Will Pope had to do a double-take. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He blinked and looked at the computer screen again. But yeah, there it was: Fritz Howard, DUI. Will glanced at the Social Security number on the piece of paper Brenda had given him then back at the screen. It was the same.
Will couldn't contain the smirk that spread across his face. So, Fritz Howard, Special Agent of the FBI, soon to be ex-fiance of Brenda Leigh Johnson, has a drinking problem. Wasn't that interesting? Brenda would no longer be able to enjoy her glass of Merlot knowing her intended had to restrain himself from ripping it from her hand and chugging it down.
Will had always thought that Fritz seemed too perfect and so he could never understand what Brenda saw in him in the first place. So what if Fritz was young, virile and had a full head of hair? He still had an ex-wife. Hadn't Brenda continuously named Will's own wife, Estelle, as the reason she couldn't be with him? Unlike Fritz, at least he didn't have a drinking problem. Once Brenda found this out about Fritz, she would explode. Will wouldn't mind being a fly on the wall for that showdown.
Will had kicked himself all the way back to his office after he had offered to help Brenda get a lower insurance rate. Surely helping her do that would be helping Fritz and helping Fritz was not something he ever wanted to do. But the exasperated look on her face had tipped him over the edge. Their jobs were dangerous and therefore required their full attention. Will had wanted that at the forefront of her mind rather than on reaching domestic bliss with Agent Howard.
The reality that Fritz was sleeping with Brenda every night pissed Will off to no end. He knew first-hand how ferocious she was in bed and knowing that Fritz got to enjoy that every night while he went to bed alone stirred in Will a deep hatred for the man. Brenda was as passionate in her lovemaking as she was in solving her cases. Will could not and did not want to forget the way she purred and stretched herself before him in her best feline pose each time they had made love. That's why he had never been able to get enough of her. He had no doubt that he and Brenda would have resumed their relationship if Fritz had not come along. That's why he had allowed his marriage to dissolve. That's why he had lost the respect of his children, not to mention his colleagues.
Will knew he had every reason to hate Brenda but he didn't. He couldn't. He would always care about her. Deeply. Unfortunately.
Will looked at the screen again and hit the print button. He then exited out of the program, resisting the urge to dig a little deeper into Fritz' background. Fritz' FBI security clearance would flag all inquiries and no way did Will want to have to explain his snooping. But that was okay. Shit always rose to the top and usually one dirty little secret didn't reside alone. Surely Brenda knew that. She wouldn't be able to stay with Fritz because she couldn't trust him. She'd have to ask herself what else was he hiding. And Will was sure he was hiding something. Brenda was too smart not to know that it would only be a matter of time before the other skeletons tumbled out of the closet and embarrassed her. Where Brenda lacked in tact, she more than made up for in pride. Her job and reputation were very important to her. She would soon realize that Fritz was a career crusher.
Will chuckled as he stood up and straightened his tie. Brenda would come to understand what he had known all along: her future lay with him. No pun intended.