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Investigating the Elusive Barry Grant
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Clift Garrett
Clift Garrett
Thespian

Oct-28-2008 02:14


...

“He’s just gone!”

“What do you mean gone?”

“I mean gone, detective, disappeared without a trace.”

“Barry Grant? Gone?”

“…”

“And what do you expect out of me?”

“What should I expect out of you?”


Replies

Clift Garrett
Clift Garrett
Thespian

Nov-2-2008 03:42


Clift sat quietly reflecting in a dusty corner of the Cacophony Conservatory.

This was not the ideal place to think over a case, but its safety and security was a certainty. Even private detectives did not visit Angela Caban very often "for some reason the woman was not liked widely. However, she liked Clift and allowed him his moments of silence and reflection when she had no lessons to teach or practice to catch up with.

Clift took out his pad and hesitated a moment before starting to write: ‘Women in Barry Grant’s Life’. Clift was not really comfortable with delving into people’s personal lives and analysing their private business. However, most cases required a degree of such crude behaviour. The Barry Grant case was definitely not going to be solved if he played it clean.

Clift wrote five names on the piece of paper he had before him:
“In order of intimacy/importance:

Mrs. Rebecca Franks
Miss Andrea X
Mrs. Breit Katherine Pfeiffer Adams
Miss Violet Parr
Miss Makensie Brewer
Miss Sahira Quadir ”

‘Five women,’ he thought, ‘five very complicated lives. All intricately woven in Barry Grant’s life and times.’ His list included a divorcee, four single women and only one happily married woman.

Barry Grant was always very popular with the ladies: for various reasons. Clift would have to investigate each of the women in his life separately in order to shed further light on his personal life and seemingly private disappearance.


yoyofoshow
yoyofoshow
Old Shoe

Nov-2-2008 06:29

Ping moves silently into yoyo’s office at the Closers during the dead of night. The agency seemed like a battleship going to its decommissioning ceremony- a skeletal crew and a bleak future.
Ping dropped the letter in front of yoyo on his oak desk, yoyo’s desk lamp shines brightly across his face, the only source of light in the room. ‘What’s this?’ he said as he poured himself a shot of whisky.
Ping moved out of his office with out saying a word, this wasn’t the same senior officer he had met over 2 years ago.
Yoyo made himself another one before reading the message. He had become bored, too many people he knew had left he had seen everything there was to see the world just seemed to turn empty. Hell he was no hero either; he couldn’t remember the last time he had actually done a case. ‘Barry Grant’ he mused to himself ‘That son of a "‘. Yoyo hadn’t hard that name in over a year; ‘fell right off the face of the planet’ he thought to himself as he has another; shot this time straight from the bottle. ‘There’s no way this kid’s gonna find Barry, if Barry wants to he’ll disappear the only thing he’ll ever find are the remnants of his past’. But yoyo needed something; he needed something to keep him alive and to keep coming to work instead of falling into disappearance like half of the gumshoes in town.

Yoyo picked up a pen and found some paper.

Mr. Garrett

You come here; I’ll see what I can do to help. Come prepared Shanghai is a tough city.

-yoyo

‘Ping send this out right away!’ he yelled. My sanity might depend on it he mumbled to himself as he took one more shot from the bottle.

Clift Garrett
Clift Garrett
Thespian

Nov-3-2008 00:17


Clift was standing beside a huge ship in the New York Docks: He took in the view surrounding him. Great ocean liners from around the world slowly loaded and unloaded their human cargos. The bustling docks were the gateway to far off cities. One city in particular was of great interest to him: Shanghai.

Mr. Garrett could not wait until he reached this dazzling city of colour and culture. He also could not wait to further investigate the matter at hand: the character of Barry Grant and his not too distant past. As he was getting ready to board his ship, he turned to see a little boy running towards him shouting out: “Mr. Garrett! Mr. Garrett!” The boy reached him gasping for breath and handed him a telegram given to the boy by Mrs. Rudisill.

Clift tipped the boy and a smile flashed across his face as he read the telegram. It was from Yoyo: Yoyofoshow has agreed to help him with his investigations and it just so happens that he was on his way to him!

Clift was about to rejoice when he noticed yet another telegram in the envelope sealed by Mrs. Rudisill. He read attentively:

“DEAR MR GARRETT STOP
HOW ARE THINGS GOING IN YOUR INVESTIGATIONS? STOP
I THOUGHT OF SOMETHING STOP
THAT MIGHT BE OF GREAT STOP
HELP TO YOU STOP
THEN AGAIN, MAYBE NOT STOP
HOWEVER, NEVER HURTS TO STOP
CHECK THINGS OUT STOP
YOU MAY WANT TO STOP
TALK TO JASRAJ STOP
AT THE BAR IN DELHI STOP
WE ALL HUNG THERE ALOT STOP
MAYBE HE'S HEARD OR SEEN SOMETHING STOP
ABOUT HIM STOP
HOPE THIS TURNS UP SOMETHING STOP
FOR YOU STOP
TAKE CARE STOP
YOUR NEW FRIEND STOP
MAKENSIE BREWER”


Clift Garrett
Clift Garrett
Thespian

Nov-3-2008 00:19


Clift was deep in thought.

Did he have enough funds to make yet another trip to Delhi? He suddenly felt very lonely. He wished that Makensie was with him in this journey that he had to make all alone.

He shook such thoughts out of his head. After all he was a private detective and he could not think of a lonelier profession. He knew what he signed himself up for: the Barry Grant case would stir a lot of emotion in many minds and hearts.

The sound of the last call suddenly caught his attention. As he boarded the ship he comforted himself with an old song he’d perform at one of his Broadway musical shows.

Clift Garrett was prepared for it all.


Clift Garrett
Clift Garrett
Thespian

Nov-4-2008 04:42


**Shanghai, Docks, 0414 hrs (local)**

Clift had finally arrived at Shanghai, where the youngest of China's ancient cities teems with sordid characters who rake in big profits from illegal activity. The Orient's child of western imperialism, this opium den of a city had seen its share of crime.

Clift did not know this city’s streets, but he knew that he had to be clever and faster than the next guy to survive. As Clift disembarked the ship, he was greeted suddenly by a very pleasant, slender Chinese man holding up a sign with “kift gawett” scribbled on it in hardly legible handwriting. Clift smiled. He had heard about Wu, the agency clerk and personal assistant at Obelisk’s Shanghai field office.

Wu managed the building and maintenance fund for Obelisk's field office and various Obelisk agents' apartments. When Obelisk agents were in town he stayed in the office and acted as agency clerk and assistant to the senior agent on site.

Clift had heard that the rest of his time, Wu did freelance accounting and property assessment for a variety of legitimate non-sleuthing agencies. Though Wu was a pretty forgettable fellow at face value, he had loads of casual connections to quite a large client base, but an introduction was as far a benefit one could reap from them.

Clift was a guy that valued honesty and integrity above intellect if the two were to be inversely related. As such, he felt at ease when dealing with the likes of Wu. Clift got in the car Wu had ready for him, and they took off.


Clift Garrett
Clift Garrett
Thespian

Nov-4-2008 04:49


***

Wu had handed Clift a letter received by Obelisk’s field office through Shanghai’s local post. It was a reply to a letter he sent earlier to the Director of The Closers, Mr. R Anstett:

“Dear Mr. Garrett,

I would be glad to help out as I can.

Kindly refer to Mr. Yoyo or myself for further instructions on access to The Closers as you would need an invitation from an Agency Director or Officer.

I would also advise you to investigate Barry's movements at the race track in Shanghai: A public arena where there should be no access issues.

Yours,

Ran”

Clift swallowed, he could not believe his immense luck. Already he’d received very clear directions, a helpful hand and support from both Yoyofoshow and Director R Anstett.

He could hardly utter his instructions: “Take me to The Closers Headquarters Wu, immediately. I can rest and have something to eat later.”


Clift Garrett
Clift Garrett
Thespian

Nov-4-2008 11:12


Yoyo was driving.

After a hard day’s work at The Closers, researching the Barry Grant Case, Yoyo and Director Anstett decided to take Clift to one of the finer restaurants in Shanghai for a wholesome, well-deserved dinner.

Clift had spent the whole day at The Closers gathering information at Barry’s old office. It was Barry's very first office: a small, windowless office with the bare essentials. Desk, chair, stained couch, lamp, beat up rug, and a dead potted plant. Apparently The Closers was the agency where Barry first started.

The Closers was to Barry what Obelisk is currently to Clift: Home. Barry Grant's name was plastered on the door of the small office. The office's size was well-suited for a rookie "perhaps a little smaller than what a witty rookie could bargain for.

There weren’t any items of any personal significance though: Barry must have cleared off before moving on to his next agency.

Clift had come across a heap of information having worked 11 hours straight at The Closers. After all, his visit would only last two days and he did not want to overstay his welcome. The information he’d come across was mostly personal but some articles of information he felt were related to the case.

Clift had gotten a very good feel of how Barry started out: Who were his friends and who weren’t. He had uncovered a slight rivalry between Barry and Director Anstett over a common love interest, but he felt that was neither here nor there. He has also found notes and reports carrying out instructions by Director Rhiemma Moon, who seemed to have been very fond of Barry: The way a big sister would look out for her younger brother.

Yoyo was clearly Barry’s buddy and helped him whenever possible. Ms. Reese Withers was also another good friend and so were various other detectives in the agency, existing and past.

Clift Garrett
Clift Garrett
Thespian

Nov-4-2008 11:15


However, the single person who seemed to have meant the most to Barry was Miss Andrea X. Clift had kept it to himself but he had uncovered various letters, messages and telegrams from and to Miss X, that Barry must have held very dear to his heart.

Much like Clift, Barry was an adventurer from the get go: a professional, but similarly reckless rookie.

Clift’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted: The pack had finally arrived at the Golden Garden Restaurant.


yoyofoshow
yoyofoshow
Old Shoe

Nov-5-2008 07:10

The headwaiter passed each of the three men a menu and left them. ‘So what do you want to know about her?’ yoyo asked, speaking into his menu.
‘Excuse me?’ Clift stammered.
‘You heard me. Andrea- I can tell your thinking of her. She had a way; you could always tell when someone was thinking of her. Plus, you kicked up so much dust in Barry’s office it was impossible not to realize what or who rather you where searching. All I want to know is why? Why is she of such great interest to you? I know people who have lots of information about missing people I could set something up. But I want to know why are you searching for Andrea and more importantly why are you searching for Barry Grant!?’


R Anstett
R Anstett

Nov-5-2008 07:59

Ran looked at the waiter as he brought over the drinks.

He gave a small shake of his head and quietly said, "you can bring out the private reserve tonight". With a quick bow and a hurried exchange in the back room the two bottles were replaced on the table.

"Slighty dusty with age like me" Ran smiled at the rest of the table, "but like a fine wine... " trailing off with a quirk of a smile.

"This is something I would have served at a dinner with Barry and Andrea during our time together. Those were 'interesting times' as our hosts would say."

"If you do have questions you would like to ask me feel free Clift. I have not been in the public eye for a while, but I do still keep in touch with interesting people."

Ran sat back and sipped his wine as he listened to Yoyo and Clift's converstion.

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