The Gang Of Three

Chapter 1

Julia MacFarland was all in a flutter over the dress she had made for herself for the upcoming dance. She could hardly wait to tell Elmer how much money she’d saved. He disapproved of spending money, and he frequently went into tirades about the evils of being a spendthrift. Julia, always looking for ways to cut corners, had never spent a penny on herself without his prior approval, which he hardly ever gave.

Elmer MacFarland was indeed pleased, never mind that the outfit his wife had put together was unattractive, to say the least. Julia, indifferent to the fact that she had grown rather big in the hips, had constructed a dress suitable for a young and slender girl, not an overweight, sixty-four-year-old woman. But Elmer, who barely glanced at the dress his wife showed him, saw nothing amiss.

In the end, it did not matter what Julia wore to the dance. She was obviously not taking much effort with herself. Her face was lined and sallow, and her white hair, untidy and uncared for, was begging for a cut and a curling iron. She would, however, use a dab of powder and lipstick for the occasion, which, more than anything else, gave her the feeling of being well-dressed.

Elmer MacFarland was a little man, thin and spare, with a head full of gray hair, along with blue eyes under light brows, and a determined manner.

His passion in life was money. When he was a young man, he was a bit of a womanizer, but none of the girls he went out with were rich enough to tempt him to give up his bachelorhood. Then he met Julia Bolton, the only child of an elderly, wealthy couple, and Elmer wasted no time courting her. Marriage followed only three months after they’d met.

Their union was rather stormy at times. The rows they had were usually about money. Despite the large fortune Julia had eventually inherited, they continued to live penuriously. They never went out, not even for an occasional meal at a restaurant. But it might be said that Julia did not miss entertainments she had ceased to think of.

It was not surprising, then, that she had been quite taken aback when Elmer had asked her to go dancing with him.

“Dancing, did you say?” Julia had asked incredulously.

“Aye.”

“Have you lost your mind?”

“Ah, well, it’s not my mind that’ll do the dancing,” he’d replied with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

Two days later, Elmer and Julia arrived promptly at eight in the evening at the new recreation hall. The music was playing, and Elmer, anxious to be among the first on the dance floor, led Julia through the throngs of people who were still arriving.

Some people joined the MacFarlands on the dance floor, while others just stared at them. The absurdity of the two dancing made their appearance strangely unreal. Oblivious to the stares and out of step with the music, they vigorously moved to the sound of their own music, no doubt a long forgotten tune playing in their heads.

Not being used to the exercise, they soon sat down to rest. Elmer ordered refreshments; a glass of wine for Julia and a beer for himself. He also ordered some fish and chips.

This sudden loosening of his purse strings surprised Julia. She wondered what on earth had happened to him that would melt down his resistance toward spending his precious money. Though she welcomed the sudden change in him, in her heart, she thought it a pity that it came so late in their lives.

They resumed dancing and kept it up for a while, but suddenly—no one knew why—they stopped dancing and went home. Arriving at home, Elmer noticed right away that the front door wasn’t locked.

“What the devil is going on?” he said angrily. “I know I locked it when we left.”

What was going on was a burglary, and Elmer and Julia were about to find out that it would have been better had they danced a little while longer.