The house was a mess. There were barely any clean clothes and no clean nightdresses or pyjamas and she was down to her last pair of thick black tights. The lawn was overgrown and the house plants dying...this was the reality for a junior female doctor working long shifts at the hospital. While she was working, the house fell into chaos but Julia wasn't earning enough to hire a full time cleaner. As she sat there in just her underwear as there were no dressing gowns or robes clean enough to wear, eating food that was on the cusp of its use by date, she felt miserable being in such squalor.
After eating a breakfast that smelled suspiciously like it had gone off, showeringm then finding a clean outfit to wear and plaiting her hair, she was ready to tackle those chores. Even then, she had worn a hole in her comfy loafers...yet another expense, yet another thing to do.
The mess outside was like a jungle had sprung up. Lots of weeds around the bins, piles of grot and detritus all around. It was fortunate for her that none of the neighbours had complained about the mess. The home looked like some kind of crazy, cat lady lived there all alone and not a qualified doctor. If she didn't get on top of this, then she'd probably end up as that crazy cat lady.
As she finished clearly away the last of the stinky weed bushes, her pager went off.
"Oh what now?" she said, exasperated. She checked to see that it wasn't the hospital who had left a message...it was the Casbah Gallery in San Myshuno: She had been booked to play a lunchtime recital at the gallery and the pager was reminding her she had to be there at midday; an hour from now. She just had enough time to check her hair and outfit before grabbing the sheet music and heading on into the city centre.
The piano was all laid out for her in the music room on the second floor. Julia played piano at various clubs and venues to supplement her income and from an amateur open mic night at the Blue Velvet, she now played there and now here at the Casbah Gallery.
There were a steady stream of onlookers throughout her session and the tips came rolling in. It was just a lunchtime concert but she had made $100 through tips alone.
Once her recital had finished, she gathered up her sheet music and headed downstairs where she bumped into a familiar face: Rez Valdes. Whenever she and Rez met...and it was always by chance...he had been besotted with her. Normally her heart sank whenever a man put some moves on her but today she wasn't so fussed. Recently she had met a man called Vincent Bledsoe at work who did stir what little romantic inklings she possessed and whilst not won over by Rez's devotions to her, neither did she instantly recoil from them now.
"Hello Rez" she said.
"Oh, hi Julia. How's it going?" he replied, nonchalantly.
"Alright. I just did a lunchtime piano recital upstairs"
"Yeah, I caught the last part of that. You played well; not that I know much classical stuff."
"I'm glad you liked it..." she said, tentatively. She was setting herself the task of talking to a guy of her own age without becoming defensive. "What about you? How are you today?"
"Me? Yeah, well, I was jamming outside, you know? Playing my sound...a mix of Latin influence rock n' roll with a touch of rockabilly, you know what I mean?" he said, coolly.
"Not really, but I must come and see you play sometime" she said, smiling. Rez remained cool and detached though.
"That'd be cool" he replied. "I'm building up a bit of a fanbase now..." he said, looking to his left and noticing a teenage girl looking coyly at him. He gave her a nod and a wave in response. "Yeah, you gotta have a fanbase" he continued. Julia could tell his romantic attentions were elsewhere now and she had mixed feelings about that. Relief that he wasn't pestering her but there was also a sense of jealousy bubbling up within her.
"I wish you good fortune in your musical endeavours" she said, glancing at the besotted teenager by the front doors of the gallery. "And in other things as well..."
Julia felt it was the right time to go...she thought about being prudent with the money she'd earned at the gallery but then she decided to bank $20 and spend the rest down at the spa...she could do with a spiritual and physical cleanse with the aim of gaining some personal control over her increasingly chaotic life and if there was one thing Julia hated, it was chaos.
Yoga appealed to her; the combination of seemingly simple body movements, achieving peace of mind but contrasted with the discipline and trying to balance oneself...physically and mentally...was a challenge. Worship and prayers at the synagogue, a big feature of her childhood, were too crowded and layered with intricate social relationships whereas yoga was more personal. Now she only attended the synagogue when it was a family matter or for important religious days.
There was only Julia and one other lady in the yoga class today and Julia felt self-conscious as she worried that the spotlight would be more on her and that she couldn't fade into the group. As fortune would have it, the other lady fell down twice whilst Julia managed the routines just about adequately.
After the session Julia was preparing to change and head home when she saw another familiar face...Kerry Fry. She'd forgotten he worked here as a physiotherapist.
"Kerry! Hi!" she said, waving to him as she walked down the hall to the massage section of the spa.
"Oh, Julia, hi" he said, looking her up and down. "Did you have a good session? I see you look more....toned". His tone sounded more suggestive.
"Do I really?" she replied, innocently as she ran her hands up and down her waist and hips. This just made Kerry bite his bottom lip to restrain himself. He was at work, after all.
"You know, it's been too long since we last hung out...I thought you'd met some guy and were too busy for your old friends these days" he said.
"Me? With a guy? What, romantically? Don't be silly *SNORT*" she said, letting out her trademark snorting laugh.
"Look, I'm busy all this week but how about next week? You, me...I know this great whole food restaurant we could go to." he asked.
"Yeah, sure...as friends?" she replied.
"Oh yeah, totally cool in a friendly type way" he replied.
"OK, give me a call next week then"
"You got it!" he said, clicking his tongue and winking at her.
Well that was all very pleasant... thought Julia as she showered and changed into her everyday clothes. A friendly, platonic date with Kerry would be good as he was always interesting company. And how nice of him to notice that she was looking fitter; the exercise was clearly paying off.
She went home, put her exercise clothes in the laundry hamper and checked her diary to see what was going on tomorrow at the hospital but to her surprise she saw that she had missed an event for today...a meeting of the League of Decency at Sneedley Burrow. If she rushed she could make it just in time so she quickly stripped off her clothes and put on her League uniform in a hurry, which wasn't easy to do as it involved garter belts, knee boots and a strict minimal make up code. Edna and George were sticklers for personal grooming...especially George. Once Julia was ready she caught a bus for Oasis Springs and made it to the meeting with just minutes to spare.
Today's meeting concerned the publishing and promulgation of "smut, filth and unwholesome literature". The group had been given the task to seek out books which had gratuitous sex, drug use and violence in them, work out which publishing houses published them in order to launch a campaign to have the offending works banned.
"And how did you do, Julia?" asked Edna. "Did you find any works of depravity this week?"
"Well, I've been a little bit busy this week..." replied Julia, apologetically.
"Tsk, tsk..." said Edna, a slight tone of disapproval in her voice. "And I was counting on your intellectual skills in this exercise as well. But I understand you're a busy doctor with plenty of work on your plate. Maybe next time, eh?" she said, more as an admonishment than encouragement.
Scott Urban sat next to Julia. "Don't you worry, Miss Julia, I found a few books that take a negative view about our armed forces. I could talk you through a few of them to show the mistakes the writers have made and how I think they're commie propaganda."
"That's nice, Scott. Thanks for the offer of help" replied Julia.
Edna had a way of cutting a person down to size with a passive-aggressive comment. Julia felt bad for not keeping up with her League commitments even though everyone else seemed to have no problem fulfilling them. She remained quiet throughout the rest of the meeting and sloped off without anyone really noticing once it had ended.
One last thing that was in her diary...the Humour & Hijinks Festival downtown. Julia always went to these and she did promise to catch up with her best friend, Francesca as well. Julia felt that everything today just seemed that little bit hollow and not as fun or as interesting compared with how she felt about playing the piano or her League of Decency meetings. Even the yoga felt like a band-aid hurriedly placed over a wound instead of healing it.
Julia didn't have time to go home and change out of her League uniform so she rocked up to the event as she was. Francesca was already there and waiting.
"Julia...wow, that's some get up you've got on there!" said Francesca, looking at Julia in her uniform.
"It's my League of Decency uniform...I didn't have time to go home and change after the meeting"
"Are you here to shut the place down? You look wild; like an extra from a Matt Helm movie. Does the outfit come with a whip?" joked Francesca.
"No...why should it?" replied Julia, innocently.
"Never mind" said Francesca. "Let's have fun"
There were a lot of interesting people at the festival this evening, including a very smartly dressed English gentleman who gave his name as Steed. He charmed Francesca, and even Julia, with his wit, knowledge and impeccable manners. However, Julia saw an old and dear friend sitting on her own: Joelene Scholl.
"Jolene! Hi! Oh my goodness, I didn't expect to see you here!" gushed Julia. "You remember my friend, Francesca?"
"Yes I do! Julia, give me a hug, it's been such a long time!" replied Jolene, equally happy and surprised to see Julia. She was immaculately made up and wearing a crushed velvet lilac minidress that flattered her figure. The three of them sat down to continue their chat.
"I've just got back from Greenwich Village, New York" said Jolene.
"What were you doing there?" asked Julia.
"I was gigging...got me a 4 week regular slot at one of the big clubs down there. I was supporting Buffalo Springfield" said Jolene.
"Never heard of him" said Julia.
"They're a band from Canada, Julia" said Francesca.
"Ohhhhh" said Julia.
"Well done you! So the singing career is going well?" asked Francesca.
"Pretty good. I got an agent now and am back here to check out the music scene here again. We should do a gig together like old times, Jules"
"I'd like that." replied Julia.
Francesca went to get another round of drinks and that afforded Julia and Jolene to catch up more.
"...so life's pretty good but I miss my old friends" said Joelene.
"It's good to have you back! Cheers!" said Julia, raising a glass in toast. Joelene clinked her glass to Jules'.
"And what about you? Anything interesting going on?" asked Joelene.
"Just work, work and more work really..." said Julia, wistfully. "...I don't get out much at the moment. Oh, I did go to a wedding...I think you know the bride, Suzy?"
"Oh Suzy from 'Hey Wow'? Yeah, she finally tied the knot did she? Good on her! You didn't catch the bouquet afterwards?" Joelene said, teasing her friend.
"Certainly not!" said Julia, indignantly.
"Although our Jules has her eye on someone..." said Francesca, who had returned to the table with more drinks.
"I do not!" said Julia.
"Ooh do tell" said Joelene, all ears.
"I certainly won't" replied Julia, turning her nose up at the pair of them.
"He's a doctor..." continued Francesca.
"He's a colleague...NO! DON'T TWIST THAT! I mean, the person Francesca has erroneously assumed I have a romantic rather than a professional interest in is a doctor who has been working part time at the hospital but I must stress it is just a professional interest"
"For now" replied Francesca, cheekily.
"I have one question..." said Joelene. "Is he cute?"
John Action was spending his morning before work hanging out at the gym and chewing the fat with fellow fitness enthusiasts Brant Hecking and Don Lothario. Brant was talking about a recent vacation he'd had with a buddy that he recommended and Don was bragging about how his housemates, 3 women, were keeping him busy. It was good to hang out with the guys and put all the recent work and personal issues to one side for just a brief moment.
As he towelled himself off after the run, he noticed Jeremy Saint had arrived and so Action walked over to him to say hello. Jeremy had a strange expression on his face when he saw Action: One of annoyance.
"Yo, Jez...how's it hanging?" said Action.
"It's Jeremy, not 'Jez'" replied Jeremy, coldly.
Action was taken aback by Jeremy's frosty response. "No worries, guy, I'm just being friendly"
"Yeah, whatever" replied Jeremy, still in a tone that bordered on hostile. Action, however, was someone who never backed down from a challenge and something was clearly up with his neighbour: Something that needed challenging.
"You gotta problem with me, Jeremy?" said Action, bluntly.
"Maybe I just don't like all this fake machismo you project" replied Jeremy.
"Fake? Who are you calling a fake?" said, Action, standing right up to Jeremy.
"Look at you: You still wear your dog tags and you're not even in the army anymore" said Jeremy.
"I was in the Marines" said Action, bristling.
"Whatever; same difference" said Jeremy, turning his back on Action.
"Hey, don't you turn your back on me!" said Action, his voice raised and his hand poised to grab Jeremy's shoulder. At that moment Brant Hecking stepped in to calm things down.
"Gentlemen...there's no need to go bouncing off the walls here!" said Brant. "This is a gym and you're creating a disturbance for everyone. Now Jeremy, I happen to be wearing dog tags. They're not mine; they're my brother's...he was killed in Vietnam at the start of the year so I wear them to remember him by. Now Action's proud of his service to his country and you have no right to have a go at him about that here. Have a little respect, hey? Now, Action, don't start something here you'll regret."
Jeremy's head dropped and he mumbled an apology. Action had calmed down by now and he nodded his appreciation to Brant for stopping what could have been a fight. He went over to the weight lifting machine to work off his anger at Jeremy. Jeremy, for his part, stood in front of a mirror, looking at his reflection and wondering what had just occurred. It was like he lashed out, instinctively, but why he couldn't figure out. John...Action...is my...enemy popped into his head but something seemed off. As he thought, he suddenly got a sharp headache and he pressed his fingertips to his temples in response.
His impulse was to approach Action again but this time in a non-hostile way however, with each step he took towards him, a sense of revulsion started rising. But why? Action and he had always got along in the past, why is he feeling antipathy now?
"Action....I just wanted to say....s-s-s-sorry for earlier" he said, stammering over the word, sorry.
"All is forgiven...tell me to shut my yap for prying but are you OK?" said Action.
"I guess the new job is intense. So much to learn, to adapt to."
"I hear you"
"Fortunately Geoffrey and Mother are helping me to adjust"
"Your Mom?"
"Did I say 'Mom'? I meant Nancy"
"Well, I gotta get to work soon but you stay cool, man" said Action, suspicious of Jeremy's mixing up his mom with Nancy Landgraab.
Action arrived at the 13th Precinct house with barely any time to think about Jeremy's strange behaviour. For once, his case load was in the clear and he started his shift with no ongoing investigations.
The first person he met at the station was his favourite co-worker, Bibi Stahler. She was the deputy head of forensics at 13th Precinct, on loan from the Munich police department. What Action liked about her was that she was cool, logical, very good at her job and on top of all that she was a hot red headed Teutonic beauty. They weren't an item, but he sure liked having beautiful women around him.
"Bibi, got anything interesting for me today?" he said.
"Case wise, I do. A burglary over at Oasis Springs." she replied, handing him a case file. Action flicked through the incident report just making some surface notes in his head.
"And anything on our little ongoing investigation?" he asked, hoping that Bibi had any new information on the strange McGregor/Landgraab case.
"Oh some very interesting things. For example, all those samples you brought back were of commonly found fish and plants except for one thing." she said with an enigmatic upturn to her voice at the end.
"Which is?" asked Action.
"The cellular walls were much weaker than you would normally find." she said, matter of factly.
"OK, and that's surprising how?"
"It's surprising in that when subject to handling the various flora and fish become....how do you say it in English? Der matsch or schleim?"
"Sounds like slime...all pulped up and messy?"
"Ja, that is it. Now what causes weak cell walls? I do not know at this stage"
"That's something to be getting on with" said Action.
"Ahem...you have this case here to be getting on with first" she said, pointing to the file he was holding.
"Awww, and we were working so well together as well. There's always this barrier between us and I don't mean this flimsy tape thing here" he said, indicating the queueing barrier in the lobby of the station house.
Action made his way down to Oasis Springs, to a wealthier, middle class part of the neighbourhood. It was rich enough to be full of nice places to live, but not so rich that those houses would have decent alarms or security systems. In short, a juicy place for burglars to target. The crime scene was familiar as well...his first case after being assigned to 13th Precinct happened here as well. A large, single floor house inhabited by four young professionals, one of whom he had met briefly: J. Huntington III, member of the Lothario Club.
Action approached the senior uniform cop present, Senior Patrolman Tony Gunn. "What's the score, Tony?"
"Looks like a break-in and theft job, Detective. The perps made off with TVs, a fridge and an expensive stereo system. State of the art record and cassette player and all."
"A combined record AND cassette player? Impressive. That'll fetch a hefty price on the black market" replied Action.
"Forensics are on their way" said Gunn.
"OK, I'll take some photos and have a look around. You round up any witnesses" said Action.
"Graffiti...why do they always leave graffiti?" he muttered to himself as he got to work. Judging by the size of the stereo...which apparently had a built in radio with both AM and FM bands as well...and fridge Action reckoned there had to be more than one person involved and that they would have needed a van or truck to make away with the loot.
There were three witnesses and they were all marshalled to a room at the back of the house. When Action entered the room he saw one of them browsing through the bookshelf.
"Cut that out! You don't live here" said Action, swatting the book out of the man's hand. "Now, one at a time, what did you see?"
"I saw this dirty white van pull up outside and this lady stepped out and walked over to the house" said a young, Hispanic man who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Your name?"
"Rez Valdes, Detective. I saw this dirty white van..."
"Did you get the licence plate number?" asked Action.
"No. I didn't see it. Anyway the van pulls up to the front of the house and then I see this lady step out..."
"Are you sure it was a woman? What did she look like?"
"Yeah, pretty sure it was a woman...she had, well, you know, a woman's figure" Rez said with a little knowing laugh.
"What was she wearing?" asked Action.
"Shorts, a blouse and she had a baseball cap pulled low over her head so I couldn't see her face. I thought it was odd that a woman in a fancy blouse would be driving a dirty old van"
"Did any of you two see this woman?" Action asked the other witnesses.
"Oh yes, Detective. Yeah, she was wearing a fancy blouse and cap" said one.
"I saw the van and I got the first 3 numbers of the licence plate: 335" said the other.
"Very good, guys" said Action, jotting this all down on his notepad. Turning to Gunn he said "you finish things off here, I'll head back to HQ to look through the files and see if we can get some suspects"
"OK, Action"
Back at 13th Precinct Headquarters Action was able to use the latest electronic document reader to look through a list of potential suspects...files kept on microfiche. The reader also had a photostat printer so that files could be printed out to A4 size.
Gunn had returned with the last of the evidence and witness reports bagged up and was joking around in the squad room how this should be an open and shut case.
"Ain't no such thing until we get a name and we're not there yet!" said Action, warning Gunn not to get too ahead of himself. He admired the young officer's zeal but that could lead to sloppiness. Better whip him into shape before they botch this case, thought Action.
"OK, the stolen items are all electronic goods so the thieves will want to offload them quickly. Let's look into the local markets, shops who we know handle stolen goods and black market regulars." said Action. "Bibi, do you have anything from the lab?" he said to her as she entered the room.
"No fingerprints, but we're looking at a hair sample" she replied. "Also, we're running checks on that partial licence plate"
Action was impressed at how his team were working together and the rest of the shift saw people being brought in for questioning, ruling out suspects and narrowing down the list of potential ones. An arrest was definitely in the cards for the next couple of days.
As he ended his shift and was preparing to go home, he saw Bibi once again.
"Good work today...say, I was going to grab a bite to eat; want to tag along?" he asked.
"You're not asking me on a date, Action, are you?" asked Bibi, sceptically.
"Oh no...nothing like that. An end of shift bit of socialising, getting some decent chow and catching up on things, that's all. What say you?"
"As long as it is not a date, that is fine" she replied. "Where shall we go?"
"I was thinking something simple and low key such as The Sunny Side Up?"
"I have not been there. Do I have to look smart?"
"You can go as smart or as casual as you want"
"Good. I will go home and get changed and will meet you at this Sunny Side Up place but it will NOT be a date."
Both of them headed home and changed into more casual clothing before meeting up again outside of the diner.
"Bibi, you look amazing as usual" said Action.
"You look very smart. That is some jacket you're wearing" she replied.
"An original Pierre Cardin. A friend recommended it to me and I trust her fashion judgement" he replied.
"A Pierre Cardin jacket on a Detective's salary? You must tell me your financial secrets, Action" she said, with a smirk.
They took their seats in the diner, Bibi looked around with interest.
"This is how I have always imagined what American restaurants to be like...a good idea of yours, Action, to come here: I hate cooking" she said.
"And there I was thinking you might make a mean strudel" he replied.
"I do not" she said, curtly.
The waiter came and took their order. Action had a burger, Bibi a quiche.
"And what would you like to drink?" asked Action.
"I would like....hmmm....as this ISN'T a date..."
"It's not" said Action.
"...then I will have this" she said, jabbing her finger at some kind of cocktail listed on the menu.
Action was happy to socialise but Bibi wanted to cut straight to business.
"So, to business." she said.
"I was afraid you'd say that" said Action.
"These samples, they turned out to be unstable. Did you obtain them from a laboratory?" she asked.
"No, in the field" he replied.
"Then was this place, remote, normally inaccessible?"
"You could say that"
"Then that explains it. An environment normally restricted and, if handled incorrectly, the flora and fauna lose their cellular cohesion"
"I think I know what you mean. But why? Is it some kind of freaky experiment?"
"Possibly scientific research into some new agricultural methods" she replied with a shrug.
"Yeah, but this 'research' as you call it could be the reason behind all the cloak n' dagger jazz we've got going on with this case!"
"I don't understand...'cloak n' dagger jazz'" she replied.
"I mean spies, Bibi."
"Ah, ja. That I do understand. Yes, that is a possibility. This food is surprisingly good"
"Talk about a change of subject." Action said, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
"Yes. This is a much nicer place and the food is of a higher quality than I expected. Almost as if this were the kind of place you'd take a date. Which this is not"
"If you say so" he said, taking another sip of beer.
"I thought you were seeing someone, Action?"
"That's on hold for now"
"Oh, sorry to hear that. I will not pry"
"What about yourself? Are you seeing an American guy or is there someone special back in Germany?"
"There is no one. I am happy with things that way: It was easier for me to come to America if I was not involved with a man back home, and getting involved with one here will lead to problems once I go home so this way I do not get hurt, and no one gets hurt by me." She made it all sound matter of fact.
"So let's keep this professional then" said Action, raising his glass to her.
"Yes. Professional...although you make it difficult sometimes" she said, smiling suggestively at him.
After dinner he escorted her home but didn't stay for a night cap. Instead, he went home and crashed out. The next morning he awoke, showered, got dressed for another shift and was eating breakfast when the lights and radio suddenly cut out.
"Dang...what now?" he muttered. He went to the light switch and flicked it up and down a few times. Nothing. Then he checked out the fridge. It had stopped working. Every electrical device in his house stopped working. Was there a power cut? He went outside and noticed the lights on at Jeremy's house so whatever the problem was, it seemed to be affecting him. He noticed a letter sticking out of his mail box so he went over to see what it was: It was an electrical bill from the providers; the Landgraab Energy Company. He looked at it; it said he hadn't paid his last bill so they were shutting off the power until he did.
"But I did pay the last bill! Last Monday...this is a crock of...heck, I'm going to have to sort this out but I have to get to work! Damn electrical company, stupid admin people! Damn the Landgrab Corporation! Damn them! LANDGRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB!"
There are few pleasures in life quite like the taste of Brochette by the light of a cold, San Myshuno morning. It was the reason why she took a diversion from her regular route into work just to sample a little piece of indulgence.
She sat down the savour the taste and looked out over the Arts Quarter; it was well before rush hour and only a handful of souls were out and about this morning. She knew that in precisely 15 minutes this place would be awash with commuters and the lonely food stall would have a throng of hungry and eager customers all trying to cram in a pre-work breakfast they missed at home.
A busker was setting up nearby but Julia had no time to stay and watch the performance. She headed over to the subway but when she passed the busker she saw that it was Rez, a familiar face around here and someone who awkwardly tried to hit on her some weeks ago.
"Julia! You're here! Stay a while and I will sing a song especially for you!" he exclaimed.
"I really don't have the time..." she replied.
"I've been experimenting with Flamenco guitar..."
"Please, don't do this on my account"
"Here goes....JULIA...I LOVE YOU! I GIVE YOU MY BULL AND MY COW!" he sang loudly, jangling the guitar strings in the Flamenco manner.
"Please, stop" said Julia, all clenched up. "I have to go to work now" she said, gritting her teeth whilst she walked to the subway station.
There was a commotion at the hospital. One of the private rooms had a police guard standing outside and the senior surgeons were all busily heading for the intensive care ward. Nurse Francesca Griffiths pulled Julia to one side to bring her up to speed as to what was going on.
"It's been crazy like this since yesterday...policewoman was the victim of an arson attack and, as you've seen, there's a police presence on site and Dr Murakami is personally looking after the case. They've got a burns specialist and a plastic surgeon flown in from Chicago to deal with this." said Francesca.
"Golly...should I volunteer to assist?" asked Julia.
"Murakami wants you to take over a whole bunch of her cases. Relieve the pressure on the top surgeons by doing a lot of post op care"
"I can do that...it's more than my usual grind of chores Murakami gets me to do...give me the case files and I'll get to it" said Julia.
"Hello Mrs...Hager" said Julia, hurriedly checking the notes. "Ah, I see those are nasty blemishes on your face. I'll need to check your eyes, ears and get a swab from your throat..."
"Will it hurt?" said Mrs Hager. "That's all I want to know: Will it hurt?"
"There might be some slight discomfort as I'll have to swab the back of your throat" said Julia.
"In other words...it will hurt"
Another patient.
"Now, Mrs Lewis, just take this now and I'll write out a prescription for you to take to the pharmacist. You take it 3 times a day on an empty stomach." said Julia to her next patient: Mrs Vivian Lewis.
"This? This is going to cure me? I've had a bad back, bad knees, my stomach hurts, I can't even move my left elbow anymore, and then there's the headaches but this...pink goop...THIS you say is going to cure all that?"
"Yes, Mrs Lewis. That is precisely what it's going to do" replied Julia.
Mrs Lewis raised a sceptical eyebrow. "I had better not be just sugar, water and pink food colouring like last time!" she said as she gulped down the medicine.
Another patient.
"Tell me I'm not going to die! I'm too young! Tell me I'm not going to die!" said the extremely nervous patient.
"You're not going to die" replied Julia, flatly.
"Say it with more conviction!" said the woman.
"*sigh*...You, are seriously not going to die of....oh hello...actually you're going to have the opposite: It appears you're now eating for two" said Julia, checking all the symptoms and looking at the test results.
"Oh!" said the surprised woman.
During a brief respite in her shift, Julia drank an energy drink concoction of her own design to boost her flagging energy levels. It had been extremely busy picking up the senior medics workload but she relished the challenge and believed it helped her chances of promotion.
More patients, more tests but Julia couldn't find any more information about the injured police woman. The guard was ever present and the specialists came and went from her room. Julia was just too low down on the pecking order.
The shift ended but another one was about to begin: She had her regular, weekly, slot playing piano down at the Blue Velvet Club. She changed out of her scrubs, into her red skirt and top, and headed off to the club.
She played a few jazz standards and took a couple of requests before her break in sessions. Grabbing a giant pretzel and a glass of fizzy fruit drink to stave off the hunger, she sat down at a table to get some rest.
"I liked your set" came a man's voice. Looking up, she saw that it was Cole Michaels; a police officer she had recently met.
"Oh...did you? Thanks. It's 'Cole', isn't it?"
"That's right, Julia" he replied. "May I join you for a bit?"
"Oh yes, by all means"
"I've never been here before but I was tempted to come when you and Jolene told me you performed here. I like it." said Cole.
"Jolene's not here tonight; sorry to disappoint you" replied Julia, who thought that Cole was interested in her friend.
"Not to worry; I got to see you perform and you're very good" said Cole.
Julia blushed. "Well, you know, I'm not a professional or anything..." she said.
"If I didn't know you were a doctor already I would have said you were a professional pianist"
"You're too kind" said Julia, still blushing and dropping her head bashfully.
"I might make this a regular haunt from now on" he said, smiling. "May I buy you a drink?" he asked.
"Sure! Another fizzy fruit cocktail please" she replied.
Cole went to get the drinks in and they continued to chat. "Anything exciting happen at your work today, Julia?" he asked.
"Not for me, but we've got your colleague still in intensive care. It's not my case so I can't tell you much" she said. Cole nodded.
"She works at the same precinct as me, but in a different department" he said. "I hope she pulls through...Action's the lead detective on that one."
"Well, you've got the best on the case" said Julia.
"Yes, we sure do....say, change of subject...how about you and me hit the dance floor?"
"Well...I don't really..." she said, bashfully.
"Come on, I bet you dance as well as you play" he said, taking her gently by the hand. Instead of resisting, Julia took it, stood up and they headed for the dance area.
They danced and had a pleasant conversation. Julia found herself enjoying this. At one point Cole took her hand and they jived; eventually he twirled her around and she spun, her skirt flaring out and showing her legs in full. Julia almost stumbled but Cole caught her by the waist and she ended up with her hands on his shoulders.
"Whoa, steady there" he said. There was a brief pause as she felt his gentle arm around her waist but she didn't know what to say.
Cole broke the silence. "That was nice...." he said, but his face turned serious. "I want to swing past the hospital and check on Marina...that's my colleague. I've had a great time; we must do it again"
Julia nodded. The two said their goodbyes and walked away from the Blue Velvet in opposite directions. She found herself skipping most of the way home. She really did have a great time tonight...with a man. Of course, she was focussed on her work and there was no question of a relationship. Besides, how could she be sure he even thought of her romantically? Crazy suggestion, why entertain the thought? No, he just enjoyed her company as a friend. Yes, a friend. He would obviously go with someone like Jolene; someone beautiful, sexy, fun loving. And Jolene was looking for a steady relationship now so Cole would be the ideal man for her to hook up with. No, Cole was definitely a friend, nothing more.
Nevertheless, when Julia pictured Cole in her mind she let out a happy sigh.
"Madelyn, we need to have an urgent discussion" said Alan Cuffe. He hadn't seen his live in companion and personal assistant either yesterday or at breakfast today and had only now seen her emerge from her bedroom. He downed the last of his juice and called her over.
"What's up, Alan?" she replied, innocently. "I can tell something's bothering you"
"You're right; something is bothering me. I had a little discussion about you with Nancy Landgraab yesterday."
"Oh yeah, what did she have to say?" said Madelyn, giving a contemptuous shrug of her shoulder when Nancy's name was mentioned.
"She told me about your shady business dealings with Malcolm Landgraab...the drugs." said Alan, bluntly.
Madelyn said nothing at first. Alan pressed her.
"Well?" he said. "What's the deal here?"
"So I buy a little pot off of Malcolm Landgraab; it's no big deal" she said.
"From what I've been told it isn't a little; you're buying it off him in bulk!"
"Bulk? Hardly! OK, it's a little more than just for personal use; I sell some on to some of my herbalist friends and some guys down at Britechester U. But it's really not that much, a couple of kilos or so"
Alan threw his hands up in despair "A couple of kilos! If you're caught with that amount on you you're going down and I'll most likely go down with you! I have a successful business to run and I cannot be involved with scandal of that kind"
"Alan...you're not against pot use: You don't complain when some of us light up at Kitten Club meetings"
"Personal use no, but we're talking dealing! I run a clean ship, Madelyn!" he said, protesting.
"We walk the line, Alan, with the law in lots of different ways" she said, calmly.
"I stay on the right line all the time!" he said, defensively. "The club members are all over 18, we have a liquor licence and what I publish falls squarely within the 1st Amendment. I know the cops won't bust us for just a little pot use at a party or something like that but you can't be buying and selling narcotics whilst you work for me and live under my roof!"
Madelyn said nothing.
"Furthermore, this situation with the assassin makes things worse...what if the target wasn't Lilly Feng but you instead? Maybe it's one of Nancy's or Malcolm's goons trying to silence you? Have you thought about that?"
Madelyn shook her head.
"Right. So you've got a choice: Continue to run your own private dealership with Malcolm but you'll have to cut ties with me and Lothario Publishing or stop the dealing completely and stay working for me and living here. Which is it to be?"
"I don't want to ruin our partnership, Alan. I'll break off contact with Malcolm" she said, apologetically.
Cuffe nodded, stood up and went to his office to begin work.
SNEEDLEY BURROW, THE NEXT MORNING
"Hmmm, that smells wonderful George" said Edna, taking in the waft of freshly grilled meat that George was preparing.
"Only the finest for you, my love" he replied.
Edna took a look around the neighbourhood before saying "It's a lovely morning, a beautiful blue sky" before her gaze settled on the ramshackle converted trailer home that was the abode for their neighbour, the struggling comedian Johnny Zest. "It's a shame more people around here don't take better care of their homes"
"I quite agree" said George. "I like to think we set a good example around here"
"An exemplarily example, George" Edna added.
George handed her a serving of the freshly cooked breakfast and they sat down on their front porch to eat it. After making some small talk, they went inside to clean up the plates and also discuss the plans for the day.
"George, later on this morning we'll have our next League of Decency meeting. Will you have time to help me plan it and get the house ready for guests?"
"I've taken the trouble to write a fresh agenda, Edna" he said proudly.
"Music to my ears" responded Edna.
"It'll be the debut of the uniforms" added George.
"Yes. That should give everyone just a little extra oomph today; a sense of purpose" she replied.
"And then shall we protest outside of Hey Wow magazine?"
"Hmmm, maybe right now that might be a little beyond our reach. We need to get our message out there and then hit the depraved society hard. But we shall canvass our members' opinions on the matter....now is that?" Edna paused to look out of the front window. "I do believe that is Scott Urban outside...he's somewhat early for the meeting"
"I think he must be doing his mail route" said George.
"I will go and see" said Edna. Scott Urban was the League's newest recruit: An ex-Army man and current mailman for the neighbourhood. He had a quiet, no-nonsense rural ruggedness about him which appealed to Edna: A nod towards America's pioneer past.
However, Edna saw that he was standing at the end of their road, doing some kind of strange dance or martial art.
"Mr Urban...how lovely to see you here." said Edna. "Might I enquire what you are doing?"
"Tai Chi, Ma'am" replied Scott in his Virginia drawl. "I learned it in the Army...it's a system of moves and exercises designed to tone the muscles and achieve focus"
"Is it really? How interesting. Are you here for the meeting? It's not due to start for a couple of hours"
"No Ma'am, I've got that writ down in my diary. I'm doing my mail route right now and I'll be right over when I'm done...sorry I won't be in the new uniform today: I tried it on, fits real nice and the colour's decent."
"Not to worry, Scott" said Edna, smoothly. "It's your presence we really value. I will see you in a couple of hours then"
They said goodbye and Edna headed back to the Burrow. George was already changing his clothes and Edna did likewise; her carefully pressed uniform was checked for spotlessness with not a stray hair in place. Then she retouched up her make up, made sure her boots were so shiny she could see her face in them and then went back to the living room to make it as hospitable for her guests as possible. Then she went to pour herself a glass of sherry as a pick me up.
One by one they arrived: First Scott, straight from his mail route and then Julia, who was wearing the uniform of the League of Decency as well. Everyone seemed impressed by the new look.
"Well I must say this is a splendid turn out...even though we all appreciate that Scott had to come straight from work to be here I must declare the uniforms a success!" said Edna.
"I say, Dr Epstein, you look mighty fine" said Scott, giving Julia an admiring gaze.
"Please, it's Julia" she replied.
"Sure thing, Ma'am, I mean...Julia" Scott said, bashfully.
"Moving on to business" said Edna. "Item One: A protest has been organised in San Myshuno near the Skye Fitness centre...that is courtesy of a friend and ally, Ken Pepper, who has organised a space for us to hold our first public meeting. Myself and George will be giving speeches"
The others all made notes in their diaries.
"Item Two: George will be printing flyers about the League for us to hand out at the protest. Item Three: A review of books and publications that are deemed not suitable for public consumption without heavy warnings...."
Everyone grabbed a book or magazine that were in a neat pile on the table and started to peruse them. Scott had a magazine called "Leather Cyclist" which had a picture of a young, pouting woman on the cover who was wearing nothing but a leather biker's jacket and a pair of panties on the front. Julia had a book in her hand called "Let It All Hang Out: An Appreciation of Nudist Colonies". As she walked past, George also took in Julia's appearance favourably "She reminds me of Edna when she was young...when I was young" he thought, wistfully.
Julia flicked through the book and then shut it, firmly. "What shall we do if we think the material is disgusting?" she asked.
"We make a note and then send our objections to the publisher. If we do not receive a satisfactory reply then we start an awareness campaign to get more people complaining." said Edna.
"And what if they don't complain?" asked Scott.
Edna took a moment to smile at Scott before answering: "Oh people will complain; don't worry about that. You need the RIGHT people to do so"
"I would suggest" said George "That everyone takes home a book or magazine, highlight the sections that cause offence and log them down in a journal so we can point out the specifics to others"
"Good idea...but if the material gets too strong, do take a break and contact a fellow League member for support" added Edna.
The meeting drew to a close and everyone went home, energised from a positive session. George, in particular was pleased at how it'd gone.
"I thought the others were fired up today" he said. "I must say I feel most invigorated as well"
"Anyway, I must get ready for work...have a lovely afternoon, dear" he said.
After he had left Edna took a look around Bedrock Straight and sighed. There was the ghastly Zest home in all its ramshackle tawdriness. The house next door, once belonging to the even more ghastly Alan Cuffe and the scene of his vile parties, had a "for sale" sign outside and the other property was unoccupied since they took the old man away to the retirement home. The truth was, despite the immaculate condition of Sneedley Burrow, Edna was often at a loose end when George wasn't around and the rest of the neighbourhood depressed her. She went to the fridge to pour herself a glass of wine but none could be found. Then she had a thought: She was going to go and try to recruit new members, why not try at the Solar Flare Lounge?
"Gee, I don't know, Mrs Sneedley...I guess it's hard to find a decent man these days" said the bar tender.
"Exactly, that's my point. Where are the decent men, I ask you? Where are those who are courteous, chivalrous and dutiful these days? Where?"
"I had a good man...once, although I thought he was good." said the bar tender. "Got shipped off to West Germany and fell in love with a local farmgirl. I got the 'Dear Jane' letter a few weeks later"
"Ugh, those foreign women! Such a distraction!" said Edna with a huff. As she drank her wine she would strike up conversations with other patrons.
"I can tell a smartly dressed young man is interested in holding up standards of decorum and good taste"
"Ma'am, I'm the Nightclub Singer. This is my uniform when I work here." said the man.
"Oh I see...will you be playing any music by Perry Como in your act tonight?" said Edna.
At that moment her friend, Ken Pepper entered the lounge. "Edna, no George this evening?" he said.
"He's at work still. How goes things at your school?" she replied.
"Sheesh, kids these days...so lazy, always complaining that that P.T. is too hard for them. Too hard! They're soft these days, soft" said Ken.
"Tell me about it! I'm on a little recruiting drive for the League this evening...I was hoping to meet some people who are fed up with all that laziness and excuse making."
"If I had the time, Edna, I'd join...say, are you hungry? I haven't had chow yet and was thinking of heading to the Spice Festival...do you want to come? If George knocks off early at work he can join us"
"Spicy food...do you know, I haven't tried any. I might just come along" she said, curious to see what the Spice Festival was all about.
"So what does one do at a Spice Festival?" asked Edna.
"Well, you try different kinds of spicy food basically...you've got your Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Moroccan...that kind of thing."
"Sounds....interesting" said Edna without much conviction. The truth be told, she was here mostly for a recruitment drive.
Edna and Ken went over to the tables to sample the dishes on offer, with Ken tucking in with enthusiasm. However Edna heard a voice from behind her that felt like a glass of cold water being poured down her back.
"Edna Bunt? Is that you?" the voice said. Edna turned around to see a face she hadn't seen in 20 years.
"Katrina McTavish...how...lovely to see you. What a surprise" she said in a voice that dripped with false sincerity.
"Actually, it's Katrina Caliente now."
"Is it really? I'm Edna Sneedley now"
"I haven't seen you since the High School Leavers' Prom" said Katrina. "So you went and got married...that's funny because in the yearbook you were voted..."
"Person least likely to get married. Yes, I remember...and you were person most likely to have 3 children before the age of 25"
"Actually, it was two in the end...two girls." said Katrina. "I mean, I could have a third at 39..."
"Katrina dear, I know how old we both are...we were in the same year. So did you end up marrying Flammy Caliente?"
"I did...I did. He died, sadly" Katrina's face dropped for a moment. "But I've found another wonderful man in my life; Don." Katrina leaned in towards Edna and whispered into her ear. "He's a little bit younger than us but, boy, being with a younger man does wonders for the complexion and fitness...do you know what I mean?" and she leant out, nudged Edna in the ribs with her elbow and gave a snorting laugh.
"How nice for you" said Edna, supressing a look of disdain. "My George is a successful chef and a wonderful husband: I couldn't ask for more."
"Well look at you...Edna Bunt, now Sneedley...all married and doing well for yourself. You're looking good for a woman your age...I envy your thinness...you must tell me your secret."
"Yes. Another time perhaps" replied Edna.
"Yes, we must catch up more...call me" said Katrina, walking away and miming a phone gesture.
Edna smiled and waved goodbye. When Katrina was in the distance, she mumbled "slut!". Sighing she put down the bowl of...whatever that food was...and headed to a nearby temporary bar: She needed another drink after that hot chilli and chat with Katrina.
She went to join Ken, who was watching a street musician. "Any joy finding people to join the League?"
"No...so far the only people I've met are MOST unsuitable."
"I know you, Edna, you won't give up easily"
"I won't give up at all" she replied, defiantly.
Eventually the festival petered out and Ken and Edna said goodnight to each other. She got a taxi home, hoping to find George there and awake but he'd left a note on the dining room table. "CHAOS AT THE RESTAURANT, DOG TIRED. GONE TO BED. LOVE, GEORGE"
She sighed. It was kind of him to leave the note but, again, those feelings of frustration, emptiness and boredom when things weren't moving forward rose up within her again. She went to the drinks cabinet.
