Worse Than Being Alone (23 page)

Lionel groaned loudly and broke contact. “OK, let’s
sneak upstairs and make sure they’re asleep.”

Half dressed, we creeped up the stairs. Lionel
stopped at the girl’s door and peered in. Satisfied the coast was
clear, he took my hand and led me to the door of the master
bedroom.

“
Last chance to escape,” he
whispered in the dark hallway.

A kiss served as my response as he opened the door
and locked it behind us. Three hours later, I was sneaking down the
stairs to make my exit. Lionel kissed me one last time at the door.
I heard him lock the door as I headed for my car. On this ride, I
made gloom and doom sit in the back, with hope riding shotgun.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Cindy was sorting mail when I arrived at my office
the next morning. We exchanged greetings at which point she glanced
at me. She seemed to be lost in thought as she returned to her
task, and then began staring at me intently. I ignored her, walked
over to the coffee maker, and poured a steaming mug. Eyes seemed to
be burning a hole in my back as I tried to escape to my office, but
Cindy ducked through the opening before I could manage to get the
door closed.

“
So, you look tired,” she said,
studying my face as she sat down, signaling her intent to have a
conversation. “Yet at the same time, you look strangely content.
Usually, I get this restless vibe from you. This aura is very
different.”

“
My aura is off?”

“
Oh, yeah,” Cindy said. “Big
time.”

“
So, you’re like a fortune teller
only you don’t use a crystal ball or read palms. I don’t get it.
What do you mean by aura? What do you see?”

“
Well, I don’t really like to talk
about it,” she said.

“
Too late. You want some quid pro
quo, you go first.”

“
OK, I see colors around people,”
she said. “Usually, it’s blue or red or a combination of
both.”

“
So, my aura is usually
what?”

“
Well, most of the time it’s red,”
she said. “That means you’re kind of anxious or restless. At least
that’s my interpretation. Today, I see a lot more blue.”

“
What does blue mean?”

“
Peace or acceptance,” she said.
“What happened last night? How did it go with Meadow?”

“
Not good. Her mom is in kidney
failure. I don’t think she’s going to make it.”

“
That’s tough,” she said.
“Something else happened though. You saw Lionel last night, didn’t
you?”

“
Good grief. I find it kind of
scary you can figure that out from my aura.”

“
So, I’m right?” she asked. “Quid
pro quo, remember?”

“
Yeah, I left the hospital and I
was really down. I called Lionel and went over to his house. I met
his 5 year old twin daughters. They are just amazing. My God, Cindy
it freaked me out. I instantly felt like I belonged
there.”

“
That explains the aura,” Cindy
said. “That’s good, right?”

“
I thought so at the time. This
morning, I started worrying that maybe they don’t feel the same
way.”

“
You’re going to lose your blue
aura if you keep worrying,” Cindy said.

“
You’re right. We can keep talking
about it on our way to Thomas Sloan’s house. We’re doing
surveillance today. Roni is on her way to Cape Girardeau to
interview husband number three. We figured this would be better. If
Sloan goes to a doctor, you’ll have to go in to the office after
him. We were afraid he would recognize us. Let’s hit the
road.”

“
What about Ho?” she
asked.

“
The adjuster called late
yesterday and told me to put her file on hold for a few days. Ho
quit therapy so she cut off her check. She’ll let us know if she
wants us to resume our surveillance.”

The red Silverado was still sitting in the driveway
when we drove by. We parked a block over, where I could watch my
rear view mirror in case Thomas Sloan left the house. Mocha lattes
and donuts from a Dunkin Donuts kept us busy for the first few
minutes. Our sugar high was fully engaged when we spotted Thomas
Sloan getting into his red truck. I followed at a discreet
distance, once again aware he didn’t seem to check his mirrors.

“
So, if we end up at a doctor’s
office, you want me to follow him in, right?” Cindy
asked.

“
Only if it’s a different doctor.
We have three aliases right now. We’re trying to figure out how
many he’s using. All you have to do is follow him in and then wait
and see what name he responds to. That’s all we need.”

“
That’s easy,” she said. “Do you
think we’ll be going back to Ho’s restaurant?”

“
Probably. She’s been cut off
before. It’s kind of her pattern. She quits therapy, they stop her
check, and then she starts going again. It’s a good thing because
we wouldn’t have been able to accommodate Mr. Rizzo otherwise. You
know, I’m still kind of blown away by this whole aura thing you
have going. What kind of aura do kids have?”

“
Bright blue,” Cindy said.
“Generally, they haven’t been exposed to that much stress. There
are exceptions, of course.”

“
So, all you can really tell is if
someone is anxious or laid back or at peace? You can’t tell if they
are good or bad or mean?”

“
Well, some people have some black
mixed in with their aura,” she said. “Over time, I’ve figured out
that means they’ve done bad things, or been violent, or are very
angry. I try to stay away from people like that.”

“
OK, well how about boy Thomas
here. What’s his aura look like?”

“
There’s a little black there,”
she said. “He’s got a lot of red, too. Just so you know, Lionel has
a blue aura. He would be perfect for you. He would help you get rid
of the red. It’s already working.”

Chapter Forty

Thomas Sloan got off Highway 64 and proceeded to
another West County Hospital, where he pulled into the doctors’
parking lot. Since I was several minutes behind, I dropped Cindy
off at the front and she was right behind Sloan as he entered the
elevator. I parked in the lot several rows over from the
Silverado.

I thought about Cindy and her aura proclamations,
wondering if they were possible, or if Cindy was just a whole other
level of crazy. Her observation about my aura was certainly true. I
have been restless and anxious most of my life. The night before
had felt so right, an immediate connection I couldn’t resist. It
also scared the hell out of me.

Most of my life had been spent as part of a family.
First, there was my large, sprawling birth family, and then my core
family with James and Ethan. Somehow, the concept of “me” got lost
in the mix. I think people who are whole and complete figure out
who they are, and want to be, as a singular enterprise. Sometimes,
it happens later in life, like it did with me in Alaska. Sometimes,
it doesn’t happen at all. I’m not sure it’s possible to have a
truly successful “we” when one is unsure and conflicted.

I feel like I’m a rookie who just stumbled upon this
information and wonder why it has taken me so long to figure so
much out. I’m afraid it’s too soon to be part of a couple again.
Cindy saved me from further introspection when she exited the
office building and spotted my car.

“
Hey,” she said as she climbed in
the passenger seat. “When the nurse called Ken pulled out Nortin,
Sloan got up and went back to see the doctor. While we were on the
elevator, he a sling and slipped his left arm in it. After he went
back, I checked the sign in sheet to be sure of the spelling. It’s
Nortin instead of Norton. Is that a new name?”

“
It sure is. Too bad Paul Rizzo
got suspicious. Otherwise, Thomas Sloan would probably have quite a
career ahead of him. Look, he’s coming out. We’ll keep following
him for a while.”

Sloan pulled back into traffic and got back on the
highway before taking a familiar exit. I was sure I knew his
destination and didn’t feel the need to follow too closely. I
pulled into the First Federal lot as Sloan entered the bank wearing
a different hat but with the same pack on his back. Several minutes
later, Sloan emerged. We followed him to his house and then ended
up back at the office. I completed my computer search on Ken Nortin
and called Paul Rizzo.

“
Mr. Rizzo,” I said when he
answered. “This is Kitty Talty, Roni’s partner.”

“
Yes, Ms. Talty,” he said. “How’s
it going?”

“
Call me Kitty,” I said. “We
followed Thomas Sloan again today. We have a third
alias.”

“
I will never doubt my gut feeling
again,” he said. “Can you keep following him for a couple of
days?”

“
Yeah, we can make that work.
After that, it might become a problem. I’ll call you back every day
and you can pull the plug whenever you want. I have to tell you I
find this fascinating that someone so young could pull this
off.”

“
He might have had a great future
as a criminal,” he said as he severed the connection.

Unsure when Roni was meeting with husband number
three, I dialed her cell to give her an update. She answered on the
third ring.

“
Hey, what’s up Kitty?”

“
I just got off the phone with
Paul Rizzo. Sloan went to a different doc today. Cindy and I
followed him. We identified a third alias. Paul wants us to follow
him a couple of more days. I agreed.”

“
Sounds good,” she said. “We’ll
have to come up with someone different tomorrow to help
you.”

“
I think I can get Lionel
tomorrow. He offered to help the other night.”

“
Hm, so is the plot thickening
with Lionel?” she asked.

“
Yeah, I guess it is. We’ll talk
about it when you get back. Have you talked to husband number three
yet?”

“
Not yet,” Roni said. “I’m waiting
for him to get out of class. He’s a professor down here
SEMO.”

“
I wonder if he realizes he’s part
of a real life survivor saga.”

“
Exactly,” Roni said. “Maybe this
will be the first time he’ll realize just how lucky he
was.”

Chapter Forty-One

Nestled along the banks of the Mississippi river in
Southeast Missouri, Cape Girardeau was originally a French
settlement. Roni was familiar with the river town because her son
attended college there. She was currently sitting outside the
Student Union on a glorious afternoon that felt like a preview of
fall. Hundreds of stately oaks and maples surrounded her, but
because it was still September, the trees hadn’t begun the process
of changing color.

Roni was having increasing difficulty remembering
what it was like to be young, enjoying college and feeling so free
and full of hope. It all goes by so fast, she lamented as a tall,
buff young man sporting an affable smile approached. Roni suddenly
wished she was 20 and this handsome man-child was actually meeting
her instead of undoubtedly delivering a message.

“
Are you Roni Edelin?” he asked in
a very deep voice at odds with his relative youth.

“
Yes,” she sighed as he looked at
her quizzically. “Yes, that’s me.”

“
Professor Asman asked me to come
and get you. His class ran late and he wants you to join him for
tea in his office. It’s in the Ryan Building. I’ll walk you over
there.”

Roni tried to keep pace with the lumbering student
who seemed to be in a hurry to dump her and get somewhere else.
Three buildings over, he stopped and pointed at number four.

“
That’s the Ryan Building,” he
said. “Dr. Asman’s office is on the fourth floor. Go right at the
top of the stairs and it’s the first door on the left.”

“
Thanks for the escort,” Roni
said.

“
You’re welcome,” he said as he
ran off.

Roni was a little winded by the time she reached the
fourth floor landing, thinking how she’d probably be in great shape
attending classes in all these buildings without elevators. She
caught her breath and ended up knocking on Professor Asman’s door.
The door was opened by a tall, rather thin man with gray hair and
some very bushy eyebrows that definitely needed a trim.

“
You must be Roni Edelin,” he said
as he stuck his hand out. “I’m Forrest Asman. It’s nice to meet
you. Come on in. I thought it might be a little more private if we
met up here, and besides, I really needed some tea. Let’s go back
into my office.”

Roni followed him into a huge, open room surrounded
by high windows and shelves full of books. A setting fit for any
professor.

“
Have a seat,” he said as he went
behind the desk. “Now, how do you take your tea?”

“
A little lemon and sugar,” Roni
said as she glanced at the tray and sat down.

“
Thank you for seeing me,” Roni
said as Asman placed a cup of tea in front of her.

“
You said Marian just married your
father,” he said.

“
Yes,” Roni said. “To be honest,
Professor Asman, I’m a little worried about my father. Do you keep
in touch with Marian?”

“
No, after the divorce, she moved
away. I haven’t spoken her name out loud in 30 years, but I still
think about her once in a while. She’s the reason I’m almost 70 and
still teaching.”