Ah, Gus's Games and Grub. Nowhere in Royal Woods can you find a more magical place for us kids to just have fun. We in the Dawg Squad have even taken to calling it our home away from home.

…

What? You didn't know we were called the Dawg Squad? Well, that's our name when we're not doing Action News Team stuff. You like it? I came up with it myself. But anyway, I digress.

Suffice to say, we were pretty surprised when we arrived there to not see our good pal Gus, but instead a sleazy guy wearing a colorfully striped uniform with a pizza hat. Standing next to him was a gila monster dressed up in the same way. Wait a minute. Is that…?

"Vic?"

Lincoln beat me to it before I could voice my thoughts. Vic narrowed his eyes and snarled, with his gila monster Gilly doing the same.

"What're you doing here, Loud? Come here to gloat?" he scoffed.

"Um, no. I'm just… very confused," said Lincoln. "Why aren't you at your hotel? It was doing so well last time we were there! Katherine Mulligan even gave you a glowing review!"

"Yeah, by making Gilly's massages a selling point!" Vic growled. "I didn't think she'd like them that much. And just like your bratty little sister predicted, my place was shut down because of it."

Gilly hung his head sheepishly, to which Vic sighed and gave him a pat on the head.

"It's not your fault, boy. We're just lucky Gus had the heart to hire you, too," he said somberly.

Wow. Now I feel kinda bad for that guy. Sure, he's a swindler and stuff, but to get taken down like that… that's just embarrassing. But we're not here for the sob story. We got a job to do.

"Speaking of Katherine Mulligan, have you been keeping up with the news lately?" Clyde asked.

Vic scowled. "I have. Nasty business, going after Incognito Labs. What was she thinking?"

"So you know about Incognito Labs," Ginny mused, twirling her magnifying glass in her hand.

Vic raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Virginia O'Donnell, private eye," she said with a nod. "I'm helping the Action News Team on a case."

"And we think you're a person of interest," Stella added.

Vic blinked before letting out a snicker. "Wow, you kids and your imaginations. This is why you punks are harassing me at work? Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're barking up the wrong tree."

"Big talk comin' from a slippery snake in the grass," Liam growled. "We know better than to let you sweet talk us like this."

Vic sighed. "You news types are so stubborn," he snarled. "Fine. If I can prove that I have nothing of value for your case, will you leave me alone?"

"Deal," Lincoln said with a nod.

I automatically looked to Ginny, expecting her to launch into another one of her wild deductions, but she just nodded and furrowed her brow.

"Um, Gin? You gonna jump in here?" Zach asked.

Ginny shook her head. "Not this time. You guys know this big palooka more than me. I'll let you take the lead."

Huh. Okay. Time to show this detective how the Dawg… I mean Action News Team gets things done. This should be a cinch.

Argument: Nothing to Do with Me

"I only know about Incognito Labs because I've been keeping up with the news," said Vic. "After your Action News Team kids made that call-to-arms, it's been the biggest story in Royal Woods! How could I not know about it? That being said, I'm afraid that's all I know. I doubt you amateurs have anything that can tie me to those shady miscreants."

I would comment on the irony of him calling Incognito Labs shady when, y'know, he doesn't exactly have a clean record himself. Still, Ginny must be rubbing off on me, because I don't think he's speaking like someone who knows nothing about those guys. There has to be a way to connect him to this case.

"You said before that Katherine Mulligan was crazy to go after Incognito Labs," Stella mused. "What exactly makes you think that?"

"I just told you. This is the biggest news story in Royal Woods right now," said Vic, raising an eyebrow. "And so far, no one is exactly painting a pretty picture of these guys. Especially not after they kidnapped a star journalist on the air."

Hmm. That's fair. That's more than fair, actually. But there's no way that's the end of the story.

"So this is the first time you've ever heard of Incognito Labs, is that what you're claiming?" I said.

"Exactly," Vic said with a nod.

I had to smirk as I stroked my chin. "Interesting. I wonder what Mayor Davis would say about that."

Vic's face went white. "Wh-what're you talking about?"

"You were Mayor Davis's campaign manager for quite some time," I explained. "Including during a particular campaign where she had to outright deny any involvement with Incognito Labs. So how does that square with you only learning about them just yesterday when the media started reporting on them?!"

Vic flinched, scooping up Gilly and squeezing him tight. Gilly himself let out a panicked rasp.

"Th-that's all speculation!" Vic sputtered. "You have no proof of this!"

Zach adjusted his glasses, causing them to flash. "That's where you're wrong," he said. "We actually did some digging at the news station, and it turns out a certain journalist was covering the campaign we just mentioned. Are you familiar with the work of Thomas Cutler?"

Vic's eye seemed to twitch. "Oh, don't even get me started. That guy was such a thorn in our side."

"Then you know that he was hot on the trail of Incognito Labs," Zach continued. "Further proving that you knew about them before the Action News Team broke the story! Which makes you a person of interest!"

"Y-you rotten brats!"

Vic flinched back again, squeezing Gilly tight. We could already see him sweating bullets.

"See how much easier this is when you're just honest?" Ginny asked smugly. "If you were just straight with us from the beginning, we'd be done by now. But you shifty types never like doing things the easy way, do you?"

Vic snorted. "Look, keep your voices down. I don't want Gus hearing about this. This is the only job I could find; Gilly and I can't afford to lose this!"

"Then I suggest you cooperate with our investigation," Lincoln countered. "What exactly do you know about Incognito Labs?"

"I told you, not that much," Vic said in a harsh whisper. "In fact, yeah. You're right. I knew about that shady cooperation long before you guys started raking up their mud. But I still can't help you out here. I barely know anything."

"Every little big helps, Mr. McGillicutty," said Stella. "Tell us about this campaign where Mayor Davis was accused of taking money from Incognito Labs."

Vic sighed. "Alright, fine. If it'll get you brats off my back, I can stand to reopen a few wounds. But I still don't think it'll be of any use to you."

"Let us be the judge of that, Vic," said Lincoln with his own smug grin.

Vic simply snarled and cleared his throat. Man, we're kinda lucky the place isn't that busy right now. Then again, we've still got a bit of time before the big lunch rush. Let's try to wrap this up quickly so Vic can at least keep his job.

Testimony: The Campaign

"In that particular campaign, Mayor Davis was going up against this blowhard named Byron Harning," said Vic. "Real piece of work, that guy. Almost as ruthless as me. He tried to slander Mayor Davis by claiming she was in Incognito Labs's pocket. It was an easy accusation to disprove, and thanks to my brilliant campaigning, Davis got another term."

That… still seems a bit vague. I feel like there's some major stuff Vic's not telling us. Time to dig a bit deeper.

"So, this is how you found out about Incognito Labs, is it?" asked Zach.

"Yep. Sorry about misdirecting you before," said Vic. "I've never been one to dwell on the past."

"That why you go jumpin' from scheme to scheme like a wily jackrabbit?" Liam taunted.

Vic gnashed his teeth while Gilly let out an indignant rasp.

"Focus, people," Lincoln scolded, clearing his throat. "So, you looked into these accusations from Mr. Harning, and found that they had no merit. Is that correct?"

"Exactly. Good to see you've got some sense, Loud," Vic said smugly. "And it didn't take a lot of digging to find that these guys were not to be trusted. And coming from me, that's saying something."

…

No comment.

"I'm not so sure if that's correct, either," said Clyde, adjusting his glasses.

Vic glared daggers at Clyde. "Oh, what now?"

"See, we just got through talking to Mayor Davis, and while she wasn't as helpful as we'd like, we managed to find out a few things," Clyde explained. "For one thing, you said that you disproved the claim that she was in Incognito Lab's pocket."

"That's my story, and I'm sticking to it," Vic proclaimed.

"Well, that just leaves the question: did you actually disprove it, or just bury the truth?"

Ooh, Vic really doesn't like that question. I could see him squirming as beads of sweat dripped from his brow.

"Just what are you implying?" he snarled.

"Mayor Davis informed us that she did accept a donation from Incognito Labs, but that she was not properly informed about the business they conducted," said Clyde. "As her campaign manager, wasn't it your job to vet donations like this? And if you did do a proper background check, why not just dismiss them outright instead of accepting their money?"

"I-it's not that simple!" Vic hissed, clutching Gilly like a security blanket. "Seven thousand dollars is nothing to sneeze at!"

"But it does make it hard for you to argue that you're not in cahoots with them if you accept that kind of money," Zach countered. "Yet that's exactly what you did! Was Byron Harning right to go after Mayor Davis for being corrupted?! Why did you accept that money?!"

"I… grr… gah~!"

That particular scream from Vic got everyone's attention, including Gus, who raised a skeptical eyebrow. Uh, whoops? Maybe we went a bit overboard. That can happen in our line of work. But hey, we do seem to be getting somewhere. That's something.

"S-sorry, sorry. Just… stubbed my toe," said Vic sheepishly.

Smooth. Lincoln cleared his throat.

"Nothing to see here, folks," he said. "In fact, first kid to win a hundred tickets can win an exclusive Rip Hardcore album recording some of his most epic adventures!"

Right away, all attention was taken off of us as the kids stampeded to the game corner, nearly trampling Gus in the process, poor guy. Nice thinking, Lincoln. I tell ya, they don't call this guy the Man with the Plan for nothing.

"I guess I should be grateful," Vic muttered, stroking Gilly.

"You're welcome," Lincoln said dryly. "Now how about in exchange, you tell us what really went on in that campaign?"

Vic let out a defeated sigh. "Alright, fine. Fair's fair, I suppose," he said. He then gave us a stern look. "To be honest, I wasn't lying about Harning. That man was willing to say and do anything to become mayor. So when he said Mayor Davis was in cahoots with Incognito Labs, I had to find out if that was true. Turns out… it's complicated."

"Complicated," I repeated.

"I'm not at liberty to say much more. Which is actually part of the problem," said Vic. "See, Mayor Davis herself used to work for those guys."

…

Hoo boy. That is quite a bombshell to drop. And of course, Zach pounced on that without hesitation.

"So she is connected to them! I knew it!" he barked. "How much does she know?!"

"Zach, shush!" Stella hissed. "We're trying not to get Vic fired!"

I just sighed and shook my head. That's the thing about Zach. When it comes to conspiracy, he gets super passionate.

"Look, I shouldn't tell you this, but when researching the topic, I found that Mayor Davis had an NDA with Incognito Labs," Vic whispered. "Something about not revealing any of their secrets. The only way she'd have something like that is if she worked for them. And that donation? I'm sure it was a message to her that she couldn't escape them no matter how had she tried. We had to accept that money, or who knows what they'd do to her."

…

Huh. That kinda puts a whole new spin on this. Is Incognito Labs really powerful enough to influence the government? It sure seems that way from how Vic tells it. This might be even deeper than we thought. So basically, that means Zach's gonna have a field day with the conspiracies. Oh, sorry, conspiracy, singular. Yeah, his theory is that all of this is connected to one thing somehow. I stopped questioning it long ago.

"Well, if what you're saying is true, then how did Mr. Harning learn about it?" Ginny mused.

"That I never was able to figure out," Vic said with a shrug. "Like I said, the guy was just as ruthless as I was. If you want more of the story, maybe go pester him a bit."

That's definitely gonna be a stop on our list, but right now, I think Mayor Davis needs to explain some stuff, too. So, where do we go from here?

"You've given us quite a bit to think about," Lincoln mused. "Thank you, Vic. Hope all goes well with your new job."

Vic grunted. "Whatever, Loud."

With that, he marched off in a huff. Tch, rude. Gus really is a standup guy giving a jerk like him a job, but still.

"Nicely done, Ace," said Ginny with a smirk. "You guys are a journalistic juggernaut. Now we've got a few options."

"And we should start discussing those options," said Lincoln. "C'mon, let's go see if our usual booth is empty."

"Didn't we already have lunch?" asked Stella.

I had to shrug. "I mean, we're at Gus's Games and Grub, Stell. We might as well give him some of our business."

Stella thought for a moment before shrugging. "Fair enough. Besides, I could really go for some garlic knots right now."

I could really go for some answers myself. But I suppose that garlic knots will have to do for now.