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CHARACTERS · THE CREWRIGHT 60%

TOM

KNOWSCUSTOMS
RIGHT60% OF THE TIME

Knows customs, or his cousin at Heathrow does. Right 60% of the time, and the true half and the wrong half arrive in the same paragraph.

Tom knows customs, or knows someone who does: his cousin works at Heathrow, and every message starts there and goes on for a while. He is right 60% of the time, and the detail is the problem, because the true half and the wrong half arrive in the same paragraph with the same confidence. He is tall, forties, round glasses, a cardigan, and he always has one more thing to add. Read to the end. Then decide which end. He signs off every text with a hedge, and the hedge is just how he talks; it says nothing about whether the rumor is true.

SAMPLE TEXTSTOM
TOM

Cousin works at Heathrow airport. Says they're pulling every bag this week, extra screening, the works, or that's what the baggage handlers are saying, which is basically the same thing. Grain of salt.

TOM

Cousin's mate transferred to Dubai and says they're waving everyone through this week. Barely looking in bags. Every bag, or every other bag, he wasn't clear. Don't quote me.

TOM

Heard Sydney has a dog now. A beagle. For fireworks, of all things, so rockets into Sydney are off from this week. Cousin says it's a rumor but I've seen a picture, or a picture of a beagle anyway. Could be nothing. Could be something.