See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil…

Section 108 wishes it was off the hook 

“Vernon hi, you’ve met Ari before haven’t you. In the end we both wanted to come.”

“Hi Ari, good to see you again, I regret the turmoil you must be experiencing, I hope it’s soon resolved satisfactorily. Have you heard from Émile yet?”

He glanced at both as if they represented two different options for the wayward teenager.

“We’ve heard nothing from Emile, no sadly, but we did speak to the police; a Detective ‘Constable’. What an ironic name. He seemed nice enough but I don’t trust him to be unbiased. Sorry.”

Ari seemed to have the odd habit of apologising for the facts she related and the opinions she offered regarding them. Vernon wondered what lengths she went to when bad news was really her fault.

He replied:

“I met the guy this morning, DC Constable that is, I’d only just got up. The way he read my statement back to me cast a very suspicious light over it. Has Tarkey been in touch? I couldn’t tell if he was under suspicion to the same extent as me or somehow off the hook.”

“I can’t see how he’s off the hook Vernon unless he’s concocted some kind of lie to achieve it. After all he commissioned the Nonsense Filter and hired in additional people to embellish what we gave him.”

Vernon stood accused of not seeing what was really valuable, not hearing the plain truth and failing to control his speech. Was it true?

“You’re right Jean Luc, and you know what, we always wondered how he could be bankrupt and rolling in it. I bet when they trace the missing millions it will be found in a fund controlled by Tarkey.”

Vernon’s momentary excitement evaporated when he glanced at Ari.

“I’m sorry, but I think you two are forgetting something” she said gesturing, “our son is missing, wanted by the police and the mess that caused it all was you’re quick tongue, gullibility and avarice.” The first two charges were clearly aimed at Vernon, the latter at Jean Luc. Silence descended over the table and they drank introvertedly for some time having nothing to say in return, until Ari excused herself from their company with the words; “I’m going home. Maybe he’ll call. Get a taxi home Jean Luc.”

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