Chapter #3A U-Turn Is Proper Leadership, Right? by: Seuzz   Text by imaj
"Jesus, Joe!" you explode. "I-- I--" He just looks amused as you stutter. "I don't know how to run an investigation! You need to be in charge!"
"Dad's in charge," he says. "And if Dad says you're in charge, then you're in charge."
"But I don't know what to do!"
"You can always ask me for advice."
True. "Okay, so what do you think we should do?"
He just purses his lips; his eyes glint.
You groan. "Don't be like this. I don't know enough to--"
"You know everything I know," he says. "We've talked over the case. Hours and hours of talk. Once we get started, I'll be full of advice. But as for the overall plan-- Look, I've told you what I think, and you've offered your own opinions. You make the decision. I'll be with you a hundred thousand percent."
You sigh loudly. You know Joe is trying to make you feel guilty and, worse, it's working. He's set on staying at Eastman, despite your misgivings ' there are definitely leads at Westside that you need to look at. On the other hand, what easier way would there be to win Joe's loyalty to his new 'boss' than giving him what he wants. You can always gently steer him to Westside later on.
You pace slowly about the kitchen, head down and arms folded; you can feel Joe's eyes on you. "Back to Eastman?" you finally say, and can't keep it from coming out like a question. "I mean there must be things there that you missed. And I have a gut feeling that's where Blackwell ended up too. Does that seem like a good idea?"
Joe snorts and you wilt. Dammit, this is awkward. You are not used to being in charge. 'Things we missed,' he repeats, making it clear what he thinks of that idea. 'We were pretty thorough.'
If this is what leadership is like, you think, you can stick it. You have the feeling that Joe is going to complain no matter what you decide, and in a flash of insight you realise that he prefers it that way. 'It's not an insult,' you say, holding up your hands in a placating gesture. 'It's who you are,' you improvise. 'New guy shows up at school and starts asking a lot of questions, people are going to close up. And I bet you didn't use that lie detector thing much either.'
'I said it was rude,' glowers Joe.
'So there's probably a lot of stuff that you weren't told,' you continue. 'That's what I mean, you didn't miss things, people just didn't tell you everything.'
'And you know how to fix that,' asks Joe, an odd expression on his face.
'Yeah, I do. There's bound to be people at Eastman that are gossips,' you explain. You suddenly find yourself thinking of Cassie Harper, who sat next to you in Math back at Westside. 'I mean, they'd go round asking questions all the time and no one would think anything of it.'
'Are you saying you want to use the mask you made,' asks Joe, a little too keenly. 'Are you really sure that's what you want to do?'
'It would only be temporary,' you reply. 'Just for the length of the investigation. Just long enough to find out the missing facts. Then we let the person go with nothing more than a bad case of amnesia and a missing week or two.' Joe nods but you feel that the only person you are succeeding in convincing is yourself. 'Who are the gossips at Eastman?'
Joe thinks for a moment. 'The Rumourati,' he replies.
'The' uh' what?'
'I know,' says Joe with a shrug. 'Adam Weishaupt would be rolling in his grave. If he had one after what the Stellae of the time did after they caught up with him.' As with all Joe's cryptic references, you find yourself staring blankly at him. 'You've got a long way to go before you're half the straight man Frank was,' he continues in a hurt tone of voice. 'It's this bunch of girls that keeps a tight lid on all the gossip in the school. You know, now that I think about them, it's surprising we found out as much as we did.'
'Girls,' you ask. 'Just girls? No guys at all?'
'What,' smiles Joe. 'You scared of having boobs or something? Fifty percent of the populace manages with them every day. And I was just thinking how a nice pair of boobs would brighten up the house a little.' He snickers for a few moments. 'There's a guy called Lawrence Farmer that tries to play too, but the girls keep him shut out, so you don't want him.'
'He might not be that bad a choice,' you argue.
'Also, he's clearly gay as hell,' explains Joe. 'And I'm getting a vibe from you that you wouldn't enjoy that.'
'How can you be sure he's gay?'
'The planets don't lie,' explains Joe.
'So one of the girls then,' you concede.
'Great,' says Joe with a dazzling smile. 'I got one in mind that would be perfect.'
'It's the one with he biggest boobs isn't it,' you ask with dreadful certainty. The look on Joe's face is all the answer you need. 'Look I don't want her. I want one of the less visible members,' you add, putting your foot down. Joe's face falls. 'I'm in charge here, aren't I? I'm telling you to get a low profile Rumourati girl so nobody pays too much attention to me asking questions as her.'
'Yessir,' says Joe with a snappily sarcastic salute.
'Now I feel sorry for Frank again,' you mutter.  You have the following choice: 1. Continue |
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