Fashionably Late (For My Funeral) Pt. 02

"A third time, where is the money?"

"For the third time, I don't know." I now know how those unfortunate third rate boxers feel who a pitted against the world champion heavyweights in one of those lopsided matches that you see from time to time. The difference being that they were being paid handsomely to take that sort of punishment.

"We're not gettin' nothing outa him, let's talk to the boss and see what he wants us to do." And he was the smart one of the trio. They left me there while they went off in search of further instructions.

I have seen these escape artists who can be trussed up like a thanksgiving turkey and get out in nothing flat. I couldn't do that, try as I did, I couldn't break loose from the ropes that bound my wrists.

I must have hung there for several minutes before I heard someone enter the building. Here we go again. "Look at you, I turn my back and you get yourself into trouble again." Ruiz stood in front of me.

"Don't just stand there get me down, they could be back any minute." He took a flick knife from his packet and cut the ropes. I chaffed my wrists to restart the circulation to my hands.

"Now let's get out of here before they come back, then you can tell me what happened to you."

We drove back to the precinct. "James brought the money as arranged and we exchanged it in the bank. I told him that I was going to count it and then take it to my bank so that I could deposit it in my own account. He was so excited by that news he couldn't wait to set his plan in motion and that was to relieve me of the money before I had a chance to get to my bank with it. I placed the money in a safety deposit box in the vault and sent the key to a friend in Hollywood, and then I caught a cab to go home. The goon squad arrived in numbers and I found myself in the warehouse being beaten up."

"What did you tell them, assuming that you told them something?"

"I suggested that they should be asking James where the money was seeing as how there was none in the attaché case when he gave it to me. There was no reason for them to doubt me because they saw me leave the bank with the case and, apart from posting a letter I didn't have a chance to get rid of it."

"You surprise me. Here I was thinking that you were some insignificant little man who writes B grade mystery novels and you come up with this scheme, I'm impressed."

"What do I do now?"

"Go home, get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning."

I went home, I didn't get any sleep and I didn't see Ruiz in the morning, in fact by the morning I was in Hollywood.

"What have you done?" Melissa's greeting was not the same as I have been used to receiving.

"What do you mean 'what have I done'?"

"I just had a phone call from James, and he claims that you double-crossed him."

"I double-crossed him?" I hope that my incredulity was not too strained, otherwise she might get the impression that I was putting it on. "Next time you speak to the wonderful James ask him who it was that arranged for me to be kidnapped and beaten and the money stolen from me."

"James wouldn't have done that."

"You have a lot more faith in his character than I have. I find the man sleazy and someone that I can't trust."

"But look at all that he has done for you."

"Okay, let's look at what he has done for me. He has used my money to finance drug importation, he has implicated me in an illegal activity that could see me spend a considerable number of my future years in jail. He has arranged to have me beaten and robbed, and while I'm at it, it wouldn't surprise me to find that he has taken my place in your bed while I've been working in Hollywood."

"What! What are you saying?" I knew that would wind her up. "How dare you accuse me of having an affair with James!"

"What was it that Shakespeare once said, 'methinks he, or in your case she, doth protest too much'. I know that you have been having an affair with someone, I assume that it is James, and that the two of you have been lovers for some time. I think it more than likely you were lovers before we met and that you continued that affair after we married."

"How can you be sure that I have had a lover anyway?"

"Because my darling you are pregnant and I know that I cannot possibly be the father."

"How do you know that?"

"Simple, I have had a sperm count done. I thought that I should have a check up when nothing seemed to be happening in the family stakes after years of trying. The count showed that it is impossible for me to father a child. I am sterile."

"You bastard! How could you do something like that without discussing it with me?"

"I wanted to test whether I was the problem or not before I discussed it with you. I didn't want to be one of those macho types who couldn't accept the possibility that he was the problem and order you off for tests before I checked my part in the problem first. I thought that I was doing the right thing."

"How long have you known?"

"I found out shortly before you told me that you were pregnant."

"And you never said anything. How could you!"

"Why are you so angry? Don't you think that I should be the angry one here? How do you think I feel knowing that the woman that I love has been making love to someone else behind my back? Do you think that I am going to wear my cuckold's horns proudly? No I'm not!"

"What about you? Are you going to stand there and tell me that you have never made love to Sendi?"

"Yes. Sendi and I have enjoyed a platonic friendship for the simple reason that neither of us wanted any involvement in something that would jeopardize my love for you and our life together."

"So you say! I read the newspapers, and she has a reputation for jumping into bed with anyone who might be able to further her career. You could be screwing yourself stupid with that woman and, unless you were caught in the act who would know? You can never have children, so you say, so you would never find yourself having to cover an unplanned pregnancy."

"You can't possibly believe everything that you read in the tabloids, can you? You've met her and spoken to her, she would never come between us and you know that."

"Well that is the impression that she was trying to give when I spoke to her last. But then she is an actress and from what I've seen of her a good one."

"Do you doubt my statement that I'm sterile?"

"I haven't seen any evidence of the fact."

"In case I found that you didn't believe me I have gotten a copy of the medical report." I took an envelope from my attaché case and handed it to her.

"So you can't have children. What do we do now?"

"What would you like me to do? Do you want me to continue on knowing that I'm not the father of the child? What?"

"What about James and the money? You can't just leave him to fend for himself, can you?"

"What else can I do? I suppose that you think that your wonderful James had any qualms about sicking the goons on to me? No, I think that he would sell his mother to cover his debts. Now I'm going to ask you one question and I want an honest answer."

"What is it?"

"Was your marrying me part of some plan that you and James cooked up to get your hands on my money or was that something that occurred to you later? Did you really love me in the beginning and do you still love me now?"

"You said one question. No, it was not part of a plan and yes I did love you in the beginning and I still love you now. You infuriate me, but I love you."

"If you love me would you still ask me to support James knowing what I know about him?"

"What do you know? I know that you suspect a lot of things but do you know anything about him?"

"I know a lot more than is safe for me to know. I know that he owes a lot of money to a lot of people who are getting a little concerned about ever seeing any of their money back. He has been stalling them like mad, but their collective patience is fast running out. It is only a matter of time before the police fish him out of the river or something equally drastic."

"And you don't want to help him?"

"It's not a matter of don't want to, it's more a case of can't. I can't because the police know about him and his involvement with these and other unsavory people. If I tried to help him I would be telling the world that I support what he has done and is doing. I do not support him and his endeavors. I cannot condone the misery that drugs such as cocaine bring into this world and I need to distance myself as far as possible from James and his friends. I love you still but I find your loyalty to be misplaced and if it continues, love or not, I would be forced to leave you."

"You? Leave me! I think not!" She was starting to get desperate. "Where do you think you'd be without me? Writing books with no soul and living on the interest from the banks in that horrid little apartment that you used to call home! Look at what I've given you." Very dramatic this, she waved her hand around the room so that I could see the worldly goods that we had acquired. "I have taken you from obscurity and groomed you for the stardom that you now enjoy."

"My talent as a writer has nothing to do with this I suppose?"

"Your talents were wasted, and they were being exploited by your agent and the banks. You were getting nowhere and would most likely have ended up some writer of pulp fiction eking out a miserable existence in some pokey little apartment, afraid to go outside for fear of being mugged by schoolchildren looking for drug money. Until I met you, you were nothing, nothing do you hear me! Now look at you. I did that for you because I loved you. I still love you."

"Do you know what I think? I think that in the beginning you recognized my potential as an interesting appendage to your ambitions, someone you could take to parties and your friends would say 'how interesting he is and hasn't Melissa done wonders with him? Do you remember him when she first found him? What a weedy little man who had no concept of the real world'. I was some kind of project for you. Oh you loved me, in your own way, but it wasn't the all encompassing love and affection that I had for you."

"You said 'had', does that mean that you don't love me anymore?"

"I still love you but not in the same way that I did in the past. I love you as a friend, I love you as a person, but I am finding it difficult to believe that I can still love you as a wife and lover."

"So where do we go from here?"

"I need time to think, time to get my thoughts together. I'm going off to some secluded place where I can relax and enjoy life for a while."

"I suppose that you're going to Hollywood to see your friend Sendi and get her help."

"I am going to spend time on my own. Sendi will not be with me." This wasn't entirely true but I didn't want to put her in any danger by announcing to everyone that I would be going to her for comfort.

"And when is this going to happen?"

"I am leaving tonight. I have booked a flight to Seattle and I'm going to spend some time in a cabin in the Rockies." The first part of this was true, I had booked a flight to Seattle, but I wasn't going there. I walked into the bedroom and came out again carrying a soft bag with my clothes.

"If you walk out of this door I will file for divorce and take you to the cleaners! You will end up with nothing, do you hear me? Nothing!"

I walked.

The cab took me to Kennedy where I checked in for the flight to Seattle. I then walked over to another airline counter, I can't remember which one it was, and bought a standby ticket to Los Angeles.

The flight to LAX was uneventful, uncomfortable and boring. I tried to read without success. I tried to sleep with even less success. I thought about getting plastered but decided that would not be a good idea if I wanted to arrive un-noticed.

I rang Sendi from the airport, she was expecting my call. "Where are you? I've just had a phone call from Melissa, she sounded weird, said something about you walking out on her. She wants me to contact her if I hear from you. What's going on?"

"I'll explain when I see you. Don't tell Melissa that I'm here. I've booked into a motel near the airport, can you come over? I'll tell you all about it when you get here. Be careful, there may be interested parties around."

"I will, see you soon."

Soon wasn't very long but it wasn't soon enough. It didn't take long to fill her in on the whole story. "This house that we've bought in Maine, how do I get there?"

"I'm coming with you."

"No, I don't think that will be safe."

"Look, I haven't pushed the point until now, but I love you, in the real sense of the word not the shallow sense that's expected around here, and I have loved you for a long time, since college, I realize that now. Do you realize how hard it has been for me to have that love for a man who is, or has been, beyond my reach? Not being able to show my love for you in a physical way for fear of your wife finding out. Not being able to get close to you because you haven't allowed it. Now is my chance. Do you remember that conversation we had the last time you were here? The one where I talked of the hint of an opportunity, well my love, I have got the hint. Now I can be the woman that you need. I want to be your woman, forever."

By the time she had finished saying this she had taken my head in her hands, and her face was inches from mine. I think she kissed me to stop my protest but, by the time the kiss was complete, I had complied with her wishes, I had allowed her totally into my life.

We left Los Angeles that morning. Not by plane because we figured that there would be people watching the airport and, as Sendi was easily recognizable, our chances of getting through would be minimal. I know that I sound paranoid here but I couldn't be sure that Melissa hadn't told James that I had walked out on her. If she had I could bet that he would have passed the word on to Costanzo who would have assumed that I was absconding with all of the money and he would have put the word around to other branches of his organization to look out for me.

We had thought about renting a car and driving but also decided that there was a risk involved. We eventually decided on train. We spent the time between LA and New York in a sleeping compartment, having our meals in the compartment, and not being seen by anyone other than the cabin attendant.

From Grand Central we caught a cab to a small airfield in New Jersey where we hired a light airplane to take us to Bar Harbor, and from there we rented a car and drove to the house.

It was small, rustic and hidden among the coastal sand dunes. The access road was unsealed and, unless you knew exactly where it was, you could easily drive past without noticing it. From the main coastal road the house remained invisible unless we had a fire burning in the living room, then a small wisp of smoke could be seen by the alert motorist.

A short walk took us onto the beach where we could stroll, alone, being showered by spray from the pounding surf and listening to the gulls squawking overhead.

Sendi and I grew closer together in that first few days and became lovers.

Technically Melissa was a very good lover. She knew moves and positions that I had read about in books such as 'The Joys of Sex' but had never experienced. The physical act of sex had been the most enjoyable experience, but something had been missing. Because of my lack of experience in this area I wasn't aware of the missing link until Sendi and I made love for the first time.

While Melissa made love with her body Sendi made love with her heart and the difference was amazing. I could feel the emotions in the way she caressed me and the soft way that she spoke to me. It was a gentle love that told me that she was giving herself to me entirely. It was a powerful and passionate love that told me that she was mine without reservation or condition. The bond that we formed in our little house on the beach was an all encompassing physical and spiritual bond that only people truly in love can achieve. Even if we were to be physically separate in the future the spiritual bond would keep us together.

A week saw us separated, only because she had to return to Hollywood for a film shoot that would last for at least two months. I missed her greatly the day after she left and that feeling only got more intense as the time dragged on. I endured thirty four hour days missing her, I endured ten day weeks of wanting her, desperately. I walked the beach, I talked to the gulls and began to recognize individuals in the regular flock.

I tried with little success to immerse myself in my writing. I was having more success in changing my image. I had returned to my comfortable corduroy trousers and plaid shirt, I had resurrected the tweed coat complete with leather patches and my hair and beard were well advanced.

Three days after Sendi returned to Hollywood I was in the village getting provisions. "Where are you staying?" The 'eyes and ears of the world' disguised as the storekeeper was a jovial type who wanted to know everything about everyone in the district.

"A friend is letting me use her house on the coast a mile down the road."

"Would you mean you're a friend of the famous movie star that bought that place a month or so ago?"

"Yes."

"Then I have a package for you, it arrived this morning with instructions that I should hold it for you and give it to you when you came in for supplies. You don't look much like your photograph." He took an envelope from under the counter and showed me the letter that Sendi had written with a copy of one of the press photographs of us taken some time ago. "You're the famous author aren't you?"

"I suppose that you could say that I am famous, yes."

We chatted for several minutes while I replenished my stocks of eggs, milk, coffee and bread along with some cereal and fresh fruit and vegetables. He handed me the package as I left and I felt that he was disappointed that I hadn't opened it in front of him. I was glad that I hadn't. I was also glad that the news that I was about to receive hadn't filtered down to this part of the world just yet.

Apart from a long letter telling me how much she loved and missed me, there was a copy of the New York Times with the story on the front page that shook my whole world.

"BIZARRE DEATHS. COUPLE LINKED IN SUSPECTED DOUBLE MURDER. MISSING HUSBAND SOUGHT.

Police are anxious to interview the husband of a woman who plunged to her death from their Manhattan penthouse. Police sources have linked her death to the shooting death of well known financier James Craigmore III."

Staring at me from just under this screaming headline was a picture of me looking very guilty. I wondered two things, the first was where did they get that picture and secondly, what do they do to pictures of people who police wish to interview in connection with something to make them look so guilty.

The news was days old when I first heard about it. My first guess was that the police would contact Felix to see if he knew of my whereabouts. Of course he didn't know where I was and he would probably be having several of his usual heart attacks when faced with bad news. In his opinion the bad news wouldn't be so much that Melissa was dead, and I'm sure that he would feel that deeply, but that his client who earned him a large amount of money for virtually no work, was missing. He would brighten somewhat when he realized the wealth of unpaid publicity that this would generate.