from Sacred Books & Sky Hooks

​Just after I finished Brodie’s chapter on Joseph’s final departure from Kirtland, my cell belted out the first bar of the National Anthem. Hoping but no longer expecting it would be Alcina, I answered. 

“Tonight. Same place. Eight,” a female voice said softly and hung up.

That night at eight I was sitting at my small table in the Heretic Lounge when Alcina entered, wearing a dark brown wig and dark glasses and carrying a posh purse instead of her laptop. Looking around furtively, she slithered into the seat across from me and admonished me for looking at her “like that.”

“It’s me,” she said in a low voice. “Let’s keep it quiet.”

Just as I was preparing to insert a quip into the conversation, the barmaid appeared and tapped a pencil on my ready tab.

​“Two Latter Days,” I ordered.

“That’s all?” the lady wanted to know.

​“That’s it,” I said and, as she left, turned to Alcina. “Maybe we should go over to my place.” Before she could answer, I wrote down my address, slipped it to her across the table under a napkin, got up, and left for home.