Final Appeal by Joanne Fluke Page A

Michael realized he’d forgotten to carry his sandwich into the living room and sighed. Old habits again. He put the plate in the garbage, wiped off the counter, and poured the rest of his root beer into a glass, a real glass. Then he carried it to the living room, sat down on the couch, and clicked on the television set with the remote control.
    Jeopardy was on and the host was still Alex Trebek. He didn’t really look any older although Michael knew he must be. Perhaps this was a rerun. Michael wasn’t sure. He hadn’t seen it before and it was new to him.
    Michael leaned forward as the program was interrupted by a news flash. This was what he’d been waiting for, the news of his escape. They’d probably flash his picture and warn everyone that he was considered dangerous.
    A picture appeared on the screen, and Michael frowned. A fire in Santa Monica? This wasn’t what he’d expected at all! He knew it was crazy, but he felt vaguely disappointed. He’d expected to be the center of attention, and his escape wasn’t even important enough to interrupt Jeopardy !
    Michael shut off the television and headed back to the kitchen to heat himself a cup of instant coffee. If he hadn’t made the news by now, he probably wouldn’t. But the sense of being an unimportant cog in a giant wheel stuck with him as he waited for his coffee to heat. In the confined world of Oakdale, events had seemed to revolve around him. There were Michael Hart’s medications, Michael Hart’s meals, and Michael Hart’s time for therapy. But the real world was huge, and there were other, more important events. Out here, no one except Stan even knew or cared that Michael Hart existed. It was a sobering dose of reality.

    Antonia Novak stood in the hallway, staring at the closed door to apartment 301. She was waiting for her best friend in the building. Doris Evans, so they could go for their morning jog.
    The door to the stairwell opened, and Doris came barreling through. She was in her forties, with frizzy blond hair, and this morning she was dressed in a bright yellow warm-up suit that made her look like a very plump grapefruit. Doris had taken up jogging last year on her doctor’s advice. She’d lost a few pounds, but it was an uphill battle. Doris claimed all the exercise just made her hungrier.
    â€œHi, Toni. Have you seen him yet?”
    Toni laughed and shook her head. Doris was the unofficial information network for the building. She knew almost everything about everybody, and this morning she’d called to say that someone had moved into apartment 301, right across the hall from Toni.
    â€œNo one’s come out, Doris, but I’ve only been here for a couple of minutes. How do you know he’s a he ?
    â€œBy the footsteps. They were too heavy for a woman.” Doris bent over and started to do her stretching exercises. “I took some cookies down to Mrs. Ryskind in 201, and we both heard him. If we find out he’s single, and he turns out to be nice, I think you should try to make friends.”
    â€œForget it, Doris.” Toni grinned as she took the rubber band off her wrist and pulled her long red hair back in a ponytail. “You’re always trying to set me up, and it never works out. I’m perfectly content the way I am.”
    Doris nodded. “That’s what you say now, but think about the future. You’re not getting any younger, and you haven’t even lived yet. It’s not natural for you to stay cooped up in your apartment with only your computer for company. You’ve got to be lonely.”
    â€œOkay, maybe I am. End of lecture, Doris. Now let me stretch, and let’s get started. I’ve got a lot of work to do today.”
    Doris raised her eyebrows as Toni began her exercises. This was the first time Toni had ever admitted that she was lonely, and it was a step in the right direction. Toni was an attractive woman, but