Hayley’s team then came to the office right as we closed for the day on Thursday. After she gave directions to her team, she accompanied me while Trace drove us home. She walked me through the operation and features of the alarm system at my condo. With sensors and cameras in almost every room, I had felt much safer.
Now on Friday, after my session with Dirk and Scarlet, I needed some answers from Dirk. The sun shone in Dirk’s eyes where we were sitting, so I stood and strolled over to lower the blinds.
“You want to tell me what’s going on?”
I resumed my seat beside Dirk. I had debated all day what I would tell him. That I suspected his wife, Scarlet, might have blackmailed my ex-husband and that whatever she had on him scared him to death. That seemed super paranoid to me. Just as I thought I was being silly about it, I remembered the look on his face. Richard had never shown that kind of fear before. I just couldn’t figure out what she had on him.
Scarlet was also the only red-head I knew that might have a reason to want to do me harm. Although I only had a guess what her motive was. I needed Dirk to confirm my suspicions, and after the last two days of worry and stress, I couldn’t go through the weekend without answers.
“This may sound paranoid, but someone is blackmailing my husband.”
“How much money are they asking for?”
“They aren’t asking for money.”
“Then what do they want and what does it have to do with you?”
“They blackmailed him to sue for the change in our custody arrangement.”
“He didn’t want to do that anyway?”
“No. I don’t think so. Everything had been good between us for almost two years. No arguments. No demands.”
“So, what do they have on him?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that whomever is doing this is after me.”
“That makes sense. What is it they want from you, though?”
“I don’t know.”
“Want me to do some digging? Hayley is pretty good at finding dirt. We found nothing on your husband in our first investigation. Other than being an ass during your divorce and some questionable rulings various city councils made on zoning changes to his benefit, he was pretty clean.”
I had forgotten that Dirk had done such an extensive background check on me and everyone involved in my life back to college. I would normally be upset at someone prying into my life, but right now, I was grateful.
“Tell me more about your pre-nuptial agreement with Scarlet.”
Dirk eyed me with curiosity. I returned his curious gaze with a serious look.
“Well, the financial part is pretty simple. If either of us wants a divorce, she gets a set sum of money. Fifty million dollars and twenty thousand a month for ten years. If she stays with me until I die, she gets 250 million.
“But why did you agree to see me for ten sessions at an exorbitant fee?”
“Well, Scarlet insisted on fifty million. I only intended to give her a million. She convinced me to put the clause that she only got the one million if I asked for the divorce and did ten counseling sessions. If I asked for the divorce and didn’t attend ten counseling sessions, she would get the fifty million dollars and twenty thousand a month for ten years.”
“Why would she ask for that? It makes no sense.”
“I told her I hated therapists and psychiatrists. They never helped me when I was a kid and didn’t really help much after my tours of duty.”
“So you would rather pay me two-hundred thousand dollars so you would only have to pay Scarlet a million? Saving yourself forty-none million dollars. Why not just pay her the fifty million and be done?”
“I can’t right now. All my cash is tied up in escrow for this merger. I had hoped everything would be done by now, but we’ve had delays. Pencil pushers and bureaucrats keep asking for more information.”
“Is that why you moved back in and tried to salvage your marriage?” I really didn’t want to know the answer to this question. My desire to be with Dirk had been overriding my common sense to stay out of their relationship and do my job as a therapist.
“You made it clear that you weren’t interested in me, Reggie. I came back for sessions with you even after I figured out who you were because that first night at the Cherry Pie made me feel like…”
“You liked strippers?” I interrupted.
