Touch and Go (A Mercy Watts Short) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Sara.
    “He just disappeared one day?”  
    “No, she found him out,” said Judy.
    “How’d that happen?”
    “He tried to take out a home loan in her name at another branch. I think it was about to go through, but our manager found out and asked her why she didn’t apply for it here.”  
    “Yeah, she called him up and he denied it. They faxed her the paperwork and there it all was clear as day. He forged her signature. She was crying and Dale had to drive her home. Dale’s our manager. When they got there, Evan was gone,” said Sara.
    “What did she do? Did the police have any leads on him?” I asked.
    “I never heard anything about that. He left and she turned into a world-class bitch.”
    “Tell me about it,” said Judy. “We were all such good friends. We went to lunch, got manicures. I told her everything. She used to come to my little boy’s birthday parties. After he left, she acted like she didn’t know us.”
    “I tried to talk to her, ask her how it was going, but nothing. She wouldn’t say word one. She transferred right away to Belleville and got promoted. She never had any ambition before,” said Sara.
    “She had to pay off all those loans and cards,” said Judy.
    “Is she still working at the Belleville branch?” I asked.
    “Uh huh. Why do you want to know about this anyhow?” asked Sara.
    “Sorbeck’s up to his old tricks.”
    “Oh no! Not one of your friends, I hope.”
    “Afraid so.”
    “Damn. What a bastard!”
    “I do think he was from around here though,” said Judy.
    “What makes you say that?” I said.
    “He knew a lot about the area. He told me stuff I didn’t know and it was true. Once he spent an hour telling me all about the county fair here in St. Seb. This was in the spring because Evelyn was planting flowers while we talked. Now, he only lived here for three months before he ran off and he said his family was from California. The fair is in August.”
    “I have to go, ladies. You’ve been a big help,” I said.
    “Anytime. You know, you really remind me of somebody,” Judy said.
    “Yeah, I get that a lot,” I said.
    “I bet you do,” said Sara with a laugh. “I wouldn’t mind looking like Marilyn.”
    “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
    I got in my car and called Christina. She wasn’t in, but her husband was. He reluctantly gave me her work phone. I called her and asked where Evan, the real one, went to high school. St. Sebastian Senior High.  
    Sweet.
    High schools kept old yearbooks, didn’t they? Sure, they did. I was at the school in fifteen minutes. School was in session and the halls were packed with low-riding jeans and badly done makeup. In the office were the same secretaries that my school had. Where did they find these women? I never saw them on the street, wearing their double-knit trousers, flowered tops, and pin-curled grey hair. As usual, I got nowhere with them. School secretaries didn’t like me on sight. Maybe they could tell I skipped, forged my mother’s handwriting, and rarely did my homework. The principal was friendlier as a politician should be. He gave me free reign with the yearbooks, but I only needed one. 1995. I found Evan Sorbeck quickly. He was handsome, blond and in a ton of clubs. He played football, ran track, and was senior class president. I looked through the rest of the senior class and didn’t see the faux Evan. I started on the junior class and had thumbed through most of it when Lawrence Tisserling caught my eye. Add fifty pounds and it was Claire’s Evan. He was in no club or sports. He didn’t even give a quote.  
    I ran out to the parking lot and almost broke my neck on the ice. Once in the car, I removed the gravel from my palm and went home. I found cat and dog in the living room. Pick was on the floor, Skanky was on the sofa cleaning his ears and they were both watching CNN. I was pretty sure I didn’t leave the TV on. I could only hope that Pick hadn’t figured out the stove