GUMSHOES

Chapter 24 - New Beginnings

"Dankworth and Weeble Private Investigators." Becker studied the licence, and the certificates brought from the D&W office with an amused incredulity. "You say you took a course offered online, by an ex FBI Special Agent."

"That's right, and we both passed," Wendell boasted.

"Detective Sergeant Creswell looked into your online course and discovered some very interesting facts about the site."

"So, in that context, we are good to go?"

Becker snorted and apologized, glancing at his partner. "Would you like to introduce them to FBI Special Agent, Frank Delacourte, Glen?"

Creswell punched up a photo on his phone, enlarged the picture, and held it out so both Jerome and Wendell could see.

"That's fifteen year old, Rodney Hiller and his mother, with the grip on his ear. Rodney has been charged with internet fraud and will be appearing in juvenile court. If you join the class action against young Rodney, you may get your tuition back."

"Where's Delacourte?" Jerome looked befuddled.

Wendell looked sick, as he recalled Audrey's words. "That's him, Jerome. We were scammed."

"You saying my certificate is no good?" Jerome sat stunned.

"Make an interesting place mat," Creswell quipped.

Becker forced a straight face and continued with his questions. "You realize impersonating a licensed legal representative is a Class A misdemeanour? You could be hit with some hefty fines as well as jail time."

"We didn't- we weren't-" Wendell grappled for words, poking Jerome for assistance.

"What about the arrest we made?" Jerome begged.

"Also illegal - and you are actually suspects in two separate homicide investigations."

"We never killed anybody!" Wendell blurted.

"Do you deny conspiring with Benjamin Undergrove and Gary Fletcher, to kill Donald Temple, and dispose of his body?"

"Well, we uh- we were there but it was Fletcher that made the deal . . ."

"That's conspiracy, Mr. Dankworth."

"No, wait! It wasn't like that." Wendell launched into an unstoppable outpouring of their story from day one, accompanied by a supportive Jerome's vocal punctuations, and fist pumps.

******

Audrey set the plates of pasta on the table, then returned to the kitchen for her own. She withheld a smile at the silence as they forked the noodles around in the sauce and passed the cheese back and forth.

"Cat got your tongues?" The men looked at one another and pouted. "I think they're kind of cute. They'll be a lot more interesting in shorts, when you sit in the backyard, sunning.

"Have your fun, Audrey. Get it out f your system. You were right, we were wrong." Wendell wound some noodles onto his fork and slurped noisily.

"I know," she beamed. "Tell me, do they come in different colours?"

"Alright, enough." Jerome frowned. "It's bad enough we have to wear them without you hammering it home."

"Well, since you can't leave the property now, we'll be able to get after all those chores we keep sloughing off - oh, and while you both are doing that, I can get the groceries we actually need."

Eyes rolled and muttered grumbling brought giggles from Audrey. Dankworth and Weebles, Homemade Investigators - ankle bracelets our speciality!" She dropped her fork and began laughing until tears came.