When they all had sat down, Artie began briefing them. "Okay, so you two are investigating Cody Thomas, a law school graduate student."
"What did he do?"
"He struck his girlfriend. But you are not just investigating him, you're investigating what may have caused it. And to answer that, I've prepared some questions."
He handed them a few pages of questions. Pete started reading them.
"Hmm, let's see... 'do you smell fudge?' But what if there's a fudge factory nearby? Or there's this really cool food cart that only sells different types of fudge? Can we perhaps invest in some if we find it?"
"Ignore him." Myka nodded in reply, and she grabbed the packet from Pete. "'Do you have the constant feeling that today is yesterday? Is that just to check for hangovers?"
"No." Leena looked somber. "That question saved Artie a few years back. Mrs. Frederic and I were not quite so lucky."
There was a pause. "What happened?" Pete asked.
Artie answered. "The Mayan Calendar. It allows you to read the mind of any person throughout space and time. It makes you paranoid and delusional if you cannot control it. Leena, through her delusion predicted the end of the world for December 31, 1999. Leena's mother died of a heart attack because of it, and now Mrs. Frederic has taken over as legal guardian for Leena."
"And I still am not over killing my mom by starting Y2K, not by a long shot. So always ask at least that question. Please."
"Also, we still have not found the Mayan Calendar. It was stolen by one of my former partners."
"Artie, where is he now?" Pete asked.
"...I'd rather not talk about it. Now, be on your way. Seever City, Iowa is where you're headed. Good luck. Oh, and... don't get killed."