"Where is that girl?" Patrick O'Toole asked, as he finished eating his breakfast before leaving for work.
"I don't know honey," replied his wife Lillian. "Usually she's already down here and ready to go."
"Ginger hasn't really been at her best the last couple of days," pointed out her brother Fred, as he finished eating.
"Do you happen to know why?" the patriarch of this weretiger family asked his son.
"I think she's in love," replied Fred.
"Love?" repeated his mother. "You mean as in just interested in someone or–"
"I think it might be more serious than that," answered her son, cautiously.
"How serious?" his father wanted to know.
"Maybe... happily forever after?" said Fred, as all heard a door shut upstairs.
Before anyone else could say anything, the subject of their conversation came running down the stairs, dressed and ready to go to school.
"Hi everyone," said Ginger, pausing at the table to grab two pieces of toast and a handful of bacon, which she quickly put between the bread to create an impromptu sandwich. "Don't want to be late for school. See you tonight," said Ginger, heading for the front door.
Her father was about to say something when his wife stopped him.
"Fred, dear," said Mrs. O'Toole sweetly, while staring at her son. "Why don't you tell us all about it."
Fred, thinking he might get into some serious trouble with his parents if he didn't speak, told them everything he could about his sister's interest in John Harper a few doors down at the Jenkins house.
MEANWHILE...
"So, what all do we have to do?" John Harper asked Henry Jenkins Senior as they ate breakfast.
"Just replace a broken window pane and take care of a hole in the wall. Other than needing to stay to make sure everything sets right, the job shouldn't take more than an hour or so at most," the older man replied.
"Do you think I can bring that book with me?" asked John, referring to the copy of The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen that Henry had loaned him.
"That wouldn't be professional. What if someone is home?" Henry asked in return. "Besides, we still haven't discussed who the murderer might be before you read the solution," he pointed out.
"Okay," agreed John. "But I'm beginning to think it's—"
AND OUTSIDE THE JENKINS HOUSE...
Ginger O'Toole was walking as slowly as possible along the sidewalk, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone special as she ate her bacon sandwich.
"Hey Ginger! Wait up!" shouted Fred, as he hurried to catch up with his sister.
Ginger just rolled her eyes and continued on toward school at a more normal pace, now that she was past the Jenkins property.
"What do you want Fred?" she asked, her mind back on more current matters.
"You should know, I had to tell mom and dad."
"Tell mom and dad what?"
"About you and John."
"There isn't a me and John," she replied, and that's the problem.
"Maybe. Maybe not. But they knew something wasn't right and when they asked..."
"So you had to voluntarily blab everything you know."
"Mom did the stare. She even called me dear. You know what THAT means," Fred reminded her.
"You either answer, or else," replied Ginger. "So, what did they say once you spilled your guts?"
"Nothing. They just told me not to be late and have a good day at school."
"So mom, if not both of them, will be wanting to talk to me tonight, huh?" realized Ginger. "What did you tell them?"
"That you're seriously interested in John Harper, and that he's still a normal."
"An emotionally and physically abused normal," Ginger pointed out. While she knew them, the rest of John's problems were his own business.
"Considering his last name, I think they might have that figured out to some extent."
"Well, there's nothing more I can do right now, so let's get to school," said Ginger, as she finished her sandwich.
AND ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD...
Events were happening that would soon have an impact upon one particular family in Moon Lake...
"So, that's it?" the lady asked. "It's all over?"
"As far as the courts are concerned, yes," replied the attorney.
"So I'm now officially divorced, homeless, and broke," the lady realized.
"Not exactly. Once everything clears escrow, you will have some money."
"How long will that take?"
"About a week to 10 days at most," said her attorney. "I can put you up in a decent motel until then."
"And then what?" she wanted to know. "Except for some personal items and clothing, I have nothing. I was a faithful and devoted wife so I have no job. I–"
"Once you receive your share of the liquidated assets, you'll be free to go and do whatever you want to."
"What I want is the happy marriage I thought I had," said the lady.
"It's nobody's fault except your ex-husband's that he was a lying, cheating bastard," said the attorney.
"Language!" yelled the woman. "I will have no profanity uttered in my presence!"
"Okay. Sorry. My apologies. But once you do have your half of the liquidated assets, you'll be free to go anywhere you want and do anything your heart desires."
"Hmm," said the lady, thinking things over. "Well, there is one place I've wanted to go to, but he said we couldn't afford to."
"As long as it isn't anything truly extravagant like Hawaii or Europe, I think you'll be able to manage it," the lawyer said, looking over the figures once more.
"And I'll be there before Thanksgiving too. Mom and Dad are dead. For better or worse we never had any children. He always claimed he wasn't physically capable of doing so, although you proved my cheating spouse sired a couple out of wedlock, so it'd be nice to see what I have left of my family," the lady said, thinking things over.
"Well, just let me get you settled into the motel and once everything clears, you can take that trip," promised the attorney, which made the lady smile.
TO BE CONTINUED...