Cold Hearted - First Season

Narrator: IN NOVEMBER OF 1989, WHEN JAMES GLASS

MARRIES WENDY MCADORY,

HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS THE FUTURE EVERYONE PREDICTS.

THEY SEEMED TO BE A VERY CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY,

DID A LOT OF THINGS TOGETHER.

Narrator: BUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS FAR FROM PERFECT.

WHEN MY DAD WAS GONE, MY MOM WAS LONELY.

MY HUSBAND AND I WERE LIKE, THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON.

IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS YOU JUST DIDN'T TALK ABOUT.

Narrator: AND IT LEADS TO A SINISTER PLAN.

Powers: WE FOUND A HANDWRITTEN NOTE

THAT LISTED ALL THE THINGS THEY WERE GOING TO PURCHASE.

WE KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG,

BUT YOU DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO END UP BEING THE WAY IT WAS.

LOVE AND MONEY, YOU PUT THOSE TWO THINGS TOGETHER

AND IT CAN BE A DANGEROUS COMBINATION.

Narrator: IN MAY OF 2003,

CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER JAMES GLASS

IS STATIONED AT CAMP SNAKE PIT,

A U. S. MARINE INSTALLATION IN KUWAIT,

WHEN HE IS AWOKEN BY A COLLEAGUE.

James: A FELLOW WARRANT OFFICER HAD COME TO ME

AND SAID THAT THERE WAS SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY GOING ON.

HE WANTED A FELLOW OFFICER TO OBSERVE IT.

HE LED ME TO THIS BUNKER.

WE STAYED DOWN THERE FOR A FEW MINUTES,

BUT I'M NOT SEEING WHAT I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO SEE.

NEXT THING I KNOW, AN EXPLOSION WENT OFF.

I WAS BLOWN AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING.

I COULDN'T SEE. I COULDN'T HEAR. THERE'S BLOOD ALL OVER ME.

IT WAS LIKE MY WORLD DROPPED OUT FROM UNDERNEATH ME.

I THOUGHT IT WAS A ROCKET ATTACK ON THE MILITARY BASE.

Man: YOU'RE ALL RIGHT.

WE'LL GET YOU TAKEN CARE OF, ALL RIGHT?

Narrator: A FEW DAYS LATER, JAMES WILL LEARN WHAT REALLY HAPPENED,

AND IT'S FAR MORE PERSONAL THAN ANYONE IN A WAR ZONE

COULD EVER IMAGINE.

GROWING UP IN RURAL LOUISIANA, JAMES GLASS

IS DEALT A TOUGH HAND RIGHT FROM THE START.

I WAS BORN IN WESTLAKE, LOUISIANA.

AND I'VE GOT A YOUNGER BROTHER BY THREE YEARS, ROBERT.

MY FATHER DIED WHENEVER I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD.

HE DIED OF EMPHYSEMA.

HE WAS A THREE-PACK-A-DAY SMOKER.

IT WAS HARD. IT WAS TERRIBLE.

IT WAS PUTTING ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER, DAY BY DAY.

LET US PRAY.

OUR FATHER, WHO ART IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE THY NAME.

Narrator: AS A NEWLY-MINTED SINGLE PARENT,

JAMES' MOTHER STRUGGLES TO COPE

WITH RAISING TWO CHILDREN ON HER OWN.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

YES, IT IS.

WHAT I DO WITH MY TIME IS MY BUSINESS.

NO, IT'S MINE, TOO.

MY MOTHER GOT WITH THIS GUY AND HE WAS ABUSIVE.

HE ABUSED HER. HE ABUSED MY BROTHER AND I.

THAT'S NOT MY KID; THAT'S YOUR KID.

OH, COME ON. THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM.

IT WAS TERRIBLE.

HAVE YOU BEEN DRINKING?

Lewis: AT ONE POINT, HE WAS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS BROTHER,

MAKING SURE HE ATE AND WAS TAKEN CARE OF.

Narrator: SOON ENOUGH, THE SITUATION BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE TO HIDE.

James: THE TEACHERS SAW THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING

THAT WAS WRONG AND STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS.

Narrator: HORRIFIED BY THE BOYS' ANSWERS,

A TEACHER CALLS CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES.

TWO BIG HIGHWAY PATROLMEN CAME IN AND GOT MY BROTHER AND I,

AND TOOK US OUT AND TOOK US TO A FOSTER HOME.

ROBERT AND I HADN'T EATEN FOR A WHILE,

AND TWO HIGHWAY PATROLS STOPPED ON THE WAY TO THE FOSTER FAMILY

AND BOUGHT US DINNER.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME,

WE SAW A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.

Narrator: WHEN JAMES MEETS HIS NEW ADOPTIVE FAMILY,

HIS INSTINCTS ARE PROVEN RIGHT.

WE LIVED IN A WONDERFUL FOSTER HOME,

AND THAT SAME FOSTER HOME MOM

AND DAD WOUND UP ADOPTING ROBERT AND I.

IT WAS NIGHT AND DAY.

BECAUSE JAMES GREW UP THE WAY HE DID, HE ALWAYS VALUED FAMILY.

AND I THINK SOMETIMES HE'S MADE

A LOT OF DECISIONS OVER THE YEARS

BECAUSE HE SO DESPERATELY WANTED A FAMILY OF HIS OWN,

A FAMILY THAT WASN'T LIKE THE FAMILY HE GREW UP WITH.

Narrator: AT 24, JAMES' LOVE OF AVIATION LEADS HIM TO JOIN THE MILITARY.

I REALLY STARTED DEVELOPING A PICTURE

OF WHAT TYPE OF MAN I WANTED TO BECOME.

MY DREAM WAS TO GO IN THE MILITARY AND BE A FIGHTER PILOT,

BUT YOU HAD TO HAVE 20/20 VISION AND I DID NOT.

SO I WENT AND DID THE NEXT BEST THING - -

I BECAME AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER.

Narrator: IN THE SPRING OF 1989, JAMES, ON A WEEKEND LEAVE,

DECIDES TO PAY A LONG-OVERDUE VISIT TO HIS FAMILY.

AT THE TIME, I WAS STATIONED AT CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA.

MY GRANDFATHER WAS STILL LIVING IN PHILADELPHIA.

I CAME HOME, AND THAT SATURDAY, HE SAID,

"WHY DON'T YOU GO WITH ME,

THERE'S A TRUCK THAT I WANT TO LOOK AT."

Narrator: AND WHILE HIS GRANDFATHER CHECKS OUT THE TRUCK,

JAMES ENDS UP LAYING HIS EYES ON THE BEAUTIFUL GIRL BESIDE IT,

18-YEAR-OLD WENDY MCADORY.

YOU MIGHT NEED THESE.

I GUESS I SHOULD GO FOR A SPIN, HUH?

YEAH.

YOU WANT TO COME WITH ME?

Andrea: SHE WAS VERY PRETTY.

SHE WAS A PAGEANT GIRL, VERY POPULAR AT SCHOOL.

HE WAS JUST DAZZLED. HE FELL HARD AND FAST.

HE'S JUST ONE OF THOSE GUYS, ONCE HE MAKES A DECISION,

THAT'S IT, HE'S GOING TO DO IT.

AND SO, YEAH, I THINK SHE WAS ROMANCED.

THEY WERE MARRIED A MONTH LATER.

James: IT WAS A BIG SOUTHERN WEDDING.

I WAS IN MY UNIFORM.

MY BEST FRIEND WAS THERE; HE WAS IN HIS UNIFORM.

WENDY HAD ALL OF HER BRIDESMAIDS AND EVERYBODY SHOWED UP.

Narrator: BY 1991, WENDY AND JAMES

WELCOMED DAUGHTER NICOLE

TO THE FAMILY.

AND TWO YEARS LATER,

THEIR SECOND DAUGHTER, ANDREA, IS BORN.

IT MEANT THE WORLD TO ME. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL TIME.

I HAD A BEAUTIFUL WIFE. I HAD TWO BEAUTIFUL GIRLS.

Lewis: HE WAS VERY DEVOTED, JUST VERY AFFECTIONATE AND LOVING.

THE GIRLS BOTH SEEMED VERY DEVOTED TO HIM.

Narrator: FIVE YEARS INTO HIS MARRIAGE TO WENDY,

JAMES' DREAM OF THE PERFECT FAMILY

APPEARS TO HAVE COME TRUE.

WENDY WAS A GREAT MOM. SHE REALLY TOOK TO IT.

SHE REALLY LOVED THE GIRLS.

I COULDN'T HAVE ASKED FOR BETTER.

MY MOM WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR MY SISTER AND I.

Narrator: BUT IN THE FALL OF 1994, EVERYTHING CHANGES.

JAMES AND HIS YOUNG FAMILY ARE RELOCATED

TO A MILITARY BASE IN JAPAN.

James: I'M ALWAYS UP FOR ADVENTURE,

AND I KNEW JAPAN WOULD BE A BIG ADVENTURE.

BUT A YOUNG FAMILY WITH A TWO- AND-A-HALF-YEAR-OLD

AND A ONE-YEAR-OLD - - IT WAS TAXING TO THE UTMOST.

Narrator: THE TRANSITION IS HARD,

AND WENDY IN PARTICULAR STRUGGLES TO ADAPT.

MOM WAS ALWAYS THERE, ALWAYS HOME, ALWAYS PLAYING WITH US.

DAD, HE WAS ALWAYS AT WORK.

I DON'T REALLY HAVE MEMORIES OF DAD PLAYING WITH US.

James: I WAS WORKING VERY LONG HOURS.

I WAS DEPLOYED TO KOREA, DEPLOYED TO AUSTRALIA,

SO I WAS GONE,

AND WENDY WAS LEFT ALONE WITH THE TWO KIDS.

Lewis: SHE BECAME A STAY-AT-HOME MOM,

BUT SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE A STAY-AT-HOME MOM,

SHE WANTED TO BE A WORKING MOM,

AND I THINK SHE ALWAYS KIND OF RESENTED THAT.

WHEN YOU ARE WITH A MILITARY MAN, HIS JOB IS HIS PRIORITY,

AND YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT YOUR PLACE, YOU KNOW,

AND WHERE YOU FALL.

IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE NOT IMPORTANT,

BUT HIS JOB HAS TO TAKE PRECEDENCE.

WENDY ALWAYS FELT LIKE SHE WASN'T A PRIORITY,

BECAUSE SHE WASN'T.

Narrator: BUT INSTEAD OF TALKING ABOUT IT WITH JAMES,

WENDY FINDS SOMEONE ELSE TO COMFORT HER.

Lewis: I KNEW. MY HUSBAND KNEW.

I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW I FOUND OUT,

I DON'T REMEMBER THAT, I JUST KNOW THAT I KNEW,

BUT IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS YOU JUST DIDN'T TALK ABOUT.

Narrator: IT'S ONE THING TO MESS AROUND ON YOUR HUSBAND.

YOU GOING TO GET THAT?

NO.

IT GOES TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL

WHEN YOU MESS AROUND WITH SOMEONE ELSE'S.

THERE'S JUST SOMETHING GOING ON BETWEEN THEM.

SHE BELIEVED HER HUSBAND AND MS. WENDY GLASS

WERE ENGAGED IN AN ADULTEROUS AFFAIR.

THEY CAME AND INTERVIEWED ME, AND I TOLD THEM ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Narrator: 33-YEAR-OLD MARINE JAMES GLASS

BELIEVES HIS ASSIGNMENT IN JAPAN

WILL HELP ADVANCE HIS CAREER.

BUT LONG WORK HOURS AND EXTENDED DEPLOYMENTS

BEGIN TO TAKE A TOLL ON HIS ENTIRE FAMILY,

ESPECIALLY HIS WIFE, WENDY.

HE'D BE GONE FOR THREE DAYS, 30 DAYS, THREE MONTHS.

YOU DIDN'T ALWAYS KNOW HOW LONG HE'D BE GONE.

IT WAS SO FOREIGN TO WHAT SHE WAS ACCUSTOMED, SHE WAS LONELY.

Narrator: AND IT'S DRIVEN HER INTO THE ARMS OF ANOTHER MAN.

SHE BEGAN SEEING SOMEONE ELSE,

MAYBE TO FILL A VOID SOMEWHERE WITHIN HER.

SHE GOT THE ATTENTION THAT MAYBE SHE WAS MISSING AT HOME.

Lewis: IT'S FAIRLY COMMON, ESPECIALLY IN THE MILITARY,

AND YOU JUST KIND OF, "SORRY TO HEAR THAT,"

AND YOU HOPE THEY WORK THROUGH IT.

YOU JUST DON'T REALLY TALK ABOUT IT.

Narrator: THOUGH JAMES IS BLISSFULLY UNAWARE

OF HIS WIFE'S INDISCRETIONS,

THE AFFAIR IS CUT SHORT

WHEN HE GETS A NEW POSTING IN YUMA, ARIZONA.

YUMA, ARIZONA IS A BIG TRAINING BASE FOR THE MARINE CORPS.

I WAS A STAFF, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER.

I WALKED IN AND IMMEDIATELY