Til Debt Do Us Part

Chapter 8

"So what's it gonna be this time, a snuff film?" Mathew snarled from the chair Rodney had stuffed him into.

"Keep up the attitude and I may reconsider." Rodney snarled back.

Constance leaned forward from her spot on the bed. "Mathew, please. It was just business with Rodney and I. Humphrey needed a lever to get you to sign the divorce papers."

"Oh well then," Mathew raised his hands in deference. "Silly me for thinking you were the ones that took advantage of me here with your flimsy bustier and photographer when it was all old Humphrey. Tell me, Constance, did I enjoy myself?"

"I'm warning you, Patton."

"Don't, Rodney. He has a right to be angry."

"Says the angel with black wings." Mathew stared at Rodney, considering he may have gone too far.

Constance took Rodney aside and they began whispering together. When she walked back Mathew braced himself for some kind of attack.

"We need you to phone your wife and get her to bring the papers here."

"Like that's gonna happen."

"It's not a request, Patton." Rodney doing his snarl.

"Mathew, Humphrey is in the hospital. We need the papers for his employer and I hate to sound melodramatic but things could get ugly if you don't comply."

"What happened to Humphrey?"

"We don't know and at the moment he is unstable."

"At the moment! Anybody working for Rudman is unstable . . . from the get go."

"Okay, enough wise talk." Rodney dragged him from the chair to the phone on the desk by the door. "Call your wife."

Mathew shook himself free and took a deep breath. He picked up the receiver in one hand and reached for the door knob with the other.

"What the--!"

The door opened and Mathew swung the receiver at Rodney, cracking the lens in his Aviators. He dropped it and darted out into the hall, heading straight for the exit stairs.

"Oooh, that bastard!" Rodney did small circles, his hands cupped over his face while Constance grabbed the tranquilizer gun and chased after Mathew.

The dash down the stairs had Mathew wheezing; sitting at a desk all his working life hadn't prepared him for such physical exuberance. He almost fell against the landing wall trying to catch his breath then the clack of heels not far above drove him to continue down.

The exit door opened into one end of the lobby past the elevators and he hesitated, uncertain of which way to go. He paused behind a large plant to orient himself, taking a little too long as he had to duck when the stair door opened and Constance burst through. She stared about, eyes wild, then stormed off .

Mathew followed as she half ran, drawing the attention of other patrons and eventually the desk manager. Using her distraction with the manager, Mathew slipped out the front doors and around to where he had parked his car. He gunned the engine and made up his mind to confront Lillian so home would be his destination.

The starring of the windshield had him jerking the wheel instinctively and he swerved off the hotel lot into angry traffic. Another thunk sounded near his door and when he looked back, he saw Rodney standing legs apart and aiming a gun at him.

He shot at me! With a gun! Mathew steered crazily around the cars putting distance between them at a dangerous speed. He was trying to tranquilize the car?