Glass of Wonderland Chapter 12

Riversong

Frank pulled his shades over his eyes as he tried to peruse through the crib notes he made on the case at hand. The sun was beating down fiercely in his eyes and it was difficult to get work done when the foamy waves were so inviting- cajoling him to jump in for a swim.

"Joe, can you stop taking pictures? We have to earn our holiday." Frank commented dryly. Joe, focusing that new, free camera of his at a point faraway out in the open sea, didn't seem to hear Frank.

Frank sighed, knowing Joe had found a new distraction. Thankfully, it was not girls. He had seen the way Joe looked at Nicole and he wondered if Nicole's heritage made her interesting to his kid brother. Whatever it was, Joe better remembered what he told Frank or he was going to tangle up his messy relationship with Vanessa even more.

"And after the week is over, she'll be there at the airport, waiting for me and we'll know we want each other."

Well, bro. Just keep that obsession with your camera. Just keep at it and forget about girls.

"I'm just thankful I can see beautiful things. Say, how do you think Celeste picture us in her mind?"

Frank rolled his eyes as Joe began to enthusiastically snap away. "I don't know. She probably sees us with her mind's eyes."

"Mind's eyes?"

"Yes. Like the one you see your dreams with. And your dreams of getting married to Van are not going to come true if you don't stop ogling at a certain Nicole…"

"Nicole? She's pretty but she's just eye candy. Speaking of ogling… the Queen is something…" Joe let his camera hang loosely around his neck and trotted over to Frank. He sat down on the beach towel which was placed next to Frank's on an isolated part of the long stretch of beach and tilted his head to one side, closing his eyes, engaged in his imagination.

"If only she could be like, twenty years younger…"

"I don't believe I'm hearing this from you… what happened to the conversation we had about Van? Now, you have to seriously think about what you want, Joe. I feel like you only care for Van when she's mean to you. She's not going to be around, waiting at the sidelines while you play around the field." Frank set down his crib notes and tried to reason with his flirtatious brother. Joe pouted before twisting his lips to one side.

"Life's a beach. Plenty of bikinis around."

Frank shook his head before picking up the notes again. "Let's put our mind on this case, shall we? Get it solved and go home."

"If you want to go home so much, why don't you just turn down the case and we can take the next flight out of Thailand?" Joe nudged his side with a teasing smile creeping up the sides of his lips. "Perchance it's about a girl called Holly Strand?"

"Shut up." Frank drawled. "Concentrate."

"Hitting too close to home? Huh?"

"Joe, I have half a mind right now to throw you into the waters, camera and all."

"Don't touch the camera." Joe pointed a finger at Frank while stroking his camera possessively. "Anything but the camera. So, have you solved the case yet?"

"It's only two hours after we know about the case so I don't think I'm that genius or prophetic enough to just know who the thief is."

"Sheesh…" Joe swiped a dismissive hand at Frank. "You're getting too old. Come, let me see. With my brains, we will solve it in no time so we can enjoy the rest of this holiday."

"All right. Here… read these and tell me what comes to your mind." Frank passed the notes to Joe who took it, tried to read it but gave up a few seconds later.

"You need to take penmanship classes. Why don't you just summarize for me?"

"You're so close to convincing the other half of my mine to throw you into the ocean." Frank took back the crib notes, eying Joe from the corner of his narrowed eyes as he made a gesture with his left thumb and index finger. "This close."

"Yah, yah. Just get it on."

"All right. There had been thefts, petty ones for the last four years and always something was stolen from Queen's room, study or her favorite room to lounge in- her book room. The first theft was a brooch- a diamond brooch nonetheless- which she left lying around in her study. But it was not important so she did not pursue it though she did suspect one of her servants. Then her photographs, things she wrote on, her perfumes…. The latest theft before this, which occurred this March, was a pen that she signed checkbooks with. From all these, the most obvious guess I can come up with is that the thief is someone obsessed with her but didn't know quite what to steal."

"Or someone who wants to emulate her. I can see some of her younger servants who clearly idolize her, wearing her clothes, putting on her perfume, signing scrap papers pretending they were the documents she signed…" Joe, ever the actor, pretended he was holding on to a hand mirror as he preened himself. Frank chuckled, pushing his brother playfully and was amused when Joe, as he toppled sideways onto the sand, protected the camera as best as he could.

"I didn't know you were so hook onto the camera."

"Well… yah… it has a lot of wonderful pictures inside." Joe was sitting up on his beach towel again and was blowing at the lens. "It better not be ruined by sand or I'll never let you forget it."

Frank leaned over and waved at Joe to pass him the camera so he could check it out. Joe narrowed his eyes at him and hugged the camera protectively. "No way."

"Come on… I know a thing or two about cameras."

"Hmm…" Joe glanced at him guardedly. 

"Ok. I'm sorry." Frank smiled apologetically. "Just let me take a look at your camera."

Joe twisted his lips this way and that before he nodded finally, lifting the camera off his neck. "All right…"

Frank took the camera, used his sunglasses pouch to wipe at the lens. Focusing it on a piece of rock jutting out of the sparkling sapphire sea, he took a snapshot and was relieved that the camera worked. Carefully, he set it down beside him on his beach towel. "You'll get it back after we discuss the case."

"NO WAY, MAN! I could have done that!" Joe leaned over with hands stretched out, grabbing for the camera. Frank, blessed with lightning quick reflexes, snatched it and held it out of Joe's reach.

"After we discuss the case." He repeated himself with more firmness.

"This is abuse." Joe fumed as he turned away from Frank with his arms crossed.

"Whatever." Frank was in no mood for joking around at that moment. Spreading the crib notes out in front of him, he started jotting down what he and Joe had just came out with on them.

"Are you done scribbling?" Joe peered over. Frank nodded.

"So we're done?"

"Nope. We need suspects. They don't exactly fall out of the sky, Joe."

"Ok, ok. I'll go do a rain dance and plop some suspects down for us." Joe flung his hands up in the air in capitulation. Frank chuckled before he tucked his pen behind his ear again.

"Let us see. Servants… her butler… anyone who could have relatively unrestricted access to all areas of her mansion..." Frank muttered, scratching the back of his head. Joe stretched his lips into a taut line.

"You basically had it covered. Why do you need me?" His kid brother commented disjointedly. Frank put an arm around Joe, smiling strenuously.

"You may spot something I've missed. I'm not a seer, nor an Oracle. My eyes can only see so far… yours may see something else I totally neglected."

"Hmm…" Joe droned, not convinced at all.

"Ok. I just want you around too. We are partners! To solve this case quickly, I need you and you need me."

"Frank, like I said before, we can just turn down this case and get out of here if you are in a hurry to go back."

Frank good-naturedly punched his brother's chin. "I don't want to be the wet blanket. Let's solve the case quickly so we can enjoy more stressful time here in this little piece of Heaven. It's been some time since we spent some time together, right little bro?"

"Gee… I must be right. Holly did change your mind. How understanding you are now." Joe taunted him, his blue eyes glinting with the fireworks of mischief.

"Nay… ok. Honestly, maybe. But I'll really like to spend more time with you too. I kinda missed you back at Harvard." Frank's voice softened as emotions crept onto the cool, collected mien. Joe gave him a smug look.

"I knew it. I knew you can't do without me! I better pull up my socks and if you're lucky, I'll be accepted into Boston. I swear without my daily fashion critiques, you're looking increasingly dorky with each passing day."

Frank scowled, disengaging his arm away from his brother's shoulders. "Forget it. Remind me never to be nice to you."

"You can't! I'm your kid brother! You love me to pieces!" Joe nudged his side, giving him an evil half-smile. "Admit it. You were so scathing in your farewell to Gavin because you could empathize with how Adam felt when AC kept getting picked on. If I got picked on like he did, you would do more than cut him down to size with words, right?"

Frank bared his teeth in a semblance of a grin. "How astute of you. Now, our next course of action would be to return back to the villa and speak to the servants and whoever resides there. We should do some quiet observation too. Hopefully, by tomorrow, this mess will be sorted out."

"Argh. Work." Joe stretched himself as he gazed at the inviting ocean dreamily. "Let's go for a swim first before we start."

"You're on. So we just leave your camera here?"

Joe glanced at his camera worriedly. "On second thought, let me lock it up in our hut before we go for that swim. After that, we eat lunch. Then we spend the rest of the day interrogating suspects and threaten them with fire ants until they confess!"

"You sound like you were born in the Inquisition period." Frank shook his head, not knowing what to make of his brother's frivolous attitude. But in a way, Joe's happy-go-lucky nature was a perfect foil to his compulsive addiction to work.

Joe kept him sane with his crazy antics- gave him the comfort of knowing that there was somebody with more hang-ups than him.

"I can't be. I'll have died of old age. It doesn't make sense- not logical at all." Joe spoofed Frank's usual way of deducing the validity of assumptions made. The handsome brown-haired young man chuckled and punched Joe lightly. Joe elbowed him back.

"Look to your west… about ten o'clock." His kid brother spoke from the side of his lips. Frank narrowed his eyes and turned in the direction Joe instructed him to wondering if Joe had seen some suspicious that could link them to the case.

"JOE!" He exclaimed when he saw what Joe wanted him to look at. Those wandering, sharp blue eyes caught interesting images some distance away in that direction.

"Holly looks real good in that black bikini… I bet the price-tag larger than the suit put together. Hmm… Nicole probably works out… Celeste a little conservative but she still looks really sweet… Dang! Adam's in the way." Joe spoke like a fashion commentator as he studied the girls through his camera zoom lens. Shifting around a little, he smiled before taking a shot.

Frank rolled his eyes. "You should be arrested for that."

"It's just a picture! Besides, I didn't catch anything but their profiles. Three gorgeous ladies sitting down on the beach admiring the ocean as they chat away. It's a beautiful and decent shot." Joe countered back. Frank threw him a deadpanned look.

"All right! I'll tell them about it. Sheesh. I'll even blow it up for them. You'll see that the shot I've taken is beautiful and not in the least bit sleazy."

"I know. It's just that you took their picture without their permission. I know they're pretty and all…" Frank let his lecture drift off when he saw that Joe had curled his lips, looking all contrite, unhappy and annoyed at the same time. He smacked the back of his brother's head lightly before nodding over towards the gang.

"Is Gavin there?"

"Nope."

"Want to join them?"

Nodding vigorously, Joe replied him positively with body language. Frank laughed at Joe's enthusiasm as he immediately struggled up to his feet and trotted away into the arms of a bevy of beautiful girls. Shaking his head, Frank stood up, folded up their beach towels and picked them up before following behind his elated brother in a slow jog.

***

Joe was still grinning from ear to ear from the earlier swim and, after, beach volleyball session in which he got to play on the opposite side of Nicole and Frank while he teamed up with Holly. A little competition always sets the sparks flying and he saw that Holly was showing Frank's team no mercy in a bid to impress while Frank lowered his standards a little so Holly could look good as her smashes whizzed past him. Once in a while, he would deliver his deadly moves that even Joe, quite a professional beach volleyball player, could not counter to show Holly that there was indeed more to him than she knew.

Had it not been Nicole's shapely body and pretty elfin face distracting him on the other side (causing him to lose a few points too at the same time), he would have puked in disgust at the flirting moves Holly and Frank were exchanging all the time. When the game ended, Nicole went up to him and playfully sidled up to him, making him promise to teach her some of the moves he executed which were a little out of her league for that time being.

He agreed and they had a date the next morning.

"What's Vanessa's last name?" Frank muttered as he rang the bell on the side of the fence's gates leading into Queen's private villa.

Joe frowned. Trust Frank to throw the cold water of reality into his beach fantasy which was about to come true. "Lighten up, bro. I'm not married to Van… if you and I both zip up, she'll never know."

"Joe, there's this thing called commitment and faithfulness which comes with love. I'm not worried about what I'll say- I'm worried about you, kiddo. About you and your future with the girlfriend that you were tearing over before we came. But if Van breaks it off with you because of the stunts you pulled, don't come running to me for sympathy because I'm not going to coddle you."

"Oh… just… I'm eighteen! I'm so young!!!!! I know what I'm doing… it's not like I'm kissing Nic or anything." Joe growled in frustration before he bit his lower lips, feeling his conscience pricking him. Once again, he was confused about his relationship with Vanessa. If he was so sure he wanted her, why did he want so many other girls too? Was it a defective gene in him that caused him to be naturally unfaithful?

No. I'm just too young. I'm eighteen… I want some fun… it's not like I'm twenty-eight and thinking of marriage… Marriage. Yucks.

"All right. I'll keep my mouth shut for now but watch yourself, Joe. I can't watch your back all the time." Frank warned him. "And keep those hands to yourself as well if you treasure what you and Vanessa have."

"Yah, yah… blah blah blah…" Joe mumbled, rolling his eyes but he knew Frank was right. Vanessa was angry because he had shown more attention to another girl when she needed him. If he did anything more with Nicole and she found out, there would be no chance of a kiss and make-up at all.

"Yes!" Leaf Lady suddenly threw the entrance opened which caught Frank, who was standing right in front of the wooden gate, by surprise. He jumped back just in time to prevent the gate from hitting him.

Joe giggled- served Frank right for being too meddlesome. Once again, his conscience railed at him- Frank was not meddlesome, he was concerned for his kid brother. Of course, Frank just could not let go of his protective streak for Joe even though he was always pushing Joe to stand on his own feet and not rely too much on him because there would come a day when the two brothers would go out on their own into the world to lead their own lives- lives which might be vastly different.

"Hello, Leaf Lady!" Joe suppressed his guilty feelings and chimed, grinning at the kindly old lady after. "We're here in hope that you'll have some suspects for us!"

He swore he heard Frank groaned next to him.

"Actually, what Joe meant was if we could talk to you about some things because we have made some deductions and hope you and Clown have some leads for us to follow on."

Leaf Lady smiled at the both of them in amusement. "That's fast. You only took half a day before coming back. I'll meet you both at your room in an hour's time."

"Ah… can't we go in?" Joe asked, wishing that he could explore the luxurious villa again and maybe catch a glimpse of Queen McHeart.

Leaf Lady shook her head. "Nope. Not now. Queen's having tea with her brother who's staying here for a few days and do not want to be disturbed. Go along now, boys. Shoo…"

Frank nodded while Joe twisted his lips a little, unable to hide his disappointment. "We'll wait for you then." He tilted his head slightly to bid farewell to Leaf Lady who waved them along good-naturedly and shut the gates behind her.

"Why aren't you insisting we see her and Queen immediately?" Joe pestered his brother as they made their way back to the resort. "Now we have to wait one more hour before we can get our investigation on foot. I do want to some time left over after this to spend at the beach without cares or worries..."

"Shh… don't be so noisy. Quietness is a virtue." Frank chided him though his dark eyes glinted with some mystery.

Joe grabbed his brother's hand to halt him in mid-stride. "Something's brewing inside your head and I don't like it one bit coz you're not telling me."

"I'll tell in due time, my dear Watson. Let me think about it… an hour should be enough."