1.
Drugs are my life. As a pharmacist for 20 years, I thought I had seen everything there was to see. On Tuesday night, October 27, 1998, I found, to my delight and surprise, that I was wrong.
It was two o'clock in the afternoon, and I had given my deliveryman the rest of the day off to go to a Halloween play in which his little girl was to sing. Although I had never heard of a Halloween play or Halloween songs, I didn't question Frank's intentions. He had worked for me for nine years and was of strong character. A little short on brainpower, he more than made up for his slow wit through trustworthiness, and he was as reliable as the sunrise.
He was a single parent and I was eager to please him by granting him a few hours off work. I figured I could make a few deliveries myself on the way home.
Kate Raymond was a great customer. She had severe back problems resulting in two major surgeries in the last two years. She had to take a wide range of pain medication to help her recover from her most recent surgery in January. I had noticed by her records that her physician had gradually reduced the dosages and she was taking about half the medication she took right after the surgery. She never asked for special treatment, although I would have jumped at the chance to provide it.
Kate was a widow in her early forties. She was a five-foot tall blonde with a face and build that simply gripped my attention every time I saw her. I suppose she noticed my furtive glances, but she didn't return them. Her husband had died about a year ago in a skydiving accident. Although I wanted to pursue her, I thought she would return my interest with a little flirting when and if she was ready.
She called me at 4:00 to refill a prescription and needed it delivered that evening. I told her I would be happy to deliver it myself at about 7 p.m., the last stop before home. I could tell when her voice softened a little that she was glad I would be coming by.
I closed shop at six and made three deliveries. At 7:00, I knocked on Kate's door and prepared to make my last delivery. Kate answered the door quickly.
"Hi, Steve" she cooed in a voice so mellow I thought I could feel it flowing into my ears. She was dressed in a silk blouse and a dark skirt cut just above the knees. I could see that the skirt had a slit up to mid-thigh. She wore dark nylons and moderate heels. She looked outstanding.
Kate had a wireless telephone at her ear and asked me "Can you please wait a minute? This is an important call I've been awaiting for three days! The liquor cabinet is right there. Just help yourself and relax on the patio for a few minutes, OK?"
She turned and confidently walked down the hall and turned left, out of sight, continuing her conversation, not waiting for my answer. She knew she didn't have to wait for one.
Accompanied by her husband, we had met socially at parties and business meetings through the years. She knew I liked Bushmill's Irish Whiskey, neat. I wasn't surprised when I opened the liquor cabinet and there was a full bottle and a cocktail glass, easily within reach. I gladly poured myself a short shot, closed the cabinet and looked about.
Her one-story home was neat, clean and very classy. Strauss chandeliers adorned the living and dining rooms. The fireplace was glowing and I could smell rich incense, probably jasmine, burning on the mantelpiece. The carpet was white with red insets and the furniture was brass and glass. The liquor cabinet was in a large oak wall unit that held her stereo system and television. I was surrounded by the soulful sound of classic Aretha Franklin pumping from several directions.
On the other side of the living room, I could see the wide patio door, slid open with the screen closed. I strolled out onto the wide patio. It was bordered on the back by a low masonry wall topped by bricks. The property dropped downhill on the other side of the wall to a drainage channel. Below were neighboring houses, obscured by trees and gardens. It was peaceful and the sun had just set. The sky was clear and I could see stars twinkling between the slats of the massive ramada overhead. I took a sip of whiskey and felt it flow to my stomach and spread comfortably through my abdomen and chest. I sat in a nearby patio chair and wondered what lay in store for the evening.
2.
I had left open the vertical blinds in front of the sliding glass door between the patio and bedroom, giving a clear, unobstructed view from the patio chair I had left purposely in perfect viewing position, about ten feet from the door. I kept chatting on the telephone, although all I could hear was a dial tone. I had come to the moment of truth. My stomach tumbled and I was shaking a little, but a four-ounce vodka martini I had just finished gave me the courage I needed to continue the drama. I already had all the confidence I needed.
I had arranged it all. It was my show. I was the director, producer and star. I had called Frank Warren a week ago and asked him to take the afternoon off today. I offered him $50 for the favor and told him to make up a reason. Frank said he would do the favor out of friendship, but would not take my money. Frank said I had tipped him very generously and that it was the least he could do. He didn't ask for an explanation, nor do I think he really cared. It would give him a good excuse to catch up on daytime television.
Frank and I went way back, long before he worked at Steve Silver's Pharmacy. I first met him 15 years ago. I was selling premium cable TV packages, door-to-door, and Frank was a TV freak. He had heard the local cable system was expanding their system and couldn't wait to snap-up two dozen channels. His delivery job at Silver's was a perfect fit for him and, because of my health problems, we saw each other now and again when he delivered my prescriptions.
Although I felt good, I knew I still needed drugs to feel human. I kept reasonably fit and watched my weight. I missed my husband Jim terribly. I had gotten used to living alone since his death last year, but the surgery and recovery were very difficult without his constant support and attention. I was just to the point of recovery where I could bend and turn a little.