Читать книгу Triple Double - James Lewis - Страница 11

*****

On the other side of the parking lot, hidden among the few cars that were weathering the cold, another member of the posse was closing their car door and starting the car. Detective Terry Hollander was casing the parking lot, waiting for the heater to work. He was suspicious of everyone. Terry had come out of the Army after four years of OJT with the military police. Terry had met his future wife in Germany while stationed there. Gretta was magnificent. Athletic, blond, and gorgeous, she loved Terry for his manners, chiseled face, and stability. Struggling through unhappy teen years, she was a product of a broken home. Her dad was away on business for weeks at a time. Her mother had turned alcoholic, bringing many boyfriends home in his absences. Gretta learned, at a young age, to stay in her room or over at a friend’s house while Dad was away. Terry Hollander was just what she was looking for in her eighteenth year. He was her rock. When the letter arrived from America, Gretta’s pulse had quickened. It had been almost a month since he mustered out of the military. The plane ticket fell out first: a plane ticket to Spokane, Washington. The Spokane that her lover and best friend had described so many times. Just a few words were written on the note: “Please marry me. I love you. Terry.”

Only Gretta’s dad and two closest girlfriends attended the wedding in America. But the church was full. Dozens upon dozens of Hollander’s family and friends were present. Gretta was a hit—graceful, beautiful, and commanding a broken English pattern of speech that enchanted her to everyone. She was blessed with caring friends and a father that loved her. Gretta and Mike Gwen’s wife, Debbie, were inseparable. For Gretta, the goodbyes would be exceptionally hard. When she first met Debbie and Mike, she was alone while Terry worked. Debbie Gwen had introduced her to many people and a busy schedule of local clubs and organizations that filled her days. Pondering the Gwens’ departure, Gretta thought, “I’m losing one of my best friends. With the internet and Skype, I’ll still be able to show Tammy my bump.” A few short weeks after Debbie and Mike departed for California, Terry was given the news by Gretta. Their “passion in the woods” on the way home from the Gwens’ anniversary party nine weeks earlier would soon add a new member to their budding family.