by Lori Woods
“Okay, so Robyn just decided to tell Patricia about the affair?” Marionette questioned. “That doesn’t make any sense. He was hired by Charles.”
“Excuse me!” a shrill voice snapped as Amaya was hanging her head halfway through the aisle. Looking up, they could see that Patricia had finally emerged from the cockpit and her conversing with the captain to join the rest of the passengers. She had on a look of absolute loathing. “You’re blocking the aisle!”
“Oh, sorry,” Amaya said. The plane jerked a bit, and Patricia fumbled as the pilot announced that they would be experiencing some turbulence a bit too late. Amaya moved over to the window seat. “Here, you can just sit down here.”
Patricia’s face turned a bit red, realizing now that she had misplaced her attitude towards someone who didn’t deserve it, it seemed. “Oh, thank you,” she said, gripping the seat to keep from fumbling over.
Marionette shot Amaya a sort of congratulatory look as the woman who could answer their lingering questions was now seated right in the midst of them. “We’re very sorry for your loss,” Molly said.
Patricia, who looked very thankful to be seated as the plane bounced around, nodded approvingly in their direction. “Yes, thank you,” she said. “I just…” Her voice trailed away. Her makeup, Marionette noticed, had smeared all over her face. Her eyeliner was an absolute mess, her mascara having caused lines down her cheeks.
It seemed that despite the affair, Patricia was indeed upset about her husband’s sudden departure. “Mrs. Beard, do you mind if I ask you a question?” Marionette said from across Molly’s lap.
“I suppose,” she said.
“While you were speaking with the captain, a few things came to light…” Marionette began cautiously, not wanting her to find out they had dug around in her purse. “We were wondering if you could tell us about that private investigator, Robyn?”
Patricia sighed. “Yes. He found out about my husband’s affairs. Charles hired him. I guess Charles was trying to find something to use against Ralph. They lost a substantial client last year and it cost the company a fortune. Charles felt that Ralph owed him compensation. The idiot…”
“So, did Ralph refuse to pay the compensation?” Molly asked.
“I don’t know,” Patricia said.
“So why did you find out at all?” Amaya questioned.
“That’s the odd thing, really,” Patricia said. “Robyn reached out to me. Told me everything.”
“That seems bad for business,” Marionette said. “If Charles hired him to find dirt on your husband, and he found it. He kind of ruined what Charles could have used against him, didn’t he?”
“Yes, it seems that way,” Patricia said. “I don’t know why Robyn elected to tell me. It was all a bit odd, really. He has been very kind and supportive, though. Very reassuring. We had coffee last week when he brought me the latest round of photographs he had from the affairs. He put me in contact with a lawyer. I was thinking about divorcing Ralph. I hadn’t decided officially, but Robyn has been helping me so much…”
“But why?” Amaya asked.
Molly, who had been playing around on Robyn’s phone, exhaled suddenly. She passed the phone to Marionette, revealing to her the screensaver Robyn had elected to use. It was a beautiful picture of Patricia. She looked very lovely sitting alone outside a café in Atlanta, her nose in a book. She wasn’t dressed to the nines like she was now in her golden-colored pants suit. She was dressed with her hair up in a ponytail, wearing blue jeans and a lovely white tank with lacy sleeves – her sunglasses up on her head. The book in front of her she was reading in the photograph was Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
“Good picture,” Marionette said before she even realized that the pretty woman in the photograph was Patricia.
“Robyn loves that book,” Molly said. “Said it’s one of his favorites.”
“What is?” Patricia asked curiously.
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” Molly said and then showed Patricia the picture on Robyn’s phone.
The woman’s face went pink. “Where did he… get that picture of me?”
“I’m assuming he took it,” Molly said. “Might have been following you around a bit as Charles wanted dirt on your husband. It’s a very lovely picture… very flattering… do you like to read, Patricia?”
“I love to read,” Patricia said. “I love the classics.”
“So does Robyn,” Molly said.
“What are you getting at, Molly?” Marionette asked, though she felt certain Molly was reaching the same conclusion as she was at the moment.
“I think Ralph, while he was spying on you and your husband, saw something that he liked,” Molly said, eyeing Patricia. “I think he fell in love with you, Patricia.”
Patricia’s face went pale. “Oh…”
“When he started contacting you, what was he like? What was he saying to you?” Molly asked.
Patricia looked rather sickly. “He was very sweet, honestly. He approached me at a coffee shop. Acted like he knew me and bought me a coffee. We sat down, and I said I didn’t know him and was embarrassed that I didn’t recognize him. He got my guard down, then he told me that he was a private investigator who had been hired to look into my husband. He was very apologetic. Told me he was sorry about what he found, and he showed me the pictures. He… he held my hand when I broke down at the coffee shop while he showed me the pictures.”
“He wanted to be your knight in shining armor,” Marionette said. “Patricia, how long have you and Robyn been meeting and talking?”
“About six months,” Patricia said. “He put me in contact with a friend of his who is a really good divorce lawyer. But… last week… I told the lawyer I didn’t want the divorce. That I was going to talk to Ralph about what I knew and see what happens.”
“Did Robyn know this?” Marionette asked.
Patricia’s cheeks went even redder, if possible. “Yes, he knew. I met with him a few days ago because his lawyer friend told him I had stopped working on my case. He wanted to know if I was using a different lawyer, and I told him I had decided against the divorce. He seemed rather upset for me, but then told me he wished me the best and we departed. That was the last time I spoke to him until I saw him at the airport in Atlanta and realized we were on the same plane. He just asked me how I have been and told me it was good to see me. But that was all.”
“We need to get the flight marshal’s attention,” Marionette said, slamming her fist into her palm with grave enthusiasm.
Amaya stood up and waved frantically. Robyn, Marionette noticed, was glancing back towards them as the flight marshal made his way towards them. The pilot came on, announcing that they were beginning their descent. “What’s wrong?” the flight marshal asked.
They could not speak fast enough. Patricia sobbingly told the man about her husband’s affairs and about Robyn contacting her out of the blue. Marionette told the flight marshal about Charles who had hired the man. And they told him all about what they believed about Robyn. The man seemed thoroughly convinced, and he began making his way up towards the front of the plane where Robyn had been seated alone ever since Molly had joined Marionette in Charles’s empty seat.
All four women leaned out of the aisle, watching the interaction. Robyn stood up as the plane shook. The flight marshal yelled at him to sit down, but Robyn pushed him back. Where Robyn thought he was going to escape on an airplane, Marionette could not imagine, but Roxie kicked him as he went by. Robyn fell and attempted to jump up again, but Charles kicked him in the head with his foot before he could jump on the flight marshal.
Robyn lay flat for a moment in a state of confusion as the flight marshal handcuffed him, and everyone on the plane cheered as Robyn swore and cussed at Charles and Roxie who were both laughing now with utter amusement.
Once the plane landed, Patricia was the first to jump up from her seat and barge to the front of the plane where she promptly slapped Ralph. “I loved you!” Robyn shouted up at her.
“So you killed my husband?” Patricia questioned. “Screw you, Robyn!”
“He didn’t deserve you!” Robyn roared. “He was cheating on you! He didn’t deserve you!”
“That was my decision to make,” Patricia said. “Not yours. Not yours, Robyn. I decided to forgive him, you idiot!” She turned on Charles. “And screw you too, Charles! You’re going to be missing that money now, aren’t you?”
Charles frowned. “I’m sorry, Pat.”
“No, you’re not,” she said and stormed back to her seat, snatched up her bags, and proceeded to be the first to exit the plane, but not before making a rather obscene gesture that resulted in more cheering from the passengers who seemed to have rather enjoyed the in-flight entertainment.
“So,” Roxie said loudly, looking across the aisle at Charles. “Any chance we can call a truce so I can go enjoy my friend’s bachelorette party instead of spending the weekend in jail with you, bub?”
Charles rolled his eyes, but he evidently had decided against pressing charges. Marionette smiled in relief – now the fun could really begin.
Chapter 12
Marionette had never felt more relieved when they were finally off that plane, and the fact that Charles and Roxie had both agreed not to press charges against one another was a plus as well. The ladies all gathered their luggage and headed to catch a cab. Marionette was more than happy to leave the airport to put as much distance between herself and the airlines as possible. Now her head was spinning with thoughts of the fun they were to have in Vegas.
“I’m so glad that nonsense is behind us,” Marionette said, squishing between Amaya and Molly in the backseat of the cab while Roxie hopped up front.
“You’re telling me,” Roxie said.
“I still can’t believe that you smashed Charles in the head with a wine bottle,” Amaya said, giggling terribly. “You could have gotten yourself into some serious trouble.”
“Thing I’m most surprised about is that he decided he wasn’t going to press charges,” Molly said. “I guess you two knocking Robyn out together was enough for him to think you had bonded or something.”
Roxie smirked. “Well, I am a bit of a charmer, I suppose. He’s lucky I didn’t break his skull for pinching me on my rear like that. What is it, 1945? I don’t put up with that nonsense.”
“I’m glad you don’t,” Marionette said. “Though maybe smashing a bottle over his head was a bit extreme.”
“Did you talk to Patricia before we left?” Amaya asked. “I think I saw you two together at baggage claim.”
Marionette nodded. “Yeah, we talked for a minute. She is still pretty shaken up. Her husband’s affairs already had her upset.”
“No wonder she was being so paranoid on the plane,” Amaya said. “When we were sitting next to each other, she wouldn’t take her eyes off her husband and Roxie for a second, but I suppose if he had been cheating on her this whole time, I would have been a little paranoid as well.”
“Good men are hard to come by,” Roxie said.
“You found yourself a pretty nice one in Kris,” Molly said.
“Yeah, well, we’re not particularly serious,” Roxie said. “Plus, he’s kind of withdrawn for me. I mean, I like a deep and brooding guy as much as the next girl, but he is just too serious. Not sure how long it’s going to last, if I’m being honest.”
“You’ll never know unless you give it a chance,” Molly sang.
“I am giving it a chance,” Roxie insisted. “I am not putting all my cards on the table just yet.”
“Digging the card analogy now that we’re actually in Vegas!” Amaya cried, clasping her hands together as she did so.
Marionette grinned. The four-hour plane ride had felt like an eternity given all that had taken place in such a short period of time. Before too long, the four of them had completely brushed away worries of Robyn, the rogue private investigator. Instead, they turned their attention forward towards the approaching casino hotel in the distance.
The timing for their arrival could not have possibly have been more perfect. As they pulled up to the hotel, the evening lights on the fountains flickered on. The enormous geysers out front erupted, and the girls all oohed and aahed at the magnificent display. “Welcome to the Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel and Casino,” the cab driver said in a friendly tone. “You ladies behave yourselves.”
“Never,” Roxie said, jumping out of the taxi cab and hurrying around towards the back to gather everyone’s luggage. Molly swiftly paid the driver as Marionette and Amaya made their way out, giggling excitedly.
Marionette felt her phone buzz in her pocket. For a moment, she half expected to see one of the girl’s faces appear as they had been talking most of the flight via video chat. Instead, she saw that her husband-to-be, Thomas, was giving her a call. She put the phone to her ear. “Thomas!” she exclaimed. “I am so glad to be hearing from you, mon amour. How is your trip going?”
“Going great!” Thomas exclaimed. “We’ve only been in Helen since las’ night. Ya should see Enrique. He’s real excited to have been invited along, ya know?”
“I’m glad you invited him,” Marionette said. “We just got into Las Vegas and are about to check into the hotel.”
“Oh, dear,” he said with a chuckle. “I hope you ladies can manage to enjoy yourselves without getting into too much trouble?”
Marionette blushed slightly. Molly was grinning in her direction, clearly having heard what Thomas had just said. “Oh, Thomas, you know us. How much trouble could we really get into?” She said this, of course, while glancing over to see that Roxie was already having an argument with someone by the fountain – something about them staring.
“Come now, love, ya know I know ya girls better than that,” he sang and laughed a bit.
“Well, what about you?” Marionette questioned. “Have you gotten into some trouble as well?”
Thomas cleared his throat. “No… course not.”
“Sure,” Marionette said, laughing. “Well, you boys enjoy your trip as well.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too,” Marionette said, hanging up the phone. She laughed slightly as she pulled her rolling suitcase behind her, ready to embark on her next grand adventure.
Thomas hung up the phone, smiling happily. “All right, lover boy,” his best man, Aaron, sang as he slapped his shoulder. He reached around him, snatching the phone away from him. “No more talking to the future wifey for the weekend, you hear me?”
Jeffrey shook his head. “Come on now, Aaron, the man’s in love. Don’t give him a hard time. Had to make sure they landed safely in Vegas.”
Aaron pointed a finger at Jeffrey. “I’m the best man. I’m throwing this party. My rules apply.”
Jeffrey shook his head. They had arrived rather late in Helen the night before thanks to a late start. Jeffrey, who was supposed to have been driving, had a problem with his vehicle. They wound up standing around half the day at Jeffrey’s home debating on whose car to take that would fit all five of them plus their luggage. Currently, they were all lounging around the inside of the small cabin Aaron had rented for the weekend’s festivities.
“I was under the assumption that this was Thomas’s celebration,” Kris said, his nose in what looked like a very dull book.
Thomas smirked, preparing himself for Aaron’s rant. “No,” Aaron said. “See now, that’s where the misconception is, friend. The bachelor and bachelorette parties are not for the bride and groom. That’s just not how it works. It’s for their friends.”
“I’m missing your logic there,” Enrique said from where he had nestled down on the floor in front of the crackling fire.
“Chill, I’m going to explain,” Aaron said. “The point of the bachelor party is to give the groom one last fun night as a single man – one last hoorah with his friends because his friends know that he’s going to be wrapped around his wife’s finger for the rest of his life before too long. But, that’s not really ho
w it works, now is it? Because Thomas isn’t really single, now is he? How much trouble would he get himself into if he really treated this like a single man’s last night? Because he’s in a relationship. He can’t really enjoy himself like a single man would! No, tonight is all about his friends pretending he’s single and pretending like it was back when. To give us one final, small taste of the Thomas before Marionette.”
“You’re an idiot,” Thomas said, but he laughed all the same. “I’m lookin’ forward to this anyhow.”
“So, exactly what are we doing tonight to celebrate you, then, Aaron?” Jeffrey asked, causing the other men to laugh.
Aaron rolled his eyes. “Hey, it’s still Thomas’s party, fellas. Why else do you think I would plan a trip to Helen to celebrate this guy? We’re all too broke to do a trip overseas to some legit Scottish pubs, so I’m settling with German wanna-be pubs. Night one of our trip will be us hitting up every German pub in town.”
“It’s ten in the morning!” Enrique exclaimed. He shook his head and sat upright, giving Aaron a very questionable look like he thought he was absolutely out of his mind. “You’re not serious about pub hopping at ten in the morning, are you?”
“No,” Aaron said, though Thomas wondered if perhaps he had been thinking about bar hopping all day before the thought was met with such aggression by the others. “We’re going floating. Hope you boys brought your swimsuits, because we’re going down the Chattahoochee.” Aaron smiled like this had been the plan all along.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Jeffrey said. “Let’s do it, boys.”
Thomas beamed. Before he knew it, they were all dressed in t-shirts, flip-flops, and swim trunks and were headed down the dirt path in Aaron’s car into town. They had a number of different inner tube rental places, and soon they were all sitting and floating happily down the river. “Check it out!” Enrique shouted; he had gotten a bit ahead of the others. The man was waving excitedly towards the bank where one of the local pubs was setting up for a party on the bank – including a deejay booth.