The Lovely Chocolate Mob - By Richard J. Bennett Page 0,88
your innocent children.”
Franklin looked shocked at this; it hurt him. I didn’t mean for it to.
“How did you know about my children?” he asked.
Seeing I couldn’t keep this a secret any longer, I said, “Helen told me about them. She suspected you were having an affair.” I left Mindy out of this; if he wanted her to know, maybe he’d tell her later.
Dr. Burke turned pale at the news his wife suspected the truth. Maybe I had better let him know his whole world hadn’t collapsed on him.
“You have four beautiful children, Franklin, and they love you very much.”
Hopefully that reassured him that a good life was worth living. He just sat there, now staring off into the distance.
I went to work and somehow muddled through the first hour of work, working my hardest, still playing catch-up. After the first hour, I was really on a roll again and began to feel sharp on the current project. In the second hour, I was making progress, and the same in the third and fourth, when it came time to stop. It was lunchtime, and I had an appointment with Miss Planter.
With the Counselor
Walking into the mental health office, I couldn’t help but notice a little smirk on the secretary/receptionist’s face when she saw me, or was I imagining that? Maybe it was the large package I was carrying which started her expression. I don’t like young kids smirking at me, no matter how pretty they are. Maybe that’s another fault of mine I should discuss with the counselor.
Miss Planter opened the door from her office and invited me in. The earlier appointment had just left, so nobody else was around. I gave her the box of chocolates. “What’s this?” she asked.
“It’s a present.” I said. I was hesitant to name the origin.
“A box of chocolates? Wow, this seems to be a deluxe edition! Hey, what are you trying to do, make me fat?”
“You can share them with Phyllis,” I said. “She can pass them out to the clients.”
“This is almost too good for clients!” Miss Planter laughed. “No offense, Mr. Owen.”
I laughed, for the first time in what seemed a long time. “No offense taken, Miss Planter.”
“Phyllis can handle this better than me, I’m sure,” continued Miss Planter.
“I have to tell you… this is from the bad people. The cartel. They know about you.”
Miss Planter looked into my eyes. “They know about me? How? You didn’t… tell them about me?”
“No, I didn’t even mention you; I didn’t tell them about myself, either, but they knew about me.” I updated her on the whole story, what had happened since I left to warn Dr. Franklin Burke, my abduction, the questioning, trying to find Helen, and then coming home to a surprise.
“And he’s staying at your house?” she asked.
“Yes, he’s there now. Not so loud, you never know who’s listening.”
“Did you check your lapel, then?” she said.
“Already done. Walter’s not listening in, not today, anyhow.”
“I think you should tell Helen about her husband,” said Miss Planter. “She’s probably worried sick after finding out he’s not dead, but missing. She might think he’s been kidnapped. It’s a sure bet the police are looking for him. They can provide protection.”
“You don’t know these people. They seem to be everywhere. They look like policemen; they might even be policemen. It’s hard to know who to trust!”
“You need to meet face-to-face with Helen, or get her away from the police and her family long enough to tell her not to worry about her husband, that he’s safe and not in the wrong hands.”
“Yes, you’re right. It’s something I should do. I’ve told Dr. Burke not to contact anybody, to just disappear. He has to be on the lam for awhile.”
“How long is this going to last?” Miss Planter asked.
“As long as it takes,” I said. “Until the danger is over, at least. Maybe he’ll have to go into some kind of witness protection program.”
“But that’s only if he testifies, and he hasn’t seen anybody doing anything. You’re the one who’s a candidate for that!”
“But I’m not the one who’s in danger.” Switching gears, I said, “I have a favor to ask.”
“Okay.” she said.
“You and I, we seem to be friends, right? I mean, I trust you, and you trust me?”
“Yes, I think we’ve become friends of a sort,” she agreed. “What’s the favor?”
“I’ve made a deal with Dr. Burke that he and his wife would come to you for marriage counseling.”