MY MOTHER'S SON
The confused trio of Kristen, Bridger and Ben continued to stand at the front of the immense house for a few seconds before deciding that they had better at least investigate the chaos that about to unfold.
They too headed around the corner of the house in the same direction that Lucas and his butler friend had run in. Once they went around the side of the building they headed to the back of the house.
There were a number of garden beds along the decking. The walls of each were about 3 feet high and it was the nearest the end of the house that Henry and Lucas were crouching down behind.
"What are you hiding from?" Bridger now asked. The three of them were quite unaware of the danger that they were putting themselves in by remaining standing erect.
"Get down" Lucas snapped sharply as he grabbed the front of Ben's shirt and physically pulled him of balance and to the ground behind the garden wall. Bridger and Kristen now crouched down too still not knowing why.
Before Kristen or Bridger could ask the question about why they were hiding behind a three foot high garden wall, a gun shot rang out across the pasture that seemed to go for miles behind the house. It wasn't a normal gun shot though. Sounded more like a rifle or long range weapon.
"It's your turn to talk to him you know" Henry said to Lucas.
"No it's not it's yours. I did it last time" Lucas now shot back at his friend.
"Um I am afraid not my young friend. That was the time before last. This time it's your turn trust me" Henry answered back.
"It is really my turn again?" Lucas asked as though he was being asked to take a walk of the plank.
"Sorry kid, but your younger than me too. Besides, he is always happy to see you." Henry said joking.
"No he's not and besides, he hasn't seen me in a long time remember"
"Yes but that's the great thing about it Lucas. You'll be like the long lost nephew he never had. He'll be over the moon to see you just like I was."
"I very dead long lost nephew" Lucas said sarcastically as he stood up and prepared to head out into the open field. He had walked about ten steps before turning around and shouting at Henry again.
"You are going to owe me big time for this Henry" Lucas said.
"Put it on my tab" Henry said with a laugh.
"Your tab is already more than I earn in a year don't forget" Lucas told him.
"Oh yeah." Henry now said as he thought about it. "Do you take a personal cheque or I.O.U." he said and then started laughing again.
Bridger and the other two were falling more and more behind the conversation. It was like one of those times when you came into the tail end of a conversation and couldn't keep up with what had been happening before you got there.
Lucas didn't walk too much further but now cupped his hands around his mouth and started calling out loudly across the field. "Uncle Wally, it's me Lucas. Uncle Wally?"
Lucas paused from his yelling for a moment to see if there was any answer to his calling out. The answer he got was another stray gun shot that struck some of the bricks and mortar towards the roof of the house. There wasn't any real fear of Lucas getting hit or hurt by the falling debris but the sound made him crouch down towards the ground again and put his hands protectively over the top of his head.
"Is that really you Lucas?" came an older man's voice. "Cyndi's boy?"
"Yes Uncle Wally, it's me Lucas" the teenager shouted out again.
It was now that the three of them crouching behind the garden wall stood up and saw a elderly gentleman emerge from within the stables that were to the right of the house about 200 metres away.
The man was now walking towards the teenager carrying what looked to be an older style rifle. Something that somebody would use during a safari or a hunt of some kind.
The man seemed to be peering at Lucas, a little sceptical that Lucas was really who he said he was. As the man got closer, the recognition on his face became obvious and he broke out in a grin. "LUCAS" he said enthusiastically before leaning the rifle against one of the garden walls and then grabbed the youth around the waist, lifting him up.
"Great to see you again kid. Gee you really have grown some since I saw you last. And put on some weight I notice" the man now said as he looked the teenager over to see what changes had occurred since the last time they had met.
The man's facial expression soon changed though from one of excitement at meeting an old friend to one of sorrow and sentiment as he thought about Lucas's loss and what it meant to both of them.
"Sorry to hear about your mom Lucas. We are really going to miss her around here" he said. "You just let me know if you need anything you hear. Money, somewhere to stay, you just name it. I will write out a blank cheque for you tomorrow. Don't be afraid to ask, you know I would do anything for you and her."
Bridger and Kristen had to smile a little at the older man's offer. At least there were some part's of Lucas's family that still cared about him. Obviously this man thought the world about him just like they did.
"No that will be okay Uncle Wally. I already have a new family now and they are the best. Come over here and I will introduce them to you." Lucas now said, turning towards the others behind the garden.
"This is Captain Nathan Bridger of the SeaQuest, Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg and one of my best friends and Kristen Westphalen, somebody I couldn't do without most of the time." Lucas now said as he introduced his friends to his Uncle.
"This is Uncle Walter, my mom's brother-in-law. He is married to Aunt Beryl. The one who called me on the phone back at the island."
"Where is Aunt Beryl at the moment Uncle?" Lucas now asked as he looked around, hoping to spot the woman.
"Beryl is with your Aunt Carmel doing some of the formal preparations for tomorrow." Wally said with a tone of voice that said he wasn't entirely pleased about what was happening around the place.
"Aunt Carmel is here?" Lucas now asked in surprised and swallowed a little. The woman was positively obnoxious and he didn't like her one bit.
"I am afraid so son, afraid so" Wally said as he too agreed with Lucas's appraisal of the woman's personality.
"I didn't want to spoil your arrival with that little bit of information Lucas" Henry said as he now stepped into the conversation.
"Oh it's okay Uncle, Aunt Beryl already told me on the phone that the vultures had already started arriving" Lucas said with sarcasm as he sat down on the edge of one of the garden walls.
"Well one thing's for sure. With your Aunt Carmel in charge, thing will hardly be boring around here." Uncle Wally now said.
"Amen to that" Henry said in agreement.
"Oh I'm sorry Captain, Kristen and Ben. I seem to be leaving you out of a lot of this. I didn't mean to, it's just been say, let's say crazy since we got here. I think it is fair to say that it is only going to get worse from tomorrow until everything is settled."
"Don't worry about it Lucas. I know you have other things on your mind at the moment. We will be here if and when you need us. But for now, enjoy the time with your family and friends. You can catch up with us anytime"
Bridger now said, reassuring the teenager that is was perfectly alright to be a little off guard at the moment. Over the next few days he wouldn't be surprised at all if Lucas had many lapses in concentration as he struggled to deal with what had just happened in his life.
"Let's all go inside and get something to drink and relax before anybody else gets back. It will probably the last chance for a few days." Henry now said as he used a key to open the French doors on the back of the house.
"Coming Uncle Wally?" Lucas now asked as he walked with Bridger and the others into the spacious house.
"In a minute Lucas. I just want to be sure there is no stray varmints around that shouldn't be. That's what I was hunting for before you know. Caught sight of one of the blighters but didn't get a clear shot at him. I'll come in when the coast is clear and the place is secure." the older man said and started heading back towards the barn again.
Henry and Lucas couldn't help but giggle sightly at Uncle Wally's antics.
"What's with your Uncle Lucas?" Ben now asked when the man was out of earshot.
"Oh nothing Ben, he is just a little crazy. Runs in the family you know so you had better watch out" Lucas now said and winked at his friend.
Once inside Bridger and the other newcomers couldn't help but look around the rooms in stark amazement at the opulence and expense that was laid out before them. Each corner of the room was richly decorated in antiques, tapestries and artefacts of great expense. Cynthia Wolenczak had spared nothing when it came to her living quarters.
"See you still keep things pretty much ship shape around here Henry" Lucas now said. The teenager seemed to take in very little of the wealth around him. Maybe it was because he had grown up in such luxury or maybe it was because he was trying to block it all out.
"Drink anyone?" Henry now asked as he took on his butler role once again.
"Yes please Henry" came Bridger's response. Ben and Kristen nodded their heads in agreement and they all proceeded to tell the man what alcoholic beverage they preferred.
"What about you Lucas?" Henry now enquired.
Lucas was now 18 years old but often turned away from alcohol. Occasionally he had been known to have a beer on the verandah with Bridger when it was very hot or sometimes when he was dragged along to a place by the crew. But normally it wasn't something that Lucas took much pleasure in.
"Just a coke for me today thanks Henry" Lucas said as he wandered around the room and began looking more closely at some of the material things that his mother had collected since he was last here. He seemed very distracted at the moment to the others.
Henry now handed Lucas his coke whilst casting a worried face over the teenager. "Lucas, before we get too comfortable here, there's something I need to tell you. Let's go into the study for a minute."
"I apologize for all the secrecy but we shall only be a few minutes" Henry now said to Bridger and the others. Kristen, Ben and Bridger were left to talk to Uncle Wally.
"So what do you do for a living Wally?" Kristen asked, trying to keep drum up a conversation with the man introduced as Lucas's uncle.
"Oh I have my own company" Wally started to say. He then went into great detail about what the company did and how long he had owned it.
By halfway through the conversation, Bridger had begun to understand why Uncle Wally was given the tag as crazy. The man would be talking calmly about the topic of conversation only to change to his years during the war. His voice would become somewhat louder in volume and he would speak ten times as fast. Then there were mentions of his gun collection and how many he had and where they came from.
Needless to say during the conversation about this gun collection, there was a reference to animal hunting and elephants. Kristen assumed that this was were the line about the "elephants are coming" had come from Lucas and Henry. Obviously it was a topic of conversation that they were familiar with.
By the end of the conversation Uncle Wally was back to talking about his company again as though he had never drifted from the original question. Ben found he just couldn't keep up with the man's constant changing of topic.
Their talk with Uncle Wally was interrupted by the door to the study opening. Lucas seemed to stumble out of the room, very pale faced and looking as though he had been crying. He didn't say a word, only headed towards the liquor bottles where Henry had poured drinks earlier. He poured himself a stiff drink of the first bottle he got a hold of and filled the rest of the glass with ice.
When he turned back towards his friends, he almost looked like he wanted to say something. His face was still very pale. The words never left his tongue and he headed upstairs without acknowledging the other people in the room.
"Lucas?" Bridger said as he started to get out of the chair and follow the teenager. Something was very wrong and he wanted to find out.
"I think he needs some time to himself Captain" Henry said in a sad voice. "I know you care about him as much as I do but he needs some time to work through what I just told him."
"What did you just tell him?" Ben asked. He too was worried about his young friend.
"Cynthia, I mean his mother didn't just die." Henry started to say, letting the words sink in before he dealt the next bombshell. "She was murdered."
"Oh my God" Kristen said as her hands flew to her mouth at such a startling statement. No wonder Lucas had looked so pale when he come out of the room. The news of his mother's death had already been devastating enough. How would the boy cope with the knowledge that his mother had actually died at the hand of someone else.
"How did it happen?" Bridger asked, afraid of what the explicit details might be.
"She was found in her bedroom with a single gun shot wound her head. The left temple to be precise. She probably never even knew someone was in the room." Henry said as he thought about the cold and callous way his former employer had been gunned down whilst she slept. He had left out specific details about her probably being drunk and that's why she never heard her killer approach the bed.
"Poor Lucas" Ben whispered. They all nodded their heads in agreement.
Before there could be anymore discussion on Lucas's state of mind after learning about his mother's murder, the front door opened and in walked two stoutish women.
As they got closer, Ben and the other newcomers could feel the eyes of scrutiny on them as if to say what were they doing here.
"Henry, please tell who these strangers are and what they are doing here?" came the curt question from one of the women. She was a middle aged woman with her hair pulled back into a bun, making her face seemed very stern.
"Now listen here Carmel, you leave these good people alone." Uncle Wally started to say before he was quickly cut off by the same woman.
"No one asked for your opinion Walter. Really Beryl if he wasn't your husband lord knows he would......" she started to say.
Bridger and Kristen now guessed that the stern woman was the one called Carmel that everyone was dreading would turn up sooner or later. The other woman, with a lighter hair colour and softer expression on her face must be the Aunt Beryl that called Lucas on the phone back at the island.
"Beryl, I am going upstairs. You tell that sister of yours if she don't keep her comments to herself and her nose out of everybody else business, I am going to punch her in the snoot. Sister or no sister" Uncle Wally replied angrily and then stomped up the staircase without even saying goodbye to the other people in the room.
It was the first occasion in the short time they had been in the older man's company that they saw a frown on his face. Obviously the woman rubbed him up the wrong way without even really trying hard. Kristen thought the woman might be able to do the same to most people if given the opportunity. She had already decided that she didn't care for the woman's uptight attitude either.
Henry now coughed to interrupt the already tense atmosphere in the room. "Carmel, may I introduce you to Nathan Bridger, Kristen Westphalen and Ben Krieg. They are friends of Lucas. They only arrived a short while ago."
"He's here is he? Now that's surprising given that he doesn't have any contact with her except when it suits him" Carmel now said as she was made aware of the teenager's presence.
Ben bristled immediately at the woman's harsh comments and was about to say something in return when he felt a firm restraining hand on the back of his shirt from Bridger. He and Kristen were just as ticked off as Ben but because they were strangers here they would have to mind their manners a little bit. Even if it meant others in Lucas's family didn't.
"Um Carmel, I should tell you that Nathan has now adopted Lucas" Henry now said, hoping the woman might back off a bit when she realised that these people were the boy's new family.
"And what do you do for a living Mr Bridger?" Carmel said in a cool tone looking at him over the tip of her nose. The woman looked at Kristen too but held her tongue a little towards the red head. Something about Kristen's striking good looks put her off any snide remarks for the time being. Kristen couldn't help but feel the woman's gaze up and down her though.
"Captain Nathan Hale Bridger actually of the U.E.O. flagship SeaQuest," Bridger now said, happy to be able to shove some dirt back in the woman's face without being too obvious about it. "This lovely lady to my right is my partner and wife to be someday and Lucas's stepmother. Kristen Westphalen, medical doctor, bio-chemist and chief medical advisor aboard the SeaQuest. The gentleman standing beside her is Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg, Moral Officer and Chief Supply Officer of the SeaQuest."
The woman couldn't find any words for a second at the list of achievements and occupations was rattled off in front of her.
"Well, it's nice to see that somebody with experience has taken the boy in. Lord knows he needs some discipline you know. Always daydreaming and thinking about other things other than what he is supposed to be doing" Carmel now said in reply.
Kristen was now close to boiling point. If this woman didn't stop degrading Lucas, Kristen just might forget all about being a lady and a guest in the house and punch the woman out anyway.
"Oh we couldn't do without Lucas aboard the boat" Ben now said in his friend's defence.
"Oh really" Carmel said in an over exaggerated manner as if she couldn't possibly believe that the boy was of any real use to anybody.
"Yes, the boy is a genius. Chief Computer Analyst of the SeaQuest. There is not a computer system aboard that he hasn't built or had a major input into. Did you know he also graduated from Stanford College at the age of 14 too?" Ben now said. It was clear that the SeaQuest crew had thrown all caution to the wind with Lucas's family. If they thought he and his friends had come back only to get beaten into ground again by his mixed up and sordid family, they were mistaken. They still had plans to be polite and respect Lucas's wishes but they weren't about to see the boy talked about behind his back.
Bridger and Kristen couldn't help but hide their smiles at Ben's cheerful deliverance of the equivalent of a slap in the face. Even Henry had to stifle back a giggle. He was very pleased that Lucas's new family weren't about to have his name and reputation put down by anybody, even if it was his own estranged family.
The woman assumed to be Aunt Beryl kept her mouth shut the whole time they were standing there. Even when the comments were made about her husband. The woman wasn't game to speak to anybody unless Carmel gave her permission first.
"If you will please excuse us Henry, Ben and I will head upstairs and get unpacked. I trust Nathan would like to check on Lucas to see how he is doing" Kristen said as she looked intently at Bridger to see if he got her hint.
The hint wasn't needed and Bridger had already planned to go up and spend some time with the sullen teenager. If the only company they were have for the rest of the evening was Carmel, then he was only too glad to have only Lucas to talk to.
"I will bring a tray of food up to him in a little while Nathan" Henry now said as he realised he was not going to escape so easily from Carmel's presence. He still had to do the butlery duties of the house and served the guests and dinner. It would be late tonight before he could relax and take his shoes off.
Kristen, Ben and Bridger now headed up the stairs. Henry direct them to their living quarters. Bridger and Kristen had a large bedroom to themselves that was richly and tastefully decorated. Ben had an equally large single room that looked more like a hotel suite than a bedroom.
Bridger thought he might have trouble finding Lucas's bedroom amongst the hallway of doors but then came across a room that had LUCAS across the top of the door in gold lettering. He was pretty certain he had found the right place.
Bridger decided to do the courtesy thing and knock first before entering. He knocked a second time and still there was no answer. He then quietly opened the door and walked inside.
The room was particularly dark once he walked in and he noted that no lights were on. There was a large set of French doors leading from the other side of the room out onto a large and very open balcony area. It was out there, leaning up against the railing and looking out over the gardens and lawns below that he found the person he was looking for.
Lucas was using the railing as a support as he leaned on it. He turned around when he heard the footsteps behind him and tried to wipe away the tears from his eyes before Bridger saw them.
"Are you okay?" Bridger said in a soft voice as he draped a comforting arm around the boy's stiff shoulders.
"Not really" Lucas admitted with honesty. He started staring out across the lawns again without saying anything at first.
A few more minutes of silence passed between then before he spoke again "Why Captain?"
"I don't know Lucas" Bridger replied as he guessed that the teenager was asking why his mother would be murdered.
"It just doesn't make sense you know." Lucas now said. "I mean she was no angel, but she had friends, and enough money to see her through the rest of her life. Why would anybody want to kill her?"
"I can't answer that one pal. I wish I could but I don't know the answer" Bridger said in sympathy.
"Has anybody else arrived yet?" Lucas now asked, trying to find out what had happened since he came upstairs.
"Yes, Ben and Kristen and I got this tongue lashing about you needing more discipline" Bridger said with a grin.
"Aunt Carmel" Lucas said almost as if the words were bitter in his mouth.
"She just make you want to warm up to her doesn't she" Bridger said in truth.
"I am sorry you had to meet her. I don't know what she said to you but ignore her. She just all hot air." Lucas told him. "She has never liked me and doesn't mind making a point to everyone about it."
"Your uncle didn't seem to pleased to see her and went upstairs in a huff. The other lady I assume is Aunt Beryl was too scared to say anything the whole time we were standing there. She wasn't even introduced to us." Bridger said as he explained what had transpired downstairs.
"You'll like Aunt Beryl. She is really nice. We just have to get her away from Aunt Carmel for a while and on her own." Lucas answered.
"I tended to notice Aunt Carmel's cool attitude towards you." Bridger agreed. "You might want to know that Kristen was seeing red like a bull. I had to hold Ben back before he had a couple of sharp lines to say to her himself in your defence. She didn't know what to say for a few minutes."
"Just don't let her get to any of you. No matter what she says about me. I have learnt just to ignore her or give her some of her own medicine. I have heard it all my life Captain" Lucas explained.
"How many days can we stay Captain?" Lucas now asked, changing the topic of conversation all together.
"Why do yo ask. At least a week or so, but I can talk to Bill Noyce if you want to stay longer" Bridger replied, with a little curiosity creeping into his voice.
"I want to stay and find out what happened Captain" Lucas now said with determination in her voice. "It's obvious not too many other people around here are worried about why she was killed. I don't owe her very much for the way she has treated me all of these years but I think I owe her that at least."
"What do you want to do?" Bridger becoming a little more worried about what brash actions Lucas might take to find out who his mother's killer was.
"I will talk to Henry. Find out what was going on a couple of weeks before she died. Somebody has to know something. I will have a look through her office after the funeral and talk to her accountant. Find out if somebody killed her for her money" Lucas said as he explained his plan of action.
"Don't you go doing anything that gets you into trouble you can't get out of" Bridger warned in a friendly way. He knew that this was important to Lucas but he wanted to keep the boy safe all the same. They didn't know who killed his mother and it was very possible that the killer was still around somewhere. If Lucas started poking around in the wrong places he could just become the next proposed target or victim.
END OF PART THREE
SORRY TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE - STILL WORKING ON THE OTHERS AS WELL. HOPE YOU ARE LIKING THE STORY LINE - I KNOW NOT MUCH HAS HAPPENED YET.
JULES
The confused trio of Kristen, Bridger and Ben continued to stand at the front of the immense house for a few seconds before deciding that they had better at least investigate the chaos that about to unfold.
They too headed around the corner of the house in the same direction that Lucas and his butler friend had run in. Once they went around the side of the building they headed to the back of the house.
There were a number of garden beds along the decking. The walls of each were about 3 feet high and it was the nearest the end of the house that Henry and Lucas were crouching down behind.
"What are you hiding from?" Bridger now asked. The three of them were quite unaware of the danger that they were putting themselves in by remaining standing erect.
"Get down" Lucas snapped sharply as he grabbed the front of Ben's shirt and physically pulled him of balance and to the ground behind the garden wall. Bridger and Kristen now crouched down too still not knowing why.
Before Kristen or Bridger could ask the question about why they were hiding behind a three foot high garden wall, a gun shot rang out across the pasture that seemed to go for miles behind the house. It wasn't a normal gun shot though. Sounded more like a rifle or long range weapon.
"It's your turn to talk to him you know" Henry said to Lucas.
"No it's not it's yours. I did it last time" Lucas now shot back at his friend.
"Um I am afraid not my young friend. That was the time before last. This time it's your turn trust me" Henry answered back.
"It is really my turn again?" Lucas asked as though he was being asked to take a walk of the plank.
"Sorry kid, but your younger than me too. Besides, he is always happy to see you." Henry said joking.
"No he's not and besides, he hasn't seen me in a long time remember"
"Yes but that's the great thing about it Lucas. You'll be like the long lost nephew he never had. He'll be over the moon to see you just like I was."
"I very dead long lost nephew" Lucas said sarcastically as he stood up and prepared to head out into the open field. He had walked about ten steps before turning around and shouting at Henry again.
"You are going to owe me big time for this Henry" Lucas said.
"Put it on my tab" Henry said with a laugh.
"Your tab is already more than I earn in a year don't forget" Lucas told him.
"Oh yeah." Henry now said as he thought about it. "Do you take a personal cheque or I.O.U." he said and then started laughing again.
Bridger and the other two were falling more and more behind the conversation. It was like one of those times when you came into the tail end of a conversation and couldn't keep up with what had been happening before you got there.
Lucas didn't walk too much further but now cupped his hands around his mouth and started calling out loudly across the field. "Uncle Wally, it's me Lucas. Uncle Wally?"
Lucas paused from his yelling for a moment to see if there was any answer to his calling out. The answer he got was another stray gun shot that struck some of the bricks and mortar towards the roof of the house. There wasn't any real fear of Lucas getting hit or hurt by the falling debris but the sound made him crouch down towards the ground again and put his hands protectively over the top of his head.
"Is that really you Lucas?" came an older man's voice. "Cyndi's boy?"
"Yes Uncle Wally, it's me Lucas" the teenager shouted out again.
It was now that the three of them crouching behind the garden wall stood up and saw a elderly gentleman emerge from within the stables that were to the right of the house about 200 metres away.
The man was now walking towards the teenager carrying what looked to be an older style rifle. Something that somebody would use during a safari or a hunt of some kind.
The man seemed to be peering at Lucas, a little sceptical that Lucas was really who he said he was. As the man got closer, the recognition on his face became obvious and he broke out in a grin. "LUCAS" he said enthusiastically before leaning the rifle against one of the garden walls and then grabbed the youth around the waist, lifting him up.
"Great to see you again kid. Gee you really have grown some since I saw you last. And put on some weight I notice" the man now said as he looked the teenager over to see what changes had occurred since the last time they had met.
The man's facial expression soon changed though from one of excitement at meeting an old friend to one of sorrow and sentiment as he thought about Lucas's loss and what it meant to both of them.
"Sorry to hear about your mom Lucas. We are really going to miss her around here" he said. "You just let me know if you need anything you hear. Money, somewhere to stay, you just name it. I will write out a blank cheque for you tomorrow. Don't be afraid to ask, you know I would do anything for you and her."
Bridger and Kristen had to smile a little at the older man's offer. At least there were some part's of Lucas's family that still cared about him. Obviously this man thought the world about him just like they did.
"No that will be okay Uncle Wally. I already have a new family now and they are the best. Come over here and I will introduce them to you." Lucas now said, turning towards the others behind the garden.
"This is Captain Nathan Bridger of the SeaQuest, Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg and one of my best friends and Kristen Westphalen, somebody I couldn't do without most of the time." Lucas now said as he introduced his friends to his Uncle.
"This is Uncle Walter, my mom's brother-in-law. He is married to Aunt Beryl. The one who called me on the phone back at the island."
"Where is Aunt Beryl at the moment Uncle?" Lucas now asked as he looked around, hoping to spot the woman.
"Beryl is with your Aunt Carmel doing some of the formal preparations for tomorrow." Wally said with a tone of voice that said he wasn't entirely pleased about what was happening around the place.
"Aunt Carmel is here?" Lucas now asked in surprised and swallowed a little. The woman was positively obnoxious and he didn't like her one bit.
"I am afraid so son, afraid so" Wally said as he too agreed with Lucas's appraisal of the woman's personality.
"I didn't want to spoil your arrival with that little bit of information Lucas" Henry said as he now stepped into the conversation.
"Oh it's okay Uncle, Aunt Beryl already told me on the phone that the vultures had already started arriving" Lucas said with sarcasm as he sat down on the edge of one of the garden walls.
"Well one thing's for sure. With your Aunt Carmel in charge, thing will hardly be boring around here." Uncle Wally now said.
"Amen to that" Henry said in agreement.
"Oh I'm sorry Captain, Kristen and Ben. I seem to be leaving you out of a lot of this. I didn't mean to, it's just been say, let's say crazy since we got here. I think it is fair to say that it is only going to get worse from tomorrow until everything is settled."
"Don't worry about it Lucas. I know you have other things on your mind at the moment. We will be here if and when you need us. But for now, enjoy the time with your family and friends. You can catch up with us anytime"
Bridger now said, reassuring the teenager that is was perfectly alright to be a little off guard at the moment. Over the next few days he wouldn't be surprised at all if Lucas had many lapses in concentration as he struggled to deal with what had just happened in his life.
"Let's all go inside and get something to drink and relax before anybody else gets back. It will probably the last chance for a few days." Henry now said as he used a key to open the French doors on the back of the house.
"Coming Uncle Wally?" Lucas now asked as he walked with Bridger and the others into the spacious house.
"In a minute Lucas. I just want to be sure there is no stray varmints around that shouldn't be. That's what I was hunting for before you know. Caught sight of one of the blighters but didn't get a clear shot at him. I'll come in when the coast is clear and the place is secure." the older man said and started heading back towards the barn again.
Henry and Lucas couldn't help but giggle sightly at Uncle Wally's antics.
"What's with your Uncle Lucas?" Ben now asked when the man was out of earshot.
"Oh nothing Ben, he is just a little crazy. Runs in the family you know so you had better watch out" Lucas now said and winked at his friend.
Once inside Bridger and the other newcomers couldn't help but look around the rooms in stark amazement at the opulence and expense that was laid out before them. Each corner of the room was richly decorated in antiques, tapestries and artefacts of great expense. Cynthia Wolenczak had spared nothing when it came to her living quarters.
"See you still keep things pretty much ship shape around here Henry" Lucas now said. The teenager seemed to take in very little of the wealth around him. Maybe it was because he had grown up in such luxury or maybe it was because he was trying to block it all out.
"Drink anyone?" Henry now asked as he took on his butler role once again.
"Yes please Henry" came Bridger's response. Ben and Kristen nodded their heads in agreement and they all proceeded to tell the man what alcoholic beverage they preferred.
"What about you Lucas?" Henry now enquired.
Lucas was now 18 years old but often turned away from alcohol. Occasionally he had been known to have a beer on the verandah with Bridger when it was very hot or sometimes when he was dragged along to a place by the crew. But normally it wasn't something that Lucas took much pleasure in.
"Just a coke for me today thanks Henry" Lucas said as he wandered around the room and began looking more closely at some of the material things that his mother had collected since he was last here. He seemed very distracted at the moment to the others.
Henry now handed Lucas his coke whilst casting a worried face over the teenager. "Lucas, before we get too comfortable here, there's something I need to tell you. Let's go into the study for a minute."
"I apologize for all the secrecy but we shall only be a few minutes" Henry now said to Bridger and the others. Kristen, Ben and Bridger were left to talk to Uncle Wally.
"So what do you do for a living Wally?" Kristen asked, trying to keep drum up a conversation with the man introduced as Lucas's uncle.
"Oh I have my own company" Wally started to say. He then went into great detail about what the company did and how long he had owned it.
By halfway through the conversation, Bridger had begun to understand why Uncle Wally was given the tag as crazy. The man would be talking calmly about the topic of conversation only to change to his years during the war. His voice would become somewhat louder in volume and he would speak ten times as fast. Then there were mentions of his gun collection and how many he had and where they came from.
Needless to say during the conversation about this gun collection, there was a reference to animal hunting and elephants. Kristen assumed that this was were the line about the "elephants are coming" had come from Lucas and Henry. Obviously it was a topic of conversation that they were familiar with.
By the end of the conversation Uncle Wally was back to talking about his company again as though he had never drifted from the original question. Ben found he just couldn't keep up with the man's constant changing of topic.
Their talk with Uncle Wally was interrupted by the door to the study opening. Lucas seemed to stumble out of the room, very pale faced and looking as though he had been crying. He didn't say a word, only headed towards the liquor bottles where Henry had poured drinks earlier. He poured himself a stiff drink of the first bottle he got a hold of and filled the rest of the glass with ice.
When he turned back towards his friends, he almost looked like he wanted to say something. His face was still very pale. The words never left his tongue and he headed upstairs without acknowledging the other people in the room.
"Lucas?" Bridger said as he started to get out of the chair and follow the teenager. Something was very wrong and he wanted to find out.
"I think he needs some time to himself Captain" Henry said in a sad voice. "I know you care about him as much as I do but he needs some time to work through what I just told him."
"What did you just tell him?" Ben asked. He too was worried about his young friend.
"Cynthia, I mean his mother didn't just die." Henry started to say, letting the words sink in before he dealt the next bombshell. "She was murdered."
"Oh my God" Kristen said as her hands flew to her mouth at such a startling statement. No wonder Lucas had looked so pale when he come out of the room. The news of his mother's death had already been devastating enough. How would the boy cope with the knowledge that his mother had actually died at the hand of someone else.
"How did it happen?" Bridger asked, afraid of what the explicit details might be.
"She was found in her bedroom with a single gun shot wound her head. The left temple to be precise. She probably never even knew someone was in the room." Henry said as he thought about the cold and callous way his former employer had been gunned down whilst she slept. He had left out specific details about her probably being drunk and that's why she never heard her killer approach the bed.
"Poor Lucas" Ben whispered. They all nodded their heads in agreement.
Before there could be anymore discussion on Lucas's state of mind after learning about his mother's murder, the front door opened and in walked two stoutish women.
As they got closer, Ben and the other newcomers could feel the eyes of scrutiny on them as if to say what were they doing here.
"Henry, please tell who these strangers are and what they are doing here?" came the curt question from one of the women. She was a middle aged woman with her hair pulled back into a bun, making her face seemed very stern.
"Now listen here Carmel, you leave these good people alone." Uncle Wally started to say before he was quickly cut off by the same woman.
"No one asked for your opinion Walter. Really Beryl if he wasn't your husband lord knows he would......" she started to say.
Bridger and Kristen now guessed that the stern woman was the one called Carmel that everyone was dreading would turn up sooner or later. The other woman, with a lighter hair colour and softer expression on her face must be the Aunt Beryl that called Lucas on the phone back at the island.
"Beryl, I am going upstairs. You tell that sister of yours if she don't keep her comments to herself and her nose out of everybody else business, I am going to punch her in the snoot. Sister or no sister" Uncle Wally replied angrily and then stomped up the staircase without even saying goodbye to the other people in the room.
It was the first occasion in the short time they had been in the older man's company that they saw a frown on his face. Obviously the woman rubbed him up the wrong way without even really trying hard. Kristen thought the woman might be able to do the same to most people if given the opportunity. She had already decided that she didn't care for the woman's uptight attitude either.
Henry now coughed to interrupt the already tense atmosphere in the room. "Carmel, may I introduce you to Nathan Bridger, Kristen Westphalen and Ben Krieg. They are friends of Lucas. They only arrived a short while ago."
"He's here is he? Now that's surprising given that he doesn't have any contact with her except when it suits him" Carmel now said as she was made aware of the teenager's presence.
Ben bristled immediately at the woman's harsh comments and was about to say something in return when he felt a firm restraining hand on the back of his shirt from Bridger. He and Kristen were just as ticked off as Ben but because they were strangers here they would have to mind their manners a little bit. Even if it meant others in Lucas's family didn't.
"Um Carmel, I should tell you that Nathan has now adopted Lucas" Henry now said, hoping the woman might back off a bit when she realised that these people were the boy's new family.
"And what do you do for a living Mr Bridger?" Carmel said in a cool tone looking at him over the tip of her nose. The woman looked at Kristen too but held her tongue a little towards the red head. Something about Kristen's striking good looks put her off any snide remarks for the time being. Kristen couldn't help but feel the woman's gaze up and down her though.
"Captain Nathan Hale Bridger actually of the U.E.O. flagship SeaQuest," Bridger now said, happy to be able to shove some dirt back in the woman's face without being too obvious about it. "This lovely lady to my right is my partner and wife to be someday and Lucas's stepmother. Kristen Westphalen, medical doctor, bio-chemist and chief medical advisor aboard the SeaQuest. The gentleman standing beside her is Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg, Moral Officer and Chief Supply Officer of the SeaQuest."
The woman couldn't find any words for a second at the list of achievements and occupations was rattled off in front of her.
"Well, it's nice to see that somebody with experience has taken the boy in. Lord knows he needs some discipline you know. Always daydreaming and thinking about other things other than what he is supposed to be doing" Carmel now said in reply.
Kristen was now close to boiling point. If this woman didn't stop degrading Lucas, Kristen just might forget all about being a lady and a guest in the house and punch the woman out anyway.
"Oh we couldn't do without Lucas aboard the boat" Ben now said in his friend's defence.
"Oh really" Carmel said in an over exaggerated manner as if she couldn't possibly believe that the boy was of any real use to anybody.
"Yes, the boy is a genius. Chief Computer Analyst of the SeaQuest. There is not a computer system aboard that he hasn't built or had a major input into. Did you know he also graduated from Stanford College at the age of 14 too?" Ben now said. It was clear that the SeaQuest crew had thrown all caution to the wind with Lucas's family. If they thought he and his friends had come back only to get beaten into ground again by his mixed up and sordid family, they were mistaken. They still had plans to be polite and respect Lucas's wishes but they weren't about to see the boy talked about behind his back.
Bridger and Kristen couldn't help but hide their smiles at Ben's cheerful deliverance of the equivalent of a slap in the face. Even Henry had to stifle back a giggle. He was very pleased that Lucas's new family weren't about to have his name and reputation put down by anybody, even if it was his own estranged family.
The woman assumed to be Aunt Beryl kept her mouth shut the whole time they were standing there. Even when the comments were made about her husband. The woman wasn't game to speak to anybody unless Carmel gave her permission first.
"If you will please excuse us Henry, Ben and I will head upstairs and get unpacked. I trust Nathan would like to check on Lucas to see how he is doing" Kristen said as she looked intently at Bridger to see if he got her hint.
The hint wasn't needed and Bridger had already planned to go up and spend some time with the sullen teenager. If the only company they were have for the rest of the evening was Carmel, then he was only too glad to have only Lucas to talk to.
"I will bring a tray of food up to him in a little while Nathan" Henry now said as he realised he was not going to escape so easily from Carmel's presence. He still had to do the butlery duties of the house and served the guests and dinner. It would be late tonight before he could relax and take his shoes off.
Kristen, Ben and Bridger now headed up the stairs. Henry direct them to their living quarters. Bridger and Kristen had a large bedroom to themselves that was richly and tastefully decorated. Ben had an equally large single room that looked more like a hotel suite than a bedroom.
Bridger thought he might have trouble finding Lucas's bedroom amongst the hallway of doors but then came across a room that had LUCAS across the top of the door in gold lettering. He was pretty certain he had found the right place.
Bridger decided to do the courtesy thing and knock first before entering. He knocked a second time and still there was no answer. He then quietly opened the door and walked inside.
The room was particularly dark once he walked in and he noted that no lights were on. There was a large set of French doors leading from the other side of the room out onto a large and very open balcony area. It was out there, leaning up against the railing and looking out over the gardens and lawns below that he found the person he was looking for.
Lucas was using the railing as a support as he leaned on it. He turned around when he heard the footsteps behind him and tried to wipe away the tears from his eyes before Bridger saw them.
"Are you okay?" Bridger said in a soft voice as he draped a comforting arm around the boy's stiff shoulders.
"Not really" Lucas admitted with honesty. He started staring out across the lawns again without saying anything at first.
A few more minutes of silence passed between then before he spoke again "Why Captain?"
"I don't know Lucas" Bridger replied as he guessed that the teenager was asking why his mother would be murdered.
"It just doesn't make sense you know." Lucas now said. "I mean she was no angel, but she had friends, and enough money to see her through the rest of her life. Why would anybody want to kill her?"
"I can't answer that one pal. I wish I could but I don't know the answer" Bridger said in sympathy.
"Has anybody else arrived yet?" Lucas now asked, trying to find out what had happened since he came upstairs.
"Yes, Ben and Kristen and I got this tongue lashing about you needing more discipline" Bridger said with a grin.
"Aunt Carmel" Lucas said almost as if the words were bitter in his mouth.
"She just make you want to warm up to her doesn't she" Bridger said in truth.
"I am sorry you had to meet her. I don't know what she said to you but ignore her. She just all hot air." Lucas told him. "She has never liked me and doesn't mind making a point to everyone about it."
"Your uncle didn't seem to pleased to see her and went upstairs in a huff. The other lady I assume is Aunt Beryl was too scared to say anything the whole time we were standing there. She wasn't even introduced to us." Bridger said as he explained what had transpired downstairs.
"You'll like Aunt Beryl. She is really nice. We just have to get her away from Aunt Carmel for a while and on her own." Lucas answered.
"I tended to notice Aunt Carmel's cool attitude towards you." Bridger agreed. "You might want to know that Kristen was seeing red like a bull. I had to hold Ben back before he had a couple of sharp lines to say to her himself in your defence. She didn't know what to say for a few minutes."
"Just don't let her get to any of you. No matter what she says about me. I have learnt just to ignore her or give her some of her own medicine. I have heard it all my life Captain" Lucas explained.
"How many days can we stay Captain?" Lucas now asked, changing the topic of conversation all together.
"Why do yo ask. At least a week or so, but I can talk to Bill Noyce if you want to stay longer" Bridger replied, with a little curiosity creeping into his voice.
"I want to stay and find out what happened Captain" Lucas now said with determination in her voice. "It's obvious not too many other people around here are worried about why she was killed. I don't owe her very much for the way she has treated me all of these years but I think I owe her that at least."
"What do you want to do?" Bridger becoming a little more worried about what brash actions Lucas might take to find out who his mother's killer was.
"I will talk to Henry. Find out what was going on a couple of weeks before she died. Somebody has to know something. I will have a look through her office after the funeral and talk to her accountant. Find out if somebody killed her for her money" Lucas said as he explained his plan of action.
"Don't you go doing anything that gets you into trouble you can't get out of" Bridger warned in a friendly way. He knew that this was important to Lucas but he wanted to keep the boy safe all the same. They didn't know who killed his mother and it was very possible that the killer was still around somewhere. If Lucas started poking around in the wrong places he could just become the next proposed target or victim.
END OF PART THREE
SORRY TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE - STILL WORKING ON THE OTHERS AS WELL. HOPE YOU ARE LIKING THE STORY LINE - I KNOW NOT MUCH HAS HAPPENED YET.
JULES