Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Tom looked everywhere for a skillet. “Do you know where Venice might keep a skillet?” Tom asked Rupert. They were both in the kitchen and Tom had come back in to make breakfast. Rupert ignored him and scanned the table for puzzle pieces. “Hello?” Tom asked politely as he continued to search different cabinets and shelves. He had made the pancake batter from scratch and had made eggs over easy. Only thing was he had ‘forgotten’ there were four of them and had only made enough for three people.
“Idiot.” mumbled Rupert as he scanned the puzzle box for pieces he might’ve missed. Unbeknownst to Rupert while he was on a bathroom break, Tom had secretly gotten another puzzle out of the closet and dumped some different pieces into Rupert’s box. Tom finally found the skillet over top of the stove where he was cooking eggs. He put it down and heated up another burner. Alessandra could be heard snoring from the other room.
Tom started to flip pancakes and land them back in the skillet. One of them missed and landed on the ground. Tom looked around rather inconspicuously, and saw that Rupert was busy searching through the puzzle box again. Tom put it on a plate and put it on the table. “Look Rupert, I made you breakfast!” he said as he went back to flipping other pancakes.
“Yeah, whatever,” Rupert said as he took a big bite out of the pancake. Tom heard a crunching sound from Rupert’s mouth and watched as he chewed. Tom giggled and finished up his eggs. He could hear Venice slowly coming down the stairs.
“Hey Rupert,” he said as he turned around to look at him. “Do me a favor and set up the table.”
“But my puzzles set-up here…” he said without looking up.
“So, you want us to eat somewhere else?” Tom asked. Rupert didn’t answer. “Fine then smart-ass, we’ll eat outside.” Venice had made it to the kitchen.
“Tom, what are you doing?” Venice asked quietly, still a little squinty eyed.
“Making breakfast sweetheart.” Tom said proudly as he flipped the last pancake. Alessandra had stopped snoring and also entered the room. Tom looked back and forth between Alessandra and Venice. Alessandra had obviously lost some clothes while sleeping. Tom hummed as he put everything on plates and picked up as much as he could to walk toward the girls. “I figured we’d eat out on the patio outside.” he said, “Hey Rupert, be a good fellow and grab the mugs of coffee I fixed for us.”
“Get it yourself.” Rupert responded.
“Right then, well ladies I’ll join you outside.” Tom said as he walked with them to the patio and laid down the plates. He walked back in quickly to grab the mugs and met Rupert on the way.
“Where’s mine, you good for nothing stick boy?” Rupert demanded as Tom walked away with the mugs.
“You took a bite out of it.” Tom said as he motioned towards the bad pancake by the scattered puzzle pieces. Tom left Rupert inside, and set down everything in front of the ladies while they listened to the waves from a couple of yards away. He smiled as he looked at both girls. “I’m gonna have some of this, but in a minute I’m gonna need to borrow the car.” he said slowly.
“Why?” asked Venice cautiously.
“Um…you know…just to…drive a bit…get a paper at the store, maybe get a pack of gum.” Tom stuttered.
“Oh…I guess that’s alright.” Venice said as she took another bite from her pancake. Alessandra didn’t look all the way awake yet and she mumbled a bit while she picked at her eggs.
“I’ll let you guys get more acquainted.” Tom stated as he stood up. “The keys in their usual place?” he asked Venice as she put more pancakes in her mouth. She nodded as she wiped her mouth. Tom chugged his remaining coffee and then went back inside.
“Alright you little twit, what’re you doing now?” Rupert asked him as soon as he stepped in the door.
“Suddenly very interested in what I’m doing?” Tom asked, smiling at Rupert. “You might wanna keep working on that puzzle.” He smiled again as he took Venice’s car key out of her leather coat pocket. “I’ll be back in a bit Fido. Don’t get into too much trouble.” He heard Rupert stammer a bit as he turned and walked out the front door. He shut it reassuringly and headed for the garage. The big doors squeaked as Tom pushed them open to see Venice’s Royals Royce gleaming back at him. He squealed as he ran his fingers along the car’s side and finally to the door handle.
Tom loved cars, but this one in particular. He didn’t have a car of his own, so driving was a rarity for him. He started the engine and pulled slowly out of the garage. The car purred as he pulled it out of the driveway and off towards the nearest little congestion of a town. No one else crowded up the road all the way to the store.
Tom walked in and grabbed a paper, skimming the front page rather quickly for a certain Charles Jones. He remembered that this was the American paper, however, and he got through all the celebrity gossip and funny pages. “Ah,” Tom said as he found what he was looking for. There was another article on Charles, but there wasn’t much to be said. He guessed that the ministry would cover up a lot of that. Then he saw something else.
Major Fire In Scotland, Locals Say There Is Trouble Near Kingstown Castle. This is what Tom wanted to see. He read more into this and found more evidence of the ‘Aztec Device’, as it was called back at the ministry. “Hmmm,” he said as he thought.
“Hey, you!” the store clerk said from behind the counter. “You gonna pay for that, or read it all now?”
“Oh, sorry.” Tom said. “Here keep the change.” he added as he laid down a couple pesos and walked out of the store. He wondered how long it would take the woman to notice what he had just done. He jumped in the Royals Royce and drove off back towards Venice’s summer house reading the paper occasionally. He stopped that after he realized he was in a field, and had been for quite sometime. Maybe he should pay more attention to the road, instead of the paper. He got to Venice’s house, in one piece amazingly, and walked in the door.
“Hey you oaf,” Rupert said angrily, “I think you dropped my pancake!”
“No I didn’t.” bluffed Tom as he walked by and went out the back door to find the girls chatting away. He sat down at the table and listened to them ramble for awhile about horses, and waited for a quiet point. “You two ever been to Scotland?” Tom asked randomly.
“What?” Venice asked.
“Only on holiday…” Alessandra thought out loud.
“Great!” said Tom, “I’m planning a trip anyway…”
“But,” said Venice, “We just got back from Mexico a couple of days ago.”
“I know…but think of this as a vacation.” Tom said. “We don’t have to leave right away. We can wait a couple of days, and I can make more breakfast, and so on.”
“I’d love to come!” Alessandra said. Tom ignored her slightly and continued to stare at Venice with puppy eyes.
“Please?” Tom asked whiningly.
“I’ll think about it.” Venice said.
Tom looked everywhere for a skillet. “Do you know where Venice might keep a skillet?” Tom asked Rupert. They were both in the kitchen and Tom had come back in to make breakfast. Rupert ignored him and scanned the table for puzzle pieces. “Hello?” Tom asked politely as he continued to search different cabinets and shelves. He had made the pancake batter from scratch and had made eggs over easy. Only thing was he had ‘forgotten’ there were four of them and had only made enough for three people.
“Idiot.” mumbled Rupert as he scanned the puzzle box for pieces he might’ve missed. Unbeknownst to Rupert while he was on a bathroom break, Tom had secretly gotten another puzzle out of the closet and dumped some different pieces into Rupert’s box. Tom finally found the skillet over top of the stove where he was cooking eggs. He put it down and heated up another burner. Alessandra could be heard snoring from the other room.
Tom started to flip pancakes and land them back in the skillet. One of them missed and landed on the ground. Tom looked around rather inconspicuously, and saw that Rupert was busy searching through the puzzle box again. Tom put it on a plate and put it on the table. “Look Rupert, I made you breakfast!” he said as he went back to flipping other pancakes.
“Yeah, whatever,” Rupert said as he took a big bite out of the pancake. Tom heard a crunching sound from Rupert’s mouth and watched as he chewed. Tom giggled and finished up his eggs. He could hear Venice slowly coming down the stairs.
“Hey Rupert,” he said as he turned around to look at him. “Do me a favor and set up the table.”
“But my puzzles set-up here…” he said without looking up.
“So, you want us to eat somewhere else?” Tom asked. Rupert didn’t answer. “Fine then smart-ass, we’ll eat outside.” Venice had made it to the kitchen.
“Tom, what are you doing?” Venice asked quietly, still a little squinty eyed.
“Making breakfast sweetheart.” Tom said proudly as he flipped the last pancake. Alessandra had stopped snoring and also entered the room. Tom looked back and forth between Alessandra and Venice. Alessandra had obviously lost some clothes while sleeping. Tom hummed as he put everything on plates and picked up as much as he could to walk toward the girls. “I figured we’d eat out on the patio outside.” he said, “Hey Rupert, be a good fellow and grab the mugs of coffee I fixed for us.”
“Get it yourself.” Rupert responded.
“Right then, well ladies I’ll join you outside.” Tom said as he walked with them to the patio and laid down the plates. He walked back in quickly to grab the mugs and met Rupert on the way.
“Where’s mine, you good for nothing stick boy?” Rupert demanded as Tom walked away with the mugs.
“You took a bite out of it.” Tom said as he motioned towards the bad pancake by the scattered puzzle pieces. Tom left Rupert inside, and set down everything in front of the ladies while they listened to the waves from a couple of yards away. He smiled as he looked at both girls. “I’m gonna have some of this, but in a minute I’m gonna need to borrow the car.” he said slowly.
“Why?” asked Venice cautiously.
“Um…you know…just to…drive a bit…get a paper at the store, maybe get a pack of gum.” Tom stuttered.
“Oh…I guess that’s alright.” Venice said as she took another bite from her pancake. Alessandra didn’t look all the way awake yet and she mumbled a bit while she picked at her eggs.
“I’ll let you guys get more acquainted.” Tom stated as he stood up. “The keys in their usual place?” he asked Venice as she put more pancakes in her mouth. She nodded as she wiped her mouth. Tom chugged his remaining coffee and then went back inside.
“Alright you little twit, what’re you doing now?” Rupert asked him as soon as he stepped in the door.
“Suddenly very interested in what I’m doing?” Tom asked, smiling at Rupert. “You might wanna keep working on that puzzle.” He smiled again as he took Venice’s car key out of her leather coat pocket. “I’ll be back in a bit Fido. Don’t get into too much trouble.” He heard Rupert stammer a bit as he turned and walked out the front door. He shut it reassuringly and headed for the garage. The big doors squeaked as Tom pushed them open to see Venice’s Royals Royce gleaming back at him. He squealed as he ran his fingers along the car’s side and finally to the door handle.
Tom loved cars, but this one in particular. He didn’t have a car of his own, so driving was a rarity for him. He started the engine and pulled slowly out of the garage. The car purred as he pulled it out of the driveway and off towards the nearest little congestion of a town. No one else crowded up the road all the way to the store.
Tom walked in and grabbed a paper, skimming the front page rather quickly for a certain Charles Jones. He remembered that this was the American paper, however, and he got through all the celebrity gossip and funny pages. “Ah,” Tom said as he found what he was looking for. There was another article on Charles, but there wasn’t much to be said. He guessed that the ministry would cover up a lot of that. Then he saw something else.
Major Fire In Scotland, Locals Say There Is Trouble Near Kingstown Castle. This is what Tom wanted to see. He read more into this and found more evidence of the ‘Aztec Device’, as it was called back at the ministry. “Hmmm,” he said as he thought.
“Hey, you!” the store clerk said from behind the counter. “You gonna pay for that, or read it all now?”
“Oh, sorry.” Tom said. “Here keep the change.” he added as he laid down a couple pesos and walked out of the store. He wondered how long it would take the woman to notice what he had just done. He jumped in the Royals Royce and drove off back towards Venice’s summer house reading the paper occasionally. He stopped that after he realized he was in a field, and had been for quite sometime. Maybe he should pay more attention to the road, instead of the paper. He got to Venice’s house, in one piece amazingly, and walked in the door.
“Hey you oaf,” Rupert said angrily, “I think you dropped my pancake!”
“No I didn’t.” bluffed Tom as he walked by and went out the back door to find the girls chatting away. He sat down at the table and listened to them ramble for awhile about horses, and waited for a quiet point. “You two ever been to Scotland?” Tom asked randomly.
“What?” Venice asked.
“Only on holiday…” Alessandra thought out loud.
“Great!” said Tom, “I’m planning a trip anyway…”
“But,” said Venice, “We just got back from Mexico a couple of days ago.”
“I know…but think of this as a vacation.” Tom said. “We don’t have to leave right away. We can wait a couple of days, and I can make more breakfast, and so on.”
“I’d love to come!” Alessandra said. Tom ignored her slightly and continued to stare at Venice with puppy eyes.
“Please?” Tom asked whiningly.
“I’ll think about it.” Venice said.