The Doll Light Zone - the search for Dick

The search for Dick PT 1

Scene : A feminine bedroom for two. By the left wall is a singe bed covered by a pink, ruffled quilt and several stuffed zoo animals scattered about. The dresser at the footof the bed has a large mirror, a neat row of perfume bottles and a polished wood jewelry box. The wall the bed is against has posters of Shania Twain and Faith Hill. A girl with long blond hair lays in this bed. The rise of the covers shows she has an ample chest. The other half of the room is a stark contrast. A dark toned blanket with pictures of motorcycles, race cars, and fighting figures lies over the headboard. The top of the dresser on this side is piled with goth type makeup and black underwear. A studded leather jacket threatens to fall of, but is being held in place by a stack of CD's. The posters over the bed that are pinned to the wall by miniature daggers, show Bruce Lee and Joan Jett. A rolled up whip hangs on a large nail in between them. The girl in this bed has short brunette hair and heavy black eye liner. Both girls stare sightlessly at the ceiling.

Narrator : “Here we have two dolls both loved by their owner, but with vastly different personalities. Heidi on the left with her wholesome look, and Maxi on the right with her bad girl persona, have been sharing this room for years. For years, their owner Richard, has spent at least part of every day with each of them. Today, as with the previous four days, Richard has not shown up.
These dolls, that were crafted and cared for in the normal world we all live in, have just been transported into....

The Doll Light Zone.

Scene : Closeup on Maxi's face. Her eyes shift towards the door, and her black eyebrows knit into a frown.

“I HATE waiting!” she grumbles,and throws the covers back to reveal her black bra and panties. She swings her legs onto the floor and sits up.

Across the room, Heidi turns her head, her face shows horror. “What are you doing! Quick, lay back down before someone sees you!”

Rising, Maxi stretches her lithe body and spreads her arms in the air. “Like who? It's been days, and Dick hasn't come home.”

“Richard,” Heidi says with a frown. “And he could come home any minute.”

“And YOU just might do something kinky,” Maxi retorts, and strides for the door.

“No, wait!” Heidi says as she sits up, showing her white frilly negligee.

“Aww, bite me,” Maxi grumbles as she opens the door.

In a panic, Heidi throws off her covers and tries to stop Maxi. In her rush for the door, she trips and stumbles into Maxi. They tumble out of the room to land in the hallway. Maxi pushes Heidi off her. Heidi frantically looks up and down the short hall.

“Smooth move, ex-lax. What else can you do?” Maxi glowers at her.

“At least no one saw us. Come on,let's get back in our room,” Heidi says pleadingly.

Maxi thrusts an arm out to point into their room. “Go fondle one of your teddy bears, I'm going to see what happened to Dick.”

“His name is Richard,” Heidi replies firmly.

“He's Dick to me. I'm sorry if you don't get any,” Maxi says with a crooked grin. She gets up and walks toward the living room.

“Ohhh, Maxi, don't do that!' Heidi cries and follows her. “Someone walking by could see us, or what if Richard is out on the patio with his friends..”

Maxi stops and glares at her. “And what if they hear you, and come to find out where the incessant whining is coming from?”

Heidi's eyes grow large. She claps both hands over her mouth.

“Good, stay that way,” Maxi says,and keeps going.

Scene: a living room with a bar in the corner, two couches facing each other, a large picture window in the front and glass patio doors going out back. The front door is shut. In the hallway, Maxi sticks her head out and looks around.

Maxi crouches down, then gets on all fours and crawls to the side of the window. She pulls the drapes shut. Peeking up from behind a couch, she scans the back yard. Seeing no one, she runs over to the drapes there and shuts them.

“We're going to get caught,” Heidi whispers from the hallway as she watches Maxi.

“Then Dick is more than welcome to spank me,” Maxi retorts. “Either help me, or shut up and stay out of the way.”

“What are you doing?”

Maxi scans the coffee table between the couches as she says, “Looking to find out what happened to my Dick.”

With a sigh, Heidi says, “Do you have to call him that?”

Raising an eyebrow at her, Maxi asks,“Him?”

Heidi eyes her, then her jaw drops. “Ohh, that is so rude!”

Maxi shakes her head. “You don't get any, do you?”

“I'm going back to my room!” Heidi says indignantly.

Maxi waves at her, then goes over to the bar. Seeing the message light on the phone blinking, she pushes it.

The phone's speaker announces, “Ten new messages. Push the play button to hear.”

“No No!” Heidi says, running over to the phone. “You can't play his messages!”

Maxi lets out a snort. “Sure I can, just like this,” she says, and pushes the play button.

“Message number one.” the speaker says, then a man says, “Hey Richard, the meeting is this morning. Get your ass moving, you can't be late today.”

“Message number two … Yo Richard,where are you? You better get here fast. You've got ten minutes until the meeting. I'll try to hold them. If you can't make it, you better call with a damn good reason.”

“Message number three … Richard, I hope to God you got in an accident or something. You missed the meeting! Mr. D is pissed, if you're not in the hospital or dead,you're gonna get the axe.”

“Message number four …” A long pause, then a beep.

“Message number five … Richard,where in the hell are you. Mary checked the hospitals, Gail checked with the police. Chrome done is furious and he's talking about firing you if you're not in tomorrow morning. For god's sake, if you get this, call in before it's too late!”

“Message number six …” A long pause, then a beep

“Message number seven ...” A long pause, then a beep.

“Message number eight … (another male voice) I'm calling to inform Richard Davis that his employment is terminated. He has two days to retrieve his personal belongings,or they will be disposed of.”

“Message number nine … Richard,you're canned. I put your stuff under my desk. If you don't come by next week, I'll drop it by your house when I get out that way. Sorry it had to end like this.”

“Message number ten … ” a long pause, faintly a voice says, “No one's home, go check it out.”

Maxi and Heidi looked at each other.

“Richard has lost his job,” Heidi says sadly.

“Screw that! Someone's coming by, and I don't think it's to play with us,” Maxi said sternly. “I think they might know where Dick is.”

“What can we do? We can't ask them,we turn immobile when people look at us,” Heidi reminded her.

Maxi nodded in thought, then a corner of her lip creeps up into an unpleasant smile. “Got to the kitchen and get a couple trash bags. The big black ones.”

Heidi cast her an indignant look. “And why can't you get them?”

Jerking a thumb over her shoulder, Maxi says, “Because we don't know how much time we have, and I'm going for the bat and my whip.”

Scene : The living room. The only light is from the shaded patio doors as the sun goes down. The shadow of a person appears at one corner of the doors.

A hand tests the door. The figure moves to the center and tries the door again. It slides open. The figure steps in and looks around. Taking out a flashlight the figure shines the beam on Heidi, who is frozen in place at the bar. As the man takes a step back in surprise, Maxi jumps out from the shadows behind him, and drops a bag over him.

The figure struggles. Quickly, Maxi grabs the bat and starts beating him. He drops to the floor.

When a man's voice cries out, Maxi pauses with her bat raised high.

“All right scum bag, where is my Dick?” she roars.

“Lady, please, I don't know what you're..”

Maxi wails down on him again, beating him between short phrases. “You will … tell me … or I will …Kill your … ASS!” With the last word, she puts her whole body into her swing. Breaking bones are heard.

The man screams, thrashing on the floor. “Stop , please! I don't know nothing!”

“Then you're a fucking dead man!”Maxi yells, and raises her bat again.

Heidi runs up and stands by the man, arms out to ward off Maxi's blows. “Wait! Maybe he doesn't know!”she cries.

“Are you THAT stupid?” Maxi yells. “Back off!” she says, and pushes Heidi. Heidi stumbles back, hits the couch and flips over it. Legs in the air, her white panties show before she falls onto the couch.

“She's right, I don't know!” the man wails. “I came to rob the place, that's it. Call the cops, PLEASE!”

“You must think I'm a dumb blond too,” Maxi growls at him. “If I call anyone, it will be the morgue to come get your dead, busted-assed body out of my house. Last chance, talk or die a real painful death”

Trying to move the bag off him with one arm, the man pleads, “Call my partner, he's in the van outside! Dear god lady, please don't kill me!”

“I gave you your chance,” Maxi growls, and raises her bat again.

A bulge in the bag shows the man trying to ward off the bat. “All right, all right! All I know is that we were paid to come get all the computer equipment, mail, and any papers we could find!”

“Yeah? Who paid ya?” Maxi demands.

“If I tell you, he'll kill me!”

“I'll kill you now if you don't!”

“Dodson! Jake Dodson paid us. He said it was a cake job, no one was suppose to be here.”

“Looks like Jake set your sorry ass up. Where can I find this asshole?”

“Jesus lady, have some mercy huh? This guy has a long reach. If he finds out ...”

Maxi smacked his knee hard enough to make a loud crack. “Talk! Or I kill you instead of him!”

“West side, he's got a car repair place as a front, 223 Washington street!” the man cries out.

“Description?” Maxi asked heavily.

“About six one, thick set. Dark hair and goatee. Big tatoo on his neck and left arm.”

“Who does he keep with him?” Maxi asked.

“Four or five guys are always in the shop. One across the street with a two-way in case the heat is coming.”

Maxi eyes the quivering man for a moment, then says, “What do you think, do we let him go, or waste him?”

Peeking up over the back of the couch,Heidi shook her head. “Not here, blood is hard to get out of the carpet.”

“Come on lady, I told you everything!” the man pleaded.

Maxi prods the man with her bat. “Here's the deal. You live if you can get the fuck out of my house with that bag over you. Try to get it off, and I split your fuckin skull and carve you up for dog food. If I ever see you again, you're dead meat. Now move your ass.”

The man tries to struggle up, and falls. “I can't crawl, you broke my friggin arm, you bitch!”

“That ties it,” Maxi says heavily, she comes down hard on the man's head with her bat. A loud crack and the man goes limp.

“Oh my,” Heidi gasps, “You killed him!”

“Maybe, maybe not, “ Maxi musses. Walking to the front windows, she peeks out one way, then the other. She then jogs to the kitchen. Coming back in, she shakes her head. “No van out there.”

Going over to the limp man, Maxi turns him over onto his back and rips the bag open. Routing around on his bloody body, she checks for a pulse, then pulls a small mike off his shirt, and a ear piece from his ear. She shows them to Heidi.

“He's wired. His partner probably took off when he heard me beating his sorry ass,” Maxi explained.

“But... you killed him...” Heidi says in a far away voice.

Maxi shakes her head. “He's still alive, but you can be sure that Jake is either going to come for us,or disappear.” Throwing the wires down onto the man, Maxi adds, “And if he disappears, there goes our only lead to finding Dick.”

“What do we do now?” Heidi asks.

Looking down on the man, Maxi says,“First thing, we drag this meat bag outside. If he dies, or someone finds him, not our concern. Then we collect all Dick's computer stuff and every piece of paper we can find, and hide it someplace safe. Then we get ready, and hope like hell that Jake won't run, but take it personal that a woman beat one of his men's asses.”

The search for Dick -Part 2

Scene : The exterior of Richard's house. A view of the ranch style home from across the street. A police car rolls up and parks in the driveway. Another two park on the street in front. The camera pans up to one officers exited the car in the driveway, getting out of the driver's side.

The officer's badge reads “SGT Malcolm”. He looks over the house. As he and his partner approach the house, they look closely in every window they pass.

“Seems quiet Sarge, I'm not seeing anything like a major domestic disturbance.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Malcolm replies as he peers in a window. “That must be the study. Look at the desk. No computer, just cords. One drawer is open, it's empty.”

“You're thinking burglary?”

Malcolm shakes his head. “Not when we get a frantic call that a woman is beating her husband to death. Stay sharp, she may have fled, but someone might still be around.”

Coming to the front door, Sgt Malcolm knocks as he peers inside. “No sign of a struggle, no lights on.” He tries the door. It's locked.

Over the radio come a call. “Sarge,we need you in back, we've got a live one.”

“Cover the front, call an ambulance,” Malcolm says, and hurries around to the back.

On the edge of the patio, the patrolmen are checking a badly bruised man's vitals. One arm is broken. “He's alive?” Malcolm asks as he approaches.

“Barely. Looks like someone beat him good. We tried the back door, it's locked.”

Malcolm changes the channel on his radio. “Dispatch, this is Sergeant Malcolm, request an emergency warrant to enter the residence at 19 Pine street. One unconscious victim in the rear of the house, signs of burglary. Possibly another victim may be inside.”

“Roger, Sergeant. Captain says you may proceed. Record all evidence, backup is on the way.”

“Sarge!” another patrolman yells. Motioning to a window, he says, “Two females in this bedroom, eyes open and unresponsive!”

Malcolm pulls his nightstick. He smashes the glass in the patio door and strides in. Walking quickly, he looks about, then enters the bedroom. Upon seeing the women staring blankly at the ceiling, he moans, “Oh god..” He keys his radio again. “Dispatch, we need another....” as he is speaking ,he notes something weird about the women. Although the blond looks like she had her throat slit under her chin, there is no blood and the cut is not showing any fatty tissue underneath.

“Sergeant Malcolm, are you there?”the radio asks.

Moving closer, he notes her skin doesn't look quite right. “Hold on Dispatch,” he says as he turns to the other 'victim'. This one too has the same slit under her chin. He notes her ears also look odd. He then blasts out a laugh of relief.

“Dispatch, I am in the house, I found a couple of those life sized dolls.” Noting the room, he shakes his head and says, “This guy went all out, huh?”

A patrolman comes to the door. “Sarge, are they....”

“Dolls,” Sergeant Malcolm says with a chuckle. “They're dolls.”

“Holy shit. This room is for THEM?”

“Looks like it. Check the house, see if we can determine what's missing.” Malcolm says. He scans the room, and notes a baseball bat propped up against the wall at the foot of the bed. Squatting down, he inspects it for signs of blood. Not finding any, he rises and checks the rest of the room. He is about to leave when he notices papers tacked to the inside of the door. He pushes the door shut, and reads the papers.

The one on the left reads :

To the scum who took Dick,
Dick had better be OK. If you hurt him, I will pay you back four times over. This is no joke, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth and make your last moments pure hell. Before I am done, you will beg me to kill you. Unless you are dumb asses, you will deliver him home, UNHARMED.
Maxi

The one on the right reads :

The man who lives here, Richard Davis, was kidnapped. Listen to the voice messages on the phone, that may give you a clue. The man who broke in to steal all the computer equipment and papers, I left lying in the back yard. Can't say I'm sorry if he doesn't make it. That scum bag was working for a Jake Dodson over on 223 Washington street. He is six foot one, dark hair,goatee, and a tattoo on his neck and left arm. He has a few guys with him in his shop, and keeps a lookout posted on the other side of the street. That's all I could find out from Mr. Busted-assed robber out there in the back yard. The computer equipment is safe, and hidden. If you find these letters before the scum do, I will post another here to tell you where to find the stuff. Maybe you will be able to figure out where Richard is, and get him back.

Maxi

Quietly, Malcolm says, “I think we got our female who was involved.” He keys his radio again. “Dispatch, we have an apparent kidnapping. I'll need some detectives over here at 19 Pine.”

“Roger, Sergeant. Collect evidence,be sure to follow procedures.”

“Roger,” Malcolm replies. He takes one last look at the room devoted to the dolls, then goes out to do his job.

Scene : The living room full of photographers, uniformed officers and detectives. Two men are dusting for prints. On the coffee table in evidence bags are the letters, the bat, and the robber's wallet.

Sergeant Malcolm walks over to the table with one of the detectives.

Pointing to the letters, Malcolm says,“There were in the bedroom with the dolls, tacked to the back of the door. No prints on them. It looks like this Maxi was expecting the perps to return. I can't say for sure, but with that bat in the room, I think she was waiting for them, then slipped out when we showed up.”

The detective sat down and read the letters. “Any idea who this “Maxi” is?”

“No clue. According to what we've found, Richard Davis lived alone. By how bad the perp was beaten,and that note, I'd say this Maxi has close ties to him,” Malcolm told him.

The detective tapped the other letter. “This Dodson guy is trouble, he's got a long rap sheet and he's into everything dirty. We'll go check him out. I want you to post a watch, two men inside, no cars out front. If we can find Maxi, she may be able to tell us more. By this note, she'll return.”

“IF she knows we found the notes before Dodson's gang,” Malcolm reminded him.

The detective stood up and let out a snort. “Read those again, Sergeant. Maxi has a quick wit, and a temper to match. She knows. When she shows up, offer her police protection, but don't arrest her. We need to find out all she knows,and get that computer gear. People don't go out of their way to steal a particular computer without a reason.”

“Right, sir.”

Sargent Malcolm watched the ambulance take away the perp, and the evidence get bagged, tagged & carried away into patrol cars. It was late afternoon by the time the scene quieted down. Shift change was coming up. Instead of making his men work overtime, Malcolm 'held the fort' until the night shift got settled and sent a couple men to the house.

Siting down on the couch, Malcolm positioned himself with his back to the hallway so he could watch both entrances. He wanted to see Maxi coming. His thoughts began to drift on what this Maxi would look like. He was sure that “Maxi' was not her real name. By the look of the perp they found on the patio, he did have no doubt that she meant business.

Suddenly, something cold and hard pressed against the back of his neck. A female voice said, “Don't move.”

Malcolm stiffened, his heart picked up speed, but he held still. “Window entry?” he asked.

“Did someone go check out Jake Dodson?” she asked.

“That's the detective's job, Ma'am. You're Maxi I take it?”

“Last time I looked. Did the phone messages help you locate Dick?”

Malcolm shrugged as much as he dared. “Can't say right now, but you know every call will be tracked. If there's a clue there, we'll find it. Look, no need to put a gun to my head, we want to talk to you. Relax and sit down, no one is going to arrest you. We know you're only trying to help Richard.”

“Sorry, I can't do that. What would like you to do, is get up and walk straight to the front door. Don't turn, don't hesitate, just get to the door and walk outside. We'll talk again tomorrow.”

“Maxi, you're making a big mistake,”Malcolm says evenly. “So far, we can write off you attacking that man as self-defense. It was a burglary in progress. If you keep holding me at gun-point, it makes you one of the bad guys.”

“You can't understand my position, Sergeant, so I won't even try to explain. Once you get outside, wait five minutes, then you can come back in. You'll find another note.”

“The computer?” Malcolm asked.

“And some papers you may find interesting. Now, up and go. I'll be watching.”

The tone of Maxi's voice left no doubt to her sincerity. Malcolm felt the pressure release from his neck. Not turning his head, he tried to catch a reflection from the windows, but the drapes were still drawn. No mirrors in the room either except the one behind the bar. By it's angle, he'd have to be by the door to get a glimpse at who was behind him.

Malcolm got up and strode to the door. In the mirror, he caught a glimpse of an image backing into the hallway, no more that a shadow. He opened the front door and stepped into the doorway before dropping down and pulling his gun. Looking through his sights, he scanned the empty room.


No car had come yet, and backup would never get here fast enough. He ran to the hallway, it was empty.

Searching every room, Malcolm noted the windows were all shut and locked. There was a trap door for the attic, he pulled it down to the squeal of little used hinges. She hadn't gotten out that way so silently.

In his search, he checked the doll room window, it was locked as well. Turning around to leave, he saw another note on the door. It read :

Sergeant,
The couch next to the front window. Lift the cushions up, then pull back the under-cloth. You'll find the papers there. The hard drive for the computer is in the freezer, wrapped in a butcher's bag marked 'beef roast'. The rest of the computer is under the bed behind you to your right. I am not one to beg, but please, find my Dick.
Maxi

As he read the note, Malcolm felt a strange sensation, like he was being watched. It was so strong, the skin on his arms pimpled up and chill rose up his spine. Maxi had not slipped out of the house without him hearing or seeing her. Maxi was still here.

Taking a deep breath, he says, “Maxi, I know you're here. We all want the same thing, to see Richard comeback home, alive and well. You don't have to write me notes, you can show me yourself.”

He waited, listening closely. The only things he heard was his own breath and heartbeat. He then heard a car door shut.

Loudly, he says, “You can't get out, Maxi, the evening squad is outside. I have to tell them you're hiding in here. You asked me nice to get Richard back. I want to,Maxi. I also don't want to see you get hurt either. Come on out,wherever you are hiding can't be comfortable. There's no reason to make this hard.”

Still no response.

“Have it your way. I'm really sorry, Maxi,” He strode out of the room and pulled his radio. “Dispatch, armed intruder at 19 Pine, suspect is hiding somewhere in the house. Send backup and a couple detectives. Maxi is here.”


Scene : Night time, the front of Richards' house. Several police cars are scattered along the curb. A K-9 team is coming out with their dogs. Sergeant Malcolm is talking to a detective in the front yard.


“And you never saw her?” the detective asks in disbelief.

“She moved like frigin ghost. One second she had a gun to the back of my head, then POOF! she's gone.” Malcolm says with a flail of his arms. “There was no way out past me, she HAS to be in that house someplace.”

“We've searched every nook and cranny, sergeant. However she did it, she slipped by you.”

“No,” Malcolm says firmly, “I felt her watching me. The evening squad was coming in, they would have seen her if she got by me.”

Wearing a sympathetic face, the detective says, “It's been a long day, Sergeant. Go home and get some rest. Pick it up in the morning.”

“Yeah,” Malcolm grumbles. “Have we turned up anything yet?”

“The lab guys are working on the computer and the other evidence. You'll be briefed when you come in tomorrow.”

Malcolm scratches the back of his head and gives a nod. “Night.”

The search for Dick Part 3


Scene : Detective's briefing room. Sargent Malcolm comes in, swaps greetings with the assembled detectives and sits at one of the small desks. Next, the Captain comes in and takes the podium.

The Captain motions to Sargent Malcolm. “Congratulations are in order, Sargent Malcolm has been promoted to Detective Malcolm.”

After the cheers and back-slaps die down, the Captain adds, “And for your first duty, you'll be working with detective Baker on the Davis case. SO, gentlemen, here's what we have so far...”

The Captain clasps his hands together. “Richard Davis was last seen getting gas at the Pump-and-Dump over on fourth and Birch. Witnesses say he was approached by another man,they both got into his car and left. His car was found behind a warehouse, no signs of a struggle. The next day, Richard gets fired from work. On his home phone message machine, there are several blank messages. These were made from the same cell-phone reported stolen a couple days before. The last message has a background voice that indicates they are going to check his house out. Hours later,we receive a call of domestic violence at Richard's house. We know now that Richard lived alone, or HAD. Upon arrival, officers find a badly beaten man, as well as notes to the police and the bad guys by a woman named Maxi. The beaten man is a petty crook by the name of Kegan Dover . On the notes, Maxi admits to beating Kegan for information. Kegan was working for Jake Dodson, who is a slime ball of the highest order. So far, he has stuck to his rights and will not talk to anyone but his attorney.”

The Captain motions toward the door and says, “The lab guys have found several password protected files on Richard's computer, they are trying to break into the files now. Since Richard worked at a top electronics firm, we suspect these maybe company projects he was working on. Right now we have two very hot questions. What Jake Dodson's connection to Richard Davis is,and who is this Maxi who seems to appear and disappear at will.”

“Captain?” a man in the second row asks, “Dodson runs a hack shop for stolen cars, a numbers game, and jobs for hire. If it's corporate espionage, he's on someone's payroll.”

“We need to find out who's payroll he's on,” the Captain agrees.

“Captain, I served in the army, special ops, before I became a cop,” a bulky man behind Malcolm says. “By the reports, this Maxi isn't an ordinary citizen. Maybe she wants Richard too, but Dodson got to him first.”

“That is a possibility we're looking at. Grant, you and Roberts go to Davis' job, find out what he was working on that might cause him to be kidnapped. Malcolm and Baker, stick tight to the Davis house. By all indications, Maxi will be back. Find out what she's up to, but watch yourselves. If what Grant says is true, she's a dangerous woman. Look for anything we might have missed. The rest of you will be watching Dodson. Right now, we don't have a positive ID of the man who got into Davis' car, but I suspect it was one of Dodson's men. The phone taps are in place, tag him, track him, find a reason to bring him in for questioning. Let's go gentlemen.”

Scene : The living room. Malcolm and Baker enter, all is quiet. Baker, a shorter man with a crew cut peeks down the hallway, then looks into the kitchen.

“Heloo Maxiii,” he coos.

Malcolm clears his throat. “I'm sure she'll come to your call. Watch me, I'm going to see if she left any more notes.”

Malcolm walks down the hall and goes into check the back side of the doll room door. A short note is pinned to the inside of the door that reads : Just speak, I'll listen

Malcolm looks around the room, he then inspects every nook for possible bugs. He shakes his head. “You're too much, Maxi. I'm not talking to an empty room. I have some information, and maybe something you can help with. If you want to know what, you'll have to come out and talk to me in the living room.”

Malcolm returns to the living room to see Baker by the bar. “No time for drinking, Maxi is here,” he states.

Baker spins in place, one hand grabs the handle of his gun. “You saw her?”

“She left a note, 'just speak and I'll listen'. Either she has a good bug in her ear, or she's still hiding in the house.” Malcolm explained.

“Same place as before, in the room with the dolls?” Baker asks.

Malcolm nods, then it hits him. Those dolls were life-like, so much so that at first he thought the were real. What if she removed one of the dolls, then laid down nice and still? The thought was chilling, but much more realistic than a woman who could disappear like a Ninja. He walked over to Baker and spoke in his ear. “I'm going back into the doll room. Follow very quietly and wait outside the door. If you hear anything but my voice, get in there fast. I think Maxi is posing as one of those dolls.”

“Yeah, OK.” Baker replies.

Malcolm goes back into the doll room. “Maxi, I was serious about wanting to talk to you,” he says as he strolls in and studies the blond doll. The slit under her chin was still there.

“We haven't located Richard, but your tip about Jake Dodson was right on the money,” he says, and turns his attention to the brunette. The same slit is under her chin also. He then wonders if that apparent joint could be makeup so Maxi appeared as a doll.

Sitting on the bed next to the blond, he begins to gently prod her as he speaks. “We think Dodson's goons took Richard. The one you beat, probably came here for the computer. We need to know what was on that computer, Maxi.” Although the doll feels real, she gives no reaction as he fondles her. A pinch of her arm verifies it is not real skin.

Malcolm pets the doll's face as he says, “The files are password protected. If you really are Richard's friend, perhaps you know what the passwords are?”

He reaches down to the base of the dolls' jaw, and finds the seam. He works his fingers into the seam,causing her face to bulge out on that side. There is no motion from the body as he inspects her. This one is a doll. “The Captain thinks you're just another suspect, and Dodson's goons got to Richard before you could. It would help if I hear the truth from you face to face.” He gets up and goes over to the other doll, and sits on the bed beside her.

Starting his inspection routine again, he says, “Look, Maxi, we're doing all we can. There may be somethings you know that could help us, that is if you truly are Richard's friend. Maybe a casual conversation you had with him about his work, or something as simple as him telling you of a great idea he had, may give us a clue as to who kidnapped him.”

The face of this doll was put over a plastic skull just like the other one. There was no room underneath to hide a real human being. He looked at the poster of Bruce Lee,and got up to study the tiny daggers holding it in place.

“I've got to say, you're one hell of a mystery to us. We don't like mysteries, Maxi, it makes us want to dig out the truth. Whoever you are, explaining yourself would be the way to go.” He noted all the daggers looked the same, small plastic handles and tiny bits of steel for the blades. The two of these the lab had were only novelty store items.

“OK, I'm done. Like I said, I'll be in the living room,” Malcolm announces, and walks out. He motions for Baker to follow him.

“Has to be a listening device,” Malcolm says quietly as they enter the living room.

“This place have a cellar?” Baker asks.

“That door off the kitchen,” Malcolm says, pointing to it. “Want me to go first?”

“I'll do it, back me up,” Baker says.

They go to the door, Baker turns the light on and goes down, gun in hand. Malcolm watches him closely. As Baker moves deeper into the cellar, Malcolm squats down to keep good view of him.

“Don't move,” a female voice says as a hard object is put against the back of Malcolm's neck.

Malcolm stiffens, then raises his hands, letting his gun dangle by one finger. “How in the hell do you do that?” he asks in an irritated tone.

“Tell your partner to freeze.”

“Ron, stop. Don't move. Maxi is behind me.” Malcolm announces.

Malcolm sees Ron spin. His eyes meet Malcolms', and grow wide.

“Hi Ron, just stay put, drop your gun, and everything will be OK,” Maxi calls out.

Ron lets his gun drop onto the floor.

“Now, kick it away,” Maxi instructs.

Ron does so, watching Malcolm nervously.

Maxi speaks firmly. “Sergeant, I want Dick found so he can be home where he belongs. As for your question, Dick had quite a few projects he was proud of. State of the art shit. As for the passwords, you'll have to write them down on something.”

Wiggling the hand his gun was hanging from, Malcolm said, “That will be kinda hard, and if I drop this down the stairs, someone might get hurt.”

“That,s why I didn't tell you to drop it,” Maxi stated. “Hold it by the barrel with two fingers, and release the clip with the other hand.”

Malcolm did so. “Want me to eject the shell in the chamber?”

“No, I want you to carefully disassemble it, then drop the pieces down the stairs.”

“I don't know how to do that,”Malcolm says. He feels a prod on the back of his neck.

“Don't insult me, do it.” Maxi says with a growl.

Malcolm does. He flips the catch on the end of the barrel, and let's it slide off. Hands up so she can see, he takes his gun apart, letting the pieces fall. He splays his hands open and asks, “Now what?”

“Tell your partner to take out his note pad.”

“Ron?”

“I heard, doing it.” Ron calls up. “OK, I'm ready.”

“Repeat each letter clearly,” Maxi tells Malcolm, then slowly recites each password and the file it goes to. When she is done, she says, “Ron, back away to the outside cellar door.”

Malcolm watches his partner. “OK, he's there. Maxi, this is the second time you've held police officers hostage, you know that?”

“Life's a bitch, huh?” Maxi retorts. “Anything else you need to know?”

“About those projects?”

“They are all on Dick's computer,I'm sure you will get more from that, than by talking to me.”

“Maxi, please stop this before someone does get hurt,” Malcolm says sincerely, “We are not your enemy.”

“I told you, it has to be this way. Sit down on the stairs, and extend your legs out. Let me see your toes.”

Unsure of her motive, Malcolm does so. He finds himself balanced on his butt on the edge of the floor. “Now whaaaa..”

Malcolm's sentence is cut off as a foot is planted on his butt, and he finds himself sliding down the stairs. Frantic to stop himself, he manages to grab the railing halfway down. Above him, the door slams shut. Ron races over to him, scooping up his gun on the way.

“You all right?” Ron asks as he climbs the stairs, gun trained on the door.

“Yes, go!” Malcolm snaps. Ron races up, opens the door. Malcolm pulls his spare gun and follow his partner. They search the house, Maxi is nowhere to be found.

Ron pulls his radio, Malcolm stops him. “Forget it, she's gone back into hiding. We won't find her. Just tell me you got a look at her.”

“Sorry,” Ron winces, “She was behind you. If it hadn't been for her voice, I wouldn't have believed ...” he stops, eyeing Malcolm.

“She was really there,” Malcolm finishes for him. “Yeah, I know the feeling. Let's get those passwords to the lab guys.”

Scene : The dolls' bedroom. Heidi is sitting up in bed as Maxi comes in and shuts the door.

“They're gone,” Maxi says, and sits on her bed.

Beside herself, Heidi hisses, “Have you lost your mind? You gave those men the passwords! They will find out about us, we'll be taken away, and Richard will never be found!”

“Hey!” Maxi snaps back. “Dick is our guy, right? They need those passwords to find him. No matter how we end up, don't you want Dick found? Or are you so selfish that the only thing that matters is you?”

Heidi's jaw drops. “How can you say that to me?” she asks with a squeak.

Maxi glares back at her. “Someone has been sitting on their ass, making me do all the dangerous work. Maybe you hope I'll get caught so you can have Dick all to yourself?” Maxi asks, then dodges the pillow Heidi throws.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Heidi grips the covers. “You ... you ... female DOG YOU!”

Maxi rolls her eyes, “Oh god, you can't even say, 'Bitch'. How pathetic.”

Glaring hard at Maxi, Heidi grits her teeth. “I don't need to be crass to show my feelings. If we can get information to where Richard is, I'll go get him myself, no matter what happens to me!”

“You mean, if I get the information,” Maxi says.

“Whatever! Just see if I don't!”Heidi snaps.

Maxi tips her head, and says, “I think someone is coming..”

Heidi quickly lies down and covers up to stare at the ceiling. Maxi laughs and says, “A-hah, see that? You protected your own ass pretty fast there, huh?”

The dim sound of the front door opening and shutting is heard. Maxi jumps in bed, smooths the covers, and takes her own place.

A minute later, Sergeant Malcolm comes in. To the room, he says, “Just so you know, I radioed the passwords in. They are good, the lab is looking through the files now. Thank you, Maxi. We'll be back after we go check something out.” He then shuts the door and leaves.


Quietly, Heidi says, “Whether Richard is found of not, we're doomed.”

“Life can be a bitch,” Maxi replies.


Scene: The hallway two days later. Detective Malcolm now in civilian clothes, walks up and partially opens the doll room door.

His voice is heavy as he says, “Maxi, we found Richard. You better come out.” He turns and walks to the end of the hall and stops. Focusing on the bar, he waits for Maxi to come to him. It is not long before he feels something on him from behind. What he doesn't suspect, is a pair of hands on his shoulders.

“Please, do not move,” a different female voice says nervously.

Tipping his head slightly, Malcolm asks, “Where's Maxi?”

“She's not here,” the voice says with a quiver.

“May I ask your name?”

“I'm Heidi. Pleased to meet you, Detective Malcolm.”

“Heidi, I need you to go get Maxi. This is very important,” Malcolm says firmly.

“Where is Richard?” Heidi asks in a frightened tone.

“Get Maxi first. Just tell Maxi there is no need to hold a gun on me. I won't turn around.”

“Ohhhh....” Heidi whines. The hands on his shoulders tremble. “There is no gun! All Maxi had was a small piece of pipe! Please don't take her away!”

This time, he can hear light footsteps approach before Maxi says in a growl, “Damn it, you really ARE a blond, aren't you! Can you do anything right, you dip-shit?”

“He's not turning around, is he?”Heidi snaps back.

Malcolm thinks about how their room was set up. Yes, Maxi had to be the brunette. He announces. “All right, enough! We found Richard. He's been tortured, he's in the hospital now. The ring leader is a guy named Crandall. Does that sound familiar to either of you?”

“Oh no, is Richard going to be all right?” Heidi asks with a whine.

Maxi's blunt question was, “I don't know any Crandall, but where can I find this dirt bag?”

“Crandall is in jail, and will be for a long time,” Malcolm explains. “Richard is in critical condition, but he will recover. It may take a few weeks. What I need to know, is if you girls need anything.”

“We're fine,” Maxi snaps.

“No we're not!” Heidi replies. “Now that people know about us, someone is sure to come steal us too! I don't want to be chopped up to see what makes me work. I can't bear the thought of...”

“Heidi .. Heidi!” Malcolm says,quieting her down. “The only people who know about you, are me, and a couple of the lab guys. They showed me all the files. I don't understand a lot of it, but I do know that as evidence, what's on those files is classified, we can't tell anyone about them. In fact,none of the things pertaining to you two have any bearing on the case. I changed the passwords on those files, only I have it. I'll give Richard the new password as soon as he's able to change it. You can relax.”

Heidi grips his shoulders and asks,“And what about Richard? He won't be out of the hospital for weeks! I need to see he's alive.”

“That would be a good thing for me,too,” Maxi agrees.


“I brought a couple long trench coats, long boots, scarves, and floppy hats. From what I understand, as long as no one sees you, then you can move around. That's how your protection programs work, right?” Malcolm asks.

“Yeah..” Heidi says.

“So I'll bring that stuff in, then wait out by the car. You two cover yourselves up, and I'll take you to go see Richard.”

“You'd do that?” Maxi asks, surprised. “I'm not going to be wearing metal bracelets?”

Malcolm laughs. “If you were human, you might be. Somehow, I think I'd get laughed out of a job if I brought in a doll on charges of unlawful detention of a police officer.”

“Detective, close your eyes, please,” Heidi says softly.

Malcolm does, and says, “OK” He feels himself turned, and arms go around him to give him a hug. He feels a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Heidi says as she hugs him tighter.

“You're welcome,” he replies, hugging her back.

“Yeah, thanks,” Maxi says, and gives him a light punch on the shoulder.

Malcolm lets Heidi go and turns back around. “I'll go get those clothes. Be sure to cover everything, I'd hate to have to carry either of you back here. I'm opening my eyes now.”

Scene : Malcolm walks into the living room. Behind him, Heidi and Maxi are wearing relieved smiles.



Narrator : When does an AI being gain consciousness? When does a bundle of computer chips and programs develop a personality and feelings? The future may hold the answer, but for now, Heidi and Maxi only dwell in...


The Doll Light Zone.

That a great story, I really enjoyed it. I think every story you write gets better, and more richer. Looking forward to the next one, take your time with it and enjoy the writing.

Nice