I'll Protect You (Clueless Resolutions Book 1) by Garalt W B

Author:Garalt, W B [Garalt, W B]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2015-05-12T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

The good-will tour of finance contacts that Maggie had recently undertaken paid off, it seemed, since she had received several leads and had signed up four short-term listings for emergency sales. This week she had to make three appointments to inspect properties for potential auction value estimates. She and Max decided to meet for a late lunch/planning session for the week ahead.

For a change of pace they had driven northeast together to lunch at a trendy restaurant which was located on the shores of the Mystic River, near the well-known Mystic Whaling Museum. The setting, on an outside patio with its gentle breezes, was a perfect precursor of the up-coming summer days.

“Oh, wow, this place is beautiful.” Maggie said of the surroundings as they had just been seated. They were under a large, year-round canvass canopy, no further than fifteen feet from the river bank. “The whole atmosphere here is so quiet, she added.

“The original use of the river was as a seaport for the whaling industry.” Max said, reading a short bio of the nearby museum on his table place mat.

“It’s really a peaceful, off-the-beaten-path location right now, Maggie commented, but I’ve been in this area during the peak of the tourist season. The museum and the harbor area is a really popular attraction.” she added.

The meals and drinks were ordered and, with seagulls squawking and river buoys clanking in the background, they conversed about several small sailboats which were moving northward along the opposite river bank. They sailed in unison in an apparent race, utilizing a brisk breeze which was skimming over the wide, placid river.

The word “race” was relative, they agreed, since, from their vantage point the boats seemed to be unmoving, almost frozen in time against a picturesque backdrop of colorful mixed commercial marine properties and residential cottages. The scene was framed from behind by the outline of newly foliated maple trees along the raised riverbank, which formed a contrast to the hazy but cloudless blue sky.

The scenario had a very relaxing effect on the twosome. They enjoyed a leisurely late lunch and cocktails as they planned appointments around the other activities in their itineraries.

Back home in East Wayford the heat was on, but here it was cool, both figuratively and literally.

At approximately that same time, on this Wednesday afternoon, Donald Chase got back to his office in East Wayford. He had attended a commendation presentation at the state police headquarters and he had been anxious to leave before his superiors or contemporaries quizzed him on the recent killings.

On his desk he found a thick, sealed, tag-stock envelope addressed to him and marked ‘CONFIDENTIAL’. Upon opening the courier-delivered envelope, he could see that it was from the local office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

There was a gray F.B.I. folder inside containing approximately sixteen pages of background information, fingerprint impressions and mug shots of the subject, Francine Louise [Hickman] Stanley, A.K.A. “Fanny” Hickman, A.K.A. “Franci” Stanley. The inspector was becoming energized as he read on.

Francine had quite a long and interesting background.

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