“Why the fuck is my cell phone not working, and what the fuck are you doing?” Cyndi’s authoritarian manner didn’t frighten me.
“I must let you know that this call is being recorded.” I paused again and spoke when she didn’t say anything. “Your cell phone has been disconnected, and your debit and credit card are no longer active. As to what I’m doing, I’m at my kitchen table having a cup of coffee, waiting for this phone call to end.” My voice was calm and even.
“What are you doing, Austin?” Her patience for me was quickly dwindling.
“I’m getting you out of my life. I’ve packed your things and put them in the bunkhouse. An Arizona sheriff will visit you in the next few hours and serve you a TRO. That is a Temporary Restraining Order, which means you can’t come within a hundred feet of me.”
“Why the fuck would you do that?” She screamed.
“Well, let’s see. Shall we talk about the email to Trina saying you wished I was dead and wanted to speak with her about doing it? With me dead, you don’t have to settle for half. It would all be yours. Or perhaps we can talk about the million-dollar life insurance policy you took out on me without my knowledge. Maybe the two go together.”
“Those were my emails, you had no fucking right to reading them.”
“Tough,” I said calmly.
“You can’t do this. The farm is half mine.”
“Yeah, not so much,” I said. Owen leaned into me and kissed my forehead, smiling at my newfound strength.
“Austin, this is bullshit. You always said that whatever we have, we would share equally.” She said defiantly.
I couldn’t believe how easily she fell right into my trap. “Oh really? Then let’s talk about the Oak Springs Farms bank account.”
“That’s a savings account I opened for our future.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about it? Why did you forge my signature to open it? But let’s move away from the bank account for a minute. We’ll come back to that later. The real issue, and something your stupid brain didn’t consider, is that if we were married, you would have a claim, but since we aren’t legally married, Mrs. Moore, I can’t see how anything is yours. Everything is in my name, and I mean everything! Although we weren’t married, you lived the life of a bigamist for the past ten years. And you know what? It saved you from an instant jail cell. I think I’m justified in saying that nothing I might own even remotely belongs to you.”
“This is all Owen’s doing,” she mumbled into the phone. “He’s poisoned you against me.”
Owen and I looked at each other and smiled. We both knew she was going to try and play that card. There was dead silence on the phone. When she said nothing, I took the lead and started again.
I wanted Cyndi to know that she was up shit’s creek, and it didn’t matter if she had a paddle or not. She wasn’t getting out of this one.
“It’s this simple, Cyndi. You will do this if you want me to walk away without pressing charges. I was going to be fair and give you half of what was in the Oak Springs bank account, but when I discovered we weren’t married and you stole money from someone who seemed like a genuinely nice guy, I changed my mind. Instead, I’ve asked my attorney to send Mr. Moore the money you stole from him, plus interest from what I had planned to give you. That will be your share of the Oak Springs money.”
“We contacted Mr. Moore, and he now knows your whereabouts. He is very interested in speaking with you about the personal items you took that belonged to him. I found some coins and jewelry amongst your things. I took pictures of everything and sent them to Mr. Moore. If it turns out that they belong to him, I will return it; if not, they will remain at the bank in the safety deposit box I’ve rented.”
“Another thing. Since Trina is with you, you might want to notify her that she will be arrested when she returns to Great Falls. She can think about everything she’s done from a jail cell. I’ve also filed a lawsuit against her. She’s going to lose everything, including her CPA license. My attorney has retained a forensic accountant to review every transaction she has performed on our behalf over the past ten years.”
I was pushing Cyndi over the edge, but it felt so good to finally have the last word and be done with her.
“Please don’t do this to Trina,” she cried out, trying to protect her lover. “Anything she did was because I asked her to do it. She doesn’t deserve to suffer because of me.” There was raw emotion, or good acting, in her tone.
“Tough,” I said. “I didn’t deserve what you did to me either. I can’t wait until she suffers for your sins behind bars.” Whether she figured I wouldn’t follow through with the threats, Cyndi wrote it off and changed the subject.
“Give me the SUV, the Hydroponics plant, and ten acres around it.” The bitch had no remorse whatsoever. She was trying to bargain with me like nothing had happened. It was like she hadn’t heard one word I said.
“No,” I stated calmly.
“I’m not stupid. I know things. I can make your life uncomfortable.”
I burst out laughing. The conversation was bordering on the absurd. “Don’t even try and cross me. I have your journals. I can line the men up that you’ve fucked from here to Great Falls and back. I know the actor’s name that you fuck regularly. I know pretty much everything there is to know about you. All you have is the ability to lie. What do you think Devon and Thomas would say if they were to find out about your past? What a slut you are? I’ve got all the videos.” I paused to consider my next words. “Cyndi, I might have been naïve about you. If you want to try to make my life uncomfortable, go ahead. I’m not ashamed of who I am. I am happy with the path I’m choosing.”
“Those journals are my personal property.” Again, she ignored what I said. Everything would always be about her.
“The journals, videos, and libelous material are in a safety deposit box at my bank. Only my attorney and I have access to it. I’m sure some legal precedents say because they were in the file cabinet that I paid for, in the house I have title to, and on the farm I own, they are mine. I’m just not sure. After all, I only have a high school education, as you loved to point out to everyone.”
It was time to end the conversation, but I needed to vent before I rid myself of her. I lowered my voice.
“Tell me about the baby, Cyndi. You told everyone we were trying to get pregnant, that all you wanted was for us to have a baby. You terminated your pregnancy without telling me.” I stopped talking. The pain of what she did would always remain with me.
“Austin, please. Can’t we talk about this, please, honey? I love you. I’ll come home. We can get pregnant right away, I promise.” Her voice dripped with desperation.
I burst out laughing. Cyndi’s promises were as empty and barren as she was. “Do you have a pen and paper?” I asked a moment later.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Take this down.” I rattled off a name and phone number. “That is my attorney. If you have anything to tell me, call him, and he will relay your message. Don’t even think about trying to tempt him with your sexual prowess. I’ve warned him about you, and he’s ready to meet you head-on.”