A WIFE, A LOVER AND A DEAD MAN…

As the news was read out, the television picture became a blur…the whole room started spinning…nothing was real. It all became oblivious, Tanya’s heart was beating as if it was going to explode through her perspiring chest.

Her hands clenched tightly, she wrenched at her hair. The words pierced her mind, “Tony Andreas, the rich Property Developer has been found dead at the wheel of his car. Mystery surrounds the accident, in which the car careered over a gap in the George Washington Bridge. Police are at the scene now”.

“Christ!” she thought, as her senses came to. Tony had been on his way to see her. The champagne was set, two glasses ready, a romantic, candlelit dinner, ready to savour.

An almost idiotic thought came to her. In light of the situation she now found herself to be in, what an almighty waste of this gourmet meal par excellence.

Tanya rose from the soft cream leather suite, the suite, which she and Tony had shared so many times before, making love in front of the smouldering log fire, drinking the best Brandy money could buy. Some nights he would stay over, that was her dream come true. To hold him all night, feel his satin Chanel boxer shorts next to her skin. She would often lie awake, just watching him breathing, his tanned, well toned body lying ever so still. His perfect set face, piercing blue eyes, eyes as deep as the deepest ocean. Black hair, like a raven’s coat gently cascading framing his face. This was her Greek God! How she wished she had been the one to share his bed every night, but it was not to be, for that luxury and pleasure belonged to her younger sister, Sofia.

Christ! What would Jennifer think, if ever she knew?

A thought occurred to her, somehow deviously planted in her mind. Jennifer would never know her guilty secret, and of course the child, their child, the child she’d lost.

It was the only child that Tony had fathered. It would have been impossible for the child to be born, especially one born into an eternal triangle such as theirs - Tanya, Tony and Jennifer.

Tanya knew she had to be with her sister. Poor Jennifer. But how would she herself feel, having to come face to face with her. Would the guilt show on her face? Would her feelings of grief and desolation hide it? She didn’t know.

She froze for a moment or two while she gathered her thoughts and calmed herself down. The car keys were on the white marble chess set…for she and Tony loved a skilful game of chess after enjoying a Champagne dinner, although somehow he always managed to win. Tanya was his pawn to be played and manipulated with, to whatever situation he found himself in.

As she opened the patio door, she could feel the New York breeze hit her face. She then ran out of the apartment, the moon was full, and this cast an eerie path onto the shimmering river. The water flickered like a thousand stars, each with a life of its own.

The aura of the whole NYC landscape cascaded around her like a mass of cold fingers. The car keys seemed to ease into the door and then into the ignition, without much effort. Tanya seemed dazed. The car appeared much smaller than what it actually was. For a moment, it all closed in on her and she briefly passed out. Seconds later she awoke, the original journey still on her mind…to see her beloved sister. The cadillac then sped off into the night, leaving a trail of rising dust.

“Hey Mac, you heard the news? Tony Andreas is dead. I tell you, there’s got to be something going on there” retorted Sheldon Hawkes.

“Come on Hawkes, give the guy a break. He’s a corpse, leave him alone. He’s a respected businessman, just cos he’s rich, doesn’t mean he’s into some type of holy Godfather war, does it?” replied Mac.

Mac Taylor, an American guy, through and through, was a good cop. He never doubted anyone, unless he had good cause or enough evidence in a case, to put that person away for a long time. Mac’s blue eyes were sharp, very distinctive and of course they saw everything. If a smart girl entered the room, he saw her. If there was one significant clue to a murder, he’d spot it. Mac definitely had 10 out of 10 for observations.

“You ready to get down to some business?” Mac yelled as he got up off the chair, and crushed one of the water dispenser cups in his right hand and aimed it at a waste paper bin, effortlessly landing it into the bin first time, even that he done with a stylish flare.

The streets were quiet and empty. It was four in the morning and Mac was in his office back at NYPD and his colleague Stella Bonasera were finishing up old case files. A call came over the air for them to attend an RTA on the George Washington Bridge. They knew that was the fatal location which claimed the life of Tony Andreas.

“Hey Mac, that’s what I call one hell of a mess. There’s sure as hell not gonna be a lot left of Tony Andreas after that. I bet the last time his wife saw him he was in one piece, not a bloated old giddy goat”. Detective Don Flack smirked, his thin lips turning up in each corner. “Flack, you’re one hell of a sick guy. Some poor bastard has been burnt to death, and all you do is crack a few cheap lines. Come on, let’s get on with it. They’ve now lifted his car up, let’s go see what, if anything, we can find and hey please, no more jokes!” Mac commented whilst bending over his kit.

Andreas’s Gold Lamborghini Racer, his most proud possession, was smashed, almost unrecognisable. “Hey Danny, you found anything yet? On the body or in the wreckage?” asked Mac, whilst scouring the wreckage with his torch.

“Nah…yeah, yeah, there is something. I think you ought to see this. I found this packet on him. I don’t know what it is, until it’s been analysed by Adam back at the lab, but it looks to me as if it some type of drug. There’s gotta be at least ½ kilo here. We’re lucky to have salvaged it, considering what was left of the car and body. For some reason Mac, Mr. Andreas was wearing a bullet proof vest which is starting to restrict his body’s natural ‘bloating’, and this little surprise was stuffed inside it”.

“Well Danny, wherever he’s been tonight, he obviously knew he’d be in danger or else he wouldn’t have worn the bullet proof vest. As for the package, well I guess that came from a meet”. Mac switched off his torch and scratched his head. “Thanks Danny, that’s just what I wanted to know. We can’t do much tonight anyway, so I suppose we’d better go and break the news to Mrs. Andreas, that’s if she doesn’t already know, considering all the publicity surrounding this”.

Mac and Danny then got into their car and made their way to the Andreas family home on Ellis Island.

Tanya’s car screeched to a sudden halt. How could she tell Jennifer her beloved husband Tony was dead. There were no lights on at all, at the white marble fronted mansion that Tony and Tanya shared. She instinctively knew that Jennifer had not been told of her husband’s sudden demise. As Tanya walked the short distance along the pathway towards the front door, a sudden burst of cold wind rustled the autumn leaves and a few fell at her feet. As she slowly walked towards the door, each step appeared heavy. Everything seemed to be running in slow motion - it was a journey that seemed to take forever. She finally plucked up the courage to ring the doorbell. Immediately the light in the master bedroom overlooking the front of the house was switched on. The hallway light also came on completely illuminating the front of the house and porchway.

Tanya then heard the click of the door lock. Jennifer stood there looking surprised to see her sister, especially at this hour of the night. Jennifer thought Tanya looked ashen faced and asked “What’s up Tanya? Are you okay? You’d better come in”.

Tanya followed her sister into the large white sitting room. Jennifer sat Tanya down on a large leather sofa and handed her a large bourbon. “Here Tanya, you’d better drink this”. Jennifer sat alongside her sister and held her hand out towards her. She then said, “You’d better tell me what’s brought you here, especially at this time of night. It must be important or you would have waited until the morning”.

“Oh Christ! Jen. It’s Tony he’s, he’s…he’s dead. I’m sorry, sorry, ever so sorry”. Tanya broke down, with her head deep in her hands sobbing uncontrollably.

Jennifer sat there, deep in shock and unable to take in or accept what she’s been told. “No, no, he can’t be. He can’t be. I love him”. She let out a loud hysterical scream and collapsed sobbing, sobbing for the love of her life, her beloved Tony.

Tanya gently placed her arms around her sister, to comfort her, but Jennifer’s grief was also her grief for she too had lost the one man she had loved and who had loved her in return.

Whilst comforting Jennifer she began recollecting the good times she and Tony shared. The love games and romantic evenings, many of which were spent in front of a roaring log fire making love, kissing and caressing each other. Precious thoughts…thoughts that no one could take away from her.

“Oh Jennifer, we’ll take care of each other, just like we’ve always done, since Mom and Dad died. Don’t worry about anything, I’ll deal with it all” said Tanya, her voice faltering.

“Tanya, how did it happen? Why did it happen? I loved Tony so dearly. He was on a business trip and he rang me earlier today to say he would be home tomorrow, as soon as the business plans were finalised. What happened? Tell me, please tell me?” Jennifer broke down again, her tears streaming down her pretty face.

Tanya knew the truth. On his return from the business trip Tony wasn’t going straight home to Jennifer. He planned to meet up with her. They had planned to spend the afternoon together at her beach side apartment drinking chilled champagne and making passionate love on the king size bed they regularly shared as lovers.

Tony Andreas was a born liar and a cheat. He’d lied to the wife who loved him so much and who trusted him with her life. He cheated on Jennifer with her own sister. If only poor Jennifer knew that the man she loved was such a devious, lying bastard then she would have probably divorced him. Instead, Jennifer was now the perfect grieving widow. Grieving for a man who never actually loved her - she was just a trophy wife - someone to look pretty on his arm.

Mac and Danny arrived at the Andreas household, the large white home which was situated on top of a slight incline, the home of the late Tony Andreas.

Mac rang the doorbell and a tall slim blonde haired beauty answered. This lady was the sister-in-law of the now late Tony Andreas.

They introduced themselves to her as Mac Taylor and Danny Messer of the NYPD Crime Lab. They explained that they were there to inform Mrs. Jennifer Andreas, of her husband’s untimely demise. Both Taylor and Messer entered the hallway and were shown into the spacious white sitting room situated to the right of the house.

There perched elegantly on a cream sofa, was a beautiful young woman. Her long flowing wavy black hair cascaded like a waterfall down her gorgeous silk-like, shapely body. Her skin was like porcelain, her eyes bright blue. She was the most beautiful woman either man had ever clapped eyes on. They explained to her the reason for their presence and again Jennifer broke down, warm tears streaming down her pretty already tear-stained perfectly structured face.

Danny Messer and Mac Taylor sat alongside Mrs. Andreas and began explaining the tragic events, which had occurred that very evening which of course resulted in the premature death of her beloved husband, Tony.

Once again, Jennifer broke down, crying hysterically. Danny Messer gently slipped his strong muscular arm around her shoulder to comfort her but still, she continued to weep uncontrollably. Through streaming tears, Mrs. Andreas asked Mac if her husband’s body had been recovered and if so, where had they taken it as she was desperate to see him.

Mac explained that Mr. Andreas’s body had been taken to the city’s mortuary where an autopsy was to take place later that day.

Both Mac and Danny tried to dissuade Mrs. Andreas from seeing her late husband’s remains as his body was so badly disfigured by the impact of the crash that he was virtually unrecognisable.

Mrs. Andreas insisted she still wanted to see her husband one last time and begged Mac to take her.

Once Jennifer gained her composure both she, her sister Tanya, Mac and Danny got into the large black 4 x 4 and headed for the city’s mortuary.

During the journey Danny explained the procedures, which were to take place. First off all she was required to identify some possessions found at the scene of the accident, which may or may not have belonged to her husband. Once this was done and they were satisfied, then she would then be taken to a small room at the end of a corridor where her husband’s body would be displayed for identification purposes.

At the mortuary, Jennifer Andreas, accompanied by her sister Tanya, Mac and Danny were taken to a room by Sid Hammerback, the medical examiner, where they were shown two items both of which had been placed in small clear plastic wallets. Jennifer then identified a gold and diamond Gucci wristwatch which had an inscription on the reverse…’To my darling Tony, all my love, Jen x”, to the mortuary technician in the presence of Mac and Danny. Jennifer identified this item as being her anniversary gift to Tony. The second item, an 18 carat gold and diamond signet ring, she didn’t recognise, but unknown to her or Mac, Sid and Danny, this ring was in fact a gift to Tony from his lover, her sister, Tanya. When Tanya saw this, she became hysterical., crying uncontrollably for she now realised Tony was gone, gone forever.

Once the formal identification of possessions was complete, Mac and Sid escorted the grieving young widow to a room where she could then view her late husband’s body.

As they walked along the narrow corridor, Mac warned Mrs. Andreas that what she was about to see, would be extremely disturbing and not for the faint hearted, because her husband Tony Andreas would be almost unrecognisable as the person whom she knew and loved.

On arrival at the identification room, Mrs. Andreas was asked whether she was ready to see what lay behind the dark red crushed velvet curtain. If she was, then the curtain would be gently raised. She nervously nodded to Sid, who then pushed a small brass button situated on the wall to the right side of the viewing window. As the curtain slowly raised high enough for her to see, her grief completely overwhelmed her and she collapsed to the floor like a broken doll.

Mac immediately ran into the corridor and called out to Danny requesting his immediate assistance . Both Danny and Tanya who had been standing with him, ran towards Mac.

Mrs. Andreas was now sat on a chair and given a glass of water.

Minutes later, Sid came into view carrying a clear plastic wallet, which contained property belonging to the deceased, Tony Andreas. Danny who was to later hand it over to Andreas’s widow intercepted this wallet.

Tanya saw what had occurred and firmly grabbed hold of Danny’s arm and pulled him to one side. She pleaded with him to tell her if there was a gold and diamond signet ring amongst Tony’s possessions but before he had chance to indicate what the possessions were, Danny began asking Tanya personal questions, regarding her involvement/relationship with the deceased. Tanya broke down yelling hysterically confessing to Danny that she and Tony had indeed been lovers.

As Jennifer overheard her sister’s confession she ran wildly towards her, tears streaming down her pretty face. At last, she came face to face with Tanya, her dead husband’s lover - the lover of the husband whom she loved and worshipped. She lunged at Tanya, her eyes bulging with anger, veins protruding through her long swan-like slender neck. All she wanted now was to kill Tanya with her bare hands, the sister whom she loved, trusted and confided in. She wanted her dead - for both Tanya and Tony together, destroyed any happiness she had. Jennifer demanded to know how long she and Tony had been lovers and it was then that Tanya admitted they had been lovers for many years, long before and during her marriage to Tony and that she had miscarried their child, the child they had both yearned for.

With her head held high, Jennifer looked straight into Tanya’s eyes and said, “You and Tony are the epitome of evil. Not only have you lost your lover, but now you have also lost your sister. For as long as I live, I never want to see you again. Both you and Tony can now rot in hell! You deserve each other.”





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