Dirk was right. Not that it was in question that he was wrong, he was never wrong. He would like to make it abundantly clear that he was always right, even if it seems like he is wrong. And I can't technically argue with that point, because he was never wrong. But that doesn't mean he isn't wrong sometimes, he's wrong a lot... A startling amount of the time actually... But when it came to hunches, he was never technically wrong. It always came back to what he had said.
Even that gum on the sidewalk he thought was important made its way into their day because right after he saw it, he was so distracted texting Todd that someone bumped into him and he fell to the sidewalk and it ended up in his hair. They thus spent the rest of their day with a whiny Dirk who refused to let Todd just, cut it out, no, he would not just cut it out. That's absolutely preposterous. There had to be some sort of magic-gum-hair-remover-serum or machine. No? Are you kidding me?! Humans have spent so long with this struggle and they manage to create the most useless of devices but when it came to something as common and as absolutely annoying as this they had nothing?
So while Dirk would like to point out he was never wrong, I'd like to put emphasis on the word "technically".
Because the person who just barged through the door was integral to the case. A case. A new case. Just as Dirk had predicted.
They stood in the door, arms outstretched, holding them open with their two arms in a wide stance, regaining their breath.
They could be described as eccentric. The type of person who you walk into a room and immediately you recognize that they had been there. No, not in a bad way. Not at all. In the best way possible. They were the type of person you call after a breakup and they bring you Chinese food, ice-cream, weed, and a bottle of your favorite alcoholic substance, not just wine, their poison of choice was whisky. Another immediate teller of the type of person they were.
Their hair was pixie short, fiery, and curly. Their excellent fashion sense was apparent with their checker-print skater skirt, purple turtleneck sweater and white bomber jacket combo paired perfectly with tights and combat boots. A long silver pendant of a skeleton key sat on their swelling chest that angrily sucked in air from the exhaustion of their sprint of desperation. A folder in one of their hands. A spare sapphire blue, 99¢, paper folder that cracked white in spots and was taped together in a hasty attempt to save it. It was the type of folder that you expect to be clearly taken from an old box that once sat in a parent's attic labeled, "middle school stuff" but traveled to college with them in a new box labeled, "memories". It had the once middle-school appropriate label, "English" but it was recently scribbled over and replaced with the words "Cydney Case" sloppily written in broad, black sharpie. Their magnificent emerald eyes glistened with tears that streamed down their beach of a freckled face.
They were indeed the type of person who could make your day with a smile. But the consequence of that was if they were upset, everyone in the same building as them would feel it too. And this was a distinct feeling.
They were making a face. An unmistakable one. The face of someone desperate, lost, and completely and utterly scared and confused. And being the type of person they were, this was felt in everyone.
But despite this feeling of dread and doom, Dirk, Todd, and Farah all exchanged looks of complete amazement and excitement. A full-blown conversation taking place in the span of only a few seconds and only through blinks and brow movements. Most of the "talking" came in the form of "I told you so" from both Dirk and Todd to Farah. Dirk's face suddenly moved from that sentence to, "Right, they need help!" He turned to the person in the door.
"You're making a face." Dirk inched forward, the stranger's arms dropped to their sides, confused with a slight feeling they should be offended at that statement but couldn't shake the feeling that this person was who they needed to be talking to. That this strange and slightly rude Brit could solve all of their problems while simultaneously adding a million more new and more terrifying ones.
"A face I know too well," Dirk continued. " Your life just became strange in a way it has never been, everything changed, and you don't know what to do. You're lost, scared, and completely confused. All of a sudden, in a strange way, somehow, you found this place."
"How did you-"
"My name is Dirk Gently, this is my detective agency, hence the sign." He pointed at the wall behind him. "That's Todd, my lovely assisboyfriend. And that's Farah, she... helps." She shot him an annoyed look to which he smiled at before turning back to the stranger. "How can we help you?"
"I don't know! I don't know any of what's happening and it's all frankly terrifying."
"Well, then you've most certainly come to the right place. Weird is our specialty, we've heard everything." He guided them to one of the couches in their office space. "Can you start by telling us your name?"
They sat down and sniffed, "My name's Robyn. I use they/them so I'd really appreciate it if you used those."
"Of course, using them was never in question. Basic human decency. Plus, we're all queer here." Todd held out the box of donuts offering them one. "Like he said, I'm his boyfriend and Farah over there is gay too. You'll like working with us."
Robyn smiled and took a blueberry one, perplexed as to their appearance as no one ever considers ordering their favorite. Call it a hunch on Dirk's part.
"Now comes my favorite question," Dirk's eyes filled with an inquisitive sparkle. "I don't think I even have to ask it, but I love asking it... Are you a clue, an accomplice... or an assistant? That is to say, have you noticed an acceleration of strangeness in your life as of late?"
"Yes."
Everyone screamed internally as their faces lit up.
"An assistant!" Dirk extended his hand for a formal shake as a welcome-aboard. "Welcome new assisfriend!"
"Assis- I haven't even told you what happened yet. I'm sure you won't want to take the case-"
"We take any cases we can get," Todd said as he sat down next to Dirk on the couch facing Farah's desk.
"Alright then, tell us what happened," Dirk said. "Take notes, Farah?"
"Got it." She walked over to her desk to begin typing when they were ready.
"Ok... my best friend is missing. She has been for a week but the police say it's a runaway or suicide or something. There aren't any clues, nothing strange. She just came out of her room one day with a backpack and left. She didn't say anything, no goodbye, nowhere she was going."
"Very strange indeed," Dirk said. Making a mental list of possibilities.
"She was blank, expressionless, a shell. She wasn't herself."
"This is right up our alley," Farah said.
"I almost believed them, maybe I should believe them even more now."
"Why's that?" Dirk asked with a tilt of his head to the side.
"Her little sister died yesterday, they just announced the cause of death this morning-"
"Nova." She and Dirk both said at once.
"How did you-"
"Her sister wouldn't happen to be named Margaret, would she?" Todd asked.
"Yes! How did you know?!"
"I'm not holistic like Dirk, I do get visions in cases though-" he hastily added, getting distracted before he came to the startling realization, "SHIT Dirk! We have a case! I have to stop taking my meds!"
"Not on my watch. You will take your meds whether you like it or not. We can make it through on my hunches."
"But-" Dirk quickly raised a finger to Todd's lips, telling him to stop.
"No. You will take your meds." He stared him in the eyes, making it clear there would be no arguing. He cared about Todd too much to see him suffer without need. Even with need.
"Last case we didn't have much to work on-" He said the second Dirk's finger lowered.
"Last case we weren't technically hired. We will have more information. You will take your meds, end of discussion."
"All of this talk of meds and visions and I don't know what... holistic? What does that even mean?!"
"I get hunches that are always right." Dirk turned back to Robyn. "The world is strange, very strange. The universe is broken and thus odd things happen. And not odd as in 'life is weird' odd, odd as in magical, psychic, supernatural or comic odd. So the universe sends people like me information to help fix things."
"That's a LOT to take in..."
"You'll get used to it pretty quickly," Farah said.
"So... you think you can help? Will you take the case?"
They all exchanged looks of excitement before they all said, "OF COURSE!'
"Thank you! You have no idea how much I miss Cydney." They handed Dirk the folder. "When can you start?"
He sifted through the contents of the flimsy blue folder. It was filled with photos, her phone number, her social media, her address. Places she went to a lot like clubs or restaurants. A full list of classes. They provided a list of possible contacts and their phone numbers, social media, and addresses. Everything that Robyn thought would be useful. It was useful.
Dirk smiled and stood up abruptly. "Immediately. Do you think we could come by and search for clues?"
"Sure. Anything to help me find her sooner."
—————————-
The apartment was small-ish. Still bigger than Dirk and Todd's studio which had been only a slight upgrade since Todd moved upstairs.
There was a small center room, kitchenette barely separate from the living room but this was made up for in the two separate bedrooms.
"Her room's through here." Robyn led them through the cozy grey living space into the hurricane that was once Cydney's room.
Books lie scattered around and open on the floor and bed. Clothes had been thrown carelessly about. Papers erratically splayed throughout the room.
"Sorry about the mess. I was searching for any clues myself. Have at it."
Dirk immediately began searching through the various books, Todd assisted. Farah gathered the papers.
"Odd." Dirk's brows furrowed, perplexed. He turned his head to Robyn who was leaning up against the doorway. "Did you write the file wrong? Because these are all books about ancient Greece. I thought she was an American history major."
"Oh she was, I found it all weird myself." They answered.
"They're all about mythology, culture, and architecture," Todd added, staring at a particular book. One that Cydney must have considered very important as it was dog-eared all over and filled with highlighted sections. "Look at this."
Dirk and Farah leaned over his shoulder, Robyn stood upright and walked over.
"Plato?" Farah asked.
"That's what the cover says," Todd replied.
Dirk took the book from Todd and began flipping through the pages, intently focused and analyzing its possible connectedness. He didn't get an answer from the universe but none-the-less decided to ask, "Mind if we take this?"
"Go ahead. You're the detectives."
"This is very interesting," Dirk said. Analyzing the highlighted sections in the book, most of them had to do with his philosophies and moralities. Some having to do with his stance on religion and mythology. "Did Cydney ever express a love- or interest in Greek... stuff. Like history or mythology... mythology. OH! What if, like the Norwegian gods, the Greek gods are real?!"
"What?!" Robyn had enough crazy bullshit for one day.
"Ignore him," Farah assured them, "He says he's met Thor."
"I HAVE! And frankly, I'm a little offended, and I'm sure Thor is more offended, that after all of the idiosyncratic situations we've been in you don't believe in him. And you don't believe that I've met him."
"It's ok, Dirk... let it go." Todd patted his shoulder.
"Anyway... to answer your question, Cydney never really was interested in this stuff. Imagine my surprise to discover this shit." They gestured to the mess.
Farah held up a brochure for a cruise to Greece. "Do you think this is where she went?"
"Doubt it. We're poor as fuck."
"I think..." Dirk grabbed the blue folder that sat next to him and sifted through the papers. "I think we should go to that club. Hunch."
"Well if it's a hunch then we should definitely do it," Todd said.
"That should be it for now." Dirk shot up. "We have calls to make... the folder. We'll be in touch."
"That's it?"
"Yes. Thank you for letting us here."
"Of course. I should be thanking you for taking such a ridiculous case."
"Ridiculous is our specialty." He smiled and tilted his head before he came to a shocking realization. "THAT SHOULD BE OUR NEW SLOGAN!"
"I think that's pretty clear from our current one," Farah said.