The aroma of fresh coffee and the sharp ring of a skillet bouncing on the floor jarred Ron from a sound sleep. He lay there for a moment, then realizing the rain had stopped beating on the awning, he got up and went to the window. A wall of fog had turned the maple trees into shadows.

The furnace cut in and hot air filled his housecoat. It felt good on his bare legs, almost too hot as he stood over the register looking out onto his foggy driveway – then his mind flashed back to the woman that nearly froze to death on his porch. What if he hadn’t come home to change his clothes, but had drove straight to the village. That horrible thought left him sick in his stomach, as he went to the bathroom and sloshed cold water on his face, and then went to join the ice lady in the kitchen.

His eyes followed her as she pour him a coffee – set it in front of him – went to the breadbox– put two slices in the toaster, and then sat down across from him. “How’s the head?” she asked with a faint grin.

“Don’t ask.” he said, sipping on his coffee, “I see you found your clothes.”

“Thanks for washing them. Was there much blood on them?”

“Ugh… not before breakfast. Maybe a couple of spots, I didn’t really have the stomach to look closely.”

“Would you like a fried egg?”

“No. I don’t feel much like eating.”

The toast popped up, she got up and buttered them, cut them diagonally, and set them on a plate in front of him, and then she put two more slices in the toaster.

“Why don’t you make yourself some bacon and eggs.” Ron asked?

“I don’t feel much like eating either. My guts are in a knot over what happened. I don’t know why I didn’t just give in to that guy instead of killing him. Why was I so damn stupid?”

“Hind sight is twenty–twenty.”

“Tell me about it. And speaking of hind sight, you should be having some about now.”

“Kolinsky’s dead, and fortunately, nothing will bring him back.” Ron said, calmly eating his toast as he studied her face across the table, “so drive it from your mind, there is sweet fiddly diddle you can do about it.”

“I should get you to drive me far away from here and dump me by the roadside, before you get in trouble over this.”