Dennis McLaughlin knew all about the Medallion of Zulo. He had it once as a boy - he found the trinket in a riverbed while playing explorer - and used it to turn into his teacher, Mr. Devereaux. Even as a kid, however, he knew that such magic was too powerful to be toyed with, but it had remained in the back of his mind for years. Eventually, once he gained the resources, he began tracking what he thought was sits movement. Police-reported incidents of people, seemingly delirious, claiming to be someone they're not, frequently crossed his desk. Other times, he'd read in the news about some other identity-switching caper that the government may have been trying to cover up. He knew the truth, however, and now that he was 34, he knew that that power was rightfully his.
His first attempt to regain it was in Cleveland, when it belonged to a pimp called Charlie Dee. Charlie palmed it off, however, on one of his ladies, who gave him the slip. It's all too easy to disappear when you've got the Medallion.
The other time it came close to his grasp was when a fisherman caught it in Maine, but he gave it as a gift to his daughter and once again it disappeared.
But this time, Dennis knew he had it. He'd he overheard a plot to unload it at a Yard sale at such-and-such Avenue on this particular day. It was too good to be true, but when Dennis walked over to that driveway, there it was, sitting in an opened box, gleaming in the sun. A teenage girl passed the tin-looking trinked, unenthused. Dennis snatched the box as soon as possible. He didn't want to steal it, and resolved to pay any price. He brought it to the woman and her cash box.
"How much?"
"That doesn't look familiar. Can't be worth much." The woman was obviously not an experienced saleswoman. "6 bucks?"
"Sold." He counted out 6 ones and with a wink said "don't spend it all in one place." The woman laughed, and he turned and walked away, fingering the paper that came with it: rules and guidelines. He was all to familiar with them, but he had to find out the hard way. He considered tossing it away, but figured it might come in handy if the need should arise to explain it.
Now that Dennis had the Medallion, he was in business. He had one case where he knew it would come in handy...
