As the sun rose and even the hardiest party animals were starting to head home, one man was left on the dance floor of the Orange Peel club. His athleticism and skill impressed the other patrons of the discotheque and his endurance meant that no one could keep up with him. He danced on his own and with every attractive woman there, seeming to everyone that saw him that he didn't have a care and he kept his cool by periodically heading to the bar to order cocktails. No one who didn't know him could guess that he was a tough, hard bitten cop in his daily life for John Action kept his professional and social lives distinctly separate and he liked it that way.
The job had been getting him down lately. It stuck in his craw that the big case he was working on kept hitting problems from suspects being easily bailed by the courts, interference from the Landgraab family and indifference from his bosses. Only last week his #1 suspect in the Goth break-in case was bailed for next for nothing by a lazy judge...well, lazy was a generous interpretation: Corrupt was a harsher one.
So Action had put it behind him for one night and partied on. One night turned in to two...then three. Now, with two hours to go before his next shift, he was living on what was left of his reserves and adrenaline. Just before he headed off to 13th Precinct headquarters he went downstairs to the bathroom and popped a couple of "uppers" to help him on his way.
It only took a few minutes before the effects of the amphetamines kicked in and he said his goodbyes to the barman before heading off to the precinct house at a brisk pace.
As he turned the corner of the street where the Orange Peel stood and into the main boulevard that connected Newcrest to East Willow Creek he came across Geoffrey Landgraab, who was catching his breath after going for his daily run. Action smiled wryly: All that exercise the guy does and he never loses weight. Geoffrey was directly in Action's path and there was no way for either man to avoid each other...even though there was definitely no love lost between them.
"Detective Action..." said Geoffrey, giving Action a disdainful look. "Undercover at the city's hot spots, eh?"
"None of your business, Landgraab" Action replied.
"And yet you are constantly prying into mine...double standards, Detective?"
"I'm only interested in your business when it comes to the law and there's more than enough to investigate about you and especially your wife and son. So many of my ongoing investigations seem to involve the Landgraab family in one regard or another."
"You've got nothing"
"...Yet. The net is closing in, Geoffrey. People tell me you're an OK guy but you're shielding Nancy and Malcolm. One day you're going to have to choose: Come clean and save yourself or go down to prison with them."
"The net", as Action put it, didn't just consist of himself investigating the supposed crimes and dark secrets of the Landgraabs. It also consisted of others working from different angles in order to discover the truth about them. Unbeknownst to Geoffrey, one of his employees was allied to Action and trying to dig out what dirt there was. Geoffrey and Nancy thought their man, Jeremy Saint, was brainwashed into being their loyal servant and an enemy of Action but they were not aware that he had broken his conditioning and was once again friends with the detective. Not only that, he was now only too willing to get revenge on those who tried to mess with his mind.
Last night his friend, Suzy, came to him with a request. She had found out something about the Landgraab's home...or what lay beneath it...and she wanted Jeremy to use his insider access to company files to discover what that was. The starting point of his investigation was Gregory Landgraab taking possession of the land that was now called Affluista Mansion back in the 1890s. He had found something on the property that propelled him from an impoverished teacher to a millionaire almost overnight.
The records office had nothing on the subject in the open access department so he used his security clearance to check out the files in the "restricted documents" room but, again, there was very little about Affluista and surrounds although there were a few references to documents that did exist, but were in an even more restricted access file.
There was only a short window of opportunity for Jeremy to be away from his desk in order to look for the information he...and Suzy...needed and in between shuttling between his office and different company archive rooms he had to appear to look busy with his assigned work but there was this feeling burning within him that he had to find that information...that it existed and was here. He couldn't concentrate on his work with that idea growing inside his head until it swamped every thought. There was still one avenue of investigation he hadn't pursued yet...
Back at Precinct 13 headquarters Action was in search of answers as well. The whereabouts of his chief suspect, Maddy Henson, for one. She had easily made bail and had gone to ground. If he could get to and question her he could find the missing Goth diaries. In there he would find answers to bigger questions...
He was summoned to the Chief's office for what reason, he didn't know. He had a strained relationship with his boss and didn't know quite where he stood with him. A telling off, a suspension or a citation with a good conduct medal; it could be any of those things with the Chief. Action went to his office and knocked on the door, awaiting the usual curt "enter!" from his boss.
Once that was said he went into the office where he found the Chief sitting still at his desk, motioning to Action to take a seat opposite him, which he duly did.
"You wanted to see me, Chief?"
"Action; I have some news on Maddy Henson" the Chief replied, not giving anything away with his tone of voice.
"Oh yes, anything positive?"
"That depends on your view. She skipped a meeting with her lawyer and hasn't checked in with us for a few days...which goes against the terms of her bail. That means..."
"We can go after her and bring her in?" asked an expectant Action, who didn't want to be cooped up at his desk filling out arrest reports.
"Precisely...and I thought you'd jump at the chance to be the one to track her down and haul her in for questioning."
"Thank you sir...I'd better get to it then. Any last known location she's been seen at?"
"One of my informants...and, yes, Detective, I have my informants as well as you...tells me she's been spotted at Windenburg, trying to get a false passport and driver's I.D. The name of my contact is Aime Berry....here's her phone number." said the Chief, sliding a piece of paper across the table to Action.
Action picked up the paper and took a look at it. "No time to waste, Chief..." he said, waving it before putting it in his pocket. The Chief just nodded...even if he didn't always approve of Action's methods he knew that, when assigned a task, nothing would stop him.
When he went back to his desk, Action looked at the name and phone number on the paper. The name said "Aime Berry" and the name rang a little bell in his mind although he couldn't place where he had heard it before. Picking up the phone receiver, he dialled the number and waited for an answer.
"Hi...is that Aime? The name's Action, John Action. I'm a detective with the SCPD...yeah, I hear you have some info on a suspect in a case I'm investigating. Her name is Maddy Henson....oh you have seen her recently? Miss Berry...I'd like to meet you...."
Meanwhile Jeremy had found the one person who could help him gain access to the most secret of files: His work colleague, and co-conspirator in investigating Landgraab; Darrin Lew.
"Darrin..." said Jeremy, accosting him in one of the office corridors. "...I've got a favour to ask of you."
"Is this a normal request or something that our employers would not approve of?" replied Darrin with a look of suspicion on his face.
"Definitely the latter." said Jeremy. "A colleague of mine thinks they've uncovered some information about the Landgraab's own mansion up in Oasis Springs. I need to get hold of the land records for that place but there's nothing in the regular files and I suspect what I'm looking for is stored in the company computer. I need access to it and you're the one person I know who has that level of access."
Darrin drew a deep breath before replying. "You're asking a lot, Jeremy." he said. "We've only just gone through that corporate security check and that cute blonde number who's been tasked to shadow my department is still hanging around."
"I know this is a big ask but there maybe information in those files that will reveal a big secret about the Landgraab family they don't want the world to know about. If we find out what that is we could use it to bring them down! Isn't that what you say you want?"
"I know...I know...but....dammit, Jeremy. I don't know..." Darring said, looking around to see if they weren't being observed. "OK, how about this: You tell me what you're looking for and I'll go and see if it's in the computer files?"
Jeremy shook his head. "No, that won't work. I don't know much myself except there's something underneath the property in some cave system. I don't have much to go on but I'll know if if I find it. Just give me the computer access code and I'll do the rest."
"It's highly irregular" said Darrin.
"I've used the computer once before so it won't seem unusual to be seen using it now. I'll be discrete and low key...after all, my official job is to look after Landgraab's property assets. I'll use that as cover."
Darrin again looked at Jeremy with doubt and trepidation on his face but eventually he relented. "OK, here's the passcode...just do me a favour: Don't get caught."
Down in Windenburg Action was looking for the informant, Aime, at the place they arranged to meet. Outside of a local bar called The Old Quarter Inn. Windenburg wasn't Action's favourite part of town...he thought it was trying too hard to be someone's idea of chocolate box European town or maybe it was a project dreamed up by Walt Disney. He didn't like the stuffy, twee atmosphere of the place and although...statistically...it had the lowest crime rate in the city he had spotted more than one notorious criminal hanging around here. This was the kind of place some of them would live in once they'd done a few successful capers and were looking to settle down...and they'd never rob their own neighbourhoods.
There was a red headed lady who looked about 30 standing on a street corner and her face rang a bell with Action. He'd seen her around Foundry Cove a few times...often coming in and out of Travis, Liberty's and Summer's place. That's it, he suddenly thought, she's their cleaner but she's also looking at her watch, looking around and waiting for someone. That might be his contact.
He walked over to the lady and said "You Aime Berry?
"You Detective Action?" she replied.
"I am...my chief sends his regards. I've seen you around Foundry Cove a few times"
"Yeah, I'm with a cleaning agency and I work at a couple of properties there. Are you the guy with the flagpole and exercise equipment outside?"
"That's me. Look, I haven't got much time for small talk so what have you got for me?"
"You're looking for Maddy Henson, right?" said Aime.
"Yeah, do you know where she is?"
"She's in that bar over there...catching up with some friends."
"How legit are these friends?" asked Action as he looked at the bar to see if he could see Maddy inside.
"I don't recognise them. They may be legit. But Maddy's been talking about some kind of 'big score' she did recently and is expecting a pay off soon" said Aime.
"How do you fit in to all this?" asked Action as he turned to look at Aime.
"I spent time in the joint with Maddy back in '62. She had the reputation of being a top cat burglar even then. I was in for fraud so I was waaaaaaaaay out of her league. I've been straight since I got out. She and I know each other enough to say hello to and I overhear some of what she says about what her next job's going to be."
"Have you met or seen her fence? She's got some hot items that a lot of people really want to get their hands on...including me." said Action.
Aime shook her head. "I'm not that deep into what she's got going on, Action. That, you're going to have to find out for yourself. You wanted to know where she is right now and I'm telling you just that. Now your chief and me have an arrangement about information and money...."
"If you want money for information then that's between you and my Chief. Drop by the station tomorrow and I'll tell him you've been very helpful and he'll sort you out." said Action as he touched two fingers to his forehead and walked off towards the bar.
Jeremy had committed the password for the computer to memory and destroyed the piece of paper it had been written on as a precaution. He chose a quiet moment to enter the computer room...when the regular operator was on a break...and set about his task, knowing that he wouldn't have much time to act.
He sat at the desk and powered up the machine, which took a few minutes. Then he searched through the reels of computer tape to see if he could find if any of them had titles that suggested there could be information about Landgraab property on them. Once the computer had achieved powered status he filled in a punch key card with the password on it and fed it into the card reader slot. The machine beeped in acceptance of the code and he wound the tape onto the spool before sitting at the desk once more.
Jeremy sifted through the files, narrowing his research until he found the land records for Affluista Mansions including it's history. Going back to the 1890s he at last found something of interest...
"What? That's...impossible!" he said out loud when he saw the surveyor's report. He got out a notebook and scribbled some notes. "So THAT'S the source of the family fortune!"
Action entered the bar and went up to the barman to order a drink. He wanted to appear as just another customer but as he stood at the bar counter he casually observed his quarry: Maddy Henson. She was sat at a table talking to another young woman. Action caught snippets of their conversation and it appeared Henson was trying to convince the other woman to join in on some investment deal that would, Henson promised, would pay hefty returns. The woman seemed reticent to commit but after Action had heard Henson essentially make the same pitch for the third time he finished his drink and walked over to the table where the two women were sitting.
"Maddy Henson...I'd need you to come down to the station to answer a few questions" he said to her.
"Detective...Action, isn't it? I'm conducting a business meeting right now so if you don't mind leaving us alone."
"Meeting's over...this lady's not buying..." he replied, cutting her off.
"I think I should go now..." said the other young woman Henson had been talking to. Action said nothing as he watched her grab her handbag and leave the bar.
"You just cost me $20,000, detective" said Henson.
"And you could get a 10-15 year stretch if you don't co-operate with me. My car's outside with one of the City's finest waiting in it just in case you get any funny ideas about running like you did the last time we met."
He led her out of the bar and towards a black and white patrol car where the uniformed officer was waiting for them. They then drove back to 13th Precinct station where Henson was led to an interrogation room.
"I want a lawyer" she said as she sat down.
"In time..." he replied. "I thought we'd have a little conversation first and then maybe the two of us can present something to your lawyer and the D.A. that would suit us both."
"What do you want to talk about?" she asked, cagily.
"I know it was you who burgled the Goth mansion. And I've got plenty of evidence to put you away for all the silverware you took." he said, calmly.
"If you have all that then why are we having a 'conversation' before my lawyer gets here?" she asked.
"Because what I really want to talk about are those journals you stole as well....the real reason you broke into that house." he said, upping the ante with her.
"The...journals?" she replied, nervously.
"Those handwritten books Mortimer Goth values so much. The journals you were paid to steal. The silverware was just a rouse...and you were promised a cut of the sale of that but the up front payment was for the journals, wasn't it?"
"I thought they looked interesting..." she tried to reply, calmly but there was hesitation in her voice.
"And what was it about them that looked so interesting, Maddy? Were they fun, exciting, informative? Or did they contain secrets that someone would pay dearly for?"
"No comment"
"Maddy, I know you're the hired help in all this...not the mastermind. If you tell me who hired you I can put in a good word with the D.A. That's something you might like to mention to your lawyer when they get here..."
"A reduced sentence? Time spent in an open prison?" she asked.
"All things that are possible...but only if you give me a name. Who hired you?"
"This girl..."
"WHAT girl? I need a name."
"McGregor. Leanne McGregor"
Action paused for a moment when he heard the name and the revelation hit him like a slap in the face. He reached into one of the manilla folders he had with him that various pieces of evidence in this and other cases and pulled out the artist's impression of Leanne McGregor.
"Is this her?" he asked, shoving the picture towards Henson but, to his surprise, she shook her head.
"That's not her. Nothing like her." came Henson's reply.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. I've never seen that woman before in my life...either that or you've got a lousy police sketch artist working for you."
"OK, then describe the Leanne McGregor you hired you"
"Early 20s, waif-like with short red hair, hazel eyes and a real pale, pasty complexion. Pretty in a cutesy way, like a pixie."
That sounded nothing like the Leanne McGregor he had dealings with; who was anything but pixie-like.
"But this waif wanted you to rob the Goth residence?" he asked.
"Yeah...even though she looked like a perky student type there was this intelligence there about her, like she was sassy and smart beyond her years and she had this chilling way of looking at me as well. Like she was looking straight into my soul. Kind of creepy."
Now that sounded more like her, thought Action. He nodded as Henson told him about her and made some notes at the same time.
"OK, I'm going to get our sketch artist...a good one...to talk with you and you're going to describe her in detail if I'm going to cut a deal with the D.A." said Action, forcefully tapping his finger on the table. "So where are the journals now?" he added.
"With her. I dropped them off at a rendezvous point last week. In exchange she left the money for the job in an envelope in a trashcan at Magnolia Blossom Park."
Action processed the information in his head before saying. "OK, you can call your attorney now." He led Henson back to her cell and went back to his desk to wonder if Henson's Leanne McGregor was the same one he had various run ins with and how had she radically changed her appearance as well?
Those questions turned over and over in his mind as his shift ended. He didn't want to go home so he made his way over to the Arts Quarter. His girlfriend, Katherine, had invited him to join her at the Humour and Hijinks Festival because her charity was supporting it and she couldn't bear the forced and puerile attempts at comedy and practical jokes alone.
"Looking fabulous as always, darling" said Action when he saw her standing outside of the Casbah Gallery.
"Thank you...you're not so bad looking yourself" she replied. "Now...let's get a drink before I get a headache from hearing bad jokes..."
Action laughed and together they walked over to the Tiki Bar that was a feature of the festival. Grabbing a couple of exotic cocktails they sat down at a nearby table and tried to blot out the worst excesses of the event.
"I've got to put in an appearance at these events" said Katherine. "I wouldn't mind the festival so much if I hadn't heard most of the jokes at least a dozen times! But...and this is important...it does raise a lot of money for good causes."
"We all have to endure a bit of pain for long term gain" said Action, thoughtfully. "Do you want to hear something real crazy?"
"Sure"
"Leanne McGregor is back....only this time she's different. I mean, totally different."
"Now that sounds intriguing" she said, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"OK...I've got this suspect for the Goth break-in. She's cool, methodical and a career criminal but she's also the hired help, not the mastermind on this case. She swears Leanne McGregor hired her to do the job but when I show her a picture of McGregor she says that's not the woman and instead describes her as some red headed pixie like girl."
"Are you going to be adding 'Master of Disguise' to her list of abilities?" said Katherine.
"Looks like I'm going to have to....say, there's Jeremy over there. Do you mind if I call him over?"
"Sure...but not for too long: I want you to myself later"
"Yo! Jezza! Over here, it's Action!" he said, calling out to Jeremy and clicking his fingers. Jeremy saw him and wandered over to the table he and Katherine was sitting at.
"Hey, Action. What's up? Is this?...." he said, looking at Katherine.
"...yep, this is Katherine"
"Very pleased to meet you. I hear lots about you but Action's been hiding you from his friends."
"Yeah, I noticed that as well. And you're Action's next door neighbour...very pleased to meet you. I'm off to get something to eat, would you two gentlemen like anything?" she asked.
"I'm good, babe" replied Action. Jeremy shook his head and said "no thank you"
When Katherine left to go to a Mexican food vendor Jeremy looked at her and said to Action "Wow. Just wow. You said she was beautiful but that is an understatement."
"Thank you my man, and you speak as someone with impeccable taste in women" replied Action with a sly smile before his face turned serious. "I called you over, Jeremy, because I hear you're working on an angle with this Landgraab case. You got anything to share?"
"Oh wow, do I ever! I need to tell Suzy what I've found...she got me to look into the Landgraab's property and the records show that the property is twice the size as it's official listing. It also mentions "another level" and that some ancestor of theirs found a heap of rare metals on that site back in the 1890s which made them fabulously rich but there's no evidence of a mine existing there. It's a whole bunch of conflicting information!"
"Tell me about it! My end of the case is full of contradictions as well." replied Action.
Jeremy looked to his left and saw something that attracted his interest. "Speaking of the Landgraabs, there's Geoffrey right over there!" he said.
Action looked in that direction as well and saw Geoffrey talking with a man with red hair, which made him think again of this 'new' Leanne McGregor.
"Do you recognise the guy he's talking to?" asked Action.
"No idea, I've not seen him before. I know most of the senior management at the company and he's not one of them." replied Jeremy.
Jeremy frowned "I shouldn't be seen being friendly to you...Geoffrey still thinks I'm under his control and am programmed to hate you. I'll just sneak away now...he hasn't noticed me here, he's too engrossed in his conversation. We'll meet again soon, Action. Good luck."
Jeremy silently slid his chair out and crept away from the festival without Geoffrey turning to notice him. Katherine returned and noticed that Jeremy had gone and that Landgraab was just over on the next table.
"Jeremy had to go...he can't be seen with me." said Action.
"That's a shame, I liked meeting him. I'd like to meet more of your friends but you never introduce me to them."
"I know, I know...hey, I get busy, you know..."
"Excuses, excuses...anyone would think you are embarrassed to be seen with me" she said, coyly.
"Now that's not true!" he exclaimed.
"Well..." she said, looking him in the eye in a sultry manner. "...you can fix all that tomorrow. Tonight, you are ALL mine!"
Barbara had something serious on her mind she wanted to tell Jeremy but instead of being all serious in front of him she took a more light hearted and conversational approach so he wouldn't be so quick to be defensive. This was a trait of his; if the topic became serious then he tended to get nervous, defensive and would back away.
"Jeremy..." she began. "I was thinking we could get a record player. Maybe even a stereo, with a radio and cassette player built in as well...like those home entertainment systems they sell nowadays."
Jeremy took a sip of coffee and nodded with a "uh-huh".
"And we could put it....oh, we can't put it in the lounge. There's no room." she said, baiting the trap.
"What about the study, or the bedroom?" Jeremy replied.
"That's no good if we want to have guests around, which we don't because we don't have much room."
"I see where you're going with this. You want to build an extension on the house?"
"Or perhaps get a bigger house..." there, she said it. Jeremy finished his breakfast and pushed the plate away from him.
"Now we've had this discussion before, Barbara. I'm attached to this area and there's still work to be done..."
"Against the Landgraabs? I know, sweetie, but we can't let them control our lives and it's getting to the stage where we've outgrown this place."
Jeremy got up and walked over to the couch as he gathered his thoughts. "But the tree! The planned demolition!" he said.
"You've never been through the tree and seen the glade and you can prevent the demolition of Foundry Cove whether you live here or not!" she said, getting up and going to sit next to him.
Jeremy took a deep breath before speaking. "I've checked the accounts and the boutique has had lots of outgoings this quarter. What with the stock, electrical repairs and taking on your first permanent employee our reserves of money aren't as large as it was a couple of months ago."
Barbara looked crestfallen. "I didn't realise it was that bad" she said.
"It's not bad, it's just not as much as we'd like in terms of upgrading our living arrangements."
"Spoken like a businessman"
"I am a businessman. I tell you what; how about we set up a housing fund out of our accounts? A bit goes towards that with each payday."
Barbara shrugged her shoulders. "I guess that's the best we can do right now." She took a deep breath and slapped her hands on her thighs. "Well, I need to get to the shop early today because I want to greet Toni, my new employee, and show her the ropes."
"All the best with that...I've just got accounts, accounts and more accounts to deal with today so I envy you." said Jeremy.
Magnolia Promenade was coming alive by the time Barbara arrived there. It was a small but often busy retail park and judging by the amount of footfall through here she hoped that today would be a busy one...nothing like dropping the new shop assistant right into the action, she thought.
At 8:30am a perky young woman in yellow and white knocked on the door to Pack's Boutique. She even had a name badge on her blouse that read "Toni". Barbara opened the door and cheerily let her in.
"Hello...you must be Toni. I'm Barbara; the manager and co-owner of Pack's."
Toni looked momentarily startled at Barbara. "Oh" she said, beginning a sentence that she found difficult to complete as she didn't want to offend her new and very young boss. "I wasn't expecting someone...so...so..."
"Young? Don't worry about it. Lots of people are surprised to discover I run this place. Heck, even I am surprised sometimes...I have to pinch myself to remind me that I am!" replied Barbara with a smile and a laugh as she diffused the tension.
"I'll show you around the place...so, according to the agency you've done quite a lot of retail work before, is that right?" Barbara asked.
"Yeah...department stores for a bit, then in a furniture store the last six months. I really like fashion so I jumped at the chance to come and work here when the agency told me about you." replied Toni. "I hope this outfit is OK? The shirt is from my last employers and I didn't know whether to wear pants or a skirt or was there a dress code. I'm sorry, I should have phoned ahead and asked you."
Barbara was surprised that Toni was asking such a question. "Well..." she began to reply. "...I hadn't thought about a dress code myself. I'm just wearing one of my normal outfits but you look fine. Is there normally a dress code? I'm still learning the ropes of running a shop myself."
"Depends on the place. The department store insisted the female staff all wore skirt suits, smart shoes and nylons with guidelines for hair and make up. The furniture store just said I should look 'smart' but didn't specify what smart was. In London there's a fashion store called Biba..."
"I've heard of it; it's one of the inspirations for this place" interjected Barbara.
"Well their staff have a uniform dress. It's short with horizontal stripes." added Toni.
"I'll look into that. That might be a good idea to have a distinct look...mark us out from the customers."
Barbara liked it that Toni was keen, eager and had ideas. Because of her experience in dealing with customers she assigned her the task of handling them whilst she concentrated on stock and handling money. After that she opened the doors and switched the neon sign on the door to "open".
Barbara's hunch about it being a busy retail day turned out to be on the money. The shop was soon inundated with customers and between her and Toni, they had their work cut out for them...particularly when one or two customers demanded to be served first...
Barbara took that onerous task on herself...don't let the new employee have to sort out some customer aggravation, she thought. She cast a look across the shop floor to see how Toni was getting on. There was a young male customer, looking every inch like a missing Beatle, who was wearing a very stylish double-breasted shirt and was being stared at by some of the female customers. Barbara thought the guy, probably in his late teens, was very cute and could see his appeal but Toni was there handling the situation so that she could help this guy without being bothered. One little girl was just staring at him and to the young man's credit, he seemed to be bearing up with good grace.
When there was a lull in the number of customers that needed serving, Barbara went out back to get more stock out of the storeroom to replace the items that had been sold. When she returned she saw Toni sitting next to the cute guy and chatting to him. She put the pile of men's shirts she was carrying on a counter-top and was preparing to give Toni a polite rebuke for socialising with the customers instead of working when she overheard what they were saying to each other.
"I've got to present a youthful image...be less clean-cut." said the guy, who spoke with an English accent.
"Is that what your bosses told you?" asked Toni.
"Yeah, they get a bit heavy with me to get with the American look but it can be hard trying to find the right gear...it's 'cos I'm short"
"I'm sure we've got something in stock...did you know Jean Shrimpton shops here when she's in America? If we could find something for her, we can find something for you."
"Oh Jean's been in here? That's wild!" said the guy. Barbara picked up the stack of shirts and went back to stocking the shelves and hangars with a smile on her face: Toni, was charming this customer and helping him find something he liked. And by the sounds of it he knew Jean Shrimpton. Was he someone famous?
Eventually he found something he liked and in his size and Barbara let Toni seal the deal and ring up the sale. When Toni walked him to the shop door and saw him head off down the road she turned to Barbara, let out a "phew!" and fanned herself with her hand.
"Is it always like this, here? First Jean Shrimpton and now him!" she said. Barbara shrugged her shoulders.
"So who was that guy? He was kind of cute" she asked.
"You're kidding me!" said an incredulous Toni. "That was Davy Jones!"
"Is he famous?"
"Is he....I mean, yeah, kind of. I mean he will be." said Toni, trying to find the right words to explain who Davy Jones was.
"Sounds like you're psychic. How will he be well known? Is he an actor or a pop star?" asked Barbara.
"Both. There's a buzz going around that the next biggest thing in music...and TV...will be The Monkees."
"What, like chimpanzees?"
"No...like you've got The Beatles but they're not bugs well these guys are the Monkees: M-O-N-K-E-E-S. So I read all the latest music magazines and they did this big piece on them with an interview with Davy so that's how I...and that little girl...recognised him. They've got a single coming out next week and the TV show will debut next month."
Barbara made a long, whistling sound and nodded "Word's getting out...Pack's Clothing is the place to be...IF we play our cards right!"
"I hope I did well today..." said Toni. "Barbara, I really want to work here. Already I'm loving the vibe!"
"I'm happy for you to work here; you did well. And I'll follow up that Biba uniform thing...sounds like a good idea." said Barbara, smiling. It was such a benefit having a member of staff now; Barbara didn't feel as drained as she had been recently.
Her thoughts and conversation with Toni was abruptly disturbed by a knock at the door. The two women turned around to see a man in a dark business suit waving at them through the door: It was Jeremy. Barbara jogged to the door, unlocked it and let him in.
"Hello, Darling. A good day's trade?" He asked, stepping in to the shop. He noticed Toni in her yellow work shirt standing by the counter with her hands clasped in front of her.
"Yes...very much so" Barbara replied. "In part thanks to my new assistant. Come and meet Toni. Toni, this is my boyfriend and co-owner of Pack's Clothing; Jeremy."
Toni gave a little wave and said 'hi' in a soft voice. She was conscious that she didn't want to seem familiar or cocky to the boss and money-man.
"Did you enjoy yourself today?" Jeremy asked Toni.
"Yeah, it was groovy. This is a swinging joint. AND we had Davy Jones in the store as well!"
"Davy......?" he asked, puzzled.
"Jeremy isn't up to date on the latest pop stars or celebrity news. Unless it's Llamaman or Pat Boone." said Barbara. "Davy Jones is in a band called The Monkees. They're going to be on TV soon."
"Oh, OK. Yeah, Toni, I'm a bit of a button-down kind of guy. Barbara keeps me up to date with the trends."
"Well, if you don't need me for anything else may I go home now?" asked Toni.
"Sure. Thank you and well done today; see you tomorrow!" said Barbara, beaming a big smile as things went better than she expected and she'd liked Toni's company in the store. Toni grabbed her handbag, said her goodbyes and headed off to the subway station. That left Jeremy and Barbara alone in the now quiet store.
"She seems nice" he said.
"Toni? Yeah, she is a real blast! I'm going to keep her on. Well, I'm just going to do a quick inspection of the place, grab the ledger for today and lock up."
"OK, I'll wait for you outside" he said, heading to the shop door and opening it. Barbara scuttled around the shop making a note of what needed putting out on the shelves and mannequins for tomorrow and went to look for the ledger.
As Jeremy waited on the sidewalk outside, he saw a very familiar figure walking towards him in a brisk manner as if she was on urgent business. It was Suzy and she waved at him as she strode purposefully in his direction.
"Hey, Suz, what brings you here? I'm sorry but we're shut now...if only you'd come about 20 minutes earlier." he said, waving cheerily at her.
"I'm not here to shop, Jeremy. I've come to see you about a work matter." she replied, with a hint of seriousness in her voice. Jeremy's face went from happy and smiling to serious. When she said "work matter" he wondered if it meant his work or hers?
"What is it?" he asked.
"I've found a ton of stuff about the Landgraabs...I mean BIG revelations about them but there's still some gaps in their story I need to find out and you might be able to help there."
More digging around, more clandestine investigation, he thought to himself. Well, he was so far committed to uncovering their dirty secrets he couldn't stop now. "OK" he said, drawing a deep breath. "What information do you need?"
"Anything about their property; Affluista Mansion, and specifically the land it's built on. There should be some old mineshaft or cave that runs directly underneath it. I want to know what it is. It should be tucked away in some file in their building."
"If I can get access to the computer in the building I can see what information there is that's kept in company records." he said. "Otherwise it might be buried in a dusty file. OK, I'll look into it."
At that moment Barbara emerged from the shop, ready to lock up. She saw Suzy talking to Jeremy and by the looks on their faces it wasn't a social call she was making.
"Hey, Suzy, what's up?" asked Barbara.
"Oh, I'm buzzing with a new line of investigation of the Landgraabs. Jeremy here's kindly offered to do some research into their property for me."
Barbara's face went from smiling to grave. "Oh great, she's putting him at risk...again." Barbara thought to herself. "I hope something bad doesn't happen to my man because if it does then heaven help you; Suzy Humphries!"
"Do I need to spruce up my look?" thought Suzy as she inspected herself in the mirror. "Paisleys are in...maybe it's time to retire the Mod look?" She let out a sigh. Fashion could be so complicated sometimes.
"No way!" she said out loud at last. "I love this outfit!" was her defiant response to her own question.
She went from the bedroom to the study to resume work on her in depth expose of Malcolm Landgraab and his criminal activities but the article was proving more difficult to write for Suzy as she kept being distracted by thoughts of the mysterious book she and Neil had found.
She already had more than enough material on Malcolm to finish the article but that book...that people went to extraordinary extents to possess and hide...kept calling to her. She knew it contained enough in it to drive a man insane and it was fear that had kept her from reading it from cover to cover; merely contenting herself to read snippets lest the same fate befall her. But she also knew it contained a lot of information about the Landgraab family and a little more research would help: Help her understand why Nancy, Geoffrey and Malcolm were the way they were and why their estranged son, Johnny, was driven out of the family.
Suzy stopped typing and walked over to the bookcase to dig out "The Hidden History of Sim City" before settling on the study couch to read it. The preface alone sounded daunting.
In your hands you hold a book that a great many people would wish would never see the light of day.
Suzy took a sharp intake of breath. It was now or never; read on or bury the book once again.
Within you will learn the secrets of the great families of Sim City and the origins of the place. You will also learn about who they all pay tribute to and that, dear readers, is the most shocking revelation of them all. You may discount what I have to say as the ramblings of a madman and my very life is at risk for even sharing this information...but I feel it is my duty as a scholar to pass on to you what I have learned these last few years. Maybe this will drive the forces that operate in the shadows in to the light or maybe you will dismiss everything as mere whimsy. I leave that to you, dear reader...
PATRICK CORNELIUS
"In for a penny, in for a pound...as my grandmother used to say" said Suzy to herself. She continued reading.
CHAPTER ONE: LANDGRAAB
In the year of our Lord, Eighteen Hundred and Ten, the European continent was ablaze. Napoleon had control of a land empire that stretched from Madrid to Warsaw, Copenhagen to Syracuse. Those countries who had not been directly absorbed into France had become vassal states, bending their knee to him. However, a few held out and continued to defy him: The British and their Portuguese allies were taking the fight to him in the Iberian Peninsular so, in retaliation, his plan was to cut the British off from the thing they prized the most: Trade with the world. And this is where our story begins...
In 1810 Napoleon annexed the Kingdom of Holland, disbanded its army and incorporated it into Metropolitan France. A valuable source of trade would be completely shut to the perfidious Albion.
Of course many Dutch men and women thought they stood no chance in defying Bonaparte and the French and so acquiesced to their rule. Many but not all...one enterprising young man had other ideas. His name was Dirk Landgraab.
Dirk was a sea captain of some renown and considerable experience. He had been at sea since he was a boy; learning the ways of sailing, ship-handling and trade from St Maarten in the West Indies, the Cape Colony, Java and even to the forbidden lands of Japan and their only trading port in Nagasaki. Dirk had made several fortunes but had also lost most of them. He had contacts in every port but, alas, many creditors as well and if the French were to take over Dutch maritime interests then Dirk's financial malfeasance would come to light under the harsh French bureaucracy and their desire to squeeze every ounce of tax revenue as they could to fund their wars. Nor did Dirk desire to serve in the French navy...or the Royal Navy for that matter for amongst those who desired repayment of his many loans was the firm of Lloyds of London. Defecting to the British would not solve his problems.
Dirk, as mentioned before, was enterprising and he conceived a daring plan to escape the French and all his problems. Moored in the port of Amsterdam was a ship, the S.S. Kansen and contained within its cargo hold was 3 month's salaries for the Dutch garrison in Java, East Indies. Dirk figured that as the Dutch army technically no longer existed and that the garrison was now officially French, then the gold stored in the Kansen was anybody's for the taking. So took it he did. One night, he bribed the watch to let him on board, promised shares of the booty to the crew and with their co-operation...often at gun or sword's point...he slipped the cables in the middle of the night and set sail across the Atlantic where neither the British nor the French would bother to find him: America.
"So the Landgraabs have always been thieves" Suzy chuckled to herself. She was engrossed in the story so she ploughed on.
When Dirk arrived in the city of New York he found that a little gold could buy you a great many things, including silence and not having to bother with awkward questions and difficult customs officials. Even after paying off the crew, renting a townhouse to establish himself and bribing various officials Dirk Landgraab was now wealthier than he had ever been in his life. The vast sum of gold granted him credit with all the banks in New York and on top of all that, he had a 2 deck privateer ship as well to start his new business as a trader and speculator. A few more gold coins were exchanged and the Kansen became the S.S. Main Chance, built in Boston, Massachusetts, of course.
Dirk found the Americans to be more...malleable...than their European counterparts when it came to making a profit. He put the Main Chance to good use; with it's fast speed and being well armed it could make the run to the West Indies and back faster than any other ship of its displacement if handled by an expert crew and Dirk found some of the best seamen to be aboard Royal Navy vessels. If he touched port where the British were moored as well, a little of the famed Landgraab gold would find its way into the pockets of some Jack Tars who could be persuaded to jump ship and join his company. Thus, in his way, Dirk Landgraab contributed to the cause of the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States of America.
"Now why doesn't that surprise me?" mused Suzy.
Dirk's company began as a shady little trading operation with one ship to a shady big trading company with many fine built vessels. By the time the wars between Britain, the United States, France and all of Europe were at an end and the tyrant Bonaparte defeated and exiled for the last time, Dirk Landgraab was firmly settled in America and had no desire to return to the land of his birth...even if it had regained its independence and King back.
Now in his mid-30s Dirk had the wealth but he had neither status in New York polite society nor a wife. There were many who started to ask questions about the origins of his wealth and his business practices so he needed to quash these rumours by acquiring a high status wife...and already he knew just who that should be.
Margaret McClochness was the only daughter of a Mr John Ross McClochness, a man of repute in New York society who could trace his lineage in the American colonies to 1715; his ancestor fleeing after the aborted Old Pretender's uprising in that year. The current Mr McClochness was admired for his manners, his honesty and generosity but, alas, he had made some poor decisions of late which had cost his family dearly in financial terms. He was a great friend of the former US Vice President, Aaron Burr, and after the Hamilton duel fiasco and Burr's aborted coup d'etat, John Ross found that although his fellow socialites forgave his errors in judgement they did not forgive his debts.
So a marriage was arranged between young Margaret and Dirk, which suited all parties very well. The McClochnesses could pay their debts and keep their good standing, Dirk gained that veneer of respectability he craved and he had a young and attractive wife on his arm to boot. And Margaret was happy that her father was content with having his burden lifted and having a handsome and dashing husband was a boon to her life...despite her having to deliberately turn a blind eye to his more dishonest practices. As long as he didn't get caught she was content.
The Landgraab Trading Company went from strength to strength and children were born to Dirk and Margaret: The ones who survived infancy were Malcolm in 1817, Gordon in 1819 and Beatrix in 1823. Dirk passed away in 1846 at the age of 66 and control of the company passed to the eldest son, Malcolm with Gordon highly placed in the company to ensure Landgraabs controlled every aspect of it.
It was Malcolm who expanded the company into other parts of America and diversified their activities. Trade had been disrupted during the war with Mexico in the 1840s and the Royal Navy's anti-slave trading patrols ended a part of Landgraab Trading's activities. The 1850s proved to be an interesting time for the family's fortunes.
The Landgraab brothers were even more calculating and ambitious than their father. Malcolm, the elder of the two, was placed in charge of the company with Gordon, who resembled his mother more than his father, as his right hand man. Malcolm felt he had outgrown New York city, if such a thing were possible. He was yet another wealthy man in an already crowded environment and property prices were soaring so what he desired was to set up home and business in a new and inviting place where he and his family would be the undisputed masters.
He met with a man named Hugh Sim; a prospector, cartographer, geologist and explorer and also an ambitious man.
Sim had tried to impress New York and Washington D.C. high society with tales of some land he had been exploring within the continental United States. It was a place that seemingly defied known geography: Where cool temperate zones, swampland, coastal harbours and arid areas all converged in a relatively small area. He had taken mineral and botanical samples to show what potential resources lay in the area in the hope that he could attract wealthy settlers to move to a place he had just founded: Sim's City, or Sim City as it later became known as. With the instability of the country at that time few wanted to take the gamble of settling in an area that could be unstable so many baulked at Sim's offer...many, but not all: Malcolm Landgraab saw his chance.
It was Sim's plan but Landgraab's money that made Sim City. Landgraab set up their first office there in 1851 and by 1857 the move had been so successful and the resources Sim had promised more than lived up to his claim that the entire company was able to move their headquarters there. Landgraab had bought up so much of the land that they ran all hotels, bars, general stores, stables, a small ironworks, a mining concession, the local newspaper and the entire port facilities. There was little that wasn't owned by them.
The third sibling, Beatrix, had initially stayed in New York where she married Lysander Goth; a man from one of the oldest established families in America and who was in publishing. Eventually, in order to have all his family exactly where he wanted them, Malcolm persuaded Beatrix to move to Sim City with her husband and children.
Suzy sat up in startlement. "Wait, the Landgraabs and the Goths are related?" She paused her reading and thought about this. Surely Mortimer, the keen historian, would know this yet there's a definite frostiness between the two families now. She must enquire about this connection more when she next saw him. She continued to read...
The Civil War came but Sim City was soon to become in reach of both side's armies. War was good for business, but bad if you chose the wrong side so between them Malcolm and Gordon conceived a plan: Malcolm would control all of the Landgraab Company's assets in the North and Gordon would do likewise in the South. That way, whoever won, the victorious brother would immediately forgive his errant sibling and both sides would reunite before governments could intervene.
The only stumbling block to this plan was Hugo Sim. The man of ideas had now found he was being sidelined from his own visionary project and started to complain...and drink...eventually Malcolm had to arrange an "accident" and blame Confederate raiders for Sim's untimely death.
There was tragedy in the family when Malcolm's eldest son and heir apparent, Malcolm II, was killed in combat in 1865. The spotlight now fell on his second son, William. However, William was not an industrialist or a money maker and as a second son was mostly ignored by his father, who adored the elder brother. William became an artist, and a struggling one at that, and eventually became estranged from the family...
"Just like Johnny Zest is now..." mused Suzy.
So Malcolm I and Gordon continued to run the Landgraab Company until awkward questions started to be raised in Congress about the brothers' activities in the Civil War and their more than generous payments to various figures in the Grant administration in return for favours. Landgraab was investigated and it looked like Malcolm could go to prison for corruption and bribery but the glare of the spotlight and the pressure of a Federal investigation brought on a stroke and his passing in 1876. Gordon now ran the company but with only daughters as his issue it would seem that the company's future was in jeopardy.
William Landgraab was only ever a moderately successful painter and he died, penniless and pickled in 1889 at the age of 42. In his short, tempestuous life he had one short, tempestuous marriage and that produced one child: Gregory, born in 1868. He was raised by his mother with virtually no input from William and father and son only ever met each other once...when Gregory was 4 years old. As such he wasn't aware of his heritage, that he was the only other direct male heir to the family business after Gordon. It was only after his father's death that his mother told him the truth about his heritage.
Gregory had become a school teacher upon entering adulthood. He was a studious, intelligent young man who was well liked in his little community, admired by the parents of the children he taught and generally respected by his pupils and he would have lived out his life as a small town schoolmaster had fate not intervened...
It was the Spring of 1890 when Gregory went out to explore a deserted part of Oasis Springs, high up the Acquisition Butte which in those days was uninhabited. He went up there an impoverished school teacher and came back...wealthy beyond his dreams. He had discovered something; exactly what folk couldn't say. Rumour has it that he stumbled upon a rich seam of gold or even diamonds but no mines were ever constructed up at the Butte. Others said he'd found an old treasure hoard left behind by the Spanish or French some centuries ago. Gregory himself never disclosed the source of his newly found wealth.
They say that he changed from that time on. He was no longer the charming but meek schoolteacher but a man of wealth and influence who found new confidence in himself...confidence bordering arrogance that was the hallmark of the Landgraab family. He eventually came to meet Gordon Landgraab who was now presiding over an ailing company: It had never quite got over the scandals of the 1870s and Gordon was managing a Landgraab Company that was a shell of its former self. Gregory presented himself as the saviour with his new found riches and it became apparent that here was the inheritor that Gordon had longed hope to see.
A suitable wife had to be found and so Gordon arranged for Gregory to be wed to the socialite, Bertha Vanderbilt; a cousin of the famous Cornelius Vanderbilt. By all accounts this was a very suitable arrangement for both parties.
Gregory rapidly rose in importance and prominence and, naturally, people became inquisitive about how he had found his fortune...even his uncle, Gordon. But Gregory never disclosed the nature of his good fortune to anyone. Not his wife, nor his uncle and cousins, nor any other confessor.
Then came perhaps the strangest moment in Gregory Landgraab's life and a mystery that had experts from that time to the present day baffled for an explanation as to what exactly happened: The Dirigible Panic of 1896-97.
Across the United States people claimed to have seen a mysterious dirigible in the sky over their homes. As this technology was so new and really in an experimental stage many had no idea what they had witnessed in the air. The airship came and went, sometimes flying low, sometimes lost in the clouds and where it would appear next...or whether there were an entire fleet of them across the nation, no one knew.
When one dirigible was sighted over Sim City one man took it upon himself to try to intercept it in his own hot air balloon: Gregory Landgraab. It came as a surprise that this businessman, a man of considerable wealth and status, would suddenly risk his life to take to the skies in a balloon to try to get closer to this mysterious craft but he did it and no one could persuade him not to. Witnesses saw him ascend and get closer to the dirigible, which in turn turned to intercept him and they both disappeared in a bank of thick cloud. Two hours later Gregory descended, alone, and said the problem was now over. The scare had not been about anything important and that was that...the story was forgotten about. There was another dirigible panic in 1909 and Gregory was asked for his assistance but even though he took to the skies in an aeroplane this time he returned to land and declared the crisis to be over.
Landgraab Company became the Landgraab Corporation. Gordon passed away in 1900 and now Gregory had complete ownership of the business. He and Bertha had children and built a grand mansion up at Acquisition Butte...far from the bustle of Sim City but high enough to overlook it. Gregory became the greatest Landgraab of them all in terms of wealth and success.
The couple had numerous children and weathered the tragedies of WW1 and the Great Depression well enough so that the company still controlled much of the land, utilities and industry of Sim City. When Gregory passed away in 1935 he left a vast fortune to his eldest son, Malcolm III.
Just as America was beginning to emerge from the Depression it was hit by entry into WW2. As a leading American company Landgraab "did its part" by turning it's manufacturing facilities to make war materiel. However, Malcolm III did make a lot of money for overcharging the US Army for land they wanted and Landgraab owned in Strangerville.
Now Malcolm, like his uncle Gordon before him, had no sons, only daughters but unlike in previous generations the idea that his eldest daughter would inherit wasn't such an abhorrent one. The daughter's name was Nancy, born in 1922.
"Ha! 'I'm only 39 years old' is pure bunk!" chuckled Suzy.
Nancy Landgraab was sent to the finest schools, both home and abroad. She went to Switzerland to finishing school and was a flighty and feisty teenage girl galivanting around pre-war Europe. At one stage she had a passionate affair with the son of a German count, who in turn was a highly placed official in the Nazi government, and it almost caused a diplomatic scandal at the time with a very worried U.S. State Department worried about the ramifications of a possible engagement between the teenage daughter of one of the wealthiest men in America with a 30 year old German baron who had close, personal ties to Adolph Hitler. She was called home by a very angry father in 1940.
It was obvious to Malcolm that Nancy was very gifted in a number of areas but her wild, risk taking side would have to be kept under control and as Malcolm was the custodian of all the Landgraab secrets as well he needed to make sure that any potential husband of his daughter could be trusted and brought in to the inner circle. Fortunately, he knew just the right man...
Geoffrey Osteer was a young man who acted as a liaison between the US War Department and the Landgraab Corporation. In the latter stages of WW2 he was assigned to the team behind Operation Paperclip, whose mission it was to capture leading Nazi scientists and technology before the Russians could get them. Geoffrey was known to be able to keep secrets, work in clandestine areas and was generally thought to have sound judgement. It also helped that he was a cousin of Malcolm's...being descended from Gordon Landgraab's second daughter. The Osteers were not wealthy at all, however. Geoffrey's father lost most of his shares and wealth in 1929 so the young man and potential suitor was very keen to be in the old family's inner circle and was even prepared to take his future wife's surname to cement his position.
Geoffrey and Nancy were married in 1945 and they produced two sons, not one as the official records have it. Jonathan, born 1946 and Malcolm IV, born 1949. Jonathan seems to have had a streak of his ancestor, William, in him in that he has an artistic temperament and has little time for the business shenanigans of his family. Instead of being a painter, Jonathan is in the entertainment industry and his estrangement came about in 1964 due to a row between him and his parents that led to his banishment from the family. Whether it was about Jonathan's career choices or, as some have rumoured, it was about the young man's personal life we currently do not know. Jonathan packed his bags, moved out of the family home and changed his name to Johnny Zest.
Since the end of the Second World War there are now more rumours about the Landgraab family and their business than ever before. For starters, there are still questions about what Gregory's good fortune was and what exactly was his involvement in the two dirigible panics? Then there's rumours of Nancy's involvement in organised crime; fuelled by her associations with various crime families in New York, Chicago and in Europe. And then there's the activities of Geoffrey. As was mentioned, he was working with the US government in getting hold of advanced technology in the post war years and certainly the corporation has been at the cutting edge of innovation. Has Geoffrey used his contacts in government to get an edge over his competitors? That is the simplest explanation but there is another...his association with another organisation other than the government.
But that is a story for another chapter.
"Wait? That can't be it! You can't leave it there, Mr Cornelius!" exclaimed Suzy, out loud so that Neil could hear her from another room. He came running in to the study.
"Suzy, what is it? Are you alright?" he exclaimed.
"This book! It's told me so much about the Landgraabs but the author has left their story on a cliffhanger!"
Neil sat down next to her. "So what you've learned...can you put it to good use?"
Suzy took in a deep breath before speaking. "Well...it's a lot of rumour in here" she said, holding up the book. "But it's given me pointers as to where I should be looking next: That old cave that goes right under Affluista Mansion, there's something there for sure. Nancy's got organised crime connections in other cities so I can investigate that as well...and there's lots more but the book hints there's more revelations later on. My head's spinning with all this new information!"
"I think we need a break from here..." said Neil, clapping his hands.
"That's for sure...do you have something in mind?" said Suzy.
"I've checked Villa Bovine and they're not busy tonight. I can put in a call, book us a table and we can treat ourselves. What do you say?"
"I say a definite yes! But I can't go there in this" she said, indicating her outfit.
"Now why doesn't that surprise me?" quipped Neil. "Alright, let's smarten ourselves up then"
Suzy opted to wear her little black velvet dress with sheer sleeves and Neil wore his favourite formal suit; his white tuxedo. All dolled up to the nines, they were ready to go out and live the life of a sophisticated couple for one evening.
At the Villa Bovine they waited for their table to be ready but Suzy gasped when she saw who was in the queue in front of them: Nancy and Malcolm Landgraab.
Neither paid any attention to Suzy as they were having a stilted conversation with Mortimer and Bella Goth. Neil had paid the taxi driver that brought them to the restaurant and now entered the place, finding Suzy talking with the Maître d.
"Have they got a table for us?" he asked.
"Yes, but have you seen who is also here?" whispered Suzy.
Neil took a look around the foyer and noticed the Landgraabs. "Speak of the devils..."
"For one thing, how short is that dress Nancy is wearing? I found out her age as well in that book. 44 and she's wearing that!" said Suzy, looking Nancy up and down in disbelief.
"She's 44? She keeps herself in good trim then" said Neil. "To be fair, that's a nice dress" he added.
"It's so much shorter than anything I have in my wardrobe!" said Suzy.
"Jealous, are we?" quipped Neil. That earned him a slap on the wrist from Suzy.
"Mr and Mrs Humphries, your table is now ready" said the Maître d. "Zane will show you to it" he said, pointing to a nearby waiter. The couple were led to a cosy table for two and they were handed menus. The Goths were seated after them, across the other side of the dining room but within sight of Suzy and Neil. Bella looked relaxed but Mortimer shot Suzy a harsh look.
"What's that all about?" said Neil, who noticed Mortimer's stern expression.
"He hates journalists" was Suzy's nonchalant reply. "You have to remember he's very protective of Bella after all that's happened to her. But her life is a big mystery so, naturally, people ask questions about it."
"Goths to the right of us, and here come the Landgraabs...and here I was thinking we'd be able to get away from all the revelations and dark secrets of Sim City for one night."
"I think we're being taught a great, big cosmic lesson that we can't escape from them...but I'm actually fired up now; They don't know what I now know..." said Suzy with a look of excitement in her eyes.
At that moment the Landgraabs were shown to their table and Nancy glanced down at Suzy as they walked past. There was a look of contempt in her face, as if she had trodden in something deeply unpleasant.
After Suzy and Neil had placed their order and there was no one in the immediate vicinity to overhear their conversation, Suzy leaned in across the table and closer to Neil and spoke in a voice that was just about audible to him.
"I know we're meant to be taking a break from all the investigation this evening but, Neil, if what's in this book is true it'll give us more information about what's going on and where we...I...should focus my efforts." she said.
"So...have you had any thoughts about what you'll do next?" he asked.
"I need to tell Action and Burr about the tunnel under the mansion and I need to see if Jeremy can find out anything about the land around there; Maybe that holds the key to the source of Gregory Landgraab's wealth."
As they ate their meal Suzy brought Neil up to speed about what she had learned from the book. He didn't ask many questions but instead sat there, eating his food and taking in all this information. Suzy was wondering if she was boring him or it was sailing straight over his head because he wasn't responding straight away, except for the occasional "I see" or "that's interesting" comment.
"Neil...are you taking any of this in?" she asked. He didn't respond right away as he had his mouth full of food but he twirled his fork with one hand and held up one finger on his other to indicate a pause. Once he had swallowed what was in his mouth he picked up his napkin, dabbed his mouth and put his fork down. This all added to Suzy's tension as she waited for his response.
"It seems to me..." he began "...that the most fascinating part of what you've told me is about the Dirigible Panic."
"That?" she responded with some astonishment in her voice. "What do you find fascinating about it."
"Well...I'm not sure if we had dirigibles around that time for starters but let's say we did, but they're so uncommon that the public who see them don't know what they are exactly or why they're flying over their neighbourhoods. What I find most interesting is that Gregory Landgraab takes it upon himself to sort the issue out. I mean, he effectively says 'I'll sort out this mystery' and goes and does it...then comes back declares the panic to be over and nothing more is said about it. And he does this twice over the years. Most strange."
"Do you think I should prioritise researching into that?" she asked. Neil took another bite of food and nodded. Then, as he was chewing his food, he held his finger up again to indicate a pause.
"Right..." he said when he was ready to speak again. "That tunnel is going to take some manpower to unblock and you'll be digging right under the Landgraab's noses. The shady business dealings are a given; we knew that already, but if you want to link them to Advik's madness then the airships over America issue might be the connection."
"I'll definitely look into that" she said, nodding. She took a sip of wine and looked across the table to her husband. A warm glow rose in her as she thought about how thoughtful and perceptive he could be and that she felt bad thinking he was uninterested in her investigative work. And he did look so sexy in his white tuxedo as well! She slipped off one of her shoes and extended her foot forwards so that it brushed up against his calf...time for a little footsie, she thought.
"Oh...hello!" Neil said, suddenly sitting at attention when he felt her soft, silky nylon covered foot brush up against him.
After they'd finished their meal and had settled the bill, they got up to leave.
"Is Nancy still glaring at you?" asked Neil as he stood up.
"Just a little..." replied Suzy. "I'd better be polite and give the Goths a little wave"
Bella returned the gesture but Mortimer just curtly nodded, still with a stern look on his face.
"I wish Mortimer wouldn't see me as a threat; I just want to help them find out who got to Bella and who stole his diaries: I believe they're the same person." said Suzy.
"I think he knows that as well but his protectiveness is too strong. Come on, let's not cause a scene" said Neil, ushering his wife out of the restaurant.
Instead of going straight home they took a walk along the creek that was nearby the Villa Bovine. The sun was ebbing away, casting the whole area in a warm, pink glow and Suzy walked arm in arm with Neil, not saying much but enjoying the evening air.
Eventually Suzy broke the silence. "I appreciate your input on this case" she said.
"My pleasure. I find it very interesting myself. So are you going to tell the others what you've found out?"
"At some point" she said.
"I think you should. Poor Advik kept it all to himself and look what happened..." Neil said, sounding a note of caution in his voice.
"I hear you, and I'm better prepared...I think...than he was. I know I have Jeremy, Action, Barbara, Burr and, of course, you to help me. I won't be reckless, I promise."
They found a bench to sit down on and continued the conversation from there. Suzy was still buzzing from the date and her ideas were bouncing around inside her mind. Neil, by contrast, was unwinding and just enjoying the peace and romantic air.
They both enjoyed the tranquillity of this place and snuggled together, again without saying much but then they didn't need to fill the air with empty chat when each felt such warmth and secureness towards the other. It was fortunate that no one else was around as Neil hated public displays of affection where people could stare or tut when they walked past.
Finally it was time to head home and as they sat in the back of the taxi for the relatively short drive they quietly held hands with Suzy resting her head on Neil's shoulder. Once back at the house she stayed up a little longer, made herself a hot chocolate and browsed through the notes she had made on the book one more time. Neil headed straight for bed.
"What's the next part of the book?" she mused to herself, flicking through the pages past the section on the Landgraabs. She found the part where she had left of at, covering the events of the early part of the decade but stopping at 1964. The next part of the book had a blank title page about a 3rd of the way in. Blank except for one word.
FENG
Suzy tapped on the page and then looked around the study for a bookmark. Finding one made from yellow thick cardboard she put it in at that section, shut the book, drank the last of her hot chocolate and went to see Neil in the bedroom. He was fast asleep, still in his tuxedo...the poor guy was just drained and tired. She smiled lovingly at his sleeping form and decided she would just slip off her shoes and crash out next to him. There's was plenty to do tomorrow...
Author's note: I must give a big thank you to two people who helped with the visuals of this chapter.
Dirk Landgraab and Margaret McClochness were created by "Broken Record" of the Sims of History Discord group.
Gregory and Bertha Landgraab were created by Ms Cellophane also of the Sims Of History.
And a final thank you to all of you who have stuck it out with Sim 66 for 200 chapters.
