Funny Business — Chapter 14, Autumn Events

By

Samantha Michelle Davies (SamanthaMD)

Liz and Kat explained by relating the story of their trip onto the reservation the previous day and Al’s visit to the RV that morning.

“It looks like we have a solution then?” said Bill.

“We have a solution,” said Liz.

“But you and Kat are buggering off home very soon,” said Liz without thinking.

“Ok. Ok. Sorry – wrong words, but you know what I mean.”

Then Kat said: “Speaking of buggering off, I think it might be prudent to find somewhere else to stay tonight. It looks like it is going to be another cold one.”

“Where do you suggest?”

“Let’s go back to Elko? There is an RV park there we can hook up this thing. We are almost out of water.”

“Why don’t we go straight back to Reno and find somewhere as a base for the winter?” argued Charlie.

After some discussion, it was decided that they would leave the following morning and make a call at the reservation so that Billy could meet Bill and Charlie.

That night, it was cold and dry once more. However everyone went outside to look at the clear sky and the millions of stars that were visible. With the nearest street light many miles away, the amount of atmospheric light pollution was minimal.

Charlie asked Liz, “Are you going to miss this?”

“You bet. This is so beautiful. So peaceful.”

As if a props man had been cued, a coyote howled in the distance.

“What about you? This is very different from Long Island?”

“Partially. Out of season, it is very quiet and out on the tip near Montauk it is peaceful and the sky is very much like this.”

“I’ll be glad to come back and start living here properly in the spring.”

“Me too.”

Then they kissed passionately under the starlit sky.

*

The next morning, they packed up the RV and the three vehicles made their way back to the road and headed towards the Reservation.

As before, Liz asked to see Billy but they were told that he was at another part of the reservation. So she tried looking for Al.

Al was in his surgery having just finished the morning rush of patients.

“Hello Liz. For what do we have the honour of your presence today?”

Liz smiled back when she recognised a compliment.

“We’re pulling out for the winter. Well, Charlie and I are going to spend it in Reno but we will be back from time to time. Anyway, I wanted you to meet Charlie and Bill. They are outside with Kat if you have a few minutes to spare.”

“Sure. I’m off to visit a few patients who live out on the Reservation so I have to go out anyways.”

When they went outside, Bill and Charlie were standing by the RV. Kat was about 50 yds away watching some children playing.

Liz guessed that she was missing her sons. They probably weren’t missing her as much as they were at their Grandmother’s and being spoiled something rotten.

“Bill, Charlie. This is Al, the reservation’s Doctor and tribal Medicine Man.”

The men shook hands.

Al stared at Bill for several seconds.

Then he realised what he was doing and said:

“Welcome to the reservation. Especially to you Charlie as I’ve heard a lot about you from Liz. If you do decide to set up shop at your place, I can guarantee quite a bit of business from the folks here on the reservation. It would save them having to travel many miles to places such as Elko to see a lawyer.”

“I wasn’t planning on doing that but I’ll bear that in mind.”

“Oh, I thought …” exclaimed Al.

“Yeah. So did I until yesterday. I have one or two ideas but nothing firm yet.”

“Ok,” said Al before turning to Bill.

“I gather it is your gift of the land that had brought these two special people here?”

Bill went a bit red in the face. “It was nothing really. I’m glad I was able to do it.”

“When are you and Kat going back to England?”

“Tomorrow night. We fly out of Vegas direct to London.”

“Well, come back soon. Liz is a really special person. Well, I’m sure you know that already.”

They said their goodbyes and Al got in his pick-up and left them alone.

Kat wandered back to the RV. It was obvious that she’d been crying a bit.

“Do you miss the boys?” asked Charlie.

“Yes. This is the longest I been away from them.”

“Don’t you send them away to Boarding School?” he asked.

“We do but it isn’t the same. There are only an hour or so away from us. Here, we are a quarter of the way around the world. If something happens, I can’t be there for them.”

“Well, lets be on our way and get to Reno for the night. Then we can have a goodbye meal together somewhere nice this evening. Then you can fly down to Vegas tomorrow in plenty of time for your flight,” suggested Charlie.

Kat smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

“And as soon as we get a Mobile Signal, I’m calling the boys to wish them goodnight.”

*

The trip west to Reno was long and boring. When the small convoy arrived at the junction with I80, Liz stopped her bike and loaded it onto the trailer that was hitched to the RV. Now the journey was going to be much more comfortable for her. Besides, she didn’t fancy dicing with the large number of trucks that thundered along the highway often at a speed well in excess of the legal limit.

They arrived in Reno mid afternoon and booked into a decent hotel that had the inevitable Casino attached or perhaps it was the other way round.

It also had a special lot for RV’s so they were able to hook it up without any problems – not that it was going to be used for sleeping in; the ‘team’ had decided unanimously to stay in a couple of suites in the hotel rather than the more cramped accommodation of the RV. This also meant that long soaks in the bath would be high on the agenda for Liz and Kat.

Liz did just that and spent a deliciously long time in the bath just lying there and enjoying the warmth.

“That was good. We must have a big bath in our house. One that I can float in,” she remarked when Charlie took her place in the tub.

“And where is all the energy to heat all that water coming from?” joked Charlie.

“From the Sun or our Aga?”

“What’s an Aga?”

Liz laughed.

“Oh dear. I can see that you need domesticating a bit my darling.”

“But what is an Aga? Does it have anything to do with the ‘Aga Khan’?”

Liz laughed.

“Nope but it will solve a lot of our heating and cooking problems especially if we get the wood burning model.”

Charlie looked none the wiser.

“It is a really fancy stove with multiple ovens and hotplates plus the ability to heat all the water I’ll need for my baths. There are various models and fuel options.”

“Never heard of them”

“That’s not surprising. They come from England. We’d have to have one shipped over but they weight a ton.”

“A ton?”

Liz laughed.

“It’s a figure of speech. It means that they weight a lot but the big ones probably come fairly close to one ton in weight.”

“You have this all worked out don’t you? The house and everything?”

Liz smiled.

“I have an idea in my mind of what I’d like but it is a little difficult to put it in words. What about you?”

“Up to now, a house has been somewhere to sleep between coming from and going to work and not really a place to live and work in.”

“Don’t worry darling, we will sort it all out between us.”

“So why don’t you draw it, put your vision down on paper. You know the saying, ‘Every picture is worth a thousand words’.”

“Perhaps I will when we get settled in for the duration.”

That evening, everyone got dressed up and after a good meal, they headed for the Casino. Liz once again proved to be the star of the show. She won several thousand dollars at craps. And as before in Las Vegas, she proved deadly on the Blackjack table. With more than $16000 in chips in her handbag, the party went off to see a show.

Bill and Kat left around lunchtime the following day. Both Liz and Charlie were sorry to see them go.

From the airport, the pair went off on a tour of realtor’s offices in search of somewhere to rent for the winter.

That evening, they spent a lot of time going over all the flyers and looking for the ‘right’ place. By midnight, they had come to the conclusion that there was nothing really suitable in Reno itself, so they resolved to check out the properties in Carson City the next day.

Their searching once again proved almost fruitless until, in the middle of the afternoon, Charlie spotted the right place.

“What do we want with a big barn?” asked Liz when she had finished reading the details.

“Somewhere to park the RV out of sight and somewhere for me to work?”

“Work? What do you mean?”

Charlie smiled.

“I’ve been doing some thinking.”

“Oh dear. I can see that I’m not going to like this.”

“Will you please let me finish”?

Liz grinned. “Yes boss.”

Charlie glared back and then smiled.

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, somewhere for me to work. I only went into Law because it was expected of me. Four generations of lawyers in the family so it was expected that I would follow suit. I tried but there was no way to get out of it.”

Liz held his hand.

“That explains a lot about the past. What did you really want to do with your life?”

“I wanted to make furniture.”

Liz gasped.

“Wow. I never expected that. How come?”

“Dad took me to the Museum of Modern Art when I was a kid. Some of the furniture that was on show blew my mind. The feel of wood and the look of the grain is really seductive. A year or so later there was an exhibition of furniture that was designed by one of the members of your Royal Family. David Linley was his name. It really opened my eyes for what could be done with wood.”

“Have you ever made any furniture?”

“Not really,” said Charlie.

“What have you made?”

“Hey, you sound like my Father.”

Liz grinned.

“Well have you?”

“Yes. There used to be cabinetmakers in the village in Maine where we spent the summer. I used to go there and learn bits and pieces. Then I made this large document box out of burr Walnut off-cuts. It is in the container of the things from the beach house back in New York. If I could only show it to you. Then you would know what I’m on about.”

“Hey, I believe you.”

Charlie smiled.

“So you want to set up a workshop in the barn.”

“Yes. After all, we are going to need some furniture for our dream home.”

“Couldn’t we just buy it?” said Liz with a big grin on her face.

Charlie laughed.

“Well, enough to furnish the place until I make the proper stuff anyway.”

Liz kissed him.

“Ok. Let’s take this place.”

There was really nothing more to be said on the matter so they went to bed.

*

Once all the details were sorted out, they moved into their temporary home two days later. Charlie soon made arrangements to get the containers that held Charlie’s belongings to be shipped from New York.

They also bought a slightly used Range Rover for their own use. The RV was not really suitable for short journeys and with winter coming on, a 4WD vehicle seemed to make sense.

At the end of the first week, in their new, albeit temporary, home, they started work in earnest on their dream home.

Liz persuaded Charlie that if they were going to get all the right permits for the house, they should engage an architect to design it. Finding an architect who even knew what a ‘Turf House’ was let alone one that was prepared to even consider constructing one turned out to be easier said than done.

They had almost gone through all the architects listed in Yellow Pages when out of frustration at being turned down yet again, Charlie almost shouted to the people in one office: “Is there anyone here who knows what a ‘Turf House’ is?”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at him. Most obviously thought he was mad.

After a few seconds, a young man at the rear of the office put up his hand and said quietly: “I do.”

To a man and woman, everyone turned to stare at the owner of the voice.

“They come from Iceland. They are also similar in concept to the ‘Black Houses’ found on the Hebridean Islands off the West Coast Scotland and the North West of Ireland.”

The head of the practice waved the young man forward.

“I might have guessed that it was you Anders.”

“Mr Simpson, I’m sorry but the man here asked a question.”

“How the hell do you know about these silly things?” asked Mr Simpson.

“I went to Iceland on holiday as a child. We visited an old Icelandic village.”

“So what are they then?”

Anders smiled. “They are built into the hillside and have their roofs covered with soil and turf. It keeps them cool in summer and warm in winter.”

“This here fella wants to build one for him and his wife. Is it feasible?”

“It certainly is Mr Simpson. Given the right terrain.”

“What do you mean terrain?”

“As I said, they are built into the side of a hill. It should be south or southwest facing as the only windows are in the front of the building. Of course with modern things like Light Tubes, you could…”

“That’s enough,” said Mr Simpson.

He turned to Charlie.

“Well Sir, it looks like you have an architect.”

Charlie smiled.

“I’m not so sure. We need to agree a fee. Anders here is obviously a junior member of your staff. I hardly think that it would be fair to charge a full partner’s rate for the job.”

Mr Simpson went red in the face.

“Come into my office and let us talk things over.”

Charlie did just that and emerged half an hour later with a slightly satisfied look on his face.

Mr Simpson called Anders over to him and said: “Anders, you are working for Mr Everett here on his project. It sounds really hair-brained if you ask me but we have agreed a price for the job. He’ll brief you on the details. Ok?”

Anders smiled.

“Yes sir Mr Simpson.”

*

Anders came to the rented house the following day and started working on the project. The obvious enthusiasm shown by Liz to the project soon infected him with the bug.

It turned out Anders was originally from Denmark and his visit occurred before his family emigrated to Nevada. This was also virtually his first job as a newly qualified architect. Still, this didn’t faze either Liz or Charlie and soon the ground rules for the project were sorted out. All that remained was to visit the site and do a survey and lay out the actual foundations on the ground to allow the final plans to be drawn up.

Their work was progressing so well that it was something of a surprise when Jake called Liz one afternoon.

“Hi Jake, what’s up?”

…

“Yeah it has been a long time.”

…

“Oh shit. I’d forgotten all about that. Doesn’t time fly when you are enjoying yourself. We’ve rented a house in Carson City.”

…

“A little south of Reno.”

…

“What are we doing here? At the moment, I’m working with an architect on the plans for our dream home.”

…

“Charlie? He’s off buying some machinery.”

…

“Don’t ask what sort. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

…

“Yeah. I’ll get him to call when he gets back. As usual, he went out without his phone. You must come out for a visit. We’d love to see you and Gloria.”

….

“I know you are busy. Once the issue is out, you should take a break.”

….

“Yes Jake. I won’t forget to tell Charlie and to phone you more often.”

….

“Bye.”

It was with very mixed feelings that Liz closed the call. She’d put the magazine well and truly into the drawer marked ‘Past, do not disturb’.

Nevertheless, there was the imminent arrival of New York Fashion week and the culmination of the work that she and Jake had done in the previous year.

To say that she was nervous was an understatement.

With a new resolve, Liz went back into the bedroom that they were using as an office for the project.

“Anders, why don’t you take the rest of the day off? We are going to the site tomorrow and it will be a long day. We’ll probably have to stay over so we’ll be taking the RV that is in the barn.”

“Ok. I’ll be glad to get home. My fiancée is cooking dinner for the family tonight. It is my father’s birthday.”

“Anders, you should have said something before now. I would have given you the day off.”

“But, my boss…”

“Anders, Charlie and I are your boss on this project. You work for me. Hang what Mr Simpson says. Understand?”

He smiled.

“Ok. I get it.”

“Good. Now be on your way.”

“See you tomorrow. Goodbye.”

With Anders out of the way, Liz got herself prepared for the trip east the following day. She also made sure there was food in the RV’s fridge and water in the tank.

She had nearly finished when Charlie returned in a buoyant mood.

“Hi Darling. How was the shopping trip”?

Charlie knew he was in trouble.

“What have I done wrong my darling?”

Liz laughed.

“It is time you went back to New York. Have you forgotten a little event that is happening the day after tomorrow?”

“Oh shit. Is it that time already?”

“It is. Jake called. Your presence in New York is requested, no demanded.”

“Ok. I get the message. I’ll go and book a flight.”

Liz grinned.

“Already done. You are on the 6:00am to Denver in the morning.”

Charlie looked sad. “That early?”

“’Fraid so. You get into JFK just before 6pm.”

Charlie gave a resigned sigh.

“I suppose a little going away present is out of the question?”

“Now Charlie Everett? Why would you want such a thing? What about all those lovelies you will meet in the Big Apple,” replied Liz all coyly.

Charlie grabbed hold of Liz and took her to bed.

*

Charlie, with more than a little help from Liz, just managed to get the flight to Denver the following morning.

She took him to the airport still in her nightdress with just a coat to cover her modesty. She must have looked a sight as she kissed him goodbye outside the terminal.

When he arrived in New York, Charlie had almost forgotten how hectic the terminals at JFK could be. Nevertheless, a few minutes later he was sitting in the back of a Yellow Cab heading for his downtown hotel. This in itself felt strange to a native New Yorker who would normally be staying at his own home.

No sooner had he checked in than his phone went. It was Liz.

“Hello Darling.”

…
“Yes. Just got into the hotel.”

…
“Aren’t flights pretty awful these days.”

…
“Yes even in Business Class.”

…
“Where are you?”

…
“Elko? Why?”

…
“Oh dear. That bad eh?”

…
“I wish I was there with you.”

…
“Maybe. But at least I could have quoted a few precedents.”

….
“Yes. I’m due to meet Jake for dinner in an hour.”

….
“I will. Take care. I love you.”

Slightly sadly, Charlie closed his phone. This was the first time he had been alone and away from Liz since their marriage.

*

That evening’s ‘pre-launch’ dinner with Jake went according to plan.
They discussed the planned sequence of events for the Fashion Show and the release of the special issue the day after. The magazine was being printed at a works in Baltimore and would be trucked up to Jersey City the following morning. Then they would be transferred either to the incinerator or to newstands, hotels and gathering places all over New York depending upon what clothes were being paraded at the show the next day.

Everyone was nervous.

Charlie sat back after the dinner and thought of Nevada.

He smiled to himself when the thought of what Liz was probably doing at that very instant. Whatever it was, it was nothing to do with the Fashion Industry.
“How’s married life?”, asked Jake seeing Charlie with a smile on his face.
“Great. No, actually better than the first time around. It just feels so different.”

Jake smiled. “Liz is a wonderful person. Don’t mess her up.”
“Jake, you must believe that messing her up is the last thing on my mind. I really love her. More than I’ve ever loved anyone before. He past is irrelevant to me. We just seem to connect with each other.”
Jake smiled. “I’m pleased for both of you. I really am.”.

He paused.
“And if everything goes well tomorrow then that should cap it nicely.”
“Frankly Jake, and I know that this may come as a shock, but Liz couldn’t give a fuck about tomorrow. She has really changed these past few months. There are two things that are important to her. Me and her family back in England, in that order.”
Jake was surprised at Charlie’s choice of language but he got the point.
“She has a soft spot for you, you know. Without you, I would have never met her. That sorta puts me in your debt as well.”

They toasted ‘absent friends’.

Charlie went into the Magazine the following day to watch the Fashion Shows on TV. His excitement level was considerably elevated by the time ‘the show’ started soon after 4pm.

When he leapt from his chair and punched the air everyone in the office wondered what had got into the normally reserved corporate lawyer.
The show was still in full swing when he tried to call Liz.

He got her voicemail so he left her a one word message, ‘Success’.

Charlie sat down and watched Liz’s creations being paraded along the catwalk. When ‘Liz’s’ wedding dress was paraded complete with arm bindings, tears were welling up in his eyes.
After he had composed himself, he went upstairs in search of Jake.

Jake was in his office opening a bottle of Champagne.
“Ah Charlie, will you join me?” he said grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“I will Jake. I think I will. We deserve it.”

“No Charlie, this is all down to you and Liz. You two are the heroes here. Did you get hold of Liz?”
“No. She’s off in the wilds of Nevada with our architect surveying the land for our new house.”
“Did you leave her a message?”
“Yes. She’ll be pleased no doubt.”
They raised their glasses. Jake gave a toast.

“To all your hard work” said Jake.

“To the belief in the story” said Charlie.

They chinked their glasses.
“When does the magazine hits the newsstands?” asked Charlie.

“In about an hour. I got word a few minutes ago that the delivery vans are rolling.”

He drank some more champagne.

“We are also giving out free copies to the people attending the shows in the morning. We’ve air freighted a load to London, Paris and Milan. They will be on sale in less than six hours. It should be quite a hit.”
“I can imagine.”
“What happens next? You know with that thief?”
“Our Editor is delivering a copy to him as we speak. She wanted to see his reaction. Naturally, a camera crew will be filming it all. It should make the 11pm news programmes tonight.”
Charlie finished his wine and filled it again from the magnum that sat in the ice bucket by Jake’s desk.
“What do you think he will do?”
“I don’t know. As far as I know, he has no idea of what is about to hit him. He’ll probably go to ground but hey, at the moment, and to quote Rhett Butler, ‘I don’t really give a damn’.”

They both laughed.

*

To say that the ‘shit hit the fan’ was probably a gross understatement. The story did indeed make the 11pm news even displacing a visit by the President to Iraq from the top slot. However, the full impact was not really felt until the following morning.

By this time, people on both sides of the Atlantic had been able to read the full story and come to their own conclusions.

The exposé totally dominated the morning news on TV and was front-page news all over the country. With all the extra journalists in town for the Fashion Week, it was as if a bombshell had been dropped on the fashion world.

Many others designers complained that the press were ignoring their collections but none would come out openly and comment on the story. Many closed ranks refusing to believe a word of it. But the weight of evidence in the article soon totally swayed public opinion. In the end, no one cared what another designer thought. It was staring everyone in the face.

Shares in the designer’s company dropped by 96% on NASDAQ before they were suspended after both S & P and Moodies graded them as ‘Junk’.

Jake was in constant demand for interviews. The questions that he was being asked constantly, was who was the real author of the article and who’s work was copied this time.

Charlie stood on the sidelines watching the legal side of things like Press Releases and the reaction of the other side.

The ‘other side’ remained totally silent. There were TV crews camped outside the designer’s home on Central Park West 24 hours a day. No one had seen anything of him since the news broke. Speculation grew in the media that he’d fled the country when he realised the game was up.

The designer’s studio remained locked shut and his employees were locked out and moneyless. It soon emerged in the press that they’d not been paid for several weeks and that they all reckoned that the future of the business was totally reliant upon the outcome of the show.

A show that was almost entirely made up of Liz’s stolen designs.

Jake defiantly held off the press for almost a week.

Then an intrepid reporter from a London paper found some bad pictures of Liz’s original work. Within hours, Jake was being bombarded with even more interview requests.
Reluctantly, he agreed and set up a press conference for the following morning.

*

Jake stood up before the assembled press and TV Crews and read a prepared statement.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press. I want to thank you all for coming here today. I want to read a statement after which I will take only two questions.”

More cameras clicked away.

“The rumours about the identity of the designer whose work was seen on the catwalk are perfectly correct. Liz Fuller was that designer. She was also a reporter for this magazine. I use the past tense because when she completed the article, she quit her job.”
There were murmurs from the press. The cries for ‘quotes’ on everything under the sun got louder.

Jake held up his hand until it was quiet once more.

The pro snappers’ DSLR’s kept on firing away.

“I have absolutely no idea where she is now. I know for certain that she is not back in England as I spoke with her brother yesterday and he confirmed that apart from their weekly phone call, he has not heard from her for several weeks. According to him, the last letter he got from her was from Namibia where she was on a Safari in the Kalahari Desert.”

More murmurings from the assembled masses.

“This whole thing began when I received a tip off that one of our most respectable designers was stealing designs.

There is no other word for it.

He was stealing work from other designers and passing them off as his own creation.

One of his employees would tour the fashion schools of Europe looking for people who for one reason or another were unable to graduate and get jobs in the industry.

One of those was Liz Fuller.

She attended college in London and, due to circumstances beyond her control, she was unable to complete her course.

Not long after, she came to New York and began working for me.

I’m sure many of you will have read her pieces over the past three and a half years. I’m sure many of you will have shared a plane, a cab and even a drink with her in that time.”

He took a sip of water.

“The copy of the release you have in front of you identifies the other designers who have agreed to have their names made public. They will be joining together in a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the designer, his company and certain as yet unnamed individuals who worked for him.

I also have it on good authority from none other than the City DA that the FBI are also investigating the case as it clearly involves international law enforcement agencies.

It is also highly likely that the IRS will also be involved as it appears that some serious embezzlement of company funds has also occurred. This will however bring scant reward to the now former employees of the company. Most of them knew nothing about this scam and were just as ignorant of it as you were until this story broke.”
He paused slightly.

“Liz Fuller has made it clear in the letter of which you all have a copy, that she does not want any intrusion into her life. I would like to think that you as journalists would respect the wishes of one of your own. She does not want any financial settlement that may come from this episode. Furthermore, she has obtained a court order seizing the copies of her garments that were shown a little over a week ago. Bailiffs are as I speak entering his offices to seize the items in question. She will get them auctioned off with all proceeds donated to a women’s aid charity in a month or two. I hope that you will all dig deeply into your pockets when the time comes. That is all I have to say. Now I will take two questions. The first will be from a British paper as Liz is from that great nation.”

There was a great clamour amongst the reporters before Jake pointed to the representative of the London Times.

“Jake, are you pleased with the outcome of what is possibly the scoop of the century so far?”

“Yes I am. Relieved as well. Frankly, until the first dress came down the catwalk, we had nothing. Yes, if we had nothing, I’d probably be looking for a new job but thanks to the diligence and our good fortune that our journalist was is also a very talented designer. Initially, Liz was very reluctant to use her work as bait but thanks to a little bit of updating done in London, she was persuaded to let her designs be used. I think that when she eventually reads the press reports that many of you wrote I hope that she will be very pleased at what you write about her.”

Then Jake selected a reporter from the Herald Tribune.

“Jake, there is a rumour circulating that Liz has gone off with one of your lawyers who helped in this investigation. Would you care to comment?”

“Thank you Steve. I am aware of this rumour, which was apparently started by the person who was going to take over Liz’s column. This person’s employment has been terminated with immediate effect.”

He paused for effect.

“As to the substance of this rumour, it has absolutely no foundation whatsoever. The lawyer in question, Charles Everett is standing right behind me here today. He has asked me to say that yes, he did have a ‘romantic episode’ with Liz during the course of their work but they decided not to pursue it any further.

Thank you ladies and gentlemen.

That is all we have to say on the matter.”

Jake and Charlie virtually fled the scene with the press in hot pursuit.

They dived into Jake’s limo and sped off.

Charlie sat back and breathed a sigh of relief.

“I liked that little lie about Liz’s location. I wonder if anyone will be heading for Southern Africa to look for her?”

They both laughed.

“What about the bit about persuading Liz to use her work? How did that sound?” asked Jake.

“Just about right. Many of those hacks in the conference had been reminded of how modest she is. They won’t think it out of character for her to be like that.”

“Let’s hope so,” commented Jake.

The limo took Charlie to JFK where he just managed to catch a flight to Chicago.
During the layover at O’Hare, his phone rang.

It was his Mother.

Reluctantly, he answered the call.

“Hi Mom. How are you?”

….
“Where am I? I’m in Chicago at the airport, escaping from the press.”

….
“Yes. That was me on TV. I’m fine. It was a really good story.”

….
“Yeah, I know it was a bit of a sting but the guy deserved it.”

….

“No don’t throw them away. Keep them. They might be worth something in the future. Like those Versace outfits you have.”

….
“No, she’s not with me. As Jake said at the press conference, we are no longer a couple.”

He hoped his lie wouldn’t end up biting him in the backside.

“I’m going to the West Coast for a while. And before you ask, I don’t know what I’m going to do. All I know is that I’m done with New York and especially being a lawyer in New York. I might find a nice quiet town to settle down in, you never know.”

….
“No, I don’t know where she is. I haven’t seen her for some time actually. When I was at dinner with Jake last night, he said that she was in South Africa.”
….

“How’s Pop?” he asked changing the subject.

….
“Good. Is his handicap getting any better?”

….
He laughed when he heard his mother’s answer. “That’s great to hear. Look Mom, they are calling my flight. I have to go. I’ll let you know where I put down roots. I promise.”

….
“Bye Mom. Give my love to Pop.”

As he closed his phone, Charlie felt a weight being lifted lift from his shoulders.

His mother would now think that Liz was not in the picture any more. His father knew the truth but he wasn’t going to let on any time soon.

[Continued in Part 15]