Judge Seabury sat on the park bench alone, staring through a thin line of trees that partially hid the Elder mansion on the hill.

“Judge, why the long face?” Shane O’Conner walked up from the path to the parking area.

“You heard about Childress?”

“Sure, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer son of a bitch.” O’Conner sat at the other end of the bench with a grunt. “I’ve seen that guy working widows and divorcees for too long.”

“The master doesn’t believe those men killed him intentionally,” the judge leaned back.

“What are you saying? That they accidentally shot him three times. I find that even stranger. The bullets came from their guns, according to my source, who works at the morgue.”

O’Conner pulled out a pack of cigarettes and knocked one partially out of the top to retrieve.

“It’s wise that you keep up with things in our little world,” Seabury nodded. “However, Childress’s death creates more danger for us.”

O’Conner lit his cigarette and leaned back, ensuring that he didn’t let the smoke drift over to the judge.

“I don’t see how, but that’s not my pay grade, is it?”

The judge ignored the comment.

“There are ways to have men do your work for you. Someone told the master that they found firecrackers on the scene. Reminiscent of something that occurred at the train station when those two women left town with Mr. Dagger,” the old man smiled to himself.

“I didn’t hear about that,” the ex-cop confessed.

“Probably not, since many of the policemen don’t trust you. However, my friend at the district attorney’ office filled me in about it. One of the police interrogators discovered the rouse from one of Antonio’s associates watching the train station that day. I suggest that it’s not a coincidence.”

Blowing out a puff from his cancer stick, O’Conner chuckled.

“I love it, ol’ Dagger’s got some methods to his madness.

“Yes, and he poses a great danger!” The judge’s tone grew dark. “He’s an outsider.”

“Are you sure?” O’Conner sat up at the news.

Seabury shrugged.

“I’m not completely sure. His bloodline traces from here, but he’s turned reckless. I had a report done, and he comes from Stull Junction. You should recall that when Dagger grew ambitious about money, his methods changed. It’s happened again. He disappears, then comes back a changed person.”

“Yeah, he started taking every odd job, even giving information to Antonio and Childress. I’d say a lot of folks wanted him dead for the secrets he uncovered.” Shane said. “That’s why he surprised me when he went to you to help with that Vaugh woman.”

The judge nodded.

“I agree. It was unexpected. Now, Mr. Dagger shows he cares about those around him. I believe that’s why he removed Childress from the equation. The Master senses something is changing in the city. That’s why he’s getting involved.”

He paused briefly.

“I wonder if he’s any good at chess?”

The ex-cop grunted at the question.

“I’ve already got a friend of Mrs. Dagger on our side. When I saw Lane and Sally Vaugh driving together the other day, I planted a rumor for that Penske dame to spread. She’s just the type to keep the pressure up and cause a ruckus. Everything for Dagger will fall apart soon enough.”

The judge shook his head and sighed.

“No, the master will meet the Dagger’s. You’ll go to the house as well. I’m afraid they’ll disappear. I believe the master is afraid of this outsider.”

“I don’t believe it. He’s afraid?” Shane scoffed when he remembered the master’s cold-blooded, calculating methods.

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“Not of Dagger as much as the woman. She still controls much inside this place.” The judge looked up at the sky.

“So, you’re telling me I’m taking care of this inside the house? He said both of them?” The ex-policeman took another deep puff from his smoke.

The judge nodded.

“Too bad. She’s a cute thing.”

O’Conner flipped his half-finished cigarette away.

“Damn, just when I was starting to like the guy. Oh well, I guess I’ll keep his girlfriend happy after I finish my job.”

~~~

Lunch with Adele and Sally went well for them. For me, it felt like I was walking on glass with bare feet every time I heard the conversation heading towards potential landmines. Sally agreed to an additional five percent of the company based on Adele’s analysis. I broke out in a sweat when I felt Sally’s foot riding up my leg during the conversation.

“Is there something wrong with the food?” Adele asked when she noticed my expression.

“No...nothing like that,” I hastily said. “I’m just having problems keeping up with the business side. I didn’t realize you spent so much time on those figures in Sally’s offer.”

She giggled at my statement, and I noticed Sally’s mischievous grin.

“Your wife is fantastic at this. You should have her run this new business venture she mentioned.”

“Oh, Adele told you about that?” The pit in my stomach grew when Sally said that. Adele was already too close to Sally for my comfort.

I stammered out that it was a great idea, and my wife beamed at the thought.

As we sat in a booth, the conversation shifted over to the death of Childress.

“You mentioned he was your lawyer,” Sally said to Adele. “I’m sure the news was quite shocking.”

Looking uncomfortable, Adele nodded, and Sally guessed rightly that the woman didn’t want to talk about it. The look on Lane’s face told her the same. Their reaction surprised her, but she took it in stride.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a wet towel.”

“It’s nothing you said,” Adele quickly replied. “I...well, I don’t like all the violence.”

“On a better note,” I jumped in, speaking to Adele. “I talked to Judge Seabury this morning. He’s going to help us meet with Robert Lees at the Elder House.”

Immediately, she showed her excitement.

“Oh, that’s great news. Maybe we can find out more about Cora Elder.”

“Why the interest in her?” Sally glanced at me before asking the question. “Is it because she disappeared?”

I didn’t need to say anything, as Adele took over the discussion. She gave Sally an update about my condition and hearing Cora in my head. My wife also gave her theory about Cora’s ghost attempting to rest her soul. Some ideas she laid out were new to me, so I assumed they came from her trip to the library earlier.

As the two women continued to talk, I noticed how engaged Sally became in the idea. Just watching her interaction with Adele reminded me how lonely both women must be. Sally struggled with maintaining a business and she mentioned no friends. Adele only had Jenny, who I wanted to keep as far away as possible from her. I struggled at the closeness of the two while knowing they needed each other.

Hell of a dilemma, I thought.

As we finished lunch and left the table, the two women went to the bathroom while I paid for the meals. I felt better as the talk never swerved into any sensitive areas and we closed out in agreement with the company. I waited, looking out the window to the parking lot, when I heard Sally’s voice.

“You should have seen your face earlier. I thought you were having kittens.”

“Yeah, heart attacks can do that,” I replied.

“Don’t worry,” she smirked. “I like both of you too much. Adele and I are going to meet more often for snacks and drinks. I’ll put in a good word for you.”

She grinned and drew closer to me.

“Come by my place tomorrow at noon. I need help with something.” The whisper in my ear sent a pleasant chill down my back.

Nodding, I remained quiet. A minute later, Adele joined us, and we left the restaurant. As I walked behind them, I enjoyed watching their swaying, sexy asses nicely outlined by their dresses. A guy can get interesting thoughts from such a view.

Shane O’Conner pulled along the curb; parking out in front of the house where Jenny Penske lived. As he walked up to the front door, he noticed the black Packard Convertible sitting in the back of the driveway, next to her red one.

I guess her latest boy toy is here.

O’Conner rang the bell and a handsome young man with black hair and wearing a robe over his shorts opened the door. He pushed past the surprised man and entered the living room. Lying on the couch in her underwear and holding a glass of wine was Jenny. She glanced over and frowned as her lover protested at O’Conner’s entry.

“That’s rather rude,” she said after telling Mark to be quiet. “I might become embarrassed if a man walked in when I’m undressed.”

“Lady, you’d undress at the drop of a dollar. Get junior out of here. We need to chat. There’s a problem.” O’Conner took a seat in the padded chair across from Jenny.

“Say, what’s this about?” her lover came around the chair.

“Mark, it’s time for you to leave,” Penske said smoothly as she rose from the sofa. She stepped over to the man and kissed him on the cheek. “I call you later.”

Mark glared at O’Conner who returned a mocking grin. He knew the smaller man wouldn’t try anything. The ex-cop sized up Mark Finney when he first started looking into Penske. Finney got money from daddy’s and mommy’s trust fund along with a reputation for seducing the wives of Stull Junction. No doubt, Penske planned to use Finney on Adele Dagger at some point.

Jenny’s lover left the room in a huff while Jenny picked up the wine bottle from the sofa table and topped off her glass.

“I’d offer you some, but you are always about business,” she said.

“Yeah, well, I’ve had you already and I’m not into gold diggers.”

He looked over at the door where Mark went, then took a deep breath. The master’s plans interrupted his own designs for the future. O’Conner decided where he could benefit from the coming work set up for him.

Leaning forward, he watched the woman take a seat on the couch again. While she had a lean body with plenty of sexiness, Shane noticed the lines around her eyes and the slight pouch developing in her abdomen.

You’re a party gal trying to hang on to the good ol’ days.

“I’ll cut to the chase,” he said. “If you want your friend to remain in the living’s world, you should make sure that she doesn’t enter the Elder mansion tonight.”