CHAPTER 22: Quest For Love

As much as he wanted to clear his mind, Jeremy Saint couldn't get Barbara out of his mind. Her face, her name, her eyes...a bright green colour...every time he shut his eyes he could picture her clearly. Snap out of it, man! he told himself. He went through this before not that long ago with Bianca: He got besotted too easily.

But without work to go to today he couldn't bury himself in another project to stop himself from thinking about Barbara. Stupidly, he didn't get her phone number or arrange a future meeting so how was he going to find her again? The only thing he could think to do was go back to the Waterside Warble to see if she was a regular there. Maybe someone there knows her? He put on his jacket and made his way downtown. 

Inside was very busy. He picked his way through the crowd towards the bar. He recognised the girl with the long blonde hair who ran away from him last time he was in this place. She took a look at him and immediately went to the bathroom. "Great" Jeremy thought. "She still remembers me with disgust!"

He went up to the bar and ordered a drink. When he gave the bartender the money, he said "hey, I don't suppose you know a regular around here: She's a strawberry blonde with bright green eyes...likes to wear orange?"

The bartender thought. "I don't know anyone who looks like that...but I'm new here. Maybe one of the other bartenders knows her. I'll ask around"

Jeremy sighed and drank his drink, all the while looking around to see if Barbara was there. Once he finished drinking, and feeling he was clogging up space at the bar, he took a walk around the place to see if he could see her. He could hear one of the customers singing...it was that girl who reacted badly to his presence and she was singing to "Day Tripper" by The Beatles. He wondered what would happen if she saw him watching her performance. She had a pretty good voice and Jeremy was impressed...so much so he didn't notice the person standing next to him.

"Hello...is it Jeremy?" said the person.

"Barbara!" said an all too pleased Jeremy. "Yes, it's me...fancy bumping into you here?" he added. Barbara looked down. "Oh no, I hope nothing's wrong?"

"Oh...well...I'm feeling better for seeing you here" she replied, cheering up. "Don't worry, just work hassle really...so are you a regular here?"

"On and off...say, can I get you a drink?"

She nodded and they went off to the bar to get a round in. The noise was getting louder with ever more people arriving. Every time Jeremy and Barbara tried to start a conversation, people would jump in or get in the way.

"Say..." said Jeremy. "How about we go somewhere more quiet?"

Barbara nodded "I thought you'd never ask" she replied.

They headed over to the nearby park, which was the opposite to where they'd been: Quiet and with no one around. They sat on a bench together near a fountain.

"I'm glad you came to the bar today" she said, smiling and swinging her legs on the bench. "I was hoping you would"

"Really? I went hoping to see you again" he replied.

"I must have made a good impression" she said.

"Without a doubt. Even though we've only met twice I feel like I've known you for a lot longer"

"Is that a good thing or bad?" she asked, tilting her head whilst smiling.

"Oh definitely good" he said.

She looked up at the sky..."The sun's setting...I love the different hues of evening. Say, do you like to cloud gaze?" she asked.

"I've been known to" he replied.

"Let's just lay here and watch the clouds and how the evening sun colours them!" she said, grabbing his hand and leading him to a flat piece of ground.

They lay there for a while...how long, neither of them knew. They talked, told jokes and enjoyed the view. Eventually the park janitor arrived on the scene. "Do you kids know the Romance Festival is going on in the Fashion District? Looks like you could do with visiting it."

It was news to Jeremy and Barbara. "What do you say?" she asked Jeremy.

"Well...I don't know...I mean...it's a bit...cheesy, isn't it?" he replied, haltingly.

"Come on...it's a laugh...I've never been before!" she said, pulling him to his feet.

The Romance Festival? Jeremy wondered if this was all happening too fast. He didn't want to blow it with Barbara like he did with Bianca. But this girl was pretty keen on going...

The Fashion District was decked out in pinks, purples and brilliant white. There were literally flowers everywhere: People were dancing on them or throwing petals around. The two of them were swept up in the crowds and before they knew it they were right in the centre of the festival.

"Try the uplifting effects of Sakura Tea" said an old lady in a traditional Indian outfit. "Blended from the most aromatic and mysterious tea flowers known to grow only on the steeps slopes of Sakura mountainside...they say once sampled it opens your mind to possibilities and frees you of inhibitions!"

The candy pink tea was easy and pleasant to drink but within minutes Jeremy started to experience its effects. He felt light headed, more confident and there was a warm feeling in his loins. He looked at Barbara, who seemed to be succumbing to the effects as well. She started fanning her face with her hands before running them down the sides of her body and over her hips in a seductive manner. Jeremy noticed he was feeling fruity and invigorated but another side effect was that he couldn't speak properly anymore.

"Hngh..." he uttered, trying to talk to Barbara.

"I feel warm..." she replied. "Do you feel warm as well?"

"Hngh" he replied.

"I'm sooooooooooo glad I bumped in to you today...you have wonderfully clear, blue eyes, Jeremy"

"Hngh"

"Are you seeing anyone special?" she said, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"Hnnnngggghhhh"

"Me neither....hmmmm, I feel sooooooooo goooooood" she said, feeling the collar of her top.

"Hngh!!!!!"

Then both of them started to feel giddy. Jeremy looked around; the old lady who gave them the tea smiled at him and he noticed that Geoffrey and Nancy Landgraab were already passionately kissing one another. What the heck was in that tea?

"I'm....getting tired..." said Barbara.

"Hngh...I mean, so am I...I'm having the best time" he saw someone handing out roses and he grabbed one in an instant, presenting it to her.

"That's lovely, thank you" she replied. "But I hate to break this up...I've got an early start tomorrow. Can we continue this another time?" she said, apologetically.

"Definitely!" he replied. "I'll take you out to lunch, yes?" She nodded. "Oh, before we go....phone numbers!" he said, taking out his notebook and scribbling his number on it. She took the number and the book and wrote hers down before handing the book and pen back to him.

They embraced and promised to see each other again. Jeremy was on cloud 9...he was determined not to mess things up next time.

CHAPTER 21: The Taking Of Sim City 123

 

John Action walked into the 13th Precinct headquarters and straight past the desk sergeant without stopping.

"Hey, Action! What ya doin'? You're supposed to be on the case!" said the Sergeant.

"I've got a case of my own that needs dealing with" said Action, coolly.

After that, Action went to the briefing room where he saw Officer Datta going over the city crime map.

"Any follow up on that robbery from Tuesday?" said Action.

"We've got a suspect description...male, adult, wearing a jacket and jeans" replied Datta.

"What? That's it? Is he a Brother or a Snowdrop...c'mon, I need something more to go on. What about that description that the perps were skinny?"

"That's all, Action."

He looked at the crime map and made a guess. "This team's been hitting quiet, moderately well off suburbs. Those joints don't have burglar alarms like the rich homes. My guess is they'll hit here..." he said, jabbing his finger at a point in Willow Creek. "If anyone wants me, that's where I'll be" he added before walking out.

Courtyard Lane, Willow Creek, 10:04am

Action began his patrol of the area, checking out the local houses to see which had decent security systems and which hadn't. It was pretty busy for a normally quiet suburb and that level of activity made him suspicious. Anything out of the ordinary made him feel suspicious. He checked his .38 service revolver to see it was fully loaded.

He saw, out of the corner of his eye, an angry looking young man who had just left the local park and seemed to be fuming. Action looked him over: Adult male, jacket....but wearing leather pants, not jeans. Nevertheless Action was curious about what had made this man angry.

"Anything the matter, Sir?" said Action.

"Officer...yes. This crazy lady thinks I'm some kind of hustler and that I've got 'stash' on me! She won't quit bothering me."

"And have you got this 'stash'?" asked Action.

"Of course not! I don't do that sort of junk!" said the man, angry to be asked that question.

"OK then...where's this crazy lady you're talking about? What does she look like?" said Action, trying to calm the dude down.

"She's that local activist and pop singer...I can't remember her name but....look! There she is!"

A gaudily dressed young woman; Japanese-American by the look of her, was staggering down the street towards the young man. "Hey!" she cried out. "You sold me some bad junk! I want my money back!" her voice slurred. She hadn't noticed Action either.

"I keep telling you, lady, I didn't sell you anything! You've got the wrong man!"

The lady shoved the man and raised her fists to clobber him but Action intervened to stop her.

"Hey, hey, hey little lady" said Action, holding one of her arms. "You've got the wrong cat here...now how's about you tell me about this junk you got sold?"

"I...I....I could have sworn this was the guy!" she slurred. "Dark hair, white guy...funky jacket...." she said before she slumped and passed out.

Action radioed in for an ambulance and after they arrived to take her to hospital he went back to the precinct house to file his report. The call came through that the girl, Miko Ojo, was OK and had her stomach pumped. She was able to say that she bought the "stuff" from a dealer who operated around the back of Willow Creek Archive. Action wasted no time; he had a suspect description and a location...he wasn't going to wait for official clearance, he was going to bust the perp!

Willow Creek Archive, 3:20pm

Action had cased the joint...front and back. There were lots of alleyways, hidden places and trees anyone could hide in. He set up an observation post in an unmarked police car across the way and observed who entered and exited. Three men matching the description went in to the library. Action got out the car and walked across the road. He peered in through one of the windows to see what activity was going down. One man was searching the card catalogue, one was pondering a move at the chess table and one was searching the bookshelves. Action went in an pulled the librarian aside. "Any of those cats regulars here?" he asked.

"Two of them are...that guy with the beard sitting at the card catalogue and the man looking at the shelves." the librarian replied.

"Any seem suspicious to you?"

"Yeah, the guy at the bookshelves. He comes in here every day, pulls out the same book from the same shelf, looks at it briefly, then puts it back. And then, minutes later, someone comes around and gets the same book. Every time."

"Did the last person to check that book look like this woman in the photo?" said Action, showing the librarian a photo of Miko Ojo.

"Yeah! She was in here yesterday"

"Thanks man, you've been very helpful" said Action. "Hey, is there a way around the back to that part of the library?" he added.

"Sure, to the right there"

Action nodded, pulled out his .38 service revolver and snuck around the side to get to the suspect. He saw the man, who matched the description, put something in the bookshelf before putting the book in question back. Action approached him.

"Now what would I find if I took that book out, eh?" he said. The man panicked and tried to run out the library but Action flying tackled him to the ground.

"Your days of fleecing the young and beautiful of Sim City with your junk are over, pal!" he said. He pulled the suspect to his feet before slapping the cuffs on him.

"I want to speak to my lawyer!" the man protested.

"You have the right to remain silent....bucko!" said Action, taking the bag of junk from the bookshelf and then marching the suspect off to the precinct house.