by Brian Cain
CHAPTER TWENTY
Time passed, Jodi and her husband enjoyed life to the fullest, they made an effort to become part of each other, Jodi had worked on this for many years. Then;
At the second victory of a thundering equine in the prestigious Melbourne Cup Jodi caught sight of the Vixen. Now heavily tainted by her husband she hid her flowing hair inside her jacket and borrowed a tatty cap to blend in with the crowd. Flanked by two middle aged men in tweed suits wearing gold rimmed Ray Ban sunglasses there she was, now over sixty as Jodi, Bella looked no more than thirty five.
Jodi noted Bella’s attention seemed to be directed at a businessman firmly involved in the racing industry, Neville Creighton, Jodi was familiar with Creighton’s antics in the thoroughbred racing industry in Australia. Creighton had been involved with the currently incarcerated Theo Delores. What was puzzling was the presence of Gustav Fleming. She thought about it, she recognised him by means of her husband’s data base when extracting information on the Vixen Bella Elizabeth Fonteyn. Gustav Fleming was Rose Fleming’s father a known member of the Sicilian mafia and Rose his daughter was Bella’s house mate, the pair were rumoured to be insatiable nympho maniacs. She noticed her husband in the vicinity of the group but did not witness contact, the past gripped her heart stirring unhealed wounds and she decided to confront her husband on an issue that had dogged the pair since birth, the insatiably beautiful Bella.
Jodi waited until they were home, over the breakfast table next morning she pondered the bliss they had and if it was worth breaking for something that may be nothing. Jodi was always in control of her life and Bella had always been out of her control so she pressed on.
Stanton was reading the paper in his dressing gown seated at the kitchen table opposite Jodi wearing a clear white night gown. Stanton mentioned something he had passed comment of before. “This Terry Whistler, he needs sorting out, who’s his editor at work love.”
“I am.”
Stanton looked up briefly with a cheeky smile. ”Not very obvious princess.”
Jodi hesitated locked in inner dispute but pushed on. “What was the Vixen doing at Flemington yesterday?”
Stanton looked up. “She saw you, you should have changed your dress as well.”
“So you did speak to the bitch.”
Stanton looked shocked. “Jodi, I’ve never heard you speak like that.”
"She was standing at the mounting yard, probably sounded the most interesting place to her.”
Stanton got up walked around the table and pushed Jodi half off her chair with his butt and put his arm around her now both seated precariously on one chair. He lent his head against his treasure, he spoke softly. “Mr Whistler would have given you plenty of leads on why she was there, so the issue is not why but probably alternate intent you’re concerned about.”
Jodi was silent for a few seconds, she stopped eating her breakfast and put one arm round her husband. “This will never go away will it. She’ll always be there waiting, I flatly refuse to die first and give her the opportunity.”
Stanton stood from his uncomfortable position, he pulled Jodi and the chair she was on out from the table and straddled her lap holding her shoulders looking in her face nose to nose. “They got whom they came for, need I say more.”
“You could have done it, was Bella really necessary, or did she need to see you again. How many times has she pulled stunts like this just to get near you?”
“I like to make sure Bella is okay and so do you, the first one to cry on her demise will be you.”
It was a few seconds but Jodi had to smile. “You’re right, I’d be devastated if anything happened to her.”
“While Bella had your and everyone else’s attention, Rose Fleming marched out the gate with the target like a puppy on a lead. She seduced him and when he woke up he was in an MI holding cell half way round the planet. That’s what they do and damn good at it.”
Jodi changed track suddenly interested in the story. “Who was it?”
“Things are on a need to know basis.”
“Tell me and you can take me upstairs and spank me.”
“Rudolf Forbes.”
“Jean Forbes husband.”
“Yes.”
“How an earth was he lured to Flemington.”
“Bella.”
“Oh, the bitch, I didn’t know that.”
“Things are on a need to know basis.”
“I was going to take you upstairs anyway.”
“I was going to give you the name anyway.”
They cracked up laughing in embrace.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Jodi settled down always in control of her life and when things were at their best Stanton was again under attack from governing powers, an allegation of murder. His powerful sons swiftly brought the accusation to a head pushing the issue to the high court and following up with defamation proceedings.
Jodi seldom sat well with judicial confrontation, she had reported on too many disasters corrupted through the law courts. The only effective area of attack against her husband in the fight to diminish the separation of powers was legal aspects paraded in the media. The failure of the alleged charges rendered the protagonists open to attack, they began to go to ground all over the globe, and no matter where they hid the elite would find them.
Stanton slept for a while but watched over his spouse after rising, while Jodi was stirring from deep slumber her husband waited patiently. She opened her eyes to see her husbands face leaning over her. “Welcome back princess.”
Jodi’s eyes fluttered in an effort to stay open, she sat up, her husband helped her, his hand assisting behind her back, he was sitting on the side of the bed. She struggled and spoke in a croaky voice still waking up. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Over twenty hours.”
“Wow, I was dreaming, I remember.”
“I remember everything as well, anything you want to talk about.”
Jodi pulled John close and held him. “No, will it be okay tomorrow, I need to get to work.”
“Its Saturday you slept right through Friday.”
“Oh, okay, wow I need to get up and walk around.”
“Maybe we can go for a drive, keep out of the way for a spell, and just be together.”
Jodi slid off the edge of the bed sitting next to her husband. “That happened last time this happened, we went for a drive and bloody Hurst rang you about someone going missing.”
“Ah but we still went for a drive and had a lovely day.”
“Is Robert still here?”
“No, he left when I arrived.”
“Perhaps we could drive down to Hawks Nest and have a family get together.”
“No that’s tomorrow, today we spend together.”
Jodi smiled, she stood up and walked to look out the window in the morning sun. Her husband watched from the edge of the bed as she formed a silhouette in the light, he saw the shadow of an angel.
