In a flurry of industriousness no doubt brought on by temporary Lenten sobriety, New Toulouse saw a number of renovations, relocations, and new businesses in recent weeks. One “coincidence” that a less-observant colleague (I’m looking at you, Jack Mondieu) might have missed is two new detective agencies opening within three days of each other. Sensing a story (or several), I sat down with both to get the scoop.
Part 1: Edward Ramsey, Private Detective
First I spoke with Edward Ramsey, whose office is closest to the Tattler. Because his office is also right underneath my apartment in Spiegel Hall, I knew exactly when he came to work.*
Mr. Ramsey’s office is all business, without any frivolous decorations. It’s full of well-organized clutter, file cabinets stuffed with research, and furniture that’s seen better days. He spoke to me from his desk, informing me in his disarming accent that he’s originally from London and that he worked briefly in New York before settling in New Toulouse, where he is raising his nephew, Gaetano. Given that he has lived here for two years, I asked him why now seemed like the time to open a detective agency.
“Quite a lot of unexplained things happen in New Toulouse, and it has always been an interest of mine to study unusual phenomena,” he said. “It is arguably one of the most haunted cities I have been in, if you believe in that sort of thing.”
I asked him if he did, in fact, believe in that sort of thing. “I try to keep an open mind to such possibilities,” he said, in keeping with the classified ad he recently placed in the Tattler, promising to take all stories seriously, no matter how strange. “It is a fact that almost all paranormal phenomena have root in human activities and strong human emotions,” he explained. “So to be fair and thorough, I would say rather that I am interested in people and the troubles that surround them. The more one understands about what is going on with the people of the city, the better understanding one has of the recent history, and it can better lead to a whole picture. I am not exclusively focused on things like ghosts, vampires, witches, magic, no. But do these stories intrigue me? Absolutely. But my office is not just there to gather that information, I hope I can help people.”
I asked him what he knew about TNT Detective Agency, which opened only a few days after he did. Mr. Ramsey said he was familiar with the owner from her letters to the editor, but he had not yet spoken with her personally. He chalked up their near-simultaneous opening to a coincidence, perhaps even a lucky one for the community.
“Maybe it is just in time, and one [detective agency] is not enough for all there is to do here in the city,” he speculated. “Nonetheless, I expect that we could collaborate if there comes a need. I’d be glad to help out. I don’t see our agencies so much in competition as in complement to the other.”
When I asked if he thought the sudden need for two detective agencies said anything about local police services, he said, “The police in New Toulouse are very business-oriented, but no doubt having a detective on your side could help where police are not as focused on personal issues.”
As Tattler readers are probably aware, some residents, including the detectives at TNT, believe there is a murderer at large who has managed to tunnel under the mud in New Toulouse and take several unfortunate young women to their deaths. I asked Mr. Ramsey his opinion on the plausibility of the “Tunnel Man.” Here, his diplomatic skills soared to new heights.
“You know, it is often true that there are scoundrels in a port like this one, violent criminals who would seek to harm women—or anyone, for that matter—for their own gain or to answer some deficiency in their own depraved minds. Whether or not there is a Tunnel Man, there is always the possibility of a Tunnel Man, and one should try to be vigilant and make good choices, to guard one’s well-being—and one’s pocketbook.”
Another local mystery has captured his interest: the bad investment a certain Tattler reporter made in buying the old Dame de Pique gambling house on the bayou. “I believe the activity there could be a menace worthy of further examination,” he said, alluding to persistent rumors that the place is haunted. “It is shrouded in a mist on the riverbank that never seems to lift. The wind behaves unnaturally, and there is a problem with the lights. Images appeared inexplicably on the inside of windows while the doors were locked and the place was empty, and a ghostly apparition can sometimes be glimpsed in the mirror downstairs. There is quite a story there, I am sure.”
There is definitely a story about why I was gullible enough to buy the property in the first place, so I changed the subject and asked Mr. Ramsey about his hours.
“I am here quite often, available in my office, though if a client should come whilst I am away, or prefer to remain anonymous, they may leave a letter about their case in my letterbox.”
Edward Ramsey, private detective, is located at #1 Spiegel Hall.
*Note to potential clients of Mr. Ramsey: The walls and floors in Spiegel Hall are very thick. Clients should be assured that their business is confidential and that in no way can a reporter from the Tattler overhear any of their private business. At least not when she isn’t home.
Jane Moreaux keeps all four eyes on New Toulouse and one ear to the floor of her apartment.