"She was watching", Richard said defensively. "You want her to buy our story don’t you?"

"You better not try that again", Tina warned. "You’ll get more than a slap next time. Got it?"

Richard, tail between legs, saluted. "Yes ma’am."

They watched as Cora became smaller and smaller in the distance. " "What are we gonna do?", Tina asked. "What if she doesn’t show up tonight?"

"Don’t worry", he said, checking the battery life of his cell phone. "I’m gonna tail her. I’ll find out where she’s staying. If she doesn’t show we’ll go get her."

"You better get going", Tina said urgently. "She’s almost out of sight."

He was already walking away in Cora’s direction at Tina’s last words. "I’ll call you when I know something", he said as he jogged off.

*************************************************

Bette awoke to the chirping of the birds quarreling with the squirrels over ownership of the black oil sunflower seeds contained in the bird feeders hanging from the porch. It was a typical exchange, whose victor was usually decided by the size and tenacity of the challenger. In this morning’s case the birds won the day, but the squirrels lingered on nearby tree branches. Waiting for their chance to either outnumber the birds, or for the birds to leave having had their fill. Bette smiled, feeling the late morning sun on her face. She rolled over to pull Tina into her morning spoon, but Tina’s side of the bed was vacant. The aroma of the coffee Tina made earlier still hung in the air giving evidence that Tina had made her mark on the day. This eased Bette’s mind considerably. As Bette stretched her arm made contact with the note on Tina’s pillow.