CHAPTER EIGHT - HOW'S IT GRABBING YOU SO FAR, PEEPS?

Okay, Criv-ites, here's chapter eight in this unfolding (and seemingly never-ending) saga.  Let's not hang around - get straight into it.

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Chapter Eight:

"Look Karen, I'm sorry about the car.  I needed to clear my head so took a drive last night.  Some clown rear-ended me and took off before I could get his license number.  If the insurance doesn't cover it, I will, so relax, huh?  Worse things happen at sea."  He'd imagined that this is the sort of quip that Ben would've come out with, but going by Karen's perplexed expression, now he wasn't so sure.

"What the hell are you talking about?" said Karen, "what's the sea got to do with it?"

"Nothing, never mind," he retorted wearily.  "My car's still parked outside Ted's house, though it took a few lumps in the explosion.  You can drive me over later to collect it - I should've done it long before now anyway."  Actually, he wondered why he hadn't - probably because he didn't regard it as his car, which is why he'd taken a cab over to Karen's on the day Ben had been killed.  That could be attributed to not feeling up to driving because of shock, but it was careless of him not to have recovered it before now and he cursed himself inwardly for his stupidity.

"Pull yourself together, Ben," said Karen, "you haven't been yourself since Ted's death, and it's time you stopped feeling sorry for yourself.  It's Ted who died, not you."  If she only knew the truth, Ted thought, she'd have an apoplectic fit.  This was all getting on top of him.  If it wasn't Karen having a go at him for something, it was Mary, and he wondered how much longer he could put up with it.  He felt like giving Mary a serious slap for her betrayal, but he'd never hit a woman before and didn't really want to start now.  Nevertheless, he couldn't help feeling that she deserved it.

When he arrived at her house - he'd begun to stop thinking of it as his - the previous night, she'd been over him like a rash, but he'd performed mechanically and without much enthusiasm, though he'd tried hard to conceal it.  The truth was that, despite her beauty, he'd come to despise her and no longer found her sexually attractive.  In fact, he almost felt repelled by her, so it was tough going maintaining his erection.  She'd noticed and commented on it.  "What's up with you these days?" she'd asked, "your heart doesn't seem to be in it any more.  You're not as good as you were - you're more like Ted used to be - worse in fact."

This stung Ted, and he reacted angrily.  "F ck, Mary," he exploded, "my brother is lying in his f cking grave and all you care about is getting laid!  They're not even close to catching his killers, and if we're seen together we could end up in the frame for it.  So excuse me, but I've got more on my f cking mind than giving you a poke.  Now grow the f ck up and stop being so f cking selfish."

She laughed.  "Don't talk shit, buster.  It's only natural that my brother-in-law would be concerned for me and visit to see how I am.  No one would raise an eyebrow at you coming over here - except for that bitch of a wife of yours.  What the hell you ever saw in her I'll never know.  And remember, he was your brother, but he was my husband, so you're the one who's being selfish.  Okay, I never loved him, but I was a good wife - even if I did only marry him for his money and fame.  What he didn't know couldn't hurt him, and he'll never know now so stop being such a pussy, worrying over nothing.  We didn't kill him and the cops aren't entirely stupid - they'll know it wasn't us."

Her words cut him to pieces, but he hid the anguish - and anger - in his heart while wondering how someone he didn't love anymore could still cause him so much pain.  He didn't have the strength to argue further though, so he simply sighed and said "Id better get back before I'm missed.  There's going to be hell to pay when she sees her car, so I'll have to come up with a plausible explanation."

"What's to explain?" Mary said.  "You were out for a drive and some speeder rear-ended you - you can't be blamed for that.  Relax."  Ted's concern was allayed somewhat - there was some truth to what she said.  He'd give it a try anyway.  If he didn't seem too concerned, Karen would have no reason to be suspicious.  Or would she?  Ted had no way of knowing whether Karen had ever suspected Ben and Mary's affair, but he'd play it as if she didn't.  "Right, I'd better go," he said.  So he went.

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On the day of the explosion, before Ted had left to go to Karen's, he'd had the foresight to lift Ben's jacket from the couch where he'd laid it on the last day of his life.  This meant that Ted had Ben's wallet containing his driving license and bank cards, as well as the keys to his house and car - all essential items in maintaining his brother's identity.  What's more, he knew that Ben had a lousy memory for numbers (ironic considering he was an accountant) and kept, against all sensible advice, his pin numbers on the back of one of his business cards kept in a separate sleeve of the wallet, so he had no problem accessing Ben's funds.  This made things easier for him, as there'd have been questions asked if Ben had suddenly stopped accessing his bank account and Ted had continued using his.  Ted was surprised at just how huge a bank balance Ben had;  he knew that accountants made a good living, but he was still surprised at the extent of Ben's savings.  He'd never known a poor accountant, but clearly there was more money in such a career than Ted had realised.  It should keep him going for a while until he had identified the killers, but to do that, Ted needed access to his studio offices where he kept all his files.  When he'd reviewed them, he might have a better idea of just where to start on the unenviable and dangerous journey that lay ahead of him.

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Several hours later, after Karen had driven him over to pick up 'his' car, he nervously entered the reception area of the high-rise building of the TV studio where he'd worked.  "Hi, I'm Ben Stevens... Ted's twin... I need to collect some things from his office... Mary, his wife, would like to have them, and you probably need the space for Ted's replacement."  Luckily, the bored security guard didn't seem to have a problem with this and waved him past the desk.  Ted took the elevator to his office on the fifth floor and entered it quickly.  Thank goodness there was no one around to impede him with enquiries as to how he was coping, or cliched platitudes like "Time's a great healer."  Also, despite the guard's indifference, someone higher up might object to him leaving with anything they deemed as not belonging to him if they knew of his presence.  Ted carried a large briefcase, which he laid on his desk and began to fill with data discs and cardboard folders from a cabinet in the corner.

He was busily engaged with this when a side door opened and Gloria, his assistant, walked in.  She took one look at him, gasped - then fell to the floor unconscious.

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Across town, in Joe Jaconelli's office, Bronski entered with a self-satisfied grin on his face.  "Guess what, Captain - I did a little digging on the twin and discovered that he's a bit of a ladies man.  Dug a little further and found that every week for the past nine years he's booked into an out of town motel with the same broad.  And guess what?  She matches the description of Mary Stevens to a 't'.  Now what do you think of that?"

"I think that this case is getting even more interesting," said Joe.  "C'mon - I'll buy you a beer and you can fill me in on the details!"

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How am I doing so far, Criv-ites?  Are you enjoying how things are developing, or is your interest flagging?  Let's have some feedback in the comments section.

Posted in: Cartoons