Characters: Swap!Leonid (@bowlerhatwearer), Swap!Jack, other people
Summary: Leonid finds his target.
Thursday, May 21.
Still don't know much about JacksnJackson.
Things I know and learned:
works at BUsiness finances Inc
28 year old
has wife?
apparently funny
Don't know the location of his residence.
With that, Leonid clicked his pen, putting the tip back into the chamber.
He lay back on his hotel room bed with a sigh.
He'd been trying for the past two days to find Jack, or at least his home... but he couldn't. He couldn't exactly ask his coworkers either-- to him, if he was here to visit Jack, wouldn't he already know? The man just never seemed to exist in the same area as him, too.
He sat up a bit, looking at his phone screen. The messages app was open.
'Hello, Detective. have you found my son yet? signed J Harris Sr.'
Leo couldn't help but giggle as he replied to Mr. Harris.
'No, I haven't yet. But I'm trying.'
Send.
Leonid went back to lying down, still unsure of what to do in the situation. Any thinking was interrupted, however, by a sound-- a rumbling from his stomach.
Leonid turned his head to the alarm clock by the bed.
5:09 pm.
Eh. Might as well get dinner.
Leonid sat up and picked his phone back up, going into Maps to search around New Anderville.
A few caught his eye-- The Coffery, Yappy Hour Bar and Grill, Minhs Din-Din, a downtown McDonalds, Pubbingtons, Greasy Joe's-- so he checked out their reviews.
Nothing too impressive, however... The Coffery only had fish and chips and liver and gravy as dinner options, Greasy Joe's was mainly for families with small kids, and the McDonalds had the 3rd lowest ratings of any McDonalds location worldwide.
That left Yappy Hour, Pubbingtons, and Minh's.
He decided to check out Yappy Hour a little more, seeing what they had on the menu... and something caught his eye.
'Boney Thursday today! From 5-8pm, all ribs and wings are half off! Try our delicious Mexican Grilled Ribs and Beer Battered Chicken Wings at a discount!'
Leonid's stomach growled.
He hadn't had ribs in a while.
The detective got out of bed, mind set on the prospect of ribs, and left the room.
---------------
No wonder they call this place Yappy Hour, thought Leo. It's LOUD in here.
In fact, it was so loud, Leonid didn't even hear the bell above the front door ring.
All around, he could see people at the tables and the bar, eating and chatting away while occasionally watching the sports on the TV. He felt himself cringe at the slight increase in noise as he walked up to the stand, where the seater stood.
They saw him and cleared their throat. “Table for?…”
“Table for one.”
“Just a moment.”
The seater walked away for a few seconds.
After those seconds, they came back, quickly grabbing a menu,
"I'll lead you to your table, sir."
Leonid followed the seater to a table, where one side had both seats, and the other had regular chairs.
As the seater placed the menu on the table, Leonid sat in a booth chair, reclining into the leather padding.
The seater leaned down a bit. "A waiter will be with you soon."
They left as quick as that.
Leo opened the menu, taking a look at some of the menu items (ginger beef on johnnycakes, spicy poutine, chicken wings and fries, hot-smoked salmon sandwich) as he sighed a bit.
He couldn't help looking around the pub as he moped in his thoughts. Look at me, he thought, sitting around in some pub while a kidnapping suspect is on the loose. What kind of detective am I?! His FAMILY'S paying me to find him and I can't even find one measly--
-- Holy shit.
Across from him was Jack Harris.
... Or at least he thought it was. From the back view at least, the hare matched the description of Jack-- chestnut brown fur, smoothly brushed headfur, wide eyes, mediocre fashion sense. He was sitting at a table with about four other people, all of them in different business garb.
It had to be him.
As he was looking, one of the people there happened to see him. Leo recognized him-- he was the grolar bear he first talked about Jack to. The man tapped the hare on the shoulder and started pointing to Leo, speaking words Leo couldn't hear over the other patrons. The hare turned around.
He looked exactly like Jack.
It HAD to be him.
The hare got up with a smile and walked over to Leonid, sitting down at the chair as Leonid continued gawking at him.
Finally, the hare opened his mouth and spoke.
"So... you're a college buddy, huh?"
Leo gulped a bit and composed himself. "UH. Yes."
The hare chuckled. "I didn't know a detective could have to go to the Missoury Economics Collegiate, let alone take courses in business."
"Wh-- how did you know I was a detective?"
"Ruben told me. Plus, your badge is sticking out of your pocket."
Sheepishly pushing the badge back down, Leonid cleared his throat and put on his best serious detective voice.
"Truthfully, I've never went to college with you. I'm Leonid Aksakov, Private Investigator."
"Jack Harris. Charmed."
I KNEW IT! Leonid shouted in his mind. Out loud, he continued.
"I've come to ask you some questions, Mr. Harris."
"About what?"
"Well... a few months ago, a woman named Grementine Mewton went missing. I was told you were a former associate of hers."
A strange look seemed to pass over Jack's face after he said that. Before Jack could respond, however, a shadow loomed over the table.
Leonid looked up and met the eye of the waiter-- a moose, looking to be around 8 feet tall. His nametag read "Steven".
"Are you gentlemen ready to order?" The moose asked in a deep, gentle voice.
Leonid's eyes flickered between him and Jack before he answered.
'I-- uh, yeah, we're ready."
Out of the corner of his eye, Leonid almost swore he saw Jack's eye twitch.
"Alright, then. I'm obliged to inform you that today is Boney Thursday, and you get half off any wings or ribs you order." the waiter replied.
"I'm aware, thank you." replied Leonid, going back to the menu.
Jack raised a finger. "If you can, I'll have a tall drink of water." he announced.
Steven the waiter chuckled a bit. "If you say so, Mr. Harris. What about you, sir?"
"Glass of Pepsi." piped Leo.
Steven wrote it down on the pad.
"Alright, Pepsi and water... what about your meals?
Leonid went back to the ribs and wings, looking over the potential foods-- Mexican Barbeque Ribs, Ginger Ribs & Peameal, Classic Hot & Smoky, Mooseback Ribs, and--
"... What are Maple Fried Ribs?"
"We coat the ribs in maple syrup and Panko breadcrumbs before deep frying them."
The detective grimaced. "I'll have the Mooseback Ribs."
"And for your side?"
"Uh... curly fries?"
"Got it."
"I'll have the Beer Battered Wings and a side salad, please." stated Jack.
Steven scribbled their orders down, before putting the notepad back in his pocket, simply saying, "Your orders will be ready in a little while."
With that, he sauntered away, giving Leonid a little wink as he did.
Flustered and a little confused, Leo shook away the blush on his face and refocused on Jack.
"Again, I'd like to ask you a few questions about Ms. Mewton." he restated.
"Sure, shoot!" Jack replied, elbows on the table and holding up his head.
Jack took the notepad he usually kept around in his backpocket, a golf pencil besides it. He took a deep breath.
Well, I know Ms. Mothgo didn't paint that good of a picture of you, he thought to himself. Let's see if you really ARE a piece of work.
"Alright, Jack-- what was Ms. Mewton like?"
Jack let out a dreamy sigh. "Beautiful... stunning... smart... tantalizing... feisty... mysterious... basically the most desirable woman you could ever ask for."
Trying not to frown, Leonid pencilled in his answer.
"What is your relationship to (or with) her?"
A wistful look with a touch of real sadness washed over Jack's face as he answered again. "She was... my first love. We dated for five positively dreamlike months until she... she dumped me. Since then, we'd see each other around sometimes, maybe talk a bit here and there."
Leonid nodded, writing that down as well (along with a little note reading 'Что за неудачник...').
"When did you see her last?"
"Back in November. The 15th I think. Saw her getting stuff at a grocery store and we chatted a bit."
"'Bout what?"
"Y'know... life stuff. How we were doing in them. She told me she was going away for a little bit."
Scribble scribble.
"Did you know her specific plans?"
"Naw, she wouldn't say. She was being weirdly secretive. That's part of why I like her so much. I love figuring out how she works."
Scribble scribble scribble scribble.
"Do you know anyone who may wish ill will upon her?"
"I know two."
Leonid raised his eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Her dads-- Lionel and Lupus Mewton. They never had a great relationship. Lionel's a doctor, Lupus is a bigshot lawyer, they had great expectations of her. Grem wasn't entirely keen on those expectations, and she could be a bit... troublesome, too."
Leo nodded. "Do you know where they live?"
"Hometon, Missoury, 45 [STREET NAME]."
The detective jotted it down.
"Now, I want to talk about something your cousin said... Does Paula Lopez ring a bell?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah, she's my aunt Luanne and Uncle Anton's kid. I'm guessing you know she took my house?"
"Yes. She mentioned you had a lot of 'weird pictures' of a girl in your house. I was wondering what that was about."
Jack scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. "Man, ever since she married Cary, she's been overthinking everything. I get she's got little kids, but you don't gotta look into things so much! Anyway, I had a couple pictures of Grem around the house, mostly from when we were dating... they're just nice keepsakes. I left 'em behind when me and the wife moved."
A-HA.
Quickling scribbling that down, Leonid got to the last question:
"Can I hear about your wife?"
The dreamy look returned to Jack's face.
"Claire is... amazing." he sighed. "I couldn't ask for anyone better. She's so nice, and caring, and smart... I can see us staying together, til death do us part."
Leonid nodded again, writing this information down-- as well as underlining his wife's name.
"Thank you for answering all of my questions, Mr. Harris." Leonid stated, putting away the pad and pencil. "I hope it wasn't too botherso-"
The two were interrupted by plates.
Specifically plates being placed quite quickly in front of them (along with glasses, though they were drowned out by the sound of ceramic against hardwood). On Leonid's plate was a rack of very large ribs, over twice the size of any regular ribs he'd been given before, drowning in a spicy-smelling sauce. Next to it was a steaming pile of crispy curly fries. Jack's plate had 4-5 chicken wings in flaky batter, plus some Caesar salad.
The waiter-- Steven again-- looked down at them with a grin.
"Bon Appetit, you two."
----------------------------
Leonid only managed to finish half of the moose ribs.
As delicious as they were, he simply couldn't handle the amount of food he'd been given. He only got a third of the way through the fries, too.
While Leonid suffered where he sat, Jack picked the last of the meat off his wings using his large front teeth. Sitting back with a sigh, he chirped, "It was nice talkin' to you, detective. I hope I could answer your questions well!"
"Same for me," Leonid groaned out, "You've been a valuable source."
Steven the waiter came back with a checkbook and portable card scanner. "I'm here for the bill, now."
Leonid started reaching into his pocket, but Jack spoke up with "It's alright, Leonid." before taking out his wallet.
"You... You're paying for me?" Leo blurted.
Jack nodded sagely as he tapped his card again the machine.
A receipt was printed out (which Steven briefly scribbled on) before he gave it to Jack.
"Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen." He crooned.
With that, the moose was gone again.
Jack briefly looked over the receipt before handing it to Leonid, explaining, "I think this is for you."
Leonid took a look of his own.
Under the amount paid was a phone number and a doodle of a moose.
Blushing furiously, Leonid stuffed it into his pocket before getting up.
"Well... I'm gonna be leaving now. I'd get a takeout box, but I don't think I can handle any more of this."
"Same here," Jack responded, "I don't think there's any room for the crumbs on my plate. I don't think my wife'll want 'em either."
"I see then. Goodbye, Harris."
"Bye, detective!"
So they both left.
In the parking lot, leaning against his car, Leonid took a drag off a cigarette as he reflected on his encouter with Jack.
Well... I know he's annoying, that's for sure. I'm still not sure if he IS a kidnapper, but... it's a bit weird how his wife has Grementine's original name. Plus, the way he answered didn't really feel right.
Characters: Swap!Leonid (@bowlerhatwearer), Mothgo (@sallychaosaura), The Swap Harris Family
Summary: Leonid starts properly investigating Ms. Mewtons dissappearance.
TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: smoking, implied child death
14 was the number displayed on the house.
Leonid, in his running Prius, stared out at the house before nodding sagely to himself.
14 [STREET NAME], he thought. This is the place.
He put the car into park and exited through the driver side door. He walked up to the house, taking in the scenery.
The house was a one story, and kind of small. The siding was painted a dark olive green, and the lawn seemed to be freshly mowed. Not completely mowed, though— there were still patches of over grown grass strewn throughout.
In the driveway was a grey VW Beetle. There was a dent by the front bumper, two strange dents on the top of the car above the driver side door, a small crack on the left rear view window, and— a little worryingly— a row of claw marks on the hood.
He walked up the small pathway connecting the front door to the driveway, passing by a large window. He took a look in, seeing counters, a sink, some dirty dishes, and a small view of a stove top— definitely the kitchen. Further into the house, he could see a table with four chairs.
Approaching the front door, Leonid noticed the small window it had. He couldn’t see through, though. Too dusty.
Finally, he knocked.
A voice rang from inside the house. “One moment!”
The voice was… a little odd sounding. He couldn’t put his finger on why.
Somewhat loud footsteps echoed up to the door, where it swung open…
… and a sight to behold stood staring down at him.
A very tall robot, at LEAST 7 feet, was cramped down in the doorway. The head was like a TV, only orange, and there were two things on the sides of her head with heart designs on them. She has antenna, too. Moths eyes were heterochromatic, one being orange and the other blue.
Mang was wearing a purple sweater, a dark purple skirt, and darker purple pants. She also had… wings? on her back? They were strange— they didn’t look metallic at all. They looked real.
One thing Leonid knew was real, though, was the tired expression on the robots face.
Leonid knew he was staring, gawking even, but... what else was he supposed to do? He'd never seen someone such as her before.
He managed to collect himself, though, and stood firmly before speaking.
"Good morning."
The robot stared at him, suspicion breaking through her tired haze.
"Good morning. Who are you?" moth replied.
Nikolai reached into his pocket and brought out his badge. "Leonid Aksakov, private investigator. I'd like to ask you some questions."
The tired expression turned into a sad one.
"... This is about Gremmy, isn't it?"
"Yes, if you're referring to Grementine Mewton."
"I am. I thought the police investigation already ended?"
"Well, an anonymous client claiming to be her friend has hired me."
Mothgo got a thoughtful expression on her face. She shook it off after a second and stepped to the side. "Come in."
And so he did.
The walls of the living room and dining room were a light blue in colour. Facing Leonid was a hallway, and on the left side of its entryway was a bookcase. To the left of that bookcase, against a different wall, was a faded yellow armchair with its own end table and lamp. Looking further to the other wall, he saw what he guessed was the heart of the living room-- a TV on a long stand, a coffee table, and an off white couch. All on a diagonal angle, for whatever reason. There was a small wooden cabinet on the ground, too.
Looking to his right, he saw the dining room table again. It was a bit small, only able to have four chairs.
One chair seemed pretty dusty.
The house, though nice, had a strange feeling about it. Like something was deeply wrong, and it couldn't comprehend what it was.
Mothgo sat down on the couch, and Leonid followed suit. He produced a small notepad and pencil from one of the pockets of his jacket.
"Before we begin, Miss, I understand there's another robot that lives here, too." he spoke.
"Yeah, M0u5e. She's over with the lady who rescued her all those months ago." she replied.
Leonid wrote that down.
"Okay, Ms... Mothgo. I have a few questions for you regarding Ms. Mewtons disappearance. I imagine you may have heard some of them before."
Mothgo shifted a bit in spot.
"... Maybe. But I'll answer your questions."
Leo nodded, and flipped a few pages back. He cleared his throat before he began.
"What was Ms. Mewton like?"
Mothgo looked down at her hands, a pained smile forming on mangs face.
"Gremmy is... She can be cold at first, but she can be really nice once she warms up! She's very kind and sweet! She took me in when I needed help."
Leonid wrote as she spoke. He began again.
"What is your relationship to, or with her?"
"She's my best friend! I care for her very much! I..." her hands shook a little. "I've been trying to fly around to look for her, but I also have to care for M0u5e and the house, and the job I took up when she di-disappeared... It-It's so much to do at once, and I'm just one person..."
"What job did you take up?" he asked, giving her a sympathetic look.
"It's at the- the pet store she worked at. I'm the mascot and security guard."
"Mm hmm."
He wrote this down as well.
"When did you see her last?"
"I last saw Grem on November 16, 2027 at noon. That's when she and M0u5e left."
Scribble scribble scribble.
"Did you know of her weekend plans?"
"Yes! She and M0u5e were going to the northern region to see her friend Nikolai.--" (A sudden cold feeling went through Leonids veins.) "I wanted to come, but couldn't because my wings don't do well with the cold. I... I wish I had just toughed it out. Maybe if I did (sniff)... she would still be here..."
Despite the horrible feeling Leonid had, he still reached over and gently patted Mothgo on the shoulder.
"None of this is your fault, Ms. Mothgo. Nobody would have expected her to go missing."
A tear fell from moths eye... screen eye thing, which she wiped away.
"Thank- thank you." she wavered out.
Leonid returned to writing.
"Now, finally; Do you know anybody who may wish ill on her?"
Mothgos demeanor changed in an instant. The sad expression upon mangs face/screen changed to one of contempt and anger.
"Yeah. A few people. One in particular." she spat out.
"His name is Jackson Harris, he's Grem's ex-boyfriend. He's fucking disgusting. He bothers Grem like every fucking week! She broke up with him in high school!... HIGH SCHOOL!! Talk about stalker behaviour! She made it clear she's not interested, but he still bothers her! If anyone did something with my Gremmy, it's him."
Leonid took many notes, making sure to put simple dashes for every time Mothgo swore. The amount of vitriol she held for Harris was almost... scary.
It gave him a bit of a lead, at least. That's twice somebody mentioned a Jack or Jackson in negative relation to Ms. Mewton.
He closed his notepad and put it back in his jacket as he stood up.
"Thank you for your time, Ms. Mothgo. Would you happen to know where he lives?" he inquired.
"Yeah, at least Grem did. She has it written down in case she ever needed to call the police."
Leonid couldn't help but grimace slightly as Mothgo speedwalked to the kitchen, returning after a second with a small slip of paper.
Looking over it thoroughly, he nodded once more and headed to the front door.
"Thank you again, Ms. Mothgo."
"Of course, Mr. Aksakov."
Leonid stepped through the doorway... before stopping a moment.
"Oh, there's just one more thing."
Leo hurried to his car, went through a few things, and returned to the house after a minute, an envelope in hand.
"Here." he handed it to the hybrid robot.
Mothgo carefully opened the envelope flap...
and found enclosed some money.
"You sound like you're in need of help. I hope this makes this easier, if only a little, and if only for a while."
Mothgo looked up and gave him a soft smile.
"Thanks!" she chirped at him.
Leonid nodded and turned around, but stopped just short of the doorway when he heard something from behind him.
"... Detective?"
He turned around, promptly being met with a pained expression. Mothgo spoke one more time to him.
"Please, find my friend. Please."
Leonid gave her a quick nod before leaving.
He went to his car and hopped in, starting it up before driving away. Thoughts swirled in his head.
That's two people who deeply cared for Grementine... three, perhaps, if I could talk to her assistant. Her friend seemed horribly stressed with her gone.
... I hope she's okay. I hope they'll both be okay.
.............
Detective Aksakov parked his car. He got out, facing the house before him.
It was a two-story row house in a neighbourhood downtown. The white coat of paint on the siding seemed fresh, as did the blue paint on the gable of the roof. In the driveway was an orange Toyota brand minivan. There was a kiddy pool in the small front lawn as well, for whatever reason.
Leonid walked up to the front door, having to tread on the freshly mowed lawn, seeing as there was no pathway.
He approached the door, knocking swiftly. From inside, he could hear the very faint sound of a baby fussing, quickly drowned out by footsteps.
Alright, Mr. Harris, he thought. Let's see what you're li--
A woman answered the door.
She had the facial shape and ears of a hare, but not only did her nose more closely resemble that of some kind of ungulate, she had antlers sticking out of her head. Her fingers ended in small hooves, too. In her arms was a very small boy, looking to have just reached toddler age. He had tiny little horn buds on his head, longish ears, digitigrade legs, hooves, and big eyes. Big eyes that never looked away from Leo.
He could hear the baby fussing, too.
This took Leo off his guard for but a brief moment, though he very quickly tried to collect himself.
"Does Jake- (damnit) does Jack Harris live here?" he asked awkwardly.
The woman cocked her head at him.
"Who are ya?" she inquired back at him in a thick Midwest accident.
Leonid took out his badge once more.
"Leonid Aksakov, private investigator."
"Ah. Yer looking for my cousin."
"Right. Does he live here?"
"Nope. He moved out a few months ago, and my uncle John-- his dad-- let me and my crew move in. Good thing, too, we needed the space. He had a lot of weird..." she trailed off as she looked at the toddler in her arms. "... stuff in his house, for whatever reason."
Leo sighed a bit.
"Ah... do you know where he moved?"
"Nope. Dunno."
Oh.
"Well... can you maybe give me the address of his father?"
"Oh, sure! He and Aunt Tu live up in Hometon, in the Upper Hills section. 3 [STREET NAME] to be exact."
"Alright, thank you, Ms..."
"Paula Lopez."
"Ms. Lopez. One more thing, what do you mean by 'weird stuff?'"
"Lotta weird pictures of some chick. Threw em all out, they creeped the.... the uh, devil out of me. Now if you excuse me, one of my little ankle-biters needs some TLC. Bye, now!"
The little one in her arms waved at him as she closed the door.
Leo walked back to his car, thinking about Ms. Lopez's comments.
He had a lot of weird stuff... lotta weird pictures of some chick.
It gave him a sour feeling in his gut.
Maybe a little trip out of town may help him. A quick google search too-- hes seen the name Harris in clothing stores before. Who knows?
...............
Geez, I can see why the area is called Upper Hills, Leonid thought as he drove up a road surrounded by large, fancy houses.
He was almost amazed at some of the things he saw-- fountains in the front yard, gated blocking the driveway, a small tennis court in front of one particularly grand house. It would be truly amazing if Leonid didn't feel looked down just by driving through.
Eventually, though, he pulled up to the Harris house.
Well... a little too big to be just a house. Thought only two stories, the house AND property were quite large. He could even see a second floor balcony! Didn't feel big enough to be a mansion though... he'd just stick with manor for now.
Water sprinkled lined the expansive front lawn, going off back and forth while Leo walked up the cobblestone path to the front door. A few small yet intricate marble fountains sat in front of the railing of the front porch, with its swinging bench and everything.
As he did, he took out a cigarette.
The driveway was something to write home about too-- there were four whole cars there. A very nice looking minivan, a Honda Civic, a blue Tesla Model Y, and to top it all of, a 2009 Honda S2000 CR. Leo had heard about those cars-- they cost nearly a quarter of a million dollars nowadays,
He didn't like it. He lit the cigarette in his hands as fast as he could.
He walked up the brick steps to the porch, taking note of the silver knocker on the door and the large window it was in the middle of. He couldn't exactly see through it, though-- the windows were stained glass.
Taking a puff from his cigarette, he took the knocker and gave it a good wringing, listening to the strangely clean sounding knock it produced.
He heard the footsteps approaching unusually fast. Perhaps Mr. Harris was nearby when he knocked. Ah, well, at least he didn't have to wait so long for hi--
The door opened. This time, he was not met by an adult.
Rather, a child. A young girl to be exact. She seemed to be a hare of some kind. She wore a long sleeved striped shirt and a denim skirt, and she looked up at Leo with her inquisitive eyes.
Leonid looked at the child with what he guess was a "deer in the headlights" look, not saying anything for a moment. He tried to compose himself once more, exhaling the cigarette smoke away from her direction before clearing his throat.
"Hello... are you John Harris?"
He had not composed himself properly.
The girl blinked at him. "Which John Harris? We have two." she replied.
Leo pinched the bridge of his nose, damning his stupid question before he took a breath and spoke again.
"... Whichever of the two is the father of John Harris." he explained, promptly taking another drag off his smoke.
This would prove to be a mistake when the girl was silent for a moment before turning around and calling out,
"DAD! There's a fancy man at the door and he wants you!"
Leonid nearly choked on the cigarette and went into a coughing fit while the girl scampered away. Luckily, it ended before another person appeared at the door.
He looked to be somewhere in his early 50s, and wore a fleece vest over a long sleeve button up shirt. He wore black slacks and loafers, and had a very expensive looking watch on his wrist. Unusual for a warm day in May.
The man cleared his throat.
"Good afternoon, sir. I'm John Harris Sr, the one you seek." he introduced himself, a haughty tone coating every inch of his voice. "What is your business?"
Leonid, already regretting coming here, took out his badge yet again.
"Leonid Aksakov, Private Investigator. I'm looking for your son... Jack Harris." he announced.
John put his thumb and finger up to his chin, stroking a little.
"A detective, are we?" the hare responded.
"... Well, I might as well let you in, sir. I'll have to ask that you cigarette, though."
"Of course, Mr. Harris."
The detective looked around, but found no ashtray. He looked up at John awkwardly, murmuring a little before coughing into his fist.
"Any place where I can extinguish it?" he muttered sheepishly.
John waved his hand dismissively.
"Just stamp it out on the doorstep. Our groundskeeper can take care of it later." With that, he walked back into the manor.
This guy had too much money, Leonid thought, though out loud he simply said "Alright, sir." He threw the cigarette on the ground and snuffed it out on the ground, before wiping his feet on their welcome mat and walking inside.
The walls were a creamy yellow colour with a dark oak trim, and a fancy hallway table with pictures and ceramic figurines. Throughout the entryway and hallway, paintings and photographs were hung upon the wall. There was an entryway to some sort of red room with the same trim.
Something told him they were rich.
As Leonid hung up his coat on the standing rack, John turned to him with a somewhat smug look on his face.
"Now, as you are a guest in our manor, we need to make you feel welcome. Tell me, do you like biscuits?"
Snob. Of course he offers me biscuits. He'll probably give me a cup of tea, too.
"Of course, that is a very generous and kind offer, Mr. Harris." Leonid replied out loud.
John clapped his hands happily.
"Perfect! I'll get my wife to put on some biscuits and tea for us, you go to the sitting room and I'll gather the family."
John darted down a hallway and into a doorway, giving Leonid some space to sigh and rant quietly to himself.
"Of course he asks his wife, why am I not surprised that Mr. Can't-Even-Tie-His-Shoes-By-Himself Harris orders his wife to do that for him?"
He started toward the sitting room, still ranting.
"... And NOW I get to meet his family. What is this, The Sound Of Music??? Well... at least maybe I get to find out more about Jack through this. Just act polite and friendly, and ask the right questions... then you're out of here. Hopefully that is soon."
Suddenly, Leo heard John talking to someone down the hall. The voice sounded like that of a young woman.
"Julie, get up from your chair! We have an important guest over."
"Dad, I'm working on an essay!"
"It can wait, Juliana. We must be polite."
"Ugh, FINE."
He couldn't help but sigh again.
"This is why I prefer when people come to my office, instead of doing field work... especially when it's guys like him..." he muttered.
His hand unconsciously reached for a cigarette. It stopped once he realized.
He already wanted to leave.
.....
A few minutes later, Leonid was sat in the sitting room.
The wood trim of the walls was now white in color, and the paint was a bright inviting yellow. He was sat on a white couch with a floral print. In front of him was a white coffee table covered in a silken tablecloth, and across from him in a chair was Mr. Harris.
There were other things too, of course-- on the wall to his left was a big white mantle-place holding many photographs and trinkets, along with a childs drawing taped to it. Next to that was a grandfather clock. On the wall to his left was a loveseat similar to the couch, and above that was a large amount of portraits.
He found his interest drawn to these. At the very top was a wedding photo and a large family photo. Below these was a series of photos forming a rectangular shape. The frames were interesting-- they contained two pictures instead of one. On the left side of each frame was a photo of a leveret, and on the right of each was what he guessed was a recent picture of each leveret. One only had a photo of the leveret for some reason. All in all, there were 12 people depicted. Next to the frame in the top right corner was a 13th picture of a leveret, though this one was lop-eared and french gray in fur colour.
Leonid's best guess was that these were his children. Definitely shocking to see, at first, but he figured he must have wanted a large, influential family. Still didn't make it any less surprising.
Other people were in the room, too.
To the left in front of the mantle-place was a miserable young woman slumped in a chair. He guessed she was the one John had been talking down to— he knew the look of someone who had been talked down to by their father. She kept shooting dirty looks at John, who either didn't notice or didn't care.
In an armchair next to John was a young man in a Supreme shirt typing on his phone.
Leaning against the right wall was a teenage boy in what he guessed was a basketball shirt and sports shorts. From the looks of it, he'd been practicing, as evidence by the Gatorade he was nursing.
On the loveseat was the young girl from before, though this time she was joined by a younger boy. He had a Bluey shirt on, and shorts held up by suspenders.
Both children were staring at him. He couldn't help but feel uneased.
He waved to them politely, unsure of what to do about them. Maybe John Sr. was gonna introduce them? Again, he wasn't sure. He didn't even know if he should say anything.
Luckily the problem solved itself when the little girl asked, "Are you a detective? Like on the TV?"
Leo breathed a sigh of relief and formulated a response.
"Well... yes, in a way... but my job is not as exciting as the television makes it appear to be. It involves a lot more paperwork."
The two children gave him a look of surprise and happiness, clearly in awe regardless of what he said.
"That's so cool..." the little boy marveled.
Leonid returned with a polite smile.
John piped up all of a sudden.
"I imagine you're wondering who the young people here are. They're my children, of course!"
"Oh, I see." Leo calmly replied, though he thought to himself 'As if I would have never guessed that. You literally told me i was going to meet them.' "You must be very proud of them."
John pointed at the people around Leonid as he replied, starting with the young woman. "This is Juliana, Johnathan (named for myself), Jacob, Jillian, and little Joey.
"They aren't all of my children, of course. You can see the others though, right above Jill and Joey."
Saying this, he gestured to the many photos Leo had seen earlier.
So I was right.
"Ah, thirteen wonderful children, I see!"
"Oh, just 12. The grey one is my grandson."
Leonid nodded in understanding.
"I see you have quite the large family... and that the branches of your tree have grown wide; but I should not expect anything else. I have, after all, heard about the famous Harris family. How an ancestor of yours founded a shoe factory that continues to this very day... together with the manufacturing and distribution of socks, a branch that was added later."
John sat up might and proud, snootier than anything.
"Yes, my great-grandfather Peter. I'm the current owner of the show factory, and will pass it down to my oldest and his family. I have many children with their own pursuits in success. Most of which have succeeded."
Jill, the little girl, butted in all of a sudden.
"Can I do the name thing, Dad?"
John Sr. smiled at her. "Only if our guest wants to see."
Both looked at him expectantly.
Leonid hadn't the faintest idea what she was talking about, but decided to reply with an "Oh, yes." It probably wouldn't be good to be rude to the young daughter of a man who makes enough money to look down at you simply by giving you food.
Cheerfully, Jill stood up on the love seat and started pointing at the photos, reciting what must have been an oft said phrase.
"Jack, Janet, James, Julie, Jenny Jared and Johnny, Jake and Jorge, Jill-- that's me, Judie-- she was my twin, and Joey!"
Leonid felt himself flinching internally at the was, and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. He didn't want the family to see this, though, so he smiled politely and nodded.
"Wonderful! All of them are great names."
He turned to John Sr. "I assume, Mr. Harris, that it was you who has chosen the names of your children... and/or had a say in it?"
"Well, yes, most of them. I did wish for them all to start with J, but of course my wife had a say in the matter."
Leonid nodded again, looking back at the pictures, whispering "What a fascinating family..."
His volume returned to normal as he spoke to John again.
"Mr. Harris," he began, "As you have already guessed, I have come for this visit for a specific reason: It is about your oldest son, who is Jack I presume? I will leave it up to you if you prefer your children remain here. Or if we should talk in private."
"I agree. I think it would be best if—“
John was interrupted by a woman entering the room.
She seemed to be the same age as John Sr, and wore a white turtleneck sweater with a knee-length chocolate brown skirt-- 'perhaps they aren't aware of the concept of heat?' Leo thought briefly-- and was a carrying a tray with biscuits, teacups, and a teapot.
She gave Leonid a friendly smile, greeting him with “Hello, sir.”
Leonid gave a smile back.
“Greetings! You are Mrs. Harris, I presume? I would like to thank you for your hospitality, and your biscuits and tea.”
She nodded, setting the tray down on the coffee table. The biscuits seemed to be half dipped in chocolate, and were in funny little oblong shapes. Jill and Joey immediately went for them.
“Yes, that’s me.” She confirmed. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
She grabbed a chair from the corner and pulled it next to John Sr, sitting down as he spoke to her.
“Not at all, my flame. Detective Aksakov has some questions for us regarding Jackson.” he crooned, putting his arm around her.
Petunia smiled and gave him a kiss, before pouring up some tea. She gave teacups to herself, Julie, John Sr, John Jr, and Leonid.
Leonid gave her a polite nod as he took a sip of the tea. It tasted something like white tea, but with a strange yet nice floral finish.
“The tea tastes wonderful… thank you. Now, Mr. and Mrs. Harris; due to a current investigation, I thought that Jack… Jackson could perhaps help me with some questions.
“I understand that you might be curious as to what this investigation is about, but I am afraid that I am not allowed to talk about it. My apologies; but—“ He looked at John Sr.— “You probably understand how it is with business and NDAs. In my field, it is like this as well. I wanted to talk to your son, but I was unfortunately unable to reach him. Given that you, as his parents, are his closest relatives, I thought you might perhaps know how I could reach him.”
John Sr nodded, replying “I understand perfectly. He’s QUITE far away, sir.”
Leonid raised an eyebrow curiously.
He sat up a bit, clapping his hands and looking around at his children in the room.
“Alright, children— leave. This is a private matter.” He announced firmly.
The Harris children got up saying various things— Leonid swore he heard Julie say “finally”— and soon, the three adults were alone in the room together.
"Is he currently on a business trip?" Leo asked once alone with them.
John chuckled a bit. "Oh, Gary hardly hosts any business trips these days. It's different; Jack moved."
"Moved... I do have to say, this does surprise me a bit... after all, from what I've heard, Jack worked in the... if I may say family business; so again, I do have to say it surprises me to hear this, Mr. Harris."
Leonid didn't EXACTLY hear. Jack was mentioned on the company website and the Wikipedia page. Best to act he knows and suspects nothing.
John curtly nodded. "Yes, it was strange for us, too. He said he 'needed a fresh start'. Perhaps he's looking to start his own branch of the business."
"We're looking to book a flight for next month to visit him. He said he'd have something nice to show us when he got there." Mrs. Harris added, before asking, "Would you care for a chocolate ladyfinger, Detective?"
"Of course. Thank you Mrs. Harris, that is very kind of you." he replied politely. He was having some thoughts regarding her addition, however.
'Hmm... this might have just gotten more interesting than I thought.'
Speaking out loud again, he said, "I see... you both must be very excited to see your son, right?"
"Yes, very excited. He never said what it WAS that he was going to show us, he wants it to remain a surprise." John replied quite matter of factly.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Harris picked up one of the ladyfingers and put it on a napkin before handing it to Leonid.
He looked at her. "Thank you." he said.
He took a bite of the biscuit-- it tasted almost exactly like sponge cake, save for the milk chocolate coating.
"Wonderful... absolutely wonderful, this biscuit... I am certain that Jackson has his reasons to keep this surprise a surprise... and wanting to wait before showing it to you." he remarked, nodding a bit.
Petunia gave him a proud smile, obviously taking pride in her lovely ladyfingers.
"You're welcome, detective! Though I still can't help but wonder what it is..." she queried.
"If he is keeping it this much of a secret, then I assume it is going to be very exciting." he suggested, taking another biscuit.
"Did you have any other questions?" John asked before sipping his tea.
Leonid hummed a bit and gave his answer. "Well, I wanted to talk with your son, but I guess that given how he has moved away, this is not possible. But thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Harris, for answering my questions and introducing me to your family; and thank you, Mrs. Harris, for the tea and biscuits."
John said nothing, before giving Leonid a little smirk.
"If you want, I can tell you where he is."
This made the detective sit up expectantly.
"You would? That... that is very kind of you, Mr. Harris. Thank you very much."
The middle aged man took a page of card stock out of his vest pocket, along with a fountain pen, and wrote something on it. Once done, he passed it to Leonid.
The detective took a look.
New AndaAnderville, British Columbia, Canada
Leonid couldn't help wrinkling his brow in confusion.
Canada... why did he move so far away?
Shaking his head, he simply put it in his pocket, before giving a slight yet genuine smile and talking again.
"Thank you, Mr. Harris, I can assure you that this helps me a lot. I am confident that when I meet your son, he'll be able to answer the question that I have. Thank you very much for your help."
"You're welcome, Detective Aksakov. Feel free to stay as long as you need to."
Leo finished his tea and second biscuit and got up, still smiling.
"Thank you for the kind offer, Mr. Harris, but I think I've taken enough of you and your family's valuable time. I don't want to take any more away from it." He admitted to them.
"You're welcome again, Detective Aksakov." Petunia said warmly.
"... and thank you for coming over!" her husband added.
Leonid got up and bowed. "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. and Mrs. Harris."
As the detective left the house, he was already thinking of his next move, and what it was gonna be.
First, though, he'd have to find the next flight to British Columbia.
The first thing that caught his eye was the photograph.
It was a photograph of a female cat in what looked to be her mid 20s. She had grey eyes and a lazy smile. Her fur was mostly brown, with splotches of pink on her face, and a light tan underbelly. She had a heart shaped nose as well. The photo seemed to be taken during the summer, as she was sitting back in a chair on a sunny day, wearing a floppy sun hat and purple tank top, drinking some sort of orange beverage.
Julie Harris takes swap!leo to one of those cafes where they serve espressos and let people come up on stage with their poetry and all the strange yet smart women and Funny Boys hang out there. He may have dressed to fit in
Characters: Swap!Leonid (@bowlerhatwearer), townspeople with no real names sorry
Summary: Leonid arrives in Canada, and asks around about Jack.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Midwest United Airlines welcomes you to New Anderville. The local time is 9:21 am. For your safety and the safety of those around you, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened and keep the aisles clear until we are parked at the gate. The Captain will then turn off the “Fasten Seat Belt” sign, indicating it is safe to stand. Please use caution when opening the overhead compartments and removing items, since articles may have shifted during flight.”
Leonid unfastened his seatbelt, getting up out of his seat into the aisle. He reached up and got his travel bag, and went to start walking... before being rudely shoved out of the way.
Leo looked to see who the jackass that pushed him way-- there was a puppy with her parents.
He grimaced at the sight. The kid had been kicking his seat for the past three hours. The only times she had stopped was when she had to use the bathroom... which never happened.
Note to self: get an appointment with a chiropractor when I get home, he thought.
As he watched the little miscreant walk away, she turned around to make eye contact with him.
Then she grinned and flipped him off.
Leonids grimace turned to a slight glare, and he stuck his tongue at her as she left.
What a brat. No wonder she never stopped kicking me.
Even without the little shit kicking his spine in, the flight wasn't exactly the greatest. To try and ignore the kicking, Leo had went to watch an in-flight movie. However, one of the speakers of the headphones for the movie was broken, and it made the movie 50% quieter than it should have been... So the entire time he was watching Million Dollar Baby, he could barely even hear what anyone was saying, let alone understand it. The strangely bitter peanuts he had been given didn't help the viewing experience either.
The one thing that didn't suck was the old woman he'd been sat next to. The whole flight, she had been going through a big thick crossword puzzle book. At the very least, she wasn't annoying.
Either way, Leonid finally got to walk down the aisle and exit through the loading bridge.
Around 10 minutes later, he got his suitcase from the baggage claim area.
Whilst walking through the airport trying to find the exit, he found the row of small restaurants and gift shops that airports tend to have. A pleasant smell came from one of them.
He looked to see what it was. It was a cafe, with a name he'd never heard of before-- seemed to be a person's name. Perhaps it was the name of the founder? He didn't know. All he knew was that he could smell coffee, and he needed something to wash out the taste of the crappy peanuts he'd been given earlier.
Before he knew it, he was walking away with a coffee and donut in hand.
Eh. That's how they get ya.
Once he finished them both, he headed over to the parking garage-- he had, ahead of time, gotten himself a rental car. The person outside had given him a key with a tag-- Number 8. It would be the number of his car, which would be designated with a sign by it.
... Which he walked up to within the next five minutes. The car was sleek, shiny, red, and a Prius.
Like his own car.
It even had the same fuzzy dice in the mirror.
Choosing to ignore this, Leonid got into the front seat, before speaking into his phone.
"Kape, where is the nearest motel in the New Anderville-Rockymew-St. Eugene area?"
The phone took a second.
"The closest motels in the New Anderville-Rockymew-St. Eugene area are the Erminers Retreat Motel, Western Anderville Hotel, The Baker Hotel, Prestige Resort, The Sand & Stone, Heritage Inn Hotel & Convention Center, The Lazy Boy Lodge, Motel 7, Super 9, Travellers Motel & Hotel, Almona Court, and the St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino."
Leonid grimaced at the overload of opportunities.
He took a deep breath. "Which hotel is nearest to the New Anderville Area Airport?"
Another second.
"The closest hotel to the New Anderville Area Airport is the St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino."
Leonid entered the name into Expedia and took a look at the prices.
The lowest starting prices were $169 a night.
Rubbing his temples, he spoke into the phone once more. "Which hotel IN NEW ANDERVILLE is nearest to the New Anderville Area Airport?"
"The closest hotel in New Anderville to the New Anderville Area Airport is Super 9."
Leonid checked the prices again.
The rooms started at about $60 per night. Not too bad-- he had that money.
He looked up the location, then started the car and left the garage.
The radio was on-- a pop station, based on the amount of similar songs that flowed in. He (safely) took in the scenery around him. A sunny sky with few but large clouds, tall and proud larches and firs lining the highway, and a decent temperature in the air.
He couldn't help but feel a little better.
Finally, he got to the town sign.
Welcome to New Anderville! 'Quidam supellectilem latine'
Population: 29 509
Leonid could not understand Latin.
Entering the town, he could tell he was in the more industrial area, signified by the strange tanks and trucks (and the singular gas station). He also encountered a water treatment plant.
Nothing else of note caught his eye until he arrived at the hotel.
It didn't look like a traditional hotel. If it hadn't had the giant sign that said 'WATER SLIDE', he would have assumed it was the Harris family's summer home. It didn't look bad, though-- he simply parked his car and went inside.
The lobby wasn't packed in the slightest, save for an old lynx man reading a book in an armchair (what a crowd, huh). At the front desk, a wolverine was on her phone.
As Leonid walked up, she happened to notice him-- she put on her best Customer Service Smile and put the phone in her pocket.
Her nametag said 'Sabrina'.
"Excuse me," Leonid said, "Do you have any available rooms here? It's just me."
"Let me check for you, sir!" she chirped.
Sabrina went onto the computer at the desk, and typed a bit. After looking at the screen for a few seconds, she spoke again.
"Well, we have a few single rooms available-- an efficiency queen room, two efficiency queen suites, two regular queen rooms, and a king room."
"Hm... what's it like in the regular queen rooms?"
"You have a telephone, radio, cable TV, coffee and tea maker, microwave, safe, private bathroom, and much more!"
That did sound promising.
"What's the cost?"
"$65 a night."
"I'll take it."
....
Leonid looked around his room.
The walls were a beige orange, and the bed had a dark oak frame with a puffy white blanket. Above the bed was a large, beautiful painting of a cabin in the woods. Leonid's bed had a nightstand (with a telephone) on one side and a mini fridge on the other, with lamps attached to the walls above them. In front of the bed was a wardrobe with a TV atop it. Next to that was a wicker chair and a small table.
In one corner there was also a desk. On said desk was the microwave, the radio, and a small coffee maker... and he meant small. It was barely twice the size of his hand. There was a basket atop the microwave full of things like sugar packets, cream packets, small coffee and tea packets, and two hilariously small mugs-- Leo was sure his hand was bigger than them. On the wall next to that was a safe.
The bathroom was quite nice, too-- peach coloured walls, fancy shower, and free toiletries. No shampoo, though, just headfur wash.
Leonid had read the label of the small bottle-- Fureal Blueberry Acai Headfur Wash-- and had simply shrugged.
"I'll take what I can get," he had whispered to himself.
Leonid had been putting away his clothes when he had stopped, and got back to it.
Soon, all of his clothes were in the wardrobe, and the rest of his belongings were sorted away.
Leonid stood now because he didn't know what to do.
He got to thinking... where could he look for Jack? He had no ideas about his current location, let alone his address. All he knew was what he looked like-- warm brown fur, usually wide eyes, somewhat boring fashion taste-- based on a picture that Mrs. Harris had sent him.
"I hardly think my boy is even capable of doing anything like that, but I'm not one to treat a guest rudely, and you do need information for the case." She had texted after sending it.
Perhaps, though... perhaps Leonid could go into plainclothes mode. Hang around town, blend in, see if anyone around knew him. That could work.
Leonid smiled and confidently walked out of his room, locking it with pride. He hadn't done it in a while, but he knew he could do it!
---------------
As Leonid sat on a park bench in sunglasses, a baseball cap, no detectives coat, and a strawberry ice cream in hand, he felt like the colloquial sore thumb that always seemed to stick out.
There were people walking around in the park-- families, couples, those by themselves, friend groups, all sorts. None of them looked like Jack.
Leo couldn't help but sulk a bit. He was in a big, public area, and no stupid Harris! He briefly thought perhaps there's a chance that he's in hiding, but given what his parents told him, that very clearly wasn't the case. If he was truly in hiding, why would he invite his parents to come see him?
As he thought this, he saw an unusual group of people, at least for the area: a group of business people. They were in business-casual warm weather clothes-- button up short sleeves, ties, some khaki shorts, a couple of knee length skirts, and loafers. They were all talking and chatting away while holding briefcases and purses.
They seemed to be around Jack's age.
Well... nothing ventured, nothing gained, you know?
"Lovely day, isn't it?" he practically announced.
This caught the attention of the last person in the group-- a grolar bear.
"Hmm?... oh yeah, it is! Unseasonably, even." the bear replied in a thick Canadian accent.
Leonid smiled. He seemed nice.
"Hey," he began, sitting up, "You wouldn't happen to know a Jackson Harris, would you?"
The grolar man hummed for a second before responding.
"I do! Why do you ask?"
Leonid was so awestruck by his massive luck, he almost forgot to tell a lie.
... Oh wait yeah, дерьмо. I gotta think of something.
"I... we were... college roommates. And best friends. I haven't seen him in a while and we're... Facebook friends. I wanted to surprise him?"
He desperately hoped his tone was convincing enough.
Fortunately, it seemed to work. "Alright! He's a great guy, I'll tell ya that. Always brings in Tims, loves his wife, helps around the workplace... all that good stuff."
... huh?
"A wife, you say?" he inquired with a fake smile.
"Yeah! She's a bit of a recluse, though... only comes out of the house on weekends. According to her and Jack, she's been like this since an accident."
"Oh, an accident? That does sound tragic."
"Yeah, car accident a couple years ago. Left her without an air and half a tail."
Leonid put his hands to his chest in a show of somewhat fake sympathy.
"How terrible. I feel sorry for her. How.. lucky it is that she and Jack found each other!"
"Yeah, they're great! My cousin Robbie talks with her sometimes, and she once told her about her nicely Jack took care of her afterwards."
"Oh, Jack. How charming! Just as I remember."
Success, he thought to himself.
The bear smiled, before looking to the disappearing group of coworkers.
"Well, I gotta get going now! It's Mead n' Meat Monday at Murray's and we wanna get there early."
"Mead n' Meat Monday?"
"Yeah, over at Murray's pub! All beer, wings, and burgers half off! G'bye now, you!"
With that, the grolar left him.
Once he was far enough way, Leonid quickly took out his notepad and started writing notes, avoiding getting ice cream on it.
'May 19-- Landed. Found out some stuff about Jack... has a house, has a supposedly reclusive wife. Said wife missing an ear and half of tail. Jack might also have friends.'
Once done, Leonid swiftly put it all away, dumping the sad melted ice cream.
"Well, Jack," he whispered proudly to himself...
"I guess all I really need to do now is find you."
To the left in front of the mantle-place was a miserable young woman… In an armchair next to John was a young man… Leaning against the right wall was a teenage boy… On the loveseat was the young girl… this time she was joined by a younger boy…
Both children were staring at him. He couldn't help but feel uneased.
