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(Just to warn the reader, this chapter touches on topics that some may find to be trigger topics.)
Millie sat contemplating the whole-wheat donut with the hot milk and beans on her tray, thinking over all she'd learned about Zerojewel Research, Inc., and about Sherry and JD, over the past several weeks. Checking her reflection in the window, she watched the darkened street outside.
The makeup, wig, and glasses she wore would be enough to fool most people, but JD and Sherry and many of their employees were not average people.
Not that any of those she thought would see through the disguise would frequent an upscale restaurant like this, even with the relatively healthy menu.
She'd never been comfortable with Hodge or with his approach to business or technology. They had dated for maybe a month, two years ago, when she started working for Hodge Hercules IS, but, as was usually the case with Hodge, things went south quickly. And he had moved just as quickly to take what he thought was control of the relationship, using every bit of personal information she had given him, and some he had picked up for hire, against her. At least he had not tried more than twice to seduce her.
She had her own reasons for cooperating with him, however, and so play had proceeded in the game.
She smiled a little ironically when she saw his form pass under the street lights in his completely useless disguise.
She did not watch as he come in the door in the overcoat and fake moustache, but she watched his reflection in the window out of the corner of her eye as he spotted her, and as he pretended to ignore her while he moved to sit in the booth behind her.
"So, what have you got?"
Millie picked up the donut and focused on it, finally taking a bite. "Nothing you haven't got, really."
"The billboards?"
"Of course it's JD." Millie tested the milk, then blow on it.
"Any clues about why he and Sherry are splitting up?"
"It is not clear that they are, but, no."
"Odd." There was silence for a moment. "Is there anything in this hunt for a wife that I can use?"
"Yeah." She smiled ironically again as she heard the rustle behind her. "Turn back around, you're drawing attention."
"Pictures or anything?"
"You know how tricky it is to get company data out." She was just as glad Hodge couldn't see her smile or the irony in it.
"You expect me to wait?"
"I keep telling you impatience is your vulnerable heel."
"I keep telling you impatience is your vulnerable heel."
"Ancient myths."
"Still
have meaning." She debated with herself for a moment. "I think you will
shortly get an invitation, and then you'll get to see all the secrets
for yourself."
"What?"
"Keep your voice down. I shouldn't have told you. You're going to have to pretend to be surprised."
"What?"
"Keep your voice down. I shouldn't have told you. You're going to have to pretend to be surprised."
"Okay. When?"
"Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week. Not sure. Money probmlems, no doubt?"
"Zero?"
"You. I'm not there to ... keep the books in balance." Why her mother didn't notice the money that Millie had been filtering into Hercules' coffers, she wasn't sure. Her own mother had a peculiar blind spot to money.
"No ... no, no problems," he hedged. "Can you give me any hints?"
"If I do, you'll completely ruin your part. Oh, but you might as well start digging through their open source code. That'll help you when the invitation comes."
"Ah. There's something I can do. Why they put the crown jewels out for anyone to steal is beyond me.
Millie bit her lip, but the word slipped out. "Clearly."
"What?"
"Never mind." She took another sip of the milk and bite of the donut.
Sherry stood at the darkened window of her penthouse room in the Zerojewel building, watching the street below. Shortly a furtive form left the corner gourmet restaurant, and she reached to the monitor in front of her to zoom in.
"Hodge," she spoke into the mike at her chin.
A shadow detached itself from a dark wall and followed the figure hurrying away.
Several more figures, none of them furtive, left the restaurant before she spoke into the mike again. "Millie."
"Not sure why we need to do this, but I guess I've got this one." JD's voice whispered in her earplug, and another shadow detached itself from the shadows below, following the not-furtive form of her newly hired secretary in disguise.
Shortly, more shadows separated themselves from the shadows, shadows chasing shadows. Sherry turned her monitor off and retired to the apartment bath, taking the phone with her.
"Car"
"Got it." James voice was low and clear.
Covering the phone with a towel, she removed her clothes and ran water in the tub.
She paused as she passed the mirror over the sink, regretfully examining the body that caused her so much confusion. Shortly, there was enough water, so she slipped into the tub and put her earplugs back in, relaxing in the hot water.
After an eighth of an hour, Tom's voice whispered in his ear. "Hodge has returned to his office."
"Good for him. That's probably good for tonight."
"Then I'm going after sone dinner. Out."
Shortly James's voice came in. "Millie has stopped at her brother's house, and is visiting with her nephew on the front porch."
"Likewise, good for her." Sherry thought about Millie's nephew for a moment. "Do you want to follow her more tonight, JD?"
"I feel like a stalker."
"Heh." James chuckled quietly. "Oh. That was quick. Here she comes, nephew in tow. Guess I'm following."
"Okay."
A little later, James's voice whispered in her ear again. "Super-wars Game Center. They've started playing one of those group war games. How did you know she would be meeting Hodge tonight?"
"I'm beginning to read her, just like I read you."
"You and JD are spooky sometimes."
JD's chuckle came in clearly. "Good thing we're benign."
"I used to wonder."
The three of them chuckled.
Shortly JD's voice whispered, "I'm outside, James. I'll take over from here."
"Thanks. I'm going for dinner, too. Out."
"Everyone can go for dinner, I think."
There was a quiet chorus of "Okay," and, "Out." Sherry lifted her phone from under the towel. One by the connection indicators changed from lavender to pink, and she put it back under the towel when only one remained.
A quarter hour later, JDs whispered voice came in. "So, are you getting a nice quiet tub before dinner?"
"None of your business." Sherry smiled.
She could barely hear the sigh on the other end.
"Do you wonder the same things about Millie?"
"No. I suppose I might, someday, if things work out. But it's going to take a lot to erase the memories of our little adventure in middle school. And, if it gets there, Millie's going to need to know why."
"She has her own secrets."
"That's not her nephew."
"Spooky."
Neither laughed.
"I thought you had repented."
"We both have."
"Aside from whether I can repent when I don't believe in repentance, you haven't forgotten."
"Repentance is sometimes about making it right more than stopping and forgetting. Keeping our friendship was one necessary step."
Again Sherry contemplated her body, visible underneath the water.
"Impossible to make it right according to E-P-ist beliefs."
"Repentance is about turning our thoughts and minds towards God, not about punishment or about artificial human ideals."
"But there are fundamental problems here."
"Did you schedule the visit with the specialist?"
"You have no mercy. Yeah. Had to send Millie out for an errand, but I took your advice and went in the front door, asking for the normal checkups for a woman entering her third hexadecade. I still don't think it's going to resolve anything."
"We'll see."
For several short minutes, there was silence. Sherry got out of the tub and toweled off, putting her pajamas on once she was dry.
"They've finished the game. Looks like they'll be leaving. The kids here seem to know Millie rather well."
"Of course."
"Looks like they're headed back to Millie's brother's."
"As we expected."
"Millie's going in."
"Do you think she'll spend the night with her son's family?"
"I don't think we need to know. Must say it was nice of her brother to adopt him."
"I hear you play a terrible game of RockFail, JD."
JD and Sherry glanced at each other.
"Was my disguise that bad? I mean, you were following me from the restaurant to my car, right? And then someone tailed me."
Sherry and JD chuckled.
"James will be disappointed that he wasn't careful enough."
"Was there someone inside the restaurant?"
"Hodge got excited, didn't he?" Sherry grinned.
Millie looked from JD to Sherry. "Okay, I guess I'm exposed. What happens now?"
"Well, maybe you could figure out a way to pressure my mom to get Hodge his invitation a little quicker." Sherry shook her head with a smile.
"So this is all according to your plans?"
"Not ours. God's."
"JD believes in God. Anyway, we get a lot farther playing things by ear than by having plans that we force to happen. And we look forward to meeting Rodney."
"Are you sure I'll let you?"
"If you'll let us." JD nodded. "We don't believe in forcing things."
"How much do you know about Rodney?"
"What's on public record. Your brother adopted him, no records of his real mother."
"Is that all?"
"We've guessed that he is your son, but if that is not so, we've guessed wrong." JD shrugged.
Sherry added, "And if you don't want us to know anything more than that he is your nephew, that's all we will know."
"If ...?" Millie looked doubtful of their sincerity.
"No conditions. JD believes in the punishments of God, and I just don't like to tempt fate. Your history is your history."
"You guys aren't real."
Sherry walked over to where Millie sat and took her hand. "I don't know how real we are, but we try to be real."
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Copyright 2019 Joel Matthew Rees
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Keep it on topic, and be patient with the moderator. I have other things to do, too, you know.