Chapter 6

Monday morning, six-thirty AM. I was up and dressed and watching the Lewis's house through the window in my front door. I knew from experience that Jerry left for work around 6:45 and that Sherry never left the house before 8.

I'd worked out the plan in my head over the weekend. On Sunday I'd gone to a Wal-Mart in another town and bought a Trac-Phone and a lot of time for cash. I was wearing a reversible camouflage / orange hunting jacket and had a reversible camouflage ski mask at hand, and was ready to take the irrevocable first step.

Finally, Jerry came out and started cleaning the ice and snow off of his mud-brown Escort. He got in, started it up and drove off down the road.

I went around to the back door of my house and went outside wearing the coat and mask orange side out. The envelope was tucked into my belt I went thru the back yard and into the alley.

I walked a couple of blocks up and a block over and ducked into a bus shelter where I reversed the coat and mask and put them back on. I walked back along the streets until I came to Sherry's.

Taking the envelope out of my belt. I walked briskly up the short walk and tucked the envelope into the newspaper hooks on the bottom of the mailbox (not wanting to commit a Federal offense by putting unstamped mail in a mailbox), turned and walked on down the street.

I walked a couple blocks down and into an alley between two stores where I reversed the mask and coat again before coming out the other end of the alley. From there I went to the Center Diner and had breakfast and coffee and shot the breeze with the regulars.

The conversation was the usual for this time of year; basketball (which bores me to tears), football, (which I love) and deer hunting, (which I also love). I hung around for a half-hour or so after I ate, nursing my coffee before I went back home.

I entered the house the way I left. After taking off my coat and boots I padded through the house to the front door to see if Sherry had found her "present".

The morning was still gloomy, but I could see well enough to make out the envelope still sitting in the hooks. "Jeeze, Sherry, are you going to sleep all day?" I thought to myself.

I went into the bathroom and got rid of some used coffee before heading to the office for the office and the Trac-phone. I made sure the Caller ID block was on and dialed Sherry's number, which I'd looked up the night before.

The phone rang a couple of times before Sherry picked up.

"Hello" she said.

Pitching my voice lower than usual, I replied "Is this Sherry Lewis?"

"Yes. To whom am I speaking?"

"Never mind that. It's not important right now. What IS important is that you go and get the envelope that is sitting in your mailbox and that you do it NOW! Open it and read it and follow the instructions and I will call you back", I said before hanging up.

I set the phone down and went back up front in time to see Sherry open the door and come out. The mailbox was on the wrong side of the storm door, so she had to come completely outside to get the envelope.

She was wearing a dark blue robe over a lighter blue gown, and fuzzy slippers.

She retrieved the envelope and read the label, then looked up and down the street with a puzzled expression on her face before going back inside.

"OK, now we'll see..." I thought.