What's The News? • Lemoxie

Chapter Eleven

Mimi Spats stood in shock of what I had told her. "Stew murdered another person?!"
"So you believe us?" Ellington asked in astonishment.

"It's not that hard to believe, even though the first time it was some lowlife and the other it was some random boy. I suppose he'll get a stern talking to!" She answered.

"Yes!" I played along, getting an idea. "In fact, soon I'm going to the city with a small group of friends and we could take Stew to visit Harvey so he could also give a stern talking to!"
"Not ever! Harvey is dead to me and I don't want him being part of my son's life!"
"That's understandable, but wouldn't it be so reassuring to know that your darling son is going to know right from wrong?"
" I guess that would be nice... Thank you, Miss Mallahan. I'll take that tape recorder in as evidence. I'm sure my coworkers can look over it. " With that, she left and I had the widest grin on my face.

"Nice one." Kellar whispered to me once she was out of earshot. "Where on earth did you learn that?"
" My mother taught me that a good polite voice is a journalist's best tool. I'm glad it worked. " I answered. I looked around to see if Lemony was impressed but remembered he didn't come with us. I pouted and went up to my room to type what Lemony had said about the mission. I remembered Josephine from when she came to visit Lemony, assuming that's the same Josephine... According to him, she was the one who's flying the samples back to one of the VFD headquarters.

"Moxie? You in there?" Ornette asked from outside my door, knocking slightly.
"Yeah. Come in."

She opened the door and looked surprised. "Oh! You're working on the case! Okay I thought otherwise."
" Well of course I'm working on the case! What else would I be doing? "

"Well you and Lemony seemed to be having an argument and I wanted to check on you."
" That wasn't an argument, Ornette. We were just talking about this case. "
"Are you sure? You looked really sad."
" I'm fine. Nothing's wrong. "

I closed up my typewriter and set it aside in my desk as she left. "There's nothing wrong." I kept repeating internally. I decided to visit Lemony at his suite at the Lost Arms to see if we could clear things up. I had an idea first. It made me smiley to remember that night: Lemony and I made orecchiette al pesto and had a conversion about the mystery surrounding the town. It was a nice memory that I was sure Lemony would like to recall.

"Ooh you're making dinner, Moxie?" Ellington asked me.
"No. You guys are on your own." I answered as I put the dish into a Tupperware container and smiled in satisfaction at my efforts.
"I'll be back later, everyone!" I yelled as I grabbed my typewriter and closed the door.

I drove the jeep to the Lost Arms and went up to the Far East Suite where Lemony told me, and apparently his fellow volunteers were staying. I shifted the container of pasta to one hand and hesitantly knocked on the door. I heard mumbling behind it but couldn't capture much of the conversation.

"You don't know who it is." Someone said from behind it.
"It could be an enemy." Another added.
" Chill, you two. It could be an associate of mine. " The third, I assumed to be Lemony, retorted.

The door finally opened to the three volunteers.
"What's the news, Moxie?" Lemony beamed; a guy and a girl standing behind him.
"Do you know," I asked him, " that orecchiette is Italian for 'little ears'? I know it's just the shape of the noodle, but some people don't like the idea of eating a big bowl of-"
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The guy asked.

I handed him a business card from the band of my hat. "And Lemony's prime associate." I added.
" Love, this is Gustav Sebald. And you remember Josephine, I hope. "
"Yes I do! It's nice to see you again!"
"You too. Lemony has talked about you a lot these past four years."
"Oh has he now?" I asked with a smirk.

Lemony cleared his throat. "Could you two give us a little privacy?" He asked his associates. They nodded and I heard them mumble something about reading in Josephine's suite while we were making out. I rolled my eyes and welcomed myself into the suite. As I looked around, I finally realized what Lemony meant by the room being so dismal... Most of the room was two large beds, separated by a squat chest of drawers that appeared to be frowning. There was a painting of a little girl holding a dog with a bandaged paw and overhead there was a light fixture of a complicated star. There was a door to a bathroom and a small table in the corner with a hot plate.

Lemony pulled a couple bowls from a small cupboard and we spooned out portions of orecchiette al pesto and sat on the bed, silently eating the meal I had prepared.

"So?" He asked finally. I opened my typewriter to record the conversation.
"I want to go to the city with you."
"But what about your life here in Stain'd-by-the-Sea? You're an active and capable journalist and your family is here too."
"But you have a family too! And if it doesn't work out, it could be like a celebratory vacation for finishing the case. Come on, Lemony , there's no downside I can see."

"Um also," I added, " I recorded Stew's monologue on a tape recorder and turned it into the police as evidence for Ethan's murder. Mimi actually believes that her son murdered another person. Stew will be coming with us to the city to quote unquote 'get a stern talking to from his father.' I hope you don't mind I already made plans about the case behind your back..."

Lemony smiled at me. "You're so smart. Of course I don't mind. I'm not sure how Gustav and Josephine will react to hearing you took this into your own hands but I can get them on board. How do you suppose we get Stew to come with us though? "
"I know it sounds a little sinister, but we could knock him out with laundanum or chloroform. It'll be effective and non-lethal."

"That sounds like a plan." Lemony said. "Can this part be off record?"
"Of course."

" You're a great journalist, an even better friend, and an amazing girlfriend prime-associate thing. I know flattery bores you and all, but trust me, you're going to want to listen. You're so smart and talented and sassy and absolutely gorgeous too. It's adorable when you get jealous and it's so great that you don't care for my bullshit. Your thirst for knowledge gives you this unique personality that I don't think I could find anywhere else! I guess what I'm trying to say here, Moxie, is I positively can't help falling in love with you. "

"I love you too, Lemony." I beamed.