Chapter 18: The Quarry Takes The Bait.

The next morning, Agent Foster rushed into my office, closing the door behind him.

“You have to go to Chicago tomorrow!” he said out of breath. Foster had rushed from the guest parking lot to my office. A distance of at least two blocks. It was an impressive feat, especially given that he was wearing wingtip oxfords.

“Why?” I asked, expressing my annoyance. Sadie planned to arrive the next afternoon. And I was eager to spend some quality time with her for a few days.

“After your call last night, Ginny contacted Jeff Valentine and they spoke for more than an hour. She basically dragged him over the coals for informing you about their hookup. She spent the rest of the time enticing him into aiding her in your doom,” he added. “Hell, after what she promised him, I would shoot you myself.”

“Gee, thanks, ole buddy; I knew I could count on you to be in my corner.”

“I have class in 10 minutes, so I have to leave. Go find Professor Emeritus Gibbons and have coffee with her. She inquired about you the last time you visited. I’m sure you two would have a lot in common to talk about. “She has to be in her eighties.” I laughed.

As I walked out my office door, Agent Foster gave me the finger.

Friday morning came early, and I had barely finished off breakfast when I heard a knock at the door. Mrs. Jorgenson went to answer the door as I was finishing my coffee. She returned to the kitchen with Agent Foster in tow.

“We ready?” he inquired. “We have to be ready to roll in 40 minutes to make Chicago on time.”

“Give me a moment; I need to retrieve my messenger bag. I said, “We have a thermos of freshly made coffee and some of her baked goods to munch on during the flight.” I was looking forward to the freshly baked cinnamon rolls and coffee cake from last night.

Exactly forty minutes later, we were on our way to Chicago. Four hours after takeoff, we landed at Midway International. Business class aircraft are the only way to travel. The same vehicle and crew of agents from before greeted us. We were all gathered around a table around lunchtime, waiting for our guest of honor to arrive.

Jeff Valentine entered the tavern around 12:15 PM, pushing his hand truck with a beer barrel on it. As he maneuvered the turn around the bar, I shouted over to him. “Hi, Jeff. Come on over. I have some guys I’d want you to meet.”

Jeff turned white and kept looking around for an exit he could use to escape.

“Jeff, take a seat.” “I have some people here I would like to introduce you to,” I added, smiling. “This is my good friend Special Agent Foster from the Chicago FBI field office. The others are his coworkers. “They would like to speak with you.”

“Are you OK? You look like you are about to be sick. Anything you would like for us to get you?” asked Agent Foster.

“I didn’t want any part of it. Jeff murmured, almost whispering, “She’s making me.” “It’s all her idea. Honest.” Jeff was sweating and his voice sounded shaky. The man was practically in shock.

“What are you talking about, Jeff?” I asked. “Who is she, and what does she want you to do?”

“Ginny intends to murder you. Something about how you treated her disrespectfully and humiliated her. She wants to take you out, come hell or high water,” he explained. “She called me last night, all worked up. She’s crazy, you know. She kept talking about how you belong to her and you refuse to admit it.”

“She is nuts, you know,” he explained. “Like the last time.”

“What last time, Jeff are you talking about?” Agent Foster demanded.

Realizing he had let the cat out of the bag, Jeff looked around, acting as if he was going to make a run for it.

Agent Foster warned, “Don’t try it; you won’t even make it to the door.”

Jeff Valentine hung his head defeated.

“So what were you talking about? You know you feel better after you tell us.”

“Her parents,” Jeff volunteered. “She...”

“She, what, Jeff? Come on, man, what you say now could mean the difference between life and the needle. It is your choice. You want to tell us what?”

I don’t think I have ever seen anyone look sicker than Jeff did at that moment. One of the FBI agents got him a soft drink.

After taking a few sips, he started out with, “Well, she, that is Ginny.”

“Wait, Jeff. We want this to be completely legal. Let me tell you your rights; after you accept, you may begin your narrative.” Agent Foster explained. “You agree to that and give your statement to us free of threats or promises of deals?”

Agent Foster then Mirandized Jeff.

Jeff nodded his head yes.

“Jeff, you need to say yes because this is being recorded,” said Agent Foster.

Jeff then muttered a weak “Yes”.

“It was entirely her idea; she was the one who killed them. All I did was instruct her how to unhook the gas tank. “She did the rest.” Jeff muttered this while hanging his head.

“Are you sure, Jeff?” Loosening those LP gas lines would need far more muscle than a lady her stature would have.”

“You do not know her. When she becomes furious, agitated, or excited, her body goes nuts like the rest of her. “Ask him,” he continued, pointing to me. “He has the marks of one of her angry outbursts. She is capable of superhuman strength feats. “I kid you not.”

Jeff went on to say, “I suppose she killed her parents because they stopped supporting her. They chose instead to utilize their retirement to travel and enjoy life. They couldn’t do both and help her. I think she became upset and wanted to take their lives.”

“Man, that’s cold,” one of the other FBI agents remarked.

“They aren’t the only ones she has killed. She also killed that RA on campus, a frat brother of his, and one of his later girl friends. She also killed some poor teens that angered her at the mall.”

“She has it bad for you, you know,” Jeff replied, glancing at me. “She killed the RA because you were friends. She killed your fraternity brother since you weren’t on campus and she had no idea where you lived. She murdered the other girl with whom you attended graduate school because she was envious. If she couldn’t have you, no one else would either. She’s a twisted, horrific monster.”

I could not have agreed more.

“Jeff, you’re going to phone your supervisor and say you won’t be able to finish your route today. And he needs to arrange for a substitute driver here to finish your route,” Agent Foster explained.

“And then you’ll be heading home with these two agents who have agreed to watch you. Don’t cause them any problems, and you might be able to see the sun again someday.

Jeff departed with two FBI agents. He fled, blubbering like a small child. I had the impression he was in for more disappointment.

Agent Foster remarked, “While we’re here, enjoy a burger and some fries. They serve the best fries. We’ve got to get you back to Minot to see your girlfriend. We don’t want to keep you two apart.

We were on our way back to Minot after a brief drive before rush hour. By my estimates, we’d be back in town before Sadie pulled into her grandmother’s driveway.

We timed it just right. I returned to my apartment 15 minutes after Agent Foster had left, Sadie pulled in. She was cheerful and pleased to see her grandmother and myself. I intended to take them both to the restaurant that Mrs. Jorgenson constantly grumbled about. Her telling us that her cuisine was better since she didn’t open a can was amusing.

While we ate, I told them about the last several weeks. I informed them about the phone calls I made to Ginny with the “little black box,” as well as my two business jet travels to Chicago to visit Jeff Valentine and his incarceration.

Sadie was furious that I had called an old girlfriend, even if it was to assist the FBI.

“You shouldn’t be calling old girl friends if you are going to be in a relationship,” Sadie informed me. “I absolutely dislike this. You are mine, and no one else has claims on you. If you can’t follow that, there’s no need for me to continue seeing you!”

“Whoa! “Who does that sound like?” I thought. It was déjà vu all over again. This was not the venue for this discussion, therefore I did not react. Looking across to her grandma, I saw that she shared my thoughts. Mrs. Jorgenson stared at me and shook her head.

Sadie stopped talking. I went over to pay the bill, and we left. The whole trip back to the homestead, not a word was spoken. The silence said it all. I went up to my apartment, and Sadie went into her grandmother’s house.

Sadie departed early Saturday morning to return to Oregon. She didn’t even knock on the door to say goodbye! I was disappointed that things ended this way, but I was not going to go through it again. Anyone could handle one jealous crazy girl friend, but two was too much for me.

At noon, I left the apartment and decided to run some errands. I was coming down the steps as Mrs. Jorgenson came out. I had hoped I would not have to face her.

“I am very sorry for what Sadie said to you last night,” Mrs. Jorgenson remarked. “We were up late last night arguing about what she said, and she wouldn’t back down. I don’t understand why she said what she said. But I know she’ll regret it.”

“It is best that it happened now instead of later if we had stayed together. This way, it will be easier for both of us to move on.”

“She is a very stupid girl to have ended her relationship with you. I was really looking forward to having you as my grandson-in-law,” she said. “Don’t worry, I will keep working on her to rethink her decision.”

“Please don’t bother,” I said. “She doesn’t think we have a future together. I can respect that. I may not like it, but it is what it is.”

What I was going to say was something I didn’t want to do, but thought was required. “I am sorry to inform you that I will be leaving at the conclusion of this school year. I’ll be moving out at the end of May. I’ve determined that attending a large research university with greater resources for my work will be ideal for my career.”

Hearing this, Mrs. Jorgenson teared up, turned, and walked back into her house. I felt like worm excrement; I hated breaking her heart. She wanted me to be part of her family, and to tell the truth, I secretly wanted it too.

The rest of the weekend, I kept to myself. I made my own supper for the first time in months. She did not knock on my door on Sunday morning to invite me to join her at church. Sunday midday, I ate at a fast food restaurant across town. I went to the university in the afternoon and spent the majority of it working on my research. To be honest, I did not accomplish anything. I didn’t feel like supper, so I drove to a nearby park. I attempted to watch a soccer game but had no interest. I did not return to the apartment until after dark.

Monday morning, I arrived in my office bright and early. I typed my letter of resignation to the college, stating that my effective date would be the last day of the semester. Despite the terrible winters, I was going to miss it here. There were some wonderful folks here, and I was going to miss having them around.