Tuesday afternoon
After being lost in Paradise for quite some time, George and Trisha finally found their way to the home of the widow, Mrs. Irene Daniels, on the outskirts of town. The red house was wedged in between a mountain and a road. The white picket fence and the perfect green lawn made the property look picturesque. Several apple trees were growing in the yard, but none with apples. On the front lawn was a massively over-proportioned bronze statue of a horse attacking a man, the horse ready to strike with its hooves against the man lying on the ground with a frightened look on his face.
George and Trisha were greeted by a resident of German descent. The dog obediently performed its duties and made sure the visitors stayed outside the fence. However, as soon as Mrs. Daniels opened the gate, the dog lost all interest, and was happy to resume his prior engagement—which seemed to be slacking off on the porch.
After the usual mandatory greeting, and following small talk, George couldn’t help but ask Mrs. Daniels about the enormous statue.
“My late husband made it to remind us all to be humble in his presence,” Irene said. “And to honor him.”
He made a statue in his own honor?
“To honor your husband?” he asked, feeling confused.
“To honor our Lord,” Irene said in a decisive tone.
Mrs. Daniels gave George a reprimanding stare before she turned her back on him and proceeded down the perfectly crafted gravel aisle that led to the house. George looked at Trisha, and for a split second he wondered if perhaps she was a religious person also. However, he quickly dismissed the thought as soon as he saw her expression; Trisha Boyle ground her teeth, and her shoulders almost touched her ears.
Trisha quickly joined Irene in walking down the path, and the two of them seemed to talk about the flowers Trisha had bought for Mrs. Daniels. Again, George felt relieved regarding today’s chain of events, and was glad Michael Williams had talked him into including Trisha Boyle on his journey. Before he joined the two women on the gravel path, he took another look at the massive statue. This time, he noticed the inscription on the pedestal.
The hours flew by as Mrs. Irene Daniels and Trisha Boyle had at least one thing in common. George, however, hardly spoke at all. Mrs. Daniels didn’t seem to be interested in finance or liability claims. She did, however, enjoy talking about her son. She explained to Trisha how captain David Daniels never got to know his father, as her late husband had died not long after David was born. And she explained how her son had been a fighter pilot for the US Air Force, and how he’d served in Afghanistan. For at least an hour, the widow Mrs. Irene Daniels had displayed several albums with pictures of her son in uniform. George thought Captain Daniels very much matched his own mental image of a typical US soldier. The man was tall and muscular. The captain reminded George of the G.I. Joe doll he’d played with as a child.
Mrs. Daniels also disclosed it was she who’d convinced her son to quit the Air Force, and pursue a safer career as a commercial airline pilot. George felt uncomfortable as he thought of the irony, and he got the impression Trisha must have felt the same way, because suddenly, the so-loquacious Trisha Boyle had nothing to say.
However, after a long and awkward silence, the German resident of the house unintentionally provided the group with entertainment. The German shepherd not only pushed his bowl of food out of the kitchen, but he also managed to cross the long hallway and most of the living room. But then, the dog suddenly stopped eating and tilted his head, while he kept staring at Trisha Boyle who “pronounced” some tremendously high-pitched laughter; Mrs. Daniels, on the other hand, appeared to be in shock.
“Are you all right, dear?” Irene asked Trisha.
Trisha Boyle wiped the tears from her eyes, before she stuttered, “Yes, I’m fine.”
Mrs. Daniels seemed relieved. “I’m glad, dear.”
“What a lovely dog you have,” Trisha said. “And what a great name by the way.”
George realized he must have dozed off sometime during the previous conversation because he had no idea what the dog’s name was.
“It’s not my dog,” Irene said, and kept her eyes on the dog.
“Oh, is it David’s dog?” Trisha asked.
“No, the dog belongs to her.”
George detected a deeper tone in Mrs. Daniels’s voice, and Trisha Boyle looked startled by the drastic change in the elderly woman’s mood.
“She didn’t care about the dog before, but now, she suddenly wants him back,” Irene said in the same deep tone. “She never cared about David either. She lured him. She’s the devil in disguise and sinks her claws into whatever comes her way.”
Trisha looked genuinely frightened. “Are you all right, Irene?”
“There will come a day when she can’t hide no more. Hide behind all her lies. She can lie in court, but she can’t lie in front of our Lord,” Irene said, and kept her focus on the dog. “There will be a reckoning, and on that day, she will get all she deserves.”
George felt as if he’d witnessed a reverse exorcism, and a demon was now in possession of Mrs. Daniels’ body. Trisha looked at him as though she asking for his assistance. George cleared his throat before he spoke for the first time in the past hour.
“His ex-wife gets the dog?” he asked the demon.
“They’re still married. The divorce isn’t final.” Mrs. Daniels turned her head slowly and looked at George. “Oh, I bet she’s having a laugh now.”
George understood perfectly what Mrs. Daniels meant by the last remark. If the divorce wasn’t final, then the wife could claim the insurance policy as well as any potential legal claims against the airline.
George swallowed. “David only listed you as his emergency contact. We didn’t know about his wife. May I ask what her name is?” He tried his best to disguise his nervous tone.
“Sharon.” Irene pronounced the name only with her lower lip.
“Sharon Daniels?” he asked.
“No, she’ll go by her maiden name now,” Irene responded. “Her name is Stone. Much like her heart.”
Trisha looked as if she’d have seen a ghost. “Sharon’s maiden name is Stone?”
George got the impression the elderly woman didn’t understand the reference to the famous American actress. He also thought Trisha Boyle looked as if she was about to be sick, or possibly burst into tears.
“Irene, may I please use your bathroom?” Trisha asked in a quivering voice.
And just like that, Mrs. Daniels was suddenly loosed from the demon’s spell of hatred, and her nurturing side returned. Now, the elderly woman smiled at Trisha.
“Yes, certainly, dear. It’s the second door on the right, just past the hallway.”
George watched Trisha walk through the living room. Then, she suddenly stopped in the hallway and desperately searched through her purse. At first, George felt curious as to why she would go through the content of her purse on her way to the bathroom. But then, he saw his reflection in the hallway mirror, and noticed Mrs. Daniels’ condescending stare in the background. At that moment, he realized he was invading Trisha’s privacy.
George quickly averted his eyes. “Thank you again for the apple pie. It was truly amazing, Mrs. Daniels. May I ask if you made it yourself?” George felt confident he already knew the answer to the question.
“Call me Irene. Yes, I made it from scratch. I use apples from my own garden,” Irene said. “David loves apples. Even as a grown man, he loved to bake an apple pie with me, whenever he came to visit. At least when he came on his own.”
For a second, it would appear that the demon was back. But then, Irene lowered her eyes, only to suddenly raise them again and look at George with a stiff smile.