Her Thirties Part 96
The day seemed to drag on without Marilyn present as did my lectures decimated by absent students getting an early start on the long weekend.
Just past four, I decided to pack it in myself. I was on my way to the car when I ran into Abe coming in.
“Hey, Pal—you got time for a coffee?”
I immediately brightened. Abe’s eyes crinkled—he saw it too.
“Let’s take your wheels, though—I spent all day in my car and need a break.”
“Only if you drive,” I said, tossing him the keys.
We ended up at the Park Hotel Coffee Shop.
“A little upscale from your usual venues,” I teased.
“Yeah, well I figured Cindy and Erin are dressed for the street,” He paused and looked around, “they’d kind of look out of place here.”
He reminded me of that first meeting in the burger joint and it had the desired effect—my face colored right up to the roots of my hair.
“Don’t worry, Pal,” he wheezed, trying hard to suppress his laughter, “they know you’re safe with me—they’re sitting outside Marilyn’s right now.”
“How long do you figure this’ll go on, Abe? —I mean, our lives are on hold as it is.”
He sobered at my words and lowered his voice. “I know, Scott—it burns me up this slime ball’s still on the loose. He must have an angle—and until we nab him, you guys are in danger and we can’t let down our guard.”
The waitress dropped coffees and two toasted Danish. I arched a brow, but Abe shrugged, “I missed lunch—besides, we both need to keep up our strength up.”
That’s the way Abe was—you had to like the guy—and in my case, pick up the tab, no doubt.
“Tell me about your plans for the weekend—you two going away?”
I looked at him as if he had two heads. “Are you kidding? We’re talking about Marilyn here—a girl from a different world.”
He grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I kinda forgot.”
“We’re having an old-fashioned, stay at home Easter—no jetting off to the Caribbean.”
“That makes my job easier,” he said between bites of his Danish.
“What if Charlie tries again—is he going to step it up—maybe use a gun this time?”
Abe shook his head. “I doubt it—he’s not familiar with firearms—but, I gotta tell you, Pal, I hope he makes another attempt.”
My jaw dropped open, but before I could respond, Abe held up his hand.
“Think for a minute—the worst scenario is Charlie drops out of sight—maybe disappears for a coupla years. How long do you think I can persuade the Sarge to maintain round the clock surveillance on you guys?”
I saw his point. My flesh began to crawl. It never occurred to me this could drag on indefinitely. I felt sick.
“I’m sorry, Scott—I don’t want to worry you—but I gotta be straight with you. If Charlie makes another attempt soon, it’ll mean he’s desperate and desperate people make mistakes. Tell the truth, that’s what I’m counting on.”
I nodded.
Marilyn had gone from being the mermaid—the slippery, silvery fish—to being the bait.
A tingling sensation crept up my spine. The only thing standing between Charlie and his twisted schemes was the proverbial thin blue line, embodied by my friend and his two angels.
And time was definitely not on our side.
Could Abe have his own reasons for wanting to get Charlie?
perhaps... that's a possibility, but the idea of Charlie lurking in the weeds waiting to attack would be very anxiety producing
Years? That would be horrible to live in fear like that. I would think someone would know where Charlie was. He has to eat for heavens sake. Scott is like love-sick puppy!
Love it!
Guys like Charlie hide in plain sight - and yes, Scott is love sick - enough for several lifetimes :)
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