that's it for "what would you do?" but as you can see the party goes on. and so does abc news. "20/20" starts right now. we have this hatred thing. we're both fighting over this complete loser. >> tonight on o "20/20." bad romance. she wants this woman wiped off the face of the earth. >> i wouldn't care if she was in a horrible car accident. >> and the $20,000 price tag on her head. having to play dead, and talking to "20/20." david muir with a real-life murder for hire. every step of it followed in

real time. >> if she wasn't going to have him, you weren't going to have him, either. >> every sick twist of her mind. every minute of terror once her rival finds out. tonight, they're caught in a bad romance. >> she felt like she's in a lifetime movie. now, she's on "20/20." >> here's elizabeth vargas and david muir. >> the tapes only seen here of a suburban soccer mom plotting to kill another woman. >> and the victim couldn't believe it until she saw it

right here. she had no idea who she was about to meet. first came howard and nicole. then came howard and jennifer. in this love triangle, two's company, three's a crime. >> jennifer is dead. >> no way. >> jennifer is dead. >> reporter: it's like a made-for-tv-movie. the strange but true love story of nicole faccenda, ruthless romantic. set in a soprano-land of big hair and broken hearts. the garden state, where smokestacks grow. where the surprisingly irresistible charm of howard, a chauffeur, drove one woman over the edge. and as you're about to see, it could get another one kied. 42-year-old suburban soccer mom is about to settle the score by hiring a hitman. it all starts right here. keep your eye on that white car pulling into a supermarket parking lot. and out comes our leading lady looking for trouble.

>> how you doing. have a seat. >> i'm here to go shopping, to go get flowers. i have this big event, you know. i'm so busy today. i have all of ten minutes. >> okay. >> reporter: she says she's there to buy flowers. roses, maybe, with some very sharp thorns. nicole, hoping her problem can vanish, like magic. >> so what can get done? you can just make her disappear? you could -- what could get done? >> when you say disappear, like, you want her out of this [ bleep ] state or you want her, you know -- >> reporter: nicole says she and howie had it all. fancy casinos, fine dining, first class vacations -- "an easy life," she says, at her expense, until howie's secret worlds collided. the 54-year-old falling for a younger woman, jennifer, just 33. nicole and howie have a son but howie and jennifer would have two sons. >> she's just a [ bleep ] who's been involved. i think she's like 30 years old. she's got two kids. we have this hatred thing because we're both fighting over this complete loser. we both have kids with this loser. so he bounces back and forth. he uses her and he uses me.

you don't want to hear the whole [ bleep ]. >> reporter: you hear nicole say she wants howard to suffer, but it's jennifer she wants gone. >> i could do it myself, but i'm -- i don't want to be -- have my hands on anything. >> reporter: so here in the parking lot, in broad daylight, as shoppers push their carts right on by, there is one shopper in the market for murder. >> i need somebody who can just get something done, then leave and disappear. they have a big fat envelope in their pocket and then my problem's done. >> reporter: when howie walks out on nicole, at first, she follows the time-honored tradition of jilted lovers the world over. she turns to facebook. posting family pictures and a furious rant about howie's secret life with two families. but among those who see the post, one of howie's relatives. a guy we'll call "sonny." they start chatting online and on the phone. chatting about murder. and then, in this new jersey parking lot, it gets real. nicole meeting sonny for the first time in person.

>> 20 years, he does everything for me. >> reporter: sonny introducing his friend, the hitman. let's call him "jose." the cure for nicole's broken heart, break something else. >> basically you're saying you could just go break her legs or you could go -- >> exactly. >> anything that i need done, you can do? >> exactly. from the littlest thing -- >> to the worst thing? >> to the worst thing. >> reporter: nicole and the hitman talking in a code so clever they're fooling themselves. >> okay. scott said you had a problem with somebody and i'm here to take care of your problem, but what is it you want me to do with your problem? >> okay. i don't know. fix my problem, i guess. >> how do i fix your problem? you tell me what you want me to do and i can see to it that it gets taken care of, but -- >> how is it going to get taken care of? >> how do you want me to? that's why i'm here. >> so what can you do? >> reporter: and just look at this. incredible. that man hired as a hitman, who we're calling jose, allows us to get in a car with him too. as long as we agree not to reveal his face or identity. we're interviewing the man she

hired. >> so as we drive this new jersey highway, do you think any of these other drivers on the highway have any idea you're a hitman? >> no, not at all. >> a lot of people are gonna ask, "why would she ask a relative of the ex-boyfriend to help her find a hitman?" >> i don't know. maybe she was just desperate. i mean, she didn't know too many, i guess, bad people in her life that are actually committing crimes. because she's -- she wasn't that type of person. to hire someone for murder, it's a real serious thing. you don't -- you know, just based on looking at her, you didn't really think that she was capable of doing it. >> so what brings nicole to this moment? >> she was just frustrated. she was angered at the fact that he was leaving her. and she wanted to get even. >> she wanted to get even because this whole time he's had another girlfriend? not only another girlfriend -- another family. >> yes. >> and she wants to take that other woman out now? >> yes. >> but she wants the boyfriend to live. >> she wants him to live because she wants him to grieve. she wants to see him suffer. >> she wants to watch him suffer? >> yes. >> so you're sitting here in the a&p parking lot. >> yes. >> and she's told you she's gonna do some shopping?

>> i guess she wanted to make it seem like she was shopping, if anyone questioned her, what she was doing here at the time. >> so she's doing a little shopping and then she comes out to meet with the hit man? >> yes. >> because that's what most people have on their grocery list. >> she did. >> reporter: back in that parking lot, that prospective hitman, worried about the man of the house, howie. >> howie's in the house. >> who? the dude she's with now? >> uh-huh. >> what's he about? >> nothing. >> but is he armed? does he have a gun or some [ bleep ]? >> no, nothing, nothing. he's got a big mouth. that's it. >> reporter: he's not the only one with a big mouth. listen here as nicole realizes she should worry about her own. >> i just want to make sure you're not like an undercover or a federal agent. >> okay. >> and like all of a sudden, cars are all over. if i get arrested, i'm -- i'll lose my job. >> reporter: and you're about to hear something else. nicole fearing she's a star in the making. >> and i know i've watched one too many lifetimes. i'm in a horrible, horrible -- >> lifetime? >> i've watched too many lifetime movies. >> this is about tv now? >> reporter: nicole's story eventually will attract plenty of agents.

not hollywood ones. federal agents. among them, atf agent mike alongi. >> there are a lot of times, you know, people will say that they wish somebody was dead. but actually going through with it and wanting them dead is -- a totally different animal. >> i'm totally, totally legit. i'm not [ bleep ] you at all. >> i believe you. >> reporter: nicole presses ahead, sharing her own fantasies for jennifer. >> i've played every scenario through my head a million times. do i want the car to go off the highway? do i want someone to just come up and take her out? do i want me to go into the house with my silencer and take them all out? like, i go to sleep every night thinking -- >> reporter: the hitman is about to give the fine print on the murder contract. no refunds. no returns. >> you've got to be serious about this too. you know what i mean? because once it's done, it's done. there's no turning back. you understand that. >> reporter: but nicole, in that shopping center, is about to ask for a price check. >> and what is pricing? hurt is what?

>> it depends. what kind of hurt? do you want hospital hurt? do you want [ bleep ] coma hurt? do you want me to beat this [ bleep ]? i mean, really? >> okay, but what's pricing? >> if you want her dead, it's going to be five up front and five at the end once it's completed. >> that's it, ten? >> yeah. give me ten. >> reporter: so the whole time there are shoppers in the parking lot and there's a murder being planned. >> she's plotting to kill someone. >> murder for hire in america. >> on your lunch break. >> reporter: but the deal is not done. because nicole wants to think it over. >> so what do you think? how long do you think you're going to need to think about it? tonight? tomorrow? >> i need a couple of days to think. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: the meeting ends with a handshake. as they drive off, jose and sonny celebrating with a fist bump. like it's money in the bank. but not so fast. because in this supermarket murder plot, nicole is not the only shopper with a secret. that parking lot is crawling with federal agents from the atf and they are hanging on every word. >> we had a good eyeball on her. we had multiple cameras pointing from outside the vehicle. and we also had some covert cameras placed within the

vehicle, which provided both video and audio. >> so she has no idea that as she's talking to the hitman, you're right here in the same parking lot, listening to the whole thing. >> no clue. >> reporter: when we come back -- guess who's in the drivers seat now? nicole's close-up is coming sooner than she imagines. >> so she says to you she feels like she's living a lifetime movie? >> yes. >> now she's living a "20/20." up to 60% off plus 10% offday mattress spectacular get an extra 5% off

or up to 60 months financing and get free delivery start your search at sears, where members get more if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain. this is humira helping me lay the groundwork. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. humira is proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage in many adults. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb.

ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. take the next step. talk to your doctor. this is humira at work. yeah?om. we got allstate, right? uh-huh. yes! well, i found this new thing... called allstate quickfoto claim. it's an app. you understand that? just take photos of the damage with your phone and upload them to allstate. really? so you get a quicker estimate, quicker payment, quicker back to normal. i just did it. but maybe you can find an app that will help you explain this to your father.

introducing quickfoto claim. just another way allstate is changing car insurance for good. honestly, the off-season isn't i've got a lot to do. that's why i got my surface. it's great for watching game film and drawing up plays. it's got onenote, so i can stay on top of my to-do list, which has been absolutely absurd since the big game. with skype, it's just really easy to stay in touch with the kids i work with. alright, russell you are good to go! alright, fellas. alright, russ. back to work!

"20/20"'s bad romance continues. once again, david muir. >> reporter: a sunny afternoon, a new jersey supermarket, and at the top of one shopper's list, the murder of the other woman, jennifer, who she says stole the love of her life, howie. >> anything that i need done, you can do? >> exactly, from the littlest thing -- >> to the worst thing? >> -- to the worst thing. so which is it for you? >> reporter: nicole faccenda

says she's shopping for flowers but what does she really have in mind? a bouquet, or bullets for a romantic rival? so far, she is cautious and careful with her words. >> you know what i want. i'm not saying it. i'm not saying it. >> reporter: she doesn't want to say it, but she has the perfect outfit in mind. >> the day i'm dressed in black at the funeral, i'm handing you an envelope. >> reporter: nicole is clearly nervous. at first, suspecting her new partners will skip the dirty work, and do a double cross. take the money and run or worse, pull out a badge and slap on the cuffs. an undercover sting. just like she's seen before on tv. >> and i'm sorry that i'm crazy, watching so many lifetime movies. >> that's all right. >> reporter: if only nicole had followed her own intuition, because that hitman, we're calling jose? he's got a gun all right, but he also has a badge. he's working undercover with the atf.

he's not a stone cold killer, he's a cop. >> you're actually a good guy in all this. >> yes. >> reporter: and so is sonny. he's a long time confidential informant for the feds. but nicole doesn't know that. all she knows is that he's supposedly the black sheep relative of her ex-boyfriend howie. so she's thinking of the darkest person in her life. the person who might know a hitman out there. >> yes. >> and it just so happens to be what, distant relative of the ex-boyfriend? >> yes. >> and little does she know he's an informant. >> correct, she did not know at all. >> reporter: as for jose, he's a seasoned officer, but as a hitman, he's just a novice. this is his first case working undercover on a murder for hire. eighteen years a cop, is this your first time playing the role of a hitman? >> yes, it is. >> this is your rookie run as a killer. >> yes, it is my first time. >> are you at all nervous? >> i don't want to say the wrong

things, mess up the case or anything like that. but i wasn't nervous with her. i was just more concerned about saying the wrong thing to mess up the case. >> so what you're most nervous about is not being a hit man. you're nervous you might mess up the case. >> yeah. >> reporter: but even while he's in that car, jose gets some help. watch as he looks down at his phone. agent mike alongi listening from a nearby car now texting his tips. >> we're able to point out things to the undercover in live time. and we were able to go back and forth, "say this," or, "do this," just to kind of help him along. >> reporter: and listen to how jose explains those text messages to the suburban soccer mom sitting right beside him. he tells her it's just a friend texting about going out for a beer. >> asking to go out for beer. >> reporter: and then the moment in the surveillance that struck us, when it seems nicole is on to the undercover hitman. >> and i know i've watched one too many lifetimes. i'm in a horrible, horrible -- >> lifetime? >> i've watched too many lifetime movies. >> this is about tv now? >> so she says to you she feels like she's living a lifetime movie? >> yes.

>> now she's living a "20/20." jose, is part of an elite squad of undercover hit men working for the atf all across this country. you're armed with disguises today, but you're also armed, right? are you armed at all times? can you show me? earlier this year undercover federal agents agreed to sit down with us as a group for the first time ever. perhaps you'll remember the "20/20" exclusive because to do it, they spend hours getting disguised. that's jose right there, covered in a sort of goo before he gets a brand-new appearance. they would make a mold. and from there, they build new features for his face. the same agent who would sit in that car with that scorned lover. >> the less you know about me, the better it is. >> how do you find a hitman? i mean, you're not in the yellow pages. you're not on craigslist. >> they'll actually try to reach out to the person they feel knows somebody that has something to do with the criminal element. >> or it happens when you're doing other undercover cases.

working a group, or a gang, and they reach out and say, "hey -- you know, i have this problem. do you know anybody who would kill this guy?" so it's a great opportunity for us to step in say, "well, yes, we do." >> what's the darkest thing someone has asked you to do? >> had a daughter that wanted to kill her dad. >> the guy wanted me to kill his wife. he said she might be with her mother. if she's there, just kill her too. >> he was referring to the mother-in-law? >> he said, "if she's there, just kill her, too." >> two for the price of one? >> more or less. which i thought about raising the price, but -- she said i could blow up the house -- kill everybody as long as she could get her dog out. >> so get the dog out. kill everybody else. >> kill everybody else. >> and what are people looking for -- what do they want in a good hit man? >> just like you'd go to find a plumber to come to your house and fix a pipe, they're looking for an expert to take care of their problem. >> do you find them unpredictable, dangerous? >> i think they're the most violent people on the planet. >> you do? >> absolutely. >> and in many cases, the clock is ticking. >> the clock is definitely ticking. the person that's hiring the hitman might change their mind and say, "you know what? i'll just do it myself," and then they go kill somebody.

>> does it make you think, "what am i doing'?" >> you know, i didn't sign up for the boy scouts. i signed up to be an atf agent, to go after the most violent people out here. >> what's going through your mind when the person across from you wants someone killed? >> you just wanted to yell at her, "what's wrong with you? i mean, what are you doing? >> when someone's being so evil next to you. it's like, "how can you even conceive of something like this?" and you have to sit there with your poker face. and, "okay, if this is what you want done, this is what i'm gonna do." >> reporter: he would keep that poker face and so would his partner, because two nights later. another parking lot, another criminal conversation. this time nicole meeting with the hit man's sidekick, sonny. >> i don't know what you want. >> reporter: and the atf agents are listening again. you're out here listening in the car. >> yes. >> now we're actually sitting in pretty much the exact spot. and we set up our surveillance vehicle just on the other side of this curb. so we were literally about ten feet away, in a blacked out vehicle that she was not able to see in. >> so this is where you're listening to her. >> yes. >> the informant's got a live wire? >> yeah.

>> and for the first time she's not holding back about what she wants done to this woman. >> not at all. >> reporter: no more talking in code, nicole lowers her guard and spells out exactly what she wants. >> see, i, like, would think that either she disappears and she's just never found, like these people are never found. >> okay. >> like, that would be one good thing. >> i wouldn't care if she was in a horrible, horrible car accident -- >> okay. >> and mangled up and -- >> okay. >> you know, i don't care. like, gone. i want to go piss on her grave. i want to go to her funeral and spit in the casket. >> so you want to see her dead, is that what you want? >> i will be happiest when this woman is dead and buried and six under. >> reporter: and when asked what to do with the ex-boyfriend, it turns out, kill the woman, keep him. so she says, "get rid of the woman. but keep the boyfriend alive." >> yeah, she said, "just injure him." you know, shoot him in the foot or something. >> and what's the thought behind that? >> so that she could still potentially be with this man, after all of this. she'll swoop

in. you know, she'll get the satisfaction that he's hurt, and his despair. but then with the victim out of the picture, she can have him. >> and you're thinking the whole time -- >> she's crazy. she's maniacal. just cold. it's unreal. it's -- life is stranger than fiction, and this is why. and we were listening to it, live. >> right out here in this parking lot. right here. >> reporter: one man, two women. it seems nicole figures it's just a subtraction problem. one murder to make the math work. but perhaps darkest of all, listen to nicole, a mother herself. when asked what to do if the other woman's children get in the way. two innocent young boys, the children of the man nicole says is the love of her life. >> okay, let me tell you. and don't think i'm a bad person -- >> okay. >> but if something happened and one of the kids got killed, oh well, i'm sorry. >> reporter: when we come back -- >> listen to me, listen to me clearly. jennifer is dead. >> no way. >> jennifer is dead.

>> reporter: the double cross. the details that they share with her, that the other woman has been killed are greatly exaggerated. in fact, you're about to meet her. >> so, what do you think about this murder plot? we're live tweeting, >> later, the hit is about the hit the fan. >> don't show up here. >> when bad romance continues.

you need to see this. show 'em the curve. ♪ do you know what this means? the greater the curvature, the bigger the difference. [sci-fi tractor beam sound] ...sucked me right in... it's beautiful. gotta admit one thing...

...can't beat the view. ♪ introducing the world's first curved ultra high definition television from samsung. with lobster! don't miss our first ever lobster toppers event! 4 delicious entrees topped with sweet, succulent maine lobster starting at just $15.99! like savory new wood-grilled shrimp topped with maine lobster in a citrus hollandaise... or the new ultimate: lobster-topped lobster -- 3 split maine lobster tails topped with maine lobster in a creamy white wine sauce! four choices, for a limited time, starting at just $15.99! everything's better with lobster! come in now, and sea food differently.

verizon has always set out to provide you with the most powerful and reliable network experience. and now for the next advancement. introducing verizon xlte. with 2x the 4g lte bandwidth and faster peak speeds in cities coast-to-coast, there's more space for everyone to stream and share more. this is xlte. for best results, use verizon. now bring in the whole family and get four lines for $160.

"20/20" continues. here again, david muir. >> reporter: the morning she is scheduled to die, jennifer schwab is actually on her way to work. up before dawn, out on a dark and lonely road.

something frightening coming from behind. a car, following her. and tonight for the first time she's coming forward to tell her story. tell me about the morning you left. were you going to work? >> i was, yes. every time i left my house i would check outside to see if there were any unfamiliar vehicles. now, one morning i looked across the street and there was a black car that was across the street. they followed me. >> so you're wondering who it is behind you? >> yes. i was on the phone with my mother, and i said to her, "mom, let me call you back, i'm getting pulled over." i got pulled over. >> so, the lights go on. >> the lights go on. >> and you're thinking, "i ran a red light." >> i'm thinking i'm speeding, i'm being caught on the phone, i didn't know what. >> they're behind you. they start walking up to the car. >> yes. >> and you roll down the window. >> just a little bit. >> how do you tell someone that there's been a threat against your life? we wanted to reassure her that we were there to protect her.

>> the atf officer places his badge against my window and says to me, "are you jennifer?" and i said, "yes." and he says to me, "jennifer, there's been a hit for you life." >> i remember clearly saying it, flat-out told her there'd been a threat against your life and you know we were there to protect you. >> and immediately i said to him, "nicole faccenda." >> i think that stunned the two of us, because, you know, i didn't know that she knew of such a threat against her. but obviously, it was something that immediately came to jennifer's mind that nicole was someone that was looking to harm her. >> so you knew right away. >> i knew right away. i even had saito my, my people i work with, my friends, my family, "if anything happens to me, it's nicole." so i knew. >> reporter: she says she had always been wary of nicole, and knew she could be trouble. but could you ever have imagined this? >> i thought maybe it would just

be a flat tire, or you know, a broken window at the house. i never thought that she would go to the extent as she did, as to try to find somebody to murder me and my family. >> reporter: jennifer says nicole never really had a chance with the man in the middle, howie. howie's double life, the two-timing, the cheating? all in nicole's head, according to jennifer, who says howie was always hers. >> what drives someone to do that? >> jealousy and anger. >> she wanted him. >> she wanted him. she wanted him from the time that i met him. >> but what you're telling me is that she never really had him. >> that's correct. >> reporter: but don't forget howie and nicole have a child together, a son, 11 years old. and at one point, when howie and jennifer broke up, howie moved back in with nicole. >> there was a lot of pressure in our relationship. and nicole made it easy for him, manipulated him by saying that she would help him financially and, you know, that she could do things for him that i could not

do. and that hurts. that hurts to know that because of money and greed, you know, he left and went to live downstairs in her basement. >> reporter: and for those of you thinking howie is a two-timer, jennifer says he's not. >> the double life that people said he lived is not the double life he lived. >> but she wanted you wiped off the earth. >> yes. >> and when you hear it from her own mouth -- >> if something happens to one of the kids, i'm sorry -- >> how did you react? >> hurt. angry. i can't fathom how somebody, a mother, nicole being a mother herself, would want to do to myself, my family, and my children. >> reporter: jennifer never saw the surveillance tape of that murder plot unfolding in that supermarket parking lot until she saw those tapes played right here on "20/20." >> i will be happiest when she's

dead and buried and six feet under. >> she said she'll be happiest when this woman is buried and six feet under. >> mm-hmm. it makes you so angry to hear those words. i led my life, i raised my kids. i didn't do anything to deserve this at all. >> does it sound like something out of a -- >> a, quote, "lifetime movie?" absolutely. it does. nicole never got the best of me. i'm too strong for that. and that's what i really think made her go to this extent of trying to murder me. >> reporter: the agents take jennifer into protective custody, her first instinct to check on her two young sons. >> i wanted to make sure that my family was safe. >> reporter: but she's not allowed, because now it is the agents who want jennifer to disappear. part of their own plan, taking her phone, cutting her off from the rest of the world. you couldn't make any phone calls. >> i could not make any phone calls, no. >> because they told you this plot is unraveling right now. >> correct. yes. >> and we need you. >> yes. >> reporter: because what those agents are going to need is for

jennifer to play dead. >> we needed to kind of close her off and really simulate what it was that we were trying to effect. >> there's always a threat, which is why we still had to bring her into our protective custody and keep her pretty much dark from her family and her friends that day, so that we can go ahead with the rest of the story, that the murder had been committed. >> reporter: when we come back, you'll see the moment nicole's murder plot backfires. wait until you see the look on her face when the hitman comes calling.

so say hello to ocean spray 100% juice. and goodbye to added sugar. i thought we weren't adding any sugar. oh. okay, nobody use these cranberries over here. bananas... rice cakes... raspberries... toast! [ kelly ] jif hazelnut spread makes anything your new favorite thing. spoons! which is why this choosy mom chooses jif.

my name is lori. i am target's coffee buyer. direct trade coffee means tracing the beans back to the original farmer and paying them a premium based on the quality of the bean. target was the first major retailer to sell direct trade coffee. with the extra money they can really invest back into their farms and their families. it makes my job really worth while. teacher layoffs. and a 60 billion dollar budget deficit. that's what john perez faced when he be speaker of the california assembly. so he partnered with governor brown to pass three balanced budgets, on time. for the first time in thirty years. today, the deficits are gone and we've invested an additional 2 billion dollars in education. now john perez is running for controller, to keep fighting for balanced budgets. democrat john perez for controller.

[♪]

"20/20"'s bad romance continues. once again, david muir.

>> reporter: it's almost curtains for nicole faccenda's murder-for-hire drama. her plot to kill her ex-boyfriend's new lover -- fatally flawed, and about to flop. >> ho you doing? have a seat. >> reporter: the hit man hired by the new jersey soccer mom is a cop. his sidekick is a snitch. the atf is watching every move, building their murder-for-hire case. the would-be victim, jennifer, now part of the case, getting ready to play dead. but nicole knows none of this. she thinks everything is running according to plan. nicole, so eager now. she doubles the fee -- putting a $20,000 price on jennifer's head. and look at this -- the photo she texted to sonny and jose, making sure they don't kill the wrong woman. and then she texts the picture of the girlfriend. >> yeah, it doesn't get any more serious than that. >> reporter: tonight, right here for the first time, we hear the flurry of phone calls that follow those parking lot meetings. sometimes nicole, the soccer mom, calling from the sidelines, a few feet away from where her child is playing.

>> i'm at a soccer game, and my sister is here too with her kids so when she walks over, i hang up. >> reporter: the hit men wonder, once their deed is done, when jennifer is supposedly dead, how to prove it to nicole? >> when she's finished and gone -- how can i show you she's gone? >> i don't know. you got to figure that out. i have no idea. >> picture? >> no idea. >> picture. that's the only way. i can get him to give you a picture of her dead, finished. >> you figure out how to give me proof. the only proof i have is, when i go to the funeral, i'm gonna be happy as [ bleep ]. >> reporter: their solution, a gruesome souvenir, a photo of her dead. but nicole has a better idea. >> i don't want a picture. we're gonna get busted with a picture. i don't want any pictures. i'm gonna go to the funeral. >> reporter: she doesn't want a picture? >> she wants to go to the funeral. >> reporter: she wants to go to the funeral? >> she wants that satisfaction knowing what she's done and kind of savor it, which is quite sick. >> reporter: so seeing the casket, she thinks it's better proof than any picture? >> absolutely.

>> at the end of the rainbow, when it's all done and finished, you'll pay him the rest. correct? >> at the end of the rainbow, you know, we'll figure it out. absolutely. >> when you see a bullet in her head, finished, will you have the money ready for him? bottom line. >> yeah, i will. when it's done. >> reporter: nicole is now one step away from closing the deal. she'll make a down payment, the balance due after jennifer is dead. murder on layaway. they set up another meet at a local restaurant. but she has no idea those atf agents will be there, too. you're right here at the olive garden. people are having dinner, and you're waiting for her to show up with the cash. >> right. >> reporter: and you're waiting and you're waiting and she's not here. and no sign of her. >> no sign of her. >> reporter: concerns racing through their heads. has she changed her mind? does she now want out of that lifetime movie? or worse -- has she taken action on her own? suddenly, she's calling sonny. >> hey, where are you? >> reporter: and where has she

been all this time? at her son's soccer game. and she's now pulling up right next door. and where is she? >> she's over at the exxon. >> reporter: over here. she's now just a few hundred feet away. >> okay, he's moving. he's going to go now. >> reporter: the agents scramble, their wires, their cameras, out of position. >> listen, he's gonna have to walk over to the exxon station. >> reporter: they see nicole hand sonny a thick envelope. and what's inside? >> her down payment. cash. >> reporter: how much cash? >> $2,000. >> reporter: basically, it's a down payment on murder. >> it's a down payment on murder. >> once this money was received, we knew at any point that we could, in fact, arrest her. >> reporter: the agents have heard enough, but still no arrest. nicole, allowed to just drive off. they want more evidence. for an air-tight case. as the murder-for-hire plot enters its final hours. >> the next call i'm going to do

is when she's gone. she's 86. dead. finito. once you're dead, you're dead. you follow where i'm going with this? >> yeah. >> reporter: nicole is at work at a new jersey hotel, getting the phone call she says she'd been waiting for. the hit on the other woman. sonny, the hitman's helper, is on the line, calling to say the job is done. >> listen to me, listen to me clearly. he did what you said to do. jennifer is dead. >> no way. >> jennifer is dead. he shot her. he said he shot her in the head. she's done. she's dead. >> reporter: sonny tells nicole the hitman made the murder look like a botched robbery. >> you said to get rid of somebody. he shot her. made it look like a robbery. he wants his [ bleep ] money. he's going to go to your hotel and get it from you. >> i don't care, he can come here. it's not here, and i don't have anything here. >> reporter: nicole doesn't se to believe it. >> he did what you said to do. he killed her. he wants the [ bleep ] money. >> okay, you got to calm down.

you have to calm the hell down first of all. >> reporter: atf agent mike alongi and his team still tracking the case, watching and listening to it all. >> she didn't believe the murder hadn't been completed. because she was making phone calls and actually watching on television to see if a murder had been committed. >> reporter: nicole will see if she can fit paying off the hitman into her busy schedule. >> i'm at work since before 10:00. i have to go to two more appointments. i can't even be bothered in these two appointments. i will call you when i'm done with these two appointments. i got a 12:00 and a 1:00, and then i will call you after that. >> reporter: nicole, at work, not knowing she's enjoying her final moments of freedom. the atf agents send in sonny, the informant, still playing the part of the killer's helper to see what nicole will do, what she'll say. >> i can't believe you did this to me. don't show up here. that's not cool. don't believe either one of you. at this point, i don't believe either one of you. >> reporter: but nicole's day is about to get much worse. she's working here, at a restaurant. >> yes.

she's a catering manager. >> reporter: and she had no idea that you're about to move in. >> no, no clue. >> reporter: so you come around the front here. and and you walk right into the restaurant? >> yeah, we walked right into the doubletree. >> reporter: and you asked for her? >> and we just asked for her at the front reception desk. >> reporter: and she comes out? >> and she comes out and she was just questioning and looked, you know, surprised and startled. >> reporter: and what do you tell her? >> that she was being placed under arrest. >> reporter: so you cuff her. you pull her right out of these doors here? >> yes. >> reporter: and what was she saying in the car? >> she was like, "i can't believe this is happening." and she was starting to get teary. and she was like, "why, why, why?" >> reporter: she actually had some tears in the car? >> oh yeah. >> in the back seat? >> yes. >> reporter: not a killer after all. just a grim weeper. were those tears for the girlfriend she tried to have killed? >> no, they were for herself. >> reporter: you'll remember our hitmen who are, in fact, undercover federal agents. when you're in that courtroom, and you see the person that you caught, and they look at you, what do you read in their eyes? >> they hate you.

>> that person trusted you with everything and suddenly, they find out that you have betrayed them. >> i enjoy that part. that's the part where they know they've been had. it's the only time you can come out and say, yeah, i got you. >> reporter: nicole eventually pleading guilty, getting ten years in federal prison. and from that prison in west virginia, she is reaching out to "20/20," sending an e-mail saying, "i thank god every day that no one got hurt from my careless actions. i would like to apologize to the victim and her family. i am not, and have never been, a violent person. i was a woman destroyed by emotions and i am paying for it dearly." nicole also accuses the feds of baiting her. "i was at an emotional low point in my life and they took advantage of that," she says. but that hitman, reminding us in that supermarket parking lot, he gave her several outs. >> i want to make sure that you know what you're getting

yourself into when you want this done because, like i said, there's no turning back. >> reporter: when we come back, the reason jennifer is afraid it'll never be "done." why she fears nicole, even from behind bars, is still a threat. because you think she's still determined. >> yes. i do. >> reporter: and an emotional moment in that supermarket parking lot where that plot began. see who jennifer is about to meet. i make a lot of purchases for my business. and i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase like 60,000 bonus points when i spent $5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. and i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at office supply stores. with ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. travel, gift cards even cash back. and my rewards points won't expire. so you can make owning business even more rewarding. ink from chase. so you can.

she is an excellent gift giver. however, when it comes to giving instruction... well, she is less than excellent. but nicole doesn't need to be a one woman it department. i don't? vo: you really don't. luckily for nicole, and her dad, there is a place where he can get personalized instruction from someone who knows their stuff. the samsung experience shop, only at best buy. get the samsugn galaxy s 5 for $99 when you trade in any working smartphone and get a guaranteed $100 best buy gift card.

way understandscount these daysr count these days.

that's why they have lots of ways for you to save. real big club card deals, the safeway app and gas rewards. this week, large, red seedless grapes are just $1.99 a pound. foster farms fresh whole chickens are only 99 cents a pound. and gatorade is just $3.99 an 8-pack. there's more savings to love... at safeway. ingredients for life. [ car alarm chirps ] [ humming ] just like you, i love everything the golden state of california has to offer. so i stay golden by managing my energy use. energy upgrade california taught me how. like to replace old bulbs with l.e.d.s. and i got this programmable thermostat. some activities require no electricity at all. so join me and help california stay golden. learn to manage your energy at energyupgradeca.org

"20/20" continues. here again, david muir. >> reporter: murder can be hard on a relationship. the plot to kill jennifer, when her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend nicole faccenda hired a hitman. that's hard to get past. >> you almost paid for this with your life, this guy's got to be some incredible guy. is howie like the best thing going? >> howie's a good guy. he's a good father.

he's very caring. you know, unfortunately he got involved with nicole, and it all came down to this. >> reporter: as it turns out, even from behind bars, nicole may have gotten some of what she wanted. howie and jennifer? they're on the rocks. so, you and howie are still together? >> we are working through things for our children, for us, for our families. >> so you can't say for sure whether there's a future or not? >> i'm not sure. we're working it out. >> and was it the death threat when you finally said, you know, i'm not sure this is gonna work? >> it was a lot of things. >> too many things have happened. >> yes. yes. >> and now you feel like you can't erase it? >> i don't know. >> reporter: but one thing jennifer does not blame on howie is the murder plot. >> howieidn't do this. howie didn't tell nicole to hire somebody to kill his family. it was all her.

and i can't hold howie accountable for that. >> reporter: howie turned down our invitation to do an interview. but he told us in a phone call, he still loves jennifer immensely and wants to stay with her forever. 100%, he told us. jennifer, meanwhile, is still looking over her shoulder. there's a moment when they're in the car and they're talking about the ways they can kill you. >> yes. >> and she says, "i don't care if she's in a horrible, horrible car accident." >> i wouldn't care if she was in a horrible, horrible car accident. >> do those words still play out in your mind? >> all the time. all the time. everywhere i go, i have to be worried or concerned that somebody is gonna drive me off the road. or somebody is going to come to my door with a silencer, as she said she wanted to. i'm scared every day. >> because you think she's still determined. >> yes. i do. >> reporter: and jennifer says she has cause for concern. nicole denies it, but agents say

even after she was arrested, and in jail waiting for her trial, a cellmate informed them nicole was plotting another hit on jennifer. >> she even said at one point that she knew her life was over, and that now she was really determined to make sure that the victim didn't get to live. and she went as far as to make arrangements with her so the cellmate's husband's himself could, in fact, commit the murder. >> reporter: and then our drive with the woman who was supposed to be killed. we reach the spot where that plot was hatched. the suburban new jersey supermarket. it was a day like this, and she's sitting here in the parking lot plotting your murder. >> coming here just makes me very emotional, upset. that this is where it all started, that my life was gonna end. >> and you've driven past this store before. >> i have. i have, yes. >> never in your wildest imagination thinking there'd be a plot for your life here. >> no. >> and when you pulled in the parking lot? >> just a lot of emotions.

just the thought that two and half years ago, almost, that i could not be here, that my children would be motherless. and this is where it all started. >> reporter: for that undercover killer, the hitman we call jose, the hits keep coming. >> you could be on a new case tomorrow. >> yes, i can. >> or today. >> or today. or after this. who knows? yeah, wherever the job takes me. >> and when you look back on that, that rookie case, are you relieved it's over? >> yeah, i'm glad it's over. i mean, she, she got honestly what she deserves. >> ten years. >> ten years is a long time. but if she actually went through with the crime, you know, she could have gotten more. >> i want to go to the funeral. >> do you think what could have happened if those two atf agents didn't pull you over that day? >> i owe them.

i owe them my life. >> so what would you say to them? they're standing right here. >> oh, my god. hi. >> what's going on? >> hi. thank you so much. i'm shaking right now. >> you doing okay? >> reporter: jennifer has had a lot of surprises through this ordeal. but we had arranged one last one. a much happier surprise. atf agents mike alongi and angela mullins. right there in that parking lot. they're the ones who pulled her over that day and saved her. >> thank you so much, guys. oh, my god. i just -- i wouldn't be here without the two of you. and i remember that day like it was yesterday. oh, my god. >> well, we're just happy that we could help out. >> thank you. >> you're here. >> i am. >> as we stand here today, back on the supermarket parking lot, you're convinced these two saved your life? >> yes, definitely. definitely. >> we're so happy to hear that, because, you know, most of the

time you -- you know, we take guns off the street and we go after criminal but, you know, to have someone standing right before you that, you know, lets you really feel like you did make the difference. >> reporter: the murder for hire plot with an unexpected ending. a world of hurt. ending with a hug. >> we're just glad that we were there to -- to help you. >> thank you. thank you. i can't thank you guys enough, really. >> you being here is the best thing. the best thing for us.

up to 60% off plus 10% offday mattress spectacular get an extra 5% off or up to 60 months financing and get free delivery start your search at sears, where members get more

...they reflect yourwhat you give them,or... that's why their nutrition is so important. see the difference the right food can make! rethink mealtime, at petsmart. now save up to $5 on our best nutrition. plus, get a $5 coupon online. now they're part of our 2 for $25 guest favorites!r one olive garden dishes. featuring your all time favorite creamy chicken alfredo and seductive shrimp mezzaluna. it's our most inspired 2 for $25 ever. at olive garden. honestly, the off-season isn't i've got a lot to do. that's why i got my surface. it's great for watching game film and drawing up plays. it's got onenote, so i can stay on top of my to-do list, which has been absolutely absurd since the big game. with skype, it's just really easy to stay in touch with the kids i work with. alright, russell you are good to go! alright, fellas. alright, russ. back to work!

>> who could hit a little girl with a hammer? tonight a shocking crime. >> next, why police say a

mother attacked a child at school. abc7 news begins in 60