"Ma'am, listen! You're not allowed to be here!"

"Funny. Because I seem to recall you inviting me here specifically, Mr. Tucker."

"F-folks, it looks like we're gonna have to cut to commercial…"

"Why? What exactly are you trying to hide, Mr. Tucker? The people deserve to know the truth."

Wow. After what it took for us to get in here, I'm kinda surprised Ginny managed to sneak past everyone and get right into the newsroom without getting caught. I know Lincoln said she was an Ace Savvy fan, but I didn't think that meant she actually had superpowers. Might be worth investigating further if she honestly is part of the conspiracy. But, one thing at a time.

When Liam and I arrived on the scene, Ginny was standing there with the rest of the gang. I'm guessing she managed to find a way to get them inside, but for the life of me, I can't imagine how. The rest of the camera crew looked like they had no idea what was going on, either, or what to do. We'd better resolve this before someone gets the bright idea to call the cops. Law enforcement always makes things messy.

"Ginny, what the heck?" I asked. "How did you get in here?"

Ginny turned to me and smirked. "Like I said, Gin Rummy Prime finds a way," she said with a wink. "In fact, it's great that the gang's all here." She turned back to News Man Tucker. "These kids were curious about Katherine Mulligan, too. Not only that, but they have a working relationship with this news station. Yet you turned them away. Care to comment?"

News Man Tucker bristled angrily. "Th-this is none of your business. It's none of their business, either."

Ginny chuckled and shook her head. "The more you deny it, the more I suspect you have something to hide," she chided. "In fact, I think I already know what's going on here."

Wait, she does? What was she doing while we were bumming around Katherine Mulligan's dressing room? Then again, she did say she was an amateur detective.

"If you don't mind, Ginny, we'd like to know your theory," I said. "I'm sure this'll be great for all of our viewers back home."

"Especially if you really did solve this case so fast," said Clyde eagerly. "We wanna know how you did it!"

Ginny giggled and twirled her magnifying glass in her hand. "Well, I never wanna disappoint a bunch of eager kids. Especially fellow sleuths like Ace Savvy and One-Eyed Jack. I think it's time for one of Gin Rummy Prime's famous deductions!"

Wait, what? Is she treating this like some kinda game, or is she genuinely trying to help? I can't tell. I looked over at Lincoln, but he just shrugged.

"I've honestly never seen Ginny like this," he explained. "Then again, I only met her the one time, so there's probably a lot I don't know about her. Let's just go with it for now."

Without much other choice, the rest of us shrugged and nodded. Ginny nodded back and cleared her throat.

"Now, the way I see it, there are two matters to clear up," she said. "The disappearance of Ms. Mulligan, and why Mr. Tucker refused to let us investigate." She twirled the magnifying glass in her hand again. "Let's start with the second question first. Try to keep up."

Topic A: News Man Tucker's Obstruction

"For those of you just joining us, allow me to summarize last night's breaking news story," said Ginny. "Katherine Mulligan, Royal Woods's star reporter, took on the monumental task of investigating the mysterious organization known as Incognito Labs. In the middle of the broadcast, she mysteriously disappeared. We'll get to why in a moment, but the fact remains that the top reporter of this news station is currently missing. And tell me, Mr. Tucker. How would you respond to such a… troubling affair?"

"W-we're doing what we can," News Man Tucker said sheepishly. "We care very much about Ms. Mulligan's well-being."

"Really now?" said Ginny, raising an eyebrow. She turned and held up her magnifying glass to the cameras. "Is that why the story is mysteriously absent from your teleprompter? Not a word about what happened last night from what I can see."

I glanced over at the teleprompter. Sure enough, there was nothing on there about Katherine Mulligan or Incognito Labs; at least not at first glance. This girl doesn't miss a trick.

"I-it's a developing story," News Man Tucker insisted. "We can't report on it without all of the details."

"Then what's that in your front pocket?" Ginny asked, zooming in with her magnifying glass. "Why, is that a copy of today's broadcast I spy? And there's a name on the header. Perhaps it's Katherine Mulligan's name?"

News Man Tucker flinched. "N-now see here. Y-you have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" Ginny twirled her magnifying glass in her hand. "Because here's the thing. I was hired by this news station to investigate Katherine Mulligan's disappearance, but the moment I walked in the door, you turned me away. What possible reason could you have for doing that?"

"Th-that's a private affair!" News Man Tucker protested. "The public doesn't need to know that!"

"But I do," Ginny insisted. "In fact, what's that behind your ear? A ballpoint pen?"

I looked over at News Man Tucker, and… yep, she's right about that, too. There was a blue pen in his ear. But where exactly is she going with this?

"And let's see here," Ginny mused, zooming in with her magnifying glass. "Yep, the point's wet. This has been recently used. Did you write someone a check?"

"Th-that's none of your business," News Man Tucker huffed.

"I beg to differ," said Ginny. "Because I don't take checks, Mr. Tucker. You're the one who hired me; you should know that. Which leads me to believe that hiring me was a ruse."

"A what?!"

News Man Tucker recoiled, completely baffled by Ginny's reasoning. Honestly, I kinda see it, but even I would call this pretty flimsy.

"And why would you perform such an elaborate ruse?" Ginny inquired. "Perhaps it was to have me arrested for trespassing so that I wouldn't interfere with Incognito Labs! You're in their pocket!"

…

And that right there was just a massive leap that even I wouldn't make. This whole deduction is just going off the rails! Who is this girl?!

"That's right, folks!" Ginny proclaimed, pointing with her magnifying glass. "News Man Tucker is trying to make sure the truth of Incognito Labs stays buried by getting me out of the picture! That's topic number one covered!"

Conclusion:

In Cahoots with Incognito Labs

I looked around at my friends, and they were all understandably confused. But before we could protest, Ginny just soldiered on.

Topic B: The Disappearance of Katherine Mulligan

"Now, with that established, let's circle back to that disappearance, shall we?" Ginny twirled her magnifying glass in her hand. "Those who saw the broadcast know what happened. But here's my question: why? What possessed her to pursue such a story?"

"How should I know?" News Man Tucker said with a shrug. "I'm just a news anchor. I'm not her boss; we're coworkers."

Ginny arched an eyebrow at News Man Tucker. "Really? Is that why your eye keeps glancing over to that wall over there?"

She pointed with her magnifying glass at the far wall. Looking over, we saw a series of plaques hung up, all looking rather fancy and official. I was about to read them, but Ginny just kept talking.

"I'm sure those are Employee of the Month plaques," she said. "And I'll bet anything one of those plaques belongs to Katherine Mulligan; this station's star reporter. A prestigious honor, to be sure. One that you clearly want."

…

I feel like my brain is tying itself into knots. Is this what it's like for other people hearing me talk about the conspiracy? Because I'm starting to feel their pain. Why does Lincoln trust this girl again?

"Y-you're out of line, miss!" News Man Tucker roared. "I'd never do that to Katherine Mulligan!"

"We just established that you were planning to send me up the river for poking my nose where it doesn't belong," Ginny said cooly. "This is what they promised you, isn't it? You send Katherine Mulligan to Incognito Labs, she disappears, and you go about like nothing happened. Thus, you'll get Katherine's star power."

News Man Tucker just stared blankly at Ginny in disbelief. Some would take that as an admission of guilt, but at this point, I think he's just completely floored because everything she just said is absolutely nutty. Say what you will about my research, but at least I do research before jumping to these wild conclusions! I feel like a broken record, but this girl's on a totally different level!

"But here's the big sticking point," Ginny mused. "Becoming Employee of the Month isn't just a matter of eliminating your competition. You need to do some expert reporting to prove that you deserve it. Which would explain this."

She pulled out a flash drive from her pocket, and News Man Tucker went pale.

"Wh-where did you…?"

"I found this in your dressing room," said Ginny. "It's encrypted, but I have a feeling that this has important info on Incognito Labs. Meaning you're playing both sides."

Playing both… Is she even listening to herself?! I swear, it's like she just makes this up as she goes along! I thought she was supposed to be like this super cool detective! What the heck?!

"That's right, Mr. Tucker. I figured out your game," said Ginny, pointing her magnifying glass accusingly. "You had Incognito Labs take Katherine Mulligan out of the picture, just so you could expose them yourself and get all the glory! Maybe you'd even get the glory for saving your dear coworker! An admirable effort; you even took my persistence into account. But in the end, it was too much for you. I managed to unravel your little scheme anyway. And if you call the cops to arrest me, they'll have to arrest you, too."

Conclusion:

Tucker's a Double Agent

Ginny smirked and gave her magnifying glass one final twirl. "And there you have it. The elegant deduction of Gin Rummy Prime. Case closed."

…

For a while, none of us said anything. It was just so much to take in at once. Finally, Lincoln was the first to speak up.

"Would you excuse us for a moment?" he said. He then motioned to us for a group huddle. Shrugging, we all gathered around.

"Well. That was… a lot," said Stella.

"Yeah, a lotta bull," Liam said with a snort. "Her reasoning's trickier to follow than a dazed pigeon. We can't let it stand like this."

"Well, hold on," Clyde mused. "Her deductions aren't coming out of nowhere. She did notice a lot of stuff most of us would've dismissed at first glance."

"Yeah, but she's using that to leap to wild conclusions!" Rusty pointed out. "Lincoln, are you sure this girl's legit?"

Lincoln furrowed his brow and thought for a moment.

"I think you're both right," he said. "Ginny has a good eye for this stuff, but she's focusing on the wrong things."

…

Hey, I think Lincoln's onto something. I noticed a few things during her ramblings that she kinda glossed over.

"So, you're saying if we direct her to the stuff that's actually important, we can find out what's really going on?" I asked.

"I think so," said Lincoln with a nod. "It's our best shot."

"But how do we do that?" Stella asked.

We all thought for a moment before an idea struck me. "Follow my lead," I said.

Everyone looked at each other for a moment. "You sure 'bout that?" Liam asked.

"Nutty conspiracies are my bread and butter," I said confidently. "I know how to make them make sense."

That seemed to convince everyone. Not that I had any doubt. My friends may think I'm kooky, but deep down, they know what's up.

"Alright. You take the lead, Zach," said Lincoln.

I nodded, and we broke the huddle. I then approached Ginny and cleared my throat.

"Say, um, Gin. Mind if I call you that?" I asked.

Ginny smirked and nodded. "Fine by me. What's up?"

"I was wondering, could you… repeat all that?" I said. "I just wanna make sure everyone was able to keep up. You gotta admit, that was a lot to swallow in one go."

Ginny pursed her lips and tapped her chin with her magnifying glass. "I… guess you're not wrong. Very well, I'll go over it one more time."

Huh. That was easy. Okay, now I just gotta pay attention and make sure to steer Ginny to what actually matters. Then we'll find out what's really going on around here.

Topic A: News Man Tucker's Obstruction

Ginny's Conclusion: In Cahoots with Incognito Labs

Ginny started from the very beginning and repeated her whole deduction verbatim. Seriously, it was word-for-word the same stuff. Even News Man Tucker's reactions didn't change. But all the while, I kept my eyes peeled for stuff that should've caught Ginny's attention. The first thing that popped up was the copy in News Man Tucker's pocket. Ginny just assumed that was Katherine Mulligan's name on the header, but was it really? I took a closer look.

…

Nope. It wasn't Katherine Mulligan's name. It was someone named… Thomas Cutler. Thomas as in… Tommy? This could be connected to the stuff Liam and I found in Katherine Mulligan's dressing room! We need to let Ginny know about this.

"Why, is that a copy of today's broadcast I spy? And there's a name on the header. Perhaps it's…"

"Thomas Cutler's name?" I interrupted. "Clearly, this is someone newsworthy if his name ended up on that copy."

I half-expected Ginny to get mad at me for interrupting, but to her credit, she was surprisingly chill. She just rolled with it like it was what she meant to say all along.

"Indeed, it is a curious name," she mused. "But what about Thomas Cutler is more important than the disappearance of your star reporter, Katherine Mulligan? It must be something big if you're talking about him and not her."

News Man Tucker's eyes bugged out again, but I could see sweat forming on his brow. He wasn't just stupefied by Ginny's crazy anymore; he knew we landed on something important. Something he didn't want leaked.

"Th-that's none of your business," News Man Tucker huffed.

"Why are you so quick to say that when you're the one who hired me?" Ginny asked. She once again zeroed in on the pen in News Man Tucker's ear. Was the pen irrelevant, or did she just miss the mark? I carefully observed News Man Tucker's person as she rambled. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Stella perk up. It looks like she found something this time. I'll let her take this one.

"Because I don't take checks, Mr. Tucker. You're the one who hired me; you should know that. Which leads me to believe that…"

"The check you wrote is for someone else," Stella interjected. "There's a check for a thousand dollars in your back pocket."

Ginny raised her magnifying glass and spied the check in question.

"Quite curious indeed," said Ginny thoughtfully. "Even more curious, you haven't made that check out to anyone. Why would you omit that? Unless… that someone was a person who didn't want to be found. Or… an organization."

My thoughts exactly. Now we're getting somewhere!

"Of course. It all makes sense!" I proclaimed. "News Man Tucker was planning to pay Incognito Labs as compensation for Katherine Mulligan's investigation!"

"Precisely," said Ginny. "And that's why I was turned away after you invited me here. You were threatened by Incognito Labs to keep this quiet!"

"Gah~!"

News Man Tucker turned completely white, sweat pouring down his face like a waterfall. I think we hit the nail on the head this time.

Conclusion:

Threatened by Incognito Labs

Well, that's one matter cleared up, but I know we're not done yet. We still need to figure out who Thomas Cutler is, and why he's apparently bigger news than Katherine Mulligan.

Topic B: The Disappearance of Katherine Mulligan

Ginny's Conclusion: Tucker's a Double Agent

"So, we now know the reason we were barred from investigating," said Lincoln. "But now we have to know, who is Thomas Cutler?"

"I-I honestly have no idea," said News Man Tucker. "I-I didn't even read this copy before we went on the air."

Does he honestly expect us to believe that? I know Ginny wasn't buying it.

"Is that why your eye keeps glancing over at that wall over there?" she asked. Once again, she pointed to the wall of plaques. Of course, now it makes no sense for them to be Employee of the Month plaques, so what are they? I took a closer look, and the name Thomas Cutler came up. Wait, what's this inscription?

For your dedicated service to journalism. May you rest in peace.

…

So, it's a memorial? I thought back to the recording of the interview we found in Katherine Mulligan's office. This is connected somehow; I know it!

"Those are clearly memorial plaques," I said. "A dedication to outstanding journalists who lost their lives in the field. And one of them was Thomas Cutler."

"Indeed," Ginny concurred. She then looked at the plaque through her magnifying glass. "But hang on. This is dated July 22nd. That's months from now."

"And yet Mr. Cutler's name is on that there copy you were planning to read on this here broadcast," said Liam. "Meanin' his name is somehow newsworthy."

News Man Tucker gulped. "L-listen, this is all some whacky coincidence…"

"Doubtful," I said. "Because you still have to explain this."

I pulled out Katherine Mulligan's planner and pointed to the highlighted section.

"'2:00: Meet with Tucker; discuss possible new Tommy lead'," I quoted. "You guys were planning on following through on my call to arms yesterday, weren't you? You had no intention of burying this or getting the glory for yourself; you guys just wanted the truth!"

"But then, Incognito Labs started to apply pressure, and you guys caved," Ginny said grimly. "Losing a star employee is one thing, but you're worried that they can take down the whole organization!"

"And this must've happened shortly after you hired Ginny, which explains why you turned all of us away the moment we got here!" Clyde added. "You were trying to keep this under wraps to make sure no one else here got hurt!"

News Man Tucker said nothing, but instead hung his head sheepishly. I guess that settles that, then.

Conclusion:

Tucker Caved to Incognito Labs

Ginny somberly twirled her magnifying glass. "A masterful deduction, but a troubling conclusion."

"Yeah, one that was broadcast to everyone in town," News Man Tucker growled. "Now we're definitely not getting Katherine back."

"Um, actually, the feed was cut a while ago," said one of the technicians sheepishly. "It wasn't us, though. Someone must've hacked into it from the outside."

Hmm. I expect nothing less from an organization as slippery as them. But that's the last thing on my mind right now. Rusty seemed to agree.

"Wait, are they holding my future mom hostage?!" he exclaimed.

News Man Tucker sighed. "That's what we believe. After we put word out to Ms. O'Donnell, we got an anonymous email saying 'pay us one thousand dollars, or Katty will end up like Tommy'."

Ginny frowned. "Either they're really strapped for cash, or they had no intention of honoring their end of the bargain. I'm not fond of either option."

"And in the meantime, you were willing to bury this just to save your own skin," Lincoln scolded. "That's not what good journalists do."

"Actually, that's not the full story," said News Man Tucker, taking out his news copy. "Sure, we want Incognito Labs to think we're caving, but we've got an ace up our sleeve. On the surface, this copy is a simple memorial to Thomas Cutler, but we planned to tie that to Katherine's current investigation and predicament." He then glowered at Ginny. "That is, until Ms. O'Donnell busted in and ruined the whole thing."

Ginny chuckled weakly and fiddled with her ponytail. "Sorry about that. At the same time, I've dedicated myself to solving mysteries like this. I don't know why you expected anything different."

To be fair, the Action News Team would've done the same, anyway. We clearly didn't get the memo, either. I guess I know why, but still, a coded message or something would've been nice.

"Well, while we're on the subject, who is Thomas Cutler?" Stella asked. "And what was this big story he was working on when he died?"

News Man Tucker let out a heavy sigh. "Tommy Cutler was one of this company's finest journalists. He's a big inspiration to a lot of us here; including Katherine. As for that last story, well, it's still in our archives. We'll need to wrap up this broadcast, but afterwards, I can show you."

"You sure about that?" asked Clyde. "After we broke in and messed everything up?"

News Man Tucker laughed. "Ms. O'Donnell has a point. You're journalists. Good journalists don't respond well to red tape, no matter where it comes from. Think of this as my way of apologizing for giving you guys the runaround."

…

Okay, fair enough. Just goes to show you that journalists know what goes into a thorough investigation. If Thomas Cutler actually did inspire Katherine Mulligan, he sounds super cool. I can't wait to learn more about him. Not only that, but judging by how they were gonna use his memorial to segue into talking about Incognito Labs, I wonder if he was researching them, too. The conspiracy really is a rabbit hole that keeps getting deeper and deeper. But I've been told that I'm a very good spelunker.

…

Okay, maybe I'm the only one who calls myself that. And my folks. Look, you know what I mean.