I Love Trouble Page #4

I'll make ya a deal.

If you quit this story,

so will I.

You don't have to say that

just to make me feel better.

I'm not sayin' it to make you feel better.

I'm sayin' it to make me feel better.

I mean, you were really puttin'

the pressure on, you know?

Your face on trucks

all over the city.

That wild-goose chase.

- I'm sorry about that.

- No, it was very inventive.

I fell for it.

I deserved it.

Yeah, that was a good one.

I gotta thank you, Peterson.

Because of you, I remembered

how much I love newspapering.

Hey, you're a legend.

It's amazing just being in

the same arena with you, really.

- You gonna be okay?

- Yeah.

Yeah.

I'm always okay.

- So long.

- Take care.

Where can I catch

the 7:
15 to Spring Creek?

- Four-B.

- Thank you.

Excuse me.

I think you're in my seat.

Sorry, pal. Too early

in the morning, I guess.

- Morning paper?

- I'll take the Globe.

I'll take the Chronicle.

I'll be right back with complimentary

orange juice and champagne.

- I'll just have the orange juice.

- I'll just have the champagne.

That was quite a performance

you gave last night.

- You weren't bad yourself.

- But the tears!

Brilliant, really.

Academy Award caliber.

Thank you.

I try.

By the way, our friend last night was

a pro recruited out of South America.

How do you know?

I have friends in low places.

As I said, Peterson...

if I tell you what I know,

and you tell me what you know...

Look, Brackett, it's not my job

to tell you anything.

I'm your competition,

not your girl Friday.

- I'm suggesting we team up.

- With each other?

Well, we'll investigate together,

but we'll write separately.

I mean, we'll be like the,

uh, Hardy Boys...

except one of us

will be a girl.

- A woman.

- Mr. Brackett?

I'm sorry to interrupt,

but, uh...

I am in the middle of your book,

and I just can't put it down.

Would you hate

autographing it for me?

No, I'd love to!

Peterson, you got a pen?

Have you read it?

Oh, I'm sure you have.

I keep meaning to,

but no, actually, I...

- Here you go.

- Thank you.

Is, uh, that in

the 312 area code?

Mm-hmm.

- I may need that.

- Oh.

So, what do you think?

Are we a team?

I suppose it is

the sensible thing to do.

Well, we're gonna have to be

completely honest with each other.

- No more double-crossing.

- No more tricks.

Partners,

five-oh, five-oh.

Five-oh, five-oh.

- Be right back.

- Peterson.

You have a little

orange juice mustache.

- Thank you.

- Yeah.

Is this yours?

- Oh, yeah. Thanks.

- Mm-hmm.

So, Brackett, since we toasted, and now

that we're partners and everything...

I feel I should at least tell you

why I'm on the plane to Spring Creek.

I found this when we were at

the Beekman house last night.

Here's the missing story.

Darryl Beekman's father. I thought

he'd be a guy worth talking to.

He left his job at

Chess Chemical after 29 years.

Now, why would anyone leave their job

one year snort of retirement?

Gee, I don't know. I've only been

a Hardy Boy for five minutes.

That's funny, Peterson.

Hi.

I'm looking for Sabrina.

Oh, she's out of town.

I'm sorry.

She's, uh, on assignment

in, uh, Wisconsin.

Spring, Spring Creek,

I think it was.

- She'll be back in a few days.

- Okay, great. Thanks a lot.

That was 24,

so Beekman's must be next.

Dr. Darryl M. Beekman,

genetic engineering pioneer...

died Tuesday in a fire

at his Spring Creek home.

A week before the train crash.

- The plot thickens.

- Ma'am, shh.

I'm sorry. Peterson,

calm down, will you please?

Sorry. Go ahead. Y-You read it

to yourself, then I'll read it.

- Thank you.

- Mm-hmm.

- What's LDF?

- Why? You've heard of it?

No. Never.

How would I have heard of it?

While at Chess, Dr. Beekman

served as head researcher...

on the genetically engineered

hormone LDF.

I knew you were trouble

the first time I laid eyes on you.

Major league trouble,

I said to myself.

- What's happening here?

- I'm dissolving our partnership.

- Why?

- Because you just lied to me.

Now, you don't wanna tell me

about LDF, fine.

It's each man for himself.

Fine.

You got it.

You're on your own.

What about Beekman's

Christmas card?

You're also a pickpocket?

Jesus, Peterson,

you're incorrigible!

Now, I was gonna tell you

about that...

but there are moments when you divulge

information in a story like this.

I was just waiting for

the proper moment, that's all.

Which is gonna be when, professor?

When you finally get me in the sack?

Oh, I got a news flash

for you, Peterson.

I have absolutely no desire to

get you in the sack whatsoever.

- Yeah, right.

- For starters, honey, you ain't my type.

Really? I didn't know

you had a type.

I do.

The opposite of you.

Tall, dark and stupid?

Peterson, good-bye.

- it's been original.

- Mmm.

You know...

You were right. I should've

told you about the Christmas card.

And maybe I overreacted to LDF.

No, I, I should've told you sooner.

it's my fault.

I accept your apology.

So, tell me now.

The boy I told you about,

the one that called me...

said he found something important

in the briefcase.

Yeah.

He had the letters L-D

written on his palm.

I guess he died before he could write

the I had no idea what it meant.

Honest.

Girl Scout's honor.

- That's not the Girl Scout salute.

- Oh.

- Wrong hand, Peterson.

- Oh, well, okay.

So I was never a Girl Scout,

but I'm telling you the truth, Brackett.

I swear.

Okay, so tell me.

What's LDF?

LDF is a genetically engineered hormone

for dairy cows. It could be the fir...

Somebody's trying to kill us

over a cow hormone?

Could be the first commercial success

of genetic engineering...

that directly affects food

for humans.

Milk Hormone Stirs Fear."

Okay, now we're talkin'.

LDF milk tests will be reviewed by State's

Agricultural Committee Chairwoman...

Gayle Robbins.

Bingo!

- You wanna know about LDF?

- Yeah.

You've come to the right place.

- In English, Sam, please.

- Okay, here's the deal.

Normally it takes a calf two years to

mature into a milk-producing cow, right?

So, Chess figured, why wait

that long taking care of a calf?

It's not making you any money.

So they invent this hormone LDF. They

shoot that stuff into a newborn calf.

Nine months later, you got yourself a

full-grown, milk-producing, moneymaking...

- Franken-cow.

- That's exactly what I thought at first.

But then from what we hear the cows

are healthy, and the tests show...

I hates these tours!

And the tests show that the milk's,

uh, pure. So, there you go.

Say, what kind of profits can

Chess make on a thing like this?

This thing, my boy, could revolutionize

the entire worldwide dairy industry.

Potentially the biggest moneymaker

that a chemical company has seen...

- since NutraSweet.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

- So, how much can they make?

Oh, somewhere in the neighborhood

of a billion dollars a year.

- Oh, nice neighborhood.

- Yeah. I wouldn't mind living there myself.

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