“I’d love to but, Professor, we’ll be seen together.”

Ben was silent for a moment, then said, “It’s about time, Red.”

“Then come get me, farmer.”

When he dropped his phone in his pocket he felt young for the first time in years. He had a date that would probably last all night. She’d called him “farmer.” It felt like he was twenty-one again.

He dropped by the apartment to shower and change clothes. He arrived at her cabin early, so he walked to the water’s edge, thinking about the mud he’d seen on his steps. One question kept rolling around in his head. Why would the bomber pick that exact space to leave a bomb? If it was left last night, the bomber couldn’t have known that Ben would not come in late, or leave before dawn. Then what if he’d stepped on the bomb in the dark and it had been real? He might be dead right now.

Ben was a teacher. He wasn’t used to thinking about scenarios that ended up with him dead.

Logic told him the drop was just convenient, not intentional. The street was quiet, but people often walked past the pharmacy. Maybe the bomber had placed it to make a point. Maybe he wanted to scare the entire town.

Ben would try to find a few minutes at dinner to talk about his theory. Maybe the bomber was playing a game with those looking for him. He wasn’t wanting to frighten the community. His game was with the lawmen.

Ben was beginning to feel like the no-name rider in an Old West posse movie who gets shot out of his saddle by the bad guys. The hero never died, only the extras.

Another theory crossed his mind. What if the bomber had gotten the two bombs mixed up, and the one on the steps had been meant to go off and the one between the hospital doors had only been meant to frighten people? If so, Ben might have been the first casualty.

One more question haunted Ben. That hospital bomb must have gone off quickly because, otherwise, people would have spotted the pipe on their way in or out.

A few minutes later, when he saw Jenny, Ben forgot all about his worries. She wore a very modest black dress with just enough cleavage to make it interesting and a colorful shawl that brought out the blue in her eyes. He loved the way the dress showed off her curves.

He wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked, but he couldn’t find the words. He just smiled as his hand slid along her side, and that seemed to please her.

She was a woman who liked to be handled and he was addicted to touching her.

“How are your dad and mother doing?” she asked before he found words.