The Curious Case of the Two Dirk Gentlys

56: The End Part 2: A Home for Everyone

It took nearly a whole year to get everything back to normal. Well, a vague attempt at normal at least. All in all Victoria's case had ended well. There had been no serious casualties and only Priest's life had been permanently negatively effected (and nobody felt particularly bad about that). However, it didn't end clean and smooth. There were nearly a hundred pieces littering the path back to normality. There were possessions that needed to be reclaimed, phone books that had to be corrected, passports that needed to be reapplied for (which considering the circumstances of their arrival back in America was extremely difficult), and then of course were the immigration papers.

The desicion to leave England had been hard and had generated an awful lot of discussion but Victoria and Robert were sure it was the right thing to do. As much as they wanted to be they were no ordinary family and Albert was no ordinary child. If they were going to care for him properly they couldn't leave him isolated in England with only two holistics to hand. They needed to raise him around people who understood. People like Amanda.

Amanda had been extremely busy in the months since Wendimoor. She'd met past projects, their children, and many holistics with no ties to Blackwing's history. She loved them, nurtured them, and through bartering, bribing, and legal loopholes found a place to train them. Her very own school for gifted youngsters. Of course Albert was far too young to attend but his name was marked down on the enrolment list and Amanda and the rowdy three were always close by, as were Dirk and Mona. Even Bart was willing to help out, though how reliable she would be was unclear. Albert would be safer around people like himself, safer and happier.

"Well I think that's all. Did I miss anything?" Asked Svald as he finished an approximately hour long advice talk that contained very little helpful information. He'd insisted on being involved in the move having taken his son's connection to the family as a sign from the universe. In fact he'd never been so committed to a case and the people involved in his life.

"What? No, no. Thank you, Svald." Yawned Robert as he snapped back to reality.

"Relax a little, Svald. Try and think of this as a vacation." Said Mona.

"This isn't a 'vacation'. Why would I take a holiday in America? It's far too big and there's too many people...and nobody pronounces aluminium correctly." Replied Svald.

"Why how do they say it here?" Asked Victoria.

"You don't want to know."

"It's been great seeing you again, Svald. Are you staying long?" Asked Todd.

"No, no. I'm actually taking sometime out of a case in Scotland." Svald explained.

"Scotland? Oh no...please don't say-".

"The Loch Ness monster is alive and well and stealing wedding rings."

"Yeah...I'm going to send you a PDF of an old case file. I think it might help." Todd nodded.

"Well I should really get going. I want at least one good night's sleep before my flight back to England. Goodbye all." He tipped his hat and picked up his battered brief case before making his way to the door.

"Bye Svald." The group chorused.

"Wait, hang on a second." Called Dirk as he ran to catch Svald outside. "Is that it? How long before I see you again?"

"Oh don't worry. I've got a feeling the American and UK divisions of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency will  work together again very soon." Svald smiled fondly.

"You think we'll get another case?' Asked Dirk.

"I think we already do." Svald reached down and opened his scratched case. From inside he carefully removed a perfectly preserved scrapbook which he placed in Dirk's hands. It felt incredibly fragile, like on overly fast page turn would rip it clean in half. Dirk lightly flicked through the pages. Glued there were even more pictures, all much less creased than the one he'd found in Svald's house. Pictures of him, pictures of Svald and his mother, Sarah, pictures of a childhood he couldn't remember.

"This family isn't complete." Said Svald. "Not yet. But it can be. With you here and me back over there."

"We can find her."

"Or at least find out what happened to her." Svald nodded. "I have to go, son, but I promise it won't be another thirty years before I see you again."

"It better not be." Dirk laughed.

Todd barely noticed how distracted Dirk was when he returned, partly because Dirk always seemed distracted. All he was interested in was finally officially closing Victoria's case so they could move on. They already had a new job and couldn't afford to be fall behind on paperwork.

"Am I okay to file this away?" Asked Todd.

"What? Oh, yes, of course." Dirk dismissed.

"Where do-"

"You know what to do." He said as he took the book upstairs. Todd looked at the file. According to the official filing system the trigger event should be the main factor, it should have been put in T for theft or D for disappearance. But screw the system, Todd knew where the file belonged. He smiled and placed the file under F for family.