Chapter 1

"Bert, will you drop me off at home?"

This was my father-in-law James Whitlow, and more importantly, my boss speaking. I married Riley, his only daughter and heir, a short year after going to work at his engineering firm. Riley was a beautiful woman, tall, blonde, well put together and I loved her with a passion. She looked much like her mother, but Riley was of a sweeter disposition.

Now, two years later, my boss and I were returning from a job site in North Dakota that needed attention from both of us. We had been gone two weeks and had flown home a day earlier than expected.

"Sure, I'll swing by my house, drop my bag, and then I'll be able to stay for a drink with you. I do want to tell Riley I'm home." Jim and I get along great, and I was considered by him as son, more than son-in-law. I pulled into my driveway and saw Riley's car was missing. She could be anywhere, but most likely at her Jim's house swimming in their pool. Jim and Joanna had an Olympic-sized pool in their backyard. It was hot even for August and I looked forward to joining Riley shortly.

I didn't bother with leaving my bag, just backing out into the street before going on. It was only two miles to the Whitlow's house and I was anticipating seeing my wife in one of her bikinis. Two weeks was too long to be apart for two people as much in love as we were. As I approached, I could see Riley's car was there. Parked beside it in the driveway was a strange car neither of us knew. "I wonder whose car that is, I don't recognize it."

Jim was wondering too. "I have no idea."

Jim stopped off in the kitchen to get beer and I went into the living room which overlooked the pool. The drapes were almost closed against the heat. I parted them and immediately said, "Jim, come here, you better see this." From the kitchen door, Jim looked at me and could see how serious I was. I parted the drapes wider as he came up beside me.

We looked out on Joanna, my mother-in-law, who was having sun block applied by a younger man while lying down on one of the lounges. Her top was off and she appeared half asleep. The man putting the lotion on said something to her we couldn't hear. Joanna shook her head no. He was urging her, we assumed, to turn over and let him do her front. Twice more she shook her head, and then we heard her give in with an, "Okay."

She sat up and turned to face the man. Her face was flushed, but then she straightened her shoulders so he could reach her breasts easier. The man caressed them, but didn't linger until he reached her nipples. She let him fondle her breasts and we could see she was enjoying it. When she told him to stop, he said something.

He stopped, but then he had her stand and they clinched so they could kiss. She then pushed him away. Joanna was being seduced, but hadn't totally given in. Just then my wife, who had been watching her mother, came up out of the pool. The man turned his attention to her. She lay face down on another lounge and he headed her way with the bottle of lotion.

"If that bastard so much as touches her, he's dead."

"Wait Bert, don't do anything rash. We'll stop him if he goes too far."

"Jim, he's gone too far already. How could you stand to see him do that to Joanna?"

"What harm has he done? So he felt her breasts. He stopped and hasn't done her any harm. There are some things you don't know about and this is one of them."

I turned and stared at this man I had admired since I went to work for him. I had looked up to him even more so after I had joined his family by marrying Riley. I couldn't believe what he was saying. "You're sick."

Jim just closed his lips, not answering. I returned my attention to the pool area. The man went over to Riley and untied the string that held her top. She hunched up enough so it could be pulled free from under her. There was no doubt in my mind that this guy was going as far as he did with Joanna and probably further. It also looked like my wife was a willing participant.

Riley turned over and exposed her breasts to the man, and yes, unknowingly to her father, who was watching what was taking place. I looked at Jim with disgust, turned and walked through the house and out the door to my car. At that moment I hated Jim and worse yet, I included my wife. I wanted nothing more to do with any of these people I had come to love. My instinct was to get away. I jumped into my car and squealing the tires I took off, but not to home.

I headed for the only person whom I knew I could talk to about something like this. My Aunt Greta had always been the one I turned to when something troubled me. She lived nearly five hundred miles away. Did I want to fly? No, I needed to be alone with my troubled thoughts. I filled my gas tank and hit the road. I would have to fill my tank again and I only had enough cash left in my pocket for that one fill up. After that my aunt would cover for me.

It took me nine hours to reach her house. Riley had already contacted my aunt to see if I was there or had called. According to Aunt Greta, my mother and father, who lived in the same town with my aunt, were contacted as well. The message to them all, "Call me Bert, please call me!"

Fat chance I would do that ... someday maybe, but not until I could get my head around this. I was so disappointed in Riley. How could she be messing around when I loved her so much? And my father-in-law, why wasn't he more upset with Joanna? He let that man paw his wife. That damned man hadn't used force he just talked her into letting him fondle her. Then my mother-in-law was standing by and letting this person do the same to Riley. And Riley was letting him.

Jim had directed me to wait. What in hell was that all about? And me ... I was so used to listening to him I did what he told me to. Fuck them, I would be through with the whole family, I was that disgusted with them. My problem ... I was more disgusted in myself.

Aunt Greta listened to me spill my sadness and disappointment. "Bert, calm down. Something must be going on you don't know about. Eventually you will find out what it is and then you can deal with it."

"You weren't there. I mean that guy acted like it was his right to be doing what he did. I could tell that Joanna and Riley didn't want to at first, but they didn't resist and did it anyway. You can't tell me Joanna didn't enjoy it if you could have seen how she kissed him. Riley let the man take her top off ... not just untie it, but she then helped him remove it."

"You did the only thing that you could do then by leaving. You say you were going out to kill him? That wouldn't have been smart. What are you planning to do now?"

"Find a job and forget the Whitlows."

"You must remember one of the Whitlows is Mrs. Bertram Collins now. What about her? You still love her too much to forget her."

"No, I will never forget her, but I don't know if I love her anymore."

"Get some sleep. Decide what to do after you calm down."

Surprisingly I did sleep. When I awoke in the morning my thoughts turned to my aunt. My father and my aunt were born into old money, but Aunt Greta was extremely intelligent and multiplied her inheritance while running the family business. My father was content to sit back and enjoy life, depending on his sister to see that he was comfortable. His inheritance was invested in conservative bonds that never grew much and inflation was slowly eating them away.

He did educate me and I wasn't extravagant, so I never had to call on my more substantially well-to-do aunt ... not that she wasn't willing. Her gifts at my wedding opened people's eyes, especially when she handed me the deed to a nice house in the same neighborhood as my in-laws.

At breakfast the question of what I wanted to do came up as the eggs were put down before me. "I would like to find another firm to work for. I can't get over Jim telling me to wait and not do anything when action was clearly called for. I'll never look at him the same way again."

"Well do it. I deal with engineers and firms all the time. I'll check around to find the best one."

"Whoa, if I get a job it will be on my merits, not because of your say-so."

"Fair enough, but I'm going to check anyway to make sure the one that hires you is the best for you. I won't say anything to anybody, but if some place makes you an offer and I don't think you would be happy there or can advance, I'm going to tell you. Now, how are you fixed for money?"

"Don't have a cent. I put all I had into the gas tank getting here. I didn't want to be found so didn't use my card."

Aunt Greta got up from the table and went into her study. Soon she returned with a bundle of cash. "There is five thousand dollars to tide you over. If you run out, I can find another penny or two. How soon do you think your wife or her parents will show up here looking for you?"

"I have no idea. They may be glad to be shut of me or they may show up by tomorrow."

Aunt Greta looked at me. "You're hoping your wife will come looking for you, aren't you? If she comes searching for you that soon, it will be a measure of her love for you. Am I not right?"

"Yes, I suppose so, but I don't want to see her yet. If she loves me, I want her to hurt like I am hurting. If she doesn't, it won't matter when I see her."

"Are you going to talk with your Mom and Dad?"

"Just by phone to tell them Riley and I are having some difficulties. I'm sure they suspect it already, seeing that she called them. If I go see them, Dad will tell anyone that asks that I was here in town. He can't lie for crap."

"You are saying I can lie?" I smiled at my aunt and she agreed. "Yes, I guess I can ... for you anyway."

I took the money and stashed it in the trunk of my car. If I needed to leave here suddenly, it would be with me. I planned on hiding out with my aunt for the time being, but if Riley showed up and we couldn't settle this, I would escape in my car. In the meantime I checked out two engineering firms here in the city. I knew an engineer and friend from college who worked at a firm here in one of them.

I called him about eleven to see if he was in. He was and we spent a few minutes reminiscing. "You don't need someone like me here in your firm do you?"

"Why, are you looking for a position?"

"I might be. I have been working for my father-in-law and right now we are at cross purposes on some personal things. I'm looking at my options."

"Good. Ask for me and I'll put in a word for you. Hey, it would be great if we worked in the same place. I'm looking forward to seeing you more than I have been. I'd like to have you meet my wife and I have a little girl. How about you?"

"I'm married, but my wife is the personal issue I was speaking about."

"Sorry for you, Bert."

I lay in bed that night, my mind whirling round and round. Maybe Riley was being blackmailed. What could she be blackmailed for? It had to be something that happened while Jim and I were in North Dakota. But then Jim didn't seem surprised and told me to wait and not do anything. There was just no logical explanation.

Damn it, why didn't I rush out and confront the bastard? What am I, a wimp? I guess that is what is bothering me the most ... I didn't do anything and just ran away.

Aunt Greta phoned me from her office. "I have a number I think you should call. I believe it is a lawyer and it concerns Jim, your father-in-law who is in trouble. Call him and then get back to me."

What was this all about? I knew Jim's attorney, Roger Duncan. I rang the number Aunt Greta had given me. "Hello, this is Bert Collins. I was asked to contact Roger Duncan about Jim Whitlow."

"Yes, just a minute. Mr. Duncan has been waiting for your call."

"Bert, ah, yes, it seems that Jim has got himself into a spot of trouble. He is in the hospital with some broken ribs collected when he tackled a much younger man at his home. Also he has a court hearing for domestic abuse as soon as he gets out of the hospital. I guess Joanna got hurt in the altercation and is blaming Jim for it. She is pressing charges so I'm trying to keep him from going to the lock-up.

"Would it be possible for you to meet him before he is discharged? He tells me that you are the only one that knows what is going on at the firm and wants to put you in charge until things settle down for him."

"If all he has is some broken ribs, he will be out soon."

"There is a little more to it than that. He tried to drown the man that he had the fight with. Joanna is pressing charges and the judge considers him a danger to the community. I'm working on getting him out on bail, but she has another attorney fighting it."

"Okay I'm heading home and will see Jim tomorrow. It will be too late tonight."

"Good, I will let him know you are on the way. You don't know anything about what went on to cause this, do you?"

"I might have some idea." I related what had caused me to leave, saying I was as mystified as to why Joanna was acting as she was. "What does my wife have to say about this?"

"Riley? I didn't know she was even involved. There is nothing in the police report about her being there."

"Well she was, although she might have left before the fight. Somehow I'll find out what is going on."

When I reached home late the next night, Riley wasn't there. That was good, I wasn't ready to talk to her yet. I caught five hours sleep and headed for the hospital to see Jim. I had trouble getting in, but when I explained I was his son-in-law and the part-time manager of the firm. I let them know we had imperative business to discuss so the hospital immediately let me in to see Jim.

"Hey there Rocky, which fight was this?" Jim was a fight fan, so he knew I was referring to Marciano.

"God Bert, don't make me laugh. I've got three busted ribs and it hurts to even breath."

"Did that guy break them?"

"No, I broke them when I went over the edge of the pool. Peter Tinker, the son-of-a-bitch, was trying to drown me. All I was doing was trying to get free. I had no idea that he would get so physical."