| “Yea.” Max answered. “Where are you?” Scully pondered. “I don’t know. I think I’m in the dining center or something.” Max responded as she looked around. “Where’s Piper.” Doggett asked through the microphone. “She’s in a room that Orman referred to as Lab 3.” Max answered. “Keep listening to her. We’ll check in with you later.” Scully said. * * * * “So what do you actually do here at the Sim factory?” Piper asked Orman who was analyzing the CD. “Well, I helped my dad design the Sims. He wanted a teenagers point of view.” Orman told her. “That’s cool.” Piper said. “Basically, I help my dad do odd jobs.” Orman explained. “Oh.” Piper said. Neither of them spoke for a while as Orman continued to look over the CD. He began to type something onto his computer when he stopped and pounded his fist on the desk. “Oh camel snot!” He yelled. “What is it?” Piper asked, startled by his fist pounding. “The scanner messed up. Now I have to start all over again.” He sighed and then turned to her and smiled. “I’m sorry about this.” “No, it’s okay.” Piper said. There’s that smile again, she thought to herself, where have I seen that smile? And I know I’ve heard the phrase camel snot. Who else says camel snot when they get mad, she wondered. “So, do you think this game is capable of killing people?” Piper asked. Orman shook his head. “I’m sorry about your parents and your TV being stolen but…” “I never told you my parents died nor did I tell you that my TV was stolen.” Piper said. Orman paused. “I heard you when you were talking to my father.” He stuttered. “You told him you only came in when we were asking for help.” Piper recalled. “Well, maybe I heard more than I remembered.” He stammered. * * * * Where have I heard the phrase camel snot before, Maxine asked herself as she listened to Piper’s and Orman’s conversation. She listened as neither Orman nor Piper spoke. She tried to listen carefully through the silence to pick up any signs of anything but the phrase camel snot still bothered her. It hung in the back of her mind. “How’s Piper?” Scully asked. Max tuned into her voice and flipped the switch so she could talk to Scully. “Fine.” She answered. “Has she found out anything?” Scully questioned. “Nothing important.” Max said. “This whole case will take a miracle to solve. Maybe we are going in the wrong direction.” Scully said. “Give Piper a little more time. She might have something.” Max begged. “This case would be more easier to solve if we had to find a bottle with a magic genie in it.” Doggett added in. Max smiled but then stopped and thought. “The genie, camel snot…it all makes sense.” “What?” Scully wondered. “I have to talk to Piper.” Max said. She flipped the switch back to Piper as she heard Scully ask her what was going on. “Piper, this is important. Does the phrase camel snot mean something to you?” Max asked through the microphone. In the lab, Piper listened intently. She thought and looked over at Orman who was busy studying the computer. “Yes.” Piper finally whispered. “Did you say something?” Orman asked, turning to her. “No, just talking to myself.” Piper assured him. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her. There’s that smile again, Piper thought. She wanted to ask Maxine what she was thinking but she knew she couldn’t. “Piper, the phrase camel snot is what the magic genie says in the Sims.” Maxine’s voice said. Piper looked at Orman and jumped up. “Oh my god!” She yelled. “What is it?” Orman asked, startled at her outburst. “Um…I really have to go to the bathroom.” Piper said. “I’ll be right back.” She said. She quickly made her way out of the room. She closed the door behind her and then stopped. “Piper, what’s going on?” Max asked her through the earphone. “Meet me at the bathroom on the second floor. I think I know what’s going on.” Piper commanded. She quickly made her way through the hallway and down a flight of stairs. * * * * “Max, what’s happening?” Scully asked. Max flipped the switch as she walked throughout the building. “Piper’s figured something out. We’re meeting. I’ll talk to you guys when I find out what’s going on.” Max said. She quickly flipped back to Piper and made her way up a flight of stairs. She maneuvered around people and machines as she ran to find the bathroom. Finally, a few minutes later, she spotted the woman’s bathroom. She burst inside and saw Piper standing next to the sink. “He’s the genie.” Piper said. “What?” Max asked as the door shut behind her. “You said it yourself. The way he talks…his smile. It all reminds me of the magic genie from the Sims.” Piper said. “How could he get into a game and be the genie?” Max asked. “I don’t know but I do know that he knew my parents died and my TV was stolen and how could he know that if he didn’t do it himself?” Piper wondered. Max thought about it and realized she didn’t have an answer. “Maybe you’re right. But how do we get him to admit that?” Piper thought. “I have a plan.” She said. Max smiled. “Let’s do it.” Chapter 14 10:47 AM Scully sat restless in the car. She wanted to go in and help Piper and Max. She hadn’t heard from Max in the last ten minutes and she was getting worried. “What if something happened?” Scully asked Doggett. “Nothing happened. They probably just figured out a great plan.” Doggett said. “Don’t worry about it.” “If Max doesn’t contact us in…” Scully began. “Agent Scully.” Max said through Scully’s earphone. “You were saying.” Doggett said. “Max, is everything okay?” Scully asked desperately hoping the answer was yes. “We’re fine. We have a plan and we think we might get enough to name Orman as a part of the murder deal.” Max told them. “Do what you can but don’t get hurt.” Scully said. “Look, I have to go but I’ll contact you when I can.” Max replied. * * * * Piper walked to the door of the lab. Maxine was hiding in a dark corner of the hallway. Piper looked at her and then opened the lab door. She walked inside, leaving the door slightly ajar. Orman looked at her as she sat down next to him. “Feel better now?” He asked. “Much.” She responded simply. “Find out anything about my game?” She asked. “Seems fine to me. I’m running a few more tests but it seems as if everything is in order.” Orman said. “Hey, can I ask you a question?” Piper asked. “Sure?” Orman responded. “What’s your favorite television show?” Piper asked suspiciously. “This may sound weird but I Dream of Jeannie.” He answered. “Not weird at all.” She said. “You said you helped your dad program part of the Sims. Which part did you program?” “I thought he should add in the genie to make it more interesting.” He responded. Piper stared at him. “I know who you are and you’re not going to kill again.” Piper grabbed her CD from Orman’s hand. He tried to grab it back but she looked at it. There was a small hole in the CD. “You think you know who I am. How are you going to prove it? You can’t say I got into your CD and killed your mother by fire and then I drowned your father. Any court would laugh you right into jail.” Orman said. “Are you saying somehow you did get into my CD?” Piper asked, standing up. "That's what I'm saying." |