Log:Pandora's Box, Scene 7

[Harold Engstrom died of a heart attack at his home in California in 2043. And expedition is mounted to check out his house.]

With Yutaka's help, you enter a town which could be one of many, not quite conurbated with Los Angeles but very much commuter territory, which has the last known address of the late Harold Engstrom. According to the phone book, at least, "Engstrom, W." lives there now.

Eleven is dying in the So Cal heat. "My god.. It's hot here.. It's so dry..."

Eleven is covered with clothing of course.

Dancing Coyote approaches the front door... nonsneakiness has worked pretty well for him so far... but looks around through the door and walls as he does so. He smiles at Jack "Apparently my garb is better suited for this climate than back home... I could likely obtain a robe for you, if you wished."

Eleven unbuttons his jacket and takes it off. He takes off his gun holster and hides it under his jacket.

Eleven nods to DC, "Let's just get this over with."

Dancing Coyote looks around inside the building, through the door/waklls (N-ray)

It's another suburban house, if more subtropical. Like many in the street. The lawn is kept green despite the dry climate.

Eleven asks DC, "Well, see anything?"

The house appears to be empty of people, and little of immediate interest jumps out. It would appear that only a couple lives here, though there are three spare bedrooms (one used for storage).

There appears to be a basement, though because of the lush lawn you can't see much if it from here!

Dancing Coyote relays what he sees to Jack and knocks on the door.

No one answers.

Eleven waits for someone. "You said no one was there right?"

Jack takes off his shirt and wipes his head with it. "It is so hot... Must be triple digits here.."

Dancing Coyote nods. "Yes... just confirming." He seems uncertain. "I suppose we could break in and check out the basement."

Dancing Coyote notices that this is the best lawn on the street. THe heat doesn't seem to have hurt it at all.'.

Dancing Coyote hrms and inspects the lawn more carefully.

Jack tries to see if the door is locked.

The door is locked.

Jack groans. "This never happens for Amy!"

Jack goes to look to see if any windows are open.

Dancing Coyote hrms. "Well, apparently whoever lives here is also an adept." He He walks around the house to see if he can get a view into the basement from another spot, somewhat reluctant to break in if unnecessary.

Jack asks DC. "What do you mean an adept?"

There does seem to be a small window open upstairs. Probably associated with a bathroom.

Dancing Coyote says, "A mage... like Vicky and her sister. The lawn is maintained magically.""

Jack nods and takes a look at the lawn. "Really? So are there any magical alarms or something around here?" He starts climbing up to the window. "I'm Going to try to get there." He then tells DC. "Hold my stuff will yah?"

Dancing Coyote looks at the window and takes Jack's stuff, looking for magical alarms or whatnot. He also looks around (360-degree vision) to see if anyone is watching them.

Jack curses as he's up the wall.

Dancing Coyote says, "No magical alarms, just normal house security."

Jack tries to squeeze in the window and gets stuck halfway!

Dancing Coyote contemplates just flying up there, but Jack does seem to be enjoying himself...

Jack curses loudly.

Jack looks around to see if anything is reachable.

Dancing Coyote chuckles, casts a spell, flies up to the window and looks at it more carefully. "Is there a problem?"

Jack tries to back out and gets stuck more!

Jack growls, "Stupid Window.. I'm stuck.. Help me Coyote!"

Dancing Coyote contemplates the situation, amused, and attempts to pull Jack out.

It's a largish but unremarkable bathroom. Clearly both a woman and a man live here.

Jack tells Coyote. "No.. Push me through!"

Dancing Coyote shrugs, and attempts to psuh Jack through, hoping he doesn't break anything in the process. He first removes Jack's belt.

Jack makes it through. His pants not so much.

Jack falls to the bathroom ground without his pants. he's just in his boxers now! Jack frowns and gets up. "Give me back my stuff! I'll open the door unless you can squeeze through that window."

DC becomes one of the few people who's seen Jack in his boxers.

Dancing Coyote doesn't seem entirely appreciative of the honor. He grins. "I think I can get through."

Dancing Coyote attempts to squeeze through, shapechanging if necessary.

With some shapechanging it's easy.

Jack frowns. "That's cheating!"

Dancing Coyote nods.

Jack sighs. "Just give me back my stuff."

Dancing Coyote lets Jack get dressed again and attempts to sneak into the basement, keeping his senses peeled.

The bathroom smells of some scents which suggest the middle-aged somehow.

Jack goes to take a leak in toilet.

Dancing Coyote notices something very odd about the basement: he can't see about half of it, though not he thinks because of a living thing.

The walls have many picture on them, largely of family by the look of them.

Dancing Coyote nods as he scans the basement, not entirely surprised by the anomalous thingie inside, and waits for Jack to catch up.

Jack washes his hands and cleans up before trying to catch up with DC. "Let's find out where the AC is."

The house is cooler, anyway!

Dancing Coyote chuckles. "There's something odd in the basement... perhaps we should check that out first. I don't think we actually want to move in here..." He carefully opens the basement door and sneaks in.

It's dark in the basement, unlesss you turn on the light. It has a slightly odd smell which suggests it may be used for storage.

Jack decides. "Look I can't take this heat. You look in the basement. I'll get the AC."

Jack moves off on his own to turn on the AC.

Dancing Coyote moves quitely into the basement, leaving the lights off for now, and checks out the area that's opaque to his magical senses.

It's pretty obvious once you're down here. Half the basement looks almost like a bunker or an air raid shelter, but against magic. Mystic wards cover the doors and walls.

Dancing Coyote inspects the wards carefully to see if he can discern anything about them... how they were made, whether they were intended to keep out (or in) anything in particular, whether his own intrusion would set them off, etc.

It's not an area of magic DC is familiar with, but looks similar to things that have come up in his research on this matter. His best guess is they're demonological in nature.

Dancing Coyote nods, unsurprised, and begins to search the basement more in-depth, looking for anything related to the chest, the various other ritual items associated with it, the demon-summoning ritual itself, etc. He turns on the basement light if that helps.

This part of the basement seems to be quite free of such things! Mosrly it's a washing machine and dryer, plus lots of storage. The clutter of years and children, by the look of it.

Dancing Coyote nods and hrms. He looks over the wards again to see if he can figure out when they were placed.

Dancing Coyote also sniffs around to determine if the scents he picked up from the alley outside Amy's shop have been around here.

The wards look like they were put here years ago: in fact some are in poor repair and weakened as paint has peeled. Of the smell, you're not sure.

Dancing Coyote hrms. So... apparently this protective space was set up long before the chest was stolen... possibly unrelated to the theft altogether, merely cautionary. He shrugs and starts searching the basement, and then the rest of the house, in a more open-ended fashion, looking for anything that might have been left by Harold before his death/disappearance that might shed some light on matters, as well as any records that might point to other places to look... records of H's death, funeral homes, hospital stays, old correspondance, journals, stuff like that.

THere's not much obviously Harold's here (at least, that's found easily), except some of the older photos. By the look of the pictures in the wall, he had a wife and three children (two boys and a girl, in that order). Other pictures suggest each married and had children of their own... it takes some piecing together!

Dancing Coyote shrugs and makes note of the family members. If they have addresses or other contact information he notes that as well... at least it's a lead.

Of the children, pictures of one family (with three children, girl-boy-girl) predominate. It's not hard to guess that's who lives here now (the parents at least: the grandchildren are themselves grown up now...

The second son seems to have two children (boy and girl) and the daughter a boy.

Dancing Coyote shrugs. It remains true that he is better suited to getting information from people than places, so he decides to take a different tack... he leads Jack out of the house, restores the AC and lights and so forth to their previous condition, sits down on the lawn and attempts to look up the PDA number of whoever lives here.

Dancing Coyote dials it.

"Blll here."

Jack goes back inside and turns on the AC and looks around for clues while DC dials numbers.

Dancing Coyote says, "Hello... this is William Engstrom? Harold's son?""

Jack stays inside, to look around for more clues.

A slight pause. "Speaking."

Dancing Coyote says, "I'm glad to have reached you. My name is Dancing Coyote... I'm in (town) from Colonial Bay investigating a matter of some urgency, and was hoping I could visit with you briefly while I'm here?"

Bill's tone darkens. "What's it about?"

Jack collects something and continues looking about.

Jack doesn't find much in the main bedroom. THe other three bedrooms one closer look aren't so "spare" - it looks like they might have occasional occupants, or at least have had them until recently: they still have some personal stuff in them.'.

Dancing Coyote says, "Well, the truth is I'm not entirely sure... that's what I'm attempting to establish. The simple version is I'm investigating the theft of an item of some vaand the motivations for that theft have led me along a rather torturous route that currently points to your father's history. So I was hoping you might be able to clarify some of that history and perhaps either close off this route of investigation, or provide information that leads me forward. Even the most trivial information might prove of use. Is there an office or some other location that would be convenient some time today?"

Jack looks through the personal stuff in the other bedrooms to see if he can find stuff of importance.

"Hm. I'm on my way home now...."

Jack doesn't find much. Looks like this is what the kids left when they left home - stuff they didn't want to throw out, but not enough to take with them. He finds some old diaries ("Amber's, Keep Out! This means you, Doug!"). ABout the only really hidden thing he finds is a porn collection (presumably Doug's).

Dancing Coyote says, "I could meet you there as well, if you prefer."

Jack hrms and lugs out a box of stuff.

Jack goes back up with everything to find DC.

"That's probably easiest - you know where it is?"

Dancing Coyote says, "How far are you from home? I can find it."

"I'll be there in about 15 minutes."

Dancing Coyote says, "All right... we'll be waiting for you outside, then. thank you for your time."

Dancing Coyote attempts to get Jack back outside and to cover up the signs of their B&E if Jack cooperates, before Bill arrives home.

Jack shows DC some diaries. "Look what I found!" He's sifting through Doug's porn collection.

Dancing Coyote sighs.

Dancing Coyote says, "Relevant, or merely prurient?"

Jack offers Amber's Diaries to DC. "These might be useful."

They don't look relevant. From the styles, these pictures are probably pushing a decade old.

Dancing Coyote says, "All right. Jack, the owner of the house is on his way here, so if you could please conceal whatever you intend to steal and put back the rest, that would be helpful. Do you need assistance getting back outside? I'd rather not _start_ the conversation having broken into his house."

Jack nods to DC. "Ok, I'll put this porn back.. But the Diaries and this.." He offers some robes of some sort. "This could be related." Jack hands DC the diaries and robes and goes to quickly rehide the porn before having DC assist him in leaving the house. He makes sure to turn the AC off as well.

The robes Jacks' found do indeed look like they could be used in magical rituals, and have the whiff of magic about them.

Dancing Coyote sniffs the robes. Do they smell of anyone he recognizes and how recently have they been worn?

They mostly smell of the the man who lives here, presumably Bill.

The smell isn't very stale.

Dancing Coyote nods to Jack. "All right... it appears Bill is himself a mage. Of course, that was already clear from the lawn."

Jack nods to DC. "Ok, let's get going. Help me out. I'll stash the stuff away. We can read the diaries later."

Dancing Coyote attempts to determine from the whiff of magic about the robes whether they've been used in demon-summoning or similarly necromantic rituals. Then he helps Jack out and waits for Bill while Jack stashes the stuff.

Jack frowns. "There's no place to stash stuff.

Jack spends some time to look for place to stash stuff.

DC wouldn't have thought so, though again, it's not his speciality.

Jack quickly stuffs things in the trunk.

Dancing Coyote does his best to avoid revealing that they've been ransacking Bill's house and then sits on the lawn to wait.

Jack takes the porn and stuffs it in the trunk as well.

A car (presumable of two: double garage) pulls up.

Jack puts his jacket and shirt and everything in the trunk, gun as well and closes it!

Jack frowns,. o O (Well at least my clothes is covering everything.)

Bill gets out and comes round the front. "Dancing Coyote, was it?"

Jack thinks. . o O (Oh No! My keys are in my jacket! Grrrr..)

Dancing Coyote waves to what is presumably

Jack checks on the doors of the car. They are locked.

"Well, come in then. He with you?"

Dancing Coyote stands up and offers a hand in greeting, and follows Bill inside. "Yes... more or less."

Jack goes up to to follow DC and Bill in.

Jack is shirtless at the moment.

Bill frowns at Jack. "Don't you have a shirt?" He seems less bothered by DC's gear.

Jack tells Bill, "Um.. It's hot."

Jack shrugs.

Dancing Coyote enters the house and looks around. "I was admiring the craft on your lawn... is that your work?"

He lets Jack in, but doesn't seem happy about it, and waves people into the living room. "Have a seat, and tell me what this is - yes, all my own." He seems rather proud of it.

Jack asks, "Can you turn the AC on?"

Jack takes a seat and has his perspiration slime all over the chair.

Bill winces as Jack makes a mess. "FIne, fine," he mutters, and goes to turn it on.

Dancing Coyote says, "It's good wor. If you don't mind my asking... where did you learn?"

Jack seems relieved as the air goes on.

"What - gardening? I just picked it up here and there - what's all thsi about?"

Dancing Coyote hrms. "Well... in a manner of speaking it is about your garden. But perhaps I should back up. Was your father interested in the occult at all?"

Jack shrugs and glances over to DC as he wasn't involved in the phone conversation. Jack eyes Bill warily. . o O (He sure doesn't look like the type to be into THAT type of porn...)

Dancing Coyote discretely sniffs the air to see if he recognizes Bill as the same scent from the robes.

"He might have been," he says guardedly.

Dancing Coyote nods. "All right. Perhaps this will be simpler if we can first establish my bonafides... I realize you have no particular reason to trust me. I assure you, I mean no harm tanyone... I am investigating a theft, as I said, with occult implications. I understand your hesitation in answering questions of a private nature, but lives do hang in the balance. Is there anything I can do for you to put you at ease as regards my motives?"

"Just tell me what this is about, in plain English."

Dancing Coyote says, "A theft of an occult object that could be used to kill many innocent people."

Jack just sits and observes. The cool air really helps.

He frowns slightly. "What object?"

Dancing Coyote says, "I'm not sure what sort of explanation you're looking for. How acquainted are you with magic?""

"If you want my help, just tell me! What object?" He's annoyed - maybe slightly afraid? He gets up and pours himself a drink.

Dancing Coyote seems puzzled. "You're asking what it looks like? A wooden chest."

Jack asks, "Oh, what is that? Can I get a drink?"

Jack adds, "It's scorching out there."

He pales visibly. "And the key? Is that safe? Or don't you know about it?"

Jack asks Bill again, "Can I get a drink?"

Bill snaps. "You just shut up! Give me a straight answer!"

Jack frowns. "Hey take it easy buddy. I just want a drink."

Dancing Coyote smiles. "Ah. So you _are_ qcuainted with the situation. No, the key is not safe... I assume it was taken by the same agency that took the chest. If you know anything that would aid us in finding that agency before potential danger becomes actual, this would be a good time to share it."

Jack thinks. o O (Damn it. My gun is in the trunk.)

Bill sinks down into his seat. "What do you want to know?"

Jack gets up to get a drink for himself.

Dancing Coyote shrugs. "If I knew more, I could ask more sensible questions. Ultimately I want to know who stole the trunk and where to find them, but I don't expect you to tell me that. What I _would_ like you to tell me is what you know about the chest and the ritual surrounding it, and how you found out about it.

Bill doesn't stop Jack getting a beer. "You don't know that? Why'd you come here then?"

Jack rummages through the fridge to see what beers Bill has.

Dancing Coyote smiles. "Perhaps we can arrange a trade, of sorts? I've answered some of your questions... perhaps you can answer mine?"

Only one sort of beer there: not much choice.

"Look - I know, all right? Yes, it's my father's fault, all this mess..."

Jack sighs and takes the beer. He decides to look around the kitchen a bit before heading back.

Dancing Coyote nods invitingly. "Mm?"

"Is that what you wanted me to say? FIne, I've said it."

Dancing Coyote smiles. "What I would like, as I said, is for you to tell me what you know about the chest and the ritual surrounding it, and how you found out about it. I infer, then, that your father taught you? Or did you discover it from him on your own? Or something else?"

Jack returns with a beer for DC as well. He offers it to his compatriot before sitting back down.

Dancing Coyote takes the beer but doesn't open the can.

..or bottle, or whatever it is.

"Yeah, he taught me. Taught all of us. Said we had to know, you see, or the demon would get loose when he died."

Jack asks, "All of us? Who's all of us?"

Jack takes a swig of cold beer! "Ahhhh that hits the spot."

"Me and Rich and Charlene." He points at a picture of himself and his siblings. "Taught us all magic, and *not* to mess with demons. He got quite paranoid about them. I guess you can imagine."

Dancing Coyote says, "When was this?"

"Years ago, when we were kids still. 'Just in case something happens,' he said. I think he always thought he would die young."

Jack takes a look at Rich and Charlene in the picture. . o O (Hrm.. I wonder if Vicki knows them.. Guy and Girl..)

Dancing Coyote nods. "And when he died, did anything happen?

Jack thinks. o O (Charlene? Who's amber and the diaries?)

"No, but then we knew.... what we needed to know. And I've made sure my kids know, in case anything happens to me....

Jack, you can probably work it out from photos: Amber, Doug and someone else are Bill's children.

Dancing Coyote nods. "'What you needed to know'... what is that, exactly?

Jack shakes his head at the photos. "too old" he murmurs..

Dancing Coyote isn't quite sure what Jack means but figures he'll ask for an explanation later.

"If you need to ask, I can't tell you."

Jack sits back and sips more beer.

Dancing Coyote frowns. "Come now, William, you can do better than that. Do you refer to a means for protecting yourself? For controlling the demon? For banishing it? I'm not asking for training, I'm asking for an understanding of what it is your father taught you to do, and how that affected the events when he died."

"It's a secret - the third part to keeping the demon locked up! You understand why I can't share it with you." He adds ruefully, "I probably shouldn't have told you as much as I have, in retrospect."

Dancing Coyote says, "Are you intending to deal with the situation yourself, then?"

"How can I? You still haven't told me exactly what the situation is!"

Dancing Coyote shrugs. "What do you wish to know?"

Dancing Coyote says, "From my perspective, it seems clear that whoever stole the chest and the key has _some_ plan in mind for unlocking it. One possibility is they intend to torture you, or your children, to obtain it. Another is that they intend to read your minds. If you do not intend to address the situation, and you do not intend to tell me what you know so that _I_ can address it, what _do_ you intend to do?""

"If the box and the key have been stolen... then - yes. We'll need protection, all of us....."

"Keeping what we know safe is the only way to keep the demon locked up."

Jack comments, "You said there is a third part? You did't get that stolen did ya?"

"It's safe, as long as we are."

Jack says, "Who else knows about the third part besides you?"

Dancing Coyote sighs. "William, how do you protect yourself from the possibility that the information has _already_ been plucked from your mind, or theirs? I'm not ask

"Well - I was taught to guard my thoughts well. But ultimately there's no way to be sure, I suppose."

Jack looks agitated, "So you are the only one who knows about the third part?"

Jack knows about the password but doesn't want to give anything away while questioning.

Dancing Coyote nods. "Precisely my point, William. So you can either hide now, after the damage is potentially done, or you can help me try to find the people who did it and prevent them from taking the next step. Or, if you don't trust me, then tell me to leave and I will attempt to continue my investigation without your assistance, but at the moment your dancing around the issue is simply costing us time."

Bill looks annoyed. "I'm not dancing round the issue - you're the one who wouldn't come to the point, Coyote. I see no reason not to trust you now. I've already told you who you'd need to torture, if you were the ones trying to release the demon."

Jack asks, "So there is no one else who knows?"

Jack hrms and glances over to DC.

Jack says, "You going to drink that?"

Dancing Coyote sighs. "For the third time, William, I would like to know what you know about the chest and the ritual surrounding it. For the second time, I would like to know what happened when your father died, and what he taught you that was relevant to it. For the third time, my associate would like to know who else knows the third piece of the summoning ritual.

Dancing Coyote says, "If these are not clear questions, let me know what is confusing about them and I will attempt to clarify them further."

Dancing Coyote hands Jack the beer.

"As I said before, I know it, and my children, any my brother and sister. And anyone they've told, I suppose."

Jack thanks DC for the beer and sets his empty can/bottle down. He nods at the answer and opens the can/bottle for second round.

Dancing Coyote nods.

"About the chest and the summoning, all I know was that my father and two of his friends were trying to summon a demon to give them power of some sort. That's about it. My father didn't teach us that much about it, unsurprisingly."

Dancing Coyote nods. "Why did he teach you the third piece of the summoning ritual, if he did not intend for you to summon it?"

"Because like many spells it needs a loophole. You can't have a curse without a way to lift it. You can't have a magic lock without a way to open it. And the keyword can't be lost: someone living must know it, or the lock opens."

Jack hrms. "I see. Interesting. Tell me, How are you siblings and children? Can we speak with them about the matter?"

Jack seems more relaxed with beer.

"That might be best...." He digs out his PDA for the numbers.

Rich married someone called Maddie; their children are Hank and Jessie.

Charlene married Stuart Lack; their only child is Dave.

(Rich and Maddie have since divorced, it turns out.)

Jack takes this info all down.

Jack hrms and sees that DC is in deep thought. Jack goes to ask more questions. "So Rich and Maddie are divorced? Was it amicable?"

Jack adds, "Thanks for the info by the way. We really appreciate it."

"Hardly! Poor Rich. She got the house and the kids...."

Jack nods. "Where is Rich now? If Maddie knew about the third part.. and it didn't end well.." Jack ponders.

"Hm.... I doubt he would have told her. He's in Seattle now. Maddie still lives round here. I see her occasionally, and the kids - or used to - we're still on pretty good terms."

"Hm.... I doubt he would have told her. He's in Seattle now. Maddie still lives round here. I see her occasionally, and the kids - or used to - we're still on pretty good terms."

Jack nods to Bill. "Oh i see. How's your wife by the way? You didn't mention anything about her."

"She's fine - or was a few hours ago. She's not involved in this - well, she has some idea but..." He goes quiet. "I'd better call her."

Bill calls her at work; indeed, she is fine, it seems.

Jack nods. "Oh alright." He waits patiently for Bill to make his call.

Bill looks relieved. "Do you think we should call everyone?"

Jack shrugs at Bill, "Sure, if you think it will help."

Jack says, "Will you let me know if something seems suspicious?"

"Of course."

Jack nods and thanks Bill again and settles down in his seat. He sips more beer while DC goes to use the restroom.

He starts phoning round: his kids first, then Rich, then Maddie ("you'll tell the kids for me? Thanks"), then Charlene....

Jack looks around the place as he waits.

He's relieved at last. "Well, it seems everyone's safe so far. Though I'll have to wait to here back about Rich's kids."

Jack nods to Bill. "Sounds good. So basically everyone in the family knows about this stuff as you said. They know about the other people who had the other parts as well?"

"Hm, I don't know. I think Dad mentioned his old friends to use once or twice but I don't remember the names. Perhaps the others did."

Jack asks Bill, "Do you think you could give us addresses of everyone so we can go take a look around since we are traveling anyways. We'll call of course."

"Yeah, sure - well, you'd have to ask Maddie for Hank and Jessie's. And it seems Dave was never told, so I suppose you don't have to worry about him."

Jack grins. "Ok, we'll do. Thanks Bill. Sorry for the inconvienance. IF you find anythign else out. you can call Coyote here." Jack gives Bill DC's PDA number.

"Right, will do."

Jack exits with DC and tries to break into the car so he can get his stuff back and drive away.

Jack kicks at the car. "Damn it!"

At least it doesn't have an alarm. :)

Jack tries break a window open then. Rear window.

That you can do.

Jack finally gets the doors open and keys back after breaking the window to get in the car. He'll have to ask Yutaka for money later.. Anyways.. Jack drives DC over to a diner so they can look at the diaries for info.

The diaries seem to be what one might expect of a teenage girl. In the early pages, she seems to have a crush on her gym teacher, and is expecially enthusiastic about his legs.

Jack frowns and looks for info about the case. "I'll make sure to return everything later.."

THe diary proves to be exceptionally irrelevant. About the only thing that pertains is a mention of magic: when she's going on about some guy and wishing she could cast a love spell on him. "I wish I was good at magic, like Crystal"...

Jack hrms. "Crystal eh? That's Engstrom's kid.. I should talk to her maybe." Jack calls Vicki to relay this info they have found so far to see if she has any ideas.

Vicky basically has no more to add. She doesn't know any of the younger Engstroms.

Jack wonders if the Engstrom family was close and searches the diaries for descriptions and comments on other family members.

Jack thinks. o O (That Vicki is sure useless.)

There are occasional mentions of visits, mostly at Christmas. Hank, Jessie and Dan all seeem about Amber's age. How they got along seems to have varied.

Jack sighs. "Dang it. IT must be one of them. No one got robbed or nothing. Someone must be hiding something." Jack orders something to eat and puts the diaries away. He decides to give Amy a call and ask her if she wants anything in california.

Amy says, "Oh! Hi Jack!"

Amy says, "What's up?"

Jack smiles as he talks to a friendly voice. "Hey Amy. Im in Hollywood! Haha. Well somewhere in California. You need anything here?"

Amy says, "I dunno, what have they got there?"

Jack hrms. "I dunno. This place is huge.. We'll have to drive somewhere to find it. Right now me and DC are at some diner. Hey guess what? We found the third family that's associated with the Magic Chest you had. I think we are getting closer but still far off."

Amy says, "Oh, I thought you'd have it by now!"

Jack sighs. "No no.. We aren't getting direct answers, Amy. Now we have to go checkout all of these engstrom kids.."

Nobody says, "Oh, are there lots of them?""

Jack nods as he speaks into his PDA. "Yeah, so we ended up at Harold's kid, Bill's house. He has brother and sister. He has kids. his sibling has kids. They all know about this magic stuff. Looks like none of them got robbed though.. so it could be one of them that's guilty. That's my thinking anywyas."

Amy says, "Uh-huh, I guess that kind of makes sense, so which one is it?"

Jack shrugs as he speaks. "I dunno Amy. Maybe the kids of the one that got divorced. There's always trouble in divorce stuff, but I dunno. We have to go check it out."

Amy nods. "You know where they live?"

Jack shakes his head. "Nah.. I guess I'll have to call."

Amy says, "Oh, ok."

Jack tells Amy,"I'll call you back when we get more info."

Amy says, "ok!"

Jack tells Amy, "Talk to you soon. Bye.'

Amy says, "bye!"

Jack ends the call and decides to call Maddie.

Nobody says, "Hello?"

"Hello?"

Jack replies, "Hello is this Maddie?"

"yes, who is this?"

Jack answers, "Um, this is Jack Wong. Um We were with William Engstrom not long ago when he called you about everything?"

Jack thinks. o O (Stupid Coyote making me do the calls.)

"Oh, right...."

"Nothing's wrong, is there? No one's been hurt?" She suddenly gets anxious.

Jack chuckles. "Not that we know of. I'm calling to ask if we can stop by, me and my associate, Dancing Coyote to talk to you about the matter."

"Oh, of course.... What time would suit you?"

Jack asks, "When's the earliest we can come over?"

"Well.... I suppose you could come this evening....."

Jack tells Maddie. "Great. We'll do that then. What is your address again?"

She repeats her address.

Jack jots that down on a dirty napkin.