DEALING WITH THE HEAT... &more (Part 174e)

DEALING WITH THE HEAT… & more (Part 174e)

When Stan heard voices behind him he turned, saw me and motioned me into his space. Lynda made a ‘face’ and with a twinkle in her eye said something along the lines of “… and I thought you came to see me…”. That made me blush even more. He handed me a research paper on a company called National Car Rental. I’d never heard of it and told him so. I remember him telling me that was the reason for giving me the material. The company was new and was trying a different approach. He said he thought it was worth taking a chance on. I told him I’d have to think about it as I really didn’t have any money readily available. I had a fair amount still in my trust fund but Elle and I’d decided that was for an emergency. I’d already ‘raided’ it to buy stock and although I’d done well with the choices was reluctant to go deeper into it. I hadn’t told Stan about the trust so when he continued to ‘push’ the stock I was tempted. However, before he went he offered up an alternative which, in itself, was a lesson in investing. He stated that you can lever lose when you sell a stock with a profit. It becomes yours. He acknowledged that the stock could always go higher but that’s never a “given. On the other hand, taking a look at the stocks you own and selling one or more that isn’t producing that well gives you the opportunity to buy one that has more potential. The stock offering was to be around $12 a share and I agreed to take a look at my holdings. I had one that had been ‘flat’ for the whole time I owned it. The proceeds from the sale wouldn’t cover the cost but it would be close. I opted to do it since almost everything Stan had exposed me to had done well.

I’d left my briefcase at the bank and debated with myself if it was worth going back inside to get it. I knew the chances of needing anything in it were almost zero… but, being a creature of habit, stopped in. I expected to see Bret at his desk but there was no one there. A quick ‘turn’ around the floor didn’t turn his presence up either. It upset me because Bret, if nothing else, was trustworthy. Now concerned, I headed up the stairs. Nearing the top I was looking for Lynne but she wasn’t at the switchboard. I hadn’t paid much attention to just how much time I’d spent at the brokerage but a glance at my watch gave me the answer. It was after 5pm. That discovery was a relief and I started to head back down the stairs. Then I heard some strange, muffled sounds from the top of the stairs. I took the last four steps to the top step and stopped… and listened. J J’s office was on the other side of the elevator. I was pretty much hiding from view of anyone from over in the direction of J J’s office. The muffled sound I heard then was more of a moan and I then took the step up onto the floor. The sound continued and I took a few more steps until I could confirm it was coming from J J’s office… and then the picture became clear to me.

There had been ‘whispers’ about J J and Lynne, his secretary. Then, Lynne was supposedly sick and went on a leave of absence. It was while she was away that I, while trying to locate some important paperwork for “Gee” the Trustee/attorney, came across a picture of Lynne in just her underwear. Seeing that picture had pretty much solidified the rumors that I’d heard and definitely added credence to the one rumor that she’d been pregnant and not sick during her leave of absence. Standing in front of the elevator door and looking at the door to J J’s office I remember smiling… and made my way back down the stairs and on out the back door. (BTW: I didn’t go pick up my briefcase)

As it turned out I got home earlier than usual. Elle had the lawn chaise set up in the backyard out by the kid’s playhouse. She also had the oscillating sprinkler going with each pass putting water on her legs. She was in a bathing suit as were the kids. The back of my shirt was wet from the drive home and seeing them at least looking cool made me want to join them. I headed over to say “hello…” but Elle stood up and met me half way. The look on her face told me she was upset about something. She wasted no time telling me that she hadn’t seen Mattie, Martha and their kids all day and that she went over to see if everything was OK and no one answered the door. Elle told me she’d taken the kids for their sailing lessons but some of the other mothers felt it was too hot and talked the instructor into cancelling for the day. Back at home, when the neighbor’s kids didn’t come over after lunch she said she became concerned. Without saying it I could tell she wanted me to follow up on the situation.

About the last thing I wanted to do was be labeled a ‘nosy neighbor’. However, when Martha’s husband, Junior, took his mother back to the city he gave me his phone number asking me to “keep an eye and ear open” for any obvious problems at the house. I didn’t feel this was a situation that warranted a call and told Elle that she should be the one to do it. The look on her face told me she didn’t want to do it. I remember walking to the house to change my clothes just shaking my head wondering why she was so concerned. Surprisingly, she followed me up the stairs and was almost pleading with me to call. Weakening a bit I asked how many times she’d gone over to check at the house. She gave me one of those weak smiles that you often get from women when they’re asked something simple and don’t have an answer. I asked if she’d checked the garage and she, weakly, shook her head from side to side. I told her I’d go over and check again and while I was there also check the garage. That seemed to please her a bit. I asked if she wanted to go with me and she readily declined.

My main concern at that time was having to go to unload the race car and to assess the damage. As hot as it was I was definitely not looking forward to that. Elle went back out to where the kids were in the back yard and I went through the hedge into the neighbor’s yard. I can’t give you a reason but I headed right for the garage and looked through the window. No car. In my mind that pretty much ended it and deduced that the women had gone on a shopping trip or were doing some sightseeing on their own. I never passed up a chance to take a look at a wash line, especially when I knew the people weren’t home. It took but a few steps and I can tell you I was ‘blown away’ at what I saw. I hadn’t really thought about it as chaotic as the previous evening had become but it was obvious that Mattie had done some wash before leaving. The first thought was why she’d done more than just rinse out the soiled clothes from the night before but there were a lot more clothes there than what they’d been wearing. By my count there were at least six panties with four staring me right in the face. I went into a mini panic as I definitely wanted a picture of them. However, there was Elle to contend with.

I made my way back through the hedge and could see Elle was busily picking up the kids toys in the back yard. I made a dash for the kitchen door and, once inside, grabbed the camera. I didn’t dare go back out the way I’d come in so decided on the front door. I had a bit of a struggle to get it opened but finally did. I ran across the front yard of both houses and into their back yard. I was now perspiring profusely and was already trying to come up with an excuse by the time I was in front of the wash line. I guess there were a couple of reasons why the picture didn’t come out a clearly as it should’ve but here is the end result…

      

Mattie's wash line

To be continued…