CHAPTER 64: Ask The Family

 

Julia Epstein had a long standing invitation to go and visit her best friend, Francesca Griffith, at her home in Windenburg. As this was a day off for Julia, and she was feeling bored at home with her medical textbooks, she decided to take Francesca up on her offer and go across town to visit her.

It was a bright, sunny day and the wide open spaces, the trees and the often rural feel of Windenburg too her back to her childhood. She'd grown up here, but her parents had moved to a bigger house just outside of Sim City so she hadn't been back to this part of town since she was 12. Francesca and her family lived in a modest sized house in Windslar...and when Julia arrived she saw her friend playing catch with a little girl outside the house.

"Francesca! Hello, how are you?" said Julia, going up to her friend.

"Julia, how nice to see you? Have you met my daughter, Stefanie?" said Francesca, pointing to the little girl.

"Very briefly and only once...how nice to meet you, Stefanie" said Julia.

The little girl smiled "Are you mommy's friend from the hospital?" she asked.

"I am, well remembered" said Julia, noting how pleasant the girl was in her manner.

"Come inside and I'll make us all drinks...Rod's home so you can get to meet him too" said Francesca.

They went inside and there Julia got to meet Francesca's often talked about, but hitherto never met, husband Rod.

"So you're the new doctor who my wife has kindly taken under her wing?" said Rod, a very outgoing man with a warm, easy charm about him.

"I am...your wife's been amazing at helping me settle in" said Julia.

"Yep, she's a pretty amazing woman all round" said Rod, looking proudly at his wife.

"Daddy" said Stefanie "will you tell us all one of your stories?"

"Now which one would you like? Funny, true or SCARY?" he replied, pretending to look mysterious.

"Ooh one of your scary ones! I know, tell us the story about the old Von Haunt estate!" said the little girl, enthusiastically

"Not....the story of the Von Haunt estate!" said Rod, hamming it up by pretending to sound shocked. "Very well....but be warned, what I'm about to tell you is a tale of terror, a story of suspense and a saga of sadness....well it all began one hundred years ago at the old Von Haunt estate....you see they say that behind every window on the old Von Haunt estate are secrets....signs....and....threats!"

Everyone was started to get a bit creeped out at the way Rod could tell a scary story, complete with sinister voices and elaborate hand gestures and facial expressions. Even Julia was starting to feel rattled.

"And they do say..." continued Rod, warming to his theme "they do say that on a certain night, when the moon is full and the cock crows 13, that something terrible lurks in the very walls of the Von Haunt estate! So do you know what I did? On one night...when the moon was full and the cock crowed 13 times I went to the oooolllllldddd Von Haunt estate, I went into the oooooollllld Von Haunt estate and DID YOU KNOW WHAT I SAW AT THE OOOOOOOLLLLLD VON HAUNT ESTATE?"

"What did you see?" said a now terrified Julia, who noticed that Stefanie was biting her knuckles in anticipation.

"Absolutely nothing" said Rod, in a plain, matter of fact voice. Stefanie burst out laughing and Julia didn't know what to say or where to look. Rod slapped his thigh and laughed too.

"He does that" said Francesca, whispering in Julia's ear. "I apologise for my husband's strange sense of humour"

"My dad's so funny, did he fool you too?" said Stefanie.

"Yes he did....and I must warn you, Rod, that I am a member of the Dishonourable Company of Pranksters so watch out in future!" said Julia.

Rod made everyone a coffee and provided Stefanie with some milk and cookies. Julia enjoyed the company of the Griffiths and when Rod went outside to play with Stefanie for a bit, it gave her and Francesca a chance to talk.

"You've a lovely family, Francesca" said Julia, watching Rod and Stefanie play from the window.

"Thank you. Do you ever think you'll one day have a family of your own?"

"I don't know" said Julia with a shrug. "That would mean having to find a husband first and I don't think I have the time or inclination"

"No one on the horizon, then?" asked Francesca.

"None whatsoever" replied Julia. She looked out the window again and saw Rod, a fine figure of a man and ideal husband material. "Have you and Rod been together long?"

"Childhood sweethearts...we married after he graduated from College and then little Stefanie came along 18 months later"

"You're very fortunate" said Julia. "I wouldn't know where to start to look for a man...well, one that would want to be with me anyway"

"Don't put yourself down, Julia" said Francesca "you're a catch"

"I'm a nerd" said Julia. "Plus...well, I'm building a career and I don't want to have to quit to settle down and have babies just when I've got started"

"You're the type of person with the drive to make anything a success...if you want to be a top doctor, I've no doubt you'll do it. Likewise, if you want to find yourself a husband I'm sure you could achieve that as well"

Julia stayed for lunch with the Griffiths but then decided to head home. But she had an idea....she knew the Von Haunt estate was nearby so she went and had a look at the place for herself...she hadn't done so since she was a little girl. The place had been restored beautifully and looked better than she remembered. Walking around, she saw a fine carved chess set and a frantic looking man standing nearby.

"Excuse me, you haven't seen a little girl around here? She's my daughter...she's and orange and red playsuit and her hair's in braids" said the man.

"No I haven't" replied Julia "did she run off?"

"I don't think so...she likes playing hide and seek but this time she's doing too good a job"

Julia helped the man search for his daughter when, all of a sudden, they felt a sharp prong in their backs. Julia spun around in an instant and saw a little girl who matched the description of the man's daughter

"You little scamp!" said the man, hugging his daughter in gladness. "Thank you, Miss, for helping me track this little minx down!"

"Your welcome" said Julia, who went back to contemplating her game of chess. Soon she saw a familiar face approaching her: Yuki Behr.

"Yuki, how are you doing?" said Julia, pleased to see the young teenager who had been going through a rough time personally.

"OK....actually, are you using this chess table because I'm supposed to be playing a game with a friend soon?" replied Yuki.

"Oh, no, I was just musing here...no, go ahead. So who's this friend?"

"I can't really talk about it because it's part of this club I'm in and I'm not supposed to talk about it"

"Sounds mysterious..." said Julia, as a rather intense looking blonde haired teenager approached Yuki.

"Hey there...shall we play?" he said, diffidently.

"Yeah, sure....well, it's nice seeing you again, Doctor Julia" said Yuki in a tone that suggested dismissiveness. Julia got the hint and walked on, noticing that Yuki was taking a keen interest in her opponent. Love in the air? Julia thought that such speculation was pointless and moved on. Maybe it was time to widen her social circle? She headed off to the Blue Velvet to see who was in.

The music was playing, but not from over the speakers....there was a double act at the microphone and at the piano. The woman was a statuesque blonde lady with her hair worn in a very long ponytail but the man playing the piano she recognised...that publisher and editor of the titillation magazine, Lothario...Alan Cuffe.

They finished the song to a warm round of applause and Cuffe went over to the girl and gave her a firm kiss on the lips. Julia recoiled in disgust but as she did so Cuffe noticed her and turned to talk to Julia.

"Now I never forget a pretty face...you're the Dishy Doctor, aren't you?" he said, with a smile.

"It's Doctor Epstein" replied a cool Julia. "And is she one of your 'kittens'?" said Julia, indicating Cuffe's musical partner.

"Jolene? Why yes....A very talented girl in many ways. Now I take it you're not married, are you Doctor?"

"Not that it's any of your business but no, I'm not" said Julia.

"Well, any attractive single woman is eligible to join the Kitten Club...have you considered becoming a member? Let your hair down, lose the glasses, I think you'd certainly be an asset" he said, emphasising the first syllable of 'asset'.

"Mr Cuffe...not only am I NOT interested in joining your Kitten Club, I will NEVER be interested in doing so" said Julia, indignantly.

Cuffe shrugged his shoulder and headed off towards the bar where with his friend...whereupon he met another attractive young woman he seemed to know well and bought everyone at the bar drinks. Julia saw a man sitting on his own at a table and, her empathic side kicking in again, she sat down next to him.

"Hello" she said "may I sit here?"

"It's a free country" the man replied. "Unless you've just been kicked in the teeth by your work and your girlfriend in the same day, then it isn't!"

Oh boy, Julia thought to herself, this is going to turn into a long evening!

CHAPTER 63: Played For A Sucker

"How you doin', Jeremy? Can you handle the pace?"

"I...*puff*....can...*puff*...keep....up..., Action, *puff*...don't...worry"

The two neighbours, Jeremy Saint and John Action, did another lap of their street and once past the old, big tree they came to a stop in between their houses.

"I've got to hand it to you, Jeremy" said Action. "You're not bad...for a civilian"

"I bet you do a lot of running in the police force and the Marines" said Jeremy, hunched over with his hands on his aching thighs.

"In the police, I've got to be fast to catch the bad guys...in the Marines I had to stay fast to avoid the VC bullets"

Jeremy waved a hand at him and stood up. "Man...I'm going to hit the shower now...thanks for the run, I enjoy the company and the challenge" he said.

"No worries, stay loose, man" said Action taking a deep breath. Jeremy staggered back to his house and Action was just about to move on when he heard a voice call out.

"You're in my way, Officer" It was Nancy Landgraab.

"Actually it's Detective now" said Action. "Sorry to get in your way, Mrs Landgraab" he continued, stepping off the footpath.

"You seem to make a habit of that" said a very terse Nancy Landgraab.

"Do I? Does it disrupt your activities?"

"You know nothing of them" she replied with a sneer.

"Oh don't count on that" Action said. "I know more than you think"

"You only suspect, Detective, but be warned...I can disrupt your life quicker than you realise. I won't put up with your intrusions or insinuations any longer...cross me again and you will feel the brunt"

"Fighting words there, Mrs Landgraab" said a defiant Action.

"There are fiercer fighters out there than the Viet Cong, Detective" and with that, she started her run again. Action followed her with his gaze until she went out of sight.

Action went home, showered, and headed off to 13th Precinct headquarters...this time in civilian clothes, not a uniform as befitting a detective. As he entered he spotted a tall, beautiful brunette at the front desk. His colleague, Officer Cole Michaels, gave him a rundown on the young lady.

"She gave her name as Francoise Erdee, she's French. I struggled to make out what she was saying, her accent's that thick. Hey, don't you speak a little French, Action."

"Un petit peu. Picked some up in Saigon when I was there. Mind you, the kind of French I learned isn't suitable for general conversation but I'll give it a go"

Action approached Miss Erdee. "Bonjour, Madamoiselle. Quel est le probleme?"

"Au secours, Gendarme! My...'ow you zay, concierge...erm...landlord...'e is gone...erm...'e left this letter. I do not understand all of eet"

Action took the letter and read it.

Dear ladies
By the time you read this letter, I'll be dead. I cannot give you the details of what has befallen me but my past has finally caught up with me. I have instructed my attorney to handle your rental of my property in future. Please do not try to find me, I have to atone for my sins and this is the only way I can think of settling them that best suits all concerned. Do not involve the police, I have gone forever. I apologise for the distress I have caused you with this letter and state of affairs; you are all wonderful human beings and I wish you all the best for your futures.

Yours sincerely

Jacques Villareal

"Please, what does eet mean?" asked Francoise.

"It's something to look into right away" said Action. "He addresses this to 'ladies' and refers to them a few times"

"Oh zat is myself and my two 'ousemates...we are all from France and we are doing...'ow you say...work experience"

Action's mind was suddenly filled with an image of tree gorgeous French women all living together....he assumed the other two must be very attractive based purely on the example stood before him. He struggled to think of a more beautiful woman he had met. He suddenly composed himself.

"And do you know anything about these activities and 'sins' as Mr Villareal put it?"

"No, notzing at all" she said, shaking her head.

"Alright, leave me some details about Mr Villareal's home and....well, contact details for yourself and your friends." he said, putting away his notebook and taking one admiring look at Miss Erdee. He had a girlfriend who he was very keen on...but in Action's mind it didn't hurt to look at the menu of life.

Action wasted no time in heading down to Jacques Villareal's home on the Crumbling Isle, Windenburg. It was an exclusive, difficult to reach place and home to some of the wealthiest people of Sim City. Action arrived there in one of the city's water taxis to find a very attractive, but also very quiet neighbourhood.

Action walked over to the residence of Jacques Villareal; the Von Windenburg estate. He was surprised to find a man matching Mr Villareal's description swimming in the house pool.

"Mr Villareal, I presume?" said Action.

"What do you want?" said the man.

"I want to speak with Mr Villareal. My name's Action: Sim City PD"

Without saying another word, the man swam to the edge of the pool and lifted himself out.

He walked over to Action, slowly, and said "I'm Jacques Villareal. What's this about?"

Action held up the letter. "This letter was apparently written by you and it talks about you doing self-harm and atoning for your sins. Do you recognise it?"

Villareal took a look at it. "Nope. I didn't write that although whoever did made a nice job faking my signature"

"And who would write a fake suicide letter and go to the trouble of faking your signature?"

"There are a lot of cranks in the world; you're the detective, you work it out. Out of interest, how did you come by this letter?"

"Your 3 French tenants...do you think they could have faked this?"

"Those three? Nah, they're sweeties....they wouldn't do anything that would get them deported. Besides, none of them could string out aa grammatically correct sentence in English by themselves."

Action looked around him and took a deep breath. "Do you have any enemies who would want to trouble you, Mr Villareal?"

"Not any more" said Villareal. "Now if that's all, Detective, I want you off my property so I can get back to my swim"

Action took the letter and without saying another word took a quick look around the island to see if anything was amiss but there was nothing. A couple of joggers, a man fishing by the beach but other than that...just the birds, trees and lots of saying don't walk here or no littering. Action waited for a river taxi and departed empty handed.

Back at the station, Action had his routine tasks to perform...one of them was his usual fingerprinting and photographing from serial pickpocket, Kabir Joyson.

"Mr Action...always a pleasure to be processed by you" said Joyson.

"Must be my charm or your ineptitude at escaping from the cops that keeps you coming back here" said Action.

"Oh Mr Action...that's cruel. If your colleagues weren't so jumpy at bringing me in when there's no evidence on me then we wouldn't keep meeting like this"

Action had a thought. "Hey, Kabir, I could make this whole process a lot easier for you; starting with bringing in some decent chow and having a word with the judge that I don't think you're a serious flight risk if he posts bail."

"OK, I'm interested..." said a cautious Joyson. "What's the deal?"

"A bit of information...but let me tell you a story about my day. So I had a run in with Nancy Landgraab this morning...I've been closing some cases lately and her name keeps getting linked to the perps I'm bringing down. So she gives a me a "warning" that I should back off from her affairs. Then, this morning, I'm sent on a wild goose chase...this gorgeous French chick tells me her landlord has committed suicide because of something he did in his past. Only when I go and check the story out, the landlord is alive and well...BUT he has a very hostile manner about him when the police are around."

"And this landlord's name is?" asked Joyson

"Jacques Villareal"

Joyson smiled and drew a deep breath. "Well, well, well Action...you're caught between the Landgraabs and the Villareals. I wouldn't want to be you right now"

"Who's this Villareal?"

"He's wealthy, no one's quite sure how he comes by his money though...word on the street is he's as crooked at Nancy Landgraab but, like her, no one's got any dirt on him. But he's more dangerous than her, that's for sure"

"Why?" asked Action, suddenly engrossed in what Joyson had to say.

"Rumour had it he murdered his wife!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Yeah, I remember the case...I was lead detective on it" said the Chief, when Action went to visit him after his conversation with Joyson.

"And had he murdered her?" asked Action.

"I believe so...so did most of my team. He had motive, means and opportunity but we never found the body...I mean, not one trace. According to him, and his family, she just 'disappeared' without trace and the case is still open". The Chief looked wistfully out of his office window. "So now Jacques Villareal has appeared on your radar...you best be careful. Like his wife, a couple of good cops have 'disappeared' when they've tried to go after him."

"What of his other criminal activities?"

"We can't tie him to anything!" said the Chief, suppressing his annoyance. "Oh we've tried...so what do you make of this fake suicide letter?"

"My hunch is that someone wants me to take a closer look at him and this was a way of an introduction" said Action, tapping his fingers together.

"Who would do that? An ally?"

Action shook his head. "The opposite...someone who wants me to stop taking a closer look at them: Nancy Landgraab"

"Now come on, we've talked about this before Action...the Landgraab's are donors to the Police Benevolent Fund and are upstanding members of the community!"

"I don't know, Chief...their names keep coming up on my recent cases"

"Look....run with whatever leads you have but don't go on any wild goose chases with the Landgraabs and be careful around Villareal!"

Action got up, did a casual salute to the Chief and went about his duties. At the end of the shift he felt restless so he gave his girlfriend, Katherine, a call and invited her over.

She arrived, tense and angry.

"Hey, baby, what's the matter?" asked Action.

"Oh I've just had a horrific day!" said Katherine. "One of the charities I'm involved in got its funding cut! We've been dependent on one single, big donor these last couple of years and, with no advance warning, they completely cut their donations to us! We've now got a massive shortfall in our accounts"

Action pondered this bit of news...on a hunch he asked a question. "Who was the donor?"

"Oh it was the Landgraab Foundation" came Katherine's reply. Action nodded to himself...now it was becoming clearer. "And was this charity your Anti-Crime one? The Neighbourhood Watch?" he asked as a follow up.

"Why yes? Do you know something about it?" she asked.

"Law enforcement and prevention of crime aren't flavours of the month with the Landgraabs right now. Tell me, do you know if Nancy Landgraab knows about us?"

"Erm...yes, I mentioned it in passing at a banquet we both attended last week"

Action nodded. "I'm afraid that you knowing me...intimately...has cost you. I'm sorry"

Katherine turned to Action and looked at him with a mixture of confusion and hurt. "Is this an act of petty revenge on her part? Hmmm, I wouldn't put it past her...the evil old witch!"

"Well, I'm glad to hear you and I are on the same page about her" said Action, smiling to diffuse the tension. Katherine saw his face and broke into a smile as well.

"Oh John....all this has made me incredibly tense" she said with a sigh.

"Well, let the healing hands of John Action do their magic work" he replied.

"Oh you have 'magic hands' now?"

"They've never known to disappoint" he said, seductively.

"Prove it then" replied Katherine, also seductively.

"Turn around and let them get to work" said Action. Katherine duly obliged and Action got to work massaging her neck and shoulders.

"Hmmmm that's good. Ooooh, that's the spot. Say, this couch isn't the best spot to do this...maybe we could move this into the bedroom?"

CHAPTER 62: Boyfriend Material

 

Suzy Kent staggered home at 6am on a Sunday morning from 'Hey, Wow!" magazine's annual awards ceremony. Stepping out of the taxi, she smoothed her black velvet dress and wearily walked up the stairs....bed was calling. She was disappointed that she didn't win the "New Writer of the Year" award but, frankly, relations between her, her editor and her publisher were strained at the moment. But the free food and drink plus the company and special guest stars; Welsh singing sensation Tom Power and top singer-dancer Nancy Fontana were headline guests.

Suzy trudged up the steps to her home and put the key into the lock of her front door...within seconds she stumbled into her bedroom and crashed out on her bed.

At around 11am she awoke with the realisation that she'd arranged to meet her love interest, Neil Humphries, in just under an hour...not only that, he was due to come around to her place. In a panic, she shot out of bed, whipped off her evening dress and underclothes, hit the shower and scrambled around trying to choose and outfit to impress Neil with. She really wanted to wear her green, leaf pattern dress but was fretting over whether it was too short and would put a nervous fellow like him off...but on the other hand he had seen her in it before and on that occasion the date went REALLY well. She risked it and chose the green dress.

In the nick of time, she was washed, dressed and made up just as he was arriving. At first she didn't quite recognise him.

"Do you like it?" he said, as a way of greeting.

"Like it?" she replied, desperately trying to work out what he was referring to.

"I grew it a little, like you suggested" he continued. Then the penny dropped...his hair, Neil had let his hair grow a bit.

"I really like it" said Suzy, impressed. The new hairstyle suited him. "Come on inside...I'll get some coffee on, fresh brewed. Would you like some?"

"I'd love some" said Neil. Suzy went to gently pat him on the arm as a way of greeting but Neil recoiled, as he was often wont to do. Suzy looked a little upset at this, but Neil blushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, nervous reaction" he said as a way of apology.

"I don't bite" said Suzy, with a coquettish smile. She put the coffee in the machine and they went to sit on the couch together.

"I do like your hair, Neil" she said.

"Thank you and...erm....you look really nice as well. I remember that dress from our trip to the Casbah Gallery. Nice" he said, drumming his fingers on his knees. He could smell Suzy's perfume; it intoxicated him and he found himself shuffling closer to her, quite instinctively. Suzy, taking the cue, shuffled towards him as well until they were touching, side by side.

"Well, this is nice" said Suzy, looking into Neil's eyes.

"Very" he replied. He shifted slightly to make himself more comfortable but his right hand accidentally touched Suzy's thigh. He withdrew it almost immediately. Suzy took his hand and placed it back on her leg.

"I like it" she said, softly. Neil began to stroke her silky soft leg and liked the sensation...Suzy was smiling as well. They gazed into each other's eyes with Neil's heart beating 10 to the dozen but, conversely, he was feeling bolder now.

"Does that feel nice?" he asked her, as he gently stroked her leg.

"Hmmmm" said Suzy, shutting her eyes and enjoying his touch. "More" she added.

Neil duly obliged and found himself feeling less nervous. "I'm wondering..." he said, "are you wearing stockings or pantyhose?"

"That's for me to know..." she said, gazing longingly at him as her faced inched closer to his "...and you to find out"

At that moment, the coffee maker went PING! Neil was suddenly distracted and the sexual tension dissipated for the moment.

"I tell you what" he said "I'll make the coffee" and with that he stood up and went into the kitchen. Suzy smiled wryly and silently cursed the coffee machine's complete lack of romance but she too stood up and followed Neil into the kitchen.

"Forget about that" she said, grabbing him by the hand "What do you want right now? I bet you it's not coffee"

"No..." he said "I really want...I really want....to...do....THIS!"

The kiss was everything both of them wanted. They completely forgot about the coffee, went back to the couch and made out. When they did pause for air, Neil was feeling bold and asked her "shall we make this official? Boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"I thought you'd never ask" she replied, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him some more. The next couple of hours went like a blur and Suzy was thinking that at this rate they might reconvene in the bedroom but a buzzer alarm on Neil's wristwatch went off.

"Darn" he said. "I've got work in an hour"

"Take a day off!" said Suzy, clenching him around the waist.

"I can't...but I'm so, so glad we've had this time together. We'll do this again...and again...and it'll be brilliant!" He gave her one last, big kiss that lasted all the way from the living room to the front door as they shuffled towards it without breaking contact.

After saying their goodbyes, Suzy shut the door and almost fell faint. "Wow!" she said. Finally, she had breached the romantic defences of Neil! "That guy has the most AMAZING hands!" she said, fanning herself in all the excitement.

But there was no time to take it all in; there was another knock on the door. Maybe it was Neil, changing his mind and wanting to stay with her? Alas, no, but it was a nice thing nonetheless...the visitor was Summer Holiday.

"Oh my gosh, Summer, come in quickly....I've got amazing news!" she said, excitedly.

"What is it? Did I see Neil walking down the road? Are you and he?"

"YES! He and I are an item...it's official. And, well, it got a bit steamy in here just now!"

"It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for!" said Summer. "Barbara says that about Jeremy"

The two girls gossiped for a bit but then Suzy had an idea she wanted to put past Summer. "Neil's got a work shift now and I've got free time...how would you like to go out for some drinks and a girly catch up whilst helping me with my story?" she said.

"OK, who are we trying to track down now?" said Summer, knowing what "helping with a story" meant.

"Malcolm Landgraab...I want to find out where he is; we're not going to confront him but I do want to observe him with his school friends...he's up to something, I'm sure"

"I know where we're going" said Summer. "The Bowl-O-Rama"

"That was one uncomfortable cab ride" said Summer, practically hunched over when they arrived at the Bowl-O-Rama.

"Tell me about it" replied Suzy. "Let's take our places in our usual spot and we can spot Malcolm approaching"

The girls went to the upstairs bar area, took their seats at the bar and ordered drinks and snacks. Popcorn was on offer and Suzy grabbed a bowl.

"Right...what we're looking for is Malcolm dealing with other high schoolers in illegal substances...narcotics, mainly" said Suzy.

"WHAT?" Replied Summer. "We're doing the Vice Squad's job for them?"

"Just a little investigative journalism." said Suzy. "I'll turn over whatever I find to the police, don't worry, and we won't be confronting him. I just want to see what he does and get some pictures" she said, pulling out a small camera from her handbag.

The girls spent half their time looking out the window, trying to spot Malcolm Landgraab, but he hadn't shown by the time of their second glasses of wine. A well dressed man in a suit sat next to Summer.

"Now let me guess your name" he began. "It's melodic...like a song upon the night air. The syllables trip off the tongue effortlessly and it conjures up images of symphonies and sonnets"

"It's Summer, actually" she replied.

"Summer...well that's just perfect" he said, smiling. "My name is J.J."

"Which stands for?"

"Just Jealous of the man who has stolen your heart" said J.J.

Summer chuckled. "Nice try, J.J....really, I hadn't heard that one before"

"Well, fortune favours the bold as they say" he said, raising a glass in cheers at hers.

"J.J....if you were ten years younger, maybe. Plus I don't think your wife would appreciate our conversation" she said, noticing his wedding ring.

"Ah the giveaway" said J.J., wistfully. "Well, may I buy you and your friend a purely platonic drink?"

"We wouldn't turn down such generosity" said Summer and her and Suzy enjoyed a third glass of wine.

It was getting near dark and Malcolm hadn't shown up yet. Summer got to her feet but felt a bit tipsy. "Whoa, this stuff really goes to your head!" she said. "I need to get home...are you going to be OK if I go?"

"Sure" said Suzy. "I don't think he's coming...most of the teens here are already heading home."

"Tell you what...you go one way, I'll go the other and we'll do one last loop of the place to see if he's hanging around the back or something"

"Agreed. I'll check the front, you check the back...and either of us see him, just signal" said Suzy.

The girls split up and Summer realised just how many hidden niches there were around this part of Newcrest. If Malcolm Landgraab wanted to conduct an illegal drug trade, he could easily do it out of sight around here. After a 10 minute search, neither girl had spotted him...he had got away, this time.

CHAPTER 61: Cuffe & Sneedley

 

"Barkeep! One beer"

"Sure thing, Mr Cuffe...." said the bartender to one of his favourite regulars, Alan Cuffe. He poured the ice cold beer out and handed it to Cuffe who put it on his tab.

"Excuse me, Mr Cuffe....can I ask you a question?" said the bartender.

"Sure thing, David, fire away" said Cuffe.

"Is it true that you keep a dozen naked women in your house?"

Cuffe laughed. "No.....they're not naked" he said, with a wink. "Do you read 'Lothario' magazine, David?"

"Oh yes...but only for the articles" said a sheepish David.

"That's what they all say" said Cuffe, smiling. He took a sip of his beer and sighed with satisfaction but then his attention was taken with someone who had just walked into the Rattlesnake Juice Bar.

"Cuffe" said the man in a gruff manner.

"Sneedly" replied Cuffe. "I didn't know you drank here"

"I don't...usually...but I tried looking for you at your home but you weren't in. One of those ladies of dubious character you keep around your house told me you'd be here"

"If you're referring to Tasha she's a very intelligent and caring person" said Cuffe, nonchalantly. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"You may not" said George Sneedly, with a huff. He sat down on the bar stool next to Cuffe and glared at him. "Now Edna, my wife, and I must object to those wild parties you have in your house"

"Are they keeping you awake?" said Cuffe.

"That is not the issue....we feel that they lower the tone of the neighbourhood. The sight of those scantily clad women entering and exiting your house is a disgrace" George snorted in derision at the thought.

"Then don't look at them" said Cuffe, with a shrug.

"Don't be flippant with me, Cuffe!" said an indignant George. "If these debauched parties and gatherings continue then me and the League of Decency will have no choice..."

"I'm sorry, the League of what?" said Cuffe, cutting George off suddenly.

"The League of Decency: A group of concerned citizens of moral character which you are not"

"I've broken no laws"

"There are laws of the land and then there are moral laws" said George, pointing straight at Cuffe.

"The courts only recognise one kind...look, Sneedly, until I've actually broken a law you can just put up with what goes on at my private property. My club promotes self-confidence, beauty and fun...my magazine provides mental stimulation and visual appeal designed for the with-it, hip, swinging mood of the world right now"

"Oh spare me the advertising propaganda!" said George. "I...I mean we at the League will be writing to our city representative...you'll be shut down!" and with that George Sneedly abruptly left the bar.

He went straight home to report of his meeting with Alan Cuffe to his wife, Edna.

"Ugh! Who does that man think he is? Thinks he's above the law does he? Well, we'll show him!" said Edna, in a rage. "We will set the League of Decency upon Alan Cuffe...we will lobby our local city representatives to run him out of town!"

"Edna....may I point out one potential stumbling block to your plan" said George, almost reluctantly.

"What is it?" said Edna, not liking being interrupted.

"There are currently only the two of us in the League of Decency"

Edna paused for what seemed like an hour but was in fact only 30 seconds. "We will have to recruit new members, that's all there is to it. And when we do we will rise up like an army!"

"We're coming for you...Alan Cuffe!

CHAPTER 60: Revelation

 

It was the early shift for Barbara Dubois and after donning her uniform, she kissed Jeremy Saint goodbye and trotted out the front door. Jeremy watched her leave...even in a fast food restaurant uniform, one that wasn't meant to look flattering, he thought she looked cute.

"Jeremy my lad" he said to himself as he poured himself a glass of water "you are blessed to have that girl in your life...cheers" and he raised a glass to the great almighty. As soon as he took his first sip, the faucet on his kitchen sink fell off and water started to spurt out all over the floor.

"Oh that's all I need!" said Jeremy. "I could phone up that really good woman plumber..." but he paused "or I can do it myself...that'll make me look more manly and more capable in Barbara's eyes!"

Jeremy looked in a box in his spare room and found a basic tool kit of wrenches, hammers and pliers. He also found some rubber washers that would fit the faucet. "I can do this...how does Dad fix a sink?"

Jeremy set to it and managed to replaced the cracked and broken washers with new ones mere minutes before he had to get to work. He washed his hands, threw on his suit, fastened his tie and made it out the door at 1 minute past his usual departure time.

Barbara had made it back from her shift at 10am and went to the bedroom to change out of her uniform. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and began to think about bigger issues. "Well...it's a job, I suppose. I should start thinking of moving on to something better....my boyfriend's got a good job at Dewey's and I should have one at a better place. Hamburgerman is OK, it's given me a start but I think I should start looking around for something else"

She changed out of her Hamburgerman uniform and into her regular clothes and headed downtown to Magnolia Crescent for a bit of window shopping and hoping to get some inspiration....working in a shop, a nice one, would be a step up. The first shop she went into was high fashion haute couture. She found a top and hat that was straight out of Carnaby Street, London, and she just had to try it on.

"Hmmm, if only..." she said, looking at the price tag. A woman approached her "excuse me, I just love your outfit" she said to Barbara. "Where did you get it?"

"Well, erm, from all over the place really. I found the top in a market, the skirt was from J.C. Penney and my shoes and tights I got from a small boutique in San Myshuno called "Miss Right...after I bought the top I colour matched it to go for the Total Look"

"You see, I need to get with these new styles" said the woman. "You see I have a date coming up and I need to impress this guy..."

As Barbara began to explain the basics of mod fashion to the lady, another woman entered the shop and walked over to them.

"Would you happen to be Jeremy Saint's new girlfriend?" said the woman.

"Erm...do you know him?" said Barbara

"Yes I do...I know him well. Very well." the lady said

"Well I am Jeremy's girlfriend but I'm not new...we've been together for over a month. So how do you know him?"

"We work together and.....well, he was really into me before he met you" said the woman, matter of factly. "My name's Bianca...has he not mentioned me?"

"No!" said Barbara firmly. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Oh, I saw you and thought I'd touch base...so to speak."

"How did you recognise me?" asked a very suspicious Barbara.

"Isn't Jeremy such a cutie? Ahhh, he has so many sweet, funny ways about him..."

"HOW DID YOU RECOGNISE ME!" Barbara found herself shouting now, much to her surprise.

Bianca recoiled but soon composed herself. "My, you're a firey one...Jeremy doesn't usually go for aggressive women"

Barbara started feel shortness of breath and ran out of the shop and back home. She was so upset and wanted to talk to someone, anyone friendly who could explain who this horrible woman was. Arriving back home, and knowing that it would be a couple of hours before Jeremy got home, she knocked on the door of the 3 friends at the end of the street. Summer Holiday greeted her.

"Hey Barbara....you've been crying, what's up?"

"Oh no...is my make up running? I'm sorry to bother you but can we speak?"

"Sure, hon, come inside...hey, Travis, is your room free so Barbara and I can have a chat?"

"Sure" said Travis. "I'm going to hit the shower anyway"

Summer ushered Barbara into Travis' room...which also served as the house office. "So what's the matter?"

"Summer....who's Bianca?"

Summer took a deep breath. "Well, that's a name I didn't expect to hear again. Hasn't Jeremy mentioned her? I don't suppose he would. Bianca was a girl Jeremy was interested in before he met you. They went on a date and soon afterwards she dumped him."

"Were they close? How long were they together?"

"About two weeks. I only met her the once but it was definitely she who turned him down. I don't think they were ever serious...I know Jeremy's an old romantic and he felt really let down but then he met you."

"She said she works with Jeremy" said Barbara, wiping her tears.

"Oh....now that's news" said a surprised Summer.

"Why didn't he tell me?" said Barbara

"You'll have to ask him but he's not the two-timing sort, I've known him for months and he's the most honest, most caring and nicest guy I know."

"That's what I thought" said a disconsolate Barbara.

"Give him a chance, that's my advice. Bianca sounds like a troublemaker...remember, she led him on and then dumped him"

Barbara took a deep breath and looked at her watch. "Thanks, Summer, but I've got another shift at Hamburgerman starting soon. I'll talk with him when he gets home and you're right...I should give him some benefit of the doubt"

She left and went home to change again into her uniform. Meanwhile while she was gone Jeremy returned home and flopped on the couch to watch some TV after a hard and boring day's work. Eventually, before he went to bed, Barbara returned home.

"Hello gorgeous, how was work" asked Jeremy.

"OK...how are you?"

"Exhausted...you look upset"

"Jeremy....I met Bianca today"

"Oh" There was some silence. "What did she have to say?" he added, eventually. Barbara sat down next to him.

"She said you and her work together...she also mentioned that you and her were close"

Jeremy nodded. "Both are true, although I wouldn't describe her and me as close. We went on one date and met up a few times."

"But she still works with you?"

"THAT came as a shock when I found out. She's my boss' secretary so I don't have day to day contact with her but she's around...I keep my distance. Listen, did she say something nasty to you?"

"It was her tone...she saw me in town and recognised me and then started talking about you and her...it's as if she was deliberately trying to upset me"

"I'm so, so sorry you had to go through that" said Jeremy. "I'm not going to allow that to happen! She needs to be told to back right off!"

"No...don't make a scene. Don't go out of your way to confront her" said Barbara.

"Barbara...there is nothing between her and me. We briefly dated but she ended it and I moved on....and found you; since that moment I've never thought about another woman that way. You are everything I ever wanted in a girlfriend....as a friend, a companion, a lover".

Barbara looked at him and saw his eyes filled with nothing but affection and compassion. She smiled and reached out her hands to his. "I know you love me...I trust you"

Nothing more was said, they moved closer and kissed.

CHAPTER 59: The BFFs

 

Liberty Lee woke up and could smell grilling coming from down the hall. Was the place on fire? That's all she needed after the house was broken into and vandalised last weekend. She put on her clothes and went to investigate the source of the smell...as she got closer to the back garden gate, she could see her housemate, Travis Scott, flipping chicken drumsticks and sweetcorn cobs on the BBQ.

"Seriously, Travis? A full on BBQ grill for breakfast?" she said, stepping outside.

"Damn straight...if breakfast is the most important meal of the day then it should be the best, and I love the smell of grilling in the morning. Is Summer up yet?"

"I haven't heard a stirring from her room" said Liberty. "I must admit, that smells good...dish it up!"

"Here you go" said Travis. "An old Scott family recipe"

"I hope it's better than the Scott family fruitcake" said Liberty. "I must admit this tastes good"

"So what have you got on today?" asked Travis.

"It's going to be a manic kind of day today and for the next two weeks. We're go for launch on the 16th and we're working around the clock to get things ready for then" said Liberty, referring to her job at NASA.

"Which one are we up to now....Gemini?" asked Travis.

"Eight. This is a big one...well, they all are really but this one's going to be the first docking of two spacecraft"

"I thought we'd already done that?" asked Travis.

"No...Gemini 6 and 7 rendezvoused in space, but didn't dock. This time Armstrong and Scott are going to dock with an unmanned craft called Agena and that's never been done before"

"And why is that important?"

"Because if we can dock two craft together, we can dock the planned command module and lunar module on Apollo and make the moon landing possible." Liberty rolled her eyes at the idea that Travis couldn't grasp this concept.

"Well, remember, some of my circuit boards and wiring will be in those spaceships you fly" said Travis.

"They're space CRAFT, not spaceships. This isn't Forbidden Planet. And if your handiwork is in our capsules, heaven help the astronauts!" she joked.

"Anyway, speaking of circuit boards...I've just got to finish soldering some...let's continue our conversation in my workspace" said Travis, getting up.

"You've left all the dishes behind...again!" said Liberty.

"Details, details!"

"I hear Action caught the person who vandalised our house, that's good news" said Liberty.

"Did he? I haven't seen him lately...well that's good news at least. Wow, the amount of time we spent cleaning the place up...we lost a whole weekend."

"Well hello sleepyhead!" said Liberty as Summer Holliday entered the room.

"Morning...hmmm, this is really tasty, did you cook this Travis?" said Summer, sitting down on Travis' bed.

"I did. Did you have a late night, Summer?"

"Very...there was a huge amount of damage and mess that we missed tidying up so I stayed up to 2am getting rid of it."

"Guys...I think we need a cleaner" said Liberty. "We spent so much time cleaning this house...I don't mean the damage but just every day there's so much to do and I work long hours, Summer does as well and Travis...well, you never tidy up after yourself"

"Can we afford it?" said Summer.

"Three incomes...we should be able to comfortably"

"OK, I'll put the call in. I know a good cleaning agency" said Summer.

"Well, I can't hang around here chatting...I've got space to conquer!" said Liberty getting up and leaving.

"Yep, I've got to go soon as well" said Travis.

Summer looked at Travis and for a brief moment their eyes met. Summer took a breath. "Travis....do you ever think about...."

"Think about what?" he said, looking away suddenly and trying to find a bag to put his soldered circuits in.

"Well, you know...about settling down"

"I've got no one to settle down with...ah, that bag will do"

"But if you DID have someone...someone you perhaps know already...would you?"

"That's a bit hypothetical. When are you home this evening?"

"Six pm...will you be here?"

"No, I'm working 'till 7."

"Do you fancy going out somewhere this evening?"

Travis' eyes widened...was he being manoeuvred into a date with Summer? "Do you mean....just you and me?"

Summer paused but baulked. "Oh no...I was going to invite the whole street to check out the new Orange Peel club. You know, all us friends"

"Oh I'd be up for that" said Travis, relieved. Summer chided herself for weakening by making it a group event. Travis grabbed his bag and said "until then, have a good day"

After Travis left, Summer flopped on his bed and ruminated on this latest missed opportunity. "Every. Single. Time I blow it" she thought. "Maybe I should put Travis out of my mind and find someone else who I'm not going to self-sabotage my chances with"

All three went off to work but Summer was the first one home. She rang around all the other houses in Foundry Cove and to her joy everyone was up for going to visit the Orange Peel club.

"Wow, this place is great!" said their newest neighbour, Barbara Dubois.

"I must admit even I'm impressed" said Julia Epstein.

"It'll do" said John Action.

The friends all hit the dance floor but it was Summer who impressed the most with her groovy moves. As she was holding court in the middle, Travis walked in and his jaw hit the floor. She was terrific!

Summer beckoned Travis over and, dutifully, he went right to the middle where he did his favourite dance...the indifferent bop. "I'll get the drinks in" he said after one dance.

The friends stayed for around 3 hours until tiredness, at least, overcame Travis and Summer. Most of them, except Action, came home as well and the group shared a taxi home to the street. Once inside, Summer and Travis grabbed a bite to eat.

"I didn't know you were a good dancer" said Travis.

"I did junior ballet" she replied. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"I did...we should go again" he said. Summer's eyes widened. "...with Liberty next time"

"Yes...always with others" said Summer to herself. Maybe it was that Travis preferred Liberty to her? What will she do?