Maybe, its nothing maybe its something...

[Guest kath]

(please forgive the spelling as spell check isn't on my computer yet) Note, nothing *official* has happened - yet- but should it, ...

When I first moved into this sleepy town with the charming ethnic neighbors from the old country it reminded me of the town that I grew up in. I was the first to take down the fences between my neighbors yard and mine and I didn't have a problem with the young kids passing through the yard as long as they minded themselves. It made where I worked a distance of 3 miles, vs driving 40 and when gas shot up to 4.50 a gallon, it paid off in the long run. Not being short in the tooth, I realized that neighborhoods, such as mine, were run with *the code* If you were *in*, doing things that the neighbors approved of (being single at the time I didn't bring dates home to spend the night)they got along with you, spoke with you and included you in the neighborhood gossup. They would even help shovel your walk in the winter, or mow your grass if it got long in the summer time and you had an insane schedule. the type of neighborhood, that *should* you kill your abusive spouse, they would help you hide the body.

It was at the job that I met Louise , first as a customer, then as a student that I taught photography to. Twice married, twice divorced with kids from 4 different men, I knew she was dating a guy who ran a bike shop/ tattoo parlor, and she had informed me that she was well aware of the dangerous drug crowd that he ran with and she was trying to get him to quit. He said he would- promised her, and then she came in upset, saying that they had had a fight the night before and he wasn't answering his phone. It had snowed, and she had been snowed in, deciding not to go to classes that night and forgo the planned date they had. He really wanted to see her, and the call had ended on a sour note.

three days later she still hadn't heard from him and went to his house and there was no answer, so she went to the bar that was next to the bike shop and told his friends what had happened. She said they looked at eachother, and said, sure, they would check up on him, they had a spair key for when he was away...

She learned later that her boyfriend had been found dead, a shotgun blast to the side of the head (no, it was not a sawed off shotgun). the local police said it was a self inflicted wound. the fbi turned up and asked Louise questions for hours.

It wasn't long after that Louise started dating another man... the bar owner that was next to the bike shop, I had the oppertunity to meet him at the local fair , and his eyes reminded me of a cobras- the same unyealding gold that caught its prey in its stare judging to devour or to let be. I held the stare, not backing off in my assesment of him. He was dangerous, and later I let her know he was dangerous in a mob sort of way. She only laughed and said she knew. She had known him for years and he had been a friend of her fathers before he was murdered. Her father had been mob too- she was a *princess*.

A month passed. She came in crying. there had been an accident that she couldn't understand. He always drove- never allowing someone else to drive him and he never drank- he was diabetic. yet the police report had said his blood alcohol was over the legal limit, and his friend who was driving had been killed on impact when the car failed to make a turn and did a head on into an embankment. He had survived though, banged up as he was, he was expected to make a full recovery. He had been placed in a step down unit, and when she could, she visited. His family had come, and kicked her out, and when she went in to see him the next day, the nurses had informed her shortly after his family had left, he had coded, and dispite attempts to ressusitate him he died.

she moved on to Herb, a frequent visitor to the bar who had watched her as she worked, hireing her to clean his house. it was interesting to note that he had traveled 20 miles to go to a bar when one was right around the corner. Herbs wife was dieing, a slow process at home- her children and Herb taking care of her. A month passed with Louise working there and news came that Herbs wife had died. While this was not un expected, the two of them getting caught making love in the house riled his children enough to stalk Louise for a while and give her a sound beating in the process. they keyed her car, they slashed her tires, and it was only after a restraing order was broken, that they ended up in jail long enough for their father to sit them down and say to back off. This relationship faired better, though, private speculations had been tossed about as to how quickly Herbs wife had died after Louise started working there.

About three months ago Louise lost her job over a technicality, and a month after, lost her dog, a huge great dane when its stomac turned and twisted, (common for larger dogs) while she no longer worked local to where I did, she was still in daily, and when she didn't show up for 2 weeks, curious, I asked a co worker who said that Louise and Herb had a big blow out. No one knows what started it, maybe it was stress, (shrug)

But she's gone. her kids arn't sure where she is, Herb hasn't seen, or heard from her, and there is a disconcerning quiet that has settled over the town.

Herb is well liked in the community, and his neighbors, are much like mine.

If she turns up, I wouldn't know which way to look to find the answers, and I don't know if I would.

would you?

[Earthnut]

Wow, what a story. Truth is always more interesting then fiction.

The problem I see is, if she were to show up, which I doubt very much, would she be honest about where she had been and why? I'm not sure there would be any place to start looking for answers without some kind of evidence or proof? I really don't know what else to say. I would want the truth, but not at the cost of possibly losing a loved one or my own life.

"His eyes reminded me of a cobras..." is because when you looked into his eyes, you saw the condition of his spirit, and it wasn't a pretty sight. There's bound to be a seed of good in him, but impossible to see because of all the darkness.