The Letter

by Atonia

Richie sat in his office chair in shock, the letter fell from his hands onto the floor and the wooden heart clattered between his legs on the chair seat. He picked it up and carefully laid it on his desk and picked up his phone and called Libby. There was no answer. He ran his hand over his face pausing it over his mouth. He had a feeling…she had to be stopped…Frank, he’d call Frank…damn it went to voice mail.

"Shit," he said aloud. "Call me Frank it’s urgent." He folded his phone and stood up pacing back and forth for a minute and he grabbed his car keys from the desk. He nearly collided with Miss Peeg in the hallway.

"Mr. Roberts?"

"I’ve uh gotta go out for a bit, um…" he waved a hand in her direction, "handle it."

"But Mr. Roberts…you have to be in Family Court this morning…your divorce….?" Miss Peeg followed him to the door.

Richie drove to Libby’s house and parked in the drive, he went around the house beating on doors and windows, she wasn’t home it was locked up.

"Fuck!" He said and beat a fist on the front door. Turning he went back to his vehicle and sat in the driver’s seat. The letter sounded to him like she meant to take her life, and sending him the heart, the one thing that she treasured…he felt his eyes prick and sting.

Miss Peeg went into his office to find the papers he’d prepared for court; she was a little upset with him. Finding the folder she noticed the heart on the desk and picked it up, a pretty little thing, but where had it come from? She placed it back on the desk and stepped on something, picking it up she saw it was a letter, the one from the matching blue envelope. She started to fold it up and noticed the signature. It was not her nature to pry into personal matters, especially Mr. Roberts’, and she felt her face and neck go hot as she read the letter. Her hand shook as she laid it back on the desk and walked out closing his door.

"Oh dear, poor Mr. Roberts…" she placed the back of her hand over her mouth.

He didn’t know how long he’d sat quietly in his vehicle thinking about her and their relationship, damning himself. Finally he lit a cigarette, pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes and drove back to his office.

Miss Peeg had gone, presumably to court for him, Toni would be pissed but it couldn’t be helped. He wasn’t in any condition to stand before a judge. He tossed his phone and keys on the desk and it began to ring. He didn’t bother to check to see who was calling, "Yeah, Roberts here?"

TBC