Angela Makes a Decision
"So" said Tom "What do you think we can do?"
"Remember, Dad said he would protect Angela. Of course, he can't do anything about the gossip but Angela will not get in any legal trouble over this. It was a good thing we came clean with him. If he hears any gossip he won't be blindsided and he will know the truth."
"The more I see what happens when you tell the truth, the more comfortable I am getting with it. It was right to tell him. Right for him, right for us and right for Angela, really. I'm just glad you decided to do it in time. You have such a knack for getting things right."
"I was just lucky this time. Anyway, if Rhonda knows the story, so does everyone else. If they didn't know before Rhonda found out, they knew after it took the short route from Rhonda's ear to her mouth. We have no choice. We have to tell Angela and she will have to deal with having trusted the wrong people. I just don't know what we should say."
There was a knock on the door. Tom opened it and it was Angela, standing there with a big smile.
"I thought my buddies were in here! Thanks again for helping me so much!"
Angela gave each of them a big hug. She was surprised that they seemed uncomfortable.
"What's wrong, guys?"
"We have some very bad news, Angela", said Tom. "Rhonda just called Alice..."
Alice's phone rang. She put her finger to her lips.
"Sh, it's Rhonda." she said."Hang on."
"Hi, Rhonda, how are you?"
"Don't give me "How are you?" You lied to me..."
Alice interrupted her.
"Rhonda, I can't talk where I am now. Hang on and I'll go somewhere where I can have some privacy."
Alice pushed the mute button.
"Angela, Rhonda knows enough of the story to be trouble. She has the biggest mouth in town. Now, honey, you can go somewhere else and I'll tell you about it after she hangs up or...,"
"Or what, Alice?"
Alice gulped.
"Or you can put on your big girl panties and I will put this call on speaker phone. If I do, don't make a sound. Do you want to know what happens when you trust the wrong people? This call won't change anything, but Tom and I are here for you and we will help you make the best of the situation."
"Oh my God, I'm dead."
"Sh, honey. You're not dead. You just don't know it yet. Trust me and Tom."
Angela whimpered a little.
"Ok. Big girl panties."
Alice put the phone on speaker.
"Ok, Rhonda, I can talk now. What's going on? How did I lie to you?"
"I don't know exactly, but...but..."
"You're sputtering, Rhonda. Come on, what's up?"
"You had to know about Bill! Your dad knew yesterday afternoon when they found the body in the woods."
Angela made a little horrified sound, but the phone didn't pick it up.
"My dad is a captain of detectives. He knows all kinds of things he keeps from me, usually to protect me from the grubby world he has to deal with. If I said I didn't know anything, I didn't know anything. Get to the point."
"Ok. The girl definitely was Angela Freed. I heard it from Fred and I heard it from George. George said he fucked her up the ass."
"Remind me never to go out with George"
"Don't you like it up the ass?
"Rhonda, up the ass is fine. Somebody should shut George's big mouth."
Tom was holding Angela in his arms. She was shaking, sobbing silently and her eyes looked like a Margaret Keane painting - huge waif-like saucers.
"Anyway, she'll probably hide in her basement for a couple of years. Or just skip town."