The May Day Murders by Scott Wittenburg Page B

home. I’m an
independent broker and really have no need for an office,” he
explained.
    Ann said, “I hope I’m not being nosy,
but how long have you lived in Columbus?”
    Jerry chuckled. “You’re not being nosy
in the least, Ann. I’ve been here just a little more than a year. I
moved here from Cleveland shortly after my wife passed away. I had
to get away from there—too many memories and all that. The real
estate market is better in this area anyway. Columbus is quite a
boom town now and I’m afraid to say that Cleveland is swiftly
heading for the skids.”
    Ann sympathized with his wanting to get
away from memories–she had done the very same thing herself. “Has
it been a hard adjustment for you to make—living here as opposed to
Cleveland?” she asked curiously.
    “ It was a little tough at
first, I must admit. Fortunately, though, business has been so good
that I haven’t had a great deal of time to dwell on it. Have you
lived in Columbus all your life?”
    “ Not hardly,” Ann laughed.
“I just moved here a few months ago, as a matter of
fact.”
    “ From where, may I
ask?”
    “ Smithtown. It’s a little
town in the southern part of the state.”
    “ I’ve heard of it. Isn’t it
directly across the Ohio River from Kentucky?”
    “ Yes.”
    “ I guess it’s time for me to
ask the same question: Have you had any trouble adjusting to
Columbus?”
    Ann balked a moment then replied,
“Frankly, it hasn’t been easy. I have a fourteen-year-old who’s
giving me fits right now; but it’s understandable in a way. After
all, she’s been forced to start high school in a new town and is at
that awkward age, anyway. My recent divorce no doubt has a lot to
do with it, too. And on top of everything else, my best friend
recently passed away. I’ve had a very difficult time dealing with
that.”
    “ My God, Ann. I didn’t
realize … It sounds as though you’re going through some pretty
tough times right now. Do you attend church?”
    The question caught her off totally off
guard, and for a moment she was unable to speak. “No, not lately,
anyway,” she finally replied.
    “ I see. I was just curious,
and hope I haven’t somehow offended you by asking. It’s just that
the church has helped me get through some hard times in the past,
and I was simply wondering if you’d found the same thing to be
true. At any rate, we’ll drop the subject right now before you
start thinking I’m some kind of religious fanatic or something!” he
chuckled.
    Ann had to admit she was relieved. “No
offense taken, Jerry. We used to go to church regularly when Amy
was younger but we sort of got out of the habit over the years. Now
that I think about it, it probably wouldn’t hurt either of us to
start going again,” she added thoughtfully.
    “ Your daughter would
probably resent it, if it was your idea. Kids her age tend to
resent any kind of adult intervention in their lives.”
    Ann laughed. “You’ve sure got that
right. It sounds like you’ve had some experience with
kids.”
    “ I don’t have any of my own
unfortunately, but I’ve done some volunteer work for the church in
the youth fellowship program. These kids nowadays have a lot more
challenges to face than when I was a kid, it seems. These are tough
times to be a kid, in my opinion. What with drugs, AIDS, crime and
so on.”
    “ I agree. Our idea of a good
time when I was a teenager was hanging out at the malt shop and
going to teen dances. These kids today seem absolutely bored with
everything—they sit in front of the television most of the time and
spend the rest of their time trying to see what kind of trouble
they can get themselves into.”
    Jerry gasped. “I would never have
guessed you’ve been around so long, Ann! You certainly don’t look
as old as you’re implying you are.”
    Ann melted from his flattery. “Thanks,
Jerry. That was very kind of you. But believe me, I’ve been around
awhile.”
    “ Well, it doesn’t