I never planned on adding to this story. Many of the comments, however, made it clear to me that some people had misconceptions about the ending. I also read a comment by swordwielder that made me finally want to take this further with an epilogue. Thanks for reading, I hope you like it.
Epilogue:
Linda smiled, "Why are you smiling at me?"
I dropped the smile as reality set in. "They're going to be looking for whoever ran Marc down. It's a very big deal and they won't rest until they pin it on somebody." Her smile quickly disappeared. "The kids need a mother, you can't go to jail." She started bawling loudly.
"That fucker ruined my marriage and my life. We don't even have friends anymore. That should count for something!!!" She wailed loudly again.
I brought her a water and started to try and calm her down. "We have to take this very carefully. The only evidence they have on you is that car. It stays in the garage until I figure things out."
"Does this mean you still love me and want to stay married?" she sniffled.
I sighed deeply and long. "Linda, Marc sleeps with married women so that both the husband and wife will think of Marc every time they have sex for the rest of their lives. It's a power trip. I refuse to live with that even once. We will NEVER have sex again." I paused. "But what you did to Marc, that was classic. I applaud the effort and hope your intent was to kill him. Therefore I will help you avoid being caught. The only drawback is that if I get caught helping you, we both go to jail. That can't happen for the sake of the kids. If we get caught, I will admit that I ran him down. Emma and Tommy are all that matters in this marriage anymore. Do you understand?"
Linda looked back in horror, "No, fuck no, you didn't do it, I did."
I took her hand, "Tommy and Emma need a mother. You can't go to jail, I can."
"They need us both, but if anyone goes to jail it's going to be me. You are just as good with the kids as me. I will do anything for this family."
"That's anything but be faithful," I countered. She looked at the floor and said nothing. "Whatever you do, do NOT speak a word of this to anyone!! They will be trying to contact every husband and wife he has messed with. It won't take long before they get your name and come here. We need that car to be fixed and clean before that happens."
My plan was to leave NO evidence. The first place I would leave no evidence is on my phone or laptop. Therefore I could not search for replacement parts for Linda's car on the internet unless I went to the library. I didn't even want to get the parts nearby. I made a plan. I would go to the town where I lived in my youth 200 miles away. I knew of several junkyards to visit. I would find a car with matching paint to replace Linda's parts. Brand new parts would be a dead giveaway. If they don't have the parts, they can at least help me find them.
"Last night we were here together watching TV. Got it?" Linda nodded sniffling. "I'm taking your car tomorrow to fix it. That way if the police show up here the car will be gone. I'm taking out some cash so they can't track my credit card to where I traveled and what I did. If they ask where I went you tell them I went ice fishing. I'll bring all my equipment with me. Tell them that's why I took your car, because it has all-wheel drive and the roads to my fishing spot are not well plowed. Got it?"
Linda squeaked out a "Yes."
"Now Linda, you have to get a hold of your emotions. They'll see right through you if you break down crying. Toughen up, get mad, do something other than cry."
Linda looked up with red eyes and snot on her upper lip. "How do I keep making such bad decisions? I've effectively ruined my life."
"Linda, you have put yourself in danger, but the last decision you made saved some people from the pain you and I are experiencing. I wish someone had done this before we met that piece of shit. I'm proud of you for having the guts. Now let's see if you can get away with it." She nodded apprehensively.
I loaded her car up and headed to the bank for enough cash to get the job done. Then I headed to Normal, my childhood home. I only spent cash the entire trip. I stayed off toll roads which made the trip slower but safer.
The first junkyard I stopped at is a small one near where I grew up. They didn't have a matching vehicle but the guy helping me got on the phone and made some inquiries. His second call ended and he said, "They got one with the same color paint over at Palmer's salvage in Bloomington." I slapped a hundred dollar bill on the counter and thanked him profusely.
I was able to replace the parts in the parking lot in just a couple hours and for a slight fee I disposed of the old fender and headlight in their dumpster. I told Linda I wouldn't be texting or calling her so my location stayed secret. In fact I had removed the battery from my phone before I left, just in case the police wanted to see where I went.
The car was perfect. I went to the carwash at home and washed it before heading for home. I nervously slipped my battery back in my phone and turned it on waiting to see if anything had happened while I was out of town. It was now dinner time. Nothing of importance came up as I let out a sigh of relief.
At home things looked normal. Linda was putting out dinner for the kids. When they saw me come in the front door, Emma and Tommy ran into my arms with excitement. This is why I still live.
I was pretty confident the police wouldn't have gotten to us in less than 24 hours but you never know. Once the kids had gone to bed Linda and I discussed what to do when the police finally did arrive.
"We have to be honest about everything except what you did last night. You understand? They ask how I feel about Marc and I will say I fucking hate that piece of shit and he got what he deserves. Got it?" She nodded.
"Thank you for fixing my car and protecting me. I owe you a favor, whatever you want, I will do it." I assumed she was hoping I would want some sort of sexual favor, but that wasn't going to happen.
"Fine, I know what I want," I said with a scowl on my face.
Moments later she came downstairs with her blue dress in her arms. She also grabbed something of mine that I asked for. While she had gone upstairs I lit my grill on the deck. I wouldn't touch the dress so Linda willingly set it above the flames and watched crying as it burned. Once the dress was mostly ashes, my Bears jersey went in the grill. It was harder to burn and mostly smoldered. I gave up and just threw it in the trash afterwards.
"Go Packers!!" I said. Linda looked at me in horror. If everything I had said up to now hadn't convinced her of my state of mind, this would make it very clear.
Our confrontation with the police came much sooner than I had anticipated. Only an hour after the burning ceremony there was a knock at the door. Detective Monroe of the CPD announced his arrival.
I had coached Linda to be brave and convince herself that she HAD stayed home last night, to believe her own story but don't worry about any emotions she displayed, it's natural to be upset. Tell most of the truth.
Monroe asked me, "I was told that you two had dealings with Marc LaValliere a short time ago. Can you tell me about that night?"
I answered, "Shouldn't you be asking my wife about that? She's the one that cheated on me. I just went to my hotel room and then home."