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himself up out of his comfortable leather office chair and made his way toward the front door. Stan was waiting for him and grabbed his arm just as he was about to leave the building.
    â€œSorry about the outburst, Rick. I guess the situation is getting to me. I had no right to say those things to you. Your private life has no bearing on our predicament. No hard feelings, pal?” he said holding out his hand. They shook hands and smiled at each other.
    â€œI guess I asked for it. You’re right. I have to get my priorities straightened out. I’ll be back shortly. I’m just going to see Hank Sanders. He has some pennies for me.”
    With that he left the office and made his way to the Lincoln in the parking lot. The sun was trying once again to break through the dark clouds. He looked eastward where dark clouds were covering the sky. There was obviously a storm raging over the Sierra Nevada mountain range meaning that Lake Tahoe was most likely getting hit with a snowstorm.
    â€˜Wonderful,’ Rick thought. This meant the ski season would be in full swing soon, and he decided to check on the weather forecast at his earliest opportunity.
    Skiing was one of his favorite sports, and although an expensive pastime, he was determined not to sacrifice this pleasure for the sake of a few dollars. The only problem with the snow was that the I-80 freeway might be closed to traffic if things got too bad. This didn’t bother him too much. The California Highway Patrol was always quick toclear the highway, it being the main commercial artery to the east from San Francisco and Sacramento.
    â€˜Maybe I’ll give Alec a call tonight and arrange something in a day or so,’ he thought. Alec Collins was a dentist and his closest friend next to Stan, and was always eager to hit the slopes early in the season. The only problem was, Alec was always free at weekends, whereas Rick was usually busy at that time. However, as business was slack, he might be able to get some ski time in.
    He made his way through the heavy Monday morning traffic to the used car lot where Hank Sanders was busy with a customer.
    â€œI’ll be with you in a minute, Rick,” he bellowed. “Don’t go away. I’ve got something for you.”
    Rick looked around the lot with envy. Slightly used Jaguars, Porsches, BMW’s, Mercedes-Benzes and Corvettes were everywhere. What he wouldn’t give to be shopping for one of these magnificent machines instead of putting his on the block.
    Eventually Hank walked over to him.
    â€œI’ve got your check. I know your car and everything is in order. Let me know when you want one of these, and I’ll get a deal for you.”
    â€œThanks, Hank, but I think I’ll look around for a bit. Maybe I’ll see you later for a game of golf after the weather gets better.”
    With that, he took the check and looked at it. Thirty thousand dollars looked good, but he knew that it was all spoken for. He made his way to the local branch of his bank to make a deposit and pay off two months of mortgage to keep them quiet. ‘Twenty-four thousand left,’ he thought, ‘now I’ll give a check to Stan for seventeen thousand to keepus in the black for a while. That’ll surprise him, and I’ll have seven thousand to enjoy.’
    Rick spotted a restaurant and realized that it was just about lunchtime. He pulled in, parked, and walked in. Rick made his way to a secluded corner and picked up a menu, ran down the items and decided on a club sandwich and a cup of coffee.
    His thoughts once again went to Sara and her situation. ‘Very odd,’ he thought, ‘the idea of suddenly giving up an apartment at a time like Christmas and New Year doesn’t make sense.’ He decided to check things out with Bill Janson who was the Casa Diablo complex manager and see what he could find out about her.
    He finished his sandwich and coffee and started on his drive