Honeymoon

Chapter 35

OFF HE WENT.

Nora knew she couldn’t follow too closely. He was familiar with her car, and the fact that it was bright red didn’t help matters. What a shame Mercedes doesn’t make a camouflage-green convertible.

VILLAGE OF BRIARCLIFF MANOR INC. 1902

Even before she saw the sign, Nora had figured out that Craig was headed for the center of town. Lucky for her. After dealing with a couple of stop signs and merging traffic from Route 9A, she could barely keep him in sight. Had he been driving anywhere else but this peaceful burg, she probably would’ve lost him.

She was familiar with the small town, having been there several times with Connor. It was a mix of working class and chic, new money and no money. Rustic lantern posts dotted the main drag amid banks and specialty shops. Bluehairs shared the sidewalk with young supermoms pushing the latest and greatest in baby strollers. Amalfi’s, an Italian restaurant that Connor adored, was bustling with lunchtime business.

Again, Nora thought she’d lost Craig.

She sighed with relief when she caught a glimpse of his black Beemer making a left turn far ahead. By the time she followed, he was already parked and stepping onto the curb.

She immediately pulled over and watched as he disappeared into a brick building. His office, she assumed.

Slowly she drove by. Sure enough, there was a sign above the second-floor windows. CENTENNIAL ONE LIFE INSURANCE, it read.

Well, that’s a good sign, so to speak.

Nora doubled around and parked about forty yards up from the entrance. So far, so good. Craig Reynolds seemed to be who he said he was. But she wasn’t satisfied yet. Something told her there was more to him than met the eye.

She settled in for the wait, staring at the building, a two-story, nondescript rectangle. Certainly nothing flashy about it. She wasn’t even sure if the bricks were real. They looked kind of phony, like that facing technique she’d seen on TV.

The wait didn’t last long. Less than twenty minutes later, Craig walked out of the building and got back into his car. Nora straightened up in her seat and waited for him to pull away from the curb.

Where to now, Insurance Man? Wherever it is, you have company.