Word count: 4099
Previously on Dead Ringers:
Aaron tries to buy a ticket to Niagara Falls but finds out in this new tow it is 2008.
Aaron comes back to the apartment, but he feels restless but he feels an urge to protect Chuck, who finds his behavior suspicious. But the worst happens when Olive brings Digby, who reacts with hostility towards Aaron, who tries to work things out with Digby alone. When he explains what happened, Digby, a very smart dog, decides to cooperate.
Emerson arrives and takes Aaron for another case, leaving Chuck in the Pie Hole for her great disappointment.
And now the story...
VIII
Through The Looking Glass
"At this very moment in the town of Niagara Falls, little Aaron Tyler was five years, three hours and six minutes old, and was celebrating his birthday. Like many kids his age, young Aaron was fanatic about cars. Knowing that, his father gave him a gift sure to be enjoyed by the little kid: a collection of metal toy cars, which came with an encyclopedia of vintage car models. He was very happy with the gift, so much so, that he didn't really pay attention to a seemingly drab gray book given to him by his aunt Betsy, a little book she called the Holy Bible.
Young Aaron and his friends spent the entire afternoon playing with the toy cars, and he spent the entire night reading the encyclopedia. A task, for him, of easy accomplishment, considering he had learned to read at the age of three.
Young Aaron's happiness was compounded when, the following day, his father also took him to a car museum where he was even allowed to hold the steering wheel of his favorite models. He believed nothing could've made him happier.
However, young Aaron would soon learn that happiness born out of beliefs was short-lasting. For his shock and disappointment, a couple of months later his dad took him to a junkyard, so he could learn, in his father's own words, 'how cars died.' As a member of the medical profession, Dr. Darrin Tyler always wanted his son to know that everything followed a natural cycle of life, growth, and death. This way, the little boy witnessed a vehicle seemingly in need of just minor repairs being reduced to a pitiful cube of scrap metal.
As a result, Young Aaron, feeling sorry for the old, sick cars, vowed never to open the encyclopedia, and never touch his car collection again. Obsessed to understand the reality of life and death, he sought solace in aunt Betsy's gray book, which he read from cover to cover.
On that day, a cynic was born. Young Aaron then decided to blame God for eventually taking away everything he loved, including the pleasure of enjoying his father's present."
(October 30th, morning – Papen County – The Dim Sum restaurant)
"Waitress, can I have some more jasmine tea, please?" asked Aaron, while he munched a dumpling. "Hmmmm! You should really try these chicken dumplings, Emerson. They are to die for! And I should know about that, since I almost died."
"For chrissake, did you listen to a word I said?" Emerson asked.
"Yeah... Yeah... Hmmm, moist!" he observed, taking another bite. "You were saying something about having coffee with some almond-flavored cream creamer. Yeah, I might go for that."
"Yes, you idiot. I feel like giving you a cup of the Hundin special coffee with almond-flavored cream creamer right now! I was saying that's how Harold Hundin was killed. So, if we want a suspect who has revenge motive and experience with poisoning, Hillary Hundin would be our man. Or woman, in this case. But she's still in jail. I checked earlier today."
"Hmmm. It'sh a kind of shtrech..." said Aaron with his mouth full of rice noodles.
"What?"
"I mean, a stretch. Pouring arsenic in a coffee thermos is one thing. Getting her hands in a rare drug is quite another. Besides, is she a chemist?"
"I thought you said only a Bokor could make the drug, scientists had tried and failed, yada-yada," said Emerson impatiently.
"Scientists tried and failed to make it from scratch because the formula is believed to be one of the best kept secrets in the world. But if a Bokor provides a sample, a very talented chemist (and I emphasize, VERY talented) might be able to synthesize it."
"In that case...," said Emerson, pursing his lips nervously. "Someone with excellent chemistry knowledge... I guess the best candidate would be... Hey! You ate all the har gau!"
"I know, and I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me. I've never been so hungry!" said Aaron, still eating.
"Maybe it's still some effect of the drug. But I brought you here because it's right beneath my workplace, not for you to feast yourself. I'm on the clock, you know!"
"Chill out, Cod. By the way, your name makes me hungry. Let's focus on work anyway. Find your chemist and you have a clue."
"I guess I still have to dig deeper. And you were right."
"As usual..." observed Aaron immodestly.
"Funny guy! Anyway, that Dr. Roberts did write 'zombie drug' in his report. He seemed quite sure what it was, even though it's an obscure drug. And he traveled a few times to Niagara Falls last month. But he has a solid alibi for the day and time you were poisoned."
"Can I make a suggestion?" said Aaron.
"Shoot it."
"Forget about motive, means and opportunity. Who do your guts tell you could be behind all that? Who is it you *really* don't trust?"
"I was just thinking that. We think more alike than I had realized," said Emerson, which caused Aaron to give him a thankful smile and a head nod, while some roast shrimp went down his throat. "But there is a shifty individual," Emerson proceeded, "who, possibly even had motive, means and opportunity. And he does have a solid background in chemistry."
"Really? Looks like you've cracked the case, Cod. Who's the guy?"
"His name is Oscar Vibenius!" replied Emerson triumphantly.
"Is he in jail too?"
"No, because actually he was being framed when we worked on a case. But that man is capable of anything. Anyway... You wouldn't have any suspects of your own, would you?"
"Maybe... There's Heidi, my sister's boyfriend's ex. The way my sister describes her, she's the spawn of Satan. But I don't think she would poison me. Kind of cute girl, you know. Oh, and there's this Olsen girl who threatened to burn her psychiatrist and tried to blame my sister for it. I can check on them when I get back to Niagara Falls."
"Yeah, yeah... I just wonder what the pie maker has found out there. Well... Are you sure you're all right, boy? Eating so much can't be healthy. How do you stay so thin?"
Aaron interrupted his munching and tried to refrain from taking another bite.
"I can't explain. It's just that... My senses feel heightened. Like... the sky in this town... I've never seen such impossibly bright blue sky before."
"Oh, boy. You're losing it. This *is* the drugs talking, believe me," Emerson determined.
"So drug side effects will be your explanation for everything?"
"Yep, pretty much."
"Even for the 1953 De Soto parked outside? Very close to a 1937 Buick Century and a 1963 Mercury Meteor? All in mint condition?"
"OK, OK. Now it's official. When you get all Jabberwocky like that, I get sure you're just talking nonsense," declared Emerson. "The kind of nonsense we hear when some weird guy comes in saying stuff that don't make no sense, and by the time your head realizes, 'Hey, this weird guy don't make no sense', your guts are all over the window!"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. What I meant is, maybe the drug affected my eyes or mind and the sky seems bluer than it should, and all colors look brighter as well. But I've never seen so many vintage cars in mint condition in everyday use."
"I'll pretend to have the slightest clue of what you're saying, but just because you amuse me. These are just ordinary cars. Everybody drives them. Now, I just wanted to see how you were doing, and apparently you've managed to pull it off as Ned."
"Not for long. That dog almost blew my cover, but I managed to control it. This girl named Chuck, however, is gonna figure it out sooner or later."
"I know. Dead Girl is a royal pain in the..."
"Dead Girl?" wondered Aaron.
"Just a silly nickname. She's dead to me, that's all. Maybe you should try and stay away from the Pie Hole for a while. Get to know our lovely town. I'll keep you informed," said Emerson, grinning.
* * *
And so Aaron decided to take Emerson's advice and did not return to the Pie Hole immediately. Instead he went for a long walk, which allowed him to reflect on his situation. He could always take the cable car to go back later, as there was a line that passed right in front of Ned's pie place.
The walk was good for Aaron to put his ideas in order, but not for him to recover his sense of reality. The town was getting ready for Halloween and people putting on decorations could be seen everywhere. The sky still seemed unrealistically blue, and he had never seen so many bright colors in the people's clothes, and in the local architecture. And the town really looked like an open sky museum for vintage cars. But if that was all they drove, he wouldn't be able to make Emerson see what was wrong with that picture.
Eventually he passed by some place called Boutique Travel Travel Boutique, and the repetitive name caught his attention. There was a poster which read, 'Like windmills? Come visit NARN. The National Area of Retired Mills is now a very popular theme park...' And on some other street he was startled to find a restaurant in the shape of a gigantic chicken in a donut hole. The sign read, Finger Likkin Donut Hole – the best of chicken and donuts.
Aaron Tyler couldn't help but start laughing. Because then it hit him. Of course that couldn't feel real. Maybe it wasn't. He felt like he had crossed through some sort of magic mirror, and like that little girl character whose name also started with an A, he had gone through the looking-glass.
He thought about his sister Jaye, something he did whenever something unexplainable happened to him. He loved his sister deeply, but he had always felt like a sidekick in her life's adventures. After all, she had the gift of getting messages from other planes of reality through the muses that inhabited plastic and porcelain figurines. All he had was a lack of faith in a God he had spent a good part of his life studying.
But maybe... Maybe *that* was his gift. The fact he was here, on the other side of this crazy mirror, in this surreal Wonderland. Maybe that had some deep meaning too. Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe magic ran in the Tyler family after all. And he no longer felt like a sidekick: he was the protagonist of his own story. So, why not enjoy the ride? Speaking of enjoying...
* * *
Aaron arrived a the Pie Hole at close to 11 in the morning. He opened the door and Olive was waiting on a small group of students in one of the booths. He stopped for a second to observe her work, the way she described the menu items with enthusiasm, and kept the patrons mesmerized.
Slowly, he started walking towards the kitchen, but couldn't take his eyes off of her. She then noticed his attention, smiled at him, and made a quick waving with her right hand. Aaron kept moving and looking at Olive. As he was close to the kitchen door, he waved back, when he heard...
"WHOA!!!"
The shout was followed by a crashing sound of wood breaking. Several items were on the floor scattered all over the place, including a bewildered girl named Chuck.
"Oh, I'm so incredibly sorry," said Aaron, who instinctively made a hand motion towards Chuck to help her get up. However, poor Chuck crawled away from him.
"Ned, pay attention. Are you trying to finish the job?" said Chuck. Her voice was calm and gentle, but also expressed some degree of concern.
Oh, boy. This girl does have some issues, Aaron thought. It broke his heart to see Chuck in such a fragile position on the floor like that, while he was unable to help her get back on her feet.
They contemplated the mess around them. A couple broken wooden boxes, mixed with splattered pie.
Digby was the first to show some cleaning-wise initiative, as he engaged in an slurping effort to lick that pie paste that now decorated the Pie Hole floor.
"Woof!" was his comment, followed by a wagging tail. Apparently Digby approved of the recipe.
"Oh, my! It seems you guys made a big mess here!" said Olive. Let me get a mop right away."
"I'm really sorry, Chuck. Are you all right?"
"Yes, Ned. Thanks for the concern," said Chuck, who started picking what remained of the boxes. Only then it occurred to Aaron to help.
Cleaning was not the hard part, with three humans and a canine pitching in. But now there was another problem.
"Oh, Ned. The delivery boy is dropping by any minute now. But we won't be able to meet all the orders. We have to make more pies to replace the ones we just lost."
"Don't we have some... spare ones?" asked Aaron.
"There is a rhubarb pie in the fridge we can use, but we have to make the others. Do you want to make them?"
Aaron was afraid this moment would arrive sooner or later.
"You know, Chuck... I'd really appreciate if you could take care of this for me. I'm still a little indisposed," he said rubbing his belly, and thinking he really should be, but instead he was having nice memories of the kun pao shrimp he had eaten earlier when he was with Emerson.
"No problem, Ned. I really hope you take good care of yourself then."
* * *
Aaron quietly observed Chuck, as she combined all the ingredients to prepare a pie. It was also a great learning experience, because Aaron had no idea how to make a pie. He had the habit of eating them, all right, but almost all the treats he ate were prepared by the Tylers' maid, Ivette.
He also felt a strange binding feeling that drew him to Charlotte. Aaron knew the value of a family and it was with great pain that he found himself so far from his. In the absence of his folks, being in proximity with Chuck was the only thing that eased his pain.
At least Ned would be happy to know his precious Chuck is doing fine. Aaron just hoped his sister Jaye had the same luck, but for some unknown reason he had the confidence Ned was doing his best. The more Aaron learned different aspects of Ned's life, the more he learned to trust and admire that man.
The timer rang.
"Ned, the apple pie is ready. Can you get it from the oven, please?"
"Sure, Chuck. Glad to help."
Aaron felt a little clumsy with the oven mitts, but managed to get the pie from the oven without any big traumas.
"This pie smells delicious. You've really outdone yourself this time," said Aaron, as he landed the pie on the counter.
"Well, well. I guess I've had a great teacher!" Chuck said, as she placed the next pie in the oven. "And if I found out that one of our customers would waste time with a bad pie, that would kill me... Again!" she said and laughed.
Aaron laughed too, though he had no idea why she had said that. OK, the girl was crazy, but he loved his sister the same way when he thought she was crazy. So, he felt one day he wouldn't love Chuck any less.
"No thoughts about dying, God forbid. I think you should live well, love much, laugh often," said Aaron.
"Or, as the French say, 'mangez bien, riez souvant, aimez beaucoup'," added Chuck.
"Good thinking! After all, 'la vie est trop courte pour boire du mauvais vin'," said Aaron with a provocative smile.
"Wow, Ned, your French has really improved. Not long ago you couldn't put two words together!"
Oops, that would teach him to be a show-off! But then, why not take a little risk, as he really believed what he had just said, that life was too short for one to drink bad wine.
"In fact, Aaron knew much more French than that, after having read several books about the French catholic Church as he was particularly interested in the life of Cardinal Richelieu. And of course having spent three months in Paris while he was in his college break, was also great help, especially considering the dedicated help he had received from a certain cute waitress and art student named Chantal. Aaron considered how funny it was that you could learn much more of a foreign language when you were properly motivated."
"I... I have been studying by myself just to impress you, Chuck!"
"Well, you've done a great job!"
Another thing that drew Aaron and Chuck closer was their intellectual interests. Chuck had an amazing mind, which he felt was not being properly stimulated. Aaron found it comforting finally to relate to someone that was his intellectual match, which didn't happen often.
"By the way, Ned. What did Emerson want? You two seem to be working on an important case since yesterday," said Chuck. She appeared to be fine with the idea, but Aaron felt she was trying too hard to seem nonchalant. Oh, no. That restless brain of hers would soon put Aaron in a tight spot.
"No... I mean, yes, it was important, but now he has reached a dead end. There really was nothing you should worry about."
"I see... It's all right then."
Aaron had enough experience to know that when a beautiful woman said 'it's all right' to her boyfriend with *that* tone of voice, it was anything but all right. And the conversation was getting on dangerous ground.
"Good... I'm gonna go outside a little. I'm feeling a little queasy. Can you handle things here?"
"Sure," she said as she paid attention to the bowl of pie filling she was mixing. Then she stopped and looked straight at him. "It's all right." She wasn't smiling.
"Great..." He attempted a grin, but actually had a chilly feeling. That situation couldn't sustain itself very long, and he was perfectly aware of that.
He left the kitchen, and almost tripped on Digby, who barked and kept Aaron from touching his canine accomplice in that charade.
"Sorry, Digby. I'm such a klutz. But you're doing a terrific job."
"Bark!" Digby got up, showed his tongue, and wagged his tail with enthusiasm. Funny, it almost looks like he understands, Aaron thought.
Aaron got to the customer service area, but there were just a couple patrons savoring their orders. Olive was hanging Halloween decorations. She tried to place some scary cat faces on an upper shelf. But she was so small that she had to stand on the tip of her toes. Aaron found the scene very pleasing, especially for the shape of Olive's calves when she stretched herself to reach a higher place.
He considered that, while Chuck was family, Olive was, well, to put things simply, hot! Besides, Chuck made him restless because sooner or later she'd find out the truth. She was Ned's soul mate, and knew him just too well. Olive, on the other hand, had a simpler approach to life, and an undeniable, even though somewhat idealized, devotion to Ned. He felt comfortable near Olive, as his secret was safe as far as she was concerned, and the more he knew about Ned, the safer the secret became.
Finally, he felt guilty for just looking while she made such an effort to hang those decorations.
"Here, Olive, let me help you," he said and easily placed the cat face in the intended location.
"Well, thank you, Ned. Oh, this Halloween stuff was all Chuck's idea. I know you pretended to be fine with it last year, but I also know how much you dislike Halloween. Should I put the rest?"
"No."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ned. I told Chuck..."
"Don't worry, Olive. It's not that. Let's celebrate Halloween. Let's have fun! I'm perfectly fine with all this."
"That's great, Ned. I'm glad you're in such terrific mood," said Olive.
"What I'm not fine with is that you've been working too much without a break. I can't believe you're the only waitress here."
"Chuck helps... A little..."
Right then, Chuck left the kitchen and went to look for something behind the main counter. Chuck stopped what she was doing and started paying attention to Aaron and Olive, who turned her head and saw Chuck.
"Chuck helps a lot!" Olive corrected herself.
"Well, even so... I have an idea," said Aaron. "You've been waiting on people all morning, so now you deserve to be waited on instead. It's just..." Aaron checked his Casio. The battery was weak and the numbers were fading. "...a little past one. Would you like to grab a bite at the Finger Likkin Donut Hole?"
"Wow! That certainly would bring memories, wouldn't it?" said Olive.
"You tell me..." said Aaron trying to figure out what sorts of memories those would be.
"I'd love to!" Olive's face lit up with a big smile. Aaron wondered how long that beautiful woman hadn't been properly dined and wined. "But..."
She came really close to Aaron and put her hand next to her mouth. Aaron leaned over considerably, so his ear would be at the same height as her mouth.
"Aren't you supposed to be a vegetarian?" she whispered.
"I am... But this is not supposed to be a religion," Aaron, who knew all about religious dogmas, whispered back. "Besides, you can have the chicken... breasts" Aaron said, his eyes being attracted to her chest area like it was an eye-magnet, "...and I'll have the donuts!"
"OK then!"
"Good. I'm your boss and I say you're officially on a break," Aaron spoke with authority, holding her hand and pulling her towards the front door. "Chuck! We're going to have lunch at the Finger Likkin Donut Hole. We'll be back in a couple of hours."
"What... OK... I guess," said a puzzled girl named Chuck, as she saw the door close behind Olive and the man who was passing as her boyfriend. With a confused expression she looked at Digby, who looked back at her.
* * *
Outside, in a parked yellow truck, just like all the other trucks used by the employees of the Water and Power Department, a man with bushy curly hair observed everything. As he was trying to be inconspicuous, he made sure to be wearing the standard WPD work goggles, and hiding in the shadows inside the truck cockpit.
He saw the Pie Hole owner, who was holding hands with that sassy blonde waitress, leave the restaurant and take a taxi.
The last patron left the place, and nobody came in. Finally, Chuck was all alone in that place. It was the perfect occasion.
The driver of the Water and Power yellow truck grabbed and angora sweater that once belonged to Chuck, placed it against his nose, and took a deep sniff.
Revenge! That was what it smelled of. Revenge, sweet perfume of revenge! He could really make that woman smelling of honey and death pay dearly right now, so she would know there would be serious consequences for her actions.
But no, he'd better be patient. Patience was a virtue, and a man full of superior virtues like him knew that perfectly well. Besides, soon, at Halloween night, the perfect opportunity would arise. Then they *all* would pay.
He took a whiff of the sweater again, and apparently was getting addicted to it.
"For sure, once again, it wasn't so much about the telling, as it was... about the smelling."
- 12 -
