Suspicion Ch. 07-09

When Todd and Evelyn arrived with the kids, the only one not surprised to find Kathy there was Evelyn, and she just smiled and didn't say a thing.

The rest of the weekend went as well as I had hoped. The kids loved seeing the sights in Washington, and Gettysburg, and Kathy loved being with the kids and me, taking in the history.

Chapter 9.

We arrived home late Sunday night. Everyone except me in the car was asleep. We had rented a second car in Washington, and caravanned up to Pennsylvania. The kids all rode together with Evelyn and Todd, until we left Gettysburg for home, when our kids came back with us, and the Hunter-mobile drove directly to their house. The rental car, I would return in the morning.

When everyone was in bed, I did my periodic check on my special email accounts. I had mail.

Ethos,

Our investigators have come to an understanding of the information you brought to our attention. We have answered the questions that you asked. They have put together a significant package of information regarding the links between K.G. and K.M., and K.M.'s role in the contracting process. You were correct, the manner in which K.G. was awarded the contract does not appear to be entirely kosher, and we are ready to take action.

On Thursday morning, I have an appointment with the corporate Executive V.P. of Operations at CableNex's headquarters in N.Y.C. Be prepared for the fallout to come within a few days after that time.

Thank you for being an honest, ethical person. I will continue to update you should additional actions take place, or if new information comes to light.

Thomas Butler

CEO, Butler & Sons, Inc.

The Plan was maturing. It was a matter of weeks, or days now.

Once again, after the Washington D.C. trip, the Matthew's house returned to a semblance of normality. It was ironic that since Kathy had moved back home, our sex life was a lot better than it had been, although I think that I could take most of the credit for that. But it was the affection in our daily lives that was the biggest surprise. When Kathy would come into the room that I was in, she would go out of her way to come over and kiss or touch me. She wanted to sit closer to me than we had since we were courting. She listened to what I was saying to her.

All of that was great, but she was still periodically 'going to her apartment,' that is, spending time with Karl. And THAT was unsatisfactory.

That week, after returning from Washington, was uneventful and nerve racking. Anyone who has implemented a plan knows that waiting for certain things to be in place and come to fruition is one of the most difficult disciplines.

That week, Kathy only had one evening of 'free' time scheduled, and I'm afraid that Karl lost out again, this time to Evelyn, or at least one of Evelyn and Todd's daughters. Although when Kathy and I had set up the schedule, she had her own calender to consult. But she hadn't even considered that her nieces and nephews could interfere as well.

To be honest, I'm not even sure of what it was — some church or school event in which little Alyssa was going to sing a solo with her class. So that shot the evening. Not that Kathy seemed to mind. Its one of those women things; I'll attend your children's events, and you'll attend mine. It's why we always spend the whole damn Saturday at the soccer fields. Everyone has to see everyones else's games!

Nevertheless, Kathy did come home a bit subdued. I later found out that Evelyn and she had a cup of coffee together before she came home.

"Kathy," Evelyn asked, looking at her sister, with serious and sad eyes. "When are you going to stop seeing Karl. Why do you want to destroy the love of the man who you married, the man who is the father of your children, the man who you've just told me is a fabulous lover, the man who is everything that you ever wanted?"

"I don't know, Evelyn," Kathy admitted, "It's the same thing that I'm wrestling with when I see the marriage counselor. What is it that I get from Karl that I don't get from Paul. Why am I doing something like this to a man I love? I think that it's partly guilt over how Karl and I were torn apart the first time. It's like, he still loves me after 20 years of separation, so how can refuse to return his love."

Evelyn thought for a minute before speaking.

"It seems to me, Kathy, that Karl didn't love you enough to find you during those twenty years. And Paul has spent the last sixteen years PROVING his love. Every day, in good times, in bad times, he's always been there, always loving and caring for you. For a smart sister, I think that you are being really dumb about this. You know there are a lot of women who would be happy to give Paul the kind of love you used to give him," Evelyn said with teary eyes.

"Oh, don't I know that!" Kathy said, almost in tears herself, "I left him alone for about five minutes at that CPHRE dinner, and there was this blonde bombshell named Meredith ready to pounce on him. God, that hurt. He doesn't know that I know, but she slipped him her card. I looked in his wallet and found it, and it had her home and cell phone numbers, and said something like 'Just in Case' on it. Like what: Just in case he dumps me?"

Kathy sat up at that, realizing what she had just said.

"Maybe that's part of the problem. Maybe, somewhere down deep, I don't believe that I deserve Paul, and that one day he's going to 'trade me in.' Perhaps Karl is kind of an emotional 'back-up' plan," she looked thoughtful as she analyzed her insight out loud.

"Well, let me tell you a story," Evelyn interrupted, "Do you remember when you went into labor early with Jason? Remember that Paul and Todd were off on a hunting trip in the mountains? Well, when Paul got the call that you had gone into labor and your water had broken, Todd told me that he thought that they were going to die that night. It was raining cats and dogs and the wind was blowing so hard that trees were being knocked down left and right, but Paul wouldn't allow anything to stop him from getting to you in the hospital. Todd says that they were driving under power poles that were halfway down and arcing like lightening. Paul was clearing trees off the roads with his bare hands, and driving down bypasses to avoid roads that were closed from the flooding. Karl may have thought about you during those twenty years, but when it was a question of passing through a natural disaster to be there for you, Paul actually did it."

It gave Kathy food for thought that evening.