it was the middle of the week and the house was empty again my wife Darcy and my twin daughters were not home as usual I don't think it is unreasonable for a man to expect his family to be home when he arrives it wasn't always this way until 6 months ago I could count on a warm welcome and a nice supper not anymore something changed and I am not sure it is for the better Darcy and I had been married for years we met in high school and had the wedding right after I finished College
I had never been with another girl Darcy was normal in every way and I felt comfortable being married to her she had brown hair brown eyes a nice figure and normal breasts she didn't stand out just Blended in because of this I never had any reason to doubt her Fidelity maybe that is the reason I should have we had two beautiful four-year-old twin daughters Janet and Janice I loved them dearly but Darcy didn't seem to feel the same way she didn't enjoy the child birth and insisted that I get fixed immediately afterward for the first
few years she would look forward to my getting home so that I could look after the Twins then we met Bill and Emily Emily Mercer could not have children of her own and would volunteer to babysit every chance she got Darcy was elated she could get out of the house and go shopping or take care of other person personal things anytime she wanted I swear that within 3 months the Twins were spending more time with Auntie M than they were with their own mother quite often the four of them would go out together but usually
Emily would watch the girls while Darcy was running around lately I started to wonder exactly what the running around was that Darcy was doing it didn't seem to be necessary to be gone that often to support a normal household overall I was happy with my life I had a comfortable job a nice home a late model car and a picture perfect family Darcy and I would go out occasionally while Bill and Emily babysat the twins on weekends the four of us would get together to play cards or have a barbecue I liked Bill and enjoyed
his company I wasn't sure of Emily but Darcy seemed to love her my concern about how my wife spent her free time was not deep enough to cause me to look into things I just sort of made a mental note of it and moved on it was a Tuesday morning when things got interesting I parked my BMW in my reserved spot at work I was high enough on the food chain to get a parking spot but not a good one it was at the end of the lot and on a slant but better than no
slot at all a level parking lot in our town was rare why the founding fathers chose a place as hilly as this to build a city on always baffled me I was only at work for about an hour when I had to go out on a call I think think the crappy parking spot saved my life it hadn't rained in several days but there was a wet spot on the ground by my front wheel normally I wouldn't have had a second thought about it but not today it was running across the asphalt in small shiny
rivulets there was a metallic shine to the liquid and I felt forced to touch it with my finger it was not water the BMW was less than a year old and I could not imagine that anything had broken I definitely did not want to drive it 20 minutes later a mechanic was on his back looking under my car I am sorry Mr Evans but I am going to have to report this to the police a broken brake line has to be reported to the police sorry but that doesn't make sense I am not an expert
at this stuff but that line didn't break or come loose it was tampered with you mean it was cut I asked no it wasn't cut it looks like it was filed or sanded down with some something things like that don't happen by accident to metal Flex lines this was done on purpose don't touch anything and let the cops handle it how far could I have gone I asked two blocks at the most and the whole system would have been emptied with the hills in this town you would have had a hell of a ride and
a nasty stop let's leave this and go to the shop I can give you a loner until the police are done with it by the time I left work the BMW was not there I finished the day using the free rental car and got home at my normal time Darcy was home and seemed surprised to see me hi honey did you have a good day where is your car why are you driving a Ford something seemed suspicious why did she choose today to stay at home was she waiting for a phone call I noticed that
she didn't have supper ready I got the feeling that she wasn't expecting me to come home at all even the Twins were there to greet me the Beamer was due for a 30,000 Mi checkup they won't be able to get to it until tomorrow what is for supper I don't smell anything I saw no reason to tell her about the brake line Darcy was stammering around a little I thought we could order in tonight and wanted to wait to see what you were hungry for pizza is fine I am going up to take a shower
before I got under the water I could hear Darcy talking to someone on the phone things were getting interesting I had an early visitor the next day at work Robert Evans I am Lieutenant Daniel Green do you have a minute of course is this about the car Daniel Green was a large man but not fat he had close cropped hair and wire framed glasses except for the Rosy Glow to his skin he seemed to wkak of efficiency we are done with the car Mr Evans and you can pick it up up at the shop anytime
your mechanic was putting a new brake line on as we were leaving we have a few questions if you don't mind am I suspected of something I asked no of course not but we do suspect Something Fishy is going on have you had any arguments or disagreements with anyone lately is anyone mad at you or holding a grudge not that I know of was that mechanic right is someone setting me up could I have been killed well Mr Evans someone was definitely hoping to cause you bodily harm and maybe death it was strictly an amateur
job however I don't think you would have been killed although it is possible whoever did it didn't bother to turn off your airbags that car has front and side bags unless you were going at a high rate of speed I don't think you would have been killed however that's not the point just because they didn't know what they were doing doesn't mean they were not trying to kill you damn that is reassuring I guess if someone is trying to kill you it is best if they are incompetent instead of dying I could just be maimed
for Life what do we do now take my card if anything comes to mind give me a call in the meantime be careful I'd bet my next paycheck that they are going to try again that's encouraging as hell I'll definitely think about it as he walked out the door lieutenant green stopped and turned by the way how is your married life I didn't answer and I don't think he was expecting me to I left work shortly thereafter and went home the house was empty we had a small room that was used as an office of
sorts it had our home computer a desk and a small filing cabinet I sat at the desk for several minutes with a cold Fosters trying to figure out what to do it is disturbing to say the least to know that someone wants you dead I am a good guy I never screwed over anyone why would anyone wish for my demise I thought my marriage was good Darcy never really complained about anything I gave her a nice house a good car a batch of credit cards and two beautiful children what else could she want Darcy took
care of all the household bills she took care of the checkbook she paid the utilities car payments mortgages credit cards and insurance policies insurance insurance just on a whim I pulled the insurance folder like most young couples we were terribly underinsured when you are young you don't think about the possibility of death I had a small insurance policy through work for $50,000 other than that the only coverage I had was the home mortgage insurance that Darcy insisted on if I died the house would be hers free and clear it was cheap because I was still
young so I had it added to the mortgage payment I never went into the file cabinet or the checkbook Darcy knew that and it turned out to be her mistake she was meticulous her bank account always was right to the penny she always knew where every file and receipt was the mortgage payment included the cost for the homeowner's insurance so there was never a receipt for that my insurance from work was a payroll deduction why were there two receipts for $150 each in the same month made out to Republic National Insurance I never dealt with
that company and I had no knowledge of any insurance policies with them I put the receipts in my pocket and kept looking nothing else unusual came up Darcy kept papers on everything it was a compulsive thing with her I felt that this was something that I was not supposed to know about but she was not able to help herself she had to keep the proof of the payment to satisfy her compulsion I called the Mercer House Emily had the kids and said Darcy was shopping she was friendly but evasive I called Darcy's cell phone but
it was turned off interesting I decided to go for lunch and then do some investigating Robert Evans fancy seeing you here what can I do for you the lady behind the customer service desk at Republican National Insurance was Debbie Martin or at least that was her name when we went to high school together she had her own private office and the desk name plate said D Reynolds I remembered her because she was the only girl who ever asked me out although everyone knew that Darcy and I were a couple she asked anyway just in case
of course I turned her down her hair was cropped very close with an Auburn tint she had a good tan and her makeup was perfect well how are you Debbie haven't seen you since high school and we live in the same town well and kicking it's good to see you again sorry to hear about your marriage now she really got my attention what was she sorry to hear about I had a strong feeling that something was going on and this random comment by a woman I had not seen in several years just intensified it I
could not and did not reply to what Debbie had just said she picked up on this immediately oh I'm sorry as hell forget I said anything Bob I was way out of line sometimes my mouth gets away from me Debbie was tripping all over herself trying to undo what could not be undone she said it and I remembered it I finally broke the awkward Point by asking the question I came to find the answer for can you tell me what these receipts are for she took them from my hand and seemed relieved that I had
chosen not to pursue the previous discussion after a few clicks on the keyboard she sighed and gave me a pathetic look Bob I hate to say this but it seems as if this reunion is going downhill at a rapid rate I didn't reply she clicked a few more keys and then leaned back in her chair do you know a man named Philip Chase no can't say that I do is there some reason I should know him Debbie reached around and rummaged through some magazines on the credenza on the side of her desk she made her
selection and opened it that's Philip Chase have you ever seen him before yes as a matter of fact I have he was at a barbecue that my neighbors gave about 6 months ago I remember him quite well because I felt he was paying too much attention to my wife I even remember commenting about it to Darcy at the time what does he have to do with this Debbie got up and closed her office door after returning to her desk she leaned forward and looked straight into my eyes her friendly demeanor had turned serious it was
obvious that she didn't want to say what had to be said Darcy has been having lunch with Philip chase a couple times a week for the last three months sometimes they are long lunches Philip has dropped a few remarks to his co-workers that they are planning to be married in the near future nobody else in the company knows Darcy except me I knew she was married and I knew it was to you that's why I misspoke when I first saw you I assumed that this was something you knew about and that you were here to
settle some insurance questions related to a pending divorce I apologize for being insensitive do you know this guy I asked we work in the same building and for the same company I always thought he was an and never understood what Darcy saw in him especially since she had you I found the last part of that comment to be interesting what were the receipts for I asked technically you should know about a month ago you took out $24 million term life insurance policies this was the initial payment on those policies that is the maximum amount you
could get on those policies without a physical both policies are Double Indemnity in case of accidental death that's a cool million dollars from the look on your face I am guessing you knew nothing about this just curious who was the agent that wrote These policies for me Debbie glanced at the screen quickly surprise surprise it was your favorite insurance man Philip Chase I assume assom I had to sign something at some time I asked Debbie turned the screen so that we could both see it and then paged to both documents the signature looked like mine
and amazingly enough in both places were exactly the same as if it were a copy or some type of fa simile we both sat and looked at each other she was waiting for me to say something and I didn't know what to say finally I reached into my coat pocket and slid Daniel Green's card across to her can you call this guy and explain to him what is going on I am afraid if I do it some of the credibility will be lost Debbie looked at the card and back at me something else is going
on here isn't it Bob yeah I am afraid so as I got up to leave she asked one last question am I going to see you again I thought about the question a long time I guess it was only a fraction of a second in real time but it went deeper in my mind professionally or socially I asked either she replied I gestured to the name plate on her desk what about Mr Reynolds he is long gone she replied we were both smiling as I walked out the door it was still early in the afternoon
when I arrived at the empty house I plopped myself down in my comfy chair with a long neck and and thought about the situation and the afternoon it became clear that Darcy met Phillip at the party the Mercers gave where did they know Phillip from and why did they invite him how come I never saw him at any functions or parties after that how did Darcy and Philip become so close in such a short time how close were they it seemed like there were more questions than answers at this point I decided to switch to
coffee when the doorbell rang things would get a a little clearer now it was a messenger envelope addressed to Darcy and marked personal after a bit of squabbling the delivery guy let me sign for it it was one of those envelopes that could not be opened without totally destroying it I sat at the kitchen table with the envelope and a new cup of coffee a razor blade and a bottle of rubber cement was all I need to solve the envelope problem the contents of the envelope are what really bothered me and after a quick glance
at the legalized document I went into the den and fired up the computer and the scanner 5 minutes later detective green had a copy of the document on his email I am sure that information obtained this way does not conform to all the complex legal requirements nowadays but I just wanted him to have the information the document was full of complicated legal terms and came from a law firm about 50 m from home it was a legal agreement for William and Emily Mercer to adopt the twins Darcy relinquished all parental rights to the girls and
gave them to the Mercers Lock Stock and Barrel nowhere in the document was my name or any reference to me at all it was as if I didn't exist a lot of things became clearer now I was now sure that I had to be a little more careful about having accidents I left Darcy a note saying that I had to go out of town for a few days on business I was sure she would see it because it was on top of her specially delivered envelope I checked one last time to be certain that there
was no indication it had been opened I was looking forward to a few nights in a motel Daniel Green was waiting for me when I arrived at work the next day he was all smiles I like it when things come together I hope I was at least a little helpful it really helped when we were able to put a name to the fingerprints we found on your car Fender I just wanted to let you know that we are planning on bringing in all four people for questioning this morning we don't think Bill Mercer is involved
but have to question him to make sure you might want to arrange to have someone to sit with your daughters if it becomes necessary my officers hate to babysit I wasn't actually hurt what can you charge them with your wife and Mr Chase will be charged with conspiracy to commit murder Emily Mercer will probably be charged as an accessory to the same charge they won't do a lot of time but it might have saved your life that is important to me and worth the effort can your people bring my daughters here to the office I
don't see that to be a problem he replied about 30 minutes after detective green left Debbie Reynolds showed up at my office hi Bob I hope you don't mind an unannounced visit your police Lieutenant suggested that you might need a sitter for your girls I took the rest of the day off just in case I also wanted to let you know that you are now officially underinsured I voided out your two double indemnity policies you really should consider getting more life insurance I was glad to see Debbie and welcomed the frivolity she brought with her
I'm Glad You Came the girls probably won't be here for a while so you can tell me all about the Mysterious Mr Reynolds the twins didn't show up for another hour Debbie had plenty of time to tell me about her disastrous marriage she also told me about several attempts she made to split up Darcy and me while we were still in high school of course I was oblivious to it all but apparently Darcy was aware of her attempts Debbie got along with the girls even better than Emily did in a matter of minutes I was
totally out of the picture they were a handful at their age so I was relieved to have the help 2 hours later I got a call from Darcy Robert I am in trouble there has been a big mistake and I need you to come down to the police station and post my bail post bail post bail for what what were you arrested for It's Complicated Bob I'll explain it when you get here can you get here soon gee Darcy I am sort of stuck here at the office I'll call your parents I am sure they
will be able to help you out no Bob don't call my parents they won't understand you have to come down here please hurry I didn't respond Bob are you there Bob what is wrong are you coming down no Darcy I am not coming down I'll call your parents for you goodbye she was still pleading as I hung up the phone Darcy's parents insisted on knowing what she was in jail for and I repeatedly refused to answer them reluctantly they finally agreed to go get her I told them to take her to their house and I
would have her things sent over as soon as possible I got the feeling they understood that it was a domestic problem Debbie volunteered to take the girls to chuckecheese while I went home to pack up Darcy's things I packed fast and put the bags and boxes on the front porch as they were filled just as I was finishing up Darcy and her parents arrived Darcy was crying and stayed in the car with her mother as her father and I loaded her things in the the trunk it only took a few minutes Darcy's father shook my
hand and said he and his wife were sorry for the trouble Darcy had caused it was short but sincere I appreciated it Philip Chase skipped bail but wasn't gone too long Darcy was more than willing to exchange knowledge of his whereabouts for a reduced sentence Bill Mercer had no idea what Emily and Darcy were up to he never knew that Emily had fixed Darcy up with Chase bill was not charged with anything Emily got a 2-year sentence and will probably be out in one bill filed for divorce Darcy got 3 to 5 years for conspiracy
to commit murder she will probably be out in two apparently Philip and Darcy were going to go to Europe with the money from the insurance and sale of the house Philip ended up with 5 to 8 years my divorce will be final in two more months the twins will be starting school this year and I will have to hire a fulltime Nanny my relationship with Debbie is slowly getting stronger she has mentioned that she is willing to quit work and become a full-time mom and wife if I am willing I guess I should have gone
to the prom with her and so we've reached the end of today's story was it what you expected or did it take a Twist you didn't see coming I'm curious to hear your thoughts share them in the comments below and let's get a conversation going if this story kept you hooked make sure to hit that that like button and if you're new here or just haven't subscribed yet now's the perfect time to join our community I bring you fresh captivating stories every day so click that subscribe button and turn on notifications so you never miss
out thanks for watching and I'll see you in the next one
