What did she say? A party. They went to a party. They had to be home by now. It's Monday, a working day. Her father would have to go to the office today. He heard the alarm go off in the next room. Then voices. His chance for a quick exit out the door was dead. Next they'd be coming in here to wake Christine for school!
He went to the window and slid it open. It lead out to the patio. Neil stealthily stepped from a chair to the window and let himself down. As he slid the window shut he saw Christine's bedroom door opening and her mother, yawn and all, coming in to wake her. Neil ducked.
He crawled across the patio. Her parents' bedroom window also looked out on the patio but he heard running water in the shower. It had to be her father. He reached up, unlatched the gate, and literally flowed out of the patio to the freedom of the fresh morning air.
He rubbed his eyes and decided to get himself home fast. He would have to cover his absence for the night with some kind of story. Or maybe his missing body wasn't noticed. Neil's furtive thinking came to an abrupt halt as he rounded the building and started down the driveway.
A tremendously large moving van blocked his path. Three burly men were loading a sofa into the back. A familiar sofa which brought remembrances of a model named Sherry. That was the sofa. Felix's sofa.
Then Felix saw him. 'You sneaky thief! You filthy creature!' the red-faced photographer screeched at him.
'Huh?' Neil stepped back but Felix kept coming, crying, cursing, whining.
'Why? Why did you do such a horrible thing to me? I'll get even with you! Remember that, you thief!'
'What?' asked Neil. 'What did I do?'
'Oh, don't give me that innocent crap!' hissed Felix. 'You burglar! You bastard!'
'What is going on?'
Neil's question went unanswered. Helen's apartment door opened and the massive, muscular bulk of her husband came into the picture. Felix took one look and started to shake. The man's eyes were like burning coals as they ripped a violent stare at the quaking photographer.
'Get out of my sight, you fucking pervert!' her husband bellowed. Neil saw Helen watching from behind her angry, red-faced hubby.
'You can't call me that!' protested Felix.
'The hell I can't, you faggot! I can also smash your face to hamburger! Now get out of my sight!'
Felix ran around the side of the van and tried to hide. The movers were watching the scene and laughing. Finally the husband turned to Helen, kissed her goodbye, and started for his car. On impulse he stopped and yelled once more at the hiding photographer.
'You better be out of this place by the time I get back from work! Or I'll see that you leave in an ambulance!'
The man started his car and drove off. Neil scratched his head and wondered what had happened. That's when Helen said her piece.
'I want the rest of them, Neil,' she said.
'He turned. 'The rest of what?'
'The pictures! Now don't play dumb with me. I know Felix doesn't have them, you must have them. And I want them now!'
'I don't have them!' Neil cried.
'Don't lie to me! I've been good to you, Neil. You can at least treat me fair!' Her temper was rising, her cheeks flushed.
'But… '
'Get them, Neil. If my husband sees another picture of me sunbathing nude he'll not only kill me, he'll kill whoever has it.'
'But Felix had them. I tried to get them from him but he finally asked too much… I just couldn't go through with it,' said Neil.
The face of Helen was getting angrier by the minute. 'Then who has them?'
Neil shrugged. 'I don't know. I didn't even know they were missing.'
'My husband searched Felix's whole apartment for them and found nothing. Felix was screaming they were stolen. And I just heard him accuse you of doing it. You're very lucky he didn't tell my husband that,' she said.
'I don't get it. How did your husband find out?'
'Somebody, probably you, left one in my mailbox. My husband found it last night and could tell by the angle that Felix had to have taken it from his yard.'
'Oh.'
'It was one of me sunbathing.'
'Just that?' Neil asked.
'Yes. Isn't that enough?' she asked back.
Neil wiped his sweaty forehead. 'There are others. Ones of you and me that day.'
Helen's face went pale. Her mouth fell open. She knew what would happen if her husband saw one of those. 'You mean Felix took pictures of that too?'
Neil nodded. 'I was trying to get them from him. He was blackmailing me.'
'Oh, God! We've got to find them!' She was shaking.
'But where are they?'
'I don't know! Find them, Neil! Please… ' Tears were now streaming down her face. Felix popped his head out his apartment door to see if the coast was clear. Helen saw him and screeched, 'You bastard! You slimy creep! If I get my hands on you I'll wring your skinny neck!'
Felix disappeared like a frightened rabbit. Neil took the opportunity to make his getaway too. He rounded the building and headed across the pool area. It was getting late, he had to get to school
'Hello, Neil,' said Mr. Crocker.
'Hello, Mr. Crocker.' Neil kept walking. Mr. Crocker! He spun around. 'Mr. Crocker! Where have you been?'
'Oh, here and there,' said the old man. His dark glasses obscured the twinkle in his eyes but his grin was evident. 'Beautiful morning, isn't it?'
'I've been looking for you since yesterday!' Neil pointed in the direction of Felix's apartment 'Do you know what's happening?'
'Heh heh-heh! Oh, you bet I do!' laughed Mr. Crocker. 'You really missed a great scene last night when her husband found the photograph and went after Felix! Ha ha ha! I haven't seen anything so comical in a long time.'
'But now I've had it. I'm as good as dead,' said Neil.
'Oh?'
'Sure. Somebody has those pictures. The ones of me and Helen… and I guess the ones of me and the model. If they ever- get to her husband I'll get more than he gave to Felix, that's for sure,' said Neil.
'True, true. I do think that husband wouldn't like to see those pictures. He'd most likely do some killing, the crime-of-passion type,' said Mr. Crocker. His smile didn't fade.
'Now I don't know what to do. Somebody has me over a barrel.' Neil sat next to Mr. Crocker, the full impact of his situation was finally sinking in.
Mr. Crocker reached out and patted Neil's shoulder. 'Oh, things aren't that bad, my boy. You know, they could be a lot worse.'
'Oh. How?'
“Well, those pictures could be in the hands of someone who didn't like you. But they're not.'
'They're not? You know who has them?' Neil stood. He waited excitedly for the old man's reply.
'Yep. I have 'em,' said Mr. Crocker. His grin moved even wider. Pride showed all over his wrinkled face.
'You do? How did you get them?'
'Heh! Remember when Felix went after you in the pumphouse? When you gave him the type of hosing he didn't have in mind?'
'Yeah.'
“Well, he was so hot to corner you he left his apartment wide open. I happened to notice. Heh heh-
