“Got any plans for the weekend?” Jonny asked casually.
Alex was instantly suspicious. Apart from the fact that Jonny knew what he usually did with his free time—which was nothing, since he had very little of it—it was a bit much of a coincidence that he was asking today of all days. It undoubtedly meant he wanted something. Especially since he’d suggested they grab a pint after work. Sometimes that just meant they’d had a shitty week and needed to decompress, occasionally it was to discuss the podcast he swore he was working on that Alex had offered to produce once he gave him a clear show bible, but paired with a question about his weekend plans…yeah, he was definitely going to ask Alex for something.
“Depends on what you’ve got in mind,” he said, then added reluctantly, “But we’re not recording a game session this weekend. Lydia and Ben both have the ‘flu.”
“Yeah, it’s bad this year.” Jonny took a swig of his pint. “I wonder—could I ask you a favor?”
“You can ask.”
“Yeah, yeah, all right. It’s…look. I’ve got this…friend. He’s kind of in over his head in a lot of things. He’s, uh, he’s actually been helping me with research for the podcast,” Jonny added. “He’s the actual Archivist at the Magnus Institute, and he got me access to the Institute itself to do some research. Told me all about what sorts of things he’s up to and…mate, this is gonna be good.”
Despite himself, Alex was interested. “Like what?”
Jonny waved a hand. “Like the paranormal actually exists, and that plot I was telling you about? It’s almost too close to accurate. I might have to throttle it back a bit, or at least tweak some details. Point is, though, he’s been staying with me for a bit. He, uh—there was a murder, or so he says—I haven’t heard anything about it, they’re probably trying to keep it hush-hush—but he’s also trying to get some more information about something…big that’s happening. I was gonna press him for details, but he had to run off for a couple meetings and I haven’t had the chance. He actually went missing for a couple days, just got back to the Institute today—I happened to be there doing some research—and, mate, he looked rough. Like, the first person he talked to, he came back and he was hacking up a lung like he’d smoked a full pack of cigarettes, but this second person, he looked like he’d had a couple near death experiences while he was…absent.”
“Bit heavy for an Archivist, isn’t it?” Alex had, admittedly, considered becoming an Archivist himself at some point, except he didn’t have a degree in library sciences. Still, he was aware that they were largely office jobs one step above what he and Jonny did for a living, and they tended to be short on near death experiences.
“It’s the Magnus Institute,” Jonny reminded him. “Anyway, that’s kind of my point. He tends to…lone wolf it, you know? Go off and do things without backup. He’s got someone he wants to talk to this weekend and…I dunno, I’d feel better about the whole thing if someone was with him.”
Alex pursed his lips. “So why don’t you go?”
“Sasha comes back tomorrow morning, and I’ve got a gig in the evening. He’s got a team at work, but I get the impression they’re kind of mad at him right now, and he’s reluctant to get them involved anyway.” Jonny looked hopefully up at Alex. “You wouldn’t mind, would you? It’s nothing serious, just some woman at a taxidermy shop.”
“Then why are you worried about him going alone?”
“He attracts trouble. And attention. Not the good kind.” Jonny hesitated. “Look, you’re going to think I’m nuts.”
“I already think you’re nuts,” Alex pointed out. “What’s the issue?”
Jonny took another long swallow before he answered. “He’s Daffy Duck.”
Alex’s eyebrows shot up. “The Toon? I didn’t know he was in London! And working at the Magnus Institute? That’s interesting. And concerning.”
Now it was Jonny’s turn to look surprised. “What makes you say that?”
“No, it’s just—Toons don’t usually leave Hollywood and get mundane jobs unless there’s no market for them anymore. You’d think a big star like Daffy would still be a draw.” Alex shrugged at Jonny’s incredulous look. “What? There were a couple living in our neighborhood when I was a kid. Jenny used to sit for me every once in a while, she had stories to tell.”
“So you believe me?”
“Of course I believe you.” Alex frowned. “Wait, are you lying?”
“No!” Jonny insisted. “I just didn’t think you’d believe me. Sasha didn’t.”
“Well, Sasha’s probably never met a Toon then.”
“So you’ll go with Daffy to the Trophy Room tomorrow? Say about ten? Come by when we’re done here and I’ll introduce you, and then you can either come over to get him or meet him at the station.”
Alex hadn’t realized he had actually agreed to this hair-brained scheme, but he recognized when he’d dug a hole for himself when he saw it. He sighed heavily. “Fine! Fine. But you owe me. I want to see at least a road map for the first season of The Magnus Archives by Monday.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Jonny grinned and raised his glass. Alex tapped his own against it. “Drink up. I want to get you back to meet him and get this settled before he does something stupid like go off on his own.”