The Hunt Chronicles: Volume 1 (15 page)

To the right of the
door was a display of stuffed
dogs,
and to the left
was a display of cats.  “This girl here looks just like my Niki,” I said,
pressing a phony smile to my lips.  I pointed out the large brown dog
towards the back of the group.  “I’m sure the kids love this area too,” I
said, and passed between Emily and Arnold hurriedly.

It was then I
screamed out to the empty great room “Hey Leon!  How’re we doing with the
grub?”  Leon appeared in the doorway to the boardroom with a plastic
spatula in one hand, a plastic serving spoon in the other.  He shrugged
his shoulders and bared his old man teeth, obviously embarrassed by my
bellows.  “Oh, it’s ready?  Good!” 
the
word echoed around the room.  I looked back at the others and gestured for
them to follow.  Emily did as Arnold stayed behind to lock the door. 
“Everything alright?”
 I asked as she came
closer.  Emily looked up at me and opened her mouth to speak, but was
interrupted by a loud knock emanating from the main doors.

We all stood
perfectly still for what seemed like forever; just staring at the huge doors
beyond the fountain, which now seemed like a loud gushing waterfall in the
silent room.  Arnold looked at us, and then turned back to the
doors.  Another set of knocks called out to us, these louder than the
first.

Arnold hustled to
the main doors and opened one.  A woman stepped in wearing a clean-cut
brown pant-suit and high heels.  She said nothing as Arnold glared at
her.  He then blinked a few times, as if waking up from a daydream, and
shut the door behind her.  Emily and I both walked forward to get a closer
look at this mysterious new guest.  I looked behind us to see Dennis and
Carol standing in the doorway with Leon, still holding his utensils like two
swords poised for battle against a Caesar salad.  “Didn’t think you’d
show, Ida,” Arnold said with a smile.

“I wouldn’t have
missed it for the world,” the woman answered in a deep, sensual voice. 
Her tone then took a drastic change as she poked Arnold in the shoulder. 
She screamed “You rotten son-of-a-bitch!”

Time seemed to
freeze as it always does during awkward party moments.  The water falling
from the top of the fountain came to a standstill in mid-air.  The music
that was wafting from above had disappeared.  The clangs and footsteps of
the caterers were gone.   There was just that moment…

A woman’s loud
guffaw brought me back.  The water splashed into the fountain basin. 
The music danced down from the ceiling as the footsteps came and went. 
The woman, Ida he had called her, was laughing a raunchy laugh.  Arnold
seemed distant.  He didn’t laugh right away, but then he joined her. 
He put an arm on her back and guided her towards us.  Emily and I looked
at each other, and then behind us towards Leon and the others.  Leon
shrugged, and a blob of dressing fell off the spoon he was still holding. 
We turned back to see Arnold and Ida standing in front of us.

She looked to be
about the same age as Arnold, maybe a little younger.  A small, golden
hummingbird broach was stuck on her left lapel.  It shimmered with
reflections from the chandelier. 
“Ida
Scribbs
, everyone.
 
Everyone,
Ida
Scribbs
.”
  Ida
Scribbs
shot us all a phony smile and diverted her attention back to Arnold.

“I can’t believe
you’re finally doing it, Arnold.  I never thought you would,” she said,
sliding her right hand up his left arm.  Her eyes jutted upward to the
chandelier, and then down to the fountain.  “Did you do that?”  She
asked.  “Such wonderful touches…must have been something to get these
approved in the budget.  I only got a third floor this year,” she said
sarcastically.  She turned and looked at me, acting as though Emily wasn’t
even there.  “And you are?” She asked with an outstretched hand.

“Reevan Hunt,” I
answered flatly.

“Surely you’ve heard
of him, Ida,” Arnold jumped in.  “He’s been a local icon around here
lately.  Reevan, Ida is the Curator of the
Boyhan
Science Center.”

“Oh yes, of course!”
Ida shrieked with excitement. 
“How exciting to meet
you.
  You must tell me all you can about that nasty murder
business.  I’m a bit of a forensic science buff, you know.  My center
has a whole department devoted to the subject, what with the recent
CSI
and
Law & Order
craze!”

Law
& Order?
  My little
voice spoke up. 
Oh God, don’t tell me we have something in common with
this uptight old crow
.

“Yes, I know, I’ve
seen the
Boyhan
Science Center,” I replied.

“Oh
really?”
  She shrieked once
more. 
“How nice!
  What did you
think?”  Emily’s head tilted forward as she stared down at her shoes.

“Well, it wasn’t
actually a pleasure visit,” I explained.  “I was heading back from a trip
up to Banyan Falls, actually.  I made the mistake of buying a hot dog from
a vendor on the side of Highway 9, and I was only a few blocks from the
Boyhan
Science Center when that hot dog decided to evacuate
its residence, if you get my drift…” I paused and smirked.  Emily’s lips
thinned as she squeezed them together.

“Yes, I think I get
the pic-” Ida started, but I continued.

“-your building was
the only thing between me and a very messy afternoon.”  The room fell
silent and awkward.  The music wasn’t even wafting down from the ceiling
anymore. 
Someone needs to turn the tape over
my little voice
mentioned.

Ida looked past me
at the three standing in the boardroom doorway.  “Hello again,
Carol!”  She shouted.  “It is Carol, isn’t it?”  I turned to see
Leon, Dennis and Carol still standing in the doorway.  I watched as Leon
handed his dripping spoon to Carol, then turned and disappeared back into the
boardroom.  An uproarious guffaw bellowed out of the room.  Carol and
Dennis eventually turned and walked in, as did Emily, and Leon’s laughter was
accompanied by that of the others.  Dolores
Tilson
came to the door with a red face, tried to speak, then turned and walked back
in, starting another round of hilarity.  I turned back to Arnold Medley
and Ida
Scribbs
; the former trying not to laugh and
the latter looking incredibly pissed.

I plastered a large
grin across my face and said “Who’s hungry?”

The spread was
impressive and delicious. 
Sandwich meats, hot pasta,
bread and butter, bottles of wine and water and beer.
  I thought
that was all when two gentlemen with the catering company poked their heads in
and asked where we would like the desserts.  “Push the cart into my office
next door, it’s open,” Arnold commanded.  “They’ll be fine; it’s like an
icebox in there.  I’ll make arrangements to get the cart back to
you.”  The two young men disappeared briefly,
then
one returned as the other walked briskly past the door towards the main
entrance.  His hands were shoved in his pockets and his shoulders were
slouched.

“An icebox for sure,
sir,” the young man standing before us said, and he rubbed his hands
together. 
Loading ice cream cake onto a cold metal cart will have that
effect
my little voice explained.

Arnold gestured to
the young man who came to his side.  Arnold leaned over, reached into his
pocket and pulled out several bills.  He handed them to the young man
whose eyes opened wide.  I couldn’t see them myself, but I guessed from
the young man’s expression that they were bigger than singles.  “You split
that with the others and give them my thanks.”  The young man stood
there,
still staring at the wad of bills he was just handed.

“Let us take care of
something, Arnold” Dolores said, motioning to the others.  “You’ve paid for
your entire retirement party.  The least we can do is tip the kid.” 
The room bustled for a few moments as the men reached into their pockets and
the ladies reached down for their purses.  I did the same, but noticed Ida
Scribbs
hadn’t moved at all.

“Nonsense,” Arnold
insisted.  “I’m still the boss around here, and it’s all taken care
of.”  He tapped the young man on the arm and it seemed to awaken him from
some somber thought.  “Good night, Simon.  That door should lock
behind you.”  He looked around the room as we replaced our wallets and
purses.

The young man,
apparently named Simon, turned and started to walk away.  “Dig in,
everyone,” Arnold said, but no one else moved when Arnold reached for his
silverware.  He looked up and realized that we were all staring at Simon,
who had stopped and turned back to us all in the doorway.  His expression
was quite perplexed and bewildered, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t
know how.

“Something
to say, Simon?”
  I
asked.  He looked straight at me, and I raised my eyebrows in
anticipation.  His mouth opened, but the voice of his partner rang through
the museum before Simon could speak.

“
Simon! 
You
comin
’ or what?
”
The other young man shouted over
the music in the great room.

“Good luck, Mr.
Medley,” Simon said, then turned and hastened to the entrance.  Arnold and
Dolores had small smiles on their faces, and Dolores’ eyes seemed to tear up,
but only slightly.  Everyone else, including myself I imagine, was wearing
confounded faces. 
What the hell was that all about
my little
voiced asked.  I had no idea, but it seemed that Mr. Medley did.  He
smiled a larger smile and began to eat.

The generic dinner
sounds began; the clanging of forks and knives against one another, the sips
from cups and chatter from lips.  Off in the distance, over the chatter
and sips and fountains and music, I heard Simon’s footsteps fade towards the
entrance.  Over the clanging and chewing and rising laughter, I heard the
large entrance door close and echo through the great room.

“You paid for
everything?”  Ida
Scribbs
blurted.  She
remained very quiet while we
ate,
only occasionally
laughing and murmuring to Arnold, who was seated to her right at the far end of
the table.  Carol was telling a comical story about a trip to Africa
involving a very gassy safari elephant, but apparently Ida wasn’t interested.

“Excuse me?” 
Arnold said aloud.

“You paid for your
own retirement party?”  Ida asked again.

“He insisted,”
Dolores answered.  Ida never turned to look at her, but Dolores didn’t
seem to care.  “I tried to arrange it, but he wouldn’t have it. 
It’s
only money!
” She said, impersonating Arnold’s stuffy and jovial tone.

“What?”  Ida
asked, finally turning to the small woman sitting next to me.

“That’s what he always
says,” Dolores explained.  “
It’s only money!
”

“That’s true,”
Dennis added, shoveling in his third or fourth helping of pasta and
bread.  “That’s his motto, without a doubt.”

“Is it really?” Ida
said, turning back to Arnold.

“It is.  When
you die you can’t take it with you, right?”  Arnold said without
hesitation, and the others laughed.  “These people have been at my side
for years.  This is just as much for them as it is for me, maybe even more
so.”  Carol, sitting across from Ida at Arnold’s right side, reached over
and rubbed him on his right shoulder with a smile on her face. 
We know
that look
Little Reevan said softly.

“Well that’s real
big of you, Arnold,” Ida said, clearly forcing a smile to her lips.

“If only the
generosity stopped there,” I added from my end of the table.  Arnold
looked at me, confused at first.  “I’ve heard that wonderful fountain and
chandelier out there are also examples of your philanthropy, Arnold.  Is
that true?”  Arnold’s confusion quickly dissipated and he nodded his head
in the positive.

“Yes, it is.  I
think they really add to the ambiance I’ve been trying to create here;
education and culture with a touch of class and erudition.”

“That’s a bit more
than a touch,” Ida added sarcastically.  “How much did that set you back,
Arnie?”  The room fell quiet as Arnold chewed his food slowly.  I
admit to being curious myself, but I didn’t have the gumption to ask. 
Apparently
gumption is one thing Ms.
Scribbs
has plenty of
my little voice pointed out. 
What crawled up this woman’s ass? 
And who the hell is ‘Arnie’?

“Not as much as you
would think, Ida?” Arnold finally replied.  He looked across the table at
me and winked.  “Besides, it’s only money.”  Carol burst into
laughter, which spread around the table.

“See?  Told you
he is always saying that,” Dolores snickered.  I wasn’t laughing nearly as
hard, and I saw that Arnold wasn’t either.  He took a sip from his wine
glass and swirled the liquid inside it before putting it back on the table.

“More wine,
Ida?”  Ida
Scribbs
removed her napkin from her
lap, wiped her mouth, and stood up from her chair.