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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
A month had slipped by since Lydia had vanished. Claude and Ramona just plucked away at their work doing what they needed to do. There were many times that they found themselves thinking of that awful day when they were held at gunpoint. The day that saw them rescued by their co-worker who had never appeared to give a damn. Lydia's little run down of what her life had been like before when she had worked with the two insane men they had almost gone out with was hardly believable… but the longer Lydia stayed away the more confused they became. Could it really be that the insanity she spoke of was real? Or maybe, and this was Ramona's favorite supposition, Lydia just ended up in an asylum.
But Claude was starting to believe Lydia's rantings. The first piece of evidence surfaced when, after much sweet-talking, she had convinced Ramona to pay Lydia a visit at her apartment again… three weeks after Lydia had stopped coming to work. The door was swinging wide open, and inside people were milling about, going in and out of the bedrooms and bathrooms, inspecting the kitchen counters and windows for defects. Claude spotted a man holding a clipboard with business cards clipped under it and made her way over to him in time to hear him praise the beautiful hardwood floors this apartment offered. Was it for rent? If she had to guess, she'd say so.
"Excuse me sir, but do you know how I could get in contact with the Westons'?" She asked with a pleasant smile.
He smiled right back at her but he lifted his brow in confusion. "I'm sorry, but who are the Westons'?"
"The family that lived here before." Claude's stomach did a strange flip-flop in apprehension because she knew what his answer was going to be.
"Miss, I think you're confused… This apartment was occupied by a nice old man up until three months ago, and his last name was Wilson. Maybe you have the wrong address." He patted her shoulder and walked away already making his sales pitch to another couple.
What was going on?
Now a week later she was confused as ever. But she was going to get to the bottom of this mystery. Eventually.
Claude got up from her seat to deliver a typed report that Will had asked for earlier that morning. In her musings however, she forgot to knock on his office door. His voice floated over her like honey and she paused with the door only open half an inch to listen.
"Ok, you too Parker. I'm glad everything's working out for you guys." He lowered his voice and crooned deeply, "On a side note though, I'd just like to say that if you're ever in town I've always got a room available for you." His face blanched two shades whiter. "Oh, Jarod, how's it goin' buddy?… No, I did not know that Parker had me on speakerphone." Will offered uneasily and pulled to loosen his tie. By his office door Claude cocked her head and tuned in for more gossip.
That is until the names Will had just uttered registered in her brain. Jarod was Lydia's husband. And if she wasn't mistaken, Parker is what those men were calling Lydia. She pressed her ear to the doors opening and waited for Will to speak again so she could gather more info.
"Yes, I received it this morning… All right then, call me if you need anything else. Bye." Will leaned across his desk to hang up the phone, pressing his tie to his chest so it didn’t fall into the lunch he had laid out in front of him.
"Claude, you have something for me?" He asked folding his hands together.
Claude stepped meekly into the office and closed the door. She deposited the typed report into Will's outstretched hand and plopped herself onto the couch by the door. She caught Will's stare and held it. She knew that he knew that she had overheard his conversation. So, she wasn't about to front on that. Her plan was to come right out and ask about it.
She smiled mightily, "So, who was that you were talking to? Was that Lydia? Where is she?" She was on the edge of her seat now.
Will chuckled and sipped at his bottled water, shaking his head at Claude's enthusiasm. He reached into his desk drawer and removed an envelope.
"I can't discuss that with you. What I can do, though, is inform you that you will be going on vacation for a week. You and your friend Ramona. I have the airline tickets right here. Your flight leaves tonight, enjoy!" He pushed the envelope at her, grabbed his jacket and followed her out of his office.
Bewildered, Claude stared at the envelope in her hand and walked distractedly down to the office Ramona shared with Owen. Ramona looked up when Claude came through the door, and immediately was at her side concerned.
"What's wrong?" She asked and helped Claude sit in her new swivel chair.
Still unsure as to why Will gave her the tickets, she opened the envelope to see where she and Ramona would be going tonight. A slip of paper dropped, unnoticed by Claude, to the floor. Ramona picked it up though and palmed it waiting for her friend to speak.
When a small smile broke out on Claude's face Ramona relaxed and unfolded the paper but didn't read it right away so she could hear Claude's cheerful voice.
"We're going on vacation, Ramona. Will is sending us on vacation to the Bahamas." Claude squealed.
Ramona jumped up, pulling Claude with her and squeezed her hands tight in excitement. "Are you serious?" When Claude nodded, Ramona laughed happily and dropped the paper into her pocket. She was too busy reveling in the knowledge of a free vacation to read it now.
Several hours later after their initial excitement had subsided and they had come back from a quick shopping excursion, they dropped exhausted onto Claude's couch to eat their frozen dinners. Their flight left in four hours and they had already packed, so there was nothing left to do. As soon as they were done with eating, they grabbed their bags, making their way to the airport in a cab.
While waiting in chairs, Ramona remembered that she was supposed to be taking care of her soon-to-be vacationing neighbor's cat in three days. She made her way to a phone and dug in her pocket for the change from the coffee she had bought ten minutes ago. Her fingers brushed up against a piece of paper as well as some coins. She dug both out of her pocket and deposited the coins in the slot, while unfolding the piece of paper.
She left a message on her neighbor's answering machine, informing him that she would be out of town those days. She slipped the phone back into its cradle, and read the note right there. Eyes widening in surprise, she hurriedly made her way back to where Claude was guarding their carry-on bags to show her the message.
"Claude, did you see this?" Ramona asked, handing the paper to Claude.
Claude cautiously took the piece of paper from Ramona, concerned as to why her friend was acting so shocked. "No." Claude answered and then read the note.
She looked up sharply into Ramona's face. She was saddened that Will wasn't sending them on this vacation, but knew she would finally find out where Lydia (or was it Parker?) had disappeared to. The note said that they were not to get back on board when they stopped over in Chicago. It instructed them that they were to go to the information desk, give their names, and then be escorted onto a private jet. For safety purposes, their final destination would not be known until they landed, at which time a man named Sam would be waiting to pick them up in a white limousine. It was signed at the bottom, Lydia / Miss Parker & Jarod.
Because they hadn't read the note until then, they didn't have much time to think it over before they their flight's first boarding call. They looked over at the gate as the first-class passengers, of which they were a part, were making their way on board. Shrugging, Claude stood and shouldered her bag forcing Ramona to do the same, and handed her ticket over at the gate.
The End!
But Claude was starting to believe Lydia's rantings. The first piece of evidence surfaced when, after much sweet-talking, she had convinced Ramona to pay Lydia a visit at her apartment again… three weeks after Lydia had stopped coming to work. The door was swinging wide open, and inside people were milling about, going in and out of the bedrooms and bathrooms, inspecting the kitchen counters and windows for defects. Claude spotted a man holding a clipboard with business cards clipped under it and made her way over to him in time to hear him praise the beautiful hardwood floors this apartment offered. Was it for rent? If she had to guess, she'd say so.
"Excuse me sir, but do you know how I could get in contact with the Westons'?" She asked with a pleasant smile.
He smiled right back at her but he lifted his brow in confusion. "I'm sorry, but who are the Westons'?"
"The family that lived here before." Claude's stomach did a strange flip-flop in apprehension because she knew what his answer was going to be.
"Miss, I think you're confused… This apartment was occupied by a nice old man up until three months ago, and his last name was Wilson. Maybe you have the wrong address." He patted her shoulder and walked away already making his sales pitch to another couple.
What was going on?
Now a week later she was confused as ever. But she was going to get to the bottom of this mystery. Eventually.
Claude got up from her seat to deliver a typed report that Will had asked for earlier that morning. In her musings however, she forgot to knock on his office door. His voice floated over her like honey and she paused with the door only open half an inch to listen.
"Ok, you too Parker. I'm glad everything's working out for you guys." He lowered his voice and crooned deeply, "On a side note though, I'd just like to say that if you're ever in town I've always got a room available for you." His face blanched two shades whiter. "Oh, Jarod, how's it goin' buddy?… No, I did not know that Parker had me on speakerphone." Will offered uneasily and pulled to loosen his tie. By his office door Claude cocked her head and tuned in for more gossip.
That is until the names Will had just uttered registered in her brain. Jarod was Lydia's husband. And if she wasn't mistaken, Parker is what those men were calling Lydia. She pressed her ear to the doors opening and waited for Will to speak again so she could gather more info.
"Yes, I received it this morning… All right then, call me if you need anything else. Bye." Will leaned across his desk to hang up the phone, pressing his tie to his chest so it didn’t fall into the lunch he had laid out in front of him.
"Claude, you have something for me?" He asked folding his hands together.
Claude stepped meekly into the office and closed the door. She deposited the typed report into Will's outstretched hand and plopped herself onto the couch by the door. She caught Will's stare and held it. She knew that he knew that she had overheard his conversation. So, she wasn't about to front on that. Her plan was to come right out and ask about it.
She smiled mightily, "So, who was that you were talking to? Was that Lydia? Where is she?" She was on the edge of her seat now.
Will chuckled and sipped at his bottled water, shaking his head at Claude's enthusiasm. He reached into his desk drawer and removed an envelope.
"I can't discuss that with you. What I can do, though, is inform you that you will be going on vacation for a week. You and your friend Ramona. I have the airline tickets right here. Your flight leaves tonight, enjoy!" He pushed the envelope at her, grabbed his jacket and followed her out of his office.
Bewildered, Claude stared at the envelope in her hand and walked distractedly down to the office Ramona shared with Owen. Ramona looked up when Claude came through the door, and immediately was at her side concerned.
"What's wrong?" She asked and helped Claude sit in her new swivel chair.
Still unsure as to why Will gave her the tickets, she opened the envelope to see where she and Ramona would be going tonight. A slip of paper dropped, unnoticed by Claude, to the floor. Ramona picked it up though and palmed it waiting for her friend to speak.
When a small smile broke out on Claude's face Ramona relaxed and unfolded the paper but didn't read it right away so she could hear Claude's cheerful voice.
"We're going on vacation, Ramona. Will is sending us on vacation to the Bahamas." Claude squealed.
Ramona jumped up, pulling Claude with her and squeezed her hands tight in excitement. "Are you serious?" When Claude nodded, Ramona laughed happily and dropped the paper into her pocket. She was too busy reveling in the knowledge of a free vacation to read it now.
Several hours later after their initial excitement had subsided and they had come back from a quick shopping excursion, they dropped exhausted onto Claude's couch to eat their frozen dinners. Their flight left in four hours and they had already packed, so there was nothing left to do. As soon as they were done with eating, they grabbed their bags, making their way to the airport in a cab.
While waiting in chairs, Ramona remembered that she was supposed to be taking care of her soon-to-be vacationing neighbor's cat in three days. She made her way to a phone and dug in her pocket for the change from the coffee she had bought ten minutes ago. Her fingers brushed up against a piece of paper as well as some coins. She dug both out of her pocket and deposited the coins in the slot, while unfolding the piece of paper.
She left a message on her neighbor's answering machine, informing him that she would be out of town those days. She slipped the phone back into its cradle, and read the note right there. Eyes widening in surprise, she hurriedly made her way back to where Claude was guarding their carry-on bags to show her the message.
"Claude, did you see this?" Ramona asked, handing the paper to Claude.
Claude cautiously took the piece of paper from Ramona, concerned as to why her friend was acting so shocked. "No." Claude answered and then read the note.
She looked up sharply into Ramona's face. She was saddened that Will wasn't sending them on this vacation, but knew she would finally find out where Lydia (or was it Parker?) had disappeared to. The note said that they were not to get back on board when they stopped over in Chicago. It instructed them that they were to go to the information desk, give their names, and then be escorted onto a private jet. For safety purposes, their final destination would not be known until they landed, at which time a man named Sam would be waiting to pick them up in a white limousine. It was signed at the bottom, Lydia / Miss Parker & Jarod.
Because they hadn't read the note until then, they didn't have much time to think it over before they their flight's first boarding call. They looked over at the gate as the first-class passengers, of which they were a part, were making their way on board. Shrugging, Claude stood and shouldered her bag forcing Ramona to do the same, and handed her ticket over at the gate.
The End!
