Quinn was the first to vocalize what dominated all our minds like a walk up the gallows steps. "We've got a problem," he said as we gathered around our conference table, a cold cup of coffee in each of our hands.

"I like her," Martha said. "And I'm pleased for Howie's sake."

"I think she's a tad flakey," my wife offered.

"Whether you like her or not isn't the problem," I said. "Where is this romance going?" What is Howie telling her, not just out loud, but with his voice from dreamland?"

Quinn jumped in. "He left his phone there. Remember that? He was careless. He's obviously infatuated with her. You know what happens then; caution takes a vacation when passion moves to the bedroom."

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Martha shook her head. "We all have a personal life. Howie is entitled his time away from here too."

"What are her so-called complications?" Quinn asked. He turned to Betsy. "Can you run a background check on her now that we have a last name?"

"God," Martha exclaimed. "Howie's one of us! Spying on his girlfriend is a shitty thing to do. It's just not right."

Betsy's concern mirrored mine. "You heard her talk about the million dollar reward that rag of a newspaper is offering and she's poor as a church mouse on food stamps. You can bet she'd turn Howie in in a minute for that much dough!"

"You don't know that!" Martha retorted. It was uncustomary for the women to be at odds. "They seemed to truly care for each other. Besides, Howie knows the consequences of discovery as well as we do."

"Howie needs help putting his shoes on the right feet," Quinn grumbled.

"That's just not true!" Martha retorted angrily. "He's not about to let the pup out of the kennel and be forced to shut down all good we're accomplishing. It's his life!"

"Granted, he won't do anything untoward knowingly," I answered. "But this relationship has all the ingredients to put this project in serious jeopardy. He's intelligent enough to recognize the serious threat."

Quinn began to pace. "I can't believe Howie's doing this. God, don't you remember those first few weekends? He was so hyper about secrecy we couldn't even talk in a restaurant for fear the waiter was a spy! Now he's gone and exposed himself to the world."

"He's only dating the woman," Martha said, looking around for help."

"For now," Quinn growled. "First he's telling everything to a shrink; now this bimbo!"

"Quinn, that's plain cruel! There's nothing wrong with that girl! We all agreed Howie's nightmares were a serious problem. God Quinn cut him some slack! If you had to watch lord knows what mayhem he sees you'd have shrieking nightmares too! Seeking mental help was a logical decision and I think it's working out well." Martha looked for approval and received it tacitly from all but her husband.




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