In which we get to read a bunch of papers.

CHAPTER 33: NOTES
TIME AND LOCATION: 20:24, Great Deer Yard Hotel
WEATHER REPORT: Heavy showers continuing overnight
FORTUNE: "The meeting of minds is like the meeting of vegetables in a pot: They must be cooked long and slow for the stew's flavor to manifest."

Papers cover the wooden desk in York's hotel room. Scraps photocopied from Thomas's notepad, pages from York's own typewritten report (Polly almost breaking her back carrying the massive black machine from the storage closet, until he'd shown up to take it the rest of the way, saying, "Polly, when I said I needed something to write with, I was thinking more along the lines of a few sheets of paper and a ballpoint pen. But thank you, this will do nicely.") and additional material jotted down while conversing with the locals. Assembled in order, they read something like this:

DAY 3 OF INVESTIGATION: PROFILES OF GREENVALE RESIDENTS
COMMUNITY CENTER MEETING + FUNERAL

Straight after going over safety and curfew, immediately followed up with one-on-one conversations with individual residents for the purposes of data gathering. Starting with the following:

-HARRY STEWART AND MICHAEL TILLOTSON. Confronted the duo about their unwarranted frightening of the other townsfolk with generally unsettling behavior. Had Thomas on hand to write down Michael's answer in poetry; good thing because there was a lot of it this time. It goes as follows:

"Time flows like a river, but we all float upstream
Don't swim against it; life is but a dream
Our currents will cross if you try not to row
When the moment is right for our meeting, you'll know.
For now, you must follow the roots of a tree
And find out the source of this purple ennui
The malaise that seeps through the layers of fate-
Find out and stop it before it's too late!
So says Mr. Stewart."

Another reference to purple. Water and trees... Harry knows something, even if George thinks it's rubbish. Will have to take his advice to wait and see what's really the case.

-RICHARD DUNN. Owner of the SWERY65, a darts bar on the west side of town. Seems like a nice guy, a little rough around the edges. Had to leave early to pick up Sallie Graham from her home for the funeral. Seems close with the widow, apparently... I asked him about it, but he just laughed and said he'd tell me about it if I said where I got my scar from. I said it was confidential. R. seemed impressed, but that was the end of the conversation. Will have to drop in on the bar some time and check out the drinks selection.

-QUINT DUNN. Richard's son, late teens or early 20's. Had an odd feeling about him, think we've seen him before. Correctly guessed his name purely by the letter "Q" on his hat, Quint being the only name starting with Q. I could think of. Also guessed, correctly again, that missing Becky is his girlfriend. Becky feeling too ill to attend meeting, Q. said. Will have to check up on her later.

LATER NOTES: Can't exactly pin down this feeling I have about the kid, except that he's hiding something. Seems genuinely sad about Anna; the two were probably acquaintances, his girlfriend being close friends with the victim. His frustration with the local police force's apparent inability to "shine their own shoes" as he put it (these country folk have the most amazing sayings!) was convincing too, but I have a hunch that this investigation will reveal more than I want to know about him.

MORE NOTES: Q. looked like he was going to be sick at funeral, both him and his father. Whatever Q. has been keeping secret, it's not his emotion over Anna's death.

-KEITH AND LILLY INGRAM. The original Odd Couple. Both run the Milk Barn convenience store, which we must check out, esp. since Lilly is giving us special 50% discount off everything in store "to help with the case". Seems genuinely friendly. Husband Keith is old-school rock-and-roller who refers to me by the name "FBI". Not sure how I feel about this. Lilly appears some 10 years older than him, both in appearance and maturity.

They are also of course the parents of the Ingram Twins. Thought about mentioning their children's' appearances in my dreams as of late, but decided that would be too alarming. REMEMBER: Isaach wears green, Isaiah blue. Apparently this was the mother's idea, to help people tell them apart. Brilliant! Though I would have picked yellow and black, myself.

***NOTE: Becky works at Milk Barn part-time. Hasn't been in lately due to her illness. This confirms what Q. said, but still should investigate further.

-JIM GREEN. Turns out he's Lilly's father. Asked about the red flowers found at the forest park. Jim had to think for a second, but knew what I was talking about. Said he's never seen those flowers in the forest before. I suggested he take me to see them tomorrow; he didn't seem too enthusiastic. However, I am in charge here, so he had to say yes eventually.

Not much else to add here. Still is not happy with me being in Greenvale; said I make him sick when he sees me because I remind him of all the bad, evil people in the world. I suppose this means I can't help but track the scum of the earth wherever I go, even while I'm trying to fight it. No point in explaining this to the old man; he's absolutely right. I think he's afraid I'll corrupt his grandsons somehow. Wonder if he's seen "Village of the Damned" (though I've only seen the John Carpenter remake).

-"RAGING BULL" JACK AND GINA "THE ROSE". ***Possible new lead!*** Saw trace of red powder on Jack's boot. Bent down and pretended to clean off some mud while secretly collecting the evidence for UJ. later; thought the hoodlum was going to kick me in the face. Sure he remembers our last encounter well enough, though. Asked George about him; has long string of minor offenses, charges of harassment later dropped, nothing too major. Still, connection to GRANDMA'S BASKET undeniable. Jack now strong suspect.

PS: Jack is married (?) Amazing. Wife offered "extra service" next time we stop by the station. Nice of her, gasoline prices way too high as of late.

-USHAH JOHNSON. Seems even more disturbed than last time we met. Red eyes, light perspiration. His schedule hasn't been particularly heavy, so not work-related stress. He smells a bit strange, too. Think he should take some of his own medicine, literally. Anyway, made an appointment for tomorrow in the afternoon to go over his analysis of the red flower and the powder found in locker 4011 at the high school. He said he couldn't promise anything.

Despite being from the big city, Ushah seems to have picked up the rural habit of trying to keep as many secrets as possible. Don't know whose worse at hiding them: The doctor, or Q. At least Q. has the excuse of being young; U. really ought to know better.

-BRIAN THE INSOMNIAC, LAST NAME UNKNOWN. Local grave keeper, maintains Greenvale Cemetery. Interesting individual. Told him I liked his retro sense of fashion, sort of a "Little Grave on the Prairie" look: Pasty white skin, dark circles under eyes, white shirt with black pants and suspenders, an old-fashioned hat. He didn't seem to hear anything I said, just kind of mumbled under his breath and wandered off. Could be the lack of sleep causing him to lose focus, which begs the question: Could his sleep disorder be the result of guilt? Still, even though he acted the most suspicious out of everyone we met today, pinning it on the mime-wannabe would probably be too easy.

-NICK AND OLIVIA CORMACK. Not much to add. Olivia seemed happy to see me, Nick less so. Complimented O. on her hair, looks much nicer when not done up in the tight bun she wears at work. Asked them about Anna and her job working at the diner. O. said something interesting about Anna always coming in late the day after in rained, seemingly in a trance, as if she'd used all her energy up the day before. Could be coincidence or something more, but we need more clues.

N. surly as usual. Had no relevant information and evaded all my questions. Must keep an eye on this one. Also remember to ask what he put in that soup to make it taste so light, yet so filling.

-CAROL MACLAINE. Had to drag Thomas along to take notes; he was more uncomfortable than ever. Just as Emily said, Carol is the deputy's younger sister and runs the other bar in town, the GALAXY OF TERROR. She honestly doesn't seem like the type who watches a lot of Roger Corman, but didn't have time to ask her about that. Conversation was recorded as follows:

Y: Mind if I smoke?

C: (looks out window, smoking cigarette) Do I look like I'd mind?

Y: (takes out cigarette, lights it) What can you tell me about Anna?

C: Anna was... an airhead.

T: Carol! What a thing to say-

Y: It's okay, Thomas. (to C.) What do you mean? You're saying she was killed because she was an airhead, or she was an airhead for getting killed?

C: I'm sure she's still an airhead, even now. Even in Heaven...

Y: You make it sound as if she led a very happy existence.

C: (blowing smoke) She changed her hair almost every week. If she lost a pound, she'd be ecstatic; gain one and she'd almost be in tears. Such a klutz, too... When she worked at the diner, she was always breaking stuff. Plates, mugs, almost every day it was something. And the whole time she'd always have a smile on her face, always having fun... One look at her and you'd know at a glance what she was.

Y: And what was that?

C: A beautiful, loving little airhead.

Y: Did people ever get mad at her for breaking so much dishware?

C: (harsh laugh) They'd be smiling right along with her. Like they couldn't help it. Like they were under her spell. I wouldn't be surprised if the angels were laughing right along with her, even as we speak.

(long pause)

Y: Isaach and Isaiah said Anna was a fairy of the forest... A goddess.

C: ...

The transcription ends abruptly with C. suddenly walking off without another word. Thomas apologized, but there was nothing we could do. She's a free spirit, after all.

***LATER NOTE: Did not see C. at funeral, either. Something fishy is going on...

Also of interest, though less so than the previous subjects whom I believe have more importance to the case, are the following individuals in no particular order:

-GENERAL LYSANDER. Our car has apparently been fixed. I think I hid it well, but inside I was ecstatic. Will be nice to have something to look forward to tomorrow after all this doom and gloom. Was tempted to ask Lysander about the uniform, but something tells me now is not the time. Maybe tomorrow...

-WESLEY, LAST NAME UNKNOWN. Arms dealer and gunsmith, runs the gun store "Panda Bear" near the Milk Barn. Normally I would be inclined to suspect such a potentially shady character, but he told me he was negotiating a big deal in Seattle at the time of Anna's death, and I'm fairly certain his story will check out. Said if I was still suspicious, or if I'm ever in need of extra ammo, I should stop by. Think I will soon; although recent events have had a tinge of unreality to them, my diminishing supply of bullets is definitely real.

-FRECKLY FIONA. Seems a little less chipper than usual, no doubt because of the funeral, but still greeted me with a smile and wave. Got into a conversation about our mutual friend the doctor. She's very admiring of him, told me how hard-working he is (and how wealthy). Young and rich- the perfect combination for our ambitious Fiona.

She didn't mention the note or his odd behavior. Probably just lovestruck.

-"ROAMING" SIGOURNEY. Was surprised to see our friend the Pot Lady show up at the community meeting. She stayed near the door the whole time, looking like she was about to jump out of her own skin. Assume she was in a hurry to get back home so her pot wouldn't get cold. Richard graciously offered her a ride before going to pick up the Widow Graham, but she refused. Odd.

-SALLIE GRAHAM. ***Later note: Only showed up for daughter's funeral, was an emotional mess for entire service. Most of her statements to police are well-documented, so not much more I can ask her about Anna's death. Would probably only worsen her condition. Best to leave her be for now...

Afterwards, as people were getting ready to leave for funeral, I followed up on leads with Greenvale police. George said he and Emily would do some digging tomorrow on which student last used locker 4011, which will give us a good starting position on GRANDMA'S BASKET (GB). Zach and I have a strong suspicion that the red seeds, though they seem to be strangely absent from the investigation so far and at any rate continue to defy all attempts at forensic analysis, have something to do with the red powder found in that locker.

Besides the mystery of GB, the connection between the seeds, the flowers and the powder, and picking up my car, the first order of business tomorrow will be checking on Miss Diane Ames, the mystery woman who runs the Muses Art Gallery here in town. Strange place for such a grandiose monument to high culture; saw the building in a tourist pamphlet the other day and was quite impressed. E. seemed to take offense at my comment that it was almost glamorous enough to be mistaken for an art gallery in downtown New York, where it wouldn't stick out so much. She used the word "prejudiced". I'm not much of an art critic myself, but am looking forward to meeting this Diane. E. did not look pleased.

FINAL NOTES OF THE DAY: BECKY

Went to visit Becky, the girl I saw in my dream last night. Somehow I knew exactly where her house would be without having to ask around. Definitely a side-effect of the coffee improving my navigational skills. B. was reluctant to let me in or answer my questions, and appeared visibly distressed for the first half of my visit. She then fainted and I put her to bed, deciding not to call U. in order to placate her wishes. She seemed better afterwards, though even more vague when questioned. Could not be sure exactly what it was she was keeping from me, but assigned her a 24 hour police escort to set her mind at ease, make it easier for her to provide information. Also B. has excellent taste in music.

It is a tangled web that's starting to emerge. Red seeds on the victim a given, their origins a mystery. Red powder found in locker at high school Anna attended, probably same powder found on Jack's boot. Red raincoat = red hood = Little Red Riding Hood = Grandma's Basket, the inscription on the locker where the red powder was found. B. gave me a ring to take to Q., with the instructions to ask him to tell me a story that begins with "Once upon a time...", i.e. a fairy tale, another Red Riding Hood link. Red flowers found with Anna's body. U.'s strange behavior. Red leaves in my dreams, red vines in my nightmares. And on top of it, hasn't stopped raining all day. Going to bed now to let mind refresh itself. Have feeling this case may take a while...

TOMORROW TO-DO LIST:
-Go with G. and E. to Muses Gallery to question Diane.
-Pick up car.
-See Jim Green about flowers.
-Follow up on U. and powder analysis.
-Ask Q. about R. Hood.
-Time providing, see if video rental store carries Jaws.

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