The Incident Ch. 02

Reggie sighed, leaned back in his chair, and took a healthy swallow of his drink. Looking at his watch, he then suggested that it was time to leave. I asked him to be my guest for dinner later in the week and he slapped my back and said that he'd be delighted.

I felt nervous and agitated, not exactly sure why Reggie's tale bothered me so much. I liked Reggie and felt sorry for him, but shit happens. Don't I know that - into every life a little rain must fall. Ain't that the truth.

Sitting on my little porch that evening, I couldn't keep my mind off Reggie and the tragedy that had befallen him. The poor sod (one of his favorite labels) really didn't deserve anything so tragic. My heart went out to him.

The scotch was going down very smoothly and it wasn't long before my glass was empty. I debated getting up and refilling my glass, but decided it required too much effort. The sun was well down below the horizon and I found myself still amazed at the number and clarity of the stars in the sky. It almost felt as if one could reach out and touch them. I felt comfortable, comfortable in the setting, the warm feeling in my belly from the scotch and the warm breeze of the evening. My thoughts began to drift...

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

"For God's sake, Alex. Has she gone crazy? What the fuck is going on?" Ray sputtered after I finished telling him of my little "meeting" with Laura.

"Knock it off, Ray. Here's the audio cassette and the video tape. They'll bear out what I just told you," and I threw them on his desk. The photos I kept to myself.

Ray heaved himself out of his chair and told Suzy that we weren't to be disturbed for anything. He then pulled over the cart with the video player on it and played the tape. A few minutes later he shut it down and I did notice that his color wasn't too good.

"Crissake," he whispered. "She has finally gone over the edge." He sat for just a moment before turning to me. "Alex, stay still, I've got to get George up here," and he snatched up the phone. The George he was referring to was George Freeman, house counsel and a pretty damn good attorney. Minutes later George was sitting with us, watching the tape. He then turned to me and asked if this was the only copy.

"So far, George. Why do you ask?" I replied.

"Well, I think we should make a couple of copies at least. One for you, Alex. One for us and one for an assistant DA I know."

I smiled. This was going just as I anticipated.

George turned to Ray. "It's not complicated, Ray. It's pretty cut and dried- a blatant violation of the penal code. It's extortion and we have the evidence. Laura Ingram and her husband could spend up to four years in prison with the "right" judge as well as having to pay a pretty significant financial penalty."

"What about those photographs, George. I'm pretty sure that the bitch will do as she threatened. I don't want that. Can we get them?" I was truly concerned.

George nodded. "I'll see the assistant DA this morning and he'll get the appropriate warrants. Police will be swarming all over their house, her husband's agency and her office before the day is over. Alex, I really don't think you have to worry about that. This guy is tenacious, he'll have them all confiscated quickly."

I didn't realize that I had moved up in my seat, stiff with tension. I breathed a sigh of relief and sank back. George then gathered up the tapes and left to do as he promised. I looked after him, praying that everything would go as planned.

"Ray, I need to get away. I desperately need a vacation, a long one," I was almost pleading.

"Of course, Alex. Believe me, I understand. Take a couple of weeks, get away, relax, take it easy," he said with a undertone of understanding.

"No, buddy, you don't understand. I don't need two weeks. I need to get away for awhile. I don't know how long...it could be a long time. I just don't know," I said softly, hesitated and then continued.

"Ray, listen to me - just listen. I'm tired, I'm tired to death. I'm in my 40s and I have shit for a personal life. My kids are out of the house and my sad excuse for a marriage has finally ended. Casey's not been a wife for years and now I find she's been having an affair. I've worked my ass off for years and I need to get away. I just want to get away from all the crap and vegetate. I want to sit in the sun, drink and do nothing for awhile. Can you understand what I'm saying?"

Ray nodded reluctantly. "Okay, Alex. I think I understand. Just take whatever time you need. Your job will always be here. The company knows how valuable you are, they'll go along with whatever I suggest. Go, take some time off. Come back whenever you feel like it."

Two hours later I sat in the law offices of Burns and Schroeder. I'd known Jerry Burns for years and he's the guy who I wanted to take care of things for me.

"Okay, I think I understand, Alex. Based on what you've shown me, you've socked away quite a bit of money in joint accounts and it's your desire to let Casey have it all, is that right?"

I nodded. "Look, Jerry. I'll say it again. I don't want to get caught up in a messy divorce right now and I'm pretty sure that Casey won't contest it. Just give her everything: the house, all that's in it, the cars and all of the money we hold jointly. I don't want anything. I just want to get the hell out of here and not have any concerns about anything back home. I'm giving you power of attorney, you take care of anything that comes up. Draw up divorce papers and have them served. Use irreconcilable differences, that's the flavor of the day, isn't it? Do what has to be done. I'll be in touch in case there are problems. Okay? Understood?"

Jerry shook his head. "No, not understood, but I'll do what you want. Just make sure that you keep in touch. This is really nutty, but I'll go along with it. Good luck, buddy." We stood, shook hands and I walked out of that part of my life.

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

I awoke early, as usual. Striding to the front door in my sleeping shorts, I opened it wide and took a deep breath. Ahhh, hot and steamy, even this early in the morning. I quickly changed into my running outfit and made my way to the beach.

About 40 minutes later, sweat streaming down my body, I took my sneaks off and then turned into the surf. I swam out about 50 feet and then stroked parallel to the shore for another 15 minutes. Exhausted now, I slowly made my way back to the beach and collapsed on the sand. The sun was above the horizon and it foretold another brilliant, hot day ahead. I closed my eyes for a long moment and then quickly rose and walked slowly home.

A shower, shave, etc. had me feeling fairly human and I walked into the kitchen, wondering what I should make for my breakfast. I chuckled, a cook I am not. Screw it, I thought, I'll grab a bite out. Yeah, you guessed it, I strolled to Rick's. Rick's is open from early morning to the wee hours.

The place seemed almost deserted with a few couples in the restaurant having breakfast. I walked out onto the patio and the only one there, sitting at a table with a mug of coffee in front of him was Charley Coombs himself. He looked up and saw me.

"Alex, come join me. I need some company," he yelled in a basso profundo. Charley's voice was so deep that sometimes it was difficult to understand him. Well, it certainly matched his bulk. He was fat, but it was hard fat, which a few had discovered to their dismay.

I pulled up a chair and gave my breakfast order to Agnes, one of the early morning gals.

"What, what?" exclaimed Charley. "You on some kind of crazy diet? Two scrambled eggs, toast and coffee. Whatsamatter, Alex. You sick or something?"

I laughed. "Charley, I need a lot less than you do," and I reached over and poked him in the belly. Yep, hard fat alright.

He laughed in return, but it was more of a low rumble. He picked up his mug of coffee, sipped it and eyed me speculatively. "You famous or something, Alex? You're not a writer or politician or something, are you?"

I looked at him in surprise. "Huh? What are you yammering about, Charley? Do I look famous?"

He smiled and put his cup down. "It's just that a guy was here a few days ago asking questions about you. You know, how long you been here, where you're from, that kind of stuff."

My eyebrows rose a bit. "And you didn't tell me about that?"

Charley waved his hand. "Sorry, Alex. Totally forgot about it until just now, seeing you walk in. I get busy and I forget. I haven't seen him again. Sorry, buddy."

I wondered for a moment and shrugged. "Well, I'll know soon enough if it's trouble. Until then, screw it." I muttered as my breakfast arrived.

Charley rose ponderously to his feet. "Atta boy, Alex. Enjoy that snack you call a breakfast," he laughed and lumbered off.

I finished a leisurely meal, sat back with my coffee and considered my schedule for the day. Let's see: I could wander through the town, inspect the few tourists there, wander down by the dock and admire the cruise ships, if any were in, or I could sit on my porch and get just a little drunk. I wondered to myself - have I been here too long?

I saw Reggie strolling by on the beach and I waved and got his attention. Yippee, rescued from my musings. "C'mon, Reg. Have a cup of coffee with me, I need the company."

He laughed gently. "Be glad to, Alex," he replied as I waved to Agnes and held up my cup and pointed to Reggie.

So we sat and shot the shit for awhile. I finally turned to him and asked, "Reg, let me ask you something. You've been on the island a few years now. Haven't you gotten bored? What they hell do you do here? We never really talked about that."

He smiled gently before replying. "Alex, Alex. We have talked about that. Most of the time you were really not listening. I had told you, I golf a bit, I deep sea fish a bit and I write. I've finished my second book recently and it will be published soon. Now I have to start thinking up ideas for my next novel."

I sat there dumbfounded. "For pity's sake, Reg. You say that you told me about that? Was I drunk or something?"

He laughed, "No, laddie. You had other things on your mind and I didn't push. You needed the time to resolve your problems and you didn't have room in your consciousness for extraneous information."

"Jeez, Reg. Quit that, I hate when you talk like a dictionary. Don't forget, you're dealing with a dumb Yank here," I pouted.

He let out a guffaw. "Oh no you don't. Don't try getting me to believe that you're stupid. You're far from that. But one thing I do know, Alex. You're terribly conflicted," he concluded quietly.

"Alex. Why don't you tell me the end of your tale. I know that there's not much more. We have the time, let me hear it now."

So I caught Reggie up on my soap opera of a life. I gave him the details of my conversation with Sunny about what had happened to Casey as a child. I again noticed his eyebrows go up and then I ended it with the scene with Laura Ingram and how I toasted her ass as well as her husbands. Oh, yes. I may have mentioned Casey's infidelity.

"That's it, Reg. You've got it all now. Hey, how about turning it into a novel. Plenty of stuff there, Reg. Oh, oh, wait. Not much sex, Reggie. Guess that it won't sell without a lot of sex. Sorry, buddy, not much sex at all."

Reg ignored my feeble attempt at humor. "Did you give any serious thought to what...what was her name, oh yes, Sunny had told you? I should imagine that Casey's trauma as a child would explain quite a bit about why her whole persona changed so dramatically."

"Yeah, I thought about it...didn't do much though. Maybe I became a bit less aloof, I don't know. I don't know, Reg," I said quietly.

"Alex, why did you stay? At first, when your children were small, I could understand you wanted to be with them. But as they became older and more independent, I'm sure that your presence was not a major factor any longer. You yourself mentioned that they were trying out their wings, so to speak. You probably could have ended you relationship with your wife without too much trauma." He looked piercingly at me. "Why did you continue to stay, even after your kids left for university?"

I sat for a bit. The sun was well up in the sky now and it was getting decidedly hot. I noticed that I was sweating. I wiped my brow with a napkin and avoided looking at Reggie. He sat still, gazing at me, waiting.

"I don't know, Reg. Okay, I don't know. How about inertia. You know, stationary object tend to remain stationary." My voice had risen and I tried to gain control of myself.

He held his hands up defensively. "Okay, laddie. Rest easy, time to calm down."

I was embarrassed and I felt flushed. "Sorry, Reg. Really, bud. I'm sorry. I guess sometimes I get angry at my own stupidity. That's a good question, but I really don't know why. Guess I was just too lazy to make the break. That's as good a reason as any."

He nodded, as if in understanding, but I wasn't too sure of that. We sat in companionable silence for a bit which gave me the opportunity to catch my breath figurately.

"Well, Alex. Since it's getting late in the morning and the greens won't be too crowded, how about being my guest for a round of golf. I have an extra set and it would do my ego much good for me to trounce your American arse.

I laughed, "Reg, I haven't played in awhile, but even without the practice, I'll probably be able to give you odds."

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

So the next few days went by rather peacefully, as had all of the days since I had been here on the island. Reggie had gotten my ass moving a bit and I had gotten my game back a bit, although I never did beat Reggie. He also took me out deep sea fishing, something I had never done before. I found it quite a bit of fun. And so the time passed.

She appeared one morning. I had finished my morning run, had showered and dressed and had just finished brewing a fresh pot of coffee when there was a knock on the door. I opened it and there stood Casey. I stood there, staring at her.

"Are you going to invite me in, Alex?" she asked softly.

I pulled open the door and stood back as she brushed by me. She looked about at the small living room. The kitchen was open to the room and she saw the pot of coffee on the counter.

"Coffee?" she asked.

I nodded and went to fill two cups. Casey had seated herself on the sofa, tucking her skirt around her legs. I looked at her as I poured the coffee. She still looked good, trim, well groomed, but that was all not unusual. She always kept herself in good shape.

"This is quite a surprise, Casey. I'm not sure what to say. I guess I should ask why you're here. Wait, I really should ask how on earth you found me. Did the kids tell you?"

She smiled a bit. "No, Alex. They didn't betray your confidence. It's simple. I hired a private detective. Cost a bundle too, but it was worth it. He found you and here I am."

"Why, Casey? Why are you here? I should have thought that our breakup would have been a relief for you. You know as well as I do that we hadn't had much of a marriage for years."

She nodded thoughtfully. "You're right, Alex. I'm not here to argue that. What I would like to do first of all is apologize..."

I interrupted her harshly. "Your affair, you mean? That hurt, I admit it, that did hurt..."

"Alex, please." She spoke quietly. "Let me finish a sentence. That was no affair. I was raped. I was fed what I was told was either GHB or rohypnol, I had never even heard of those drugs."

I again interrupted. "Raped? You were raped?...I....I...." I stuttered.

"Please, Alex. Will you please let me tell you. I spent quite a bit of time with Sam Bagnol, an assistant district attorney. It seems that the police raided Bob Ingram's office, home as well as his wife's office at your headquarters. They found large quantities of those drugs as well as others. There were also pictures of other women who had been taken advantage of as well as some video tapes.

"That particular day I had accompanied Bob Ingram to lunch with a client. It appears that they conspired to rape me. I was drugged, taken to a room, raped and photographed. All of the evidence was most incriminating and with my testimony, as well as some of the other women, Bob and Laura Ingram are both serving lengthy prison terms. I only wish you had been available so that you could have learned what happened."

I sat there, gaping at her. All of this was a bit difficult to take in. I must have looked unconvinced.

"You can check, Alex. Call Sam or call George, your company's attorney. Call anyone you want. I'm telling the truth," she said simply.

I shook my head. "No...no, that's not necessary. It's just that this is quite..., ah.... I'm sorry, Casey. I really don't know what to say. I am just a bit puzzled though. You seem rather calm about what should have been a horrific time for you. That confuses me a bit."

Casey's smile was sad, perhaps a bit bitter. She sighed, "I've been in therapy, Alex. Again. It's helping. I imagine I will continue with my doctor for quite awhile. I needed help and I'm getting it. Sunny was...well, she..." she hesitated.

I waved my hand. "Yeah, she was there, I wasn't," I said flatly.

"Please, Alex. I didn't come here to accuse you, I came to apologize. I truly am sorry for what I put you through. I was sick and I didn't have the courage to recognize that and if, at times, I did suspect that I wasn't rational, I didn't get help. You didn't deserve the unhappiness I created. You put up with so much more than any man could have or should have.

"I really needed to see you and tell you that. I'm truly sorry, Alex. I know that being sorry isn't very much, but you had to know that. Everything that happened, everything that destroyed our marriage was my fault and I'm truly, truly sorry."

She couldn't continue. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her sobs were catching in her throat. I sat there like a bump on a log. I didn't know what to do. I then shook my head slowly, sighed and went to her. I guess the bitterness in me wasn't all that deep and her tears seemed to wash that away.

I held her until she was cried out. She clung to me for long moments. Finally she was able to compose herself. She rose, I showed her to the bathroom where she freshened up, and then she returned to her seat beside me. We spent the rest of the day talking, having lunch and talking, taking a long walk along the beach, and talking. You get the idea. We went to dinner and sat by the beach and talked. Long after darkness had fallen, we parted and she went up to her room at the hotel.

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

I was seated with Reggie and Charley at a table on the patio. I had gotten to the part of my tale where I left Casey at the hotel.

"Well, well, well?" they urged almost in unison. I looked at them in some amusement. I suddenly realized that I would truly miss them.

"Well, it was an interesting day. We put old animosities aside, she unburdened herself and I accepted her apologies. I also apologized. I guess, in some small part, I also contributed to our unhappiness, although she poo pood that. At the end of the day we both realized that there had been too much pain in our relationship. Whatever we had felt for each other had died a long time ago. There really wasn't much left. We hugged and parted as friends."

I looked past my two friends at the sea. The sun was setting, painting the scattered clouds in vivid colors. I would miss this place, but it was time to leave. I still had a job, thank goodness, a job that I enjoyed. I would return. I wanted to see my kids. Ooops, they weren't kids any longer, but young adults. I wanted to be part of their lives.

I sat quietly for a moment. Reg and Charley respected my silence. I wondered, would I ever see them again? Would I ever return to this paradise? I realized that I didn't know, but that's okay. Who knows what the future will bring.