The Hunt for Tyrell Banks

Chapter 17 - Hope springs

Riley went and collected Dr. Richard 'Rusty' Miller from LAX the next day, and brought him around before lunch. Mom and dad were, of course, safely tucked away in their crypt chambers, so they wouldn't be seeing him until after the sun went down – but that didn't mean I was gonna get away from his parent-ordered counseling session (dang it).

However, it seemed Rusty had other things to tell us first.

He came into the cavernous entrance foyer, dragging a small rollaboard behind him. I came out of the kitchen to greet him – and had to stifle a giggle. He was wearing a floppy T-shirt with Spongebob Squarepants on the front. The text under the 'Bob was: 'Remember, licking doorknobs is illegal on other planets'.

"Hanna Warrick, g'day!" Dr. Miller said to me. He held his arms out.

"Hi, Doctor Miller, long time no see," I replied, and went up to him. He enveloped me in a big bear-hug.

"And that's why all the fish are dying, I hear," he said as he let me go.

"What?" I asked, perplexed.

"Er, long time no 'sea'? As in... ah, never mind," he said, grinning. He glanced around the hall. "Bloody hell, this really is a palace! Can barely hear meself think with all this echoing going on. This house must've cost an absolute fortune!"

"It wasn't that expensive," Riley said, coming in and closing the door. "But converting the basement for Ami and Jean was a pricey addition."

"No doubt," Rusty said, still marveling at the place. "So, er... which room's mine?"

Riley grabbed the rollaboard. "Upstairs. There's three guest rooms, so you can have the pick of the bunch, if you like."

"Did you wanna grab a shower, Doctor Miller?" I asked. "We're gonna order Chinese for lunch."

"Sounds bloody fantastic to me," he said, grinning broadly.

A short while later and we were in the small lounge adjacent to the kitchen. Riley was making a pitcher of lemonade while we waited for the Chinese to arrive.

"So," Rusty began, "you lot are setting up quite nicely here, I'm told."

"Yeah, it's good, Doctor Miller," I said. I got up to help Riley with some glasses as he brought the lemonade over. "I'm settling into school here, making new friends and all that. I'm even playing soccer."

"Right, good," Rusty said. "I'm glad it's all worked out okay, hey?"

Riley poured out the glasses and sat, and raised one up as a toast. "To new friends and new beginnings," he said, and we clinked glasses.

"So," Rusty said after a moment, "I have a few things to bring you two up to speed on. It'll probably bear repeating when Jean and Ami are up, but I know your mother is a bit sensitive about the whole 'cryptoanthropology' gambit – "

"The what?" I asked.

Riley grimaced. "You have a term for it now, Rusty?"

"I do, yeah," he replied, then turned back to me. "Cryptoanthropology. The, er, study of human monsters. It'd be a budding and bright new field of research, if it weren't for the fact that it was, y'know, as far-bloody-fetched as it sounds. We won't be getting any federal funding for it, that's for sure."

"Oooh... kay?"

He put his glass of lemonade down. "I'll cut to the chase, shall I?" He took a breath. "I tried to go back to Armitage."

Riley sat up. "Ami would not want to hear that, Rusty. Heck, I'm not sure I'm happy to hear about it."

Rusty shrugged. "I had to do try it, though, Riley. I wanted to go take a look, see what was left. I know you fellas told me the entire town burned right down to the ground, but... did you know there wasn't so much as a peep in any of the papers about it? Nothing online, nothing on PBS or Fox or ABC."