Consequences
Page 56

“I understand.”
“I doubt you do. No matter what, find out who did this, and I want that person to pay. There has to be consequences for this. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir, that I can assure you, I understand.”
Once Agent Hart was gone and Eric was back, Tony began making calls. His first was to Tom. Tom and Brent headed up Tony’s and Rawlings Corporation’s legal team. Tony told Tom that under no circumstance would any of his legal team be used to defend Mrs. Rawlings.
Tony said, “If she did this to me, I don’t intend to throw her a lifeline—she sure as hell didn’t throw one to me!”
When a good man is hurt, all who would be called good must suffer with him.
—Euripides
With each day that passed and Tony wasted in the hospital, his disappointment grew and festered. Every hour of work lost, every time someone entered his private room and performed some duty that was not to his liking, every time his personal space was invaded or the police came with more questions—every minute of each day was a reminder of how Claire had failed. Her failure didn’t only affect her—no, Tony suffered as well.
He suffered physical pain as the toxins exited his body. Every time Tony took a deep breath or moved, he suffered piercing pain from the repercussions of the CPR. Two of his ribs were broken along with excessive damage to the cartilage in his chest. Then, there was the psychological suffering as he endured the humiliation of test after examination after test. Never had he been so exposed to so many people. Even his money couldn’t save him from the prying eyes and hands of doctor after doctor.
After he regained his strength, Tony convinced the Iowa City Police Department and the FBI that he was safe with the help of his own security team. He explained that it was senseless for the people of Iowa to be burdened with the financial responsibility of his protection. The powers that be agreed, and Tony was at least free of the twenty-four-seven prying eyes of law enforcement.
The Simmonses cut their vacation short and hurried to Tony’s bedside. Although he was happy to see them, they entered his hospital room right after Tony had finished another round of examinations and blood draws. His demeanor was not pleasant.
Their expressions were a mix of sadness and exhaustion. The trip from Fiji to Iowa had been long. Courtney was the first to speak as she rushed to Tony and swallowed him in a hug. He flinched at the discomfort. With tears in her eyes she said, “Oh, Tony, thank God! We’ve been so worried about you.”
Brent gently slapped Tony’s shoulder. “Hey, we rushed home because you’re supposed to be at death’s door. You look good to me.”
“You missed the good part,” Tony replied. “Apparently, I was more than at death’s door—I passed the threshold. The doctors said they had to restart my heart.”
Tears flowed from Courtney’s eyes as she hugged him again. “Oh! I can’t believe this. What happened? With all the traveling, we’ve only heard small snippets.”
Brent cleared his throat. “We heard that Claire’s been arrested. Man, tell us that isn’t true.”
Tony sat straighter and watched his best friends. “It is.”
“No!” Courtney stood. “Claire wouldn’t do this! There has to be some mistake.”
“Do I look like there’s a mistake?”
Using the voice Tony had heard in courtrooms and conference negotiations, Brent said, “Courtney, let’s hear what happened before jumping to any conclusions.”
“She poisoned me!” Tony lowered his volume. “In front of a live web conference, I took a drink of coffee that Claire brought to me and I died! My damn heart stopped. Last I heard that’s the definition of death. The police have reviewed all of my in-house surveillance and everything points to her. Marcus Evergreen has been here a couple of times. They have Claire locked up.” When neither of his friends commented, Tony added, “She’s being held on charges of attempted murder. Apparently, even though my heart stopped, the fact it restarted gets her out of a murder rap.”
Brent wrapped Courtney in his arms as she hugged her midsection and her shoulders shuddered. Finally, she broke free and asked, “Why? Why would she do this? What happened? What did you do?”
Tony stared as red seeped into his peripheral vision. First, there were the damn doctors who poked and prodded, and now Courtney had the audacity to accuse him! It was all he could do to keep his lips pressed together in a tight line. When he looked away from Courtney, his eyes met Brent’s. By his friend’s expression, Tony believed that Brent knew what he was thinking. Tony didn’t intend to say too much in front of Courtney, but he sure as hell would tell Brent.
Taking a deep breath, Tony winced and said, “I’ve spoken with Tom. No Rawlings money will be used for her defense. That means personal or corporate. No members of the Rawlings legal team will assist her, and that includes you,” he looked to Brent, “and your wife.”
Courtney shook her head and turned away.
Tony went on. “I personally hope that a trial can be avoided. I hardly want the world to know that I married a psycho who wanted me dead … nevertheless, the evidence is straightforward. I believe we should start thinking about a divorce.”
“Tony, please,” Courtney pleaded. “Please think about this. Please don’t make decisions that you’ll regret.”
“Brent, I’d like to speak with you privately.” Tony had never treated Courtney with anything other than respect. He didn’t want to start now. To facilitate that—to avoid a possible confrontation, Tony needed her to leave. “Courtney, I’ve had nothing to do for the last few days but lie in this bed and think. I’ve thought this out multiple different ways. You two have been traveling and are obviously exhausted. I promise this was not a rushed decision. Now, I’d like to speak to Brent for a moment.”