Episode 9

The Mutual Broadcasting System brings you another episode of Life in Hyperion.

Today's episode: "The Beginnings of a Legacy", Part 9

Yesterday, Cy and Conrad went over their clues so far and found little that led to the location of the missing pinball machine. Cy then decides to follow the machine back to its source: the Shulman family, which led to a visit to the Shulman house. When we left off, Cy and Conrad were debating their success...

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"Listen to that." says Cy as his ears pick up the sounds of an piano being played.
"Sounds nice." says Conrad.
"That's the theme song to our show, and my mother's." says Cy.
"It's coming from the living room." says Conrad.
"I can't believe someone knows the theme song to Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." says Cy as the two move forward.
"Why would anyone play it?" asks Conrad.
"If you have that much money, you can have anything played by your own personal musician." says Cy.
"I don't think Mr. Shulman has that much money." says Conrad.
"Everyone need a cup of coffee in the morning. Don't tell me you can't get that kind of money." says Cy.
"If you say so." says Conrad.
The two soon arrive in the living room and the place is an expression of wealth,
with a large marble fireplace and expansive furniture. Many paintings hangs on the walls,
some look very expansive themselves.
"Look at this room, Conrad." says Cy.
"I'm looking, I'm looking." says Conrad.
"I think the piano is over there." says Cy, pointing to a grand piano in the middle of the room.
"There's a girl at the piano." says Conrad, pointing her, a girl dressed in fine clothes.
"I can see that." says Cy.
"I wonder who she is?" asks Conrad.
"I've never seen her. Must be Mr. Shulman's hired piano player." says Cy.
"Why would anyone, even someone with lots of money, hire a piano player to play in their home?" asks Conrad.
"Because it brings atmosphere to a room without having a stereo." says Cy.
"Is there one point I can bring up that you don't have an answer for?" asks Conrad.
"We talk to each other for one hour five days a week on the radio, I must do it sometimes." says Cy.
"I can't seem to recall lately." says Conrad.
"There must something I said that you beat me on." says Cy.
"Not to my knowledge." says Conrad.
"Oh, yeah, let me tell you something, Conrad." says Cy.
"I'm waiting." says Conrad.
"Hello, Cy." says a voice.
"Hello, Joanne. Now, as I was saying... " says Cy before he realizes what he has said, "Did I just say, 'Hello, Joanne'?"
"You did." says Conrad.
"Why did I say that?" asks Cy.
"Maybe because I said hello to you." says the voice.
Cy and Conrad then turn their head and spy Joanne standing next to them.
"Joanne!" says Cy.
"Cy, what are you and your friend doing here?" asks Joanne.
"We're here on business." says Cy.
"What kind of business?" asks Joanne.
"Detective business." says Cy.
"I see, Cy." says Joanne.
"By the way, my name is Conrad Harris." says Conrad.
"The Conrad Harris? Cy's co-star on his morning show?" asks Joanne.
"That's me." says Conrad.
"She actually listens to our show." says Cy.
"All my friends do. They think you guys are the funniest duo on the radio." says Joanne.
"We found our fans." says Conrad.
"I guess so, every single one of them." says Cy.
"What do you mean?" asks Joanne.
Before Cy can answer, a man walks into the room.
"Who are you guys?" asks the man, who's dressed in a 1940s fashion and sounds a little like Jackie Mason.
"I'm Cy Scott, and this is my associate, Conrad Harris. We're private detectives hired by Mr. Gold to find the pinball machine." says Cy.
"You mind telling me what you two are doing here?" asks the man.
"Looking for the pinball machine." says Cy.
"Well, everyone's looking for it, including my son." says the man.
"You're Mr. Shulman's father?" asks Cy.
"That's right, Joe Shulman I. I founded this coffee company back in 1953 after having one too many cups of bad coffee." says the man.
"That was the year my mother was born." says Cy.
"Then your mother is as old as my coffee." says Joe I.
"My mother's been dead for about five years, so your coffee's now older than her." says Cy.
"What an interesting way of looking at things, unlike my son." says Joe I.
"I can hear you, dad." says a man, entering the room with Joe III, dressed in a black business three-piece suit and tie combo with a head of graying hair.
"You must be the Mr. Shulman we came to see." says Cy.
"That's right, Joe Shulman II, current CEO of Shulman Coffee." says the man.
"These two came here to ask about that pinball machine you lost." says Joe I.
"I didn't lose it, dad." says Joe II.
"I give you that machine and the minute you sell it, it goes missing." says Joe I.
"I didn't do it on purpose." says Joe II.
"Of course you didn't. No one's that stupid, maybe." says Joe I.
"What's that suppose to mean?" asks Joe II.
"Nothing, son, nothing." says Joe I.
"Guys, forgive for interupting your heart-to-heart fight, but we need some information about the machine. Now, who bought it?" says Cy.
"I did, back in '73. This boy here said he wanted to be a pinball champ, so I got him the machine to practice. He did nothing but play, and he didn't become a pinball champ. All he did was take control of my company." says Joe I.
"You gave it to me when you retired." says Joe II.
"I felt you could run it. I gave you that machine and you decide to sell it for advertising." says Joe I.
"In this economy, you need all the help you can get." says Joe II.
"I know, and the minute he sold it, it goes missing." says Joe I.

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Tomorrow, Cy and Conrad finish their visit and head back to WHYP, where their investigation turns up nothing else.

Join us, won't you?
Yours truly, John Maxwell.

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