Miz Sarah Wins One, Loses Another

Spangler paused to think about what his partner was saying. "Right, we've got to make sure they don't say anything to the police." He turned and grabbed Cindy by the arm, no doubt thinking that she would be more difficult to handle than I. Cindy verified his assessment when she raised her other hand and sprayed him in the face with a can of pepper spray.

Spangler screamed and, dropping Cindy's arm, fell back on the bed, desperately trying to rub the stinging spray out of his eyes. The other man's eyes almost popped out of his head as he stared at the unexpected spectacle. Then, he regained a measure of control over himself and reached into his jacket pocket, gripping what was obviously a large, nasty-looking handgun.

"I think you'd better put that down right now," said a loud voice from behind us.

Spangler's partner squinted into the darkness and yelled out in surprise, "Who's there?"

Feeling it my duty, I stepped to one side of the door and said, "May I introduce Sergeant Ernest Bowman of the Decatur Police." Although startled at my theatrical introduction, Sergeant Bowman advanced into the light, his own gun in hand. "Before you think about doing anything stupid," he told the two shirtless men, "I think you should know that there are two more squad cars pulling into the parking lot right now."

The half-dressed fellow with the gun deflated like a balloon figure pricked with a pin. In a second all the energy seemed to leave his body, and he dropped his gun and crumpled to the floor. Several other policemen now barged into the room and handcuffed him, Adele and Spangler, who was still rubbing his streaming eyes.

"Ernie," I said, "I thought you were never going to get here."

The sergeant smiled. "I would have come in sooner, but dispatch wasn't willing to send back-up until I told them it was for you."

After the three occupants were booked at the Decatur Police Department, Cindy and I were allowed to leave. Ernie winked broadly at me and admonished, "Now don't you be leaving the country, Miz Sarah, we may have more questions for you." Cindy wasn't sure how to that that, but I told her to pay no attention to Ernie, so she gave him a timid smile. He drove us from the police station back to our car at the motel, and we began the trip home.

I was so tired I let Cindy drive, but that might have been a mistake because she was so full of adrenaline and asked so many questions she could scarcely concentrate on the road.

"How did you know what was going to happen, Miz Sarah? How did you know to have Sergeant Bowman standing by?"

"I didn't, Cindy, but I suspected that something bad was going on with Adele. She seemed to me to be acting very erratically ever since this whole business arose. And while I can appreciate the fury of a woman scorned, the way she was treating poor Michael just seemed way over the top."

"And when you couldn't find out anything about Tom Spangler's credentials," I went on, "I felt sure that he was up to no good. So having a little police back-up just seemed the smart thing to do. Fortunately, Ernie's an old friend, so I wouldn't have been too embarrassed if I'd asked him to come out to the Peach Pit on a wild goose chase."

"But I still don't understand, Miz Sarah, why did you want us to go out there in the first place? And why in the world did you bust in there to confront them?"

"Like I said, honey, I had a bad feeling that Adele had gotten herself in trouble. Once you saw them together at the Snake Charmer and overheard about their little rendezvous, I got angry because I felt she was using me. That made me want to go and find out for sure. When I saw that little orgy going on and then them using cocaine, I was so upset that I just had to confront her. I wanted to make it impossible for her to deny what she was doing."

I paused, and now I felt a bit embarrassed. "Once I got to their room, I didn't know how to get them to open the door. The only thing I could think of to say was that I had big news for her. My long-winded little speech about resigning as her attorney was just a way to stall for time until Ernie showed up."

I reached over and gave Cindy a squeeze on her arm. "Honey, you were so brave tonight. I was wrong to drag you into this mess, but you did everything I needed and more. When you pulled out that Mace and sprayed Spangler, I couldn't believe it!"

Cindy got embarrassed and tried to act as though she'd done nothing, but I could see how pleased she was by my praise.

I missed church on Sunday for the first time in a long time. By the time I got home from Decatur, it was so late and I was so worn out by Saturday night's adventure that I couldn't drag myself out of bed. And to be truthful, I didn't want to take the risk of running into Michael Donelson there. He and I would have to have a long talk, but church was not the right place.

I waited until later that afternoon, then called John Nesbitt at his home and arranged to meet with him and his client first thing Monday morning.

When I arrived at John's office on Monday, both he and Michael were there waiting. I gave John a warm hug and kiss on the cheek, then greeted Michael. We sat around John's conference table, and I began my unhappy duty.

"John, before I begin, I need to inform you and Michael that I no longer represent Adele Donelson. I resigned as her attorney last night."

Both men were startled at this news, not understanding what it meant.

"Michael," I said, turning to him, "there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to tell it to you straight. Your wife has been having a sexual relationship with another man for some time now. I believe she and her lover conspired to make you look like the unfaithful spouse and then divorce you."

He stared at me in total disbelief. I think even John was surprised.

"It gets worse, Michael. Last night, she and two other men, both of whom she was intimate with, were arrested in a Decatur motel for possession of cocaine."

As I watched, tears began to fill Michael's eyes and run down his cheeks. His head dropped to his chest, and I thought to myself, "It's almost like he's melting right in front of me."

It was clear that Michael couldn't speak, so John stepped in to fill the void. "Michael, in light of what Miz Sarah has told us, I believe you have no choice but to allow the divorce petition to go forward."

Michael turned to John and cried, "But what about Tasha. I don't want to lose her."

"Michael," I said, "Your wife was found in the company of two convicted felons. Tom Spangler, the man Adele told us was a detective, is actually a small-time con man who was released on probation from a Florida prison about a year ago. The other, a Martin Pelletti, is a drug dealer with a lengthy record. The police found a substantial quantity of cocaine in the room and their car, and all three were arrested for possession of narcotics. Under those circumstances, I can guarantee you -- and I'm sure John will agree -- that any court in this land would award you sole custody of Natasha." John nodded vigorously in agreement.

It took a long time for all that I'd told Michael to sink in, and John and I just let him sit there in his pain. His wife had not only betrayed him in order to pursue an adulterous affair, she had gone to great lengths to tarnish Michael's character to their friends and families. I guess neither one of us could think of anything we could say to help him cope with that.

Finally, Michael looked at me in anguish and asked, "Why, Miz Sarah, why would she do that to me?"

"I don't know for sure, of course, but here's what I think happened. Somewhere along the line, she met Tom Spangler and began a secret relationship with him. I don't know which of them started the affair, but it obviously got very hot very fast. Finally, they cooked up the story to paint you as the villain and get rid of you in a divorce."

It was John who interrupted this time. "But why bother making up this cock-and-bull story about a detective catching Michael in the act? Georgia is a no-fault state; Adele could have demanded a divorce and left Michael without having to go through all that."

"I think it's very simple," I answered. "I think Adele wanted it all. She wanted to leave Michael but keep her good name and reputation. And she wanted to keep all their friends on her side. Making Michael out as the cheater must have seemed like the best way to do that. And it almost worked; I know I believed her, at least at first."

"But as to why and how all this got started in the first place, I have no idea. Clearly there were things about her that she kept hidden from all of us. All I can say is whatever she wanted and however it started, it's hurt a lot of people. Michael, I just hope you and Natasha wlll be okay. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."

"Miz Sarah," Michael said, "I've been so shocked at all you've told me that I'm forgetting my manners. I'm sick that I have lost my marriage and that Tasha is losing her mother, but at least I found out the truth before Adele ruined my name and took Tasha away from me. I will always be grateful that you found out what was really going on."

"Sometimes," I said, "discovering the truth is the best you can hope for."

With that, I returned to my office. When I arrived, Cindy was on me like a chicken on a June bug, wanting to know what had happened. I gave her a quick rundown of my meeting with Michael and John, and she listened intently. It seemed to me that she had finally begun to appreciate just how deeply people's lives can be affected. But after a while, her smile returned to her face, and she was back to her bubbly, lively self.

I had, of course, noticed her clothes when she came into my office. Once again she had on those tight jeans I didn't care for, and a sleeveless knit top that I would have like better if it had hidden her black bra straps. But I reminded myself that she was of a different generation, and I remembered how well she'd conducted herself over the last few weeks, so I decided I needed to hold my tongue.

But when she turned to go back to her office, the knit top separated from her jeans for a moment. "No! I gasped to myself, "it can't be." But sure enough, there was the strap of her thong clearly exposed above the waist of her low-cut jeans.

What am I going to do with that girl?