Suddenly ... THUMP! THUMP!
"See who's at the door, Terry."
"Sure, Bruce." Ree put down his newspaper and answered the door.
Standing outside, hovering some 6 inches above the pavement, was a trenchcoat, sopping wet. Ree couldn't see anyone inside it, but a female voice addressed him: "Are you Williams or Ree?"
Too shocked to think, Ree slammed the door.
"Bruce! There's an empty coat outside, and it talked to me!"
"Don't be a fool, Terry! Open the door!"
Williams watched as Ree opened the door and the soggy coat floated hurriedly into the office, accompanied by a duffel bag. Below it they saw what looked like mud-covered boots.
"An empty coat, indeed!" said Williams. "See, it left footprints!"
The coat raised its sleeves and revealed, above the collar, a very attractive female head with reddish-brown skin, long black hair, dark eyes and a broad smile. Beneath the head, the coat's lining was still visible.
Gasping, the head spoke: "Guys, my name is Maria Theresa Coates, and I'm a scientist. The rain must have short-circuited my stealth suit."
"Stealth suit ...? Now we get it!" The two detectives looked at each other. "M.T. COATES!"
"Yes," said Maria. "I'm wearing a prototype of my own design. May I sit down somewhere?"
* * * * *
Williams returned to his desk and Ree set up a folding chair near him. Maria took off her trenchcoat and hung it up, leaving only her head and muddy feet visible. Then she sat down on a sofa near the detectives, her head casting an elliptical shadow on the seat.
Williams asked, "Now what can we do for you, Miss Coates?"
"Please, call me Maria. May I call you by your first names?"
"Certainly. I'm Bruce and this is Terry."
Ree said, "You had me scared at first, but now I think I'm in love."
Opening her duffel bag, Maria produced a Zip disk and said, "All my research notes are on this disk." The disk appeared to float and spin mere inches from her chin. "I'm afraid someone may want to use my invention to commit crimes. Will you help me, boys?"
Before either Williams or Ree could answer, the rest of Maria's petite, well-developed body materialized. Rather, her yellow suit materialized on her body, with a large turquoise ring on one glove. A ski-style mask with silver-gray goggles lay in her lap.
Williams turned to Ree. "We'll help her, won't we, Terry?"
Almost distracted by the ring, Ree muttered, "Oh — sure, Bruce. Say, that's a pretty ring you have there, Maria."
Maria put the Zip disk on Williams' desk, looked at her gloved hands and said, "I'm visible again! Thank goodness! This ring is actually the invisibility switch for this suit, which I invented. I also have a male version, and it would probably fit you, Bruce!" She reached into her duffel bag and produced a jacket, a skirt, shoes, jewelry, even lingerie. "My stealth suit is still damp. I need to get into some dry clothes! Where can I change?"
Rising from his chair, Ree said, "I'll set up a screen for you. Hey, Bruce, I've read stories about invisible people, but I thought it was all made up!"
As Ree set up the screen, Williams picked up the disk and said, "Actually, Terry, I once saw a TV news report about a Japanese scientist who was developing an invisibility suit, mostly so surgeons could see through their hands during an operation. Very unwieldy, though: One has to look through a pinhole to get the effect."
Maria stepped behind the screen and began to change her clothes. Meanwhile, outside the building, the rain continued. A man in a poncho stood in the alley near the window, listening in on the conversation between her and the detectives. He could see Williams place the Zip disk into a desk drawer.
Back in the detectives' office, Maria emerged from behind the screen in a stunning marble-gray suit with a pendant, a lacy brassiere and flat-soled shoes. Her damp yellow suit hung over the top of the screen. With purse in hand, she flashed a sexy smile and asked the sleuths, "I haven't had a good meal all day. Where's a good restaurant?"
Williams said, "I know of an excellent steak house that serves beef and venison. It's a few minutes' drive from here."
Maria said, "Marvelous! My car is parked outside! I'll pay for the meal."
As Maria took Williams and Ree out to her car, the trio met the man in the poncho. Ree said, "Howdy, stranger! Nasty weather, isn't it?" The man in the poncho said nothing, but sneaked into the building.
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