Judy Hoffs sat at her desk thinking about what Angela had told her.
"I wonder what possibly could've happened between them. It's not like Hanson to just up and leave." She thought.
In the time that Judy had known Tom she had discovered that he was a dedicated cop, and not one to take things lightly. She couldn't believe that Hanson would ever hurt someone he loved just weeks before his wedding. She decided that there had to be a better explanation to what went on. "Well, the best thing to do would be to confront Tom, I guess." She sighed to herself.
"Confront Tom about what?" Penhall asked in a mocking voice as he approached Judy from behind.
"God! Penhall, you scared me!"
"Are you going to confront him about his secret Lover, one Angela Kerin. Because, until a few days ago, I was unaware said lover even existed."
"Penhall, don't joke around, someone might hear you." Judy spat
"Relax Jude, Hanson is on a case and Angela hasn't been in since this morning."
Judy sighed and rested her head down on her desk. "I'm afraid I might have had something to do with that."
"You…Judith Hoffs were you a bad girl?" Penhall asked, still apparently amused at Judy's distress.
"No, listen, I asked Angela about her and Tom. She started to tell me but then she got to the part where they broke up and she just stormed off crying. She looked really hurt."
Penhall now moved toward Judy and began patting her back lovingly, "Listen Jude, it's not your fault, whatever happened between them needs to be dealt with. It would've happened sooner or later."
"Thanks Penhall, I don't know, maybe it was the look in her eyes or something, and I just felt so guilty for bringing it up." Judy sighed again and sat up.
Marybell High Gym
It was midnight, and Tom Hanson was walking silently toward the gym of Marybell high.
Tom was having a hard time focusing on his job after the afternoon's events.
As he neared the gym, Tom could see Kevin and the gaggle of boys he was always with standing near the double doors at the front of the gym. The new kid that he had seen earlier was nowhere in sight.
"Hey guys." Tom said cheerfully as he came closer to them.
"Hey, we didn't think you'd show." Kevin said impatiently.
"So, what am I doing here?" he asked.
"Come on, we'll show you." Kevin flashed Tom a sinister grin before turning and leading his gang toward the parking lot.
Tom eagerly followed the boys. They walked down to the student parking lot and headed toward a small red car.
As they neared the small red vehicle, Tom could see someone waiting by the door of the car. Tom couldn't quite make out who it was in the darkness, but he was sure it was the new boy from the afternoon.
"Hey Chris, you ready?" A short heavy-set jock asked shining a flashlight in his eyes.
Christopher winced at the light and nodded.
Tom studied Chris; he was tall and gangly. He had red hair and wore a denim jacket.
"Get in Wilcox." Kevin said flatly to Tom.
Tom obeyed and entered the small red car. Kevin, Christopher, and the three other jocks got in after him. Kevin slammed the car into gear and they were off.
They whizzed through the city, turning and wheeling about. Kevin had absolutely no cares in the world. He could have killed himself that night the way he was driving and he didn't bat an eyelash.
Tom observed this about Kevin and silently made some mental notes.
Suddenly Tom realized that he had absolutely no clue what he was doing in the madman's car.
"Hey, where are we going?" Tom Wilcox asked
"You'll see!" replied the short stocky jock.
The car passed countless restaurants and shops. It seemed as though they would never reach their destination. Every time Tom thought Kevin was slowing down, he just whipped around another corner and they were yet again jet setting off to their unknown destination.
The Plaza Hotel
It was unusual that a cop would be staying at an expensive hotel such as the Plaza. However, Angela was what some would call "old money". Her family was wealthy and she, being the only heir to the Kerin estate, had recently inherited the fortune.
She threw open the door to her huge expensive suite and stormed in. She was in a bad mood. Well, perhaps not a bad mood, but defiantly a pensive mood.
She slammed the door behind her and entered the rest of the room. It was a nice room, dripping in expensive things. The one thing Angela liked the most was the giant bed in the center of the room with the beautiful ocean blue comforter.
She walked over and plopped down on her wonderful bed and began to recall the day's events.
She had seen, for the first time in three years, Tom Hanson. The same Tom Hanson she had dated in High School. The same Tom Hanson she had fallen in love with, and yes, the same Tom Hanson who had walked out on her. Then, as if that wasn't enough, he brushed her off arrogantly in front of every member of the Jumpstreet Chapel!
"As if he has any right to be angry, he left me. If anyone should be angry in this situation, it should be me." Angela thought angrily.
The troubled woman sat and thought for a long while. A cool October night, three years ago suddenly entered her head.
Tom and Angie were out to dinner. It was just two weeks after their wedding. Tom had been acting strangely all night. He eying Angela skeptically, like he knew something she didn't. The were at a small French restaurant near Tom and Angie's apartment.
They were seated, and Tom seemed very nervous about something. "Angie he began…" but before he could finish his sentence, a gunshot fired, shattering the glass of the window. Tom dove to shield Angela form the bullets.
The police arrived a few minutes after the incident. The sniper was never caught. That had been the last time she had seen Tom Hanson.
Shortly, after the police left, Tom came up to her and said he was leaving, "Look there is too much between us, I just need some space, to think. It's for your own good. I'm sure your, 'friend' will help you through it." Tom had told her. The venom in his words had stung her. The 'friend' Tom had referred to was nothing, just a man who was after her money, but Tom had always been to stubborn to listen when she explained.
Then, She and Tom had gone back to the apartment and that was it, he just…left.
Angela had barely understood what Tom had done because she was in such a state of shock. His words didn't truly sink in until the next morning, when she woke to find the bed empty. She was alone.
"It's for your own good." Angela laughed as she thought of Tom's words. She sat on her bed thinking. A few tears rolled down her cheeks, but she wiped them away insistently. She had cried too much over Tom already, and Angela Kerin was not about to give Tom the satisfaction of knowing he had hurt her once again.
No, Angela was going to make his life a living hell!
Pleased with her new resolution, Angela lay down and allowed herself to drift off into a peaceful sleep.
