A week has passed since Steven put up the Midnight Hotline posters. And so far they haven't received any serious calls yet. When the phone rang for the first time, Steven got excited. But it turned out to be a prank call.
The second call happened in the middle of the night and was by a drunk guy. He just came out of the pub and dialed the number on impulse. Steven tried to ask him if he was okay going home alone but the drunk guy started asking what clothes Steven was wearing and if Steven could do oral sex. Steven quickly hang-up after that.
The third call sounded serious at first. Steven sounded so relieved answering it that the caller felt bad and revealed that he was dared by his friends to call the number on the poster for 15 pounds. Steven reassures the guilty caller that it's fine, but Steven is starting to get discouraged after all these prank calls.
The fourth call creeped Steven out since it was just heavy breathing before it was cut off. Then the phone rang a few more times and Steven was greeted with the same heavy breathing.
Jake turned the phone off after that and said to turn it on after 24 hours.
The next call was finally a genuine request and it was by an elder who asked if Steven could clean his bathroom.
Steven, we are not cleaning some old guy's bathroom. It could be another prank.
Marc stated once Steven hung up.
The dude is an old man, Marc. I doubt he has the strength to bend down and do house chores without breaking his bones. And he really sounded relieved when I said yes.
Steven tried to reason with Marc. Steven is just happy to finally find a client who was serious for once.
"How would you know? The last ones are nothing but prank calls" Marc asked. For the past week, Steven would answer with a hopeful voice but after each call Steven would look sad and disappointed. And Marc doesn't like it when Steven becomes sad. Marc was hoping his alter would give up on this so he won't have to look at Steven's sad face again.
"Let's ask Khonshu to double check. Hey Khonshu, can you see if this call is a prank or not."
Steven asked. The god in question materialized by the window, leaning against the wall.
"I can search for the caller in question but I will need a name and maybe the address." Khonshu replied.
"Um, I think his name was Peterson or something. " Steven said.
"You forgot to ask, didn't you?" Khonshu said. Steven got so excited that he forgot to ask for the details.
"I'll just call him again and ask for his name. I still have his number" Steven said as he grabbed the phone again and dialed the old man who called him earlier.
It took a couple of rings before the old man answered back. "Hello"
"Hello there sir. It's me again. I forgot to ask you name and address, as a formality so I will know where to go." Steven said.
"Why would you want to ask for my address? Who is this and what do you want?!" The old man sounded tense now, as if he didn't just talk to Steven a few minutes ago.
"Um sir, you called me first? Asking if I can clean your bathroom?" Steven sounded unsure about this.
"Really? That's great. My bathroom is starting to smell and my back has been killing me for the past week. If you can come right away that would be wonderful." It was like a switch flipped, the old man now sounded friendly on the phone.
"Wait, can I ask for your name? I didn't get it the first time. As well as your address if you don't mind." Steven quickly said now that the old man, Edward Peterson, remembers.
"Oh sure. It's Edward Peterson. I am staying at 34b Lily Street. It's quite lovely this time of year."
"I'm sure it is. My name is Mr. Knight by the way. I should be there in an hour or so Mr. Peterson. Cheers." Steven said before he hung up. He decided to keep that alias rather than say his real name.
Something about that call just doesn't feel right though. He is starting to think that maybe Marc was right about it being another prank call since Mr. Peterson didn't remember even calling him. But he is not one to give up, maybe the old man just forgot. But just in case, there is still the Moon God.
"Hey Khonshu, can you see if Edward Peterson is real?"
Steven asks the god.
"I'll go and take a look if he really needs help, Do remember to ask for the details next time" Khonshu said before he disappeared in a silent wisp of dust. He reappeared after a few minutes, just as Steven was preparing the cleaning supplies.
"The elderly is real and he indeed has a dirty bathroom."
"See Marc, I told you this is not a prank." Steven tells Marc. He feels a bit smug now that Khonshu confirmed the old man does exist.
"There is something you will need to know about the old man Steven. While he seems to be in perfect health, I sense something is off with him so be alert and observe the man." Khonshu said. Steven felt a bit offended by that though.
"Hey, give Mr. Peterson a break Khonshu. He's just an old man." He said to the god.
"Steven, never underestimate old men, or anyone in particular. Always be on alert even if it seems things are relaxed." Marc said. Now Steven is pissed at how Khonshu and Marc are talking about Edward Peterson. Interpreting it as them saying that the elderly man is a dangerous criminal.
Regardless, Steven still needs Khonshu's help to direct him to Mr. Peterson's address.
Steven realized earlier that he had a horrible sense of direction and would get lost for no reason. He also refused to listen to Khonshu when the god would give directions. This resulted in the two having a screaming match. Steven would yell at Khonshu to shut up and Khonshu would yell back at how much of an idiot Steven.
"Take a left you idiot, no, no, your other left. You just missed it! For Ra's sake go back!"
"Will you shut your beak for five minutes!? I know how to read a map!"
Turns out Steven was reading the map upside down the whole time and got them lost for a good 5 hours. Jake fronted after that and got them back in the right direction. Steven still refused to trust Khonshu's instructions until he nearly got them run over by a train.
Before Steven arrived on Edward Petterson's house, he summoned the suit so his face will be covered..
The old man's house was a simple brick apartment sandwiched between similar houses. Steven knocked on the door and was greeted with a charming old man in a worn out blue polo shirt. This must be Edward Peterson, he thought.
The old man looked up at the stranger in white and ended up reacting in shock. He took a step back and said, "Who are you!? Are you the grim reaper? I knew it was only a matter of time for you to take my soul"
Steven was not expecting this response and tried to diffuse the situation quickly. Hoping he won't give Mr. Peterson a heart attack with his presence. "Wait, It's me Mr. Knight. We talked on the phone, remember? "
But Mr. Peterson heard it differently. "An angel of the night? It's almost noon, why are you out in the sun?"
"No, MR. KNIGHT. Like the Knights of the round table? You called about your dirty bathroom." Steven tried to reason again.
Maybe you should have not shown up in a white suit and a white mask, which kind of makes you look like a ghost. Jake said inside their head
Shut-up Jake, your suit has black on it and makes you look like a bat. Steven said mentally.
The word bathroom seems to have sparked something in the old man.
"My bathroom?" He said, slowly blinking his eyes.
"Yes, yes. You said that your bathroom is dirty?" Steven tried to explain to the seemingly forgetful man, talking slowly to try to make him remember.
Steven can finally see some clarity in the old man's eyes.
"Ah, yes, now I remember, My bathroom is such a mess. I was hoping to take a shower but the room just smells so bad I had to leave. I didn't even wash my bum for 2 days now. I think there's a rash growing somewhere here." The man then starts to unbuckle his belt. Steven had to stop him before Mr. Peterson took off his pants.
Too much information. Marc commented.
Then stop listening and let me do this. Why are you even here? Steven said inside his head, already tired of his headmates' complaints.
I'm not going to let you do this alone Steven. You never know if Mr. Peterson over here might do something. Mark said. Steven is appalled that Marc might see the old man as a threat.
Marc, he is just an old man. He looks like he can barely hit a fly.
This is still related to Khonshu, so I'm not letting you do this on your own. Just pretend I'm not here.
Marc tried to reassure Steven.
Kind of hard when you keep talking in my head. Just, no more comments okay? I'll tell you if I need your help
Steven replied back. He then led Mr. Peterson back into the house.
Almost immediately Steven is taken back by a horrible smell. And it's not just the bathroom, parts of the house interior has this stench like it wasn't cleaned in weeks. He realized his mask was blocking the initial smell but inside, it was hitting him like a truck.
God, what is that smell? When was the last time his house was cleaned? I can see trash bags with mold near the stairs.
Jake mentally said. Smelling it through their nose. Steven was thinking the same thing, he can see cans of food scattered on the floor and dirty clothes everywhere.
"Mr. Peterson, when was the last time someone cleaned your house?" Steven asked. He set Edward down on the sofa. Which looks like it has bits of food and moldy bread on it. Steven tried to avoid those.
"Oh, yesterday I believe. My housekeeper usually does the cleaning for me now that my bones are getting old." Edward said. He seems to be unaware that his whole house looks like it wasn't cleaned in weeks. Edward later explained that he had surgery 6 months ago and is unable to do any chores so he hired a housekeeper.
"So, where is your housekeeper?" Steven asked.
"You mean Janice? Hey Janice, Love. Can you come over here for sec? There's this odd gentleman in white looking for you." Edward suddenly called to the next room. A bark was heard before what looked like a medium sized dog walked in the room. There is no collar so Steven assumes it is a stray.
"Mr. Peterson, that's a dog." Steven said. He is standing infront of Edward as they converse. Refusing to sit on the moldy couch
"What, no this is Janice. She was chatty at first but now she just keeps me company." Edward says it's a fact. Steven just stared at the way Edward rubs "Janice's" head. When Khonshu said there is something off about Edward, this was probably what the god meant.
Steven tried to get Edward's attention again and the old man once again became startled. As if he is just seeing Steven for the first time.
"Who are you and how did you get into my house?" Edward said. Janice left the room, possibly bored now that Edward stopped petting her head.
"My name is Mr. Knight. I'm here because you called me about your dirty bathroom." Steven said once again. He is starting to wonder if this is something he will need to keep doing. It's very obvious that something is wrong with Mr. Peterson's memory. They should contact a doctor once they leave, or look for this "Janice" Mr. Peterson calls his housekeeper.
"Mr. Dwight is it? Ah yes, my bathroom. My housekeeper usually cleans it every week." Edward says.
"It's Mr. Knight." Steven corrected but Edward didn't seem to listen. The old man then led Steven to his bathroom on the second floor.
If this is how his house looks like, I can only imagine how dirty his bathroom will be. Better hold your breath Steven. Jake advised.
And Steven had to agree with him. The moment Edward opens the bathroom door, Steven is taken by the brownish tiles, tissue papers and take-out packaging piled up on the floor and the corners. The once pristine white toilet seat is probably clogged and is caked with brown deposits and the smell is just so awful that Steven wants to cover nose, even if he is already wearing a mask. Steven's mask ended up thickening itself in response to Steven's emotions.
He realized the cleaning supplies he brought are not enough, in fact it would take a couple of days to clean this bathroom.
Steven even thought about starting to clean the rest of the house.
Steven, the job is only the bathroom. You don't need to clean up the rest of the house.
Marc mentally said.
Marc, Mr. Peterson is alone and unable to take care of himself. He tends to forget stuff and thinks a dog is his housekeeper. I have no idea what happened to his real housekeeper but this place is a safety hazard and is no place for an elderly man to live. What if he gets an infection or falls down the stairs?
Steven said back.
Steven returned the next day with more cleaning supplies. Edward Peterson seems to keep forgetting about Mr. Knight so Steven has to reintroduce himself each time.
"Oh, you're here to clean up? Usually I leave that to Janice but sure you can come in Mr. Wright." Edward Peterson also developed a habit of never getting Steven's alias right. But Steven didn't mind it much. It's much better than being called a "worm".
They also started looking into this "Janice", to see what happened to her. Jake used his contacts to trace her and learned that she was part of a Cleaning Agency that went bankrupt 3 months ago. Janice Winston was among the employees.
Looking closer, they also learned that Janice was an illegal immigrant that the Agency smuggled in for cheap labor. There is a lack of documents regarding her origins and her education papers are forged, even her surname of Winston is actually fake. When the agency closed down, she had to go into hiding. Janice may have been deported back to her home country.
But it seems that Edward didn't realize Janice stopped coming 3 months ago. Steven has no idea how that stray dog got in the house but Edward seems to have mistaken the stray dog to be Janice.
They also looked into Mr. Peterson's family. Steven tried asking if there is anyone Edward remembers and he explained that his wife died of cancer years ago. His children also have families of their own and are living in America now. This means that Edward Peterson has been alone for 3 months.