text: [Themes: Mystery, detective, noir]
  
  > look around
  Your office is on the fifth floor of a crummy old office building in the lower east side.
  
  There is a single dingy window in the west wall, directly opposite the only door.
  
  The sun streaming throught the Venetian blinds traces bars across the desk that sits in the middle of the room. Bars like the bars of a prison cell.
  
  On the wooden desk is a telephone.
  
  A battered old filing cabinet stands in the corner.
  
  An old desk chair sits behind the desk.
  
  A plain guest chair is strategically placed in front of the desk.
  
  > look at the desk
  (the wooden desk)
  It's a very plain wooden desk with a single shabby drawer. Someday perhaps you'll be able to afford mahogany.
  
  > look in the drawer
  Which do you mean, the desk drawer, the top drawer of the filing cabinet or the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet?
  
  > Desk
  In the desk drawer is a bottle of whiskey.
  
  > drink it
  You start to take another drink but then you reconsider. "Naw. That's enough, Sam." you say to yourself. "I have a feeling that you might need a clear head tonight."
  
  > look up Ginger in the folders
  Which do you mean, the file folders marked A to M or the file folders marked N to Z?
  
  > look at the m.
  You see several file folders marked A to M in nearly alphabetical order.
  
  You thumb idly through a few of the folders before deciding that there really isn't anything helpful to your current situation.
  
  > read the m.
  You see several file folders marked A to M in nearly alphabetical order.
  
  You thumb through a few of the folders but nothing really catches your interest at the moment. Perhaps if you knew what you were looking for this would yield better results.
  
  > look at the north
  (the file folders marked N to Z)
  You see a handful of file folders marked N to Z in mostly alphabetical order.
  
  You thumb idly through a few of the folders before deciding that there really isn't anything helpful to your current situation.
  
  > read N
  (the file folders marked N to Z)
  You see a handful of file folders marked N to Z in mostly alphabetical order.
  
  You thumb through a few of the folders but nothing really catches your interest at the moment.
  
  > Go east
  Your business concluded, you make for the door but upon opening it, you find yourself face to face with two rough looking thugs.
  
  "Well look who we have here, Mickey Boy!" says the one with the weasely face.
  
  "It looks like a rat, Flynn."
  
  "Pity he isn't caught in some trap somewhere. Isn't it?"
  
  "Heh. Yeah."
  
  You step back into the room as the two thugs burst in. As you silently plan your next move, it occurs to you that you've heard these two voices before, through a door backstage of the Top Cat Club.
  
  > talk to Mickey
  I don't think you're going to be able to talk your way out of this one, Sam.
  
  Mickey Boy says, "You know? The boss doesn't like it when people nose around in his affairs." Then he drives the point home with a swift punch to your gut that leaves your gasping for wind.
  
  > Punch mickey
  You hit Mickey Boy with your fist but he shrugs it off.
  
  Mickey Boy says, "When we're through with you, you'll wish you'd stayed in your office, gumshoe." He follows this with a lunge which you only barely avoid.
  
  > hit Mickey with the whiskey
  You smash Mickey Boy with the bottle of whiskey and lay him out flat.
  
  Weasel Face Flynn says, That's a pretty face you have there. It'd be a shame if anything were to happen to it." Then he takes a swing at your face and nearly breaks your jaw. You nearly stagger to the ground before regaining your feet.
  
  > shoot flynn
  That's really rather pointless since you don't have any bullets.
  
  Weasel Face Flynn punches you in the solar-plexus, knocking the wind out of you. "Had enough yet?" he asks.
  
  > check what you're carrying
  You are carrying:
  a bottle of whiskey
  a brass key
  a wallet (open)
  an ID card
  expense money
  a revolver
  a small key
  
  Weasel Face Flynn says, "Don't know when to quit, do you?" Then he punches you in the kidneys, knocking you against the filing cabinet.
  
  > hit Flynn with the gun
  You pummel Weasel Face Flynn with the revolver and lay him out flat.
  
  > search flynn
  Weasel Face Flynn is aptly named. He's a thin guy with a face like... well, you know. When he's not stretched out on the floor, he nervously shifts from one leg to the other as his eyes rapidly dart to and fro, which only serves to enhance the mustelidae family resemblance.
  
  > search Mickey
  Mickey Boy is the larger of Tony's errand boys. He's about six feet tall and well over 200 pounds. Not the sort you want to meet in a dark alley, or a deserted office building for that matter.
  
  > Go east
  My encounter with Mickey Boy and Weasel Face Flynn made it pretty clear that Tony Gabriele was up to something. I still wasn't sure what it was but by now I was pretty sure that Irene had nothing to do with it.
  
  Once again, I ducked down the stairs and headed out into the dark, lonely streets. It was well past midnight now and the streets were mostly deserted. I didn't dare risk grabbing a cab; instead I walked the few blocks to the train station to keep my appointment with Irene. Along the way I had to duck into a couple of alleys to avoid the occasional copper. The last thing I needed was for some flatfoot beat cop to earn a promotion on my account tonight.
  
  It wasn't long before I found myself in front of the station. Now all I had to do was slip inside, get to the center platform and keep my rendezvous with Irene.
  
  [This might be a good time to save your game.]
  
  The city train station is a big, imposing structure made by big men, designed to impress upon all the supremacy and majesty of the railroad. The columned behemoth of a building lies to the north, the gigantic entrance perched atop a short but magnificent flight of stairs like the entrance to some Greek temple.
  
  > go north
  You are standing on the south side of the cavernous room that makes up the main waiting area of the train station. During the day, passengers would fill this room with activity but at this hour it is mostly empty. You can see the room stretching out in front of you to the north. Far to the north you can just make out the set of stairs that descend to the platforms. Behind you, to the south, is the doorway that leads back outside.
  
  You can see one of the city's finest patrolling the room. As long as you stay here near the entrance, you can probably avoid his gaze but you'll need to find some way to cross the room without attracting his attention.
  
  The policeman is patrolling the north end of the waiting area for now but it appears that he'll soon be heading your way. It's probably best to wait here until you've learned his movements.
  
  > look at the cop
  You see nothing special about the policeman.
  
  The policeman is patrolling the north end of the waiting area.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  The policeman is crossing the center of the waiting area, heading south.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  The policeman arrives from the north.
  
  The policeman is patrolling the south end of the waiting area. As long as you don't break cover you're pretty sure that he won't see you.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  The policeman is patrolling the south end of the waiting area.
  
  > wait
  Time passes.
  
  The policeman goes north.
  
  The policeman is crossing the center of the waiting area, heading north.
  
  > go north
  You're halfway across the waiting area. There is a small gift shop to the west and some ticket windows to the east. Far to the north, you can see the stairs to the platforms. An equal distance to the south, you can see the main entrance.
  
  You can see a policeman here.
  
  You turn up your collar and try to slip past the policeman but since you're nearly the only person in the station, he immediately moves toward you. You turn away but he chases after you and soon it becomes a foot race.
  
  Desperately, you dodge and weave but he blows his whistle and soon there are cops coming from all directions.
  
  There is a brief struggle as the cops surround you. By the time it's over, they've added assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest to your growing list of charges.
  
  The cops toss you in the back of a squad car and take you downtown.
  
  After a brief stay in the city slammer, you're brought up on murder charges.
  
  You try to convince Clancy to help you but the best that he can do is recommend a good lawyer.
  
  "Time for bed, Junior" your mother says as she turns off the radio.
  
  "But, ma! They just arrested Sam! Can't I please stay up a little longer and hear how get gets out of it?"
  
  "Sorry. You have school in the morning. You'll just have to ask your friends about it at school tomorrow."
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  The policeman is crossing the center of the waiting area, heading north.
  
  > wait for a while
  Time passes.
  
  The policeman is patrolling the north end of the waiting area.
  
  > go north
  You're halfway across the waiting area. There is a small gift shop to the west and some ticket windows to the east. Far to the north, you can see the stairs to the platforms. An equal distance to the south, you can see the main entrance.
  
  The policeman is patrolling the north end of the waiting area.
  
  > Go west
  This is a small gift shop that sells various items to waiting travelers. Curiously, the shopkeeper seems to have stepped out.
  There's no one here.
  
  The waiting area is back to the east.
  
  In the corner of the gift shop is a magazine rack.
  
  On the magazine rack are a copy of Living Magazine and a copy of the Morning Edition News.
  
  On a shelf you can see one of those toy monkeys that dances and bangs its cymbals together when it's turned on.
  
  A snow globe with a model of the train station sits on one of the shelves.
  
  The policeman is patrolling the north end of the waiting area.
  
  > read the Living
  The cover story of this issue is devoted to the European relief effort. I'm sure it's an interesting article but you really don't have time to read it right now.
  
  The policeman is crossing the center of the waiting area, heading south.
  
  > read Morning
  The headline is about president Truman's effort to promote the formation of some international organization called the United Nations. Below that is a brief story about the murder of Robert Watterson III. Most alarming is a police sketch of the chief suspect. They didn't quite capture your rugged jaw line correctly! You're going to have to have some words with Clancy's artist.
  
  The policeman is crossing the center of the waiting area, heading south.
  
  > look at the globe
  A model of the city train station sits inside a glass globe. Tiny snowflakes drift lazily around the globe whenever you shake it. Suspended above the station are the words "Wish You Were Here".
  
  The policeman is crossing the center of the waiting area, heading south.
  
  > Shake globe
  You give the globe a vigorous shake and little tiny snowflakes begin swirling around the little building. It's rather pretty really. It's not very useful though.
  
  The policeman is patrolling the south end of the waiting area.
  
  > get the monkey
  Taken.
  
  The policeman is patrolling the south end of the waiting area.
  
  > examine it
  It's a cute little toy monkey holding a pair of cymbals.
  
  The toy monkey is currently switched off.
  
  The policeman is patrolling the south end of the waiting area.
  
  > Go east
  The policeman arrives from the south.
  
  You turn up your collar and turn your back to the policeman as he arrives in the hopes that he wont recognize you but it's no good. He immediately recognizes you and blows his whistle. Soon there are cops arriving from all directions.
  
  There is a brief struggle as the cops surround you. By the time it's over, they've added assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest to your growing list of charges.
  
  The cops toss you in the back of a squad car and take you downtown.
  
  After a brief stay in the city slammer, you're brought up on murder charges.
  
  You try to convince Clancy to help you but the best that he can do is recommend a good lawyer.
  
  "Time for bed, Junior" your mother says as she turns off the radio.
  
  "But, ma! They just arrested Sam! Can't I please stay up a little longer and hear how get gets out of it?"
  
  "Sorry. You have school in the morning. You'll just have to ask your friends about it at school tomorrow."
  
  > Go east
  The policeman is patrolling the south end of the waiting area.
  
  > Go north
  You are standing on the north side of the waiting area. Far to the south, across the huge room, you can see the entrance to the building. Below you, to the north, you can see the stairs that descend down to the platforms.
  
  The policeman is patrolling the south end of the waiting area.