That smile was dangerous to her because she hadn't thought
about much else. Lord, she hopes she runs into him again. He had the mixed looks of a young Brad Pitt and a mature body of Steve Rogers with the Captain America build. She was sure under that drab black suit was a body that wouldn't quit. The thought of being free of Martin and his controlling ways was exhilarating. She hadn't realized how oppressed she had felt until he was gone.
She went upstairs to take a shower to go to bed. Standing in the shower, she stomped her feet at the thought he may have had that girl in there too. She was trapped in this house until the divorce was final and then she was going to sell it and find something smaller. She had no idea why he wanted this place it was too big for them.
He wanted to impress someone, but he never wanted to entertain people in his home. "Except some teenage twit," she screamed as she dried off. "I'm going to hire someone to scour this place with bleach to make sure his and her diseases were out of her house," she grumped slamming out of the room. Selecting the guestroom furthest from her master suite she plopped down on the bed. That smile popped up in her mind, she fell asleep thinking about Agent, what was his name again?
*
She woke the next morning hearing an alarm going off. Crawling from the bed, she stumbled down the hall holding her head. She had finished off the whole bottle before the night was over. Realizing her mistake, she turned off her alarm looking in the mirror her hair was a tangled mess, and her eyes were puffy. She had had a hard night that was evident. She sat on the toilet and cried; she was turning into her mother. She would die a drunk choking on my puke, she lamented. Stepping back into the shower she started all over to get herself together. She has self-imposed places to go and people to see.
"I want my whole house steamed clean," she told the lady on the phone. "Yes, the walls and carpet tile it all. My soon-to-be ex had his whore in here and I want it cleaned out." She sat tapping her pen on the phone book waiting for an appointment. "Good when can you be here?" Renee asked, relieved she found someone. She was beginning to think no one did that kind of work.
"Perfect I'll be here."
She only must spend one more night in the guest room. She grabbed her keys and headed out, she was running late, but she was sure they hadn't expected her to be there anyway. "Keep them on their toes," she said with a snide grin.
She was not happy with these men doing a cover-up for their boss's ass for what could have been years. 'What a fool she has been' kept repeating in her head. Never again will be her mantra from now on.
Walking into the dealership she saw eyes roll on two salesmen. Wanting so badly to be Donald Trump and say you're fired, but she kept walking on to Bradley's office. She needs to find out who they are and how their sales are going. If they can roll their eyes at the owner, then how are they with the customers?
Bradley looked up and saw the set of Renee's jaw and knew she was still pissed about something. He had hoped with sleep; she might calm down and find a better mood. "Good morning," Bradley said.
"Barely; but yeah, Good Morning, so what are the salesmen's names that are out on the floor right now?"
Looking to see he said, "Trey and Rich,"
"Tell me about them, how long have they been here and how are their sales," she asks glaring at them.
Watching her reaction to them, he asked, "Why."
"Because they disrespected me, and I want to know who they think they are. I own this place not them," Renee told him loudly as the others in the office area looked on at her noting her loud voice. Looking out to the sales floor the two men had their heads together talking and twisting to investigate Bradley's office pissing her off even more.
"Well, actually Martin hired both a few months back. We don't know why; we had enough salespeople and before them, he hired that Jamie girl and moved Mona to help in the credit checking area. That made no sense; she was barely able to answer the phones. I let her go last month with Martin's approval," Bradley told her.
"For that little shit she lost her job, can you get Mona back, I remember her, no she was not the smartest, but she did the job," Renee asked looking at the men. She wondered what was the connection they had with Martin.
"I'll see but would rather hire someone with a little more smarts."
"Fine, but do it quick, or let one of those smart asses answer the phone we have no customers anyways," she knew how it worked. For now, the customer rep for the repair area was answering the phones and doing her job too. Renee had done that job for a few months when the dealership first opened. She walked to Martin's office it looked so empty without his computer covering his desk. He had it set up so no one could tell what he was doing. Snatching the phone off the hook she called (911) leaving them a message to have Detective Tagert call her. She is going to have him check these two out. She will be damned if she is going to be paying his perverted friends to work here. He is gone and so are they if they don't check out. They can haul them off to jail too she vowed. Bradley brought the print out of sales and inventory she took it from him as the phone rang.
"Thanks," she said and picked up her phone.
"Hello, Oh yes, Detective Tagert I just found out a couple of men were hired by my husband just a few months ago.
Well, I know, but we didn't need the sales staff.
I was hoping you could do a check on them and see if they are fishy.
Yes, fishy.
Oh Lord, that bad?
Sure, could you give me the number? And do you know the names of the Agents?
Agent White and Parker? Oh, that is right.
Yes, they did, but my mind was not on anything they had to say.
Yes, Sir it has been unbelievable. Just goes to show you never can know a person completely.
OK, thanks," Renee said, thinking damn he is in trouble.
*
"Yes, I'm trying to get in touch with Agent Parker.
Yes, I will wait," Renee told a very intelligent-sounding person. She wished she worked for them and wondered who Bradley would find for their phone operator as she tapped her pen on the desktop to the music playing in her head. She had worked out the beat to her favorite song as she waited. She should call her friend Zie and see about going out this weekend now that she is free. Mackenzie has been her friend for years. They met when her husband worked with Martin back when. They were both much younger than their husbands. Before they bought this place. He had been killed in a stupid bar fight over Zie. An obnoxious drunk who wanted to get with her, and her husband started a fight.
Zie didn't want to go there in the first place. They kept in touch over the years, but Martin; again, Martin didn't think she should hang out with her. This made no sense to her because Martin planned to have the man work for him as general manager at the new dealership before he died. But she had stayed in touch with Zie anyway. Screw him that was another thing she kept from him.
"Oh, Hello Agent Parker this is Renee Blankenship, you may think I'm being ridiculous, but I have two men working at the dealership who Martin hired.
Well, the thing is he brought them on when they didn't need more salesmen.
A few months ago, after Jamie came along.
Yeah, just call back and ask for Bradley he is the general manager, and he can give you all their information.
I'm just getting bad feelings about them.
No, they don't like me, I can tell by their attitudes.
Yes, both at the same time.
Yes, it is strange since we didn't need more help.
Good and if you need anything call me, I'll be here. Oh, by the way I'm sorry about the first time we met. I was in a poor me mood.
Yes, I'm doing much better.
Ok, I'll let you go find out," Renee said so thrilled to talk to him. He was flirting with her; she could hear it in his voice. She hoped he would show up here soon she wanted those men gone and she wanted to see him again. She needed to make sure she was seeing him right yesterday it could have been the wine goggles.
Bradley turned and looked at her moments after he answered the phone. "Wow, he is wasting no time," she whispered and put the ledger in front of her face. As the numbers blurred in front of her face, she heard a knock at her door.
"I know I just wanted the police to check them out, but the FBI has taken over the case," Renee offered to defend her position.
"I understand, I just wanted to tell you I gave them their names, addresses, and social security numbers. It will be up to them to check them out. About the service desk, Rachel has a cousin who would be good for the job. She is fifty-two and her children are all off to college. She will come in after lunch to talk to us. You want to have lunch with me?"
"I don't think your wife would be too happy with you."
"My wife is never happy with me."
"Then you should do something about it. I guarantee you it is cheaper to keep her than to pay child support."
"I know; what a wonderful reason to stay married," Bradley lamented leaving her office.
Renee shook her head as he walked out thinking what a jerk he was. He was a handsome one, but a jerk. "Maybe you should have quit getting her pregnant. Four kids in an unhappy marriage doesn't sound like a happy home life for the kids," she said to the wall. She felt sorry for the kids living in a loveless marriage. He worked too many hours, but she knows he makes good money.
*
Bradley brought a slightly overweight but cheerful looking woman to her office handing her an almost blank application. "Mrs. Blankenship this is Katherine Smith she is interested in the phone operator job. Renee stood and extended her hand. "Please have a seat," she said, offering her the chair.
Smiling, she said, "It is nice to meet you please call me Kathy."
She is a wonderful woman who has raised five children, three in college right now and she has been taking basic classes at the local community college. Her husband died during the last stages of Desert Storm leaving her with five children all under the age of nine. But like she said, 'she made it through the storm.' She acts like she can handle anything. Renee hired her; she was articulate and if she can handle five children on her own, she can handle the phones here.
Renee felt encouraged just by talking to her. She was so uplifting if she listened to her long enough, she knew she would feel invincible. Maybe she can have her lecture the employees over the PA system during the downtime.
Renee worked the phones after hearing Rachel's frustration over the intercom for the afternoon. She had enjoyed the job except for one frazzled woman whose car broke down two days after they worked on it. She was claiming that they had sabotaged the car. Renee assured her they had plenty of work without resorting to sabotaging her car. They only replaced a muffler, and she now has an engine problem. Demanding to speak to the manager, Renee told her she was the owner and the anger fell out of the conversation. Renee sent her wrecker to pick up the woman's car, and she was happy. She figured she was working on a tight budget, and this was the last straw for her, so she helped her out with the repairs.
She saw Rich and Trey leave for the day she followed them with her eyes and saw two black SUVs parked at the entrance and watched as two men in black stepped out to speak to them. Lordy, it is that handsome man and his partner, her salesmen aren't happy to be talking to them. They looked to be looking for a place to run as the handcuffs go on them. Bradley came over and stood by the phone station.
"Well, I assume they found a problem with our two newbies."
"Looks like it and I hope they come and tell us what it was," Renee said so happy to see them carted off. She taught them to roll their eyes at her the little shits. They put one man in each vehicle and Agent Parker sauntered to the building. Sauntered is the only word Renee could come up with for the way that man moved. He walked up with a playful smile.
"Well," Renee asked giving him back that smile.
"You nailed it. Warrants out of Nevada and Utah for fraud, and check washing, and Rich as you know him, is wanted for sexual assault of a minor. They have been looking for them for years. They were both working off false social security numbers. They belong to some old men on the other side of the country, and one is in the hospital, comatose, and has been for months, so these aren't those men."
"I'm so glad that I was not wasting your time," Renee told him thrilled those men were gone. And that sexy man gets the arrest. Good for him.
"Here are the addresses for the old men they stole the SS from, send them whatever pay is due to them. They don't deserve the money.
Bradley stood nodding his head, listening to all the information. He was so happy they were gone. His other salespeople were pissed when their hours were cut back, and most were looking for work elsewhere. He was sure the bad economy was the only reason they were still working here. He needs to go and call them and work up a new schedule starting tomorrow.
"No, you were right on point, if you have any more feelings call me," Parker told her, and she caught his meaning. Passing her a business card she took it and flipped it and saw a number hand written on the back.
Her heart slammed against her chest as she looked up and watched him walk away. She watched him give a high five-hand slap with his partner and they drove away the two jerks in their back seats.
The repair department closed, and the outside lights came on, they sold five cars two would be accredited to the old men Ha, Ha you pervert, Renee thought as she entered her office.
"Thanks for getting rid of those two Renee. I like working here and didn't want to quit, but I had to make more money," Don said as he stuck his head in the door, he had been forced to work the night shift to accommodate those men.
"If someone had told me months ago none of this would have happened. I don't blame you; it just is so frustrating to see what was happening to this place. And me with my head in the clouds."
"I had no idea about anything I just sell cars."
"I'm sorry I know you're not to blame."
He flipped paperwork at her, "sold another one," he announced with a grin.
"Good for you, I'm going home," Renee told him the phones hadn't rung in hours.
Leaving a note for Bradley she forgot to tell him she was not coming in tomorrow she has steam cleaners coming. She found out after the second refusal of bleaching the house that no one would do that. Steam cleaning was suggested, and she found someone to do that. She did find several women to commiserate with her about her cheating husband at the different businesses she contacted.
She swung by the restaurant Martin always brought home dinner from. She needed to apologize to them for not calling and canceling their deal. The cute girl behind the takeout counter smiled as she approached.
"Oh, that is so sweet, but we waited a few minutes for him and then sold it to someone else. He knows we won't wait long for him plus we could replace it quickly," she told Renee.
"I'm glad to hear that, could you make me one dinner special," Renee asked.
It smelled wonderful one of her favorite meals she receives from this place. Salmon and grilled vegetables were dinner, she knows that the food she has been eating lately is why she doesn't feel well. Glancing over at the bottle of pills sitting on the counter she got pissed all over again. Here she has been thinking about Agent Parker and she hasn't even finished her pills to get rid of the STD her lying, cheating, no-good, husband gave her. On top of that, she isn't divorced yet. Sixty days felt like forever, and she wasn't sure all the paperwork was filed to accomplish that. Dusty said he would go see Martin and have him sign the papers, but he hasn't called. Renee turned and looked over at the answering machine and the light was blinking. Taking one more bite of fish she went over and pressed the button for the message.
"Ok, he signed, and I dropped the paperwork off with the court so you're on your way to being divorced. He is pissed and is living in a dream world thinking he won't be in jail long. So, we have sixty days to get your case together to present to the judge at the disposition of your divorce. So, if you find out anything new contact me," Dusty told her on the answering machine.
"Oh Lord, he doesn't know about the FBI involvement or the other men. Agent Parker said he won't be coming back. Ok, let me call him."
She went to the study and found his card sat down and called him back.
"I know he is going down fast," she said after telling Dusty what was going on.
"No, the dealership is going great; but there haven't been any stories about Martin and the crap he has been doing. Yet.
Yes, I'm hoping they would keep him in Nevada and the story would stay there.
Hey, I said I was hoping. I know it is naïve.
What have you found out?
Why not you're my attorney.
An ongoing investigation. What are they investigating?
Oh yeah, the other girls.
Sure, maybe I'll just walk into their office and demand answers.
Ok, well maybe not.
So, at this point, I'm just waiting what fifty-nine more days, right and you have all the paperwork to demand it all goes to me.
Ok, I'll be a good girl and just ride this out," Renee said she knows she has to be patient which is very hard for her. She is a let's get this done type of girl, not a wait-around type.