Gotta Catch The Pretty Ones
© 2011-2014 by Mr. David R. Dorrycott
Chapter Thirty
A very long day later Penny, refreshed from nearly fifteen hours sleep and a shower was sitting in the waiting room when a well dressed man came in.
“Mrs. Richards?” He asked softly.
“Mrs. Penny Richards” Penny informed him. “Who are you? I know you don’t I?”
“We met but for little minutes Mrs. Richards” the man explained. “When I was doing the inventory and inspection of Sara’s shop. You make excellent cookies and your coffee isn’t anything to turn ones nose up at either. You’ll make someone an excellent wife... No wait, your already taken darn it.”
“Larkin, no. Inspector Leopold” Penny answered with a small smile on her face. “What brings you here? Certainly not me.”
“Your wife of course and her accident. I’ve always been a sucker for redheads you know. But seriously I’m here on official business. How is she?”
“Their replacing the bandage on her arm” Penny answered. “And seeing if she can use a prosthetic. A lot of her wrist is gone.”
“Nasty. It was an explosion then?”
“No sir. She said it was molten. I don’t understand but whatever it was, it cost Sara her hand.”
“I see” Leopold said, not really ‘seeing’ but understanding anyway. “Have you been home yet?”
“No sir, I came right here from my sisters. I wasn’t even in Stonehome when it happened and I should have been. I should never have left her alone. Never. So here I stay until Sara is released” Penny answered.
Leopold licked his upper lip. “Mrs. Richards...”
“Oh Penny please? You make us sound like little old ladies in shawls.”
Leopold laughed. “That neither of you are, tight little swimsuits that run everyone who see’s you crazy but little old ladies? No. Alright, its Penny then. We, the GIC, that’s Guild Investigation Corps by the way, need to inspect the scene. We have to find out what really happened and why. To do that we need either you or your wife present. Since a criminal act doesn’t yet appear to have caused this, but may have, the law is quite clear. The sooner we can examine the area the better.”
“Maybe in a couple of weeks” Penny offered.
Leopold nodded in understanding to the distraught woman. “I need to speak with Sara. Is that all right with you?”
“Yes but they won’t let you in.”
“I can wait, just as you can wait.” With that Leopold took a seat, withdrew a novel from a jacket pocket and started reading. It would only be some thirty minutes before he was allowed to speak to Sara, who gently instructed Penny to take him to their home and let him inspect her secure workshop. Penny was not happy with Sara’s instructions but like the true loving submissive that she was she obeyed her.
Hours later and by high speed helicopter Penny found herself back home. She had never ridden in a helicopter and had found the experience quite frightening. “I go back by bus” she instructed Inspector Leopold. “No helicopters, never again.”
Leopold laughed, waving at the Helicopters crew as they cleared the rotors. “I was scared too the first time” he admitted as his two assistance’s gathered around him. Neither were the man that had accompanied him before. “Now where is that Constable?” he wondered.
His answer came a few minutes later when Constable Hendricks arrived at the head of a two vehicle convoy. Stepping out of his car the elderly lawman nodded at Leopold in acknowledgment of his existence, then walked directly to Penny. “How is Sara” he asked in concern.
“Hello Constable” Penny answered in greeting. “She lost her right hand but they think enough of her wrist remains to connect a prosthetic. There going to implant an interface in a couple of weeks. Then when she’s well enough I’ll be taking special classes at Mr. Winston’s Pokemon Hall.” Penny managed a smile. “Under Lars tutelage believe it or not. I’ll be Sara’s hands until she gets full control over her prosthetic but that will probably be a few years though.”
“Your takin this well Penny” the Constable noted. “I’d be awful upset if it happen ta my wife.”
“I am upset” Penny admitted. “I’m shaking inside but this has to be done, so once they are through and I’ve cleaned up the mess I’m going to cry in my bed all night, then take the bus right back.”
Constable Hendricks shook his head no. “Penny. Winston an’ his son have been takin up tha slack, but they’re almost out ah stock an parts. Someone is gonna have ta keep Sara’s shop open least for ah week er two until he can restock ahn since tha school isn’t ah Shop, there’s things they simply channot do. Not legally. Your gonna to have to stay ah while.”
“I. I’ll think about it. Now we better get this over with, the Inspector is a very busy man.”
“That inspector can wait iffin he has tah. But yer right so lets get this over with. By tha way, tha Martens replaced those shop doors mah men and I broke in, you’ll have tah arrange payment tomorrow.” They were walking toward the shop when Hendricks told Penny that last bit of news.
“I thought they were almost unbreakable” she admitted.
“We tied mah truck to tha doors. It was ah short battle, they lost. We could hear Sara screamin from outside. Yah know how men are.”
“Overprotective and I don’t blame you.” They arrived at the shop and Penny dragged out her keys.
“Mrs. Richards” Inspector Leopold said as Penny reached to unlock the obviously new door. “My people and I, we go in. You stay here please.”
“But why?” Penny asked.
“To start” the older man said, “There could be dangerous fumes. To finish, we need a completely untouched scene to inspect. She said the secure room. That’s where all the journals are right?”
“Yes” Penny agreed. “But I want to see.”
“No Mrs... Penny. Please trust me this time. This is something you do not want to see. I know that Sara doesn’t want you to see it. The Constable will come with us to insure we don’t snipe something. Is that okay?”
“Okay” Penny finally agreed. If Leopold didn’t think she should see something, she was going to take his advice. If Sara didn’t want her to see it she knew she didn’t want to see it. “I’ll be in the town Library. “
“Good place. They have a computer there that can send messages to your wife, yes?”
“We do but its expensive” the young woman admitted.
Leopold smiled at the brunette, taking out a card. “Don’t abuse the privilege to much” he warned as he gave it to her.
Penny looked at the card, it was bright blue, a Guild Authorization card. One she had actually seen a few times. “Believe me sir I won’t.” Pushing up so she was on her tiptoes she kissed the inspector on his lips, one of the few men she had ever kissed. “Thank you.” Then she was off like a rabbit.
Constable Hendricks watched Penny run, only when she was out of earshot did he asked the eight hundred pound question. “What’s in ther she shouldn’ see.”
Leopold grimaced. “If the doctors are right about half of Sara’s hand.”
“Right. This we don’ talk about. Yah know though, she never unlocked tha door?”
“She slipped me the key” Leopold laughed, holding up a bronze key. “How big a mess did you and your men make?” He turned to unlock the door as his question was answered.
“Sara was on tha kitchen floor still whimperin, blood was everywhere. Nurse Wendy said Sara was close ta bleeding to death. I went down the stairs weapon out, following tha blood. I thought someone was down there, don tha to her but tha fumes pushed me back. So we sealed tha basement door ahn left tha kitchen window open, else you’d gag going in there evin now.”
He paused as the door opened. “Yah know that they’ve already had one attempt on their lives. If this isn’ an accident, I want tha responsible party in my jail. These are two of our towns best citizens.”