He enjoyed his shower immensely, and when he came out of it and walked into the main sleeping area, he was met by Bonnie in a pale blue see-through negligee. She said, “Hello, young man, that’s a nice towel you have there. May I see what you have underneath?
“Remember, I said I was going to wear you out?” she flashed a fabulous grin and continued, “Remember that? Well, the wearing starts right now!!”
Oh, what a night! They awakened four times that he could recall, and each time resulted in lovemaking and more lovemaking. It was unbelievable.
When Hank awoke at about six a.m. Monday morning Bonnie was in his arms and she was looking at him with a glow and a smile that was indescribable. He drifted back to sleep.
At about 8:00am, he awoke again. This time he was alone. He lay there and nearly drifted back into sleep, but then Bonnie placed her hand on his chest and said with a tantalizing yet mischievous smile, “You are the most precious man.” She had already gotten dressed and prepared to greet the day with a boom. She continued, “You sleep as though you don’t have a care in the world -- you’re beautiful.”
Hank responded, “I don’t. As long as I have you, I really am care-free: nothing else matters, and that’s a fact.”
Bonnie smiled and said, “You sweet man. How about you get dressed so we can get to the office. I’d like my staff to meet you… that is, if you don’t object.”
“Oh, that would be fine,” Hank was still somewhat hung over from the all-night near-orgy, but he really was itching to get the day started, he added, “I always wondered what a charity office looked like and what you people really do with all that money -- hee, hee.” Then he quickly added, “Sorry, I guess that was somewhat inappropriate under the circumstances.”
Bonnie was undaunted; she simply smiled and said, “Naughty, naughty. You get yourself dressed before I change my mind and take the day off, and do what I really want to do with you.”
Hank jumped out of bed, held up his hands and yelled, “Alright, alright, I give!”
“Amanda has prepared a little something for us to munch on, she really is a superb cook,” Bonnie was still in a whimsical mood, she added, “so hurry and make yourself decent, if that’s possible… you sexy thing.”
Bonnie was absolutely on the mark: the breakfast was superb. They decided that after the meal they would have Samuel take them to the office and return to the house. As soon as they arrived, the office manager said someone was waiting for Bonnie in her office, and then she whispered, “He said he’s from the FBI.”
Bonnie thanked her manager and headed for her office. On the way there she said to Hank, “Well, I guess here we go, hang on.”
As they entered the office and closed the door, they greeted the man that had been apparently waiting for her arrival. She said, “Well, good morning, I understand you are from the FBI, that’s interesting… what can I do for you?”
The agent introduced himself and showed his identification, and then he said, “I would like to talk with you alone.”
Bonnie said, “That’s fine with me; however, this is my fiance and anything we say can be said in front of him, so go ahead and talk.”
“I don’t think that is possible at this time.” said the man, “You see, some of what I have to say is purely classified and confidential. What I have to say is also time sensitive; which means we will have to check out your fiance completely and immediately before we include him in any talks we may have about this matter.”
He asked Hank a great number of questions and said he would get back with them in a few days with any information he might want to discuss with her. Then he turned and was about to leave. Bonnie said, “May I ask you a question?”
The man said, “Certainly.”
Bonnie said, “The questions you have in mind asking, are they about the charities I am involved with?”
The man said, “That could be. Why do you ask that?”
“I am just curious,” Bonnie seemed to be somewhat uneasy, and then she added, “The rumor mill has it that there might be a problem related to all three of the charities I am involved with.”
The man from the FBI stopped short and looked puzzled, “The rumor mill?” He said, “That’s strange, I don’t recall having… I think the best thing I can do at this point is tell you I will get back to you before the end of the week; that is, if we don’t get tangled up with unforeseen or unusual problems involving your fiancée or other matters. Meanwhile, let me just bid you farewell… until next time.” He left Bonnie’s office.
Bonnie looked puzzled, she said, “That’s strange. Something is not quite right here… I think this thing is a little deeper than… What did you think of that Hank? Did you get the impression that I may not be the problem here, but that there is a major problem?”
“That’s exactly the impression I received,” said Hank, “but I think the best thing for us to do is just relax and wait it out, we’ll know soon enough. I’m ‘clean,’ which means when he returns we will find out what this whole thing is all about. Until then, let’s do what we had intended to do before this thing raised its ugly head.”
Just then, the phone rang. Bonnie answered. It was a call from Frank. Bonnie told her secretary to put him on the line. She said, “Hi Frank, we were just talking about you, what’s up?”
Frank said, “Hi Bonnie, just thought I’d let you and Hank know what’s going on with me. I hit a little bit of a snag and can’t get away from Oahu as soon as I had anticipated. However, DiJana is on board on this whole thing and she said she can be there by the end of the week. Is that Ok with you?”
Bonnie looked at Hank and told Frank to hold on, and then she explained the situation to Hank and asked if he objected to the changed plan. Naturally, Hank didn’t object, so she told Frank, “Hank and I don’t have a problem with that. When you get yourself together, bring it on this way. Meanwhile, tell DiJana we have a guest room just begging for her presence.”
Frank said, “Ok, I’ll tell her she can plan to leave this weekend. ‘D’ said she is really looking forward to seeing you again.”
“That’s great, the feeling is mutual.” Bonnie smiled at Hank and added, “We’ll have a meal prepared for the both of you when you arrive, then, later, we can decide what we do the remainder of your visit. Incidentally, how long do you plan to stay here?”
“That, my dear, depends on the depth of your problem,” Frank said, “and the help we are able to provide.” He appeared to be totally at ease, he added, “If we relate as well as we did in Detroit, our stay should really be something. I’ll arrange for the flights and call you with the information -- say, let me yell at Hank -- on second thought, I just got a call that demands my immediate attention. I’ll talk at you two later. Bye.”
Bonnie turned to Hank, told him the gist of the situation with Frank and said, “I’ve got a few phone calls to make and a couple of files to check, and then we can go to lunch. Would you like to… tell you what: there is a health club around the corner that’s pretty nice; would you like to go there and check it out? I can join you in about an hour or so. Ok?”
“Do they have racquetball courts there?” Hank asked: he was intrigued.
“As a matter of fact, they do: racquetball courts, tennis courts, pools, workout areas -- it’s quite a nice facility,” said Bonnie.
“Well good, I like that idea,” Hank said, and added, “I’ll take you up on it.”
“Here’s a membership card, take it with you and I’ll see you in about an hour.” Bonnie immediately turned to the phone and summoned her secretary.
Hank left for the club.
When Bonnie came into the health club, Hank was enthusiastically observing a heated racquetball match. When Bonnie reached his side he said, “Those guys are pretty good, I’m enjoying this.”
“They serve a good lunch here too,” Bonnie said, “would you like to eat here, or go someplace else?”
Without hesitation, Hank said, “Oh, here is fine with me. Do you
play racquetball per chance?”
Bonnie said she plays tennis, but has never played racquetball. Hank responded by saying, “You should try it, it’s a blast.”
“I’m sure I’ll get a chance to try it,” Bonnie said knowingly, as she caressed his arm and gently tugged him to follow her to the luncheon area.
“I guess it won’t be long before Frank and DiJana will be here,” Hank looked at Bonnie and continued, “I’m looking forward to seeing both of them again… are you sure you are comfortable with them being here?”
Bonnie smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder and said, “I’ve got no problem with it; in fact, I am looking forward to seeing them again also. I thought we related very well in Detroit. Like I said on the phone, after you twisted my arm with such force, I like them both.”
“Ok, Ok, so I was insistent. I just wanted to… actually, I’m not sure why I was so insistent; nevertheless, you were up to the task and I appreciate it.”
For the remainder of that week, Bonnie and Hank went about her town, plus New Haven, Hartford, and the surrounding area as though they were tourists.
After lunch on Thursday, Bonnie insisted on giving Hank a grand tour of her town, as she called it. He had to admit, it was an interesting and very informative tour: of course, anything Bonnie could do would be interesting to him.
Friday, after lunch, the phone rang. It was Bonnie’s office manager. She said the man from the FBI had called and she gave him her number at home. She said she hoped that was Ok. Bonnie assured her that she need not be concerned; no problem would result from it.
Bonnie told Hank what to expect and sure enough, at about 2:45pm, the FBI agent called and said he would like to talk with her, and it was okay if her fiance was in on the conversation. He asked if Monday morning at Bonnie’s office was okay. She did not object.
Bonnie had given Frank her wireless phone number as well as her office and home number, and they were still “on tour” when the wireless rang.
“Hello sweetheart, Frank here…” said Frank.
“DiJana here,” said DiJana (it was a three-way call); “we’re looking forward to seeing you this weekend. I must admit: I’m excited.”
Frank interrupted and said, “I was able to take care of that little glitch in my business and I’m able to get away this weekend after all, but DiJana and I decided to fly direct to your town separately, me from Oahu and she from Chicago. We’ll be there within an hour of each other Saturday evening. That Ok with you?”
Bonnie said, “Yes, Hank and I are excited too, just ring us when you get here and we’ll be right on it.”
She had Samuel, the gardener/chauffeur, on-call to be prepared to meet them at the airport when they arrived, so as to not encumber them with the luggage.
As Saturday rolled around, Bonnie and Hank were still out and about the town when they received the call from Frank and DiJana. They said they were at the airport and ready to be picked up.
Bonnie said, “We’re in the car now and we’ll be there in about twenty minutes, so hold on.”
As soon as she hung up the phone, she made the call to Samuel for him to meet them at the airport.
When they arrived at the airport and saw Frank and DiJana, they smiled and waved. Hank thought to himself, and said to Bonnie, “She is even more stunning than I remember.”
Bonnie added, “She is a beautiful woman isn’t she, and Frank is one hunk of a man, he is as masculine as I remember. Now, let’s see if they are as beautiful on the inside (in a stressful situation) as they are on the outside, that’s what really counts.”
Hank nodded in agreement.
Frank had just one piece of luggage, admittedly it was a sizable piece, but it was only one piece. On the other hand, DiJana had four pieces of luggage plus an overnight bag. Hank thought, hmm and then said, “You both are a sight for sore eyes. Frank, DiJana, you probably are aware that we’ve been looking forward to this reunion ever since Detroit.”
“I don’t know about Frank,” DiJana was glowing, “but I was hoping… I probably shouldn’t be premature… but if things continue as they have these past few days… well, all I can say is, I’m practically breathless and speechless. I must admit, I was very much impressed with both of you as soon as I met you, and I’ve been looking forward to this reunion with much anticipation.”
Bonnie said, “I don’t know what’s been happening with you the past few days, but we are delighted to see the both of you!”
Bonnie caught a glimpse of Samuel and motioned for him to come over to the car to meet the guests. They headed for the house as soon as they had greeted him and arranged to have their luggage taken away.
When they saw the house, Frank and DiJana were as impressed as Hank had been, and they expressed themselves about their impression very well.
They were led to the guest room and were told to unwind for as long as they needed. Bonnie added that when they were ready, they should prepare to enjoy a delightful meal that Amanda was in the process of completing. As expected, the meal was excellent: the conversation was warm and uneventful.
Monday morning came quickly, and after breakfast Bonnie and Hank prepared to get to the office to meet with the FBI agent. Before they left, she instructed Samuel and Amanda to attend to Frank and DiJana’s every need. And if there were anything else they requested, to make it happen. She added; if there arose any questions that they were unsure of, just call her at the office.
When Bonnie and Hank arrived at the office, the FBI agent sat across from Bonnie’s desk. He asked if there was someplace they could be assured that their conversation would be safe from being overheard. Bonnie said the office would be fine, but the agent declined; he politely informed her that some of the things he might be talking about might be confidential and he wanted to be assured that they were kept confidential.
Hank suggested the health club. They agreed that the club should be suitable for the exchange.
As soon as they were seated at the club, the agent informed Bonnie and Hank that the entire resources of the government had checked Hank’s credentials and character in detail and scrutinized every possible questionable event or happening. They found no reason to doubt his character and integrity, or anything that might cause a problem with the subject matter at hand.
After having said all that, the agent added that what he was about to divulge was confidential and must not be shared with anyone; that means, best friends, business associates, relatives… anyone. He went as far as to have them swear under oath that what he was about to share with them would be kept in strictest confidence. They agreed.
The first startling bit of information for their consumption was that Bonnie’s former husband’s death was no accident; he was a victim of the underworld. The second bit of information was that he was an undercover agent for the government: he was working to uncover a vicious underworld mob that had its hand in numerous nefarious deeds.
The agent said, when Bonnie’s former husband was killed, he had the proof they needed to apprehend many of the “top dogs” of the mob, and put them away for a long, long time. He added that some of the people could not only have been put away, but they could have been subject to capital punishment.
Somehow her former husband’s identity as an undercover agent was discovered and the mob snuffed him out -- it looked like an accident; actually, it looked like he had a heart attack, but said the agent, “We know it was a well directed hit by the mob. What we don’t know,” he added, “is how they found out about him.”
The agent continued, “It took Jon more than two years to obtain a position of influence with the mob, and another nearly two years to get to the point where we could get the goods to wrap this case up, but something went wrong and he was terminated. Now we are at the point once again, only this time it has taken more than three more years. The problem is, for this close-out operation to be successful and run as smoothly as we know it can, and for our people involved to be protected, and the bad guys
put away, we need your help, Mrs. DeKarr.”
Hank looked at Bonnie and asked, “Were you aware of the involvement of your husband: did you suspect anything at all?”
“There were times that things didn’t add up,” said Bonnie, “but for the most part our marriage was so conventional and things went so smoothly that I didn’t have a clue.”
She looked over to the agent and asked, “Just how serious is the problem?”
The agent was laid back, but he appeared to be somewhat impatient; nevertheless, he said calmly, “First of all, the problem involves all three charities. Second, the problem is one of money-laundering, extortion, assassination, and… Let’s just say, it’s a serious problem.”
“However, we are on the verge of breaking this thing wide open, but we have a problem. We know there has been a mini leak, if one can call it that, but we also know, no one knows exactly what is about to transpire. One of the rumors circulating is that you, Mrs. DeKarr, are going to be indicted by the Grand Jury for defrauding your charitable contributors. I’ve gotten feedback from my alter ears of other rumors as well, but the Grand Jury rumor seems to be the most prevalent.
“Now then, with your permission, Mrs. DeKarr,” the agent seemed somewhat uneasy, and still a little bit impatient, he continued, “what we want to do is bring you before the grand jury and formerly charge you with defrauding the contributors to your charities of millions of dollars. Then we’ll let this thing play itself out. Meanwhile, what you need to do is get the finest attorney you can find and fight this thing to the ultimate. We know we have all the evidence we need to put these people away for many years: in fact, we have the evidence and we have the witnesses, but we don’t want to reveal our hand until the last possible minute. That way we think we can save lives and provide the utmost in effectiveness.”
End of the Rainbow : There Lies the Portrait of My Love Page 12