A Surprise for Neptune King, page 1
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1. Introducing Neptune King
2. The Casebook of Neptune King
3. The adventures of Neptune King
4. The Revenge of Neptune King
5. The Exploits of Neptune King
6. The Marriage of Neptune King
7. Neptune King Investigates
8. Neptune King Down Under
9. A Surprise for Neptune King
10. The Friends of Neptune King
11. Neptune King and the Newly Weds
12. Neptune King and the Psychic Witness
13. The Bizarre Cases of Neptune King
14. The Singular Cases of Neptune King
15. The Challenges of Neptune King
16. Neptune King and the counterfeiters
17. Neptune King of Baker Street
18. Dosvidonia, Neptune King
19. The Enemies of Neptune King
20. The Charity Cases of Neptune King
21. The Deductions of Neptune King
22. Neptune King and the Lunatic Asylum
23. Neptune King and the Gallant Thief
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SHERLOCK HOLMES BOOKS
Sherlock Holmes on the Wild Frontier
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The Private Diaries of Dr. Watson
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Copyright ©2006 Magda Jozsa
All rights reserved
First Edition
Create Space Independent publishing
Published 13/11/2013
ISBN 13: 978-1-47375-647-6
• ISBN 10: 1-493756478
Ebook Published by Bookbaby
First Edition
Published October 2014
ISBN: 9781483540597
CONTENTS
1
THE CASE OF THE MISSING MAN
2
THE PURCHASE
3
THE CASE OF THE PANICKING PRINCESS
4
THE CASE OF THE BABY SNATCHERS
1
THE CASE OF THE MISSING MAN
I
Redheaded, green-eyed Rachel King was pleased when the aeroplane finally touched down at Heathrow airport. It had been a long flight from Australia to London, made more so by the silent brooding of her husband, Neptune. He’d barely said two words since they boarded the plane in Melbourne. She knew he was still in shock, trying to come to terms with the end of a partnership that he thought would last forever.
Two years ago he realized his dream and started his own private detective agency. He hired a young Australian named Shark Bateman Johnson as his assistant and Rachel as his secretary. It did not take long for the three to become an inseparable team and close friends. A bond of shared danger from their numerous close calls joined Neptune and Shark. They were closer than brothers. Was it any wonder then that he was grieving now over the loss of his friend?
Not that Shark was dead of course, but to Neptune at this point in time, it felt like he was. The recent murder of Shark’s father and subsequent arrest of his younger brother sent Shark running home from England to help his family. Neptune and Rachel followed shortly after to aid him in his hunt for the murderer and free his brother. They were successful as always, just proof yet again of what an unbeatable team they made together.
Then, on the day they were due to leave, Shark dropped his bombshell. He wasn’t going to return to England. He was going to stay in Australia to look after his mother and younger siblings. Neptune had been devastated. Apart from Shark being his best friend, he was also his business partner and the agency bore his name as well—K&J Investigations. Neptune couldn’t imagine it being called anything else now, and more importantly he couldn’t imagine continuing the work on his own. His heart wasn’t in it any more. Shark was his sounding board. He could bounce ideas off him and get intelligent responses, and vice versa. Shark had proven himself to be an able investigator in his own right. Running the agency alone didn’t appeal to him. It just wouldn’t be the same.
Rachel glanced across at the other passenger in their group. Seventeen-year-old Vessa Kelly—a pretty, black haired, dark brown, almost black eyed girl—who flew to Australia to be with and support the young man of her dreams, Shark’s younger brother, Dolphin. She wasn’t looking forward to this return home either. She was already missing Dolph. She only hoped that her mother was over her initial anger over her running away by now, after all it had been three months. She met Rachel’s eyes and gave her a weak smile.
Fifteen minutes later they deplaned, and while Rachel and Vessa collected the luggage, Neptune organized for his car to be brought round from the long-term car park where he’d left it. It was a two-seater XK120 Jaguar sports car, so when the ladies joined him, he put Vessa in a cab and paid her fare home.
“Bye, Vessa,” said Rachel, giving her a quick hug. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”
“Sure thing, Rachel, and thanks for everything. Bye, Neptune.”
Neptune gave her a nod and a small sad smile.
She hopped in the taxi and glanced back at them as it pulled away.
“Oh well, we’re home,” said Neptune, opening the boot to stow their luggage. He managed to wedge them in with difficulty, as Rachel had bought quite a few souvenirs in Australia as gifts for everyone. It was not a cheery homecoming though. She only hoped that Neptune’s mood would pick up in time. She wasn’t used to him being so dejected and depressed.
“Things will be all right, Neptune. It will just take time to get used to the changes,” she said, looking up into his unusual aqua eyes.
He nodded. “Yes, I suppose so.”
Rachel squeezed his arm. She loved him dearly and thought him the most wonderful, kindest, most decent man she’d ever met. She hated seeing him suffer. Still, she couldn’t blame Shark for electing to stay and take care of his family. In fact, she expected no less from him and knew if it were Neptune in the same situation, he would do exactly the same.
That’s what made it worse. Shark’s motives were so noble. They remained silent on the drive home. There was nothing she could say to comfort him or cheer him up. He’d just have to work through it himself.
As soon as the Jaguar pulled up in front of the huge Victorian mansion that he inherited from his maiden aunt, his butler, Eugene Finlay, came hurrying out to greet them. “Welcome back, Sir, Mrs King,” he said.
“Hello, Finlay,” greeted Rachel, while Neptune mumbled a greeting.
“Mr Johnson called and requested you telephone him the minute you arrived home. Said it was urgent,” Finlay added.
Neptune looked up. “What? Are you referring to Lance Johnson?”
Finlay shook his head. “No, Shark.”
Neptune exchanged a quick look with Rachel and dashed into the house, while Finlay stopped to unload the bags.
“Do you know what it’s about, Finlay?” asked Rachel curiously.
The tall, stately and always dignified man shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not. He just said to get you to ring him as soon as possible. He sounded...excited.”
Rachel frowned. “Hmm,” she murmured, wondering what would make Shark excited.
I trust Mrs Johnson has recovered and all is well with her family?” asked Finlay.
Rachel smiled. When Shark’s family visited England in April, Mrs Valerie Johnson had made a huge impact on the usually reserved and unflappable Finlay. “Yes, she’s very well. She said to say hello and to thank you for the flowers.”
Finlay smiled. “I received her card,” he said. He’d never met anyone like Mrs Johnson before. Too bad she lived so far away. He would have been tempted to call on her, especially now that she was a widow. “That is good to hear, Miz Rachel,” he replied, picking up two suitcases.
Ψ Ψ Ψ
Shark busied himself cutting wood. He didn’t want to face his mother’s displeasure. He figured she would settle down in time and accept the inevitable. He’d made up his mind. He was going to stay here and take care of her and his siblings. He hadn’t been there for them in the past. Now it was his turn to shoulder some of the responsibility. She didn’t have to like it, but she would get used to it. He sure was going to miss Neptune and Rachel though.
Ψ Ψ Ψ
“Suzy,” said Mrs Johnson when she entered the kitchen. Dolph was already there. “I’d like to talk to you both.”
They sat down looking at her expectantly.
“I don’t like the idea of Shark giving up his future for our sakes.”
“Neither do I, Mum,” agreed Dolph. “That’s why I should get a job. Then he’d have no need to stay.”
“Don’t be silly. I won’t let you do that. That’s not what I wanted to suggest. How would you both feel about moving to England?”
Dolph sat up straighter in his seat, a smile spreading across his face. “I think that’s a great idea!”
“Suzy?”
Suzy looked thoughtful. “I’d miss Anna
“Yes we would,” agreed Valerie. “So, are we’re all agreed then? We’ll immigrate to England.”
“Yes!” enthused Dolph.
“Yes,” agreed Suzy, giving her mother a smile. “Let’s go tell him.”
Valerie smiled. “Thank you dears. I love you both. I love all of you.”
As a group they went out to the woodshed where Shark already had a fair pile of wood cut. He’d been hard at it since they returned from dropping Neptune, Rachel and Vessa off at the airport. He looked up and couldn’t miss Dolph and Suzy’s smug grins. “What’s up?”
His mother smiled. “We’ve just had a family discussion, and it’s unanimous. We don’t want you to give up your career in England.”
“Now, Mum...” began Shark.
She held up her hand to silence him. “Hear me out. Now that your father is gone there is absolutely nothing holding us here. You have made a life for yourself in England. None of us want you to give it up. So has Lance. You are only staying here because you want to be around to help, and because England is so far away, therefore there is only one solution. We’ll move to England as well.”
A stunned silence followed her words. Shark felt as though a weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. He hadn’t realized how heavily his decision had been weighing on him. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. We’ve talked it over. We all want to move. The house is paid off. I can sell it. That will give us money to move and to live on until we get set up in England. I shall get a job, and the children will go to school. We’ll be able to manage perfectly well.”
“It’s not that easy to emigrate. You have to fill in forms and wait for approval and that can take months, years even,” said Shark.
“That’s all the more reason for you to go back, Shark. I’ll be counting on you and Neptune to use your influence and try and speed things up. In the meantime we’ll do up the yard a bit, repaint the house inside and out, and I’m sure we’ll get a very good price for it. We’ll rent while we’re waiting for approval to come through and I will get a job to conserve our funds. We will manage quite easily.”
“What about Gwen?”
“What about Gwen?” repeated his mother. “She lives in New South Wales and has her own family to keep her busy. We hardly ever see her. We’ll make a point of visiting her before we leave, but I am sure she won’t miss us.”
Shark grinned. “Becky’s father’s a politician. He used to be an ambassador. He’s got a lot of pull. He might be able to help with your application.”
His mother smiled. “There, see. I’m sure it will all work out.”
“Yuh really mean it?”
She nodded and smiled.
He looked at Suzy and Dolph’s eager smiling faces. They nodded as well.
Shark dropped the axe and wrapped his arms around his mother, kissing her forehead. “I love yuh, Mum.” He let her go. “I gotta ring Neptune.”
“He only just left. He won’t be home yet.”
“I’ll leave a message with Finlay for him ta ring me as soon as he gets in the door.” Shark raced into the house.
His mother smiled. She’d never seen Shark so happy. Now she knew she was making the right decision.
Ψ Ψ Ψ
It was two o’clock in the morning in Australia. The ringing phone screamed loudly in the silence of the house. Shark woke quickly, his sleep having been restless and fitful since Neptune left. He rolled out of bed and raced out of the room to the hall, wanting to grab up the phone before it woke everyone else. He stubbed his toe on the hall table, hopped, cursed, and snatched up the phone. “Hello, Neptune?”
“Shark, yes it’s me. What’s up? What’s wrong? Finlay said you said it was urgent.” “It is urgent.”
Shark grinned in the dark so very pleased to hear Neptune’s voice. He’d been waiting for this call. “I’m not quitting the agency!”
“What?” On the other side of the world, Neptune gripped the receiver tightly, unable to believe his ears.
“I’m not quitting the agency,” repeated Shark.
“But...uh...your mother...?”
“That’s the best bit of all. Mum wants to move to England; Mum and the kids. She’s gunna sell the house and come over. She uh, she doesn’t want me to quit, either. In fact she won’t let me. Yuh know how determined she is when she’s got her mind set on somethin’. Never seen her so annoyed as when I told her about my decision to stay and look after her and the kids.”
“I love your mother, Shark,” replied Neptune excitedly. And he did. He not only had her to thank for saving his wedding when it had been ruined by a vengeance hungry maniac, but now he had her to thank for saving his partnership with Shark.
Shark chuckled. “I thought you’d be pleased. Wish I’d talked to her before yuh left, then I uh wouldn’t have ruined your day.”
“Doesn’t matter. This is wonderful news. I’m so glad, Shark. I...I don’t think I’d want to run the agency without you. It just wouldn’t be the same. We’re a team after all. We work better together.”
“Yep, can’t argue with yuh there,” replied Shark. “I don’t reckon I’d want to work with anyone else either.”
“When will you be coming home, then?” asked Neptune, unable to wipe the smile off his round face.
“Well, I thought I’d stay and help them paint the house inside and out, and fix up the yard a bit. They’ll get a better price for it when they sell it,” said Shark. “Might take a couple of weeks. Dolph will help.”
“I don’t mind how long you take, Shark, it doesn’t matter. At least I know that you are coming back. I can be patient.”
“Thanks, Neptune. I was hopin’ you’d feel that way.”
“Now, what can I do to help?” asked Neptune. “I assume your mother intends to immigrate and become a permanent resident. Perhaps I can help expedite her application. We have a lot of influential friends nowadays. I could always get testimonials from them. It might help.”
“Yeah, thanks, Neptune. That would be good. I’m gunna get Becky to ask her father as well. He’s got some pull. Hopefully Mum’s application will be approved quickly. The sooner she comes over the better. Dad didn’t leave any life insurance. I’ve paid for the funeral and there’s a bit in the bank, but it won’t hold ‘em for that long, so she needs to sell the house.”
“If you need money...?” began Neptune automatically.
“No, we’ll manage, but the sooner Mum’s application gets approved the better.”
“Yes, I understand. What are her plans for when she comes over?”
“She reckons she’ll get a job. She doesn’t have to, me and Lance can help her out.”
“If I know your mother as well as I think I do, she won’t go for being dependent upon her sons. She’s a proud woman. Besides, you and Lance will have bills of your own. He’s married, and you will be soon as well.”
“Well Valerie is rich, so she doesn’t need Lance to support her, and as for me, Becky will just have to understand and be patient. I warned her it would be a long engagement.”
Neptune smiled faintly. He couldn’t imagine Shark’s fiancée, Rebecca Evans being that patient. What’s more, he really didn’t think Shark’s mother would agree with this idea either. She was a very independent woman. He doubted if she would allow her sons to put their lives on hold to look after her. She was an incredible woman. He had a great deal of respect for her. Shark was lucky to have a mother like her. He wished his own mother had been like that—the sort that put her family first. His mother preferred to spend her time on a boat with her husband rather than with her children. The fact that he was perpetually seasick meant a very unpleasant time when he was with them and an excuse for them to dump him on his aunt.
“Actually, Shark, I think your mother has the right idea. She’s not that old after all, only Finlay’s age. She would probably prefer to work than sit at home doing nothing. It’s not like Dolph and Suzy are babies anymore.”
“I guess. Anyway, I’ll worry about that once they’re over there. Time enough then.”
“Sure enough and you know I’m always happy to help.”
“I know. Thanks mate.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Well, I’d better go I s’pose. It’s only two o’clock in the mornin’ and I’m freezin’ my butt off here.”
