mail. Okay?"
"Why-what is this for?"
"I can't explain it all to you but it's important."
"I don't know if I want to impersonate somebody. It's not-"
"What you are doing is totally harmless. It's what hackers call social engineering. What Curt is going to tell you is that he did send you a notice. Then you say, "Oh, really? What address did you send it to?" When he gives you the address write it down. That's what I need. The address. As soon as you get it you can get off the call. Just tell him you'll come by as soon as you can to pay, and hang up. I just need that address."
She looked at him in a way she had never looked at him before during the six months she had worked directly for him.
"Come on, Monica, it's no big deal. It's not harming anyone. And it might actually be helping someone. In fact, I think it will."
He put the notebook and pen on her lap.
"Are you ready? I'll dial the number."
"Dr. Pierce, this doesn't seem-"
"Don't call me Dr. Pierce. You never call me Dr. Pierce."
"Then Henry. I don't want to do this. Not without knowing what I am doing."
"All right then, I'll tell you. You know the new phone number you got me?"
She nodded.
"Well, it belonged previously to a woman who has disappeared, or something has happened to her. I'm getting her calls and I'm trying to figure out what happened to her. You see? And this call I want you to make might get me an address where she lives. That's all I want. I want to go there and see if she's okay. Nothing else. Now, will you make the call?"
She shook her head as if warding off too much information. Her face looked as if Pierce had just told her he'd been taken aboard a spaceship and sodomized by an alien.
"This is crazy. How did you ever get caught up in this? Did you know this woman? How do you know she disappeared?"
"No I don't know her. It was purely random. Because I got the wrong number. But now I know enough to know I have to find out what happened or make sure she's okay. Will you please do this for me, Monica?"
"Why don't you just change your number?"
"I will. First thing Monday I want you to change it."
"And meantime, just call the police."
"I don't have enough information yet to call the police. What would I tell them? They'll think I'm a nut."
"And they might be right."
"Look, will you do this or not?"
She nodded in resignation.
"If it will make you happy and it will keep my job."
"Whoa. Wait a minute. I'm not threatening you about your job. If you don't want to do it, fine, I'll get somebody else. It's got nothing to do with your job. Are we clear on that?"
"Yes, clear. But don't worry, I'll do it. Let's just get it over with."
He went over the call with her once more and then dialed the number of All American Mail and handed the phone to Monica. She asked for Curt and then pulled off the call as planned, with only a few moments of bad acting and confusion. Pierce watched as she wrote down an address on the notepad. He was ecstatic but didn't show it. When she hung up she handed him the pad and the phone.
Pierce checked the address- it was in Venice- then tore the page off the pad, folded it and put it in his pocket.
"Curt seemed like a nice guy," Monica said. "I feel bad about lying to him."
You could always go visit him and ask him out for a date. I've seen him. Believe me, one date with you would make him happy the rest of his life."
You've seen him? Were you the one he was talking about? He said a guy was in there and wanted my mailbox. I mean, Lilly Quinlan's mailbox."
"Yeah, that was me. That's how I --"
The phone rang and he answered it. But the caller hung up. lerce looked at the caller ID directory. The call had come from the Kitz-Carlton in the Marina.
Ai
"Look," he said, "you need to leave the phone plugged in so when the furniture comes, security can call up here for approval to let them up. But meantime, you're probably going to get a lot of calls for Lilly. Since you're a woman, they're going to think you're her.
"Why-what is this for?"
"I can't explain it all to you but it's important."
"I don't know if I want to impersonate somebody. It's not-"
"What you are doing is totally harmless. It's what hackers call social engineering. What Curt is going to tell you is that he did send you a notice. Then you say, "Oh, really? What address did you send it to?" When he gives you the address write it down. That's what I need. The address. As soon as you get it you can get off the call. Just tell him you'll come by as soon as you can to pay, and hang up. I just need that address."
She looked at him in a way she had never looked at him before during the six months she had worked directly for him.
"Come on, Monica, it's no big deal. It's not harming anyone. And it might actually be helping someone. In fact, I think it will."
He put the notebook and pen on her lap.
"Are you ready? I'll dial the number."
"Dr. Pierce, this doesn't seem-"
"Don't call me Dr. Pierce. You never call me Dr. Pierce."
"Then Henry. I don't want to do this. Not without knowing what I am doing."
"All right then, I'll tell you. You know the new phone number you got me?"
She nodded.
"Well, it belonged previously to a woman who has disappeared, or something has happened to her. I'm getting her calls and I'm trying to figure out what happened to her. You see? And this call I want you to make might get me an address where she lives. That's all I want. I want to go there and see if she's okay. Nothing else. Now, will you make the call?"
She shook her head as if warding off too much information. Her face looked as if Pierce had just told her he'd been taken aboard a spaceship and sodomized by an alien.
"This is crazy. How did you ever get caught up in this? Did you know this woman? How do you know she disappeared?"
"No I don't know her. It was purely random. Because I got the wrong number. But now I know enough to know I have to find out what happened or make sure she's okay. Will you please do this for me, Monica?"
"Why don't you just change your number?"
"I will. First thing Monday I want you to change it."
"And meantime, just call the police."
"I don't have enough information yet to call the police. What would I tell them? They'll think I'm a nut."
"And they might be right."
"Look, will you do this or not?"
She nodded in resignation.
"If it will make you happy and it will keep my job."
"Whoa. Wait a minute. I'm not threatening you about your job. If you don't want to do it, fine, I'll get somebody else. It's got nothing to do with your job. Are we clear on that?"
"Yes, clear. But don't worry, I'll do it. Let's just get it over with."
He went over the call with her once more and then dialed the number of All American Mail and handed the phone to Monica. She asked for Curt and then pulled off the call as planned, with only a few moments of bad acting and confusion. Pierce watched as she wrote down an address on the notepad. He was ecstatic but didn't show it. When she hung up she handed him the pad and the phone.
Pierce checked the address- it was in Venice- then tore the page off the pad, folded it and put it in his pocket.
"Curt seemed like a nice guy," Monica said. "I feel bad about lying to him."
You could always go visit him and ask him out for a date. I've seen him. Believe me, one date with you would make him happy the rest of his life."
You've seen him? Were you the one he was talking about? He said a guy was in there and wanted my mailbox. I mean, Lilly Quinlan's mailbox."
"Yeah, that was me. That's how I --"
The phone rang and he answered it. But the caller hung up. lerce looked at the caller ID directory. The call had come from the Kitz-Carlton in the Marina.
Ai
"Look," he said, "you need to leave the phone plugged in so when the furniture comes, security can call up here for approval to let them up. But meantime, you're probably going to get a lot of calls for Lilly. Since you're a woman, they're going to think you're her.
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