by Joe Conlan
The boys were getting restless complaining to their mom they wanted to go home. With an unsteady voice, Deborah told them she needed just a minute to read the mail and asked if they could sit quietly for a few minutes. She wasn’t sure she could trust herself to drive in her condition. Both Dale and Timmy recognized the strain in their mom’s voice and did as they were told.
Deborah took a few deep breaths as tears raced down her cheeks in rivulets. She grabbed a tissue from her purse to wipe her eyes and face, knowing she needed to get herself together in order to drive the kids home without killing or hurting them. She thought about calling her parents to ask them to come. But, their home in Pembroke Pines was at least twenty minutes away and there was no way the boys would sit still that long. She was going to have to find the courage to block the image of her husband’s face in Annie’s naked crotch from her mind for the short ride home. Using Dale and Timmy’s welfare as her source of strength, she willed herself to stop shaking. Several minutes later, when her vision finally was no longer distorted by the tears, she put the car in gear and backed out of the parking space. She thanked God as she pulled into her condominium complex without incident ten minutes later. As soon as they entered the house, she sent the boys upstairs to do their homework. Still aware of their mom’s state of mind, they complied without hesitation. After they left the room, Deborah sat down on the family room sofa and one at a time, painfully examined the explicit photographs of her husband having sex with Annie. With each flip of a picture, it felt as though the life was being sucked out of her and her heart was being torn from her chest. She wished she could pinch herself awake from this unimaginable nightmare. No doubt, she was going to be useless for the rest of the day. She picked up the phone to call her mom. She broke down attempting to explain the terrible package she received in the mail. Kate Tyler assured her daughter that she and her father would be there as quickly as the traffic allowed to take care of the children.
Daniel knew something was amiss when his secretary told him his father-in-law, Jack Tyler was on the phone. Jack rarely called him, period. Daniel couldn’t imagine any reason why Deborah’s dad would interrupt him at work other than an emergency. Daniel picked up his extension.
“Hi Jack. Is everything alright?”
“Let me say first no one is hurt or dead. But, things are far from alright. I think you should do your best to wrap things up at the office and come home.”
“What’s goin on, Jack?” Can’t you give me a clue? It’s not easy for me to drop everything and leave. It’s only four o’clock.”
“This isn’t a subject either you or I would want to discuss over the phone. I suggest you find a way to get your ass home.”
For Jack to speak in that manner was totally out of character. Daniel felt a huge lump developing in his throat. He said, “I’ll be home right away, Jack. It should take me about fifteen minutes to wind things up and let everyone know I’m leaving for the day. I should be home in about an hour. I’ll see you then.”
Jack hung up the phone without saying another word. Daniel’s stomach twisted into a wrenching ache that made him break out into a cold sweat. His analytical, detective’s imagination immediately took over as he considered every potential explanation of what could have gone so wrong. One after the other, he eliminated each contingency until he arrived at the unthinkable. Major trouble involving the boys was unlikely. There was no reason why Jack couldn’t at least give him a brief explanation over the phone. Jack was too angry with Daniel for that to be the issue. If there was a problem or health emergency affecting any other close family member, Jack wouldn’t have responded with antagonism toward Daniel. He also explicitly said it wasn’t an issue of illness, injury or death.
Daniel’s heart began to pound so hard it felt as though it was going to burst through his rib cage. Beads of perspiration poured from his temples down the side of his face. Having suffered from a crushing sense of guilt over the past week, he couldn’t help but wonder whether Deborah had discovered his infidelity. He couldn’t imagine how she could possibly know, except there wasn’t much else to consider. The only reasonable conclusion would be that Annie told her. That was even more implausible. He stood up from behind his desk, put his jacket on and rushed out of the office. He barked to his secretary he was leaving for the day as he raced past her desk. When he stepped outside of the federal building, he dialed Annie’s cell phone number.
“Hello, Daniel. What’s up?”
“Annie, you haven’t spoken to Deborah recently, have you?”
“That’s a weird question. I don’t even get a hello or how are you?”
“I’m sorry, I’m outta my mind here. How have you been?”
“I’m fine. What are you talking about?”
“Have you spoken to Deborah?”
“You’re scaring me, Daniel. I haven’t had any contact with her since your birthday party. What’s going on?”
“I didn’t think you talked to her...Just a few minutes ago, I got a call from my father-in-law. He’s at our condo right now.” Daniel described his conversation with Jack in more detail. He continued, “The only thing I can think of is...Deborah found out about us.”
“Daniel, I wouldn’t ever think to tell Deborah about that. Not in a million years. I wouldn’t mention it to anyone. I told you I meant it when I said I’d keep it a secret. I hope you didn’t think I said something.”
“I was almost positive you didn’t, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what else could make Jack so mad at me. Especially, to the point he asked me to leave work.”
“Maybe it’s your imagination. If neither you nor I told her, there’s no way in hell she could know what happened Saturday night. It has to be something you’re not thinking of.”
“I guess I could be overreacting. I’ve been feeling extremely guilty.”
“You and me both. We all make mistakes, Daniel. You’re gonna have to forgive yourself for this one. For now, just get yourself home without crashing your car and call me later so I don’t worry. I’m sure everything’ll be alright.”
“K, I’ll let you know what happens. Sorry, I had to make this call.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll survive. Just get this taken care of. I’ll talk to you later.”
Daniel’s conversation with Annie didn’t make him feel any better. His head was telling him she was right. His gut was leading him to believe the contrary. The only circumstances that would warrant taking him away from his job would be that something terrible happened to either Deborah, the kids, his brothers, her parents or his. He didn’t believe it involved his parents or brothers. It didn’t explain why Jack used that language or refused to discuss it over the phone. Excluding death, injury or illness, he was unable to think of any issue concerning his children that couldn’t be discussed over the phone. He seriously doubted it had anything to do with Jack or Kate. That left Deborah.
Daniel flew north on Interstate 95. Normally, it took him twenty five minutes on a day of average traffic to get home. He walked through his front door just fifteen minutes after he left his office. Deborah and her parents were sitting in the family room. Deborah’s eyes were bloodshot red. She had obviously been crying. When Daniel entered the room, Jack and Kate excused themselves saying they were going upstairs to help the children with their homework. Not only did they not greet Daniel, they didn’t even look at him.
When Deborah and Daniel were alone, Daniel spoke first. “Deb, what the hell is going on?”
Though Deborah thought she had evacuated her reservoir of tears, a new stream scurried down her cheeks. For several seconds, she couldn’t speak. Daniel couldn’t hold back. “For God’s sake Deborah, damnit, please tell me what’s wrong. Why are you crying?”
Deborah picked up the manila envelope from the coffee table and handed it to Daniel without saying a word. He pulled the 13x8 glossy photographs depicting several stages of his passionate love making with Annie. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It felt
as though someone hit him in the gut with a sledgehammer. In the few seconds before he spoke, a thousand fleeting questions raced through his head. His first response was not the best choice as far as Deborah was concerned.
“Deborah, where did you get these pictures?”
“What does it matter where I got them from? How could you do this to me? How could you do this to your children?”
“It meant nothing. Both of us had way too much to drink. Annie was upset over Hannah’s kidnapping and I was trying to comfort her. It all happened so quickly. When it was over, neither one of us could believe what happened. I love you, honey. It was a huge mistake and it’ll never happen again. I’ll never see Annie again.”
“I couldn’t give a shit how much you had to drink. How can I believe anything you’re saying, Daniel? That’s a really strange way for a married man to be comforting another woman. You swore to me you were over her. You lied to me. I can’t ever trust you again. I want you out of the house. Please go upstairs, pack your bags and leave.”
Daniel’s initial reaction to the reality that he was losing his family hit him even harder than he ever expected. The guilt he felt over hurting Deborah was overwhelming. The thought of being without his boys was even more devastating. “Honey, please, let’s talk about this. I love you. I can’t live without you and the kids. This was just one big, humungous mistake. It’ll never happen again. I swear. Please, let’s think about this. You’re very angry right now. Give yourself time to think things through clearly.”
“I’m more than angry. I feel dead. I never, in a million years, thought you could be capable of such a thing. I don’t know you anymore. Funny how you have to include the kids when you say you can’t live without me. I don’t need time to think. These photographs say it all. I can’t even look at you. Please go.”
“Oh come on, Deborah. You know you mean the world to me.”
“I don’t want to hear anymore. I’m done. Just get out.”
“Can I ask how you got the pictures? Did you hire a private investigator?”
“I don’t understand what that has to do with anything. But no, I didn’t hire anyone. They arrived in today’s mail. Now, I answered your question, so go upstairs and pack... Now.”
“Sweetheart, please, we have to talk about this. I swear it meant nothing to me. Don’t do this. We can work it out.”
“You can’t be serious. If you felt nothing for her, what would possess you to kiss her like that, to fuck her? You have to go, Daniel. I can’t stay in this house with you. If I leave, I’m taking the children with me.”
“Ok, Deborah, I’ll go. But promise me we’ll talk later.”
“I’m not going to promise you anything. The least you can do is respect my wishes.”
“Ok, alright, I’m going upstairs now. I’ll do as you say, but I want to talk to the boys before I leave. Do you want me to explain what’s going on?”
“Just do it and go.”
The last time Daniel cried was the day Annie rejected his marriage proposal eight and a half years ago. As he climbed the stairs to tell his children he would not be living in the house with them for a while, he wept like a baby.
Chapter 13
“I don’t believe it, Daniel. How is it possible? Who could have been taking pictures? Do you think she’s telling the truth about not hiring an investigator?” asked Annie.
“I have no clue. I don’t know which end is up right now. I don’t think she was lying. I took a look at the envelope. It was delivered by mail. It had a stamp and postmark. Private investigators don’t send that type of thing in the mail.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what happened the other night. I’m really sorry it’s come to this. I am. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way... It seems to me there’s something missing in your marriage. I just don’t get that you’re happy.”
“First of all, my relationship with Deborah is between her and me. You know me just as well as anyone. When I make a promise, I keep it. I have a great family. I love them. The boys are everything to me. It’s where I want to be. I’m not gonna discuss my marriage with you.”
“I know you love your family, Daniel. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut. Your marriage wasn’t the only thing I was thinking about. I’ve been doing a lot of psychoanalyzing myself. It’s kinda been obsessing me. It’s no secret I’ve been wanting you since you moved to Florida. I’ve been trying to get you alone in my apartment forever. Why now and not when you were mine?...I’m a mess. I think I’m only interested in men I can’t have. If you ask me, it’s a self-esteem issue.”
“Really Annie, I have no interest in making this about you right now. I just got kicked out of my house.”
“You’re right. I’m an ass. A selfish one at that. Do you think she’s gonna get over this?”
“She wouldn’t even listen to me. Right now, she’s obviously extremely upset. I’m hoping when she settles down, I’ll be able to get through to her. What I’d like to concentrate on for the moment, if I can get my head together, is who the hell took those pictures.”
“Over the past week, there have been some awfully strange things happening. I’m really starting to believe you may be right about someone having some type of fatal attraction for me. First Hannah, then Michael, now you. It can’t be just coincidence. You would think though...the agents you assigned to keep an eye on me would have come up with something by now.”
“Do you think Michael could somehow be involved in this?”
“No way. No question he’s head over heels in love with me, but I don’t see him coming up with such a devious plot. You don’t suspect he had something to do with Hannah’s murder, do you?”
“I’m not ruling out anything. It’s something that’s going to have to be explored.”
“Well, there’s no doubt in my mind he’s not capable of murder, much less in the way Hannah was tortured. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. He doesn’t have a vicious bone in his body.”
“Sometimes, people can surprise you. Obviously, he wasn’t the man in the surveillance tapes. He could have hired someone to do his dirty work.”
“I don’t believe that for a minute. It doesn’t make sense he would murder Hannah. What threat was she to him? And why would he have the ears sent to himself and open the package up in front of me?”
“You have a point. Still, the two incidents could be unrelated. Or, it could have been a ploy to distract us. Either way, I’m going to investigate further. You still seeing him?”
“No, I finally got up the nerve to end it for good last weekend. I still think you’re barking up the wrong tree. You’ll be wasting your time. Have you guys discovered anything from the post office where the package to Michael was mailed?”
“We’re working on getting their surveillance tapes. The postmark was stamped at their office on Las Olas Boulevard. I’m pretty sure Robert Leland or one of his men is picking up the tapes tomorrow.”
“Those tapes could be very important. I’ll be curious to hear what you find.”
“I’m going to check into a hotel close by the condo. I’ve had about as much as I can handle today. I know I’m probably not gonna sleep a wink tonight. Once I’m in the room, I’ve got a lot of thinkin’ to do.”
“Daniel, I know I’ve done some pretty shitty things... I’ll support you in whatever you choose. You’re a good man. I want to see everything work out for you. I guess we both made a big mistake. She’ll eventually realize you’re just human. You’re not the first and sure as hell won’t be the last. I’ll do everything in my power to help you get things back in order. If there’s anything I can do, please let me know.”
“Thank you, Annie. I think this is something I’m gonna have to handle on my own. I don’t expect anything to change any time soon. I fuck’n cheated on her with my ex. I’m just hoping eventually she’ll find it in her heart to forgive me. I don’t want to throw away nine years of what’s been a solid marriage. I’m pulling into the hotel parkin
g lot. I’ll call you tomorrow with an update... Goodnight, Annie.”
Daniel checked into the Hampton Inn on Federal Highway in Hallandale Beach, just three miles from his home. Once he settled into the room, he thought about returning to the office then quickly reconsidered realizing in his state of mind, he would be essentially useless. Instead, he decided to take a shower to help clear his mind. He was about to step into the bathroom when his cell phone began playing the ringtone for James Mancini. He didn’t feel sharp enough to discuss business at the moment, so he let the call go to voicemail.
After a long, cold shower, he dressed in a pair of jeans and a navy blue FBI t-shirt, grabbed his briefcase and hopped onto the king size bed. He desperately craved a drink, but didn’t dare. He needed a clear mind for at least his conversation with Mancini. The shower didn’t do much for his stress level or morale, though it did have the effect of increasing his alertness. Inside his briefcase, he kept a file with notes he had gathered since the night he was notified of Hannah Richards’ disappearance. He took a few minutes to review what he had written, picked up his cell phone and listened to Mancini’s message then dialed his number.
“Hey, Daniel. I’ve been trying to reach you. I called your office, cell phone and home number. Where the hell are you?”
“It’s a long story, Jim. I’ll get to it in a minute. First, tell me what you’ve got for me.”
“Alright then...We found the stolen pick-up truck. It was parked in the long-term parking lot at Albany International Airport. One of our agents was up in Albany, so I had him courier the airport surveillance tapes for Friday evening and Saturday morning to me. Three of us watched a total of a dozen tapes. We just finished. I’ll summarize everyone’s notes. Our guy took a US Airways flight back to Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday morning. I’m in the process of requesting a manifest of passengers for that flight. I doubt the bastard used his real name, but every little bit helps. You know we were able to determine he used the same name he used for the rental car, Dwight Adelman for his flight from Ft. Lauderdale to LaGuardia. Actually, it was Leland who came up with that information. He’s been trying to get in touch with you, too. He spoke with an agent at American Airlines who told him the suspect used an Israeli passport for identification. Leland verified the passport was fake.