by James Ross
“Once. And I can’t wait to go back.”
Shari looked at the desire in his eyes and could tell that he was all-about golf at the moment. She backed away with a glimmer in her eye. “Let’s hope that we can make it a memorable return trip.”
“It will be. I guarantee you.”
“That’s a strong word. Life doesn’t always go as planned.”
“With my help, I can assure you that it will.”
Something in his voice signaled a quiet confidence to Shari. She had fallen in love with that feeling earlier in life when Tyler Cy spoke about his dreams.
“Then let’s get on with it.”
“Glad that you feel that way, ma’am. Let’s develop a routine that we can depend on.” Curt walked a few paces away. “I want you to stretch and warm up. There’s no need to go into a practice session tight.” He continued to an old oak tree that provided plenty of shade from the morning sun. “Spend at least eight to ten minutes stretching. I won’t be far away.” He located a folding lounge chair and plopped his butt comfortably into the cushion.
What a jerk. He’s going to make me sweat in this hot sun while he relaxes in the shade. Shari stood there dumbfounded with her hands on her hips. Curt glanced at his watch and then motioned with his hands for her to get on with it. “Can I have some water?”
“Do you want some?” Curt got up. “From now on ask for a SPRITZ. We better get in the habit of requesting the right beverage. They’re going to be our meal ticket.” Curt headed into the clubhouse.
Shari’s eyes followed his movement. She wasn’t used to being treated like that. After a moment to simmer she decided to take the opportunity to heed his word. Shari was finishing her stretching when Curt returned with a cooler filled with bottled SPRITZ. “I’m done.” She continued to the cooler and reached in for bottled water. After twisting off the cap she checked the inside.
“Do you think you’re going to win a second opportunity for a million?”
Shari blushed. “Habit I guess. I’ve never won anything before.”
“Someone said you were Mrs. Missouri.”
Shari blushed some more. “Well, that’s different. I meant a promotion like this.”
Curt smirked. He had her guessing as to what he was going to say next. “I can see why.”
“Why, what?”
“You won the Mrs. Missouri contest.”
The comment made Shari tingle again. I’m glad he noticed. “Well, thank you.” She smiled, took a sip of SPRITZ, and was ready to listen to every word out of his mouth.
“Now let’s take some swings with your wedge and then we’ll work up to the longer clubs.”
The practice progressed well and after another twenty minutes the teacher and student wrapped up their session together.
“Same time next Tuesday?” Shari asked.
“Yes ma’am. We’ll make it a weekly thing.” Curt glanced at the other women assembling in the parking lot and loading golf bags onto golf carts. “It’s time for you to put your practice to work. Have fun out there.” Curt threw her bag over his shoulder, walked to a golf cart, and strapped her bag in place.
Shari stood there and watched not exactly sure what to think.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
After the round Shari chatted in the clubhouse with several of the ladies, shared conversation with Captain Jer, Trot, Fred, and Pork Chop, visited with Julie and made sure that Ashlyn got home.
She was tired. The humidity had drained her. She was looking forward to her air-conditioned home and a nap long into the afternoon.
The TV was blaring financial news from the lower level when she walked into the great room. Tyler Cy was downstairs. He was busy doing the physical therapy exercises prescribed for his rehabilitation. Shari watched from her perch at the top of the stairs.
After a few minutes she decided to join him. Tyler Cy was lying on his back as she towered above him. “Hi, Woobie.” He reached for the remote and turned off the television. “How was golf?”
“Not like Olde Blueblood.” She was back. What would Tyler Cy do without the all-too-familiar attitude?
“All of the money has been transferred. You can let your attorney know that the accounts have been split. I’m sure that Truman has let her know by now.”
“Do you think that is what is going to make me happy?”
Tyler Cy kept his exercise routine. His right knee traveled to meet his left hand. One. Two. Pause. And back. One. Two. Pause. And back. He worked up a sweat. His breathing intensified. “Who knows the answer to that question? At least the transfer of funds will account for the lifestyle you want to maintain.”
Shari shrugged as she watched his movements. “You’re not doing your exercises right.”
“How would you know?”
“I’ve been around physical therapists.”
Tyler Cy wanted to say something about Raul but chose to stay silent.
“You’re supposed to keep your left leg straight when you bend your right knee and take it to your left hand.” Shari straddled above Tyler Cy then squatted down and grabbed his left foot. She leaned over to place her weight on his left knee. “Now move your right knee toward your left hand.”
“Agh ! I can’t! That’s killing my back and butt!”
“It’s supposed to hurt. That’s the only way the therapy will work.”
“Let go! Let go! I’m not ready for that yet.”
Shari shifted her weight so that his left knee would come off of the floor. Tyler Cy writhed in pain. “You need some help. You haven’t been doing your repetitions right.”
“Maybe this can be our daily activity together.”
“Ha! I’ve got more to do than help your recuperation process.” Shari got up. “Now you know how to do it properly.”
Tyler Cy grabbed his back. After wincing he rolled onto his side and slowly got into a sitting position, favoring his knee in the process. He tied a cord to his ankle. The objective was to bend the knee and pull the foot back far enough to touch the back of the thigh. He could barely get his leg to a ninety-degree angle.
“You’re supposed to pull the foot back more.”
“Yeah, I know but everything is sore. The muscles don’t have flexibility yet.”
“That’s the only way to get it. You have to work it harder and pull harder.”
“It will come with time. I need to ease into it.”
“It wouldn’t hurt if you lost some weight.”
“Okay, Woobie. I get the picture. The doctor has outlined out a procedure. It is going to take some time for me to get full range of motion.”
“If you did the exercises right you’d progress faster.”
The doorbell rang. “Did you hear that?”
“What?”
“The doorbell. Go and see who it is.”
Shari walked to the wall. “How about I try the intercom instead? That’s what it is here for.” Shari pushed a button and asked, “Who is it?”
There was no reply on the other end.
Shari tried again. “Who is it?”
Still no reply.
She turned to Tyler Cy. “I’m not going up there to check it out. There are too many crackpots in the world today.”
“Maybe it is a package being delivered.”
“I’ll try again.” She pressed the talk button on the intercom. “Who is it?”
“The police.”
Chapter Forty
Shari glanced at Tyler Cy. “I wonder what it’s all about.”
Tyler Cy remembered the last time that happened. “You’re not serving me with more papers, are you?”
“Leslie didn’t say anything.” Shari walked to the bottom of the staircase. “I’ll see what they want.” She scaled the steps.
Before opening the door Shari peeked out the window and noticed two men, dressed casually, standing outside the front door. A newer model Chevy sedan was parked in the circular driveway. Shari pressed the talk button on the intercom. “Can I help you
?”
“I’m Detective Lester J. Mullen, St. Louis County Police Department with my partner M.T. Basnahan. We’re looking for a Ms. Shari Daniels-Donnelly.”
Shari was afraid to open the door despite the detectives identifying themselves. She scurried back to the top of the stairs and yelled down to Tyler Cy. “It’s the St. Louis County cops. They want to talk to me.”
“Open the door and see what they want,” Tyler Cy replied.
Shari ran to the mirror in the hall bathroom and gave herself a quick makeover before returning to the front door. She opened it and flashed the smile of a beauty queen. “Hi! I’m Shari Daniels-Donnelly.”
Lester J. Mullen simply went by Lester J. He was around thirty and wore a closely cropped crew cut. In another life he could pass for a Marine drill sergeant. His partner, M.T. Basnahan, known as Bazz, was standing behind his shoulder. Both were taken aback by the top two buttons. It wasn’t so much that they weren’t buttoned. It was what was fully visible behind them. Between the smile and the cleavage they were puzzled as to why they had to make a delivery in the affluent part of town.
“It’s my job Ms. Daniels-Donnelly to deliver this to you.” Lester J reached out with a notice.
“What is this?” Shari had no idea who would want to have the police give her something.
“It’s an order of protection,” Lester J said matter-of-factly.
“What for?” Shari was bewildered.
“We received a complaint.” Lester J said.
“Yeah, it’s one of the things we do,” Bazz added. “We obviously investigate crimes but we also serve warrants and court-issued documents.”
Shari glanced at the order and asked, “Who is Tindra Svahnstrom?”
Bazz rocked back and forth with a smirk on his face. “We think that you know.” He glanced at his partner.
“No, really. This has to be a mistake. I have no idea,” Shari said as she looked back at the order. “Who is Tindra Svahnstrom?”
“A judge wouldn’t have granted a protective order if there wasn’t a problem between the two of you,” Bazz replied. The pair had discussed it. If they had an opportunity to ask a few questions and catch an unsuspecting party off guard they would do it. “We’d simply like to ask a few questions in an attempt to find out how this situation has escalated to this point.”
“Go ahead. Ask them.”
“How do you know this Tindra Svahnstrom?”
“I don’t.”
“We’re not going to get too far if you continue to evade the line of questioning.”
“If I knew what you were talking about maybe I could be more helpful.”
Bazz looked at Lester J. “Typically what happens Ms. Daniels-Donnelly…”
“You can call me Shari.”
“Shari…okay, Shari it is… what typically happens in situations like this is a person comes into the police department with a complaint. We have them fill out the paperwork. Eventually they work their way through the system until a judge looks at the complaint and makes a decision. He then issues a court order.”
Bazz couldn’t stay quiet. “In this case Ms. Svahnstrom has been to the police office six times. The judge looked at her story—er, stories—and decided that you would be harmful to her. Right now you are not being investigated. It has been determined that this is a civil matter between two private parties.”
“So this order of protection keeps you away from her,” Lester J added.
“I don’t have a problem with that. I don’t know who she is. I guess that means that I’ll be staying away from her.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Bazz chimed back.
“What?”
“That you don’t know her. The judge thinks that you will hurt her.”
“Based on what?” Shari asked.
“What she has told the judge,” Lester J answered. “She’s filed many complaints in civil court claiming that you have threatened her life on numerous occasions.”
Now it was Shari’s turn to ask a question. “What did she tell the judge?”
“We’re not at liberty to say,” Bazz said. “That’s why we’re trying to find out why the two of you are at odds with each other.” He looked back at Lester J.
Shari laughed at her predicament. “You’ve got the wrong lady. The only person that I’m upset with now is my husband.”
“Have you ever sent a text message?” Bazz blurted.
“I do all the time,” Shari replied.
“Have any of them been threatening?”
“No! Of course not.”
Bazz looked at Lester J, put his hand up to hide his mouth and mumbled slightly, “Denial.” He shook his head affirmatively. He turned back to Shari. “It’s not going to do any good for you to withhold information.”
“I don’t have any information to withhold.”
“That’s not a good way for you to get the order of protection lifted.”
“Who said I wanted to have it lifted?” Shari wadded up the paper and threw it on the ground. “This means nothing to me because I have no idea who this person is!”
Bazz backed up two steps and placed both palms in the air. “You don’t have to get hostile, lady.”
Shari was about ready to order the detectives off of her property. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
Lester J retrieved the wadded up ball of paper and read the fine print. “If you would look at this it says that you have threatened the life of Tindra Svahnstrom. The judge has reason to believe that you have the capacity to cause injury and death to her. Therefore he issued this order of protection.”
“With it there is a summons to appear in court,” Bazz added as he read over Lester J’s shoulder. “It looks like your arraignment is scheduled for a Monday two weeks from yesterday.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Shari snatched the order out of Lester J’s hand. “I don’t know a Tindra Svahnstrom. Now get off of my property!”
Chapter Forty-One
Shari stormed down the steps to the safe haven of Tyler Cy. One side of her couldn’t stand her husband. The other side knew that he would take care of her. “Friggin’ cops.”
“What did they want?”
“They gave me a court order to stay away from someone I don’t even know.” Tyler Cy stopped flexing his knee. He let the cord that was tied around his ankle go limp. “It’s just as well. That’s the smartest move you made all day. You weren’t doing the exercises right.”
Tyler Cy gave her a mild look of disgust as he grabbed the wrinkled protection order. If he recognized the name of Tindra Svahnstrom he didn’t indicate it one way or the other, but as sharp as he was he had to remember that was the name of the Swedish live-in of Raul Mendez. “It says here that you have to make an appearance in court.”
“Yeah. That’s what the cops told me.” Shari was nearly in tears. “I don’t even know why.”
As a successful businessman, Tyler Cy knew that it wouldn’t be wise to ignore the complaint. “I would suggest you show up at the police department, hear what the judge has to say, and tell him your side of the story.”
“There’s nothing to tell. I haven’t threatened anyone like the cops said. I don’t know who this person is.”
Tyler Cy continued reading. “She is claiming that you have threatened her life.”
“How?”
“It looks like you have been sending threatening text messages.”
“What!? Why would I do something like that?”
“I have no idea. Has she done something that made you angry?”
“Dammit, Tyler Cy. You’re not listening to me. I don’t know who she is!”
“After looking at this, it is obvious the judge thinks you know who she is. He wants you to stop what you’re doing and answer to him in his courtroom.”
Shari was furious. “I’m going to go down to the police station right now.”
“That’s not going to do any good. It’s late in the
afternoon. The judge has probably left for the day. He wouldn’t see you anyway.” Tyler Cy grimaced as he inadvertently shifted the weight onto his sore knee. “Just show up when they want to see you.” He made it into his easy chair.
“If you’d lose some damn weight, moving around wouldn’t be so difficult for you.”
Tyler Cy gave her a look and bit his lip. “You might want to get a lawyer too.”
“I’ll get Leslie.”
“She’s a divorce attorney. She won’t take on something like this.”
“There you go again telling me what I can and cannot do!”
Tyler Cy brought his hands up to eye level. “Can you do me a favor?”
“What do you want now? You never did do the things I tell you to.”
“There are some ice packs in the freezer section of the refrigerator at the bar. Could you get one for me?”
Shari walked to the bar, opened the freezer door and grabbed an ice pack and then returned to Tyler Cy’s chair. “Here. It looks the same as yesterday. You can’t even refreeze an ice pack properly. All the water drained out of this corner.” She threw it into his lap, kicked his cane, and headed upstairs.
Chapter Forty-Two
It didn’t take long for Shari to visit Raul’s Physical Therapy. She was there the next day. Once inside the door she didn’t waste any time. Her clothes were off and a robe was on within seconds of Raul closing the door to the massage room.
There was something about it that Shari enjoyed immensely. The fragrance in the store was soothing. The candlelight was relaxing. Raul’s strong hands were stimulating. His accent was intoxicating. The pillows were fluffy. The warm towels and blankets were comforting. The play by play of the Cardinals game was in the background. It didn’t really add to the sexiness of the situation but it seemed sooooo like St. Louis.
She was naked and lying on her stomach with only the loose robe between her body and Raul’s hands. He gingerly pulled the top of the robe down to her waist. Oil with an exotic aroma reminded her of an island paradise. The systemic whirring of the ceiling fan helped. Shari anticipated the next move.
Raul slowly squirted the lubricant onto her back. Shari didn’t squirm a bit. He had heated it so that the oil was warmer than body temperature. She purred as his firm hands rubbed her shoulders and upper back.
