[Veritas]

"Manny?"

Manny looked up from his monitor, startled to see Criss with the head of security with him in the editing room. "What's the deal?" he asked nervously.

"Did you take a couple of envelopes containing photographs of me and Dad from my office?" Criss demanded.

"A couple of...oh, yeah!" Manny suddenly remembered. "You wanted me to add some pictures of your dad in the show, but you never gave them to me, so I went to your office to see you about them. But you weren't there, and your office door was open, and I saw the envelopes, so I took the liberty of taking them myself. I meant to return them to you after I was finished."

"Only one of the envelopes contained pictures of Dad," Criss told him. "The other ones were me."

"The nudies?"

"Yeah, the nudies."

"I saw them," Manny admitted. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to include those, so I pretty much left them alone."

"Thanks," Criss said. "Now where are they?"

Manny rose from his seat. "Gimme a minute here, willya?"

He sifted through the pile of files and envelopes, reading each carefully. After tossing aside half of one stack he triumphantly held up the worn envelope. "I found them!" he cried triumphantly, and handed it to Criss.

Criss took the envelope, opened it, and withdrew the precious glossies of his father in his prime. Macaffey could not help but be impressed. "That's your dad?!" he said, amazed.

"Yeah, that's my dad," Criss affirmed sadly. "He used to pose for bodybuilding magazines forty years ago. He was a real fitness buff back in the day."

"So what happened to him?" Macaffey asked. "If you don't mind my asking."

"He died thirteen years ago," Criss replied. "Stomach cancer. He was only sixty when he passed away."

Macaffey shook his head sympathetically. "Pity. My old man lived to be almost eighty before he bit the big one. One day he was alive and kicking, next morning--bam! Coronary, two AM." He sighed resignedly. "Well, that's life for you, I guess."

Criss turned back to Manny. "What about the other envelope? Where is it?"

Manny turned back to his stacks. "It's gotta be here somewhere," he muttered. "I know I put it with your dad's." He shifted, tossed, and sorted out the piles of envelopes, folders and other clutter. "I'm sure it was right here. I know it is."

Criss handed the old Manila envelope to Macaffey and joined in the search. Envelope after envelope, folder after folder was carefully examined and discarded. Manny's desk was practically cleared off when they gave up the search. "I don't know what happened, Criss," he said. "I swear those pictures of you were right on top of the ones of your dad."

"Who else was in your office?" Macaffey barked.

"No one," Manny replied. "The only other person who comes in here is the cleaning person to empty the trash, but they're pretty trustworthy, so I doubt..."

Criss looked at Macaffey. "Check the maintenance staff," he ordered the chief. "See if anyone took it."

Macaffey nodded, handed Criss the envelope, and strode out of the room. "Keep looking for that envelope," he told Manny. "That cleaning lady or whoever may not be as trustworthy as you think."