The Stein - Part Two

The Stein - Part Two [part 2 of 3]
By: KK (mak41750@hotmail.com)

THE STEIN by KK (Part Two)

The pain I was feeling in my chest was more than could be caused by my wounds. I began to wonder if Nicky had just dealt me the final blow. Everything wasn't clear to me yet so I knew that I had to proceed slowly to avoid making a big mistake. I reviewed all possible scenarios and kept coming back to just one conclusion, Nicky was already in the house when I was shot. She had to have been upstairs with the shooter when I came into the house. Now I had to figure out what that mean and what I should do about it.

I was very angry and knew that when Nicky came home the confrontation would be ugly. I tried to plan what I would say to her but my anger was such that I knew I wouldn't be able to contain it and it scared me. The thought of Nicky being upstairs alone with another man was making me crazy. Finally I decided that I would not be able to talk to her because I was afraid I might hurt her.

Once I had all of the facts put together in the right order I knew it was time to talk to Tony but before I called him there was someone else I needed to talk to.

Jim Culkin and I had grown up together in Glendale. We had been best friends for as long as I could remember. Jim had been the best man at my wedding and I had been his best man. I hadn't seen much of Jim for the last couple of years. Jim still lived in Glendale and with Nicky and I living in Sherman Oaks it seemed to be just too much of an effort to get together as much as we would like. It was Jim I called that evening.

"Hello, Jim?"

"Eric?"

"Yes, how are you."

"I'm good, how are you?" he asked.

"Not too good right now. I have a problem that I am going to need your help with," I said.

"You know you can count on me," Jim said. "After all, what are friends for?"

"I appreciate that, but in this case I don't need you because you're a friend, I need you because you're a lawyer."

"What's the problem?"

I told Jim everything. I explained about the shooting, and the apparent burglary and how nothing was taken. Then I told him about the airline vouchers and what they meant and then I told him what I wanted him to do for me.

"You can count on me," Jim said. "What time would you like me to come over?"

"Why don't you plan on being here at nine o'clock," I said.

"Okay then, I'll be at your house at nine o'clock."

"Thanks, Jim, I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"Like I said, what are friends for?" Jim said.

As soon as I hung up from talking to Jim I called Tony on his cell phone.

"Tony, it's Eric Anderson."

"Eric, I am glad you called. I have some news for you," he said.

"Is there any chance you could come over here tonight at nine o'clock? I have something important to tell you concerning this case." I said.

"You haven't been playing detective, have you?"

"No. I came across something that may shed some light on this case though. I am not happy about this but I have to talk to you about it," I said.

"You have me curious now. I will be there at nine," Tony said.

When I got off the phone with Tony it was seven forty-five. I had another hour and fifteen minutes to kill before Jim and Tony arrived. I hoped that Nicky would get home before they arrived so that she wouldn't walk into the house and find them already there.

I spent the next hour making my plan of action. I got a legal pad and a pencil and sat at the kitchen table making notes. I was still sitting there when Nicky walked into the house at 8:50.

"What are you writing?" she asked.

"Just making some notes for something I have to do later," I said.

"What's that?"

?That's not important right now," I said. "We are going to have some company in a few minutes."

"We are? Who?"

"Jim Culkin and Tony Trenca," I said.

"We haven seen Jim in a long time," Nicky said. "Why is he coming over?"

"I told him about the shooting so he's coming over to see if he can help," I said.

"It'll be nice to see him again but what can he do to help?" Nicky asked.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"Why is Detective Trenca coming over?" she asked.

"He said he has some news about this case," I said.

I could see a lot of concern cross Nicky's face. "Have they caught the burglar who shot you?"

"I don't know," I said. "We'll have to wait till he gets her to find out."

Nicky went upstairs to change clothes and I sat down and waited for my guests to arrive. I hoped that they would arrive soon. I was finding it very difficult to hide my anger.

Jim was the first to arrive at nine o'clock on the dot. When he came in I could see him looking me over to see what condition I was in. We were still standing in the foyer when Nicky came down the stairs and gave Jim a hug.

"Nice to see you again Jim," Nicky said as she kissed him on the cheek.

Before our conversation could go any farther the doorbell rang. I opened the door and invited Tony in. After I made the introductions Tony looked at me as if to ask what Jim was doing there.

"For now let's just say that Jim is an interested observer." I said.

Tony accepted my explanation and we all headed into the family room to sit. I had already made a pot of coffee and I asked Nicky if she would help me serve our guests.

Once we were all seated with our coffee I turned to Tony.

"Tony, on the phone you said that you had some news for us," I said.

"Yes. I wanted you tell you that the gang of burglars we suspected in your shooting have been arrested. They were caught in the act of burglarizing a house about ten blocks from here this afternoon," Tony said.

I could tell by the look on Tony's face that he had something more to say that was probably not good news.

"Tony, I am getting the impression from you that you don't think these are the guys responsible for shooting me."

"How did you know that?" Tony asked.

"Like I told you on the phone, I have made a bit of a break through in this case myself," I said.

Nicky grabbed my arm and said, "What? You know who shot you?"

"No, I don't know who shot me but I think I can help Tony find out who did," I said.

I looked over at Jim and he was just sitting back watching all of us. I turned to Tony and he was staring at me.

"Okay, Eric, you have the floor," Tony said. "I am very curious to hear what you have to say."

"You'll have to be patient with me. I need you to understand how this all happened for it to make sense."

"Take your time and I'll hold my questions for later," Tony said.

"This came to me tonight. I was double-checking the contents of my safe when I came across two $300 American Airline travel vouchers. Ever since I woke up in the hospital I have been trying to remember everything that happen from the time I entered the house and walked up the stairs until I was shot. I was hoping that I would remember what the shooter looked like or that something else would come to me but the only thing I could remember was that the shooter was holding the gun in his left hand and he was wearing an onyx ring.

"When I found the travel vouchers I realized that I had to go back farther to start putting everything together. One thing that I was clear about but I didn't want to think about was that my original plans for coming home from Dallas had me arriving at LAX at 5:30 Friday evening. Nicky was going to pick me up at the airport and we were going to stop for dinner on the way home. But my plans got changed.

"By Thursday my project was running a little ahead of schedule and it appeared that if we worked late on Thursday we could finish the project and would be able to go home earlier on Friday. I discussed this with my team and the customer and we all agreed to stay late Thursday and finish the project.

"That night we broke for dinner at 5:00 and I called the airline and asked if I could change my flight to something earlier in the morning. The girl at American said that they had a flight out at 7:45 AM that would get me to LAX at 8:54 AM. I told her to book that flight. We finished the job at 11:30 Thursday night.

"Friday morning I was at the airport at 6:15 AM. I got a cup of coffee, a muffin and a newspaper and waited at my gate until the gate attendants opened the counter. As soon as they opened up I went to the counter to get my seat assignment and to do one other thing that I always do when I am not on a tight schedule,. I asked the gate attendant if the flight was over booked. She said that it was and I asked if they needed volunteers to take a later flight. She said that they did so I handed her my ticket and said that I was volunteering.

"In exchange for my ticket American Airlines gave me a $300 voucher for future travel and gave me a seat on a flight schedule at 9:15 AM. That flight was also over booked and I got a second $300 voucher and was booked on the 10:05 AM flight. This flight was not over booked and I arrived at LAX at 11:15 AM.

"In twenty minutes I had collected by bags and caught a cab. Traffic was light on the freeways that morning and so we were able to make very good time from the airport to the house.

"When I walked into the house I set my bags down in the hall just as the grandfather clock in the living room chimed on the quarter hour. I remember looking at my watch and seeing that it was 12:15. Up until I found those vouchers I couldn't remember what I did when I first came into the house. Now I remember. When I set my bags down in the hall I went into the family room, opened the safe and put the two vouchers in the safe. I locked the safe and then went back out to the foyer, picked up my bags and headed upstairs. We all know what happened then."

Nicky, who hadn't let go of my arm since we sat down, squeezed it tighter as I reminded her of what happened on the stairs.

"Once I remembered what I did when I came into the house I realized that there had been no burglars downstairs. As you can see there is no place anyone could have hidden in here. If someone had been in this room I would have seen them. I would have also seen the mess they had made but there was none.

"At this point the whole time line became a problem. I entered the house at 12:15. There was no sign of a burglary in progress on the first floor. By the time I headed upstairs at least two more minutes had passed making it about 12:17 when I was shot. Eight minutes later, at 12:25 Nicky finds me and calls 911. That would have meant that in the eight minutes between my getting shot and Nicky calling 911, the burglars decided to throw things around on the first floor to make it look like a burglary but they didn't steal anything.

"Nothing made sense to me. If the burglars had been in the house but hadn't taken anything yet and hadn't even started to search the first floor when one of them shot me why would they trash the family room to make it look like a burglary. Why wouldn't they just leave to make it look like a straight out murder? Why would they draw attention to themselves?"

"That was very well thought out," Tony said. "I can see that you are beginning to think along the same lines I am. So who do you think shot you and why?"

"I still don't know who shot me or exactly why, but I think I know someone who does," I said. "I believe that there were two people upstairs that day. One of them shot me. The other one sat with me and watched me bleed for eight minutes before she called 911. In the mean time the shooter trashed the family room to make it look like I had walked in on a burglary in progress."

Nicky had pulled away from me and was now curled up in the corner of the sofa crying.

"I believe that Nicky can tell you who shot me and why," I said.

Tony didn't look at all surprised. "I am sorry, Eric. That is what I was beginning to believe happened too," he said. "I am going to have to take her in for questioning."

"Tony, can we have a few minutes?" I asked.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea right now. I don't think you should talk to Nicky until we get this straightened out."

"Not for me. I want Nicky to talk to Jim," I said. "He is her attorney."

"You arranged for your wife to have her attorney here even though she is probably involved with your shooting?" Tony asked.

"I don't know what was going on between Nicky and the man who shot me but I can not believe that she would have intentionally caused this to happen," I said. "I just want to make sure she has excellent legal counsel from someone she trusts. If you let Jim talk to Nicky for a few minutes I think she will cooperate with you and answer all of your questions."

Nicky was still curled up on the sofa and hadn't said a word.

"I am going to go with you on this," Tony said. "She can talk with Jim and then I will give her the chance to voluntarily come to the station and answer questions. If she chooses not to come down we will issue an arrest warrant. I can't do any more than that."

Jim, Tony and I all stood up together and walked to the door. I shook Tony's hand and thanked him for giving Nicky the chance to come in voluntarily. Then Jim shook Tony's hand.

"I'll bring her into the station within an hour," Jim said. "I know her pretty well. I think she will want to cooperate."

"I hope you're right," Tony said as he turned to walk out of the house.

When the door closed Jim turned to me and said, "I'll go talk to her now. You do understand that anything Nicky tells me will be confidential and I will not be able to discuss it with you."

"I understand," I said. "I asked you to do this because I know Nicky would be more comfortable with you representing her than someone she doesn't know. I would never use our friendship to try and make you betray a client confidence and I know you wouldn't do that even if I did ask."

"I knew you would understand that under normal circumstances," Jim said, "but these are not normal circumstances. Is there anything you would like me to tell Nicky?"

"If the police let her leave after they question her she will have to go to her parents house," I said. "I still love her but I can't be with her now. Tell her that I will call her dad and tell him what is going on. I'm sure he'll come to the police station to be with her."

"You look like you want to say something else," Jim said. "What is it?"

"It's just that I don't know how all this is going to come out but it doesn't look good for my marriage," I said. "I want you to do the best you can for Nicky in this matter but I would ask you not to represent her in divorce proceedings. I know you can't represent me, that would be a conflict of interest and I sure as hell don't want my best friend sitting next to my wife during divorce proceedings. If she asks just refer her to another attorney."

"No problem," he said. "I wouldn't want to be involved on either side in divorce proceedings between you and Nicky. Let me go talk to her now. I think it will be better if you don't talk to Nicky again until this is resolved. If you need to tell her something you can call me. Agreed?"

I told Jim that I agreed but that I would also communicate with Nicky through her parents if necessary. Then I went up to our bedroom while Jim went into the family room to talk with Nicky.

Twenty minutes later Jim called up to me from the bottom of the stairs and I went down to see what he wanted.

"Eric, Nicky would like to go upstairs and pack some clothes to take with her."

"I'll go into my study, then she can go upstairs and pack," I said.

I wanted to ask if Nicky agreed to cooperate with the police investigation but I knew that I couldn't. Jim would tell me what he could but for the rest I would just have to wait and see what happens.

While Nicky was upstairs packing her bags I sat at my desk trying to make sense out of everything that had happen that day. There had never been any indication of trouble in our marriage or had I just missed the signs? The idea that Nicky would have been in our room with another man just didn't make sense to me but that is what the evidence led me to believe. Tony was thinking the same thing even before it occurred to me.

Was Nicky really having an affair? Had her lover shot me? Tony had told me that the shooter had definitely wanted me dead but he wanted me to die slowly. Why? I wonder if once I found out who shot me if that would make any more sense. The hardest thing for me to understand is why Nicky hadn't called 911 immediately. Eight minutes passed before she made that call. Was she hoping that I would die? Did she hate me that much? I refused to believe that.

Nicky had always been a loving wife. Since the shooting she has done everything possible to show me how much she loved me. I supposed that guilt could have something to do with that but could it be something darker. Was she trying to convince me that she couldn't have had anything to do with my being shot?

What scared me most was that I might never know the complete truth about what happened.

*****

When I heard footsteps coming toward my study door I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and turned as the door opened. Jim stuck his head in the door.

"Eric, we're leaving now. You said you were going to call Nicky's father, right?"

"I will call him in a few minutes. Thanks, Jim."

I sat at my desk and waited until I heard the front door close. I felt like I was about to break down but I knew I had to hold myself together a little longer. I still had to call Nicky's dad and I wanted to make sure I caught him before he went to bed. No one wants to get the kind of news I was about to deliver and if he was already in bed when I called it would just make it worse.

"George?"

"Oh, Eric. How are you, son?" Nicky's father said.

"I am improving," I said. "I am afraid I have something disturbing to tell you."

There was silence on the line for a moment and then, "What is it, Eric?"

"Nicky is at the Sherman Oaks police station. She is being questioned about her involvement in my shooting," I said.

"Oh, my God. You can't be serious," he said. "You can't believe that Nicky would have anything to do with that."

"Listen, George, I know this is a shock. It was to me also," I said. "I can't tell you any more than that right now. I just wanted to ask you to go down to the police station and be there for her. She is going to have to stay with you and Mary for a while."

"Eric, I don't know what to say. There has to be some kind of mistake. Nicky loves you. I can't believe this."

"I'm sorry, George. I know this is hard to accept," I said. "Will you go to the station?"

"Of course. What are you going to do Eric?" he asked.

"I don't know yet."

"Please don't do anything rash. Wait till we find out what really happened before you make any long term decisions," he said.

"I will, George, thanks."

I put the phone down and lay my head on the desk and tried to push all thoughts out of my mind. This was going to be the hardest time since this all started. I didn't have time to really think about what this all meant earlier. From the moment I found the travel vouchers in the safe my mind had been kept busy by all the things I had to do. I had to call Jim and explain everything to him. I had to contact Tony and ask him to come over to the house. I had to think about how I was going to explain everything to Tony so that he would understand. After that I had to talk to Nicky's dad. Now that all of that was done and I was left by myself to ponder what had had been done to me and decide what to do about it.

As hard as I tried I could not get the thought out of my mind. Nicky had a lover and he shot me. He wanted me dead so that he could have Nicky to himself. Was he planning to kill me or did he only shoot me because I showed up at the wrong moment? How long had their affair been going on?

I knew that with these thoughts spinning around in my head I wasn't going to get any sleep so I took one of the pain pills the doctor prescribed for me and went to bed. The powerful painkiller put me to sleep in less than ten minutes.

When I got up Thursday I felt lost. How was I going to function without Nicky? I was extremely angry with her but at the same time I missed her terribly. I tried to think about what I was going to do but my mind kept going back to thoughts of Nicky's betrayal. I knew I was going to have to get past all of that but it wasn't going to be easy.

The phone rang several times that morning but I let the answering machine pick up the calls. A few were from the school, wondering where Nicky was. Nicky's mother called and wanted to talk to me but I wasn't ready for that conversation. There were a few callers that left no message. I wondered if any or all of those calls might have been from Nicky's lover.

Finally at five o'clock Tony called. When I heard his voice I picked up the phone.

"Tony, I'm here."

"Hi, Eric. How you holding up?" he asked.

"Not very well?"

"You got any scotch at your house?" Tony asked.

"Yea, I have a bottle. Why?"

"I'd like to stop over for a drink," he said.

"Sure, come on over. I could use the company," I said.

An hour later Tony was sitting in the winged chair opposite me swirling the ice around in his glass of scotch.

"Sorry I can't tell you any more at this time." Tony said.

He had just finished telling me that Nicky had cooperated and answered every question they asked her. He said that she was at the station for two hours and then they let her go home with her father. Tony said that they now knew who shot me but he couldn't tell me that until he was arrested.

Apparently the man who shot me was out of state attending a meeting and was due back on Sunday. They didn't want to do anything to tip him off that they were looking for him. Tony said that they could have the police in Colorado, where he was attending the meeting, arrest him but then they would have to go through the extradition process, which could slow things down. Tony said that the assistant district attorney assigned to the case decided to wait until Sunday so they could pick the suspect up at his house.

"I was all for having the Denver Police pick him up. I would rather have him behind bars waiting to be extradited than to chance him finding out we are looking for him. He might disappear if he knows we are after him," Tony said, "but I was overruled."

I felt some relief that they knew who shot me but the fact that they got that information from Nicky just confirmed what I was hoping was somehow not true. Nicky was involved.

Tony told me that he didn't know what Nicky had told the investigator because he was not there during her questioning. He said that even if he had been there he would not be able to discuss it with me. He said this was an ongoing investigation and he would not have been able to tell me anymore than he already had.

I took a sip of my scotch and looked up at the ceiling fan as it turned slowly.

"I can't quite seem to get a handle on my feelings about all this. I guess I am just confused by the whole thing," I said.

"That's understandable. This will all get much clearer next week," Tony said. "You know what I would do if I were you? I would get the hell out of Dodge," he said.

"What? Leave town, and go where?" I asked.

"Go to the beach, go to Vegas, go to Hawaii. Just get away from here for a while. A change of scenery would do you good," he said.

I thought about that for a minute and said, "You might be right. There is nothing to keep me here right now. Maybe lying on a beach somewhere is just what I need."

"I'll call you if anything happens that you need to know about," Tony said.

"I think I'll do that. I don't know where just yet but I will go somewhere. Thanks for the suggestion. You will call me if anything happens, right?"

"I said I would, didn't I?" Tony said.

Tony stayed for another hour and just chatted with me. When he first came over I thought he was trying to get information from me but it became obvious that he just wanted to talk. Before he left he got my cell phone number and told me to let him know where I was going and where I would stay.

After Tony left I thought about where I might go to get away for a while. Hawaii sounded great but in my condition I didn't feel that I was up to the long plane ride. Every place I could think of was either too far to travel or not far enough away to suit me. By the time I finally went to bed I still hadn't made any decision.

Friday morning I called my office to see what was happening there in my absence. I was both relieved and disappointed to find out they were functioning quite well without me. I was talking to my boss, Charlie Carson, about when I would be able to come back to work and he told me not to worry about it.

"Whenever you are ready your job will be waiting for you," Charlie said. "How is Nicky holding up through all this?"

"She's doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances," I said. I hadn't told him that she was involved in the shooting. At the time I felt that the fewer people who knew about that the better.

"I know how hard it must be for you to just sit around," Charlie said. "What are you going to do to keep yourself occupied?"

"I thought I would get out of town for a couple of weeks," I said.

"Where will you go?"

"I haven't decided yet. I can't go far. I can't sit comfortably for more than a couple of hours so no long car rides or plane rides." I said.

"How about Vegas?" Charlie suggested.

"I don't know," I said, "I thought about it but I don't think I want to stay in one of those huge hotels. I need to be able to get away by myself. It would be nice if I could have both the privacy I need and still have access to the casinos and the great restaurants."

"I just might have the solution for you," Charlie said. "I have a small house in Vegas just a few miles west of the strip. I bought it a few years ago before the real estate prices went crazy over there. You are welcome to use it."

"That's really generous of you but I'm not sure..."

Charlie cut me off. "Actually you would be doing me a favor. We haven't been there for almost three months. I would appreciate it if you would spend some time there and check up on things for me. Make sure there are no water leaks and the air conditioner is working."

"Since you put it that way, I guess I could do that. It is just a short flight and taxi ride. I'll do it," I said. "Thanks."

"Good. Just a couple of things I need you to do while you are there," he said.

"Sure, whatever you need."

"There's an old Honda Civic in the garage. You might have to put the battery on the charger I have in the garage but I would like you to use that while you are there and then fill the gas tank before you leave. Also, before you come home I want you to pick up a case of Heineken and stick it in the refrigerator. We are going over there next month and it would be nice to have some cold beer waiting for us."

"I can do that. I might even get some for myself... Thanks, Charlie," I said.

"I am glad that this works out for you," Charlie said. "I'll drop the key off at your house on my way home from work tonight."

I decided then that I would catch a flight to Vegas in the morning and called to make flight reservations. Later in the day I called Nicky's parents house.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mary, it's Eric."

"Eric, did you want to talk to Nicky?" Mary said.

"No, I can't talk to her right now," I said.

"Please, she really needs to talk to you."

"I'm sorry, I just can't handle that right now. I just called to tell you that I am going out of town for a while," I said. "I will be leaving in the morning so tell Nicky that if she wants to come over to the house to get some of her clothes or anything else she can stop by anytime after ten tomorrow morning."

"I'll tell her, Eric, but can't you speak to her yourself?" Mary pleaded.

"Mary, I just can't. I am too angry and hurt right now to be able to deal with her. I'm sorry," I said.

"I understand. I hope you two can work this out," Mary said.

I don't know why but Mary's last comment set me off. "Work this out? For God's sake Mary, her lover shot me. That doesn't leave a lot of room for forgiveness."

Before Nicky's mother could say another word I disconnected.

I was in a real funk after that call. I felt bad that I treated Mary so badly and I had to admit to myself that I wished there was a way for us to work things out but I couldn't see how that could be done.

I spent the rest of the day thinking about my relationship with Nicky trying to remember any little detail that might have indicated that there was a problem festering in our marriage. There was nothing. I could think of nothing that Nicky had ever done that would make me think that she was cheating on me or that there was any other problem in our marriage. To the contrary I could only think of things she had done to show her love for me. I couldn't think of any time that I was ever anything but sure that Nicky loved me as much as I loved her. How all this could have happened was a great mystery to me.

I hoped that my time in Las Vegas would help me find some clarity.

At 6:30 that evening Charlie stopped by the house and gave me the keys and directions to his house in Vegas.

"I think you and Nicky will like the house," Charlie said.

" Nicky is not going with me," I said and immediately wished that I hadn't.

"She's not? Why?" Charlie asked.

"She couldn't get away," was the first thing I could think of to say. "Classes start on Monday so she has to stay in town. Charlie, do me one more favor, don't tell anyone where I am... Anyone. I don't want to be disturbed."

I could tell that Charlie understood what I was saying.

"Don't worry, no one will know where you are unless you tell them," Charlie said.

After Charlie left I called Tony and told him I was going to Vegas.

"What hotel you staying at? He asked.

"I am not staying at a hotel, I am staying at a friends house," I said.

"Good. Who else knows where you are staying?" he asked.

"Only my boss and that's only because it's his house. Why?"

"I just don't want anyone to know where you are until we have our suspect in custody. I'm still not happy with the Assistant DA's decision to wait till this guy comes home to arrest him. Too many things could go wrong. I just feel that the fewer people that know where you are the better."

"In that case I am glad I made a point out of telling my boss not to tell anyone where I was going," I said.

"Good job," Tony said. "Have you talked to your wife?"

"No. I called her mother this morning to tell her I was going away for a while. She tried to get me to talk to Nicky but I refused."

"Good. I know this is difficult but it is better that you don't talk with her until we get this mess cleaned up," Tony said. "Well, I have your cell phone number so if I need to get a hold of you I can. Make sure you keep your phone with you."

"Jesus, you're being a bit of a mother hen, aren't you?"

"Remember what I told you. This guy didn't just shoot you in a panic. He wanted you dead and he wanted it to be slow and painful. I think that if he had another chance at you he would kill you," Tony said. "I may be wrong, but fifteen years as a cop tells me I am right. No sense taking any chances."

"I will heed your warning and be careful," I said. "Anything else you want to tell me?"

"Yes. The Assistant DA plans on talking to your wife again tomorrow. Is there anything you can think of that we can ask her about that might shed any light on this case?" he asked.

"Tony, I thought about that all day and could come up with nothing. Nicky has never done anything that has made me the least bit suspicious of her. I can't think of anything that would help your investigation. I wish I could help. I want the answers as much as you do," I said.

"I am sure you do," he said. "When are you leaving?"

"I have a 9:00 AM flight out of Burbank."

"Well, enjoy your... I don't know what to call this. Anyway, try and relax and get yourself strong. Some of the most painful parts of this case are still ahead and you will need to be strong to deal with them," Tony said.

"Tony, I really appreciate everything you have done. It's only been two weeks since this shit storm started and the only positive thing that has happened is that I feel like I have made a new friend," I said.

"You're right. You have made a friend. I usually don't get this personally involved in a case. I just hope that when this is all over you will still consider me a friend." Tony said.

"I don't think that will be a problem. I value friendship and besides, I think having a cop for a friend would be a smart move on my part," I said.

"You know, you're not as dumb as you look," Tony said.

"I get that a lot."

After the call I went up to pack for my trip. I had to take enough clothes for a two-week stay while at the same time I had to travel light. I still wasn't strong enough to handle heavy suitcases. I was able to use a small rolling bag and a small carry on. I packed mostly socks and underwear. I packed three pairs of pants three shorts and six short sleeve shirts. I knew that Charlie's house had a washer and dryer so I didn't need a lot of shirts and pants. If I needed anything more I could purchase it in Vegas.

******

At 10:30 Saturday morning I was in Las Vegas in a taxi heading west on Charleston Boulevard. The temperature that morning was already 101 degrees and climbing. When I stepped out of the terminal building it felt like a blast furnace hit me. Luckily the taxi had a good air conditioner. Charlie Carson's house was on Desert Foot Hills Drive, which is about seven miles west of Las Vegas Boulevard. When the taxi stopped in front of the house I was very surprised. Charlie had said it was a small house. I guess it was small if you consider 3500 square feet small.

The house was white stucco with a red tile roof, much like most of the other houses in the area but this one just seemed more elegant. The front entrance consisted of heavy red oak double doors with stained glass windows. The doors opened into a large foyer with a stone tile floor. The air conditioner was already on and the house was a comfortable seventy-two degrees. I discovered as I explored the house that it was a smart home. A computer controlled everything. Charlie was able to control the climate control, the alarm systems and security lights remotely via the Internet. There were security cameras above the front entrance, above the garage door and in the back of the house overlooking the back door and the swimming pool. Everything was high tech.

The inside of the house looked like a magazine spread in Architectural Digest. The master bedroom was on the second floor and it was huge. The room was the full depth of the house so it had windows facing both east and west. Looking out the windows to the west provided a beautiful view of the mountains. Through the windows facing east was a view of the hotels along the strip and the swimming pool in the back yard. The back of the house faced east which kept the afternoon sun off the patio and the large pool.

The house momentarily lifted my spirits. As I was looking around at the beautiful home I thought, "Nicky would love this," and then the depression I had been feeling for the last three days came crashing back down on me. How could I miss her so much and at the same time feel so much anger toward her? I was there, at Charlie's house by myself because of what Nicky had done.

I forced my thoughts away from Nicky and started thinking about what I was going to do with the rest of my day. The swimming pool looked very inviting but I decided that I had better take care of some other things first while I still had the energy. I knew that as the day wore on my energy level would drop significantly. That is the way it had been since I woke up in the hospital almost two weeks earlier. Each day I felt better in the mornings and got progressively weaker as the day wore on.

My first objective was to get the Honda in the garage started so that I could go get some groceries. The car was ten years old but Charlie had obviously taken very good care of it. I was relieved to find that the battery wasn't dead and the car started on the first try and as I pull out of the garage I was glad that I had been paying attention as I rode in the taxi because I remembered seeing a shopping center not far from the house. It was only five blocks away and I managed to find it easily.

I bought enough food, soft drinks and beer to last me a week and then headed back to the house. When I pulled the car into the garage I realized that I was drained. I barely had enough strength left to carry the groceries into the house.

I managed to get the groceries put away and then poured myself a large glass of orange juice hoping that would help restore some of my energy. I made myself a sandwich and after I ate I decided to go out and relax by the pool and get some sun before it disappeared to the west side of the house.

I put my swimming trunks on and went into the bathroom to remove my bandages and put on some sunscreen. When I looked in the mirror I saw the three ugly scars from the bullet wounds. I thought to myself, "What a wonderful conversation piece they make."

The scars made me self-conscious so I put a shirt on before I went outside and I waited to be sure none of the neighbors could see me before I removed the shirt. The extreme heat forced me to go into the pool to cool off. Feeling refreshed I got out and lay down in a lounge chair and was nearly asleep when my cell phone rang.

"Eric?"

"Hey, Tony, how are you?"

"Good. Listen, Eric, I have to ask you some questions if you don't mind."

"No problem. Ask whatever you want," I said, although I could not imagine what he could ask me that he hadn't already asked me.

"Tell me about Sarah Bowden." Tony said.

"Sarah Bowden? What does she have to do with this?" I asked.

"I don't know. I am hoping you can tell me," Tony said.

"Sarah is a girl I knew in college."

"Did you date her?"

"Yes, I went out with her three or four times."

"Did you have sex with her?" Tony asked.

I was starting to get annoyed. "What's this all about?"

"Sorry, Eric, just part of the investigation. So, did you have sex with her?"

"No."

"Is that why you broke up with her, because she wouldn't have sex with you?" Tony said.

"No, it wasn't like that at all," I said, letting the tone of my voice show that I was getting pissed off. "We went out a few times and we both realized the relationship was going nowhere, so we stopped dating."

"Were you still on speaking terms when you broke up?"

"Yes, we were still on speaking terms but we didn't break up. We were never in an exclusive relationship. The relationship we had didn't last that long. Why are you asking me about a girl I dated a few times more than ten years ago."

"Just something that came up in the investigation that I have to follow up on. Were you dating your wife then, too?"

"No. I hadn't met Nicky yet."

"Okay then tell me about your relationship with Sarah Bowden."

"What exactly do you want to know?" I asked.

"Why don't you start with how you met?"

I took a deep breath as I tried to remember. "It was a Saturday night and I was heading back to the fraternity house after a party. I stopped to get gas at one of those gas station mini marts. While I was filling my tank a car pulled up on the other side of the pumps. There was a couple in the car and the guy was yelling at the girl. I couldn't hear what they were saying to each other but the guy was getting pretty loud.

"When my tank was full I went inside the store to pay and as I was coming out the guy that had been in the other car was coming into the store."

"Did you know him?" Tony asked.

"No. We didn't even look at each other as we passed. Anyway, when I got back to my car the girl jumps out of the other car and starts begging me to take her with me. I could see that she had a mouse under her eye and I figure her boyfriend must have hit her so I told her to get in my car and we left before her boyfriend came out of the store.

"She was pretty shaken up. I asked her where she wanted to go and she asked if I would take her somewhere she could get a cup of coffee. The only place we could find open that time of night was a Denny's. We got a booth and ordered two cups of coffee and then just sat there. Finally I asked her why her boyfriend had hit her. She told me that he wasn't her boyfriend. She said that she had gone out with him twice and he suddenly became very possessive. She said that earlier that night she was at a dance and was dancing with a friend when the guy came in and grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the place.

"She said that he made her get into his car and then he started accusing her of cheating on him. When I saw them at the gas station she was trying to explain to him that they weren't going steady so she could dance with or see anyone she wanted. That was when he hit her. When he went into the store to buy cigarettes she jumped out of the car and asked me to help her.

"We talked for a long time that night and then I took her back to her dorm. When I dropped her off she thanked me for helping her and then kissed me. I didn't know what else to do so I asked her out on a date.

"By the end of our first date I could tell that there really wasn't any connection between us. I would have ended it right then but I sensed that she wanted me to ask her out again so I did. It was on our third or fourth date that we both realized we were going nowhere. We parted as friends."

"Did you remain friends?" Tony asked.

"I think we would have but I just didn't see her very often after that. I saw her on campus a few times over the next month or so but never saw her after that."

"Who was the guy that hit her?" Tony asked.

"I don't know. I don't remember if she ever told me his name."

"So, is there anything else you can tell me about Sarah Bowden?" Tony asked.

"No. This is the first time anyone has mentioned her name to me since college... No, wait a minute. Nicky asked me about her once, about a year ago."

"Why did she ask?"

"I don't know," I said. "It was just after she came back from Germany. I had fixed a romantic dinner to welcome her home and while we were eating Nicky asked me if I knew a Sarah Bowden."

"What did you tell her?" Tony asked.

"The truth. That I had dated her a few times during my junior year."

"And Nicky didn't tell you why she asked?" Tony said.

"Nicky said that someone told her to ask me if I knew her but she wouldn't tell me who asked," I said.

"Why was your wife in Germany?"

"She was a chaperone for a trip for the members of the German Club at the high school where Nicky teaches." I said.

"Who else was on the trip with her?"

"The German language teacher Carol Stanley and her husband Jack, the European History teacher Barbara Martin and her husband Cal, guidance counselor Janice Whiten and the physical education teacher John Parker," I said.

Tony's expression changed for a moment as if something I had said registered with him.

"Why didn't you go with your wife?"

"I was supposed to but I had to cancel out so I could go to a technical education conference in Denver that was scheduled the same week," I said.

"Has your wife ever mentioned Sarah Bowden again?"

"No."

"So that's everything?"

"Yes."

"I hope so." Tony said.

"What the fuck does that mean?" I said.

"I don't know if this Sarah Bowden has anything to do with this case, but it is a lead I have to follow so I am just hoping that you told me everything I should know about your relationship with her," Tony said.

I was hot. Was Tony insinuating that I had done something wrong with Sarah? I had thought he was a friend but now he was pulling this bullshit.

"Can you tell me now why you are asking me about Sarah?" I asked.

"Sorry, buddy, can't tell you anything at this time," he said.

"Why are you trying to find skeletons in my closet? I thought we were friends?"

"That's the problem with having a friend that's a cop. I still have to do my job," Tony said and hung up on me.

Doing his job? Bullshit. Someone was trying to derail the investigation by bringing Sarah into it. I couldn't imagine how she could possibly figure into this mess.

I spent the rest of the weekend relaxing. I spent a lot of time around the pool and the rest of the time reading books that Charlie had in his library. The boss was really impressing me. Who would have thought that he would have a great library in his house? I didn't think he ever read a book.

On Monday I started to increase my physical activity. I took a two-mile walk in the morning and that afternoon I started swimming laps. I expected a call from Tony Monday telling me that they had arrested my shooter but he didn't call.

That afternoon I called Nicky's father to see how she was doing. After saying hello I asked how Nicky was holding up.

"Eric, did you know that Nicky resigned from her job?" George asked.

"She quit? Why?" I asked.

"She said that it was because she was worried that rumors would start up after this comes out in the news," George said, "but I think there's more to it than that."

I didn't know what to think about that. Nicky loved teaching so I felt badly for her but at the same time I felt that she did this to herself.

"Tell her I'm sorry that she had to quit her job."

"I will, Eric," he said.

I had nothing else to say so I ended the call.

*****

When I hadn't heard from Tony by late Tuesday afternoon I was ready to call him but a part of me didn't want to talk to Tony. I was still a little pissed about the way he questioned me about Sarah Bowden.

Wednesday morning Charlie called me.

"How is the house working out for you, Eric?" he asked.

"Great, Charlie. I thought you said this was a small house," I said.

"It is compared to my house in Sherman Oaks," he said. "So you got the car started?"

"Yes, I did and I picked up a couple of cases of Heineken but somehow I don't think they'll last till you get here. I may have to buy some more before I head home. So what's going on over there?"

"Not much but there was a police detective over here asking about you first thing this morning," Charlie said.

I was getting pissed again. Why the fuck was Tony snooping around where I worked?

"What did he want?" I asked.

"He wanted to know if I knew where you were."

"He already knows where I am... Oh. Wait, no he doesn't. I told him I was staying at a friend's house but I didn't tell him whose house and I didn't tell him the address. Did you tell him where I was?"

"Yes. I hope that was all right."

"No problem. It's okay to tell the cops where I am," I said.

Charlie and I talked for a little while longer about work and projects that he hoped I would be back to work on soon. After the call I was feeling pretty good so I poured myself a Heineken and sat in the pool and refreshed my inside and outside at the same time.

When I didn't hear from Tony by five o'clock that evening I decided to drive down to the strip. I thought I would play some blackjack and then get some dinner. I was thinking of going to Bellagio but then I remembered how much Nicky liked the Bellagio and I didn't want to be reminded of her that evening. I ended up at Treasure Island instead. I played blackjack for three hours and suddenly I felt very tired. I decided to skip the idea of having dinner in one of the great restaurants on the strip and just go back to the house.

I got back to the house just before nine o'clock and it wasn't until I was in the kitchen fixing a sandwich that I noticed that I had missed a call on my cell phone. I must not have heard the phone ring when I was in the casino. I checked voice mail and there was a message from Tony. It just said, "Call me," and gave me his cell phone number.

I was still pissed at him so I waited till I finished eating my sandwich before I called him.

"You wanted me to call?" I said when he answered the phone.

"Where the hell have you been?" Tony asked.

"Whoa there. What the hell is this? I don't have to check in with you. I went out tonight," I said.

"Sorry to be so brusque but we have a problem. We don't know where he is?" Tony said.

"You don't know where who is?"

"Our suspect. He didn't return from his meeting in Denver," Tony said. "We know that he checked out of his hotel and went to the airport and got on the plane to LA but we lost him at LAX."

"So the guy that shot me is still on the loose? Jesus Christ, how could that happen?" I asked.

"I am sorry, buddy but this isn't my fault. If you remember, I wanted him picked up in Denver and held for extradition but I was overruled. Now he is on the loose. We don't know if he knows we are looking for him or not. We hope not. You should be safe over there and we are keeping a close watch on your wife. We don't think she contacted him but we are doing everything we can to make sure of that."

"You think Nicky might have tipped him off that you were looking for him?"

"I would not have thought so but now? Who knows?"

"So, other than that how are you doing?" Tony asked.

"I'd be doing a whole lot better if you would stop snooping around in my business and catch this guy," I said.

"What do you mean, snooping around in your business?" Tony asked.

"First you call me and started asking me about a girl I knew more than ten years ago and won't tell me why and then this morning you start snooping around my place of employment asking questions about me."

"What are you talking about?" Tony asked.

"My boss called me this morning and said that you were in there first thing this morning asking questions about me?"

"Shit. It wasn't me, Eric. What kind of questions?"

"It wasn't you? Did you send someone else out there?"

"No."

"Charlie told me the cop that came out there asked him where I was and he told him."

"Oh, fuck. You need to get out of the house now. Get a hotel room somewhere and don't talk to anyone but me." Tony said.

"You think he is coming here?"

"I don't know but I think it's a good bet. Why else would he want to know where you are?"

"Tony?"

"What"?

"I think it's time you tell me who the fuck this guy I," I said.

"John Parker."

"The high school phys Ed teacher?"

"That's right. How well do you know him?" Tony asked.

"I don't really know him at all," I said. Nicky talked about him a lot when he first came to the school two years ago. She thought he was going to do a good job as a phys Ed teacher and the football coach. I have never met him myself. Oh, shit... I just remembered that Nicky told me that Parker once told her that he knew who I was in college."

"But you don't know him?"

"I don't remember his name from my college days and I don't know if I would recognize him if I saw him," I said. Then another thought struck me. "Is Nicky having an affair with John Parker?"

I could feel my chest tightening as the realization set in. How long had this been going on and how had I not had seen any indication that Nicky was cheating on me? I felt pain, betrayal, anger and stupidity all at the same time.

"We are still not sure what the relationship is between Mr. Parker and your wife. We only know what she has told us so far but we don't know if it is the truth yet but we will find out," Tony said.

"What has Nicky told you?"

"I am sorry Eric, but I just can tell you at this time. I promise I will tell you everything as soon as I can. For now I just want you to get out of that house and find some other place to stay tonight."

"He could already be here. It only takes an hour to fly from LA to Vegas," I said.

"He may be there but he didn't fly. We have been watching the airports and we have been in touch with his credit card company and he has not made any charges today. If he is in Vegas he drove there. I want you to leave the house now and make sure you are not being followed. If you even think someone is following you, call me immediately," Tony said.

"What can you do if I am being followed? You're in LA and I ?m in Vegas." I said.

"I can get in touch with the Las Vegas police and get them to come to your assistance."

"Okay, I am leaving now."

I closed my phone and started turning off lights. Once I had the interior of the house dark I peeked out the windows and looked for any cars parked in the street. When I didn't see any cars on the street I went into the garage and got into Charlie's Honda.

Throughout this whole ordeal I had dealt with just about every imaginable emotion but as I sat in the dark contemplating my next action, I felt fear for the first time. I started the Honda and waited for a few more seconds before I pushed the button on the remote to open the garage door. As soon as there was enough clearance under the door I drove out of the garage fast hitting the button to close the garage door, as I turned left onto the street.