Adrian Tanase's Blog - Posts Tagged "action"
The Complex - Book one
The Complex
Kite Selby is a private detective. The year is 1968, New York, Manhattan. He owns a simple private detective cabinet, where he solves local simple cases. Among his current cases, he gets a case where he needs to investigate a missing person, who was a young physics teacher from a local university. Starting to investigate the case, he runs into a thrilling adventure, where romance and mystery turn his simple and usual world into a larger and greater plot than he would have ever imagined.
"The Complex" is the first book of the trilogy, that opens the way to a page-turning space opera, that will leave you want to read more.
Kite Selby is a private detective. The year is 1968, New York, Manhattan. He owns a simple private detective cabinet, where he solves local simple cases. Among his current cases, he gets a case where he needs to investigate a missing person, who was a young physics teacher from a local university. Starting to investigate the case, he runs into a thrilling adventure, where romance and mystery turn his simple and usual world into a larger and greater plot than he would have ever imagined.
"The Complex" is the first book of the trilogy, that opens the way to a page-turning space opera, that will leave you want to read more.
Excerpt from "The Complex" Book One
The Complex
Chapter 1 – A strange case
It was a day like any other and nothing seemed to change this state of affairs. The grey, cloud-filled sky over Manhattan reflected in the windows of the tall, pinkish-brown buildings, created a moody, almost unreal atmosphere. The diffused light reflected off the streets and the hurried passers-by walked in a rush, almost bumping into each other, with their umbrellas of all colours, to avoid the few drops of rain that had begun to fall.
Somewhere on the 25th floor in the 500 Fifth Avenue building, Kite Selby was sitting with his legs stretched out propped up on the table, carefully reviewing a case he'd solved last week. Selby was an ordinary American citizen who had opened a small detective office two years ago. He'd found the space through a friend, and he paid quite a bit, but seeing the view from such a high vantage point made him feel like someone important in the intimate life of Manhattan.
He'd recently gotten a secretary. Laura Johnson was a slender brunette who had just graduated from college and who had told him she needed a job badly, because she had just moved to the big city. He knew immediately that she was the one he was looking for, from a list of 21 young ladies who had come for an interview. Her gentle manner, her way of speaking and the way she dressed had made him choose her after 5 minutes of talking about whatnot. Selby felt that soon, the way his business was going, he would be able to afford a car, a very useful thing that could help him get around faster and with ease. It was the year of 1968 and the world seemed to be changing more and more, leaving the beginnings and trials behind and embracing new trends and the natural evolution of things.
The phone rang twice. Kite watched disinterestedly as the button on the white phone on the desk lit up and blinked intermittently. He waited one more time and then reached over and pressed it.
"Yes?"
"Mr. Selby, there's a young lady here by the name of Michelle Jones. She wants to see you. She says it's urgent."
Kite wasn't in the mood for anything today. But any new case could make him money, so he said quietly.
"All right, Laura. Let her in."
He heard the heavy footsteps from the anteroom and the door opened slowly. A young woman's face appeared through the door.
"Come in, Mrs. Michelle…"
Michelle entered with a slightly shy attitude, and closed the door behind her.
"Have a seat," Kite invited her. "What can I do for you today?" he asked to sound as professional as possible.
Michelle sat delicately on the chair that was in front of Kite’s desk. She reached into her rather bulky purse and pulled out a brown paper envelope and placed it quietly in front of him. Then she looked at Kite and said with almost surreal politeness:
"Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Kite. I want to let you know that you were recommended to me by a friend of mine, who worked with you two months ago on the case of one of her aunts. I need a good detective to solve a particular case."
Michelle Jones was young. A slender woman with brown hair pulled back and very shy. Kite always enjoyed working with young clients. He felt that the communication between him and the client went much more smoothly in this case and their attitude was very transparent and accommodating, which made him feel he could work much more relaxed.
"You just found him. The newest detective on the Manhattan landscape" Kite joked, with a relaxed but serious face. "You can start by telling me, what this case is all about?"
Michelle put on quite a serious face and began.
"You know, I'm a professor at the University of Physics. The principal sent me to take care of this personally. Two days ago I noticed that one of our professors was missing. When we looked in the notebook where we all sign in when we arrive, we noticed that she hadn't come for 3 weeks or even more. I don't even really know how long it's been since the last time I've seen her. It could be a month or even two. She just disappeared. I couldn't reach her on the phone either and when I went to her house, no one was there. No note or anything like that. Nothing."
Kite watched and analyzed every word Miss Jones said.
"I'm her best friend. I was able to get into her apartment because I happen to have a key to her apartment. She gave it to me one year ago. But it doesn't seem to have done me any good...either she's gone to another state, or...who knows what could have happened…"
Kite looked at her carefully, trying to apprehend the situation.
"Have you notified the police?"
Michelle looked at him and nodded.
"Ah, no. I don't think that would be the case...we didn’t want to get them alarmed. Maybe this isn't even the time for that. That's why I came straight to you...”
Kite thought for a moment.
"What can you tell me about her?" he began, in a calm voice.
Michelle pushed the envelope she had placed on the table in front of her.
"Here's a picture of her, from when she was younger. And the key to her apartment, in case you need it for investigation...you know...I don't need it for now. I really need to find her..."
"What's her name?" Kite asked as he took out a pencil and picked up the notebook from his desk.
"Annika. Annika Soveskaia. She's Russian. But she was born here in New York. She's one of the best teachers we have. And she's my best friend," said Michelle.
"And how old is she? And how does she look like?"
"Well...she's 33...I think...and she's tall, slender, blonde...a little taller than me, and with Caucasian features...white face, blue eyes, you know…"
"Got it," said Kite. "Anything else? Things that would matter about her?"
"Well...she specializes in quantum and string theory. She's a very good professor at our university...you know, we miss her already..." Michelle said, sighing.
"Last time anyone saw her?" Kite asked, making a note on his lined notebook.
"Well...I think the last time we saw each other was two months ago. Me and her, that is. You know, we have a busy schedule these days at the University. It's the hustle and bustle before exams and lots of students are asking for our help...I haven't had the time to stop by. I thought she was okay, and that she was as busy as I was, and that's why we didn't meet in the halls."
Kite paused and then said, with a more serious tone.
"So let's go through two months ago, two and a half months roughly," Kite said, continuing to write. "Was she having problems in general, I mean...you know what I mean...socially, was she more withdrawn, or did she reveal to you that she had hidden, stranger thoughts?" Kite asked relaxedly, looking at Michelle.
Michelle looked at him with a slightly surprised look on her face.
"Uh...no. Annika is a very good girl. When we have time, we go out quite often, the two of us I mean, together. And I stop by her place sometimes. She gave me the key to her apartment and said she might be gone for weekends or even a week, and that she'd call me to go to her place to open the windows and water the flowers she has there."
Kite looked up from the notebook where he keeped jotting in and studied Michelle closely.
"So that's why he gave you the key?" He asked as he wrote.
"Yes," said Michelle a little bit confused. "That's what he told me."
"Got it," said Kite, continuing to write down his notes.
"Any friends or buddies?" Kite asked with a calm face.
"Well...as far as I know...no..." Michelle said smiling.
"Do you know anyone who would want to harm Miss Annika?" Kite asked, closing his notebook and putting his pen on the table.
Michele shook her head, as if dodging a bee.
"No way. Sir…"
"Kite. Kite Selby."
"So...excuse me...Mr. Selby. You know that's why we didn't even go to the police. It may be a simple fact and we don't want it known or even spread out in the newspapers. The dean of the faculty has decided to put me in charge of this job. He knows we're very good friends and he doesn't want to make a fuss about it. You know, the press is always looking for stories like this to throw in the paper right away, maybe even on the front page. We don't want that kind of publicity. And Annika was as simple a person as you and I. She only had a few good friends and a lot of colleagues. But no one I know would have wanted to harm her."
Kite waited for her to finish and smiled reassuringly.
"Alright Mrs. Michelle. I'll take over this case starting today. Don't worry, I'll get back to you as soon as I hear anything. I hope to get this resolved as soon as possible. Leave me a contact number and address, but either way, come back in a week's time, same time as today, if possible. Talk to my secretary on your way out and tell her to set up an appointment. I now have enough data to begin the investigation. If there's nothing else…"
Michelle stands up, adjusting her black skirt.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Selby, for your time. Don't worry about the compensation. A small advance is already in this envelope in which you also have her photograph and the key to the apartment. Money is not a problem for us. We just need to find Annika, that's all we care about," Michelle said and held out her hand, wearing her cream-colored, soft leather glove.
"Nice to have met you, Miss Michelle," Kite said, gently squeezing the fingertips of Michelle's delicate hand.
"And me too. Have a good day," Michelle said and walked out the door of the small office.
Kite was left alone. He always liked the surreal atmosphere that the quiet of his wood-paneled office gave him, when there was no one else around. He got up from his chair and went to the window. Through the large window of the room he could see the traffic and the magnificent view of the city from above. He began to daydream. He wondered when the sun that hadn't appeared for days in the Manhattan sky would appear. He looked at his watch. It was almost 1:30. He pressed the first white button on his phone.
[....]
Chapter 1 – A strange case
It was a day like any other and nothing seemed to change this state of affairs. The grey, cloud-filled sky over Manhattan reflected in the windows of the tall, pinkish-brown buildings, created a moody, almost unreal atmosphere. The diffused light reflected off the streets and the hurried passers-by walked in a rush, almost bumping into each other, with their umbrellas of all colours, to avoid the few drops of rain that had begun to fall.
Somewhere on the 25th floor in the 500 Fifth Avenue building, Kite Selby was sitting with his legs stretched out propped up on the table, carefully reviewing a case he'd solved last week. Selby was an ordinary American citizen who had opened a small detective office two years ago. He'd found the space through a friend, and he paid quite a bit, but seeing the view from such a high vantage point made him feel like someone important in the intimate life of Manhattan.
He'd recently gotten a secretary. Laura Johnson was a slender brunette who had just graduated from college and who had told him she needed a job badly, because she had just moved to the big city. He knew immediately that she was the one he was looking for, from a list of 21 young ladies who had come for an interview. Her gentle manner, her way of speaking and the way she dressed had made him choose her after 5 minutes of talking about whatnot. Selby felt that soon, the way his business was going, he would be able to afford a car, a very useful thing that could help him get around faster and with ease. It was the year of 1968 and the world seemed to be changing more and more, leaving the beginnings and trials behind and embracing new trends and the natural evolution of things.
The phone rang twice. Kite watched disinterestedly as the button on the white phone on the desk lit up and blinked intermittently. He waited one more time and then reached over and pressed it.
"Yes?"
"Mr. Selby, there's a young lady here by the name of Michelle Jones. She wants to see you. She says it's urgent."
Kite wasn't in the mood for anything today. But any new case could make him money, so he said quietly.
"All right, Laura. Let her in."
He heard the heavy footsteps from the anteroom and the door opened slowly. A young woman's face appeared through the door.
"Come in, Mrs. Michelle…"
Michelle entered with a slightly shy attitude, and closed the door behind her.
"Have a seat," Kite invited her. "What can I do for you today?" he asked to sound as professional as possible.
Michelle sat delicately on the chair that was in front of Kite’s desk. She reached into her rather bulky purse and pulled out a brown paper envelope and placed it quietly in front of him. Then she looked at Kite and said with almost surreal politeness:
"Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Kite. I want to let you know that you were recommended to me by a friend of mine, who worked with you two months ago on the case of one of her aunts. I need a good detective to solve a particular case."
Michelle Jones was young. A slender woman with brown hair pulled back and very shy. Kite always enjoyed working with young clients. He felt that the communication between him and the client went much more smoothly in this case and their attitude was very transparent and accommodating, which made him feel he could work much more relaxed.
"You just found him. The newest detective on the Manhattan landscape" Kite joked, with a relaxed but serious face. "You can start by telling me, what this case is all about?"
Michelle put on quite a serious face and began.
"You know, I'm a professor at the University of Physics. The principal sent me to take care of this personally. Two days ago I noticed that one of our professors was missing. When we looked in the notebook where we all sign in when we arrive, we noticed that she hadn't come for 3 weeks or even more. I don't even really know how long it's been since the last time I've seen her. It could be a month or even two. She just disappeared. I couldn't reach her on the phone either and when I went to her house, no one was there. No note or anything like that. Nothing."
Kite watched and analyzed every word Miss Jones said.
"I'm her best friend. I was able to get into her apartment because I happen to have a key to her apartment. She gave it to me one year ago. But it doesn't seem to have done me any good...either she's gone to another state, or...who knows what could have happened…"
Kite looked at her carefully, trying to apprehend the situation.
"Have you notified the police?"
Michelle looked at him and nodded.
"Ah, no. I don't think that would be the case...we didn’t want to get them alarmed. Maybe this isn't even the time for that. That's why I came straight to you...”
Kite thought for a moment.
"What can you tell me about her?" he began, in a calm voice.
Michelle pushed the envelope she had placed on the table in front of her.
"Here's a picture of her, from when she was younger. And the key to her apartment, in case you need it for investigation...you know...I don't need it for now. I really need to find her..."
"What's her name?" Kite asked as he took out a pencil and picked up the notebook from his desk.
"Annika. Annika Soveskaia. She's Russian. But she was born here in New York. She's one of the best teachers we have. And she's my best friend," said Michelle.
"And how old is she? And how does she look like?"
"Well...she's 33...I think...and she's tall, slender, blonde...a little taller than me, and with Caucasian features...white face, blue eyes, you know…"
"Got it," said Kite. "Anything else? Things that would matter about her?"
"Well...she specializes in quantum and string theory. She's a very good professor at our university...you know, we miss her already..." Michelle said, sighing.
"Last time anyone saw her?" Kite asked, making a note on his lined notebook.
"Well...I think the last time we saw each other was two months ago. Me and her, that is. You know, we have a busy schedule these days at the University. It's the hustle and bustle before exams and lots of students are asking for our help...I haven't had the time to stop by. I thought she was okay, and that she was as busy as I was, and that's why we didn't meet in the halls."
Kite paused and then said, with a more serious tone.
"So let's go through two months ago, two and a half months roughly," Kite said, continuing to write. "Was she having problems in general, I mean...you know what I mean...socially, was she more withdrawn, or did she reveal to you that she had hidden, stranger thoughts?" Kite asked relaxedly, looking at Michelle.
Michelle looked at him with a slightly surprised look on her face.
"Uh...no. Annika is a very good girl. When we have time, we go out quite often, the two of us I mean, together. And I stop by her place sometimes. She gave me the key to her apartment and said she might be gone for weekends or even a week, and that she'd call me to go to her place to open the windows and water the flowers she has there."
Kite looked up from the notebook where he keeped jotting in and studied Michelle closely.
"So that's why he gave you the key?" He asked as he wrote.
"Yes," said Michelle a little bit confused. "That's what he told me."
"Got it," said Kite, continuing to write down his notes.
"Any friends or buddies?" Kite asked with a calm face.
"Well...as far as I know...no..." Michelle said smiling.
"Do you know anyone who would want to harm Miss Annika?" Kite asked, closing his notebook and putting his pen on the table.
Michele shook her head, as if dodging a bee.
"No way. Sir…"
"Kite. Kite Selby."
"So...excuse me...Mr. Selby. You know that's why we didn't even go to the police. It may be a simple fact and we don't want it known or even spread out in the newspapers. The dean of the faculty has decided to put me in charge of this job. He knows we're very good friends and he doesn't want to make a fuss about it. You know, the press is always looking for stories like this to throw in the paper right away, maybe even on the front page. We don't want that kind of publicity. And Annika was as simple a person as you and I. She only had a few good friends and a lot of colleagues. But no one I know would have wanted to harm her."
Kite waited for her to finish and smiled reassuringly.
"Alright Mrs. Michelle. I'll take over this case starting today. Don't worry, I'll get back to you as soon as I hear anything. I hope to get this resolved as soon as possible. Leave me a contact number and address, but either way, come back in a week's time, same time as today, if possible. Talk to my secretary on your way out and tell her to set up an appointment. I now have enough data to begin the investigation. If there's nothing else…"
Michelle stands up, adjusting her black skirt.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Selby, for your time. Don't worry about the compensation. A small advance is already in this envelope in which you also have her photograph and the key to the apartment. Money is not a problem for us. We just need to find Annika, that's all we care about," Michelle said and held out her hand, wearing her cream-colored, soft leather glove.
"Nice to have met you, Miss Michelle," Kite said, gently squeezing the fingertips of Michelle's delicate hand.
"And me too. Have a good day," Michelle said and walked out the door of the small office.
Kite was left alone. He always liked the surreal atmosphere that the quiet of his wood-paneled office gave him, when there was no one else around. He got up from his chair and went to the window. Through the large window of the room he could see the traffic and the magnificent view of the city from above. He began to daydream. He wondered when the sun that hadn't appeared for days in the Manhattan sky would appear. He looked at his watch. It was almost 1:30. He pressed the first white button on his phone.
[....]
