Inverhuron Mystery # 01 - Chapter # 02

Inverhuron Mystery # 01 - The Beach Murder
Chapter # 02 - Questions, Queries and Ample Answers
By : James Bauman
© January 11, 2007
> After nearly a minute Mr. Worthington had regained his composure and apologized throughly for his loss of mind. Roger thought that he was certainly a most old-fashioned Englishman.
> The tone of his voice turned from sorrow to that of absolute joy, — he was almost manic-depressive.
> “Mr. Fleetman I wish to ask you the exact nature and length of your relationship with my brother. I did not now much of him after he had gone and left home back in Boscombe, as a very young man as you must be aware. As children we were both quite competitive and by times we were not in the best of terms.”
> “Mr. Worthington, it seems as that you are and never were very pleased with your brother, so why is it that you do so hang on to the slight possibility that he is alive and if he is by some slim chance why do you wish to meet with him?”
> “ If you ask me it seems a quite futile and frivolous quest” Roger had suddenly taken the role of interrogator but luckily for his visitor, he still remained a certain air of civility while using his line of questioning.
> “Believe me Mr. Fleetman, I have my reasons, which are at least for now private, and you do not need to know. But I would think that you might some time in the near future be of some help and possibly then I will be able to tell you” Mr. Worthington seemingly had accepted that he was in a lesser position and obviously had more to lose. But he still held true to human nature while keeping his air of being a well rounded and refined English gentleman.
> “And you avoided my questions, Mr. Fleetman, I would like to ask you to answer them!” He had become slightly more aggressive then ever he had been before.
> “ Mr. Worthington, I have not been in the company of your brother for over a decade. I will gladly answer your questions if only you would tell me why you are here, why do you seek your brother now, and why you have the misconception that I hold any information that would be pertinent in your quest” he had spoken with great emphasis upon his questions.
> “Mr. Fleetman I beg of you, please be considerate and tell me all that you know of my brother and try to understand that it is for your own safety that I cannot tell you anymore about myself or why I wish to find my brother!”
> Mr. Fleetman was sipping on his coffee as he gazed into the fire, earnestly trying to decide wether or not he should answer Mr. Worthington’s questions. Suddenly an idea struck him. If Mr. Worthington was indeed the brother of Arthur Downing why was his title different. Also he was almost certain that Arthur had never spoken of a brother, in liking or in distaste.\
> “Mr. Worthigton why is it that your brother Arthur Downing has a title different than your own?” Roger shot a questioning glance at his guest.
> “Mr. Fleetman, my title is different than that of my brother’s because although we shared the same father our mother’s were not one.”
> “Mr. Fleetman, I do not have all night, would you for the sake of my brother please answer my questions, what was the nature of your relationship and it’s length with my brother? Also what was he like as a man, for example did he have any particular habits or routines?”
> “Mr. Worthington you seem to have compassion for your brother and you are genuine as for as I can assume. So I will be glad to answer your questions.”
> “I first became acquainted with your brother in the spring of 69', then he was a traveling salesman that was barely making ends meat when I invited him to join me in a small venture that I had been planning for some time” he looked over to the right of the mantle towards a small grey tin which was quite antiquated and dented from years of use and abuse.
>Roger rose from his chair and quickly grabbed the tin from the mantle. He did not look inside but instead tossed it into the fire, but only after removing two items : a business card and a small pocket photograph.
> Mr. Worthington was about to ask a question when Roger began his small narrative, “your brother was a poor salesman, but he did have some qualities which yo would not find in the average fellow. He was very observant and quick witted , he was light upon his feet and he had the ability to clear a room in an instant. That is why I hired him to be the lead detective for a private investigation agency, which I had planned to start but had found no suitable person or persons to fill the position.” he stopped briefly to look deeply at his visitor and to finish the last spot of coffee.
> He started again with renewed vigor, “at the time I did not currently reside in which I do so now, no I lived in the average community of London, Ontario that is. Not long after your brother had accepted my offer to fill the position, we had accumulated a large clientele, they ranged from angry cops to beaten wives to the very filthiest scum of society. There was no shortage of work to be had, but with great success and wealth comes great danger. After several incidents in the fall of 69' we decided that it would be best to shorten our list of clientele and become selective and extremely secretive. Why secretive you might ask? Well in the span of seven months we had twelve attempts on our lives and threats to numerous to ascertain the exact number.”
> Roger Shifted in his chair to show his visitor the business card and the photograph that h had removed from the small tin. The photograph, was in black and white. It showed two men in their forties standing infront of a wide door that was heavily frosted and was inscribed in darkly bold letters, Downing & Fleetman Private Investigations. The two gentleman in the photograph could only have been Mr. Roger Fleetman on the right and Mr. Arthur Downing.
> Roger’s visitor shot out of the chair immediately after he saw the face of the brother which had left his life several decades prior to that night.
> “I would recognize that face anywhere, that is most certainly my brother. The long distguished nose and the long muttonchops, could only belong to my brother!” the man was in absolute amazement. “I would so dearly love to have a copy of the photograph.”
> After the man had calmed down from the shock of seeing his brother, which he had missed for so long. Roger showed him the business card which bore the same title and gave a phone number and the list of services that they provided for their clients. He slowly shook his head in disbelief having a small chuckle well he looked over the card.
> Roger recommenced his narrative, “it was not long after we had decided to limit our clientele that your brother was presented with a case which had him going out on the Greater lake, and he was only supposed to be gone for a few days. But alas when he returned he had fallen for her...”
Roger was no standing at the picture window staring out at the enormity of the lake.
> “And from then on your brother was very selective about his cases. One in particular comes to mind. It was a very rough week, that is the week of September 2nd of 69' when he was challenged with the singularly most difficult case that had ever been presented before us. It was the case that changed everything. From the Friday of that week on I had not heard from him save a few brief post cards which he had sent me. They continued to arrive until the middle of November of that very year. I had no way of contacting or communicating with him so after about a year I had assumed the worst had befallen him. In one of his many dangerous escapades. I was only acquainted with your brother for a little over seven months. As for his habits, he only had two which I could see. He would only work at night, and he carried a small pad of paper in his pocket, nothing to unusual about that. As for anything else you might wish to know, I might be able to help you Mr. Worthington but that is not guaranteed.” He sat down again in his winged high-backed armchair by the fire. He removed a lone cigarette from his pocket then in the blink of an eye had it lit.
> “Now Mr. Worthington I believe that I had completed my part of the deal now you must complete yours!” he was now looking at his visitor with keen eyes.
> “Fine, it would not be proper of myself to not complete my half of the deal. I wish to find my brother because our father has passed away and I would like to talk to him about the situation in which our father left his affairs. You see Mr. Fleetman our father was a barrister early on in life and then he took over a small pawnbroker’s business on Oxford street in London, England. He was a very god dealer of used goods and materials but he was not so good with finances. He was not taking in as much as he should have for his services, but alas he was a terribly honest man that would not hear of raising his prices, but the crown is about ready to pursue legal action against his estate and as his son and benefactor I do not wish to lose the money and entitlements that he has bestowed upon myself and my brother Arthur. That is why I seek my brother Arthur.”
> A long and very exhausting conversation the two men decided that they were getting quite tired , so Mr. Fleetman asked Mr. Worthington wether or not if he would like to spend the night in his humble abode.
Chapter is incomplete as of yet.
> Means new paragraph