The Best Part of Me

Chapter 9

Paul and Ken settled into the leather chairs in front of Perry's antique desk, waiting for him to stop staring out the window and address them. Neither of them was eager to speak and create ripples in the current of whatever was washing over Perry this morning.

The attorney went to his chair and sat down heavily, folding his large hands in front of him. His blue eyes looked especially tired and hooded this morning, and he addressed them without preamble.

"I want you both to go back at least a year looking at parolees, releases from state institutions, arrest records and check them against records from my practice from the years 1957 through 1966. If you don't find anything, go back eighteen months."

"Is there any particular reason, Perry, that you want us to check those particular years in your files," Ken asked. "Something we've missed."

Perry's eyes were shadowy and his expression enigmatic. "Call it a hunch." When neither of them moved immediately, he snapped, "The faster you get started, the sooner you may find something."

After they left, the big man rotated his chair back toward the window, his face pensive.

"Good morning," Della spoke from the doorway, a smile on her lovely face. "May I enter, Counselor?"

The granite visage transformed instantly; the indigo eyes crinkled and the mouth metamorphosed from a grim line into a warm smile. "You, my dear, may enter anywhere at any time if I ever have anything to say about it."

Perry started to rise, but Della stopped him and moved to take the chair recently vacated by Paul.

She was dressed in a pale blue satin robe and had a touch of makeup on which encouraged him to think she felt better this morning. When he had departed their bed earlier, she had been sleeping soundly. Perry noted with slight annoyance that the cat had followed her into his office.

"Is there any reason that Paul and Ken left here with what amounted to their tails tucked between their legs?" Della asked quietly.

Perry's mood became more sober. "No." He averted his eyes from hers.

Festus jumped up into Della's lap and began to purr as she stroked him.

"Are you sure," she gently prodded. "You do look like a man who has...perhaps, seen a ghost."

Perry jerked his head sharply back to her kind face. "What?"

"I remember what you said last night—about Paul. Want to talk about it?"

He rose from his chair and went to sit beside her and took her hand tenderly in his and said, "Sweetheart, it was—I dreamed Paul was here." Perry smiled boyishly, "He was so real. His voice, same coat, and I could even smell the cigarette smoke. By the way, he said to tell you that you were still beautiful and you'd done a good job with 'the boy.' "

At this, Della blushed and laughed, "Well, Paul always had good taste."

The attorney leaned back and shook his head as if to clear cobwebs, but still he was smiling. "I know it sounds foolish, but as disturbingly real as it was, it was strangely reassuring."

Della placed her hand softly on his arm and gently laughed. "You know, Perry, as odd as it is, it makes me feel better as well, to think he's still there, looking out for us."

"Della," Perry said, changing the subject, "Do we have any files stored that haven't been placed on computer files yet or that aren't stored downtown, where I sent Paul and Kenneth to look earlier? Ones that may have been boxed up, and for all intents and purposes, forgotten, when we closed up shop the first time?"

Her beautiful face looked thoughtful. "Actually, Perry, there were several that I didn't leave downtown; I either wasn't sure that was the last of the litigation or there was something about them that, well, that still bothered me for some odd reason. As a matter of fact, they," she gently cleared her throat, "Are upstairs in the attic."

Perry gave her a smile of pure adoration. "That's my girl!"

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Perry replaced the cordless phone on the charger.

"That was Kenneth. They'll be here with lists of state parolees and arrest records later tonight. So far they haven't found anything that matches up with any of our records downtown with the ones they've amassed."

Della 'hmmed' at him, from the sofa, absent-mindedly. The cat lay across the back of the couch, lazily flicking his tail.

"Della?" Perry made his way to the sofa. "Are you listening?"

She was looking through one of the boxes that Paul had brought down from the attic earlier, when Perry had called them within minutes of their earlier departure.

She had started pulling the files, which were in alphabetical order, and was lost in the notes and memos of one. The contents were strewn across the table and her lap.

Perry watched her gently chew on her lower lip, concentrating, and transported back almost four decades. Her cheeks and neck were flushed and he stood admiring her. Today, she had dressed in a pink cotton shirt and white slacks. Her pink sandals were scooted under the oversized coffee table, and she was wiggling her toes, like she did when she was content and lost in her work.

"So, you agree that Friday, around 2:00, will be fine to go downtown to get the marriage license?"

"Um, huh. Whatever you want, Perry."

"Then on for a month long honeymoon, stopping by Hawaii, on to Tahiti, and then wrapping up in Ireland."

"Sounds wonderful, Chief."

Perry smiled and closed his eyes simultaneously. He moved to sit down beside her.

Festus was not pleased at having to share the sofa, and after he and Perry exchanged "stink eyes," the tom cat leapt down and disappeared, flicking his long tail angrily.

"Fine, I'll take care of the details. Found anything interesting yet?"

She cut her beautiful eyes at him and gave him a smile that melted his knees, "I had an idea, Perry. What if we begin by eliminating people who would have been under 30 years old at the time we handled their cases. That way, by now, they would still, theoretically, be young enough to pull off some of the things that have happened to us."

"That's a good idea, but just suppose they're older and have hired someone to do their dirty work."

Her pretty mouth twisted into a peeved pout, "I didn't say it was a perfect idea, just a start."

Perry placed a large hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her close.

"Have I told you, Miss Street, that you smell wonderful today?"

"Nooo." Della dropped her eyes, but fluttered her lashes.

"Have I told you that I think you look beautiful in that color?"

"Yes, Counselor, but I never tire of hearing your compliments."

"Compliments? Baby, these are my sweet nothings with which I am trying to charm you."

"Why would you have to charm me? Don't you already have me?" Della met his deep blue eyes with her own smoky ones. She unconsciously brushed her tongue along her bottom lip.

"My beautiful girl, I may 'have' you, but I intend to keep you with me for a long, long time. To do that, I want to make sure you know that I think, no, I know, you are the most beautiful woman in the world."

Della began to shake her head, but Perry stopped her.

"No. Don't. You are the most beautiful, loving, most intelligent woman that I have ever known. And I do not intend to allow you to get away from me."

The elderly attorney planted a soft, gentle kiss on Della's lips.

"Butterfly kisses, Counselor? From you?"

"A man is never too old to change or to appreciate the beauty in his life. Or to decide that he doesn't have to charge through life like a Saint Gertrudis bull tearing down everything in his path. Maybe, a man can finally realize that gentle people need gentle handling. Something that I haven't always done very well."

"A man, Perry?" Her soft eyes looked at him with such love that for a moment that he couldn't speak.

"Not ' a man', me. I have gotten more difficult as I've gotten older. I know it, and you know it. You deserve better." His dark blue eyes became teary. "You've always deserved better."

Della wrapped her strong slender arms around his neck and kissed him again. "You know, Chief, you may be right. But I love you." She pulled back and gave him a wicked smile.

"You!" He almost lifted her from her seated position to put her on her back, and leaning on his elbow beside her, they began to engage in some serious petting when an unfamiliar throat being cleared loudly brought their affectionate play to a screeching halt.