The Curious Case of the Two Dirk Gentlys

19: Victoria Leaves

There was no clock to count Robert's wasted work minutes nor did he have a watch to check as the seconds slipped away. They all had phones with the time on them but the accuracy varied from mere minutes to whole hours. All Robert was sure of was that everything was going far too slow. He hated being separated from his wife and child for seemingly unnecessary reasons. Worse still, Svald hadn't actually explained what he was doing to test his theory. He was just sat there in boring and confusing silence.

Dirk on the other hand didn't mind being sat for a long period of time. He was still using chairs properly, now hung upside down with his feet on the sofa and was completely lost in his own little world. He was sure that Svald's theory was wrong. More concerningly he was pretty sure that Svald knew his theory was wrong. It was almost as if he wanted to close the case as fast as possible and rush everyone back home. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why. It became Dirk's own case, a hidden mystery he wanted to solve as much as the true case.

"Well this is nice isn't it?" Said Richard after about an hour of unbearable silence. They had chatted for the first hour, muttered throughout the second hour, and by the third hour they'd completely run out of things to say. As they approached the end of the fourth hour their minds were utterly numb.

"Absolutely delightful." Robert grumbled. The poor man didn't have the distraction of the news paper. It hadn't arrived that day, not that it would do him much good.

"Well, at least Dirk seems happy." Said Svald.

"What's he doing?" Asked Richard.

"He's thinking. You're probably not going to get much out of him for a while." Explained Todd. Dirk did these things often. He went into some sort of trance from time to time. They were rare as Dirk wasn't the sit in silence type but they happened, sometimes for hours. This wasn't one of his full on trances, Todd could probably still talk to him if he really wanted to but it was best to leave him alone.

"Right thinker this little one." Said Robert. He leant down and poked his face. Dirk bated his hand away.

"I'm both taller and older than you." Dirk reminded him.

"What are we waiting for exactly?" Asked Richard.

"Nothing." Announced Svald.

"What?" Exclaimed the entire group.

"We are waiting for nothing to happen." Svald told them.

"What do you mean we're 'waiting for nothing'?" Asked Todd.

"It's simple. Over the last few days items from around the house have been noticeably vanishing and on a frequent basis. The theory we are testing here today is that our client, Victoria, is responsible for these disappearances, whether deliberate or not. If this theory was incorrect we would see possessions going left, right, and centre. However, since we haven't..." Svald explained. The growl of an engine came clear as Victoria's car pulled around the corner. Everyone's minds became active again, even Dirk woke up and slipped onto the floor to sit normally as she parked out front. She entered the house, carrying a sleeping Albert.

"We're back." She called.

"Right on time." Replied Svald. "Victoria, sit down."

Victoria handed Albert over to Robert and scooted onto the crowded sofa. Svald stood in front of the group and Victoria's blood pressure instantly rose. Something wasn't right, not right at all.

"Did you find anything?" Asked Victoria.

"We think we did." Robert nodded sadly.

"Victoria, you may have a problem. Perhaps a sort of...psychic ability." Svald explained.

"No...no you can't be serious." Victoria protested.

"Now you shouldn't get too upset about it. It can't be helped and I'm sure we can find away to deal with it. Dirk, you seem like a strange man who would have strange friends. Do you know anyone who might know what to do?" Asked Svald.

"Todd's sister might be able to help out." He suggested.

"Of course, I'm sure Amanda would love to meet you." Agreed Todd.

"Forget it. Forget all of this. I haven't even been here every time." Victoria argued.

"Well coincides are bound to happen. Now I'd recommend staying out of the house for the next few days, purely for safety reasons. Todd and Dirk have a room they're not using near here. You go pack and I'll get the key for you." Said Svald. He softly took her arm and attempted to guide her into the hallway. She instantly fought back, jerking herself free of his loose grip.

"Maybe tell police you just found it though." Todd called.

"This is ridiculous. Robert, tell them." Victoria yelled as Svald herded her towards the door. He stopped moving at Victoria's call for her husband. Everyone's eyes turned to him, they burned right through his skin. The case and everywhere it could go was on his shoulders and he didn't want it. He had no idea what to do with it. He looked around for some sort of help. He glanced at Dirk, then Svald, then his oblivious two year old son. Finally, he looked to Victoria. Her eyes pleaded with him for help but he could offer none. Svald's experiment was the only answer he had, he couldn't risk giving up his only truth.

"I..." his voice trailed off. Victoria waited for more; he said nothing. Her heart sank.

"Fine." She stormed out, taking her car and flooring it.

"Well...that went well." Mumbled Richard. "Right, Dirk. Dirk?"

"I'm sorry?" Said Dirk as he glanced up at Richard.

"What are you thinking about it?" Asked Richard.

"Just that there's no such thing as coincides."