On her way to the office, she stopped at the diner to get a buttered roll for herself and a donut for Mr. Bellows. She would have picked up something for Arlene, the receptionist, but Arlene was gluten-free and there were few diners in the area that didn’t specialize in high sugar and wheat content.

As she was paying the tab, the same woman gave her a knowing nod. It gave Tori a bit of the willies. Who was that woman and how did she know about her and her “cop” husband? In her excitement, and plans to get to the art center, she had almost forgotten about the foreboding message the woman gave her. “Thursday. Ringo’s.” Then she remembered he said he might go fishing on Thursday. What’s up with Thursday? She shook it off for now. She had bigger things on her mind today.

When she entered the office, Arlene gave her a big hello. “Hey, thought you weren’t coming in today.”

“Just wanted to check the mail,” Tori said confidently. “Is Mr. Bellows in? I brought him a donut. Sorry, they didn’t have any gluten-free goodies.”

“It’s OK. I bake my own.” Arlene raised her ugly-looking muffin to show Tori. “He’s not in yet,” she said, with a longing glance at the donut bag. “Sure wish I could eat one of those, though, but if I do, well, you know what happens.” Arlene pointed to her backside, referring to the gastrointestinal issues she experienced.

Tori smiled, thinking, Too much information, thank you. “I’ll leave it on his desk.” Tori walked into Robert Bellows’s office and placed the donut on top of a napkin so the grease wouldn’t get all over his desk blotter. Blotters were made to absorb ink, not necessarily an oily piece of fried dough. Tori looked around the office. It was as stereotypical as a lawyer’s office could be. Big Brayton Manor executive desk with a large brown leather chair, matching barrister bookcases and credenzas. Two club chairs sat in front of the desk and a settee was in front of the large bay window. A small round table was on one side with four chairs. It was almost a duplicate of George Layton’s with the exception of the window treatments, wall covering, and carpeting. Robert’s office had a green palette while George’s was deep burgundy. His wife wanted more warmth and did the decorating for her husband. It had remained that way since they opened the office thirty years before, but George hadn’t had the heart to make any changes after his wife passed away.

Both men had family photos, awards, and various memorabilia on their shelves. Robert’s were sports related, while George’s were family and historical, with a large old-world globe on a stand in the corner. But both offices were comfortable and gave the client a sense of safety and security.