Chapter 18: The Quarry Takes The Bait.

The next morning Agent Forster hurriedly came into my office and shut the door after himself.

“You have to go to Chicago tomorrow!” he said out of breath. Evidently he ran all the way from the visitor’s parking lot to my office. A distance of two blocks at least. A great accomplishment considering the fact he did it in wing tip oxfords.

“Why?” I said annoyed. Sadie was getting in tomorrow afternoon and I was looking forward to spending some quality time with her for a couple of days.

“After your call last night she called Jeff Valentine and they talked for way over an hour. She pretty much raked him over the coals about telling you bout them hooking up. And then spent rest of the time sweet talking him into assisting her in your demise,” he said “Hell after what she promised him I would shoot you now myself.”

“Gee, thanks ole buddy, I knew I could count on you to be in my corner.”

“I have class in 10 min so I have got to go. Why don’t you go chase down Professor Emeritus Gibbons and have coffee with her? She was asking about you the last time you were in. I am sure you two would have a lot in common to discuss. She has to be in her eighties.” I laughed.

Agent Foster was giving me the finger as I was going out my office door.

Friday morning came early and I just finished breakfast when there was a knock at the door. Mrs Jorgeson went to answer the door as I was finishing my coffee. She came back into the kitchen with Agent Foster in tow.

“We ready?” he inquired. “We have to be ready to roll in 40 min in order to make Chicago on time.”

“Give me a sec, I have to get my messenger bag. We got a thermos of fresh made coffee and some of her baked goods to munch on during the flight,” I replied. I was looking forward to the fresh baked cinnamon rolls and coffee cake made last night.

Exactly forty minutes later we were wheels up and winging our way towards Chicago. Less than four hours later we were wheels down at Midway International. Business class jets are the only way to fly. We were met by the same van and same group of agents as before. Less than an hour later we were all sitting around a table waiting for our guest of honor to arrive...

At twelve fifteen Jeff Valentine came into the pub pushing his hand truck with a beer barrel heading for the walk-in cooler. As he negotiated making the corner around the bar I hollered over at him. “Hey Jeff, come on over here. I have some guys I want you to meet.”

Jeff turned white and keep looking around for an exit he could possible make a dash out of on his way over to our table.

“Jeff have a seat. I have some people here I want to introduce you to.” I said smiling. “Jeff, this is my good friend Special Agent Foster of the Chicago FBI field office and these other guys are his coworkers. They really would like to talk with you.”

“Jeff you OK? You look like you are about to be sick. Any thing you would like for us to get you?” asked Agent Foster.

“I don’t want to have anything to do with it. She is making me,” Jeff said in an almost whisper. “It is all her idea. Honest.” Jeff by this time is covered in sweat and his voice is shaky. The guy was almost into shock.

“What you talking about Jeff?” I asked. “Who is she and what does she want you to do.”

“Ginny B wants to off you. Something about how you disrespected her and made a fool out of her. She is set on taking you out. Come hell or high water,” he said. “She called me last night all wound up, She is nuts you know. Kept ranting about how you belong to her and you refuse to acknowledge it”

“She is nuts you know,” he added. “Just like the last time.”

“What last time Jeff are you talking about?” Agent Foster inquired,

Realizing he had let the cat out of the bag Jeff looked around and acted like he was going to try to make a run for it.

Agent Foster just looked at him and said “Don’t try it, you won’t even make it to the door.”

Jeff Valentine hung his head and just looked defeated.

“Now what were you talking about. You know you feel better after you do.”

“Her parents,” Jeff volunteered. “She...”

“She what Jeff? Come on man, what you say now could mean the difference of life or the needle. Its your choice. You want to tell us what?”

I don’t think I have ever seen anyone look more sick than what Jeff did at that moment. One of the FBI agents went and got him a soft drink.

After taking a few sips he started out with, “Well, she that is Ginny B”

“Wait Jeff, we want this to be all legal and everything. Let me read you your right and once you agree to it then you can start your story.” Agent Foster said. “You agree to that and give your statement freely?”

Jeff nodded his head yes.

“Jeff you need to say yes as this is being recorded.” added Agent Foster.

“It was all her idea, she was the one that killed them. All I did was to show her how to disconnect the propane tanks. She did all the rest.” Jeff said hanging his head.

“You sure Jeff, it would take a lot more strength that what a woman her size would have to loosen up those LP gas lines.”

“You don’t know her. When she get angry, upset or excited her body goes nuts like the rest of her. Ask him,” he said pointing at me. “He carries the scars of one of her anger moments. She is capable of super human strength stuff. I kid you not.”

Jeff then added, “I guess the reason she killed her parents was because they were done supporting her and wanted to use their retirement cash to travel and enjoy life. They couldn’t do both that and support her in the manner she wanted. I guess she got pissed and decided to end their lives.”

“Man that’s cold,” one of the other FBI agents remarked.

“They aren’t the only ones she has killed. She also killed that RA on campus, a frat brother of his, one of his later girl friends and some poor teen that pissed her off at the mall.”

“She really has it in for you, you know,” Jeff said looking at me. “She killed the RA cause you were friends. She killed your frat brother because you weren’t on campus and she wasn’t sure where you lived. And she killed that other girl where you went to grad school simply cause she was jealous. If she couldn’t have you no one else would. She is really a sick evil lady.”

I couldn’t have agreed more.

“Jeff, you are going to call your boss and tell him you aren’t going to be able to complete your route today. And he needs to send a replacement driver here to complete your route” Agent Foster said.

“And then you will be going home with these two agents who have agreed to babysit you. Don’t give them any trouble and you might be able to see the sun again someday.”

Jeff did as he was requested and soon left in the company of the two FBI agents. He was blubbering like a little kid when he left. I got the feeling he was in for some more disappointment.

Agent Foster said, “Let’s grab a burger and some fries while we are here. They have the best fries here. We got to get you back to Minot to see that lady love of yours. Don’t want to keep you two apart, you know.”

A short drive before rush hour and we were wheels up heading back to Minot. By my calculations we should get back in town just before Sadie would be pulling into her grandmother’s drive.

We timed it pretty close. Fifteen minutes after I got back to my apartment and Agent Foster left to do his reports back in his motel room, Sadie pulled in. She was bubbly and glad to see her grandmother and me. I planned to take them both out to that restaurant that Mrs. Jorgeson was always comparing her cooking to. Reminding us that her cooking was better cause she didn’t open a can and everything was cooked with love.

While we were eating I told them about the last couple of weeks. I told them the phone calls I had made to Ginny B using the “little black box” to trick her phone into thinking I was in Chicago and not Minot. I also told them about my two trips to Chicago by business jet to see Jeff Valentine and his subsequent being held by the FBI.

Sadie was none to happy about my calling an old girl friend even if it was done to help the FBI.

“You shouldn’t be calling old girl friends, if you are going to be in a relationship”, Sadie said angrily. “I don’t like this, not one bit. You’re mine and no one else, period. And if you can’t abide by that there is no reason for my continuing to see you you!”

Whoa! Where did that come from, I thought. Deja vu all over again. This was not the place for this conversation and I didn’t respond. Looking over at her grandmother I could see she thought the same as I did. Mrs. Jorgeson just looked at me and sadly shook her head.

Not another word was said. We got up and I went over to pay the bill and we left. The whole way back to the apartment and my landlady’s house not a word was spoken. The silence said it all. I went up to my apartment and Sadie into her grandmother’s house.

Saturday morning Sadie left early to head back to Oregon. She didn’t even knock on my door to say goodbye! I was sad things ended this way but I was not going to go through that again. One jealous crazy girl friend was enough for anyone and two was more that I wanted to experience.

At noon I left the apartment and decided to run some errands. I was coming down the steps just as my landlady came out the door. I had hoped that I wouldn’t have to face her but it wasn’t meant to be.

“I am so sorry for what Sadie said to you last night,” Mrs. Jorgeson said. “We were up late last night arguing about what she said and she refused to back down. I don’t understand why she said the things she did. But I know she will soon regret them when she realizes what she is losing in breaking up with you.”

“It is best it happened now instead of later if we had stayed together. This way it will be easier for both of us to move on.”

“She is a very foolish girl to have broken up with you and I was so looking forward to having you as my grandson-in law,” she sadly responded. “Don’t worry I will keep working on her to rethink her decision.”

“Please don’t bother,” I said. “She doesn’t think we have a future together. I can respect that. I may not like it but it is what it is.”

And what I was about to add I didn’t want to do but felt it was necessary. “I hate to tell you this, but at the end of this school year I will be moving on. I want to formally inform you I will be moving out effective the end of May. I have decided it is best for my career to go to a major research university where I have more resources for my work.”

At this Mrs. Jorgeson teared up, turned and walked back in to her house. I felt like worm excrement, I hated breaking her heart. She was so set on me becoming part of her family and to tell the truth I was regretting it just as bad.

The rest of the weekend I stayed pretty much to myself. I fixed my own supper for the first time in months. Come Sunday morning, she didn’t come to my door to get to go to church with her. I ate out Sunday noon at a fast food joint across town and went to the university and spent most of the afternoon in my office working on my research. I to be honest didn’t accomplish much. I didn’t feel much like supper so I drove to a neighborhood park and tried to interest myself in a little league baseball game that was going on. I didn’t make it back to the apartment until after dark.

Monday morning I was in my office bright and early. I formally typed out my letter of resignation to the college and gave my effective date as the last day of the semester. I was going to miss it here despite the winter. There were some nice people here and I was going to regret no longer having them in my life. We all have to make tough decisions in life and this was one of them for me. I was really going to miss my landlady, she was like a grandmother to me. Sadie had been part of it too for a very short time but no longer, her choice not mine. There were were others at the college fellow instructors and students. I was going to miss them all.