by K. T. Tomb
The driver removed her glasses. She had angry blue eyes. “Are you handicapped? Mentally ill? Unable to function normally for any medical reason?”
Peter looked confused. “No. Is that a…?”
Before he could finish his thought, she rolled up the window as she said, “then do it yourself. I’m busy.”
Peter was more than shocked. He mumbled as he dragged his bags back to the passenger door. He opened the door, placed each bag in the car, one by one, and then closed the door.
The partition between the driver and passenger slowly came down. “Please buckle up,” the driver said as the window immediately changed directions and closed tightly.
Peter looked at the driver information posted on the car door. He was surprised when he actually saw a picture of the she-beast driver, smiling. He looked at the name so he could report it to Simon later.
Abigail.
***
Phoe had been up for hours. She just didn’t want to talk to Peter any more than she had to. She had slept in the same outfit that she wore to her award ceremony. She didn’t want to give Peter more to sweat about, so she had kept her clothes on. As soon as he had closed the door behind him, she had sat up, snatched the keys from on top of her cell phone and put them in her pocket. Then she pulled out the cell phone that Simon gave her from her jacket pocket and stared at it. She reluctantly checked for messages and found there were forty-seven voicemails from Simon.
She didn’t even have to listen to them to know that he was sorry for involving her, promised to make it up to her, and so on and so forth. She walked over to the garbage disposal in the kitchen and stuffed Simon’s phone down as far as it would go. She then turned the water on and flipped the switched.
She smiled as the grinding was a reminder that her collaboration with the billionaire was over. He had caused her current dilemma and Peter didn’t help either, when he had withheld important information. She was alone and she knew it. Phoe could just hear her mother in her head. Even though the last time they were together her mother had seemed supportive, all it would take is one piece of negative information for the same old speech to resurface. I told you that treasure hunting wasn’t worth it.
It was time that Phoe put everything behind her and start over. Like a Phoenix.
She washed the clothes she had on and took a long hot shower. It didn’t help. She couldn’t wash away the previous night, but she could make it better. She had a plan.
As soon as her clothes were dried, she got dressed. She also decided that bad things happened when she put her hair up so she let it hang down around her shoulders as she usually did. She used Peter’s brush and shivered with each stroke. She had to use his blow dryer as well. Never understood why men use them. She had no make-up, but she wasn’t trying to impress anyway. She called a cab and headed for the first stop. The hospital.
***
Captain Sampras and Pam greeted Peter warmly as he headed up the stairs of the private jet. The captain rushed to his aide and assisted him with his bags. “You seem well prepared, Mr. Kellerman.”
Peter smiled. The captain obviously knew how to treat people. “Thank you captain, but please…call me Peter.”
“Welcome back,” Pam said. “We’ve added all of your drink choices to our menu for the time that we’ll be in your service. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“It’s your show, Peter,” the captain said, after setting the last bag in the storage closet. “Where to?”
Peter was extremely proud to offer the captain an answer because of the research he had done concerning his mission. “Well captain, our mission is to locate the lair of Beowulf. It somehow made sense to me that if you consider that the original epic poem consisted of 3182 alliterative long lines, it would be easy to deduce that our destination could lie at 31 degrees north and 82 degrees east. So let’s go there.”
Captain Sampras tried to hide his confusion. “I appreciate your attention to detail Peter, but all we need is the actual destination. Any other information can be sorted out between you and Mr. Kessler. It would be helpful for you to understand, though, that 31 degrees north and 82 degrees east are not proper coordinates. Do you have the extra information?”
Peter looked disappointed. “No. I don’t.”
“Okay, well then, is there an alternate destination?” The captain asked, without trying to be condescending.
Pete perked up. “Yes! Yes, actually there is! Captain, take us to London, England!”
Captain Sampras winked at Pam who tried to hold back her laughter. “London, England it is, Peter!” he said, as he went to the cockpit.
Pam waited for Peter to seat himself in front of one of the computers, before she approached him. “You might want to keep your passport ready, when we reach London.”
Peter’s smile faded as realization hit him. “Oh…shit.”
Chapter Five
Phoe held onto Charlotte’s hand while she smiled weakly. Charlotte looked at her with pride, as if Phoe was her own daughter. “I can’t believe what a strong young woman you’ve become. Your mother is so proud of you. Look at you, about to take the world by storm.”
Phoe laughed. “How could you know what I’m about to do?”
“Oh heavens,” Charlotte replied, while chuckling. “I never said I knew anything about what you’re planning, but I know that look. You have the same look that your mother had when she took control over her own life.”
Phoe stopped laughing. “She lost her heart along the way, Charlotte. I don’t ever want to lose my passion for what I’m doing. I just want to do it on my terms.”
“And you will,” Charlotte responded with a look of pride. “You are on the cusp of something really big. Soon, you will be able to do whatever you want to do without answering to anyone.”
A tear rolled down Phoe’s cheek, as she carefully hugged Charlotte. “I guess you would know me better than anyone, Charlotte. I’ve tried to work with other people; make believe that the things they sent me chasing after were the things I wanted to look for. I even put on a smile while I pursued things that no one in their right mind would have.”
Charlotte grabbed Phoe’s hands and tried to readjust her position. “Oh these hospital beds are so damned uncomfortable. So let me see… there were the Tears of Osiris, the Sword of Perdition, the Head of Olmec, The Hammer of Thor, and the Spear of Destiny. Whew! Ha-ha! That’s an impressive resume! What is it this time?”
“The lair of Beowulf,” Phoe replied quickly, as if she anticipated the question.
Charlotte waved her hand around. “That’s just silly. Everyone knows that it was Grendel’s lair.”
Phoe laughed as she kissed Charlotte’s head. Her peripheral vision caught ahold of something on the muted television in Charlotte’s room. She saw the word Beowulf pop up.
She grabbed the remote on the tray next to the bed and hurriedly turned up the volume. “…holm, Sweden where Kadan Alexander just announced the newest upgrade for the original computer known as Beowulf…”
A twenty-three year old man walked up to a podium where several microphones were set up. He was thin and had a thin black Mohawk on a predominately bald head. He had a nose piercing and several ear piercings. The young man wore a black t-shirt and a blue denim jacket and expressed himself with his hands a lot when he spoke. He didn’t look anything like a computer expert.
He tapped the microphones and cleared his throat. “Hello everyone! I’m not used to speaking in public, but let’s get right to it. Yeah? My name is Kadan Alexander so write it down and make sure it’s spelled right for the papers and stuff. The original Beowulf computer was built in 1994 by two innovative men, Thomas Sterling and Donald Becker from N.A.S.A. Sterling is not related to the Jodie Foster character in Silence of the Lambs, by the way.”
He stopped to laugh at his own joke and then cleared his throat again. “Since then there has been the cluster and the Microwulf and some other stuff that I have not personally
worked on, so I’m not going to mention those. What I am going to tell you is that I’m going to rebuild the Beowulf. Why, you ask? I can’t tell you unless you have top security clearance. So don’t ask. I can also say that my research has been funded by the generous hottie, Symone Armette of Armette Transportation. Hey I just thought of something! Symone is marrying some guy named Simon! Ha-ha! That’s all for now.”
Phoe turned the volume back down as the stared at the television screen, deep in thought.
Charlotte tried to sit up in her hospital bed. “I know that look too, Phoe. Do you need my car?”
“No, Charlotte,” Phoe replied, still in thought. “I really appreciate your offer, but I need to handle this alone. It’ll make me stronger without having to rely on anyone. I have a few more errands to run, before I go to Sweden.”
“There’s more than enough money in the Simple Treasures bank acc…” Charlotte couldn’t even say the name of the business that had been burned to the ground.
Phoe grabbed some papers that she had set on the tray, when she first entered the room. She handed them to Charlotte. “Here’s the paperwork for the insurance coverage that I had on Treasures.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened as she looked the papers over. “Oh, dear no! How long have I been the beneficiary if anything happened to the store?”
“Since you first started helping me,” Phoe replied, as she sat down gently on the bed next to Charlotte. “The insurance money is yours. Of course it depends on how good the arsonist was. If they were really good, then the Fire Marshall should see it as an accident and you should get the insurance. I also want you to take all of the money in the bank account and give the employees a nice severance package. The rest is for you.”
“I can’t,” Charlotte exclaimed, as she started to cry uncontrollably.
Phoe started to cry as well. “You can and you will, Charlotte. “My mom has more than enough money and Eric was taken care of by Simon, so that just leaves you. You need to take it…for me. Please.”
Charlotte grabbed Phoe’s hands. “What about you? You need some money. How are you going to get to Sweden?”
The side of Phoe’s mouth turned up in a smirk. “I believe the opportunity is right under my nose. It’s time that I learned to fly on my own.”
“Like your namesake,” Charlotte said.
Phoe stood up. “Exactly like my namesake.”
Chapter Six
Peter had just returned to the jet after retrieving his passport. He had mixed emotions about not finding Phoe there. He had hoped that she would recover from losing Simple Treasures, but he also saw that as an opportunity to be there for her. He wanted to show his support.
As he entered the jet, Pam’s smile seemed more out of pity than anything. He ignored her and headed straight for his seat. After fastening his seatbelt, he went right to work on the computer. He already knew where he was going after London, he just wanted to give Pam the impression that he was plotting his next move online. It was clear that his little staff of two were under the impression that he was way out of his depth. He glanced up every once in a while and watched as she secured the door and then disappeared behind the curtain that led to the cockpit.
Pam entered the cockpit as Captain Sampras checked his equipment in preparation for take-off. “Are we all set, Alan?”
“As ready as we’ll ever be,” he replied with a smile. He noticed that Pam had a look of concern. “I take it you don’t think that our passenger is prepared to fly solo.”
Pam sighed. “What do you think? The poor guy forgot his passport, Alan. Ha-ha!” She couldn’t help but laugh, as she placed the back of her hand gently against her mouth.
He felt justified in laughing once she had started. “Ha-ha! I’m sorry, it’s just that Peter seems that he’s trying too hard to be Phoe’s replacement instead of doing things his way.”
“Maybe he doesn’t have a way,” she blurted out.
Captain Sampras nodded in agreement. “That’s why I contacted Jonathan. He agreed to meet up with us in London. Maybe he can help out.”
“Good idea,” Pam replied. “Don’t get me wrong, I like him and I wish him the best, but we all need help at one time or another, whether we know it or not.
He let out a playful growl. She giggled as she left the cockpit.
***
Simple Treasures was all Phoe’d had. She’d put everything into the store. It was one of a kind, because her personality had been emblazoned into every inch of it and was more than just her livelihood, it was her home. Homeless. She didn’t like anyone having to use that word, let alone her. She didn’t like the prospect of having to live it.
She stood in front of the dark patch of scorched wood and replica artifacts. There was police crime scene tape all around what was left of the place.
Several police officers milled around, preventing anyone from contaminating the crime scene. One of the officers approached her. “From the look on your face, I would think it safe to assume that you are the owner.”
Phoe tilted her head slightly and gave him a sarcastic smile. “Give that man a teddy bear! I tell you what…you can have one of mine. Oh wait! All of my shit was destroyed in a fire!”
“Look ma’am,” he responded, while trying to be civil. “I understand that you had a bad day, but we’re doing everything we can to figure out exactly what happened.”
Ma’am?
She was about to blurt out that she knew what had happened. She was about to say that someone was out to get her, because she was stupid and opened her mouth like some trained dog at Simon’s targeted provocation. Then she thought better of it. She couldn’t say anything that would lead the police to think that it was arson. They would have to find that out for themselves.
Phoe showed her driver’s license to him and forced a smile. “I’m sorry officer. I know you’re just doing your job. And yes, I had a really bad day. I just need to get to what was once my bedroom for one thing. It looks like a bowling ball…except it’s different.”
***
“Welcome to Heathrow Airport,” the captain said, over the intercom as the jet came to a stop on the runway tarmac.
While Peter stood and stretched his limbs, Pam opened the door and let down the steps. A glance outside the plane window revealed that it was nighttime. He went to the storage closet and grabbed all of his bags, then headed for the door with a smile on his face. “Thank you for a most enjoyable flight, Pam. Please also thank the captain for me.”
She nodded as he stumbled a few times, but then regained his balance on the stairs. He saw the limo that waited for him. There was an extra body that he hadn’t counted on being there, leaning against it.
“Hello, Jonathan,” Peter said, half-heartedly.
“Hello, Mr. Kellerman!” Jonathan returned, with an excited smile. “I just want you to know that I am honored to be here with you. Seems like old times right?”
“Old times. Right,” Peter said, under his breath, as Jonathan helped him load his bags into the trunk.
Jonathan must have been kept in a dark room since their last meeting, because he seemed overanxious to be out at all. “Where to, Peter?”
Peter sighed. “If it’s still open, we need to go to Ashburnham House, Westminster.”
Jonathan’s smile faded and his face took on a grave look. “Hey Peter, do you think that when you talk to her, you could give my best to Ms. Phoenix. My father and I…” He trailed off, as he realized any way that he finished that statement would have sounded like an excuse for what his father had done. “She won’t return our calls. Please just let her know that if she needs anything…”
Peter nodded as he stared out the car window with his thoughts being consumed by Phoe, while Jonathan gave the driver the destination.
Chapter Seven
Peter’s frustration grew as he re-entered the limo with Jonathan not far behind. Jonathan tried to comfort him as he patted Peter on the back. “There, there, Peter. How could you have kno
wn that they only see people by appointment?”
“I might have found out, if I would have checked my resources,” Peter huffed. “All I had to do was go on the internet to find out. This entire trip has been a waste of time! First, I forgot my passport…”
“You forgot your passport?” Jonathan interrupted, as he tried to hide his amusement.
Peter said nothing as he stood glaring at the historic multi-room building that sat on Little Dean’s Yard in Westminster, London. As he searched for a way to salvage the trip, his smile suddenly widened. “Jonathan! Whichever way we look at it, this has to be the first piece of the puzzle, the first stop on the road; it all started here in that house. After the fire ruined the original Beowulf manuscript in 1731, there was a whole lot of debate over who owned the house. At some point the surviving manuscripts were moved but there must be something left behind in that library that can get us started.”
Jonathan looked puzzled. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying, Peter?”
“Quite possibly, my dear partner in crime,” Peter replied, as he lowered his head and gave Jonathan a devilish smile. “I know the house is closed at the moment, but let’s go in…anyway!”
***
It took about three weeks for Simon to pull the necessary strings to get Peter and Jonathan out of HM Prison Wandsworth, a Category B men's prison operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service; the largest prison in London. The prison had been built in 1851 when it had been known as Surrey House of Correction. Peter and Jonathan had been sent straight to Wandsworth, because breaking into a historic landmark was seriously frowned upon.
He called in favors that he hadn’t thought about for years and Simon certainly wasn’t pleased to do so. He and Symone Armette waited outside the prison in a limo along with Symone’s brother, Hamilton. Hamilton made it a point to help himself to any wet bar within a 100 yard radius of his location at any particular time and the limo was apparently no exception. His drinking problem made him somewhat of an embarrassment to the rest of his family. Especially to his younger sister.