When Jerrod whipped his head up after hitting the “call” button, to reestablish tracking Bette, he saw Bette change her mind all of a sudden. Instead of crossing Washington street, she turned on her heel to walk up Madison street.  Her path would take her right next to the outdoor table Jerrod was sitting in. In fact, they would be less than a foot away from each other by the time she walked near him.

Had her sudden change in direction towards him been spontaneous? Or had it been calculated?

Inexplicably, Jerrod froze, unable to look away from her as she walked up the sidewalk, exchanging friendly smiles with a group of female bikers who’d just exited the café, sucking down cappuccinos.  Just as Duane picked up the call, “Hey man …” her eyes met his, as warm and friendly, flirtatious even, as they’d been when she’d responded to a flirty greeting from of one of the male bikers relaxing in a table a few feet from Jerrod’s table.

As their eyes locked a beat longer, in a flash, as if picking up on signals he was unconsciously transmitting, her eyes turned guarded and sharp as they bore into his. Duane continued to call out to him, “Jerrod?  Jerrod?  Everything alright, man?”

Jerrod hastily looked down on his phone, fumbling for the red “hang-up” button. Fuck! Did she hear his name being called out by Duane? I am going to kill that dimwit!

But Bette barely broke stride and slipped her wrap-around sunglasses on as she continued walking up the street.

Jerrod stood, pretending to consult his watch as he stole a glance at Bette’s quickly retreating figure. She was still striding up the sidewalk, and then had cut across the street to walk across the parking lot of a grocery store.  As Jerrod tossed his coffee, he saw that her walk through the automatic sliding doors of the store in that long, graceful stride of hers.

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8:15 pm, Gold Mining Museum

Tom and Jules leaned against the side of the car Matthew had lent Tom for the weekend. Earlier, while Bette walked into the museum, Jules had borrowed a T-shirt from Tom and had changed out in the shadows by the side of the building. Thank goodness she’d worn stylish capris Diane had gotten for her in London to the polo match, instead of the sundress she’d initially considered wearing.