Chapter 7

"Are you Gail E. Fisher? And is this your cellular phone number?" Pete held out a report showing her cell phone number printed beside her name. Pete Curran was stiff, acting so official that Howard was surprised by his attitude. He appeared formal and in asking questions, had Gail standing stiffly.

They were outside Frank and Melanie's front door. Although invited to come inside, Pete declined and politely asked Frank and Melanie to go inside the house so he could interview Gail alone. When Pete looked at Howard, expecting him to leave, too, Gail grabbed Howard by the hand and held on, saying she wanted him to stay. Pete nodded once at Howard then turned to Gail, asking her a few questions before asking about her cell phone number.

"Yes, that's my number."

"Ma'am, this number was used to report an incident on Friday involving the deaths of seven individuals. Your cell phone provider said you reported this telephone was stolen before this report was called in. Is that correct?"

His question was so accusatory Gail looked from Pete to Howard, seeking help. Howard merely nodded. The expression on his face gave Gail the information that she should trust Pete. "Yes sir, I called in the report yesterday."

"Can you tell me why you waited so long to report the theft?"

Before answering, Gail looked at Howard, then back to Pete, showing how nervous she was. "I'm sorry, I was not aware of the theft until Friday evening."

Howard interrupted, "Pete, she was in the hospital and I took her to stay with Aunt Jean for a few days. The first time she was back at the ranch was Friday night, after I got off work."

Pete looked at Howard, nodded and said, "Thank you Howard. However, I'd rather have her tell me what happened."

As Gail explained, Howard occasionally offered clarification of the information Gail provided and went to the truck to get the treatment and discharge instructions given to him when he took Gail from the hospital.

"May I keep this?" Pete asked. "I promise it will be returned to you as soon as I can get a copy."

Gail nodded, "Sure, I guess so. I have no reason not to."

Pete looked at the papers in his hand then asked, "By the way, was anything, other than your cell phone, taken from your handbag?"

"Yes, but it wasn't important. My business cards from a company where I'm no longer employed and," responding to the pressure from Howard squeezing her hand added, "a couple of envelopes, but I found them later, so I guess it was just the phone and business cards."

Pete said, "Thank you" then looked at Howard. "I think I'll stop by and talk to your aunt. Don't call her, Howard. I'm not going to frighten her. I just need to make sure the story checks out."

Gail looked at Pete, "Are you also going to talk to Santos Aguirre. It's his fault, you know. He frightened me and I didn't want to stay at the ranch."

Pete nodded and both Howard and Gail could tell he was reluctant to do so, however he said, "Yes, I will speak to Santos Aguirre. I don't think either of you are interested in getting into a shouting match with him over who said what or did what, but I will speak to him."

As soon as Pete drove away, Howard, still holding her hand, was leading Gail toward the stairs saying he needed to turn off the air conditioner and they should go back to the ranch. Frank stuck his head out the back door of the house, asking what Pete wanted, so Howard explained as simply as he could, and then gave the truck keys to Gail.

"Here, Sweetheart, start the truck, let's go back to the ranch, I think we're done here."

"Gail," Howard said, as they walk into his ranch house. "You probably aren't going to like this, but I've been thinking about your letters. If this investigation of Pete's goes any further, it might be a good idea to destroy the letters."

"Why?" Gail asked, startled that Howard would ask her to do such a thing. "There's nothing in those letters to hurt anyone. I didn't make any threats. I'm just fussing or complaining to people about how they caused problems for me."

Shaking his head, Howard said, "I don't know what Santos is planning, but he sure seemed interested in the letters. He's not above mentioning them to Pete and might take delight in detailing the contents of the letters."

"So what if he does?" Gail said, unconcerned that Santos would mention the letters to Pete or anyone else. "What good is it going to do him? It's not going to get your ranch for him. And isn't that what he wants?"

"I don't know. I haven't read them. Well, I read a couple of them and you're right, they just sound like you are really pissed at someone. I just remember you saying something about not wanting them to be part of some police investigation, if you did what you said you wanted to do." He turned to look at her and said angrily, "And I don't even know if you are still thinking about doing that. Any time I say something to you about how much I want you here, you keep saying you need to leave."

"Well, damn. Howard, you have enough going on in your life right now. You don't need me to mess it up worse." She raised her voice, "I can't stay here, mooching off of you. I need to get on with my life, what little there is left of it."

Howard lowered his voice, but couldn't keep the anger out of it, "Is this about the baby? You can't possibly think a baby would have made your life better. Good God, a child is a lifetime commitment."

Instead of matching his lower voice, Gail screamed at him, "Well, thank you, Mister Pleas. Maybe a commitment to a baby is just a little better than anything else I've ever had in the rest of my worthless life. At least it would be someone that cared about me and loved me back, instead of all the men who never did give a damn."

Unable to avoid matching her vehemence, Howard yelled, "And you think I'm another of those men?"

When she stood toe to toe, glaring at him and did not answer, he demanded, "Do you? Do you Gail? Is that what you think?"

Just as he demanded an answer, she demanded an answer to her own question, "Well, don't you? From my side of this debacle, I can't see any difference."

Howard took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and looked at her, "Then before you leave, sit down and write me a letter, too." He turned and walked out the door, going he did not know where, to do what he did not know. He just needed to escape her before he said any more he would have to regret.

After writing the letter, crossing out parts and then writing some more, Gail copied it onto clean sheets of the special yellow paper and folded them, but she did not have an envelope for the letter. Instead, she put it with the other envelopes. Despite Howard's questions, she could not bring herself to destroy the letters she had worked so hard to write. She was discovering they had taught her something, every one of them. Some of the self—taught lessons were about whom to trust, and whom she should not. No longer would she be a small mouse in the corner, waiting to be frightened into running into a hole at the first sign of a cat. She might not be able to attack the cat, but she would not allow another mouse to take her cheese, or take cheese from someone she cared about.

It was useless to sit and worry about things she could not solve, because she could not change other people. Whatever they had done in their past, it need no longer affect her. Instead, it was time to tackle a problem she had the skills to solve. It was time for someone to investigate Howard's concerns about the ownership of his ranch. As Gail paced from the kitchen stove to her wooden food box beside the fireplace, Santos Aguirre walked into Howard's small adobe house.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Pleas," he startled her.

Gail turned and looked at the man who was causing her so much grief. As she walked toward him, she said in her sternest tone, "Mister Aguirre, get out of this house. You do not own this house and you have no right to walk in here when it pleases you. Knock on the door like any civilized person. If, and I repeat, if, I want to invite you in, I will do so. Otherwise, get the hell out of here."