1104 Agnew Dr

Monday, December 22, 2003

10:30 PM

"Tell me," the voice commanded. The face hovered in front of him, the features blurred and indistinct. "Tell me what you know."

'No,' he thought. 'I don't want to—I can't.' But even as he tried to fight it, he could hear his own voice speaking the words—it felt like he was outside of his body—watching, helpless.

"We need more, colonel." The face moved even closer—the mouth opened—a dark hole—vaguely he wondered if it might swallow him whole. "We need everything…."

"'I can't—I won't."

"You have to—and you will."

"No!" The colonel shouted the word aloud as he sat bolt upright on the sofa, his heart thudding loudly against his chest.

The sofa. It had all been a dream, he thought, as he rubbed a hand over his face. Nothing more. The colonel forced himself to breathe deeply and slowly as he looked around his living room, taking in the familiar objects. After a few moments his pulse began to settle into a natural rhythm.

Just a dream….the words repeated themselves in the colonel's head, almost like a mantra. His eyes fell on the coffee table—on the two teacups and saucers. Two—for two people?

'Alice Murphy.' Relief flooded through him as the memories flooded back. Of course. She had come over here for a visit:

"Just happened to be in the neighborhood, love," she'd explained. "I certainly hope that's all right."

"It most certainly is all right, Mrs. Murphy." He'd told her, opening the door a little wider to allow her to enter. "Please—come on in."

She'd smiled. "Thank you. And please—do call me Alice."

"Well in that case, Alice—you may call me Robert."

After that they'd enjoyed a small dinner for two, followed by tea.

"I know you're probably not much of a tea drinker, Robert," she'd said. "A lot of men aren't, I find. But trust me—everyone loves my tea."

"Tea would be just fine."

"Oh I am glad," Mrs. Murphy had sat down across from him, handing him a cup. "And then we can have a nice little chat."

The tea had been good, he recalled—though perhaps a bit sweet for his tastes. And then after that—

After that what? Had they talked? And if so what had they talked about? When had she left? As hard as he tried, the colonel couldn't quite remember.

The shrill ring of the phone startled him from his reverie. Hastily he reached for the cordless that lay on the nearby end table.

"Hello?"

"Hello, it's just me," Dotty said."I hope I haven't called at a bad time."

Time—the colonel stared down at his watch, seeing that it was thirty-five minutes past ten. What time had Mrs. Murphy left? He wondered. Had he fallen asleep while she was here? He hoped not—that would've been terribly rude.

"Colonel?" Dotty's voice was filled with concern. "Is everything all right?"

"Fine—" he swallowed, trying to moisten his dry throat. "I'm just fine—you didn't call at a bad time. What can I help you with?"

"Well I was just wondering what time we should come over on Christmas Day," Dotty replied. "Amanda and I were thinking about sometime in the early afternoon, but whatever's most convenient for you, of course.

"Early afternoon—that sounds good," He said. "Around two o'clock?"

"Two o'clock is perfect. Oh and don't worry about cooking—we'll do all that and bring it on over—you don't have to do a thing."

"Excellent." The colonel looked down at the teacups again. "I—ahh—I might have another guest over, if that's all right—Alice Murphy?"

"Murphy?" Dotty repeated. "You mean the woman from the Veteran's Aid Society?"

"Yes—Alice and I have become quite close, I think," he replied. "And she's helped me out quite a lot these past few days. Will that be all right?"

A pause—for a brief moment he thought that Dotty might have hung up.

"That'll be just fine," Dotty said brightly. "Believe me—there'll be more than enough food to go around." Another pause. "I guess I should let you go then—get some rest. Have a good night, Colonel."

"You too, Dotty—good night." He pushed the button and placed the phone back in its charger. As he did small card caught his eye—the business card that Alice had given him when they'd first met. Her phone number—on a sudden inspiration he grabbed the cordless and dialed. The phone rang three times before she picked up.

"Mrs. Murphy here."

"Alice—it's Robert. I just wanted to call to see if you got home safely."

"Yes, I got home just fine," she told him. "And thank you so much for calling."

"You're welcome." He paused, searching for the right words. "I hope—I hope that I was good company."

"Of course!" she sounded surprised. "We had a splendid dinner and tea and conversation afterwards—you walked me to the car—you were a perfect gentleman."

"Yes, of course." Now that she said it the memories were beginning to come back. That was exactly what had happened—he didn't know how he could've forgotten it—fatigue, maybe. "I also called to ask if you'd like to spend Christmas with me and my family."

"Oh Robert, thank you," Alice said. "Unfortunately I'll be out of town that day—going to spend the day with family."

"Yes." The colonel fought to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "Naturally you'd want to that—I should've realized."

"I would like to see you on Christmas Eve, though—if that would be all right."

"That would be wonderful," he told her "I hope you have a good night, Alice."

"Yes, you too," Mrs. Murphy said. "And I'll see you very soon. Sleep well."

SMK SMK SMK SMK

1104 Agnew Dr

Thursday, December 25, 2003

2:30 PM

"Come in," the colonel held open the front door. "It's got to be freezing out there." The forecast had called for a few inches of snow—at the moment there was only a faint dusting on the ground. Lee and Jenna came in first; stacks of presents in their arms, followed by Amanda and Dotty.

"Mother and I will just get the food situated in the kitchen," Amanda explained. "The boys said they'll probably be over later."

"Sounds good." The colonel looked at the large tinfoil-wrapped object that Amanda held—the turkey, he guessed—and Dotty held a stack of Ziploc containers and what looked like a couple of pies in her. Even for Christmas it seemed like an awful lot of food—something told him that he had a lot to learn about holiday gatherings.

"Come on, munchkin," Lee said. "Let's put these presents over by the tree."

"Okay." Jenna replied, her voice slightly muffled-sounding from behind a stack of boxes. She moved forward slightly and they tilted, threatening to fall.

"Here, let me help you, there." The colonel grabbed a couple of the boxes "You don't want to lose anything."

"Thanks, Great Uncle Robert," Jenna smiled gratefully. "They're not exactly heavy—just big. Dad's got the really heavy stuff."

"Yeah, and Dad's handling it just fine," Lee knelt and placed the packages on the ground, his words belied by a slight grimace as he bent and then straightened, his hand rubbing his lower back "I guess we should organize them by name—that'll make them easier to hand out."

"Well Jenna's our official present-giver," Dotty came in from the kitchen "She does it every year." She turned towards the colonel. "I just wanted to ask where you kept your china?"

The china—for a moment he couldn't recall. Alice had helped him with the cleaning and the organizing yesterday—more than helped, actually—she'd done the lion's share of the work.

"A place for everything and everything in its place," she'd kept repeating. The colonel couldn't dispute that—being a military man he prided himself on neatness and organization. Decorating, however, was not a skill that came naturally.

"Just let me handle this," Alice had told him. "That's what Veteran's Aid is for."

And he'd let her. It was strange, he thought—how only a short time ago, he'd thought he didn't need her help—and now he wasn't sure what he'd be doing without it.

"Colonel?" Dotty looked at him, waiting for his answer.

"Ahh— upper right-hand cabinet, I think," he told her. "Lower shelf."

"Thanks," Dotty replied. "Oh, and will Mrs. Murphy be joining us? I need to know how many place settings to lay out. "

"No," the colonel said. "Alice is spending Christmas with her family."

"Oh." A strange expression flitted briefly across Dotty's face. "Well that makes sense—it is a family time, after all."

"Who's Alice?" Jenna asked curiously.

"Just a new friend I've made," the colonel explained. "She's been helping me out a lot lately."

"Cool," Jenna grinned. "Maybe I can meet her soon."

"Yeah," the colonel said. "Maybe you will."

SMK SMKSMK SMK

Mrs. Murphy—'Alice', Dotty thought grimly as she went back into the kitchen. The colonel had only known her for a few days and now it was 'Alice'—like they'd been friends for years. There was something strange about that. Opening the right-hand cabinets she reached up, pulling down a stack of plates, setting them on the counter. Seven plates—that's how many they would need.

"So is Mrs. Murphy coming?" Amanda asked. She stood by the stove, warming the mashed potatoes and the gravy.

"No," Dotty replied. "She's with her own family."

"Well it makes sense that she'd want to be with her family."

"Yes, it makes sense," Dotty agreed. A lot of things about Mrs. Murphy made sense—at least on the surface. She could just be an ordinary woman who liked to volunteer—to help vets adjust to civilian life—that really wasn't too unbelievable. Was it?

It was believable—all of it was; the only problem was that Dotty just couldn't believe it.

"I still think we might use two tables," Amanda's voice broke into her thoughts "We could put Jenna and the boys here in the kitchen and use the counter as a buffet area."

"Good idea," Dotty said. "I'll just clear this stuff away—" Two teacups and saucers lay on the table—probably left over from last night. Alice Murphy and her tea, she thought, as she picked them up, placing them in the sink. A little bit of the dark brown liquid remained at the bottom of the cup. Dotty frowned as the bitter, pungent aroma hit her nostrils—she lifted the cup even closer. Strange—it didn't smell like any tea she'd ever had.

"Amanda?"

"Hmm?"

"Could you just smell this for a second?" Dotty asked, handing her the teacup. "Just do it," she urged, seeing the confusion in her daughter's eyes. "This is the tea that Alice Murphy had—now you tell me what that smells like to you."

"Okay," Amanda lifted the cup and sniffed.

"Well?" Dotty asked. "What do you think?"

"Well, it doesn't smell like any tea I've drunk," Amanda spoke hesitantly.

"Exactly—it doesn't smell like tea to me either—or if it is, there's something in it."

"Mother," Amanda let out her breath in a quiet sigh. "You know that it could just be a different blend—there are a lot out there."

"But it could be something else,' Dotty said. "You could take it to work—have it tested in that lab of yours."

"I could," Amanda replied. "But it's like Lee said—we'd need more to go on."

More to go on—what they'd said before. Maybe Amanda was right. Dotty mused as she carried the cups and saucers to the sink. It could just be a different tea blend. It could just be that her imagination was running away with her.

Then she remembered Mrs. Murphy—the things she'd said—the strange look in her eyes—the way that she and the colonel had become so close so suddenly…and then the smell of that tea. She looked down at the cup in her hands—and the brown liquid still inside, clinging to the bottom of the cup.

Maybe it was just her imagination-then again maybe it wasn't.

On a sudden inspiration she grabbed a nearby Ziploc bag, placing the unwashed cup inside. She'd slip it into her purse later, she told herself. Just in case.

SMK SMK SMK SMK

4:30 PM

"Here Jenna—open this one," Phillip handed her a small package. "It's from me and Jamie."

"Okay." Jenna said as she took the soft lumpy package—she held it up to her ear and shook it but it made no sound. "Wonder what it could be?"

"I think you have to actually open it to find out," Jamie reminded his younger sister teasingly.

"Okay, okay—I'm doing it."Jenna tore open the package to reveal a large pair of stuffed lavender dice. She held the object up by its string, looking at it.

"They're fuzzy dice," Phillip explained. "We know you're getting your permit soon—so, when you get your license and a car of your own one day—you can hang these from the mirror."

"Cool—" Jenna grinned as she swung the dice back and forth. "Hey, maybe I can even hang these in the 'Vette when I'm learning—could I, dad?"

"In the 'Vette?" Lee repeated, looking suddenly pale. "Munchkin, I don't know if you—"

"What your dad means," Amanda said. "Is that his car is a stick shift—we'd like you to learn how to drive an automatic first."

"That's right," Lee replied quickly. "That's what we want you to do."

"Okay—but I will learn how to drive a stick shift eventually right?" Jenna asked.

"Of course you will," the colonel told her. "But your parents are right, you know—you probably should learn how to drive an automatic first. Here—open this now—it's from me. The girl at the store said that you'd probably like it—it's the latest thing."

"I'm sure I will," Jenna unwrapped the package and her face lit up. "Oh wow—the new iPod with the touch interface! Thank you—" she stood and gave him a hug. "This is so awesome!"

"You're very welcome," the colonel said as he returned her hug. That girl had known what she was talking about, after all—even if she had seemed pushy at the time. "Oh, and she said that this is the 40 GB model, which means you can download about 10,000 songs."

"Oh, believe me, she will," Lee said drily. "It took her only two days to fill up the one I bought her two years ago."

"Yeah, and Chris gave me an iTunes gift card for fifty bucks worth of songs," Jenna said. "So this will be perfect."

"Glad to hear it," the colonel replied. iTunes—he had no idea what she was actually talking about—but the smile on her face and the excitement in he heard in her voice made it all worthwhile. Maybe picking out presents for people wasn't so hard after all.

"There's some pie in the kitchen if anyone wants some," Amanda said. "We have apple, pecan and pumpkin."

"Sounds wonderful," the colonel stood. "And I'll brew us a fresh pot of coffee."

At that moment the phone rang. "Just one moment." The colonel picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Hope I'm not disturbing you," Alice Murphy said. "I just wanted to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas."

"And a Merry Christmas to you too, Alice," the colonel said.

"Thank you, Robert." Alice replied "I don't wish to keep you any longer than necessary, but I wondered if I might possibly drop by for tea tomorrow—maybe around two o'clock? Only I'm going to be in the area at that time, and I thought—"

"Two o'clock tomorrow would be perfect," he said. "Believe me, I'd love to have you."

"Oh, I am glad," Alice said. "Talk to you then—and give your family a Merry Christmas from me. Goodbye, Robert."

"Yes, goodbye." He replaced the cordless in the receiver. "That was Alice—she just called to wish us all a Merry Christmas."

"That was very nice of her," Amanda replied.

"Yeah, it sounds like you two are growing pretty close now," Lee added. "You've only known her what—about a little over a week? That's moving pretty fast."

"Well you could say that." The colonel could hear the defensiveness in his own voice. "But we're really just good friends." Good friends after only eight days—some part of him knew that Lee had a point—it had been quick—but for some reason his nephew's words rankled. "Anyway she probably calls a lot of the people that she helps—I doubt I'm only one"

"Hey," Lee held up his hands. "I didn't mean anything—just an observation."

"I know, Skip," the colonel replied. "I know-guess maybe I overreacted a little." Silence followed—he tried to think of something else he could say on the subject but nothing came to mind. "Now how about some pie and a cup of coffee, huh?"

"Sounds good to me," Phillip yawned. "Especially the coffee—I still have to drive home."

"Coffee coming right up," the colonel said.

"Yes, and Jenna and I will take care of the pie," Dotty said.

And don't worry about how fast a relationship happens," Phillip told the colonel. "Some of my best relationships have happened that way."

"Yeah, and they've ended fast too," Jamie shot back with a grin. Phillip punched his brother in the arm.

"Fellas—" Amanda began.

SMK SMK SMK SMK

Confusion.

As she cut the pies Dotty looked at the colonel. That was what she'd seen in his eyes when Lee had brought up the fact that he'd only known Alice Murphy for a short time. Only a brief flash, but it had been there. She was certain of it.

'He knows,' she thought to herself. 'He knows that something is wrong but he can't—or won't admit it.' Her mind went back to the strange smelling teacup nestled in her purse. Perhaps that was a side-effect of the drug—something to make him lower his guard—to make him more open, more malleable to suggestion?

Assuming that he was actually being drugged—she still didn't know that for certain, did she? Now that she thought about it he had sounded strange that night that she had called—kind of groggy.

'He could've just been tired,' a little voice reminded her. Amanda was right—all she had at the moment were her instincts—her intuition. And that wasn't nearly enough.

"Grandma?" Jenna's voice broke into her reverie—Dotty looked down at her granddaughter. "You're putting three pieces of pie on one dessert plate."

"What—oh." Dotty glanced down at the plate with three slices of apple pie. "I guess I was just lost in my thoughts, that's all." Hastily she redistributed the extra pieces onto two extra plates. "Darling, why don't you get the ice cream out of the freezer?" she told Jenna. "Apple pie always tastes good with ice cream."

Jenna nodded. "Will do."

"You know that pie looks awfully good," the colonel said. "Maybe I'll save a slice for Alice—I'm sure she'd enjoy it."

Two o'clock tomorrow. Dotty flashed back to the phone conversation she'd heard—that was when that woman would be over here. Amanda had said they needed more to go on, hadn't she?

This would be her chance, she thought—a way to find out what was really going on.

TBC