Another ordinary day in Sim City, but behind the nice, pleasant white bread facade there's a dark underbelly of secrets, threats and crime...
That's why men like John Action exist. They walk the line between the respectable and criminal, keeping the predators of society at bay. Action was someone who could spot trouble long before it erupted. Every nervous glance by someone in the street, every house where the curtains were always drawn fast during the daytime, every vulnerable person alone late at night...he would notice it all and it would all go in his memory, ready in case something untoward happened.
He arrived at Precinct 13 to begin his shift but before he could even open his mouth to make some witty banter with the desk officer, Marina Beckett, she had something for him.
"Action, I have something that will interest you" she said.
"I'm sure you do" he replied, half suggestively as this sounded like another bit of banter.
"The Goth Mansion case...the missing silverware has been discovered and the person with it is in custody."
Action raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Well that's good news at least...any word on the missing books?" he asked.
"Not so far. Here's the file with all the updates on that silverware though" she said, handing it to him.
Action flicked through the pages of the report and not only had the stolen silverware been found, but the people who had handled the stolen goods were able to give some leads about who the items had been bought off. He peered intensely at the documents to see if there was anything more untoward to be discovered before he realised the front desk area was filling up with members of the public with their various complaints. He had to go to the squad room to finish reading the report.
"Officer Beckett here will help with all your enquiries" he said to the members of the public before stepping away.
He went in to the squad room where there was Sergeant Kitchen, young Cole Michaels from the Juvenile Crimes unit and some new guy who strutted around the place as if he owned it and went by the name of Graham. Fortunately everyone had more than enough to do except Graham, who it was suggested should deal with the public in the entrance lobby.
Action stood by the crime map with all the evidence gathered so far about the Goth case and referred to the new notes in his folder to get a more full picture of what they knew. The mansion was broken into and apart from some silverware, targets of opportunity, the majority of stolen material were some books about UFOs and Mortimer's diaries covering a specific time period in the early 60s. One witness, Mrs Giordano, said one of the thieves was definitely a woman. The two men arrested for receiving stolen goods said the person who sold it to them was a woman although they did not know her name.
There was still a question about the case he wanted answers for and he swung past the criminology lab to see if the forensics team there had any information. The person responsible was Feliciano, and he was just coming to the end of his shift and was upstairs in the recreation room. Action wasted no time and headed up there himself whereupon he found Feliciano and fellow detective, Tony Gunn, playing chess.
"Good use of police time, gentlemen" said Action, as he entered the recreation room and saw Feliciano of forensics and detective Tony Gunn sitting around, drinking coffee and playing chess.
"I'll have you know that my good buddy, Thiago, and me have officially finished our shifts and are enjoying some time socialising before we go home to our beloved wives and girlfriends." replied Gunn.
"More like in your case avoiding being bossed around by your girlfriend" replied Feliciano, with a chuckle.
Action held the file up and showed it to the two men. "Good work on the Goth case...how did you find the stolen merchandise?" he asked.
"One item we found at the crime scene...a few red hairs." said Feliciano. "They wore ski masks but one of them must have taken theirs off or at least lifted it off their face at some point...probably after they locked Miss Joiner in the cellar and there weren't other witnesses around. The hairs were found in the study, a very private part of the house so none of the Goths have red hair, the research assistant Miss Joiner doesn't and neither does the housekeeper so I figure it's one of the perps."
"Makes sense" said Action. "OK, what next?"
It was Gunn's turn to speak. "I figured there can't be too many female red headed burglars in Sim City so I ran the records and we found one...Maddy Henson."
"Maddy Henson!" exclaimed Action.
"Do you know her?" asked Gunn.
"By reputation. Top cat burglar in her day but she packed it all in and went quiet back in '63." Action replied.
"Looks like someone or something has lured her back into the game" said Gunn.
"What about the people she sold the silverware to?"
"They're amateurs out of their depth. They were fed a rumour that the old Goth family silver was on the market and jumped at the chance to get their hands on it. They caved in under interrogation and gave us Henson's name as the one who fenced the gear."
"Is there an APB out on her yet? Why is everyone sat around here? We need to be out there!" said an impatient Action.
"Relax, Action...an APB has been put out and we have units out there looking for her. Now I'm going to give you a little advice I learned when I first joined the force: Every day, give yourself a little present. Could be a nice pair of shoes, a trip to the movies or something as simple as a cup of coffee and a tasty donut." Tony Gunn said these words softly and at the end he pointed to the donut vending machine on the far side of the recreation room.
"You know, I might just do that" said Action, who got up from his seat and went to get a tasty donut.
An hour later and Action was pacing up and down in the main incident room, noting reports from various units on the APB. Whilst the Goths' silverware had been recovered the books and journals hadn't and Mortimer Goth was still not back from his European trip to provide extra information about them. Action's mind turned over with many possibilities of this case: Did the thieves time their burglary because Mortimer was away? What do they want with the journals? To fence, blackmail or to make sure no one else had them?
Not only did his mind turn over, so did his stomach. "Man, I shouldn't have listened to Gunn and his hippy-dippy 'give yourself a present' ramble!" he thought "Those donuts in the vending machines were disgusting and I'm paying the price right now!"
"Detective Action!" called out the dispatcher. "1-Baker-10 has spotted the suspect, Maddy Henson, at Hare Square in Windenburg"
"Tell them to keep an eye on her but don't approach...I'm on my way....*GURGLE*...ungh!" he replied, his stomach almost as loud as his voice.
It didn't get much better by the time he arrived at Hare Square but Action did have a life lesson that he would one day pass on to Tony Gunn: Never let pain and discomfort show on your face. He checked in with the beat cops of 1-Baker-10 and told them to circle the area whilst he homed in on Henson.
At first he thought he'd found her when he saw a strawberry blonde who looked vaguely like the suspect from a distance and then he thought she could be his own girlfriend, Katherine, who had a similar fashion sense with a striking, siren red outfit with white trim. However this woman turned out to be neither but Action still thought she was worth questioning. Even though he had a steady girlfriend, Action couldn't help but be drawn towards beautiful women even if it was just for a friendly chat.
"Excuse me, ma'am, I'm Action...Sim City PD. I'd like to ask you some questions."
The woman halted in her tracks and looked coy and more than a little embarrassed.
"I hope I haven't been naughty, Detective...Action, did you say?" she replied.
"Yes, Action. You haven't been naughty in any way I'd be interested in right now however I'm looking for someone. Have you seen this woman around here?" he asked, showing the lady a mugshot of Maddy Henson.
"As a matter of fact I have!" said the woman. "Is she dangerous? Is she wanted for a serious crime?" the woman's face turned from coy to scared in a flash. "She's...she's...over there!" she said, pointing with a shaking hand to a woman just over a row of hedges who was walking along in the park.
"Alright, lady, calm down...don't make it obvious by pointing at her after all we don't want her to..."
The suspect woman saw the lady in the red outfit pointing directly at her and looking frightened and saw that she was talking to a man who had just flashed a police badge at her. She put two and two together, turned around and started to run.
"...ESCAPE!" said Action, seeing the woman turn tail and start running.
Action noticed she could run fast for a woman wearing an elegant skirt suit and heels but if Action hadn't joined the US Marines at the age of 18 he would have made it as a running back for the Sim City Plumbobs so a suspect fleeing the scene would have to have been as athletic as him to stand a chance of outrunning him. In a few long and fast strides, Action not only caught up with her but had overtaken and blocked her path.
"Maddy Henson...I'm Action, Sim City PD!" he said holding his warrant card in one hand and his .38 service revolver in the other. She stopped running and looked defiantly in his eyes. The other two patrolmen caught up with them and between them and Action they had cut off her escape routes.
Action put his ID away and swapped it for another card with some typed text on it. "Dang it, I'll never get used to this part but we have to say it to you by law. OK, Maddy Henson you are under arrest on suspicion of robbery and handling stolen goods. You have the right to remain silent..." *GURGLE* "Oh don't you start, gut!"
"Well done, Action" said Marina as they led Maddy Henson back to Precinct 13. "Has she coughed up much?"
"Not a word since we arrested her." Action replied. "She's going to lawyer up...she's an experienced criminal so we'll get nothing from her until her lawyer gets here. Just book her, go by the numbers until then. My shift is ending so I will sign off the arrest report and head home. We'll pick this up again tomorrow."
Action didn't go straight home. After changing into his brown suit at the precinct he headed to Suzy and Neil's new house to catch up with them. He'd not been there before but they had given him their new address and telephone number and wanted to keep in regular contact as they were both working on one case together.
He received a warm greeting from Neil who ushered him inside.
"Hey, Neil, I know this is unannounced" said Action.
Neil waved a nonchalant hand at him "Don't sweat it, Action. You're always welcome here" he said.
Action noticed that Suzy was cooking dinner but he also spotted the worn and dirty journals next to the record player.
"Hey, Action" said Suzy. "Would you have some dinner with us?" she asked.
His stomach still hadn't settled "No thank you, I'll pass this time although it looks and smells good. I ate not so long ago..." and I'm still regretting it.
"Is this purely a social call or one of our investigative catch-ups?" she asked.
"A bit of both...I've made some good progress today" Action replied.
They all sat down in the lounge area and Action told his tale even though he was feeling very nauseous by now.
"A couple of weeks ago Mortimer Goth's diaries and research notes were stolen along with a few items of monetary value and today we busted one of the thieves who we think did it." he said.
"Why did they want his notes?" asked Suzy.
"Because they have the information about Bella's disappearance a few years ago." said Action.
Neil and Suzy both said nothing but took in deep breaths as the significance of this information dawned on them.
"Did you retrieve the journals?" asked Neil.
Action shook his head. "We got the valuable items and one of the two thieves but no...no books." he said with a tinge of bitterness to his voice. "We'll see if our suspect spills the beans in interrogation but it shows that someone out there thinks those notes about Bella are important enough to steal. I reckon if we get our hands on those journals we'll know more about what's going on in secret in this city!"
"Well, you'll be pleased with what we found" said Suzy, enthusiastically.
"Remember how this all began with one torn page from a book no one could find?" she asked Action, milking what was, for her, a dramatic moment.
"Don't tell me...you found the book?" he replied.
"Not just one book...lots!" she said, wide eyed with excitement. "They were buried just out there; the notes of a man called Patrick Cornelius, whose papers were obtained by that artist that went missing up in the mountains and now found by us."
"OK, what's in them? What do they tell us?" said Action, impatiently.
"We've only just started to read them...they're very densely written and assumes the reader knows a great deal about esoteric science, philosophy and psychology but so far it describes three layers of secret activity in our city: One controlled by the Landgraabs, one controlled by the Fengs and one by a group referred to as The Visitors. So far we're learning about the history of the city and the influence the Landgraabs have had on it since the early 19th century. It'll take time but we'll soon learn about what's been going on."
"Any dirt that would put those Landgraabs away would be very welcome!" said Action with a look of grim determination on his face.
"Action..." said Suzy in all seriousness. "...what information we have now is going to blow our case wide open. We'll soon get to know all the grubby, scary, mysterious secrets this city has!"
"Agent 51 to Control...this is Agent 51, do you respond?" said the elfin looking red headed young woman into a device shaped like a TV remote control.
"Control to Agent 51. Report" came a harsh, inhuman voice emanating from the communications device.
"Sources confirm that Detective John Action has apprehended Hu-mann Agent Maddy Henson. Shall I liquidate either or both of them...or should I absorb them?" she said.
"You will keep Detective John Action under observation for now. I will assign another agent to deal with Maddy Henson. You have only recently altered your appearance; I do not want you to draw attention to yourself now."
"What about the Goth journals?"
"Safe and in our possession...Mortimer Goth knows more than we suspected."
"Shall I?..."
"NO! You are to keep Detective John Action under surveillance for now and that is all."
"*sigh*....as you wish, Control. Nilharoy Shebber-Shenty" Leanne McGregor put the device back in her handbag. Since her alteration she hadn't had any 'fun' assignments...observation, research, more observation. If only she could kill another human or perhaps absorb them she would be a lot happier.
And if that human was Detective John Action, so much the better. She particularly detested that one.
There were many things Joanna Thompson noticed about her new neighbourhood compared with the cramped, dirty and often dangerous surrounds of downtown Sim City and that was how open and green everything was in Willow Creek and, another thing, how polite the local children were. Back in the slums, the children would either retreat into the protection of doorways or the shadows and if some felt brave, or cocky enough to speak to you it was generally with a threat or insult. As Joanna took a morning run around Foundry Cove a little girl said a cheerful "hello" to her before stopping to talk with a friend of hers. That was another thing she noticed: A white kid and a black kid talking nicely to each other. Wouldn't have happened back in the slum.
She had jogged down to the river and had began her turn towards home when she noticed the mailman putting something in her letterbox. Instinctively she ran back as fast as she could because back in the slums mail in a street box wouldn't last long before someone grabbed it in the hope it contained a cheque or something else of value. Opening up the mailbox, she saw a couple of official looking letters inside.
Her heart beat quicker as she was hoping one of them was a response to her application for a student scholarship. She had barely qualified for one; helping people from a poor background get funding for college education, but had filled in all the requisite forms and lied about her previous employment just to get a shot at going to college. She had a bit of her late uncle's inheritance left, but most of that had gone into buying the house.
She went inside and opened up the first letter. Yes, it was a letter informing her that she had, indeed, qualified for a scholarship. Not a big one, but enough of one to take the edge off the college fees. That was a relief and it allowed her to focus on the courses she had applied for.
The second letter was from a local health club offering a free trial workout session. Well, that might come in handy...
Joanna was always one for fitness. Even in her previous job she had to remain fit and fast in order to evade the most brutal of clients...or pimps. Learning how to pack a punch and run away fast was key to surviving on the streets. Now she could keep fit without that kind of worry anymore and a free session at the gym? Well, perks of moving up in the world. The streets were now fast receding into the memory.
When Joanna entered the gym she was impressed with all the equipment on offer, the spaciousness but above all...just how clean the locker room area was compared with the only other gym she'd ever been in which was at the Spice Quarter YWCA. She slung her bag with all her everyday clothes in a locker, inserted a dime into the lock, hoping it wouldn't be prised open by some opportunistic thief, and made her way downstairs to start a work out.
There was one treadmill free; one of those fancy ones where it was powered and you could adjust the speed. She recognised the blonde chick from over the road from where she lived but apart from that there was only one other person there: A super muscly man who was barking encouragement towards the neighbour.
Joanna got on the remaining treadmill, turned the dial to a moderate speed and pushed the button to get it going. As she was getting up to speed the muscly man spoke to her.
"Pick your feet up and remember to breathe steadily....set the machine to one faster" he said.
Joanna shot him a quizzical and suspicious look.
"Oh, I'm Movers n' Shaker's personal trainer, Clinton. I advise people on fitness" he said by way of explanation.
"That explains things" replied Joanna.
She continued with her run until the wall clock reached to 30 minutes past the hour and she decided she'd done enough. She brushed her sweaty forehead with her sleeve and noticed that Clinton was approaching her.
"You'll find a water cooler just over there and there's another one upstairs in the lounge area." he said, being helpful but looking her up and down at the same time. "Complementary towels are on that shelf over there but most members prefer to bring their own. So, I don't believe we've seen you in here before."
"You haven't" she replied, coolly. "I got a ticket for a free workout session in the post" she pulled the ticket out of her training top pocket.
"I hope you like what you see" he said, leaning against a treadmill. "Treadmills, weights, calisthenics...we're well set up here. Soon we'll be getting a climbing wall...powered; first city in the state to get powered climbing walls." Clinton sounded overly proud at this.
"I see you have punching bags as well" said Joanna, noticing people having a spar with them.
"Not much escapes your attention..." replied Clinton. "And of course there's the social benefits of being a member of a gym" he said, checking out a curvaceous blonde woman who had just come downstairs from getting changed into her exercise leotard. She saw him and gave him a cute wave and smile, he waved back. "Yeah....the social benefits. So can I interest you in signing up for membership today?"
"I'll think about it. As for the social side, I see a couple of people I know over there..." she said.
She saw Action working out with weights and the blonde chick who lived opposite but whose name escaped her. As Clinton's attention was split between the curvaceous blonde and giving Action some encouragement, Joanna had the opportunity to say hello to him.
"You a regular here, Action?" she asked.
"I practically live here" he replied. "Haven't seen you for a while...are you keeping your nose clean?"
"Suspicious as ever, Action. Yeah, I'm staying out of trouble...thank you. Been concentrating on my college applications."
"So you're serious about this, are you? So what are you going to study? Have you worked that one out yet?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna study psychology" she replied with some pride in her voice. Action still seemed sceptical about her moving into a smart new home and going to college. All those years in the Marines and the Police Force had left him cynical.
"Psychology? I didn't figure that would be the one you'd go for". The cynical part of his mind drew a parallel between analysing patients lying on a couch to the kinds of things she used to do with clients whilst on a couch...Stop it, Action, he thought. You can't condemn the girl just because she was a hooker.
"I'll let you know how I get on." she said, smiling at him in a way that would put him in his place for daring to question her intentions. She nodded thanks to Clinton as well and went upstairs to use the showers and get changed into her everyday clothes.
She had just finished tugging her thigh length boots as far as they could go up her legs when her neighbour entered the locker room looking flushed and out of breath. If only she could remember her name: It was something to do with nature or the country...
"Oh hello neighbour!" said the neighbour, suddenly becoming bouncy and enthusiastic on seeing Joanna. "Is this your first time here?"
"Yep. It's not too bad. That Clinton guy is trying to give me the hard sell to join"
"Oh him...he's always like that. But this place is good and most of us from around here are members. You should join; Libs and I, Action and Jeremy and Barbara are all regulars. Julia pops in occasionally. And there's lots of other really groovy people here as well so it's a good way of making friends."
Was it 'Meadow', 'Cloud' or 'Autumn'? Joanna tried to remember the name of this very enthusiastic and friendly girl. She could imagine Disney animals frolicking around this chick, such was her bubbliness.
"That's an incentive, for sure. I only really know Action...I'm sorry, but I've forgotten your name" said Joanna.
"It's Summer. I live with Liberty and Travis"
"Of course, Summer. Yeah, and Julia's the doctor and Barbara owns a shop with her boyfriend?"
"Yep, that's us! Say, you should come over for coffee some time...we're a nice little community and it'd be great to bring you in to it."
Joanna nodded but the thought of being in this quaint, white picket suburban neighbourhood with a 'community' filled her with a mixture of dread and awe. This was a world far removed from all her life experiences so far. People like Summer might take it for granted but friendly neighbourhoods, clean gyms and....trees and grass and flowers seemed like Sitcom Land, not her reality.
"Yeah, I'd be up for that. I'm kinda busy right now with college applications and stuff but, sure, let's make a date for coffee" she said, after a short pause.
"Looking forward to it!" exclaimed Summer. As Joanna made her way out of the locker room she paused and turned back to look at Summer...she was giggling and looking at her left hand, twirling it around in front of her face before shutting her eyes and smiling with a blissful look on her face. "Straight outta Disney", Joanna thought.
Her next port of call was the library next door. She had applied to study psychology to both city universities: University of Britechester and Foxbury Academy and now she wanted to learn more about both places and also a bit about psychology as well. Why she had chosen that to study was a mystery to Action but also something that came from her gut instead of her head. She wanted to know what made people tick, about personality and identity. It was an interest she had long harboured but it was always pushed to the back of her mind as life...and the nature of her work...always got in the way. No longer: She was now following a desire of the heart.
When Joanna stepped into the library a thought occurred to her: She had never been in a library in her life before. She had an idea from movies and TV shows about what you did in one...mainly stay silent but she had a guess that the books were in sections and she just had to walk up and down the shelves until she found the section she was looking for. There was a librarian present, but he looked nerdy and preoccupied and she didn't want to look like she needed help so walking up and down the aisles, looking carefully in each section it would be.
Eventually she emerged with a small stack of books about each university and a guide to campus life in general. She had also found a beginner's guide to psychology and decided to get that one as well. Sitting down at the desks she worked out that Britechester was more traditional, longer established but had an excellent academic reputation with chances of joining fraternities and sororities and making business contacts for life. Foxbury, by contrast, was newer, less formal and had an excellent reputation in science and engineering. The guide to campus life featured lots of photos of preppy types with Brylcreemed hair for the guys and massive beehive hairdos for the girls. The front of the book said it had been published in 1961 and Joanna had vague memories of her teenage self squeezing into a figure hugging dress that came just below her knees and the massive amount of hairspray her guardian used to spray on her hair right before a local dance...'61: The time of Camelot in the White House, Bay of Pigs, the Madison and Chubby Checker. Joanna looked away from the book and stared at the bookshelf lined walls opposite her. 1961 was also the first year she had fallen into prostitution...16 years old, her big brother already in a gang, Action had gone off to join the Marines and she was all alone: Her guardian mysteriously fell from her apartment window...the police never did find out why it happened.
Snap out of it, girl! She thought, looking at the book again. This is year zero for you, girl. The last 5 years didn't happen. The photos in the book made everyone look white but there was a chapter on how the modern colleges were now helping more and more Negro students attain degrees and all the help programmes that were available.
Hours had passed since she entered the library and she hadn't even opened the psychology book yet. Going back on her plan to be 100% self sufficient she did relent and ask the librarian about how to borrow a book. He was helpful but was nervous whilst talking with her: Joanna, with her scant psychological knowledge, had guessed he wasn't used to talking to young women...especially ones who wore very short miniskirts, fishnets and thigh boots. His awkwardness did make her smile though as he just about maintained his professionalism and composure whilst dealing with her.
She left with her library book in her bag and now it was heading into early evening. She had noticed a bar 3 doors down from the library so she decided to check that out. The Blue Velvet, the sign said and it looked half decent: Not too snooty and elitist, not shabby or a complete dive either.
The music was loud and pulsing and some people were dancing wildly beneath the wall mounted speakers. Joanna made her way past them and the scattered tables and chairs, through an arched opening and into the bar area at the back. There was just one other guy sitting at the bar all by himself and he was closely watching the barmaid make some elaborate cocktail that involved spinning the bottles around in a showy way. Joanna sat on a barstool and watched the theatrics.
The barmaid shook, jiggled and spun the bottles and then poured measures of booze into a cocktail shaker. After stirring it she poured the drink out into glass, popped a miniature umbrella into it and handed it over to the man sitting at the bar.
"Thank you" he said in heavily accented English. Looking at him, Joanna noticed that he was from East Asia and around 40 years of age. As he said thank you to the barmaid, he nodded respectfully at her.
"And what can I get you?" said the barmaid to Joanna.
"I'll have....what he's having" she said, jerking her thumb at the Asian man.
"You got it" said the barmaid and she went into her cocktail making performance again.
"You make a good choice. I recommend" said the Asian man, who had turned to look at Joanna.
"I look forward to drinking it...I'm kinda new here so I didn't know what this place specialises in. Thanks for the tip"
"I am also new here. I am originally from Taiwan but work has brought me here"
"I'm originally from San Myshuno and getting away from there has brought me here"
"Not a good part of town?"
"Definitely not! I'd avoid the lower East side of there if I were you."
"Then I thank you for your tip. We are now even" he said with a warm smile.
"And here's to new surroundings...cheers" she said, raising her glass to his and clinking them. The man, who said his name was Riu, smiled and laughed. Joanna had had very little contact with the Chinese, Japanese and other people from that part of the world. Sure, there had been clients from those parts...but they tended to prefer the more expensive, high class escorts on the whole and her ex-John wouldn't elevate her to those levels. Ugh, drink to forget girl! She thought to herself.
She had a couple of those exotic cocktails and by the time she had nearly finished her second one the place was beginning to fill up with more customers. One of them was her next door neighbour...the doctor...Judith? June? Something like that anyway.
"Hello Joanna" said the doctor whose name began with J. Probably.
"Hey neighbour..." said Joanna with a little laugh. 'hey neighbour'...talk about a phrase she had never uttered before. "I'm sorry, I'm bad with names..."
"Julia"
"Oh, yeah, Julia. Will you join me in a drink? I'm paying" said Joanna.
"Oh, that's nice. Your drink looks interesting, I'll have one of those" replied Julia.
"You got it. Hey, barkeep! Gimme another two of these excellent...fruit punches or whatever they are for me and my friend here."
"Let's sit at a table, we can talk a little easier over there" said Julia. Joanna nodded and they made their way back inside the main dance and bar area and weaved their way through the tables. Along the way Julia waved to someone she knew. Joanna was more uncertain on her feet...2 and a half fruit punches and 4" high heels were not a good combination when it came to walking around tables and chairs and her vision was getting affected by the drinks as well. But she made it to a table Julia selected and just about managed to flop on the seat.
"So is this the local hang out?" asked Joanna.
"Yes. All of us on Foundry Cove visit here in the evenings if we've not got other things going on. I play piano here once a week as well. It's a side line of mine; piano playing. Just tip jar kind of stuff but I like playing and it helps with the bills. I'm quite junior at the hospital so I don't get much in take home pay. Now I don't know what you do for a living..."
Joanna took a deep breath before answering. "I'm between careers right now." she said, diplomatically. "I hated by old job and now I've applied to go to college. To study psychology"
"Hey, that's great! So we're both kind of in the healing business! Here's to you!" said Julia, raising her glass in a toast.
"Thanks. Say, I've got absolutely no experience in college life or anything like that. Can you give me some tips?" said Joanna.
Julia took a big sip of her drink. "Do you know, this is really good...yes, tips. OK, my number one tip is study, study, study. Don't get distracted by fraternity or sorority events. Go easy on the drinking, avoid the agitators and troublemakers and focus on getting that degree with high honours. There's so much to distract you on campus, believe me! Best to put as much of it out of your mind as you can."
That's the kind of response she expected from Julia. Another straight arrow, like Summer and the couple at the end of the road. If only they knew about her past...but hanging out with straight arrows is probably what she needed right now, she thought. Yeah, she was going to study hard but she also knew how to handle agitators and troublemakers.
The evening wore on and Julia went over to see her friend on the other side of the dance floor to talk and then be convinced to join in a dance with this blonde haired guy who seemed to be the boyfriend of Julia's friend. Julia waved to Joanna and invited her to join in but Joanna was not in a fit state to dance...she had drunk so much she could just about walk home. "I'm a little worse for wear..." she said to Julia on the way out. "See you soon and thank for the advice...and drinks..." she slurred.
The next morning was a blur. Joanna had forgotten how she had got home and in bed but she woke up in her underwear with all her clothing strewn around the room. That day was a complete write off...
...the day after that, she had washed and dried her clothes, put them back on and took a walk outside to clear her head and enjoy another blue sky, green grass moment in Foundry Cove. The tree at the end of the road dwarfed all other vegetation and had exotic, coloured fungi covering the middle section of its trunk. Joanna wondered why this tree was so different to every other one here.
From a distance she saw the mailman on his round. Hopefully she had a response from either Britechester U. or Foxbury. Her heart started to beat faster when the mailman had paused in front of her house and started to rifle through his mail bag. She began to run back to the house and, sure enough, he had put a letter into her mailbox.
Quick as a flash she took out the letter and ran inside to open it. She found a butter knife and used that to slice the envelope open, took out the letter and gave it a flick with her hand to open it right up.
It was from the University of Britechester and it was offering a place on their Bachelor of Arts, Psychology course. There was also a list of semester dates and a separate document detailing campus administration and a form to fill out should she wish campus accommodation as well as details of tuition fees and that her community scholarship fund will cover half the costs of the degree.
She was in...there was no point waiting for Foxbury to get back to her: She knew enough about life to seize the first decent opportunity to come along. Britechester, with all its history, high expectations and snooty reputation was the place she'd be going to and if anyone tried to look down on her, then they'd better look out. Never look back, girl, she thought. No more life on the streets.
The enormity of this letter and what it represented suddenly got to her. All that tough exterior, that instinct for survival and the weight of her past suddenly rose off of her shoulders. She was free and the thought of that made her burst into tears.
When Barbara collected the mail she was shocked to see an envelope with red borders and big, ugly letters reading FINAL NOTICE OF PAYMENT. It was a bill and a threatening one at that. Now very worried, she didn't wait to read the contents inside her house, she opened up the letter and inside read it whilst standing on the sidewalk. It was worse than she expected.
THIS IS A FINAL NOTIFICATION OF UNPAID UTILITIES BILLS. PAY WITHIN 48 HOURS FROM THE 07/14/66 OR THE LANDGRAAB ELECTRICITY, WATER & GAS COMPANY WILL CEASE PROVIDING THESE SERVICES.
"What? Final notification? We never even received a first notification! What's going on here?" she muttered to herself as she headed back indoors.
Jeremy was still in his pyjamas and eating breakfast when she strode into the kitchen area and thrust the bill under his nose.
"Get a load of this!" she exclaimed. "Why haven't we paid this bill yet?"
Jeremy took the letter from her hand and looked at it closely. "Strange" he said. "This says it's a final demand but we never received a bill for this month. Don't worry, Babs, I'll sort this out. It could be the mail screwed up."
"Or Landgraabs flexing their muscle against us!" she said.
"I wouldn't go that far, darling. I'm not in their bad books and I doubt even Geoffrey would get himself involved in such a petty matter about a bill."
Barbara sighed. "Maybe not, but I tense up whenever I see or hear their name! Anyway, you finish your breakfast...I've got plans for today!"
"It's a Sunday, what plans do you have?"
"I'll tell you after you've had your shower and gotten dressed" said Barbara, cryptically.
Jeremy shrugged and went to get ready for the day. He stopped by the study to put the bill on a letter and receipt spike he had on his desk. He was trying to be reassuring to Barbara about the Landgraabs but inside of him he had a suspicion that maybe she was right and the Landgraabs were trying to unsettle them. A suspicion reinforced by the fact that were no mail strikes or reported disruptions in the postal service. Once he was ready for the day he reassured Barbara that he would sort the bills out first thing tomorrow morning and get to the bottom of the lack of regular mail.
"You were saying something about big plans for the day" asked Jeremy.
"Yes. How do you feel about getting a cat?" replied Barbara, enthusiastically.
"A cat? Well, I'm pretty neutral on that. I'm more of a dog person but I've got nothing against cats. So you want to get one?"
"Yes please"
"OK, we'll look for one in the... erm, cat breeder places; whatever they're called"
"No, I want a specific cat...not from a professional breeder or vet or cattery."
"You don't mean...?"
"Yes, my special little ginger and white cat who brings me good luck. I want to find it."
"Oh that's why you're in your orange and white outfit today!"
"I thought if I wore this it would create an incentive for the cat to bond with me"
Jeremy looked at Barbara as if she had lost her mind. "You've lost your mind" he eventually said.
"I feel a connection with that cat and I know its hangouts! Come on, let's find it and bring it home!"
"How do you know if it doesn't belong to someone else? That's cat-napping! No it isn't, but it's some form of cat kidnapping for which a word hasn't been invented yet because no one goes around stealing other people's cats!"
"It's a stray, Jeremy. And I want to be indulged on this matter."
"Why?"
"Because I'm kooky"
"You certainly are!"
"And you're always so stiff and proper. Come on, I really want to go out there into the world and have madcap, nonsensical fun!"
"And searching for a specific stray cat is the way to do that, is it?"
"Yes it is and the hunt will be fun...and you will enjoy yourself"
"I am not stiff, I am not a hunter and I am NOT going!"
PUPPERSTONE PARK, BRINDLETON BAY
"So we're here...in Brindleton Bay...looking for a cat whose fur resembles your outfit." said a resigned Jeremy. It was hard to resist Barbara when she looks so cute and indulges in playful behaviour. "So...what now?"
"We look for it all around here" she answered.
"Well, obviously, but do you have any tips or tricks on how to befriend it?"
"There's a Canadian saying: Pet a cat when you encounter one in the street."
"The things you lot do for enjoyment up there"
"The reason behind that saying is that it's difficult to win a cat's trust and friendship so you must be willing to put in the time and effort. Just be friendly if you see it and go cautiously to win its trust."
"OK, I'll just walk around the park going 'here kitty, kitty' then"
And that is what he and Barbara did for the next hour...patrol around the park and its surrounds looking for a cat that she had firmly in her memory and which Jeremy only half remembering what it looked like. He did encounter a large, furry black cat who he attempted to pet in the Canadian fashion but it snarled at him and Jeremy thought it might rip his face off. Eventually they took a break and reconvened at a park bench to report on progress...or lack of.
"Having fun yet?" asked Barbara, whose enthusiasm hadn't waned.
"My feet are sore and I've learned that cats don't like me very much" replied a less than enthused Jeremy.
"Give it time...you've got to be patient, remember? I'm having a fun time just being in this lovely place on such a fine day. We mustn't give up hope but enjoy the search."
"I could do with a coffee right now. There's a snack shack over there...let's go and get some refreshments and then I'll probably get my enthusiasm back." said Jeremy, getting to his feet.
They made their way to the refreshment stand and got coffees. There was a nearby bench to sit down on and here they drew up a plan of what to do next.
"I'll search up here at the higher end of the park, near the playground area and would you look at the lower end, where the fishing spots are." said Barbara.
"OK, that works. I've noticed there's a guy walking his Great Dane around near the playground...that might be keeping the cats away."
"He won't always be there but there are plenty of bushes around here a cat might hide in."
Jeremy barely acknowledged Barbara's last sentence because something had caught his eye.
"Barbara" he said "Do you remember Action and Suzy have been looking for a guy who works at the food stalls in town who has slicked back red hair and a tiny beard? They think he's a suspect in their investigations."
"Yes, I've heard them mentioning him. Why?"
"That guy over at the coffee shack. He matches the description. Was his name, Luke?"
"Yes...they said his name was Luke. Do you think that's him?"
"Only one way to find out..." said Jeremy. "I'm going to order another coffee"
He got up and walked over to the stall, trying to attract the barista's attention. "Hey, it's Luke, isn't it?" he asked.
The barista rolled his eyes in annoyance. "No, it's Jason. If I had a dime for every time someone mistakes me for Luke I'd be able to retire."
"Ah, sorry, my mistake. Can I get another white coffee, no sugar please? These are excellent if I may say so."
"You got it. So, do you know Luke?" said Jason.
"Not really. I wanted to talk with him about setting up one of these shacks where I work."
"OK...yeah, he's moved up into management now so we don't see him around much."
"You wouldn't happen to have any contact details for him? Personal ones, because I want to bypass going through your company's switchboard." Jeremy pressed for an answer.
"Sorry. No. I know he lives in Newcrest but he's a very quiet, taciturn person. None of us really know him that well but he's efficient enough." said Jason.
"Thank you. I'll give your company a call. Thanks for the coffee." Jeremy went back to the bench and sat next to Barbara.
"Was that him?" asked Barbara.
"No. But I found out Luke is in management of that snack vending company AND he lives in Newcrest. I'll pass that information on to Action."
The quest for the cat entered the sitting around drinking coffee stage and waiting for strays to come along when, after a while, Jeremy and Barbara were approached by a teenage girl who looked shy and nervous. Her movements were skittish but it was easy to tell that she wanted to speak with them by the way she was gradually encroaching on their space.
"Can we help you?" Barbara asked the girl.
"Erm...yeah...aren't you the lady who owns Pack's Boutique?" she said, her eyes darting around the park as if she was being watched.
"Yes I am..." Barbara responded, worried that this might be a disgruntled customer wanting their money back for something. "...are you a customer?"
"No. I've never set foot in your shop...I've stood outside it a few times. I like what I've seen through the window." said the girl, looking down at her feet instead of looking at Barbara.
"You should come in one day and try some outfits on. We don't bite" said Barbara, smiling.
"I know...what I'm saying must sound silly..."
"Why don't you sit down with us? This is my husband and co-owner of the shop, Jeremy and my name's Barbara."
The girl sat down and said hello, meekly, to Jeremy.
"I would like to come into the shop and look around...my friends have been there and said how great it is."
"So what's stopping you?" asked Jeremy.
"My father. He controls my spending and that includes clothes. He has to approve anything I purchase and he's sceptical about anything new or fashionable."
"Oh...well, we have to respect our parents" said Jeremy.
Barbara frowned. "How old are you...?"
"Luna. I'm 16. 17 in November"
"Well, you should be making your own choices, assert your individuality." said Barbara, sympathetically.
"But he's your father and you are still a minor. Is your family poor? Do they have to watch the finances? Is that why he's saying no to you shopping for yourself?"
"No, in fact it's the opposite: We're wealthy. He just....look. I've said enough. It's nice talking to you and good luck with your shop." Luna got up suddenly and started to walk off.
"What a strange conversation" said Jeremy to Barbara.
"Sounds like her father's a right square, and controlling too. You could have been more sympathetic, Jeremy."
"I was just stating the facts..."
"But she was reaching out to us for advice and you just told her to just submit to her father's unreasonable demands."
"We never found out whether his demands were reasonable or unreasonable. We only got one side of the story."
"Well, she was motivated to speak to two strangers so clearly something is bothering her that much. I hope she does visit the shop even if she doesn't spend any money but just finds it a nice place to hang out in."
Jeremy threw his hands up in the air as he had nothing else to say on the matter. Barbara was in a mood where outreach and caring about things well beyond her purview mattered to her greatly. He, always erring on the side of caution, felt he was being dragged along to find a weird cat and help out the lives of teenagers. For him the only positives he was getting out of the day was finding that bit of information about 'Luke'.
They spent another hour down in the park and Jeremy was getting fed up walking around the same bit or park and examining every bush, tree or other hiding place there. He was now getting to think that other people passing by must think he was a weirdo for spending so long prowling and searching the place. As for Barbara, she was desperately trying to make a success of this search and she was getting frustrated at the lack of results. Eventually the two of them reconvened to discuss what they should do next.
"I've drawn a blank, yet again. Barbara...maybe it does have an owner and it's tucked up inside, right now, on a warm sofa, being fed delicious treats and being stroked by its family? Lovely sofa.......delicious treats......" Jeremy looked off into the distance as if he were in a trance.
"Alright. Little Senator isn't here...I'm thinking about where else would be a good place to search?"
"Little Senator? You've named the thing already?" said an incredulous Jeremy.
"Down by the Salty Paws Saloon!" exclaimed Barbara, who had not payed any attention to what Jeremy had said. "That's the other place I saw him! Let's head there!"
"That's the best idea you've had today..." said Jeremy.
"Arrrrgh, me hearties! Let us drink hale, wassail!" said Jeremy, adopting a pirate voice.
"Ooh, you're being kooky...I like it!" replied Barbara.
"When it comes to pirate and crusty sea dogs I can do kooky"
"Right...well let's look out for that cat then" said Barbara, looking around the jetty and dock area.
"We could do that from this table over here..." said Jeremy, eyeing up a nice shady tavern table and bench that had great views across the bay.
"I've always had an affinity to this part of the city because I come from a seafaring family" said Jeremy, proudly.
"But you're from Colorado" replied Barbara, sceptical about his claims to some sea background.
"Yes, the Saint family live there now but up until my great-grandfather, Hezekiah Saint, the family lived in coastal regions and they earned their money from sea trading and voyages. Old Hezekiah sailed on the great tea clippers for 20 years before he had to stop."
"What happened to Hezekiah?"
"He suddenly developed a pathological fear of the sea. No one knows why...drove him around the bend and his doctors said he had to move to a place where there was no sea in sight. That's why my family ended up in Crested Butte, Colorado."
"You're kidding..."
"No, every word I've just said is true. OK, I'll get the drinks in, you look for the cat."
Barbara paced around the jetty near the tavern but could not find a trace of any cat, let alone the specific one she was looking for. Frustration was growing in her and she had to abandon the search and find Jeremy for some respite, although she dreaded him saying "I told you so" to her. If he could only be a little bit sensitive this time...
She found him at the bar with the drinks just being served. It had been very busy in the tavern and she figured it had been a bit of a fight for Jeremy to even get to the bar to place the order.
"Any luck out there?" Jeremy asked.
"No..." said Barbara with a sigh. "Thanks for the drink. I think we should pace ourselves here...have a drink, some food, then go for a scout about. I reckon the cat will hang around here a bit more because there's more food to be had around this dock. After all, the fishermen leave a few bits of fish lying around the jetty. Let's not burn our eyeballs out."
"Solid thinking, Barbara. I agree...cheers" he said, raising his glass.
"Cheers" said Barbara, clinking her glass to his. "Say, let's dance"
"What? Here? Now?" said Jeremy, looking nervously around the room.
"Yes here and now. This song's just hit the charts and I like it. Come on..." she said, grabbing him by the hand and leading him to an open area near the juke box. Jeremy usually felt very self conscious dancing in public and he, again, looked around the bar to see if anyone was paying attention to them.
As they were dancing Jeremy started to notice that cats were entering the tavern. At first he got his hopes up when a ginger cat walked past him but it was too thin and the white parts of its fur didn't cover as much of its coat than the cat Barbara had set her heart on.
There was a skinny ginger one, a big white fluffy one with black paws, a sleek tan coloured one and even a black cat wearing a top hat! All of them were prowling around the tavern as if they lived there. Some customers were giving the cats a stroke or tempting them with a small snack but it was getting hard to hear your own voice as there was now a party of people there being noisy and having a big laugh about something.
Another search of the area by the docks proved fruitless as well. It was 8pm now and even Barbara's energy and enthusiasm was waning. She now knew the cat just wasn't there and that all of the day's efforts had been in vain. Tired and feeling despondent she slumped down on a bench and let out a heavy sigh. Jeremy came to sit next to her.
"Oh Jeremy, I'm sorry to have dragged you along on this fool's errand" she said.
"It's had its moments" he replied.
"You don't have to say kind words, Jeremy"
"No, I mean it. Sure I was grumpy at times and, yes, I did curse your name under my breath once or twice but eventually it wasn't about the result, it was the adventure."
"Some adventure..." she said, cynically.
"Yes. Searching for a cat was an adventure compared to me paying bills, working on office paperwork or your doing a stock inventory. Besides, I like it down here in Brindleton Bay...we should make this a regular hanging out spot and who knows, the next time we might find Little Senator."
"Now look who's being kooky" said Barbara, smiling warmly at him.
"Hey there! You two! I have a special half price offer on all food for courting couples!" came a voice from behind them. It was the local street food vendor; an older gentleman with a kind face.
"I think he means us" said Jeremy.
"I am hungry" Barbara replied.
"What can I can you two?" asked the vendor.
"Two clam chowders to go" replied Jeremy.
"You got it! So you out on a date?"
"Not exactly..." said Jeremy.
"We came looking for a cat" said Barbara.
"You've come to the right place; they're everywhere around here!"
"The cat we were looking for is a large, fluffy orange and white one but we haven't found it today"
"Oh that one. It comes and goes. Never the same night. Very bold though; not afraid to walk right up to people."
"I noticed that" said Barbara, taking a spoonful of chowder. "Hmm, delicious."
"The cats love my food...there's so much fish! Anyway, I'm going to shut up stall soon. You two have a great rest of the night and don't worry about the cat. When he wants you, he'll find you."
"The chowder was delicious." said Jeremy. "Say, what about getting in one more drink before we head home?"
"OK, sounds good" said Barbara and after they had thrown away the cardboard cups that had the chowder in them they went back into the Salty Paws Saloon. It was even busier than when they'd left the place but they did see a familiar face there.
"Neil! Good to see you. How's the new place?" asked Jeremy, shaking Neil's hand.
"Great. Really nice. It would be really great if we caught up soon; we've loads to tell you!" said Neil.
"Exciting news? The kind that follows on a few months after getting married and moving to a bigger house?" teased Barbara.
"Eh, I don't quite follow you....OH YOU MEAN THAT? No! Nothing along those lines. We found the book; the one where those missing pages fit in to."
Jeremy's face turned serious. "You did? Oh my goodness, what does it reveal?" he said.
"We don't know...yet. Suzy's studying them. We need to have a meeting of our group: Us four, plus Action and maybe even Burr DeBenning. There's some big revelations to come!"
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