The next morning I had been on the trail about five minutes when the damn cell phone chirped. "Hello," I'm sure my irritation went through the phone.

"John, it me Mary." I realized how silly that sounded but I said nothing. "I need to be at the courthouse here in Williams at nine, can you be here early?"

"Mary, I'm on the trail walking right now. It's 7:30 right now it's going to be at least nine before I can even begin the drive. It's at least a 30 minute drive, If I make all the lights. The short answer is no I can't make it that early." I could sense her disappointment. I hoped that there wasn't panic mixed in but I just couldn't do anything else. At least I refused to do anything else.

"I'll have to either wait or figure something else out," she said shortly.

"Yes, I suppose you will." When she didn't say anything else I broke the connection. I thought she had already done so. When I got to the office I found out different.

"You hung up on me. How could you?"

"Actually I thought you had already broken the connection but even so there was nothing else to say. There was nothing I could do. I made it very clear to your dad that I could not be here before 10 AM."

I saw her take a really deep breath to calm down. "I can't be late for court every morning. I know you need to walk, hell I should walk in the morning myself." She tried to make me think that it was a spur of the moment idea, but I knew better. How long she had been working on it was the only thing I didn't know. "Why don't we walk together?"

"Because it wouldn't solve any problems. I still can't get here till ten. It's the drive as much as anything. I can't get to the park or the mall until after seven. Then the walk is around an hour so that makes it after eight. I have to change and clean up a little so its going to be after 9AM every morning."

"Yes but if you moved to Williams, you could cut an hour off that time."

"Mary, this is a temporary arrangement. I don't think it makes sense for me to move here. Why not just hire someone local to take care of this."

"No I feel safe with you. Why don't you stay with me. I have a guestroom." She looked me right in the eye."

"That is a really bad idea. You father will have a fit and rightly so. You are still shaky from the shooting it would be a monumental mistake to take on something of this magnitude."

"What you being my roommate. I hope you didn't think I was trying to recruit you as a lover."

I knew better she saw me as her savior. It was a typical emotional reaction and all cops have seen it. Most of the time we don't give in to it, but now and then we do. It always ends badly, and I mean always. "Let me talk this over with your dad."

"I don't need my father's permission and neither do you."

"Alright then here is the deal. Since this is temporary until you get a handle on how you can cope with what happened, I will stay in your guest room but only if you see a therapist and only for a limited time."

"How long?" she asked.

"You get the name of a therapist, and I will stay one month or until you decide that you don't need me." I regretted it just as soon as it was out of my mouth.

"It's a deal. Find us a place to walk and bring your things over after work." I shook my head, but a deal was a deal.

Mary informed me after lunch that she had an appointment with a Christian therapist her dad knew. Her father was thrilled. Somehow I doubted that she had told him about her new roomie.

After hearing that I took the summons for the used car dealer and left the office. I stopped at the office depot and had a print made from my digital file. I had the teenie bopper behind the counter laminate it, the I trimmed it and found one of those snap on clips to attach it to my shirt. I had a pretty impressive oversized ID card the kind employees are given so people know who they work for. Except that Lightning Express Courier Service did not exist, except in my twisted mind.

At home depot I picked up an envelope and made a lot of marks in block letters. then I stuffed it with paper I bought there as well. I spend about five bucks turning the summons into a package from the DMV. One that could easily contain a license plate.

"This dude has to sign for the package," I said to the receptionist who tried to put me off.

"Our License plates come through the mail," she said suspiciously.

"Lady, I don't know what is in it. I know I picked it up from our terminal and I am here to deliver it. If somebody don't sign, then I'm taking it back. My guess is, if somebody sprang for a special courier it is important. Personally I get paid either way, but I get paid by the delivery so sign, get him to sign or I'm out of here."

"What the hell is it," the mooch said as he came out of his office.

"I got this here package for James Edwards. If that is you sign here and it's yours. If not I'm out of here. I can write a note to go back to the consignor that you were unwilling to accept it."

"Damn Margie it's from the DMV," he said that as he signed on line ten. The nine people above him were just strangers who thought they were signing a petition to have a road repaired. Once he signed, I took the clipboard from him and said, "See you in court. And if you think about fighting this service, I was a cop for over twenty years and I have testified more times than your lawyer. I make a hell of a witness. It's why I get the big bucks, so just give it up." I walked away whistling.