Divorced! Now what?
Chapter 132

Bob POV

When I saw Bethany in Scott's arms, I felt tremendous relief. His thumbs up meant a lot, but when Bethany looked up and waved, a tear of emotion trickled down my cheek. When I looked back at Theo, he was just as emotional as I was.

'Get the baby down; I need to get to my daughter. Look over the scene; hang around. You will be taking me back to where to pick me up. Take a half-hour break, I said to the pilot, and he started his descent and landed as close as he could to the stables. Theo and I ran to Bethany, and rather than fight about who would hold her first, I hugged her while in Scott's arms, and Theo joined in. Bethany giggled a little at the group hug, which was a balm to my heart. Bethany turned to me, left Scott's arms, hugged me, and kissed my cheek.

'I am alright, Dad. Just a few bruises and most likely a new nightmare for a while, but I will heal.' My girl was a strong one. She was comforting me when it should have been the other way around. I chuckled and squeezed her before relinquishing her to Theo, whom I knew would not let go of her for very long once he got hold of her. Bethany let go of me and turned to Theo, who pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately; I turned away from them, giving them privacy.

'Show me the would-be killer of my child.' I said to Scott. I had yet to address the matter of leaving her with no protection. 'I am not sorry for shooting him; he had his gun pointed at Bethany and said it was time for her to die; I did not hesitate to take his brains out. Initially, I did not intend to shoot to kill. Still, when he said those words, I knew if he did not die now, he would one day try and hurt Bethany, either get someone to do it for him or wait till he got out to do it and, as he would be sent to jail for a long time, I assumed he would get a contract out on her again. Better dead than worry about that! By the time we reached the stables, I thought I was ready to see the killer, but I was not prepared to see what was left of Bret's face lying on the ground. Of all the people he was not on my list, Wendy and Cynthia had done a good number of me covering up their tracks and sending me in a different direction; no wonder I never got close to him. Leaving Wendy was the best thing I ever did. I lived with a monster and never knew it. I stayed in the marriage for Thomas and Bethany, which was easy. I came and went as I wanted, and so did she; I was so blind, closing my eyes to it all and trying to investigate the person who was right under my nose all the time. I thought I knew Bret; he had been a visitor to our home since Cynthia turned ten, and I thought they were close, not that close, that they killed together. They must have been plotting things around when they knew I would be away with work. Why had I never seen it before?

I ordered our men to do a cleanup and gather evidence. They read the other four men their rights and took them away. I squatted down and looked closer at the lad I had once thought of as a son-in-law and felt? Nothing. Not a flicker of sadness or remorse. He deserved to be stopped. If what I am told is correct, we have over twenty unsolved murders solved. That must be what Jacko was trying to say to me before the gunshots, that his fingerprints were on one of the bullets in the gun.

We left the stables and the chaos of men doing their jobs, and I walked to Bethany and Theo, Scott walking beside me. 'Bethany is a strong woman; she managed to fight off two men before the third one overpowered her at the building; when you see the footage, you are going to be pleased with all the self-defense classes you sent her to had worked. Scott was praising Bethany, but all I could see was another bruised face and bloody red marks on her wrists, and feeling like I had failed somehow, not just to Bethany but to Cynthia and possibly Wendy; maybe if I had been more observant, both would not have strayed away.

'I know you, Bob, stop blaming yourself or second-guessing. You could have changed nothing except jail them earlier if you had evidence. You knew the lad before he turned bad, before Cynthia and he found common ground and became close friends; he visited your home a number of times when he was young, being an orphan, with just him and his older brother, and they slipped through the cracks, and even you did not know it. You can be everyone's savior. Scott tried to make me see the meaning, and I understood where he came from; I can go through life saying, 'What if?' But that changes nothing but passing the guilt around.

The paramedic released Bethany, and we headed to the chopper. From what I can gather, Hank will be there when we arrive to give Bethany the once-over for my peace of mind. Yes, the paramedics are good, but Hank knows what Bethany has gone through and would have noticed if she had something new to worry about.

Bethany and Theo sat in the back, Bethany leaning into Theo. He was holding her close to him. I think he is in shock over what happened, and to see Bethany covered in Bret's brains on her clothes and face must have shaken him up. He tried cleaning her face, but the paramedic pushed him away, grabbed some wipes, and cleaned her up, gently checking her as he went. Bethany sat there and let the two fuss over her, oblivious to what they were trying to wipe away. It might come to her later, but for now, she was compliant. The chopper took us back to Thomas's home, setting us down on the private beach. Theo had Bethany out and led her up the path to the back door. Before I had even got my harness off, I thanked the pilot and sent him on his way, and then I took off to catch up with the pair.

Hank and Thomas were waiting in the lounge room. There was no sign of Judy or Nate, which I was grateful for; Judy did not need to see Bethany like that. Hank pulled her out of Theo's arms and into his, murmuring something before leading her to a back room to look her over. Bethany did not even argue that she was okay, as she usually would, which told me she was not acceptable.

'Bob, she was shaking like a leaf and murmuring stuff that made no sense to me; I am worried; this had pushed her over the top.

'No, son, Bethany will come out of this just fine; she has to work through it all in her mind; it is her way. Just be there when she needs some comfort. Jacko will need her back in the office at some point to continue with their books. Apparently, they have two more to be decoded, and Bethany is the only one who can read them!

'I hope she gets to hold the baby; if she can cuddle the new life that she helped bring into the world, maybe she will not hold onto the negative of the past few days and let it all go.

'We still have court cases to go through, and the media are going to have a field day when news of some of the people arrested hits the headlines!

'Maybe Bethany can direct the attention away from being negative and sensational. With the heart transplant in the child, I hear she is on the mend and will most likely be well enough to have the operation in two days; Bethany has to snap back to doctor mode and put all this behind her for that to happen. That child's life is depending on her!