When he was with her, the first thing he noticed about her was the strange way she was staring off in the distance. And as if she was waking, her thoughts just came out of her mouth. The poor waitress that had been waiting on her got a tongue lashing that was both cruel and loud.
Valyn watched her Protector talk to the waitress, sending her little bits of happiness. A way to deal with the pain of being treated that way. Valyn wanted to tell Betsy that it was unkind to do what she’d done, but he was there only to observe, not help. When she was served her meal, she did notice it wasn’t the same waitress and laughed about it, talking to herself as if she was someone within ear shot of her meanness.
“I certainly taught her a lesson. I hope she’s gone home crying. Stupid girl didn’t even have the decency to bring me my hot rolls when I asked for them.” Betsy looked around the room and no one was paying her any mind. “This is the dumbest town I’ve ever lived in. I have to tell you that.”
“No, you do not.” The restaurant manager came from the back room and stood by her table. Then when he sat down with her, Valyn moved closer. “I’m going to sit right here with you, and remind you every time you open your mouth that this is not a place where we tolerate being mean when you think you can.”
“You don’t talk to me that way.” The manager, he had no idea what his name was, only leaned back in his seat. “Get away from me before I have you arrested for harassing me.”
“Go ahead and call them. I’m sure that they’d be just as happy to take you away for disturbing the others in my restaurant, and being beyond mean to one of my staff. Now eat, then get out. I don’t want you here again.”
She stood up and doubled up her fists. The manager did the same. He was bigger than her—not just in height, but the man was muscled and fit. If there was going to be a showdown, Valyn was going to have to help Betsy. Not that he wanted to, but that was his job. So going against what he’d been told but seeing no other recourse than to talk to her, Valyn spoke in a whisper in her ear.
Move back. He’s not worth going to jail for. Betsy shook herself, as if she was ready even against his advice. You have a meeting in a few weeks. How will you get there if you are in jail or hurt?
“You’re just lucky that I have things to do or I’d be mopping the floor with your head. And that stupid waitress. If you think I’m paying this bill, you’re as stupid as she is.” She wiped her hand across the table and all the dishes and cutlery landed on the floor and splashed on the manager’s pant legs. Then with a manic laugh, she left the restaurant with him in tow.
He’d learned a lot about these two. They would prey on the weaker like it was their only pleasure in life. Take what others had, even in the form of food and broken dishes. They lied and cheated whenever they could, even over little things. And he was going to take them both down.
Going back to where he’d left several hours before, Valyn sat down again, this time with Tholan and Michael. He told them what he’d witnessed and how he’d spoken to the woman to keep her from getting hurt.
“You did well, Valyn. Even though you could have steered her in the wrong direction, you helped her. I’m proud of you.” Valyn wasn’t used to such compliments for just doing his job, and thanked Michael for it. “Your wife, she is having a much better day today. Making friends and talking to people. She is someone that would have made a great Protector. Don’t you think?”
“I do. But we’re happy just where we are, thank you.” They all three laughed and then Valyn took his leave.
As soon as he entered his home, he thought something had happened. The house was very quiet.
“Oh, there you are.” He turned toward the study to find Jennifer there. She kissed him soundly and hugged him. This, he thought, is what I’ve lived for my entire life. “I might have overstepped my boundaries today. No one was mad, but I ordered a few planters to put in the dining room at the hospital. They brightened it up considerably.”
“Why would anyone be upset about that?” She looked up at him. “Oh, I can see that I’m asking the wrong question. Just how many plants did you order?”
“Just a few more to go in the hallways on the way there. Also, someone is going to come in and fix the fountain that hasn’t worked in several years. He’s going to put koi in it because they’re so entertaining.” She told him the number of planters she had ordered. “You’re not mad at me, are you? I’ll pay you back for it all. It might take me awhile—I don’t make anything for the work I’m doing.”
“Why on earth would you think that I’d be mad at you for taking the time to spruce up the hospital? No, it’s a lovely idea. When I had to be with someone that was close to passing, I often wondered why there was no greenery in the place. No cheer. I know that it’s not always a place that would appreciate that sort of thing, but I think it’s wonderful, and I cannot wait to see it.”
“I’m so glad to hear that. Because if this goes well, they’re going to come here and do our yardwork, as well as put in a few dozen flowers and plants when spring comes.” With a quick kiss she left him there, only to pause and look over her shoulder toward him. “I’d like to also learn how to drive, if you have time.”
He was still laughing when he made his way to the kitchen for dinner. They’d been eating in that room because the dining room was so formal, and they liked the company that was in the big warm room. Tomorrow he was going to find someone to teach her to drive. He might not be hurting so much all the time if someone showed her rather than him. She might get testy with him.
Chapter 7
Samuel had listened to the story about the incident in the restaurant twice now, and it didn’t sound any better than it had before. When they made waves by bringing attention to themselves, bad things could happen. He was glad now that they were going on this little jaunt. It might be good for people to have cooler heads. At least he hoped so.
The limo that he’d ordered to pick them up was a little late. But he didn’t mind right now because they were going to be fifty thousand dollars richer. And since it was the end of the month, in just a few days they’d have all the payments coming in. It was a good day for him.
“What are you smiling about?” He told her as they sat in the dining room of their rental. “You looked like you’ve something or someone up your bung. Who is he? Anyone I know?”
He glanced around to see if anyone was listening. He wished now that he’d not told her that he was a homosexual while he was drunk one night. She’d been hanging that over him whenever she got the opportunity ever since. There was something seriously wrong with Betsy. And it had all started when she’d come back from getting measured for her business dress.
“You have to keep your voice down.” She glared, and he had a moment of fear. “We’re treading on thin ice here, Betsy, and if we get into any more trouble, we might not make it to this meeting at all. Please, it’s going to be a big payoff, and I don’t know about you, but I’d like a nice vacation.”
She stilled, and he waited while looking around to see if the staff might have heard her. The house they were renting had come with servants, and that had suited them both just fine as they neither one did any house work.
“All right, but don’t think you’ve won this round, David. I know where you live.” He asked her who David was and she waved him off. “Never you mind. I’ve got him under control no matter what he tells you.”
She was getting stranger and stranger every day. But this, this last day had been especially weird. When he asked her again what had happened when she’d been out, she looked at him as if she didn’t know him.
“I had lunch in the diner, as I told you about. The proprietor of the place, he kicked me out because one of his waitstaff was whiney and insulted by what I said to her.” He swallowed hard before asking her what the girl had done. “She said that she’d bring me coffee and I got it, but there wasn’t any cream on the table. And then she brings me those little packets of stale milk. You know that’s not fit to drink
. So, when I tried to train her on what she’d done wrong and how to do it better, she cried. I just can’t stand when someone cries when I’m speaking to them.”
“Yes, yes, I know that about you. Did you perhaps tell her how she was doing it wrong in a calm way? Or were you too upset to do that?” She said that she’d yelled at her, but the girl had been wrong. “All right then. It’s done, and we’re on our way when the limo arrives. It should be here very soon. I would imagine it’s the traffic.”
“What time did you order it to be here? Samuel, you know that you have to give an extra hour on things like this. People are forever taking advantage of people.”
He said nothing more as the limo pulled up in front of the house just as she told him that. Getting the luggage into the car was easy. The driver told them that he was sorry, but there was an accident on the highway and he was thinking that they should take the round route, so as not to lose time. Samuel agreed. Anything to get the money. The driver laid his suit along with Betsy’s on top of the luggage, so they wouldn’t get mussed. As they were getting themselves situated, he looked around. This was his first limo ride, and he was going to enjoy it.
Of course, Betsy complained the entire drive. It wasn’t a long one, only three hours, but with her lambasting him about every little thing, it seemed twice as long. She complained about how the seats were not leather and heated for her. Then she was upset that they didn’t have any beer in the small fridge, but wine and small containers of cookies.
“I don’t know why they think that this baby food is going to be satisfying to us. You should have told them that we were grownups and that we eat grownup food.” He said that he’d remember that for the next time. “No, you won’t. I’ll take care to order it from now on. I think that I should start having more say in the business.”
“You own half of it, Betsy. What more do you want from it?” She told him that she wanted eighty percent. “That’s quite different than we discussed when we got together. I mean, you’re only leaving me with twenty percent. And that’s not fair.”
“I don’t care if it’s fair or not. I’m the one that has to keep people in line when we need something. Also, there is the little matter of this lord, or whatever he is. You two are in cohorts, fucking each other like nasty men do.” He asked her where on earth that had come from. “I don’t know. I’m not sure.”
She laid her head back on the seat and said nothing more for the rest of the ride. Betsy being this quiet worried him, and he didn’t know why. When they were finally at the bed and breakfast, he helped her out of the car and into the establishment. All he could see was the entrance hall, and he was impressed. After giving the famous Mrs. Peach their names, she took them right up to their rooms and helped him help Betsy to lie down.
“Are you going to be all right here by yourself?” Betsy waved him off and told him to go away. “All right. But I’m going down to dinner now. If you feel better before I get back, come join me.”
Again she waved him off with a loud “Fuck off.” He smiled then. Betsy was going to be fine now, he knew it. And all this talk about her taking most of the business, it was her not feeling well.
He was seated in the dining room when a cordless phone was brought to him, and was told it was Lord Slayer.
“Are you really a lord?” Samuel didn’t mean for that to slip out, and now that it was out there, he had to fix this. “I just wanted to know for my records.”
Why was he so lame sounding around this man? There was something about him that Samuel didn’t like, and he’d not even met him yet. When the man cleared his throat and laughed a little, Samuel took offense. But then, he was forever taking offense to something someone said to him when he was embarrassed. Letting out two long breaths, he waited for the man to answer.
“Yes, I’m to understand that you’re in town. Mrs. Peach has gone to a great deal of trouble for you, so I do hope that you’ll take care of her when you leave. She and her staff have been working hard for this visit.” He didn’t have any idea what that meant and assumed he planned to pay the bill. He wasn’t like his wife, he wanted to point out; he did pay what he owed. “I have cleared my calendar for tomorrow for lunch. I’m hoping to get this cleared up then, and not have this worrying Jennifer again.”
“Yes, I understand. Does she know that you’re going to pay me the money?” He said that he didn’t keep secrets from his wife or anyone else. “I see. A truthful man, then?”
“I am. And will be for a very long time. The limo will be there to pick the two of you up around eleven thirty. And then it will bring you to my home.” Samuel had hoped that the meeting would be there at the hotel, on his ground so to speak, but the man was going to make sure he was paid, so he’d go along with him for now. “After the meeting, I’ll go about my business and you will yours. I don’t want you bothering nor harassing my wife or anyone in this family again. Do I make myself clear?”
He had a tone. That was all Samuel could think about was the man had a tone, like he was really pissed off at him for daring to ask for money. Well, it was his, and he had worked hard so that she would make him rich. That was clear as rain to him. but the man obviously didn’t understand the rules of the game. Well, tomorrow he’d learn that Samuel Mercer and Betsy Whitaker were not to be messed with.
He had until noon tomorrow to get prepared. Samuel had thought that he was until the phone call. Now he wanted his answers and questions to be perfect. Before he even sat down, he had three drafts of questions to ask in his mind. He had yet to get to the statements he was going to make.
This man had made him feel like he wasn’t up to snuff. As if he was less than him. Samuel was better than him, and more than likely had a good deal more money. He was glad now that Betsy had said to get a good suit. It made him feel powerful.
Ordering a small salad and half of a roast beef sandwich, he looked around at the others that were staying here. For the most part they were younger couples, and a few children. And all here to look at some lights that had been on every single house he’d passed on the way here.
“People are just stupid.”
The salad was sat in front of him just as he said that. When the waitress asked him what he’d said, he only waved her off. He had to be careful here. Talking to himself would get him labeled as a goofball.
Eating the salad even as his belly rumbled for something more, he wondered what this man looked like. For that matter, why he had married so beneath him. Not that he was a snob or anything, but Jennifer was down on her luck, owed thousands of dollars out, and hadn’t had even a decent suit when she’d been brought before the courts. She’d worn a pair of torn, yet clean, jeans and an oversized T-shirt.
Samuel could not wait until tomorrow. He was going to have this man eating out of his hand, he’d be so impressed with him.
When his sandwich was brought to him, he didn’t even bother with looking at it before taking a nice bite of it. The burn of horseradish took his breath away, and as he tried his best to get the burning sensation to stop, he was inhaling the nasty stuff and that was making his eyes water. What the hell? Who put horseradish on a roast beef sandwich?
The trouble was, he couldn’t yell at anyone. His throat was scorched bloody, he just knew it, and his eyes were so full of tears, he couldn’t see well enough to see who to talk to anyway. Leaving the dining area, he made his way to his room and put his head under the faucet in the tub. The water felt glorious until it turned molten hot and he was hotter than before.
Christ, what happened to him having a good day? It was down the tubes in just one bite of a stupid sandwich. He laid down on his bed and tried not to think of the burning. As he closed his eyes and tried to breathe through the pain, he thought of tomorrow.
“Tomorrow, I’ll show them all.”
He would too. Samuel had worked hard on this, and no one was going to take it from him this late in the game.
~*~
“I’ve found at least ten more people that
they’ve pulled this scam on. Two of them have filed bankruptcy, and three of them have had to borrow money from the bank to pay them off when a cop came to their home demanding that they either pay up or he was going to run them in.” Valyn asked Renie how much she thought they had netted from this. “Over the five years they’ve been doing this? I’d say more than a million dollars. Quite a racket they have going here. And before you ask me, I don’t know who else is involved in this. I know one man—I’m trying to find his name.”
“So Jennifer isn’t the first.” She told him that she wasn’t the last either. “Why has no one found this out before now? I mean, don’t they have to report that much income to the government? At least that’s the way I’m to understand it.”
“They demand cash—or in the case of Jenny, they want money orders. No way to track those if they cash them out. I mean, they can be traced, but no one takes the time to do that. I mean, why would they? They’re just money orders made out to cash.”
Valyn was trying to wrap his head around someone cheating and lying to people. For what? A bit of money? He knew that this was a great deal of money; Kala was teaching them all the value of each denomination. But why did they need so much they’d steal it?
He looked at Renie when she said his name. “I don’t understand.” She nodded as if she knew what he was struggling with. “This is not the way to treat people. Especially those that have done nothing to them.”
“I’m sorry to say that it goes on more than I’d like to think as well. As I was digging through this mess, I found where one person committed suicide rather than face her family after they were able to bail her out at a great cost to them. No one will believe these people when they say that they’ve nothing to do with this card or any of the companies that are involved.” He asked her how many. “Ten that I can find so far. They switch out the name of the place every few people. That way they don’t get much in the way of feedback. And when someone calls them at the beginning of their scam, they simply don’t answer the phone. People get frustrated when they can’t talk to anyone. And all they have is a P.O. Box somewhere.”
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