CHAPTER 27
KEVIN AND TOBUS VISIT HIS EX-WIFE AND MATTHEW
At seven fifty-five, Kevin and Tobus took their forms for the evening. Kevin looked the same as he had that morning but better groomed. He wore a light-blue, long-sleeved shirt tucked into black trousers and a dash of aftershave; no hair was out of place. Tobus assumed the form of a five-year-old boy with cute dimples. His hair was combed back like Kevin’s since he was going to be Kevin’s son for the night.
At eight o’clock sharp they stood on Cynthia and Matthew’s doorstep. Kevin engaged his supernatural power to make sure he heard their inner thoughts; he wanted to know everything that Matthew and Cynthia said or thought during their stay. He rang the bell and Matthew immediately opened it. This made Kevin slightly jealous: another man answering the door of his marital home. He held his peace.
‘Please come in, Ashley!’ Matthew said cheerfully before looking down at Tobus. ‘Hello, little guy,’ he added with a smile, making a soft face as people do when they speak to a young child.
‘This is my son, Joshua. He just turned five years old,’ Kevin said, as they walked through the door. Memories of his last day in the house assailed him. Nothing had changed since he’d left; the house even smelled the same. He glanced at the sofa where he had seen Matthew making love to his wife; he figured he’d thrown up right about where he was standing now.
‘Come on, guys, please take a seat,’ Matthew said, gesturing towards the sofa. ‘Cynthia and the kids will be down in a moment. What would you like to drink? Wine, whisky or beer?’ Matthew clutched a tumbler of whisky, which he sipped from every now and then.
‘A beer, thanks. What a lovely place you’ve got here,’ Kevin said, still wearing a broad smile.
Matthew swallowed hard. ‘Excuse me, let me get you a beer,’ he said, heading off to the kitchen. He emerged with an open bottle. ‘Ashley! Would you like a glass?’
‘Oh no, that’s fine,’ Kevin replied.
Meanwhile Tobus sat quietly, playing with a toy car he had picked up from the floor. He swung his dangling feet back and forth over the edge of the sofa.
As Matthew handed over the beer, Cynthia emerged from upstairs. She looked as beautiful as ever with her hair piled up in loose curls. Kevin stood as she walked towards him and they greeted each other with a friendly handshake. He almost leaned forward to hug her before pulling back.
Soon enough, the kids bounded down the wooden stairs like a small army. They came to a sudden halt in front of the visitors. Kevin was overwhelmed with excitement to see how they’d grown over two years. Nathan was becoming a fine young man and Tiffany looked like a young lady – and even more like her mother. Kevin’s heart nearly broke to see Tyler, the youngest, now five years old. He remembered how they had all competed for his attention when he’d come home from work in the evenings. Gosh! I miss that, he thought. I wonder how they’d relate to me now, had I not gone away. He looked at them with a broad smile.
Cynthia crouched down to address Tobus, now Joshua, and said, ‘Hello. What’s your name?’
Tobus answered shyly, ‘My name is Joshua.’
‘Nice to meet you, Joshua. How old are you?’
‘I’m five years old,’ he replied, showing five fingers.
‘Guess who else is five years old?’ Cynthia asked, pulling Tyler close. ‘And this is Nathan. He’s ten, and Tiffany here is eight.’ They smiled at Tobus and he smiled back.
Kevin bent down to give a handshake to the two older children. When he got to Tyler, he moved his hand vigorously in her hair, the same way he had greeted her every day after work. ‘Hello, Tyler. How are you?’
She hugged him but then moved away shyly and looked at the picture of herself, Nathan, Tiffany and Kevin tucked away on the shelf that held the television facing the long couch. ‘Fine!’ she answered under her breath. Kevin’s eyes followed hers and he saw the picture too. Only half of his face was showing; It was almost out of sight. It used to be the focal point of that shelf. Kevin’s gaze moved away fast, to stop him from remembering what had happened in this room.
‘Right. Everyone, let’s move to the dining room. The food is probably getting cold,’ Cynthia said. The kids ran to the table, followed by Tobus and then Kevin and Matthew. Cynthia headed off to the kitchen. Kevin was directed to the guest’s seat, the place Matthew sat when he used to visit Kevin and Cynthia for dinner. Kevin’s ex-best friend now sat at the head of the table.
Cynthia had prepared a banquet of grilled pork loin, steak and sausages, mashed and boiled potatoes with steamed vegetables. She walked behind Matthew and touched him lightly on the shoulder before taking her seat. Kevin tried not to stare.
‘Please everyone, dig in,’ she said. She took Matthew’s hand on the table and smiled at him before turning to smile at Kevin. Then she grabbed a long metal spoon and started serving the children, youngest first.
‘Thank you again for inviting us into your lovely home,’ Kevin said.
‘It’s the least we can do!’ Matthew said, wearing a broad smile. He still couldn’t shake off the feeling he’d had that morning, when he thought he had heard Kevin’s voice. Kevin quickly listened in to Matthew’s thoughts, and he smothered a smile.
Matthew hadn’t told anyone about hearing Kevin’s voice, not even Cynthia, because he didn’t want to seem paranoid. Now that he had spent more time listening to Ashley, it was clear that he sounded nothing like Kevin. Nevertheless, Matthew continued to feel a nagging doubt in the pit of his stomach. He tried to convince himself that his guilt was making him hypersensitive and had a few more sips of whisky to calm himself down.
As Matthew glanced at Tobus, the image of the dwarf he’d seen earlier flashed before his eyes. The boy saw him and looked away sheepishly, just as the dwarf had done. This thought, and Joshua’s mannerisms, sent shivers down Matthew’s spine but he tried to pull himself together. His reactions heightened Kevin’s excitement as he listened in.
They were eating and chatting. ‘So, why haven’t you made an honest woman of her?’ Kevin asked, nodding his head towards Cynthia. ‘She has provided you with these three lovely children. How come you’re not married? Sorry, I don’t mean to pry – I just remember that at the hospital you told me she was your girlfriend.’
‘Oh, yes, we’re still dating but we’ll get there. Besides, the kids aren’t mine. Cynthia was married before we got together,’ Matthew explained wearily.
As Matthew said that, Tiffany threw him a murderous look. She dropped her cutlery abruptly on her plate as she turned to stare at her mother, but she didn’t say a word. Cynthia looked at her and shuffled a little in her seat before relaxing again.
Matthew ignored Tiffany. His mind raced, considering the events of that day. It’s strange that this guy reminded me of Kevin and then the next thing he’s saving my life – and now, we’re all having dinner at Kevin’s old house. Something just feels weird. And there’s definitely something eerie about his son.
‘Oh, okay, so you’re divorced now?’ Kevin asked, looking steadily at Cynthia.
She hesitated before answering, ‘Oh, no, my husband passed away.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Kevin said apologetically. He waited, hoping to hear more, but everyone was silent. The kids were listening but said nothing.
‘So, are you married, Ashley?’ Cynthia asked, tilting her head as she looked at him.
Kevin took a deep breath and exhaled loudly before answering, ‘Yeah. I mean, I was. For five years. She left me for someone else. Right now, we’re going through a custody battle over our lovely son,’ he said, indicating Joshua, who was busy stuffing food into his mouth and playing with the toy car in the small space on the table beside his plate. ‘She wanted sole custody and to give me visitation rights when, in reality, I wasn’t the one who left,’ Kevin continued.
‘Why did she leave?’ Cynthia asked, adjusting herself on her seat and looking at him. Perhaps she was trying to re-direct the attention from herself to him.
‘Well, from what she told me and all of our friends, she wanted someone new. I think she was punishing me but I’d done nothing wrong. That’s life for you. I work as a director of finance in New York and I was sent here to look at the possibility of setting up a new office in New Orleans. The only issue is that if we do, she’ll use that as a reason to keep Joshua away from me and his grandparents, who love him to pieces.’
‘We miss Grandpa and Grandma,’ Tyler interjected, the corners of her mouth downturned.
‘Shh, not now, dear. The adults are talking,’ Cynthia said to Tyler.
‘I don’t know why people can’t be civil. Now she wants to punish a poor child by depriving him of seeing his family. Can you believe that? I don’t know why children are always the ones who have to suffer in these situations,’ Kevin said.
Matthew took another sip of whisky.
‘How long have you guys been separated?’ Cynthia asked.
‘Oh, not long. She only left me three months ago and she’s already trying to remarry,’ Kevin said. ‘If you don’t mind me asking, when did your husband die? How long ago did it happen?’
‘Well, we’d been separated for more than a year and ten months, so we weren’t together when it happened. He only died recently. He was killed by a hit-and-run driver,’ Cynthia said.
‘Oh, is that the friend you spoke about today?’ Kevin asked Matthew, holding his gaze.
Kevin’s questions were making Cynthia and Matthew uneasy and they exchanged a glance. They couldn’t help but answer out of politeness – after all, the guy had saved Matthew’s life.
Matthew hesitated before answering, ‘Yes, that’s the one.’ He tried not to show any emotion, while thinking he could actually be speaking to Kevin.
‘It’s nice that you stepped up to help your friend by looking after his family. I like that,’ Kevin said, nodding his head.
When Cynthia saw how uncomfortable Matthew was, she quickly asked, ‘Is everyone ready for dessert?’
The kids all shouted, ‘Yeah!’
Matthew, on the other hand, just wanted to drink. He was having a rough evening. His chest felt tight every time he looked across the table at Tobus. All he could see was the dwarf from this morning. And the dinnertime conversation was certainly not making him feel any better. Kevin enjoyed every bit of Matthew’s physical and emotional discomfort.
Cynthia placed a round chocolate cake in the middle of the table and served everyone a slice. When she had finished, she sat down again and they all began to eat.
‘Cynthia, would you be a darling and tell me what the schools are like around here? Are they any good? Do the children like them?’ Kevin asked.
Before Cynthia could answer, Tyler spoke up. ‘I like my school and teachers. Only Miss Knight is scary.’
‘How so, Tyler?’ Kevin asked softly.
‘Well, she sometimes shouts at us when we run in the corridor,’ Tyler explained slowly.
‘Oh, okay. Perhaps she doesn’t want you to trip and fall over, or bump into each other like Matthew and I did this morning. Tyler dear, I don’t know if you know, but this morning while I was out going for my morning run, Matthew here was listening to music on his earphones. I only took my eyes off the path for a second to look back and, before I knew it, I accidently bumped into Matthew. Luckily, nobody got hurt,’ Kevin said, nodding at Matthew, who smiled a little and tilted his head slightly. ‘You see Tyler, even adults can make mistakes when they run without looking where they are going.’
Tyler said nothing, but she placed her hand under her chin as though thinking about what he’d said.
‘Yeah, we think most of the schools around here are good. The kids seem to enjoy it,’ Cynthia said, without going into any further detail. Maybe she was trying not to encourage their return to the area, since his questions made her and Matthew uncomfortable.
A few minutes later, when everyone had finished eating, she carried a set of plates into the kitchen. When she returned to the table, Kevin asked, ‘Do you need a hand clearing up? I would be happy to help.’
‘No, you don’t have to worry about that. You just sit and relax. Would you like another drink?’
‘Oh no, I’m fine, thank you. I must say, that was a lovely banquet, not to mention this delicious chocolate cake. We really enjoyed every mouthful. You and your lovely family have made our visit to New Orleans extra special.’
Matthew, who was still feeling uncomfortable, nodded and smiled. He couldn’t wait for them to leave.
‘We’d better be going now as we have an early start tomorrow. We’ll be travelling back to New York first thing in the morning,’ Kevin continued.
Cynthia leaned lightly against one of the dining chairs. ‘Okay. Well, it was nice to have you and your son around. Good luck with everything. I hope it all works out for you,’ she said.
Kevin repeated his ritual with the kids, shaking Nathan’s and Tiffany’s hands before walking over to Tyler and ruffling her hair. He said, ‘Hopefully we’ll see you all again soon when we return or if I return to New Orleans.’
Then he turned to Matthew and offered him a handshake. ‘Man! Take care of this wonderful family,’ he said. He held his hand tightly and looked him straight in the eye.
Matthew heard Kevin’s voice again; he hoped Cynthia had heard it, too. He tried to pull his hand away from Kevin’s without being obvious and nodded before looking down. If he had ever doubted that ghosts existed, this chilling occasion was enough to convince him. He glanced at Tobus as they were leaving. This time he looked normal, just like a little boy.
Kevin and Tobus left the house and drove down the street to find a dark alley so they could take to the sky and return to Mars Harrogate.
‘That was quite an eventful day, don’t you think? I enjoyed every bit of it. Trying to run him over with the car was a good strategy,’ Kevin said.
‘Yeah, I figured that humans are always kind to people who save their lives,’ Tobus explained. ‘I have to tell you, I had a bit of fun with Matthew. I appeared to him on the street this morning as a dwarf. All night at dinner, he kept looking at me, scared stiff. I just wanted to mess with his head a little bit, so he would always fear that we would come back,’ he continued happily.
Kevin laughed. ‘It really was a great day,’ he said.
Tobus suddenly turned serious. ‘Do you think you would have been happier with your life if you hadn’t married Cynthia? I mean, I must admit, she is a handsome one of your kind,’ said Tobus.
‘You mean beautiful?’ Kevin asked.
‘Well, yes. You know what I mean,’ Tobus replied.
‘My life would have been significantly different but now I wouldn’t change it for the world. Everything has worked out the way it should have and I’m happy to move on. Let’s go home, shall we?’ Kevin said.
He shot off like a bullet in the sky and Tobus followed. They glided alongside each other, talking and laughing. It wasn’t long before they were back at Mars Harrogate. Upon their return, they presented themselves to Calbas, as was the protocol when anyone returned from an assignment. They assumed their usual positions at the table, with Calbas sitting across from Kevin and Tobus at Calbas’s side.
‘Kevin, what are your thought about this mission? Was seeing your family again the right decision?’ Calbas asked.
‘Yes, sir. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to say goodbye,’ Kevin said.
‘It looks like you decided not to take any harsh action against your ex-wife and your best friend. Why did you decide to do that?’ Calbas asked.
‘Well, I figured that she loves him and between them they’re taking good care of the children. I also considered the fact that she chose him instead of me, so I will let it be for now. And I have a new opportunity. I want to thank you again for the chance to be involved in this magnificent body. I’m ready to serve to the best of my ability,’ he pledged.
‘Very well. We are happy that you’re part of the team. We trust you will do w
ell,’ Calbas said. ‘Tobus, I see that you enjoyed taking two idiots for a joyride.’
They all burst out laughing.
‘Well, I’m glad you both had fun. Now, as Gatekeepers we always have work to do so let’s get right to it,’ Calbas said. ‘We have just received a report of a problem at Mars Rothadam. The issue concerns a young migrant who hasn’t been seen for about two weeks. They are not sure when exactly she disappeared. Kevin, I would like you and Tobus to find out what has happened so we can work out a solution as quickly as possible before the news throws the other migrants into a panic.’
CHAPTER 28
THE PARANORMAL DETECTIVES AT MARS ROTHADAM
Kevin and Tobus, who had taken the form of a man, soon arrived in Mars Rothadam. Upon their arrival, they made their way to the council office and requested all available information regarding the missing migrant. A man took them to another office where they met two other men. Kevin, Tobus and the three men sat down to talk.
‘My name is Kevin and this my colleague, Tobus,’ he said. ‘We are from the council of the Gatekeepers.’
‘You are welcome, sir. I’m Tim. This is Andrew, he works with the city government, and this is the newest member of the team, James Carna. He’s one of the migrants and has now officially taken up the role as the migrants’ spokesperson. Since they arrived, he’s worked indirectly with the Gatekeepers through the council.’
James smiled and nodded. ‘Sir, the girl in question is called Carrol Spoff. It was virtually impossible to notice her absence as Carrol didn’t interact with others,’ he explained.
‘Despite our best efforts to keep her disappearance a secret, the news got out. Rumours have begun to circulate among the migrants,’ Tim said.
‘How did you notice she was missing in the first place?’ Kevin asked.
‘Two weeks after their arrival, the migrants were all requested on a particular day to attend the safe house closest to their residence for a meeting and to complete the sign-in process. The organisers planned to use it as an opportunity to check in with the migrants and address any of their issues. Although the new city has a citizen resolution centre, they deemed it necessary to reach out to migrants who might not go out of their way to use this facility.
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