"We have a problem," I said. "Angel is not just a victim of her own bad choices. She was specifically targeted by someone with a pattern of this behavior. " He raised an eyebrow that actually helps your case. If she was manipulated by a known predator, it demonstrates poor judgment, but also explains the rapid escalation. Makes the breach of contract cleaner.
It also means we need to report this to the CDC. If Sheffield's been traveling internationally while knowingly infected or at risk, he's a public health threat. Are you required to report? Ethically, yes. Legally, it's complicated.
But if other women are at risk, I'm not staying silent. He made a note that could blow back on Angela. If it becomes a federal investigation, she'll be questioned. Her travel will be scrutinized. Her company will definitely fire her to distance themselves from the liability.
I know, I said. But this is bigger than our divorce. This is about containment. My phone buzz. A text from an unknown number.
You're looking for Kyle. Stop. He's already dead. I show the attorney. His face went serious.
Forward that to me immediately and don't respond. Who would send this? Someone who doesn't want you digging, which means you're getting close to something important. I forwarded the message, then pulled up my CDC contacts number. Time to make this official because if Kyle Sheffield really was dead, then someone needed to track down everyone he'd exposed before it was too late.
And if he wasn't dead, then someone was protecting him. Either way, Angela's affair had just become a federal case. 3 days after Angela moved to the guest house, my niece Emma sent me a document that changed everything. 27 pages of names, dates, and incidents spanning Kyle Sheffield's entire adult life. Seven women before Angela, all fitting the same profile, married, professional, financially secure, over 35.
I sat in my office reading through Emma's research. Impressed by her thoroughess, she tracked down social media posts, LinkedIn connections, even yearbook photos. Each relationship followed the same pattern. Ka would target a woman in a position of minor authority over him. Play the role of eager mentee, escalate to an affair, then disappear suddenly, leaving chaos behind.
Two of the women had gotten divorced. One had lost her job over it. Another had attempted suicide. Emma had found a blog post from that woman written anonymously, but detailed enough to verify the shame, the isolation, the medical complications she developed after their time together in Costa Rica. I forwarded the document to my CDC contact with a subject line, potential public health investigation required.
She called me within an hour. Owen, this is bigger than I thought. If this pattern holds, we're looking at multiple international exposure incidents. I need to bring this to my director. Do it, I said.
But keep Angela's name out of the official reports as long as possible. She's already destroyed. I don't need her humiliated publicly. That's generous considering what she did. It's strategic.
If this becomes a media circus, my divorce gets complicated. I want this clean and quiet. That evening, Angela knocked on my door. She'd lost weight in just 3 days. Her clothes hanging loose, her face gone.