selfequipped | MASK OR MENACE IC CONTACT

Miss Bishop. Have you read the papers this morning?

[Because he's a seventeen year old who READS THE PAPER, of course he is.]

Are we talking the break up between the two big action movie stars, the news about the Russian spies and the debates over why they're not being given a fair trial, or ... the murders?

[Her voice, as she spoke all of that, went from being rather light to ... very somber.]

The latter. [He doesn't care about gossip, and he has very little sympathy for spies.]

Reading between the lines, it seems as if the police are having a difficult time finding leads. Not that they would openly admit as much.

The police force here is also overworked, thanks to our presence ...

[They might not need to find criminals, but the rest is bad enough.]

Have you ever broken into a morgue? We can see what the bodies there look like.

[Presuming there ... are bodies. The information is vague enough.]

... I cannot say that I have, no. In the past, I had always simply been allowed in.

... You know, I hadn't tried that.

[Mandrake just shrugs it off.]

Being a minister comes with many perks. Chief among them is that nobody ever questioned my right to go or be anywhere.

I don't have the same freedom. I'm unsettled here, and even though I work as a detective, it's still private work.

We might have to stick with breaking in.

... All right. What do you propose? You are ... probably much more familiar with the security measures of this world than I am.

I'll see what I can do about getting in there tonight, and if that fails, I'll bring in a third party. She's older, more experienced than both of us. She'll be able to help in that arena.

... Good. I'll trust your judgement on this one, since it's more your department than mine. ... Let's me know if there's anything you will need assistance with.