Bobbys Relatives CH 3

Emily didn't stay missing for long. She was waiting at 1PP the next morning when Bobby came in. She stood up as he approached. Her mask of affability was back in place, she was hidden behind a careful wall of pleasantries. "Good morning." She said, carefully.

"Morning. I didn't know when to expect you."

"I need my briefcase. I have somewhere I have to go and I carry my papers in it."

"I left it at home. I can go home at lunch and get it. Or I could meet you for lunch and give it to you then."

"I'll have to see what I need to do. What time do you take lunch?"

"I can go at 12:00 today. It's a light day."

"Unless you get busy."

"You could give me your cell number. I can call you if I get busy." Emily hesitated. "I won't give it to anyone if you don't want me to."

Apparently that still was uncomfortable for her. She finally nodded and gave it to him. "No one else has it outside of a few people. I'd like to keep it that way."

"I understand. I'll call you if I can't make it."

"Will your partner be joining us?"

"She doesn't have to. We can do things apart. Would-Would you like my cell #?" he offered.

"Not if it will get you into trouble to give it."

"It's my phone." He gave her the number. Her eyes went unfocused for a minute. She didn't write it down. "You have a photographic memory?" he asked.

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"You saw it in your mind. You'll be able to recover it now. It's a gift. A talent. I have it. Did you train yourself?"

"I'm not even sure I have it, but thank you for the thought. I need to go."

"Alex isn't even scheduled to be here for another hour. I could give you a tour."

"I'm not afraid of your partner. But I do have to go. Where do you want to meet for lunch?"

"If you meet me here we can decide then."

"Think about this then, will you?"

"What's that?"

"I really go nuts for good Chinese food. Egg rolls are a favorite of mine."

"I know just the place. I'll see you here at noon."

Emily nodded once and left. He got the impression she was uneasy and in a hurry to get out of here. Alex did come in early. She greeted Bobby carefully. "Did you get much sleep last night?"

"I did actually. I-I'm sorry about yesterday. I-It was unfair of me to accuse you of anything. You are only looking out for me. I appreciate that."

Alex nodded. "I guess I over reacted. She seems like she's a nice woman. Did you find out anything more about her?"

"I was just going to do that now. Want to see what I find?"

"Sure."

They were at the computer when Captain Ross walked in. "You're not supposed to be here yet." He greeted Alex.

"We're doing research." She said.

"On that stranger that was in at the Memorial Service?"

"She claims she's my cousin." Bobby asked. "Eames thinks she's a con artist."

"I do not." Alex said, smacking him on the arm.

"If you need any help, let me know. In the meantime, I need updates on the cases you're working on." He said continuing on to his office.

"He's much nicer since he's been seeing Karla. I'm glad he's happy. She makes him smile."

"Frequently, I'd imagine." Bobby said.

"Bobby!" Alex scolded, grinning.

Bobby himself was surprised when it came out of his mouth. "Well, it's probably true." He protested.

"But not here."

"It's not like it's a secret." Bobby muttered. "Do you want to work on this while I work on the updates?"

"No, we can work on this later. Have you heard from her since yesterday?"

"She was here when I got here. She said she needed her briefcase back. I'm meeting her for lunch."

"That's good. So she isn't mad at you any more?"

"I don't think she ever was. I think she was hurt. She was crying, but wouldn't admit it. She said she doesn't cry around strangers. She lost her appetite because of the negativity. That's why she left last night."

"But she invited herself to lunch today? Just you and her?"

"I invited her. I'm going to go home and get her briefcase and give it to her at lunch. You two have something in common."

"Other than you?"

"She is fond of Chinese Food, especially Egg Rolls. I'm taking her to Mr. Chou's for lunch. If you want to, you can come along. I'd like it if you would."

"No, you go ahead. I just got in, I'll catch lunch later."

"I could bring you something."

"That'd be nice."

Alex went around to her desk and opened her computer. Bobby worked at his desk and they spoke about work issues. It seemed like there was an unspoken agreement not to talk about Emily and the issues in Bobbys life. They gave Captain Ross the requested update and he was looking at them oddly.

"So everything is okay?" He asked.

"Everything's fine, Captain." Alex said brightly.

Bobbys cell went off and he excused himself. Alex got up to follow him, but Ross raised a hand. "Just a minute." He said.

"Captain?" she said.

"I'm a man, so these kinds of things don't come naturally to me, but being with Karla has helped me to learn to read body language. Things are not fine between you two. Is there anything I can help with? You two have a flow about you that is missing. What's going on?"

"It's just partner things, Captain. That and the stuff from his Mom yet. It won't interfere with our work."

"I figured as much, you are both too professional for that. Thank you, Detective."

Bobby left the office at 11:30. He offered again for Alex to come along but she refused. She was happy for him. If the woman was related to him, that would be great. If she wasn't, Alex feared the consequences for him. He couldn't handle another relative like Frank or someone who was just pretending to be related to him.

Bobby grabbed the briefcase at his apartment and a few photos he wanted answers to and some of his own he wanted to share. He really felt bad about Alex not wanting to come to the lunch. She was usually more lenient with people she'd just met. But then she was usually right. Could she be right this time? He'd learned over the years to trust her instincts.

Emily was waiting for him. She was outside the parking garage on a bench when he showed up. She was dressed in a nice suit with high heels and a skirt. Her hair was pulled back on the sides with some kind of barrettes and she had makeup on. She carried a thick folder and was happy when he gave her the brief case. She opened it and put them inside in a lump. "Thank you."

"That means a lot to you." Bobby observed.

"It was my first big purchase when I started to make money. It's been with me awhile. So you mentioned lunch?"

Bobby grinned at her. "You and Alex both eat like a horse, but you're both tiny."

"Great metabolisms. But that's a misunderstanding. In order for you to eat like a horse you'd have to eat continuously all day. Horses have little stomachs so it requires a continuous intake of food. It would be more correct to say eat like a cow. They have four stomachs, eat them full and then digest them later. Like a human. I hope you won't pass that on. She might not appreciate the simile."

Bobby laughed. "I'll remember that. Come on, we'll take my car. You can't want to walk far in those heels."

"How right you are. I hate heels, but my clients are very tall minded people."

"You're clients?"

"I'm a livestock agent. I'm looking for new markets for beef and pork we grow organically. I'm here scouting new retail advantages for the co-op."

"You look good."

"Thank you. Bobby, would you do something for me?"

"If I can."

"Call Alex and see if she wants to join us for lunch. I don't want her to think I don't like her. I really want her to join us."

"I asked her. She said no."

"Will you call her again? Tell her I asked you."

"A-Alright. She'll say no, though."

"Then I tried. Please? If you will dial, I'll talk to her if you want."

"I-I'll ask her." He hit the speed dial.

"Eames."

"Hi, it's me. I'm here with Emily. We're hoping you can still join us for lunch. Emily asked me to call you."

"I can't, Bobby. You can bring me back some egg rolls, though."

"Right. Egg rolls. I'll see you when I get back."

He closed his phone and shrugged. "She's a dedicated officer."

"I heard. I'm sorry. Do you have some questions? I see some in your eyes."

"You should have been a detective, too." He chuckled.

"Not me. I don't like conflict. I'm into animals. Animals communicate using body language. You telegraph things, like those questions. Besides, if I were you I'd have a list as long as your arm. Do you want to ask when we get there or ask while you drive?"

"Both. What do you do for fun?"

"It depends on my mood. Sometimes I read, sometimes I like to go for a ride, sometimes I jump in the pool, or sometimes I take a nap. It just depends on what's available."

"So you don't work a conventional job?"

"I will if I need money, or things are slow. I can help stock shelves at a local grocery store, in the dead of winter when people hunker down to wait for winter to end. It gives me contact with the world in general and eases the boredom."

"So you live alone?"

"Mmm. Technically no. I don't have any other humans, but I have animals. Do they count?"

"They weren't what I had in mind. I meant boyfriend, husband, significant other?"

"No, I'm single and live alone. I like it that way."

"Alone is not good. You should have someone."

"I'm not afraid of alone. I have friends, I go on dates and I have a social life. You don't have to worry about that."

"What kind of a meeting are you going to from here?"

"There's a meeting of producers who want to set down the rules for the kind of produce they want. The last time I was there they thought we were all a bunch of pig farmers without the brains to come in out of the mud. They made the most outlandish comments and were so condescending. I had dressed nicely, but not to knock them dead. It was my mistake. I won't make that mistake again."

"I'd say you accomplished that."

"Thank you, kind sir. Help me remember to use and extra napkin to protect this suit, will you? The girls tend to attract drips and I don't want to stain before I go."

"The girls? I don't…oh, sorry. I'll try to help you remember." Bobby blushed.

"I'm sorry. I forgot you weren't raised on a farm. It's an accepted fact on a farm, sex and reproduction. You can take the girl out of the country, type thing. Please, forgive me."

"It's okay. So sex isn't that big where you come from?"

"Between humans it's as big as always. With animals, it's business because we produce the animals for resale. The more that's born, the more to sell."

"That sounds cold."

"Murder, theft, betrayal, those are your commodities. To me, that's cold. For you, it's a job. Eating is everyone's problem."

"City and country cousins?"

"Just like an old time movie."

They talked about movies and actors until they got to the restaurant. It had a buffet. Emily filled a plate and took extra napkins with a smile at Bobby. She sat herself at a table and waited for him to join her before she began to eat. Bobby watched her scarf down a large amount of food eagerly. "This is good."

"You have a hearty appetite. That's good to see."

"Are you telling me I'm a pig?" she teased.

"No." he hastily assured her, but she was grinning.

"Relax, I'm not going to go off on you. Now, you had some questions?"

Bobby brought out the pictures and spread them on the table. Emily had the answers to most of his questions, but not all of them. She looked at the photos he had with interest. There was one of them she took over to a window for a closer look. He watched her with concern. When she came back she was frowning. "Is something wrong?"

"On the wall behind you boys is a picture. I've seen that picture somewhere. I'm trying to place it. Do you remember it?"

Bobby tilted the photo to see what she was talking about. "No, I never paid any attention before."

"I just don't remember where I saw that picture at. I have another picture with that as a background, but I'm not sure where I put it. Damn, now it's going to bug me all day."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. May I see that again?" She took the picture and tilted it to catch the light, then shook her head and laid it to the side. "I'll think of it. It'll probably knock me in the head in the meeting and they'll think I've fallen on my head one too many times as a kid."

"You shouldn't let it get to you." Bobby advised.

"Can you just let things go, Bobby?"

"That's my job."

"You are still upset over Alex and I having a clash of personalities yesterday. You won't let that go. Take your own advice, cousin. You can't force things between people, it will only hurt in the long run."

"I like that term. Cousin."

"It looks to me like it fits. You don't mind then it I call you that until we find out for sure?"

"No, cousin, I don't." Bobby tried it on for size and liked hearing it.

"Excellent. Here's the deal. Aunt Connie left a small estate that wasn't too bad after all the taxes were paid. It went into the bank and I've invested some of it in things like Mutual funds, some real estate, careful things, slower than a high risk stocks, but safe. I've kept track of what I've done, figuring I'd have to account for it all at some future date. As soon as we've established family connection, you have a share in it and I guess your brother does as well. That means you'll have a share in a large farming operation, a stock portfolio and one or two family businesses that I've invested into. I'll have the lawyer draw it all up so you'll know where you stand financially from all of this."

"I don't need any of that. You've worked hard for that. You deserve to keep it for yourself. I don't need it. I'm doing fine on my own."

"Bobby, I appreciate that, I really do, but you are a rightful heir. It belongs to you. If you want me to, I can keep managing it for you as I have been all along, or you can have a say in how it's run. Either way, I'll make sure you get a monthly statement and an annual one. I'm officially the manager, because there was no one else, but you are a part owner now as well."

"Is this where you're going this afternoon? To a meeting for the business?"

"Some of it. One of the things we're involved in is a co-op of organic farmers and we're marketing the product all across the country. We pool resources of certified growers and sell them to restaurants that serve this kind of food. We're moving into the grocery stores now, have you seen the packaging? We have more and more labels coming out."

"I noticed. You do the vegetables as well?"

"For now we're just concentrating on the meat side. We've had people contact us about doing produce, but that's something we have to explore first. It might work out, because we have a surplus of excess organic fertilizer but we haven't made a decision yet."

"We? Who is we?"

"The co-op board. There are seven of us. That way there's no ties, unless someone abstains. We have votes of the members and so far we haven't had a lot of disagreements and no pitchforks at 20 paces yet."

"I should hope not. Is anyone else in the family involved in the co-op?"

"I, sorry, we have a couple of shirt tail relations that have benefited in the past and contribute a bit to the final product, but it's more incidental than as a major occupation. I don't support them, they just like to say they're part of it. As long as they don't make trouble, I let them be."

"So you really think we're related then?"

"I do. I don't have any way to prove it until you get the DNA test run, but I'd be willing to bet on it. I didn't bring a picture of my cousin Jerome, damn it, our cousin Jerome, but you and he bear a passing resemblance. He was a big strapping guy, too. I was really sorry when he was killed. He used to play with me when I was little. I was always getting hurt or sick with one virus or another and he'd come play with me when the others were outside. I have the picture of him when he graduated boot camp at home on my dresser. I really miss him."

"You're an only child?"

"Yeah. My father used to say one was all the trouble he needed, the old bastard." She laughed.

"You call him that?"

"He was a selfish lout and I'm glad to be rid of him. He drank, but he wasn't abusive. Just self centered and thought he had to be right all the time. He made most of my dates run the other way when I was in high school. He'd be cleaning his hunting rifle when I'd bring them home. I didn't ask anyone else to pick me up at home."

"Maybe he just wanted to protect you."

"No, he enjoyed scaring the life out of people, but he was a big blowhard."

"What happened to him?"

"Car accident. The best they can figure is a tire blew and threw the truck into the river. He drowned wearing his seatbelt. Miserable things, I hate them. Anyway, I need to get moving or I'll be late."

"Wouldn't want that now would we? Can you afford to stay in a motel for a few more nights? I have an extra room, if you need it."

"That wouldn't be right besides I'm here on stockholder business, you and the corporation are paying for it."

"Oh, well, in that case you could move to another better hotel."

"Nope, I'm just fine right where I am thank you."

Bobby paid for the meal while Emily gathered up the pictures. She put them in his portfolio and zipped it up for him. "Can I give you a lift somewhere?"

"That would be appreciated. I need to go to the car rental place on Riverton. This suit doesn't lend itself to getting in and out of my truck. I want to impress them with my mind not my legs."

"I could take you, if you want."

"Thanks, Bobby, that's really sweet, but I need to give the impression I can handle anything or they won't want to deal with us. Appearances are everything."

"Call me if you need anything." He said worried.

"I will."

"Sure you will." He scoffed.

"Bobby, listen to me. I live in the country around large animals, large equipment and large egos. You learn to depend on others. If I need you I will call. Count on it."

He dropped her off at the car rental and made sure she got her vehicle before he went back to the office. He was waiting for Ross to make a comment, but he didn't. He wasn't happy about it, but he had no say in what she did.

TBC