Gotta Catch The Pretty Ones

© 2011-2014 by Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Chapter Thirty-One

While Penny spent her time sending messages to Sara’s hospital bed the four men were inspecting her home, and the scene of the accident.

“Smell’s still almost overpowerin” Constable Hendricks noted.

“Louis” Leopold called. “Start opening windows, from the damage scene this wasn’t an explosion so fresh air won’t harm the evidence.”

“Yes Sir” the man in question agreed. While he turned to his temporary duty Leopold made his way down the stairs to Sara’s secure room. Within he found the horror he had been warned to keep out of Penny’s sight. Part of a carbonized rubber glove, with black finger bones still in it, lay in the pitted stainless steel pot. All the flesh was gone, probably turned into goo by the batteries chemicals. “This was a accident” he decided after a few minutes looking around. “See Constable? Everything is contained within that stainless steel tub. From the looks of things and the scattered safety equipment I can tell you she expected to encounter nothing worse than a shorted battery.”

Picking up the face shield from where it had fallen he looked through it. There were tiny splatters of something embedded within the hard, clear plastic. It was obvious that if Sara hadn’t been wearing it her face would have been scarred, she might even have been blinded. “Evidence Carl” he said, offering the item to his other assistant who was busy taking pictures of everything in the room.

“Yes sir” the young man answered, accepting the face shield with one gloved hand while opening a plastic evidence bag with another. “These wood items sir, are they torture devices?”

Leopold laughed, looked over at the Constable and the older mans rather pink face. “Expensive play furniture son, the kind that imaginative consenting adults use.” He almost laughed as the meaning of those words, and the design of the furniture became a completed equation in Carl’s younger mind. His facial expression was magnificent the Inspector thought. “Not part of our investigation. Penny was three hundred miles away when this happened.”

“Uh.. Yeah...Uh.. Yes sir” the young man agreed, placing the sealed evidence bag on an empty table.

“So is that” Leopold noted, looking at the table with its rings and things. It had the desired effect, as Carl grabbed the evidence bag as though it were about to catch fire. “Oh grow up son, live and learn and give me a large evidence bag. I want at least two dozen photos of that pot, from every direction that you can safely manage.“

He waited until the photography was done, then slipped the crusted pot and its contents into the overlarge thick plastic envelope. After that was secure he picked up Sara’s still open notebook, insuring that it was the one he needed. “I have everything I need Constable but I don’t want either Mrs. Richards to ever see this. Can you get a crew in to clean it up? Replace this table and any damaged furniture? There is no telling what kind of caustic materials may have soaked into the wood after all and I really don’t like the idea of delicate flesh making contact with highly caustic chemicals.”

He looked around at the obviously used equipment. “In fact, replace everything in this chamber then have it scrubbed down with neutralizers. The Guild will cover all costs including that door you had to break down to get in. We’ll simply bill the battery maker.” He held up the chemically inert bag, noting that the entire pot, Sara’s lost hand included, appeared to be a single metamorphic mass. “This is a battery failure. Exceptionally rare, most faulty batteries are caught in the factory but this one almost killed one of our people.”

“Ah can get the Wilkins in here. They clean up dead animals and the sewers” Hendricks offered. “I’ll have the Martine’s replace the furniture. Any special problems either may run into?”

“Caustic chemicals? Explosive devices?” Leopold asked. “No, in the days since this accident occurred its mostly gone inert. Its what has soaked in that is dangerous. Every stone needs to be wiped down with a neutralizer, there is no telling what little particle might still be laying about. Once all that is done Penny can move back in but not until. Charge a room at the Inn to the Guild’s account.”

“Your Guild’s bein’ awful generous” Constable Hendricks noted. “More so than most.”

“Not really, the injury was caused by a work related accident. That is fully covered by the insurance Sara bought as a student.” Leopold allowed his assistant to remove the large evidence bag. “Photos of everything in this room” he ordered. “After the two of us leave.” Waving to the stairs the Inspector continued his explanation. “This was a failure of a battery, one that the Guild will investigate, as will the factory that manufactured the battery. They will be fined for allowing a dangerous defect to escape their control to cause serious injury. Depending upon how bad the defect was will determine the fine. They will be responsible for damages here as well as any medical bills that the Richards have now or may in the future rack up because of this.”

They reached the kitchen, both men looking around while pointedly ignoring the damaged and blood soaked floor. “Penny has agreed to take classes” Leopold continued. “So that she can take over the work Sara can’t do until Sara can do it. Otherwise we would have had the local student take Sara’s place when he graduates. That would be Lars, correct?”

“Peeping Lars yes” the Constable agreed. “That would mean throwing the Richards out into the street?”

“Sara can teach, we can always use new instructors. Penny is a Librarian still in very good standing.” Leopold stopped, rubbing his chin as he thought. “The masses only see those who become great Pokemon Hunters. Those, and the actor teams secretly hired to cause them trouble. They don’t see the ones who fail, or work hard only to just become average. That’s the majority, it’s the same with our Pokeball Techs. Sara and Penny are one of our brightest married teams while Sara has had certain eyes on her since her second year. When Penny joined the equation we realized we had something great growing up here. They should be in a big city but they want to be here. You just don’t throw rocks on top of a budding plant Constable. With Penny doing what she’s doing we don’t throw Sara into some desk job, they are a team, a damn fine team.”

“So their tha Guilds Golden Haired Girls ‘uh” Hendricks asked, reaching for the phone.

“No sir” Leopold corrected. “Golden Haired Girls makes it sound like someone is enchanted with them. So much so that it doesn't matter what they do. It isn’t that Constable, its more that they doing things no one thought about. Sara’s new look into multiple Pokemon captures with a single ball, bringing a Guild trained Librarian into the mix. You’ve seen how well this place is set up. Believe me, I’ve been in shops where ledger books have been shoved in damp corners to rot but not here. Not only are they shelved, but shelved correctly as only a Librarian could manage it. Constable, my own home library could stand having a long visit by Penny. More, unlike the majority of PokeTechs they are both reading every journal. Hardly any Pokeball Tech bothers to read further back than the previous holder of their position. They are inventive, intelligent and already tagged to take high positions when their ready.”

“So their tha future. Good.” Hendricks dialed a number on the kitchen phone. “Carla? Get the Wilkins over to tha Richards place. Full hazmat clean ahn sweep. Kitchen, basement ah shelter, like it never happened. Then get Mrs. Martine tah come in behin ‘em. She knows what was here so have her replace wat is ruined. And have her burn everythin made o’ wood. Incinerate tah ash, save nothin. Right, yes now. Ahn Carla? Tell ‘em both tha the Guilds picking up tha full tab buh don’ be stupid. You ahn I are gonna inspect behin both of ‘em. Right, thanks. Milk? Yeah, I’ll get milk. By lover.”

“Your wife?” Leopold asked.

“Yep, and tha best record keeper next tah Penny in town.” He hung up the phone, looking at the Guild Inspector. “Wich one yah in love with” he asked suddenly.

Leopold started, drawn so abruptly from his thoughts. “That evident?”

“Only when yah talk bout ‘em so personal. Which one?”

Leopold shrugged. “Constable, and this is no lie. My wife is aware that I hold a torch for both of them. But that being... Well...” He shrugged. “Katherine would be delighted to accept either or both into our family. That isn’t going to happen so I’m just going to love them as friends and do my damnedest not to let them catch on too quickly. They wouldn’t laugh at me, but it would strain the relationship. In the least I wouldn’t be allowed to inspect this shop anymore.”

Hendricks grabbed the younger mans shoulder with one hand. “We all have ‘er secrets” he admitted. “Yah told me yers, now I’ll tell yah mine. Carla and I want Yuki Kurosawa in ar family buh she’s too young an not interested in anythin but her art.” He laughed, ‘Sides, she’s forty yers younger than me. Be emberrsian, takin ah wife young nough tah be mah granddaughter. Mahbe Sara ahn Penny ‘ell catch ‘er, she seem’s tah like ‘em ah lot. ‘Nough tah let ‘em catch her maybe, jus like ah Pokehunter.”

Leopold shrugged. “You never know, stranger things have happened. Now lets get out of my peoples way so they can finish and your people can start. How about coffee, my treat.”

The two men left then, leaving Leopold’s busy assistants working hard behind them.