Books of the Dead

by Morris Fenris

  “Hello, who is this?”

  Nora heard an accent which made it hard to understand, so she remained quiet until the person asked her the question again. Nora was glad that someone finally picked up the phone, but the voice on the other end didn’t sound to welcoming.

  “May I speak with Mr. Joseph?” Nora asked

  “Who is calling?” The voice on the other end demanded sharply.

  Nora was intimated a little, but she didn’t gave up her cool. She looked around again, and then calmly said, “I am a reporter and Mr. Joseph is one of the oldest folk in this town, so it would benefit me if I am allowed to interview him.” This time Nora hoped for the voice on the other end to believe her lie.

  There was silence for several minutes before she heard a sound and the lady spoke. “No, you cannot, because he is sick and does not wish to speak to anyone.” Without saying anything else, she slammed the phone down.

  Nora was stunned and was holding the receiver in her hand when the cashier asked if she was done with the call, but she was not. She had to get that appointment, but there was no way of getting it with that lady in the way.

  Maybe I should seek the help of Mr. Kippler again. Nora didn’t want to bother him over and over again.

  Nora tried the number again, and this time she braced herself, but the moment the lady heard Nora’s voice, her tone changed. She clearly intended not to convey the message to Mr. Joseph and insisted that he had no desire to speak with her whatsoever. Nora couldn’t understand why the lady was reacting in such a manner. “Mrs. Shindel, I got this number from her.” Nora said and hoped that this name would work, but the lady seemed unmoved by it. She was obviously displeased by the phone call and asked Nora not to bother them anymore. There was no point wasting time in the store, the cashier was giving her looks every now and then. For Nora, walking out was the finest option.

  “I should just go to Mr. Kippler,” Nora said then looked at the screwdriver in her hand and laughed at herself for buying those for no reason. She looked for the nearest dumpster to throw them away, but when she didn’t find any, she stored them in her back pack.

  The road to Mr. Kippler’s house was in the opposite direction and having been to his house the previous day, Nora thought she knew where it was, yet at the same time, the roads seemed too similar. She asked a couple of people passing by to verify if she was going in the right direction. It took her nearly twenty minutes to reach his house, and although there was a slight chill in the air, Nora felt her throat parched. She crossed the lawn, which was covered with brown and orange leaves and then climbed up the porch of Mr. Kippler’s house.

  This time, Mr. Kippler opened the door himself with his wife standing beside him. Nora gave a knowing smile to him and his wife, but she didn’t return it to her. Mr. Kippler sounded exceptionally happy to see her.

  “Dora, my girl, come inside. You look hungry, would you like something?” he asked.

  “I’m fine, Mr. Kippler, and I am not here for the food,” Nora sounded desperate.

  “Why don’t you sit down,” he suggested.

  “I can do with some water,” Nora politely said as she was in no position to speak with her throat so dry.

  Nora gulped down the water, and Mr. Kippler waited for her to finish it.

  “What brings you again today?” Mr. Kippler asked without any deliberation. “So you need my help, lady?” he asked kindly.

  Nora looked towards him and nodded her head. “As much as I didn’t want to bother you, the truth is that I do. I am at a loss and stuck; I don’t know what to do.”

  “What happened exactly?” Mr. Kippler questioned.

  “The lady at Mr. Joseph’s residence refuses to give me an appointment, and I called twice, but she dismissed it completely and strictly forbid me to call there again. I gave Mrs. Shindel’s name, but it was of no avail. She refused to recognize anyone and stated that she doesn’t care. What am I supposed to do in this situation?”

  “What do you want me to do?” he asked instead.

  “Perhaps you can get an appointment for me, but I hope I am not asking much.” Nora was sure that he would refuse. Mr. Kippler was a stranger and he had already done so much for her, and it was not like he was young. Age had gotten the better of Mr. Kippler, as well. However, Nora believed that she might get the help and Mr. Kippler looked the type who would help her in the vortex that she was caught in at the moment.

  Mr. Kippler didn’t say a thing, and listened to every word that Nora said, and Nora saw a little sadness in his eyes. A long silence followed and Nora could feel the silence up to her bones. The silence was of sadness, it was of loss.

  “Sit here and I will be back.” He left without saying anything else. Nora couldn’t interpret why she saw the sadness in his eyes, but her query was answered when Mr. Kippler came out with a photograph of a young girl, a little younger than Nora, smiling cheerfully in the photograph.

  “Who is she?” Nora asked half-knowing the answer herself.

  “She is my daughter, Emily, and you remind me so much of her that I cannot help but assist you.

  A sense of guilt struck Nora; she regretted dragging this old man in her mission, but offering her apology in this situation seemed unfair, so she remained quiet.

  Mr. Kippler was the one to break the silent first. “I am fine and I will help you, young lady. Give me the number,” he said.

  “Here, take this.” Nora handed her notebook to Mr. Kippler.

  Mr. Kippler took the notebook from Nora’s hands and lifted his glasses to view the number and then dialed it. Like it happened with Nora, there was no answer in the beginning, but then Nora heard a harsh voice from the other end, but then Mr. Kippler simply said his name and Nora could hear the voice on the other end calming down slowly.

  Mr. Kippler wrote something down on the notebook and thanked the lady before putting the receiver down. He asked Nora, “Do you wish for me to accompany you?”

  “No, I don’t want you to bother anymore. You have done too much for me already and I am indebted to you.” Nora was more than thankful towards Mr. Kippler, but she didn’t want him to accompany her to Mr. Joseph’s house. Her curious mind wanted to know what prompted the otherwise gruff lady to allow an interview with Mr. Joseph.

  Nora couldn’t contain her curiosity anymore and asked him, ”What made her agree with you? She didn’t even want to listen to me not even when I said that I got his name from Mrs. Schindel, but then you talked to her and everything is set. This is just amazing … how did you do this?”

  “I know a little secret of his,” Mr. Kippler said cheekily, but he didn’t elaborate on it.

  “There is a secret?” Nora repeated. “Mr. Joseph seems to be a quite mysterious person.”

  “No more mysterious than you are, Dora,” Mr. Kippler suddenly said and it caught her off-guard.

  “What do you mean by that?” Nora asked, but in reality, she did understand what Mr. Kippler meant by that. She was really not telling him who she was. Nora felt a little guilty and she hated lying this time. Especially, as this stranger was doing so much for her, but her hands were tied. She had come a long way with her lies and even if she told the truth, Mr. Kippler probably wouldn’t believe her.

  Nora kept her head down and tried to act innocent, and asked again what he meant by what he said.

  “I think you should go quickly before she changes her mind and cancels the meeting,” he said.

  “What is her name?” Nora asked before leaving.

  “We call her Jennifer or Jenny, at times. She is not like she sounds, in fact, she is very nice in person. She might have been a little shaken when you called this morning, so her response was not all that polite, but this time I am sure it will be different.” Mr. Kippler sounded very sure when he uttered those words, and Nora believed him.

  However, before walking out of Mr. Kippler’s house, she wanted to say who she was, but when she turned back, he was already out of the room. She lost the opportunity to
tell him anything. Once she was out of the house, Nora checked what was scribbled in the notebook and found the address written with the directions, and Nora estimated that the house could possibly be far and it would take her time to get there. There was no car in sight and Nora didn’t want to hitchhike, so she started walking when Mr. Kippler stopped her when he called her name.

  He tossed her his scooter keys and asked, “Do you know how to ride, young lady?” Nora stood there looking at the keys and nodded her head. “Good, then you will need it,” he said. “I have parked it there,” and showed her where the old-fashioned scooter model was standing. “It will take a long while if you walk, so take this.”

  “Oh, Mr. Kippler, you are so kind. How can I ever repay you?” Nora asked being completely overwhelmed.

  “Save it, and you better hurry,” he said one final time before leaving his keys with her.

  Nora walked up to the scooter and took a good look. The color had worn out in some areas and it looked used and roughed. Nora could smell a strong scent of gas from the body when she sniffed it hard. There was no helmet in sight, and Nora decided she wouldn’t need it for the distance that she was traveling.

  Mr. Joseph’s house on the outside looked demure and less maintained and Nora knew why, as he was the one under care and there was hardly anyone to look after the house. However, from the looks of it, the house seemed big for two people to reside in. Nora looked around a little before walking to the house. The sides of the house were not cleaned of the leaves that laid round. There was a small rabbit cage on one side of the porch beside a big easy chair, which was broken on one side. The rabbit was nibbling on a short carrot piece and as she walked towards it, the small creature looked towards her face with bright red eyes like it meant to say something. She sat down to have a good look at the creature and marvel at it. Nora was fond of animals and the furry creature kept her engaged for a few minutes when a scratch and pull attracted her gaze towards a figure standing behind the door. Nora knew who she was and her face showed lines of irritation, but Nora promised herself not to be intimidated by her, so she stood up and introduced herself formally. “Hello, I am Dora and I have an appointment with Mr. Joseph, so will you please let me in?”

  Jennifer, as Mr. Kippler told Nora, didn’t look too pleased to find Nora on the porch, nor did she say anything when Nora introduced herself. She just looked at Nora intently and getting past her was like a mammoth task for Nora. However, keeping quiet wouldn’t solve the problem, so Nora was the one to speak up first.

  “Ma’am, I know that I might be bothering you at the wrong time, but I need to do this interview and it won’t take up a lot of time, I promise.” Nora tried to persuade her. Jennifer still didn’t say anything. Nora thought that Mr. Kippler’s phone call was enough to let her inside the house, but now knew that it would take much more than just a phone call.

  After few moments of silence Jennifer said angrily, “Mr. Kippler called, I know, but why did you let him call me?”

  “I don’t understand what you are asking me, ma’am. You were not talking with me properly and I needed to talk to Mr. Joseph, so there was nothing else that I could do other than contact Mr. Kippler.”

  “How do you know him? I haven’t seen you around town.” Jennifer questioned Nora without letting her in, and Nora was doubtful about who was playing what role. She was there to ask questions, but instead she was the one answering them.

  Nora was not prepared to be asked that question, and she fumbled before answering something believable, but the best she could do was to remind herself not to be intimidated by Jennifer.

  “I just know him, but what does that matter? Listen, ma’am, I only want some time and that is it.” Nora tried to control her anger and repeatedly reminded herself to remain cool.

  After much deliberation, Jennifer motioned Nora to come inside. “Sit down there.” She directed her towards a rough wooden chair near the window. The room was half-lit and the curtains were drawn, which made the room unusually dark. There was old furniture around, a round coffee table which looked like no one used it anymore, an old cupboard stood neglected in the corner with show pieces and decors and wooden toys inside. Nora noticed a rack with photo frames which held the memories of unknown faces. The wallpaper around the room was faded, but it looked like they were rich once. There was a small side table with a golden black vase and a withered tiger lily, which was almost unrecognizable and looked like it was uncared for before the flower gave away to its fate.

  There was a rather odd looking clock on the right wall, but it was not working and few stray cobwebs hung around its corner. Nora was not sure in what condition she would find Mr. Joseph.

  “Do you need anything?” Jennifer asked.

  “Yes, I would like to see Mr. Joseph now.” Nora checked her watch.

  “I’ll get you some tea while you wait here.” Jennifer left to get Mr. Joseph and some tea for Nora, and she sat there wondering if this was the nicer side that Mr. Kippler was talking about.

  Several minutes passed, yet there was no sign of Mr. Joseph. Nora kept looking on either side of the room, a little out of curiosity and some to watch her time, but Jennifer was gone for a long time. Tea doesn’t require so much time to make. Nora wondered what took so long. Her question was answered when Jennifer appeared with a warm cup of green tea and a piece of blueberry cake on a fine china plate.

  The aroma of the green tea spread around the entire room in seconds, and although Nora was not too fond of tea and favored mostly coffee, she was tempted to taste what was offered to her. The complimentary blueberry cake on the side looked even more delicious and Nora reevaluated her opinion about Jennifer. She took a sip of the tea and bit into a piece of the cake and her mouth was filled with a taste so sweet that it made Nora think about the last time she had tasted anything that good.

  All along, Jennifer waited for Nora to complete her snack, when Nora realized that she didn’t even thank Jennifer for the tea and cake, because she was so engrossed in it. It was justified for Nora, it had been many days since she tasted some good food. She was surviving on nutrition bars for the previous two nights and was lusting after some actual food. The cake and the tea just loosened her up. Nora felt more relaxed and less tense. She isn’t all that bad, Nora silently thought ... a little rough on the outside, but was decent enough to offer her the food.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Nora said to Jennifer, who gave a quirky smile in return, but didn’t say anything else and waited. But poor Nora, she couldn’t eat another bite under Jennifer’s careful gaze.

  “Do you need some more of the cake?” Nora was questioned by Jennifer although there was a large chunk still unfinished on her plate. Nora was embarrassed because a moment ago she was chomping down on the cake, but now it lay unfinished on her plate.

  “No, I am fine, thank you very much; perhaps it is time to meet Mr. Joseph now,” Nora said.

  “You seem to be in a hurry. Are you leaving town today?” Jennifer asked.

  Nora was surprised by the question, and whenever she wanted to believe what Mr. Kippler said about Jennifer, her actions proved otherwise. True, she brought her the soothing tea and delicious slice of cake, but Nora could sense that Jennifer was delaying the meeting with Mr. Joseph in some odd way and unknown reason. Nora was afraid to ask the reason and repented having the tea and the cake. Her suspicious mind began playing with her. What if it was poisoned? she thought and sat without touching the cake.

  “Are you not going to finish them?” Jennifer asked.

  Nora pretended to check her watch and said, “I think it would be the right time to call Mr. Joseph.”

  “You really seem to be in a hurry, and here I thought you would interview me, too. Well, you see, I have in this town for a long time too, so I know about a lot of things that others might not be aware of.” Jennifer said with a strong air of confidence.

  But Nora couldn’t say that it was not about the town and she was there to inquire about the K
eaton siblings, but something attracted Nora’s attention, something that Jennifer said. Nora never told Jennifer what she wanted to ask Mr. Joseph nor the fact that she wanted to know something that the rest of the town folk was not aware of. Then how did Jennifer say that she knew something. What if she knows about the Keaton siblings, too? Was it right to ask her? Nora asked herself repeatedly, but how would she know what was the right thing to do at that moment. Interviewing Jennifer looked alluring, but it was Mr. Joseph who would know more about the Keaton. Nora weighed the situation and settled with questioning Mr. Joseph.

  “I will question you after I finish questioning Mr. Joseph. Is that all right with you?” Nora asked.

  “Do I have any other option? I will have to settle with that, all right then, wait here while I prepare him for the meeting, but remember he is old and does not hear very well, also he tends to forget things and even gets nervous at times over very trivial stuff, so please don’t excite him too much,” Jennifer requested and although it reflected her concern, yet Nora had a feeling that Jennifer was being unusually careful.

  “Oh, I almost forgot something; Mr. Joseph does not like light, hence the covered windows, but don’t ask him why he hates the sight of light. The memory is not pleasant for him, so if you want some light, then I can switch them for you.” Jennifer left Nora after arousing her suspicion to a great level.

  Nora sat there and couldn’t help but think that Jennifer knew something, but then she remembered what happened at the library when she unnecessarily offended the librarian, Miss. Lily. This time, she wanted to avoid it at all cost. “Let me just wait until Mr. Joseph comes and then I’ll decide for myself.” She relied on her skills as a student of criminology and although neither Mr. Joseph nor Jennifer were a criminal yet, she would know if they lied or attempted to hide something, then she would clearly know. She took her notebook out, the one which held the photograph of the Keaton and braced herself to face Mr. Joseph. Nora quickly jotted down few questions that she wanted to ask, but questions that would not make Jennifer suspect her true intentions.