131

At one PM the next day, I was at Tiffany's meeting Hilda Oppenhoffer. Hilda looked like a female Nazi SS Officer, so ramrod stiff, severe and buttoned down, she looked ready to pop. Exactly the kind of person I wanted handling my divorce. I wanted this to hurt someone. It seemed to me, the way to make rich people miserable was to make them poor, and I wanted to turn all the Mason's into paupers.

"Is this a matter of infidelity?" Hilda asked.

"Infidelity, incest and a whole lot more," I informed her.

"Tell me more," she said.

Without going into every grisly detail, we made Hilda aware of what had happened to me and who was responsible. I told her I wanted my husband and his entire family broke. I wanted them to have to empty their bank accounts, brokerage accounts, sell their house, give up their golf course and country club memberships and live on their social security benefits alone.

"I think I can make that happen given what you've told me, but I may need proof."

"We've got proof of everything we've claimed," Tiffany said, "though we'd like to keep from sharing Brooke's blackmail information with anyone who absolutely doesn't need to have it for this thing to happen."

"Of course. You can count on my discretion. What about your husband?" Hilda asked.

"He needs to give me the apartment, every cent in his bank accounts and everything else but his car and clothes," I said. "We have some other plans for him, but I think we'll be able to manage those things on our own."

"Very well," Hilda said. "I'll get right on this."

"We'd like it all to be ready by next Friday," I said. "Tanner is supposed to be 'returning' from Osaka next Friday, and I'd like to present him with the divorce papers then."

"Kind of a surprise Welcome Home gift," Hilda said.

"Something like that," I said.

"They'll be ready."

"I dearly love a competent woman," I said. "Thank you for your help."

"I'll call if I need any more information than what I have now."

"Someone will drop off video evidence of the incest at your office this week," Tiffany said.

"Thank you. I appreciate your business. This should be quite lucrative for both of us."

Tiffany let her out of her apartment.

"Now let me tell you about what I want to do to Tanner," I told her.

Tiffany listened to me outline my plan.

"That sounds pretty extreme to me," Tiffany said, after hearing of the plan. "Not so much what happens to Tanner. He deserves all you give him, but it sounds pretty rough on you. Are you sure you want to go to those extremes?"

"Hell, yes. Every bit of it."

"Who are you going to get to do it?"

"Jackson should know some guys who would be happy to do it. I'll talk to him later and see if he'll fix it up for me."

"Just don't bite off your own nose to spite your face, Brooke. Seriously. Don't do anything that will hurt you as much as it hurts Tanner."

"Don't worry, Tiffany. Don't you know I'm a whore now? You've seen all the evidence of it."

I called Jackson on Sunday and told him what I wanted to do.

"Why, Brooke?" Jackson asked.

"Because Tanner deserves it," I replied.

"Yeah, he does. Do you?"

"I don't want a lecture," I said. "Can you do it?"

"Yeah, I can do it. I don't think I should, but the problem won't be finding bodies. I'll probably have to beat them off with a stick."

"I want at least seven or eight and half or more Latino or African-American, Friday at my place. You can be one of them if you wish."

"I don't fuck around with married women."

"I won't be married much longer."

"You're still married now. There could be a reconciliation."

"The chances of reconciliation are none and zero. Why would I want to remain married to that cocksucker?"

"No reason. But there are no reasons for some things in life. Why do some people remain married to the people who beat them? Would you?"

"No. And what he did was even worse than beating me. I'd have preferred a beating to what happened to me. One anyway. If I wouldn't stay after a beating, then I wouldn't stay after this."

"I'll be there," Jackson said, "to make sure things don't get out of hand, and to hand Tanner his walking papers, but other than that; I won't participate."

"Well, thanks for arranging everything for me."

"I still think you're being foolish and reckless, but if it's what you want..."

"It's what I want. I'll give you the time when I know when it is."

"Do you think he'll give you a time for an actual flight arriving from Osaka, or will he even give a shit?"

"I don't know and I don't care."

"I'll see you Friday, if not before," Jackson said.

"Thanks again, Jackson, for all you've done for me."

"Someday, I'll want to collect a payment for my services."

"Whatever you want."

"I'll hold you to that, Mrs. Mason."

"Call me Ms. Grant. I'll be taking my maiden name back. I want nothing left to remind me of Tanner."