Page 20 of Lorna's Savior
“Thanks, Finn.” Lorna rose and headed toward the door. She paused, then turned and frowned at him. “No Major?”
Finn chuckled, “No, he stayed home today. One of the mares that we brought down from Ronnie’s Meadow last fall is about to foal. Grandpa wanted to be there, and he brought Tanya with him.”
“So, Major stayed home to be with his daughter.”
“Exactly.” Finn shared a laugh with Lorna.
After leaving his office, and making her way back to hers, Lorna made a detour and went into the break room for a cup of coffee. She winced when she saw it was going on five, but because she’d been fielding calls all day, she had a lot of work ahead of her before she could call it a night. With a fresh cup of coffee and the yogurt she’d brought to work hours ago, she headed back to her office. Sighing at the sight of the sandwich on the corner of her desk, she tossed it. It has been sitting out all afternoon, and with it being hot in her office, she didn’t trust the mayo in the chicken salad. It was safer to toss it, than risk eating it and getting sick. Once that was done, she checked her messages, and sighed in relief when there were none. Flipping the switch to voicemail, she grabbed a file and buckled down to work.
At ten that night, Lorna dragged her tired and exhausted self out of the elevator and down the hall. She looked up when she heard a door open and braced herself. As much fun as she’d had last Friday night with Andy, she didn’t want to encounter him now, and have to answer questions as to why she’d left him again. Realizing it was the older gentleman who lived in 18C, she sighed in relief, nodded hello, then unlocked her door, and slipped inside.
Hungry, but not wanting to cook anything, Lorna made a beeline to her refrigerator, and sighed when she realized she had no quick leftovers, that was until she spotted the dish she’d brought back from Andy’s only three days ago. She grabbed it like it was the last meal on earth. After smelling it, she put half the contents on a plate and shoved it in the microwave. Too tired, and too hungry to care, she waited for only a minute, before she removed it. Stirring it with a fork, she devoured the meal right where she stood. She didn’t let up for air until she’d finished the whole thing. Sighing in relief, she rinsed the dish, placed it in the dishwasher, then opened the refrigerator, and grabbed the carton of milk. Too tired, she opened it and drank right from the carton. Giggling, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Giving a small burp, she put everything away, cleaned the counters, then made her way to her bedroom. As soon as she entered, she began to strip, and stepped into the shower before the water even had a chance to heat. Fifteen minutes later, she was sound asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Lorna was so tired, that she didn’t even dream that night.
Chapter 9
Two weeks later, Andy woke with a start, wondering what had woken him. He lay there still, then grinned when he heard the shower in the adjacent apartment. Lying there with one arm behind his head, he placed his other low on his abdomen. Not once in all the years he’d been sexually active had he ever taken himself to task. In the past, whenever he’d felt the urge for sex, he’d gone out and looked for it, but it was only for a night here or there. Nothing ever permanent. Now, since he’d had sex with Lorna twice now, he couldn’t think of doing it with anyone else. Usually, Andy never heard his neighbor, but for some reason, for the last few days he’d heard her shower turn on. With a grin, he jumped to his feet, and rushed into his own bathroom. He cranked on the water and climbed in. When he thought he heard something drop next door, he took himself in his hand and pictured Lorna in the shower before him. He reached out to caress her, and began stroking himself. In less than five minutes, he hung his head, breathing hard.
“Christ, I need to see her again,” he whispered to the cool spray from the shower head. He had been busy with his investigation for the last few days. After he finished his shower, he quickly dressed, went out to the kitchen, made coffee, and because he felt good, decided to make himself some breakfast. As he ate, he grabbed his laptop, hoping he’d heard back from the e-mails he’d sent over the last two days. With no response to his inquires, he went to his office and looked over his notes. With his thoughts gathered, Andy made sure he had everything he needed, and set out for the day.
Andy swore several times while he fought early morning traffic to get to his destination. He realized he should have waited an hour before he headed out. Laughing at himself, he went with the flow. An hour later, he found himself ringing the doorbell to Kristen Hepplewaite’s home.
“May I help you?” a woman asked as she opened the door.
“Are you Kristen Hepplewaite?”
“Good God, no, why would I portray myself as that bitch.” The woman slapped her hand over her mouth, and her eyes grew wide. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. No, Sir, I’m not Mrs. Hepplewaite. I’m Annie, the housekeeper here. How may I help you?”
“My name is Andrew Ball, Mr. Marvin Hepplewaite hired me to look into some matters regarding Kristen. I’m here to try to get some answers.”
“Come in,” Annie stepped back and pulled out her phone. “Let me call some other people to join us.” Annie directed Andy to follow her to the back of the house, where they entered the kitchen. She’d hung up by then, and poured them both a cup of coffee. “If you could wait a few minutes, the others will be here shortly.”
“Others?”
“Lori, the chef, and Murphy, the driver.”
“I don’t understand, why would they need to be here?”
“Just give me a minute.” Annie held up her hand and pointed as two people entered.
“What is so urgent, Annie?” Murphy asked. “Hello,” he said as he held out his hand to Andy. “I’m Murphy Lewis, I’ve worked for Ms. Hepplewaite for the last twenty years.”
“Andrew Ball, private investigator.”
“Who hired you?”
“Marvin Hepplewaite.”
“Why?” the other woman demanded. “Lori Brown, I’m the chef here. Or was.”
“What do you mean was?”
“First, what type of investigating are you doing?”
Andy knew he had to come clean if he wanted answers. “Mr. H. contacted me and I started on the case three weeks ago. Mr. H. wants me to investigate his divorce and his daughter’s health. It is my understanding from Mr. H., that his daughter is in need of constant medical care. At least that’s what the reports he receives monthly lead him to believe. I’m here to explore the allegations.” At their frowns he grinned. “In a nutshell, Mr. H. feels that Mrs. H. is robbing him blind.”
“She is,” all three of them said as one.
“Will you share some things with me? How do you know this? What proof do you have?”
