Misadventures of Ellie Thornton - Ch.2

Getting out of the car in my driveway, I could hear the music blasting from the house. Simon was home from school, obviously. It sounded like he had Jack with him. For some reason the music always had to be screeching when a friend was over. Simon rarely had it loud when it was just himself, often using the headphones to save my sanity. I couldn’t understand it, though; you’d think that with someone else in the room, you’d keep it low, so that you could actually carry on a conversation. What did I know about adolescence, anyways?

Snatching up the bags of groceries, I went in to the house, kicking off my snow-covered shoes at the front door. I barely missed squashing the cat again. Another one of life’s mysteries was why she always had to sit right where I wanted my feet to be. Catching myself quickly, I headed for the kitchen to drop off the bags. Dirty glasses sat on the counter and remnants of potato chips littered the counter top. I found it difficult to justify my annoyance, since it was my fault that there was no healthy after school snacks in the house. Not that that would have made a difference, though. Setting the bags down, I headed upstairs to let Simon know I was home. Knocking loudly on his door, I heard the music turn down and a “Come in!”

“Hi, guys, I’m ho--.” Opening the door, I was surprised to see not Jack, but a cute teenaged redheaded girl sitting cross-legged on the floor with Simon. He looked up, kind of sheepishly, I thought.

“Oh, hi, Mom… This is Maya. She’s new at school.” Maya jumped up quickly and grabbed my hand in an enthusiastic shake.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Thornton,” she pumped my arm. “Simon has been so nice to me since I moved here. He is a really great guy. I hope you don’t mind us hanging out here. My parents aren’t home, yet, and Simon thought you would be cool with us listening to tunes for a bit?” That last was like a question. Sort of.

“Oh… yes. Nice to meet you, too, Maya,” I looked at Simon.” That’s fine. You guys can hang out for a while. I was just going to put on some pasta for dinner. Simon? Do you have a second?” I indicated the hall.

“Yeah, mom… I’ll be right back, Maya.” I was certain that he rolled his eyes when he said this. Closing the door behind him, he started,” I know how this looks, Mom…”

“No, Simon… relax. I’m not worried. I trust you.” Throw a bit of guilt in there. “Next time, though, please call me at work and let me know. I was just a bit surprised to see a girl. I thought it was Jack that you had with you.” I smiled at him. Trying not to be flustered from finding a girl in my sixteen-year-old sons room, I had to keep cool.

“Would you like to invite Maya for dinner? I’m making fettuccine with shrimp in a tomato sauce. Maybe some garlic bread…” I let the offer hang for a moment.

“Umm… I can ask her, I guess,” he muttered. Suddenly looking nervous, he asked, “You promise you won’t embarrass me?”

“Of course not! Would I be embarrassing?” I added this with a wicked grin.

This time he did roll his eyes at me and went back in to his room. Letting out a deep sigh, I headed back for the comfort of my kitchen. Before putting the groceries away, I poured myself a healthy glass of red wine. Leaning against the counter, I took a swig and sorted through the thoughts and emotions that came with the realisation that my little boy was growing up.

God, I felt old.
*******

Sitting down at the table with the two teens across from me, I resisted the urge to pour a third glass of wine. Dinner had only taken a few minutes to prepare, and I had already polished off two glasses, quickly. If I had any hopes of not slipping in to the embarrassing Mom, I had better slow down.

“So, where did you live before moving here, Maya?” This innocent question awarded me a slightly dirty look from Simon. Darn. I guess Mom’s aren’t supposed to ask personal questions.

“Oh, we just lived up in Smith County for about three years. We originally come from Florida. My Grandparents still live down there. We go visit the old neighbourhood as much as possible. My dad got promoted in his job and we’ve had to move around a bit, since then.” Maya didn’t seem to have any problems with my modest inquisition. It also appeared that she enjoyed food, immensely.

I watched as she polished off her plate and reached for seconds. I hadn’t noticed any strange sounds coming from her, so I assumed that she hadn’t used some type of vacuum, but man, could the girl eat! Simon caught my eye and again gave me a silly grin. I could tell that he was enjoying this. At least my boy liked a real girl with an appetite.

“Simon says that you work for a private investigator. Is that true? That must be so exciting! Do you get to carry a gun? Have you ever used it? How many criminals have you caught?” Her eyes shone with excitement. It was going to be tough ruining her image of me.

“Well, I mostly just answer the phones and do the filing. Mitch does all of the real work. We usually just get insurance cases and the odd extra marital affair. It’s really not that exciting,” It even sounded boring to me, and I lived it every day. I saw her face fall a bit, but good manners prevailed and she smiled at me.

“Well… that’s still pretty neat. You get to keep an eye on all the town gossip in there, too, I bet!?” Her second plate was already almost empty.

Smiling, I said, “Yes… a little bit. But it’s all confidential.” I had to admit that it was kind of flattering to have someone take an interest in my job. Maya made it seem more exciting than it really was. I was starting to see why Simon liked her. She had a way of making the most mundane things, like my life, seem so much more interesting than it really was.



**********

Regardless of how much I wanted to be a Private Investigator, I had no idea that it would come to me the way that it did. Mitch had been gone less than twenty-four hours when the phone rang. It was a new client wanting someone to check out the circumstances involved in a house fire last week. I remembered reading about it twice already in the paper. It had been a rental unit on the other side of town. The paper had said that faulty wiring was involved, but they were still looking in to it. The house itself was no great loss. It had been falling apart and in dire need of repair. The part that kept the news crews interested was the visiting Grandmother that had been inside the house when it burnt to the ground.

My client was actually the landlord wanting a further, private, investigation in to the fire. Apparently the tenant and the insurance company were both looking in to suing the landowner. The tenant claimed that the owner knew about the poor wiring job, but the insurance company was certain that there was foul play involved. Thinking that the landlord had somehow instigated the fire causing the death of the elderly woman, they were refusing to pay any type of insurance to either party involved. Having dealt with this type of thing for Mitch on the phone many times, I knew what channels he would take, were he here. It dawned on me that this was the perfect, simple opportunity for me to do a bit of investigating on my own. Just to see if I could handle it. What could go wrong? It was a simple case, right?

“We’d be happy to take on your case,” I told him over the phone.” Mitch is out of town right now, so I’ll be taking on the case personally.”

“Oh… You will?” He seemed hesitant. It made me wonder if it was someone that knew me. “That’s fine, then. When’re ya’ gonna start?” He made a noise that sounded not unlike a deep exhale of a cigarette. I could imagine the smell over the phone.

“I’ll need a retainer of course, and then I guess once you’ve signed an authorization form, I can begin.” I was getting excited, now. I knew how I would go about starting this investigation already.

“A retainer?? Well, how much do ya’ need?” He didn’t sound impressed at having to part with some money. Of course, a bit sent my way was probably nothing compared to the insurance payout he would get if this worked out in his favour.

When I told him the amount, he coughed a little and I could tell that he wasn’t thrilled with the whole retainer idea. Grudgingly agreeing that he would drop off a check when he came in to the office to sign the papers in the afternoon, he hung up the phone. His telephone manners needed a bit of work. From what I could tell, this guy wasn’t the sharpest crayon in the box; I began to understand how the rental unit had become so run down. It must have been a blessing to have it burn to the ground. Too bad about the old lady, though. I was brought back to earth by the ringing of the phone again. All right. Another client?? My heart jumped a bit.

“Good morning, Anderson Investigations, Ellie speaking, how may I help you?”

“Yeah, yeah… Ellie, it’s just me. What are you doing there? I thought Mitch was out of town? You still have to work all week?” It was my sister, Lauren.

After many years of childhood arguments, Lauren and I finally had come to the realisation that we could be friends. We still had our volatile moments, but for the most part we were the best of friends. She was the stable, more grounded of the two of us. Having been married now for twenty years, she and her husband, David were nearing a crossroads in their lives. My niece, Grace was away for her first year of University, and their son Andrew was in Grade nine at the same high school as Simon. Having been a stay at home for so long, Lauren had one day found herself with pretty much nothing to do. She needed a hobby. Besides volunteering at the library and other various local groups, she found meddling in my pathetic life somewhat satisfying. At least someone was enjoying it.

“Of course I have to work,” I told her, “the bills don’t pay themselves. Mitch gave me a list of spring-like cleaning projects and filing to do while he was gone.” I was a bit hesitant to tell her about the client I had just agreed to take on by myself.

“But what if someone calls, needing his services? Is he just going to turn people away?” She really did sound incredulous at the thought of basically giving money away. Not that it was ever an issue with her. David was a surgeon at the hospital and certainly made some good coin.

“He says for me to either take a message and he’ll get back to them, or just tell them that they should call back next week.”

“Well, that’s stupid. Why can’t you just take on a client? There is no reason you can’t get someone started. I swear, Ellie, that man must think you’re retarded or something.” My sister loved me and felt that she was the only one who could have low expectations of me.

“He doesn’t think I’m retarded,” I paused, ”he just thinks that I’m challenged.” I think. “You have to admit that with my track record for error on a regular basis, Mitch is pretty justified in his concerns. I mean, it’s not like my life is easy and full of smooth sailing.” I always figured that if something were going to go wrong, it would happen to me before anyone else in a thirty-mile radius.

“Ellie. You are a smart woman. Don’t act like you think otherwise. I think that if anyone calls for Mitch, needing his help, you should just go ahead and take on the case.” I could almost see her through the phone with her hands on her hips, lecturing me as though I were one of her children. There it is, the toss her blond hair in frustration.

“Umm… well, Lauren, I’ll think about it.” I hated the fact that we were thinking along the same wavelength. “Look, I’ve gotta go, now. I’ll call you later!” I hung up the phone quickly before she could respond. I loved that I had decided to do this on my own, but I didn’t want Lauren to think that it was her idea! Thrilled at the prospect of proving my worth, I grabbed my coat and headed for the door. Time to go grab a bit of lunch before my big afternoon appointment. The phone ringing loudly as I flew out the door didn’t even slow me down.

********

I tried to hide my disbelief at the man who sat across the desk from me. I had decided that using Mitch’s office would seem more professional but the moment Bud Philke stepped in to my office, I realised that my efforts would be wasted. Standing at what appeared to be four foot three, with thinning black hair in dire need of a wash, ratty track pants and button up shirt, he wasn’t what I had expected for a first client. As a matter of fact he wasn’t what I had expected I would find sleeping in an alley, either, but what do I know? Sucking it up, I had followed my plan and taken him in to Mitch’s office for our meeting. This proved to be a bad idea, for in closed quarters his profound body odour had no trouble taking over the direction of the meeting. I wanted him to sign his papers and get out. Fast.

“That’s great then, Mr.Philke, if you’ll just sign here,” I passed the paper to him from across the desk, “we can finish up.” Please hurry up. I was beginning to feel a bit light headed from taking shallow breaths. Could he not smell himself? He passed me the forms with his signature on them.

“Thanks, Ms. Thornton, I sure do ‘preciate ya helpin’ me out here. S’there any way I can get by without a deposit for ya’?” His attempt at kindness was insincere at best. I could tell a cheapskate when I saw one. “It’s just with the fire and all… I’m a little short on funds.” I took a deep breath, steeling myself for a minor financial debate. Ugh. Big mistake.

“Unfortunately, it’s our policy to obtain a retainer prior to taking on any cases. If you would like me to proceed with your case, I need that.” The deep breath had left me near gagging and it was all that I could do to keep my eyes from watering. Maybe his stench was a ploy to get me to agree on no retainer. Just to get him out of the office as quick as possible. Maybe he wasn’t as dumb as he looked. But, then, neither was I.

“Unless you would prefer to come back at a later date,” I countered, “perhaps when it would be more financially suitable for you. Of course, by then, the police may have finished their investigation and our services would be of no use to you.”

Disgruntled, he reached in to his pocket and pulled out a tattered brown wallet. From the wad he had in it, he pulled of enough bills to cover the retainer. No money, my ass, I thought. Cheap bastard was just trying to get a deal. Smiling sweetly, I took the money that he offered and printed him up a receipt.

“Thank you, Mr.Philke. I’ll get started on this right away.” I put the money in an envelope, and then placed it safely into his file. Offering him my hand,” It sure has been good doing business with you.”

He limply shook my hand. It felt like that of a ninety year old on his deathbed. Clammy. Cold. “Yeah, well… just let me know what you find, then.” He left the office quickly, leaving his foul scent in his wake.

Picking up the file with the money in it, I went to my desk and locked both in a drawer. Going to the two tiny windows that we had in the office, I cranked them open. Grabbing the air freshener off of the back of the toilet, I went about trying to refresh the office. I had just emptied the can, when the front door opened again. My sister, Lauren whirled in to the room like a cyclone, thankfully bringing in her own perfumed scent. I hoped that it would help. Stopping short, she wrinkled her nose at me. Even with the silly face, she looked dynamite in her casual wear of designer jeans and white fitted t-shirt. She must have been slumming today because she had added a grey hoodie to her ensemble.

“Good God! What is that smell??” She looked as though she had stepped in dog poop. “Do you have the flu or something?” Great. She thinks I’m the cause.

“No! I do not have the flu!” I tossed the aerosol can in the wastebasket. “That horrible smell is the remnants of my first very own client. Thank you very much.” I gave her a smug grin.

“What’d you do? Find him out in the alley?” She actually snorted, ”Did someone recycle his cardboard house and he needs your help finding it?” Lauren could be such a bitch.

“No, you jerk. I really have a client.” I opened up my drawer and passed her the file. “You know that rental unit that burned down and killed the old lady? Well, the landlord wants my help for insurance reasons.” She was flipping through the scant information that I had in the file. Pretty much exactly what I had just told her. Slamming the file closed, she looked at me excitedly.

“Are you serious? You’re really going to take this on by yourself?”

“Yeah… I think that I can handle a little insurance job for Mitch, don’t you?” I took the money out and put it in my purse. “Besides, it’s not like I’m retarded or anything, right?” I smiled at my sister. She gave me a big hug.

“I’m so glad you took my advice!!” I knew it. Maybe I am a bit retarded… “So, where do we start?” She asked this as she grabbed her purse and headed for the door. I knew that there was no point in arguing with her. Resigned, I picked up my own bag and with keys in hand, headed for the door. Oh, well, the company might be nice.