Chapter 12: Cleo on Fire

A vision of creating a long-lasting legacy brought our founder, Adam Slade, to Sunset Valley many years ago.  Now it is his only son, Brandon Slade who is continuing this vision.  Raising two fine children, Cleo and Carl, Brandon and his wife Qiana are feeling confident about passing their legacy on to the next generation.

In this chapter Cleo faces unexpected dangers in the heart of Sunset Valley  ...


Cleo was having a great week-end with Pascal.

He loved the film she had arranged at the local cinema and, as it was still light and warm, they enjoyed a picnic in Central Park. Just spending time together in the open air, talking about anything and everything, as the world went by around them, oblivious.

With the picnic exhausted, and as the air started to chill, they returned to Summer Hill Court, to the warmth of the Slade home and, in particular, to Cleo’s welcoming bed.

Snuggling up with Pascal, Cleo had never felt happier. He was warm and generous, kind and thoughtful. She mused, what a wonderful life they could have together.

As he gently stroked her arm, a frisson of excitement coursed through her body. Cleo pushed Pascal onto his back wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply, passionately, urgently.

Pascal broke the kiss and, gazing deeply into Cleo’s eyes as if to see her innermost desire, "Cleo, are your ready for this? Is this really what you want?"

"More than anything. I want to spend this night with you, here, to make love as if our lives depended on it!"

With that Cleo pushed his shirt up, kissing his exposed belly, while her hands roughly caressed the muscles of his broad, strong, back …

They did not, could not, count the times they made love that night. Whether it was a moment of carnal passion or gently tracing the contours of their bodies it was all one long, almost unbearable sensation of pleasure and joy from the centre of their very beings.

Inevitably, the night and, indeed, Pascal’s visit had to come to an end. As they lay in bed on that last morning of his time in Sunset Valley, they discussed their plans for the future. Pascal was going back to run the main bookstore in Champs Les Sims but Cleo was still a little undecided on what career path to follow.


Pascal tried to encourage her "You are brave and daring, ma chérie, you love helping people, and everyone loves you. You just need to find somewhere that will use your talents, and will satisfy you ..."


That was why Cleo loved Pascal, he 'got' her, he understand what she was all about. As they parted at the airport, she promised him that she would find the job that would make her happy, and him proud.

In fact, the very next week, Cleo went for an interview with Caren Valenzuela. It was quite tough. Not only did they test her aptitude for the job, they tested her ability to quickly fix damaged equipment, and also, a very important aspect of the job, her general level of fitness.

Her family wasn't particularly 'sporty' but from a very young age Cleo had always enjoyed keeping fit and healthy, and from the time she had spent with her father she had become quite handy around the house.

All this 'accidental' preparation paid off and at the end of a gruelling examination, Caren was delighted to tell Cleo that she was an ideal candidate for trainee fireman.

A week later Cleo was at the Sunset Valley Fire station for several days of induction and training. The station was really well equipped with exercise equipment, a kitchen, a relaxation and games room and a small dorm for those long night shifts.

One of the first things her team leader had her do, was practice the emergency deployment protocol – getting down the pole without getting in everyone else’s way or falling flat on your arse!

Cleo was pretty well organised so she had no problem getting into the swing of the “merge-and-drop” exit routine, but she took a while to get the hang of landing on her feet, and staying upright!

There was also a lot of theory to learn, the causes of fire, prevention techniques and, of course, how to extinguish the different types of fire.

At each stage of the training there would be a 'practical' session where she learnt how to deal with the typical scenarios that she could encounter in and around the Valley.

It was in these sessions that Cleo started to appreciate how well suited she was to this career choice. The drama, the danger and, most of all, the satisfaction of being able to save someone's property, or even their life.

When Cleo rang him to tell him all about her new job Pascal was, at once delighted that she had a worthwhile career but then also concerned about the dangers and risks she would face.

On balance, though, he knew it was exactly the right job for her. If nothing else, it complemented with his safe and gentle career in the bookshop!

Cleo was not the only one with job news.  Shortly after returning from his assignment in Egypt Brandon was invited to the Landgraab Institute.

He had, of course,  been to the Institute many times before, supplying minerals and insects, but after the Egyptian job he couldn't help but be nervous of of what they would ask of him this time.

It turned out that Dr Livsey had been true to his word in Al Simhara and wanted to offer Brandon a job as a Contraption Manipulator for the Institute.

Having gone about as far as he could with his workbench at home, Brandon jumped at the opportunity to work in a fully equipped laboratory alongside the scientists who had created the 'cybercroc'.

Although approaching middle age, Brandon's horizons were definitely expanding, what with his new role at the LIS but also his travels to France and Egypt had brought him into contact with the fascinating and extraordinary history of these foreign cultures.

As part of this new interest he had started to assemble a collection of relics and artefacts from across the world.

Not only were these treasures a great way to inspire an understanding of history for future Slade children, but they were also a valuable investment should they ever fall on hard times. 

In addition to the dry and dusty relics, Brandon's interest in the natural world was also aroused by the variety of exotic wildlife he had seen on his travels.

With the aid of his friends at the Landgraab Institute, he began collecting exotic birds and hoped, over time, to create a fully fledged aviary.

Fascinated as she was by Brandon's foreign collections, Qiana's concerns were more mundane and practical, such as making sure that Carl continued to study hard and get good grades at school.

Of course, that didn't mean she had no time to enjoy herself.

On the contrary, she loved spending time in the garden and also, occasionally, putting brush to canvas to express her creativity.

However, at the fire station, 'creativity' was not high on Cleo’s objectives.

Before she went out on her first response, she was part of the maintenance team that ensured all the critical equipment was always in good working order. This included all the alarms as well as the engine itself.

Then, the day arrived, her first call-out. It had the potential to be a serious incident; two people were apparently trapped inside their burning home! 

Having mastered the pole, Cleo was quickly onboard the fire engine and speeding across town to a blaze on Skyborough Boulevard. Nervous energy coursed through her, even as a junior member of the squad she would have an important part to play in controlling the fire and ensuring everyone on the site was safe.

When they arrived at the incident, the fire had already spread from inside the house to the garden which made it difficult to get to anyone trapped inside.

Cleo was immediately assigned to ensuring that the fires inside the front of the house did not spread any further. Quickly setting up the power hose, she began dousing the front of the property and the flames coming through the windows with water.

The flames were terrifying as they lapped up and out towards her and her colleagues but the most powerful sensation was the heat that radiated out in waves. Even the rigorous training she had gone through barely prepared Cleo for the intensity of the fire she was facing here.

Thankfully it was not too long before the fire was brought sufficiently under control to allow access into the house. Cleo was ahead of her team, taking an axe to what remained of the front door. Inside, the house was still full of acrid smoke which made it difficult to see where she was going but when she called out she managed to locate the two voices she heard crying out in response.

There, huddled in the kitchen, which they had managed to secure fairly well against the worst of the fire, were Alex Maddox and Dwayne Roe.  Although the fires were now out, the building was badly damaged so the risk of injury was still substantial and the two men were clearly traumatized by what had happened.  Having used her practical skills to put out the fires Cleo then had to exercise her considerable social skills to calm the men and guide them out to safety.

Although female fire-fighters were not new, Cleo was one of very few in Sunset Valley, and had certainly been thrown in at the deep end on her first job, so it was not surprising that the local newspaper made quite a story out of the incident.

"Summer Hill Woman Saves Two in Blaze Drama"

"Cleo Slade, 21, from the well-heeled Summer Hill area of Sunset Valley steps out of her expensive party frocks to don the unflattering uniform of the SVFD and lead a dramatic rescue in downtown Skyborough ..."


A few days after the article appeared, Cleo received an unexpected phone call ...

"Hi Cleo, this Garett, Garett Fisk.  Saw the article in the paper, really impressed, you did a great job saving those guys.  Umm, I was wondering, if you'd, y'know, like to meet up sometime?  Err, I was thinking there's a cool band on in Mayflower Glen tomorrow  ... if you like we could go see them?"

O. M. G!

Cleo was now a 'proper' adult, with a real job, a dangerous and serious job, but some things (some people) could still release the excitable teenager she thought she had left behind.  Garett was one of those people.

Every girl in her school (well, every girl she knew) had had a crush on "Gorgeous Garett", and just hearing his voice sent her right back to those days.

"Oh that sounds great Garett, I would love to!  See you there."

The following day, Cleo made her way to Mayflower, she wasn't too bothered about the band, but it would be great to see Garett again.

"Hi, Garett, great to see you."

"Yeah, glad you could make it Cleo.  Been meaning to call you for ages, and when I saw you in the paper I just had to."

"It has been a while ..."

"Must have been your birthday, last time we actually got to talk to each other."

It was a slightly awkward conversation, they had never been close; they'd see each other at parties and around town but mostly knew about each other through mutual friends.

The park was starting to fill up, and the stage was being set up for the band.

"Err, do you wanna get a spot, near the stage?" Garett asked.

"Yeah, we could, or we could hang here for a while, y'know, and just catch up?" Cleo suggested.

For some reason Garett seemed quite shy, rather surprisingly for someone who was always so 'cool' and popular, but Cleo loved talking and could manage well enough for two.

As she told him about her trip to France (though not in too much detail!) and what it was like being a 'famous fire fighter', Cleo also got to learn more about Garett.  One thing which Cleo didn't expect was discovering how much his family meant to him.

She had always assumed that guys like him would be too in love with themselves to care much for anyone else.  But the way he talked about his parents, how proud he was of them and the rest of his family was so unexpected and endearing.

To Cleo they seemed to be getting on great, he was actually a really nice guy and then Garett suddenly stopped, looked bashfully away.

"Umm, Cleo, there's something I've wanted to say to you ...

"I've fancied you for years ... that's why I came to your last party ... but, y'know, you being so smart and all, always knew what you were doing and I didn't think you even noticed me ..."

"What?"  Cleo could barely conceal her surprise, "I thought you were seeing Sandi, and you two were the couple everyone talked about?"

"Well, yeah, but, to be honest, we weren't a real couple, it was just what was expected, we were the 'hot kids', we kinda had to be together.  Yeah, I liked Sandi, but it was never 'love'. "

Cleo was so taken aback by what she was hearing that she just did the first thing that came to her mind.  She kissed him.

"Whoa!" Garett gasped, "what was that?"

"Garett, you idiot!" Cleo exclaimed, "do you realise how many of the girls at school fancied you? I would have given anything to have been your girlfriend ... and now you tell me!"

"I never realised ...", Garett blushed and stammered.

"Oh shut up!" and with that Cleo pulled him close for a passionate kiss, a kiss she had waited years for." 

The rest of the afternoon seemed to pass in a blur.  There was a band playing in the background somewhere, and the sun started to set, but it was as if they were a little bubble of their own, separate from the rest of the world.

This had been a day Cleo could never have expected.  One of the hottest and most popular guys in the Valley had declared his love for her and she couldn't deny she had feelings for him too.

But, as the day inevitably drew to an end, she was left wondering what on earth she was to do.  She loved Pascal, a kind, generous and loving man but now there was Garett.  In the space of this one afternoon she had learnt so much about him, she knew she could so easily fall very much in love with him ...

Chapter 13: Dealing with Danger

Chapter 11: Hunt for the Organism

A vision of creating a long-lasting legacy brought our founder, Adam Slade, to Sunset Valley many years ago.  Now it his only son, Brandon Slade who is continuing this vision, building not only a fine new home overlooking the bay, but also a reputation for service to the community.

In this chapter Brandon is on the trail of a mysterious organism in the desert town of Al Simhara ...

It was late evening when Brandon arrived in Al Simhara, as he sat to enjoy a tasty local vegetable broth, he mulled over the few details he had been given by Dr Livsey:

• That local fish stocks had dropped dramatically
• There was likely to be just the one organism, they cannot reproduce and the technology is very difficult to replicate 
• A list of a handful of people in the town who should have useful information 
• The people behind the release of the organism could be dangerous

Thankfully, for that last concern, Brandon had been provided with papers that identified him as a consultant for the National Fisheries Agency so, hopefully, the locals would not link him to the Landgraab Institute – well, not until he had completed his mission at least!

The following morning, Brandon set out to interview some of the key people in the local fish business.

His first contact was Farid Kamel, head of the Al Simhara Merchants Association. Having introduced himself, Brandon wanted to get an idea of the scale of the drop in fish numbers and when it had started.

"Well, Mr Slade, I first heard reports of fish with strange wounds about four months ago, and today I would say that our local fishermen are bringing nearly 20% fewer fish to market than I would expect to see at this time of year.

"This is very worrying Mr Slade, up until now, this year had been very good, in fact I would say that we were a little above the average so, this decline could actually be more than 20% of the actual fish stock ...

"I am very concerned," Farid continued, "that not only are our fisherman earning less because of the smaller catch, but the merchants are having to bring in fish from other suppliers which is driving up prices in the markets."

Brandon thanked Farid for this useful background information and promised that he would do all he could to find out what had happened and that the NFA would offer all possible help to restore the fish population.

Farid’s comment about the strange wounds was interesting, Dr Livsey had not mentioned this. It was not conceivable that he would not have given Brandon this information so was it possible that the Institute was itself not being fully informed? Were the local agents somehow involved in a cover-up?

Shortly after meeting Farid Kamel, Brandon had arranged a meeting with Mena Lufti, the spokesman for the local fishermen’s organisation.

"Ms Lufti, the NFA have asked me to investigate what might be causing the recent drop in the fish catch around Al Simhara. I have spoken with Mr Kamel and he told me of unusual wounds that have been seen recently ..."

"Yes, indeed, Mr Slade, some months ago, a few fishermen who were work on Wadi Simabbad, reported strange cuts on the belly of a number of large fish. Since then similar injuries have been seen on many different species in the Wadi and also in the main tributary."

"So," Brandon asked, "you had not seen these sort of wounds before, there is nothing here that could cause these?"

"No, Mr Slade, the cuts are unlike anything we have seen before. They are most strange, there is a, I do not quite know how to explain it, but there is often something 'metallic' about the injuries – as if they had been cut by a very soft knife that had left fragments behind in the wound."

"Metallic? Could there be any metallic toxins in the water."

"No, we have commissioned a water quality study and they have so far found nothing but, even if there were, I cannot imagine how much the fish would need to consume for it to show up like this.

"In fact," Mena continued, "there is another very unusual feature of this situation. Our trawl fishermen have reported large numbers of dead fish on the bottom of the river ..."

"And they all show the same type of injury?" Brandon interjected

"Yes, many do. But the point is that there is such a large number of dead fish and also, there have been no reports of any floating on the surface. We would expect to see some with this amount of loss, but even the most recently dead are sinking to the bottom."

Brandon was left even more confounded by the unusual nature of this situation. It certainly wasn’t looking like anything 'natural' was causing this problem.

Brandon’s next contact was Youssef Nagi, the local manager of the Farmed Fish Supplies corporation, however, as he approached their office he was intercepted by Helmi Hosni, who introduced himself as the Chief Financial Officer for FFS North Africa.

"I am terribly sorry Mr Slade, but Mr Nagi is currently out of town working on a major expansion project, but I am fully aware of the local situation and am here to assist you in any way I can."

Brandon related what he had learnt so far, the dramatic drop in the fish catch, the sudden appearance of these bizarre, and strangely metallic, injuries.

Helmi Hosni considered Brandon's observations, pausing for thought before replying.

"That is most fascinating, we have seen a small rise in the demand for our products recently, most likely as a result of the smaller local catch. Our stock is sourced from our own fisheries, one of which is only a few miles away from here. And we have seen no evidence of these wounds, or the increased death rates that you describe.

"I can only assume that there is some toxin or other element that exists in the local river system. Even so, the filtration system at our nearby facility has not picked up anything unusual."

"Now, Mr Slade, if there is nothing else you need from me, I have other business to attend to."

Brandon thanked Helmi for his time, and went to a nearby café to collect his thoughts and decide on his next move.

It was time to gather some evidence. Equipping himself with the relevant baits and tools as recommended by Mena Lufti, Brandon set about catching some specimens from the tributary that flowed through the centre of Al Simhara.

Thankfully, in this heat, the bait soon lured some fish onto his hook. The first couple he caught looked fine nothing to indicate that they were in any way ill or damaged. The third fish, however, was a different matter.

As he pulled it from the water it hardly made any attempt to escape, and there it was, on the flanks of the fish. A deep red wound!

As he inspected his catch more closely Brandon could see the strange metallic edges to the damaged flesh.

It wasn't like a coating, like it had been painted or brushed onto the flesh. As Mena had described it, this looked like very small flakes of metal. A lot of flakes.

Trying not to cause the fish any more discomfort that absolutely necessary, he gingerly examined the area of the wound only to almost drop the fish when he noticed some of the 'flakes' move. Not as part of the natural movement of the fish but quite independently!

It looks as if Dr Livsey was right; there was some sort of "cyber" organism involved here.

This might be the proof he needed, it was time to speak to the local Landgraab Institute contact  Dr Livsey had said would handle communications with the head office.

With an address some way outside of the town, and not wishing to compromise his cover story, it was late in the evening when Brandon arrived at Dalida Barakat's home.

Showing her the injured fish he had caught, he gave her a detailed analysis of his meetings and what he had seen in the river.

"You have done well Brandon.  We have tried to get our hands on a recently attacked fish but the locals have been suspicious of our motives so we have been unable to make much progress.

"I have collected together much information on local fish populations, together with some additional details on LIS cybergenetic projects that  might survive in this environment.  Please review this material.  And I believe it would be useful for you to explore the Wadi that Ms Lufti referred to."

Thanking her for the research notes, Brandon left Dalida to return to the camp site only to have a very uneasy night as the questions raised during the day kept circling through his mind.

Early the following morning, Brandon studied the notes Mrs Barakat had given to him, comparing them with his own findings.  Finally, feeling prepared, he set off for Wadi Simabbad.

Being late in the season, the Wadi was starting to dry up, and Brandon was not sure if he would be able to find any specimens in the remaining water.  But luck, and the right arrangement of bait, quickly rewarded him.

Even the most cursory examination of the fish was enough to reveal the very same indications he had seen in the river.  Whatever was at the root of this problem was capable of travelling the local watercourses.

Being unused to the heat of the exposed desert, Brandon decided, having found this evidence, to take a break for lunch at the camp site.

On his way back to the camp he passed by the Barakat household and as he did Dalida Barakat rushed out and called him over.

"Ahh, Brandon, I'm glad to catch you.  I was in town earlier today, and overheard a conversation between a couple of desert rangers.  They had found some unusual 'debris' just outside the old ruins alongside the Wadi."

"And you think this may be related?"

"I cannot be certain Brandon, but from what the rangers were saying it does not sound like anything normally found around Al Simhara."

Brandon agreed that anything out of the ordinary, especially near the local watercourse, was definitely worth investigating.  But, first, lunch.

Today, rather then rely on the prepared meals available in the camp kitchen, Brandon went to the market to get some fresh local produce.

Making this meal gave him time to reflect on what he had seen in the last couple of days, how  important local markets are to communities like Al Simhara, and what this 'debris' could possibly be.

Refreshed, and ready to continue, Brandon headed back out into the desert.  Even with the few details Dalida had, it didn't take too long to find the site the desert rangers had been talking about.

It was clear from what was visible on the surface that this was no historical deposit, nor discarded waste from the nearby town.

It was mostly an odd collection of synthetic materials, some of which appeared to be breaking down and leaching into the sand.

As Brandon, cautiously exposed more of these remains, he revealed what looked like a transportation crate lined with a material he didn't recognise but felt cold to the touch.  It looked like some sort of a metal insulation but somehow still felt relatively cool, even here in the desert sun.

There was a large section of this 'crate' still intact and built into it were what appeared to be six small restraints.  It seemed unlikely that a single weapon would require that many holding points, two weapons perhaps?

But, mentally checking off what he had seen and heard, he realised that this was no simple weapon container.  This had held an animal of some description!

Having taken detailed measurements of the crate fragments, Brandon had a good idea of the size of the creature he was looking for. Finally he took photographs of all the pieces he had uncovered and as he turned one piece over he noticed what looked like part of a consignment label.

A partial logo and the letters "med fi" were all that he could make out. But it was enough; he was convinced that he now knew who was behind this!

All that was left now was to find the cause of the fish deaths and take it out of operation.


The Wadi was practically dry now, so Brandon returned to the river where there were still plenty of fish and where he had seen recently inflicted injuries.

Once again he set his baits and traps as recommended by Dr Livsey and it wasn't long before he made his first catch. Unfortunately this was another victim fish and, as distressing as it was to see such a wonderful creature so badly injured, Brandon was heartened by how recent the wound looked – he was on the right track

 As he examined the fish, he received a phone call from Dalida Barakat.

"Mr Slade, I have been in contact with the LIS and we have reviewed the samples you found yesterday.  As a result Dr Livsey has suggested some adjustments to the baiting recommendations that he originally gave you.  However, he was was very concerned by what you have uncovered and will be travelling to Al Simhara today to discuss the situation with you directly."

So, with the new instructions, Brandon settling into trapping whatever it was that was destroying these fish.

Time passed, it was over an hour and there was no sign of anything being attracted to the new bait, Brandon was wondering if Dr Livsey's analysis had been accurate after all.

And then, there was a sudden movement of the line, it was pulled sharply down towards the water.

Quickly taking control, Brandon drew the line back in to the bank, relaxed it briefly and felt it being pulled from him again, so he brought it back under control.  Whatever it was, he had it!  It was firmly caught on the traps.

With the assurance of an expert angler, Brandon slowly and firmly brought his catch in, and out of the water.

There it was, glinting in the sunlight, a creature like a small crocodile but with a skin that glinted like a dull metal in the sunlight.. 

With just a cursory examination, Brandon knew that this creature would have fitted perfectly into the crate that he had examined earlier.  This was, undoubtedly, the creature he was seeking but why was it attacking the fish, and what were those odd 'flakes' that were left in the attack wounds?

Securing the 'cyber crocodile', Brandon returned to deliver his catch to Dalida Barakat, who would hopefully explain why this creature was behaving as it was.

However, when he arrived at the Barakat residence he was greeted by a distinguished gentleman who smiled warmly at him as he held out his hand in greeting.

"Mr Slade, Brandon, I am Jackson Livsey and I am here to personally thank you for the remarkable and outstanding job you have done here so far."

"Dr Livsey, I am honoured to meet you, and I am very pleased to have been able to help your work."

"Thank you and, please, call me Jackson.  It is we, I, who am indented to you."

They went inside, where Jackson explained to Brandon what he had caught.

"What you have caught is a prototype cybergenetic device that we have created to help us understand and find ways of surviving in extreme hostile environments.  This particular example was designed to live close to the ground to avoid large land-based predators and use aquatic environments to find food sources.

"Which as we have seen, it was very adept at doing!"

"And what," Brandon asked, "were those 'living' metallic flakes found in the fish it attacked?"

"Ahh, yes," Dr Livsey continued, "that is the most interesting part of this whole episode.  Each of our cybergentic organisms is equipped with 'nanobots' - self-replicating assemblies of microscopic 'nanites' - that are programmed to repair any damage to the organism.

"Unfortunately this is one area of the technology that we have been having difficulty with.  At the slightest damage to the organism, even just the abrasions of tearing into the flesh of it's prey, the nanobots will activate.  In this prototype they were being transferred into the wounds in the fish but because they did not have the relevant program, their attempts to repair the fish actually caused more damage and, eventually, death."

The picture was becoming clear for Brandon "So, a self-repairing, immortal, aquatic predator would be an excellent way of reducing the local fish supply for someone who wanted to make money from replacing the local source with their own supply." he ventured, as he showed Jackson the photographs he had taken of the crate debris.  "And I think we can show who that was."

"Indeed it would appear so." Jackson agreed.  "I think you and I should bring these people to justice."

Leaving the cybercroc with Dalida, Jackson and Brandon set off into town to confront the people responsible for letting it loose in Al Simhara.

"Mr Slade, what is the meaning of this intrusion?  I do not recall setting up any appointment, and I am a very busy man!"

"Mr Hosni, may I introduce Dr Jackson Livsey, director of the Landgraab Institute, we believe that you have stolen something from his laboratory ..."

"That is outrageous!  I know nothing of this institute ... "

Brandon continued "So, the unprecedented increase in the demand for your products, the laboratory crate addressed to 'Farmed Fish Supplies', and ..." Brandon produced his photographs of the cybercroc, "this ..."

As much as he tried to hide it, Hosni's expression told Brandon that they had got the right man.

Dr Livsey added "We know there has been considerable commercial interest in our work at LIS and our internal audits have linked several people in your company with at least one of the intermediaries that have approached us."

As if on cue, three police officers entered the office, "Helmi Hosni, we have reason to suspect you of involvement in the criminal destruction of a natural resource and attempting to pervert the proper operation of the market.  Please accompany us to the station to answer some questions." 

As Hosni was led away, Jackson turned to Brandon, "That was a job well done, the LIS, and the people of Al Simhara owe you a considerable debt of gratitude.  Please feel free to stay on here, at our expense, for the rest of this week, and come to see me when you return to  Sunset Valley."


Meanwhile.  Back in the Valley, Brandon's daughter was having some success with her manhunt ...

Chapter 12: Cleo on Fire