Sex, Cheating and Romance Ch. 04

You may want to read the previous chapters before this one. There are six chapters in all. Estragon copy edited this chapter.
DG Hear

Chapter 4

I had played with Vicky and gotten her ready for bed. I lay on the couch and watched TV and fell asleep. I heard someone knocking hard on my door. I was a bit disoriented just waking up but the knocking didn't stop. I got up and answered it.

"Mr. Randy Burke?" the officer asked. There were two officers at the door, both in uniform.

"Yes Sir, I'm Randy Burke. What can I do for you?" I looked at the clock and it was five in the morning.

"May we come in? We have something to talk with you about."

"Of course. What's so important that it couldn't wait till morning?" I asked.

"Are you married to Sheila Burke?"

"Yes! What happened? She must not have come home last night."

"Mr. Burke, I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, but your wife was killed in an accident around three this morning. We need you to come down to the morgue and identify the body. We also need to talk with you."

"What? Accident? Sheila is dead? My God! What happened?"

"Mr. Burke, we can't tell you more till after we talk to you about tonight. I am sorry, but would you please get dressed and come down to the station?"

"I have a six month old daughter sleeping. Can I call her Aunt or Grandmother to come and take care of her?"

"Of course, sir."

I was all shook up. I had no idea what had happened. I called Carol's house and while the phone rang I had wondered if Olivia was ok. After all she was with Sheila.

"Hello," said Carol. "Who's calling at this hour?"

"Carol, it's me, Randy. The police are here and they said Sheila was killed in an accident some time this morning." Before I could say anything else she screamed out. I could hear her crying when Mr. White grabbed the phone.

"Randy, what's going on? Carol just said Sheila was killed. What happened?" He was all worked up also but at least I was able to talk with him.

In the background I could hear Carol crying and then I heard Olivia's voice. Thank God she was all right.

"Mr. White, I don't know anything yet except the police are here and they say she was in some kind of accident. I have to go down to the station and identify her body. Is there anyway someone can come and watch Vicky for me?"

I heard Olivia crying and asked her Dad for the phone. "I can't believe she's dead, Randy. We were together last night. When did this happen?" She was crying while she was talking to me.

"I don't know anything right now. I just need someone to come and take care of Vicky while I go down to the police station. Can you watch her for me?"

"Of course I'll watch her. Give me fifteen minutes. God, I can't believe Sheila's dead." I could hear her crying as she hung up.

I had a Bunn coffee pot and quickly put on a pot of coffee and went and got dressed. I was quiet as possible, cause I didn't want to wake up Vicky.

I asked the one officer if he could tell me anything at all about the accident. He told me that she was a passenger on a motorcycle and the driver of the cycle was killed also.

I was totally lost for words. "Who the hell was the driver of the cycle?" I asked.

"Sorry, we have to notify next of kin before we can release the name. Mr. Burke, do you own a black pick-up truck?"

"Yes, it's an F-150. Sheila drove it last night. Where is it now?" I asked.

"We were about to ask you the same question. Can you tell me what you know about your wife's whereabouts last night and also yours?"

I poured us all a cup of coffee while we waited for Olivia to arrive. I told him about the night before.

"Sheila and her sister were going out to dinner and then to a play downtown. I guess the tickets were hard to get and they were given to Olivia, that's Sheila's sister.

"To the best of my knowledge that's what they did. You can ask Olivia when she gets here. She'll be watching my daughter."

"What made your wife drive your truck if she has her own car? I figure it's her car sitting outside."

"When she got ready to go her car wouldn't start. She had left the door open and the dome light ran the battery down. Instead of jumping it I told her to take the truck and I would charge her battery. As you can see the charger is still attached to the battery. I didn't think to disconnect it, with all that's happened."

About that time Olivia came in crying. She came to me and we hugged. "I don't understand what happened," she said.

The police officer asked her if he could ask her a few questions. "Can you tell me exactly what you and your sister did last night?"

"We went to the Olive Garden and got the large salad and had one glass of wine. That was around eight o'clock, give or take a few minutes. Then I drove us to the playhouse where we stayed until close to twelve thirty."

"So you drove Miss White?" asked the officer.

"Yes, Sheila showed up in Randy's truck. She said her car wouldn't start. She parked the truck at the house and we used my car. When we got home shortly before one she got in the truck and I thought she went home."

"What did you do at that time?"

"I went inside the house. My Mom and Dad were just getting ready for bed. I told them we had a nice time and kissed them goodnight, then went to my room and got ready for bed and watched a little TV till I fell asleep. I awoke this morning with my Mom screaming that Sheila was dead. I couldn't believe it, I still can't." Olivia had tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Miss White, but will you be able to come down to the station later this afternoon and sign a statement?"

"Sure, after I take care of Vicky when she wakes up I'll take her to my house. My parents are all ready on their way to the station to see Sheila. I'll come down after they get home. Sir, what happened?"

"All I can tell you is your sister was a passenger on a motorcycle. They hit a semi-truck head on and both were killed. If it means anything they were killed instantly and she didn't suffer," replied the officer.

I gave Olivia a hug and told her I would talk to her later when I found out more information. I went with the officers to the police station. When we got there Mr. and Mrs. White were already there. They were both crying.

"I don't know what to say to you, Randy," said Mr. White. "You've been a good husband to Sheila. Whatever it's worth, we identified her body so you don't have to remember her that way." He started crying and so did I.

The police talked with the Whites and explained to them that Sheila was a passenger on a motorcycle and both were killed. The accident was still under investigation so there wasn't much more that they could tell them. They did verify what Olivia had said about the time she arrived home.

As I was about to enter an office I notice Sharon come through the main door. She looked as though she had been crying. Seeing her told me one thing. The driver of the cycle was Carlos and she was there to identify the body. I didn't get a chance to talk to her.

An officer had me repeat my story that I told him at the house. He told me he could now tell me that the motorcycle driver was Carlos Chavez. They were trying to piece the accident together.

According to the semi-truck driver, who was uninjured, a black pick-up bumped the rear of the cycle and the driver lost control and the cycle went into the oncoming lane and the driver of the semi said they didn't have a chance. He hit his brakes but by the time the truck stopped he had dragged the cycle a good fifty feet.

He didn't have time to identify the truck that pushed the cycle or who might be driving it. He was busy trying not to hit the cycle. After bumping the cycle the truck fled the scene. He couldn't even say if it was intentional or not. He called 911 and they were at the scene within ten minutes.

"Mr. Burke, were you aware that your wife might be having an affair with Mr. Chavez?"

"No sir, I've known Carlos and his wife Sharon for years. I can't believe Sheila would be having an affair with him. We have a baby that's only six months old. She worked at the hospital as a nurse and everything was going fine."

"There will be an autopsy. We need to know if either Mr. Chavez or your wife had been drinking. We also need to know when they met up and where. Would you have any idea where they might have met or where they might have been going?"

"Carlos always hung out at Butch's Biker Bar. I used to hang out there too but stopped when we started a family."

They asked me a lot more questions and I did my best to answer them. By the time I left the police station it was after nine o'clock. I called the Whites and asked if they could take care of Vicky for a couple of days. I had a number of things to do and the police wanted to see me again on Monday.

Carol told me to take all the time I needed. Vicky was in good hands. I did tell her that Sheila's body was to be autopsied and wouldn't be released till at least Thursday. I would make funeral arrangement for Friday.

I went home and tried to get some rest but it was impossible. I called work and told them my wife died and I would be off at least the whole week. Needless to say the hospital already knew about Sheila. They are the ones that had her body shipped to the morgue. I called some of my family members and let them know and that a funeral would be planned for Friday.

I lay on the couch and finally passed out. At about seven in the evening there was a knock on the door. It was Olivia coming to check up on me. She figured I didn't eat anything and brought me a sub.

She told me she talked with the police again and retold her story. I asked her if everything she said was true and she said the only thing she didn't tell the police was when they got back to her house Sheila said, "I'm going to go and get fucked good and hard. She got in your truck and left."

Olivia thought she was talking about coming home to me but now she realized it was with someone else.

We hugged and held each other for a few minutes. I got up and got us both a beer and we ate our subs.

"Randy, are you going to be all right? Do you want me to stay here with you tonight? I can sleep on the couch." She seemed very concerned.

"No, I'll be all right and I don't want anyone talking about you. You're the nicest person I know." I hugged her and didn't want to let her go.

After she left I just turned on the TV until I fell asleep which was in the wee hours of the morning. I had such mixed feelings. My wife was killed; she was cheating on me at the time. We have a new baby and just started our life together. I was in love with her sister, which I was afraid to tell anyone including Olivia herself.

On Monday I was called back to the police station. "Mr. Burke, we located your truck. It was found behind Butch's Biker Bar. Do you have any idea how it got there?"

"Like I told you yesterday, my wife drove the vehicle. I can only think she drove it to the bar. I was at home with my daughter the whole night."

"Mr. Burke, let me update you on the latest information we received. Your truck is damaged on the left front side. Our investigators have told me that it looks like your truck matches the description of the vehicle that hit the motorcycle.

"It's locked and Mrs. Burke didn't have a key in her possession that we are aware of. Do you happen to have a key on you so we won't have to break into it? We'll be towing it to our facility and go over it for any additional evidence. Is there anything you want to tell us before we tow it in?"

"My wife had a tendency to always leave her keys in her vehicle. I told her if she kept doing that someday her car would get stolen. Are you sure they aren't there?"

"We're sure, Mr. Burke. If what you are saying is true, if we find who has the keys to your truck we'll probably have the last driver of your truck. By the way, Butch, the owner of the bar, told us that when he left early Sunday morning that your truck wasn't there. He discovered it this morning when he came to open up."

"I don't know what to tell you. My wife took the truck and that's all I know."

"You said you know Sharon Calley. She was Carlos's common law wife, is that true?"

"Yes I've known her for a good six years or more. Why are you asking about her? Does she know what happened?"

"She said her husband didn't come home that night so she came over to the bar about two-thirty and banged on the back door till Butch the owner answered it. He told her that her husband left with your wife a few minutes before she showed up.

"Apparently your wife had been there for an hour or so and was in the back room with Chavez, a Bob Lock and a Ray Meads. She then left with Chavez on his cycle. This was all verified by the bar owner, Butch.

"We asked Sharon Calley if there was any reason her husband would be going out Route 39, and she said they had a cottage about ten miles up the road from where the accident occurred. Did you know about the cottage?"

"Yes, I've been there a couple of times. It's hard enough to believe my wife cheated on me, but by what you are saying, she wasn't coming home that night. I'll admit she was something of a flirt but I can't believe she did this to me and our daughter."

"We'll be talking to Bob Lock and Ray Meads today. I suggest you stay away from the bar. We don't need any more trouble, and you sure don't. We'll call you when we get a report on the autopsies. Till then, please be where we can reach you."

I went by the Whites to see my daughter. Olivia was holding her. I brought them up to date on everything I was told. They had a hard time believing that Sheila was that wild. I didn't say much about it. After all, she was dead and the family had to deal with it.

When I mentioned my truck they said they remembered Sheila parking it in their drive. Of course Olivia had told the police that she had driven away by herself.

Why would anyone take my truck and run them off the road? Damn! It didn't make sense. I know I was one of their suspects but a couple of my neighbors in the trailer court had told them that I didn't go anywhere that night. My motorcycle makes a lot of noise and they didn't hear anything, and the battery in Sheila's car was still charging.

I had to wonder if it was Sharon. She had motive, she was there at the bar so she had the opportunity. I just couldn't see Sharon doing such a thing. She wasn't married and could have left Carlos any time. I knew there wasn't any love between her and Sheila.

Maybe Bob or Ray did it. They could have gotten mad at Carlos and wanted to get even. Hell, it could have been anyone. I would have figured it was an accident if it wasn't my truck, but someone used it to bump or ram Carlos and Sheila in the rear. That had to be intentional.

While Olivia watched Vicky, Carol helped me make the funeral arrangements for Friday. We were only going to have her laid out the one day. On Thursday I signed the papers for them to send the body to the funeral home. While I was there an officer told me the autopsy report.

Both Sheila and Carlos had a high alcohol level. They also found traces of marijuana in their system. There was also traces of another drug that was a sexual enhancer. They only found it in Sheila. The worst part was they found semen from three different donors.

It means that Sheila had unprotected sex with at least three men that night prior to being killed. Didn't she care at all about me? I was mad but what could I do now? She was dead and so was the main culprit. I could get even with Ray and Bob, but now wasn't the time. I knew the police would be watching me.

On Friday at the funeral I wasn't sure what to do or how to act. I stayed away from the casket as much as possible. When I looked at Sheila I could only think of all the lies and cheating she must have done during our short marriage.

I stood on the side and greeted people. My one sister and two brothers came to pay their respects. I called Sue and told her not to travel up for the funeral. I told her the truth that Sheila had cheated on me and was killed along with one of her lovers.

Olivia sat near me and held Vicky. When Olivia went to greet some of her relatives I held my daughter. She was my life now. I looked up and two people from the bar came to the funeral home, Butch and Sharon.

Butch paid his condolences. He was a good guy and did his best to stay out of other people's lives. He told me he was sorry he didn't interfere in my case. He did tell me that he banned both Bob and Ray from his bar. He wished he would have done it years ago. He said they were nothing but trouble, along with Carlos. Of course he didn't say it in front of Sharon.

Sharon came up to me, "Randy, I'm so sorry. You are the one guy that deserved so much better than you got." She hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. "I still need to talk to you. Please call me when you get a chance; we really need to talk."

I told her I would but I had no idea what she wanted to talk about. I remember her saying the same thing to me about the time I got married but we never did talk.

We had a dinner reception after the funeral. Even though I hated what Sheila had done, I still respected her family. I realized they were going through a terrible time also.

The following day was Carlos's funeral. I had no intention of going. I did give my sympathies to Sharon the day before. I knew one thing for sure. She was a lot better off without that asshole in her life.

On Monday I started back to work. I would leave a few minutes early each day and drop Vicky at Carol's. She was the nearest thing I had to a mother. Most days she had me stay for dinner.

Olivia came over a few days a week and helped me sort out Sheila's things. It was overwhelming but Olivia was like the rock I could depend on. I still didn't have the courage to tell her how I felt about her.

I got a call from the salvage yard to come and get my truck. They didn't get any fresh prints other than Sheila's and mine. An officer said he was wondering why the airbag didn't deploy when the truck struck the cycle. That's when he found out I didn't have an air bag.

A year ago I had an accident where I barely struck a guardrail and the airbag deployed. When I found out what the dealer wanted for a new one I just tore the old one out and glued the opening shut. The officer told me I needed to get a new airbag put in. It was the law. I thought that was the least of my problems.

A couple of months went by and on my way home from work I stopped to get some groceries. I ran into Sharon in the meat department, of all places.

"Hi Sharon, you're looking better," I said.

"Thank you, I'm finally getting along with my life. By the way, when are we going to have that talk?"

"We can talk now if you have time. Why don't we have dinner at the local restaurant?"

I called Carol and told her I was having dinner with a friend. I would be about an hour late. She said it was fine and she would see me in a little while.

Sharon and I got a booth and she proceeded to tell me what she had heard.

Thank you for reading my story
Comments are always welcome and appreciated.
DG Hear