Chapter Eight
The ride into town seemed to take forever. “Can’t you drive any faster?” Erin asked impatiently. “Can’t you just declare a Code 3 and step on it?”
“Well, I could declare a Code 3, but I have no lights and sirens,” he answered. “I don’t think there is a Code for overdraft emergencies.”
“You know, I don’t think you are very funny right now,” she snarled. “I am sick to my stomach over this and you’re treating it lightly. I don’t appreciate being the only one upset about this situation. This is your money, too.”
“I know, honey,” he laughed. “But is it such a big deal? This is obviously a major error by the bank. We can get it straightened out soon and then we both can laugh about it.”
“From your lips to God’s ear.”
Tim took the bank notice from her lap and folded it in the visor above his head. “It won’t get any better by constantly looking at it. Just close your eyes for a few minutes and get me three Advil from the glove compartment.”
Erin opened the glove compartment door and distributed Advil to Tim and herself as she had the beginning of a terrible headache also. “Are you driving in slow motion, or are we stopped?”
“I am driving 10 over the speed limit. I am pushing the law as far as I care to. We don’t need a $300 speeding ticket on top of our other financial problems. Just chill out. We will be at the bank within 10 minutes.”
When they pulled into the bank parking lot, she jumped out of the car door before Tim had come to a complete stop. “Bring that letter and hurry up.”
“Good, grief, Erin,” he answered. “We are here and we are going to take care of this. You don’t need to panic. Just calm down.”
She knew he was talking to her, but she didn’t really care what he was saying. She was on a beam to the bank manager’s office. Erin knocked on the manager’s door and turned the knob. About the same time as her hand turned the knob, the security guard had a hold of her arm.
“Miss,” he said politely. “Do you have business with the bank administrator?”
Erin looked down at his hand on her arm and his other hand on his holstered gun. She jerked her arm away from him and snarled, “Yes, of course.”
About that time, Tim arrived and wedged himself between the security guard and Erin. He gently laid his hand on the guard’s shoulder and said, “It’s alright, Kelly. She’s with me.”
Kelly, the security guard looked up at Tim. “Oh, Captain Anderson, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you standing there. Sorry, Mrs. Anderson. You will accept my apology?”
Being ever the diplomat, Tim answered, “No need for an apology. My wife is a little tense right now. We have a little problem to straighten out with the bank. You were just doing your job.”
Erin glared at Tim as the guard left them at the door. “A little problem? Is that what you think this is?”
“No, dear. I just don’t think everyone needs to know all our business. Now let’s step back and ask the receptionist if we can talk to the bank manager.”
Erin surrendered to his hand on her elbow as he led her back to the receptionist. “Excuse me, Miss Burton, but would it be possible to speak with your manager?”
“Do you have an appointment?” Erin thought she seemed completely uninterested in their urgent need to see someone in charge.
“No, I’m sorry, we don’t,” he purred. “But we have urgent business to discuss with your bank administrator. Do you think that would be possible?”
“Why don’t you have a seat over there?” She pointed to several overstuffed chairs sitting by the window. “I will see what we can do.”
Tim continued to steer Erin with her elbow and he pushed her into one of the chairs. “Making a scene right now is not in our best interest. I can see that you are about ready to explode, but I would advise against it or we may never get into see about our account.”
“I am trying very hard, Tim, to control myself. But the longer we have to wait to see someone about this, the more upset I get. Do you know that Miss Burton has made no attempt to contact the manager to see if we can get in? Can you go talk to her again? Emphasis again that our business is urgent.”
Tim winked at her and returned to Miss Burton’s desk. He leaned over and spoke very softly to the receptionist. Miss Burton jumped from her seat and ran to the water cooler. She drew a glass of water and handed it to Tim. She then hurried to the manager’s door and disappeared inside.
“What on earth did you say to her to get her motivated?” She asked.
“I told her you were very upset and about ready to vomit,” Tim whispered.
Erin put her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. At that moment, Miss Burton rushed out of the office door and over to where they were waiting.
“You can come in now. Please hurry.”
Tim winked at Erin again and she smiled at Miss Burton. “Thanks so much for the water, dear. I feel much better.”
A manager we had never met before greeted us. In fact, most of the people in the bank we had never met before. All part of the new reorganization that banks continually go through. Customer service is not a buzzword in the banking industry any longer. But, Tim and Erin were at the bank’s mercy. They could move their accounts, but all the banks were the same, or so it seemed.
“Mrs. Anderson. Mr. Anderson. How nice to meet you.” His name badge said he was Arthur Thomas, Bank Manager. His identification picture looked somewhat like him.
Tim shook his hand and mouthed the obligatory greetings. “And this is my wife, Erin.”
“Well, what can I do for you Mr. & Mrs. Anderson?”
Tim laid the letter from the bank in front of Mr. Thomas. “Oh, dear. You have quite a significant overdraft.”
“Yes,” Tim answered. “It would appear we do. However, we should have over $5,000 in our checking account and over $20,000 in a savings account at this institution. Can you explain to us why the bank seems to think we have nothing?”
“Let’s log into your accounts to see what answer we can come up with,” Arthur said as he turned to his terminal monitor. “I will just log on and bring up your account if you can bear with me for a minute.” He typed slowly and deliberately. Apparently, typing was not one of the many skills required of bank administrators.
“OK,” he said after what Erin thought seemed like an eternity. “Yes, you certainly show that there is a zero balance in both of your accounts with us. Have you made any transfers out of your accounts?”
Erin thought at this point, she would jump over the desk and strangle Arthur Thomas, Bank Administrator. “No, of course not. If we had made transfers out of our account, would we be here wondering why we have zero balances?”
“I am going to ask for some help on this. There are several transactions to each of your accounts and I need to ask our assistant manager to find out the details so we can go over them with you. I will be right back. Do you need any coffee?” He looked at Tim and Erin.
Tim answered with as much tact as he could pull together. “No, thank you. I think we will pass on the coffee. We just want someone to explain to us what happened to our money.”
“Oh, yes,” he answered. “I will be back momentarily. Please, don’t worry. I am sure there is a reasonable explanation to what has happened here.” He scurried out the door.
“This is not looking real good, Tim.” Erin’s face was so flushed she looked like she had sunburn. “I think I just may vomit.”
“Please, Erin,” he whispered. “Please don’t panic until we know for sure what has transpired.”
Erin felt a tear coming to her eyes. She knew if she had to stay there much longer she would burst out in tears. “I’m trying,” she blubbered. Then she couldn’t hold the tears any longer. She searched her pockets for a tissue and blotted her face and eyes.
Tim put his arm around her and tried to comfort her. “It will be OK,” he said. “We will survive.”
Mr. Thomas returned to his office with several sheets of paper. “Well, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, it looks like you transferred all your money to another institution on the second of this month. You also transferred your electronic deposit of—it looks like one electronic deposit—possibly your paycheck deposit—to another account also. Does that sound right?”
At that moment, Erin jumped out of her chair. Tim also jumped up but to get his body between the bank administrator and Erin’s. “Do you think we would be here inquiring about where our money has gone if it ‘sounds right’?” she snarled at Arthur Thomas, Bank Administrator.
“Erin, honey, just sit back down.” Tim took the papers from Arthur Thomas. Then he put them in her hands. “Well, it looks like that is exactly what happened. However, we did not initiate that transaction. There would be no reason for us to. Can you tell from this paperwork where the money was transferred to?”
Mr. Thomas carefully pulled the papers from her hands. “Let’s see, yes. There seems to be a bank code here we can trace. We can at least see where the money went from here.” Again, he went to his terminal monitor and brought up a list of codes. “It seems, according to this bank routing number, the money was transferred to an account in Mexico. It was transferred to Mexico City to be exact.
“I am gathering from your demeanor that you did not wish to have your money transferred to Mexico City and perhaps you didn’t know that it was transferred. Is that right?”
At that point, Erin turned to Tim and said, “I’m having an aneurysm.”
Tim took her hand and turned to Mr. Thomas. “That is correct, sir. We did not know it was transferred, nor did we do the transfers, nor did we give authority for anyone else to transfer money from our accounts to anywhere.”
“All these transfers were done electronically, apparently over the Online Banking feature we have on our website. It would be highly unlikely that anyone could access your accounts without the proper social security number and password associated with it.”
Erin was calming down and was able to ask Mr. Thomas a question. “Would it be possible to transfer the money to another account if someone had access to the transactions I do on the computer?” She was thinking about all she had heard about identity theft recently.
“Well, I don’t know a lot about the Internet and online banking, but we do have experts at corporate headquarters. I could try to call someone that might be able to answer your questions.” His hand went to the phone and Erin grabbed it.
“Look Mr. Thomas. Right now, I don’t care how someone can do it. Right now I am concerned on how we can get it back. It was an unauthorized transaction.”
“I hear your concern, Mrs. Anderson, but because all the necessary numbers and codes were used in the transfer, we cannot prove you did not initiate the transactions. We are powerless here. You might want to contact the police.”
“OK.” Erin turned and looked at Tim. “How can we get the money back, Tim?”
“I think he means the real police. I am police officer, retired. Remember?”
She then turned back to Mr. Thomas. “Before we go running off to the police, can you tell exactly what financial institution now has all the cash we have in the world in their accounts?”
“Yes, I believe we can contact the bank listed in Mexico and see if the account is still active. Please excuse me for a moment.” His hand went for the phone again, hesitating only slightly as he looked to see if Erin was going to grab it again. Apparently, sensing that she was not going to accost him, he dialed an international number.
After what seemed like an eternity and several transfers to different departments, Mr. Thomas said, “I see. Well, thank you very much. As soon as you find out anything, can you please contact me? Thank you.” And with that Mr. Thomas hung up the phone.
He turned to Erin and said, “I am truly sorry, Mrs. Anderson, but the moment the money was transferred to an account in Mexico City, it was transferred to another account in Cancun. The bank manager is going to try to track it from there. It would seem that the money is truly gone. Out of our hands, out of the country, and Lord knows where it might be right now.”
Erin closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “This can’t be happening to us. This just can’t be right. Tim, please take me home.”
“I am truly sorry, Mr. & Mrs. Anderson, but you can see our hands are tied. I still would encourage you to contact the local authorities.”
Tim stood and shook Mr. Thomas’ hand. “We understand. We are having a hard time accepting it, but we understand. We thank you for your help. And, please, if you hear anything, call us immediately.”
Tim took her elbow again and led her to the car. It was getting dark and rain threatened. Tim made sure she was in her seat and properly belted in. He started the car and looked at her, “We will get through this. We have some stocks and bonds we can cash in. Just have a little faith. How much cash do you have in your purse?”
“About $20,” she answered. “How much do you have?”
“About four dollars.”
At that point, she started laughing. She laughed so hard she couldn’t catch her breath. She held her stomach muscles and laughed until she cried. With tears coming down her cheeks, gasping for breath, she tried, unsuccessfully, to talk. “We,” she coughed. “We have $24.00 to our name.” Erin continued to laugh and Tim joined in.
“I knew you would be all right once the reality set in. I think I have about $15 in change in my top dresser drawer,” he laughed.
Still laughing hard she retorted, “Oh, and I have several store coupons I haven’t used.”
“I will call Ted first thing in the morning and he can sell enough stocks to get us out of our immediate predicament. Then we will deal with the bank and my disability funds. We can’t do much more tonight.”
It was getting darker now and the rain started coming down hard, driven by an increasing wind. “I am hungry, but we can’t afford to eat in town, so I guess we will have to wait until we get home. I can make an omelet or something. And I bet Rocky is starving. You are an hour overdue for his dinner. I hope he didn’t chew a hole in his doghouse.”
“Yes, he probably thinks we abandoned him. You know how sensitive he is. I’m glad you’re able to laugh a little about this situation now, honey. We will get through this. You have my word on it.”
Chapter Nine
As Erin stepped out of the car, she yelled over to Rocky’s kennel, “Hi. How is my baby? Did you miss us?”
She waited for him to bark, howl, or somehow acknowledge they were home. The only light in their yard was on the side of the house near the parking area. A small amount of light did reflect on Rocky’s kennel, but he was so black that in the dark he was almost invisible. It was very unusual that Rocky would let them or anyone else come onto the property without sounding the alarm with his loud barking. Normally, it is very comforting to know when someone is approaching your house. Tonight, with the absence of his greeting, the night air seemed damper and heavier—the sky darker. “Rocky, baby,” Erin said again. “We are back and daddy is going to feed you.”
Still no sound came from his kennel. Tim and Erin both stood very still beside the car. “There’s something wrong,” he said. “I’m getting the flashlight out of the car. You stay right where you are.”
Erin was halfway to the kennel before Tim caught up with her. He shined the flashlight into the kennel. Rocky was lying down near the gate. It looked like he was sleeping. But that would be unusual, as he had a warm doghouse inside the kennel fence with several cedar dog beds piled in it for warmth and comfort. He never slept on the cement floor in the winter. “Rocky, baby,” Erin called again as she neared the gate.
Tim unlocked the gate and flashed the light inside the kennel. “Rocky?” He questioned. “Oh, my, God. Don’t come in here Erin—stay back. Have you got the cell phone?”
“Yes,” she answered. “What’s wrong? Who do you want me to call?” She was beginning to panic. “What is it, Tim? Is there something wrong?”
“Yes,” he finally answered, his voice cracking with emotion. “It looks like Rocky threw something up. There’s a pool of blood beside his head. Call the vet. We need to get him to the clinic immediately.” Tim leaned down and lifted the limp body in his arms. When he turned around Erin could tell from Tim’s face that Rocky was more than just sick—Rocky was dead.
Tears filled her eyes as she dialed the numbers into the cell phone. She ran ahead of Tim and opened the back door of the car. The veterinarian’s answering service picked up the call. “Our dog is very ill. He is bleeding from the mouth and unconscious. We are bringing him in to the clinic. Can someone meet us there?” Erin waited impatiently for the answer.
Tim laid Rocky on the seat. He turned to her, “We need to get to town, fast.” She could see in the dim light small streams of wetness on his cheeks. He wiped his face with his sleeve.
“I’m on hold. She is trying to find one of the doctors. Let’s get in and start to town. I’m sure someone will meet us there.” She was still waiting with the cell phone to her ear. “Oh,” Erin said into the speaker. “Thank you, we will be there in less than a half hour.” Erin ended the call.
Turning to Tim she said, “I just assumed you wouldn’t mind breaking a few speed limits to get there.” He didn’t answer. She didn’t expect him to.
They did make it to town in record time. There was a lot of commuter traffic on the highway, but all were just as anxious to get home, as they were to get to town. Tim pulled into the clinic’s parking lot. Erin banged on the office door as Tim retrieved Rocky from the back seat.
Dr. Jones, Rocky’s veterinarian since he was 6 weeks old, opened the office for them. He rushed Tim and Rocky back to the examining rooms. Erin said she would be in the waiting room. Suddenly, she was very anxious. Her hands were sweaty, her knees were rubber, and she felt sick to her stomach. She sat on one of the wooden benches she was familiar with and put her head in her hands.
A small amount of light came through the door to the waiting room from the hallway. She sat in the dark not knowing if it was too late to pray, but silently asked God to spare their baby. He’s such a good dog. He is loving and smart. He is a great companion and a master hunter. Please don’t take him from us.
Erin was wiping the tears from her face as a shadow fell over her. She looked up and saw Tim’s outline in the doorway. He was holding what looked like Rocky’s collar beside his leg. Erin looked up toward his face, but only saw darkness. She heard him sob and her chin began to quiver. Her lips were dry and she was trying very hard not to sob uncontrollably. She stood up and went to Tim. She put her arms around his neck and buried her face in his coat. He laid his head on her shoulder and wept. He wept like a small child who just lost a parent. Or a parent who just lost a small child.
They stood in the doorway for what seemed like an eternity, holding each other, now both crying without restraint. Erin couldn’t find the courage to speak. Maybe she didn’t have to. When Tim stood there in the doorway holding Rocky’s collar, she didn’t need to ask what she already knew. Rocky was indeed dead. Their beloved Rocky was dead.
The ride home was silent. They were both emotionally drained. They hadn’t eaten since breakfast, but found no comfort in wanting to nourish their bodies when their souls had been emptied. Tim pushed on the remote to open their electronic gate. No barking sounds came from the house. It was silent. No barking would ever again come from their house.
Neither of them had spoken to each other since they arrived at the clinic. She found whatever courage she could muster and spoke first. “Did Dr. Jones say what might have been the cause?” Erin couldn’t even say “of his death.”
Tim was silent as they drove up the driveway. “No,” he finally answered. “He didn’t want to speculate. He will be doing diagnostic tests tonight and we should know preliminary results in the morning.”
Erin didn’t know what else to say, so remained quiet. As hard as this was on her, it was three times as hard on Tim. Rocky and Tim were constant companions. The loss of his best friend would leave a lifelong void.
Erin guided Tim into the bedroom and sat him on the bed. She told him to get undressed and rest for a while. She went into the bathroom, selected a sedative, and filled a glass with cool water. She insisted he take the pills and he did with little resistance. Erin tucked him in his covers and kissed his forehead. As he turned off the light, he said, “Thank you.”
Erin was wound up so tight; she knew she would never get to sleep, even if she also took a sedative. Erin needed to make some phone calls and turned on a lone lamp in their great room, which they refer to as the “bird room.” They called it the bird room because of the many birds that crash into the windows. The view from these huge windows in the daylight was magnificent. Erin marveled each day at their great fortune of being able to live in such a glorious country. Tonight, however, the darkness outside pressed against the windowpanes affording only the reflection of the inside of the room.
Erin went to the refrigerator and pulled the cork out of a bottle of Merlot. She filled a wine glass and returned the bottle to the cooler. As she was walking through the dining room to the bird room, she remembered her stacks of research papers on the Mason’s secret society she had been accumulating. She grabbed a handful of pages and walked to the sofa. She put her wine glass on the table, sat down, and kicked off her shoes. She put her feet up on the table, retrieved her wine glass, and started reading to make her sleepy.
To understand what Freemason symbolizes, one must go back to ancient Roman history at a time when many people in the lands were held in bondage. Without architects and builders, Rome could not expand. So valuable architects and builders were permitted to regulate their own affairs and work on their own, free of the restrictions imposed on other citizens. Architects and builders hence were “free” Masons.
Freemasonry is the oldest and most powerful secret society in the history of the world. It also has roots deep within early America. Many powerful founders of our great America were also Masons. Fifty-five of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence were Freemasons. America’s first president, George Washington, became a Mason at age 20. According to many sources, other famous Freemasons included: Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, Paul Revere, Patrick Henry, Henry Knox, Ethan Allen, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin. Out of an estimated 14,000 officers in the Continental Army, over 2,000 were Freemasons. It is widely believed that Freemasons wholly orchestrated the Boston Tea Party from a lodge in the Boston area.
Further evidence that Freemasons greatly influenced the American Revolution can be found on the U. S. dollar bill. Noted Freemason, George Washington adorns the front of the bill. Mason symbols are on the reverse. There is a pyramid without the capstone, and in its place is an All-Seeing Eye. The Eye is a long-standing, significant Mason symbol. The stars above the eagle’s head are in the shape of the Star of David. Also on the dollar bill are the phrases Annuit Coeptis (He hath prospered our beginning) and Novus Ordo Seclorum (New Worldly Order). All these signs and symbols appeared to emanate from the Freemasons.
The designer of the Great Seal of the United States was a Freemason. The eagle, the olive branch, the arrows, and the pentagrams are all occult symbols of opposite: good—evil; war—peace; darkness—light; male—female. On the flip side of the Great Seal are the words E Pluribus Unum (One out of many). Originally there was a Phoenix bird rising from ashes, a well-known Freemason symbol traced to ancient Egypt. The eagle was substituted for the long-necked Phoenix bird because so many confused the original symbol with a turkey.
By 1826, an estimated 50,000 educated and professional men joined the ranks of the Freemasons in the United States. Masons have 33 degrees that one can aspire to. Very few attain a degree higher than 7 or 8 and only a handful ever are honored with the highest, 33rd degree. The first degree, after acceptance by petition to the lodge, is Apprentice. Apprentices are considered the property of the lodge for which he has been admitted. He can only receive subsequent degrees at that founding lodge unless he has obtained specific permission. He does not pay dues to the lodge; he can enter it only when it is open on the first degree. He cannot hold office, or vote, receive Mason burial, attend a fellow Mason funeral, and has no right to Mason charity.
The lodge, in return, asks very little of an Apprentice besides the secrecy to which his obligation bound him. The oath of punishment for revealing any Mason secrets is given by Apprentices in their ceremony of first degree “most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear that I will always hail, ever conceal, and never reveal, any of the arts, parts, or points of the hidden mysteries of ancient freemasonship. All this I most solemnly, sincerely, promise and swear, with a firm and steadfast resolution to perform the same, without any mental reservation or secret evasion of mine whatever binding myself under no less penalty than to have my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by the roots, and my body buried in the rough sands of the sea at low water mark, where the tide ebbs and flows twice in 24 hours.” The penalties in higher degrees are even more gruesome.
Even after taking the strict penalty oath, one member of the Freemasons in Batavia, New York, decided to publish a book revealing the secret symbols, handshakes, oaths, and purposes of his brethren. He felt it was his duty to his country to expose the dangers of the Masonry. Before he could print the book, this 33-year veteran of the Masons was kidnapped. His body was never seen again.
Perhaps justice was never served as the wheels of justice were slowed with brother Masons in the courts and law enforcement. With rumors that this now famous Mason had been abducted and murdered by fellow Masons, a major scandal broke in New York and spread to the Mid-Atlantic States.
Someone is watching me, Erin said to herself. I feel the chill of someone or something watching me through the windows. Her breathing became labored and she could hear her heart pound in her head. Her eyes looked over the top of the pages in her hand to the nearest window. She could see nothing. She could hear nothing. Erin slowed her breathing until it almost stopped. The hair was standing out on her neck. Goose bumps rose on her arms. All she could see was her own reflection from the darken windows bouncing back at her. She needed to turn off the light so she might see something in the darkness outside. Erin slowly moved her hand toward the lamp. Her eyes never left the windows. Quickly, she turned off the lamp switch and blinked her eyes forcing them to become accustomed to the dark.
There it is. She saw a shadow of something run past the window. She threw her papers down on the sofa. She ran to the front door, unlocked the dead bolt, and ran out on the porch. She heard someone or something running down the gravel driveway.
The night was still. She could hear the crunch, crunch, in the loose gravel. Or was it something running? She was paralyzed with fear. She grabbed the handrail of the porch for support. Why wasn’t Rocky barking? She almost called out his name then realized Rocky was no longer with them. The whole day came crashing down on her at that moment.
She staggered back into the house, bolting the door behind her. She turned and laid her head against the now secured door. Erin was alone in the dark room, her heart still racing. She went into the bedroom and turned on a low light beside her bed. Tim was breathing the sounds of deep sleep. She quickly donned her nightgown and crawl into bed. She scooted over next to Tim. Just the warmth of his body and the comfort of his breathing make her feel safer. She kept moving over, slowly wedging under Tim’s body until she felt secure. She pulled the comforter over her head and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Ten
Erin slowly opened one eye. It seemed dark in the room. She then opened the other eye. It was black. Then she realized her head was under the comforter. She flipped the darkness off her face and saw the light flood the room. She peered at the red numbers on the clock radio. It radiated that it was now 7:55 a.m.
Erin heard the splashing of water against the shower stall walls. She put her hand out beside her and felt the empty space where her husband should be. She felt up the sheets and down. Nobody there. Tim must be showering, she guessed. She felt the warmth of the furnace air coming from the floor vents. The shower water stopped. The shower door opened and Erin imagined Tim drying off. She flipped the entire comforter off her and slowly rose out of bed. She shuffled to the bathroom door and headed for the sink. She looked at her reflection in the mirror.
“God, I look awful,” she said more to herself than to Tim. The steam was slowly covering the mirror with mist. She dried off a small round in the middle of the mirror and brushed her teeth.
“Good morning honey,” Tim said, as he briskly dried his clean body. “What time did you get to bed? It looks like you had quite a party out there.”
As Erin finished brushing her teeth, she asked him what he was talking about.
“Well,” he said. “There is a half glass of wine on the coffee table and papers strewn all over the sofa. That’s not like you to leave an area in such disarray so I figured out you must have been pretty tipsy.”
“No,” she answered remembering back to the night before. “I made a few phone calls, sipped a little wine, read some more on the Masons – then I was interrupted.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Someone or something was watching me through the window.”
“How do you know?”
“You know how you can feel someone looking at you, the feeling that someone is staring at you? I felt that last night as I was reading so I turned off the light. I saw a shadow run past the window and then I heard something running down the gravel driveway. I couldn’t see it when I ran outside, but I sure could hear it.”
Tim laughed and drew Erin up in his towel with him. “It was probably just a deer, or an elk. I see they are coming right up to the house to eat your shrubs. Or maybe it was a bear, or a cougar. I see a lot of bear sign in the woods.”
“No.” Erin smelled his clean body and suddenly felt the urgent need to get in the shower herself. “I don’t think it was an animal. Animals run when you turn the light on. This one ran when I turned the light off.”
“I won’t be able to look for prints to see what it might have been because it seems we had quite a storm last night as we slept. Have you looked outside? By the way, whatever was in those pills you gave me was wonderful. I slept like a baby.”
“No, I haven’t looked outside, what is it?
“Go out in the bird room and take a look.”
Erin kissed him on the cheek and unwound herself from Tim’s towel. She went through the dining room to the bird room. Wow. Tim was right. It looked like they did have quite a storm. Snow had covered the trees and ground. There was nothing more beautiful up in their mountain retreat than a snowfall. All the ugly brown winter grass and frozen brown bushes were covered with a beautiful white layer giving them a sense of renewal. The large branches of the fir trees lay open—their burden increased by the weight of the snow. It looked like about 2 inches of the beautiful white cover had fallen overnight. The sun coming up over the surrounding hills illuminated the bright blue sky. The contrast of the snow, green from the trees, and the bright blue sky was breathtaking. Erin fell to her knees and laid her hands on the windowsill. This was a scene she could never get used to. It was so beautiful.
Tim, now dressed, joined her at the window. There was no need to speak. We both knew what the other was thinking. Tim put his hands on her shoulders. He leaned forward and kissed her neck. She turned around, tears now welling up. “Rocky used to love the snow,” she sobbed. “This is the first snowfall without him.”
Tears slowly fell down Tim’s cheek and fell against her hair. “Why don’t you shower and I will make coffee.”
+
Erin slowly rose to her full height and kissed Tim’s lips. Warm salty tears swirl around their mouths. It was going to take a long time to heal from Rocky’s death.
Erin stepped out of the shower and took a deep breath. Tim was standing in the doorway of the bathroom with a steaming cup of fresh coffee. “This will make you feel better,” he said as he sat the cup on the counter. He was so thoughtful. He was hurting as much, or more, than she and he was trying to make her feel better. What a jewel. Erin smiled and kissed him again, this time with no salty tears.
“This is really good,” she said as she took a big swig of his gift to her. “You are a good cook.”
“I have bacon in the pan and will have eggs ready in about 5 minutes.”
Erin looked at him and smiled. “I’m going to have to give you a sedative every night.”
