Too Equal For My Taste

Chapter 24: The Interrogating Enemy

"TOM!" Kate yelled one morning, waking half the house up. Tom looked up from the newspaper he was reading in the living room. He jumped as Kate's voice filled the house.

Jake leapt out of bed as if a cannon went off, and looked around wildly. The only one who seemed to be still asleep was Mark, who slept peacefully. Of course, this was natural for him. He was a heavy sleeper.

Tom's feet were heard stamping down the stairs to where Kate stood. "In the night!" she shrieked. "We've been robbed!"

"What was taken?" Tom demanded.

Sarah came down tiredly, and watched as Kate searched frantically in vain. "What happened?"

"Antiques were stolen," Tom answered shortly. "Sarah, go get everyone else. Water them out of bed if you have to. This house is on alert. Now, gather everyone in the living room, and then go fetch the Murtaugh's."

"Yes dad," Sarah obliged, and ran off.

Within an hour, the Murtaugh's and Bakers were all dressed in their day clothes, and sat in the living room, however reluctantly the Murtaugh's may've been.

Tom was walking back and forth, eyeing everyone. Kate was standing too, but at the door. She eyed all of them for three seconds before looking down at her own shoes. "We're here today to investigate something," Tom said to everyone, as the only one standing aside from Kate. "An antique was taken from our home."

Jimmy got up, "Are you suggesting we took it?"

"No," Tom shot back. "But you're missing jewelry yet to be returned. What're the odds these thefts are connected."

Ken looked over at Mark questioningly. Mark shook his head, and looked back at Tom. Tom noticed though. "No to what, Mark?"

Mark shrugged, "Nothing. We don't know who did it?"

"Someone in here is guilty," Tom said to everyone.

Sarah looked at Jake, and mouthed something to him. Jake shook his head. Tom then questioned Jake. "What do you need, Jake?"

"I dunno," Jake said quickly. "Don't ask me who took it."

"Sarah, you're always guilty," Tom said shrewdly. "Do you have anything to do with this?"

Sarah shook her head, "No."

"Who, on your side, was up last night Jimmy?"

Jeffery looked over at his kids. "Are you blaming them, Tom?"

"I'm blaming everyone," Tom said angrily. "What would you do, Jim?"

Jimmy looked at everyone on his side. "Just three; Daniel was messing with his mobile which is apparently picking up phone waves by accident from Indiana. Ken was up for a midnight snack. I think Elliot was up on the computer doing God knows what."

Everyone looked over at Elliot, who said, almost squeakily out of nervousness, "I was talking to Sarah on MSN."

"You were talking that late?" Tom questioned.

"Yes," Sarah said. "He was talking to me. If you want, check the history. That'll tell you everything."

"Ok, ok, we believe you," Tom said, giving up. "Calvin?"

"Midnight snack," Calvin assured. "Mom was there. She knows I took nothing."

Serina nodded, looking over at Ken, who was the last one left. Everyone, one by one, looked at Ken. Even Mark. Ken had no reason to collapse under any pressure though. "I took nothing. That's the truth. Besides, what means do I have entering your house myself?"

"He's right," Jimmy defended. "It's gotta be someone from your house."

"Nigel, Kyle?"

The twins shook their heads. Tom passed Kim and Jess, knowing they did nothing, and stopped at Sarah again. "Young woman."

"I did nothing dad!" Sarah said angrily "I was talking with Elliot on MSN."

"No more late night conversations," Tom said. "And that goes for all of you, at least in my family. A curfew is being placed for this, until the culprit is found. From now on, no one is allowed up after eleven."

That went for everyone, and out of respect, Jimmy felt obliged to do the same thing. Even so, the families had tensions once again. The only two friends between them were Ken and Mark, and that was strange as Mark was known to have betrayed Ken.

Tensions between Mike and Ken seemed to have softened. At least one thing was a good sign between the relationships between Murtaugh's and Bakers. Sometimes, Mike and Ken exchanged words during Karate breaks.

"The instructor is good," Mike muttered breathlessly.

"He's from South Korea, you know that?" Ken told him.

"Why am I not surprised," Mike said as the instructor called them back.

The two had done more free fighting. The two fought respectfully and kept themselves cool. If anything, the only read friends between the two families was probably Mike and Ken, but that too was weird. Unlike the first lesson, they were fighting with more respect, conversing while dodging and jabbing and kicking, "Who do you think the thief is?" Mike asked Ken.

Ken shrugged, "Don't ask me. But I think it's someone else. I mean, it's probably someone outside our families. I think it's probably someone at Calvin's University playing a trick on us."

Mike shrugged, "We'll see."

When the lesson ended, the two actually clapped hands. They handed each other towels on their way to the car where Tom was waiting. "Are you two ok now?"

Mike shrugged, but Ken said, "Guess so."

And that was the truth. They were ok. It seemed Tom's plan with Jimmy worked, and instead of Karate increasing tensions as Kate and Serina thought, it actually reduced them. Now, Mike and Ken were acting as friends.