What Do I Do Now?

Lois got up slowly. Her aging body struggled to hoist her.  Yet she couldn’t show any signs of frailty or helplessness.  She knew she shouldn’t allow strangers into her home, but the weather was horrid and Fred seemed to be in desperate need.  Stranded with no fuel and out of cell phone range, what could he do but seek shelter here.

 

Lois preferred to live alone in the wilderness, far from others. She was quite content to be by herself without the busybody neighbors of most towns and cities.  Towns were actually the worst.  In a city you could hide in a crowd, but in tiny towns, everybody knows your every move.

 

Fred seemed to warm up nicely by the fire. His demeanor quickly turned to more assertive.  He asked a lot of questions about the antique clock on the mantel, the oriental rug in the living room, and the silver candle holders on the dining room table.  The question, “Do you live alone here?” Sent a shiver down her spine.  Lois answered, “My husband is at a business meeting in Chicago, but he is driving back tonight or early tomorrow”, she lied.

 

Lois decided to play it cool. She offered to bring him some fresh cookies and coffee.  When she started her trek to the kitchen.  As she prepared the coffee and set out a few cookies on an ornamental serving plate, she hazarded a glance through a crack in the door.  Fred, or whatever his real name was, was poking around the desk in the corner, glancing at envelopes, addressed to Lois, not “Mr. and Mrs.”

 

Lois reached for a small tin storage can on the counter and she added a spoonful, plus the milk he had ordered. Bringing the tray in, she set it down gently and he began to devour the cookies and coffee.  He must be starved. Maybe he is really OK and I am just paranoid, she thought.  No, the neck still tingled.  Be careful, she thought.  She announced she was going to go back to the kitchen to shut off the coffee as he dove into the last cookie and washed it down with her best coffee.

 

Entering the kitchen she tossed aside her cane, and gingerly walked across the kitchen, back straightened with new strength. She opened the big draw, pushing aside the brass knuckles and pistol.  Lois picked up the phone, quickly punched the number and waited five seconds for Sonny to pick up.  He answered cheerfully, “What’s up?” She responded with equal cheerfulness, “Not much, the usual”.  She walked over to the door and looked into the living room to spot Fred, dead on the floor.  “You need to drop by tomorrow early and get rid of the car.  Sorry about the inconvenience”. Sonny was supportive, “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back as always.  You know the drill”.

 

Lois pocketed poor Fred’s gun and money, quite a lot of it. She then dragged him to the basement steps and gave him a quick push down the stairs.  Finally arriving at the basement floor, it was a short haul to the back room for storage along with the others.  An odd collection in the freezer, she thought.  Oh well, it turns out that the helpless little old lady living alone is a myth.  She smiled as she poured a glass of Merlot taken from the basement frig.  After a few sips she walked briskly over to her elliptical for her evening workout.  Lois was a creature of habit.