Bloody Trick Pt. 01

Mark Wallace sat at his desk in the warehouse and contemplated what he was needing to do about his wife, Willa. He had the evidence in front of him concerning her affair with her boss, Dale Timmons, owner of Timmons Electronics. Timmons Electronics produced small electronic controllers that allowed computers to control mechanical devices. Some were tiny and some were quite large depending on the application.

Mark had been working at Timmons Electronics when he met Willa Miller and successfully wooed her and won her hand in marriage. After a few years Mark had seen the need for independent warehouses, both dry and refrigerated, so he had gambled and struck out on his own. Willa had not been enthusiastic about the gamble but had helped by economizing any where she could to help out.

Now Mark was a thirty five year old successful business man with four huge warehouses and another hundred acres of ground for expansion on the edge of their medium sized city. A big box store was in need of a new distribution center and Mark's company was high on the list to provide the structure with a very long term lease. His refrigerated warehouse was so large that you could park thirty semi trucks inside without problem and flash freeze meat from the local packing plant without having to unload. This saved a lot of man hours having to unload trucks to freeze fresh meat and then load again for delivery to distant markets.

Through the whole process of getting the business off the ground, through mac and cheese nights when they couldn't even afford hot dogs, Mark and Willa were a team. They kept the wolves from the door as they sweated and strained to finish the first warehouse and get it rented out.

Willa was the personal assistant to Dale Timmons. At five foot seven inches tall and about 130 pounds her looks were average. She was a natural brunette who sometimes got highlights in her wonderful shoulder length hair. Her breasts were full and made every man want to just nuzzle up and see what might just perk up with a little attention. Her legs were long and lean and her ass was just right, not too large and certainly not flat.

They had made the commitment to get the business off the ground before having children and Mark was now ready but Willa had been less than enthusiastic when they last discussed progeny. She was very busy being the number two person at Timmons Electronics. Mark knew that even though there were a couple of vice presidents at the company, Willa was the one counted on to get everything done and in a timely manner.

Mark had wondered why Willa had a change of heart about kids. Early in their married life they had discussed how many kids, gender, and even names. Mark was hoping for Rachel, Mike, and Amy but now Willa wouldn't even discuss them anymore.

Their sex life was changing also. Mark understood that sometimes frequency would suffer as a person aged but he was under the impression that his libido would become less while Willa's would get stronger and peak sometime after age 36 or so. Nope. Mark's want and need to enjoy the physical aspect of their love was just as strong as when they met but he couldn't remember the last time Willa had been hot to trot. Any sex was after Mark pestered Willa until she gave in and just spread her legs. She didn't want any foreplay or even a kiss. She would grab out the liquid KY from the bedside cabinet and smear some in her furrow and then demand that Mark "just get it over with so I can go to sleep." Of course this only happened a couple of times before Mark just quit asking for sex.

This led Mark to the conclusion that Willa was no longer interested in him. Each passing day seemed to make the chasm between them wider. There was little conversation during a meal, during the evening while the idiot box was on, and never any pillow talk after retiring for the night.

Willa didn't even seem to care how well the business was doing as long as there was money in the bank. The warehouse business was a separate corporation wholly owned by the Wallace couple and had its own checking and even savings accounts. Mark drew a set amount each payday as their earnings. This kept the profits where the money could do the most good, primarily growing the business.

A few years ago Willa had set up a separate checking account and her earnings went into that account. Willa did make sure to pay quite a bit of the monthly expenses and Mark handled the rest. Willa used her own money to pay for her clothing and sundries including trips to the spa and hairdresser.

Mark now decided to use the corporate account to pay for a private investigator to look into Willa and her boss, Dale Timmons. Since Willa never looked at those accounts and, truth be told, none of the records were kept at the house anymore as Mark had a full set of corporate offices in one of the warehouses, she would not casually see anything about the investigation.

Mark had known Dale many years, first as an employee of Timmons Electronics and now as a vendor for Timmons. Dale used one of Mark's warehouses, at least a part of one, to store controllers prior to shipping and so they still had official ties and also Mark attended every outing put on by Timmons Electronics for the employees. There was a planned spring picnic and a Fourth of July celebration with fireworks and then an early fall picnic that was planned for the last warm days before the snow flew. Then there was the Christmas party in December. Dale also tried to have a one-box pheasant hunt in November that was mostly attended by the male employees and male spouses but a few women also were avid bird hunters and would join. Willa was not a hunter so she passed on that event, just planned it and all the other company events.

Mark had never really got the vibe that Willa was involved with Dale but he was the likely suspect as they spent many hours working together. Willa even traveled with Dale on sales trips and to conventions. Of course they always had separate rooms but Mark had never tried to call Willa's room during a trip as she always carried her cell phone and it always had good coverage wherever they traveled.

Willa had usually answered any phone call on the first or second ring and had never seemed out of breath or distracted when she spoke with Mark. On the rare occasion she missed a phone call she would call back as soon as she could. Sometimes she would return a call at the odd late night hour citing a working supper or meeting with potential clients. She never missed calling back by waiting until the next day as so many cheating wife stories had the errant spouse do.

No, Mark was suspicious based on Willa's changing attitudes towards children and her distance in their personal life.

Now at 35 years of age Mark was also feeling the biological clock ticking. Not necessarily about whether he could father a child or two but, more realistically, whether he wanted to be the age of most grandfather's when his children were graduating high school. Waiting even a couple of years would make it harder to get down on the floor and play with his children. Sadly he realized that if Willa was no longer in love with him or had decided to not have children then his time for being a parent was also in jeopardy since he felt it would be a long time before he could establish a new relationship.

Dale Timmons was married. His wife, Gretchen, was a good woman and had produced three kids for her husband but had let herself go a little bit. No, she wasn't obese by any means but she was carrying a lot of baby weight that she didn't seem to want or need to get rid of. Mark could easily see why Dale might be attracted to his slightly younger, and still in good shape, personal assistant.

Mark employed a private security service that advertised to be a full service security company. They did cyber security as well as background checks and then site security to make sure that businesses were fully secure. He called the owner, Chris Couples.

An appointment was made and Mark finished his current project and then went to the Security One offices.

Chris welcomed him and got him a cup of coffee. After they were comfortable Chris opened the conversation. "Well, Mark, what brings you over to my office today? Usually you just call if there is a problem with one of my people. Have you been breached somehow?"

Mark gave out a sardonic chuckle. "Maybe I have been breached." He put his hand up. "No, not the warehouses. They are all just fine. Our computers and the network are secure as far as I can see."

He paused to give out a deep sigh. "No, it is my wife, Willa. We are becoming more and more like strangers. Our sex life is in the toilet. I want kids and she won't even discuss the possibility anymore. I don't have any proof but I am wondering if she doesn't have someone else and I am just providing a house to live in now."

Chris took all of this seriously. Anytime a long-time married person started to suspect a dalliance there was usually fire at the base of the smoke that was being sensed. Of course Mark could be mistaken and Willa was innocent but history says otherwise. Any investigation would have to be very discreet so as not to alarm Willa and potentially permanently damage her marriage to Mark.

"I have a couple of good investigators. As a matter of fact, the best one is a woman and is very good at her job. I think she lives for catching errant spouses. Actually she is great at any kind of investigation. Her background checks are more thorough than most others and she really gets into recovery of insured stolen goods."

Mark nodded. She, whoever she was, was probably the best to assign to this. Chris went on. "Who are you thinking is the person Willa is involved with?"

"There have been no overt indications but the one I would most suspect would be her boss, Dale Timmons, of Timmons Electronics."

Chris should have guessed as he knew where Willa worked. "There might be a slight conflict of interest. We provide patrol security for Timmons. Dale Timmons has never really been concerned about most other types of security so we just drive by and check the doors at night."

He sat and contemplated his situation for a few moments then made a phone call. "Lisa, is Tom in right now?"

There was a pause. "Hello, Tom, this is Chris Couples. I have a quick question for you. It there any conflict of interest if one of my clients comes and asks me to run an investigation, personal of course, on another of my clients? There is no investigation of the businesses themselves, just officials of the two businesses."

There was another pause. "Okay, yes, I see. Thanks for the information."

Chris hung up the phone. "That was my lawyer. He says that there could be construed a conflict of interest but since the corporations themselves have hired our services and not the principals then there should not be any concern. I hope that you weren't going to pay me through the corporation checking account."

Mark looked a little chastised. "I actually had considered that so that Willa wouldn't see the bill. I will just use some savings for your fee and not have an official tie to the business. I can transfer some money to myself to reimburse my savings account if necessary."

Once the investigation was launched Mark felt a little relieved. No matter what was found out, it would give him information about his wife and his marriage and possibly the future of any progeny.

Mark didn't immediately consult a divorce attorney or even go to all the local good attorneys and get them to give him a consult meeting so that Willa would not be able to get a shark should divorce be in the future. He didn't immediately raid their joint accounts and move money. He didn't have his accountant move money to the Cayman Islands. Nope, he didn't do anything except go back to work.

Life continued as before. The Wallace's co-existed as they had for months. Mark and Willa shared a bed but seldom attempted to have any kind of sex life. They still didn't talk much and Mark never broached the subject of children. He just kind of retreated into himself and started to consider his future, a future where Willa wasn't any part of.

Chris provided updates but his investigator was going undercover so there was not any news for quite a while. Chris told Mark that his best PI was now working at Timmons Electronics and checking into the working relationship between Willa and her boss, Dale, and also looking into any unusual business practices.

Mark understood the need for slow and methodic investigations but was a little anxious about what might be found.

Finally many months later there was a report for Mark. He and Chris sat down and went over the entire package of documentation. It appeared complete. There were transcripts of emails, text messages and cell phone conversations. There were also videos from the various out-of-town meetings. There was no doubt that Willa and her boss were an item. Some of the transcripts were further disheartening as Willa made many disparaging remarks about Mark and his prowess as a lover. Chris was quick to point out that many times cheaters trash talked their spouses during sex talk to help make themselves feel less guilty. Dale made many references to his own wife's frigidity, as if that would make Mark feel any better.

Mark now was faced with the questions about his marriage, and to an extent, his business. Willa was a co-owner and it might break him to buy out her share. The local economy was good so the value of the business was high. It was good for business but severely damaging in the case of divorce.

He had to start to plan on what he was going to do. Should he confront Willa and demand that she come back and be faithful to only him? Should he just move out and live separately from Willa? Should he throw her to the curb and suffer the consequences that might include selling the business? Or should he just ignore the whole thing and hope it blew over someday?

He also had to consider whether to let Gretchen Timmons know what he had found out. What if she divorced Dale? Would he then put the full court press on Willa to dump Mark?

So many questions and so few clear cut answers. The mere contemplation was enough to give Mark a severe headache that was accompanied by nausea and the need to find a quiet dark room. Willa had noticed that Mark seemed more distant than usual and now a severe headache caused her concern. She spent a rare evening trying to make her husband feel better.

She made him some soup and, surprise, surprise, it wasn't just from a can. She kept the noise down from the TV while he was resting. She checked on him periodically to see how he was feeling. Mark appreciated the gestures, especially the soup but had to wonder why now Willa was actually feeling something for him.

As his headache cleared he started to plan. Even off the wall and extreme plans and dreams were healthier than wallowing in grief for his lost marriage. He came out of the illness with a new resolve. He fell asleep working on the details of his plan to expose his wife and her lover to the community. He would not tell Gretchen. She could find out when everyone else was faced with the secret life of Willa and Dale.

The next morning he woke and actually smiled at the form of his wife in the bed next to him. His cock was its usual morning wood, something that had been missing for months. He got up, shaved and had a nice hot shower and then got dressed. Willa was just stirring when he was ready to leave the bedroom and get his breakfast. "Rise and shine, Dear. Thank you for everything last night. I feel great. I don't know why I had a nasty headache but it is gone now and I am ready to get on with the rest of my life, thanks to you." He bent and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Willa didn't speak as she was still trying to wake up and now her husband was cheerful and full of life when recently he had been so down and depressed and would hardly attempt to talk with her.

She soon showered and dressed and joined him for a cup of coffee. Her breakfast was usually taken with Dale in his office. Sometimes they actually had something to eat, but most of the time she just got her protein from his cock.

Mark sat and told her that he was going to go ahead with the new warehouse. The big box company was balking at making a commitment about the distribution center so the plans had been on hold. Mark justified his decision by laying out the history for Willa that every one of their current warehouses had been a risk but were now paying off. A huge empty building might not get the big box company off the mark but might tempt other companies looking for the same thing, that is affordable sites in good areas with access to interstates and rail to ease shipping woes.

Willa finally had to let Mark go ahead with his plan as he had been right so far in every other decision about the company. Wallace Warehouses was about to expand again.

Mark also needed the construction to begin as it might help make his plan work better. He went to the office and called in his right hand person, Kellie Parsons, and got her started on the construction. He then called his attorney and set out to update his will. While in the attorney's office he updated his plan of succession for the corporation should he no longer be able to run the company for any reason. His attorney had been hounding Mark to do just that for many months so there was no real eyebrow raising at his plan.

Willa would still be the majority stockholder should Mark die or become incapacitated. She would not, though, have any input into how the business was operated. She would benefit from any profit made but Kellie would become the CEO and only have to inform Willa how the business was doing. Willa would be limited on how much she could withdraw monetary wise so that she couldn't raid the profits and force the company to shut down. She could sell the company but she couldn't destroy it.

Now came the rest of the plan. Mark slowly took some money from the company coffers. A couple of hundred here and a couple of hundred there. Over the upcoming weeks he amassed about $10,000 for his planned disappearance. He wouldn't be gone long, just a week or two, but by the time he came back all the damage should be done.

He visited a veterinary supply store and procured a couple of needles for syringes. He didn't need the syringes so no eyebrows were raised. He also went into the store dressed like the average livestock producer so it also helped with getting what he needed.

He then did exhaustive searches on the internet for what he needed to know but went to the public library so that any investigation into his personal and business computers would not reveal his interest in the particular subjects.

At home he continued to smile and talk with Willa. She responded and even initiated a sexual interlude or two. It was bittersweet to Mark that now, so late in the game, that she remembered who her husband was. He mentally debated during the first encounter whether he should beg off sex with Willa but decided that he had no evidence of an STD and he had no idea of when he would get sexual relief again so he might as well enjoy these few interludes while he could.

Mark and Willa also attended the spring celebration at Timmons Electronics. There was a catered buffet for the employees and families along with games for both adults and children. Prizes were given out to adult winners. Each child received a small toy for coming and being part of the event.

Mark made sure to not imbibe too much alcohol as he was not sure he could keep from getting into a confrontation with his rival, Dale. He avoided any real conversation with the man but did sit and gab with Gretchen for a while before joining other small groups of conversationalists.