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Natalie knew something was wrong when she found Dan and Ceazar holed up together in editing while Casey was writing his script at the anchor desk with Babbette in his lap.
"I think Casey and Dan have had a fight," she reported to Dana.
"How so?"
"They've taken their llamas and gone their separate ways."
Dana frowned.
"What are they working on?"
Natalie checked her list. "Nothing overly contentious. Danny's doing NBA, boxing and golf. Casey's got NASCAR, tennis and hockey."
"And they're not in their office?"
"Danny's in editing and Casey's working at the anchor desk."
"With their llamas?"
"Yes."
"Oh dear," Dana said and frowned some more.
"This is not good, Dana."
"I know it isn't."
"They've separated the llamas, Dana."
"I'm aware of that."
"The llamas are inseparable."
"I'm aware of that as well.
"What should we do?"
Dana thought for a moment. "Reconnoiter and meet back here in half an hour."
"And then what?"
"We'll figure it out when we get there."
~*~*~
As it turned out, Dan wasn't talking to Casey because he thought Casey had dissed his idea about a more equitable carve-up of the forthcoming holiday football coverage, whereas Casey wasn't talking to Dan because he thought Dan laughed at him when he was crowing about how he'd added an extra mile to his regular morning run.
"They're being incredibly melodramatic and childish," Natalie told Dana.
"When are they never incredibly melodramatic and childish?" Dana demanded.
"Good point."
They sat back on Dana's couch and contemplated the situation.
"I think the llamas are still speaking to each other," Natalie finally said. "They're just caught up in some bizarro tug-of-love situation. We could always kidnap them and see what happens."
Dana smiled at her fondly.
"I knew there was a reason why I hired you."
~*~*~
It took a bit of doing, but sometime after the six o'clock run down both men had been relieved if their llamas. They were both frantically looking for them while at the same time striving to maintain the barrier of silence they had erected, much to the amusement of everyone in the office. Natalie half expected them to start blaming each other for the llamas' disappearance, but apparently they weren't speaking to each other enough to even do that much.
"Where are the llamas?" Dana murmured to Natalie as they observed Dan and Casey's near panic from a discreet distance.
"In a cupboard in Isaac's office," Natalie whispered back. "They'll never think of looking for them there."
"They're still not talking, Natalie," Dana said, looking worried.
Natalie patted her arm comfortingly. "Don't worry about it, Dana. They will be. By the end of the night, I can guarantee it."
"How are you going to get them together?"
"Jeremy's working on that," Natalie said, glancing at him fondly from across the newsroom. "He's sending them an anonymous email, telling them where to find the llamas."
"It's actually quite funny to watch," Dana mused as they observed Casey searching the office and trying to pretend to Dan that he wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary. "Sure we can't hold on to the llamas until after the show?"
"And run the risk of Danny doing a missing llama report on air?"
"I didn't think of that."
Natalie smiled at her. "Well, that's why you hired me. To take care of the details."
"I think I owe you a drink."
"You owe me more than that, but I'll take the drink anyway."
~*~*~
To: [email protected], [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Llamas
If you want to see your llamas alive, go to the green room at 9.30pm. Do not try and contact the police or the llamas are history.
A friend
~*~*~
Natalie had just stashed herself away in the blind spot outside the entrance to the green room when she heard Dan shout, "What sort of heartless madman kidnaps an innocent llama?"
"Probably the same sort of moron who laughs when someone has finally accomplished something they've been working hard to achieve," Casey shot back irritably.
"Casey, for the last time I was not laughing at you."
"Sounded like a laugh to me."
"Well, you could have just told me you weren't interested in my thoughts on the football coverage instead of just dismissing them out of hand."
"Jesus, Danny, I didn't-- Oh!"
"Huh?"
There was silence after that and then some muffled whispering and then more silence.
"How's it going?" Dana asked, coming up behind Natalie and making her jump a little.
"Okay, I think," Natalie replied uncertainly. "They haven't said anything for a while."
"Did you leave the note?"
"Yeah. And the llamas. I don't think we'll have a repeat of today."
"Well, good." Dana nodded, looking satisfied. She checked her watch. "How long should we leave them there?"
"Hmm, I'd give it another ten minutes."
Dana looked thoughtfully at the green room door. "I wonder what they're up to in there?"
Natalie flashed her a smile and took her hand as they crept up to the door. Peering around the door frame they both had to stifle a laugh when they caught sight of Dan and Casey, both of them clutching their respective llamas as they made out like teenagers. A note saying 'You're both being stupid. Stop fighting or we'll disown you. - Ceazar & Babbette' lay at their feet next to the Barney's bag that had held the kidnapped llamas.
Dana looked at Natalie. "Better make it fifteen."
"Twenty, at the outside."
They nodded in unison. "Yeah."
FIN