“Yeah, been there. I can go for that,” I told him. “So you want me to meet you?”

“Nah,” he returned. “I’ll pick ya’ up.”

“Okay, so I need to change into something Felicity wouldn’t be ashamed of me to be seen wearing in public.”

“Well light a fire under it, Kemosabe. It’s hot out here.”

I wondered for a moment at the comment then said, “Where are you, Ben?”

“Right now? Standin’ at your freakin’ front door waitin’ for you ta’ get your happy ass down here and let me in.”

His comment was followed by a click as he hung up, and then the doorbell began ringing in a vicious staccato brought about by him leaning on the button. Our two dogs joined in with a chorus of barks and howls as they squared off with the door downstairs in order to protect the house from invaders.

Yeah, I definitely needed a break. I dropped the phone back in the cradle and pushed back, gathering up the used coffee cups before tugging open the office door. As I started down the stairs, I wondered if I should fill my friend in on what had happened to me earlier this morning.

Before I reached the bottom, I had decided it could wait. There was already a niggling feeling in the back of my head that told me Ben and I would be spending a lot of time together in the very near future. Whether he knew it yet or not.

We might as well start off on a happy note; because I already knew what was looming before us would be far from pleasant.

CHAPTER 3:

I wasn’t someone you could describe as a big fan of heights. Standing here at this particular moment, looking down through the railing from the top level of the old Peerless-Cross department store parking garage, smack in the middle of downtown Saint Louis, I was reminded of that fact in no uncertain terms.

The honest truth is that for the majority of my life heights had never been much of an issue.