by Dan Kelly
Flicking a wink at Jillian behind a hand scratching his temple Joe adds, “There is something that you should know though, Red. Curtis Crowley is part of the deal. I didn’t know this, but the former owner of the Go For and Curtis are cousins. He wouldn’t sell unless Rex agreed to give him a job on the Floating Fantasies.”
“Doing what?”
With a straight face Joe said, “Your personal assistant.”
“What? Oh no! No! Ah, nuts, nuts, nuts, nuts, nuts!
When Jillian starts to laugh, Red realizes he’s been had.
“Joe says, “Gotcha.”
The howls of laughter coming from Joe, Jillian and Rex are contagious and Red soon joins in with howls of his own. “Very funny, Joe, but be forewarned. Stay on your toes because ‘gotcha’ back’ will be coming down the pike when you least expect it. I’m going to make the Chameleon look like a kindergartner.”
When the laughter dies down, Rex and Joe say their good nights, allowing them to reclaim their private moment. Red’s thinking, “Even though the Chameleon was a royal pain in the ass, he made it possible for me to meet some wonderful people and to forge friendships that I hope will last forever. Best of all, because of him I got to know this beautiful, wonderful, intelligent and spunky lady who’s soon to be my wife. Life doesn’t get any better than this. It is indeed a very good night.”
Then his mind takes a strange turn into unfamiliar territory. “Man, I wonder if she’s one of those women who have a place for everything and everything in its place. When you get right down to it, I’m a slob. I wonder if she’s one of those women who likes to shop for bargains and always tries to negotiate a lower price. I just like to find what I’m looking for, pay the asking price and get the hell out of there. I wonder if she thinks I’m a Mr. Fix It kind of guy. I’m one of those guys who’d rather pay someone else to do it. And, man, I wonder if she’s one of those women who like to window shop. Most women do. I hate it.”
Thinking about it for a minute he smiles and concludes, “I hope so. I’m looking forward to the fun we’ll have making up after the arguments are over.”
Jillian’s thinking, “I wonder if Red’s one of those guys who forgets to put the toilet seat down ,take out the garbage and fill the gas tank. I hope so. We’ll have a ball making up after we’ve argued about it.”
This definitely is going to be an interesting marriage.
Chapter 80
Seven months later Red is sitting on the couch in Jillian’s living room watching the six o’clock news while waiting for her to get ready for a dinner date they have with Joe Amato and his wife Daisy. There’s currently a commercial beginning for one of those medications for the sexually challenged, but it is suddenly interrupted by the words ‘Breaking News’ streaming across the screen and a series of loud beeps. Red smiles as a thought strikes his funny bone. “Man, even the commercial is challenged!
Then the somber face of the local newscaster appears on the screen and announces, “Word has just come in that a severe thunder storm has struck central Iowa and a freakish act of nature has taken the life of an inmate at the Iowa State Penitentiary.” A picture of the prison comes up on the screen and the newscaster continues. “A lightning bolt flashed down a chimney in a laundry facility at the penitentiary, setting fire to clothing and bed linens and ultimately igniting the cleaning solutions used there. The ensuing explosion and conflagration leveled the building to the ground and resulted in the horrendous death of an inmate who was the only person in the laundry at the time. The name of the inmate killed in the fire is Carl Carducci. We will keep you abreast of the latest developments as they unfold.”
Aghast, Jillian gasps out, “Oh, that poor man!”
Until then, Red didn’t know she had been standing behind him watching the news. Seeing that she’s clearly upset he says, “Come. Sit down with me for a few minutes until some of the shock wears off. That announcement was a shocker if ever there was one.”
Nestling up to him on the couch she says, “Everything about this man is shocking in some way, Red. The circumstances surrounding his birth, the name he was given, the death of his brother, the warped rationalization surrounding his vendetta, his uncanny string of luck in avoiding capture, his extraordinary ability with miniaturization, disguises and quick changes and the most ironic shock of all, the way he died, just like his brother did.”
“Well, this entire Chameleon affair has been like something out of the twilight zone. But, come on, let’s get back to the real world. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready.”
“Terrific! I can’t wait to share with everybody in this part of our world the treasure I found because of this Carducci nightmare.”
“Well, well. Handsome and silver tongued too. This should prove to be a very interesting evening.”
“I will do my very level best, pretty lady, I promise you.”
Arm in arm, they head for the door and Red’s thinking, “In this world or any other, I’ll thank my lucky stars for the rest of my life that I met and got to know this lady better.”
