Authors: Stephen Greenleaf

Ellipsis (32 page)

“How wonderful.”

“Yeah.”

“Have you set the date?”

“Not yet.”

Her expression made me take her next question seriously. “But it's real?”

“I think so. Yes.”

“What's her name?”

“Jill Coppelia. She's an assistant DA.”

Peggy smiled. “When I worked for you, you weren't so kindly disposed toward DAs.”

“I guess I'm a changed man.”

“I hope not. And I hope you're eternally happy, Marsh,” she added as I colored from what I regarded as praise. “I really do.”

“I know you do,” I said, trying not to be disappointed that the news of my romantic entanglement didn't seem to faze her.

“Which doesn't mean I still won't think of you every day,” she was saying, which let me think that maybe she was fazed after all.

“I'm glad.”

“And wonder what it would have been like if we'd worked things out ourselves.”

“I know.”

“But that's life.”

“That's something, all right.”

We looked at each other for a long time, then kissed as chastely as siblings. “I'd like to meet your girl now,” Peggy said when she backed away.

“Sure.”

“Does she know about me?”

“Everything. Almost.”

“That will make it easier.”

“That was the idea.”

She took my arm and we went into the living room. I caught Jill's eye and motioned for her to join us. After I introduced them and they hugged the way women do, they went off to chat at Jill's insistence and undoubtedly at my expense. To keep from getting more confused than I needed to be, I wandered the room like a good guest of honor, greeting latecomers like Carson James and Betty Fontaine, feeding my face on the fly, and feeling only a little less foolish than I had after the lights had come on and people had started yelling.

Several minutes later, Ruthie began clapping her hands. “Attention, please. Listen up. It's time to present the guest with his gift.” She reached for my hand and pulled me to her side. “Not that he needs it or anything, but we wanted to get Marsh something to remember this by. So we gave him something he craves.”

Ruthie pointed to a huge round ball of something that was sitting on the coffee table, wrapped in red paper and tied with a big bow. “Open it, Marsh. So these folks can get back to the booze.”

I tore off the paper. Beneath the wrapping was a magnificent cut-glass bowl, twice the size of a basketball, etched with smoky scenes of the city and filled to overflowing with Oreos. The only way to stop grinning was to eat one. “Perfect,” I said around a mouthful of crumbs. “Thanks to all. And thanks for coming. And thanks to Ruthie and Jill for putting it together.”

I should have stopped talking, but I raised my glass. “A toast to absent friends. Harry Spring. Charley Sleet. Pearl Gibson. All of them changed my life for the better. As have all of you. Thanks for sticking with me all these years. And for giving me the best times of my life. I appreciate it more than you know.”

To keep from breaking down, I drained my glass in tribute. “I'll try to spend the money in ways that will make you proud of me.”

Lots of people clapped; a few people even started crying.

I was one of the latter, and that was before they started singing “Happy Birthday.”

About the Author

Stephen Greenleaf (b. 1942), a former lawyer and an alumnus of the prestigious Iowa Writer's Workshop, is a mystery and thriller writer best known for his series of novels starring PI John Marshall Tanner. Recognized for being both literate and highly entertaining, Greenleaf's novels often deal with contemporary social and political issues.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover design by Drew Padrutt

ISBN 978-1-5040-2729-8

This 2016 edition published by
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