Divorced! Now what?
Chapter 125

Bethany

POV

When I started to read the book or Cynthia's journal, I felt a chill run down my spine. It was like she wanted me to be the one to find it or at least read it; we had made up this code when we were young before things changed, and now it seems I am going to find out why. Being the police officers they are, Jacko and Pam stopping me from reading further was frustrating, but I understood. Why read aloud now, only to re-read it later? They will need to know what is in the book and have it documented. The judge has much to answer for. Taking my sister's innocence and then later our mother's not caring was almost worse than the awful event itself. It was not like she would come to me for support. I guess she was worried no one would believe her, and with Mother laughing it up, maybe she thought no one would care.

Theo said to call him If I needed him, and he would have Dad drop him off at home. I could tell he did not like me leaving and had no idea why I was, only that I was needed at the station and had to go now.

Being in the backseat was a nerve-wracking experience; I felt exposed and kept my eyes peeled for any vehicle that came too close, or at each intersection, I would tense up. I attributed part of my unease to Jacko constantly glancing in the mirror, and I was unsure if it was to check on me or monitor for any potential followers. My fear of a rear-end collision intensified each time he looked back, or maybe it was not that often; it just felt that way. When the police station finally came into view, I let out a long, relieved breath; it had been a harrowing journey, and listening to those two discussing the case as if I was not in the vehicle was unsettling. I did not feel the need to know all about it, and it pained me to hear some of the things those two women had done.

I followed Jacko and Pam through the hallway and past a group of officers; they watched us pass, nodding to Pam and Jacko as they passed by. I got some strange looks, but nothing I could not handle. I was used to odd looks from people, first because I was too young to be a doctor or in school, disbelief that I was Cynthia's twin, as I was nothing like her. I shrugged it off and continued, saying that I did not have time to carry other people's baggage and that judging people was unnecessary baggage. The room they took me to was full of information on what had been titled the wedding group; I had a little knowledge of this, as I had talked to Dad as he unloaded his thoughts one day after we were both away from that woman's clutches. 'Sit here, please. Pam directed me to a table, and I sat and waited.

'Listen up, folks. We have more surprises in store. This young lady is Bethany, and she is responsible for a lot of the latest information and the arrest of the top brass. Pam shouted out, and I got a round of applause.

'We have another box for you to catalogue into the system, and Joey, I have a gun for you to take to get checked out. Do not let it out of your sight; stay with them until it has been processed, and Mac a thumb drive to be transferred to our main group server; use the blue computer. Also, Bethany will translate a book we have here; it is in the same code as the book Jan had the other day. We can get Bethany to translate it after this one if you can grab it. We are going into the quiet room so she can read and record it aloud. Do you have any questions?' Jacko looked around the room, and though some looked like they wanted to ask something, none did.

'Okay, get busy; I want all this done today, so I called you all in on a Sunday, Pam shouted, and I realized she was higher up the tree than I thought. The room suddenly got busy. Pam took a book and sat at a large table, starting to read, entering things into the computer. It was like synchronized chaos, and I loved it.

Pam led me to another room, which was part of this area. Through the glass window, you could see the others in the room. This helped keep me calm. I was worried I was going to be in an interrogation room, and I was not looking forward to that. I sat where Pam indicated, and then she pushed a button.

'Attending is Senior Detective Pamelia, and with me is Doctor Bethany Peterson. She is going to translate the book we have in code. We are calling it Book Exhibit Two Hundred and Four. Bethany, in your own time, read the booklet as best you can; we can pause if it gets too difficult and you need a break. I started with the part I had read already and was more prepared for what I was reading. Saying it out loud made it more accurate and honest. My heart would beat out of my chest as I read the passage.

'Eleventh of March nineteen-ninety-four, Mother had arranged a little get-together, Mr. Henderson wanted another go at me, and Mum arranged for me to be in his room, at the motel, while a pretend wedding was happening downstairs. This was the second time, and according to my mother, she would arrange my time with him each time he asked. I am trying to understand why I am the one to be used like this. Mother taught me the trade tricks, such as dress and make-up, to lure the men. She said she had big plans for me! I took a drink of water and looked at the book again.

'On July seventeenth, nineteen-ninety-seven, not long after my sixteenth birthday, Mum took me to Vegas, and I met up with a group of people. One man took a shine to me, and before I knew it, Mum had me married off to him. I was now Cynthia Gilbright; he was a foreigner and needed to get married to be able to travel more easily. I hated him right from the moment I set eyes on him. Mum laughed at all my complaints, and after three days of being his wife, he left for his own country, and I was now a married woman with no husband around. I took that as my chance to be accessible for as long as possible and enjoy myself. I had money, and he gave me a card to spend when I needed something. I needed everything, and he would regret marrying me!

'How wrong was I, within six months, he was back, and I had my first beating; he broke my arm, and I was in bed for a week getting over it; he put a gun to my face and said to be more mindful, or I will find a bullet next time. I changed after that; I bought a gun from the black market and started to learn to shoot. In December of that year, I killed my first man. He was on the contract list, and I was only too happy to give it a go; the rewards were good, and I soon found another way to make money.

'After school graduation, I went with a group to Vegas, and I saw the man mum used for the wedding and had our little group get married; I married Bret because he was all over me and could not get enough. I loved him in my way, and he did not pressure me to be anyone other than myself. Gran left me a house and money, and soon I was spending it. I renovated the house, getting rid of any sign of Gran in it; she was old and smelly, and I needed to refresh the whole house. I employed a maid and gardener because I couldn't be bothered by them either.'

'August, I managed to convince Bret to chase and marry Bethany. She has had it easy, getting everything that landed on her plate. She had not had the beatings I had every time my so-called husband came to town. I hated him, and I wanted a divorce, but Mum said I should learn how to use marriage, and soon, I was learning about fraud, money laundering, and other crafts from my husband, and things looked up for a while.

My husband stopped the beatings now I was of use to him, but little did he know I was planning to kill both him and the now Judge Henderson. Even my mother was on my list of people to kill, and I would if I got the opportunity to do so. It was a joke; Mum was pretending to be married to Dad. I know she is not really married to him; she had a fake marriage like I did with Bret and would have him do the same with Bethany. What makes her marriage funny is Dad is a cop and does not see all the corruption in his own house; it is a joke that both Mum and I chuckle about when we are on good terms, and that is usually when things are going right for her!'