PART III - Chapter 6: "YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT HIM"

 

Chapter 6

“You Can Forget About Him”

(Ó 2010)

Logan arrived to his office at the Bank of Paris at his usual time of 8:30 AM, one half hour before normal business hours. However, he was a little more lethargic then from the day before, the result of the combined lack of sleep along now with the constant replay of his dreams of Lily playing repeatedly through his mind. He stopped at the Starbucks Coffee across the street before coming to his office, and this time he had an espresso shot along with his morning coffee, hoping that the caffeine could help him get through the morning.

 

It was now just a few minutes past ten, and he didn’t even begin any of his normal morning routines that his job as Security Chief required. He kept thinking of Lily and what she was telling him. He also thought that he felt that he was indeed back in their small flat back in Paris, her apartment that he moved into the day they were married. “I could even smell the aromas of the potpourris.” he thought.

He still was touching his silver bracelet. The idea that had come to him earlier that morning, that if they catch him, they would take it away from him, was still with him. That thought was beginning to turn into a fear. It also was becoming anger. “I’ll probably kill anyone who tries to take it.” He thought. She gave it to him; she did, on their second Christmas. She looked for this gift, she picked it out, and she even put it on him, remembering that morning - - -

- - - “Just marking my territory honey.” Lily said. “I’m always holding this arm when we walk,” - - -

- - - “Mr. Morrow?” - - -

 

- - - “and this is the arm that holds me when we sleep,” - - -

- - - “Mr. Morrow?” - - -

 

- - - “so this luv is just a way for me to always be here while I’m not around.” She said smiling. She then kissed him, “I love you hun, Merry Christmas.” - - -

 

- - - “Mr. Morrow!”

“What,” Logan said, coming out of his memory, “I am sorry, what is it?”

“Are you OK sir?” It was Josephine, his Executive Secretary. She was a woman of African decent in her late thirties. She was buxom and slightly heavy set. She was what she referred to herself as a BBBW, a big beautiful black woman. Standing next to her was younger woman; she was also of African decent and was light skinned. She was slender, very pretty, with lighter hair that grew past her shoulders, and very noticeable green eyes.

“Yes, Josephine, I am sorry,” Logan answered, the young girl immediately noticed his French accent, “I have had for the past couple of nights … what is it you call it … that condition where you can not sleep?”

“Insomnia?” Josephine answered.

“Oui, yes, that is it,” Logan said, pointing his finger at her for giving him the right word, “the insomnia.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Josephine said stepping aside to let the young girl come just inside the doorway of his office, “I just want to introduce you to our new employee, this is Veronica, Veronica Jefferson. She’s going to starting with us today.”

Logan stood up and stepped up to the young woman. She was trying not to stare at Logan, but she couldn’t help from noticing his height, his broad shoulders and narrow hips. She could even see his biceps under his long sleeved shirt. He extended his hand to her and was amazed of how gently he took her hand in his as if trying not to hurt her.

“Very pleased to meet you mademoiselle.” He said to her in his greeting.

“Thank you very much,” Veronica sighed, as she savored the sound of his gentle voice, “I’m very happy to be working here.”

“Mr. Morrow is in charge of our security here.” Josephine told her. “Veronica just graduated from Roosevelt University with a business degree in international finance.”

Logan raised his eyebrows in approval. “Very good, impressive.” He said and then asked her, “Do you speak French?”

“I just enrolled in classes, and I have some self study programs that I do in my spare time.” She answered.

 

“That is going to come in very handy around here, I am sure you will do very well.” He said as he released her hand.

Josephine then said, “I’m taking her around this morning to meet everyone and so that she can learn her way around.”

“Well then by all means continue, do not let me keep you,” Logan said and looked at Veronica, “welcome aboard as they say, and good luck to you.”

“Thank you sir,” she said smiling up at him, “it was very nice to meet you.”

 

 

“A pleasure to meet you mademoiselle, now if you will excuse me, I have to start with my work sometime this morning.” he said, and then gave a little yawn. “I am sorry, please excuse me.”

“Come on Veronica, there’s some more people you need to meet.” Josephine said and guided her out of the office where she took a few steps down the hallway and stopped. Josephine remained at the doorway for a moment. “You all right Logan?” she asked him.

“Yes, yes thank you,” he said, “it has only been happening for the past two nights.”

“Maybe you should try and leave a little early and just go home and try and sleep. “

“I think that is what I shall do,” Logan said, “thank you Josephine.”

 

 

Josephine then left Logan in his office and joined Veronica down the hall. Logan went back to his desk and sat back down in his chair. On his desk in a small brass folding frame was the same picture of Lily that was in his apartment. In the frame adjoined to it was another picture of her, sitting at table on a front porch of a house. Logan felt something warm pass through him as he stared at it. He then began to touch the silver bracelet on his wrist again. 

 

Unbeknownst to him, he was now the topic of conversation between Josephine and Veronica as they continued to walk down the hall. Veronica looked over her shoulder to make sure they both were a good distance away from Logan’s office before she made her comment. “My God,” she whispered, “now he’s hot; and can you get enough of that accent?”

 

Josephine looked at her with a smirk and half shut eyes, “Girl, - - - you can forget about him,” she said in a matter of fact tone and with a raised index finger, “first of all, he’s old enough to be your daddy.”

 

"That kind of daddy I’ll take,” she giggled, “why how old is he?”

 

 

“He’s fifty.”

 

 

“Fifty!” She said astonished and looked back in the direction of Logan‘s office. “Why I thought he was like thirty eight or something.” Then she asked in a disappointed tone, “He’s married, right?”

 

 

 “No, Logan’s not married,” Josephine answered, as they both continued their walk down the hallway, “not anymore.”

 

 

“Divorced and with a girlfriend then right?” Veronica asked.

 

 

“No, not that either.”

 

“Engaged to be married again?” she asked.

“No.” Josephine answered bluntly.

 

Veronica then stopped, and her mouth dropped open a little, “Oh please,” she said, “please, don’t tell me that he’s gay.”

 

Josephine gave out a little laugh and said, “No, no girl, nothing like that either,” and she stopped to looked at her directly, “Logan is a widower.”

 

Veronica gasped, “Oh, I’m so sorry; I wasn’t even thinking that, I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t fret none,” Josephine said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “he told me about it over five years ago. He was already here for a couple of years then. We were having a Christmas party, and I noticed that he wasn’t dating anyone. I was going to fix him up with one of my girlfriends for the party, I always saw him by himself. He told me that while he appreciated my concern, that he could never be involved with another woman again.”

 

 

Veronica looked puzzled. “Did he tell you how his wife died?” she asked quietly.

“Yes … he did,” Josephine sighed, “she was murdered.”

 

“What?” Veronica gasped.

 

“Yes, you see Logan was with the French National Police back in France. He was in the special unit that dealt with organized crime and narcotics. He told me that he was very good at what he did … and that’s why she was killed.”

 

“I don’t understand,” Veronica said, she was a captive audience now to Josephine’s tale.

 

“Logan told me his work was making things extremely difficult for organized crime, you know, all the different mobs they have in France and Europe. He was like undercover; his boss there made him a like ’secret weapon’. It came to a point where there was like a reward put out to find out who he was. They went so far as to have someone join the police department there to spy and find out who he was.”

 

“Unbelievable.” Veronica said in amazement.

 

“I thought so too, but I found out through the higher ups here that it’s all true.” Josephine continued, “Anyway they found out about him, a few attempts were even made on his life. He never told his wife about that, the fact that he always came out unharmed, and the hit men were jailed, helped him to keep it from her.”

 

Veronica just looked at Josephine, waiting for her to continue.

 

 

"Anyway, Logan told me that the mobs finally figured out that if they couldn’t kill him, they could destroy him. Two guys from an Albanian mob, who were looking for some ‘juice’, some stature in the mob, found out where Logan’s wife worked, it was some hair salon in Paris. The two guys waited for her to leave the salon, or something like that. The two guys pushed her into an alley not to far from the salon, they stabbed her twice in the chest.’

 

 

Veronica was silent for a second, placed both her hands in front of her lips and whispered, “Oh my God.”

 

“I can still see him as he was telling me about this,” Josephine said and tears started to well in her eyes, “I still see him telling me that she was ‘just a coiffeur,’ and he was making a scissors like motion with his fingers, to let me know that he meant a hairdresser. Him sitting there telling me that she had never ever hurt anyone, or anything in her life. It still chokes me up.” As she finished she wiped the tears from her eyes.

 

Now Veronica herself had tears in her eyes. “So then what happened?” She asked.

“He told me that they accomplished what they wanted to do. They destroyed him, and he couldn’t do his job anymore. He was offered his position that he has now a year before his wife was murdered, so he quit the police and came here.” Josephine explained, “He blames himself for her death, he said that if he had took this job before, she would be alive today.”

 

Veronica nodded ‘no’ back and fourth, “The poor man.” Was all she could say.

 

Josephine gathered herself back and then said, “If you’re ever in his office, you’ll see a small picture of her on his desk, she was very beautiful. He told me that she was the love of his life, and that she can never be replaced. He told me that it wouldn’t be fair to another woman, that any other woman would always be number two. It’s been seven years now, and I know he’s still by himself.”

 

“He loved her very much,” Veronica said.

 

“Extremely, and she was.” Josephine said, “She was the love of his life I mean. She was.”

 

Veronica seemed to be on the verge of bursting into tears. With that Josephine said, “Come on girl, let’s stop all this and get back to business.”
 

* * *

Meanwhile Logan, back in his office, was still sitting at his desk looking at Lily’s picture and touching his bracelet. The thought of having the bracelet being taken from him, if he were to be caught, was becoming more and more frightening to him, he was starting to get even somewhat paranoid.

  

Then, something new came into his thoughts, and the thought of it was even more frightening to him. The thought scared him so much that it even made him stand up straight to start to pace the room, and all the feelings of physical fatigue left him. He felt a surge of adrenaline flow into him and now he was wide-awake. The thought, the idea now adhered itself into his thoughts and it even made him shake a little.

“If they catch me,” he whispered very quietly to himself, “if they catch me … I will never be buried next to her.”