Part 4

We all set off, but Meowth insisted on staying behind. He didn’t want to get near Jessiebelle again and I couldn’t blame him. Jessiebelle Greene and her parents lived in a mansion much like the one James’s family had lived in, and it was almost next-door. When we knocked, a butler answered. He stared at us for a long time before lowering himself to ask who we were.

Finally, Jessiebelle came up behind him. “Well, if isn’t James’s charming friends!” she said in her syrupy voice. “Won’t you come in?”

I was reminded again that this woman was not mentally balanced. Between the nasty expression on her face and the hours of tiredness showing on mine we didn’t look much alike anymore. I wasn’t jealous of her money or her tie to James anymore. It had been a long time since I had had anything but contempt for Jessiebelle.

When her parents saw us they were clearly not thrilled at their daughter’s decision to let us in. The kids were too frightened by Jessiebelle to say a word; they just cowered behind me.

“We have some questions about the death of the Morgans,” I began.

“I thought their criminal son had already been arrested,” replied Mr. Greene.

“Oh, but this is his little friend,” giggled Jessiebelle. “She probably can’t believe just how awful he turned out to be. But I could have told her that!”

I had to sit there counting to myself silently for a minute before I gained control. I decided not to hit her in the head, or send Arbok after her. Anyway, that nasty vileplume of hers was still peeking out from behind her chair. Finally I could speak again. “Where exactly were you on the night of the murders?”

Jessiebelle laughed her horrible laugh again. “Why, we were at a dinner party at the Yances. Everyone who is anyone was there. The Morgans weren’t invited, they’ve been a bit in disgrace since the last time their son showed up.”

“Where do the Yances live?”

“They live way out in the country.”

“And no one left early, or disappeared for a long time?”

“No… well, my father did leave early.”

Her father spoke up. “One of the servants called the Yances complaining of an intruder in the garden in back. I didn’t know at the time of course, but now I think that maniac Morgan kid was coming here to get Jessiebelle too! But by the time I got here the intruder was gone, I looked everywhere and didn’t bother calling the police.”

“So basically everyone who knew the Morgans was at the same party that night?”

They nodded. I couldn’t believe it. There was no way I was going to figure out who really killed James’s parents. I began to remember all the things I had hoped might happen someday for James and me, and I wanted to burst into tears on the spot. But I’m stronger than that, and I just shrugged my shoulders and turned to go.

Suddenly Brock spoke up.

“So, Jessiebelle, you took your pokemon to this party?”

I couldn’t tell what he was getting at, but I was impressed at how tough he was being. Evidently Jessiebelle didn’t appeal to him much.

“Why no, a dinner party is no place for pokemon.”

“Oh, I see, so your vileplume stays in its pokeball for events like this.”

“No, my vileplume can’t stand its pokeball. I left it in the garden.”

Now I understood. I turned to Mr. Greene. “It’s spore season for the vileplume, Mr. Greene. So how would an intruder be in the garden without the vileplume throwing spores at him? And how would you be in there yourself?”

Mr. Greene looked nervous. “The intruder… I don’t know, maybe there wasn’t one after all. And I, I ordered the vileplume away.”

Jessiebelle turned to her father. “Daddy, that vileplume has never listened to anyone but me! Why are you lying to this woman?”

So Jessiebelle hadn’t done it but her father had? I didn’t wait to hear any more. I shouted, “Arbok, go!” and ordered Arbok to wrap itself around him. I yelled to the kids to call the police. Mrs. Greene began to go into hysterics. Jessiebelle began to yell at her father.

“Daddy, how could you? You ruined my only chance with James. And murder!” Jessiebelle’s values seemed a little out of order.

Her father began to shout. “Jessiebelle, you never had a chance with James, he ran away from you twice! And his parents were trying to get back into society by telling everyone about your little hobbies with whips. If I hadn’t done anything, we’d have been the next family in disgrace!”

“Looks like they will be anyway,” muttered Ash. The kid has a gift for the obvious, but for once he had made an appropriate remark.

Jessiebelle began to cry. When the police came, I lost it completely and began threatening them with Arbok if they didn’t call and order James’s immediate release. I didn’t quite achieve that, but they told me that if I left now he’d probably be out by the time I got to the prison.

When I got outside, I saw Hopkins. The noise and police cars must have brought him over. When I told him what had happened, he smiled and said he always knew James was innocent. He wrote a note on a piece of paper and told me to give it to James. I asked him if he had anywhere to go now, and he looked around and said in a hushed voice, “Anywhere I want. I’ve been stealing money from James’s parents for over twenty-five years.”

I thought the kids would take this opportunity to leave, but they insisted on following me to the prison. I was too grateful to Brock (and the other two, really) to tell them to go.

When we got to the prison gates James was standing in front of them. He was wearing the wrinkled clothing he had been taken away in, and his hair was a horrible mess. I ran forward and threw my arms around him. We just stood there for a few minutes, holding each other. Then I did what I wished I had done before all this had to happen. I kissed him. I didn’t even care that the twerps were watching. Evidently he didn’t care either, because he kept kissing me for a long time.

“I’m sorry I look so awful,” he murmured to me.

“Well, I’m glad I got you out or who knows how you would have ended up.”

For the time being, that was our way of saying “I love you.”

Finally we looked around and saw the backs of three kids who were pretending to look at trees. I called them over and explained to James how much help they had been.

Misty said, “James, I’m sorry about your parents.”

I had to give her credit for saying that. I hadn’t spent any time thinking about them except as the murder victims, but James probably had.

James nodded. “I’m sorry this happened to them, in spite of everything.”

Then I remembered the note from the butler. James opened it and read, “Please do not forget to retrieve Growlie, he misses you terribly. And keep in mind that Growlie’s residence is not part of the house and was not distributed in the will. Technically I suppose it belongs to Growlie, but you may wish to make use of it yourself.”

James was shocked. “Do you have any idea what that place is worth?” I didn’t but I could imagine.

“We could sell it or rent it, we could live off that kind of money!” said James.

“We should throw a party in it first, after a decent time goes by,” I said.

We even invited the twerps.

The End