The next morning, I got out of bed long before sunrise. Fortunately, Adele is a heavy sleeper, so it wasn’t hard for me to get dressed and out the apartment door without waking her. Making my way down the backstairs of the building, I worked my way to the side of the building where I saw the gray car following me the day before. The driver appeared asleep inside the vehicle, so I hurried to my car, which was parked several rows over on the other side of the lot.

After starting the car, I drove out of the lot with my headlights off, using the moonlight of a waning halfmoon to guide me to the street. Turning on the car’s lights, I headed to the Potter building where I had work to accomplish.

After arriving at the building, I used the unlocked door to enter the building while carrying a flashlight and a length of coiled rope from the car. I dropped the coil out through the partially opened window to the dock, then went back to the dock. After moving around some barrels and hooking one end of the rope to the building across the alley, I strung the rope along the ground to the dock and into the building. Then, I searched the building for the few items I needed to arrange everything for later that day.

When I got back to the apartment, I pulled back into the parking spot that I left earlier. The morning sun cast a red pall over the area as I took a long route around the building. When I entered, I took the same back stairs after looking out the front lobby windows at the gray car still in its place. When I entered the apartment, Adele was making coffee.

“Where have you been?”

“Oh, I couldn’t sleep, so I took a walk around the neighborhood,” I replied, as I slipped behind Adele.

My light kiss on her neck raised goosebumps on her skin and I smiled.

“How about some fun before breakfast?” I suggested.

Adele smiled and turned around.

“You read my mind,” she replied.

~~~

As we talked during our morning meal, Adele suggested setting a time to meet with Sally over the paperwork she sent with me. Obviously curious, I asked the reason.

“I wonder if we’re getting enough ownership of the company, given the amount that we gave her. I looked over her financial information and I think we should have more,” she said.

My surprised expression caused her to frown.

“I’m sorry if you think I’m out of line.”

“No, not at all,” I assured her. “It’s not like I’m a financial guru. I told her when I lent her the money that she could make the call. I guess I shouldn’t have done that without you.”

Adele’s expression remained thoughtful as I explained, then she took a sip of her coffee. After a moment, she replied.

“Yes, you should have told me. But that’s water under the bridge now. Do you think I’m wrong to push on this?”

The question struck me as strange at first, at least until I remembered how Lane Dagger took financial control away from her.

“No, we should discuss it with her. You should get the settlement you think is fair,” I told her. “I might be good at getting into trouble, but I don’t know much more than that.”

“You can say that again,” she teased me. “I’ll call her office and make some time for us.”

I remained quiet as I watched her carry her plate into the kitchen. My hope was the conversation would not take another turn.

As I drove Adele to her car, I noticed my shadow’s car picked us up as we left the parking lot of the apartment building. I stayed silent about this with the woman next to me. Instead, I asked about her plans for the day.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I’m having lunch with Jenny. She’s been in a huff since... well, I’ve been so busy we need to catch up.” Adele played with the strap on her purse.

“No doubt, she’ll be quite interested in everything you’ve been through recently.” I kept my poker face on as I replied.

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“Yes..., that’s true. To be honest, I wish she would cancel.” She shook her head. “Anyway, I want to see if I can find more information about Robert James Lees and see if we can meet him.”

“Well, if he doesn’t agree, we’ll drive out to the Elder’s mansion.” An idea suddenly popped into my head. “We can say that we’re working on a potential radio story about the Elder family.”

Adele stared at me for a moment, then grinned as she understood.

“You’re devious.”

“No more than you are, babe,” I grinned back. “I remember how you got the measurements for my new clothes.”

Her reddening face made me chuckle.

~~~

After dropping off Adele at her vehicle, I made sure I received a pleasant kiss, enough she had to wipe the lipstick off my lips. She appeared surprised by my sudden needy action.

“Just going to miss you,” I said with a grin. In reality, I realized there was a chance my plan might not work as I envisioned.

I delayed leaving to ensure the gray car didn’t follow her, then I headed to the office. My attention focused on my coming conversation with a rat while I smiled in the mirror at my shadow, who dutifully pulled in behind me.

When I reached my desk, I found a page of typewritten notes from Alice who translated for Jeffrey’s friends. Overall, it gave me a picture of Stull Junction’s rumors. One note about Judge Seabury caught my eye. According to the Baker Street Irregulars, the judge left a fraternal club called the Order of Pendo with Mayor Reading and the district attorney. While interesting, I figured the news of the VIPs’ meeting didn’t mean much to me.

That’s when I noticed Jeffrey discovered the hotel where my shadows made their temporary home. One of the newspaper boys also saw Lloyd Childress meeting with two men in the hotel’s lobby. The handwritten note by Alice stated that the Hotel Zur Oper rooms were the priciest in town. I asked Alice about her note.

“Tell me, does your note mean something?”

The fact that I’m asking a question to a blue haze outline shows how much this place changed my perspective.

“It might,” her sweet husky voice explained. “I think that someone must have money to have such people staying in that hotel for so many days. Can there be that many in Stull Junction who don’t worry about the money?”

Nodding, I thanked her for the insight. It definitely narrowed my list.

“Your newspaper boy says the richest lawyer in this city still has it in for you,” Alice continued. “When you went missing for a few days before you showed up to throw up on the door, I wondered...well, I got worried.”

The nearly invisible secretary’s concerned tone surprised me. But my mind focused on the evidence placed in my lap. It also cemented my next steps.

It confirms that Childress came after me before.

A scowl came to my face when I thought about him still gunning for me. I guessed the reason he hadn’t made a move yet was Adele’s presence with me so much of the time.

“Say, you don’t have to worry about me. I can’t lose the most beautiful secretary in Stull Junction,” the words just came out of my mouth automatically.

She giggled.

“Mr. Dagger, you’re not very smooth when you say that. I know you can’t even see me.”

The chair swiveled, and I felt her stare while my face grew hot from embarrassment. I scratched my head.

“Yeah, well, you got me, I guess. But I wished I behaved differently at first. Are you going to explain it to me?”

“It’s not the time yet,” she said. “I know you’re having a difficult time right now. After all, I remember your first day here. But I believe in your path.”

Her comment stumped me.

What does she mean?

I wanted to open up to someone about this crazy place. Apparently, Alice knew much more than the others. However, she wasn’t ready to talk.

“Then I guess that discussion needed to wait. Have you heard anything about Antonio?” I asked her. “Did he get out of jail yet?”

Alice snickered at my question.

“I can’t believe my boss doesn’t keep up with the newspapers. Antonio died in jail. Nobody knows what happened to him. Or, at least, the police aren’t telling the newspapers.”

That’s unexpected!

A few hours later, I left the office after making a vital phone call to the rat. I also gave instructions for Alice to call Adele with the excuse that I had a last-minute meeting with the Baker Street Irregulars. That might also provide some cover for me if things blew up in an hour or so.

After looking down at the street from my window, I left the office with one last-minute instruction to Alice.

“If something goes wrong, you don’t know anything. You just forwarded the calls.” I winked at the haze figure.

As I closed the outer door, I heard her wish me luck. Walking down the stairs, I thought through everything one last time, then stood at the door. I took a deep breath and pushed through the door. After leaving the building, I walked across the street to the delicatessen. The late afternoon crowd of pedestrians filled the sidewalks as the nearby offices slowly emptied.

The man in the gray car sat on one side of the street, which I noticed as I left through the front door. The shadow’s partner in the black hat sat at his customary bench and I headed across the street to the sandwich shop. The man’s fake attention on the magazine in his hands made me grin as I passed him. Inside the shop, I acted like a regular, ordering a beef on weck. While I had never heard of the sandwich before yesterday, I enjoyed it.

On my way out of the shop holding my paper bag, I stopped by the bench and asked my shadow for the time.

“Get lost, mister!”

Shrugging my shoulders, I stepped around a young couple holding hands as they entered the shop. Monitoring the man, I walked to the street corner, then crossed the street. I got in my car and noticed my black hat friend hurrying to the gray car as he dodged the oncoming vehicles while crossing the street. As the song says, the stage is set.