Chapter One
Every adulteress is capable of poisoning her husband.
-- Roman Maxim --
Kate was noticeably nervous and upset. She started to light a cigarette. Her husband said, "Don't do that please. The air up here is already thin and it's not a good idea to make it worse with smoke and a cigarette using it up.
She put the cigarette away. "Okay. But why don't we just go over these mountains instead of through them?
"We're not in a high-powered jet, you know. The max altitude of this thing is about 14,000 feet on a good day, and many of these mountains are higher than that. And those cliffs aren't as close as they look. Also, I've practiced this run a few times and I know how to get through these passes."
"I know. I trust you. But that's not the only reason I'm upset. Why can't we just get a hotel room for the next ten days? You know I can't stand John, and I don't want to be around him. When you first told me we were going to spend ten days in Aspen, I was really excited. But when you told me we were spending it at his house, and worse, he was going to be there, it upset me no end."
"I haven't had any time off in a long time, so when he offered to have a semi-working vacation, and bring you along, so you can enjoy yourself, by the way, I couldn't turn him down. And I don't think he understands why you hate hm so much. He always goes out of his way to be nice to you."
"I don't like who he is, I don't like how he treats women. I don't like how we have to move every few years. I don't like how much he works you and takes you away from my time with you. I don't like how crude he talks. Do you want to hear more?"
"The women you see as being mistreated, apparently don't feel that way. He sleeps with a lot of beautiful women, and they seem to be perfectly happy with him. And, yes, he can be crude sometimes, but he can also be exceptionally charming. And I don't remember any time he was crude around you."
"That's one of the problems. When he is being charming, it doesn't sound sincere to me. It's all a façade. And you forget the time I called your office and he picked up the phone and swore at me for calling you at work."
"You interrupted a meeting, and it upset him. Sometimes he swears a lot and he yells at people at work. I confront him all the time when he does it, and he acknowledges that he shouldn't do it. Very seldom, but every once in a while, he and I get into it and he storms out screaming at me. An hour later, he'll call me and ask where should we go for supper? He's forgotten all about it. I bet he's forgotten about that time with you also."
"He doesn't have to work you twelve-hour days, six days a week, while he galivants around, who knows where."
"John and I have been friends a long time, way before he made it big. When we first started at the hole-in-the-wall in that podunk small town, he and I both worked our asses off together. And when he sold that store and we moved to a big store in the city, again he worked his ass off along with me. He worked plenty of twelve- and fourteen-hour days along with me. We were barely getting by when he decided to give TV a try. He called all the employees together and told us he was buying a bunch of TV time and had committed all his capital and borrowing resources to pay for it and if it didn't work, we'd be out of business. He said he might no be able to make payroll, and if anyone stayed with him, they might not get paid. So if anyone wanted to leave now, he'd understand. A few of us stayed. I remember his first commercial was on a Friday night. On Saturday, his charm and grace on the TV loaded up our showroom. I think we sold thirty cars that day, and we were suddenly making a lot of money. He discovered that he could make a lot of money by buying broke stores, getting on TV, and we rebuild them and sell them for another big profit. And it takes a lot of work to keep rebuilding those wrecks."
"Yeah, but you write the commercials for him."
"But I could never deliver them as he does. People love him. And he pays me very well. And you get a new car of your choosing every six months and all your gas, because he wants to reward you for you sacrifice, also."
"Well, I'll try to be civil to him and have a good time for your sake, but don't expect me to like him."
On arrival, they park the plane and they carry their bags into the HBO. "Hi." he says to the person behind the desk. "We're going to be here for about ten days, what will you charge me to take care of my plane for that time?
"No problem. Everything's taken care of. John keeps his King Air here and he asked me to look out for you. So I've been expecting you. Don't worry about a thing. In fact, this young lady is here to take you up to his place."
With that, a beautiful black lady walked up and introduced herself and picked up Kate's bags. "I'm Chrissie. You don't remember me do you?"
"I remember you," the husband responded. "So, you're back with John? You were pretty upset with him,--and me--the last time I saw you."
"You know no one stays mad at John for long."
"Yeah, but after I fired you, I thought you'd shoot me or poison me or something if I ever say you again."
"At first, that's exactly what I wanted to do. I even told you that John hired me so you didn't have the authority to fire me, even though you assured me you did. After you fired me, I tried to call John, but he wouldn't answer my calls, so I got the message. Then, when John called me three months later to get back together, he told me it was all your idea--that you talked him into letting you get rid of me--I was really pissed at you then. But since, I've learned that's how he does things. He hires someone to be his personal secretary, and travels with them all over the country for a few months, then calls you up and has you fire them. The funny thing is, there's something about him. We always get back with him. I live up here now, and when he calls I always run back to him. There are a few of us that are in the same boat."
She told all this while on the long and winding road up the mountain to John's, a sprawling edifice carved into the side of the mountain. After dropping them off, she left without going inside.
John greeted them and immediately took Kate by the arm and gave her a tour. The views were sensational, glass windows everywhere; there was a pool, a sauna, a tennis court, (John was an avid tennis player), it seemed like a TV in every room. He was as charming as he could be with her.
She, on the other hand, answered his charm with sarcasm and snide remarks. "How can a woman have such a sexual mouth and such an impudent one at the same time?" he thought. But he pretended not to notice and continued with the charm.
After the tour John showed them their room and suggested they unpack and rest a while and then he would take them out to dinner.
The restaurant was superb, the food excellent, the service first-class. John ordered a wine that cost $300 a bottle. When they finished the first bottle, he ordered another, and after that another. Buy the time the maître D called for an Uber to take them home, they were all three a bit intoxicated. When they got back to the house, John suggested a nightcap before turning in.
"Don't you think you've had enough?" Kate said in a snide tone of voice.
"Maybe I have," John answered jovially. "I think I'll go up to bed. You guys do whatever you want. Mi casa es su casa, as they say. You can think about what you want to do tomorrow. I'm open to anything. If you want to go shopping or sightseeing or just spend the day by the pool, it's all okay with me."
"We know how to take care of ourselves, thank you very much," Kate responded sarcastically,
John just shook his head and headed up the stairs to his bedroom.
The bedrooms were along a walkway that surrounded the den below. Before entering his bedroom, John looked over the railing and yelled down to them below, "If you want to watch some TV, the remote may be tucked in one of the cushions on the couch."
The husband thanked him. Kate just gave him an exasperated look.
