“That’s not how it works. The law only cares about the best interests of the child. It doesn’t matter how she got here. Fletcher’s going to have to pay child support, regardless.”
“Well, the law is wrong. I’d fight that scandalous trick all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. At least he’s going to win his lawsuit. Because what she did is definitely fraud.”
I exhale. “It depends how you define win. No matter how big the jury’s verdict is, it’s unlikely that Fletcher will ever collect a dime from her.”
I explain that child support payments are judgment proof. “She has no other income, so there’s nothing he could go after. Though he could go after her townhouse.”
“Then he should. A woman can’t pull a stunt like that and get away with it.”
“Apparently she can and did.”
Jefferson continues to shake his head in amazement. “That chick needs to be careful. I know a dude who was ready to kill his baby mama over an eight-hundred-dollar-a-month child support payment.”
“Boy, don’t talk like that! People get all caught up because they have to give money to their ex. But it’s not about the ex. It’s about caring for the child.”
“I understand that. But I’m just saying homegirl needs to understand that some dudes wouldn’t bother with the legal system. They would just take her out.”
I don’t tell Jefferson that Fletcher has already threatened to do just that. Instead, I close my eyes, enjoy my foot massage and pray that this case doesn’t go any further south than it already has.
CHAPTER 44
Jessica examined herself in the bathroom mirror. She wasn’t stunning like Bliss, but she was attractive enough in her own right. She had nice eyes and great hair. And she’d made it her mission in life to cater to her husband. According to Cosmo that was the key to a successful marriage.
So why is my husband cheating on me?
It bothered her that she was beginning to think more and more like Bliss. Maybe she should just get pregnant. Despite his disdain for children, Paul couldn’t help but love his own son or daughter.
Without giving it further thought, Jessica opened the medicine cabinet, took out her birth control pills and popped open the case. She turned the dial and one by one dumped the pills into her hand and then dropped them into the toilet.
Feeling suddenly empowered, she left the bathroom and headed toward the kitchen. As she passed Paul’s office, something stopped her. She retraced her steps and stood in the doorway of his office.
She’d spent months decorating the room with dark, rich mahogany. The heavy curtains and crown molding gave the room a majestic feeling.
Jessica stepped inside and sat down at Paul’s desk. The chair felt large and uncomfortable. Paul used to come home early and work from home. Even when he hibernated in his office, at least he was there with her. Back then, he just wanted to be near her, even if he had work to do.
When had that stopped?
She wondered what kind of woman Paul was seeing. Was she younger? Blonde? Was she like Bliss? No, Paul didn’t like brash women. He preferred meek women he could control, like her. She was probably some airhead receptionist at his firm.
She picked up the phone and dialed his office.
“Hey, I just wanted to say hi. When are you coming home?”
“Since when do you use the phone in my office?” His voice was all irritation.
“I don’t know. I...I was just looking at the decor. Maybe it’s time for a makeover.”
“The office is fine the way it is.”
Jessica glanced around. Paul was such a neat freak. There’s wasn’t a piece of paper in sight.
“I’m sorry, honey. I’m in the middle of something.” She could hear the click-clacking of his keyboard. “What do you need?”
“I was just wondering when you were coming home,” she asked again.
“Not sure, this deal is really a bear. I’ll call you when I’m headed out. Sorry, but I really gotta go. Love you.”
A second later, he was gone. Jessica felt so stupid. She’d allowed Paul to become her entire world. But the reverse wasn’t true. She didn’t agree with the way Bliss used men, but she knew her friend was right. Paul took her for granted. She needed to do something about that.
As she stood to leave, there was something about Paul’s reaction to her being in his office that set off a silent alarm. She sat back down and pulled out the middle desk drawer. Two pencils, three pens and a few paperclips all neatly placed. She tried to open the top file drawer to her right. Locked. As were the other three drawers.
Looking around, she finally found the switch to turn on his desktop computer. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for. She’d seen enough true crime TV shows to know that cheating men often made the mistake of charging gifts and trips for their mistresses on their credit cards. She’d already perused their joint American Express bill and found nothing out of the ordinary. She didn’t have access to any of his business card accounts. Maybe she’d find something on his computer.
Once the computer came on, she realized that the primary folder where Paul’s documents were stored was password protected. She tried a number of combinations. Her birthday. Paul’s birthday. Their anniversary. Nothing. Some little inkling quietly urged her to keep trying. That’s when she remembered reading an article about software programs that could crack a person’s passwords.
After mulling it over just a few minutes more, she walked into the bedroom and retrieved her iPhone. She typed computer monitoring software into Google.com. There were tons of hits, but what caught her eye was an ad for Webwatcher.com, which billed itself as a parental and employee monitoring software.
She clicked on the web link and read the explanation of how the software worked. Downloading it onto a computer would log every keystroke typed on the keyboard. That keystroke information would be sent to a secure website that could be accessed at any time, even from a mobile phone. She’d not only be able to figure out Paul’s password, she’d also be able to monitor every word he typed. The software was completely undetectable and only cost a hundred bucks.
Jessica left the room again, this time to grab her credit card. From Paul’s computer, she purchased the software and ten minutes later, had downloaded it. She thought about buying a GPS tracker to place in his car as well, but decided to wait on that. The first step was confirming whether Paul really was having an affair.
And if that was indeed the case, Jessica had absolutely no clue what she was going to do about it.
CHAPTER 45
“Girlfriend, what happened to you?” Special’s face scrunches up like she’s swallowed something foul. “You look whipped.”
I join her at a table at The Brownstone Bistro on Pico. “And just think,” I say, “I feel twice as bad as I look.”
We’re here because I need to download with my best friend-slash-investigator. More importantly, I need to pig out on some comfort food, regardless of the pounds it will add to my hips. I order my favorite dishes: gumbo, jerk chicken wings and lobster mac and cheese.
“You will not guess in a million years how Bliss Fenton got pregnant,” I say.
Special shrugs. “She stole Fletcher’s condom, right?”
“Nope.”
Her eyes narrow in bewilderment. “Then how did she do it?”
“Hold on a second. I need a drink.” I flag our waiter and order a Cadillac margarita.
“Okay, listen to this.”
I recount how, when and where Bliss conceived her daughter.
“Get outta here!” She slaps the table with her open palm. “No way. That ‘ho is super scandalous. Girl, I’ve never heard no craziness like that. And she admitted it?”
“She didn’t just admit it, she basically bragged about it. And Girlie sat there like a deaf-mute just letting Bliss run her mouth
. They wanted us to know exactly how she did it. Step by step.”
“That’s mad crazy. That girl got some sista in her. You sure she’s not black?”
I laugh. “Not that I know of.”
“Okay, you know Girlie don’t play fair,” Special warns, pointing a finger at me. “That means she’s got a surprise or two lined up for you.”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”
“But this definitely sounds like fraud, which means Fletcher should win his case against her.”
“I hope so. I’m still researching and I haven’t found a single case on point. Fletcher thinks this is a slam dunk. But I’m not so sure.”
My phone rings. It’s my assistant. “Hey.”
As I listen I feel a throbbing at my temples. I hang up the phone and massage the back of my neck.
“What’s the matter?” Special’s face mirrors the distress on mine.
“Girlie just served us with some documents. My assistant is emailing them to me now.”
Five minutes later, I scroll through my emails and open the first document. It’s hard to read on the small screen of my iPhone, but I see enough to understand the gist of it.
“That witch!”
“What? What did Girlie do now?” Special asks.
“That witch just filed a motion for summary judgment asking the court to dismiss Fletcher’s lawsuit. She also wants an examination of his assets by a forensic accountant.” I pause. “And she’s retracting her temporary child support demand and asking the family law court for a permanent order of eighty-three grand a month.”
CHAPTER 46
It’s nice to see Fletcher serious for a change. Bliss’ summary judgment motion is one thing, but the petition seeking eighty-three grand a month in child support gets his full attention.
“This has to be a scare tactic by her attorney,” Fletcher says, staring out of his office window. “No judge in his right mind would award Bliss that kind of money, right?”
“Probably.” Fletcher seems to crave my reassurances right now. “I suspect she asked for twice what she thought the court might be willing to award.”
“Half of that is still ridiculous. And this motion is nuts too. Bliss has the nerve to steal my sperm, yet she’s claiming my case has no merit and I’m just trying to harass her. This is crazy. Please tell me the court’s not going to grant this piece-of-crap?”
“Let me get to work on the opposition to the summary judgment motion. I’ll have a much better idea of where we stand after I check out the cases Girlie cited in her brief.”
Fletcher nods.
“Girlie also served Darlene with the child support demand and request for a forensics exam since she’s counsel of record in the family law case. I’m sure Girlie only sent me copies of those documents to piss me off. Darlene will be calling you this afternoon. She thinks it’s a good time to move forward with a motion to compel Bliss to disclose the identity of Jonas’ father, and I agree. You’ll have a better chance of winning that motion in the family law case.”
Fletcher is staring out of the window. I wonder if he’s heard anything I just said.
“That forensics exam can’t happen,” he says.
“Why?”
“I’m in the middle of a major deal where I’m putting up most of the financing. If the other side gets wind of this paternity case, it could blow it for me. Do whatever you have to do to block it. At least for a couple of months.”
“I’ll see what I can do. But if the forensics exam doesn’t happen in the fraud case, the family court’s certainly going to allow it.”
“That’s not good enough,” Fletcher said. “I don’t want her looking into my finances. So fix it.”
* * *
Fletcher wasn’t the kind of man who would accept being uncomfortable in his own space, and for that reason he didn’t want to go home. As he headed up the walkway, he braced himself for another run-in with Mia. He’d told her the deposition had gone okay, but she’d been asking for a copy of his deposition transcript as well as Bliss’. There was no way he could let that happen. If Mia found out about his backseat blow job, she’d stroke out.
He headed straight for the bedroom and undressed, putting on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. He could hear Mia in the kitchen. She rarely cooked, but he smelled what he thought might be spaghetti sauce. Mia made amazing spaghetti sauce using fresh tomatoes. If Mia was cooking, he was really in for it. She was setting him up for a major push.
When he entered the kitchen, Mia was standing at the sink. He kissed her on the back of the neck.
“Hey, beautiful. Do I smell my favorite?”
“Sure do.”
“How’d you have time for that?”
“I made time.”
He took a seat at the kitchen table and watched Mia drain the spaghetti in a colander. He figured she’d wait until after dinner to start pressuring him again about the deposition transcripts. He was wrong.
“How important is trust to you in a relationship?” she asked, turning to face him.
WTF?
He was not in the mood to deal with this right now. Why don’t women understand when to leave well enough alone?
He stood up. “Not tonight, Mia. I had a long day.”
She walked over to him, hands on hips. He liked her feistiness. It was almost a turn on.
“Fletcher, I need to know what’s going on in your case. This impacts me too. I’m about to be your wife.”
“I’ve already given you an update.”
“I’m a lawyer. I don’t understand why I can’t review the deposition transcripts.”
“Because you’re not a lawyer on this case. Vernetta is doing a fine job. I need you to stay out of it.”
“I wouldn’t be so concerned if you hadn’t lied to me about not filing the defamation lawsuit.”
“I didn’t lie to you.”
“Let’s not play semantics, Fletcher. A material omission is the same as a lie. You let me think you’d already served Bliss. It was very embarrassing to find out from her that you not only hadn’t filed the complaint, but you also tried to settle with her.”
He brushed past her. “I’m not rehashing this again, Mia.”
“You can’t treat me like some kind of bimbo. Is this how you treated Bliss?”
He stopped and counted to five before turning around. “I didn’t have to treat Bliss like this.
She knew her place.”
“Her place!” The veins in Mia’s neck expanded into taut wires. “So you expect me to know my place. Is that what you’re saying?”
“What I’m saying is that you need to leave me the hell alone regarding the lawsuit. I’m handling it.”
“I don’t like the way you’ve been treating me. Maybe this wedding isn’t a good idea.”
“You’re right. Maybe it isn’t.”
The alarm in Mia’s eyes made him smile inside. Calling off the wedding was the last thing Mia wanted. He had no doubt that Mia loved him. But she also loved his money and his social status. And for that reason, she might rock the boat, but she wasn’t about to let it capsize.
Mia stomped back over to the sink and slammed the colander down on the counter, causing spaghetti to spill onto the floor.
“I’ve repeatedly told you Vernetta and I have the case under control. We don’t want or need your involvement. If you bring it up one more time, then I will call off the wedding.”
Fletcher left her standing there with her mouth in the position he liked most. Closed.
Strutting into his study with a smug smile resting on his lips, Fletcher felt like grabbing his balls in victory. Like he’d told Vernetta, women don’t leave powerful men.
And he definitely held all the power.
CHAPTER 47
Special hated the thought
of wasting another evening following Bliss Fenton around and ending up with nothing to show for it.
Since Martin Zinzer spilled his guts, Special was dying to catch Bliss with another unsuspecting sap. But so far each surveillance failed to catch her in the act. All the woman did was shop at expensive stores and eat at fancy restaurants.
Special’s time would’ve been put to better use following Darius. There were a couple of times when she wanted to, but had wisely talked herself out of it. As much as she enjoyed spending time with him, she still could not quell her suspicion that he might not be on the up and up. She couldn’t forget the way he’d freaked out when she picked up his cell phone the other night. Men only did that when they had something to hide.
So what is Darius hiding?
It was after nine o’clock and she was about to head home when a thought hit her. She was almost a full-fledged private investigator. And when an investigator wanted to know something, they investigated. Without giving herself time to have a change of heart, Special made a U-turn and drove in the direction of Torrance, where Darius claimed he was working late on an important project.
Just like a man, after he got her all into him, he started changing the program. She hadn’t received flowers in two weeks and he’d stopped calling her every day just to hear her voice. What bothered her most was when he claimed to be working late the last two times she’d offered to come over.
Special hopped on the 405 Freeway and headed south. Darius claimed he was working on a project at the Toyota facility on Western. The dude sure worked a lot of late nights. She exited the freeway at Western, headed east, then made a right at the light. As she searched for an entrance into the facility, she wondered if she’d even be able to get inside to search for Darius’ car in the parking lot. The thrill of seeing if she could was what made investigative work so much fun.
She turned onto Toyota Way and rolled her car to a stop at a small guard booth. She smiled up at a tiny Latina who approached her car. The woman had to be pushing fifty and couldn’t have weighed more than a hundred pounds. They hired just about anybody to do security these days.
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