Southern Justice, Part 12

I’m Fixin’ To present part 12 of Southern Justice:

During the remainder of March, Jackie made weak objections as Rick lavished her with gifts. There was a new wardrobe, a Mercedes convertible, jewelry, redecoration of the condo and weekend jaunts to exotic places; indeed she received her own checking account and a copy of his American Express Gold card. Rick was so taken by her that he couldn’t do enough for her.

While all this was going on Jackie continued to see that Rick consumed an overabundance of killing alcohol, food and tobacco. She also overwhelmed him with love—day and night. When he was devastated and wiped out she would incessantly coax until he was once more powerlessly engulfed.

On the morning of April Fool’s Day, as Rick lay vanquished in his bed with an extra ten pounds around his waist, gasping for breath, Jackie knew it was time.

She heard a slight groan from him as she snuggled up close and whispered, “I feel so close to you Rick, but something just seems to be missing.”

She heard the alarm in his voice when he responded, “You just tell me what you need and it’s yours.!”

“What I want is to be a more important part of your life. I want to be Mrs. Rick Haselton!” Jackie declared as she snuggled even closer to him.

Rick coughed and wheezed under her fresh assault, not realizing that his Blue Angel was actually the Angel of Death.

The wedding took place a week later and was a quiet affair with B. Wendell as the best man and the only witness. Jackie could sense Rick’s resentment of his presence, but she explained it away with a tale of how he was an old family friend as well as her trusted attorney.

Several days later Jackie and B. Wendell were sitting in his office plotting their next step.

“Well, Jackie my dear, I must admit you actually pulled it off. For a while there I almost believed you were going to kill him before you wed him. But here you are, legally married to a very rich and sick man. However, I fail to see how you will be able to convince him to sign a will leaving everything to you. As you know, he does have a son and he strikes me as a man who believes in all that ‘blood is thicker than water’ stuff.”

“He’ll sign anything I ask him to because he is so crazy about me. You and I just have to come up with a scheme, which will encourage him. If everything works out, you’ll get your normal thirty percent.”

Jackie knew then that B. Wendell was truly her partner as she watched him begin to scribble on his little pad. He was calculating his fee from the stocks, 401K and the estimated value of Pic-Ric Products.

That same day, at the headquarters of Pic-Ric Products, Chris Adams was sitting at his desk when he saw Rick Senior walk past his office door, apparently headed for his own office down the hallway. He couldn’t help but notice the weight gain and the gaunt look of exhaustion on his face. He supposed the nightlife was finally catching up with him. Not even an hour later he saw him leave and realized it had been the first time he had seen him in weeks.

Later that day the Operating Committee, consisting of Chris, Jones and Rick Junior, known to all as the three Modern Day Musketeers, got together in the conference room for their regularly scheduled meeting.

During their casual conversation before getting down to business Chris said to Rick Junior, “I saw your pop earlier.”

Rick Junior, with a downcast look said, “Yea, he came by my office for a few minutes. Did you notice how dang awful he looked?”

Not wanting to confirm Rick Junior’s observation Chris simply said, “He did look a little tired.”

“What did he have to say?” Jones asked.

“He said he got married last week,” Rick Junior declared with an emphasis of disbelief in his tone.

At which point Jones proudly announced, “I told y’all a woman or golf would settle him down. Turned out to be a woman.”

“To tell you the truth, I wish it had been golf,” Rick Junior said.

Chris could see the look of concern on Rick Junior’s face when he asked, “You think there is some kind of problem?”

“Well, heck!” Rick Junior said, “y’all saw how he looked. Oh, he seemed happy mentally, but physically he’s beyond being a wreck and I’m worried about him.”

“Uh–do you mind if we ask who the lucky lady is?” Chris meekly inquired.

“That’s another thing that bothers me,” Rick Junior said, He didn’t say who she is, where he met her, how long he had known her—he didn’t say jack about her except he thinks she’s some kind of angel. But after a little pressure he did agree that the two of them would meet us all for lunch on Friday. You guys up to it?”