{"id":375,"date":"2014-12-30T07:15:47","date_gmt":"2014-12-30T07:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/?page_id=375"},"modified":"2022-01-01T20:10:15","modified_gmt":"2022-01-02T02:10:15","slug":"part7","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/episodes\/episode10\/part7\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 7"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Episode 10: \u00a0<em>Catch Her If You Can<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Part 7<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Pearl glanced at the screen, where Emerald\u2019s face was giving her one of her annoyed looks. It made her wonder if she had any others. \u201cEm, don\u2019t worry. There\u2019s a way in through the ventilation system you\u2019ll have to use. You should be able to get in completely unnoticed. And, just to be safe, I\u2019m taking out the signals of the security cameras.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to kill K for assigning me to a case with Grasshopper&#8211;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnger without merit is like a flower without trees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUGH! What the fuck does that even mean?!\u201d Emerald rolled her eyes as Pearl tried her hardest not to laugh. She\u2019d have to tell Nick about this when he returned. He\u2019d get a kick out of the fact that a new mission had come up, and K\u2019s best staffing plan had sent Emerald and Grasshopper to handle it. \u201cAnyway, thanks.\u201d Agent 005 disappeared from the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Once she did, Pearl couldn\u2019t stop laughing. No one ever understood a word 004 said. A mission with him would test anyone\u2019s patience. Now that no one in the field needed her at that moment, she went back to her latest project. Several items littered her work table. Among them were a set of fake nails, various chemicals Red had put together for her, and her toolkit. Before she could actually start working again, the main screen above her computer lit up once more. A sign came into view, slowly rising up so that she could read it.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Nicky Sandiego\" width=\"920\" height=\"690\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hsN6IG49rmQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWhere in the world is Nicky Sandiego?\u201d<\/em> Nick\u2019s voice sang from behind a handmade sign saying the same thing. She started laughing again. The sign lowered, revealing Nick\u2019s face as Pearl heard someone else entering her lab. Still, her attention remained on Nick. \u201cAlright, we\u2019re gonna play a little game. I want you &#8212; and I know this is crazy, but you don\u2019t have to if you don\u2019t wanna play\u2026 but it\u2019s kinda fuuuun &#8212; but anyways, I want you to tell me where you may think that I\u2019m at right now. Hence\u2026\u201d He held up the sign once more. \u201cNicky Sandiego! And no cheating and looking up my trace, Pearly! What does this look like to you?\u201d The camera panned to a hotel room window, looking out onto the city for a moment. Nick giggled as his face came back into view of the screen and then began to sing. <em>\u201cSo tell me\u2026 where in the world is Nicky Sandiego? Watch your back!\u201d<\/em> And the video ended.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat boy is insane,\u201d Pearl said to herself, still chuckling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut sooooo hot,\u201d Lancy added, sighing. K stood next to him, shaking his head. <em>\u201cSo where\u2026 in the world\u2026 is\u2026 Nicky Sandiego?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>K grinned, and Pearl raised a brow as K did something she didn\u2019t expect, something she\u2019d never thought she would see coming from him, something that was more typical of Nick: he began to sing. <em>\u201cOoh whop, do be do be, ooh whop\u2026\u201d<\/em> And then, much to her shock, Lancy joined in. <em>\u201cOoh whop, do be do be, ooh whop\u2026\u201d<\/em> The two of them sang together &#8212; in perfect harmony, no less.<\/p>\n<p>K\u2019s hands snapped in time with the beat Lancy continued to carry alone while K started singing a song she\u2019d never once imagined him singing. Having a feeling this would be more than epic, Pearl turned the small camera on her desk towards the two men.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWell, she sneaks around the world from Kiev to Carolina.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>She\u2019s a sticky-fingered filcher from Berlin down to Belize.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>She\u2019ll take you for a ride on a slow boat to China.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Tell me, where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cOoh whop, do be do be, ooh whop\u2026\u201d<\/em> Lancy continued, shimmying to the beat. He had jazz hands going as well, with spirit fingers to top it off.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cSteal their Seoul in South Korea, make Antarctica cry \u2018Uncle!\u2019<\/em><br \/>\n<em>From the Red Sea to Greenland, they\u2019ll be singing the blues.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Well, they never Arkansas her steal the Mekong from the jungle.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Tell me, where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cShe goes from Nashville to Norway, Bonaire to Zimbabwe,<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Chicago to Czech and Slovakia and back!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWell, she\u2019ll ransack Pakistan and run a scam in Scandinavia,<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Then she\u2019ll stick \u2019em up down under and go pick-pocket Perth.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>She put the \u2018Miss\u2019 in misdemeanor when she stole the beans from Lima.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Tell me, where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>K also danced as he sang, completely oblivious to Pearl, who stared in astonishment. He reminded her of an awkward turtle as he wiggled from side to side, moving his arms along to the beat that Lancy kept going. The two men were completely into their little performance. It pleased Pearl to see a rare smile brightening the face of their far-too-serious leader.<\/p>\n<p>K paused, belting powerfully, <em>\u201cWhoooooaaaa, tell me where in the world, tell me where can she be?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Lancy leaned in, his voice blending evenly with K\u2019s. Pearl wondered if singing talent was a requirement to join HimTak. If so, she was curious why she\u2019d passed since she had the vocal skills of a howling cat. It seemed like all of her colleagues had amazing vocal talent.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cBotswana to Thailand, Milan via Amsterdam<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Mali, to Bali, Ohio, Oahu!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>K and Lancy beat-boxed together, breaking down the song before jumping back into the melody.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cMonday through Friday at Five!<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Well, she glides around the globe, and she\u2019ll flim-flam every nation.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>She\u2019s a double-dealing diva with a taste for thievery.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Her itinerary\u2019s loaded up with moving violations.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Tell me, where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWhoooooooa, tell me\u2026 where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?\u201d<\/em> They clapped their hands to the beat, and Pearl, laughing almost hysterically, joined in. She couldn\u2019t wait to show this to Nick. This would probably be some of the best blackmail they\u2019d ever stumbled upon.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWhere in the world is Carmen Sandiego?<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Watch your back!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Pearl stared as K brushed himself off, immediately returning to his professional demeanor as if nothing had happened. Lancy winked at her before checking a text.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOooh, Di\u2026\u201d He wandered off, his fingers rapidly texting as he walked out of the lab.<\/p>\n<p>Pearl raised a brow at her superior.<\/p>\n<p>K looked at her odd expression. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She shook her head. \u201cNothing. Nothing\u2026\u201d Regaining her composure, she crept over to her computer and stealthily shut off the camera. She felt it was best that K didn\u2019t know she had actually recorded his impromptu performance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI used to be Aladdin at Disney World, remember? I am capable of letting loose once in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She snickered. \u201cRight, boss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s the status on Emerald and Grasshopper?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re moving in now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood. Now, the reason I came down here. There\u2019s been word from Italy. I need you to hack into the mainframe of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was stolen?\u201d Pearl asked as she sat down at her computer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDa Vinci\u2019s Codex Atlanticus &#8212; twelve volumes of his writing and drawings. And as with the other thefts, there were virtually no witnesses, no prints. I need you to see if you can pull anything up. The fact that this girl\u2019s been like a ghost isn\u2019t something I\u2019m fond of.\u201d Pearl\u2019s fingers began flying across the keyboard before K could finish. \u201cOh, and Pearl?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She glanced up. \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you send that video to Carter, I\u2019m going to have to kill you.\u201d With that, he left her lab.<\/p>\n<p>Pearl shook her head as she went back to work. \u201cHow does he always know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***<\/p>\n<p>The sky was blue over the wide, open ocean, with just a thin layer of cirrus clouds up high in the atmosphere. A cool breeze whipped over the waves, forming whitecaps on the surface. It was the perfect day to go sailing, free as a bird.<\/p>\n<p>But inside the vessel that crossed the sea from Africa, it was a different story. The air was stuffy and stale, almost suffocating. The only light came from the tiny, round portholes that passed as windows. Bodies were packed together in tight rows, sweat glistening on their dark skin. Even without the chains that bound them to their seats, there was little room to move. His legs were cramping up; he had never felt so claustrophobic. All around him, he could hear the sounds of discomfort &#8212; sniffles, coughs, moans. Someone was crying. Someone else was throwing up. He tried to hold his breath so that he wouldn\u2019t smell the stench of vomit mixed with the odor of perspiration coming off the overheated bodies behind and in front of him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDamn,\u201d muttered Jay, accidentally elbowing Opal as he bumped the armrest they shared. \u201cI hate flying coach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMe too,\u201d said Leo from Opal\u2019s other side. Lucky motherfucker had gotten the window seat. \u201cBut it was all we could get on such short notice. The flight was almost completely booked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo shit,\u201d said Jay, looking around. He was no longer enjoying himself on this little world tour. They had just spent three days in Juffure, a small town in the tiny, Western African country of The Gambia, tracing the roots of the Dancing Men clue they\u2019d found in Paris. As it turned out, the clue, poorly translated into the Mandinka language, was the opening text of the novel <em>Roots<\/em> by Alex Haley. <em>\u201cEarly in the spring of 1750, in the village of Juffure, four days upriver from the coast of The Gambia, West Africa, a man-child was born to Omoro and Binta Kinte\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>That was all they\u2019d had to go on, but they\u2019d had no choice but to go once they had realized the next clue had to be somewhere in Juffure. The vagueness of the clue &#8212; even in a small village, there were lots of places the next clue could be hidden &#8212; coupled with the fact that not even Opal nor Leo could speak the native African language had made Jay worry it would take them forever to find it. He had pictured them searching primitive huts with thatched roofs and dirt floors, trying to communicate with people who couldn\u2019t understand them.<\/p>\n<p>What they found instead was a tourist trap. Apparently, Americans, inspired by Roots, came to Juffure regularly to take the \u201cRoots Heritage Tour\u201d led by an African man who spoke amazingly good English. The tour guide had led them straight to the clue.<\/p>\n<p>Deciphering it had taken longer, but as always, Opal had delivered. The decoded clue had been in Spanish, a huge relief after the obscure language of the previous one. Opal\u2019s translation revealed an excerpt from <em>Love in the Time of Cholera<\/em>, a novel by Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. That had led them out of Africa and on the way to their next destination, the city of Cartagena, Colombia.<\/p>\n<p>And what would they find there? Another clue? The missing books? Or their crook herself? Jay wondered where it was all leading. There seemed to be no pattern anymore; there had been no thefts in Paris or Juffure and no clues left in Munich or Milan, where the other group was currently investigating. It seemed they were following two different trails: one of clues, the other of crimes. Was the purpose of the clues to lead them to the loot or distract them from the crimes? Jay was beginning to think it was the latter, that they were foolish for following this latest clue back to the Western Hemisphere while all of the recent robberies had taken place in Europe. But he\u2019d been overruled by Opal, who was desperate for answers, and Leo, who seemed to be enjoying their little treasure hunt. <em>\u201cIt\u2019s so Da Vinci Code!\u201d<\/em> he\u2019d said enthusiastically when they\u2019d left Paris. Jay was starting to feel more like Dorothy Gale than Robert Langdon, stuck following the yellow brick road when all he wanted was to go home.<\/p>\n<p>The way Opal suddenly sighed beside him made him think she was starting to feel the same way. \u201cYou okay?\u201d he asked, turning to face her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m fine\u2026 just thinking about Brian.\u201d Her fake brown eyes held a faraway look. \u201cI hate not being able to call him. We\u2019re used to being apart, but I\u2019ve never gone this long without talking to him. After he almost died in Toronto, I transferred back to the DC headquarters just so we could be together. And now we\u2019re separated again. I know he\u2019s got to be worried about me, just like I am about him. I just hope he doesn\u2019t do anything stupid\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Rok?\u201d Jay offered her a reassuring smile. \u201cI\u2019m sure he won\u2019t do anything too dumb. He seems pretty level-headed. He\u2019s related to K, remember? Same genes. And K is anal and slow, not impulsive and stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Opal managed to smile back. \u201cThanks, Jay. I hope you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m always right, babe. And don\u2019t you let K or Carter tell you any different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Leo snorted. \u201cIf Carter tells you any different, then you <em>know<\/em> Jay\u2019s telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Opal laughed. \u201cWhat is it with you and Nick, anyway?\u201d she asked. \u201cI don\u2019t see why you two don\u2019t get along; you\u2019re so similar\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s exactly why they don\u2019t get along,\u201d put in Jay before Leo could respond. \u201cHaven\u2019t you heard the phrase \u2018opposites attract\u2019? Well, the opposite is true, too. 00Carter just likes to think of himself as a ladies man and doesn\u2019t want Vitruvian here mackin\u2019 on his Carter Girls and salting his game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarter Girls!\u201d spat Leo, rolling his eyes. \u201cHalf the girls at HimTak can\u2019t stand Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot half,\u201d Jay corrected. \u201cOnly Emerald. Which is fine with me. Emerald\u2019s my girl.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI won\u2019t steal your girl. But I think our little Diamond\u2019s ready to be a Vitruvian vixen instead. And Pearl\u2026 she seems like she\u2019d go for more of a \u2018Renaissance man,\u2019 if you know what I mean\u2026\u201d He waggled his eyebrows, a smirk tugging at his lips.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPearl?\u201d Jay laughed. \u201cDon\u2019t think so, buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy not?\u201d Leo looked offended.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve never seen Pearl go for anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy, is she a lesbian?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think so\u2026\u201d Jay considered this; what if she was? That would be pretty hot. \u201cShe\u2019s usually just shut up in her lab, too involved with whatever project she\u2019s working on to get involved with a guy. She\u2019s basically a geek.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA hot geek,\u201d Leo added quickly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah\u2026\u201d Jay grinned. \u201cDefinitely a hot geek. I guess that\u2019s why Carter likes her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarter likes her, too?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, sure. Carter likes all the ladies, but especially the ones he can\u2019t have. And Pearl\u2019s made it clear she\u2019s \u2018just friends\u2019 with him. She won\u2019t give it up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Leo continued to smirk. \u201cI bet she\u2019ll give it up to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Opal rolled her eyes. \u201cUgh, you guys\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They were still arguing about whether Pearl would go for Nick or Leo when they landed in Cartagena. \u201cI just don\u2019t really think she digs blond guys,\u201d said Jay, turning his cell phone back on. \u201cSorry, dude. She\u2019s probably secretly got the hots for K or something. Or Emerald\u2026\u201d He kept imagining that lesbian fantasy, and it got hotter and steamier every time.<\/p>\n<p>But no sooner had he put his phone back in his pocket than it suddenly rang, interrupting the conversation as well as his vision of Pearl in nothing but her lab coat, Emerald sprawled out before her on her work table, wearing only Diamond\u2019s sexy new gun shoes. <em>\u201cI\u2019ve gotta put you on standby,\u201d purred Pearl, slinking closer to Emerald, \u201cso I can tinker with your mainframe.\u201d She reached out to cup one of Emerald\u2019s breasts, then trailed her hand lower, lower, down across Emerald\u2019s toned abs and below. \u201cI need to enter my digits into your system\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou gonna get that?\u201d Leo asked dryly. Startled, Jay flipped open the phone without even bothering to check who was calling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHello?\u201d he answered irritably.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYo, it\u2019s 00Carter,\u201d said Nick\u2019s voice. \u201cYou guys landed yet?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe literally just did,\u201d replied Jay, still annoyed about the timing of his call. \u201cWhat\u2019s up? Any luck in Italy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA little bit. We missed her again, of course, but we got another picture of her off one of the security cameras. I just sent it to Pearl to clean up for us. Looks like a better angle than the crappy one we got in London.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s great, man,\u201d said Jay, his mood improving. \u201cAny other evidence? DNA, prints, anything?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothin\u2019. The crime scene\u2019s totally clean. I bet she\u2019s been doing shit like this for years. She\u2019s just upped her game enough to get us to take notice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re probably right,\u201d Jay agreed. Suddenly, his phone beeped in his ear. \u201cHey, hang on a sec, bro; I got another call.\u201d He glanced down and saw K\u2019s name flashing at him. What now? he wondered. They weren\u2019t even off the plane yet! He switched over to K\u2019s call and answered, \u201cJay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c003,\u201d K said curtly, \u201cYou\u2019ll be pleased to see we\u2019ve ID\u2019d the thief! Check your screen, and you\u2019ll see what I mean; you can thank the other team for placing her at the scene.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jay frowned. Was K really speaking in rhyme? \u201cHold on a sec; I\u2019ll check,\u201d he told him as his phone beeped again. <em>Shit, now he\u2019s got me doing it, too!<\/em> There was a picture text from Pearl, but before he opened it, he switched back to Nick\u2019s call. \u201cDude, you were right; K\u2019s acting really trippy with this mission, talking in rhyme.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nick snickered. \u201cYou\u2019ve noticed, too? Diamond says it\u2019s more alliteration, what he\u2019s doing, but yeah\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNah, man, this was definitely more rhyme. What\u2019s he on?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI dunno, but Pearl said he was actin\u2019 weird in her lab the other day, too. She wouldn\u2019t say what he was doing, though, said she was sworn to secrecy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>K and Pearl doing something secretive in her lab? Jay\u2019s mind returned to his daydream, but this time, it was K stretched out on the work table\u2026 naked&#8230; <em>Sick, dude! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts!<\/em> He pummeled the side of his head with his free hand, trying to make the image go away. \u201cI bet he got laid,\u201d was all he said to Nick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLaid? K?\u201d Nick giggled. \u201cBy who?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI dunno. Pearl?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPearl?! No way, dude. No way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust sayin\u2019\u2026 maybe they\u2019re having a secret affair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFuck no, Pearl\u2019d never go for K, not even if she had the technology to remove the stick from his ass. I mean, would she??\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jay laughed at the desperation in Nick\u2019s voice. It would have been easy to keep razzing him about the possibility of Pearl hooking up with K, but then he remembered that he had a text from Pearl and that K was still waiting on the other line. \u201cI dunno, dude. Hang on; I gotta check this text.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat on earth is going on?\u201d asked Opal as Jay lowered his phone again. \u201cWhy were you hitting yourself in the head?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrust me,\u201d said Jay, without looking up. \u201cYou don\u2019t wanna know.\u201d He pulled up the text from Pearl and waited for the image to load on the screen. It appeared blurry and pixelated at first, but as the pixels loaded, it grew steadily clearer, revealing a still frame of a woman in a red trench coat and matching hat. The wide, floppy brim cast half her face in shadow, but he recognized the wavy, blonde hair flowing beneath it and the oversized, red sunglasses peeking out from under it. \u201cHoly shit!\u201d he gasped loudly.<\/p>\n<p>Heads turned, and he remembered he was still on a crowded plane. Luckily, as most of the other passengers were African or South American, their English probably wasn\u2019t too great. \u201cWhat??\u201d Opal hissed again, but Jay ignored her and passed his phone across her to Leo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDude, you have to see this! It\u2019s a pic from the surveillance cameras at the library in Milan! Look familiar??\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Leo\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cShit!\u201d he echoed Jay. \u201cThe Louvre! That girl from Denmark! We talked to her!!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jay snickered. \u201c<em>You<\/em> flirted with her!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s her?? She\u2019s our crook?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGee, let\u2019s think &#8212; she\u2019s dressed like Carmen Sandiego, wearing the same tacky shades we saw her in, and standing at the scene of the crime. I\u2019d say so, Sherlock!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?!\u201d came a tinny voice from Jay\u2019s phone. Jay quickly held it back up to his ear. \u201cDid I just hear DoucheCrapio say you guys met this chick in Paris?!\u201d Nick exploded.<\/p>\n<p>Jay felt incredibly sheepish. \u201cUh\u2026 yeah\u2026 He talked to her a lot longer than I did, though.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, thanks, way to throw me under the bus there, Jay,\u201d he heard Leo grumble from his seat. All around them, people were starting to get up, retrieving their luggage from the overhead compartments. In the aisle seat, Jay stayed put, listening to Nick\u2019s tirade.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd he didn\u2019t catch on to anything??\u201d Nick asked incredulously. \u201cI mean, how retarded do you have to be to stand there with the crook right in front of you and not realize it?!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, to be fair, we hadn\u2019t seen a good picture of her then\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFuck that! She was <em>right there<\/em>! God, at first I thought he was sabotaging the mission so that he could catch her himself and get all the glory, but now I see he\u2019s just a total idiot!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChill out, Nick. You\u2019re right, we could have caught her and didn\u2019t, but at least now we know what she looks like. We\u2019ll get her,\u201d Jay said confidently, tucking his elbow in as passengers filed past him to exit the plane. The worst thing a thief could do was show her face. K would see to it that that picture made it onto all the major news networks worldwide. She wouldn\u2019t get much further looking like that!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot with Leonardo Retardo around, we won\u2019t!\u201d Nick ranted.<\/p>\n<p>Jay could tell he wasn\u2019t going to let this blunder go anytime soon. \u201cAlright, well, catch ya later, Carter. Good luck on your end,\u201d he said and disconnected the call with Nick. Switching back to K\u2019s end, he said, \u201cK, you\u2019re not gonna believe this\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/episodes\/episode10\/part8\/\" title=\"Part 8\">Part 8<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Episode 10: \u00a0Catch Her If You Can Part 7 &nbsp; Pearl glanced at the screen, where Emerald\u2019s face was giving her one of her annoyed looks. It made her wonder if she had any others. \u201cEm, don\u2019t worry. There\u2019s a way in through the ventilation system you\u2019ll have to use.\u2026<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/episodes\/episode10\/part7\/\"><span>Read more<\/span><i class=\"crycon-right-dir\"><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":145,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"templates\/template-onecolumn.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-375","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P5xaHX-63","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":996,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/375\/revisions\/996"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}