A Study in Scarlet Ch. 01

Entering the diner, Jon was moving to a booth when he heard his name called. Glancing about he saw Lee LeStrade, a senior partner in Esther's law firm sitting alone in a booth. Lee waved him over, "John, what a nice surprise. Please, join me. I haven't even ordered yet."

John smiled as he slid in across from Lee. "Nice to see you, Lee. What on earth are you doing here, especially on a Saturday. Isn't Emily upset, you work hard enough during the week."

"My lovely wife is out of town, John. She's visiting a girl friend for the weekend and I'm batching it. I just had to run to the office for a file I needed. I then decided to stop here for a bite before heading home. I'm just lousy in the kitchen, I hate even making myself a sandwich. Emily laughs at my kitchen skills. But what about you, John. Is this a hangout of yours?"

"Nope. I was headed over to the office to see if Esther wanted to grab a bite for lunch, but I had a flat tire and the service people won't be here for about an hour. There go my good intentions," he chuckled.

"Buck up, John. The project that Esther and Jim are working on should be all wrapped up in a few days. After they get back to town we can all celebrate."

"Jim?" asked Jon, a question in his voice. "I don't remember Esther mentioning anyone by that name."

"Jim Moriarty, he was transferred to the main office when the branch where he was working closed. He's been here around 6 months or so. I'm surprised that Esther hadn't mentioned him to you, they've been working on this project for a few months now,"

Lee paused and turned his head, seeking a server, thus he didn't notice the color drain from John's face. "Miss, Miss, can we have some more coffee here? Yes, regular, not decaf. Thanks."

John felt his throat tighten and his stomach clench and turn sour. A red haze filled his vision and It was with a mighty effort that he controlled himself and was able to continue. "I guess that I haven't been paying attention, Lee. It almost seems that Esther and I live in two different worlds at times." He forced a smile to his lips. Fortunately, Lee didn't notice that the smile never reached his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess we're all a little guilty of that. Sometimes I have to force myself to pay attention to what Emily tells me, " Lee laughed.

It took every ounce of John's self control to stay in that booth, mechanically consume his tuna salad sandwich, sip his iced tea and continue the innocuous conversation with Lee LeStrade. His mind was screaming for his attention, but he tamped down his agitation and fury and did his damned best to maintain a cool facade. He felt his heart beating in his ears and felt the sweat running down from his armpits. He finally saw the auto service truck pull into the parking lot and he quickly excused himself and departed.

(To be continued)