Protect Me Not

Chapter 21

Victor's concentration levels were next to zero these days. The only thing he could think of was Mary. His unsettling feeling that she was in danger had not dulled. The disconcerted feeling increased in its severity every day that passed. Victor was certain that he had to travel to Toronto to check on her; even if it meant watching her from a close distance. He needed to see with his own eyes that she was okay. His overactive imagination had him putting Mary in some unusual situations and worse yet imagining some horrible events happening to her beyond belief. Knowing what had happened to Mary in her past had not helped to keep his thoughts of her well being in check. There had been nothing to keep his imagination from wondering about what kind of scenario she might have gotten into. Victor thought his leave of absence from work would help calm his fears, allowing him to concentrate on his own health but his lack of workload only added to his over thinking. The worst part was that he had no communication with Mary which amplified his fears. Victor never wanted to overstep his perimeters seeing as Mary herself had demanded space but sometimes relying solely on Camden to report back on her every move didn't offer much relief to his growing concern. After all, what did he really know about Camden since their university days? How well had Camden done with his current career?

"Perhaps I should have looked into him a little more before hiring him to watch over Mary," he said to his reflection in the mirror.

Walking over to his agenda, Victor made a note to research Camden's past. While doing this, Victor took notice to an e-mail from Camden sitting in his inbox. He could feel his anxiety resonating through him, for it was always bittersweet to receive communication from Camden. On one hand Victor got the information he requested on Mary's safety. Her whereabouts and details of her day were usually noted which offered a short burst of relief. On the other hand Victor always emotionally collapsed knowing he was not with her, sharing in her experiences.

Camden's e-mail started with a simple greeting and a quick apology for not reporting on Mary more frequently. He went on to tell Victor that Mary was progressing rather nicely without him by her side and adjusting to her Toronto atmosphere seamlessly. Given their short time together, Camden felt that Mary was almost ready to be more open about her troubles. He was sure she was ready to have an open dialogue about her troubling past. Camden continued to explain how he was winning her friendship more and more and gaining her trust as he was hired to do. Camden openly admitted that Mary was undeniably every bit of woman Victor portrayed her to be. He also wrote that he was proud to know her and that he understood completely why Victor felt the need to keep her safe with all his protective tactics in place. Camden concluded his e-mail by saying they would be having dinner together that evening and that he was confident more progress would organically culminate after an evening of relaxed conversation.

Victor wasn't sure how the e-mail communication was supposed to leave him feeling. Coming from the good doctor, he supposed it was an e-mail meant to comfort his unsettled thoughts about Mary being away however something about the e-mail just didn't sit right with him. It was almost as if Camden's words were smug in nature and somewhat taunting. He read through the e-mail, each time trying to find a hidden message he might have missed buried between the lines. After a few reviews and some daunting speculation, Victor felt his heart slowly breaking, releasing a recrudescence of yearning for Mary and what they once shared. He couldn't understand why Mary was able to open herself up to a stranger but never to him; her husband. Victor had to concentrate on the positives of her trip. After all was said and done, Victor was certain Mary's trip to seek a healed past would offer a new life. Not just a new life to Mary, but also a new life to their marriage, to them both. Without an attempt at therapy, Victor was sure their marriage would never survive; that single thought tore him apart. Mary had always been his dream wife. Whenever Victor thought of settling down to start a family, he pictured doing it with a woman just like Mary. She was nothing short of kind, giving, successful and always putting other's needs ahead of her own. Those were just some of her best qualities. Her one small character downfall was that broken piece within her soul he could never mend. Victor thought her abused heart would restore with the love and nurturing he offered and she deserved but it never did; not yet anyway and Victor held out hope.

Victor decided a quick reply back to Camden's e-mail was necessary so he started by typing a thank you reply and added a quick statement for Camden to make use of their dinner time together. Victor methodically ended his e-mail with a sharp reminder to Camden that he was to continue supplying him with detailed updates in order to stay abreast of Mary's progress.

After hitting send, Victor contemplated retracting the e-mail and adding one more inclusion to keep sending updated text messages with pictures. Victor was convinced seeing pictures of his beautiful wife kept his own worry and anxiety at bay, but it wasn't about him right now. Knowing that Mary was well and out of trouble was about the only thing keeping him off the next flight out to Toronto to check on her well-being. Nothing else mattered to Victor. In fact after sending the e-mail, Victor felt a little foolish about doubting Camden. Erasing his initial agenda note to have Camden's background looked into was an attempt to prove to himself that he was able to trust Camden's professional work. It seemed rather foolish to have his hired personal private investigator investigated. What would come next? His private investigator's investigator investigated? Victor laughed out loud at the thought of it and let his imagination run wild on that lone thought. He pictured an entire city block of black sedans with tinted windows lined up around Mary's hotel with each investigator tailing one another and no one even paying any regard to Mary.

With nothing else to occupy his day, Victor obsessed over Mary's every move. He knew she would be having dinner with Camden that evening, which made Victor watch the time closely. He forgot to ask Camden what time they planned to dine so he shot him another quick e-mail to ask. Much to his surprise, Camden responded immediately informing him that he had some business to take care of first so he would be sending a car service to pick Mary up at her hotel by six o'clock. Camden also told Victor that he was already at the restaurant awaiting her arrival and attached a quirky selfie picture of himself in the lounge at the restaurant.

Victor glanced at his watch anticipating the next half hour to pass incredibly slowly. Hoping he could pass the time quicker, Victor looked into a chartered helicopter company just in case he needed to get to Toronto. This time he wouldn't involve his personal secretary Cynthia, after all he did arrange to take a personal leave of absence. Besides, he was sure she would be off relaxing somewhere with her hefty bonus. Cynthia wasn't known to take a break for herself. Knowing this, Victor thought he should deal with this matter on his own. It didn't take long to locate a company with their headquarters located at the downtown Wall Street heliport in Manhattan. This company promised it could get you anywhere quickly and comfortably. A perfect solution to a not so perfect situation Victor thought.

Victor's anxiety went from top of the heap to zero in a click of the computer mouse. Why didn't he think of this earlier? He sat back in his chair embracing his deflating anxiety as he contacted the chartered company and retained all the information necessary to book his chartered flight to Toronto. He kept a copy of their protocol for the helicopter usage and had it send directly to his personal e-mail. Being a high profile lawyer in the city proved to be valuable in this type of situation. The aviation manager assured Victor that they would dedicate one of their helicopters for his use at anytime over the next couple of weeks. This type of preferred treatment never came cheap. On top of the very large deposit required to reserve such a request, Victor also arranged for a bulky donation to be given to their annual Gala in support of safe aviation. Victor was glad to contribute knowing the benefits to him outweighed the cost.

Victorwore a huge grin proudly as he glanced at the time. Smiling was not something he had beenaccustomed to in recent days. Now eagerto hear back from Camden, he sat patiently and more relaxed since Mary'sdeparture.