"Is that?" I started.
"Pantaleon's notebook?" Jessie finished for me. "Sadly no, " he said, flipping through it. "It's one of mine. No less important though." He flipped through it replacing his marker after a moment and placed it closed on his desk. That threw me off.
"Takotah II is far from the condemned building we are led to believe it is. The night of your rather impressive Dr. Watson hologram, the same night the Hopi Spiral was sighted in the Watcher's Pub, I was able to sneak into the old building. I found Pantaleon's apartment."
"And you know this how?" I could feel my browline mirroring my question.
"Well, I wasn't certain at first," he responded. "But it was clear that someone had lived here." Jessie fiddled with his KI and brought up an image on the imager behind him. He flipped to the next. It was a desk covered in notes. "From this desk I found some clues as to whose room I was in. Notice anything?"
That you missed your calling as a detective? "I see KI shots of Bahro Glyps and a copy of Words," I offered.
"There's a Yeesha seal on that book." Terry was paying closer attention than I was. "Can't say I recognize the binding."
"It has a Guild of Greeters seal on it," Jessie said. "Yeesha's Journals. I believe it is their own printing." He swapped to the next picture. "It was clear that several people had lived here. Aside from the two alcoves along the wall, there were also a few cots scattered around the room.
"Reminds me of my first apartment," I chuckled.
"It does have something of a collegiate feel to it," Jessie responded. I thought back to those years of my life when communal living was the only way to get by and shook it off remembering the reason I had come here in the first place. Jessie looked down for a moment in thought. "I had only just started investigating the room when I heard something echoing down the hall." Beat. "I remember looking to Jeremy Reinold who had accompanied me inside. He heard it too.
"Quickly and quietly we moved out of the room in search of the noise. Most of the rooms in the building were bare; some were shut and locked, perhaps from the inside. Moving down the hall I heard the sound again. It was distinctly a chair scooting across the stone floor." Jessie paused to gauge our response. "I approached the room and peered the corner. For a moment I saw a man. Tattered Yeesha shirt; the smell of the desert. He linked away before I could say anything," Jessie concluded.
Game. Set. Match. Everything carefully timed and executed. Some things connected; others did not. There were too many questions, but I could almost see where this was headed. I waited for Jessie to wrap up.
"The room he was in was filled with trinkets. Odds and ends mostly: a terrarium filled with Teledahn mushrooms; a book shelf with titles by Plato, and Aristotle just to name a few; maps of the ages, mostly hand drawn; and a single parchment identical to the one handed to me by Jeremy Reinold. Shortly after my KI began lighting up with messages from everyone about the discovery in the Watcher's Pub. A few days later I released my paper on the Hopi Spiral, which brings us almost up to date."
Terry chewed on his response for a moment. "So, I take it your release came as 'let's fan the flames' kinda moment?"
"You've heard the rumors," Jessie responded. "There are some in the cavern who believe that Yeesha has returned. They think this symbol holds the key to her new Journey. That kind of thinking can be incredibly dangerous; especially if my suspicions are correct. Rather than have explorers getting in the way, I shared what information I had in hopes of keeping them out of the more unstable regions of the cavern. Another DRC cover up is far from what we need."
"Not sure how much good you did," I added. "For weeks people were searching the ages for anything different. They must have found Hopi Spirals in every accessible age."
"The Hopi Spiral isn't what worries me," Jessie said sternly. "Our Mysterious Stranger, whoever it may be, is leaving these symbols around the cavern; usually in difficult to reach locations. Why? I don't think it's a coincidence that the Yeesha camp is driven to find these symbols when they are so cleverly hidden.
"Furthermore, the findings inside Pantaleon's room give credit to his own story. Which makes me wonder, is Pantaleon's story so ridiculous? There's clearly a connection between him, the Mysterious Stranger, and the Hopi Spirals."
I gave it a moment before I spoke. " that's... An awful lot to digest," I said. "How can you be sure?"
Jessie nudged his journal across the desk toward me and beckoned me to open it. There was a kick at the door. Then four more. "Gentlemen," Jessie addressed us. "There is somebody I want you to meet."
"Pantaleon's notebook?" Jessie finished for me. "Sadly no, " he said, flipping through it. "It's one of mine. No less important though." He flipped through it replacing his marker after a moment and placed it closed on his desk. That threw me off.
"Takotah II is far from the condemned building we are led to believe it is. The night of your rather impressive Dr. Watson hologram, the same night the Hopi Spiral was sighted in the Watcher's Pub, I was able to sneak into the old building. I found Pantaleon's apartment."
"And you know this how?" I could feel my browline mirroring my question.
"Well, I wasn't certain at first," he responded. "But it was clear that someone had lived here." Jessie fiddled with his KI and brought up an image on the imager behind him. He flipped to the next. It was a desk covered in notes. "From this desk I found some clues as to whose room I was in. Notice anything?"
That you missed your calling as a detective? "I see KI shots of Bahro Glyps and a copy of Words," I offered.
"There's a Yeesha seal on that book." Terry was paying closer attention than I was. "Can't say I recognize the binding."
"It has a Guild of Greeters seal on it," Jessie said. "Yeesha's Journals. I believe it is their own printing." He swapped to the next picture. "It was clear that several people had lived here. Aside from the two alcoves along the wall, there were also a few cots scattered around the room.
"Reminds me of my first apartment," I chuckled.
"It does have something of a collegiate feel to it," Jessie responded. I thought back to those years of my life when communal living was the only way to get by and shook it off remembering the reason I had come here in the first place. Jessie looked down for a moment in thought. "I had only just started investigating the room when I heard something echoing down the hall." Beat. "I remember looking to Jeremy Reinold who had accompanied me inside. He heard it too.
"Quickly and quietly we moved out of the room in search of the noise. Most of the rooms in the building were bare; some were shut and locked, perhaps from the inside. Moving down the hall I heard the sound again. It was distinctly a chair scooting across the stone floor." Jessie paused to gauge our response. "I approached the room and peered the corner. For a moment I saw a man. Tattered Yeesha shirt; the smell of the desert. He linked away before I could say anything," Jessie concluded.
Game. Set. Match. Everything carefully timed and executed. Some things connected; others did not. There were too many questions, but I could almost see where this was headed. I waited for Jessie to wrap up.
"The room he was in was filled with trinkets. Odds and ends mostly: a terrarium filled with Teledahn mushrooms; a book shelf with titles by Plato, and Aristotle just to name a few; maps of the ages, mostly hand drawn; and a single parchment identical to the one handed to me by Jeremy Reinold. Shortly after my KI began lighting up with messages from everyone about the discovery in the Watcher's Pub. A few days later I released my paper on the Hopi Spiral, which brings us almost up to date."
Terry chewed on his response for a moment. "So, I take it your release came as 'let's fan the flames' kinda moment?"
"You've heard the rumors," Jessie responded. "There are some in the cavern who believe that Yeesha has returned. They think this symbol holds the key to her new Journey. That kind of thinking can be incredibly dangerous; especially if my suspicions are correct. Rather than have explorers getting in the way, I shared what information I had in hopes of keeping them out of the more unstable regions of the cavern. Another DRC cover up is far from what we need."
"Not sure how much good you did," I added. "For weeks people were searching the ages for anything different. They must have found Hopi Spirals in every accessible age."
"The Hopi Spiral isn't what worries me," Jessie said sternly. "Our Mysterious Stranger, whoever it may be, is leaving these symbols around the cavern; usually in difficult to reach locations. Why? I don't think it's a coincidence that the Yeesha camp is driven to find these symbols when they are so cleverly hidden.
"Furthermore, the findings inside Pantaleon's room give credit to his own story. Which makes me wonder, is Pantaleon's story so ridiculous? There's clearly a connection between him, the Mysterious Stranger, and the Hopi Spirals."
I gave it a moment before I spoke. " that's... An awful lot to digest," I said. "How can you be sure?"
Jessie nudged his journal across the desk toward me and beckoned me to open it. There was a kick at the door. Then four more. "Gentlemen," Jessie addressed us. "There is somebody I want you to meet."
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