CHAPTER 182: House Call

 

It was Julia's first day at work since her promotion.  No longer the bottom ranked most junior of interns, she now had risen up the ranks.  The last 6 months of hard work had finally paid off for her.  However, with more seniority came more responsibilities and with that, an increased workload.  With her increase in wages she was able to purchase some custom made protective glasses that she could wear instead of contact lenses...which always ran the risk of getting lost; sometimes inside a patient undergoing surgery.

Dr Murakami, the head surgeon, was at the front desk and she looked stressed.  

"Ah, Dr Epstein...it's all hands to the pumps today as the saying goes:  Most of the nursing staff are down, sick.  Food poisoning after Nurse Newell's birthday party last night.  I'm afraid we're going to be backed up with cases today; every bed is occupied right now and we need to clear as many of the low level cases as possible.  Here; here's your first patient." she said, handing Julia a case file.

Julia took a look at the contents:  "Roy Reece, age 65, complaining of abdominal pains.  Roy Reece?  That name seems familiar" she muttered to herself.

She walked off towards Bed One, reading the notes all the way.  Fortunately for her, she knew the hospital layout intimately and didn't accidentally collide with anything as she was walking and reading.  Inside the room was an elderly man with a long, full beard and prominent chin who was looking miserable.

"Mr Reece...I'm Doctor Epstein and I'll be handling your case today.  How are we feeling right now?"

"In pain...annoyed...breathing hurts right now...and I just want to get out of here" was his surly reply.

"I understand and hopefully we will get to the bottom of what's troubling you so we can cure you and send you home.  Now I have a feeling we've met before..."

"Hmm, yes, there's something familiar about you too.  Maybe you've seen me at one of my gigs." he said.

"Are you a musician?" asked Julia.

"Yes.  Jazz.  I'm the leader of Roy Reece And His Ragtime Rascals"

"Oh yes, now I remember.  We met briefly in the music room at the Casbah Gallery." said Julia, recalling that not only had she met Mr Reece, he had been quite rude to her and had her chucked out of the gallery's music room.  But she thought it prudent not to mention the incident to him.

"Yes, we practice there every Saturday morning without fail" he said, curtly.  Maybe he had remembered their previous encounter.

Julia began to perform some basic examination of Mr Reece by taking his temperature, checking his blood pressure, heartbeat and gently examining his abdomen to see if there were any abnormalities or pain there.  All the while they were having a conversation about Jazz.

"Do you like jazz, Dr Epstein?" he asked.

"Most certainly!" came her enthusiastic reply.  "In fact I play piano myself and I'm always switching between playing classical or jazz."

"So you play as well?  Good, so who are your favourite pianists?" 

"Jazz wise?  I'd say Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson and Herbie Hancock"

"Harumph!" said Reece, grumpily.  "Not Trad Jazz then!"

"I don't know much about Trad, Mr Reece"

"Trad is the ONLY form of Jazz that should be permitted!  Brubeck can't hold a candle to Jelly Roll Morton and Fats Waller!"

"Well, that's a matter of opinion...now, let's get a swab from your mouth and get it analysed.  Hold still, Mr Reece..."

"AUUGHAAAHHAAAHHHH"

"Thank you Mr Reece; I will send this for analysis and will check on you again in about 3 hours from now..."

"Three hours!"

"See you then, bye"

Julia took the swab to the lab and on her way back to the wards she was intercepted by Dr Murakami.

"Dr Epstein, I have an unusual request to ask of you" she said.  Julia was intrigued and raised a quizzical eyebrow at her boss.

"There's been an outbreak of stomach problems at some kind of society do downtown...suspected food poisoning.  Now normally they'd all come by ambulance and with all our beds occupied it would make more sense to triage at the location instead of here." said Dr Murakami.  "I want you to go"

"But don't we have staff shortages?" said Julia.

"I've got that covered; we have a couple of locum doctors on call and they'll help out.  I need a more senior member of the team down there, assessing what's going on and if you can treat them there without having to admit them here that would be greatly appreciated...if you catch my meaning."

Julia thought she did; pull this off and promotion again couldn't be far away.  She grabbed a traditional black doctor's bag and medical kit, grabbed the notes for the case and hitched a ride in an ambulance downtown to the Arts Quarter, where the call came from.

She was buzzed in to the apartment and immediately the stench of vomit hit her nostrils.  In the kitchen, a woman was hunched over a sink, retching.  She saw Julia enter in her scrubs and guessed she was the doctor sent to help them.  Picking herself up, the woman wiped her mouth and turned to greet Julia.

"Oh thank goodness you've come, Doctor" said the woman.  "Three of us are down with this stomach bug or whatever it is."

"Well let's see if I can help you.  My name's Dr Epstein and you are?"

"Fleig, Patricia Fleig."  There was a moment of recognition between the two women that, based on their surnames, both were Jewish.  "I'm afraid we all overdid it with a seafood platter..."

"Was there much in the way of shellfish on it?" Julia asked.

"Yes, I'm not very observant when it comes to Kosher..." said Fleig, embarrassed.

"I'm here to cure you, not to report you to the Rabbi" said Julia, smiling.

Julia checked out her symptoms and performed an examination before concluding that it was probably food poisoning Patricia was suffering from.

She examined another patient who had crawled out into the hallway to throw up into a large pot plant.  Julia had seen this kind of food poisoning before; eating shellfish, if improperly cooked or left out to get warm, could lead to it.

"May I ask what was this function you had here was about?" asked Julia, as a way of keeping the patient focussed instead of passing out.

"Oh...I'm embarrassed to say..." said the woman, whose name was Lauren Storey.  "...it's like this.  We're a...erm...lunchtime singles club"

"A what?" asked Julia, innocently.

"It's a club that meets once a week on Thursday lunchtime.  We're all professional people who are...well...you know...single..." said the woman, almost embarrassed to tell Julia all this.  "and we meet up to strike up, erm, friendships."

Julia nodded.  "With a view to courtship?" she asked.

"Courtship.  Yes...it's all very clean and above board.  You see, all of us are over 30 and finding a good man...or woman...is difficult these days with all the work and life pressures there are.  Not like the old days where you'd date a boy at High School in your local town and then marry them later!" said Lauren, now relieved to have admitted what this club was about.

"My grandparents marriage was arranged by a matchmaker so I can relate in a way" said Julia.

"I suppose it's easier for the younger generation like yourself with all the discotheques and 'happenings' as they call them." said Lauren.  "But those of us who didn't have that kind of scene and who hate bars have missed the bus" she said with a hint of melancholy in her voice.

"I don't go in for all that either." said Julia.  "I'm not into the sort of things my contemporaries enjoy.  So, I gather there's one more patient for me to see.  Who is it?"

"Jude...he insists he's fine but he's just as bad as the rest of us" said Lauren, gingerly getting to her feet and leading Julia back into the apartment.

"I'll be the judge of that!" said Julia, determinedly.  She often got annoyed at male patients trying to put on an air of false bravado by talking down their illnesses.

Lauren walked ahead of Julia and led her back into the apartment and to a bedroom.  "Jude, the doctor is here to see you" she called out.

A man's voice responded "I don't need to see a doctor, I'm fine!" he said, opening the door and stepping out from the room.  However, when he saw Julia his attitude changed.  "Well, maybe I should have a check up" he added.

Julia was struck by this Jude's appearance.  Tall, slim but well built with immaculate hair, a strong jaw and cheekbones and the smart casual orange blazer and turtleneck worn with crisp pants and pale Cuban heeled boots...even she was taken aback at how handsome this man was.

"Ah, hello" said a now nervous Julia.  "I'm Doctor Julia Epstein" she said, getting her first name in there as well.  "Have you been suffering the same symptoms as these ladies as well or are there any others you can tell me?"

"I have had some stomach problems but I think I'm over the worst..." he said, smoothly in a voice that seemed to match his looks.  Julia took careful note of all this, and what he was saying.

"Ooooooh, there it goes again!" he said, clutching his stomach suddenly.

"I don't think you're as well as you would like to imagine" said Julia.  "Now, let me feel around the area where there's pain."

"It's right there" he said, pointing to his lower left abdomen.

Julia put her hands on that part of his body and felt around the warm skin, asking him to let her know if he felt any acute pain when she pressed against him.

"Not quite" he said.  "A bit lower"

"Like here?"

"No, lower still" he said.  Julia's hands now were below his waistline and just above his pelvis.  Any lower and...

"There...not quite THAT low, mind you" he said, grimacing.

"I see...yes, food poisoning." she said, standing up and instructing Jude that he could put his sweater and blazer back on.  Fortunately I have some medicine that I've prescribed to your friends here..."

He handed him the bottle and he took it.  Again, his hands were warm and the skin smooth.  Maybe Julia held on to that bottle a fraction too long in order to extend that moment.  Nevertheless, Jude took it from her gently.

"I'll make sure I take the full course, thank you, Doctor Epstein" he said.

"Right, well I'll just fill out some paperwork and I'm done here.  I hope you all get well soon..." she said, sitting down on a bed and taking out her official documentation and a pen.  To her not-unwelcome surprise, Jude sat next to her.

"Thank you once again for coming out." he said.  "Just one thing though; how long before my symptoms start to go away...it's just that I've got a lot on with work right now?"

"Oh 1 to 2 days.  Hopefully you'll see an improvement in your health tomorrow and the next day.  What is it you do, Mr...?"

"Oh, McKenna but please call me Jude.  I'm a stockbroker" he said.

Julia smiled to herself.  A professional man of means...mother would approve. She thought.

"I would take the rest of the day off, Mr McKenna, I mean...Jude...and to be on the safe side, tomorrow as well."

"Who am I to argue with my doctor?" he said with a smile.

Julia smiled back but didn't know what to say next.  She just wasn't smooth enough in these situations and was inexperienced in flirtatious banter.

"I hope we run into each other again, Doctor" he said.  Then he looked at the floor, took a deep breath and looked up at Julia.  "May I be presumptuous and give you my business card?" he said, reaching inside his blazer.

"Oh...well...I mean, you are my patient so...." she grimaced.

"I'm so sorry, ethics and all that." he replied, sheepishly.

"No.  Don't apologise.  However, you are now officially discharged from my care so....let me see...what are the rules again?  I can take your card...in case I have any stocks and shares advice I might need." she said, struggling for the right words to say.

"Of course.  As one professional to another" Jude replied.  "And as a medical professional...if I have any reoccurrence of my stomach problems or my symptoms don't improve where can I contact you?"

"Oh yes...here's my card with my hospital phone number and also..." she said, carefully pointing out a second number on her card.  "My messaging service if you can't reach me at the hospital."

Jude smiled.  "Thank you.  So we both know we can reach each other if either of us need some...professional...advice" he said looking into her eyes.  Julia gulped and nodded.

She made her goodbyes and headed back to the hospital for a late lunch.  Sitting in the cafeteria she thought about meeting Jude McKenna and how she was drawn to him.  Normally she was so career focussed and hated all that kind of lovey dovey romance nonsense, going so far as to join an organisation that was against smut and permissiveness but with Jude it was different as it was different with Vincent before he had to go away.  These were strong, professional men, adults not rampaging hormonal overgrown boys like Rez Valdez or others like him who were only interested in her body and sex.  No, a gentleman who was solvent and mature was fine in Julia's book.  Plus she was now doing well in her career; she was trusted and respected and now she could look ahead and see the possibility of including a man in her life, as long as it was the right kind of man and not just anyone for the sake of it.  On top of that, Jude seemed to like her as well and he was clearly looking for a woman of more substance hence his membership of a singles club where he would meet a more refined kind of woman, by the looks of things.  Julia was a more mature head on a young body, she thought.

But it was back to the day job and following up on those tests of Mr Reece's she had done earlier.  She headed back to the lab to pick up his test results, read them and went to his room.

"Hello Mr Reece.  I've got your test results here" she said, entering the room.

"You seem unnaturally merry, Doctor Epstein" he grumbled.  "I hope you have some good news for me"

"Well it's been a good day for me but I don't want to make you feel any worse by being too merry.  As for your results, well it's good and bad news.  The bad news is you have gallstones, Mr Reece, but the good news is that it is treatable without the need for surgery."

"That's the first bit of good news I've heard since I arrived here" he grumbled.

"Well I'll write you a prescription and the pharmacy will send you the medicine you need.  Hopefully that will help and I hope to see the Ragtime Rascals, full line up, soon.  Goodbye, Mr Reece."

One case dealt with, it was time to look in on another patient; a little boy called Jimmy Gibbs.  He had a nasty rash and fever that was bothering him.  However, there was another problem to deal with...a woman was in Jimmy's room and it wasn't a relation.  Her name was Miss Charlotte Sneed and was a patient with a separate medical condition.

"Miss Sneed...you have to leave this room immediately!" said a stern Julia.

"It's so stuffy in here!  The kid's suffering!  I'm trying to open a window!" came the reply from an agitated and manic looking Miss Sneed.

"Miss...I have to ask you to leave this room!  I need to take this boy's temperature and...what medication did you just take?"

"What?  All of it!" replied Miss Sneed.  "All of it plus my regular, daily medication"

"Oh no...you're tripping out.  I'll get a nurse to escort you back to your room."

"This room...so hot...even the paint on the walls is starting to melt..." said Sneed, in a daze.

Eventually a couple of nurses showed up and guided the spaced out Miss Sneed back to her bed, made notes about her medication being too strong and confiscating the pills she had concealed in her handbag.  For Julia, she ended her shift with some rare praise for all her hard work from none other than her hyper-critical boss, Dr Murakami.

She was exhausted and went straight home, not even changing out of her scrubs for her regular clothing.  She grabbed a light dinner and flopped on her bed.

She couldn't rest for long as she had to perform a set down at the Blue Velvet club this evening.  She was exhausted but at the same time hanging around the house on her own this evening didn't seem like much fun so playing piano for a few hours should boost her spirits, she felt.

Getting up to get changed for the club she thought about what she would wear.  Normally she didn't care about wearing the latest styles or dressing to impress but the manager of the club, who booked her to play once a week, asked if she could 'jazz up' her outfits instead of looking like someone just off the street?

But what to wear?  Her kilt like skirt was too everyday but her fancy frocks were better suited to weddings.  Her blue dress was at the dry cleaners but a couple of weeks ago she had been out with Barbara and Suzy and she bought an outfit on their advice.  Maybe it was time to give it a go?

Julia was unsure.  It was a black and white top and skirt with matching accessories, an idea inspired by Suzy's mod black and white look.  The top was snug fitting and made of a stretch material but it had long sleeves and a high neck.  The skirt was short and fitted her hips more snugly and had a prominent belt and buckle but doubts about its brevity would be countered if she wore thick tights.

She put the outfit on and thought it looked smart enough.  A bit more 'with it' than she normally wore but...well...why not make the odd concession to fashion once in a while?  She thought.  Plus...this outfit would be suitable for a date...no!  She thought again, hold that thought before it gets out of control!

She touched up her make-up, adding a bit more than she normally wore and then paused before considering her hair.  Maybe jazz that up as well?  She undid her long plaits and brushed her hair straight.  The overall effect was startling to her:  A different outfit, a bit more make up and brushing her hair straight and she looked almost unrecognisable to herself!

She noticed she'd left Jude's business card on her desk and considered calling him but thought that was highly inappropriate and forward.  The man was recovering from an illness, after all, but to let him know she was playing piano at the Blue Velvet tonight and if he were to swing by they could meet for a chat?  No, let the poor man rest!  She thought.

It was off to the Blue Velvet and she had her set list planned.  When she entered the night club already things were in full swing and there was a buzzing vibe to the place.  One or two of the male patrons noticed her enter and their heads were turned:  Who was this cute chick in the club tonight?  A new pianist, perhaps?  

She sat by the piano and played a scale to see if it was in tune:  Fortunately it was.  Then she began her set with a favourite Bacharach/David composition.

During the song she was approached by someone she knew...Kerry Fry.  Kerry stood next to the piano and watched her play without saying anything but nodding along to the rhythm of the song.  When she stopped playing she turned towards him.

"Impressive" he said.

"Thank you, I've been wanting to play that one here for some time" she replied.

"I didn't mean the song, I meant you.  I dig the new gear." he said, looking at her up and down.

"I'm not sure anyone would notice" 

"I did...listen...can I get you a drink?" he asked.

"Erm...not now.  I'm still doing the first part of my set.  I get a break in a little bit, you can get me one then."

Kerry winked at her and took a seat nearby to watch her play.

She continued to play and after 20 minutes it was time for a short break.  Her first priority was going to the bathroom, which was located upstairs at the club, and when she came back down she had found she had made some new fans.

"Bravo!  Well done!  I thought you played beautifully just now" said a young man who had an air of confidence and swagger about him.

"Thank you" Julia replied, politely.

"Please, can I get you a drink?  Will you sit with me a moment?" the man asked, smiling.  Julia liked his smile; it radiated charm and warmth.  "My name's J and I don't think I've seen you here before"

Julia took a seat next to J.  "I play here once a week." she said.

"Wait!  You're the one who accompanies Joelene!  Ah, you look so different with your hair like that."

"Do you know Joelene?" asked Julia.

"Yes; she and I are Kitten Club members...well, I am, she left to pursue her music career." replied J.

Julia bristled.  She did not like the Kitten Club and what they got up to.  She was impressed by J's charm and manners but knew that, deep down, he was only after one thing with women.  

"Well thank you for the compliments and have a great rest of the evening but I want to catch up with a friend over there before I resume my set.  Goodbye, J."

"Wait!  What about the drink?" he called out as Julia stood up.

"Thank you for the offer, but now" she said, politely.  The less contact she had with the Kitten Club, particularly the male membership, the better.  Still, no reason to spoil his evening by confronting him over it.  That's something Edna Sneedley might try, but not her.

Julia tried looking around for Kerry but couldn't see him as the bar became ever more crowded.  In the end she ordered a drink for herself and walked back towards the piano when she saw him there at a table in the company of another woman.

Kerry noticed that the expression on his date's face had turned sour and he looked behind him to see Julia standing there, holding a drink.

"Oh, sorry!  I did promise to buy you a drink!" he said, slapping his forehead.  He turned to the woman sat with him and said "My manners are all over the place this evening...may I introduce Julia to you?  She's an old friend of the family and plays piano here....Julia this is my...erm...friend..."

"I have to get ready for my next set" said Julia, coolly.

She walked away from his table, deflated that he was being flaky and didn't even mention he had a date.  At one time it looked like the two of them might go out on a date, and they had been "match made" by their respective parents, but Kerry often backed away, called things off at the last moment or else went quiet for weeks.  Julia had grown tired of his flakiness and here he was, at it again...compliments, promises to "meet up", but nothing following that.

She had about 5 minutes to spare and a drink and a pretzel to finish before she had to perform again.  All the seats were occupied except for one near the piano itself, which had one solitary man sitting at it but a spare seat next to him.

"Excuse me, is this seat free?" Julia asked the man sitting there.

"You would have to negotiate a transaction with the owners of this establishment and I believe they would want to charge you money for it." said the man in a monotone voice.

"I mean, is it occupied or will it be occupied by someone you're expecting?" said Julia, trying to be precise with a man who seemed to depend on precision in his speech.  His manner reminded her of someone she met in an art gallery months ago.  He was someone who spoke oddly as well.

"No.  It is unclaimed at this precise juncture.  You may sit there." he replied.  Julia sat down and finished her food and drink but she was still looking across the bar at Kerry and his date.  She didn't know why she took an interest or indeed cared who he was with.  But, in the recesses of her mind, there was a subconscious pang of jealousy buried deep within her.

"Sandor 21?" 

"What?" Julia was shaken from her daydream and saw the stranger was talking to her again.

"You are Sandor 21, confirm" he repeated.

"I don't know what you're talking about" said Julia, starting to get annoyed.

"Is this not your new form?  I have not been briefed about your new appearance" 

"Oh, I bought this outfit last weekend.  This is the first time I've worn it." she replied.

"Sandor 21"

"No, J.C. Penney"

"I do not understand the reference." he replied.  "However, I have nothing to report this evening."

"O....K..." said Julia, backing away.  This guy was weird!  "I have a set to perform, please excuse me" and with that she stood up and quickly made her way back to the piano.

The second part of the show went well and she made some money from her appearance fee plus tips that were placed in a very large brandy goblet by patrons.  She didn't stick around to socialise afterwards...she was done with men for this evening!

CHAPTER 181: Goode's Luck

 

"So much to do today, Neil.  Do you think I should pop next door to speak to Eliza now?"

"Suzy, it's 7:30am.  She might still be in bed...especially if the baby's been keeping her up at night.  Relax, darling, just give it until around 9am and then go and see her."

"But I'm too excited, I'm buzzing...so many questions about this Advik Archaya to put to her!"

"And that can wait another 90 minutes or so...I tell you what; why don't you write down on a piece of paper all the questions you want to ask her; gather your thoughts properly.  It'll help you pass the time instead of wearing a hole in your shoes pacing up and down".  

Suzy stopped talking, and pacing around the room, smiled sheepishly at Neil and nodded.  He was correct and so she walked over to the kitchen counter, picked up a pad of paper and a pen and started to jot down some ideas and questions she would put to Eliza and Bob about Mr Archaya.  It was a strange congruence of circumstances that fired her imagination:  That they would buy a house where the previous owner had discovered the mysterious hidden glade in Foundry Cove, that the man had known the mysterious assassin, Leanne McGregor, and that his disappearance was probably due to her.

And this saga she had found herself on all began with the discovery of a missing page from a book...

On the stroke of 9am, Suzy gathered up her questions and ideas and headed straight round to the Pancakes residence.  She rang the doorbell and it was Bob who answered it.

"Oh, hello Suzy. What is it?" he asked in his usual, slightly bored sounding voice.

"I'd like to talk with you and Eliza about the neighbourhood...we're still getting the hang of things around here.  And I've been learning a bit about our new house:  Can I ask you guys some questions?"

"Erm, yeah, sure...come on in" replied Bob, looking slightly confused by Suzy's request to answer questions.

He led her to the lounge and he sat down to watch some TV:  The news was on and it was about the airline worker's strike.

"I hope you guys weren't planning a big vacation anytime soon.  Looks like the whole system's grounded." said Bob, nodding at the footage of striking airline workers.

"No...well, not until around August; we're still settling in." replied Suzy.

"Well..." said Bob with a sigh.  "...we weren't going to go on vacation anyway:  The baby's nixed that idea.  Anyway, what did you want to know about the neighbourhood?"

"Your old neighbour, Advik...he mysteriously disappeared, didn't he?" Suzy phrased her question as gently as she could in order not to spook out Bob with everything she knew about the case.  Bob sighed again and drew in a deep breath before responding.

"Yeah, poor guy." was the eventual reply.

"Did you know him well?" she asked, pushing a bit more.

"Yeah, pretty well.  We'd go fishing and hunting a few times.  Decent guy but I didn't hang out with him much as work and...stuff with Eliza..." he said, with a faint grimace on his lips "...got in the way.  Then I really lost contact with him after he went a bit crazy."

"He went crazy?" Suzy pressed again even though she could tell Bob wasn't comfortable with talking about such things.

"Yeah...really far out, you know?" said Bob, shifting uncomfortably on the couch.

"How so?"

"Jeez, where to begin?  You know he was a regular guy and all that but he met this girl...wait a moment, no, she came along later...That's it, he claimed he'd stumbled on some kind of terrible secret and it really freaked him out.  He was never the same guy after that; became a recluse."

"Did he say where he found this secret?" asked Suzy, her eyes bright with excitement as further revelations in this story.

"Yeah, in some book." Bob replied.

"Do you know which book?" asked Suzy without hesitation.

"Jeez, I know you're a reporter and all that but this is kind of intense!" said Bob, defensively.

"Sorry, Bob, that's my training taking over.  I'm just interested in strange stories, that's all.  This sounds fascinating."

"Well, it was weird to witness, I can tell you.  I don't know the name of the book but he showed it to me one time.  I didn't understand it; it seemed gibberish to me about pocket worlds, triangles of power and conspiracies."

Suzy's heart skipped a beat...this book, could it be the one she had one torn page from?  Could this be the book that explained everything mysterious about Sim City?

"And it was after reading the book his behaviour changed?" asked Suzy, restraining herself.

"Big time.  He became paranoid, then he got into that whole painting gig, quit his job and I only saw him a few times after that."

"You mentioned a girl he was seeing, what do you know about her?"

"Not much.  Saw her a few times when she came over to visit him but I never spoke with her.  She was a classy chick; long black hair, dark eyes, kinda sultry looking.  Oh yeah, Advik told me her name was Leanne.  Anyway they were an item for about six weeks and then...BAM...he disappeared.  Only found his shoes.  The official report said he probably fell off a cliff and into a fast moving river...body's probably washed out to sea."

Suzy sat back in her seat and took a deep breath.  Everything fitted here; the book, the obsessive painting and Leanne McGregor, angel of death.  She probably pushed poor Advik off the cliff.  

Upstairs the baby started crying and it could be heard in the lounge.  It was loud enough to interrupt their conversation and after a few seconds Suzy could hear a door open upstairs and Eliza's voice boomed out downstairs.

"Bobby...can you feed Armand?  I'm in the bathroom right now...there's a bottle of milk by the crib." she said.

Bob got up and sighed with exhaustion again as he trudged up the stairs to feed the little one.  He was resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to get his old life back now, that he will never be able to watch a TV show all the way through and that sleep would be intermittent but he figured what else was there to do to resit it?  Kid's gotta be fed, he figured.  Besides, Armand was his son and give it a few years and they'll be throwing a football around in the back yard.

"Suzy, is that you?" called out Eliza.  "Come on upstairs, I'm busy cleaning the bathroom but I'd love a chat"

Suzy walked upstairs where she could hear Bob cooing to the baby in one room and Eliza's footsteps in a room opposite.  Eliza greeted her neighbour with a hug and a big smile.

"Did I hear right that you're interested in hearing about our old neighbour, Advik?" she said.

"Yes, sounds like an interesting, if tragic story" replied Suzy.

"Oh it was so sad when we heard the news of his disappearance." said Eliza.  "But he did give us one of his paintings, for free, before he left on that last, fateful trip.  Would you like to see it?"

"I'd like that" replied Suzy, again excited that she was learning more and more about this story.

Eliza led Suzy to one of the bedrooms and there, above a mantlepiece, was a landscape painting of a mountain range...in the same particular pink shade as the painting she and Neil had seen at the art gallery.

"Did he tell you what inspired this painting?" asked Suzy.

"Not really...he said it was called '6am Sunrise' and asked if we would take very good care of it...and we've done so.  It's hung there ever since we got it."

"He was quite talented" said Suzy, scrutinising the painting for any clues.  Nothing obvious struck her though.

Her studiousness was interrupted by the sound of the baby gurgling "ah-goo" and she turned to look at him lying there, his feet gently kicking in the air and one hand at his mouth.  She started making goo-goo noises back at him.

"Any plans to start a family with Neil?" asked Eliza and Bob.

"What?  NO!  Well, not now...but...I'm tempted!" Suzy replied.  The power of a cute baby had struck her.  "Anyway, it smells like he needs a change of diaper so I'll leave you to it.  Thanks for that very interesting information."  And with that, she headed home.

She found Neil reading a book about French 19th century painters.  He looked up at her and asked how the talk with Eliza and Bob went.

"Good, very interesting in fact" she replied.  "So this Advik Archaya got hold of some mysterious book that told of all the conspiracies in Sim City...I think it's the same book the missing page I have in my possession is from.  Anyway, Bob and Eliza think it drove him mad and he became paranoid and obsessive.  And they said he was dating Leanne McGregor!  It all fits!"

"If only we can find that book..." mused Neil.

"The more progress we make, the more we discover that we need to find out more" she sighed.

Neil stood up and put the book back on the shelf.  "I have to go out for a bit" he said.  "I'm meeting Andre in town".  Andre Good was Neil's best friend and was best man at his wedding.

"Aww, that's nice.  Do give him my love" said Suzy.  "Is he seeing anyone, do you know?"

"I don't think so, I'll soon find out when I catch up with him" replied Neil, grabbing his wallet and set of car keys.

"I hope he is...he's too down on himself when it comes to dating.  There's plenty of nice women out there!"  said Suzy.

"Now don't do yourself down, Andre...there are plenty of nice women out there" said Neil, trying to encourage his friend.

"I hope so...it hasn't worked out so far." Andre replied.  "But you'll be my wingman, right?  Encourage and big me up to the ladies?"

"Of course.  You're officially a friend to the married man.  Well, let's get a beer and catch up...I haven't seen much of you since we moved house" said Neil, jerking his head towards the Waterside Warble bar.

The two went inside and found there weren't many people there.  It must be a slow afternoon, Neil thought.  They took their places at the bar and ordered two beers.

"How's it going, Andre?" asked Neil.

"Job's much the same, I'm still at the same place and doing the same things." said Andre with a shrug.

"Dare I ask how the love life is?" 

"Deader than pleats and men's hats" replied Andre, taking a big swig of his beer.

"Did you follow things up with Tiffany?"

"We had one date, but it's clear she and I are two very different people to make anything work.  I suspect she still holds a candle for some other guy.  Kept dropping the name 'Alan' into the conversation.  At one point she accidentally called me by that name.  Shame, as she was extremely HOT!"

"Yeah, you know she's a Lothario Kitten?" said Neil.

"You told me that...I can well believe it.  Shame it never went any further; I'd have liked to see her in her kitten outfit." said Andre, managing a wry smile.

A beautiful and svelte looking young woman wearing the latest fashions walked past them both and glanced in their direction momentarily.

"Speaking of kittens...there goes another one!" said Andre, excitedly.  "And she's my favourite!  Miss Ginger!"

"Why don't you say hello to her?" asked Neil.

"You know I think I will!" said an eager Andre, ready to leap off his bar stool but as soon as he was poised Miss Ginger, Tasha Michel, walked over to a tall, slim and very handsome man and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  They sat down together on one of the bar sofas and snuggled up to one another.

"...or maybe not.  Some guys have all the luck" said a deflated Andre.

"Well, there's..." began Neil.

"DON'T SAY IT!" replied Andre, interrupting and pointing an accusatory finger at Neil.

"...plenty of fish in the sea?" continued Neil, looking admonished.

"Well while you think up your next homily I'm going to the bathroom." said Andre, getting up and walking to the bathroom...taking a moment to look once again at Miss Ginger in all her beauty as he walked past.

Meanwhile Neil smiled and took another sip of his drink.  Andre was frustrated by his lack of success with women but he didn't seem despondent.  Where there's hope, there's love; Neil thought.

"Fancy seeing you here!" came a familiar voice sitting next to him.  Neil turned and saw his neighbour, Barbara Dubois, sitting at the end of the bar.

"You too.  Where's Jeremy?" said Neil.

"He's meeting me here; we're going to go out to dinner tonight at a Chinese restaurant we both like.  Where's Suzy?"

"Right about now she's still over at the Hey, Wow! offices.  I'm here with my friend, Andre.  Do you remember him?"

"Oh yes, from the wedding.  Nice guy.  Is he still seeing Tiffany?"

Neil shook his head.  "Didn't work out; I'm helping him look for a bit of romance down here.  He's not having much luck, I'm afraid."

"Too bad.  I hope his luck improves tonight!" said Barbara.

Andre returned from the bathroom and the three of them had a friendly discussion until Jeremy showed up and whisked Barbara away for their dinner date.  Andre watched them leave and said "now that's the kind of girl I'm looking for.  How did you and Jeremy end up with absolute angels like Barbara and Suzy?"

"In my case, she worked on me until I cracked.  I'm glad she did.  Anyway, the right girl is out there for you, Andre.  You've just got to be patient.  Let's get another round in." said Neil, catching the barmaid's attention.

They had a second round, then a third but tonight wasn't the night where nice, attractive single ladies came to the Waterside Warble.  Perhaps the one night in its entire history where this had not happened.  Andre grew despondent and left to go home.  The scene was dead, the vibe had gone and so had Andre's quest for this evening.  Neil finished his last drink and headed home as well but he paused to watch and listen to a busker in Spice Quarter Square.  Andre's words before he left buzzed around Neil's head as he watched the busker.

"There's no attractive single women around!"

Neil looked around the square and saw a young, attractive woman eating a bowl of Ramen.

...and another...

...and another although, Neil thought, she looks a little spaced out...

...and another.  Wait, isn't she that singer from TV?  If only Neil had hung on just 10 minutes more...10 MINUTES!  Andre just has no luck...

CHAPTER 180: Situation Vacant

"Phew...I am exhausted, George, I can tell you and I'll tell you another thing...the amount of litter on our streets is appalling, simply appalling.  After breakfast I'm going to write one of my stern letters to City Hall about it....what are you cooking there, George?  Another one of your healthy recipes?" said Edna who was exhausted, exasperated and inquisitive in that order.

"All natural and good for us, I assure you, Dear" replied George.

"Yes, I must admit I have noticed that you've lost a bit of weight lately.  Hmmm, I like the leaner, trimmer version of you, George:  Your body is almost the same as when we met"

"I'm just trying to stay healthy, like you.  You've taken up exercise and running; I am using my culinary skills to cook nutritious meals that don't add to our waistlines." replied George.  Yes, he wanted to be healthy but he had an ulterior motive as well:  He wanted to drop a dress size or two.

"Healthy or not, it's certainly delicious" said Edna, enthusiastically chomping on her corn and red pepper frittatas.  "George, you do spoil me...but time is pressing on and I have meetings to get to.  I'm off to have a shower and get dressed; sorry I can't help you tidy up the dishes this time."

"No worries, dear" said George, picking up the empty plates and taking them through to the kitchen.  Once he heard the shower being turned on, he scampered downstairs into the bunker and checked on his secret suitcase filled with his feminine attire.  Today was going to be a very special day for his alter-ego: Beulah Boutee.

He took the suitcase from its hiding place, opened it up and inspected his garments.  He checked out the dress he wanted to wear, made sure it had no holes, loose threads or dirt on it.  He also made sure his high heels had no scuff marks on them, his stockings had no runs in them and his wig was in top condition as well.  Satisfied, he shut the case and went back upstairs just in time to be back in the kitchen before Edna emerged from the bedroom, fully dressed.  Everything had to be just right because this was going to be his biggest ever adventure dressed as a woman...today he was going for a job interview with the Landgraabs to become their new maid.  

"I hope you have a nice day, George" said Edna as she came out from the bedroom and into the living room, putting on her suit jacket as she walked.  "I shall be back in the middle of the afternoon.  Will you have gone to work by then?"

"Possibly, darling.  I hope to see you just briefly before I have to go." he replied.

"Take care and don't exhaust yourself before your shift like you did last time" she said, heading out the door.

George peeked through the drapes and watched Edna head off down the street.  Once she was out of sight, he dashed downstairs, grabbed his special suitcase and ran back upstairs to the bedroom and the dressing table.  He placed the case on the bed, opened it up, grabbed his make up and went to work transforming himself into Beulah.

He had to be over at Acquisition Butte, where the Landgraabs lived, by 11am and it took him just under an hour to drag up.  As he would be travelling as Beulah in public, he had to be extremely careful in looking as feminine as he could possibly manage.  So far, on his brief public excursions out and about, no one had detected he was a man under the wig, make up and dresses but this trip would be the longest amount of time he would be spending as a woman.

Once transformed, he had to practice his feminine voice...modified to sound like she was from Georgia.

"Ah dew declay-ah!  Ahhhhh dew de-clay-ahhhh suh!  Another mint julep, Geoffreh...ah mean, Mistah Laynd-graaaab!  Oh fiddlely dee!"  Once satisfied, he stood up, hitched his fake tits into position and made sure there was no "bulge" showing in his pelvic region.  After a gentle, more feminine sounding clearing of the throat, George was no more...she was Beulah!  

Beulah sauntered to the nearby bus stop to catch a ride to Acquisition Butte.  When the bus stopped, she gingerly walked up the steps, paid the bus driver and gave a delicate "thank you, kind suh" and little curtsey to the driver.  The driver wasn't accustomed to such delicate, Southern manners on his route and looked quizzically at this fairly tall lady who was wearing a lot of make up and had genteel manners.

The journey passed without much incident and Beulah was able to make it to the Landgraab home, Affluista Mansion, in time for her appointment.  She couldn't believe how large and impressive the house looked; it's sleek, light grey and white exterior décor looked almost space age and futuristic.

As Beulah sashayed to the front door she was met by a frantic looking Geoffrey Landgraab, wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase, who was rushing out of the house.

"Ah, Beulah, looking radiant as ever!" he said, pausing to speak to her.  "I wish I could give you a...personal...tour today..." he continued, looking her up and down approvingly "...but I have an urgent business meeting to attend."

"Aw my!  I don't want to keep y'all from your important business, Mistuh Landgraab..." said Beulah.

"Oh Beulah, how many times do I have to tell you...you can call me...Geoffrey" he said, practically purring his name as he spoke.  "It is with deep regret that I must depart now; Knowles is here with the limo and I cannot keep the board of directors waiting any longer.  My wife, Nancy, is upstairs in the home gymnasium.  I've told her all about you."

"Nothin' bad ah hope!" Said Beulah, playfully touching his arm.

"The opposite!  Until we meet again...Beulah!" he replied, with a wave before getting into the limo.  Beulah gave a little, coquettish, wave back and then turned to enter the house.

She was amazed at how immaculate it was inside; to her right was a sleek, shiny kitchen, to her left a large plush loungeroom which had an enormous television set along one wall and big, French windows with sliding glass doors that opened out to the back.  Beulah went upstairs to try and find Mrs Nancy Landgraab but at the same time she was awed by the mansion...not what she had expected at all.

"Hello?  Mrs Landgraab?  Are you there?" called out Beulah.

"Is that Miss Booty?" came a reply from a woman's voice.

"It's Boutee, Ma'am...Beulah Boutee" said Beulah, following the source of the voice until she entered a large room which had some exercise apparatus in it.  Seated at one piece was Nancy; dressed in a white tracksuit and wearing large sunglasses which hid her eyes.

Nancy looked Beulah up and down but with the sunglasses on it was difficult for the latter to determine whether the former was looking at her with approval or disapproval.

"Hmm, you're not quite as Geoffrey had described you.  From Louisiana are you?" said Nancy.

"No, ma'am, from the great state of Georgia...although mah gran'pappy was from New Orleans" replied Beulah, improvising a backstory off the cuff.

"Well thank you for coming, Miss Boutee.  As you can see we have a large mansion and we're in need of a maid; a reliable, honest one as well.  Too many of the maids we've hired in the past have had problems keeping their hands off our precious objects d'art." said Nancy, waving her hand to indicate the splendour of the house.

"Now that's just downright, wrong, Mrs Landgraab!  What is the world coming to today?  Ahm sorry to hear of your misfortunes but I can assure you that ahm the model of honesteh and decenseh." said Beulah.

"Do you have a reference with you?" asked Nancy, haughtily.

"Ah certainly do!  Here it is, from Mistuh George Sneedleh...I unnerstand you know the gentleman?" said Beulah, handing out a reference George had typed up, praising Beulah's hard work and dedication.

"Yes, I know him and his wife.  Upstanding couple." said Nancy.  Beulah beamed at the small praise Nancy had just bestowed on his male alter-ego and Edna.

"I'll give you a tour of the house" continued Nancy, getting up from her weightlifting machine.  "As you can see it is the latest in Scandinavian modernism:  We had it specially constructed after seeing a concept house at the World's Fair in 1964...we fell in love with the design and flew the architect out from Stockholm especially to build a bigger version right here.  Have you heard of him, his name is Ben Benn?"

"Can't say I do, ma'am." replied Beulah, trying to take in everything around her.  "They're so clever, the Swedes, aren't they?"

"Yes...almost everything in his house is of Swedish design or manufacture from the kitchen appliances, the electronics and the wooden furniture.  As you said, they're a clever people who have built state of the art electronics to...well...sex change operations" Nancy said, smiling at the last point.  Sweden was getting a reputation for pioneering the latter.

"Ah wouldn't know anything about that" said Beulah.  There were some things George drew the line at and having surgery on his 'manhood' was one of them.  

"No, I can see a genteel lady of manners such as yourself wouldn't involve themselves in some of the more lurid stories from around the world.  I am what you would call...worldly." said Nancy.

They returned to the gym and Nancy resumed her exercises.  "So, do you think you could manage cleaning and maintaining this house to a high standard?" she said.

"I reckon so, ma'am.  Ah say 3 hours, twice a week should do it" 

Nancy smiled.  "That was what I was thinking as well.  I like your candidness, Beulah.  The job is yours."

"Oh thank you, ma'am, much appreciated" replied Beulah.

"Just a couple of details." continued Nancy  "Mondays and Thursdays will be your working days.  Whilst on the premises you will wear an appropriate uniform, which we will provide."

"That's not a problem for me" said Beulah.  I'm going to wear a maid's uniform! She thought, excited at the idea.

There were footsteps coming from down the hall.  "Mom, is is OK for me to invite Michelle over this evening for dinner?"

"That is acceptable, Malcolm.  Oh, come on in, I'd like you to meet our new maid, Beulah.  Beulah, this is my son, Malcolm"

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, young suh" said Beulah, curtseying. 

Malcom didn't respond immediately but instead slowly walked over to her.  "Well, you have manners" he said, looking her up and down.  "Your name's Boiler, is it?"

"Beulah" she gently corrected.

"Oh yes.  So you're the new maid, are you?  Well I have a few personal rules for all our staff:  When it comes to my room, you will confine yourself to vacuuming, dusting and polishing.  You will NOT touch any of my stuff, not even to move them even the slightest.  Is that clear?"

"Oh certainly, Master Landgraab.  Ah know how precious your things must be.  Ah will only vacuum, dust and polish, you have my word as a Southern Ge...ah, mean, ah Southern Belle."

"One more thing, Beulah..." said Malcolm, ushering her away from his mother's earshot.  "...if you do happen to see a sign on my door that says STRICTLY NO ADMITTANCE, then under no circumstance are you to enter my room.  Do I make myself clear?" he said, with a hint of malevolence in his voice.

"*gulp*...Ah understand, Master Malcom" replied Beulah, nervously.

"Well, I think this is going to be a positive working relationship" interjected Nancy.  "We will see you this Thursday, at 10am, oh and if you could write down your measurements we'll have a uniform waiting for you on your first day."

Malcolm handed Beulah a pad of letter writing paper and a pen and she wrote down her dress size and clothing measurements on the top sheet before handing them to Nancy.

"My...that should be possible to procure.  You don't see many women of your vital statistics often.  Fair enough, Thursday at 10am it is.  Goodbye Miss Boutee."

Beulah curtseyed again to both of them and made her way out.  She had secured the job and convinced two others that she was a woman.  That gave her a thrill as she walked to the bus stop.  She still had time to get home, change back into George and get ready for his regular job.

Back at Sneedley Burrow, Beulah became George once again.  He was getting so adept at changing between male and female in appearance that he could remove the clothing, make up and wig in nearly half the time that it used to take.  He had a late lunch, confident that no trace of make up was remaining on him.

This time he and Edna didn't see each other before he had to go to his work and she came home from hers.  She had become distracted with talking to a young man about politics and tried to impress him with her cause for decency in public life.  A lot of the time she found she couldn't get through to young people as they were far too interested in pop culture, liberal politics and the dreaded....free love.  However, this young man...a certain James Sprague...was interested.

"I agree that order and control are vital to a successful civilisation, Edna Sneedley.  I am interested in your League and shall tell the others in my pod..." 

"Pod, Mr Sprague?" interjected Edna, confused by the word.

"I mean, 'social circle', Edna Sneedley.  Thank you for the pamphlet and information" he said, taking a League of Decency and walking off.

"We need more young people like him" said Edna to herself, pleased with her efforts.

She went home and poured herself a whisky and soda.  Today had been a good day:  She got to speak at an old age people's home about the League and then managed to meet and impress a bunch of people on the street but the campaigning didn't end there.  Tonight was the Humour and Hijinks Festival and she wanted to see if it was good, clean fun (unlikely) or a hotbed of blue ribaldry...which she could try and get shut down.

She changed from her grey business suit and into a smart, but functional, frock.  She poured another whisky for herself just before she set off in order to get in the right mood for a "hijinks" festival.  Taking the subway, she headed straight for the Arts Quarter (one of her least favourite spots in Sim City) and the festival.

What greeted her on arriving at the event was just a few people in casual attire gathered around two, elaborate drinking fountains.  One was marked "JOKESTERS" and the other "PRANKSTERS".  The festival goers would go to either, take a coloured paper cup (Jokesters was red, Pranksters was green), fill it up with what looked like punch, drink it in one go and then place the empty cup on their heads, yelling "TEAM JOKESTER!" or "TEAM PRANKSTER!" out loud.

One person she noticed standing by one of the fountains was Geoffrey Landgraab.  The two of them were on cordial terms, but hardly what you would be called friends.  Both of them had a need for the other:  For Edna, Geoffrey provided status by knowing him and influence in high places.  For him, Edna and her husband were useful foils in putting pressure on people he didn't like.  He could use their League of Decency to disrupt news articles unfavourable to the Landgraab Corporation or get a public event shut down.  Geoffrey noticed Edna prowling around the festival and wondered if she had her sights set on the Humour and Hijinks Festival.

"Edna, what a surprise.  I didn't expect to see you here" 

"Nor you, Geoffrey.  Are you familiar with this festival?"

"Actually I'm a patron...and a regular here.  I'm a member of the Dishonourable Company of Pranksters.  It's a silly thing, really.  I got involved on campus back in the day.  We raise money for charity by playing practical jokes and having joke wars with our so-called enemies; the Jokesters.  It's all for a good cause."

"I see..." said Edna, but in truth she didn't see the point of all the low-brow humour in the name of a good cause.

"By the way, Edna, my wife met your delightful cleaning lady today and likes her too.  She's got the job working at our place twice a week.  Do tell George thank you for finding her."

Edna paused...she'd never met their cleaning lady and it came as a shock to find out, recently, that they had hired one...or more accurately, George had hired one.

"I will, I must confess, Geoffrey...I've never met the woman in person.  Am I right that her name is Boombah?"

"Beulah.  Beulah Boutee.  Sounds exotic, doesn't it?  However she's from Georgia."

"I'm glad George could help out...you know, he's so busy these days with his work:  The hotel is attracting a more high class kind of clientele and their tastes are more...rarefied, but of course you and Nancy would know."

"Indeed.  So are you staying for the fun, Edna?  Can I get you to join the Pranksters for this evening?" Geoffrey replied.

"I would prefer to observe from a distance but thank you for the kind offer, Geoffrey.  Pranking isn't really my sort of thing, you know?" Edna said diplomatically.

"Hello Edna, come to join in the fun?" came a voice from behind her.  Edna turned around to see Julia Epstein standing right behind her.

"Julia, my dear, what a surprise to see you here?" said Edna, genuinely surprised to see her most promising acolyte out and about at a comedy festival.

"Oh not really...it's one way I let my hair down.  I mean, I play the piano as well but...well, I like a little silliness from time to time:  In an ordered and structured way, of course.  I can't bear spontaneous joking around." said Julia, with a shudder at the thought of someone playing an impromptu joke on her.

"Quite right too" remarked Edna.

"Can I get you two ladies a drink?" asked Geoffrey.

"Why yes, Geoffrey, thank you...a double scotch on the rocks if you please.  It should help the festivities go smoothly with a drink...or two"

A man in a bright gold, lamé jacket and sporting a big, cheesy smile stood in front of a microphone, tapped it a couple of times, sent a piercing wail of feedback into the speakers dotted around the festival.  "Ladies and Gentlemen" he began "the Humour and Hijinks is proud to present the highlight of the evening!  It's Big Pun Time!" 

"Maybe even three or more drinks" said Edna, shuddering at the prospect of a Pun Fight.  But the booze was flowing...and cheap.