The Currency of Time Ch. 02

"If you will pass me the documents you need signed, I'll sign and then get out of your hair."

Bailey took a sheath of papers and slid them down the table. They made it all the way without help. Bailey and Crew had helpfully marked every place my signature was needed - about a hundred places. My skin tingled from the stares crawling up and down my body as I signed.

Finally I finished and looked up into Gutman's staring eyes. Strangest expression I'd ever seen. Burning, skin-crawling loathing combined with the exuberant, life affirming joy of a child waking up Christmas morning to find a pony under the Christmas tree.

I slid the papers back up the table and stood up. This had been - by far - the longest day of my life and I had places to go and things to do.

I was turning to walk out without looking at Deirdre when Maitland stood to block me.

"I'm done, Mr. Maitland. We're done. I need to get out of here."

"McCarthy. Don't walk out of here like this."

"That's sweet, Maitland. I didn't know you cared. But I have places to be."

"I went out on a limb for you. I went way, way out on a limb. I went against my own instincts in letting you hogtie the investigation so we couldn't get to your wife. I should have taken Bailey and Wilkes down, but I let them walk to avoid crucifying you. I let you get away with stuff I'd never let another material witness do. I went through all of that - all of that - with the idea of having the rare chance to achieve justice for a victim. And THEN - you pull that shit?"

He stepped backward to let me out if I was determined to go.

"What's done is done. I can't go after Bailey, Wilkes or anybody else. And you're going to walk away penniless and totally screwed. So, won't you at least tell me WHY you did all this?"

He had gone way beyond the call of duty. I had wanted to walk away without ever letting Deirdre know the truth. I wanted to keep that at least a secret. But he did deserve to know why.

I pulled the tape recorder out of my pocket and ran it forward to the next designated stop. I placed it on the table, ran the volume as high as it got, and hit the 'play' button.

Deirdre's voice was heard first, with that sleepy purr she got after she'd orgasmed.

"Oh my God, Julie, you're going to have to take it easy. I don't know if my heart can take much more of that."

"Oh, I think you can handle it. Give me another 30 minutes and we'll test it out."

There were some disgusting noises.

"You won't get your 30 minutes if you keep doing that."

"Damn, you taste good. I wish to hell I didn't have to go back to the hotel tonight. When is Oil Boy coming back? Tomorrow?"

"It's supposed to be tomorrow, but I can never be sure. Sometimes he comes in early, which is why you have to leave tonight."

"Why do we have to keep doing this shit, baby. Why won't you just divorce his ass? And we can live together openly."

"You know why. I'd divorce him tomorrow, but if we do he gets the $10 million. And you're the one who won't do that."

"No way in Hell. I know it doesn't mean anything to you, but $10 million! He's not walking away with that."

"Uncle Mort is working on it. He's smart. He'll find a way."

"You're making it more complicated than it has to be. We don't have to worry about the $10 million if he's dead."

"No."

"Come on. He's coming home, stops for gas and a mugger steps up behind him and puts a bullet behind his ear, takes his wallet, and it's done. I know a dozen guys that would do it for $10,000. And all our problems go away."

"No, Julian. I told you before. Don't even think that way."

"Why? It would be so easy."

"No. Because I'm not going to commit murder or let you do it. Michael is not a bad guy. It's not his fault that I don't love him. Or that my father put that pre-nup in to try to keep us married. And he loves me."

"Alright, alright. I was just thinking out loud. I wouldn't really do anything."

"Don't. You - need to know. There are recorders all over the house and grounds. Dad had them put in. If anything ... anything ever happens to Michael - an accident, a mugging, anything - I'll take those recordings to the police. And I'll tell them the threats you've made and the way you feel about Michael."

"You what...? You would turn me over to the police? And testify against me? Me?"

"I wouldn't want to. I love you and I want to marry you and make a life with you. It would break my heart. But I would. I don't want you to think I'm not serious about this."

"You'd do that even though you would go down with me. The cops would be much more interested in nailing you than me. And you think they'd believe I acted alone?"

"You would lie about me? I cheated on my husband. I went back to you even though I promised my father on his deathbed I'd never have anything to do with you again. I killed our unborn child for you, even though it killed me to do it. How could you do that?"

"How could sending me to prison for trying to make it possible for us to be together without hiding be right?"

"But not by killing Michael..."

"Michael..."

"Julian, stop, that hurts. Let go."

"Look at me, you bitch. You know you get an expression on your face when you say his name. I can see it in your eyes. Tell me the fucking truth. Do you love that asshole?"

"Julian, stop. You're hurting me."

"Dammit, tell me. Be honest. If you love that bastard I'm going to kill him myself. Send me to prison, I don't care. I'm still going to put a bullet in his brain. He might be big and tough, but a bullet to the brain and he won't be tough anymore."

"I don't..."

"Dammit, stop lying. I know. I've always sensed it. I hate every moment you spend with him. I hate that he has been fucking you for two years. Just tell me the truth."

"Julian...he's a good, decent man. And we've been intimate for two years. A woman can't be with a man like that, in his bed, and not develop feelings for him. Do I love him, maybe. I definitely have feelings for him. I can't help that. But I don't love him the way I love you. You were my first, and you'll be my last. You have to believe that."

"Make me believe it."

"Oh, I think I can do that..."

I hit the stop button.

I kept my eyes on the recorder because I didn't want to look up and see the expression on Deirdre's face.

"You are still in love with me."

Her voice drew my gaze to her face and I saw what I hadn't wanted to see. Pity.

"I'm sorry, Michael."

"I'm not in love with you, Deirdre. I stopped loving you the first moment I heard you fucking him. But, you were willing to risk prison for me. Fair's fair. I couldn't see sending you to prison after that."

I looked over Wilson and Teller and said, "Thank you gentlemen for your help in this matter."

Then I held out my hand to Maitland. He shook it.

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Maitland. I hope that answered your questions;"

"Yeah. Where are you headed now?"

"Away from here. I doubt I'll see you again."

"Good luck."

I made it to the door.

"Deirdre, don't try to contact me - ever. For anything. If you die before me, don't have your staff contact me. I won't come. Because, as of today, you're dead to me."

I walked out the door and within three hours I had left the continental United States.