statuette even looked like.
As she walked outside, she dug inside her purse for her keys. When she looked up, she saw a man coming out of the shadows. She immediately felt anxious because the man wore a cowboy hat; it was Wade.
“Hey, Lilly,” he said like they were supposed to meet or something.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, hanging the purse across her chest. “Are you following me?”
“What? No, I come… here.”
“Right.” She walked toward her car.
Wade followed. “I need to talk you.”
“Not now, Wade. I’m not ready.”
“What are you doing here, anyway? At this bar? You sure look nice.”
Even though it was none of his business, she knew she’d better tell him what was going on before he arrived at all the wrong conclusions and got all bent out of shape. “It’s not what you think. I met a man here tonight.”
His footsteps stopped. “Well, that’s what I thinking.”
She turned around, getting a little annoyed herself. “Would you listen to me?”
“I am listening. I’m listening.” He adjusted his cowboy hat. “And I don’t like what I’m hearing.”
She took a deep breath, not knowing if she could actually say the words. “The man that I met here tonight had information about my parents. He told me… they were murdered because of some statue.”
“What?”
“Forget it,” she said, suddenly upset by the whole evening. She turned back around and started searching for the keys that she had absentmindedly dropped back inside her purse.
“Lilly... wait.”
After finding her keys again, she touched the button on her key ring to unlock the car door. As she took her seat behind the wheel, Wade opened the passenger side and sat down.
“Not now.” She was unable to hold back the tears any longer. “Can we talk later?”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not leaving you like this.”
Lilly wiped at her tears as she recalled the conversation about her parents. It had been a couple of weeks since she had found them, two horrible weeks of funeral arrangements, estate matters, the on-going police investigation, and of trying to stop crying. Now this… Maybe talking to Wade about it would help. She glanced his way, already feeling a little comforted by his presence. He waited patiently, quietly for her to compose herself. A moment later she said, “The guy I met with tonight said he was a friend of my parents.”
“What did he want?”
“Apparently they were supposed to meet with him to give him this statue that they had brought back from Egypt for him.”
“So what does this have to do with… what happened to them?”
“He said they were murdered because of the statue,” Lilly said. “He wants me to find it and to give it to him. He even said I may be in danger if I don’t give it to him.”
“We’re going to the cops—right now! What does he look like? When did he leave? I probably saw the son-of-a-bitch walk out.”
“He’s not the problem.”
“This guy threatened you! Yeah, I think he is the problem.”
“He didn’t threaten me. I think he was trying to warn me. But that doesn’t matter. This whole thing just has me thinking about my parents. That’s why I’m upset. Not because of him.”
“This is messed up. Let me handle this guy.”
“No, I can handle it myself.” She wiped hard at her tears, determined to make them stop. “Why do you always have to overreact?”
“I don’t like this one bit. This guy coming around here threatening you. I’m not letting you talk to him again. If he contacts you—”
“You’re not letting me?” Her hand shook as she turned on the ignition. Why did she think Wade could help her calm down? He had managed to somehow make her feel worse! “Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but things have changed between us. Even when I was your girlfriend, when did you start controlling who I talked to? What is going on? Everything has changed. You know, I can’t take it anymore.
As she walked outside, she dug inside her purse for her keys. When she looked up, she saw a man coming out of the shadows. She immediately felt anxious because the man wore a cowboy hat; it was Wade.
“Hey, Lilly,” he said like they were supposed to meet or something.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, hanging the purse across her chest. “Are you following me?”
“What? No, I come… here.”
“Right.” She walked toward her car.
Wade followed. “I need to talk you.”
“Not now, Wade. I’m not ready.”
“What are you doing here, anyway? At this bar? You sure look nice.”
Even though it was none of his business, she knew she’d better tell him what was going on before he arrived at all the wrong conclusions and got all bent out of shape. “It’s not what you think. I met a man here tonight.”
His footsteps stopped. “Well, that’s what I thinking.”
She turned around, getting a little annoyed herself. “Would you listen to me?”
“I am listening. I’m listening.” He adjusted his cowboy hat. “And I don’t like what I’m hearing.”
She took a deep breath, not knowing if she could actually say the words. “The man that I met here tonight had information about my parents. He told me… they were murdered because of some statue.”
“What?”
“Forget it,” she said, suddenly upset by the whole evening. She turned back around and started searching for the keys that she had absentmindedly dropped back inside her purse.
“Lilly... wait.”
After finding her keys again, she touched the button on her key ring to unlock the car door. As she took her seat behind the wheel, Wade opened the passenger side and sat down.
“Not now.” She was unable to hold back the tears any longer. “Can we talk later?”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not leaving you like this.”
Lilly wiped at her tears as she recalled the conversation about her parents. It had been a couple of weeks since she had found them, two horrible weeks of funeral arrangements, estate matters, the on-going police investigation, and of trying to stop crying. Now this… Maybe talking to Wade about it would help. She glanced his way, already feeling a little comforted by his presence. He waited patiently, quietly for her to compose herself. A moment later she said, “The guy I met with tonight said he was a friend of my parents.”
“What did he want?”
“Apparently they were supposed to meet with him to give him this statue that they had brought back from Egypt for him.”
“So what does this have to do with… what happened to them?”
“He said they were murdered because of the statue,” Lilly said. “He wants me to find it and to give it to him. He even said I may be in danger if I don’t give it to him.”
“We’re going to the cops—right now! What does he look like? When did he leave? I probably saw the son-of-a-bitch walk out.”
“He’s not the problem.”
“This guy threatened you! Yeah, I think he is the problem.”
“He didn’t threaten me. I think he was trying to warn me. But that doesn’t matter. This whole thing just has me thinking about my parents. That’s why I’m upset. Not because of him.”
“This is messed up. Let me handle this guy.”
“No, I can handle it myself.” She wiped hard at her tears, determined to make them stop. “Why do you always have to overreact?”
“I don’t like this one bit. This guy coming around here threatening you. I’m not letting you talk to him again. If he contacts you—”
“You’re not letting me?” Her hand shook as she turned on the ignition. Why did she think Wade could help her calm down? He had managed to somehow make her feel worse! “Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but things have changed between us. Even when I was your girlfriend, when did you start controlling who I talked to? What is going on? Everything has changed. You know, I can’t take it anymore.