Wasting Time in Strangetown: Confrontation
Yes, that picture count below is right - only 12! This is a very short follow-up to the last entry, and it doesn't really go with the next entry, so I'm letting it stand alone. (See what happens when I stay home sick? I get things done!)
Only a small warning for some harsh language.
Andrew and Denis Gunn had come up through the ranks with Alvin in the Business, and now ran the upscale bubble club in Metro under his supervision. They were good men and extremely loyal, so it was no surprise that when Alvin called them the morning of his son’s disappearance, angry and pained, the Gunn Brothers made it to Strangetown in record time.
By mid-morning, the three of them were on the steps of the Beaker Estate, Alvin shouting for Circe to come out and show herself.
Both Circe and her husband Loki emerged from the house, to confront the trio on their porch. “Mr. Enriquez, I certainly hope there’s a good reason for you to be shouting outside my house at this time of day,” Circe said calmly.
“You’ve done something with my son!” Alvin accused hotly. “I know you have, you and that frammiting creepy cult!”
“Your son?” Circe looked surprised in exactly the way that someone who wasn’t surprised at all would, and continued in a tone that was far too polite and sweet. “Why, Mr. Enriquez, I didn’t know you had any children!” She looked at Loki. “Did you know that, honey?”
Loki actually didn’t even know who Alvin was, or what this was all about. He wasn’t pleased to have this commotion on his doorstep, but he didn’t say anything.
“Stop it!” Alvin growled, her tone making him that much more furious. “You knew perfectly well that Ophelia was pregnant, you and your sister-in-law, or whoever that was, came to see her!”
“Oh, now I see the confusion…” Circe smirked in a way obviously calculated to rile. “Yes, I knew that Ophelia was pregnant, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are the father, does it?” she laughed.
Andrew and Denis were a little startled when their Boss practically charged up the stairs. Alvin wasn’t a man who usually had a temper like that, but they could certainly understand it in this case. His child had gone missing, after all, and apparently Alvin was convinced that this Circe woman had something to do with it, so they were right behind him, ready to back him up.
“Don’t you come a step closer!” Circe hissed, dropping all pretenses. “I will have the law here!”
“There is no law in this town except for what I allow!” Alvin snarled right back, overtaken by his fury, forgetting that he actually didn’t have any jurisdiction in Strangetown proper, only in Metro. “You give me back my baby right now, or else I will make you pay! Now, woman!”
“Now, see here - - “ Loki began, feeling obligated to speak up in the face of a threat against his wife.
Circe interrupted him. “You had better watch carefully what you say, Mr. Enriquez,” she said coolly, warningly. “In these parts, curses have a way of coming back on those who issue them. There is no baby here, and frankly, I can’t imagine why you would think I’d have him in the first place. I barely know you or your wife.”
“You’re part of crazy old Olive Spector’s frammiting cult! Ophelia said you were too interested in the baby, and now he’s gone! Right from his crib early this morning! I don’t know how the hell you did it, but you did! And now you had better give him back, or I swear I will tear you apart! I will bury you so deep out in the desert that you’ll never be found!”
Just inside the door and listening to what was being said, Erin gasped softly to herself in surprise. “Oh no!” she whispered, “Ophelia’s baby is gone? Oh, that’s so terrible…” and felt a soft keening pain within in sympathy for what the young mother must be going through.
“You’re insane,” Circe continued, without a hint of empathy of her own. “I did no such thing, and unless you intend to out yourself as a criminal element here in Strangetown, then I suggest you leave my property this minute, Mr. Enriquez. You are not the law around here, no matter what you may think.”
Alvin stared at her for a long tense moment, during which he was obviously weighing his options. He was upset, of course, and frustrated. His heart was in pain, and his wife was in emotional shambles at home. He wanted nothing more than to break into Circe’s estate by force, going through both her and Loki if necessary, and to rend the place down into scrap brick and lumber, looking for his son. But she was right about the danger of outing himself in Strangetown…
He seethed with anger over being unable to do anything. He knew this woman had something to do with Joaquin’s disappearance! He knew it! Her and Ophelia’s creepy cousin and their whole damn cult!
“This is not over, woman,” he said lowly, threateningly.
“Oh, I’ve no doubt of that,” Circe replied, her voice light again, because she knew she’d won this round. The nerve of the man! Thinking he could accuse her and lay siege on her home, just because he controlled the next town over. It was absurd.
Alvin turned and gestured to the Gunn Brothers that they were leaving. As they descended the stairs, watched carefully by the Beakers, Alvin mumbled an angry order to Denis. “We’re going to Metro, I want a word with Aarons,” he said, referring to the highest ranked of the police under their control and on their payroll. Denis nodded.
Loki and Circe watched the three men get into the car, as Erin opened the door to peek out and check that it was all clear. She slipped out to join them on the porch.
“What was all that about?” Loki asked, sounding tired, but not particularly upset or surprised that their morning had been disturbed by a shouting threatening man on the porch. “Who was that guy and why was he threatening you?”
“Oh, he’s just the local mob boss,” Circe said dismissively, countering his weariness with a touch of delight obvious in her own voice. “Nothing for you to worry about, dear.”
“The mob.” Loki felt a headache coming on. “Great.”
“But Circe...?” Erin looked worried. “Ophelia’s baby? What happened to him? Where is he?”
Maybe it was nothing, but Loki noticed that Erin didn’t ask who might have taken the child. He frowned heavily, well aware of the fourth member of the household on the second story balcony above them.
“I’m sure I don’t know,” Circe shrugged, but sounded pleased. “Don’t worry about it, Erin. Everything is exactly as it should be. Well, except for Ophelia herself, of course. We still have to sort her out…”
Only a small warning for some harsh language.
Andrew and Denis Gunn had come up through the ranks with Alvin in the Business, and now ran the upscale bubble club in Metro under his supervision. They were good men and extremely loyal, so it was no surprise that when Alvin called them the morning of his son’s disappearance, angry and pained, the Gunn Brothers made it to Strangetown in record time.
By mid-morning, the three of them were on the steps of the Beaker Estate, Alvin shouting for Circe to come out and show herself.
Both Circe and her husband Loki emerged from the house, to confront the trio on their porch. “Mr. Enriquez, I certainly hope there’s a good reason for you to be shouting outside my house at this time of day,” Circe said calmly.
“You’ve done something with my son!” Alvin accused hotly. “I know you have, you and that frammiting creepy cult!”
“Your son?” Circe looked surprised in exactly the way that someone who wasn’t surprised at all would, and continued in a tone that was far too polite and sweet. “Why, Mr. Enriquez, I didn’t know you had any children!” She looked at Loki. “Did you know that, honey?”
Loki actually didn’t even know who Alvin was, or what this was all about. He wasn’t pleased to have this commotion on his doorstep, but he didn’t say anything.
“Stop it!” Alvin growled, her tone making him that much more furious. “You knew perfectly well that Ophelia was pregnant, you and your sister-in-law, or whoever that was, came to see her!”
“Oh, now I see the confusion…” Circe smirked in a way obviously calculated to rile. “Yes, I knew that Ophelia was pregnant, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are the father, does it?” she laughed.
Andrew and Denis were a little startled when their Boss practically charged up the stairs. Alvin wasn’t a man who usually had a temper like that, but they could certainly understand it in this case. His child had gone missing, after all, and apparently Alvin was convinced that this Circe woman had something to do with it, so they were right behind him, ready to back him up.
“Don’t you come a step closer!” Circe hissed, dropping all pretenses. “I will have the law here!”
“There is no law in this town except for what I allow!” Alvin snarled right back, overtaken by his fury, forgetting that he actually didn’t have any jurisdiction in Strangetown proper, only in Metro. “You give me back my baby right now, or else I will make you pay! Now, woman!”
“Now, see here - - “ Loki began, feeling obligated to speak up in the face of a threat against his wife.
Circe interrupted him. “You had better watch carefully what you say, Mr. Enriquez,” she said coolly, warningly. “In these parts, curses have a way of coming back on those who issue them. There is no baby here, and frankly, I can’t imagine why you would think I’d have him in the first place. I barely know you or your wife.”
“You’re part of crazy old Olive Spector’s frammiting cult! Ophelia said you were too interested in the baby, and now he’s gone! Right from his crib early this morning! I don’t know how the hell you did it, but you did! And now you had better give him back, or I swear I will tear you apart! I will bury you so deep out in the desert that you’ll never be found!”
Just inside the door and listening to what was being said, Erin gasped softly to herself in surprise. “Oh no!” she whispered, “Ophelia’s baby is gone? Oh, that’s so terrible…” and felt a soft keening pain within in sympathy for what the young mother must be going through.
“You’re insane,” Circe continued, without a hint of empathy of her own. “I did no such thing, and unless you intend to out yourself as a criminal element here in Strangetown, then I suggest you leave my property this minute, Mr. Enriquez. You are not the law around here, no matter what you may think.”
Alvin stared at her for a long tense moment, during which he was obviously weighing his options. He was upset, of course, and frustrated. His heart was in pain, and his wife was in emotional shambles at home. He wanted nothing more than to break into Circe’s estate by force, going through both her and Loki if necessary, and to rend the place down into scrap brick and lumber, looking for his son. But she was right about the danger of outing himself in Strangetown…
He seethed with anger over being unable to do anything. He knew this woman had something to do with Joaquin’s disappearance! He knew it! Her and Ophelia’s creepy cousin and their whole damn cult!
“This is not over, woman,” he said lowly, threateningly.
“Oh, I’ve no doubt of that,” Circe replied, her voice light again, because she knew she’d won this round. The nerve of the man! Thinking he could accuse her and lay siege on her home, just because he controlled the next town over. It was absurd.
Alvin turned and gestured to the Gunn Brothers that they were leaving. As they descended the stairs, watched carefully by the Beakers, Alvin mumbled an angry order to Denis. “We’re going to Metro, I want a word with Aarons,” he said, referring to the highest ranked of the police under their control and on their payroll. Denis nodded.
Loki and Circe watched the three men get into the car, as Erin opened the door to peek out and check that it was all clear. She slipped out to join them on the porch.
“What was all that about?” Loki asked, sounding tired, but not particularly upset or surprised that their morning had been disturbed by a shouting threatening man on the porch. “Who was that guy and why was he threatening you?”
“Oh, he’s just the local mob boss,” Circe said dismissively, countering his weariness with a touch of delight obvious in her own voice. “Nothing for you to worry about, dear.”
“The mob.” Loki felt a headache coming on. “Great.”
“But Circe...?” Erin looked worried. “Ophelia’s baby? What happened to him? Where is he?”
Maybe it was nothing, but Loki noticed that Erin didn’t ask who might have taken the child. He frowned heavily, well aware of the fourth member of the household on the second story balcony above them.
“I’m sure I don’t know,” Circe shrugged, but sounded pleased. “Don’t worry about it, Erin. Everything is exactly as it should be. Well, except for Ophelia herself, of course. We still have to sort her out…”