Following my instincts along with my hazy waterlogged memories during my first night in the city, I drove toward the foothills. Eventually, I found the road leading to Sally’s home. Although I missed the turn to her long drive up to the house, I doubled backed after turning into someone’s drive, then found the narrow drive.

Exposed by the morning sun, the curves along the way reveal an interesting view of Stull Junction in the distance below. When I finally reached the adobe structure, the first thing I noticed was a car near the porch with the driver’s door open. I pulled next to it and got out of my Hudson and looked inside the empty car.

When I looked at the front door to the house, I saw that it’s wide open and I looked around the yard. There’s a rising suspicion filling me as I walk to the entrance. Looking around, I called out, but there’s no reply. Slowly, I made my way inside and instantly saw Sally lying on the white couch. My concern grew as I stepped closer, but she rolled her head and I realized she was sleeping.

Kneeling next to the couch, I watched her, wondering about Joe. I noticed mascara streaks from her dried tears on her cheeks while lipstick smears covered her mouth.

Did she have a fight with Joe?

As I stared, her eyes gradually opened, the blue irises showing no recognition of me for a moment. Then she sat up with a wave of terror filling her face. When she recognized me, the expression changed to disappointment.

“What are you doing?”

“I got worried,” I explained. “The front door was open. I think you even left the car door open outside as well.”

The woman looked around and her face went deadpan.

“It doesn’t matter. You can leave.”

“Did Joe hurt you?”

I let the question slip without thinking about it. I thought I struck pay dirt when her expression changed, and she scrambled to her feet. Tripping over a shoe as she rose, Sally fell into my arms, nearly sending both of us to the coffee table.

“Hold up,” I managed to say as I kept us upright.

“Is Joe here?” She struggled to remove her other pump, then yelled out for her husband.

“I didn’t see him. What’s the problem?”

Sally ignored me and hurried to the stairs behind the hearth. I followed along, remembering my last time at this rodeo. I also feared the worst as I went down the stairs. When I reached the bottom, Sally was hurrying to each room and yelling for Joe. When she finally got to the last open door, she stopped, and her shoulders sagged.

“The son of a bitch still has him.”

I heard her statement when I reached her. However, her next reaction threw me for a loop. Sally fell to her knees and her shoulders began bouncing. Finally, heavy sobs erupted from her. I stood there, not understanding the grief I saw but unable to leave her in such a state.

It seemed like an eternity before the shaking of her shoulders lessened. As I waited, I leaned against the hallway wall, slowly feeling sorry for her. Yeah, I consider her a character of this crazy world, but the grief I see is too real for me not to have some emotion.

At one point, she glanced over at me standing there. Sniffling, she shakily rose to her feet. She silently passed me and went to the bathroom. I heard her blow her nose and looked up when she came out using a tissue to dry her tears.

“Why are you here still?”

Her harsh tone made me lift myself away from the wall.

“I came to help you with your problem.”

“Did you finally screw up some courage?” Her mocking chuckle made me bitter, even if true.

Sally kept her head down, dabbing her eyes with the tissue in her hand.

“There’s no extension, so I don’t need you.” Sally looked at me with such a vacant and lifeless expression that I realized something overwhelming had happened to her. The question for me was whether I dropped it or pressed. I took a deep breath.

“I wasn’t talking about an extension. I’m talking about money for you to pay Antonio off.”

My words didn’t get through for a moment. Sally tilted her head as she gave a blank look that made me wonder if she heard me.

“You...what?”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m willing to give you a check for twenty thousand dollars right now for you to tell Antonio to go to hell!”

I gave her a reassuring smile. However, I didn’t expect the reaction that I would get. The woman broke down again, slumping against my chest. She might have fallen to the floor had I failed to catch her. Awkwardly trying to comfort her, I kept hearing Sally mumble the same thing over and over under her breath.

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“Why is this happening to me?”

We finally got back to the living room as Sally gradually recovered. The woman appeared so emotionally spent that I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I guided her to the stairs. When we got to the couch, I sat next to her and pulled out the check I made earlier.

“My idea is that we get this cashed at my bank, stuff the money in a suitcase and give it to Antonio.”

Sally stared at it, tears welling up again.

“Where were you last night?” she softly asked and dropped her head. Tears fell on her clasped hands. Feeling uncomfortable, I patted her on the shoulder lightly, trying to act like a friend. I’m not good at dealing with emotions anyway, and Sally appeared crushed by the weight of everything hitting her.

“Well, I just came up with the idea late last night. I thought a lot about the situation and my only solution was to pay off this guy to go away. But I’ve got stipulations on the money, so things don’t end up this way again. That’s why I drove up here to see if you are interested in this idea.”

Sally’s head fell on my shoulder for a moment, then she used the tissue to wipe her eyes again. After taking a deep breath, she lifted her head and looked at me.

“Now, what do you require me to do for this money?” she asked in a bitter tone laced with venom.

Now, I’m not expecting a hero’s welcome from Sally, but her brutal response to my offer took me back. I tried to keep my tone neutral as I laid out my conditions.

“Well, first thing is you have to put Joe into a place that can stop his drinking. Otherwise, you know he’ll be back at the gaming tables. The second requirement is to keep him miles away from Antonio. Given what you’ve told me so far, I can’t imagine that bastard is only happy with money. My guess is he’s trying to break you by using Joe as your weak point.”

Sally’s eyes widened, and she suddenly stood. The woman shook her head, mumbling to herself as she walked across the room.

“Are you saying that you decided Antonio was coming after me? You understood his plan just by our conversation yesterday in your office?” She remained facing away from me.

“Yeah, as I thought about it, I couldn’t make sense of it. But I’ve seen enough of T...” I paused, then restarted. “I mean, gangsters in movies are always looking for opportunity. Antonio let Joe back into his place for a reason.” I pulled off my fedora and leaned back.

“No offense, but your husband is an alcoholic who’s going to drag you into the pit with him. Gambling houses aren’t likely to keep a guy like your husband coming back unless they can profit from it. I’m guessing that Antonio listened to Joe ramble on about his life, then he sets him up with free drinks and takes the IOUs. The way I see it, Antonio is playing a long game, knowing he can get everything you have at some point. On top of it all, you slapped a hoodlum in public. I can’t imagine that he’d take that lying down. Big shots definitely like to stomp on ants.”

Sally turned around. Her stunned expression turned bitter as she hesitated, searching for something to say.

“How could you...You can’t possibly know...” The woman’s voice quivered as she stared at me.

“Wait, it’s because you think like him, don’t you?”

Offended at the thought, I scowled.

“If that was the case, then why did I come over here to help? I’ve been honest about this whole thing.”

Her shoulders slumped when she silently walked to the couch with her head down. The agony I saw in her face struck me, telling me I must be wrong. I finally pressed for an answer to figure out what I didn’t understand.

“Tell me what’s happened since we last spoke. Is Joe with Antonio? I guess he’s putting the pressure on you if so.”

Sally sat next to me and picked up the check again.

“Do you really mean that you’ll loan me this money?”

“I didn’t write it out as a joke. The only other requirement is I get a part of your company. You decide how much.”

That news baffled her.

“You don’t want control of the company?” Her shock forced a grin from me, and I chuckled at the idea.

“Hell no, I don’t want to work. I’m assuming you’ll be profitable. I just need the cover. I’m sure repercussions at home are waiting for me since I wrote such a large amount. In reality, it’s my wife’s fortune. Despite the rumors, I don’t really want her money.”

She nodded, a grim expression coming to her face. Sally remained quiet, obviously considering the offer. However, she looked ready to explode. After taking a deep breath, she looked up at the ceiling, almost like she said a silent prayer.

“Then, I’ll tell you everything, Lane Dagger. You’re going to see how weak and stupid I’ve been. It’s not pretty and I hope you don’t change your mind.”

It took a while to get the entire story since Sally nearly broke down several times as she relived the nightmare. While I wasn’t shocked at the gangster’s methods, the heartless way he took everything she held dear made me rage inside for Sally. Staring at the petite woman, the strength she showed me could only amaze me. So much pain and degradation in her experience last night, yet she calmly explained it all in a detached voice. Growing angry just listening, I surprised myself by promising that she would get revenge.

Yeah, it sounded stupid when I said it, but I still thought my plan would work. Only now, it became more of a retaliation item for her to hold on to.

The woman looked up at me as I stood and started slowly pacing the floor in front of her. As I think about the situation, my fingers clench together, making a fist. I’m feeling a rage surge inside of me and I wanted revenge for her. At this point, Antonio was close second to Miss Wonderful for those that I wanted to see die painfully.

Sally’s voice broke when she finished her story, interrupting my thoughts. I saw the flood of emotions in her eyes when I looked down at her. Placing my hand on her head softly, I noticed her expression reminded me of the vulnerability that I saw on Adele’s face our first morning together.

“Alright, you go get some rest. You’re shot right now.” I looked at my watch, still getting used to it hanging on my wrist.

Thoughts spinning in my head, I realized I needed to change my original idea. Originally, I would walk away after handing over the check. Now, I knew she couldn’t go alone on this. It was like sending a scuba diver down after putting chum in the water. Unfortunately, the alterations required my personal involvement. I took a deep breath.

“Antonio wants to meet you at noon. I don’t have much time to organize things. Meet me at my office at eleven with your largest purse. We’ll go across the street to the bank to get the money. I’m going to bring along some help as well.”

Sally stood up, frightened but also showing me her strength again.

“We’re really going to do this. What are you going to do?”

“I need to make a few calls. I think my little black book will help us right now.”

I grinned at her confusion.

“Get some rest and don’t be late. We’ll beat that bastard at his own game using money he doesn’t think you have.”