Justice

From the time that he was old enough to understand the overheard conversations between his grandparents and his Aunt Minerva, Alexander Hart had been aware of the sacrifices that his aunt continued to make, trying to be both a mother and a father to him since his birth, and he would never question her love and devotion to him. He knew that his mother had died within hours of giving him birth, and without Minerva and his grandparents stepping up, he would have been placed in an orphanage and without any family at all.

Alexander wasn't dumb, deaf, or blind, so even though he didn't have any use for girls in his life right then, he understood that people came in two genders, and adults normally paired up with someone of the opposite gender, like his grandparents had, and his mom must have at one point or he wouldn't have been born. His Aunt Minnie had told him that he was all the boyfriend that she needed in her life, but Alex suspected that she secretly wished for a partner of her own.

He had witnessed lots of guys talking to his aunt at parties and other events where adults were together, and he knew that she was prettier than just about any woman that he had ever seen. And, while Aunt Minnie was always receptive to spending time with men in these social situations, she had never gone out with a man as far as he knew. It had always been just her and him.

Alex would remain protective of his aunt, but he vowed not to be a hindrance to her finding love.

~~~

"You have got to be the only male of the human species with gonads big enough to sit at the bar in an Irish pub drinking nothing but pink lemonade."

Hayden turned to face the laughing voice and smiling face of the pub's owner, Jimmy. He shook his hand and replied, "Hell, there's probably just as much alcohol in this lemonade as there is in your watered-down drinks."

Jimmy grabbed his chest in mock distress and said, "HO, you cut me to the quick! Insulting my drinks is worse than insulting my children."

'Fair enough, Jimmy," Hayden laughed. "From now on, I'll stick to insulting your food. Oh, and your hired help too. They're always fair game."

Stacy interrupted the pour of a Guinness that she had been working on to throw a bar towel at Hayden's face. He ducked and the wet towel splatted against her boss' left arm. Jimmy started twisting the towel while quickly walking around the bar to the opening. His intention of using the wet towel to snap it at Stacy was evident in his eyes and the mischievous grin on his face. Before he could reach the opening to the back of the bar, he was intercepted by another woman. Jimmy pulled up short and let the towel fall to his side.

His wife, Theresa didn't say a word but simply held out her hand for the towel. Jimmy meekly handed it to her before retreating into the kitchen. Theresa walked around to where Hayden was sitting, draped the towel around the back of his neck, and used it to pull his face to hers for a quick friendly kiss on the lips.

"Quit causing problems, HO," she teased. "Otherwise, I'll have to start charging you full price for your free drinks."

Throwing his hands up, Hayden said, "Hey, I was just sitting here minding my own business when that husband of yours accosted me. Right, Stacy?"

"I saw the whole thing," Stacy confirmed. "It was all HO's fault. He started it all."

"Stacy's drunk behind the bar again, Theresa," Hayden countered. "Smell her breath and you'll detect the tell-tale scent of Jameson's finest."

Theresa laughed and said, "More likely I'll detect the tell-tale signs of HO's finest. Are you planning to eat something or just pilfer free drinks off me all night?"

"That depends," Hayden said. "Are you going to keep your promise and bring back Taco Tuesday?"

"I told you that we would bring back Taco Tuesday after Cinco de Mayo," Theresa teasingly chastised. "That's still a month away, so find something else on the menu to eat until then."

"Not while Jimmy's in the kitchen," Hayden rebuked. "He'll probably spit on whatever I order. Then again, that might be the most flavorful ingredient in anything I order here."

Theresa laughed and said, "Pog Mo Thoin, you bastard. Besides, Jimmy doesn't spit, he drools." Raising her voice to be heard over the noise in the pub, she yelled, "Order up everyone! The next round is on HO."

She then signaled for Stacy and asked, "Do you still have HO's credit card or do I need to pry it from his cold, dead hands?"

Before Stacy could answer, a woman at the bar whose presence had been missed by Hayden because she was being blocked from his view by two large men standing between them leaned around and addressed Hayden, "Did I hear them call you, HO? Are you as promiscuous as your name would imply?"

Theresa quickly stepped back as she saw all the color drain from Hayden's face, his jaw tighten, and every muscle in his body tense as he took in the strange woman for the first time. He stood and studied her for a few more seconds before tossing a twenty onto the bar.

Walking around the men to stand in front of the woman and face her directly, Hayden lowered his voice and whispered to her, "Since you wrote the book on promiscuity, you tell me."

Without waiting for a reply from the shocked and surprised woman, Hayden stormed out of the pub. The music in the pub continued to play, but all conversation had paused. Theresa, Stacy, and all of the patrons were staring at the strange woman with curious but contemptuous expressions on their faces.

The woman sitting next to the stranger asked, "Do you know that guy?"

Minerva Hart glanced around at all of the faces staring at her before answering Lana Street, "I've never seen the guy before in my life. I'm sorry if I upset him, but with the way that he was joking around with everyone else, I thought that he would have a sense of humor..."

Theresa had overheard Minerva's comment and said, "HO is the most even-tempered, light-hearted, and self-effacing guy that you'll ever meet. He gets teased about his nickname all the time, but I've never seen him react like he did with you. You may not know him, but I got a distinct impression that he knew exactly who you are. Who are you, by the way?"

Lana Street answered for the pair, "Theresa Byrne, this is my boss, Minnie Hart. Minnie, this is one of the owners of the pub, Theresa Byrne."

Eyeing the woman, Theresa had to admit that she was easily one of the most beautiful women that she had ever seen, which made her even more intrigued by HO's reaction to her. Hayden Justice was a gentleman through and through, especially where a pretty woman was concerned. What was it about this Minnie Hart that had set him off?

"You're not from around here, are you, Miss Hart?" Theresa observed.

"No, I live in Greenville. Lana runs my office here in Myrtle Beach so I only get down here once a month or so, depending on court schedules. Why do you ask?"

Theresa smirked and said, "Because you claim not to know HO. Even if you tried to hide, a pretty woman such as you who lived around here would have crossed paths with him by now. Someone would have arranged it. You're both too beautiful for someone not to have tried to get you two together."

"I doubt that," Minerva said with her own smirk. "I'm not interested in a relationship or even dating right now, especially with some hot head who can't take a little teasing."

Stacy surreptitiously listened to the exchange and breathed a sigh of relief when the beautiful woman that HO had blown up at expressed no interest in him. It's not that she wanted a relationship with HO that was more involved than what they currently shared, but he was her favorite booty call, and she didn't want that screwed with.

"I'm sure not as picky as you," Lana said with a giggle.

"What does that mean?" Minerva asked in an irritated tone.

Lana finished her margarita and signaled for a refill before answering, "It means that I might not be looking for a relationship right now either, but I wouldn't turn down the opportunity to sample some of that HO guy. Come on, you were interested in him enough to try starting a conversation with him. You can't say that he didn't do something for you."

Minerva waved her hand dismissively and said, "I was interested in the banter taking place. It seemed playful and I wanted to try getting involved. That's all."

While she was saying the words, Minerva was simultaneously reviewing the interaction and her thoughts just before it. Recalling the atmosphere in the pub from the time that she and Lana had arrived until she had spoken to the strange man, Minerva tried to determine what had motivated her to speak up.

She considered the two large men that were still standing beside her. While they had certainly been enjoying themselves, Minerva now realized that their behavior had seemed almost tentative; measured, as if they were afraid of offending someone. Glancing around the pub, she realized now that this behavior had not been exclusive to the two men, and the atmosphere in the room had subtly changed since the man had left.

In the few minutes since the man's departure things had become more raucous, with the language people used becoming more colorful and voices much louder. The air of reverence that had surrounded the man and which had apparently influenced the behavior of all the pub patrons was gone. This was evident even with the woman behind the bar. Where before she had been extremely precise in her performance fixing drinks and handling customers, she now exhibited a more careless attitude to her work and was more reserved in her interactions with the customers.

Even when the man was in her face glaring at her, Minerva hadn't felt threatened, and she didn't sense that the behavior of others in the pub had been tempered out of fear of the man. Upon reflection, her thought of "reverence" towards the man came to mind once more. It had been as if the man had, through reputation, previous actions, or simply by his presence, garnered a degree of respect and admiration that motivated people to want to be their best when around him. Who was this guy?

Then Minerva wondered, "Had that been her motivation to speak to him"? Had she subconsciously wanted him to notice her; to honor her with his acknowledgment somehow; to deem her worthy to be in his presence? Well, if so, he had certainly acknowledged her presence, and in doing so, had found her so unworthy that he left the pub rather than remain there with her. This reality suddenly made Minerva aware of something she had missed. She was now being viewed by everyone else in the pub as a pariah for chasing away their 'chosen one' or whatever this guy was to them.

Lightly touching Lana's arm to get her attention, Minerva whispered, "Let's get out of here while we can."

Chapter Four

"I'm sorry, Hayden, but a woman is calling in on the main switchboard downstairs insisting to speak with you on what she says is a personal matter. She won't give her name and refuses to leave a number. Lyssa has hung up on her twice, but she keeps calling back."

Hayden glanced up from his computer screen and saw the agitated face of his personal assistant, Sierra Lawton. He knew that her agitation was with her being forced to interrupt him by circumstances beyond her control. Sierra took pride in being a tenacious gatekeeper for Hayden's work schedule and would not take kindly to someone trying to get past her.

He smiled and said, "That's okay, Sierra, it's almost time for me to break for lunch anyway. Tell Lyssa to put the woman through to me and I'll find out what this is all about."

"Are you sure?" Sierra asked dubiously. While Hayden had seemed distracted several times over the past few days, it wasn't like him to put even the most minor work detail aside to deal with an unknown such as the woman on the phone.

"I'm sure," Hayden assured her. "In fact, while I'm dealing with her, check with Emily to see if she has had lunch yet, and if not, ask her to join me.

Sierra studied her boss for a few more seconds before simply nodding and heading back to her desk.

Thirty seconds later, Hayden answered his ringing desk phone, "This is Hayden Justice..."

A confident, professional female voice replied, "Mr. Justice, I apologize for interrupting you, and more so for not introducing myself. The reason for both will be explained if you can spare me five minutes of your time today."

"What is this regarding?" Hayden asked, trying to not sound bored as he leaned back in his chair.

"It's regarding a young woman named Athena Hart. Do you recognize that name?"

Hayden sat upright. "What in the hell is going on?" he thought. First, he sees Athena in the Ole Irish pub on Saturday for the first time in almost eleven years, and now some mystery woman is calling him about her. He didn't need this aggravation in his life, but he also wanted to know why she was suddenly reappearing after making it clear in their last communication that she wanted him entirely out of her life.

He resigned himself to listening to the woman and said, "Go on."

"So, you do recognize her name? You are the HO Justice that she was involved with when she was in college?"

Hayden sighed and answered, "Yes, I knew Athena. What is this about and why are you calling me? I hadn't seen or spoken with Athena for almost eleven years until last Saturday"

He heard a gasp, followed by several seconds of silence before the woman said, "Mr. Justice, I don't know what sort of joke you're playing at, but I find it in very poor taste."

"I really don't care how you find it," Hayden said, a bit too snippy. "Athena said that she wanted nothing to do with me all those years ago, so why is she now suddenly showing up here in Myrtle Beach and then having you call me on her behalf?"

The woman's voice was more conciliatory when she replied, "Mr. Justice, I don't know whom you saw on Saturday, but unless you are being haunted by her ghost, I can assure you that it wasn't Athena Hart."

All that Hyden could think of saying in response was, "Her ghost?"

"Yes, Mr. Justice, her ghost. Athena Hart has been deceased for almost ten years. I can provide you with the number for her grave marker at the Souls Harbour Memorial Park in Fountain Inn since I visit it regularly."

Hayden was struggling with what the woman was telling him versus what his eyes had told him on Saturday. Unless Athena Hart had a doppelgänger, she had definitely been seated at the bar in the Ole Irish pub last Saturday. He needed more information.

"Okay, suppose I believe you about Athena being dead, what has that got to do with me? I can assure you that I had nothing to do with her death."

"I'm afraid that isn't entirely true, Mr. Justice, and your relationship with Athena is why I have been searching for you all the years since her death."

"Searching for me?" He asked. "You make it sound like I was in hiding or something..."

The woman replied, "I didn't mean to imply that you were hiding or doing anything to avoid being identified. I have been trying to find you based solely on patient notes I took while treating Athena. It wasn't until I read the recent news article about Coastline Multimedia's upcoming event at the Darlington Speedway that I was finally able to put a name to the person that I was searching for. You see, the reason that I need to hide my identity from you is that what I have to tell you could be considered a violation of my ethical responsibility to a client, in this case, Athena Hart..."

"Athena was your client?" Hayden asked. "In what capacity?"

"I was her doctor," the woman answered. "Her psychiatrist to be exact. I had been treating Athena from the time that she was seven years old..."

"Psychiatrist? I never knew that Athena was seeing a psychiatrist. Why was she seeing you."

"Mr. Justice, it would be best if you let me finish explaining the purpose for my call."

Sighing once again, Hayden said, "Whatever."

The woman ignored the tone of the comment and continued, "Now that I know who you are and where you're located, I am going to overnight my client notes from the sessions that Athena and I had in the months before her death. You will see some redaction of details that I cannot divulge, but these won't have any bearing on the overall picture that I hope you will be able to envision by reading them. As I said, I could lose my license for sharing these notes with you, but I believe with all my heart that Athena intended to share it all with you, but her untimely death prevented her from doing so."

"So, these notes will tell me what, exactly?" Hayden asked.

"Hopefully, they will tell you what was really in Athena's heart, if not always lucid in her mind. Hopefully, they will bring you some closure and some peace with what the two of you shared."

Hayden snorted and said, "I doubt that."

Again, ignoring the comment, the woman said, "You should receive the package with the notes tomorrow at your office. I will call you back on Friday afternoon so that we can discuss what they contain and I will answer any questions that you might have..."

"Hold on," Hayden interrupted. "Can you send the package to my house instead of the office? Also, let me give you my personal cell phone number. I will work from home on Friday, so that will allow you to get through when I'm not in the office."

The woman noted the information that Hayden provided and repeated it back to verify that she had it correct. "We'll speak again on Friday..."

Before she could disconnect, Hayden asked, "Wait. Can you tell me how Athena died?"

Hayden thought he caught a hitch in her voice as she replied, "She died in childbirth, Mr. Justice."

Hayden sat with the telephone receiver against his ear for several minutes after the woman had disconnected. His head was full of questions that he didn't want to contemplate. He wanted to believe that Athena was alive, had been in the Ole Irish pub last Saturday, and some mystery woman was gaslighting him for some unknown reason. Unfortunately, he was not the type of person to dismiss the possibility that what the woman had said was true.

He set the receiver back on the desk phone and picked up his cell phone. He located the contact that he wanted and dialed the number. It was answered immediately, "What can I do for you, HO?"

"Tasha, have you got something to write with?" Hayden asked.

"Sure. What's up?"

Hayden checked the time, "A woman named Athena Hart." Hayden spelled the last name for her. "Check for any records of her death approximately ten years ago. Start in Greenville County and move out from there. Get me as many details as you can by end of business today. Also, if you find records of that, try to find any records of her having a baby right before she died. Depending upon what you learn today, I'll want a more thorough report on her but start with finding out for me if she is alive or dead. Can you do that?"

"The first part may already be done," Tasha said. "According to an obituary search for Greenville County, an Athena Eleonor Hart, age 21, passed away on April 14^th, 2014. Is that the woman?"

"Does it mention how she died?"

"No, but I can e-mail you a link if you want to read more. Do you think that this is the woman?"

Hayden paused before answering, "Let's assume for now that it is. How long would it take for you to get me a complete dossier compiled on her? I want to know everything about her, from her birth to her death."

Tasha sighed and said, "Back up a minute here. If what you want is simply a data dump for all online information on this woman, that should only take a day or two. If you want a complete dossier, that will involve in-person interviews with people who knew her; family, co-workers, classmates, teachers, etc. Our process is typically more thorough than an FBI background check, and it can take weeks to complete."