Anne Thiman was lovely; everyone in town knew that. Enthroned at her desk in the First Colonial Bank, she presided over a great deal of the business going through Potsdam, Missouri, overseeing financing for most of the local businesses in the area. She had large, blue eyes, pure white skin, short brown hair and her frequent smile featured perfect teeth and dimples. Her co-workers were envious of her toned figure: no one would guess her to be a woman of 40 with a missionary son in South Africa and a daughter who was captain of the Potsdam cheerleading squad. Most men envied her husband Dave, paramedic, amateur cyclist and lay preacher at the Potsdam Bible Church. In many ways, Anne effectively ran Potsdam and most of the county, a role model for young Christian women wishing the blessing of success.
Jeff North sat at the desk of his Presidential office, looking across the bank lobby at Anne sitting at her desk, phone to her ear, speaking quickly and decisively. "I'm an old fat man," he said softly. "I'm thirty pounds overweight, my hair is either grey or falling out, I pee in Morse Code, and my wife has been wearing flannel nightgowns for twenty years. Don't know why I even look at Anne, Barry. She's definitely out of my league."
"I think you're focused the wrong direction, Jerry," Barry Halls replied, shaking his head in negation. "She may look like an angel, she may sound like an angel when she sings on Sunday morning, she may act like an angel with that relentlessly charming smile of hers, but she's no angel. If we don't act quickly, that little angel may send us all to Hell."
Jeff turned away from his Vice President and looked the internal auditor from St. Louis. "What? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Fraud. Embezzlement. Kickbacks. This little lady is a triple threat."
"Tell me more."
"I've suspected it for a long time, but I found the proof yesterday. She's taking kickbacks for all the business loans she's been approving."
"She's on the Chamber of Commerce, and the President this year. Everybody knows her."
"Risky trading under assumed identities, using the bank's funds without authorization."
"Guess there's a reason for all that overtime."
"And a very subtle skimming off the top, moving funds off to an offshore account I just found."
Jeff sat back and whistled. "Is she on to you?" Barry shook his head. "Does everyone in town know?"
"Sure," Barry said. "They don't see a problem, she's charmed them all. They think she's a fine, upstanding, trustworthy Christian woman who's on their side. She may be a cheat, but she's their cheat."
"You got around town quickly."
"Doesn't take long around here. I don't think any of them want any trouble, and they'll keep their mouths shut until the Feds show up."
"So what's the story? Do we save our asses, or does she take us down with her?"
"Oh, we can still save our asses. We put the money back, and things should be all right. We throw her under the bus, we should be all right. Our choice."
The Bank President stroked his balding head and looked at his colleague for several moments. "If I'm not greatly mistaken, this is what's called leverage."
The Auditor smiled. "Yes, it is."
"I have an idea."
It was several hours later when the rest of the employees had gone for the day that Anne Thiman stood in front of the President's desk. Barry Hall sat off to her right with a huge grin on his face. "Mrs. Thiman. . ." Jeff began.
Anne cut in abruptly: "Ms. Thiman"
"Mrs. Thiman, I have some data which has disturbed me greatly. Would you please look over the paperwork in front of you?"
She stood stock still, not flinching. "I know what it means. Congratulations, I didn't think you'd figure it out. You must be cutting down your Scotch ration, Jeff."
Jeff looked up over his glasses at her. "This may not be the best time for arrogance. We have you dead to rights."
Barry cut in. "And we have a choice to make. We can let you take the blame for everything, wash our hands of all responsibility, and let you endure public humiliation and prison. I doubt you'd be able to show your face in public in this town ever again. Or we could say nothing, let you put everything right before the Feds show up, keep everything between us, and no one is the wiser."
Laughing sarcastically, she gave Barry a withering look. "That's a surprisingly fair offer coming from a fat, decadent fool like you, Barry. What's the catch?"
"You have to submit to whatever we want to do to you," Jeff said with a subtle smile on his face. "Your humiliation will be private."
"Mr. North," she said in a frosty voice, crossing her arms in front of herself in defiance. "I'll have you know I'm a good Christian woman who's been faithful to her husband all her life."
"No doubt, Annie, no doubt. Though you have no compunction about screwing the Bank, that's for certain. You've broken other Commandments, and you must suffer the punishment, atone for your sins. We won't violate the sanctity of your marriage, the sanctity of your sacred vagina. Your Lord and Master will still have exclusive rights to that."
Anne Thiman started quivering and tears started to leak from her eyes. "But I, I, I, I. . ."
". . .didn't know I was screwing the Bank that badly?" Barry finished for her. She looked at him like a frightened animal. "Didn't know skimming that much money was a violation of God's Commandments, at least the ones about stealing and lying, probably coveting, too? Didn't know Greed was one of the Seven Deadly Sins?"
The tears flowed down her cheeks copiously, and she whispered: "Give me another chance. Jeff. Please."
Jeff walked around the desk and brushed a tear from her cheek. "Yes, I will. But you have to do everything I say, tell me everything you're doing before you do it, and tell no one."
She shook her head. "If you do something too awful to me, my husband will beat you up."
"Funny you should mention him," Barry said, pulling out his digital recorder. "Listen to this."
The voice trembled in anger from the speaker. "Barry Hall told me everything, Annie. I'm ashamed of you, ashamed for our children. You're a sinner, a dirty, lying sinner, and you're a long way from the grace of God. Divorce isn't part of God's plan, but you're not sleeping with me again until you atone for your sins. Clara's going to stay with her grandmother for a while, and I don't want to see you around the house. I expect it to be maintained perfectly, and my dinner waiting for me when I come home, but you will not be in sight. After you've done everything Jeff tells you, submit to everything he makes you suffer, we'll talk and I'll forgive you. But not until then. Not until it's all done. How dare you do this to me, you self-righteous bitch!"
A look of shock and rage filled her face. "That rat bastard! He knew everything I was doing, approved it personally. He should be here, not me!"
Jeff shook his head. "We don't have proof Dave did anything. I don't think he's lying. He told me about how things are at your house, when we were sitting in the bleachers at the girl's softball game last week. You surely aren't the submissive little Christian wife you pretend to be. 'Wives, obey your husbands.' How long has it been since you've given Dave sex?"
Her eyes flared in outrage. "You have no right to ask that."
"No, I don't, but Dave said it's been years. Has to jack off in the shower to get his rocks off now and then. You knew that, didn't you?" She went silent, looking downward sullenly. "Yeah, you knew what that white goo in the drain was."
"Here's what you're going to do, Anne," Barry cut in. "You will come to work tomorrow and act as if everything's normal. Jeff will approve any loans or other significant transactions you make. You will start working to undo the mess you've made, bring the money back from the Cayman Islands, yes, we know about that, start easing the money you took in kickbacks into the merchant's accounts so they won't notice it. . ."
