Duty Calls - Chapter 10: The Best News Ever“Let me get this straight, Officer Keaton.” I wanted to have perfect clarity in this. “Last evening, at the Sunset Valley airport, before she boarded her flight, my mother’s personal effects were stolen?”
“That is the alleged chain of events”, she confirmed.
“So if my mother’s cell phone was recovered from the meteor strike at Lucky Palms, it could be the thief among the dead and not my mother?” I emphasised that last word as if my very life depended on it.
“As I understand it, Mr St Clair, your mother,” she paused and I nodded hanging on every word, “Mrs Audrey St Clair, was to board a flight to France at the time of the alledged theft. If her cell phone has been found in Lucky Palms, I would think it was unlikely to have been with your mother... unless...” she paused once more and again I was hanging on every word, “unless she has a gambling problem and this may indeed be insurance fraud.”
“That’s outrageous!” I exclaimed. “My father is Alastair St Clair from the Simfield St Clairs, my mother has no need to commit insurance fraud!”
“Oh!” she said unapologetic, “Well if that’s the case, perhaps she’s swaning around Champs Les Sims in her Jimmy Choos and some poor thief is lying on the slab in the Lucky Palms morgue.”
“Your poor thief, Officer Keaton, has put my family through hell today!” I countered icily, “Maybe there is truth in that old adage that crime doesn’t pay.”
“Ha! Well Mr St Clair, you are mistaken, crime pays extremely well, it Law Enforcement that doesn’t pay more than a pittance. I believe what you mean is Karma. Everybody in Law Enforcement wants to believe in Karma, it’s our only hope sometimes. Here’s my card if you have anything further to add to your statement regarding the inventory of Mrs St Clair.”
Justine Keaton said goodbye and left but turned as she reached the gate, “Oh, and Brandon,” she said, “If you’re interested in a date call me.”
“Thank you Officer Keaton... Mrs Keaton, but no. I don’t date married women.” Despite feeling this indescribable euphoric relief that would normally have seen me hugging the bearer of such fantastic news, I kept my hands to myself and my voice as neutral as I could. When the police cruiser drove off, I yelled the biggest “Yeeeehah” my lungs could muster. Mr Koffi next door must think lunatics have moved in beside him.
Then I called a cab to go to Stoney Falls to tell Chris the news. In the cab I mulled over the evening’s events. I have to admit I was puzzled about Mrs Keaton’s strange behaviour. I went over the conversation from start to finish and my only conclusion is that she thought my mother was my wife, my very rich wife. As soon as I acquainted her with the truth about our family, she softened dramatically. Maybe she is need of a rich husband as her muscled bound hunk is still only a Minor Professional Sports and she only a Patrol Officer. I don’t know what salaries they’re paid but perhaps it is not much. Maybe I should have been more discreet about disclosing who we are, I don’t want the press to harass us over these events.
Chris had packed up his fishing gear and was getting ready to leave. I ran straight up to him and hugged him. In a voice two octaves higher than usual, I blurted out, “It wasn’t mum. Her phone was stolen. It isn’t mum and dad who died in the meteor strike but some dumb thief with a gambling problem”.
Chris looked at me as if I’d taken leave of my senses and said, “You want to run that past me again, slowly...”
Trying to, but failing to find a tone that sounded anything like my normal voice, I poured out the story stumbling over my words. “Last night before mum and dad boarded a plane for
France,” I heavily emphasised the word, France, “Mum’s personal effects were stolen by a thief including her cell phone.” Mum and dad are in France, not in the morgue in Lucky Palms!”
“How did you reach that conclusion?” he asked with a tone which implied that I had just gone stark raving mad. “Have you been drinking those sorrow annihilators at the Recurve Strand?”
“No!” I said too exhilarated to be offended, “I’ve just had a visit from Officer Keaton about an insurance claim on the contents of mum’s allegedly stolen inventory. I believe the claim had to have been lodged by mum because the claim was so specific about what items were stolen.”
“Then why hasn’t mum or dad phoned. Mum’s message clearly said she was going to call us this morning. She didn’t. How do we know that mum didn’t get a new phone the minute she got to Lucky Palms and have her new phone cloned to her old number or something equally technologically complicated?”
“Can that be done?” I asked, “After I threw my phone in the lake at Summer Hills, I didn’t get the same number back. I got a whole new phone and spent hours imputing all the data onto the sim card.”
“That’s because you brought the el-cheapo model.” Chris countered, “I doubt dad would buy the same for mum. But you’ve just given me a new thought. I can ask Donnovan Steel to run checks on dad’s credit card and cell phone for usage since the meteor strike.”
“And I just realised something!” I screeched doing the ‘oh my god, she’s having a baby dance’, “Dad has a death flower. He couldn’t have died, he’s an immortal. He’d give the death flower to Grim and just have his age reset to the beginning of elder. Dad couldn’t have died, there would have been at least one survivor, if mum and dad had been there. It’s not them, it’s not!” I began dancing beside the lake. At this point I was sure I could walk on water.
“Okay so why hasn’t mum phoned?” Chris asked doing his level best to bring me down to earth.
“Who knows? Maybe she got lucky. That’s what she said, didn’t she? Maybe try for a baby. That’s what she’s always wanted, more children. Maybe they had a very energetic afternoon / evening / night, maybe she is just jet lagged and isn’t even awake yet. I DON’T KNOW!” I shrieked, “But I do know that she is not dead. Dad is not dead. As the eldest son, you would automatically receive all the items from their inventory on their death. SHE’S ALIVE!” I shouted to the moon, the adrenaline surge has the hairs standing up all over my body. I can feel my heart beating a gazillion beats to the minute and I didn’t care.
“Keep it down, Brandon, or you’ll wake the dead!” Chris cautioned.
“Yes! I want to wake the dead! I want to wake up the entire town and tell them that my mother is alive! I’m going to tell that journalist lady and she can put it across the front page of the newspaper. I want to tell the whole world, the galaxy, the universe” I shouted hysterically at him.
“Brandon, I know this really nice doctor. How about we swing by her house and she can give you something to help you get out of this hyper state. I believe you that mum is still alive. You’re right about the death flower and the inventory. Everything makes more sense with the thief scenario and I’m so relieved I could kiss you. But I won’t because you’re way too excited as it is. Just get in the car.”
Aware that my body could not sustain this incredible adrenaline rush, I accepted Chris’s offer to see his lady friend. She answered the door on the first knock. He told Doctor Jolina that we’d just been given the most stupendous news and I was off my rocker with an adrenaline surge.
She examined my eyes and then asked Chris, “has he had taken any medication or alcohol in the last 24 hours”.
Chris told her about the sleeping pills I had taken but didn’t know if I had been drinking. “I didn’t!" I interjected irritated that they were treating me like I’m not capable of answering.
She said to Chris, “He’s exhibiting symptoms of an anxiety state. I won’t give him more medication. Take him home, get him into a really hot bath and then get him to relax on top of the bed.”
“I’m not deaf you know, I can hear you!” I exclaimed petulantly.
Then she raised a quizzical eyebrow at Chris. He shrugged then said, “My brother, don’t ask, long story. I’ll tell you another time.”
"I can see he's your brother. You never mentioned him before." She spoke directly to me, “Do I have to repeat all that?” I shook my head and she continued. “Lie on top of the bed. It’s important that your body cools. If you feel up to it, grab a book you’ve already read, one with a happy ending and read the parts of the book you enjoyed most so your mind doesn’t become over stimulated. As your body slowly cools, the hysteria should wear off and you can sleep naturally after that. And for goodness sake, repeat the body heat up and cool down process next time you can’t sleep instead of taking pills.” I nodded in response wondering why my body isn’t already too hot because my blood feels like it is almost boiling in my veins.
Chris told her he’d take me to a sauna, he would make sure my body heats up.
“A sauna is good, but as soon as he starts to sweat, get him out,” replied Dr Jolina smiling at Chris, “And make sure he drinks lots of water, not coffee, or juice or nectar or mood drinks, just plain water.” I may have gone slightly troppo but I still saw the way the doc smiled at Chris.
Chris and I drove home in silence. We went down to the basement to the sauna. I said to Chris, “I didn’t know we had a second basement?”
“Yeah well I had to do something while you were zonked out this morning. The renderers are coming tomorrow because I have too many bad memories of that stonework.” he replied. Well, we are twins so we often think alike but he’d taken on the role of head of the household way too soon.
The sauna was soothing and so hot! Chris and I talked about trivial things and anything but what could be happening between mum and day in France. When we both began sweating, he called time out and we went upstairs to bed.
One thing at a time, tomorrow we’ll work at trying to find out where mum and dad are and why they haven’t called...
