A Dagger through Dimensions Chapter 43

Jenny’s Treachery

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After O’Conner left her house, Jenny debated her next steps. She knew that the ex-cop carried ties to the people running Stull Junction. The woman also knew enough not to get on the wrong side of those people.

Leaning back in her chair, Penske enjoyed the idea of Lane Dagger meeting his downfall. After all, he treated her and Adele like pond scum. Jenny certainly didn’t believe in the sudden reformation of the bastard. However, O’Conner’s warning left her with a quandary.

Adele wouldn’t believe her. She told Penske as much the last time they met a few days ago. While Adele was Jenny’s only staunch friend, the woman recognized her continued insistence to divorce had pushed her friend into a corner.

How can she still love him?

Falling in love with a man is absurd and Jenny understood this from the start. Her brief time in college, where she met Adele, brought Jenny a handsome college guy from a wealthy family. A year later, she had her annulment and fifty thousand to walk away. After that, her next husbands became steppingstones toward a life of ease and decadence.

When she was younger, Jenny saw independence in making her own path as the goal. Later, her time in the large cities developed into a relentless monotony of false smiles amid people exactly like herself.

After a while, boredom brought the need to fulfill fantasies with other lonely people, which included wealthy deviants who did not care about the age or sex of their partners. While the lifestyle left her isolated from proper society, the woman told herself such things didn’t matter since it gave her happiness. Still, she was never sure if such happiness really existed inside of her.

However, the one thing the woman found she learned to rely upon was Adele. Her friend recognized Penske’s pettiness and shallowness. Still, she patiently listened to her, offering comfort and advice. Jenny valued such a friendship to the point she wanted more. The woman believed she understood Adele’s deepest feelings as only a woman could. Jenny knew Adele wanted to fulfill her fantasies; she just didn’t realize it was Jenny who held the key. Adele certainly didn’t need a man to make that happen. Only a friend and lover would help her reach the pinnacle of happiness.

She can fool herself, but she can’t fool me.

The woman went to the phone and called Adele’s apartment. She let it ring through, then hung up and dialed again. After the second time, Jenny slammed the handset down on the cradle.

Hurrying into the bedroom, she dressed while debating what she would tell her friend. As she headed to the door, Penske decided to use the rumor that O’Conner had left her when he mentioned seeing Adele’s husband and Sally Vaugh together.

I can always bring jealousy into the mix, she decided.

~~~

As Lane and Adele took the steps into the Royal Building, they heard someone call out to them. Turning back, the couple saw Judge Seabury getting out of a cab, while handing the driver his money.

“I’m glad that I caught you,” he said, waving them over. “I was on my way up to see you.”

The couple met the judge in the middle of the sidewalk, and he smiled.

“I don’t believe that I’ve been introduced,” he looked at my wife.

After I introduced them, he winked at me.

“You’re a lucky man, Mr. Dagger. By the way, I have good news. I made several phone calls and Mr. Lees graciously asked that you join him at the Elder mansion this evening.” The old man guided them back to the steps as he talked.

“It took a bit of persuading, but he found your idea about Cora interesting.”

I glanced over at Adele, who was already brimming with excitement.

“What pitfalls should we expect?” I tried to keep emotions in check after Adele’s roadblock before.

“Oh, nothing like that. You see, Mr. Lees is a hermit by nature and seldom allows visitors. In a way, he reminds me of Cora Elder.” The judge held the door open for Adele.

“Judge, did you know Cora Elder well?” Adele asked as we took the stairs to my office.

“Oh, only in passing. She was an exotic creature from what I witnessed,” he said.

Exotic is one way to describe her!