Pongo #38

Insa

Where could she be hiding? To the best of my knowledge Cadderine has no contacts other than these quacks she's been seeing, no covert holiday homes in Rio - Crix ,the girl hasn't had a friend round for tea in three years. She's been too distracted to even make friends.

I ring Mum for ideas, but other than confirming that the police know about Cadderine's mental and physical illnesses, all she will say for a solid minute is that she w-w-wants her little girl back. I hang up and lean against a bus stop.

So where now for the intrepid detective? Background research done to death, search on foot fruitless, passers-by tight of lip and the tick of a clock lodged in the ear. All in all, painted into a corner. Only one thing for it.

I lean into a branch of Magland and after a moment's salty gag, pick up a copy of Zoom.

If you can't beat them.

Casenotes

(Found in a cafe in Venn Station by police. Handwriting and skin cell samples match
those belonging to subject)

He's behind me, or someone is. I have no gun. I have no pepper spray.
They're all around, a locked-up circle. Every way I turn,
each café, waxing parlour, cop shop, full - behind and front '
of legs and arms, all shock-repulsive. Fiends
that whisk their tentacles before me, giggle, beep
in triplicate. They shield him, her, it,
fog my instincts, haze my sightline. Torsos
curtain, allowing the false parts
to be slid into place, the knife exchanged
for a bloody counterfeit. All glitter, masking the switch,
as the sawn lady's cabinet is spun to the audience
ready for the reveal.

Dr N. Quellar M.D.

My fellow scholars, as many of you are no doubt aware, our key subject in the examination of the Idolmorphosis phenomenon is at present no longer under the care of myself or my associates. On Thursday night, she left her mother's house and has not since returned. Police are looking for her, and have several potential leads, but no confirmed sightings as yet.

On the plus side, we do have some exciting, albeit long-distance, news about Subject Harver. In past suspected cases of Copycatism, the subjects have always stopped short of lasting physical self-harm. Even in the flagship case of Tommy, the damage inflicted upon himself was mainly for visual effect, and was little more than aesthetic in depth. If the police, or more specifically, our insider, are to be believed, and I am not afraid to tell you that as I stand before you, I am practically shaking, the subject, in the most devoted 'worship' we have seen so far, has acquired at least one malign tumour based purely on hearsay concerning her chosen 'idol'.

I know, I too have thought long and hard about the implications of this news. Suppose the subject is unfortunate enough to die before an appropriate observation period is complete? The recent developments in her idolmorphic behavioural patterns only serve to heighten the importance of the situation as it stands, in two respects: Firstly, that such concentrated and sustained self-abuse in the name of accurate mimicry is thus far undocumented, making her a priceless commodity to practitioners such as ourselves. Secondly, unlike, say, autographs, her value decreases into irrelevance in posthumous evaluation. Therefore, it is paramount to this research that we assist the authorities in their attempts to find her.

Bearing this in mind, I urge you as colleagues and friends to be aware, as you move through the city in the days to come, of everybody around you. Keep a lookout for this girl. She is vulnerable, likely to be weak, and of average height. If you want a full description of her appearance, you need look no further than the movie posters all around you. Weak, she may be, tired, yes, but the mark of a copycat this advanced is to sustain the illusion at all costs. It outranks food, shelter and procreation to such individuals.

Thank you.