Post by skybright on Jul 24, 2006 19:37:30 GMT -5
"Let me understand you." James Marcus Cole turned away from his office window and raised an eyebrow at Regina Dawson. "You want me to arrange a meeting with Tiernan, solely for the purpose of infiltrating his mind and discovering the whereabouts of a secret lab which may or may not actually exist?"
"More or less." The private eye raised an eyebrow from her position leaning against the office wall, and a flash of mild annoyance and faint mistrust flared across the room. "Think you're up to it?" You said you were in, buddy.
Cole winced slightly -- Dawson was an unusually loud thinker, and she didn't seem too interested in trying to disguise her dislike for Cole's profession (if not for him personally). He shook his head slightly. "I didn't say I wouldn't do it, Miss Dawson. I'm just not certain you understand the precise difficulties involved for me in a scenario like that."
Dawson shrugged slightly. "I realize it involves one of those migraines of yours . . ." she began, her thoughts genuinely apologetic.
"It's not that." Cole shook his head and took a seat, spreading his hands. "The human mind doesn't make any sense, Miss Dawson -- as is made evident by most human actions." He smiled wryly. "Most minds don't have a very organized internal structured . . . and with all the ugliness inside Tiernan . . ."
He sighed. "Try to think of it as wandering through a bookstore where nothing's been alphabetized -- just sorted into loose categories. Then imagine that the lights are flickering and you're wading through ankle-deep sewage. That's what trying to find anything in Nicholas Tiernan's mind is going to be like.
"Without knowing roughly where what I'm looking for is at -- and without it being relatively close to the surface of his mind . . ." he shrugged. "Finding anything useful would take so long, Tiernan would surely become suspicious about the length of our meeting."
"This might help you there." Dawson pulled a newspaper clipping from her pocket and sauntered over the the desk, holding it out. X-Gene Researcher Still Missing, Believed Dead, the headline read.
"Ah yes." Cole took it and frowned slightly. "That 'Hubert' character you told me about."
Daws nodded. "Tiernan's worried about Huber's disappearance." She explained. "The scientific side of mutation is on his mind right now, Cole. If you were to arrange a meeting specifically to discuss that -- he'd be sure to be thinking about his own researchers, and where they're holed up."
Cole nodded slowly. "That . . . may be of use." He slipped the article into his own pocket and sighed. "Very well -- I'll see what I can find."
"Great." Dawson turned for the door, donning her fedora. "We'll be in touch, Mister Cole." Glad to know you'll be doin' something of real use for us.
Cole flinched slightly. He wasn't sure why, but it bothered him that the detective thought so little of his work -- and, by extension, of him. He cleared his throat.
"How much did you tell Tiernan about my sister?"
Dawson froze on her way to the door. Sudden anger and defiance spiked through her mind -- layered over with a solid measure of guilt. She raised one eyebrow at him over her shoulder. "As much as I had to." And more than I wanted to.
Cole studied her levelly. "You know I've gone to a lot of trouble to keep my sister out of the public eye. The world's done more than enough to hurt Marla -- I want to know why you let a man like Nicholas Tiernan know about her."
Dawson narrowed her eyes slightly . . . and then sighed. "Because I gotta keep up appearances just as much as you do, Cole." She said, sounding and feeling mildly apologetic. "You gotta look like a well-meaning human politician with no skeletons in your closet -- I gotta look like a decent excuse for a private eye. Otherwise I wind up dead -- and chances are that a lot of people I care about do, too."
Cole frowned. "That's not my reason for wanting to keep Marla sheltered, Miss Dawson." He shook his head with a sigh. "But I do understand your reasoning."
Dawson half-smiled, genuine relief washing through her thoughts. "I'm glad, Mister Cole. And believe me, if I thought your sister was in any real danger from Tiernan, I'd never have done it."
Cole nodded. "I do believe you." He smiled faintly. "And I really do hope you change your opinion of what I do, one of these days."
Dawson grinned cheekily and chuckled. "Give it some time." And prove you're not just talk.
"I will." Cole said, responding to both the statement and the thought behind it. He nodded cordially at the detective. "I'll be in touch, Miss Dawson."
"More or less." The private eye raised an eyebrow from her position leaning against the office wall, and a flash of mild annoyance and faint mistrust flared across the room. "Think you're up to it?" You said you were in, buddy.
Cole winced slightly -- Dawson was an unusually loud thinker, and she didn't seem too interested in trying to disguise her dislike for Cole's profession (if not for him personally). He shook his head slightly. "I didn't say I wouldn't do it, Miss Dawson. I'm just not certain you understand the precise difficulties involved for me in a scenario like that."
Dawson shrugged slightly. "I realize it involves one of those migraines of yours . . ." she began, her thoughts genuinely apologetic.
"It's not that." Cole shook his head and took a seat, spreading his hands. "The human mind doesn't make any sense, Miss Dawson -- as is made evident by most human actions." He smiled wryly. "Most minds don't have a very organized internal structured . . . and with all the ugliness inside Tiernan . . ."
He sighed. "Try to think of it as wandering through a bookstore where nothing's been alphabetized -- just sorted into loose categories. Then imagine that the lights are flickering and you're wading through ankle-deep sewage. That's what trying to find anything in Nicholas Tiernan's mind is going to be like.
"Without knowing roughly where what I'm looking for is at -- and without it being relatively close to the surface of his mind . . ." he shrugged. "Finding anything useful would take so long, Tiernan would surely become suspicious about the length of our meeting."
"This might help you there." Dawson pulled a newspaper clipping from her pocket and sauntered over the the desk, holding it out. X-Gene Researcher Still Missing, Believed Dead, the headline read.
"Ah yes." Cole took it and frowned slightly. "That 'Hubert' character you told me about."
Daws nodded. "Tiernan's worried about Huber's disappearance." She explained. "The scientific side of mutation is on his mind right now, Cole. If you were to arrange a meeting specifically to discuss that -- he'd be sure to be thinking about his own researchers, and where they're holed up."
Cole nodded slowly. "That . . . may be of use." He slipped the article into his own pocket and sighed. "Very well -- I'll see what I can find."
"Great." Dawson turned for the door, donning her fedora. "We'll be in touch, Mister Cole." Glad to know you'll be doin' something of real use for us.
Cole flinched slightly. He wasn't sure why, but it bothered him that the detective thought so little of his work -- and, by extension, of him. He cleared his throat.
"How much did you tell Tiernan about my sister?"
Dawson froze on her way to the door. Sudden anger and defiance spiked through her mind -- layered over with a solid measure of guilt. She raised one eyebrow at him over her shoulder. "As much as I had to." And more than I wanted to.
Cole studied her levelly. "You know I've gone to a lot of trouble to keep my sister out of the public eye. The world's done more than enough to hurt Marla -- I want to know why you let a man like Nicholas Tiernan know about her."
Dawson narrowed her eyes slightly . . . and then sighed. "Because I gotta keep up appearances just as much as you do, Cole." She said, sounding and feeling mildly apologetic. "You gotta look like a well-meaning human politician with no skeletons in your closet -- I gotta look like a decent excuse for a private eye. Otherwise I wind up dead -- and chances are that a lot of people I care about do, too."
Cole frowned. "That's not my reason for wanting to keep Marla sheltered, Miss Dawson." He shook his head with a sigh. "But I do understand your reasoning."
Dawson half-smiled, genuine relief washing through her thoughts. "I'm glad, Mister Cole. And believe me, if I thought your sister was in any real danger from Tiernan, I'd never have done it."
Cole nodded. "I do believe you." He smiled faintly. "And I really do hope you change your opinion of what I do, one of these days."
Dawson grinned cheekily and chuckled. "Give it some time." And prove you're not just talk.
"I will." Cole said, responding to both the statement and the thought behind it. He nodded cordially at the detective. "I'll be in touch, Miss Dawson."