The Conspiracy Next Door - Part 4b
Pardon the long delay, but I kept hitting writer's block while working on this. Thankfully, I was able to tinker away at this, so here it is, the next part of my little side project, in which 'Dave'/Michael and Julie have a long talk, her parents get their chance to talk personally with Michael, a trip to the mall leads to a wakeup call.
Title: The Conspiracy Next Door
Author: shinigami518
Rating: PG-13 (but will go into the R territory at times)
Warnings: Swearing, violence, some racism, alcohol drinking, it all depends on what happens with what I'm writing.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything in this story except Julie, her family and her friends. All music used is owned by their respective owners, writers, and singers. This is also, in no way, a slam against Michael Jackson in any way. I respect him and really like him, his music, and his kindness. This is also somewhat based on the rumors and conspiracies over his death. There is evidence of something weird going on. It may just be crap, but you’ll never know…
Summary: Late 2009, a young woman named Julie Shields, a late bloomer Michael Jackson fan, meets her new neighbor, a enigma of a man named Dave Michaels. What starts off as innocent friendship and a moment of kindness suddenly takes a very strange turn as Julie finds herself involved in a very big conspiracy... one that involves drugs, rock and roll, Michael Jackson, and haters.
Links to past parts (at my journal)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4a
November 18th
Janet and Julie shivered as they exited the house, ready to do some early Christmas shopping, along with some clothing shopping for Julie. Both women wore black down coats over their clothes along with gloves, the younger of the two wearing a khaki colored baseball cap on her head.
“Now remember, don’t buy anything that’s already on your list.” Janet warned Julie as she open the porch door. Julie sighed with a nod, slinging her khaki purse over her shoulder. Janet would often say something similar all the times they went out around either Christmas or Julie’s birthday, much to Julie’s annoyance. Also, Julie was still on pins and needles with her mother about her friendship with Michael, still shooting glares at the man when she’d see him.
“So we’re heading to Crossgates, right?” Julie asked for confirmation. Janet nodded yes in response, causing the young brunette to smile. There were several malls that were in decent driving distance from their house and Crossgates was one of the bigger and better of the malls.
Julie was about to say something more when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Stopping in her tracks, she spun around quickly, feeling like someone or something was watching her and her mother. Her eyes soon fell on a familiar person watching the two women from a distance. She sighed, smiling in relief.
“Hi, M!” Julie called, waving at the man watching from the house next door on his porch. Janet stopped walking and turned to see what Julie was looking at and who she was looking at.
Michael, wearing a dark gray winter coat, approached the two women. He had on a navy blue New York Yankee’s baseball cap, a dark blue plaid button up shirt and black jeans under his coat, and some off-white sneakers. Julie immediately went over to the approaching man, a smile on her face.
“Why do you insist on calling me that, Julie?” Michael asked with a slight laugh. Julie just grinned and hugged Michael, who hugged her back.
“No one would guess its short for your real first name and besides, it’d feel weird calling you ‘D’.” Julie replied. She then pulled back, still grinning. “Plus, you did say you could be ‘Agent M’, right?” Julie noted teasingly, causing Michael to let out a giggle. He knew she was referring to his cameo in the second Men in Black movie and his “I could be Agent M” comment in said movie.
“Ahem!” Janet cleared her throat to get the two’s attention. Julie broke her hold on Michael and turned to her mom, who was glaring at them with arms crossed. Julie sighed before looking back at Michael.
“Sorry, mom and I are gonna do some early Christmas shopping at the mall.” Julie told Michael. Michael raised an eyebrow.
“The mall?” Michael repeated. Julie nodded. She then smiled, an idea coming to her. Something that might help break some of tension between her and her mom.
“You doing anything now?” Julie asked Michael suddenly. Michael shook his head no. “Wanna come with us?” Julie suddenly asked curiously. Janet just stared at her daughter in complete and utter shock while Michael just blinked in surprise.
“W-what?” Michael finally squeaked out, still surprised by Julie’s question.
“You want to come with us to the mall? I mean, if you’re not doing anything right now.” Julie asked again. Michael stared at Julie, then at Janet, who remained stunned.
“I… I dunno…” Michael replied hesitantly.
“Julie, is this really a good idea? I mean-.” Janet started to say. Julie turned to her mother, a very serious look on her face.
“I know what I’m doing, mom, and I’m being kind and polite about it. I was curious if he wanted to join us so I could talk a bit more with him… and I’m sure YOU want to talk to him about some things, too.” Julie told her mother seriously, with some anger laced in her words, taking Janet by surprised.
“I… yes, I would like to talk with him…” Janet confessed, still surprised by Julie’s tone.
“Then we can kill two birds with one stone.” Julie stated, then turned to face Michael, waiting to hear what his answer was. Michael still was hesitant, but then smiled.
“Well, I haven’t been out to do anything other than grocery shopping, and I was hoping on going on right now to explore more of the area and probably do a little shopping…. Yes, I’d like to go with you.” Michael confessed, smiling in anticipation. Julie smiled broadly.
“Excellent!” Julie exclaimed overjoyed. A second thought then suddenly came to her, causing her to run back inside the house, shouting “Hold on a minute!” as she slammed the porch door open, then the front door, almost stumbling over her feet as she ran. Michael and Janet looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what the young woman was thinking.
The young brunette then exited the house, holding two scarves in her hands, her purse bouncing as she ran back over to her mother and Michael. She draped one scarf, a black scarf with a white rose design on either end of the cloth, over her left arm and wrapped the other one, a fuzzy scarf of various shades of pink, purple, and red, around her neck. After wrapping her scarf around her neck, she then took the black scarf, got on her tippy toes, and carefully draped it around Michael’s neck.
“Here, to keep you warm and to protect your face.” Julie remarked, falling back on her heals while letting the scarf gently drop around Michael’s neck. Michael began to blush softly.
“W-why are you-? You don’t have to do this, y’know.” Michael protested gently.
“It’s the least I can do for you… for trusting me and my family. Plus, it’ll help protect your nose and mouth like your old masks and stuff. It’s cold season, you know…” Julie replied, pulling away nervously from Michael. Michael stared at her for a second, then at the look of surprise on Janet’s face, and then at the black scarf Julie had given him. He then smiled and tossed one end of the scarf over his shoulder.
“Thank you.” Michael told the young woman. Julie’s cheeks burned in embarrassment.
“Now that we’re all dressed up, let’s get going before the stores get too crowded.” Janet announced, breaking the mood.
“Sure mom.” Julie nodded, letting out a sigh.
“Yes, ma’am.” Michael added. Janet then turned and led the two to the maroon colored FJCruiser that Janet drove. Janet turned as she opened the driver’s side door to look at the singer-in-hiding and her daughter as the approached the car.
“Be careful of the suicide doors, they can be tricky.” Janet warned Michael as she walked up. She then saw Julie open the passenger side door and climb into the back of the car. Michael stared at the front passenger seat before shooting a worried look at Julie, who was placing her at her side before sitting comfortably in her seat. He had a feeling that the young woman wanted him up front so he could talk to Janet.
“Hey, you’re older than me, you can have shotgun.” Julie told Michael with a smile as she buckled her seatbelt, sitting in the middle spot of the backseat. Michael nodded and fully climbed into the car carefully, he hadn’t gotten into such a big car in a while.
“Everyone in?” Janet asked, closing her door as she sat in the drivers’ seat and buckled in.
“I’m in.” Julie replied.
“Me too.” Michael added, clicking on his seatbelt.
“Good.” Janet remarked bluntly, starting up the truck. Julie winced and leaned back into the seat, knowing this drive was not going to be a smooth one.
Several minutes into the silent car ride, Janet finally said something.
“So…” Janet started.
“So…?” Michael asked back, softly and nervously.
“So… anything new from Patti in Florida yet, mom?” Julie asked nervously, leaning forward and hoping to break the ice. Patti was an old childhood friend of Janet’s that she recently reunited with a few months back.
“Nothing yet.” Janet replied briskly, focusing on driving.
“Oh…” Julie sighed, slumping back into the seat. Silence once again reigned in the truck, except for the radio playing Christmas music. Julie’s ears perked up as she recognized who was singing on the radio. “Hey, Michael, that’s you and your brothers doing ‘I saw mommy kissing Santa’!” Julie exclaimed, leaning forward again and patting Michael’s left shoulder.
“It is?” Michael asked in surprise. He leaned towards the speaker and started to blush softly, recognizing the voices of himself as a child and his brothers singing the classic Christmas song.
“Yeah, it’s you when you a little kid.” Julie grinned happily, giving Michael’s shoulder a little squeeze.
“Yes, when he was cuter and normal looking.” Janet added frigidly, causing Michael to fall back into the seat and Julie to sigh, leaning back into the seat as well.
“This is going to be a very long trip to the mall…” Julie muttered softly to herself. Silence once again hung in the air as the song continued until it ended and another song came on. Michael then broke the silence.
“You hate me, don’t you, Mrs. Shields?” Michael asked Janet.
“Not exactly. It’s the things you do and have done I don’t like.” Janet replied coldly. Julie removed her cap with one hand, slapping it on her lap, and ran her free hand over her hair, smoothing it out.
“Mom, I told you several times already, those allegations were bogus and full of lies. He never molested kids, end of story.” Julie stated with a groan.
“What about him painting himself white? And the fact that his kids don’t look like him? They’re not black because he prefers being white and having white kids.” Janet remarked very bluntly and forgetting momentarily that Michael was sitting in the passenger seat. Julie gasped, and then looked at Michael, who was staring at Janet in total disbelieving shock.
“Oh shit, here we go…” Julie whispered softly, leaning as far back into her seat as possible. Her mother had done something she shouldn’t have done: she spoke badly about Michael’s children, AND in front of Michael.
“I do not paint myself, nor have I ever bleached myself.” Michael began, steadily growing angrier as he continued to speak. “I really do have a condition - Vitiligo - that destroys and has destroyed the pigmentation of my skin. That is why I walk around with an umbrella. My skin is badly affected by sunlight now. It’s not like I can control what’s going on with my body, especially when it involves my skin.” Michael was now shaking slightly, tears forming in his eyes. “Also, how dare you bring up my children in such a manner like how you did? I love my children dearly and I would give anything and do anything just to see them and hold them again. They are my angels and I would gladly die for them.” Michael’s voice wavered as he talked, his usual warm, high voice dropping into a cold, deep tone, his more personal and private voice that Julie heard at least once or twice when they were out walking, and when he was talking with her and Robert a few days before.
“But they don’t look like you. The little one maybe does, but not the others.” Janet remarked boldly.
“Mom, I don’t look like you, but I’m still your daughter!” Julie butted in, gathering the courage to speak up again against her mother. “Remember, dad says I look like Nan, not you or him. Plus, Prince, Paris, and Blanket are mixed race, so they are bound to look different compared to their parents.” Julie went on, trying to control her building anger.
“Julie, how can you defend him so-?” Janet started to ask in disbelief.
“Because I actually looked into some of those stories and read up on those rumors and lies, especially the shit that wasn’t entirely revealed by the media and stuff. I just didn’t listen to one side of the story, I looked at both and realized there’s a whole lot of shit the media doesn’t say, especially when it pertains to this guy!” Julie retorted in response, pointing to a still angry, but now surprised Michael. Michael took a second to collect himself before talking again to Janet.
“You can criticize me all you want, Mrs. Shields. I’ve dealt with that for many years, but don’t you ever mention my children in that manner ever again. I don’t criticize you about your looks, your mannerisms, or your children. Please try not to do that to me. I’m a human being, too, in case you’ve forgotten.” Michael stated calmly, but sternly. Once again, the only sound heard in the car was the radio playing, ironically enough, “Happy Christmas (War is Over)” by John Lennon.
Janet let out a sigh after almost a minute of silence, letting all that Michael and Julie say sink in. It was true what he said about being criticized, she hated being accused of things, especially with some personal problems going on between her husband and his family. The fact that her daughter had told her off while defending a man who, up until a few months ago, was someone she thought was a perverted freak that happened to be a talented singer, dancer, and performer, was also quite effective in making her rethink some of her past thoughts.
“I understand, and… I guess you’re right. Both of you. I’ve… I’ve heard so much about you from the media…,” Janet started to say.
“A lot of the bad and blown out of proportion ones, I’m sure.” Michael inserted.
“Yes.” Janet nodded.
“If you want to know, plenty of them are false, including what they said I did to my face. I only had a few plastic surgeries, not dozens.” Michael stated. Janet briefly eyed Michael in disbelief.
“I can prove that, mom. When we get home, I’ve got some pictures that can show that the media made up a lot of those accusations, especially about his face. Trust me, I’ve even asked Michael about it and did my own analysis.” Julie added.
“You did?” Michael asked in surprise, turning slightly in his seat to look at Julie.
“Weight loss and gain, changing skin color, makeup, Lupus, and different hairstyles, plus being shot at different angles and in different lighting can make anyone look different, but let’s kindly drop the argument and continue this at a different time. Let’s try to relax now and focus on having fun at the mall.” Julie replied, leaning back in her seat as she finished talking.
“Right.” Janet sighed, returning all her undivided attention on driving. Michael let out a sigh, then turned back to Julie, glancing at her.
“Thank you…” Michael said softly to Julie. She looked at him in surprise, then smiled kindly in response. Michael turned back to look out the window, watching the scenery passing by as they drove.
“Hey, uh, maybe later next week, w-we can hit the Salvation Army that’s near where we live?” Julie suggested innocently, putting her hat back on. Michael instantly perked up and turned to stare at Julie, looking overjoyed and excited.
“Salvation Army? My favorite store, alright!” Michael exclaimed, causing not only Julie to crack up and smile, but also caused Janet to laugh suddenly due to Michael’s enthusiasm.
“Your favorite store is the Salvation Army?” Janet asked incredulously.
“You find good stuff there. Good bargains.” Michael replied innocently, a big grin on his face. This caused Julie to let out more giggles and for Janet to actually smile a bit.
Several minutes later, the trio arrived at their destination, the tension having been broken somewhat between everyone. Julie kept a strong hold on Michael’s arm as they walked towards the mall, making Janet stare at them in some disapproval. Her expression changed when she saw how nervous Michael looked.
“What’s wrong?” Janet asked the man.
“I-I haven’t been to a mall in a long time. Usually I’m with guards, sometimes I’m wearing something to conceal my identity, or… my kids in masks…” Michael replied softly, looking ahead with apprehension.
“I doubt anyone will notice you, Michael. You’ll be safe with us. Besides, you’re in disguise… somewhat.” Julie made an attempt to assure her friend.
“And most of the world thinks you’re dead, so if they stare, they probably just think you’re an impersonator or something.” Janet added bluntly.
“Mom!” Julie groaned, letting her hand slide down Michael’s arm until it reached his hand. She then grasped it and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry; you’ll be safe with us, just stick with your Dave voice.” Julie told Michael, leaning against him to send more assurance. Michael smiled weakly at the brunette.
“Alright.” Michael said softly. The three continued their walk towards the mall, Julie still holding Michael’s hand.
The next several hours that were spent inside the two story (third if the second movie theatre that was on its own floor was added), almost mile long mall were some of the most interesting moments Janet and Julie spent at the mall. Usually the trips were simple and not entirely entertaining, even when they would sometimes go with Will, but with Michael, it turned out to be quite an experience.
The first few minutes of them walking around was spent with trying to calm a very nervous Michael, assuring him that everything would be alright. They noted that since it was a weekend, most of the people there were more focused on sales and shopping than who was out looking for deals. Plus, Janet noted that there were some colds going around, so wearing a scarf over his mouth and nose was normal around the area.
After the coaxing, they started to hit the shops. First stop was the two level tall Macy’s for work clothes and makeup for Julie. At first, Janet thought Michael would be out of place, especially when it came to clothes, but Michael proved to be more fun and wise than she had previously thought. When Julie was getting a makeup test done by some beauticians working at the makeup counters, Michael would make some comments and suggestions for makeup choices, especially when it came to applying it correctly and what color would probably look good for Julie’s very pale skin. This was the first of many moments involving Michael that would surprise Janet at the mall.
The next moment came when the two women accidentally got separated from Michael while looking for suit pants and outfits for Julie to wear for interviews. Despite knowing that Michael was a grown man, both Janet and Julie were very worried about him, wondering where he went. To their surprise, they found him around the perfume and cologne area, purchasing some items.
“There you are!” Janet remarked, walking quickly over to the older man. Julie followed half a step behind, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Oh hey guys.” Michael smiled and waved at the approaching women, speaking in his ‘Dave’ voice.
“Don’t you ‘Oh hey’ me, what the hell were you thinking going off without telling us like that?” Janet snapped, quite angry and annoyed. Michael rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
“Oh, ah, sorry, I remembered that I needed to get some new smells.” Michael apologized, feeling a bit embarrassed. Janet blinked in confusion, not understanding Michael’s lingo.
“… ‘Smells’?” Janet echoed back.
“I think he means cologne, mom.” Julie explained. She then turned to Michael. “Well, next time, give us a warning or tell us when you decide to ditch us like that.” Julie told her friend. The woman behind the sales counter smiled in amusement.
“You have such a cute family.” The woman observed. Three sets of eyes turned to the woman in surprise.
“W-we’re not a family.” Michael stuttered, starting to blush in embarrassment.
“He’s a family friend.” Julie replied, grabbing Michael’s hand and leaning slightly against his arm, smiling politely. Janet stared at the two, noting Michael’s reaction to Julie’s comment. He was still blushing, but was smiling and seemed touched by Julie’s remark. Janet was surprised by his reaction, thinking he’d be insulted or repulsed by her actions or gestures. This was definitely not the man she read about in the news.
After getting Michael’s ‘smells’, plus a pair of grey wool pants and a pair of black dress pants for Julie and some blouses for Janet, the trio went on to other stores, the ice starting to break between the two older members of the small group. Of course, Julie dragged Michael to the small Toys’R’Us store to take a look at the toys, making Janet groan and state that Michael wouldn’t be interested in kid stuff. Once again, she was surprised when Michael started giggling when Julie asked him about possible water gun battles in the future if she could find some ‘good quality Super Soakers’ in her own words. Julie ended up picking up two Wrestling figures while Michael picked up some random little toys to keep himself entertained, including a foam dart gun and a plastic basketball hoop with a foam ball.
The next couple stores they went to were random little stores, including Hot Topic and Spencer’s Gifts, or as Janet called it, “the Porno Store”. Michael got deeply embarrassed in both stores for different reasons, making Julie giggle loudly and hug him in comfort during one of the moments of embarrassments. He was slightly embarrassed, but touched to see some shirts with his image on them, but he was greatly uncomfortable over some of the more mature products and images in Spencer’s. Julie couldn’t help but giggle as Michael stared at a poster of two very scantly clothed women in a very intimate embrace in curiosity, then in deep embarrassment as he realized he had been staring intently in front of his two female companions.
“Admiring their breasts or their butts?” Julie asked the older man, a bemused look on her face. Michael let out a weak laugh, face starting to burn with awkwardness. Julie then giggled and hugged Michael’s waist. “Aww, don’t be embarrassed, you’re an adult male. You’re allowed to gawk at pretty ladies.” Julie told Michael playfully. Janet still stared at Michael and her daughter, thinking more to herself and mentally checking off another tabloid lie off her check list of things weird or wrong about the singer.
They made two more stops that Janet would note later was quite interesting: Best Buy and Barnes and Noble. DVD’s and possibly a gift card were on the menu for the girls, specifically for Robert and Will at Best Buy. Julie also wanted to, in her own words, ‘spelunk for other things’, and Michael, curious over what she was looking for, followed her, also wanting to browse the DVD’s, games, and CD’s.
“It’s always so damn hard shopping for Will. If he wants something, he either orders it or buys it himself. I wish I had a job and was able to get at least half of the stuff on my Christmas list.” Julie vented to Michael, browsing through the Sports section of the DVD’s, specifically the Wrestling DVD’s. Julie stopped at one DVD, a slightly older release, and picked it up with a sigh. “What happened to wrestling, Shawn? It was so awesome as are you, but now it’s mostly crap with stupid storylines and guys with no charisma and talent.” Julie asked out loud.
“Who’s Shawn?” Michael blinked, peering over her shoulder to see who was on the DVD. There was a man with golden brown hair and blue eyes posing in a wrestling ring wearing black wrestling tights that had white broken hearts on them. He then saw the name of the DVD. “The Shawn Michaels Story? Heartbreak and Triumph?” Michael read out loud curiously. It was Julie’s turn to blush as she quickly placed the DVD back on the rack in front of her.
“I-I-It’s my favorite wrestler, and one of my first crushes. Besides, I already have this; I was j-just musing out loud.” Julie stammered in embarrassment. Michael started to smile in amusement, having a childishly feel of accomplishment in seeing Julie getting embarrassed instead of him.
Wanting to forget the awkward moment, Julie dragged Michael to the video games, where they had a small debate on how Sonic the Hedgehog games had gotten worse since the jump to 3D and who was the mother of the Koopalings, including Bowser Jr. After a few minutes of ranting, including Julie going on about some stupid things going on in Sonic comic, and somehow fitting the Spiderman comics into her talk, and why they haven’t done anymore Mario cartoons, a laughing Michael decided to drag her away to the music section to silence her rambles. That was where Janet found them, Julie looking through the pop music while Michael was trying to find the movie soundtrack section.
“Having fun?” Janet asked the two, making them both look at her.
“Yes. It feels great being outside again and not have thousands of eyes on you the second they recognize you. I love my fans dearly, but sometimes I like to be left alone.” Michael remarked, sifting through the CD’s before pulling out several soundtracks, including “The Sound of Music”. Julie walked over next to him to look at the Soundtracks as well, holding a few CD’s in her hand, which happened to be Invincible, Dangerous, Blood on the Dance Floor, and Off the Wall, all Michael Jackson albums. Janet let out a sigh, noticing the CD’s in her daughter’s hand.
“Julie…” Janet started to say. Julie glanced down at the CD’s she had and groaned in aggravation.
“Mom, these are ones I don’t have. I have the money to get them and I don’t have them on my list because I know you probably wouldn’t get them.” Julie told her mother. Michael glanced over and saw the CD’s Julie held in her hands. He then looked at her in curiosity. “I already have Thriller and Bad, which I got a few years back. Like I told you, I wasn’t as big of a fan as I am right now of you. I’m making up for lost time. Besides, some of my favorite songs of yours are on these albums.” Julie told Michael, giving a small nod to the CD’s in her hand.
“And what are they?” Michael asked, still wearing a look of curiosity on his face.
“Who is it, Why you wanna trip on me, Heal the World, and Give in to me from Dangerous, Morphine and Blood on the Dance floor from, well, Blood on the Dance floor, Off the Wall and She’s out of my life from Off the Wall, and You Rock My World, 2000 Watts, and Threatened from Invincible. I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few, but those are the ones I can name right now that I like. They didn’t have the two CD version of HIStory over there, but I can get that sometime in the future.” Julie listed them off from memory. Michael smiled slightly.
“Are those songs any good?” Janet asked, crossing her arms. Julie sighed, looking back over at her mother.
“Trust me, mom, they’re all good. You ought to listen to some of them sometime.” Julie told Janet bluntly. Janet was going to say something back, but stopped herself when she saw Julie looking through the soundtrack section with Michael, the young woman pointing out some of her favorite songs on one of the soundtracks, which happened to be the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.
“I wanted to sing one of these songs when I did the talent shows for the elementary school and high school, but I went with some other songs. Before you ask, no, I didn’t sing any of your songs. I did “Addicted to love”, “It’s my life” by Bon Jovi, and “Everything I do I do it for you”. I’m not as good as some of the guys who sang, but I was the only one who got her photo in the newspaper when talking about my last high school talent show.” Julie told Michael, smiling in some embarrassment, but with pride. Michael nodded, still smiling. Janet just stared, watching the two interact in disbelief. Michael didn’t seem to be annoyed at any time while listening to her daughter, nor did he resent her telling stories. He even started talking about some of his past performances with his brothers when they were starting out as the Jackson 5, which Julie enjoyed greatly.
At the bookstore, which was their last stop before getting something to eat, everyone split up to go look at their own interests when it came to literature. Janet went to the biography, history, mystery, and war section, Julie went to the music, then the comedy, kids, and graphic novel sections, and Michael just wandered freely, browsing around every area. He bumped into Julie in the children’s section, grabbing a copy of Jungle Book and Peter Pan while there, making Julie smile cheekily at the older man before humming a certain song about being Peter Pan that caused Michael to let out an embarrassed laugh, hiding his face behind his new books. He also found himself in the history section with Janet, noticing the book Janet was looking through were Civil War related. Janet, at first, raised an eyebrow when she saw the children books he had, but was pleasantly surprised to see some more mature books amongst his collections, including at least two mystery novels.
Final little bit coming right after this.