The Foreign Murders Part II

The Foreign Murders (Part II)

By Rachelle David

The man looked at him a little funny.  He said, “You remind me of myself when I first came to this house.  I am a worker and a guest of the house.  Please, call me Colin.  I am sorry Luke, but even the people who have lived here all their lives cannot and do not photograph the entrances or any other part of the house.  But, sir, just to clarify, what exactly do you think happens here?”  The man seemed slightly friendlier, but then again, Aracelli also seemed very kind at the beginning and she turned sour very quickly. 

Dr. Brapvy was still not sure that he trusted Sebastian’s memory enough to convince Colin that he knew all about the purpose of the Organization.  It was time for a quick exit.  After a very short moment, the Doctor said as innocently as he could, “Do you know the time?  I have a very important meeting with an acquaintance of mine at fourteen hundred hours.”  The Doctor cursed at himself for using military time.  After his service in the army, he never lost a few habits.  He still had the posture, the honor, and the 24-hour days.  Maybe it was normal for people at the house to speak like he did, the Doctor thought.  Maybe he should just tell the truth and tell then that he served in the military for a very long time.  That could get him accepted.  He can fight for what he believes in and may be a good resource to have. 

Colin held a thoughtful expression for far too long and Dr. Brapvy became impatient.  He felt like yelling at the man for keeping him in suspense, but he had a character to keep.  He said as calmly as he could, “Do you know what time it is, Mr. Colin?”  Once again, Dr. Brapvy tried to look like an innocent child.  It seemed not to have any affect on the man.

After another long pause the man named Colin said very sternly, “Leave.  I do not know whom you are or what you are trying to do, but I do not like military personnel and right now I am personally asking you to leave the House property immediately.”  The man turned and began to walk away.  He then suddenly turned around and said, “Oh, and your very important meeting begins in twenty minutes.  Please see yourself out.”  The man left the room and did not look back at the Doctor.

Dr. Brapvy hated when people treated him with attitude.  He found it annoying and unproductive to mock people.  This may have something to do wit his awful childhood.  He was the youngest of six brothers.  His five older brothers would team up on him and he would be forced to play with the twin girls next door.  They played what he thought of as very feminine games.  Young Brapvy hated playing with the girls but it was his only choice.  He could not play with his brothers because they would just beat him up.  Since he would play with the girls, his brothers would mock him.  They would call him names and laugh at him.  He was a lot smaller and weaker than his brothers and therefore he was an easy target.  Mockery was a touchy subject for Dr. Brapvy.  He took one more look and left before anyone could see his tears.

Mr. Cameroon hated working in the office.  He would have rather worked outside in a park or forest but he could not.  He was under strict orders not to leave the office.  He could not even find this mysterious organization.  This Noble Knights Organization seemed to not exist.  The Internet was huge, but not big enough to find the NKO.  There was something very strange happening.  Mr. Cameroon decided to look somewhere else.  He had an idea that might work.

Dr. Brapvy left the house and thought of a place that might give him some more information about the organization.  He would need to ask Mr. Cameroon about what he found at the office.  He ran to the nearest public transportation stop.  He made it just in time for the trolley.  He found a seat, pulled out his note pad, and continued drawing.  He looked at the person next to him and it was Mr. Cameroon.  At first, Dr. Brapvy was startled.  Mr. Cameroon was napping against the window and did not notice that his boss was sitting next to him.  Dr. Brapvy knew that it was time for a new assistant but before he fired Mr. Cameroon, he needed to find someone else.  He made a mental note to advertise his new job opening.  But before that, he had to handle this guy.  The Doctor poked Mr. Brapvy very hard in the ribs and Mr. Cameroon nudged his hand away.  Unfortunately for Mr. Cameroon, he did not wake up.  Dr. Brapvy looked around and most of the people on the bus seemed to be awake so the Doctor took a deep breath and yelled right in Mr. Brapvy’s ear, “WAKE UP!!!  YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE OFFICE AND NEVER DISOBEY ME.  WHY ARE YOU HERE? AND WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” 

Mr. Cameroon practically jumped out of his seat.  He looked at the Doctor and said, “How did you find me?  And what happened at the house?”

“That is not the point at the moment.  I asked you a question and it remains unanswered.  Please answer it.”  The Doctor did not have time for Mr. Cameroon’s stupidity.  He needed answers and he needed them faster than they were coming to him. 

“I-I- I could not find anything so I decided to go someplace to find information,” Mr. Cameroon stuttered.  He always got nervous when someone yelled at him.  He thought that he did nothing wrong.  He was doing his job.

“And where are you going, Mr. Cameroon?”  Dr. Brapvy was frustrated with this guy.

“I am going to city hall to find any records that I can about the Noble Knights Organization or the Noble Knights House.  Now I just feel silly for doing this without your permission.

Dr. Brapvy smiled.  “I am, uh, proud, uh, of you.  I like your commitment and the way you think because I was thinking the same thing.  I am going to City Hall right now too.”  His thoughts changed.  Maybe this guy could take over the business.  Dr. Brapvy would have to retire of die eventually and if Mr. Cameroon thought the same way, he could be perfect for the job.  Dr. Brapvy had no kids of his own.  He only had a very long-term girlfriend.  Neither of them believed in marriage and neither wanted children, so they were only dating.  They had been dating for thirty-two years at the time of this story.  Regardless, Dr. Brapvy was still unsure about the mental stability of Mr. Cameroon.  He seemed to have gaps in his memory of a very specific witness named Sebastian.

“I guess great minds think alike,” Mr. Cameroon said quietly.  Dr. Brapvy looked at him as if he said that he hates the Doctor.  He had this look often.  Mr. Cameroon realized his mistake and turned to look out of the window, abruptly.  Dr. Brapvy smiled and turned to look at the other people on the bus.  There were many people.  The bus was completely filled.  Dr. Brapvy realized how lucky he was that not only did he find a seat, but he also found the seat next to the only person he knew on the bus.  There were old women and big, middle aged, men.  There also was a little grade-school-age child or two.  Dr. Brapvy scanned the whole area quickly.  He looked at the many people walking on the street but out of the corner of his eye, he thought that he saw Sebastian, the witness.  Then when he looked back, there were just regular people walking.  Dr. Brapvy was slightly disturbed.  First, Mr. Cameroon did not see the man when Sebastian was standing right in front of him, and second, he thinks that he is seeing Sebastian everywhere.  The Doctor was slightly unsettled, so he sat back in his chair and pulled his belongings closer to him.  He then pulled out his note pad and wrote down something.  He could not get the image of Sebastian out of his head.  In the image, Sebastian was holding a gun in his hand, having his craziness show through his grey, wild eyes, and yelling the same word over and over again: Ted.

Aracelli entered the office and made three quick memos.  She needed to report the occurrences of the day with the strange Doctor to The Heads.

On her way out, she physically ran right into Colin. 

“Oh.  Hi, Colin,” she said as soft and feminine as she could, “What are you doing here?”

“Um, I work here.  I thought you knew that, Arci.”  Colin was getting tired of the act.  He knew how much Aracelli liked him but this was ridiculous.  She was too absorbed in getting him to like her, that she did not see how much he really did like her.  He did.  Not anymore.  Not that she agreed to work with them willingly.  He, on the other hand, had no choice.  He did rebel as much as he could.  He did think that the Roxanne incident was too far for him to accept.  Something had to be done soon.  He needed to convince Arci to work wit him on a mutiny.  He had to be careful what he said to her.  She was a fragile woman who put up a very good tough, not-caring attitude act. 

Aracelli really liked Colin.  He was by far the best looking man in the whole house.  She loved how he had his own nickname for her and the way his handsome face lit up a little when she looked his way.  She hoped that it was not him disliking her that caused the light to ignite in his face.  ‘Oh no’, she thought, ‘I am obsessing over everything that he does, again’.  Just because of the stupid rule that couples could only form from within the House, Aracelli should not settle for a man that does not deserve her.  She should have the best man available to her.  She realized that Colin was waiting for her to respond to his comment and noticed that his eyes searched her face for something.  She did not know what he was looking for but she quickly forgot about it.  She said, “I mean, what are you doing in this area of the house?  Your office is on the West Wing not the North Fortress,” Aracelli thought about what she just said and quickly added, “right?”  She hated sounding like she stalks him, even though she did.

Colin loved all the names for the different areas to the house.  It was something different for him.  He had never heard of naming the parts of the house.  Where he came from, houses were houses and rooms were rooms.  He replied, “Yes I do work in the West Wing but I came here to speak with you.  Please let us go somewhere more private.”  Aracelli smiled and followed him out of the room, followed by exiting the building.  She was getting very excited.  She loved surprises.

Dr. Brapvy and Mr. Cameroon entered the City Hall building.  They had been there plenty of times before.  The security guards already knew them by first name.  The only problem was that the receptionists changed every other week.  There was a new receptionist sitting at the desk.  He seemed to be just out of school and on his first job.  He was quite good looking, except for the not-yet-grown-in-fully beard.  The real adult man and the man who pretended to be adult in important environments to gain respect walked confidently over to the main desk.  The younger man did not notice that they were there.  The guards were chuckling and giggling.  Right before the men reached the desk, the receptionist heard the laughs and looked up. 

Dr. Brapvy said with his stern voice, “Hello.  We are here to see the records of 479 Brakestraut Road.  Please show us the direction.”  This was the address of the Noble Knights House. 

“Uh, I am sorry but pedestrians cannot stroll right in here and look at the records of buildings.  The door out is right there.”  He pointed to where the guards were standing, now as stiff and mean looking as could be. 

Both men turned around and Dr. Brapvy said, “Hey Kyle.  How is your wife Akasha?  Is she still working at the bank?”

         “No.  Actually, she got appointed as the head of investments at a major corporation.  I am forbidden from telling you which one.  How great is that?”  Kyle was grinning and clearly excited.  He loved the annoying new receptionists bothering the regular visitors.  He had the best job. 

         “Alright, you know who the security people are and where the door is, but I still cannot let you in.  Now it is time for you to leave.  Please see yourself out of the door, with your friend.”

         “Thank you for so much help, but I think you are forgetting something very important,” Dr. Brapvy said sarcastically.

         “Oh, and what is that something?” the receptionist said skeptically.

         “This.”  Dr. Brapvy pulled out his investigative license. 

         The receptionist rolled his eyes.  “What is that?” he said, uninterested.

         Dr. Brapvy smiled.  He said, “I knew that you would not know what this is.  It is very important to me.  It is,” he paused for dramatic effect, “my license to be an investigator.  Have you herd of it?”  Both Kyle and Mr. Cameroon were laughing by now.

         The confused receptionist said, “Um…what is that?” slowly and rather timidly.

         “Do you seriously not know what this is?”  The young boy shook his head.  The Doctor looked pleased and said, “Well it is this magical talisman that allows me to go and see anything I want.”  He said this as if he was speaking to a small child.

         “I am not a little youngster.  Now, tell me what it is!” The young man looked like he was going to throw a tantrum just like a little youngster.  This only caused the older men to laugh even harder. 

         Dr. Brapvy decided to have a little more fun with the man.  He said, “What is you name, boy.”

         The receptionist answered, “My mane is Aidan.  And you are Dr. Brapvy, correct?”

         “Yes, very good.  Now, Aidan, how old are you?”  Dr. Brapvy’s smile grew.

         “I am 23 years old.”

         “And how many jobs have you had before this?”  Information collecting was part of his job.

         “Look, this is not a game of 20 questions.  I do not have to put up with this.  Please leave this instant.”  The annoying receptionist was obviously annoyed.

         “Kid, answer the man,” Kyle spoke with his soothing deep voice.

         Aidan sighed and said, “This is my second job.  My first was back when I was in college and I worked at the gross Markthalle Restaurant in Bern.  Have you heard of it?  The tables are made of plastic.  It is really gross there.  I am not proud of that, but you asked.  Is there anything else that you would like to know about me?  Perhaps you would like to know my mother’s maiden name?  Or maybe how much food I eat per day?”

         “No, No.  That is not necessary.  Now if you would, please let us in and direct us to where we need to be.”  The Doctor said this as sweetly as he could.

         “Where do you want to be, again?” Aidan said, baffled.

         “Of course.   We would like to be directed to the records of 479 Brakestaut Road.”  Dr. Brapvy tried to sound smooth when saying this, and he succeeded.

         “Um…I believe that it is through that door over there,” he pointed to his left, “but it might be through this door,” he pointed at the door behind him.  “Check the first one and if it is not there, then you can check this one.  I will let you in on a little secret.  This door, behind me, leads to the special files which are mot supposed to be seen by anyone.”

         “Thank you for that little piece of information, Aidan.  See you soon.”  Dr. Brapvy and Mr. Cameroon went through the first door.

         Once they were securely in the room, Mr. Cameroon said, “Why was he so nice so suddenly?  And did we not already know that ‘secret’? And why did he tell us that secret?  It is supposed to be a secret.”

         “Mr. Cameroon, you still have a lot to learn.  You ask too many questions, but I am in a good mood, so I will answer them.  That was a little trick that I learned in college in some Psychology class.  I cannot remember which one.  After a person is very aggravated and you act very, very calm to that person, if correctly done, the person will feed off of your positive energy and be kind and quite loose with his mouth.  That should have answered all you questions.  Oh, and yes, we did already know that little secret.  Now, let us take a look around.”

Aracelli really liked Colin.  She would have done anything that he told her to do.  He led her out of the front door and out of the entrance.  She thought that he was taking her on a short walk around the block, but then he brought her to the center of the city.  Her confusion grew as he led her to a very busy coffee shop.  This shocked her, but she thought of it as a special meal together. 

Colin was really nervous. He did not know how Aracelli would react to his proposition.  He was prepared for all the outcomes that he thought of.  He had his knife in his pocket and his small box of chocolates in the hidden pocket in his cloak.  He found for them a small table surrounded by noisy groups of people.  Colin took a deep breath and in an undertone said, “Please let us sit here and do not speak too loudly.  We never know if anyone is watching us.”

“Of course, Colin.  I will do whatever you say, within reason.  Your wish is my command,” Aracelli said as pleasantly as she could while still whispering.  Somehow, she could hear him in the noise and he could hear her.

“Arci, I do not mean to be blunt, but there is no point in waiting any longer.  I have a proposition for you, but before I reveal it to you, I need to know that you will not tell anyone about this meeting.  I cannot stress that enough.  Now, can I trust you?”  Colin hoped that this did not scare her off.  He tried to be as serious as he could buth his stern voice but he did need her for his mission and that required her acceptance and full approval without pressure.

Aracelli giggled a little.   She said, “Colin, I will not tell anyone about this meeting and I will probably agree to what ever you are proposing.  I thought that you understood that.  If I did not, then I would not have followed you half way across the city, at least.  By the way, where are we?”

Colin smiled.  It was the first time that he did so all day.  He was always so gloomy.  It was obligated of him to keep up his side of the conversation.  “That is for me to know and you to find out.  I hope you are ready for this.  I am starting a revolt.”

“A what?

“You heard.  A revolt.”

“Against what?  Or whom?”

“The Noble Knights Organization.”

“I do not believe my ears.  Just give me a moment to take all of this in.“  She was having difficulties understanding everything that he was saying.  The waitress made her way over to their table.  She had perfect timing, Aracelli thought.

“What would you two like?” the waitress said with her nasal voice.  She was older and a little nasty.

Colin looked at Aracelli and she nodded back at him.  He said, “We both would like a hot cup of coffee, black preferably.”

“Coming right up, sir.”  The waitress said glumly as she left the table.

“Take your time, Arci.  I can answer all of your questions.” Colin sat back in his chair and looked at Aracelli.  He tried to seem not creepy, but failed.  Arci was a little disturbed by Colin and the way he looked at her, but she loved him so she took it as a compliment that he could not stop looking at her.

Aracelli thought about it.  She had never questioned the ways of the NKO.  Now that it was brought to her attention, she began to think about all the problems that she experienced at the House.  She had rights and she should keep them.  Still confused by what he was revolting against exactly, she asked him, “What are your problems with the system as it is?”

“I am glad that you asked that question.  In fact, I have a whole list of things that are wrong with our honor code.”  Colin reached into his pocket and took out a scroll tied with a bow.  He untied the bow and unrolled the scroll.  He began to read out loud, “Number 1: It is prohibited to have any interaction with non-members unless that is specified in the job description by penalty of death.  Number2: It is mandatory for all members to marry and connect physically with, and only with, members of the organization.  Number 3: All members-“

“Colin, you are reading the house rules,” Aracelli interrupted rudely.

Colin looked up at her and said, “Yes, these are the house rules, but I have added many more problems.  Shall I continue?”

Aracelli smiled.  “No, that is not necessary.  I understand your reasoning.  I know how crazy it is that we have a rule that we cannot ski while reciting poetry.  Colin, you know that I will back you up on anything that you say but is it really that ridiculous to force these unreasonable rules upon us?” 

Colin stared at her in shock.  He almost yelled, “Do you hear yourself?  The unreasonable rules should not be rules at all.  We immigrated here to escape the unreasonable rules and now you would settle for more rules.  We can overthrow the ridiculous hierarchy of power and explore this new world around us.”

“I don’t know, Colin.  This might be too much for me to handle at one time.  How about we take a short walk around the city, okay?”  Aracelli was overwhelmed by all the information she was just given.  Wouldn’t you be if you were in her place?  She understood what he was saying but did not know if she had the confidence to go along with him. 

“Alright, Arci.  But we need to be very careful.  I do not want to die today and I hope you do not want to either.  Let us get our coffee and go.” 

Just at that moment, the waitress returned with their coffee.  She was holding two of the foam cups used for ‘to go’ orders.  She said, “I am awfully sorry, sir, but we have run out of clean mugs.  We had to use these instead.  I hope you do not mind,” with mock concern. 

“Actually, can I please have the check?  We are taking the coffee to go,” Colin answered with his large smile.

“Oh, funny how things work out like that.  I will be right back.”  She turned around, clearly defeated and disappointed.  It seemed that she wanted to upset the guests by bringing them disposable cups.  The couple sat in silence, both lost in thought, until she brought the receipt and Colin paid.  He left her a very good tip and together they exited the crowded shop with their coffee.

Once they were out of the shop, Colin turned to Aracelli and said, “Arci, you do know that skiing while reciting poetry is illegal in the country of Switzerland and not just a silly house rule, right?”

“No, I did not know that.  I did think that it was odd that we had a rule about skiing when we are forbidden from interacting with strangers.  That explains a lot.”

“Well, it just shows you how little you know of our new country.”  Aracelli smiled at Colin and linked her arm through Colin’s, resting it in the crook of his elbow.  They walked side by side down the road while sipping their coffee.

To Be Continued…