The Triangle

My interrogation by Dexter Boyd was a catharsis for me, and my memory of the accident that put me in the hospital came back in vivid detail, especially when a nurse brought me a bag containing the shoes and some of the clothing I'd been wearing when I got run over. Someone had dry cleaned my skirt and jacket, and laundered my blouse, padded bra, panties and slip -- I supposed my nylons had been torn to shreds! But my jewelry was there, and the wig I'd been wearing that day too (as I said, fifteen years is a long time, and my once-beautiful long brown hair was no more).

Later that day, Dexter returned with a present for me: a package of L'eggs! He brought a makeup case too. My scrapes and bruises were mostly healed, and he excused himself from the room while I washed up, put on some makeup and dressed myself as a woman once again.

When he came back into my room, Dexter told me how nice I looked, then asked me to sit down for some news. First, he had a report on Jarvis Reed: "I know you must be curious about what became of him. He disappeared off the face of the earth after he got out of prison. Turns out, he was raped multiple times, and after he completed parole he headed for San Francisco, where he came down with a mysterious disease which went undiagnosed at the time. The doctors now believe that he was one of the first cases of H.I.V. in this country, and he died of AIDS in 1984."

He was also holding a check. "The City of Chicago has acknowledged liability for running you over with a patrol car, and they made an offer of settlement, which I rejected out of hand." I started to interrupt, but he continued, "After a bit of back and forth, they've upped their settlement offer to an amount which I consider acceptable. Subject, of course, to your approval." With that, he handed me a check in the amount of two million dollars.

"Looks like you won't have to go back to work again," he smiled.

"But I like working as a travel agent," I replied, crossing my legs and flicking a bit of dust off my skirt. "Only now I can afford to see the world too."