Chapter 17

They were breathing hard after making serious love. And, now he had to break the spell.

“Was it good for you tonight?” said Herbert.

“Is that a serious question?” said Stephanie. “Of course, it was good for me.”

“Good, good, because after I get done telling you something you might wanna cut me off for a while,” he said.

“No chance, Big Guy,” she said.

“Leah’s cheating on Jack,” he said.

“Huh?’ What? What are you talking about?” she said, sitting up and staring at her husband.

“She is, and we’ve got the evidence. Donald caught her and the man, and he got them on tape.”

“What the hell!” she said.

“I don’t know, Stef, but it might have been his last chance at something approaching a normal life. I feel so bad for the guy,” he said.

“Shit, shit, shit,” she said. “I was so feeling good about the woman. She’s pretty, she’s younger than us, and seemed so understanding about his disabilities. She was perfect! Well, she looked to be. Too much to hope for, I guess. But, no, you don’t have to worry; this disaster will not be affecting our love life. I don’t know why you would have thought that.”

“I just figured you might feel so bad for the man that you might’ve felt guilty about us being like we are,” he said. “Stupid of me, I guess. I guess, I know.”

“Hmm,” she said. “Herb, all of that said. I want to do something for the man. I just ... I just don’t think that another woman, unless he initiates it himself is going to work. We need to stay away from any of that. But what do you think?” she said.

“Do something for the man? What do you have in mind?” he said.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I mean I just heard about any of this now. We need to think. But the man has to be told. How he reacts, and I can guess how that might be, might provide us some direction. But now...

“Who is going to be doing the informing of the man,” she said.

“I do have an idea about that. I think it has to be the ones who uncovered this mess: Donald and Mickey,” he said. His wife was nodding.

“Yes, I can see the logic in that. But as soon as he is informed. We need to be ready to be there for him. I mean we already are, but literally holding his hand if necessary,” she said.

“Maybe, but I can see him backing away from any of that. The man wants to be seen as a man in spite of his disability. He might, and probably will, see us ‘holding his hand’ as seeing him as helpless, as less than a man,” he said.

“After all that that man has done for us and others, he has a ton of evidence to prove his manhood, by God he does,” she said.

“It’s his one weakness. He doesn’t see anything he’s done as anything extraordinary. No, that’s not right. He does see what he’s done as extraordinary, but what he does not want is for anyone else to be hanging flower wreaths around his neck telling him so. For him it demeans him and whatever it might be that people are congratulating him for. Sorry, but it’s who and what the man is,” he said.

“I hate to say it, but you are so right. When he and I were married, before everything bad happened. If he had to fix something, if he had to help someone out—especially me or Barbie—he refused even to hear any kind of congratulations or thank-yous or sorryies; it’s like anything like that embarrassed him. It did embarrass him,” she said.

“Exactly,” said Herbert.

The two detectives, one police the other private, sat across from the man.

“Donald?” said Herbert Halstead.

“Sure, I guess I mean somebody has to,” he said.

“Michelle?” he said.

“Yes, same as Donald. I’ll hold his hand while he does the dirty work,” she said.

“Okay,” said Herbert. “Keep me in the loop. This is going to be very bad for the man. We may all end up holding his hand.” The detectives nodded.

Donald still did not have a car, but he did have the daily use of Jack’s; he and Mickey were in that car now. They needed to talk.

“So, how are we going to be doing this?” said Mickey.

“We sit him down and above all do not treat him as a victim. As a man sinned against, fine, but never as a victim. He’s a man a strong man; but there are limits to his strength and his tolerance. And, we don’t blame the woman either. He, they, were in love, maybe he still is. Hell, maybe they both still are on some level. But now...” said Donald.

“Yes, I see your point. I agree with what you say; and he is for sure a strong man.” What she didn’t say was that she knew the truth of that better than he did.

It was but twenty minutes later that he pulled up in front of the offices of the new business, well, fairly new. Deep breaths were taken. Both were guilty of sloth getting out of the car.

Stephanie had the day off: it was Saturday; she knew what would be going down, and her making time to be at the office would not have been a plus, and she knew it. She’d stayed out of it when Herbert talked to the detectives, but she would be talking to him after the pair returned; which she knew that they would.

Entering the office together. They knew the man would be in; he was always in in the morning on Saturday. He’d be leaving to go home after lunch time. Half days on Saturday were routine.

The pair could see his office door was open they headed for it.

“Don? Mickey?” he said as the two detectives entered and took seats without asking or being asked. “Something going on?” I said.

Mickey looked over to her partner for the day.

“Jack, I don’t know how to say this, but...” started Donald. His boss sagged back in his seat.

“My wife, right? She’s cheating on me. I can tell from the look on your faces,” I said.

“Yes,” said Donald. “Whaddya want to do?” I just stared for the moment.

“It was inevitable, I guess. She needs a whole man. A woman that looks like her ... she needs a whole man,” I said.

The visitors waited for instructions.

“Looking at the two of you, I know you have evidence, not just rumors or suspicions, right? Do I want to see it, hear it?” I said.

The detectives looked at each other. They both shook their heads in the negative.

“No,” said Mickey, finally. “And yes, it is conclusive.”

“Anyone we know?” I said.

“No,” said Donald. “And we don’t know how they hooked up, but they have.” I nodded.

“I usually stay till 1:00 p.m. or so on Saturday; I mean here,” I said. “I may stay a little later today.”

“Jack, you want to pin her or would you rather we do it. We could do it,” said Mickey.

The boss stared at her. It was clear to her that he was trying to make up his mind.

“She’s home now,” said Donald, “we checked. Mickey and I could go over there and have her out and gone before you even get home.”

I looked from one to the other of my guests. “No, no, I’m going to ask Stephanie to get her gone. I’ll be shacking up with you tonight, Donald. I’ll just crash on your couch. Okay?”

“Stephanie! But...” said Mickey.

“Yes, she owes me that. I’ll be going over there now. To talk to her. I know she’ll do it. I don’t want to strong arm the woman. But I do want her to know the degree of hurt she’s put on me. Stephanie can do that better than either of you, better than anyone. Like I said, I know she’ll do it, maybe reluctantly, but she’ll do it.

“Jack, no problem about you staying over at my place tonight, but Mickey and I came in the same car, uh, your car. We’ll have to go back to the mansion to get hers,” he said. “We can drop you off.” I nodded.

“Okay, we’ll all go together to pick up Mickey’s car. But I do have to speak to her alone, Stephanie that is,” I said. my visitors nodded.

My friends dropped me off. Mickey promised to check in on me and Donald tomorrow.

I stood in the foyer of the Halstead mansion. The man stood across from me hearing me out. “I need to talk to your wife,” I said—alone. The man nodded and went upstairs to where his wife and daughter, my ex-wife and ex-daughter, were waiting. They knew I’d come in, and knew whatever would be said would be best handled by the man.

I waited for her to come down. She did, and stood across from me. The man absented himself honoring my request.

“Whatever I can do,” she said. She’d never sounded more sincere.

“Yes, and there is something, a couple of things,” I said.

“Like, I said, anything,” she said. I nodded.

“I need you to look at some video and listen to some audio. I haven’t seen or heard any of it. I know your husband has, but not me, Donald gave him copies. Mickey and Donald assured me I didn’t want to, so I haven’t. But I need you to,” I said. “Then we’ll talk about the other thing if that’s all right.” She nodded.

She needed to know the worst of it before I laid the big thing on her.

“Okay,” she said. I handed her the manila envelope with the original copies of the evidence. She took the items into what the Halsteads called their library to watch and listen to the things I’d given her. A moment later my daughter came downstairs and followed her mother into the library. I wasn’t sure I wanted her to, but this was one decision I was leaving to my ex.

It was maybe thirty minutes later that the two women came out. They’re faces were actually gray. “Jack, never, and I mean never listen to the tapes or watch the videos,” said Stephanie. I winced when she said what she said. But I nodded my agreement to accept her commandment.

“So, the second thing,” she said.

“My soon to be ex-wife is at my condo. She doesn’t know that I know anything. I need you to go there and kick her out. If the situation allows or requires, let her hear some of the stuff on the recordings.

“I know it’s bad. I mean if neither you nor my friends will allow me to hear or see any of it...” I said. She nodded.

“Jack, I’m okay with kicking her out. But I’m taking Barbie with me. She wants to support you in this. And, this s a big thing. Are you okay with that?” said Stephanie.

I gave Barbie a look.

“Please daddy, I need to go too,” she said.

“Okay,” I said. “The woman will be expecting me. She likely won’t be too cooperative at the start, but if you just turn on the recordings; she’ll get the message. Let her know that Red will be in touch with her shortly. Okay?” I said.

“Yes,” said Stephanie.

We talked for a little bit more. I let Stephanie know where she could find suitcases and other necessary things for the woman to use to take her stuff with her. I also let her know where my important papers and records were located that I did not want the woman to have access to.

Then they were on the road. And I was momentarily alone. But then the man came downstairs and joined me. We needed to talk some more.

“Can I ask, why Stephanie?” he said.

“Because, in a way, Leah is Stephanie twenty years ago. I want her to finally, maybe finally, to realize just what it was that killed my heart back in the day. It’s not enough, but it’s something,” I said. The man gave me the strangest of looks, but didn’t add anything.