The Lottery

Jonathan also noticed the elderly couple staring at them through
binoculars and wondered briefly what all the hub-bub was about. Weren't
they just another couple playing around on the beach ? He made a mental
note to check their residency.

Jennifer had become an instant best friend, a fantasy lover, and was the
most interesting woman he had ever been around. Her interests seemed
to multiply the more they were together, and the genuine-ness of her
expressions and explanations captured his heart. Why she had spent so
much time alone bewildered him, probably because he enjoyed her
companionship so much himself right now that he couldn't see her ever
having to be alone.

Together they headed back to her cottage, to make some fresh coffee.
As it brewed, they walked out onto the deck, over to the rail closest to the
snoopy neighbors, and kissed slowly. It was at that very moment that he
got the idea. The old couple were also out on their balconey, sitting there
facing the ocean, their backs to their neighbors. Jonathan whispered his
plan in Jenny's ear, and immediately her eyes lit up. She kissed him, and
began to moan softly. He moaned a little louder and a little longer. She
started to growl like a cat, kissing him all the while. He began to utter
"Baby, oh baby" over and over again. She increased the intensity of her
moans, almost screaming. Still kissing her madly, he loudly called out her
name, over and over again. She began to speak in tongues !

The old couple got up and went inside, slamming the door.

Jonathan looked up to find Jennifer holding her hand over her mouth,
trying to stifle the laughter that was rushing to expulsion. Tears ran down
both of their cheeks. Jonathan thought he was going to die laughing very
soon. Jenny pulled him away from the rail quickly and ushered him back
into the house, where they both collasped onto the living room rug and
laughed some more. Every time one of them thought the laughing was just
about over, the other would start moaning again or say "mmmmmmm"
and they'd be breaking up again, crying with laughter.

Later, after a "real", long, slow kiss, they watched the morning fog come
in, and enjoyed a wonderful, steaming cup of coffee as it found them.

They snuggled-enjoying each other’s company until the phone rang and broke the moment. She got up and answered it; a few minutes later Jonathan heard her say “No I can’t meet with you today, this will have to wait until next week, I have plans on Saturday.” What did Saturday have to do with today? Jonathan wondered. He detected sorrow in her voice, but didn’t want to be nosy. They had been watching her, and didn’t like what was going on with this new love interest in her life. They said it wasn’t safe. How did they know so quickly? Perhaps it was the old couple next door? Maybe they really were spies!

Jonathan asked if everything was all right? She smiled and assured him it was. She didn’t want him to question her about the phone call because she would have to lie to him. She had a secret, a secret that she couldn’t share with him. She messed around in the kitchen for a few minutes trying to snap out of this funk before joining him outside. “Dear Lottery Lady” Hmmm! she thought. If he only knew...

When she went back outside, she had a plate of fresh fruit in hand. They sat silently snacking on fruit both deep in thought.


[edit on 6/25/2008 by jensouth31]

It was as if someone had let the air out of the room. Always before, it had
been so easy to communicate with her. Suddenly, she seemed worried,
withdrawn. The phone call had evidently upset her, though she was trying
hard not to show it. He began to feel uncomfortable, and made up an
excuse to leave. He kissed her softly, saying goodbye, and headed over to
his property.
On his way home, he talked to himself, telling himself that "if something
seems too good to be true, it usually is ."
At home he found a pile of mail waiting, and began to sort through it,
finding what he thought he'd find about half-way down. Instructions.

Time to go to work again. He opened the manila envelope and was
surprised to see Jennifer's face looking up at him from an enclosed
picture. A brief file described her as "an exceptional". She would need
protection.


[edit on 26-6-2008 by SIEGE]

[edit on 26-6-2008 by SIEGE]

[edit on 26-6-2008 by SIEGE]

[edit on 26-6-2008 by SIEGE]

It's funny sometimes how fast things change. Now, instead of being just
a friend, Jennifer had become his charge. She was his new assignment,
and Jonathan took his work very seriously. Most of the time his job
consisted of 'prevention". But this time it was "protection".

After a quick nap he decided to go over to Jenny's and check on her.

Passing the old couples' apartment, he noticed the door wide open. Closer
inspection revealed that the apartment had been completely emptied. No
furniture of any kind, and no sign of anyone living there. Out on the deck,
he saw what could have been bloodstreaks, but once again, completely
bare space. Suddenly he got a chill and dashed out the door, headed on
a run to Jennifer's cottage.
She wasn't there !

She knew they were coming for her that was certain. She was sick about it. Right after Jonathan left, she devised a plan, one that would make it impossible for them to relocate her again. That’s when she heard all the commotion coming from the old snoop’s place. A moving van was there within minutes with an entire team of movers and they had the place cleared out in record time. She was paranoid and scared senseless by this point because she never saw the old snoops leave the place. Figured they probably went out in black plastic bags, probably without a doubt dead.

When the coast was clear, she cautiously exited the cottage out the back door, then down the stairs that led from her deck to the beach below. Her first stop would be the bank to drain her account. Using credit cards while on the run would be traceable, and lead them right to her. When that was settled, she put on the disguise she had concocted and carefully made her way to the woods where Jonathan watched her. She would hide there until dark and then borrow a boat from the marina and travel by water to a port town somewhere far enough away that she could make a run for it. She had been to a couple of parties on one or two of these boats and she knew the exact boat that she would make use of. It was called… “Dream Come True”

While she was waiting for it to get dark she decided to write a short note and leave it for Jonathan to find, perhaps with a couple of indirect clues.

Dear Casanova,

I’m sorry to inform you that I won’t be able to attend the fisherman’s relief dinner with you on Saturday night. For a short time, I thought what was happening between us was a Dream Come True, but much like the fisherman that was lost at sea, occasionally real life gets in the way and sinks people’s dreams. Maybe another time or another place we’ll meet again. Until then Jonathan, ride out the waves.

Cheers!

At midnight, she snuck over to the marina and watched for a little while making sure all was quiet before she boarded the Dream Come True. She felt awful about taking the yacht because she was a personal friend to these people. The plan was brilliant as the boat was fully stocked and ready for their annual trip to Alaska, and once again because she knew them, she knew where they kept a secret key. It was easy as could be, she knew how to drive the boat & use the navigating system, she’d done it before several times. She could effortlessly make it to the San Juan Islands, and take it from there. By one in the morning she was under way.

Edit * to add










[edit on 6/27/2008 by jensouth31]

Jonathan placed a quick phone call to a restricted number that beeped
and told him to wait two minutes for a reply. Exactly 110 seconds later his
cellphone rang and he answered it. A voice on the other end of the line
asked "What's wrong ?"
"The lady's gone."
"Who got her ?"
"I don't know."
"How long ago ?"
"No more than three or four hours."
"Okay, we'll call you back."

While waiting, Jonathan completely went through Jennifer's cottage for any
clues that might shed a light on where she could have gone. He felt bad
about going through her things, almost as if he was trespassing, but he
also felt an urgency to get the facts. In her bedroom, on a shelf, were
numerous pictures of Jennifer and the ocean. In one particular shot he
recognized the city of Portland, and its various marinas. In another, she
was aboard a yacht wth a bunch of friends, either going to or coming back
from a whale-watching expedition. In still another, she was swimming and
diving off the boat, wearing a very revealing bathing suit. He shook his
head and took a deep breath, marvelling at the contours of her body and
the sheen of her hair. She had captured his heart, and he wanted her safe
and with him.
The boat appeared to be about 48 ft. long, with an aluminum hull that was
probably a 5086 marine-grade alloy. If they were lucky, they could
probably do 20-25 knots max in this yacht turned-speedboat. He could not
make out the name of the vessel in any of the pictures, but he was sure
he could recognize it if he saw it up close. Maybe her love for the ocean
and the whales had taken her back to these locations.
She was, after all, a millionaire many times over.

[edit on 27-6-2008 by SIEGE]

[edit on 27-6-2008 by SIEGE]

[edit on 27-6-2008 by SIEGE]

[edit on 27-6-2008 by SIEGE]

She could come and go as she pleased, when she pleased. He just hoped
it had been on her own free will. That phone call she had received upset
her considerably. Was there something she wanted to tell him but maybe
was afraid to ?
As he made his way home he thought about her. God she was nice !
So damn foward yet so damn classy.
He saw the note attached to a branch, and knew right away she had been
here ! But when? And where was she now ?
The note peeved him, because once again she referred to him as
"Casanova", a term he didn't much care for.
So life had dealt another blow to romance. He'd come to expect that.
Reality was taking her away and he didn't think she really wanted to go.
He knew he didn't want her to go. But, . . .such is life.
And what was with this Dream Come True deal ? A charity ? A song ?
(He'd read a song called Dream Come True that actually could've been
written by her, even though he knew it wasn't).
Was her Dream Come True taking her away, for good ? Maybe it was just
a cruise ship or something, headed for some place exotic, where rich
people like her went to pretend things were never as they really were.

Later, looking out of his silo windows, he thought of her again and took
another sip of his wine.
In the dark, he muttered to himself something about what it would have
been like to have made love to her.

As the day went on, all she could do was think about Jonathan. She missed him terribly! Heartsick, she kept wondering if he knew she was gone yet. Would he get suspicious and look for her, or would he write her off as another crazy woman. Her note had been so vague, but out of fear for both of their safety it had to be that way. Her only hope of ever seeing Jonathan again would be if the theft of the Dream Come True vessel made local headlines thus prompting him to put two & two together. He would come looking for her!! She was sure he would because he genuinely cared for her.

She was numb, yet some hope survived inside her and she clung to it for dear life. Just when she'd gotten used to the idea of loving again. The man she was falling for had been ripped from her. What a cruel joke. As the day turned into evening she realized she hadn't eaten in twenty-four plus hrs. so she ate. The sun set was beautiful tonight she thought. She'd give anything if Jonathan could be here now, holding her, kissing her, loving her. It was like fate when they met how they got on so well with one another. It was nothing but a pipe dream at this point. Exhausted emotionally she laid down... big wet tears rolling down her face, her heart hurting inside thinking about what might have been.

She sat straight up, dazed not knowing where she was. Nothing but vast darkness all around, with a cool breeze blowing through her hair. She'd never been out in the open waters all alone like this. It gave her a cold, eerie sensation not being able to see for miles, hoping & praying those tales of giant squid attacking ships weren't true. Maybe a phantom pirate ship would mysteriously appear? Perhaps she seen too many movie's & was allowing her imagination to manifest such thoughts. She wished she were home in her own bed.

Laying back down, she casted her eyes upward, the night sky was flawlessly dusted with stars. She looked around until she found the big dipper, the little dipper and then the constellation of Orion. She took a deep breath and relaxed once again. Moments later, a star streaked across the heavens, she watched it as it shot by, feeling fortunate to view such an occurrence in an environment such as this. This wasn't so bad, it was peaceful being out here with the fresh air, no city lights to ruin the view of the night sky. Almost as if she were lost in time, she vowed to one day have a big boat such as this if fate ever allowed her someone to share it with. She closed her eyes and fantasized that-that someone would be Jonathan.

(The warm water from the showerhead sprayed over them soothingly as
he helped to wash her hair and then rinse it clear. She turned towards him,
putting her arms around his neck and kissing him gently as the water
cascaded down on the two of them. He reached for . . . .)

The phone woke him from his dream. Startled him actually. Sitting up, he
listened closely as they told him more about her troubled life than he
really wanted to know. A free spirit to be sure. He found himself taking in
all the information about her with a grain of salt, a whole salt shaker to be
exact. Some things he had to know but didn't want to. He had fallen for
her just the way she was. Other bits of information seemed irrelevant.
When the subject of sailing came up, he remembered the pictures. He
told them about the Portland marinas and asked them to check around
and get back to him. Hanging up, he changed into his sweats and went for
a run along the beach.

"Yeah ?"
"You were right about Portland. Seems she used to frequent the waterfront
establishments on a regular basis. Hasn't been seen lately though."
"Okay. thanks for the update."
"One more thing. Seems a yacht was stolen last night."
"What kind of yacht ?"
"Nothing grandiose. A 42-footer, stocked and ready to go to Alaska."
"Any identification ?"
"Not yet, but we're working on it. Funny name though. Dreams come True
or something like that."
Jonathan felt something click. He thanked them again and put the phone
back in his sweatshirt pocket. He started to jog home, changed his mind,
and began to run as fast as he could. He had a lead.

Jonathan found himself at Riverplace, in downtown Portland. A yacht with
the name "Dreams Come True" had indeed been stolen the night before.

Inquiring as to the ownership, he found out that Jennifer had been friends
with the builders, and had taken numerous trips aboard the DCT.

Jonathan bought some maps of the nearby coastline and islands, studying
them in great detail.

As he scanned the islands he came across one named Orcas Island.
Hmmm. Orcas . . . .whales . . .whale-watching . . .Jenny . . .fun . . .points .
. . .game . . .Jenny . . .whales . . .orcas. This might be it. Orcas Island
was part of the San Juan Islands, a cozy little retreat.

He'd fly to Orcas Island and wait for her there for a day or two.
Somewhere up near Mount Constitution would afford him the best watch.
If she didn't show he'd head over to Friday Harbor on San Juan itself and
check there. He missed her.

It was mid afternoon with the sun beating down on her. It was so hot, she felt as if she were in an oven. She could see the San Juan's off in the distance, but decided it wouldn't be smart to pull into the harbor at this time of day. She was fairly certain she was far enough out that no one would see her, so she turned off the engine, then stripped off her clothes jumping into the water. She swam around for a few minutes, and then turned onto her back and stayed that way... floating, looking up at the bright blue sky. The water in the north pacific didn't really heat up, not even in summer, not like the waters of the south pacific did. When she was comfortably cooled off, she climbed the ladder and got back into the boat. She had several hours to kill, what could she do to pass the time?

She rummaged through the boat to see what what she could find. She found some music Cd's. That meant there must be a player of some kind. Ha! she found one. There was some really good music here, really old stuff that brought back memories of one of the greatest men in her life, her grandpa. She was so excited. This was dancing music! Not the modern stuff, but the kind of stuff you could Cha Cha too. Seeing how no one was around to watch her being silly, she put the CD in and danced all around the deck with her make believe partner, singing along with Dean Martin as she went "I can hear the sound of violins...Long before it begins...Make me thrill as only you know how...Sway me smooth, sway me now....You know how...sway me smooth...Sway me now"

When the song finished, she turned it back and played it again, and again as she danced wishing Jonathan was here dancing with her...even if he didn't know how to Cha Cha, she could lure him in, intoxicating him with her graceful moves.




[edit on 6/29/2008 by jensouth31]

The sun was setting over the Pacific. With all the other boats making their way into Deer harbor, she felt that would be the least conspicuous way to go undetected, so she came in too. After she docked, she wipe everything down, and locked up tight. Even if they did find her fingerprints on anything, she's been on that boat so many times before it wouldn't raise any red flags. She grabbed her bag, and simply walked away.

There were some quaint cottages that she knew of, in fact she'd been there years before. The Place At Cayou Cove would be the perfect place to hide out for a week or two, provided they had vacancies. When she arrived, they did have one cottage left - Cove cottage. Checking in under an alias, she got the keys and walked over to the place she would call home for the next couple of weeks. Grateful to have made it there in one piece, she went into the bathroom, and started the water for a cool bath. It was still far to hot outside for anything more than that. She took a leisurely soak, then finished washing then dried off. going into the bedroom, she opened the french doors allowing the ocean breeze to fill the room. Needing sleep, she crawled in the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.








[edit on 6/29/2008 by jensouth31]

Getting to Orcas Island proved to be easier than he imagined. He booked
a private charter flight through Kenmore Air that took him in to Orcas
Island Airport. Flying in, he thought of her, wondering if she was okay. By
now he didn't believe she had been kidnapped anymore, as the
evidence suggested she was on her own. Following her was like taking a
scenic tour of the northwest. If she had a love for these kind of places, he
wanted to share it with her. She reminded him of an old Jimmy Buffet
song : "Son of a son of a son of a sailor." Not the exact words, but she
seemed to have a natural heritage for these islands that kept her special.

Ten minutes before landing he received a call saying they had found the
yacht tied up in Deer Harbor, but still no sign of her. Taking out some
brochures of the San Juans, and Orcas in particular, he browsed through
the pages until he came to "The Place". Now wouldn't it be just like her to
hide out in a place called "The Place" ? The Place at Cayou Cove ! That
would be his first stop. He smiled as the plane landed.

....................................................................................................

After her brief cool soak and nap, Jennifer woke up with sore muscles and
a headache. She called the main office. Having stayed here in the past,
she knew that one could order a truly professional massage in the privacy
of their own cottage just by dialing the office for an appointment. She
asked for the earliest appointment and was told it'd be two hours, with old
Stella as the masseuse, an old but very able provider. She thanked them
and hung up.

......................................................................................................

Jonathan wasted no time. He was off the plane and in his rental car before
he knew it. Pulling up in front of "The Place", he hurriedly went inside to
ask the clerks if they had seen Jennifer. He showed them a picture of her
that he had kept from her cottage back on the mainland. Sure enough one
of the check-in clerks remembered her checking in just a few hours
earlier. He showed them a badge and asked them if she had made any
phone calls since she had arrived, or had any visitors. They shook their
heads no until one of them remembered her appointment for a massage.
Her scheduled time was approximately 15 miinutes away and that's when
Jonathan got another idea. Quietly he talked to the staff and to Stella,
giving her a rather large tip to just let things go. Then, he was off.

There was a knock at the door. "Come on in Stella", Jennifer hollered.
She was already for her massage, laid out on her stomach with just a
small, white, terrycloth towel covering her naked derriere. "You wouldn't
believe what I've been through these last few weeks Stella, you just
wouldn't believe it. I am so in need of your hands." She felt Stella's hands
begin to rub the aching muscles in her lower back. Very firm but very
tender too. "Oh Stella that feels so good. God that feels good." After about
thirty seconds, she felt Stella remove the terrycloth towel and the next
thing she felt was a very hard smack to her bottom. "Stella, that hurt !!"
Before she could turn and ask Stella what the heck was going on another
big smack landed on her bottom. Then another and another. Now her
bottom was stinging.

Jonathan had found a thin wooden paddle and was raining smack after
smack on Jennifer's behind. Suddenly he began to yell, "This is what they
do to thieves, especially boat thieves, yeah- especially boat theives !"
As Jennifer hollered he began to laugh, so hard that he stopped swinging
and slumped down onto the floor in tears. He just couldn't stop laughing.

She jumped up horrified, rubbing her rear staring at him with a wrathful look in her eyes. She pointed her finger at him, “How Dare You Spank Me Jonathan!!!!” He was so smug and well pleased with himself that he couldn’t stop laughing, let alone stand up! Laughing so hard that she started laughing with him. However, she was still mildly irritated she vowed to secretly pay him back for that. She would teach him good! Deep inside though, she was very happy to see him, and the sheer thought of him having had his hands on her naked body on any level made her so hot she could hardly contain her desire for him. She reached for her robe, covering her nakedness then pounced on him saying, “Ha Ha Ha, You’re so funny Jonathan! As she teasingly roughed him up. That’s when he swiftly but gently flipped her over on her back looking into her eyes… he kissed her.

“How ever did you find me Jonathan? And what’s this about a boat thief!” she said getting up, trying to act detached from the boat issue. He didn’t answer her; he just lay there looking up at her “pretense” with a smirk on his face.
“I have some errands I must run today, would you like to come along Jonathan?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said.
“ There’s nothing around here to eat! And the Airport!!…Oh my goodness Jonathan, the airport lost one of my bags, so I’ll have to get a few things to wear & some personal care items.” She said, still moving along with her charade. Jonathan just looked at her smiling thinking how easily it would always be for him to tell when this woman was lying to him. She wasn’t any good at lying… for one thing, her eyes darted around and she kind of had a permanent innocent look on her face that gave it all away. She reached down and offered her hand to help him up; he accepted the offer and got up taking her into his arms, Jonathan hugged her affectionately saying, “I missed you. I was really worried when I couldn’t find you, please don’t do that again.” They stood hugging like that for several minutes before she said, “I won’t ever do that again…I promise”


[edit on 6/30/2008 by jensouth31]

Being mid-morning, both of them starving, they headed over to Country Corner Cellars, where they had a nice traditional breakfast. After breakfast, they tasted some assorted northwest wines finally deciding on several bottles of wine they both liked. They made several other stops that day for necessities like clothing, groceries, and some cooking spices before heading back to the cottage to relax. Later that afternoon they walked along the shoreline holding hands and talking. Jonathan seemed slightly edgy each time they left the cottage. He was constantly looking around, keeping her close to him with an alert eye. She wondered what was causing this; she even threatened to get him drunk later if he didn’t relax.

That evening, Jonathan uncorked one of the bottles of wine pouring them each a glass while Jennifer cooked dinner for them. She fittingly set the table out on the deck so they could dine looking out over the harbor. “Dinner’s almost ready darling, ten more minutes or so…” she yelled out to Jonathan who was outside taking a guarded look around the nearby surroundings making sure all was safe.

Minutes later:“Time to eat” she hollered as she was carrying the plates out, both already dished up and ready to go. She put her elbows up on the table and clasped her hands under her chin, smiling, and watching as she waited for Jonathan to take a bite. “What did you put in this babe?” he asked. She smiled at him dotingly then sweetly said “ A lethal dose of cayenne pepper babe.” Jonathan ran for the kitchen sink, Jennifer right behind him laughing all the way. “That’ll teach you to give me a spanking Jonathan!”… She laughed at him as he let a constant stream of cold water rinse the heat from his mouth. When he came up he looked terribly mad. She’d never seen him look so cross. He started walking toward her as she cautiously backed away. That’s when he grabbed her and backed her up against the wall and intensely kissed her.

[edit on 7/1/2008 by jensouth31]

Jonathan wondered about her. As he kissed her he opened his eyes and
took in her beautiful features. She was quite a woman. But was she for
real ? He was beginning to have doubts. He had received a telephone call
from the office, saying that they had found a security camera at Deer
Harbor that showed Jennifer leaving the Dreams Come True and walking
away. But, as of yet, she hadn't discussed with him her flight from the
mainland or the reasons for it. He hoped she was on the level.

A thought went through his head, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave".
He had shot an arrow of love at this lady, asking her out to dinner. Meeting
her in person, he liked her from the start. Then the phone call came
changing everything. From then on she was not only his friend, she was
his responsibility. He was supposed to be guarding her. And when he had
gone over to her cottage to tell her all about it, she had disappeared.
Did she realize she was in danger ? She must have. After all, didn't she
take off when something happened to her nosy neighbors ? Who was she
really, and what has she been doing all this time ?

His mouth began to cool down. Having pinned her against the wall, he now
stepped back , bent his knees, and scooped her up off of the floor. He
carried her into the living room and together they fell onto the couch. For
a long minute or so he did nothing but run his fingers through her hair,
saying nothing. He held her closer, kissing her neck just below the hairline.
When she turned to face him . . . .

. . .her face was radiant, her eyes magnetically focused on him. If he had
ever wanted to make love to any other woman more than he wanted to
make love to her right now, he didn't remember. She was beautiful.

A whooshing bang broke the silence, blowing a hole the size of a half-dollar
in the wall directly to the left of them. It was quickly followed by another.
Jonathan pushed Jennifer off the couch and onto the floor, where he threw
himself over her, telling her to stay down. More shots crashed all around
them, breaking furniture and structure. He pushed Jennifer into a small
space between the couch and the wall, then rolled over and began talking
into his cellphone. "Send backup. Now. Now goddamit, now."

Hours later he was still on the scene but Jennifer was long gone. She had
been secreted out of the area, driven to the airport, and flown to an
unknown destination by his backup team. Maybe later he'd find out where.
Right now he was concentrating on finding out just who was after her and
why.

In level five lingo, "exceptional" was used to describe persons with
extraordinary abilities, either realized or innate. In Jennifer's case it was a
combination of the two. She knew there was somthing special about
herself, knew it because of a long string of events that just proved her
intuition over and over again. She had a knack for guessing correctly. And
it was not just once in awhile, it was practically all of the time, "when she
was on ! ". Her special ability was known to interest certain individuals in
certain unsavory circles. This ability of hers had, after all, made her a very
rich woman.

Jonathan's job as a regulator had come about because too many state and
local lotteries had been compromised by illegal gambling syndicates. He
was "the cleaner". He went in and made sure that winners of the
lotteries were legitmate individuals, and not ringers for a corrupt few.
His job was hazardous at times but he enjoyed it immensely. The 'chance"
meeting with Jennifer had been his idea. He had heard through others at
work that Jenny was the real thing, an "exceptional" they called her. She
appeared to enter and win lotteries as if it was second nature. all legal and
all quite perplexing. So when he was ready for his vacation, Jonathan
decided to go spend some time with this gifted woman of lore. Looking
back on things now, he knew it had been one of his best decisions.

The rain beat harshly against the silo's windows as he looked out over
ocean swells and sudsy whitecaps, rushing to meet the shoreline. He
watched a seagull try to fly off with an oversized portion of kelp-ladened
food, only to have the wind blow it from its grasp. Over and over again the
seagull struggled to get a firm hold. Findly, realizing the strength of the
wind, it dove straight down, then out to sea, catching air currents as it
disappeared with wildly flapping wings.

He had heard nothing from her in weeks. Maybe he never would again.

Taken to a "safe" house, Jennifer had "escaped" in a mere two hours.
Outwitting her "protectors", she left them holding an empty bag. That was
weeks ago. They had not been able to find a trace of her anywhere.
Jonathan, disgusted, begged off the case, citing personal reasons.

He had come to like this "Lottery Lady". He took a long, slow sip of his wine
and listened inside his head to her laughter. When she laughed she made
everything right in the world. She most assuridly was special. He got up
and went to the stereo. Oh yeah, he had CDs, but he felt like vinyl tonight.
Frank Sinatra suddenly came on, singing "Fly Me To The Moon", and his
restlessness eased. He sat back down after refilling his wine glass, just
content to know that her free spirit was free. He leaned over and opened
the upper drawer of the night-table, removing a piece of paper with
writing on it. Setting the paper in his lap, he took another drink of wine,
and looked out over the harbor again. He wasn't sure, but he could swear
he saw whales swimming together in the rain. He lifted the paper from his
lap and sniffed it admiringly, remembering her clean, fresh fragrance.
Putting his head back and closing his eyes, he smiled to himself.
"Fly me to the Moon". "Fly me to the Moon".