Til Debt Do Us Part

Chapter 10

Rodney listened to his contact, his face growing even darker and in contrast, his knuckles turned white on his phone. Constance watched the exchange and she cautiously felt for the car door handle.

"I'll kill him!" He slammed his phone down. "I don't care about money anymore, I'm just going to find him and kill him!"

"Dare I ask what happened?"

Through a tirade of invective and spittle, Rodney explained about the two phone calls and the outcome. He hammered the steering wheel, using every profanity he knew.

Constance was witnessing a Rodney Riddler she never knew existed and began casting about for alternatives to continuing their quest. She knew she could depend on Humphrey for help; their relationship had often privately ventured beyond business. Separating herself from this frightening new Rodney would require some cautious manoeuvring.

"What can you do now? You don't even know where he is."

Rodney sat back and closed his eyes. "If I just made a deal for the amount of money he did, knowing I had screwed the man who did the same to my wife and tried to do it to me as well . . . I'd go and flaunt my victory in his face."

"You mean Percy Rudman?"

"I do."

"Look, Rodney. I'm not up to-- you seem to want a little more uhm, closure than I find necessary. I'll go and see Humphrey and find out what he thinks about all this. Without any papers signed, he may have a way of getting a settlement for part of the money Patton is getting for the sale."

"You do that, meanwhile I'm going to visit Rudman."

********

"Your private line, sir."

Percy picked up the phone and growled a greeting.

"Percy? Harmon Lassiter here, having a bad day? Here's some good news then, we own the last villa . . . the Patton property."

"Huh?"

"It cost us but now we can move right ahead with the project."

"Huh . . . cost us . . . who . . .?"

"Patton himself. Called up gave us his offer. It was tough but better than losing money sitting around. We'll make it back easily."

"Patton sold you the villa?"

"That's what I said. So get your hard hat on, Percy, we're starting to build. Gotta hang up. Places to go, people to see."

Lillian stood and approached Percy as he hung up and covered his face with his hands.

"Did you say that Mathew sold the villa?"

"He sold it straight to the Blue Shoals board . . ."

"But he can't! The divorce!"

Percy turned, his face creased in anger. "You mean the divorce that you failed to get the papers signed for? The divorce that has had me chasing all over the city?"

"You never left your office-- well, just that once."

He let out a strangled cry and marched to the door. "Out, Lillian. Out now!" He pulled the door open and leaped back as Rodney strode in.

"I tried to stop him, Mr. Rudman but he--" The door slammed in Janet's face.

"Where is he?"

"What the hell . . ."

"I said, where is he?"

"Who, for Christ sake?"

"Her husband. Patton."