"Many Cold Dank Nights"

 Marjorie walks back from the cafeteria carrying three cups of coffee still trying to think of a way to broach the subject of Jay's infidelity with Alex. The little tid bit she'd gotten while Alex was ranting could be useful, very useful but how to use it. Alex knew Jay was having an affair from the looks of things she'd done exactly what she'd thought she'd do when she saw them earlier. They were just too lovey dovey not to be building to that particular crescendo. Right now Alex was feeling humiliated she was hurt, angry and knowing Alex looking for anything she could get her hands on to strike back at Jay. Right now if she knew Alex she was a powder keg just waiting for the match and she had a warehouse full she chuckles to herself. Problem was how to use it to get the best result? The ringing of her phone shakes her from her ponderings she places the tray down on the sill and fishes out her phone from her purse. She checks the screen first her eyes lighting up when she sees who's the caller perhaps this was her answer.
"Well hello, it's as if you could read my mind how are you?" She purrs.
"Better everyday beautiful. Chase sent over the contracts I've had the lawyers review them and everything is just the way we wanted it." He grins devilishly unable to keep the delight he felt from his voice.
"You should get your copies by messenger tomorrow." Marjorie smiles to herself enjoying how all the pieces were falling into place.
"I have something else that may come in very useful I just happened upon it this afternoon. I was trying to think of the best way to use it.
"Come, come old girl don't hold back on me now?"
I"ve got a little recording that just might give us the leverage we need. Give me second I'll send it to you."
"I can't wait" He grins mischievously listening patiently as Marjorie fiddles with her phone.
"I just sent it to your email give it a second." She says coming back on the line.
"Wait a second" He says reaching for his keyboard and typing as he talks.
"I just got it hold on." He says clicking on the video attachment then sitting back in his chair.
""I'm going to warn you, you'll probably need to wash your eyes out with soap."  She chuckles.
"What do you have here?" He says leaning forward and staring intently at the scene being played out on the screen.
"That's just the latest in the series but I know it will push Alex right over the edge and exactly where we want her"
"This is absolutely fantastic! There he is in all his glory the man never changes. And you love, you've never been more right in your life she's going to want to bury him."
"That's what I thought! What do you want me to do now?" She purrs enjoying the image playing in her mind of Alex's face when she showed her.
"I know exactly what I need to do. Besides I would rather neither one of them know exactly how involved you are in this until the the very end. I also want you to be able to concentrate on your family nothing is more important than that I'll handle it from here."
"Are you sure?" She said feeling a little disappointed she'd really wanted to be the one. No matter however the news was delivered, it was what it would wrought that was most important she counseled herself.
" Wait, I just thought of one thing you can do for me?" He says leaning back in his chair as a plan begins to formulate in his head.
"What's that?" She says intrigued.
"I need you to make the arrangements for me to meet with Alex." The more he thought about it the more he liked it. This way he could take care of both pieces of business at the same time.
"Do you want me to talk to her tonight?
"No, I want you to make sure the little ones alright make it in a few days and make sure it's just before sundown." Marjorie smiles to herself this was getting more interesting by the moment.
"Do you want me to be there with you?"
"No, I just want you to make the arrangements I'll take care of the rest." He says smothering a chuckle. As much as Marjorie protested she loved the excitement of their plot and he couldn't blame her she'd longed for the moment of Jay's defeat as much as he did, almost as much.
"Just let her know you have something really important to talk to her about. I don't care how you do it. Just make sure it's someplace private and she's alone." Marjorie knew the spot and she also knew Alex would have no problem meeting there since it was her favorite destination for assignations of this kind.
"I know just the place and just the person to set it up for us. I'll take care of everything and give you call in a couple of days." She says looking around the empty hall.
"That's perfect darlin that's all I need, you just take it easy." She sighs feeling the weight of the day starting to press down on her.
"That would be wonderful to be honest all this cloak and dagger has gotten me a little jumpy especially with everything going on." She sighs again rubbing her neck.
"Ey, that's why I want you to step back right now." He says leaning back in his chair.
"I'll let you know when I need you again. Right now you stay close to to the hospital so you can protect the wee one from the likes of himself just be my eyes and ears."
"Aren't I always?" She smiles making him feel a flush of gratitude.
"Yes my sweet darlin you have and I can never thank you for everything you've done for me and mine over the years."
"I told you before, it was my pleasure and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I just wish I could have done more." A tinge of sorrow staining her voice deepening the yearning in his heart.
"You made sure my family didn't want for anything without anyone knowing all the letters and pictures you sent me were the only things that got me through these years you were like my angel Marggie I don't know how I'll ever repay you."
"You just let me know when we've finally broken that son of a bitch!" She growls into the phone the venom in her voice making him laugh.
"Believe me darlin you will be my very first phone call."
"Listen," She says looking down at her watch.
"I better get this coffee back and check on things, I'll call you in couple of days with the time and place. Have a good night"
"I'll be waiting to hear from you kiss that new Grandson of yours for me. Goodnight.
"I will talk to you soon"
"G'night Margie." He says ending the call and laying the phone down on the desktop.
 He walks to the window and sits on the long stone sill and opens the lead glass pane, breathing in the damp air and staring out across the moors unseeing. The setting of the sun and dampness on the breeze took him back to the many cold dank nights he'd spent in that cell. Nights spent, filled with fear and self loathing longing futilely for warmth from a tattered moth eaten blanket, the love of his family and the comforts of home leaving him distraught and begging for deaths compassionate hand. As always on those nights his memories would go back to the evening in Jay and Alex's bedroom that started his demise making the anger rise with the bile in his throat till it had literally choked him. That was the night he'd found his soul focus. Revenge and getting home. From that night forward he lived for one purpose the nagging voice cheering him on every step of the way guiding his every movement towards escape and once he'd found his freedom Jay and Alex Stockton's annihilation. From that night forward he'd listened to it examined every situation critically and did nothing without it's stamped approval. He'd learned the hard way and paid with what seemed a lifetime the one time he hadn't and that would never happen again.
The voice in the back of his head had warned him not to follow her. Long before that moment the same voice  had told him to let what he'd heard go there could only be woe in knowing her truth. Her wrath would be his to bare in letting her know he knew don't chance it. Instead he'd listened to his arrogance it knew better.
 It preached the best way was to play mediator to confront it head on, bring it all out in the open. Deal with what was, in essence be the hero his ego had always told him he was. He'd ignored the voice that said what happened in another man's family was his own business. If he hadn't listened to it on the drive over why would he have listened to it when she'd pulled away from him and her sleeve had torn? He'd been beyond deafened to it when it screamed "Leave NOW!" as he followed behind her. He'd pleaded with her till she'd fallen into tears in his arms just moment after swearing to tell the truth when Jay had walked in on them.
 His being in their bedroom with Alex, her tear stained face, torn clothes and lies were all the proof Jay had needed to seal his fate. A worse fate he wouldn't wish on any man alive or dead he thought with a shiver as he closed the window then walked to the fireplace to warm himself. He stared into the flames unable to stave off the memories that wouldn't stop coming. He closes his eyes and takes a few deep breathes stilling the tortured and mournful wails of his fellow prisoners as they suffered through their own personal agonies and then the droning sound of his own nightly montra that death would be his savior and wrap him in its cold embrace. Another few breaths and then silence. He opens his eyes again seeing the room before him and his endgame as clearly as the furnishings within it.
"You're going to wish you'd killed me Stockton you and that lying bitch!"


"Harbinger Falls" Copyright 2015