Day two and I'm not dead.

Breakfast was a surprise, Liz was up before Leigh and I, she had made pancakes and had the table laid, coffee ready when I walked in the kitchen. Leigh was sitting, with a mouthful of food, she gave me a cheeky grin and rolled her eye's but it was obvious she wasn't displeased with the situation.

“Good morning Mike.”

“Morning Elizabeth.” She placed a plate in front of me. “Help yourself honey, while they're hot.”

Leigh was looking at me like a gomel, one eye closed and her mouth stuffed full. I couldn't help myself I burst out laughing, and she being happy with that opened her mouth enough for me to see the shit stuck in her mouth and between her teeth as she smiled.

Liz turned round expectant that she would be able to share in the joke, sooo... so I pointed at Leigh's face and yeah slowly a smile crept onto Liz's face, it was a nervous smile, but a smile all the same.

And then it wasn't, then it was tears, she looked away from us both, hid her face in her hands and ran from the room. I looked at Leigh. She'd stopped acting the fool, still hadn't swallowed her food though. She looked at me staring at her,“Vot? Vot bid I dobe?” Aayeah! Kid's!

We sat eating, soberly finishing, cleaning up what we could before disappearing in our different directions. I was just about to leave the house when my phone rang, it was Ginia, “Morning sweetheart did you sleep okay.”

“Thanks I did M, have you heard the news?”

“No, I haven't.”

“Look I'm a bit late, but you better take a listen.”

“I'm off now, I'll try the car radio.”

“Okay Mike, you want to do lunch?”

“Yep, If you've got nothing on, Glassey's? at 12:15, suit you?”

“K, see ya then, luv ya.”

I felt nothing after hearing the news, just nothing, I wasn't elated, I wasn't sad, far as I was concerned, he'd get what he got when he did what he done, checkmate motherfucker. That I didn't do it worried me not an inch, if I'd been involved I had no doubt my ass would be in jail right this minute, I thought about sending an anonymous thank you card to Joe at Night moves but decided it would probably be a bit of a problem if the cops found out about it. A phone call later in the morning cancelled out the need to send anything to Joe, “Is that Michael, Joe here Mike, we met last night at my bar with your companion, Virgina, was it Ginia you called her?”

“Yes Joe, it was. You've got me at a disadvantage Joe, how did....”

“I get your number, is that the question Mike? I'll assume it is, well Mike, it was purely by chance that your wife's cell number was listed on a phone here at the club, let's say there was the matter of some delicate information associated with her name, the information according to the call history had this number you are talking to me on as the cell that the information was forwarded to yesterday afternoon Mike. I was sure you and your good lady wouldn't want this information to get in to the wrong hands so to speak. Still with me Mike.”

“Yes Joe.”

“So not knowing who your good lady was, I was able to locate a source that was more than reliable to provide a last name and a work place, of course after a quick check of the College website provided photo's of Yourself and your wife, Elizabeth. Imagine my surprise that I'd been talking to the very gentleman no more than twelve hours previously piqued my curiosity. Now Mike, given the circumstances that have arisen since we were at the club last night, I'm assuming you've heard the unfortunate bad luck that befell one of my barmen, Benjamin?”

“Yes Joe you assume right.”

“Fine Mike, let me suggest to you that the delicate information we both have regarding intertwined and overlapping shall we call them 'interest's' put us both in a predicament wouldn't you say, Mike?”

“Yes they do Joe, I get the gist that maybe we should meet and decide if we can nut out an arrangement to safe guard both lots of information getting into the wrong hands?”

“In a nutshell, Michael, yes exactly.”

“Then tell me Joe, give me a time.”

“I suspect you know the City Public library and if you do you know it has a quiet unobtrusive coffee shop attached where the seating and the visuals are such that a conversation can be carried out without being disturbed, overheard or observed easily, and also that it would not be unheard of for you to frequent. Mike I'd suggest ten thirty.”

“Ten-thirty, public library, done.”