EPISODE THIRTEEN

Penfold had to think quickly.

They'd been rumbled.

"What makes you think your date is DM?" Penfold whispered

"The voice he's put on the whole time sounds strained and false" Jeopardy revealed, "I can master thick cockney accents when I have to go undercover, but he cocks it right up" revealed Jeopardy, "He also the exact same manners, can't keep himself too attentive unless it's something that interests HIM, and on top of all that, you show up. You're permanently attached to his sides, to the point they'd split if you did"

"I have friends besides DM; the Professor has friends outside of work. We're just helping a fresh agent out in the field" Penfold replied, trying to salvage the situation with more lies.

"Oh so you're going to humour me are you? Fine, but this is a delicate situation" Jeopardy replied.

"Are you two going to hum sweet nothings in each other's ear all day?" Squawkencluck asked.

"No, it's nothing" Jeopardy said, and clambered back over to her side of the table.

"I don't see you get out all that much Professor, work must stress you out, having to hang around so many walking and talking errors posing as helpful hands" Jeopardy said, complimenting Squawkencluck

A loud clatter made her turn.

"Oh I'm so sorry, I dropped the coffee jug" Dangermouse said, "I'll just pick it up"

"I'll help you Matlock" Penfold said

"MATLOCK?" Jeopardy replied

"That's his name...met him during a game of Go at the Checkers games night festival" Penfold said.

"Oh yes, your life outside DM...and it's amongst more nerds. How glamorous" Jeopardy said, deciding to play along with Penfold's poorly conceived deception even if she didn't buy an inch of it.

DM and Penfold huddled under the table.

"Penfold, does she know?" DM asked

"Who knows who?" Penfold asked

"Jeopardy" DM replied.

"Sort of, I know she knows, but she doesn't know you don't know, but now you know" Penfold replied

"So if I know she knows, that means she doesn't know that I know, but the Professor doesn't know" DM said.

"She knows what we know, Jeopardy doesn't know she knows that much, so she could be an asset" Penfold revealed.

"Right, fine, we'll move ahead with what we're doing, but just make sure we both know where we stand"

"I'll try to remember that I know what we know" Penfold vowed.

"Good. I know I can trust you" DM said, complimenting him.

"Did you remember that you knew that? I know you've got a tricky memory"

"I didn't know that" DM whispered back, before clambering out from behind the table and sitting down once again

"Where's the coffee jug 'Matlock?" Jeopardy asked, "You didn't retrieve it"

"I know, I know" DM said, sighing.

"What don't you know now?" Penfold asked.

"Penfold, shush" DM replied, a tad irritated.

"Now now, you know not to be rude like that in front of ladies" Penfold replied.

"You'd be surprised at how little I know of patience" DM revealed.

"I can't but notice how quiet things have gotten...everyone's just staring at their dish of the day, not even taking it in" noted Squawkencluck

Dangermouse and Penfold looked around at the other tables. Sure enough, the commotion all around them had died down. Everyone was staring blankly into space.

DM noted that only their lips were moving.

"Do you know how to read lips?" DM asked Jeopardy

"Implicitly, it's a woman's way of reading minds when they try to pucker up with them" she revealed.

"Mind letting us knows what you know of the kind of numbers they're spilling out?" DM asked

"Is there something you know you're not telling us?" A curious Penfold interrupted.

"Shush" DM and Jeopardy said in unison, and resumed their lip reading.

"Yes, numbers, and going up, and up...like...bidding" Jeopardy noted.

"The auction for the Rugby Diamond, it's going on right now...but...why isn't the Diamond present?" DM asked, "And why be so quiet about it...not unless..."

"..Your special sir" came, besides them, the only other different voice in the room, the one that belonged to the waiter as he served them their meal.

"...Unless what?" Jeopardy asked, but DM was too fixated on what they'd been served.

Hot plates of simmering seeds.