Betrayal Ch. 03

As expected, the entire criminal conspiracy was there: Rodgers, Slaughter, Ward, Hughes, Allen, Benton, Barnes, and Karen. Tim took numerous pictures with his camera using high-speed film, and then acceded to Andy's plea to leave.

As soon as they returned, Patti asked what they learned. Andy reviewed their actions, and told them "We didn't hear that much, but we did hear Karen ream JW and the others about all the promises that Tim would never find out, and threaten all of them with disclosure and ruin if she lost custody of her kids. Benton tried to placate her, claiming he could tell Tim was just running an elaborate bluff to get them to crack, and reassuring her that, if everyone stuck to the story they had agreed on, and had already told, no one could disprove it. She would get custody, and then she could reclaim her kids and kick her husband out, or let him grovel and beg to be taken back.

Benton then told them they would all submit written statements, because if he presented those all the other lawyers could do is question them about the statements, which would reduce the risk of forgetting to tell something important on the stand.

Joe Ward, the superintendent, warned everyone that they need to stop arguing and get focused: the custody hearing is set for tomorrow, and the board meeting for the next night, so they need to get their shit together and get ready!

Jeanie's husband reminded them that he had been arrested and was facing trial, and they needed to support him too. If not, he might go ahead and confess so he could get leniency. Benton assured him he was going to get him off, and that he needed to stick to the story so it appears that both Tim and Jeanie overreacted, which caused all the problems.

Slaughter snorted at that, and told Barnes that he didn't give a fuck what happened to him because he was a fucking wife beater, and his stupidity was likely to destroy them all!

We left before we heard the reply because Karen and JW got up and walked into the kitchen, which had a view of where we were standing. "

"Regardless," Tim said with a grin, 'if the recorder worked, we've got their sorry asses! You three need to make sure they are questioned UNDER OATH, and that we can play the tape from tonight after they have all testified. I have the pictures, with time and date stamped, so we can put them there in my house, identify each, and identify their voices. If we do that, they are fucked!"

No one had noticed Jeanie standing in the doorway from the kitchen. "When you put Larry on the stand, I want to come in and sit on the front row. I want him, and everyone else, to see what he did to me, while he lies his sorry ass off!"

Everyone turned to her when she spoke, surprised by the resolve and rancor in her voice, and Patti asked if she was sure. She said absolutely, and Patti said, "Then I'll call him after Rodgers and Slaughter. He will be the first of the 'poker players' called; that should throw all of them for a loop! And, it will give pause to the judge, just in case!"

"Speaking of throwing for a loop, David and I want you to be sitting in the audience when the board meeting begins, with your trusty tape recorder in hand, Tim. We won't call you into the closed meeting immediately, but knowing you are there with the tape should expedite the resignations. If they want, you will come in, play the recording, and the five other board members will act to dismiss all the employees for cause, and remove Allen and Benton from the board, or whatever their school lawyer says they can do."

"Hey, don't hesitate to call me: I want to face those MFs down every chance I get!" Tim replied enthusiastically. "I would revel in disclosing their immoral and improper conduct, and I would allege that her superiors in the chain of command coerced Karen into being their whore. True or not, that will give her a chance to save her own ass and bury theirs! I guarantee you she will jump on it!

I want them not only dismissed; I want them stripped of their credentials as educators! So, fuck the 'resignation' bullshit: we have their sorry asses -- let's tear them a new one! I want all of them ruined so they can never corrupt teachers or kids again!

Of course, we need to do the same with that fucking Larry! The city has a morals code too; we need to have him fired for cause so it will be on his record and he can't get good paying jobs like that again! Is everyone with me? Let's wreck some assholes!"

The all nodded enthusiastically. Jeanie gave him a soft hug from the side and said "Thank you for looking out for me, Tim." He gently hugged her back, and kissed the top of her head.

Patti, Andy, and Jimmie traded looks, and Patti said, "You two are pretty easy to read, so we need to keep you away from each other until this all ends. Then you can do whatever it is you want to do, but not now, okay?"

They agreed with nods, but did not pull away from each other until Patti said, "Tim, the first video tape, KK1, is of Karen and JW, then Karen, JW, and Steve, and then Hughes joins in. It is raunchy and disturbing, but the conversations that got recorded are certainly...enlightening. If we play the audio, even without the video, they will all lose their teaching credentials, and get prison time as well! As painful as it will be, you need to watch."

Jeanie interjected, "Then I'm going to watch too!"

Patti looked askance at her, but Jeanie glared back with the one eye still open in her battered face. They went to the TV room, Jimmie started the tape, and they watched. Jeanie sat beside Tim and held his hand as one devastating scene after another played out. When Karen left after the three of them shared her, they made fun of 'her arrogant asshole of a husband', and Jeanie felt Tim tense. She clung to him more tightly, assuring him it would all be all right in a soft voice.

The irony of the beautiful high school cheerleader and prom queen, beaten so badly that her left cheek was swollen and purple with bruising, her left eye covered with a big patch, with a stitch protruding from her lip, assuring HIM that things would be all right, was remarkable. His feelings for her grew stronger.

When it ended, they three lawyers consulted about how excerpts could be used without putting Tim in danger of being charged with various crimes. Jeanie clung to his hand and arm, and laid her head on his shoulder. Tim was withdrawing from the conversation into his own world of vengeance and mayhem, but Jeanie stood up cautiously, and tugged him to come with her. When the others turned to them, Jeanie saw a disapproving look on Patti's face. She strongly stated, "We won't go near each other in public, and we will be discrete here, but I need him and he needs me for companionship, so you three need to stick with your own business. We will see you in the morning!"

The others looked at one another and grinned: the timid, intimidated Jeanie was gone, replaced by the strong woman Tim so admired! Tagging along at her behest, Tim hesitated as she pulled him into his bedroom. "No hanky-panky, Tim, but I need to hold you and be held. Please?" Tim merely nodded, held out his hand with the palm up to signify she could use the bathroom first. She told him she had bathed and soaked earlier; all she had to do was change into her pajamas.

Tim returned in his boxers and a tee shirt to find Jeanie, wearing satin pajamas, in his bed. He looked at her, she said "Please?" He climbed in, keeping on his side of the big queen-size bed. As soon as he got settled, however, she scooted over, moved his arm across her pillow, arranged her head on his shoulder, and snuggled up to him with a sigh. The only view he had was of her eye patch and the battered half of her face. That was discomfiting, but he conjured up the vision of her he kept stored, and let himself relax.

"I'm not gonna lie, Jeanie. This isn't the first time I've dreamed of you in my bed, all cuddled up to me, but the circumstances are very different tonight. Take whatever you need from me, Sweet One. I'll be your rock, or your cuddle bunny, as you wish." Jeanie sleepily mumbled, "Not my first time to have that dream either, Tim. Please hold me: I need my rock to cuddle me tonight."

He kept her snuggled closely to his side, and she fell asleep in minutes. He didn't, until he had reviewed his plan of action for Wednesday, thought about the beautiful body and soul beside him, and kissed her hair.

As usual, Tim awoke at 5:30, and found Jeanie's luscious body draped across his. He was on his back; she was on her right side with her firm tits pressed into his chest, her top leg laying over his upper thigh and cock. He wanted to pull her pajamas off and pull her onto his cock, but, being the thoughtful gentleman, he carefully disentangled himself and left her sleeping, lying on her uninjured side.

Tim slipped out of the room, did his morning things, quickly got dressed, and headed his boys off before they ran into his room to pounce on him. He turned cartoons on in the living room, fixed breakfast, and fed the boys green eggs and ham with toast. After they were dressed and bundled up for the frosty morning, they started for the pickup.

Patti made an appearance in a short, flimsy robe to remind him to get the tapes from the house and listen to it as soon as he could so she could adjust the presentation based on what they learned. She added that he needed to be at the family courtroom in Georgetown by 1 for the 2 pm hearing, and she would like to hear the tapes, just in case. He obviously looked her over, winked, and said she could star in his movie anytime. She blushed and pulled her robe tighter; he laughed at her discomfort, promised he would be there on time, and took his boys to the truck.

After teaching his first two classes, Tim dropped by the principal's office and reminded Mr. Jones that he was taking the rest of the day off. The older man put down his pen, gave him a sad look, and said, "Good luck, son" before he returned his attention to the stack of papers on his desk.

Tim dropped in on Chet next, entering his office and closing the door before asking, "What are you hearing?"

"Not as much as you'd think" Chet answered. "There isn't any gossip about your wife and the weekend from hell, or comment about the board meeting agenda. In fact, only one person, the curriculum director, has brought it up. I told her I wasn't on a high enough pay grade to know what that meant.

She said she must not be either, and then asked me what I was doing with her this weekend. After I recovered from her demanding a date with me, I told her that I'm sure we can find something that will satisfy both of us, and asked what time I should pick her up. She giggled, said whenever I'm ready Friday night, and to bring a toothbrush. So, as important as this is to you and the others, it doesn't seem to matter much to the rank and file."

Affecting a more serious tone, Chet asked, "How are you holding up, and how is Jeanie?"

"I'm doing fine; she's hurting and vulnerable. I'm about to go collect the evidence we need to bury the whole stinking bunch, and pick up the rest of my guns. Speaking of guns, you don't know where a man could acquire an untraceable sniper-type rifle, do you? Something like a Remington 700 in 25.06 or.300 mag caliber, maybe."

After studying Tim for a moment, Chet answered. "I do, in fact. Who wants to buy one?"

With a straight face Tim answered, "I'm thinking about another hunting trip to far west Texas next season, but I'd like to buy it now so I can get used to it before we go. You know, shooting way across those canyons a man needs a good rifle."

Chet nodded, and, with a smile, asked, "Will tomorrow be soon enough?"

After leaving the high school, Tim rode by the elementary and saw Karen's car parked in her spot. He went directly to his house, but saw Benton's car parked in the driveway. Damn! Karen was meeting with her lawyer at their house before the hearing! Dammit! He couldn't get the tapes!

Fear that he would lose custody without the tapes distracted him, but he drove directly to the Haussmann's home, where he informed Patti of the situation.

She was far less concerned, believing that the judge would accept Tim's petition, given no more than the facts of the case, but the final custody hearing would have a much higher standard. Knowing where he, Karen, and her lovers would be, Tim called his PI and asked him to retrieve the tapes and put new ones in while everyone was at the courthouse; he said it would be done as soon as they left, and he would have someone bring the tapes to the courthouse.

***

When Tim and his attorney entered and went to their table, Karen and Barry Benton were already at theirs, and the six stooges were sitting in the first row behind them. They all smirked at Tim when he looked their way.

The judge went over the reason for the hearing: to determine the best temporary custodial placement for the safety and welfare of two minor children. She then stated that this is a legal process, but with less formality and fewer rules, because the focus is on the purpose; what is best for the children.

After opening statements, the judge asked Patti to make the case for the petitioner. Patti built the case for Tim receiving temporary custody of the two boys, playing up that his coaching duties were over for the year so he could pick them up from daycare early, that he had strong parenting skills, and had an exceptionally strong relationship with his sons.

She then made the case that Karen had proven to be a negligent parent who frequently left her sons with young babysitters, some well qualified, some not, while she was with other men. The Friday storm was cited as an example of when her negligence could have resulted in the two boys being without parental supervision for more than two days if their dependable father had not returned.

The judge knew Benton would be calling witnesses because she had been given copies of their sworn statements. She was surprised that Patti Haussmann had taken this case and was pursuing it so aggressively because it was going to be hard to overcome the first-person testimony absolving the wife of wrongdoing.

Patti surprised the defense and the judge even more with her next statement. "Your honor, we just received and read the sworn statements from the men seated here in the courtroom, and my client would like to hear their stories, and Mrs. Kelly's story, from the stand. He doesn't want to proceed with this process if they are able to convince him that he misunderstood the situation. Therefore, I call John William Rodgers as my first witness."

As JW was being sworn in, the wives of Barry Benton, Frank Hughes, Joe Ward, and John Allen entered the small courtroom and took seats in the back row. The looks on the faces of their husbands alone was worth the price of admission to the proceedings. If ever "OH SHIT!" could be captured as facial expressions, it was today.

It had taken only a phone call from Jeanie to Frank Hughes's wife Jamie to set up the firestorm that awaited them. Jeanie said she just wanted to talk to someone else whose husband was there because the story seemed sketchy, but possible. Jamie repeated the story her husband promised was the truth, but Jeanie's seemingly innocent disclosure that Karen was there with the men was all it took to bring the other women to the hearing room wearing their pissed-off faces. It seems these gentlemen had failed to disclose to their wives that Mrs. Kelly was also at the 'poker game' and that she spent the night in the boathouse with them.

Patti led JW down the same primrose path she would lead Steven Oliver Slaughter and Frank Randall Hughes, eliciting the sworn testimony they had rehearsed and submitted in writing, with just enough differences to be believable. Tim's facial expression remained neutral, but he leaned forward to signal his interest in their statements.

After those three, Patti called Larry Barnes. As soon as he was seated and the oath administered, Jeanie Barnes limped in and gingerly took a seat in the first row, behind Tim. Seeing her condition and the hateful look she was giving the man on the stand with her disfigured face, the judge looked at him; he looked pale and had averted his eyes. Her countenance hardened.

Larry was thrown off kilter by her appearance, and his rambling testimony proved it. Regardless, he was now on the record, under oath.

Patti's next witness surprised everyone: Barry Benton. The normally unflappable lawyer was sweating bullets as he objected, but he too had submitted a sworn statement, so the judge ruled he could be called. His testimony was couched in phrases such as, "I was drinking so forgive me for being inexact... Well, I'm not certain, but what I recollect is..." Patti twice referred him to his written statement, 'to help him refresh his memory', and the sweat turned into a river running over his red face. His wife's look of glee as he suffered on the stand said it all to the judge.

Karen was last. She was dressed modestly and classically, affecting her best 'school teacher, wife, and mother' image. Her plaintive tones as she told her tale of innocence, wronged by a hot tempered husband who rushed to judgment over her being detained by an act of God after she had tried to go support him and his team. She reiterated several times that nothing happened that would upset her husband, and ended with tears running down her cheeks and a truly pitiful look on her face. The judge looked touched, as did Tim, who called his attorney to the table before Jeanie was dismissed.

Patti returned, and began asking clarifying questions. "Ms. Kelly, you insist nothing of a sexual nature happened while you were with these men, is that correct?" "Yes, nothing at all!" Karen replied. "And this is the first and only time you've been with these men, is that correct?" Karen looked surprised, but answered in the affirmative.

"Then perhaps you can explain why, on these dates, you acquired babysitters for your two children, in order to accompany Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Slaughter to basketball games your husband was coaching in other towns." She handed a list of dates and the name of the babysitter for each date to the judge and Karen, and then took one to Benton.

Karen blanched, and gave Benton a hard look, before answering, "I wasn't with those men on those dates; I went shopping with other wives. I don't know where they got the idea I was going to the out of town games." As soon as she finished her response, the courtroom door opened and five of the seven high school girls whose names appeared on the list entered and took seats near the wives.

Patti returned to her briefcase and brought the statements of each babysitter to the judge, asking that they be entered into the record, and offering to bring each girl to the stand.

Benton strenuously objected, but the judge ruled Karen opened the door with her statements. Karen was growing paler by the moment, but maintained an outward appearance of confidence, even smiling at the girls. The girls glared back, and Tim saw little signs of growing panic on his wife's face.

Risking a glance at Benton, Slaughter, and Rodgers, he saw that their "OH SHIT" looks were becoming permanent.

"Ms. Kelly, please read the statement of Sharon Mauldin, regarding the first two times she was asked to babysit for you, on December 27 and 28." Karen complied reluctantly, after the judge ruled she must. The statement disclosed that Coach Rodgers had arranged for her to babysit on December 27, saying he was taking Mrs. Kelly to the basketball tournament where Mr. Kelly's team was playing.

He called again the next day, and she again sat with the boys while Mrs. Kelly went to the tournament "with Coach Rodgers and some parents, he said."