Table for Two Ch. 02: Revelations

"So, what's going on? Anything new since I spoke with your boss?" Oscar asked, and I filled him in on what I had learned since this morning. He seemed especially interested when I told him about the photos.

"I can't help but wonder if maybe this Cartwright has done this to others besides you and Morrison," Oscar said. "I'll pass that on to Wiseman. Definitely sounds like a crime or two has been committed here. May not rise to the level of Task Force involvement, but I certainly think someone's going to jail. I'll get Wiseman on it right away and let you know what he finds."

"Thanks, Oscar, I appreciate it a bunch," I said.

"What are friends for?" Oscar responded with a smile. "Well, I'd better get back. Rita's making a pot roast and it'll be my ass if I'm not home in time for dinner."

"That's right, you married the boss' daughter. I thought you'd gained a few pounds since the last time I saw you. How are things going?"

"Wonderful," Oscar said. "I haven't been this happy in years."

"Well, you give her and the kids my best," I told him.

"I'll do that, Mike, thanks," Oscar said as he stood up.

"No, thank you, my friend," I told him as we shook hands. I walked him to the door, and we said our final goodbyes. I looked at the time and decided to grab some dinner, so I grabbed my cane and went to the restaurant downstairs. After a tasty filet mignon, I bought a cigar from the gift shop, sat out by the pool with an after-dinner drink, and relaxed.

I returned to my room a couple hours later, feeling somewhat relaxed. After looking at the time, I figured Samantha would be home, so I washed up, booted my laptop, and logged into my home surveillance system. Sam had just walked into the house with Alan and Allison.

"So, what's so important that you couldn't tell me at the office?" Samantha asked Allison.

"I got a report from the PI. Your husband went to see Alice Hawkins this morning," Allison told her.

"So? He went to see a lawyer. We knew he would."

"You don't understand, Samantha. Alice is a shark, and the first thing she's going to do is get that restraining order reversed. And if I know her, she'll be looking for blood.

There's more. Mike spoke to your ex-husband early this afternoon," Allison said. I saw Samantha's face turn white.

"What do you think Alvin told him?" Samantha asked, now panicked.

"My guess is everything," Allison said. "And if your husband puts it together, we could be in big trouble. There's more. I spoke to my contact and she tells me Mike served on something called the HomeFront Security Task Force. A real bad-ass. He wasn't kidding when he told your father he killed people," she added, causing Samantha to shrink back.

"In fact, he received several medals for his work," Allison continued. "I also heard from the PI that he was visited today by one of his old colleagues. Someone named Oscar Warren. I don't know what they talked about, but I can make an educated guess."

"Again, why is that so important?" Samantha asked, still confused.

"If your husband has the resources of a federal agency that specializes in family disputes behind him, we're royally screwed," Allison said.

"Maybe now is the time to set Mike up," Alan said. "I still have that drive. Lots of juicy stuff on here. Can you imagine what'll happen when the authorities learn that a former federal agent has a computer full of kiddie porn?"

"Forget it, Alan," Allison said. "It's too late to plant anything on his hard drive now. He hasn't had access to his computer for nearly 24 hours. A forensic tech could spot that in a minute."

"Alright, then I'll email it to him," Alan said.

"That might work," Allison said. "But you need to be very careful. Make sure he can't track it back to your computer."

"What about the account?" Samantha asked. "There's hundreds of thousands of dollars in that account."

"I'll deal with that," Allison said.

"What if all this doesn't work?" Samantha asked fear etched in her voice.

"There's too much at stake here. If this doesn't work, and if we can't bring Mike to heel, we'll have no choice but to make sure he has an accident. One he never wakes up from," Allison told her firmly. "Do you understand what I'm telling you?" Samantha slowly nodded her head, understanding the implication of Allison's statement. "And do you understand, Alan?"

"Yeah, I get it," he told her.

I understood as well. The three of them intended to kill me if all else failed. The woman I had pledged my life and my love to had just agreed to see me dead. All for the love of money. She, of all people, should've known that I don't like to lose an argument. And I sure as hell wasn't about to lose this one. I pulled out my phone and made my first call to Ryan Harper, an old friend of mine in the FBI.

"Special Agent Harper," he said when he answered.

"Ryan, this is Mike Jacobs," I said. "How'd you like an exclusive?"

"Mike, you crusty old dog. I was just thinking about you," Ryan said. "What's this exclusive you have for me?"

"Conspiracy to commit murder and extortion, for starters," I told him.

"Oh yeah? Who's the victim?"

"Me."

...

To be continued...

Notes: The story of Pat Witherspoon's capture can be found in "Revenge In Advance - Pat." The stories of Ron Wiseman and his wife, Amy, can be found in "An Ounce of Prevention," and "A Pound of Cure."