A Girl in Need Ch. 05

Jake finally broke down and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, I'm outnumbered, I know when to quit - while I'm at least a little bit ahead. One rule, though: no shopping sprees! The last time you two had one, Wal-Mart had to restock the Toys and Children's Wear departments."

May leaned over and said to my Aunt, "Chris, you may as well join us and bring Sean."

Chris looked over at me and lifted an eyebrow. "Can I?" she asked.

I laughed and agreed, "Yes, for a few days but the same rule applies. Just let me know when to be around for meals and bedtime."

As the evening started to wind down, Jake took Sean and me home in the SUV. Sean fell asleep almost as soon as we started moving. After driving about ten minutes, Jake pulled over into a parking area. He looked over at me and said, "Boy, I wish they hadn't done away with bench seats - it makes it hard to cuddle when you are sitting on a gear shift." He stretched out his hand and took mine. "Anyway, I noticed that you had quite a long chat with Mom. Is it top secret?"

"No, nothing secret. She told me to do the same to you as she did with your Dad - take you to a bedroom, take your clothes off, throw you on a bed, make mad passionate love with you, get pregnant, and then let nature take its course."

Jake gasped, "Oh, no! What did you tell her?"

"I told her that I had already had the same idea, and I was giving it very serious consideration."

Jake sat there with a silly grin on his face. "Do I get any say in this?" he asked.

I pouted at him. "Don't you want me?" I kind of half cried.

He laughed, "Wanting you is the understatement of the year! All that I need to know is where and when, and I'll be there with bells on."

I got a little serious then. "Jake, give me a little time and room. While we are on this case, I don't feel good about us making love. As far as place goes, I don't want it to be some sleazy motel. I'm sure that Chris would love to take Sean away for a night, but the bed I have there is the one I shared with Geoff, and it has too many memories for me; for a first time, anyway. The same goes for your place, too many memories of Jenny. Please go along with me on this, I want a fresh start for both of us and for our kids."

Jake replied, "I can understand your feelings. You know, the other night at my place, I felt that I was doing something to Jenny's memory. Maybe I was starting to let go of her a little. I have an idea, though. Can you get three days off next week? By then, everything on the case will be in the Crown's hands. I have to go to Toronto to turn the laptop over to the Child Pornography section then, so let's make a trip of it. We'll do hotel, dinner, show, the whole thing."

I thought for a minute, and then I smiled. "That's the most romantic thing you have said to me yet."

He grinned and went on, "The Company uses a suite at the Royal York for business meetings. I'll check and see if it is available, and whether Dad needs it."

I thought for a moment more, and then admitted, "Jake, I'm scared a little. Things between us are heating up really quickly. Feeling the way I do is totally outside my experience, and it takes my breath away sometimes. What if we are wrong about each other?"

Jake answered, "Pat, I feel the same way as you. This is just as new to me as it is to you. Jenny and I took things nice and slowly, and while we had a good life together both in and out of bed, we never felt the searing passion that I have felt when the two of us kissed. Could we be wrong? Yes, we possibly could. But, we could equally be right and, let's face it, in my Dad and Mom we have the best example of how to act. They felt the opportunity and the need, and they followed their feelings. They have kept that going for over 30 years, so there must have been something to it. Anyway, what else did my family confide in you?"

"Wayne told me to tell you that if I should hook you, pencil him in as your best man. You cheated him last time, so you better not try this time. Also, I have three offers for Matron of Honor from Joan, Jan and Pamela. Looks like we are the only ones who don't think things are all fixed up."

Jake pondered on that for a moment, before continuing, "There was something else I was told that I really have to think about. Dad and I took a few private minutes, as we usually do when we get together. Usually the subject is the Company, but there was a bit more today. Dad became diabetic a couple of years ago, and it seems to be getting worse. He wants to take things a little easier. He has had an offer to buy out the company from a bigger competitor. He doesn't want to sell because, as he puts it, if he sells we will be ok as a family, but what about the 400 employees we have working throughout Ontario plus those in the west? He can't think of any other company that treats its employees as well as we do."

"What about Wayne, can't he take over?" I asked.

Jake shook his head. "Wayne is happy where he is, out in Calgary where he has access to all that he wants. He is as high in the company as he wants to go. Really, after what he studied in University, he should be an English professor. For all the big stuff, he consults Dad, as he never studied any business. So, that is something else I have to think of over the next six months."

"What do you think of Mom?" he continued.

I laughed. "She seems to be a real go getter, makes up her mind what she wants and then goes after it. She seems to have a lot of friends, she is easy to like and I felt really comfortable with her. Anyway, what is this Aunt Chrissie stuff?"

Jake chuckled back and replied, "Well, as Mom said, she and Chris have been best friends since they were girls, so Chris has always been Aunt Chrissie to us Rogers kids, just like a few other unofficial Aunts that you will likely meet. Mom has always surrounded herself with women who use their minds. While I don't think any one of them has ever taken a political office, their influence around the town has been tremendous. Your office and the crisis center are two examples of things that they have pressed for. Those women just somehow seem to be able to get things done between them."

He then started the SUV and pulled back out onto the road. "Well, tomorrow is another day, back to work again. I am going to take Laura Jacobs to her bank to get those journals. What do you have planned for the day?"

I said, "I have to catch up on my paper work and see what the counselor for the girls has to say so far."

Jake continued, "I will have to get the brief made up for court, as well. How be we meet up at my office Wednesday morning at about ten, and we can head down to the Crown's office to show her what we have for the hearing on Friday?"

"Sounds like a plan to me."

We pulled up in my Aunt's driveway. Her car was there, but there were no lights on in the house. Jake gently unbelted Sean and carried him into the house. I showed him Sean's room, and he carried him over to the bed. I quickly undressed Sean down to his underwear, tucked him under the sheet and kissed him goodnight. Jake surprised me by bending and doing the same, kissing him on the brow and whispering, "Goodnight, little buddy."

We walked back into the living room. Jake sat down in a chair, held his arms out and I just melted into them, sitting on his knee. I put both arms around his neck, pulled his face into mine and started kissing him deeply, our tongues dueling a little. One of his arms was around me beneath my breasts, and I felt that hand begin exploring . His other hand was on my leg and started sliding up under the leg of my shorts. Once again, I was splitting in two; my brain was sayingthis is too quick,but my body was interrupting withkeep going.The front of my panties had to be absolutely soaked, I wanted him that badly. Beneath me I could feel his excitement as his manhood stiffened. All I had to do was turn slightly and his penis would have been lying up against my vaginal lips. All that saved the day, if that is what it could be called, was a cry of "Mommy?" from Sean's bedroom as he stirred in his sleep.

I stood up, went in to check him and saw that he was ok. By the time I returned, Jake was standing in the hallway, ready to go. He took me in his arms, kissed me and whispered, "We almost got things rolling tonight. See you tomorrow, I hope. You know, I'm pretty sure that I have fallen in love again."

I murmured "Me too."

He left whistling, heading for home. It had been a near miss, and I grinned to myself as I thoughtWell, May, maybe we'll do it your way.Then I went and had a really cool shower before going to bed.

The next morning, I got in bright and early. The first question from Helen was, "How are things going with Jake?"

My perky answer was, "If they were going any better, we would both have been going to work from the same place this morning."

She laughed, "Somehow, I thought it might go that way! You are very similar people who need someone; I'm happy for the pair of you, just make sure I get an invitation to the wedding."

"Don't tell me Helen, you're not one of the 'Aunts' as well, are you?"

"No, I'm not old enough for that, just lucky enough to be a family friend."

I got going on the paperwork, in particular the reports from the counselor who interviewed the Jacobs family. There were no reports of what was actually said, but only what the counselor observed and thought. They were pretty interesting. The counselor thought that, unexpectedly in spite of their ordeal, the girls were quite well adjusted, and that their mother had helped them get through it.

At around eleven, just as I was about to head out for a coffee, my cell phone rang. It was Jake.

"Can you meet me at my office in about 15 minutes? I'm calling from Laura Jacob's bank. I came here to pick up the journals, but I am going to have to question her again. We just might get some answers to questions that we have been wondering about, and she might talk more readily if you are present."

"I will be right over."

Jake

I got to the office early so I could go over Laura's statement to refresh my memory. I then went over to the Court Office as soon as it opened. I asked to see a copy of the judgment involving Bernard Jacobs and the Bank in Clearville regarding the seizure of his animals. I could see from the transcript of the proceedings that, while the bank was represented, the proceedings were uncontested by Jacobs. That was very unusual. It was possible, but not probable that he wouldn't contest the proceedings, and it was definitely not what I would have expected of any farmer in that situation!

My next stop was the Crisis Center where I asked to see Laura. She came to the office, and I told her, "Laura, the copy of your Journal that you have at the bank is the best evidence we have for the court, as you have had that under lock and key. The copies at the farm are less acceptable, because others could have had access to them. To keep continuity of the journal, I would like to take it from you when you take it from the safety deposit box. Will you do that, please?"

She replied, "Yes, we can do that."

We then drove over to the bank where I accompanied her into the vault. She and the bank clerk placed their keys in the locks and turned them. The clerk opened the box, slid out a container and placed it on the table. Laura turned her back to me, opened the box and removed a number of exercise books. She turned to gave them to me, and, as she turned, I could see a number of envelopes in the tray. She turned back, took out one of the envelopes and slipped it into her purse.

"The girls DNA reports," she explained.

I placed the exercise books in my briefcase and asked if I could use the phone. I called Pat and asked if she could come over to the office. I wanted her there as I thought Laura might talk a little more easily if Pat were there, and I also wanted to have a witness to what might happen.

After hanging up, I turned back to Laura to ask, "Laura, there are a few more questions that I have to ask. Can you come back to the office with me, please?"

Laura looked at me in surprise, "Why? Is there some problem?"

"That is what we have to find out before we go to court, so there are no surprises."

"Ok, I will go back with you."

When we arrived at the office, I asked her to take a seat in the main office while I made a phone call and we waited for Pat. I then went into my office and made the call.

"Good morning, Joseph and Lund Law Office. How may I help you?"

"Hi, Angela, Jake Rogers here. Is Aunt Liz in?"

"Yes, I'll put you through."

Aunt Liz is another of Moms old friends, and is also the sharpest family law practitioner in the North.

"Elizabeth Lund here, how can I help you?"

"Hi, Aunt Elizabeth, its Jake here,"

"Oh, no! Every time you call me Aunt, you are after something! What is it this time?"

"I shouldn't be making this call, but I felt I had to. I am working on a case involving victims of domestic and sexual abuse, Laura Jacobs and her three daughters. I have the offender locked up, but he will no doubt be out on bail on Friday. He has made their lives hell on earth. I have a feeling that Laura has been stashing money away so that they can get away. As the money belongs to both of them, if she takes off with it there is always the possibility she could be charged by him with theft, and I'm sure that if he doesn't think of it, his lawyer will. My own feeling is that he will never have enough money to come close to making up for what he did to her and their daughters. I figured that if anyone knows how to make sure he doesn't get his hands on much, it would be you. Do you have time to see her?"

"For you, I'll make time; have her here at the office at one o'clock."

I went back out into the office to see that Pat had arrived, so I invited both her and Laura into the office and sat them down.

"Laura, you will notice I'm not taping this conversation, but I have some questions to ask you and I need you to answer them truthfully. You don't have to answer, but if you do I will know better what your options are. First, are you planning on leaving your husband and taking your daughters with you?"

Pat looked at me in shock, as if she were seeing a new person.

Laura nodded, "Yes, I am. I don't want to ever see him again."

I nodded and continued, "When you opened your safety deposit box this morning, I noticed a number of envelopes, do you have other material in the box?"

"Yes, I do, my mother's will, letters from her lawyer, my will, my journals and the girls' DNA reports in it."

"Laura, when did your mother die?"

"She died about 6 months ago. Her estate was split between me and my sister. She took the money and I own the family farm."

"Laura, if I were to apply for a search warrant for that box, would I find money in there?"

Pat almost jumped out of her chair and was glaring at me.

Laura thought for a moment and said, "Yes, you would."

I then asked her, "Where did the money come from?"

Her cheeks took on a deep shade of pink. "The money in the box came from what I have put away without Bernard's knowledge. I started about 10 years ago and, bit by bit, it has built up. Bernard doesn't know about my box. If he did, he would try to take it all."

"Did you stop paying the bank loan off as well?"

"Yes, I did. The money wasn't building up fast enough, and I was getting even more desperate and scared for the girls. I destroyed the letters from the bank and the Summons from the Court so Bernard wouldn't know. I was just about set for us to get away when you came and arrested Bernard, and that messed up everything. All we wanted was to get away from him."

"Laura, I want you to listen carefully to what I have to say. Myself, I think that you and the girls deserve every cent you get. There is no way that Bernard can ever make up for what you have suffered at his hands, but that isn't the way that the law looks at it. If you leave Bernard and he were to make a complaint of theft from him, we would have to investigate, and there is a possibility that you could be charged. It may not seem fair, but that is the way it works. What I want you to do is to go to see a lawyer. The one I recommend is Elizabeth Lund. She is the best in family law that you will find anywhere near here. Tell her exactly what you have told me. When you leave here, go get a copy of your journals and take those with you, as she will need them. She will know how best you and the girls can be protected. I have already talked to her, and she has made time for you at one o'clock this afternoon."

I turned to Pat and asked, "Pat, could you do me a big favor and make sure that Laura gets there?"

I then gave Elizabeth's card to Pat.

Pat let out a big sigh of relief, "Boy, you really had me scared there for a while, and I apologize, as I should have known better, but I would hate to have you coming after me! I'll gladly take Laura wherever she needs to go."

I told Pat that she didn't need to apologize, as I realized that it might have looked like I had come on pretty strong. I turned to Laura to tell her that it was ok to go back home now, and then added, "Another piece of advice that I am not giving you is that you do not stay at the house, but be sure to get everything that you need or would ever want, even if you have to put it in storage for now. It will save a battle when Bernard gets out of prison."

She replied with a slight tremor of relief, "Thank you for your non-advice. If Pat can give me a ride, there is a truck at the farm that I can use. I'm sure I can get help to load it."

I walked out with them and thought to myself,I hope Aunt Liz can do something for her. There are times when I get to hate this job.

I went back into the office, knocked on Bill James' door and asked him if he had a few minutes. He did, so I brought him up to date on what was going on, less this last discussion with Laura. (Sometimes you are better keeping your mouth shut.) I asked if it were ok to give what I had to the secretary to work up, and then go home. I was feeling pretty exhausted by then. Sometimes helping someone out is a lot tougher than making an arrest.

Bill gave me permission to go, so I talked to the secretary to let her know what I wanted; she had already transcribed the tapes I had given her earlier. I had all the other forms roughly filled in so she could type them up for me to check and sign before I had to go see the Crown tomorrow. Then I took off for home and a chance to wind down by doing something else.

I was half way through mowing the lawn when my cell phone went off. Good job I had it on vibrate as I never would have heard it over the mower. When I answered, a voice that was becoming more beautiful each time I heard it asked, "How come you get the afternoon off and I have to work?"

My smart-aleck answer was, "Because I have grass to cut, and you don't."

"I called the office and they said you were home. I just wanted to say again that I'm sorry I had any doubts about your actions earlier. Elizabeth told both Laura and me that we should appreciate just how far you had gone out on a limb to help. Anyway, she will be looking after Laura from now on, and she promised to tie Bernard Jacobs up in so many knots he would never get loose. When she read the journal, she was enraged at the treatment they got."

"That's why I wanted Laura to see her; Elizabeth is very good and really works hard for her clients."

"I also took Laura out to the farm. She stopped at one of the elders from the church to put together a work party to help her pack. I think she also gave him a copy of her journal so there may be more going on than we know."