{"id":799,"date":"2016-04-14T12:14:08","date_gmt":"2016-04-14T12:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zatma.org\/new-wp\/?p=799"},"modified":"2016-04-14T12:15:40","modified_gmt":"2016-04-14T12:15:40","slug":"the-crossword-puzzle-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/?p=799","title":{"rendered":"The Crossword Puzzle (#3)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Ming<\/dt>\n
Ming Zhen Shakya<\/a><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\u00a0To see more literature about Zen and the Art of Investigation:<\/h6>\n
http:\/\/www.zenanthonywolff.com<\/a><\/strong><\/i><\/h5>\n
<\/h6>\n
\n

The Crossword Puzzle<\/h2>\n

by Anthony Wolff (Ming Zhen Shakya)<\/strong><\/p>\n

To see all published chapters of “The Crossword Puzzle” click here<\/a><\/p>\n

Part 3 – LEGAL ADVICE OBTAINED & A FLY IN THE SOUP<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nola sat on a bed in a motel room, crying in humiliation and trying to understand what had just happened.\u00a0 Thought requires a mood and the distraught emotions she felt did not conduce to it. Exhausted, she finally retreated into her religion; and resorting to years of training got herself into deep meditation. There is a condition that is worse than guilt and that is wishful-guilt.\u00a0 Nola had never slept with Spence, but she had wanted to; the accusations, therefore, were true in thought if not in deed.<\/p>\n

In Zen there is a principle based on the Lex Talionis that the Bible and\u00a0 Karl Menninger disclosed to the world: the law of like punishment.\u00a0 In his clinical experience Menninger observed that there were rules that the conscience followed.\u00a0 The most surprising one was that a person\u2019s ego suffered in direct proportion to the sin or ill fortune it wished would happen to someone else. The instinct to destroy stays inside the ego and ultimately connives to harm the ego with some kind of self-caused adversity that was akin to the ill wish it had against someone else. This he regarded as a form of the Lex Talionis, the law that makes the punishment equal to the crime. It extends to thoughts as well as deeds. The punishment may bear no obvious relation to the \u201ccrime.\u201d\u00a0 We easily forget that we have harshly considered someone\u2019s conduct as sinful or were unkind to someone in our home or workplace; but oddly, though we may have driven a section of the freeway a thousand times, keeping within the posted limits, we suddenly find ourselves accelerating through an area and getting stopped by the police.\u00a0 We may have stepped over the edge of a carpet a thousand times, but suddenly one day it becomes an obstacle that causes us to stumble and fall. We may also become inexplicably ill. Yes, there may be other reasons for our adversity, but they do not easily lend themselves to differentiation. However much we may have cheated or secretly sought harm to come to someone, we don\u2019t connect the events.\u00a0 This, explains Menninger, is the self-destructive act that has followed our act or wish that someone would make a mistake or get sick or injured. The law also bears a resemblance to the doctrine of Karma.<\/p>\n

There was no doubt that Nola had mocked her sister and had secret;y wished that something would happen to provoke a divorce between Paige and Spence.\u00a0 She wanted him for herself; and this could only mean – regardless of Paige\u2019s scandalous conduct – that it would cause her sister\u2019s unhappiness.<\/p>\n

Guilt, professional as well as sisterly, had to be dealt with; and this required some rather difficult Zen cogitation. Nola was torn between being innocent of illicit behavior and knowing that she wanted to commit it; and further, that although she and Spencer had been misquoted, they had, in fact, laughed at Paige\u2019s expense.\u00a0 She had accomplished what she had been hired to do – help to restore Spencer\u2019s health.\u00a0 There really was no reason for her to stay on at her sister\u2019s house – certainly creating\u00a0crossword\u00a0puzzles\u00a0was not within her nursing duties.\u00a0 She should have made arrangements to leave the residence weeks before and not waited to be thrown out simply because she wanted to be near a patient to whom she felt attracted.\u00a0 It was a problem that only a Zen adept could even begin to examine and that only a saint could completely solve.\u00a0 Nola was no saint but she did proceed accordingly to accept her responsibility in the debacle. She had reached the guilty stage, which, she knew, that Zen or no Zen, would precede a resentful phase and a desire to distance herself from the entire problem.\u00a0 In short, to flee from it. \u00a0 Alaska entered her mind.\u00a0 She had always wanted to see it. She knew that she should have persisted in her Zen program, but she was exhausted and could not concentrate.<\/p>\n

She lay back on her bed and grieved the two things that still remained unresolved: Spencer\u2019s failure to defend her morally and her exclusion as co-author of the\u00a0crossword\u00a0puzzle\u00a0series, which had begun to be a regular Sunday feature in the local newspaper.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, well,\u201d she said, unable to think constructively by so much self-examination, \u201cSpence is still coming back from a serious disease.\u00a0 Let\u2019s not expect too much gallantry from him.\u201d\u00a0 She went into the shower, hoping that the water would help to wash away the last vestiges of the disagreeable experience.<\/p>\n

As she closed the drapes against the outside world\u2019s darkness, she decided to lay on her bed and chant quietly until she fell asleep, but before she could finish the first chant, she slipped into a fitful sleep.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the morning a strange irritation – not one normally associated with low blood sugar or the unexpected announcement of bad news – seized her, and her nerves sizzled inside her like so many lit fuses.\u00a0 How had she become the victim of such injustice?\u00a0 She had left a good job to come and live with her sister.\u00a0 Through her professional care, her patient had regained his health.\u00a0 Was she to be terminated as an incompetent servant?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 She showered and as her hair dried, she looked under \u201cAttorneys at law\u201d in the Yellow Pages of the slim phone directory and saw that there was a law office less than a block away that had hours on Saturday.\u00a0 And, it was near a coffee shop.<\/p>\n

She walked to the coffee shop, had a muffin and coffee for breakfast, and then headed for the lawyer\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

It was a shabby store-front office and she almost decided not to enter when she reminded herself that she only wanted to ask if she had a case against Paige for such an undeserved dismissal.\u00a0 Painted on the door were the flaking letters that spelled Graham Corbin, Esq.\u00a0 Were it any day but Saturday, she would not have entered.<\/p>\n

Inside, sitting at a battered receptionist\u2019s desk, she encountered a man of about forty, wearing denim shirt and pants and hiking boots which he casually propped on the only visitor\u2019s chair in the small room.\u00a0 He looked up and said, \u201cCome in. Graham\u2019s with a client.\u00a0 I\u2019m Ellis Foyle, his gumshoe… you know…\u00a0 his private investigator.\u201d\u00a0 He took his feet off the chair and wiped the seat cushion.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s clean.\u00a0 You can make yourself comfortable while you wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nola pulled the chair to the front of the desk.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t have an appointment.\u201d\u00a0 She sat down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell from the way your eyebrows are trying to touch each other that you\u2019ve got a problem.\u00a0 I\u2019m covered by the laws of agency. I work exclusively for Graham.\u00a0 Anything you tell me is confidential.\u00a0 What\u2019s your problem?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need a private investigator, and Mr. Corbin is not my attorney so there is no privileged communication.\u00a0 I was only hoping to get some legal advice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a licensed attorney, too; but I don\u2019t like practicing law.\u00a0 I prefer to be Paul Drake to Perry Mason, if you know what I mean.\u00a0 I like the excitement of the chase not the roasting of the venison.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nola stood up.\u00a0 \u201cJust the same, I think I\u2019ll wait until Mr. Corbin is free.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell you that you may not be given interview time until Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I\u2019ll call and make an appointment for Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Ellis Foyle said emphatically.\u00a0 \u201cIf you wait until Monday, everything will seem to be all right again.\u00a0 You\u2019ll feel that you can cope with the problem and make some kind of half-assed decision and leave town.\u00a0 But you\u2019ll take the problem with you.\u00a0 It won\u2019t go away.\u00a0 So tell me now what the trouble is while you\u2019re still steeped in the emotion of it;\u201d and, he added, \u201dgive me a penny for my thoughts and to make our relationship legal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nola searched the bottom of her purse for a coin until she found a quarter.\u00a0 She placed it on Ellis\u2019s desk and then blurted out, \u201cThis is crazy,\u201d and for a reason she would never be able to articulate, she sat down and burst out crying. In painful detail – which included her own culpability in the problem – she gave a complete history of the situation to Ellis Foyle.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s restate it as this,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou left a good job because your sister Paige literally begged you to come.\u00a0 You\u2019ve disposed of your possessions because she assured you that you could use her furniture and appliances. Now you\u2019ve no place to go.\u00a0 If you leave you won\u2019t have a job and you can hardly expect glowing references from them.\u00a0 You did not have a sexual relationship with your employer so if anyone says that you have, they are adding slanderous insult to your injury.\u00a0 This is your professional reputation we\u2019re talking about… a reputation you are obliged to protect.\u00a0 You cannot afford to be dismissed like a thieving, oversexed servant. \u00a0 You\u2019ve worked all day, been on call all night – even weekends – and the proof of your efforts is in Spencer\u2019s obvious recovery. Everyone in town knows how close to death he was. When you next talk to your sister, tell her that you have been unjustly treated.\u00a0 She isn\u2019t going to get rid of you that easily.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nola wiped her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI wish I wrote this all down,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry.\u00a0 You\u2019ll recall the points because they\u2019re true and you don\u2019t have to worry about deviating from or omitting anything.\u00a0 Oh…\u00a0 for your trouble demand an increase in salary if you return.\u00a0 Also demand punitive remuneration.\u00a0 And insist on getting your share of the credit for the\u00a0crossword\u00a0puzzles\u00a0which, as it happens, I do and like very much, particularly the theme aspect. \u00a0 And if things don\u2019t work out this way, I know lots of medical people who would gladly give you a nursing position.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you think it will be so easy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to school with Spence.\u00a0 He may have gotten twenty years older, but otherwise he hasn\u2019t changed. I know Paige, too.\u00a0 Around here, who doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd suppose she says, \u201c\u2018Sue me!\u201d\u00a0 Then what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that is the reason why you should stay on here to threaten them, but I don\u2019t advise you to sue.\u00a0 That can be only a lose-lose situation for you.\u00a0 First of all, you\u2019re not technically a tenant.\u00a0 Eviction laws don\u2019t apply.\u00a0 So you\u2019ll be asking for slander\u2019s big money.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have much in the way of damages to show. More importantly, what you need to remember is that Paige has no money and anything you\u2019d get in settlement would be Spence\u2019s money.\u00a0 Now think about it.\u00a0 If he tells the truth, that you never had sexual relations with him, he loses the case and a big chunk of his money.\u00a0 If he lies and says he did have sexual relations with you, your reputation is ruined and he has given Paige the right to increase an alimony demand.\u00a0 I know Spence and despite all this, he will lie.\u00a0 It will make him seem like a macho man since, as everybody in town knows, Paige screws anything that ain\u2019t nailed down, as we say.\u00a0 You will restore his manly honor.\u00a0 And don\u2019t think he regards perjury as perjury.\u00a0 No. No.\u00a0 Spence comes from an old aristocratic family and unless he\u2019s tried by his peers, to him it doesn\u2019t count.\u00a0 He\u2019s expected to lie in such an over-reaching peasant assembly, a comical version of a court to him.\u00a0 He may not yet have shown you this side of his nature.\u00a0 He\u2019s been too busy coming back from the dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd when do you expect all this drama to occur?\u00a0 Next week?\u00a0 Next month?\u00a0 I\u2019d like to go back to work sooner than later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellis Foyle stood up.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll make a deal with you.\u00a0 They know it was through your skill that he regained his health.\u00a0 They know it is through your contributions to the\u00a0crossword\u00a0puzzles\u00a0that have made them so popular. Paige will call you and apologize.\u00a0 Here\u2019s my deal.\u00a0 I\u2019ll give her one week. If she doesn\u2019t call by next Saturday, I\u2019ll pay for your entire motel bill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nola laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou are crazy.\u00a0 A lumberjack with a law degree.\u00a0 A social peer of Spencer Morton Ghent who derides his own class. Ok.\u00a0 I\u2019ll pull myself together and see about moving to Alaska which is one of those impetuous moves you think will get me nowhere. And I\u2019ll try to rest and put faith in your judgment.\u00a0 My Buddha Self led me here.\u00a0 Surely, there\u2019s a reason for that.\u201d\u00a0 She paused, \u201cHow much do I owe you, Brother Foyle?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNext week when we\u2019re discussing how much you should require in a lump sum from them to return to your position there… discussing this at lunch time, wherever I take you, you will have paid me in full.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nola laughed at him as she left the building and returned to her motel room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The week passed quickly.\u00a0 Nola had forgotten that she had lent her bib-like Zen rakusu to a friend in Philadelphia along with her cushion and mat.\u00a0 She went to a fabric shop and bought enough material to make a rakusu completely by hand (as it is supposed to be done) and also a kapok filled cushion and foam-rubber sheet to cover as a mat.\u00a0 She watched television and washed, repaired, and ironed all her old nursing uniforms.\u00a0 She also laundered and starched all her old nursing caps. \u00a0 She bought new white shoes and white panty-hose.\u00a0 She checked the want-ads for nurses, but, as expected, the hospitals used employment agencies to get their new employees.<\/p>\n

It was on a windy Saturday morning that Nola – not knowing whether or not the lunch bet was still good – exited the bathroom wearing only a bathrobe and a towel turban and lay upon the bed.<\/p>\n

As she considered her options, Paige called, begging to be forgiven and blaming an unladylike tendency to listen to the servants\u2019 gossip which, she later learned, had been modified to cause her even more pain. As far as Spencer was concerned, he had become incommunicado – only Hines, the male secretary she had just hired, gained access to him and they spent most of their time in the master\u2019s bedroom. \u00a0 \u201cIf that\u2019s the way he wants to be, fine.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to kiss his ass. On one hand he seems indispensable to Spence but on the other, judging from remarks made by Hines Spencer regards him as a fly in the soup.\u00a0 It\u2019s all for my discomfort, I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, Nola vehemently denied that she had had any sexual relations with Spencer and thanked her sister for having taken the trouble to call.\u00a0 \u201cI should tell you,\u201d she added, \u201cthat I have consulted an attorney.\u201d There was a pause in the conversation and Nola assumed that it was over and wished Paige good luck and said that she\u2019d be in touch to let her know the address where she could send her W2 form for income tax purposes. Since Paige did not immediately respond, Nola disconnected the call.\u00a0 Much relieved, she lay back on her bed and grieved the two things that still remained unresolved: Spencer\u2019s failure to defend her and her exclusion as co-author of the\u00a0crossword\u00a0puzzles. Thirty minutes later, a knock at the door roused her.\u00a0 It was a tearful Paige who had come, determined to confess the true state of her marital affairs.<\/p>\n

The two women sat on the bed, and, as a transfixed Nola listened, Paige launched a confession which began with Jules\u2019 playful distortion of the comments and went on to Spencer\u2019s refusal to meet her ever increasing sexual needs – which, she mentioned, had become sort of masochistic in the last few years or so – and which she recommended that Nola try before condemning what she couldn\u2019t understand.\u00a0 She invited Nola to attend a friend\u2019s \u201cswinging\u201d style of party life which was far more exciting, she assured Nola, than Nola could possibly imagine.\u00a0 She finally ended by explaining that her own jittery nerves caused her outburst – since she had been late with her period but, \u201cThank God,\u201d it had finally arrived, saving all those \u201cnasty trips to the abortion doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nola, literally wide eyed and open mouthed, offered no comment; and Paige concluded her astonishing remarks with a plea that Nola return to the house.\u00a0 Spencer, who was not only experiencing diarrhea again, demanded that she do whatever it took to bring Nola back.\u00a0 But more, she had need of someone she could trust – things were getting so complicated at home that she needed a sounding-board for her decisions.\u00a0 Spencer had mentioned returning to Zen and she would even try to give that religious business some attention.\u00a0 Also, she would increase Nola\u2019s salary and make sure that she would have more time for herself and her own \u201cneeds.\u201d Lastly, she apologized for Spencer\u2019s attitude towards ownership of the house. \u201cPrimogeniture is some dynastic thing with him.\u00a0 We joke about his aristocratic pretensions.\u00a0 Jules will call himself, \u2018The Lord Chamberlain.\u2019 and someone told Eggie that the word \u2018cook\u2019 is a blending of two words, \u2018bend\u2019 and \u2018stoop.\u2019 So she refers to herself as the \u2018Royal bender and stooper,\u2019 and always clarifies the double entendre title as \u2018in the kitchen, that is.\u2019 \u00a0 And Gladys… the poor girl who was jealous – if you could believe that – about my fun with Gregor since she\u2019s got quite a crush on him – but who doesn\u2019t? –\u00a0 never knew if she should be a \u2018scullery maid\u2019 or \u2018Maid in Waiting.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I\u2019m the Royal Physician\u2019s Assistant,\u201d Nola said, adding, not too deftly,\u201cYou know, I am co-author of those\u00a0puzzles. Maybe I\u2019m some kind of court jester, but whatever I am, I deserve half of the recognition for them. I put a lot of work into their creation. Many nights I\u2019d be in my room at midnight scrounging for words.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Paige said.\u00a0 \u201cYou deserve co-authorship and in addition you should get some sort of remuneration for any inconvenience or damage done to your reputation.\u00a0 I\u2019ll set everything up and call you again. Spence needs help again. Can you plan on coming back… say… Monday?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nola stood up and walked around the motel room from bureau to Tv to window drape and back again, trying to think of what to say.\u00a0 Paige watched her and said, \u201cOf course you\u2019ll be given evenings off so that you can have your own private life – or stay in your bedroom – whatever you want – and naturally you\u2019ll be given the recognition you deserve.\u00a0 The\u00a0puzzles\u00a0are so successful that Spencer\u2019s attorney is seeing about some syndication deal.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know much about it but you can ask him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Boyer took Spence to some upscale Swiss clinic in Media to meet with other doctors there. It\u2019s a small place but it\u2019s related to the spa he went to in Lucerne. There was a doctor visiting there who is supposed to be really knowledgeable about Spence\u2019s type of colitis. She approved your regimen 100%. But he\u2019s still not getting better.\u00a0 I think he misses you and the fun you two had with those\u00a0puzzles. As I told you, I did ask an employment agency to send young men who could type and knew foreign languages… French and German preferably… and to help care for a somewhat incapacitated person. I hired the first man they sent, a young man named Hines Whitman, which ought to show you how desperate I am. I mean… I wasn\u2019t about to hire some pretty young gold-digger! At least he should help to lessen my load and maybe help Spencer who has been going downhill since you left.\u00a0 Sis, please… do it for me.\u00a0 I need you badly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cType? You mean you hired a secretary?\u201d Nola asked, wondering if the new man was being groomed to take her place with the\u00a0puzzlecreation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. For bill-paying and correspondence. And the kids are getting social and that means idiotic announcements I\u2019m supposed to respond to. Frankly, I\u2019m too upset to bother about any of it. And naturally,\u201d she added, \u201cit never hurts to be able to read foreign correspondence. Hines has been staying in your bedroom. I wanted him to move into the turret but he had a fit when he and Gladys went up there.\u00a0 He\u2019s the nosy type and should enjoy seeing a 360 view of the grounds. I\u2019ll have Gladys clean it out.\u00a0 Jules will attend to the major renovations. I think Hines already has a crush on Greg.\u201d\u00a0 She suddenly stopped speaking.\u00a0 After a long pause she said, \u201cYou know… he\u2019ll be able to look down into Greg\u2019s apartment from up there. I\u2019d better tend to the carriage house window treatments.\u2019\u2019 Then her mind returned to the Ghent house as Nola waited patiently for Paige to remember where she was.<\/p>\n

Presently, Paige sighed and exclaimed, \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how grateful I am to Jules\u2019s conscience for forcing him to be honest with me.\u201d\u00a0 In fact, Jules had not really started to be uncomfortable about his distortion of the remarks he overheard until he saw that Paige had selected a flighty young man who made ludicrously strict conditions about his employment. (\u201cMy morning toast must be on stone ground whole wheat bread buttered with salt-free creamery butter.\u00a0 I prefer Kenyan coffee and can give you the name and address of the grocery in town where you can purchase it.\u201d)\u00a0 And so on for an endless list.\u00a0 It was not until the new man insisted that all house personnel refer to him as Mr. Ghent\u2019s\u00a0factotum<\/em>\u00a0that Jules decided to tell Paige the truth.\u00a0 Also, for years there had been rumors that Spencer intended to enlarge his bequests to the servants, and then, when he got sick and irritable, to eliminate bequests to his servants entirely.\u00a0 Since Spencer had not died within the anticipated time and was showing a definite preference for Hines\u2019 opinions, Jules had given up hope of any posthumous gifts and was rather hoping Paige would dismiss him so that he could collect unemployment compensation; but instead he confessed and set in motion Nola\u2019s return. Jules wanted her back as the lesser of two evils: If she did agree to return, she would come back to her bedroom, and, as he happily told Hines, that would mandate the factotum\u2019s move into the turret room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

While Paige and Nola were still speaking in the motel and Hines was in the basement looking over some useable Civil War antiques that had been stored there, Gladys entered the master\u2019s bedroom expecting to collect dirty clothes and to change the bed linens.\u00a0 Instead, she gasped to find Spencer lying in blood and groaning.\u00a0 She screamed for Mrs. Eglington to come. The cook immediately called Dr. Boyer on the bedroom\u2019s landline.\u00a0 She tried to call Paige, but since Paige had her cell phone turned off at the time, she could only leave a breathless voice mail message.\u00a0 Doctor Boyer came to the house within minutes.\u00a0 He checked Spencer and then called for a private ambulance from the Swiss clinic to come to the Ghent house.<\/p>\n

Paige, knowing none of this, had not checked her phone while she joyfully went shopping after she left Nola\u2019s motel.\u00a0 When she returned home she was reduced to a state of shock to discover that Spencer was now critically ill.\u00a0 Mrs. Eglington nervously tried to establish a degree of innocence and explained, \u201cIn the week that Nola was gone, Hines had asked for milk shakes and scoops of ice cream along with the food and, we assumed that Mr. Ghent had been taking his medicine or maybe was cured, so we sent up everything Hines asked for. \u2018It was a triple whammy,\u2019 Dr Boyer told us.\u00a0 \u2018Milk and other indigestibles, no medication, and distress about some kind of gossip.\u2019\u00a0 Thank God Nola\u2019s coming back.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Hines who knew nothing until the ambulance para-medics made noise on the floor above him, became hysterical immediately and had not succeeded in calming himself by the time that Paige returned.\u00a0 Jules drove her immediately to the clinic; but, seeing Paige\u2019s hysteria, the nurses in charge asked that she postpone her visit until the next day.\u00a0 They returned home in silence. As Jules put her car away, Paige went into the kitchen to review again the morning\u2019s events with Gladys and Mrs. Eglington and to admonish them for not following the successful routine that her sister had instituted.\u00a0 Jules joined them and tried not to look guilty of anything.<\/p>\n

He did not succeed.\u00a0 \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you use some of your valuable time to look in on my husband when you carried up the food?\u201d she asked him sarcastically\u00a0 \u201cDo you leave everything to Hines?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jules, miffed by the presence of Hines Whitman in the house, decided to speak candidly.\u00a0 \u201cFirst of all,\u201d he said, pulling out a kitchen chair to sit opposite her, \u201cI told the absolute truth as it existed to my knowledge. I did not eavesdrop on the entire conversation about putting the last groundsman on the front lawn as a sexual ornament.\u00a0 My retelling part of It had been a joke – a poor one, I confess. I admitted my exaggeration and would have said more to correct the impression I had given, but bringing Hines into this house inhibited me.\u00a0 He has been an insult to all of us.\u00a0 He intimated that the money Mr. Ghent had promised to leave us was now going to be diverted to some charity or other.\u00a0 The three of us counted on those funds for our retirement.\u00a0 But his influence over Mr. Ghent has been both sudden and great and we are extremely worried.\u00a0 Before Nola came it seemed obvious that Mr. Ghent would not live the year out.\u00a0 But after Nola restored his health, she was fired and Hines was brought in. It took him only two days to destroy Nola\u2019s good work.\u00a0 He restricted our access to Mr. Ghent and what could we do about it? It was Hines who ordered the milk shakes as though they were for himself. He restored the practice of eating meals in the master\u2019s bedroom.\u00a0 Hines was never supposed to occupy Nola\u2019s bedroom and share Samantha\u2019s bathroom, but that is what he did.\u00a0 I objected and Mr. Ghent informed me that Hines could use\u00a0his\u00a0<\/em>bathroom.\u00a0 I tried to be more assertive about diets and was told to mind my own business. Hines had taken Nola\u2019s position and with it, her authority. So if I was less attentive it was because I didn\u2019t feel wanted or needed and because I was extremely disappointed about losing the bequest. Frankly, I had assumed that Hines was hired to replace me and I hoped to collect unemployment compensation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paige slammed down her teacup.\u00a0 \u201cYou have an imaginative mind and fear of fools.\u00a0 I have an appointment now so I can\u2019t waste any more time on this fantasy of yours. My sister\u2019s routine will be completely reinstated.\u00a0 Do you all understand?\u201d\u00a0 She checked her fingernails and then stood up and prepared to leave the room, presumably to get ready for her appointment.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s not bother Nola about Mr. Ghent\u2019s condition.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want her to get so furious with the lot of you for breaking the diet she imposed that she decides not to come back.\u00a0 You\u2019ve all been working against her since she first came here.\u201d\u00a0 She turned to Gladys. \u201cIs the turret habitable?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHines is looking through some of the antiques we took to the basement when we moved into the attic.\u00a0 We can go up there and see what else is needed,\u201d Gladys said sheepishly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 Take care of that turret room and give me an honest opinion.\u201d\u00a0 Paige ended the discussion.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Beyond expecting to return to work on Monday, Nola knew nothing of the trouble in the Ghent house when she told the motel desk clerk she\u2019d be leaving on Monday morning. She then began to ply her way down the windy avenue to Corbin\u2019s office to tell Ellis about the latest development.<\/p>\n

No one was in the front office, but she could hear Ellis speaking with a definite urgency to someone on the phone in the inner office.<\/p>\n

When he finally concluded the call and came into the front office, Nola was prepared to say brightly, \u201cI lost the bet. Paige came to see me and everything\u2019s fine.\u201d\u00a0 But the expression on Ellis\u2019s face let her voice dwindle down to a whisper that had something to do with a bet.<\/p>\n

\u201cBad news,\u201d Ellis said.\u00a0 \u201cThis morning Spencer was taken to the hospital.\u00a0 He relapsed.\u00a0 I\u2019m trying to find out which place he went to right now.\u201d\u00a0 The phone rang in the inner office and he ran to answer it.\u00a0 \u201cGot it,\u201d he said, \u201cand I won\u2019t forget I owe you one.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to Nola.\u00a0 \u201cThey took him to a private clinic… a small branch of a Swiss spa or sanatorium, the Lucerne Clinic in Media.\u00a0 You wanna go see him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nola mumbled, \u201cSure.\u201d\u00a0 Ellis locked the office and escorted her to his new Lincoln.<\/p>\n

Nola deliberately tried to avoid giving any indication that she was pleased that it had taken only eight days without her care to fell Spence. \u201cP.I. pays well,\u201d she said as she buckled her seat belt.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy salary wouldn\u2019t buy you lunch at a fast-food joint,\u201d he countered.\u00a0 \u201cI inherited the dough.\u201d<\/p>\n

They drove to the clinic but were not permitted to enter since they were not on anyone\u2019s list and were not members of the immediate family.\u00a0 \u201cCome on,\u201d Ellis said, \u201cI\u2019ll take you to a classy joint.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we\u2019re not dressed!\u00a0 You\u2019re in denim – no jacket or tie – and I\u2019m a mess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI own the place.\u00a0 Who\u2019s gonna object?\u201d<\/p>\n

The lunch lasted four hours.\u00a0 It was the crush of dinner reservations that finally made them leave.<\/p>\n

As if they did have more than just privileged communication, they talked about Spencer and Paige and various groundsmen.\u00a0 Ellis also revealed his unfortunate marital situation – his wife and four kids that he loved and missed and who lived in Philadelphia – and Nola admitted her bad taste and worse luck with prospective mates. Strangers, especially when they see no future social contact with each other, are usually more candid than they are with close relatives or friends whose interest usually ends in their own entanglement in the subject.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On Sunday Nola left a voice-mail message with Paige, saying that she\u2019d be at the house around noon.\u00a0 She looked forward to seeing everyone again.\u00a0 Paige did not return the call.<\/p>\n

At noon on Monday, when she arrived, Paige presented her with a Certificate of Deposit of $10,000, a \u201csmall token of repentance.\u201d\u00a0 Nola thanked her and went directly to her bedroom where she found that Hines Whitman was refusing to move from the room he had decorated to suit himself. Jules had told him about Nola\u2019s return, but Hines was adamant.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not going up to that god-forsaken tower. I did look at it, but it just won\u2019t do.\u00a0 A winding stairway runs straight down the inside all the way to the cellar and a draught runs right up it. There\u2019s no privacy since every floor has an entrance to the stairway.\u00a0 Furthermore, the room was cold and will no doubt be too hot in the summer and the iron steps are difficult to climb and descend.\u00a0 I intend to use the room that had been assigned to Nola and Mr. Ghent supports my intention.\u00a0 She may have shared Samantha\u2019s bathroom but I share Mr. Ghent\u2019s.\u201d And then he added smugly, \u201cIf you have no objection to that, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Ghent is not here and you do not have the right to waltz in and out of his private bedroom,\u201d Jules said emphatically.\u00a0 \u201cNow get your shit out of Nola\u2019s room!\u201d<\/p>\n

Nola did not want to hear any more arguments and told everyone that she\u2019d be going to her bank.\u00a0 \u201cJust have the problem resolved by the time I get back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hines Whitman sauntered down to the kitchen for his one o\u2019clock sharp lunch.\u00a0 As Jules and Gladys glowered at him, Mrs. Eglington tried to calm the agitated atmosphere.\u00a0 \u201cNever any room! The barn\u2019s gone now.\u00a0 It burnt down in l932.\u00a0 My grandfather worked for Mr. Ghent\u2019s grandfather in those days.\u00a0 I\u2019ll tell you an old story because there might be a solution for you in it.\u00a0 Lightning struck a pine tree beside the barn and the fire spread to the barn.\u00a0 My grandfather was seriously burned rescuing the dray horses that were stabled in the building but he was a tough old bird and Mr. Ghent was deeply appreciative.\u00a0 He asked him for advice, \u2018Tom, do you think we should start rebuilding right away?\u2019\u00a0 My grandfather – who knew how Mrs. Ghent hated the smell of that old barn – had a better idea.\u00a0 \u2018Horses and buggies are no longer used by the well-to-do.\u00a0 We don\u2019t do any farming up here, but you own a half dozen farms down in the valley.\u00a0 Give the Clydesdale horses to the farmers.\u00a0 Now, as far as the carriage house and stables are concerned, you don\u2019t need six thoroughbreds to ride.\u00a0 Two of the mares are ready for the glue factory anyway. Four horses are enough.\u00a0 Buy yourself one of those new Fords.\u00a0 You can give your farmers the carriages – they still like those horse and buggies – and use the empty stables for storing hay.\u00a0 And you\u2019ll be able to empty out those rooms on the second floor that you keep all those spare buggy parts in.\u2019\u00a0 In those days they needed replacement wheels, isinglass, yokes, reins and God knows what else. There used to be a way to enter the back rooms by a separate staircase…. an old wooden thing that was falling apart.\u00a0 One good push and the whole stairway would have fallen away from the wall it was nailed to.\u00a0 The door is still there, but the outline of the stairs has long been painted over.\u00a0 The insurance people were glad to see it go. A bad staircase is just a liability,\u201d she advised.\u00a0 \u201cWell, old Mrs. Ghent was all for the idea and they got rid of the barn and all the horse and buggy paraphernalia.<\/p>\n

\u201cGregor has already had his lunch or else we could ask him if the back rooms of the carriage house apartment are still empty.\u00a0 We could fix them up nicely, though you would probably have to share a bathroom with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hines, hoping that his fluttering heart had not been noticed, thanked her for the suggestion and left to go to the carriage house to discuss the possibility with Gregor.\u00a0 He climbed the exterior stairs and was just about to knock on the door when surreptitiously, through a parting in the curtain on the door window, he saw Gregor giving Paige a punishment session. Both, fortunately, had their backs to him.\u00a0 He also noted a surveyor\u2019s tripod propped against the wall, a camera that hung from a strap, and the recognizable old yellow boxes of Kodak film sitting on a shelf.\u00a0 He quickly and quietly retreated, annoyed that none of the servants had apprised him of the kind of relationship Gregor had with Paige Ghent.<\/p>\n

Gregor, naked to the waist, displayed his muscles as he used a leather belt to spank Paige; and his well developed physique and machismo had thrilled the young assistant.\u00a0 \u201cThings will change,\u201d Hines assured himself and, grousing under his breath, he returned to the main house and removed a series of framed travel posters from the walls of the disputed bedroom.\u00a0 As what he considered a compromise, he temporarily moved into Roland\u2019s bedroom, but he brooded about the sexual adventure he had witnessed. He knew enough of life to know that a person who has nothing does not willingly serve someone who has everything – and in his experience, Paige Ghent had everything.\u00a0 Gregor was poor and uneducated.\u00a0 He had to get more than sexual satisfaction from his efforts.\u00a0 Hines lacked access to the household accounts, but, he imagined, it would be a small thing – barely noticed except to one who specifically looked for it – to hide extra payments to him.\u00a0 Gregor was also handsome and while he was certainly not the type to escort someone to a social function, he had to be compensated for his role in some way or other.\u00a0 Maybe, he thought, it was not beyond the possibility that the groundsman was actually in love with her.\u00a0 What, then would the future hold for him if Spencer Ghent again became healthy?\u00a0 Or worse, if he died from his disease and Gregor married into the family?\u00a0 \u201dAh!\u201d he stopped speculating.\u00a0 Gregor as master of the Ghent hilltop was too ludicrous to consider.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Eglington was hopeful that her suggestion of using the two rear carriage house rooms would be adopted, but Gladys did not want Hines or any other person except herself living so closely, so intimately, with Gregor.\u00a0 Visions of the two of them using the same bathroom\u00a0 jolted her into action and she smiled and saw an opportunity to sabotage one or her competitors.\u00a0 As soon as she saw Paige emerge from the groundsman\u2019s apartment, she suggested that Paige and Mrs. Eglington might like to visit a new high-end vegetarian grocery in a nearby town to select a few \u201cwelcoming\u201d meals for her sister. It seemed like a very good idea and as soon as the two women left, Gladys went to the carriage house to look at those two back rooms.<\/p>\n

Gregor had just finished taking a shower.\u00a0 \u201cI came to tell you that you may be having company,\u201c she said as she pulled the sheet off Gregor\u2019s bed and gathered his socks from the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d Gregor asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHines wants to clean out the two back rooms and move into them.\u00a0 He can share your bathroom or so Mrs. E. suggested.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want that Hines fellow in here,\u201d Gregor told her emphatically.\u00a0 \u201cThis is my place.\u00a0 Tell the old woman to keep suggestion to herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can count on me to talk them out of it,\u201d Gladys said sweetly. \u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s supposed to live in the turret chamber.\u00a0 But it needs a lot of work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do anything I can.\u00a0 Fix woodwork.\u00a0 Plaster walls.\u00a0 Put in new light fixture.\u00a0 But he don\u2019t live here with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t blame you one bit,\u201d Gladys said.\u00a0 \u201cYou have a right to your privacy and he is one big busy-body.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take a look at the room up there and tell you what I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gladys had her arms in front of her as if she were embracing the soiled linens. Gregor gathered the rest of his dirty clothes and rolled them into a ball which he pushed down against her breasts into the bundle.\u00a0 Leaving his hand linger there more than a moment longer than necessary, he said, \u201cYou do that.\u00a0 Make things easier for me.\u201d\u00a0 He winked and she giggled as he opened the door that led out onto the landing.<\/p>\n

In the laundry room she sorted the items into bleach and non-bleach piles and went to look for Hines.\u00a0 Finding him in the kitchen, she picked up a cookie and happily said to Hines, \u201cCome on, let\u2019s at least see if the room has potential.\u201d\u00a0 Mrs. Eglington took an old-fashioned bronze skeleton key from a panel of house keys and handed it to her.<\/p>\n

Gladys led Hines out of the kitchen, down the hall and foyer, and into the study.\u00a0 \u201cWe can go up to the top from here.\u201d\u00a0 The tower door, a solid walnut panel built into the corner of the room, matched the walls and was virtually invisible.\u00a0 It had not been unlocked or opened in years and Hines had to help her push it open.\u00a0 Carefully, they ascended to the turret, noting each floor\u2019s entrance, and opening the door, as they went.\u00a0 \u201cOld medieval houses always had a series of hidden passageways.\u00a0 I guess this turret stairwell is a Civil War version of the secret stairway.\u201d<\/p>\n

When they reached the third \u201cattic\u201d level, she pointed out a room that had plumbing fixtures that dated from the 1930\u2019s installed.\u00a0 \u201cWe haven\u2019t turned on the water to the pipes up here,\u201d Gladys explained, \u201cbut you can see you\u2019ll have a toilet, tub, and sink to yourself.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see to it that you\u2019re well stocked with towels and such.\u201d<\/p>\n

They climbed another storey and reached the famed turret room. Now that her attitude had changed, the room seemed bigger than before.\u00a0 It was dirty and filled with cob webs.\u00a0 The windows had not been cleaned in many years and when Gladys looked down from the window that had Summer leaded-in as its upper frame, she could see the iridescent sheen on the lower clear glass pane.<\/p>\n

Summer gave a view of the woods and the bridal paths that led into them.\u00a0 The Fall window looked over the house top and gave a view of distant hills; but Winter showed the front and left side of the estate, while Spring looked down upon the carriage house, paddock, and, in the distance beyond the steep decline at the edge of the property, the town of Morton.\u00a0 Hines and Gladys each blew their breath on the clear glass of the Spring window and wiped the circular haze clean with handkerchief and apron. Neither of them said anything nor gave the slightest indication that even at a distance, they could look down into Gregor\u2019s apartment or that they saw Gregor put a metal box under a pile of clothes in one of the back rooms.\u00a0 Gladys wondered what was in the box, but Hines, who had already noted the camera equipment Gregor kept, was certain that it contained pornographic pictures of Paige Ghent.\u00a0 So, he thought, if I am right, this is what Greg thinks will compensate him in the future.\u00a0 He also wondered whether Paige knew that the hidden cache of photo existed.<\/p>\n

His attitude towards the turret chamber changed.\u00a0 Yes, he could now see the possibilities, he assured Gladys.\u00a0 \u201cBut it will be awfully cold in the winter and hot in the summer\u201d\u00a0 Besides, with the photographs in his possession he had as much control over Gregor as he would have over Paige.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d Gladys assured him. \u00a0 The electricity\u2019s been disconnected, but when we re-connect it, you can get a good space heater and even one of those portable air conditioning units.\u00a0 Meanwhile you\u2019ve got room for a bed, a desk and dresser, a Tv and all kinds of things.\u201d<\/p>\n

She could hardly wait to tell Gregor that she had solved the problem.\u00a0 Hines would no longer pester anyone to be allowed to live in the carriage house.\u00a0 That he could arrange for himself.<\/p>\n

Hines continued to pretend to gripe about the room\u2019s limitations but he was wondering if the pawn shop carried a telephoto lens that would fit his camera.\u00a0 It was one thing to watch perversion and something else entirely to record it.<\/p>\n

In time of great decision when there is little time allowed for concentration and consideration, thoughts instinctively arise without opposition. The following morning, when Paige and Nola went into Media to visit Spencer in the clinic, Gregor drove into town to buy more animal feed, and Jules was bringing the household account journals and ledgers up to date, Gladys, pretending to deliver fresh linens to the carriage house, went directly to the rear room to find out what was hidden in the metal box.\u00a0 She carefully opened it and found scandalous photographs of Paige Ghent, strips of negatives, and a few VCR cassettes.\u00a0 None of the TVs in the main house played VCR tapes so she had to return to Gregor\u2019s bedroom to watch the tapes.\u00a0 Fearing that at any moment someone would walk into the unlocked apartment, she had to content her curiosity with a few fast-forward glimpses; but what she saw was sufficient.\u00a0 She made note of the static angles and easily found two hidden videocameras, old ones that recorded onto a tape attachment.\u00a0 She removed the tape cartridges and checked his old Canon camera for any spools of film and finding none, took the tapes, negatives, and photographs, hid them in her laundry bag, and left the apartment.\u00a0 Gregor would soon miss his treasure trove of photographs and he\u2019d look for someone to blame.\u00a0 No one had seen her enter the apartment, but she could ask Hines to go to Gregor\u2019s apartment to ask him if he knew a good house painter and floor finisher in town.\u00a0 She\u2019d see to it that Hines would be blamed.\u00a0 After all, why would anyone suspect her of taking them?\u00a0 She had just severed the future connection between Gregor and Paige.\u00a0 An anonymous note left in Paige\u2019s bedroom, warning her that Greg was filming her, would cool off that relationship in record time.<\/p>\n

As she descended the carriage house\u2019s exterior stairs, she quickly calculated the probable future.\u00a0 Mrs. Eglington would retire but not as far away has they had often joked they\u2019d go.\u00a0 The old cook had too many relatives in town and would probably buy herself a small condo or stay with relatives – depending on the inheritance if Mr.Ghent didn\u2019t pull through.\u00a0 But Mrs. Eglington, in either case, would be available for special events.\u00a0 Meanwhile Gladys could do the cooking – such as it was – by herself and see to it that Gregor\u2019s responsibilities were increased so that he could replace Jules.\u00a0 Hines would have to go.\u00a0 Or, better yet, since Gregor knew so much about \u201cglamour\u201d photography, he could go into business with her help.\u00a0 He was not supposed to get any money from the Will, but she was.\u00a0 She could set him up in business and run the clerical end of things while he photographed women for them to give sexy photographs to uninterested husbands.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Although there was a basket incinerator beside the carriage house, she decided not to use it.\u00a0 She found a small depression in the crest of the steep incline behind the carriage house and put a few fuel-impregnated charcoal briquets and dried sticks into it and then, as the fire started, put the negatives and photos on the flames as she pulled yard-by-yard of tape from the cassettes and committed the long twisted strands to the glowing briquets.\u00a0 She could not see the main house and could not see that Mrs. Eglington had pulled back a kitchen curtain and was wondering whether someone was burning debris on the crest of the steep hill behind the carriage house or whether the wind had kicked up some dust.<\/p>\n

Gladys entered the kitchen and said that she had not noticed any smoke.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s windy,\u201d she said and then changed the subject. \u201cWe\u2019re going to need the walls painted and wall to wall carpeting installed in the turret room,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd it will be necessary to cover the bottom windows. \u201cI like the bamboo slats,\u201d she said, \u201cor those narrow venetian blinds, and these have to be ordered ahead of time; but Hines will be doing the choosing.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what will go best with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAsk him at dinner,\u201d Mrs. Eglington advised.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll tell you want he wants.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neglect and individual defacement create havoc in a once-lovely building. In Part 3 of “The Crossword Puzzle”, Ming Zhen Shakya shows the daunting task that confronts Nola. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,21],"tags":[23,41],"class_list":["post-799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-free-e-books","tag-tales-from-the-sangha","tag-the-crossword-puzzle"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=799"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":802,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799\/revisions\/802"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}