Mary sat and stared out the window ... she still had no electricity ... hadn’t had any since Thursday when the power company had shut her service off. Bastards. After David, the landlord, learned about this on Friday he had assured her that he would get the account for her apartment opened back up ... this time in his name ... and get the power back on but it couldn't happen until Monday. Mary would have spent the weekend in the dark if she and Lorraine hadn’t broken into Dennis’ apartment across the hall and snaked an extension cord far enough to feed Mary’s TV and one lamp. At least Mary had been able to see the end of Survivor and with the lamp she could see well enough to read her pill bottles. Reading the pill bottles was becoming an increasingly burdensome chore. Just this week she had added Lipitor to her morning banquet.

Dennis was away in Vermont with his uncle from Newport ... shooting fish from a blind overlooking Lake Champlain ... some people do this sort of thing ... Dennis had ever year since he was boy. This year he fully expected to net the five-a-day limit on pike so there would likely be a fish or two for Mary and Lorraine after Dennis’ cousins took what they thought was their share from the killings for providing the guns and shot.

When Mary saw Lorraine pull into the driveway she slowly recited one decade of the rosary to calm herself as well as give Lorraine time to get around back and inside. Then she dialed Lorraine’s number. After hearing that Mary still had no electricity, checking in the cellar to see if the breaker for Mary’s apartment was on and still having no luck, Lorraine went around to see if Evan might be any help. In explaining the problem to Evan, Lorraine mentioned that she had noticed several pornographic magazine pages on the cellar floor near the oil tank. Evan listened disinterestedly, went back inside to turn off the Peter Cushing "Hound Of the Baskervilles" DVD he had picked up at the library and went with Lorraine around towards the cellar. He had no theories regarding the magazines.

A quick look at the meters showed Mary’s was still shut off. Evan called the power company, confirming that the account had been reopened and that a work request had been put in to turn the electricity on. He wasn’t sure why Mary couldn’t have done this but he wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t. In less than an hour the problem was solved ... well at least the problem with the electricity. Mary had her own power. She was happy. She had plenty of other problems but they could keep. The visit to the cellar, where he had banged his head in the dark, had given Evan a headache. He wasn't happy but as far as he knew he didn't have any problems. Lorraine went in to feed her Oscars and wondered what would happen if she fired into their tanks with the gun she kept hidden in her bedroom ... the gun Carl had left behind ... the gun that she just knew was going to be a big problem. She didn't know if she was happy or not. (/4/ to be continued ...)