11 - The Case of the Alien Agent

Summary

It had been a long week for agent Muldie, and she was looking forward to a quiet Friday evening at home with a fascinating new book, “Conspiracy Theories throughout History.” Unfortunately the New Age Network had postponed its special about how Atlantis was really a Martian colony peopled (aliened?) by pyramid builders who had fled to Egypt in an ark after a giant asteroid plunged into the Pacific and caused worldwide flooding, but her book would be a suitable substitute. As she read, though, she found herself growing drowsy, and soon the book slipped from her hands.

She was awakened by the ringing telephone.

“Muldie, it's Sculler. I've just received a very disturbing document in a plain brown wrapper. If what it says is true, it has major, major consequences for us all, but it's much too sensitive to discuss on the phone. Can you come over? After we go through it we can watch the latest episode of Occult Conundrums' together—I taped it yesterday. It's called ‘Witchcraft in Wichita,’ and my astrologer told me it was fascinating.”

Witchcraft in Wichita—wow! And maybe agent Sculler still had some of that neat liqueur distilled from eye of toad and wing of bat! “I'll be right over!” Muldie replied. Only as she knocked on Sculler's door did it occur to her to wonder precisely what sort of disturbing documents Sculler was in the habit of receiving in plain brown wrappers.