One Last Time
Chapter 10
After Higgins left, I hung around with Rick and TC at the bar laughing about the events of that day. We weren't really laughing at Higgins; I guess it was more of a relief that everything was finally out in the open and I guess that it was a little bit funny too, but only in the sense that we were laughing with Higgins, even if he didn't see it that way. After leaving the bar, I picked up Lily from school and made dinner for the both of us. A couple of hours later Maggie arrived right on time and the both of them went off for a girls night out shopping. After seeing them off I got into my Volkswagen and went to pay a visit to Allan Gentry at the hospital.
"Hi, can you tell me what room Allan Gentry is in please?" I asked the nurse on duty at the front desk. "He's in room 439, but I'm afraid you won't be able to go in sir" the nurse told me "He's under arrest and there are police stationed out side the room." "Oh, it's ok, I think they'll let me in" I said as I smiled at the nurse.
The fourth floor was empty except for the two uniformed policemen outside the door of room 439. As I walked down the hall, a doctor was coming out of the room and was walking down the hall briskly. "Oh hey! I'm sorry!" I said as bumped into the doctor, spilling the papers he was carrying to the floor. "Let me get those for you" Is aid as I bent down to pick up the papers. "Yea, sorry about that, you know us doctors, busy, busy!" he said. "Yea, I bet, what can you tell me about the patient?" I asked. "Are you a family member?" he asked. "Well, you could say I'm a really close friend of the family" I replied. "Oh. Well, he's still unconscious, but he should fine in a few days. It's better if you just let him rest for now" he said. "Oh well thanks allot, that's good to hear!" I said. "No problem!" the doctor said as he continued on down the hall.
I figured it'd be wise just to check in with the two police officers at the door when my little voice practically started to yell at me. "Since when do doctors wear combat boots!" I thought, angry at myself for not realizing it sooner. "Get a doctor! Check on the patient now!" I yelled to the policemen as I turned and ran back down the hallway after the impostor. Hearing me yell, the impostor broke into a run towards the stairwell, threw open the door and began bounding down the stairs. I chased after him, leaping down flights of stairs at a time. Upon reaching the ground floor, he kicked open the door and ran outside. I reached the door with just enough time to see a white van drive away and get half of a license plate number. Defeated, I went went back up to the fourth floor. When I got there, the hallway was a mass of confusion. "What happened?" I asked one of the guards who had been outside the room. "He's dead" he said. "What? How?" I asked, surprised. I don't know.." the guard said as he rushed off down the hall.
I had just lost a lead, got half a license plate number and as I walking to my car, it started raining. I mean to say, it started pouring. I was completely soaked as I got into my car, which fortunately still had it's roof unlike the Ferrari. At least that was one thing to be thankful for today.
"If you learned to drive properly this wouldn't have happened" Higgins yelled at me. "If you had had the rut fixed this wouldn't have happened!" I yelled back from the Volkswagen which was stuck in the muddy driveway. "Placing blame won't solve anything and it doesn't absolve you of the fact that you ran over my tulips!" Higgins replied. "It's dark Higgins! And the driveway is made out of mud, I'm sorry!" I yelled angrily. Higgins moved around to the back of the car with the lads following him playfully. "This used to happen to our Land Rovers in Burma quite frequently. The key is to rock the vehicle back and forth to build up momentum. Disengage the clutch, cycle the engine and when I tell you, release the clutch" Higgins said. "OK" said as I revved up the engine. "Release the clutch now!" Higgins yelled. "What?" I yelled back over the roar of the engine. "Release the clutch now!" Higgins yelled again. "OK!" I yelled back. I let the clutch go with a pop and the car snapped into gear which sent the rear wheels spinning furiously while spitting out a spray of mud as the Volkswagen sank deeper. The spray of mud caught Higgins in the face. Startled, he jerked backwards off balance, tripped over Apollo who was at his feet and landed with a wet splash in the mud. Laughing I got out of the car and walked over to Higgins.
"This is positively not amusing!" Higgins said angrily from the mud. "Oh come on, it is funny; I'd laugh if it happened to me." I said. "Well it didn't! Now please, help me up!" Higgins said as he grabbed my leg. "Higgins! Let go!" I said as I started to lose my balance. "Then give me a hand up!" Higgins replied. "Higgins, let go! You're making me.." I said losing my balance and landing next to Higgins in the mud "fall. Would you get off me please?" "I see it's no so funny when you're in the same predicament" Higgins said smugly. "I didn't grab your legs and make you fall down Higgins!" I protested. Higgins let out a deep sigh and feel backwards into the mud from where he had been sitting. "It's all for naught I suppose. What's to become of me Thomas?' He wondered aloud. "You know, that's the third time this week you've called me Thomas" I said surprised. "Is it? I hadn't noticed" Higgins replied. "Well, you could always give Agatha a call. I know she happens to think you're quite the catch" I joked. "That dreadful woman?" Higgins said with a slight laugh "I jest, however that was quite unnecessarily rude of me. No, I meant with this arrangement with Robin. Maybe it's time for him to retire. He has been after me for some time about it, he's quite fond of broaching the matter. He would say quite frequently "for the world may be a stage, but eventually you must take your final bow." Perhaps he's right and I should consider some sort of formal buy out.""Well, if you do" I said pausing to consider things "after this is over, I have a feeling things are going to get pretty domestic around here. But I still have to finish this investigation. You could come with me if you want, as sort of a last hoorah. And it may provide you with a sense of closure at least." "Perhaps" Higgins said lost in thought. "Well tell you what, after I pick up all that information I need on Saturday I'll stop by and fill you in. If my hunch is right, we'll both be in for one last hoorah." Higgins seemed to brighten at the thought of that. "You think it's time we got of the mud?" I asked. "Quite!" Higgins replied.
"Oh my god, what happened to you?" Maggie asked as I walked into the house. "Ah, I had a little fight with Higgns. No, no it was nothing serious, it's fine, really. Oh! And these are for you" I said as I handed Maggie a small boquet of Tulips "I sort of ran over them with the car, which is kinda why we were fighting. But anyway, I was thinking about what you said before, and you're right." "I see, well it's the thought that counts I suppose" Maggie said with a laugh as she gathered her things to go home for the evening. "I really mean it. It's all been great, really. I'm really impressed, really." I said with a laugh "I'll find a way to repay you, honest." 'And I'll see that when it happens!" Maggie said as she opened the front door. "But..." I started to say. "But better safe then sorry mister! So you can expect your paycheck to be a bit smaller this time!" Maggie said as she shut the door quickly behind her. I could hear her laughing playfully behind it at having had the last word.