Worse Than Being Alone

by Patricia M. Clark

  “I didn’t say that. I do think it’s time to check Marian out.”

  “She actually warned me,” Roni said. “She told me she could make my life miserable if I didn’t back off.”

  “Wow, that was a mistake. Look, I think it’s time to call in the David Weller card. He told us he had an ex FBI agent on his payroll. He could do a much better background check on her than we can. I think you should go for it.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right,” Roni said. “I was able to get her date of birth and social security number.”

  “How did you manage that?”

  “I pretended I was interested in getting to know her,” Roni said. “I asked her when and where she was born in front of Billy. She wasn’t very happy about sharing, but I guess she decided it might look suspicious if she didn’t tell me. When I first got there, I spotted her purse on a chair by the door. After a bit, I excused myself to use the bathroom and grabbed her purse. I got her date of birth from her driver’s license and her social from what looked like her original card.”

  “We’re turning into real detectives.”

  “I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt,” Roni said. “Now I’m going to go over her life with a microscope. If there’s something there I’ll find it. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect Billy. I think you’re right about David. I’ll go see him as soon as I can and kill two birds with one stone. I’ll convince him to visit my quad and get his investigator involved.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  David Weller, still a formidable figure despite being confined to a specially built wheelchair, stared at the courtyard of his pricey downtown St. Louis hotel. Fountains, walkways, and planters brimming with a riot of different colored flowers led to a central pond containing yellow and orange Koi. Pleased with the view, he thought about what might have been.

  These thoughts occurred less frequently than in those first few agonizing months after his work related car accident. Back then, his company was growing, and he had become a millionaire due to the explosion of building and profits during those years.

  Tall, with a muscular build prior to his injury, David Weller had never thought of himself as handsome. His nose was too big and his blue eyes were too close together to qualify so he decided being handsome would have been distraction anyway.

  Determined to succeed, he worked in construction and still managed to get an engineering degree. Marriage and four sons followed in quick succession. As the years went by, David Weller was aware his marriage wasn’t perfect, but his devastating injury seemed to be a catalyst for change as his wife tearfully told him she hadn’t signed up to share her life with a quadriplegic.

  Already depressed, David Weller poured all his determination into figuring out a way to kill himself, not an easy task for a quadriplegic. Afraid approaching someone on the hospital staff would only land him on the psychiatric unit, he figured he would have to wait until he got out of rehab. All that changed when Roni Edelin stormed into his life. Immediate hate; that was the thought that crossed his mind when the red-haired dynamo walked into his room.

  It only took Roni three visits to figure out he wanted to die, so she presented him with a choice. Pour all his energy into rehab and building another life or just tell her up front he was going to give up so she didn’t have to waste her time trying to save him.

  The determination that had built his business now became focused on his rehab. He exercised every day, using special exercise equipment that stimulated his nerves and fired his muscles. His pre-injury bulk had disappeared, but it was replaced by a wiry strength. After rehab, he had convinced his sons to join him in the business when they finished college. David Weller’s million-dollar hotel building business was now a billion dollar business.

  His thoughts were interrupted when Ted Simmons, his personal assistant, stepped into the room and said. “Roni is here, David.”

  “Thanks, Ted,” David Weller said as he blew into the mouth controller and turned his wheelchair around. “Show her in.”

  “Is there anything else you need?” Ted asked.

  “Not at the moment,” David said as Ted disappeared and Roni took his place, smiling as she walked into the room.

  “Hi, Red,” David Weller said, using his personal nickname. “It’s been awhile.”

  “Yes, it has,” Roni said as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I see you’re still using that nickname.”

  “It’s a term of endearment, Roni,” he said.

  “So, that was what you called me on good days in rehab?” she asked. “What did you call me on bad days?”

  “You don’t want to know,” David said, laughing. “How are Harley and the kids?”

  “They’re good,” Roni said. “I’m going to be a grandma.”

  “Wow, if the kid is anything like you it won’t be pretty.”

  “Yeah, Harley said the same thing,” Roni said. “How are you doing, David?”

  “Really good, Roni. My kids are all involved in the business and we’ve become very close. Life is good. You mentioned you needed some help. You know I’d do anything for you.”

  “I appreciate that, David,” Roni said. “There are actually two things I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve got this new paraplegic. He has the same look in his eyes that you had at first. It scares me.”

  “Did you give him your don’t waste my time speech?’”

  “Of course,” Roni said. “It doesn’t seem to be working like it did with you. He seems like he’d rather just give up. I was hoping maybe you’d go see him. He needs to see he can still have a life.”

  “I’d be happy to do that. What was the other thing?”

  “I seem to remember you telling me you had an ex FBI agent working for you. My father has married a virtual stranger and I want to check her out. I was hoping he could help me.”

  “You mean Lionel Phelps,” David said. “He handles security issues, does background checks, and fixes problems for me. He has an office here in the hotel since this is our world headquarters.”

  “I’d be happy to,” Roni started but Weller cut her off.

  “Don’t even think about trying to pay me,” David said as puffed twice into his mouthpiece.

  Ted Simmons stuck his head in the door and asked. “Did you need something, David?”

  “Call Lionel and see if he can join us.”

  Ten minutes later a tall, gangly man dressed in jeans and a loud Hawaiian shirt entered the room, looking somewhat puzzled. Large glasses with black frames startled Roni because of his pale complexion, green eyes, and blond hair.

  “Hey, David, Ted said to get up here ASAP. Is everything OK?”

  “Yes, Lionel, everything is fine,” David said. “I’d like you to meet Roni Edelin. She’s a very good friend of mine and she has a problem I’d like you to help her with. She wants you to do a background check on her father’s brand new wife.”

  “Ah,” Lionel said.

  “That sounds awful,” Roni said, blushing profusely. “I guess I didn’t realize how bad it sounded until you said it out loud.”

  “Do you suspect her of something?” Lionel asked.

  “I have no proof of anything,” Roni said. “I’ve been a nurse for 25 years. I’ve learned to listen to my little voice when it tells me something is off.”

  “I know just what you mean,” Lionel said. “Every time I’ve ignored mine I’ve been sorry. It won’t hurt to check her out. I usually keep going until I’m convinced there’s nothing to my suspicions. If it all looks cut and dried, it probably is. That’s when it’s time to quit. I’ll get the basic information and we can go from there.”

  “That would be great,” Roni said.

  “I think Lionel could help you check out your other clients,” David said. “I want you to feel free to call him anytime Roni, OK?”

  “I really appreciate that David,” Roni said.

  “Before you start digging there’s something I want you to consider,” Lion
el said. “There’s a good chance the person you’re investigating could find out.”

  “Yeah, I can see how that might be a problem,” Roni said.

  “You have to decide if you want your father to know,” Lionel said. “If you go back and talk to relatives or old neighbors of this woman one of them might tell her and she’d probably tell your father.”

  “I get it,” Roni said. “I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I think I’ll take my chances. I can’t just let it go.”

  “There’s something else you need to consider,” Lionel said. “I’ve seen it a couple of times when I started investigating someone. I call it the law of unintended consequences.”

  “What is that?” Roni asked.

  “Well, if there is something questionable or even illegal in her past,’” Lionel began, but stopped abruptly. “Here’s the deal. Sometimes, bad people feel safe as long as nobody’s digging around. Especially when it’s something that happened a long time ago. When somebody starts poking a stick into their past, sometimes they panic and actually overreact. They try to clean up their mess and tie up any loose ends.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Roni was showing our new part time secretary, Cindy Washington, how to use the computer in the recently leased space of K&R Investigations when I walked through the door. The office consisted of two small rooms; an outer reception area with a desk that Cindy would man, and an inner office with a door and a couple of desks that Roni and I would share.

  Cindy Washington was a high school classmate of ours. She had 10 years of secretarial experience under her belt, but had difficulty keeping a job because of her OCD. The entire student body of Hillsboro HHigh School had referred to her as Crazy Cindy, and I had been less than enthusiastic about hiring her.

  Roni met Crazy Cindy when they were six years old. Even then, it was obvious that Cindy was different. Roni told me she caught glimpses of what was to come in grade school. Once when Roni slept over at Cindy’s house, she found a machete under Cindy’s bed. Cindy refused to explain the reason she had the weapon though she made Roni swear not to tell Cindy’s parents.

  Years later, Cindy finally admitted she hid the machete so she could kill any snakes that she was convinced were trying make it inside their house. A lifelong fear of snakes caused her to block vents, drains, spaces under doors, and any other access point Cindy considered at risk. The usual fear of germs and frequent hand washing most people associate with OCD caused her to have severely chapped hands. Despite her illness, she had managed to stay married for 20 years and have two relatively normal sons.

  “Hey, they finally put our name on the door,” I said. “I guess we’re official now. How’s it going, Cindy?”

  “Good, Kitty,” Cindy said. “Aren’t you going to call me Crazy Cindy?”

  “Not to your face,” I said. “Hey, I’m trying here, OK?”

  “Fair enough,” Cindy said.

  “My job is not going to involve being a referee,” Roni said as she started to walk back into our office. “You two need to play nice in the sandbox.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I said as I followed her and closed the door.

  “I mean it, Kitty,” Roni said. “Just give her a chance.”

  “OK, I promise to try,” I said. “I get she needs friends and a job.”

  “How’s your burn patient?” Roni asked.

  “Hanging in there,” I said. “She’s in that precarious percentage of burn victims where it could go either way. I met her daughter. She’s really something.”

  “She seems to have made quite an impression on you.”

  “That’s true,” I said. “I don’t think she has any interest in letting me be involved. She has a lot of trust issues. How is David Weller?”

  “He’s doing well. He agreed to go see Brad Henry. I talked to his investigator, Lionel Phelps. He’s going to see what he can dig up on Marian.”

  “Good,” I said. “Then maybe we can quiet our little voices a little.”

  “At least we’ll know if there’s anything in her past. Lionel brought up something I hadn’t really thought about. He wants me to get that Marian might find out and it may drive a wedge between Billy and me.”

  “What if something bad happens?” I asked. “Then you’ll have to live with the fact you didn’t do anything.”

  “I guess there is no perfect option. I’d rather check her out and live with that decision. On a different note, how about trying for Ho again tomorrow? I’ve got Harley and his dad lined up to help.”

  “Sounds good,” I said. “What’s the plan?”

  “Box the black Mustang in front and back and plant a GPS tracking device under the carriage.”

  “I like it,” I said. “Then we don’t have to worry about losing them. We can follow at a distance.”

  “That’s right. We’ll need another driver. I was thinking we could ask Cindy.”

  “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” I said. “You know stress makes her symptoms worse.”

  “I know but this won’t be a big deal.”

  “I hope you’re right,” I said. “I can just picture her losing it and standing in the middle of the road blabbing about snakes. Are you going to have to go out of town to follow up on what Lionel comes up with?”

  “Probably. Marian told me she was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. I’m sure I’ll start there. She was very vague about where she lived before she moved to Alton.”

  “Maybe this is a blessing in disguise,” I said. “You know, we’d be branching out a little bit. That might be a good thing.”

  “I was thinking the same thing. I’ve started wondering if following comp cheats will get old after awhile.”

  We both stopped talking when we heard the office phone ring. We could hear Crazy Cindy talking to someone and then the phone on the desk buzzed. Roni hit the speaker button and we heard Cindy say. “Roni, it’s Lionel Phelps.”

  “Hi Lionel,” Roni said as she picked up the phone. “My partner Kitty is here. Is it OK if I put you on speaker phone?”

  “Sure,” Lionel said as his voice boomed in the room. “I’ve got some initial information on Marian Cirillo. I’ll fax it over when we get done talking.”

  “That sounds great Lionel,” Roni said. “What have you come up with?”

  “It’s interesting,” Lionel said. “I think you’re definitely going to want to follow up on this stuff.”

  “What do you mean?” Roni asked.

  “Without going into all the details on the phone,” he said. “Marian has been married six times including your dad and it seems like it’s not good for your health to be married to Marian. Beside your dad, only one of her husbands is still alive.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Another day, that’s the thought that ran through Brad Henry’s mind as he watched the sun slowly rise. Brad Henry spent increasing amounts of time letting his consciousness drift to his alternate reality where he existed as a whole man and time stopped the day before his fall. The world he created remained sunny, warm, and free of the usual constraints life imposed on everyone else.

  Brad’s psychiatrist, Dr. Jake Weber, visited twice a day though Brad managed to tune out most of his well-intentioned suggestions and adamantly refused the antidepressants he ordered. The man’s innate kindness and compassion only intensified Brad’s rage. If this was a test of wills, Brad was determined to have the dubious distinction of being the winner. His transfer to the rehabilitation unit was imminent; Brad figured he might as well go although he already had decided not to participate in any meaningful way.

  Roni Edelin had been a pesky little thorn in Brad’s plan from the first time she walked into his room. He had to admire her tenacity and innate ability to cut through the bullshit. She was the only one keeping him from completely sliding into his other world. His wife, Jennifer, couldn’t understand that she represented everything he felt he had lost, which made it imperative he totally ignore her.

  Brad was pret
ending to be asleep while he worked the high iron. In this dimension, he was able to fly from one beam to the next and falling produced no adverse consequences. It was exhilarating with the wind billowing and blowing him back and forth as he danced through the puffy, white clouds.

  A swooshing sound accompanied the booming voice. “Hey, asshole, wake up.”

  Startled, Brad opened his eyes and stared at the wheelchair bound man glaring at him. No one had dared to utter a single even remotely unkind word to Brad since his injury. As the days passed, his behavior more closely resembled that of an out-of-control toddler than an adult.

  Happy to have a new target at which to hurl the full force of his rage, Brad launched his attack. “Who the hell are you?” Brad asked, using the nastiest tone he could muster.

  “My name is David Weller, but what I really am is your worst nightmare. I went through what you’re going through four years ago. I know all your tricks. You need to get with the program.”

  “Fuck off,” Brad screamed, which caused a nurse to rush into the room.

  “It’s OK, Brad’s just channeling his anger, right Brad?”

  “You can fuck off, too,” he said as the nurse shook her head at both of them and retreated.

  Moving closer to the bed, David continued. “I know all about the rage you feel. This is unfair, it sucks, and you’ll be a better man if God will just give you back your legs. None of that’s going to happen. It’s time to get your ass into rehab, quit feeling sorry for yourself, and stop crying like a little girl.”

  “You son of a bitch,” Brad said. “You think just because you’re in that wheelchair you have a right to come in here and talk to me like this.”

  “Somebody’s got to, man. You’re wasting valuable time. Let them help you. You’re going to lose everything if you don’t snap out of this. That would be much worse than what happened to you.”

  “I’ll bet Roni sent you,” Brad said. “I knew that woman was trouble the first time she walked in here.”

  “You have no idea.”