Color the Truth – People's Republic of Interactive Fiction

I forgot to turn on transcripting at the beginning of the game, so the events of the prologue (through the first character switch) are a studio re-enactment.

You put a quarter in the slot and dial Rosalita’s number. The phone rings a couple of times; there’s nothing to do but wait.

[If you are playing Color the Truth for the first time, you are strongly encouraged to type ABOUT.]

>about
Color the Truth is a parser game, which means that you type in short phrases that determine the main character’s actions. For a list of standard commands, type COMMANDS and press enter.

Speech: In this game, you have a list of topics that you can talk to others about (found by typing TOPICS, or just T). You communicate with others by typing SAY [some topic] when you are around another person, or by just typing the name of the topic. The text of a topic and the history of the suspects’ responses can be found by examining the topic.

Flashbacks: You can relive the experiences of witnesses by SAYing STATEMENT to them. All flashbacks have a natural ending, but, to exit a flashback early, you can type STOP.

Deductions: You will frequently need to catch people in contradictions. Therefore, topics can be linked to each other to create new topics by deduction. To link two topics, just type LINK [first topic] TO [second topic]. Linking is an essential part of this game, but only after the statements have been taken.

Credits: For credits, type CREDITS. For hints, type HINTS.

>
You look around.

You are in a phone booth, trying to look inconspicuous. You are holding the handset, the cord dangling between you and the base on the wall.

>wait
You wait for a moment, taking deep breaths to keep your calm.

The phone rings one more time before Rosalita picks up.

She says, “Hello?”

[New topic – Hello]

>hello
“Hello, Rosalita.” You speak quietly, glancing through the glass to see if anyone’s watching.

“What do you want this time?” she asks.

“I think you know,” you say. “Same as last time.”

“Good luck with that. It’s all gone now. You just take, and you take, and you take, and now there’s nothing left. I don’t know what you want anymore.”

[New topic – Broke]

She sounds sincere, but she has to be lying. You’ve been looking into this for over a year, seeing where the money goes. It took months before it all came together, and you’re not about to let your work go to waste. You read your notes again:

Rosa. Income:

Roses for Rehab: 500K?

Cassette sales: 250k?

[New topic – Charity]

[New topic – Sales]

>charity
“What about all the money you took from Roses for Rehab?”

“Quiet!” she hisses. In a low voice, she says, “I told you not to talk about that.”

You sigh in exasperation. You know Rosalita; she can evade your questions for hours. It’s time to catch her in a lie.

>sales
“You’ve been making plenty of money from your cassette sales.”

“Who have you been- never mind,” she says. “I’m not going to tell you anything.”

>t
Current thoughts:
Sales – “Rosalita has made thousands from cassette sales.”
Charity – “Rosalita has stolen half a million from her charity.”
Broke – “Rosalita says she’s broke.”
Hello – “Hello, Rosalita.”

>broke
“You honestly expect me to believe you’re out of money?”

“I can’t live like this anymore! People are going to get suspicious when I have to sell my house.”

>z
You wait for a moment, taking deep breaths to keep your calm.

>link charity to broke
She says she’s broke, but she’s stolen more from Roses for Rehab than she’s given you.

[New topic – Funds]

>funds
“Cut it, Rosalita. I have the figures. You say you’re broke, but you have plenty left to give. I’ll expect my next payment in two days.”

Rosa is silent.

“Two days, Rosalita.” You hang up the phone.

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

The walnut-stained radio plays in the background. “Everyone loves, everyone loses, everyone rejoices. Join me for… an Evening with Rosa.”

An unfamiliar voice cuts in. You set down your charcoal.

“Tonight’s episode will consist of highlights from the album The Very Best of An Evening with Rosa (Part 3), as a tribute to the celebrated radio personality Rosalita Morales, who was found dead this morning in her studio. The police have yet to-”

You shake your head, and switch off the radio. Jayla would have been devastated; she adored Rosalita Morales. You return your attention to your painting; it’s not turning out the way you hoped. Your stomach sinks, knowing what’s coming. And you only had one week left…

The phone rings. You sigh, and answer. “Hello?”

They answer. “Hector, this Chief Schwarz. I need you to come in early tomorrow…”

Color the Truth
A variegated verity by Brian Rushton
Release 2 / Serial number 161116 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib 6/12N)

Schwarz’s Office
You glance about the office. The Chief’s office is full of shades of black; he’s told you that it’s a symbol of authority, and makes him more imposing. You find it depressing.

The office is large, and the leaden morning light from the window does little to brighten it. Its many bookshelves are filled with sable leather-bound volumes; it smells like a library in here, a mix of old books and card stock. The new chief’s broad oak desk is in the center of the room, spotted with ink stains. A banker’s lamp with a ebony shade stands on the desk, turned off.

The only way out is through the coal-black door to the south.

The Chief should be here soon.

>examine desk
The broad oak desk stands firmly near the wall like a bastion of truth. Its imposing presence has intimidated scores of young policemen, but those days are long past for you. A phone and a banker’s lamp sit on the desk. The desk has several locked drawers.

The door behind you opens, and Chief Schwarz slips in. “Good, you’re here,” he says as he grips your hand before sitting down. “Listen, Hector. Rosalita Morales was found dead in the KOLR studio yesterday.”

“Yeah, I heard.”

He cracks his knuckles and says, “The lab is working on the evidence, but so far we’ve got nothing. I’ve got our people talking to everyone she knew. There’s a special assignment for you.”

“She’s left money to four people. A lot of money. I’ve asked them to come to the studio for questioning.”

He reaches into a drawer and grabs a folder that he tosses on the desk. “I’ve prepared a dossier on the suspects, along with the preliminary report on the death. Take it with you.”

[New topic – Testament]

[New topic – Suspicion]

On the desk is a worn manila folder.

>examine folder
The Chief has provided you with a worn manila folder. There are five names and a single word written on the outside in black pen:

Daniel Kostopoulos

Chuck Lee

Cindy Jalcek

Maia Morales

Rosalita Morales

Timeline

You can look up individual names to review your information, or the timeline to review the timing of events.

The Chief looks thoughtful, and taps his fingers on the desk.

>look up timeline
Timeline of Events:

Wednesday, February 27-Chuck Lee cleans out his office and leaves KOLR at approximately 5:00pm. He claims to have seen Rosalita, but left without talking.

Thursday, February 28-Daniel Kostopolous discussed the annual report with Rosalita at around 3:00pm. He did not see her again after this.

Friday, February 29-Maia Morales visited Rosalita at work some time before 9:00am, then left. Cindy Jalcek was cleaning the studios, and discovered a stranger in a yellow poncho standing over Rosalita’s body. She called emergency dispatch at 9:05am.

Raindrops patter on the window.

>look up jalcek
Name: Cindy Jalcek.

Age: 19

Occupation: Receptionist for KOLR and personal assistant for Rosalita.

Connection with Morales: Cindy Jalcek has worked for KOLR as a receptionist for 3 years. Due to the small size of the organization, her duties also include cleaning, supply shopping, and working as Rosalita’s personal assistant. Rosalita hired her permanently after a successful internship, and she became Rosalita’s confidant. In the will, Rosalita left Cindy her car and a lump sum of $50,000.

[New topic – Secretary]

The Chief straightens his tie.

>look up Kostopoulos
Name: Daniel Kostopoulos.

Age: 63

Occupation: Host of the conservative talk show, “The Danny Kostopolous Show”.

Summary: Daniel Kostopolous co-founded KOLR with Rosalita Morales over 20 years ago. His talk show and her “An Evening with Rosa” have consistently brought in the highest ratings and ad sponsorships for KOLR, outside of nationally syndicated programs. Daniel always goes by the name “Danny”. Daniel lives alone, with no former marriages or children.

In her will, Rosalita left him all of her share of KOLR, making him the sole owner.

[New topic – Partner]

The Chief drums his fingers on the table.

>x folder
The Chief has provided you with a worn manila folder. There are five names and a single word written on the outside in black pen:

Daniel Kostopoulos

Chuck Lee

Cindy Jalcek

Maia Morales

Rosalita Morales

Timeline

You can look up individual names to review your information, or the timeline to review the timing of events.

The Chief asks you, “Are you going to the Mayor’s Gala next week?”

You answer, “Yeah, but only because I entered a painting in the auction.”

He chuckles. “I still can’t see you as a painter.”

You shrug.

>look up chuck lee
Name: Chuck Lee.

Age: 45

Occupation: TV News Anchor for WESL.

Connection with Morales: Chuck Lee is Rosalita’s ex-husband, and former coworker. Chuck was the news anchor for KOLR local news. He recently left KOLR for television after being headhunted by WESL.

Chuck and Rosalita were married 16 years ago, with no children resulting from the marriage. They divorced six years ago amicably, and for unspecified reasons.

Chuck resides at 75 Radhaus Lane #701.

In her will, Rosalita left Chuck the house that they had lived in together.

[New topic – Ex]

The Chief unlocks a drawer, pulls out a flask, and takes a sip before returning it and locking the drawer. He winks.

>look up maia
Name: Maia Morales (stage name Andromeda).

Age: 39

Occupation: Vocal artist.

Connection with Morales: Maia Morales, aka Andromeda, is Rosalita’s only sibling. Both of their parents are deceased, making her Rosalita’s closest living relative.

Maia is an aspiring singer. Under the stage name Andromeda, she has released two singles and has fronted several big-name bands in the local area. Her two singles were recorded in KOLR studios.

Rosalita left Maia the remainder of her estate, after the other bequests.

[New topic – Sister]

The Chief cracks his knuckles as he sits in thought.

>look up rosality
You typed a valid action, but it was for something that isn’t visible right now, something that isn’t in the game, or possibly a typo. If you’re stuck, type HINT repeatedly to find the next action you can try.

>look up rosalita
Name: Rosalita Morales

Age: 42

Date of death: February 29.

Cause of Death: Gunshot wound in the head.

Summary: Officers were called to KOLR studios at 9:25am by her assistant, Ms. Jalcek, who discovered the body in the office when she came into work.

The investigation is ongoing, but initial results suggest a break-in: the office windows were forced open, and Ms. Jalcek and Maia Morales report seeing an intruder flee the scene.

Background: Rosalita Morales was the host of the popular romance talk show, “An Evening With Rosa”. She was the co-founder and co-owner of KOLR, together with Daniel Kostopoulos. She was previously married to celebrity news anchor Chuck Lee, but divorced 6 years ago, and now lives alone. Her closest associates were her assistant Cindy Jalcek and her sister Maia Morales, aka Andromeda.

[New topic – Death]

Lightning flashes outside, and thunder rocks the precinct.

>t
Current thoughts:
Death – “Rosalita was shot on February 29th in her office.”
Sister – “Maia Morales was Rosalita’s sister.”
Ex – “Chuck Lee is the former husband of Rosalita Morales.”
Partner – “Daniel Kostopoulos was the business partner of Rosalita Morales.”
Secretary – “Cindy Jalcek was Rosalita’s Secretary.”
Suspicion – “The Chief thinks that someone close to her was involved in her death.”
Testament – “Rosalita left all of her possessions to four people in her will.”

>ex
“What do you know about Chuck Lee?”

“Same as you; I know he did news on KOLR before switching to TV. My mother adores him, though; after his first report, she said he was the ‘handsomest man on TV’. She called me four times yesterday, asking when we were going to release him so he could go back on air.”

“Do you know anything else about him?”

“No, he’s not as flashy as Danny Kostopolous. Seems like he’s kept to himself, more.”

>link suspicion to testament
You can’t link those.

The Chief says, “By the way, how have you been holding up?”

You answer, “It’s been a rough year. I don’t really want to talk about it now.”

He nods. “Yeah, I get that.”

>link testament to ex
You can’t link those.

The Chief looks at the books on his shelves as he leans back in his chair.

>suspicion
“Chief, what makes you so sure that one of these people was involved?”

“Listen, it’s easy: Follow the money. These four are all much better off now that she’s dead. It’s not hard to see a connection there.”

“Right,” you say, “but anyone could have done it when you come down to it; some stalker, or something.”

“You know, I’d almost prefer that. Find some psycho that’s roaming the streets, clean up the city. And I’m working on that angle. But the fact is these four have a clear motive. You do your job, and I’ll do mine.”

>s
(first opening the Chief’s door)
It’s a miserable, wet day outside, and you don’t want to drive all the way back here for that folder. Might as well take it with you.

The building creaks as it settles.

>take folder
Taken.

The Chief smiles grimly. “You can go now,” he says, pointing to the door to the south.

“Call me whenever you want to talk,” he says, pointing to his phone. He fixes you in place with his stare. “This case is important to me. If you need anything, please call.”

[New topic – Assistance]

The Chief cracks his knuckles as he sits in thought.

>s
(first opening the Chief’s door)
You brace yourself as you leave the precinct. Piercing winds cut through your clothes and the rain drives at you as you get in your car. You turn the key and go.

*********************** [Press any key to travel to the studio] ***********************

After parking, you stop for a moment. The cold pewter-gray rain patters on your windshield, obscuring your view. You breathe deeply, a soft silver mist escaping your lips in the chill air. You sit for a moment, eyeing the studio. It’s a sandy colored brick building, short and narrow, crammed between a pawn shop and a Chinese restaurant. You grab the manila folder, throw open your door and race inside.

Lobby
KOLR studios is smaller than you thought, decorated with a brown and tan theme with occasional splashes of color. The neutral tones suggest a professional but boring atmosphere. A faded rainbow stencil on the wall invites you to KOL studios; the R has worn off. The sepia-hued front desk hardly fits in this cramped room, but the beige ceiling is quite high; it looks like it was once part of a larger room. The muddy carpet is scuffed and worn, curling up on the edges. One of the off-white fluorescent lights in the ceiling flickers intermittently. Another light buzzes at the edge of hearing. The smell of burnt popcorn wafts in from a break room to the west. The doorway to the north leads to the hallway. The parking lot is back to the south, and a bathroom door stands to the east. An ivory telephone sits on the desk.

A young woman dressed in beige and dandelion yellow is perched on the desk. She hops down and approaches you hesitantly.

She asks “Are you… Detective King?”

“Yes. And you are?”

She says, “Oh, I’m just the secretary here. They asked me to come here for questioning, or something like that. A bunch of us, actually; we all took different rooms.”

You hear a rustling sound from the north hallway. You both turn to look. You catch a glimpse of neon green hair, and you hear footsteps down the hallway.

The secretary looks back at you. “That’s Rosalita’s sister. She’s supposed to be waiting in the studio.” She rolls her eyes. “She’s a singer who calls herself Andromeda. Chuck’s in his old office across the hall from her, and Danny’s at the very end by…well, uh, by Rosalita’s office. Anyway, I’ll be in the break room.”

She walks off to the west. You realize that you didn’t catch her name. You’ll need to get that later, along with her statement.

[New topic – Greeting]

[New topic – Statement]

Some small speakers in the ceiling are tuned to KOLR. From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing Through The Years.

>statement
There is no one to talk to here.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing an ad for Infocom’s Suspect.

Break Room
The stench of burnt popcorn lingers in the air. A microwave with a thin tan layer of grease sits in the corner. A tawny brown vending machine sags in the corner with half of its buttons darkened or flickering. A small oat-colored fan is oscillating in the center, trying to clear out the smell. A few coffee-stained tables and several chairs are scattered around the room. The lobby is back to the east.

Cindy is sitting at a table.

She looks up expectantly as you walk in.

>greeting
“I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

Cindy says, “Oh! Cindy. Cindy Jalcek.”

You say, “My name is Hector King.” She nods. You say, “I’ve been assigned to investigate the murder of Rosalita Morales, and I’d like to ask you some questions.”

She blanches. “I’ve been wondering… am I under arrest?”

“No, I’m just gathering information from everyone here at the station.”

She nods, relieved. “Okay, like I said, my name is Cindy Jalcek. I’m the receptionist here at KOLR. I also helped Rosalita with some of her other activities, including her charity, Roses for Rehab. I was responsible for accounting for the charity.”

[New topic – Accounting]

>statement
“Tell me what you know about the death of Rosalita Morales.”

“All right. Here’s what happened.”

You lean back as Cindy gives you a statement. You can picture it all in your head…

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

Parking Lot
The dawn sun smiles on you as you stand in the parking lot, and you smile back. Looks like you got here just in time; the lot is starting to fill up, and that means the studio will open soon. The wind cuts through your jacket like a knife, but the smell of rice and hot oil from the Chinese restaurant warms your heart. You know where you’re getting lunch today. The lobby door is north from here.

The bus drops you off, then gasps and wheezes away. You’re lucky you got here in time; the police were closing off the streets for a parade. The next bus isn’t until noon.

[New topic – Parade]

Time to get to work.

>n
Lobby
This lobby is much bigger than the one at your old receptionist job. You glance at the KOLR logo you stenciled on the wall your first week; it always comforts you. The ceiling in this room is ten feet high, and your desk is huge. You’ve vacuumed this carpet so many times that it’s almost worn through in places. The lights in the ceiling are wigging out again, you’ll have to replace them, but the stepladder has been missing for weeks. The doorway to the north leads to the hallway. The parking lot is back to the south, and the bathroom is to the east.

The phone sits on the desk.

The unmistakable stench of burning popcorn rolls in from the break room to the west. Oh no.

You see Rosalita coming out of the break room. She smiles. “Oh, Cindy, it’s good to see you. Listen, my sister’s in the break room again. Can you make sure she leaves? I’ve got to pick the lineup for my show tonight.” You nod, and she walks into the hallway. She turns around and touches the door. “Oh, and can you take the trash out of my office?” With that, she walks to her office.

The radio is playing an ad for the Macintosh.

>w
Lobby
This lobby is much bigger than the one at your old receptionist job. You glance at the KOLR logo you stenciled on the wall your first week; it always comforts you. The ceiling in this room is ten feet high, and your desk is huge. You’ve vacuumed this carpet so many times that it’s almost worn through in places. The lights in the ceiling are wigging out again, you’ll have to replace them, but the stepladder has been missing for weeks. The doorway to the north leads to the hallway. The parking lot is back to the south, and the bathroom is to the east.

The phone sits on the desk.

The unmistakable stench of burning popcorn rolls in from the break room to the west.

As you rush in to find the source of the smell, you smack into someone and knock them to the ground!

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” you say. Your victim rolls over, revealing a mop of green hair.

“Oh,” you say. “It’s you.” You frown, but lift her up. You say, “Rosalita said to make sure you left the station. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to go; I just have to take care of something real quick.” Maia frowns and walks away back to the lobby and out of sight.

The radio is playing Uptown Girl.

Break Room
The vending machine is still on the fritz; you called the manufacturer three times in the last week, and you’ll have to call them again. A few tables and several chairs are scattered around the room. The smell of burnt popcorn overpowers you. The lobby is back to the east.

Smoke billows from the microwave. Something’s burning!

>open microwave
You open the smoky microwave, revealing a bag of burnt popcorn.

>take popcorn
(the bag of burnt popcorn)
You gingerly pick it up by the edges. You’ll have to throw it away in the bathroom!

The bag of popcorn is smoking in your hands.

>e
You look around, but Maia seems to be gone.

Lobby
This lobby is much bigger than the one at your old receptionist job. You glance at the KOLR logo you stenciled on the wall your first week; it always comforts you. The ceiling in this room is ten feet high, and your desk is huge. You’ve vacuumed this carpet so many times that it’s almost worn through in places. The lights in the ceiling are wigging out again, you’ll have to replace them, but the stepladder has been missing for weeks. The doorway to the north leads to the hallway. The parking lot is back to the south, and the bathroom is to the east.

The phone sits on the desk.

The unmistakable stench of burning popcorn still leaks in from the break room to the west.

The radio is playing Uptown Girl.

The bag of popcorn is smoking in your hands.

>e
(first opening bathroom door)

Private Bathroom
At least the bathroom’s moldy smell will help cover up the popcorn. You don’t know why they won’t let you remodel this bathroom, clearly the walls are crawling with mold. But at least it makes your job easier when nobody uses it. Even the sink is pretty clean, below the mirror, and the trash can is empty. Oh, looks like the paper towel dispenser is empty too. Oops. The toilet itself squats in a corner.

The bag of popcorn is smoking in your hands.

>put popcorn in sink
That’s a good idea. You throw the popcorn into the toilet and turn to go. Wait! The toilet? Not again. You always mix the two up when you’re in a hurry. It’s caused a lot of messes.

>get popcorn
Better to just flush, now.

>flush
You flush the popcorn down the toilet. It disappears, thankfully, but the toilet starts backing up. Crap! Well, actually, just water, but still, you’re glad no one uses this toilet.

You’ve got to deal with that smell in the break room, now. Time to get the fan from the closet.

>link flush to parade
I didn’t understand the object in that command.

The phone sits on the desk.

The unmistakable stench of burning popcorn still leaks in from the break room to the west.

The radio is playing an ad for The Very Best of An Evening With Rosa (boxed set).

>n
(first opening hallway door)

Hallway
You’ve scrubbed the walls in this hallway a hundred times, and they are clean as a whistle. Chuck’s office lies to the west. Looking closer, it seems like someone’s gouged his door. You’ll have to repaint it. The studio to the east is closed, and the On-Air light is glowing. Someone must be recording. The hallway extends to the north. You can also go south to return to the lobby.

The radio is playing an ad for “The Aquitane Progression”.

End of Hallway
The hallway from the south ends here. Rosalita’s wooden door stands to the north. Danny’s hand-carved door is to the west. And your very own bright yellow door lies to the east: the janitor’s closet.

The radio is playing an ad for “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”.

>e
(first opening the closet door)
You yank hard on the handle of the door. Everyone thinks you lock it, but it’s just really, really hard to open.

Janitor’s Closet
This cool, concrete closet is tiny, but it is neatly organized and perfectly sorted. Rags, a mop, a bucket, a straw broom, a push broom, bottles of cleaner, two dustpans, extra toilet paper, and so on.

Oh, and the fan you were looking for.

>take fan
Taken.

The radio is playing Do You Really Want to Hurt Me.

The phone sits on the desk.

The unmistakable stench of burning popcorn still leaks in from the break room to the west.

The radio is playing Do You Really Want to Hurt Me.

The microwave sits smugly and smokily against the wall.

>turn on fan
Not while you’re carrying it.

>drop fan
Dropped.

>turn on fan
You turn on the fan. It sputters, then begins to blow.

The smell dissipates somewhat. Now you can finally get to cleaning Rosalita’s office.

The phone sits on the desk.

The unmistakable stench of burning popcorn still leaks in from the break room to the west.

The radio is playing an ad for “A Nightmare on Elm Street”.

The radio is playing I Can’t Go For That.

>w
(first opening the blue door)
It seems to be locked.

The radio is playing an ad for the Apple IIc.

The radio is playing the theme from Ghostbusters.

>n
(first opening the brown door)
As you open the door, you hear a loud gunshot, and you see Rosalita crumple to the floor.

You see an unfamiliar man wearing a yellow poncho hovering over Rosalita, holding a gold-handled revolver. Startled, he turns to look at you, and his bloodshot eyes widen in his stubble-covered face. He runs to the door and you shrink back in fear as he races down the hall outside.

[New topic – Stranger]

What do you do? What do you do? You have to call the police!

>stranger
There is no one to talk to here.

You have to call the police NOW!

>l
Rosalita’s Office
Rosalita’s office stretches across the whole northern side of KOLR Studios. The room is lined with bookshelves full of pop psychology, exercise and diet guides, romance novels, and short story collections (you know because you’ve borrowed half of them). The bookshelves are split by two giant windows, covered in sumptuous drapes. The pride of her office, her red leather chair, sits behind her artsy desk.

Your employer, Rosalita, is sprawled on the floor over a pool of blood.

Is the killer still out there? What’s going on?

The radio is playing an ad for “Who Killed the Robins Family?”.

In the lobby–the phone– you’ve got to call the police!

The radio is playing an ad for Who’s the Boss.

Who would do this? Why did someone kill Rosalita?

>e
(first opening the studio door)
It seems to be locked.

The radio is playing an ad for kid’s dolls.

Oh no oh no oh no oh no

The phone sits on the desk.

The unmistakable stench of burning popcorn still leaks in from the break room to the west.

The radio is playing an ad for “Pet Sematary”.

What do you do? What do you do? You have to call the police!

>call police
“I called the police. And I waited up there until they showed up. It was horrible…”

Cindy falls silent, shivering.

You clear your mind, and return to yourself.

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

Cindy is sitting at a table.

Cindy tries to rub a stain off the table with her thumb.

>stranger
“Did you see anything else about the killer?”

She shakes her head. “No, he was gone so fast.”

“Was he tall, short, old, young?”

“Listen, I don’t know! I was terrified!”

“Was there anything you remember?”

“He was wearing some sort of yellow poncho, and he had a gun. He was unshaven, and I think he smelled a bit like week-old leftovers.”

>t
Current thoughts:
Stranger – “Cindy saw a strange man in a yellow poncho hovering over Rosalita Morales.”
Parade – “The streets were closed down for a parade all morning.”
Accounting – “Cindy did the accounting for Roses for Rehab”
Statement – “You need to take the statements of the suspects”
Greeting – “You need to introduce yourself to the suspects.”
Assistance – “The chief is always willing to give you help. (This gives a basic tutorial).”
Death – “Rosalita was shot on February 29th in her office.”
Sister – “Maia Morales was Rosalita’s sister.”
Ex – “Chuck Lee is the former husband of Rosalita Morales.”
Partner – “Daniel Kostopoulos was the business partner of Rosalita Morales.”
Secretary – “Cindy Jalcek was Rosalita’s Secretary.”
Suspicion – “The Chief thinks that someone close to her was involved in her death.”
Testament – “Rosalita left all of her possessions to four people in her will.”

>testament
“It seems Rosalita named four people in her will: you, her partner Danny Kostopoulos, her ex-husband Chuck Lee, and her sister.”

Cindy looks at you with surprise. “Rosalita put me in her will?”

“Yes, she left you her car and a lump sum of $50,000.”

Cindy’s eyes widen and she takes a rattling breath. “Oh gosh, that’s a lot of money.”

“You weren’t aware of this?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

>parade
“You said there was a parade the morning of Rosalita’s death?”

“Yes, the Founder’s Day Parade. I saw the floats in a big parking lot, and they were putting up barricades.”

“So you’re sure there were no buses after you?”

“Yes, I’m sure. The bus driver told me I was lucky to catch the last bus.”

>link parade to stranger
You can’t link those.

Cindy hums a short song.

>accounting
“Ms. Jalcek, could you describe for me exactly what your responsibilities were for Roses for Rehab?”

She chews on her lower lip for a second, looking you directly in the eyes. “I was the primary person in charge of receiving donations by phone or by check. I conducted quarterly audits, and kept the records.”

“Thank you Ms. Jalcek, it’s important for the record that I had this in your own words.”

>sister
“What do you know about Maia Morales?”

Cindy opens her mouth, then pauses. “I… I don’t like her very much. Not much at all.”

“Why don’t you like her very much?

“I mean, she’s a mooch! My job is to keep people like her out. She’s always hitting up Rosalita for money, or trying to sneak into our studio.”

You ask, “Why was she sneaking into the studio?”

“To record. She thinks she’s a rock star because she dyed her hair and calls herself Andromeda.” She shakes her head. “I just don’t like her.”

>partner
“What do you know about Danny Kostopoulos?”

“Well, obviously I respect him as one of the owners, you know? And he is ‘The Voice of the Bread Basket’ or whatever he calls himself.”

You say, “The Voice of the Heartland.”

“I know, I know. But he’s so irritable all the time, he’s got a real mean streak. Sometimes I’ll pretend to be on the phone just to avoid talking to him.”

>ex
“What do you know about Chuck Lee?”

She seems startled. “What? What did you say?”

“I said, what’s your relationship like with Chuck?”

She sighs in relief. “Oh, our relationship. Well, you know, he was never one of the managers or owners at KOLR, so I didn’t have to deal with him as much. He’s a nice guy, handsome and all, but he and Rosalita…” She bites her lip. “I mean, they broke up, you know? It was kind of awkward after that.”

>link ex to cindy
(Cindy)
You can’t link those.

Cindy stares at your badge until she catches you looking.

>link ex to secretary
You can’t link those.

You hear a distant rumble of thunder.

Lobby
The neutral tones suggest a professional but boring atmosphere. A faded rainbow stencil on the wall invites you to KOL studios; the R has worn off. The sepia-hued front desk hardly fits in this cramped room, but the beige ceiling is quite high; it looks like it was once part of a larger room. The muddy carpet is scuffed and worn, curling up on the edges. One of the off-white fluorescent lights in the ceiling flickers intermittently, and another buzzes at the edge of hearing. The smell of burnt popcorn wafts in from a break room to the west. The doorway to the north leads to the hallway. The parking lot is back to the south, and a bathroom door stands to the east. An ivory telephone sits on the desk.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing an ad for Jeopardy.

>n
(first opening hallway door)

Hallway
You are standing in a dim hallway with muddy carpet and beige walls. A battered navy blue door leads to the west. A heavy seaweed-green door to the east is labelled “Studio”. A red On-Air light is mounted next to the door. The hallway extends to the north. You can also go south to return to the lobby.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing an ad for “Full Circle”.

>w
(first opening the blue door)

Spare Office
This comfortable office is mostly empty, but the owner’s thoughtful personality is still evident in the azure carpet and the sky-blue walls. Lighter patches on the walls show where posters, picture frames and bulletin boards once hung. A navy blue door leads east to the hallway. A long desk has been shoved out of the way, and a single chair remains. The carpet is still dented from furniture legs.

Chuck sits in the chair, trying not to look exhausted.

His eyes follow you as you enter the room, but he doesn’t say anything.

>greeting
You extend your hand, and he pauses for a moment before shaking it. You say, “Thanks for coming into the studio today, Mr. Lee. I’m Detective Hector King, and I’ve been assigned to investigate the death of Rosalita Morales.”

He nods absent-mindedly, then regains his focus and looks you in the eye. “You can call me Chuck,” he says in a hoarse voice. He flashes his famous TV grin, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

>secretary
“What do you know about Cindy Jalcek?” you ask.

Chuck yawns broadly. “Cindy? Cindy is pretty reliable. We went through half a dozen interns before her, but she managed to last.”

“Did she fit in well at the studio?”

Chuck says, “Oh, hmmm, well, I don’t think Danny really likes her. Rosalita loved her. They use to take lunch together, and Cindy was always chatting in Rosalita’s office. When I found out that Rosalita had written her into her will, though, it made me worried about Cindy’s sincerity.”

>partner
“What do you know about Daniel Kostopoulos?”

Chuck says, “Danny? I really respect him. “The Voice of the Heartland”, right?” He smiles briefly. “And the voice of authority, here at KOLR. He likes to be involved with all the day to day operations at the station.”

“What is your personal relationship like?”

Chuck blinks slowly. “Our personal relationship? Oh, let me think…Well, I don’t think he likes me. I actually applied to work at the studio because of him; he was big back then. But then I met Rosalita. She was beautiful. But about Danny, we haven’t really gotten along in the last few years. He’s too touchy, too erratic; I irritate him.”

>sister
“How well do you know Maia Morales?”

“Who, ‘Andromeda’?” He slowly shakes his head. “I know her pretty well. She was always over at our place when we were married.”

“Is that the house where Rosalita resided at the time of her death?” you ask.

Chuck massages his neck for a moment, stretching, then answers. “Yes. After Rosalita and I broke up, I didn’t see her very much. As soon as I got the job at WESL, though, Maia started calling me, talking about our friendship, our past. I think she’s just looking for an angle.”

>statement
“Tell me what you know about the death of Rosalita Morales.”

“All right. Here’s what happened.”

You lean back as Chuck gives you a statement. You can picture it all in your head…

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

Your Office
Your office is depressingly empty. The movers have packed away and taken out most of the furniture; your desk remains, shoved against the wall, and a single chair. Danny pressured you into giving him most of your KOLR memorabilia, leaving you almost nothing. The hallway and the long drive home are waiting for you to the east, once you’re finished here. Your rugged blue carpet is still dented from furniture legs. At least you left a mark on something.

A packing box lies in the middle of the room.

You can also see a certificate, a KOLR poster, and a bulletin board here.

It’s time to clean up. You have to get all of your personal effects out of this room before you can go home.

>x board
(the bulletin board)
You pick up the bulletin board to look at it more closely.

This bulletin board is covered with fragments of your time at KOLR: letters from listeners, photos of the studio, your first paycheck. They must have been important to you, once.

As you lift the bulletin board off the wall, a picture flutters to the ground.

>x picture
You pick up the picture to look at it more closely.

This a photo of the “grand opening” of your renovated live room. You can pick out Danny in the corner; Rosalita’s sister Maia is in the foreground, before she went by Andromeda. You and Rosalita sit together, your arm around her. Your eyes begin to tear up, looking at it.

>x paycheck
This bulletin board is covered with fragments of your time at KOLR: letters from listeners, photos of the studio, your first paycheck. They must have been important to you, once.

>l
Your Office
Your office is depressingly empty. The movers have packed away and taken out most of the furniture; your desk remains, shoved against the wall, and a single chair. Danny pressured you into giving him most of your KOLR memorabilia, leaving you almost nothing. The hallway and the long drive home are waiting for you to the east, once you’re finished here. Your rugged blue carpet is still dented from furniture legs. At least you left a mark on something.

A packing box lies in the middle of the room.

You can also see a certificate and a KOLR poster here.

>i
You are carrying:
picture
bulletin board

>put board in box
(the bulletin board in the packing box)
You put the bulletin board into the packing box.

>x certificate
You pick up the certificate to look at it more closely.

You wonder yet again if you should even bother to keep this. A certificate of merit for 15 successful years of service at KOLR. It was signed by Danny and Rosalita as the station co-owners, and by the mayor. Danny always liked involving local politicians; it stoked their egos.

>put it in box
You put the certificate into the packing box.

>x poster
(the KOLR poster)
You pick up the KOLR poster to look at it more closely.

You didn’t let Danny bully you out of this one. This was the first poster printed after you joined the team. It proclaims “Tune in to KOLR 99.8!” in large, day-glo letters at the top; the bottom has pop-art style portraits of you, Danny, and Rosa.

>put it in
What do you want to put the KOLR poster in?

>box
You roll up the poster and set it in the box.

Footsteps tread down the hallway, and a scent wanders into the room: Chanel No. 5, Rosalita’s perfume. She must have stayed late; you didn’t expect her to be here tonight.

You step towards the door, then stop. The footsteps move on, and the smell fades.

>get box
The movers are going to take it tomorrow.

>e
(first opening the office door)

Hallway
You are standing across from the studio door. You look around at the narrow hallway, the dingy carpet, the patchy walls; nothing like the WESL offices you toured. The On-Air light is off, and the studio seems deserted. Danny and Rosa’s offices are north, but the faint scent of Rosalita’s perfume draws you south to the lobby.

The radio is playing an ad for Infocom’s Seastalker.

>s
(first opening hallway door)

Lobby
You look around the lobby for the last time. The stencil on the wall has almost faded off. The furniture Rosalita bought for this room is getting worn out. The muddy carpet is scuffed and worn, curling up on the edges. The old break room is to the west, and the bathroom to the east, but those are places you’d rather forget. The doorway to the north leads to the hallway, but you never plan on going back there again. The parking lot, and Rosalita, are to the south.

The radio is playing an ad for Matlab.

Parking Lot
The parking lot is mostly empty, like usual for a Wednesday. Brick walls hem you in on either side. You’ve never enjoyed the claustrophobic feeling you get out here. Your blue car is parked near the back, to the south. KOLR studios squats behind you to the north.

As you walk out, you try to see Rosalita. You spot her getting into her car, at the south end. She is wearing a blue, short-sleeved dress and her long hair is parted in the middle. Her thick eyebrows are shaped in gentle curves and her large hoop earrings dangle as she walks. She looks the same as she did 20 years ago when you first met.

You walk towards her, but she gets in her car and leaves without seeing you.

[New topic – Speechless]

>speechless
There is no one to talk to here.

>s
“And that’s what happened.”

You clear your mind, and return to yourself.

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

Chuck sits in the chair, trying not to look exhausted.

Chuck closes his eyes for a long moment.

>speechless
“So, Chuck, you didn’t speak to Rosalita at all last Wednesday?”

He rolls his eyes. “Yes, that’s what I told you. I didn’t want to see her and she didn’t want to see me.”

“But you knew she was in the building,” you ask.

“Yes.”

>x chunk
I didn’t understand the object in that command.

>x chuck
(Chuck)
Chuck Lee, famous news anchor, is ruggedly handsome, with a firm chin and stiff, short-cropped hair. His short but muscular frame is draped in a well-tailored baby blue suit. The smoothness of his face and lack of expression suggest surgical enhancements. His eyes are puffy from crying.

Chuck’s bloodshot eyes meet yours for a moment before turning away.

>testament
“Are you aware that Rosalita left her house to you in the will?”

“Yes, they told me about it when they had me identify the–her body, ” says Chuck.

“So you weren’t aware of it before?”

Chuck massages his temple with one hand. “When we were still married, I knew her will left the house to me, but I thought she would have changed it by now.”

“Why do you think she left it to you?”

He says, “It was our house together; she was always sentimental. I think she shouldn’t have done it, but I’ll preserve it in her honor.”

>link secretary to testament
You can’t link those.

A fly lands on Chuck’s hair. He doesn’t notice. It soon flies away.

>t
Current thoughts:
Speechless – “Chuck claims he didn’t have a chance to talk with Rosalita on Wednesday afternoon.”
Stranger – “Cindy saw a strange man in a yellow poncho hovering over Rosalita Morales.”
Parade – “The streets were closed down for a parade all morning.”
Accounting – “Cindy did the accounting for Roses for Rehab”
Statement – “You need to take the statements of the suspects”
Greeting – “You need to introduce yourself to the suspects.”
Assistance – “The chief is always willing to give you help. (This gives a basic tutorial).”
Death – “Rosalita was shot on February 29th in her office.”
Sister – “Maia Morales was Rosalita’s sister.”
Ex – “Chuck Lee is the former husband of Rosalita Morales.”
Partner – “Daniel Kostopoulos was the business partner of Rosalita Morales.”
Secretary – “Cindy Jalcek was Rosalita’s Secretary.”
Suspicion – “The Chief thinks that someone close to her was involved in her death.”
Testament – “Rosalita left all of her possessions to four people in her will.”

>parade
You say, “Cindy says that a parade shut down the streets the day Rosalita died.”

“Yes, the Founder’s Parade. I was supposed to cover it for WESL but I was at home, sick.” Tears well up in Chuck’s eyes. “Sorry, I just haven’t had any sleep, and this is just so exhausting.”

You say, “But you were sick? The first week of work? That must have been very unfortunate. Do you feel better now?”

Chuck makes an equivocating gesture. “Yes, I am. Well, mostly. Thanks for asking.”

>suspicion
“We have reason to believe that someone that knew Rosalita was involved in her death.”

Chuck frowns, annoyed. He says, “Well, obviously they weren’t. When I was brought in here, they told me that Cindy Jalcek caught the murderer in the act, and saw him running away from the station.”

“You don’t think he might be connected to someone here at the station?” you ask.

He sits thoughtfully, then turns to you. “You know what I think? I think one of her listeners became obsessed. When we were married, there were a couple of people who would call over and over again. We had to change our number. We got mail, long letters saying how much they loved her.” He gives a wry smile. “I don’t think someone at the station killed her.”

>maia
You need to supply a verb.

Chuck draws in a rattling breath.

>sister
You’ve already discussed this with Chuck.

[You can REMEMBER or RECALL a topic to remind yourself about previous conversations.]

Rain patters on the window.

>recall sister
“Maia Morales was Rosalita’s sister.”

Cindy dislikes Maia for being a mooch.

Chuck says that Maia is trying to worm her way into his friendship.
Chuck stretches his back and grimaces.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing an ad for “Gremlins”.

>e
(first opening the studio door)

Studio
The studio is decked out in luxurious shades of green. The hardwood floor in this large room steps up almost half a foot more than the carpet in the hallway to the west, and is covered in a juniper-green carpet. The pistachio walls are noticeably thicker here, and partially covered in lime fabric-lined boards. A single table is placed in the center of the room with a few scattered chairs. Adjustable microphones hang from the ceiling, which is covered in pale mint acoustic panels. It’s subtle, but you notice that none of the walls are at a right angle. The perfect stillness in the room is a relief after the incessant pitter-patter of rain and the buzzing of fluorescent lights. in the rest of the building. A bank of windows to the east reveals the intricate electronics of the control room, accessible by a slim door.

Maia Morales sits at the table, looking bored.

She gives you a once-over as you walk in the room, then sighs, disappointed.

>hello
In this game, speech is handled by using SAY [a topic], where topics can be found by typing T.

Maia leans back and stretches, her back popping.

>greting
Your first word had a typo or was a word not anticipated by the author. Try a different word or type HINT repeatedly to get suggestions.

>greeting
You glance at your folder for a moment. “Maia Morales?”

She rises, extending her hand. “Please, call me Andromeda.”

“For the purpose of this interview, I’d prefer to use your legal name.”

Her face falls, but she recovers. “That’s alright then.” She sits back down. She leans forward, looking at your badge. “And you’re Officer… King?”

“Detective King, actually. I’d like to ask you some questions.”

>statement
“Tell me what you know about the death of Rosalita.”

“All right. Here’s what happened.”

You lean back as Maia gives you a statement. You can picture it all in your head…

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

Break Room
Rosa’s break room is your favorite room in the studio; the wainscoting on the outer walls and the stippled ceiling help you imagine the chapel this building used to be. The vending machine sells banana nut muffins, they have a microwave for bigger meals, and the chairs are great for naps. You never liked the color choice for the tables, though.

You can see Rosa here.

Rosa punches a button a couple of times, then pounds the vending machine with her fist. The machine whirrs, and the popcorn packet thuds against the bottom of the slot, and she grabs it. She pops open the microwave and tosses in the packet. She turns on the microwave and sits at the table, looking at you expectantly. “Well?”

[Use TALK TO [someone] to talk during flashbacks.]

>talk to rosa
“Hey Rosa, you know how hard it’s been to get any recording ti-”

“You can’t use it.”

“What do you mean?”

“You can’t use the studio.”

You frown. This not good. Maybe you should try again.

>talk to rosa
“Rosa, please.”

The microwave whirrs quietly.

“Rosa, this important. I don’t even need a tech, I can do it mys-”

Rosalita stands and glares at you. “Maia, I have a real job to do. That’s something you wouldn’t know about, right? Do you have any idea what could happen to me if I let you screw around with the recording equipment? The audio mixer alone costs more money than you’ve made in your entire life. Go home and get a real job.” She stands up and walks out of the room.

>open microwave
If Rosa wants to overcook her popcorn, that’s her prerogative.

>e
As you exit the break room, you notice an odd smell from behind you. Is that…burning? You turn around, but someone rushes into and knocks you over!

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” you hear someone say. You roll over to see the secretary standing above you.

Lobby (on the floor)
The original ceiling in this comfortable room has been lowered for the installation of office lights and ceiling panels. A huge desk extends from one wall almost to the hallway, a telephone placed on its center. The black door to the hallway is solid, a throwback to times when security and safety mattered. KOLR has its own parking lot, to the south. The bathroom is to the east and the break room is to the west, but you don’t want to even think about the first and that nosy secretary is in the other. The station logo has been stenciled on the wall in faded, tasteful colors.

You can see Cindy here.

The radio is playing an ad for Ronald Reagan.

>talk to cindy
“Oh,” she says. “It’s you.” She frowns, but helps you up. “Rosalita said to make sure you left the station. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to go; I just have to take care of something real quick.” She runs off to the west.

You dust yourself off.

Lobby
The original ceiling in this comfortable room has been lowered for the installation of office lights and ceiling panels. A huge desk extends from one wall almost to the hallway, a telephone placed on its center. The black door to the hallway is solid, a throwback to times when security and safety mattered. KOLR has its own parking lot, to the south. The bathroom is to the east and the break room is to the west, but you don’t want to even think about the first and that nosy secretary is in the other. The station logo has been stenciled on the wall in faded, tasteful colors.

The radio is playing an ad for The Danny Kostopolous Show.

>n
You heard Rosa. She doesn’t want you here.

The radio is playing an ad for a trivia board game.

Parking Lot
Rosa’s studio has its own private parking lot. The sunlight glistens off the dripping bushes. A few cars are parked here and there, but all are empty and no one can be seen. Brick walls point up to an empty sky on either side. The lobby door is north from here.

You can go south to take the bus home.

>s
You hail the bus, and go back home.

“And that’s the last I saw of Rosa. I can’t believe anyone would kill her,” she says, shaking her mane of green hair.

[New topic – Home]

You clear your mind, and return to yourself.

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

Maia Morales sits at the table, looking bored.

Maia runs her finger over the table.

>home
“So you claim that you took a bus home after talking to Rosalita?”

“Yes, I took the bus home right away. I could tell I wasn’t wanted there.”

“And what time was that?” you ask.

She says, “It was right after Cindy got to work, so around then.”

“That’s not very specific.”

She shrugs, and says “I never pay attention to the time. It drives Ro-it drove Rosalita crazy.”

>link home to parade
The statements don’t match up; Cindy said the streets were closed for a parade, but Maia said she took a bus home.

[New topic – Buses]

Maia twirls her hair around one finger.

>buses
“Cindy Jalcek said that there was a parade the day that Rosalita died, shutting down the buses. But you said you took the bus home.”

“I probably just remembered wrong. I think I actually took a taxi.”

“Ms. Morales, all of the traffic was shut down. What did you really do that morning?”

Maia looks panicked. She says, “Listen, it’s not what you think!”

“What is it, then?”

“I want to change my statement.”

>statement
“Tell me your story again.”

“Fine.”

You lean back as Maia gives you a statement. You can picture it all in your head…

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

The microwave whirrs in the background.

You can see Rosa here.

>talk to rosa
“Hey Rosa, you know how hard it’s been to get any recording ti-”

“You can’t use it.”

“What do you mean?”

“You can’t use the studio.”

You frown. This not good. Maybe you should try again.

>talk to rosa
“Rosa, please.”

The microwave whirrs quietly.

“Rosa, this important. I don’t even need a tech, I can do it mys-”

>e
As you exit the break room, you notice an odd smell from behind you. Is that…burning? You turn around, but someone rushes into and knocks you over!

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” you hear someone say. You roll over to see the secretary standing above you.

You can see Cindy here.

The radio is playing What’s Love Got to Do With It.

You dust yourself off.

The radio is playing What’s Love Got to Do With It.

>s
You pause at the door. Rosa’s in her office now; if you’re quick, you can make it to the studio without her noticing.

The radio is playing What’s Love Got to Do With It.

>n
(first opening hallway door)

Hallway
You hold your breath and step quietly through this hallway. The office to the west looks unused. A red “On-Air” light is mounted next to the door. The hallway extends north to Rosa’s office. The lobby is south from here.

Rosa’s studio lies to the east, behind a heavy black door.

The radio is playing What’s Love Got to Do With It.

>e
(first opening the studio door)
You close the studio door behind you.

Studio
This studio is incredible, decorated in gorgeous greens. The walls are specially built to provide the perfect sound. The microphones hanging from the ceiling are incredibly expensive, much better than the ones you use at Saul’s cousin’s place. You’re not too crazy about the table and chairs, given that you’re not doing a radio show, but they won’t be a big issue. The soundproof door to the west leads to the hallway, where Rosa might be lurking. The control room is to the east.

>e
(first opening the control room door)

Control Room
This small room is packed with the best equipment available. The original plaster ceilings and wainscoted walls distinguish this room from the dumpy studios you’ve been using. A large patch bay in the corner is surrounded by a nest of wires.

The session tapes are spooled here.

There is an emergency door to the outside here.

You see the audio console here, filling up a third of the room.

>x console
This console is top of the line, with hundreds of switches and knobs. You could record anything in this studio; string ensemble, barbershop quartet, orchestra… well, if you could fit them in. You recognize a few of them: noise gate, expander, limiter, compressor, delay, harmonizer, modulation.

You also see a record button, a stop button, and a playback button. The session tapes are spooled here.

>x tapes
The tape doesn’t have a good recording yet.

>press record
The microphones in the studio are now recording; you’ll have to get out of the control room.

>sing
You belt out a song with all your heart.

The session tapes are spooled here.

There is an emergency door to the outside here.

You see the audio console here, filling up a third of the room.

>press stop
You stop the recording.

>x tapes
The tape doesn’t have a good recording yet.

>press playback
The recording starts. The tape is quiet for a moment. You hear yourself singing some jazz scat. The tape is quiet for a moment. The recording stops.

That take sounded great! You should grab the tapes and get out of here.

>get tapes
You go to grab the tapes, but they seem stuck. You yank hard, and the whole console shifts, knocking you to the floor. You rise and dust yourself off, holding the tapes.

You seem to have dislodged something from behind the console.

>x something
A stack of receipts? What are they doing here? You pick them up. This is odd… You flip through the stack, kicking dust into the air. These receipts are for payments to KOLR. Why would Rosa keep them here?

[New topic – Hidden]

You hear a siren wailing, far away but steadily approaching. Oh no… someone must have seen you. You have to get out of here!

>e
You’re out of here!

“And so I left. I found out later that day that Rosalita was dead. I didn’t tell the police because I knew how bad it looked.”

“Do you still have the receipts?”

“No, I tossed them in a dumpster in an alley. I don’t even remember where they are.”

You clear your mind, and return to yourself.

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

Maia Morales sits at the table, looking bored.

Maia crosses her legs.

>x maia
(Maia)
Maia Morales, aka Andromeda, is a tallish woman with shocking neon green hair and thinly plucked eyebrows. She is wearing a long emerald sundress, and a light aqua jacket is thrown over her shoulders. She glances languidly about the room.

Maia reaches a finger up and gently taps a microphone head.

>e
(first opening the control room door)
It is locked.

Maia sighs, and leans her head on her hand.

>hidden
“Tell me about the receipts again.”

“You see, I was just trying to get the session tapes out, and I pulled something too hard, and the whole console shifted.

“And the receipts were behind the console?”

She says “Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”

“Where are they now?”

“I tossed them in a dumpster when I was running. I wouldn’t know which one.”

>suspicion
“We believe that someone close to Rosalita was trying to kill her.”

She shakes her head. “No. I heard it was a stranger, someone she didn’t know.”

“Who told you that?”

“You know, stuff gets around. They say that her secretary saw the murderer.”

“Maia, who says she saw the murderer? Who have you been talking to?”

Maia flushes. “I overheard the police talking about it when I identified the-Rosalita’s body.”

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing Through The Years.

End of Hallway
You move carefully through the dim and narrow hallway. It smells of cleaner mingled with faint perfume. It terminates to the north at a hazel wood door. Its smooth surface is polished and warm in the chill hallway. A nameplate next to the door reads “Rosalita Morales”. To the west hangs an apple red door, with a nameplate saying “Daniel Kostopolous”. To the east is a narrow metal closet door.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing Through The Years.

>e
(first opening closet door)
It seems to be locked.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing Through The Years.

>e
(first opening closet door)
It seems to be locked.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing an ad for robot action figures.

>pull closet door
It is fixed in place.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing Rapture.

>w
(first opening plain door)

Danny’s Office
This office is decorated with flashy shades of red. It’s large enough to fit a massive cherry desk, rows of mahogany bookshelves, and a battered scarlet cabinet. The walls are empty and clean, although the paint is patchy in spots, reaching to a textured plaster ceiling. A wine red floor lamp in the corner has been turned off. The blinds are open to the dim light from outside, punctuated by flashes of lightning. The soft rose carpet is matted and ragged, but looks recently cleaned.

Danny sits slightly slumped in his chair with his hands clasped on his lap.

You pause by the doorway, and he glances at you. “Please, come in,” he says, and you step into the room.

>greeting
“Daniel Kostopolous?”

He rises to grip your hand firmly. “I usually go by Danny,” he answers in a husky voice. He looks you up and down. “I’ve seen you before, down at city hall. You’ve been on the force for a while, haven’t you?”

“Excellent memory, Mr. Kostopolous. I’m Detective King; I’ve been assigned to investigate the death of Rosalita Morales. I apologize for disrupting your broadcasting.”

Danny says, “Not at all; we’re broadcasting from the telephone line, right now. All of our local shows air in the evening.” He looks at his watch. “Hopefully this won’t take too long.”

You say, “Of course. I would like to ask you some questions about what happened that night.”

“Listen, call me Danny. Real shame what happened. She… I don’t even like to think about it. It shouldn’t have happened. Not to Rosa.” He sits down.

>statement
“When was the last time that you saw Rosalita Morales?”

“All right, sure, I’ll tell you. It was the day before she died. Here’s what happened.”

You lean back as Danny gives you a statement. You can picture it all in your head…

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

Studio
This studio is the jewel of the station; a green-colored jewel, like an emerald, you suppose. The walls, floor, and ceiling are thickened and hollowed, covered with acoustic panels. The microphones hanging from the ceiling are vintage, from the golden era of broadcasting, when they made microphones right. You constructed the table in the center out of soft wood. The chairs, though, are just left over from the last tenants, years ago. The soundproof door to the west leads to the hallway. The control room is to the east, but the technician is still reviewing the show before broadcast.

“I’m Danny Kostopolous, the Voice of the Heartland. Join me tomorrow, when I’ll present my top ten government agencies that need to be eliminated. Thanks for listening.”

You pause until your theme song finishes playing. The technician from the control room gives you a thumbs up. You switch off your microphone.

You stand up. You have a meeting with Rosalita to go over the annual report. You need to look over it first, though.

>w
(first opening the studio door)

Hallway
You’re just outside the studio door, by Chuck’s old office. Still stings each time you walk by. The On-Air light is turned off. Your office and Rosa’s are to the north. You can also go south to return to the lobby.

The radio is playing Sister Christian.

End of Hallway
This hallway always smells like Rosalita; she loves Chanel No. 5. Her office lies to the north. Her plain hazel wood door is not nearly as impressive as your bright red door to the west. The closet to the east is the receptionist’s.

The radio is playing Sister Christian.

>n
(first opening the hazel door)
You should really check out that report before talking to Rosalita.

The radio is playing Sister Christian.

>w
(first opening plain door)

Your Office
Your spacious office is neat and tidy; the receptionist must have cleaned it up. Bookshelves line two walls, stuffed with overflow from Chuck’s office. Your heavy desk sits in the middle of the room with a black swivel chair pushed close to it. The large window that you pushed hard for stretches across one wall, and your soft carpet cushions your feet.

The cabinet with your documents is here. All you really need is the report, though.

>x cabinet
You keep all of the financial records in here. You can look up any files by name. You have many files, but the annual report is your main concern.

>look up annual report
You look over the annual report. You and Rosalita need to do your yearly audit of the budget. It’s been a tough year, but you’ve done fairly well for yourselves. The charity drive had a record year, too. All accounts have been audited and all expenditures and donations have been accounted for, and the receipts carefully filed away.

With the information in mind, you feel more comfortable talking to Rosalita.

[New topic – Records]

The radio is playing Sister Christian.

>n
(first opening the hazel door)

Rosalita’s Office
This huge office sprawls across the north side of the building. You offered it to her when you moved here. A tall desk chair upholstered with crimson leather dominates the room behind an art deco desk. Bookshelves crawl up the walls, illuminated by giant windows with burgundy drapes.

Rosalita is wearing a muted pink dress with a black suit jacket. A large carnation is pinned to her lapel. Her brown hair dips low over one eye and is pulled into a low ponytail behind her. The creases under her eyes and at the corners of her mouth are deeper than they were a year ago.

On the desk is a vase of flowers with a note that draws your attention.

>x note
A small note is attached to the flowers. It says:

“Thanks for dinner. Let’s do it again some time.

-Chuck”

[New topic – Flowers]

>talk to rosalita
(Rosalita)

Rosalita speaks first. “Danny, I’m glad you’re here. Have you had a chance to review the annual report?”

“Just finished looking over it.”

She stands and rubs her eyes. They look red. “Rosalita, are you okay?”

“It’s nothing. It’s just that it’s getting harder each year to get advertisers, you know? Everyone’s moving over to television.”

“You’ve got your cassette sales.”

She smiles wryly, but then the smile fades. “Also, I’m exhausted. I had dinner with a friend yesterday, then spent the evening at the shelter on Broad Street. It was exhausting.”

“But you always say the charity work makes you happier, like you’re a better person.” She shrugs

“Rosalita, listen,” you continue, “if there’s something going on, you can tell me.”

She shakes her head. “I’m fine.” She walks to the door, and hesitates before going out. “I’ll file the report tomorrow,” she says, and she walks out of the room and down the hallway.

[New topic – Troubled]

[New topic – Volunteer]

>l
Rosalita’s Office
This huge office sprawls across the north side of the building. You offered it to her when you moved here. A tall desk chair upholstered with crimson leather dominates the room behind an art deco desk. Bookshelves crawl up the walls, illuminated by giant windows with burgundy drapes.

On the desk is a vase of flowers with a note that draws your attention.

>x flowers
(Flowers)
“Chuck sent Rosalita flowers the day after they talked.”
>x bookshelves
Bookshelves line the walls, filled with the sort of books that look good but serve little purpose.

The radio is playing an ad for Walter Mondale.

The radio is playing an ad for Infocom’s Sorcerer.

>s
(first opening hallway door)

Lobby
The lobby is the first thing visitors see when they visit KOLR, so you try to keep it looking good. As you cast about a critical eye, you notice that the stencil on the wall is wearing off. It’ll need repainting in about a month. The carpet is clean, but it’s looking worn out. The front desk looks pretty good, so you can keep that for a while. The buzzing of one of the lights resonates in your skull in a painful way; that’s got to get fixed quick. The offices are back to the north, and the parking lot is south. You can also reach the bathroom or the break room from here, but you prefer to spend as little time in those two rooms as possible.

Cindy is here, answering phone calls.

“Thank you for calling KOLR Studios, this is Cindy.”

>talk to cindy
Cindy points to the phone and mouths the word “sorry!”

“Don’t worry, the fundraiser is still going on. You can buy a box of dark-chocolate candybars or a year’s supply of frozen pizza.”

>s
“But she was gone, Detective. And that’s what happened.”

You clear your mind, and return to yourself.

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

Danny sits slightly slumped in his chair with his hands clasped on his lap.

Danny picks at a splinter on the desk.

>t
Current thoughts:
Volunteer – “Rosalita told Danny she was at the shelter Wednesday night.”
Troubled – “Rosalita was troubled by something when Danny spoke to her last.”
Flowers – “Chuck sent Rosalita flowers the day after they talked.”
Records – “All receipts and files for KOLR were accounted for last year.”
Hidden – “Maia found a bunch of receipts hidden in the studio.”
Buses – “Maia said she took a bus home, but Cindy said the buses weren’t running.”
Home – “Maia took the bus home after talking with Rosalita.”
Speechless – “Chuck claims he didn’t have a chance to talk with Rosalita on Wednesday afternoon.”
Stranger – “Cindy saw a strange man in a yellow poncho hovering over Rosalita Morales.”
Parade – “The streets were closed down for a parade all morning.”
Accounting – “Cindy did the accounting for Roses for Rehab”
Statement – “You need to take the statements of the suspects”
Greeting – “You need to introduce yourself to the suspects.”
Assistance – “The chief is always willing to give you help. (This gives a basic tutorial).”
Death – “Rosalita was shot on February 29th in her office.”
Sister – “Maia Morales was Rosalita’s sister.”
Ex – “Chuck Lee is the former husband of Rosalita Morales.”
Partner – “Daniel Kostopoulos was the business partner of Rosalita Morales.”
Secretary – “Cindy Jalcek was Rosalita’s Secretary.”
Suspicion – “The Chief thinks that someone close to her was involved in her death.”
Testament – “Rosalita left all of her possessions to four people in her will.”

>link flowers to ex
You can’t link those.

Danny scratches his ear.

>link flowers to speechless
The statements don’t match up; Chuck says that he never had a chance to talk to her, but Danny says that they did.

[New topic – Conversation]

You hear two people talking down the hall, one voice higher than the other. Danny doesn’t seem to notice.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing Against the Wind.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing an ad for the CD-ROM.

Chuck sits in the chair, trying not to look exhausted.

Thunder grumbles in the distance.

>conversation
Chuck says, “We have a witness who claims that you talked to Rosalita the day that you cleaned out your office.”

Chuck stares forward silently for an uncomfortably long amount of time. Without looking at you, he says “You’re right, I did talk to her.”

“Maybe we should go over your statement again.”

“Yeah, we might as well.”

>statement
“Tell me what you know about the death of Rosalita Morales.”

“All right. Here’s what happened.”

You lean back as Chuck gives you a statement. You can picture it all in your head…

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

Your Office
Your office is depressingly empty. The movers have packed away and taken out most of the furniture; your desk remains, shoved against the wall, and a single chair. Danny pressured you into giving him most of your KOLR memorabilia, leaving you almost nothing. The hallway and the long drive home are waiting for you to the east. Your rugged blue carpet is still dented from furniture legs. At least you left a mark on something.

A packing box lies in the middle of the room.

You can also see a certificate, a KOLR poster, and a bulletin board here.

It’s time to clean up. You have to get all of your personal effects out of this room before you can go home.

>take all
KOLR poster: You pick up the KOLR poster to look at it more closely.

You know that Rosa loved this poster; maybe she’ll ask to see it in a week or two, and it’ll break the ice between you. It proclaims “Tune in to KOLR 99.8!” in large, day-glo letters at the top; the bottom has pop-art style portraits of you, Danny, and Rosa.
certificate: You pick up the certificate to look at it more closely.

You look over the certificate and smile. A certificate of merit for 15 successful years of service at KOLR, signed by the mayor; this should impress your new colleagues at WESL.
bulletin board: You pick up the bulletin board to look at it more closely.

You scan the board impatiently. It’s covered with letters from listeners, photos of the studio, your first paycheck; later you’ll take it all off and start a new one for WESL.

As you lift the bulletin board off the wall, a picture flutters to the ground.
packing box: The movers are going to take it tomorrow.

>get picture
You pick up the picture to look at it more closely.

>put all in box
picture: You go to pack it, but you hesitate. Better to keep this one with you.
bulletin board: Done.
certificate: Done.
KOLR poster: You roll up the poster and set it in the box.

Footsteps tread down the hallway, and a scent wanders into the room: Chanel No. 5, Rosalita’s perfume. She must have stayed late; you hoped she would be here tonight.

You step towards the door, then stop. The footsteps move on, and the smell fades.

>e
(first opening the office door)

The radio is playing an ad for “Amadeus”.

The radio is playing an ad for “Ghostbusters”.

You walk towards her, but she gets in her car and leaves without seeing you.

>n
You don’t need to go back in.

>s
“You were right; I lied earlier. I followed Rosalita that day.”

Nearby Driveway
You’ve parked your car here in front of a house on Rosalita’s street. The driveway stretches out from the house here. Rosalita’s house, your old house, lies to the west, and a door to a stranger’s house is to the north. Trees dot the yard.

You see Rosalita off to the west, gathering her purse and her sunglasses. She hasn’t seen you yet. You watch as she walks up the steps and into the house, closing the door.

Driveway
The street stretches behind you, and Rosalita’s house looms before you. The steps up to the front door are freshly cleaned, and bright blue drapes frame the windows. Rosalita’s car is parked in front of you.

Her front door is to the north.

>n
You knock on the door and Rosalita answers, with Cindy in the background turning to watch. A smile flashes on her face. “Chuck!” she says, and runs to embrace you. She steps back. “I wanted to see you before you go, but I…”

“Yeah, I know. I wasn’t going to come here, but I just wanted to say goodbye.”

“We talked all afternoon, remembering old times. It felt good. Now, I would never share this on my own, but just to be completely frank, we spent the night together, and the next day I sent flowers. I’d prefer not to go in more detail.”

“And that’s what happened.”

[New topic – Tryst]

You clear your mind, and return to yourself.

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

Chuck sits in the chair, trying not to look exhausted.

Without warning, Chuck balls his hands into fasts and leans his head on them, sobbing.

You step to the doorway for a moment, giving him a moment of privacy. The hallway is empty, with small gleams of light coming from Danny’s office and the lobby. The studio door admits no light.

After a moment, the sobs subside, and you step back into Chuck’s office.

>tryst
You ask, “So you spent the whole night with Rosalita last week?”

“Last week? Oh, yes, yes I did,” he says.

“And you felt like hiding this fact?”

He slowly shrugs. “I’m sorry officer, I know it looks bad. But listen, would I have killed her if we were just getting back together?”

“I don’t know, Chuck. I hope for your sake that that’s all you lied about.” He shrugs again.

>secretary
You’ve already discussed this with Chuck.

You hear a toilet flush and a door close from down the hall.

>recall secretary
“Cindy Jalcek was Rosalita’s Secretary.”

Chuck likes Cindy, but worries she was trying to get money from Rosalita.
Chuck taps his foot restlessly.

>recall chuck
(Chuck)
Chuck Lee, famous news anchor, is ruggedly handsome, with a firm chin and stiff, short-cropped hair. His short but muscular frame is draped in a well-tailored baby blue suit. The smoothness of his face and lack of expression suggest surgical enhancements. His eyes are puffy from crying.

Someone says, “Hello, Chuck,” in a low voice. You turn to see Andromeda leaned against the door frame in an attempt at a sultry pose.

He looks up for a moment, then looks away dismissingly. “Oh, hello, Maia.”

She says, “I was wondering if you’d like to get some lunch when we’re done here.”

You stand up. “Miss Morales, you’re making this investigation more difficult than it needs to be. Please, return to your room.”

She frowns, and walks away.

>sister
You’ve already discussed this with Chuck.

A tear runs down Chuck’s cheek.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing an ad for Infocom’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Lobby
The neutral tones suggest a professional but boring atmosphere. A faded rainbow stencil on the wall invites you to KOL studios; the R has worn off. The sepia-hued front desk hardly fits in this cramped room, but the beige ceiling is quite high; it looks like it was once part of a larger room. The muddy carpet is scuffed and worn, curling up on the edges. One of the off-white fluorescent lights in the ceiling flickers intermittently. Another light buzzes at the edge of your hearing. The smell of burnt popcorn wafts in from a break room to the west. The doorway to the north leads to the hallway. The parking lot is back to the south, and a bathroom door stands to the east. An ivory telephone sits on the desk.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing an ad for Karate lessons.

Cindy is sitting at a table.

You catch Cindy looking you up and down with an unhappy expression.

>receipts
The first word you typed was not recognized.

>hidden
“Apparently, a large stack of receipts for payments to KOLR were found stuffed in the control room of the studio.”

“What? Receipts? Who was in the control room?”

“That’s not what I’m talking about right now. Do you know about these receipts?”

“No, but if it was Maia in the control room, I’m going to be extremely angry. Was it her?”

“Just tell me about the receipts.”

“I don’t know anything about them. Rosalita usually handles them.”

“Is she the only one?”

“Danny always worked on the files, too; said he had the perfect system. I bet he’s kicking himself now.”

>tryst
“Cindy, Chuck admitted that he spent the night with Rosalita last week.”

“I knew it. I just knew it.” She shakes her head. “He…But I can’t fault him. They were married for a long, long time. They probably still loved each other, you know?”

“Did you know anything about it?”

“I mean, I saw the flowers he sent her, but I didn’t know they were together. But it doesn’t surprise me. Although now I wonder what Danny’s up to; he told me she was at the shelter last Wednesday.”

>link volunteer to tryst
Danny claims that Rosalita was volunteering at a shelter on Wednesday, but Chuck says she was with him.

[New topic – Absent]

The fan clicks and sputters.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing Think of Laura.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing an ad for WESL weather alerts.

Danny sits slightly slumped in his chair with his hands clasped on his lap.

Danny frowns. He says, “I probably already told you this, but we need to be done here by ten. We can only broadcast reruns so long.”

>absent
“Danny, you said that Rosalita volunteered at the shelter last Wednesday, but Chuck says they spent the night.”

He shakes his head. “I can’t believe it…”

He looks up at you. “Why would Rosalita lie to me? Why?” His face turns reddish. “That woman…I could tell you things about her, things she’s done, but I can’t. I can’t hurt the reputation of the studio.”

“Mr. Kostopolous, this is very important to the investigation. You have to tell us everything.”

He slams his fist on the chair. “No! This station is everything to me!” He calms himself down for a moment. “Listen, if you figure out what’s going on by yourself, that’s different. Then I’ll talk.”

“I can take you downtown for obstruction of justice, Mr. Kostopolous.”

“We’ll see.”

>hidden
“Mr. Kostopolous, do you have any idea why a stack of receipts for payments to KOLR would be hidden in the control room?”

He glowers at you. “What do I look like, a janitor? It’s none of my business if some idiot is stuffing paper in corners.” But you notice that his fist clenches for a moment as you ask.

>t
Current thoughts:
Absent – “Rosalita told Danny she was at the shelter, but she was with Chuck.”
Tryst – “Chuck spent all night with Rosalita last Wednesday.”
Conversation – “Chuck said that he didn’t talk to Morales, but Danny claims that they did talk.”
Volunteer – “Rosalita told Danny she was at the shelter Wednesday night.”
Troubled – “Rosalita was troubled by something when Danny spoke to her last.”
Flowers – “Chuck sent Rosalita flowers the day after they talked.”
Records – “All receipts and files for KOLR were accounted for last year.”
Hidden – “Maia found a bunch of receipts hidden in the studio.”
Buses – “Maia said she took a bus home, but Cindy said the buses weren’t running.”
Home – “Maia took the bus home after talking with Rosalita.”
Speechless – “Chuck claims he didn’t have a chance to talk with Rosalita on Wednesday afternoon.”
Stranger – “Cindy saw a strange man in a yellow poncho hovering over Rosalita Morales.”
Parade – “The streets were closed down for a parade all morning.”
Accounting – “Cindy did the accounting for Roses for Rehab”
Statement – “You need to take the statements of the suspects”
Greeting – “You need to introduce yourself to the suspects.”
Assistance – “The chief is always willing to give you help. (This gives a basic tutorial).”
Death – “Rosalita was shot on February 29th in her office.”
Sister – “Maia Morales was Rosalita’s sister.”
Ex – “Chuck Lee is the former husband of Rosalita Morales.”
Partner – “Daniel Kostopoulos was the business partner of Rosalita Morales.”
Secretary – “Cindy Jalcek was Rosalita’s Secretary.”
Suspicion – “The Chief thinks that someone close to her was involved in her death.”
Testament – “Rosalita left all of her possessions to four people in her will.”

>link records to hidden
Maia found a stack of hidden receipts, but Danny claimed that all records were accounted for.

[New topic – Missing]

Someone taps on the door. You both look up to see Cindy.

“Sorry,” she says in a low whisper. “Mr. Kostopolous, I forgot to tell you that Mayor Cutter called last night to cancel his interview for Friday. He’s going out of town for a convention.”

He glowers. “Yeah, sure he’s going out of town.” He looks at you. “This mess has been bad for business, detective. I hope you get it sorted out soon.”

He says to Cindy, “Call Alan and see if he can come Friday.” He glances at you, and goes on. “After we’re done here, of course.”

>missing
“I have information that a large number of receipts for payments to KOLR were found in the control room recently. You said that all such receipts were kept filed away.”

Danny goes completely still except for the throbbing of a forehead vein. “So you found them in the control room?”

“Mr. Kostopolous, we need you to tell us everything that you know.”

Danny furrows his brow and looks at the floor. He chews on his lip, then speaks. “I wasn’t being completely honest about my conversation with Rosalita. There’s more that I need to tell you.”

“Sounds like we need to go over your statement again.”

>statement
“Tell me your story again.”

“Of course, officer.”

You lean back as Danny gives you a statement. You can picture it all in your head…

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

“I’m Danny Kostopolous, the Voice of the Heartland. Join me tomorrow, when I’ll present my top ten government agencies that need to be eliminated. Thanks for listening.”

You pause until your theme song finishes playing. The technician from the control room gives you a thumbs up. You switch off your microphone.

You stand up. You sigh. If your suspicions are true, you’re going to have to confront Rosalita. But you need to be absolutely sure; the annual report is in your filing cabinet, where she can’t get it.

The radio is playing Footloose.

The radio is playing an ad for “The Terminator”.

The cabinet with your documents is here. All you really need is the report, though.

>look up annual report
Paging through the report, your suspicions are confirmed. The amount KOLR donated to Roses for Rehab last year is less than you raised personally at your gala. There must be far more money than is being reported here. You could look at the bank reconciliation, but you already have enough information here.

How is this possible? You have to talk to Rosalita.

>look up reconciliation
Yes, the bank reconciliation confirms your worries. Each month for the last year or so, several checks were marked as “pending” at the end of the month. But they never showed up, even half a year later. You need to talk to Rosalita.

The radio is playing an ad for leg warmers.

>n
(first opening the hazel door)

On the desk is a vase of flowers with a note that draws your attention.

>talk to rosalita
(Rosalita)

Rosalita speaks first. “Danny, I’m glad you’re here. Have you had a chance to review the annual report?”

“Just finished looking over it.”

She stands and rubs her eyes. They look red. You ask, “Rosalita, are you okay?”

“It’s nothing. It’s just that it’s getting harder each year to get advertisers, you know? Everyone’s moving over to television.”

“You’ve got your cassete sales.”

She smiles wryly, but then the smile fades.

“Rosalita, listen,” you continue, “If there’s something going on, you can tell me.”

She shakes her head. “I’m fine.” She walks to the door, and hesitates.

>talk to rosalita
(Rosalita)
You pause.

“Rosalita, I’ve checked the numbers. I know about Roses for Rehab.”

She presses her lips together, and closes her eyes as tears run down her cheek. “Oh Danny, I’m so glad you know. It’s been torture.”

“I can’t say I really feel sorry for you, Rosalita. That money–people really thought they were doing something good with it, like it meant something. And you just took it.”

“Danny, I know, I know, I know. Listen, I’m going to write them a check, later in the week. I’m going to give the money back… I can’t sleep, I can hardly eat, it’s been torture. ”

“Rosalita…”

I-I just-” She stands still for a moment, then gives you a hurried hug before rushing out the door and down the hallway.

[New topic – Fraud]

The radio is playing Little Red Corvette.

Cindy is here, answering phone calls.

“Yes, cassettes are available for individual episodes or for boxed sets. Of course I recommend the boxed set!”

>s
“But she was gone, Detective. And that’s what happened.”

You clear your mind, and return to yourself.

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

Danny sits slightly slumped in his chair with his hands clasped on his lap.

Danny sighs and leans forward, running his hand through his hair.

>fraud
“Tell me again about Rosalita’s charity.”

“Listen, I’ll try to keep it simple for you. Roses For Rehab has fundraisers every year. It’s a big deal around here, everyone gets in on it. But I checked the records, and the numbers just weren’t adding up. I confronted Rosalita about it, and she confessed to stealing it, then ran off. That’s the last I ever saw her.”

“Does anyone else know about this?”

“I don’t know; Cindy did everything with Rosalita, maybe she would know.”

“I’m not sure she’ll talk to me. She might deny working with Rosalita.”

“Did she tell you anything about it before?” he asks.

>link accounting with hidden
While the receipts are missing, you don’t know that they were connected to the charity.

Danny leans forward. “So tell me, detective, you got any new leads?”

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing an ad for “The Aquitane Progression”.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing We Got The Beat.

Lobby
The neutral tones suggest a professional but boring atmosphere. A faded rainbow stencil on the wall invites you to KOL studios; the R has worn off. The sepia-hued front desk hardly fits in this cramped room, but the beige ceiling is quite high; it looks like it was once part of a larger room. The muddy carpet is scuffed and worn, curling up on the edges. One of the off-white fluorescent lights in the ceiling flickers intermittently. There’s a barely-audible buzz from another light. The smell of burnt popcorn wafts in from a break room to the west. The doorway to the north leads to the hallway. The parking lot is back to the south, and a bathroom door stands to the east. An ivory telephone sits on the desk.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing We Got The Beat.

Cindy is sitting at a table.

You hear something like footsteps in the lobby, but you don’t see anyone when you turn.

>fraud
“I’ve been informed that Rosalita was stealing money from Roses for Rehab.”

Cindy goes as pale as a sheet. “Oh, no…”

“Do you know anything about this?”

“No, no, no… I wasn’t a part of this. I wasn’t involved.”

Something tickles the back of your brain… something Cindy said earlier…

>link accounting with fraud
Rosalita was defrauding Roses for Rehab, and Cindy did all of the accounting. Cindy must have been involved.

[New topic – Accomplice]

A flash of lightning is visible from the lobby to the east, followed by a rumble of thunder.

>accomplice
“I’ve been informed that Rosalita was stealing money from Roses for Rehab before her death. And that you were involved.”

Cindy looks surprised for a moment. Then a look of panic crosses her face.

“Cindy, you were Rosalita’s personal assistant. These are serious allegations. You may have to be taken into custody if you’re involved.”

Her eyes harden, and she sits up straighter. “What if I made you a deal? Gave you some bigger fish to fry?”

“I can’t make any promises, but if you cooperate in this investigation, your sentence may be reduced.”

“Listen, I’m changing my statement. I have to tell you the truth. But you have to promise to work with me.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

>statement
“Tell me your story again.”

“Fine.”

You lean back as Cindy gives you a statement. You can picture it all in your head…

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

The bus drops you off, then gasps and wheezes away. You’re lucky you got here in time; the police were closing off the streets for a parade. The next bus isn’t until noon.

Time to get to work.

The phone sits on the desk.

The unmistakable stench of burning popcorn rolls in from the break room to the west.

You see Rosalita coming out of the break room. She seems lost in thought. “Oh, Cindy, it’s you!” She looks around, and leans in. “Listen, my sister’s in the break room again. Can you make sure she leaves? I have to talk to Chuck in a few minutes, and I don’t want her to be here.”

You nod, and she walks into the hallway. She turns around and beckons you closer. “I’m worried that he knows about Roses for Rehab. You know what will happen to both of us if he does.” With that, she walks to her office.

The radio is playing an ad for Infocom’s Seastalker.

The phone sits on the desk.

The unmistakable stench of burning popcorn rolls in from the break room to the west.

As you rush in to find the source of the smell, you smack into someone and knock them to the ground!

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” you say. Your victim rolls over, revealing a mop of green hair.

The radio is playing an ad for a trivia board game.

Smoke billows from the microwave. Something’s burning!

>open microwave
You open the smoky microwave, revealing a bag of burnt popcorn.

>get bag
You gingerly pick it up by the edges. You’ll have to throw it away in the bathroom!

The bag of popcorn is smoking in your hands.

>e
You look around, but Maia seems to be gone.

The phone sits on the desk.

The unmistakable stench of burning popcorn still leaks in from the break room to the west.

The radio is playing Karma Chameleon.

The bag of popcorn is smoking in your hands.

>put bag in trash
That’s a good idea. You throw the popcorn into the toilet and turn to go. Wait! The toilet? Not again. You always mix the two up when you’re in a hurry. It’s caused a lot of messes.

Now the burnt popcorn is floating in the toilet.

>flush
You flush the popcorn down the toilet. It disappears, thankfully, but the toilet starts backing up. Crap! Well, actually, just water, but still, you’re glad no one uses this toilet.

You’ve got to deal with that smell in the break room, now. Time to get the fan from the closet.

The phone sits on the desk.

The unmistakable stench of burning popcorn still leaks in from the break room to the west.

You hear the doors open, and you turn. You see Chuck, smiling.

You frown. “What are you doing back here?”

His smile deepens. “I have a “business” meeting with Rosalita.”

You smile as well. “You did it!” You kiss him on the cheek. “I can’t believe you gave her those flowers after your last meeting. She wanted to throw them away, but Danny saw them already.”

He nods, but his thoughts are elsewhere. “In 15 minutes, we’ll get our last installment.”

“Does she know about me?” you ask.

“I haven’t told her yet; she’s got some dirt on you too, you know. Best to keep her in the dark for now.”

“Tell me how it goes,” you say. He smiles, and walks down the hallway.

The radio is playing an ad for Walter Mondale.

The radio is playing Harden My Heart.

>e
(first opening the closet door)
You yank hard on the handle of the door. Everyone thinks you lock it, but it’s just really, really hard to open.

The walls are thin in this closet. You can make out snatches of conversation. You hear Chuck mention “Rehab”, “charity”, and “money”. Just like you planned.

You take the fan to the break room and turn it on, then come back to the office. You press your ear to the door.

“I can’t give you any more, Chuck. You’re asking for too much. ”

“Rosalita, no!” There are the sounds of a struggle. Someone’s getting hurt in there! You go to open the door when you hear a loud gunshot. You drop to the floor and remain motionless.

Chuck opens the door, his face ashen and a gun in his hand. “Cindy, it went bad, “it went really bad. She had a gun. We have to figure something out.”

“Maybe we can-”

“Cindy, look!” Chuck says, pointing down the hall. You turn and look. The On-Air light is on!

“Chuck, just go, go! Get rid of that thing! I’ll call the cops and tell them it was an intruder. Just get out of here!”

Chuck runs down the hall. You head to the lobby to call the police.

“And now, officer, you know the truth.”

You clear your mind, and return to yourself.

*********************** [Press any key to switch characters] ***********************

Cindy is sitting at a table.

[New topic – Truth]

Now that you know what happened, you have to do something.

Cindy is sitting at a table.

Cindy picks at her teeth.

>recall truth
“Cindy claims that Chuck killed Rosalita after an argument about blackmail.”
Cindy notices some trash on the ground and picks it up.

Lobby
The neutral tones suggest a professional but boring atmosphere. A faded rainbow stencil on the wall invites you to KOL studios; the R has worn off. The sepia-hued front desk hardly fits in this cramped room, but the beige ceiling is quite high; it looks like it was once part of a larger room. The muddy carpet is scuffed and worn, curling up on the edges. One of the off-white fluorescent lights in the ceiling flickers intermittently. Another light buzzes at the edge of hearing. The smell of burnt popcorn wafts in from a break room to the west. The doorway to the north leads to the hallway. The parking lot is back to the south, and a bathroom door stands to the east. An ivory telephone sits on the desk.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing an ad for “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”.

From the speakers, you hear the radio quietly playing an ad for the Macintosh.

Chuck sits in the chair, trying not to look exhausted.

Chuck pulls a handkerchief out from a hidden pocket and wipes his eyes, before returning it.

>truth
Say, “Chuck, it’s over. I know that you killed Rosalita.”

Chuck looks you in the eyes. “Cindy told you, didn’t she.”

You say, “Mr. Lee, you’re under arrest for the murder of Rosalita Morales.”

Chuck is quiet. Thunder rumbles outside. He says, “Cindy…Did she tell you it was an accident? That it wasn’t supposed to happen?”

You say, “You can tell us all about it at the police station. Would you care to step this way?”

Chuck nods and stands up slowly. You shepherd him down the hallway, passing the open doorways where the others are sneaking glances. You walk through the station doors together and into the night.

As you drive away, you turn on the radio; they’re playing the end of another rerun of An Evening With Rosa:

“Thank you so much for sharing the evening with me. From all of us at KOLR, I wish you a good night, and God bless..”

*** You have won. ***

Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, see some suggestions for AMUSING things to do, QUIT, or UNDO the last command?
> amusing
Have you tried:

…listening to all of Cindy’s phone conversation?

…typing XYZZY?

…discovering Danny’s hobby?

…praying, sleeping, or waiting as the different characters?

…turning on the faucets in the bathroom?

…using the advanced features of the audio console?

…finding out why the walls are faded and scuffed?

…reading the books in the Chief’s office?

…looking at the stencil in the lobby as different characters?

…looking at the microwave as Maia?

…learning about the previous use of the building the station is in?

…examining yourself as various characters?

…eating the burnt bag of popcorn?

…finding all the songs and ads the radio plays?