The New Guy; My neighbour

Chapter 22 - A clue

Justin stepped out of Trevor's car and walked into Trevor's house with long, decisive steps. He closed his lips and forced his breath through the small hole between his teeth to emit a slight whistle as he entered the house. Some of the furnishings in the house appeared different, he observed, nodding satisfiedly at the clear improvement in the house décor.
The gold-plated chandeliers strung in a straight line down the hallway caught his attention. They would cost a fortune, he reasoned, David's wealth was well spent. He knew the redecoration would be inspired by Katie since she was a woman with impeccable taste like her father.
His last visit was quite some time ago. So, he took his time to admire the changes in the house. He could hear people gently talking from one of the rooms, but he wasn't completely confident that he could tell from which room. Aside from the low-pitched tones coming from one of the rooms, the house felt cold and abandoned. One of the houseworkers had welcomed him warmly at the gate before proceeding to inform Mister Hull that they had a guest.
In a short while, Mister Hull appeared, looking busy as usual, and grinned from ear to ear at the sight of Justin. Justin was in his good books, and he regarded him as a joyous man.
"Hello, Mister Hull," Justin uttered.
"Oh, Mister Justin, how do you do?"
"I am very well; thank you." Justin looked around and gestured with his hands, "This place could pass for a graveyard, Mister Hull, don't you think? I wonder why my friend has failed to bring life to his home. If I lived here, I would have lighthearted music play all day to wade off ghosts from intruding. A giant house with little life attracts bad thoughts. They should fill the home with loving dogs and cats to liven it up, don't you think?" Justin said with no seriousness perceived in his tone. It was one of his wild jokes.
"That is certainly not under my purview, Justin. Mister or Miss would be in a better position to give you a response."
"I see."
"We have not seen you in a while. I hope you have been well."
"Of course, I am fit as a fiddle. Is Katie at home? I surely can hear whispers from one of the rooms, but this place is so large I can't fathom which way it is coming from."
"Yes. She is in the kitchen entertaining her guest."
"A guest?"
"Yes, Justin. We have informed her that you are around, and she says to let you into the kitchen as well."
"I hope she has my favorite delicacies ready," Justin responded, salivating.
"This way, Mister"
Mister Hull walked tactfully towards the kitchen, as though he had been practicing the walk all these years. Justin followed suit, looking satisfactorily at the extremely beautiful and delicate furnishings that adorned the house. He continued to whistle lightly till they entered the large open-plan kitchen which was big enough to pass as a home for the commoner. The kitchen was very large but had a harmonious arrangement that pleased the eyes. Katie and Venita sat on ladder-back chairs, talking over a stack of homemade pancakes.
"What an enormous kitchen you have here, Katie," Justin exclaimed.
"Oh, Justin! What a pleasant surprise," Katie responded, giving out a gleeful chuckle. She paused to eat the slice of pancake she had in her hand.
Justin bent forward, kissed Katie on the cheek, and smiled broadly at Venita, who tittered.
"Hello, Venita! You look as alluring as always. Can you ever be caught disheveled?" Venita laughed inwardly.
"Your humor is out of this world, Justin. You always have words in your mouth."
"I for sure love living. What is life if I can't express myself willfully?"
"I hope it doesn't get you in trouble any day," Katie cut in, smiling mischievously.
"It sure won't." Justin adjusted a third chair and ensconced himself in it.
"I hope I have not interrupted your discussion."
"Not really. Venita was about to leave before I requested she stays for some of my homemade pancakes. You interrupted nothing at all."
Katie invited Venita to discuss some things about the wedding. She wanted Venita to assist her in shopping for a wedding dress in Beaumont because Venita knew most of the top designers around.
"I see. I arrived in time for a feast on your delicious pancakes."
"I guess so. But have you been avoiding me? I see you once in a blue moon nowadays."
"Dear Katie, I didn't realise I had stayed away for long, unlike me. I had lots of work to take care of. How have you been?"
"There's been mixed feelings down here. Believe me, the thought of a wedding in a few weeks gives me a migraine. It is mentally draining as well. Leaving my only known home to be with another. It sure won't be an easy fit, but I am happy I have everyone's support on this."
"Well, I will render all the support you will need from me. How is our groom holding up?"
"Pretty fine."
"I can see you have your homemade pancakes ready in time for my coming. I hope I can help myself with some because I am already salivating."
"Sure. Why not?"
Katie shoved the stack of pancakes towards him, and Justin excused himself to wash his hands. He came back and took a slice of the pancakes and ate it like a hungry lion.
"Your ability to keep everything about this pancake constant needs to be studied," Justin said with a pancake stuffed in his mouth.
"Stop pulling my legs, Justin."
"I have told you before that I would pay to buy these pancakes whenever you are ready to open a pancake shop. I hope I am speaking your mind as well, Venita?"
"Sure, that is fantastic. I already told her that I have never tasted pancakes so good before," Venita concurred.
"While we were growing up, I always loved to stop at the mayor's house just to get pastries from the mayor's kitchen. It was a fun experience. And Mrs David never ceased to amaze me. She would stuff my bag with a variety of pastries whenever I came around and encourage me to eat my fill. I would always end up going home with a bloated stomach. I am sure Katie got her culinary skills from her mother because Trevor can't even hold a knife."
They all laughed.
"I thought Trevor said he would meet you at the snooker house. How come you came back alone?"
"Yes. He had to drop Ashley at her residence," Justin responded.
"Ashley? Ashley Ray?" Katie inquired.
"Yes, your neighbor Ashley Ray."
"Hmmm. Interesting. I thought as much. He has been quite occupied lately."
"I'm sure it may not be what you think," Justin said defensively.
"Spare me, Justin, I know Trevor well enough. He always involves himself with things that he considers his business and Ashley must be part of his business these days."
"Well, I think it's nothing serious, they are neighbors for crying out loud."
"O gosh, spare the sermon for another, Justin."
Venita gawked at the pancakes while listening attentively to their conversation. Venita had just gotten the vital information she needed from the conversation they had just had. Her heart was pounding with delight at being at that moment. The Ashley mentioned was probably why Trevor had been ignoring her, and she had to do something about it.
"Hey, Venita. Is something wrong? You look lost. It seems we are boring you with our endless talk. Don't mind Justin, his words flow like a river, unending."
Justin adjusted his position to observe Venita better. It seemed he had made triggering comments, considering that Venita had an interest in Trevor.
"O, Venita. I did not come to interfere in your business discussions. If you still need more time with her, I will gladly wait."
Venita smiled.
"Nah. Not at all. It's just that it's obvious you both have a lot of things to talk about."
"Katie, I was about to leave already, remember? Before you offered pancakes."
"Yes, that's right. I understand you have a business to do and here I am making you mix business with pleasure," Katie said to Venita.
"Nothing of that sort, Katie. I am always available to help in case you need anything. I just need to be on my way now."
"Thanks for coming around."
"My pleasure. Whenever you choose your preferred dates, we can book appointments."
"Certainly."
"Justin, let me see her off."
"O no, you don't need to bother about that. I don't want to interrupt your conversation."
"Sure? Thank you for coming around. Mister Hull?" Katie called out to Mister Hull who joined in immediately.
"Would you be kind enough to lead the way for Venita?"
"Why not? Are you set to leave now, Miss?"
"Of course, yes. Thank you for the pancakes, Katie."
She picked up her bag and headed outside with Mr Hull.