Seeing the Signs

The attorney that I talked to listened attentively to my story. She didn't try to rush me. She listened to every detail.

When I finished, she observed, "It seems to me that your mission is to prove that you didn't cheat on your husband. You want to prove that there was no physical affair. You are convinced that you can prove that the evidence imparted to your husband via his private investigator was inaccurate and misleading. What that means is that you have to file charges against this Ray Sampson guy. That's beyond what we can do for you, but I can refer you to an attorney that can pursue a civil suit and initiate a criminal investigation for you."

I asked her to give me the name of the best one she knew.

She said she would be happy to do that, but first, she wanted to put my case in perspective so I would know what I was getting into.

She explained, "You seem to think that if you can prove that you didn't commit adultery, you can save your marriage. Here's what you need to keep in mind. Your husband can get a divorce for no reason whatsoever. That's where we get all of these 'irreconcilable differences' cases. Even if you prove your point, you can still lose your marriage.

"According to my notes, you enjoyed seven one-on-one meals with a man other than your husband. Six of those occurred after your husband advised you against seeing your new 'friend' outside of your office. One of those meals was at your own home. Also, there were many hours spent alone with the guy at other times, such as riding in your car. It appears to me that those things alone could justify your husband in seeking to dissolve your marriage. I've seen divorces result from much less. In other words, you could pursue your case with another lawyer (at what would probably be a staggering cost), prove your allegations, but still lose your marriage. You might cause the private investigator to lose his license and you might get some money from him in a civil suit, but you could still come out in serious debt and with no husband.

"Remember, he can divorce you for no reason. No amount of proving your innocence can guarantee that your marriage will survive. Do you still want to see another attorney?"

"Yes, I do. I know my husband. If I can prove that he was misled and deceived, he will preserve our marriage. I'm sure of it!"

She gave me a referral to an attorney that handled criminal cases. She warned me once again that it might prove to be very expensive and accomplish nothing. I thanked her for the referral and left.

When I entered the office of attorney Jack Martin, he was reading the information from the referral document. We talked a few minutes while he attempted to reinforce the warnings that I'd already heard. He warned me all about billable hours and the cost of a court trial. Once he became convinced that I was serious, he started mapping the way forward.

He told me that he would begin by attempting to get a warrant for the Hilton security videos. If he was able to procure that footage, we would be able to tell if the videos given to Brad had been edited to my detriment. If that proved to be the case, he could use that evidence to get a search warrant for the office of the PI. Hopefully, the ensuing search would produce the original, unedited documentation pertaining to the investigation performed for my husband. He admitted that there were quite a few hurdles to jump over.

He warned me that the Hilton footage might have been overwritten. He explained that some hotels kept their surveillance videos for as many as sixty days, while others overwrite the data on a weekly basis. His plan depended on the Hilton being able to produce the needed videos. Lacking that, he wouldn't recommend pursuing my case any further.

Then he said, "There's a missing element here that we need to address. We are suspecting this PI of criminal activity to make it appear that you had an affair with that army captain. What bothers me is the question of motive. All criminals have a motive. What motivated Ray Sampson to risk losing his PI license by falsifying data? I need your help with this part. You need to scour your life for any interaction you may have had with Mr. Sampson.

"Could you have done something that offended him? It could be job-related or something from your private life. Perhaps something connected to an organization to which you both belong. Rack your brain. There has to be something. If it's not a motive against you, then it's something against your husband. That would be harder to identify, but try to think of anything that has happened that might serve as Sampson's motive. It's a mystery that we need to solve. That's your assignment for the day. You pursue that and I will work on getting the Hilton surveillance footage."

I left his office hopeful but worried. I had no idea where to even begin with my assignment. I finally decided to pass the assignment on to someone else. I asked my assistant, Freda, to check through all of my documents for any mention of Ray Sampson. I had very little hope that she would find anything since that name meant nothing to me. Nevertheless, I needed to at least try to comply with my attorney's request.

It was several days later when I received a call from Nancy, Jack Martin's paralegal. She had obtained the Hilton videos! They had been archived after they were obtained by Ray Sampson. It was company policy to keep such videos for a year in case there was further need for them.

She was excited. She had watched the raw footage and determined that "the crap Sampson gave to Brad was purposely deceiving." Those were her words, verbatim. Next, they would be seeking a search warrant for Sampson's office. She promised to keep me "in the loop." I allowed myself to finally feel some hope.

Meantime, Freda was laboriously and meticulously searching through all of my files for anything to do with Ray Sampson in particular, or private investigators in general.

Despite my misgivings, the following week, Freda struck gold. She entered my office saying, "I found something! Not in your official correspondence, but in your personal documents."

"My personal stuff? Are you saying that I know this guy?"

"Not exactly, but he knows you, for sure. Remember when we went out to the Plaza Ballroom with about a dozen co-workers to celebrate the launch of the G11 system? Specifically, do you remember all that stuff that happened to your friend Vicky that night?"

It came flooding back to me. "He was that guy? Wow, I didn't remember that name at all?"

I had put it all behind me and pushed it out of my mind. She handed me a copy of a newspaper clipping. I read it. Now, it was as plain as day. We had our motive.

At last, it makes sense. I saw Ray putting some powder in Vicky's drink that evening. When I relayed that information to the police, they obtained a video that showed it happening. I can't remember if the video came from a security camera or someone's phone. When I was called as a witness by Vicky's attorney, I think my testimony, along with that video, swung the jury.

It turned out that Ray Sampson had been hired by Vicky's husband to produce evidence of Vicky's affair with Thomas. Ray got overzealous and used some Ecstasy to ensure that Vicky would stay that night with Thomas. Yes, he proved that she stayed with Thomas in his hotel room that night, but the jury agreed with Vicky's lawyer that she did it because she was drugged.

As it all turned out, Vicky ended up with custody of their children and Sampson ended up with a suspended license. No wonder he wanted to get even with me. He certainly didn't learn his lesson with Vicky. Hopefully, Mr. Martin can make sure he learns it now!

I delivered copies of everything to Nancy. Jack was in court at the time, but she was enthused with the development. She said, "Congrats, Janet. I think you just nailed it. Now we have a motive. This all but ensures that we'll get a search warrant for Ray's office."

Good things continued to happen in the ensuing days. First came the search warrant. When the group (two agents from the Private Security Bureau; two deputy sheriffs; Jack Martin and his paralegal; in addition to Freda and me) showed up to execute the warrant, Ray was on vacation. His secretary/assistant, Abbey, was there. She was both very scared and very cooperative. She revealed that she had edited the Hilton security footage per very specific orders from her boss, Ray. He had her exclude the footage that would have shown Janet and Steve bypassing Steve's room and entering the Convention Center. Plus, she was ordered to exclude all of the footage from inside the Convention Center. Also, she edited the footage of that last breakfast to show only the kiss. The part showing Janet screaming, "No, no," while pushing Steve away was excluded. Also, she had been instructed to copy the heading and footing from the laboratory report and blank out their findings, which were that the substance on the panties was a combination of: "milk, salt, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and pearl tapioca." It was, indeed, tapioca pudding.

One of the guys from the Private Security Bureau asked Abbey how Ray instructed her to edit the videos and prepare the lab report. She didn't understand what he meant. He told her he needed to know the words that Ray had used. She admitted that she didn't remember the exact words, but then she dropped a big bombshell. "If you need the exact words, then you'll need to play the recordings."

"What recordings?" he asked. "Are you saying there are recordings of him instructing you to do those things?"

"Absolutely! He recorded everything that was said in his office for future reference," she replied. I was thinking of Alexander Butterfield as she walked to a cabinet, opened the door, and exposed a recording device. Then she punched some keys and we were listening to Ray telling her how to edit the security footage. He explained what he needed and what he didn't.

"All I need to see on the videos labeled V001 and V002 is what happened before they made the right turn in the hallway. On the one labeled V003, I only need the first time they entered room #156, and the last time they left. I don't need any of the stuff in between."

She played equally incriminating instructions on how she should prepare the lab results. He told her exactly what to write. Talk about hitting the jackpot. I felt like I'd won the lottery.

The icing on the cake was when the Texas Private Security Bureau issued an immediate suspension of Ray's license, pending a full hearing by the Department of Public Safety. Mr. Martin said that in all probability, that hearing would result in Ray's license being revoked permanently.

The evening television news featured the story. The next morning, a chunk of the newspaper's front page covered the story in detail. Regardless of how you wish to cut it, Ray Sampson was toast.

I made sure that everything was integrated into a packet that I could show Brad when he got home. He's a smart man. He will see what happened and we will make a quick return to normal in our marriage and our love life. I'm sure of it.

It was just ten days before Brad was scheduled to finish his assignment when I got a call from Evie Bright. She was head of the personnel department where Brad worked. I knew her pretty well, but I didn't think of her as a friend. She got right to the point. She'd seen the news and read the articles about Brad's corrupt PI. She asked if I would object to her sending the article that appeared in the local newspaper to Brad. She could do that by scanning it and sending it via the official company network.

I told Evie that I had a complete packet ready to show Brad as soon as he got home. It included lots of information gathered by my lawyer that was not mentioned by the media stories. I saw little reason to send him the newspaper article since I would be showing him a packet with much more detailed information in just a few days.

It was at that point that Evie revealed a side of her that I had never seen before or even envisioned. She said, "Janet, I've been very upset by what happened between you and Brad. I know how much he loves you and what you mean to him. I want him to see everything and anything that might convince him to come back and work with you to get things back on an even keel. This is very important now because Brad has just applied for the elective one-month extension of his Saudi assignment. He needs to come home and work on his marriage."

I never suspected that I had an ally in the person of Evie. I told Evie that I could bring my packet to her in less than an hour. She said, "If you will do that, I'll get it to Brad before he finishes work today. I did and she did. Thank God for Evie!

The next day, I called Evie to see if she'd heard from Brad. She hadn't. She said, "Janet, I made sure that he had your packet. I asked him to read it. What I can't do, is force him to read it. The ball is in his court."

The very next day, Evie called just before lunchtime. She said, "We have received a very good omen, Janet. Brad canceled his extension request along with a message thanking me for sending him your packet. He's taking some accumulated vacation time so he can leave Saudi early."

She told me that his coworkers were throwing a party for him tonight. He will be on the daily flight that leaves tomorrow. His arrival time at our local airport depends on how many people are on the flight and where they need to be taken. She said that sometimes there's a layover somewhere. They should know for sure when the flight takes off.

Then, she surprised me again when she said, "I need to schedule someone to meet his flight and shuttle him home. Janet, do you want to be that someone?"

I couldn't believe my ears. Usually, an employee meets the flight. She was inviting me to be the first person to welcome him home. I was very thankful for my new friend, Evie. I said, "Evie, I've never been more eager to do anything in my life. Thanks so much for thinking of me and for all the help you've given to me and Brad. If our marriage survives, and I now believe that it might, you will top the list of people I need to thank."

"I'm glad to do what I can, Janet. I'm appalled at what you and Brad had to endure at the hands of a vengeful and unscrupulous private investigator. He's a truly evil person. I'm pulling for you and your family."

She continued, "I'll let you know when the plane is 'wheels up.' I'll be able to give you the approximate landing time then. The flight usually takes around 17 hours. It usually arrives at gate 5 in terminal 1. I'm not telling Brad who's meeting the flight, so be prepared to greet a very surprised husband.

"I'll let you know if there are any changes, but none are anticipated. Get a good night's rest if possible, Janet. You and Brad may not be getting a lot of sleep for a while, if you get my drift."

"I do, Evie. I've been waiting and hoping for just such a change. You know what? Sleep is overrated!"

It will be a happy time for me when I welcome Brad home, that's for sure. The packet goes a long way in patching the holes in our marriage-ship. I don't fear the possibility of an imminent sinking as much now, but that doesn't mean there's no work to be done.

I've examined my mind and heart at length during my time alone. There's much that I question in my behavior. There are a lot of two-edged swords that I need to face with Brad. For example, there's no doubt that I gained a lot when the video of that goodbye kiss with Steve was completed to show me yelling 'no' and pushing him away, but there's another edge. It also reveals my final words to Steve. Brad has heard me say that I was "severely tempted" to cheat.

Then there's me saying: "If I were ever to have an extramarital affair, it would be with you right here right now."

How about when I said, "I think we were less than 'an item,' but more than 'work-buddies?' How do I explain that?"

These are just a few of the double-edged-sword examples that I could cite. When the shine wears off, will these things come back to haunt Brad?

What I'm saying is that I have examined my thoughts and my actions in detail during the last few weeks. There are some things in my mind and heart that I hate to admit to myself, let alone to my husband. I did fantasize about making love to Steve. I did have impure thoughts more than a few times.

I have so many questions for myself. Is what I've thought and felt just normal human frailty? Is temptation universal and unavoidable? Is it alright to think of these things as long as you don't do them?

As of today, my husband is coming home. I'm almost certain that he will accept all of the evidence that proves his PI had an ax to grind. It will prove that there was no sexual affair. I wish I could say it also proved there was no emotional affair. I question that one myself. There are things about me that I still don't understand.

Here's the big one: if Steve attends the conference next year, what will happen? Can I answer that truthfully?

All of this questioning is giving me a headache. Maybe the real question is whether or not my questions apply at all! The only question I need to answer for sure is this: "How do I avoid a repeat performance?"

I was thinking about that question as I took my daily walk that afternoon. For some unknown reason, I took a route slightly different than my normal trek. I passed a gift shop that I had never seen before. In the window, I saw a plaque. I knew at once that the inscription it displayed was the answer to my question! It was so simple. I'm sure that I'd heard or seen those words before, but only now did I fully appreciate them. If I had abided by those words of wisdom, I could have bypassed all of this drama and heartache. The trick was as plain and simple as anything could be.

I entered the shop. They had four of the plaques. I bought them all. When I got home, I hung one of them in a prominent place above the fireplace. I placed another one in my home office. The third one would be placed in my office at work. The one I'm looking at right now is on my bedroom wall. Going forward, it will be the first thing that I see every morning. It will be the last thing that I see every night. Words I intend to live by all the rest of my days on this planet:

AVOID EVEN THE

APPEARANCE OF

IMPROPRIETY

The End