A yelling battle

"Honey, it's from the office. They want to discuss the campaign or something." Enter a middle-aged woman, who looked diligent to disturb a tranquil moment. Not only she did that, she then proceeded to stare towards Tanya and Zinbad. "Honey, who're they?" She looked back at her husband and asked.

"Oh, shit. I'm late, huh? Margaret, there are Zinbad and Tanya. They're private investigators and they wanted to talk about a missing case or something. Guys, this is my wife, Margaret." Tom introduced them.

"Hello." Both the parties simultaneously welcomed the other.

"Anyway, I'm late for the office. Would it be fine if we were to have this meeting in the evening?" Tom asked. He was a busy man with elections close, so it was a miracle in itself that he stayed over to welcome them.

"It's fine, sir. We're here to talk to your son." Zinbad replied.

"Oh, it seems like I'm not required. Margaret, will you please lead them to Ben then?" Tom requested his wife as he planted a kiss on her forehead. She lightly nodded her head. "Okay, then. I hope you get your answers. Bye, guys. Bye, honey." He bid adieu and Mrs. Hills shut the door behind him as he exited the mansion.

"So, Mrs. Hills, where's Ben Hills? Can we talk to him?" Zinbad wanted to see the guy before he forgets the questions that he prepared for him yesterday.

"Ben—he's not home. His dad doesn't know, but he's out partying with his friends. So, I'll get to you when he comes back." A sense of restlessness could be felt in Margaret's voice.

"Sure, give a ring to this number then!" Zinbad gave out his card which she accepted. Margaret looked like she was in a hurry to let both of them out of the mansion.

"Mom, the water's cold!" A faint but manly voice was heard from upstairs which stopped Zinbad and Tanya on their tracks.

"I'm sure I heard something." Zinbad blurted out.

"What? It might be a mistake." The restlessness in Margaret's voice increased to tenfold.

"Ben's here, isn't he?" Tanya opened her mouth for the second time; the first if we don't consider the drinking part.

"No, he isn't." Margaret began to yell obnoxiously, possibly alerting her son about the people downstairs.

"You were lying, weren't you?" Tanya didn't give up. She yelled back, thus starting a yelling contest.

"How dare you say that?" Margaret yelled in a dignified tone.

"Then you wouldn't mind if I took a look upstairs, right?" Tanya decided to deepen the wound that she caused in Margaret's mind.

"I'll call the police!" Margaret didn't have a proper answer. So she placed a hand over the phone.

"Are you threatening me with the police now?" Tanya knew the game that she was playing and decided to indulge herself in.

"You don't understand! They'll put you in jail." Rather than a proper answer, it was just pleading and threatening on Margaret's side. And it looked too easy for her.

"Do you think I fucking care? Now take your hands off the phone and get your son here!" Tanya was furious. She was done with this shit and tried to head upstairs.

"He did nothing wrong," Margaret said without realizing the magnitude of the words she blurted out.

"Did I say that he did? You are the one implying it, which means that he did something, right?" Tanya was quick to pounce on this opportunity that fell right into her lap.

"No!" Margaret looked destroyed once she realized her mistake.

"Why are you so reluctant? We just need to ask him some questions." Tanya decided to calm down a bit so that Margaret does too.

"No, it'll make him look like a criminal," Margaret replied timidly, almost in the brink of tears.

Tanya couldn't keep up the calm bit for even a single moment as she went back to her furious self. "What you're doing right now doesn't help that matter either. So, get your ass back to your son's room and bring him here or I'll personally drag his ass here!"

"Tanya!" This time, it was not Margaret, but Zinbad who yelled.

"What?" Tanya yelled back, momentarily distracting herself.

"Why are we shouting?" Zinbad chose the wrong time to ask a stupid question which made Tanya grab his collar.

"You fucking idiot! Look at what you did. The woman's got to have the police's number on speed dial. And you just gave her the chance. And now she's calling them. And now they're here. What are they, posting themselves in the gate, so that they could come by at any time? But geez that was fast!" Tanya gave up and let his collar go. She calmed herself quite a bit unlike moments ago.

"Sorry, I didn't expect this to happen." Realizing the mistake that he committed, he apologized.

"You should have, you idiot! Now it's ruined. Not only we couldn't talk to Ben, but now the police are here to arrest us." Tanya was still angry about his stupidity but could care less about it anymore.

"Tanya, you were the last person I expected here when I heard that some drunkard assaulted Mrs. Hills here!" It was Billy, the one person whom Tanya hated, was the person who came by to arrest them. It was the ultimate humiliation in Tanya's eyes.

"We didn't assault her!" It was Zinbad's turn to be furious. But, Tanya interrupted.

"Just don't, Zinbad! It's their words against ours. Most influential person versus a bunch of nobodies, who do you think they'd believe? We lost when she made the phone call." Seeing the guilt across Zinbad's face, Tanya chose not to blame him further. "Anyway, what are you waiting for, Billy?" She showed her arms to Billy, which he gladly handcuffed and escorted them to the police station.

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