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The sting on Coupar Angus went almost exactly as planned. I don't really like this kind of approach; for one thing, it's not exactly legal. But Angus was a sufficiently oily character - and one with a sufficiently dubious reputation - that I was able to overcome my qualms fairly easily. There might have been another way of making progress in the case, but nothing had presented itself so far, and I was running out of options. It was early evening by the time I awoke, alert and refreshed and ready for action. I made my way to the lower levels and found the slightly sleazy rooms that the girls had rented - with a portion of my advance - in a quiet side-street not very far from the Deepest Joy. Obviously, I wasn't present in the bar that evening - one sniff of my involvement would surely have tipped off of Angus, and I wasn't necessarily sure how much I could rely on Maddoes's discretion either, but I got it all, in stereo and in considerable detail, from Lorny and Arlie later on. The ladies had arrived and stationed themselves prominently at the bar shortly after Angus's usual arrival time. The realtor was already installed at his usual table, his usual drink already mostly consumed. The two girls were wearing the kind of clothes which would get them noticed - especially in a joint like the Deepest Joy - but not so low-cut that their true intention - or profession - was immediately apparent. Lorny and Arlie had treated the obvious interest from Angus as a flattering advance, rather than with the lofty distain that his clumsy approach usually instilled. At the first opportunity, and without waiting to be invited, my two accomplices joined Coupar Angus at his table. Over the next few hours, they allowed him to buy them endless drinks and, in the fashion of those professionals who depend on their clients being at three sheets to the wind, managed to avoid drinking more than a very little from any of the glasses. After much small talk, and a fair amount of overtly suggestive body language, Lorny and Arlie guided Angus to the nearby rented rooms. Once inside, they sat him on the bed, one girl either side, and loosening his clothing with the aid of much fumbling and panting on his part, and a certain amount of smooching on theirs. Meanwhile I, hidden inside the darkened and partially-closed cupboard, and equipped with the powerful camera which is an essential part of any PI's kit, took a considerable number of photographs of a ruddy-faced Angus and the two smiling girls. With the prints in my hand - Goblin photography has long dispensed with such cumbersome techniques as chemical developers - I stepped from my hiding place to confront Coupar Angus. I stalked over to where he sat on the edge of the bed, flanked by the comely and widely-grinning forms of Lorny and Arlie. He recognised me immediately, as I had expected he would, despite the copious quantities of alcohol he had consumed. "You!" he exclaimed, nearly incoherent with shock and indignation, "What are you doing here?" I didn't answer. Instead, I snapped a phial under his nose, a Goblin potion which had the disturbing effort of sobering him up almost immediately. Then I shoved a sheaf of photographs into his hand, allowing him time to realise exactly what kind of predicament he found himself in, and handed the rest of the pictures to Lorny. Angus looked around wildly for a few panic-stricken moments, as if he were a cornered animal seeking some kind of escape. There was none. I turned and waved at the retreating forms of the girls on the way out of the room, who nodded with the respect of one professional to another. Once the door had closed behind them, I bent to straighten Angus's necktie, leaning forward so that my face was close to his as I did so. "Mister Coupar Angus," I whispered in his ear, "I hope you are feeling alert and receptive to a suggestion or two. Perhaps ready to answer a few simple questions? Otherwise, I may feel compelled to make some different suggestions to your good lady wife." Angus stiffened perceptibly at that suggestion, then his shoulders sagged in defeat. He knew when he was beaten. "What do you want to know?" he asked despondently.
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Part 51