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Hitman and Her

I was willing to forgive my wife for anything but this


Published by: Laura Hinton and Kim Willis
Published on: 24 November 2011

How should I pose the question? Should I start with a confession, that I'd done something wrong myself? Should I tell her how much I loved her after three years of marriage... and ask if she felt the same?
As I watched my wife Christina, 30, get dressed for the day, I couldn't handle the knots in my stomach any longer. For all my planning and worrying, I ended up just blurting it out.
‘Are you having an affair?' Immediately, I felt ashamed as she froze. I shouldn't have accused her like that, those dodgy-looking text messages I'd found on her phone were probably nothing.
‘Look, umm,' she started. This didn't look good. ‘For three months, I was sleeping with some guy I knew from high school. You, err, you might have even spoken to him before.'
I was speechless. ‘I'm so sorry,' she suddenly spluttered, the tears coming now. The hurt in my eyes had obviously upset her. ‘I made a terrible mistake, but it's over now.'
She looked so ashamed. So who is he? I wanted to ask, but the words wouldn't come. Besides, it didn't really matter who he was. All that mattered was the realisation that I couldn't lose her.
‘It can't happen again,' I said. Her face crumpled with relief as she melted into
my arms.
Maybe I was partly to blame. While Christina had stayed at home bringing up our children, Emma, three, and Joseph, one, I'd been busy working as an officer for the Illinois state prison. I put food on the table, but the hours were long.
Emma and Joseph were the centre of her world. Whenever I got home, she was baking brownies with them, or playing in the yard. Had this affair been a cry for help?
‘I believe in our marriage,' I told her, tears now pricking my eyes. ‘I love you and want to forgive you.'
‘I'm so sorry,' she sobbed. ‘I love you, too.'
We'd get past it. After all, our relationship had been just perfect in the beginning...
We'd met in 2004 when I moved into the flat above her parents. I'd got home from work one day when I saw her for the first time. After that, she'd come bounding out of the apartment, almost like she'd been waiting for me.
‘Nice uniform,' she'd winked, before coming over for a chat. I'd been flattered, but felt a little intimidated by her confidence.
Just a few days later, we went on our first date to a film museum in Chicago. She was fun and flirty, holding my hand as she led me around each exhibit.
After that we'd been joined at the hip... she was into water sports just like me, so we'd spend most of our weekends surfing and swimming on the coast. A year later, when we'd wed on New Year's Eve at Illinois town hall, I hadn't believed my luck.
So, over the next month, I tried hard to put Christina's revelation behind us and recapture what we'd had before. But instead of meeting me halfway, my wife seemed distant. One night, I couldn't take any more.
‘It's like you can't be bothered to save our marriage,' I said, despairing. She exploded like I'd lit the blue touch paper.
‘I'm taking the children,' she announced, chucking her belongings into a suitcase. ‘I can't do this any more.'
‘This is ridiculous! I told you I'm going to try to forgive what you've done.'
‘You never will,' she spat, as if it was my fault she'd cheated. I couldn't believe what I was hearing - and now, finally, I felt angry for the first time. ‘You're the one who did this!' I yelled. There was a movement in the corner of my eye. Emma had tottered into the room.
‘Daddy?' she said, confused.
‘Don't worry, sweetheart,' I smiled, as her lips began trembling.
Picking her up, I bounced her up and down on my knee until she was beaming again. My anger had disappeared too, replaced with resignation. My perfect family really was breaking up - I couldn't put the kids through hearing us row all the time.
‘You're going to have a little adventure with Mummy soon,' I told Emma.
As I waved goodbye to Christina and the kids, my heart broke. But although my wife had given up on me and her, I knew she wouldn't destroy my relationship with Emma and Joseph.
I had them every weekend. We'd watch the monkeys in Illinois Zoo, or spend all day wandering around the local aquarium. But one day I called her to arrange my weekend visit. It just rang out. And rang out. And rang out. She had caller ID so knew it was me...
There was only one explanation - she was deliberately ignoring me.
Over the following weeks, it happened time and again. Christina had cut me from her life and now she wanted me out of the kids' lives, too.
She'd left me with no choice - not long after we'd split, I filed for divorce. If she wouldn't sort this out with me the normal way, we'd have to battle it
out in court.
Getting divorce papers must have brought Christina to her senses, because I was finally allowed to see the kids again. Not that it was a comfortable exchange... the most conversation I got out of her was just a grunt.
As far as I was concerned though, things were looking up. I even met someone new - Jackie, 28.
One night, I sat browsing the internet, while Jackie watched telly. Suddenly, an email popped up from an address I didn't recognise. ‘Your ex is planning something awful. Contact me,' it said.
‘Probably some stupid hoax,' I mumbled. But still I replied - and when they sent their telephone number, I dialled immediately.
A woman picked up on the second ring. ‘Christina is trying to hire a hitman,' she whispered, her voice trembling with fear. ‘She's going to have you killed.'
‘What?! No!' It had to be a hoax.
‘Listen, you work in a prison, so she figured she'll find an ex-inmate who has a vendetta against the system,' the woman explained. ‘She's already started giving out flyers to potential killers...'
Speechless, I fought to find my voice. ‘It's a joke!' I spluttered. ‘You don't even know me - or anything about our relationship!'
‘You have two children, Emma and Joseph,' she said, reeling off facts about my marriage.
‘I'm calling the police,' I told her. With that, she hung up.
Quickly filling in Jackie, I did as I said, fully expecting not to hear anything more about it. But the next day, an officer rang back.
‘It's true,' he confirmed. ‘Christina's itemised your daily routine and has been handing it out to potential hitmen.'
‘You're joking!' I replied in shock.
My wife hated me so much she was plotting to have me killed?!
‘We're going undercover,' the officer continued. ‘Trust us, we're watching, but you will have to keep things normal.'
‘I'm meant to be having the kids this weekend,' I said, struggling to take it all in. This was the kind of thing you saw at the movies, not in real life!
‘Like I said, carry on just as you were,' he replied. ‘Christina mustn't suspect a thing.'
Easier said than done. The following week was the worst in my life. A nervous wreck, I barely left the house. Every night, I triple- checked the locks, but I didn't get a wink of sleep I was so scared.
Finally, Saturday morning arrived. ‘Daddy!' Emma giggled, when I opened the door to the three of them.
‘I've missed you both,' I laughed, as Christina handed over Joseph. She was stone-faced and distant as ever.
‘Umm, I thought we could go to the zoo today,' I told the kids, but my voice shook with nerves. ‘We have to see the elephants,' Emma babbled. ‘And the monkeys...'
But I didn't take in a word she said. All I could see was Christina, and I over-analysed every movement and breath.
Suddenly, I realised I was looking over her shoulder. What was I doing! Did I really expect to see someone with a gun?!
All of a sudden, I realised Christina was reaching out for Joseph. Instinctively, I held him back for a second. I was scared. Luckily, Joseph fidgeted in my arms, so she didn't notice.
‘Give Mummy a kiss goodbye,' she smiled, stroking his forehead with the palm of her hand. A hand that would be covered in my blood, if she had her way...
‘See you tomorrow then,' I gulped. Then she was gone. Leaning back against the door, I took a deep sigh
of relief.
‘Let's get ready to see the elephants,' I said, fixing a smile on my face.
When she came to pick the kids up the following day, it was just as strained. All I could hope for was that I'd put on a convincing act.
A couple of days later, the phone rang. ‘We've caught her in the act!' an officer told me. ‘You'd better come and get the kids.'
Apparently, Christina had agreed to meet with an experienced hitman earlier that day. Of course, he was really an undercover cop.
Inviting her to his car, which was bugged, they'd discussed the contract she had out on my life.
She'd agreed to pay $7,000 once I was dead. Where would she get the cash? From my life insurance! As we weren't yet divorced, she was entitled to it if I died. I'd be paying for my own hitman! She'd even given him a $300 down payment, which she'd put inside a thank-you card. Thank you
for shooting my husband, she'd been saying.
Christina was arrested moments after leaving the car. Thanks to the anonymous friend who called, my life had been saved.
Christina was in jail for a year before standing trial. Seeing her at the first hearing, teary and wearing a striped jail uniform and ankle chains, I shook my head sadly. She was a shadow of her former self, a far cry from the confident woman who'd once mesmerised me. Staring into her eyes, I saw nothing of the woman I'd fallen for all those years ago.
In court, we heard audio recordings from the sting operation. Listening to Christina discussing my murder so casually completely overwhelmed me. I'd never known my wife.
Thankfully, Jackie was there every step of the way - she, Emma and Joseph kept me going. Jackie held my hand as we heard Christina had pleaded guilty to a charge of solicitation of murder-for-hire. She was sentenced to nine years in jail.
To me, no prison term would ever be enough. She tried to wipe me out because she couldn't deal with the fact I'd asked for a divorce. I don't know how she thought she could get away with it.
Now I'm trying to get on with life as best I can. I find it incredibly difficult to trust people I don't know. That fear I felt has never really left - everyone I meet could be a potential killer.
Emma and Joseph both know Mummy did something bad but, at the moment, that's all. They're still too young to understand. I have no idea how I'll tell them when they're older that Mummy tried to kill Daddy - it sounds like something out of a horror movie.
The saddest thing of all is that Christina only ever wanted me dead so she could have the children all to herself. It's so tragic that in trying to have me killed, she robbed them of the happy future she would have had with them.
Jacob Dent, 32, southern Illinois, USA