STetc Gumshoe Interlude p155 ch 21

[Michael Bailey]

(Hicks) "Wait a minute," sometimes with unfamiliar coppers, a gumshoe needs to carefully review who expects what in the way of coordination, "nothin personal, just like to know how it all shakes out, who's workin for who again here exactly and so forth?"

New acquaintance Egon Praediger, having essentially assumed ownership of Hicks at the train station, has informed Hicks that Unamalgamated was behind his impromptu non-volitional trip to Europe. I think this all takes place on the train...we'll see...anyway, Hicks wants clarification. Reasonable.

I like the not-quite invocation of the Gumshoe's Manual here, with an advisory tone and use of the term "gumshoe" in between the 2 pieces of a direct quote. The phrase is also a refreshing variation on "said Hicks", serving to attribute the sentence while universalizing the situation with good advice for all of us who might be in similar circumstances.