First, I’d like to apologize in advance for the rawness of this book—I’m a photographer, not a writer. I took the copy from the journal I’d been writing since this thing began, as I tried to get my head around what was going on. While I’m still not sure exactly what happened, I thought my experiences might help someone else who was going through something similar. For what it’s worth, here goes...
- J.S.

I was talking to Rocky at the local deli when my cell phone rang. At the time, I had no idea what a stream of life-changing events this call would unleash upon me. Innocently, I flipped open my phone. “Good morning,” I answered cheerfully.

A sweet, familiar voice greeted me. “Morning, Jarred. It’s Sherry. I’m just confirming our lunch today.”

“How could I possibly forget? I’m looking forward to it,” I said with a smile which I think showed in my voice.

“Me too!” she responded. “Listen, would you mind picking me up outside of the office? I don’t want anyone knowing my business.” I agreed to her request. “See you at 12:30,” Sherry replied. I detected an odd tone in her voice, one I’d never heard before, but shrugged it off.

“No problem,” I responded. “See you then.”

“Looking forward to it, Jarred,” Sherry said, ending the call.

First, a bit of backstory. Sherry was the sculptor in an artistic group I belonged to—Brush, Chisel& Lens. I thought it was a pretty catchy name for our little collective which included an artist, sculptor and photographer. (I was the latter.) Sherry and I first met when she began working for one of my clients, and we’ve been friends as well as business associates ever since. Smart, talented and witty, I liked her from the very first time I met her.

The lunch Sherry called to confirm was planned at Sunset Cove, a restaurant not far from her office. Situated on the Hudson River, on a perfect spring day like that one, Sunset Cove was a perfect place for a creative brainstorming session. Not only was the view great but the tables were spaced wide apart. It was beautifully-appointed without being stuffy, plus the food is excellent.

After hanging up with Sherry, I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. There was something different about her this morning. Did I detect a slight nervousness in her voice? Or maybe it was me, a touch of spring fever that warm, sunny day was having on me. What Ididn’t miss was Sherry’s desire to keep our meeting private. It wasn’t unusual for us to get together for lunch, coffee or work sessions, but why was this so different? I slipped my cell phone back in my pocket.

Standing at the counter in Rocky’s