The ride to Sally’s office didn’t take long. Her company resides in a flat two-story building along one of the main roads out of the city. I found an employee waiting for me at the front door when I walked. An older lady with heavy thighs bulging against her dress held out her hand with a limp wrist handshake.

“Mr. Dagger, I’m Tonya, Mrs. Vaugh’s editor. It’s a pleasure to meet such a local celebrity. My boss asked me to escort you around if you arrived early.”

I smiled politely while sensing a wary vibe coming from this woman wearing a load of makeup and a colorful turban around her head. She walked me through a series of doors to the back of the building. As she regaled me with the history of the company, I discovered a large factory-like room where a large printing press noisily ran. Employees stacked and bundled a line of books coming out of the machines.

“Since we’re a small publishing house, we produce limited runs of our author’s novels,” she explained over the din.

After a quick trip through the small warehouse, we took a back stairway to the second floor. The sounds of the machinery faded to nothing as we entered a conference room. Sally sat at the head of the long table that took up most of the room.

“Hello, Lane. I’m so glad you could come over,” she said while coming to greet him.

Sally shook his hand, then gave me an unexpected hug with one arm while Tonya exited the room.

“Well, that’s some greeting,” I said. “You have an interesting company. I guess you wanted to talk about your business from the tour I received.”

She pointed to a seat while nodding.

“Yes, you own a substantial portion of this business, so I knew you needed to see what you purchased.”

As she sat next to me, I immediately noticed her cleavage, nicely defined by the white dress she wore.

“Well, there’s no hurry. I talked to Adele about it. She’s not in a rush. I mean, you’ve got plenty on your plate still.” My eyes avoided hers. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t go to Joe’s funeral.”

Sally wrapped her arm around mine and laid her head on my shoulder.

“You had enough problems just staying alive. You don’t need to apologize. I’ve said my goodbyes and I’m at peace.” She lifted her head and gave a weak smile.

“Like you told me, keep.”

I avoided rolling my eyes at that statement.

Like I’m the one to give advice!

“Thank you. I’m seriously happy that you’re doing better.”

My eyes kept glancing at her smooth, lightly freckled skin leading down to her breasts. The woman’s closeness made me nervous and excited.

“So, what are we doing for lunch?” My question came to divert me from an interesting fantasy coming to mind.

“Oh, I’ve got an idea,” she said playfully, then rose from the chair. “But first I need to give you this.”

Sally went to the other end of the table and picked up a folder. She brought it back and her blue eyes appeared to light up as she spoke.

“This just needs your signature. It gives you forty percent of the company and lays out the terms of the loan repayment. I had our lawyer draw it up. You mentioned it was Adele’s money, so she’ll need to sign as well. That is, if the terms are agreeable to both of you. We can have the company pay back the money with interest if that’s something you prefer.”

I took the folder and glanced at it. Of course, I’m pretty clueless to how this will work, so my plan is to get Adele involved. Like Sally said, it is my wife’s money.

“I’m hungry. Let’s get lunch,” I replied with a grin.

Sally smiled, then led me out of the conference room.

Morbid Ink Magazine

~~~

On the second floor of the Stull Junction library, Adele sat near one of the large windows, scanning the index of a book. She heard the bells from the town square clock and looked out at the column in the distance.

It’s already noon!

The woman spent the last three hours going through several stacks of local and California history books which sat on top of the table near her. She knew Lane let her do this research because she insisted. Normally, she would be listening to a soap opera on the radio while debating what Lane might want for dinner. However, Adele found her new work satisfying in a way she hadn’t expected. The musty smell of paper and leather inside the area near the shelves reminded her of a good time. Upton College provided her with intellectual challenge and fond memories.

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Taking a break from her search for the Elder’s family history, the woman looked through a list of colleges inside a book she discovered in the stacks. Adele adjusted her wristwatch to the time on the clock outside, then looked over the index again with a scowl.

Why isn’t it here?

The book of United States colleges had no mention of Upton. She searched the book further and still found no reference for the institution. After several minutes, Adele gave up with a shrug.

Maybe it merged with another, she wondered. After all, it was a women’s college. The trend lately seemed to be co-educational institutions.

Adele scowled at the thought, then returned to her earlier work. As she looked over her notes, the woman wondered what the information had to do with Lane.

How could Cora’s ghost hurt Lane like that?

She remembered that spiritualism held popularity in the past. Adele recalled her mother talking about going to seances as a child. However, another piece of history came to mind for Adele as well. Several statues bled from their eyes over the centuries. The faithful flocked to witness these miracles.

She leaned back in her chair and stretched as she considered the thought. Neither Lane nor she held religious convictions. In fact, they married in a civil ceremony. As the woman thought about it, she couldn’t recall seeing a church in Stull Junction. She tilted her head at the thought.

No, that can’t be right.

Letting out a deep breath, Adele got up from the table. She planned to return the books she had when she heard a familiar voice whisper to her.

“Hello sweety. I thought I might find you here,” Lloyd Childress walked up with a smile, sitting his hat down on the table.

Adele glared at him.

“Why would you think I was here?”

Taken aback by her reaction, Lloyd adjusted the sleeves on his expensive coat as he came close. He gave her his most charming smile.

“What I meant to say was a friend told me you were here.”

“Lloyd, I’m busy. Is there something you want?”

“Of course, it’s you, my dear. It’s been frightfully lonely since the last time I’ve seen you. Have you come to your senses yet?”

Adele went back to picking up some of her books. The man frowned when he noticed she started wearing her wedding ring again.

“I’ve told you when you called me the last time that I’m not getting a divorce,” Adele continued.

“Lane already forgave me, and I’ve done the same. I don’t like your continued calls to the apartment.” She gave him an icy stare of disapproval.

The man reached over and took the books from her.

“Do you really think that a zebra can change his stripes?” he whispered while leaning close. “No man can really forgive a cheating wife. I’ve handled dozens of divorces and I can tell you that you’ll only be fooling yourself. You told me he only married you for your fortune. Well, it appears that he has it all unless you get wise to him.”

Adele picked up her notes, trying to ignore him. His point hit close to home. She still harbored some suspicion in the back of her mind. Lloyd picked up on her expression.

“Adele, you’re a wonderful person with compassion for everyone. However, that makes you a target for unscrupulous people. Now, you’re an intelligent, reasonable person. Tell me you believe he’s changed to improve your life. After all, the way the paper’s reported it, he put you in danger.”

Adele looked over at his spiteful expression.

“Lloyd, I can guarantee you that Lane Dagger transformed. Lane’s certainly not perfect, but he’s trying. That’s more than you ever attempted.”

“Come now, we’re destined for each other. I don’t need to tell you again that you can be free of him. Make your own life as you told me you wanted. Don’t stop now just because he showed up that night to interrupt our fun.”

She picked up the other stack of books.

“It’s not wise to bring up a sore point. You should be glad he didn’t take care of you like he did with Antonio’s hoods,” the woman smirked.

Adele noticed the concern wash across his face. It pleased her. She still harbored an uneasy feeling about Lloyd. He practically hinted at knowledge about Lane’s apparent disappearance for several days. That was before Lane suddenly showed up at their apartment that night.

I can’t believe that I found an interest in this twit.

She shook her head, knowing that she only sought shelter from the loneliness eating away at her. Lloyd’s attention brought comfort to her in a time of need. Still, he couldn’t compare to Lane in many ways. As she walked away, she smiled to herself.

“By the way, you’re not getting anywhere with that small thing between your legs,” Adele smirked.

The man dropped the books on the table, his face screwed up in a growing rage.

Alright, we’ll see who’ll be laughing when I’m finished, he thought.

~~~

Sally drove me several blocks in her new DeSoto before she pulled to a stop at an apartment building. The two-story structure carried a refined, if squat, look on the outside where rounded features adorned the windows. Pale green railings and porthole windows made it look like a ship at certain angles.

I looked around and saw no other structures that looked like they held a restaurant. She chuckled at my confused expression.

“My apartment’s here,” she explained. “I moved out of the other place. Too many memories that I didn’t want.”

“But why here?”

“Just follow me and find out.”

Inside her place, I discovered an apartment with familiar furnishings and the rounded curves in the windows and doors like her previous house. She pointed me to the art déco chrome table with matching chairs.

“I’m making lunch,” she stated.

“Really, you don’t have to go to...” I stopped when she glared at me and pointed to the table.

Sally stepped around the counter into the kitchen. She looked back through the half-round pass-through window separating the rooms. Taking the role of the meek mouse, I took my spot after tossing my hat on another chair.

“Don’t worry, it’s a quick, light lunch. I hope you like tuna.”

Looking at the strange design of the salt and pepper shakers, I explained that I’m a sucker for almost any type of food. She grinned while pulling the ingredients together. My mind remained on how to use the shakers. Each of them looked like a kid’s toy airplane.

“I wanted you here to relax and we can talk about things I want to understand.”

As she worked, she told me about her struggles to come to terms with Joe’s death. Her words started me thinking as well. It’s kind of hard not to consider your own role in a guy’s death. She pushed through two glasses filled with beer on the counter.

“I could use a drink, so I got you one as well. Can you take them to the table?”

Retrieving the glassware, I asked why she wanted to talk to me.

“Believe it or not, I consider you a friend,” she replied, and I noticed hesitation. “Is that too presumptuous?”

Thinking back to our encounters, I shook my head.

“No, I think you and I have shared more in a few days than many people who say they’re friends.”

Stepping into the dining room with two plates, Sally nodded with a sad smile.

“Yes, we’ve shared far more than most people.”