AZOTUSLAND Chapter Eighty-Nine

Steven Hardstet "from Atlanta" got a reply the next day re-routed to Maugham from his friend in Atlanta.

It was warm, inviting and wanted to know more about his business.

Maugham replied then decided to take a few days off and just read, do some journaling and take Martine on a date or two. They took her Cabrio convertible and went to an Inn in Inverness and lighted candles and the fireplace and made love both nights and stayed up late and talked and then slept in late. He took her to Vladimir's in town for a lamb shank dinner and Vladimir made quite a point of flirting with Martine. Maugham smirked but knew she was the most beautiful woman who had graced the place in quite awhile.

He felt blessed.

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

Back at Azotus, Jim did not feel blessed. He was dealing with Ted and his neurosis...or series of them.



Finally Jim just told Ted to do what he pleased and if he wanted advice that he should call Rich and ask him. Jim suspected Ted was pushing him asd a form of self-sabotage and he wanted none of it.

"See ya Sunday," is what Jim kept saying.

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

"Alabaster"'s prints from the envelope came to Detective Volosky that Tuesday and he filed them and placed a call to Maugham but got Jim.

"Maugham went to Seattle," he had told the detective on Monday.

"Is that why I got this envelope?" Volosky asked.

"Yes, we thought it was just easy that way," Jim said.

"Could play as entrapment," Volosky countered.

"Look detetctive, we are doing the best we can and we've been more than compliant."

Volosky acknowledged this fact with a simply "True."

"We also have pictures of her and another man that she was banging just hours before she was supposed to meet Maugham as 'Brian Cox' for a first date."

"Lovely."

"Look, everyone here cared deeply about Jacob. That's all we mean to do. We'll find out what we can."

"Understood."

*********


Jim did not tell him what Maugham intended to do on that Sunday in Atlanta.

Ian took Maugham to the airport in San Francisco on Saturday with the top down and they had a good ride.

"Thanks for looking after my Dad," Ian said when he dropped him. "I think you are his best friend."

"Well young man," Maugham said. "He is certainly mine."

On the flight Maugham had a good long time to think about his own life. Martine had been unexpected. Jim too in his own way.

The flight attendant came by for drinks and asked if he wanted one. "Ginger Ale," he said. She was gorgeous and gave Maugham a once over. He had a moment of flattery then wondered how so many people were trapped by their own stuff. This one, this woman, was so self-conscious of her outward beauty that it utterly defined her. She was enslaved.

Maugham wondered what enslaved him, but couldn't come up with anything. Then he thought about the plan and ran over it again one more time.

***********

Sunday morning Ted woke up nervous. He showered and walked down the stairs from his apartment and got in the Suburban and drove early to the Azotus Cafe. Rich met him in the cafe and they had one of Manfred's signature omelets, Rich having bacon and cheese and Ted having loks and cream cheese in his.

They did not talk much because they did not really know each other.

"You want me to look over your notes?" Rich asked.

"No...they are just on a piece of paper" Ted said. "It's a kinda outline."

"Okay...wanna go for a walk?"

"Okay, sure," Ted said.

They walked down the stairs around the West end and down that flight and past the Gallery to where the new fountain was that traversed down the hill. Ted picked up a blue croquet ball from the basket and dropped it in the trough. It ran down the way, spun around the corner of the middle pool and they heard it finally splash at the bottom of the hill.

"Well you got that right,"" Rich said.

"Yeah..." Ted said then walked down the hill to the middle pool and slid into a chair.

Rich joined him and asked if he wanted prayer.

Ted relented and they prayed for a spell.

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

Maugham hated the long flight to Atlanta via Dallas (and cometimes Montgomery, Alabama) but he loved the city and he was met at the airport by his old friend Hart who was a software salesman and had a wicked sense of humor. The two of them had been inseparable in college until Maugham dropped out. But they kept in touch. They went out to dinner that night at New York Prime in Buckhead and ordered up porterhouse steaks, a martini each and a side of potato skins and settled down to business.

"I sent her your picture," Maugam said grinning. "It's like when we put the photo under Prof. Leech's office door."

Hart laughed with a pirate smirk not unlike Maugham's own.

"So Maug, I get to do this black widow?"

"Not a good idea. My idea is better."

"So you say," as the drinks came and maugham toasted his friend.

"Look, serious. She murdered a man with no remorse and just as a 'warning'."

"Well when you put it that way."

"I am putting it that way."

Maugham explained his plan and how Hart was involved and they agreed it was good. Hart reminded Maugham that he always kept a gun in his car under the seat.

"Yeah you NRA guys," Maugham said. "Still, good idea."