Heide and Merl and Maria

"Oh my god, Merl, her picture doesn't do her justice."

"Let's go, Tyler. Don't step on your tongue."

We went inside, and I led Tyler to the dining room. Heide wouldn't look me in the eyes. We signed and initialed until there was nothing left to sign. Both lawyers went back to their offices, and Heide and I were alone, strangers after sixteen years of marriage.

"You wanted to talk?"

She stood and walked around. "It started six years ago when you were at a two-day seminar in Atlanta. Spencer came over, and I was the first victim of his extortion scheme. He gave me a touch of E and stayed the night. The next night Spence gave me more E and took me to Rye Balled, and I was in awe at the control strippers had over men's wallets. It was amateur night, and he convinced me to dance. I fell into a trance while dancing and using the pole, and I began stripping. Now, most amateurs don't strip; they just dance like strippers. The hungry looks I saw on every man's face as I took it all off gave me an orgasm right on stage. When I finished, there was $1,500 in bills all over the stage. Right then, you became #2 to me.

"I'm not going to tell you about every man or woman I fucked; there were a lot. At first, I danced on Fridays only and then on Wednesdays also. That's when Meredith joined me. Add in Saturdays, which I said was my charity work, and Thursdays, when I was supposed to be out dancing, and I began treating you like a roommate. The men we were with, powerful men that weren't recorded on video at the club, paid obscene amounts of money for a lap dance or a night in their hotel room. Many nights that's why I was late getting home. Mixed in were local politicians and business owners, police officers, as well as Spencer's blackmail victims."

"So you didn't see us staying married in the future?"

"No. The thrill of sex with many men and the money are things I can't give up. There's this old guy who's fifty-eight, rich, and he wants me badly, just for himself. Maybe I'll try hooking up with him."

"What about Spencer?"

"He's bad news, truly an evil man. He hurts me and calls you names. I hate him."

"Take your cash and diamonds, and get far away. Did you know he put a camera in the smoke detector in our bedroom and the PC in the attic?"

"Camera? Oh god, no. How long?"

"Five years."

"That's why he had me call men he set up at the club." She lost it, tears and mascara running down her cheeks, and I felt no empathy toward her at all.

"Don't worry; I have it under control. That's why you need to leave town. I'll put the house up for sale. Go to your lawyer and sign a power of attorney."

We stood and stared at each other for a moment.

"Heide, can you give me a ride to where I am living?"

"Of course."

When we arrived at Maria's house, she asked, "Have you found someone to love?"

"Yes," I answered as I got out.

"Good." Heide drove off to her future, and I went inside to mine.

Maria walked in at 4:00 and said, "They fired him, his job did so that he can start Monday."

"Who fired who?"

"My replacement. His job fired him, so after tomorrow, I have one week left. Is everything signed?"

"Ninety days! Should we wed at the courthouse or Justice of the... OUCH. Mom, that hurt."

Mom was listening and gave me a Gibbs slap because she still wasn't used to my humor.

The next day I drove to FinCo to see Albert. After I explained what I had on CD and what happened in the two scenes, he buried his head in his hands. "That explains some things I've heard about Jema. Can you come back to your old job?"

I laughed and let myself out. Marjory was pretending to talk on the phone.

After returning to my SUV, I called Sarah and said I needed to see her. She told me to come on over.

When I got to her subdivision, and after passing through security, I drove to her mansion and parked in her driveway.

Walking out her front door, she asked me, "Have you heard from Spencer?"

"Just of him. I heard he ran into the evil men I told you about, but I don't know where he is. I have a gift for you." I opened my briefcase and gave her all the papers in his safe along with $20,000. "His will is in there."

She was looking at the money as I left to go home to Maria.

We were making plans to visit some relatives in Gastonia when there was a knock on the door. I opened it, and a police officer was standing on the porch. I invited him in and took him into the living room.

"What can I do for you, officer?"

"I'm investigating the disappearance of Spencer McCoy. He disappeared yesterday, and we were told you know him and saw him at his house yesterday."

"I've known him for a lot of years, haven't always liked him. He operates on the edge between legal and illegal. I went to his house to see him and his front door was open. I called him and told him what I saw, and he said he'd be right over. Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up and was angry because his safe was missing. There was a piece of paper on the table by the door, and when he looked at it and read it, his mood changed, from angry to scared. He asked me to give him a ride, and I did. I took him west, just out of town, and dropped him at the bus stop. He said somebody would be picking him up, but I needed to leave quickly. He added that they were evil men who I didn't want to know. So I left."

"If I have any more questions, can I come by again?"

"Of course, officer."

As he drove off, Mom and Maria hugged me, one on each side. We traveled to Gastonia, and I had a great time watching Maria fend off all the single women trying to cut in between Maria and me. More than one would go home with a handprint on their cheek.

As I got out of bed Sunday morning, I asked, "Maria, can we go on a long vacation next week? I need some time off. There is way tooooo mmmucccch ssstress, oh my."

Mom came in without knocking and quickly left, closing the door behind her and mumbling about something.

Maria looked up with smeared lipstick and saliva on her chin, "Now what were you saying?" We practiced a lot today. Mom scolded me for not locking the door.

Mom was quiet Monday morning as I showed her how to make French toast just the way I like it. It tasted so good she ate mine, so I made some more. I picked up the paper, and the headline was about the Mayor, scandal, and secret wife and children. Yes, I wish we could leave for vacation now.

Epilogue

For the next few days, the Mayor's indiscretions were listed in the paper, stories about corruption and sex, a judge taking bribes, and the police chief involved in the scandal. There was a back-page story about my old friend Spencer, who had disappeared.

Bradley Smith called and wanted to know if I had anything to do with an envelope of money delivered to him. I answered truthfully, "Bradley, I have never delivered an envelope filled with money to you." Duong got someone to do it.

Bettina Van Arc called an hour later and said they received a windfall in the mail and wondered if I would like a portrait of my wife for a discounted price? I said, "Can I get back to you in about eight months?"

Police raided Rye Balled, and the bad publicity hurt business badly. One day they had a fire, and it was immediately obvious it was arson. The Fire Marshal blamed Devin Durand, who was the owner, manager, and insurance policyholder. The insurance company refused to pay off the policy, and Durand was arrested.

The Mayor resigned and disappeared. Speculation in the paper was he knew too much to be left living. After a thorough investigation, the Police Chief and two other officers were indicted on various charges. Nine other police officers resigned.

I put the house on the market, and it sold for full price a week later. Heide's lawyer collected her half.

Maria and I went to the French Riviera and spent a week rubbing shoulders with famous people on the nude beaches. It was there, we felt, that her pregnancy started. When she was at twenty weeks, and after a doctor's visit, I sold more stock, and we flew to a Sandals Adult only, clothing optional, resort. I signed in for twenty-eight days in a cottage on the water. We returned from a nude canoe ride, seven days into our stay, to find someone lying face down on one of our lounges, nude.

A female arm went up holding suntan lotion, and she spoke in French, "My son, will you put lotion on my body?"

Maria and I both answered, "Yes, we will, Mom." She does have a fine body, a preview of Maria's future. As to what happened next, at the resort, nunya. In our immediate future, Maria and I were married when she was eight months pregnant, and David Van Arc painted a portrait of her in her bridal lingerie with a big baby bump showing.

Okay? Anything else, see the movie. THE END.