I had hoped to call Becky and tell her what we had learned, then to move on to something else. Of course that would have been too easy.

"Becky wants to talk to us both tonight," Lucy informed me.

"Well come on in and lets figure out what to tell her."

"My vote is that we tell her the truth," Lucy said.

"I totally agree. Give her the facts and let her decide to throw the bum out."

"So how about you take me to dinner after Becky leaves. We can discuss what to do next."

"I know what I'm going to do next," I replied. "I'm going to waste my time on some kind of photography and then on long naps. I might give portraits a shot. You wanna' be my sample model?"

"I am not taking my clothes off for you. So is the offer still on the table."

"You know that I have seen you without your clothes?"

"Yes you have, but the whole world hasn't and I plan to keep it that way."

"You are just no fun at all," I replied.

"Hey you two," the words came from Becky who was standing on the landing outside my door.

"Well hello there stranger," I said it as a joke.

"I know I should visit more, but well I really have been busy."

"And then there is Ed Hollis," I said sharply.

"Jealousy does not become you Mike."

"Just proves I care," I said,

"Since you brought him up, what is this about paying off Al Floyd?"

"He is paying him off to keep quiet about something."

"You don't know that," Becky said.

"It's the only thing that makes sense. Becky you wanted to know and now you do."

"I asked about his missing wife not about some thug."

"Well obviously you aren't going to listen to us."

"I will when you can prove that helping a family make ends meet, while their father is in prison, is not just an act of christian charity but something sinister."

"Wow, how big is this guy?" Lucy asked.

I laughed but Becky didn't. "That was a cheap shot. You know me better than that."

"I thought I did, but now I'm not so sure." I was glad Lucy said that not me.

"Come on you two let's not fight about this."

"I agree, let's just call it finished. Lucy and I are satisfied with our findings. You don't want to accept them, so that's the end of it."

"I hope you aren't angry?" Becky said.

"I'm not angry, but I am a little worried. Either one of the scenarios could be make him a dangerous man."

"But you don't know either of them is true," Becky said positively.

"No, but I don't know the absolute truth in a lot of things. Some of them I would rather not try just to know for sure."

"Like?" Becky asked.

"Like dropping an electric heater in my bathwater will kill me."

"Everyone knows that is true," Becky said.

"And I thought anyone would recognize the truth in what we told you. Don't worry I'm not going to go on and on about it.