Just lying

This story  builds on Drivers, The Heirloom, Just checking, Just confirming, Talk inside the shed and Talk outside the shed.

Patsy Loesing was expecting new guests. Her son Kenneth had told her one of them was the brother of their former driver Coldham Fintan Noose III. Anna, Kenneth's wife, and Kenneth had met Allman Gregory Noose and his wife Frieda at a hotel in Scotland on a vacation two years earlier.  Now Allman, a psychiatrist, and Frieda were living in Seattle. The Loesings had a vacation home in Des Moines with direct access to the beach.

When Patsy entered the sitting room, which was furnished in a mix of contemporary and classic style, she was perplexed. The person, claiming to be Allman, was definitely Coldham Fintan. Patsy was sure of this.
She knew more about Coldham than she let on. Coldham had behaved too unusual for an average driver and had been secretive. Patsy's suspicion had been roused and she went to check out Coldham's living quarters. What she found there convinced her he wasn't what he claimed to be. A thorough investigation revealed Coldham owned a security company. Patsy combined he was there to protect the family and when she checked with Kenneth, he confirmed it. Patsy was wondering why Kenneth thought Coldham was Allman. She didn't blow Coldham's cover, but was about to say it was interesting how successful all the brothers were, when Frieda upended her glass into Patsy's lap. Patsy's gut feeling told her Frieda hadn't been clumsy and done it on purpose, even though she looked totally abashed and apologized immediately. It seemed genuine. Patsy went to change her clothing and was followed by Frieda.
Patsy was straight. "What do you have to hide?" "I didn't want you to unmask Fin." "What? Kenneth didn't engage Fin?!" "No, Burt Lewis, Tianna Loesing's son, had heard through the grape vine that Averall Loesing planned an attack against you. There were rumours he wanted to kidnap a family member. Officially Burt stayed neutral, but asked Fin to look out for you. He worked as your driver as long as there was a threat. Kenneth didn't know what Fin's real job was. Burt asked for secrecy, so Fin has taken on the identity of his second cousin Allman, who's really a psychiatrist. We would appreciate if you could keep quiet about the situation." It made sense. The Wallenstein branch of the Loesings had been always trouble makers, ruining even Patsy's wedding day. Patsy was glad she now knew the truth and promised to keep her mouth shut. Little did she know...

©2014

Just confirming

This story picks up where "Just checking" left. If you want to what was stolen and who was Mr. Noose's client, please read "The Heirloom".

When Patsy Loesing had checked out her new driver, she found some inconsistencies and further investigations revealed he owned a security company. Mrs. Patsy assumed the driver had been engaged by her son Kenneth to protect the family from a threat, like a kidnapping or assassination.
She wanted it confirmed, but didn't dare broaching the subject directly. Kenneth had returned from a vacation with his family, so she thought talking about him now.
Kenneth was sitting at the breakfast table with his wife Anna and his older sons Wylie and Johnny. When the kids were gone and Anna busy with filling the dishwasher, Mrs. Patsy took her chances. Filling her cup with coffee, Mrs. Patsy asked: "Are we in danger, Kenny?" Kenneth looked up and frowned. "Not more than usual." Mrs. Patsy interpreted Kenneth's comment as confirmation that there was a threat to the family and Mr. Noose, the driver, was there to look out for them.
It came as no surprise when the driver left shortly afterwards. It was a relief to know the issue had gone away.

Mrs. Patsy never found out the driver wasn't there to protect the family. He was a cat burglar and on his own mission. When he had stolen, what he was looking for, he left.

©2013