Daniella looked wildly at the four of them and grabbed the first weapon she could find: a plastic mannequin arm. "Alright; who are you guys an' whaddaya want?" she asked.
Face's eyes grew wide as soon as she spoke. He was not expecting to hear her speak with a thick Northern New Jersey accent. But then again, nothing about this girl was as it seemed.
Hannibal put his hand up. "Put the arm down and I'll tell you."
Daniella did as she was told, not taking her eyes off B.A., who looked angry. "Why are you guys hangin' around with Kristy?"
Face helped Murdock up. "You okay?" he asked, looking his friend over.
Murdock adjusted his cap and looked at Daniella. "Her hair changed color. It went from pink to brown."
"Ms. Barrone hired us to help you with a little problem," Hannibal began, ignoring Murdock. "She overheard that a man by the name Randy Hill could be looking for you. Now, we need to know everything we can about this slimeball so we can keep him at bay and away from you."
"Uncle Ran-I mean, Dr. Hill is here?" she cried out, backing away.
"Not yet. But we need to know who he is and what his story is so we can help."
"He's a psychopath. A frickin' psycho who kidnapped me when I was a kid. He told me he was gonna help me and take care of me. But then he started messin' with my head. He could make things seem real that weren't. He could make it look like my mirror image was talkin' to me. I'd see him kill somebody but he swore it was all in my head. I escaped one day and this woman took me in. She was like a mother to me for the rest of my time. Swore Uncle Ran-I mean Dr. Hill would never get out of jail. He'd be there for life. I was pretty messed up for awhile, there. You guys can't let him find me! I just got my life back the way I wanna!" Daniella explained, her voice cracking.
"Trust us, ma'am. We ain't gonna let him touch you and mess with that noggin' of yours," Murdock told her.
"My name's Hannibal Smith," he introduced. "This is Templeton 'Face' Peck, B.A. Baracas and H.M. Murdock. Now you call him Doctor. What is he a doctor of?"
"He useta be a psychiatrist, but he was stripped of his license due to a malpractice suit."
Face opened his mouth a couple of times, trying to figure out the best way to ask. "I noticed you also start to call him Uncle Randy, but then stop yourself. Is this man also related to you?"
Daniella shook her head. "No. He made me call him Uncle Randy when he was holdin' me captive. I guess old habits-even bad ones-die hard."
"Well, whaddaya know about a guy by the name of Robert Maniloe?" Murdock asked.
"H-he's just a waiter here. Kinda arrogant, but no big deal. He just got off his shift about thirty minutes to an hour ago. Why?"
Hannibal took his cigar out of his mouth. "He may know something about Hill's resurfacing. Do you know where he might be?"
"He keeps pretty much to himself, but he lives at the Rosendale Apartments on East Grand. But why on Earth would he be helping Unc-you know who?" she asked, scratching her head.
"We're not sure, but we're gonna take a trip downtown to see this waiter."
"Yeah," B.A. continued matter-of-factly. "And we aren't very good tippers, neither."
"Ooh, good one big guy. Are you gonna be here all week?" Murdock asked, smiling.
Hannibal gave a lop-sided grin. "Murdock, you stay here with Daniella. If anything suspicious goes on, you know what to do."
Murdock nodded. "You'd better believe it, Colonel."
As soon as the guys were gone, Murdock gestured to the chair where she had been "sleeping".
"I can't believe Robert would know about Randy. Why on Earth would he be involved in something like this?" Daniella asked, dumbfounded.
"Because most anyone will do anything for a large amount of money anytime, anywhere, anyhow. Now come on, just sit over here and try to relax."
As Murdock led her to the chair to sit, he still couldn't shake this strange feeling he had known her. He could tell by her facial expressions and body language, however, that the feeling wasn't mutual.
"Actually, I should probably get outta this outfit. Do ya mind?" she pointed towards a folding screen.
"Oh, sure...sure." Murdock instantly turned around with his back towards the screen. "So what should we talk about? You? Me? Fruit Loops? Or perhaps the zebras you smuggled to make that dress?"
Daniella laughed. "Answerin' backwards: I didn't smuggle zebras, but thanks for the chuckle, I hate Fruit Loops, we've already covered me and as for you? Why not?"
"Well, what would you like to know?"
Daniella came out from around the screen and sat back down in her chair. "How didya become insane?"
Murdock turned around and gave her a double-take. She looked incredibly different than she had a few minutes before. She was now wearing a light pink baseball cap, with her hair pulled into a ponytail through the back. She had on a cream-colored plain shirt with tight blue jeans and brown snakeskin cowboy boots. "Uh..."
"What? You never seen a woman dressed like this before? I've been told I'm a bit of a tomboy, but I ain't offended. So, again; when did you become insane? I can tell ya are cause your VA bracelet is stickin' outta your pants pocket."
Murdock tucked it back down and smiled. "When did I become insane? Some of us are just born with the gift."
Daniella threw her pink wig at him. "Cute."
Hannibal was itching with excitement and adrenaline as the three of them pulled in front of the Rosendale Apartments. It was just after midnight, but he was fully aware of the time. To him, it was time to get some answers, either willingly or forcefully. As they walked into the main office, they were met by an older gentleman of about seventy or so, ruffling through file cabinets.
"Excuse me, we're looking for a man by the name of Robert Maniloe. Could you tell us which apartment he would be in?" Face asked politely.
The older man glanced at the clock. "You're looking for him at this hour? He's in number eighteen. If I were you, I wouldn't wake him. He's a cranky bear if you disturb his sleep."
"That's okay," B.A. informed the man. "We're just cranky."
The old man stared B.A. up and down, frightened of his appearance and tone.
"Yeah. He gave us terrible service earlier. We're here to return the favor," Hannibal added, taking out a cigar before they headed to his room.
"Room eighteen; this is it," Face stated after they walked all the way down the hallway near the end. "Should we knock first?"
"Oh, let's not," Hannibal replied with a chuckle before B.A. kicked the door in.
"What the-who-what?" a man stammered in the dark before flipping a light switch.
"Listen up, fool," B.A. growled, walking in and cornering the pale man in the white shirt and black boxers. "We're gonna ask some questions. Either you answer, or that door won't be the only thing I break."
"You work with a woman named Daniella Sanford. We also know that you are aware that her former kidnapper, a guy by the name of Randy Hill is in town. We wanna know what else you know, so start talkin'," Hannibal ordered.
"H-how dare you guys come in here like this? This ain't your business!" Robert cried out, shaking.
Hannibal pulled out a pistol and shoved it in the guy's side. "We're making it our business, pal. Now talk before I decide to scratch my itchy trigger finger!"
"Daniella's the one who's insane! She should be locked up before she attacks someone!" Robert sputtered, looking back from Hannibal to B.A.
"Hmm, I think you're lying," Face commented. "How do you know Randy Hill?"
"I don't know anybody named Randy Hill!"
Face tsk-tsked. "Another lie. B.A., show Mr. Maniloe what happens to people who lie to us."
"Gladly," B.A. replied, raring his fist back to punch Robert.
"Okay! Okay! You win!" Robert ducked, wincing. "Randy Hill was some guy that made Daniella go beserk. She escaped and now he wants revenge. It's a control thing. When he finds her, he'll stop at nothing to get her back. He's smarter than all of you three put together."
Now Hannibal wanted to hit the guy. "Then you are gonna be the one to take us to him."
Robert tried to laugh, but it came out more as a choking noise. "I don't know where he is; honest!"
Face came closer to him, grabbing his shirt and pinning him harder against the wall. "Then why don't you tell us who does, smart guy?"
"A guy named Jordan Reed. He works at Yari's. He lives on Hasher Street. Grey house at the end of the block. Can't miss it. He and Hill keep in touch!"
Hannibal, Face and B.A. backed up. "Now that's more like a good little informant," Hannibal drawled. "Nighty-night now."
As the three of them left, they were amused at the look on Robert's face. They hadn't lost their touch.
Spotting the office clerk, Face walked over. "Um, just a note. You might wanna check number eighteen. Door just came off it's hinges. It's not pretty."
"Okay, let's go back to Daniella and Murdock," Hannibal told B.A. as they re-entered the van and drove off. "They need to know about the increasing amount of wolves in waiters' clothing."