Hearthville Serial: Book 7
Episode 29
Any Truth, Proper Grammar, or Correct Spelling is totally coincidental if not accidental.
All characters are fiction. This story is fiction. This story makes no claims about any real person.
By Charles Peters
Copyright 2022
All Rights Reserved
Chapter / Episode List of the Heathville Serial
Elliot Duddley drives into the parking lot of the apartment complex where Maureen Bingo lives with her two children: Billy and Bess Bingo. He has never visited them at the apartment before. He parks and turns off his car.
Elliot pulls the checkbook out that belongs to his son Victor Duddley. “Why on earth did Victor write a check to Maureen Bingo for $500,000? Does this uncashed check have something to do with his vanishing?”
Elliot feels nervous. He has not talked to his wife Ellen about Maureen about the check. He knows that Victor is friends with the Bingo family. He knows that Victor once saved the life of Billy Bingo. And he knows that his son is rich as fuck. But for his son to write a check to someone for $500,000–he considers–and now his son his missing.
Elliot gets out of his car. He looks around. He feels as though someone is watching him. And there is. But he does not see them.
Arthur Ramsey and Joesion Grant are in the ether. They are invisible to Elliot. And he can’t hear them.
Joesion Grant says, “There is no spaceship here. Your spell is totally not working.”
Arthur Ramsey says, “Give it time.”
Elliot walks to the apartment where Maureen lives with her children. He knocks on the door. Billy Bingo answers the door. Billy calls out, “Mom there is some strange man at the door. He looks like a damn college professor. You better not be trying to make me smart. You know I will not put up with that shit.”
Elliot stares at Billy. “You don’t remember me.”
“Sure I do. You are Victor’s father. Victor did not come with you?”
Elliot smiles. “You are a character. Aren’t you.”
“I try to be. I’d hate for my autobiography to be boring.”
Maureen comes to the door. “I am sorry about that. Billy is. Well. Billy is Billy.”
“When Victor was Billy’s age, he was something like that. A card. Then he wasn’t.”
Maureen asks, “So, how is Victor doing?”
“He is missing. He has been gone since he caught the men at the church doing whatever.”
“My sister told me something about the attempted attack on the church but she did not tell me that Victor is missing.”
“It has been kept quiet. I was looking through Victor’s things and I saw where he had written you a check for $500,000 and I saw the check had not been cashed. Did he give you the check?”
“He did, but I couldn’t take the money. It just seemed wrong. I know he was being well intended but I am a married woman and people might get the wrong idea. He was being very generous though and there were no strings. He and I are not involved romantically.”
“I didn’t mean to suggest there is anything between the two of you. I am just grasping at straws.”
“I can imagine. I must say you telling me that he is missing has upset me. You and his mother must feel frantic.”
“Very.”
Billy says, “Before you knocked on the door I was on my computer and I noticed there is a directory on the computer called ‘victor.’ I did not put the folder there. I was just about to explore it.”
Maureen says, “Bring your computer to the dining room.” She looks at Elliot. “Come in. I am sorry the house is a mess.”
Billy runs to get his computer. Elliot steps into the apartment and Maureen leads him into the dining room. He sits down at the table.
Elliot says, “You know, I think I met you and your husband when we were all much younger. We were up in the mountains. You were pregnant with Billy. And there was another couple, David and Amberline Jenkins.”
“That is right. Victor also remembered that.”
“Yeah. I remember him running up to you to listen to your tummy. Like I said, he was card. On the subject of the check, I think you should say to hell with what people think. I think you should deposit the check. I remember my father telling about a neighbor driving around with his windows rolled up, in the hot of summer, because he was afraid for people to know he could not afford a car with an air conditioner. He told me to never be like that. It does not matter what people think.”
“On the one hand I understand what you are saying. On the other hand I care about what my children and my husband might think.”
“My son Stewart cares what people think. Victor never cared. I must say I was never good at taking my father’s advice. I have too often cared. And especially I concerned myself with what people might think of Victor. But shouldn’t your children and husband understand about the check. Wouldn’t they want you to have the money?”
Maureen nods. “I don’t know. Depositing that check would just feel weird. And my instinct screams for me to not take the money.” Billy comes in with his computer. “The battery is low.” He puts the computer on the table and plugs it in. He then sits down in front of it and pulls up the folder. He opens the folder. “There are lots of subfolders. I wonder why Victor put this on my computer. I don’t know when he did it. But he must have.”
Billy says, “There is a folder that says journal. There is a folder that says pictures. I will copy the folders to a thumb drive for you. I will also keep them on this computer and look over the stuff. If I find anything that might be helpful, I might call you. Will that be okay?”
Billy puts a thumb drive in the usb port. He begins to copy the files.
“Of course it will be okay for you to call me. You know when we find Victor, it would be fun if Stewart, Victor, me and you and your father were to go fishing together.”
Billy smiles. “I once caught a 13 pound cat fish. It was so awesome. My father said I should have him mounted. I threw him back. Sometimes I go visit him and talk to him. Do you think that is strange?”
Maureen laughs. “Only when he tells you those dumb knock knock jokes.”
“Those jokes are funny.”
Elliot smiles but isn’t sure what to say. He can see why Victor is fond of the Bingo family. “Knock. Knock.”
Maureen asks, “Who’s there.”
Billy says, “Cash.”
Elliot asks, “Cash who?”
Maureen says, “No thanks, but I’d love some peanuts.”
Billy and Elliot laugh. Maureen smiles. Then she starts crying and moans, “Oh God, please let Victor be okay.”
Billy hugs his mom. “He will be okay. I know he will be okay. I wish I could tell Elliot exactly where he is but I don’t know. The space alien witches will not let me talk to Iapetus any more.”
“Wait. What?” The hairs on the back of Elliot’s neck stand on end and a chill runs up his spine at Billy’s words.
Maureen says, “They erase our memories. Even if he explains, you won’t remember. I never do.”
Billy removes the thumb drive from his computer. He hands the drive to Elliot. “There are two witches here with you. They are earth witches and are trying to keep themselves invisible. I think they are friendly but be careful.”
Arthur Ramsey knows that Billy knows who he is. Arthur winks at Billy. “Victor is with Iapetus in the Outlands that has been locked. We are trying to figure out how to rescue Victor and others.” Only Billy and Joescion can hear Arthur speak.
Billy says, “They know where Victor is. They are trying to figure out how to rescue him.”
Elliot asks, “Where is Victor?”
Billy answers, “It is complicated.”
“He is alive?”
Arthur Ramsey says, “We are not sure?”
“They aren’t sure.”
Tears stream down Elliot’s face. “He is dead. I’ve got to come to terms with that. If he were alive, he would be home.”
Billy says, “They may not be sure. I am sure. He is not dead. Our kind do not easily die.”
Elliot questions, “Our kind?”
Billy stands up from his computer. He hugs Elliot. “In time, it is going to be okay.”
Elliot stares at Billy. “Whatever happens, I want us to be friends.”
Billy pats Elliot on the back. “Absolutely. I know you better than you know you. You are a good man. You are not a weak man. Victor would not have put you on the chessboard if he did not think you could change the game.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
Billy says, “On some level you do. But more importantly I want the witches who are with you to know that you are important to the game and to not let anything bad happen to you.”
“Why are they with me?”
Arthur says, “We have tried to restore his memory enough through dreams so that he might lead us to a spaceship that Victor stole when he was ten and they were all up in the mountains.”
Billy exclaims, “Victor stole a spaceship when he was ten. I am so fucking impressed.”
Elliot shakes his head in confusion “Wait. What?”
“They have tried to restore your memory enough through dreams so that you might lead them to the spaceship.”
“I don’t remember Victor stealing any spaceship.”
“It was when you all were up in the mountains. I guess that mountain vacation before I was born.”
Joescion says, “The spaceship belongs to Sabian Blackrock who smuggles oil from the Outlands. His other spaceships are still operating and going in and out of the Outlands. We might can use the spaceship to get to the Outlands to rescue Victor and some other people. For the most part the Outlands have been blocked so souls can not get in or out.”
Billy says, “Okay. Elliot. We really need to try to help them find that spaceship.”
“I don’t know anything about a spaceship.”
“Maybe there is something in the files that was put on my computer.”