husband caught cheating wife and AP on a plane then handed a surprise envelope to the crew we need to talk it came out of the blue one Sunday evening as we were getting ready for bed I guess I shouldn't have been surprised Janette my wife of 4 years had been acting strangely all weekend I asked her a few times if she wasn't feeling well no I feel fine I just have a lot on my mind to be honest I did too the Great Recession had hit both of our careers hard and we went from having
enough money to fulfill our dreams to barely scraping by not that any of our colleagues were fairing any better however Janette was having a tough time accepting our financial setback she grew up without much and had grown accustomed to the luxuries we enjoyed like our annual vacation she never directly blamed me but I could sense it in the remark she made whenever we discussed our finances I hugged Janette tightly and expressed my love for her but she didn't respond in kind instead she did something unusual she poured herself a strong shot of scotch without offering
me any I instantly sensed that she had something important and troubling to tell me and she was gathering the courage to start the conversation after dinner we sat in front of the TV in silence for the rest of the evening I couldn't even remember what shows were on all I could think about was Janette when we went upstairs instead of our usual routine of watching the news before making love there was an unusual tension our bed life had suffered due to the economic downturn just like everything else as I finished brushing my teeth Janette entered
the bathroom and dropped a bombshell someone at work invited me on an all expenses paid ski trip to Colorado a colleague had to cancel and the tickets are non-refundable we're leaving Wednesday morning and returning Monday I rinsed my mouth and responded someone at work that's an interesting way to put it sounds like it was a man who asked you Janette looked incredibly guilty you've answered my question so who's the guy from work who invited you a married woman on vacation I tried to keep my composure you don't know him she replied but I thought I
knew everyone you worked with I countered I do but I don't exactly work with him she clarified now I'm confused you said someone from work I pointed out no I said someone at work she protested okay enough with the word games who's the guy who invited you he's a guy I met in the office cafeteria his office is on the fifth floor and we've had lunch together a few times I tried hard to keep my cool but my voice filled the room how long have you been seeing him Janette started crying between sobs she said
I would never cheat on you how can you say something so hurtful maybe because you forgot to mention that you've been having lunch with another man I replied and now he's invited you a married woman to go skiing in Colorado with him plus we haven't been intimate in almost a month I think that sums it up it's not like that she insisted HEK a nice guy but his girlfriend broke up with him and he doesn't want to waste the ticket everything's already paid for the hotel lift tickets it won't cost me anything isn't that convenient
I retorted Now What's his name John she said does JN have a last name I pressed Johnson or Jackson something like that you've got me so upset I can't think straight so you're willing to fly across the country with a man whose last name you don't even know I thundered you're either having an affair with him or you're incredibly naive the argument escalated and I demanded who are these friends sharing the cabin with you junk friends she replied there are two other couples two other couples so you're going as his date I accused no he
just doesn't want to waste the non-refundable ticket she explained why don't you trust me she countered would you trust me if I told you I met a woman in the cafeteria and she invited me on vacation bull crap I snapped back remember how jealous you got when I was talking to that woman at the Ballpark last summer that was different she protested you were ignoring me and you won't be ignoring me when you're in a cabin with Jon and four strangers I pointed out Janette screamed and stormed out of the room it was a long
sleepless night we both tossed and turned until about 2:00 in the morning when exhaustion finally overtook us I got up at 6:00 and brewed a pot of coffee Janette took one sip threw it in the sink and said I'm going to work I knew then that when my wife dug in her heels admitting she was wrong was out of the question she was the most stubborn person I'd ever encountered as I drove to work I brainstormed a plan to salvage my marriage I knew that relying on logic wouldn't cut it this situation required a more
forceful approach as my grandmother used to say about a year ago I took a risk by hiring a street smart young man who had served time in county jail for robbing a convenience store he often reminded me that he owed me big time for giving him a chance after his release you name it boss and I'll do it he would say so I decided to cash in on that favor Julio I need your help I told him just tell me what you need and I'll handle it Julio replied after explaining my situation to him I
handed him a photo of my wife and the address of her workplace she goes to lunch every day at noon in the bement cafeteria I need you to discreetly snap a photo of this guy John when he's there I instructed then follow him upstairs and find out where he works at the end of the day tail him and get his license plate number I added you got it boss and don't worry about my time card I'll take care of it Julio assured me as I waited anxiously I kept glancing at my watch convinced that Janette
was meeting her boyfriend to badmouth me despite being buried in work time seemed to crawl by on that typical Monday at 1: my phone rang boss it's me I got the photo Julio reported they were talking but I couldn't hear what they said afterward I followed him into the elevator he didn't even acknowledge me when he stepped out I pretended to look for a room number he went into Suite 510 a place called Anderson metery supplies LLC great job Julio but you're only halfway there I replied no worries boss I'll stick to him like glue
Julio said confidently after hanging up I pulled up Google on my computer I wasn't too hopeful but I started typing variations of John Jackson unfortunately I got plenty of name matches but none matched the photo I decided to check out Anderson Metallurgy supplies LLC and found out they were a big supplier of powdered Metals for the industry they didn't have any employee names or photos online so I called their number and asked for John Johnson sorry there's no one here by that name they said oops my mistake I meant John Jackson I quickly corrected myself
but they didn't have anyone by that name either are you sure you have the right company they asked my bad wrong number sorry to bother you I apologized and hung up I stared at my computer trying to figure out how to identify that guy when my phone rang again boss it's me Julio said after the call I slipped into the men's room for a smoke guess who walked in Johnson or Jackson except those aren't his real names Julio revealed did he see you I asked nope I was getting ready to light up when he walked
in I overheard someone call him Mr Jensen Julio explained turns out his name is Robert Jensen seems like a real jerk he added Julio then shared that Jensen took a cigarette from him and I praised him for his spy skills unfortunately I got stuck in a logistics meeting until quitting time so I couldn't do any more research Julio called as I was parking in the garage he said Jensen left the office around 3 and took the subway I followed him to his place near Logan Square a basement apartment at 2366 North Kimble Avenue it was
run down with burglar bars but no curtains I hung out nearby to see if he went anywhere else about 10 minutes later he brought out a stack of pizza boxes and tossed them into the garbage cart then he came out with two large garbage bags after he went back inside I grabbed both bags that's how my buddies steal identities people throw away too much valuable stuff boss I don't know who Johnson or Jackson is but I found a bunch of officiall look documents with the name Robert Jensen Julio reported great job Julio let's discuss this
more tomorrow I replied got it boss what I found gave me an idea I walked in and saw Janette eating a burger and fries at the kitchen table she hadn't gotten anything for me ignoring that I sat across from her and laid out my demands for a rational discussion Janette tried to interrupt but I told her to wait until I finish speaking I'm not clueless I remember how you phrased your vacation plans to make me think you were going with a coworker it's time for full disclosure I stated firmly I need John last name address
email cell number and workplace plus copies of the plane tickets and the mountain cabin rental address if something happened to you I wouldn't know where or with whom you went I explained don't be so dramatic she retorted let me finish I insisted I also need the names and numbers of the other couples now you may respond he didn't rent the cabin it belongs to his uncle and Jon doesn't have a cell phone she confessed what do you mean even 5-year-olds have cell phones nowadays I remarked well he does doesn't she replied defensively if I gather
all this information will you stop pressuring me and let me enjoy myself she brightened up flashing a smile you've got one day to get me everything why can't you admit you're jealous because I'm going to Colorado I slammed my fist on the table I'm not jealous I'm upset because in all the time we've been together you never mentioned skiing once now suddenly you want to go skiing in Colorado with some guy you met in the cafeteria and you wonder why I suspect Something Fishy I swear I'm not she protested Ed just get me the info
if it checks out we'll talk I was tempted to tell her that her boyfriend used a fake name but I wanted to see Jensen's reaction first we slept as far apart as the queen-sized mattress would allow surprisingly Janette was civil the next morning and we even had coffee together I arrived at the office early anxiously pacing until Julio showed up Janette was leaving soon and this was my last chance to salvage our marriage iulio brought a large cardboard box to work he had sifted through the bags separating the real garbage from the important stuff Financial
records bank statements and legal mail he tore open the envelopes as if that would deter identity theft I carefully taped back together any important documents and organized them the first item he handed me was a legal-sized envelope addressed to Robert Jensen that guy is getting dragged to court for skipping out on child support he's got two little kids and he hasn't paid a scent in over a year the next thing was a bench warrant for missing Court over not paying child support Julio explained cops are too busy to come to your house so they put
your name in the system if they catch you even for a small thing like a traffic ticket you're going to jail he chuckled at that good plan Boss Next there were a bunch of overdraft notices and bounced checks from a bank in San Francisco he got a bunch before they closed his account then came the best part a print out of the flight reservations strange thing boss his tickets round trip but your wife's is only one way that's not good with this info I can cancel their tickets I had another idea I'd split up the
love birds by moving Jensen to the back of the plane and grabbing his seat for myself after going over everything I searched the Chicago Tribune archives and found out why Jensen used a fake name he was a convicted offender originally from Chicago all three daily papers had printed his mug shot after he attacked someone in Denver they didn't share many details because of a plea deal but he ended up pleading guilty to a lesser charge and got two years behind bars his wife divorced him while he was locked up a check of the offender register
confirmed where he lived it also mentioned he got out early after just 14 months because of prison overcrowding his first move was to find his ex-wife and beat her so badly she was in the hospital for almost a month with two felony convictions my wife still thinks he's a nice guy I took an early lunch break and headed to the courthouse to get a copy of Jensen's divorce papers it cost 25 cents per page for photocopies the filing included a copy of his arrest warrant for woman offense he drugged a young woman while skiing and
offended her I also looked into DIY divorce filings at the law library finding a good template online and filling it out I cited adultery as the reason and attached timestamped photos of them chatting in the cafeteria for an hour like lovers my last stop was The Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court where I filed for divorce I got three copies stamped with the official seal and a case number I told my boss I needed a few personal days off and he didn't ask questions Janette was cooking dinner when I got home a real meal
not something from a box I guess she was trying to make me happy I hugged and kissed her she replied not as good as I hoped but better than nothing she pulled out a folded paper from her purse here I got you everything you asked for John Johnson doesn't have a phone but I found his email and he's on Facebook where does he work he got a promotion but hasn't got his new business cards yet when she said he couldn't even tell you where he works I looked at her like she was crazy I opened
my laptop and went straight to Google Maps entering the Chalet address strike one then I tried the official Denver zoning map strike two I tried every map program I could find but they all came up empty honey I called out there's a problem I checked the Chalet address on six different mapping programs and the assessor web page and none of them recognize it he must have messed up the address somehow she suggested what about the tickets he said we get those at the airport no you get the boarding pass at the airport you should know
that from our trip to Maui next I tried calling the phone numbers he gave for the other two couples but neither worked online searches in Facebook didn't yield any results either honey I hate to say it but none of the information Johnson if that's his real name gave you checks out there's no way I'm letting you go I thought she might admit something was off with Johnson but instead my dinner flew across the room and hit the wall you're not letting me she screamed who are you to control where I go I'm your husband why
are you being so stubborn I'm just worried about you going skiing with a guy who's lied about everything you don't even know where you're going or he didn't lie maybe he doesn't want you causing trouble is he afraid I'll show up and ruin his plans Janette lost her temper she was spitting out words as she spoke stop saying that we'll never be more than friends I'm going skiing and you can't stop me fine go skiing but how are you going to afford it we're broke remember I have those two jars full of silver coins I've
been saving since I was a teenager I was saving them for a getaway for our fifth anniversary I'll cash them in now and either we'll go on a vacation together or I'll use the money to hire a divorce attorney it's up to you stop threatening me I'm not threatening you I'm making a promise and you know I always keep my word I don't understand why you don't trust me Johnson hasn't exactly been a gentleman by not backing off when he found out I'm married I told you he's only taking me because the ticket is non-refundable
I'll reimburse him for the ticket and still have enough left for us to go skiing it's too late we're leaving tomorrow morning and I can't reach him Janette I'm not na naive I won't be fooled by you any man who would let his wife do what you want to do isn't a real man think about how you'll explain to your family and friends while we're getting divorced don't give me that I promised I'd come back relaxed and make it up to you please I'm begging you it's not too late to save our marriage I told
you I can't cancel I promised John I'd go and it's too late for him to find someone else so you'll keep your promise to him at the expense of the vows we made in front of God and our families I keep telling you nothing's going to happen it doesn't matter if nothing happens you made your choice you picked him over our marriage I spent the night on the couch I heard Janette crying in the bedroom my mind was torn between logic and emotion the rational side wanted to let her face the consequences and revel in
it later but my heart urged me to be the knight in shining armor and save our marriage I spent a sleepless night wrestling with my thoughts eventually I decided on a compromise I Woke Up Before Dawn but Janette ignored me she got angry when I took a picture of her with my phone why did you do that she demanded so the police have a recent photo in case they need to identify you I replied she responded with a string of curses as she packed her suitcase I entered the bedroom if you board that plane with
him don't expect me to be here when you return our marriage will be over I warned she shot me a dirty look and retorted I know you're not that foolish funny I thought the same about you I guess we were both wrong I replied before leaving without kissing her goodbye I parked my car down the block and watched her leave then I returned home shaved off my beard and mustache dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and tie I considered it my funeral attire symbolizing the death of our marriage I added sunglasses to
complete my disguise grabbed my briefcase and suitcase packed with clothes and headed out for one last attempt I was at the gate when Julio called at 8 he informed me of a big argument between Janette and Jensen outside his apartment despite her offer to pay for parking he insisted they take the subway claiming it was cheaper and they would need the money in Colorado while she was in the bathroom I checked her wallet she had less than 1,100 in her possession I hoped she wasn't planning to use our joint credit cards because I had already
canceled them after purchasing my ticket I wished I could read janette's thoughts as she lugged her bags down the stairs to the dimly lit Subway known as the dark underground Labyrinth by Chicagoans the Blue Line train would be crowded with commuters heading to work Julio thought it odd that a man flying to Denver for skiing in December didn't have a proper winter coat or even gloves as he observed them getting pushed around by the crowd janette's dream vacation was already in Jeopardy the journey lasted a little over half an hour Julio trailed them into the
terminal and watched Jensen print out their boarding passes luckily he didn't scrutinized them closely and hadn't noticed that I changed his seat assignment just before purchasing my ticket Julio called again to inform me they had reached the TSA checkpoint so he couldn't follow them any further thanks for everything you've been a huge help I expressed my gratit attitude the screener at the X-ray machine flagged janette's carry-on bag please step over here ma'am he instructed soon a TSA worker was rifling through her belongings until he found the cork screw hidden in the inside zipper pocket I
had planted it there while searching her bags earlier to see what she had packed to my relief there was nothing remotely suggestive the TSA agent admonished her and confiscated the cork screw the timing had to be perfect for my plan to succeed I had paid for early boarding and secured one of the first seats on the plane I took the center seat leaving the window seat for my wife I decided to offer her a second chance if she chose to sit next to me so I could present my evidence luck was in my favor as
the man with the aisle seat boarded a couple of minutes later he was a well-built young man likely a college athlete based on the buzz around him gradually the row ahead of us filled up as stragglers searched for space to Stow their carry-on bags in the overhead bins a few minutes later the drama unfolded hey a hole you're in my seat Jensen EXA claimed shoving his ticket in my seatmate face Janette busy with her suitcase turned to the commotion the guy in the aisle seat pointed out check the row number you're supposed to be further
back by the bathrooms Jensen launched into a tie raade cursing the airline's incompetence and demanding to sit next to his girlfriend Janette heard him refer to her but remained silent instead she suggested John since he doesn't want to move maybe you should ask the man in the middle to switch seats without my beard and mustache Janette didn't recognize me immediately aided by the sunglasses I wore meanwhile a flight attendant had made her way through the crowd emerging from the AF gy to address the disturbance she scowled at Jensen and ordered him to take his seat
so they could complete the boarding process this flight is fully booked please take your assigned seat and we'll see if any changes can be made after takeoff she insisted Jensen persisted waving his ticket Janette finally noticed me in the center seat what are you doing on my flight she exclaimed angrily you orchestrated this to embarrass me she accused I'm not the one humiliating you HEK the one calling you his girlfriend I retorted her voice dripped with Venom as she moved to the empty Row in front and continued berating me you jerk you've ruined my vacation
I hate you I hate being married to you she spat out I anticipated her anger but her words felt like a stab to my soul I was stunned feeling like I had lost her grabbing my brief case I was about to leave the plane when something unexpected happened Jensen aggressively waved his ticket in my face and on impulse I snatched it from him my voice trembling I demanded who name is on this ticket I showed it to Janette confused she replied John who is Robert Jensen Jensen snatched the ticket back and crumpled it claiming there
was no name on it the flight attendant intervened urging us to take our seats Jensen persisted insisting on his seat next to his girlfriend his disrespectful words about my wife brought me back to reality tears welled up as I looked at Janette and revealed Jensen's true identity I handed her a copy of the bench warrant explaining that Jensen her supposed boyfriend had an outstanding warrant for failing to pay child support he could afford a vacation because he neglected his own children opening my briefcase I passed her the document you should take a look at this
I said to Janette handing her the document her voice shook as she asked John what's happening is that true while you're at it ask your boyfriend why he didn't buy you a return ticket I added giving her their trip itineraries which showed her ticket was one way Janette grew concerned John why don't I have a return ticket ignoring her he continued arguing with the flight attendant did he forget to mention he spent 2 years in jail for beating his wife so badly she was hospitalized for almost a month I have pictures I told her handing
over a couple of photos showing the woman's injuries this nice guy did this to her Janette pleaded with John to confirm it was untrue but he remained silent focused on his argument with the flight attendant you need to make him move or else I insisted then continued you'd be amazed what you can find by Googling someone's real name here are newspaper stories to prove it I said passing her several articles with his mug shot does this sound familiar he convinced a naive young woman to go skiing in Colorado where he and his friends drugged and
offended her I exclaimed causing the plane to go quiet Janette broke into tears John please tell me this isn't true he was too occupied arguing with the flight attendant and didn't reply try Robert Robert Jensen that's his actual name I suggested Jensen might not have been the sharpest Predator but it seemed to finally register with him I'm going to kill you he yelled and lunged at me but his punch landed on the flight attendant face instead when I dodged chaos erupted in the narrow aisle my seatmate a starting defensive tackle at a big 10 college
swiftly restrained him until the police handcuffed him he was hailed as a hero and the airline upgraded him to first class as a reward Jensen learned offending a flight crew member is a felony despite his excuse that he intended to hit me not the flight attendant the police weren't sympathetic I handed Janette all the evidence I had gathered I swear every word is true I assured her Janette stared at the documents without a word it's over letun go home I said hoping for an Embrace but she remained silent staring at the floor then it worsened
as the police escorted Jensen off the plane he kept shouting I had your wife my eyes begged Janette to deny it but she turned away silently an airline security guard informed us that we were being handed over to the Chicago Police Department for our involvement in the incident before we boarded I overheard a flight attendant announcing let the gate agent know three seats just became available I silently thanked the heavens as we walked through the cabin I felt the stairs of the other passengers their cell phones snapping pictures like crazy now Janette got a taste
of real humiliation not a word escaped her lips during that walk it seemed like she was caught off guard I too was in a days my knees felt weak but I forced myself to keep moving holding my head high I wanted everyone to know I did everything I could the plan worked almost perfectly except I saved Janette but lost my wife the police separated us for questioning even Homeland Security was involved I spent an hour recounting everything about Jensen then they left me alone with a cup of stale coffee for 2 hours while they contacted
their colleagues in Denver I paced like a caged animal debating the fate of my marriage did my wife betray me with Jensen or was he lying to tear us apart and if she didn't do it why didn't she defend herself the question spun in my head endlessly when the detective returned he revealed they found evidence in Colorado my wife was sickened when she saw the pictures of the rundown Shack where Jensen planned to take her with his four friends awaiting their arrival they had set up the shack with restraints and chains so no one could
Escape we found enough sedatives hidden in his bag to knock out an elephant for a week it didn't take much convincing to get them to spill their plan for their next victim my wife wouldn't have stood a chance they planned to finish her off when they were done with her the detective said my wife went pale as they confessed their intentions then she passed out cold when he finished the detective suggested I talk to my wife alone it wasn't really a suggestion it was more like an order yes sir I replied I unlocked my briefcase
and pulled out the divorce papers what's that the detective asked I explained that I told Janette I'd divorce her she got on the plane with Jensen have you no compassion he asked she's broken you're being Reckless she's in shock from realizing how close she came to being killed he continued you said you did all of this to save your marriage hand her that and you'll destroy her I remained unmoved the part of me that loved her had disappeared she knows she messed up big time right now you're the good guy you pulled off an incredible
plan to rescue your wife you're like a hero you can't abandon her I plan to give these to her at their love nest I admitted but considering the circumstances even after all she's done if Janette apologizes I'll tear these up today but I still intend to divorce her I give you my word but you can't let her know you have my promise the detective said a minute later he brought my wife into the room I caught a quick glimpse of her before she covered her face with her hands she looked terrible and smelled a vomit
she sank into the chair and started crying the detective stood over her and said Mrs manell I've been a cop for over 29 years and what you did was the dumbest thing I've ever heard of if anyone ever deserved to be killed it's you you should thank God every second for your husband and every heartbeat he gave you you owe him for the rest of your life he shut the door behind him as he left the room fell silent except for my wife's sobs not a single word no thanks no apology nothing after about 5
minutes I grew tired of waiting for her to speak you sacrificed our marriage for a ski trip that cost less than $1,000 ,500 $1,500 that's all our hopes were worth how can I ever trust you not to leave me for the next shiny thing after this inside I begged her to say something but she remained silent tears streamed down my face as I waited for her to respond when I couldn't bear it any longer I said if you had said sorry at any point I would have torn up this paper I can't wait any longer
I gave her a copy of the divorce papers Janette screamed so loudly that the detective rushed back in to check on her I've already packed my stuff whatever I left behind you can donate or toss I told her handing over the keys to our well her apartment and walked away without looking back the next time I saw her was in court the judge ordered us to undergo counseling I reluctantly went along with it but I never planned on reconciling with her during the sessions the counselor saw how full of regret my ex-wife was as I
expected the counseling didn't work out and after 7 months I was officially divorced I never heard from Janette again not that I wanted to Jensen was charged with conspiracy to harm someone and is still serving his sentence I hope they keep him locked up forever