Since the deadline was approaching, we found ourselves working over the holidays. We were in my office on the 29th of December. Neither of us wanted t... be there, but we didn’t have much choice. I noticed that Shannon was unusually quiet and somewhat morose, so I asked if anything was troubling her. “It’s just that my husband is out of town on a business trip,” she said, “and he called last night to say that he wouldn’t be home for new year’s. So I’ll probably just sit in front of the TV and. “He left the office early and headed home. We made some discreet inquiries and apparently the Judge wasn’t feeling well. This seems to be within the time frame Dr. Chang gave us. Seems unlikely it’s a coincidence.”“What’s he doing now?” I asked.“Lights are off, he seems to be holed up in his room. He sent his house staff home early.”“Ok, things seem on track, then. Keep someone on him, for now. If nothing changes, I’ll arrange a face to face with him tomorrow.”“Is that smart?” Mom asked.“No,. She told Brenda about an abusive husband, a bully who was responsible for her fading bruises, she said how her lover's boss had given them a job, more than a job, a beginning, a new start and how excited she was about the future!Brenda was a smart lady and when she added two plus two, she came up with four, she said nothing apart from the odd smile and nod in the right place, it wasn't until her new acquaintance left and was met at the door by a scruffy looking drunk, who took her arm and held. I never even noticed the bounce.The morning was a little different, but that is none of your business. The shower afterwards was as romantic as I could make it without missing our 11 AM checkout.I know ... my credit card is good for millions but that place put a serious dent in it, another day would have left a bruise.Finally, our inner beasts filled and the fluids checked and filled, we jumped on to E63 all the way to Kuopio. We kept to the posted 55 mph and slid to a stop at the marina in.