Chapter Eleven - Extortion
What remained of the summer, after the incident with Mr. Collins, had virtually flown by. He had recovered quite well, and was off somewhere finding another adventure. The kids frequently received souvenirs and assorted trinkets from the Collin's, and looked forward to their return visit some day in the future. Jack was enrolled to start first grade in September and Amanda would go half days to a pre-school. The other half of Amanda's time Laura would have to make arrangements for, but even that seemed to be falling into place. Windmere had a small room set aside for kids to stay in while the parents did business, or partied late as was more often the case. While Jack and Ernie were starting first grade, Maria also needed a place for Vickie, and Cal's wife was looking at returning to the work force part time, so the need for a half-day onboard service was becoming apparent. Alicia found a young teacher who was starting her own family but wanted to work part time, and the deal was made. When regular pre-school started, the half-day school would also start, more as a play room but with some goals for learning. The beauty of it all was that the half-day was at Windmere, with its kids playground, wading pool, woods to walk in and a myriad of other attractions. As summer ended, things quickly fell into place for the remainder of the year, and life went along rather smoothly, almost.
In mid-September with school in session and life in general under control at Windmere, Laura had a chance to think back over the past three months. It had truly been a roller coaster ride, one with a lot of bumps, but things were healing over. There was still the nagging problem of what to do about Richard; after all, she was still married to the rat. He hadn't even so much as called Nancy to see if she knew where Laura had disappeared to with the kids. Not that Laura wanted anything to do with him, but she was becoming more interested by the day in Ryan, and felt he shared her interest; she knew in her heart he would never approach her so long as she was a married woman, in spite of the horseplay at the ball game. On the other hand, she felt the legal and moral obligation as much as did Ryan; while it chaffed her greatly, there was no discernable way out, at least not at this time. That was about to change, maybe for the better, maybe for the worse, depending on where one stood.
Marcia was at her usual desk when the intercom from the gate lit up. Checking the monitor quickly, she saw a rather battered old sedan at the gate, and a man leaning out the window toward the intercom box. It was not all that unusual to get strangers at the gate, but there was something about this man that she did not like, and she hadn't even asked what he wanted. Keying the intercom, she responded to the call: "May I help you?"
"Yeah, I think so" the man's voice responded. "I'm Richard Nessing and my wife is in there. I need to see her....now."
"One moment, please" Marcia told him, then fled to Laura's office with the message.
"What should I tell him? He's at the front gate and he knows you're here."
"Ask him to come in, please, then show him to the small conference room, and you might see if Dennis is around somewhere close."
"Done. I'll bring him to you once he's in the door, and I will find Dennis."
Returning to her desk Marcia keyed the intercom and directed Richard to come up to the house. Watched on the monitor, the big gate slid open, then quickly closed behind the car. Richard Nessing came to the front door as instructed, leaving the car in the drive. Entering the building, Marcia showed him the way to the conference room where Laura waited. Entering the room, Richard sat across from Laura; Marcia left the door open on purpose, although Richard really didn't care much who heard what he had come to say.
Laura opened the conversation with one word: "Why?"
Gone was the smooth fa?ade of an uber salesman she had so often seen, replaced by the ugly jagged edges of a self-immolating egoist. "I had a few little debt problems to handle and didn't need the extra baggage at the time. Face it: you and the kids were window dressing I needed to get ahead in my business. But, all that is behind me for the moment. Right now I need $10,000 from you, cash. My little debt problem has become slightly larger; I still don't know how I could have lost that card turn but it doesn't matter. I need to pare the debt down a bit before the big boys start to play rough."
"Where in the world do you think I could get $10,000, and why would I give it to you anyway? You have to be out of your mind coming in here asking for that after what you did."
"Not a problem for me; big problem for you. Either I get the cash, and right now, or I file for custody and drag you through every court in the land. Shouldn't be a problem finding you an unfit mother; after all, even if you aren't much in bed, everything I see says you're putting out for the boys here, or you wouldn't be where you are. It may or may not be true, but juries are fickle bodies. So, make your choice and take your chances, but remember, there's a chance I might win. Really, I don't want the two brats, but if that's what it takes, that's what it takes. And your answer is.....?"
Laura was nearly unnerved by this demand, and the really nasty accusation he had delivered, but the ordeal this man had put her through had given her a strength belied by her soft voice. "Wait here. I'll be back in a few minutes. I would suggest you stay in this room and don't wander around; it's for your own safety." Her bravado lasted until she was well clear of the door, but by the time she got to Rogers office the tears had started. "Roger?. Please?.. can I see you for a minute?" The words were halting and broken by gasps. Roger quickly ushered her in and closed the door.
"Laura; what's wrong; what the hell's going on?"
"It's my husband; he?came here to get money?.and?..he says he's going to tell people I'm promiscuous.....and an unfit mother.....and he'll take the kids and I just can't let that happen but I don't know what to do."
"You did the right thing coming to me; I think we can help. Now, sit, take a breath, let it out slowly, that's it. We have a few minutes to sort things out. I need to tell you, we have been asking around about Mr. Nessing for some time now. It's not exactly a secret that we like to protect our interests, and like it or not, you're part of our interests now. After hearing what he did to you and the kids, I put out a couple of feelers through an investigator we use now and then, just so we could maybe stay ahead of him; you know he has a serious gambling problem, and he's in really deep to some very bad guys just now. How much does he want? I'm assuming that's why he's doing the extortion gambit. Hang on a sec," and keying the intercom said "Marcia, would you have Dennis accompany Mr. Nessing so he doesn't get lonesome?"
"Yes sir. I called him like Laura said. Dennis is here and Mr. Nessing is going nowhere, at least not in one piece."
"Thanks Marcia; good work. Now, Laura, back to the numbers. How much?"
"Ten thousand. I don't even have any savings, at least not much; where am I going to get that kind of money? Anyway, I have a bad feeling that's only the beginning if I give in, but I don't want the kids dragged through court. What should I do?"
"Okay, here's the deal. Ten thousand isn't all that much; it won't even pay off what he already owes, and I don't see an end to that problem, not at this point. I want you to go back in there and tell him to be here at 3 PM tomorrow and you'll do the deal. Please do not talk about anything else, only the money Then, ask Dennis to 'help' Mr. Nessing out of the building while you come back in here. Can you do that? Tears gone now? Okay; good girl. We can get you through this, but I need to know where you would like to end up. So do your part and come back. I just hope to hell Dennis doesn't get wind of this guy threatening Mandy; could be the last thing he does in one piece. Okay?"
Laura smiled at the reference to Dennis. "I seem to be thanking you a lot of the time for a lot of things. Guess I'm pretty needy."
"No, not at all; you just need a little help with a bully now and then, just like the rest of us. Now, into the breech with you girl."
Laura heard Roger intercom Marcia to call a Harry Comstock as the door closed. She wondered who that might be, but the more immediate problem was handling Richard. She looked up at Dennis l
ounging against the wall in the corridor, and the look she saw on his face reminded her he had professionally made a living at one time inflicting pain on other human beings; it was not pretty, but it was reassuring that help was near at the slightest hint of any danger to her person. Entering the room, she addressed Richard in a clear, unwavering voice, from a woman who was back in control of herself, and the situation, at least for the moment: "Okay, this is the plan. Be back here tomorrow afternoon at 3 PM. I believe funds will be made available to you then. Any questions?"
"Yeah; who do you have to do to get that kind of money that quick?"
She looked up just in time to see Dennis starting for the door; clearly, he had overheard through the open door and was not pleased. "It's okay, Dennis. Just a small misunderstanding. Would you escort Mr. Nessing here to his car now? Remember, Mr. Nessing, 3 PM tomorrow."
Dennis looked at her intently, nodded, and took Richard Nessing by the arm. It was somewhat unclear whether Richard wanted to leave or not, but his arm was going with Dennis regardless.
Laura returned to Roger's office but stopped short when she realized he was on the telephone talking to someone. Looking up, Roger motioned her into the office. "Yeah, Harry, that's the deal. Do you want in??.. Right, I thought so?..Usual fee, and maybe some passes for the course, and dark South American chocolates for the recorder? ?..Can do. I'm putting things together for 3 PM tomorrow out here, Nessing will be back then; with money on the table, I'd bet on it, only if it were legal to do so of course; wouldn't want to offend you?..And Fred Dawson if you can; I think there's something in the stash he'd like?? That would be super. I'll fill you in on what all we need to get done within the hour and you can take it from there??Great. Talk to you later. And thanks Harry; this means a lot to us."
Laura was curious at what was beginning to look like a scheme of some sort. "I'm sorry to have caused all this trouble. Maybe I could find some way to deal with him without involving?.."
"Not a chance." Roger interrupted. "Look, we like to protect our own. Bluntly, we have an investment in you we need to protect, in more ways than one. And face it, you're a whole lot better to look at across a table than Cal is. First of all, things are going to be worked out, so you can quit holding your breath, but I would like to know how far you would like to have things worked out. Harry Comstock, with whom you heard me talking, is actually Judge Harry Comstock, Senior Judge for this county. Harry's still on the bench but hands most of the stuff to his juniors to handle. I called him because I know him personally, I know a weakness or two he has, and I know what will get him moving. I wouldn't want to call it bribery; hell, Harry'd do this anyway, but I want him to know how important this is to us. Anyway, I need to ask you a rather tough question or two. Ready?"
"Yes, I'm ready, even if I don't understand what's happening."
"Okay. Here we go. Do you want a divorce from Richard Nessing?"
"Very much so. I could probably get along but what he did to the kids is unforgivable."
"Okay, that's step one. Next question: do you want sole custody of your children and with or without visitation?"
"It wouldn't make much difference to him. He already said we were all just pawns in his game. But the answer is yes; no question, and no visitation; he wouldn't come anyway unless he needed more money."
"I don't think that will be a problem. Third question: do you believe he would kidnap the children as a means to obtain funds from you?"
"I'm guessing, but I think he would after what he has done already. Can you keep him from doing that?"
"We can pretty much assure that won't happen by putting the fear of God in him. So, let me sum it up: by 4 PM tomorrow you would like to be an unmarried woman, with sole custody of your two children, and a protective legal net around you. Right?"
"Yes, right, but can you really do that, and how do I ever repay you for all this. I guess I don't know much about the law but I thought a divorce took a year to become final, at least in most states. How are you ever going to get him to agree with all this?"
"Harry loves a challenge. And he knows his business. This isn't a legal matter to him; it's a matter of fairness and justice. He took to it like a trout to a fly, even suggested bringing along a court reporter for the proceedings; that's where the South American chocolate came in. Hard telling what that's going to cost me."
"See? That's what I mean. How am I going to pay for all this, the judges fee's and things like that? You certainly pay me well enough, but this has to be expensive."
"Remember back a few months when two people picked up you and your kids in a homeless shelter and you trusted them enough to go along? Same deal. Trust us now; you might even enjoy the show. Now, leave things to me; I have a lot to get done in the next few hours. Hey, Ryan, can you come in a minute?" Roger yelled through the door for his associate. "Laura, could you give us just a minute in here, maybe hang out with Marcia for a few minutes?"
"Sure Roger, anything you say. I get the feeling whatever is going to happen tomorrow is going to happen with me or not."
"Nope, not a chance; you're our key player. Now scoot so I can chat with Ryan a bit. Ryan, come on in please; I just need a minute or two." Roger filled him in quickly on everything that had happened. Although he knew Ryan had obviously been listening intently, he was still the boss and Roger needed his final approval on the path he was taking. Ryan quickly agreed to the plan, and they had some debate over just how badly they should actually frighten Richard Nessing. Both men were starting to enjoy the deal, but were aware that there was still an outside chance things could go wrong.
"Just one more thing Ryan, before you go. Laura needs to really be in control tomorrow. We've seen how good she can be working a CEO or two, but this is a little different; it's personal and involves her kids. I'm going to suggest something here, and it's only a suggestion, you can do what you want, but why don't you take her to the driving range and hit a bucket or two. It's close to quitting time anyway, and I think the physical workout would be good for her. I can ask Alice to catch the kids if you like so you have plenty of time. How about it? Look, I know you have an interest here, maybe more than just for an employee. Hell, I know more than for an employee; I've seen your expression when you look at her. I'm just asking you to help calm her down a bit. This is really important for her, and maybe for you. Deal?"
Ryan was caught off guard by the suggestion, and he realized Roger was looking at him rather intently, waiting for a response. Pondering the idea for a moment, Ryan realized it actually made very good sense, even if he did think Roger was starting a little early with the matchmaking. "Okay, but would you kindly quit meddling after this?"
"Only if I think you don't need a little push, my boy. Now get out of here so I can deal with Harry"
Ryan grinned somewhat foolishly at Roger as he backed out of the office, but got it under control before Laura could see his face. "Okay, lady. I have our instructions from Sir Roger. Thee and me are to go to the driving range and hit a bucket or two of balls. Ready? You'll need a little different attire to make it easier; we'll stop on the way to the range so you can change, maybe shorts or Bermuda's would work. Okay?"
"Now wait a minute. I don't play golf, and there's still work to be done in my office, so how?.."
"Sorry, Sir Roger has spoken. Marcia, shut down her office will you, and ask Franz to roll out a two seater for me. Thanks, you're a doll as usual. Ask Alice to watch the kids; okay? Thanks. Come along lady; we have our instructions."
Marcia grinned at him as Ryan and Laura left; glancing back, Ryan stuck out his tongue as a last feeble gesture of defiance. Stopping by Laura's cottage, she made a quick change into shorts and a pullover top that was loose fit enough to go on easily, but snug enough to outline her figure. Checking quickly in the mirror, she thought for a second about changing the top, but Roger's comment about her looks came back to her and she decided to go with things as is. Back out and into the two seater for the trip to the driving range, where a
bucket of balls was already awaiting them, and an assortment of drivers.
"Okay lady?"
"Laura, if you please."
"Yes madam, Laura it is. Now, have you ever done anything like this before?" It was a simple enough question, but the way Ryan pronounced the line, and looked at her, it sounded a lot more like a tease than a question.
"Only once, and then it wasn't very good for me. Is it good for you?"
Taken slightly aback by this quick sass, Ryan was pleased they were having a dialog instead of talking about accounting data or some esoteric numbers trend she had uncovered. Unquestionably, this was lot more fun, and just the nearness of her was a reward in itself. He was well aware her married status had not changed, but it was a beautiful day, the driving range looked good, Laura looked great in the sunlight, and he was getting a flow of testosterone he had kept under control for a long time. Tomorrow he would obtain her freedom if he had to take out her soon to ex-husband by himself. Even at that, he realized that long term this might not work out at all; still, he was willing to give it a shot. "Yes, it's good for me. Now let's see if we can figure out how to make it good for both of us. Let me get the bucket, we'll size a driver for you, and look out gophers, here we come."
After some careful club selection for her height, they teed up and Ryan drove first so she could watch his swing. Laura was truly entranced by his swing, the ripple of muscle under his shirt and on his arms, and his flexibility; actually, she rather forgot about the golf ball entirely in her musing.
"Wow, I really got into that one. Did you see how far it went? Best drive I've hit in a long time. You must be having some sort of effect on me." And it was true she had an effect on him. The extra bit of testosterone not only drove his muscles harder, but it piqued the male show-off gene just a bit as well.
"No, I missed it. Did you hit it? I don't see it on the ground anywhere. Maybe it's in the woods." She, of course, had heard the hit, but she enjoyed the bit of banter they had going on and wanted to sustain it.
"It is not in the woods. It's so far down the range I can't see it anymore. By the way, it's your turn now. Let's see what you've got." The question was a bit rhetorical, he thought; 'I already know the answer?.. and I like it.'
"Okay, but you have to help me do this. How do I hold this thing? It looks a little like a pool cue with a weird end. And how do I stand?"
It took some time, and a lot of practice swings with his arms around her, his hands on her hands, until she finally could drive reasonably well on her own. With the bucket empty and arms worn out, Laura drove the last ball halfheartedly, laughing at the short distance, turned and looked directly into Ryan's eyes. "I think you did it."
"Did what?"
"Made it good for me too. Thanks, I needed that, and the company was great. We should try this again sometime; maybe we can knock off a gopher or two in the process."
Ryan laughed, and realized how easily the laugh had come in her company. Looking back into her eyes he had a surge of desire than nearly overcame him. Grasping for stability, he said they should head back toward the house in case Roger needed him, but they both knew, or sensed, that if they stayed there things would happen they were not prepared to handle, not yet.
The rest of the day was rather a blur for Laura, with the events to come the next day taking front stage. The kids seemed to sense she was a bit preoccupied, and stayed on good behavior. Although the two had to share a bedroom, the bungalow's were spacious enough that it was far from crowded and each had their own area. Laura decided against telling them the events of the day; things weren't done yet and she didn't want to tell them something that might not come to pass. Besides, she had to decide how to sleep with two aching arms. Sleep came quickly that evening.