"Some hokey movie. I think it's called 'Battle For Gilligan's Island', or something like that."
"That stuff stinks."
I smiled. "Of course it stinks. The trick is not minding that it stinks."
"Why are you sitting there watching it, anyway? Why aren't you out finding that medium?"
"Because she'd know I'm coming, anyway. She's known my every move right from the beginning. She's been using her ESP to eavesdrop on us. So I'm trying to concentrate my thoughts on watching this pathetic excuse for entertainment to distract her from reading my mind, while I try and plan my next move."
"I see. You're hoping she'll be so disgusted listening to this dribble that she'll tune you out of her mind. Well, if this doesn't do it, nothing will."
"My thoughts exactly. Now let me get a handle on the situation - Harry mentioned two things we didn't know. First, that the other medium is a female, and second, that she and Cricket knew that I'd be assigned to the case. Now since this Cricket guy was before my time, it musta been the skirt that figured me for the job."
"Maybe she can see the future, too."
"Well, you don't have to be clairvoyant to know I'm on retainer to Lisa Van Travesti, although being on the inside would certainly make things easier for her. Say, you know Lisa socially, right? Do you know of any disgruntled employees of her's that might want to get back at her through her rock?"
Ramona leaned back on the couch, and clasped her hands behind her head. "Hmmm. Nope, I haven't heard anything along those lines, although I've heard that a lot of her servants are frightened to death of her. Mostly something about the way she has some spy among them who tells her everything that goes on in that house, although no one seems to know who it is."
"Really? I think we're getting somewhere at last. How many servants has she got?"
"Twenty-seven."
I sighed. I picked up a blank video cassette, snapped it into the VCR, and started recording the movie.
Ramona frowned at me. "What're you doing? I thought you hated that movie."
"I do, but it's going to take longer to figure this out than I thought. I better keep this thing handy while I work it all out."
"Maybe not as long as you think, Mr. Guts." It was Angel. She was leaning against the door to the den, flipping a hunting knife in her hand. "If they can't figure out who their spy is, maybe it's because the spy is never actually in the room with whoever it is that's being watched."
"I get it - you think the mole is our mysterious medium, right?"
"Well, it makes perfect sense - she'd be keeping an eye on all the servants to make sure nobody caught on to her involvement in the jewel heist, and at the same time reporting to her mistress about the going's on in the house. Which leads one to the conclusion..."
"...that Lisa Van Travesti knows who the pyschic is!", I blurted out. At last, a break in this irritating investigation - it wouldn't be long before I'd be back doing some simple, run of the mill, mass murder case. "OK, great. We run over to Lisa's, find out who her official house gossip is, and run the bitch downtown to the cops..."
"Assuming she doesn't want to put up a fight. Let's not forget about the unliving guests you had in the living room."
In my mind's eye, I could picture myself trying to fight off random objects flying out at me from every direction, kinda like the fight scene from 'The Empire Strikes Back'. "Say, uh, Angel, care to tag along?"
She smiled. "That's going to cost you extra. Give me those pizza coupons."
TO BE CONTINUED...