Our Little Secret Ch. 06

Except for some final details, this will conclude our legal engagement in this case. I will be forwarding a request for payment against the escrow account next week. There is still the matter of our clients' safety and security, and their public relations management. I will now hand this case off to David Tang of our security department, who will continue to liaise with you directly.

Thank you for your business, and do not hesitate to call me personally if you require any further services.

Terrance Strong.

Not bad, Joel thought. It had been two weeks to the day since Joel first met Terrance Strong, and only a week and a half since the firm took on the case. Joel wished he were a fly on the wall in the DA's office. It would have been a junior assistant that handled minor cases in lower courts, coming head-to-head up against the most powerful law firm in the city spoiling for a complicated, protracted, and expensive battle. Someone was shitting their pants.

It was a small victory, considering the social turmoil Christina, Kelsey, and Mary would still face. In a more selfish vein, Joel was gratified he did not have to spend over two million dollars in legal fees, freeing the bulk of Agatha McDougal's five million dollar gift for Joel to use at his discretion. Joel sent a reply email thanking Terrance for the good news and for his excellent work.

Jenny stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body. Joel was still naked. He decided to shower as well. He had no fresh clothes, so after he dried off, Joel wore the same things he had on the night before.

They went for breakfast together in the hotel restaurant. Jenny was still in a good mood, but she was no longer consumed by her conference experience. They talked about other things, including what Joel was doing in Boston.

Joel explained he was starting a business – the one he told Don McLean about. He had some money, and decided to strike out on his own. Joel didn't explain to Jenny it was a good cover. Such a business would require travel, which allowed Joel to wander the country without raising suspicion.

Joel did mention he met with Melissa, the flight attendant on the catnap flight. He explained he has also been in touch with the pilot from time to time. Jenny seemed interested in the comradery that develops among people involved in aircraft incidents. She had heard that survivors of some plane crashes still meet every year on the anniversary of the event.

After breakfast, Joel drove Jenny to his airport hotel, where he picked up his things, and checked out of a room he never slept in. They went to the airport, dropped the rented Lexus off, and Jenny and Joel were able to catch an earlier flight than the one he booked.

Once again, they flew business class, and Jenny was thrilled by the pampering she received by being Joel's travel companion. Joel wondered what the American Airlines flight attendants' Facebook feed would report tonight.

Jenny and Joel landed in Boston just past three o'clock on Thursday afternoon. Joel picked up his Boston rented car from the airport parking lot, and dropped Jenny off at her house. They agreed to meet again on Saturday afternoon. Jenny kissed him goodbye, and Joel watched her walk up the steps.

On Friday Joel went to Autumn Crawley's office where Sylvie was working. She had already bought four laptops, and was using one. She loaded Microsoft Office on all of them. She was using Autumn's wireless internet connection until the local ISP could come in and set up a business line. She had already bought a coffee maker, mugs, kettle, tea, and all the fixings. She would have narrowed the search down to six researches by the end of the day, and Sylvie was already setting up interviews on Monday. Joel was pleased with Sylvie's initiative and drive.

Joel told her to start looking for a forensic information technology private investigator – not as an employee, but as a consultant. He wanted someone who can track down a person's whereabouts and activities by cyberstalking them. Again, Joel commanded Sylvie to consider women only.

On the investment management side of business, Joel told Sylvie he wanted her to search for an experienced business analyst – likely a former executive who understood finances, operations, sales, and marketing, and someone familiar with investing, mergers, and acquisitions. Preferably male. He did not want a lawyer, but instead someone with a business background, who could walk into a business and evaluate whether Joel should invest in it or not. He also wanted a forensic accountant – someone who knew their way around a ledger book when a company was trying to hide something.

Joel asked Sylvie to find another, smaller office space nearby to set up his investment company. She said she would get right on it.

Finally, Joel commanded Autumn to set up a new incorporated company for him that does private investing. He thought of the name FlashCap, or something like that. She should do the name search, registration, and everything possible before he needs to get involved. This company would be his, and he would own and run it.

On the Shopping Mall Channel's list of the top 1,500 sales performers, forty of them were in New York City. Three were in the top 10, all on the upper east side of Manhattan. Joel decided, or in this case, Douglas Eves decided he would make a trip to New York, and do some hunting by night and some different kind of hunting by day. With luck, he'd by home for supper on Wednesday. Rather than toting the whole Shopping Mall Channel book around, Joel used his phone to take pictures of the pages that held the ten top New York City sales performers, and left the book at home.

He finished up with Sylvie before she left, asking her to set up the six researcher interviews on Monday and Tuesday morning.

On Saturday Joel and Jenny went out to a movie. She wore jeans and a casual button up shirt. They chose Ex Machina, and then they went out to a late dinner. Over dinner Jenny explained she had scheduled the first two of the four interviews she picked up at the conference. They were both out of town on Fridays, so she could take a day off work and come back on the weekend. Sadly, none of her prospective employers was flying her business class.

"How did you know this conference was going to be so good for me?" Jenny asked.

"Because I see how good you are," he said honestly, "and I see how undervalued you are at Quinton. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out." Jenny looked hurt. "Jenny," he repaired his declaration, "I didn't mean to suggest you aren't smart. Just the opposite. But remember when we were first discussing this conference? That place grinds you down. It sucks the life out of you. Jenny, I know. My confidence and IQ went up 50 points after I left Quinton." That part was true, but Joel had not realized it had nothing to do with leaving Quinton. "You can't blame yourself for not seeing how good you are, because they won't let you see. If they let you figure it out, they will lose all their good people."

"Well, they're definitely losing me," she declared bitterly. "After I went to that conference and saw how other companies treat people with respect, I am so gone." She was thinking about all the wasted time she spent at Quinton. It was a look Joel knew all too well.

He took her hand across the table. She looked down at her napkin, unable to meet his eyes. "It's too bad I didn't get any job interviews in Boston," she said quietly.

"Moving is an adventure," Joel offered. "It's exciting and scary, just like a rollercoaster ride. You'll love it," he smiled.

"What about you?" Jenny asked, changing the subject. "It sounds like you're starting to settle down into this new business." Joel explained how he was just in the early stages. Anything was possible. California, New York, or Chicago seemed like logical places to relocate to, but he wasn't certain.

"So tell me about growing up with your aunt," Joel asked, this time he changed subjects. He remembered Jenny had told him she was raised by her aunt.

"Aunt Florence," Jenny nodded. "I just called her Flo. She was my mother's sister. My dad died before I was born," Jenny explained. "He had a heart attack, and was dead before he hit the floor, so I'm told." She paused, never quite understanding how that was possible. "My mom died when I was three. I don't really remember her, but I have pictures of us. She had some rare form of deadly breast cancer. So Flo took me in. I guess it was in my mother's will. Flo so wanted children, but she couldn't, and never married. She raised me like I was her very own. Every day she told me how much she loved and missed my mother, and how much she loved me." Jenny paused. She looked into Joel's eyes with sadness. "I was with Flo when she died. She thanked me for being the blessing in her life. Those were her last words on earth." Jenny wiped her eyes. Jenny had never told anyone else that.

"Wow," Joel was speechless. "So I guess you have no brothers or sisters," he concluded after processing Jenny' story.

"No," Jenny shook her head. "Flo and me. We had each other."

"I'm so sorry for you, Jen," Joel said, squeezing her hand. "These past two years must have been so lonely for you."

"Only Flo ever called me Jen," she said quietly with wet eyes.

Joel hadn't even realized he had used the shortened form of her name. "I'm sorry Jenny," he offered again, "I didn't mean to upset you."

"No," she shook her head and wiped her eyes again. Jenny and looked at him with swollen, red eyes. "Call me Jen."

Joel studied her a while, and he hoisted his wine glass toward Jenny. "To Flo," he declared solemnly.

She smiled with teary eyes, and picked up her wine glass, and returned the cheer. "To Flo," she announced, padding her eyes with her napkin. They drank their toast in silence. "It's my Mom's birthday next week," Jenny broke the awkward pause. Joel looked at her quizzically. "Flo insisted we celebrate Mom's birthday every year, to remind me what a beautiful woman she was," Jen explained.

"When is it?" Joel asked.

"It's the twenty third, so that makes it what? Thursday, I think."

"You and me," Joel announced, pointing his finger back and forth between them, "we're partying hard on Thursday."

"I can't," she grimaced. "I fly to Chicago for my first interview."

"Okay," Joel regrouped. "We'll have a double celebration when you come home – your first interview and your Mother's birthday."

"I don' think so," Jen complained. "You don't know her. It's kinda strange."

"You don't know her," protested Joel. "Don't just do this just for her. Do it as a tribute to Flo. You know it's what she'd want you to do. She wouldn't want you to stop celebrating your mother's birthday, and you can't have a birthday party alone," he observed. Jen shrugged unconvinced, not wanting to admit she celebrated her mother's birthday alone last year. It was awful. Jen just cried the whole day. "Jen," Joel broke her thoughts, "I'm not taking no for an answer. You are celebrating your mother's birthday. That's final. Now if I make you uncomfortable, and you'd rather celebrate it with someone else, then that's fine, and I'll ..."

"No, no!" she blurted out – too loudly in the restaurant. "Okay," she hushed her voice. "You win. We'll celebrate my mom's birthday next week."

"Damned straight we will," Joel nodded with assertive confidence. Jen smiled with twinkling green eyes. Joel went to pay, but Jen insisted on paying half. As they left the restaurant together, Joel asked her "So when do you go to Chicago?"

Jen explained she was catching a seven o'clock flight on Thursday, arriving at nine o'clock after a three hour flight with the time difference. Jen had booked the next four Fridays off work, and was trying to line up all her interviews on those days. She wanted to save Google for the last trip. Joel calculated that was August 14th, and made a mental note. Don McLean had invited him to come along.

Jen invited him over to her house after dinner. The barking corgis twirled and leapt behind the glass door as they entered the front door. Once they settled down, she offered him some wine, which he accepted. They sat in the living room and chatted. Joel commented on how nice the house was. He was impressed Aunt Flo was able to afford such a house on a single income.

"She couldn't, really," Jen explained. "Mom and Dad both had life insurance, and when Mom died, all the money went to Flo to raise me. She bought the house with the insurance money. She worked as a clerk in the municipal government. I think she barely could afford the upkeep, and in the later years, she couldn't even manage that." Jen paused in thought. "Anyway, Flo always told me it was my house, not hers. She always nagged me that, once I was old enough to settle down and raise a family, I was to kick her out. I never did, of course." That explained why a young woman as attractive as Jenny hadn't married or even dated that much.

The conversation came around to her upcoming job interviews, and Google. "What was all that about American pie?" she asked, referring to Joel and Don McLean's conversation on the front steps of the Senator's residence.

"Don McLean is a famous song writer and singer from the seventies," Joel explained. "His two biggest hits were Bye, Bye Miss American Pie and Vincent, better known as Starry Starry Night.

"I know Miss American Pie," Jen nodded, now understanding the banter the men shared on the steps.

"I expect he gets that all the time. That song is iconic," Joel reflected.

They finished their wine, and Jen led him upstairs by the hand. They silently, gently took each other's clothes off, and made unhurried, passionate love on Jenny's bed while the corgis slept in the corner.

Jen asked Joel to leave around two in the morning – she said she wasn't ready for him to sleep over just yet. Joel smiled, kissed her, and said of course. She watched him dress. She pulled on her housecoat from the back of the bathroom door, and followed Joel downstairs with the corgis close behind. They kissed goodnight at the door with the glass door closed behind them as the corgis barked their goodbyes. Joel warned her he had a busy week, and might not be able to see her until Wednesday next week. He invited her to his place for dinner Wednesday night to celebrate Jen's mother's birthday. Jen said she would have to see how her week went, but she liked the idea. They kissed one last time, and Jen watched Joel drive away.

Jen padded in her bare feet into the living room with the corgis close by. She picked up a picture of Aunt Flo and studied the photo for a long time. It was a black and white image in a silver frame, taken in Flo's vibrant youth, before Jen was even born. It was Jen's favorite picture of her aunt, and it sat prominently in the living room. Jen delicately ran her fingers across the glass, longing to touch Flo's kind and caring face just once more. "Flo," she whispered, looking into her aunt's eyes, "for the first time in a long time, I think I'm happy." She was not a religious woman, but Jen hoped somehow Flo could hear her, or at least understand.

Jen tenderly set the picture frame back down, let the dogs out one last time, and then climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She changed into her pajamas, climbed under the covers, and fell into a long, peaceful sleep.

- - -

Joel spent Monday and Tuesday morning with Sylvie in job interviews. Sylvie was definitely a winner. Joel's biggest problem was choosing only three – they were all good. During the interviews, Sylvie had prioritized the six in order of her preference. That was good enough for Joel. He told Sylvie to call their references, and make sure they checked out. If they did, Joel said go ahead and hire them through Autumn, but Joel had to speak with them before they actually started working.

Sylvie said she would research the appropriate questions to ask before making the reference check phone calls. Joel wanted to kiss her – not out of lust – but out of appreciation. Joel had solemnly declared that work and play shall never mix, so he just thanked her for a job well done.

Joel remembered about Jenny's mother's birthday party, which was on Wednesday, and he realized he didn't know Jenny's mother's name. He asked Sylvie to put the research team on Jenny Riverton, and pull up what information they could, and specifically, what were her parents' names. Her mother would have died 26 years ago, and her father 29 or 30 years ago.

On Tuesday afternoon Joel drove to New York City and comped a hotel room. He chose a hotel within walking distance of a few dance clubs – something you can find quite easily in New York. He still checked in as Joel, because he didn't have Douglas Eves' credit cards yet. He had applied, but was still waiting.

He hit a dance club called High Beams just after nine o'clock. It was not rocking on a Tuesday night. The faded decor was drab and tired, wanting for an overhaul. The clientele looked like they couldn't afford anything better. He left after fifteen minutes, abandoning his ten dollar cover charge, and went seeking for something better in the local neighborhood. The next one was Tailpipe – what was with all the car parts? – but one look told him it was a gay club. He didn't even bother with a cover charge. Nothing against that lifestyle, but it wasn't exactly fertile hunting grounds. The third one was called Metaphors – at least it wasn't a car part.

This was better. More upscale than High Beams, with a twenty-five dollar cover charge. Lots of young women were dressed to party and dancing to insanely loud over-bassed dance club music. It was so loud Joel wondered if he could even command any women at all.

Without realizing it, Joel had developed something of a swagger in the night club scene – an air of superior confidence. Like the joke about the young bull and old bull, most young hormone laden men entered the club alert and eager, with eyes dashing and darting across the faces and bodies of young women, and their twitching masculine body language betraying their anxious anticipation over the unlikely but nonzero chance that one of these fine ladies could actually go home with them tonight, Not Joel. He entered the club with a measured and steadfast confidence that comes from certain knowledge that Joel could fuck every woman he saw. He found the other men's semi-spasmodic, transparently ineffective mating rituals annoying and juvenile – unbefitting of a superior race. They were an inferior race, Joel gauged. His quiet contempt for these inferior, horny men, coupled with his blunted affect toward the women who serviced him seeped through Joel's air of indifferent confidence.

Joel's aura was disquieting to some people. They felt intimidated, condescended, or both. But a few individuals – people who were wired differently – were drawn toward Joel, like moths to a perilous flame. Joel first noticed this phenomenon at the Metaphors dance club. A young man seemed to stand close by. As Joel moved about the cavernous single room club, so did this person. He was sandy haired with fair skin, not quite scrawny, but thin. His face seemed to be permanently locked into posing a question. He didn't stand a chance next to the more charismatic men in the bar, and Joel suspected he knew that.

At first Joel ignored the boy, but over time, his shadow became more brazen, standing closer to Joel, to the point where women would look at the two of them, their faces revealing the social incongruities. Finally Joel went to the bathroom, not so much because he wanted to, but as a means to either escape or confront his shadow. The boy did not follow Joel in, but waited outside the door, and was standing in the hallway when Joel came out.