WALKING DISASTERS | Jack Thompson

42.

"HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE?" Vernon asked Jack as they walked into the Arena Club.

"Uh, plane leaves in a little bit over an hour," he replied, checking his watch. "Plenty of time."

"I know you had a tough call to make yesterday, and I just want you to know how much I appreciate the faith you put in me," Vernon said.

"If you're happy, I'm happy," Jack replied. "My pops will be glad to hear that we're working together."

"Great, and everybody's happy," Vernon smiled. "Especially your new best friend. Jack Thompson, meet Calvin Chadwick."

"Jack, it's great to meet you, pal," Chadwick said, shaking his hand. "I can't tell you how much everyone at Isodyne appreciates your help. It's been a hell of a week."

"It's my pleasure, Mr Chadwick," Jack replied.

"Oh, you can call him Calvin," Vernon said. "Although you might want to get used to calling him Senator Chadwick."

Jack looked at the newspaper headline, reading the words 'Anderson ankles election' emblazoned on the front page, and suddenly he heard Sera's voice in his head. "Keep an eye on the headlines, Jack. Maybe then you'll believe us."

"Here's to the youngest member of the Arena Club, running for Senate unopposed," Vernon said.

"Who could've seen this coming?" Chadwick asked as the two men laughed.

Jack, however, forced a smile, congratulated Chadwick, and turned his eyes back to the headline. Sera saw this coming, and he didn't listen to her. The whiskey in his glass burned his throat, the guilt at not having believed Sera turning the liquid to acid in his throat. He had messed up, and now he knew that.

-

After skipping their flight to remain in Los Angeles, Sera and Peggy's investigation really began to gain traction. As it happened, Whitney Frost was a key suspect in their case, and after venturing to Calvin Chadwick's voting stand to try and locate her, they found her absence at the event. It wasn't until they saw a man with a bandaged hand that they realised that the Chadwicks had built a rather formidable wall around themselves, which Sera and Peggy were intent on putting a crack in.

They got Rose to track the registration of the car back to the owner, who was named as 'Rufus Hunt', a soldier in the war who was dishonourably discharged for black market profiteering. Peggy informed them that he was the head of security at the Arena Club, which meant that he most likely had access to all manner of secrets.

They planned to subdue Hunt, which lead them to an alleyway in which Jarvis removed a tranquilliser rifle from the trunk of the car. "I assume you've operated a tranquilliser rifle before?"

"I can't say that I have," Peggy replied. "Why on earth have you?"

"On occasion, wrangling Mr Stark's animal preserve requires a ruthless hand," Jarvis replied.

"Not the flamingo?" Peggy asked.

"The koala," Jarvis replied. "Its adorable appearance belies a vile temperament."

Picking up the box of tranquilliser darts, Sera grinned. "What are your feelings on committing a felony, Ed?"

"In this case, decidedly for," he replied.

Sera grinned. "I love it when a plan comes together."

Jarvis went to the front door of Hunt's house and posed as a police officer, which Sera and Peggy predicted would send him fleeing out of the back entrance. Their prediction came true, and the moment Hunt emerged from his house, Peggy shot him with the tranquilliser gun.

"Remember me, Mr Hunt?" she asked, as Hunt pulled out the tranquilliser dart. "Oh, for heaven's sake, that's enough to take down a rhinoceros."

Peggy ran at Hunt with the rifle raised, but he was significantly more powerful than her. He pinned her down and managed to get his arm around her throat as Sera ran for the spare tranquilliser dart that lay just out of Peggy's reach. Hunt grabbed her ankle and Sera went sprawling to the ground, kicking out at the man and hitting him in the face with her shoe before she grabbed the dart and stuck it in his arm.

After a second, he went still and his body landed on Peggy, who groaned in annoyance. "Help me get him off."

They managed to get Hunt into the trunk and closed it. Jarvis brushed his hands together, and before they could say anything, the truck burst open and Hunt lunged at Jarvis. Sera used the rifle to smack him in the face, knocking him out for the second time, as Peggy eyed Jarvis curiously.

"Mr Jarvis, are you alright?" she asked.

He looked at the dart sticking out of his jacket and grinned. "Jarvelous."

He then fell forwards and hit the ground. Sera grimaced. "This isn't good."

"No, it's not. We had better get him back to the house," Peggy said.

When they reached the house, Sera saw Daniel's car parked outside and sighed. "Today is not our lucky day."

"I'll handle Daniel," Peggy replied, getting out of the car and heading towards Daniel.

Sera got out of the car and leaned against the door, watching Peggy and Daniel until he walked towards her. "What happened to him?"

He was talking about Jarvis, who was passed out in the front seat of the car with his face smooshed up against the window. Sera panicked. "An overindulgence of drink."

Daniel didn't sound convinced, and when a banging from the trunk made him turn, Sera cringed. "We... caught a possum on this property earlier this morning. Vicious little creature."

"Let me out of here!"

"Or we have a man stashed in the boot," Sera said.

"Hey! Let me out of here!"

Sera grimaced. "We're in trouble, aren't we?"

-

"It's a felony!"

"A felony? That's harsh."

"I can't even believe it! What were you thinking?" Daniel exclaimed.

"We were doing the best would could in that opportunity," Peggy replied.

"I thought we were a team."

"We are a team."

"No."

"A wonderful team."

"We're not a team," Daniel said. "If we were a team and you were thinking about pulling a stunt like this, you would have called me for backup."

"We did have backup," Peggy shouted. "Mr Jarvis was with me!"

From the couch where they had laid him, Jarvis stirred. "Oh, mummy, it's the biggest horsey ever!"

Peggy gestured to him. "He's also part of the team."

"Peggy, you kidnapped somebody," Daniel snapped.

"I had to give you some plausible deniability," Peggy replied. "You've already faced enough blowback from the SSR on my account. I've already ruined your proposal. If I can contain the mess in the rest of your life, the better I'll sleep."

"Well, I'll sleep better if you stop pushing me away and let me help you," Daniel said. He sighed. "So, what have you got planned for Rufus Hunt?"

"We were thinking we'd kill him," Sera replied with a nonchalant shrug.

Daniel's jaw, quite literally, dropped. "You're planning to what?"

"Kill him," Sera repeated. "But only a little bit."

Daniel pinched his nose in disbelief. "I can't believe you two."