talien
Community Supporter
Prince: Part 12 – Branching Out
“Stop,” said Jim-Bean a few days later, fully recovered. “This is the place.” He had dyed his hair to match its old color, but it looked vaguely unnatural to anyone who stared at him long enough. The doctors were unsure if his white hair was a permanent condition.
Hammer waited in the car for Caprice, who was up on a telephone pole with a lineman’s set. Hammer still had some broken ribs but insisted they get moving.
Caprice came down, a little out of breath, and nodded to Hammer. “We’re good.”
Hammer drove them over to the Enolsis branch in St. Louis as per Jim-Bean’s instructions.
“How do you know this is the place?” asked Hammer, increasingly suspicious of Jim-Bean.
“It’s my job to know,” said Jim-Bean.
“Great,” said Jim-Bean. “When we get inside, see if you can find Valiant in their system.”
Hammer parked the car and they got out. Jim-Bean pushed open the door to the branch.
It looked the same as it did months ago when Jim-Bean visited it, only this time there were two women in the booth. Diane was there, and so was Sarah.
“Hello!” chirped Diane. “Can I help you?”
“Yes,” said Jim-Bean. “I’m recruiting my friends into Enolsis and was wondering if you have more literature.”
“You’re a member?” she asked. “You look familiar.”
Jim-Bean coughed. “So what do you have …” He steered her away.
Hammer and Caprice stood near the front door, shuffling uncomfortably.
“Are you new to Enolsis?” asked Sarah.
“Yes,” said Hammer. “And I want to BELIEVE.” He said it with such startling emphasis that Caprice looked at him.
“Well, I’d be happy to help but I’m supposed to man the register. If you join Diane over there she can—“
“I’d really appreciate if you could show me around,” said Hammer with a smile. “I feel I’m so close to joining, but something is holding me back. I’d love to understand how your crystals work.”
“I don’t know …”
“I’ve just come into some money.”
Sarah’s eyes lit up. “Right this way.” She led Hammer over to a display cabinet full of crystals.
That was Caprice’s chance. He slipped behind the front desk.
The computer was password protected. Caprice hooked up his cistron through the serial port and the password decoder tore through it in seconds.
It had all the membership information for the branch, but no Valiant. But more importantly, it had an Internet connection to Enolsis HQ in Tulsa for ordering books and paraphernalia.
Caprice hacked his way upstream into the headquarters. “Working …” flashed the screen.
Catching sight of Caprice out of the corner of her eye, Sarah was about to turn around from the crystals when Hammer planted a kiss on her.
Sarah gasped and shoved Hammer away. “HEY!”
“I’m sorry,” muttered Hammer, looking embarrassed. “I was so overcome by emotion at the thought of joining Enolsis—“
It bought Caprice the time he needed.
Diane hustled over. “Everything all right?”
“This jerk just tried to kiss me!” shouted Sarah. “Get out before I call the police!”
They left in a hurry.
“So?” asked Jim-Bean once they were safely in the car and away from the branch.
“There was no sign of Valiant,” said Caprice. “But the St. Louis branch has forty-two more members than it has reported to Tulsa headquarters.”
“An accounting error?” asked Hammer.
Caprice shook his head. “I don’t think so. Not reporting members means not reporting membership dues. That’s about $4,200 in annual dues skimmed from the Enolsis coffers. Neither Daniels nor DiTorrio were on that list.”
“How’s Valiant pulling this off if he’s not a member?” asked Hammer. “He must be working under an alias.”
“Hold on.” Caprice put one finger to his ear. “Sarah’s calling all the members. Looks like the branch manager is calling a special emergency meeting for seven o’clock this evening to discuss the news that the city council wants to shut them down. He’s mapping out a strategy for resisting. They’re going to meet at a rented warehouse …”
Just then Jim-Bean’s phone began chirping it’s unique Invader Zim ring tone.
“Aren’t you going to pick that up?” asked Hammer.
Jim-Bean looked straight ahead. “I know who it is.”
“You should pick it up,” said Caprice.
With a sigh, Jim-Bean answered. “Hi Sarah …”
“Stop,” said Jim-Bean a few days later, fully recovered. “This is the place.” He had dyed his hair to match its old color, but it looked vaguely unnatural to anyone who stared at him long enough. The doctors were unsure if his white hair was a permanent condition.
Hammer waited in the car for Caprice, who was up on a telephone pole with a lineman’s set. Hammer still had some broken ribs but insisted they get moving.
Caprice came down, a little out of breath, and nodded to Hammer. “We’re good.”
Hammer drove them over to the Enolsis branch in St. Louis as per Jim-Bean’s instructions.
“How do you know this is the place?” asked Hammer, increasingly suspicious of Jim-Bean.
“It’s my job to know,” said Jim-Bean.
“Great,” said Jim-Bean. “When we get inside, see if you can find Valiant in their system.”
Hammer parked the car and they got out. Jim-Bean pushed open the door to the branch.
It looked the same as it did months ago when Jim-Bean visited it, only this time there were two women in the booth. Diane was there, and so was Sarah.
“Hello!” chirped Diane. “Can I help you?”
“Yes,” said Jim-Bean. “I’m recruiting my friends into Enolsis and was wondering if you have more literature.”
“You’re a member?” she asked. “You look familiar.”
Jim-Bean coughed. “So what do you have …” He steered her away.
Hammer and Caprice stood near the front door, shuffling uncomfortably.
“Are you new to Enolsis?” asked Sarah.
“Yes,” said Hammer. “And I want to BELIEVE.” He said it with such startling emphasis that Caprice looked at him.
“Well, I’d be happy to help but I’m supposed to man the register. If you join Diane over there she can—“
“I’d really appreciate if you could show me around,” said Hammer with a smile. “I feel I’m so close to joining, but something is holding me back. I’d love to understand how your crystals work.”
“I don’t know …”
“I’ve just come into some money.”
Sarah’s eyes lit up. “Right this way.” She led Hammer over to a display cabinet full of crystals.
That was Caprice’s chance. He slipped behind the front desk.
The computer was password protected. Caprice hooked up his cistron through the serial port and the password decoder tore through it in seconds.
It had all the membership information for the branch, but no Valiant. But more importantly, it had an Internet connection to Enolsis HQ in Tulsa for ordering books and paraphernalia.
Caprice hacked his way upstream into the headquarters. “Working …” flashed the screen.
Catching sight of Caprice out of the corner of her eye, Sarah was about to turn around from the crystals when Hammer planted a kiss on her.
Sarah gasped and shoved Hammer away. “HEY!”
“I’m sorry,” muttered Hammer, looking embarrassed. “I was so overcome by emotion at the thought of joining Enolsis—“
It bought Caprice the time he needed.
Diane hustled over. “Everything all right?”
“This jerk just tried to kiss me!” shouted Sarah. “Get out before I call the police!”
They left in a hurry.
“So?” asked Jim-Bean once they were safely in the car and away from the branch.
“There was no sign of Valiant,” said Caprice. “But the St. Louis branch has forty-two more members than it has reported to Tulsa headquarters.”
“An accounting error?” asked Hammer.
Caprice shook his head. “I don’t think so. Not reporting members means not reporting membership dues. That’s about $4,200 in annual dues skimmed from the Enolsis coffers. Neither Daniels nor DiTorrio were on that list.”
“How’s Valiant pulling this off if he’s not a member?” asked Hammer. “He must be working under an alias.”
“Hold on.” Caprice put one finger to his ear. “Sarah’s calling all the members. Looks like the branch manager is calling a special emergency meeting for seven o’clock this evening to discuss the news that the city council wants to shut them down. He’s mapping out a strategy for resisting. They’re going to meet at a rented warehouse …”
Just then Jim-Bean’s phone began chirping it’s unique Invader Zim ring tone.
“Aren’t you going to pick that up?” asked Hammer.
Jim-Bean looked straight ahead. “I know who it is.”
“You should pick it up,” said Caprice.
With a sigh, Jim-Bean answered. “Hi Sarah …”