Bed and Breakfast

He nodded, "Unfortunately..." he started, then stopped. "I invited Damien tonight because he's acting as your new lawyer. So far, I have only been sharing extracts with him as he prepares everything, but with what today's report shows, I think he needs to be in on our next steps."

I looked between both men. I spoke with Damien several times this week as my new lawyer and a new friend. I had even spoken with Mel a couple of times. I was rapidly growing to trust the man.

"Sure, Damien is in the inner circle," I told my PI. "What's happening? What have you heard that makes it worse than what we have seen so far?"

Norm stared me straight in the face as he said the next line that, in a week that had knocked me about, just about took me out for the count.

"They're talking about how they can kill you in about three years..."

"What!" both Damien and I said at the same time.

Norm nodded. "Not right away. However, twice now, we have overheard the group talking about removing you in a couple of years and splitting your trust up between the five of them."

I sat back, stunned. Then looked at my investigator, "How?"

"They haven't got a method yet," Norm told us like he was reporting the news. "But they have talked about an accident, which they are not keen on. They are favouring slow poisoning by your wife through putting something in your food."

Stunned was the wrong word; shellshocked was closer to the truth.

"The only good news here is that they are talking in the future tense, they don't have a real plan yet, but apparently, they talk about it each time. Your friend Roger is apparently a chemist." I nodded my head. "And he has said he can make a compound that would slowly kill you."

"I... I... um, sorry guys, but I..." I couldn't finish. Both men nodded in agreement.

"Your wife, for her part, appears somewhat reluctant. I do believe in some weird and warped way that she cares for you, but she does sound willing to go through with it to get her hands on some of your money directly."

"But why?" I whined more than I wanted to. "We're married, and once it belonged to me, it would have belonged to us. Why would she try to do this? She knows I would never have restricted her."

Norm shrugged, "People do stupid things when money is concerned. Look, the key point here is that they haven't done anything yet. I believe that they want your wife to have your child and wait till you get full access to the trust so that it smooths the way.

"My team are still in place," Norm told us. "They are still listening and honestly, they are just as disturbed as what you are likely feeling now. All three have requested counselling after this assignment and are all seasoned professionals."

We discussed some more details, and Norm produced a USB drive with more videos, pictures and audio for Damien and me.

Damien told me he would have the initial paperwork ready next week, which included the divorce paperwork using a copy of the prenuptial agreement. The submissions would have me sue both Saymen and Zacks, Candice's workplace, and each cheater the following week. He had even spoken with a real estate agent who was keen to sell the apartment. Once I gave the go-ahead, he felt it could be sold very quickly.

With the revelation of their plans to murder me at some point in the future, Damien also noted that he would talk with the police about a conspiracy to commit murder. He had prepared restraining orders for each of them that they had to stay as far away from me as possible.

In the end, I decided on a plan that kept them in the dark as long as possible, giving me enough time to extricate myself from the initial fallout.

It did mean that I would have to suck it up at work until the end of the week. However, after that, all hell would break loose, and I would never set foot in that place again.

We spent a little more time planning, and I even got a call from Candice while we were talking. I let it go to voice mail, telling them I would call her back later to keep up appearances.

We had a going away party at work for Iona the next day. She had successfully completed her internship and was looking forward to heading north for her next journey step. Over cake and coffee, she quietly asked how I was, and I shook my head. She asked if we could meet for a drink after work and I smiled. I pushed hard for the rest of the day and caught up on some work. By quitting time, I got a few smiles from William and Mary as I submitted my work, appearing back on track.

Over drinks that night, without giving details, I told Iona that it was getting worse and that it was a good thing she would not be at Saymen and Zacks much longer. She took the hidden meaning and while we spoke, Mel called me.

"Hey Thomas, how are you?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"All things considered, all right," I told her while Iona looked at me wondering whom I was talking to. "I have a plan, and your husband is foaming at the mouth waiting to get things started."

I heard Mel laugh on the other end of the line, and Iona looked at me quizzically.

"Look, what I was calling for is that Damien and I were planning a trip down to see the penguins down near Phillip Island tomorrow, and I was wondering if you would like to come. Now before you say no, I want to tell you that you should come because you need to get out and be around friends that can help you through this."

I smiled on my end, then looked at Iona, patiently waiting for me.

"Sure Mel, would you mind if I brought a friend along?" I asked

Iona looked at me. I heard Mel laugh.

"Sure. What's her name?" Merriness in her voice.

"Iona, she's the one that got me clued in."

We spoke for another minute and agreed on times and locations to meet up. As I hung up Iona continued to look at me questioningly.

"Did you just ask me on a date by proxy on a call to another woman?" she asked.

When she said it, I think she saw the panic on my face. Her countenance broke and she laughed.

"Relax Thomas," Iona told me, placing a hand on my arm. "I understand you just need friends right now. Where are we going? And did I hear the word Penguins?"

The next morning, at seven-thirty, Iona and I met Damien, Mel and Colleen at a service station outside of town. I was surprised when they turned up in a canary yellow 2019 Mustang. I heard the big V8 before I saw it, and I was impressed and then surprised as it pulled up alongside my own 2020 V8 Mach1 in gunmetal grey.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you," I smiled as I greeted Damien. Mel and Iona smiled as both Damien and I spent the next few minutes talking mustangs before we realised we had not introduced the ladies to each other.

"Sorry, Damien, Mel, Colleen, this is Iona. Iona, this is Damien, Mel and Colleen. Damien is my new Lawyer."

They shook hands, well, Mel hugged Iona and we got on the road. Have you ever wondered what sounds better than a big block V8 screaming down the on-ramp to the highway? Well, it's two big blocks heading the same way and having a great time doing it.

By the time we made it over to Phillip Island, I had a smile a mile wide on my face. Damien was a cheeky driver, and the top dog lawyer in him wanted to play. So we did. Iona, for her part was having a ball. We chatted on the drive in between screaming out the lyrics to 'Black Betty', the remake by Spiderbait.

Throughout the day, we had a great time with the Penguins. All of us had been to see them before, but let's face it, Penguins are cute any time you see them. We had a great lunch of fish and chips while sitting on the rocks and I felt good knowing that I could have friends that would have my back.

I was also surprised that Iona had her hand in mine by the end of the day. It felt natural like it was meant to be there. I must have blushed a few times when she looked at me. I was still married, and even though my wife was betraying me, I told myself I was still married, and fidelity meant a lot to me.

About a half hour, before we headed back, Colleen had convinced Iona and Damien to take her for a walk back to the Penguins, and I smelt a setup as Mel and I trailed behind.

"She likes you, you know?" she said as we walked behind the other three.

I nodded. "I know, I kind of like her too, but..."

Mel put her hand on my arm as we walked.

"I know Thomas. She does too. Iona and I talked about it earlier. Originally she was going to head up to Queensland for a month before looking for her next job, but she told me she would like to wait around to be there for you for the next month. She doesn't have a lot of savings, but she wants to be there for you."

I think the surprise showed on my face. And at that moment, Iona turned back and smiled at me. It froze as she realised what we were talking about, then she got an even bigger smile as I smiled back and she turned her attention back to Colleen as we approached the Penguins.

Mel laughed, "See!"

The trip home was almost as fun as the trip down, just a little more subdued. At one point, I noticed a tavern on the Waze map up ahead and I called Damien and let him know that Iona and I would stop for a bit. Mel piped in, telling us to have a good time and Damien, Colleen and Mel all thanked us for coming and spending the day with them.

I was surprised that the conversation with Iona was light and flowing during our return trip and as we parked and made our way into the tavern. It was early evening in summer, twilight was lasting a while at the moment as we got a window seat and looked over the menus.

We ordered drinks and food. I was going to treat myself to a full rack of bourbon ribs and Iona ordered a chicken pamageddon. That's a parmigiana for those of you wondering, just scaled up with more cheese, chips and sauce.

I felt the mood get serious for a moment.

"Thomas?" the question was implied. I looked at her.

I've mentioned some of the general physical traits of this woman who is in the process of saving my life, but in detail, Iona is German-born and was raised in Germany until she was four and her parents immigrated to Australia. She was a natural to numbers and is doing a postgraduate degree while interning around the country in short bursts to see Australia before finding a place to settle down.

Physically, Iona is quite small, only five foot two. She has long blonde hair and as I mentioned earlier a cute face that has these deep blue eyes that I felt I could fall into without too much hassle now my marriage was breaking up. I mentioned that she dresses conservatively in the office, but today I must admit I caught myself staring at how her ass filled out her jeans more than once. At the same time, she wore a loose cotton shirt that several times hinted at the bra constraining a pair of breasts that must have been a decent b-cup but framed her body perfectly.

As she reached over and took my hands in hers, I felt soft and supple skin and a tactile touch that told of real affection, not just friendship or lust.

"I have a good idea what you and Mel were talking about. I know you have a messed-up situation right now and you need a friend more than anything else," She took in a hesitant breath. "So, that's what I want to be for you right now, a friend first of all." She stopped a moment and looked away still holding my hands.

"But we've known each other for a little while now and over this past couple of weeks as we have gotten closer, I've come to understand there could be more. I think.... No, I know. I like you more than a friend. Do you know what I'm saying."

I smiled. I was touched. This woman was putting herself out there, letting me know she was interested in more than friendship, even knowing that I was all kinds of screwed up.

"Iona I..." I started to say, then stopped.

Her face fell, crushed was more like it when I stopped. I think she thought it was a rejection. I squeezed her hands.

"Iona, you are an amazing woman, and you're right. I need friends first right now. But if I'm honest with you, under the turmoil I am feeling right now. I kind of like you too..." I let the rest go unspoken.

Most of the time, we go from happiness to despair in an instant, it's much easier to have your world fall out from under you than it is to climb the mountain into the sunlight, but Iona did it. One moment I could see the thought of rejection. The next her face broke into a look of serene joy. Her smile reached ear to ear and those big blue eyes glared at me with adoration.

We spent the rest of the evening talking about likes and dislikes. We talked about movies and music and of course, mustangs. I told her the story of losing my parents and grandparents, and her eyes went wide when I admitted to her about my trust fund.

"So why are you working at Saymen and Zacks?" she asked not long after I told her. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Originally, I only planned to be there a couple of years for the experience," I explained. "I was thinking about working around the place a little like you do to see different things and I was talking with my dad about us starting an investment company in a few years, but when they died, I just stayed there."

Mentioning my parent's death in relation to my trust sobered us a bit.

"I'm sorry, Thomas when I look at you, I don't see some rich spoilt guy. I see a man who is focused but doesn't suffer fools even as he has his own humility."

I snorted, "Thanks."

"I mean it, you're a good man," she lectured me. "You've yet to fly off the handle, and you haven't gone and killed them yet," referring to my wife and her lovers.

"No, not like they are planning on doing to me," I said dejectedly, not thinking.

"What?" she said eyes wide.

Busted, I just realised what I said and then proceeded to tell Iona the high-level conversation that my P.I. had picked up. That in a few years' time, they were all planning on knocking me off to get a cut of the money after I had fathered a child to Candice. Iona was appalled and crying by the end of it.

"You're doing something about it aren't you? I'm not a lawyer, but that needs to be a crime..." she almost whispered to me; her fingers were pinching my arm; she was worried, and I almost thought she was going to start looking around for assassins.

I nodded. "Damien is on the case. It will all happen at the end of next week."

She released me.

"Sorry, but Thomas, your wife is conspiring to murder you!" she said, an almost hysterical note in her voice.

We spent a few more minutes talking and as we returned to my car, she held my arm, almost constantly looking around.

"It's alright Iona," I said holding her hand in my arm. "I doubt there is anyone watching, but if there is, I've got a fast car here, we can outrun them."

That made her laugh, and on the rest of the drive home our conversation was a lot more subdued. When I dropped her off, Iona hugged me tightly and in a moment of weakness, I gave her a chaste peck on the lips. Both of us blushed and smiled when we understood what we had just done, and we both knew there would be more to our relationship if we allowed it.

Driving off, I was smiling. I sang with the radio on the way back to the new Bed and Breakfast I had checked into, and I felt at least some of the pain in my heart start to lift thanks to Damien, Mel and Colleen, but more so thanks to Iona.

I was a couple of streets away when my phone rang. It was Candice. I could hear she was in a bar.

"Baby," she said, a note of concern in her voice, "Where are you? I've been trying to reach you all afternoon."

Shit, I thought, I didn't return her call. "Sorry Candice, I ended up heading down to Phillip Island with some friends and their daughter to see the Penguins today. It was a last-minute thing and I kind of got distracted."

I felt the tension in her voice relax.

"Oh okay, I was a little worried there. Did you have a good day?" she asked. Now the issue of me not communicating was resolved.

"It was a great day. Seeing the Penguins with kids is amazing." I told her, letting the genuine feelings of joy I had watching Colleen with the penguins flow through our conversation. "They bring a different perspective around the happiness you feel."

I wasn't lying. Watching Colleen with the penguins was a laugh. She loved to feed them the bait fish we bought and at one point was making us all laugh as a group of penguins followed her around for more food.

"Aww baby, just hearing that makes me horny," she said in a sultry voice; I tried not to puke. "You know, perhaps we can start trying for a baby of our own when I get back. You've gone and got me all clucky."

Right, I thought, have a baby so you can poison me.

"We'll see Candice, so how's the conference going? Are you out?" I asked, changing the topic.

"Oh yes, well, the conference has been great. We've really been going at it hard," she said, not aware that I understood the innuendo she was using. "And yeah, a group of us, including my boss, are out for a few drinks. Don't worry my boss is keeping an eye on me so that no strangers assault my virtue."

I bet, I thought, like the slut had any virtue.

After that I lost interest in the conversation and let her talk to me for a few minutes about, well, I have no idea what she was talking about. I was no longer listening. She hung up with an 'I love you' but I don't know if she noticed that once again, I never returned the sentiment.

In the following week, I got to work early every day to get on top of my workload. With what was coming, I didn't want to leave any of my clients high and dry. I was pretty sure that both Mary and William were in on something to do with George and Candice, but I didn't know what, and as the week progressed, I noticed that they looked at me less and less as I had my nose to the grindstone.

I moved into another bed and breakfast. Why, well, despite all appearances, I was paranoid before I learnt about the conspiracy to end my life. Afterwards, I was just as freaked out as Iona about the whole situation so that I would change locations every two days.

Most nights that week I spent with Iona. We did dinner, and she helped me pack up all mine and Candice's belongings in my apartment. My stuff was going into a storage shed for a company I had invested in several years ago, free of charge. Candice's stuff was being removed and placed in another location with payment for sixty days, giving her a couple of months to sort out what was coming.

I spoke with Candice each day, and I got Norm's reports. I mistakenly showed Iona a couple of the pictures from the report one evening as we were packing up the kitchen, and she promptly ran to the bathroom and threw up. I think it was from seeing five people all doing things that a porn director would be hard-pressed to get professional actors to try. When she came back, she was hopping mad and hugged me constantly while berating my soon-to-be ex-wife for her behaviour.

We got to Monday morning. It was game day, the cheaters would be back early afternoon, and I would be making a one-month getaway to Cairns in North Queensland. That morning I walked into work like it was a regular day. I attended the staff meeting where William let us know that George would be back tomorrow. For the first time since I was clued into things, I noticed Mary staring at me as William told us. I made a note to pass that across to Damien for the conspiracy charges if they were a part of anything.

A little before lunchtime, a group asked me if I would like to have lunch with them, and I politely declined. However, as they left, I started a wipe on my laptop and walked out, leaving my keys and swipe cards on my desk. I wanted to leave my letter of resignation; however, Damien's team would be delivering that later this afternoon.

As I walked out of the office, the driver of a corporate car opened his car door, welcoming me. We started for the airport and he let me know our plane was on time as Iona reached over and hugged me, giving me another one of those chaste kisses I was coming to adore.