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It took almost two weeks before Debbie finally agreed
to let James set up the agency. The breakthrough came
when James tentatively suggested that Kath might join
them.
"Me?"
"Sure. You'd be great."
"No way, soldier. If you want to play cops and
robbers that's fine but don't try to get me involved."
But Debbie latched onto the idea with fervor. She waited
for a moment alone with Kath and then began steadily
to apply pressure, knowing that eventually friendship
and poverty were likely to win the day. Debbie was rarely
pushy, but where marital fidelity was concerned she
had no scruples. Kath had already agreed to help find
out about Sue. What better way than to go into business
with her?
So the wheels began slowly to turn, and the trio held
their first meeting in that chaotic section of Grand
Central station, downstairs near the food stalls and
the bathrooms. Always efficient, Kath had drawn up an
agenda. James purchased a pizza, aware that he and Kath
had eaten breakfast at the house only an hour ago but
knowing that food never went to waste when Sue was present.
It occurred to him that Kath was a natural office manager
and Sue would be the investigator. It was unclear what
he could contribute, a fact which began to disturb him.
Pizza probably wouldn't be enough.
"OK," Kath began. "The main issues we
have to deal with at this stage are office space and
publicity. Alongside that we have to incorporate the
firm. I have a lawyer friend who can do most of the
paperwork. She owes me a couple of favors."
Sue was impressed. She sat in silence, speaking only
to answer questions. James could tell she was intimidated
and wary, fearing that her abilities were much closer
to revelation than usual.
"Want to brainstorm about the other two things?"
"Sure," said James. "For publicity we
could put an ad in the Yellow Pages and in newspapers.
And we could even give out leaflets in the street."
Kath wrote the minutes. In college she learned shorthand
though she kept quiet about it. Any woman who knows
shorthand, she found from bitter experience, is considered
a secretary. Next to shorthand, her MBA counted for
nothing.
"Not sure about that," she said. "How
often is the Yellow Pages published? Once a year? Twice?
It'll be a long time before the ad appears. The leaflet
idea?" she shook her head. "It isn't really
focused."
"True," admitted James. "It ought to
be easy to find an office, though. There must be loads
of empty offices just now. Shall I own that problem?"
He felt better with a task.
"Great. I'll own the incorporation. James, you
handle office space. Sue." Sue jumped. "Would
you like to put together some idea on publicity? See
if you can think of something that'll get us noticed
quickly?"
Sue shuffled a little, uncomfortable to be in the spotlight
so suddenly.
"I know it's difficult," Kath comforted her.
"No. Not at all. I was just thinking that we could
pick a crime and solve it." She couldn't see why
they hadn't thought of this themselves.
"How do you mean?" James asked.
"Well, just pick some big mystery, like the explosion
in that apartment building the other day next to Central
Park, or the museum robbery, and just solve it. Imagine
how much publicity that would get us."
"You mean we solve it for free?" Kath was
startled by the idea.
So was James but he recovered faster. "It's better
than sitting around waiting for a case."
"We could really do that?" asked Kath.
"We are detectives."
Kath was skeptical. She had hoped to ease into crime
fighting slowly, perhaps with a lost cat or a juicy
little case of insurance fraud before they tackled events
that made the evening news. Nevertheless it was the
best idea they had.
"OK," she agreed. "That does make sense."
Sue looked at her watch. "I have to get back to
school," she told them, apologetically.
"No problem," James agreed. "Anything
else before we close?"
"Yes," Kath interrupted. "We need a
name for the firm. Any ideas?"
Sue shook her head. Kath looked at them both, pen poised
above her pad.
"Yes," said James. "I did have one idea,
actually."
Kath waited.
"American Invisible, Inc," he said. Sue's
eyes were suddenly wide and wary, her body rigid. James
saw that it took her a great effort to move them across
to Kath's face.
"American Invisible," Kath repeated. "I
like it. That's brilliant! American Invisible. You won't
even know we're there."
She turned to James. "What made you think of that?"
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