Part 49: Answering the Phones

Music: Razzle Dazzle












Music stops


*phone rings*





I reach out from my bed and grab the receiver.

Hello?

"..."

Come on Rachel, can't you leave it for another 30 minutes or so? If you really wanna hear my voice, call me back later.

"What the hell are you doing still in bed at this time?"

What?

Music: Ace of Diamonds


Ed!

PSA: Always ask who's on the other side of the phone.

So you're still sleeping, huh?
Yeah, well, I was.
I see. Guess this won't interest you enough to get your lazy ass out of bed anyway.
Hey, hang on!
I thought I'd extend the hand of friendship and give you another chance... Maybe I'll have to reconsider, seeing as you can't even be bothered to get out of bed.
Have a nice life, Hyde.
Ed, wait!
Yeah?
You're right! Someone who sleeps in till 10 on a Monday shouldn't be given a second chance.
Go on.
It's just that I've been getting lazy recently and need to regain my focus. I know I've gotta get my act together, and...
And what?

And Kyle can't go losing his job for real right after telling Tony to get his act together.

Talk to me, Ed, what did you want to say? I want to work for you again. So just tell me what I have to do.



You can start with your current inventory. Try selling some to the local residents.

Wait, what?

You seriously think the people here are gonna buy this stuff?
Of course they will! It's extremely hard to sell stuff to the people around you. That's why I think it's only fitting for you to try. Guess it helps if you're on good terms. If you manage to defy all the odds and sell some of the stuff to your neighbours, I'll give you that second chance we discussed.
I'll leave it to you which stuff you try and sell. You've got plenty to choose from! Make successful sales to two of your neighbours, then give me a call.
Will do.
That's all I wanted to say.
Hang on, Ed! I just wanted to ask you about that order sheet.
I already told you, you cannot accept orders that don't go through me first! Forget about it and focus on making those sales!

This is like, what, the third time Kyle ask Ed about it?

Rachel!

Music: Serenity


Now that's the kind of voice I'd like to be woken up to.
Easy there, Kyle. Anyway, do you really think you can sell some of your goods to the people in your building?
I'll give it a try. Gotta face facts though, with everyone getting ready to leave this place, chances are they're trying to deal with too many of their own problems to want to buy household goods from me.
You're still in with a chance, though.
Really? You think?
Yes, there's always a chance you'll get lucky. All you've got to do is find out just what the customer wants. If you know you've got what they're looking for, selling it to them should be no problem.

This has been a lesson of Sales Technique with Rachel.

Maybe you're right. Like I said, I'll give it a try.
I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you. I'm keen to see how you do in this.
Great.
Hey, Kyle, have you found a new place to live yet?
Still looking. If I can't find a place in time, maybe...



It is?
Yes. Mila's coming home.

This is the first mention of Mila. She's an important character in Hotel Dusk.

Is she now? That sounds good.
She's coming back from art college for the winter break.

Wait, college?

New Music: Secrets


(I met her for the first time about a year back. It was when I found myself holed up in a joint called Hotel Dusk. She was in a bad shape and had lost part of her memory. She got mixed up in something when she was young and had no memory of it. Spent 10 years laying on a hospital bed, in a deep sleep. Now she's all alone, with no relatives to look after her.)

How the hell did she get into college? Even with cram school, I don't think she can cram 10 years worth of education in less than 1 year.

Or maybe this is a jab at how people can go to art colleges with only half of elementary school education.

Music: Serenity
How's she dealing with life at college?
Well, I can't say it's all going super smoothly, but she's not slacking off. She seems to keep a lot to herself though. She says she'd rather not bother us with it.

I'm SURE there's no problem whatsoever sending a mentally 10-years-old girl into a college. None whatsoever

We'll spend half a chapter later and she seems to be fine, so it's probably the writers trying not to spoil Hotel Dusk too much but didn't think about the implications.

Kyle... I think she's come home so she can see you again. She gives the impression she's got things to say, but only wants to share them with you. I'll let you know when she gets here.
Got it. Thanks Rachel.
There's something else I want to ask you.
What is it?
I need you to check up on the word Condor and see if it's connected to anything special.
Condor? I'll certainly look into it. I'll get you on the phone as soon as anything turns up.
That's what I was hoping you'd say.
I'd better go. Good luck with the sales, Kyle.

*Kyle hangs up*

Music: Heating Up


And splash my face with the cool and refreshing water that comes out.



Yes, yes. We all know you like suits. It's comfy and easy to wear.



(Now to figure out a way to entice the other tenants to buy some of my stuff... Might be a good idea to find out exactly what I've got with me.)



And so we examine the box that used to hold the ruler.



Kyle's reactions to all these items are the same as before.

Knob
A doorknob set with a lock. Selling doorknobs, door-to-door? Is this Ed's idea of a joke?
Adhesive
Super strength adhesive. It's quick-drying and made to work on plastic and glass. Better keep it away from me.
Globe
A snow globe. How festive. You shake it and it looks like snow's falling on the little house inside.
Ed always says seasonal items sell the best.
Wax
A tin of wax. This thing will make anything shine like the sun, apparently.
Lock
A security lock. "Twice as good as any lock! Just put it on your door and see!" Inspiring blurb there.
Calculator
A solar calculator. Stores sunlight and uses it to power the calculator...or something. Not cheap, though.
Pen
A pen that writes in invisible ink. So whatever you write down disappears after a while.
Right. And how do you make it appear again?
Cleaner
Surface cleaner. Only Red Crown is cheap enough to sell surface cleaner in a miniature tin like this.
Glue
A tube of glue. I think this is more industrial style glue. Takes time, but it works on wood and paper.
Bleach
Powerful bleach. "Gets rid of stubborn stains in an instant! Not to be used on colours or patterns." So it's useful on white stuff. Great. And why does it stink of strawberries?
Camera
A little pocket camera. It's portable and easy to use. Wish I could afford one.
Detergent
Concentrated detergent. Removes any sign of dirt or stains. Why do I need bleach if I have this?

And that's all the items.

Looks like there might be some saleable items in here after all. Might as well take them all with me.

I empty the entire contents of the box and take them with me.







My phone's ringing.

*Kyle picks up the phone*

"Hello, Kyle."

Music: Ace of Diamonds
Mom?



I just called Red Crown, but you weren't there. They told me you were taking a short vacation.
Yeah.
You seem to be taking a lot of time off, Kyle. Is everything okay? You haven't got yourself into some kind of trouble at work, have you?
Of course not, everything's fine.
Good, then I can stop worrying.
But why are you calling work, anyway?
I needed to speak to Ed about something.
What was it?

Music stops
I got a call from the LAPD this morning.



Re-open it?

I probably could've left this as a cliffhanger, but I'm not going to.

Music: Distant Memory
It looks like they're going to start early next year. I wanted to let Ed know. When he was on the original case 25 years ago, and they officially ceased investigating, he was the only one who took the time to see me in person and break the news.
Why would the LAPD show such a sudden interest in re-opening the case though?
I wasn't sure, but Ed said something about a possible reason. He thinks it's all down to the mayoral candidate, Hugh Speck.
Hugh Speck?
He used to work on the force, and he's made it his mission to wage war on organised crime.
Yeah, I saw part of his speech on TV. He was saying lots of stuff like that.
Still, re-opening a case that closed 25 years ago can't be easy.
You're right, bet there's a hell of a lot of red tape.
Don't get your hopes up too high though, Mom. There's no guarantee that they'll get to the bottom of it this time, either.
I understand that, but who knows? Maybe they simply overlooked something before.
I've thought about it long and hard. Why did he have to die like that? Who would want to kill him? I never found out the truth behind his death. I wonder whether knowing the truth would have helped me overcome the grief or not. Maybe if I'd known, I wouldn't be forced to live this life I do now.
Mom...
Do you really want to know the truth behind what happened to your father?
I do, now. Even if it reveals things I didn't want to know about him, I need to know the truth behind what happened. Chris Hyde was my dad and I feel it's my duty to find out the reason for his death.
I understand how you must be feeling, Kyle. The LAPD have promised to let me know if there are any developments in the case.
That's good to know.

Music stops


The chat with my mom brought back what Rex said the other day...I somehow know that if I can locate the Scarlet Star that went missing 25 years ago, it might bring me closer to finding out how my dad died.

(Okay, I think it's time to try and complete Ed's little assignment. Guess a guy like me is only suited to working for a place like Red Crown.)

So, audience participation time: Who are we going to sell things to?

There's 4 potential customers, but we can only pick 2. Obviously, there's no way for you guys to tell which tenants are potential customers, so just vote for whoever you want.