The plot thickens! XD Enjoy, and always, thank you all for your continued support.
Chapter 4
Luella Davis sank into her favorite arm chair in the living room and sighed. It had been a very long weekend. She heard the sound of Martin's car out in the drive and allowed herself a small smile. It had been a very narrow thing, her getting back from the airport before Martin and Noll and Madoka returned. She'd had to call Martin to stall her son just a little bit longer.
The door banged open and her son and husband came trooping through the door. She instantly sat up and tried to look as if she hadn't been gone all weekend. "How was the case, dear?" She asked Noll.
She received a grunt in place of a proper reply. He then went straight up the stairs to the study and she heard the distinct echo of his study door slamming shut.
"That bad?" She asked of Martin. He sighed and nodded.
Madoka entered a moment later looking despondent and tired. She sank wearily into one of the other armchairs and Martin settled onto the couch. "It was a train wreck." Madoka complained with a groan.
"What happened?" Luella asked, surprised. From everything Martin had said, this seemed to be a wonderful case for Noll to get back into investigating with.
"Let's just say the client wasn't entirely honest with us about what all had been happening at his hotel." Madoka said.
"He neglected to inform us that his hotel was in complete disrepair and apparently some of his employees took advantage of that fact to perpetrate the idea that the place was haunted." Martin explained.
"Ah." Luella said. "So nothing paranormal to speak of then." Madoka and Martin both nodded. No wonder Noll was in such a bad mood. She'd have to try even harder to get him back to his old self now.
"How did everything go?" Madoka asked quietly, not moving from her position on the couch.
Luella allowed herself a small smile. "Successfully, for the most part. Almost everyone agreed, though no one has brought up our offer to our young psychic friend yet." She was careful not to give anything away. Noll was upstairs, but the house staff was still around, and she didn't want to risk him finding anything out about her plans until the time was right.
"Any indication…?" Madoka asked, stopping before she used any suggestive pronouns.
"No." Luella sighed. "No indication of which way our friend will choose to go."
Madoka just nodded and settled back into the couch. Martin too sat back. Luella wanted to join them, but she'd been gone all weekend and there was a long list of things she needed to get done yet. She rose and went into the kitchen to see about dinner.
Yasuhara clutched the envelope with the package of information to his chest like it was the Holy Grail itself. His mother was going to be beside herself with excitement. Heck, he was beside himself with excitement.
He'd wanted to run and tell Mai, but Ayako and Monk had ordered him to stay completely silent on the subject until they had a chance to tell her themselves. But oh was that going to be hard for the young man. So very hard.
Yasu had to wonder how they were going to break the news to the poor girl. He couldn't imagine it was going to be a pleasant conversation. Especially when she realized that everyone was on board and willing to go. The young man had a feeling she wouldn't be quite so eager. Sure, it was an incredible opportunity, and that alone might be enough to sway her, but there was still the issue of whatever had happened between Naru and herself.
He'd put all of his considerable investigative skill into figuring out just what that had been, but the girl was too wise to his tricks, and he'd come away empty-handed every time. Still, he had his suspicions, and he was willing to bet his latest paycheck that whatever had happened between the two, it had something to do with Mai's feelings for Naru. Yasu guessed that Mai had confessed and he'd rejected her, but from what Lin had apparently told Takigawa and Ayako, Oliver Davis was not his usual self and hadn't been since they'd returned from Japan. That put a dent in his rejection theory, but he didn't discount it completely.
Yasu entered the gate to his house and put away his theories about Mai and Oliver Davis. "Mom!" He yelled. "You're never going to believe what came in the mail!"
"We need to tell her soon." Ayako said, sitting down beside Takigawa.
He nodded. "I know." He admitted. "I just don't know how."
Ayako sympathized. She didn't know how to breach the subject with the young woman either. She only knew that they needed to do it soon, or there was a very real possibility that Mai might never forgive them for this seeming betrayal.
"Maybe we could have Lin deliver it to her?" He asked, but as soon as the words left his mouth, Ayako was shaking her head.
"I think that if we're going to tell her, we need to make this as little about Oliver Davis as possible. If we tell her that I got the chance to open the hospital there and that you've decided to go with me, she may feel better about it."
"How do we explain that Masako, John, and Yasu are all coming too, though?" He demanded.
She shrugged. "We don't tell her until we get to the airport? Make it seem like they decided to come because they didn't want to be here without her?" She suggested.
Monk scrubbed his eyes tired. "That could work." He agreed. "But I'd still feel terrible for lying to her about it."
Ayako nodded. "I know. Me too. But this is the only thing I can think of, and we're running out of time."
"What about SPR? You know she's not going to leave it willingly. She loves that place."
Ayako sighed. "We'll tell her we're just going on a hiatus, and that the office will still be there when we get back."
Takigawa shook his head. "She won't fall for that."
Ayako groaned in frustration. "Alright, we tell her she's got to come or else I'll withdraw all of the money I invested and Masako will take back all of her equipment!"
Monk winced at the threat, but he couldn't deny that it would probably be effective. "Okay." He said after a while. "We'll try to reason with her first, and if that doesn't work, you can tell her you'll withdraw your money and Masako will take back her equipment."
Ayako could tell how terrible Takigawa felt about the whole thing. She felt the same way. But she also knew that they were doing this because they cared about Mai. And maybe Mai would hate them all for this, but Ayako still believed that this was the best possible course for the young woman. She hoped that Mai was smart enough to realize that too.
"So when do you want to tell her?" Takigawa asked.
Ayako shrugged. "Tomorrow morning?"
Honestly it didn't much matter. "Alright." He agreed.
Madoka Mori was finally back in the comfort of her apartment. She'd just laid on the bed and was seriously considering going to sleep right then and there when the phone rang. There was only one person who'd call her this late, so she wasn't surprised to pick up the phone and hear Lin's deep voice on the other side.
"How'd the case go?" He asked.
She groaned and told him about the whole mess.
"I imagine Naru isn't taking it well." He guessed.
"No." Madoka admitted. "Luella's been beside herself trying to figure out what to do to draw him out again. She's worried he'll reject another case if they give it to him now."
Lin sighed. It wasn't impossible. If Noll honestly felt like he'd been set up, then there was a very high chance he would refuse any offer of a case for quite a while.
"How are things going in Japan?" She asked.
"Well enough. Takigawa called and said that they were planning on telling Mai tomorrow morning, so we should know for sure by then if she'll agree or not."
"This whole thing practically depends on her." Madoka moaned.
"I know." He said, sighing.
"How much of a chance is there of her not accepting?" Madoka asked.
Lin was quiet for a long moment, and then he said "From everything they've told me, Mai's moved on. In a lot of ways. Frankly, I can't say she will accept. She certainly doesn't have to."
"But everyone else from SPR has already agreed, right? Once she finds that out, she'll practically be forced to come here, or else she'll be on her own again." Madoka said.
"Takigawa told me they weren't going to tell her about everyone else yet. They don't want her to feel betrayed or coerced. So if she accepts they'll tell her at the airport. If the peaceful route fails and she refuses, they're going to resort to a more forceful tactic. Apparently Ms. Matsuzaki is planning on threatening to withdraw her financial support, and they've talked Miss Hara into taking back all of her equipment."
"They're planning on threatening her?" Madoka cried, indignant.
Lin winced at her volume. "If she doesn't agree, yes."
"That's…terrible." Madoka said.
Lin agreed, but he knew that the monk and shrine maiden would only do it as a last resort and only because they truly cared for her. He told Madoka as much, and it seemed to sooth her somewhat.
"So, what's going to happen once she's here? From everything you've told me, Noll is the last person on the planet she wants to be around right now."
"I don't know." Lin admitted. "I think Luella's planning to ease them together, but I have a feeling it's not going to work out like she hopes. There appears to be some animosity between the two, based on Mai's recent behavior, and I don't know if they'll be able to work past it. Noll is emotionally dense and Mai is stubborn. It isn't the best situation for either of them to be in to try to communicate."
Madoka snorted. "Sounds familiar." She replied.
Lin smiled a little at that. "Am I the emotionally dense one…or the stubborn one?" He asked.
Madoka laughed softly. It set an ache in Lin's chest. "I miss you." She said softly.
"I miss you too. But I'll be home soon, don't worry." He appeased.
"That's what you said when you went with Noll to Japan the first time." She muttered. Madoka was being childish, and she knew it, but she was tired of her boyfriend hopping off all over the world and leaving her behind.
"This isn't like that." Lin assured her. Again the thought crossed his mind to tell Madoka about his strange dream, but he still wasn't sure what it all meant. He stayed silent.
"The next time you decide to go traipsing off all over the world, you're bringing me with you." She declared.
"You love it in England." He reminded her.
"I love Japan too." She shot back.
He sighed and conceded defeat. "Fine. Next time I'm leaving the country I swear I'll take you with me."
Madoka laughed. "Victory!" She bragged.
Lin shook his head, but he was smiling. "Go to sleep, Madoka. It's got to be past 11 there and I know you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."
"Fine." She grumbled. "I'll talk to you tomorrow then." She added, not bothering to disguise the longing in her voice.
Lin's chest ached again. God how he missed her. "Talk to you tomorrow, Madoka. Goodnight."
"'Night." She agreed.
The words "I love you" were embedded in their farewell. Lin didn't say it often, but Madoka didn't mind. He'd proved he loved her often enough, and even if he didn't always say those exact words, she knew he always implied them. She fell asleep easily and dreamed of a day when she didn't have to wake up to a cold and lonely bed.
Bou-san and Ayako were already at the office when Mai arrived the next morning. She felt the tension in the air as soon as she opened the door. The blond man and the red-headed woman were already sitting in the common room, three cups of tea set out on the table.
Both of them turned to look at her when she entered. Monk's eyes were rimmed in dark red, and Ayako had dark bags under her eyes. Mai felt her heart constrict in fear. Something terrible must have happened.
"Mai, can you come here? There's something we need to discuss with you." Ayako said softly.
Mai hung up her coat and went and joined them in the sitting area. "What is it?" She asked, afraid.
"Calm down, Mai. It's nothing bad." Monk assured her, though he didn't seem quite so certain himself.
"What is it?" Mai asked again.
Ayako and Monk looked at each other for a moment and then Ayako gestured for him to explain it to her. Monk nodded. "Ayako and I are moving. And we'd like for you to move with us."
Thank you all again. I can't tell you how much your support means, really. The next chapter should be available soon. A day, maybe less. :D
