Part X

    In less than two weeks, the video went viral.  The late night circuits added references to Jarvis' moves linking them to everything from White House policies to Stephen Hawking jokes.  Daniel Tosh found his long lost twin or soul mate depending on the episode you watched.  Attack of the Show! overlayed the Super Mario music which lined up fairly well.  It wasn't until WPHL gave the assignment of finding out who this dancing fool was to a new field reporter by the name of Betty Lebeaux.  
    It wasn't a serious assignment, a lighthearted story to get a reporter's feet wet with investigative journalism.  
    "I see people in and outta here all the time," Harry told her during an interview.  "I know the regulars but I can't say I seen him before that video came out."
    Charisse and the rest of the afternoon shift at Sheila's thought he looked familiar but couldn't give a name or any specific time in which they'd seen him.  No luck with most people on NW 17th St for that matter.
    "I'n seenat boy bout ervry day now,"  Angus answered one afternoon.  He would have been the last interview had he not given any useful information.  "He'n come out tha par'mens down tha street there ervry morn', 'at he'n did."  
    "So did you know him or his name, Mr Jefferson?"  Betty asked, hoping this lame story would dry up.  
    "Naw, Miss, can't say I'n knew 'im a'tall.  Jest seen 'im off ta he'n jawb like ervry'n else.  He'n n'arnt tha talky type but he'n looked nice 'nough all tha same."
    "Do you know which apartment he lived in?"
    "Naw Miss, but if I'n a guess er two, I'n put money onna last of tha top floor."
    And why is that?"
    "Jest a feelin 'sall.  A while back my Emma, she'n seent 'im haul a salley dish inna place.  Like 'at'n jerry rigged off the side a that build'n.  Nawt my binness really, but he'n been up ta so'em.  Anna day he'n fool round onna street too.  N'arnt give 'im an hour after he'n went back inna place, I'n seent a red flash from the winder."
    "Red?  Are you sure sir?"
    "I'n n'arnt blind young'un.  Red flash clear as day, 'at it was.  Like a fella take a happy snappy 'cept he'n use a red flash."
    Betty was hopeful that the end of this story was in sight.  None of the eye witnesses she had talked to yet had given anything worthwhile until this old man gave her the closest thing she had to an address.  She left Angus' balcony and headed down the street to the building under the bridge.  To hopefully complete her interviews, she stopped at a group of teens clustered under the bridge.
    "Betty LeBeaux, WPHL 17.  Do you guys minds if I ask a few questions?"  The boys puffed up their chests like a flock of pigeons strutting along a rooftop.
    "We might've seen somethin' lady, but that depends on if we'll be on camera or not."  There was no cameraman, just this reporter in front of them.  It wouldn't hurt to try, Eric thought.  "I'm Eric Givens and these two cats are Frankie Malechek and Tommy Stanskie."
    "Well boys, that all depends on if you saw anything.  What do you know about the dancing geek that's got this street on Letterman?"  That took the cockiness out of Eric in a heartbeat.  His face blushed red and he stood quiet as the other two began whooping and jumping on him.
    "I told ya man, we shoulda sold that video!" shouted Frankie.  "We woulda been bankin by now!"
    "Snap son!" added Tommy, "My man here, Eric, took that video.  We were all standing here when that dweeb came bustin outta that building."
    "Do any of you know anything about him or which apartment he lives in?"
    Eric shrugged off his initial shock.  "No, none of us had ever seen him before.  Just in the right place at the right time, I guess.  I don't know which one he lives in but not too long after he went back inside, there was a red flash from the one up there on the corner with the satellite dish."
    "Thanks guys, I'll keep you in mind if there's a story out of this."  Betty walked up to the building and stepped inside.  
    The building was barely habitable and one bad electrical wire away from burning to the ground.  She knocked on the landlord's door and it gave a little.  It was jammed but not latched.  She grasped the door handle and with a firm shoulder, it opened with a loud creak to emptiness.  Plenty of dust, trash, and junk, but no landlord or functioning management at all.  A desk with no chair sat on her left side as she walked in and a ruined couch on her right.  Along the wall were a couple fallen shelves and a file cabinet.  Some drawers were missing and two lay broken halfway pulled out.  Judging by the dust, this had been abandoned for years.  Betty wondered about the residents.  This in itself was a story if the station chief would buy off on it.  No doubt it would go to Brenda or Everette, the lead reporters.  She jotted notes down in her notebook and continued to look around.  
    Not seeing anything worthwhile she turned to head up stairs to check out the apartment the flash came from.  A glimpse of paper nagged at her hunches from behind the filing cabinet.  Important things tend to get lost easily it told her.  Having to subdue them, she stooped down and grabbed the sheet.  A lease agreement.  One page at that!  She scanned the document which gave her the first solid lead.  

Lessee: Jarvis Bertstrum
Lessor: Edward Reilly
Date of Lease: June 8, 1997
Expiration of Lease: December 7, 1997
Length of Contract: Six months
Unit: 413
Unit Description: 1br/1ba balcony/fire escape
Security Deposit: $100 nonrefundable
Rent: $250
Amendments:  Rent is waived until expiration of lease or unit is repaired, whichever comes first.

    It was a legal, binding document but it made Betty wonder if the landlord had left for any reason other than the obvious.  She folded the paper and stuck it in her purse.  As she climbed the stairs she had an odd feeling of deja vu that continued to the fourth floor, down the hall, to the last apartment on the left.  She pushed the feeling out of her mind and put on her WPHL 17 best smile.
    "WPHL 17, Betty LeBeaux, is anybody home?"  She couldn't hear any movement inside and knocked again.  "Mr. Bertstrum, may I ask you a few questions?"  Again, no answer.  She slowly turned the door knob and was surprised that it was open.  Oops, my bad, she thought as the door stood cracked.  She peeked in and cleared her throat.  "I'm sorry for the intrusion, the door wasn't closed all the way..."
    She saw the inside of the apartment and immediately recognized it from years back.  It was livable now, a far cry from the crates she had seen long ago.  A simple man lived here, and the cleanliness of this space was a far cry from the rest of the building.  Drugs maybe?  She'd have to check when she got back to the station.  She stepped inside quietly and saw the room was empty as was the bathroom.  She knocked on the door to the second room before slowly opening it.  A soft light illuminated her widened eyes and she stared.