Chapter 5

"How was detective sleuthing, Sherlock Holmes?" asked Alice, as Mark entered the family room.

            "Haven't solved the case yet, dear," said Mark as he kissed his wife.

            "Ugh, you reek of cigarettes. I thought you didn't smoke."

            "I don't," replied Mark. "But the body was covered with it."

            "Cigarettes or smoke?" asked Richard, sarcastically.

            "Smoke, smart a*s, replied Mark."If it were cigarettes, we could test them for DNA."

            "Mark, that's no way to talk to your son," said Alice, sounding as if Mark had said, "smart a*s" to her.

            "Ah, he knows I'm teasing," said Mark, as he ruffled Richard's hair so it stood up more. "You both look nice and cosy."

            Alice nodded as she sat down on the very comfy brown leather sofa. Alice and Richard were sitting beside a roaring fire and drinking hot chocolate. But Richard looked too relaxed as he was lay in a black La-Z-Boy with the footrest up and the back as far down as it could go.

            Alice noticed him looking at the hot chocolate and said,

            "It's chilly tonight."

            "It is," said Mark as he began to sit down beside his wife, but then was lightly nudged away."

            "Dear, I'd rather not smell like an ashtray."

            "Of course," said Mark, as he went into his room to change.

            He came back out wearing a burgundy long sleeved shirt and black jeans, and went back into family room to snuggle close to his wife.

            Alice nuzzled her nose onto his chest and smelled the freshness of his new clothes.

            "Now you smell fresh," she said, as she put an arm over Mark and kissed his cheek. "What'd you do with the other clothes?"

            "Threw them in the dirty laundry bag," replied Mark.

            Alice moaned.

            "What's wrong dear?"

            "Now all our clothes will reek of cigarettes."

            "What would you have wanted me to do, burn them?"

            "That would have been better."

            Mark laughed.

            "Honey, if it makes you happy, I will put so much laundry detergent on those clothes that they won't need to be cleaned for weeks."

            "While you’re at it, do you think you can scrub my shoes as well?" asked Richard.

            Mark took a pillow off the sofa and hit Richard over the head with it.

            "Hey, what was that for?" cried Richard.

            "For being lazy," replied Mark. "And since when do you scrub your shoes?"

            "Well, if you're going to become Mr. Clean, it would be great if you could clean my shoes until they're sparkling."

            "Haha. Speaking of Mr. Clean, have you guys ever been in the Rhinert's house?"

            "No," said Alice. "We don't exactly know them Mark."

            "Well I did and it smells like all the freshened clothes in the world live there," said Mark.

            "Wow, that woman has a cleanliness fad."

            "How do you know it's not the man who cleans, mom?" pointed out Richard.

            "Richard, have you known any man to clean like that. In fact, have you known that many men to clean at all?"

            "Very funny Alice," replied Mark.

            "Well you know, I can be funny too if you just give me a chance."

            "I know you can sweetheart," said Mark, as he kissed her cheek.

            "You don't believe me."

            "Of course I do, honey."

            "If you did, you'd be laughing."

            "I am laughing, inside."

            Alice playfully punched Mark, who grinned.

            "Mom, it's more sexist than funny," stated Richard.

            "Anyway, yes, we think that Mrs. Rhinert is the one that cleans," said Mark, trying to end the subject.

            "So you don't know and who's we?" asked Richard.

            "Well son, you didn't think I was working on this case alone did you? There was a detective who was called in to investigate before I even got here."

            "When did the murder happen?" asked Alice.

            "Last night," replied Mark.

            "Who died?" asked Richard, curious.

            "Mrs. Rhinert."

            "That's why you were in her house," stated Alice.

            Mark nodded.

            "Mrs. Rhinert smokes?" asked Richard.

            "We don't believe so, but that could be the case. But the other detective does," said Mark, not too happy.

            "Maybe he was smoking when he looked at the body," concluded Richard.

            "I accused him of that, but he corrected me of my mistake."

            "Dear, why would you accuse him of tampering with the body? You're such a friendly guy, why would you try to make enemies?" asked Alice, innocently.

            "He's not the easiest person to get along with Alice,” stated Mark.

            "It's just because he smokes."

            "No, but that too. I just hate his attitude. He placed the body bag on the floor so I could stain my pants with grass stains as I went through it."

            "Jerk, he's the one that deserves to be murdered," stated Richard.

            "Richie, that's a horrible thing to say," cried Alice, shocked.

            "Sorry mom, I just hate b******s, they shouldn't exist on this planet."

            "Son, watch your language," said Mark.

            "But it's true dad,” said Mark, innocently.

            "What you think, everyone might not always want to hear."

            "I'm sorry mom," said Richard, as he looked down at the floor.

            "It's okay Rich, but you are right, some people are hard to get along with," said Alice.

            "And sadly that's the way of life and some people you just can't change, no matter how hard you try," said Mark.

            "Dear, I think we should drop this whole subject," suggested Alice.

            "Alright."

            "I'm going to bed," said Richard as he finished his hot chocolate.

            "At ten o'clock?" cried Alice. "Are you sure, you're our Richard James Flinn?"

            "Yes mom," said Richard, rolling his eyes. "I'm just tired."

            "This sure is unlike you Rich, you always stay up past midnight during the summer," mentioned Mark.

            "It has nothing to do with what we said, does it Rich?" asked Alice, innocently.

            "No mom, it doesn't. I'm just tired, that's all."

            "Goodnight, son," said Mark as Richard left the family room

            "Goodnight Richie," said Alice, before Richard disappeared into his room.

            "Goodnight mom and dad," said Richard, as he shut his door.

            "What do you think is wrong with him?" asked Mark softly to Alice.

            "I don't know, maybe he is tired. I don't think he ever really liked you working as a detective Mark, because he always found out about all these jerks who live in this world."

            "Well he needs to know that just because you love the world, doesn't mean the whole world will love you back. And besides, someone needs to stop these wrongdoers."

            "I agree."

            "You know the reason I quit though?"

            "Yes. It was because of that little girl."

            "Yes. That child had been beaten and raped, and then murdered by her father. God, that was an awful case."

            "That was hard on you, wasn't it?"

            "Yeah, but that was four years ago. I might actually go back to detective work."

            "Really?"

            "Maybe. I don’t know, I'll decide after this case. I think I'm going to go to bed too, it's been a long night."

            "Goodnight Mark," said Alice, as she kissed Mark a he got up from the sofa. "I'll join you shortly."

            "Alright."

            Once Mark was lying in bed, he wondered if Francis had really upset Richard or if he just didn't like Mark's detective business. Mark wondered if he should have never taken up this case. He also knew though that Richard had never seen what a real crime scene looked like and maybe if he did, he'd understand why Mark did what he did. Mark knew it was a bad idea, but he decided to take his son to the crime scene with him tomorrow. He hoped that maybe he could even help him with the case. Mark had a feeling that Richard might like being a detective if he tried it; at least he would be helping stop the criminals than just hating them.