Sam fished out chunks of beef, chicken, and soft noodles for Alpha. She carried the plate over to the doorway and dropped to her knees. “We’ll be leaving here soon,” she whispered. She watched as the dog wolfed down his food. She followed up with a bowl of water. Alpha drank, whined, and Sam opened the door and walked him down the street to an empty lot. They were back inside the Red Dragon within ten minutes.

She’d been married to a United States senator. How mind-boggling was that?

Forty-five minutes later a knock sounded on the restaurant door. Joey excused himself and opened the door to admit the other Rainford “wives.”

Ten minutes of wild jabbering followed as introductions were made. Within minutes they were friends as only women can be when a crisis brings them together. As dessert was served, the newcomers made a toast, which brought forth gales of laughter. “We’ll strip the honeymoon junkie down to his boxers and walk away with his fortune,” was the resounding mantra of the women. The group upended the glasses of plum wine, then held them out for a refill. They made more toasts, each one more evil than the one before, which just went to prove the old ditty that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Hawkins made a mental note never to get on the bad side of these women.

Toward the end of the evening, close to the witching hour, Joey clinked his glass with his spoon for everyone’s attention. When he had it, he said, “An associate of mine, a fellow police officer who I met years ago at a gun show, is helping us with this situation.” At the look of alarm on the women’s faces, he quickly reassured them. “I have a job. Mike is retired now and works part-time as a security guard. He’s got lots of free time on his hands, and he lives here in the District. He also has some excellent contacts inside the Belt-way. Retired law enforcement officers tend to belong to the same clubs and organizations. He has friends in the Secret Service, the FBI, and the CIA, so I felt confident recruiting him. With me so far away, it was the only way to go. Plus, we’re just a phone call or a fax away. He doesn’t do anything until he clears it with me, so rest easy.