Chapter 5
As Murray Leibowitz opened his eyes, his body was already half-way up from the couch. He virtually bounced into the kitchen, where Adam was dabbling on his laptop, and Will was busy pacing the floor. The American pulled his braces over his shoulders. As the pink chicken pattern settled over his massive frame, its owner struggled for words. ‘Amazing!’ was all he could manage.
‘You liked it then?’ Adam said, looking up.
‘Liked it? LIKED IT! Are you guys kidding me? That has got to be the singularly most amazing experience I have ever had!’
‘I think we could safely say he believes we can do it.’ Adam said grinning at Will, who was more concerned with getting the precious device back into his possession.
Murray ran a hand through his receding hairline in an attempt to compose himself. ‘The colours, the experience… what I was able to do, something I always wanted to do, but guys, guys you made it possible!’
‘I think you can keep the details to yourself, Mr Leibowitz’ Will said primly.
Murray grabbed him forcibly by the shoulders. ‘What did I say boys… what did I say? Leibowitz, no need for the Mr, no need for that between partners, huh?’ He held out a hand. Will stared at it. In a moment, Adam was on his feet and shaking the proffered hand, nudging Will to follow suit. ‘I take it we have a deal. I’ll get my people to crunch some numbers, draw up some contracts, and before we know it, we’ll all be on the gravy train.’
‘Just what sort of figures are we talking here M… Leibowitz?’ Will asked.
‘What he means is how much of a cut are you going to take?’ Adam added.
‘Hey, hey, guys!’ the American held his hands up in mock surrender. ‘I need to look at the investment required here. You courier me over your numbers, and I’ll let my legal eagles work out the fine details. Don’t worry though Willy boy you’ll have more than enough to keep a pretty wife happy. Just remember, they get used to it. I have three Mrs Leibowitzs to help me spend my cash, and none of them is my Mom.’
Will was confused. ‘What makes you think she’s pretty?’
Murray laughed. ‘Why would a genius like you marry a plain Jane? Come on, we don’t marry them for their brains now do we? Now then, enough of the questions, we’re celebrating! You got anything stronger than caffeine in this joint?’
‘It’s eleven in the morning!’ Will said, glancing pointedly at the kitchen clock.
‘Yeah, but it’s five o’clock somewhere, isn’t that right Leibowitz?’ Adam said, handing out some cans of lager from the fridge. ‘And this is a celebration after all.’ The three touched cans before pulling ring pulls.
‘A toast gentlemen.’ Murray held his can aloft, a huge grin on his face. ‘To the future of the Vio. Today merry old England; tomorrow the world!’
The shrill, painful sound of a sonata being brutally murdered began somewhere in Will’s trouser pocket. Embarrassed, he fumbled for the phone mouthing ‘sorry’ as he pressed the call accept button. ‘Hi Honey-kins!’ trilled a voice at the other end. Will smiled awkwardly and retreated to the hallway.
‘I’m in a meeting, Cass.’ He hissed, ‘Can I call you back?’
‘It won’t take a minute, Sweetie. I was just calling to see how everything went. Is it all systems go?’
Will smiled despite himself. ‘It does seem so.’ He whispered, glancing back towards the kitchen.
Cassandra squealed in excitement. ‘Who’s a clever boy then?’ she cooed. ‘I knew you could do it!’
‘Thanks… well… um… I’d better go…’
‘Just a minute baby, while you’re on the phone, and in such a good mood? I was talking to my personal trainer at the gym, and you will never guess…?’
‘You’re right, I won’t ever guess, but now is not a really good time…’
‘Don’t be cranky William,’ she snapped, before quickly switching to a more amenable tone. ‘It won’t take a minute, and it is important.’ Will opened his mouth to speak, but she continued anyway. ‘You know the old farm buildings out towards the river? Well, according to Ricardo, he knows a lady whose husband knows one of the builders, and they are developing the whole estate. It is going to be tres chic apparently, THE place to live!’
‘And this has what to do with us?’
Cass' voice raised an octave in excitement. ‘Because I have managed to get us a very exclusive invitation to view the plans and have a private chat with the developer.’
Will could hear her clapping her hands. ‘Cass, why would you do that? They sound very expensive, and we are struggling to pay the mortgage we’ve got.’
‘Don’t be a cross puss,’ she whined, ‘we will have the money soon, now that my clever, clever husband has managed to sell his toy?’
‘Not for a while, we have some potential finance in place, but the V10 will have to go through trials, then we have to source the materials, then there is the marketing and the focus groups not to mention hoping that people will want to buy it! Anyway, why would you want to live here? You are always saying you can’t wait to leave this stinking small town and move to the city?’
‘But I’m thinking of you sweetie,’ she wheedled. ‘Think of the image. House in the country and a chic apartment in town, it’s the least anyone who is anyone would expect of a genius inventor like you. Do you think the inventor of the interweb lives in a two bedroomed flat?’
Will shook his head. ‘We just don’t have the funds…’
‘It’s always later, later, later with you.’ Cass said petulantly. ‘You have your game thingy. Why don’t you go to the bank like a normal person, and borrow some money? When we got married, you told me I could have anything I wanted, and I am tired of waiting!’
‘I know baby, and you have been very patient, but right now we need to keep an eye on the pennies, your credit card alone…’
‘So, you want me to walk around naked now!’ She squeaked almost bat-like. Will moved the phone away from his ear a millisecond too late. ‘I buy a few essential items, and you don’t even want me to have those!’ she continued.
‘Cassandra, you bought seventeen pairs of shoes.’ ‘I needed those, anyway, what would your American man think if he knew you wanted to keep your wife barefoot?’
Will couldn’t quite give up, even though he was long since defeated. ‘I had to clear out nearly half of my wardrobe space to accommodate them!’
Cassandra giggled, ‘and it was so sweet of you to do that for me.’ Will knew he had lost, and so did his wife. ‘I’ve made an appointment for about three on Wednesday, so I’ll pick you up about two, sweetie.’ She cooed.
‘Ok, I’ll see you later, but…’ The phone had already gone dead.
~~
Ethel nodded her thanks as the glass door was opened for her. ‘Thank you, dearie,’ she said sweetly. ‘You’re welcome Auntie Phyllis.’ The officer replied before shaking his head slightly in confusion. Ignoring him, Ethel made her way carefully to the reception desk. With effort, she pressed the bell and waited.
‘Just a moment,’ came a voice.
Ethel dinged the bell again. ‘I’m coming. I’m coming,’ said the desk Sergeant irritably as he arrived buttoning his jacket. ‘Oh…’ he said, stopping short.
Ethel held up a finger. ‘Before we start with the ‘oh it's you, grandma so and so,' you should be aware that I am, in fact, the honourable member for polymorphic services. Should you care to examine it, I am wearing my credentials.’ As a polymorph was nearly always confused for absolutely anyone other than the person they really were, it was a requirement, when not on assignment, to wear an identification badge. The badge was rarely noticed.
‘Ah, yes committee member visit? I didn’t think we were due one of those for another month or so?’ The Sergeant said.
‘We like to keep an eye on things, especially nowadays. My neighbour, Mrs thing, she had terrible trouble with young people in her orchards. The police were marvellous, absolutely marvellous. I won’t hear a word said against you. You do a very difficult job.’
The Sergeant puffed out his chest with pride.
‘If there is anything I can do to help you, in my capacity as an honourable member, I think it is my absolute duty to do so.’ Ethel smiled.
‘Well, I think there are a few items that might need some attention…I’ll fetch the chief. He’ll be able to…’
Ethel turned so her outstretched hand could pat the Sergeant’s podgy fingers. ‘Don’t you worry him, dearie. As if he hasn’t got enough to worry about without fussing around little old ladies. I don’t want to be a bother.’
‘No… but…’ The Sergeant tried again.
‘Really, you wouldn’t want me to think I’d been a trouble to you, would you? With how busy you all are?’ He rheumy eyes gazed into his earnestly. ‘Well, no, you…’
Ethel allowed him another pat. ‘I’ll tell you what, I’ll have a little wander around, have a look, chat to a few people, and then I’ll be out of here in a wag of a baby lamb’s tail. How about that? I have my credentials?’ She proffered the badge.
‘Weeeelll, I suppose so…’ The Sergeant said uncertainly just as the door flew open and a duo of bounty hunters came in with something flailing between them. ‘Just don’t get in the way,’ he said to Ethel as he left the desk to help.
‘You won’t even know I’m here,’ she said, smiling to herself as she unclipped the badge and slid it carefully into her knitting bag.
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