Worlds Apart - Season 4, Chapter 22: Sibling Issues

[Agathon]

Deal With It

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Bubba: Lemme look atcha, fish! I’m Bubba! Mahaha!
Daniel: Nice… ugh… to meet you…
Bubba: Whatcha in for? Speedin’? Money launderin’?
Daniel: Resurcgh… ectionh.
Bubba: Them I kill outta stay dead! We’re gonna break ya in, corpse rouser!
Inmate: Bring Bubba’s toys! He’s gettin’ a new june bug!
Daniel: Puhleese… uh… I’ll do anythinn…gh…
Bubba: No, punk… You’re gonna do everythin’! Mwahahaha!

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His heart was pounding wildly as he jerked upright in his bed, and for a moment, panic gripped him when discovering that he was really in jail. But it wasn’t that jail. Brick City couldn’t be like it had been in the nightmare. Could it? For how long had he slept? It was still dark outside, but there was no way of telling how many hours had passed, and long he had left until facing the tribunal. With his stomach growling for food, he started pacing nervously in his cell, his unease only growing in the process. He felt compelled to do something, like start banging at his cell door, but even if that would somehow summon someone that was willing to bring a message to Corrie, what was he going to say to her? How could he make it tempting for her to intervene?

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Pressing his forehead against the hard, cold bricks, he tried to remember and analyze what Matthew Carson had said. It felt like there was something there he hadn’t managed to process. He had talked about standing on the shoulders of women, which probably meant Corrie and her daughters, maybe even Danita. He had babbled about destiny, and he knew that Chloe had been Alexandria Lane. How could he know? Was it something the Carsons had known for generations, but kept quiet about?

Then there were the arrest warrants he had mentioned, for Alecia, Vance and Jackson. Hm. Why hadn’t he mentioned Aria? It would have been logical to include her on the list too, unless he already knew that Aria Lane would never be found, since she did not exist. If Matthew knew that Aria Lane was an impostor, he would have to be in cahoots with Nuraya, which would also explain how he knew about Chloe being Alexandria: Nuraya had told him about it. If he was working with Nuraya it would it would make even more sense for “The Impeccable” to be standing on the shoulders of women…
But… Why would Nuraya involve Matthew Carson? What could he offer her? Corrie was a Moore by descent, wouldn’t she be a more plausible… He could hear voices in the corridor, followed by the sound of his door being unlocked.

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Corrie: Feel like talking?
Daniel: Yeah… Did Haley pass on that I wanted to talk to you?
Corrie: No, she hasn’t told me anything. She tends to shy away from involving me, if she can. I was informed that you’ll be facing a military tribunal, and figured you might want to have a chat with me before that goes down.
Daniel: I sure would. I wouldn’t mind some food either, it’s been ages since I ate something.
Corrie: Get him something to eat, Carmelo.
Carmelo: Matthew said we weren’t to give him anything before…
Corrie: Never mind what Matthew said, get him some food. This isn’t the Slayer dungeons.
Carmelo: As you wish, Corrie.
Daniel: The Slayer dungeons?
Corrie: Just some old vampire folklore.

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Corrie: Let’s get something straight before you start talking: I’m not going to hand you a get out of jail free card, just like that.
Daniel: No matter what information I can give you?
Corrie: Pretty much.
Daniel: If that’s the case, what can you for me?
Corrie: I run the military tribunal. I can make sure you spend less time behind bars than Matthew would like.
Daniel: How about letting someone slip past the quarantine, and into town?
Corrie: Are you expecting someone?
Daniel: Perhaps. Is Nandini here, or have you shipped her off to Brick City?
Corrie: She’s here. We don’t send elders to Brick City.
Daniel: I’d like to talk to her, before I talk to you.
Corrie: Why? To hear her moan about how I betrayed her? She can’t help you.
Daniel: I know that. I’d just like to hear what she has to say. We need to establish some trust between us before we make any agreements, don’t you think?
Corrie: All right, if that rocks your boat. I’ll be spectating eagerly from behind the mirror. Carmelo!

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At first, Nandini was pensive about saying much with Corrie watching, and she kept throwing hateful glances towards the big mirror. She didn’t add much to the story of how the coup had gone down, but was more inclined to talk about other subjects.
Daniel: Why did Chloe think you’d be OK with being helicoptered out? We shouldn’t talk about where she’d take you…
Nandini: She had invited me to take part in an arrangement, due to take place in a couple of days.
Daniel: What sort of arrangement?
Nandini: I don’t think we should to talk about that, either.
Daniel: OK… Let’s get back to Nuraya, while she was still Aria. Was she the one pushing you to promote the PPC?
Nandini: Alecia had confided to me who she was supposed to be at that point, and you don’t say no to your great-grandmother if you think she is Alexandria Lane. She may not have been the heroine of the town, but my family always held her in the highest regard. If the marriage she encouraged between her grandson, Mickey, and Becky Landgraab, had actually taken place, both families would have been much better off. At any rate, there was a severe lack of housing at the time Aria approached me, so I sold the PPC as a measure against over-population, but it was intended to limit the spreading of the genetic abnormalities.
Daniel: She thought it might be something dangerous?

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Nandini: That’s what she said. She would keep the lid on it by all those affected being her patients, while she was trying to figure out the genetics. I kept my end of the bargain, hoping my loyalty would be rewarded somehow. All it accomplished was my political doom.
Daniel: She left a lot of people fooled…
Nandini: I didn’t understand what had happened until Chloe called me and explained everything. When Chloe told me that Aria, or Nuraya, was behind the investment company that owned Villa Carsonia, and asked for my help in a scheme to wrest it from her, she didn’t have to ask twice.
Daniel: You were to hand it back to Chloe at some future point?
Nandini: I think she was prepared to let me keep it, actually. She didn’t seem to care one bit about Villa Carsonia, she said it was all about stirring the pot. I think she was hoping to provoke a reaction. Looks like it was successful.
Daniel: And you were prepared to bear the brunt of that reaction?

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Nandini: Truth be told, I didn’t think the snake behind that mirror would be the one to bite me. I knew she and Matthew had their eyes on Villa Carsonia, for Haley and Ethan, but she and I had been friends for ever, and Maureen was engaged to my son. It doesn’t matter. I’ve taken a fall for one fake Alexandria Lane, so I might as well take a fall for another one, one who remembers who her friends are. I’ve had my time, but my son will carry on the legacy, and the Landgraab holdings aren’t restricted to Sunset Valley. You hear that Corrie? Keep looking over your shoulder if you have plans for the future. If you had any decency, you’d be dead, like Alecia!
Corrie: If I had any decency, I wouldn’t have had any children at all.
Nandini: Maybe that would have been for the best, so they didn’t have to suffer a mother who sells her soul for a mansion!
Corrie: Look who’s talking. You should have kept your greedy fingers off Villa Carsonia.
Nandini: If your mother was alive, she would have drowned herself in shame over what…!
Corrie: That’s it, we’re done here. Bring them back to their cells, Carmelo.

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Back in the cell, the chat with Nandini had exactly the effect he had hoped for: Corrie seemed both unsettled and intrigued by the snippets of information that had come her way, while she was eagerly fishing for the bigger pieces of the puzzle. Being aware of the possibility that it was an act, and that Corrie and Matthew might just be stage two of the good cop – bad cop act that Haley and Hunk and kicked off, Daniel knew he couldn’t divulge Chloe’s location. If Corrie was in league with Nuraya, his arrest and impending jail sentence could have been staged just to get him to reveal that information. Apart from that, he gave her all she asked for, including the whole story of how Alyssina and Nuraya had dismantled the Lane legacy, and the real identity of Alexandria Lane. When it came to the connection between Matthew and Nuraya, he played it up as loud as he could, but left it to Corrie to draw the conclusions.

She drank it all up eagerly, and revealed herself to be quite a talker in return. Perhaps it was the fact that he was an outsider that made her confide in him, or the fact that he would soon be out of circulation. Despite her successful coup, and putting on a brave face, Corrie had her share of troubles. After the demise of his parents, Rawshan Moore had outmaneuvered his two brothers from the Moore inheritance, and there was little love lost between Rashawn’s descendants, which now included Carsons and Jablowskis, and the few remaining offshoots stemming from his brothers. Corrie’s Moore heritage went through Sheldon, Rashawn’s younger brother, and her ancestral claim to 325 Oak Grove was, from the perspective of Rashawn’s descendants, viewed as extremely weak. Afraid that Haley was tilting more towards Matthew than herself, and with mayor Danita and the numerous Jablowskis already in his camp, the spectre of Nuraya being the moving force behind “The Impeccable” was soon preying on her mind.

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Corrie: She stopped your presentation, claiming that Maureen was damaged goods, but perhaps the whole point was to prevent an alliance between our families? If she’s directing Matthew, why would she be OK with Haley marrying his son? Is it to turn her against me? First she got rid of the Lanes, they then she used me to get rid of the Landgraabs, the Lanes’ old ally… Am I next on their list? Without me, my daughters won’t put up much of a fight, the only one of them with any guts is Haley. I feel like an old hen mother who’s still fussing over her long-grown chicks, having outstayed her welcome…
Daniel: I wouldn’t be surprised if you're in her crosshairs. If Nuraya ever wants to return to her roots, there’s only place left for her to go.
Corrie: 325 Oak Grove. The last of the Moore’s, returning to the house of her father, and her grandparents… Why didn’t she prevent Alecia from giving it to me in the first place? She could have taken it over when she liquidated the Lane inheritance, just like she did with Villa Carsonia. I don’t get it.
Daniel: Why would Alexandria Lane be interested in 325 Oak Grove? She had a cover to maintain.
Corrie: That makes sense, I suppose. You’ve given me a lot to think about, Daniel. Let’s talk about what I can do for you.

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Shook up by what she had learned, she was now willing to postpone his tribunal for two days, under the pretense of the attack on the hospital not having been investigated properly. She was eager to get in contact with Chloe, and when he couldn’t help her with that, she even mumbled something about approaching to Nandini about getting in touch with Chloe. As importantly, she was now willing to lift the blockade imposed on Sunset Valley. The quarantine would be maintained in mock form: Communications would remain closed for now, but any vehicle or aircraft approaching the town would not be stopped. In return, she had one more request she wanted him to go along with.
Daniel: …never going to happen…!
Corrie: If it never happens, what do you have to lose by agreeing to it?
Daniel: It’s just crazy, and pointless…
Corrie: Look at it from my perspective, as a form of futures contract, an insurance of sorts. You know what I mean?
Daniel: I guess. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Corrie: No, you just have to agree to it. I need this.
Daniel: OK, OK... It’s a deal.

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Corrie: I trust you’ll delete the footage of their conversation?
Carmelo: I turned the camera off.
Corrie: I was never here, and none of this happened.
Carmelo: I understand.
Corrie: Any notable events scheduled for today, besides the tribunal?
Carmelo: We’re to provide security for the Mayor from 3 p.m., when she’ll deliver her speech at City Hall.
Corrie: Wasn’t she supposed to give her speech tomorrow, after the quarantine has been lifted?
Carmelo: It’s been rescheduled.
Corrie: That’s odd... I’ll leave the package on your desk.
Carmelo: Thanks, Corrie.

By the time Corrie left, the small window in his cell told him that darkness had given way to dawn. If she kept her word, he had bought himself two more days, and with the town open to traffic, a window of opportunity for Chloe to do something. He couldn’t expect her troops to come charging in to free him, she probably still had no idea about what had happened here, or where he was, but she might do something. As for Nuraya, he didn’t what to expect, if anything. Why had she approached him in Moonlight Falls if she knew he’d end up in jail? Did she believe she could change the future? If she had a plan for this, what could she do on her own, even if she had had plenty of time to prepare for it?

As the amount of light coming through the window intensified, his thoughts alternated between despair over how unfair it was that he had ended up in jail, and propping himself up by thinking it could have been worse, until his door opened again.

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Haley: Are you ready to confess, Mr. Lane?
Daniel: Not really. What’s the hurry?
Haley: The tribunal will be more lenient if you have already confessed, so you don’t have to waste their time by doing it in front of them.
Daniel: I’m quite comfortable with wasting…
Haley: What’s this…? Stop! This is the cell wing, you can’t just…!
Man: Stand down, detective.
Haley: Who are you people?! How did you get past…
Man: This police district is now under federal management.
Haley: What?! Identify yourselves!

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Ryker: Ryker, Special Agent-in-Charge, Task Force Z, Major Investigations Unit. This prisoner is now ours, and you can get back to chasing stolen hotel towels.
Haley: MIU?! You have no authority to... Who’s your superior?!
Ryker: Special. In Charge. You get that? My superior is so far up that he may as well be God himself, as far as you’re concerned.
MIU Agent: Stand aside, detective.
Haley: I want to see some paperwork on this! If you don’t have any, I’ll need confirmation from…!
MIU Agent: You need to calm down.
Haley: Shut up! You’re not in command here!
Ryker: Confirmations are hard to come by, with comms being down, detective…?
Haley: Haley Sw0rd.
Ryker: She’s one of the infected. Take her in.
Haley: Infected?! What the…!

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Ryker: Is that thing charged, G?
G: Yes.
Ryker: Remember what happened last time?
G: It’s charged, sir.
Ryker: That’s real good, ‘cause what we got here is a man in desperate need of a haircut.
Daniel: Haircut…?!
Ryker: That’s right, inmate. Got a problem with that?
Daniel: No, but… why?
Haley: You **stards will pay for this!
MIU Agent: Don’t bother with her arm, grab her other leg!
Ryker: Are you a thinker, is that it? You like to think about things? Do you wanna keep on thinking, while I get your hair, Comanche-style?
Daniel: What…?! No…
Ryker: Then why isn’t your ass in that chair? Get your filthy fingers out of that hair, that’s our hair now. Have him escorted to the conference room when you’re done, while I get this circus back in line.
G: Yes, sir.

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Daniel: Nuraya… What’s going on here?!
Nuraya: I wouldn’t worry about that, if I were you. I’d be more concerned about the mess you’ve gotten yourself into.
Daniel: Is that guy Ryker really a federal agent?
Nuraya: Why wouldn’t he be?
Daniel: And what’s your role in this?
Nuraya: I’m a consultant.
Daniel: How can you be “consulting” the feds, after what you did?!
Nuraya: What Aria Lane did, you mean? She seems to have disappeared, unfortunately. What you know means nothing, Daniel, it’s all about what you can prove. I have a degree in criminology, and my field of expertise is influential families in medium-seized towns. Sound familiar? Sometimes, the feds finds my expertise valuable.
Daniel: Can you get me out of here?

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Nuraya: Why would I do that?
Daniel: Didn’t you get the message I sent through my father? The decryption key. I can’t find it for you if I’m stuck in jail.
Nuraya: You turned down the deal I offered you, don’t you remember? You also said you wanted nothing to do with either Chloe or me, yet here you are, having been arrested while doing Chloe’s bidding.
Daniel: I changed my mind, so I went back to Chloe to find the key. I’ll take your deal.
Nuraya: That deal is off the table now. The suit you wore, and the boots, along with your hair, will be analyzed at the federal crime lab, and I’d estimate we have a fifty percent chance of finding pollen, plant spores or fungal spores that will enable us to pin down Chloe’s location within a week. If we do, she’ll be put away, and I won't need you. I’ll find the key myself, or even better, the file already in its decrypted state.
Daniel: What if the other fifty percent kicks in?
Nuraya: If that happens, you’ll be offered a new deal: Provide us with Chloe’s location, and your testimony, and you’ll walk away a free man. If you don’t like to play percentages, there’s a third option: You give us Chloe’s location now, and agree to testify against her, and any of her accomplices. Once we’ve got her locked down, you’ll be set free. What do you prefer Daniel, a 50% of being set free, or a 100% chance?

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Daniel: I was supposed to appear before a military tribunal…
Nuraya: You can forget about that. Martial law has been abolished, and the ruthless coup maker Corrie Sw0rd has been apprehended. She’ll be facing charges of treason, and be revealed to be just as corrupt as the politicians she has sent to jail.
Daniel: What’s the nonsense about Haley about infected?
Nuraya: It turns out that Haley, and Corrie’s other daughters, are carriers of a strange genetic anomaly. They have been quarantined to maintain the safety of the general populace, until we can establish that their condition is not dangerous.
Daniel: Conveniently neutralizing them while their mother is hung out to dry. How long have you been planning this?
Nuraya: Do you want to make sure you walk out of here, or do you want to spend a week in your cell while we wait for the lab results?
Daniel: If you think you can take down Chloe by showing up at her door with a couple of federal agents, you are dreaming. She has an organization at her command, and operatives scattered all across Sim Nation. Even if you succeed in putting cuffs on her, she’s just the tip of the iceberg, wh…
Nuraya: Whatever. The tip is all that interests me.

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Daniel: I can give you everybody in her organization. I can also give you the decryption key, which I can guarantee you won’t find without my help. As for getting your hands on her decrypted files, I wouldn’t count on it. Her organization has its own IT department, and some of the world’s most notorious hackers are on their payroll. She is also closing in on you: At this stage, she has probably gotten your fingerprints from the samples they stole at the hospital, she is working on obtaining your DNA from GeneVault…
Nuraya: GeneVault doesn’t have my DNA, and my fingerprints aren’t on any test tubes. I may not have been much of a doctor, but at least I put on gloves when I handled medical samples. She had those samples stolen for a different reason, which must also be why she is looking at GeneVault. You are being misled and lied to, Daniel. I told you, you’re playing with toys that are way too bi…
Daniel: They stole samples related to the genetic anomaly, didn’t they? The genetic sequence that began with her clone, Katya Doe, and has been passed down to Corrie’s daughters. She’s revisiting her old work…
Nuraya: Exactly. Which also means her search for me is far less intensive than you imagine.
Daniel: She has your name…
Nuraya: I have many names.

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Daniel: …and another way of finding you, one you should be seriously concerned about. Unless I give you a heads up, you may not be around to see what kind of results the federal crime lab comes up with.
Nuraya: You’re not a good bluffer, Daniel. Remember the time you tried to convince Danielle that you had done your homework, but forgotten it at the library?
Daniel: If you think I’m bluffing, take me back to my cell. I’m comfortable with 50%, and the added chance that Chloe finds you within a week, before somehow getting me out of here. She’s a very resourceful woman.
Nuraya: Have you told her about our meeting?
Daniel: To get on the inside of her operation, I needed to prove myself useful to her, somehow.
Nuraya: You’re playing an extremely dangerous game… What is it you want?
Daniel: The more time I spend in here, the harder it will be to cook up a believable story that will let me rejoin Chloe’s crew, and if I am to get that key for you, that’s where I need to be. Let me walk out of here today, and I’ll reveal how she’ll be searching for you. Within five days, I’ll give you the decryption key. Once I’ve got what you offered me for it, I’ll tell you where Chloe is, and give you the identity and whereabouts of everyone in her organization. When you’ve got them locked up, all criminal charges against me, my father, and my uncle are dropped.

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Nuraya: I see... How’s your father doing?
Daniel: He’s having flashbacks again. I’ve been told he needs therapy.
Nuraya: This is my final offer, and if you don’t like it, you’ll go back to your cell and we’ll play the percentage game: You’ll call Danielle and tell her that you’ve found a place where Jackson can be treated. We’ll pick him up, discreetly, equip him with an ankle monitor, and place him in a psychiatric institution, where he’ll both be tightly monitored, and receive therapy. You’ll have five days to find the decryption key, for which I’ll trade you Monoceros, and the items I kept from Memory Lane, but no money.
Daniel: Half a million, you said!
Nuraya: You should have taken the deal while you had more to bargain with. I’m keeping the money. When I’ve fulfilled my end of the deal, you’ll give up everything you know about Chloe and her organization. When they’ve been taken care of, Jackson will be released, and all charges against the two of you will be dropped. If you fail to deliver on what you’ve promised, the only thing your father will see for the rest of his life is padded walls.
Daniel: You have no fracking shame, using him a hostage, after what you…!
Nuraya: I have no shame? Keep in mind what your family has done before you start pointing fingers at me.

Her denying him the money was a downer, but turning her deal down wasn’t a real option, and she knew it, keeping her cool far better than the last time they’d met. Had she planned this for decades, figuring that the suit Jackson had seen him wearing had been given to him by Chloe? Was she willing to make a deal because she already knew that the lab analysis wouldn’t yield any results, or because she knew it was the only way she’d get the decryption key? Had this always been her plan to take down Chloe? Was her cool the result of knowing that the game was already won? Was this the first time he was seeing her as herself, or was she still in costume, playing another role?

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Ryker: Do we have the location?
Nuraya: No.
Ryker: Why the constipation?
Nuraya:  I’ve offered him a deal, but he’s dragging his feet about taking it.
Ryker: You thinking again? How about we drag you back to your cell, tie you to a chair, and…
Daniel: OK, I’ll take the deal.
Nuraya: We’ll lock up his father and let him go. Our target is the head of an organization, and he’s got five days to gather information before serving them all up to us.
Ryker: I’ll have G wire him up and stick a tracker on him.
Daniel: Forget it! They scan everyone, and I wouldn’t even make it through the door. I’d rather stay in jail.
Nuraya: We can do without it, Ryker. I suggest we put Vance Lane under 24 hour surveillance instead. If he doesn’t deliver, he won’t see his father or uncle again.
Daniel: That wasn’t a part of the deal!

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Ryker: The deal’s been changed, thinker. If you don’t like it, you’ll be rubbing buttocks with the rest of the assholes in Brick City before nightfall.
Daniel: Putting Vance under surveillance might alert…
Ryker: Shut the frack up! You’re a worm squiggling on a hook, and there are two outcomes to this: Either you’re eaten while trying to catch the fish, or you’re hauled out with the fish, hoping that your miserable life has a continuation. Corrie Sw0rd was just an appetizer, and now I want my fracking dinner. If you don’t get it for me, I’m gonna make you a special project of mine, for screwing up my career case. I’ll make Armageddon seem like a cuddly story about fluffy pink unicorns. You get that?
Daniel: I should have been on that helicopter when it flew off, and if I go back without a cover story, you better be prepared to search for my grave. I doubt you’ll find it.
Ryker: You need my permission to die, and you aren’t gettin’ squat until you’ve coughed up the location. If the analysis of your hair and clothes craps out, I can’t have you six foot below before you've told us...
Daniel: I’m not giving you the location now, that isn’t happening!
Nuraya: What if he tells someone else where she is? Someone he trusts. If we don’t hear from him within five days, he or she gives us the location, and if it checks out, we leave his family alone. For now.
Ryker: Works for me, Red. You work it out with thinker, here, or I’m gonna start gettin’ aggravated.

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Given how much trouble his phone call to Maria Younan had stirred up, she was not likely to be in a mood to help him, making the list of somewhat trustable candidates frighteningly short...
Nelle: I harbored a criminal, an unmarried man, in my apartment? Oh my…
Nuraya: It’s just a cover story.
Nelle: If this gets out, my reputation will be seriously tarnished, both professionally and privately…
Daniel: I think your reputation can handle it, Nelle…
Nuraya: It won’t get out, unless someone asks you directly what you know about his whereabouts during that time.
Nelle: Oh my, I’m not sure about this... Having to keep the name of that place to myself for five days feels like such a burden. I do think a rather substantial compensation is called for, if I am to take this upon myself…
Nuraya: Would two thousand ease your burden?
Nelle: I may have to relocate if someone finds out about this, get a new job…
Nuraya: Perhaps we should investigate more closely if you played a role in the coup staged by Corrie Sw0rd. You were her second-in-command, weren’t you?
Nelle: When I think about it, maybe I can do this. I wouldn’t want to obstruct the law, oh my…

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Daniel: Once the communications are restored, this police station is probably the first place she’ll try to hack into. You have to make sure any documentation on my arrest is pulled offline, including camera footage.
Nuraya: We can fix that.
Daniel: I need to tell my mother where you’re taking my father. What should I say? There’s a decent place in Riverview, I’ve been told.
Nuraya: Oakford Private Clinic, in Twinbrook. You said Chloe had a way of finding me that I ought to be worried about. What is it?
Daniel: Don’t let surveillance cameras see your face.
Nuraya: Which surveillance cameras?
Daniel: All of them, including traffic cams.
Nuraya: You can’t be serious. How can she have access to all those cameras?
Daniel: I’m not kidding. I don’t know the details, but she’s got those hackers and some kind of advanced software searching for you. Last time we met, you told me someone is going to die. Who is it?
Nuraya: I’ll get you a phone, so you can make the call.

[Agathon]

WARNING Because of content unsuitable for children, the following episodes can be read here:
Chapter 11 - Circus Younanimous
Chapter 12 - Another Day at the Office
Chapter 13 - Moving Borders
Chapter 14 - The Art of Gathering
Chapter 15 - An Hourglass in the Sand

[Agathon]

Behind the Glass

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An audience of one wasn’t ideal, but it was sufficient. She accused him of having flirted with some woman at the The Hideaway, and got convincingly angry when he tried to trivialize it. Simon Hart drank it all up, oblivious to the fact that their quarrel was prearranged, and designed for Daniel to storm off, while sourly declaring that he would spend the night in the Super Sleeper upstairs.

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As he settled into the machine in the rec room, a more discreet location from where to embark on his nightly scheme with Justin Case, he received a message on his phone: “The laboratory is now on lockdown”. What were they doing down there that was so secret, and more important than keeping the money flowing in through cloning? Hm. The machine was set to “Whistling Wind”, which felt about right for the three hours he’d have to kill. Soon, he was sound asleep…

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Daniel: Aunt Aria?
Aria: Yes…
Daniel: What are you doing?
Aria: Trying to meditate.
Daniel: Why?
Aria: Because it’s expected of me.
Daniel: I don’t understand.
Aria: No… Where’s Alecia?
Daniel: At the funeral, for Nandini’s husband. Why do people die?
Aria: Beca….
Daniel: What?

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Aria: I don’t know, Daniel.
Daniel: I thought you knew everything.
Aria: I don’t. But I know this: Some people who are dead, come back to life.
Daniel: As zombies. I know that.
Aria: No, they come back as normal people.
Daniel: Really? How?!
Aria: There are a couple of ways. You know those weird metal lamps in the reading room?
Daniel: Mhm…
Aria: They’re genie lamps. They can be used to bring someone back to life, if you’re at their grave.
Daniel: Wow… I didn’t know that.
Aria: Now you do.

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Had he been dreaming, or remembering? He couldn’t recall them having had that conversation, but it was so many years ago now. If it was a dream, why would his mind make this up, suggesting that Nuraya had used him to bring Chloe back? No. That was not a rabbit hole he could go down, least of all now. He had to keep focusing on what he was going to do. Up ahead, he could see the nervous figure of Justin Case. There was someone else he had to keep focused too…

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Daniel: Cool hiding place. Where’s Reginald?
Justin: Shorted out, in the executive bathroom. He won’t remember once I reset him.
Daniel: Will he suit shield me from CATS?
Justin: It should. How did you get that? It’s the most advanced tech I’ve ever seen, man.
Daniel: It doesn’t matter. Do you know if I’ve gotten any emails? I haven’t had time to check, and I know you techs keep tabs on that.
Justin: There was an email from your mother. I forwarded it to your section leader, without reading it.
Daniel: Good. Do you know what’s beneath Oceane’s office?
Justin: No, I’ve never been there. Don’t tell me you plan to go down there?!
Daniel: Just to take a peek.
Justin: If you get caught, it was you who cut the power!
Daniel: Sure thing.

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Daniel: Um... Once I’m in, how do I get out of there? If there’s a teleporter on the lower floor, maybe I ca…
Justin: Cripes, are you crazy?! You haven’t even thought about how you’re getting back out?!
Daniel: The most important thing is getting in.
Justin: If CATS, can’t see you, you can’t teleport! Besides, the teleporters log where you are going! I’ll have to reset the one behind you once you’re on the roof.
Daniel: So how do I get out?
Justin: You have to go out the door to her office, it’s always open from the inside.
Daniel: If someone is wandering around here, they’ll see me come out. You’ll have to distract them and get them away from here. Send them looking for Reginald or something.
Justin: This is insane… I can’t turn off the power for very long. Hurry up, man!

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Materializing on top of the huge, symmetrical roof, he was briefly disoriented, until remembering that Chloe’s office was facing away from the island. The climb wasn’t particularly dangerous, or difficult, but his feet kept slipping, and he felt about as a graceful as an overly ripe banana. Telling himself that this had to be the stupidest thing he had ever done, he reached his destination, two floors down.

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The door was open, and the office beyond it was completely dark and lifeless. Justin had come through. Or had he? What if this was a trap? He was past the point of no return, his way off the roof went through the office. Putting the various pieces of the suit on was a struggle, but Lynx and Justin hadn’t been kidding around about how high-tech it was. It felt like he could smash walls in that thing. After putting his clothes in the bag, he approached the door, dreading that CATS would pick him up and sound the alarm. Then he drew his breath and stepped through it.

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Silence. The suit was shielding the tracer they had injected him with. He let out a sigh of relief, marveling for a moment at how peaceful the room felt when viewed in nothing but moonlight, reflecting off the white marble tiles of the floor. He had breached the gate, but now he had to tackle the keep that lay beneath. His heart started beating faster as he headed for the stairs, having no idea about what to expect.

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At the bottom of the stairs, he was met by four identical doors, offering no clue to what was hiding behind them. He tried to listen at each door, but the helmet turned it into an exercise in futility. What if someone was sleeping in the room he entered? How much noise would the old camera make, and if the noise didn’t wake them, what about flash that he would have to use to get a decent photo? After agonizing over which door to choose, and sweating over not having thought this through at all, he tried one of the handles, turning it as gently as he could. The door was locked. OK, on to the nex…
Speaker system: Teleporter malfunction on level 4.
Frack! That wasn’t supposed to happen! Was this a trap, after all?! Panicking, he grabbed another handle as quickly as he could, and the door gave way.

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Frozen by what he saw before him, and by sounds of heavy footsteps in the hallway, accompanied by cursing, he just stood there, fully expecting Pearl to burst into the room he had ducked into. Then, he heard her footsteps ascending the stair, before being gradually eclipsed by the constant humming from the medical equipment in the room. In the periphery, his senses had registered the presence of the painting, but his attention was transfixed by the translucent cylinder and the figure behind the blue glass.

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It was her, hooked up to various tubes and drips through which different fluids were moving between her body and the medical equipment. Was she sick? Was that why Dr. Al-Fahad had forbidden her to pull an all-nighter? Or was this somehow the lurid secret behind her vast intellect? His father’s latest, most intense flashback, had been about  finding Chloe in a newspaper, and he had said something about a “glass bed”. But how could a newspaper know… No, no. No time. He had to move, fast.

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He had trouble steadying his hands as he squeezed the button, hoping that the sleeping potion would keep her under despite him using the flash. With a crackling sound, the bright light erupted against the wall, rendering him completely blind. He blinked desperately in the direction of the glass cylinder, trying to glean if there was any sign of movement, but as his eyes gradually readjusted to the darkness, all he could see was her lying there, perfectly still. He had done it. Now he just needed to get away with it.

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He tried to tread lightly while moving fast, listening intently for the dreaded sound of a door being opened somewhere, but the only things he could hear were a faint whizz from his now biomechanical legs, making the climb feel effortless, and the sound of rubber soles against glass steps, one after the other, swirling quickly upwards, forwards, to a marbled finish line.

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It wasn’t until he was about to walk out the office door that it struck him: The glass door had been open this whole time, and Pearl had to have seen it. She wouldn’t be easily distracted by Justin. If she wasn’t hanging over him in the hallway, haranguing him to fix it, she was probably in the process of dragging him here. He had no way of getting out. His heart skipped several beats, and it felt like his whole body was nothing but needles and pins. There was no way of getting safely out, but there was a way of getting out. It was madness, but if there was ever a time to do it, it was now, in this suit.

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He ran out the door, grabbed the bag as the lights came back on, and heard the door close behind him as he dropped it towards the ground. Then he jumped, with thoughts of broken legs, and knees driven into his rib cage whirring around in his mind. For an instant, he was one with the horizon, and the sea stretching out before him, before foliage rushed past him in a blur as he braced for the brutal impact of a 3-storey fall.

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For a second, he could scarcely fathom the outcome, his hands still warding off the ground that he had expected to be slammed into. He was completely unscathed, as the the suit had absorbed the impact like it was nothing. This thing was incredible! Drenched in relief, he picked up the bag, and sprinted away, not stopping until he was past Mango’s shack, and obscured both by tropical plants and darkness.

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Using Justin’s phone, he sent a message to the number Nuraya had provided him with:
Got it. Back shortly. She’s in Sunlit Tides.
After deleting the message, and rubbing any fingerprints off the phone, he jogged down to the water, and tossed the phone as far as he could. Retrieving his clothes from the bag, he got changed, and after removing the film from the camera, tossed the latter into the bag together with the suit. Hiding the bag among some thick brushes hadn’t been a part of the plan, but he had to improvise, and now he had to get back quickly and play the fool. 

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Man: Name?
Daniel: Daniel Carson.
Man: Have you been here before, Carson?
Daniel: I work here. I’m an operative.
Man: VCU seems to confirm your identity, but… you’re still logged in. How did you leave the premises?
Daniel: I used a teleporter.
Man: That’s a breach of exit protocol.
Daniel: Um, yeah… I forgot about that.
Man: I’m notifying the chief of security. Don’t think about going anywhere. Is he clean?
Guard: Yeah.

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Willer: Are you stupid, or just deaf?! Why have you broken exit protocol?!
Daniel: I’m sorry, I just wanted to take a stroll, to think, and…
Willer: You’ll refer to me as Sergeant!
Daniel: Yes, Sergeant…
Willer: I’m not waking someone up to check you in, that bag is your sleeping quarters for the night. Do you understand?
Daniel: Yes, sir.
Willer: Tomorrow, we’ll have a hearing, where you’ll…
Pearl: We have no time for this. Everybody can make a mistake. I’ll take it from here, Sergeant.
Willer: Understood.
Pearl: Fobbit, on me.

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Daniel: Thanks, I just wanted to take a walk, and…
Pearl: Forget about it. You’ve got mail, from your mother. She wants you back for your sister’s birthday tomorrow, and sounds ready to blow up if you don’t make it.
Daniel: Yeah… Celeste turns 18, it’s pretty important.
Pearl: If Ritchie Keaton talked, and I bet he did, you know where the crew that took him out is right now? In Moonlight Falls.
Daniel: I have to go, Pearl. Lynx and I talked about this, we can’t just hide for the rest of our lives, and I can handle myself.
Pearl: Roger. Head to Mango’s shack, lift-off in ten.
Daniel: Ten minutes?!
Pearl: Affirmative. I’m not approaching Starlight Shores in daylight, and the window is closing.
Daniel: Will someone tell Lynx where I’ve gone?
Lynx: She’ll be informed that you’re on a mission, that’s it. I’ll radio the squad and get changed.
Daniel: What squad?

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Alpha squad, ready and waiting for them in Starlight Shores as morning broke. The same guys who had kidnapped Ulrich Schlagdorff, trapped Allender under the burning wreck of his car, and probably done all sorts of dirty work he didn’t know about. It was obvious that they and Pearl went way back, and they didn’t hesitate to make fun of her choice of attire.
Soldier 1: If you’re looking for your office, ma’m, I think you’ve taken a wrong turn.
Soldiers: Hehehe…
Soldier 2: Have you been raiding your mother’s closet?
Pearl: Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want…
Soldier 3: I have to give it to you, P… You really do prove that army boots can go with anything.
Soldier 1 & 2: Hahahaha…
Pearl: Hope you enjoyed your R&R?
Soldier 1: Sure did. This place beats the island any day. Where to, P?
Pearl: Moonlight Falls. Saddle up.

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Daniel: Why are those guys involved?
Pearl: They’re turning your death wish into a chance to catch the crew who are gunning for Lynx. Isn’t that what you want?
Daniel: I’m the bait…
Pearl: You’re making yourself the bait, and I’m trying to keep you alive. When you arrive in Moonlight Falls, someone will be watching your house at all times.
Daniel: Aren’t you coming?
Pearl: I’ve got some prep to do, you’re going with the squad.
Daniel: In a car? Why aren’t we flying?
Pearl: Sim Nation air defences are getting trigger-happy when they think birds might be coming from Sunlit Tides. We fooled our way to Starlight Shores, but its wheels from here on. Now, get in that vehicle.

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Daniel: So… Do you guys think there’ll be a war?
No response. If they ever got there, it was going to be a long drive. The way Pearl had brushed off his breach of protocol, and been ready to leave for Moonlight Falls at a moment’s notice, didn’t sit right with him. It was too late now. This felt like the kind of drive that could end up in some desolate place, where a grave would be dug. He had fulfilled the deal he had made with Nuraya, and with the roll of film in his pocket, he had what he needed to secure his future, but did he have a future?

[Agathon]

All Eyes on the Prize

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The T-shirt felt like it had been glued to his body by sweat, he couldn’t remember the last time he ate, and he hadn’t taken more than five steps from where they let him off before he started shivering from the cold. Still, he couldn’t stop smiling, and every step, crushing small ice crystals under his feet, was an effortless cruise down the home stretch. He had gotten away with it, scot-free, and images of gems, paintings and statues kept complicating his attempts to remember the phone number they had barked his way, coupled with the instruction of not writing it down. That probably meant he finally had access to the secure line to Nebula 7, which was another sign that he was in the clear. As soon as he had the number fixed in his mind, he started thinking about contacting Kaneisha, and the election he had promised to meddle with, while trying to keep in mind that tomorrow was his sister’s eighteenth birthday.

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That his mother had redecorated that room would have been reason enough to stop him in his tracks, but the sight of an unknown man sitting in the sofa, quickly putting his hands behind his back, as if he was reaching for something, was an even more effective immobilizer.
Man: Daniel?
Daniel: Yeah…?
Ed: Ed. P sent me. Security.
Daniel: How did you get in?
Ed: I’m a tenant. There’s another.
Daniel: Another… tenant?
Ed: Mhm. Could be a problem.
Daniel: I’ll be the judge of that, Ed. Is he in? Or she?
Ed: No.
Daniel: OK, just relax and lay low. There isn’t going to be any “action” in this house. You understand?
Ed: Mhm.

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How typical of his mother. Suddenly deciding to rent out rooms, and then naively believing anyone knocking on her door to be model citizens who wouldn’t dream of hurting a fly… Who was the other guy? Was he one of the thugs looking for Lynx, or just some random stranger? Could he possibly be less appetizing than cold-looking “Ed”, whose skillset did not seem to include moving his lips while speaking? Why did she have to redecorate, getting rid of all the weird things that had made the house unique, and replacing them with some soulless Victoriana? Where had she put the statue of Alecia that his father had worked so hard to make? The place didn’t feel like home anymore, but he’d just have to put on a brave face and swallow it, while hoping that the buffet table he had seen didn’t signal that a stampede would hit the front door tomorrow.

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Ed had retreated somewhere into the shadows when he came back down, his absence enabling Daniel’s attention to be caught be a newspaper in the hallway. There had been a debate last night, where the candidates had been asked about Sunlit Tides. Ayden had promptly declared himself a supporter of the hard line, while Gladsten, after considerable hesitation, had gone the opposite way. Hm. Sebastian Vanderbilt had claimed that Ayden would back the doves, but he had been wrong about a lot of that stuff. Well, he didn’t really need another reason to help Gladsten with the election, but now he had certainly gotten one.

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Daniel,
Please, send me a message if you read this. Do you have some nice clothes to wear for tomorrow? Have you bought her a present? We two have tenants now: Ed, a military veteran, and Mr. Brown, a businessman. Be nice to them! There was a letter for you from City Hall, and I opened it. You have an appointment with Mr. Wolff, tomorrow at 1 P.M.
PS: Becky Younan has been asking for you, incessantly.
PS2: There’s some leftover soup in the fridge.

He had told Becky that he’d be out of town for a few days. Why would she be so worked up? Had Maria told her about Israel Parrot, and Ayden pinning him on Waylon Wolff? That had to be it, and now Becky was aching to go public with that stuff, which would put a noose right around Daniel’s neck. He’d better get over there and convince her to be a bit more patient.

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Daniel: Home already?
Danielle: I took a couple of hours off. Am I allowed to do that? Why didn’t you reply to the email, or call me?! I have been worried sick that you would not make it!
Daniel: I’ve been real busy…
Danielle: You are always busy!
Daniel: There are rules about phones there, I’ve told you that, and I’ve been to Lucky Palms and back. Listen, these two tenants…
Danielle: Are you going to tell me it is another of my bad ideas?!
Daniel: Yeah. What do you really know about them? They could be dangerous.
Danielle: They are perfectly normal people, Daniel. We have lost your father’s income, my salary is low, and you barely contribute at all. This keeps us afloat, without digging into our savings.

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Daniel: You could have asked me first.
Danielle: When I cannot reach you, and you are never around?! No. Alecia may have signed the house over to you, but this is not just your house. I’m the one doing all the work around here, and from now on, I’m making all the decisions.
Daniel: I know it’s not just my house. I’ve always said I’m going to sign it over to Celeste.
Danielle: She is not mature enough, and God knows if she ever will be. You are going to sign the house over to me, and I will buy you both out, using the family funds.
Daniel: Fine by me. How is she doing?
Danielle: A bit better. She seemed to pull herself together when Ed moved in. I think she has even done some homework. Maybe she likes Ed…
Daniel: I really hope not.

Kaneisha asked him to meet up at Jefferson Gym, which wasn’t much of a detour from the route to the Younan house. On his way there, freezing again thanks to the total lack of heating in the Sloppy, he was contemplating what had just happened. Given the direction that Celeste had taken, or lack thereof, his promise to sign the house over to her had started to feel like a burden, and now he was free of it. House Celeste had never been his true home, now less than ever, and the cash would come in real handy when he’d go house-hunting with Lynx. Where they’d live was ano… Was that… No, no…!
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What the heck was she doing here?! Had Pearl completely lost her mind? He had heard them talking about an “adventure”, but how could she bring her here?! With all that was going on in town, that the last thing Moonlight Falls needed right now was a schizo-mental pyromaniac witch. What was it Willer had compared her to? A faulty, two-ton incendiary bomb? Geeezuz Cripes… He’d have to get hold of Pearl somehow, and find out how she was planning to keep Demona under control.

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Deedee: Eh, hi Daniel…
Daniel: Hi…
Jace: Is it Carson?
Deedee: Mm. Long time, heh… I have a…ooh… …new job now.
Daniel: You’ve worked yourself down from a Flashette to a Jacette?
Jace: *Smooch*
Deedee: Hah, no… You’re just jealous.
Daniel: Not a chance, Dee.
Jace: Gimme a second here, honey. I need to talk to the famous PI.
Deedee: I’ll be upstairs. See you later…

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Jace: Hey, Carson! Solved any cases lately? Can’t say I’ve heard about any.
Daniel: I’m working mostly out-of-town now.
Jace: Yeah… How was Sunlit Tides? That’s where you’ve been, right?
Daniel: Where I’ve been is none of your business.
Jace: My guess is, you’re working for Oceane de la Tremouille. You know, the woman who owns a huge, corporate-looking building, registered to Nebula 7, a company with no employees. Very mysterious, and under the current circumstances, downright nefarious!
Daniel: Did you become a PI so you could listen to yourself talking? Or was that the bonus, and chasing other women than your wife was the real prize?
Jace: I hoped you’d be a challenge, but you made it so easy for me. It’s disappointing really, but I guess it’s like an old friend of mine often says: If you go up against a pushover, you don’t have to push very hard.

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Daniel: I don’t have time for this, but you just keep on smiling like a moron while you ramble on, Jace.
Jace: Tomorrow, your career will be over, you just don’t know it yet.
Daniel: Yeah? Why is that? Because an old friend told you so?
Jace: Because going to Sunlit Tides was the stupidest thing you’ve done in your life. What’ll you do now, I wonder? With your education, you have to start at the bottom again. Maybe you can be water boy for the firefighters, or a horoscope reader at the gypsy wagon? I think being a latrine cleaner would really suit you, cleaning up the sh** from the bottoms of better men.
Daniel: You’re the latrine, Jace, and I’ll clean you out, real good.
Jace: Hehe. Give my regards to Gator. He’s an old friend of mine.

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Kaneisha: What do you think, Mr. Carson? Have I lost some weight, or have I wasted my time by coming here?
Daniel: Why on earth would you want to lose weight? You’re perfect, and please call me Daniel.
Kaneisha: Well, aren’t you a sweetie? I’m losing a few pounds because my wedding dress is a bit on the tight side.
Daniel: Getting married? Now, there’s an idea…Who’s the lucky guy?
Kaneisha: Bryce Younan.
Daniel: Really? Hm. Why is everybody called Bryce these days? It does give me another idea, though…
Kaneisha: I seem to be pure inspiration to you today, don’t I?
Daniel: Absolutely. I think we need to discuss something, some place where there’s fewer ears.
Kaneisha: Let me get changed, and I’ll meet you on the outside.

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Kaneisha: Why would Patty agree to do that?
Daniel: I haven’t asked her yet, but I think she might.
Kaneisha: Wow…
Daniel: This seems very important to her, for some reason.
Kaneisha: Let’s have a look at the location. I think there’s a problem you haven’t thought about.
Daniel: What problem?
Kaneisha: Poor visibility. Is that really your car?
Daniel: Afraid so.
Kaneisha: I thought you were famous.
Daniel: Fame is fickle mistress.

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Daniel: The apartment is on the first floor, and from the rooftop behind us, you should have a good view of…
Kaneisha: …a bunch of a frosted panes. Even my best lens will be useless.
Daniel: Frack. Why didn’t I think of that…
Kaneisha: Because two days ago, it would’ve been doable?
Daniel: We can mount a small camera somewhere on the inside.
Kaneisha: I hate to disappoint you, but my collection of spy cameras is non-existent. That aside, Patty could get some legal issues by using a hidden camera in a private apartment, if the photos leak out. You need a public location, giving her some deniability.
Daniel: Hm. How about the photo booth at Little Lennon café? You could make a few adjustments to the camera mechanism there, I’d bet.
Kaneisha: You’re a devious man, Daniel. We can meet there tonight, after you’ve cleared it with Patty, and with Baylee. We’ll need her on our side.
Daniel: I’ll call you when it’s done. When can I have the photo I took?
Kaneisha: Tomorrow. When can I have my camera back?
Daniel: Ahem… How about visiting the groom and the in-laws?

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Becky: Yes, of course Maria told me. Why shouldn’t she? For some inexplicable reason, Chancer Grimm is holding back what he knows…
Daniel: Yeah, because I asked him to, and he’ll keep doing that until I give the go-ahead.
Norman: You lost! Give it to me!
Gladson: No! You cheated! It’s mine!
Becky: Are you working for me, or against me, Mr. Carson? We’ve wasted too much time already. It’s time to put the information we have to immediate use, while it can still make a difference. Call Chancer right now, and…
Daniel: No, I can’t do that. Ayden would fall on me like a ton of bricks.
Gladson: …a sissy!
Becky: Then you’re of no use to me. I’ll find someone else who can plaster Israel Parrot all across the news.

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Norman: You’re a retard!
Daniel: I’m working on something with Patty and Kaneisha that will cover my ass, I’d bet it’s done by tomorrow night, after w…
Becky: Have you seen the news today?
Daniel: No, but…
Becky: All regions but Moonlight Falls have declared their stance towards Sunlit Tides. Sixty-eight delegates will be voting for war, sixty-seven for peace. This election will decide everything, and the eyes of Sim Nation are…
Daniel: Sim Nation will see Gladsten lose, unless I tell Chancer to go after Ayden with everything, in which case Gladsten will win. I guarantee it.
Norman: …it go!!
Gladsten: Auugh…
Becky: What’s he doing here? Excuse me.

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Becky: Where do you think you’re going?
Gladsten: I just need a little break…
Becky: A break? Have you suddenly jumped ahead in the polls?
Gladsten: I’m tired, Becky. The boys are fighting, we should…
Becky: Good, that means they’ll soon be tired and ready for bed. If you’re tired however, you can find a bed at the retirement center. Do you think I married you to listen to your complaints?
Gladsten: For God’s sake, Becky…
Becky: Door-to-door, Gladsten, until 10 P.M. Get back out there, or pack your things. It shouldn’t take long…
Gladsten:…
Becky: You’re wasting time. Let’s make it 10:05.

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Becky: Do you see what I have to put up with? He looks 20 years older than the campaign photos, and he’s tired. No wonder we’re losing!
Daniel: Erm… Yeah…
Becky: Why do I keep making the same mistake of marrying men who get old so fast? Can you tell me that, detective? If he wins, he won’t last more than a week or two, before I have to step in!
Daniel: Do we have a deal? We’ll do it my way?
Becky: Why not? You’ve guaranteed me a win if we do it your way. Should Gladsten lose, I expect to pay nothing for your services. You do understand that?
Daniel: I can live with that.
Becky: Glorious. Don’t let me keep you distracted, now.

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An SMS by a potential client was calling for his attention, and it was time get Patty in play.
Daniel: Patty? I have a proposal for you…
Daniel: This is Daniel Carson, at 2345 Waning Way. Yes. I’d like to order an engagement ring. No, it’s for a woman. That doesn’t really matter, as long as it’s big, gaudy, affordable, and can be delivered promptly. Mhm. Like I said, it doesn’t matter, just pick one and have someone bring it to me. No, I don’t need it wrapped.
Daniel: Yeah, this is he. I guess so. Right now? You can come to my office, and… OK… No problem. The monastic cells? Yeah, I know where they are. OK… I’ll be right there.
“Make sure you’re not being followed?” That sounded interesting.

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To add to the medieval vibe of his library, Flash Jefferson had added an array of small reading rooms at its back, all arranged around a small courtyard. The monastic cells had not found favor with the bookish crowd, and those that did frequent them usually lamented the fact that the cells did not include beds. He could see a man waiting for him, but he didn’t recognize his angular face until he got closer. That guy. Nuraya’s muscle. Spud? Phud? Thud. The voice on the phone hadn’t been hers. Was she using some kind of scrambler? Thud nodded gravely in the direction of a door, as if someone was in the process of dying behind it.

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For a second or two, the empty room threw him off, and he scanned the cheap furnishings for some hidden clue, before a voice made its way through the barred window. It sounded like a young woman, and it was completely unfamiliar.
Woman: Do you have the decryption key?
Daniel: Who are you?
Woman: I’m here on Nuraya’s behalf.
Daniel: Do you have the stuff she looted from Memory Lane?
Woman: Somewhere, safely stored away. Once we have confirmed that the key works, you will have them. Drop they key into my cell, through the bars.
Daniel: That’s not good enough. No stuff, no key. Are we done here? I’ve got things to do.
Woman: I hope we can work this out, and I’m open to suggestions, but…

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Daniel: My deal is with Nuraya, not with you, whoever you are. Inform her that the key itself is in code, and she’ll have to…
Woman: You are not getting anything for what might be a key. Just hand it over, and let us do the work, or solve the code yourself before you expect to get anything in return.
Daniel: I’ll think about it.
Woman: I hope you will. There’s something else I would like to discuss: The future Nuraya has come to know, through your father’s eyes. You see, unlike her, I’m not enamored about it, and I would hazard a guess that we have that in common, given what she has told you.
Daniel: About someone close to me ending up dead?
Woman: I believe that we are now at a crossroads, where we can enact a different path than the one that has been prescribed, a path where this death, and other events, does not come to pass. I hope you agree with me that another path would be more desirable?
Daniel: Sure, but how is that supposed to happen?
Woman: It isn’t very complicated. You simply inform me of what steps Chloe Carson are taking to prevent war from breaking out.

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Daniel: If I knew that, why would I?
Woman: Because I have done all I can, at this stage, to promote the alternate path. I managed to change Ayden Van Gould’s view on the war issue…
Daniel: Why?! What does the war have to do with any of this?
Woman: The war is the alternate path. In the future Nuraya and your father knows, the war never took place.
Daniel: How the heck can you know that?! Who…
Woman: I know that because your father was sent to specific points in time and space, and because Nuraya told me everything about it. She is set on bringing about the future she knows. She will not help you with this, and she only told you about the death that will occur because I begged her to tell you. If you want to save that life, tell me how Chloe intends to stop the war.
Daniel :I…I don’t think she’s doing anything. There’s nothing she can…

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All of a sudden, she showed herself, first obscured behind a pair of big, dark sunglasses, and then without them, revealing a face that hadn’t aged a day since the photograph in “A Different Drum” had been taken. It was Diane Quintana, Nuraya’s foster mother.
Diane: Do you think that Chloe Carson will remain a spectator while Ayden Van Gould triggers an invasion of her little island kingdom? You can’t seriously believe that, can you?
Ayden… Of course… Ayden and Gladsten had made their announcements last night, and after that, Pearl had been ready to set off in the middle of the night. She hadn’t sent her goons to protect his family, she was coming here to take Ayden Van Gould out of the equation, before the election could take place.
Diane: You know something, don’t you? I have advised Ayden to take precautions, but I fear it may not be enough. Please, tell…
Daniel: This is lunacy…! You’re saying that if I had the means to stop a war, I should let the war happen?
Diane: Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but by doing that, Chloe will be arrested, you and your family can return to a normal life, and you will save a life that means a lot to you.
Daniel: What about the loss of life from the war?! No, you can’t put this on me. I can’t help you with this…

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He couldn’t remember opening the door, only the sound of snow being compressed into footprints, and the endless row of icicles, running through his mind like a saw of sharply-pointed lies, and how he closed his eyes to shut them out, stumbling away like drunken man. He remembered thinking that everybody was lying and manipulating him, she had to be lying too, and he had to get away from her. Finally, he remembered her voice, calling out desperately behind him, before her voice trailed off into resigned despair.
Diane: It’s the only way! I know!
Diane: Daniel! It’s the only way!
Diane: I’m sorry for your loss…

[Agathon]

Warning Because of content unsuitable for children, the following episode can be read here:
Chapter 18 - Tell Tell Tell

[Agathon]

Stressing the Dressing

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Gator: Mr. Carson, what an honor to finally meet you.
Daniel: We’ve met before.
Gator: Have we? I can’t say I recall.
Daniel: I can see why you’d choose to forget it.
Gator: Coffee?
Daniel: Ye…
Gator: No? OK, let’s get to business. As Senior Permit Manager, it is my responsibility to oversee the various licenses and permits that are issued here at City Hall, and follow up on them. As it happens, your PI license has, by chance, come up for review. Ah, this coffee is so good…
Daniel: By chance, huh?
Gator: By pure chance. Then, when I reviewed your activities, I stumbled upon something very troubling.
Daniel: Which was…?
Gator: Let me show you.

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Gator: This was posted to Sophie Grantham’s Simstagram account some time ago, with the hashtag Daniel Carson.
Daniel: Yeah… Is there a law against joining pretty women in taking selfies?
Gator: No… The problem here is the location, and the timing, and as such, your deer-in-the headlights look is very appropriate. This places you on Sunlit Tides, at the same time as the island declared independence.
Daniel: So what?
Gator: Well, it begs the inevitable question of what you were doing there.
Daniel: Working.
Gator: Who was your client? Sophie Grantham? Where did you stay?
Daniel: That’s none of your business.
Gator: It is if you were congregating with leading elements of the secessionist movement.

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Daniel: What…?
Gator: Are you a secessionist, Carson? Have you come back to Moonlight Falls to stir up political rebellion? Or maybe you are a secret agent for what is now a foreign power?
Daniel: That’s ridiculous.
Gator: Is it? I don’t think I’m comfortable with approving the license of a Moonlight Falls PI whose loyalty to Sim Nation is highly questionable. Put me at ease, and answer my questions. Tell me what you were doing in Sunlit Tides: Where you stayed, who you talked to…
Daniel: Who do you think you are? The Sim Nation Intelligence Service?!
Gator: When was the last time you closed a case in Moonlight Falls? According to my information, it was the Maggie Donovan case, and that was many years ago.
Daniel: I mostly handle out-of-town cases now…
Gator: Do you? Then why don’t you get an out-of-town license? Due to your inactive status and your suspicious travel activities, I’m revoking your license. Your career as a Moonlight Falls PI is hereby terminated. Have a nice day, Mr. Carson.

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Losing the license didn’t matter much, and he would have reacted much more vigorously if he hadn’t already figured out a way of getting it back, with a vengeance. Every gator will have its day, until it chooses the wrong prey... It was a nice day, and it seemed to have inspired Bucket to reach new, ludicrous heights, in his efforts to dress like a madman. Was that Horatio Fumblethrush he was discussing with?
Bucket: …why the aliens built the pyramids, to recharge their ships!
Fumblethrush: Recharge them how? Do their ships run on stone?!
Bucket: Cosmic energy! Beamed up from generators buried deep below…
Fumblethrush: My God, he’s mad as a bag of ferrets!

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Bucket: You’re only denying it because it you’re being controlled! You must protect your brain, like I do!
Daniel: Mr. Fumblethrush!
Fumblethrush: Yes? Who might you be? The brother of this, this... barmy?
Daniel: I’m Daniel Carson, though I used to be named Lane. From Sunset Valley, that big mansion where you found a poem on…
Bucket: We need to wrap the pyramids in tin foil!
Fumblethrush: Yes, I do recall that. Ah, you were that skinny teenager…
Daniel: Exactly. What are you doing in Moonlight Falls?
Fumblethrush: I am here for a symposium, to debunk some nonsense about ancient aliens buil…
Bucket: It’s urgent! If the alien armada reaches Earth before we…
Fumblethrush: That is quite enough, thank you. I will not listen to this until the evening, when I get paid to do so. It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Carson.

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Bucket: The aliens are trying to stop this from being exposed!
Daniel: I know! I hear they’re planning something, and you could be in danger.
Bucket: Where did you hear that?!
Daniel: Through the investigator grapevine. You’d be smart if you left town for a couple of days.
Bucket: I can’t bail from the symposium! I have to make sure the truth is heard!
Daniel: Of course, but when that’s done, you should hit the road. Do you have a car?
Bucket: No. Can I borrow yours?
Daniel: You can have the old Sloppy, for free.
Bucket: The resistance will remember this, after I’ve organized them! We will name one of our strongholds Danielville!

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He needed a strategic location, from where he could quickly respond to Jace Paxton’s movements, and settled in at The Toadstool, which could also offer something to eat. One sandwich later, Pearl’s team reported Jace being at the H Two The O Pool. That place had showers, and he didn’t want Jace to encounter Patty in a place where they might engage in immediate hanky-panky. Patty had her instructions, but her self-control was more than dubious. While hanging around, he was joined by a kid who was dressed like he had just run away from a school play, but not before having been badly traumatized by the ordeal.
Daniel: What are you going to be when you grow up?
Kid: Bigger.
Daniel: A healthy ambition… Why aren’t you at school?
Kid: It’s snow day.
Daniel: Good for you.

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Alice: Daniel! So nice to meet you!
Daniel: Alice.
Alice: I hear you’re gotten engaged! Congratulations! OMG!
Daniel: Where did you hear that?
Alice: Patty posted it on Simstagram! You and Patty, I never would have thought…
Daniel: Me neither.
Alice: Have you thought about a date, for the wedding? I hope I’ll be invited?!
Daniel: We haven’t set a date yet.
Alice: We always talked about why you didn’t end up with Daydream, or Emelie, or me… We weren’t mature enough for you, were we?
Daniel: Something like that.

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Alice: Have you talked about having children? I mean, she’s older than us, so she must be close to 40…
Daniel: We’ll see. Is there a pirate convention in town?
Alice: You haven’t heard about the accident?
Daniel: No. What accident?
Alice: I was practicing juggling, with knives, and…
Daniel: Ouch. I get the picture. Sorry about that. Guess you’re not an acrobat anymore?
Alice: No, but I don’t mind. I make more from my disability benefits than I did as an acrobat.
Daniel: Glad to hear it.
Alice: In fact, I mean to turn it into an advantage. How do you like the sound of “Alice, The one-eyed private eye”?
Daniel: I think it sounds like you’re eyeing an opportunity to go broke in the blink of an eye.

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Alice: I know there are two of you already, but Gator Wolff told me one of the licenses is opening up.
Daniel: Did he…
Alice: Are you quitting, Daniel? Maybe Patty is already pregnant, and…
Daniel: No, and no.
Alice: Oh… Jace Paxton must be packing it in, then. He seemed so dedicated…
Daniel: Must be. Let me see what this is…
Juliett Papa location: Jefferson Gym.
Yeah. The gym would be perfect…
Alice: Is Patty in need of some attention?
Daniel: No. It’s from the duchess of Somewhereistan. She’s looking into a case for me.
Alice: Wow… Your life is so exciting, Daniel. I can’t wait until I become an investigator…
Daniel: Good luck with that, I have to go, Alice.

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Daniel: I hope you haven’t forgotten that we’re not really getting married?
Patty: This is Marigold’s wedding dress, looking as good as it ever will.
Daniel: How come it fits you?
Patty: It fits me because it’s already been paid for, and she won’t need it, will she?
Daniel: Paxton is at the gym, so you better get your gym clothes on, pronto.
Patty: Gym clothes?! Hah… What does Jace Paxton like to wear when he’s there?
Daniel: He’ll be wearing shorts and a T-shirt, probably.
Patty: Mrrm… What colors does he wear?
Daniel: Something greyish and black, I think.
Patty: Grey and black… That’ll work. Let’s throw some gold on top of it, shall we?
Daniel: Wear whatever you want, but let’s…
Patty: Mrrrm! Look at this hand! What’s wrong with it?!
Daniel: What…?
Patty: Some gold…? Where’s my ring?!?
Daniel: Um, yeah… I got it.

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Patty: Do you really want me to do this, honey?
Daniel: You know I do. We talked about this. Exercise translates to a longer life, and we want to be married for a long time, don’t we?
Patty: Yeah, but… Can’t we go dancing instead? That’s exercise too, and you know I love a tight tango…
Daniel: I know, but this is pure cardio, and I have to go do that thing, remember?
Patty: Do you really, really, really want me to do this…?
Daniel: Yes, darling, it’ll be really, really good for you.
Patty: *sigh* I don’t know my way around here… Who’ll take care of me if you’re leaving?
Daniel: That’s Cheri, she’s a regular, she’ll help you out.
Patty: Is she nice and amicable, and not some rabid fitness freak?
Daniel: She’s nicety incarnate. Go talk to her now.

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Patty: Excuse me, are you Cheri?
Cheri: Yes…
Patty: Cheri, isn’t that just pinkylisciously adorable… Do you think I should work out wearing my new engagement ring? Look! It’s got fourteen diamonds, and I’m very worried about damaging it.
Cheri: Eh, well… I guess it dep…
Patty: To be honest with you, I hate working out. I much prefer other forms of exercise. Is it true that my boobs can get smaller if I work out a lot? I’d like to keep mine as they are.
Cheri: Uh, I don’t….
Patty: I wouldn’t ask unless I thought you knew a thing or two about it, and you look like you do know a thing or two about it.
Cheri: Erm…
Patty: Can you be a delightful little dear and show me how to use this thing? Is there something I need to know? Some special equipment I need?
Cheri: Well… you might think about putting on some gym shoes…

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Patty: She says I should change my shoes. I think my shoes are perfect! Don’t you?
Daniel: They’re magnificent, but not very practical for running…
Patty: Are these machines safe, honey? What if I fall and chip a nail?
Daniel: That’s why you have a platinum membership at Barney’s salon. Cheri will help you get started here, I have to suffer through my sister’s birthday lunch.
Patty: You won’t even cheer me on as I get warmed up?! Isn’t he completely heartless, Cheri?
Cheri: Eh…
Daniel: That’s what my bank account said to me when I paid for that ring. Do you want me to pick you up in… two hours?
Patty: I won’t be ready in two hours… I plan to browse through Barney’s new selection of tattoos when I’m done here. Maybe I’ll have my hair done too. Again… I’ll just take a cab, OK?
Daniel: All right, see you tonight then.
Patty: Oh yes, honey… Look, my tush is saying bye to you. Bye-bye… Bye-bye… I’m working out already, you see?!
Daniel: Yes, darling… See you later.

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Daniel: Are you guys moving…?
Chancer: Yeah, we’re leaving town tomorrow.
Belinda: And my ancestral home!
Daniel: Really… What about the stuff we’ve been working on?
Chancer: It goes public tomorrow, at noon. We’ll be gone by then, to avoid any reprisals from Ayden.
Daniel: Hm. I had hoped you could wait a bit longer…
Chancer: I’m interviewing Lucretia and Waylon tomorrow morning, and after that, people will start talking. We can’t leave it any later than twelve o’ clock.
Daniel: I get it. What else will be going on the air?
Belinda: Are you going to waste time talking to him, or are you going to help me pack?! He’s the one who dragged us into this!
Chancer: I just need a few minutes, Belinda. Let’s go over there…

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Chancer: There’ll be the two interviews, a statement from Doctor Argus Brown, detailing how Ayden coerced him into manipulating the paternity test…
Daniel: That’s great, how did you get him to spill the beans?
Chancer: Maria Younan helped put the screws on him.
Daniel: What about the accounting Emelie got us?
Chancer: I’ll have an accountant talking about how Ayden siphoned money from the sawmill before taking it over.
Daniel: Sounds like this is going to hit him pretty hard. Might get the law on his back, too.
Chancer: Yeah. I wouldn’t be running if it wasn’t this heavy.
Daniel: I didn’t think about how this could impact your family. I’m sorry.
Chancer: Wah, don’t be. If this turns the election around, it’s my ticket to big time journalism. Belinda had hoped for us to take over her sister’s house, but she’ll get over it.

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Daniel: Where will you be going?
Sam: I’m hungry, and the fridge is empty!
Chancer: Starlight Shores, I fancy. There’s some undervalued real estate there.
Daniel: Could you send me copies of the pictures Emelie took? I know the perfect place to stash them.
Chancer: Sure.
Sam: Are we going to eat soon?!! I’m dying!!
Daniel: I guess this is it. We did some good, didn’t we?
Chancer: I’d say so. If you’re ever in Starlight Shores, or need something juicy on the air…
Daniel: I know who to call. Take care, Chancer.
Chancer: You too.

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Daniel: My sister turns eighteen today and I have no idea what to get her. I’m desperate, and open to any suggestion… Maybe not desperate enough to buy some random pink stuff in a jar, but… What is that thing…?!
Shop assistant: It’s an oddity of some kind. We’re mainly a potion shop, and we have a wide selection of potions, some prefer to call them elixirs. Might that might be interesting…?
Daniel: Maybe. What kind of potion might be interesting to a freaky, anarchistic teenager?
Shop assistant: Excuse me for asking, but does your sister have dark hair and an “A” tattooed on her abdomen?
Daniel: Yeah, that’s her.
Shop assistant: She was here earlier today, and bought a potion. Are you sure it’s her birthday today..?
Daniel: Of course I’m sure. What did she buy?
Shop assistant: I’m afraid I can’t divulge that. The potion privacy act applies to teenagers too. Maybe we should look at something else, to avoid the possibility of giving her a potion she already has?

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The potion privacy act? What was that about? Bah... Did she intend to cure herself because being a fairy didn’t fit with her rebellious image? Meh, there was nothing he could do about that anyway, better not worry about it. Finding a present, however, proved to be a real worry, and after visiting the consignment shop, and the book store, he was no closer to wrapping it up, but at least a text message from Patty lightened his mood somewhat.

I have a date with JP at Little Lennon Café at noon tomorrow.

He had hoped Jace would rush into their trap a little quicker than that. The barrage of bad news that would be released at that time was likely to nullify even his mood for love, if he got wind of them. Somehow they’d have to make sure that didn’t happen. He sent a message to Pearl, telling her she could pull the tail from Jace, which would hopefully enable her crew to keep House Celeste under close scrutiny. If the guy who had beat up Felicity wanted to check out their house, he'd have to contend with a federal cop, a twitchy gunman, and a sniper backed up by a professional military squad. Good luck with that, sucker…

Bah! That stupid present… He didn’t have time to drive around randomly, hoping for some miraculous moment of inspiration. He’d buy her something practical, something she could use every day, and be done with it.

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Danielle: Why didn’t you tell me?! I had to hear it from Suraya that my dear boy is getting married!
Daniel: Well, it…
Danielle: I almost cleared out the nursery, but now I’m so glad that I didn’t! You will be living here I hope, with Patty?! How long have you been seeing her without telling me?!
Daniel: Eh…
Danielle: This house has felt empty for so long! I cannot wait for the pitter-patter of small feet! I had almost given up hope that you would make me a grandmother! You and Patty must have the bedroom closest to the nursery, we can switch tomorrow!
Daniel: Mom, please…
Danielle: When will the wedding be?! We should have the wedding here, in the flower room! Have you booked Kaneisha to do the photos?! I’m so excited!!
Daniel: There’s no nee…
Danielle: My God, let me give you a hug! I’m so happy for you!
Daniel: It’s a sham!
Danielle: What?!

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Daniel: The engagement, everything! It’s staged.
Danielle: No…? Everybody is talking about it…
Daniel: You can’t tell anyone about this, not even Celeste. It’s about Ayden and the election, and stopping the war. I don’t have time to explain. If anybody asks you about it, tell them I’m getting married. It’s just for a couple of days.
Danielle: I don’t want to lie…
Daniel: If you want to save lives, you have to! Let’s not waste any more time on this. Did Annie Nix drop by with the letters from the school? Has Celeste seen a shrink?
Danielle: Yes, Annie was here. It’s just normal teenage stuff. She doesn’t need a shrink, her rebellious phase will peter out once she’s an adult.
Daniel: I’m not so sure about that, but if you say so… Are we expecting guests tonight? What about the tenants?
Danielle: I asked Ed and Mr. Brown to give us some space. Gosh, look at the time! The guests could arrive at any moment! Put on some proper attire, I will rouse the birthday girl!

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Celeste: Cake, a buffet, you guys all dressed up… Isn’t that sugary sweet? So sweet it almost makes me puke.
Danielle: Uh… How many of your friends are coming?
Celeste: None.
Danielle: But… I said you could invite anyone you want… What about Bryce?
Celeste: I dumped Bryce after the prom, and I haven’t invited anybody. You see, this is your nausea-inducing, bourgeoisie interpretation of my birthday, and not how I want to celebrate my birthday.
Daniel: What do you want, then?! Skulls hanging from…
Danielle: Daniel… How do you want to celebrate, Celeste...?
Celeste: It’s a little late to ask that now, don’t you think? If you had spent a little less time with the horses, or on your new career…
Danielle: Yes, I’m a horrible mother. We can talk more about that later. Now, let’s see what presents your awful family has bought for you.

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Celeste: Is that meant to be a present?
Daniel: Yeah. It’s a TV th…
Celeste: I didn’t know they still made TV’s that small, and that ugly.
Daniel: It’s small so it’ll fit in your room!
Celeste: That plastic rubbish is such an eyesore that I can’t even look at it. It’s not coming anywhere near my room.
Danielle: You could show some gratitude for the…
Celeste: For a cheap, crappy plastic TV with a screen that’s barely bigger than my phone? Yeah, I’m so happy that my loser brother appreciates me so much.
Daniel: You can watch TV on your phone! I’ll take the TV straight to the junk yard!
Danielle: No, Daniel…

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Celeste: Well, this was just great. I’m going out. Bye.
Danielle: Are you leaving?! But…
Celeste: Yeah. I’m not hanging around here with you two droopyheads.
Danielle: The cake… You should blow out the candles, at least…
Celeste: Screw the cake. Give it to the horses.
Danielle: Please stay, Celeste, we can…
Celeste: No. I'll let you two celebrate the birthday you've planned, and play happy family.
Danielle: Your father and I got you a car!
Celeste: Great, I can drive it off a cliff tomorrow.
Daniel: You’re a spoiled brat, that’s what you are! How dare you talk like that to...!
Celeste: Have fun!

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Danielle: Oh God… *sniffle* Why is she so angry… So malicious… *sniffle*
Daniel: Because you let her get away with it!
Danielle: What did I ever do to her… *sniffle*
Daniel: Throw her out, first thing tomorrow! That’ll teach her!
Danielle: No, no… *sniffle* I will never drive her away. Never…
Daniel: At least sell the car you got her! What has she done to deserve it?! I’m taking that TV to the junk yard.
Danielle: Don’t be stupid… *sniffle* Put in her room.
Daniel: Why? How do you expect to change anything by rewarding her for this?
Danielle: She will change… *sniffle* …because this is not who she really is. I know!

[Agathon]

Framed Or Not Framed?

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Danielle: I’m so stupid! Why did I turn this into an occasion without even asking her… I should have…
Daniel: Come on now. You did what any parent would have done.
Danielle:  What are we going to do with all this food? What a horrible waste!
Daniel: Ask someone to come over, like Janet and Suraya.
Danielle: I’m not sure that is appropriate. This was to be Celeste’s night…
Daniel: …and she didn’t care for it. Forget about that, take a load off and make a girls night out of it.
Danielle: Do you really think so? It is better than just letting the food spoil, I suppose…
Daniel: Absolutely, and it’ll take your mind off what just happened.
Danielle: I would not mind that… I will invite them over.

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Kaneisha: You used a roll of film that can no longer be obtained, and took just one photo?
Daniel: Yeah. It’s in here?
Kaneisha: Yes. I hope it’s worth it.
Daniel: It will be. Is everything ready at the café?
Kaneisha: If they show up, Baylee will trigger the camera by remote when they go upstairs. After that, the camera will keep taking a photo every third second.
Daniel: Any chance of Jace hearing the camera going off?
Kaneisha: I don’t think so. It’s a very silent camera, behind a thick glass plate. There’s also a loudspeaker next to the photo booth, blasting out radio tunes.
Daniel: OK. If everything goes according to plan, they should be at the café by noon tomorrow. 36 hours later, your new father-in-law ought to be the new mayor, and there won’t be a war.
Kaneisha: I’m not crazy about what we’re doing, so I keep reminding myself of that. Good luck.

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What code was the painting hiding? Letting his eyes wander around it, he registered that there was a sequence of nine symbols, some of which were identical, that were repeated in different ways along the three “strings”. There were 26 stripes, half of them red and half of them black, converging towards a point. Was that why it was called Balalaika No. 26? What if it had nothing to do with the number of letters in the alphabet, but was just a random number? What if there was no code to be found? With that, a flash of cold fear swept over him, but he soon repressed it. Chloe had paid them a quarter of a million to “borrow” this old painting. It had to be important, more important than just a symbol of who was the heir of a legacy that no longer existed.

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Pacing about in his office, and steeling himself against the distraction of chattering women downstairs, he tried to make sense of the symbols, the strings, and the stripes. There were just 5 different symbols. Did that mean that their positioning held the clues to what they represented? 14 of the stripes had symbols overlaying them, while 12 did not. If the stripes represented the letters of the alphabet, did that mean the code was 14 letters long, or did each symbol represent a new instance of a letter? In either case, which stripe was the letter A? Hm. Perhaps the code was in numbers, or even some form of musical notation? Bah! He wasn’t suited to this at all, this really called for a more academic mind than... Yeah…There was such a mind in town, and that mind had already cracked one code for him.

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Daniel: Mr. Fumblethrush, this is Daniel Carson, we met earlier today… Yes, exactly. How’s the wife and kids?
Daniel: Oh… I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were that old…
Daniel: A lifefruit a day will keep the reaper away? I’ll remember that. Anyway… I would like to send you a photo of a photo of a painting, and that painting is supposed to contain a code…
Daniel: I know you’re not a codebreaker, but you did such a wonderful job with that stone, twenty years ago.
Daniel: I’m aware that you’re a busy man, Mr. Fumblethrush. How about this: I’ll send you a photo, and pay you one thousand bucks just to look at it. If you can crack the code within two days, I’ll reimburse your valuable time to the tune of five thousand.
Daniel: Excellent. Good luck with the symposium.
Having dispatched a photo to the Egyptologist, and fallen into musings about how Fumblethrush could still be alive and kicking, a message from Patty informed him that she was on her way. What did she want? Had she gotten cold feet? Fighting his way through Janet and Suraya’s congratulations on his upcoming marriage, he made it to the front door.

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Patty: He’s following me.
Daniel: Jace Paxton?
Patty: Who else?! He must be suspicious. I thought it best to come here, to keep up pretenses. If we’re getting married, what could be more natural than me spending the night with my future husband?
Daniel: Uh… Yeah, but… We don’t have any spare beds. We’ve got two tenants at the moment.
Patty: Why would I need a spare bed? I’ll sleep in your bed.
Daniel: That’s not a good idea, Patty…
Patty: Mrrm! If I drive right back home, don’t you think Paxton will find that very strange?! I’m not letting you wreck this, I’m sleeping in your bed, and you can sleep wherever you want!
Daniel: We have visitors. Janet and Suraya. They think the marriage is real…
Patty: Let’s not give them any reason to doubt it.

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Danielle: Nice to meet you, Pat…
Suraya: She’s the black sheep of the family, Danielle, and I really hope you’re familiar with her reputation?
Danielle: Reputation? I can’t say I am…
Patty: Suaraya, can we please reconcile our political disagreements some other ti…
Suraya: This has nothing to do with politics. Patty ran away from Moonlight Falls, and settled in Twinbrook for a number of years, calling herself Heaven…
Patty: Mrrm! Please don’t listen to my sister, she’s just spreading rumors, as usual.
Suraya: In Twinbrook, they soon started calling her 7-Eleven. She had moved there to snare a husband, but her reputation became so catastrophic that she had to run away again, coming back to Moonlight Falls. Here, she keeps doing what she did in Twinbrook, namely…

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Patty: Remember how you dreamed of becoming a supermodel, Suraya? How you would pose in front of the mirror for hours: OOoo, look at me, I’m Suraya Younan, I’m so hot! When our mother told her to get her head out of the clouds, she just ignored it, and it took a model agency calling her a fat cow…
Suraya: They said I was too curvy!
Patty: … to get her feet back on the ground. You’re still just a fat cow, Suraya, and you’re supporting Ayden and betraying your own family just because you’ve got a grudge against mom.
Daniel: OK, can we just…
Danielle: Eh… Does anybody want more food? Patty?
Suraya: I’m so glad I have a real career, and a mansion to live in, and that I’m not borrowing a two-room apartment from Faith MacDuff, where I scr…
Patty: The perch you are sitting on is extremely fragile, little sister, and very soon I’ll make you realize that.
Janet: Are you threatening a police officer?!
Patty: I know all about the both of…
Daniel: That’s enough! Everybody just shut up, and calm down!

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Daniel: That was about as enjoyable as a root canal treatment.
Patty: Aren’t you going to take your clothes off? You’re the one who talked so loudly about going to bed.
Daniel: Yeah, to get you away from your sister. It’s just ten o’ clock, I’ll surf the net for a while.
Patty: Well, I’m going to bed, and my feet could do with someone warming them up a bit…
Daniel: You and your feet will stay on your side of the bed, the whole night.
Patty: Mrrm… If I get sick, I’ll have to stay at home tomorrow. Are you willing to risk to that?
Daniel: Absolutely. I’m seeing someone else, we’re through, and we’re staying through.
Patty: *Sigh* I hope it’s not Maria…?
Daniel: It’s not. Good night, Patty.

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Sometime during the night, he woke up. Through the open door, a lot of voices could be heard downstairs.
Daniel: Patty… What the heck is going on…?
Patty: It’s just Janet and Suraya.
Daniel: Are they still here? What…?
Patty: They’re arresting some guy.
Daniel: Arresting?! Who?!
Patty: How should I know? Let’s go back to bed, I’m freezing.
Daniel: No way, I have to see what this is about…

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Daniel: What is this?!
Danielle: Ed is a murderer!
Daniel: What?!
Janet: …will be transferred to Sunset Valley PD, where…
Danielle: His fingerprints match those found on the scene of a murder in Sunset Valley. Gosh, am I glad we caught him, before…
Janet: Are the cuffs secured?
Daniel: What murder? Ritchie Keaton…?!
Suraya: They’re good.
Danielle: Yes, I think that was the victim’s name.

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Daniel: No, that can’t be right…
Danielle: I’m as shocked as you are, Daniel! Thank God that Mr. Brown suggested I take his fingerprints!
Janet: Your murderin’ days are over, creep. You’re going away for life!
Mr. Brown: I can’t take credit for it, Mrs. Carson, it was your daughter who came up with it in the first place.
Daniel: Celeste…?
Mr. Brown: Of course, the police will state in their report that they came across his prints at a crime scene here in Moonlight Falls, and not that they were secretly taken by Mrs. Carson…
Danielle: Do they have to lie about that?
Mr. Brown: Yes, Mrs. Carson, otherwise it would be inadmissible evidence.
Danielle: You know so much about police work, Mr. Brown!
Mr. Brown: Erm, well… I’m an educated man.

Ed had killed Ritchie Keaton?! Was he one of the guys looking to track down Lynx?! He had been out of the house the night someone had beat up Felicity… But Pearl had stationed him in their house to protect them against those very people. Had Chloe ordered the whacking of Ritchie Keaton? What would be the point of that? Was Pearl unaware of what Ed had done? Had her crew been infiltrated? Despite it being the middle of the night, he called Nebula 7, got through to Justin Case, and instructed him to forward a message to Pearl. She had some questions to answer, urgently, because something was extremely off about all this.

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You’re either early, or you’re late. Wasn’t that what she used to say? She was early, casually adding to Atlas’ burden in the garden behind the historical museum, and she was looking grumpy.
Daniel: Ed has been arrested.
Pearl: And…?
Daniel: What’s that supposed to mean?!
Pearl: It means keep talking until you’re giving me intel I don’t already have.
Daniel: My mom took his prints, and had them checked. They matched the prints of Ritchie Keaton’s killer.
Pearl: Hogwash.
Daniel: Yeah?! That’s why the police grabbed him. How much do you know about Ed? Where was he before you sent him here?
Pearl: Sunset Valley.
Daniel: Where he killed Ritchie Keaton. Either you knew, or the people who are hunting Lynx have compromised your team.

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Pearl: Did you drag me out here to freeze my butt off at seven in the morning because you don’t trust my team?
Daniel: You bet. I wasn’t keen on going to the ballroom and mingle with your guys after you put one of them, a murderer, in my family’s house!
Pearl: Ed’s clean.
Daniel: How do you know that?! Are you saying the police are lying?!
Pearl: Affirmative. Who’s Mr. Brown?
Daniel: I don’t know, but he has nothing to with this! You…
Pearl: How gullible are you? He’s a federal agent. Probably a part of the same task force that rolled into Sunset Valley and quelled the coup there.
Daniel: The feds don’t just make stuff up and throw random people in jail!

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Pearl: Random people? We managed to extract your uncle from Lucky Palms under their noses, and when they reckoned Ed was one of us, they threw the book at him, ASAP, to stop him slipping away too! The only real mystery here is this: Why haven’t they done the same to you?!
Daniel: Because you’re wrong! Ed was out and about two nights ago, when the woman who now lives in Lynx’ house was beaten up, by a man trying to find Lynx!
Pearl: Ed was about and about because he was at the ballroom, being briefed by me!
Daniel: Then who beat up Felicity?! Are you going to blame that on the feds too?!
Pearl: The same guy who took out Ritchie Keaton, and from on, you and your family are on your own with that. If there’s one fed here, there are more, either already here or on their way. This is getting too hot, so I’m pulling my team.
Daniel: To where? Sunlit Tides is blockaded.
Pearl: That’s need-to-know, and you don’t need to know!

“Trust no one”. That was the last thing Ed had said to him, after voicing his misgivings about the situation in general. By definition, that included Pearl, but what could she possibly gain by throwing one of her men under the bus? An excuse to pull out of Moonlight Falls, to let Ayden win the election, bringing about the invasion of Sunlit Tides and the downfall of Chloe Carson? Pearl being a fed made no sense, but could she be secretly working for whoever was searching for Lynx? He toyed with the idea for a moment, but soon discarded it as a far-fetched fantasy. Pearl had been headhunted by Chloe, and was being paid astronomical amounts of money. He could see Chloe as being capable of stabbing anyone in the back, but Pearl? Nah. She was of the flag-saluting, staunch loyalist mold, which was precisely why Chloe had recruited her. Ed was right about something being wrong, but that something being Pearl was immensely unlikely.

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Danielle: Your brother is signing the house over to me, and you’ll both get…
Patty: I’m going home to change and get ready.
Celeste: Sixty thousand… But…
Daniel: Is that really necessary? You look…
Patty: Mrm… I didn’t have much luck with you wearing this, did I?!
Daniel: Ahem… Can you try to entice him to meet up with you a little before noon?
Danielle: …to sign some papers, for tax…
Patty: Mrrm! I have to be at my most divine, and you want me to rush it?!
Celeste: OK.
Daniel: Something might hit the news around noon.
Patty: *Sigh* I’ll try. Wish me luck.
Daniel: That wouldn’t feel… right. You know what I mean?
Patty: Mrrm…

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Danielle was quite adamant that this was the perfect day for him to sign the house over to her, which necessitated them going to City Hall. Having promised the house to Celeste, he had expected her to make some noise over the rearrangement, but surprisingly, she seemed quite content with getting some quick cash instead.
Daniel: How does it feel to be a house owner?
Danielle: It feels like we should pay my fellow owner, your father, a visit. I want all all three of us to go. It will be nice for him to see Celeste, all gr…
Celeste: Don’t make any plans on my behalf. I have plans of my own.
Danielle: It is the least you can do, Celeste…
Celeste: Whatever.
Daniel: I’m not sure they allow visitors at this stage of his therapy.
Danielle: That cannot be right, Daniel. If we are not allowed to call him, we must be allowed to see him! If not, we have to start thinking about bringing him back home.
Daniel: I’ll call Oakford and sound them out. You two go ahead on home, I’ll be back soon.
Celeste: With another woman who’ll be spending the night, no doubt…
Daniel: Not at all. I’m getting married. You haven’t heard?
Celeste: Right…

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Maria: Daniel…
Daniel: Nice to see you again, Maria.
Maria: Is it? Patty… You were always a bit stupid, but this takes it to whole new level.
Daniel: The marriage is a bluff, but keep that to yourself, at any cost.
Maria: A bluff? Suraya told me she spent the night with you. Some bluff…
Daniel: It is. Suraya doesn’t know, but your mother does. Ask her, but like I said, keep it quiet, and don’t ask why. It’s complicated, and has to do with to the election.
Maria: Somebody is leaning on Dr. Argus Brown. He’s considering recanting the interview Chandler did with him this morning, and the statement he signed about the parentage of Israel Parrot.
Daniel: Frack! That would be a disaster. How do you know? Should we go talk to him?
Maria: His wife Ramona told me. He’s working, at the hospital, and he doesn’t get off before 5 p.m. We can talk to him then. Anyway, I guess I should thank you…

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Daniel: For what?
Maria: For bringing me straight home that night at Lennon’s café. I drank too much, and I behaved… inappropriately.
Daniel: Don’t mention it. It can happen to anybody, and I’ll always have your back.
Maria: Did you mean what you said when we met in Sunset Valley? About… having a crush on me?
Daniel: Yeah. I’ve always been weak for you, Maria.
Maria: When this election drama is over, maybe we can… go out sometime? For real, I mean…
Daniel: I’d love to, but I can’t. I’m seeing someone… Lynx, and we might get married, actually.
Maria: Oh… I’m sorry, I… Just forget it, OK? I have to go…
Daniel: See you later? Argus Brown?
Maria: Uh… maybe… bye.

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Noon came and went, and there was no news special. Nervously checking the Moonlight Falls News Network webiste, he couldn’t find any mention of the explosive reports Chancer had promised. Resisting the urge to call Chancer, who by now had to be driving towards Starlight Shores, he decided to wait for the regular one o’ clock news before going into total panic mode.
Celeste: Are you kidding, of course I accept!
Danielle: …news on project YOPOL?
Celeste: Thanks!
Mr. Brown: …test run soon… In Bungo-Bungo.
Danielle: That’s brilliant!
TV: Is this your missing petticoat, Mrs. Edewaine-Dankworth?
TV: It is indeed! Bless our maker! Where did you find it?
Celeste: …we can get around that, right…?
TV: …nanny’s armoire!
TV: That’s the last time I’m hiring an uneducated girl! Thieves and scoundrels, all of them!
Celeste: Sounds great. See you tomorrow!

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TV: ..hartedly concur, Mrs…
Daniel: Who was that?
Celeste: A secret admirer.
Daniel: Anyone I know?
Celeste: He’s an older man, so it might be.
Daniel: I hope you won’t be so busy tomorrow that you won’t have time to vote? This election is special, it is…
Celeste: Whatever.
Daniel: This is important, Celeste! It will decide whether there’ll be war or not.
Celeste: Wow… You should run to City Hall first thing tomorrow, and be first in line. Heh.
Daniel: Why can’t you take anyt…
Celeste: Later!
TV: …job for Upperclass Man!

“Trust no one”. Mr. Brown had claimed that it was Celeste who had come up with the idea of taking Ed’s fingerprints, but how the heck could she know that Ed was one of Pearl’s goons, much less what he had or hadn’t done in Sunset Valley? Tight-lipped Ed blabbermouthing to Celeste about what he had done and why he was there? No way. If the idea had originated with her, which was highly questionable, it might just be another attempt to stir up trouble. She seemed to be hatching some kind of plot, but could it be anything more serious than dating someone twice her age just to shock her family?

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TV: Do you feel that you lack the energy to reach your true potential? Do you feel that time is outpacing your ability to keep up, and accomplish all the things you meant to do? Do you feel held back, and unable to focus on what is important, because of a lot of small distractions? The problems of tomorrow can be solved… today. Visulifine, by Simsanto. Become the person you were meant to be. Available in all major…

12:53. He put the phone away again, for the umpteenth time, shifted restlessly in the sofa, and registered that there was a new layer of clammy sweat clinging to the back of his neck. Nothing from Patty. It was too early to conclude that she had failed to snare Jace, but his nervous system felt like it was about to totally unravel. If the one o’ clock news were a blank, it wouldn’t matter if Patty had scored. He’d be thousands of miles away from a girlfriend about to get first-hand experience of a military invasion, and Nuraya would probably get her hands on Balalaika No. 26, ending his hopes of recovering anything from Memory Lane. If the news were buzzing about Ayden’s wrongdoings, and Patty had failed, he’d be up Crap Creek in a leaky canoe, with a moldy tortilla as a paddle, ferocious rapids straight ahead, and bloodthirsty natives lying in ambush along both… Was that the doorbell?

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Becky: MFNN has buried the story.
Daniel: All of it? The interviews with Lucretia and Waylon, the accountant…
Becky: The whole thing.
Daniel: How do you know?
Becky: I just got off the phone with Chancer. Argus called the station, withdrawing everything he had said. MFNN said they weren’t comfortable with running with the rest of it, but they’ve probably been intimidated by Ayden.
TV: …news. With 22 hours remaining until the voting booths…
Daniel: Geezuz…
TV: …Van Gould still holds a comfortable lead, estimated at 13.1% by the latest…
Daniel: How did Ayden find out about…
Becky: I don’t know yet, but it doesn’t matter. We still have one more shot at this, detective: Her.

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TV: …gan’s Fried Diners is…
Daniel: Who is she?
Becky: That is Ramona Parrot. She's Lucretia’s sister, making her Israel's aunt, and the wife of Argus.
TV… DigiDuck has filed for bankrup…
Daniel: Hm! OK…
Becky: Ramona knows that her husband had the paternity test of her sister’s child faked, and as you might imagine, relations between the married couple aren’t rosy right now.
TV: … Public Relations Manager Stanley Pet…
Daniel: Even if she could change Argus’ mind, I still don’t see how that gets us very far. If Ayden has put the screws on MFNN, they might not show it anyway, and we’re running out of time.

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Becky: According to Chancer, the interviews are stored on the computer network at MFNN. He can no longer access the network, but Ramona can.
Daniel: And if we get hold of those interviews…?
Becky: They might suddenly end up trending on more modern platforms than network TV. Ayden doesn’t even have a Simstagram account. My family and friends, on the other hand, have a substantial presence on social media.
Daniel: That’s a very interesting idea…
Becky: Now we need to sell it to Ramona and Argus.
TV: …pert, declared it “improbable” that Hogan’s will survive the ordeal.
Daniel: Let’s do some planning in my office.
As they got up, his phone beeped. It was a message from Patty.

[Agathon]

Cross the Doorstep

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Becky: Ramona wants people to see the interview, and she is ready to call it quits with Argus. We can count on her, but we need him too. We can’t risk him showing up at MFNN, debunking the interview right after we’ve gone public with it.
Daniel: Why did he agree to do the interview at all?
Becky: Because Ramona gave him an ultimatum. After the interview, Jace Paxton showed up at his door, maybe he had been following Chancer, and threatened him. After that Argus called Ramona, saying he was backing out, to protect them both. I would hazard a guess that Ayden has also said he can keep his job at the hospital, if they can keep this under wraps.
Daniel: He must have known he would lose his job when he did the interview. I don’t think the job means that much too him. If we can guarantee their safety, it sounds like he’ll come clean. If Ayden is arrested…
Becky: …he’ll be out on bail in a flash, causing havoc. We can’t protect them from Ayden. Not here. We must start thinking outside the box that is Moonlight Falls, detective.

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Daniel: Are they willing to leave town?
Becky: They have two children: A toddler and a teenager. If we can save their marriage by helping Argus come clean, while offering them some assistance in settling down somewhere else, I am sure they will. I don’t have a lot of pull outside Moonlight Falls, but I’ll start making some calls, and I suggest you do the same.
Daniel: I have a connection that might be a godsend, in this case. She is very influential, and has a lot of real estate. I’ll contact her immediately.
Becky: That would be magnificent. With such clients, I can see why you spend so much time away from Moonlight Falls.
Daniel: Well… A buffoon at City Hall has revoked my PI license here. If we get Gladsten elected, I’d appreciate someone other than Gator Wolff managing the permits over there.
Becky: I will see to it, detective. Personally. A quarter past five at the Parrot-Browns?
Daniel: I’ll be there.

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Daniel: Now that Pearl and her Plan B are no longer in play, do you have a plan for the election here?
Chloe: I’m working on something. Lina Lancaster played you like a fiddle.
Daniel: No. She got us Lucky Palms.
Chloe: Because her husband Eli is such good friends with Brayden King?
Daniel: Yeah.
Chloe: Eli Vokoban has been institutionalized for over three years. His dementia is so advanced that he doesn’t even know what town he’s in. Jaycen Hendrix got us Lucky Palms. When I send you to do a simple mission, like delivering a car, that’s what you do, and nothing else, whipster.
Daniel: I had nobody to ask, because of your paranoid security measures! I did what I thought was best. If you want to stop Ayden Van Gould’s from winning the election, you have to cough up one the houses you’ve grabbed. In addition, Dr. Argus Brown and his wife will be needing jobs fitting their qua...
Chloe: OK.
Daniel: OK…?
Chloe: Yes. Consider it done. They can have the house you promised to Lina Lancaster, while she’ll end up empty-handed. I expect to see whatever you have cooked up having some impact, quickly. I’d rather not have to set my Plan C in motion, or even worse, Plan F.
Daniel: What happened to plans D and E?
Chloe: Get on it. Now.

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“I got him. I usually do…”
That was what Patty had sent. While Patty had kept Jace occupied, Felicity had dropped by the Paxton residence to chat up Elanor and sample her famous angel cake. While there, she had stashed the camera Emelie had used, to document her father’s shady accounting, inside the house. Slowly, the web he was spinning around Jace was taking shape, and he’d need it to be real solid if they managed to snatch the interviews from MFNN and get them out there. There were only three people that could have whispered Chancer the truth about Israel Parrot: Jace Paxton, Dr. Argus Brown, and himself. Ayden’s payback, which was sure to follow, would target one of them, and it had better be his insufferable competitor. Strap yourself in, Jace, because you’re about to be taken for a ride.

It was time to meet up with Becky at the Parrot-Brown’s, but before he could make it out the door, someone had approached it from the other side.

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Jace: Hiya, Carson. Going somewhere?
Daniel: Yeah, thought I’d do some origami at the retirement center. What do you want?
Jace: I’m just here to give you some friendly advice. If you’re thinking about getting hold of those interviews Chancer did, you can forget about it. MFNN doesn’t have them anymore.
Daniel: Interviews? I prefer to watch fail-compilations. Cocky morons taking a fall never stops to make me giggle.
Jace: Yeah? Let’s see how good you are at taking a fall. I’ve informed Ayden that it was you who ratted him out to Chancer. That’s rock bottom coming right at you, Carson, at freefall speed. I’d pack my bags right now, and make a run for it, if I were you. I mean, what’s keeping you here? I’ve taken your job, I’ve taken your clients, and I’ve even taken Patty Younan. We spent a very enjoyable time together earlier today. You’re flapping about cluelessly, like the loser you are, falling way off the pace I’m setting, while I’m having my cake and eating it.
Daniel: I like falling, it makes me feel alive. An old friend of mine used to say: “Carsons don’t keep their feet on the ground.” When I land, you’ll know it, because I’ll be landing right on top of you.
Jace: It’s your move, and you’ve got one move left, Carson. Run and hide.

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Daniel: What happened?
Becky: The interviews are gone. We’re screwed.
Ramona: Ayden made a deal with MFNN and bought the interviews.
Becky: We can’t just go on social media and start making claims without any evidence. It’s over, detective.
Argus: It’s probably for the best…
Daniel: Have the interviews been deleted?
Ramona: No. Jace Paxton showed up and collected them.
Daniel: Collected them how?
Ramona: He transferred them to his laptop. He was going to show them to Ayden.
Daniel: A blue laptop?
Ramona: Yes.
Daniel: Hang on, I need to make a call.

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Daniel: Justin? Listen up, this is very important. Some time ago, either you or Wei Keane hacked my laptop, when Oceane just popped up on my screen and started talking to me. Can you guys still access that laptop? Yeah, I’ll wait.
Ramona: …that?! I want justice for my sister, and my nephew!
Argus: I was trying to protect us, from Ayden! Becky was pushing me into it so that Maria can take over my job, don’t you understand that?!
Ramona: What you did was wrong! You should lose your stupid job!
Argus: This isn’t about my job! Ayden would have crushed us, you know that!
Ramona: We could have moved! We would have managed! This isn’t just about us, Argus!
Argus: Why should we take the fall because your sis…
Daniel: Yeah? You can still get into that laptop? OK, drop everything you’re doing, and do exactly what I tell you. This is a matter of war or peace for Sunlit Tides, do you understand? OK, this is what I need you to do…

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Daniel: We have the interviews. Even as we speak, they are being spread on social media, from Jace Paxton’s accounts.
Ramona: What?!! How did you…
Becky: Impressive, detective. Very impressive…
Daniel: Ramona, start packing, your family is being relocated.
Argus: Relocated where?! What are we supposed to do for a living?!
Daniel: Sunlit Tides. You’ll be…
Argus: Sunlit Tides?! A war is about to break out there! How…
Daniel: Shut up and listen! Once the war issue is resolved, you’ll be provided with jobs, and a new house, free of charge. If that’s not good enough for you, I can’t help you.
Ramona: We’re going home! You hear that, kids? Sunlit Tides!
Argus: A free house?! Who are you, really?!
Daniel: A man with some powerful friends. You’re coming with me, and we’re spending the night out of town. I’m not giving Jace Paxton the chance of dragging you onto the news to make you take back what you've said. Grab your jacket, we’re leaving now. Becky, fire up your network of friends and start pushing those interviews.
Becky: You got it. I’m pretty good at pushing, I’ve pushed out six children.

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What a stroke of luck. What a mind-bending, absolutely unfathomably fantastic stroke of luck. Why was Jace still using his old laptop? Did it represent some kind of trophy? Being able to spread the interviews from his social media accounts was the icing on the cake. Here, have your cake, Jace, with icing, and choke on it. Hah!
Sam: …smackaroonies, Bob, that’s what it’s all about.
Bob: I guess so, Sam. I guess so… OK folks, it’s music time, and you may or may not have heard about her: Savannah. Ring a bell, Sam?
Sam: I haven’t heard her, but I’ve seen some promotional photos. Based on those, oh boy, I’d say she’s going places.
Bob: She already is, Sam. Up six places from last week, the hottest artist cranked out of the Flash Productions line for quite a while: Savannah, with “Enter My Mace”.
Didn’t they tell Flash, in no uncertain terms, that he shouldn’t promote Catherine? He was heading for trouble…

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The hotel room was clean, pricey and modern. So modern that he could even hook up his cell to the TV on wireless, and watch the spectacle Chancer had put together. Lucretia, looking fashionably flashy, was crying her heart out, outlining in detail how Ayden had used her, with teenage Israel looking suitably angry and angst-ridden behind her. Waylon, looking void of energy, moaned about the emotional crash he had suffered when he learned the truth, and how the economic burden of paying child support had put him on the brink of ruin. With no critical questions being asked, the interview was clearly skewed away from any attempt at being objective. It wasn’t journalism, it was sensationalism, but it was the kind of sensationalism that can turn elections around. Before he could delve further into the interviews, Argus was knocking on his door. If Argus thought he could wail his way back home, he had better…

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Daniel: Nuraya…?
Nuraya: Yeah, unless you still want to call me Aunt Aria, but I guess we’re past that?
Daniel: Why are you riding motorcycle in this weather?
Nuraya: You told me not to show my face to the traffic cameras. The helmet does a pretty good job of obscuring it.
Daniel: How did you know I was here?
Nuraya: I called in a favor, from someone who can see where your cell phone is. Judging from what I could see through the window, you’re alone. What are you doing here? Waiting for someone? Hiding from someone? Someone like me?
Daniel: No, I’m just… taking a time-out. I thought you were off the case?
Nuraya: I am, for the moment. Do you have the decryption key?
Daniel: No. Didn’t she tell you?
Nuraya: Who? Have you told anybody about it?!
Daniel: You better come on in, or I’ll be hospitalized with frostbite…
Nuraya: Close the curtains.

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Daniel: The decryption key is in code, I’ll need a couple of days to figure it out. Why didn’t Diane tell you?
Nuraya: Diane…?
Daniel: Yeah. Your foster mom, Diane Quintana.
Nuraya: She was here, and approached you?!
Daniel: M-hm. She said she was picking it up for you. Since she knew I had it, I assumed…
Nuraya: Don’t assume anything when it comes to that key. Don’t mention it to anyone, including Ryker and his agents. This is between me and you, and nobody else.
Daniel: If you had stuck to that, she wouldn’t have known about it.
Nuraya: I made a mistake. Why do you think her name is Diane Quintana? Is that how she introduced herself?
Daniel: I recognized her from the photo in “A Different Drum”, the book…
Nuraya: …that Alyssina gave to Jack. Jack gave it to you?
Daniel: Yeah.

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Nuraya: Where is that book now?
Daniel: Chloe has it.
Nuraya: OK… Did Diane say anything else…?
Daniel: She said she had changed Ayden Van Gould’s stance on the war issue, and asked me to tell her what Chloe was doing to stop a declaration of war.
Nuraya: How did she try to convince you to help her?
Daniel: She claimed that the war represents an alternate future, a better future, for both me and my family, and herself.
She managed to maintain an almost perfect poker face, with the slight exception of her eyelids rising slightly, resulting in a steely stare lasting for several seconds.
Nuraya: I understand… If she reaches out to you again, refer her to me, whatever she says.
Daniel: What’s in that file? If you don’t want the feds to see it, it can’t just be evidence against Chloe. Diane wants it, you want it… Whatever it is, it sounds like it’s valuable.
Nuraya: You don’t need to know what is in the file. Just get me the key.
Daniel: I’m sick of people telling me what I don’t need to know. Maybe I’ll keep that key to myself. I’ve managed just fine without the stuff you looted from Memory Lane.
Nuraya: Really? This again?

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Nuraya: I hope you realize that you’re walking around as a free man only because I’ve managed to convince Ryker that you’ll be useful. You’re not in a position to make any demands.
Daniel: You know what? I think I can do pretty well against those bogus charges in a court that isn’t rigged, and I think I can handle a couple of years in jail too. I’m not giving you the decryption key unless you tell me what it unlocks.
Nuraya: You’re bluffing, Daniel, and…
Daniel: Am I? Try me. Just walk out of here.
Her eyes were scanning him, looking for signs of weakness, but it was she who was tensing up. Those eyes, which used to be blue, had scanned him since he was born, and he used to feel that they could see all the way to bottom of his soul. Now, they had no impact on him. For the very first time, he felt like an equal in the company of the woman who had subconsciously dominated his entire childhood, before coming back to haunt him again. Was this another one of the crossroads of time Diane had talked about, where a radically different future would come to be, if Nuraya got up and just walked away?
Nuraya: Genetic research.
Daniel: Chloe’s genetic research, from her days as Alexandria Lane?
Nuraya: That too, but I suspect her research was extrapolated from a much bigger source: The Geneweavers’ archives.
Daniel: Who or what are Geneweavers?

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Nuraya: During the time when scientists were mapping the human genome, a number of genetic experts voiced their dissatisfaction with the project. They argued that it was futile, since it effectively wrote off large parts of the genome as being junk DNA. Some of these rebels eventually coalesced into The Geneweavers: An underground affiliation of rogue scientists, lacking any real organization beyond their pledge to share their findings with the others in the group, and their common goal of unlocking the secrets of the so-called junk DNA. In their quest, they didn’t shy away from performing experiments that crossed into territory considered both immoral and illegal.
Daniel: Mad scientists…
Nuraya: You might say that, but there was some real talent among them.
Daniel: And that talent included Chloe? She was one of the Geneweavers?
Nuraya: No. This happened before she was born. You really don’t know anything about this, do you?
Daniel: No, I don’t. What connection does she have to them? Why would she have their archives?

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Nuraya: After a few decades, the idealism that had infused the Geneweavers gradually gave way to pragmatism, and mistrust and professional jealousy set in. One by one, they stopped sharing their research with each other, either because they had nothing new to report, or because they thought the others were holding back what they knew. No great breakthrough was made, and as the years marched on, the Geneweavers simply faded out. Some transitioned to normal family lives, others to regularly paid jobs, while old age caught up with quite a few.
Nuraya: The Geneweavers had ceased to exist when a young, brilliant scientist, having inherited his father’s research, became convinced that his father had been close to a breakthrough. The youngster could make no further progress on his own, and when he tried to contact his father’s old Geneweaver friends, or their families, he learned that little in life is free. They were willing to part with their old files, for a price, but the budding genius was broke.

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Nuraya: Eager to keep his findings to himself, and to avoid the shackles of supervision that any major institution or business would entail, he started searching for a private sponsor. After a while, he found the perfect candidate: She was rich, she had zero interest in science, and she was old, meaning she wouldn’t be around for very long to monitor how he spent her money. Such was the backdrop, when, one chilly spring evening, our young researcher, whose name was Mike Acker…
Daniel: Chloe’s father?!
Nuraya: Yes. …knocked on the door of a house in Starlight Shores. Behind that door lived the biggest celebrity in the city, still filling stadiums as a rock star, despite her advanced years: Kate Carson. The door opened, and Kate, who never turned away anyone who wasn’t a paparazzi, listened to his story. She didn’t commit to anything, and simply said she’d think about it.
Daniel: So that’s how her parents met each other…
Nuraya: Yes. Kate thought about it, twisting and turning around in her creative mind the possibilities that the young genius opened to her, and she came to a decision. For the remainder of that night, she prepared for what would happen the next morning.

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Nuraya: This time, it was Mike Acker’s turn to find someone on his doorstep. Overnight, Kate had shaved 50 years off her age by quaffing a potion, and she appeared before him as if she had popped off the front cover of Rock Fashion. She was the most glorious thing he had seen in his life. With her youthful look and legendary charm, she blew him off his feet, and he agreed to everything she proposed: She would provide him with the funds to acquire all the bits and pieces of Geneweaver research. In return, he would marry her, once her current husband, Jack Carson, had died of old age. He would also have to provide her with a child. Not just any child, mind you, but a daughter, enhanced by all the Geneweaver mojo he would now come to possess.
Daniel: Chloe… Is that why she’s so bloody smart?
Nuraya: For all we know, Mike Acker might have been a snake oil peddler. We don’t know anything about what he did to “enhance” Chloe, or if he did anything at all, but her performance at University was so stratospheric that it suggests he did do something.
Daniel: Is she a clone?
Nuraya: Chloe? No. She has many of her mother’s features, but Kate went the full term, and gave birth to her. It wasn’t like with Alexandria.
Daniel: What do you mean?

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Nuraya: Kate was very pleased with the result after having Chloe. She wanted a second daughter, just like the first, while avoiding the rigors of a second pregnancy. While Chloe was still a baby, Mike cloned her and made Alexandria. Cloning babies is illegal, so it was hushed up.
Daniel: Aha… That certainly explains why Chloe and Alexandria looked so similar… How do you know all this?
Nuraya: My grandparents, Mika and Clint, where at University when Kate met Mike Acker. When they returned, they all lived together, both in Starlight Shores and Sunset Valley, before my grandparents moved to 325 Oak Grove Road, and became their neighbors. When Mike was frustrated, my grandparents were someone he could vent to.
Daniel: You never met your grandparents. Or your father.
Nuraya: No… But their stories lives on, through my father’s brothers, and their descendants. Though we Moores don’t like to admit it, she is mother of us all, and she’s a fascinating subject.
Daniel: Could Chloe have made Katya Doe as some kind of revenge? Kate made a clone of Chloe, and then Chloe made a clone of Kate…
Nuraya: Maybe. However that might be, I think we need the Geneweavers’ archives to decipher the genetic anomaly in Katya and her offspring. Even after all this time, today’s experts can’t make heads or tails of it. Was Katya Nameless just a failed experiment? In that case, what was Chloe trying to do?

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Daniel: In Sunset Valley, you said she is revisiting her old work. At Nebula 7, her headquarters, the lab went on lockdown the last time I was there…
Nuraya: The true purpose of that place is to provide a framework for continuing her experimental genetics. I’m sure of it. Unless you can find out what is going on in that lab, our only hope of uncovering it is to review her old work, and the Geneweaver files. That’s why I need that decryption key.
Daniel: OK. I’ll give you the key, but I want to be there when you open those files. You’ll also give me the stuff that remains from Memory Lane.
Nuraya: Agreed. Once Ryker understands that the invasion is not going to happen…
Daniel: How can you be so sure that it won’t happen? What did my father see?
Nuraya: …he’ll be coming here, and he’ll be steaming. I expect him to be here the day after tomorrow. Be prepared.
Daniel: Prepared how?
Nuraya: To make a case for yourself about how you’ll be more useful to him by going back to Sunlit Tides, instead of being in jail. Also, be prepared to give me what you have on the decryption key, in whatever state it’s in.

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He tried getting back into the interviews after she had left, but soon found that he wasn’t paying attention to them. He already knew what they were about, there was nothing he could do about the election that Becky wasn’t already doing, and the conversation with Nuraya kept rummaging around in the back of his mind. There was something very important to be inferred from what she had told him. He could feel it, but he couldn’t grasp it. Opening the curtains and starting out into the white landscape was a bid to give his thoughts room to roam, but it didn’t help much. Chloe had grown up and competed for the Carson inheritance with the most difficult opponent he could imagine: A version of herself. Was that what had formed her personality? Had she done away with her sister and claimed her life because she felt entitled to it?

Soon, his thoughts turned home, and hoping they were safe. If Ed had killed Ritchie Keaton, he couldn’t have been operating on his own, meaning the threat was still out there. Perhaps having a federal agent stationed in the house wasn’t so bad after all? Then again, whoever was hunting Lynx would probably know that the best bet on getting information about where she was, wasn’t the Carson family, it was Daniel Carson… He couldn’t call her, because of the stupid policies at Nebula 7, but he could have sent her an email. Saying what? I love you, hope to see you soon? Election tomorrow, cross your fingers? It felt so empty… so scripted. So meaningless, until it was truly resolved. Argus Brown would be voting tomorrow, he would make sure of that, and he had best tick the right box…

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Clerk: …the curtain, grab a paper ballot from the shelf…
Woman: Excuse me, you are Daniel Carson, right?
Daniel: Yeah.
Clerk: …into the hole.
Argus: Got it.
Zoe: I’m Zoe Durwood, we met once, many years ago…
Daniel: OK…
Vlad: Can we speed this up a bit?! I’ve gotta…
Suraya: Get back in line, and await your turn, Vlad.
Vlad: Yeah, yeah… agh…
Zoe: I was wondering if you could look into the conditions at the retirement home? You see my father is there, and I have seen, with my own eyes, how they put half-eaten meals back in the fridge, to be served again another day, to some other random elder…
Daniel: I’m not a licensed investigator anymore. I’m sorry.
Zoe: But you went to school with Faith MacDuff, the owner, and Daydream Ivy, the manager.  Can’t you talk to them? That place is like a prison, and it seems like all they care about is mon…
Suraya: Zoe, it’s your turn! Step up!

The slow-paced process continued without further drama until he went through the gate, when some familiar faces made an appearance.

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Pearl: Secure the votes.
Suraya: What do you think you’re doing?! Stop!
Pearl: You are…?
Suraya: Officer Suraya Younan. I’m in charge here! Nobody touches that box!
Pearl: I’m Zara Ishmuratova, chief electoral supervisor of Sim Nation, and I’m in charge here. Is the inside of that ballot box coated with FireSafe? Is there a hand-conforming Jelloplast-tube connected to the hole in the box?
Suraya: What…? No…
Pearl: No? Then what prevents someone from throwing a lit match into the hole, making all the votes go poof? You? Officer, present your service weapon for inspection.
Suraya: I don’t have a weapon…
Pearl: No. You don’t even have a billy club, do you? How are you safeguarding these votes, which are the very essence of democracy? With your tits? There are so many irregularities here that I really should shut the whole thing down, and slap this administration with a fine so big that it will probably cost you your job. Or… We could do it the easy way…
Suraya: What do you mean?
Pearl: You let me and my men do our jobs. You accompany us as we transfer the votes to a guarded strongroom just down the hall. After that, you let my men collect the votes in the box once every hour, to prevent them from piling up in the faulty ballot box. At the end of the day, all personnel involved with arranging a hitch-free election in Moonlight Falls gets a bonus.
Suraya: A bonus…?
Pearl: Yes. We believe in a stick and carrot approach. Which do you prefer, officer Younan?

Did she take the money? It was Suraya, so of course she did. A part of him wanted to cry foul play as they walked off with the bag of votes, feeling like it was too audacious, too cheap, making a mockery of all the work so many people had put into winning the election. Instead, he just stood there, wondering if he was seeing Plan C or Plan F being executed, and marveling over how simple, yet risky it was. Had Pearl said she was leaving town just to throw him off, because she didn’t trust him? He should have been happy, knowing that this was the surefire way to make Gladsten win, but more than anything, he felt cheated.

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Patty: Kaneisha says the photos came out good. She’ll bring them to you tonight.
Daniel: That’s great. Thanks for… stepping up. Now I have to think about how I’m going to serve this up to Ayden…
Patty: Blame it all on me. I used you to make myself more attractive to Jace Paxton, knowing that he goes for other men’s women, planning to seduce him into betraying Ayden.
Daniel: Why would you want to take the blame when I can lay it all on Jace?
Patty: Because Ayden will believe it, and because I want Ayden to think that this was all my idea.
Daniel: What is this thing with you and Ayden? Aren’t you afraid that he’ll come after you?
Patty: It’s some old stuff, and I’m not afraid of that. I have a plan.
Daniel: Which is…?
Patty: You’ll see. Can you send me a message when you go to meet Ayden?

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Daniel: Sure. Why?
Patty: I have something that will be the cherry on top, hammering home that it was me who destroyed his plan to marriage Marigold. Even if he wins the election, the truth about Israel Parrot and his affair with Lucretia will make Marigold leave him. I wish I could be there when he gets it, and see his face when it really sinks in that after all these years, I finally have my revenge. When his outdated, better-than-thou ego gradually cracks, like an old, rotten wall, before collapsing into a heap of worthless logs. At that moment, he’ll think that’s it, at least he’s rid of me, but he’ll be wrong. I will bore into his mind like a beetle would bore into those logs, and many years from now, he will still regularly wake up in the middle of the night, bathed in sweat, and with one face looking back at him from the darkness: Mine.
Daniel: Geezuz… You’re a very vindictive woman, Patty…
Patty: I am. Do you think we’ve done enough to win?
Daniel: Yeah. I’m pretty sure we have.
Patty: Stay a bit, and we can… celebrate.
Daniel: I spent the night at a hotel, I better get home, Patty.
Patty: Mrrm…

[Agathon]

Sibling Issues

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Danielle: Daniel, this is Matth…
Daniel: I know who he is. What’s he doing here?!
Danielle: Oh, the two of you have already met…
Daniel: Yeah, and he’s been nothing but bad news! What is it this time?
Matthew: Au contraire, Mr. Lane…
Danielle: It’s about the man who was murdered in Sunset Valley: Ritchie Goth-Keaton. These gentlemen tell me he was your father’s half-brother! Did Jackson know he had a half-brother? Did you know?
Daniel: Pops didn’t know, but I did.
Danielle: Why didn’t you tell us?! We should have been to his funeral!
Mr. Kane: Ahem…
Danielle: I’m sorry… This is Mr. Kane from Goddard-Kane-Jablowski. Go ahead, Mr. Kane…
Mr. Kane: The issue here is not really the late Mr. Goth-Keaton, but the situation brought about by his passing, with regard to Goth Manor. Allow me to explain…

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Daniel: Here’s what I don’t understand: If Jasen Goth inherited Goth Manor, why didn’t his children with Alyssina inherit it from him when he passed away?
Mr. Kane: After their divorce…
Matthew: Bitter divorce.
Mr. Kane: …bitter divorce, the rules of inheritance for the manor were altered. Descendants of Alyssina Lane are only eligible to inherit if there are no other living descendants of the Goth lineage. When Jasen Goth passed away, ownership of the manor went to his nephew, Stacey Goth, rather than Jasen’s children with Alyssina. Stacey Goth passed away without descendants, at which point the inheritance reverted back to…
Daniel: …Jasen’s children, John and Jack.
Mr. Kane: Precisely. John Lane had died childless, while Jack Lane had been declared dead, after having been reported missing for quite some time…
Daniel: So the Goth lineage is now traced through Jack’s children. Right?
Mr. Kane: That is correct.
Daniel: Then how come Ritchie Keaton got the manor, when he’s the youngest of Jack’s children? Was it just because my father and uncle had the wrong surname?

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Matthew: Absolutely not. They did not inherit because the wise lawmakers of Sunset Valley have passed a new law. This law states that that any individual, against which there is an outstanding warrant in Sunset Valley, is disqualified from the inheritance of real estate within the city borders.
Danielle: I’m sorry… Are you implying that my husband is wanted by the Sunset Valley PD?!
Matthew: No, I’m stating a fact. A very expensive car, originally registered in his name, was among the belongings confiscated when Nandini Landgraab, the notoriously corrupt former mayor of Sunset Valley, was apprehended. During her trial, no documentation or acceptable exp…
Danielle: My husband has never owned an expensive car!
Daniel: I bought it, in his name. Alecia gave it to Nandini.
Danielle: What? But how…
Matthew: Jackson Lane is…
Danielle: We have changed our surname to Carson, actually.
Matthew: No, you haven’t, actually. Someone, my guess would be Alecia, just changed the name on your mailbox. Jackson Lane is facing charges of political corruption, while the list of charges leveraged against his brother, Vance, are almost as exhaustive as the constitution. Please go on, Mr. Kane.
Mr. Kane: With Jack Lane’s remaining children being ineligible, the order of inheritance prioritizes offspring of his oldest child, Jackson Lane. That brings us to you, Daniel Lane…

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Daniel: Are you offering me Goth Manor?
Mr. Kane: Yes. Perhaps you wo…
Matthew: At this point, I have to point out that the law I previously brought up also covers individuals who have charges pending in Sunset Valley, such as Daniel Lane.
Mr. Kane: I haven’t been informed of these charges…?
Matthew: You will be, once we get back.
Danielle: What have you done, Daniel?!
Daniel: It’s nothing, just something they’ve made up. It doesn’t matter, I’m done with Sunset Valley anyway.
Matthew: The charges are real, and serious. Your son has been keeping some bad company, Mrs. Lane. The worst, I’d say.
Mr. Kane: Given this new information, it would seem that this visit has been unproductive, and that I have to make contact with the daughter of Vance La…
Matthew: No, you don’t. Jackson Lane has a second child, living in this very house: Celeste.
Mr. Kane: She is listed as a minor in my documents, and the Goth estate cannot…
Matthew: Your documents are outdated. She turned 18 two days ago. Mrs. Lane, where is your daughter? We need to talk to her.
Danielle: Celeste is too young to move to another town and take responsibility…
Matthew: Too young? She’s an adult. The decision is entirely up to her, isn’t it?

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Celeste: What decision...?
Matthew: Ah, you must be her. What a pleasure! Celeste, would you like to be the new owner of Goth Manor, in Sunset Valley?
Celeste: Yeah. I think I I’d like that very much. Are there any responsibilities attached to it? I hate responsibilities.
Matthew: Except for not being allowed to sell it, you can be as irresponsible as you like. You can tag the walls, smash the windows, or even burn the place to the ground, if that tickles your fancy.
Celeste: Sounds like my kind of place.
Mr. Kane: You will also be required to change your surname to Goth, or at least add Goth to your existing surname.
Celeste: That’s not a requirement, that’s a bonus.
Mr. Kane: Perhaps you would like to look at some pictures of the manor, or the floorplans?
Celeste: No. Where do I sign?
Mr. Kane: I’m afraid those papers are in Sunset Valley, you will have to…

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Danielle: Celeste, please think about this more carefully, before you make a dec…
Celeste: Think about what? I’m being offered a big house, for nothing, and I’m taking it.
Daniel: This bald schemer has hated our family his entire life…!
Matthew: No, just some parts of your family.
Daniel: …the only reason he is backing this is because he is looking to gain from it!
Celeste: So?
Daniel: This is some kind of trap. Don’t fall for it!
Celeste: You mean something like… Promising me a house, then going back on that promise? Hm? I’ve already survived that, thank you.
Danielle: You have never been to Sunset Valley. What if you don’t like it there? What happens then?
Celeste: I move on. Can we go to Sunset Valley straight away, so I can sign those papers? I’ve got my own car.
Matthew: The sooner, the better!

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Daniel: Are you the guy who’s been calling her?! Why are you doing this?! Just to tear my family part?! Tell me now, or I’ll…!
Matthew: I told you years ago. You don’t remember?
Daniel: Told me what?!
Matthew: About Kate’s female descendants, and how I would be looking to remedy losing Brook and Alecia to your family. Look at her… Her hair, her eyes… That is Kate’s blood, surging through her veins. True potential for greatness! When she marries my grandson, Omari…
Daniel: How she looks means nothing! You’re delusional!
Matthew: She’s a Carson, through and through, unlike you. Look at you, you don’t even look like a Lane. What was the name of that mud-pit hog farm your mother crawled out of? Swifton? Yes… You’re a Swifton, and that’s all you will ever be. Have a splendid day, Mr. Swifton.
Danielle: …Empusa?!
Celeste: No, you can keep her. I’m tired of pretending to like horses and riding.
Danielle: What?! But… You promised me you would take care of her!
Celeste: Whatever… Bye!

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The sound of feet and sobs rushing up the stairs accounted for his mother’s absence during the walk-out, with Celeste not even pausing to put on a jacket, as if pneumonia was a cheap price to pay to avoid spending a few more seconds in the company of her family. Anger and disappointment were frenetically clawing towards the opening in his face, both desperate to be the first to be formulated into words, but as he knew neither of them would make a difference, all he did was to clench that opening shut, and look stupid. When words finally did escape him, it was a thoughtless sputter, and she had a ready-made answer.
Daniel: Sunset Valley isn’t safe!
Celeste: We had a murderer as a tenant! You call that safe?!
Matthew: 13 Skyborough Boulevard, Celeste.
Celeste: Got you.
For the first time, he noticed that the car his parents had given her was in the color of her name. For the last time, the sister he was living with backed out of the driveway, drove off, and before long, she could no longer be seen from the house that was bearing her name.

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Her room looked different than the last time he had seen it. The teenage paraphernalia was gone, replaced by a joyless look, reinforced by self-decoration and a mother whose sobs had transitioned to moans.
Danielle: What does it mean…? Why was she not free?!
Daniel: It doesn’t mean anything. Matthew Carson has twisted her head and turned her against us.
Danielle: What did I do wrong, Daniel?! Tell me, please…
Daniel: This isn’t your fault! He’s been in contact with her for God knows how long. He’s to blame for this!
Danielle: She said she had just pretended to like horses…
Daniel: I heard. She just said that to hurt you.
Danielle: Why?! How could I lose her like that…? I don’t understand…
Daniel: What happened today was completely staged. They had been planning this, and nothing you could have said or done would have prevented her from walking out that door!
Danielle: Why would she want to leave? What was so unbearable about her life here?

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Daniel: She wanted to leave because she’s young, rebellious, and stupid enough to trust that schmuck.
Danielle: It feels like she hates us and will never come back…
Daniel: Don’t buy her act. When she learns that the bed she has made for herself is a bed of thorns, she’ll come crawling back.
Danielle: I hope she stays out of trouble. We should visit her, after a whi…
Daniel: I don’t think that would be a good idea. Let her have her “freedom”, for now.
Danielle: The things he said, about you… What kind of trouble are you in?
Daniel: The charges are bogus. It’s nothing serious.
Danielle: I can’t lose you too, Daniel. Do you understand?
Daniel: That will never happen. I may not always be at hand, but I will always be there when you need me.
Danielle: Thank you. I hope you will.
Daniel: I’m starving. Let’s eat and try to forget this for a while.
Danielle: You go and eat. I will stay here for a little bit, to… think.

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Chloe: There’s a taxi outside your house. Drop your phone and get in.
Daniel: What…? This isn’t a good time. I have some stuff to deal with…
Chloe: What stuff? Your sister’s birthday was days ago, and we’ve dealt with the election. If you want to come back here, you’re back on the clock, whipster.
Daniel: I’ve been working all along… Where am I going?
Chloe: You’re going somewhere to practice your favorite hobby: Digging in the past. You’ll be back by midnight.
Daniel: Why the secrecy? Why can’t I use my own car?
Chloe: Because the feds who are keeping an eye on you have already cost me one operative. Would you prefer me sending Pearl and her guys to take your tenant out of the equation?
Daniel: No… I’m going.

The taxi drove around erratically, sometimes slowing down and sometimes speeding up, while the driver kept eying the rearview mirror, until they reached their target destination.
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Kiara: Oooaaa…. If it isn’t my favorite cousin! What happened to your hair? Are there indians in these woods?!
Daniel: Very funny. Where are we going, and why?
Kiara: Sunset Valley, to talk to an old widow by the name of Tammi Andrews.
Daniel: Never heard of her. What’s the point?
Kiara: She used to be Tammi Lane, before tying the knot, you know? She’s the daughter of Trenton Lane, Alyssina’s twin brother.
Daniel: Why can’t you ask the questions? What at do you need me for?
Kiara: My name will mean diddly squat to her, she might just tell me to get lost. Nobody born a Lane will do that to the golden boy, the heir to Memory Lane. Well, I might…
Daniel: What happened in Aurora Skies?
Kiara: Can’t talk about it, you know. All I can say is the feds were all over us like flies on a turd. If we hadn’t been shacked up as the mayor’s personal guests, it could have gotten real ugly.
Daniel: Where’s Catherine?
Kiara: Dunno. We left separately, so they wouldn’t get us both, you know? Heard she got out, though.

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Daniel: I think we got the election. Did you hear about it?
Kiara: No. That’s a relief.
Daniel: Do you know if Chloe had a plan, in case Sunlit Tides was invaded? A submarine or something, to escape? It wouldn’t have surprised me…
Kiara: Yeah…
Daniel: Do you remember Matthew Carson? “The Impeccable?”
Kiara: M-hm… What? No…
Daniel: He got in my sister’s head, made her ditch us and move to Sunset Valley.
Kiara: Yeah.
Daniel: Hm. Ritchie Keaton’s murder…. Yeah, now I understand…
Kiara: Me too.
Daniel: Are you listening at all?! I need to make a stop in Sunset Valley, before we talk to the old broad.
Kiara: OK, but can you shut up? I can’t drive and talk at the same time, you know.
Daniel: I thought women could multitask.
Kiara: I can’t. Get the stuff in the back seat and put it on.
Daniel: This? You got to be kidding me…

Thanks to his last visit in Sunset Valley, and his talk to Corrie Sw0rd, he knew where to find her daughter, and, more importantly, her detective husband, Hunk. It was the first time he had been back to the old Keaton mansion since Lukas Keaton threw him out for asking about Jack, and Christen wasn’t so thrown off by the disguise that she denied him seeing it from the inside.
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Christen: Why are you back? Didn’t you cause enough trouble last time?
Daniel: Hey, it wasn’t me who got your mother sent to jail. How bad was it?
Christen: She’s serving life for treason, in Brick City, and they confiscated 325 Oak Grove Road.
Daniel: How long did you and your sisters spend in “quarantine”?
Christen: Three days. None of us had a job when we got out, except Haley.
Daniel: That’s rough. I need to speak to Hunk, about a murder here in the valley. If Haley is still tight with Matthew Carson, she needs to be kept out of the loop.
Christen: Are you looking to create a rift between my husband and my sister?
Daniel: No, I’m looking to create a rift between Matthew Carson and the rest of existence.
Christen: Do you still think I’m “cute”, Mr. Carson…?
Daniel: You’re constantly growing on me, I’d say we’re way past that.
Christen: I should have Hunk give you a thrashing, for talking like that to his wife.
Daniel: Yeah, you probably should.

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Hunk: You’re saying Matthew Carson hired Ed Williams to kill Ritchie Keaton-Goth, and then set him up?
Daniel: Yeah, because he knew my sister would inherit Goth Manor. That’s how he lured my sister away from my family, and he’s planning to make her the wife of his grandson. You’ve probably heard how he goes on about his bloodlines, and he thinks my sister is important, in that regard.
Hunk: What evidence do you have? Can you prove that he hired Ed Williams?
Daniel: No, but why would Ed kill Ritchie Keaton? What was his motive?
Hunk: A quarrel. That’s what Ed says. He didn’t name any co-conspirators. If Ed was set up by Matthew, why wouldn’t Ed tell us?
Daniel: Maybe he’s scared. Can’t you look at phone records, to see if there’s a connection between Ed and Matthew? Or start some sort of secret investigation of Matthew Carson?
Hunk: With Ed having confessed, and no evidence? You might as well ask me to reopen the Alto case.
Daniel: What’s the Alto case?
Hunk: A missing persons case. The oldest and coldest of all our open cases.

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Christen: Haley would catch wind of any investigation of Matthew Carson. We can’t risk that.
Daniel: Isn’t Haley upset about being thrown into quarantine, and her sisters losing their jobs?
Christen: That was the federal cops, not Matthew, and she knows that. I don't think she cares a great deal about what happens to her sisters.
Daniel: The last time I spoke to Corrie, she could see the writing on the wall. She knew Matthew would be coming for her, and she was interested in an alliance.
Christen: An alliance with…?
Daniel: Someone with who can blow Matthew Carson off the face of the earth by snapping her fingers.
Hunk: He has to be connected, somehow. Otherwise, the federal cops would never have let him go. If Matthew ever fancies this house, we’re done for. This could be our chance, Christen.
Christen: Be realistic, Hunk. He controls everything now, even the military, now that Magdalena is in charge.
Daniel: Don’t you want revenge, for what happened to your mother? For losing your job?
Christen: Does this invisible ally of yours face the risk of having to live on the streets? We do. Sometimes, you have to cut your losses. The Sw0rds are no longer a power to be reckoned with in Sunset Valley. This domain is now ruled entirely by Matthew Carson.

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Kiara: Mrs. Andrews?
Tammi: Yes?
Kiara: We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about your father, Trenton, you know?
Tammi: My father has been dead for 40 years. What is this about?
Daniel: Family history. As you may know, Alyssina Lane never finished her work on the 4th generation of the Lanes. We are looking to publish another volume, featuring the 4th and 5th generations.
Tammi: Who are you? Journalists?
Kiara: I’m Kiara, Vance’s daughter, and this here is Daniel, Jackson’s son. He was the heir to Mem…
Tammi: I think not. Daniel Lane has blond hair. Please go away, or I’ll call the pol…
Daniel: This is just a wig, and the mustache is a fake. Look, I’ll take it off…

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Kiara: Oaaaa…. That’s big, and I want it!
Tammi: It’s from my session with Strablansky, and it’s not for sale, I’m afraid. It doesn’t fit in here, and it is a bit embarrassing, at my age, but my sons would never forgive me if I parted with it.
Kiara: Embarrassing?! For heaven’s sake, you were a bombshell. Be proud!
Tammi: Thank you, dear…
Daniel: I thought Roberto Strablansky was just into music.
Tammi: It’s by Evgeny, his father. He was a legendary photographer.
Daniel: Hm.
Kiara: I take it you were a professional model?
Tammi: Just briefly, before I got my medical degree.
Kiara: Looks and brains? You know, if I had either, I’d be living on a cloud!

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Daniel: I recognize him from the photos at Memory Lane. That’s Trenton, all right. He looks kind of grim in his photos…
Tammi: He often had an expressionless, distant look about him. Many people found that unnerving. They used to call him “Thousand-yard Trenton”.
Daniel: I guess that came in handy when he handled certain things for Alyssina…
Tammi: It might have.
Kiara: Is this your mother?!
Tammi: It is indeed. Tanya McIrish. She was a self-employed gardener, before working for the Lanes at the science center.
Kiara: She was so cute! A real peach!
Tammi: The McIrishes have good genes, and her grandmother was Canossa Goth, the famous fashionista. She was the only woman Brook invited to Trenton’s presentation, and Brook was a very persuasive woman, they say.

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Tammi: My sister Camilla, bless her soul, and I, in our younger, headier days…
Daniel: Your sister looked a lot like Esther, her grandmother.
Tammi: It was often pointed out to her, especially when we came to Esther’s Saturday parties at Memory Lane!
Kiara: Lucky you, who got to see the place…
Tammi: I must have been there six or seven times, mostly while Esther still lived there. We were young, stupid, and the world was nothing but opportunities. Those were the days… The crowd changed when Alecia took over the parties. She usually invited her friends: Nandini, Corrie and Zsazsa, while we had become settled at that time.
Kiara: You must have met Alyssina there, maybe even Mickey Lane?
Tammi: Alyssina never joined the parties, she would be outside, tending the horses, almost as if she was protesting against all the merriment. My grandfather usually made a symbolic appearance, but he never stayed around for long, and rarely opened his mouth. There wasn’t much left of the dashing ladies man at that point, and I can’t say I ever got to know him.
Daniel: Sounds like they weren’t exactly a jolly bunch, except for old Esther…
Tammi: She did have Jasen, Alyssina’s husband, to help her out, and he could liven up any party. But I guess you’re not here to hear about that? Let’s have a seat, and talk about my father.

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Kiara: We know your father was an inventor, you know, but he was also Alyssina’s cleaner. Did he seem bitter about her getting everything, while having to do her dirty work?
Tammi: You don’t beat about the bush, do you? My father was not the type to talk about his feelings. I would say that they had a business-like relationship.
Kiara: As opposed to, you know, a normal sibling relationship? Did she come here often?
Tammi: Once in a blue moon, and she never came inside. She waited outside, together with her horse. They normally kept in touch over the phone.
Kiara: Who were his friends? Besides family, who came here to see him?
Tammi: A cleaner doesn’t have a lot of friends, you should know that, being Vance’s daughter.
Kiara: Do you remember anyone coming to visit him at all?
Tammi: Yes. Diane, Esther’s friend.
Kiara: Ooooa… Interesting! Tell us about her.
Tammi: She was a young, good-looking vampire. I met her once, at one of Esther’s parties. After Esther died, she came to see Trenton a few times. She must have been from out of town, as she never got older. If she had been a Valley townie, that would not have been tolerated.
Kiara: Why would a foxy young friend of his dead mother come to visit Trenton? You know, I’d think that was very strange.

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Tammi: Yes… We did too. My mother didn’t approve of it at all, until she found out that Diane wasn’t interested in my father… in that fashion. She had… different tastes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
Kiara: I hope not!
Tammi: …but it turned out that they were meeting for business reasons.
Daniel: What sort of business?
Tammi: I was never told. They met intermittently, but after a number of years, she stopped showing up, and I don’t think they met after that.
Daniel: Can you remember when their meetings began, and when they ceased, in relation to what was going on at Memory Lane?
Tammi: Let me think… I believe the first time she came here was not too long after Esther passed away… The last time…? I don’t know what was happening at Memory Lane around then…
Daniel: Had she stopped coming by the time Aunt Aria came to Sunset Valley?
Tammi: Yes… I think her last visit was a bit before that.

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Daniel: Did Trenton travel around much?
Tammi: He did go out of town on a number of occasions, always on Alyssina’s behalf. That’s what he told us, at least.
Daniel: Do you know where he went?
Tammi: I know he was in Appaloosa Plains several times, to scout out horses for breeding at Memory Lane. Apart from that he was a little here and there…
Daniel: Could he have been to Aurora Skies, you think?
Tammi: Yes, you’re right! He came back with a huge winter jacket he had bought up there, I remember that. It must be real cold that far north.
Daniel: Do you remember when this was?
Tammi: I’m not sure… Is it important? Do I have a younger sibling in Aurora Skies that I never knew about? That would be quite a shock!
Daniel: No, not that I know of…
Kiara: How did your parents spend all the money?

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Tammi: All the money…?
Kiara: My father was on serious money as a cleaner. I’d think it was the same for Trenton, you know, and wasn’t he an inventor too?
Tammi: I never thought of us as being rich, but perhaps we were… My mother wasn’t much a spender, but Trenton did like to buy new cars, and sell them off after a year or two. That can’t have been very profitable, now that I think about it.
Kiara: Did anything change, financially, when Diane entered the picture?
Tammi: No… Why would it have changed?
Kiara: You said they were in business together. That might have changed things, you know? Anyhow, I think we got what we need. Thanks for answering our questions, we better be on our way.
Tammi: Already…? I have spare beds if you want to stay over, to ask more questions tomorrow? If you are hungry, I can…
Kiara: We have work tomorrow, I’m a… firewoman, you know.
Tammi: How exciting! I hope I can ask you two a couple of questions when you come back with a copy of the book! I will get a copy, I hope…?
Kiara: Of course!

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Daniel: Chloe was right. Why does she always have to be right…
Kiara: Right about what?
Daniel: Trenton was the one who brought Alyssina the diary from Ralston Heights Sanatorium.
Kiara: I have no idea what you’re talking about, you know?
Daniel: How could you ask those questions if you don’t the history?!
Kiara: You know, you’re the history guy, not me. Chloe gave me a list of questions to memorize, and you asked her some of ‘em.
Daniel: Diane Quintana, Nuraya’s foster mom, was using Trenton to manipulate Alyssina long before Nuraya appeared as Aria. Chloe therorized that the Lane legacy wasn’t lost because Alyssina fell off her rocker, it was lost because she was pushed off.
Kiara: Yeah, yeah, I get that part. But if he didn’t do it for money, or for love, why would he do that to his sister?
Daniel: Jealousy? Sibling rivalry?
Kiara: I’m an only child, you know. Would you do that to your sister?
Daniel: Sometimes, I think a lesson in humility is exactly what she needs…