by Sean Russell
“Uh huh.”
“But I need to get this matter resolved, and I think you can still help me. You have experience, so you can come up with some plan to settle this.”
“I am willing to assist you, but I need something to work with.”
Her cell phone went off ( Live Your Life, by Rihanna).
She checked her phone and then her watch. She looked a little hurried.
“Phil, I’m sorry. I’ve got a plane to catch and I’m already running late. I’m off to Miami. Things got backed up this morning, but I came anyway because I did not want to miss my appointment. I didn’t want you take me for someone who was fooling around. I’ve got to go. I will set another appointment and give you all the information you need.”
She got up quickly and initially moved towards the door. Then, to Phil’s surprise, in a split second she stepped back and kissed Phil on the cheek. He was half way up out of his seat to see her out. Before Phil fully registered what happened, she was out of the room.
Phil was in a quandary. He did not know what to make of Amanda Callender. Who was she and what was her programme? Phil was also intelligent enough to be suspicious, but more than suspicious, he was very, very curious. He decided that he had to make a couple of calls. He needed to know who this woman was.
* * *
CHAPTER FIVE
Phil awoke with a jolt and found himself in a cold sweat. His heart was racing. He felt like he was going to pass out. He thought the evening’s relaxation he had at the beach was enough therapy. He did not expect to be so shaken again so soon. It was coming back to him. He had recalled the event in his sleep.
It was night time, about 10:45. He was working on a contract. Jade was out with her girlfriends—girls’
night out. He did not recognize the number that showed on his Blackberry, but he answered anyway.
He did, however, recognize the voice and expected nothing good to come from its owner.
“Phil? I bet you’re working hard.”
“What’s this about Jimmy?”
“Just finished working myself. Seems we have a mutual client. Stand by, I’m sending some of the files.
Technology is such a wonderful thing. You have my number on your phone. You can call me and give me your thoughts on the matter.”
In almost no time the email alert sounded on Phil’s blackberry. He checked it immediately. The images were the most disturbing he had ever seen.
The impact struck him like a physical blow from an incensed Great Khali in a WWE smackdown. There were several photos in sickening detail. His wife was naked. Jimmy Cadogan was also naked. Jimmy’s cock was in his wife. In her vagina. They had to be fakes, except that the pictures were detailed enough to show the neat Jade-coloured tattoo of a stone on her inner thigh next to her labia majora. The pics were real.
Phil now felt like someone had stabbed him in his gut with a hunting knife. He was paralyzed… in shock.
His brain stalled and then momentarily shut down.
Somewhere in the recesses of his mind it occurred to him that the email he received could be sent to all and sundry, any and everywhere in the world. He was pained into numbness. The only thing he knew was that when he recovered, someone would pay.
Jade did not come home that night. Phil could not find her. She had called early the next morning and said she had had too much to drink with the girls, so she slept over by a friend. Phil wanted to climb through the phone and throttle her, but technology has its limitations. Phil wanted to talk to her, but she switched the cell off after the call, and he did not know where she was. She was not at any of her relatives or any of her known friends.
Phil was going out of his mind. To be sent those sickening pictures from that snake Jimmy Cadogan of all people, and to be forced to stew in agony because Jade refused to communicate with him. This was the worst kind of torture. Phil drew on his inner strength.
He could not sit at home all day hoping for Jade to come home. He had work to do and important clients to service. Besides, the responsibilities of work would help to distract him from his pain, analogous to rubbing a gunshot wound for pain relief.
*****
Jade did not like Jimmy Cadogan. She was not in a minority in that regard. Very few people liked Jimmy and that was because he was simply not a nice person and that was putting it mildly. She could not fathom why he would want to see her, but the picture of Phil’s naked back forced her to want to find out. She had received it in an envelope with a note requesting that she call Jimmy’s Blackberry number. What the hell would Jimmy be doing with a picture of Phil’s naked back? Phil wasn’t gay, neither was Jimmy, she didn’t think. Her first response should have been to call her husband. Maybe it would have saved her and him a whole lot of heartache. Curiosity tricked her into responding to Jimmy’s invitation to call.
He answered on the second ring, his voice a mellifluous baritone.
“Jimmy Cadogan.”
“Hello Jimmy, Jade Ferguson.”
“Hi Jade.” Jimmy’s voice now had an extra coating of honey. “Excuse me one moment.”
She could hear him clearing his office of whoever was there.
“Sorry, how are you?”
“Healthy and impatient.”
“The picture, yes we need to talk.”
“I’m right here, this is what we call talking.”
“No Jade, come on, I mean in person.”
“Why would I want to see you in person?”
“The same reason you called this number.”
“Get on with it Jimmy, what’s this all about?”
“I’m simply trying to save you a little embarrassment.”
“Me?” Jade laughed to herself, “you must be kidding.”
“If you saw the complete picture you would not be so amused.”
Jade’s tone took on an edge. She was no longer amused.
“Complete picture? What are you talking about Jimmy? What complete picture?”
Jimmy was the one with amusement in his voice now.
“I cropped it. I did not want such sensitive material to go through the local postal service.”
“What else is in the picture?”
“That you will have to see for yourself. Meet me at 10:00 tonight. St. Lawrence Apartments. I have a penthouse suite there. We can have a drink at the bar downstairs.”
“I want to see that picture Jimmy, but I’m not meeting you at any bar tonight. I can meet you this afternoon or tomorrow.” Jade’s voice was indignant.
“That’s fine. I was trying to help you out. I’ve got meetings booked ’til this evening, then dinner with a client. Tomorrow I’m off to Trinidad, then New York.
I’ll be back in the island in ten days’ time.” Jade sighed. “Okay. Ten tonight.”
Jade did not trust the man, but what the hell was he doing with a picture of Phil, apparently naked? She should really have confronted Phil first; given him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he was her husband.
He was also a man and her rule was never to trust them. She would gather her information first; her due diligence, so to speak. If Phil was innocent, he had nothing to worry about. If he wasn’t and Jimmy Cadogan had the evidence, God help him. And that had nothing to do with what Jade was going to do to him. She had to meet Jimmy. She really had find out what was going on.
*****
A lot of people hated Jimmy Cadogan. But he, Jimmy, loved Jimmy Cadogan and thought that he was a helluva guy. He viewed himself as a brilliant attorney and a shrewd businessman, and he had the trappings to show it. He was of average height, on the slim side, of average build, in his early fifties. He had a medium complexion. He was neither dark- nor light-skinned. His face was not good looking, nor was he ugly. He had a roundish face with close-cropped graying hair and slightly close set eyes. In fact, there was nothing outstanding about him, except his money. He smelt of money. He dressed in tailor-made suits with custom cuff links, wore designer shoes and enjoyed displaying his expe
nsive jewelry. He dressed like a winner. It did not concern him that he broke rules in order to win. Winning was winning, and that was all that mattered. He was going to win tonight.
He was going to have Jade and screw Phil in the process. In fact, he was going to screw both of them.
He laughed to himself.
Jimmy Cadogan, you’re a helluva man. He reflected further as he savoured the idea he was now contemplating. He had met Jade five years ago, when Phil had introduced her to him as his wife. Jimmy was instantly attracted to her, which was not an unusual experience. He was attracted to any beautiful woman.
The difference was Jade’s presence, her ‘I know I look good but you can’t have me’ aura. That really turned Jimmy on. He almost got aroused there and then. He was also aroused by the challenge of taking this beautiful girl and teaching her the ways of the world, the opportunity to teach her how it was with a real man, not a little boy just out of law school and on Jimmy’s payroll. Alas, that meant she was on his payroll, and whatever was on his payroll, was his. He had made it his business to look out for her on her visits to the office to bring Phil lunch. He made more than one attempt to have her sleep with him. Once he had invited her on a yacht. He accosted her in the hallway of his office building. She was on her way out after dropping off lunch for Phil.
“Have you ever been on a yacht?” He asked her.
“No.” She replied.
“I’m having a private party. Only a few selected friends have been invited. Would you and Phil like to come?”
“Sounds good, when is it?”
“Tomorrow night. 7:30 p.m.”
“Okay, we’ll be there.”
The following night Phil found himself with an impossible amount of work. There was no way he would have been able to attend a function after work. Jimmy just happened to pass by Phil’s office.
It was obvious that Phil was not leaving in a hurry.
Jimmy offered to have Jade picked up. It was no sense missing a wonderful evening out. Phil agreed.
Jade had been excited. The idea of a yacht party had intrigued her. She had wondered who would be there, what the people would be like, what the conversations would be about. It also would be a great opportunity to network.
Phil did not smell the rat. He was still relatively new to the firm and he thought his boss was looking out for him. Phil had already started to build a reputation for being a hard and effective worker, a real asset to J.C. Chambers. The stench came soon after when Jade reported her evening affair. She was picked up by limo and taken to the yacht where she was assisted aboard by none other than Jimmy himself.
He introduced her to a few business associates and milled around, returning ever so often with a glass of champagne. Jade was wise enough to spill a lot of it.
She was uneasy with the atmosphere. Rather than a cocktail party on the water, it felt more like a prelude to a swingers’ party.
She was relieved when Jimmy came to her rescue and took her away from a man in the tool business. He was at the time of rescue quite intent on telling Jade how big his tool was, and how well it worked. She was sure his next step was to show her his tool. Jimmy came up, engaged her in small talk, and walked her away. He asked her if she had seen the stateroom. She admitted she hadn’t. He took her below deck to have a look. They made their way to the room, with Jimmy for some strange reason guiding her from behind and pressing uncomfortably close on her backside, occasionally touching her back. Jade decided to blame it on the alcohol, but she was not pleased.
They reached the door to the master stateroom and Jade, at Jimmy’s urging, opened the door. Jade was dismayed at the sight before her, with sound effects in close pursuit.
There were three people on the bed having sex—
one man with two women. They paused to see the cause of the intrusion. All they saw was Jade with her jaw hanging seemingly inches from the floor. They returned to their exertions as if it was business as usual. Jimmy was indignant, of course. He slammed the door, shouted ‘perverts!’ at the room and quickly escorted Jade off the boat, apologizing profusely.
“Nothing of that kind has ever happened on the yacht…” was what he said. “I am going to talk to Brian about this, it’s his boat and these are mostly his people. It’s disgusting…” were the last words he said as the limo pulled away, taking Jade home.
Jimmy was furious. He was sure he was going to get Jade that night. The stateroom was supposed to have been vacant. He knew that with the amount of champagne he had given her and the mood that he set in that room that she would not have stood a chance.
She had been outstanding. She looked good enough to eat. She wore a white form-fitting dress. It had thin straps and was cut low to show off her cleavage. The rest of it hugged her body closely and stopped six inches short of her knees. It wasn’t designer, but it showed off her figure is if it was made for her. The brilliant white contrasted against her brown skin which appeared to have its own internal glow.
She’d had short locks at the time. She decided to let them down as opposed to having them pinned up as she was accustomed to wearing them. She wore little make up. She didn’t need it. The overall effect was the appearance of a beautiful, sexy, ‘rootsy’ woman. Phil should never have let her leave the house looking like that, but Jimmy was glad he did.
Jimmy’s disappointment and fury were short-lived. He had another woman on board lined up for the kill. This one he was sure to have that night. It was guaranteed. The necklace she wore around her neck on the yacht that night was exquisite and her boyfriend could not afford it, but Jimmy could. Jimmy smiled to himself, remembering the lesson he learnt from the airline industry—to overbook. He followed that lesson, the result being that he was rarely disappointed. He would get Jade another time. Even if it took a while, he would get her. She was hot.
Jade reported the evening’s drama to Phil when she got home. He laughed at first. He thought she was making it up or at least embellishing the story. When he realized that her report was sincere, he became furious. Phil wanted to throttle Jimmy there and then.
Jade had to calm him down and downplay the whole scenario.
Phil was torn over the situation. He felt that on principle he should resign and give Jimmy a piece of his mind. Jade reminded him of their financial situation and their commitments. And it was a particularly sore point for her to fall short financially. Her parents’ past struggles haunted her.
She convinced Phil that no real harm was done and that everyone was drinking and having a good time. Things just went a little too far, and she saw something she wasn’t prepared to see. Phil resolved his internal conflict by writing an article in the Daily Nation on the responsibilities of maintaining sound ethics as an attorney. It was well-written and generally well received, even by the head man himself, Jimmy.
Either he missed the point or he didn’t care.
Not long after that, Phil had several weeks of long office hours with a procession of impossible deadlines.
The funny upside was that Phil had significantly more billable hours. It meant more money for him and the firm.
* * *
CHAPTER SIX
There was such a racket at her front door that Mickey thought the Black Clothes Police had come to visit. But then she heard a child’s voice. It sounded familiar. She opened the door and gasped.
It was Amanda. What was she doing outside the door at 2:00 a.m. in a blood-splattered shirt and a panty?
She was so dazed by Amanda’s appearance that for a moment she had stopped hearing. Mickey’s hearing returned and she could hear Amanda screaming. She deciphered the words.
“I kill Tanko!! Lord help me!! I kill Aunt Millie man!
I kill Tanko!”
“What nonsense you saying girl? You mad? Aunt Millie is a Christian. She ent got no man!!” Amanda was now sobbing and shaking.
“Who boy interfere with you? Tell me, I would bus’
he scunt!”
Amanda found the stren
gth to talk again.
“Aunt Millie man Tanko tried to rape me! I stab he with a scissors. The police gonna come for me and put me in jail!”
Mickey read the sincerity in Amanda’s eyes. The child believed what she was saying, but clearly she was confused, clearly she was in shock.
Aunt Millie had named Mickey the pariah of the village because of her sinful ways. “Lust is the worst sin and Mickey will burn in hell,” were Aunt Millie’s words. No, that woman could not have a man. Besides, there were more pressing matters to be dealt with.
The shocked little girl needed attention and Mickey was going to take care of her best friend’s daughter.
Mickey broke into action. First she took Amanda into the bathroom where she took off the bloody clothes and disposed of them. Then she bathed the poor girl, scrubbing her from head to toe. She dried her off and dressed her in a nightie. Amanda calmed visibly as she was being pampered by the most evil woman in Georgetown, at least according to Aunt Millie. She was still trembling and her eyes kept darting towards the door as if she expected Tanko or the police to come bursting in at any moment.
Mickey put her to bed. This did not help. Amanda was haunted by her recent ordeal. Mickey resorted to a shot of brandy. That did the trick, but Mickey had to put it in some tea she made for Amanda. Amanda refused to accept the shot glass Mickey had presented to her. She hated the smell of alcohol. She drank the tea, stopped shivering, and went straight to sleep.
Mickey considered what had just happened. It would have jolted a normal person and left them disturbed. However, Mickey had been through too much for this little drama to put her off. She was concerned for Amanda. She was a good girl and she was her best friend’s daughter. She would make sure to help her. She did not want her to suffer her mother Cindy’s fate. Cindy was a professional, a business woman like Mickey, but somewhere along the line she had become careless and AIDS took her life.
Mickey could not keep Amanda around. She was bad for business. She would be in the way. Worse yet, some of her customers were sure to accept Amanda as a bonus without any indication of an offering from Mickey. She would have to take a few days off to look after this girl. Besides, she was due a little vacation.
