Detective Jack: The Cold Case (A Case Notes Compilation)

Officer Tom "No Nickname" Johnson

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: " Officer Tom ""No Nickname"" Johnson"

Case Note: Tom hates nicknames, says they're a distraction. He's a by-the-book guy, but I've seen him bend a rule or two when it really mattered. He's been on night shifts recently says he's "working on something big."

Carl "Preach" Johnson

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: "Carl ""Preach"" Johnson"

Case Note: Carl Johnson was deeply religious, always had a Bible quote for every situation. But sometimes, he'd mutter prayers that didn't sound like they came from any scripture I knew.

Frank "Shadow" Wilson

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: "Frank ""Shadow"" Wilson"

Case Note: Frank Wilson was the stealth expert, always moving silently and unseen. "Sometimes it's what you don't see that matters," he'd say, and I couldn't shake the feeling that he was talking about more than just tactical movements.

Ghost Town

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: "Frank ""Shadow"" Wilson"

Case Note: The Rangers and I drove into a town that wasn't on any map. "People disappear here," said Frank. "Keep your eyes open." I looked around, feeling the eyes of the town on me. Something was off, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Loop in the Timeline

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: "Frank ""Shadow"" Wilson"

Case Note: Frank told me, jokingly, that the area we were entering had 'temporal anomalies.' "Keep your wits about you," he said. For a moment, I thought I saw myself standing in the distance.

Nicholas "The Eraser" Miller

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: "Nicholas ""The Eraser"" Miller"

Case Note: CIA Operative Nicholas Miller was a master of wiping away traces. "Some things are better left forgotten," he said, handing me a drink. I wasn't sure if it was a toast or a warning, but how he looked at me made me think it was both.

Raymond "Ray Gun" Hunter

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: "Raymond ""Ray Gun"" Hunter"

Case Note: Even the first time I saw "Ray Gun" Hunter in action, he was conducting a suspicious arrest. No questions, no Miranda rights, just lock and key. It was like watching a storm in human form. I felt a chill, realizing this guy was supposed to be on my side.

Sunny's Hideaway

Category: Memories
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: "Susan ""Sunny"" Williams"

Case Note: Susan "Sunny" Williams is the tech genius of the group, always tinkering with something. She's the one who leaned over on my first afternoon with them and asked, "Did you find any crystals in her house?" I nodded to her that I did. "Those are not just any crystals, you know. Hold them closer than close."

Adrian Peters

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Adrian Peters

Case Note: Adrian was the CIA's local surveillance guy. "I've seen things that would make your skin crawl," he told me, his eyes never leaving the monitors. I didn't doubt it for a second, and I wondered what he had seen that he wasn't telling me.

Someone Was Listening

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Adrian Peters

Case Note: It was the evening when I realized someone was listening. There was that distinct tininess to the audio on my phone. I began to suspect that Adrian Peters, the CIA's electronic surveillance guru, had visited my humble abode.

Aiden O'Malley

Category: Mugshot
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Aiden O'Malley

Case Note: Aiden O'Malley, a businessman, was seen arguing with Tiffany a week before her disappearance.

A Damn Big Plane

Category: Memories
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Airplane

Case Note: I was floored the first time I saw that massive plane in the SkyGirls' hangar. It was unlike any aircraft I'd ever seen. Sleek, futuristic, and intimidating. They said it was for "special missions" but wouldn't elaborate. What were they really up to?

Fuel for Thought

Category: Scans
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Airplane

Case Note: Registered to SkyGirls Inc. Wings built for performance, not your average Sunday flight. Also known as "The Defender."

Alan Smith

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Alan Smith

Case Note: Alan Smith was the CIA Director, and he never let you forget it. He had a way of making you feel like a pawn in his grand chess game. "You have no idea what you're up against," he'd say to anyone who got in his way, whether a Senator at a congressional committee or a foreign intelligence services.

Alexei Petrov

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Alexei Petrov

Case Note: Arrested on espionage charges, he was held at Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island. Alexei had a strict routine in jail: reading, chess, and exercise. He told everyone he was preparing for "the inevitable" but wouldn't elaborate. Was he expecting to be broken out, or was he preparing for a different kind of escape?

My Visit to Alexei

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Alexei Petrov

Case Note: I realized I needed to learn more about the KGB. I headed in to visit. Alexei Petrov in jail. Locked up at Terminal Island, I have to say, he looked almost comfortable in his cell. He was reading Dostoevsky, and it struck me that he might be more at home in this cage than out in the world. Alexei was sitting there with a smirk on his face. He looked like a man who knew something that nobody else did. "Detective, what you don't understand is that we are very, very straight shooters. Remember that. Go visit the consulate. You will see."

Alexei Smirnov

Category: Mugshot
Team: USSR
Main Character: Alexei Smirnov

Case Note: Alexei Smirnov, a Russian diplomat, was seen in a heated discussion with Tiffany's father. I brought him in.

Alexei Smirnov (Redux)

Category: Mugshot
Team: USSR
Main Character: Alexei Smirnov

Case Note: It turns out Alexei Smirnov has had multiple encounters with the LAPD. However, his last one was an arrest for unpaid parking tickets. He was held until the local Soviet consulate called to remind us of diplomatic immunity.

A Taunt

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Anastasia Vasiliev

Case Note: "Jack, I don't think you understand." My patience with Anastasia was already thin and continuing to wane. "Tiffany worked for us." Misinformation. The KGB's speciality.

A Walk With Anastasia

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Anastasia Vasiliev

Case Note: We met again. This time, she suggested we take a walk. Anastasia Vasiliev was undoubtedly beautiful. And in another life, in another moment, who knew? But I was very focused. And she was focused on trying to convince me that we were on the same side.

Anastasia Vasiliev

Category: Mugshot
Team: USSR
Main Character: Anastasia Vasiliev

Case Note: I finally had enough of Anastasia's antics and took her in. However, her first night in, when the duty officers went to check on her, she was dead. In her hands, a vial containing a mysterious liquid.

Ring, Ring

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Anastasia Vasiliev

Case Note: "Good morning, Jack." I had been awoken from my dream to the phone ringing. On the line was a very English-fluent, very accented Russian woman. "We need to meet. We need to talk about your search."

The KGB Encounter

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Anastasia Vasiliev

Case Note: The room was filled with the smell of stale cigarettes. Anastasia Vasiliev, the KGB agent sitting across from me, had a smirk that didn't reach her eyes. Earlier that day, I'd received a call from a very Russian-sounding voice. Now I can put a face to that voice. She knew something about Tiffany, something she wasn't sharing.

The Safe House

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Anastasia Vasiliev

Case Note: Anastasia decided that she needed to prove to me what she was saying. And that's how I found myself in what was supposedly a KGB safe house with Anastasia and Dmitry.

Anatoly Gusev

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Anatoly Gusev

Case Note: Anatoly's a dreamer, always talking about the stars and what might be out there. He spent a weekend following me, and by the end, we started chit-chatting. Talking a bit about life, law enforcement to law enforcement.

Andrei Sokolov

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Andrei Sokolov

Case Note: Andrei Sokolov, a known KGB operative and son of General Dmitri Sokolov. His name appeared throughout Tiffany's scrapbook. He is presumed to be stationed in Moscow.

Meeting Andrei

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Andrei Sokolov

Case Note: "We share a lot, Jack." Across from me was the infamous Andrei Sokolov, Tiffany's teenage crush and current KGB operative. He had reached out to me after his father said he would. He was in Los Angeles and wanted to meet. "I am also looking for Tiffany. She is vital to Russia." Andrei suddenly looked at his watch and said he had to go. He paid for our drinks and left a generous tip. As he walked out, he turned back and said, "We'll meet again, Jack. Sooner than you think." I watched him leave, wondering what he meant.

Scrapbook Page #21

Category: Scans
Team: USSR
Main Character: Andrei Sokolov

Case Note: A page I could only properly look at much later. The diary entry pasted into the scrapbook is filled with the emotional intensity of young love. Yet, tucked between the lines are phrases and words that seem oddly out of place, with a meaning I can't quite place.

Scrapbook Page #24

Category: Scans
Team: USSR
Main Character: Andrei Sokolov

Case Note: Her teenage love Andrei. His name was written with little hearts all throughout. She turned the pages hurriedly when we got to this section.

Scrapbook Page #25

Category: Scans
Team: USSR
Main Character: Andrei Sokolov

Case Note: Andrei was the son of a very senior Soviet General and thus got to skip some steps (Although I may just be feeling catty).

Boris Kuznetsov

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Boris Kuznetsov

Case Note: The head of the Soviet Space Program. Boris Kuznetsov is a tactician, a chess player in a world of checkers. His name has been appearing on documents found in Tiffany's house.

Brian Williams

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Brian Williams

Case Note: Brian Williams was a field agent, but you'd never know it. He had a way of appearing and disappearing when you least expected it. He once cornered me in an alley to tell me I was playing a dangerous game.

49 Hill Heights Road

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Building

Case Note: Tiffany's house. This suburban home was filled with radio equipment and weapons.

A Barren Airfield

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: A relic from another era. I've heard rumors of secret flights landing here at midnight but never saw anything myself. The hangars are padlocked, but I've always wondered what's inside. The windsock is tattered and faded, yet it still catches the wind, pointing me in directions I'm not sure I want to go.

A Topanga Retreat

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: A glorious retreat. A glorious hideaway. A light flickered in the guest house.

Abandoned Building

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: This place always gave me the creeps. It's where we found that missing person last year, remember? The air inside is thick, like you're breathing in the past. I've heard rumors of underground tunnels connecting to who knows where. The graffiti on the walls seems to change every time I visit, like a living mural of the city's underbelly.

Abandoned Rail Yard

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: A graveyard of rusted metal and forgotten stories. I'd later meet Drew Abbington out here.

Building X

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Building

Case Note: Owned by an undisclosed government agency, this warehouse is rumored to contain things found in the Nevada Test and Training Range.

California Coasting

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: I spent the first few weeks searching the California coastline. The Coast Guard, the LAPD, everyone was focused on helping me. Nothing surfaced.

Cliffside Whispers

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: Overlooking the ocean, this manor has a view to die forâ€”literally. A famous actor did, under suspicious circumstances. Tonight, the place is dark, but I spot a room lit by a single lamp.

Donny's Brentwood

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: Brentwood really is becoming overdeveloped. A strip mall on every corner. A golden retriever for every man, woman, and child!

Donny's Donuts Wilshire Store

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: There's a photo on the wall, "Customer of the Month," that looks oddly familiar. I think it's a man I've seen in one of Tiffany's old photos.

Drifter Diner

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: This diner is an oasis in the middle of nowhere. I've had countless cups of bad coffee here on the drive to Vegas, usually while waiting for someone who claims to have information. The waitress, Sally, always knows more than she lets on.

Griffith

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: Griffith Park. I learned long ago if you need a place to escape in Los Angeles, this is your easiest bet. The park is massive. A perfect place to be alone in your thoughts and sometimes (er, often) a great place to smoke some grass.

Happy Days Diner

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: A 24-hour diner where we'd end our nights. The jukebox plays our song, but it skips, repeating a specific lyric as glitched Elvis crooned: "Why should we be apart? I really love you baby, cross my heart"

Harmony Heights

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: A scenic overlook where we'd go to escape the city. The view's the same, but someone's left a pair of binoculars on the bench. I look through them and spot a graffiti mural in the distance featuring a quote from Tiffany's favorite book.

Jack's Westside Retreat

Category: Scans
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Building

Case Note: Found amongst her things. Why did Tiffany have a schematic of my house in her possession? And why does it make it look like I don't have a pool?

Joe's Garage & Grill

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: Half auto-repair shop, half greasy spoon. It's a strange combination, but it works. Sal can fix your carburetor and your hunger, but both are a gamble. I've met sources here, people who blend in with the grease and grime.

KGB Safe House

Category: Scans
Team: USSR
Main Character: Building

Case Note: Amongst the many addresses, we found locked away in Tiffany's coded notebooks. The address I had followed the KGB to the other day.

Looking East

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: We initially focused our search on the coastline. Only days later did we learn that a smoke cloud was seen on the horizon far out to the east.

Lost Souls Laundromat

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: It's never busy, but it's never empty either. The machines are old and rickety, making sounds like whispered conversations. I've seen people come in with no laundry, just to sit and watch the spin cycle. The change machine gives out coins that don't look like any currency I recognize.

Midnight Cravings

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: I've been to Donny's at all hours but never past midnight. But, the night clerk swears he saw Tiffany here the night before she disappeared, late, looking nervous, and meeting another woman. I was skeptical (Tiffany was an early bird), but I showed him a photo line-up, and he confirmed it.

Motel Renovations Be Dammed

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: There were rumors they wanted to renovate this place, bring in a national chain. Terrible.

Pacific Palisades Retreat

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: From my vantage point, I watched the Pacific Palisades retreat, a sanctuary of calm and luxury. Someone meditated by the pond, then abruptly stood up and left in a hurry. Why the rush? What could disturb the peace in such a place?

Red Oak Diner

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: Open 24/7, but don't come here for the food. I've met informants here in the dead of night, their faces obscured by the neon lights. The owner, Joe, knows how to keep his mouth shut.

Rick's Pawn Emporium

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: Rick knows more than he lets on. His shop is a labyrinth of forgotten treasures and lost secrets. I once found a locket that looked eerily like one Tiffany used to wear. The security camera in the corner is fake, but the eyes in the back of Rick's head are real.

Self-Propelled

Category: Scans
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Building

Case Note: As I left the SkyGirls HQ, I spotted what appeared to be a medium-sized power plant. When I returned to Los Angeles, I called a friend in the Nevada Buildings Division I had met at the blackjack table. She got me a copy of the plans. It turns out they were running something much more intensive than I even realized.

Service Area

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: On the drive to Vegas, I could feel myself descending into hunger. Soon, I was daydreaming about food. My blood sugar crashing. I needed to find a place to stop.

Sundial Diner

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: The diner was known for having a massive sundial as its centerpiece. Oddly, the sundial's shadow was pointing in the opposite direction of the sun. I noticed a series of numbers etched into the base, too precise to be random. Could it be coordinates or maybe a code?

The Abbington Estate

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Building

Case Note: I pulled the city plans. Drew Abbington is anything if not a rule follower. He had gotten a permit to build an underground room full of communication equipment.

The CafÃ© of Lost Time

Category: Memories
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: A quaint cafÃ© off a lonely Nevada highway had a wall of vintage photographs. One photo looked eerily like Tiffany, but the date on the frame said 1952. The waitress smiled and mentioned that the cafÃ© was a favorite among "time travelers." I pocketed a matchbook with the cafÃ©'s logo, feeling it might be relevant later.

The Clocktower

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Building

Case Note: Serving as the FBI's West Coast headquarters, this building is equipped with advanced monitoring technology and generous shared office space for the CIA. Who were they watching so closely?

The Farm Annex

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Building

Case Note: I found this address in Tiffany's diary. This complex is rumored to be a CIA training ground. It's a place where agents are made.

The Galaxy Grill

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: On the drive to Nevada. The statue in the parking lot was a peculiar landmark. It was made to look like a flying saucer. Tourists really do love their gimmicks!

The Midnight Bowling Alley

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: I've had a few off-the-record meetings here. The place is usually empty, but tonight there's a league game. A league of men who look like they've never bowled in their lives.

The Mirage Motel

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: This rundown motel is a last resort for most, but for me, it's a treasure trove of information. I've met informants here, always under the cover of night. Tonight, the flickering neon sign seems to spell out a different message. Is it just me?

The Mirage Pool

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: A favorite place of mine for a quiet meeting. The graffiti in the back, never erased, just staring back at you: "Come once, Leave never."

The Palace

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: As I drove by the Brentwood palace, its gates stood like an impenetrable fortress guarding untold secrets. A sleek car pulled out, its windows tinted so dark I couldn't make out the driver.

The Vinyl Vault

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: A record store frozen in time. I found an album we used to listen to and think about everything she told me. All the secrets she had held dear but opened to me. We were so vulnerable with each other.

Weather Station Foxtrot

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Building

Case Note: The address for this weather station was found in Tiffany's diary and a note that something to the effect of "Stop Kennedy."

Weather Station Tango

Category: Scans
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: The address for this weather station was found in Tiffany's diary (with a star next to it).

West Hollywood Plaza

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Building

Case Note: A new strip mall. The parking lot in back is surprisingly full. Maybe these real estate developers, with their money and construction crews, were onto something.

Captain John Davis

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Captain John Davis

Case Note: Captain John Davis has been pushing for a joint investigation with the FBI but has been met with silence.

Captain Paul White

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Captain Paul White

Case Note: Paul's the guy you want in a firefight. Served in the military before joining the force. But he's been acting strange, always in meetings with people I've never seen before. People from the federal building.

A Final Warning

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Car

Case Note: A car pulled up next to me as I was leaving the precinct. "Get in." It was a man who certainly looked like a Fed. He gave me an ultimatum: drop the investigation or face dire consequences. When I refused, his eyes turned cold as he said, "You're on your own, Jack. And you won't like what comes next."

A Stitch in Time

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Car

Case Note: I was in the clothing store to pick up some essentials. As I sifted through the racks, I overheard a conversation about a recent disappearance. It was like a jolt, a reminder that my quest was far from over.

Foggy Fir Ave.

Category: Locations
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Car

Case Note: The fog here is unnaturally thick, like it's hiding somethingâ€”or someone. I've heard voices in the mist but never found their source.

SkyGirls HQ

Category: Locations
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Car

Case Note: A large bunker in the middle of the desert. There was security and enough hangers to store countless helicopters and airplanes.

The Long Drive Home

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Car

Case Note: I was driving back from a case that took everything out of me. The road was empty, and my thoughts were my only company. Each mile marker felt like a countdown, but to what, I wasn't sure. I had failed to find Tiffany. And it seems the CIA and the KGB can't find her either. The only people who seem to know anything are a group of female pilots and rough cowboys, who sometimes want to kill me and sometimes adopt me. It was October 1963. The world seemed to be telling me that everything was not alright. That something big was on the horizon. The road seemed to stretch on forever, but I knew I had to reach the end.

Walnut Way

Category: Locations
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Car

Case Note: This road twists and turns like a snake. I've gotten lost here more times than I'd like to admit. The houses are old and decrepit, windows boarded up. Yet, I've seen lights flicker inside.

Unleashed

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Carter

Case Note: The Rangers and I broke into an old lab to sleep one night, its equipment long abandoned. "They were researching something they shouldn't have," said Carter. "And it got out." I looked at the broken glass and scattered papers with a blue border. What had they unleashed? We built campfire around the back, they spoke in riddles. Words like "visitors" and "mission" floated around. Hank seemed to know more about Tiffany than he let on. He mentioned her name, then quickly changed the subject, as if regretting the slip.

Listen, Kid

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Casper Cats

Case Note: "Listen, kid." Casper pulled me aside one night, the desert sky a canvas of stars. "You've been asking about the SkyGirls, but you don't even know," he said, a sly grin on his face. "They're not just pilots, Jack. They're our eyes in the sky, our sisters in arms." He looked up as if expecting a chopper to fly over. "They see things we can't, and we do things they can't. It's a symbiotic relationship."

Cecil Du Pont

Category: Portraits
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Cecil Du Pont

Case Note: I had been in SkyGirls HQ for 24 hours when Cecil Du Pont (of the family and fortune) introduced herself. If Mabel was the leader of this operation. Cecil was the treasury.

Chen Li

Category: Mugshot
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Chen Li

Case Note: The mechanic who serviced Tiffany's helicopter the night she disappeared. His story checked out, eventually.

Clint & Roy

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Clint & Roy

Case Note: Clint, a rancher, and Roy, a rodeo performer, were part of The Rangers. Clint was the life of the party, but his toasts were always oddly specific. "To the stars that watch over us," he'd say, raising his glass. It was like he was toasting someone or something the rest of us couldn't see. His words always left me pondering.

Clyde Bennett

Category: Mugshot
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Clyde Bennett

Case Note: I pulled the records for "The Rangers." They were a cowboy gang of some sort, with a string of arrests for everything from cattle rustling to being caught with illegal explosives.

Count Monty

Category: Portraits
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Count Monty

Case Note: We are not sure if he's an actual count. But he walks around Los Angeles telling people he is. His tagline? "Count the count!" It didn't stick.

David Williams

Category: Mugshot
Team: The Feds
Main Character: David Williams

Case Note: David Williams, a CIA agent, was arrested after breaking into Tiffany's house along with Lisa Johnson. We later let him go when Langley called.

A Missing Piece

Category: Memories
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Deputy Tony Abler

Case Note: Tony Abler from the Sheriff's office contacted my office. "I have something I think you need to know." I met the Deputy in a bar on the city's outer limits (we cops sure do love their bars). He quickly told me. He had seen a bright pink helicopter heading towards Vegas. Now, I love Vegas, but this was about something other than a weekend getaway. The way he looked when he told me, it was like Abler was handing me a puzzle piece he couldn't quite place, but he knew it was important. It was time for me to head to Vegas (a city I am immensely fond of anyway).

A Toast to Enemies

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Dmitry Ivanov

Case Note: We found ourselves in a dimly lit bar, the kind where secrets are traded like currency. Dmitry raised his glass, "To the complexities of our professions." I clinked glasses. I didn't want to believe that Tiffany had been working with these two. But I was starting to think things were more complicated than I thought.

Dmitry Ivanov

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Dmitry Ivanov

Case Note: Dmitry Ivanov is all about the job. He's not here to make friends or influence people but to get things done. His demeanor is as icy as the Siberian tundra, and he's just as unforgiving. I can't help but respect the guy, even if he's the enemy. And he's got a great fedora.

The Alleyway Confrontation

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Dmitry Ivanov

Case Note: "You need to listen to Anastasia." And that's how I met Dmitry Ivanovâ€”the man who turned out to be Anastasia's partner. The KGB agent had followed me, and now he was telling me what was what.

Don Connors

Category: Mugshot
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Don Connors

Case Note: Don Connors, the CIA agent, turned out to have an arrest record. His eyes in the mugshot were like unreadable tomes. He'd always said, "Knowledge is power, but silence is survival." Was his capture a blunder or a calculated silence?

Dr. Emily Thompson

Category: Mugshot
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Dr. Emily Thompson

Case Note: Dr. Emily Thompson is a physicist who specializes in advanced propulsion. She had consulted with Tiffany on a "secret" project. What was it?

67 Windswept Way

Category: Locations
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Drew Abbington

Case Note: The estate of Tiffany's father. The retired diplomat Drew Abbington.

Drew Abbington

Category: Portraits
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Drew Abbington

Case Note: The more I got to know Drew, the less I felt I understood the semi-retired diplomat (he was now a defense contractor, of course). He was a puzzle, each piece revealing a different facet of the man. But how did those pieces fit together, and what picture did they form? Every conversation felt like a clue, a breadcrumb on a trail leading to an uncertain destination. And the more breadcrumbs I found, the more I questioned my path.

Meeting Drew Abbington

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Drew Abbington

Case Note: Drew chose an old, disused factory for our meeting. The place smelled of rust and stale air. "You seem like a great guy, Jack. I'm excited to have you as a son-in-law one day." I got the distinct sense there was a "but" coming. "Listen, Jack, you need to know that we're not a normal family. We serve powers higher than on our own," he whispered. "Tiffany is my greatest achievement," he added, his eyes filled with a mix of regret and urgency.

The Apple and the Tree

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Drew Abbington

Case Note: I guess I had done something to intrigue him or annoy him. Drew Abbington and I met again. Again, in some old industrial park, long ignored. "I think you know why I was in Moscow." I gave a short and insecure nod. He continued, "Tiffany didn't fall far from the tree."

Ed Thompson Redacted

Category: Memories
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Ed Thompson

Case Note: Edward Thompson was dead, slumped over his desk. A smashed voice recorder lay next to him. I had come in to check on him afterâ€”the poor soul. I wondered what his last moments must have been like. Knowing that he was doing the right thing but not knowing what would come of it.

The Whistleblower

Category: Memories
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Ed Thompson

Case Note: Eddie Thompson slid into the barstool next to me, his eyes darting nervously. The government employee had called me, anxious to meet. "All is not well at Camelot," he whispered, handing me an envelope. Inside were bizarre photos of Kennedy. Eddie left before I could ask much more. But on his way out, he said, "You need to find the SkyGirls."

Edward & Leo

Category: Portraits
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Edward & Leo

Case Note: Edward, an artist, and Leo, a gallery owner, remember Tiffany admiring a painting depicting a surreal landscape similar to a location she said she often visited.

Come In Closer

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Edward Harring

Case Note: He told me to lean in. "Tiffany worked for us. She's practically been an asset since she was in diapers." He told me I had one man I needed to talk to: Drew Abbington, her father. I did my trademark investigative technique and looked quiet and slightly aloof, hoping they would break the awkward silence. Edward complied, "He was Moscow Station Chief for the CIA" I wasn't sure whether to believe him.

Edward Harring

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Edward Harring

Case Note: CIA operative. Army veteran. And for some reason, he was here in Los Angeles.

Emily Rose

Category: Memories
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Emily Rose

Case Note: Emily was the artist, capturing strange landscapes in her paintings. "They're places I've visited," she'd say. I thought she meant in her dreams, but now I'm questioning everything. She once gave me a painting of a place she said I'd "soon know very well."

Ethan Thompson

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Ethan Thompson

Case Note: Ethan Thompson, Hank's brother, was the unofficial historian, always jotting down notes. He'd capture everything, but when you'd look over his shoulder, the words seemed to be codes or symbols.

Gary Anderson

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Gary Anderson

Case Note: Gary Anderson was the lone wolf, always a bit apart from the rest. "Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself," he'd say.

Taking the High Road

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Gary Anderson

Case Note: "What are you doing here, Mr. Jack?" Gary looked agitated. "I'm trying to find my fiancÃ©. Well, technically, we were a day away from being engaged." I could feel some tears in my eyes. "Sounds like a scam to me," Gary shot back. I walked away. Sometimes it's the only way to handle a bully.

A Dangerous Call

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: General Dmitri Sokolov

Case Note: The room fell silent when a phone rang. An officer named Boris answered, listened, and then looked directly at me. "It's for you," he said. I reluctantly picked up the phone. "Mister Jack, this is General Sokolov. My son is going to reach out. You will meet him."

General Dmitri Sokolov

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: General Dmitri Sokolov

Case Note: Andrei's father. Chairman of the Third Chief Directorate. A man who had so many medals they named new ones after him.

A Letter for Mabel

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Hank Thompson

Case Note: As I was leaving the Rangers' camp, Hank handed me a sealed envelope. "This is for Mabel," he said. "Give it to her, only her." I stood watching Hank as he walked away. Ready for my next journey, onto meet the SkyGirls. And, hopefully, find Tiffany. He stopped, "Oh, and tell Mabel she still owes me that kiss!"

Associates

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Hank Thompson

Case Note: "Listen, we're friends with the SkyGirls. We're associates, you could say." "Come spend a couple of days with us. We'll teach you how to find them if we like you." I didn't quite know what was happening, but I pieced together that I was being propositioned to roll in with what appeared to be a cowboy gang. I said yes.

Dusty Trails and Hidden Tales

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Hank Thompson

Case Note: We rode out to a secluded spot in the desert. Hank pulled out an old map, pointing at areas he called "hot zones." No further explanation was given. He seemed to be tracing invisible lines between the zones.

Meeting Hank

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Hank Thompson

Case Note: I remember the dim light of the road saloon and the amber glow of whiskey in my glass. A stranger sat beside me, muttering something about "the end is near." I thought he was just another drunk, but the way he looked at me said otherwise. And that's how I met Hank "Rattlesnake" Thompson.

Shooting Stars

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Hank Thompson

Case Note: We watched shooting stars come all the way to Earth. The desert is a marvelous place. The Rangers exchanged knowing glances. Hank mumbled something about "them being early," and then looked at his watch as if calculating something critical.

The Rangers Knew

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Hank Thompson

Case Note: We walked to the back patio. Hank started talking about "The Rangers," and I noticed many of the men in this bar followed him outside. He mentioned they were "guardians," but he wouldn't say of what. The tension was palpable like we were all waiting for something to happen. I told him I was looking for Tiffany. And I had gotten a tip to go out and find the SkyGirls. Hank chuckled.

Yah!

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Hank Thompson

Case Note: One day, the sound of helicopter blades filled the air. Hank stood up, eyes fixed on the horizon. "That's our cue," he said. "The SkyGirls just did a flyover. They've marked the spots; now we move." He looked at me as if sizing me up for this new piece of the puzzle. "You ready to see how deep this rabbit hole goes?"

Hanna Zahdar

Category: Mugshot
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Hanna Zahdar

Case Note: An associate of Sarah Thompson. She was caught lifting the engine parts into a truck with lettering that said: "Lincoln Cattle Co."

Harlan and I

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Harlan the Movie Star

Case Note: We had an endless summer of exploration. Exploring Los Angeles. Exploring his newfound fame. Unbounded.

Harlan, the Movie Star

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Harlan the Movie Star

Case Note: We had met when I was new to Los Angeles. He was a newly minted star. I was a newly minted aspiring something. I was booking department store catalogs, he was booking MGM films.

Harry Adams

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Harry Adams

Case Note: Henry's the group's survivalist. He's been stockpiling supplies for something big. He gave me a list of items and told me to get them, no questions asked.

Toll Keeper

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Harry Adams

Case Note: In hindsight, he must have been a member of The Rangers. But in the moment, I was flustered by the man who seemed to appear out of nowhere. "What is your business here?" I explained in the broadest details. He suggested I stop at a roadside saloon a couple miles up. "There's some food and drink up that way. You look like you need it."

Heather Ross

Category: Portraits
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Heather Ross

Case Note: Heather Ross was the group's intellectual core, always engrossed in maps and charts. Yet, she had the air of someone who was not just solving theoretical problems. She seemed to be piecing together a puzzle that had high stakes.

Heather's Plane

Category: Memories
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Heather Ross

Case Note: "That's not a helicopter!" I blurted it out, feeling smart (or maybe threatened by how smart everyone else was). Heather looked over to me, "Certain missions require a bit more horsepower."

Reflecting on Kennedy

Category: Memories
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Heather Ross

Case Note: Heather told me that everything became different after they left the White House. "He tried to assign us to an operation." It was unclear what she was talking about, but I was beginning to piece together that the International Association of Lady Helicopter Pilots was not your run-of-the-mill flying club.

Hidden in Plain Sight

Category: Scans
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Helicopter

Case Note: SkyGirls fleet helicopter #3. The front seems to have markings indicating camouflage technology that also seems otherworldly.

High-Altitude Specs

Category: Scans
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Helicopter

Case Note: SkyGirls fleet helicopter #1. Schematic for ultra-high-altitude adaptations.

Rough Landing

Category: Scans
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Helicopter

Case Note: SkyGirls fleet helicopter #2. This landing gear is rugged and designed for more than just smooth tarmacs.

Silent Night

Category: Scans
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Helicopter

Case Note: SkyGirls fleet helicopter #4. Evident noise-reducing rotor blades.

Coincidences

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Igor Nikolaev

Case Note: My life has seen a significant increase in coincidences since Tiffany disappeared. I went to one of my favorite bars, The Wily Wiler, and there was a notable increase in new patrons, but one in particular, my new dry cleaner: Igor.

Igor Nikolaev

Category: Mugshot
Team: USSR
Main Character: Igor Nikolaev

Case Note: Igor Nikolaev is the one you don't see coming. Things go missing, photos get taken, and he's behind it.

Out to the Cleaners

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Igor Nikolaev

Case Note: "New management." The man had a wisp of a Russian accent, and he was apparently the new proprietor of my go-to dry cleaner.

The Standoff

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Igor Nikolaev

Case Note: I had been ignoring Anastasia after her initial overture. That's when I was greeted by Igor and a knife. I was beginning to suspect he was not a literal dry cleaner (although, perhaps metaphorically...). "Jack, stop ignoring us." A warning.

Igor Romanov

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Igor Romanov

Case Note: Igor Romanov is a name that even seasoned agents speak with a certain dread. He's the cleaner, the one who fixes geopolitical problems permanently. What or who is his next project?

Handling the Truth

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Ilya Abakumov

Case Note: As I was leaving, one familiar looking Russian said, "If you find what you're looking for, will you be prepared for the truth?" He didn't wait for an answer, but his question lingered in the air like a bad smell.

Ilya Abakumov

Category: Mugshot
Team: USSR
Main Character: Ilya Abakumov

Case Note: KGB officer Ilya Abakumov was known as an old-school spook. Wouldn't be surprised if he had watched the Abbington family when they were posted up in Moscow.

An Occasional Thing!

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Irina Vasilievna

Case Note: A few more times wouldn't hurt right? Tiffany would understand when we found her. When, not if.

Irina Vasilievna

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Irina Vasilievna

Case Note: KGB agent. Lover of America, but just the fun stuff. Not the politics.

Practically Colleagues

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Irina Vasilievna

Case Note: It had been months at this point. We were both searching for Tiffany. We were practically colleagues. She had a husband back in Russia. It didn't mean anything for either of us...

The All-Seeing Irina

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Irina Vasilievna

Case Note: She was nothing if not persistent. She somehow knew all my favorite drinking establishments and would appear there with hardly a warning. It turns out she was kind of funny.

The Beekeeper

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Irina Vasilievna

Case Note: I have to give it to the KGB. They really tried. Her name was Irina, and she was very nice and fun to spend time with (in this particular case, I gave her approximately 2 minutes of small talk before scurrying away, knowing better).

Isaac Davis

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Isaac Davis

Case Note: Isaac had a knack for spotting talent. "You ever think about switching sides, Jack?" he asked me once. I told him I hadn't, but I have to admit to being flattered.

Letter #1

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: A couple of weeks after the disappearance, we started to receive letters from a purported kidnapper. I wasn't sure if they were actually from them or just some sick fuck trying to toy with my emotions. They were very Kennedy-centric. There were 17 letters we received in all.

Letter #2

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: The Soviet star was really delivering a message on this one.

Letter #3

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: The letters started to regularly feature clocks, trying to make me think we were "running out of time." My anxiety was already palpable without this prankster sending in terrifying letters.

Letter #4

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: We later identified some of the photos as cut-outs from a tourist magazine about the sights of "Southern Nevada."

Letter #5

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: The bottom right is a photo of a government weather station in Idaho.

Letter #6

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: The man on the top left, I'm told, is a young photo of James E. Webb.

Letter #7

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: The helicopters are worrying me. What did this person know? What were they trying to tell me.

Letter #8

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: The building on the bottom hasn't yet been identified.

Letter #9

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: More photos of government warehouses and deserts.

Letter #10

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: Top right: Marine One, the President's helicopter. I forwarded this to the Secret Service.

Letter #11

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: That building on the bottom left looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

Letter #12

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: The letters on the right, CALRG?

Letter #13

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: Received one day after the last. The rate at which they were being sent was increasing.

Letter #14

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: The "kidnapper" may have a point. Kennedy does look a bit suspicious.

Letter #15

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: The building on the bottom left seemed familiar...

Letter #16

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: The stamp on the left reminded me of the stamps we saw in Tiffany's Soviet passport.

Letter #17

Category: Scans
Team: The Feds
Main Character: JFK

Case Note: Note to self: Many of the letters have pictures of what appear to be government weather stations.

A SkyGirls Party

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: I remember the one time I went to one of the parties hosted by the SkyGirls (the group of female helicopter pilots that Tiffany was a part of). Lots of talk that went over my head (pun intended). Also, some coded gossip about "friends" who did not sound all that friendly.

A Whispered Promise

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: She leaned in close, her lips almost touching my ear, and whispered something I'll never forget. It was a promise, one that seemed so simple at the time. But promises have a way of complicating things, don't they?

Aloha

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: It was the one time we flew on a normal plane. Early in our budding romance, we made the six-hour trek to Hawaii. Paradise. Except for the fact that we had to briefly see my brother.

American Gothic

Category: Dreams
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: I wondered what life could've been like. What if we had moved to the suburbs (the actual suburbs, not Los Angeles' disastrous urban sprawl)? What if we had gotten a golden retriever? Two kids?

Curious Turns

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: After dating for a few months, I finally did the one thing you're not supposed to do: I looked Tiffany Abbington up in our records. It turns out not only was there a file, but it was me! I went to Tiffany's house during my short stint as a beat officer (as I may have mentioned, I was the fastest promotion to Detective in LAPD history). There was a noise complaint. The neighbors said they had heard loud explosions. It was one of many calls that night, so I don't remember much, but I do remember her eyes. I remember instantly heading back to my car. "No issues here."

Greetings, Comrade

Category: Dreams
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: My nightmare fuel continuedâ€”night after night. Tonight, I was frightened by the sight of what appeared to be a very Soviet version of Tiff and I. Lenin's funhouse mirror staring back at me.

Home Invasion

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: We were in Tiffany's backyard once when I heard glass break. It quickly became clear that someone had broken into the house, not realizing people were in the backyard. I leaped into action (subconsciously thinking this was my time to shine) but soon realized that Tiffany was calmer than me. She had her wits about her in a way that would impress even the most seasoned LAPD officer.

Modern Architecture

Category: Locations
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: Tiffany and I used to drive past here and fantasize about what their lives must be like, living in a big glass house. For all the world to see! Let them watch!

Moo Creamery

Category: Locations
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: I drove by Moo Creamery, our favorite dessert place. I considered stopping, briefly thinking that cookies and cream could bring back Tiffany.

Our Lagoon

Category: Locations
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: A hidden beach spot we'd sneak into. I came back to get away. To think. To cry.

Santa Monica Beach

Category: Locations
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: In the months of my search, I rarely had time for pleasure. But, sometimes, when I felt I could spare a moment, I would come here. I'd take my shoes off and think back to the lazy Saturdays Tiffany and I would spend. Right here. In this magical place.

Sunset Nights

Category: Locations
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: This mansion always seemed out of place, a mirage on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Tiffany and I once crashed a party here. We were thrown out, but my love for her and her mischievous side only grew.

The Future

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: We had driven by on one of our lazy Saturdays. I was off, and she typically went out flying on Sundays, so it was our special day. We had driven by the house and stopped, partly amused by all the glass. But looking at it, something came over us. We talked about the future, living together, and maybe, one day, having kids.

The Last Kiss

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: Our lips met, and for a moment, the world faded away. It was to be our last kiss. Looking back, something in her body language that night, it was almost as if she knewâ€”almost.

Tiffany's Tiffany

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Jack & Tiffany

Case Note: $11,000 American dollars. She was a queen, and she was to be treated like one. A diamond from Tiffany, the only proper answer for a special jewel of a woman.

A Bridge

Category: Dreams
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I dreamed that I had a bridge. A bridge that went far out to sea. A bridge that let me look for Tiffany and search the ocean floor. Find her.

A Hairpin

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: My car alarm went off in the middle of the night. Nothing was stolen, but my case files were all out of order. Like someone was looking for something specific. The only thing I found? A hairpin on the driver's seat.

A Long Lost Highway

Category: Locations
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I found myself on an old, deserted highway. It felt like a place where secrets are buried. I couldn't shake the feeling that somethingâ€”or someoneâ€”was watching me. The air was clear but thick with tension, and the silence was almost deafening.

A Nevada Nightmare

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: Thinking it may be a shortcut, I took an exit off the highway that wasn't on any map. The road was unpaved, and my headlights barely cut through the darkness. I drove for what felt like hours, but the odometer didn't change. Where was I?

A Not-So Abandoned Lot

Category: Memories
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I found myself in an abandoned parking lot, the asphalt cracked and overgrown with weeds. It felt like a place where things end up when they're forgotten, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was meant to find something here. That's when a man walked over to me. "Jack, this place isn't safe." "Who are you?" "I was sent by friends. You need to keep driving. Don't stop till Vegas."

A Thin Metal Shield

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: The first time I put on my detective badge, I thought of it just as stepping stone. The next thing to do. Little did I know how it would impact me.

A Turned Knife

Category: Dreams
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was in a dimly lit room, and in the center was a table with a knife. The blade was impossibly sharp. I pushed it gently against my finger. With only the lightest pressure, I could feel it starting the process of cutting into my skin. I woke up with a start, my hand clenched as if holding something.

All-Seeing

Category: Dreams
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was far above the California coastline. I could see in all directions. No sign of Tiffany.

Black Cat Crossing

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: It's past midnight, and I'm driving through dimly lit streets. She liked the quiet of the city at night, said it whispered secrets. A black cat crosses the road, its eyes glowing. She believed in omens.

Cacti and Conspiracies

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was standing by my car, staring at a cactus. It was the only living thing for miles. I felt a kinship with it, both of us trying to survive in a harsh world.

Car Culture

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: Welcome to Los Angeles! Where we buy cars, wash cars, and talk cars. All the time. My chariot of choice? Whatever pink car I could lease (I'm not great with cash).

Chasing Ghosts

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: One night, I realized I was being followed. I did a quick three-point turn and started chasing a car down a dark street. When I turned into a dead-end parking lot, it had vanished. How? I got out and searched, even checking the rooftops. It was like chasing a ghost.

Dead-End

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was driving aimlessly, trying to clear my head. Each mile felt like a step away from the chaos but also a step deeper into a maze. I ended up at a dead-end, both literally and metaphorically. It was as if the road was telling me that some questions have no answers.

Details, Details

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: My notepad is filled with scribbles, names, and numbers. It's a mess, but to me, it's a roadmap to the truth. Every crossed-out name is a life altered, every circled clue a step closer to justice.

Downtown Los Angeles

Category: Locations
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I used to come down here all the time in my modeling days. Bullock's Department Store was my kingdom. I was "Mr. Bullock's," on the cover of every catalog. I've never been truly famous, but I was a locally known quantity for a moment. It wasn't a bad way to live.

Driving East

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I remember driving down that long stretch of highway, the world blurring around me. I was racing against time, against something I couldn't quite put my finger on. The road ahead was uncertain, but I couldn't slow down. Each mile marker felt like a countdown, but to what, I wasn't sure.

Dust Devils and Decisions

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was parked in the desert, miles from anywhere. A dust devil danced in the distance, and I couldn't help but think it was a metaphor for my lifeâ€”chaotic, aimless.

Empty Promises

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was driving down a dark street, the clock nearing midnight. I was supposed to meet an informant, but when I got there, all I found was an empty house with the door ajar. Was I being sent on a wild goose chase? (As a sidenote, what a dumb saying.)

Endless

Category: Dreams
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I'm trailing behind a lone figure in the desert. The horizon stretches infinitely, and I can't shake the feeling that I'm running out of time. The man ahead drops something small; it glints in the sunlight but is swallowed by the sand before I reach it.

Fedora

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I wore a fedora to a stakeout once. Felt like a clichÃ©. But I have to admit, I felt very, very cool. Crime-fighter Jack to the rescue!

Half-Buried

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I pulled over to hit the head. While doing my business, I found a fossil half-buried in the sand right next to my target. It looked ancient, but something about it felt...wrong. Like it didn't belong in this world. Nevada is an odd place.

Helicopter Glass

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I finished my drink and noticed something at the bottom of the glassâ€”a symbol. Then I recognized it. It was the crossed helicopter wings, the logo of the SkyGirls. They must be here.

Hulking Feelings

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was filled with rage. I imagined myself growing, glowing, glaring. I was on a mission. I was to find Tiffany and crush anything, or anyone, who stood in my way.

Jack Crimson

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: Let me introduce myself. Jack Crimson. Recently promoted Detective on the LAPD. Former department store model, failed actor, and (briefly) a circus entertainer.

Jack in the Desert

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: You know, maybe I could be a cowboy? The Rangers seem like they have a good thing going. Bigger hats, wide frontiers. And...no need for a car!

Jack in the Mirror

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I looked at myself in the mirror today. The lines on my face tell stories I'm not ready to narrate. My eyes, though, they're searching for somethingâ€”maybe the truth, perhaps just a way out.

Jack the Gambler

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I've always had a knack for counting cards, a skill that's not just useful at the blackjack table. It's about reading people, calculating odds on the fly. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm counting my days the same way, waiting for that perfect hand to play.

Jack's Badge

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I've worn this badge for years. It's become more than just metal and enamel. It's a promise, a burden, and sometimes, a target. I've seen good men fall and bad men rise, all under the weight of that same badge.

Jack's Bedroom

Category: Locations
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: The house was quiet. No more visits from Tiffany. No more laughter coming through the halls. Silence.

Jack's Drink

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: Vodka on the rocks. Simple, healthy. It's what the actors and actresses of this town drank for a reason. Keep your figure sharp and your memories light. Just don't have more than three.

Jack's Eyes

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I've walked these streets so many times. They're etched into my soul. I know every alley, every shortcut, every dead end.

Jack's Yard

Category: Locations
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: Sure, the lot was small. But welcome to Los Angeles. I lived my version of the American Dream. Palm trees, a pool, and a union job.

Juke'n'View Bar

Category: Locations
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: The bartender served me Tiffanny's favorite cocktail without me asking. He says it's on the house and slides a coaster toward me. Oddly, the coaster is from another bar we used to visit. I look around.

Like A Speed Bullet

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was going too fast, I knew it, but I couldn't slow down. A billboard zoomed by, its message a blur but for one word: "Beware." My heart pounded in my chest. Faster. I was running out of time.

Looking Up

Category: Locations
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: Standing on the public beach, I couldn't help but fixate on the sprawling estate that dominated the oceanfront. A figure moved behind the curtains of the second floor, then vanished as quickly as they appeared. What was their story? Why did they get to dominate this natural wonder?

Mr. Bullock's #1

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I first moved to Los Angeles in 1951 to try my hand at acting. To make money, I started modeling (my mother always said if you were born with a square jaw, you best use it!). For a short time, I was Mr. Bullock's appearing in almost every ad for Bullock's Department Store.

Mr. Bullock's #2

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: My time as Mr. Bullock's (Yes, of Bullock's Department Store fame) was a good one for me in Los Angeles. I was a minor celebrity in a town where any ounce of celebrity is what got you a seat at the table.

Mr. Bullock's #3

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: Early in our relationship, Tiffany and I bonded over past lives as fashion models. She regularly appeared in coveted French fashion magazine, me in the Bullock's Department Stores catalog. She was kind not to point out the difference.

My Last Dance?

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was at a wedding, watching an old couple dance. They moved with a grace that comes from a lifetime of love and loss. It made me wonder about the paths not taken, the dances I've missed, and the ones still to come.

My Personal Haunting

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: The city never sleeps, but sometimes I wish it would. The midnight hours are when the ghosts of old cases come to haunt me, each unanswered question a specter in the dark.

My Worst Habit

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I hated the concept of cigarettes. But I was a Detective. They basically hand you a pack with your badge.

Neon Glow

Category: Locations
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I'm cruising down a street bathed in neon lights, each hue reflecting off the car's polished surface. It's like driving through a painting she would've loved. The radio plays a song we used to dance to. I pass by a bar we frequented, but I don't stop.

Riding the Coast

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: In the hours after she went missing, I got on my motorcycle. Determined to find her. I would search until there was nothing left to search for.

Sad Jack

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was sitting alone, staring into the void. The weight of my decisions and failures seemed to press down on me. I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd missed something crucial that could've changed everything. But what was it?

Shadow on the Wall

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I saw my silhouette on the wall, elongated by the setting sun. It looked like it was reaching for something just out of grasp. Is that a metaphor for my life now?

Small Town, USA

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I drove into a small town where no one spoke. The streets were empty, but I felt eyes on me. I sped up, only stopping once I cleared the city limits.

Smoke, No Mirrors

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I sat in a smoky bar, the air thick with tension and unspoken words. Across from me sat a man who claimed to have answers. But as the night wore on, I realized that sometimes the search for the truth is just an illusion, a game of smoke and mirrors where nothing is as it seems.

Stakeout Nights

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: Hours in a car, watching and waiting, it's a test of patience and focus. But it's in those quiet moments that I hear the whispers of my doubts, asking if I'm cut out for this anymore.

Static

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was in my car, listening to the police scanner. Suddenly, I heard a distress call, but it was all static. The voice sounded like Tiffany's. I still wonder if it was a message for me, a cry for help lost in the airwaves.

Sunglass, Indoors

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: It was an old trick I had invented. When you are too hungover, too puffy in the face, just wear your sunglasses indoors. It was so clever I thought I might patent it (American dream, here we come!).

The City Was Alive

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was walking through the city, the sky alive with electric veins of lightning. Each flash seemed to illuminate something newâ€”a hidden alley, a suspicious figure, a coded message scrawled on a wall. It was as if the heavens themselves were trying to reveal secrets to me. But what were they? And who had left that message?

The Drop-Off Gone Wrong

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was leaning against my car, waiting for the informant to make the drop. But what I got instead was a drive-by warning shot, close enough to make my ears ring. Someone wanted me off this case.

The Getaway

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was in hot pursuit, tires screeching as I rounded the corner. Just when I thought I had him, he vanished again into thin air. It was like chasing a mirage, a trick of the light and the heat. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being played.

The Lady in Pink

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: A woman in a pink dress sat next to me, ordering the same drink as mine. She left abruptly, but not before sliding a small object into my pocket. It was a key, but to what?

The Last Cigarette

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I lit a cigarette, watching the smoke curl into the night air. It was my last one, or so I told myselfâ€”a final nod to a habit that had long lost its charm. As the embers died, I pondered on other things I'd outgrown but couldn't entirely leave behind.

The Lines That Bind

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: They say there's a thin line that separates the good guys from the bad. But the line isn't just thin; it's blurred, frayed, and sometimes it feels like it's about to snap.

The PCH

Category: Locations
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: Driving along the Pacific Coast Highway at night, the ocean to my left seems endless. She loved the sea. She said it made her feel free. A surfboard strapped to a passing car is identical to hers. My heart skips a beat.

The Real Vice City

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was a distractable man, and Las Vegas had many distractions. But I didn't give it more than one minute of consideration. Just one minute!

The Rearview Mirror

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I kept glancing at my rearview mirror, convinced someone was following me. But every time I looked, there was nothing. Still, the feeling lingered, like a ghostly presence. I felt like I was being watched, but by whom?

The Runaway Clue

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I was running full tilt, chasing a lead that seemed too good to be true. The man who was following me had suddenly bolted. My gut told me this was the break I needed. But when I reached the end of that road, all I found was an empty lot and a sinking feeling.

The Smoker's Paradox

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I lit a cigarette today, watched the smoke curl into nothingness. It's a bad habit, but then again, so is diving into cases that seem to have no end.

The Weight of the Case

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: Every case leaves a mark, some more than others. I carry the weight of unsolved mysteries and uncaught killers, and it's getting heavier every day. But it's a weight I chose to carry, and one I'll never put down.

Tiffany's Car?

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: Among the sea of used cars, one caught my eyeâ€”it was eerily similar to Tiffany's. My heart pounded as I approached, half-expecting to find her in the driver's seat. However, as I parked and walked up, I could feel my heart sink with a disappointment.

Tiffany's House

Category: Locations
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: 49 Hill Heights Rd. Me and the LAPD Detectives I trusted (there were only 3) went back every few nights for weeks. Trying to find something that would help us understand what had happened.

Tracking Nowhere

Category: Locations
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: The tracks had no trains. They seemed to go into the endless night. My cowboy friends told me these tracks went to the Groom Lake military baseâ€”only Federal business.

Two Feet In

Category: Dreams
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I'm conscious. Or, consciously unconscious, I guess. The vivid dream all around me. Calm. Serene. I am at peace.

Unscheduled Stop

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: On the drive to Las Vegas, smoke started to stream out of my car. I pulled over. I cracked open the front. And there it was, for anyone with basic machine training to see: Someone had sabotaged my car.

Unseen Scars

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I found myself slumped against a bus depot. People think it's the physical dangers that wear you down in this job. It's not. It's the emotional toll, the scars you can't see, that really get to you.

Watching The Quickie Mart

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Jack Crimson

Case Note: I've followed the people following me back to here: The Quickie Mart. Open all hours but never seems to do much business. The "Q-Mart" is a hub of strange activity. The slushie machine is perpetually out of order. I've seen cars parked here for hours, but never the same one twice. The clerk reads foreign newspapers, but I've never heard him speak.

A Moonlight Briefing

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Jane Lee

Case Note: Under the cover of darkness, a CIA operative named Jane Lee met me by the ocean. She outlined a mission so covert that even the seagulls seemed like they were eavesdropping. She said that the federal government had technology beyond anything I could imagine, and there were forces at play trying to stop them from using it. "What does this have to do with Tiffany?" As I asked, she grimaced, got up, and walked away.

Jane Lee

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Jane Lee

Case Note: Jane Lee was in PsyOps, and she was a master of deception. She was the one who ensured that the CIA was invested not just in high-end technology but in paranormal technology as well.

Jasper Boone

Category: Mugshot
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Jasper Boone

Case Note: Arrested alongside fellow Rangers for carrying a truck full of dynamite across the California-Nevada border.

John Harris

Category: Mugshot
Team: The Feds
Main Character: John Harris

Case Note: Captain John Harris, a U.S. Air Force officer who serves in Homey Airport. He seemed to recognize Tiffany's name but clammed up when I pressed him. He's hiding something.

An Icy Reception

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Kirill Kovalenko

Case Note: I walked into the Soviet consulate, and the atmosphere was as cold as a Siberian winter. They offered me vodka, but their eyes offered only scrutiny. One familiar-looking diplomat, Kirill, mentioned Tiffany's name in passing as if testing the waters. Another, Sergei, dropped a cryptic comment about "otherworldly matters." What were they playing at?

Being Watched

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Kirill Kovalenko

Case Note: I was at a dive bar in East LA when I saw him. He ordered a vodka, neat. No one orders vodka neat unless they're Russian or in deep pain. He looked at me and raised his glass, as if to say, "We're watching."

Kirill Kovalenko

Category: Mugshot
Team: USSR
Main Character: Kirill Kovalenko

Case Note: Found near Tiffany's home on the first night we went to search. It turns out he is a KGB explosives expert.

Konstantin Popov

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Konstantin Popov

Case Note: Konstantin is the kind of guy who doesn't mince words. He's direct, to the point, and intimidating as hell. When he told me to stop looking for Tiffany, I knew he wasn't making a suggestion. "We will handle it."

Leo Anderson

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Leo Anderson

Case Note: Leo Anderson was relentless. Once he got his teeth into something, he never let go. "You're on my list now, Jack," he growled, making me wonder what that meant.

Leo Anderson (Arrested)

Category: Mugshot
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Leo Anderson

Case Note: What's that phrase? Karma is... I decided I was sick of Leo always messing with me. So, I got a couple of blue shirts to come with me, and we picked up the master spy outside of his favorite diner (not the best spycraft Leo). We booked him on weapons charges. Of course, the CIA came to get him released 90 minutes later, but it was worth the look on his face.

Leo in the Wild

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Leo Anderson

Case Note: Leo Anderson once got in my face, so close I could feel his breath. "You're on my radar now, and I never lose track," he snarled. I knew then that he'd be a relentless enemy.

Leo's Alley

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Leo Anderson

Case Note: "You got Ed fired, you prick." I started walking backward as Leo came up on me. "Whatever he told you, it was a lie. Fuck you."

Leonid Morozov

Category: Mugshot
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Leonid Morozov

Case Note: Leonid Morozov, a Russian businessman, was seen meeting with Tiffany's father shortly before she vanished. I brought him in for questioning because why not?

Leonid Petrov

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Leonid Petrov

Case Note: Leonid Petrov is the planner, the one who lays the groundwork for long-term operations. I've seen his name on documents that don't make sense now but might in a few years. What's he setting up?

Lev Morozov

Category: Mugshot
Team: USSR
Main Character: Lev Morozov

Case Note: Lev looked like a man who'd bury his secrets with you. When we captured him, the dossier he held had photos of me.

Lieutenant Isaac Hayes

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Lieutenant Isaac Hayes

Case Note: Lieutenant Isaac Hayes found discrepancies in the flight logs of all helicopters in the area on the night Tiffany disappeared. He showed me the paperwork. It's helpful, but I'm not sure what it means.

Lieutenant Wesley Foster

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Lieutenant Wesley Foster

Case Note: Lieutenant Wesley Foster has been moonlighting as a private investigator and was seen near the scrapyard where Tiffany's helicopter was allegedly smelted.

Lily Du Pont

Category: Memories
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Lily Du Pont

Case Note: I got the distinct impression there was some infighting within the SkyGirls. Lily, Cecile's daughter, caught me walking around one day, "Hey, you're not going to find what you're looking for. Mabel is just placating you." She had that "I know what I'm talking about" look. "You hear about Operation Blue Book?" I told her I had seen the name in Tiffany's things. "Yeah, that's when everything got fucked up. That's when we knew the President wasn't on our side anymore." I tried to get more out of her, but she wouldn't tell me anything else. She just smirked.

Lisa Johnson

Category: Mugshot
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Lisa Johnson

Case Note: Lisa Johnson was arrested going through Tiffany's trash until the CIA came to claim her as one of their own.

Across the Bar

Category: Memories
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Lynn Thompson

Case Note: She looks familiar, I thought. Across the Vegas bar, I slowly put it together. "Are you Lynn Thompson?" "Yes." "I've seen your mugshot." "Then you know to shut up and listen to me. You're messing with something way above your shitty paygrade." Hostile, I thought. After a few minutes of something bordering on both flirtation and aggression, she agreed to take me to meet the rest of the SkyGirls. I had passed her test.

Lynn Thompson

Category: Mugshot
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Lynn Thompson

Case Note: Lynn Thompson was a member of the SkyGirls. She was also a convicted felon. She had been caught joyriding a helicopter. That would been an FAA issue, except the aircraft wasn't hers.

Reasons Given

Category: Memories
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Lynn Thompson

Case Note: "You know, I brought you here for a reason." Thinking I knew where this was headed, and knowing my crowd, I protested, "Look, I'm just trying to find Tiffany." Lynn looked at me, slightly confused, and then chuckled.

The Defender

Category: Memories
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Lynn Thompson

Case Note: I pointed out the plane that was flying. "Where is that one going?" Lynn looked at me, sheepishly, "That's a sky defender. Friend and foe." "Or? Friend or foe?" I said back to her. She chuckled.

A Younger Mabel

Category: Portraits
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Mabel Clark

Case Note: A portrait of a very spry 62-year-old Mabel Clark from 10 years prior. It had been hanging in Tiffany's house, and I connected the dots only much later.

Farewell, Mabel

Category: Memories
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Mabel Clark

Case Note: The last time I saw Mabel, she was boarding her helicopter, ready for another mission. She looked back at me and said, "Take care of yourself, Jack." Then she was gone, her helicopter disappearing into the horizon and along with it, my best chance at finding Tiffany.

Mabel Clark

Category: Mugshot
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Mabel Clark

Case Note: In my investigation, I looked through all of the names of Tiffany's friends and found one surprise. The helicopter club she was in, The SkyGirls, they were led by an early member of Women Airforce Service Pilots, Mabel Clark. Now 72, she was still sparking, but even more interesting: She had a record. She was arrested six years prior for breaking into a house and telling everyone she was there "on a mission." She spent two months in jail and three months in intensive counseling. She seems to have avoided relapsing into any criminal activity, though.

Mabel's Study

Category: Memories
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Mabel Clark

Case Note: Mabel led me to a room in the SkyGirls' headquarters, one that was off-limits to most. Maps and photographs covered the walls. "Jack, dear. Not everything lost needs to be found." I gave her the letter Hank had given me for her. She nodded and shooed me away.

Overstaying My Welcome

Category: Memories
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Mabel Clark

Case Note: I found Mabel in the residence at the back of the hangar, deeply engrossed in plans. She looked up, and our eyes met. For a split second, her tough exterior cracked, but then she was all business again. "Jack, we've loved your stay here, but we think it's time to go. We're in a war-time posture here."

The Official Portrait of Ms. Mabel Clark

Category: Portraits
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Mabel Clark

Case Note: In the SkyGirls HQ, a portrait of their leader, Mabel Clark. A long-time pilot, during WWII, she joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots, a group that supported the Air Force but wasn't considered an official branch of the military (an oversight she is fighting to change).

Officer Marcus Green

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Marcus Green

Case Note: Marcus and I go way back to the academy days. We were rookies together, and I remember him acing all the tests. But he always had a knack for questioning the rules, just a bit. He's not one for conspiracy theories, but he doesn't trust the system entirely. He once told me, "The higher you go, the less the rules apply." He left it at that.

The Night of the Search

Category: Memories
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Marcus Green

Case Note: When we decided to go to Tiffany's house and conduct a search, I brought only those I knew I could fully trust. So, I called my old friend Marcus Green. When we got there, we immediately knew something was up. Someone had already been there. We had a crime scene, and it was not secure.

Maria Vasquez

Category: Mugshot
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Maria Vasquez

Case Note: Maria Vasquez, a member of the SkyGirls. She was close to Tiffany and was the last to see her before she vanished. She has an arrest record for "Federal Trespassing."

Mark Johnson

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Mark Johnson

Case Note: Mark Johnson was a human wall, both in size and demeanor. He was the muscle in any CIA operation and made it clear he didn't like his work being interrupted by 'civilians.'

Mark Manston

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Mark Manston

Case Note: Mark Manston was the sharpshooter, always hitting his mark. Yet, he'd spend hours alone, practicing.

Standing Guard

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Mark Manston

Case Note: Mark and another Ranger stood around as we rested to eat. "What are you watching out for?" I asked. "Tall green men," they laughed.

Don't Follow a Follower

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Mason Carter

Case Note: Mason Carter caught me tailing him once. He just turned, looked straight at me from a block away, and walked up to me. "You're not as stealthy as you think."

Mason Carter

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Mason Carter

Case Note: Always with a cigarette nearby, Mason Carter had eyes that missed nothing and a demeanor that said, 'I already know your next move.' He once cornered me just to say, "You're out of your depth."

Maxim Kovalenko

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Maxim Kovalenko

Case Note: Maxim is the field agent, always on the go. I saw him at the airport, boarding a flight to who-knows-where. He's gathering intel, but what's the mission? He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world in his backpack. What secrets is he collecting?

Officer Mia Mendoza

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Mia Mendoza

Case Note: A beautiful rookie cop. Officer Mia Mendoza, a name that rolls off the tongue.

Michelle Matthews

Category: Portraits
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Michelle Matthews

Case Note: Michelle was the quiet one, always observing, always calculating. She'd scribble in her notebook in a language I couldn't recognize. When I asked her about it, she just smiled. She handed me a sealed envelope the day I left and told me to open it "when the stars align."

Neil Clark

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Neil Clark

Case Note: Neil Clark was the muscle, always carrying more than his share. But he had a softness to him, a quiet that made you realize strength wasn't just about lifting weight.

The Mirage

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Neil Clark

Case Note: Riding with Neil and Carter, we saw a mirage of an oasis. Carter shouted, "Not all illusions are lies."

Nick Brown

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Nick Brown

Case Note: Long-time CIA agent Nick Brown always had a way of making things happen without lifting a finger. "You'll find, Jack, that the world is a stage," he once told me, his eyes locked onto mine. I couldn't help but wonder what role he scripted for me and what the final act would look like. Was he the director of this twisted play, or just another actor?

Officer Henry Smith Adams

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Officer Henry Smith Adams

Case Note: Three names. Usually not a good sign. Smith is a man of few words, but when he speaks, it's usually a question. Not the most helpful cook in the kitchen.

Debsen's Folly

Category: Memories
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Officer Jon Debsen

Case Note: Paperwork isn't anyone's favorite part of the job, but Debsen offered to help. I found him an hour later in the back office, surrounded by forms and looking utterly defeated. He'd filled out the wrong sections, used the wrong codes, and was on the verge of a meltdown. Sweet guy, I took him to grab a drink. "I appreciate you Jon, I really do."

Officer Jon Debsen

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Officer Jon Debsen

Case Note: Debsen is a walking contradiction. He's eager but hesitant, confident but insecure. He's the guy who'll buy you a coffee and then spill it all over the case files. You can't help but like him, but you also can't help but keep him at arm's length when things get serious.

Officer Lisa Pond

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Officer Lisa Pond

Case Note: Pond is aloof, always distant. She's a regular at Echo Park, but she's not there for the scenery. It's like she's floating on her own little pond, detached from reality.

Officer Mike Brown

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Officer Mike Brown

Case Note: "I heard about your search." Officer Mike Brown led me through Skid Row, avoiding eye contact with everyone. He handed me a map that was outdated and useless. It's like he's leading me through a maze, but he's lost too.

A Wasted Getty Visit

Category: Memories
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Officer Nancy Smith

Case Note: Officer Nancy Smith took me to the Getty Center. She was captivated by the art, ignoring my urgency. She left, saying she had to "meet someone." Who's more important than a missing person? It's like she's painting her picture, and I'm not in it.

Officer Nolan Carter

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Officer Nolan Carter

Case Note: Officer Nolan Carter intercepted a mysterious radio frequency on the night Tiffany disappeared but was told by higher-ups it was just "static."

Officer Owen Murphy

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Officer Owen Murphy

Case Note: Officer Owen Murphy was patrolling the coastline the night Tiffany disappeared and reported an unidentified flying object. Poor guy, constantly fidgeting and sweating.

Officer Tim Garcia

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Officer Tim Garcia

Case Note: Officer Tim Garcia discovered a mysterious set of coordinates scribbled on a notepad in Tiffany's apartment.

Oleg Morozov

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Oleg Morozov

Case Note: Oleg Morozov is the wildcard. He's known for going off-script, but it always seems to work out for him. A mid-level leader of the KGB. His name has appeared on documents we've found.

Otis Wallace

Category: Mugshot
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Otis Wallace

Case Note: Otis was one of the younger members of The Rangers, but he seemed to have no problem getting into trouble.

Owen Daniels

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Owen Daniels

Case Note: A former felon, if I had to guess. Owen Daniels was the guy you wanted when things were locked. He had a set of picks that seemed to open more than just physical locks.

Owen Wilson

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Owen Wilson

Case Note: Owen was the CIA tech guy. "You can't imagine the toys I have at my disposal," he said, once showing me a pen that was more than it seemed. I couldn't help but wonder what else he was hiding.

Pavel Sidorov

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Pavel Sidorov

Case Note: Pavel Sidorov is the surveillance king at the KGB. If you're being watched, he's the one doing it. Cameras, bugs, you name it. What's he listening to?

A Desert Toast

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Pete Mitchell

Case Note: The desert sky was bright, and the Rangers seemed in high spirits. Pete raised a flask and made a toast to "those who aren't with us." The mood shifted subtly, a shared understanding passing through the group.

Pete Mitchell

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Pete Mitchell

Case Note: Pete Mitchell had a smile that would disarm you. He was the guy who kept spirits high, but every so often, I'd catch a look in his eyes that told me his cheerfulness was also his armor.

Peter Kim

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Peter Kim

Case Note: Peter Kim was supposed to be a liaison between the CIA and local law enforcement. But every time he got involved, things went sideways. He's either the unluckiest agent alive, or he's sabotaging these operations.

Modern Sight

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Peter Silver

Case Note: Peter Silver and I were assigned daytime recon. He handed me a pair of binoculars that seemed to have extra lenses. "You'll see things more clearly," he said. And I didâ€”things in the distance shimmered unnaturally. What kind of tech were we using? We needed these at LAPD.

A Russian Toast

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Pytor Kurschov

Case Note: During my visit to the Soviet consulate, one diplomat, Pyotr, toasted, "To those who are not with us, may they find their way home, wherever home may be." The way he looked at me when he said "wherever" sent chills down my spine.

Rachel Moore

Category: Portraits
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Rachel Moore

Case Note: Rachel was the daredevil, constantly pushing boundaries. She'd talk about "breaking through," but I thought she meant it metaphorically. The last time I saw her, she handed me a strange amulet. "For when the time comes," she said.

Robert "The Brain" Johnson

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Robert Johnson

Case Note: Robert Johnson was an intellectual, always reading some dense book on physics or philosophy. "Reality is often disappointing, Jack. But it's all we've got," he told me once. His words seemed to linger.

Cowboy Lessons

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Royce Clayton

Case Note: "Don't trust everything you see," said Royce, pointing at a shimmering mirage in the distance. "Especially not here. The desert has a way of distorting reality, making you see things that aren't thereâ€”or hiding things that are." He looked at me intently, as if warning me of illusions yet to come.

Royce Clayton

Category: Mugshot
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Royce Clayton

Case Note: The Rangers seemed to have a knack for getting into trouble. I found a long rap sheet for many members (and wondered about the ones had avoided arrest).

My Drink Order

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Sacha Nurov

Case Note: I was enjoying some late-night jazz at some temporarily-hip bar when a man named Sacha slid into the seat next to me. He ordered two vodkas on ice. "For old times," he said. I've never met this man.

My Shadow

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Sacha Nurov

Case Note: I soon realized that Sacha was appearing anywhere I went. I would say I was worried about it, but I was more worried about finding Tiffany. The KGB being on my tail felt a bit like another day at the office.

Sacha Nurov

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Sacha Nurov

Case Note: Sacha Nurov, KGB assassin who dresses in sharp suits and charms his way through life. Just don't look at this bad side (his left).

Sarah Thompson

Category: Mugshot
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Sarah Thompson

Case Note: A fellow SkyGirl, Sarah Thompson, seems to know more about Tiffany's activities than she lets on. Looking through her records, she may have a slight fondness for stealing engine parts.

Sarah's Unspoken Knowledge

Category: Memories
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Sarah Thompson

Case Note: Sarah always seemed to know more than she let on, especially about Tiffany. She'd drop hints, little breadcrumbs. "Tiffany was onto something big," she'd say. But what? What was so big that it could make someone disappear? She sighed, "Maybe it was just her time Jack?

The Thompson Smile

Category: Portraits
Team: SkyGirls
Main Character: Sarah Thompson

Case Note: Sarah Thompson always had this enigmatic smile, like she was in on a secret the rest of us weren't privy to. She'd often disappear for hours, and when she returned, she'd have engine grease on her hands. "Just tinkering," she'd say. But I've started to wonder if it was something more.

Sergeant Paul Adams

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Sergeant Paul Adams

Case Note: Sergeant Paul Adams was reassigned to desk duty after he started asking questions about the involvement of foreign agents.

Sergeant Theodore Wright

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Sergeant Theodore Wright

Case Note: Sergeant Theodore Wright, an avid birdwatcher, claims to have seen a helicopter matching Tiffany's in a no-fly zone.

Sergei Sergov

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Sergei Sergov

Case Note: Sergei Sergov was a Russian defector, or so he claimed. "You think you know your enemy, Jack? Think again," he once told me, leaving me to question his true allegiance. He was known always to carry a small canister of pills, fearing what would happen if the KGB ever found him.

A Helpful Lot

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Sophia Black

Case Note: I was contacted by the CIA agent from the pull-aside. We planned to meet. When I arrived at the parking lot, on closer contact, I realized she was a (very) beautiful CIA agent. "I could be helpful, Jack. Not everyone in the agency wants you to succeed. I do. We want to find Tiffany, too."

Federal Seizure

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Sophia Black

Case Note: I was driving down an LA road, chasing a lead, when a black car screeched to a halt in front of me. Two CIA agents emerged. They took my notes, my leads, everything. It was a message: "Stop digging, or else." But as they got back in the car, one of them turned back.

Misdirection

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Sophia Black

Case Note: CIA agent Sophia Black chose a bustling cafÃ© for our rendezvous. She scribbled something on a napkin and subtly pushed it my way. "Burn after reading," she winked. The message led me to an empty warehouse.

Sophia Black

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Sophia Black

Case Note: CIA agent Sophia Black was known for leaving a trail of broken agents in her wake.

Sophia's Promise

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Sophia Black

Case Note: She looked at me. "Jack, I promise you, I'm trying to help. The warehouse was a mistake! Let me help!" She gave me a look that suggested honesty, but I also knew she was a true professional. "Let's collaborate. What have you found so far?"

A Knockoff on Rodeo

Category: Memories
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Steve Harris

Case Note: Officer Steve Harris chose Rodeo Drive for our meeting. He was more interested in window shopping than in my case. He gave me a tip that seemed as fake as the designer knock-off shoes he was wearing.

Malibu Day

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Steve Miller

Case Note: Our shopping day turned into a long afternoon. We drove up to Malibu. Steve said I needed to clear my head. I was just happy about my new trench coat (I'm a simple man, really), so I was willing to go along. I have to say, staring out in the vast blue ocean, thinking how special this human life, it both grounded me and made me realize I need to go back to business: I was going to find Tiffany.

Out on the Town

Category: Memories
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Steve Miller

Case Note: Steve, my one true friend, called me. "Get your mopey butt out of there. We are going to get you outside!" It had been a month since my search for Tiffany started, and I was nowhere closer to finding her. Steve knew I was getting depressed, and he knew just what could help, if at least slightly: A new trench coat.

Steve Miller

Category: Portraits
Team: Team Jack
Main Character: Steve Miller

Case Note: My good friend. The light spot in this mess. Steve's a professional designer, but he's always been my tech guru. He's known for being good with anything that requires handiwork, whether drawing or fixing an electronic. The joke has always been that if a man were born with extra hands, it would be Steve Miller. The joke is if there was a man born with extra hands, it would be Steve Miller.

Scrapbook Page #1

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: I remember the first time Tiffany told me about growing up in Moscow. She showed me her beloved scrapbook. She always seemed so happy.

Scrapbook Page #2

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: The family is on an unknown street, in front of one of the many cathedrals of Moscow.

Scrapbook Page #3

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: An older Tiffany is going to the theater with her friends. She told me of all the amazing people she met in Moscow and her lifelong friendships.

Scrapbook Page #4

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: They had a vibrant social life in Moscow. Other expats, yes. But also many Russians. "We were there for so long, we had to make friends."

Scrapbook Page #5

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: The entire family seemed to thrive there. Her father, Drew, was constantly taking them to see the sights and sounds of the city. She told me of her particular love of the Bolshoi Theatre.

Scrapbook Page #6

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: She told me the family loved their trips to Sochi, a Russian beach resort town. It had palm trees and many fond memories. She told me one of the reasons she loved LA was that the palm trees reminded her of Sochi. Perhaps she was the only person to ever make that connection, but I thought it was sweet.

Scrapbook Page #7

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: A young Tiffany with her Father, Drew, visiting the Moscow State Historical Museum.

Scrapbook Page #8

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: I once asked her what her father did for the State Department. She looked away and murmured, "Accounting."

Scrapbook Page #10

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: Her older brother and older sister are in Gorky Park. I've never met them. Supposedly, they both live in Europe, working as diplomats, following in their father's footsteps.

Scrapbook Page #11

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: "Did you all stand out in Moscow?" "Oh yes, we were the flame, the city, a moth."

Scrapbook Page #12

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: A young Tiffany is exploring near the Agura Waterfalls. She's holding something incredibly tightly.

Scrapbook Page #13

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: Her mother was incredibly glamorous. Those scientists really have to stop fighting about nature vs. nurture. We all know the answer.

Scrapbook Page #14

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: A day on the Sochi beach. Everyone seems happy, but there's a blurry figure in the background. It's almost like someone was protecting them...or watching them. Did Drew know they were being observed?

Scrapbook Page #15

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: Tiffany's parents are in a photo after a performance at the Bolshoi. But who's that in the background, watching them? He's obscured, but the look in his eyes isn't friendly.

Scrapbook Page #16

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: A picture of the family in Gorky Park. Drew and Lisa are looking serious. What was weighing on them?

Scrapbook Page #17

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: The whole family is dressed to the nines for a night at the Bolshoi.

Scrapbook Page #18

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: Tiffany always told me how much she loved St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square. Her father took them there almost every weekend.

Scrapbook Page #19

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: The family is at a Sochi pier. Drew is staring out at the Black Sea, lost in thought.

Scrapbook Page #20

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: Another beach photo, but this time, Tiffany's older brother is conspicuously absent. The date on the photo suggests he should've been there. What could've pulled him away from a family trip? And who was that man following them in the photos?

Scrapbook Page #22

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: They had countless photos from their Sochi trips. The laughter seems to fade with each passing year. Drew especially looks increasingly distant. What was eroding their happiness?

Scrapbook Page #23

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: Tiffany's older brother looks protective of his younger, but no longer young sister. The whole family seems very focused on ensuring Tiffany is always safe. Wholesome.

Scrapbook Page #27

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Abbington Family

Case Note: A photo of the family silhouetted against a Sochi cityscape. The date on the scrapbook page tells me this was their last trip. What happened that they never returned?

Scrapbook Page #9

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: The Volkov Family

Case Note: Their close friends, the Volkovs. He was a diplomat in the Russian Foreign Ministry who had married an American wife (an anomaly then and now).

A Dour Camelot

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Scribbled on the back of the photo: "When Kennedy told us about the blue book...the operation."

A Familiar Necklace

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Something about that necklace... I can't quite place it.

A Final Gift

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: A wrapped package. My name was on the back. To: My Dearest Jack Inside, a book about predicting the weather.

A Go Bag

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: We broke the locking contraption on the bag. Inside, we found various documents with Cyrillic letters, contraptions that did god knows what, and a Soviet passport.

A Knife in a Drawer

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: I found this knife tucked away in a drawer at Tiffany's place. It's not a kitchen knife. It's too blunt for that. I've got a sinking feeling that this was meant for something far more sinister.

A Recorder

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: A microphone under the dining table. Was she gathering evidence, or was someone listening in?

A Red Passport

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: We found Tiffany's old Soviet passport hidden in a bag. It has stamps from countries she never mentioned visiting.

A Repeat Visitor

Category: Dreams
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: The dream went something like this: I would be looking out at the ocean. Suddenly, Tiffany. Lovely, beautiful, missing Tiffany would appear and slowly walk to the ocean. Was she out there? Was this her way of telling me what had happened? A message from a ghost?

A Shared Journey

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: We long bonded over both being models in our younger years. I'm not surprised to find a collection of her work. But...it stirs something inside me.

An Old Radio

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: I turn on the old radio we used to listen to. It's just static now, a sea of noise. But wait, is that a pattern in the static, or just my imagination?

An Unanswered Question

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: She asked me one night, "Do you believe in life beyond our life?" I hugged her close, and we looked up at the full moon together as we gently swayed.

Aphrodisiac

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: At a seafood place, she ordered oysters. "They say these are an aphrodisiac," she said, "but sometimes what's hidden inside is the real treasure." She looked like she was about to say something more but stopped herself.

Beyond Beauty

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: From her old modeling days. The magazine interviewed her about her "beauty secrets." There's an irony here...

Bon Voyage

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: A travel-fashion magazine, long since shuttered.

Coordinates

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Found inside a fake book. The key was next to a map that appeared to be southern Nevada.

Crimson Steel

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: There's a knife under the sink, stained with dried blood. It's not from her kitchen set.

Emergency Radio

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Hidden behind some books, I find a small radio transmitter. It's tuned to a frequency used for emergency broadcasts. She was listening for something, or someone.

Engaged in Pink

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Found in Tiffany's house. A ring. It almost seemed to be an engagement ring. But a pink diamond?

Fashion is Fashion

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: I will admit. I don't understand the outfit.

Feeling Incensed

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: I tried to tell the rest of the unit this must have been a misunderstanding. Tiffany's only love of fire came from lighting her beloved incense. Nothing more. Someone must have planted all these explosives and weapons. It made no sense.

Femme Fatale

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Tiffany is a knockout, but the issue's theme of "Dangerous Women" seems oddly fitting now.

Fever Dream

Category: Dreams
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Tiffany's in a parking lot, dressed in a way that's unlike her. Some sort of fever-dream.

Fire and Brimstone

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Tiffany's apparent interest in things that went "boom" had surprised me. What happened to the woman who loved candles and hippie-doo incense?

Flame Gun

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: This flame gun is compact but feels heavy in my hand. Not your welder's blowtorch.

Gas Tank

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: This tank of gas isn't just any store-bought canister; it's got military-grade markings but is too small for a helicopter.

Ghost Gun

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: We find a handgun with no serial number tucked away in her closet. I had never seen it before. She had told me she hated guns.

Greetings, Jack

Category: Dreams
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: She came to me almost nightly in my sleep. In various states of emotion, and dress. And sometimes (more than sometimes), she was seen wearing my hat. The loving mocking she was giving me, even from beyond the conscious. It's why I loved her so much.

Large Bite, Small Package

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: A small pistol with an ornate engraving.

Lights, Camera, Action

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: I sweat slightly when the other LAPD officers picked up the camera that I was a little too familiar with.

Lit by Candles

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: We had dinner at a dimly lit French restaurant. She ordered escargot and said, "Sometimes the most unexpected things are the most delightful." She seemed to be studying the flickering candlelight as if searching for something in the flame.

Loaded Revolver

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: A revolver with a pearl handle, hidden in a drawer. Loaded, but one bullet is missing.

Long Nights and Lazy Mornings

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: There was something about the way the light glistened on her skin. Against the window, it was like she was part of Los Angeles' shimmering outer landscape.

May 4, 1961

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Stamped on the back: White House Press Office: A meeting to congratulate the members of the International Association of Lady Helicopter Pilots, 3:10PM

Maybe I'm a Crystal Person

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Crystals found in Tiffany's house. I may have swiped one. They oddly seem to glow at very specific times, usually when I think deeply about the case.

Mornings with Tiffany

Category: Dreams
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: It was like nothing happened. There she was mired beautifully in my sheets. Her skin, perfect. Her eyes, flawless.

Mountains Talk

Category: Dreams
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: I was climbing a mountain, chasing Tiffany, but the rocks were actually her crumbling words. The higher I climbed, the more they disintegrated into meaningless whispers. I woke up with a sense of urgency, like a message had been lost.

My Flight with Tiffany

Category: Portraits
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: I once went up with Tiffany. As the helicopter roared, she shouted, "Hold on, Jack!" Soon, we were hurtling along the coastline. She was a skilled pilot. It was clear she was not the type to make mistakes.

Not for Drinking

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Throughout the house, we found more bottles of chemicals.

Out of the Shadows

Category: Dreams
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Tiffany's back, standing in the doorway like she never left. Before I can ask, she places an envelope on the table and steps back into the shadows. As I tear it open, I shimmy the paper out, and just as I begin to read, I wake up.

Pacifist Pistol

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: A pistol disassembled and scattered throughout her sock drawer. For someone who had told me she was a pacifist, there were an incredible amount of weapons in her home.

Red Moscow

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: The label read "Krasnaya Moskva" which translates to "Red Moscow." Only now did I realize that this was her scent that I loved.

Red Serpent

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: A stick of dynamite wrapped in a red cowboy bandana. The brand is "Red Serpent."

Return from DC

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: It was May 1961. Tiffany had just returned from her DC trip. She had met the President! But she was distraught. I tried to comfort her, "What happened, Tiff?" She wouldn't tell me. She just looked at me with eyes of dread.

Rose Red

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: I never understood why a pink lipstick would be called Rose Red.

Safety First

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Ah, at least there was a fire extinguisher amongst all the explosives!

Scrapbook Page #26

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Tiffany and Andrei look like any young couple deeply in love. An inconsequential teenage fantasy she once told me.

Scrapbook Page #28

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: From Tiffany's scrapbook. It almost, almost seems like a wedding.

Soviet Star

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: A Soviet star keychain, the kind you'd find in a novelty shop, except this one feels heavier, more significant. It's got a scratch on the back that seems intentional.

Sparks Fly

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: It was a late-night drive, and Tiffany was in the passenger seat. She lit a cigarette, and the flame briefly illuminated her face. In that fleeting moment, I saw a different side of her, one that seemed to hold an aggressiveness of purpose.

T.A.

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: An engraved pistol with the initials "T.A."

That Look

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: That look, it's the look of a President.

The Alchemist's Puzzle

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: A box filled with dynamite and strange alchemical symbols. Tiffany was never into the occult, so who left this behind?

The Chemical Samples

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: In a drawer, I find vials filled with unknown substances. They're labeled but in code. She was working on something, something she didn't want me to know about.

The Cutting Edge

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: A knife with an oddly shaped handle, not the kind you'd use for any household task. It's almost like it was designed for a very specific purpose.

The Diplomat's Daughter

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Interview with women's magazine from the 1950s. Tiffany talks of growing up with a diplomat father and the "diplomat life" of always meeting very "serious" people.

The Enigma Box

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: A metal box with a combination lock filled with dynamite. I solved the lock's code on my first guess: Tiffany's birthday.

The First Letter

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: It was to be the first letter but not the last. They started to appear at Tiffany's house. Each containing a sinister-seeming collage of sorts, usually focused on President Kennedy. Ultimately, we received 17 of themâ€”seventeen conspiratorial, maniacal, and haunting assemblages.

The Gas Mask

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: For whatever reason (well, I could think of a few, actually), the gas mask most shocked me of all the things we found in Tiffany's house. What could it have been for?

The Hidden Camera

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: The camera was expertly hidden inside a book on Tiffany's shelf. What was it capturing, and who was watching?

The Kennedy Meeting

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Tiffany looked sad at what should have been a momentous day. In the photos, she seemed to be avoiding the President's gaze. Doing anything to avoid facing him.

The Mysterious Keychain

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: This keychain was found in Tiffany's drawer. It doesn't fit any lock I know of, but its odd symbols suggest it's not meant for any ordinary door.

The Operation

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: The page of her diary from the day after they met with Kennedy. Some of it was in a simple code that I quickly broke. DEPLOY FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGY TO WEATHER STATIONS SOVIETS ALIGNED SKYGIRLS NO

The Sky Isn't the Limit

Category: Portraits
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Tiffany always said the sky wasn't her limit, it was her beginning. We'd sit on the airstrip, watching the helicopters and planes take off and land, and she'd talk about places not on any map. I thought she was being poetic. Now, I'm not so sure.

The SkyGirls

Category: Portraits
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Tiffany's proudest accomplishment was becoming a helicopter pilot. She quickly joined her local chapter of The SkyGirls, aka the International Association of Lady Helicopter Pilots. The group met constantly and seemed always to be flying somewhere. They called their flights "missions," which was always a bit baffling to me, but alas.

The Unlit Candle

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: A dynamite stick with a broken fuse. Seemed like someone had been trying to rig it.

The Wrapped Knife

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: This knife was wrapped in a piece of cloth embroidered with initials that weren't Tiffany's. It's clear she was hiding it, but from whom?

Tiffany Abbington

Category: Portraits
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: One of the first 100 female helicopter pilots. Retired fashion model. Daughter of diplomats. She was elegant, poised, and intelligent. And, most of all, she loved me. She truly did.

Tiffany Abbington (en fuego)

Category: Portraits
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Tiffany has always had a fire within her. It's what drew me to her in the first place. She's passionate, intense, and unapologetically herself. But like any fire, she can either warm you or burn you. And I've felt both.

Tiffany the Hat Thief

Category: Portraits
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: She stole my hat! My very, very serious detective hat!

Tiffany's Diary

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: She had always kept a fascinating record of her life. A diary, yes. But it was more than that. A visual and written diary mashed together. Almost an art practice. Clearly meditative.

Tiffany's Lighter

Category: Evidence
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Some odd Russian cartoon on the front. A lighter about burning books? I don't understand it. Some good old days nostalgia?

Tiffany's New Hat

Category: Portraits
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: For weeks after she stole my hat, she'd randomly put it on and start walking around. "Practicing Detective," she'd proudly proclaim with a giggle. But something in her eyes told me she'd be a good one if she ever wanted to be. (And she already had the hat!)

Tiffany's Pin

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: She often wore it. It was her membership pin for the SkyGirls, a group of female helicopter pilots. The insignia was a cross set of Helicopter pilots. Their motto? "To Do What Is Right"

Tornado Tiffany

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: We had returned to Tiffany's to try and find more clues. We may have missed something. When we arrived, it was clear someone else had been there and was particularly interested in the bathroom. It looked like a tornado had hit it. Drawers open, toiletries scattered. Someone was looking for something, and they were desperate. I noticed immediately that her prescription medication was missing. Tiffany had always been meticulous about her health. Whoever was here knew what they were looking for. But why her meds?

Up In The Clouds

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: She often had a look come across her eyes. I called it her "Tiffany Mode." When it seemed like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

Vintage Vogue

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: Tiffany's elegance is timeless, though the backdropâ€”a Moscow landmarkâ€”can't not throw me for a subtle loop.

Wandering Eyes

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: We were at a dimly lit whiskey bar downtown. She ordered a double neat and seemed unusually interested in the guy at the end of the bar. She caught my curious glance but deflected with a smile.

We All Have Bad Days

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: I remember one day when Tiffany was particularly somber. At the time, it just felt like an off day. But in hindsight, there was something she said: "It's so heavy Jack." I wish I could go back and lift off her shoulders whatever it was.

Youthful Dreams

Category: Scans
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tiffany Abbington

Case Note: A young Tiffany talks about "dreams of flying. Oh, how far those dreams would eventually take her.

Vital Information

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Timothy Johnson

Case Note: Agent Timothy Johnson pulled me aside at the train station. Said he and the CIA had 'vital information.' But the whole conversation was a maze, no straight answers. He mentioned Cuba, and then looked at me like he'd said too much.

My Last Visit With Tom

Category: Memories
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tom Crimson

Case Note: The last time I saw my brother, I remember he was nursing a hangover. "John, life is short." I hated it when people called me John. "John, you need to slow down. Stop trying so hard." My brother, the real estate agent to the Big Island's rich and occasionally famous. And, an all-around jerk.

Tom Crimson

Category: Portraits
Team: Complicated
Main Character: Tom Crimson

Case Note: My older brother. I don't know why I'm even telling you about him. After a childhood of bullying me, he moved to Hawaii, only to torment me occasionally via a poorly timed phone call.

Tom Harris

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Tom Harris

Case Note: Tom Harris was a man of few words, but his actions spoke for him. He was the one who had saved the Rangers during an ambush last year. "Always have an exit strategy," he'd said afterward.

The Rangers Lair

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Tony Gonzalez

Case Note: We went underground into a bunker filled with tech I'd never seen. Tony winked and said, "Not all of it's from around here," as he handed me a strange device.

Tony Gonzalez

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Tony Gonzalez

Case Note: Tony Gonzalez was a true cowboy. Grew up on a ranch, kept a hat on his head, and a red bandana at the ready. A demolitions guy, a wizard with explosives. But he treated each detonator like a delicate puzzle as if the wires connected to more than just the charges.

Sending Me On My Way.

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Tyler Stevens

Case Note: They left me on the outskirts of the Las Vegas strip. "You done good, Jack. We'll be watching," Hank's enforcers gave me a handshake and a nod. Hank explained that they had sent a signal to SkyGirls. Head to the MGM Casino, play some cards, and they'll show up. They know I'm coming.

Tyler Stevens

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Tyler Stevens

Case Note: Tyler Stevens was the backbone of the group, always steady and reliable. "Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut," he'd say, and I couldn't help but feel like he was warning me about something bigger than our current mission.

A Bullet's Whisper

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The man falls, a bullet tearing through him. I hear whispersâ€”something about an 'Ocean of Pigs.' I wake up, my mind a swirl of questions.

A Clockwork Desert

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: I was in a desert, but the sand was made of tiny gears and springs. I tried to pick them up, but they slipped through my fingers. A voice whispered, "Time is running out." I woke up in a cold sweat.

A Jester in Red

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: Tiffany once told me, "Sometimes the most dangerous men are the ones who can laugh at their own sins."

A Reckoning

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: He's sprinting, gun in hand, as if running from his fate. A voice mutters, "Time's almost up." I wake up, my heart pounding.

Advertising is Chaos

Category: Locations
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: As I drive by, I think to myself, "Advertising has really gone too far."

An Odd Alley

Category: Memories
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: I stumbled upon this alley behind a row of dilapidated shops in East LA. Graffiti covered the walls, but one tag caught my eyeâ€”a symbol I'd seen in one of Tiffany's old notebooks. What was its significance?

An Unmarked Car

Category: Memories
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: I saw the unmarked car as I returned from my late-night hike through Griffith Park. It must have sat there for hours and then drove away as suddenly as it appeared. Were they watching me or protecting me?

Ashes, No Answers.

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: As he exhales, the smoke fills the air, clouding my vision. It's disorienting, much like the maze of lies and half-truths I find myself in.

Barrel's End

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The gun's barrel stares me down like a dark tunnel. I hear a voice mutter something in Russian. My eyes snap open, and I'm back in my room.

Caged

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: A man is pushing his head through the bars, his eyes filled with a strange mix of fear and relief. He's whispering something, a name or a place, but it's swallowed by the shadows before I can understand.

Celestial Orchestra

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: I was trudging through a barren desert, my feet sinking into the hot sand. Above me, a labyrinth of clouds formed, each one shaped like a mythical creature. I felt like they were guiding me or maybe judging me.

Click, Click

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The sound of her heels clicking like a metronome. Rhythmic and unsettling. Like each click is counting down to something inevitable, and horrible.

Come or Go

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The wind's carrying the scent of sagebrush and something elseâ€”fear? He's got his gun pointed at me, but it feels like a warning more than a threat. It's as if he's saying, 'Turn back now, or join a fight you can't even fathom.'

Comfortable in the Dark

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The man's fingers graze the blade almost lovingly. It's chilling. Could he have taken Tiffany?

Digging Holes

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The man in the desert is now walking in circles, or maybe the desert is shifting around him. It's hard to tell. He finally stops and digs a small hole in the sand, placing something inside. Before he covers it, he looks straight at me as if challenging me to understand.

Dreaming of Paradise

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The sky is a mix of oranges and purples as the sun sets. The man is there, feeding the seagulls, but they're not eating. They're gathering the food in their beaks and flying off in a specific direction like they're delivering messages.

Evidence Only Goes So Far

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: I would be staring at the evidence folder for the 100th time. The scans of what we found in her house. Supposedly hers. And as I looked, my eyes would start to pulse. Like they had been watching television for too long. And then, suddenly, the pages began to move, to turn into paint, and it all started pouring over me as I began to suffocate... And then, I woke.

False Starts, Ace of Hearts

Category: Memories
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: As I walked around the casino floor, the neon lights felt like a maze, trapping me in a world of illusions. I met a card dealer who seemed to know too much, but he vanished before I could press him.

Friend or Foe

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: She's there again, gun in hand. Her eyes are a mystery, and I can't tell if she's guarding or gunning for me when I suddenly wake up.

Generic Spook

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: He appeared early on in Tiffany's disappearance. A run-of-the-mill spook. He didn't even have to show me his badge in my dream, I knew.

Good Morning Jack

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: A giant telephone. Staring at me. When suddenly, I was awakened by a phone call.

Hands

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The bowl was empty. The hands had scraped up all of the blood. Whose hands? Whose blood?

Heavy Carries the Crown

Category: Memories
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: I was being watched over by men in large cowboy hats everywhere I went in Vegas. The Rangers had followed me. I think for my own protection, I think.

Lincoln County

Category: Locations
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: Lincoln County, Nevada. A beautiful desert to get lost in. Even The Rangers needed help.

Locked and Laughing

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The safety clicks off. I hear a woman's laugh, eerily familiar. A laugh I know intimately. I wake up, my thoughts a tangled web.Â¬â€

Looking In

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: I walked into something both perfectly normal and perfectly strange. It was a door-shaped opening. Not a door, but an opening. Inside, I found myself in an empty room, walls stretching infinitely. My own voice echoed back at me but distorted, saying words I never spoke. When I woke up, one phrase lingered: "Trust no one."

Looking West

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The Los Angeles sunset. Was it the last thing she saw? I was greeted at night by images of the vast ocean.

Midnight Rendezvous

Category: Memories
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The figure in the parking lot handed me a sealed envelope. "This will explain everything," he said. But it only deepened the mystery.

Nightmare Material

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The idea that Tiffany had multiple poisons in her house began to haunt me. What were they for? Who were they for? Heck, where did she get them? I began to be visited by a man in a gas mask.

North of Vegas

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The vision was clear. A car, a rental. Driving. Speeding past Las Vegas. Coming to a screeching halt. In an empty desert as far as anyone could see.

Our Eyes Lie

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: He holds up the monocle, and suddenly I see flashesâ€”Falling Stars, Kennedy, even Tiffany.Â

Shadow Games

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: I'm watching a couple dressed like they're out of a spy thriller, sitting under a full moon. They're whispering, but I can't make out the words. The woman looks familiar, but the man catches my eyeâ€”he's got a look I've seen before on one of the Soviet generals I researched.

Standoff

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: He's holding the detonator, but something's holding him back. His eyes are filled with conflict, and I can't help but think of the choices I've had to make. I wake up, my mind racing through a maze of possibilities, wondering if this dream is a clue or a caution.

The Briefing

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The room was cold, the atmosphere colder. They told me they were giving me everything, but their eyes darted too quickly and avoided mine too often. The FBI had invited me here to The Clocktower. But even the guests were odd. Why was this CIA here? What were they not telling me?

The Bureau

Category: Locations
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: In downtown LA stood The Clocktower. From down below, you could barely see the actual clock, but you heard it. I don't understand how the FBI enjoyed working with a giant bell tolling, but perhaps it gave some order to their day.

The High Roller's Gambit

Category: Memories
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: I was at the blackjack table, and across from me sat a man with a stack of chips that dwarfed mine. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place him. Then he mentioned something about "high stakes" that went beyond the table, and I felt a chill.

The Silent Watcher

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: He's out there alone, eyes fixed on something in the distance. It's like he's watching for a sign, or maybe he's the sign. I remember Tiffany mentioning a "a friend, a silent watcher" once.

Time to Call My Shrink

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: I needed to see my shrink. My dreams were getting more and more bizarre. Soon, I was having nightmares of otherworldly visitors descending into a barren desert. I stood watching helplessly.

Turn Around

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: Her outfit's as pink as the first blush of dawn, but her aim is deadly serious. I get the feeling she's wearing a uniform, a pilot? But what's she guarding, and why does she think I'm a threat?

Unknown Soviet General

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: Portrait observed in USSR consulate.

Unknown Soviet Hero

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: Portrait observed in USSR consulate. Located near the entrance.

Unspoken Signals

Category: Memories
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: We had a situation. A Russian national had been killed in downtown Los Angeles. All squad cars were sent towards there. I hurried, too. By the time I arrived, the body had been moved, but the mess was still there. The pattern of the blood was almost artistic, a macabre mural on the concrete. It felt like a message, but from whom? And what were they trying to say? My gut told me this was more than a random act of violence. It seemed like the CIA-KGB turf war was escalating.

Watching the Watcher

Category: Dreams
Team: Unknown
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: He's framing a shot, but what's he really capturing? The red figures seem like guardians or overseers from a land afar.

Welcome Party

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Unknown

Case Note: The secretary who greeted me at the door of the Soviet Consulate gave me the distinct impression of being a spy.

Vadim Alekseev

Category: Mugshot
Team: USSR
Main Character: Vadim Alekseev

Case Note: Vadim was a local gangster known for his ties to the KGB. I picked through his file, trying to see if he was involved somehow.

Good Game

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Victor Harris

Case Note: Something about the man on the casino floor looked vaguely familiar. "Good game, Jack." I looked over at the source of the compliment. Where have I seen that face before?

Victor Harris

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Victor Harris

Case Note: Victor was the kind of guy you'd never notice, and that was his greatest strength. "Invisibility is a superpower, Jack," he said, almost whispering. I wonder how many rooms he's been in that I never knew about. His presence was so subtle it was almost like he was never there at all.

Vlad Gurin

Category: Portraits
Team: USSR
Main Character: Vlad Gurin

Case Note: Vlad was a gambler, but not just at the racetrack. He takes risks, calculated ones. The young consular attachÃ© was trying to make a name for himself and seemed to take the disappearance of Tiffany to heart, "You know she was a dual citizen."

Wade "The Harp" Harper

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Wade Harper

Case Note: The man told me he "Didn't do Los Angeles." "Ain't nobody have time for all their people and their rules."

Wade Harper

Category: Mugshot
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Wade Harper

Case Note: Arrested on felony gun charges, The Rangers member's apparent response in the arrest record was, and I quote, "What do you think a belt loop is for?"

Wade Harper (Redux)

Category: Mugshot
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Wade Harper

Case Note: Wade, arrested twice. Found trying to sell a truck-load of cattle to an unsuspecting butcher.Â¬â€

Walter Davis

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Walter Davis

Case Note: Walter Davis was the navigator. Always knew where we were. But he'd stare at maps and compasses like they were his friends, no hurry.

Walter Greene

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: Walter Greene

Case Note: A member of The Rangers, Walter's got a way with ropes, but her knowledge of local geography intrigues me. He pointed out a series of caves that could serve as hideoutsâ€”or spots to hide a wreck.

Walter Simmons

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Walter Simmons

Case Note: Walter Simmons looked like a prep school boy turned accountant, but his spreadsheets were filled with names of people who had 'disappeared.' He once told me, "Numbers don't lie, but people do." I knew he was warning me.

Captain Wayne Scott

Category: Portraits
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Wayne Scott

Case Note: A lover of drink. Frequent flier in the many drinking establishments of the City of Angels. Captain of the LAPD crime lab. The man you go when you want to know what really happened (or, if you're one of our shadier colleagues, to cook the books).

Crime Lab C

Category: Memories
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Wayne Scott

Case Note: We had gathered the bottles of chemicals we found in Tiffany's house. Wayne's team had tested them all. The results: thallium, arsenic, and ricin. And now he was being asked to keep it quiet.

The Lab's Echo

Category: Memories
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Wayne Scott

Case Note: Wayne Scott looked over his shoulder before showing me a mysterious sample. "This is off the record," he muttered. His eyes were a mix of fear and urgency. Why would a seasoned cop be this nervous? He showed me the liquid. I remember it from the evidence collection at Tiffany's. "This is KGB-issued poison."

Trusting Wayne

Category: Memories
Team: LAPD
Main Character: Wayne Scott

Case Note: He tapped me one day in the precinct. Meet me at Barney's tonight. So that's how I found myself at Barney's Beanery, the watering hole I spent many a paycheck. "The FBI doesn't want me talking to you. They said people above them said uh, uh." I followed Scott back to the precinct. He had something to show me.

A Fidget and a Warning

Category: Memories
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Whit Walters

Case Note: As I walked along the beach, I felt a presence behind me. Turning around, I saw himâ€”nervous, fidgety. He looked like he was about to warn me about something, but then he just froze, leaving an unsettling silence between us. Was he having second doubts or just trying to scare me?

Whit Walters

Category: Portraits
Team: The Feds
Main Character: Whit Walters

Case Note: Whit Walters was the master of entanglement, constantly weaving intricate webs. "Careful, Jack, or you'll get stuck," he warned. I couldn't help but wonder how many had been caught in his snare and what became of them.

William Foster

Category: Portraits
Team: The Rangers
Main Character: William Foster

Case Note: Bill's the quiet type, but when he speaks, you listen. He mentioned something about "Operation Blue Book" and looked at me knowingly.

Yelena Ivanova

Category: Mugshot
Team: USSR
Main Character: Yelena Ivanova

Case Note: Yelena Ivanova, a supposed UCLA PhD student from Moscow, claims to have been a friend of Tiffany. I found her following my car.

Listening In

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Yuri Fedorov

Case Note: I overheard two KGB officers whispering in a corner of the consulate with Yuri, looking at me... Couldn't catch it all, but I heard "Tiffany" and "Zvezda." Later, I found out Zvezda means 'star' in Russian. A code name perhaps?

Yuri Fedorov

Category: Memories
Team: USSR
Main Character: Yuri Fedorov

Case Note: Running the LA consulate, Yuri Fedorov is a charmer. He's the guy the Soviets send when they need to make friends and influence people. I can't help but wonder what he's really selling.