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24.

I immediately believed the person ringing Elizabeth's phone to be her sister Jane, and likely Elizabeth thought the same thing. Therefore when I witnessed the blooming happiness on her face transform to surprise, consternation and then anger (if indeed I could read these rapidly changes accurately), I was confused, but not for long.

Elizabeth held the screen out to me and I saw that Chuck was ringing her. His beaming face in the identifying photo made me want to punch him, where as once it would have brought delighted anticipation.

In her shock, Elizabeth asked me "What should I do?"

I am not usually much for cloak and dagger, but perhaps because I had thought so often of what should be done to trace any sign of G.G. should she or George contact me, I replied, while preparing my own phone, "Do not let him know you know yet. Let's see if we can get him to incriminate himself about willfully violating the restraining order. Put him on speaker and I will record the conversation on my phone."

I pressed the video record button, capturing his face and number just before Elizabeth answered with forced cheerfulness and then pressed the speaker phone icon.

"Hi Chuck!"

"Don't 'hi Chuck' me. What were the cops doing there? Why were you there with Bill?"

Elizabeth looked at me hopelessly. I shrugged and mouthed Make something up.

"You came here? I didn't see you. I thought you'd changed your mind about trying to talk to Jane."

"No way, she's my life, my love. We'll get past this little hiccup if I can just talk to her. But you didn't answer me. What were you two doing there? Why were the police there?"

"Bill thought I should try to talk to Jane again, but apparently there was some kind of gas leak and the police evacuated everyone from the building. I heard that someone was taken to the hospital, but I'm not sure who or which hospital. Most people just left, and neither Charlotte or Jane have responded to my texts. I was worried it might be one of them. Bill offered to stick around until they get back to me."

"Did you hear from them yet?"

"No. It seems they're both ghosting me now."

"Is Bill still there with you?"

Elizabeth looked over at me. I shook my head, pointed to myself and mouthed Jerk.

"No, he only waited about five minutes and then he left. Apparently he decided he had better things to do when I made it clear I never want to date him. What an arrogant jerk!"

She then mouthed Sorry! to me. I gave her a thumbs up.

"Did Bill tell you anything more about what's going on with Jane?"

"No. I'm starting to think he doesn't know anything more than we do."

"Wait, if it was a gas leak, why did the police car have its lights off?"

"How should I know?"

"And they're still there?"

I nodded in an exaggerated manner.

"Yes."

"I'm just five minutes away. I'm guessing they'll make a general announcement when it's all clear and notify the tenants. Once that happens and the cops clear out, let me know. I'll come back and wait for Jane to return and you can go check the local hospitals for Charlotte and Jane."

"Why don't you come now?"

"I don't want to be in the way. Listen, I'm starting to think that Charlotte might be the whole problem with our relationship. It all made sense once you told me Jane was staying with her."

"What?"

I did not think Elizabeth's consternation was faked.

"Why would you say that?"

"I don't want to say anything bad about your particular friend. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against it personally. It wouldn't be bad if she'd just acknowledge it and seek out someone of similar persuasion, but I think Charlotte's a closeted lesbian and into your sister and you, too, perhaps."

"I don't think-"

"You are probably too close to the situation. Have you ever known her to date? If you could see the way she looks at Jane and you, Lizzy."

I could see Elizabeth bristle at the use of her nickname and his unfounded claim, but she remained calm and let him continue to expound his theory.

"Just think about it. Charlotte's jealous of what we have, she doesn't want Jane off the market. She's played up Jane's silly doubts, hoping if we are through Jane will turn to her. We need to separate Charlotte from Jane. I think if I could just whisk Jane off on a sort of pre-wedding honeymoon, maybe even an impromptu destination knot-tying (don't worry, we'd still have a formal wedding back there), it would solve everything."

I could see that Elizabeth was waiting for him to pause to refute his claim. I shook my head again and mouthed Play along.

"Just think, I could put all of Jane's doubts to bed, maybe even bring her back with a bun in the oven. You know how much she wants children, a matter that would be infinitely more complicated if she got involved with Charlotte instead."

Elizabeth grimaced as if in actual physical pain, but answered back calmly enough, "You must love my sister a lot."

"Oh yes, she's the woman of my dreams. She'll be a great wife and mother. Once we can get past this little misunderstanding I'm sure we'll be inseparable. Keep me posted, okay."

"Okay," she replied.

Then after a somewhat protracted reply in which Chuck thanked Elizabeth for helping him find Jane, the phone call ended and I stopped recording. Our phones were barely laid down when Elizabeth began to rant and rave.

"I'm so mad at myself for helping Chuck! What he describes as whisking her away seems more like kidnapping, such a marriage would be bondage, and a pregnancy would tie them together forever. Knowing Jane, she'd feel an obligation to be married for the child's sake. Oh what are we to do?"

I was just about to answer Elizabeth when she declared "It's not safe for Jane here, perhaps not Charlotte, either. I've got to warn them. Bill, call Jane."

Although Elizabeth was being a bit bossy, I didn't mind. I called.

Jane picked up on the second ring. "You're still here. What's going on?"

I asked her to put her phone on speaker and said I would do the same. Once that was done, I explained about telling Elizabeth what I knew. Then Elizabeth jumped in and profusely apologized to Jane, hardly giving Jane a chance to get a word in edgewise, but of course Jane was very gracious about the whole thing as I knew she would be and then took far too much of the blame upon herself.

Jane said "I know you were just trying to help. I should have told you myself, but I was ashamed of getting myself in that situation, had not your courage."

"But I charged in, without really stopping to consider. It's my fault that Chuck knows where to stalk you now."

I could tell this exchange might take some time, and while a protracted conversation would probably be helpful for them both, other matters needed to take precedence. Therefore, I interrupted as politely as I could and then explained about the recorded conversation with Chuck and our worry for their safety. Once that was done, I asked Charlotte "Given what you know of the Meryton police, do you think we can get Chuck arrested for coming here even though he turned his car around, or for planning to come back again?"

"No. Well not a definite no, but I doubt it. I had to get my dad to call in a favor just to get them here tonight. The cop who interviewed Jane, Officer Chamberlayne, made light of her concerns. Now when the domestic violence hearing rolls around that is good evidence for the judge, to support the claimed fear of future harm and get a three-year order. However, for the cops I'm guessing anything less than him showing up, breaking in and hurting her again isn't gonna get him arrested."

"Well, neither of you can stay here, not now, certainly not."

"I'll make some calls and find us a place," Charlotte offered.

I made a quick decision, "I know it's be a rather long commute to Meryton, but why don't you both come stay at my house with me? I've got plenty of room and a state of the art security system."

"I don't know," Jane replied. "I don't want to be a bother, a burden."

"Truly, you wouldn't be," I responded. "I'm all alone in the house. Having a bit of company would be nice."

"Why don't you both come up," Charlotte invited. "So long as it's okay with you, Jane."

"Yes, please do," Jane consented and urged. And so we went up.

It did my heart good to see how, no sooner than we were inside that the sisters hugged, cried and asked forgiveness of the other. Charlotte, who came to stand beside me must have had similar thoughts, for as she watched a faint smile graced her lips and her eyes softened.

I said the first thing that came to mind then, speaking half to myself and half to Charlotte, in a quiet tone that would not distract them. "I am so happy to see how easily they forgive and are forgiven, the closeness Elizabeth and Jane have I think is a rare thing. Certainly between me and my sister, it has never been like that."

"Yes," said she, echoing my quiet tone, "I did not like to see them at odds, and encouraged Jane to speak with Eliza, but Jane was so needlessly afraid, so doubting of herself, so wounded, that she could not bear it then. She needed time. Even now is sooner than she would have liked, and I am certain she still feels mortified, but Jane is too kind-hearted to deny her sister most anything. My own brother is more likely to treat me with scorn and derision, than to offer comfort should I need it."

It was soon decided, for Elizabeth insisted upon it, that Jane and Charlotte (with her elderly dog) should come and stay awhile with me. But at the outside of the cars, as we were loading up Charlotte's car (I heard some brief discussion about Jane's car being parked elsewhere and that we would all caravan over to get it as well, I having reassured them that there were five garage spaces with me having just two vehicles so their presence would not be betrayed by their cars had Chuck the gall to try to visit), it was clear that neither Jane nor Elizabeth wished to be parted. Therefore, soon enough I extended an invitation for Elizabeth to stay also, as long as she might like. The gratitude with which she accepted made me feel warm inside. It was quite late before the three ladies were ensconced safely in my house, but I did not mind.

Instead, as I finally lay in my bed, waiting for sleep, I was selfishly glad to have house guests. There is a sort of music in hearing a door sigh as it opens or closes, the tread of feet, the murmur of voices, that makes a house feel like a home. So it was and these many small sounds soothed me into a badly needed gentle and restorative sleep.