Table for Two Ch. 02: Revelations

"It had crossed my mind. But I was under the impression the corporate entity known as MMAS is destroyed."

"Technically, it is. But there's still a lot of rogue operatives and agents being rounded up," Pop said. "I heard they just took a couple of former contractors into custody not that long ago."

"Damn," I said. "I hadn't heard that, but I haven't exactly been in a position where I needed to know. So tell me. How is it you know all this?"

"After Patty left us, I filed for divorce. Bill Jackson still did family law in those days, and he took my case. When I told him what happened, he informed me that he and some others had heard about Larsen and her group," Pop said. "He had this crazy idea and ran it by me. I liked it and started putting together a funding mechanism.

"We formed a board, planned everything out. Hell, I put together the funding to purchase that old Army base you call Fort Apache. I also lobbied Congress to get federal support. You know the rest," Pop told me.

"So, when we first met, you already knew about me," I suggested.

"I knew everything about you, son. Everything," Pop said. "Including your reputation as a hard-ass who doesn't take shit from anyone."

"So you were just yanking my chain the day we first met," I joked. Pop smiled and nodded his head.

"It's what I do best, son," he admitted. "Besides, I wanted to see if there were any truth to the rumors. So, what are you gonna do now?"

"I have an appointment to see an attorney tomorrow morning. I intend to have the restraining order lifted, then I plan to evict Sam from my house."

"Restraining order?" Pop asked, shocked. "She took out a restraining order?"

"Yeah. Can you believe it? Then I'm counter-filing based on adultery. And I plan to invoke the prenuptial you had us sign. If I have my way, someone will go to jail."

"Jail?" Pop asked.

"The last time I looked, attempted extortion, conspiracy, and perjury are still against the law. So is fabricating evidence.

Things have changed over the last seven years, but I don't think they've changed that much." Pop laughed at that.

"Good luck. Just do me one small favor, if you would, please," Pop said.

"What's that?"

"I know you have to do what you need to do. But try not to hurt my little girl too much. Please," he begged quietly. I knew what he meant and nodded in understanding.

"I'll do my level best," I told him. "I do have some questions, though, if you don't mind."

"What's that?"

"What can you tell me about Sam's first husband?" I had never asked Samantha about that, figuring it was in the past. Pop sighed heavily and nodded his head.

"His name is Alvin Morrison. He's an accountant. Last I heard, he worked for a financial services outfit downtown. He and Sam met in college and got married after they graduated. Seemed like a nice enough fella. Bit of a wimp, though, if you ask me," Pop said.

"What happened?"

"Sam says he cheated on her," Pop answered. "Kicked his ass to the curb, filed divorce based on the prenup. I never heard from him after that."

"Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?" I asked. Pop's eyes widened, and his brows raised as he looked at me.

"Now that you mention it, yeah. It does," he finally stated. "You think she set him up as well?"

"Don't know until I've had a chance to look into it. But it certainly seems like a possibility, doesn't it?"

"I... suppose it does. Which means..."

"At this point, absolutely nothing," I interrupted. "I'm just thinking out loud right now. But it IS something that needs to be checked out."

"I agree," Pop said as he stood to leave. "Keep me in the loop, if you would."

"We'll see, Pop," I told him sadly. He seemed to understand, but I could tell he was slightly disappointed in his daughter. We shook hands, and I walked him to the door. He turned to me before leaving.

"I'm... sorry about all this, son," Pop said quietly. This was the first time I had heard him apologize for anything, and I knew it didn't come easy. "You're a good man and don't deserve this."

"I appreciate that, Pop. Apology accepted."

"One last thing, son. Stay in touch, willya?"

"Of course," I said. To my surprise, he hugged me like a father would a son, then left. I closed the door, went back to bed, pulled the covers down, and went to sleep.

...

The following day, I got up earlier than usual, did my business, dressed, and then gathered my things for the day. I didn't bother checking the surveillance system - I could always look at it when I returned. After grabbing a light breakfast and a fresh caramel mocha, I headed to the office, classic Tull keeping me company.

My boss, Jack Iverson, the CEO of Iverson Security Services, or ISS, waved me into his office when I arrived. I saw Terry Torres, the head of Investigative Services, in his office, so I went to Jack's corner office.

"Morning, Mike," Jack said. "I wasn't expecting you in until after your appointment with Alice."

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come on in," I explained.

"I understand," Jack told me. "I took the liberty of briefing Terry on your situation. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. In fact, I have a couple of leads that might be useful."

"Oh?" Terry asked.

"I learned last night that the man Samantha is cheating on me with is Alan Williams, a partner with the Hempstead Law Group. I couldn't print a picture, but he's on their website. If that doesn't work, you can Google 'Asshole.' Maybe you can get a picture there." Both men laughed at that.

"That's a start. Anything else?" Terry asked.

"Yeah. I want you to see if you can find an Alvin Morrison. I believe he works for a financial services outfit here in town," I said.

"And who is he, exactly?" Terry asked.

"He's Samantha's first husband. I want to know everything about their divorce. Should be a public record, so it'll be easy to pull up. I'd appreciate it if you could verify his employment."

"If he's in town, that should be relatively easy to do," Terry said. "Just out of curiosity, though, what are your intentions?"

"I'd like to chat with him about his divorce. I have a feeling this isn't the first time Samantha's played this little game," I said. Terry nodded his head as he made notes. "One other thing. I need to know everything you can learn about these photos." I handed Terry one of the pictures from the envelope Allison gave me the previous day.

"Damn. You don't ask for much, do you, Boss?" Terry asked sarcastically as he looked at the photo. Jack looked at it after Terry handed it to him.

"You weren't even in Dallas when this was taken," Jack observed. "Assuming this date stamp is correct."

"No, I wasn't," I replied.

"The photo could take some time, but I should have some answers on the rest of this for you by the end of the day," Terry told me. "Don't worry, Mike. I'll get my best people on this and forward whatever we find to you and Alice."

"Thanks, Terry, I really appreciate that," I told him. "I owe you." He smiled at that.

"Buy me a cold one, and we'll call it even," he quipped. "Well, I'd better get to it. I'll be in touch."

"Thanks, Terry," Jack said as Terry left. I echoed the sentiment, and Jack motioned for me to close the door. He looked at me, concerned, before speaking.

"You think this might be a rogue MMAS operation, Mike? You know how those folks are about getting revenge," he said.

"I don't know, Jack. I thought that at first, but I'm not sure. I did learn one interesting little tidbit, though."

"What's that?" Jack asked.

"Samantha's birth mother was Pat Witherspoon, one of MMAS' top field operatives."

"That IS interesting. She's been dead for quite a while now, from what I've heard. Tell you what I'll do. I'll reach out to Bill Jackson and Oscar Warren and see if they've heard any chatter. Oscar's pretty much the top dog over there at Fort Apache now," Jack said.

"That's what I heard as well."

"Tell you what, Mike. You got a good group of people backing you up on this. Let them do the heavy lifting. Meanwhile, take some time off, maybe go fishing or something," Jack said, concerned.

"I appreciate that, Jack, but I can't just sit on my ass while Samantha screws me over," I told him.

"I understand how you feel, Mike. Really, I do. But maybe you should sit this one out. You're not a field agent anymore," Jack told me.

"I know. But I can't just sit back and... do nothing. I'm just not wired that way."

"No, you're not, and that's one of the things I admire about you. But you're not much good to me in the shape you're in now, Mike," Jack said. "We've got your back. Take some time off anyway. You've earned it. When we learn something, you'll be the first to know."

I took in Jack's face and realized he was "this close" to ordering me to take time off. The professional side of me realized he was right. I needed to back off a bit and decompress. And he was right that I had a good group of people behind me. After thinking about it, I nodded my head in agreement.

"You're right, Jack," I finally said. "I just need to get a few things from my desk before I see Alice."

"Smart move, Mike," Jack said with a wry smile. "Go on, do what ya gotta do. We'll be in touch. And keep me in the loop."

"I will," I told him. "Thanks." I went to my office and pulled up my expense report with copies of receipts for the days I was in Seattle. Then I copied the two videos I downloaded to a thumb drive, adjusted my "out of office" email auto-response message, then packed up my stuff. On the way out, I saw Jack smile and nod his head. I smiled back and left.

I got to the building where Alice Hawkins worked, parked, and went inside. I was about 15 minutes early, but I knew Alice wouldn't mind. I checked in with the receptionist, who directed me to the waiting area. A few minutes later, she escorted me to Alice's office.

"Good morning, Mr. Jacobs," Alice said as she offered a hand. "Mr. Iverson told me to expect you this morning. Would you care for a cup of coffee? The shop on the first floor makes a wonderful caramel mocha."

"That would be terrific, Ms. Hawkins," I said. "Please." I started to pull some money out of my pocket, but Alice stopped me.

"My treat. Sally, would you mind running down for me, please? Two large caramel mochas, and get yourself something as well," Alice said as she pulled some money from her purse.

"Of course, Ms. Hawkins. Thank you," the pretty, young receptionist said as she took Alice's money. After Sally left, Alice motioned to a chair in front of her desk, and I sat down.

"Mr. Iverson tells me you've been served with divorce papers," Alice said.

"That's correct, Ms. Hawkins," I replied.

"Please, call me Alice. Do you have the papers with you?"

"Yes, I do," I told her, opening my briefcase. I grabbed the envelope and handed it to her. Alice looked through the papers, frowning as she did so. When she finished, she set the papers down and looked at me with a scowl.

"There are some fairly serious charges being made here," Alice finally said through gritted teeth. "Is there any evidence of infidelity? Because if there is, you should know that I do not represent cheaters."

"There is evidence, but none that will implicate me. If you're interested, I'll show you. If not, I'll find someone more objective to handle my case," I told her sternly. She seemed to shrink a bit at that.

"By all means, Mr. Jacobs. Show me." I handed her the envelope of photos and watched her eyes widen as she scanned through them. She shook her head and looked at me when she finished. "Can you dispute this?"

"Absolutely," I told her, standing up with the help of my cane. Alice looked shocked as I unfastened my belt and dropped my trousers.

"Mr. Jacobs, please. That isn't necessary," she said.

"I'll be the judge of what's necessary," I growled. Then her eyes fell on my right thigh, now exposed.

"Oh, my," she sighed in shock.

"I damn near lost this leg in the service of my country. Spent months in the hospital going through surgery and physical therapy learning to walk all over again," I hissed. "I still can't put my weight on that knee like the man in those photos did. Do you believe me now, Ms. Hawkins, or do I take my business down the street?"

"You're alleging these photos were fabricated?" Alice asked.

"I'm not alleging anything, Ms. Hawkins. I'm telling you flat out - those photos are fabricated. On top of that, I have expense reports and receipts proving I was in Seattle, Washington when those photos were taken. I'm good, but not even I can be in two places at once. Now, tell me. Will you represent me, or do I go somewhere else?"

"I'll take your case, Mr. Jacobs," Alice finally said, handing the photos back. "Now, please, pull your pants back up." I pulled my trousers back up and fastened my belt when Sally returned with our coffee. She looked at me, confused.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

"Just proving a point. Everything is fine," I told her before taking my seat. Sally looked at Alice for confirmation.

"Everything is fine, Sally. Thank you," she said as Sally handed over the change from the coffee purchases. Sally smiled, then left the office. Alice looked at me before taking a sip of coffee. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Mr. Jacobs. I hope we won't have to go through that again."

"Please call me Mike. And I accept your apology. I hope I won't have to drop trou in the courtroom, but I will if I have to prove the point," I told her. Alice smiled at that.

"I see your reputation precedes you, Mike. And no, I doubt you'll have to do that. But in all fairness, it's nice to know you're willing to go the extra mile if necessary. What else do you have for me?" I pulled out my phone and showed Alice the video I took of my confrontation with Allison. She frowned as she watched the video, then handed the phone back.

"So, your wife has retained Allison Cartwright," Alice said. "She has quite the reputation as well. Ethics doesn't seem to be an obstacle for her, according to this video. I'd like a copy of that, please. It'll come in handy when I file my complaint against her."

"Complaint?"

"Yes. That video shows several ethics violations and at least one possible criminal act. Plus, she accompanied you to your house without a police escort, and that's highly unusual. What else do you have?" I handed her the thumb drive with the two videos I took from my surveillance system. Alice looked at both of those, a smile forming on her face.

"Well?" I asked.

"More fuel for my complaint," Alice said. "What's this about pulling a gun on Ms. Cartwright? Did you really pull a gun on an officer of the court?"

"Yes, I did."

"Why?" Alice asked. She nodded her head as I explained my experiences in the Task Force. "And you thought that maybe your wife and or Ms. Cartwright had something or someone waiting to ambush and drug or assault you?"

"Something like that, yeah," I said. "In fact, I was shot in a very similar situation."

"I see," Alice said. "Fortunately for you, Mike, I'm familiar with the Task Force, and I'm familiar with some of the tactics used by MMAS. I've represented quite a few of the men your Task Force has helped. I'm sure Ms. Cartwright will try to make an issue of it. Don't worry. I've got it under control."

"Thank you," I said.

"So let me see if I have this right. You own the house you shared with Samantha, correct?"

"Yes. It was passed down to me from my grandparents long before I ever met Samantha," I explained.

"What about your bank accounts?"

"Samantha removed 80 percent of our accounts, and Allison had them frozen." Alice looked at me, shocked.

"She froze the accounts AFTER your wife took 80 percent?"

"Correct," I said.

"There was no real reason for that other than just plain vindictiveness and an attempt to slow you down, keep you from retaining legal services," Alice said. "Why are they doing all of this to you?"

"Now that's the $64,000 question, isn't it, counselor?" I asked sarcastically.

"Hopefully, your company's investigators can come up with some answers," Alice said. "Yes, Mr. Iverson informed me that Mr. Torres will be working the case. I look forward to what he finds out."

"As do I," I told her.

"First things first. I need to get that restraining order lifted and get you back into your house. Then I need to get your assets returned. In the meantime, I'll answer this... petition... with one of our own. Do you have a copy of your prenuptial agreement?"

"Yes, I do," I told her, pulling it out of my briefcase. Alice looked it over, set it aside, and handed me a checklist.

"It will probably take me a couple days to get this ironed out. Do what you can on that checklist. Are you set for funds until we get the money back into your account?"

"Yes, I'll be okay," I told her.

"Alright, Mike. I've got it from here. I shouldn't have to remind you not to do anything stupid in the meantime, but I'm going to anyway. I don't want to have to bail you out of jail."

"No problem, Alice," I told her with a chuckle. "I've got it under control."

"No, you don't," she remarked. "At least not yet. Your cheating bitch of a wife has just served you with divorce papers, falsely accused you of adultery based on fabricated evidence, kicked you out of your house, stolen a good chunk of money, and wants to steal most of your assets as well. And that's just for starters. But we will get things under control."

We exchanged contact information, then ended the meeting. On the way out, I stopped at Sally's desk and paid a healthy retainer. Then I left, feeling like I had some control over things.

I stopped for lunch and received a call between bites of my cheeseburger. I saw it was from Jack, so I took the call.

"How did things go with Alice?" he asked.

"Went well," I answered. "I hope to see something happen real soon."

"Good," Jack responded. "I spoke with Bill and Oscar. They're not aware of anything at the moment, but Oscar said he'll be by to see you later this afternoon or this evening. I suspect he'll want some background. I told him where you're hanging out."

"No problem. I'm sure he does," I said. "Anything else?"

"Terry has some info for you. He's sending you an email with his summary so far. Don't want to say too much over the phone, but I will tell you this. Turns out Ms. Cartwright handled Samantha's first divorce as well."

"Interesting," I said.

"I thought you might say that," Jack said. "Anyway, I can hear the television in the background. You at that new sports bar and grill?"

"Yeah, chowing down on a mega cheeseburger," I told him. "Not bad, actually."

"Maybe I'll try it one of these days," Jack said. "You take care of yourself, and I don't want to see you in here tomorrow. Got it?"

"Got it, boss," I responded.

"Good. By the way, good job on that monthly report. Looks like things are improving out west."

"Thanks, I noticed that as well."

"Alright, I'll let ya go. Talk to you soon, Mike." We ended the call, and I turned back to my burger. I was nearly finished when my phone buzzed. I saw a text from Terry: "Alvin Morrison, financial planner, Tri-States Financial Services," followed by an address close by and a phone number. I acknowledged the text and received an almost immediate reply: "More to come. Stand by. Will email."

"Thanks," I wrote back. "That was fast."

"We're the best, boss," he replied. I gave his message a "thumbs-up" emoji and called Alvin's number. To my amazement, he answered after the first ring.

"Thank you for calling Tri-States Financial Services the best in the business. I'm Alvin Morrison. How can I help secure your financial future today?" I was momentarily taken aback. At first, I thought this was a recording, but then I realized it was an actual person.