Eating the second half of the sandwich, Tim tells the curious Theodore that the police were well aware of the disappearances from an orphanage, but they chose not to proceed with investigations into the disappearances because the orphans came from destitute families.
Just wrote down on their little notepads that the children ran away, went on their merry way, nobody cared to help find them, said to call if there's an body.
Nobody believed Tim or the other children that the Bogeyman did it, said it's just their imagination, they better stop fooling around, likely to get a good thwack on their bums if they kept on, and that was that.
"How about elsewhere?" Lila inquired if Tim knew any stories about the Bogeyman appearing elsewhere and the paperboy tells her that it pops up everywhere in the city, it's hard for them to know where it'll show up.
So, Theodore asks if there's any locations that the Bogeyman seemed fond of, at least enough to make extra trips, and it took time for the paperboy to think about Theodore's question before he finally said that it's known that the Bogeyman particularly liked coming around orphanages.
There's many in the city, it's hard to say which one it'd visit on a given day, but it'd occasionally appear near one with at least a child or two missing.
"How does it get them?" Theodore asked Tim how this Bogeyman took children without the people working in the orphanages seeing it and the paperboy replied that he heard it lures them out of bed, others told him it'd use its long arms and reach through the opened windows, snapping up children from their beds.
Most orphanages can't afford locks on their windows, much less repair broken ones, that scared children ended up blocking off windows in their rooms by moving bookcases in front of the windows.
Hearing this reminded Lila of an old book, only she doesn't think Tim Curry's among them in a clown costume, which, doesn't help much, as she doesn't like clowns.
Who did?
Even the aloof giant didn't like them and that said a lot, of course, knowing his dad's luck, he'd probably encountered the killer kind in space on an adventure.
Always a kernel of truth in those schlocky movies, so it went.
The fact that short of a description about a clown kidnapping children, they're dealing with Pennywise, Lila isn't too pleased.
The only thing they have to go on's there no confirmed bodies of the missing children, but there's a lot of leeway in this time for people kidnapping children for forced labor or worse.
Tim and the other children he lived with are petrified of the Bogeyman coming for them next, they haven't a clue when it shows up, only that it comes out of the sewers at night, when no one's around.
Long arms, strong enough to kidnap a child from their bed, sounds like an alien all right.
"Can I go now, I have to work," Tim noticed the time after finishing his pastrami sandwich, he needed to return to his post, hocking newspaper, and Theodore let him leave while he stood beside Lila with looks on their faces.
Lila exhaled as she said aloud, "Oh, wonderful, Pennywise. If Stephen King comes by the library, I'm gonna thank him for giving me nightmares and warning me that he exists!"
Theodore calmed her by telling her that it didn't only take children, it took adults, too, so they weren't dealing with an eldritch horror possibly prophesied by Stephen King.
They don't even know if it changed forms or came out of drains.
"Don't even," Lila poked him hard in the chest as she warned him again putting the thought of them dealing with an evil clown thing that came from beyond.
Shrugging his wide shoulders, Theodore tells her that they don't know for sure, but he suspects the Bogeyman's alien in nature, purely because of its secretive nature avoiding anyone from seeing it.
"Could just be men dragging the children into the sewers under the cover of darkness. You heard him, the police aren't in the business investigating the children's disappearance," Lila pointed out there's a chance that Tim and the children exaggerated what they heard, as children often do, and maybe it's her way of trying to avoid the thought of an eldritch horror climbing out of the sewers for its victims.
Theodore reminded her of their luck and she's forced to concede that he's right, they're only setting themselves up if they stick their heads in the sand believing that it's just the children's imagination.
"Where do we start?" Lila sighed as she began walking with Theodore while he communicated their findings with Al, asking if there's anything on the Bogeyman somewhere in the archives.
Al worked his magic, finding that there's a trove of stories on the Bogeyman that plagued orphanages around this time.
It's hard to know which is the truth or not, as children aren't known for accurately describing things, but in the ones Al found, they've had a common theme, long arms and the sewers where it apparently comes out of during the night.
Unfortunately, Al says he can't help them pinpointing where this alleged Bogeyman would've come up from, the stories seem to say that it's random when it shows up, and it disappears as quickly as it appeared.
Al told Theodore he'll keep eyes out for anything and report back when he does, leaving him alone to his thoughts, as he tells Lila what they discussed while they're turning the corner.
"Right, so, all we know's it comes up from the sewers at night, we can't reasonably check every manhole cover in the vicinity," Lila summed that they can't keep track of all the manhole covers in the city, as it's physically impossible.
Nodding, his wild hair bobbing, Theodore affirmed that it's impossible, so, they'll have to wait for it to show up, again, and see where it takes them from there.
They can't ask for help tracking, Theodore won't risk any more people getting taken from this Bogeyman.
No chance paying off the children to act as their eyes, they'll want to earn their keep too eagerly, getting themselves into trouble or worse, there's no way Theodore's risking their lives.
As it stands, it's him, Lila, and Al, no one else.
In a city with hundreds of thousands, they have their work cut out for them, and with that, Theodore said, "Let's get dangerous."
Comparing what they had gotten from Tim and the MacDonalds and what Al found, the Bogeyman didn't have a set target, it's purely random, but it primary went after orphanages because of the apathy from police.
Assuming that the Bogeyman's responsible for Daphne and Ethel's disappearances, it must've come up from the sewers at night, broken into an empty building, and used it however long needed before escaping into the sewers with its victims.
The problem came that they don't know what it intended with its victims and if there's a possibility, they're still alive.
Theodore suggested they find a place to stay that's across from an empty building and a manhole cover, with their room overlooking it.
"How're we going to do that, we don't have any money," Lila poked a firm hole in that plan as she's waking with Theodore, an arm around his.
Showing her his pearly whites, Theodore tells her that he had a plan, as he gotten Tim the pastrami sandwich with a smidge of mustard, he'll get them a room.
Going through the motions, Theodore used the psychic paper, obtaining a bit of money for their use, while obtaining a room at a small inn that's directly in front of an empty shop that hadn't been used in months, and there's hardly foot traffic in the area, that if this Bogeyman came out of the sewers, they'll see from their room.
Everything went according to plan, Theodore set up their command centre in the room, Al's making rounds in the city, so he can better search for any signs of the Bogeyman.
"Al has the sewer map on standby," Theodore sighed as he sat on the edge of his bed as Lila glimpsed outside their window, overlooking the street below.
Nodding, Lila turned around as she conversed with Theodore, passing time until Al came through with something.
"Bill's been asking me, again," Lila sighed as she sat on the edge of the bed, her arms crossed, as she talked about Bill asking Lila about what she's doing when she isn't working at the library.
Caught sight of a bruise above her collar bone from a Judoon soldier clotheslining her while running away during an adventure, Bill saw it when they were having lunch together.
Frowning, Theodore tells Lila that it's for her own good, too many people knowing about their adventures would've caused problems down the line.
"I know," Lila sighed as she looked over to him, "it's hard not outright telling her. I only managed to convince her that I'm not in a relationship. I don't think I can keep convincing her I'm in a boxing club, though."
Bill only has her heart in the right place, seeing Lila with bruises and cuts, would've made her concerned for her friend's safety.
Alas, Theodore's right, telling Bills how she really got them wouldn't end well.
There's a chance Bill would've understood why Lila kept the truth from her, but still, with their lot in life, it's hard knowing what she'll say.
"How're you holding up?" Theodore inquired about Lila's latest scraps with their quarry, the Judoon.
Exhaling sharply, Lila says the one wound finally healed up, the bruises finally went away, and she's no longer sore.
Nodding, Theodore sighed as he said his went away after a night or two, but otherwise, he didn't think Hammond would've appreciated him using his head literary against the Judoon.
Needed to give them time and knocking the Judoon trying to arrest them on his hide's better than nothing.
Well, Hammond always said he had a thick head.
"Lucky you," Lila sighed as she envied his healing capabilities. Never needed to make up a story, just wait it out, and that's that.
Theodore then innocently asks, "You'd tell us if you were, right?"
Looking at him, raising her brow, Lila processed the question before saying, "Of course, I would. I'd even tell you where the body's buried."
If there was ever a case she's being abused, she'd tell Theodore and the others.
Knowing Hammond, he'd knock teeth out faster than Mike Tyson, he was always protective of them, after all.
Slowly nodding his head, Theodore sighed in relief, and Lila pointed out that the same goes for him.
Anyone makes trouble for him, let Lila and Hammond know, they'll get rid of the body in record time, Hammond can easily send things into the unknown, Lila can make them alibis.
"You don't have to go that far," Theodore tells her as she crossed her arms.
Snorting, Lila says while gesturing with her hands, "Come on, it's what friends do for each other, dispose abusive significant others, giving alibis, stealing the last bear claw from the doughnut box in the breakroom for you."
In her own way, Lila told him if he had an abusive partner, just say the word, they won't be a problem for long, and while Theodore appreciated her looking out for him, he admitted he probably won't call on a favour from her anytime soon.
"Why not?" Lila looked at him as he sheepishly looked away briefly.
He wouldn't turn back towards her and instead said in a dejected tone, "I don't think I could ever have a relationship."
Raising her brow, Lila inquired why Theodore would think that way, and he pointed out the obvious.
He'd have to tell his hypothetical lover everything and hope to the powers that be that their relationship didn't sour at all during the point they're together, that's before the discussion of children, and as aforementioned, they'll have two hearts just like him.
The fear of accidentally having children's enough to keep him away from the idea and yes, he's aware of the usuals that prevents accidents like that, but if he wanted to make sure it never happens, he'll have to take a permanent route.
Which, would've been fine, but…
"You want kids, too," Lila summed the difficulties Theodore internally faced with being half-Time Lord.
He's scared to death of getting into a situation he can't think his way out of, and he's petrified of having children with the wrong woman, but at the same time, he didn't mind the thought of being a father.
"It's only natural, right?" Lila shrugs as she pointed out that's natural for someone wanting to have children and while Theodore agreed, his case's teensy special.
It's a difficult topic he didn't share with anyone, not even with his own uncle, out of embarrassment.
Nudging him with her foot, Lila reminded him that it's nothing to be embarrassed about, and that Hamon would understand.
"Come on, there's gotta be someone out there that'll accept you, hearts and all, and won't turn into an alpha bitch behind your back," Lila comforted him as he turned back to face her while he frowned.
His fears legitimate, he worried that if worse comes to shove, he'd lose his hypothetical children, and feared the worse.
Reaching over and hugging him tightly like he's a giant teddy bear, Lila tells him that if anyone tries to hurt him, mentally and physically, keep him from his hypothetical children, or hurt them, they'll see and recognize the power of the bitch slap before Lila buried them six feet under.
"Come on, remember how that song goes, take that frown and break it, man," Lila squeezed him tightly as she did everything, she can think of that'd make him feel better.
His frown did break, and he thanked her for that as Lila released her grasp on him.
"Don't stress it, man, like you said, you'll celebrate three-hundred birthdays, by then, everything'll work out," Lila tells him that even if he doesn't succeed now, don't mean he can't later, and when he does, it'll be worth it in the end.
Coyly, Theodore asks if Lila's thinking about her own future and she admitted that originally, she thought she'd work at the library in her twilight years, as usual, but then he came along, now it's all a blur to her.
Maybe at a point in time, she'll figure out her own situation, where she wants to be in life, but she doubted she'll find someone by that point.
"Why's that?" Theodore looked at her as she shifted in her spot.
Shrugging her stout shoulder, she pointed at herself while saying, "He'll have to be crazier than you, man. Look at me. I'm out here chasing ghost stories with you trying to find a kidnapped kid and her nanny, wearing clothes they were hocking at the performance theater down the road. What man, who isn't out of his mind that he'll kill me the moment I turn my back, would want be a part of that craziness, let alone, stay with me through it?"
It's the honest truth, she's got a temper, doesn't take orders from anyone who she doesn't like unless she's doing it to further a plan, the fact she's doing this when she isn't working, nobody would believe her much less want to be with her for the long haul.
Hell, she's more worried about inviting someone who'd kidnap her to get Theodore to use the TARDIS for their own selfish needs or even try to steal it outright if he didn't kill them both first.
Hammond would blow his top!
Besides that, she's stuck in her navy brat mentality, she's mentally prepared to leave at any point, as she was when she was younger, that developing a relationship wouldn't work, despite Bill's attempts setting up dates for her.
She'd be constantly readied to pack everything up and move to another corner of the world, that the mentality wouldn't go away as easily, and it would've caused her hypothetical boyfriend to take the 'L'.
With her working with Theodore, that mentality won't break for a long time, because she's used to leaving with him, as she was when she moved with her family to different bases across the world.
"And what kind of friend would I be leaving you alone to your lonesome?" Lila pointed out that dating would've put a crimp in tagging along with Theodore on his adventures.
Can't leave the aloof giant alone, Hammond wouldn't like that one bit.
"You do have the right to your own life, you know," Theodore pointed out to her that she didn't have to go with him out of purely obligation. She's free to live her life as well and while Lila agreed with him on that, she pointed out once more, "He'd have to be as crazy as you!"
Hell might as well freeze over if someone as crazy as Theodore takes legitimate interest in Lila, that isn't a trick to lock her into an abusive cycle or use her to get what he wants from Theodore, and whether that's a good thing or not, it's in the air.
Checking the time, they just have enough to grab something to eat before nightfall, and Theodore asks if she's hungry.
Reaching for his hand and standing up from the bed, Lila joined him for dinner while waiting for the supposed Bogeyman.