“Constable Perkins, I know you’ll do everything you can to keep me safe. With all due respect, you have no idea what my ex-husband is capable of.”

“Laurel, I and my staff had a two–hour meeting with the Prison Warden using an encrypted channel. Yes, we do know what Mr. Klein is capable of because we know his family,” Constable Perkins declared firmly.

“What do you mean his ‘family’? He’s an orphan. His business was all that mattered. He treated his employees like family.”

Constable Perkins kneeled down in front of her and made eye contact. “His business IS his family, Laurel. Do you remember people coming to see him at the house, or did he have a private entrance for ‘business associates’”?

Laurel’s nerves were now frayed beyond repair. “I…uh…yes, there were eight men who came and went from my husband’s office. There was something about them that made my skin crawl, so I made sure I wasn’t home if I knew someone was coming.”

“Your ex-husband lied to you, Laurel. Those men were his uncles, his brother, and his cousins. He’s the leader of the Carnelli Family. They’re an Italian Mafia family whose territory includes Toronto and most of New York State.”

It felt like all the oxygen in the room vanished. Laurel’s heart was racing, drowning out everyone else. She focused on slowing her breathing down for a few seconds until the initial shock eased a bit.

You’re telling me my ex-husband is part of the Italian Mafia, and that’s where his ‘unlimited resources’ come from?” She sputtered, struggling to take the information in.

“Yes, the Carnelli family has a very complex organized crime operation. The CIA and FBI have been working for a decade to gather enough evidence to press charges.” Constable Perkins explained.

“Why haven’t they?!” Laurel demanded. 

“It takes painstaking police work to gather airtight evidence against a mob family. Your ex-husband coordinated every aspect of the illegal activities his family carried out. Things like: money laundering, drug running, human trafficking, extortion, torture, and murder.”

A muffled cry was all that escaped as Laurel put her face in her hands.

“Laurel, you may be the key witness they need to press those charges. Carlos Carnelli used an alias, Karl Klein, to hide his connections.  His secrets had to stay hidden which compelled him to control you so completely in your marriage. For some reason, two years ago, he saw you as a threat and tried to kill you. He will try again.” Constable Perkins put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he got up and moved over to the bigger table. He began taping large pieces of paper to the walls. “This is the plan I’ve developed to combat his efforts.”

The next three hours passed by in a blur as Constable Perkins went over the plan in detail. After a brief discussion, the three agreed on some necessary adjustments. Every contingency they could think of was now factored in. 

After a quick break for food, they returned to the office. Constable Perkins waited until both women were comfortable. “Alright, let’s go over the details one more time, and then we’ll call it a day.” 

“Starting tomorrow, extra RCMP patrols will drive by Angela’s House every 20 minutes. They will be watching for anything or anyone that looks out of the ordinary. Constable Perkins, you will call my cell once every hour. If everything is okay, I’ll reply, ‘Yes, that’s correct.’ If something appears suspicious, my reply will be, ‘No, I’m afraid you have the wrong number.’ Finally, if we need immediate help, my response will be, ’I need 24 hours notice for an urgent placement here.’ Mrs. Hanley reached for a glass of water, took a sip, and looked up from her notepad. 

Constable Perkins nodded and carried on. “I have left a message with an old friend, Captain Tyler Jenkins, who serves as Head of Security at Frontier Hospital. He’ll be sworn to secrecy once he has all the information. He’ll arrange for security patrols to pass by your clinic every 20 minutes, Laurel. Then he’ll call your switchboard, every hour. Do you remember your code words?” 

“Yes. When Captain Jenkins calls, and everything is okay, I reply, ‘yes, your appointment’s confirmed.’ If something is suspicious, I respond with, ‘please call me back to reschedule your appointment.’ If HE is there or has contacted me in any way, I reply, ‘Sir, I need you to call, 9-1-1 now.’”

Constable Perkins gave her a thumbs–up sign. “Very good. Laurel, I want you to take the rest of this week off. I’ll call Captain Jenkins when I get back to the detachment office and arrange a meeting between the two of you. Mrs. Hanley, may they use your office?” 

“Of course, do I need to be present?” 

Constable Perkins brows knit together as he pondered the question. “No, let them go over the plan for the hospital. If there’s a need to draw you into a facet of it, then Captain Jenkins will ask you to join them. Does that make sense?” 

“Perfect sense, thank you.” 

Upstairs, Laurel sat on her bed and looked out her window at the kids playing on the front lawn. She picked up her cell phone and called Staffing. “Hi, it’s Laurel Anderson calling, I need to book the remaining three shifts this week off as vacation time. Yes, that’s correct, I will be returning to work at 7:00 a.m. on Monday. You’ll notify my boss? Yes, thank you very much.”

With that call made, Laurel went downstairs. The other women were on the front porch watching Carly, Sonja, Tessa, and Nicole play. They smiled as she joined them and resumed their conversation. Lauren was content to watch and listen as she willed her body to relax a little.

A few hours later, Laurel was on dish duty in the kitchen and had given Tammy the night off. As she dried the last dish and put it away, the door opened, and Mrs. Hanley joined her at the sink.

“Captain Jenkins will arrive here on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. to meet with you in my office. If anyone asks, tell them he’s a colleague from work checking up on you,” she whispered. 

“Okay, except your house rule is ‘no visitors under any circumstance’. Remember?”

Mrs. Hanley sighed. “Good point, I’m not sure how to explain his presence here, and I don’t want the other women frightened.” 

Laurel started wiping the countertops. “The Constable’s presence already has everyone on edge. They deserve an honest explanation for that and Mr. Jenkins’s visit on Thursday.”

Mrs. Hanley sighed, “You’re right. I will ask the women to gather around the dining room table in half an hour. The kids will be in bed and that will be the perfect time.” 

Maggie, Tammy, Sarah, and Mrs. Hanley were already at the table when she arrived. Maggie and Tammy were laughing at a private joke. Laurel smiled and that seemed to ease the tension in the room as she took her seat. 

“Thank you for coming on such short notice. I received a registered letter on Monday night. It was from the Prison Warden,” Laurel explained as she looked around the table. “My ex-husband is being released from prison tomorrow. He has served his sentence for ‘aggravated assault causing injury.’ It’s a mandatory release, even though he’s still deemed at ‘high risk to re-offend.’” 

Sarah gasped, turned sheet white, and began to shake. Mrs. Hanley put a reassuring hand on her arm. “I know this is a trigger for many of you and something that a few of you will have to face in the future. Let me reassure you I have been through this process many times over the years. Constable Perkins has assigned special patrols for us. They’ll be driving by the house every 20 minutes, beginning tomorrow morning. He will check in with me by phone as a precaution, once an hour. Laurel has a meeting on Thursday morning with Captain Jenkins, the head of security at the hospital she works at. They will work together to put similar security measures in place at the hospital. Any questions?” 

“Does her ex know Laurel’s here?” Tammy mumbled in a quiet voice. 

“No, he doesn’t.” 

“We’ve all seen the episodes on TV of abusers tracking down their ex-wives and killing them. If Laurel’s ex is at ‘such high risk to re-offend,‘ then that puts us all in danger, doesn’t it? Maggie asked with barely suppressed anger.

“In all the years I’ve run this house, no abuser has ever arrived here. Please, Ladies, let’s keep our imaginations in check. Yes, it does happen, but usually, the women do not have the supports that we now have in place for Laurel.” 

Mrs. Hanley got up and the meeting ended. Laurel didn’t linger, exhaustion settled into her bones, and she needed to sleep.