Ebenezer

Chapter 4 - Orphans

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Out in the street, Minkus leads Simon into the front passenger seat of his sedan, the dome light flashing, Marley and Ebenezer already in the back.

Minkus gets in and adjusts the rearview. Ebenezer notices it the mirror doesn't reflect himself or Marley. He waves a hand in front of Minkus's face. Nothing.

Simon pulls the passenger's door shut and stares out at the store. Detective Minkus starts the car. They drive in silence.

"Minkus knew about the Wadlingtons," Ebenezer says to Marley.

"So he did," the dead man replies.

Minkus turns to Simon. "You like music?"

He flicks on the radio. Bobby McFerrin sings "Don't Worry Be Happy." Minkus looks at Simon and flicks off the radio. "I hate that song," he mutters.

Simon cracks a smile. Minkus smiles back.

Minkus lives in a cramped, filthy apartment. Ebenezer feels sorry for the man, looking over the squalor in what was likely once a pleasant family home. He sees the framed photos of ginger-haired Minkus and a pretty black woman and their cute little baby girl. He wonders what had happened between them, if it was the job that had split them up or something else.

The front door opens. Minkus steps in with Simon in tow. "Welcome to Casa di Minkus," he says, ushering Simon inside. "I'll tell you a secret. Mrs. Minkus left me a month ago. Took our little girl with her to her mother's. I haven't told anybody at work yet. So it'll just be you and me until the ladies at social services find you a new place to live."

Simon looks around. He scowls, something amiss. "You don't have a TV?"

"Sure I do," Minkus says. "Right here." He approaches a shelf full of books, paperbacks all heaped on top of each other.

"Books aren't TV."

"They're better than TV," Minkus tells him. "Books are television of the mind. Look here."

He pokes through the mess, finds a dusty old hardcover and hands it to Simon. Simon blinks at it. It's an old leather-bound copy of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

"The movies are great," he says, "but have you ever read the book?"

Simon shakes his head.

"I promise you, you'll love it. Just give it a chance."

Simon shrugs.

Minkus looks at the table, stacked with a mess of papers and mail. "You hungry? There's an all-night Chinese place down the block."

Later, Minkus and Simon slurp spicy noodles out of takeaway boxes on the messy kitchen table. Minkus gets a mouthful of noodles and lets them hang from his mouth while he says, "You want soy sauce?"

Simon giggles.

"What? I got something on my face?"

Simon slurps up noodles does the same. "You like sea food?"

Minkus and Simon laugh.

"Thick as thieves, you were," Marley says.

"He was one of the good ones," Ebenezer says. "I always wondered if they'd let me stay here... if things might've been better."

"Aww, you and me had some good times, mate." Marley reconsiders it. "At least I had clean plates."

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