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A Conspiracy to Commit...

By: enovelist



Chapter 1: The Day of Infamy

The alarm clock on the nightstand by the bed read 11:14. It was Monday morning as I sat alone in the hotel room. But, Damn! I was feeling just great! 

It had taken the entire weekend locked away in this Boise Idaho hotel room to finish the report. A warm feeling of relief washed over me as my mind replayed the past two weeks spent compiling all the facts and figures that made up the 45-page report.

Contained in that report were the details the mismanagement of the GeoTex operation located here in Boise, Idaho. The General Manager of the operation had made a number of serious management mistakes that were causing quality and financial problems. 

My negative report on his mismanagement would end his career at GeoTex. Unfortunate, but it's my job to ferret out management problems and I do my job very well. 

Once I get back to corporate headquarters, Mr. Chase will congratulate me on another job well done and he'll put the necessary corrective actions into motion. Then, in accordance with my agreement with Mr. Chase, this will then be my last on-the-road assignment. 

I'm looking forward to getting a 'fixed desk' position at headquarters and starting a normal routine with my life. Also, there was my promise to Carol that we would try every possible avenue to get her pregnant so that we could finally start our family.

Finishing up my investigative work two days early made me feel great about the day. Changing my flight scheduled to this afternoon's 4:00 flight from Boise to Chicago would get me home by 9:00 this evening. Nothing more to do here but have a good hearty lunch and then leave for the airport.

Although I normally would have called Carol to tell her the good news about coming home early, I decided not to call her about my early arrival back in Chicago. This coming home early surprise, coupled with the idea that this was the last of my road trips, would make for a glorious celebration. No sense in getting Carol all excited by a phone call from Boise. I'd grab a cab at the airport and that way she wouldn't have to fight the traffic to come and pick me up. Yes! This was going to be a great day all around.

Dropping off the rental car, the shuttle bus whisked me over to the main terminal and stopped in front of the curbside baggage check-in. There were several people ahead of me checking their bags. As I stood waiting my turn, a weird thought jumped into my mind. "I really hate airports!" True. Over the past several years, I have been through hundreds of airports and the dehumanizing process that a person goes though to get on a plane has completely taken the thrill out of flying. 

That was not always the case for me. As a young lad of 8 years old, I remember my first jet plane ride from Chicago to Los Angeles. My parents were taking me on vacation to Disneyland. To top it all off, I got the window seat there and back. Sitting by that window looking down at the earth below was more excitement and high adventure than any E-ride at Disneyland. 

Going to the airport is now a torturous experience that makes me feel more like a head of cattle than a real person. Its only saving grace is that it's the fastest way to get from Point A to Point B...usually. Now, no more excitement and high adventure, no more flying the friendly skies.

But, today was MY day and the normal airport hassle was not going to ruin this great mood that I was in. No sir! I won't even make my mooing sounds as I get on the plane today. This 'cattle car' was going to fly this weary road warrior home tonight and I would see my lovely wife for the first time in two and a half weeks.

Everything was falling neatly into place as I boarded the plane and settled into my seat for the flight to Chicago and to my own home. Once airborne, the stewardess brought me a couple of Jack Daniel's on the rocks. Contented now, I relaxed for the two and a half hour flight. Good thoughts raced through my mind as the aircraft droned on at 34,000 feet. After several years of hard work and multiple road trips that I made for the company, it now appears that my life plan is on track and the future very bright for Carol and me. 

To add to my already great day, the plane didn't do the usual 'loop the loop' holding pattern around Lake Michigan before landing. The wheels touched down ten minutes early, a fact that should not go unnoticed at O'Hare International Airport.

Deplaning is always an exhilarating feeling for me. Somehow I imagine the feeling of getting off of an airplane to be similar to getting paroled from prison. "Free at last, free last. Thank God Almighty, we're free at last!" I was smiling at M.L.K.'s famous words rolling around in my head as I headed toward the baggage claim area. Walking fast and weaving through the throngs of passengers, I stopped at a flower stand near the corridor exit. Roses for Carol would add the loving touch to the surprise of my coming home early.

The cabby was quite talkative about the Chicago sports teams. Bulls and Bears don't all live on Wall Street, there's a rowdy bunch of them right here in my hometown. It was enjoyable listening to him chatter as he weaved his way through the evening traffic.

Several short cuts later, we pulled up in front of my house. I paid the fare and gave the smiling driver a generous tip. No big deal, it would go on my expense account anyway. 

Hurrying up to the front of the house, I noticed that there was only one light on in the living room. Struggling with my baggage and the bouquet of roses, I tried the door. It was locked. Nothing to do but set them all down and fish in my coat pocket for my keys.

Unlocking the door, entering the house, I shouted out: "Hello Carol, I'm home! Are you here?" My voice echoed in the quiet house. No response. All was quiet. No TV or stereo playing. Just the table light was on in the living room.

My first thought was that Carol might have gone out to dinner and then taken in a movie, which she had done a number of times when I was on the road. Not knowing that I would be home early, she probably did not want to be alone in the house all evening. Switching on the lights in several of the rooms, I walked into the kitchen. I put my suitcase and briefcase on the floor, keeping the bouquet of roses in my hand I stepped into the hallway.

Looking around, I found a vase and placed the roses in it with some water. They looked fresh and vibrant sitting on the counter top. Stripping off my suit jacket and tie, I let out a deep sigh, glad to be home at last. Now, if only Carol were only here with me the entire world would be perfect.

The quiet house made me feel lonely as I went to the fridge and grabbed a cold beer for myself. I walked over to the table to sit down to finally relax, feeling a bit let down but glad to just chill out and wait. As I sat down, I noticed a note from Carol lying in the middle of the table. I picked it up and began to read.

Dearest Barry,

Sorry that I am not home while you are reading this note. 

But, something very unexpected and dramatic has happened 

while you were gone on this trip. It's too complicated to try to 

explain in writing, so there is a DVD in the player that I want you 

to watch. 

I hope that you will not be too upset after you watch the DVD.

I know that seeing and hearing me try to explain the situation 

that I find ourselves in at this time, will be difficult. 

So please, call me after you have watched the DVD. Maybe then I can explain the circumstances better to you over the phone. 

Call me at 555-3252.

I love you so very much. 

Your loving wife,

Carol 

Holding her note in my hand, I sat there stunned. A barrage of questions filled my mind as I stared at the note. What was this all about? Was this some kind of a joke? When did Carol write the note? She couldn't have known that I was coming home this evening. Why such a cryptic message? What situation does she find us in at this time? 

My first impulse was to just skip watching the DVD and call her immediately. Why not get her home where we could talk face-to-face. But without thinking about it, all of my normal defensive instincts kicked in and vetoed that idea. 

In my job as corporate troubleshooter, I learned early on not to act impulsively. It was better to stand back and gather all the facts first before going into action. Things are never what they seem to be at first glance. A knee-jerk reaction will always add more complications to whatever is in the mix already.

So, I just sat there. Beer in one hand, note in the other with a cold shiver running up my spine. This note was so uncharacteristic of Carol. She never liked to play mind games with me, mainly because I would always outsmart her and she would get mad at me. My investigative mind was now trying to put together a puzzle that did not have all the pieces in sight. 

Breathing deeply, I tried to reconstruct the words, the attitudes and the feelings that we shared over the past three months. I knew that Carol was pissed about this last trip that I had to make to Boise. She couldn't understand why it was going to take 3 weeks to work out. Also, she couldn't understand why I couldn't come home on the weekends. That was always a sore point for her, because I could have come home. But instead, I preferred to stay on location. This 'being alone' time was always productive for me, simply because I would be there without any other pressures or distractions. I did some of my best detective work pouring over reports in my hotel room on Saturdays and Sundays.

Reflecting back on all the rough words we had during this past three month period, I could sense that there was something deeply troubling Carol. No amount of sweet talk or direct questioning ever got to the root of her coolness toward me. Even my constant reminding her that this was my last road trip did not seem to satisfy her for long. Was there something in her attitude that I just brushed aside that was a serious problem for our marriage? Carol couldn't be considering a divorce, could she?

All of a sudden, it seemed to me that my great day was not turning out the way I mentally imagined it would. It was as if a lead nickel had hit the floor, a dull thud of a sound, registering in my brain.

My corporate training shifted into gear and my mind began a mental investigation of this strange situation. The first question was why did Carol put down a phone number to call her? It was not her cell phone number. I did not recognize the number as being any relative or friend's number. Where was she and what would she say to me over the phone? Why not tell it to my face?

Then another thought jumped to the forefront of my brain. What if this is really a joke that Carol is playing on me? What if it's a surprise and the phone number is just a trigger to get things started? This new thought was trying to push away all the 'doom and gloom' scenarios that first entered my mind. "Gather your wits about you and go and watch the DVD." It might just be the 'Welcome Home' surprise that she has waiting for me.

Placing the note back down on the table, a smile came across my face as I got up from the table. Why is it that I always think the dark side of a situation instead of the sunny side of it? Was it just my job training and experiences that gave me this pessimistic outlook I have about most unknown situations? If that was the root cause, it was something I would have to overcome now that my road trip days are over.

Anyway, I walked to the den where the TV was located, picked up the remote control and clicked on the TV - DVD player. I flopped down in my lounge chair as the TV screen lit up. I pressed the "Play" button for the DVD player and watched as the screen filled with a closeup of Carol's face.

There was no sound as Carol stared at me from the TV screen. Her face was stoic, without a smile or hint of any warmth. Her eyes were fixed and unblinking. It was a stern look that I had only seen on Carol's lovely face a couple of times in the past. She wears that face only in her most serious of moods or when some tragedy had occurred. Like when her grandfather died last year.

Carol began to speak in a slow deliberate voice.

"Barry, what you are about to see will shock you. I know this, because I would never have thought I would ever be in a shocking situation like this. During your long absences, I experienced some dramatic mood swings and severe bouts of depression. As hard as I tried, I was not able to overcome those dark moods that gathered in my mind."

Her eyes blinked for the first time as her tongue wiped across her lips, wetting them. It was obvious that she was struggling with the words.

"I know that you love me deeply, as I love you deeply. But, it seems that your love was either not sufficient or it was lacking in something important, because there was a constant feeling of emptiness inside of me. This feeling of emptiness never went away, even when you were home with me."

The tone of Carol's voice was now different. The slow deliberate voice had changed to a more strained voice.

"Maybe it was my longing to have a child. Maybe it was a place inside of me that you and I never knew existed. The reasons for my depression still elude me. But, now for the first time in years, I think I have found what was missing in our marriage."

The camera began to slowly zoom back away from Carol's full face. I first noticed that she was standing with her hands locked behind her head with her elbows pointing toward the ceiling. Her mouth continued to move as her words filled the silence in the semi dark room where I was sitting.

"The only way I know to tell you what has happened to me is to just say it as clearly and plainly as I can. I have taken a lover. More specifically, a man has entered my life and taken me as his fuck slut."

Those last two words that Carol spoke slammed into my brain like shots from a double-barrelled shotgun. "Fuck slut!"

There was a long pause in her dialog as the camera zoomed back slowly, exposing her whole naked body as she stood there in a statuesque position. Her arms were behind her head and her legs were spread about shoulder width apart. A full frontal nude exposure. Something in that nude pose was missing; it was the neatly trimmed bikini patch of pubic hair that had graced her pubic area. Carol stood there, nude and clean-shaven.

"This is probably the hardest thing I've ever tried to explain to you, my loving husband, because I cannot fully explain it to myself. I do want you to know that everything I have done has been done willingly. There was no force or coercion by my lover." Her face contorted as if she knew she said something wrong.

"My Master." Her voice changed again as she corrected herself.

"I have always been free to leave this relationship with Sir and return to my role as your faithful wife. I chose to stay with Sir until he gives me permission to go home to you."

Sweat and cold chills raced throughout my whole body. Numbness was starting to attack my brain. Clear thoughts were becoming very difficult as Carol's devastating words crashed violently against my psyche.

The camera zoom pulled back further, showing the entire room. Sitting in a chair a few feet away from Carol's statuesque form was a stranger. A man I had never seen before. A man, completely nude, looking at my naked wife as she was confessing her adulterous sins to me. In his hand was a remote control, probably the one controlling the video camera. There was a shit-eating smirk on his face as he sat there watching Carol's confession.

"I know this will hurt you to the quick, my loving husband, but my life is very different now. With Sir, I have found that something special I needed to fill that empty hole in my soul. I truly love you and want our marriage to continue. Although I know it will not be the same relationship that we had previously, I want and need the love and affection that you so generously bestowed upon me."

The camera continued to record all of the words coming from my unfaithful wife's mouth. The man in the chair made no moves and said nothing. It was all Carol in the spotlight, on center stage.

"Please Barry, before you get too angry and demand a divorce, call me and let me talk directly to you. Maybe then I can answer some of your questions and we can work out an arrangement that will keep us together as husband and wife."

There was another long pause. Carol took a deep breath and then slowly continued talking in her clear and precise voice.

"Maybe, after we talk, you will be able to see that I am the same loving wife you married. Except that now I am more of a woman than I was before this life-changing episode occurred. But, you will need to accept the fact that there will be another man sharing the body that has been exclusively yours for the past five years. I need Sir in my life now, he gives me a sense of my whole being that is essential for me now."

My breathing must have stopped, because the tightness is my chest was overwhelming. I could not move a muscle in my body. 

Another pause in her dialogue as it appeared that Carol was about to start crying. Then she sucked in another deep breath, pushed back her emotions and continued.

"Once again, dear husband, I beg of you to call me and let me try to answer your questions. Also, you need to see that what has happened to me is something very good for me, something that could be good for both of us. Please call me, my dearest darling." 

Her voice trailed off and the silence filled the room again. There was no movement from Carol or the stranger sitting in the chair. Then all of a sudden the silence was broken when the man shouted out.

"Enough, Fuck Slut!!! Get on your hands and knees! Crawl over here and suck my cock like the slut that you are!!!"

His loud voice and demeaning words shouted at my wife struck me like a slap across my face. My body jerked upwards in my chair as I watched a sly Mona Lisa smile come across Carol's face. The stern look on her face disappeared. 

In one slow choreographed motion, the kind of movement a dancer makes on stage, Carol turned her body and gracefully moved to the floor on her hands and knees. She made slow crawling movements toward the sitting stranger. In only four steps she moved in between his outstretched legs. His hard cock was pointing upward as Carol took the rigid shaft into her hand.

Sweat was pouring off of my body as I watched with petrified eyes; the erotic actions of my loving wife with a strange man she referred to as her Master and as Sir.

Her head moved forward and her lips kissed the purple crown of his cock. As if she were entering another dimension, she moved her head back slightly, her eyes went up to meet his and she gave him a warm loving smile. Without any words passing between them, Carol opened her mouth and moved her head forward and engulfed his hard cock.

What followed for the next several minutes was the recorded event of my loving wife giving a strange man one of the best cock sucking sessions I have ever seen in a porn movie. 

Unbelievable! Unreal! This could not be happening to me: to us! My mind was in total denial. Something here was totally wrong. This could not be reality! This could not be my loving wife on her knees sucking another man's cock. Tears began to well up in my eyes. 

This was reality. This was Carol. This was the end of my life.

During the past five years of our marriage, we explored and enjoyed oral sex many times, but those episodes paled in comparison to the enthusiasm I was witnessing from Carol's performance on the TV screen in front of me. 

The stranger reached down and moved Carol's hair away from her face so that the camera had a very clear shot of her mouth wrapped around his hard cock. 


A Conspiracy to Commit...



My heart almost stopped several times while I was watching those pornographic scenes flashing across the TV screen.

Suddenly the man in the chair looked directly into the camera and with a wide shit eating grin on his face, said to me:

"If you want me to send your wife back to you for a visit, you will need to call her. Otherwise she will remain here satisfying all of my sexual needs and desires. Call her now! 555-3252."

The camera did a Still / Pause with the image of Carol sucking his entire cock in her mouth. Then slowly, the TV screen did a fade-to-black and the devastation in my mind was complete.

*

Chapter 2: Cuckold

I sat there in a complete fog. My mind was in chaos. A cold sweat covered my entire body as I tried to wrap my thoughts around the sights and sounds that I had just witnessed. "Call her now!" His voice kept ringing in my ears. Blindly, I reached for the phone.

"Stop, you damned fool!!!" The voice in my head screamed out at me. "You have no idea what that phone call will start. Think about it, this has all been staged to shock you and put you off balance." The logical voice that always guided me during my road trips was now in command. It was cutting through all the emotion and impulsivity that had grabbed me as the DVD ended. I placed the phone back on the cradle.

My body was still trembling as I sat there trying to compose myself. "Ok. Now let's take this thing one step at a time. This must be some kind of setup. All of this has been staged for you as some kind of emotional trap. Who was the man in the video? Carol called him her master. She even corrected herself when she initially called him her lover."

Slowly, I began to calm down and regain some of my tattered composure. Something was seriously amiss here. The voice in my head was correct. All of this; the note, the DVD and the phone number to call were all part of a carefully constructed emotional trap that someone wanted me to fall into. 

Was it Carol's idea? Was Carol just the bait? This did not appear to be a kidnapping for ransom. Nor did it appear that Carol was being forced into doing anything against her will. Was Carol drugged? Her eyes and facial expressions did not give any hints of her being drugged. Was Carol hypnotized or was some form of mind control being used on her? Maybe, that could be the answer here. But if that were the case, then what was the motive behind this staged event? No real answers came to mind.

As my mind continued to search for some answers, another thought jumped into my mind. "Call your cousin, Josh! He might have a different insight into this crazy situation." 

This time I did pick up the phone, but then I thought about it and put it down again. I went over to my briefcase and took out my cell phone. My paranoia had kicked in and I didn't want to take the chance that the phone might be tapped. I punched in Josh's home phone number, hoping that I would catch him at home. The phone rang three times and then Josh answered.

"Hello!"

"Hey Josh, it's me. I need to see you right away. Big problem over here and I need your help with it." My voice had an urgent ring to it as I continued. "I can't discuss it with you over the phone. I need you here with me. Can you come over right now?" The tenor of my voice left no doubt that I needed Josh's help immediately.

"Not a problem, Barry. Nothing life threatening, is there?" Was his only question.

"No, not life threatening, Josh. Just very serious. Very serious." 

"Ok. Hang in there. I'm on my way."

"Great. See you shortly." 

The phone went dead and I stood there thinking of how I was going to break this shocking news to my best friend. Then another thought flashed into my mind. I needed to download that video into my laptop computer. With it in my computer, I could analyze the video frame by frame, using sophisticated software tools I have at my disposal at work. 

While I was waiting for Josh to show up, I hooked up the recording cables from the DVD player to my computer. That way while we were watching the video on the TV, my laptop would be downloading the whole thing.

The door opened and Josh walked in with a short greeting as he made his way into the den where I was sitting. This time I had a double shot of Jack Daniel's in my hand.

"What the fuck is going on, Barry? Is Carol here? Is she all right?" Josh questioned as he looked at me with a serious face.

"Carol is not here. I do think she's all right. I sure hope she's all right." I replied as I pointed to the liquor bar in the corner. "Get yourself a tall one, buddy. What you're about to see and hear will require a stiff drink."

Josh went over to the bar and instead of pouring himself a hard drink, he opened a Coke and sat down. "Ok. I'm here, so tell me what this is all about." He was in his detective mode now, I could hear it in his voice and see it in his body language.

After a long deep sip of my drink, I began to tell Josh the whole story, starting with my unannounced early arrival home. I handed him the note, which he read silently. Then I told him to sit back and watch the DVD that Carol mentioned in her note. The TV screen flash to life and Carol's face once again filled the entire screen. I looked over at Josh sitting silently with a stone cold sober face. He was a good detective, this time I was observing him at work.

The video went through its entire ten minutes, ending up with Carol's face on the screen and the stranger's cock in her mouth. Just as the video ended, a large message flashed across the screen.

"This program is now automatically erasing its contents."

Both Josh and I looked at each other as the entire screen went black. 

"Damn! That must be one of those new DVDs that self-destruct after several usages." Josh said as he shook his head. "Now I wish that we had made a copy of the video. Someone didn't want any incriminating evidence left behind." 

"Hey, guess what? While we were watching that show, I was recording it on my laptop computer sitting over there on the table." The fact that I had the presence of mind to make a copy made me feel slightly more in control of myself. 

"Damn good thinking, Barry. Did you know that the DVD would erase its contents?"

"Hell no! I was shell-shocked when I saw it the first time. I only thought of making a copy after I called you. Then I hooked up the laptop while you were on your way over here." I took a deep breath. "Now what do I do, Josh?"

`"Shit, shit, shit..." Josh replied as he tried to formulate a response that would not make me feel worse than I was already feeling. "First, no crime seems to have been committed here. Carol said that she was there with him willingly. There was no hint of holding her against her will." Another long pause. "From a criminal justice point of view, this is a domestic matter that should be handled by the marriage courts."

"You mean handled by the divorce courts, don't you?" My question hit the mark.

"Yes, I guess so, Barry." Josh said in a quiet tone. "Have you called that number yet?"

"No. All of this seemed to be so prearranged and set up to play on my emotions that I hesitated to call Carol until I could at least quell my anger. Calling you first seemed to be the best thing to do at the time." Having Josh sitting there with me gave me a renewed sense of strength. My mind was quieting down and the chaos was coming under control.

"That was another good thing that you did; or should I say didn't do. I agree with you about this whole scene being prearranged. Do you have any idea why Carol would get involved with another man? Why would she be an accomplice in such a demeaning situation?" Josh was asking out loud. I could tell that he was in his full detective mode once again.

"I don't have any answers to your questions, Josh. This thing just hit me like a ton of bricks. It came at me completely from left field. I had no idea that things had gotten this bad for Carol. And I certainly do not know the man in the video with her." It was obvious to Josh that the sky had fallen in on me after I arrived home from Boise. We sat there in silence for a couple of minutes while the wheels were turning inside Josh's mind.

"Ok. Let's work out a plan of our own here." Josh finally broke the silence. "Carol doesn't know that you're here, does she?"

"Not that I know of. Unless she had the house staked out with somebody watching for me. I called you from my cell phone just in case there was a phone tap of some sort on the line." 

"Wow, another good thing, Barry! Most guys wouldn't have the presence of mind to do the simple but important things that you did tonight. I'm impressed, Barry. You're acting more like a capable police officer than some of the blockheads down at the station." Josh replied. I didn't know if he was telling the truth or just trying to pump up my crushed ego. "Now let's see what we have to do."

He got up from the chair and began to pace around the room as he was thinking of an action plan.

"First, you have to get out of this house for at least a couple of days. Let's go on the assumption that she doesn't know that you got back early. That will give us some time to gather some other information about this whole situation. 

"I also need to get in touch with an ex-partner of mine who does private investigations. He's one very sharp fellow and he won't have any direct ties to the police department. 

"As much as I would like to help you in an official police capacity, I can't do that openly. Against the rules. But, Felix knows how the system works, so that will keep me off the hook." I could tell that Josh was looking at this situation from all angles. Even the legal ones if the future course of action takes Carol and I into the courts. 

"Let's clean this place up so that it looks like no one has been here since she was here last. Also, can you burn another DVD with that laptop? We should put a good DVD in the player just in case he or she checks it out."

"No problem with the copy. I'll do that right now."

"Ok. Let's retrace your actions since you walked into the house. Get the copy running and then step me through every minute detail."

The blank disc went into the laptop, I called up the copy program and then began to burn a disc copy.

"I came into the house. Only one light was on. That one in the living room. I set my suitcase and briefcase down in the foyer. I came into the kitchen, called out to Carol, no answer. I put those roses in a vase and set them on the counter."

"Stop right there." Josh called out. "Let's take care of the roses right now. Where's a fresh trash bag?" 

After the roses were disposed of, the vase cleaned and put back, I replaced the can of beer in the fridge and the can of Coke that Josh had taken from the bar. I cleaned and replaced all the glasses that we used. Josh carefully removed the original DVD disc from the player so not to get his fingerprints on the disc. He put the disc in a Zip Loc bag. 

"I'll get this dusted for fingerprints at the station. Maybe it'll tell us who the mystery man is." Then he replaced it in the DVD player with the disc copy I made from my laptop.

We did one more check around the house to ensure that everything was exactly as it had been when I first walked in. Everything was in place, including the note on the table. My jacket, tie and luggage were taken out to Josh's car. We left the house locked and got into his car. As we pulled out of the driveway, I looked back at the empty house and I swear that I saw a dark shroud covering my once happy home.

"You can use my pick-up truck as long as you need it. Your car needs to stay in the garage until we know what's going on here." Josh said as we drove away from my house.

Josh picked up his cell phone and quickly dialed a number. "Hello, Felix. How are you tonight? I hope that I didn't disturb you." 

I couldn't hear the other side of the conversation. 

"Good. Can you come over to the house tonight? Like right now? I have a situation that might interest you." Pause. "That's right; nothing violent, just a serious domestic issue. I'll give you all the details when I see you." Pause. "Great! In about fifteen minutes then. Bye." Josh hung up and had a smile on his face.

"Felix is a great guy. You'll like him a lot. He's retired from the force and he loves doing investigative work in his spare time." I could tell that Josh was thinking back to the times he and Felix had been partners in their early days as beat cops on the police force.

Once we got to Josh's house he told me that I should call Carol at the house and leave a message on the machine telling her that I would have to stay in Boise a couple of days longer to wrap up all the loose ends for my report. He told me to sound apologetic and sad that I wouldn't get home as planned.

"You have to keep her thinking that you're still out of town while Felix and I do our thing to find out what's going on here. If she knows you're in town, then she'll probably guess that you have seen the DVD. Then she'll wonder why you haven't called her." Josh was pacing around the kitchen table just like he had done at my house when he was trying to get a mental focus on all the possibilities that could be affecting this situation.

I took my cell phone out and dialed my home number, already knowing that it would go to our voice mail. I mentally rehearsed what I wanted to say.

"Hello darling, I'm sorry that you're not home to get his phone call. I hope everything is all right back there. I really do miss hearing your voice." I took a long pause and then said, "The bad news from here is that it will take me a couple of extra days to wrap this whole mess up properly. I am so very sorry. I miss you so much and wish I had you in my arms right now. I'm changing hotels so the old number won't work. Try my cell phone first. I really love you and I miss you terribly. Bye for now. Kisses..." I hung up the phone and began to cry.

*

Chapter 3: Our plans

The doorbell rang, tearing at the silence in the house. Josh answered it quickly. He greeted Felix and brought him into the kitchen where I was sitting at the table. The three of us sat down around the table after Josh made the introductions. We both took turns filling Felix in on all the details of the surprise that I was given when I got home tonight. 

Instead of wanting to watch the video of Carol, Felix started by asking me a lot of personal questions about her habits, her friends, her work and any hobbies that she enjoyed. He had a small notepad and was making short notes of the items that he thought were important about Carol and her personal life.

All of a sudden Josh jumped up from the table. "Damn!! I should have done this sooner. I need to put out an APB on Carol's car. We need to know where she is and the best way might be to locate her car." Josh was shaking his head as he walked to the phone. "You guys continue your Q&A and I'll get a call in to the desk sergeant." He walked into the den to talk in private.

"Your cousin is one great guy, Barry. He and I were partners for almost four years. I would trust him with my life, and he would do like wise. Also, he's one smart detective. Nothing gets by him, not even the smallest details." Felix was complimenting the man I grew up with and knew very well myself. 

"I'm sure my testimonial would rival the best one you could give him, Felix. We're closer than brothers and I respect him immensely." My words and smile validated the comment.

"Ok. Enough wine and roses for Josh! Let me see that video." 

I retrieved my laptop from my brief case and placed it on the table in front of Felix.

"I could hook it up to the big screen TV if you would like that." I offered.

"No, this will be plenty good enough for me. But, I will probably want a copy of it to take home and study more closely." 

I press the enter key and Carol's face filled the screen. 

"I've seen this thing twice and I don't care to watch it again. At least not tonight." I said as I moved away from the table to get a drink from Josh's bar. I could hear Carol's voice in the background as I rounded the corner and walked into the den where Josh was just hanging up the phone.

"I need some strong fortification right now." I said to Josh as I walked past him and got a bottle of JD from the shelf. Josh didn't say a word. He moved out of the den and went into the kitchen to sit with Felix and discuss the video. I just sat down in the corner and began to take some long sips of the mind numbing firewater. 

After finishing my drink, I walked back into the kitchen. The video was finished and Josh and Felix were sitting and talking in hushed voices. 

"Am I interrupting anything?" I asked as I moved to the table and sat down. 

"No, not at all." Josh replied. "We're just tossing ideas around. We both agree that the whole scene was pre-planned and set up to throw you completely off balance." 

Felix cut in. "I'm amazed that you had the presence of mind to call Josh before calling that number your wife gave you. Calling her now is probably exactly what they had in mind when they made the video. The phone call would bring you deeper into their plan, whatever that plan is. 

"The idea that Josh has, keeping you in Boise for the next several days, is the best strategy for us at this moment. Until they know that you have seen the video, they can't trigger the next step in their plan. We need time to try and figure out what that plan really is."

Felix was already analyzing the situation, much like Josh had done. It was obvious to the three of us that whatever was going on, the video was just the opening scene of some larger purpose. 

"Hey Barry, why don't you go into the guest bedroom and crash for tonight. You must be one tired and strung-out guy by now. There are some Excedrin PM tablets in the bathroom, take a couple. They'll help you get some sleep." Josh spoke kindly, looking straight into my blood shot eyes. He was right. Somehow, I felt like I had been run over by a bulldozer and it was still parked on my chest.

"You're right, Josh. I am a whupped puppy. All of this has been too much for me to digest in one evening. I need to get some rest, or I'll come unglued right in front of you guys." My words were slow and drawn out, just like my whole body felt. I got up, gave them a wave of the hand and headed to the bedroom. I knew they would continue to talk for the next couple of hours. 

My mind flashed another strange image at me. I used to laugh whenever I saw those B-rated zombie movies with the dead bodies wandering lifelessly around in circles. Now, I felt just like one of them. Wandering lifelessly around in circles. Once in bed, all of the stress and tension seemed to release themselves in a flood of relief. I fell asleep crying into the pillow. 

*

Chapter 4: Day of Infamy Plus One

The sleep state was deep and long. When I finally woke up, the face of the alarm clock read 10:14. That was amazing. I can't recall the last time I slept past 8:00 in the morning. And yet, it was Tuesday morning and I was in Josh's house instead of mine.

Staggering to the kitchen, this zombie came looking for some stimulating body fluid. Josh had left the coffee pot on. I knew he was a great guy. 

The note he left for me told me to stay in the house and call in at work to cover the story that I was still in Boise. It took another couple of minutes for me shake all of the sleepiness from my brain.

After my second cup of coffee I placed a call Mr. Chase's office. Rita answered the phone. 

There are times when she is a very pleasant person as well as the person who holds the exalted position of Administrative Assistant to the President. At other times, no one in the corporation wanted to deal with her. Fortunately for me, she knew that her boss thought I was a really great guy. She cut me a little more slack than she did the others.




A Conspiracy to Commit...



"Hello Rita, this Barry. Is Mr. Chase in? May I speak with him?" I thought that I would skip any personal pleasantries with Rita. I wanted to give the impression that I was all business this morning.

"Hello Barry, how are you today?" Rita wasn't about to let me speak to the boss until I acknowledged her presence.

"I'm doing well, Rita. Sorry about that, but my head is filled with a lot of nonsense at the moment. How are you today?" This time I put a little humor in my voice. I learned early in my business career that you do what you have to do to get what you need.

"Thanks for asking, Barry. I'm doing very well this morning. I miss seeing your smiling face around the office. Will you be coming back soon?" She never missed the opportunity to demonstrate her seat of power.

"That's what I need to talk to Mr. Chase about, Rita. Seems there are some complications that I need to discuss with him." 

"I think that he might have a few minutes to talk to you, Barry. Please hold for a moment." It seems that my homage to her highness was now satisfied. The phone went on hold for a short while and then I heard Steven's voice.

"Hello, Barry. How's everything going?" Steven was always up beat whenever we talked. Even when faced with bad news, he never lost his composure.

"Good morning, Mr. Chase. Not so good, I'm afraid. There are two major problems at this time. The first has to do with the Boise operation. I have finished my report and I will be sending it to your office by courier. After you read it, if there are any questions, please call me on my cell phone." I paused in my dialog and took a deep breath. The second item would be harder for me to discuss with him. 

"The second problem has to do with my wife and my marriage. I left Boise last evening on the four o'clock flight after I finished my report. Carol didn't know I was coming home early. She wasn't home when I got there." Another pause before I continued on a deep breath. "She left me a sober note. It appears that our marriage is in serious trouble. She also left a number where I should call her. I haven't done that yet because there seems to be more to this than meets the eye." This time I took a longer pause to give Steven a chance to say a word or two.

"Barry, I'm deeply sorry to hear that there is a problem between you and Carol. Does it have anything to do with your job assignments away from home?"

That question hardly needed an answer since we had previously discussed the impact the long assignments away from home were having on my marriage.

"I'm afraid it has, Mr. Chase. I told Carol that this would be my last long assignment away from home. I guess it didn't come soon enough for her." 

"What are you going to do next, Barry?" 

"Well, after receiving the disturbing news last night, I had my cousin Josh come over. He's a detective and I needed to get his view on the situation. Even though there isn't anything criminal involved, Josh thought that it would be better to find out more about the reasons Carol has left the house. He thinks there may be extraneous circumstances that need to be investigated before I have any dialog with Carol. I agree with him. Any conversation between Carol and I right now might bring an immediate end to our marriage." I was dancing around the provocative video that Carol had left for me to see. 

"One of the things I want to do is make Carol think that I'm still in Boise and that I haven't read her note. This would give Josh a few days to check out Carol's whereabouts and see if there is anything there that I should know about before I call her."

"That sounds so covert and suspicious, Barry. Do you really think that there might be anything more than just a lonely wife going off somewhere?" 

"That could be the extent of it, Mr. Chase. I really hope that's all this is. But, the note indicated something else. Something that might involve another person. Anyway, I would like you to cover for me, if you would." Pause. "If you would tell Rita and the others that I'm going to be stuck in Boise for a couple of more days to complete my assignment, I'd really appreciate it. Tell them I won't be at the facility, but I have some work to do in the State archives. That way, Josh can do some background checking and I won't get hit by any new surprises when Carol and I do have our conversation."

"Certainly, Barry. No problem setting up a smoke screen for you. I'll tell Rita that you'll be in Boise longer than you first thought. Just more complications up there." Steven's voice had taken on a parental tone as if a father was talking to his son.

"Thank you, sir. I don't know where this will lead or just how long it will take to resolve. I will call you in a day or so to update you on what the situation is by then." Neither of us spoke for a few seconds. Then I said. "I have to go now, Mr. Chase. I will call you soon. Thank you."

"Take care, Barry. I will cover your ass from this end. Bye." The line went dead.

I was finishing my 'good morning' breakfast as the phone rang. At first I hesitated in answering it. But, I thought that there was no way that Carol would know to call me at Josh's house. 

The phone call was from Josh, telling me to take his pickup truck and go out of town and check into a hotel, anywhere within an hour's drive. He was concerned that someone from the office or the neighbourhood might see me on the street. He wanted to ensure that Carol would continue to think that I was still in Boise.

Showered and dressed, I called a courier service to take the Boise report over to Mr. Chase. At least while I'm out of pocket, he will be able to start whatever actions he felt necessary to correct the problems at the Boise facility. 

After the courier left with the package, I loaded my stuff into the pickup truck and headed west out of Chicago. I thought that Elgin would be a nice place to hide out for the next couple of days. There's a nice Sheraton hotel that I stayed at during a management seminar a couple of years back. Also, there's a Riverboat Casino on the Fox River that might provide some entertainment to keep my mind off my marital problems.

I checked into the Sheraton, then called Josh and gave him the room number. 

"I feel like some kind of fugitive, Josh. Or maybe even worse, more of a victim in this whole drama." My mood was not at all upbeat as Josh and I talked for a few minutes. He tried to give me some good news.

"There may be a hit on the finger prints on that DVD disc. The lab is still running the prints through the local and Federal databases. I should know something by this evening." That bit of news was encouraging.

"Any luck locating Carol's car?" I asked.

"Not so far. It may be possible that she's out of town or that her car is in some parking garage where my guys would never see it. It's a long shot that we would find it out in the open. But, since she doesn't know you're on to her at this time, maybe she'll drive around where we can find her. You never know in these types of situations what might just pop up." Josh paused for a long time and then continued.

"I'll check with Felix after we hang up and see if he is on to something. What you need to do this evening is go down to the exercise room and the swimming pool. Give yourself a good work out. 

"Also, don't forget to give Carol another call. If she happens to answer, remember to stay cool. You know nothing about her affair. You're still in Boise and you'll be there in a couple more days." Pause. "If she doesn't answer just leave another message telling her how sorry you are that you're stuck in Boise."

I acknowledged Josh's suggestions. Tonight I would have a good workout down in the exercise area, have a great supper, call Carol and then get to bed. Hopefully I'll sleep as well as I did last night.

Surprising as it might sound, I completed all my 'tasks' for the evening and when I finally got into bed I went straight to sleep. My mind and body were certainly reacting very differently to this crisis than I would have imagined. 

*

Chapter 5: The Casino

Wednesday morning and I slept till nine o'clock. After shaking off the sleep, I ordered up room service breakfast. Although there was a dark cloud hanging over my mind, I did not feel angry or depressed. Maybe it was the fact that I hadn't confronted Carol yet. Once that happens, god only knows where my head and emotions will be. I shook those thoughts out of my mind and headed downstairs.

It was a short drive over to the Riverboat Casino near downtown. I needed something to occupy me for the long day ahead. A poker game would be just the remedy that I needed.

When I was in college, I discovered that I was a very good poker player. There was something like a sixth sense that I had about the cards and the other players around the table. I seemed to instinctively know when to push a hand or when to fold a hand. It was a very rare occurrence that I would leave the table with less money than when I sat down to play.

It took a lot of self-control in those days not to take my poker playing to an obsessive level. I did not want to become a compulsive gambler, no matter how good I thought I was with a deck of cards. But now, with all this chaos going on in my life, it seemed like a good time to be obsessive about something. I smiled to myself as I headed toward the card tables. I didn't want to do the high stakes games, at least not yet. I was here for the entertainment and hopefully to keep my mind off of Carol.

It didn't take long to realize that 'the touch' was still with me. Hand after hand, I was able to maximize a good hand and only take a small hit for a bad hand. I played with the same group for three hours and then it was time for a lunch and nature break. I was feeling more alive as I walked around the open deck. There was almost two thousand more dollars in my pocket than there was when I stepped on board. Smiling to myself, I thought that after two more hours it would be time to leave.

Those were another productive two hours. I walked off the boat with a little more than thirty two hundred dollars. I was finally feeling good about something for the first time in about twenty hours. 

*

Chapter 6: The Strange Phone Call

Driving back to the hotel, I thought that a hot bath and a great dinner would be a nice way to end this day. My cell phone began to ring as I was entering the room. I looked at the incoming phone number, and the prefix was that of our corporate phone system. I answered it.

"Hello."

"Hi Barry, this is Phil. Phil Bogan from Strategic Planning. How are you tonight?" The voice on the other end was a total surprise. Phil Bogan was not a person with whom I had dealt with often at work. His department was out of my realm of contacts. I had met him several times at a couple of Board meetings but we had never had any real interactions.

"As good as could be expected, Phil. What can I do for you?"

"Nothing in particular, Barry. Mr. Chase told the staff meeting today that you would be stuck in Boise for several more days. I just thought that was going to be kind of rough on you." His voice sounded fake and contrived. 

"I guess it goes with the territory. Sometimes they're easy and other times you catch a hard one. At least, I have a good handle on this one and it should be resolved in a few more days. But thanks for asking." My mind was racing, trying to figure out why Phil Bogan would want to call me. It didn't make any sense.

"Hey, maybe we could catch a beer or something after you get back?" 

"That might work. I'll call you when I get back in the office. Sorry, but I have to go right now."

"Ok. See you when you get back. Bye."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone and sat back trying to make some sense out of the Phil's phone call. Was it just some kind of coincidence? Who was the famous philosopher who said that, 'There is no such thing as a coincidence.'? As I sat there mulling over all the possibilities, the cell phone rang again. It was Josh's office number calling.

"Hello."

"Hey Barry, how's your day going?" Josh had a strong voice.

"I'm doing damn good. I had a good night's sleep and then I went to the Casino to play some poker. Right now I'm thirty two hundred dollars richer. Not a bad day, wouldn't you say?" I tried to keep my voice upbeat.

"That is damn good! I guess Felix and I will have to come out there and have you buy us a steak and lobster dinner."

"Well, you better hurry. I'm getting pretty damn hungry and there's a great place to get a steak in this town. How long do you think it will take you to get here?" 

"I just called Felix. I'm on my way over to pick him up. We should be there in less than an hour. Do you want us to meet you some place other than the hotel?"

"Good idea. Why don't you meet me at the Fin and Feather on route 25. I'll be in the lounge talking to Jack Daniel's until you two show up. Don't get any speeding tickets." I laughed as we hung up.

*

Chapter 7: Detective Work

I was on my second double JD when Josh and Felix entered the restaurant. I got up as they walked toward me. "Our table is waiting, gentlemen. And I'm about to fall over from hunger." I said to them as we started to walk toward the dining area.

The dinner was splendid, just what I needed. A bottle of good wine was great with our steaks. When we were finished eating, we walked to the back patio and sat down to enjoy some fresh evening air. Josh was the first to speak.

"Seems we all had a very good day today. You at the poker table, Felix and I doing our gum-shoe sleuthing. First, those fingerprints came through for us. We now know the name of the man in the video." Josh said in a monotone voice. No emotion, no enthusiasm, just the facts. "His name is Les Snyder. He has a long rap sheet. He's a real con artist, mainly preying upon unsuspecting women. There are no arrest warrants out for him at this time, but the police in Lake Tahoe and Vegas would like to talk to him. They have him listed as a person-of-interest."

Josh was fingering his napkin as he spoke slowly. "He has a dozen aliases, his last one was Luke Simms. I'm not sure if he's using that one now or if he's created a new name while he's in our town." Josh then nodded to Felix.

"The second good news that Josh wanted me to tell you, is that I located where your wife is staying. Just before noon, a patrol car spotted her car driving into the Fairfield Mall. They got the license plate number and watched her park near the West entrance. Once they called it in to the station, Josh called me and gave me the details. I drove out to the mall and parked next to her car. With a quick sleight of hand, I managed to attach a tracking device to the bottom of her car. Then I waited inside the entrance door. After another half hour, I finally saw your wife leave the store with a man and get into her car. I thought it strange, but the guy made her drive." Felix took a sip of his iced tea and nodded to me as he continued.

"That tracking device has a two- to three-mile range, so I didn't have to follow them too closely. The signal led me to a house in Elmwood. A two-story house in a quiet neighborhood. I didn't see her car parked on the street or in the driveway, but the signal was very strong so the car must have been in the garage at the rear of the house. There was no one outside and no sign of anything unusual. 

"When Josh and I go back to the city, I'll pay a visit to the house and see if anything is different and if the signal still is at that location." Felix smiled and ended his comments.

Now some of the facts were starting to fall into place. Carol had hooked up with a con man and right now she is with him being his fuck slut. God! How could this happen? What went wrong? Was it all because I was away from her so much on business? I thought she understood and that we were now going to build a better life for ourselves since my road trips were at an end. 

"Since we're dealing with a con man here, Barry, I think it would be a very good idea if you were to get your finances out of Carol's reach. I would suspect that Les has his eyes on your bank and credit accounts. Sometime, somehow he will get Carol to hand over all of your money to him. One way to thwart his con game is to take away any access that she might have to your funds." Josh was back into his serious cop role. I hadn't thought of a con game as a root cause of this crisis, but maybe it was just that he had targeted Carol with the intent of seducing her and then conning her out of our savings. 

"Damn! That could be the key to this whole mess. A con game! I'll go online and make all the necessary transfers to put the money out of Carol's reach. That will be done before I go to bed tonight." My mind was going at a hundred miles an hour as it was trying to work out a rational explanation based on the information that Josh and Felix had just given me. Felix spoke up again.

"One other thing, Barry. This afternoon, before I got the call about Carol's car, I went over to your house disguised as a TV service man and I installed a couple of remote control hidden cameras. One of those cameras is mounted near the front door with a motion sensor that will turn it on if it detects any movement at your front door. The other camera is in the hallway and it is also triggered by a motion and sound sensor. If Carol, or anyone else returns to the house, the cameras will record the time and give visual images. Just another precaution to alert us if something unusual takes place before you make contact with her." Felix looked at me in a way to bolster my confidence, knowing that I would not get blindsided again by my wife. I nodded my head in approval. Words were not necessary. 

The three of us got up and were walking out to the parking lot when the thought hit me. 'Phil Bogan's phone call.'

"Hey guys, wait a minute. I have to tell you about a strange call I got today. It was later this afternoon, I left the Casino and got back to my hotel room when I got a call from a person at corporate headquarters. A guy named Phil Bogan. 

"What's really strange about the call was, that I hardly have any dealings with Phil. His group deals with strategic planning and has nothing to do with the job I do at the company. When he called, he asked me if I were going to be in Boise for a few more days. He said that Mr. Chase had mentioned my staying in Boise during a staff meeting. I don't know why Mr. Chase would have done that, telling Rita would have been enough." My statement stopped the two of them in their tracks. Another piece of the puzzle may have just dropped on the table.

"Tell me more about this guy...this Phil Bogan." Josh asked, as he looked hard into my face.

"Not much to tell. I've been in several meetings with him over the past four years. Nothing passed between us. There was nothing I had to add to his operation, and likewise he had nothing to add to mine. I did peg him as a Teflon-coated ladder climber. He struck me as a sly conniving preppie survivor." My words probably did not paint a good picture of Phil, but it was all I could think of at the time.

Both men nodded as we patted each other on the shoulders. Then they got into their car and I walked over to the pick up truck. 'Phil Bogan...' the thought would not leave my mind.

When I got back to the hotel room I immediately went on line with my laptop and pulled up our bank accounts. I moved all of the money out of the checking and savings accounts to a new account with my signature only. Then I called the credit card companies, canceling the joint credit cards that we have. I knew that Carol had two credit cards in her name only, so as long as she didn't try to use our common credit cards or try to access the bank accounts, the secret would remain intact and she would go on thinking that all was well.




A Conspiracy to Commit...



Another late trip down to the exercise room and swimming pool to swim some laps. I got back to my room physically tired, but a lot of confused ideas were still banging around inside my head. This time I took some sleeping pills, staring at the ceiling for over an hour before the pills took effect. Sleep this night was not as restful as the two previous nights. The thoughts of Carol with a con man kept bobbing up to the surface of my dreams.

It wasn't till a day later that they told me that the name Phil Bogan had rung a bell with them. As it turned out, after Felix tracked Carol's car to the house in Elmwood, he sat in his car making notes and surveying the other homes in the neighborhood. A red Mercedes SL500 pulled into the driveway of the house where Felix tracked Carol's car. He remembered that Carol and a man who looked very much like the man in the video came out of the mall together. Now this other man was going into the house to join them.

Felix got the license plate number of the Mercedes and called it in to Josh. A quick DMV trace came up with the owner of the SL500. It just happened to be Phil Bogan. 

Josh didn't want to add that bit of information to my already mixed up and confused mind. He felt he had some more digging to do to see what connection Phil Bogan had to this strange situation. At least now he knew that Phil and I were acquainted. Also, that Phil had given me a call to ask about my stay in Boise. Somehow there was a connection, and Josh and Felix were on this new "scent" like a couple of hungry blood hounds.

*

Chapter 8: Another Twist

Thursday morning was another late wakeup for me. It seemed that I really needed to get some extra sleep every morning since dealing with this crisis. After I showered and had room service breakfast, I called the office to talk with Mr. Chase. This time I did my usual sucking up to Rita without being prompted and was put through to Mr. Chase.

The first topic was all about the Boise report. He had read it thoroughly after the courier delivered it yesterday. There were some specific questions that I answered to the best of my knowledge. Finally he asked my advice on several other matters and then shifted the subject to my marital crisis. 

Instead of divulging everything to him, I only told Steven half of what Josh and Felix had told me. I told him that Josh felt the man who Carol was with was a con artist who preyed upon unsuspecting women. Josh was doing further investigation into the how, where and why of the situation. I didn't tell him that they had located the house where Carol was staying. 

Just as we were about to hang up, I asked him. "By the way, Mr. Chase. Did you happen to mention in your staff meeting yesterday that I was going to be stuck in Boise a while longer?"

"No, I know I didn't mention that in staff. Why do you ask?"

"Probably nothing, but Phil Bogan called me yesterday afternoon just to chat about my staying in Boise a little longer." I paused and then added. "I just found that a little strange, that's all."

"You're right about it being strange. Phil was not in the staff meeting yesterday. He sent his assistant to take notes. She said that he had an appointment out of the office." There was a long pause as we both tried to link a rational reason for Phil's sudden interest in me.

Steven broke the silence. "It always seems that some innocent actions take place when our minds are filled with other problems. This was probably just that, an innocent coincidence." His voice was not very convincing.

"You're probably right. I'll call you tomorrow if I find out anything new about my wife." The phone call ended with both of us wondering about Phil Bogan.

Another trip to the Casino was on tap for me again today. It could be another lucky day for me. Maybe I would even be able to clear my mind of all the turmoil that was gathering inside my head. 

Still, I felt as if I were in exile. Being kept away from the real action that was going on with Josh and Felix. All I could do was to try to keep busy till it was my turn to move to center stage.

It was a slower day at the poker table. Not a lot of good action. In spite of all the noise, I was able to concentrate on the card game and keep Carol pushed to the back of my mind. After about four hours at the table, I was only a few hundred dollars to the good, so I decided to cash out and take a ride around the area to get some fresh air. 

It was a nice sunny afternoon as I drove aimlessly up the Fox River valley. As I was approaching the town of Algonquin, the cell phone rang. It was Josh calling. I pulled over to the side of the road so I would be able to concentrate on the phone call. 

Josh told me that Felix did not find anything out of the ordinary when he went back to check on the house in Elmwood. The tracking signal was still strong. He went back to my house to see if anyone had been there. Nothing. "All quiet on the Western Front."

Then Josh began to ask more questions about Phil Bogan. I told him a few more things that I knew about Phil. "I talked to Mr. Chase this morning to discuss my Boise report. After we were done with that, I asked him if he had mentioned my extended stay in Boise to any of his staff, in particular to Phil Bogan. He said he didn't tell his staff that I was still in Boise. He also mentioned that Phil was absent from the morning staff meeting." 

There was a long pause before Josh spoke up. "Somehow, I keep thinking that Phil Bogan is deeply connected to this whole affair, simply because Phil keeps popping up when he should have no business popping up. I'll tell you more when we get together tonight. Give him some more thought and we'll discuss it then.

"Why don't the three of us meet for dinner somewhere around Rolling Meadows, that's about half way for us. Let's meet at the Bold Knight and go over all the latest details. 

"Also, you should give Carol another call. This time you need to tell her that you're really concerned about not getting in touch with her. Tell her you're thinking about coming home this weekend if you don't hear from her."

"Sure, that sounds good. I'll do that. Do you have any idea where we should take this mess now?" There were more puzzle pieces on the table since Monday night. Do any of the pieces fit yet? I was trying to think of a scenario that would have these puzzle pieces come together in a happy ending for Carol and me.

"Not completely, Barry. Not just yet. There are still too many possibilities for us to consider before we try to set our plan in place. At least now we know two of the other players in this sordid situation. But, maybe it's time to push it to another level and see what else comes out of it. If their plan is set to kick into action with that phone call to Carol, then we need to start thinking seriously about how to handle the call." 

I could almost hear his mind slowly tumbling the known pieces around in his mind like the rotating drum at a bingo parlor. Just what letters would fall out was a mystery. 

"It still makes me wonder what the motive is here. What is Phil doing in this mix and is Carol a knowing participant or just a duped victim in all of this?" 

"Sounds like we have a lot to talk about this evening, Josh. I'll see you and Felix at the Bold Knight around 6:30. Take care. Bye." 

The silence filled the pickup truck as I sat there on the side of the road. Sitting alone, I tried my best to make the pieces of the puzzle fit in my mind. Nothing. No logical explanation was surfacing. It all seemed so James Bond-like, so covert and manipulative. I felt like a pawn piece on a chessboard. No power, no control and certainly no way of knowing how this game was going to end.

I was about to drive away when the cell phone rang. The incoming number was from the corporate office. My first thought was that it was Phil Bogan calling me again. 

"Hello."

"Hello, Barry. This is Steven. Do you have a moment?"

"Why yes, sir. What do you need? Any problem with the Boise report?"

"No, Barry. The Boise report is fine. Corrective actions are now being taken with that." 

Quite. A long pause. "What I'm calling about is that comment you made earlier this morning about Phil Bogan. That comment got me thinking about some things that have been going on behind the scenes. I would like to see you and discuss them with you in more detail. Do you have time this evening?" 

I thought about the dinner arrangement with Josh and Felix tonight. 

"I'm having dinner with my cousin and another friend tonight. But, I think you might be interested in what they have to say about Phil Bogan also. It seems that Phil is in some way connected to this marital crisis that I'm in right now." Pause. "Would you be interested in joining us for dinner? It might just be productive for all of us." 

I could hear the wheels turning in Steven's head. "Yes. I think that would be a good idea. I may just come and listen to what they have to say." There was a hint of secrecy in Steven's voice. Maybe there was something he didn't want Josh or anyone else to know about.

After giving him directions to the Bold Knight, we said our goodbyes and hung up. If ever I was going to lose my cool, it was at that moment. I began swearing out loud inside the cab of the truck. Cursing and damning all these devastating events that had entered my once peaceful and orderly life. Why me?! Why Carol?! I could not stop the flood of tears.

*

Chapter 9: Meeting of the Four

I arrived at the Bold Knight a little after six o'clock. There was no doubt that JD and I needed to 'talk' a bit before the others arrived. There wasn't much time for 'talking', as I had just taken a long sip when Josh and Felix came into the lounge. They looked like two cops from Law and Order as they approached the bar where I was sitting.

We exchanged greetings and some half humorous bullshit. Seeing the drink in my hand, they called the lovely young bartender over and ordered a drink. Surprisingly, they both shied away from the hard stuff. Josh ordered a diet Coke and Felix went for the iced tea. That tore away my mental image of the hard drinking cops downing shots of bourbon in the local bar after work.

Before either of them got into the serious stuff, I told them about the call from Mr. Chase and that he was going to be joining us for dinner tonight. I hinted that he was also concerned about Phil Bogan and would be interested in what was found out so far. Both men nodded their heads. Josh was the first to speak.

"That may be good. I'm still struggling with a hard motive. It does seem to have something to do with GeoTex, but there's nothing obvious coming to the surface." Pause. "Phil Bogan has a clean sheet. Nothing but a traffic violation, a few years ago. He does live in the ritzy part of Lake Forest. He's been married for three years to a high profile socialite. Sort of a trophy wife."

"I haven't been able to dig up any more dirt on Les Snyder. He's a real scumbag, but the ladies seem to be very attracted to him. I talked to several officers I know in Vegas and they told me that he's a very smooth operator. They also said that he usually works alone, without an accomplice. So, that begs the question: what is Phil Bogan doing in this mix?" Felix added to the conversation just as Mr. Chase came into the lounge.

I waved him over to our booth and made the introductions. If someone had taken a photo of the four of us together at that moment, the scene would have looked out of balance. Not anything like a picture of four bowling league buddies at a bar. More like mixed vegetables in a salad. Josh and Felix had their Detective Joe Friday look about them, Steven just stepped out of an Executive Board Room Meeting, and I looked like a clown in my rumpled casual clothes. Now it was time to stir the salad...

"Do we want to sit here and chat awhile before dinner? Or are you guys just as hungry as I am tonight?" Steven spoke up with a smile on his face.

"Let's eat!" The chorus was unanimous as we picked up our drinks and smiled at the pretty bartender as we left the bar.

The meal was great and it did lighten up the mood around the table. The dinner talk was just chitchat while we ate. The hard dialogue would come after dinner.

The two cops took turns telling Steven and me what they had found out about Les Snyder and then about Phil Bogan. This was the first time that I was told about Felix seeing Phil's car in the driveway of the house in Elmwood. My antenna perked up when I heard that Phil was a visitor at the Elmwood house. That fact established a clear connection that Phil was involved with my marital crisis and that he and Les were in this scheme together. Yet the motive was still elusive. 

Another unanswered question remained. Was Carol also a knowing participant in this complex array of deceit and betrayal? Every time that question surfaced, I found myself wondering just how well did I know this woman who I love so deeply. The woman I chose to marry five years ago. 

All this deceit made me wonder if our life together had not been relegated to the 'one year repeated five times over' syndrome. Never having us truly explore the furthest depths of each other's personalities and desires. Was it all so superficial? Did I stop exploring Carol's total character and soul when I reached some level of comfort that pleased me? Thoughts like these were surely giving me a guilt complex. 

During all of the conversations, Steven sat there taking in the details that Josh and Felix had gathered so far. He slowly realized that my crisis was not just a simple matter of marriage infidelity. Somehow my job, my wife, Phil Bogan and GeoTex where all bound together. He listened quietly till both men were finished, and then he spoke up.

"It seems like a very complicated and sorry situation for you, Barry. But, I think that I may at least have a strong possible motive for us to consider." He let out a long sight and then began. "First, I need to know that the three of you will keep what I have to say a hard secret. It could damage GeoTex if it ever became public. Can I have your word that you'll tell no one?"

The chorus was unanimous. "Yes. You bet, your secret will be safe with us."

He looked at each of us, nodded and then began his soft dialogue. "About six months ago, there were hints that another conglomerate was eyeing a takeover of GeoTex. No details were given, but there was also a hint that someone high up in GeoTex was collaborating with this other group to make the takeover a success. I have been doing some quiet nosing around at corporate to try and find the mole, if one really does exist." He pursed his lips as he gave thought to the words that followed.

"Up until yesterday when you and I talked, Barry, there was no trail or clue to who the mole might be. I was beginning to think it was just a bad rumor. 

"When you told me that Phil Bogan had called you, bells and whistles began to go off in my mind. So, I did some covert digging of my own and found several very suspicious activities that involved Phil. Trips made out of town at strange times. Phil had requested several confidential financial reports that he didn't really need for his work. And some other non-assignment activities that I found out about." It was obvious that Steven was trying to tie all the ends together just like the rest of us. 

Now we seemed to have a substantial motive to hang on Phil, but how did that connect to Carol and then to me? There was silence at the table as we all tried to get the last pieces to fall into place.

Josh looked at Steven and then asked him several questions. "How do you think Phil and Barry would tie together at the company? If Phil is the mole in your organization, what reason would he have to get Barry involved? And why use such a devious scheme as getting his wife involved in an affair?" The questions were exactly the same questions we were all asking ourselves.

"I don't know the answers to any of those specific questions, Josh. The only thing that comes to mind is the fact that Phil knows that Barry is one of my closest and most trusted advisors. Maybe he felt that he could recruit or coerce him into joining his covert actions. Just maybe, he thought of a way to use Barry's wife as bait or leverage. All of this is a strange situation, but I do agree that GeoTex is a major part of the mix." Steven's response did have a good ring to it. Maybe Phil was trying to force me into a conspiracy with him to aid in a hostile take over of GeoTex.

"That might make sense, Steven." Josh said as his mind was working its way around that possibility. "There must be some reason that Phil would think that he could get to Barry through Carol." Long pause. "That plan might just blow up if Barry insists on an immediate divorce from Carol. Then what leverage would Phil have?"

"One thing is for sure, Phil knows my strong feeling toward marriage. I frown upon divorce and cheating spouses. Maybe Phil thought that Barry would just suck up the situation with his wife and stay in the marriage no matter what. Also, he may have thought that Barry would feel the need to keep Carol's indiscretions a secret from me.

"That would make Barry an easy target to blackmail and coerce into becoming a member of the takeover conspiracy. I don't know that as fact, but there is some warped logic in that premise." 

More good theories to throw into the mental hopper. The one big question that still didn't have a good answer was Carol's role in all of this. Was she just a duped lonely wife who was conned into a situation that she really had no idea of? What was I going to do about Carol? What were my options? That video gave me a clear idea of what Carol thought she needed to make her happy. Would she still have the same sexual needs and feelings after the truth came out about Les and Phil? 

A harder question for me to answer was, could I forgive her infidelity? Could we start a new life with this ghost in our closet? Was divorce inevitable? My mind was still a clouded mess of loose facts and no clear answers.

It was getting late and Steven got up to leave. "I guess that the four of us need to go off and give all of this some more serious thought." Steven's facial expression told us that he had a lot on his mind as he stood by the table, about to leave. 

"Barry, I'll be calling you if I come up with anything new on Phil. I don't know if I've helped you with your marital problem. But, I'm sure you guys have helped me identify my mole problem. Thanks guys." He turned and walked away.

*

Chapter 10: Getting Ready

The three of us sat around talking for another hour. Then Felix brought up another subject. He had checked to see if Carol had missed any work in the past week. What he found out was that Carol had quit her job almost two weeks ago. That statement hit me right between the eyes. Another very hard piece of bad news for me to accept. Carol had loved her job. Many times when she was in the middle one of her depressed moods, she would bury herself in some project at work to help pull her out of her blue funk.

With that new revelation still banging around in my mind, the nagging voice continued asking me what part Carol played in this crisis. The motives for the two men were becoming more and more obvious as we tossed around all the facts that we knew. But, there didn't seem to be any logical reason for Carol to have gotten mixed up with this con man. As Josh and I played some 'what if' scenarios with the facts that we knew, Felix got up and excused himself. 

What if there was something other than using Carol to leverage me into their conspiracy? What if Carol has something personal to gain by willingly joining Phil and Les in the grand scheme to take over GeoTex? What if...? What if...? My head felt like it was going to explode.




A Conspiracy to Commit...



Felix came back about ten minutes later and sat down. "What are you doing tomorrow morning, Barry?" It was almost a rhetorical question, since I had been waiting in the wings for the past several days to come on stage and get involved. 

"Nothing much planned. I have been sleeping in late, it would be nice to get up earlier for a change." I thought a little humor might lighten up all our moods. No one rose to the bait.

"Good. Then I want you to meet me at Elmhurst College at 10:00. I've talked to a professor friend of mine who has an extensive background in marital relations. He's written several books and teaches both undergrad and graduate level courses in Human Sociology. I told him about your situation and he's very interested in talking to you, if you would like that." Felix flexed his jaw as he waited for my response.

"If you recommend him, then I'd be more than happy to meet with him. Maybe he could offer some theories about Carol's behavior. Or maybe he'll tell me it was all my fault." A further attempt at a little humor. Same flat response.

"His name is Dr. Jack Lee. I've attended a number of his classes and this guy has some really sharp insight into the interactions of married couples. I'm sure it won't be a waste of your time and you just might walk away from the meeting with some of your own insights into this crisis with Carol." Felix had seen just how ragged I was around the edges. He thought of Dr. Lee as someone who had the ability to sort through all the psychological damage and then give some rational advice for me to act upon.

"Sounds good to me. Somehow I knew that I would have to get some professional advice on how to handle all of this mental upheaval that is now a part of my life. All of the anchors that I felt were holding my sanity firmly in place seem to have come loose all at once. I'm a ship floundering on the rocks." 

Now there was a chance to have a professional psychologist walk through my marital disaster with me and then give me his analysis and suggestions.

The three of us continued to chat about the way things were developing at this time. We all agreed that this weekend would be the best time to push the situation to the next level with my phone call to Carol.

"When I call Carol tonight, I'll tell her I'm flying back home on the Friday evening flight and I should be home by nine o'clock. That phone call will ratchet up the next level that Phil and Les have in their plan.

"So, I guess the next two days will be used to concentrate on what I will say to her when I call her on Friday night. Maybe the professor will be able to give me some advice in that area." I puffed my cheeks as I exhaled slowly. "Ten o'clock tomorrow morning at Elmhurst College. Any particular place we should meet?"

"Let's make it at the Student Union building, near the South entrance. It's just a short walk from there to Dr. Lee's office."

Tomorrow just might be a key day in solving the riddle of who Carol is in this sordid mess. That thought perked up my sagging disposition. 

Josh sat there nodding his head as another aspect of the plan went into place. Tomorrow his agenda would include several new items from tonight that would have to be squeezed in between his other "official" activities. Having me spend time with a marriage shrink sounded like a very good thing to him also.

"Seems like we're zeroing in on a D-Day plan here. You guys do your thing with Dr. Lee for as long as you need. Just keep your head down Barry, so as not to tip our hand till Friday evening. 

"On Friday evening, the three of us should meet at my house around 6:30. I'll get some Chinese takeout so we can eat and talk in private. Then we'll have to get over to your house before nine and you'll make the call to Carol." He looked at us to make sure we were in sync with his plan. 

"That phone conversation will be very important. We need to consider exactly how you are to sound and what script you will need to follow when you talk to her. No doubt that her part will be well rehearsed. Something tells me that this situation has been well thought out by Phil and Les. Assuming that Carol is only a dupe in all of this, they will have told her exactly what to say and what demands they might want to foist upon you."

Felix took up the issue of the critical phone call. "Let's all think about the approach that Barry needs to put forth on the phone call. Should it be angry? Threatening? Loving? Should he sound hurt and remorseful?" He wanted to make sure that we had given it a full measure of our attention. "Or hungry? It's something we should discuss on Friday night over Chinese." That was his attempt at some humor. Josh and I just smiled.

The meeting broke up and I was off to the Sheraton for another night in exile. Two more nights on the road and then I would be sleeping in my own house. How many more wrinkles would this ugly situation gather before it came to a conclusion? 

Somehow in Phil's plan, I didn't think that I was supposed to come away clean. Carol's 'friends' had to have something nasty in store for me. 

Yet, knowing what we found out about them, could also be the opportunity to throw a wrench into their well-laid plans. Since they are unaware that I know so much about them already, it's very possible that I will not play their game the way they planned it. If I cut their plans short, and refuse to get involved, then Carol and her 'friends' would twirl in the wind without my involvement in their scheme. What would they do next? Do they have a plan B?

Getting back to my room, I immediately called Carol at our house. As expected, the answering machine came on with her cheery voice telling whomever to leave a message after the tone.

"Carol, what's happening back there? I haven't been able to reach you in the last several days. Are you all right?" A long pause. "I'm a nervous wreck out here not knowing if you are sick or where you might be? I truly love you...and I miss you." There was a high level of angst and concern in my voice. "Please let me know that you are all right. Call me on my cell phone. I'll have it on all day tomorrow. Please call me. I'm going to be coming home on Friday night if I don't hear from you." 

Undoubtedly, she would access the voice messages from wherever she was staying. This message should reinforce the fact that I was in Boise. Did it sound urgent enough for her to call me? Was her master controlling her in such a way that she wouldn't feel a full measure of guilt by not calling me? 

Another unanswered phone call to the house and another 48 hours of suspense before I make that critical phone connection to the number that Carol wrote in her note. 

Instead of going down to the workout area, I just filled a tub with hot water and soaked in it for a long while. Taking a really hot bath had become somewhat of a routine for me when I was on the road and I needed to relax myself in the evening. I would chuckle as I got out of the tub, pink as a boiled lobster. But, hot water always did the trick for me. 

I didn't need a sleeping pill and went to sleep as soon as I crashed in bed. Tonight, my last waking thought was of the meeting with Dr. Lee in the morning. I wondered what he might have to add to this marital crisis I am having with my wife.

Sleep came quickly and peacefully.

*

Chapter 11: The Good Doctor

My wakeup call came at 8:00, but I was already up and getting dressed. Surprisingly, I had regained my mental and physical strength with that great night's sleep. I was feeling very rested and my energy level was quite high. It was 8:40 on the dashboard clock as I pulled out of the parking lot and headed east. I would stop for some breakfast as I got closer to town.

The Student Union building was almost dead center of the campus. I had gotten there early, by at least 30 minutes. I sat there watching the never-ending hustle and bustle of young college students passing in front of me. A wave of nostalgia washed over me as I reflected upon the great days I had at Harvard as a student. Good days...exciting days.

Felix caught my eye and I waved at him. We chatted a little as we walked from the SU building to the faculty office area. Dr. Lee's office was on the 2nd floor. He was waiting for us to arrive. Felix had called him earlier to confirm our appointment.

Dr. Jack Lee was a short person. Maybe 5'4"at the most. He had a distinguished 'professor' look about him. His smile was warm and friendly.

"Gentlemen, come in and take a seat." Dr. Lee said to us as he moved over to close the door behind us. The three of us sat in chairs facing each other. 

Dr. Lee had a rather large office for a college professor. His desk was located diagonally in the room, out sight of the doorway. This made everyone step into his office in order to see him. No standing in the doorway conversations for this man. 

The long paneled wall by the side of his desk was covered with a great number of diplomas and professional certificates. All of them were silently shouting out his academic achievements and honors.

Personally, I shied away from such a display of intellectual achievement. Somehow I thought of it as a massive ego trip. But, everybody has their own views of how to present themselves to the rest of the world.

The other major feature of Dr. Lee's office was a large tan leather analysis couch against the opposite wall, flanked by a rather large tan leather wing back chair. For an instant, my mind flashed a scene with Carol lying on the couch with Dr. Lee sitting in the chair with a note pad in his hand. The mental vision vanished as quickly as it had popped into my mind.

Smiling at me, Dr. Lee began to speak. "My friend Felix has told me quite a bit about your current predicament, Mr. Knoll. It seems to me to be a rather bizarre turn of events. I am very interesting in hearing what your thoughts are about the reasons that might have brought your wife to accepting the domination of another man." His voice was clear and without any hint of an oriental accent. 

"First Doctor, please call me Barry. I am more comfortable without the formal Mr. Knoll." 

"Very well, Barry. I can do that so long as you call me Jack instead of professor or doctor. No sense in making either of us feel uncomfortable while we're here."

"Great, Jack. I'm relaxing already." I said with a smile on my face. "What would you like to know?"

"Let's start off with some background about you and Carol. Tell me about your dating. Things you two talked about before you got married. What made you think she would make a good wife for you? When did you decide to propose to her? How did that event take place?" 

Gathering my thoughts for a moment, I began to talk about Carol and I in our pre-marriage days. We met on a blind date set up by one of her friends. It was a great first date, we got along very well and other dates soon followed. There was no sex between us until after we were engaged. My mind was filled with all of the wonderful experiences that we shared together. The dialog lasted for almost 45 minutes.

"Was she a hesitant bride? Did she seem to have second thoughts about getting married? Then tell me about your honeymoon." Dr. Lee would interrupt every now and then to clarify a statement or to ask some probing questions.

"Carol was a happy anxious bride, not a reluctant bride. She and her mother spent several months doing all the detail planning for the wedding day. We started to have sexual intercourse shortly after we were engaged. Sex with her during that period before the wedding could only be described as ravenous. She couldn't get enough sex from me. I was one happy and contented guy, looking forward to having this sexy woman as my wife for the rest of my life.

"She seemed to wrap her new status as my wife around herself as soon as the ceremony was over. It surprised me just how easily she slid from single woman to the role of loving wife. I was thrilled with her.

"Our honeymoon was sex-filled and exciting. We melded together almost as one person from that very first evening. Several times I heard her talking to herself quietly. 'Mrs. Barry Knoll'. Her voice was very sweet and mellow as she spoke those words.

"I would say that our honeymoon lasted the entire first year of our marriage. The first bump in our idyllic relationship came in our second year, after a visit to her gynaecologist. That's when she was told that there was a problem with her fallopian tubes. Some form of obstruction was blocking passage to her ovaries. 

"Carol went into a deep funk for several weeks, even though the doctor told her an operation had a very high chance of removing the blockage. She did not come out of her depression as fully as I thought she should have. I suggested that she first get some counselling and then when everything was in place she should have the operation.

"That suggestion did not go over very well, and somehow we just moved away from the subject for the next year. Only rarely did Carol mention her infertility problem to anyone..."

The download session lasted for almost two hours before we finally arrived at the events that took place on Monday night when I got home to find Carol's note and the DVD.

Just as I was about to continue, there was a knock on his door. Jack called to the person to enter. A young lady entered, carrying a tray of sandwiches and cold drinks. This intrusion was a welcome break for me. After talking about the wonderful life that Carol and I had for such a long time, coming to that Day of Infamy was just like ripping loose the scab of a fresh wound.

"I took the liberty of ordering us a light lunch so that we could continue this discussion without serious interruption." Jack said as the young lady set down the tray and began to move out of the room. "Thank you, Becky. We should be done here in time for me to make my 3:00 class." 

I guess that Jack was a good judge of people, knowing that the next part of my story would be heart rendering. The friendly taste of the ham and cheese sandwich brought some comfort level to my mind before going on with the hard part of the Carol and Barry story. 

Then, between taking bites of my sandwich, I managed to tell Jack all the details and the emotional trauma that I experienced as I witnessed the words and actions of my once very faithful wife. He only interrupted a couple of times to have me clarify my description of the event and my feelings at that time. 

Once we had covered the 'Day of Infamy' completely, he asked me to move on to the recent discoveries that he obviously knew from previously talking to Felix. He wanted to hear my version of what was coming out of this marital crisis.

As I listened to myself telling Jack just how I felt during this horrendous period, it was almost like an out-of-body experience. Those feelings that had engulfed me on Monday night were all so new and so strange to me. It was as if I was in the room listening to another person spill their agonizing guts out into the open. 

I told Jack about the confusion in my mind as it became apparent to me that this crisis was brought on by an outside person intent on doing something other than just seducing my wife. I seemed to be caught in the proverbial 'rock and a hard place'. 

The 'rock' was my job at GeoTex and the 'hard place' was my marriage to Carol.

There seemed to be some corporate treachery that had something to do with my job at GeoTex, and then there were the adulterous actions of my wife, which were a direct threat to our marriage. But both of them were tied together, with me in the middle.

Jack was intensely interested in my attitude toward my wife and our marriage at this phase of my discovery. Had I come to any real conclusions about where our marriage was headed?

"What if she was conned into this relationship without knowing its full intent? Would that make a difference for you, Barry?"

My answer was simply that I wasn't sure how I would eventually react toward her once all the pieces of this puzzle came together. This break in trust that she shoved into my face might make it impossible to fully love and trust her again. Those questions would have to wait for their answers after the phone call and my face-to-face confrontation with Carol.

"Your story has my complete attention, Barry. I am very anxious to find out later just how it all turns out for you and your wife. Will you be willing to return and let me know the conclusion to this crisis when you finally bring it to a close?"

"Certainly, Jack. I'm sure that I will need to have someone like yourself to vent whatever emotions I have after this whole episode is over." This seemed to be the right time to ask some of my own questions of the good doctor. 

"But right now, Jack, I am very interested in what you think about the crisis so far and what might have driven Carol to go off the way she has." Pause. "Maybe you have some insight into what motivated her to act this way?" There was a definite plea for help in my voice as I looked across at Jack.

"I won't tell you that this is one of those classic cases of marital infidelity. Even taking away the possibility that your wife was purposely seduced for some other devious reason, there is a common pattern in Carol's behavior. 

"I have written several books about this female response that causes them to engage in extramarital affairs. I have named this specific dysfunction: Psychotic Transfer Response. Or just: PTR.

"My research indicates that there are a number of women who have this latent dysfunctional tendency. For the most part, there never occurs a situation or traumatic event that is capable of triggering the dysfunction. But, when some event or combination of events overwhelms these susceptible females, their mind does a flip-flop on them. 

"Before the dysfunction is triggered, these women consider themselves model wives, and many of them are deeply religious. They would never even consider having an extramarital affair. But then, something shatters their mental image of the perfect person that they secretly strive to become. 

"That something, that trigger, might be financial difficulties in the home. If the woman cannot afford to dress herself the way she envisions herself. Or it may be that a child of hers is impaired or fails in school when she sees her family image as bright and scholarly. Or she sees herself as less of a woman because she is infertile and cannot bear children. 

"All of these types of 'failures' are seen as major obstacles to their achieving the level of happiness they feel they need and deserve. No matter how hard they struggle to attain that mental image of the perfect woman, it's always just out of reach for them.

"They have tried their best to be the perfect wife or woman, but all that effort only turned out to be a failure in their eyes. Then, it's as if their minds just give up and surrender. The trigger, whatever it might be, goes off. Their mind switches to another mode and they seem to seek out happiness and gratification in becoming just the opposite of their perfect good woman. They become the perfect harlot." Jack paused and gave me a long serious look. A look that seemed to question whether or not he should continue. He nodded his head and began where he left off.

"I think Carol has suffered from a PTR episode. It seems that the trigger for her PTR was her frustration at not being able to conceive and compounded by your long absences. A situation came along at the right time and Carol then flip-flopped from a righteous faithful wife, to use her own words, to a fuck slut for a domineering male who was not her husband. 

"Also, making that video of her adultery for you to witness was intended to further brand you a cuckold. And, it makes me think that she has also transferred all of the blame for her infertility and other failures as a woman from herself to you alone."




A Conspiracy to Commit...



The room became silent as the three of us sat there quietly, as Jack's words were sinking into our minds where they mixed with all the other factors of this crisis.

"Without wanting to add more to your already overloaded mind, Barry, I must tell you that it is sometimes very difficult for a woman who has gone through a PTR episode to completely return to her former self. It appears that the trauma that triggered the PTR episode has some lasting residual effects. 

"Also, it appears that women who find a sense of total fulfillment in this newfound state of mind are never completely the same woman afterwards. The fact that there was a great deal of pleasure and enjoyment in the flip-flop state makes them desire that mental state all the more.

"I have treated about a dozen women over the past ten years who have had PTR episodes. Some of these women had a mild case of this dysfunction, while some had a more extreme case of it. The women with the more extreme dysfunctional episodes never fully recovered. It seemed that even during the periods of their therapy with me, they would have relapses when just minor traumas would trigger new bouts of PTR." It was obvious that Jack had placed Carol in the extreme category.

"Without more personal information to contradict my view, it seems to me that Carol falls into the latter category. It may be that her trauma was more severe due to the compounding facts of her infertility and your long absences from her. The fact that she willingly made that DVD for you to see, where she shamelessly gave oral sex to the man she referred to as her master, makes me think that she will continue to seek that level of sexual arousal and gratification."

What hope is there now for some return to that previous life that Carol and I had shared for the past five years? None? There was no hope in Jack's words, only a dark prognosis that Carol would always have these latent tendencies to become unfaithful whenever her PTR was triggered.

"Carol is presenting a unique case to the both of us. For you, Barry, it is a hard case of marital infidelity that you need to wrestle with. For me, it represents a different flavor, if I might use that word, of the PTR syndrome. The reasons for her flip-flop need to somehow be separated from the other covert aspects of this drama. 

"Unless...and this is a big factor: If Carol had no fore-knowledge of the scheme involving GeoTex, her case could be analyzed completely separately from these other conspiracy factors. But, if she knew about the GeoTex scheme and willingly cooperated with the other two men to possibly get you involved with them, then PTR is probably not a major factor in her actions. 

"My professional guess is that she was duped into the affair and hasn't a clue about the GeoTex conspiracy. There is a slight chance that I am wrong, but the phone conversation that you have with her might tell us more."

The room became silent as Jack looked long and hard at me. I could not find any words in my mind to form a complete sentence. What he had just told me was that Carol had stepped across the line to Slutsville and that she would never completely return as the wife I once knew. 

"So what would you suggest that I say to her when I talk to her on the phone, Jack? Should I be angry? Threaten divorce? Or be sorry that my long absences drove her into another man's arms?" I still hadn't formulated a script in my mind that I would use for that ominous phone call.

"Given what I saw and heard on the video, I would say that your best approach would be for you to be very angry and very demanding of her. Press her to come home immediately. Threaten her with divorce if she doesn't come home." There was a long pause.

"One thing that you must not do, is allow her to try and justify her actions. Every time she tries to say that she couldn't help herself, you must interrupt her and call her a liar. Be hard on her. You saw how her lover talked to her and treated her. Don't give an inch. You must act as though none of this was your fault. Tell her that you have never been unfaithful to her." Another pause.

"You haven't been unfaithful have you, Barry?" He said to me with a sly smile on his face. I guess he wanted me to say no even if I had had an extramarital encounter.

"Of course not, Jack. And that is the truth." I didn't smile back at him.

"Good...all the better. Remember that you must treat her like the wanton slut her lover treats her. She has received a high level of satisfaction from her adulterous actions and the demeaning way her lover treats her. Show her that you can be just as demeaning toward her as her lover is. Calling her a slut several times during the phone call would not be a bad idea.

"Finally, you should pick a spot where she is talking, hopefully pleading with you to try and understand, and you should just hang up on her. No warning, no good bye, just hang up. If she calls back let it go into voice mail." Jack tilted his head in a gesture as if to ask if I understood what he was telling me.

"I think I get the drift of the conversation script that you think would work to keep her off balance. How many times should I demand that she come home?" My mind was writing out the script.

"As many times as the opportunity allows. Turn the conversation around on her. Make her be the defensive person. In her video statement she said, 'I choose to stay with him until he gives me permission to come home to you.' That means that she has placed him in front of you as the person whom she will obey first. You must challenge that control that he has over her. Don't let her off the hook. Remind her that her wedding vow was to 'love, honor and obey' you, not an interloper. If she persists in refusing to come home, that might be the perfect time to hang up on her."

All of the things that Jack was telling me were things that I would normally never have considered doing with Carol. My demands of her were few and trivial at most. I was a loving and generous husband, not a self-serving demanding alpha male. 

Still, it was obvious that Carol now responded to a demanding sex partner. If that was what she wanted, I'm sure that I could provide that for her in spades, regardless of my motivation.

Jack then gave me some voice tonal suggestions for the phone conversation. He suggested a very strong voice, no hint of sadness or sorrow. A tough and leathery voice. 

"Be continuously demanding of her. Press her hard." 

We talked for another half hour and Jack again asked me if I would consider keeping him informed on just how this crisis moved forward and eventually resolved itself, even if that resolution was a divorce. I told him I certainly would be getting back to him. 

It was just after 2:00 when Felix and I left Jack's office. Felix told me that he had some items that needed his attention, but he was secretive about what they were. He told me to go back to the hotel and start writing out scripts for the phone call. When he and Josh got back this evening, they would call me and the three of us could critique the script and make any necessary changes.

We drove off in separate directions. During my drive back to the hotel, my mind was mulling over everything that Jack had told me about PTR, in particular the part where he said that Carol was most likely to have an extreme case of PTR. That would mean that even if we tried to make our marriage work without Les and Phil in the picture, she would most likely find another lover when some trauma would trigger another episode for her. By the time I reached the hotel, I still didn't have a clear idea if I wanted to try and make our marriage work or just start the divorce proceedings immediately.

One thing was very sure. I wanted to know all of the details behind this contrived plot by Phil Bogan. If that bastard had a premeditated plan to have someone seduce Carol in order to compromise me at GeoTex, I wanted to bring him down hard and heavy. Part of what I needed to do with Carol was to keep her thinking that divorce was only a threat, and that I hadn't thought things through just yet.

For the next three hours, I wrote page after page of various phone scripts. All of them followed Jack's advice of being firm and demanding. The only part that was missing was Carol's responses to my anger and my demands. If she came back just as hard and willing to go the divorce route, then I might never know the exact motive behind Phil's scheme.

It was after supper, and I was sitting in the hotel room still editing the script. Josh called from his house. Felix was with him. I read several of the finished scripts to them, told them the one I liked the best. For the next fifteen or twenty minutes, we discussed and changed several of the lines of the script. Then I put it aside.

Felix told me that he was doing some deep digging into Phil Bogan's background. He had found a couple of dummy corporations that Phil had set up and might be using for illicit purposes. The IRS would be interested in these.

The news from the Nevada authorities seemed to be quite promising. Although there were no arrest warrants out for Les Snyder, the Las Vegas police felt that they might be able to persuade one of the victimized ladies to file a formal complaint, which would result in an arrest warrant being issued. The police officer would call Josh the next day.

The three of us sounded very tired, so we cut the phone conversation short and said that we would get in contact the next day. 

I called Carol one more time. The machine answered. I had a very worried tone of voice as I told her that I was concerned that I had not heard from her over the past several days. Once again, I told her to call me on my cell phone. If I didn't hear from her, I was going to catch the Friday night flight from Boise to Chicago. 

*

Chapter 12: The Phone Call

Friday morning came around, and I was dragging tail. The energy that I had yesterday morning was all gone. I felt wrung out. Although I had slept for almost nine hours, fatigue still had a strong hold on my entire body and mind. 

The cold water of the shower felt good on my listless body. After my quick shower, I decided to go work out in the exercise area and swim a couple dozen laps. Maybe that would revitalize me. Off to the exercise area I went. 

After almost two hours of hard exercising, I returned to my room. Finally, I was all pumped up. The machine and swimming exercises had forced adrenaline into my system and woken up all of my lazy muscles. After getting dressed, I went down to the cafe in the hotel lobby and had a hearty breakfast. 

For the rest of the morning, I sat in my hotel room with my laptop. I began to chronicle the entire story of Barry and Carol from the first date till the present. Jack had quizzed me about the way the relationship had developed since we met and then married. 

What I had given him were the broad-brush strokes, the main events and the strongest feelings that I could bring to mind. Now, what I wanted to do, in the quiet of my room, was to analyze in more detail all the large as well as the small events of our pre-marriage dating and the five years of married life.

Several hours later, the phone rang as I was deep in thought about the vacation that Carol and I took last year to Grand Cayman Island. The call was from Josh. Things were looking up with the Las Vegas police. He would know more by this evening when we met at his house. He told me to check out of the hotel and to meet at his house around 6:30. The three of us would do a final review of the script and how we wanted the evening to progress.

Josh got to the house first. As promised, he had an armload of Chinese take-out for the three of us. While we were waiting for Felix, I gave Josh a detailed account of the four hour meeting we had with Dr. Lee the day before. As was expected of him, Josh sat back and listened to every detail. He only interrupted once to clarify a statement that Jack had made in the meeting. 

Once Felix arrived, rather than continue the discussion, we all sat down at the table and stuffed ourselves with Sweet and Sour Pork, Chicken Chow Mein...lots of vegetables and rice. Once finished with the meal, we retired to the living room and I read them the script that we had agreed upon last evening. No new comments. The final draft was complete.

Then Felix shifted the subject away from the phone call. He told us that he had checked out all of his hidden video cameras. The ones he placed at my house showed Les coming to the front door. He used a key to open the front door and enter the house. He walked around the rooms, checked the fridge and then the DVD player. 

He must have been satisfied, because before he left the house, he made a call on his cell phone. "Everything's in order here. Looks exactly the way we left it." Then he hung up and left the house. The time stamp on the video was 11:35 this morning. 

We were all nodding our heads knowing now that the ruse that I was still in Boise had not been compromised. Carol, Les and Phil would still think that I would be flying home tonight.

"Also, I have a colleague going to the airport tonight to see if Carol or either of the men show up to see if you actually arrive on the flight from Boise. His instructions are to cause a disturbance that will distract them or have the airport police detain them for questioning." Pause. "He is very, very good at creating this kind of diversion. He'll call me and let me know if anyone was waiting for you at arrival gate."

Josh just sat there, smiling as if he was the cat who had just swallowed the canary. He nodded his head and said: "And now for the icing on the cake. For the past two days I have been talking to the Las Vegas police department. The officer I talked to was a Captain Paterson, and he was very interested in our boy Les. After our initial conversation, we both did some additional checking into Les' background. When I called him this afternoon, he said that he had some good news for me. Instead of Les just being a person-of-interest for the Vegas police, Captain Paterson had convinced the last victim, who Les scammed in Vegas, to file an official complaint so that an arrest warrant could be issued for him. I got a Fax copy of that arrest warrant just before I left the office." There was a definite Cheshire cat grin on Josh's face as he continued.

"All the way over here I've been trying to figure out when and how to arrest Les. I don't want to take him out too early, but I don't want him to fly the coup before we grab his ass.

"Let's go through with our plan for tonight and then see where it gets us. I have a patrol car standing by in Elmwood with orders to arrest Les if I give them a call tonight. This is going to have to be a 'play by the seat of our pants' situation. 

"Also, I put a trace on that phone number that Carol gave you. Turns out that it's one of those prepaid phones. We could try to trace where the phone is located but that probably would be the house in Elmwood. Even if it isn't, I think we still have them zeroed in."

It was now almost 8:30. The plane from Boise would have landed. No call from Felix's man on the spot. That would mean that Carol would be somewhere waiting for me to call her. More than likely, Les would be close by. 

"It's time to saddle up, guys." Josh said as he looked at me. "Are you ready for this, Barry? That phone call could be traumatic. You're ok about this, aren't you?"

"Not only am I ok with this, but I'm anxious to get it over with. The past several days of hanging out in the wind hasn't done my mental health a lot of good. I don't know where this might lead, but I definitely want this to come to a head."

Both men nodded their heads in agreement as we headed toward the door. Felix drove us in his car. We left Josh's vehicles in his garage.

Once in my house, Felix rigged up a phone tap so that he and Josh could listen to both sides of the conversation with headsets. I would be the one doing the talking. If they had any comments they would write quick notes on pads that they had in front of them.

The clock read 9:15. "I guess the time has finally arrived." I said to them as I picked up the phone and dialed the number Carol had given me.

The phone rang twice. There was a tightness in my chest as I heard her live voice for the first time in over a week.

"Hello, Barry." Her voice was sweet and mellow. Not harsh or abrasive. She was expecting my call. I immediately jumped into my angry aggrieved husband role.

"Goddamn it Carol!!! What's going on here?! I read your note and saw that goddamn porn video you made. What the fuck is going on?!?!" The opening salvo was loud and hard.

"Please calm down, Barry. Let me explain..." Her voice was still calm and mellow. I interrupted her.

"Explain...shit!!! I want you to get your ass over here and talk to me face-to-face, fuck slut!" Another loud burst of cannon fire at her psyche.

"I can't come and see you, Barry... at least not just yet."

"The fuck you can't!!! Now get your ass over here and let's get this out in the open. I won't do it over the phone!!!" Another loud round, delivered convincingly.

"Sir will not give me permission to leave him just yet." 

"You tell that queer-ass faggot that I am ordering you to come home. If he wants to try and get a piece of me, just tell me where and when. I'll beat his queer faggot ass to a pulp!" My first direct attack on her lover.

"Barry, please listen..." Her voice now had a sense of urgency in it. I immediately interrupted.

"Fuck listening on the phone! I want you here to tell me to my face. And I better not see that limp-wrist faggot asshole anywhere around here!!" Bang, another broadside.

"I told you that I can't see you just yet. But..." Her voice was becoming strained now as I cut her short once again.

"But, nothing!!! Your marriage vows you said you would love, honor and obey me as your husband. I want you to obey me now. Not that fairy-lipped faggot that you call Sir. I am ordering you to come home right now!!!"

"Barry, please try to understand, I can't..." Her voice was trembling. Now it was time for the last round.

"Fuck you, slut!! Then don't come home!!!" I hung up quickly, not giving her a chance to reply. 

Josh and Felix removed their headsets and nodded their heads. "Now the ball is in her court." Josh said as he walked to the fridge and got us all a beer. 

As Jack had predicted, the phone rang a minute later. I remember that he also told me not to answer it. It went into voice mail.

"Please Barry, pick up the phone and talk to me." There was a flood of angst in her voice as she tried to speak. "I truly love you, Barry. Don't cut us off short. Please let me explain it all to you. Please." 

I could almost visualize her starting to cry as she spoke into the recorder. I wasn't giving her the opportunity to connect with me. It was her turn to twirl in the wind. Carol's voice ended and the phone went silent.

"I think that I should have used the 'D' word before I hung up on her. Maybe that would have put the fear of god into her." I said out loud, taking a big swallow of my beer. 

"You did just fine, Barry. The 'D' word was very obvious in your comments to her. I think the statement about love, honor and obey really hit the mark. Her voice changed immediately after you said that to her." Felix added.

"I agree, Barry. There was enough there to put the three of them on notice that you were not just going to roll over and accept this crisis. I imagine that both Les and Phil were tapped into her phone just like we were. 

"Your personal attack on Les was just great. I think you should continue that line of attack whenever you talk to her again. Make her think that his sexual orientation is at least questionable. Shake him up also. Having him pissed off at you might be a good thing for us." Josh said as we sat thinking about what must be going on at the other end with Carol and her 'friends'. 




A Conspiracy to Commit...



The next part of our plan was to force a face-to-face confrontation with Carol. I would either answer her next call tonight, or tomorrow I would call her and demand a meeting somewhere. If she still refused, then I would announce that divorce papers would be started the next day. A divorce might just throw a wrench into their plans and schemes. If I severed my ties to Carol, then she would be neutralized. They could not use her to lure me into their conspiracy if that was their plan.

"If she calls again, I will answer it and demand that we meet somewhere tomorrow. If she doesn't call again, then they can wring their hands wondering what might happen next." 

Sitting there with a half empty can of beer in my hand, I was amazed just how calm I had become. The phone call had been made. I had heard Carol's voice pleading with me, telling me she still loved me. 

Acting completely out of character for me, I jumped all over her. I knew that she would not have expected that. She probably expected a confused humble cuckold to beg her not to leave him. What she got with full force was just the opposite response.

After talking over some of our contingency plans, Felix got up and left for his house. Josh decided to stay and sleep in the guest room as a backup, just in case Les came over in the middle of the night to try some rough stuff.

"I don't think that they would be foolish enough to try to force you to cooperate. Their plans still include Carol as the best way to get you into their conspiracy. From her voice, I still have the impression that Carol is only a dupe in this whole mess. Maybe later, I might change my mind." Josh said as he walked into the guest room. "Try and get a good night's sleep."

It was 6:00 in the morning when the phone rang again. I hadn't reached a deep sleep all night. I had been lying there staring up at the ceiling when the sudden ringing noise attacked me. I reached over and picked it up. I knew it would either be Carol or her lover trying to get me off balance. 

"Yes." I said into the receiver.

"Please don't hang up on me, Barry." It was Carol.

"I think I made myself very clear, Carol. I will not have this discussion over the phone. You at least owe me that. I don't care if that flaming faggot you call Sir gives you permission to see me or not. It's up to you if you want to tell me your side of this mess you put us in. And to see where our marriage is headed." This time my voice was very firm and controlled. Not loud shouting but the same hard words.

"Barry, please let me tell you some of the things that caused to situation to develop..." She began in a steady voice.

"I told you that I'm not the fuck interested in discussing this on the phone with you, fuck slut. It's either face-to-face or on Monday I'm going to see my lawyer." My voice was louder, but still firm and in control. Josh had gotten up when the phone rang, and he had picked up the other extension.

"Barry, please don't do that. You know that I love you." 

"Right now the only thing I know for sure is that you're a married slut and you're with some queer-ass faggot who probably has several boyfriends in the other room." Damn! I was sure hoping that Les was listening to this conversation. I wanted to make his blood boil. 

"No face-to-face...no marriage. Can I make it any clearer to you, fuck slut?" My words were sharp and cutting like a new razor. I never would have thought that I could talk to Carol this way. 

"So if you still say you can't meet with me, then this conversation is over and I don't want you to try and contact me again. You can talk to my lawyer about the settlement." I paused to see if she would answer or hang up.

"Sir will not give me permission to see you at our house. He said that I could meet you tomorrow in a public place. Please Barry, I do want to talk to you and explain..." I cut her short.

"Fine, slut. Where do you want to meet?"

"Anywhere where we won't be alone. Sir thinks you might get physical with me."

"Fuck what that panty-wearing faggots thinks! I have never hit you and I would never do that. What's more, I am shocked that you would ever think I would physically harm you." Loud anger was in my voice. Dr. Lee was right about the control that Les was exerting over her.

"Please Barry, listen..."

"Tomorrow morning at 10:00 at the coffee cafe on Lincoln Avenue across from the Park. Come alone. Leave that cock-sucking faggot in the closet. If I see him or anyone else with you, no meeting. It's you and me alone to talk. If you're not there by 10:05, I'll be gone and the papers will be filed on Monday. Got it, fuck slut?" Here it was, the take it or get divorced ultimatum. It was all up to them at this point. 

"All right Barry. I will meet with you tomorrow at 10:00 where you want. I will come alone and we can talk. But, if you get loud or verbally abusive to me, I will get up and leave." She sounded calmer now and somewhat less tense.

"Don't worry about me, fuck slut. Just leave the fairy faggot in the closet and come alone. If I happen to see him any where around there, I just might rearrange his prissy-ass face." Then I hung up the phone. A second later, Jack walked into the bedroom. 

"Now that sounds like they want to make sure that you don't bolt on them and ruin their plans. I'm sure they didn't want Carol to meet with you, but you forced their hand." Jack sat down in the chair and the wheels were turning very fast in his mind. 

"This might just work out fine for us. If Carol leaves the Elmwood house alone and Les is still in there by himself, it would provide the perfect opportunity to arrest him without Carol's knowledge. If the three of them are separated tomorrow morning, then we can put a big kink in their overall plans. I'm starting to like this more and more." A devilish grin came across his face as a plan was falling into place. "Let's get some coffee and get this day underway."

Saturday was a typical gray morning in Chicago. The gray sky matched the dark clouds in my mind. I came alive with the first cup of fresh coffee. Josh and I sat at the table, lost in our individual thoughts. Nothing was said for several minutes as we both sipped our coffee.

"You're going to have to get yourself in shape today, Barry. Tomorrow will be a big day in resolving this mess. Go to the gym today, get in a heavy workout and keep yourself very busy. Stay away from this house till late this evening. Don't answer any phone calls from Carol or those other two assholes. Let them stew another day." Josh was going over the plan in his mind as he sat at the table. 

"Today they might just think that they need to get a head start with you. Since you managed to set up the meeting with Carol tomorrow morning, they might feel that some form of intimidation today would force you into a more compromising position." I could see his thoughts flashing across his face.

"On second thought, I want you to leave here and spend tonight at my house again. I don't think I want you sleeping here tonight. It would provide too easy a target for them to try and confront you alone. If you're not here, then the meeting with Carol will have to take place. 

"So, go to the gym, take in a movie, stay out of sight as much as possible and then come over to my house after supper. You can leave from my house tomorrow morning and go directly to your meeting with Carol."

Josh left the house and went into the station to do some quiet work. I went to the gym and spent several hours exercising and swimming. A light soup and salad lunch, then over to the theater for a matinee show. Of all shows I had to choose from, I chose Spiderman. There were a lot of young kids in the theater, but that only added to the enjoyment of this comic book hero. After the show, I had a nice supper at Hugo's and then I drove over to Josh's house.

Josh was already there. He had been puttering around in the garage when I pulled up. The time on the dashboard was 6:23 when I got out of the car. We high-fived and then went inside. Not much to do except watch the news on CNN and then catch the HBO Saturday night movie. That lasted till 9:30, and we both went to bed.

*

Chapter 13: The Meeting

Sunday morning was much sunnier. The gray clouds had dissipated and it looked like a great day to be outside. Josh was already at the table when I walked into the kitchen. It was 7:12. We just smiled and nodded to each other. After I got my coffee and sat down, Josh spoke up.

"Ok. Here's my plan for today. I'm going to call Felix and have him do a surveillance of where Phil is this morning. Being that it's Sunday, I would hope that his wife would drag him off to church so she can socialize with the other trophy wives. While he's doing that, I'll go and stake out the Elmwood house. If Carol leaves alone, then we'll wait till she is with you at the coffee shop before we move in and arrest Les. If he leaves with her, then I'll call you and you can leave. They will really have a problem when they see that you're not there.

"But, my guess is that Les will stay put in the house. He will probably give her strict instructions not to leave with you under any circumstances. That will be a good thing for us... I think." As Josh sat there, all the wheels inside his head were turning over and cranking out possible courses of action.

"Let me play out the scenario for you and see how it sounds.

"First, Felix locates Phil's whereabouts and keeps a tail on him. Hopefully his wife will be with him all the time. 

"Second, I get with a stake-out team at the Elmwood house and wait for Carol to leave by herself. When she is there with you at the coffee shop, you give me a signal and then I go in and arrest Les without the other two knowing anything about it.

"Thirdly, you have your conversation with Carol. You can play that scene any way you want to, except you keep your hands to yourself. No matter what, you don't touch her or try to force her to go with you. Also, I would think that you should give her a deadline, like tonight at midnight, to come home or else. That will put more pressure on Carol and Phil to react immediately. Les will be safely out of circulation, sitting in jail waiting to be sent back to Nevada.

"When Carol gets back to the house in Elmwood, she will find that Les is gone. There will be no notes or explanation as to where he is or why he's not there. I don't know if Carol has Phil's phone number or not. If she does, I'm sure she'll call him. If she doesn't, then she'll have to sit around and stew about what's going on all by herself in that big house.

"After you finish your conversation with Carol, I want you to go back to your house and stick around there all day. I'm not sure what might happen. Maybe Carol will get spooked and come running back to you. It's a possibility that you need to consider, and also how you want to react to her showing up at your house." 

By the time Josh was finished with his 'vision' of the events that were about to be played out this morning, I was fully awake. I went to take a shower and get dressed. It was just after 8:00, and Josh wanted me in position at the coffee shop around 9:30. As I walked down the hall, I heard Josh talking to Felix on the phone.

The dashboard clock read 8:24 as I headed toward Lincoln Park. It was a quiet Sunday morning, so the traffic was very light. I got to the Park a little after 9:30. I circled the coffee shop to see if there was anything suspicious around the area. Nothing looked strange to me. There was a parking lot a block away from the cafe. I parked the car and then called Josh. 

He told me that he was now parked down the street from the Elmwood house and he had a clear view it. As we were talking, Carol's green Corolla pulled out of the driveway and sped off down the street.

"She alone, Barry." Josh said into his cell phone. "I hope she gets there before 10:00." There was a long silence with the phones still connected. 

"Oh, I did get a call from Felix about ten minutes age. Phil was at his house. About 9:00 he and his wife left for church. Felix parked several cars away from theirs and watched them go inside. He's still there waiting for them to come out.

"Let's keep this line open and when Carol comes to the table, just hang up. That will be my signal to go and arrest Les. After Les is out of the house, I'm going to plant a video transmitter that Felix gave me, somewhere inside. That way, when Carol returns to the house, we will be able to watch all of her actions. It will be especially interesting to see her reaction when she finds that Les is not there." Josh ended his dialog and the phone line went silent. The connection remained, but neither of us had much else to say at this time.

One of my favorite pastimes is reading good detective novels. I am a particular fan of Scott Turow. Ever since I read his first novel "Presumed Innocent" and the fabulous ending he created, I have been hooked on his writings. Now, as I sat at a table looking at Lincoln Park and all the joggers and dog walkers enjoying the beautiful morning, I was thinking of how this crisis and all the subtle undercurrents might make a great Scott Turow novel. In fact, I was feeling just like one of the characters in his novel as I waited for Carol to show up.

It was almost 10:00 when I first saw her hurrying across the street. I would recognize that form and flowing hair anywhere. It was obvious that she was worried that she might be late and I would have left the cafe. Suddenly, a forced smile came across her face as she noticed me sitting at the table. Her stride slowed to a more ladylike gait. She was trying to compose herself in the last few feet before she arrived at the table, knowing that a serious confrontation was about to take place. Smiling, she stepped up to the table, her arms staying at her sides.

"Hello Barry. I'm so glad to see you." Her eyes were darting all over my face trying to gauge my reaction to seeing her. I just sat there. I didn't get up to greet her. No hugs or kisses, just a cold, "Hello, Carol. Please sit down, won't you?" 

As she sat down, I pressed the off switch on the cell phone in my pocket. The line disconnecting would be Josh's signal to move in and arrest Les. Damn, how I wished that I could be there to savor the moment of retribution. His arrest was something I wished I could witness firsthand. The sight of Les being put into a patrol car with his hands cuffed behind his back would validate the fact that Carol's lover was now permanently out of this sordid mess. Now, my only consolation was the fact that it was happening as I sat there looking at my smiling and unsuspecting wife.

Carol was wearing a fashionable pair of dark slacks and a dark pullover top with a mock-neck collar. I immediately noticed that she had on more facial make up than she used to wear. Her lipstick was a brighter red, giving her lips a turgid appearance. There was a difference fragrance about her. She was not wearing the perfume that I so enjoyed when she was with me the last time. This beautiful woman sitting across from me was my wife, yet there was so much that had changed about her. So much was so familiar to me, yet so much was different that was both visible and invisible.

Still, my heart ached for her. I wanted to reach over and take her in my arms and hold her tightly against my body. I knew that I still loved her deeply. Instead, I mustered all of my will power and just sat there with an air of distrust all around me.

Our eyes locked together after she sat down across from me. And in an awkward second neither of us said a word. Then I spoke up. 

"I got you a cup of coffee." I said, pointing to the cup sitting in the middle of the table. 

"That's very sweet of you, Barry. Thank you." She replied as she reached for the cup and took a sip, her eyes never leaving mine. There was a searching in those eyes.

During the phone call last night, when I became the angry demanding husband, a person she was not familiar with had emerged. Now she must be wondering how to deal with this new person sitting across from her. My vicious attacks on the phone certainly were not how she thought I would have reacted. Her expectations were to talk to a broken and bewildered cuckold who would acquiesce to her demands for a new marriage arrangement. 

What she got instead was an unexpected surprise from a very angry and belligerent husband who was threatening her with divorce. She sat there quietly, trying to discover the best method to persuade me to listen to her reasons for her to continue her adulterous affair. And, in the process, have me become the meek and mild cuckold. 

She began speaking. "How should we begin this discussion, Barry? Do want Q&A's or just for me to tell you the things that I think have caused this situation in our marriage?" 

"You said that you wanted to explain it to me. So, do so. I'll sit and listen. You can tell me the truth as you see it or you can just tell me a pack of lies. When you're done, I'll tell you how I feel about it all." My voice was cold and hard. No warmth or kindness in my words. Carol bit down softly on her lower lip as she continued to look at me and tried to decide where to begin.

"First of all Barry, I want you to know that I do not feel fully responsible for the events that have brought us to this place in our marriage. You also bear a full measure of the responsibility for my finding fulfillment with another man.

"One of the main factors that contributed very highly to my needing another man in my life was the fact that you are so career-driven that you consented to take assignments that took you away from me for weeks at a time. The overwhelming feeling that I got from you was that your job was more important to you than I was." Her voice was deliberate and with no hint of shame or apology. I sat there with my best poker face staring back at her.

"Also, and this might be something you never noticed about me, because you're very successful, self-confident and rarely have any self-doubts about the things you want or the things that you do in your life. But, I do have mountains of doubts. I feel like a total failure most of the time. Somehow you never caught on to the fact that your lack of doubts and my constant stream of doubts were causing me to feel more and more inadequate as a wife and as a woman.

"There were times when I felt that I could not go on living the life we shared. I know that you thought we were a happy couple, but that was again your self-confidence masking my troubled heart. The past two years have not been truly happy years for me, Barry. I felt as if I was an actress stuck in a bad B-movie. I said my lines and acted my role but it seemed so make-believe for me. My true emotions were suppressed and I gave you the person that I knew you wanted to see in me."

I sat there listening to her pour out her heart to me. A long suffering heart that hid from me all the secret doubts and depression in her mind. Maybe these dark moods could have been helped if she had only opened up to me before. But now it was probably too late for anything to really help either of us.

"I'm sure that you have guessed that my not being able to get pregnant was another major factor in helping create this situation. I think it's impossible for you, as a man, to know what it feels like for a woman to know that she is barren. To know that her womb will not produce another life. That, as a woman, she has failed in her most basic function, that of bearing children to create a true family. 

"It didn't help my self esteem when you told me we should begin to try in-vitro fertilization. That made me feel just as inadequate as I had before. The fact that science would have to do for me what my own body was incapable of doing naturally was devastating to me.