A Murder Misstery

Shivering in the freezing February gloom, I tried desperately to think. Going back to my apartment was out of the question. Until I could figure out a way to clear myself, I'd have to lay low, keeping out of sight until the heat was off. Fortunately, I had no family or close friends in Chicago, only my girlfriend Tracy, a flight attendant who lived with two other girls in an apartment near O'Hare. I flipped open my cell phone and punched in her number.

"Hello?" a groggy voice answered.

"Tracy, it's me."

"God, don't you know what time it is? I flew all night and I just got to sleep."

"Sorry, baby. Are your roommates there?"

"No, you didn't wake anyone else up. Just me, and I'm gonna hang up."

"Tracy, I'm in trouble and I need your help."

It took some doing, but after a long walk to Armitage I caught the "L" downtown and rode the Blue Line out to the Rosemont station, a few long blocks from Tracy's apartment. I don't know which of us was more frazzled when she finally let me in. Standing there in her robe without any makeup, even after working all night, she was a sight for sore eyes.

"Thanks for taking me in," I said after a long hug. "Are you sure you want to harbor a fugitive?"

"Are you sure you're doing the right thing?" she replied as she poured us each a cup of steaming black coffee. "Why not just turn yourself in? The FBI will believe you if you tell them the truth."

"You don't know Norman Wolf. All the way here I've been replaying little scenes at the office which didn't make sense to me before, but they do now. He was setting me up all along, Tracy."

"Well, what are you going to do?"

"I need a disguise and a place to stay until I can figure things out."

"You could stay here, I guess..."

"What about your roomies?"

"Cathy just left for training in Denver, and Ashley is on vacation till the end of the week."