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Authors: Abigail Keam
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anticipation. She reminded me of a pretty Christmas
tree before the limbs started to droop. “Yes, I do.”
“Doreen killed him out of jealousy?”
“NO!” protested Lacey, frustrated. “She killed him because of greed.”
“Greed?”
“This is what I can’t get the police to understand. Doreen wanted to divorce Addison.
She was tired of him but she couldn’t divorce him because if she did, she would have
to pay him a settlement if she filed without proof of abuse or adultery. That’s why
she hired me. She wanted me to seduce Addison and provide her with proof of adultery
so she could divorce him without giving him a dime. It’s all in the prenup.”
“Your story is rather fantastic. What went wrong? You fall in love with Addison?”
“Yes, terribly. I wanted to marry him. I destroyed any evidence of him cheating and
confronted Doreen about it.”
“Did he know about Doreen hiring you?”
Lacey shook her head while wiping her dripping nose.
“Well, my dear, that is a cute story but there is one flaw. Addison had no intention
of divorcing his wife. In fact, he was taking her on a trip to Venice to celebrate
their marriage, a sort of second honeymoon. It was his idea and he bought the tickets.”
“You’re lying. He loved me. He was going to tell her.”
“When the moment was right?”
Lacey nodded her head. The light streamed through the stained glass windows, giving
her an ethereal glow.
Sighing, I said, “That right moment might have taken years. Men are notorious about
not telling their wives about their mistresses . . . except for my husband. The actress
Yvonne DeCarlo said, ‘Men, no matter what their promises, rarely leave their spouses
. . . the louses.’ “
The young woman started backing away and pointed a finger at me. “He . . . he loved
me. He was going to tell her. You’re just like all the rest . . . trying to trip me
up.”
“Ask yourself this. If he had asked for a divorce, would he have received a settlement?”
“No,” Lacey whispered.
“I’m sorry, young lady. He may have loved you, but he was not going to leave Doreen
and her money anytime soon,” I said, but I was talking to empty air. Lacey was gone.
Somewhere a door slammed. I blew out a wad of air from my cheeks. Suddenly losing
my appetite, I wheeled myself outside and called Jake from my cell phone. He’d parked
down the street.
Within a moment, the car was in front of the church and Jake had a big grin on his
face. He was happy to see me.
Oh Lord. Could I trust him? Would he break my heart like Lacey’s was broken now?
Probably.
I would just have to stand it when the time came.
Before we headed home, we stopped at Franklin’s apartment. He was not returning my
calls and, frankly, I was very worried.
Jake knocked on the door while I waited in the car. Minutes passed but no one answered
the door. Jumping over the porch railing, Jake headed for the back where he was going
to break in. I waited tensely in the car praying, “Oh please Franklin, don’t have
done something stupid.”
It seemed forever until the front door was opened by Franklin with Jake holding him
up by his shirt collar. “Alright. Alright,” hissed Franklin. “Let go, you big monkey.”
I rolled down the car window. “You can be such a shit, Franklin, making me worry so.”
“Come on in,” said Franklin. “It is obvious that I can’t keep you out.”
An angry looking Jake pushed past Franklin and after opening the car door, picked
me up and carried me into the house. Gently he placed me in one of Franklin’s chintz
chairs.
“Why haven’t you returned my calls?”
Franklin plopped down in a chair across from me. “You know why. I needed time to lick
my wounds.”
“For what it’s worth, I think Matt is making a big mistake,” I replied.
“You think that. I think that. What do you think, Jake?”
“I think he should try this marriage with Meriah. It’s
tree before the limbs started to droop. “Yes, I do.”
“Doreen killed him out of jealousy?”
“NO!” protested Lacey, frustrated. “She killed him because of greed.”
“Greed?”
“This is what I can’t get the police to understand. Doreen wanted to divorce Addison.
She was tired of him but she couldn’t divorce him because if she did, she would have
to pay him a settlement if she filed without proof of abuse or adultery. That’s why
she hired me. She wanted me to seduce Addison and provide her with proof of adultery
so she could divorce him without giving him a dime. It’s all in the prenup.”
“Your story is rather fantastic. What went wrong? You fall in love with Addison?”
“Yes, terribly. I wanted to marry him. I destroyed any evidence of him cheating and
confronted Doreen about it.”
“Did he know about Doreen hiring you?”
Lacey shook her head while wiping her dripping nose.
“Well, my dear, that is a cute story but there is one flaw. Addison had no intention
of divorcing his wife. In fact, he was taking her on a trip to Venice to celebrate
their marriage, a sort of second honeymoon. It was his idea and he bought the tickets.”
“You’re lying. He loved me. He was going to tell her.”
“When the moment was right?”
Lacey nodded her head. The light streamed through the stained glass windows, giving
her an ethereal glow.
Sighing, I said, “That right moment might have taken years. Men are notorious about
not telling their wives about their mistresses . . . except for my husband. The actress
Yvonne DeCarlo said, ‘Men, no matter what their promises, rarely leave their spouses
. . . the louses.’ “
The young woman started backing away and pointed a finger at me. “He . . . he loved
me. He was going to tell her. You’re just like all the rest . . . trying to trip me
up.”
“Ask yourself this. If he had asked for a divorce, would he have received a settlement?”
“No,” Lacey whispered.
“I’m sorry, young lady. He may have loved you, but he was not going to leave Doreen
and her money anytime soon,” I said, but I was talking to empty air. Lacey was gone.
Somewhere a door slammed. I blew out a wad of air from my cheeks. Suddenly losing
my appetite, I wheeled myself outside and called Jake from my cell phone. He’d parked
down the street.
Within a moment, the car was in front of the church and Jake had a big grin on his
face. He was happy to see me.
Oh Lord. Could I trust him? Would he break my heart like Lacey’s was broken now?
Probably.
I would just have to stand it when the time came.
Before we headed home, we stopped at Franklin’s apartment. He was not returning my
calls and, frankly, I was very worried.
Jake knocked on the door while I waited in the car. Minutes passed but no one answered
the door. Jumping over the porch railing, Jake headed for the back where he was going
to break in. I waited tensely in the car praying, “Oh please Franklin, don’t have
done something stupid.”
It seemed forever until the front door was opened by Franklin with Jake holding him
up by his shirt collar. “Alright. Alright,” hissed Franklin. “Let go, you big monkey.”
I rolled down the car window. “You can be such a shit, Franklin, making me worry so.”
“Come on in,” said Franklin. “It is obvious that I can’t keep you out.”
An angry looking Jake pushed past Franklin and after opening the car door, picked
me up and carried me into the house. Gently he placed me in one of Franklin’s chintz
chairs.
“Why haven’t you returned my calls?”
Franklin plopped down in a chair across from me. “You know why. I needed time to lick
my wounds.”
“For what it’s worth, I think Matt is making a big mistake,” I replied.
“You think that. I think that. What do you think, Jake?”
“I think he should try this marriage with Meriah. It’s
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