Sprung Ch. 10

I saw them find what the were looking for and then tossed it into the water along with her purse. They just stood over her shaking their head for a moment, before turning towards me.

I began to smell gas and could barely get out the word, "Help!" as the somewhat familiar stranger approached. The stranger reached down and felt my pulse, then began feeling in my jacket pockets. Once they found my phone, they tossed it into the stream.

Seeing a lighter flicker, I now realized that this person was not our savior, but the perpetrator of our doom. The last thing I would ever see was the stranger walking away just beyond the growing flames.

**************

Perspective change to Dave

It was late Sunday night and no Sarah. I tried her cell phone and it went straight to voice mail. Then I went through the motions and called her Aunt June, waking her up. She was not happy. As expected, she didn't know anything about Sarah coming to visit. I tried her sister, Rachel, who didn't know anything either. I told her I would call the police. Now the entire family was worried. I made the call to the police to report Sarah as missing.

We went through the whole routine of when I last saw her, and when I last heard from her. I explained she was supposed to be home by now and I hadn't heard from her since Friday afternoon, when we had texted each other to indicate we arrived at our destinations safely.

I knew her destination wasn't Aunt June's. How? I couldn't believe it when I first suspected she was up to no good. It was Friday of last week. I came home from work a few minutes early, the kids were not home, and she was obviously in our bedroom. I was going to burst in and ravish her, but when I looked through the crack in the door, she was standing in front of the mirror holding a little black dress in front of herself. It was much, well, sluttier than anything I'd seen her wear before. She had an expression on her face like she couldn't believe she'd contemplate wearing something like that.

I had snuck away and made a noise like I was coming in. I didn't want her to have to show me the dress in case she was ashamed of buying it. I looked at our bank statements online to see when she'd bought it and for how much, but it didn't appear anywhere. That, and the strange expression on her face, just set off my internal alarms.

After I'd picked the kids up from soccer and she was busy, I went looking for that dress and couldn't find it. I checked the rubbish bins, thinking someone might have given it to her, and she didn't like it. Of course, it wasn't there. I thought of looking in her car, but the spare key was missing off the hook.

I waited until she was asleep that night, found both the keys in her handbag, then found the rather revealing stash in her trunk. The dresses and lingerie I could have explained away, even hidden as they were. The condoms just broke my heart. I wonder if she realized why I was sick last weekend?

There was no need to tell the police all those details right now. I only told them that I tried to call her several times, but no response. I told them about calling her Aunt June and her sister, and that they hadn't seen or heard from her. I told the detective that if she didn't go to her aunt's, then I didn't know where she went.

The police said they had to wait forty-eight hours, from the time she was reported missing until an investigator would be assigned. I hung up the phone and wondered, "what's next?"

***********

The next morning, Monday, was a grind. The whole thing with Sarah hanging out there was getting to me. I still couldn't wrap my mind around what Sarah had done to us. I had a whole week to think about it, prior to that weekend, and the more I thought, the angrier I had become. Finally, I decided I had to do something. As soon as I suspected what she was going to do, I contacted a private investigator and my attorney.

Too bad Sarah never realized that Suzanne, who also works in Michael's office, is the cousin of Julie, my PA. By the Wednesday afternoon prior to her affair, the three of us had pieced together the likely location of their illicit rendezvous, his cabin in the woods, where he often bragged to his colleagues about spending the weekends. With part of my plan outlined to them, getting through last week and this past weekend had been excruciating.

Fortunately for me, Julie was there for me, as always. What would I do without her? She could be a little melancholy at times, but she was a fantastic worker and partner. Her bringing in her cousin Suzanne was a godsend. I would have been going out of my mind, if I hadn't been able to figure out what Sarah was up to.

What next after Sarah? Julie? She was way too young. Hell, she's only twenty-six, which is sixteen years younger than me. She is closer in age to my son than me. Suzanne? She's thirty-two and divorced with an ten-year-old. They are both redheaded hotties, but I'm too shook up from this whole experience to think about anyone right now. I'll just be the best dad I can and let the chips fall where they may.

Half an hour before our regular lunch time, Julie literally grabbed me out of my office and dragged me down the block, to an excellent Indian café, which had the best Bombay potatoes and a spicy chicken dish I loved. She ordered two beers without even asking me if I wanted one.

She started, "So, tell me boss. Are you going to be okay? What can I do?"

I smiled at her. "Julie, you've already done plenty. Suzanne, too. I think at this point, it's up to Sarah and me to figure out what she and I are going to do. Honestly, I have no idea."

"Last week you were talking about divorce. Is that still on the table?"

"It is still on the table. Definitely. I wish it weren't, but I'm having a hard time seeing a good life with her going forward. That isn't anger talking either. I'm plenty angry, but, well... I don't know."

"You know our insurance covers counseling."

"I know, and I'm probably going to use it, but not to try and fix things. I'll need it to help me and my new life with and without the kids. Will you think about something for me and give me an honest answer?"

"Of course."

"If you and I were married...I know, I know. Pretend I'm about fifteen years younger. But if I cheated on you, how does that get fixed, because I really don't know."

I watched Julie think about that for a moment. She looked me in the eyes and smiled for a moment before taking a sip of her beer and closing her eyes. I presumed she was thinking about my question. After a minute, her melancholy face returned, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Then, she smiled at me, and said, "If you were mine, I'd never give you the chance to cheat on me, so I cannot really answer your question."

I just returned the smile and shook my head. "You are going to make someone really happy one day, Julie. Hell! We're not even married, and you make me happy. Thank you for always being there for me."

"It's my pleasure, boss. I'm just returning the favor."

*********

Tuesday evening and still no word from Sarah. Rachel was frantic. I was worked up also, though for slightly different reassons. The kids were really worried, and I was trying to be strong for them. After dinner, there was a knock on the door and a detective from the New South Wales police department was standing there. When I opened the door, he could see my kids in the living room observing us. "Mr. Mason, I'm Detective Inspector Rogers. Could you step outside a minute? I'd like to ask you a few questions about your wife's disappearance."

I went outside and closed the door. "Have you found anything? Have you already put someone on the case?"

"Actually, I'm on the case. There was another missing person report yesterday morning. It seems that a Mr. Michael Turner was also missing, and his wife called it in this morning when he didn't call or show up for work. Do you know Mr. Turner?"

"No. Is it related to Sarah?"

"We are fairly certain they are. Did you know they worked together?"

"Yes. Sarah has mentioned him before. I've met a couple of other legal secretaries from her office when I would drop her off or pick her up. However, I've never met Michael Turner."

The detective stood there and watched Dave for a few moments. He let the silence build and continued to watch. After a moment, Dave asked, "Is that all? Why are you asking me about him? What does this have to do with Sarah?"

The detective sighed and said, "There isn't really a good way to say this, Mr. Mason. We found your wife and Mr. Turner this morning out near the national park. They were together in a car accident that killed both of them? The heavy rain this weekend has impeded the investigation some, but we are trying to ascertain exactly what happened."

"Oh my God. Sarah's dead? Are you sure it was her? What the hell is going on?" I sat down into the swing on the front porch. Sarah was gone.

"For the moment, this is an active investigation, so we cannot say too much yet. Forgive the next question, it's just routine. Where were you late Friday evening and Saturday morning?"

"I went to work at a client's project up near Canberra. It needed on site supervision, so I flew up. You can check with the hotel bar and restaurant. I was there until I returned to my room around 9:00pm. Saturday morning I ate breakfast at the hotel, then drove to the client site. I flew back Sunday."

"Okay, we'll check it out. Can you get someone to look after your kids for a little while? We need you to come to the morgue and ID the body."

I made arrangements with Rachel to come over, so I could go to the morgue. It was her. Damn. That was probably the hardest thing I ever had to do. I couldn't believe the person I had loved for over twenty years suddenly decided to betray our marriage, and now, she was dead.

Even knowing what I did, it was hard not to cry over seeing her like this. I had to get a grip and go home to tell the kids. I would drive slowly, to prepare what I would tell them.

**************

The investigation took several weeks. They talked to people at my firm and, according to Suzanne, they talked to a lot of people at hers.

Eventually detective Rogers came back to my house one evening and asked me to join him outside, again.

"Mr. Mason, we've concluded our investigation. It seems that your wife and Michael Turner were having an affair."

I nodded.

"This doesn't seem to surprise you."

I replied, "No. After you told me they were in the accident together when she was supposed to be at her Aunt June's, I began wondering. Your telling me just confirms it."

He continued, "you were an obvious suspect, but your story, and everyone else's checks out. The best we can tell is that your wife and Mr. Turner were in a hurry and traveling at a high rate of speed, likely during a heavy downpour. Mr. Turner lost control of the car and it left a narrow bridge and crashed into the bank on the far side. Surprisingly, neither of them was wearing their seatbelts. We believe your wife died instantly. Mr. Turner managed to pull himself from the crash and likely died shortly thereafter from his injuries.

"By the time we found their bodies, it was too late to determine if alcohol had been a factor in the incident, but the empty wine bottles at the cabin suggests it could have been.

"With the closure of the investigation, any pending life insurance should be cleared up now. I understand this is a painful time for you and your family. I'm sorry for your loss.

With that he turned and left.

*************

The kids were numb for weeks, which wasn't unexpected. I hired counselors to help the three of us through this. I spoke with one of the counselors separately about how it bothered me that I didn't feel the sense of loss I should because of the affair.

She instructed me not to worry, that it was natural and to use the fact that I wasn't grieving as much to be stronger for the children. I tried, but I don't know how much I succeeded.

One night, as I was cleaning up some of her things in the home office, I opened a drawer of filing binders and pulled out the one containing the pictures of her and Michael sitting next to each other at the restaurant, all lovey-dovey. Also, in the folder was a picture of my iPhone screen showing her phone GPS residing at the restaurant and cabin when she should have been at Aunt June's.

These were the documents I would have used in the divorce. No longer needing them, I turned on the shredder and tried to eliminate them and their memory from my being.

Rachel, and her family, continued to come by and check on me and the kids. It was a welcomed distraction, and I know she loved our kids. It was good for Steven and Jenny to do things with their cousins.

One night, Rachel cornered me when we were alone, wrapped her arms around me, hugged me and cried. "Dave, I cannot believe she would do that. I never knew. I promise you that I wouldn't have kept the kids that weekend if I had known. I'm so sorry."

Now here I was comforting Rachel over something my stupid, dead wife did. How screwed up was that?

Julie was a rock of support. At work, she ensured that everything was completed on time. She reviewed my communiques for several weeks to make certain that I didn't mess up. We went to lunch often, and sometimes very little was said. We were just with each other, and that was enough.

A couple of months after Sarah's death, Julie asked me if I would mind if she invited Suzanne to join us for lunch. I told her what red-blooded male wouldn't want to have two of the hottest redheads in New South Wales joining him for lunch. She gave me her most blinding smile, that I rarely got to see, for saying that.

We had a good, no, a great, lunch. It was probably the lightest mood that I had experienced since before the funeral. Over time, she managed to get Suzanne's and her daughter involved with activities with me and my kids.

I think my kids were wary of me and Julie, even though there was nothing there for them to be concerned about. They included Suzanne's daughter, Jessica, in some of their activities and even helped her with some of her studies.

While Julie played the role of host and/or organizer, Suzanne often played the role of cook and homemaker; seeing after the food and fussing after the kids. Over time, Jenny and Steven warmed up to her, and I had to admit, I did too.

If Julie had pushed herself on me, the kids might have resented that, but for some reason her inserting Suzanne into our lives didn't seem to bother them at all. On those rare occasions when Rachel's family was with all of us, including Julie and Suzanne, Rachel didn't seem to mind at all. One night, I saw the three women conspiring about something, which likely was me since they got quiet when I walked into the room.

I must admit I enjoyed Suzanne's company, and she was definitely easy on the eyes. Before the summer was over, a few outings with everyone to the beach confirmed that.

As the end of summer approached, and our times together as an extended family would become more limited, I asked the kids if they would mind if Suzanne and I went on a date. I thought they would be shocked and upset, but they seemed fine with it.

Long story short - We started dating and fifteen months after the funeral, I asked Suzanne to marry me, and she accepted.

I will use the proceeds from Sarah's life insurance policy to enlarge the kids', all three of them now, college funds and then Suzanne and I will pick out a house large enough for our new family, plus an extra room for when Julie or another guest slept over.

I was looking forward to life with my new and enlarged family.

Perspective change to Julie

As I'm standing here watching Suzanne walk down the aisle, I should feel guilty, but I don't. Suzanne is the finest woman I know, and Dave is the finest man. I had always wished they could be together, and when the opportunity to make it happen presented itself, I jumped. What's the saying, "life favors the prepared"...or active...or something like that.

Dave described me as his perfect counterpoint, seeing all the things he didn't. In this case, that was ever so true. He could see how badly he was betrayed but could only see an honorable solution. I've been involved in enough dishonor that I knew what needed to be done.

None of it would have happened if that stupid cow hadn't run around on Dave. Dave is too honorable a man to do what he needed to do to be free of Sarah and protect himself. He was only going to use the pictures and little evidence he had to help him in the divorce. He never even thought of blackmail. He was too good a man to do that. I didn't have those same scruples.

Suzanne's mother and my father were brother sister. They were not good people. For some reason alcoholism ran in the family and neither of us ever had much materially or emotionally in our childhood because of that. Being older, Suzanne let me come live with her as soon as she was on her own.

Since we had no money, when I was old enough, I joined the Army and made it into the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE). With the Defence University Sponsorship, I was able to complete a degree in Architecture from the University of Melbourne and now Dave and his company were sponsoring me with my master's program in Sydney.

Working with the RAE taught me a lot about site prep and building, but I also learned how to use heavy equipment, which is a rarity in the architecture field, even more rare for a woman. This instruction would come in handy during the incident involving Sarah.

While in the army I also saw first hand the number of predators that, even married, came after me. Then there were the poor guys, many good men, whose wives cheated on them while they were away from home. Those lessons, combined with my own family lessons, stayed with me.

Suzanne married too young to someone I considered a real loser. While in the army and university, I visited Suzanne as much as possible. Kent, her husband, was too immature to be married and even hit on me several times. That stopped one night when, even with my diminutive size, I grabbed him by the balls and told him that if he ever did that again, me and my Army friends would make sure he became part of a dam or building foundation to never be seen again. He never touched me after that.

His cheating on Suzanne nearly destroyed her. She actually thought herself unattractive for a while, which is unfathomable. I was happy to see him go. She and Jessica deserved a good man in their life. I just took advantage of the opportunity.

Dave was crushed when he learned of Sarah's cheating. His entire future came into question. His pondering about what his life with his kids would be like after he was kicked from the house was despairing. He knew Sarah's law firm would help her out. The whole system is so unfair. Fortunately, and unbeknownst to him, he had an equalizer on his side.

The rain really worked in my favor the night of the accident. Without it, I might have been forced into more drastic actions. I made arrangements with one of our contractors to use a 4,500 litre tanker water truck for the weekend. With their logo and license plate slightly altered, it was a cinch to ensure no one remembered the truck.

At the bridge where the accident took place, all I needed to do was use the truck's high-pressure hose to wear away that side of the gravel road near the bridge to cause the car to veer to that side. I did part of it while they were at dinner and finished it immediately after they came back.

While they were at the restaurant, I entered the cabin (they should have locked the door on the back porch) and stole the extra key to Sarah's car, for later. I then drove the truck around to the other side of the lake and paddled a small kayak across the narrow straight near the cabin. Through the window, I snapped a couple of pictures of them and printed them on my handheld portable printer. The letter and envelope were already prepared.