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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?”

Nov-7-2008 08:44


Clift was having a long overdue drink at the Tricky Mister Bar. The place was crowded with chatting locals, as always.

Cyrus Tibby, the Bartender, seemed to be having a rough day, and wasn't interested in chatting much. Clift was having his drink, quietly waiting for his good friend, Makensie Brewer.

Makensie had promised Clift a meet up for a drink or two upon his return to New York. Though she opted out of getting involved, Mak's actual interest in the Barry Grant case never ceased. She passionately and frequently sent Clift telegrams and letters asking about his well-being and the progress he achieved in the case.

Well... today Clift had a lot to share with the beautiful Ms. Brewer upon her arrival. His 'encounter' with Dr. David Adams, though answered all his questions, left him with many new ones.

Clift was at a loss.

He was making really good progress on the case, yet he was now lost. The information given to him by Dr. Adams had both enlightened and confused him. Many of his assumptions about the women in Barry's life turned out to be incorrect, and now it seemed there would be very little hope of Clift finding any trace of the people Barry loved the most, let alone Barry Grant himself.

Clift's face suddenly lit up: with her usual cheerful disposition and aura of positivity, Makensie Brewer entered the Tricky Mister.

Nov-7-2008 10:22

Makensie walked in, very frustrated already for her start of the day, but was glad for the break, before she really made the townspeople hate her.

Spotting Clift, she smiled, and waved, walking toward him to sit at the bar. Plopping a seat down beside him, she shrugged off her coat, ordered a Beer, and a shot of whiskey, and said, "Well, hello, Clift, we finally meet up to actually talk face to face" Clift smiles, and says, "Yes, I am very happy to finally be able to sit and chat" As Cyrus, put her beer, and shot in front of her, he says, "Well, my kind of woman. Beer AND shot" She chuckles, and says, "Normally, I dont drink whiskey but after the morning I've had, I need it" She took her shot, put it aside, and placed her beer in front of her.

"So, she said, looking at Clift, "How are things? I heard that things are getting a bit more serious for you, huh?" He nods, and continues to fill her in on everything up to date.

She cringed, and says, "Shangri-La, he was last seen? Not good. Very eerie, dangerous place" Clift nods, saying, "So, I hear. I just have so many questions now. It's making my head hurt just thinking about it"

She pats his arm, and says, "I know what you mean" He takes a sip of his drink, and says, "So, hows the treasure hunt going? Lets talk of something lighter" She chuckles, and says, "I wouldn't call that a light subject, seeing as how bad of luck I'm having. The townie I WANT doesnt want to give in to me. I must be losing my touch" She grins, and winks at him, as she takes a drink of her beer.

He laughs, and says, "You? Never. You still sticking around in NY?" She said, "Thankfully, I can go back to London today, after I leave here. No hurries though....I wont have any better luck there, than I had here" She shrugged, and chuckled.

Clift kind of brushes her arm, and says, "Keep your positive self. Them townies have to give in sometime, if you bug them enough." She nods, saying, "True, true" *more*

Nov-7-2008 10:32

Cyrus walks up, and says, "Mak, you starting another tab or what?" She says, "Are you kidding me? The last time I did that, it cost me a fortune. Someone really rang my tab up" He grins, saying, "Yeah, and her name is Makensie" She says, "No tab today. I will be just having this beer I have, then I have to scoot" Cyrus says, "Ok" She looks at Clift, then at Cyrus, and says, "Hey! On second though, get me another beer, and what my good friend here is drinking...it's on me"

Clift says, "You dont have to buy. A gentleman is supposed to buy for the lady" She waves her hand at him, and says, "Nonsense! I'm the one who suggested we have a drink here so, I will buy this time" She put some money up on the bar, and sat back, to enjoy the rest of her beer, before the second one came.

It was nice talking to her newest friend, Clift Garrett. As they talked, and laughed over their own little adventures, they could feel their days worries fading away.

( Hours later )

Makensie was laughing so hard, and having a good time, when she noticed the time. "Oh my goodness, I have to get going! I have to get back to London, and get to work or my boss will kick my butt", she says, getting up, grabbing her coat. Clift stood up with her, and says, "I should be going myself. Here, let me help you with your coat" She smiled, and thanked him, as he grabbed her coat, and held it open for her.

She gives him a friendly hug, and says, "It was so very nice having this talk with you. I needed that! Please keep in touch with me. Doesnt have to be just about your investigation, either" She smiles at him, and he says, "Thank you for the drinks, and for a nice, pleasant chat. WE definitely will be doing it again sometime" She nods, and says, "Definitely"

They both walk out into the rain, as Clift went one direction, and Makensie took off running in the other direction, calling for a cab.

Nov-7-2008 11:09

Meanwhile somewhere in the dark recesses of Shanghai lays a barely recognizable human. His humanity is covered with once elegant but now shabby clothes, many layers of grime, and 18 months of unshaven facial hair. He is with other barely recognizable and long forgotten humans in a place most do not go. Only those who have committed their lives to the service of others know where to find those who cannot help themselves. They go there once in awhile to remove the dead.

He lies there drifting in and out of consciousness not remembering who he is, who he was, or how he got to where he is now. He only knows what he yearns for. Clutching his now empty bottle he deliriously mutters one name repeatedly.

"Becky..."

Nov-9-2008 04:44


**New York, Obelisk Headquarters, 1452 hrs (local)**

Osberta Rudisill, the Agency Clerk at Obelisk Inc., walked into Clift’s Office in the basement of the Converted Bank at the Agency’s Headquarters with a pile of papers. As always, she seemed crossed with Clift. “Mr. Garrett here are a few telegrams and some reports that arrived from our London Field Office �" Emergency Response Unit...”

Clift was a bit too busy to notice her growing frown as she put the pile on his desk. “Thank you Mrs. Rudisill.”

Osberta stopped at the door and turned to Clift. “Mr. Garrett, your Barry Grant investigation is starting to strain the Agency’s resources.”

Clift raised his head. “Oh?”

“I have more important and interesting work I could be doing, which would be more lucrative to Obelisk. I suggest you ensure the Barry Grant case brings in as much money as your effort and absence from Obelisk is worth. I should speak to Mr. Von Victor if I feel my own efforts are being wasted!”

Osberta left without giving Clift the chance to respond. Clift sighed nervously: there was some truth to her complaint. He was hoping that his extensive work on the Barry Grant case was not affecting the Agency as a whole, but he did seem to be straining resources... Perhaps a call to Betty was due for a report and request for payment of some expenses.

Clift put these administrative thoughts aside and started reading the reports and telegrams from London.

Nov-9-2008 04:57


**New York, Obelisk Headquarters, 1917 hrs (local)**

Clift had spent some hours going through different pieces of information: The recently arrived reports and telegrams from London, his notes from meeting with Dr. David Adams and the information he gathered from Shanghai and The Closers.

“Well, Dr. Adam's information is immaculately correct.” Apparently, the information Clift gathered showed that Ms. Andrea X is indeed semi-retired as a detective, and living on a small estate in Surrey, England. His sources have informed him that she is not receiving any visitors with the exception of her fellow Agency members of the Hitchhikers.

Miss Violet Parr, similarly, seems to have retired and could not be located in London by anyone.

Mrs. Franks, however, was serving her fifteen-year sentence in Aylesbury women’s prison in Buckinghamshire, England. Apparently she was indeed arrested in China shortly after Barry disappeared and extradited to England. Her charges were endless but included larceny, theft, fraud, assault, slander, libel and forgery charges. Two of the assault counts were against an Officer of the Realm.

Her health reports were not that great either. Apparently life in prison did not suit her well and she was having immense difficulties adjusting.

Clift needed to speak to one of these three links to Barry Grant since he got all the information he could get from Dr. Adams who assured him that Breitkat Pfeiffer and Sahira Quadir had no further information on the case.

Miss X would be difficult to get in contact with as Yoyofoshow previously warned. Miss Parr seems to have disappeared from London and Clift had no contacts in Delhi whatsoever.

It seemed that a visit to Rebecca Franks, no matter how unpleasant, was inevitable.

Nov-9-2008 15:27

Entering the dingy basement office, Jesse found Clift sitting at his desk and staring off into space with a slightly frustrated expression on his face. "Mr. Garrett, we should talk a bit."

"Oh! I mean yes. Sir. Yes Sir." Clift cleared his throat and glanced nervously about the floor of the tiny room before reestablishing eye contact with the Obelisk director standing in his doorway. "What is it, Mr. Hunter?"

"Mrs. Rudisill has, in her sideways manner of speakin', expressed some concerns about your performance here at the agency. I've looked over your reports and... I'm going to ask you to clean out your desk, Mr. Garrett."

Nov-9-2008 15:27


Clift jerked as if slapped, then immediately flushed bright red and began shuffling pieces of paper around on his desk - making little piles. "Yes, yes, I understand..." he stammered, "I've been away... and not here... where the agency is. And the Grant Case, my work... "

"Your work," Jesse cut in, "is more than satisfactory."

"But then why...?"

"You're not being let go, Clift. You've brought valuable contacts and clients to the agency, and your case closure rate is excellent. It is true that your travel expenses could be tightened up a bit, but Osberta isn't really concerned about that."

"Oh." It was almost a question.

"Osberta has been with us since the beginning. In addition to record keeping, she considers herself something of our Guardian of Honor. A reckless rookie can be quite expensive, both to our finances and our reputation. For this reason she can be a bit cool toward new agents."

"Yes," Clift winced, "I may have caught the tiniest hint of that."

"So clean out your desk. You're moving to an office on the second floor."

Clift was confused again, and willing to say so. "I don't understand how that changes anything."

Jesse grinned. "Your work speaks for itself, it just doesn't speak TO anyone. The new office is a bit more visible. Let Mrs. Rudisill watch you work and she’ll come around. Take a lesson I learned in the Army, son: It’s not always what you do; sometimes it’s what you’re seen doing.”

“Ah! I see.” Whatever his director said next was lost; a realization was coming to fruition in Clift’s mind. Everyone had been so helpful in the Barry Grant case that it had never occurred to Clift Garrett that he may have been led around by the nose. A friend and brother goes missing and it takes a year and a half for anyone to show enough concern to hire a detective? Why now? “Maybe Betty owes me more than the cost of a few tickets,” Clift mused.

Nov-9-2008 19:06

Reese Withers entered the Tricky Mister for whats been a very long time. She heard from her cousin, Makensie Brewer, that a young detective was looking for Barry Grant. She didn't know he disappeared in the first place, and was very concerned with this.

She walked in, went straight to the bar, and asked Cyrus if he knew of a young detective by the name of Clift Garrett, who was investigating Barry Grant's disappearance.

Cyrus says, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do know him..or Ive atleast seen him here. With your cousin, Mak, actually, just recently" Reese nods, and says, handing him a business card, "Will you please have him contact me, when you see him next?" Cyrus said, "Sure will" , and he tucked the card in his pocket.

Reese was Barry's first gal, and had she not left like she did, who knows what could've happened between them....so, it was only natural that she be concerned over someone who still remained dear to her heart.

Walking out, she breathed in the cool night air, and said, in a whisper, "Oh Barry", and she walked on into the night.

Nov-10-2008 04:27


Clift walked jubilantly into his new 2nd floor office.

He had just come back from an important meeting with Betty, Barry’s sister. Betty, though a very gentle and fragile creature, managed to firmly prevent Clift from successfully gaining any answers of information out of her concerning the reasons and motives behind her long wait to employ a private detective on her brother’s case. On the other hand, she was very willing to cover all his expenses and give him some more money for his planned trip to London.

They discussed Mrs. Franks briefly since she was the object of Clift’s trip to London. “I myself have always preferred Andrea to Rebecca. Of Barry’s women friends, Andrea seemed to be the most serious about him… somehow.” Clift recalled Betty saying.

Osberta Rudisill has lived up to her reputation of efficiency and competency once more. The office was ready for use, and all the new paperwork was already piled neatly for his use and review.

As always, Clift eagerly sifted through the available papers looking for anything new to do with the Barry Grant case. Soon enough, he came across a very interesting letter. It was addressed to him from a Miss Withers:

“Dear Mr, Garrett,

I've heard from my cousin, Makensie Brewer, that you are investigating Barry Grant's disappearance? I am very saddened to hear of this. You see, before I took off, from the agency him and I belonged to, I was Barry's first gal. You didn’t know that did you?

Well, now you do. My biggest regret is leaving, and not knowing what could've been between him and I. He was very dear to me, but some personal things in my life, took me away. He still is dear to me.

*more*