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KINNETIC - THREE HOURS LATER


BRIAN’S OFFICE


CYNTHIA


Of all the days for his phone to die! And there they are, looking smugly disappointed!


“Hurry up, Brian! Cynthia, you don’t look like you are booking tickets to me!” Debs yells and I bite my tongue. “Once again because you were out sucking and fucking all night, you missed an important phone call about my grandson!”


“For the last time, I was not doing that!” Brian snaps, grabbing his papers as well as trying to keep control of his temper.


“Then what were you doing that you couldn’t take Lindsay’s call?” Michael sneers.


“Amazingly enough, I was working on…”


“A prick or an ass.” Debs snarks before turning to me. “Tickets? You are supposed to be booking them and hotels. All of us can’t stay with them! Brian, you and I will have to stay in the hotel, obviously, so I can keep an eye on you! As you have proven, once again, you are useless!!”


“Kinnetic, this is Cynthia. Yes of course, one second. Brian, it’s Lindsay on line 1.”


“I’ll take it!” Debs strides towards his office.


“She asked for Brian and she will speak to…”


“All of us! Put her on speaker!” She orders and I look at Brian and he just nods. “Lindsay, it’s Debs. What’s happened?”


“He had a fever.” She sniffs. “But it’s fine now. Where’s Brian?”


“I’m here. Trying to get flights arranged. Look, can you free up the line so that Cynthia can book…”


“I called you three times, Brian! I ended up having to call Michael! Why didn’t you call me back? This is your son. Don’t you care?!”


“Of course, I care! I was…”


“Being the Stud instead of the father, I see. Well, when are you getting here?”


“Lindsay, honey…” Debs interrupts before Brian can answer. “...don’t worry. We’re going to be there by this evening. When does Gus get discharged?”


We? I thought it was just Brian coming…”


“No, me and Michael are coming too.”


“Oh…”


“Me as well.” We all turn to the voice at the door. “It will give us a chance to see JR and to get the support agreement sorted out. Won’t it, Babe?”


“Is that you, Ben?” Lindsay asks.


“Yes. I was with Michael when you called him. I’ve managed to book something for us. We’ll go on ahead. We need to pack anyway, so we will meet you at the airport, Brian. We leave at 1230. Now Lindsay, you need to hang up so that Cynthia can book Brian’s tickets. You two go to the car, and I will give Brian the information.”


“Um okay, I’ll see you when I see you.” Lindsay says and Ben cuts the call before she can.


“Okay Brian, here’s the information.” He hands him a piece of paper. “We’ll see you soon. Come on you two, let’s go!” He shepherds them firmly out of the office.


“Cyn, can you check if Ted is in yet?”


“Sure.” I run down to his office. Normally, I would be amused by our no calls before coffee rule, but not today. I burst into his office just as he is about to pour a cup. “Brian needs you! Now!” He puts down his cup and we run back to Brian.


“What’s up, Bri?” Ted demands worriedly.


“Gus is sick and I have to go to Canada. Debs, Michael and Ben are coming with me, but you needed to be here for this.” He hands him the note.


“Why does Ben want you to call Mel?”


“Let’s find out, shall we?” He sighs and dials the number.


“Brian? Did you misdial?” Mel drawls sarcastically. “I’m on my way to work so make it quick!”


“No, I didn’t misdial. Ben told me to call you. Before I come to that, how’s Gus? What did the doctors say?”


“Gus? Doctors? What are you on about? Gus is fine. I’ve just dropped him off at the nursery.”


I watch him shakily sit down. “He’s not sick or in hospital?”


“No. We would’ve told you immediately if...wait, let me call you straight back. I’m five minutes away from my office!”


MEL’S OFFICE


MEL


I run in and tell Sarah, my PA, not to put any calls through, not even from Lindsay.


I quickly dial his number and put him on speaker and then press ‘record’ on my phone, as I have a bad feeling about this! “Okay Brian, I’m here! Who’s with you?”


“Cynthia and Ted. So there’s nothing wrong with Gus?”


“No, nothing at all. Why?”


“Lindsay rang Michael to tell him to tell me that he was sick. She left a message on my voicemail on my cell, but my cell is playing up.”


“When did she call?”


“They said she said last night…and I wasn’t fucking and sucking either. I was working on…”


“Brian, I wasn’t going to say that.” I surprise myself by speaking gently. “I was out last night. So she deliberately called when I wasn’t there. What the fuck is she up to?”


“I don’t know.” Ted’s annoyed tones come over. “But could you provide the receipt or the name of the store for the furniture? I’ve asked her time and time again and…”


“What furniture?”


“The new furniture for Gus’s room.”


I sigh heavily. “He’s not getting new furniture. When did she ask you for this, Brian?”


“She didn’t. When it comes to support money, Ted handles it all.” I stare at the phone for a few long seconds. “Mel, are you there?”


“Yes. How long has that agreement been in place?” I demand angrily. “You agreed to support us where Gus is concerned, has that now changed?”


“No, of course not! But why should I believe that you want the money for what you said you wanted it for? Case in point, just now you didn’t know…”


“I know, I know, I’m sorry. It’s a reflex thing. So when did it start?”


“Right after I got my rights back. It was a condition of the agreement.”


“I know doofus; I drew it up. I mean when did Ted start being the middleman?”


“Doofus? I think that’s the kindest d-word you’ve ever said about me or to me.” Brian laughs.


“Don’t get used to it. So when?”


“After the June mortgage payment. Ted was there when she was on the phone to me, asking for help with it. Ted said to pay it direct and that’s what he did. I thought she was fine with it because she never said anything…”


“Hang on a second, let me just check something.” I quickly log onto the banking website and then check the mortgage account. “The reason she didn’t say anything about the June payment was because she withdrew it. The account should be more in credit than it is.” I rub my eyes tiredly. “How much is she asking for?”


“$1,000.”


“And that is precisely the same amount she wanted to take from the joint account and I said no. She wanted it to pay her credit card bill. I said you ran it up, you pay it.”


“And that’s exactly what I would’ve said to her so she used Gus as the reason. That…”


“Hold on, Brian. I said I wasn’t to be disturbed.” I tell Sarah.


“I know, but it’s the nursery, Gus is sick, he’s got a temperature. They’ve tried Lindsay, but she’s not answering.”


“Fuck my life, I have told her! Told her time and time again! Never tell a lie on sickness because it always comes back to bite you in the ass! Look, I’ve got to go and pick him up. You get here as soon as you can. We will discuss…”


“Okay, oh wait Mel. Debs and the Novotny-Bruckners are coming too.”


“I look forward to that! Bye, Brian. Safe flight!”


I quickly hang up and try Lindsay, she picks up. “Where have you been?!”


“In the shower, what’s wrong?”


“Gus is sick. He’s got a temperature. I’m going to collect him.”


“Wh...what, okay, I’ll stay here until you get…”


“Lindsay, I need to go and get him. You do what you need to do and tell me what you’ve done afterwards!”


KINNETIC - 20 MINUTES LATER


CYNTHIA


“Okay, I have you on the 1340. There is a car waiting for you and Daphne is going with you as well, as you are in no fit state to drive!” I tell him as he quickly gets his papers. “Fuck, the phone... where is it?!” I look around frantically. “Look, take mine. If there are any sexts from someone called Frank, do not answer them!”


“Bri, here’s your phone. It’s working now!” Ted rushes in with it.


“Working? But how?” I demand. “There was nothing that could be done when I called!”


“Never mind that just give it to me!” Brian snatches it from him and then stops and turns it over. “Well fuck me...look!” He shows us the back of his phone and there's a label on the back. “I don’t believe it; it just took a full restore, everything is there. Hope your son gets better soon.” We all look incredulously at each other. “Find out who was in from the time we got here and let me know!”


I nod and he runs out of the door. Ted and I immediately scour the offices, meeting rooms and bathrooms. There is nobody here!


CAR TO PITTSBURGH AIRPORT


BRIAN


“Okay Ben, thanks. Bye.” I hang up and pinch the bridge of my nose.


“I take it they managed to get on the same flights as you?” Daphne asks.


“No, thank fuck. He was telling me about the hotel, I have enough to deal with without them carping on.” I twist my neck and then notice a rolled up piece of paper. “What’s this?”


“It was on the car when I got here. Says it’s for Mr Kinney Jnr.”


I open it carefully and gasp.



“Mr Kinney, is everything okay? Shall I pull over? Mr Kinney, sir! Do you want me to pull over?!” Daph exclaims.


“No. No Daph, everything is fine. Honest, let’s just get to the airport.” As I roll it up again, I place a call to Cyn. “Hey any luck? Can you look through the surveillance footage? There must be something! I know, but this is driving me nuts and I could do without it right now! Someone left something on my car. No, not a bad thing but a thing and I want to know who it is! Okay, let me know what you find and Cyn...thanks.”


KINNETIC


CYNTHIA’S OFFICE


CYN

 

“Oh, Mr Slim!” I murmur to myself as I watch Justin look around before placing the scroll securely on the hood ornament and rush back out of the grounds. He then casually strolls in and waves to Daph as he passes, but she’s too busy trying to undo the scroll. “What are you up to?”

Chapter End Notes:

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