Murder in London

I should have known it wouldn’t last. We started to be just a little bit careless. Looking back, I can see the mistakes we made ... spent a little too much money in one place, bought the kids flashy toys, refused to follow too many rules, and made enemies with the wrong people.

The summer we left Gainesville we had just received a large settlement from the electrical plant where Wesley worked. He was involved in an incident that left him with a permanent limp, according to the doctors. The great thing about a settlement though, is when you are able to get away from a toxic environment, your body heals much faster, and the limp disappeared as soon after we pulled the U-Haul outside the state lines.

We had a lot of fun that summer. Took the kids to Disneyland, went scuba diving, trashed a few hotel rooms. That last part wasn’t our fault. If the hotels hadn’t required us to be present with the kids at all times, they might not have gone stir crazy stuck in the room on those wet, rainy days. I could have sent them to the pool while Wesley and I relaxed upstairs. Unfortunately, the one time we did that, hotel security brought all four of them back to our room saying they were harassing other guests.

We had researched small towns in the United States and discovered that London, Texas was exactly what we were looking for in a new home. Population under 300, affordable housing, and most importantly, easy access to our “work corridor.” By the time we reached London, we had just enough money left to purchase a house and buy a few things that we didn’t have room to pack in the moving truck.

I used to think the people of London were so nice. Right after we moved in, the neighbors on one side invited us to a bar-b-que, and the neighbors on the other side brought us a plate of cookies. My children feel safe enough in this tiny little town to stay out until midnight or later walking around town. However, now that we have been here a while, the neighbors seem to want to distance themselves from us, and my kids were accused of breaking into homes of the elderly late at night.

The work corridor has been the only good thing in this spot of nothingness. Before we left Gainesville, Wesley was already making arrangements to transport packages between Mexico and California, as well as shipping other packages back to family on the East coast. Colorado wasn’t too far away, and all we had to do was get a Colorado driver’s license in order to pick up the in-state allowed quantities of product that would be shipped to Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

Over time, our business had grown substantially. We were doing really well .... and then, all of a sudden, it was too good to be true. Someone thought our profits were a little too high and let it slip to the people in Gainesville that Wesley was actually the former Gus Ringer, arrested for armed robbery, then suspected of killing a cellmate. Suspected, not convicted. Now, he is being hunted by a very powerful New York gang.

Wesley has tried to help our family blend in here. The kids do about average in school, Wesley got a job on a nearby ranch, I do most of my shopping as close to home as possible, and we even got a dog or three. I know he feels the pressure of that New York gang getting closer to finding us. Between that and the neighbors always complaining that our dogs are out, the stress level is getting dangerously high.

A few of his co-workers from the ranch came over. A decision was made so that they can continue to receive their Mexican packages, and Wesley will be safe. He has to disappear.

We planned it out very carefully. John and Leo would drive him to the outskirts of a nearby town. Leo used to work as a rodeo clown and was confident he could roll Wesley’s SUV and jump out without getting hurt. Then Wesley would be picked up by a trusted friend, while John would bring Leo back to London. They would start early the next morning.

The fact that Wesley was missing spread around town like wildfire. Three days after he left, State Patrol stopped by to let me know they found his car, but still had no evidence about Wesley’s whereabouts. He had left us some cash from the last package delivery, so I was able to take the kids shopping. Bribing them was the safest way to convince them to remember nothing about the plan for Wesley to disappear.

Everything was going to work out. Wesley was missing, I took over package delivery, and the New York gang could quit looking in this area. I should have known it wouldn’t last. We started to be just a little bit careless. I can see the mistakes we made ... making enemies with the wrong people.

The day after they found his SUV, State Patrol returned to my door, this time to let me know my husband’s body had been found. There were many theories as to how it happened, and who killed him. But that’s all they are – theories. I know the truth. Our “trusted friend” called to let me know my package deliveries had all been re-routed, and the FBI was being notified of my role in the death of my husband. A role that, although I did not participate in, was tailor-made to fit my circumstances, with evidence planted in all the right places. I am facing more than enough years in prison to plan my revenge, which as they say, is best served cold.