Lanie and Ezra

Lanie and Ezra

happyhugo

Romance, Drama

Copyright(c) 04/03/11

12,178 words

A Brattleboro Tale 

Readers score  7.38

Ezra was humiliated when his wife cheated on him.
Matt was humiliated when Ezra beat him up in front
of several people. Bad things happen to both good
and bad people. See how it plays out.

Some person in the past who was a great thinker had this to say, “Man is always hoping that tomorrow will be better than today and much better than yesterday.” That may be, but I don’t think that philosopher had me in mind when he uttered this observation.

I was sitting in the almost dark eating my supper which consisted of a cold piece of steak and a bowl of crackers and milk. I needed the protein to keep me from getting hungry and to give me that full feeling. The crackers and milk was just something I had always liked. I planned to have some meat left over from my noontime meal just for this purpose. This was not what a nutritionist would recommend, but my cholesterol numbers and my sugar levels stayed fine so I ate what I enjoyed.

There was no one to tell me different and there had been no one for the last four years. When my cheating wife left while I was in jail, I just withdrew from society. I did have a decent job, going every day to the shop where I operated a milling machine.

The place where I’m living belonged to my dad and his dad before him and now it is mine. Oh yes, the name came down from them as well. I was entitled to put “The Third” after Ezra Johnson, but I didn’t bother very often.

Dad and Mom bought a condominium down in South Carolina and came up north to visit for a month in the summertime. This was about the only time I let anyone come through the front door since Samantha had taken off. She was still in town, but we certainly didn’t travel in the same circles.

I had ninety-two acres of land, half of it being in woodland. To entertain myself I was out there most days when I had free time in the woods working or just walking. There was nothing like a gentle wind sighing through the pines to calm and blunt the bitterness I felt about how life had dumped on me.

There was no hesitation going out into the woods when it was blowing a gale either. That rather matched some dark, depressing thoughts that visited me now and then. The open fields and pastureland I let out to a farmer to use. In return for keeping it up and keeping the brush pushed back to the fence lines, he could use it as his own.

There was a line of sugar maples down the west side of the fields with a lane through them. At the edge of the field before the woodlot began there was a sugarhouse constructed and there was about ten acres of maple trees on land sloping toward it. Over the decades, this became a fine sugar bush and I kept it clear of brush.

When the older trees were damaged or died, I nurtured small, new maples to replace them. The trees needed to be tapped out to catch the sap in the early springtime. The sap ran to the sugar shack through a pipeline and into a tank. The sap was boiled down in the sugar pan, much water leaving as sweet smelling steam, and leaving behind a golden maple syrup.

I heard a car engine sputter and die. I got up from the table and looked out the back door. An old car was just coasting to a stop in the lane, about three car lengths in from the dirt road that passed by my house. The wood road was often used as a lover’s lane for kids parking, but they usually drove farther in.

I could just barely see a small woman get out and go around to the other side of the car. Five minutes later, she came back around with a child boosted up into her arms. She came out onto the road and started toward the house. She spotting me watching her and came across the yard to the door.

This girl was cute! She had on jeans and a short sleeved top of yellow. It was conservative, but it was just a little small which accented her bust. Her hair was short and curly brown. The kid was dressed nice in the same type of jeans and top. You just knew they were mother and daughter.

The woman smiled and asked, “May I leave my car on your land for a little while? Something is wrong with it. You can get by it if you have to go down your wood road.”

I was tongue tied for a minute because the two made an attractive picture standing before me. “How long?”

“I don’t know. Until I get it fixed anyway. I’ll work at it. How far is it to town?”

“Three miles, give or take a bit.”

I could see the child was a little girl about three. She was fussing and crying. She was hungry. “Shush, Abby, we’ll get something to eat when we get to town.” The woman looked at me. “Are there many cars on the road? I need to hitch a ride and three miles is a long walk.”

“Not many this time of night. They would all be coming this way, not toward town.”

“Okay, I guess I had better get moving.”

“Don’t you think you had better feed your kid something before you start?”

“I didn’t want to bother you, but maybe a piece of bread and peanut butter.”

“Come in and I’ll see what I can scare up. I wasn’t expecting company.”

“I wasn’t expecting to be company, but I’m glad I am.”

“How would you like an egg and a piece of toast?”

“That sounds wonderful. My name is Lanie Cosgood.”

“Mine’s Ezra, Ezra Johnson. Sit there at the table.” There was a half stack of crackers laying there and the little girl reached for one.

“No, you wait. The nice man is getting you an egg.”

“Let her have some if she is that hungry. Milk is in the fridge behind you.”

“Your wife not home?”

She was prying and that upset me. “Does this place look like a wife lives here? Look at the dust and the dirt. I keep the dishes done and once a week I shovel out some of what piles up.” Actually, I kept a decent looking house.

“Sorry, I wasn’t looking around.”

I got out two frying pans and put two sausage patties in one, along with two strips of bacon. The other one, I buttered three slices of bread both sides and heated the pan up hot. I browned the bread right in the pan. I dropped an egg in the pan, just breaking the yolk and pressed the toast down onto it.

“Let me do that for you. My Mom used to make these and I haven’t had one forever. Abby, you are going to love this. Don’t eat any more crackers or you will be too full to enjoy a real treat.”

I tended the bacon and sausage and when she had the second egg cooked, I told Lanie to eat it while it was hot. I made up the last one and slid this one onto her plate. It was full dark by now. There was no way this woman and child could make it to town tonight and arrange for a place to stay.

“I don’t know your situation, but you had better stay here tonight. There are bedrooms upstairs. Pick one. The blankets might be a little stale. Can’t help that. I will be going to work in another hour so you will be alone. You can lock the door after I leave. I’ll be home a little after seven in the morning.”

“You’d leave me in your house, not even knowing anything about me?”

“Why not? Your car is here and it doesn’t run. You have told me your name and you have a baby with you. You both are clean, so I know you respect yourself. That tells me you would respect my things and not take them.” Why I continued, I couldn’t say. “What’s here is just stuff anyway and I don’t ever expect to get to know you well enough to have you trifle with my heart. You wouldn’t want it anyway. It has turned cold as stone.”

I turned and went into the backroom I used for a bedroom without waiting for a comment. I shut the door. I heard her take the dishes to the sink and I heard her running water to wash them.

I changed into my work clothes. I started cussing to myself. Why in hell had I let her and her kid into the house? She was younger and smaller than my ex-wife, and not even as pretty. She appeared friendlier though. You know what I mean---it was the smile. She had a nice shape and why did I notice that. She looked more like a girl you would find next door. The kid was damned cute too. Her mother probably had been cute when she was that age.

I heard her climbing the stairs and looked at the clock. I had spent too much time sitting on the edge of the bed thinking back. I would be late if I did not leave now. I walked to the foot of the stairwell. “Lanie, I’m leaving. I’ll see you in the morning. Good night.”

She came to the top of the stairs. “Thank you Ezra Johnson and I don’t believe your heart is all stone. I think there is some warm gold hidden in it somewhere. Good night. Abby is asleep or she would say good night too.” I turned and went to work.

I was a good machine operator. Something I had learned in prison. Four years ago I was sentenced to prison for three to five years. I was released in two years and two months. The prison sentence had come from beating the man who had stolen my wife. While I lay in my bunk in prison, I wondered why I didn’t beat her instead of the man. I guess she must have worried some about it, for she immediately asked and received a restraining order and she got it.

Before prison, I drove a local bus. Another driver who came down sick drove another route. I was asked to cover for him. I was stopped while letting a passenger off when I saw Samantha going into a motel. On my return trip an hour later, her car was still there. I pulled the bus I was driving in behind her car. The thirteen passengers I had on board questioned me, but I growled for them to be quiet. That shut them up. Ten minutes later the door to the motel started to open.

I was out of the bus and as a man stepped out, I grabbed him around the neck and threw his surprised ass to the ground. He was bigger than I was, but there was no stopping the beating. I gave him all he deserved, and I hoped a little more for interest. I just never quit and he didn’t have a chance to retaliate.

Samantha, that was my cheating wife, came out, but couldn’t get into her car with the bus behind it. She was crying and then screaming not to hurt him. I didn’t know what he was to her at the time, but I had a good idea. The full knowledge came later.

I landed one last blow to his gut and that is all he had in him. He was just a limp lump on the ground. I looked around. Samantha saw me looking at her. She knew I could outrun her if she ran. She opted for the safety of the bus and the people on it, striding to the rear with all of the passengers between her and me. I could see there were four phones in the hands of the riders calling the police. I got in, saw where Samantha was, backed up the bus, and pulled out into the street.

I announced, “I’m not picking up any more passengers. As I get to your stop, pull the rope and I’ll let you off.”

There were only four passengers left by the time the police pulled the bus over. Samantha by this time was a very worried wife who had been caught cheating. She had been afraid all the passengers would have gotten off the bus, and it then would be just she and I left. She was lucky!

I guess I was lucky as well. The bus company tried to charge me with theft of property, but I proved I was responsible by continuing my route. I was discharged, however. The assault, well I paid for that, but the rich son-of-a-bitch who had taken my wife, paid a little as well. He could still run, but not very far and it hurt to do so. The cartilage in his knee was badly damaged and the knee had to be replaced.

When in prison about six months, I was notified that there was a civil suit being filed against me by this asshole. It was for the bodily damage I had caused. Something like two million dollars. I laughed and forgot about it---I was a bus driver for God’s sake. Two weeks later the poor bastard was in the hospital getting his other knee replaced.

The men who worked him over suggested he drop the lawsuit. He screamed that I, Ezra Johnson III, had ordered it from my cell in prison. An investigation was instituted. It turned up nada and he dropped the suit and I do believe he was in fear for his health. I had not spoken to Samantha since the incident.

Samantha, I kept her blocked in the back of my mind, but she came to the fore occasionally. I met her in Boston before going home to see my folks after getting out of the service. I wore my uniform to a dance given to honor the returning troops. She was tall and thin, with small breasts and narrow hips. Her hair was dark and she kept it styled. She had money of her own to dress and keep looking beautiful.

We danced several dances and before the evening was over, she was as intrigued with me as I was with her. This was enough to keep me from coming home for three more weeks. We were a couple when I said Mom just had to see me. She followed me home saying farm life was what she always wanted to do.

The problem was the farm wasn’t big enough to support me and a wife even when Dad and Mom decided to move to a warmer place. Farm life was also a lot more work than a nine to five job. It wasn’t long before she became disenchanted and I moved us to town. Jobs were scarce and I took what I could find. I was a truck driver in the service and a bus route was open.

Samantha sued for a divorce immediately following the incident with her lover. Good, she was nothing I wanted anymore, and I immediately signed the papers. She could not touch the farm, and my lawyer had enough evidence to show she was just a cheating wife. She did not get much, but then she didn’t try very hard. This man, Matt Grisholm had plenty of money and of course she had her own.

I had gained a skill while incarcerated. I was put into a work program and taught how to operate a computer-guided, milling machine. I concentrated and by the time I was released, I was in good condition to hold a job. In addition, it was a skill much in demand right here in my hometown.

I had to pass a test and I had to work the night shift just to be hired. I aced the test and hoped no one cared about me any longer. I wanted to keep to myself and out of the public eye. Of course, it did not hurt that the manager of the factory had caught his own wife cheating a few years before. He was the one who conducted my interview.

Some of these thoughts passed through my mind as I worked this night. Most of the work occurred when you set the machine up and after that, it was just keeping stock loaded in and checking tolerances. My thoughts tonight traveled to my wife’s husband as it usually did. I knew he was still after me. Me going to prison was not enough for him.

What about the woman and the kid I had let into my home last night? I guess it would depend on if she shared her own story with me. Lanie, that was her name, looked to be about twenty, but I would guess she might be a little older. I deduced this by her having a three-year-old. I will say, she appeared to view her situation with an unworried eye, accepting what was dealt her. This struck me in a way as strange.

I stopped and bought groceries on the way home. There wasn’t enough in the house to last three people very long. Now why did I think that? Was I hoping Lanie would stick around for a while? It would be nice to have someone to talk to for a change. Just having her sitting across the table from me would be worth a lot. I hadn’t had a feeling such as this for a long time, especially concerning a female.

I could smell coffee before I opened the door. Lanie was just crossing to the table with a cup as I hung my cap behind the kitchen door. “Sit Ezra, I found enough flour to make pancakes. I’m not too certain about the baking powder. The can was almost empty.”

“It’s old. I haven’t used any since my wife left. That was more than four years ago. The maple syrup for the pancakes is made right here and I will guarantee there is nothing old about that.”

“You’ve lived alone all this time since your wife left you?”

“Nope, the first two years I had plenty of company. I was in prison and that was too much company. They were all of one gender as well. Just these last two years I’ve been alone.”

“You beat up your wife? I’m just asking because I have to look out for Abby.”

“No, I didn’t touch her. I assaulted her lover. I stomped him some when I caught the two coming out of a motel room.”

“Good for you. I did not go to jail when I caught my husband and his lover, but I got me a whole handful of hair from her. I hope it never grows out either. She’d look funny with a bald spot just left of center.”

“Well, aren’t we a pair?” We both burst out laughing. Abby was watching and then she started banging her feet on the table leg laughing because we were.

“Lanie, you know this is the first laugh I can remember having in the last year. It feels good.”

The pancakes, bacon, and sausages were excellent. When Lanie took the dishes to the sink, I asked, “Do you have to be any place right off?”

“No, not really. I have to get me a job sometime, that’s all. I have an interview in town this afternoon. An older woman was looking for a roommate and is willing to watch Abby after I find work. Until I get a job, she is going to let me keep house and run errands for her. Now I just have to get into town.”

“Lanie, how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-three. How old are you?”

“Twenty-eight, but I feel forty sometimes.”

“Joy has gone out of living, you mean.”

“You said it.” I didn’t know if I was making a mistake, but I had to find out. “Lanie, how about coming to work for me? I will pay you to keep house. I realize you don’t know anything about me, but I will tell you one thing. I’m never going to do anything that would put me in prison again. I like my job and I’m making good money, so I can afford to pay you.”

I looked at her and she was not saying anything. “Your car isn’t drive-able. There is an almost new one backed onto the barn floor. You can use it to get around. You could work here and watch Abby yourself. Do you know anything about gardening? That would keep you busy in any spare time you have. If you don’t, I can show you how.”

“Sounds good, but I don’t know about working for you.”

“I think you want to know if I’m expecting benefits. No, I’m not. I haven’t been upstairs in the last six months for anything and I do not expect to be going up there in the next six. Look, I have to sleep for a little while. You think it over and let me know. I usually have something to eat about one and again about seven in the evening. We’ll discuss it when I get up at noon.”

“I’ll think about it. It is okay to call my mother isn’t it? She lives upstate. After that, can I wander around outside?”

“Sure. Oh, if you want to call references concerning me, my Christmas card list is in that box over there. Call any of the people on the list. You can get their numbers out of the phone book. Of course after you call any of the people, we’ll have company because they will be coming to see the woman who I am hiring for a housekeeper.” I was thinking of some special friends of mine. I smiled and then said, “Thanks for breakfast. It was a treat having someone cook it for me. Goodnight.”

I was up at noon and after showering and shaving, I went across the lawn to the barn. I opened the doors wide and backed out a five-year-old Ford Escort. I drove it up and parked it in the driveway. Lanie came out and looked at it.

“It does look new.”

“It should, because it has only 1600 miles on it. I bought it for my wife to drive just before I caught her cheating on me. You can drive it if you need to go somewhere.”

“Thank you. I will until I get my car fixed.”

“I tell you what we can do. I’ll take my tractor, bring your car down, and push it onto the barn floor. I can have one of my friends look at it and see how serious it is. If it will cost too much to fix, you had better sell it for junk.” Lanie was hesitant, but said okay.

Over lunch, she said she would work as my housekeeper and we agreed on terms. I paid her in advance from a wallet I kept in the cupboard containing my slush fund. “You’re awful trusting to someone you have just met. You’re going to let me use your car and I know where you keep some money.”

“It’s just material stuff. It isn’t as if it was my heart.”

“That’s a bitter statement.”

“I guess so. Let’s get that car of yours into the barn. I’ll get the tractor and you can put the brakes on after I pull it back onto the road. I’ll get in and coast it right into the barn from there. Come on Abby, would you like to ride on a tractor?” This excited the little girl so she was jumping up and down with joy.

The car did not quite make it onto the barn floor and I had to push it in the last little bit with the tractor bucket. I put the tractor away. “Let’s take a walk in the woods. I usually do after I do dishes. No dishes for me to do. That’s a real plus.”

It was a half mile down the wood road to the backside of my property. Abby was tired so I carried her on my shoulders most of the way back. That was fun for her and for me as well. This was the closest I had been to another human being for more years than I wanted to count.

Lanie cooked a steak for supper and we had mashed potatoes and carrots with cake for desert. I laid down for a couple of hours before getting ready for work. I laid on my bed thinking about this woman who had come into my life. Except for the one statement about pulling the hair of her husband’s lover, I knew nothing personal about her. She had shared nothing else.

One thing I did know, while I was supposedly sleeping this morning and she was outside wandering around, I checked my desk. She had been through it thoroughly. Even my nightstand in my bedroom room had been opened. Was it just curiosity or something else? Time would tell.

I left for work a few minutes early so I could make a call to one of my friends. “Jim, I have a car shoved into my barn. It belongs to a woman who I have hired to be my housekeeper. I thought everything was aboveboard, but a couple of things make me suspicious. The woman has a little girl and that part is wonderful. The little girl thinks I’m pretty wonderful, too.

“However, I have noticed the woman went through all of my personal effects. I think she tried to do it without me suspecting anything. I told her I would have someone look at her car to see what it would cost to repair it. Would you show up Saturday morning and go over it? I mean look into it as only you can do. In addition, she said she wanted to make a call. Can you find out if she did and to where?

“Sure, I can do that. Who do you suspect is behind this?”

“I have no idea. I can’t believe it goes back to my trouble with Matt Grisholm that put me in prison, but I suppose it could. The son-of-a-bitch is rich enough, but I can’t see him loving Samantha enough to still come after me.”

“Two things to remember that might cause this, Ezra. One he is rich, and two, he is now walking around on two replacement knees. He backed off on the civil suit and I can’t see him going after you again. Loving Samantha is another reason, but that would be far down the list in my estimation. Also, don’t forget you might be just a little paranoid over Samantha. I know how much you loved her.”

“I agree. Anyway, I’ll see you Saturday.” The rest of the week went well. My meals were on time and I had time to get out in the woods sooner everyday. I had cut trees last fall for my sugaring operation. I was now cutting it into furnace length and bringing enough to the woodshed to be split, stacked, and dried for what I used in the fireplace.

Abby, whom I think thought I was the best thing since Twinkies, wanted to be out in the woods with me. Lanie pitched in picking up wood and I taught her to drive the tractor with the trailer full of wood. It had been so long since I had been this near to a woman, I sometimes caught myself staring at her. I was cautious though she didn’t catch me looking. Anyway, I was enjoying myself.

Saturday afternoon Jim called me down to the barn where he had the car engine running. “Ezra, there is some cause for concern, just as you suspected. The car was partially disabled. There was a wire disconnected. That could happen, but this is the kicker, there were two wires off. That tells me they were removed on purpose.

“I found more when I searched the car. In the passenger door pocket, I found a crumpled up receipt for an oil change. It was made out to a firm called ‘Ace investigations’ with an address in Rutland, Vermont. The call was made to a Mrs. Anderson who lives in a suburb of Rutland. You’ve got yourself a spy working for, and I suspect against you, my friend.”

“It looks like it and it’s too bad. I love the little girl. Hell, the woman has only been here a few days and I like her too. I guess I’ll keep quiet about what I know and not say anything yet. Let’s go up to the house and have a beer. You might let the boys know what is happening in case I get into a bind again.”

“Just say the word if you want anything done. We all owe you, big time. Just don’t do anything to land your ass back in prison again. We can help you, but we can’t have it known. That is why what we do has to be undercover.”

“I won’t.” I was changing though. I had become almost a recluse after prison. I never went anywhere socially. I went to work and I went home, only stopping for groceries and shopping for the bare necessities. Now I had a little girl and she saw no reason to fear or exclude me from her world. I was just a nice person to her. I couldn’t exclude her from mine either. Too sweet.

If anyone had asked me about Lanie, I would have stated she was just my housekeeper. I did come over time, to think of her as much more. Where before I didn’t leave the farm because I wanted to stay away from people, now I wanted to stay on the farm just to be near Lanie and Abby.

Sometimes she would glance at me when she didn’t know I noticed. Did she want to say something? These times, she looked sad and I knew something was bothering her. Most of the time she acted friendly, but even then I felt she had to force herself to act that way.

---

Planting season started and I had a plot plowed up by the farmer who used the fields. Abby was out gathering fish worms as the ground was turned. I took her over to the lake and we caught a dozen perch. When it was time to clean the fish, she was right there with me watching closely. The last one she managed to gut and clean herself. Lanie wasn’t too happy about it when her daughter came in with fish blood and guts on her hands, but Abby was so proud she didn’t say much.

We all went to Agway to get seeds and plants to set out. We came home with much more than we had room for in the garden. Lanie and Abby had the rows marked out while I was sleeping and the next morning I stayed up and we put in the sets and seeds. I planted two rows of potatoes the next day. Abby was so excited when the radishes popped through the ground and even more so, when she tasted the first small one I deemed big enough to eat.

Within a few weeks, we were comfortable with each other. I knew Lanie was here under false pretenses, so I held back from demonstrating any affection. That is not to say but what I was falling in love with her. I could show love for Abby, though, and I did.

I suppose we acted much like any family. We went to the movies on weekends and I took them out to breakfast at McDonalds at least twice a week. Three weeks after Lanie was hired, I said, “I’m going into town for a haircut. Wouldn’t you like to go get your hair done?”

“I can’t really afford to, but thanks for thinking of it.”

“I’ll pay. Your hair is getting long and I can tell it is a bother. I’ll bet you would look nice with a perm.”

“Do you think so? I’ve never considered having my hair cut that short.”

“It would go nice with your freckles. Just a thought anyway.”

“Most men don’t care for freckles.”

“I’m not like most men, I guess. I like them.”

“I’ll make an appointment.”

The weeks went by and I think my housekeeper examined every personal paper in my house. Jim stopped by for a beer one Saturday in July. We went for a walk in the woods. “Matt Grisholm was seen going into the Ace Detective Agency during the week. He didn’t look happy when he came out.”

I suspected things would be coming to a head for Lanie and she would be leaving me soon. It came sooner than I expected. She was hanging up the phone as Jim and I returned from our walk. “Ezra, I just received word that one of my friends is very sick and wants me to come take care of her. I guess I will have to say goodbye. I’ll be leaving just as soon as I get packed.”

“Okay, I’m sorry your friend is sick. If you must go, you must. I know how friends are and sometimes you have to help them out.”

I turned to Jim, “Jim, would you back her car out of the barn. I want to say goodbye to Abby. I’ve come to love the little girl and I’m going to miss her terribly.” I had tears in my eyes.

Jim didn’t stay to see me say goodbye to Lanie. Abby could not stop crying when it was time to go and was holding on to me as hard as she could. “Lanie, the last woman I said goodbye to, I was glad to see go. I do not feel that way about you. May I hug you? It will have to hold me until we meet again.”

“What makes you think we will meet again?”

I didn’t know, but I had to answer her somehow. “You helped cut the wood so when the sap starts to run next spring, I’ll plan on you being here to have the first taste of the syrup when it comes from the pan.”

Through the tears came, “Old Vermont proverb?”

“No, it’s just Vermont hope that a person’s life will be better in the future than what is behind you.” I went forward and Lanie came into my arms and clung to me.

“You know, Lanie, we have become friends in the last three months. I would like to see if soon we couldn’t become more. We both have kept some things hidden, but all we have to do is share our secrets and we will be fine. I firmly believe this. I will be in touch with you in a few days. Someone has to be here to harvest what we have planted together.”

Abby’s arms left her mother’s and came around my neck. “I kiss you.”

---

Samantha was standing by her car parked in front of the house when I got home a week later. “Ezra.”

“Samantha.”

“Matt got beat up again last Friday and his arm broken in two places. I suppose you have an alibi the same as last time he was injured?”

“If you think I broke his arm, you had better have me investigated.” She might not have known Matt was looking into me again, but she might be behind it all. “Really Sam, what are you doing here?”

“Matt is never going to give up. He wants you back in jail. He has the money to do it too. You humiliated him too much by giving him a beating in front of too many people.”

“That was almost five years ago. I suppose stealing a wife from a man wasn’t humiliating? I wasn’t smart like he was, and I just struck out not knowing or caring what the results were to be. It cost me my job, my wife and my good name. I am now a felon. You thought a lot of my parents at one time. Think what my being in prison has done to them?” I was disgusted, as it all seemed to be about her and her husband.

I had to get in one more bitter comment. “Samantha, you’re looking well. The rich life agrees with you.”

“Ezra, why didn’t you come after me instead of going for Matt? It was me who cheated on you. If you had, that would have been the end of it because I would have felt guilty. Matt hasn’t been able to let it go. What brought it on this time?”

“The rumor is he has been having me investigated. That is all I know about it. What happened to him is all on his head. My mother taught me to never hit a woman. I listened to her so you have had a free pass. That hasn’t stopped me from hating you, though.”

“You do know Matt could have you killed don’t you? He has enough money.”

“Go ahead and have him do that. I don’t have much of a life, so death does not scare me very much. I hope he would have it done quickly, though. I would hate to die slow and painful. Then again, we can’t choose how to die, can we? I can’t and Matt can’t, but one could cause the other death.”

Samantha was trying to figure if what I said was a threat or not. I continued, “Of course, killing me would cause a real mess. You could get Matt to kill me and then he would die and leave you a widow with all of that money. I bet you would like that wouldn’t you?”

“Ezra, stop it! Believe it or not, I’m terribly sorry I caused you so much trouble. If you hadn’t seen us at the motel and lost your freaking mind and beat up Matt, this all would never have happened. I was going to talk to you about leaving within a day or so anyway. You would have been pissed and hurt, but you would have given me a divorce, wouldn’t you have?”

“Hard to tell after all this time and what has happened since then. Samantha, I’m not going after Matt, but he keeps coming after me. Why don’t you two move out to the west coast somewhere and start a family? You’ve screwed up my life and prevented me from having any happiness, but that isn’t to say you couldn’t.”

“You honestly mean that?”

“I do.”

Samantha looked at me, turned and opened her car door. She started the engine and drove off, not even glancing my way again. I was worn out from lack of sleep. I went in and did not even stop to eat. Just one more reminder of how my life sucked.

I awoke near noon and lay there thinking. I wondered if Abby was missing me. I sure was missing her. Lanie had showed just more than a bit of longing for me as well when we said goodbye. Should I try to contact her? She had worked for an investigator so she most likely had seen all the darkness that went with the underbelly of life. Maybe she wouldn’t want anything to do with me.

I made my dinner. Damn, I missed the meals being on the table when I got up. I went out to see what the mail carrier had left me. There was a 9x12 envelope from one of my friends. It had a Rutland postmark.

I took it in and opened it. It contained a dossier on Lanie Cosgood. Included were her full name, her address, and her phone number. She was living with her mother. In addition, I found where Lanie was working and what her relationship to the detective agency was. There was a copy of the bill that had been the charge for investigating one Ezra Johnson. The grandmother of Abby cared for the child during the day while Lanie worked with her brother in the agency.

I took a chance that Abby would be the one to answer the phone. It was because she always ran to answer it when it jingled. I called the number listed. It wasn’t Abby, it was an older woman who answered. “Hello.”

“Hello, Mrs. Anderson. My name is Ezra Johnson. I was calling about Abby. The last time I saw her, she was crying terribly hard and heartbroken. I wanted to know if she has come out of the trauma of having to leave me.”

“Oh Mr. Johnson, Abby is so sad. She prays for you in her nighttime prayers. Lanie is quieter than she has ever been and I think she is thinking of you as well as the child. I just knew the investigation she was on for the last three months was going to turn out poorly. She never in her worst-case scenario thought it would cause her any trouble. She has done something similar to this before.

“What hurts her most is what it has done to Abby.” She uttered an involuntary sound and then said, “You did discover you were being investigated by my son’s agency didn’t you? I mean I haven’t let out a secret have I?”

“No you haven’t. I would ask one favor of you though. Would you invite me to your home and have both Lanie and your son there at the same time? I want to talk to both.”

“Of course. Would you like it be Saturday or Sunday?”

“I think maybe Sunday at noon would be best for me.”

“Do you have my address?”

“Yes I do.”

“Okay. Would it be okay if I give Abby a little hope that she will be seeing you soon? She really misses you. I think she has made you a father figure. That is not surprising as there has never been any male presence in her life she would remember. That is except for her uncle, of course.”

“I will see you Sunday then.”

I called Jim and let him know I had received the information from our friend in Rutland. I also let him know that Samantha had come to my house and told me she doubted that Matt Grisholm would ever give up trying to sending me back to prison in some fashion. That was the point of Matt hiring an agency from out of town to conduct an investigation.

“Okay, I guess we had better visit him again. They usually dine at the New England House in the evening. If they are there tomorrow night, I will give you a call. It will only take you a few minutes for you to come down.”

“Okay, I’ll be ready.” I lay down for my evening rest and thought about where I was in this problem with my ex-wife and her husband. Except for my job, I had almost hibernated when I was released from prison. It was time I took a stand. I had let my friends continue to protect me, but eventually they would have to get on with their own lives, just as I wanted to get on with my own.

I made reservations at the restaurant for tomorrow evening. I had to eat anyway, and if Matt and Samantha didn’t show, it was no great loss.

The call came as expected. I was ushered to a table where there were nine other men at the three tables close by the alcove. Samantha and Matt were the only ones sitting within the closure. I took a seat. Samantha spotted me first and her face went pale. She leaned over and whispered to Matt. Startled, he looked around seeing ten men effectively blocking their exit from the alcove.

Samantha took a mouthful of food, choked and started coughing. She started to rise. I shook my head, no. Tears came to her eyes. Matt would not look our way. The waitress came and took our drink order. “Samantha and Matt, would you let me order you a beverage?” Both shook their head, no.

All during dinner, I questioned my various companions about their lives. I asked how many children they had, and if they were happy in their line of work. I’m sure Matt and Samantha took it all in. Only about half of my group wanted dessert. The rest said they would pass. I offered to buy dessert for the couple in the alcove. No takers.

The waitress came with checks. I lifted Matt’s off the tray and said these were good friends of mine and I would take care of their bill. I gave the waitress my credit card. “Samantha, would you change places with me so I can talk to Matt?” I said when she hesitated. “Please?” I stood.

Samantha acted as if she had no will of her own as she got up, came, and took the seat I had vacated. I sat opposite Matt. “Matt, I see you have hurt your arm. Is it painful?”

“You know it is as you caused it. What do you want? Who are the men with you?”

“Umm, how to answer? First, I did not cause you to break your arm. You did that yourself. I guess I had better tell you a story of my life.” Matt would not look at me. “I joined the military when I was eighteen and I was literally still a kid. I was in the same squad together with these men when we went overseas. They all live here in Vermont and New Hampshire. You can see they all are older than I am. We used to lie around the barracks and shoot the bull.

“They shared with me that all nine of them had wives who had cheated on them, and all were divorced. At the time, they were pretty bitter about it. I said I was going to marry a woman who would not do that to me. I got out, married Samantha, and thought I was going to prove I could pick a truer woman than they did.

“They laughed at me, but they were right, weren’t they?” I waited for an answer, but none was forthcoming. “’Course you hadn’t come on the scene at that time.

“One other little thing happened before I returned from the war zone. I spotted a suspicious place in the road. It was where an IED had been planted. If I had not been so sharp-eyed, God only knows how many deaths and injuries we would have had. However, we able to escape being blown up. These friends claim I saved their lives.

“We kind of lost track of each other when I left the service. That is until I was sent to prison. This is the first time I have had dinner with all of them for years. They called and wanted to know how my life was going. I invited them for a dinner.

“So you see, they think they owe me. Now Samantha, my unfaithful spouse, caused at least half my troubles with you. She cheated and freely admits it. She also claims you have enough money to hire someone to have me killed.

“It would seem to me that you stole her from me and got beat up for it. That should have ended it. But no, you had to push and instruct the lawyer to keep at the prosecutor to convince the jury I should do prison time. I went to prison for something you and she started. It was not enough for you, was it? You wanted one more pound of flesh by starting a civil suit, but backed off on that. I understand you were warned. Why didn’t you listen to them?”

“You son-of-a-bitch, I had to have another new knee because they smashed the one I had.”

“I know nothing about that. I was in prison. Question, have you learned anything yet?”

No answer. “Samantha within the last week accused me of causing the fracture to your arm. Have you done anything to cause anyone to consider doing you harm?

“I received a package just yesterday that claims you were investigating me. You wanted to find out if you could get enough evidence against who it was that was causing all the misfortune you are having. I think you believe it is me. Before I received it though, you had another accident. It is time to decide if it was worth it.

“You must realize Samantha has escaped retribution so far. She still is a beautiful woman and I do believe she loves you. Is it her beauty that makes you love her so much? Would you love her if she weren’t as pretty as she is? You should ponder these things. I am going to be leaving you now. I’m not rich like you and I have to work tonight.” I may have gone too far and I realized I had probably said too much.

I still had both their attention. “Let me know what you decide after you think about everything I have said tonight. I would like to get on with my life. It has been on hold too long. It is getting time for me to take decisive steps and not leave it to someone else. You have until Saturday at noon to decide. Have a good evening.”

I rose and walked out. Samantha was still sitting in my former seat. Matt sat with his head bowed. My nine companions reached their vehicles and the cars hit the road going both east and west. There was no need to thank my friends, for they could see how I felt.

---

I worked that night and went home in the morning to sleep. I tossed and turned for more than an hour. I must have dropped off for I awoke hearing someone pounding on the door. Groggy, I went across the kitchen. I looked through the door glass before opening it. A taxi was just exiting the driveway. There were two suitcases sitting beside the walk.

I opened the door and Samantha was leaning beside the building. “Let me in, Ezra. I need to talk to you.” She staggered and I held her arm. She had a bruise on her cheek and she was holding her side. “Matt is drinking and hit me. I do not think anything is broken, but I am hurting. May I sit down?”

I steered her to the chair and got her a cup of coffee from the pot that I had made at breakfast. “Good, it’s strong and black.” She looked at me, “I’m okay, but I didn’t sleep last night. Ezra, you have driven Matt over the edge. The talk you had with him in front of your friends makes him just more humiliated.

“I have made the decision to leave Matt. There is no love left in him at all, not even for me. He accused me of wanting to come back to you. After he slammed me around, he went to sleep on the couch so I was able to get out of there.”

“Samantha, why are you here? Why do you think I would help you?”

“Ezra, say what you want, you still care for me a little. I have decided to leave town. I can’t drive my car as Matt went berserk and smashed my windshield. I have been to the bank and withdrawn most of my money. When I was here the other day, I noticed you still have the car you bought for me to drive five years ago. I want to buy it. I will give you just what you paid for it when it was new. I have a cashier check for that amount all made out.”

“Where are you headed for?”

She paused and then said, “I’m headed for Florida and on the way I’m going to see your parents. I’m going to apologize to them for causing everyone so much pain. Maybe this would make you hate me just a little less. I do want to leave town before Matt finds me. He was making awful threats. Most of them against you, but some for me as well.”

I went to my lockbox, got out the car title, and signed it over to her. “Keep the plates on. If there is any question, just say you forgot to send them in to Montpelier. You can do that when you get where you are going.

“The car is full of gas. It still is almost new with only a few more miles on the odometer than when you left it here and went with Matt. Are you going to be all right to drive?”

“Yes. Ezra, watch out for Matt. I think he is going crazy. He hates you with a passion. That is something I could never understand. Believe it or not, I haven’t had a very happy life while I have been with him. Guilt about how I treated you is some of it, I guess. I should have kept my legs closed and stayed with you. I did think I was trading up at the time, but now I have paid for making what turned out to be a big mistake.”

“Samantha, it was my mistake to beat the crap out of Matt when I caught you two together. I should have sucked it up and just divorced your ass. I was not thinking at the time and I know that now. You had better get going before he sobers up and comes here looking for you.

“From what you say, I have a feeling I will be seeing him before very long. He has blamed me for everything when both he and you are the ones who are totally to blame. I expect he will come here at some point.”

“You are right. Again what I have done lands everything right in your lap. Ezra, I really am sorry about everything. Sorry for you, I mean. I don’t ever expect to come back here again, so I’ll just say goodbye.” She got in the car and adjusted the seat while I was putting her cases in the trunk. She gave a little wave of her hand and drove off.

I skipped lunch, as I was really tired. I did not get to sleep long. I heard a vehicle come barreling into my yard. I heard the car spin around before the engine was cut off. I knew who it was before I got off the bed. It had to be Matt Grisholm. The door was not locked and it banged open hard enough to break the glass as he came in.

He went charging through the house looking in all the rooms and went up the stairs. The closets were being looked into and I think Matt was looking for Samantha or me and did not care which one of us he found.

I didn’t own a cell phone or I would have called the police and I knew I did not have time to use the house phone. I went out the back door as Matt was coming down the stairs. I went out to the barn. Why did I not stay and face him? Remember he was bigger than I am. I beat him one time, only because I was really angry and had caught him by surprise.

Now he was the angry one. I did not have a weapon to use other than something like a club. My guns had all been taken from me because I was a felon. My only recourse was to keep out of his sight and hope he would go away. I could hear things being smashed in the house. It went on for almost ten minutes. Finally, he came out and stared at the barns.

I guess he determined that his wife would not have gone into them if she were here. He got into his car, spinning his wheels and drove off. Before he got to the end of my driveway, he went into the ditch and hit a tree up on the bank. I headed for the house and called the police, explaining who I was and what the problem was and gave them my location.

“We will have a patrol car out there shortly and take a look at what is happening. Please stay on the line in case something more develops and he returns.”

I could look out the window and see Matt trying to free his car. The police dispatcher told me that a patrol car was on its way and would be there in about twelve minutes. It took several minutes and then Matt got his car back into my driveway and took off down the down the road at a high rate of speed. I saw him almost hit a car that was coming along. I so reported. A minute later Matt was out of sight.

The dispatcher asked me several questions for a background on Matt. I related my past troubles with this individual. I did not mention that my former wife had been here today. Why complicate the situation about something that had been going on between a husband and a wife?

Finally, I asked to have a police officer come look at the damage to my house after they found Matt. I wondered if he had been apprehended yet. Nothing I could do about the situation now. I went back into the bedroom and laid down. There was a broken chair in the kitchen and everything on the table had been swept onto the floor. One cupboard door was broken and hanging by one hinge. The dishes on the sink shelf had been smashed. The chair had been used to break the dishes.

I came awake the third time today when a police car came slowly into the yard. They had to knock hard on the door to wake me up. Almost sleepwalking, I came to the door. They parked where they could see where Matt had spun his tires. “Mr. Johnson, you called and made a complaint about a Mr. Grisholm. We are investigating that complaint.”

“Thanks. Come in. Did you catch him?” There was silence.

“We did. Unfortunately, we also saw him plunge to his death less than fifteen minutes after you called. You know the bridge at the bottom of the hill on this road. He hit the end of the bridge railing and the car went up over it and down into the brook below. It landed upside down on a tree that snapped off in the descent and it went through the windshield. We were almost to the bridge and saw it all happen.”

I did not ask for any more details about what happened to Matt. The two police officers came in, looked around, and took notes. They sat me down and took the history of my problems with my ex-wife and her lover. “Have you seen your ex-wife lately?”

“Yes, she was here for a few minutes this morning. She came to warn me that Matt was acting like a lunatic. I guess they had some sort of disagreement earlier. She said he was passed out on a couch when she left their home.

“Do you have her phone number where we could contact her? First, do you know where she is?”

“I don’t have her number. I believe she is on her way to Florida. At least that is where she said she was going.”

“How would she be traveling, by plane or train?”

“She is driving. The car she used to drive stayed here in our divorce settlement. She purchased it from me this morning as I wasn’t using it.”

“Would you give us a description, please?” I did. I even told them that it still had my license tags on it.

The police left soon after this. I put together a lunch and a sandwich for tonight. I had an hour to lie down. I hope that this hour’s rest would not be interrupted.

I thought about Samantha and Matt while operating my machine through the long nighttime hours. I concluded that I was not sorry Matt was dead. Samantha had indicated that Matt might have been a trial to her some of the time. Tough! I felt good in one respect. I could go on with my life now. Maybe I could salvage something. I had spent almost five years dealing with my wife’s infidelity.

It had taken a toll on me and I suppose it had on the other two players as well. I would start my so-called freedom by looking up Lanie and Abby. How far would I go explaining my actions to her? It would depend on what the investigation she had been involved in had turned up and whether it had turned her against me. I hope not. Three more days and I would know.

---

I got through the night somehow. I only had time to read about the death of one of our local citizens due to an unfortunate accident in the paper when I got home in the morning. The vehicle was being inspected to see what caused it to veer into the bridge railing. I then took the time to call my mother and let her know that the person who had caused me such trouble was dead. She wanted details and it was an hour before I could lie my head down.

She and dad were going to be up here on vacation the week after next and I could tell her all of it. I slept all day and it was what I needed. I wondered while eating my evening meal if the police had reached Samantha about Matt’s death.

I called Mrs. Anderson’s number. It went to her voice mail. “Mrs. Anderson, this is Ezra. Please have Lanie look up some news in the Brattleboro Reformer. It also will be in the Rutland Herald. She will find an article about a Matthew Grisholm’s death. She might find it interesting as it might be tied into what she was doing while working for me as a housekeeper. Thank you. Am I still invited for Sunday?”

I was having a bacon and egg sandwich at six that evening when the phone rang. “Hi.” It was Lanie.

“Hi yourself. How is Abby? I miss her.”

“She is good, misses you and wants to know when I’m going to bring her down so we can live with you again.”

“I’m wondering the same thing. Is the job you have better than working for me and is it paying you more? I could shake loose a few more pennies.”

“No, I hate what I am doing. I loved working for you. Ezra, how much do you know about me? You called my mother and asked about Abby. You called and told her to read an article about a certain man, because I might be interested. I was by the way. I lived with you for three months and I must be the worst detective there ever was, because I learned absolutely nothing about you except what was on the surface. Is there more?”

“Yes, but it was buried pretty deep. Even I can’t share with you. I’m joking now, but if I did tell you, I would have to marry you to keep you from being able to testify against me.” I waited and I waited. Had I gone too far?

“Ezra, please don’t joke about something like that. I suspect somehow you know all about me and my situation.”

“I know a lot. I know you got pregnant while in college and your boyfriend dumped you the same week. I know you left school to have Abby and have not really had a decent job since. You work for your brother in his agency for little or nothing and both he and your mother supported your decision to go full term with Abby.

“I know your father passed away, so you couldn’t afford to return to school. Did your mother tell you she has invited me for Sunday dinner?”

“Yes.”

“Is my coming up okay with you?”

“Oh yes. We have not told Abby yet, because we would not have any rest at all if we did. Can you come up tomorrow instead?”

“I want to, but Matt came in and trashed my house just before his accident. I really should put it back together. I’ll come early on Sunday, I promise.”

“Okay, but I am anxious to see you again.”

I was whistling when I went to work that night. A wonderful surprise was waiting for me when I drove home after work. It was going to be a good Saturday. Lanie’s car was parked close to the house when I arrived home in the morning. Abby came bouncing down the steps and ran right into my arms. “I give kiss.”

She did and I returned it. Several of them in fact. Lanie was crossing the room with coffee and flashed a smile. She set the cup down turned and came into my arms. “I give kiss.” I clung to her and I hated to let her go.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long, long time.”

“Me too. Drink your coffee. I have eggs and bacon. You probably wonder why I am here. I was thinking after you told Mom your house was trashed and you had to pick it up that this was woman’s work. I’m your housekeeper, and that is my job. We’ll discuss pay later.” She raised her voice. “Oh Mama, come out and meet Ezra Johnson III. He is the best boss I have ever had. I swear Abby is in love with him. I’ll have to watch out for her.” She was babbling.

Abby had crawled into my lap and I could not rise to meet the woman who was an older version of Lanie. “I’m pleased to meet you Mr. Johnson.”

“Call me Ezra. Abby does.”

“I came down to meet this person both my girls think is so wonderful. I hope you don’t mind?”

“No, I’m happy to have you. Lanie may put you to work though. I have my hands full with this little angel right here.” Abby wiggled with pleasure. Before breakfast was finished, I knew I was going to propose to Lanie very soon.

Over my last cup of coffee, before lying down, Lanie asked me, “Just how much do you know about me and my family?”

“Just about everything, I guess.” I got up and got the dossier on the Anderson family. I tossed it so Lanie and her mother could go through it.

“You found out the name I gave you was my mother’s maiden name didn’t you?” She was flipping pages and suddenly she halted. “Oh my God, you even know what size panties I wear. Where did you mine that bit of information?”

I laughed, “One of my friends was behind you in a Wal-Mart store while you were checking out.”

“Ezra, how many of these friends do you have?”

This sobered me. “Lanie that would come under we’d have to be married before I could tell you. I would very much like to share how many there are with you, though.”

“That almost sounds as if you just proposed to me.”

“Would you say yes if I did?”

“Oh wow, I want to say yes so much. Ezra, just give me a little more time, would you?”

“Certainly. This has come up so fast. I think love and marriage is on both our minds, so I guess we must be halfway there. We do have an awful lot to talk about and soon. Parts of my past isn’t much to brag about and you will have to come to grips with it. I will share this much with you.

“My future looks brighter than ever. After what has happened this week it couldn’t be better. A few months ago before I met you, I did not see where I could even consider marrying anyone. Now I feel I can and I know there isn’t anything left in my past that would come up and cause us grief.”

I got up and asked Abby if she would like to lie on my bed with me while I went to sleep for a little bit. I wished every lonely man could see the look that came over her face. He would know he would not be lonely as long as a little one like Abby was with him.

A few hours before I roused up, I said there was nothing in my past to come up and bite me. Abby had got up at some point and I could hear voices in the kitchen. One of them was Samantha’s voice. I shook my head, not wanting to deal with her with Lanie here, but I suppose I must.

I opened the door and Abby came running to me before I had a chance to get all the way into the room. She held up her arms to be picked up. “I kiss you.”

All eyes were on me. I could see that Samantha had been crying. “Samantha, I’m guessing the police got in touch with you?”

“Yes, I had my cell turned off and it wasn’t until I turned it back on the morning after I left here that I was told Matt was dead. Did you fight with him again? The police said he had been here and trashed your house.”

“I was here, but I kept out of his sight. I was the one to call the police. Samantha, I’m so sorry and I want to give you my condolences.”

“Thanks Ezra, I know you mean it. I am going to miss him, but I do believe he had lost his mind and was not himself. I wish you would answer one question. Did you order any of Matt’s injuries?”

“No I didn’t. I believe it was the men watching my back. You saw them at dinner the other night. It was purely from the idea they were paying me back for saving their lives in combat. I wish you would drop it and not take it further. It seems as if we have all paid too much.”

“I know and I am the one mostly to blame. If I hadn’t started cheating on you, none of this would ever have happened. You would still be a bus driver and I would still be a bored homemaker. However, you cannot say there is not some good that has come out of this. You have a decent job, and it looks like you have a couple of people who love you.

“Me, well I am going to inherit a lot of money, although I have quite a bit in my name already. I drove the car I bought here, but I have two others. I’m giving it to Miss Anderson.”

“Okay, if you won’t be using it. I haven’t cashed the cashier check. I’ll get it for you.”

“No, you keep it. Maybe it will make up a little for the loss of your good name. I will be around town for a few weeks getting Matt’s affairs in order. Would someone drive me into town, or I can call a cab.”

“I’ll drive you. It is the least I can do.” Maybe Lanie was a bit jealous and wanted to get Samantha away from her former home.

“Thank you. May I call you Lanie?”

“Oh, please do.”

So ended the dark period in my life. It took all of five years, but I do think my future can’t get any brighter. Lanie and I cuddled up on the couch the following Saturday. We discussed both our pasts. She apologized for lying about her life when she first came here. She told me how her brother had used her to investigate me. He gave her two weeks to get it done. By that time, she had become attracted to me and stayed on, on her own.

In return, I bared all about how my friends had taken up my cause and watched out for me. We concluded that what they were doing possibly could have been what had driven Matt over the edge. He was humiliated to start with and every time they came at him, he felt even more so. It kept me free from more troubles.

The first thing I did where I worked was to ask to come down to the first shift from the third. My supervisor said, “We have just been waiting for you to want to. I’m making you lead man and if that pans out you will be given a salaried position.”

Mom and Dad arrived the following week and listened as I proposed marriage to Lanie. I told her the only reason I was doing this was so we wouldn’t disappoint Abby. She thought that was a good enough reason to get married. We married in front of a Justice of the Peace. My nine friends were at the reception, which consisted of a cookout and barbecue here at the farm. Abby dug the potatoes out of the garden for the feast.

I was sitting with my new brother-in-law. “You know Ezra, I graduated with a degree in investigation from college. I thought I knew it all. I dug around in your past and had Lanie here living with you. We came up with absolutely nothing that Matt Grisholm could use against you. I suspect there is a lot we didn’t discover.”

“Maybe. Actually, you should cultivate more of the police who work at investigation. Lanie has met Jim a couple of times. He works as a detective here in Brattleboro. Do you see Bob over there, getting a hamburger? Does he look at all familiar?”

“I don’t think so. Wait, I recognize him now. He is on the force in Rutland.”

“That’s right. In addition, the man next to him is a lieutenant on the Burlington police force. Talk to them when you have a chance. They have several years of investigative experience and as they are my friends, they will be glad to share their techniques. The others have jobs, which would be just as helpful if you have a tough case. Just don’t mention Matt Grisholm. That is a taboo subject.”

Samantha went out of our lives, except that is, for a card at Christmas. We could not make out the postmark, so we don’t know where she is located.

It is spring and I am ready to draw the first syrup of the season from the sugar pan. Lanie and Abby have been inhaling the aroma of the boiling sap and now it is time to do a taste test. I said at one time that I hoped she would be around for the first sweet spoonful. Lanie and Abby Johnson are waiting.

The End