Chapter 26: Crucial Information: More notes from the desk of Dr. Kim Dress

Transcribed word for word from audio recording. Fifth session, snippet of last tape. Notes added to show emphasis or mood where needed by Stephanie Rahl, BA of Stenography.

Dr. Kim Dress: Jimmy, is it fair to say that you have a lot of energy?

Jimmy: I know I’m incredibly muscular and mature for my age, but I’m still fourteen, of course I have energy. Are we just asking obvious things now? I’ll play; do you get sleepy at night?

Dr. Kim Dress: Jimmy I -

Jimmy: Do you often get confused when you don’t understand something? Do you get sad when your pets die?

A short silence.

Dr. Kim Dress: Jimmy, I wasn’t trying to offend you. I was just noting that you have a lot more, let’s call it something else, this extra zest, wouldn’t you say? I mean, let’s face it, most boys your age don’t take on as many responsibilities as you do, do they?

A short silence.

Dr. Kim Dress: Jimmy, could you answer the question?

Jimmy: I suppose I do take on quite a bit. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m a lead detective. That’s way more work than a regular detective does. Plus my dad’s on the road a lot, so I help around the house a lot.

Dr. Kim Dress: So besides your detective work, and your work at the shelter, what do you like to use your zest on?

Jimmy: Can we stop calling it ‘zest’? It sounds like a Taco Bell commercial.

A long exhalation is heard.

Jimmy: But besides those things, no not really. Not anymore.

Dr. Kim Dress: What do you mean by not anymore?

Jimmy: And anyways, you wouldn’t believe the overlap those things have. Remember when I busted that catnapping wide open? That was the same shelter I work at now. Crazy, huh? I’m still pretty sure that there are mutants there, still no proof on that, though.

Dr. Kim Dress: Jimmy - 

Jimmy: Although the janitor sure looks like a mutant. You should see this guy. I won’t describe him though, that would be rude. But there’s other cases there too, like The Case of the Missing Tongue Depressors. Or the weird squeaking sounds coming from the vents. Ghost mice? Who knows? Or there’s the lost rabid dog named Old Smeller who somehow escaped and has disappeared without a trace. Not a hair left behind, seems like he had help! It’s baffling.

Short silence.

Jimmy: So yeah, there’s a lot to do. Does that answer your question?

Short silence. Some writing is heard.

Dr. Kim Dress: Jimmy, earlier you said that you didn’t have other interests ‘any more’, do you remember saying that?

Jimmy: I don’t know, probably, I said a lot of stuff.

Dr. Kim Dress: Well, what did you mean by that? What other interests did you have?

Jimmy: Oh, you know, the usual stuff. Bugs. Rockets. Dinosaurs, until I learned that everything we know about them is basically BS. Balloon animals. Magic.

Dr. Kim Dress: Jimmy - 

Jimmy: Karate. Juggling. Drawing. Space, but I would never want to go there; black holes sound kinda scary. Kinda like space quicksand. Robots. Tee-pees….

Jimmy trails off. Some more writing is heard.