CHAPTER 35: Unwelcome Visitor

 

"Hello, is that Suzy? It's Jeremy here, sorry to phone you at this hour"

"No, it's not late at all...how's it going Jeremy?" Suzy replied.

"I'm good...actually I'm calling about something I witnessed that might interest you"

Suzy sat up to attention. Jeremy sounded serious, but a little unsure. "Go on..." she said, inquisitively.

"Well, I witnessed an argument between Geoffrey Landgraab and a teenage girl. It sounded very serious and I know you're trying to dig into what the Landgraabs may be up to".

"Let's not talk over the phone...my place is a bit of a mess right now. Is it OK if I pop around to your place this evening?" said an excited Suzy.

"Sure, come right over" said Jeremy.

"OK, I'll just get my boots on and I'll be there in a few minutes"

Jeremy put the receiver down and went to get a glass of water. No sooner had he filled his glass up then he heard a knock at the door. Suzy was pretty quick, he thought to himself as he went to get the door. But when he opened it, he saw that it wasn't Suzy at all.

"Hello Jeremy" said the young lady standing on his porch.

"Bianca!" said an incredulous Jeremy. He hadn't seen Bianca since that fateful night weeks ago where she turned him down.

"I was just passing and wondered if you'd like to hang out tonight?" she said, innocently.


"Well...tonight's not good. In fact, I'm uncomfortable with us hanging out given what happened last time we saw each other" he said, indignantly.

"Oh you're not still hung up over that? I'm not the kind of girl you thought I was..." she said.

"What? One that blows hot and cold?" said Jeremy, his words terse and accusing.

"I get it...you're the old fashioned type looking for an old fashioned girl. Well, I'm not that. I want to experience so much more than just being someone's trophy girlfriend or wife material. You were moving too fast!"

"Too fast? You sent out mixed signals...'I like you Jeremy...stay away, Jeremy'. Maybe some consistency is a little old fashioned...I'm not sorry for wanting that"

"I've thought about you a lot; never stopped. I hope you're doing well" she said, her head tilted to one side as a conciliatory gesture.

"I am, thank you....I'm seeing someone else now" he said, wanting to show her he was more than just well.

"Oh..." she said in surprise. "Congratulations. I hope you're happy" she added, trying to find the right words to say.

"I am, thanks. Oh...sorry, I have an urgent matter to attend to" he said, noticing that Suzy was approaching him.

"Is she...?" Bianca asked

"No...this is just business but it's important. Goodbye Bianca...and good luck" he said, still with a trace of hurt in his voice.

"You too" Bianca replied, her smile a little forced as she walked away.

"Anyway, hi Suzy" he said, turning to his new arrival. "It's been a bit busy these last few minutes"

"Was that...Bianca?" asked Suzy, a little embarrassed to stumble in on Jeremy's private life.

"Yeah...crazy, she just showed up at random. I told her I was seeing someone new"

"How's that going?"

"Great! Couldn't be better right now...anyway, you don't want to hear about my love life. Come inside and I'll tell you what I saw and heard" he said, ushering Suzy in.

The two of them went to Jeremy's study to talk, so they wouldn't be disturbed by any more random passers by...which seemed to be a trait of Jeremy's house right now.

"Anyway, it was last night and I was chatting with our new neighbour, Julia, on her front porch. There's this teenage girl walking down the road, near Travis, Summer and Liberty's home...I've seen her around here a couple of times, mostly in the evenings."

"The school library is just further down the canal, past the old tree and fishing spot" said Suzy. "Lots of high schoolers walk past here on their way home...anyway, please continue"

"Then Geoffrey Landgraab, out on his daily evening run, stops and starts berating this girl, telling her to stay away from someone called Malcolm"

"That's his son. So this girl is involved with Malcolm Landgraab...might be a girlfriend or at least a potential one in Geoffrey's mind, hmmm" said Suzy, stroking her chin in interest.

"She just laughed at him...I didn't catch exactly what she said because she was soft spoken but Landgraab was quite vocal and raised his voice so I could hear him a lot better. He then warned her off his son and accused her of being high on drugs...then they parted. I'm sorry I didn't catch more but I was also trying to chat with Julia at the same time."

"That's OK, Jeremy" said Suzy, her mind racing to consider the possibilities of this information. "It sounds like he considers her to be 'the wrong kind of girl' for his son. It could be linked to my investigations or it might just be a personal matter"

"By the way" said Suzy, a thought just occurring to her. "Did you catch a name and can you describe her to me?"

"Oh yes, she was called Gillian and she's a thin, strawberry blonde...long straight hair with a fringe. She dresses in mod gear"

"I think I've seen her around here too" replied Suzy. "Time, I think, for more detective work!"