Introduction: This is another story that fits into Part 2 of the Cynthia Chronicles. Chronologically, it takes place a little more than a year after the ending of Adam and the Three Wishes. There are some interesting parallels to that story; however, there are significant differences.

If you are not familiar with the series, you should read An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, Cynthia and the High School Years, Parts 1 & 2, Charli and the Man Cave and Adam and the Three Wishes. Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling and Randi and the College Professor take place about seven years after this story.

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Howard and the Completed Pass
 

Part 2

Chapter 3

"I have the fixin's. They're in the cabinet to the right of the sink. How about you fix one of your great margaritas? We're not going anywhere tonight. The steaks are warming up like you told me to let them."

"Glad to. I'll need one after that drive from NYC. I can't believe some people commute from here to there every day."

"There's not that many from here, and if they do, they're taking the train. There're many more that live down towards Bridgeport who drive it every day. That has to be insane.

"Say, have you heard anything from that cheer leader you used to date in Boston? Didn't you say she called you?"

"Yeah, that was Kellie Lewallen: cute little thing, fun to be with, great in bed. She'd heard I was in New York, and thought I was playing with the Jets. I think she saw dollar signs. When she found out that I was going to school to be a chef, she couldn't get away fast enough. I've really been too busy to be chasing after women. I had a couple of dates with a gal at the school, but nothing really clicked. She said I was gay. I am definitely not gay. I don't know where she got that from."

Barrett pondered what Howard said. During college, Howard had never had any trouble getting any woman he wanted; however, it was usually one, two, three dates and you're out. There never had been a steady girlfriend. He thought back to his romances. None of them had taken. There were a couple of girls that he'd been very fond of. Most went to bed with him enthusiastically. The love making, it really wasn't that, went very well. He'd never had a problem pleasing a woman, but that last girl he'd dated in college had said the same thing. After a very pleasant night in the sack, she'd terminated their relationship, and she'd called him gay, but like Howard, he'd never in the least been attracted to a man. That just wasn't in his makeup.

Howard handed a margarita to Barrett, bringing him out of his mental trip to the past. "I don't know how you do it," he said after taking a sip. "I use the same ingredients, and mine don't taste nearly as good as yours. It's the same thing with the steaks. Mine are okay, yours are better."

"That's because I've spent six years in college learning how to be a cook."

"Nonsense, I remember those barbecues on the beach when we were freshmen. You out-cooked everyone, and everyone said so.

"So when's your interview? What does this company do?"

"They are a commercial kitchen supply company. They sell restaurant supplies like stoves, ovens, pots, pans, fryers. It's not really that simple. There's quite a bit that goes into making a commercial kitchen, and they also have a design service, and that's what I want to do. They are also venturing into the high end domestic kitchens for people who have more money than sense. It's a big deal.

"Look, I don't really care that much about the salary and commission. It's just something I want to do. Maybe sometime in the future I'll go into the restaurant business. I discovered things aren't like you see on many of the TV shows. It's not an easy business. Even when everything is perfect it is one tough business."

Barrett decided to let the subject drop, and got to work on making a salad. That was something he felt pretty confident about.

"How come we can't keep any girl friends," Barrett asked while he pondered the last of the gelato in his bowl. "I mean neither you nor I have any trouble attracting women, but after two or three dates they just go away. You mentioned that cheer leader saying you were gay."

"That wasn't the cheer leader; it was another gal."

"Same difference, I had a gal tell me I was gay, too. I don't get it. I've never had the slightest urge to have a sexual relationship with any man. I like women. Women are beautiful. Men are ... men are, well, men are just men. They don't fit into the equation.

"What about you," Barrett asked. "I mean you hang out with all those great athletes. You have a locker room. You take showers together."

"Yeah, and three of my teammates were probably gay.

"I don't think anyone actually cared, and they certainly didn't hit on me. In the real world, gay men don't hit on straight men. That's a no win situation."

The discussion changed to other things.

"It's nice that you're looking at a possible job here. I've just about given up on sticking it out with my current employer. The only reason I'm there right now is to keep a paycheck coming in. I found an opening with a major insurance company here in the city. I sent them a résumé earlier this week. The job description was written like the job was made for me.

"So what time's your appointment?"

"It's at 10:00. That'll give plenty of time to get ready. I'm pretty sure a tie won't be necessary; however, I'm not going to take any chances."

"I've seen your wardrobe. You can probably out dress half the people in Hartford. Don't overdo it."

"Don't worry about that, I won't wear my Savile Row suits.

"Look, they know who I am. I think they're going to work as hard selling themselves to me as I'm going to try to sell myself to them."

"I have to be at Dilbert, Inc. at 8:30. So I might be up before you are."

"Nah, I'm going to do about five miles before breakfast. The knee holds up pretty well as long as I don't push it too hard.

"Are you still running? We should run together."

"The only good thing about Dilbert is that it's next door to an athletic club. I get about 45 minutes on the treadmill at lunch. Then I pick up a sandwich at Subway or one of the other sandwich shops, and eat at my work station."

"I guess you could do worse. Do you want to get something out tonight?"

"I'm way ahead of you," Barrett said, "I've made reservations at a pretty good Italian place in East Hartford. I'll get home at around 5:00. It's not too far."

Barrett lost himself in his work the next day. Or, at least he tried to. What if Howard got the job? What would that mean about their relationship? There were no significant others. Maybe they could find a place that they could share. Howard wasn't going want to live in a dump like the one he had. Barrett mentally kicked himself. He was assuming far too much. If Howard got a job here, why would he want to lower himself to Barrett's standard of living? For some reason Barrett almost assumed that they would be living together.

Around 10:30 he felt his phone vibrating. It was a call from the company he'd sent his résumé to. Jim Matthews wanted to talk to him as soon as possible."

"Ed, I'm going to have to take the afternoon off. I'll take it out of my vacation time."

"What about that project you're working on. You can't just drop it. We needed it yesterday."

"I posted it on the mainframe yesterday. Let me know if you have any questions." Barrett didn't wait for a reply. He signed out of his computer, walked out the employee door, and took the elevator down to the employee garage. His parking slot was five levels below ground. He expected to see bats roosting in the corners, and stalactites hanging from the ceiling. As soon as he was out of the office he called Jim Matthews. For something like this a verbal message was the only way to reply.

Jim was very happy to hear from him, and they picked a nearby restaurant for a meeting over lunch. "Don't bother with a coat and tie. We don't wear them in our section except on certain occasions, and those are few and far between."

They met in a little Greek bistro that had great gyros. "Believe it or not, Barrett, we've heard quite a bit about you. A couple of your ex-office mates had some very nice things to say about you, and they were surprised that you'd lasted as long as you did."

Their discussion went into many things about the job and company benefits. He was asked what his salary expectations were, and he deferred to Jim, and Jim came back with a salary $5,000 over what Barrett was looking for. This was beginning to look better and better.

I'll tell you what," Jim said as they finished their baklava. "Why don't you come by the office on Monday, and we'll talk to HR. I think you want the job, if I'm any good at reading people."

"You have that right. I'm sorry I didn't know about your company sooner."

"My wife and I are having a little cocktail hour tomorrow night for the guys and gals in the department. We've already talked about it, and we'd love to have you stay for dinner. I think we're having rack of lamb. It's one of our favorites." Jim thought back to the first time he and his wife had rack of lamb. That had been a while ago; long before they'd been married, long before they'd started going together, and long before.... well never mind.

"I'd love to, would you mind if I brought someone? My best friend is in town. He's been interviewing for a job."

"That won't be a problem at all. Terri loves to cook, and so do I."

"Howard's just graduated from the CIA. He loves to cook, too."

"Maybe, we should have him cook."

"He's interviewing for a new job, too. He wants to design kitchens. You might have heard of him. He's Howard Hansen. You might remember he played football for the Patriots."

"You're kidding, of course you're not. After that injury he just disappeared. What's he been doing since then?"

"He doesn't have to work another day in his life if he didn't want to, but that's not his way. He went back to school, and now he wants to do what he always wanted to, and that's working in the culinary arts. He found out that working in a four or five star restaurant may be more than he's ready to put up with right now. So he's working on kitchen design."

"Terri would love to meet him. She's really a very good cook, and she's a sports fan. She'd brought her handicap down to a six before Melanie came along. I can't beat her on the golf course.

"You play golf? We have monthly office tournaments."

"I do, but I'm lucky to break 90."

"We'll have to get our friend to give you some lessons when she's in town. You know who Bobbie Anderson is don't you? She gave me a few pointers and I dropped four strokes off my handicap."

"You mean that gorgeous redhead who's tearing up the LPGA?"

"That would be the one."

"Wow! I think I'm going to enjoy working for you."

"Actually, that's working with me. Yeah, there's that chain of command thing; however, we work together on doing what needs to be done."

"So, Howie, how'd the interview go?"

"Not bad, not bad at all. They made a nice offer for about what I made for one quarter of a game of football; however, that's not important. They were very interested in what I had in mind for kitchen designs. They are upgrading their product line, and think I'm the person to help them move to the front in southern New England. My two degrees are a great bonus as far as they are concerned. I took the job; however, I had to let everyone try on my Championship ring. I think they got a big thrill out of that.

"How was your day?"

"Outstanding! A fellow from the company I sent my résumé to last week called me this morning. We had lunch together, and I accepted their offer. We've been invited to his home for a cocktail party and dinner tomorrow night. I explained that you were visiting, and they want to meet you. I'll give Dilbert my two weeks notice next Monday.

"So, what are we going to do? This is rather sudden; however, you're going to have to find a place to live. I imagine with your money you could find just about anything you'd want."

"I did set a little aside to buy a house when the time was right, and this could be the right time. I figured that someday I'd find the right woman and we'd settle down and have a family. I want children. I never had brothers or sisters, and I think I missed out on a lot. Losing Mom and Dad when I did really hurt." Howards parents had been killed his freshman year in an airplane crash in Alaska. Their remains had never been found. The insurance money would have taken care of his college education had he not been on a full athletic scholarship.

Howard really was a bit of an enigma in the sporting world; while he was in it. All the popular magazines and scandal sheets had him dating this starlet and that starlet. Then he would be going with some rich society woman. According to some sources he'd left several girls including a cheer leader pregnant. All of the speculation ended with the destroyed knee. He was no longer news.

"Look, I'll go back to my place and send things to storage up here until I find a place. Would you mind if I camped out here in the meantime?"

"Not at all; as long as you keep cooking the way you have."

Howard had his laptop out on the dining area table. He preferred the larger keyboard to his IPad for his work.

"What'cha looking at?" Barrett asked. I can see you're just clicking through things.

"I'll show you if you don't mind seeing beautiful unclothed women."

"That's never bothered me before. What site are you on?"

"It's one of those European sites. It costs a few bucks a month. It's a pleasant diversion. Besides, I don't have to worry about getting dumped.

"This pretty young thing is featured frequently. I think her name is Simoné. At least that's the name she goes by. The site says all the models are over eighteen. I often wondered what they're paid, and what happens to them when their beauty leaves them. I've had a feeling that some of them may have had children. They just look a bit more physically mature.

"You know, most of them will probably never be able to live their dreams. I wonder how many are just getting by, selling their bodies for a few Euros, Crowns, Rubles, or whatever their currency is. Every once in a while I think I recognize a European landmark, but I've only been to London for that exhibition game against Dallas. I guess I'll have to go over there one of these days."

"I've wondered the same thing," Barrett responded. "They can't be having an easy life; however, they are obviously doing something.

"Stop there. Now, she's obviously a dancer. I know most women are more flexible than men are, but she has to be a dancer to be able to go through those poses. Oh, my aching back!"

"They are pretty," Howard said, "but she looks like she's had a boob job. She just doesn't look natural." He seemed to get pensive for a moment. "Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a woman? They are stronger than men in so many ways. They bear the children, endure pregnancy, and suffer from gender bias in the work place, not to mention what they put up with in some non-secular societies."

"I know what you mean. I saw a news program where they had a man and a woman with identical credentials apply for various jobs. The man almost always got the job. Women are expected to look nice, but if they look too nice, they are suspected of having ulterior motives or they're using sex to get ahead.

"Look, I'm getting very hungry. Let's get ready for dinner. I'm ready for some good Italian food."

Dinner was excellent, and they spent much of the time philosophizing about their ideas of ideal women. They were unanimous in their opinions about intellect, equality in everything possible, sharing, and having a family. Strangely, beauty was not extremely high on the list. Rather than beauty, normality was more important. It was what was between the ears that mattered. Good physical condition and health were very important.

"Supposing you were a woman," Barrett asked, "and you had a choice about how you looked, who'd be your ideal woman?"

"Strange you should ask that. I've wondered about that. The problem is the only way you could look exactly like some woman would to be that woman. I guess I would like to look like a blend of what makes a woman attractive. I've been very lucky, and you have, too. We're both reasonably attractive, we're intelligent and athletic. We've never had trouble attracting women. We just don't seem to be able to form a lasting relationship with them.

"I certainly wouldn't want to be unattractive. Suppose I could take the mean of all the physical attributes of those women we were looking at on my computer. I think statistically the results would be very acceptable.

"Bear, what would you do if given the same opportunity, not that I think you'd ever think about anything like that?"

"Howie, I think there are many men out there who have thought about what it would be like to hit from the other side of the plate. I have a feeling that those who don't are so insecure about their masculinity, that any thought about changing gender is abhorrent to them. They just don't get it. Instead, they hide their insecurity with over the top alpha male masculinity. You know, like some of the guys you played football with.

Their conversation picked up in the car on the way back to the apartment. "Bear, I know you're not gay, but have you ever done anything like cross dressing?"

"No, have you?"

"I fooled around a little bit when I was in grade school. I tried on some of my mother's stuff, but I quickly outgrew anything she had. It was just an experiment."

"I don't know if I'd really call that cross dressing. It's not like you were trying to fool anyone. My sister used to dress me up in her stuff. She didn't have any friends who lived close by. Mom and Dad didn't seem to mind. We'd have tea parties. She'd dress up in her boy clothes if we were playing sports with neighborhood guys. No one ever accused her of cross dressing. She quit that when she realized she'd have an easier time attracting boys if she were a bit more feminine."

Chapter 4

The possibilities of their having feminine side did not come up the next day, at least not for a while. Most of the morning was spent talking about Howard's impending move. They looked at the previous Sunday's Home Section in the Courant. Prices were not good. At least from Barrett's perspective; however, Howard didn't bat an eye. He'd been dealing with the prices in New York City for the last two years. They selected a few areas to look into, and then would check out the next day's ads for open houses. Howard had pretty much determined that he wanted to find a place in the hilly area of West Hartford. It was an older area with homes that had character, and the commute to East Hartford wasn't that bad.

They drove around looking for 'For Sale' signs in neighborhoods that appealed to Howard. Barrett drove while Howard took notes and pictures. It was more of a fishing expedition than anything else. They both realized that Howard would probably have to secure the services of a professional realtor before they went much further.

"Well, did you see anything you liked?" Barrett asked. They were getting ready for their meeting with Jim Matthews and Barrett's future fellow employees.

"Just those three that we talked about; the one I really liked was on that busy street. I think I'll have to cross that off the list. Unless something really jumps out at me I'm going to have to find a realtor like we said earlier.

"Where's this place we're going to?"

"Pretty close to where we were this afternoon; I'll enter it into the GPS."

They'd actually driven by the entrance to the little residential area that afternoon; however, the trees obscured what turned out to be a very nice private neighborhood. The entry road passed between the pillars that supported a large iron gate that lay open. It probably had been open for decades if the neatly trimmed hedges were any indication. They circled a park like area before coming almost the entire way around to the very pleasant two story Victorian style house. There was a rear garage and a space directly in front for five cars. Two cars sat in front of the closed garage. They took one of the empty spots in front.

"What a beautiful little neighborhood," Barrett said as he looked around.

"I was thinking the same thing," Howard replied. "I noticed some of the houses are duplexes and others are single units. I think the garages have been added later on. I could see that the driveways are recent additions. This must have been some part of an institution, maybe a school at one time. It looks like someone really did a good job updating the place."

They waited at the door after Barrett used the gothic looking door knocker. It must have been a trick in the lighting because he could swear that the goblin-like face below the plate winked at him - definitely the lighting. He looked up as the figure of a woman approaching could be seen through the lace curtain.

"Welcome to our house. You must be Bear. I'm Terri, and this little one is Melanie." She'd obviously been briefed by Jim. "And I know you're Howard Hanson. What a game that was. I was so sorry to hear about your injury. Jim tells me you're a gourmet cook now."

"Well, not exactly, I'm in the restaurant design and supply business." Howard could see the look of astonishment on Barrett's face, and he knew exactly why. Terri Matthews could have been a twin sister of one of the nude models they'd been looking at the previous day. She was drop dead gorgeous and all the exotic beauty was real. There was one difference. Howard was pretty sure she might have been an inch or two taller than that model. What was her name? Oh yes, it was Simoné.

"Come on back to the kitchen. Jim will fix Margaritas for you. I know you will like them. A couple of his office mates are back there, and there are three more on the way with their wives.

"I have to have a close look at that ring you're wearing: my goodness what a chunk."

They went through the introduction process as Jim made margaritas. They were outstanding Barrett thought: very close to the ones Howard made. Of course the discussion came around to the Super Bowl. The Championship Ring was passed around, and many of the guests hefted it, trying to guess its weight. The center diamond came in at about three carats. There was over seven carats in total diamond weight. The gold weighed close to two ounces. As big as the ring was, it did not look out of place on Howard's huge hand.

Both Barrett and Howard thought they were convivial group, and Barrett was put at ease immediately. The other guests said their goodbyes as most had other things to do that evening. It was just a nice way to meet their new associate. Finally, Barrett and Howard were left alone with Barrett's new boss and his beautiful wife.

Jim was tending to several racks of lamb and Terri excused herself for a moment to nurse Melanie before putting her to bed. She picked up the phone while Melanie latched on. "Esmeralda, can you come over here for a minute. I need you to confirm something for me."

"Certainly, I take it there's something about your guests."

"Several things: one is that they both thought I looked like my great, great aunt. That's not really that important, but I imagine we'll have to address that someday. The other is that they're both straddling the line as far as their gender. One is definitely more female than the other; however, I think they'd be comfortable if they crossed over. There's something else, but I'm going to have to talk to His Wisdom about that. That's not really one of my strong areas. Maybe you can help. From what I've learned, there're not many of us who can work in that area at all. His Wisdom says that I'm one of the best he's known. I guess I should believe him; however, I'm so new to all of this."

"I think you're doing so well my dear. We're all so very proud of you. I know you're having a great time."

"That I am. I thought I was going to have trouble adjusting to the change, even though I wanted it so much. Jim was so wonderful. He had a hell of an adjustment to make, too; however, we were so mentally suited for each other. I am so thankful to all of you for helping me through that time. By the way, Gramma Bev came by the other day. She says she's going to retire, and she and Debbie are going to move back here. They've both decided to present as being around forty to forty-five.

"Bev told Simoné to clean up her act and come for a visit. She said she would. I guess we're all going to have to get used to the fact that several hundred thousand people have seen just about every follicle on her body. Bev said she was going to have to take her baby sister over her lap and give her a good spanking."

"Send those rolls you have in the warming oven over. I'll pretend I made them and bring them over in a few minutes. I'd love to meet your guests."

Terri returned to her guests and husband who were sitting in the living room. "I think Melanie's down for a while. How's everything out here?"

"Fine, I took the lamb out and it's ready to carve. The vegetables are ready, and the wine's chilled."

They were interrupted by knocking at the front door. "That should be Esmeralda. She's bringing the dinner rolls," Terri said while getting up to open the door.

Jim gave her a funny look because the dinner rolls were waiting in the warming oven. Only, he would find out shortly that they weren't there. He realized something was probably up and he'd better keep his mouth shut. Being part of a magical group had taught him not to question things. If there was something going on, he'd find out soon enough.

"Esmeralda, I'd like you to meet Barrett Hamilton and Howard Hansen. Barrett will be starting to work with Jim in a couple of weeks. Howard is Barrett's friend, and he'll be coming to work in Hartford shortly.

"Guys, this is Esmeralda Mather, our neighbor. She was kind enough to fix her special dinner rolls for us. I'll put them in the warming oven."

They were interrupted by a rather large, long haired black and white cat coming out of the rear of the house. He had a large patch of white fur that covered most of the right side of his face. He came over to Esmeralda and wrapped himself around her ankles. He then approached Barrett and Howard, giving them the same ankle treatment plus a brief sniff of their hands.

"Phantom's been napping," Terri explained. 'How was your nap?'

'Fine. I think you have two new recruits unless I miss my guess. They don't have a clue, do they?'

'Not yet, it may be a while before we let them know. They may be a harder case than I was.'

"I found Phantom a few years ago when he was just a tiny kitten. He's quite a remarkable cat," Terri said while picking him up and scratching his head.

'You're darn right I'm remarkable. There isn't a lock I can't unlock or safe that I can't get into.

'I'm going out with Fred to hunt rats. I should be back around one or so.'

'Isn't Fred that feral cat I see around here all the time?'

'Yes, he's the one. He told me that if he found the right human, he'd be glad to move in with him or her. In case you hadn't noticed, I've been sharing my meals with him. He's a good cat, and Charli says he'll be an excellent associate. He likes what we do.'

Phantom made his way to his pet watering dish before exiting through the pet door at the rear of the house.

"I think he's going out with another cat to hunt for rats. They kill only the non-native species."

Barrett thought that was rather a strange statement. After all, how would a cat know the difference? Rats were rats. Maybe Terri was a bit eccentric to say something like that, but somehow he didn't think so. They exchanged pleasantries with Esmeralda before she returned to her next door home.

The rack of lamb was delicious and the conversation touched on many things.

"I understand you're looking for a home," Terri said to Howard.

"Yes, we drove around earlier today just trying to get the lay of the land. In fact, we passed right by here. We had no idea this little community was back here."

"It is rather hidden isn't it? This was the residential area for a school that is no longer in existence. All the houses were updated, and some of the semi-attached homes were converted to single family homes. I lived in this very house when I first came to Hartford. I lost my job here and moved to Boston. It turned out that Jim and I lived in the same group of Condos. We had been friends in college, but he got married and moved to Boston after graduation. I guess you could say his marriage didn't work out."

"That's putting it mildly," Jim responded.

"Anyway, we realized we were in love and got married a few months after his divorce. The nice thing is that we are on good terms with his ex, and she is now remarried and expecting a little one soon.

"After Jim and I got married, jobs opened up for both of us back here, and surprisingly this house was on the market. They had converted it and built a garage, and it was available. It's going to be perfect for the family we want to have."

"So, what type of work do you do?" Howard asked.

"I am a Senior Loss Control Consultant for Moose Insurance.

"I think you said you are going to be working in commercial kitchen design; well I'm the person who makes sure everything is being properly inspected and set up. It's scary what I run across sometimes, especially in some Oriental restaurants. You know, things like cockroaches fossilized in two inches of grease."

"Terri!" Jim exclaimed.

"Oops, I started getting too hung up on my profession. I apologize.

"Why don't the three of you relax while I clean up?"

"Why don't we all pitch in? That'll speed things up," Howard said.

"I like your kitchen," Howard remarked as he placed some of the cleaned items on the higher shelves. "It really works well. Updating these old houses must have been expensive."

"These were redone by a company that specializes in restoring older homes, and converting warehouses into loft apartments and condos," Jim said. "The owners of the company are good friends. I know you'll enjoy meeting them. One of the owner's daughter's Bobbie Anderson. You might have heard of her. Barrett and I talked about her over lunch the other day."

"The golfer! Who hasn't heard of her? I heard someone refer to her as the Alexander the Great of Women's Golf. There's nothing left for her to conquer. I've heard she's going to try to play in the PGA. More power to her."

"Jim and I have had lessons from her and her husband, Terri said. "They are really wonderful, down to earth people. I'll let you in on a little secret. She will probably be invited to play in the Hartford Open next year or the year after. There's been a lot of talk about what she's done for golf in Connecticut, and she needs to be recognized for it. I think she has what it takes to win on the men's tour.

"I understand you and Barrett play golf," Jim said.

"We've played at it. We both have trouble breaking 90, and since I hurt my knee I haven't played at all. I do enjoy the game. It's just that one wrong tweak, and I might have to go under the knife again."

"Well, that might be fixed someday. You never can tell," Terri said. Howard was wondering why she was smiling.

"I've seen Bobbie Anderson's picture in many sports magazines, and I've seen her on television. Is she really that attractive; and that friend of hers, too?" Barrett asked.

"You must mean Cindy Brewer. Yeah they are. You'll get to meet all of them one of these days. We're quite close."

They spent another hour talking over some glasses of port and some slices of very nice Stilton cheese. As they left for the relatively short drive back to Barrett's apartment they received a rather warm hug from Terri and a firm handshake from Jim.

"So what do you think?" Barrett asked as they got ready to end the day.

"I think they're nice people; however, I couldn't get over the feeling that something was going on that I don't quite understand."

"What do you mean?"

"When we first went back to the kitchen I remember checking out their appliances. They really do have a very nice kitchen by the way, and I can't see much that could be done to improve it. Anyway, I remember looking at their oven setup, and seeing that there were dinner rolls in the warming oven. Then, Ms. Mather comes over on the pretense of bringing dinner rolls. They put them into the warming oven, but there are no rolls in the warming oven. The oven was on, but I can't remember anyone taking rolls out of the oven. That's real strange.

"Then there's the thing about the cat. Did you ever have a cat when you were growing up?"

"Yes."

"Well, when your cat went outside, did you ever know that your cat was going to meet up with another cat and hunt rats, only non-native rats by the way. Since when do cats, other than lions, ever work together? Since when do cats ever tell their owners what they are going to do?

"That was just a bit much.

"Then there was Terri, what a beautiful young woman, who just happens to look like a sister of that model we were looking at on my computer. I know it wasn't her, but I think she caught on that we were startled by her appearance. Jim is one lucky guy. I am jealous."

"Of him, or of her: I know what you mean," Barrett said. "I saw something else. When Terri was helping Esmeralda out the door, I'd swear I saw them both glance at us and nod as if agreeing about something, something about us."

I think things are starting to get a bit complicated, and it's obvious that Howard has picked up on quite a bit. They are pretty much an open book to Terri. This might get interesting.