After dinner I developed the negative and then scanned it into the computer. I worked late into the evening to make it look like a 1900 glamour portrait. With her long hair and classic good looks there was very little required except to make it look old. Misty's good looks took care of the glamour part quite well.

I did my walk a little later than usual, since the weather was a little cooler than it had been during the summer. Fall was approaching like it or not. It looked as though a lot of the regular walkers had decided to hold off a bit as well. There were plenty of familiar faces on the trail, even at 9AM.

I had time after the walk for a shower and two cups of coffee before I left for the Sanitary Cafe. It was Carthage's answer to a Baltimore style dinner. It came complete with a front that look like a vintage travel trailer. All the rest was vintage cinder block and drywall construction. A real esthetic nightmare on Main Street. Carthage had it's share of Yuppie wannabe's, so a couple of places like the Sanitary did pretty well. If there had been more than a couple, they all would have gone under I expect.

Since I arrived first, I waited in the foyer for Mary. The wait wasn't all that long, but it was all that boring. I do hate to be bored. To paraphrase a line by Clint Eastwood from Heartbreak Ridge, you can kick me, you can kill me, just don't bore me. It's how I felt about life. I can handle pain, and I will have no choice but to handle death, but I do not handle boredom well at all.

"Sorry John, but the traffic is getting worse on the corridor every day." By that she meant the four lane round between Carthage and Williamsport. Carthage had become a bedroom community for the larger Williamsport. The morning and afternoon traffic had been terrible for years, but midday traffic had started to grow as well. My guess was that evening shopper traffic would be just as bad as rush hour soon. Since I almost never left Carthage, it didn't make much difference to me.

I nodded as I stood to lead the way to the spot where a hostess met us. She asked how many in the party, even though it was obvious there were two of us. The table she found for us was way too small for me to manage. "Excuse me, I can't eat on a table this small, do you have something larger." I should have gone to places like that more often, if I had I'm sure they would have known better.

"Sir this is our standard table for two," The stupid hostess was going to argue with a customer about a table.

"In that case I think we will go to a different restaurant for lunch." I turned to walk away.

"Sir, would you mind waiting a moment."

"Actually we would," Mary said. "I do not know what your company policy is, but where I come from the staff doesn't argue with the customers."

"I was damn proud of you back there," I said once we were in the parking lot.

"Damn, I always wanted to raise hell in a restaurant."

"So was it good for you, it was good for me." I laughed at my own stupid joke.

"It was simply wonderful my dear," she said with a exaggerated southern lady drawl. "So what greasy diner do you have in mind now?"

"Willie will still be serving breakfast." I said that as I held the door to her car open. "Just follow me."

At Willie's dinner we were met at the door by a trailer trash teenager who handed us each a greasy menu. I think they had the grease spots printed on the menu because I had never seen one without it.

Once we were seated and had placed our order I asked, "So what can I do for you today?"

"Daddy and I want you to joint the firm." She said it looking right in my eyes.

"Mary, I am flattered of course, but I want to keep my freedom for a while longer."

"I told daddy you would say that. So this is our fallback position. Would you work for us now and then on special projects?"

"I have no objections to helping you out as long as the help doesn't require me to use my connections with the Carthage Police."

"Fair enough," she said with a smile. "Now let's see if I can do these eggs justice,"

"Well I certainly hope so, Willie's breakfast special is know by every cop, truck driver and paramedic in the country."

"An ER room nurse or two as well, I'm sure."

On the way out she just had to press one more time. After all she was a lawyer. "Would you consider serving papers for us. You know like you do for Susan."

"I'll give it some thought I promise."

"We will gladly match Susan's contract price. I understand that it is temporary, so if it changes, we can probably live with that as well."

"I'll give it some thought but I will promise you this, If I take on any new clients, it will first be you guys."

"I couldn't ask for a better answer on such short notice. Please call us anytime you make a decision."

I stopped by the office depot on the way home. I had Misty's picture made, and it was just as good as I had hoped it would be. I had several copies of it made into poster size prints. Also some postcard size prints made as well.

During the afternoon I gave thought to the Seymore group. I also gave some more thought to finishing the bicycle. About all that was required was to bolt the motor on and decide what I should do about a battery.

After a dinner of peanut butter and crackers, I watched an old sci-fi network TV show. It wasn't a very exciting day.