John Francis

Richie returned to Amanda’s room. She had left so suddenly her purse was still on the side of the bed. He glanced around, hoping to see the things she had taken. He opened drawers, glanced through her small purse, and looked inside her suitcase. It was there he found an envelope.

Drawing out the paperwork inside, he suddenly found himself sitting heavily on the bed, riveted on what he was reading.

The handwritten note inside set his mind spinning as he started to grasp just how bad things were.

Amanda –

Inside are papers detailing the information my investigator has discovered about you and your husband. The husband you claimed was dead who is very much alive.

Whatever scam you were planning involving my son is over. You are a married woman and you accepted an engagement with Jon. I don’t know if you wanted money or whether you are like so many today who want their fifteen minutes of fame, but you aren’t getting anything.

I will not permit you to drag my son into the sordidness of your life. Your husband is apparently involved in drugs in some way and the FBI is investigating him. If there was a way to have you arrested for fraud, I would do so.

Instead you are going to get out of his life – immediately! And you are going to do it in such a way that he never wants to see you again. You obviously have a talent for lying and deceiving, I’m sure you’ll think of something.

If you had a conscience, you would be deeply ashamed. But a woman who would plan what you’ve done obviously has no conscience at all.

Carol Bongiovi

~~~

Richie quickly scanned through the remainder of the papers, the investigators report, the attached information, and then read Carol’s note again. He now knew in full detail why Amanda had left Jon.

She HAD played him.

Sitting there with the damning evidence in his hands, his anger at her grew in direction proportion to the hurt he was seeing Jon go through.

Blocking the door lock of the room with a slip of paper, he took the folder down to the main office of the hotel where he was allowed to make copies. He returned to the room, threw the envelope onto the bed, and left.

There was no longer any reason to see Amanda.

~~~

Amanda had not left the hotel.

She’d run out of the room, afraid that she would take the phone when Richie offered it.

Afraid that when she heard Jon’s voice she would tell him everything.

Afraid she would beg him to understand, to believe her, that she hadn’t known.

Afraid he would damn her to hell.

Down the stairs by her room, she had wandered further into the depths of the hotel. Now she sat in the stairwell, wondering how her life had been so turned upside down. She half-laughed and half-sobbed as she thought about her “perfect life” – what an amazingly painful farce that had turned out to be.

She had lost her husband, found out he was alive, and then lost Jon with that knowledge. She wasn’t sure where everything had spun out of control, but while waiting there on the stairs, she knew she had to find out.

After an hour Amanda cautiously returned to her room. Opening the door she saw Richie was gone. She went in, glanced around and stopped cold. Thrown on the bed was the envelope she’d had in her suitcase. She knew Richie had seen it.

Oh no! No, no, no! He’ll tell Jon!

Bracing herself, dreading the call she had to make to protect Jon, she dialed Richie’s number.

He answered, but instead of ‘hello’, it was with a tone she had never heard from him before.

“What do you want?”

“Richie?” Her voice quavered a bit as she spoke his name.

“Yeah, what do you want?” His tone didn’t change in the slightest.

“You saw the papers, didn’t you?”

“Yep.” His voice curt, biting.

“Please don’t tell Jon, Richie. Don’t tell him about his mom or what that investigator found.”

A bitter laugh met her ears as Richie spoke again.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Matthews, I won’t be mentioning your name to Jon – ever.”

Her heart sinking into her stomach, Amanda realized Richie believed she had been out to deceive Jon. He believed what had been written. She hurried to speak before he hung up on her.

“I didn’t know, Richie. I swear to you, I didn’t know.”

Again she heard sardonic laughter.

“Sure Amanda, right, because you’re so truthful. I read the report. Sounds like your husband faked his death and you’re trying to tell me you didn’t know? How could you do this? Who the hell are you?”

Amanda’s voice went lifeless as she heard the condemnation in Richie’s voice.

“I don’t have any idea who I am. I won’t call Jon or any of you again. I’m so sorry.”

Amanda slowly closed her phone.