Chapter Twenty-Two
The next morning arrived too soon and my name was being thrown around on every news channel, radio station and even the newspaper. I hated it. Trixie was busily fawning all over Jackson for his new found 'fame'.
I'd dressed up for the day, pulling on a grey suit jacket and matching slacks that I had forgotten I owned before making my way down to the office.
“You look good,” Jackson said as he saw me in my suit.
“Coffee...” I grumbled.
“We're expecting the CEO of Wayside to show up any minute,” Jackson said.
“There is always time for a cup of coffee,” I pointed out, pouring myself the aforementioned cup of coffee and drinking it quickly. “There,” I said, ignoring the scalding feeling in my mouth and setting the mug aside. “Now I can function.”
And it was just in time, too. The door opened with a jingle and good old Ratty walked in, followed by a guy who could only be described as a real-life Santa Claus. They were both dressed in dusty brown suits.
“Good morning!” I said chipperly. Coffee was amazing. “Good to see you again Ra- Edward.”
Ratty smiled that uncomfortably familiar, tobacco-stained smile of his. “May I present to you Mister Ivan Henkka, CEO of Wayside Firms.”
We shook hands with the CEO who had hired us in the first place. We exchanged the boring hellos and how are yous quickly, everyone was feeling more than a little awkward. This was the first time we’d officially met, despite having questioned Henkka in his office two days ago.
“I'm very sorry for the loss of Doctor Jones,” Jackson said.
“You both did an excellent job in finding his killer and exposing Five Points for what they are,” Henkka said with a smile. He had the slightest Scandinavian accent that I hadn’t noticed before, probably Finnish if I was to hazard a guess, but I couldn't be sure.
“The money you were promised has been deposited into the firm's account,” Ratty informed us. “And you will be pleased to see what your bonuses are when you check as well.”
I nodded in appreciation. “So what happens to the Doctor's practice now?”
“Well, Wayside is not going to shut everything down, if that's what you mean,” Henkka said slowly. “I am a firm believer in the work that Doctor Jones was doing and I fully intend to continue supporting it in whatever way that I can.”
“It's necessary,” Jackson agreed with a nod.
“You will be pleased to know that your friends Rose Tekla and her boyfriend David are going to be promoted,” Ratty said sincerely. “They will both be running the halfway houses Doctor Jones had set up. And we are looking for new staff to run the practice itself.”
“I wasn't too impressed with the staff Doctor Jones kept around,” Henkka explained. “They were...”
“Callous?” I suggested.
Henkka nodded. “That is an excellent adjective,” He grinned through his Santa beard at me. “And Rose's father, Doctor Tekla, is coming to work for us. He's going to assist in the new leg of our development.”
That was good news.
“What about the contract you had with Jones?” Jackson asked. “Are you going to honour that promise you made to the kids in the Kitchen?”
“Of course!” Henkka said. “But first, we need to find a new surgeon. Doctor Jones won't be easy to replace. Do either of you know any good surgeons in the city?”
Jackson and I exchanged looks.
“Not off the top of our heads,” I said, slowly.
“But if we can think of anyone, we'll be sure to pass the message along,” Jackson finished my thought.
Henkka nodded. “Excellent. We are planning to make this a public awareness campaign now. No more sneaking around in the shadows and hiding our charity work from the public. They need to know about this! Maybe get involved?”
“That would be a dream come true for some of those kids,” Jackson agreed with a nod.
Henkka clapped his hands. “Well, sitting here and talking idly about it isn't going to get the work done.” he announced. “Thank you both again, you have my deepest gratitude. I will keep you both in mind if there is another time where I may need your services.”
Jackson beamed with pride and I simply nodded.
We shook hands with Henkka and Ratty and they left.
Jackson stared at me as I sat down on the edge of Trixie's desk.
“What kind of bonus do you think we got?” Jackson asked with a grin.
“I'm kind of hoping for a pony,” I admitted.
Jackson snorted a laugh. “Yeah, but what do you really think it is?”
I shrugged. “I dunno, Jacks. We should go to the bank and find out though, don't you think?”
Jackson grinned. “Hey, Trix? Let's close up shop!”
Trixie appeared from his office, holding a feather duster. The woman was a machine, I swear.
“Close up shop?” she repeated. “For the day?”
“Yeah!” I agreed. “Why not? It's been a busy week for all of us.”
Trixie smiled brightly and tossed the feather duster onto her desk. “All right!” she agreed. “Where are we going?”
“To the bank, first,” I said as we made our way out onto the street. I locked the office door behind me as Jackson and Trixie waited.
“So, Blaze, what's the plan? Out to the bar for drinks tonight?” Jackson asked me.
I shook my head.
“No thanks, Jacks. You guys can go do whatever you want and take tomorrow off.”
“Oh, he’s giving us the day off!” Trixie exclaimed happily. “That never happens. You sure you’re feeling okay, Boss?”
I snorted a laugh as we walked down the street toward the bank. “Oh yeah, I’m fine.”
“So then what? You don’t wanna go celebrate at the club?” Jackson asked. “Have a couple of drinks and regale the old cops and the flappers with the story of how you saved the Kitchen?”
“Tempting,” I agreed. “But I can’t tonight.”
“Why not?” Jacks pressed. “That’s not like you at all.”
I grinned widely, and I’m sure the look on my face was one of dreamy giddiness. “As much as I’d love to join you, I can’t because I have a date.”
Bonus Content
Thank you for purchasing this special edition copy of Blaze Tuesday and the Case of the Knight Surgeon.
To show the author's appreciation, please enjoy this exclusive short story set in Blaze Tuesday’s world.
The following story takes place just after the events of the Case of the Knight Surgeon.
Without further ado, please enjoy:
Kali Mason and the Case of the [REDACTED]
Kali Mason and the Case of the [REDACTED]