Categories > Cartoons > Delilah and Julius > Life's True Stories: Crisis
In no time they arrived at the other end of Halifax. "Posh neighbourhood", Julius thought. The Aston Martin was maintaining a lower profile than the disguised police midrange car.
They got off. "Why do they need us when they already informed the police?" Julius asked.
"Don't you remember something ... kidnapping, ransom...? Doesn't that ring a bell?"
"Ah ..." Julius scratched his neck. "A little ... jingle, maybe."
"Should be alarm bells." Delilah retorted. "Scarlett spent the last semester trying to teach us something about kidnapping and ransom demands. The police charged her with bugging the money and we are supposed to deliver it."
They stood now in the doorway of a great villa. Delilah rang the bell. A butler appeared.
"Yes, mylady?" He asked with a fine European accent.
"We're invited", she said and walked inside pushing him away with one arm. Taken aback the servant just made a bow and looked after her confused.
"She's always that curt." Julius told him and ran a little to keep up with her.
In the meantime Cornelia and Magnus paid. The waiter who had started reflecting ever since this blonde man had entered the room - met a girl he should know and a man he obviously didn't know and had been collected by another girl - didn't dwell on thinking that this might be some threesome interrupted while planning their next meeting by the man's wife or some-thing: this other one had given him a tip you wouldn't call generous but enormous. Whistling he called a flower shop. He had had late shift all the week and it was about time (and money) to buy an enormous spray of roses for his girlfriend.
"Why did you give such a tip? A little overdone, if you ask me." Cornelia asked while they were walking to Delilah's car.
"I don't ask you. I'd only ask why you flirted with him", Magnus said. Did she like the waiter more than him? He was giving her everything he had: his time, his love, his money.
Cornelia laughed. It sounded wonderful to him, like a stream winding its way through Eden. "I didn't flirt with him! Magnus, you know I love you." She gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. "If I didn't I wouldn't have taken you with me to meet my brother, would I?" She linked arms with him. "I just don't like to be rude to people who spent their whole evening hurrying to bring people food."
"Madame, the tea is served."
"Thank you, James", Mrs. Butcher answered.
He disappeared casting a nasty sniffy glance at Delilah whom he obviously had not yet for-given her behaviour.
"I'm glad that there are not only men at your institution", Mrs. Butcher continued looking from Scarlett to Delilah and Julius. "Men break down easily on such situations and I don't see the point why my son should suffer just because of some y-chromosome."
Delilah merely nodded. Mrs. Butcher was a tough woman and surely not good to cross. But she wondered whether her son felt loved by her.
"We will do our best", Delilah said. "And as far as we know there is a good chance we can get your son back without you paying ransom."
"No", Jacob's father said at once. "we'll take no risks. It is enough if we get the kidnapper after Jacob's safe again.
"Yes, he is right." His wife agreed. "Whatever you do, don't endanger his life. He's our only child..." The woman finally showed some feeling. She wiped her eye carefully in order to not smear the mascara. "This is why we wanted the police to inform you. We are sponsoring the Academy, so we know that you get an excellent education."
With big sad eyes the father looked at Delilah and Julius. "You are still very young... I want to have my son back, but this will be dangerous for you."
Julius smiled. "You need not worry, Sir. This man will have an appointment with justice faster than he can say kid."
"So you are sure this wasn't a woman?" Jacob's father answered.
"It's most probable", Scarlett interrupted. "And from what I have seen - the crime scene, the ransom demand, it all points to a male."
"I'm assured by now", the mother said resolutely. "I think we'll have tea now, it's been a long day for us. And tomorrow all this nightmare will be over."
They got into the salon. Delilah couldn't help but smirk at James who in revenge pretended not to see her and smashed the door on her nose.
"Cornelia?" Magnus whispered through the dark of their hotel room. "You asleep?"
"Fast asleep", she mumbled into her pillow. "Is there a problem?"
Magnus lay on his back and looked at the ceiling, now and then illuminated by a car driving past outside. He wanted to tell her, he was no coward. "No, everything's okay. I just wanted to let you know ... I ... I love you."
"So do I, Magnus, so do I." And with a last thought about her holiday in Ibiza in two weeks she slid into a dream full of palm trees, sunsets and a lot of birds zwitschering in paradise.
Magnus waited until her regular breathing told him she was really fast asleep.
Quickly he slid out of bed and left a note on the desk:
"Urgent call ... stacks of records we have to go through. You know I'd love to have breakfast with you ... but I'll see you at lunch and I'm looking forward to it a lot.
Love,
Magnus
They got off. "Why do they need us when they already informed the police?" Julius asked.
"Don't you remember something ... kidnapping, ransom...? Doesn't that ring a bell?"
"Ah ..." Julius scratched his neck. "A little ... jingle, maybe."
"Should be alarm bells." Delilah retorted. "Scarlett spent the last semester trying to teach us something about kidnapping and ransom demands. The police charged her with bugging the money and we are supposed to deliver it."
They stood now in the doorway of a great villa. Delilah rang the bell. A butler appeared.
"Yes, mylady?" He asked with a fine European accent.
"We're invited", she said and walked inside pushing him away with one arm. Taken aback the servant just made a bow and looked after her confused.
"She's always that curt." Julius told him and ran a little to keep up with her.
In the meantime Cornelia and Magnus paid. The waiter who had started reflecting ever since this blonde man had entered the room - met a girl he should know and a man he obviously didn't know and had been collected by another girl - didn't dwell on thinking that this might be some threesome interrupted while planning their next meeting by the man's wife or some-thing: this other one had given him a tip you wouldn't call generous but enormous. Whistling he called a flower shop. He had had late shift all the week and it was about time (and money) to buy an enormous spray of roses for his girlfriend.
"Why did you give such a tip? A little overdone, if you ask me." Cornelia asked while they were walking to Delilah's car.
"I don't ask you. I'd only ask why you flirted with him", Magnus said. Did she like the waiter more than him? He was giving her everything he had: his time, his love, his money.
Cornelia laughed. It sounded wonderful to him, like a stream winding its way through Eden. "I didn't flirt with him! Magnus, you know I love you." She gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. "If I didn't I wouldn't have taken you with me to meet my brother, would I?" She linked arms with him. "I just don't like to be rude to people who spent their whole evening hurrying to bring people food."
"Madame, the tea is served."
"Thank you, James", Mrs. Butcher answered.
He disappeared casting a nasty sniffy glance at Delilah whom he obviously had not yet for-given her behaviour.
"I'm glad that there are not only men at your institution", Mrs. Butcher continued looking from Scarlett to Delilah and Julius. "Men break down easily on such situations and I don't see the point why my son should suffer just because of some y-chromosome."
Delilah merely nodded. Mrs. Butcher was a tough woman and surely not good to cross. But she wondered whether her son felt loved by her.
"We will do our best", Delilah said. "And as far as we know there is a good chance we can get your son back without you paying ransom."
"No", Jacob's father said at once. "we'll take no risks. It is enough if we get the kidnapper after Jacob's safe again.
"Yes, he is right." His wife agreed. "Whatever you do, don't endanger his life. He's our only child..." The woman finally showed some feeling. She wiped her eye carefully in order to not smear the mascara. "This is why we wanted the police to inform you. We are sponsoring the Academy, so we know that you get an excellent education."
With big sad eyes the father looked at Delilah and Julius. "You are still very young... I want to have my son back, but this will be dangerous for you."
Julius smiled. "You need not worry, Sir. This man will have an appointment with justice faster than he can say kid."
"So you are sure this wasn't a woman?" Jacob's father answered.
"It's most probable", Scarlett interrupted. "And from what I have seen - the crime scene, the ransom demand, it all points to a male."
"I'm assured by now", the mother said resolutely. "I think we'll have tea now, it's been a long day for us. And tomorrow all this nightmare will be over."
They got into the salon. Delilah couldn't help but smirk at James who in revenge pretended not to see her and smashed the door on her nose.
"Cornelia?" Magnus whispered through the dark of their hotel room. "You asleep?"
"Fast asleep", she mumbled into her pillow. "Is there a problem?"
Magnus lay on his back and looked at the ceiling, now and then illuminated by a car driving past outside. He wanted to tell her, he was no coward. "No, everything's okay. I just wanted to let you know ... I ... I love you."
"So do I, Magnus, so do I." And with a last thought about her holiday in Ibiza in two weeks she slid into a dream full of palm trees, sunsets and a lot of birds zwitschering in paradise.
Magnus waited until her regular breathing told him she was really fast asleep.
Quickly he slid out of bed and left a note on the desk:
"Urgent call ... stacks of records we have to go through. You know I'd love to have breakfast with you ... but I'll see you at lunch and I'm looking forward to it a lot.
Love,
Magnus
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