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Who Needs A Miracle?; My 2016 NaNoWriMo Attempt
Topic Started: Nov 2 2016, 04:08 PM (20 Views)
Myth Archangel
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Big Boss Man
"Kaaaaayy!"

The naturally loud alto holler that rang out through the small, mildly dilapidated office was clearly one part annoyed, two parts pitiful as the off-white refrigerator currently wrapped around her head amplified her voice in the opposite direction, but the only response she received was silence. The redhead whimpered as she perused the contents of the icebox, the frown looking downright unnatural on her usually upbeat face, even lightly touching her startlingly emerald eyes. The jangle of glass on glass and metal played an accompanying cacophony to her whining noises as she searched fruitlessly for the red bottle she so desired. She was clearly growing frustrated as they turned from helpless moans into irritated growls.

"KAY!" She grouched much louder, the edge obvious in her tone, "GET YOUR ANOREXIC ASS IN HERE!" The sigh from the other room was one of strained patience, as though a mother or elder sibling dealing with a young child.

"Just a moment, Mira, I'm finishing this paragraph on my report to the client," the clearly annoyed counterpart proclaimed. Miracle continued to root uselessly around the fridge and sighed in mild depression as she gave up, prying her head free and slamming the door shut unceremoniously. She tapped her red Chuck Taylor Converse impatiently as her eyes roamed the familiar, if well-used, office space. It was hard to believe they'd been there for six years already.

It was not an overly worn-down building, but constant use tends to wear on anything, even if it is well-cared for. Various momentos of past achievements littered the walls. On the right was their collective education certificates. High School graduation certificates from the same year at the same school. One bearing her own name, Miracle Jones, while the other bore the name Cadence Masters. A photo of Miracle next to a raven-tressed beauty with mischievous blue eyes making silly faces at graduation hung above the pair of high school diplomas. Next to that was an identical set with their college diplomas, hers in Psychology and Cadence's double major in Political Science and Accounting. Two more sets followed, one in pre-law and pre-med, and finally Miracle's Law Degree and Cadence's Medical Doctorate.

On the opposite wall, square in the center, was a photo of them holding up their Private Investigator's badges proudly on the day they received them, flanked by their certifications which allowed them to take cases. The rest of the wall all around it were photos of landmark cases they'd solved, from their very first one--an infidelity case which had been very easy--to solving a diamond heist that had earned them national headlines, as evidenced by them each holding up a copy of USA Today with their names on the front. Ever since they had been flush with business, and yet their expenses always seemed to only barely keep them in the black, regardless of some fairly hefty fees they had collected for their services.

The two had always been ahead of the curve, graduating early and finding wild success in everything they did. While they might have stumbled on their own, the fact that they'd been able to rely on each other had saved their bacon on more then one occasion.

Great, now I want bacon too...speaking of...

"Kay," she shouted, tired of waiting for the statuesque beauty to come to her beckon call, "I'm not joking. Not all of us have the metabolic rate of a race horse, So if you're going to take the last freaking squeeze of ketchup, at least let me know so we can buy more! You know I hate dry breakfast burritos!" A guffaw followed by a snort was her only initial reply, then after a moment she heart the soprano speak.

"You know those things will be the death of you. Also, ketchup on burritos? That's just unnatural." Miracle's eyebrow flickered in vague annoyance as her head popped around the corner and into their main office.

"You shut your dirty mouth. Ketchup is the Ambrosia of condiments, followed very closely by ranch. There are very few things aside from dessert that either ketchup or ranch does not make better, and obviously I can't put ranch on my burritos, that's just silly." Another snort left the amused Cadence's throat as her delicately manicured nails clicked her keyboard, the tik-tak noise itself grating on Miracle's nerves, proving that she wasn't giving the woman her full attention.

"Yet ketchup is the perfectly acceptable option?" A bewildered expression flickered across Miracle's face.

"Uh...obviously." Cadence paused, looking like she was formulating a thought, and turned to say something to Miracle, but right as she inhaled, they heard a jingle indicating their front office door had been opened. One agreement the pair had come to was that the clients always came first, and were both willing to shelve any arguments, questions or curiosities they had for the sake of the case. Miracle tugged down on the babydoll tee she wore, making sure it was smooth except the wrinkle where it met her bellbottoms. It was a red and gray number that read "Who needs a Miracle?" It was the slogan of their business, the Miracle Masters Everything Agency. Meanwhile, Cadence stood, smoothing her perfectly white ladies' power suit, the even click of her heels slightly reminiscent of the keyboard she'd been deftly handling just a moment previous.

The pair moved to the small entryway to greet their potential client, but what they saw, neither of them expected.

"Hi girls," the man at the door grinned gently, his still largely perfect teeth glinting in the afternoon sun. He seemed to be turning a bright shade of pink, as though embarrassed to be there. His medium length blonde hair had been finger combed repeatedly, and the ruffled look showed. He was in casual dress with jeans and a tee shirt with a bomber jacket over it. His long jaw led to a cleft chin, and his sheepish yet bloodshot brown eyes had a hard time meeting their gaze as they stared at him for a long moment. The stubble on his usually clean-shaven face made it clear he hadn't been able to maintain his usual routine lately, and his constantly shifting stance made it obvious how uncomfortable he was. His large six-foot-two frame was worn well, with only the slightest hint of weight on his stomach due to his middle age, but still very fit. The girls, meanwhile, were frozen for a moment in surprise.

"Mister Keller! Please, come in!" The man waved his hand in the air, dismissing their comment off-handedly as he entered.

"Please. I'm not Mister Keller to you two anymore. You both passed my AP History course with flying colors and graduated. I'm Tony to you guys now." The girls both shot each other a look that made it clear that neither of them felt comfortable calling their history teacher 'Tony'.

"Come on in," Cadence offered, waving him to an overstuffed chair in their office proper.

"Coffee?" Miracle asked, not quite sure what she could do for him. He nodded in thanks, settling into the chair as he stripped the jacket off, tossing it haphazardly onto the arm of the chair. The scuffed and worn jacket had clearly seen better days, but it was loved and well taken care of, much like the girls' office. Cadence shot her a look.

"What, not offering him ketchup with it?" And then, just like that, the awkward tension shattered and Miracle stuck her tongue out at her best friend.

"I would, but some tubby thief took it all." Cadence feigned indignence.

"Thief?!" Miracle laughed at her outcry.

"That is the part of that sentence you have an issue with?" Ironically, Cadence was known professionally for her deft and sticky fingers, being the best pickpocket and lockpick for miles. Be it for surgery or thievery, few had better and quicker hands. Keller, meanwhile, was entirely used to this kind of banter, it happened in his classroom all the time. Seeing them going back and forth just like they had years ago seemed to somehow put him much more at ease then he had been when he entered. His smile was easier, and his gaze less shifty. He relaxed a bit into the chair, smiling as it brought back memories of how hard he fought to keep his children on task in his classroom. Both of the girls had felt a passing fancy for the roguishly handsome teacher, but it had been little more than a schoolgirl crush. He had aged well, but he had also clearly aged, though some of it seemed to be his more recent distress, whatever the cause may be.

Miracle returned with a coffee service tray that had sugar and creamer on it, along with a few cups of coffee. As she set it down, each of them took a cup, but what surprised both of the girls was when Keller took a flask from his jacket and poured it into the coffee. A single whiff identified it as Irish Whiskey, and even seeing this concerned both of the girls. Keller had made no secret of his membership to AA, even to his students, to show that everyone made mistakes, but could find the right path if they were willing to work at it. The fact that he'd fallen off the wagon was disconcerting at best, especially since he'd been one of the most well-liked teachers because he was so encouraging while making it clear he was not perfect.

He took a long pull of the coffee, and as the warm ceramic settled into his hands he gazed down at it. If he hired them they'd learn the extent of the trouble he was in anyway, so why start concealing parts of who he was at this juncture? He smiled whimsically at the black liquid in his cup, gyrating it in his hand to let it slosh in a circle.

"You know, I see the way people look at me. The way you two are looking at me right now." It wasn't until then that he looked up, meeting their gaze with a sorrowful expression, a forced smile that refused to touch his eyes, yet stretched his face. For some reason, it instantly made the girls both slightly ashamed for being so judgmental. "I know what I used to be. I'm not that anymore. This is just for calming the nerves. I know it's a slippery slope, but I needed something." Miracle, always choosing to believe the best in people where possible, leaned forward with a sad, unusually reigned in smile.

"...Why?" He let out a chortle, taking another sip before remaining silent a moment.

"That's the hundred thousand dollar question, isn't it?" The girls remained uncharacteristically silent. One thing they'd learned was that most people were uncomfortable with silence, especially in the presence of people who spoke a lot. When silence came it felt out of place and unsettling in those cases, and so the people talking usually felt an urge to keep talking if only to keep the silence from becoming deafening, and in the process divulged much more information than they meant to. It was a standard interrogation technique, and though they weren't interrogating him per se, they also needed to know more, but were uncomfortable being too pushy with him, especially in an obviously established precarious state. The wordlessness hung in the air for a few moments, and Keller seemed less uncomfortable and more trying to sort out what to say. He clearly was unrattled by the technique, as a silent room was usually a teacher's ideal. Instead it seemed to work to his credit, but that was just fine. They weren't trying to throw him off-kilter, just learn more.

After a pause that seemed ancient, he spoke, shattering the quiet with his soft yet strained baritone.

"Five months ago, we found out Maggie was pregnant." An excited gasp from the two was the only reply, though still neither spoke. Maggie was the girl Keller had been seeing when they'd been in school, and had since married. Then the obviousness set in. Not only was he clearly not excited, he was on the verge of tears...and he'd used the word 'was'. Either something happened to the baby, to Maggie, or both. "A few weeks ago we found out we were having a boy. He was going to be named Marcus Alec Keller..." It was here that his voice trembled, and for a moment he looked like he was about to lose it. His already-bloodshot eyes teared up and his chin quivered, his jaw muscles flexing as he struggled with all of his might to retain control of himself. His entire body seemed to shrink and waste away just a little bit more in that instant, and he looked so fragile and hollow. Nothing like the lively and confident man he'd been when they'd been in school. Miracle shot a look to Cadence that said her heart was breaking for the man, he'd never once made a secret of how much he wanted to have a son one day--and his desire to be family man made the girls in his classes swoon just a little bit more usually. Cadence nodded and wordlessly stood, moving to where they kept their tissues--a frequent necessity in the office of private investigators. She wordlessly retrieved the box and brought it back to him, sitting down beside him and setting it in front of him innocuously. Handing it to him might be offensive, but making them close and available, but not pushing them on him to suggest he might be 'weak' (because men were stupid like that) and cry was the right balance of attentiveness and respect. He nodded appreciatively, but did not reach for them.

"Mags and I were on our way back from an OB appointment when it happened. Police agreed I was obeying all the rules of traffic. A drunk swerved and T-boned the car in the passenger side. Direct impact. She-" His voice broke into a sob and Miracle found herself reaching out for him reflexively, but she caught herself. A part of her despaired so intensely to see him like this, but she knew she had to be objective. She just didn't want to. So instead, silence reigned once more as he struggled, fighting a losing battle to keep what little semblance of control he retained. For the moment he managed, continuing. "She miscarried almost instantly, which given how far along we were was a huge strain to her body in addition to the impact of the accident. She was brought to the hospital and placed in Intensive Care right after surgery. Things looked good, but then forty-eight hours later, about when they expected her to wake up, she flatlined. Her funeral was yesterday, and I'm still struggling to make sense of it all, but some things don't add up." As he spoke his words grew in determination, and the fury and focus began to drive away the tears and sorrow. It was not uncommon for those who lost someone dear to them to chose rage of sorrow.

"Though we got hit by a drunk driver, the police say they don't have enough to press charges, and he's already been released. The doctor said that she was recovering just fine and everything looked promising, then when they lost her very suddenly the day they were supposed to downgrade her out of Intensive Care she dies suddenly, and all they can tell me is 'internal hemorrhaging', and no one will give me the time of day. Then last night--the night of her funeral--someone broke into the house. Busted a window to get in. They thought I was gone, I think, because the minute I came down the stairs to investigate the noise they fled. They didn't take anything important, but I found my wife's study a complete mess. She doesn't keep anything in the way of valuables down there. Police were slow to respond and when they did show up they barely took an interest. I haven't slept since then. Either I'm going stark-raving mad with grief, or something is up. I need to know if my wife and son were simply the victim of an unfortunate accident, or if they were murdered because someone wanted something from my wife. She's a forensic accountant, I have absolutely no idea what they might want from her though, she was a sweet woman who was as sweet and dutiful of a wife as one could possibly hope for, and she had a terrible poker face. She couldn't keep a secret to save her life. She was terrible even at hiding Christmas presents." He chuckled gently at the memory, but that memory, that positive emotion was what broke his wall of implacability. The moment that emotion broke his wall, everything else came tumbling through, most notably the fact that he would never have an experience like that with her again, and he began to shake and sob. This time he had no defenses left, and so he wept openly at the loss of his wife, his unborn son, and the possibility that it wasn't just a cruel world that stripped him of them, but the intentions of someone. That last idea was almost more than he could bear.

Meanwhile, both of the girls' brains were already on overdrive as they were trying to sort out the information they'd been provided, even as Miracle--always the more emotion-driven of the pair--scooted in and offered him a shoulder as she hugged him gently, looking to Cadence who was very speedily analyzing facts and processing data. Her eidetic memory ensured she never needed to hear the same information twice, which made her better at breaking down that kind of thing than Miracle, though Miracle was always the more personable of the pair.

"Mira," Cadence began, her gaze snapping to the redhead, "You don't think-"

"It's possible," she responded, "But we would need to-"

"I know, but before that we need to-"

"It's gonna take time and he'll-"

"I've got it covered," Cadence fired back, "Mom's got the guesthouse." Their exchange was interrupted by the last thing expected. The barking laughter of the absurdity of the exchange was exactly what Keller needed. Sometimes he forgot how insane these two girls were, and to be honest he hadn't laughed in a good while. Not truly. Yet witnessing these girls at the height of their powers was such an amazing thing for him.

"I see your binary has gotten better." The girls flushed, not even realizing they'd slipped into their own language which had them so well in sync it might as well have been ones and zeros. A conversation only the two could follow. He'd actually been the one to dub it 'binary', and it'd stuck, even between them. It had ben rudimentary at first; finishing eachother's sentences or speaking at the same time, but now they seemed to be able to think in parallel so well that they only needed a few words to understand the others' thoughts. It was not any kind of mind-reading, not truly, more that they were both impressively intelligent, and had spent the majority of their waking hours of almost every single day in eachothers' presences for the better part of multiple decades, and each understood the other's thought process so well that they only had to begin a sentence to understand where the other was going with it. It was Cadence who spoke.

"Mister Keller, we're going to have you go to my Mom's guesthouse for the time being. She's always liked you, and when she learns that you're a client, she'll happily loan you the space. In the meantime Mira and I need to check out your house and make sure it's not be surveilled, then go in ourselves and see what the place looks like, maybe look for whatever the burglar was searching for. We're a fresh set of eyes and are pretty good at slipping into the mindset of others, it's part of the reason we're so good at what we do."

"We don't think you're losing your mind," Miracle chimed in with a gentle smile, "and we want to help prove it as best we can. We can be objective and see if we can't learn anything by going through your and Maggie's stuff. We need your permission though, to go through anything and everything in your house and property looking for whatever the burglar might have been searching for. Can we do that?" Keller thought for a brief instant then nodded slowly.

"Sure. Whatever it takes to try and sort this out. Do you think it's so serious that I need to stay with Cadence's mom?" Miracle smiled sympathetically.

"We can't afford to rule anything out at this point, so for your safety and to help ensure that the hotzone is clear, we want to keep you away from the majority of the mess." He chuckled softly.

"Hotzone? Is that PI talk?" Cadence snorted.

"You'll find we don't do much, including our naming conventions, that fits wit standard practices. Mira just thinks it sounds cool. Besides that, we also wanna see if there's anyone who wants to rummage through your stuff while you're gone, to see if we can get a lead on an actual person to boot. Two birds with one stone kinda deal." Keller nodded again.

"Alright. I trust you girls. Pains in my ass sometimes, but always the smartest girls I ever taught. I'll do whatever you recommend." As he stood, his eyes freshly red and puffy, Cadence went to his side.

"Grab your car and follow me, we'll go get you settled at my parents' estate." Keller nodded and followed her out, leaving Miracle alone in the office.
Edited by Myth Archangel, Nov 8 2016, 10:45 PM.
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