I did not comment on the news when I came out of my room. Nor did the others.
Carlyle moved like a man who had all the confidence in the world. Giving the staff we passed easy smiles and warm glances as we made our way back downstairs.
I could not do the same.
I was too busy thinking of how stupid I’d been by figuring no one would have seen us due to how dark it was. All while I cursed the three literal mind-readers next to me.
‘Come on! What!? Were you that surprised that we got carjacked!? You’re supposed to be much more experienced than me! What were you thinking all that time!?’
The only ones I could forgive were James, because he really cared a lot about that car, and Elsie, because she’d been busy keeping her grandfather calm and away from the screaming gang members. But Carlyle was supposed to be this genius who had it all planned out. This kind of lapse was completely unacceptable.
‘And yet, I was just as blind. Despite literally being able to see in the freaking dark!’
I raged.
Not just at how I didn’t notice the old man, but at how I didn’t question how the food I was growing was being used past a few basic questions to uncle Uter.
‘Idiot. You’re a freaking idiot. Going around and worrying about not having friends and about getting a new and bigger house and about how the quizzes were hard and the teachers weren’t giving you a break. All while society was literally falling apart.’
I held myself back from glaring at the old man.
‘You should have bought up this farmland months ago you old fart! You could have stopped all of this before it got this bad! What the frick where you thinking!?’
“Carlyle!” A weasel-like voice called out from an open elevator.
The man that came out to greet us in the hallway, if anything, only cemented the impression I’d gotten from his voice.
He was someone well on their way into their mid-life crisis. Roughly late 40s or early 50s. With greying roots tied to dyed black hair on the sides of his head and a toupee that wasn’t fooling anyone on top of it.
He looked fit. Or about as fit as anyone else I’d seen tonight, but with a distinct lack of muscle around his arms and torso. Instead, what muscle did show underneath the suit seemed stringy and taught. Like an old rope that was slightly fraying. Overall, he gave the impression of a swimmer or a marathon runner past his prime. One who’d started smoking two-packs a day in memory of his glory days.
“Raymond!” Carlyle called out in turn. Showing him the kind of smile that would have sent me running for the hills if he turned it in my direction.
“How lovely to see you walking about again!” Carlyle walked up and clasped the younger man’s hand.
“I must say. I was beside myself when I heard about your lung cancer. Terrible business that. Terrible business.” He spoke in a faux-distraught tone. “Honestly. No one should have to suffer through what you suffered through. I’m glad to see you’re doing better.”
Raymond’s mouth said: “Yes! Honestly. I should have seen it coming! After all those times you warned me not to smoke my own product! Ha!”
He wagged a finger at Carlyle.
“I should’ve listened to the doctors. But you know me. I’m a man of the people. And I could never stop myself from having one more drag.”
Meanwhile, Raymond’s eyes said: “I will gut you like a fish you old snake! Then I’ll kill your son too! And set your house on fire! Hiiiisssss!”
Indeed, the difference between what the two men were saying and what they showed in the slightest inflections on their faces was so stark that I was afraid I was the one having some kind of episode.
‘Maybe that’s why I didn’t see the old man on the news.’ I wondered with some horror. ‘Maybe someone snuck some sky-shroom juice in my hot chocolate this morning and this is all some kind of misunderstanding.’
James Robertson soon put a stop to those notions.
“Nonsense! Raymond! Nonsense! You followed your little, shrivelled up, black heart wherever it led you. Why, I wish I could be half as self-assured as you! I mean, I spend so much time stressing over the little things you know? It would save me so much trouble and energy if I could just shut my brain off at will like that!” He chuckled in good humor.
“By the way, how’s your new kid doing?”
Raymond feigned a bout of ignorance.
“New kid? Why, I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course. Of course. That young lady obviously didn’t know what she was talking about.” James nodded. “I bet the DNA test will clear everything up in no time. Rest assured; I will be among the first people outside the courthouse waiting for a verdict.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
‘Waiting for the death penalty to be called out you mean.’ I thought as soon as I saw his face.
I didn’t know what the heck was going on between these three, but the fact that the Robertsons despised this Raymond guy was obvious.
I had picked up some clues from the conversation, but it seemed to me like it went much deeper than that.
Like these three had known each other for a long, long time.
‘Wait, didn’t Carlyle say something when we first went to Alaska? Something about being poisoned a bunch of times with cyanide?’
“Oh, I don’t think it’ll come to that.” Raymond bemoaned. “I felt bad for the poor soul and decided to settle the whole thing out of court. I was nice enough to give her a bit of money so that she could get settled and she agreed to take back her silly tales. It was the least I could do as an outstanding member of the community, though I would have preferred that she go to one of the programs I donate to. This was all a bit much for me.”
He stepped right into Carlyle’s personal space.
“And what about you two? I have to say, coming up with so much food out of nowhere is nothing short of miraculous. And speaking of miraculous, I don’t think I’ve ever had veggies that good before. Granted I’ve always been more of a veal and caviar kind of guy, but those apples were out of this world.”
He gave Carlyle the sleaziest smile anyone has ever given a fellow human being.
“And let us not forget the added health benefits. I mean, wow! I was always told that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but this is a little much don’t you think?”
He let out a low chuckle.
“Tell me, just between us. What’s your secret? Hmn? I mean, billions upon billions go into cancer research every year from all kinds of sources and even more money goes into treatment and into prevention campaigns. I myself paid top dollar for the best doctors and the best hospitals when I was suffering all those years. All for nothing. And here you come out of the blue. Not even advertising the health benefits of your mutant produce or raising prices. What exactly did you pump into those fruits?”
“Love and care old friend.” Carlyle answered. “Love and care and lots of hard work on quiet, little patches of land.”
“Patches that won’t be so little after tonight.” Raymond piled on quickly. “I hear you’re one of the main players looking to buy. Have to say, it’s pretty brave that you came here to invest after so many crops failed one after the other and after the reports all came back inconclusive. It’s almost like no one knows what’s going on with the land lately. No one but you.”
He stepped even further into Carlyle’s personal space.
“I myself checked the fertilizer companies and you own none of them. I checked the pesticide providers and you don’t own any of those either. Why, I even checked the companies that provide farming equipment and no one connected to you owned one until recently. So where did the sudden interest come from?”
Carlyle gave him another simpering smile.
“Well, you know me old friend. I see someone in need and I just need to step in. Can’t help it honestly. It’s one of my faults. I care too much.”
Raymond didn’t answer, but his little weasel-like moustache wiggled.
Then his beady little eyes snapped to me.
“And who do we have here?” He spoke with too much enthusiasm. “A bodyguard? For you? Why Carlyle, you’ve always been so happy go lucky until now. What changed? Are you thinking that someone might try something?”
“He’s no bodyguard.” James corrected. “This is Cecil. Cecil Fowler. I believe you’ve become acquainted with his uncle back at Kentucky.”
His eyes shone like stained windows with the sun behind them.
“Ah! Uter’s boy!” He looked me up and down. “Of course! Of course! I see the resemblance now. You both have the same…”
He paused to glance at my muscles more closely.
‘Though to be fair, the suit is very tight.’
“Eyes.” He decided. “And you both have the same sandy-blonde hair. Yes. I see it now. You’re definitely related.”
I mean, we did have the same eyes and hair. But he had obviously not been paying attention to that.
“You’re, what? 20?”
“14.” I corrected.
Raymond laughed. More genuinely this time.
“Right! Of course you are! Good one!”
I pulled out my Ontario health card and showed it to him.
His eyes passed over the numbers. Widening as he went.
“Holy sh… Holy cow kid! What the… what’s your uncle feeding you!?”
‘Monsters under Korea.’ I thought. ‘Though to be fair, I am hunting and killing them myself.’
He stumbled on his words some more, before he suddenly recovered.
“Well. I guess I know who gets first dibs on all that produce now. I swear, the markets have been having trouble keeping up with you Carlyle. There’s even a black market of sorts in some towns now. I’ve had to pay a couple hundred bucks an apple as of late. It’s getting out of control.”
Carlyle looked incredibly sad. To the point where he actually pulled out a handkerchief and slowly dabbed the corners of his right eye.
“I know old friend. I know. It hurt me too. I would gladly have everyone partake in the good I grow, but the FDA has been oh so dreadfully stubborn as of late. Even when the benefits are right there in front of them.”
“It really does make you wonder what’s going on behind closed doors.” Raymond agreed. “But don’t worry. I’m sure the investigators won’t find anything out of place.”
“They sure won’t.” James snapped a bit too eagerly. “And the supply problems should all be taken care of after tonight. Don’t you worry my good pal. I will make sure you can snack on our best in no time at all. But hey, don’t let our own needs trouble you. I’m sure your tobacco farms are still hungry for more land to expand in. After all, your shares have remained steady after all those glowing reports you gave to your shareholders. I’m sure you’ll be snapping up land right alongside us since you’re doing so good!”
Raymond’s eyes somehow managed to gain an even more vicious edge.
Somehow.
“Oh look at the time!” Raymond followed up. A bit too loudly.
“I really should get going! The auction is about to start.”
“Agreed.” Caryle snapped. “Come on son. Let’s go down there and help out the poor old farmers looking to exit the business.”
We all moved past him. Walking with an air of forced calmness as we went. The man called Raymond did not follow. Instead, he stared at us until we entered the elevator and I had the feeling he was staring long after the doors closed.
‘Who the frick was that?’ I asked in my mind.
‘Raymond Frey-Donahue.’ Carlyle answered. ‘Longtime acquaintance, former ENRON executive, former heir and now primary shareholder of the Donahue cigarette empire, heavy smoker, cutthroat capitalist, all around pest and the guy who most certainly bugged our rooms.’
He sighed.
‘This’ll sound really bad, but I was kinda hoping the cancer got him. He’s poisoned me enough times that I don’t feel bad thinking that.’
Both older men shared a look.
‘So, hey. I know this was supposed to be a fun night for you kids before we set the Dungeon in motion, but make sure you don’t eat anything tonight. Just to be on the safe side.’
Elsie didn’t say anything, but nodded.
I nodded too, but brought up Pool Cecil back to blot out the mind-reading.
‘Well, at least we’ll get that farmland now.’ I thought with dread. ‘I guess potentially getting poisoned and definitely getting spied on is a cheap price to pay if it helps the people around here.’