Last night was a dream. I dream I’d had since Friday Night when I discovered Brenda missing from the bar. The idea that I would never share our bed again was worse than death. To say we enjoyed each other’s company would be an understatement.
Waking feeling better than I had in a long time. I leaned over and kissed Brenda good morning. It was good to back in our own house and bed again. I collected the revolver from the bedside table as I headed to the bathroom.
“Yeah, I know, But they had tried to either kill or kidnap her at least once, and I wasn’t taking any chances, Until this was cleared up I wasn't moving an inch without firepower.” Brenda appeared in the bathroom mirror, looking as good as she did last night.
An hour later we were dressed and ready for the day. I called Walt to let him know we made it through the night ok, and that we’d meet him at the bar in a bit.
We took the usual precautions as we left the house, making sure no one was watching, and locking up tight behind us. I fired up the old Ford sedan Walt had loaned me. The LA Sun was blazing its way through the fog that had rolled in off the coast overnight. Reaching the bar, I pulled around behind the building and opened my private door and let us in. Flipping on the lights in my office, I glanced around everything looked as it should My desk was its usual mess. And my file cabinets looked untouched, I checked the safe in the back corner of the room. Still locked. I unlocked it to confirm all the files were still there, along with the extra cash We’d put aside for an emergency. Meanwhile, Brenda went to her office. She hadn’t been there since Saturday when she’d left me the note about being at the theater.
I heard her start for a second I ran out my door to the main anteroom. She was standing in her door looking a the chalk marks on the floor where the guy she’d shot had laid. I put my arms around her. “It's ok Hon. There's no one there.” I kissed her on the cheek and squeezed her shoulders.
I knew what she was going through. Once in a while a sight or sound would trigger a memory from the war. For a minute my mind would be back in France or Germany. It was always very real at the second it happened. For me, it was memories that had happened a couple years ago. Brenda’s memory was less than a week old and still very fresh. I held her tight as the memory of the night subsided. Finally, I felt her relax. I breathed deeply and told it was okay, to be afraid. And to take her time.
Meanwhile, Walt showed up at the bar. I let him in the front door. Locking it behind us. I told him about Brenda’s flashback. He told her it was ok to be worried, but it would pass. What demons Walt had been dealing with I didn’t know. He never told me. But I suspect he’d been dealing with the same issues I was, and now Brenda was.
We set to work on getting a materials list to replace the back doors, starting with the outside door. While Walt went to get materials, I sat in my office. Thinking. Brenda had been a target. Of what kidnapping? murder? Where are they looking for something? If so what? And why and why now? The questions kept coming and going in my mind. But I had no answers, every possible answer I came up with just lead to more questions. There was something missing. I was missing something, probably something small. But what?
I heard Brenda in her office for a time. The sounds of her working on paperwork for the bar. was almost comforting. Then I heard the music. It took me a second to realize it was the small tabletop radio in her office. The sounds of Perry Como came through the walls. I always enjoyed Perry Como, his voice was smooth and easy, much like Frank Sinatra, but warmer. It wasn’t long before I was rewarded with the sounds of Frank Sinatra coming through my walls. It was just loud enough so I could understand it, and not so loud it was annoying. I closed my eyes as I leaned back in my chair. As I faded off into a state of questioning Zen with the sounds of Tommy Dorsey and his band floating in the background.
I heard the sound of Brenda Letting Walt in the back door. Starting out of my reprieve. I got to my Office door just in time to see Walt come in with a bucket of hand tools.
Walt and I spent the next several hours removing what was left of the outside door from the jamb and cleaning up the frame, and replacing the whole unit. Thus securing the back stockroom of the bar. Brenda keep us fueled with coffee and sandwiches. By the time we had the new door in and cleaned up. It was about time for Brenda to open the bar the evening.
Walt and I hung around for the evening. As usual, I helped with the bar and waited on customers. Walt kept a low profile in the back and the kitchen. Aside from the usual helping with the bar, We are also keeping a close watch on Brenda. This was the first time we’d been open since Friday night. None of us said anything But we all knew no one was leaving her alone tonight.
The usuals started coming in around 6 pm. Brenda knew most of them by name. Walt made notes for future checking out. It was possible that someone related to a regular customer was responsible. Not likely, but possible. Therefore we would check everyone out. The usual crowd thinned out around 8 pm, and the evening rabble-rousers, serviceman, and business owners came in. Brenda said she didn't see anyone that looked familiar, other than the ones that came in all the time. But 11 pm the bar was pretty full, people were at the bar, and most of the tables had at least one or two people sitting at them. Most had a beer, out of a bottle, a few were drinking wine. Brenda had served a number of hot sandwiches to several customers. We tried to get a name for almost everyone in there. It was hard to do without raising suspicions or starting an argument. At one point Walt had helped man the bar. I had underestimated his skills as an interviewer. He managed to get everyone he talked to give him their name. We also paid particular attention to who left with whom. As it could lead us to something. By 2 am we were closed. Brenda cashed up and-and I helped Walt clean up the barroom. Putting chairs on the tables, and sweeping. As soon as she had cashed in and done the paperwork she cleaned the kitchen. We had so busy none of us had eaten anything once we opened, so before she finished cleaning up she made us some cold sandwiches. And a beer each.
2 Am in the morning; it was still 80 degrees outside. Only now the wind from the bay had picked up cooling it off a little. We could hear the sounds of traffic downtown. The lights from the towers on the Hollywood hills were visible in the distance. Once the bar was secure for the night, we gathered outback. Walt popped the trunk on his Mercury open. And asked me to open the trunk on my Ford Sedan. I obliged. Then I saw He had taken the rifle rack from the back of my car and brought it with him. We then transferred the rack and it its rifles and ammunition to the Ford sedan Walt was letting me use. I thanked him for thinking of it. And bringing it he said we weren't sure it’d fit but figured it would. as the trunk on my ford coupe was smaller than the one on the four-door sedan, I was using now.
We took off in our respective cars. By the time we made it home it was pushing 3 am. Brenda and I did our usual routine of making sure the bungalow was secure for the night before turning in.
Waking feeling better than I had in a long time. I leaned over and kissed Brenda good morning. It was good to back in our own house and bed again. I collected the revolver from the bedside table as I headed to the bathroom.
“Yeah, I know, But they had tried to either kill or kidnap her at least once, and I wasn’t taking any chances, Until this was cleared up I wasn't moving an inch without firepower.” Brenda appeared in the bathroom mirror, looking as good as she did last night.
An hour later we were dressed and ready for the day. I called Walt to let him know we made it through the night ok, and that we’d meet him at the bar in a bit.
We took the usual precautions as we left the house, making sure no one was watching, and locking up tight behind us. I fired up the old Ford sedan Walt had loaned me. The LA Sun was blazing its way through the fog that had rolled in off the coast overnight. Reaching the bar, I pulled around behind the building and opened my private door and let us in. Flipping on the lights in my office, I glanced around everything looked as it should My desk was its usual mess. And my file cabinets looked untouched, I checked the safe in the back corner of the room. Still locked. I unlocked it to confirm all the files were still there, along with the extra cash We’d put aside for an emergency. Meanwhile, Brenda went to her office. She hadn’t been there since Saturday when she’d left me the note about being at the theater.
I heard her start for a second I ran out my door to the main anteroom. She was standing in her door looking a the chalk marks on the floor where the guy she’d shot had laid. I put my arms around her. “It's ok Hon. There's no one there.” I kissed her on the cheek and squeezed her shoulders.
I knew what she was going through. Once in a while a sight or sound would trigger a memory from the war. For a minute my mind would be back in France or Germany. It was always very real at the second it happened. For me, it was memories that had happened a couple years ago. Brenda’s memory was less than a week old and still very fresh. I held her tight as the memory of the night subsided. Finally, I felt her relax. I breathed deeply and told it was okay, to be afraid. And to take her time.
Meanwhile, Walt showed up at the bar. I let him in the front door. Locking it behind us. I told him about Brenda’s flashback. He told her it was ok to be worried, but it would pass. What demons Walt had been dealing with I didn’t know. He never told me. But I suspect he’d been dealing with the same issues I was, and now Brenda was.
We set to work on getting a materials list to replace the back doors, starting with the outside door. While Walt went to get materials, I sat in my office. Thinking. Brenda had been a target. Of what kidnapping? murder? Where are they looking for something? If so what? And why and why now? The questions kept coming and going in my mind. But I had no answers, every possible answer I came up with just lead to more questions. There was something missing. I was missing something, probably something small. But what?
I heard Brenda in her office for a time. The sounds of her working on paperwork for the bar. was almost comforting. Then I heard the music. It took me a second to realize it was the small tabletop radio in her office. The sounds of Perry Como came through the walls. I always enjoyed Perry Como, his voice was smooth and easy, much like Frank Sinatra, but warmer. It wasn’t long before I was rewarded with the sounds of Frank Sinatra coming through my walls. It was just loud enough so I could understand it, and not so loud it was annoying. I closed my eyes as I leaned back in my chair. As I faded off into a state of questioning Zen with the sounds of Tommy Dorsey and his band floating in the background.
I heard the sound of Brenda Letting Walt in the back door. Starting out of my reprieve. I got to my Office door just in time to see Walt come in with a bucket of hand tools.
Walt and I spent the next several hours removing what was left of the outside door from the jamb and cleaning up the frame, and replacing the whole unit. Thus securing the back stockroom of the bar. Brenda keep us fueled with coffee and sandwiches. By the time we had the new door in and cleaned up. It was about time for Brenda to open the bar the evening.
Walt and I hung around for the evening. As usual, I helped with the bar and waited on customers. Walt kept a low profile in the back and the kitchen. Aside from the usual helping with the bar, We are also keeping a close watch on Brenda. This was the first time we’d been open since Friday night. None of us said anything But we all knew no one was leaving her alone tonight.
The usuals started coming in around 6 pm. Brenda knew most of them by name. Walt made notes for future checking out. It was possible that someone related to a regular customer was responsible. Not likely, but possible. Therefore we would check everyone out. The usual crowd thinned out around 8 pm, and the evening rabble-rousers, serviceman, and business owners came in. Brenda said she didn't see anyone that looked familiar, other than the ones that came in all the time. But 11 pm the bar was pretty full, people were at the bar, and most of the tables had at least one or two people sitting at them. Most had a beer, out of a bottle, a few were drinking wine. Brenda had served a number of hot sandwiches to several customers. We tried to get a name for almost everyone in there. It was hard to do without raising suspicions or starting an argument. At one point Walt had helped man the bar. I had underestimated his skills as an interviewer. He managed to get everyone he talked to give him their name. We also paid particular attention to who left with whom. As it could lead us to something. By 2 am we were closed. Brenda cashed up and-and I helped Walt clean up the barroom. Putting chairs on the tables, and sweeping. As soon as she had cashed in and done the paperwork she cleaned the kitchen. We had so busy none of us had eaten anything once we opened, so before she finished cleaning up she made us some cold sandwiches. And a beer each.
2 Am in the morning; it was still 80 degrees outside. Only now the wind from the bay had picked up cooling it off a little. We could hear the sounds of traffic downtown. The lights from the towers on the Hollywood hills were visible in the distance. Once the bar was secure for the night, we gathered outback. Walt popped the trunk on his Mercury open. And asked me to open the trunk on my Ford Sedan. I obliged. Then I saw He had taken the rifle rack from the back of my car and brought it with him. We then transferred the rack and it its rifles and ammunition to the Ford sedan Walt was letting me use. I thanked him for thinking of it. And bringing it he said we weren't sure it’d fit but figured it would. as the trunk on my ford coupe was smaller than the one on the four-door sedan, I was using now.
We took off in our respective cars. By the time we made it home it was pushing 3 am. Brenda and I did our usual routine of making sure the bungalow was secure for the night before turning in.