II2
Mitzi paced the floor, the black spandex pants "swishing" with each step, futilely wishing that this day had never happened. But it had, and she couldn’t stop pacing. How could she just sit still after what she had just seen? How could she do anything after what she had just seen? Why hadn’t she been able to sleep? Why had she decided to run through the woods? She knew it was dangerous but she did it anyway. Dangerous! She laughed out loud. Not dangerous like she had imagined but even more so. She really didn’t believe in coincidence. At least she had never thought she did. But maybe that was going to change now.3
She had stopped to walk there in the woods, a little tired but mostly out of a general frustration that she couldn’t sleep and had to come out to this dark and dreary place and run as a sleep replacement. Then she had seen them. The man carrying the woman, putting her down behind the bushes. She hadn’t been able to see much in the darkness, no detail, just the man and the woman. Then, he was there again, carrying her to another spot and, once more, bending over and putting her down. She was afraid they’d hear her breathing. She had stood still, or as still as she could. Trembling as much as she was, it was very difficult to stand still. Then he had stood up and looked around and suddenly, right at her, and she had bent over and run. She had run as fast as she could, through the woods to the path, then down the path, across the road until she was back home.4
At dawn, still unable to sleep, she had been drawn back to that place. She dressed in one of her black outfits and ran again. And, there they were. Not the man and the woman this time but the police. And lights where she had seen him lay the woman down. She had watched for a while from behind a huge oak tree but finally, unable to hear or see well, she had come back home. And now she was terrified.5
Had he seen her or heard her? Probably not but she had seen him although she doubted that she could identify him. In fact, she was sure that she couldn’t. When she tried to picture what she had seen, both the man and the woman were nothing more than dark shadows. She was really just assuming that the second person was a woman because of the small size. Maybe it was a child. This made her shiver even more. But they were only dark and foreboding shadows that she was sure were going to haunt every minute of her life until . . . until what? She wondered.6
She tore off her sweatshirt and threw it in the chair. She used her opposite foot’s toes to take off her running shoes. Her sports bra was soaked but the chill somehow felt good. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be real warm right now. She grabbed the shirt and wiped her face. Was that sweat or was she crying? She looked at the clock. Six AM. She had to be at work in two hours. How could she just get dressed and go to work after what she had seen? How could she not go and admit that today was different than other days? She grabbed the sweatshirt again. They were tears. She bent over from the waist and ground her face into the shirt.7
What was she going to do? If someone had seen her she might be in real trouble right now. And why had the police been standing and talking right at the spot where she had stopped to watch. Had she dropped something? Were they on the way to her house now? "Oh, God. They’ll arrest me," she said out loud. She ran to the window and looked out. A lady was walking a dog. Further up the street a garbage truck was noisily dumping a large container. Everything looked normal.8
Suddenly a thought struck her. She looked at the clock again, grabbed the remote and switched on the TV. The screen stayed black, then suddenly lit up and the sound jumped out, startling her. A blond lady was talking.9
". . . where police have just discovered the body of a young woman who has apparently been murdered. Detective Mullins, what can you tell us about this horrible crime?" She didn’t hear the rest. There was only one word that kept repeating itself in her mind. Murdered! Only that word, except at the very end. " . . . searching the whole area here for possible clues and evidence." That jarred her back to consciousness. Why were they standing where she had been standing? What clues and evidence did they find there?10
She was pacing again, the constant swish, swish of the spandex becoming a little unnerving. So, it was a woman after all. Should she go to the police? She trembled thinking about that. She had only had two real contacts with the police in her life. Once when her college roommate had been attacked and she had gone to be with her at the station until her parents got there. The male officers had not been kind to either of them since the attacker had turned out to be one of the officer’s sons and the station had known about it even before her roommate had reported it. Then there was the local sheriff in Tennessee who had stopped her for speeding, who kept calling her "pretty lady" and indicating that there was something that she could do to avoid getting the ticket. She shivered just thinking about it. No, it wasn’t likely that she’d go to the police just yet.11
Making that decision seemed to calm her slightly. And, slightly calmer now, she noted that the TV was still on and the early morning anchor was looking off-camera, as though someone out there was talking to him.12
"Yes, yes. Come in Lynn. What’s the latest information that you have now? The blond appeared again and sat down at the desk. 13
"Well, Larry, we’ve just learned that today’s early morning murder victim is Mrs. Ellie Highland, the wife of David Highland, the Executive Vice President of Elation Station, the huge clothing conglomerate located just north and east of Columbus. Police aren’t releasing too many details yet but we understand that Mrs. Highland, whose partially nude body was found in Blendon Woods, had been strangled."14
The camera switched off the blond and back to the anchor. "Lynn, thank you for that channel 12 exclusive report."15
Mitzi punched the remote and the screen flashed and then went blank. She tossed the control aside, stood up, went to the window and looked out again. Both the woman with the dog and the garbage truck were gone. The street was deserted. She went to the kitchen and got a plastic bag. In the bathroom she undressed and put the spandex pants and her white running socks in the bag. She went into the living room, collected the sweatshirt and added it to the bag. She eyed the sports bra but decided that it had been on the inside and she couldn't have lost anything from it. Back in the bathroom she spotted the shoes and threw them in too. She knotted the loops of the bag and threw it out into the living room.16
Mitzi showered quickly and dressed for work, stopping to look at herself in the full length mirror on the back of the bed room door. Nervously she gave herself a quick once over. Her hair, a dark brunette, in fact so dark that it looked black until the sun shown through it, was shoulder length but now pulled back on the sides with two gold clips. Her eyes glowed a vivid green from under the long dark lashes. Her face, smooth and nearly creaseless, broken only by the few freckles that bridged her nose from cheek to cheek, never seemed to require make up, the envy of all her female friends. She had always felt that her nose was a little too long and too pointed and it had that distinctive cleft on the underside but others seemed to think it added character to her face. About five foot four, she gave the impression of being taller. Her mother described her figure as, "shapely but moderate" and a former boy friend had called her "squeezeable," which she interpreted to mean that she was certainly not skinny.17
But this morning her scrutiny was not about how she looked. If fact, she barely noticed. It was more about trying to see who she was and what she was about. Yesterday she knew but it had all changed this morning. She tucked the emerald blouse into her black slacks, deciding not to put on lipstick but to use lip balm instead. She stepped to her dresser, opened the jewelry box on the top, removed some small silver items and returned to the mirror. Carefully she inserted the earrings, two in each ear. She shook her head slightly to settle them into place. Maybe she'd stop somewhere for breakfast - anything to occupy her mind and fill the time. Maybe she'd get in the car and drive to Alaska. Maybe she'd go crazy before lunch. She closed her eyes and dropped her chin on her chest. When she looked in the mirror again, her eyes were misty and her image was blurred and distorted through the tears, a reminder of what had happened to her life in the last few hours. 18
She walked out of the bedroom and stumbled over the plastic bag. She bent over to pick it up, asking herself why she was throwing away perfectly good clothes. If someone caught her doing this they might think she was the murderer. She hadn't done anything wrong … yet. She hadn't really even seen much, certainly not enough to be useful in court. She knew that but no one else did. And, right now, no one else was going to find out if she could help it. Mitzi felt suddenly relieved. She had made a decision. She smiled weakly. As long as nothing changed, she would live with it.19
20
21
----+++----------+++----------+++----22
23
24
Clem and Fritz Usher knocked on the double natural wood doors with the cut glass windows and the large brass plate with the distinctive
Highland etched in the center. In just a moment, one of the doors swung open.25"David!" Clem exclaimed. Clem was actually Clemence. Fritz, his wife, had been named by her father who never gave an explanation about his choice of names. "We came as soon as you called. What are the police cars doing out front? Is everything okay?" They followed him inside.26
"Ellie," Fritz called, once inside the door. "Ellie?" 27
At the archway into the living room, a man in a suit stood with his hands folded in front of him. Behind stood a uniformed patrolman, his hat in his hand. The man in the suit stepped forward. As he did, David Highland turned to his friends.28
"Clem and Fritz, this is Detective Vince … " He paused. "I'm sorry, I've forgotten you last name. He looked helplessly at Clem. "I'm usually good with names too."29
"Detective Vince Lewis of the Columbus Police Department." He half turned. "And this is Officer Damon Powell of the New Albany Department." They stepped forward and hands were shaken all around.30
"What's wrong, David," Clem continued. He looked from face to face searching for a clue.31
Vince, sensing that the answer was not going to come from David Highland said, "I'm afraid I've had to bring Mr. Highland some bad news. His wife was discovered this morning in Blendon woods. She's dead."32
Clem's eyes and mouth opened wide. Fritz gasped, then grabbed her husband's arm. "My God, David," she said, a tear forming in the corner of her eye. She went to him and they hugged. Clem remained fixed to his spot.33
"There must be some mistake," he said incredulously. "We played cards the night before last. She was fine." He moved toward his neighbor. "It's not true is it David?"34
"They say it is, Clem. I'm going out somewhere with these gentlemen to identify her now but her drivers license and several snap shots were in her purse. They say that they all match." He looked a little detached, his voice flat, a monotone.35
Vince stepped forward. He hated this part of the job. I'm sorry Mr. Highland, your wife was murdered this morning but life goes on and we have our job to do. Don't let us bother you, just act like nothing has happened. He also knew that since there were no suspects, David Highland would be the prime suspect. Husbands always were. And, of course, lots of times it was with good cause.36
But, Vince had watched David Highland. If he was nothing else, Vince was a careful observer. So much so that he often had trouble questioning people because he was so busy observing and evaluating that he forgot what questions to ask. David Highland had impressed him as being genuinely shocked to hear of his wife's death. Of course, it had seemed highly strange that he wasn't aware that she wasn't in the house this morning. Obviously, for whatever reason, they weren't sleeping in the same bed. There was no explanation for that forthcoming from David - they'd find out why later. And now, he seemed genuinely numb. As numb as he'd ever seen anyone. And, as a Vice President of Elation Station he had to be smart and shrewd and capable. But here, this morning, he seemed to be just numb.37
"Mr. Highland is going downtown with us to identify Mrs. Highland and sign some papers. And, we'll need to get some information from him. I'm afraid I'm not sure just how long it will take."38
"Yes, Clem," David said, almost as though he had suddenly awakened from a deep trance. "I'm not sure how long I'll be. Can you close up around here for me and make sure Willy has some food and water. Ellie usually took care of that." He looked around a little helplessly.39
"Forget about it, David. We'll take care of everything."40
"Oh my God," Fritz lamented. "This is awful, just awful. Do you see why I worry so much when you're out late like you were last night." She buried her face in her hands.41
Vince put his hand on David Highland's elbow and directed him toward the door. "Thank's so much Mr. and Mrs. Usher. I know Mr. Highland appreciates your help." Over his shoulder he said to the uniformed officer, "Thanks, Powell. I think I can take it from here. Appreciate your help a lot and we'll be in touch as soon as we have something more."42
"Sure thing, Detective," the uniformed man answered. "I'll wait to hear." He followed them outside, climbed into his squad car, backed out of the wide driveway and headed toward the New Albany police station.43
Vince and David Highland got into the black unmarked Ford and turned the opposite direction toward Columbus.44
Clem Usher closed the door and turned to his wife. He shook his head. "This can't be happening, Fritz. It can't be true. Ellie, dead." He looked at his wife.45
"I know," she replied in an expressionless voice. "I can hardly believe it myself. Poor David. What's he going to do?" She turned her back and headed toward the kitchen. "I better feed Willy," she said. "I think I know where they keep the food."46
He followed her and began filling the dog’s dish with fresh water.47
"Of course," he said, pausing for a second. "Things weren't exactly ideal here, between them. I mean, I don't know what the problem was but there were a couple of times I heard David mention "his" room and "her" room. I don't even think he realized that he'd said it but it's something you pick up on because it sounds strange coming from a "happily" married guy who's just about your best friend."48
Fritz looked up at her husband. He was a big man at six foot five and 240 pounds. His curly red hair had thinned dramatically in the last few years. The rock hard body that she had fallen in love with during their years at Kenyon college in Gambier, Ohio, had now gone spongy soft. The gentle, considerate lover of those early years was now a slam, bam, thank you mam kind of a lover. And that was only when he remembered to be a lover. That part of the marriage seemed to be unimportant to him. They didn't have his and her bed rooms but sometimes she wished they did. As long as he had good meals; he insisted on good meals; clean shirts and, occasionally, ice cream and cookies just before bed, he seemed to be satisfied. Hormones, she supposed. Or maybe no hormones. Or, just maybe. But that was too insulting to consider. No, that wasn't it. She knew that. It was lack of interest and indifference, and she hated that in him.49
"Really," she said. "You think they weren't happy together any more."50
"I don't know. Maybe not. It doesn't matter much now."51
"You don't think he was, you know, messing around do you?"52
"Who, Dave? No, I don't think so. We'd have probably heard something if he was. You know, at the club or somewhere. People there are very, oh, you know, well dressed and proper. They don't disapprove of that sort of thing but they talk about it. I've never heard anything.'53
"Of course he does work late and is away from home a lot. Something could be going on in some city a long way from here. Ellie could have found out. Men aren't really that clever you know. They usually give it away somehow."54
"Women don't give it away?" he countered.55
"Not usually. Not unless their husbands have them followed." She gave him a knowing look.56
"Wouldn't a man have to suspect something in order to have his wife followed?"57
"Not particularly," she replied. "Men are just possessive. They do an inventory every once in a while to make sure everything's in order. So, they have their wife followed, just to make sure she's still where she should be. And, there's that male thing."58
"That what?" He turned to look at her.59
"That male thing. For a man to have sex, he has to want to have sex. And, he has to want to have it with his wife because she's sexy and alluring to him, not because he wants to convince her that he's not getting it somewhere else. Otherwise, nothing happens. For a woman, it's much easier. She just has to be there." She spread her hands and shrugged her shoulders. "So, it's easier for a man to give it away in bed too."60
"I can't believe we're talking about this," he said suddenly, wiping his hand across his face. "Ellie's dead." He stopped and his head turned slowly. "Oh my God," he said. "That policeman said they found her in Blendon woods. You don't suppose she was … " He stopped.61
"They didn't say anything about that," she replied. "But, she had to have been murdered." She said it matter-of-factly.62
"Oh, no," Clem shot back. "Who would do such a thing?"63
"Someone did," she said, filling the dog dish with dry food. "Someone did."64
65
66
----+++----------+++----------+++----67
68
69
Gary looked around before he knocked on the door. He was standing on thick and soft outdoor carpet. The door in front of him was a beautiful with its natural wood finish. A huge pot of flowers stood at each side of the door, and the flowers were real. The grass was trimmed to perfection. Very nice, he thought. Very nice. He knocked.70
"Who's there?" came the female voice from the other side. Then he heard a slight scratching noise. "That you Mullins?" The door opened.71
"Hi, Lynn."72
She tilted her head demurely to one side. A grin lifted the corners of her mouth and she bit her lower lip. The lightweight suit was gone and in its place were Tommy Jeans and a bright orange v-neck shirt with "NAUTICA COMPETITION" embroidered across the front. She was barefooted, her blond hair tied in a neat pony tail, a thin gold chain around her neck with a small, heart-shaped locket nestled in the valley between her breasts. "Come in," she said, turning and beckoning for him to follow. He did.73
"Nice place," he said, looking around. "A damn nice place." 74
"Thanks," she said casually. "You want something to drink or are you on duty?" She turned and faced him. "This isn't an official call, is it?"75
"No, it's unofficial. You have any mouthwash?"76
She looked momentarily puzzled. Then she smiled broadly. "Sure, and you'll have a beer, but only if I promise not to tell anyone which, of course, you know I will."77
He looked sheepish. "Just one," he said.78
She went to the kitchen. He heard the refrigerator open, then close. She came back with two beers and handed one to Gary. "I'm on later this afternoon, too. We'll have to share the mouthwash."79
He pulled the tab, careful to have his mouth ready if it foamed out the top. His didn't but hers did. She swore softly and licked her hand and wrist, getting all the overflow before it could drip off onto the chair and carpet. He took a big drag and carefully wiped his mouth.80
"Well?" she said finally when he didn't begin.81
"Well," he said, parroting her question. "If this was anyone but you and me, this conversation wouldn't be taking place. This is off the police record and off the channel 12 record, okay. It's Lynn and Gary."82
"It's Lynn and Gary," she said nodding her head. "And it's been a long time since it was Lynn and Gary."83
"Do you think it's been too long?" he asked.84
"It's been a long time Gary. A lot of things are different now. But no, it hasn't been too long. I haven't forgotten Lynn and Gary even though you think I probably have. You don't forget that kind of stuff. That doesn't mean that a lot of things haven't changed. A lot of things!" she emphasized, delicately fingering the locket around her neck. "But, if you forget all those things from the past, you might as well chuck everything and call it quits."85
"Good," he said, "because I'm worried about you."86
"How so?" She gave him a puzzled look.87
He was grateful that she seemed sincere and truly interested in what he was saying.88
"How come you were the only station at Blendon Woods this morning?" Being direct was probably the best way with Lynn Smoker.89
"That's why we're number one, Gary," she said, lifting her chin. "We get the scoop. We get the jump. We're always there first with all the horses."90
"Just lucky, I guess, huh?"91
"Maybe sometimes. Other times just good."92
"Or, maybe lucky enough to have someone telling you where to be and when to be there." He watched her face but there was nothing to read there. Her expression was still light, but very much free of emotion.93
But, her head snapped around, the ponytail swinging freely. "You accusing me of having a snitch in your department?"94
"Just asking."95
"What if I do. That's your problem isn't it, not mine." Her eyes narrowed and he couldn't tell whether she was being defiant, or was embarrassed at being discovered.96
"Oh yeah, it's our problem. No question. But sometimes it becomes someone elses problem too."97
"Like me, you mean."98
"Why not?"99
"How do you figure?"100
"People who give favors expect favors in return."101
"Always."102
"The bigger the favor given, the bigger the favor expected. And, if they begin to accumulate, the expected return can get really big."103
"Are you talking here about personal favors or business favors?" He was awed by her resolution and steel will. Flames didn't burn her, the wind didn't bow her and water did nothing but roll off her.104
"Personal favors are your business even though you know from the trailer court days and from where I am now how I feel about that. But, again, that's your business."105
"Thanks for that," she threw in.106
"Business favors bother me. When the police owe favors to the press and the press owe favors to the police, things can get out of hand. And you know who suffers when that happens."107
Suddenly her face was animated and she leaned forward in the chair. "Sure Mullins, it's okay for the department to ask the station to hold back part of a story to help them out but it's not good when it works the other way."108
"Bad example but I think you're right. It's not good."109
"One way back scratching, right?"110
"I don't think your example is back scratching and the information I'm talking about is stuff that's only for the benefit of one station, and if that got out it would embarrass both the station and the department."111
"So, Gary, you think I'm screwing someone in the department to get these tips?" Her head was pulled back, her neck arched, her eyes narrowed, a feline kind of warning.112
He stared at those eyes, almost as blue as his, at the shimmering blond hair, at the bright orange shirt, the designer jeans and the bare feet. "No, I don't think that. I think it's worse than that. I think you've got someone believing that that's what's going to happen. Only it won't, will it?" He took the last swallow from his beer and stood up. "And when it doesn't happen, someone's going to be mad. Really mad! Maybe mad enough to do something desperate, depending on how well you picked them." He walked past her into the bathroom and opened the cabinets till he found the mouthwash. He rinsed, got a drink using his cupped hand as a container and came back to where Lynn was sitting.113
She looked up at him. There had been a total change while he was gone. Her eyes seemed to have a softness about them that he hadn't seen for years. Maybe it was her whole face. Anyway, he liked what he saw.114
"The last night we saw each other in that trailer park, I went home to that miserable, dirty, rusty hole that I called home and when I walked through the door this guy, a friend of my mother's, grabbed me and tore my shirt off and started pawing me and trying to grab me. So I picked up the skillet and I hit him in the face and the hot grease went all over him. That's what I had to do right then to get what I wanted, so I did it." She took a deep breath. "Mullins, I love you. I love you like the brother I never had, like the father I never had, like the mother I wish I had. But I'm going to do what I have to do to get what I want. And, by God, if you're in the way you'll get hit with the skillet too." She turned her back and walked a few steps away from him. "I know that you love me that same way. I know it. So, don't get in my way big guy because if I have to hit you with that skillet, it might kill you. And it might kill me too. Now leave." Her hand was firmly clutching the locket.115
Even though he didn't completely believe her, his mind went one direction, his heart another, his emotions a third. But his feet took him out the door.116
117
118
119
----+++-----------+++----------+++----120
121
122
123
Mitzi crossed the parking lot, her purse over one shoulder, the plastic bag of clothing under the other arm. She glanced around furtively but there was no one there to see her. Out in the open with the sun shining, she wished she hadn't worn the bright green blouse. No reason to call attention to herself. She stopped at the back of her new silver Honda Accord and unlocked the trunk. She threw the bag inside, slammed the lid closed and climbed inside. She started to open the sun roof but changed her mind. She didn't feel open and breezy this morning. She started the engine, checked the rear view mirror, then turned her head to look over her left shoulder. Six inches away was a man's face. She screamed.124
"Oh my gosh, I’m sorry, Mitzi. Didn't mean to scare you." Ed Hiller, one of the condominium's maintenance men was bent over, looking in the window.125
Her heart was pounding and she could barely breath. She gripped the steering wheel hard but it seemed like the whole car was shaking. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. They'd told her in stress management class that it would help to do that. She reached over and pushed the small lever and the window whirred its way down.126
"Sorry, Ed," she said, her voice trembling. "You just startled me."127
"Did you hear what happened over in the park last night?" His eyes wide, he stared at her.128
"I heard it on the news this morning. It's awful." Then, thinking quickly she added. "I suppose that's what made me so jumpy this morning." A feeble grin crossed her face.129
"I just wanted to warn you to be real careful when you're leaving and coming home. Listen," he added. "If you get home late just call me on the cell phone and I'll come out and walk you to your building."130
Ed was one of the few men she knew who would make an offer like this only because he was sincerely concerned about her safety and not because he had other possibilities on his mind.131
"Thanks, Ed. I just may take you up on that."132
"You do that. I mean it. Drive carefully now." He stepped back from the car and waved. 133
She backed out, still gripping the wheel so hard that her knuckles were white and cold. She couldn't drive like that so she took one hand at a time off the wheel and flexed her fingers. She drove for 20 minutes until she came to a Bob Evans. It was still only 7:00 AM so she pulled in, deciding that maybe a big breakfast would help to calm her nerves. She parked at the back of the lot. Flipping the lever that opened the trunk, she got out, lifted the lid, took out the bad and carefully looked around. Seeing no one around, she walked quickly to the large dumpster and tossed the bag through the partially opened lid. She looked around again and, satisfied that no one had seen her went inside, was seated immediately and ordered scrambled eggs, bacon, no potatoes, whole wheat toast and black coffee. The waitress brought the coffee and she sipped it carefully.134
The restaurant was nearly full, and, as she glanced around over her coffee cup she noticed two men looking at her. She felt her heart begin to race. She closed her eyes. Stupid, she thought. Men were always looking at her. But, because of her looks, she seemed to be overly sensitive to their intentions. People expected her to be self-assured, strong and maybe a little domineering because of it but instead she was timid, cautious and shy enough that she was often mistaken as being aloof. Certain gifts brought with them certain expectations from those who were "ungifted." Athletes and beautiful young girls were expected to be self-assured, outgoing, and in control. But athletes got their assurance through trial by fire. They competed, they fought and they won. They didn't always win but they won enough that they expected to win with each competition. Through this they built their confidence and assurance. Her older brother was a prime example. Easy going, mild mannered and totally non-athletic into middle school he never-the-less tried. Then, suddenly, he began to grow. Before he knew it he was bigger than almost everyone else in his class. And, playing football, he slowly discovered that others didn't like it when he hit them. In fact, they avoided getting hit by him. Then, against other teams he found the same thing. Soon he was "good." He began wrestling, a sport where aggression is an absolute necessity. And he was good at that too. His entire personality changed, from passivity to, as their mother called it, kind aggression. He was a little loud, a little over bearing at times, but always confident and assured. She envied him this and could see no way that she could do the same thing.135
By the time she got to middle school she was beginning to realize that there was something special about her. The boys were around her so much that she hardly had any time where she wasn't being deluged with inane questions, bombarded with spit balls or touched by curious hands that just wanted the satisfaction of having had contact with her. But, she didn't enjoy it. And the older she got the more she realized that it was somehow very false, that it wasn't her they were after but just what she looked like. 136
In high school she had dated. She had to or else have the phone disconnected. She dated football players and basketball players and class officers while the boys she really admired never asked her out. She knew they were intimidated by her, but not really by her but only by the way she looked. And she hated it.137
She had never done anything that required her to step out on her own. Even getting a job had been difficult, but only because she was afraid to try. Once she did try, the offers were plentiful but she was sure that most of them came because of her looks and not because of her abilities. Right or wrong, it was what she believed. All she had to do was tuck her hair behind an ear, smile and turn her green eyes loose, and she had an offer. She was sure that's what happened even if she couldn't remember doing those things. 138
Sitting there in Bob Evans she could see her reflection in the window. And once more she recognized that contradiction that continually puzzled her for, despite the negative feelings she had about the affect of her looks on others, she continued to do all she could to enhance that beauty. The emerald blouse she had on today did nothing but highlight the green of her eyes, the black slacks made her dark coloring seem to glow. The earrings with the dangling pearls drew peoples eyes to her head and her hair, which was dark and glistening against the two gold clips. She carefully manicured her nails each week, keeping the polish fresh and shiny. She always wore a gold bracelet and a small gold chain around her ankle. She knew that her beauty was her gift, something that had been freely given and not earned. She knew it was her obligation to use and enhance that beauty. And yet, it was also that beauty that tormented her, that made her doubt that part of her that was beneath the beauty.139
Her breakfast came and she ate slowly, thinking about last night, the news she had heard this morning, and what she would do about all of it. She glanced at her watch, not wanting to be late for work. Today was her 90 day review and she liked the job. Customer service was interesting and she enjoyed the telephone work. When she was on the phone, it was her brain and her voice that was there and not her face and her figure. She finished her coffee, left a nice tip, paid the bill and left.140
She was still at work early and she cleaned her cubicle, booted the computer, and checked her email, answering those she could and printing off the ones that would take a little checking. She logged onto the network, checked some inventory and scheduled some deliveries, making notes on the printed emails. There were several passing hellos from coworkers but, thank goodness, no one stopped to talk. She didn't feel like making small talk this morning.141
By 8:30 when Art Kolson called and asked her to come to his office, she had answered all the email questions and was ready to begin her telephone day. She quickly opened her purse and took out the small mirror. She checked her eyes and hair, quickly adding a little of the dusky rose lipstick she always wore, then turned her head from side to side one more time. She put the mirror away and her purse in the desk drawer, straightened her slacks and blouse, smiled to herself, and headed for Art's office.142
"Mitzi, come in." He stood up and gestured toward the chair along the wall beside his desk. She sat down and crossed her legs, smoothing the leg of her slacks when she did. Art rolled his chair across the plastic mat so that they were face to face without the desk between. Art was tall, maybe six foot four with a full head of hair, graying slightly around the temples. He always seemed to be tanned and looked unusually fit for his age. The white shirt he wore gave no indication what so ever of gapping at the buttons. The only sign of aging that she could detect were the wonderful smile wrinkles that radiated from the corners of his eyes. And, they were very present now as he smiled warmly. "Did you get some coffee?"143
"No, no," she said, waving her hand. "I had breakfast at Bob Evans. I think I had enough coffee for two days."144
"Great," he said, again smiling. "My wife and I have breakfast at Bob Evans every Saturday morning. And usually lunch on Sunday. She loves their chicken salad. Have you tried it?"145
"It's delicious. Sometimes I pick it up and take it home with me for dinner. It's good and healthy." Some of the supervisors she'd had in the past would have taken advantage of her response by commenting on her figure. "You look plenty healthy to me just the way you are," or, "You look like you're already taking good care of your body." But, in the short time she'd worked here she knew that Art wasn't like that. He had been happily married for 30 years some of the others had told her. He had four daughters, two of which were already married, and two grandchildren. He and his wife were two of the most attractive 50+ people that she had ever seen.146
"It's funny," he continued. "She used to like that chicken salad from Lazarus, downtown, up on the fifth floor." He stopped and laughed. "But, of course, you wouldn't remember that. Anyway, she says that the Bob Evans salad is even better. Better that than having her complain about not being able to get the Lazarus salad." She laughed with him. "Well, listen. Your 90 days are up and let me say right off the bat, so you don't get nervous or anything, that we're really happy with the work you're doing. Really happy," he added. He leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs. "You know, customer service used to be one of the real weak links in this organization." No one seemed to know why." He templed his fingers in front of his face, looking at her over the top. "It wasn't that the customers were totally dissatisfied. They just didn't say anything. When you're not getting some compliments about your service, you know it 'ain't good.'" He bounced his head with each of the last two words. "So I got the job of fixing it.147
"I had an idea that not everyone agreed with. All our customer service people were men. You notice that today," he gestured out the window, "they're all women. That was my idea." He turned his eyes back to her. "It was also my idea to hire you. I like to be right. We all like to be right." He leaned forward in the chair, elbows on his knees, then straightened up, almost as though that posture wasn't correct for what he was going to say. "Do you remember your interview with us?"148
"I certainly do," she answered. "It was the first time I had ever been interviewed by three people at once." Her palms began to perspire at the memory of that interview.149
"We do that on purpose. It adds a little stress and confusion to the process. Sometimes more than one of us was talking at once. We like to see how people react to that and how they answer. After 90 days in Customer Service I hope you can see the relevance." He smiled at the nod of her head and the widening of her eyes. "Good," he continued. "Well, I can tell you now that the other two didn't care for you. Marge Hartsock though you were too timid. I didn't feel that was the totality of her reasons but that's what she said. Harold Vaughn had the same impression although he liked the content of your answers. He was afraid that the timidity would come through to the customers and they'd take advantage of it. So, they didn't want to hire you." He paused, purposely leaving her an opening.150
"So, why did you hire me?" It seemed like the natural question.151
"I thought you'd never ask," he laughed.152
"I have four daughters, Mitzi. I'm biased, but they're all beautiful girls. And I thank the Lord each and every day that they're beautiful both outside and in. So, you see, I have some experience with young ladies. A lot of that experience applies very specifically but some is more general. You probably didn't notice during your interview but I didn't ask many questions. I left that to the others. I much prefer to look and listen and evaluate. I indeed saw a self-conscious, timid young lady. But the more I watched and listened, the more I realized that you were extremely intelligent and talented and could easily handle the work here. In fact, I was more worried that you'd find the work boring and be ready for other challenges. I hoped that we could hold you long enough that you could find those challenges here with us." Mitzi's eye lids raised and her mouth dropped open. "Woops," he said. "I'm letting out company secrets." Again he smiled at her warmly.153
"But, before you say anything let me go on. "What I sensed in you, and occasionally saw in my daughters, was a self-consciousness and a timidity not based on doubts about your abilities or your intelligence but just on the way you look. We all know you're a very striking and beautiful young lady. I tell my daughters that there's nothing wrong with being beautiful. It's an asset, just like having a winning personality or being able to hit a curve ball or being able to sing opera or play the piano by ear. If you use it properly, it's wonderful. Like anything else, if it's misused it can be ugly and destructive. I sensed that you already understood that but were just unsure about the application. Here's a tough question for you. Was I right?"154
She smiled broadly at him and thought that he would make a wonderful father. "More right than you can imagine, Mr. Kolson. I can't thank you enough for your confidence. I always knew I could do a good job if I just had the chance." She was so excited that she was afraid she might cry.155
"Well, you'll get a good testing before long. I'll be telling everyone this a little later but, before long, all the Customer Service people will be making trips into the field, meeting their contacts, and working out some of the problems and issues face to face. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time. But it's up to you guys," he said with a broad gesture, "to make it work. And, by the way, there'll be a 5% raise in your next paycheck if that's okay with you."156
She just shook her head.157
"Well," he said, glancing at his watch. "That's all the good news I have for now." He stood up.158
"I don't think I could stand any more anyway. This is wonderful." She stood up and they shook hands.159
"Great. It's good knowing that I can count on you, Mitzi."160
She left the office not being able to remember when she had felt so good. It was wonderful. She repeated in her mind everything that he had said. 161
She had just set down in her chair when two faces appeared from neighboring cubicles, both with knowing looks. Could she share the good news with them.162
"Did you hear that the wife of that guy from Elation Station was murdered last night. They found her in Blendon Woods. Don't you live close to there Mitzi?"163
She stared at them wordlessly. What was she going to do?164
165
Adding your comment: