“Okay, I get it. I’ll have Gritty bring it up later. You can come by tomorrow and see. I swear Adam; you better not screw me over.”
“I think we have got to stop the threats. I am not going there.”
She reached over and gave me a hug and I felt somewhat better. “Oh, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” she said.
“I know this is out of line but I am curious, more on a personal level. If you had given birth in a hospital, could something have been done for Peter?”
She looked down and when she returned her focus on me she said, “I will live with that the rest of my life. Of course something might have turned out differently. He suffered a lack of oxygen when he was born, but he is mainly dealing with a phobia now, not physically related. The doctor tried to deliver him as quickly as he could but it just takes a moment too long to cause brain damage. If I had been in a hospital, I know in my heart that it might have been different. I have to live with this knowledge every day. Does that answer your question?”
I felt terrible that I asked. Karma is a funny thing. She basically sacrificed her newborn for some horny bastard wanting to cheat on his wife. And poor Peter had to pay. I would refrain from judgement. We all have our skeletons and I was no better than anyone else. For some reason David’s face and the look of disappointment on it came to mind. I had acted the same with him. I hurt him and moved on. We do in life what we have to do or so we think we have to.
When I returned home Richard was waiting with our usual cocktail. I spilled my guts out to him and for some reason unbeknownst to me the tears started to flow. I was supposed to be a man and a strong man, a private investigator ready to take on the world and yet I was a blubbering mess. My heart ached for Peter. He was only a victim. Perhaps life would have been better if he were born under different circumstances. I wanted to know more about their unique family. After all Lexus, Gritty and Peter were a family even though unconventional. Families could easily get messed up. Hell, look at me. The son of Doctor Marie Desjardins, one of the most prominent doctors around. I was and at times, still am an emotional wreck from her and her so-called maternal skills or lack thereof. At least with Lexus I knew and felt her love.
“I’ll be okay. I’m transferring my own emotions to this case. Very unprofessional!”
“Adam, we are allowed to have feelings. Just because you are a PI, does not mean you are coldhearted. Even the strongest of men cry at times. That is what I love about you.”
“I always relate my mother with Lexus. Now even this woman that I have put on a pedestal for so long, has let me down. I swear, I will never trust another woman again! Without Lex and the way I felt about her … I feel very alone. I guess she was the mother that I never had. Yeah, that’s it for sure.”
“What you had and have with her is still very real. Don’t let this stupid case spoil that. She is doing what is necessary to protect her child and the father of her child. Don’t take it so personal. It is not about you.”
“I know and that is why I am so upset. I felt that I was the only one that she bestowed motherly feelings on. I felt that I belonged to her. She was kind of my surrogate mother. I feel awful now. And I don’t understand why Peter had to be protected. From what?”
“Adam… why?”
“I feel betrayed. It is insane but I am jealous of her newfound family. I will finish what I started, Gritty versus Invor, but after that I think it will be over for Lex and me. I don’t think I will ever feel the same.”
“You are confusing me. Adam, I never knew that you felt that way about her. We are married and you never mentioned her to me in all this time. You feel betrayed! What about me? We are supposed to have no secrets and here you have all these deep feelings for a woman that I did not even know existed. Maybe you should worry about us and not her!”
“You’re right. I am nothing but a selfish prick. You should and will come first from now on.”
“Let’s enjoy the rest of the night. This case is taking way too much away from our personal time. No wonder we are all over the place with emotions. It’s not like a job that you work at all day. Because the only way we can communicate is at home … we have no choice but to bring our work home with us. This has to stop!”
“You are right but one last thing. Do you think it wise if I talk to Bobby again?”
“Not only wise, but necessary! He’ll know something for sure. How will you meet up with him?”
“I’ll find him; don’t worry.”
Chapter Ten
The next day Richard phoned me from Invor with some news. First he had to come clean. Whether it be the strained emotions of the previous night or no… he disclosed that he had a mild make out session with Jessica in order to get Gritty’s file. The good news was that he got the file.
“I wanted to throw up. I had to promise undying love to that cow. It was horrible. At least it did not go further than a few kisses. She thinks that I am saving myself for marriage. She thinks that I am hers.”
“What, you kissed her! Fuck…!”
“It was easy. I kissed many girls when I was at the theatre group in university. I pretended that this was a play and she was cast opposite me as my love interest. It wasn’t too hard when I started acting it out. Adam it meant nothing.”
“What are we becoming? We are selling or prostituting our dignity for this damn case. I am really pissed that she kissed you.”
“You want the file, don’t you? I got it. Jessica swore me to secrecy. And don’t start with your self-righteous attitude with me. I remember a time when you confessed to kissing Jillian or have we forgotten! I did not even budge because I knew you were working on that Lambert case. You don’t think that upset me?”
“Richard that’s not fair. Why bring up a case that happened years ago?”
“Two years to be exact!”
“Well you didn’t tell me that you had such pent up resentment. I thought you were over that. At least you said you were. Now is not the time for revenge!”
“Revenge… I had no choice! You did it and I had to forgive you. But no, it really did bother me at the time,” said Richard purposely pausing.
“Well, obviously you didn’t tell me then, so why now, when we are in the middle of this crazy case? What more can I say than I am sorry. Jillian played a real number on me. She got me drunk. I was not acting rationally at the time. You my friend were fully aware of your senses, unless of course that you are imbibing during lunch hour but I highly doubt that. Now let’s cut this crap and move on!”
“You are acting crazy and I’m sorry about the getting even stuff; it really had nothing to do with that. I only wanted to get the file for you and if that is what I had to do to get it, I was willing to do it.”
“Okay, I forgive you this time and only because we are even. But tomorrow you will have to hold off on the kissing. What about the file! Did you look in it?”
“No, I’ll wait until I get home and then we can look at it together. It is only right that you be the first to see it, after all it is your case,” he said sarcastically.
“Thanks. I must admit that I am anxious to see its contents. Richard, please hold back on the “touchy-feely” stuff. The thought of it makes me sick. I know it means nothing but what if she has something and you transmit it to me?”
“It was only a kiss. If she knew that I was gay she would be saying the same thing. Even more so! When I get home we will order in something fattening, pig out and see what is in the file. See you later sweetheart.”
I couldn’t wait to get home that night. I was falling behind in my work but the temptation to leave early was nagging at me. Monthly bills had to be attended to and this was not the time to be unprofessional. I wasn’t getting paid for the Gritty versus Invor case, therefore I had to clean up some pending files and send out some statements of account. I had rent to pay. I was just abou
t to leave when in walked Heather. She was one of my tenants that occupied the second floor. She ran a small catering service and had been in my building for five years or so.
“Heather, what’s up?”
“Adam I am embarrassed to come to you with this but I might have to close my business. I cannot afford the rent this month.” Just great…especially now but I would listen to what she had to say.
“Come in, sit down. It can’t be that bad!”
“Adam, my sales have been horrible this month. The mayor’s office was one of my most profitable clients. I catered their weekly meetings, you know make sandwich platters and small pastries. They were one of my major customers and I only found out a few weeks ago that they no longer needed me. I tried to make ends meet but it has been really difficult.”
I felt sick with the prospect of losing Heather. “Okay, let’s talk. What about if I gave you an extension on your rent. I don’t want you to leave. Pay me when you can. Concentrate on new business and for now, let that be your only concern. Get the mayor’s office to give you a recommendation and you’d be surprised at how many contacts they will have. A good reference is what it takes in your line of work. And if I hear of anyone needing your services; I will mention you. It’s worth a try. Right?”
“Thank you so much. I can’t believe your kindness. I promise to pay you as soon as I can.”
You better or else I just might have to evict you!
“Don’t worry Heather, you will be fine. I suggest you make a list of all potential customers and go knocking door to door. It is the only way. Another thing, constantly update your website. You could provide a weekly recipe; people are suckers for stuff like that. If you don’t have a Facebook page, get one and also a Twitter account.”
She almost looked embarrassed; I realized that she had none of the above. As she made her exit, she also made an awkward attempt at hugging me. She realized her action and quickly left.
* * * *
“I’ll open the door; you set the table.” I hurriedly paid the delivery man from Scores and set about eating a scrumptious rack of ribs after buying a cheap bottle of wine from the corner depannuer. “Sometimes eating in is even more fun than dining out.”
“You can say that again.”
“Sometimes eating in is even more fun than dining out,” I repeated with a giggle. Richard gave me a playful punch and I was happy that things were back to normal between us. I think we both ate faster than usual with anticipation of what was to be found in the file. Once cleaned up Richard handed me the dossier. I knew that it might change the outcome of the case. What we would find in there could direct us in closing the case or continuing. I could only hope that the file was in our favour. I did not want to give up on Gritty versus Invor just yet. I started to read. I am sure my facial expressions were so descriptive that Richard could not wait for me to be finished.
“Adam, read out loud. What’s in it?”
Opening the file, the first thing that you saw was big words stamped “dismissed”. Well that was a no-brainer! Obviously he is not working there anymore!
“Richard, please let me digest first and then we can discuss.”
“Wow, he worked there almost 25 years. He started out in the mailroom and there are receipts for his studies at McGill. They must have thought enough of him to pay for or partially pay for his education.”
“Many companies did that at the time. The government paid half and the company would absorb the rest. It was a tax write off as well. And they got their employees trained … it was a win-win situation,” said Richard.
“Here is the transcript of his marks. Apparently he was a great student with an overall average of ninety-two percent.”
“What was his GPA?”
“I don’t think in those days they marked according to GPAs. But I would say from what I know about it, he would be a 3.7. Who cares anyway? He was brilliant.”
“Just asking…!”
“Oh here is a copy of his degree. He got a BS in Microbiology, very impressive indeed! He was then placed in charge of the department.”
“What department?”
“It says, Antimicrobial activity and disinfection … in other words contamination.”
“Contamination of what?” asked Richard getting more annoyed as I read.
“His job description is vague but from what I can see of it, he was in charge of determining how a product reacts in cases of contamination.”
“Pills get contaminated?”
“It’s not only in the form of pills that are sold. Medicines also come in liquid state, like cough medicine. There would have to be an expiry date and that is what he did. I am sure that he tested the time factor of safety in keeping the medicine from losing it effectiveness once opened. That makes sense to me.”
“Didn’t he say that he was in the development of the actual drugs? I thought that he found a cure for some rare disease. How could he be in two different departments at the same time? He was trained in a specific field. I just don’t get it!” Richard said with concern.
“Whatever he did he was good at it. Look at the pay scale and his salary increases. They must have thought highly of him to pay him a six figure salary, and the high end of one.”
“Adam, it would seem that he had it made. What the hell happened?”
“Look at this. There is a police report.”
“For what?”
“Wow, he was accused of sexual harassment towards a female employee. It was discharged. Let me read on.”
“Hurry up. What did he do? Discharged by who?”
“He got a reprimand from the company and the employee in question dropped all charges relating to it.”
“I bet she was paid off. Invor would not want any bad publicity. I also bet she did not stick around long after that.”
“Oh wait! Here is another report. He pushed some security guard and had to be hospitalized because the guard fought back. He suffered some broken ribs and a few skin abrasions. Who is this guy? Is this the same Gritty that I have come to know?”
“Are those the only two reports?”
“The only two that were reported to the police department. Marc never mentioned any of this to me. There must be a record somewhere.”
“They are huge Adam. They probably paid off someone to get rid of the original complaints. Money, my friend can buy your way out of anything. I only wonder why they kept him around for such a long time after these complaints.”
“He either was valuable to the business or perhaps a threat.”
“In what way?” asked Richard with a puzzled look on his face
“Maybe he was blackmailing someone. We only have his word for what happened and from this information I highly doubt that he found any cure for anything. He wasn’t even trained in that capacity. I feel he is a compulsive liar. He lies for his own benefit. We must always remember what he said about his so-called wife. There never was a wife! He tried to manipulate me for his own benefit. He definitely is a player! He can go from a highly exaggerated personality to a low inactive one. His ups and downs are bizarre.”
I dug further in the file and came across a white envelope. I could not help but notice the stamp on it and where it came from. I was beyond confused. I showed it to Richard and we both inhaled. What now? I began to read.
“It’s a medical report. It would seem our Gritty was being treated.”
“For what?”
“Hold on, let me read. Are you serious? Invor was also paying for psychiatric sessions for him. It gets worse.”
“Hurry up, I want to know.”
“Well his police report is attached to his medical file. They must have realized that he had a mental issue.”
“Why would you say mental?”
“He was being treated at the Douglas. Wait! He was admitted there for a one-year pe
riod. All at the expense of Invor. Now I am totally confused.”
“What did he have? Do you think it was because of the charges brought against him? Charges that were later dropped. I tell you Adam, I have my work cut out for me at Invor. I am going to get to the bottom of all this. What else does it say?”
I did not know whether to feel sorry for Gritty or kill him. The latter part of the equation was more appealing. He lied to me and I hated being lied to. But then again, if he was insane, how could you judge him. He was not being rational. I read on and to my astonishment revealed the outcome to Richard. I was in shock.
“I feel lost as to what to do. He was and probably is a very sick man. My biggest concern is he is living with Lexus. I have to warn her.”
“She has been living on and off with him long enough. You don’t think she knows already?”
“You’re probably right!”
“What does it say? If you don’t tell me I will rip that file away from you.”
I felt defeated as I read. “It says that he has been treated for Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD).”
Chapter Eleven
The next day I knew that I was meeting up with Lexus. She had promised to produce proof of Peter’s birth. But with the new information obtained; that was the least thing on my mind. How could I possibly continue with this case? Nothing coming out of Gritty’s mouth was the truth. Irrational behaviour mixed with violent actions were just cause for me to dismiss Gritty versus Invor. I felt beaten and my spirit was deflated as I approached her building. All of a sudden my mother’s face appeared before me. It seemed that any disappointment in life only made me remember my past let-downs, my mother being the first.
Montreal was busy at that early hour. Freshly scrubbed children were kissing their mothers’ goodbye as they boarded the school buses. There was a festive air amongst them: giggles and chatter, waves of love and promises to see you later. It brought back memories of the little boy who wanted desperately to have his mother walk him to the bus stop that first day of school. I was frightened with the newness of my surroundings and all she could do was give me an air kiss and hustle me out the door. I remember her being busy… too busy to care. I cried that first day and managed to latch on to another parent bringing her child to the same bus stop. I remember pretending to belong to her. I guess she could see the look in my eyes as she kissed her own child goodbye for she bent down and wished me luck with a sweet little kiss on my forehead. Whoever she was; she made my day.
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