0 comments/ 98829 views/ 32 favorites What Goat Farm? By: PAPATOAD Thanks to the Hip and Knee Doctor for editing assistance. There is no sex in this story. Sorry. Malcolm James was not the blackest man I ever met, but he was in the top ten. Actually, he wasn't very black at all, he just seemed that way. Although he was not even six feet tall, he always left quite an impression. Maybe it was the perpetual snarl that was on his face, or the numerous scars that seemed to have a bluish tinge to them. He was definitely not a man that you would want to meet in a dark alley. I was lucky to have him on my side. My name is John Ellison. I manage a small company called Divinity Parceling, that packages and distributes large quantities of DVDs, CDs, and other similar products. It is labor intensive work and getting people to do it for minimum pay is next to impossible. Don't be fooled by the name. There is nothing divine about it. By making use of several glaring loop holes in Federal and State laws, we are able to hire people who appreciate the opportunity, but are borderline legal. At the present time, my work force consists of mostly Jamaicans, including Malcolm, with a few Dominicans and Haitians thrown in. Although they were all appreciative of the work, sometimes they slacked off a bit. It was difficult to keep them all working to their fullest potential until I realized the power of Malcolm James. I watched him carefully for about two weeks and then finally made the decision to approach him. He was articulate and spoke with what I thought was a perfect British accent, but what did I know about those accents? He grinned broadly when I offered him the job of shop supervisor. It was, to say the least, a little unnerving. The new job came with a nice raise and of course a few fringe benefits that none of the floor workers had. I got the feeling that there was more to him than appeared, but I was not interested enough to ask any questions. Productivity increased almost thirty percent. I was happy. The company was happy and Malcolm was happy. He seemed to be where he was meant to be. It was hard to explain. The company was now running smoothly. If things went as planned, we would be able to continue to operate for at least another eighteen months until we were closed down for some State or Federal violations. This was my sixth similar enterprise in the last ten years. It paid good money, but was not what you would call a career opportunity. I stashed away as much as possible in anticipation of leaner times. The good thing was that I usually had another operation ready to go when one closed down. I don't really remember how I got into this line of work. I was never really a mainstream type of guy. Doing things the normal way was boring and predictable; not what I was ever looking for. My younger brother, Bobby, was just the opposite. The most important thing in his life was his union job with the local electric company. He always knew where and when his next pay check was coming from and he was comfortable with that. I was happy for him, but never envious. Bobby and I both married our high school sweethearts. Now that is boring and not nearly as romantic as it appears to be. Bobby and Cora had twin boys who just turned sixteen. My wife, Doreen, and I had a daughter, Aerial, who had just been accepted at Duke and a seventeen year old son, Roger, who was trying everything that he could to get into a military academy. He wasn't really particular about where he went, but he was determined. Cora worked at one of the local insurance claims companies. They processed claims for over twenty small insurance agencies in the Tri State area. Doreen was never interested in going to work and I was happy with the way things were. We had enough to live on and I felt that a comfortable, happy, home life was more important to the family than extra money. And that was about it. Life was good in Pleasantville. It wasn't really Pleasantville, but I remembered the name from an old movie and always seemed to relate it to things that were perfect. Life was good, that is, until I decided to run down to the Super Mall and pick up a few office supplies. I had a girl to do that, but I was always looking for excuses to get out of the office. The shopping went quickly because I knew what I wanted before I even left the office. I don't usually browse. I grab what I need, pay, and go. The Keystone Mall was a two story behemoth, with an open atrium in the middle. I guess it is an atrium, as I am not sure of the actual word for it. I was sitting at a table in the second level food court overlooking the first floor when I saw Cora and Doreen coming down the center. Apparently, Cora had taken off work so that she and Doreen could do a little last minute shopping prior to their mini-girl vacation. After much begging, pleading, and bribing Bobby and I consented to let Cora and Doreen take a five day vacation to an all exclusive resort in Jamaica, near Montego Bay. Bobby and I were not crazy about the idea, but finally agreed to it if they promised to stay at the resort and not wander about the island unescorted. They would be leaving in two days. I was just about to call out and wave to them when something stopped me. They paused in front of a Victoria's Secret shop; not a normal venue for either of them. I sat back down and quietly watched as they entered the store with little hesitation. Interesting! Quite interesting! I got a fresh cup of coffee and made myself as comfortable as I could in one of those crappy plastic chairs. It was at least twenty minutes later when they came out. I was not within hearing range, but I could easily tell that they were joking and giggling when they exited. Instead of leaving, they sat on the bench in front of the store. Each of them took some items from the Victoria's Secret bag and dropped them into a Wal-Mart bag. They dropped the Victoria's Secret bags into the trashcan placed at the end of the bench and then proceeded to walk down the mall towards the exit. They were still giggling as they left. It took me less than a minute to get down the escalator and over to the waste container. I didn't even try and be discreet; I just took off the top of the can and reached in. I left the mall without replacing the top on the trash can. I guess that was an inconsiderate thing to do. Chuckle! Chuckle! I waited until I got out to the car to look inside the bags. I don't know what I was looking for because they had removed whatever it was that they had bought. I also didn't know which bag was which, but inside each of them were a few sales handouts and a receipt. They had each bought two pairs of baby doll sleepers. One bill was for $65 and the other for $72. They were both paid for with cash. Now Doreen never pays cash for anything. It all goes on the credit cards. Needless to say, she had gotten my attention. I didn't want to jump to any conclusions until I had a chance to confront her. Actually, I wasn't going to confront her, but rather to let her have an opening to explain the purchases. I had to conclude that they were bought specifically for her upcoming trip, which Bobby and I were not going on. On the drive back to work, I saw dark clouds on the horizon, but the sun was still shining. I was sulking at my desk while trying to figure out where I had gone wrong when Malcolm James walked in. "Mister Ellison. I sense that something is wrong. Is it a problem that I should be aware of?" "No, Mister James, it is not a problem that should even concern you. Everything is fine with the floor and with the work. You have nothing to concern yourself with." I motioned for him to sit. He was smiling, but still had a look of anxiety on his face. We sat in silence for a few moments. "Mister James, where in Jamaica are you actually from?" "I am from Falmouth, but I spent most of my time in the Montego Bay area. Why does this interest you?" I paused a short while and rocked back in my chair. "Do you have any friends in the Montego Bay area?" "I have lots of acquaintances, but only a few friends. I also know a few people there who are not very friendly. In fact that is why I find myself here at this time." I reached into my bottom desk drawer and got out a bottle of Jack Daniels and two glasses. The glasses were not what you would call clean, but they were definitely usable. Malcolm James did not refuse when I pushed the filled glass in his direction. "Is it a money problem?" He sipped and smiled. "Yes. It is not much; only ten thousand dollars US, but enough to impel me to seek safer surroundings." He noticed that I was smiling and I think that he knew that it was not because of his situation, but because of what I was contemplating. "I get the feeling that Mister Ellison needs my help and is trying to figure out how we can benefit each other. Am I correct?" I thought it was funny that he referred to me in the third person and laughed a little. "Mister James, are any of your friends or acquaintances of disreputable character?" Now he was laughing. "Of course, Mister Ellison. They all are." We were both smiling as I filled the glasses a second time. We sat quietly for what seemed like several minutes, but might have been less. "Tomorrow, Mister James. Tomorrow we will help each other." He smiled again as he got up to leave, and I noticed the gold tooth on the right side, toward the rear. I thought it was a little ominous. It was a family dinner that night. Aerial let everyone know that she could start a summer session at Duke if she could leave within a week. Doreen wasn't thrilled with the idea, but was outvoted. Roger had decided that he wanted to complete a year at the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, Texas before starting college. I had previously rejected the idea because of the expense, but tonight I was feeling a little different. Doreen gave me an odd look when I supported Roger's idea, but didn't say anything. After the kids left the table, I asked her about her day. "Cora and I got the last few things that we needed for the trip. I got the cutest little flip-flops. We decided not to take a camera because we were worried about losing it. We each got new swimming suits; two piece ones, but a little on the modest side. We are not young you know." I smiled a little at the way she was chatting. She was nervous and when that happens she has a tendency to talk too much. If I let her rattle on she might eventually trip herself up, but I already got the answer I was looking for. She said nothing at all about the trip to Victoria's Secret and didn't even hint at it. She was still talking, but I was no longer paying attention. She finally realized what she was doing and shut up. It was too late. She gave it away without even admitting anything. It would have been so easy to confront her, but that would have accomplished nothing. There was a lot more going on than a trip to a fancy ladies store. Doreen was fairly quiet for the rest of the evening. I could tell that she felt a little uncomfortable about her talk session. Any further discussion on her part would have just made it worse. Doreen was setting up the DVR to record her programs while she was gone, while I started checking out tuition fees and our total assets. It was not a pretty picture. I would need at least $55,000 a year for Aerial and the one high school year for Roger would be $34,000. I decided to prepay four years for Aerial, but just the one year for Roger. That would leave me with less that $50,000 in the bank. I could figure out Roger's college program later. Hell, he didn't even know where he was going to go. I gathered up all the addresses that I would need and prepared letters and envelopes. All I would need to do the next day would be to make a trip to the bank and a few phone calls. Maybe I was rushing things. Maybe there was no problem. All I had to base my concern on was a trip to the mall and a bad feeling in my stomach. Doreen had already gone to bed when I decided to call Bobby. He always stayed up to watch Letterman. "Bobby. Are you still up?" "Yes sir, brother John. What can I do for you?" "Is Letterman on yet?" "Nope. Ten minutes to go. Talk fast." "Bobby, I don't mean to get you upset or anything, but has Cora been acting funny lately?" "Don't jerk me around, John. What is going on?" "You know. Little stuff that just doesn't seem kosher." "You mean like the Tupperware Parties and Magic Chef Parties?" "Maybe. Why are they funny?" "John. Cora and Doreen have started going to these things on a regular basis along with book club meetings and card parties." "Yeah. So what?" "Cora doesn't read much, she hates to play cards, and she never buys anything at those damn parties." "Did you say anything to her?" "Hell no. I didn't want to take the chance of ruining my marriage." "What do you mean?" "John, if I accuse her of something or even hinted at it and I was wrong, my life would be a living hell. I ain't saying a damn thing until I have a little more to go on." "Did she show you what she bought while she was shopping today?" "Yeah. A swimming suit, a pair of sandals, and a floppy hat. Why?" "I just wondered." There was an awkward lull in the conversation which I finally broke. "Bobby, does that guy you know from high school still work in the personnel department at Continental Claims Associates?" "Yeah, I think so. Why?" "Could you call him tomorrow and ask him if any other company employees are taking vacations at the same time Cora is?" "John, what the hell is going on?" "Bobby, I don't know. I just know that something is not right. Doreen doesn't have a whole lot of opportunities to meet guys, but Cora does. This trip to Jamaica seems a little fishy to me." "Maybe I should just talk to Cora?" "No way, Bobby. What ever you do, don't say anything to her." "Okay! Okay! I'll call him. Gotta go now. Letterman is starting." I slept on the couch that night. No specific reason, but I just didn't feel like crawling into bed with Doreen. I closed out two money market accounts and cashed in three certificates of deposit. I called all of the appropriate agencies at Duke and the Harlingen military school before getting the cashiers checks drawn up. What wasn't needed for tuitions and such, I took in cash. I left a thousand dollars in the checking account. Before lunch I had four years of Aerial's collage paid for and a year of fancy military school for Roger. As I was leaving the post office I got a call from Bobby. "John, you were right." "About what?" "All of it. Will Curry in the personnel office told me that Cora has been playing patty-cakes with one of the auditors, a guy named Calvin Bostic. It is common knowledge in the company and I don't know why I haven't heard about it before. Anyhow, Calvin and a friend of his, Addison Eberly, are taking vacations at the same time that Cora is." "Damn it! I was afraid of something like that. Can you get me any info about those guys other than their names?" "Got it already, John. I'll send you a couple of company ID photos over the phone. The guy with the glasses is Bostic." "Thanks Bobby. Hey bro, I am sorry about all of this." "Don't apologize to me John. It's my wife who got Doreen into this mess." "Bobby, meet me after work at the Peanut Bar. We have things that we need to talk about." "Got cha." "Good afternoon. It must be nice to be the boss." Malcolm James was smiling as I walked into my office. I just smiled back without saying anything as Gloria, my secretary, brought in two cups of coffee. Malcolm waited patiently as I downloaded the two photos from my phone to the computer. In two minutes, he had a hard copy in his hand and a photo of each man on his own phone. There was a wicked little grin on his face as he sat in anticipation for what was coming. "Can we get down to business now Mister James?" "Most certainly, Mister Elliot." It took less than an hour to come to an agreement and settle on a price. He was happy and I was happy. However, Bobby might not be too pleased when I told him what his share of all this was going to cost. Bobby dropped a small bomb on me when we met after work. He had decided that he was going to be visiting our Uncle Grant in Tennessee for an indefinite period of time. "Bobby, that is a little drastic under the circumstances, don't you think?" "I was awake all last night thinking about things. Today, I made a half dozen calls to people to verify my suspicions about Cora's activities. It not too drastic, John. If anything it is a little too late." "Sorry, Bobby. I never realized. It appears that I didn't have a clue about what was going on in my own marriage either." "What is wrong with us, John? Why did they do this and how come we didn't see it coming?" For the next few moments we sat quietly, eating peanuts and sipping on warm beer. I ordered a couple more cold ones and smiled at my brother. "How can I help you out, Bobby? What can I do?" "We are okay, John. I got a small trailer lined up. The boys and I are going to pack up most of what we will be needing and we should be in Tullahoma by the end of the next day." "What about your job? You loved that job." "I know. It was a hard choice to make. I already called Grant. He said I won't have any trouble getting some type of work there. Whatever it is, it won't have all the fancy union benefits, but the boys and I will be able to get by. I'll be taking all of our savings and investments with us when we go." "What are you going to tell Cora?" "I am going to leave her a note that we went to Alaska. I always talked about going there, so she might be gullible enough to buy it; at least for a while." "Oh yeah, that reminds me Bobby. You owe me $4,000." "What? What the hell do I owe you 4,000 dollars for?" "You got to trust me, Bobby. It is money well spent and it is better if you don't know any more than that." "Will I get it back?" "Probably not." "Crap!" I decided to give Doreen another chance to come clean after supper that evening. The results were no better this time. She did happen to mention that since her cell phone would not work there, she was going to be leaving it at home. She told me to just assume everything was okay, unless I heard otherwise. If there was a problem she promised that she would find a way to let me know. Since Doreen was going to be spending the evening packing for her trip, I decided to take the kids out for a night of bowling. The suggestion was met with a lot of groans and eye rolling, which stopped as soon as I shook my head and drew my finger across my lips. We did go to the bowling alley, but we never did bowl. It was not something that I wanted to do, but something that I had to do. At this point I didn't actually know anything, but I did feel strong enough about what was going on to take action. I explained to the kids what was going on. Aerial seemed to understand, but Roger, was not happy. Both of the kids were excited about the school preparations, especially Roger, who had no idea up to this point that I had set everything up. Aerial was ready to leave as soon as possible and was tickled pink when I told her she could take Doreen's Volvo. She was not expecting a car at all. I thought that it was the fair thing to do. Roger was going to be staying with my parents until arrangements could be made for him to go to Harlingen. He would probably still be here when Doreen returned from her vacation. We would just have to wait and see if that caused any problems. The kids would be able to store all of their personal belongings at my parents place for as long as necessary. I was not sure what I would be doing. Bobby and I both arrived at the departure terminal at the same time. We didn't talk, but did nod to each other from fifty feet away. Cora and Doreen were laughing and giggling as they entered the facility together. They did remember to turn, wave, and smile at both of us before leaving the platform. Bobby and I did not smile back. What Goat Farm? When I arrived at work, I was greeted with a bevy of government cars and a few police units. This was a scenario that I had been through before, so I just tightened up my belt and walked in. Gloria was waiting for me with a smile on her face. She had also seen this before. The work floor was almost entirely empty. There were a few Haitians milling around, but there were no Jamaicans or Dominicans to be seen anywhere, which included Malcolm James. Gloria had already called the lawyers. I spent the next thirty minutes talking gibberish to several government suits, but was not able to determine if they were local, state, or federal. It didn't really matter. The legal beagles finally showed up and Gloria and I were able to slip away with no problem. We were having coffee at Starbucks when Bobby called. "John, I just heard on the radio that the Feds hit your place. What's going on?" "It okay, Bobby. The company has control over everything. Gloria and I are enjoying a hot cup right now. How about at your end?" "I took care of things at work and at the bank. The boys and I are going to be packing the rest of the day and we will be leaving tomorrow morning." "Sounds good brother. Do you need anything?" " We are fine, John. By the way I also saw a lawyer. The divorce paper work has been started." "Sorry to hear that, but I think we both know that it was coming." "They are going to serve the papers the day she gets back. I will be long gone." "I guess I will end up having to pick them both up at the airport when they get home. I'll just drop Cora off at the house. Is that okay?" "Sounds great to me. I guess they are there by now; all settled in their rooms. Are you sure that you don't want to let me in on what is going on?" "No way brother. The less you know the better. I don't think anything will happen until tomorrow. You can think about it while you are cruising down Route 81." No sooner had I hung up the phone when I got a call from Pierce Donavon, our division chief, and the man who sets up the new operations. Gloria and I were summoned to headquarters in King of Prussia the next morning. Gloria seemed happy about it, but I was having some reservations. I can't explain it because I really liked the job. I made arrangements to pick Gloria up the next morning and headed home. Aerial already had her car packed for her trip. I would have really liked to have been able to go with her, but she assured me that she was ready to take care of herself. Under the circumstances, I didn't argue with her. Most of her things were in cardboard boxes in the garage to go to my parents place for storage. Roger was packing almost all of his things for storage. The military school would be providing him with everything that he needed. They better, for the price that they were charging. Dad was going to be driving him down so that he could visit a few old Air Force buddies in San Antonio. Mom was very adamant in begging out of that trip. I was proud of the way that the kids were handling things. They had a better idea about what they wanted to do than I did. I decided to stay with mom while dad was traveling. That meant that I had a lot of packing to do also. We did not receive a call from Doreen and I hadn't really expected one. She had carefully set the stage by explaining that she would only call if there was a problem. The kids and I went to Cici's for pizza and we picked up a couple of bundles of boxes and more packing tape on the way home. It was two in the morning before I had all of my things sorted and ready to go. Dad was coming over in the morning with his pickup to collect everything. It would probably take at least three trips. At least it would keep the kids busy while I was at work. The next company operation was going to be started up in Lancaster. The big wigs were a little disappointed when I declined this one. I did, however, recommend Gloria because she knew as much about running things as I did and she was ready to move up. As soon as we left the office, she was on the phone to her husband to relay the good news. It would almost double her salary. She was one happy girl. I had no idea what I would be doing. On the way home I got a call from Bobby. He and the boys were just getting into Tennessee. He actually seemed happy. I felt good for him. The kids were staying with mom and dad, but I decided to stay one more night at the house to get all of the loose ends tightened up. I was just about finished for the evening when the phone rang. "Ah, Mister Ellison. It is nice to see that you are home." "Malcolm my friend. Where the hell are you?" "I am home of course. Taking care of business as you requested." "And you have international calling with your cell phone?" "Of course. Everybody here does." "I assume that you have good news for me?" It was a statement posed as a question. "Most certainly, sir. In fact, things went far easier than I had anticipated. You can rest assured that all of your problems have been taken care off." "Thanks you. You are a true friend." "Mister Ellison. I only did what you paid me to do." "Why do I feel that it is more than that?" "Be careful Mister Ellison. You do not want to fall into that trap." We were both laughing for no particular reason. "Mister Ellison, I was sorry to hear about your trouble at work. I hope that you have survived any repercussions." "I am fine. I am also curious as to how you got all of your people out of the way." "I have friends in the INS, Mister Ellison. I guess I should have let you know, but I decided against it. I was able to take care of all my people, but some of the Haitians were a little hard-headed." "I think it all worked out well." "What are your plans now?" "I think I will be taking a short break until I can get a few personal problems worked out." "Mister Ellison. Remember this number and stay in touch. I think I might have something that you will be interested in." "That would be nice. I'll plan to do that." I still had two more beers to finish up before getting some shuteye. It would be three more days until Doreen and Cora returned from their vacation. After the first day, I found myself doing redundant things. I did stop and see a lawyer, Glenn Roast, to find out exactly what my obligations would be if I filed for a divorce. There wasn't enough money left to open up an off-shore account or anything like that. I decided not to shut off the utilities. I was just not going to be paying for anything any more. My credit rating was going to take a big hit, but I figured I could handle it. The next morning, Aerial left for North Carolina in her new Volvo. Her summer session would be starting in ten days. Mom and dad gave her a little nest egg to help her get settled in. Roger and dad decide that they were going to take off the same day that Doreen was getting back. Roger wanted to avoid any unpleasant confrontations. I thought that this was a good idea. It appeared that they had a few stops planned on the way, including some Memphis Bar-B-Q and New Orleans gumbo. Everybody, except me, seemed to be happy. I was trying like hell not to wallow in my misery. The only thing that seemed to help was beer. Later that night, I got another call from Malcolm, unfortunately, it was on my cell phone. "Mister Ellison. Is anything happening at your end?" "What do you mean?" "The gentlemen in question have been missing for two days now and the ladies have not notified the hotel personnel or the local police. Did they possibly report this to your local authorities there?" "Not that I know of. Why haven't they contacted any officials in the immediate area?" "My people tell me that they seem to be baffled or confused about what to do. They are definitely not having a good time. My guess is that they are afraid that if they draw attention to the situation they will expose themselves as... I don't know what the proper term to use, Mister Ellison. I don't want to offend you in any way." "So they are doing nothing?" "It appears that they are constantly looking for the gentlemen to show up and hoping that things will resolve themselves. I am afraid that they will be greatly disappointed." "Mister James, what are you suggesting that I do?" "As I see it, there is nothing that you can do. We have to wait for them to decide to report it, either here or back in the states when they return." "That would be awkward. What local authorities would they go to, to report a crime that took place in Jamaica?" "Mister Ellison, I believe that you have created quite a dilemma for your wife. I have a feeling that she wishes that she had never taken this trip. No matter what she does, she will be in trouble." "I thank you for the call, Mister James. I am going to sleep with a smile on my face tonight." "I will call you if anything changes, Mister Ellison." Morning brought a lot of anxiety. I didn't sleep as well as I thought I would. The first thing I did was make a quick call to Bobby to see if he had heard anything from Cora. He had no contact from his wife either. The trip for him and the boys went well and they were all comfortably settled in. Before hanging up, Bobby mentioned that he was going to be turning off his cell phone for the next two weeks. He told me to call Grant's number if I had to get in touch with him. It was the longest day of my life. I checked and double checked the house to make sure that I had taken care of everything. I went to see the lawyer again and filled out an information form so that I could file for the divorce with no problems at the appropriate time. I gave him a power of attorney to handle the separation and any other actions for me. Just on a whim, I gave him a hefty retainer for any possible future repercussions from the Jamaica fiasco. I was a little worried that I might have gone too far. On the drive back to my parents home, I realized that none of the concerns that I had, had anything to do with my marriage. Sure, everything that I had done was a result of Doreen's infidelity, but the breakup did not actually seem to bother me. Somewhere along the line, I had resolved myself to accepting it. There was a bit of serenity that came with that realization. Knowing that the kids were not going to be suffering any great trauma made things a lot easier. I don't know why I didn't feel worse. I felt betrayed, but not humiliated. That was strange, because it was not what I had ever expected. Roger and dad left with the rising sun. Roger got to drive the first leg of the trip. Mom insisted on packing a lunch for them, but I secretly think they were looking forward to a week or so of junk food. I had about six hours to kill before the plane arrived back from Jamaica. I got to spend some rare one on one time with mom. She was supportive, but just to be on the safe side, she did not say anything against Doreen. They had actually gotten along fairly well over the years and I think mom was sad to see what had transpired. I didn't park the car and go in to help them. I simply waited for them to come out of the terminal with their bags. I had to move the car twice, but just circled and came back. "John, why didn't you come in to help us get our bags?" "It's a damn hassle parking the car and I figured that this would be easier all around." "John, where is Bobby?" Cora noticed that her husband had not come and felt obligated to inquire. "He and the boys are tied up. I told him that I would drop you off at the house." In a few minutes, we were on the way. No one was talking for the first few miles. The silence was quite obvious. Doreen seemed to be occupied looking out the side window and Cora sat in the back trying to be inconspicuous. "Well? Are you going to tell me about the trip? What you did? Where you went? Did you have anything good to eat? You two are awfully quiet for just returning from a tropical vacation." "It was a long flight, John. To tell you the truth, we are exhausted. I just want a hot shower and a soft bed." "That's it? That is all you have to say for five days?" "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Okay? " Since she was back to looking out the window, she didn't see me smiling to myself. The rest of the trip home was silent. It would have been easy to push the envelope a little, but I was having enough fun just watching them squirm. Since I had not heard anything from Malcolm, I had to assume that they did not report the missing men to any one. I wonder what they did with their luggage. Interesting! I dropped Cora off at their house and ten minutes later pulled into our driveway. Doreen looked at me with an odd expression when I removed her bags from the car and set them on the grass instead of carrying them into the house. As I was getting back into the car, she finally spoke. "John, where are you going? Aren't you coming into the house? What about my bags?" "I have to run right now, darling. I'll call you later." She looked so bewildered standing there watching me drive away. I would have loved to see her face when she discovered that I had actually moved out of the house. Of course she would not have a lot of time to dwell on it, because Cora was probably on the phone by now. "John, Doreen has called three times already. She keeps asking me what is going on and I keep trying to avoid answering her. John, you know I am no good at that kind of stuff. I don't like what happened, but I don't want to be in the middle of it either. You are going to have to talk to her." "Sorry, mom. The next time that she calls I'll take it. Did she ask about the kids at all?" "No. She was sort of babbling about an empty house and a problem that Cora seemed to be having. I didn't try to give her an explanation. I just put her off." I grabbed a beer from the fridge and got comfortable in the easy chair by the phone. It was only a ten minute wait for the next call. "John, what the hell is going on?" "Can you be a little more specific?" "What are you doing over at your parents house? Where are the kids? I would appreciate some answers. What the hell is wrong?" "Aerial left for school. She wanted to get settled in so that she could take a few summer sessions. Everything is fine. You don't have to worry about her." "Why couldn't she have waited until I got back? What was the big hurry?" "I don't know. I guess she was anxious." "All of Roger things are gone. Where is he at?" "Dad and Roger are on their way to Texas. He is finally getting to go to one of those military schools that he has been nagging us about. Since he is going to be gone for at least five years, he put all of his stuff in storage, like Aerial did." "Why didn't you discuss this with me. I am their parent too. You completely left me out of everything. That is not fair." "Yeah, I know. Life sucks!" "What does that mean? You have no reason to get sarcastic. What the hell are you doing at your parent's house? Did you move out too?" "Bingo! Jackpot! You figured it out. Yes, I moved out. You have the house all to yourself." There was no quick retort. I don't know how long the silence was, but it seemed like minutes. I waited patiently for her next move. "Cora called. She said that Bobby and the twins were gone. He left a note saying that they went to Alaska. Do you know anything about that John?" "Yeah. He told me a little bit." Doreen hadn't mentioned the divorce papers that Bobby said were going to be served on his wife. I could only assume that it had not been done yet. "John, what brought all this on? Tell me something." "I try to stay out of Bobby's life, Doreen. All I know is that he mentioned a guy named Calvin Bostic. Do you know him or anything about him?" This time the silence was a lot longer. I waited for some type of response. I am sure that she was thinking that if Bobby knew about Calvin than I must know about Addison. "John, I am not feeling too good right now. I am tired and I am confused. I need to get some rest and to think things over. Can you come by the house tomorrow?" "Sure, darling. I have plenty of time. Oh, by the way, I think you should know that I also lost my job. I am now officially unemployed." A few seconds later the phone went dead. My mother was not happy. I was in no hurry to face Doreen. I arrived at the house about 10am. It would have to be done eventually. Cora was there. "John. We know what you did." It appeared that Doreen would be the designated spokesman. "Can you explain it to me?" "Don't be a smart ass. It doesn't suit you." I decided not to respond to that. "Cora contacted Will Curry. You and Bobby knew about Calvin and Addison. Will told Bobby everything and Bobby told you. You can't deny it and you can't hide it." "So who is this guy Addison? How come you never mentioned him to me?" "John, you are trying to be cute again. You know perfectly well who Addison is. You also knew that Calvin and Addison were going on the trip to Jamaica with Cora and I." Everything that she said was accurate so I saw no reason to argue with her. "Neither one of you made an attempt to stop us from going on that trip. You both new that we were going to a tropical island with two men and you did nothing to halt it. What kind of husbands react that way? It was like you didn't care." Things were getting humorous now. Doreen was carefully shifting the blame for the affair from the cheating wives to the indifferent husbands. She noticed me smiling and her tone immediately changed. "It is not funny, you son-of-a-bitch. Two good men are dead now because of you. You could have said something. You could have stopped it, but no! You had to go and have them killed. You didn't do it yourself, but we know damn well that you arranged it." "Did you report this?" "What do you mean?" "When did you realize that they had been killed? Who did you notify?" "No one. We couldn't tell anybody. If we had, then you and Bobby would have discovered what we had done. We couldn't take the chance." "So you left Jamaica without informing the authorities that the two men who were with you had been killed? I think somebody is going to be pissed." Both women just sat and stared at me. I was still smiling. "So, my loving wife. What are you going to do now?" "We are going to the police station and report it. It has to be done." "And pray tell me, just how are the local police going to handle a murder that happened in Jamaica. By the way, do they have the bodies or the murder weapons?" "There are no bodies. You were too clever for that weren't you?" "I don't know what I ever did to deserve this, Doreen, but you go to the police and tell them the whole thing. Make sure that the report shows exactly why the four of you went to Jamaica and what you were intending to do there. I'll need that information for the divorce action." "You bastard." Cora took advantage of my comment to chime in. "Bobby had me served with papers last night. You knew that didn't you. You were laughing to yourself all the way home from the airport weren't you?" "Yeah. He did mention something like that before he left." I watched as Cora stormed out of the room. I couldn't tell if she was crying or just really pissed off. I stood up and walked towards the door. "John, I am sorry. It wasn't suppose to turn out this way." Doreen's voice had softened. "How was it suppose to turn out?" I waited for a few moments and got no answer. "Doreen. Can you at least give me some sort of an explanation as to why you did this?" I waited a few moments while she got her thoughts together. "The kids were grown and you were working all the time. My life had become drab and uninteresting. Cora had had the same problem and she said that she solved it by making a few male friends outside of the house." What Goat Farm? "A few male friends?" "Don't interrupt, John, or I won't be able to get thorough this. I decided that it was worth a chance so I had her fix me up with Addison." "So, was it worth it?" I watched her squirm a little before answering. "Actually, John, Yes. It was worth it. It was fun and exciting. I can't lie to you. I enjoyed every minute. Up until I met Addison, you were the only guy that I had ever been with. I would never consider leaving you to be with him, but I always had a good time when the two of us were together." "So, I was just a big joke?" "It wasn't like that, John. I was not trying to replace you or make fun of you. I was just attempting to make my life a little more interesting." I really didn't need to hear any more. I turned and walked out of the door. I went to Wendy's for lunch. It was just before noon the next day when Detective Daniel Greene came to see me. He allowed me to drive my own car to the station. I think he did that so that he wouldn't have to drive me back. He did not seem too concerned about my showing up. We talked for three hours. I finally called Glenn Roast. He got everything settled so that I could leave and he also got copies of Doreen's statement about the alleged murder. Her certified comments about the reason for the trip were going to be enough for the divorce papers. Detective Greene seemed to be baffled. He said that he would have to contact the Montego Bay police and Jamaican authorities before he could arrive at any course of action. I am totally ignorant about all the terms used to describe the different levels of killing someone and what proof is required for each one. He was trying to explain it to me, but I blocked it out. Late that night, I got another call from Malcolm James. It was short; very short. "Tomorrow, Mister Ellison. Tomorrow will be a glorious day." Tomorrow came and nothing happened till about 2pm, when I got a call from Detective Greene. He was sort of laughing as he talked, which I found unnerving. "Mister Ellison. Watch the 5 o'clock local news this evening and the 6 o'clock national news. I think that you will find it interesting." It was a short news blurb, but, as Detective Greene said, interesting. "Two local men were found wandering nude down a dirt road in the hills about 60 miles south of Montego Bay, Jamaica. The men claimed that they had been kidnapped and held for ransom at a goat farm in the mountains. They managed to escape early this morning and make their way towards town where they were rescued." The national news was basically the same except it had pictures of the two men and mentioned their names. A short while later I got another call from Detective Greene. He asked me to come in the next morning so that we could discuss the circumstances surrounding the incident. I thought that that was mighty generous of him. Mom thought the whole thing was hilarious and I think she even winked at me. I slept well that night. As I went into Detective Greene's office, I saw Doreen and Cora being escorted into the same interrogation room that I had previously been in. I am sure that they were going to have a lot of fun the rest of the day. "Mister Ellison, I am not sure that you are completely innocent concerning this affair, but I see your involvement from a far different perspective now." He was actually smiling when he said that. I couldn't help but return the expression. "As I said before, I am completely innocent of anything to do with the disappearance of those two men." I thought he was going to burst out laughing, but instead he offered me a cup of coffee. "It appears Mister Ellison that Mister Bostic and Mister Eberly made a midnight excursion from their vacation compound to purchase a little local weed; Ganja by name. Five minutes after they left the hotel they were kidnapped, tied up, and taken on an hours drive over rough mountains roads. This is all their version, you understand." I sipped the hot coffee that one of the uniformed officers brought into the office, and smiled with a little nod. "Both men were stripped of all their clothing and locked in a goat pen; a goat pen that just happened to have bars on the doors and windows. The next morning they were informed that a ransom demand for ten thousand dollars US each, had been delivered to the ladies that had accompanied them to the hotel. They would not be released until the ransom had been paid." Detective Greene stopped for a moment and tasted some of the machine coffee. It sucked, but he seemed to be used to it. "Detective Greene, I don't believe that my wife or my sister had access to that kind of money." "Apparently not. The following day, Mister Bostic and Mister Eberly were told that the ransom demand had been dropped to five thousand dollars each, and that this was presented to both Mrs. Ellison's." The coffee was actually tasting a little better by this time. "The next day, the price was a thousand each, and on the day that the ladies departed to come home, the price had been dropped to a thousand dollars for both men." "I can only assume that the ransom was never paid." "Oh, it gets better than that Mister Ellison, much better." He motioned to silently inquire if I wanted more coffee, but I declined. "That night, the men conveniently overheard their captors talking. Since the ransom had not been paid, the kidnappers decided that they were going to have to kill both of them in the morning. Luckily, they discovered that one of the windows in the hut was unlocked." I found it hard to control myself at that point and my host was having the same difficulty. We managed to keep it down to muffled snickers. "In a heroic effort they broke free from their confinement and made a mad dash for freedom down the mountain, with no shoes and no clothes." I swear that if it had not been such a serious situation, both of us would have burst out laughing. We took a moment to contain ourselves and then he started up again. "Mister Ellison. Neither your wife nor your sister ever got a ransom demand. Now isn't that amazing?" "Is that a question or a comment?" Now, both of us were actually laughing, but very quietly so as not to attract attention. "Seriously though, Mister Ellison, I am sure that you had some input into this entire fiasco, however, I don't see any reason for us to pursue anything at this end." "Well that is good news. Can I consider this case closed, or should I be prepared for something popping up in the future?" "It is closed as far as I am concerned. Your wife and sister, however, have a few more questions to answer about the charges that they made against you and your brother. Our legal people are reviewing their statements pretty closely, just in case." Doreen and Cora were still in the interrogation room as I left the building. My wife saw me as I walked by and tried to make some sort of gesture. I pretended that I didn't see her and kept walking. It was a front page story in the local newspaper, and both Doreen and Cora were mentioned by name. I am sure that they will be getting a lot of questions about that from all of our friends and relatives. I stopped at a Taco Bell for lunch on the way home. That evening I got another call from Malcolm. "How are things at your end, Mister Ellison?" "Couldn't be better, my friend. I am very impressed." "Thank you. I always do my best, Mister Ellison. A few days ago I mentioned the possibility of a position here that might suit you. Do you think that you might be interested?" "I would be interested in discussing it." "Fine. There will be a ticket waiting for you at the Jamaica Air Lines counter tomorrow morning. Don't worry. It will be a round trip ticket." Malcolm was laughing on the other end; a wicked little laugh. Six weeks later, I was completely relocated to Falmouth, Jamaica. It appears that Malcolm James had many friends who had a lot of money that needed to be invested. They bought an all-inclusive resort facility that had come upon hard times. Since 90% of the clientele were from either North America or Europe they wanted a man of my stature to be the responsible person of authority. Yes. I sold out. I was now in the position of posing as a front, or a shill so to speak. Although I was required to actually setup and manage the facility, I still reported to a clandestine group who wished to avoid any and all publicity. I was well-paid and well-compensated. It was an interesting position. I had a lady working with me, named Marja who was wanted by the Finnish authorities for the murder of her philandering husband. As long as she stayed in Jamaica she was safe. She was in charge of all of the recreation, events, and advertising. Most of the other employees were locals, who for some reason seemed to have excellent work ethics. Many of them, I discovered, were hired by Malcolm James. Interesting. There were three different restaurants in the facility and the prominent menu item at each of them was goat, in some fashion. Doreen and Cora had been convicted of something, somehow related to the incident and they both received suspended sentences. I never even found out what the exact charges were. I hear that Calvin Bostic and Addison Eberly both accused Doreen and Cora of refusing to pay their ransom. They never believed the story that no ransom demands were ever made. I think that those relationships died rather fast. Five months after relocating, my divorce was finalized. Time passes rapidly when you are having fun. Two years have gone by. Aerial is doing great at Duke and Roger was now at Texas A&M on a full scholarship. Doreen keeps in touch with them three or four times a month by cell phone. Cora tracked Bobby down in Tennessee and had him served with papers to get custody of the twins. A week later, Bobby and the boys were in Alaska. Marja and I moved in together. There is an odd excitement about sleeping with a woman who murdered her husband. Sort of like bungee jumping. I had no further contact with Doreen until last week. "Mister Ellison. I have good news and I have bad news." Malcolm has turned into a big joker. I always have to be on my toes. "Give me the bad news first." "The Silver Star cruise ship arrived this morning and your wife is on board with a gentleman friend." A chill went up my spine. "What is the good news?" A big grin came across his face; big enough to show the demonic gold tooth. "The Jamaican authorities had her name on a special list. Since we are now using passports for all Caribbean travel it was easy to flag her arrival." " And what exactly does this mean?" "The former Mrs. Ellison has been detained and charges are presently being prepared. It seems that her failure to report the kidnapping three years ago has been considered to be a criminal offense of some type. A lot of local officials were embarrassed by the whole situation and they seem more than eager to get a little payback." "Damn, Malcolm. She didn't really do anything." "I know that and you know that, but that doesn't make it go away." "What is her travel companion doing to help her?" "Nothing. When the police explained to him what had happened, he couldn't get back on the ship fast enough. I think he is planning on flying home." Doreen ended up in Kingston and she was charged with several minor offenses. No suspended sentences here. Some low level US embassy people tried to intervene, but it was to no avail. She was sent to Fort Augusta for one year. It wasn't fair, but it seemed to be out of my hands. It was three months until I got up the courage to go see her. Malcolm had arranged for the visit before hand. "John. What are you doing here? It is so good to see you. How did you find out about this?" She looked a little thinner and gaunt. Perhaps it was the lack of make up and grooming. "Doreen, I live here now. On the north side of the island. I've known about your problem for a while now." "What? Why didn't you do something? You must know somebody here that can help me." "What would you want me to do?" "Get me out of here. PLEASE! You can't imagine what this is like." I looked at her without speaking. I actually didn't know what to say. "John. The guards are forcing me to provide favors for them." "Favors?" "Sexual favors, John. I am being forced or coerced to provide the male guards with sexual favors. Do I have to be more explicit?" "No. I think I understand. I'll see what I can do." We spent the next thirty minutes talking about the kids and what they were doing. When I left, I promised her again that I would see if I could help her. I know that it doesn't all make sense. I should really be happy to see that the bitch is being torched, but she was my wife for twenty years and she was the mother of my children. I explained the problem to Malcolm. He seemed a little confused at my concern for Doreen's well being, but promised to take care of things. As if by magic, Doreen became off limits to the guards and there would be no repercussions. I never verified this, but I had Malcolm's word and that was good enough. The processes were started to change her sentence to time served. Two months later, I drove down to Kingston on the day that she was being released and scheduled to go home. As usual, some low level embassy personnel were taking credit for getting her sentence commuted, but I knew better. I didn't get to talk to her, but we saw each other from afar. She was smiling, sort of, and wearing a powder blue maternity dress as she walked across the tarmac.