Odys and Leonard hurried to the department store on Nohaus Island. A department store in a small city like this could hardly compare with those in Backlund.
Though it had two floors, Odys couldn't shake the feeling that it was a small-town supermarket.
After looking around and finding the offices, Odys and Leonard barged in. They found the store's owner, Jeff, flirting with his secretary.
Before Jeff could recover from his surprise, Odys strode up, grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him off the floor. "I'd like to ask you a few questions."
Leonard gestured for the frightened secretary to leave, then closed the door.
He looked at Odys and Jeff. That doesn't seem like a very polite way to ask questions.
Jeff struggled, but when he couldn't break free, he knew he was up against someone formidable. "P-please, ask away."
Odys said, "How do we find Balk?"
"You can't..."
Odys made as if to throw Jeff across the room.
"You really can't!" Jeff blurted out. "Who could find a Ghost Ship on the open sea?"
Odys asked, "Then which direction from Nohaus Island has he been appearing in lately?"
"I really don't know!" Jeff said miserably. "All I do is gather information for him and help him sell stolen goods.
"He pays me, and I do the work. That's all."
Leonard spoke up. "I think we should interrogate him my way."
Odys played along. "What way?"
"I invade his mind," Leonard said. "Then I scramble his thoughts. After that, he'll obediently answer anything we ask.
"The only negligible cost is that he'll be an idiot for the rest of his life."
Jeff swallowed. He had encountered a little Beyonder information, and he seemed to remember hearing about something like that while chatting with Beyonders.
Odys said, "How can