The next evening the Conned Cougars met again to plot Ryan’s downfall. One of us had to approach his latest conquest, warn her and try to get her on board. As the one with the freshest wound, I volunteered to be that person.
It was still early, so I drove by her home after we said our goodbyes. It was an elegant mansion and I remember thinking my condo probably would have fit into her living room. Ryan had obviously aimed for a big hit this time. As fate would have it, while I sat there parked across the street, Ryan came out and got into a Cadillac Escalade parked in the driveway. Oh yeah. He was definitely going first class.
After he sped off, I took a chance and knocked at the door. I had no idea how long it would be before he returned, so I made it quick. Either she would believe me or she wouldn’t.
When she opened the door, I said, “My name is Kimberly Martin. I know this sounds crazy, but I’m here to warn you about Ryan.”
Her eyes narrowed and she scrutinized me. “I think you should go. I don’t know what you’re up to, but—”
She made a move to close the door in my face.
“No, please wait. Ryan is nothing but a con man and you’re his next target. He took me for everything but the clothes on my back. He—“
“Why should I believe you? Wait a minute. You said Kimberly? You must be the controlling girlfriend who tried to steal from him. Oh, he told me about you, alright. I’ll say it again. Please leave!”
I wasn’t surprised when she said that. Of course he’d make himself look like the injured party. By turning things around it made him appear to be an honest guy who was taken in by a gold-digging bitch. It was so much easier for her to view me as a disgruntled lover than the one who had been taken advantage of.
Before she could any anything more, I rattled on. “What? He said I stole from him? I’m sorry, but it was the other way around and that’s why I’m warning you. He took my furniture, all the money in my bank accounts and charged up every credit card. Not only that, but I was only one of many.”
To punctuate what I’d just said, I pulled a copy of the list of the other women, complete with phone numbers, out of my purse and thrust it at her. “These are the names and phone numbers of some of the other women he conned over the past few years.”
She paled. “More women?”
“Look, I know it’s a shock, and this sounds crazy, but we’re all in the same boat. And we all look pretty much alike. Have you noticed how much you and I resemble each other?”
I stood there at her door, waiting for a reaction. I didn’t expect she would invite me in, so I said, “Keep this list. It’s a copy. Feel free to call anyone on that list and ask them about Ryan. We’ll be meeting in the cocktail lounge at the Westin downtown tomorrow night at seven. With or without you, we’re getting even with him. We decided to alert you before you got hurt like we did. If you’re wondering how I got your name, he’s under investigation.”
I turned and left, unwilling to chance Ryan catching me.