Week 4:Infancy
1189 Words
The strange boy, an infant, looks at his mother with his innocent big blue eyes, unlike his mother's brown. His mother remembers his father, one of the most dangerous and feared men in Europe.
"You do owe a thousand Madam."
"I understand. I will pay you. I have chores to do. Can you suggest I am a baby care-taker?"
"You can only pay the fees," laughs the doctor.
"Please, sir."
"OK, you are asking too much."
She is dragged outside despite her pleas.
K wakes up from a horrible nightmare.
"OK, what is it now K? Ponytail?"
"Yes, again the same old lady."
"Old? You saved me from the tragedy."
"You said that for a week now."
"Serene, have you ever had a bad dream that makes your bones dry from the inside and makes you stiff as if.."
"Ok stop that. No"
"You always interrupt me, Serene."
"Yes and John V wants to see you as he had said to Fred"
"What does he want from me?"
"I don't know. Maybe, about the car explosion?"
"He wants info about the tragedy."
"No one got killed. So technically.."
"Stop that"
"Ok"
"See how that feels, Serene."
"I know how that feels. John V interrupts me every time I want to raise my contract"
"Why do you want to work with him?"
"You think he is not worth visiting?"
"I can say he is a 5'10'' some 45-year-old white-haired man who wears a watch in his right hand and tortures people for fun."
"OK, even I could deduce that."
"You forgot about his stick, Serene."
"How did you know that?"
"You brought it with you" laughs K.
"Did I?" Serene saw the stick in the corner of her studio room."You knew about him from the stick."
"Yes, all from the stick."
"How come you knew he had white hair?"
"He is 45" laughs K.
"Simple and easy then. And, the height of the stick. But I saw he was 6'."
"Yes, the padded shoes."
"How did you know that?"
"I know you. You always bend your back when you see someone smaller than you."
"Of course, it aches."
(Phone Rings)
" Hello? OK, no one is trying to kill me, officer". Serene throws the phone on the ground.
"It looks like the police are still looking for the culprit."
"Yes, and annoying me too"
"Well, better annoyed than being killed."
"You do want me to get killed. Don't you? And why is your pager on my pillow?"
"Well, you switched it off."
"Did I? Oh yes, it was ringing at night."
"Really."
"Yes, I read a message saying Berlin infant."
"Berlin infant?"
"What could that mean?"
"You are, the Holmes, remember."
"Maybe I should meet this John. V"
"Well, his assistant is here."
A one-eyed man entered the room.
"Fred. What happened to your eye?"
"Accident, madam."
"Accident?"
"Nevermind madam. Your car is here and Mr. John. V waits for your and your DP's arrival."
"OK. K let's go."
(30 minutes later)
“It was fun talking with you K.”
“Well, Mr. V the pleasure was all ours to say.”
“There was another thing, young man.”
“The Stick. Oh yes, we forgot your stick. Mr. V.”
“No, you can keep it. I have some thousands of them” laughs Mr. V.
“So what else then, Ser?”
“Your contract, young man. I wanted to work with you”
“Me, I am merely a DP assistant sir.”
“You are more than that. You are a lifesaver.”
“Lifesaver?”
“Yes. When we heard of your car explosion, I got scared and canceled my flight trip to Uzbekistan. And as per the news, the flight crashed into the bay of Bengal as I have heard.”
“OK. I am not a weather forecaster Sir”
“You are to me. And I want you to sign a 20,000-dollar contract for a month.”
“20,000?” K is puzzled.
“Wow, 20,000 for a DP. Quite the pay.”
“Yes, Miss Serene. But I want him only for now.”
“Why?”
“I heard about Mr.Belworth. He is in prison, as you deduced, young man.” Serene's eyes pop out. “ You don’t have to be frightened, Miss. Bedworth was an evil man and got what he deserved.”
“So what do you want from me?”
“I want you to deduce my board members.”
“Board members?”
“Yes, you see the flight to Uzbekistan, as I have heard, was made to crash. And I have a hunch it’s someone from my office.”
“Tell me, sir. Is there a young man of 28 in your office who sniffs all the time?”
“Yes, Carl Leah. How did you know? No one knows him.”
“Does he have an infant son?”
“Yes, an infant son with his German wife.”
“How did you know he has a 28-year-old board member? And what is going on, Mr. V?”
“Well, Miss Serene..”
“ I am sorry to interrupt Mr. V but I just saw your manual when you were talking to me and saw the Minor tag on that which you were inclined to very eagerly and I know that on Fashion terms a person from 26-30 as an executive is a minor and seeing you laugh, I guessed, it must be the middle.”
“Ok, not quite the Holmes way” Serene nods.
“I see what you are saying. If you had said 29 I would still have been amazed. And seeing his birthday is today, you are half wrong and right.”
“See I am wrong sometimes serene.” Chuckles K.
“You are saying he is the culprit then?”
“No, the man on the right who sits next to him.” John V’s eyes protrude as he listened to K. “ How come Marlan?”
“There is a Marlan?” Serene puzzles and pants.
“Yes, the one who tried to kill us and you.”
“What?”
“Yes, Serene. He is an aircraft engineer but disguises himself as a vehicle engineer on board. Isn’t that Mr.V?”
“Yes, how did you know that?”
“ I read an article written by him yesterday about explosions. It must be him.”
“Yes, it must be him. My company would be his if I died this month. But that only I knew.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Miss Serene. My father made a will when I was an infant that stated that the 12 board members would inherit the company if the chairman died as per the month allocated to him and only my lawyer, Harold, knew about this.”
“Yes, and he, too, is innocent, and so was Fred, whose eyes you gouged out. Sir”
“I believe I did.”
“But you must call the police and arrest Marlan.”
- Writer
