Ruby dials the Law office that Mr Franesco is listed under in the phone book.
Ring, ring.
The phone rings once, and a cheerful voice speaks into the line. "You have reached Crane, Poole, & Schmidt: Attorneys at Law. This is Bonnie, how may I direct your call?" You can hear the smile from across the city.
"Hello Bonnie. My name is Ruby, and I'm callin' because I have a letter which is addressed to a mister Kyle Franesco. I believe it might concern one of his clients, a friend of mine. Would it be at all possible to speak to him?"
"Of course! Let me just transfer you. Please hold." Bonnie sounds so excited to help you connect with someone you've never met.
Ruby gets put on hold, something in violins that vaguely classical plays over the line while she waits. After a minute, the line is picked up.
"Kyle Franesco speaking. Bonnie said you had a letter from one of my clients?" Even though it's sounds very business like, he has a very trustworthy sounding voice.
"Why hello Mr Franesco, I'll try not to take more of your time than I have to. A friend of mine left me a letter with your name on it and I've tried the other Mr Franesco in the phone book with no luck."
"The letter is from a young man named Apotheosis, sometimes he goes by Theo. Does that name ring any bells?"
The line is silent for a long while. Just before Ruby speaks up, Kyle asks, "Who is this?"
Ruby laments once more the foolishness of choosing a Shadow name without a last name. It made regular life far more difficult than it had to be. Theo of course made the same mistake...
"Yes... my name is Ruby. As I said, I'm a friend of Theo's. I'm sorry to have called you like this, it's just that none of us expected him to be having a lawyer. We've been going through his things and setting his affairs to rest when we happened on the letter... it's been hectic."
More silence. Then, "No... I appreciate the call. I have some business that I am working on right now, but would you be willing to continue this discussion over a late lunch today? I know a nice Chinese Restaurant that is private enough after the Lunch rush, say at three?"
"Lunch?" Ruby asks a little surprised. She had expected the letter to be the only necessary exchange. This Kyle Francesco seemed to know more than he was saying. "Yes. Certainly. Three is fine. Could I get the address?" She asks, carving the words in smouldering ink onto her slushee cup using only her finger.
He gives her the address of the Asia Garden Chinese Restaurant in downtown Sacramento, "Of course, it's my treat. I'll tell the hostess to be expecting a... Ms. Ruby?" There's the little upwards inflection of a question on that last statement turning it into a question. He'd hate to reserve a table for two if say.. six showed up.