Wil was the first to speak. “Before we start, I want to thank you for arranging an interview with Mister Simpson over at Wallington House. We had a long talk and he gave me a job supervising the valets. I can’t thank you enough.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Wil. You got that job on your own merits. Bill Simpson called me after you left and thanked me for recommending you. He was very impressed with you. Actually, I want to talk about something else this morning.”
Wilson was prepared for this. Here it comes, lecture time. That serious look on his face says it’ll be a beaut.
“Last week I got a call from the Regional FBI office, from a Special Agent Byron Hawkins. He’s part of a taskforce looking into drug distribution in Wallington and the surrounding area. They have a slew of leads on local distributors and a link to a national syndicate. He asked me to enlist your help. In particular he’s interested in the activities of the Abbott brothers. The FBI knows you were distributing for the Abbotts and they figure now that you’re out, George and Bobby Abbott will eventually make contact with you. When they do, the FBI wants to know about it.”
“I’m no snitch.”
“I know. You‘ve more than demonstrated that, but don’t you see? This would be an opportunity to set things straight; to exonerate yourself, as it were.”
“I spent three years exonerating myself. That’s the only obligation I recognize.”
Blaine looked disappointed. “Wil, I didn’t mean to throw this at you so suddenly. I spoke with the attorney that represented you and he pointed out that your involvement with distributing drugs for the Abbotts was your first brush with the law. You have a college degree and have everything going for you. On top of that, there are a lot of people pulling for you.”
“I don’t want to be rude, Mr. Blaine, especially since you did stick your neck out for me, but I don’t want to get mixed up with those guys again. All those things that you point out are exactly why I don’t want to be involved with George and Bobby. They’re nothing but trouble and I want to keep my distance from them. I want to make a fresh start.”
“I understand that, Wil, but do you actually think that they’re going to leave you alone? Don’t you realize that they consider you a trustworthy person who refused to rat them out? I’ll guarantee you that when the opportunity arises, George and Bobby Abbott will be around to visit you and they’ll have a tempting offer that you may not be able to resist.”
“I’ll tell you what I told the warden and the chaplain when I left prison. I will never distribute drugs again or associate with anyone who does. That’s the God’s honest truth. If those guys try to get in touch with me, I’ll tell them the same thing. Look, I’d like to help you, but it would mean getting involved with that life again. I just won’t do it. I became an embarrassment to my whole family; I’m the black sheep.”
“It doesn’t have to always be that way.”
Wilson was getting angry. “I said no and I mean it.”
“You realize that if the Abbotts do contact you, you’ll be tagged as a suspect by the FBI, like it or not.”
“Wait a minute—that’s not fair. I can’t control what they do.”
“Of course it’s not fair, but that’s the way these investigations go. Will you at least let me know when they eventually contact you? We’ll turn whatever information or evidence you have over to Special Agent Hawkins and that will be that. They’ll know then, that you’re an innocent bystander. Will you at least do that much for us?”
Wilson thought about the question for a few minutes. “I guess I could do that; anything that will keep them from harassing me, but I want you to understand up front that I won’t testify against them in court. I don’t want my name tied to any prosecution.”
“I can’t promise you anything, but I’ll pass that on.” Norman glanced over Wil’s file and closed the folder. “Here’s my card with my cell phone number on the back. If you hear from the Abbotts, call me right away, day or night. Aside from that, I don’t think we’re going to have to meet regularly. Just give me a call once a week and let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you.”
“Thanks, Mr. Blaine.” They shook hands and Wil left the PO’s office.
***
Norm dialed a number. “Special Agent Hawkins, please.”
“Hawkins.”
“Norman Blaine, here.”
“Yes, Norm, how can I help you?”
“I just had a meeting with Wilson Symington. He was reluctant at first, but he’s agreed to call me if the Abbotts make any contact with him.”
“Will he work undercover for us?”
“He says no. He wants no part of any contact with the Abbotts. He’s come part of the way, though, by agreeing to call me if they contact him, but I just don’t feel that he’s there yet.”
“Well then, we’ll just have to wait and see. Call me the minute you hear anything more.”
“Don’t worry, I will.”
Chapter 14
As soon as the nurse rolled the EKG machine out of his office, Dr. John Hazleton walked to door and slid the deadbolt. He went to his desk, picked up the EKG sheets and scanned them.
“Well, Lynn, everything looks good again this month.” He came around his desk. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“You can take my temperature with that beautiful seven inch thermometer of yours.”
“Never one to beat around the bush, are you, Lynn?”
“Any beating around the bush to be done around here is going to have to be done by you, cowboy.”
In less than a minute, they were both undressed and rolling around on the floor. Lynn was clearly in command. “Harder, cowboy. Ride me harder.”
John stepped up the pace until moments later they both climaxed in a burst of passion.
John, breathing heavily, kissed her tenderly before he rolled over on his back. They were quiet for a few minutes as they caught their breath; finally John said, “I have to admire you, Lynn. Most women, who have had a scare about their heart, would slow down their sexual activity, but you just mount up and ride off into the sunset.”
“But not just on any mount. I’ve chosen a bronco for my riding pleasure.”
John smiled. “You know something Lynn? Making love to you is the highlight of my life.”
“Mine too, John. I look forward to our time together.”
“Well, if you really feel that way, why don’t we step things up to the next level? I have an apartment here in town that we could use any time we want to. I owe you that at least. This making love on the floor is getting a little wearing on my bones, not to mention the carpet burn. We could have some wine and really relax our lovemaking. It would be so much more romantic.”
“Does Lorraine know about the apartment?”
“She knows that I have one, for when I work late and am too exhausted to drive the hour and a half home. She’s never asked me where it was. She just has the phone number in case of an emergency. I’ve only used it at night once or twice.”
“Oh, that sounds as if you’ve had occasion to use it during the daytime. Are you two-timing me?”
“Of course not. I just meant that I’ve had little occasion to use the place. I have a cleaning lady come in once every two weeks. She keeps the stuff in the refrigerator fresh, does some dusting. Anyway, Lorraine doesn’t seem to care what I do. We haven’t made love for at least six months. She blames it on her change of life medications, but I can see in her eyes that any spark that had once been there has long gone out. She seems happy in her own world, so I don’t press her about it.” He hesitated for a minute. “You know that I’d be lost without our time together. Please say you’ll do it or at least think about it.”
“I don’t know, John. It’s one thing to do it here in your office, but this sounds so surreptitious. Would I have to wear a disguise so nobody would recognize me?”
“Don’t be so melodramatic, Lynn. People come and go at apartments in the city every
day. Don’t confuse this with meeting at cheap motels. That would be entirely different. I would never ask a classy lady like you to do something like that. Will you at least consider the idea?”
He didn’t wait for the answer. He cupped her face in his hands and gently kissed her lips. She moaned as she succumbed to his power. She was ready to make love again, but she caught herself and pulled slowly away from his embrace.
“Okay, I promise you that I will think about it. It does sound a lot nicer than this and we would have complete privacy. If we feel like it, we can make love all afternoon.”
“That’s all I ask.” He returned to his desk and picked up a key. “This key opens the front door and the door to the apartment. The address and apartment number are on that circular tag. Once you see the place I think you’re going to like the idea. Just avoid the first and third Monday of the month. That’s when Mrs. Madigan comes in to do the cleaning. The less she knows, the better.”
They kissed intermittently as they dressed. She went into the office bathroom to check herself out before she headed out the door of his office.
He called out after her, “Give me a call after you check it out. I’m anxious to know what you think of the place.”
***
Marilyn Meret Porter inherited her middle name from a piece of art created in 1936 by a Swiss painter and sculptor, Meret Oppenheim. As the story goes, her father was captivated by one of Oppenheim’s works of art called Object of 1936. The piece consisted of a fur covered cup, saucer, and spoon. Her parents had agreed that her mother would choose the baby’s first name, which was her maternal grandmother’s name. Her father was to select the middle name. The families on both sides were upset with his choice, but he was adamant on the issue. He had a picture of Object of 1936 signed by Oppenheim hanging in his office. Her mother finally capitulated and her daughter, their only child, was baptized the first week of November, 1958 as Marilyn Meret Porter.
Society tends to feel for the only child. They think that growing up with no siblings to play with or talk to, creates a selfish, lonely, and maladjusted human being. This would not be an apt description of Marilyn or her childhood. Growing up in the Porter household as an only child was a happy time for Marilyn. Her father did everything he could to spoil his “little angel.” Her parents felt she could do no wrong, but while they made sure she wanted for nothing, they were also of the school believing that if you truly want to raise a child that will turn out well you should spend twice as much time doing things with them and one-half as much money buying things for them.
With a stress free life, she excelled in school and on the track team; running cross-country; winning the Stapleton County Gold Ribbon as outstanding athlete three years in a row. She had a large circle of friends and seemed to be the natural leader of any group in which she participated.
Growing up, Marilyn traveled extensively with her family, touring the Mediterranean, the European mainland, and the Caribbean. She became fascinated by school systems in the countries they visited. She asked a lot of questions of the tour guides, who were more than happy to discuss the classrooms, teachers, materials, and hours of schooling in their native land with the curious American tourist. This curiosity eventually became an “aha” moment for Lynn, and in her senior year at high school she decided she wanted to teach.
Another advantage Marilyn had as an only child was not competing with siblings for her parent’s resources, especially for tuition at the best colleges. She chose Vanderbilt University, Peabody College of Education and Human Development. Acceptance into the school was immediate, given her exceptional grades and the touching letter she attached to her application that explained how she had observed educational systems during her world travels and was convinced there was a unfilled need for Special Needs Teachers. She did her undergraduate and graduate work at Peabody, concentrating on that discipline.
Upon receiving her Master’s Degree in Special Education, Marilyn began teaching at Marshall School for the Disabled, located five miles away from her family’s home in Wallington; a position she held until the birth of her first child, Richard.
In 2009, Marilyn complained of heart palpitations and Ron took her to see Dr. John Hazleton, the Chief Cardiologist at the Center. Hazleton diagnosed her as having a mild ventricular arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm. A check of her family’s health records showed that ventricular fibrillation was prevalent in her family history, having caused the premature death of her grandmother and great-grandmother.
***
The affair between John and Marilyn had its roots going back several years. When Ron brought Marilyn into the office with palpitations, he immediately ran her through a battery of tests, all of which showed that she had a mild arrhythmia requiring medication to keep it under control. She was immediately put on a regimen of the anti-arrhythmia drug Mexiletine and within several days her sinus rhythm returned to normal.
During her follow-up exam several weeks later, Marilyn’s gown accidently fell to the floor. She was slow to draw it back on, allowing enough time for John to stop her hands and draw her close. He detected no resistance; in fact, when he looked into her eyes, he knew there would be none. He quickly locked the door and disrobed. He was already aroused and wasted no time entering her and consummating the act. Neither spoke; they just looked at each other with the realization that this would not be the last time they would make love.
At each subsequent appointment, scheduled once a month, they enjoyed each other’s bodies with no regard for right or wrong; just the moment and the sharing of another person’s desire for lovemaking.
The first time it happened, John justified his actions, which by anyone else’s standard would be very unprofessional behavior, by considering it as retribution against Ron Symington for taking advantage of his being away on a cruise to push through approval of a new practice that John had been planning to reject. It had happened a year earlier, but revenge has no statute of limitations. Screwing Ron’s wife, in his mind, seemed to be a fitting retribution.
John hadn’t counted on getting involved emotionally. He hadn’t counted on stirring up feelings that were being denied him by his wife, Lorraine. He hadn’t counted on throwing caution to the wind in his relationship with Marilyn; it just happened that way. Once he started down that road, he got deeper into the woods and there was no turning back.
The first time, passion ruled the moment and they made love on the floor in front of his desk, later switching to the carpet in a small alcove. The area in front of the desk was covered with a small Persian carpet which tended to be rough on the knees, while the area in the alcove had a softer pile carpet.
Dr. John Spencer Hazleton had a libido that required regular stroking. He was thankful he didn’t have to resort to taking “little blue pills,” although they were readily available should that time ever come. When lovemaking with his wife all but dried up, he seduced several of his patients before resorting to younger high-class escorts. Sure, Lynn was fifty-five, but what she lacked in firmness and perkiness, she more than made up for in energy. Marilyn never just laid there. She was a very active participant in every phase of their lovemaking. That excited him. After their first time together he cancelled his membership at the escort service and concentrated on being the best lover Marilyn Meret Symington ever had or could ever have. He convinced himself that he had accomplished that goal.
***
Two days later, Marilyn called John. “I was in the city yesterday and I stopped by your apartment to check it out. It’s very nice. I like the modern décor. Did you decorate the place yourself?”
“The owners did a major remodeling of the twelve units in the building, so everything was brand new when I moved in. It was the model apartment for the building, so there are a lot of upgrades. Do you really like it? I can change anything to make it cozier for you.”
“Like it? You’re kidding. I love it! I think that you’re right about our having a special day and time together. I’
d like to suggest we meet there every Wednesday at noon? Wednesday is a slow day for you and I usually go shopping on Wednesdays. It would be perfect. What do you say?”
John thought for a minute. She was moving faster than he had expected, but who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth? “That sounds like a good idea, Lynn. I’ll stock the place with some champagne and goodies. I’ll buy a few negligees so that you’ll feel real sexy. I might even ask you to play ‘the naughty upstairs maid’ with me. I get turned on by that.”
“It’s difficult to imagine you getting any more turned on than you have been in your office. You’re just a love machine.”
A song lyric popped into his head, and he added, “And I don’t work for anybody but you.” She couldn’t see his face redden or the stirring he was having down below. “Maybe we better not discuss this on the phone. I know you said Wednesdays, but what are you doing today at noon?”
She laughed. “I’ll meet you at the apartment at noon. I’ll bring something short and sheer to wear. See you then, lover boy.”
“I’ll bring some champagne and caviar. Everything will be first class. I promise.”
Chapter 15
Peter was alone in his office, preparing for a 9:00 a.m. meeting with Dr. Marshall Wentworth, the new owner of Wallington Vein and Laser. Ron had suggested that Peter do the interview, because as the General Manager, he would be in the best position to handle any questions about the building and the services provided by the Center. He hoped that when the meeting was over, they would have a strong enough case to present to John Hazleton for his consideration as a new practice for the Center, thus breaking the gridlock that was holding up his year-end reporting.
Peter wasn’t as tall as the other doctors at the center, but he was very muscular, thanks to frequent visits to the gym. At age 51, 5’9” and 155 pounds, he was spot-on, according to his personal weight trainer. His face reflected a youthful persona. Peter was pragmatic in his approach to business and life. He was a student of Buddhism and had adopted some of its relaxation techniques, which would come in handy over the next few days if he was going to put together a solid case for the proposed new practice.
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