A new client arrives

“Miss, I don’t know if you read the sign outside, but it says “P.I.” as in, private detective. We are not therapists, we can’t help you get to the bottom of your little breakdown,” I said, reclining on my chair and putting my boots on the desk. My adorable red-headed assistant Annie gave me a nasty side-eye. She knows she’ll have the clean the table later.

“I agree with Laura, err, the boss,” Annie said, doing well to remember who pays the bills. “I’m afraid it sounds like you snapped, not that you were the victim of sabotage.”

Sitting on the other side of my desk was none other than Lana Miller, up and coming Tennis star. A tall and athletic dame who is off her rockers if the rumors are correct. Quite the looker, if I do say so myself. Easily the third prettiest girl in the building.

“But you have to believe me,” Lana replied, her pretty lips moving with the speed of a racing car. “I lost control of my body!”

“Then I suggest you lay off the drinks, Miss Miller.”

“I wasn’t drunk! This was something completely different. It was as if someone hypnotized me or something.”

“Right, and you want us to find this mysterious mesmerist? Do you know how crazy that sounds? There is no such thing as-”

“Actually boss, I once ran into something similar myself,” Annie said, her lips quivering almost imperceptibly. She seemed to be remembering something she rather left buried in her subconscious. “Maybe there is something to this case?”

Poor sweet guillible Annie. Still, my calendar was as empty as a pool in winter. “Fine, we can indulge you, Miss Lana. We’ll look into your supposed hypnotist. But you are paying half the fee in advance, and you’ll pay the rest even if we don’t find anything, agree?”

“Yes, thank you very much!”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t thank us just yet. On the off chance we find your elusive enchanter…” Heh, alliteration is fun. “…what do you want us to do? Call the police?”

“Oh no. If possible, can you please call me first? I want to make properly thank the hypnotist for, err, the event.”

“****, eh? Understandable. I guess “the event” must have made quite a number on your career, huh?”

Lana fiddled with her fingers. Her pretty brown peepers avoided my own as if they were going to bite them. “A-actually, after the photos went viral I, err, got offers to play in four new tournaments, so… not really…”

“Oh, but I guess your social life is ruined, huh? Hard to get another date with the "rumors" flying around.” Annie said.

“N-not really. Even though she now thinks I’m an exhibitionist, it’s nothing Remi hadn’t seen before. We have another date Sunday at the abandoned house near the park… a place where she says I can, hmm, “be free” without anyone judging me...”

“Well, whatever, you are still paying us to find this hypnotist, so we’ll give it our best shot. To start, please give us a list of everyone you think could have a motive to try to humiliate you and we’ll follow the clues from there…”