CHAPTER 60: Revelation

 

It was the early shift for Barbara Dubois and after donning her uniform, she kissed Jeremy Saint goodbye and trotted out the front door. Jeremy watched her leave...even in a fast food restaurant uniform, one that wasn't meant to look flattering, he thought she looked cute.

"Jeremy my lad" he said to himself as he poured himself a glass of water "you are blessed to have that girl in your life...cheers" and he raised a glass to the great almighty. As soon as he took his first sip, the faucet on his kitchen sink fell off and water started to spurt out all over the floor.

"Oh that's all I need!" said Jeremy. "I could phone up that really good woman plumber..." but he paused "or I can do it myself...that'll make me look more manly and more capable in Barbara's eyes!"

Jeremy looked in a box in his spare room and found a basic tool kit of wrenches, hammers and pliers. He also found some rubber washers that would fit the faucet. "I can do this...how does Dad fix a sink?"

Jeremy set to it and managed to replaced the cracked and broken washers with new ones mere minutes before he had to get to work. He washed his hands, threw on his suit, fastened his tie and made it out the door at 1 minute past his usual departure time.

Barbara had made it back from her shift at 10am and went to the bedroom to change out of her uniform. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and began to think about bigger issues. "Well...it's a job, I suppose. I should start thinking of moving on to something better....my boyfriend's got a good job at Dewey's and I should have one at a better place. Hamburgerman is OK, it's given me a start but I think I should start looking around for something else"

She changed out of her Hamburgerman uniform and into her regular clothes and headed downtown to Magnolia Crescent for a bit of window shopping and hoping to get some inspiration....working in a shop, a nice one, would be a step up. The first shop she went into was high fashion haute couture. She found a top and hat that was straight out of Carnaby Street, London, and she just had to try it on.

"Hmmm, if only..." she said, looking at the price tag. A woman approached her "excuse me, I just love your outfit" she said to Barbara. "Where did you get it?"

"Well, erm, from all over the place really. I found the top in a market, the skirt was from J.C. Penney and my shoes and tights I got from a small boutique in San Myshuno called "Miss Right...after I bought the top I colour matched it to go for the Total Look"

"You see, I need to get with these new styles" said the woman. "You see I have a date coming up and I need to impress this guy..."

As Barbara began to explain the basics of mod fashion to the lady, another woman entered the shop and walked over to them.

"Would you happen to be Jeremy Saint's new girlfriend?" said the woman.

"Erm...do you know him?" said Barbara

"Yes I do...I know him well. Very well." the lady said

"Well I am Jeremy's girlfriend but I'm not new...we've been together for over a month. So how do you know him?"

"We work together and.....well, he was really into me before he met you" said the woman, matter of factly. "My name's Bianca...has he not mentioned me?"

"No!" said Barbara firmly. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Oh, I saw you and thought I'd touch base...so to speak."

"How did you recognise me?" asked a very suspicious Barbara.

"Isn't Jeremy such a cutie? Ahhh, he has so many sweet, funny ways about him..."

"HOW DID YOU RECOGNISE ME!" Barbara found herself shouting now, much to her surprise.

Bianca recoiled but soon composed herself. "My, you're a firey one...Jeremy doesn't usually go for aggressive women"

Barbara started feel shortness of breath and ran out of the shop and back home. She was so upset and wanted to talk to someone, anyone friendly who could explain who this horrible woman was. Arriving back home, and knowing that it would be a couple of hours before Jeremy got home, she knocked on the door of the 3 friends at the end of the street. Summer Holiday greeted her.

"Hey Barbara....you've been crying, what's up?"

"Oh no...is my make up running? I'm sorry to bother you but can we speak?"

"Sure, hon, come inside...hey, Travis, is your room free so Barbara and I can have a chat?"

"Sure" said Travis. "I'm going to hit the shower anyway"

Summer ushered Barbara into Travis' room...which also served as the house office. "So what's the matter?"

"Summer....who's Bianca?"

Summer took a deep breath. "Well, that's a name I didn't expect to hear again. Hasn't Jeremy mentioned her? I don't suppose he would. Bianca was a girl Jeremy was interested in before he met you. They went on a date and soon afterwards she dumped him."

"Were they close? How long were they together?"

"About two weeks. I only met her the once but it was definitely she who turned him down. I don't think they were ever serious...I know Jeremy's an old romantic and he felt really let down but then he met you."

"She said she works with Jeremy" said Barbara, wiping her tears.

"Oh....now that's news" said a surprised Summer.

"Why didn't he tell me?" said Barbara

"You'll have to ask him but he's not the two-timing sort, I've known him for months and he's the most honest, most caring and nicest guy I know."

"That's what I thought" said a disconsolate Barbara.

"Give him a chance, that's my advice. Bianca sounds like a troublemaker...remember, she led him on and then dumped him"

Barbara took a deep breath and looked at her watch. "Thanks, Summer, but I've got another shift at Hamburgerman starting soon. I'll talk with him when he gets home and you're right...I should give him some benefit of the doubt"

She left and went home to change again into her uniform. Meanwhile while she was gone Jeremy returned home and flopped on the couch to watch some TV after a hard and boring day's work. Eventually, before he went to bed, Barbara returned home.

"Hello gorgeous, how was work" asked Jeremy.

"OK...how are you?"

"Exhausted...you look upset"

"Jeremy....I met Bianca today"

"Oh" There was some silence. "What did she have to say?" he added, eventually. Barbara sat down next to him.

"She said you and her work together...she also mentioned that you and her were close"

Jeremy nodded. "Both are true, although I wouldn't describe her and me as close. We went on one date and met up a few times."

"But she still works with you?"

"THAT came as a shock when I found out. She's my boss' secretary so I don't have day to day contact with her but she's around...I keep my distance. Listen, did she say something nasty to you?"

"It was her tone...she saw me in town and recognised me and then started talking about you and her...it's as if she was deliberately trying to upset me"

"I'm so, so sorry you had to go through that" said Jeremy. "I'm not going to allow that to happen! She needs to be told to back right off!"

"No...don't make a scene. Don't go out of your way to confront her" said Barbara.

"Barbara...there is nothing between her and me. We briefly dated but she ended it and I moved on....and found you; since that moment I've never thought about another woman that way. You are everything I ever wanted in a girlfriend....as a friend, a companion, a lover".

Barbara looked at him and saw his eyes filled with nothing but affection and compassion. She smiled and reached out her hands to his. "I know you love me...I trust you"

Nothing more was said, they moved closer and kissed.

CHAPTER 59: The BFFs

 

Liberty Lee woke up and could smell grilling coming from down the hall. Was the place on fire? That's all she needed after the house was broken into and vandalised last weekend. She put on her clothes and went to investigate the source of the smell...as she got closer to the back garden gate, she could see her housemate, Travis Scott, flipping chicken drumsticks and sweetcorn cobs on the BBQ.

"Seriously, Travis? A full on BBQ grill for breakfast?" she said, stepping outside.

"Damn straight...if breakfast is the most important meal of the day then it should be the best, and I love the smell of grilling in the morning. Is Summer up yet?"

"I haven't heard a stirring from her room" said Liberty. "I must admit, that smells good...dish it up!"

"Here you go" said Travis. "An old Scott family recipe"

"I hope it's better than the Scott family fruitcake" said Liberty. "I must admit this tastes good"

"So what have you got on today?" asked Travis.

"It's going to be a manic kind of day today and for the next two weeks. We're go for launch on the 16th and we're working around the clock to get things ready for then" said Liberty, referring to her job at NASA.

"Which one are we up to now....Gemini?" asked Travis.

"Eight. This is a big one...well, they all are really but this one's going to be the first docking of two spacecraft"

"I thought we'd already done that?" asked Travis.

"No...Gemini 6 and 7 rendezvoused in space, but didn't dock. This time Armstrong and Scott are going to dock with an unmanned craft called Agena and that's never been done before"

"And why is that important?"

"Because if we can dock two craft together, we can dock the planned command module and lunar module on Apollo and make the moon landing possible." Liberty rolled her eyes at the idea that Travis couldn't grasp this concept.

"Well, remember, some of my circuit boards and wiring will be in those spaceships you fly" said Travis.

"They're space CRAFT, not spaceships. This isn't Forbidden Planet. And if your handiwork is in our capsules, heaven help the astronauts!" she joked.

"Anyway, speaking of circuit boards...I've just got to finish soldering some...let's continue our conversation in my workspace" said Travis, getting up.

"You've left all the dishes behind...again!" said Liberty.

"Details, details!"

"I hear Action caught the person who vandalised our house, that's good news" said Liberty.

"Did he? I haven't seen him lately...well that's good news at least. Wow, the amount of time we spent cleaning the place up...we lost a whole weekend."

"Well hello sleepyhead!" said Liberty as Summer Holliday entered the room.

"Morning...hmmm, this is really tasty, did you cook this Travis?" said Summer, sitting down on Travis' bed.

"I did. Did you have a late night, Summer?"

"Very...there was a huge amount of damage and mess that we missed tidying up so I stayed up to 2am getting rid of it."

"Guys...I think we need a cleaner" said Liberty. "We spent so much time cleaning this house...I don't mean the damage but just every day there's so much to do and I work long hours, Summer does as well and Travis...well, you never tidy up after yourself"

"Can we afford it?" said Summer.

"Three incomes...we should be able to comfortably"

"OK, I'll put the call in. I know a good cleaning agency" said Summer.

"Well, I can't hang around here chatting...I've got space to conquer!" said Liberty getting up and leaving.

"Yep, I've got to go soon as well" said Travis.

Summer looked at Travis and for a brief moment their eyes met. Summer took a breath. "Travis....do you ever think about...."

"Think about what?" he said, looking away suddenly and trying to find a bag to put his soldered circuits in.

"Well, you know...about settling down"

"I've got no one to settle down with...ah, that bag will do"

"But if you DID have someone...someone you perhaps know already...would you?"

"That's a bit hypothetical. When are you home this evening?"

"Six pm...will you be here?"

"No, I'm working 'till 7."

"Do you fancy going out somewhere this evening?"

Travis' eyes widened...was he being manoeuvred into a date with Summer? "Do you mean....just you and me?"

Summer paused but baulked. "Oh no...I was going to invite the whole street to check out the new Orange Peel club. You know, all us friends"

"Oh I'd be up for that" said Travis, relieved. Summer chided herself for weakening by making it a group event. Travis grabbed his bag and said "until then, have a good day"

After Travis left, Summer flopped on his bed and ruminated on this latest missed opportunity. "Every. Single. Time I blow it" she thought. "Maybe I should put Travis out of my mind and find someone else who I'm not going to self-sabotage my chances with"

All three went off to work but Summer was the first one home. She rang around all the other houses in Foundry Cove and to her joy everyone was up for going to visit the Orange Peel club.

"Wow, this place is great!" said their newest neighbour, Barbara Dubois.

"I must admit even I'm impressed" said Julia Epstein.

"It'll do" said John Action.

The friends all hit the dance floor but it was Summer who impressed the most with her groovy moves. As she was holding court in the middle, Travis walked in and his jaw hit the floor. She was terrific!

Summer beckoned Travis over and, dutifully, he went right to the middle where he did his favourite dance...the indifferent bop. "I'll get the drinks in" he said after one dance.

The friends stayed for around 3 hours until tiredness, at least, overcame Travis and Summer. Most of them, except Action, came home as well and the group shared a taxi home to the street. Once inside, Summer and Travis grabbed a bite to eat.

"I didn't know you were a good dancer" said Travis.

"I did junior ballet" she replied. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"I did...we should go again" he said. Summer's eyes widened. "...with Liberty next time"

"Yes...always with others" said Summer to herself. Maybe it was that Travis preferred Liberty to her? What will she do?

CHAPTER 58: Doctor At Large

"Good morning, Nurse Newell....how are you liking it here?" asked Dr Julia Epstein of her new colleague, Nurse Harper Newell.

"Fine, Dr Epstein...just to let you know we've had a lot of patients admitted overnight. It seems there was this party and a food bug hit a lot of the guests." Nurse Newell replied.

"Well, just point me in the direction of one of the cases and I'll get to work" said Julia, who was keen to get started.

Case number 1: Abram Montanez, age 16...admitted with acute stomach pains. Diagnosis; food poisoning.

"Doctor...I think I'm going to hurl!" said Abram.

"Here, I'll get you a bowl" said Julia, passing him a stainless steel dish.

"I'm now going to cry out for an imaginary long lost brother who drowned in the river....HUEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYY! HUEEEEEEEEYYYYYY!" He said, chucking up his stomach contents. "Oh, oh dear....here comes another one....RALPH! CHUCK! HUEY!"

"Triplets, eh?" smirked Julia. "Well, good news is that we have some medication for you. Take this 3 times a day after meals..."

"After meals? I'm never eating again!" said Abram, collapsing back on the bed.

"Drink this now, and then another after dinner" said Julia, handing him a cup of the medicine.

Julia went around visiting all the other patients. Most had been to this party it seemed and they all displayed similar symptoms of food poisoning. Julia found it hard to get them to eat any hospital food either.

Julia went out front to sign off on some papers concerning Abram Montanez's discharge, which was due to happen some time that afternoon. However, she found herself the centre of some unwelcome attention.

"Hey...hey you!" said a young, but harsh, voice. "Are you a doctor or something? I need treatment! I need attention! Gimme now!" The voice belonged to a boy of about 10...but a brash, loud boy of 10 who didn't like to be kept waiting.

"Nurse...admit this boy....what's your name?" asked Julia

"Villareal...Max Villareal. My dad's important!" said the boy, prodding Julia in the chest with his index finger.

"I'm sure he is but the nurse here will take you to an examination room and I'll be along in a few minutes to find out what's wrong with you"

"Well, make it snappy!" said Max, indignantly.

A little later Julia was good to her word and came along to check what was wrong with the boy.

"Ow! Be careful! That really hurts my ear!" he cried out, as Julia shone a light into it.

"I'm not surprised...it's very inflamed. Now, when did the pain start to come on?" she asked.

"This morning...Last night I had this massive ball of wax buried well deep inside it so I tried to scoop it out with a tissue, but part of the tissue got stuck inside my ear, then I used the lid of a ballpoint pen to try and get the tissue and the wax out but that was too scratchy so I ended up using the end of a dessert spoon...."

"OK I get the picture" said Julia. "I'm not surprised your ear's become infected. Well, I'll give you some antibiotics but you must never use implements lying around to clean out your ears...use eardrops or even a drop of olive oil in future."

Her shift over, Julia headed over to the Blue Velvet where it was Amateur Night...a chance for locals to play on the piano, sing or do some stand up comedy. She had some piano tunes she wanted to try out but when she got there she saw her Auntie Elle run out of the club and down the street.

"Auntie Elle! Auntie Elle! It's me, Julia! Where are you going?" she cried out but to no avail. Her aunt had run right down the street and onto a passing tram. Julia was worried about her...she hadn't been taking her meds and was suffering from big mood swings. She made a note to give her a call tomorrow but in the meantime, the club beckoned.

Julia played 3 songs...House of the Rising Sun, In With The In Crowd and Yeah, Yeah. They seemed to go down well and she was invited to share drinks with some of the patrons...including an acquaintance from the Prankster Association, Nancy Landgraab.

"Intelligent, musical and humorous ...is there no end to your abilities?" said Nancy.

"Well, I merely dabble, Mrs Landgraab" replied Julia.

"Oh please call me Nancy. Now let me introduce you to this fine specimen...Paulo. Paulo, this is Julia."

"Pleased to meet you, Julia" said Paulo...would you care to dance?" he said, with a devil-may-care smile. Julia froze for a moment.

"Erm...I'm OK for now." she said, nervously. "I've been on my feet at the hospital all day and could do with a rest" she added.

"Now, now" said Nancy "all work and no play makes a dull life...let me get you all another drink" she said, getting up to go to the bar. Paulo smiled at Julia again "If you change your mind...." he said, dancing.

Julia let out a nervous breath. "Nancy playing matchmaker again?" came a voice from the table next to her.

"Hi, I'm Brent" said the man at the table. "Nancy keeps trying that with me...'oh why can't a nice young man like you meet a nice young girl?' she says" Brent let out a little chuckle.

"I take it you're not available?" asked Julia.

"Well, not anymore...but I can't say too much about it" he said with a wink. Julia wasn't sure what he meant. "I take it Paulo's not your type"

"Why do I have to have a type?" Julia responded. "Everyone thinks I have to have a boyfriend...I just want to focus on my work for now"

"Oh a modern woman, that makes a change around here" said Brent. "Everyone's looking to score these days except us"

"Are you focussed on your career as well?" asked Julia, somewhat naively. Brent shook his head.

"No, it's not that...I have someone in my life already but I don't think everyone here would understand. I have a friend who is more than a friend but to the outside world we're just friends."

"That sounds complicated" said Julia.

"It really isn't" replied Brent. "It's just the sensibilities of others can be"

"Forbidden love?" asked Julia.

"Frowned upon...in certain circles"

Julia pondered what that might mean...a class divide, perhaps? She thought it best not to pry.

"Well, here's to those who aren't playing the dating game" she said, raising her glass.

"At least not by the official rules" responded Brent.

CHAPTER 57: The Clue's In The Shoes

On occasion John Action got up early at the crack of dawn and travelled down to The Rattlesnake Juice Bar in Oasis Springs as they did a pretty good breakfast for those who didn't fancy cooking themselves. He could also avail himself of unlimited refills of coffee while he was there.

But today was a full working day and he was keen to get to the bottom of the graffiti vandal mystery before those pesky kids and their stupid dog could crack the case. Just after his 3rd cup of coffee, Action headed to 13th Precinct HQ. Almost as soon as he arrived, he had been summoned to see the Chief.

"Ah Action, glad you could join us. Now I've called you and Detective Schuster in to give me the latest on that vandalism case. Schuster, what have you got?"

"Well, sir, I believe this was the work of neighbourhood kids who took the opportunity to get in the house when no one was there and just wreak havoc with their spray paints. We're currently working with the Juvenile Crime Unit to see if the witnesses recognise any repeat offenders." said Schuster, who was precise with his report.

"And you Action?" asked the Chief.

"I disagree with Detective Schuster, sir" Action began. "For starters sir, the front door was expertly picked, not forced open indicating someone who's precise. It's the same with the graffiti; the handiwork is not random or chaotic...there's form to it. I think we're dealing with maybe a solo or a small team of pros here."

"And what are you doing about this, Action?" asked the Chief.

"Well sir, I intend to go through the files to see if any similar crimes have been committed and by whom" replied Action.

"OK you two....keep following your leads and report back to me when there's been a breakthrough. Dismissed."

Action knew he was facing hours of painstaking research down in the records department and he was on his way there when Desk Sergeant Kitchen called him over.

"Action...this gentleman wants to speak with you" said Sergeant Kitchen, indicating a largely built black man.

"I'm busy on a case right now" said Action, trying to get away.

"You'll be interested in this one....it's another vandalism case"

"OK, show the gentlemen to the interview area, Sarge" said a suddenly interested Action.

"My name is Eric Lewis and I live over at Cypress Terrace, Sage Estates. Well, last night I and my family went out to the movies and when we returned we'd discovered our house had been broken into, the electrics all messed up and spray graffiti was all over the place."

"I see" said Action, taking notes. "Was this graffiti made by someone proficient or was it all just random squiggles?"

"It looked pretty professional...for graffiti art" said Mr Lewis.

"And nothing was taken?"

"Well, my wife noticed one thing missing....a pair of her shoes. They're expensive imported ones, black leather...but they didn't touch anything else except for mucking around with the electrical fuse box."

"That is interesting..." mused Action. "Well, Mr Lewis, we've had a similar break in occur in two days so this might be a serial offender. We'll be over with a team to investigate in more detail shortly"

Graffiti...sabotaged fuse box...stolen shoes. What did this all add up to? Action gathered up a couple of his fellow beat cops and headed over to the most expensive bit of real estate in Willow Creek: Sage Estates.

The Spencer-Kim-Lewis Estate, 11:05am

"Impressive place you've got here, Mr Lewis" said Action, on arriving at the house.

"Yes...my wife and I designed it utilising the latest in ultra-modern and minimalist decor" replied Lewis.

Action got on with photographing the vandalised parts of the house and noticing that the central electrical control device for the whole house had been expertly tampered with. To what end, Action couldn't be sure other than it was meant to disrupt any security devices on the premises. One of Action's colleagues approached him. "We've got a couple of witnesses for you" they said.

The first witness was someone Action was already familiar with. "Well, well, well...if it isn't Fatima Steele. The last time I saw you was down in Oasis Springs where you were having a bad acid trip. Don't tell me you're mixed up in this as well?"

"I'm clean, Action!" said Fatima. "I went on that recovery programme the judge sent me to and I haven't had a tab since"

"So what did you see here?" said Action.

"Well...nothing much. I was walking past the place and it was pretty quiet, except for this one guy who was pacing up and down outside the house."

"Did you recognise him?"

"No. I remember he had tight, curly hair, was overweight and was wearing shorts but that's all"

"Did you speak to him?"

"I asked him for the time and he said he didn't know and why was I bothering him with such trivialities...his words"

"Hmmm, thanks Fatima....stay cool" said Action. The second witness was a more prim and respectable looking young lady.

"Well, officer, I didn't notice any man standing around the house or inside it for that matter" the witness said. "I saw a woman leave the house though."

"What did she look like? Like Mrs Kim-Lewis?"

"No, not at all...she was a plump lady in a shapeless maroon dress, wearing a matching floppy hat but I did notice she had these really expensive black leather shoes on...they didn't go with the outfit."

"Hmmm, very interesting" said Action.

On the ride home to 13th Precinct HQ Action mulled over the information...yes, this was definitely the same person who turned over Travis' house but now some little details became apparent to Action. The way they got in and out was the key...people saw one person hanging around but then they vanished and another person would be seen leaving. Was this Mystery Inc's "ghost" or a more mundane explanation? He had a hunch.

"OK, I want an APB put out on a young, overweight man...or woman...curly hair. Short tempered person as well. They're either wearing a sweater top and shorts or a baggy maroon dress and hat....but with expensive women's shoes." he said to the squad. Pretty soon, a report came in that someone matching that description was seen at the Willow Creek archive.

Willow Creek Archive, 4:50pm

When Action entered the library, he found his suspect right away.

It was a young, plump man with curly hair and wearing a blue sweater and white shorts...but what gave him away were the shoes he was wearing.

"You couldn't bear to take them off, eh?" said Action, sitting opposite him.

"I don't know what you mean, officer" said the man.

"Such lovely shoes...you just had to have them. You broke your pattern, chum. You like to break in places and spray your 'art' but not take anything but this time you had to have those shoes...the ones you're wearing now. Now if you were fully dragged up as your other persona, you might have got away with it but a man wearing a pair of expensive women's slingbacks is a bit of a giveaway"

"How did you know I dragged up?" said the man, inquisitively.

"It makes sense...people see you, the man, hanging around the property you vandalise but they never see you leave...they see a woman instead. I ruled out an accomplice because the descriptions of you and the woman overlap too much. But what I haven't figured out is why you do this?"

"It's simple, officer" said the man with some glee at being able to reveal all "I am an artist. I see other peoples' houses as canvasses. I take drab, ugly modernist houses and make them more flamboyant...I enter as Myron, destructo-artist and leave as Myra, the artiste!"

"Well, you'll find prison shoes a lot less exciting as those ones your wearing. You're under arrest...you do not have to say anything but anything you say...."
 

CHAPTER 56: Warming Up Neil

 

Today Suzy Kent's heart beat a little faster. Only a couple of days previously, she'd received a phone call from her love interest, Neil, asking her out on a date. Being Neil he'd spent 10 minutes in general conversation first before getting around to actually asking Suzy out. But she was excited to meet up with him and to see if there was anything more in this fledgling relationship.

He'd picked a pretty nice spot for their date: The Stargazer Lounge in Oasis Springs. It was one of the newest hot spots in the city and although only been open for a few months it'd recently been the scene for an audacious art robbery. Nevertheless, the place had re-opened for business and it was to be the venue for the date.

Neil was punctual, as usual, and he and Suzy made their way up the stairs to the main lounge area. It wasn't particularly busy that day...mostly senior citizens propping up the bar, but there was an entertainer present...singing songs and telling jokes...by the name of Elle Stephenson. Her act veered from the soulful to the risqué, shifting in tone but her set was not long and after it there was time for Suzy and Neil to talk and enjoy each other's company.

Neil was good company; he asked the right questions, listened well and was enthusiastic enough about his art and about culture in general...but something was holding him back from truly relaxing in Suzy's company, and she knew it.

"Do I make you nervous, Neil?" she coyly asked him.

"Me, nervous?" he said. "Well...I want everything to be just right for our....for our...."

"Date?" she said. She quarter turned on the sofa they shared and crossed her legs, smoothing out a wrinkle in her dress. Neil shifted nervously on his half of the sofa.

"I see what you're doing" said Neil, gulping.

"And what would that be?" said Suzy, her voice more sultry.

"I think you're a....very beautiful woman" said Neil.

"Nice of you to say so....I like you a lot as well. I think you're a good looking guy...have you considered growing your hair a bit?" she said, remembering her recent conversation with Barbara about how similar Neil and Jeremy Saint looked.

"Do you think that would look good?" he said.

"It'd be interesting" she said. "Neil...you don't have to be tense around me"

"I'm not...well, maybe a little but that's because I want everything to be just right today...let's get a drink" he said, standing up and ushering Suzy towards the bar.

They knocked back a couple of glasses of good quality red wine and talked some more. Suzy rubbed the rim of her wineglass with her index finger. "Neil...where do you see us going?" she asked.

"Going....as in...."

"as in you and me?"

"I really like you, Suzy. You're beautiful, smart, you have a great eye for art and style and I find myself thinking about you more and more each day"

She smiled. "I'm glad....I was worried you didn't like me. I think a lot about you as well...I want to get to the heart of Neil Humphries."

"Oh no, I've liked you since the first time I met you" said Neil.

"So what's holding you back?" she said, looking into his eyes.

"Not you, that's for sure" he replied. "I think if I lose control....well...."

"Anything could happen?" she said, guessing that's how he felt.

"Yes....anything could happen. And that makes me stop in my tracks from time to time"

"Well, whatever happens am I going to be part of it in your mind?"

"I'd like you to be"

"Then let go, Neil...go with it"

Neil smiled, and finished the last drop of his wine. "Look at that, the bottle's empty, so's my glass and it's a lovely sunset out there across the water"

"My glass is empty as well" said Suzy.

"Shall we take a walk down by the water? Far from the madding crowd?"

Neil took Suzy by her hand and together they walked to the embankment for an early evening stroll.

"Suzy...there's nowhere I'd rather be right now than here with you" he said. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before he said "OK...letting go of control now...."

CHAPTER 55: Settling In

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Bartender! Two Sweet n' Spicies please"

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

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

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

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

"That's your second" said Suzy.

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

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

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

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

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

"I hope so too" replied Suzy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Us?"

"Yes, my boyfriend and me"

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

CHAPTER 54: Standards Of Decency

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

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

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

"Next to nothing?" George lowered his newspaper.

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

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

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

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

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

SIM CITY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Oh you know Action, do you?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"What man?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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