Chance Encounter Ch. 04

Bert hung his head. He knew Agnes would react this way. He would have to listen to it.

"Paul Crane owes his career to you, and this is some thanks. He could have covered it up. A month's pay is almost eight thousand dollars! What about that cut in retirement pay?" she was yelling at him now.

"First of all," Bert yelled back, "Paul Crane doesn't owe me his job. Right now, I owe him mine. And secondly, he doesn't cover things up. That's one reason why he's where he is today. Another thing—he's going to get reamed for letting me off easy. And, finally, for your information, I know what my salary is; I know how to do math, so you don't have to tally it up for me!"

"All I know," she shot back, "is that you can say good-bye to the cross country trip that we were planning when you retire."

"It's done, Agnes! Don't make it worse than it has to be."

They glared at one another. Bert stomped out of the room.

Agnes fingered the business card in her pocket. She hadn't told Bert about the visit that afternoon from the odd little man who said he knew Bert. When he arrived at her doorstep it had confused her. She had never heard his name before, yet he had said that he had worked with Bert.

When the argument started over Bert's suspension, it had slipped her mind. She thought of it now, but it occurred to her not to mention it. Bert would never approve, and what he had told her of the events explained all. She read the name on the business card, and the phone number of the hotel that he had scribbled on the back.

It wasn't a co-worker of Bert's after all, but the man who had tricked him and cost him a month's pay. The name was Ed Grafton, and now Agnes had information to sell. She would get back the lost salary from Grafton. He had offered to buy it when Agnes hadn't a clue as to what he was talking about. Things had changed, and as Bert always said: 'knowledge is power'.

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TO BE CONTINUED...

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I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I am always pleased to receive your comments.

Autumn Writer