A Common Man A Tangled Web Pt 05

Later that evening David sat watching Chelsea sleep.

As he did his brow furrowed and he whispered, "Bastards! Dirty rotten fucking bastards! But tomorrow is the day, the day you start to pay."

Ten minutes later a light knock sounded on the door. When David opened it Ted said, "Can you come to my room? I've got everything ready and we need to go over how it's going to work."

David glanced at Chelsea's sleeping form, slipped out the door, quietly closing it behind him, then followed Ted to his room. When they entered Garr, Tele and Susan were sitting at a table in the middle of the room.

As David and Ted took a seat Garr said, "David, this is Susan."

David looked at her and said, "Even though you broke into my fucking house, Thanks for the help."

Susan was a hardened PI. She was used to people giving her shit, but for some reason, her cheeks flushed as David's barb caused her to be embarrassed.

"I am really sorry about that. The people we usually deal with are assholes and I wouldn't care. I had no idea who you were when I did that." She looked up and locked his gaze as she added, "As far as the help, no problem. Had I had any idea what those two were doing I would have quit that job a long time ago."

"Don't feel bad. I was just as clueless as you were and I've done my share of that type of covert surveillance," Garr said.

David stared at Susan, then Garr and back to Susan before he said in a soft tone, "I can see who you are now, but it really pissed me off in the beginning. I'll tell you this had I woke and saw you, you probably wouldn't be alive right now."

He looked at Garr, "That .45 Super you saw? I sleep with that under my pillow."

His gaze swung back to Susan as he added, "There are a lot of people like me. You might want to rethink how you do things like that, because one of these times you're going to run into a light sleeper and he might have one of those under his pillow."

Susan felt a chill run down her back. She knew she had been lucky the times she had done that particular thing. David's words just served to drive the point home.

"Yeah, I will. Again I'm sorry."

David stared at her for a long moment, his face set in a stoic mask, then a smile cracked his lips as he said, "Well, I'm glad I didn't wake. you've turned out to be standup people. Besides, how would I explain it to Garr and apparently now Tele?"

Susan could hear the unspoken forgiveness in his voice.

She grinned back at him and nodded.

Ted put his hand on a stack of files and DVDs sitting in the middle of the table.

"I have everything arranged and collated in chronological order. I have sworn notarized statements in here from four of the women on the videos and we're trying to contact the rest. All four have agreed to testify against George and Madison. I've also made an appointment with those two for 10:00 AM tomorrow morning using the name of one of those women, with her permission. Susan has volunteered to take these to the police at 9:00 AM. That will give you time to get into their office and do your thing before the cops come calling.

To make sure you can get in I alluded to what they did to her and that she was thinking about bringing charges against them. Knowing them they will be arrogant enough to think they hold all the cards so will be eager to keep the appointment."

Ted stopped for a moment, turned to David as he said, "You do know after you talk to them the first thing the vindictive assholes are going to do is call in your mortgage don't you? A lawyer friend of mine checked on it. The requirement that you and you alone pay it off is legal and binding. There's no way legally to stop them from doing that. You will lose the campground. You know that right?"

"Yeah, I know. But it's worth it. I want to look them in the eye as I end their fucking careers," David said with a bared teeth grin.

"Ok then, it's a go." Ted said, "Now, let's have a drink to celebrate doing these fuckers in."

Tele grabbed some glasses sitting on a side table. Garr poured a shot into each.

David picked up his glass, held it out as he intoned, "To friends and comrades, past and present."

The other four held their glass up, touched them to David's.

As one they repeated, "To friends and comrades."

Each tipped their glass up and downed the shot. A moment later the staccato irregular clatter of empty glasses hitting the table followed.

"I have to get back to my room," David said, a note of concern creeping into his voice "I don't want Chelsea waking up in a strange place without someone there. I'll see you guys in the morning."

After he was gone Ted smiled, "He loves her huh?"

"Yeah, everyone but David knows it too!" Garr added.

The big man turned to his partner with a sly grin, "So you finally staked a claim huh?"

Susan looked at Tele, "Yeah and he isn't getting away either!"

"Alright, guys. I have to go call Charleen else she's going to divorce me for neglect," Ted said.

"I hope the hell she does!" Garr said with a grin, "That will give me a chance with that brown goddess you're married to!"

"Oh hell no!" Ted replied, then as a grin spread across his face he added, "Besides, from what Charleen tells me Timone wouldn't let that happen!"

"What?" Susan yelled, "Someone has their hooks in you?"

"What? No! That's not the way it is..." Garr began.

"Hell yes, it is!" Ted interrupted him, "I saw the way you look at her, and the way she looks at you like there isn't anyone else in the room!"

"Oh bullshit! That isn't true!" Garr scoffed.

"So tell me you don't talk to her every night! Go on, deny it! I know better! If you remember Charleen and Timone are best friends. They tell each other everything!"

"Shit! I hope the hell they don't tell each other everything!" Garr said.

Susan laughed, "This is rich! Admit it big man, you're hooked solid! I can see it!"

"I...we...oh hell!" Garr sputtered.

"Did I call it or did I call it?" Susan said with a grin.

"Time to go," Ted opened the door and ushered the others out.

His last words were, "Be here tomorrow at 7:30 so we can go over the whole thing one last time."

A few minutes later Ted was talking to his wife.

As he walked down the hall to his room Garr was already dialing Timone's number.

When she answered he said, "Hey doll."

"My big man!" Timone replied, a note of happiness in her voice.

"Before I tell you how sexy you are and what I want to do to you, I need to know how you made out with that favor I asked of you," Garr said.

"I never knew I had so many fans and friends!" Timone replied, "We did fabulously! My boss was more than happy to let us use the club after I told him I'd extend my contract for 6 months. And I'll have everything ready tonight to make the call tomorrow. At 9:00 AM it will be delivered when they open as you asked."

"Damn woman," Garr said, "So when are you coming out here?"

"I'll be on a plane tomorrow day after afternoon! Meet me at the airport?"

"The whole fucking U.S. Army couldn't keep me away!" Garr growled.

"Se you tomorrow my big man," Timone said, sensuality dripping from her voice.

As Garr hung up he stared at his phone, saying softly to himself, "Damn! I guess I am hooked!"

________________________________________________________________

At 8:00 AM the next morning Susan called the police department and made an appointment with Detective Grieves. When she arrived at 9:00 AM she was ushered to his office. By 9:10 she had filled the detective in on what evidence she had, who it was against and what it was. When detective Grieves asked how she got it all she would say was they came from an anonymous source.

An hour later, at 10:00 AM David was standing in front of George Penos' secretary's desk.

"I'm sorry," the secretary said, "Mr. Penos has an appointment with a Grace Flores and won't be able to see you."

David smiled, "I'm here as Grace's representative."

"Just a moment please." The secretary said as she picked up the phone.

"A man is here to see you. He says he is Grace Flores representative."

She listened for a moment then asked David, 'What is your name please?"

David smiled and replied," I'll tell George and Madison that personally."

The secretary relayed that, listened, then hung up and said, "Mr. Penos will see you ."

David smiled nodded, then turned toward the office door as the secretary rose to open it for him. He felt the anger he had held in check start to rise and forced it back down. He would have loved to beat both of them until they were bleeding from every orifice of their body and unconscious, but he also realized he wanted them in jail and didn't want to be there with them.

As he walked up to the large desk, George was sitting behind it and Madison sat in a chair to one side. True to his modus operandi George had the lights on, focused on the single chair in front of the desk, ready to try to intimidate David.

"Please, have a seat," George said amicably.

"No thanks. I'll stand." David responded as he stopped at the corner of George's desk out f the beam of the lights.

George shrugged, a bit perturbed because of this small glitch in his plan, "Suit yourself. So you're Grace's representative? And which law firm do you work for?"

"I'm not a lawyer," David replied with a half-smile.

"Really?" Madison chimed in with a smirk, "So who are you?"

David O'Connor," David replied softly.

Madison's mouth fell open as it clicked and he recognized David from the photos Susan had taken.

"O'Connor? Chelsea's friend?" George asked.

"Yes," David replied with a Chesire smile.

"Really? So what is it you want?" George asked a confident, arrogant note in his voice.

"I just wanted to be the one to tell you in person you two you're going to prison," David amicably.

"Really? And how do you think we are going to get there?" Madison asked a self-confident smile creasing his lips

"Because right now the police are reviewing the videos of you and George raping numerous women. And they are reading sworn statements from those women that it was rape."

George grinned, "And why should we believe you have any such evidence? Where would it come from?"

"From that safe you have hidden behind the bookcase over there." David pointed to the case hiding George's safe, "And from the one in your office." He said to Madison.

"I'm supposed to believe you stole such evidence from my safe? Not with the security I have you didn't! I think Mr. O'Connor it's time for you to leave. But before you go, I'm going to destroy your life."

George picked up the phone, then punched in a number.

As he waited for the call to go through George opened a drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper as he said, "I'm going to foreclose on your campground. In a very few minutes you are going to be homeless."

"This is George Penos...Yes...Contract 67734568, I want it foreclosed on immediately. I'll wait for confirmation."

He looked up at David with an evil grin, "See how easy it is for me to destroy you? One phone call is all it takes."

David grinned back, "Yeah, you are going to take my campground and that hurts. And I'll be homeless that's true, but you're the one who will be going to prison and Chelsea will be free of your little scheme."

George blinked, taken aback by David's words, his calm demeanor.

A moment later he yelled into the phone, "What?...I told you not to receive anything from anyone on that account!...WHAT???... When?"

There was a pause, then he slammed the receiver down as he looked at Madison and yelled, "You bastard! You paid off his fucking loan this morning! How the hell did you do that? I know Chelsea didn't help because I have a tracer on her accounts so she couldn't withdraw that much without me knowing! How?"

David looked stunned. He had been stealing himself for Georges's announcement that his mortgage had been called, that he was losing the campground. In fact, he had spent the better part of a sleepless night prepping for that announcement. Instead, he had just heard that his mortgage had been paid off. That he had paid it off, which he knew wasn't true. Who? Why? When? Rattled around his brain. But there were no answers to any of those questions.

George's face was bright red with anger as he snarled, "You need to leave! And don't think this is the end of it! I will destroy you! I swear I will! And that bitch you are banging too!"

The euphoria caused by the realization that he wasn't losing his campground had begun to sink into David, but when he heard George he couldn't restrain himself.

He reached over the desk grabbed George's shirt and physically pulled him over the desk until the other man's face was close to his as he growled softly, "Many have tried, but I'm still alive and some of them aren't. Keep that in mind. Hasta la vista assholes!"

David shoved George hard as he let go of his shirt. The other man fell back hitting his chair, tipping it backward, ending on his back on the floor.

David turned to Madison, calmly saying, "You want to take it up with me?"

Madison's face was white with fear. He held his hands in the air as he backed away shaking his head.

"Figures. A couple of fucking cowards." David growled as he left.

Tele was waiting in the car in front of the building when David came out.

As he climbed in David asked, "The mortgage has been paid off on my campground. You know anything about that?"

With a grin, Tele enigmatically answered," All will be revealed in good time!"

"What the fuck?" David said.

The only answer he got was another grin from Tele. When they got back to the hotel everyone was there waiting.

As David came into the room Tim started to ask, "So how did it..." only to be interrupted by David, "Alright god damn it! I want to know who and how my god damned mortgage was paid off! Did you guys tell Chelsea? Did you?? I told you I didn't want that!"

Everyone in the room turned to look at Garr. The big man had a huge grin on his face.

"You? You did it?" David asked.

"Not just me." Garr replied, "Timone had a fundraiser at her club. They had a picture of you, the metals you won, how you got them on display with the reason for the fundraiser. "

Garr walked over, holding a sheet of paper out to David, "It seems a lot of Timone's fans work at the Pentagon and every one of them wanted to support one of their own. They raised enough to pay off your mortgage and start a trust fund to help those people you were supporting."

David glanced down at the paper and saw a six-digit figure as the balance of the fund.

"What...the...fuck..." He sputtered.

"George gave instructions that no one was to be allowed to pay off your mortgage. However, it seems since you were the holder, you could do so. Remember that blank sheet you signed? It later became a request to pay off your mortgage. It and a cashier's check were delivered to the mortgage company at 9:00 AM. We couldn't let those bastards do what they were going to do to you." Garr said, then added, "So how did they take your visit? What did they say?"

David looked up at Garr, replying softly, "It went just like I thought it would. They didn't believe we have anything on them. They think they're invulnerable. God how I wanted to take those two apart, make them physically suffer for what they did."

"Fabulous!" Tim crowed, "That means the visit from the cops will be a total shock to them. Why don't you go on back to your room and get some sleep? I know you were up most of the night. The rest of us have to finish up on the last phase of the plan."

"Last phase? What phase?" David asked puzzled.

"Go. Get some rest then we'll fill you in." Tim said.

David could feel the weariness filtering into his body and knew Tim was right. He nodded then left. As he entered his room, Chelsea was just coming out of the bathroom dressed in a hotel issue terry cloth robe.

"David!" She squealed as she ran to him and threw her arms around him.

"How's my sugar pussy?" He asked.

"Fabulous!" she replied, then whispered, "I'm always fabulous when I'm with you."

"I need some sleep," he said.

She took his hand and led him to the bed. He quickly stripped off his clothes, as she folded back the sheet for him to get in. He sank into the bed with a sigh. A moment later a naked Chelsea slipped in next to him.

She snuggled close as she whispered, "Sleep."

A few moments later she heard his soft regular breathing as sleep took him.

She looked at his calm sleeping face, sighed then smiled as she snuggled closer and closed her eyes.

________________________________________________________________

After the arrest and the legal wrangling about the evidence, it took a year and a half to get to trial. It lasted two weeks, but the jury took only 20 minutes to come back with a guilty verdict on multiple rape and kidnapping charges for both George and Madison. The judge sentenced both to multiple 20 years sentences.

A week later David, Tim, Tele, Garr and Susan were sitting around a table at a local restaurant.

"So where are we with phase two?" Tim asked.

David grinned and said, "I made the deal yesterday. Both George and Madison are going to Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility down by San Diego. They will have a couple of eager greeters waiting from them when they get there."

Tim had shots already poured. Each took a glass and held it up.

"The fuckers are getting what they deserve! Done deal!" David said with a grin.

With the clink of glasses hitting each other everyone else repeated, "Done deal!"

________________________________________________________________

George was marched to his cell by a guard, bedding in hand.

" Get your bed made. It's free time right now, but you need to be out here for report in an hour." The guard said as he walked away.

As George started to make his bed a shadow fell over his bunk. When he turned he found a very large powerful looking guy standing in the cell entrance.

"Who are you?" George asked.

The man grinned and replied, "I'm your bunky! You ever give a blow job? No? Well you will learn or I'll stick a fucking shive in your ear. And I'll break that fat ass of yours in after you learn how to suck cock."

"You''you're going to...to..."

"Yeah sweet cheeks, you are my new bitch! Oh, and your buddy Madison? He's getting greeted in just the same way! Another little tidbit for you, since I'm a lifer, I can't get any more time for killing someone else, like your sorry ass so don't think that's any kind of a deterrent. You will be tending my cock until you get out of here if you ever do, thanks to a friend of yours...David O'Connor!"

________________________________________________________________

David had just checked preparations for the yearly gathering of his friends. As he walked back through the campground his thoughts turned to how things had turned out. It had taken Chelsea several months in rehab to get off the drugs, but she straight and doing well. Her career was humming along. She was writing a new song or two every year. Ted and Charleen had a new baby girl. Tele and Susan had opened a Private Investigation service together, with a promise from both they would never do any more break in's. But the big surprise was Garr and Timone. They had gotten married less than a year after they met and were happy. They lived in DC but never missed the yearly gathering here at his campground.

Chelsea was due to arrive anytime and David hurried through the campground wanting to be at the store when she got there. As he stepped in the back door Bort, Franklin's two-year-old Australian Blue heeler trotted over to greet him.

As David stroked the dog's head Franklin called out from behind the register, "She's here. She's in the back."