CHAPTER 185: Zulu Strong

"I hope you're not going to just leave your plate next to the TV, son!" 

"Erm, I was considering it...that corner of the TV stand looks bare..."

"Nice try, Bucko.  Now take it through to the kitchen and wash it up"

"Aww, Dad!  Do I have to?"

"You wash your plate and cutlery....CLEAN...and put them away and I'll give you a dollar"

"Now why didn't you say so in the first place?  I'll take Mom's plate as well now she's finished."

Money is always a good incentive, it rarely fails and although it's just one dollar I can put that towards my guitar fund.

One dollar and a few brownie points done, it's time to crack on with homework.  I need to get it over and done with because I have got plans for today.  Well, I say 'plans' but so far it consists of getting out of the house and then...well...make it up from there.

More praise but, sadly, no bucks from Mom as I crack on with my homework.  It's useful having her around to correct my spelling as well.

I spend about 2 hours in total on my work and then, mid-morning, I'm free.  Free for the rest of today.  I wonder what I'm going to do with all that time.  A question Mom is asking as well.

"So what are you going to do today?  It's a lovely day outside...will you go out or stay here?" 

"Definitely go out.  Go down to the park, see who's there and hang out for a bit."

"Or you could invite a friend around to hang out here?"

"I'm not sure about that...I'd like to go out."

"How's things at school, Jamie..."

"Mom!  I don't want to talk about it..."

"I notice you don't call your friends much and apart from that Morgan girl you don't invite them around either...or go to their houses.  Are you making friends here?"

"Mom, I'm fine!  It's just that...well...I'm not really...socially connected with a lot of the people at school.  I mean I'm friendly with everyone but not in a group."

"Hmm, that's important to you, isn't it?"

"Well...it's like this...erm...I don't really have a 'role' in the groups at school.  I'm more a freelancer, a lone wolf."

"Wolves like being in packs"

"I know...that's one of the reasons I want to go out today; meet people from school but outside of it.  Get to know them a bit more."

"I understand.  And are you still seeing Morgan?"

"No...at least I don't think I am.  Two bad dates with her, I don't want a third!" OK, that's slightly untrue...I would say yes to a third date if she didn't blow hot and cold like she did on the last two.

"She's certainly...what you would call...'flaky'.  I'm sure you can find a nicer girl to go out with."

Don't get your hopes up, Mom.  Most of the girls around here can't even remember my name!

"Anyway, I hope you have a good time and find something positive, Jamie.  You've put in so much hard work at school, you deserve a day off."

"He can always help me out in the garden if he's at a loose end..."

"Sorry, Dad, places to go, people to see...I'll help out tomorrow: Promise"

I go get my bike before Mom changes her mind about my plans for the day and Dad thinks up more chores for me to do.  My first stop will be the youth club hangout at the Desert Bloom park.  There's always one or two people from Buckingham or Copperdale High hanging around and, with any luck, one of them will be Judy Keith or one of her many friends.

I'm not quite at the desperate to be liked stage...yet.  At least, I don't think I am but...dang it, I could do with a break on the social front.  Whenever I start to make friends with other guys, they find themselves busy like Efrain or their parents make them study so hard they don't have time for a social life, like Rohan.  Added to that are so many god-damn social hierarchies to be navigated and they're controlled by a small clique who determines who is in and who is out.  At the top are two guys vying for control of the student body:  Malcolm Landgraab, who is a real snooty creeep but his money talks and David Watts, captain of the school sports team, principal's favourite and who looks like a movie star.  Fortunately I haven't crossed swords with Watts and I don't want to either!  Landgraab's got my card marked as 'undesirable'.

I arrive at the youth club to find out I'm the first one there.  I park my bike inside because there's been a spate of thieving in the area of late and bicycles are one of the things being stolen in high numbers.

To try and attract visitors I start playing the guitar there; it's my usual way of getting practice with it until I can afford a guitar of my own.  I play a piece or two but, sadly, it's to myself.

I'm not sure where my musical style sits at the moment:  A couple of years ago I liked all the teen idol stars like Tommy Roe, Brian Hyland and Bobby Vee but The Beatles ruined that for me...they were, simply, amazing.  Everything changed once I heard "She Loves You" and then the Beach Boys raised their game and along came The Byrds, The Rolling Stones and now Jefferson Airplane. Music's going in all these different directions and I can't make up my mind which songs I should learn and perform.  At the moment, given I'm limited to an acoustic guitar, I'm angling towards a kind of folk meets pop kind of vibe...so like The Byrds, I guess.

I put down the guitar and wonder what to do next when I see out the window someone I think I recognise...I exit the snug and start to walk towards the edge of the park where I see her and, yes, I do know her...well, kind of know her...It's Colleen; a girl from school who I met a couple of weeks ago right here.  She's a friend of Judy's and almost as beautiful.  What to do, Jamie boy, what to do?  Is it right that I should just go over to her and start chatting on the basis that we've met just the once and that's all the justification of stopping her to talk?  Aw, heck, what else am I going to do?

I break out into a run and make my way quickly to where she is before she leaves the area....remembering to slow right down just before I do reach her otherwise it looks like I was running specifically to catch up with her...which I was...but I can't be seen to be doing that because that makes me look desperate....which I am but that's not an important issue to address right now.

"Hello there, it's Colleen, isn't it?"

"Erm, yes, do I know you?"

"I'm Jamie.  We met here a couple of weeks ago.  You were with Judy..."

"Oh, you know Judy, do you?"

"I do.  A bit...well since 6th grade on and off, mainly.  In a kind of general, roundabout way socially."

"Oh yes, I remember now...you play guitar here sometimes?  I thought you were called Paul?"

"No, I'm not a Paul, but yes I play guitar here...in fact you've just missed my set over there in the snug."

"Aww, shucks, I'm sorry...I remember I missed your other set last Friday"

Yeah, thanks for reminding me of that.  You and Judy said you'd be there but you never showed.  Instead I had Rohan, Efrain and Cassandra Goth as an audience, with Cassandra asking me to play more quietly after every song.

"There's always next time, Colleen."

"For sure...I really want to hear you play; a few of us do"

"Oh, really?"  Now this sounds interesting.

"Yeah, Judy, Gillian..."

This just gets better and better!  The trinity of the most groovy chicks in Sim City want to see ME play guitar!

"I'd better get practicing and I'll post a note up on the school notice board.  You can all get front row seats"

"I like the sound of that, VIP treatment!"

Whoa!  Colleen's just fluttered her eyelashes at me!  We've reached the flirty banter stage already!  I'm here having flirty banter with Colleen from school!  She's top tier like I was mentioning before and I think she's in David Watts' social circle.  My goodness me, she's gorgeous and charming!  OK, play it cool...

"Hi Colleen, sorry I'm late"

Wait, what?  Who's this?  Some blonde chick has just shown up and interrupted our little banter thing me and Colleen have got going here.

"That's OK, Haley...we're still in time for the party"

"Party?"

"Oh, Haley...this is Paul, erm, I mean Jamie.  Is that right?"

"Yep, I'm Jamie, nice to meet you....?"

"Haley.  We've not met before, have we?"

"No, can't say we have.  Nice to meet you too."

The whole Judy Keith Set is just pure beauty.  I hope my critics are watching me from afar right now and noticing that, yes, I can have a nice conversation with pretty girls thank you.

"Haley, we need to get going if we want to get to the party before all the guys have taken over the pool...you know what they're like!" 

"Ugh, total show offs; forming human pyramids and dive bombing everyone!  Last time they really messed up my nice new hair do!  We need to get there early and stake our claims to the sun loungers.  Now do you have the tickets, Colleen?"

"I've got both our tickets here in my bag, don't worry.  I'm wearing my swimsuit under my dress and the pool provide the towels.  Are you invited to Judy's pool party, Pau..I mean, Jamie?"

"Oh sure, sure...I left my invite back at my house.  I'll swing by there before heading to the....pool?"

"Yeah, you know, the big pool in town?  We'll see you there."

"Nice meeting you, Jamie...hope to see you at the pool"

"Oh, totally.  You just try keeping me away, ha-ha!"

OK...I now need a plan.  If I ask the girls which pool that will tip them off that I'm not invited.  So I'm going to race home on my bike, grab my swim shorts, and race back to the pool.  Then I'll claim my invite was in my jeans which my mom washed and is now destroyed but I'm SURE my name must be somewhere on the list and...failing that, I'll just drop a few names and if I see Colleen or Haley I can wave them over and they'll get me in.  A tricky and high risk plan but if it works...IF IT WORKS...I can get higher up that ol' social greasy pole and be surrounded by groovy chicks.  I can see myself at the top of that human pyramid they were talking about.  What could possibly go wrong?

"Hi Mom, hi Dad, just grabbing some swim shorts, see you later...don't know when...bye Mom, bye Dad"

...and out of there before they can even ask a single question!  So now I'm heading for the big pool in Newcrest; that's the main one in town.

Getting in was easier than I thought.  The guy at the front desk just took the basic admittance money and waved me through, no questions asked.  OK, let's get changed, get in that pool and schmooze my way to popularity!

...or maybe I'm too early?  Aww, let's face it, I'm in the wrong place!  There must be another swimming pool in the city I don't know about and that's where the party is.  It's clear; I'm just not in the loop and my encounter with Colleen this morning just underscores that.  Did she genuinely want me to be at the party or was she asking if I was going as a sign of whether I'm one of the in crowd or not?

The only group meeting here today is a children's swimming lesson.  They have it easy, kids today.  All the different clubs and groups they can be part of, no overly complex social pyramids to negotiate and all girls are yuck or, if you're a girl, all boys are yuck.  That makes life much simpler and less of a gut wrench when you get things wrong...

 I guess the swim itself, in a quiet pool, is nice enough and I'm trying to take some positives from it.  I've certainly got time and space to think while I'm here.  There's plenty of people out there selling messages of taking chances, taking life by the horns, getting out there and being proactive but I've done all that and ended up failing at what I want.

But what do I want?  What did I want from that party, had I made it, had I been allowed in?  On the surface I want to be surrounded by beautiful girls like Judy, Colleen, Gillian, Haley and a whole host of others.  OK, so you're surrounded by them, Jamie, then what?  Well, I suppose I like one of them and they like me enough to go out with me, go on dates, kiss, cuddle and then go to the next level...what every guy my age wants.  I want a share of the love pie...OK, take Malcolm Landgraab or Marcus Mueller...those guys are complete jerks and yet they've got girlfriends. Malcolm went out with Gillian for six months, dropped her and is now dating that French exchange student.  And Marcus, who's he going out with?  Only Yuki Behr, who is one of the nicest and most decent girls in school and she's dating a jerk!

It's time to move on, again.  Where to?  I have no idea.  I'm not that familiar with Newcrest so I've spotted a café nearby and I think I'll grab a bite to eat there.

Dried, dressed and ready to go I leave the pool and...as luck would have it...I spot my buddy Efrain in the distance.  I say 'buddy' but I haven't seen him outside of school for a couple of weeks now so I don't know if I'm still in his good books or not.  But at this stage I could do with some friendly company.

"Efrain!  Wait up!  It's Jamie!"

"Jamie!  Man, it's been a while.  What are you up to?"

"Well, I was trying to find a pool party but instead all I found was a pool with no party"

"Whose pool party were you trying to find?"

"Judy Keith's...it was a long shot; I wasn't even invited but I went to the wrong pool."

"Ouch.  Well, I didn't even know there was such a party.  Anyway, I'm glad to see you, Jamie...I've had a crazy couple of weeks!"

"Oh yeah?  Do tell"

"I had a few dates with....Cassandra Goth...they didn't go well."

"You and Cassandra?  I wouldn't have guessed that"

"We were in the school library one lunchtime and well, she liked what I was reading and was an expert in the book so she helped me finish my homework and...well...she's pretty in a way and useful for when homework becomes too difficult so I asked her out on a date to see a movie and she hated it; kept criticising every last little detail..."

"Which movie did you go and see?"

"Major Dundee....anyway, I then took her for a meal and she kept going on and on about the starving children in Africa so that was it, really.  She just has this way of killing any enjoyment when you're hanging out with her.  So, Jamie, how's your love life?  Still pining for Judy?"

"Not given up there yet but I also had a couple of dates with a girl...Morgan Fyres"

"Morgan Fyres!  Wow!  Respect, my man!  She is seriously hot in a strange way...like, got that whole Beatnik style down to a T."

"She is hot, that's for sure, but she's hot and cold big time.  'I want to be with you, Jamie!' 'GET AWAY FROM ME JAMIE!' I changed my mind, I want to be with you, Jamie.  I couldn't stand it anymore."

"That is the red headed temperament for you, Jamie.  Anyway, what are you up to this evening?"

"I haven't thought about that.  I put my hopes on gatecrashing the pool party."

"Desert Bloom Park?  Hang out at the snug...mind you, I'm getting hungry so shall we stop off somewhere along the way?"

"Or...we could swing by the market, get some hamburgers and buns and grill us up some food at the park...that way we can lure in some company as well."

"Good idea, Jamie, I like the way you think"

 We swung by the market to get some things we could BBQ with and then headed back to Desert Bloom Park to cook food for ourselves and friends we weren't sure would be there or for other teens we've never even met.

Efrain doesn't know how to cook, even to flip a burger, so I get him slicing the rolls.  I enjoy doing this and I look out to see if we're getting approving looks from other people in the park...well, we are, but they're mainly from the kids on the climbing equipment.  

We sit down and eat a burger or two.  OK, there are no cute girls around but it's good to catch up with Efrain again after not seeing him outside of class for a few weeks.  

"Thinking about it, Jamie, I rushed into things with Cassandra because she was the first girl who payed me any attention.  I didn't stop to think about whether we'd get on with each other at all.  There's a lot to be said for patience."

"Yeah, it was similar with me and Morgan but she did come on strong with me at first.  I think she's being pressured into doing wild and crazy stuff because she's got a strict home and she's holding a candle for this Wolfgang Munch character...I think she shows up at my place whenever she's trying to make him jealous."

"Wolfgang Munch, you say?  There's a lot of rumours about him, none of them good."

"So how are we going to improve our social lives, Efrain?"

"Hmmm, now there's a question!  Hey, you play guitar...chicks dig guys who can play music."

"I'm trying that...it's not quite working out..."

"...yet.  Give it some more time.  Maybe getting a band together would be a good next step."

"Yeah, I thought about that some time ago but the only person who sounded interested was Rohan Elderberry.  Do you know him?"

"Yeah, I know Rohan a bit.  Bit of a nerd but he's OK.  Why not talk with him again about setting up a band...heck, I'll even dust off my bass guitar"

"You would?  That's great!  Now I've got to track down Rohan"

"He's standing over there..."

"So he is....wait here, I'm going to invite him to join us."

Never let a good opportunity go to waste, as they say.  Rohan said he played piano and was the most enthusiastic about starting a band back when the idea was first floated.

"Hey, Rohan, how's it going my man?"

"Jamie?  Oh hello.  I'm fine.  Sorry I haven't been around a lot lately; my folks make me study real hard but I haven't given up on that band idea, I really haven't!"

"Good man.  That's exactly what I wanted to talk with you about.  Efrain over there is going to play bass and if you still want to play organ or piano in our band that would be fab."

"Yeah, count me in, bud!  Oh man, this is gonna be awesome!  Hey, look out, that's Lulu Strang coming our way!  She could be a groupie because she's so cute!"

"Lulu Strang?  Isn't that the girl no chick in our school likes?  I've heard some stuff about her like she steals other girls' boyfriends and that she smells..."

"They say Lulu smells?" says Rohan a little too loudly and it attracts attention...mainly from Lulu Strang herself.  Oh no, she's coming over to us and she doesn't look happy.

"Did I hear my name being mentioned?" She sounds angry and she's fixing us both with a hard stare.  Another woman is walking right past us and she heard what Rohan and I had said:  Now we're pariahs with women.

"Erm...no...not at all!  Erm...we were talking about something completely different...what were we talking about, Rohan?"

"Not you, Lulu, not at all, we were talking...about..."

"ZULU STRONG!  That's it, we were talking about that new men's cologne; Zulu Strong, and how that smells."

"How does it smell, boys?"

"It makes you smell like...erm...what do you think it smells like, Rohan?"

"It makes you smell like...a....erm...a Zulu, of course!"

"What is a Zulu supposed to smell like, then?"  Lulu has now crossed her arms and is still fixing us with a hard stare.

"A very good question, Lulu...we've not met before, I'm Jamie..."

"Jamie McGregor.  I've heard your name being mentioned before...you're supposed to be a bit of a pathetic joke who fancies himself as a pop star.  And you, Rohan, don't fare much better:  Everyone thinks you're a loser."

Well, that's kind of taken the wind out of our sails and made us all feel bad about ourselves.  At least I no longer have to think about what a Zulu smells like and how it got bottled for sale.

"So, yeah, boys...either everyone we know at school is a jerk or we really are a smelly boyfriend stealer, a pathetic joke who fancies themselves as a pop star and a complete loser.  Which one is it?"

"I'm sorry, Lulu.  It was mean of us to repeat gossip in front of you." 

"Thank you Jamie; it gets so tiresome to be labelled as something you're not."

"So I'm not a complete loser then?" 

"That's not quite the take away message here, Rohan, we upset Lulu."

"Oh yes, sorry.  Hey, Lulu, we're putting a band together..."

"Are you?  What are you called?"

"We haven't got a name yet; we're really at the planning stage.  But it's going to be me, Rohan and Efrain in it."

"OK, you guys sound serious"

"Oh we are, Lulu, and you should come and hear us rehearse some time"

"When we've sorted out a few things first, let's not be too hasty, Rohan.  In the meantime I play a set over in the clubhouse there every Friday evening...so if you want to see me...solo...you're more than welcome to."

Lulu just acknowledges that but she seems taken by Rohan, who is doing his best "aw shucks" puppy dog eyes look.  I'm also detecting no bad odours from Lulu so I'm guessing that whole rumour has no basis in foundation.

"Well, Lulu, we'll make sure you get front row seats to our first gig"

"Thanks, Jamie, I look forward to it and if you need a singer..."

"Do you sing?"

"Yeah, I can sing, I'll come and audition for you"

"Cute girl singer, could be a plus for the band, eh Rohan?"

Its times like this when ideas are buzzing around and there's plenty of enthusiasm for something that I feel alive and at my happiest.  Sure, I missed out on the pool party but meeting Ethan, Rohan and even Lulu Strang was even better.  Onwards and upwards; nothing can stop us now!

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Meanwhile, over on the other side of the park, Gillian Hills had just arrived and was keen to see who else was around.  All she could see were Jamie, some skinny kid in clothes that were too big for him and....the accursed Lulu Strang!

"Oh dear, Jamie" thought Gillian.  "What are you doing bothering with the likes of Lulu STRANG?  How can you stand the stench?  *sigh*, I thought you might have had potential, Jamie, you might have made the grade but...you are judged by the company you keep.  OK, just keep walking by like you don't know who they are..."

CHAPTER 184: Looking For A Muse

Suzy finished buttoning up her blouse, adjusted her belt buckle and slipped her shoes on before turning around to see the silver champagne bucket perched atop the shelving unit in her bedroom.  The bucket, which contained an empty champagne bottle that had a romantic card tied to it was especially noticeable because inside the neck of the bottle was a single red rose...a fresh rose.

"Oh Neil, you old romantic...you put that there" she thought.  One of the nice things about living in their new house were the floral bushes in the garden.  Neil must have got up early in the morning before she arose, taken a flower and put it in the bottle.  

She picked up the flower from the bottle and gave it a sniff.  Yes, it was freshly cut.  The romantic gesture was appreciated and she ventured out to the kitchen to see her loving husband, seated at the bar eating his breakfast.  She sidled up and sat next to him, a big smile on her face.

"I appreciate the rose" she said.

Neil wafted a hand at her.  "I got up very early this morning and noticed the rose bush outside was in bloom so I wanted to take a cutting for an art project I'm working on...but I thought you might like it as well.  Your observational skills are, as always, peerless" he said.

"We must make time to go on a date soon; we haven't been out as a couple for a romantic evening since we've moved here" she said.

"I agree; I will make it a priority" he replied, putting down his bowl after finishing breakfast.

"Actually, can we not make it today, though...got a lot on with work at the moment" she said, grimacing apologetically.

"And we wonder why we don't go on dates anymore..." he mused.  "Anyway, must shower.  See you in a bit" he said, getting up to go.

"Not before I give you this in return for the rose..." she said, standing up as well and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"In lieu of a date night, I'll accept that kiss" he responded before heading to the bathroom.

Suzy was alone in the lounge and let out a satisfied sigh.  Yes, there was a lot to do work wise but also investigation wise as well.  She had recently found out that the mysterious book of knowledge, which she possessed only one page of, belonged to Advik...the previous owner of the house.  Maybe the book was still hidden here?  Before they moved in, it was heavily redecorated and nothing unusual turned up but the floorboards were original; they'd only been French polished and not replaced, so that old creepy mystery cliche of a hiding place under the floor could be the location where the book was to be found?  Suzy tested her theory by examining the living room floor closely.

But there were no tell-tale squeaky floorboards to be found.  No loose panelling, no discoloured planks betraying a secret hideaway.  No, just solid, unmoving and boring floorboards.  Suzy's initial hopes were dashed but then she shifted away from examining the floor to examining the walls.  Tapping them to see if there were any hollow cavities she drew a blank here as well.  At one point she knocked on the wall only to hear a knocking sound coming back.  Strange...she tapped again and once more there was a knocking sound but coming from another source, a different wall.  She turned her head to look towards where the sound was coming from and saw that her friend, Bakko, was at the door and it was he who was knocking on it.

"I'm becoming too wrapped up in this mystery!" mused Suzy to herself as she went to greet Bakko.

"Bakko, what a lovely surprise, how are you?" she said warmly to her visitor.

"Suzy, my girl, good to see you too.  Sorry to be bursting in on you and Neil so early in the morning but I had a long trek from downtown to here and I ain't been around this part of town before." 

"Oh my gosh!  I didn't give you my address before we moved out!  I feel so bad; we're well behind on letting everyone know.  Anyway come on in"

Suzy ushered Bakko into the house and invited him to take a seat while she made coffee.

"We've been so busy unpacking and getting the house sorted...plus there's my work and Neil's now a full time artist so that means we have hardly had any time to play host to our friends.  There you go..." she said, handing him a cup of coffee and sitting next to him on the couch.

"I'm digging the place, Suz, really am.  Lacks a bit of colour for my tastes; it's very two tone black and white here."

"You know me; I love the black and white Mod style" said Suzy.

Bakko stopped looking around the place and his face dropped from a smile to an expression of seriousness.  

"Suzy...the reason I'm here this morning is that last night I found out something bad, something that involves you" he said, gravely.  Suzy's expression now changed to one of shock and surprise.

"What is it?" she asked.

"OK, here's the lowdown:  Last night I'm doing this gig downtown at the Planet Honey Pop bar and I'm setting up the microphones and speakers and all that.  Anyway, I go over to the sound mixing desk to check everything's plugged in and working when my mic starts picking up this conversation between this guy and a girl on the other side of the bar.  Normally I wouldn't pry but then I hear them mention your name so I put on the cans..."

"Cans?"

"Yeah, headphones.  Anyway, I put them on so I can hear what these cats are talking about without alerting them and sure enough, they are talking about you and not in a good way.  I got the impression they wanted to do you some harm."

Suzy was aghast but she'd received plenty of threats in recent months for her work.  "OK..." she said, with trepidation.  "...what kind of harm were they talking about?"

"The dude says you need to be kept quiet and the chick who was with him asked if he wanted her to 'silence you permanently' or else 'absorb you'...whatever that means."

"How did the man respond?" asked Suzy.

"He says no violence yet, but keep it as an option.  Suzy, you gotta go to the police with this!  I'll come with you." 

Suzy nodded.  "Yes, in good time but did you manage to get their names?" she said.

"Yeah...she called him Luke."

"Luke...Luke?  Hmm, why does that sound familiar in this case?  And the girl?"

"He called her Leanne"

"Leanne!  Of course!  Wait there just a moment!" said Suzy, leaping off the couch and running to her handbag to fetch something.  She returned and sat down next to him, showing him the photofit picture of Leanne McGregor.

"Did the woman look like this?" she asked.

"No...completely different.  This chick I saw last night was skinny, pale and with short red hair.  Her face was completely different."

Like with the secret place under the floorboards theory, her trying to connect the dots by tying it down to Leanne McGregor had fallen flat.  Unless Leanne had disguised herself, who knows?

"What did the man look like?" Suzy asked.

"Average height, slicked back red hair and a tiny pointed beard.  Cruel eyes, though." replied Bakko.

"That sounds a lot like the guy who accosted me in the street last night!" said Suzy.  "I had this weirdo, claiming to be a fan, tell me to stick to fashion journalism and give up on the investigating stuff.  Now it all makes sense, well, kind of.  He was warning me off before something bad happens."

"Suz!  Why haven't you gone to the police with all this stuff?" exclaimed Bakko.

"I have...and I'm working with Action on this case." she replied.

"I'm worried about these guys...I'll keep my ear to the ground in future.  I've seen the man around town a few times.  If I see him again, I'll give you a call." said Bakko.

"What's this?  Which guy?" asked Neil as he entered the lounge.  "Hello Bakko, I overheard some of this...what's going on?"

Suzy and Bakko brought Neil up to speed on the latest information and she was relieved that he didn't get angry or annoyed but she could clearly see the concern on his face as he took all the new information in.  She wondered if he would intervene and stop Suzy from working on the mystery in order to keep her safe.

Then they're gazes met and Neil nodded reassuringly to her.  "Well..." he said at last.  I agree; we have to pass on the new information to the police, preferably Action as he has been on this case as long as Suzy has.  Bakko, thanks for bringing this to our attention and if you hear or see anything else of those two..."

"I'll get in touch right away!" replied Bakko.

Bakko got up to go about his day's business whilst Suzy and Neil showed him to the door, thanking him once again for his care and diligence towards them.  Once he had left Suzy turned to Neil; hoping he  would speak his mind about this affair.

"We're going to have to give Action a call...these people mean you harm.  If Leanne McGregor is back in town..." said Neil.

"But the woman Bakko saw doesn't look at all like the one I encountered." said Suzy.

"Maybe a disguise, maybe Leanne is a codename and there's more than one...heck, I don't know.  But if we're going to get to the bottom of this..."

"So this is still 'we', is it?" asked Suzy.

"Of course it's we; us two.  I'm your sidekick, remember?" said Neil, dismissing her doubts with a wave of his hand.  "Now we've got a new lead; find out who Luke and the new Leanne are"

Suzy took a deep breath.  "Actually, I have another idea..." she said.  "I think we should try to find this book Advik had.  The answers to all our questions lies in it."

Neil shook his head.  "I looked all over the house this week and I didn't find anything"

"Neither did I...I even checked the floorboards and walls to see if there were any secret hiding places and drew a blank" said Suzy.

"You've been watching too many mystery movies.  OK, so if the book isn't here then maybe the opposition have it?" said Neil.

This time it was Suzy's turn to shake her head.  "I don't think so; if they had they wouldn't be pursuing me so much.  They might think we have it.  But one thing's for certain...we're in a race to get it.  Now where would he hide it?"

"Somewhere that wouldn't be easy to find but at the same time somewhere familiar to him where he could get it when he needed it" mused Neil.

"I checked the library system" said Suzy "and nothing.  So somewhere else...how about the gallery?" 

"Remember they don't like us down there; refused us permission to view the catalogues."

"No, I don't mean the Casbah, I mean Municipal Muses right here" said Suzy.  "After all, it's local and it's where we first discovered his painting."

Neil grabbed the car keys and the two of them headed off to their Volvo P1800 to head into downtown Willow Creek.  Suzy's heart skipped a beat at the excitement of all this and the way Neil just went into action without being asked.  

Neil was a man on a mission, Suzy thought, just by the way he was driving. 

"Suz, we must assume these opponents of yours mean what they say and that you're not safe so we have to act fast and stay one step ahead of them." he said.

"I've had a sinking feeling that's the case." she replied.  Suzy looked over her shoulder at the road behind them.  "I don't think we're being followed, so that's good"

"These are the kind of precautions I think we should take from now on" he said, grimly.

The way Neil was driving they made it from their house to the museum in mere minutes.  As they parked up, the pair of them were still checking to see if they were being followed but even if they were they had little way of recognising who was doing it unless they looked very suspicious.  Suzy thought about the man, Luke, who had slicked back red hair and this other Leanne who was a skinny redhead with pale skin.  There wasn't anyone who looked like this Luke but they spotted a pale woman with short red hair...only it turned out to be someone Suzy had met once before and whose name was definitely not Leanne.

"Where to start?" asked Suzy.

"I'll check outside...look for nooks and crannies where he might have stashed the book" Neil replied.

"Meanwhile I'll check inside.  Do my loose floorboards and knocking on the walls trick."

"Just don't get us thrown out of here, that's all!  Oh and..."

"...I know, check for suspicious characters spying on us."

"Good; you're focussed."  They split up to cover more ground and Neil was looking for anything out of place in the museum's pleasant flower garden area.  As a painter who specialised in landscapes he had a good eye for what looked natural and developed over long periods of time and what looked influenced or altered by man.  That's what he was looking for here:  Ground or stonework that showed signs of recent disturbance.  He was looking at a display of pot plants on a wooden trestle table, looking for hiding spots Advik might have used when a young woman, dressed entirely in black and with heavy make up.  She had a strong smell about her as well:  Incense and musk in copious amounts which meant that when she was standing next to him, the fragrance was overpowering...he had to turn to look towards her and eyeing her up and down he noticed she was wearing the shortest dress he had ever seen...it barely covered her behind.  Not even Suzy was that daring with her wardrobe.

"I know you from somewhere" she said in a sultry voice.  

Neil gulped.  "If we've met before I think I should have remembered" he replied, awkwardly.

"Oh you will have..." she said, looking at him from head to foot and liking what she saw.  "A face across a crowded room, perhaps?  You're an artist, aren't you?"

"Yes indeed I am, yes siree" he said, trying to sound relaxed around this very forward woman who was overloading all his senses at once.

"I thought so!  I've seen you in the magazines...it's...Noel Humphries, isn't it?"

"Neil"

"Ah, Humphrey Neil, that's it"

"No, it's Neil Humphries"

"Of course you are, silly me" and she reached out to touch his forearm and get closer to him.  He instinctively flinched.  "Oh don't be scared of me, Neil, I feel like I've known you for such a long time."

"There you have me at a disadvantage, Madam." he said, his voice croaking under the stress.

"I'm Pleasant..." she said.

"I'm sure you are" he replied.

"Lilith Pleasant and I'm what you would call an Artist's Muse.  Do you have a muse, Neil?  Someone who inspires you to new passions and desires?  Someone who stirs in you feelings, emotions and....power...to create masterworks beyond your wildest imagination?" the way the words tripped off her tongue made her speech sound highly sexual.

"Gulp...erm...actually I do.  My wife..." he said, backing away from her.

"Wife!  Oh no...it's always the same; you find an artist, you make your way into becoming their muse and then they either have a wife or up and die on you." she said, her demeanour changing from seductive to angry in a flash.

It was at that opportune moment that Suzy emerged from the museum and came to join Neil in the garden.  She instantly recognised the woman he was talking with; Lilith Pleasant, a very volatile person on the art and social scene.  The place was starting to get busy as well and it would be difficult to go around snooping with such a crowd.

"Hello Lilith, Neil." said Suzy.

"Ah, this is my wife who I was talking about" said Neil, hoping that would put Lilith off from encroaching on his space.

"You're a lucky woman, Suzy" said Lilith, once again looking Neil up and down in approval.

"I certainly am.  Neil, did you discover anything out here?" asked Suzy.

"No...and you?" he replied.

"Nothing out of the ordinary" Suzy said with a sigh.

"Looking for something specific?" asked Lilith, who was eavesdropping on their conversation.

"A book..." said Neil and he looked around the grounds once more for any clues.  Then an idea struck him.  "Lilith...you know all the artists on the scene?" he asked.

"I do.  If not personally then by reputation." Lilith replied with some pride in her voice.

Suzy immediately picked up on Neil's question and quickly followed it up.  "Did you know Advik Archaya?"

Lilith let out a deep, heavy laden sigh.  "Oh poor, poor Advik.  It was just like him to wander off into the wilderness, never to be seen again." she said.  Looking around her she wasn't pleased with all the people crowding her out of the area.  "Let's talk somewhere a bit less hectic....later boys!" she said, giving the men hanging around in the garden a dismissive look.

The contrast between the garden and inside the museum was stark.  Outside was filled with bright sunshine and the people hanging around were drawn the peaceful, idyllic setting of the garden with its fragrant, flowery smell.  Inside was dim, quiet with the vague whaff of dust and lint in the air.  The trio found a quiet spot to sit and discuss Advik.

"We're very interested in finding out more about him...did you know him well?" asked Neil.

"Well enough" Lilith said.  She tilted her head slightly to one side and smiled, as if recalling a fond memory.  "The artist community isn't very big in Sim City which is why it's surprising we've never met before, Neil." she continued, patting him gently on his knee.

"Ahem!" said Suzy, not happy with Lilith's move.  "Did you know him before or after his mental breakdown?"

Lilith quickly removed her hand off Neil's leg and looked towards Suzy.  "A little of both.  I like a bit of crazy in a man...or woman...but try as hard as I could to help him, he was too far gone in the end.  Plus that scheming bitch he was seeing didn't help matters!"

Neil and Suzy looked at one another when Lilith said that.  They both knew who she meant.  "Was that woman called Leanne, by any chance?" asked Suzy.

"Yes.  She was such a control freak!  Cut Advik off from his friends, banned me from seeing him!  And his behaviour only got worse.  I reckon she was out for his money; he had done well in the financial sector before becoming a painter so he wasn't short of a few Simoleans."

"Did Advik mention a special book to you?" asked Neil.

"A book?  No, not really." she shrugged.

"When was the last time your saw him?" asked Suzy.

"I called in at his house in late February this year just to see how he was doing and I found him in the park opposite his house digging up holes in it.  I asked him what he was doing and he just shouted at me to go away...well the tone in his voice was scary, I can tell you, and he was carrying this very heavy shovel, the kind you dig graves with and I did not want to be the person who ended up in the hole so I left!"

Again, Neil and Suzy exchanged knowing looks.  "Well, Advik might have left us something to turn up after all" said Neil.

Neil and Suzy stood up and thanked Lilith for the information.  Lilith gave Neil one more favourable look and said "If you're looking for a muse anytime, just give us a call" whilst giving him a suggestive look.

"He isn't, bye" interjected Suzy and grabbing Neil by the arm and leading him away.  

As they walked back to the car Neil said "You can let go of my arm now; I'm not going to run back there...she is definitely not my type!"

"Do you think she would let that stop her from devouring you?" replied Suzy.  They got in the car and drove speedily back home to see if they could find what Advik had buried in the nearby park.

Once they parked up, they looked across the road and into the park.  "Dang it!" exclaimed Suzy.  "In my rush to keep Lilith well away from you I'd forgotten to ask her where she saw him digging!  Now we've got that large area to go looking in!"

"Hmm" said Neil, thoughtfully.  Well...if Lilith was standing outside of the house and turned to see Advik in the park then he would have been in that gap between those two houses opposite.  So let's go in that direction and see if we can spot anything out of place" 

They headed for the gap, staying within view of their house.  Neil was searching the ground area for signs of disturbance in the soil but Suzy found herself looking upwards.

"Do you know, this is the first time we've been in this park area since we moved in?" she said.

"Really?  Now you're noticing that?  We're supposed to be looking for a spot where he might have buried that book."

"Oops, sorry" she replied.

"Hey...there's a patch of dirt just here with no grass growing from it...looks like the kind of thing we're looking for."

"Hmm, a good place to start.  OK, let's get digging..." she said, kneeling on the ground by the patch of disturbed soil.

"You'll ruin your outfit...let me get a shovel and a trowel first" said Neil, trying to reign in a very excited Suzy.  Her heart was starting to beat faster at the prospect of finding the book that had literally changed her life as a reporter.  Just one page was enough to spark a flame, a thirst for knowledge of what was really going on in this city.  From that one page she had stumbled upon the criminal dealings of the Landgraab family and a sinister, unknown cabal that was prepared to kill to get what it wants...whatever that was.  And as for the hidden glade...well, that was something that played its part in the bigger mystery.  Possibly the book could reveal the truth about that.

Neil returned with the digging implements and they went to work.  They dug about a foot down when they hit something solid that was soft enough to rule out being a rock or a tree root.  Neil took the trowel, knelt down and dug away the specks of dirt to reveal an oilskin package, tied up in string.

"Could it be...!" exclaimed Suzy.

"It's the right size for a book...hang on, I'm going to lift it out of this hole.  Here we go, what do you think?" said Neil, brushing the dirt off of the package.  

"I think this is it!  Oh, Neil, we did it!  We found it!" she said with a look of joy and relief on her face.

"Steady on, tiger.  Let's not open up the package here...let's get inside.  You carry it, I'll carry the tools."

They rushed back to the house and while Neil put the gardening tools away Suzy took a pair of scissors and cut the string.  Then she tore away the oilskin cover and looked at the set of books contained within.  They had plain covers and bindings and it was only by opening the top book and looking at the title page that gave a clue to its contents.

THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF SIM CITY by Patrick Cornelius.  An investigation into the organisations and agents that secretly control the city.

Suzy gasped and took a pace backwards from the book, now lying on the kitchen counter. "Oh my gosh, Neil.  This is it.  This really is it!"

Neil picked up the book and flipped through the pages..."A history of the Landgraab family from 1810 to the present day...A history of the Feng family from 1937 to the present day...Suzy, you're right:  It's all in here!  Can you fetch those torn pages from your desk?  Let's see where they fit in this book."

Suzy rushed off to the study and found the two pages she had found in the library and then she rushed back to give them to Neil.  He noted they were pages 71-74 and flipping through the first book he found a gap between pages 70 and 75.  "Well, that confirms it" he said, putting the pile of books back on the counter.  Suzy was shaking; this was going to be the result of months of investigation and finally what she'd been looking for was now in her possession. 

"Neil...I'm now scared to read them..." she said, her voice sounding shaky.

"I'll read them if you like" he replied.

"No...I must.  It's just that..."

"Reading them sent Advik around the bend." Neil said, sombrely.  "He lived alone, had no one and probably was a highly strung person judging by what people have told me about him.  You've got me.  Anything too scary, too horrific...you must tell me.  I'll be here to give you support."

"Thanks.  We should also let Action and Jeremy know as well; they're involved in this" she said.

"Good idea" he replied.  "OK, remember security now...I'm going to stash them in the lockable draw in the study desk."

There was a knock at the door.  Suzy's heart jumped wondering who was calling.  She approached the door with some trepidation but there was a sense of relief that it was Abigail, her publisher over at 'Hey, Wow'.

"Abigail...now this is a surprise.  Is everything alright?" asked Suzy.

"Actually I was just passing and remembering that this is where you now live, I thought I'd say hello and see how you are settling in." said her boss.

"Oh we're settling in very nicely" said Suzy.  "I'm glad you stopped by, Abigail.  I think I might have a bombshell of a story in the works."

Abigail raised an eyebrow in curiosity.  "A new one or a continuation of your existing investigation in Malcolm Landgraab?" she said.

"Oh it's bigger than that!  It involves the Landgraabs but it's so, so much more.  I need to do a lot of research but I have the materials and...Abigail...I promise you this will be a massive story!"

"Suzy, I can see you're very enthusiastic about this story but is 'Hey, Wow' a suitable vehicle for it?"

Suzy's smile vanished from her face.  "I know it's not the usual thing you publish in it but it does have a lot of relevance for people living here!" she said, making her case.

"No, you don't understand...I mean, if it's as good and sensational as you claim then maybe a different publication in the Whittaker House line would be a better match.  Is it a crime story?"

"Yes...and...erm...no, not entirely, but there's criminal activity in this story" Suzy replied.

"Is it more political then?" asked Abigail.

"Again, yes and no.  This story involves the Landgraabs, the Fengs and the people who tried to kill Alan Cuffe."

Abigail's eyes widened and her mouth opened in astonishment.  "That big, eh?  I'm going to go with this being a criminal story and so you write it and if it's good enough...and doesn't get us sued into oblivion...then I think printing it in 'That Crime Magazine' would be the right place.  Suzy...don't let me down on this!"