Chapter 13. Mysteries

My husband's family are from Saskatchewan, Canada, and I always found it interesting that many of his relatives used the term "youse" as the plural of "you" when speaking directly to us as a pair, as I previously only associated it with the speech of those from New York or Boston. After some research I learned it originated in Ireland. Immigrants to Canada and the United States brought it with them. Associated with the working class it made sense for the diner waitress in this chapter to use it.

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A cool hand on his forehead woke Bucky up. It was morning and the blue eyes of Ariel were gazing at him, calm but slightly puzzled. He sat up and self consciously ran his hand through his hair.

"You're probably wondering what I'm doing here on the couch," he said quietly, then patted the couch beside him. Ariel sat next to him, still dressed in her night gown and robe. "Your uncle received a call last night that his friend Will was injured and needed help. He didn't want you to be alone, so he called the house. I was still up so ..."

"You could have joined me in bed," she replied.

"He made me promise to respect you. I didn't want to abuse the trust he put in me." He took her hands in his. "Why didn't you tell me about it being the anniversary of your father's death? I would have understood."

"I don't know," answered Ariel. "I wasn't thinking straight, I guess. My emotions got the better of me. Part of it is that I still feel guilt for my father's heart attack. We were arguing when it happened."

"My sweet girl," whispered Bucky, putting his arm around her and kissing her on the side of her head. "So much sadness in your life. I felt so helpless and inadequate last night. Nothing I said or did seemed to make a difference. To see you so ... broken ..."

He kissed the side of her head again and she turned to him, kissing him softly on the lips, then bent her head into the crook of his neck. Gently he lifted her onto his lap and just held her. Other than the sound of the odd vehicle passing by on the street below the only other sounds were the ticking of the clock and their breathing. For the several minutes they sat there it was comforting to both of them to just hold each other in the silence and be present. Almost at the same time they both took a deep breath and chuckled lightly at the synchronicity of that breath.

"Why don't you get dressed and we'll go to a diner for breakfast?" said Bucky. "Your uncle will likely need to get some sleep when he gets back so if we're gone we won't be bothering him. Afterwards maybe we can take the bus to Prospect Park and just enjoy the morning. By the looks of the sun coming through the windows it should be a beautiful day."

Ariel nodded and went to wash up quickly before returning to her room and getting dressed. Bucky washed himself up as she got ready. He put his shirt on, opening his trouser buttons so he could tuck it in. She came out of her bedroom and wrote a note for her uncle, leaving it on the kitchen table. With a smile Bucky took her hand and they left the apartment, leaving the key along the top sill of the door.

Out on the street they headed to a diner a few blocks away. As they walked hand in hand Bucky felt good about honouring Merton's trust. Perhaps he needed to see more of that type of behaviour to believe Bucky's intentions towards Ariel were honourable. When they got to the diner he opened the door for her and they stepped into a scene that was bustling. Along the main counter every seat was taken. Walking along the aisle they found a window booth at the other end that was free but hadn't been cleaned up from the previous customer yet. A waitress nodded her head at them from behind the main counter as they stood beside the booth.

"Be right there, hun," she said. "Go ahead and sit down and we'll get that table ready for youse."

A minute later she was there with a tray, loading the dirty dishes onto it, then taking a wet cloth and wiping the crumbs from the table onto her hand then emptying it onto one of the dirty dishes. Quickly she put the condiments back into their place.

"Coffee for both of youse?" she asked. They both nodded. "I'll be back with the breakfast menus and your coffees right away."

Bucky, seated facing towards the rest of the diner looked at the busy place and shook his head. "I'm amazed it's this busy. It's not usually like this at this time on a Sunday morning."

Ariel looked behind her then faced him. Almost immediately the waitress came back with two mugs full of coffee and two menus tucked under her arm. Noticing their cream jug was empty she quickly went to the back and brought a fresh one out.

"Sorry for the wait, folks," she said. "We're down three staff, just didn't show up this morning. One from the kitchen, the busboy, and a waitress. We think they've run off together or something, well two of them anyways. What can I get youse?"

Bucky ordered the full breakfast of bacon, eggs, ham, and toast. Ariel chose the scrambled eggs and toast, plus a glass of orange juice. He excused himself briefly and Ariel watched as he made a phone call on the pay phone near the front door. With a big smile he came back.

"I just phoned Steve and told him to get over here for the busboy or kitchen position," he said. "Jobs don't come up that often. If he can get a steady paying one that will help him out."

"You're a good friend to him," said Ariel. "How long have you been friends?"

"Over ten years," he replied as he extended one arm along the back of the booth. "Rescued him from some bullies trying to take his lunch money. He was putting up a good fight but they were just toying with him. I evened up the odds. Never did like bullies." He leaned forward and took one of her hands in his. "Your uncle did the same for him. Steve was in front of the antique store tying up a broken shoelace. This one kid who had a real hate for him pushed him as he was bent over his shoe then began kicking him. Your uncle came out and grabbed that kid by the collar, booted him in the ass and told him to pick on kids his own size. He took one look at Steve's broken laces and told him to come into the store. We'd heard rumours about him but the guy had just helped him so Steve went inside. He gave Steve a pair of scissors, told him to cut the old laces off and gave him a new set. Told him to come back on the weekend with a friend and he'd give us a dollar if we cleaned up his back storeroom. He gave us a dollar each, said we'd done well and to check in from time to time for odd jobs."

"I think he got bullied when he was young," said Ariel. "He's never said much about it but I know he took boxing lessons for a time."

"No kidding," said Bucky. "Come to think of it we've had some good conversations about boxing."

Their food arrived and they both began eating, stopping only when the waitress refilled their coffee cups. Just as they finished they saw Steve arrive at the main counter. The waitress that served them looked at him and listened to his spiel. They couldn't hear over the conversation of the other diner patrons but she smiled at him, went to the back and brought out a man who looked like the cook. He took a hard look at Steve and was about to dismiss him when Steve said something so he nodded, gestured to him and took him in back. He came out with a tray a few minutes later, his jacket off, wearing an apron that seemed too big for him but the waitress helped him fold it so it fit better. With a smile she patted him on the back and sent him out to bus the empty tables. As he got near to their booth he smiled at Bucky.

"Thanks for the tip," he said. "The cook wasn't going to give me the job but I told him to give me an hour to show him I could do it. I'm the dishwasher as well."

"You can do it, Steve," said Ariel. "You're a good worker."

They watched as the small man took tray after tray back into the kitchen, then came out to clean the tables and reset them for the next patron. The waitress seemed pleased with him and gave him encouragement on each trip into the kitchen. Just as Bucky and Ariel were about to finish up a loud voice alerted Bucky to a problem and he stood up, noticing a man at the main counter deliberately making comments at Steve about his small stature then looking around to see if others would share in his apparent wit. The waitress tried to get him to tone his words down but it seemed to make the man bolder. With the bill in hand Bucky approached the counter to pay the waitress then he leaned close to the man, putting his hand on his shoulder, gripping it in a seemingly friendly manner, and whispering something in the man's ear. Whatever he said must have had an effect on the man because his face changed, he quickly drank his coffee and threw some money on the counter before leaving, not looking back.

"Well, you seem to know what to say to a blowhard like that man," said the waitress to Bucky with admiration. "Thank you. He's been like that every time he comes in, always picking on someone to make fun of."

Bucky smiled then put another quarter down on the counter. "This is for yourself," he said, then he nodded at Steve. "That's my best friend and you can see he's a hard worker. I work at the docks and I'll make sure to tell my co-workers there about the nice place you got here. They'll more than make up for any business you might have lost with that gentleman."

She smiled at Bucky, then winked at him and he winked back. Taking Ariel's hand they left, into what was definitely going to be a nice day. As they began walking to the bus stop Ariel stopped, making Bucky stop with her.

"Instead of taking that long bus ride to Prospect Park why don't you take me to the docks, show me where you work?" she asked.

"It's not the best place for a lady," he said softly. "There's lots of rough language."

"If they see I'm with you wouldn't they tone it down?"

Bucky's face coloured. "They might, but they might be worse just to embarrass me." Then he shook his head. "No, I can't take you there. There's a lot of ... unsavoury people down there. I work at a clean dock but quite a few are run by the mob. If I show up there with you they might get ideas."

His hands were gentle on Ariel's shoulders and he wrapped his arms around her for several long moments. Then he released her, put one arm around her shoulder and continued to the bus stop. It would be the only time that Bucky ever referred to the dangerous atmosphere of the Brooklyn docks. Days later, back at the apartment, she asked Merton about it and he confirmed what Bucky briefly referred to, even going so far as to tell her that just days after Independence Day an Italian-American dock worker trying to start up an independent union free of mob influence had disappeared and was presumed murdered for his organizing activities. It was a reminder to Ariel that growing up at this time had its own challenges not related to the Depression or World War II.

By the time they got to Prospect Park it was quite warm but not as hot as the previous day. They went to the zoo, holding hands as they walked through the various exhibits. Many families were there and Ariel noticed how Bucky watched them, smiling at those with toddlers. Even though he said nothing directly to her it was evident what he wished for. After the zoo they had a snack at a concession then went for a boat ride at the Boathouse. As Bucky rowed, Ariel sat in the stern enjoying watching his muscles ripple under his shirt. He had removed his jacket and rolled his shirt sleeves up showing off his powerful forearms. When their time was up he easily rowed back to the dock and helped her out. They walked around the edge of the lake, even stopping at the place where she had run to during the Benny Goodman concert. They sat on a nearby bench, and held hands, just watching the ducks on the pond.

"We're awfully quiet today, aren't we?" she mentioned.

"I don't mind quiet," he replied. "It's nice just being here with you."

He looked around for a moment then leaned over and kissed her gently. Gazing at her for some time he took a strand of her hair in his fingers and played with it. Suddenly he kissed her again, more ardently than the first time before pulling back.

"I love you," he whispered. "I know I promised not to pressure you but I want to marry you so much."

Ariel looked away, out over the lake, as she contemplated what to say. After the previous night when she broke down to Merton his words to her had resonated that the relationship and the love she and Bucky had might have made the difference in his ability to withstand his captivity and torture by HYDRA. She swallowed and turned to him.

"I'm still not ready for marriage," she said as she touched his cheek with her hand, "but if you ask in six months I think I could agree to an engagement, a promise that we will get married someday. I love you, too, Bucky. I don't want anyone else."

She hesitated and he kissed her again. "Then I'll get a ring and I'll do it right," he said sincerely. "As long as I know that you're committed to me that will be good enough."

When they returned to the store they noticed the van was back and Bucky asked if he should come upstairs. They went up together and entered the apartment to Merton sitting in his armchair, drinking a scotch. He had classical music on and didn't hear them at first. Then he stood up, turned, and Ariel saw his face.

"Uncle Merton, what happened?" she asked, alarmed.

"A black man was walking past the building where Will lives with some groceries and some Nazis attacked him," he answered. "Will heard the commotion and came out to help the man get to safety. They turned on him. The black man is hurt bad but Will is dead, at the hands of men who think that Nazis are just fine."

Ariel started to cry and hugged her uncle while Bucky watched helplessly. He had heard about some of the things local Nazi organizations had done. He never thought they would beat a man to death.

"I'm sorry," he said to Merton. "Will seemed like a nice man when I met him. Will anyone be charged with his death?"

"Likely not," said the older man. "It was a group and the police can't determine who dealt the fatal blow. It's possible he hit his head when he fell and that caused an artery in his brain to rupture. The man he tried to help had his ribs and nose broken from being kicked while he was down. He's in hospital. You yourself know that charges aren't likely for that assault."

"Will's boarder, was he there?" asked Ariel.

"No, he was in New Jersey visiting family." He turned to Bucky. "Thank you for coming last night to keep watch here. I never thought such people would do such a thing so close to home."

"You know, after the bomb at the World's Fair my Dad thought for sure they would pin it on the Nazis," said Bucky. "Especially when two policemen were killed. But they didn't seem to find who was responsible. Now they've killed a man and it seems that once again they'll get away with it. It's not right. More and more I think that America will be drawn into the war. Maybe we should be in it sooner rather than later. If they're this blatant here ..."

He couldn't complete the sentence. Merton put his hand on Bucky's shoulder then sat back down, sipping his scotch.

"I'm going home," said Bucky. "I had a great day with you but this news has soured me. Walk me down?"

Ariel nodded and went back down the stairs with him. When he kissed her goodbye it seemed like he was different, almost as if he had his own epiphany about the probability of a war. She watched him walk down the street for a while then she went back up the stairs and sat across from Merton. He didn't look at her for a few moments.

"Will is alive but he was hurt very badly," he said. "A brain bleed. They took him home and he won't be back. The black man who was injured was the security agent who followed you to the World's Fair. His injuries are what I described and he's been returned as well. The other two have been relocated to another part of town as there was a fear they were planning to replace General Phillips. Orville was in on it all along."

"Is there anyone else compromised?" she asked.

"They're trying to find that out. It's a messy situation all around. I'm sorry I didn't leave you a message. The decision to call in Bucky was the only thing I could think of to keep you safe."

"He was asleep on the couch when I woke up," she stated. "Took me out for breakfast. He helped Steve get a job at the diner as three of their employees didn't show up today. Is it possible they were involved?"

"I don't know but it's not unlikely. What else did you do?"

"We went to Prospect Park, to the zoo, for a boat ride and then just sat and watched the ducks on the pond. It was nice. We had a really nice day."

"I'm glad," said Merton. "There's been so much drama lately. Sorry, I'm not being critical of you."

"I know. Thanks for telling Bucky it was the anniversary of my father's death. He accepted it readily." Merton smiled wanly. "Have you eaten?"

"Yeah, I grabbed a bite," he replied. "Not hungry anymore. If I were an irresponsible man I would get drunk. We've never had a resident historian attacked. It's almost unheard of. By the way, the security team removed all the bugs from this apartment. There was even one in the phone and your bedroom. They would have heard you and Bucky. I'm sorry about that."

"Why, you didn't do it," she answered.

"Because I know you take pride in not compromising the authenticity of intimate moments." He was almost vehement. "They violated that, probably for their own amusement. Just makes me angry."

Ariel bent down and kissed him on the side of the head. "Thank you. You are my champion. I think I'm going to have a bath and then I'll write down today's activities. I'm glad Will is alive and he will be alright, won't he?"

Merton nodded. She went to her room and changed out of her clothes into her robe. In the bathroom she ran the water and soaked in it for some time. It had been an almost drama free day for her but she felt bad for Merton, for Will and the security agent. Hopefully they suffered no lasting effects. She was also certain that she hadn't been told everything that happened but security matters were need to know. When she finished Merton was still sitting in the living room, with the music playing. She went over to check on him and saw he was asleep. Gently, she took the glass out of his hand then looked closer at him as something was off. She grasped his wrist and felt for his pulse. It was there but it was't strong and she looked at the glass then smelled it; it was oddly sweet smelling. He needed help but in the time it would take her to go up to the communications console he could die. Quickly she phoned Hal's place. It took three rings before he answered.

"It's Ariel," she said. "I think Merton's been poisoned, it was probably in his scotch. He's unconscious. I don't have time to call for help. I have syrup of ipecac in the bathroom and I'm going to try to induce vomiting. I don't know if we have activated charcoal but I have to do something. Can you call for help for me? Please?"

She hung up and ran to the bathroom, finding the bottle. It was only there for appearances but it would likely be the only thing that could get the poison out of his system. Quickly she looked for activated charcoal but it wasn't there. Running back to the parlour she dragged Merton onto the floor. He moaned so he was still partially conscious.

"Merton, you've been poisoned," she said loudly, slapping his face lightly. "I'm going to give you this to drink so that you throw up the poison. Merton, do you hear me?"

Just as she was about to pour it down his throat a portal opened in the kitchen. She ran to it and reached inside, grasping the hand that was there and pulling. It was a medical tech and he ran to Merton, pulling out a syringe and injecting it. He had a portable medical unit in his jacket and he activated it, running it over the prone man.

"It's fentanyl," he said. "The injection will neutralize it and he'll come out of it quickly. It was close, another minute would have finished him. How did you know?"

"I thought he was asleep when I came out of the bathroom but his breathing was funny. When I checked his pulse it was weak. I smelled his drink because he was having it when we got back. It smelled sweet which scotch shouldn't. I haven't checked the bottle."

The med tech went to the scotch bottle and smelled it then poured some in the glass and ran the unit over it. He nodded his head.

"It was in the scotch. Oral isn't the most efficient method of delivery but if he had enough it would slowly kill him."

There was a moan and Merton's eyelids fluttered then opened. He looked with surprise at the med tech and Ariel explained what happened. They both helped him sit up on the floor then to the chair.

"What time did you and Bucky leave this morning?" asked Merton.

"About 9 am," she replied.

"I didn't get back until noon but didn't have a drink until about 15 minutes before you got home," he said, then he shook his head. "Why would they want to kill me?"

"Ariel, could you reach into the portal?" asked the med tech, still monitoring Merton. "Madame Chair was supposed to be right behind me."

She did as he asked and reached inside, pulling Peri out. The med tech gave the older woman his report and she sat on the couch looking exasperated.

"I have no words," she said finally. "There was nothing to be gained from poisoning you. You could have offered Bucky or Ariel a drink and it would have killed them as well. For what purpose?" She sighed then looked at the med tech. "Does Merton need to be checked out?"

"No, the antidote's effects are thorough," he said. "There should be no aftereffects. They brought a drug invented in the 1950s to 1940. I can only guess they did that so that if any tests were done on the body it wouldn't show up in any postmortem. They would likely call it a heart attack."

"Well, we're going to interrogate Mr. Remington again," she said. "I might let the psych people have a go at him. See if they can get him to slip up. If they can't then maybe one of the others that were taken into custody."

She stood up and nodded at the med tech who stepped back into the portal. Peri touched Merton's arm then looked at Ariel fondly.

"Will is alright," she said. "He's already conscious but he won't be coming back to this time. The security agent, Thomas, will be alright as well. He'll have a few days recovery then will go back to his original assignment in the 21st century. Hopefully, his partner will be able to join him at that time. You did well, Ariel, to recognize that Merton was in peril." She sighed. "I sure hope this is the end of it." She looked at Ariel kindly. "Would you give me some privacy with Merton, please?"

Ariel looked surprised but stood up. "Sure, I'll go listen to the radio in my room."

She left and Peri waited for the sounds of the radio before she started signing to Merton.

"It was Orville. The psych team broke him pretty quickly after we arrested him. It was his final act against you and it was personal. Said you should never have got this assignment over him. He put fentanyl on a couple of sugar cubes and dissolved them in your scotch bottle while none of you were home yesterday. He didn't say how he got it and didn't care who drank from the bottle. He just wanted to do damage. We were already on our way to treat you when Hal contacted us. I didn't want Ariel to know this."

"I don't understand. He's never shown any anger to me and he's been in Brooklyn as long as I have. Was there a reason you assigned it to me instead of him?"

She looked at Merton as if he should know the answer already and he understood. It was because of Ariel and his personal connection to her. Orville's attitude towards the historians under his supervision had become lackadaisical in recent years. Ariel would not have received the support or advice she needed, especially with the nature of her assignment.

"Just like May Weatherly was never in contention for this assignment Orville Remington was never considered as supervising historian for Ariel. It was always going to be you. Only you would have the long time knowledge of Bucky and Steve that prepared you for her research. Only you would care enough about her to make sure she was safe."

"I do care about her, very much. This is probably a good time to tell you that I intend to retire when Ariel is finished. I've been in the field for a long time, and I know my health is taking a hit. I'm also concerned about Ariel's emotional health. I would like to be there for her when she returns. Something tells me she is going to need some support."

Peri smiled with understanding and spoke openly. "I think that is very good of you. You've obviously developed a close bond with her and if you're sure that this is to be your final assignment then she'll be lucky to count on your support as a friend and more."

She stood up and sent an indicator through her bracelet that she planned to enter the portal. Merton knocked on Ariel's door and told her that Peri was leaving. The young woman came out and was surprised to receive a hug from Peri. She was even more surprised when Peri hugged Merton. It was obvious they had a personal friendship that had never been evident to her before. Before she could say anything Merton gave the scotch bottle to Peri, suggesting it be properly disposed of to prevent accidental contamination in 1940. Taking the bottle from him Peri entered the portal and it closed behind her. Merton smiled, then went to the door of his room, said good night, and closed the door, leaving Ariel to wonder what was really going on.