looked. Sure enough, there were three sticks of dynamite wired to the drive shaft. I eased back out from under the car and called the police. Soon, the bomb squad was there and diffused the bomb. It would have killed all three of us if it had gone off. I didn’t tell the police, but I knew who had put it there.
I called Julie and told her what had happened.
I figured that I had won the contest over Julie, if I could just keep us all alive for a while.
The “while” didn’t last long. Two days later, we had just gone to bed when I smelled it. Natural gas: it was filling the house, and if the gas didn’t get us the explosion would. I jumped up. I had Johnny under one arm and Rachael under the other arm. I made it out the front door and then I had them across the street. I was at the gas meter, turning the valve off when the gas detonated. The house was blown to smithereens. It was totally destroyed. No one could have survived the blast.
I knew now that I would have to go after Ralph myself. My car was in the driveway; it was burned but not ruined. I could still drive it. I drove it over to Sharon’s and asked her to keep the kids for a while. I had to go hunting: I was going to hunt Ralph down and kill him. I would beat him to death if I had to.
When I called Julie about the explosion, she said, “Well, it couldn’t be Ralph; I am sitting right here staring at him.” I quickly began to wonder what they were doing together.
I went to a discount store and bought the three of us new clothes, toiletries, shoes and other things that we needed. I took the items over to Sharon’s, and she had the kids eating lunch. I kissed all three of them and told them that I would be back soon.
I flew to San Diego. I was there by noon. I got a rental car and drove to the lot.
I watched for Ralph. He was on the set watching Julie.
I snuck up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, I hit him with everything that I had. Then I hit him again and again. He went down and I helped him up and I went after him again. I had beaten his face to a pulp. Then I began working on his ribs. All that I could say about him was for him to stay on his feet after the beating that I gave him, he was a hell of a man.
Julie heard about the fight and came to stop it. She grabbed me by the arm and I nearly shoved her to the ground. I stood over Ralph and kicked him twice in the ribs and once in the groin. Then security was there and separated us, and I left Ralph alone. Both his eyes were bleeding; his nose and mouth were too. I was hoping that he had some broken ribs and possibly some groin damage.
I was able to get right in his face. “Ralph, those were my kids that you tried to kill. If anything else happens, I promise to come kill you. Do you understand?”
He nodded and I left him alone.
Julie escorted me back to her trailer. She washed and cleaned up my hands and knuckles. Then she put me in her bed, pointed her index finger at me. “Stay!” She meant it, and had my full attention.
I was worn out and shaking. I had wanted to kill Ralph, but I hadn’t. I should have beaten him to death.
I went to sleep and slept peacefully.
I woke up to a pounding on the door.
“Open up! This is the San Diego Police Department.”
I jumped up, ran to the door in my underwear, and opened it to four police officers. One stepped inside.
“Sir, put on your pants please!” he ordered.
While I was sliding my blue jeans on, I asked, “Officer, what is this all about?”
He didn’t say anything until I had my jeans and tennis shoes on, then he finally said, “Sir, turn around and put your hands behind your back.” I did, and he handcuffed me. He went on, “Sir, you are under arrest for assault and battery. You have the right to remain silent.” He went on and read me the rest of Miranda rights. He helped me down the trailers steps, and I was searched and my wallet was taken out. He added, “Is your name Brandon Thompson?”
I smiled. “Yes, sir, just like it says on my driver’s license.”
He said, “Mr. Thompson, do you want to tell us your side of the story?”
I lost my smile. I had no proof at all that Ralph had done anything. I knew how far-fetched my story was going to sound. I said, “No, sir, I want my attorney present.”
My car keys, my change, everything that was in my pockets was taken out and placed in a paper envelope. It was sealed shut, and the officer wrote something across the seal.
At that moment Julie arrived. She was out of breath from running, but that didn’t stop her. “What in the hell is going on here? You cops leave my husband alone. He hasn’t done anything that a sane man wouldn’t have done.”
The cops ignored her, placed me in the backseat of a squad car, and slammed the door shut.
I watched everything else unfold from there. Ralph came out of hiding and he looked horrible. Someone had beaten the hell out of him, and that someone was me. Julie went after Ralph; two officers pulled her off him. Julie was warned that she would go to jail too if she didn’t straighten up. I saw Ralph lean over and whisper something in her ear. Her mouth fell open and she stood there frozen. She said something to him and he whispered in her ear again and smiled like a jack-ass.
Two cops got in my car and backed up and then drove off. I was taken to a sub station where I was searched again. My belt and tennis shoe lacings were taken from me. I was handcuffed to a chair in a large open room and I began my wait. I sat there for three hours without anything to drink.
Three big men came in and unhandcuffed me from the chair. I was taken into a smaller room, where a man in a black robe sat behind a desk. He was shown photographs and a written report. He read my charges to me and asked if I had legal council. I said, “No, your honor.”
A man in a poorly fitting suit came in and I was escorted to an even smaller room, I was handcuffed to the table and the man sat down across from me. He said, “I am Will McGee, your court-appointed attorney. I will represent you in these hearings. Why don’t you tell me your story? Start at the beginning.”
I went back to Julie being married to Ralph, how she had divorced him and married me. Then how Ralph wanted her back and was trying to kill me and my family. I went on and told about the fight and then being arrested.
McGee asked, “What proof do you have that he is trying to kill you? It is my understanding that he has been in California the entire time.”
I said, “He never does his own dirty work; he hires men to do it for him.”
McGee interlaced his fingers and sighed. “Do you have any corroborating evidence or witnesses?”
I shook my head, then told him about Julie.
McGee leaned toward me. “Son, you don’t have much of a defense. Since this is your first time being arrested, I will try to get you a plea deal.”
I nodded my head. “But first you should talk to my wife.”
McGee knocked on the door and an officer opened it from the outside. He said something to the officer, and the officer shut the door. McGee came back over and sat with me and we waited.
About thirty minutes later, Julie was ushered in. McGee was clearly impressed with her. He jumped out of his chair and shook her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Thompson. I have heard your husband’s story and his accuser’s story; do you have anything else to add?”
Julie nodded her head and she told him about what had been going on in San Diego and how Ralph had threatened to kill me, and she knew that he could and would. She also told what Ralph had whispered in her ear. It incensed me, and I struggled to get out of the chair.
McGee said, “Calm down, Mr. Thompson. Just so you know, you are facing two years in county jail and a twenty-thousand-dollar fine. I think I can get the time down to probation, but you will still owe a fine. That is up to the judge.”
Julie said, “We will take it. How soon can you get my husband out of here?”
McGee smiled for the first time today. “He will have to s
tay in here for about three days. Mrs. Thompson, it is about dinner time; what do you say we go out and get a bite to eat?”
I wasn’t accustomed to men hitting on my wife directly in front of me. I just had to sit there and take it. After all, he was my attorney; he had my best interests at heart, right?
McGee and Julie left, and I was taken back to the large room and handcuffed to the chair.
I sat there again without water or food for an hour and a half.
People came in and people left. Some fought the guards and cops; most were like me: sedate. I didn’t want to cause any trouble; I just wanted to kill Ralph. I tested the handcuffs then the legs of the chair. All four of them were securely bolted to the floor. I could do nothing but wait. I tried talking to two other prisoners, but they both ignored me.
Then the biggest man that I had ever seen was brought in. He had long hair, a long beard, and a large trench coat on. He looked like he could rip the tiny handcuffs right off his wrists. He had a small smile on his face, the four big deputies placed him in the chair right next to mine. He didn’t resist, but they handcuffed both of his wrists to the chair. I had the distinct feeling that he could tear the bolts right out of the floor.
He caught me looking at him and he nodded. “Jeremy Holmes.”
I nodded back at the big man. “Brandon Thompson.”
Jeremy looked around the room. “What you in for, Brandon?”
I tried to look mean. “Assault and battery. You?”
He tried to raise his right arm, but the cuffs stopped him. “Murder One!”
Suddenly I didn’t feel so mean any more. I wanted to tell him about the three people that I had murdered, but wisely kept my mouth shut.
The last I saw of the big man, six officers took him to see the Judge. He didn’t come back out the door that he went in.
Julie came back with two men. One was McGee; the other one was well-dressed. They were all laughing, and Julie seemed to be having a good time. The whole thing pissed me off.
Julie came and sat down by me. She leaned over to whisper in my ear. A guard yelled, “Don’t touch the prisoner.”
The well-dressed man waved the guard off, and he and McGee both watched Julie talk to me. She said, “Honey, that was the D.A., the district attorney. He agreed to let you off with two years’ probation and a two-thousand-dollar fine. That was the best that I could get out of him. You will go back in front of the judge in a few minutes and you should be released into my custody. I agreed to take you back to Texas and keep you out of trouble.” She kissed me on the cheek and stood up. “I have to make us some airline reservations.” And she walked off, looking at her cell phone. I noticed that every man in the place was watching her walk; I could do nothing but smile.
Less than an hour later, I was back in the judge’s chamber. My attorney and the D.A. went up and stood at the judge’s bench. They all laughed and just generally had a good time. They stood up there for twenty minutes, eventually getting serious.
When my attorney came back to my table, he sat down beside me. “Brandon, you should kiss that wife of yours; she charmed the pants right off the D.A.. You wound up with only six months’ probation and the two-thousand-dollar fine. Part of the agreement was that you would go back to Texas and stay there!”
Late that afternoon, my handcuffs were removed and the packet with all my belongings was returned to me. Julie was waiting outside for me. She had a million-dollar smile on her face. She said, “Brandon, once this film is done, I will never speak to Ralph again, nor have anything to do with him.”
I asked, “What about his request that you spend the night with him?”
She made a face. “When things die down some, we will cook his goose, don’t worry. I have a plan.”
I asked, “You gonna tell me what the plan is?”
She batted her eyes at me. “Brandon, can you keep a secret?”
“Of course I can, why do you ask?”
She smiled back. “So can I.” And she strutted off. For some reason, that struck me as funny, and I began to laugh.
The next day we flew back to Dallas and picked up our two kids from Sharon. We drove home and by nine o’clock we had them in bed.
Julie said, “Brandon I have a surprise for you,” as she was putting her night gown on.
I grinned. “I like surprises.” I thought about how she looked in the nude.
She burst that bubble. “I have hired a contractor to build us our own place. Tomorrow we need to go select a place; also, I have talked to your boss and got you the rest of this week off.”
I asked, “When do you have to go back to San Diego?”
She smiled. “Day after tomorrow, I have a five o’clock flight. Just so you know, the movie finishes up in three weeks. I can leave for a week, then have to go back for a week of voiceovers. After that we can pull our surprise on Ralph. You are going to love it.”
I knew that she wasn’t going to tell me anything about the surprise, so I didn’t ask.
We went to bed, and sleep was a while in coming for me. Why was I blessed with such a wonderful wife and why did Marilyn have to die? I thought a lot about it, and was no closer to an answer than when I started. I also wondered what surprise Julie had for Ralph.
When morning came, I was just getting relaxed and couldn’t get up.
Julie got up and fed my kids and stunned me again. “Brandon, what do you think about me adopting Johnny and Rachael?”
My mouth fell open. “Honey, I think that is a wonderful idea. You would make the best mother in the whole world. I am so lucky to have you. I will get an attorney started on that right away.”
She said, “One more thing. Want to feel the baby kick? I think he is going to be a soccer player!”
I felt her belly and sure enough, the baby kicked me. It was so much fun to feel the new life inside her. Julie was six months along now. She simply glowed with happiness. I didn’t think that life could get any better.
After we took the kids to daycare and school, we went looking at land that she had scouted out on the internet. We found a ten-acre tract in a very exclusive neighborhood on the outskirts of Grapevine. There were high-profile sports figures and even a movie star living there. It was eventually going to be a gated community. We put up ten thousand dollars down-payment on the lot, and I would pay the balance of eighty-two thousand dollars next week. This was just for the land. We hadn’t even gotten an estimate on the house yet.
The architect met us there, and we picked a building site, and he showed us some sketches that he had already put together for Julie. We picked one of the plans and settled on the number of bedrooms and so on. He would work us up an estimate, but was guessing around seven million dollars. I couldn’t imagine spending that much money on a house, but Julie took it in stride. That night we were happier than we had been the night before, and we were pretty happy that night.
The next day was a downer. Julie had to go back to San Diego and finish the movie. We both expected some sort of retribution from Ralph, but had no idea what it might be.
When I took her to the airport, we both cried on the way. We promised each other to never be apart again. I stayed at the airport and watched the plane take off south and make a right turn, headed to California. I had the terrible feeling that I might not ever see her again.
I drove to the daycare and picked both kids up. Rachael had a black eye; she had got it on the bus from school. She went to school during the day, then at two o’clock rode the bus to the daycare facility. I talked to the director of the facility and she said that she had already taken care of the problem. I figured that I had to trust her. I took the kids home and fed them, then we watched a movie and I bathed them and put them to bed.
Right at nine-fifteen my phone rang. I looked at it and was surprised to see that it was Julie. I answered with a cheery “Hello, sweetheart.” I was hoping that everything was okay.
Julie was as excited as she could be. She had met the owner of the movie studio, a Mr. Larry Lawrence, and he had invited her to a big party the night filming was completed. She wanted me to bring Rachael and Johnny, and we could stay in a hotel and have a babysitter watch the kids. She and I could go to the party and stay out all night if we wanted to.
I told her, “Give me all the notice that you can and I will be there. It is your job to find a baby sitter.”
Julie agreed, and then told me that Ralph and his new girlfriend would be there. I didn’t care about that; if he had a girlfriend then he would leave us alone. I was looking forward to meeting Mr. Lawrence. He was a living legend. He was eighty years old, was married to a twenty-nine-year-old superstar, and she was still having his children. He had once been the King of Qatar, a country in the Middle East. Quite an accomplishment for an American. He was also one of the richest men in the world. His wife Jacky had been picked several times as one of the most beautiful women in the world. I wanted to see her in the worst way.
This party should be one of the most exciting nights of my life. I was going to share it with Julie. I just could not think of anything better.
We talked for nearly two hours like young teenagers. When we hung up, I went straight to bed and to sleep.
It seemed like I immediately woke up and it was time to get the kids up. I got them up, fed them and took them to school and the daycare. They both got out and ran inside. I didn’t even have to get out with them anymore. They were really growing up. Johnny would soon turn three, but was quite mature for his age. He talked well, and nearly anyone could understand him and carry on a conversation with him.
The three weeks went by quickly. It was Thursday, and I was taking them out of school for two days, so that we could all fly to San Diego. They were excited about going swimming in the ocean.
Thursday morning we flew to San Diego and got a room at a hotel on the beach. Julie got out of filming early and came to the hotel. We all put our swimsuits on and went swimming in the ocean. It was nice and warm, and we had a blast. When we got out we went shopping for Julie’s dress for the party. It was a cream color, plunged low in the front and back, and had a slit up the side of her right leg, almost to her waist. Even though she was pregnant, she looked fantastic in it, and we bought it. Then she told me the price: nine hundred dollars. It was a one-of-a-kind gown. I rented a tuxedo and had it tailored for me.
Back at the hotel, we met the babysitter and let her watch the kids while we went to a famous bar called “The Lounge.” It was a place that movie stars went to when they wanted to relax and chill out. We met many stars, and I was like a little kid in a candy store. I couldn’t tell who to look at, there were just too many. Then Jacky and Larry Lawrence came in. She was beautiful, and he really was an old man. I introduced myself to him and