"	Gene's Story or How I Gained a Cousin A novel by Karen Lockhart Copyright 2016

CHAPTER 16

I put the car radio on WBZ hoping to hear more on the drug bust in Newburyport, but it was a rehash of what Ginny and I heard last night on the ten o'clock news.

“Be on your toes today, I bet those Boston cops will swing by the site, trying to sniff out this Gene character. They know Morales didn't have him killed, so the last place he was sighted was here with that truck of MacDonald's.”

“I'll be careful, that's why I did evening make-up today,” Ginny said. “The more girl I look, the less they'll look at my face.”

“Ginny, think; Gene disappears on the same day you showed up. It doesn't take a Sherlock Holmes to wonder about that. If the cops try to find Virginia Hansen, good luck, no such beast.”

“If the cops show, and wave a photograph around I'll say, as I got off the bus, someone who looks like that got on.”

With that Ginny walked over to the Kuerig coffee maker. “I mean wouldn't it look funny if no one saw him?”

“I would rather say you were here all day, not say you showed up at the same time Gene leaves on a bus.”

“Oh, I see what you mean; Ok, I saw the truck but I have no idea how long it was there.”

“Ginny don't say any more than that. Again let me do most of the talking, you keep showing your cleavage, that way they won't look at your face.”

“Men are such pigs,” she said. ”Good thing I've got these babies.”

We both settled in to our prospective offices. Me to call my doctor, Ginny to look at shoes on line.

I waited until nine-thirty before calling and asking to speak with Dr Singh's nurse. They owe me a favor, I gave them $3000 in insulin to give to poor patients when my prescription changed.

The doctor's nurse called back in a hour, asking what she could do for me. I explained it was a delicate situation, and I wondered if my cousin could see the doctor. The nurse checked and asked how did Wednesday at eleven o'clock sound? “Great, we'll take that,” I said.

“See you Wednesday at eleven then,” chirped the nurse as she hung up.

I hung up and walked to the other end of the trailer. “Ginny, you have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday at eleven o'clock.”

“Next week?” she asked.

“No, day after tomorrow.”

“How did you get me in so fast?”

“The doctor had an open time and she slid you right in.”

“Shoot, I don't know if I'm ready to see a doctor so fast.”

“Ginny, you've been self dosing with over the counter hormones, it's time to see a pro, besides, I'll be with you all the way. This doctor is going to be understanding, you'll need that. Unless you're telling me you're not ready to be a woman?”

“Oh no! I'm ready, just a little scared to officially be starting on therapy, that's all.”

“Okay then, why don't we do some work today, Are you finished with entering those truck slips? And if you are, could you print them out and file it in the right folder?”

“Ellen, why are we printing them and filing, isn't that redundant?”

“Yes, but that how it's done, someone could walk in and ask for data, we can't point at the computer and say 'help yourself'. This way we hand them a file, or make a copy to go,just like at Mcdonalds.”

“Oh shit,” Ginny said looking out the window. “Here comes Starsky and Hutch.”

“You open the door , and let me do most of the talking, don't offer anything, wait until they ask something.”

Ginny answered the door, “Officers, how can we help you today?” she stepped back to allow the cops inside, “I thought we answered your questions the other day?”

“We're looking into the possibility the disappearance of that truck driver is connected to the drug bust in Newburyport yesterday. Now, when did you see him.”

I jumped in. “We never really saw him, just his truck, and before we shut down for the day, somebody from MacDonald's came and retrieved it. When the truck drove in to empty his load, the driver leaned out his window, and waved to me. I recognized the driver as a Gene Thomas, a kid a year or two behind me in High school. I haven't seen him either before that, or since.” I took a deep breath, “Do you think he's dead? The State Police hinted at that on television.”

Sargent Spanos answered, “We are just trying to locate him as a favor to the Essex County D.A. This is Suffolk County, but he was last seen here. The Staties think there is a larger, state wide group that hasn't been caught yet.”

“Now you are Ellen Hanson, and you are the site Engineer for Brady and Sons Construction Company, is that correct?”

“That's correct.“

“And this young lady is your cousin, Virginia Hansen, who is your bookkeeper?”

“Correct.”

“She's from the Cape, and just came up here?”

“Yes, She was in a physically abusive relationship and fled with just the clothes on her back a week and a half ago. She's now living with me in Swampscott where you two saw her last week.”

Spanos again left his card saying, “If you think of something else, or see him, please give either me or the State Police a call.”

With that, the two of them left the office got in their cruiser, spun gravel and went out the gate.

“OH MY GOD! I think I just wet myself,“ Ginny said, as she flopped in a chair.

“If you did, don't sit in my chair please. I think I peed too.“ I laughed. “This calls for a drink. Ginny open the file draw labeled 'test results' and bring the vodka over to the table please.”

We each had a double shot of Grey Goose, and the tension flowing out of us slowly.

“Are you good,” Ginny said. “You had me believing you.”

“That's well and good for now, but if they decide to dig into our backgrounds, they'll find that I have no cousin on the Cape and that you don't exist. Then we pray that they're legit and not part of the drug smugglers.”

To be continued

Thanks to Bronwen for fixing the spelling and typos