Flash

Flash 06: The Temporary Wife, Pt. 02

I know it has been quite a while since my last story, and I apologize for that. Things have been very hectic in the Saddletramp Universe, with my wife's medical issues, work, and other writing projects taking up most of my time. I had originally planned to submit this a couple of days earlier, but we were too busy celebrating our 40 th wedding anniversary.

I want to thank everyone who has read, voted, and commented on my stories. I especially appreciate those who have reached out to me with constructive feedback and suggestions.

I also want to thank QuantumMechanic1957 for beta-reading this story. His suggestions have helped tremendously, and I want to thank those who have reached out by email and those who have offered comments and constructive criticism on my previous stories.

On a final note, no artificial intelligence was employed in the creation of this story.

And now, the disclaimers:

For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper... In addition:

Characters in this story may participate in one or more of the following: Smoking, consumption of adult (meaning, alcoholic) beverages, and utterance of profanities.All sexual activity is between consenting adults 18 years of age or older.Statements or views uttered by the fictional characters in this story do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the author.

Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. (Yes, I DO moderate comments). Please remember this is a work of fiction, not a docu-drama...

...

End ofFlash 06: The Temporary Wife, Pt. 01

"She asked if I could take her to see a divorce lawyer. I told her I'd set up an appointment for her as soon as possible. Maybe Monday."

"And the boys?" I asked.

"She's done with all of them. Told me that as far as she's concerned, they can go back to their real mother. She's tired of being their nanny while playing the role of Colin's temporary wife."

"Smart woman," I said. "I'll get Drew Henson's number for you tomorrow. If I recall, he told me this is a no-fault state, and the court doesn't care about adultery. They might feel differently about fraud, though. And that's what this is looking like to me. But I'm not a lawyer."

I looked at my watch and saw it was getting late in the day. Something told me tomorrow would be very busy, and I was getting pretty tired.

"Let's go to bed. I need you to hold me," Ginger said as she burrowed into my side.

"That's the best idea I've heard all day," I said, kissing my lovely wife.

...

And now, Flash 06: The Temporary Wife, Pt. 02

The kitchen was buzzing with activity the next morning when I walked in. Ginger and Denise were making breakfast as the four kids glared at each other at the table. I kissed Ginger before pouring a cup of coffee.

"This smells so good," I said, taking in the aroma of bacon sizzling in the pan. "You don't need to do this," I told Denise. "You're a guest here."

"It's the least I can do," Denise said, brightly, stirring the scrambled eggs. A good cry and a good night's sleep must have helped.

I sat at the table with my coffee, watching the kids stare at each other. Mike and Rick looked like they were ready to bolt out the door, while Jeff and Jenn looked like they were prepared to vaporize the two Walker boys who had invaded their territory. Since Smith and Jones had noted that objects and individuals could not be UN-vaporized, Ginger and I kept a close eye on them.

"When can we go home?" Mike asked nervously.

"Not soon enough," Jenn grumbled in my mind.

I shot her a look before responding to Mike. "Soon," I told him, casually, not bothering to make eye contact.

"I want my phone," Mike replied. He tried to phrase it like a demand, but it came out like the bleat of a lost sheep. I heard Jeff snicker in my mind.

"Not at the breakfast table," I told him firmly. "Later." He looked like he would protest, but I think Jenn's unfriendly smile unnerved him.

Denise stepped to the table with a tray and four plates full of scrambled eggs and bacon. She placed two of the plates in front of Mike and Rick, who frowned as they looked at the food.

"I don't want scrambled eggs," Mike whined.

"Then go without," Denise shot back. "I'm not your maid. Not anymore."

Mike looked at her, shocked, as she placed two plates in front of Jenn and Jeff, who smiled at her.

"Thank you, Mrs. Walker," they said sweetly, almost in unison.

Denise smiled back before replying. "You're very welcome," she gushed. "I must compliment you, Cameron. Your children are very well-behaved. And so polite. You must be proud of them."

"Thank you, Denise. Yes, we are very proud of our children," I replied, smiling widely at our twins. If they couldn't mentally excoriate the invaders, they would settle for one-upping them in behavior.

Denise sat when Ginger came in with another tray and four more plates of food. After placing the plates on the table, she sat, and we all ate with minimal conversation. I noticed that Mike and Rick wolfed down their food, despite the complaints.

"May we be excused to go watch cartoons?" Jeff asked after he and Jenn finished their breakfast.

I saw they had cleaned their plates, as did Mike and Rick, so I gave my approval.

"Of course," I said. "Why don't you boys go with them?" I asked Mike and Rick.

"I don't wanna watch baby cartoons," Rick groused.

"Okay," I replied. Then I added, evenly, "Then maybe you'd rather grab a ladder and clean the gutters on the second floor."

"No, I'll watch cartoons," Rick said, sighing heavily.

"I thought so. No arguing now, you kids hear me?" I asked.

"Yes, Dad," Jenn said, sweetly, as the four children got up from the table.

Bill came into the kitchen as the four children went into the TV room. He handed me two phones before sitting down at the table.

"Would you care for some coffee?" Ginger asked. "We just ate breakfast."

"Coffee is always appreciated, Ginger," Bill said with a smile. "Especially yours. Thank you."

"I take it you successfully cloned that phone?" I asked, quietly, pocketing one of the devices he had given me.

"Yeah," Bill replied.

"Anything interesting?" I asked.

"You mean, besides the porn sites?" Bill grunted in disgust.

"Porn?" I asked, startled.

"Yeah. It seems young Master Walker likes to browse dirty sites when he's not texting or talking to his parents." Bill took a sip of coffee to hide his sour expression.

"Were you aware of that?" I asked Denise, who looked down, embarrassed.

"No, but I'm not surprised," she said quietly. "Colin spends a lot of time browsing porn when he thinks I'm not looking, and he lets Mike do whatever he wants."

"Anything else?" I asked Bill, warily.

"Some viruses and spyware. I removed those, by the way. Probably from the sites he likes to visit. I set up a parental lock on the phone. A lot of texts between Colin, Daisy, and Mike. Mostly reporting on Denise's activity. A lot of grumbling, especially when they don't like what she cooks or tells them what to do."

I got a pretty clear idea of what "family life" was like in the Walker household. I glanced at Denise, who still wouldn't meet my eyes. I felt bad for what she was going through. Then I thought about Mike and Rick. I knew all about the 'nature' versus 'nurture' debate; in that case, these kids had both going against them. I guess I shouldn't be surprised; sad, but not surprised.

"Why don't we take this into the office?" I suggested.

Just as we stood, Mike stormed into the kitchen. "I want my phone," he demanded.

"Maybe if you ask nicely, I'll give it to you," I told him evenly.

Mike took a deep breath, and his face burned with anger. "May I have my phone? Please?" he said through gritted teeth.

I picked his phone up and started to hand it to him, but pulled back when he reached out to take it. "I'll have no porn in this house," I told him. "Do you understand me?" His eyes grew wide as he glared at me.

"I said, do you understand me?" I asked again, firmly.

Mike glanced at all four of us before nodding his head. "Yes," he said as he reached for his phone. I handed it to him and watched him run back into the TV room.

"That boy is going to be trouble," I said.

"He already is," Denise replied sadly and somewhat sourly.

My phone buzzed, and I saw it was Jerry, the mechanic I called about Denise's car. I answered the phone, hoping for the best but fearing the worst.

"I looked over that Toyota you had me pick up," Jerry said. "Good thing you did. The brake line has been cut."

"Damn," I hissed. "Can you fix it?"

"Yeah, I can do that. I'll have to order the part, though. I don't have those in stock here. I can have it ready by Wednesday."

"Okay," I said. "Could you take pictures of the brake line before you fix it? And put it in a plastic bag? The police may want to look it over. Could you put it on my bill? I'll pay when we pick it up."

"Sure, I can do that," Jerry said. We ended the call, and I looked at Denise.

"My mechanic just confirmed it. The brake line on your car was deliberately cut," I told her.

"Oh my God," Denise cried. "He tried to... kill me?"

"It looks that way," I said. "Along with his first wife."

"Then we need to call the police," she urged.

"It's not that simple," I told her. "Yes, we know your brake lines were cut, but the police won't accept the evidence we have that your husband and his ex-wife were involved."

"Then what do we do?" Denise asked, distressed.

I never got a chance to respond as Mike stomped back into the room, holding his phone towards Denise.

"My Dad wants to talk to you. Right now," he commanded.

Denise took the phone, giving Mike a thunderous look that made him step back. She glanced at the rest of us, then put the phone on speaker so we could all hear.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"Where are you?" Colin asked. "I've tried calling your phone, but it keeps going to voicemail."

"I turned it off. I'm staying with some friends. Someone messed with the brakes on my car, and I could've been killed. Did you have anything to do with that?" Denise demanded.

"I... don't know what you're talking about," Colin stammered.

I connected with Colin's mind and took in his surroundings. He was in his hotel room with Daisy while talking to Denise.

"I don't believe you," Denise shot back.

"And you took the boys with you?" Colin asked.

"Yes. I wasn't about to leave your brats alone in your house, but it was tempting," Denise growled, causing Mike to look at her in shock. She had never said an unkind word about them before.

"Now wait a damn minute. Don't you dare call them brats," Colin hissed angrily. "Those are my boys, and..."

"That's right. Those are YOUR boys. Not mine. And I'm through being your unpaid nanny," Denise shot back. "I'm finished babysitting them while you go off to be with your ex-wife."

"What?" Colin asked. I saw him look at Daisy with a shocked expression. "What makes you say that?"

"Don't give me that crap," Denise said. "I know you're with her. She's probably there with you right now, isn't she? Tell me the truth for once in your life!"

"I... I don't know what you're talking about, Denise," Colin stammered as he looked at Daisy, confusion on his face.

"LIAR!" Denise shouted angrily. "You lie like a rug, and I'm through with you! And your spoiled, snot-nosed, ungrateful brats!"

"Now hold on, Denise," Colin began. "We can talk about this..."

"There's nothing to talk about. I want a divorce," Denise fired back, her face burning with anger.

"Wait," Colin began to counter, but it was too late, as Denise had ended the call.

I was still connected to Colin's mind and saw his reaction. He was surprised at first, but then he became angry.

"I don't believe that bitch," he gasped.

"What did she say?" Daisy asked coldly.

"She said she wants a divorce. Then she hung up on me. She called the boys spoiled, snot-nosed brats and said she was tired of being their nanny. Who the hell does she think she is?"

Daisy said nothing as she looked at Colin, but he could see her mind working.

"What are you thinking?" he asked after a few quiet, awkward moments.

"I think it's time we upped our game," Daisy sneered as a wicked grin spread across her face. "The brake trick didn't work. Maybe we need to get... professional... help."

"You mean, hire someone else to kill her?" Colin asked. "We already did that, remember?"

"No. YOU hired that hillbilly to screw with her brakes. And like always, YOU screwed it up," Daisy spat. "This time, I'll do the hiring, and I'll get it right. But it's going to cost you more, so get ready to fork over some serious money."

"Wait a damn minute. I hired the guy you told me to. And just how much are you talking about?" Colin asked, now more concerned about his bank account than anything else.

"No need to get snippy," Daisy scolded. "I'm only talking a few thousand. Maybe a little more. This kind of thing isn't cheap, you know. Especially if you want it to look like an accident. And you have to be very careful. There's a lot of scammers out there. I'll start reaching out. You stay out of it and try to mollify Denise."

"You sound like you've looked into this before," Colin said, now concerned about his own skin.Would Daisy kill him? Had she already considered that?

"Of course I did. You were working that trust-fund baby you married at the time. What was her name? Carol?"

"Yeah. Carol," Colin replied.

"I had to make sure you were successful. One way or another. You lucked out on that one."

"I didn't hear any complaints from you when I got those cruise tickets," Colin snorted.

"Of course not," Daisy chuckled. "I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. And I didn't hear any complaints when I bought that sexy slingshot bikini you liked so much."

Colin responded with a lustful smile. "I was more interested in what was under that tiny slip of material," he joked while wriggling his eyebrows.

"Men," Daisy huffed playfully.

I quickly disconnected from Colin's mind and saw myself facing two concerned women, Bill, and a young boy with wide, scared eyes.

"Cam?" Ginger asked carefully. "Is everything okay?"

"What happened to you, dude?" Mike asked, easing back a step. "You just, like, zoned out. Completely. And your eyes... flashed."

"I'm okay," I assured them. "Why don't you go back with the other kids?" I suggested to Mike. "I need to talk with the adults."

He shook his head. "You're weird," he muttered before leaving.

After he left, I turned to Bill. "I need you to dig deeper into Daisy's brain feed. Apparently, she made some inquiries into hiring a hit man when Colin was with his second wife. Find out who she contacted, and see how far she went with that."

"Will do," Bill said with disgust, taking notes.

"One other thing, Bill. See if you can figure out their greatest fear. Everyone has a phobia, something that terrifies them. They're no different."

"Got it," Bill replied. "I'll get on that right now."

"Are they still planning to kill Denise?" Ginger asked.

"Yeah. They already tried once by having her brakes sabotaged. Who knows what they'll try next. But they want it to look like an accident."

"Oh my God," Denise sobbed, suddenly horrified. "What will I do?"

"Don't worry," I reassured her. "We're with you on this. Your safety is our first priority. I think we need to separate you from the boys, though. Does Colin have any family in the area?"

Denise thought for a few moments before shaking her head. "None that I know of. His parents are retired and live in Florida."

"Friends? Neighbors? Anyone you can think of who would be willing to watch them?" I pressed.

"They stay over at the Abernathy's place sometimes. They live a few houses down the street from us, and they have a boy about their age they get along with," Denise said. "And Colin trusts them."

"Can you call them and see if they'd be willing to watch them for a day or two, until Colin gets back?"

"Yeah, I can do that," she agreed, getting her phone out of her purse. She made the call and spoke for a few minutes, telling them she had an emergency to deal with and that Colin was out of town on business. I could tell by the smile on her face and her enthusiastic "thank you" that they had agreed.

"I'll be there in about half an hour or so," she said before ending the call. "You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I'll let Colin know."

We rounded up the boys and their things, then loaded them into my vehicle. They seemed exceptionally pleased to get away from Jeff and Jenn, and gave no argument. In fact, they practically ran out the door, earning a frown from Ginger by not even saying 'Thank you' or 'Goodbye'. Following Denise's directions, I drove to the Abernathy residence and stayed in the vehicle while Denise walked them to the door.

From there, we went three doors down the street to the house Denise and Colin shared. She allowed me inside, and I wired the place with cameras and microphones that connected to a server I kept in the cloud. I also tapped the landline. I love 'One Party' states. I didn't personally need any evidence we might collect from these devices, but I knew the lawyers and the courts would.

While I was busy with that, Denise packed more of her personal things and grabbed some paperwork, including her prenuptial agreement and her bank statements. We were there for about an hour and left after I tested everything I had set up. On the way out, Denise removed her wedding and engagement rings and tossed them on the table. I smiled and nodded in approval.

"Maybe you should take some time off from your job. Can you do that?" I asked.

"Yeah, I've got the time on the books. Let me call my boss." She made the call and explained the situation to her supervisor, who happily let her take the next week off.

We were halfway home when Denise's phone rang. "It's Colin," she said when looking at the screen.

"Put it on speaker, if you would, please," I suggested.

She answered the call, putting it on speakerphone so we could both hear. Colin was spitting mad.

"Why did you drop the boys with Mark and Rhonda?" he demanded.

"I told you, I'm done with all of you. And as I told them, an emergency came up."

"Emergency? What emergency?"

"Someone is trying to kill me, and they sabotaged the brakes on my car," Denise fired back.

"Come on, Denise. Who would do such a thing?"

"You, for one," Denise shot back heatedly.

"You're being silly, Denise," Colin insisted. "And who are these people you're staying with? Mike said they're all weird, and the kids are like something from 'Children Of The Corn.' What the hell is going on with you?"

"I already told you, Colin. I'm tired of you. I'm tired of your cheating and your lying. I'm tired of your spoiled brats acting like they're the king of the hill. I'm done with all of you, and I'm seeing a lawyer the first chance I get. We're through, Colin! You hear me? Finished!"

"We're not finished until I say we are, Denise," Colin raged. The guy sounded almost unhinged. I could practically hear his spittle hitting the phone.

"Wrong answer, asshole," Denise screamed. "We're done. And don't ever call me again!" With that, she ended the call and blocked Colin's number. After putting her phone in her purse, she broke down in tears.

Flash 06: The Temporary Wife, Pt. 2

Discussion(0)