Who Is Raphael Garza?

I began to wonder if my going to California was part of Steve and Monty's plan. Had they arranged for me to be out of town for the week so that Raphael could seduce Kathy? I was going to have to find out how I got the seat for the software training class, but that would have to wait until I got to work Monday morning.

MONDAY JUNE 8th

I got to the office at eight o'clock Monday morning and went straight to Cam's office.

"Cam, I am sorry for what happened last week. It won't happen again," I said.

"So, you want to explain what happened?" Cam asked.

"It's a personal problem between my wife and me."

"You didn't do something stupid, did you?"

"No. It wasn't me that caused the problem."

"Are you saying that Kathy..."

I stopped Cam before he could finish. "I'm not sure what happened yet, but I intend to find out."

"You sure you don't want to talk about it?" Cam said.

"Yes. At least not now, I am not ready to talk to anybody about this."

"What do you plan to do?"

"My job."

"I am glad to hear that, but I meant, what are you going to do about the problem you're having?"

"I'll take care of it."

"Well, don't do anything that will get you into trouble."

"You don't have to worry. I won't cause any problems for you."

"You know that I will help you in any way I can, so don't be afraid to ask," Cam said.

"There is one way you can help me. I need to know how I managed to get the seat in the GP class last week. The only thing you told me was that there was a seat available."

"Why is that important?"

"I think it could have something to do with my problem at home."

"You care to elaborate on that?"

"Not yet," I said. "I need to know who called to tell you that a seat was available. Was it John Odem?"

"It wasn't Odem. The only time I spoke with him was when I called the class looking for you on Wednesday."

"Then who called you?"

Cam seemed to be a bit put out by my attitude, but I was beyond caring about his feelings at that moment. Cam gave me a look that showed his annoyance and then he opened his daily note file on his laptop.

"Okay, let's have a look. Here it is, Friday, May 29th, at 4:25 PM. The caller's name was Steven Farrell, and he said that he was the training manager for Stinson Enterprises in Santa Clara, California. He said that one of their employees was scheduled for the June first class, but needed to reschedule. He said that they had contacted the Grayson Training Center and got your name from them. He said that if we were willing to swap your October class for the June first class, he would set it up for us. I told him we would take the seat."

Steve and Steven, two versions of the same name somehow involved in this event. Maybe it was a coincidence, but I thought not.

"Does that help?" Cam asked.

"I don't know yet," I said. I thanked Cam, and went to my office.

I put in a call to the Grayson Training Center and left a message for John Odem asking him to call me. It was three o'clock that afternoon when Odem returned my call.

"I assume you are calling to see when you can get into another class," John said.

"That, and I have a couple of questions I would like to ask you."

"I already rescheduled you for a seat in a class the second week of November, but I expect that we can probably get you into something sooner. We often have someone drop out of the class early, and since you have already completed the first two days of the training, if a seat should open up before the third day, we could get you into that class. That is if you could get out here on short notice."

"That would be great," I said. "I could probably catch a red-eye and be out there in time for the class on a Wednesday morning."

"Okay then, I'll call you if we get a dropout. Now, you said you had some questions for me?"

"Can you tell me how I happened to get a seat in last week's class?"

"Is that important?"

"It is to me. Some problems came up while I was in San Jose and I am wondering if my being in that class was just coincidental to my problems, or if my being away from home was part of someone's plan to cause problems for me."

"What kind of problems are you talking about?" John said.

"Personal problems, but they didn't just happen. Someone went to a lot of trouble to set me up, and I am just wondering if that included arranging for me to be away from home last week."

"I hope you don't think that I..."

"No, I am sure that you didn't have anything to do with this. I just need to know how I ended up getting that seat in last week's class."

"Let me check my notes."

For the next few minutes, the phone line was quiet except for the sound of John working his computer keyboard.

"Three weeks ago I got a call from a Steven Farrell from Stinson Enterprises in Santa Clara. He said that they had a seat in last week's class for David Stinson, but that Mr. Stinson had to reschedule, so they had arranged to switch classes with you."

"How would they know that I was scheduled for a seat in the October class?"

"Apparently Mr. Farrell got copies of the June first class roster and made calls until he found someone willing to trade seats with Mr. Stinson. Does that help?"

"I am not sure if that helps or not. Do you have Mr. Farrell's phone number?"

John gave me the number for Stinson Enterprises. I thanked him and ended the call. As I punched in the number for Stinson Enterprises, I wondered if I was getting any closer to an answer or if I was just wasting my time.

"Stinson Enterprises," was the response I got after the second ring.

"Can I speak with Steven Farrell please?"

"Steven Farrell? I think you must have the wrong number."

"You don't have a training manager named Steven Farrell?"

The man on the phone just laughed.

"What's funny about that?" I asked.

"We don't have a training manager."

"Then who arranges training for your employees?"

"Well I guess that would be me, but I only have two employees."

"Who am I speaking with?" I asked.

"This is David Stinson, President, and CEO of Stinson Enterprises."

I introduced myself to Mr. Stinson and explained why I was calling and that I was trying to find out how I ended up getting his seat in the G P training class.

"You don't know? It was a guy from your HR department that called and asked me to swap seats with you. I wasn't going to do it at first, but he offered to pay $5,000 for my seat in the class. Stinson Enterprises is just a start-up company, so I wasn't about to turn down the money."

"Someone from Boswell Products contacted you?"

"Yes. I got his name here somewhere... His name is Steven Farley, and he called me about three weeks ago. When I said I would switch with you, he said he would take care of everything."

"Did you get the $5,000?"

"Yes. The check came last week."

"Who did the check come from?"

"Let me look. I have a copy of the check in my file.

"You keep copies of checks?"

"I keep copies of everything. Got it. They paid me with a cashier's check from First Bank of Brodricksburg. Does that help?"

"Is there any indication of the source of the check other than the name of the bank?"

"No."

After I had got off the phone with Mr. Stinson, I called Bill Jefferson, our Human Resources manager and asked him if he had someone working for him named Steven Farley.

Bill said there was nobody by that name anywhere in Boswell Products.

I knew then that there had to be a connection between my getting a seat in the GP class and what Kathy had done with the maggot. I had two names, Steve Farley and Steven Farrell; but neither of them appeared to have any connections to Boswell Products, the Grayson Training Center or Stinson Enterprises but the cashier's check from a bank in Brodricksburg, Pennsylvania told me there had to be a connection.

I knew that I would never get any information out of the bank. They would never tell me who arranged for the cashier's check that was sent to David Stinson, and wouldn't tell me who Steve and Monty were, even if they knew. I thought I was making good progress with my investigation until I talked to Stinson. I considered going to the police, but I doubted that they would do anything. The police would just tell me that this was just a domestic problem between my wife and me. On the drive home from work that night, I felt like I had reached a dead end.

THURSDAY, JUNE 25th

It was Thursday evening; two weeks had passed since my conversation with David Stinson, and I had just about given up hope of ever finding out who was behind the destruction of my marriage and why they did it. I wondered if someone was intentionally out to hurt me or was I just an unlucky pawn in some bazaar game being played by unknown players? What I was sure of was that whoever planned Kathy's seduction had arranged for me to be in San Jose that week. To make that happen the planners had to know that I would jump at the chance to swap my seat in the October GP class for the June first class. Cam and a few others at work would have known this, but I could see no reason why anyone in the company would want to destroy my marriage. It had to be someone outside the company. The problem was that the only person I could think of outside of Boswell Products who knew that I wanted that class was Kathy. She knew I had a class scheduled in October and that I hoped for a chance to take it sooner. I had been avoiding talking to Kathy, but I was going to have to call her and ask whom she may have talked to about that class. I also needed to ask Kathy if she knew anyone named Steve or Monty. I made the call.

"Walt, thank God you called. I have been worried sick about you," Kathy said when she heard my voice.

"You weren't too worried about me when you were in bed with that phony Spaniard."

"You have no idea how sorry I am about all of this, but you are not the only victim here. I know I was a fool to fall for his lies. He was only able to seduce me because I really believed that he needed me. Will you ever forgive me?"

"I don't know. I didn't call to talk about that. I need to ask you some questions."

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know," Kathy said. "I won't lie to you."

"Did you tell anyone that I was trying to get an earlier class than the one I was scheduled for in October?"

"I don't know; I might have mentioned it in conversation with people at work. Why?"

"Do you know anyone named Steve or Monty?"

"I have a cousin named Steve."

"He lives in Chicago doesn't he?"

"Yes."

"Have you spoken to him recently?"

"I haven't talked to him in years."

"Anyone else named Steve?"

"I occasionally meet people named Steve, but I don't have any friends or work associates named Steve?"

"What about Monty?"

"I don't know anyone named Monty. Who are they?"

"Just a couple of names I got from your friend Raphael."

"Are these people responsible for what happened to us?" Kathy said.

"I think they are, but I don't know for sure. I don't even know if Steve and Monty are their real names. It feels like I have reached a dead end."

"Are you okay?" Kathy asked.

"Not yet. I am not sure I will ever be. What happened when you went back to work on Monday?" I said.

"I didn't go back to work Monday. When I got to my mother's house, I stayed in my bedroom for five days, crying most of the time." Kathy said.

"Five days? When did you go back to work?"

"I went back in on Thursday."

"What did you give as a reason for missing work?"

"I told them I was sick and I really was sick. For the first time in my career, I missed a bank audit that was scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in Brodricksburg. Marge Robinson had to cover for me."

"I don't remember you ever going to Brodricksburg to do an audit," I said. "I guess that shows that you can be replaced."

"Brodricksburg used to be Marge's territory, but when I made supervisor, I changed our territories around a little. I took Brodricksburg, Allentown, and Bethlehem from Marge and gave her the southern half of Bucks County. Are you saying that I can be replaced?" Kathy asked, her voice becoming tense. "Is that what you are planning to do, replace me in your life?"

"I don't know what I am saying. I am a little messed up. I think I better say goodnight now."

"Will you call me again?"

"Maybe in a few days," I said.

"I love you," Kathy said. I didn't answer.

As soon as I put the phone down, I had a nagging feeling I had missed something. I did not know what it was, but I was sure that it must be something important.

FRIDAY JUNE 26th

Friday morning I was at my desk reviewing a screen full of work-related e-mails when I had an epiphany. I immediately called Kathy at her office and said, "Last night when we talked did you said that you missed an audit at a bank in Brodricksburg?"

"Yes. Why?"

"What was the name of the bank?"

"First Bank of Brodricksburg. Is that important?"

"Probably not, I was just curious."

"Walt, do you think we could get together tomorrow? Maybe have dinner?"

"What would be the point?"

"We need to talk about us. What are we going to do about our marriage?"

"Kathy, I am not ready to talk to you about the problems that you caused in our marriage. I am not sure I ever will be," I said. "I have to get back to work now."

After the call, I sat pondering how this new information fit into the overall story. The cashier's check that was used to pay David Stinson for switching classes came from the First Bank of Brodricksburg. Kathy was supposed to perform an audit at that bank starting on Monday, but she didn't go to work because she felt sick over everything that had happened the previous week. It occurred to me that the First Bank of Brodricksburg was the nexus that linked everything together.

I managed to fill out the rest of the day doing my job. At quitting time instead of going home, like everyone else, I closed my office door and did a Google search for the First Bank of Brodricksburg. The first item listed on the search results page was FBB's website. There was a great deal of information on the website, but most of it was of no use to me. I finally found the connection between the bank and the events during the first week of June. It happened when I clicked on a tab labeled 'Bank Officers." On that page, I found two photographs.

The first photo showed a large man who was bald on top with light brown hair around the sides of his head. The caption under the picture read, 'Bank President Percy Montgomery, known to his friends and customers as Monty.'

The second photo showed a slim dark haired man. The caption under that picture read, 'Bank Vice-President Stephen Farrell.'

I sat and stared at my computer screen. Could it be that easy? Were these two people the Monty and Steve that Frank Lewis told me had hired him to seduce Kathy. I began to wonder if the whole fucking play, starring Kathy and Raphael, produced and directed by Monty Montgomery and Steven Farrell and presented for my entertainment, was designed to keep Kathy from auditing FBB. If that was their intent, it had to be the stupidest idea I had ever heard, except that it seemed to have worked.

I sat for more than an hour staring at the pictures of Monty and Steven. I could taste the bile in my mouth as I contemplated my revenge on them. Three weeks earlier, I had gone looking for Raphael intending to kill him. Finding out that he was hired to seduce Kathy by the two bastards looking back at me from my computer screen is the only reason that I didn't kill Frank Lewis. I had not yet decided if I was done with Mr. Lewis, because I focused the full spectrum of my hatred and anger on Monty and Steven. I wanted them both dead, and I was going to make it happen. My problem was to figure out how to do it without getting caught.

When I felt my eyes beginning to burn and heard ringing in my ears, I knew it was time to calm myself down and go home. Once there, I fixed myself a double Jack on the rocks, then I sat and listened to a soft rock music channel on the satellite radio. I sat until the house was dark and then went to bed.

I spent Saturday and Sunday working around the house while devising a plan for dealing with Monty and Steven. Other than wanting both of them dead, I couldn't come up with any workable plan. I needed to gather more information. Where did they live? When would be the best time to catch each of them alone? Would it be best to kill them in their homes or take them some place where I could conceal their bodies? I ended up going to bed with a stress headache.

MONDAY JUNE 29TH

I woke up Monday morning with an idea for my next move. I looked for my binoculars but couldn't find them, so I grabbed the next best thing, my video camera. It was a great camera with a powerful zoom lens that would suit my purpose. When I got to work, I told Cam that I had a doctor's appointment and would need the afternoon off. I spent the rest of the morning doing my best to concentrate on my job.

Shortly after noon, I left the office and headed to Brodricksburg. I crossed the Delaware into Pennsylvania at New Hope and turned north on State Route 32. At one o'clock that afternoon, I walked into the First Bank of Brodricksburg. It took only two minutes for me to spot my targets. Monty and Steve were standing near the back of the bank apparently, reviewing some documents on the desk in front of them. Frank Lewis had been right about Stephen Farrell. His movements and gestures had a distinct effeminate quality about them.

The two of them began to laugh about something, and I thought, "Laugh it up now assholes because you will be dead soon." I didn't have any idea if they would know who I was if they saw me, so I decided not to chance that they would. I left the bank quickly, before the two soon to be ghosts even looked in my direction.

On the way out, I looked at the bank hours posted on the front door and noted that the bank closed at five o'clock. As I was walking away from the bank, I saw a sign that was advertising the 'Giant Independence Day Celebration at Fort Brodrick on Saturday night. I remembered taking Kathy to see Fourth of July fireworks at Fort Brodrick a few years ago. We sat on the east bank of the Delaware River across from the fort. It was an amazing show. The memory of those happier times with Kathy brought tears to my eyes.

I spent the next three and a half hours getting the information I would need to finalize my plans. Finding addresses for my prey was easy. They were both listed in the phone book. I drove by Farrell's house first. Ferrell's house was a single family home. As I drove past the house, I noticed an older woman sitting on the porch talking on the phone. I guessed that the woman was Farrell's mother and if I was right, it meant that taking Farrell at home would be a problem. I would have to find some other way to get to him.

Next, I drove through Monty's neighborhood. Monty's house sat on a wooded lot on the west bank of the Delaware River. The house was a large ranch with a two-car garage on the south end. I drove by the house a second time and noted that the front yard was open and very visible to the neighbor across the street. It looked to me that the best approach to Monty's house would be from the river. I noticed that there was no activity around the house that would indicate whether there were any other family members living in the house with Monty. I would have to be sure about that before I planned to attack Monty in his house.

I decided that climbing the river bank was the only way I would be able to get to Monty's house without the risk of being seen, so I left Monty's neighborhood I drove south along the river until I found a spot where I could park and walk down to the river's edge. I was about a half mile down river from Monty's house and from where I was standing I could see the river bank behind his house. It was steep but appeared to be climbable. I also noted that the current along that part of the river didn't look too swift, but paddling upriver for a mile would be time-consuming and exhausting.