CHAPTER 36: Insider Information

 

Suzy Kent struggled with the transition from A flat major to B flat major 7th on her guitar. "Dang it, I'm never going to be Joan Baez at this rate!" A few more attempts and she finally got there, albeit with too long a pause between the two chords. At that moment, there was a knock on her door. "Now's a good time as any to take a break" she said, putting her guitar down.

It was Summer Holiday at the door. Of late Summer had become Suzy's best friend: The two shared much in common...a positive outlook on life, both interested in pop music and fashion and they both had non-starter love lives. "Hi, Suzy" said Summer. "I'm not rostered on at the cafeteria until 2 this afternoon and I was wondering if you'd like to hang out for a bit?"

"Absolutely, Summer" replied Suzy. "In fact I was wondering if you'd like to help me on a little project of mine" she added.

"Oh do tell"

"I need to find a teenager...a specific one" said Suzy.

"And why would you want to find them?" said a puzzled Summer.

"Oh it's a lead on that story I'm working on. I need to find a girl called Gillian to interview...the trouble is the school she goes to won't give out any contact details so we have to 'chance' encounter her. Do you know if the teens still hang out at the Bowl-o-Rama in Newcrest?"

"Yep...some things don't change from when we were their age..." replied Summer.

"Which was only a couple of years ago" said Suzy. "So what do you say? We go there, hang out at the lounge for a bit and see if her or any of her friends show up....oh and we might meet a couple of nice guys there as well"

The girls grabbed their bags and caught the bus over to Newcrest and the Bowl-o-Rama...a popular spot that had been around for nearly a decade. There was a bowling alley, a food court, a cinema and a lounge bar all in the one building. It was a very popular hang out with teenagers and the two ladies swapped stories on the bus about their fun times hanging out there and the boys they went out with at the time. Both Suzy and Summer were 20 years old so High School wasn't so long ago for them...but with the fast change of society these days 1964 already seemed like a decade behind 1966.

"So we're here to play detective, have drinks and check out single guys?" asked Summer, when they finally arrived at the leisure complex.

"...in that order" replied Suzy.

The girls sat in the upstairs bar, near the huge windows that looked down on the street below.

"So what does this Gillian look like?" asked Summer.

"She's skinny, about 17 years old with long, straight strawberry blonde hair with a straight fringe. A bit of a party animal from what I hear" replied Suzy.

"Sounds like me when I was 17....that wasn't that long ago, have we become old maids already?" said Summer with a sigh.

"I hope not! It's just...well....where are all the decent guys these days?"

"Beats me!" said Summer, taking a swig of her white wine. "I sometimes think of moving to somewhere more lively. Sim City can be such a drag sometimes"

"I've been thinking of the scene in San Francisco, or New York" said Suzy

"...or London" replied Summer.

"London would be soooooooo fab! Carnaby Street! The Marquee Club!" Suzy's eyes lit up at the thought of it.

"Tea with the Queen!" said Summer and the both of them laughed.

"Seriously, if it wasn't for this story I'm working on I'd already be looking to move away from Sim City" said Suzy.

"I'm already thinking of those cute British guys!" said Summer.

The two friends continued to talk about work, relationships...or lack thereof...and Suzy's investigative journalism. It certainly was a far cry from fashion journalism, which is what Suzy was originally hired to do.

"Dang, that girl hasn't shown up yet and I need to get to work!" said Summer, finishing off her wine. "Are you OK to stay here or are you going to give up too?"

"I'm staying for the moment...I know it's only a hunch that she'll show up here but if I've guessed correctly she's the type of girl who'll want to be where the action is and with all these other teenagers hanging around..." and she nodded in the direction of all the teens gathering to go see the new, wildly popular French movie "Un Sim Et Une Simme" "...I'm sure she's going to show up soon"

Summer made her goodbyes and headed off whilst Suzy continued to look out for Gillian. Soon enough, a girl matching her description could be spotted from the upstairs lounge walking towards Bowl-o-Rama.

Suzy ran downstairs and out of the building in case Gillian walked past it. "Hello there...are you Gillian by any chance?" she called out to the girl. The teenager stopped and turned to look at Suzy.

"I am, who wants to know?" she said.

"Hi, I'm Suzy Kent...I'm a writer for 'Hey, Wow!' magazine"

The girl's eyes widened and her face lit up with excitement. "Hey, Wow!' I love that magazine...I get it every week!" she said, enthusiastically.

"Glad to hear it...anyway I'm doing a story and wondered if I could ask you a few questions?"

"Sure! What about? Fashion? I know ALL about fashion! Pop music? I know EVERYTHING about that as well!"

"It's more personal than that....erm" Suzy felt embarrassed to be asking this girl questions about her personal dating life but she was committed to this story now. "...you know, we cover celebrity news as well; who's dating who, who's been seen in the trendiest sports...you know the thing"

"I do" said Gillian, now standing confidently and less bubbly and gushing. "In fact, I know a well known person about town AND have been on a few dates with him....if you're interested" she said, teasingly.

"Do tell!" said Suzy.

"Well....I mean, I don't want to go telling about this guy unless there was something rewarding in it" Gillian looked shrewdly at Suzy.

"I see...well, what can I help you with?"

"I want to be a model...top of the range stuff, the famous fashion houses....well, you must have contacts there...maybe you could hook me up with some of them. I'm the right height, the right shape and I've got 'the look'. What about it?"

Suzy thought about this; the girl was certainly no shrinking violet....she could see why she would incur the wrath of Geoffrey Landgraab.

Suzy thought about what Gillian had asked for...a simple matter of introducing this girl to some of her modelling contacts. There was a risk; if she proved to be a liability and as demanding as Suzy had suspected it might reflect badly on her. On the other hand, if what she had to say was revelatory then perhaps she would be forgiven if the story was good.

"OK, I know people who might help your modelling career" said Suzy, hoping she wouldn't regret it. "I have a business card from a top photographer...it's yours IF you tell me about this guy." She held the card aloft, just out of Gillian's reach.

"Alright....I've been dating Malcolm Landgraab...the heir to the Landgraab fortune" the girl said.

"I know the Landgraabs. Go on" said Suzy.

"Well...he's no angel but then again, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree if you get my drift" Gillian continued.

"This I already know" said Suzy, turning the business card over in her hand.

"OK...here's the dope..." said Gillian leaning in and speaking softly. "Malcolm's been supplying the party scene with some substances that the cops wouldn't take too kindly too: 'Shrooms, acid and especially space cookies. It's his way of 'expanding' the family business with a sideline of his own."

"And the family business is, what, exactly?" asked Suzy.

"The old man's a ruthless business tycoon...as you know. But he's REALLY cutthroat. Putting people out of business, cutting off their water and power supplies. It's less like a corporation and more like a protection racket. But not to be outdone is Mommy Dearest...she's into ALL kinds of criminal activities! She pretty much runs the Sim City underworld!"

Suzy said nothing. She was shocked by this revelation...the Landgraabs were way worse than she had initially suspected. Clearing her throat, she asked Gillian "So are you going to keep dating Malcolm?"

"I guess...depends on him and whether he'll stand up to Daddy" she shrugged.

"Well, if you hear anything new...here's my contact number. And here's that business card I promised as well...thank you Gillian"

The girl looked at the cards she was given and smiled broadly. Suzy walked away Good luck... she thought you're going to need it.

Suzy headed into town for some light relief and noticed that there were bright pink and psychedelic colours decking out the public squares. One look at the signs posted everywhere told her it was "Romance Festival" night. "Oh no!" she thought, remembering how dull it was last time. However, all was not a total loss...a familiar face was present.

"Bakko Jang...always where the party is!" she said, smiling at him.

"You know me, sis" he replied. "Gonna dance?" he asked.

"Maybe later...I'm hungry right now" she replied. Suzy headed over to a vendor for one of this week's special "romantic" dishes but they usually turned out to be regular meals but with more chili sauce on them.

Looking around the festival, it was the same old bunch of middle aged men on the hunt and female fashion disasters as the divorcees attempted to look hip but failing. Still, the food was nice and after she'd finished she headed back to talk with Bakko.

"I'm doing a live spot later...it's open mic night at the bar and I've got me some new material" said Bakko, enthusiastically.

"I look forward to seeing it" said Suzy.

"Hey, it's either one of my fans...or one of yours...coming towards us" said Bakko, nodding in the direction behind Suzy. She turned around to see Nancy Landgraab approaching them.

"Bakko..." Nancy said "I'm very much looking forward to seeing your act later on. I'm so glad the money and time we invested in your career is starting to pay off"

"Thank you, Mrs Landgraab...enjoy the show" replied Bakko.

"And Miss Kent, how lovely to see you again. I rely on your publication to inform me of the latest trends" she said, showing off her latest outfit. A bit racy for a woman of 40 but Nancy had the courage...and the looks...to just about pull it off.

"Pleated skirts are the height of fashion right now" replied Suzy. "Are you with your family tonight, by any chance?"

"Geoffrey's here. Malcolm was invited by he's with friends this evening" Nancy replied, haughtily.

"Yes, I hear he's quite the socialite" said Suzy. "He's been seeing this aspiring model I believe?" Suzy was trying to get a reaction from Nancy and she didn't have to wait long either.

There was a frosty silence between Nancy and Suzy, who realised she'd touched a nerve there. Suddenly, Nancy looked away and over to an area where people were painting. This seemed to snap her out of her mood. "Ah..." said Nancy. "I see someone I'd like you to meet. Neil! Would you be a darling and come over here for a moment?" she said to a young, fair haired man who'd been painting a still life scene. He put down his paintbrush and came over to where Nancy and Suzy were standing.

"Suzy Kent...I'd like you to meet a friend of mine: Neil Humphries. Neil is an aspiring young artist the Landgraab Foundation are sponsoring. Miss Kent here is from 'Hey, Wow!' magazine."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Kent" said Neil, pleasantly

"Call me Suzy" she replied. Suzy thought Neil was a friendly, good looking guy from his smile and honest expression.

"I must attend to other business...until next time" said Nancy, who promptly left.

Neil looked stuck for something to say so Suzy tried to break the ice. "I like your painting over there" she said.

"Oh, that? I haven't finished it yet" he said, looking embarrassed.

"Nevertheless it's looking good...you're good at capturing reflections on canvas. So do you have anything exhibited in any galleries?" she asked, trying to get him to open up.

"Not yet...I still consider myself an amateur at this stage. Hopefully one day I'll have my own exhibition. At the moment I'm just glad to be able to participate in this arts festival..."

"Erm, this is the Romance Festival" said Suzy, correcting him.

"Romance Festival? Oh my god!" the man looked panicked and looked around him frantically.

"Is something the matter?" said Suzy, now looking concerned.

"I...I don't do well at these kind of things. I thought this was an art festival"

Suzy suppressed the urge to laugh. Neil looked so panicked at the idea of being at a romance festival.

"Relax...this place is usually filled with middle aged people looking to cheat on their spouses anyway. I've been to this event twice now and haven't met a single....nice....young...single....man" and as she spoke those words, her eyes met Neil's briefly before both of them looked away.

"I...I...hope you can come to a showing of my work in the future...Suzy" said Neil, putting his hands in his pockets and looking awkwardly at his feet. "In the meantime...I'd better get back to my painting"

Suzy nodded. She didn't know quite what to make of this guy but that brief moment of eye contact was enough to spark an interest in this man who was so awkward he made Jeremy Saint look like a lounge lizard. Suzy went to get some food and found that she was sitting opposite Geoffrey Landgraab. He didn't notice her though; his attention was drawn to a an elegant blonde haired lady wearing a lavender coloured Chinese dress. Geoffrey gave her a wink and a wave...she smiled seductively back at her. This is not the model family thought Suzy.

CHAPTER 35: Unwelcome Visitor

 

"Hello, is that Suzy? It's Jeremy here, sorry to phone you at this hour"

"No, it's not late at all...how's it going Jeremy?" Suzy replied.

"I'm good...actually I'm calling about something I witnessed that might interest you"

Suzy sat up to attention. Jeremy sounded serious, but a little unsure. "Go on..." she said, inquisitively.

"Well, I witnessed an argument between Geoffrey Landgraab and a teenage girl. It sounded very serious and I know you're trying to dig into what the Landgraabs may be up to".

"Let's not talk over the phone...my place is a bit of a mess right now. Is it OK if I pop around to your place this evening?" said an excited Suzy.

"Sure, come right over" said Jeremy.

"OK, I'll just get my boots on and I'll be there in a few minutes"

Jeremy put the receiver down and went to get a glass of water. No sooner had he filled his glass up then he heard a knock at the door. Suzy was pretty quick, he thought to himself as he went to get the door. But when he opened it, he saw that it wasn't Suzy at all.

"Hello Jeremy" said the young lady standing on his porch.

"Bianca!" said an incredulous Jeremy. He hadn't seen Bianca since that fateful night weeks ago where she turned him down.

"I was just passing and wondered if you'd like to hang out tonight?" she said, innocently.


"Well...tonight's not good. In fact, I'm uncomfortable with us hanging out given what happened last time we saw each other" he said, indignantly.

"Oh you're not still hung up over that? I'm not the kind of girl you thought I was..." she said.

"What? One that blows hot and cold?" said Jeremy, his words terse and accusing.

"I get it...you're the old fashioned type looking for an old fashioned girl. Well, I'm not that. I want to experience so much more than just being someone's trophy girlfriend or wife material. You were moving too fast!"

"Too fast? You sent out mixed signals...'I like you Jeremy...stay away, Jeremy'. Maybe some consistency is a little old fashioned...I'm not sorry for wanting that"

"I've thought about you a lot; never stopped. I hope you're doing well" she said, her head tilted to one side as a conciliatory gesture.

"I am, thank you....I'm seeing someone else now" he said, wanting to show her he was more than just well.

"Oh..." she said in surprise. "Congratulations. I hope you're happy" she added, trying to find the right words to say.

"I am, thanks. Oh...sorry, I have an urgent matter to attend to" he said, noticing that Suzy was approaching him.

"Is she...?" Bianca asked

"No...this is just business but it's important. Goodbye Bianca...and good luck" he said, still with a trace of hurt in his voice.

"You too" Bianca replied, her smile a little forced as she walked away.

"Anyway, hi Suzy" he said, turning to his new arrival. "It's been a bit busy these last few minutes"

"Was that...Bianca?" asked Suzy, a little embarrassed to stumble in on Jeremy's private life.

"Yeah...crazy, she just showed up at random. I told her I was seeing someone new"

"How's that going?"

"Great! Couldn't be better right now...anyway, you don't want to hear about my love life. Come inside and I'll tell you what I saw and heard" he said, ushering Suzy in.

The two of them went to Jeremy's study to talk, so they wouldn't be disturbed by any more random passers by...which seemed to be a trait of Jeremy's house right now.

"Anyway, it was last night and I was chatting with our new neighbour, Julia, on her front porch. There's this teenage girl walking down the road, near Travis, Summer and Liberty's home...I've seen her around here a couple of times, mostly in the evenings."

"The school library is just further down the canal, past the old tree and fishing spot" said Suzy. "Lots of high schoolers walk past here on their way home...anyway, please continue"

"Then Geoffrey Landgraab, out on his daily evening run, stops and starts berating this girl, telling her to stay away from someone called Malcolm"

"That's his son. So this girl is involved with Malcolm Landgraab...might be a girlfriend or at least a potential one in Geoffrey's mind, hmmm" said Suzy, stroking her chin in interest.

"She just laughed at him...I didn't catch exactly what she said because she was soft spoken but Landgraab was quite vocal and raised his voice so I could hear him a lot better. He then warned her off his son and accused her of being high on drugs...then they parted. I'm sorry I didn't catch more but I was also trying to chat with Julia at the same time."

"That's OK, Jeremy" said Suzy, her mind racing to consider the possibilities of this information. "It sounds like he considers her to be 'the wrong kind of girl' for his son. It could be linked to my investigations or it might just be a personal matter"

"By the way" said Suzy, a thought just occurring to her. "Did you catch a name and can you describe her to me?"

"Oh yes, she was called Gillian and she's a thin, strawberry blonde...long straight hair with a fringe. She dresses in mod gear"

"I think I've seen her around here too" replied Suzy. "Time, I think, for more detective work!"

CHAPTER 34: Doctor In The House

 

"If you'd like to sign here, Miss Epstein..."

"DOCTOR Epstein, actually"

"Sorry, Dr Epstein...yes, just sign here at the bottom and the house is all yours" said the Real Estate Agent. Dr Julia Epstein, newly qualified M.D., took out a special gold fountain pen...a present from her Uncle Reuben...and signed on the bottom line of the title deed.

"That's fine" said the agent. "Well, welcome to Foundry Cove, Willow Creek, Doctor. I must say you seem a little young to be a doctor"

"I was the youngest in my year group" said Julia, with a little more than a hint of pride in her voice. "Now, what are the neighbours like here? Are they rowdy? Do they throw wild parties?"

"Well there's 3 young professionals over the road...I think he works with computers, one of the girls works at Space Y and the other one's a cook...I think. Then you've got a woman next door who works for a fashion magazine, next to her is a young gentleman...I don't know what he does for a living I'm afraid...and then the last house is owned by a policeman so I guess if there's anything untoward in this road he'd be the person to seek help from."

"Hmmm." said Julia, pondering that information. The agent made his goodbyes and she was left to inspect her new house. Technically it was owned by her parents; a gift for graduating 1st from medical school and landing a job at the prestigious Sim City Medical Centre. They wanted her to keep on living at home with them but Julia had worked out...with mathematical precision...how the commute would be worse from their out of town home into the city whereas Willow Creek afforded both a reasonable distance from work and a moderate price range for property.

Julia was going over her new home, checking out each room when she heard a knock at the door. She looked up from inspecting under her bed and thought who it could possibly be? Her parents were going to visit tomorrow so it wasn't them and she didn't know anyone else from this area so she raised an eyebrow and cautiously went to investigate.

"HELLO NEIGHBOUR!" yelled three young people: Two women and a man.

"Am I right in deducing that you are the three people who live in that house across the road?" said Julia, puzzled at this reception committee on her doorstep.

"That's us!" said an Asian-Sim Nation woman. "I'm Liberty, these are my housemates Travis and Summer"

"I brought cake!" said the blonde girl, Summer.

"I'm Dr Julia Epstein and thank....you" said Julia, still puzzled at these visitors.

"And I'm Action, John Action" said a tall, impressive looking black man who had just arrived.

"Are you the policeman or the man living at the end of the road?" Julia asked.

"I'm a cop" said Action.

"Don't mess with him!" laughed Travis, nervously.

Julia was stuck for what to do next. She could go back inside and arrange her medical textbooks as she had planned, carefully hang and fold her clothes or invite these strangers in. Well, they had brought cake so she opted to invite her neighbours inside her house.

"I've just moved in so excuse the state of the place" said Julia, putting the cake down on a coffee table.

"It looks spotless!" said Summer.

"It's not...there's probably germs everywhere" replied Julia.

"We've been watching this place being built for weeks now" said Travis. "We were wondering who'd be moving in"

"It's so good another young person has joined our happy little community" said Summer. Action just grunted.

"My age is a factor here?" said a puzzled Julia.

"Well, you know..." said Summer, stuck for an answer.

"Do you intend to have wild parties here?" said Julia with some disapproval.

"Oh yes...OW!" said Travis, just before Liberty kicked him in the shin.

"Not wild, so to speak" said Liberty, apologetically.

"So you're a doctor?" said Summer, trying to change the topic.

"Yes, I'm newly qualified and start my first shift as an intern tomorrow" said Julia, now enthusiastic.

"Congratulations" said Travis. "It's nice to have a proper professional around here. Action just grunted. He was checking the place out...it was sparsely furnished in white and pale blue. He contemplated whether the good Dr Julia here would be similar to her home: Cold, sparse and unappealing. His dating life had improved of late...two different women in two weeks but Julia didn't appear to be number 3 to him.

Summer approached him as he finished a slice of cake. "Hey, Action, you seem quieter than usual" she said.

"This chick's place is colder than a meat locker. Creeps me out" he replied.

"Your trouble, Action, is that you never let up from work. You're always the cop" said Summer.

"Now that's where you're wrong, Summer. Action knows how to unwind" he said, turning to look at Liberty and giving her a wink.

"So I hear you Doctors party hard" said Travis, trying to make a good impression on Julia.

"We don't...excuse me, but the dirty dishes are piling up and I have to give them a clean" she said, worried about the stack of plates with cake crumbs on them. She stood up, gathered up the plates and took them to the sink.

Travis leaned in to Liberty and said, with a whisper, "I don't think she wants us around. Let's make our excuses and go". Liberty nodded and caught Summer and Action's attention with a quick j erk of her head in the direction of the door. They took the hint, welcomed Julia to the neighbourhood once again and left.

Julia once again enjoyed a moment of peace and quiet. She was contemplating finishing unpacking her suitcases when there was another knock on the door. Letting out a sigh of frustration, she walked over to the door to see who was there. It was a young man but one she recognised.

"Phew, sorry I'm late! I got caught up with work and only just made it...did I miss the others?" he said.

"You did. And you must be the man who lives at the end of the road?" she asked.

"Yes I am...I'm Jeremy"

"I know...we've met before. Julia Epstein"

Jeremy looked puzzled and tried to remember where he'd met her before. Julia picked up on his expression "It was at the Humour and Hijinks Festival"

Jeremy started to look less puzzled as he pulled a vague recollection from his memory. "Was I with my girlfriend at the time?"

"No, that was the most recent festival" said Julia, recalling the sight of Jeremy and his girlfriend partaking in a steamy embrace. She absolutely hated public displays of affection. "We met at the one before that. I was telling you I was about to graduate from medical school and that you worked for Dewey, Cheathem and Howe"

The penny finally dropped for Jeremy. "Oh yes. I remember now. So how did it all go with the graduation?"

"Top of my class, got me an internship at Sim City Medical Centre"

"Wow..." said Jeremy, impressed not only at her achievement but that she said it as if coming top of her class was a piece of cake.

As they talked, across the road Geoffrey Landgraab stopped his evening run for a moment. He had come across his son's latest girlfriend and he wanted to have a word with her.

"Gillian, what brings you here?" he said

"Oh, well, this road is between the school library and my home, Mr Landgraab" she said, swaying and speaking coyly to him.

"Gillian, are you drunk or high?" he said, disapprovingly

"Turn on, tune in and drop out, baby" she said with a giggle.

"Let me tell you this, young lady, you do not meet my standards for a girlfriend of Malcolm's. I wish you to break off your relationship with him" he said, sternly.

"Malcolm doesn't have to take orders from you, pops" she said, batting her long false eyelashes at him. Landgraab stood up to attention and leaned in towards her, his face looking menacingly.

"You do not know who you are dealing with" he said, snarling. "You are forbidden to contact my son in future. Now go and stagger back to whatever hashish den you crawled out from!"

Gillian blew him a mock kiss and staggered away. Landgraab watched her walk out of sight.

"So, hopefully, I will get that cardio-thoracic rotation at the hospital and I'll specialise in that" said Julia but she noticed that Jeremy was watching the incident between the middle aged man in running gear and the teenage girl in the latest mod fashions. "Jeremy, what's the matter?" said Julia, concerned.

"Erm...could be nothing" said Jeremy. "But that's the millionaire Geoffrey Landgraab and she's a high schooler...I wonder what that was all about?"

CHAPTER 33: Interrogation

 

John Action finished getting the mail from his mailbox when he heard footsteps behind him. Resisting his inclination to reach for his .38 service revolver, he turned around to see Mortimer Goth walking by.

"Mr Goth" said Action, nodding.

"Ah....Detective.....Action, isn't it? Meddling in anyone else's affairs lately?" replied a terse Mortimer Goth.

"I patrol my side of the street, Goth, you patrol yours"

"I'm very protective of my family, Action, and will do anything to keep them safe....ANYTHING!"

"Message received" said Action, noticing the redness in Mortimer's cheeks and the intensity of his stare. The angry Mortimer stormed off, giving Action a cursory glance back at him but there was no time to waste....it was almost time for Action's shift to begin.

13th PRECINCT HEADQUARTERS, 0859hrs

"What have you got for me today, Sarge?" said Action to desk Sergeant Kitchen.

"That suspect you brought in a few days ago, Aurora Ahmed...she's still holding out on us" said Sergeant Kitchen.

"Leave it to me, Sarge, I'll sweat the information out of her" he said, grabbing her case file from the filing cabinet. Action walked down to the lock up cells. Aurora sat up on her bunk and looked him in the eye.

"You again...you don't let up, do you?" she said.

"Not until I get what I want" replied Action.

"Which is?"

"Who's your fence, Aurora? Your contacts in the underworld. I want you sing like a canary"

"I don't sing...why not try a birdhouse?"

"I'll try the blockhouse if you don't mind"

"What if I do?"

"Then say goodbye to the free life, Aurora". Action opened up the cell and led her to the booking station. Putting her up against the wall, he searched her.

"Hey! I went through all this when you brought me in!" she complained.

"But I know your fancy lawyer's been here since and I want to make sure he didn't give you anything he shouldn't have....like this little bag of white powder here"

"You planted that, Action!" she complained vociferously.

"Did I? OK let's talk some more about what other evil I might have got up to" he said, nonchalantly.

He sat Aurora down and turned on the harsh, bright desk lamp and turned it to her face.

"I want my lawyer!" she complained.

"All they'll do is get you down from a 10 year stretch to a 5 year one...I can do better than that if you talk" replied Action. He put some documents on the table in front of her. "We know you hit the expensive places, and leave a chess clue as your calling card"

"We've already been through this" she said with a sigh.

"Yes, but what I want to know is who's your network? You've got pretty big partners in crime, Aurora. You only get a cut of the haul."

"Prove it!" she said, definantly.

"I've got it all here, sister...your fingerprints at half a dozen properties, witnesses who'll testify that they saw you with two accomplices...who are they?"

"I...I...can't! They'll kill me if I talk!"

"They won't know" said Action, pressing harder. "Talk now and we'll get you a 3 year stretch"

"Alright....I do jobs for an organisation called The Triangle. My contact is Mal; I speak with him only on the phone and we arrange drop off exchanges for the merchandise and cash. I've only seen him once...tall, skinny, but he was wearing a ski mask."

Action nodded, picked up the case files and said "OK, we'll call your lawyer. Thanks, Aurora"

He returned her to the lock up and went to speak with The Chief but standing in the lobby of the precinct house was Candy Behr...the last time Action saw her she had stood him up on a dinner date.

"Hey Action" she said, sheepishly

"Candy...what brings you here?" he replied

"Just some neighbourhood toughs giving my sister and me a hard time...listen, Action, about that dinner date..." she began, apologetically.

"SAVE IT, SISTER! Action doesn't take being stood up sitting down!" he yelled, putting up his hand and then storming off.

He went straight to the bathroom to calm himself down. "Not cool, Action, not cool...don't let a chick bring you down!" he said, taking some deep breaths.

He got through the rest of his shift, it was mostly paperwork but he wanted to stay clear of Candy in case he blew his cool again. Changing back in to his 100 Simoleon suit and getting into his 500 Simoleon car he drove home, cursing the name of Candy Behr all the way. Once home he cooked himself up some mac n' cheese and was preparing to settle down to eat it when there was a ring on the doorbell.

"What kind of crazy cat wants to bother me now?" he said, checking his .38 service revolver was loaded...he'd made some enemies over the years. However, when he opened the door he saw that it was his neighbour, Liberty Lee.

"Well hello there......sweet Liberty!" he said, smiling.

"Hi Action, I hope I'm not disturbing you?" she replied, nervously.

"You could never do that, why don't you come in?" he said. "I made enough macaroni for two"

"Thanks, but I've eaten...wow, I like how you've decorated this place" she said, looking around.

"I've gone for an African vibe" he replied.

"I like it....the reason I'm here, Action, is that I didn't get to properly speak with you when you moved in. I've been busy lately"

"So your friends tell me"

"Yes. Well, I thought...well....you might like some company."

"I never refuse the company of a pretty lady" he said.

"You lead an interesting life: Ex-marine now a cop. You helped Travis' friend find his stolen statue. I'd like to know John Action a little better"

"And I'd like to get to know Liberty Lee more" he said, pouring her a drink and handing it to her. "Here's to getting to know each other" and they clinked glasses.

CHAPTER 32: Veiled Threats

 

Suzy grabbed her handbag, her house keys and rushed out the door to work....only as soon as she shut the door she heard a disturbing gurgling sound from her stomach. Breakfast was NOT good. The fridge had broken down during the night and the delicious fruit parfait yoghurt she'd prepared the night before had gone off....and now her tummy was paying the price for not binning the whole lot straight away. It was no good, she couldn't go into work feeling like this. She had an article to write but she could do that at home and at the library and take the morning off to take some Dramamine and Milk of Magnesia and hope her stomach would calm down by lunch.

In the meantime, she took herself down to the spa for a detox. Settling into the sauna she thought about her article and what it would involve. She had enough to do a piece about the mavens of Sim City...well, at least two of them. She'd interviewed both Lily Feng and Bella Goth and there was enough material for an article: Only Nancy Landgraab had avoided an interview thus far.

After a session in the steam room, Suzy headed off to Willow Creek Archive to finish her article. Settling down with a stack of magazines and newspapers from the archives and seated comfortably at a desk with her portable typewriter she got to work. She noticed that one of the librarians was surreptitiously pocketing a library book into his cardigan pocket and hoping no one noticed. Suzy smiled to herself; she knew that guy...nice enough to talk to, looked like a bookish square but was secretly a petty pilferer.

Suzy's thoughts were abruptly halted by a stern looking woman of around 40 who stood right next to her, pointing a finger.

"YOU! Yes you! I know who you are!" said the stern woman.

"You do?" replied a bemused Suzy.

"Yes! You write for that scandalous magazine! The one that's leading the youth of today astray!"

"Do you mean 'Hey, Wow!'?"

"Hey, Filth more like! My niece reads your trash magazine and it nearly led her astray with your low morals: Pop music! Long hair on boys! Mini skirts! Date whoever you like! Tsch! Scandalous! Scandalous! It should be BANNED for corrupting the young of SimNation!"

"Have you ever considered...Miss?" responded Suzy

"MRS Edna Sneedly! I run the Willow Creek Concerned Citizens Society"

"Well, Mrs Sneedly, that the youth of today want something different? They want to express themselves in fashion, music and art in a way that is different from your era. And they want to make their own choices instead of being told what to do, say and think by committees?"

"Harumph! 'Make their own choices'! Who'd ever heard of such nonsense? Why can't girls your age settle for nice young men like this gentleman, drop your hemlines and learn to bake apple pies?" Mrs Sneedly pointed to the kleptomaniac librarian as an example of an 'exemplary' young man.

"Sure, I'll bear it in mind" said Suzy, standing up and walking over to another part of the library. She made sure Mrs Sneedly got a good view of her short dress. Sitting down at another desk, she began work again when she was interrupted by none other than Victor Feng.

"Good afternoon, Miss Kent" he said. "I see you're doing some research on my wife"

"Yes...well, looking at the society pages to see what she was wearing at various events."

"Very good...I especially liked that green gown she wore to the Norton Building opening back in December"

"Mr Feng...I'd like to ask a question in your capacity as a city councillor" said Suzy, eager to corner Feng on a topic.

"Go ahead"

"Are you aware of an old tunnel that runs underneath the Landgraab Mansion in Oasis Springs?"

Victor Feng paused before giving an answer. He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I am not...but thank you for bringing that to my attention. I wish you well with your article." He said before leaving.

Suzy finished her manuscript, put it in an envelope and mailed it to her editor. Her job for the day done, she decided to check out a recommended hot spot in town: The Narwhal Arms. It was an old inn building converted into a nightclub which had been recently refurbished to be a trendy hot spot. However, once inside, Suzy was disappointed by what she saw. Instead of a swinging venue, it was mostly populated by older lounge lizard men. She sat at the bar and ordered a drink, hoping things would improve. She did see a familiar face, however.

"Hi, it's Julian isn't it?" she said to a young man she had met once before.

"Yeah, and you are?" he said, struggling to put a name to her face.

"Suzy Kent...I'm from Hey, Wow magazine. We met a few weeks ago at the Blue Velvet club in Willow Creek"

"Did we? I meet a lot of chicks" he said before shrugging and walking off to the DJ booth.

Suzy sighed. Why couldn't she meet any decent men who were interested in her? The boat had sailed with Jeremy, John scared her, Travis didn't seem interested, Burr was obsessed with his activism and Julian was an airhead. She downed her drink and thought that seeing that she was at a loose end, she had a dance.

When she got home later that evening, things weren't much better: Her toilet had broken this time...on top of a malfunctioning fridge this was another hassle she didn't need. At least she could get an emergency repairman to visit. Or, in this case, a repairwoman.

"Show me where the problem is and yes, I'm a woman, but I can still do the job as well as a man" said the woman, sounding bored.

"Oh, well thanks for coming out at this late hour. The busted toilet is just here. Busy day?" said Suzy, making polite small talk.

"Tell me about it! We had this big water pipe burst down at Oasis Springs this afternoon. Me and the team were working non-stop to try to stop half the neighbourhood from flooding. Some of the guys are still down there."

"Oasis Springs you say?" said Suzy, intrigued. "Whereabouts?"

"Acquisition Butte" said the woman.

"That's where the Landgraabs live, isn't it?"

"Sure is. The burst water pipe was in an old, abandoned mine shaft that runs right under their mansion. I tell you, Mrs Landgraab was furious about the whole thing. Said she'd pay for all our overtimes if we got it fixed tonight. Sheesh, that lady sure has a temper on her"

Suzy pondered this bit of information. She did mention the tunnel to Victor Feng who seemed interested in it. Could these things be connected? The repairwoman finished fixing the toilet and left. As soon as she had, there was a ring on the doorbell. It was Summer Holiday.

"Hey Summer, how's it going?" said Suzy.

"Suzy....do you think guys are lame?" said Summer, sighing.

"I'm beginning to think that way" said Suzy. "Why, what's happened?"

"It's what's NOT happening. Travis: One minute he seems keen, the next he treats me as if I don't exist"

"What does Liberty have to say?" pouring a drink for Summer.

"I haven't seen Liberty for days...she's away in Florida at the rocket base"

"I think guys are not taking us seriously enough if you ask me" said Suzy. Here's my tip: Ignore them...they'll hate that and in a short while you'll see who starts paying you decent attention"

Summer nodded. "I think you and me should hit the tiles one night: Girls night out and see if we can't land ourselves some cool guys."

"I'll drink to that" said Suzy, raising her glass to Summer's.

CHAPTER 31: Things Hot Up

Jeremy Saint paced up and down the path outside of the Arts Centre in downtown San Myshuno. He checked his watch...a minute past 8pm. Would she delayed? Will she show up? Jeremy's heart beat faster as time ticked on and he couldn't see his date.

Then, emerging around the corner at a brisk pace, she came running: Barbara Dubois, Jeremy's date. Only last weekend had they decided to go steady and this was the first time they'd seen each other since then. They both smiled the moment they saw each other and ran towards each other for an embrace.

"You came!" said Jeremy

"Of course...you don't think I'm going to miss the Hijinks Festival with you!" she replied. "I'm starving, let's get something to eat."

"I know you love spicy food, Barbara, and I know a good little eatery just over there. Do you like Cajun?"

"I LOVE Cajun!"

"Come on, let's go!" they grabbed each other's hand and ran off to the vendor.

Jeremy and Barbara both sampled the Tagine and caught up on each other's news of the week. Soon they were joined by another person, a man.

"Excuse me" he said. "I require a place to sit so I can ingest this sustenance. As all other designated seating surfaces are occupied, may I sit at this place so I can eat this meal?"

"Erm, yes, that should be fine" said Jeremy, awkwardly. The man's over formal speech was jarring but it what was on the plate that caused Jeremy and Barbara to wince.

Jeremy noticed something unusual on the man's plate. "Erm, I think I can see something moving on your plate" he said.

"I know. They are hi-protein insects and worms; very nutritious" he said, taking a mouthful.

"Well, I don't know about you, Barbara, but I'm full...shall we head on over to the bar?" Jeremy said, wanting to get away from this strange man and his even stranger meal.

"I'm good to go" she said, pushing her plate away from her.

The two of them got up and went far away from the man to where music was playing and people were dancing.

"Shall we?" said Barbara grabbing both of Jeremy's hands and spinning him onto the dance floor. Jeremy did the Economy Shuffle whilst Barbara flung her hair back and treated him to a fine display of funky go-go dancing.

"You're good!" said Jeremy, feeling like he was stuck on a washing machine spin cycle. "But, phew, can we get a drink?"

"Sure" she said. They went over to the bar, got a couple of drinks and as this was the Humor and Hijinks Festival they decided to check out tonight's stand up comic.

"I'm having a lovely time" she said, leaning her head on Jeremy's shoulder.

"I am too" he replied, smiling.

"Yawwwwn, I'm getting tired but I don't want the night to end" she said, looking into his eyes.

"Well....it doesn't have to" he said nervously. "I mean, we could always head back to...." he didn't know quite how to end his sentence.

"yes?" she asked, expectantly.

"I mean, if you don't mind that is....but you could always come back....with me....to....my place" he said, gulping at the end.

"Great! Let's go!" she said, grabbing his hand and leading him to the subway station.

They paused outside of Jeremy's house. This was a big moment; inviting a beautiful woman back to his place.

"You can have my bed and I'll sleep on the couch" he said.

"Don't put yourself out on my account" said Barbara.

"Well...it's no trouble really"

"We can decide the sleeping arrangements inside" she said. Jeremy showed her in and led her to the bedroom.

"Here's the bed, bathroom's down the hall on the right, here you'll find a light switch..."

Barbara patted the space on the bed next to her. "Plenty of room"

"Well, as this is a first date" he said, nervously.

"Second" she corrected him.

"Oh...right. But you know a single man, a single girl together in the same bedroom..."

"It's 1966, Jeremy..."

"But are we ready?"

"Let's just snuggle"

"Oh, OK"

They settled down but within minutes both were fast asleep.

CHAPTER 30: Bad Trip

 

John Action sauntered into Precinct 13 headquarters and saw that old Sergeant Kitchen wasn't at the front desk. It was a woman officer, one he didn't recognise.

"Well hello there, I guess you're the new girl" he said to her.

"And I guess you're Action...I've heard a lot about you" she replied with a smirk.

"All good, I hope"

"They were more like warnings" she said. "Anyway, you can't stand around here trying to charm your way around your co-workers, Action, this lady's come in with a complaint" she nodded to a young hippie woman sitting, waiting on a bench in the reception area. Action wandered over to her.

"What's the problem, Ma'am?" he said.

"Well...it's..."

"my ex. He breezed back into town with some bad acid. Well, I told him I wanted nothing to do with it and threw him out but he still operated around Oasis Springs, selling his junk. Anyway, he quickly split the place and we've got a whole bunch of people having a bad trip, attacking passers by and causing trouble" she said, sadly.

"Bad acid: that's a bad scene, sister. I'll head over there, crack some skulls and get that junk off the street and out of the hands of those acid-heads"

Mirage Canyon, 11:17 am

The main street looked quiet, too quiet. Action's hand hovered over his .38 service revolver....just in case! He needed some information so he wandered over to The Solar Flare lounge; a classy joint most of the time although they were known to violate state hygiene laws from time to time. Action walked up the stairs to the lounge but although the doors were all open, no one was around. "Strange" he thought to himself.

He wandered over to the large windows that afforded an excellent view of the main street. From here he could observe any strange goings on without being seen himself. As he watched and waited, he noticed a violin propped up on a stand right next to him....he couldn't help but pick it up and give it a go.

He saw a fair haired lady of about 40 stagger down the street, rubbing her arm in pain. Taking this as a cue, Action put down the violin and ran over to her.

"Excuse me, Ma'am, is anything the matter?" he said to the lady.

"Yes...ow...I've just been punched by this weird young woman. She claimed I stole her bananas and that I was in league with the secret government so she just lurched at me and started punching me. Fortunately, she only hit me in a couple of places like my arm...there's no serious damage."

"Where did this happen?" said Action.

"Over by that small park area" she said, pointing to a grassy area that had a few benches. "Look! There she is! The woman who hit me!"

Action looked around and saw an enraged looking young woman pulling a man doing yoga off the ground and hitting him over the head. He ran over, his hand still hovering over his service .38.

"Freeze right there!" he shouted. The woman looked around terrified, the man staggered over to a nearby bench.

"Oh my God, what have I done?" she said, wild eyed.

"You're Jonesing from a bad, bad trip, lady" said Action. "Now you're going to come with me and tell me all about where you got that acid from"

Action called for some back up and the lady was bundled into a squad car to take back to police HQ. Action took a moment to grab a coffee and have a brief work out to keep his muscles toned. Sergeant Kitchen entered the recreation room and walked over to him.

"Good work out there, Action" said Sergeant Kitchen.

"Just doing my job, my way" replied Action.

"Anyway, we're processing that lady plus a few other freaks who've taken some of that same batch of LSD. Oh, and the Chief wants some progress on those robberies. We're still holding Aurora Ahmed; the Chess Bandit, someone needs to interrogate her"

"And that someone would be me, right?" replied Action, downing his coffee.

Down in the cells he went to fetch Ahmed and take her to an interrogation room.

"I've said all I got to say in front of your colleagues and my lawyer" she said.

"I know" Action replied. "I'm not interested in you...I want to know who your fence is"

Action took her to an interrogation room and sat her down. "We've got you for the Jade statue job, you're going down but if you want to avoid hard time you'd better co-operate and tell us who your buyer is"

"I'm not a fink!" she replied. "You've got nothing!"

"We've got witness statements, we've got your fingerprints on that chess board and you left enough clues to fill a ship" said Action.

"So what if I did touch that chessboard? Plenty of people play chess"

"We know your signature style, Aurora. Now this is pretty open and shut....WHO'S YOUR FENCE?" he said, pounding a fist on the table.

Ahmed started to sweat and wilt under the pressure. "OK, I did have a fence...but I never met them, I swear. But I know it's a woman: Even though she wore a mask I could tell by her voice and body shape the fence was a woman. I don't have a name or contact number; they always contacted me"

"That's a start" said Action, making notes.

At the end of his shift he headed home for some chow. As he sat with his grilled cheese sandwich watching Mr Ed on TV he heard a knock at the door. Looking through the window he could see a very attractive young woman dressed in red and white standing outside.

"Hi, can I help you?" he said, opening the door.

"Oh, hi, I'm Katharine Bowie from the Mirage Canyon Citizens' Association" she said.

"Of course you are" he replied.

"And on behalf of our members I want to thank you for helping our little community out in tackling the junkie problem on our streets"

"Just doing my job, my way, Ma'am"

"And we're very grateful, Officer Action" she said, coyly.

Action smiled. "I'm off duty now but would you like to come in for a drink?" he said.

Katharine smiled and said "I thought you'd never ask"