Announce your presence

From Create Your Own Story

You decide to announce your presence. After all, sneaking past him really isn't that likely to work.

You clear your throat, "Hi, doctor? It's me, Melissa. I was just wandering around, and I found my way here. Hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

He turns toward you and frowns. "How long have you been there?"

"Just a moment. I was in there." You point to the door you came through.

His frown deepens. "And why were you poking around my lab?"

"Well, I thought I'd take the opportunity to explore the castle, since I've never been in one before, and the door was unlocked."

He looks at you suspiciously as he moves to another table. "And is your curiosity satisfied?"

You do not feel comfortable. He's moved between you and the door, and you don't want to be messing with a man who will lose runcible swans (whatever they are) on a University. You feel he's looking for a certain response, and you don't know what it is.

So, you decide to go for a middle of the road approach. "I didn't come here looking for anything specific. I'm curious about what you do, but I'm not going to poke into your affairs any more than I have."

He seems satisfied with that response. So his next question takes you by surprise. "Are you working for doctor Mecer?"

"Uh. No. I've never heard of him. I'm a lawyer. Here's my card." You pull out a business card and hand it to him.

He stares at it for a moment, then looks back at you. "Did you handle anything here?"

You blush. "I looked at your journal. Just something about runcible swans and anteaters. I looked at the creature, too."

He pockets your card. "If I find you've been working with doctor Mecer, things will go very badly for you. I have resources at my disposal that you can't even imagine. You will leave tomorrow. There's a village at the bottom of the mountain that Igor can take you to, or you can go back to the road. The village is rather pre-industrial, so I would suggest the road. If you follow it for about 20 miles, there's a town where you should be able to place a call."

"I'll go by the paved road."

"Very well. Igor!"

Igor is there almost immediately. "Yeth, mathter?"

"Escort this young lady to her room, and lock her in."

You protest, but Igor whispers to you, "He'th actually being very reathonable. You thouldn't try hith patienth."

So you go complacently, and Igor locks you in. You pass the rest of the afternoon and evening bored stiff. When Igor comes to get you the next morning, it is a great relief. You're already packed and ready.

He escorts you to the main door, points the way to the road, and leaves you. You walk twenty miles, (which is no picknick with luggage) and arrive in the town. A call and a wait, and you're back on track to Schlecter Vielfrass.

It's a difficult case, but after a week of search through old records, uncoopertive locals, and everything in between, you find that Karl von Furchsam died almost twenty years ago. The case wrapped up, you head back for the States. You can't wait to tell Michael about your adventures, though he'll think you're just making up the part about the mad scientist.

You board the plane. No window seat this time. A man in a smart black suit sits there. How disappointing. As soon as the plane takes off he turns to you. "I believe your name is Melissa Parker. I represent doctor Richard Mecer. We have some questions for you."

THE END