here's my card.  Thank you"

Action headed back to Precinct 13 to report on and type up everything he'd gathered today then he finished his shift and headed home...late.  It had been a day of slow progress; of piecing together fragments of information about Leanne McGregor.  He had done pretty much all he could have done, it was now in the hands of the police force as a whole to use that information and hunt her down.

As he arrived at Foundry Cove he saw a familiar face lurking on the street corner:  Aurora Ahmed.

"Aurora, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I've come to tell you, Action, I'm out."  She looked bothered by something or someone.

"What?  Did you find something out about McGregor?"

"I found things out and I don't want to be anywhere near your case...she's dangerous, Action, and you're out of your depth!  Take my advice; quit this case as well."

"What did you find out?" said Action, forcefully.  "Do you need more money?"

Aurora shook her head.  "You can't afford to pay that much to keep me involved!  This is my life, Action, and the risks are too great.  McGregor is highly dangerous and you'll be a gonner if you mess with her."

"WHAT.  DID. YOU.  FIND.  OUT?" He repeated, shaking her by the shoulders.  She shrugged him off. 

"No...I'm out.  Drop the case...hand it over to the Feds...or the Army." and with that she walked off into the night.

CHAPTER 80: The Secondee

Detective John Action walked into the squadroom at 13th Precinct HQ and saw a very smiley Sergeant Kitchen at his desk.

"Hey Sarge, you look like the cat who got the cream...and then some" said Action.

"I was on a date last night with an old flame....you could say it went very well" Sergeant Kitchen repolied.

"You sly old dog, you!" said Action, lightly hitting the Sarge on the arm with a manila folder he was holding.

"Heh, heh!" said Sarge.  "Heads up, Action, we have a new secondee to the Precinct.  A cop all the way from Munich...that's in Germany."

"I know where Munich is, Sarge.  So did they goosestep their way to work today?  Does he wear a monocle and have a square head?" Action said with a naughty smile.

"In fact I have a perfectly shaped head....and I DON'T wear a monocle" said a woman's voice behind him.  Action turned to see a tall, willowy redheaded woman wearing a lab coat right behind him.

"Oh, sorry...just a joke there" he said.

"Uh-huh?" said the woman, unimpressed.

"My name is Bibi Stahler and I am on secondment from SOKO Munchen....that's Munich, by the way"

"I know.  Well, my name's...."

Before Action could finish his sentence, Bibi interrupted him.  "Detective John Action of the 13th Precinct, Sim City.  You have been in the police department for 18 months after transferring from the United States Marine Corps.  You have the Commissioner's Commendation Medal, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.  Born in..."

"So you've read my file, great.  Did you do that for everyone in the department or did you single me out for special attention?" said Action, returning the compliment of interrupting her.

"Only those senior members of this precinct.  You have a reputation for tough policing, gut instincts and an impressive arrest record"

"That's not all that's impressive about me" said Action, suggestively.

"...but I noticed you haven't kept up to date with the latest forensic procedures.  In fact, you're due a refresher course on the subject" said Bibi, in fluent English but with a slight German inflection to her accent.

"Well....I could make myself available for tutoring if you're an expert in the field" he said, again suggestively.

"No need.  This booklet will cover what you need to know and we have suspects in custody that need fingerprint processing...you could start there and learn on the job" she said, handing him the booklet.

"Yes Ma'am!" said Action, mock saluting her.

"Oh man, did you even wash today?" said Action to the suspect he was meant to fingerprint.

"Well, you try giving yourself a proper clean with that small basin in there!" complained the suspect.

"Write to your congressman, I don't care" Action replied.  "Right, you know the drill...give me your right hand"

"Oh yeah, then what am I going to use to eat with?"

"You're a regular funny guy" said an unimpressed Action, grabbing the suspects hand and referring to his official notebook on correct fingerprinting procedure.

"I am impressed, Detective Action" said Bibi after he had completed the fingerprinting and handed her the file.  "You managed to complete the task successfully"

"It's just getting a mucky cook's fingerprints onto a pad of paper...nothing to it" he replied, nonchalantly.

"OK, quit the banter" said the Chief.  "We've got a group of people out front kicking up a storm about a fight at an art gallery of all places.  Their spokesman making the complaint is a close personal friend of the Mayor's and he's threatening all kinds of complaints if we don't sort out his problem.  Action, Stahler, quit yapping and see what the fuss is about"

"It may be just a load of pretty pictures to you but some of those were priceless artworks!" said a very irate voice in the precinct lobby.

"Alright, what's the problem here?" said the Chief

"Are you in charge?" said a very flamboyantly dressed man.  "My name is Diego Lobo and I wish to make a complaint on behalf of the artistic community of San Myshuno.  We have been attacked, vandalised and....mocked!" he said, his voice almost breaking with emotion.

"Did you recognise anyone who did the vandalising and....mockery?" said Action.

"No...they wore ski masks.  They were absolute hooligans!"

"They were!" said another man, less flamboyantly dressed than Mr Lobo but still in a manner that suggested he was a struggling artist"

"OK, so what did they do...specifically?" asked Bibi

"Well, they burst in to a private viewing of my friend's exhibition, started shouting 'DEATH TO THE BOURGEOIS DEGENERATES!" and proceeded to smash some of the artworks, particularly the sculptures, or else pour black paint all over the paintings.  They're ruined! RUINED!"

"Hmmm" said Bibi.  "This sounds similar to the kind of anarchist gangs that spring up in various parts of Europe.  Tell me, did any of them have any kind of European accent?"

"Well...come to think of it, I think one of them sounded French" said Diego, thinking about it.  "But what are you going to do about this outrage?" he demanded.

"Chief...I'll look into this matter." said Action.

"OK...but it sounds like Stahler might have some useful experience and knowledge about these kind of anarchist gangs.  I'll assign her to your case as well"

"OK, Chief...but first we're going to need a full statement from all of you..." said Action to the Lobo and his colleagues "and then Officer Stahler here will lead a forensic team to go over the gallery where this happened"

"Oh, do I have to recount that horrible scene all over again?" said Lobo, exasperated.  "I need to sit down and catch my breath!"

Action took down statements and Stahler went with a crime scene team to dust for prints and look for other clues.  Already the feeling was that it was the work of a political group and Action started to compile a list of suspects already on file.

When the shift was over he headed over to The Blue Velvet for a couple of drinks and to recharge his batteries.  He noticed that Suzy Kent was sitting at the bar.

"Hey Suzy...all on your lonesome?" he said, sitting down next to her at the bar.

"I'm here with some work colleagues" she said.  "And you?"

"Just winding down after a long shift....say, you're a journalist"

"Well, mostly a fashion journalist"

"Sure...but you've been working on other articles.  In your researches, have you come across any European political agitators in the city?"

Suzy thought.  "Nothing comes to mind....I did witness a demonstration against the Landgraab Corporation from bulldozing down a residential district."

"Hmmm, I need to hit the streets again to find out more" said a resigned Action.  "But that's tomorrow...tonight's a different matter, let me buy you a drink"

Action and Suzy enjoyed another round of drinks but he was getting tired and needed to head home.  On his way his attention was drawn to one of the Lothario Kittens standing outside of The Blue Velvet.  They must be having some kind of special event down there, he thought.  He pushed thoughts of tiredness out of his mind and headed back to the bar.