Just Once... Dishonorable

Prologue From Kalimaxos: Mine is an open-ended story of infidelity. It is designed that way. I was initially going to write multiple endings but decided that I would instead read what ending other writers/readers come up with.

So read, put your thinking caps on, and have at it. Unlike school tests, there is no "right" answer, only your version of it in your universe.

I haven't read every conclusion on Lit as there are several and I couldn't track them all down even if I wanted to do so. If this is redundant then please accept my apology and ignore it.

Disclaimer: There are no actual depictions of sexual interactions in this story. If there were any then they would be between fictional characters who are portrayed to be 18 years old or older.

I sat looking at the letter in my hand and felt my emergency training kick in. Assess, verify, and act accordingly. As a pilot, there are checklists for everything. Pre-flight, engine startup, take-off, pre-landing, landing, engine shut down, post-flight, and in-flight emergency lists for supposedly every eventuality. In Army intelligence, we were trained in "what if, then what." Every operation had a least three contingency strategies. The training was easy for me to adopt as I had been conditioned to think and act this way during flight school. Now, I would apply it to my marriage.

"Are you okay?" Leslie asked.

Ice was running through my veins just like it was supposed to be. "No, but I will be. I'm still figuring things out. Thank you for being here, but I think it's best if you go home."

"I'm here to console you, Rick. You shouldn't be alone right now. Are you upset?"

"My feelings are irrelevant. I need to figure out what I need to do next and emotions would only cloud my judgment. Thank you for your kind offer but please see yourself out."

"Rick, I don't know what to say but I'm sorry if I offended you.'

"Thank you for that, Leslie. I'm sorry if I have spoiled your evening."

"Goodnight, Rick."

I nodded at her as she gathered her purse and headed for the door. I went to the front door shortly after she exited and locked it. Now I had the space and quiet to factually assess my situation.

++++++++++++++++

One of the scariest things for a helicopter pilot is the loss of the tail rotor. Without the counter thrust, a bird begins to spin completely out of control due to the torque of the main engine. A pilot typically disengages the main rotors and attempts an autorotation landing, which is just a fancy way of saying that he is trying to manage the crash.

Right now, my marriage is spinning completely out of control. The trust that is necessary for stability has been annihilated. Marcy had made it clear that she considered this retribution for my supposed affair. I wasn't innocent but I wasn't guilty of what she had convicted me of in her mind. I had fucked up but I hadn't set out to betray her. This was a clear, cold betrayal. Our marriage was going to crash; who would be left to walk away was the only question.

The AH-64 Apache Longbow has two seats. As a pilot, I had sat in the front seat while my weapons officer sat in the rear seat. In case of a crash, I would do anything to save my weapon's officer's life in a crash, including sacrificing my own. I wasn't willing to do that in this case. I couldn't be sure that I would survive this nightmare but I wasn't willing to take the brunt of the fall.

The first person to pay was going to Dr. Trey. Our previous interactions and the one on the phone revealed everything I needed to know about his part in this disaster. He may or may not have coerced Marcy into this relationship but he was completely complicit. My ideal revenge would be a Hellfire R9X Blade also known as the Flying Ginsu. It would be poetic justice to have the philandering surgeon sliced to ribbons by the man he was cuckolding. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't get back into my old bird and fly to Colombia.

Unfortunately for him, as a 35A (Intelligence Officer) I had access to all kinds of information including the names of high-ranking cartel members. The Clan Del Golfo is the largest cartel in Colombia and many of its members are on the radar of all kinds of intelligence agencies, including the US Army. They were the kind of people that you never want to do business with but we were crashing and none of us were going to come out unscathed.

I went to a large electronics store that offered free wifi and parked my car close to the entrance. From there I logged into a VPN. I headed to a page on the dark web that I knew trafficked in all kinds of illicit transactions. Almost anything can be bought for the right price on these sites. I needed a sicario. I didn't want anyone on the radar of the intelligence agencies but I did want someone connected enough to be effective.

The Golfo organization was constantly cycling through low-level hitmen as they have exceedingly short life expectancies. I wanted the guy one rung up from the bottom. It took a while to do my research as I would stop and cycle my location every few minutes. Finally, I found what I was looking for in Ramon Cabrera. If his credentials were to be believed then he had seven successful hits.

I opened a secured email address and sent him a link to an obscure chat platform that was more secure than most.

Rick: Necessito ayudar. Hablas ingles?

Cabrera: Yes, what do you want

Rick: I have a pest problem; do you handle exterminations?

Cabrera: Yes, how many pests do have?

Rick: just one but he is a giant rat pendejo

Cabrera: Jajaja, one is no problem. Send the information to this address xxxxx@xxxxxx.com.co I will take care of it.

Rick: what is your normal fee for rat exterminations?

Cabrera: estas gringo? 10K USD

Rick: Agreed

I logged onto the hospital's page and found the information that I needed about Dr. Trey. I grabbed his staff photo and info then logged into a search engine. I looked up Dr. Trey Cardosa: 36 years old, divorced, no acknowledged children, and many fellowships and awards for his work.

I went into the store and bought a hardware crypto wallet and bought $11,000 worth of Ethereum. I loaded the crypto onto the wallet and changed the VPN connection again and sent all of the information to the email address.

Two days later I went to a different big box retailer and logged into the VPN again. The reply to my email included a physical address for the wallet. I disconnected and found a UPS drop-off location without a CC camera and sent the package.

I had killed many people in my life. I had killed boys who had barely made it to their teen years. I had killed what I presumed to be women in burqas but all of this had happened in the theater of war. I had sent special operators on missions to eliminate individuals who were deemed to be a threat to our country but once again this was in a military setting. I had never conspired to kill someone in cold blood. I searched myself for regret or remorse but I couldn't find a shred of sympathy for Dr. Trey. He was an insurgent who had participated in the death of one of the fundamentally important things in my life. I knew that Marcy was going to experience some horror and possibly some regret but shit happens in battle.

++++++++++

The next week went by slowly. I started putting things together for our divorce. I couldn't put the house up for sale but I could start dividing out finances. Once again military training had prepared me for a worst-case scenario. I had most of my money in banks and investments but I had seen operations go sideways and knew the value of having tangible assets if you need to get away quickly.

I had a safety deposit box in McAllen TX at a national bank. It was kept under an alias that had been created for me when I traveled as a spook. The cover was gone but I retained a photo ID and the safety deposit box key. There was enough cash in it to cover the expenses of my little operation.

I was preparing to hit the road the next morning when the doorbell rang. Vince and Leslie were standing there in the fading evening sun. "Hey guys, how are y'all?"

"We're okay, Rick, how are you doing?" Leslie inquired softly.

"I'm okay. I have a business trip planned for the next few days so I'm getting ready to leave. Would you guys like to come in?"

"No, we understand and wouldn't want to intrude. We were just checking on you," Vince shared. "Leslie told me about what Marcy has done and I can understand if you are upset. We thought you might need someone to talk to and sit with you."

"No, but I appreciate your kindness."

"Rick, it's not natural to be this calm and cold about all of this. You really need to open up and talk with someone," Leslie pleaded.

"Thank you, Leslie but I know how to reach a Chaplain if I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Good night."

Leslie shook her head but Vincent simply wished me a good night and they headed back home.

+++++++++

I bought a second-hand motorcycle off of the internet. The guy selling it left the tag on it for me for an extra $100. I didn't have my motorcycle endorsement on my cover ID but I knew how to ride and figured I could bluff my way through with my bill of sale. I took off to the border the next day. It wasn't a fun ride but I made it easily enough.

I grabbed the cash and bought a second crypto wallet. This would replace the one I sent to Colombia as I was unable to hide the previous transaction. I found a crypto ATM and scoped out the security around it. It was in the cart area of a local Walmart. There were four cameras, including one at the machine itself. I used my motorcycle helmet and sunglasses to ensure that there would be no facial recognition. I would have to toss the helmet afterwards but it was a small price for operational security.

I took the opportunity to log back into the VPN and check the email address. There was an article about the team being there to help the underserved people of Colombia. At the end of the article, there was a single line "cuando termine." (When he's finished.) Good enough for me.

I hopped on the bike and headed back to the house and the wreckage that had been my life.

+++++++++++

I needed to figure out how to separate from Marcy. I love her still when I let myself think about her as a person but right now that isn't helpful to my objectives. I wanted three things from her: a complete dissolution of our marriage, my last name back, and the destruction of all mementos of our life together save family photos that included the children.

The Dr. Trey problem was a simple solution compared to this one. Marcy was likely to fight me on the first one and I couldn't think of a single thing that would get her to agree to the last two. I decided that she wouldn't get a choice on the final one.

I went home and began packing my things to move out of our former home. I needed to track down some gallium for my next operation. I didn't want to buy it online and it was hard to find it in stock. Our local public school maintained a warehouse with old and/or expired equipment. I decided that I needed to pay a visit.

The warehouse was a better target than the school. There were fewer people, fewer cameras, and less chance of disrupting the educational process, therefore, drawing less attention from local law enforcement. The building had a camera directly over the door and two on the roof filming along the wall of the walk-up entrance. A trip to the local thrift store secured some clothing that was befitting of my cover as a local hobo. A shopping cart lifted from the local grocery store and a few garbage bags from the local bars made me look convincing from a distance.

I waited until 4 AM on a Thursday morning to execute my operation. I threw a slimy mudpie at the camera over the door and used a bump key to overcome the lock. I checked the door for an alarm contact and didn't find one; thankfully there weren't any motion detectors either. I slipped in and hoped that the administration had followed proper protocol in chemical storage and signage.

It took me 3 minutes to find the metal storage lockers and the proper warning signs. The locks weren't designed to withstand the 24" crowbar that I had in my kit and I was able to open them in less than a minute. I found 3 completely unopened liquid metal kits and took two of them. I rummaged around for another 90 seconds and took a few additional small items like some broken graphing calculators. I was back outside in less than 6 minutes. I pushed my shopping over one block and left it beside a dumpster. I quickly shed my outer layers and left with my loot.

I would carefully break down and dispose of the calculators and the chemicals I didn't need. I would have to scatter the parts and components to ensure that they weren't linked back to me, but that would have to wait for another day. I still had 4 weeks before Marcy was due home, and I would need something to focus on to keep my emotions at bay. Emotional compromise could lead to fatal mistakes.

++++++++++

The crash was imminent now. I had 10 days before Marcy would be home. I decided it was time to carry out the second part of my operation. I had already moved most of what I wanted to storage and had left a few things, mainly old clothes and military memorabilia. Medals and commendations could be replaced in cases of things like fire and natural disasters.

I did ensure that Marcy's wedding dress and all of our wedding photos were in the house. I took down family photos that included the children but left the frames hanging on the walls. I put my wedding band in Marcy's jewelry box beside her wedding ring and engagement ring that she had decided to leave behind.

I began by turning off the gas to the house and then I went to the water heater closet and opened the gallium. I rolled it around in my hands until it melted into a liquid. I carefully poured it off my hand around the black metal stub rising from the floor. Gallium easily breaks down aluminum at room temperature but it needs a catalyst to effect iron quickly. I took a blowtorch and heated the pipe. Then I watched the gallium go to work. I took a turkey baster and removed as much of it as I could. If someone looked close enough they would probably be able to figure out that this was sabotage but most investigators stop when they reach a reasonable explanation,

After a hard jiggle, the stub let out a loud crack and I knew that I had accomplished my purpose. I went back and turned the gas back on. I went back to the closet. I had replaced the water heater myself just 16 months ago. It had an electronic ignition system that kicked on when the water needed to be heated. I could smell the gas building and so I went and grabbed my bag and headed out for another business trip. I was on the road to Atlanta and another stash box by 8 AM.

+++++++++

"Hello, Mr. Westin?"

"Yes, this is Rick Westin."

"Mr. Westin, this is Chief Jacks from the Fire Department. Mr. Westin, I'm sorry to tell you but your home was lost to a fire this afternoon."

"Oh no! Was anyone injured?"

"We didn't discover any remains in your house. Are you and Mrs. Westin together right now?"

"No, Chief Jacks. My wife is on a medical trip with Doctors without Borders and I'm currently on a business trip to Atlanta. I'm so relieved that none of your men and my neighbors are okay."

"That is wonderful news, sir. Your home is a total loss I'm afraid but I'm glad there's no loss of life. The fire seems to have originated around your hot water heater. The fire marshal and your insurance company will have to complete an investigation. I have a case file number for you and I would encourage you to contact your insurance company as soon as possible. I'm glad you and Mrs. Westin are okay."

"Thank you, chief. If it wouldn't be inconvenient for you could you send me the case file number and reports to my email?"

"Sure, what's your address?"

"R.weston@xxxxxxx.com"

++++++++++

Three days and counting. I had returned to our burned-out home and was surprised to see how much of it was still standing. I called the fire marshal and he agreed to let me go in and see if anything was salvageable. I wanted to see if the master bedroom and the wedding mementos had survived. Thankfully the entire back half of the house was completely burned away, all that remained was the front façade. "Just like my marriage," I thought to myself. A few photos were hanging in the foyer and living room that survived. I had hoped that they would all be lost but crashes never go according to plan.

"May I take these photos?" I asked the fire marshal.

"As long as your insurance company is okay with it, then I'm okay with it."

"Thank you. Any idea what happened?"

"It's an open investigation at this time, so I can't give you any details. May I ask you a question?"

"Of course, anything I can do to help."

"Did you replace the water heater recently?"

"Yes sir, I did it myself."

"Did you drag the old tank or the new one for that matter across the stub-out gas pipe?"

"I'm sure it's possible but I don't believe so. Why do you ask?"

"Just trying to figure out how that pipe got so damaged as to rupture the way it did."

"Please let me know whatever you guys figure out."

+++++++++++++

I went to my hotel room and ordered a meal from a chain pub through a delivery app. The meal was unremarkable and overpriced by the time I paid for the delivery but it gave me a chance to watch the national news. Apparently, there had been an attack on a Doctors Without Borders team in Bogota, Colombia. They had just returned from a scheduled day of R & R in Cartagena when their bus was attacked. Two of the team were reported dead. Damn it! I hoped that Marcy was still alive for my children's sake.

At 11:00 PM my cellphone rang.

"Rick! Oh my God, Rick, he's dead!" Marcy wailed

"Who's dead Marcy?"

"Trey. He and Dr. Wilson were killed in the van in front of our hotel. He was shot and the bullet went through him and killed Richard. They died right in front of us and they wouldn't allow us to try to help them," she wept.

"That sounds really awful. Are you okay?" My voice was absolutely devoid of emotion.

"Why Rick, why did that happen to him? To both of them?" She asked with her voice still thick with emotion.

"I'm sorry Marcy. I have no idea what caused this."

"You didn't..." She was afraid to ask the question.

"Marcy, I have been stuck here wondering what I'm going to do about us. I haven't had the time to think about Trey or Richard or anyone else."

"Are you going to meet me at the Ambassador?" She pleaded.

"I haven't made up my mind."

"Please Rick, please. I need to see you. I need to... I don't know what I need but I can't get this out of my mind."

"I can't promise you anything, Marcy. We do need to sit down and talk but I can't promise to be waiting at the hotel for you."

"Please think about it."

"I will."

"I love you, Rick."

"Goodbye, for now, Marcy."

I heard another wail as the phone disconnected.

The next morning, I went to a coffee shop that offered WIFI and went through the drive-thru. Once again I repeated the VPN connection and went to the email server. I opened the email to find pictures of Cardosa and his shattered face. Looked like a 9 millimeter had ruined the doctor's good looks and his vaunted mind. Fuck him. The bullet apparently changed course as it exited the occipital bone and hit Dr. Richard Wilson. From Penny Washington's facial expression and position beside him, I'm guessing he was her paramour. Good, fuck him too.