Wanda stepped into the office and declared, "Karen knows that I'm here."
"It is nice to have people in your life that you can trust," Magus said.
"Yes," Wanda said. She studied the man seated at the desk. He reminded her of an older version of the character Lumpy in that television show made in the sixties. He wasn't fat; he was chubby. He was seated at a very large wooden desk that was placed in the middle of the room. There was a set of bookcases behind him that was filled with law books. The wall behind his desk had a single door into a separate room. She assumed that door led to a bathroom or closet.
Magus gestured to one of the two chairs in front of his desk. He said, "Have a seat."
"Why did you ask me here?" Wanda asked suspiciously. The instant messaging trick he had played on her raised significant doubts concerning his trustworthiness. He had to be some sort of hacker or criminal mastermind to pull that off. She had spent a lot of time wondering how he had managed to do that. She made her way over to the chair he had indicated.
"Well, I was going to do something altruistic for you. However, I discovered that you had a serious problem," Magus answered.
"I don't have a problem," Wanda said while sitting down in the chair. She was still trying to figure out what game Magus was playing.
"Yes you do," Magus countered.
"No I don't. I would know if I had a problem," Wanda said while crossing her arms across her chest.
"Just because you don't know about a problem doesn't mean that you don't have it," Magus said. He sat back in his chair and folded his hands across his belly. There was a sad expression on his face.
"What problem do I have?" Wanda asked.
Magus said, "First things first. We must take care of a small matter of the payment for my services."
"How much?" Wanda asked. She was thoroughly convinced that this was some kind of scam despite Karen's assurances to the contrary. She had spent the whole afternoon with a very emotional Karen. The idea that Karen had gotten her son out of trouble, a new job, and the chance to talk to her husband didn't seem like the kind of thing one did as a business.
"The first solution is ten dollars and you'll owe me one favor. Each subsequent solution adds a zero to the price without requiring an additional favor," Magus answered.
At least this agreed with what Karen had told her. Wanda asked, "How can you make money that way?"
"I like to encourage repeat business, but I don't want people to make a habit of coming to me for every little problem in their life," Magus said.
Wanda asked, "This isn't some sort of blackmail scheme, is it?"
"No. I'm in the business of providing solutions to problems; not creating problems," Magus answered with a sigh. It seemed to him that young women were very untrusting. He assumed that was because many young women felt vulnerable. Of course, all of his clients were vulnerable; that's why they were his clients.
"If I don't know that I have a problem, why should I give you any money?"
Magus chuckled. He answered, "You will find that the solution that I offer you is priceless. Your ten dollars will be well spent."
Having been warned of the price by Karen, Wanda had a ten dollar bill readily accessible. She pulled it out of her purse and handed it over to him. She said, "I'll need a receipt."
"Of course," Magus replied. He slid a receipt across the desk to her.
Wanda stared at the receipt realizing that he already had one prepared for her. She said, "So give me your solution to the problem I don't know that I have."
"Like I said before, I was going to do something altruistic for you. I have a soft spot in my heart for the young men and women who go off to defend this country against its enemies. I understand the hardship on the families who are left behind. I was going to arrange for you to video conference with your husband," Magus said.
"That would have been worth ten dollars."
Magus slid an envelope across the desk to Wanda. She stared at the envelope as if it was some kind of poisonous snake. He said, "However, in discussing the matter with your husband's commanding officer I discovered a problem."
"What kind of problem?" Wanda asked. She felt like someone had punched her in the stomach.
"Inside that envelope is an airline ticket to Germany. You'll meet your husband there," Magus said.
"Why is he in Germany?"
"He was wounded yesterday," Magus answered.
"Oh my God!"
Magus held up a hand and said, "His condition is stable. I read the medical report and he's going to be okay."
"Oh my God! I've got to go see him."
"I was sure that you would like to see him so I have made arrangements for you to visit him. You have prepaid reservations at a hotel there. Your flight leaves tomorrow afternoon. That should give you time to get your affairs in order before leaving."
"What am I going to do?" Wanda asked. Her hands were shaking. Mentally she was still trying to come to grips with the fact that her husband had been wounded.
"I checked and saw that your passport is up to date so you will have no problems traveling out of the country. In case you are worried about your obligations here, I have given you the name of a woman who will take care of the library while you are gone. You'll need to call her this evening," Magus said.
"How did Doug get wounded?" Wanda asked. She was so caught up in her concerns for her husband's health that she didn't hear a word that Magus said.
"I think Doug would prefer to tell you about it himself," Magus answered.
"I'm going to have to go see him. Where can I get the money for a ticket there?" Wanda asked. Her hands were shaking so hard that she knocked her purse to the floor without noticing it.
"I told you that I got you a ticket," Magus said. He could see that Wanda was not dealing with the news about her husband very well.
"I've got to get a ticket," Wanda said. "Maybe the bank will loan me the money."
Magus called out, "Officer Corrigan."
A young female police officer stepped into the room through a door in the wall that was behind Magus' desk. She looked at Wanda noting that the woman was in a state of shock. Having a feeling that she knew what the answer to her question would be, she asked, "Are you ready to tell me what I can do to repay the favor I owe you?"
"Linda, would you mind taking care of Wanda for the next eighteen hours? She's had some bad news and is feeling a little distraught," Magus said. Wanda was staring at the floor trying to come to grips with the news that her husband had been wounded.
"No problem," Linda answered. She moved over to where the young woman was seated.
Magus held up a sheet of paper for Linda. He said, "You'll need to drive her home since I don't think she's in any condition to drive. I have her address here. You will need to stay with her for the night and make sure that she catches her flight tomorrow afternoon. I have included a checklist of things for her to do before leaving. You might want to make sure that she performs every item on the list."
"Don't worry. I'll take care of everything," Linda said. She took the sheet of paper from Magus and the envelope that was on his desk.
"I'm confident you will."
While helping Wanda stand, Linda said, "Any time you need a favor like this, just call me."
"You've satisfied your debt to me," Magus said.
"This is nothing compared to what I owe you," Linda said.
"You know better than that," Magus said.
"So you say."
"Take her home."
Five minutes later, Wanda realized that she was staring out the window of a moving car. She had no recollection of when or how she had gotten into the car. She looked over at the driver and asked, "Who are you?"
"I'm Linda Corrigan. I'm an officer with the East Millville police department."
"Where are you taking me?" Wanda asked.
"I'm taking you home. You've had quite a shock and Magus was concerned about you," Linda answered.
"Why are you doing this?"
"I owed Magus a favor," Linda answered.
"What did he do for you?" Wanda asked.
She smiled and said, "He saved my life a long time ago."
"My husband is hurt. I've got to see him," Wanda said.
"Magus arranged for you to be with your husband," Linda said.
"He arranged for me to be with my husband," Wanda repeated. The reality of what Magus had done was only now starting to penetrate her mental fog.
"He paid for your airline ticket and hotel," Linda said.
"He did?"
"Yes, he did. You got quite a bargain for your ten dollars," Linda said.
"Yeah," Wanda said. She realized that the airline ticket probably cost a hundred times more than the ten dollars she had given him. She frowned and then said, "He spent a lot of money on me."
"He can afford it. He has lots of repeat business. I have heard that some of his clients have paid a million dollars for a solution," Linda said.
Wanda asked, "What is he doing in West Millville?"
"I don't know. He didn't tell me why he moved from Washington D.C. when I asked him," Linda said.
Wanda asked, "Did you know him in Washington D.C.?"
"No. I became a client of his a little more than ten years ago when I was living in New York City," Linda answered.
"You must have been a teenager then," Wanda said. She figured the young woman was about twenty-five years of age.
"I was."
Wanda asked, "What kind of problems could a teenager have that required his services?"
"It is a long story."
"Tell me anyway," Wanda said.
"After my mother died, my father married a real party girl. When my father died, I was left in an abusive home with a step-mother who had a serious drinking problem. I was sexually assaulted by the pedophile who had married her," Linda said.
"You did have problems," Wanda said.
"Then one day I visited Magus. That same day, the asshole disappeared, my mother was sent to a rehabilitation center, and I was fostered in the home of a retired cop and his wife. I really love my foster parents," Linda answered.
"What happened to the guy that was abusing you?"
"When I inquired about the fate of the asshole, Magus told me that there are many dangerous places in the world. He had arranged for the asshole to visit some of them," Linda answered. "I later found out that he died in Somalia."
"Wow."
Linda said, "Magus also set up a college fund that I used to get a degree in Criminal Justice. He did all of that for the low price of ten dollars and a favor. Can you believe it?"
"No," Wanda answered. "So your favor is babysitting me?"
"Yeah. I would have served as his mistress if he had asked. I mean, he saved my life," Linda said looking over at Wanda.
"Wow."
"Yeah, wow," Linda said.
Upon reaching Wanda's home, Linda made some hot tea while the distraught woman sat at the kitchen table. The two women drank the tea giving Wanda a chance to recover from the emotional shock Magus had delivered. Linda opened the envelope Magus had given Wanda and said, "Let's see what is in here."
"I thought we forgot that," Wanda said.
"Let's see. We have a printed confirmation for a prepaid room at the Hilton for ten nights. That's a nice place," Linda said.
"Prepaid?"
"Two hundred a night; that's a very nice place," Linda said. "There is also a first class round trip ticket to Germany with a change of plane in New York.
"First class?"
"Magus does things with style," Linda said. She pulled out a small stack of papers that were stapled together. "This is the list of things you are to do."
"What kind of things?" Wanda asked.
"The first item on the list is for you to call Karen," Linda said.
"Oh my goodness, I forgot to call her. She's probably worried sick about me," Wanda said. She scurried over to the telephone.
While Wanda was talking on the phone, Linda read the remainder of the items on the list. When she reached the end of the list, she said, "Magus thinks of everything."
Wanda returned to the table after finishing her conversation with Karen. She asked, "What is next?"
"Call Louisa and ask her to watch the library for the next ten days," Wanda said. "Here's her telephone number."
"I know Louisa," Wanda said nodding her head. "She's a floater. She temps for the libraries in Millville, West Millville, East Millville, North Millville, and New Millville."
Making reference to a common joke in the area, Linda asked, "What about Old Millville and South Millville?"
"There are no such places."
"Why not?"
"Old man Mill died before he had a chance to name the two towns south of here," Wanda answered with a smile. The joke was that there had never been an old man Mill. It was a strange area having five towns within forty miles of each other sharing essentially the same name. Not a single one of the towns had more than a thousand people living in it. If it weren't for the long stretches of corn fields between the towns they could have all been folded into one town.
"You better make the call now," Linda said.
Wanda went to the telephone to make the call thankful that Magus had organized everything so well. She would have forgotten to call Louisa if she had been alone.