.. if you’ll allow me, I’ll take just that.”. Cleo handed her the keys, and watched her saunter to the far wall, where she removed an innocuous ...ainting of a ship from the wall, revealing a wall safe behind it. Her eyes had seen him do it often enough, and she took a bundle of cash from it, leaving the keys hanging in the lock, before turning with a smile, and giving Ralph a lingering look while she slipped the notes into her bag.“I’d so love to see what’s become of Faulkner ... whatever it is,. There was a pot of coffee already made and she got me a large travel mug and filled it for me. Then she took me out back.There was a good sized pool in back, with a fence around it. She said," The fence is so you don't have an accident, but any time you want to come back here, just tell me and I'll bring you.She pushed me up to a table where I could set my coffee and got out my cigarettes and helped me light one.I don't know how long we were back there, but after I finished my coffee she took. The umbrella lasted about as long as it took us to get out the door, and we were soaked, even with rain gear, before we got to the truck.I put the truck into low range four wheel drive. I probably wouldn’t need it, but you never knew. The rain was a solid wall, with occasional glimpses of the road. I did about five miles an hour, running over anything in the way. The destruction of the tent sites looked like something from a tornado video. I couldn’t believe it when I saw theirs still standing.. Judge Hawkins looked over at me. I knew she was wondering why I gave this young woman a ticket. She just shook her head at me.I headed out into the lobby to wait on Lydia. When she came out she came right up to me and said, "I hope you're happy that you got your man. In this case a woman."I smiled at her and came out with it. "Will you go out with me?" What? You give me a ticket and ruin my weekend and you think I'll go out with you?" she asked.She was looking at me and I knew she was.