Bo Buchanan: Private Eye. Innocence Lost part 2
Kevin was finishing up moving his belongings into the cramped dorm room of Kelsey Hall. He was anticipating when he would get accepted in to the Del Phi Omega Fraternity and get to know Ross’ friends a little better, especially Mike. Vicki was not happy with this arrangement, but Bo assured her nothing would happen to Kevin. It took Nora and Clint almost three weeks to convince Vicki that it was ok. When she finally agreed, Kevin told her how she was not going to be able to call him or contact him, for the sake of the case; Nora was going to have to be his “mother” till they had at least a crack in the case. This, as expected, didn’t sit well either. Joey and Jessica worked on Vicki with this also. Kevin was actually enjoying roaming the campus and checking out the girls. Joey would remind him every time he called that he was at least two years older than the oldest senior and he should just concentrate on the case.
Meanwhile, Nora had become closer friends with Gloria, who was
now well situated into Vicki and Clint’s place. She would
gush and go on about Ross, what a good boy he was. How he was
such a good student and athlete. He was president of his senior
class and was admitted into Del Phi Omega even before rush week.
Although she and Ross’ father were ecstatic he was so popular
and gifted, they were, however, very disappointed with some of
the company he chose to keep, namely the roommate, Mike. Gloria
went on to say how Ross had loaned money, clothing, and his car,
anything imaginable, to Mike, with absolutely no repayment. This
unnerved Gloria. Mike was nothing more than a con-man, a hustler.
Ross and his father had many fights about this situation, with
Cal usually threatening to stop supporting Ross financially. But
he always relented; he always felt his wife would have wanted
Ross to be happy, at any cost.
Bo encouraged Nora to visit her “son” as much as possible,
to get a feel for his new friends. And to check out the faculty
as well, to see what they felt about Ross and Mike. Nora decided
to have a word with the dean of boys, a Mr. Duke Cambell, who
was also an esteemed alumni of the college.
Dean: Mrs. Hanen. How nice to meet you! (extending his hand in greeting)
Nora: Nice to meet you to, Mr. Cambell. Kevin was very excited to finally move into Kelsey Hall.
Dean: Too bad Mr. Hanen couldn’t make our meeting…
Nora: Oh…there is no Mr. Hanen. We divorced when Kevin was a child. It’s been Kevin and me for the longest time…
Dean: Oh…(thinking he may get a date) I see…well, I um…I hope Kevin finds everything to his liking…and I hope you and I can get better acquainted…(he kisses her hand)
Nora: Well, (pulling her hand away) I will have to talk to Kevin about that….
Just then Ross’ roommate Mike rushes into the dean’s office, he doesn’t know Nora is in there.
Mike: Dukester! Where are you? I got a tip!
Dean: A-hem! Mr. Snyder! I think you should take a seat!
Mike: I…(noticing Nora sitting in the dean’s office) OH! Pretty lady! I hope you are a newbie! (he tips his sunglasses down and stares Nora from her feet up to her face, takes her hand and kisses it)
Nora: (placing her hand to her chest) My…you are a friendly bunch here!
Mike: Only to beautiful co-eds! Hope to see you around campus…(to himself) love them red heads!
Dean: You’ll have to forgive Mr. Snyder…he’s a bit over zealous when it comes to…his…(looking at some papers on the desk, trying to stumble through his excuse) you see he…
Nora: Well, I do want to check in on Kevin before heading home for the evening.
She gets up to leave, the dean walks her to the door.
Dean: Take comfort in knowing I will personally look after everything your son needs.
As he shakes her hand, he lingers and looks deep into her eyes.
Dean: Good afternoon Ms. Hanen…
Nora: Yes, we’ll be seeing you, Mr. Cambell.
Dean: I hope so.
Nora leaves the dean’s office, feeling very creeped out. She walks down the steps and follows the path towards Kevin’s dorm. Once in the lobby of the dorm house, she begins to check out the area. It’s obviously a co-ed dorm, or else they are very open about having girls in varying degrees of undress wandering the house. As Nora make her way toward the stairs, she again encounters Mike.
Mike: Ooo, pretty lady! I do believe I missed your name back at the dean’s office…(he says as he takes her hand and kisses it)
Nora: Um.It’s Ms. Hanen…thank you (pulling her hand back)
Mike: No need for formalities. Would you care to join me for a refreshment?
At first Nora thinks to blow off this smooth talking punk, then she realizes, who better to get information about Ross than his supposed best friend. She accepts and they head toward Mike’s frat house. As they enter the house, it was actually a pretty stylish place. Eddie Bauer furnishings, a large screen projection TV in the living room and a fully stocked wet bar as the focal point of the room. Mike heads behind the bar.
Mike: What can I get you, gorgeous?
Nora: Water is fine…
Mike: How bout water and a name? Name’s Mike. Mike Snyder and yours?
Nora: Nora, Nora Hanen.
They shake hands. Mike sets the glass of water on the bar and pours himself a drink.
Nora: Isn’t it a little early for the hard stuff?
Mike: Nah! Perfect pick-me-up! Anyways (as he gulps down his drink and pours another) what brings you to our fine campus? Finishing up a degree? I know…post graduate doctorate…you’re a surgeon, and you want to specialize…am I right?
Nora: Actually…(thinking to herself on how to reel in the little fish!) You are correct! That is amazing Mike! How do you do that?
Mike: It all up here. (pointing to his head) Some think I’m psychic. And I’d like to get to know more of down here (he puts his index finger on Nora’s cheek and trails down to her cleavage) whaddya think, Red?
Nora: (nervously) Um…I don’t like to be called that…my ex-husband used to call me that…just lots of bad memories…
Mike: No problem. Let’s go upstairs, and I’ll call you whatever you want…(he tries to kiss her but she turns her head and he kisses her ear and quickly pulls away)
Nora: Listen…Mike (as she puts the glass down) I think I’ll just get going…I ah…have to check in at the student center…
Mike: Come on…you look like you love to have fun…and there ain’t a soul on this campus who knows how to have more fun than me…come on
Nora looks him up and down and figures she can handle herself so she decides to accept his offer and they head upstairs.
Mike: Why don’t you have a seat, I’ll get us a libation or two. Be right back babe.
Nora sits on the sofa. As soon as Mike is out of the room, she starts to look around. Much bigger than your average frat house room. It was more like a small apartment. Nora looked in the desk drawers, around the sides of the TV under the stereo. Nothing. She heard rustling in the kitchen so she stepped up her search. She opened a small box in the video chest. She saw what looked to be a wallet, a women’s wallet. Carefully, Nora slipped the wallet in her purse and snuck out of the room, quietly closing the door without Mike hearing her leave.
Mike: Here we go babe! (looking around the empty room) Babe? (to himself) Damn it!
Nora rushes out of the frat house, unaware Kevin saw her coming out. He didn’t bother catching up with her, instead he called Bo from his cell phone.
Bo: Buchanan here.
Kevin: Bo…it’s Kevin.
Bo: What’s up?
Kevin: I’m not sure, but I just saw Nora coming out of that frat house were that Mike lives…Bo…I thought she was only a front for me.
Bo: She’s supposed to be.
Kevin: Well, I don’t like her getting involved with that frat house. Particularly that Mike Snyder. A guy I made friends with a couple days ago said he saw Nora and Mike heading over to the frat house earlier. And I saw her come out. Bo…this guy is dangerous. Talk around campus is he uses woman. And at any cost. He was caught about three month ago selling date rape drugs. He’s capable of anything.
Bo: Thanks. I’ll set her straight when she gets home. Meantime, this Snyder is your focus, more so now, got it? And be careful. I’m taking enough heat from your mom on all this.
Kevin: Got it. Later.
They hang up and Bo paces the living room of his home. He knows telling Nora to back off is about as effective as snow plowing the Antarctic, she was stubborn and very independent, but he had to set the ground rules. This was his first big case, and it wasn’t going to be unraveled at the expense of his wife being hurt. He’d just tell her like that!
Bo: (talking to himself) That’s it! I’ll just tell her…straight out, no joking…just tell her “ Nora, you’re not getting mixed up in this case, and that’s that” and then she’ll look at me and laugh…
He plops down on the couch and practices his speech again.
Bo: (again talking to himself) “Nora, sweetheart, you know how much I love you and…”
Nora: And what?
Bo: (looking behind himself) Huh?
Nora: (repeating him) “Nora, sweetheart, you know how much I love you and…” and what? (hanging up her jacket and walking into the living room)
Bo: And…and…(loudly sighing) I’m glad your home. How was your meeting with the dean?
Nora: He’s a pig. A total pig! And the students aren’t
much better! Well, except for my “son”
(as she sits next to him, he holds her in his arms and kisses
the back of her neck) Bo…there is a student there…that
one Gloria told us about…Ross’ friend…he’s
bad news Bo…
Bo: (acting as if he never spoke with Kevin) Really? Why? What happened?
Nora: He tried to seduce me.
Bo: (standing up so fast, Nora falls against the back of the couch and stares at him) What?!! (pausing as he begins to pace the room) What the hell??? (trying to keep his anger to a slow boil) What the hell were???
Nora: Bo…could you finish a thought please…it’s very distracting…
Bo: Don’t…(pausing) Nora…do not….(he is stammering to create a sentence that is both coherent and voices his anger)
Nora is sitting on the couch with her legs pulled up and her arms around her knees. She knew she should have, could have figured out a better way to bring this out, but, can’t go back, what’s said is said. Now she had to let him work through his anger and…yell at her.
Bo: This is it…you are off the case. No arguing…I own this company and I say who works and who doesn’t and you are fired.
Nora: Fired? FIRED! You can’t fire me! I’m your wife! Besides..half this company is mine! You act like I went there to get seduced! All the…Bo Buchanan I am not some…some… little nancy girl that can’t take care of herself! (at this point she is standing and yelling right back at him)
Bo: Nancy girl? What the….?
Nora: That is so like a man! To focus in on one tiny little part of a conversation!!! You…I don’t need this from you! I’ll take my evidence and branch out on my own! Yeah…how bout “Nora Buchanan…Private Investigator…with a brain!”
She takes her purse and storms upstairs. Bo sits on the couch and has a drink.
Bo: (muttering to himself) Ya dope Buchanan! Ya knew she was in on this investigation, ya fire her? And she was right, I did treat her like a child. Nancy girl? (gulping down his drink) Alright, Ace, apology time…
He heads upstairs. The bedroom door is open, but he knocks on it anyway.
Bo: Can I come in?
Nora: (Laying on the bed staring at the ceiling) It’s your room. Maybe you can have me thrown out.
Bo: (sitting on the bed, putting his hand on her leg) I’m sorry. I over reacted.
Nora: Slightly.
Bo: (looking at the floor) can I make it up to you?
Nora: Whacha got in mind?
Bo: Well, speaking for the braindead half of this marriage, I was thinking maybe…dinner and a show?
Nora: I was thinking you make love to me…
Bo: (not hearing what she just said) But I know, I should just go back down stairs…
Nora sits up and moves to sit straddled on his lap. She starts to kiss him. He puts his arms around her waist and lays back so she is on top of him…
Bo: I guess the show is out, huh? (kissing her)
Nora: You talk too much…
They roll around on the bed, getting each other pretty worked up, with the culmination being a torrid session of making love.
Bo: (still holding her afterwards) So…what was this evidence you’re opening you new business with?
Nora: (half sitting up and looking at him in disgust) you make love to me just to get evidence?
Bo: As I recall, you started this…(moving his finger back and forth at the mussed bed)business here...
Nora: Oh, yeah…I did, didn’t I? (kissing him) and it was fantastic!
Bo: Nice diversion tactic, Buchanan…what evidence?
She reaches to the side of the bed and pulls out her purse. They both sit up as Nora pulls the wallet out of her purse and then tosses the purse to the floor.
Bo: Where did you….
Nora: At Mike’s apartment…I haven’t opened it yet…I was nervous
Bo: Well, here…lemme…
He flips open the clasp and unfolds the wallet. They both stare in disbelief at the contents.
Bo & Nora: Gloria?
Nora: Oh…Bo…do you think Mike was the one who mugged Gloria?
Bo: Not sure. Let’s get dressed and go talk to her. I want to make sure I see her reaction when we give it back to her…
Nora: What are you thinking….I know you are formulating something in that handsome head of yours…
Bo: She hates this guy too much…and not just because
he took money from Ross…
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Bo and Nora end up on Clint and Vicki’s front door step. They ring the bell.
Clint: Hey! Little brother! Nora! (kisses her on the cheek) To what do I owe this unexpected visit?
Bo: Wish it was for fun…I need (looks at Nora) We need to talk with Gloria…she here?
Clint: She was in the sunroom looking at the stars.
Clint, Bo and Nora walk over to the sunroom to see Gloria gazing at the night time sky.
Bo: Gloria…
Gloria: Oh! Bo! Nora! You surprised me! (getting up and walking toward them) Isn’t it a lovely night? Ross loved to walk on nights like this. Especially in the city. He loved the lights.
Nora: Gloria…we found something…
Gloria: You did!
Bo: (pulling the wallet from a bag) Your wallet.
Gloria: My (she puts her hand to her throat and pauses) wallet.
She takes the wallet from Bo’s hand and examines it. Opening it and slowly flipping through the pictures. She sits down with the wallet.
Bo: Gloria, is something wrong?
Gloria: (she starts to cry) I wasn’t mugged.
Nora: Gloria?
Gloria: I was beaten up.
Bo: By whom?
Nora: Gloria (putting her arm around Gloria’s shoulder) this is serious…
Bo: Why didn’t you go to the police?
Gloria: I couldn’t…he said he would turn me in…
Nora: Who would turn you in?
Gloria: That rotten Mike. He knows what I did and he’s been blackmailing me.
Bo: What did you do?
Gloria looks at Bo, then at Nora.
Gloria: I murdered a man.
To be continued
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