Word count: 2671
Previously on Dead Ringers:
Aaron wakes up back in the Pie Hole and sees Chuck and Olive. He tells the girls everything in the hopes they'll forgive him.
The girls react emotionally when they learn the truth about Ned. Then, they decide to work on the case in question. They consider the the threats Emerson received, the voodoo drug, and Oscar Vibenius.
Chuck is the only one to defend Oscar. Digby takes them to the spot where the Water and Power truck had been parked. They decide to call Emerson, but the phone is busy. Aaron is surprised to find out that in that town Lakeshore uses a phone system that was retired in the in the rest of the country in the early 1960s. They also haven't heard of cell phones.
They leave to see Emerson. Aaron tries to invite Olive for dinner later, but she refuses. Aaron won't give up, but feels guilty because of Mahandra.
And now the story...
XXI
Bloodhounds!
(October 31st, early evening – Papen County – on the way to Emerson Cod's office)
The trip to Emerson Cod's office was uneventful, and there even wasn't much talk inside Ned's refurbished Mercedes. The girls wouldn't allow Aaron to touch the wheel any longer, so he had to sit in the back with Digby. Aaron felt sorry because he'd been enjoying the girls' attention more than he cared to admit, and he was starting to fall in love... with Ned's car. Falling from grace like that wasn't easy.
It turned out that Chuck didn't really know how to drive, as she never had to. So, they had to count on Olive's skills at the helm to get to their destination, but they were in good hands, considering all the driving experience she had gathered delivering pies to Lily and Vivian Charles on her own, and even to other customers all over Papen County.
They parked outside the building. The Dim Sum restaurant, with its front window properly decorated for Halloween, was still open, but the place looked very quiet. By looking at Emerson's office window, Aaron saw it was dark inside.
"Nobody seems to be home," said Chuck. "He left while we were coming here? We're definitely out of luck."
"Let's go in anyway," said Olive. "No point not checking. We might find some clue."
"Agreed. If we find nothing, we can always ask in the restaurant if they've seen Emerson today," said Aaron.
They left the car, and a cold gust of wind and rain hit Aaron in the face. Somehow he felt the weather fit his mood perfectly.
They went up to the floor above the restaurant. Emerson's door was... ajar. Aaron took the lead, placed his index finger on his lips, and gestured for the girls to wait briefly. He opened the door, and quickly scanned the place in the dim light. There was nobody else there, as far as he could tell. The girls followed him and Olive switched on the lights.
"Oh, my, what a mess!" said Olive.
What must have been once a neatly kept office, now looked like a place hit by a hurricane. There were papers, rolls of yarn, books, and assorted objects all over the floor. The drawers were open, and some were on the floor as well. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Emerson Cod.
"Look! No wonder the line was always busy," said Aaron, picking the phone, which was on the floor and off the hook. "I suggest we try and find some sort of clue." Hearing this, Digby was the first to take initiative, and started sniffing around. "Something in here may help us find out what exactly happened to Emerson."
"Seems like they were looking for something," said Chuck. "I just hope Emerson wasn't here when the thief or thieves ransacked the place."
"My junior P.I. instincts tell me maybe he was..." said Olive.
Digby was the first to produce some result. He brought in his mouth and gave to Aaron a wool sock. Aaron picked it and opened it. It contained small stack of 100-dollar bills.
"Good job, Digby. Seems like we have some very careless thieves, who missed all that money," Aaron commented.
"Or maybe... They didn't want the money," said Olive. "Maybe they were looking for something else."
"Exactly!"
"But what could it be?" asked Chuck. He could be working on a dozen unrelated cases we know nothing about."
"I don't think so," said Aaron. "Last time I talked to him... and when I was still myself, he was pretty much involved in the case involving my involuntary coming here."
"And he came to the Pie Hole asking to see you, knowing who you were" added Chuck.
"Maybe he had found important... Oh I wish I could've helped him back then!"
"Yeah! No use use crying over spilled milk, though," said Olive.
Chuck gave him a reproachful look. All Aaron could do was smile and say...
"I'm really sorry. I guess I lost myself enjoying being the Pie Maker."
The gang stumbled onto a variety of different objects they weren't sure would be helpful or not. Pages of another pop-up book, sequel to Little Gumshoe, a horseshoe, a bag with pigeon feathers, a bag of taffy, a crash-test dummy mask...
"Oh, Emerson kept mementos of all the cases we worked together on! How cute!" said Chuck.
"Hey! I found something new!" said Olive, producing a cap. "Do you think the perp, or one of the perps was wearing this?"
"What does the logo say?" asked Chuck.
"P.C.W.P.D... Papen County Water and Power Department!"
Digby brought Aaron another sock. This one had some letters sewn to it.
"You can't save LeNez?" Aaron read.
"Good timing, Digby," said Olive with enthusiasm. "Isn't that from the case in which you met your good old friend Oscar, that guy who works in the P.C.W.P.D., which means Papen County Water and Power Department?" said Olive looking directly at Chuck and making her reservations about Oscar obvious enough.
"Very good, buddy," said Aaron, patting the dog on his head, and absentmindedly placing the sock in his coat pocket. "But enough with socks now, OK? No more socks!"
"That's not fair," said Chuck. "This cap could be another memento from that same case. It's almost like you want Oscar to be guilty!"
"And why do you want him so badly not to be?" asked Olive.
"OK, girls, you sound my sisters. Remember you two are best friends! It's time to bury the hatchet... Hey! Look at this..." he said, pointing to a metal object on the floor. "A flashlight! This one looks like it was left here recently."
"Then try not to leave finger prints on it. The police might need it as evidence."
"Good thinking, Chuck."
"Well, once Emerson and I caught a killer, and I used flour to reveal the victim's hand imprints on a sheet of gelatin. It pays to be careful."
"Very ingenious," says Aaron.
He then used a handkerchief to pick it up with the tips of his fingers.
"It has something written on its side... Property of the P.C.W.P."
"The P.C.W.P again? That's very interesting," said Olive, who gave Chuck another provocative look, getting no reply from the other girl.
"The glass is broken, and the body is dented. And... Oh, no!"
"What happened?" asked Olive.
"It has some traces of blood," replied Aaron.
The discovery indicated an ominous situation, but at least it showed they were on the right track. A blood trail always led to the criminal, and like true bloodhounds, they would follow where the blood led them and track down the bad guy. He just hoped this time the criminal wasn't also a murderer.
"Do you think Oscar... or whoever it was, knocked Emerson down with that flashlight?"
"Yes, and he fell and broke that planter," said Aaron, pointing at a broken vase. "It's just a pity we don't have Luminol."
"What's that?" asked Chuck.
"It's a chemical that allows us to see hidden blood traces under ultraviolet light."
"How sophisticated. Have you done some investigating yourself, Aaron?"
No, Olive, but I've watched most of CSI episodes. And many of its lesser spin-offs."
"Watched what?"
Aaron looked at Olive and Chuck. Apparently they were unfamiliar with that pop culture reference. He wondered what else they didn't know that he took for granted.
"It's a TV show popular in Niagara Falls."
"Never mind. So, now that we have Oscar's flashlight..." Olive began.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Chuck complained. "The P.C.W.P.D. has dozens of employees in the city. That flashlight could belong to any of them!"
"Granted! But who else has anything to do with the case?"
"None, Olive. And neither does Oscar, for that matter. It's just that... Oh, no!"
Chuck's tone of voice suddenly changed, making Aaron really concerned.
"What did you find?" he asked.
"Oh, no, it's true! How have I been so blind?" she said. Chuck, wearing gloves, picked the object, which turned out to be Oscar Vibenius's blood smeared I.D. badge.
Olive embraced her friend, and patted her on her head, trying to console her. Chuck seemed to appreciate the gesture.
Some time passed, and Aaron was getting restless. It wasn't very tactful, but they had to follow the leads they had on the case if they still hoped to find Emerson safe and sound.
"OK," he said. "We have all this evidence pointing at Oscar Vibenius. At least we know who to look for. The question is: where do we find him?"
Silence fell in the room. Then Olive looked at her friend.
"Chuck? Any suggestions? You met Oscar several times, right?"
Chuck had an embarrassed look. She was looking at no one in particular, and was pursing her lips, as if she were trying to keep herself from opening her mouth.
"Do you know anything Chuck?" he asked.
"But I promised him I wouldn't tell!"
"Chuck, I know a promise is a promise, but if you know something... Emerson's life may be at stake!"
"You're right, Aaron. I just wish there was another way. Oscar has a secret... It's his personal retreat underground. I've visited him there a few times. It felt good to talk to someone outside our group sometimes... But we just talked, played games..."
"What kind of games, Chuck?" The way Olive posed the question, it didn't sound as innocent as the words indicated.
"Board games!"
"Never mind the games! Please take us there!" urged Aaron.
* * *
The rain now was heavy, what made it troublesome to remove the manhole heavy metal cover. As a good gentleman, Aaron did all the dirty and wet job, while the girls waited on a dry spot on the sidewalk. At least once they were underground the rain did not matter anymore. Still, the place stank enough to be unpleasant.
"We don't have a yellow thick rose to follow this time, but I know the way."
"Good, Chuck. But just in case... Digby... Oh, I guess we should give him something to smell... But can you find Oscar down here anyway? "
Digby barked and raised his front paws. The dog seemed to be sure he could.
"Let him sniff this," said Olive, opening a paper bad and producing the P.C.W.P.D. cap. "Yeah, I know it's evidence, but I was thinking of this situation exactly."
So, with Chuck and Digby on the lead, the gang started moving towards Oscar Vibenius's hiding place, retreat, or criminal lair. Whichever it was, they would find out pretty soon.
Several minutes later, they reached a bifurcation. Digby wanted to take the left tunnel, but Chuck wouldn't go.
"This way. We take the right. The entrance is right at the end of this corridor."
"Digby seems to think otherwise," observed Olive.
"I know where it is! I've been here several times!"
"Really, Chuck? That many times? You two seem pretty intimate," she said, with evident innuendo.
"You should follow me," said Chuck, ignoring Olive's remark. Aaron agreed, but Digby wouldn't move.
"It seems Digby has made up his mind too," said Olive. "OK, I'll go with him."
"No way, Olive. I'm not leaving you girls out of my sight. We're following a dangerous criminal, and it's pretty dangerous for you two to be alone."
"As much as I want to mistake your chauvinistic macho attitude with gentlemanliness, we're big girls. We can take care of ourselves!" complained Olive, and Chuck nodded in agreement.
"Maybe YOU should go with Digby, Aaron. Olive and I will be fine. We maybe picking on each other, but we're still sisters, right?"
"Right! And it's BECAUSE we're sisters that we can tease one another. Go with Digby, Aaron. We'll be OK."
Reluctantly, the man from Niagara Falls agreed. He still thought he'd have to be there to protect the girls, but it was true Digby had made up his mind about the way to follow, and that was worth checking. And if he went with Chuck, Olive would be all alone with just a friendly dog for protection. He felt that Olive would have a better chance to defend herself with another human being. Still, the decision was not easy.
Olive and Chuck proceeded having just each other as company. The light in their flashlight was starting to grow dim, and Olive was worried that if things looked scary now, they would look much scarier in the complete dark!
"So, what are you going to say when you meet Oscar, Chuck? Ask what he's been doing lately? Invite him for a board game?"
"Is that now you teasing me because we're sisters?"
"Yep!"
"Please stop doing that!"
"Sorry. I can't help it when I get nervous. But I'll stop."
The girls reached a metal door, which was locked. Chuck removed a brick from one of the walls and produced a key. Olive thought about making a snide remark about Chuck having the key to Oscar's place, and all that this suggested, but instead she refrained herself from making any such innuendos.
They opened the door, and the place was completely dark. Suddenly their flashlight died. Olive almost panicked, as she had no idea where she was and what she could expect to find right in front of her nose. She tried to walk back, so she could find Chuck and hold her hand, but couldn't locate her friend/sister either.
"Chuck! Chuck! Where are you?"
"Hmmm!!! Hmmm!"
Those were sounds made by somebody trying to talk.
"Chuck, please! Can't you talk? Where are you? I don't think I like to be in the dark..." said Olive, who felt she was going to flip out any moment now.
Suddenly some dim lights were on, and she could see Chuck between a desk and a bookcase, near a wall beside Olive.
"I'm here, Olive. I was concentrated trying to find this light switch."
"Hmmm!!! Hmmmm!!!" The muffled sounds continued.
Olive turned around and saw...
"Emerson!"
The P.I. was tied up on a chair in the middle of the room. He was unsuccessfully struggling to get rid of the ropes. The girls ran to help him. Olive noticed the top of his skull was bruised, and that dry blood stained his bald head and forehead. She removed his gag.
"What took you so long? I thought you two girls were going to be chit-chatting all night long! Now get me out of here!"
"Emerson, are you all right?" asked Chuck.
"Been tied here for hours, and been bleeding, and you ask me if I'm all right? No! And neither will you be. He's back!" shouted Emerson, nodding in the direction of another door.
"What?" asked Olive, who turned and saw a figure with a flashlight pointing directly at their faces. They were temporarily blinded by the light, but could still make out the man's silhouette, especially noticing the man's full head of black curly hair.
"Oscar, what do you think you're doing?" asked Chuck, with her hands protecting her eyes against that intense light.
The man removed the W.P.D. goggles he was wearing. Then... he removed his hair, throwing the wig on the ground. Next, he directed the light to his face, the same same way kids like to do when telling scary Halloween stories around the fire in some camping trip.
"Hey! You're not Oscar!" said Olive with utter surprise.
- 9 -