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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Shaman" data-source="post: 1988223" data-attributes="member: 26473">The summons to Javert’s office is unexpected.On the Underwood beside his desk is a half-finished report, an interview with a girl-Friday who worked for some screenwriter who once took a fishing trip to Ensenada and may or may not have been in the same cantina as a Soviet operative fifteen years ago. That’s some compelling police work right there, Agent Garces, Ricky thinks to himself. Making the U.S. safe for democracy and B-movies. The girl-Friday might have been a looker ten years ago, but today the only reason she has a job is the screenwriter is a no-talent hack, unlikely to do better at finding either an assistant or a mistress.Meanwhile there are real Communists out there. Not a good idea to dwell on that.Ricky thumbs through his notes when the phone rings. “Javert’s office in five minutes, Agent Garces,” comes the voice of the SAC’s secretary, who doesn’t wait for an answer before hanging up. Ricky flips the notebook shut and tucks it into his coat pocket along with a freshly-sharpened pencil as he rises, buttoning the top button and smoothing his tie as he walks to the boss’s office.Ricky arrives at Javert’s door at the same time as a tall thin man in a suit with creases that could cut glass. Ricky offers a hand to the other man as they take their seats. Trask. Artemis Trask. Unusual name.The SAC is abrupt. Ricky jots down the information: Michelle Dowling. Double-check that spelling. Age 27. Waitress-slash-actress. The agent nods slightly. He’s known any number of Michelle Dowlings – a few of them intimately. The City of Angels indeed.Only a girl was more likely to get her wings clipped on a casting couch and sell her golden halo for rent money than she was to make it to the heavenly silver screen.Ricky nods and stands when Javert finishes – he senses that questions would be importune, wonders if the SAC knows more than he’s telling (Sense Motive <a href="http://krisinchico.brinkster.net/searchroll.asp?username=RickyGarces#144774" target="_blank">19</a> – 21 if +2 synergy bonus for Knowledge (behavioral sciences) allowed). “No questions here, sir. We’ll take care of it.”After they leave the office Ricky stops at the water cooler, fills a paper cup. “We should talk to the detective who originally caught the case. First we need to know if it was City or County. I’ll make a couple of calls (Gather Information: <a href="http://krisinchico.brinkster.net/searchroll.asp?username=RickyGarces#144787" target="_blank">12</a> - 14 if +2 synergy bonus for Diplomacy). We’ll also need a car from the pool,” he says to Trask.Ricky’s mind is ticking over as sips his water. How does a routine homicide end up in the Bureau’s hands? It doesn’t unless it’s not routine. It’s important to someone high up, which means I’d better make it important to me.Girl-Friday will have to wait.</blockquote>

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