CHAPTER 55: Settling In

 

"Do I look alright? Is my tie straight?" said Jeremy Saint to his new, live-in girlfriend, Barbara Dubois.

"You look very smart and VERY handsome" she replied, smoothing out his tie. "Now don't let me hold you up"

"But you're irresistible ..." said Jeremy, giving her a kiss. "What have you got on today?"

"I have a day off and I thought I'd get to know this neighbourhood a little better" she replied.

"It's a nice little area" said Jeremy. "I will see you this evening...one more kiss!" He said, smooching her. She gave him a little pat on the bottom as a way of sending him off to work.

After she left she took a look around her new home. It was all heady stuff: Leaving home, leaving Canada, settling in a new city in another country and on top of it all landing a boyfriend and moving into his home with him. She was so lucky to have met Jeremy, she thought, and she wanted to be a good companion for him.

However, she had time on her hands and a neighbourhood to explore. Her one other good friend in Sim City was their next door neighbour; Suzy Kent. Barbara knew that Suzy worked from home a lot and decided to pop next door to visit her. Suzy was indeed at home, and she'd just finished a fashion article.

"Well how's life in Foundry Cove working out for you?" said Suzy, pleased to see Barbara.

"It's good...very good" replied Barbara. "I can't believe I've moved in with Jeremy! Every morning I wake up and he's there....I love it"

"He's a good one, Jeremy. If you ask me, a keeper"

Barbara smiled. "But a little nervous around women, would you say?" she asked.

"Oh yes...when I met him he could hardly say a sentence to me, Summer or Liberty" said Suzy, with a little chuckle.

"I think that's a good thing...it'll stop him talking with other women!" joked Barbara.

"Say..." said Suzy. "How about you and me head over to the Rattlesnake Juice Bar and hang out there for a bit? I'm done with my assignment for today and we can catch up in detail over there...I fancy getting out of the house!"

The two young women caught a taxi down to Oasis Springs and found themselves in an unusually quiet Rattlesnake Juice Bar.

"Funny...it's usually more busy in here" said Suzy, heading to the bar.

"Well, that's a good thing surely...we'll get served quicker! What would you like?" said Barbara.

"They do a very good Sweet n' Spicy here"

"Bartender! Two Sweet n' Spicies please"

The drinks duly arrived and the girls began to drink...and gossip.

"So..." said Barbara "how come it's taken you so long to find a boyfriend? How's it going with Neil?"

"Neil's not my boyfriend...yet" replied Suzy.

"Here's the thing...." said Barbara "by the way, how many of these have I had?"

"That's your second" said Suzy.

"Anyway, Neil, right? Don't you think he looks a little like Jeremy?" said Barbara, with a mischievous smile.

"Neil and Jeremy? No! I mean...well, they've got similar short blonde hair...blue eyes....a round, gentle face....and they both get tongue tied around women but apart from that..."

"Oh totally different!" said Barbara, sarcastically. "That's OK, Suz. It just shows you have excellent taste in men"

"Oh my gosh! Now that you mention it they are VERY similar!" said a shocked Suzy. She playfully shoved Barbara. "Thanks for giving me that thought you tease! Now I don't know exactly where I stand with Neil...we've been on one date so far and that went well but he does take things very slowly! I like him, but I want to know whether he truly likes me."

"I understand. I'm sorry for teasing you but I hope it works out with you and Neil. I've met him a couple of times and he seems a good man."

"I hope so too" replied Suzy.

"So...now you're properly one of 'us' in the community, what do you want to do?"

"Me? I don't know...I came to America to see and try new things. I envy your style, Suzy. You know, back home is pretty conservative and I wish I had your confidence with fashion. I try..."

"You've got the total look...which if fab" said Suzy. "And if you need advice, just call on me. I tell you, Jeremy will have eyes for no one but you if you follow my fashion tips!"

The afternoon passed quickly with the chat and the drinks flowing but eventually Barbara had to return home if she were to greet Jeremy on time.
She decided to cook him a meal herself, although her culinary skills were very basic and she made a mess in the kitchen.

"Hi honey, I'm home!" came the cry from Jeremy. "You know, I've always wanted to say that" he added.

"Mwah!" Barbara gave him a welcome home kiss. "How was your day?"

"The usual dullness and counting down the minutes to my return to you!" he said.

"I've made you dinner....sorry if it's a bit basic"

"That's fine...I could eat anything right now and this does look good. Did you have a good day?"

"I hung out with Suzy...we went to that bar in Oasis Springs" said Barbara. Jeremy recoiled slightly at the memory of the last time he was there...with Bianca.

"That's nice" replied Jeremy, not wanting to give anything away. "She's a good friend, Suzy. Everyone's nice in this street. Now that was a tasty dinner but I'm in the mood for.....A TICKLE FIGHT!"

"Jeremy! Stop! You know I'm ticklish right THERE!"

The fun and games didn't end there and after a particularly playful bit under the covers Jeremy fell fast asleep but Barbara was too excited to to settle down just yet. She sat there next to him, once again feeling very fortunate to have him as part of her life, when she heard a knock at the door. Carefully walking down the hall to the front door, she was curious to find out who it was at this time of night.

"Hi, my name is Kerry Fry and I'm a Friend of Gaea" said a man in vaguely hippy garb.

"I'm sorry but I've never heard of her" replied a confused Barbara.

"No, Gaea...the Earth...the mother of creation" Kerry explained.

"Excuse me for asking, but what do you want?" asked Barbara

"What we want is world peace, an end to fuel, and a revolution in the way we live our lives on this precious, endangered world"

"OK....but still, what do you want from us?" said Barbara, none for wiser.

"Us?"

"Yes, my boyfriend and me"

"Oh you have a boyfriend....erm...can I just leave you this pamphlet then? Sorry to disturb you but...bye. Don't kill the whale!" and with that, Kerry Fry skulked off into the night and Barbara was left holding a brown paper leaflet and questions as to who was that guy and what was he up to?

CHAPTER 54: Standards Of Decency

"Look at them, George! On second thoughts, DON'T look at them! Ugh, disgusting! That Alan Cuffe should be arrested!" said a disgusted Mrs Edna Sneedly of Bedrock Strait, Oasis Springs to her husband, George.

"What's he done now?" said a rather bored George Sneedly, who was trying to read his newspaper in peace.

"He's having another one of those parties of his, that's what! All those young women wearing next to nothing!"

"Next to nothing?" George lowered his newspaper.

"It's shameful! They've just all piled out of a taxi, 4 women and a man...and what the women are wearing is absolutely scandalous!" Edna's rage was intensifying.

"Let's have a look..." said George.

"No, George! I don't want you getting one of your turns! Suffice to say that the women of 'The Kitten Club' do not conform to a realistic depiction of cats but are just young, shameless women parading around in underwear with a pair of fake cat ears on their heads"

"Perhaps we need to take some photographs for evidence?" said George, meekly.

"All in good time, George. I rue the day Alan Cuffe bought that house next door to us...what we need, George, is a moral crusade. It is our duty to start up a League Of Decency! We will campaign against the permissive society, we will fight the fight for sensible hair, modest hemlines, no intoxication of any sort and the eradication of smut from our fair land! What we need is to find willing recruits to our cause...sensible, serious young people who don't let it all 'hang out'"

SIM CITY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

"What have we got today, Nurse Griffith?" said Dr Julia Epstein to her friend and colleague, Francesca Griffith.

"Well, we have someone new starting today...Nurse Harper Newell" said Francesca, introducing the new member of the team.

"Pleased to meet you, Doctor?..." said Nurse Newell.

"Doctor Epstein, but I'm very junior around here...we'll introduce you to the head of department, Dr Murakami and she'll show you what goes on around here."

"Here's the notes for your first patient of the day...Prisha Datta in room 3" said Francesca, handing over the file to Julia.

"Hmmm, dog related injury...a bite?" mused Julia.

"No, Miss Datta tripped over a Great Dane and had a nasty fall" replied Francesca, smiling.

Julia sauntered off to see her patient, who seemed vaguely familiar to her. "Hello Miss Datta, I'm Dr Epstein and I'm here to make an initial assessment of your condition. I believe you tripped over a Great Dane dog?"

"Yes...a big clumsy oaf of a pet. I'm a policewoman and I was investigating a break in and vandalism case when some private investigator and their dog got in the way and I stumbled over it...landed hard on my shoulder." said Datta.

"Now I remember where I've seen you before....this break in happened right across from where I live" said Julia. "You were investigating along with another neighbour of mine, John Action"

"Oh you know Action, do you?"

"A little...I've only just moved in to that area. What's he like to work with?"

"Action is....well he makes his own rules up, let's put it that way" said Datta, smirking.

"Why can't people stick to the rules?" mused Julia. At that moment, Dr Murakami entered the room.

"Ah, Dr Epstein...I trust you've amended those notes and performed an assessment?"

"Just about to, Dr Murakami" said Julia, sounding keen and eager.

"Good, then I'll observe...talk me through your assessment of the patient"

Julia did so, being careful to be methodical and precise...not leaving anything out. Dr Murakami asked a few prompting questions along the way but mostly sat silent, nodding along. When she said "that's good enough, Dr Epstein" Julia let out a little sigh of relief.

At the end of Julia's shift, Dr Murakami pulled her to one side. "Dr Epstein, you've impressed me lately...you get on with your job well, show an above average aptitude for diagnosis and patients seem to trust you. I'm elevating you one rank and relieving you of the more onerous chores around here. Well done."

Julia respectfully said thanks and nodded, but as soon as she met up with Francesca she let out a little squeal of joy in celebration.

"Normally I'd take you out for drinks to celebrate" said Francesca "but I promised Rod and Stefanie I'd stay home tonight for a special dinner and games"

"No worries...I just want to go home, catch up on some reading and having a quiet night in to celebrate instead" replied Julia.

After dinner and a change into her everyday clothes, Julia felt a little bit smug about herself....she had progressed one stage along the career ladder at last, and made a good impression on her superior.

Outside her home she saw a familiar figure; Yuki Behr...she had come to know Yuki a little better since their chance encounter at Desert Bloom Park and was concerned about the girl's negative attitude towards herself and always comparing herself to her sister, Candy.

"Hello Yuki, are you well?" asked Julia, a little formally.

"Oh, Dr Epstein...nice to see you" came the reply.

"Call me Julia, we're not in the hospital"

"I'm doing OK...school work's keeping me busy and that hasn't left much time for anything else"

"That's a good thing" said Julia. "Keep yourself occupied and you'll do well" Julia was about to say more but she noticed someone standing outside of her house, knocking at the door. "Excuse me...I have a visitor" said Julia, walking back to her house. When she saw who it was, she had mixed feelings, however.

"Aunt Elle, what are you doing here?" asked Julia.

"I need to talk with you, Julia!" said a frantic sounding Aunt Elle.

"Come inside" said Julia, reaching for her keys. The two women went into Julia's house but Elle kept staring out of the windows. "What's the matter, Aunt Elle?" Julia asked.

"A man...I'm sure he's following me?" said Elle.

"What man?"

"This man I met at the last Humour And Hijinks Festival...which, I noticed, you didn't attend"

"I was rostered to work that night" said Julia. "So why's this man following you?"

"I don't know! Why do any of them follow me?" said Elle, exasperatedly.

"Are you still taking your medication?" said Julia.

"Yes...no...I don't know! If a man knocks on this door, don't let him in!" said Elle.

"The man who lives over the road is a policeman, Aunt Elle. If there's any trouble I can give him a call...now sit down and let's talk about you taking care of yourself"

Elle sat down and started to talk a stream of consciousness...in between tales of meeting this man and that and losing track of the days she berated Julia for not being more helpful.

"Aunt Elle...I'll make up a spare bed for you for tonight and you can stay here where it's safe if you don't want to walk home now"

"Make sure you double lock the door!" said Elle.

"I will...I'll also give mom a call to let her know you're safe. She'll help you as well"

"But she's not a doctor, like you!"

"I'm a doctor but I'm not your doctor and I'm not a specialist in your condition...but I will help you now"

Julia went to get some blankets and a pillow for Elle. The Epstein clan took their familial duties and responsibilities very seriously and Aunt Elle was the most difficult member of it. Julia was bound not just by Hippocratic Oath, but by blood to help her sick aunt.

CHAPTER 53: An Act Of Vandalism

 

"OK, guy, no funny business...just spread your legs apart and put your arms up there!....The longer you draw this out, the worse it will get for you!"

"Geez...what the hell is this and what was it doing in there?"

One of the worst aspects of Action's job was frisking suspects. This guy was a joker...making life deliberately awkward for Action trying to search him for incriminating evidence. Well, somehow, he had managed to hide a child's toy on him. Oh ha-ha-ha, thought Action.

"Action...there's a civilian at the front desk wanting to report a crime" said Officer Datta, Action's partner. "I'll take over here if you like"

"Be my guess...watch out, he probably has a whoopee cushion hidden on him" said Action.

Out in the front office a bearded man stood there, waiting for someone to take a statement from him.

"Officer! I saw some kids over at Foundry Cove lighting old cans of gas, spraying graffiti and harassing some locals."

Foundry Cove! That's where Action lived.

"OK, thanks for the report...we'll get a squad down there to check things out" he said to the man. Action knew that if they got there quickly they had a chance to apprehend these vandals. He got a car, 2 other colleagues and headed down to Foundry Cove.

When they got there, there was no one to been seen. However Action recognised that his neighbour's house...Summer, Liberty and Travis' house had been broken into.

"Looks like vandalism, Action" said one of the cops. "Spray paint everywhere, things thrown about...they've left the TV, the record player and haven't touched any artwork."

"Any witnesses?" asked Action.

"Yes, a Miss Dyble...she was walking past the house and saw the door smashed in. She called us from a payphone around the corner. She's waiting down the hall there"

Action walked over to the witness and recognised her. She'd also witnessed the art theft over at the Solar Flare Lounge last week.

"Miss Dyble, we have to stop meeting like this" he said to her.

"Ah officer...you must think I'm some kind of crime magnet" she replied.

"Or going through an unlucky patch...so tell me what you saw"

"Not much, I'm afraid" she said. "Like I said to your colleagues, I noticed the door off its hinges and when I went for a closer look I saw the graffiti and the mess...I didn't see anyone suspicious in the area at all."

Action took a statement and started looking around the property for more clues. As he was doing so, a young woman with bright red hair approached him.

"Officer...I believe you're in charge of this crime scene" she said. "Allow me to introduce myself...my name is Daphne Blake"

"Did you see anything, Miss Blake?" he replied.

"Oh no, I'm not a witness...I'm here to help with your investigation"

"In what way?"

"Well me and my associates investigate mysterious crimes...the strange, the bizarre, the ones that have no obvious explanation" she said, enthusiastically. She seemed very young for this kind of detective work, very trendy and svelte rather than hard boiled.

"Nothing strange about this case, Miss Blake...we had a report it was local punks"

"No one saw anyone break in or leave" said Daphne. "No one heard anything. Whoever did this entered and exited without anyone noticing...that's a mystery. We'd like to help you solve this one if you've got no leads"

"Who's we?" said an unimpressed Action.

"There are four of us...well, actually five if you include our dog"

"Oh you have a dog? I'm impressed...maybe he can smell out your strange and mysterious criminal"

"Here's my card if you're interested" she said, handing him a green business card with purple lettering: MYSTERY, INC.

"If we see any ghosts or ghouls, we'll call you" said Action.

Daphne left the room and Action turned to his fellow policeman. "Right, you make sure you keep her, her friends and their dog off this premises...do you hear?"

"I hear, Action...say, she's pretty cute though" said his partner.

"Pretty soft in the head if you ask me!" said Action.

Outside the bedroom Action could hear raised voices.

"I'm telling you I did NOT see any mysterious, ghostly figure...I didn't see anything move of its own free will nor were there any strange noises or breezes! I've told the police what I know!"

Miss Dyble had been cornered by Daphne, who was asking her a series of questions, and did not like it one bit.

"OK ladies, break it up...we've got this covered. Miss Dyble, we'll be in touch. Miss Blake...just leave, please"

Back at the station, Action and his team logged their findings and then it was the end of shift. Action was glad to be home but he stopped by his neighbours' house to see how they were doing.

"Look, we've got an APB put out on these guys...I'm sure we'll get them soon" he said to Travis.

"Yeah, we'll get the cleaners in soon....fortunately they didn't take anything" replied Travis.

"Well, if you notice anything gone just give me a call...don't worry, guys, we've got this"

Action left to go home but on the way he bumped into Jeremy Saint, who was out for a run.

"Jeremy...congratulations on you and Barbara getting together" said Action.

"Well, she's just moved in to my house...it's not wedding bells at the moment" replied Jeremy.

"I can tell she's having a positive effect on you, man" said Action, smiling.

"That she is, Action, that she is"

"Listen...the guys down the road are pretty shaken up by that breaking and entry...it'd be good if all of us on this street worked together and kept an eye out for one another"

"Agreed" said Jeremy.

"Oh...and out of interest. Do you know of anything strange or mysterious around here?" asked Action.

"No....well, except for that tree over there" said Jeremy, pointing to the big, fungus covered tree by the fishing spot. "Suzy says that it's weird"

Action shrugged his shoulders and went home.

CHAPTER 52: Rejected

 

"Rejected!" said the editor.

"Rejected? But how? You wanted more facts, I got you them. You wanted more depth, I gave you depth...now you're saying the article on Malcolm Landgraab is rejected again?" said an incredulous Suzy Kent to her editor at 'Hey, Wow!' Magazine.

"Look...this is a fine piece of writing" said the editor, holding up a copy of Suzy's expose on the Landgraab heir. "But this is a fashion and style magazine, not an investigative journalism one"

"But Malcolm Landgraab is well known in teen circles; he's a youth icon, a style leader...shouldn't our readers know a bit more about what he gets up to?"

Her editor sighed. "You make a good point, but this rejection comes from a source higher up than me, Suzy"

"Who pulled this?" she demanded to know.

"The owners" came the reply.

Suzy was fuming all the way home...near her house she met her opposite number over at Smogue, Davis Goode and decided to see if the grass was greener on the other side at that magazine.

"Hello Davis...how's life at Smogue?" she said.

"How do you know my name and where I work?" he replied.

"Don't be silly; we've met a couple of times and chatted about our respective magazines...I'm over at 'Hey, Wow!'"

"I am never silly...'Hey Wow!' is a derivative sub-standard copy of Smogue. There can be no practical purpose in talking with you any further" and with that he walked on.

"Grrr, I need a break!" seethed Suzy.

She headed down to the Perfect Balance Spa for a much needed de-stress. A soak in a soft mineral hot bath, followed by a turn in the sauna soon got her to stop worrying about her frustrations with her job.

She realised that she was a very junior writer/reporter at the magazine and that she'd never done any form of investigative journalism in her life before. Plus, the Landgraabs, Fengs and Goths were all aware that she was probing them for information about their less than wholesome personal and business lives and they had shut her down at every turn. No, she should put her pride to one side and focus on the upcoming fashion festival happening in Sim City next month.

Suzy had booked herself into a yoga session at the spa and went to change out of her bathrobe and into an exercise leotard instead. Heading up to the session, she bumped into her next door neighbour; Julia Epstein.

"Julia...I didn't know you're a member here" said Suzy.

"Oh yes...it beats running" Julia replied.

"Are you going to the yoga class as well?" said Suzy, indicating her almost identical black exercise leotard and tights to Suzy's.

"Yes...it's something I've just got into. I tell you, they have us junior doctors rushing around at the hospital and I have to stay lithe and agile!"

The two neighbours plus a couple of middle aged women who wore tennis skirts joined in the class and proceeded to bend, stretch and meditate for the next half an hour.

Suzy felt all the stress leave her body... and whilst lying down letting her chakra's balance, she had a moment of clarity: She would put the scandal story to one side and concentrate on what she'd been hired to do for the magazine. Once that decision had been taken, she felt relieved.

After the session, Suzy and Julia changed back into their regular clothes and decided to head off to get a coffee. But as Suzy was checking her handbag, she was accosted by Geoffrey Landgraab.

"Ah, Miss Kent...sorry to hear that your latest 'extravaganza' had to be cancelled by your magazine" he said.

"Sorry? I would have thought you would have been relieved" said a sarcastic Suzy.

"I was never really that bothered. You see, to get to where I am you have to have..."

"The legacy of your ancestors?" she replied, cutting him off.

"Connections, Miss Kent. I am connected to every one of notice in Sim City. One of those connections happens to be the owner of your magazine"

"And you used your pull on them? All because little Malcolm's been a disappointment lately"

"Malcolm needs time and space to realise where his priorities should lay" said an ice cold Geoffrey. "You won't get in the way of that"

"I would have thought running a drug ring at his expensive private school was a matter for the law, not one of priorities"

"You've got no proof, no backing and no idea...Miss Kent. Now I have a massage booked in 5 minutes and I believe you're leaving" he said, walking off upstairs.

Suzy watched him leave. She now had a new resolve...keep going! If 'Hey, Wow!' didn't want her article, she'd find someone who would!

CHAPTER 51: A Big Step

"Oh no, sweetheart....that's terrible! Here, sit down and tell me what happened" said Jeremy to his very distraught girlfriend, Barbara.
"The building where my apartment is, in San Myshuno, has been condemned....faulty electrics, structurally unsound and now an infestation of rats. The city has ordered it shut down, effective immediately. I've got 2 days to move all my stuff out, find somewhere to store it and somewhere to live!" Barbara's voice was cracking through stress.

"And you have nothing lined up?" said Jeremy, reaching out to touch her hand, reassuringly.

"No...I've spoken to my parents and....it looks like I'll store my stuff in Sim City in a facility for now and move back to Montreal."

Jeremy's heart sank. Just at the point where he and Barbara had declared their love for each other, when everything in their lives looked upbeat, this had to happen and she would probably have to move back to Canada.

"I've very little in the way of savings as well...when I go home, I'll have to build up my money again so it might be years before I can return to America and here." she said, close to tears.

Jeremy stood up and paced around his kitchen. He looked around his house and then back at Barbara. "How much stuff do you have?" he asked her.

"Not much. You've seen my place; it's pretty small. The furniture I mostly rented...other than that there's really only personal effects and my clothes."

Jeremy paced up and down some more...getting faster with each turn. "Well...Barbara..." he began, trying to string together his thoughts coherently. "Now we're pretty steady as a couple....we're not married....but we're steady. Well...it's like this...I want to help you with all my heart. We...that is, you and I, have formed a very strong emotional attachment and...well...I do love you, you know that" he said, barely making much sense.

Barbara nodded but had little idea where he was going with this.

"No I'm a pretty traditional kind of guy, as you know, but I'm not a total square...I mean...we've...well, 'done it' and multiple times so I guess I'm not that much of a traditionalist now that I think of it. But I'm a gentleman and a gentleman stands by his fair maiden through thick and thin and does the honourable thing..."

"Oh Jeremy..." said Barbara, fearing that he would suddenly drop to one knee and produce a ring "...you don't have to do that; I am legally permitted to reside in the United States."

"I meant I....would like....for you to consider my house here to be....your new home. What I mean is, you can live here...with me"

Barbara said nothing for a few seconds...he wasn't going to propose; and although she loved him she was worried that was moving too fast. But this offer to live with him? She leapt to her feet and gave him a hug so strong it nearly suffocated him.

"Oh thank you, thank you!" said Barbara.

"Well...you spend most nights here anyway, it makes sense that we do this on a more permanent basis" he said.

They spent the weekend moving her stuff out of the soon to be condemned apartment and to his house. They purchased a second dresser for her stuff plus decided on where to put her yucca plant, Wayne, her artwork and personal stuff. Soon Jeremy's once sparse home filled with a woman's presence; from the smell of perfume around the place, the softening of the décor and the sight of her wet bras and tights hanging out to dry in the bathroom.

"I can't thank you enough, darling, for being my white knight" she said, cradling his arm as they looked around the house. "So, I've only ever really been here in the evenings, visiting you...what are the neighbours like?"

"Oh you'll LOVE them!" said Jeremy.

Soon enough, Jeremy phoned them all to invite them over to his place to meet Barbara and to celebrate her moving in.

"Hello fellow new resident to Foundry Cove!" said Julia Epstein, in a rare jolly mood. "We met once before at the Hijinks Festival...well, I say met; you spent most of the time making out with this fella here!" she said with a snorting laugh.

"And I lay claim to having introduced you in the first place!" said Travis Scott, smiling broadly as he properly met Barbara. "You might not remember, but it was me who goaded Jeremy into saying hello to you at the Waterside Warble!"

"I remember you now, Travis" said Barbara. "I have you to thank for bringing me this wonderful man into my life"

"The name's Action..." said Action, greeting Barbara firmly. "If there's any trouble from him..." pointing to Jeremy "...just let me know and I'll sort him out" he said, breaking out of his serious demeanour to smile warmly at her.

"Action here is our policeman in residence" said Jeremy.

"Barbara, this is fantastic news that you're moving in" said Suzy Kent. "We're going to be neighbours!"

"I know! We must meet up for coffee soon...I want to know what to wear and where to go with my wonderful boyfriend!"

"It's a date!" replied Suzy.

Before long the gathering divided into guys in one room and the girls in another and Barbara got to meet Summer and Liberty as well.

"Finally, we girls outnumber the boys on this street!" said Julia.

"Oh man, do you have a groovy chick there!" said Action, slapping Jeremy on the back.

"Speaking of chicks...when are we going to meet your girlfriend, Action?" asked Travis.

"Soon...no doubt. And when are you going to get around to making things official with one of your two beauties, Travis?" replied Action.

Everyone was having a fantastic time and it was like a welcome wagon all over again....however, one person had surreptitiously arrived on Jeremy's doorstep without being noticed.

Bianca Gregory peered in the door window, saw the gathering and there, in the middle of it, the centre of attention: This new girlfriend of Jeremy's. The one that had taken Bianca's place. She had turned Jeremy down, initially, but wondered if that would strengthen his resolve to pursue her. He hadn't, and that was eating away at her inside. He was the path she didn't take, and how was she going to deal with that? She thought about making a grand entrance here, but decided otherwise. She observed Barbara's body language for a while, saw how she looked at Jeremy and then, mulling over what she had seen, she left as silently as she arrived.

CHAPTER 50: Odd Encounters

 

Always a restless soul in search of self-improvement, Julia Epstein decided that a bit of high culture was in order so, on a recommendation from Suzy Kent, she decided to spend her day at the Casbah Gallery.

Modern art was something she wanted to appreciate more but had often struggled to. Her tastes were generally classical in music, literature and art but she was impressed by the scale of some of the canvasses on display in the main gallery...even if she couldn't understand much of the subject matter.

She was taken aback by what she found on the 3rd floor...a music room complete with a grand piano. Julia loved playing the piano and as well as classical pieces, recently she'd been learning some modern, progressive jazz. If she made a concession to popular culture, it was an appreciation for jazz. She sat down at the piano, and with no one around to bother her, she let rip with a piece she'd just learned.

"Here...you can't just play that in here, lady!" said a voice from behind her. She turned and saw it was an older gentleman who was pointing an accusatory finger at her.

"And why ever not?" replied an indignant Julia.

"Because Roy Reece and his Ragtime Rascals practice here every Sunday, that's what!"

"And who is Roy Reece?" Julia asked, getting bothered by this man's tone.

"I'M Roy Reece! And here are my Ragtime Rascals band" he said, pointing to a group of older people who had entered the room and were now taking up the various instruments lying around the room.

"Well how was I to know this was your special practice time?" said Julia, standing up and offering the piano to Mr Reece.

"It's tradition. We're always here. You young people don't know what it's all about these days...I fought in two foreign wars for you!"

"I don't think I had much to say in either matter" said Julia, indignantly, as she left.

As she wandered through the galleries she was approached by someone who looked familiar to her.

"Pranksters dolis ludere vestri usque in sempiternum" said the familiar lady.

"iocus est ne vincat nec divinos" replied Julia, recognising the greeting. "I see you're a Prankster too" she said.

"My husband is but I remember seeing you at some of the Prankster Lodge meetings" said the lady. "I'm Nancy Landgraab"

"Of course, Geoffrey's wife" said Julia, finally recognising her.


"It's good to see young people joining the Dishonourable Company of Pranksters; you know we can do wonders for people's careers...especially those who are just starting out" said Nancy.

"I sometimes think I need a little help getting through to my boss" Julia joked. Nancy's face was serious.

"Oh I'm sure we can pull some strings in that direction" she said, with a mischievous smile.

Nancy Landgraab said her goodbyes and Julia was left to wonder just how a fellow Prankster could influence the Sim City Hospital Chief Surgeon but she didn't have time to ponder the matter before when someone called to her.

"Sandor 21, repeat" said a man, looking straight at her.

"What?" said Julia.

"Sandor 21...repeat the phrase. Then we can proceed to the next level"

"Sandor 21?" said a puzzled Julia.

"Sandor 21, confirmed. Next level, Sandor 22...repeat"

"Wait, what?"

"Do you not understand your instructions?" said the man.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" said Julia.

"Oh...wait....sorry, wrong person" and with that the man left the gallery leaving Julia confused.

Julia decided that the gallery was host to too many odd people today so she decided to leave. Stuck for an idea she browsed the notice boards in the main food and market quarter until she saw a sign for free entry at the Narwhal Arms. "Oh what the heck...I should get with the zeitgeist once in a while" she thought to herself.

"So this song is interesting...a syncopated beat with judicious use of a Hammond B3 organ, I think" she said to the man dancing next to her.

"Yeah, whatever" he replied.

"I must make an effort to learn some of these dance moves" she said, but the man wasn't listening. As she did more of an indifferent bop she recognised one of the dancers...Candy Behr, sister of her patient Yuki Behr.

"Excuse me, is your sister here tonight?" asked Julia. "I know her a little"

"No...she's at home. This place is strictly over 21s" replied Candy.

"And is she doing well? The last time I saw her she was a bit upset about things in general...I wondered how she was doing?"

"She mopes a bit...who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Julia Epstein. You can ask her about me...I helped her out recently. Listen, give her my regards when you see her"

"Sure...look, I'd like to get back to the dance floor if that's OK" said Candy.

Julia sighed. She didn't seem to care about her kid sister all that much. The music was too loud and Julia felt she should leave. She made ehr way to a cafe and flopped down in a chair to have a coffee. Soon she was joined by a man she didn't recognise.

"Oh no...look...I'm not interested in dancing right now, I don't want to move along for some Ragtime Jazz band, I have no idea what Sandor 21 means and I don't want to start a joke war either" she said, sighing.

"Actually there's no available seats here except this one and I was just going to ask if I could sit here....you look like it's been a frustrating day for you"

Julia laughed "I'm sorry...too much randomness in one day for my tastes" she said, offering the seat to the man.

"My name's Beau"

"Julia"

"I'm not going to ask you what any of that stuff you said means but if it were me that had to deal with all that I think I'd want to run away from it all" he joked.

"Sometimes I feel like the world is just that little bit crazy...not in a scary, cataclysmic way but just offbeat and oddball"

"If you ask me it's all this drop out culture" he said.

"Exactly! You would think people would be grateful for all the good things we have right now...instead they just fill their heads with pop art, pop music, weird buzzwords..."

"...popping strange pills"

"That too. Why can't people just have a nice cup of coffee and a chat?"

"My thoughts exactly" said Beau. "Look, it gets crazy these days and I don't pretend to understand the youth of today compared with what I was like 10 years ago and I think all it takes is for someone to say 'no, slow down everyone'"

"I like the way you think, Beau" she said, raising her glass to him.

CHAPTER 49: Case Closed

 

"Hey, mister!" said the little boy to John Action one morning "is it true you're a cop?"

"Well yes I am, little man" said Action.

"Cool! Can I see your gun?"

"Not today...it's against police procedure...so, do you want to become a policeman when you grow up?"

"Yeah....either a cop or an astronaut; I haven't made up my mind yet"

"Well that's a good couple of choices there...now get along to school; it's important you listen and learn if you want to be either" said Action, smiling that at least this kid had a good opinion of the police; unlike a lot of teenagers and young people these days.

When Action arrived at 13th Precinct headquarters a little while later he was irritated that no one had made any further progress on the art robbery case.

"What's going on here? We've got fingerprints, witness statements, a partial description of the suspects....why are you lot sitting around here for? Let's get out there and nail this perp?" said Action, pointing straight at the case board.

"But Action, we can't because it hasn't been authorised by the Chief, the Commissioner and the D.A. We need back up for this assignment...and we need back up for the back up, and paperwork...." said his colleagues.

"To heck with paperwork and backup! I'm going after this punk...my way!" said an angry Action, storming off.

Municipal Muses, Crawdad Quarter, Willow Creek....9:50am

Action sauntered into the garden area of the museum...he figured that he'd scout around the outside first; the perp might want to steal something at the museum and make their way out of the rear entrance. He was looking for a suspect, male, 20s, red hair, T-shirt and shorts. That was a very detailed description, courtesy of his three lovely witnesses, and he was sure to find someone who matched that description.

Staying in the garden paid off for through one of the entrance arches strode an effete looking young man who matched the description....he walked in a slightly feminine manner...which went against the description of a fast moving, gun wielding art theif.

"Excuse me, sir" said Action, stopping him in his tracks.

"Could you tell me where you were on the 19th of this month? Around 2pm?" said Action.

"Hmmm....let's see....I might need a little reminding, if you know what I mean" said the man, flirtatiously.

"Cut that out, pal" said Action "you're wasting your time...I tell you what, how about we continue this conversation down at the station?"

"Will you escort me, personally?" said the man, posing provocatively.

"Just get in the squad car"

Back at headquarters, the suspect was booked and led to a cell for a short time whilst Action filed his report with Sergeant Kitchen. When he returned to the cell to check on the suspect, he found a changed man from the flirt he had encountered.

"Oh man....this is real, isn't it?" said the suspect.

"It certainly is...come on, it's time to ask some questions" said Action.

"You know....will you hold my flirting with you against me?" said the man, nervously.

"That is the least of your worries right now" Action replied.

In the interrogation room, Action turned the lamp into the suspect's face.

"So you like art, then?" he said.

"It's a hobby" replied the suspect.

"Enough to steal some? We have your fingerprints on the frames of some pieces that were stolen from the Solar Flare club on the 19th"

"I did touch the frames but I didn't steal anything"

"And we have three witnesses who saw you escape and can identify you...one of them described how you pointed a gun straight at them."

"Impossible...I was wearing a ski mask! Oops!" the suspect fell into the trap and then slumped his shoulders in resignation.

Action smiled and said "You'd better call your lawyer now".

He got praise from his superiors on a job well done but he didn't want to rub it in that he didn't wait for higher approval before going out and arresting the suspect. The rest of the shift was an anti-climax as he had to deal with stuck kittens up trees, minor domestic strife and a report of a flasher in Newcrest.

The end of the shift came and Action wasted no time in heading down to the Blue Velvet to meet his girlfriend, Katherine.

"Busy day at the office?" she asked.

"A wild one....I caught the Oasis Springs art thief today...he was an interesting character; he tried hitting on me to get off a charge"

"Was he your type?" joked Katherine.

"I didn't like his hair or legs" said Action, smiling.

"So are we just going to sit here or are you going to show me some of your groovy moves?" said Katherine, standing up.

"If you put it like that...let's do it!" said Action.