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Authors: Robert Lewis Clark
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around the mall and look for
suspicious characters?” Tammy said, from behind her basket piled high with
folded clothes.
“We could, but I don’t think we
could catch anybody that way,” I said. “These notes are pretty non-threatening.
I think we are dealing with amateurs.”
We talked about it a little more
and agreed to go ahead with taking the truck out there. After Hannah went to
bed, I walked out to the truck with Tammy. She showed me the note that had
teleported in yesterday, instructing her to be at the Oakridge Mall with the truck
at eight p.m. Pretty much the same drivel about further action and efforts to
locate her where-abouts.
Today the damaged black Ranger was
in the garage. To make Tammy smile, I wrote ‘wash me’ on the side of it in the
thin dust. Tomorrow the blue truck would be here. The forty-five minute drive
to Oakridge would be easier in the undamaged truck.
I was hoping for a repeat of
Saturday night, but Tammy gave me a brief hug and seemed ready for me to
leave. Taking the hint, I told her I would see her after work tomorrow.
Walking to the car, I glanced at the porch swing. My thoughts drifted a bit and
the next thing I knew I was home in my own driveway. It’s funny how your
subconscious can drive like that.
Chapter
10
Monday seemed to fly by. I already
had five calls done for LISA and was back to the Arcade Building by four. I
made a detour on the way to my office and ducked into Willie Crandle’s office.
Willie was an attorney with whom I had made friends since I moved into my Mom’s
office building three years ago. Willie had a general practice, but made most
of his living handling a variety of legal matters for the blue-bloods of Knoxville. I always thought it was because of my mother that Willie tolerated me. He did
this so well I thought we were friends. I had tested this friendship before by
offering his two secretaries some part-time work. Willie didn’t seem to mind as
long as the ladies finished his work first.
I went into the high ceilinged
office with its old plaster and mahogany and sat down by Wendy Forsyth, the
better looking of the two legal aids. I walked past Willie’s office manager,
Thelma, who was a protective, motherly type who didn’t seem to care for me or
anyone else that I could tell. Thelma was dependable and the customers were
accustomed to her abrupt manner. Some seemed to enjoy complaining to Willie
about her. Sort of a standing joke. Willie always defended her. Thelma had
been a fixture of the office for years, almost like the desks or filing
cabinets.
I gave Thelma a cordial head nod
and hello. She had the body of fire hydrant and the personality of a battle
axe. She gave me a look that would sour milk and said “Mr. Stover.” Her tone
conveyed a judgment passed. This was as good as it got with Thelma.
Wendy had on a wool sweater and
matching skirt and I couldn’t help looking at her legs as she stood up to say
hi.
After we exchanged pleasantries I
got to the reason for my call.
“Look, Wendy,” I said softly,
“I’ve got a horribly busy week and I need help keeping up with my reports and
paperwork. I was hoping you could help me out.” I told her I would pay twenty
dollars a report for every report she could turn out this week. She could take
the stuff home at night and email it to LISA for me in the morning. I had paid
her fifteen dollars last time, I hoped she remembered this.
“Rust, I’ll do it for ten each,
but I need a favor, too. I’ve been meaning to call you. I’ve got a legal
workshop to go to this weekend in Gatlinburg, sort of a retreat. Husbands and
wives are being invited and there will be a party afterwards. I really just
don’t want to go up there alone. Will you go with me?”
She looked at me with her dark
brown eyes, no pupil was visible. I had been to the theater with her and
dinner a few times, the last time a few months ago, but no
suspicious characters?” Tammy said, from behind her basket piled high with
folded clothes.
“We could, but I don’t think we
could catch anybody that way,” I said. “These notes are pretty non-threatening.
I think we are dealing with amateurs.”
We talked about it a little more
and agreed to go ahead with taking the truck out there. After Hannah went to
bed, I walked out to the truck with Tammy. She showed me the note that had
teleported in yesterday, instructing her to be at the Oakridge Mall with the truck
at eight p.m. Pretty much the same drivel about further action and efforts to
locate her where-abouts.
Today the damaged black Ranger was
in the garage. To make Tammy smile, I wrote ‘wash me’ on the side of it in the
thin dust. Tomorrow the blue truck would be here. The forty-five minute drive
to Oakridge would be easier in the undamaged truck.
I was hoping for a repeat of
Saturday night, but Tammy gave me a brief hug and seemed ready for me to
leave. Taking the hint, I told her I would see her after work tomorrow.
Walking to the car, I glanced at the porch swing. My thoughts drifted a bit and
the next thing I knew I was home in my own driveway. It’s funny how your
subconscious can drive like that.
Chapter
10
Monday seemed to fly by. I already
had five calls done for LISA and was back to the Arcade Building by four. I
made a detour on the way to my office and ducked into Willie Crandle’s office.
Willie was an attorney with whom I had made friends since I moved into my Mom’s
office building three years ago. Willie had a general practice, but made most
of his living handling a variety of legal matters for the blue-bloods of Knoxville. I always thought it was because of my mother that Willie tolerated me. He did
this so well I thought we were friends. I had tested this friendship before by
offering his two secretaries some part-time work. Willie didn’t seem to mind as
long as the ladies finished his work first.
I went into the high ceilinged
office with its old plaster and mahogany and sat down by Wendy Forsyth, the
better looking of the two legal aids. I walked past Willie’s office manager,
Thelma, who was a protective, motherly type who didn’t seem to care for me or
anyone else that I could tell. Thelma was dependable and the customers were
accustomed to her abrupt manner. Some seemed to enjoy complaining to Willie
about her. Sort of a standing joke. Willie always defended her. Thelma had
been a fixture of the office for years, almost like the desks or filing
cabinets.
I gave Thelma a cordial head nod
and hello. She had the body of fire hydrant and the personality of a battle
axe. She gave me a look that would sour milk and said “Mr. Stover.” Her tone
conveyed a judgment passed. This was as good as it got with Thelma.
Wendy had on a wool sweater and
matching skirt and I couldn’t help looking at her legs as she stood up to say
hi.
After we exchanged pleasantries I
got to the reason for my call.
“Look, Wendy,” I said softly,
“I’ve got a horribly busy week and I need help keeping up with my reports and
paperwork. I was hoping you could help me out.” I told her I would pay twenty
dollars a report for every report she could turn out this week. She could take
the stuff home at night and email it to LISA for me in the morning. I had paid
her fifteen dollars last time, I hoped she remembered this.
“Rust, I’ll do it for ten each,
but I need a favor, too. I’ve been meaning to call you. I’ve got a legal
workshop to go to this weekend in Gatlinburg, sort of a retreat. Husbands and
wives are being invited and there will be a party afterwards. I really just
don’t want to go up there alone. Will you go with me?”
She looked at me with her dark
brown eyes, no pupil was visible. I had been to the theater with her and
dinner a few times, the last time a few months ago, but no
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