GALACTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY RULES RULE 1 Wherever you go look for clues RULE 2 Collect evidence but don't touch it or you'll spoil it RULE 3 A good detective knows when to detect and when to run RULE 4 Be patient Don't rush into a situation RULE 5 When in doubt spit it out RULE 6 Just because something appears obvious that doesn't mean it isn't true RULE 7 Be resourceful Use what you have around you to your advantage RULE 8 Always take a closer look you may notice something new RULE 9 Have a plan Even if it's not a great plan it's still better than no plan RULE 10 Sometimes you just have to unleash your inner stitch
CONFIDENTIAL PROLOGUE CONFIDENTIAL TRASH CANS New York City was known as the city that never sleeps There was always something going on in this bustling metropolis regardless of the time of day Morning noon or night people hustled about going from one place to another racing from home to their jobs or out to meet friends or to enjoy a brisk walk through the city's famed Central Park Of course cities don't sleep They don't need sleep People need sleep It should be called the city that never sleeps because it doesn't have to but the people who live there sure need some rest This is probably too wordy for a slogan
And the easiest way to get to any of those places was the subway A series of underground trains that ran up down and across the city's five boroughs including the island of Manhattan the subway could take a person practically anywhere they wanted to go So it wasn't at all strange to see people walking around at any time of day entering any of the city's 472 subway stations What was strange was how one particular woman stared straight ahead as if she was looking through the crowd of people coming up and down the stairs at the Fourteenth Street and Seventh Avenue subway entrance She ran right into a surly man walking a grunting bulldog past an overflowing trash can Why don't you watch where you're going the surly man complained as the curious bulldog sniffed at the trash can But the woman didn't notice the surly man at all It was like she wasn't even on the same planet She just looked ahead her eyes glassy Going to the subway lots of work to do she 9
