Feeding the Beast - Part 2

 Continuing from Ariel's Journal -

     I had expected Wolf to say something like, ‘Preposterous’, ‘Interesting’, or ‘Odd’.  What he said was, “What then?”

     Hawk said, “Well, I brushed him off and kindly reminded him that he hired me to follow her around,” which I believed his code for saying that he questioned him hard and threatened him to behave.  What am I, a thug?  All I asked was what he was playing at?

     “Did you get a reason for his attack?”

     “Seems like he was following her as well, but he didn’t know I worked for you.  He seemed to think that I was following him and not her, which is odd by itself and I started to call you but I didn’t get a answer.  Why didn’t you answer your phone?”  Hawk asked, looking really upset as he asked.

     Wolf responded with, “I must have misplaced it somewhere while I was preoccupied with something else.”  Wolf doesn’t have a land line for the house, but he usually kept his cell phone on him at all times.  However, today with him being in the Forbidden Hall, he must have left it in office.  That actually does explain it… but why did he go in there to begin with?

     “Well, since you were preoccupied, I had to deal with it myself.  At first, it wasn’t a problem.  I got Ja- John to apologize for him trying to take a swing at me and got him to listen to my orders pretty easily.  I ordered him to keep following his wife, and I would catch person who was following him.”  Oh, I get it now.  Name changes!  Smart move.

      As Hawk continued explaining, I looked at the clock and realized I had less than seven minutes to start the meal.  Wolf, as focus as he looked towards Archer Hawk, I knew that as soon as that clock struck five, I would never hear the end of it.  He still berates me sometimes for my first few days I started working here.  Oh, I haven't heard any of that.  In fact he's been really quiet lately with you.  And I see you messed up on your name change again.

      The steaks were ready to cook, but timing was a master's tool.  I fixed up the salads, Caesar salad for Wolf, and a garden salad with Italian dressing for Hawk.  I put them on the serving trolly and rolled it out to the dinner table with about three minutes to spare.

      I guess I should write down Hawk's good qualities before I go too far.  Oh, now you do that!
      I may consider Hawk to be too much of a ladies man sometimes, but the one thing I can't fault him is his memory.  This first time I saw him work, I could have sworn that he had a photographic memory, or 'idedic' memory. Eidetic, my dear.  Wolf, however, told me that there was no such thing and that Hawk has more of an exceptional memory that was borderline 'Mnemonic'.  I had to look that up later, but I figured that he had the ability to remember small details with accurate aim.  However, it wasn't for very long, as Wolf told me.  It could only last for about a week before he would forget about it like anyone else.  But he isn't too bright when it comes to plans.  Hey!  Wolf gets told everything that Hawk and his other 'associates' find out, and Wolf is the one who puts everything together and sets the traps to catch his prey...  Nice wording again!
      However, Wolf's memory is... different.
      Hawk told me that Wolf has had an exception memory that has lasted his whole childhood, but it was more in the form of Hyperthymesia (which I also had to look up), which means he could remember almost any book plot he has ever read or any movie he had ever seen.  He described it as watching his life as a movie that never ended.  Which is a tragedy when you think about what happen to his parents...  Another block?  Hmm... But if you asked him to remember names or street addresses, he couldn't tell you without looking at a notebook or the computer.  In fact, it took him weeks, WEEKS to even try and remember my name.
     I think that's why I see Hawk write down all there cases, besides the police reports that they have to fill out and the court orders.  To get it out of the mind and to store it away for another time.
     But I could be wrong about that.
     Or not.  This got deep real quick.  Can we get back to when you made me look like a fool.
      

     I rolled out to see Wolf's eyes closed and concentrating as Hawk finished describing how he basically sneaked up on the other tail and was surprised who he saw.  
     "And can you guess who it was?” he asked.

     Wolf, without opening his eyes, responded with, "By the way you say that, I’m going to take a guess that it was one of our comrades and out of the ones who I couldn't contact today, I’m going to guess either Jeremy Grimes or Shawn Panzer."
      "Bam!  Right you are, it was Shawn!"   Bam?  What am I, Emeril?

      "And I am guessing he couldn't tell you who hired him."
      "Two for two. And that's when the shit hit the fan, cause that's when the wife showed up.  She demanded that I tell her who I was, so I told her that I was Archer Hawkins and I was about to introduce Shawn but she sucker punched me with her purse and then got yelled at by her.  Not my real name, but whatever, I kinda like it.  But why is that sentence underlined?  Now, I don't know exactly what she said, mostly from my ears ringing, but..."

     "Why did she hire Shawn?" asked Wolf.
     There was an awkward pause as Hawk looked stunned for a bit.  And then he asked, "What?"
     "Why did she hire Shawn?"  Wolf repeated, still not opening his eyes.

     Hawk gave that look that I would like to say was the equivalent mix of him thinking that he was so tired of dealing with Wolf, and how the hell did he do that.  “How did you come up with…” he started to ask.

     The clock struck five and Wolf opened his eyes.  I pronounced, “Your salad, sir.”, and laid out the Caesar salad right in front of him.  I saw Wolf smile (as much as I have ever seen him do so) and nod in appreciation of my timing.
      Hawk, however, did not have the same reaction as Wolf. "No, wait, he has to tell me first how he came up with that!”  But it was too late, as Wolf started to calmly chew a piece of lettuce.  From experience, I have found that once Wolf starts to eat, it is best not to discuss anything work related, mostly because he'll either ignore you or complain in a way that may involve him throwing a diner plate at you.  Hawk slumped in aggravated defeat and then asked me, "You got Italian dressing on mine?"
      "Of course."  I said, and place his plate in front of him.  Well at least you got that right.

     Besides not being there for the awkward silence that would be the two eating salad, I went back into the kitchen and immediately put the steaks on the indoor grill to cook.   One of the multiple things I learned from Wolf is that he likes his meat freshly cooked, and taught me how to cook it the ways he likes it.  But when dealing with meats that have been marinated, I like to set up the grill in advance and place the steaks on a skillet like surface that takes juices in nicely.  As they cook, I brush more of the marinade... er, what am I doing...  Sorry, I got distracted.   
     You mean to tell me that you wrote these instructions on accident? 

     After about eight minutes ( four for each side to make a medium rare and pressed for a medium ) I finished the steaks and started to make the plates, unrolling the potatoes for the men to fix themselves and a scoopful of the creamed corn.  Couldn't help yourself, could you.  Freshly cooked and hot to the touch, I placed the covers on top of the plates and wheeled them out to the dinning room. 
     Hawk had finished his salad plate and was staring intensely at Wolf, who was still finishing off his salad.  I picked up Hawk's plate and waited.  I don't know if it's a proper thing or not, but Wolf has a timed rule about beginning courses in a meal.  He says that after five minutes after the beginning meal is finished, then it is the time to start the main course.  I usual find this the perfect opportunity to time the wait, because he seems follow that on the dot every time.
     However he was taking his time savoring his salad, either because he was enjoying it, or to piss off Hawk more.  I personally believed the later.  No shit.
     During the time I was cooking, and now as I was waiting, I was thinking about what Hawk had said.  How did Wolf get to the conclusion that the wife hired Shawn?  Wolf's thought process usually came from asking questions from every possibility and when he came to an unusual question he would start speaking aloud.  So it was something Hawk said that triggered it but...
     "I think I know."  I said aloud.
     Hawk gave me a look that was the combination of frustration, exhaustion, and that ‘Oh, really’ expression he does a lot.  He didn't say anything, but I decided to give it a try.  Wolf style.

     “When you said you were accused by the woman, she never asked for Shawn’s name.  I don't know about you but if I was being followed by some people, I would like to know everyone involved.  It could also be that maybe she never say you behind her, but she was actually meeting up with Shawn to get information.  So if she knew Shawn by, let’s say, because she hired him to spy on her husband, then she would probably worry if there was another detective around, which would explain why she freaked out when she asked for your name.”

     Hawk eyes widden and for a second I had expected for his jaw to drop.  I heard Wolf give a small laugh, like he really enjoyed the scene, and took his last bite of salad.
     “Well done, Ms. Cross.”  Wolf put down his fork on his empty salad plate and I took it away with a smirk of satisfaction.  As soon as the plate was away, I started the small timer I had for five minutes, awaiting to serve the main meal.  
      Wolf took a large sip of his water and turned to Hawk as he interlocked his fingers together. After a minute of silence, Wolf spoke.  "I can see you will not let this go before I enjoy the meal that I have been waiting on for all day, so I'll say this quickly. Ariel is correct.  I figured that since the wife ignored asking who your companion was, I came to the same conclusion that Ms. Cross had just so cleverly explained.  But my question is this, if she hired Shawn, then why?  I believe that there is something that has been hidden by our employee that involves something with his marriage.  My first thought comes to that both of them want a divorce, but neither want something passed on to each other.  Money comes to mind of course, but it could be a rare item or maybe even a special pre-nuptial that I don’t know about yet.  However, what we need to do first is get Shawn in and share our information.  Granted, we can't ask him now while he is being employed by her, but I have come to the theory that because she acted so rashly against you and so hurriedly disregarded the guise she was going for, she may fire him pretty soon and then we can get the information on what he was doing.  I believe that this comes to two outcomes.  One, either Shawn gets fired and having seen that you were involved, comes to me to discuss an opportunity that would be beneficial to all of us.  Or two, that she will take drastic measures and could either attack him or her husband, causing a ruckus that will probably get the police involved.  However, I don't think it will come to that if the item they are trying to get is something that neither one want the police or news involved with.  So no matter what the situation is, the best course for us to take right now is to wait and see what happens.  And now, if you are done breaking my rule and asking questions during dinner, I suggest you suck up your pouting and join me in the meal that Ms. Cross has made for us today. ”  He turned to me and finished with, "Ms. Cross?"
      Five minutes, on the mark.  "Yes, Mr. Wolf.  Dinner is served."

     Wait... that's it?  You mean you two didn't plan that?!  I could have sworn you two talked it out before hand to make me feel like an idiot, but you two did that on the spot?  Man, you two been together already for too long...
     To most people, that would have been impressive, but that was how Wolf worked.  He would figure out every possible outcome of a situation and try and find the most basic outcome of a situation.  This was good for trying to capture crooks or hunt down missing people.  This was also a good way to stun employees at how thought out Wolf went with his explanations.
      Hawk, however, had seen this enough times to no longer be impressed with it.  But he gave a tired sigh, and gave acceptance that his job was over for now.  As I placed the plate in front of him, he requested politely for a glass of milk. 

Well, I found what I was looking for.  I was sure Wolf gave you a tip or something, but you actually figured it out yourself.  I'm impressed!  Hmm... there is more pages though... 
I wonder wha-

Damn, that will be Wolf knocking on the door now, wondering what I'm doing AND HE FOUND OUT
GOTTA GO BYE

Note card from Wolf-

      Archie, I know your fighting your natural attempts to gather more information, but I am going to tell you just once to leave Ms. Cross's journal alone.  Unless she gives you the authority, I don't think she will appreciate your commentary on her writing.  She has asked me to look over it, and even though I was hesitant at first, I guess I am obligated to preform an obstagative task of a review.  
     Until then, keep your mouth and eyes shut and away from this.

    J.W.

       

 Continuing from Ariel's Journal -

     After I delivered Hawk's milk, I excused myself to kitchen, awaiting any other orders that Wolf or Hawk would request of me.  None came, but my stomach did not feel at ease.  I was nervous.  Like the first time I cooked by myself for Wolf.
     It felt unusual for me.  I couldn't understand why I felt so nervous as this was a simple dish to prepare, but it was a nagging feeling that I did something underhanded, like I lied about something for a test.
     What could have only been for thirty minutes felt like a lifetime.
     Usually Wolf would call me in as soon as he had finished the meal, and either praised me or tell me it was only ok.  He never yelled at me for messing up ( at least, after I cook it, he yells at me numerous times before hand ) and would always advise me on what I did well and what I could do to improve. 
     However, before I could hear anything, Hawk had come in with the empty plates and glasses.  I was confused for a bit, as it wasn't to Wolf's usual schedule.  Hawk explained that Wolf had to get prepared for something and had to rush away, but I didn't quite hear what he said... I was caught off guard.  Hawk did say that it was an amazing meal, one of my best, and I appreciated it.  But it wasn't the same.  He excused himself to the main office, while I placed the plates in the sink. 
     I tried not to let it bother me.  I started to cook the last piece of steak for myself, making a plate of the corn and a small potato that I didn't feel like loading up.  I didn't tear up, thankfully, but I felt like I was about to.  Too many emotions going through just a simple task.
     I finished cooking, covered up the grill, and set up a small place for me to eat in the kitchen.  As soon as I sat down, I heard the familiar deep voice saying, "Ms. Cross?"
     I looked up to see a dressed up Wolf.  Now, whatever I said about Hawk in the morning is nothing compared to how Wolf looked at that moment.  He looked demanding with his suit, black with a dark yellow tie that matched his vest.  Even though it didn't quite hide his weight, stomach, and his boxed foot, but it did make him look large in size like a royal.   It took me by surprised that I rose immediately, but he motioned me to sit back down.

     "When did she pass?"
     I didn't ask how he knew, or how he found out.  I just simply answered, "Over six years ago."
     "My condolences.  I hope she was a magnificent mother."  He walked calmly around the kitchen and noticed the dishes in the sink.  He turned on the water and grabbed the scrubbing brush.  I started to protest, but he insisted.  He continued talking.  "It was bothering me most of the day on why you asked me to skip lunch.  I came to the conclusion that you didn't expect me to say yes.  You seem to forget that before you came aboard that I had a new chef every day for a bit, so I am use to only having one meal a day.  But I didn't think it was because you were wanting to be lazy, but that you realized late what the day was.
     "Most chefs do prepping at night for the next day if it would take a long time, but to do something like this meal within a day means you waited to the last minute.  Why?  Because you weren't sure.  This meal was something from childhood.  You learned this meal from someone close.  I guessed it was from your mother because this seemed like a male meal, like something a wife would make for her husband.  There was a possibility that your mom really liked steak too, but I went with the first since you said 'mother's cream corn'.  This seemed like a special meal, like a birthday meal.  How old's your father?  Never mind, I'm just talking aloud."
     Wolf finished cleaning the plates and glasses and paused, not turning to look at me.  There was this quiet moment, I don't remember how long it lasted, but in a calm manner, Wolf continued.
     "I don’t consider myself a smart man, nor do I think I am clever.  I am just aware.  Awareness takes patience, an open mind, and an unbending will.  Being aware helps with seeing patterns in people’s thoughts, and even helps reveal secrets that they are trying to keep.  However, that awareness also shows me who I truly am.  It can be a great burden, being able to see your own faults every day.   I am arrogant, reclusive, stubborn, and have anger problems that make it a task to try and get to know me.  It is almost maddening, seeing where my weaknesses are and not being able to do much to fix them."
     Wolf moved from the sink and went to the fridge.  I don’t like drinking beer as much as Wolf or Hawk, but when I saw him pull two beers down from his collection I had the mind set, for a brief moment, that he was going to share a cold one with me.  But he grabbed his large glass and had to remind myself that it was just his usual amount.  He then moved over to the alcohol cabinet and pulled out a Cabernet Sauvigon, a deep red wine.  Without a word or even asking me, he opened the bottle, poured some into a wine glass, and brought it over to me as well as a large glass mug for himself.  He sat down next to me, and with his special bottle opener, opened both bottles.  
      As Wolf poured one of the bottles in his glass, he continued speaking.  "But that is why I need people like you around, to keep me aware of why I am still here.  You keep me aware of hope."
     Wolf took a swig from his glass and tasted it in acceptance.  He poured the other bottle and raised up his glass to me.  I grabbed, raised, and we lightly clinked glasses.

     "And it is hope that keeps the madness at bay.”

     If I was about to cry before, I struggled to keep the tears at bay out of pride and joy.
     Sadly, it didn't last long, as we both heard the door bell ring.  We heard Hawk open it and then heard he yell out, "Damn it Shawn!  You could have warned me she was a hitter."
     Wolf smiled to me, grabbed his drink, and headed to the office.  I took a sip of the wine, and knew it tasted amazing with the steak I made.

     In that simple gesture, in those simple words, were the first time he praised properly thanked accepted me as an equal.
     I am ashamed a bit to say that I got emotional at the time, as my eyes started to tear up, and the more I tried to hold them back, the more they forced their way through.
     In a single instant, my memory's lit up.  I could remember the first time I met Wolf, how I first argued with him and then had to stay with him that first week, on the run from a serial killer that stalked me during my time with the police force.  I could remember that even though I was scared and terrified that he was after me, that I just wanted to run, run far away and never face him.  But Wolf forced me to stay.
     And I remember how he saved my life.  And that he was punished for it.
     And that he never, never regretted it.  Never blamed me, never resented me, never showed any remorse for what happened.  His only words about the incident were, "It was the right thing", and then two weeks later, he offered me a job.

     As I write this now, I can see that I started off angry because he made me feel embarrassed by his sudden reveal, but now I see that it was just his way in showing respect.
     And that is the best word I can think of for Wolf.  Respect. It's what feeds him more than the meals I can prepare him.  And I think, if anything, that it is something that I can give to him.
     No matter how many times he makes me want to smack him.

Near the end of Ariel's Journal -

     I should probably write down that Wolf warned me when I started this job that I should always watch out for what I say or write.  He explained with three reasons -

     One - That Archer was a natural snoop and that he has a hobby that when he's bored he speed reads other people's stuff and then writes his own comments about the piece.  Sometimes with crayons.

     Two - That because of his house arrest, any high official could confiscate my writings (online and offline) and use it as evidence for a case or evaluation of his imprisonment.  Wolf gave me specific rules that whatever private feelings or history that I didn't want to share with other people I had to either hold back or alter for privacy.  True privacy, he said, is all in the mind.  Especially with all the eyes that are watching him.

     Three - If the police don't grab these files, then his enemies will.

                                                   And that was enough to make me understand.

     So I will say that the names besides Archer and Wolf have been changed to protect the identity of the guilty and innocent.  I also may have changed certain statements made or left out some things, so this can not be used in a court of law for any sort of reason.   

     And if anyone tries, I got one of the best lawyers on speed dial.  Trust me on that.

__________________________________________________________________

Ariel-

     After taking a few minutes to comprehend this, Archie's comments and all, I have just this to say.

     It wasn't bad.

~Julius Wolf.

Seriously, Wolf?  You spent an hour using my laptop to write this?  Come on, you can do better.

Ariel-

     Apparently, you and Archie don't appreciate my perspective on your writing and would like a more detailed response to this incident.

     I don't comment on writing for a couple of reasons.  After years of reading and working as a head detective, I can see errors quickly.  However, I am a fan of writing in general.  Stories can have errors, they can have multiple plots, analyses, and changes that I am fine with, as long as they go with a common point.  Granted, I can complain at how sloppy some people write, but I can't insult them trying to get across a brilliant idea.

     With all that said, as for something that is involving me, I have no opinion.

     My Grandfather told me that through the years, after my father passed away, that he would read his old stories based on him and, even though he would complain about some things, he would reminisce over the old days.  It wasn't a perfect representation of what had happened in his life, but it was close enough.  He said it was the memories that resurfaced from the past that made those stories worthwhile.

     That is where I stand.  Right now, I can't appreciate what has been written about me.  But in time, when my mind could be failing or if I am feeling reminiscent of the past, I'm sure I can look at your story again and find it deeply moving.

     I also want to point out, for future reference, that just because it takes me all day to write out my opinion, it doesn't mean you can constantly interrupt me while I try to use this confounded keyboard.  I hated using it when I had to write my own reports and I still hate it.  That is why I make Archie write our cases. 

     But just because I don't like writing personally, doesn't mean I don't like reading.  And I wouldn't mind reading your writings another time.

~Julius Wolf

I think you knocked it out of the park, Wolf.  Really charming.

Shut it, Hawk, before I give her your job instead.

End of Entry.