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The night was eerily quiet by the time Louise made it back to the apartment. A quick glance at her watch told her it was 11 pm, it could have been worse but everyone should be asleep. She unlocked the door and quietly made her way upstairs.
Often during late nights like this she could sneak in under the music coming from Jean’s room but tonight even that was quiet.
I hope I didn’t accidentally miss one of her performances. Louise thought to herself. This latest scheme was so complicated and with Tina back home and mom… there was a lot on her mind.
Her bed called to her as she passed her room but her mouth was parched. A quick drink of water before bed, and hopefully she would be able to sneak in a shower before school tomorrow.
She entered the kitchen and turned on the light.
“Good evening Louise.” Tina was sitting at the table her hands neatly folded in front of her atop a stack of papers, a notepad, and the family laptop.
“Tina!” Louise felt her pace grow pale. “I.. I..”
Tina locked eyes with her sister for a long moment, when she finally looked Louise up and down she sighed and her emotions softened. “Sit down.” She gestured to the chair next to her while she stood and retrieved two glasses of water.
Louise nervously slunk into the chair as Tina set a glass down in front of her.
“Mom said that you often stay late at school to teach the lock picking club.” Tina started while leaning over her chair but then clearly thought it was too much and sat down. “And Dad thought you were studying late with Rudy tonight.” She leaned back and pointed to the papers on the table. “Which surprised me when Rudy came by earlier and dropped this off for you, apparently you have missed final period this past week and you have a test coming up that he wants you to study for with him.”
Louise took a nervous drink of water. Oh Rudy, I never quite know when to clue him into the schemes.
Tina sighed “I’m not mad” she looked towards the laptop, “Ok maybe I am a little mad.” She fiddled with the corner of the papers with her index finger. “But I don’t want to be!”
Louise swallowed. “Then what’s with the whole middle of the night confrontation then?”
“I’ve been back home for two weeks and I have hardly talked with you, Louise.” The words spilled quickly out of Tina’s mouth. “At first I thought …that maybe you didn’t like me any more. That you were mad at me.You have been more distant, heck I’ve had more personal conversations with Zeke since I’ve been back than with you. I thought you were avoiding me.”
Louise’s jaw slacked open and she felt a tear begin to form at the corner of her eye.
“But now I see,” Tina steeled herself. “That you are clearly up to something.” She tapped the stack of science homework and study sheets. “This smells like one of your old schemes.”
Louise smirked. Leave it to detective Tina to figure it out.
“Mom & Dad don’t know about it, which is par for the course,” Tina looked directly at Louise again. “but even Jean isn’t clued in which makes me … nervous.” She gulped. “Louise you aren’t in elementary school any more. You’re a teenager, and things can get dangerous if you are running them completely on your own.” She reached across the table and placed her hand on Louise’s. “Whatever you are doing, I want in.”
A tear snuck its way out of the corner of Louise’s eye. She was expecting to get scolded, to get shamed. Why would she think that? This was Tina. Tina would just want to understand.
Louise swallowed “All right, I’ll tell you,” She wiped the back of her hand and against her eye trying to look cool while she did it. “But I’m not ready to tell Mom and Dad about this yet, so just keep it between us.”
She hesitated for a moment unsure of how to best compact the last couple of years.
“Is it big?” Tina asked asked nervously
“Huge,” Louise replied firmly. “But its under control” Which didn’t assure Tina as much as she hoped. Louise sighed and decided to jump straight in.
“I am Mr. Fischoeder’s assistant.”
Whatever Tina was expecting to hear, it wasn’t that. “What?” She abruptly stood up, got Mom’s emergency bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. In a brave moment Louise asked. “Can I have one too.” Tina stopped mid-pour and looked at her teenage sister. “Or a soda, yeah soda is good.”
Tina set a can of soda in front of her sister and returned to her seat. “How did all of this start?” Tina chuckled as she took a sip of wine.
Louise exhaled under her laugh. “Do you remember the Jade Jellyfish?”
Tina thought back hard. The Jade Jellyfish, the piece of town history displayed at the hotel down the street. The favorite town mystery story, people had written books and done podcasts on it. Tina remembered that Louise had something to do with its discovery, but her memories of it swayed behind a glaze of balloon animals and pipe music.
“Yes, I think so.” Tina muttered, hoping that Louise would provide the details that felt more foggy; she felt like a terrible sister. This event was clearly so important to Louise, why couldn’t Tina remember more about it.
“Yeah well, remember that Mr. Fischoeder sold it back to the hotel to be put on display. But once the word got out that it was finally discovered and on display at the hotel people started to go nuts about the story! History podcasters flocked to the hotel, would stay for days competing for the best rooms and paying extra for the full speakeasy experience and pictures of the Jade Jellyfish. Then came the mystery novel writers, who would come for research and inspiration. The hotel loved it, they leaned in on the whole gimmick! They even do a spooky seance with Slippery Sam every Halloween; some years it sells out and they do multiple showings!”
“Wow!” Tina was surprised she wasn’t aware of so much of this, had college disconnected her this much? “What a dream for business! They can print their own publicity, and not just flyers this time.”
“I know right!” Louise laughed and took a long drink of her soda. “Now, imagine Mr. Fischoeder. You know how he is.” Tina nodded. “He had sold the jade jellyfish to the hotel for only $100! He thought the gemstone was useless because it wasn’t actually jade, but even that part has become so important for the story! He can’t even be mad at the hotel because it's bringing in such good business for his businesses too, they sell merch for it at the wharf!” Louise took another swig and leaned in dramatically and lowered her voice. “Tina, they do so well for Mr. Fischoeder that he had allowed them to negotiate for lower rent.”
“What?” Tina screamed. The exclamation exhaling from her chest like a battering ram. Louise nodded seriously with pursed lips and sipped her soda.
“So Mr. Fischoeder looks at all this and thinks. ‘This should all be mine!’” Louise’s imitation of Mr. Fischoder was hauntingly good. Tina suspected that it was a skill that Louise had mastered through this extracurricular work. “‘How did I let an opportunity like this slip? I could finally have gotten an island for my yachts! Has it finally happened? Have I lost my edge?’ He realized that it was time for him to find a successor, and who better than the girl found the Jade Jellyfish. The one who took a town mystery and solved it under his very nose; using only resources that he already had access to! Idiot!”
“Does he let you talk to him like that?”
“Sometimes after a couple of scotch.”
“... Do you… drink scotch?”
Louise looked embarrassed and rubbed her thumb against her soda. “Sometimes, just a little. Just the right amount to make me look like an overlord.”
Tina blinked rapidly. She was learning so much about her sister tonight.
“Anyway,” Louise pushed on. “A couple of years back he approached me. Said he owed me for the Jade Jellyfish and how he wished he had realized my full potential sooner. We negotiated about not paying rent for the restaurant, he caved probably more than he should have just because he likes Dad so much. He laid out his plans about how I could learn things from him now. After I graduate high school I’ll fully be brought on as his successor, he’ll calculate when and how he can fully retire and I will keep his empire running. But that … is quite a while off, right now, its just little schemes here and there. Just call them like I see them.”For the first time in a long while Louise looked up and directly into Tina’s eyes. “But that’s it. That’s the big secret. That’s what I’ve been avoiding you all week. I knew that you were the number one person to figure it out. And… I’m not ready to tell Mom & Dad yet.”
Tina bolted up straight in her seat. “Wait, they haven’t had to pay rent” The spread sheet that made no sense on the laptop flashed before her eyes. “For how long?”
Louise winced. “Almost 2 years”
“But then, what’s been happening to the money?” Tina aggressively leaned across the table, “You haven’t been taking it?” Louise nervously leaned back in her chair. Tina shouted.“Where is it Louise?”
Tina’s voice echoed down the hallway. They both stopped to carefully listen for either Bob or Jean stirring in their rooms. Tina took a calming breath. Louise averted her gaze to her hands and began picking at the edge of her fingernail.
“I’m not just taking it for myself,” Louise tried desperately to keep any indignation out of her voice. “If that is what you think. Mr. Fisch just keeps forgetting to ask for the rent. Mom and Dad don’t bring it up so that they can use it for.. Um… other expenses.”
Tina’s eyes narrowed. Something about the explanation didn’t sit right. Her sister was still hiding something. “This is serious Louise, where is the money?”
Louise placed her fingers down with a small thud and looked Tina straight in the eyes
“One of us should get to go to college,” The smallest bit of moisture lined the crest of Louise’s eye. She spoke in a voice that was small but firm in conviction. “And it really should be you, T.”