Heart Of A Spider - Season 1 - Episode 24

4 years ago

Heart Of A Spider - Season 1 - Episode 24

KENDAL PARKED his car in the
driveway of his home. Stepping onto the verandah he
reached for and opened the front door to his five-bed room, two-storey house.
“What are you like at teaching?” he asked Claire.

“Not this question again. I hope you don’t mean teaching teenagers?”
Kendal nodded. “It’s exactly what I mean.”
“Am I missing something here? I went to detective school to find out, ‘who done it’ and you
want me to teach kids. It’s not in my job description.”

“You’d make a great school teacher. Don’t forget one important rule. You can’t hit a kid.”
“Captain Hughes won’t like you suggesting the idea and I’m gonna make sure I’m there when
you tell him. I can hear him yelling already.”
“I’ll run it past him tomorrow. Come on, it’s time for dinner.”
“Al, are you trying to sneak in?” called a woman.

Claire waltzed into the kitchen. “Something sure smells wonderful.”
Marg turned to face her high school friend. “Where’s Al? You didn’t leave him somewhere?”

She stood waiting for her husband to walk into the room saying his usual greeting.
“Margaret, darling, you look absolutely divine.” He smiled at his wife, strolled over and
kissed her neck, then her lips.

Claire watched shaking her head.
Kendal’s wife wore her usual expectant expression.

“What?” he scolded, pushing her to arm’s length.

“Nothing,” she giggled.
“Nothing my arse,” cut in Claire. “Sugar, every time you see Marg you say and do the same
boring thing.”

“I do not.” He looked his wife in the eyes. “Do I?”

She shrugged her shoulder. “I don’t mind.”
“Take my advice, change your opening line,” jeered Claire.
Rubbing his chin, Kendal grunted.
“And further more. You always rub your chin when you’re deep in thought. How predictable
can one person get?”
“Okay ladies, I give up, how long have you been planning this ambush?”
Claire looked at her watch, grinning. “Four days, thirty-three minutes.”
“You got me. I promise to think of something new each day.”
This time, Marg cut in. “Sweetie, I doubt if you could keep it up. Go change, dinner will be in
ten.”

“Where are the kids?”
“Tani is watching TV. Tegan and a friend are doing homework.”
“Is her friend male or female?”
“They’re in the lounge. Go find out.”
Kendal grunted before walking from the kitchen into the lounge. Claire followed.
“Tegan, hello, how’s school?”
“Fine thanks, Dad.”
“Who’s your friend?”

The young girl sitting on a leather recliner looked to have the stare of a juror.
“Tegan, are you going to introduce me to your friend?”

“Dad, this is my friend Kobe; my dad.”
“Hello, Mr. Kendal.”
“You have an interesting name. Kobe is pronounced Kobee, with an emphasis on the letter
‘E,’ if my memory is intact? Kobe is a Japanese state isn’t it?”
“You have a good memory, Mr. Kendal. My mother named me after my Grandmother. She
was born in Japan. At the time my mother didn’t like any girl’s names. They planned on having a
boy.”

“You don’t look like Japanese descendent?”
The girl jumped out of the recliner. “I didn’t say I was Japanese,” she answered dryly.
“Please, call me Alan. This woman behind me is Claire, my wife’s pen friend from Italy.”
“Hello,” said Kobe walking over.
The trio shook hands in a business-like manner.
Claire nodded at the girl and sent Kendal a strange cursory glance.
He instinctively sized the girl up. She had flame red hair which might cascade over her
narrow shoulders if it weren't for her ponytail; wire thin eyebrows and a pale face from not enough
sun and she looked to be a tall athletic shaped teenager. Thin top and bottom lips and pale freckles
dotted about a small nose. Dark ocean blue eyes hiding behind rimless glasses. He concluded,
Kobe to be a normal run of the mill thirteen-year-old girl.
“Have we met before?” Kendal asked, rubbing his chin. He glanced at Claire who shot her