(This is a sequel to A Light in the Darkness found in my portfolio). A stranger, (Monica) is about to invade the world of Rob and Sarah, newly weds who met on the job while working as detectives. They have moved to Big Sky Montana, where Rob has become the Sheriff and Sarah now owns a bake shop.
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Monica sat outside on her master suite balcony. A magnificent view of snow-capped mountains and green forest land was on display behind her, but she paid it no attention. She was not impressed by such things as scenery, so sat drinking her coffee and watching her domestic help make her bed. Her mind was on what items she needed to finish her decorating.

Monica's generous allowance from daddy, afforded her the means to hire domestic help. It took three tries but she finally came upon the treasure that was Anna Roberts, housekeeper and cook in one. Monica was willing to pay her generously to keep her, so could only afford her alone, but she was well worth the price.

"Anna, I'll be going into Bozeman, so I won't be having lunch or dinner at home. You can have the rest of the day off."

"Yes, miss. Thank you," Anna replied. She finished up in the bedroom, then went down to straighten up the kitchen before leaving.

Monica finished her makeup and brushed out her thick, dark-brown hair, that fell just below her shoulders. She wore it straight and parted in the middle. It often fell across her artificially tanned face, so she'd tuck it behind an ear.

She put on jeans and a pink silk blouse, pushed her feet into sandals with four-inch heels and grabbed her purse and car keys.

Monica drove the fifty-eight minutes to Bozeman, most of it well over the speed limit. She made it in forty-five. Parking downtown, she headed for her favorite cafe.

She chose a table outside in the sun. It was a chilly day. A shadow fell across her, and thinking it was the waiter she asked for wine.

"Hello, Monica."

She shaded her eyes and looked up to see a man standing across the table from her.

"Hello, William. What are you doing here?"

"I live here now. Remember when you destroyed my life? I had to leave town. I live in Bozeman now." William stared at her with hate-filled eyes.

"I didn't destroy your life, William." She dismissed him and went back to her menu.

"What do you call telling my wife I was cheating on her? You're a sick, twisted..."

"Listen, William, I think it best you leave now before I call that policeman sitting at the next table and tell him you're harassing me." The waiter had walked up by then, and with one last contemptuous look, William turned and walked away.

Monica smiled. Poor William. It must be hard to have to support himself without daddy's help. She didn't feel a bit sorry for him. He deserved all he got and worse.

William ran to his car. There was a parking place a few down from where Monica had parked and he wanted to grab it so he could follow her. She was a sick and dangerous woman and he wanted to find out where she was living now.

He pulled his car into a place three cars down from Monica's silver 2020 Jaguar F-Type coupe. It was a sixty-one thousand dollar car. He couldn't believe all the goodies her daddy bought her. He didn't seem to care how destructive his daughter was. Didn't he know she had serious mental health issues? How could he not?

As William waited he thought back over the past six months to the day his world fell apart. He cursed the day Monica Landers ever walked into his firm.

She said she needed a lawyer, not for anything specific, just to have on retainer in case there was a need. She wanted a lawyer independent of her father's. But of course, it was daddy's money that paid all the fees. He realized in a short time that she wanted her own lawyer so daddy wouldn't know how often he was needed. It seemed every few months someone was threatening to sue the psychopath.

She began making monthly visits to his office, making no secret of the fact that she was interested in him as more than just her attorney.

William Myers, of Myers, Wilson, and Evans, had worked for his father's firm for eight years. He had met his wife, Debora, there. She had hired on two years after him and it was love at first sight, for William anyway. It took a bit of convincing on her part. She wasn't keen on dating a fellow attorney working in the same firm. But his boyish charm and intelligence soon won her over. They were married within a year and had a child four years later.

William was happy, he loved his wife dearly and adored his little girl, Hope. But Monica had destroyed it all. When he rejected her advances she set about systematically dismantling his life.

She started by spreading rumors they were having an affair.

He so regretted not addressing the problem as soon as he knew, but he didn't want to draw more attention to the situation and was afraid of what his father would think. Of course, it wasn't long before his father heard the rumors himself. He called William into his office.

"Are you out of your mind? Carrying on with a client right under the noses of the staffers and partners. And what about Debora and little Hope? Don't you care about them at all? This stops right now or you're out of the firm." His father never even took a breath, allowing William to explain. His face was almost purple with rage. He feared his father would drop dead from a heart attack right there.

"Dad, calm down. I would never cheat on Debora. You have to know that. This woman is sick. She has been coming on to me and is not happy that I haven't taken her up on her offers. I don't think she has ever been told, no. I haven't so much as brushed her shoulder let alone had an affair. She started the rumors herself."

William looked pale and exhausted. His father began to realize what a toll all of this was taking on him.

"I should have done something right away, said something, but I didn't know what to do. She has been calling my clients, telling them what a cad I am and not to be trusted. Saying I'm a terrible attorney and she's fired me. I've lost three clients. I'm getting worried, dad."

William's father took it on himself to try to save his son's reputation and career. He reached out to Monica's father hoping they could reason together as fathers wanting what was best for their children. But Mr. Landers was not a reasonable man. Within minutes of his phone call, the senior Myers was told to mind his own business and hung-up on.

Things only got worse after that. William continued to lose clients, then the partners began losing clients. William's father felt sure Mr. Landers, Monica's father, had a hand in that. They had to make the hard choice of asking William to leave the firm.

His marriage began to suffer as Monica continued her vendetta against him. William came home one day to find Debora in tears.

"Are you having an affair with her?"

"No! I would never do that. You have to believe me. I would never hurt you like that. I love you."

Monica sent texts to his wife, with pictures of them at restaurants, in parking garages, embracing or kissing. All staged by Monica, some were meetings, most were ambushes. She must have had a friend taking pictures.

Debora asked him to move out. He'd lost his job, now his family. He thought about hiring a hit-man, but knew it would come back to him and he'd spend his life in prison. Not that he would ever do it, but it was nice to fantasize.

William moved to Bozeman and went to work for a firm run by a good friend of his father's. He talked with Debora at least once a week and face-timed with his daughter every day. He was slowing making progress with his wife and she agreed to spend the next weekend with him. He was thrilled and relieved. He knew that she still loved him and they were close to reconciling.

Monica got into her car about thirty minutes later, but just drove to the Mall and William realized it was going to be an all-day event to keep track of her and follow her home.

He was sickened to think she was living so close. If he talked Debora into moving here, would they run into her? Would she ever be out of his life?