Jason parted from the group and decided to walk a bit in the crisp, cool air. He thought the lovely village looked like a Norman Rockwell painting with all the holiday trimmings and the snow. As he walked, snow began to gently fall in big, fluffy flakes. He knew this meant there would not be much snow. The mercury lights began to come on in the gathering dusk, and, with the snow falling in front of the lights, he thought that now it looked like a Thomas Kinkade painting. This gave him a warm, happy feeling.
He looked appreciatively at the big, old hotel built as a masterpiece of Victorian architecture with elaborate wedding-cake trim, soaring columns and a stained-glass cupola. Other than the Senior Center, this was the social center. Many wedding receptions, formal balls and proms as well as arts and craft shows had graced the old building.
In the cold winter weather the flower beds were bare and the vines of the rose bushes looked lonely. He visualized the grounds next spring and could hardly wait to see all the beauty that he knew was there. Again he thought of how he would like to own his own property and raise flowers and flowering shrubbery of his own.
Jason crossed the street and headed back to where his car was parked. He passed a bank, mentally reminding himself to go in and check on his savings account. Next was an insurance agency, a department store and ladies boutique. There was an alley and then a hardware store. Next door was a café and then a mom and pop grocery.
He momentarily felt a sense of disorientation thinking of his family and his home town, but quickly shook himself out of that as he reached his car and unlocked the door. He got in, started the motor, and sat for a moment giving the car a chance to warm up.
* * * * *
The new year came in with a blizzard. There were a few small parties held, but, for the most part, people stayed in the comfort of their own dwellings. The fire department did have a fireworks display at midnight. Several people could see this from their own homes. A few had invited friends to join them. Jason stayed in his apartment and was glad for the warmth and comfort. It was going to be long weekend before he went back to work.
He made up his mind to go to a real estate office and look for property during the months of January. He wasn’t in any hurry to purchase a home as long as it was cold and a chance of snow. He did want to be aware of what might be on the market, in or near town, that would interest him.
January second, two thousand nine and Jason didn’t want to get out of his warm bed. I’d like to have a dog, but what would the poor thing do all day while I am gone? I guess I could take him to work with me. Nah. It wouldn’t be fair to the animal. Scratch that bad idea.
The weekend went quickly. Monday, January fifth quietly crept in. Jason quickly ate scrambled eggs, sausage and thawed-out frozen biscuits for breakfast. There was butter and blackberry jam for the heated biscuits. He thankfully poured the coffee and was glad he had taken his grandmother’s Mr. Coffee before he came to Ohio. Cleaning up the kitchen, he listened to the news and weather report. No new snow predicted and the local roads had been cleared. Deciding to take his paper to work with him, he folded it under his arm, picked up his briefcase and left.
Stepping out into the cold, he shivered and pulled his scarf closer around his mouth and lower part of his face. He knew he was early and planned to start the coffee for his staff and make sure the building was heated.
Much to Jason’s surprise, Beth had already arrived and had the coffee going. The glorious heat was going strong. He hugged her and asked about her holiday. She was thrilled and excited talking about her coming marriage. While they were talking, Greg came rushing in bringing a gust of cold air with him.
“Brrr. I’m glad to see you two. I hope you both had a good holiday.” Greg spoke haltingly as he peeled off an overcoat, a big, heavy sweater, fur-lined gloves, boots and aviator cap with ear flaps. He sat down and looked at them with a friendly expression.
“Goodness Greg. You’re dressed like you think it might be cold,” Jason teased him. “Here, get some hot coffee down you.”
“When I warm up I’ll talk sensibly with you. At the moment my tongue and teeth feel as if they’re frozen.”
“Yes, Greg, I had a wonderful holiday,” Beth told him. “Darrell and I went to a movie in Maumee and ate a huge lobster dinner at a too pricey restaurant. We spent the whole day together since we had to drive a distance. Another day we looked for a china pattern that we both liked and visited with both sets of families. I must admit, though, I’m glad to be back to work.”
“I bet friends of yours will give you a shower or two,” Jason stated. “You can at least give them an idea of what you’ll need or want for your new house. Are you registered at stores where people can get an idea?”
“Yes, I’m registered at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Gem Love Jewelers and Macy’s.”
Greg turned quickly. “Hey! I miss Grace. I hope she had a wonderful time in Hawaii. Too bad she has to return to cold, snow and icy winds.”
“At least she had some warmth and pleasure for a few days. Grace is one who deserves it,” Beth explained. “Jason, did you know she took care of her invalid parents and then her husband’s parents until they all died. Then her husband had cancer and died slowly. She faithfully cared for him until his last day. She also volunteers at the Senior Center and with the elderly activities at church.” Beth gripped a mug of hot coffee and shared the information.
“No, I didn’t know all of that. I know she’s a special person and thinks of others before herself. Well, children, let’s have a short confab and discuss what we’re going to be covering the next few days. It won’t be long until we’ll be climbing out from under tax forms and pressure from anxious people.”
The three of them sat at the long table, in the center room, and discussed business for at least a half hour. Franklin came in, got a cup of coffee and talked to them for a few minutes. They asked him about his holiday.
“I had calls from each of my children and visited with some old friends. My church had a beautiful Christmas program that I truly enjoyed,” Franklin shared with them. “Now I hate to come back to work, but I have several repairs to do for customers. I’ll be glad to see Grace and hear about her trip. Will she be in tomorrow?”
“As far as we know, she’ll be home tonight and will be at work tomorrow,” Jason answered him. “We all want to hear about her trip.”
Franklin left to go to his shop and the three got up to refill coffee mugs before going to their own space to work. Jason was relieved when neither one of the others mentioned the death of Margaret. He had not told them about the dating agency and meeting Margaret, but he felt sure they had read of the strange death. He was glad he didn’t have to talk about it.
The next morning Grace was there before any of them. She was bubbling with joy. She hugged each one that came in and told all about her trip. Her pictures would have to wait until they were developed. She had gifts for all four of them.
She gave a coffee table book of plants and flowers of Hawaii to Jason. Greg got a colorful shirt and a CD of Hawaiian songs by Don Ho. Beth was given a beautiful necklace of tiny shells with a matching bracelet. Her gift to Franklin was a small bag of tiny tools that were used to work on watches and jewelry. She also had a Hawaiian shirt for him.
They worked diligently to take down the decorations and clean up the office without wasting time.
The week was uneventful. Jason was on pins and needles for fear someone would mention Margaret’s murder and was so relieved when each day passed and nothing was said.
* * * * *
Jason went to a party at the dating agency the next Saturday. He was pleased to discover a few new members. He was introduced to Curtis Warren, Steve Nighthawk and Lisa Madison.
Several of the men and a couple of women were in a group welcoming Curtis Warren. Someone asked him what he did for a living.
“I’m a PJ,” he grinned.
“You’re pajamas?” Gary asked with wide eyes.
Everyone laughed. “No,” Curtis laughed, “I’m a pararescue jumper.”
“Okay. Explain.” Gary said.
“When I was in the Marines, I flew a lot and was trained as a parachute jumper. Now that I’m out of military service, I wanted to continue to serve my country in some way, therefore, I joined this rescue agency and have been kept busy.”
William Penta asked, “What kind of work have you been doing around here?”
“Do you remember reading, or seeing the news on television, about the bridge that collapsed throwing cars, buses and people into the river? There were a few animals in some of the vehicles. We flew over and parachuted out on a long line to lift people and animals to the bank to safety. There were a couple of ambulances standing by to take anyone to the hospital that was injured.”
I remember reading about that,” Nigel interjected. “In the article there was also a reference to HALO connected with your work, but I couldn’t understand what it meant.”
“Sometimes the plane has to fly higher than usual. We jump but don’t open our parachutes until we’re very low. HALO means high altitude, low opening. We learned to do that in military service when we had to jump in behind enemy lines to rescue some of our people. We also have a DZ which is a drop zone in sight. That means we aim for a specific spot, or zone, to land.”
“I’m very impressed,” Jason said. “We’re glad to welcome you, Curtis and hope you’ll be happy here.”
Jacob Openheimer brought a lovely young woman to the group. “People, this is Lisa Madison. She’s a psychologist and I should have introduced her as Doctor Madison.”
Lisa had black hair hanging like a sparkling waterfall almost to her waist. Her black eyes and olive complexion with a very kissable-looking mouth, were eye-catching. She laughed easily and was very personable. Rebecca came to invite Lisa to join the group of women.
Jacob told the group. “She’s a humble person and one would never suspect what a wealthy, important family she comes from.”
“Who is her family? I must have missed something, because I don’t remember anything about her. How long has she been here in the Village?” Tucker asked.
“She’s only been here less than a month and I knew about her through a cousin who works with her brother. Her grandfather was the Governor of the state, where they live, and now her father is the Governor. Her oldest brother is the State’s Attorney, an uncle is a federal judge, and her younger brother is the District Attorney in a county here in Ohio. Lisa first got a law degree and then decided that she’d rather help people in trouble before they were in deeper trouble. Her college roommate, whom she loved like a sister, committed suicide because of domestic abuse. Lisa was devastated that the girl had not confided in her. Her mother was some royalty of some kind and left millions of dollars to her children when she died of cancer. You’d never know it when you get to know Lisa. She’s a very down to earth person.”
Jason looked around hoping to meet Steve Nighthawk. His purple-black hair and obsidian eyes with smooth bronze skin was proof that he was Native American. He was tall, taller than Jason, with a well developed body which showed a strong, healthy man. Jason was disappointed that he had already left.
* * * * *
The following week, Jason stopped by a real estate office which was a few doors from his office. He explained that he wanted a three bedroom, two bath house with a nice lawn. He explained that he wasn’t interested immediately, but wanted to know what was on the market. If one wasn’t available at the present time, his name could be kept on file in the event that something did open. He hoped to buy in February, not later than March, if possible.
Robert Dawson, the real estate agent, took Jason to view the house he had seen and thought he might like. It looked good outside, but there was too much work needed on the inside. Jason said that floor plan was what he had in mind, but not that particular one. He returned to his office prepared to work late to make up his time out of the office.
Jason drug home late, tired, hungry, cold and feeling plain blah and miserable. He hoped that he was not coming down with the flu. He lackadaisically got his mail out of the box and went on up to his apartment. He shook off his outer clothes, leaving them where they fell, and pulled off his boots. He crashed down on the living room couch and pulled an afghan off the back of the couch over him. It was one his mother had knitted and he treasured it. He woke later with a stiff neck, but feeling a little better. It was almost nine o’clock.
He turned on lights and staggered to the bathroom. After he washed his face and hands, he started to the kitchen to fix something to eat, although he wasn’t hungry. First he decided to put on flannel pajamas and get comfortable. He heated a can of chicken noodle soup and made a bologna and cheese sandwich. He ate the soup, but only took about three bites of the sandwich.
He ate slowly while watching the ten o’clock news. He cleaned up after himself, hung up his clothes and started back to the bedroom. It was then he saw the mail he had thrown on the divider between the kitchen and living room. He picked up the mail, sighed deeply, and sat on the couch to peruse it.
Nothing of interest. Letters from organizations asking for donations, brochures of summer vacation spots and a letter. Who in the world? There was no return address which usually meant a begging letter, but he opened it anyway. He was startled.
“Jason, Forgive me for writing to you in such an informal manner when we haven’t been introduced. I was visiting with my cousin during the holidays and saw you when I was a guest at The Perfect Spouse. She wouldn’t let me introduce myself to you, so I’m taking this opportunity to get in touch. I’m not a member of the dating agency and live too far away to belong even if I wanted to. I would like to know you better and have you get to know me. If you’re willing to keep in touch, then answer this letter. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll understand.”
“I’m a high school Math teacher, twenty-seven years old, five-six with chestnut hair and grey eyes. I love sports, reading, cooking and jogging. I have a three year old Bull Mastiff whom I love dearly and have had since he was two months old. I call him the Professor because he looks at me as if he knows exactly what I’m saying and can almost read my mind. He’s an excellent guard dog, but can be very friendly once he gets to know a person. I play the piano, organ, guitar and accordion.”
“I hope you’ll be interested to at least get acquainted. If you decide to contact me, mail a letter to: Candy, Box 501, Findlay, Ohio, 45839. Of course Candy is not my name, but I don’t want to give my full name yet until I learn how you feel. I just want a friend with whom I can correspond and not expect a permanent relationship.”
Jason rubbed his eyes and across the top of his head. What?? How did this person get his address? He then thought of how Margaret had tracked him down and wondered if he should be frightened. Should he show this to the detectives investigating Margaret’s murder? He shook his head, left the letter lying on the couch and went on to the bedroom. He was too tired and felt too miserable to worry about this now. He was afraid he wouldn’t sleep, and he did toss and turn, but finally dropped off to sleep.
Jason got up the next morning feeling as if he were floating and wandered to the bathroom. He felt better in a few minutes and decided he wasn’t getting the flue after all. He dressed and padded on sock feet to the kitchen. His heavy wool socks kept the kitchen tile from feeling cold on his feet. He ate a bowl of Cheerios with a cut-up banana, toasted two pieces of cinnamon raisin bread, buttered the bread, and ate it while drinking a second cup of coffee laced with cream.
He brought the paper in and dropped it on the couch. The letter from the mysterious woman caught his attention. He picked it up and read it through again. He rubbed his head and decided to think about it. He pulled on his boots, put on his outer wear and walked slowly out to go to work.
Jason mumbled a greeting to his staff who were already busy for the day, and walked on down to his office. He hung up his coat, placed gloves, scarf and hat on a small table behind the door, half way smiled at the warm weather pictures of his staff, and sat heavily in his chair.
In a few minutes Grace tapped softly on his door and then stuck her head in timidly. “Are you feeling all right Jason?”
“Yeah,” he said with a deep sigh. “I guess I’m all right. Probably the winter blahs. I just don’t have any energy or any desire to be here today.”
“Why didn’t you stay home? We can handle the office for a day or two on our own.”
“No. I’m just as well off here and I’ll get going soon. Thank you though.” He tried to smile at her but just turned up a corner of his mouth.
Grace backed out and walked slowly back to the front. She stopped a moment to explain to Beth and Greg why she had checked on Jacob and what he said. They truly cared for him and wished him well. They quietly went on with their assigned tasks.
Jason was embarrassed to awaken and discover that he had slept at his desk for a long time. Greg and Beth had already left for the day, but Grace tiptoed in to check on him.
“Oh, Grace. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I’ve---”
“Say no more. You’re plainly worn out and mother nature helps us all heal and feel better after a nap. It’s past time to leave, so, go home and I’ll leave, also. I hope you get a good night’s rest and will come in refreshed tomorrow.”
Grace left in a flurry after literally pushing Jason out of the door and locking up after him. She went happily on her way leaving Jason to walk on home. His crock pot had faithfully worked all day to cook a beef stew with vegetables. Jason had a bowl with some heated garlic bread, brushed his teeth and fell into bed.
He awakened feeling much better and eager to be up. He sang in the shower and grinned to himself that this was the only time any more that he sang. He decided to leave early and have breakfast at Marjorie’s Café.