Something Rotten, Ch. 04
The next morning, I got up, did my morning business, showered, and ate breakfast. I checked the surveillance video from my house and saw the two cheaters had already left for the day, after getting the children dressed and off to day care.
I did notice one thing, though. Both of the kids asked their mother where I was, and James cornered her with another question.
“Mom, why were you and Uncle Max in Dad’s bed?” he asked.
“Oh, sweetheart, your Uncle Max was tired from the long trip yesterday, so he stayed overnight,” Rebecca said.
“But why didn’t he stay in the guest bedroom?” James asked.
“We were talking about some things,” Rebecca told him.
“Are you and Dad getting divorced?” James asked, his bereft little-boy tone tearing at my heart.
Rebecca looked at him, shocked. “Of course not, sweetheart,” she said in a vain attempt to reassure him.
I copied the video to my thumb drive, called my office to let them know I would be late, and left. My first stop was Angela’s office. When I arrived, her receptionist ushered me inside Angela’s inner sanctum. I saw Julie next to Angela’s desk and nodded my head.
“Good morning, Jimmy,” she said. “How are you doing this morning?”
“I’m getting by. I wish I could say I was numb by now, but I’m not. The blows just keep coming,” I said. “I’ve got video and the breakdown of my finances,” I told Angela, handing her the thumb drive and a printed spreadsheet. “If you need more, let me know.”
“Thanks,” she said. “This will do nicely,” she added, looking at the spreadsheet and the filled-out form. “I’ll look through this video and call you if anything crops up.”
“Thanks,” I said before leaving. I went to the office and instructed Sheila, my PA, to block any personal calls.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Not particularly, but I’ll manage,” I told her. I did my best to focus on my work, but it wasn’t easy. I got a call from Angela about 2:30 pm.
“How are you doing, Jimmy?” she asked.
“It’s hard, but I’m managing,” I said. “Thanks for asking.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. “Can you come by my office around 4:30 this afternoon?”
“Sure,” I said. “What’s going on?”
“I’ll explain when you get here,” she said. Julie met me when I got to Angela’s office. I couldn’t help but notice her shit-eating grin.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“You’ll see, Jimmy,” she said. We went into Angela’s office, and Julie shut the door.
“Thanks for coming by on short notice,” Angela said.
“No problem,” I said. “What have you got for me?”
“First of all, I spoke briefly with the District Attorney,” Angela said. “He’s very interested in pursuing possible conspiracy and fraud charges against Max, Rebecca, and your mother. He told me he would look into it and see if the video we got is sufficient probable cause.
“The DA can use the video since they were out in public and making no attempt to hide anything, so he feels that he can argue they should have no expectation of privacy. So it is admissible. And I think he sees Max as a possible future political competitor. Your mom’s family has a somewhat checkered history of political ambitions – judges, DAs, Attorneys General, some gubernatorial and senatorial runs.” Angela shrugged. “If killing two birds with one stone gets him firmly on our side, I’ll take it.”
“That’s good,” I said. “What else?”
“The video captured at your house last night is sufficient evidence to file for adultery. So I’m putting the papers together now,” she said. “I’ve also asked the court to compel Rebecca to submit the children for a DNA paternity test.”
“Why?” I asked. “They’ve already admitted that Max is the biological father. And my... mother... has already said she has DNA test results.”
“Have you personally seen those test results?” Angela asked.
“No, I haven’t,” I told her.
“Exactly,” Angela said. “Those tests were taken four to six years ago. There have been many advancements since then. That’s why I intend to subpoena those test results to compare them to ours.”
“Why go through all this trouble?” I asked.
“Take a look at this,” Angela said, turning her laptop so I could see the screen.
“Yeah, I’ve already seen this,” I said, looking at the image of Rebecca bouncing on Max’s cock.
“No, look here,” Angela said, pointing to something on the side of the video screenshot. I looked and saw the doorway she pointed to, but there was something else there I hadn’t seen before – a small, shadowy figure. I looked at Angela, confused.
“I visited a video specialist I keep on retainer,” Angela said. “He enhanced the image. Look.” She pulled up an image, and I could clearly see who was standing in the doorway – it was little James, his eyes wide as he watched his mother fuck Max.
“Oh my God,” I said. “No wonder James asked Rebecca if she was getting a divorce. Can we call someone? Child Protective Services, maybe?”
“I doubt they would do anything based just on this,” Angela said. “However, a judge certainly won’t look favorably on it. Have you considered asking for custody?”
“No, I haven’t,” I told her. “I figured they’re Max’s children. I have no interest in raising another man’s children.”
“But if they turn out to be yours?” Angela asked.
“You seem to think that’s a real possibility,” I said.
“I’ve seen stranger things happen,” Angela said. “And I think we should have plans ready for any contingency. Max is an arrogant bastard, but he is a sneaky, dangerous attorney. I want him in the center of a minefield of my making. The video of him hinting about planting evidence on you will be embarrassing, but wouldn’t get him disbarred, as he could easily argue he was just boasting, or joking, or angry. Incontrovertible DNA results will be a pretty big club to beat him with.”
“Let’s see what the DNA test results are first,” I told her.
“Alright,” Angela said. “When was the last time you spoke with them?”
“Saturday, before I left them in Florida,” I said.
“Maybe you should call them tonight, just to let them know you’re okay and you’re thinking of them,” Angela said. “Besides, it will show good faith for the judge. You’re trying to do the right thing.”
“Maybe you’re right,” I finally said. “So, what’s next?”
“We get the DNA test results back, then I’ll file for both of you,” Angela said.
“And how long will it take to get the results?” I asked.
“It generally takes about eight to 10 days, but you can get results as soon as 48 to 72 hours if you don’t mind paying extra,” Angela said.
“Alright,” I said. “I’ll pay the extra amount to get the results expedited. When will the judge sign the order?”
“I should have it tomorrow,” Angela said. “If so, I’ll have Rebecca served the same day. Here’s the contact information for the lab I normally use for this,” she added, handing me a card. “Once she’s served, I’ll send you a text with the case number. You can use that for reference when you go to give them a sample of your DNA.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Is that it?”
“For now, yes,” Angela said. “Don’t worry, Jimmy. We’ll get through this.” We said our goodbyes, and I left to eat and get some rest. This was taking a lot out of me, and I simply wanted it all to end.
When I got to my room, I pulled up the surveillance system from the house to see what was going on. Rebecca had apparently just gotten home and was taking care of the kids. I realized I actually missed the kids, so I decided to call the house, as Angela suggested.
“Foreman residence,” Rebecca said when she answered the phone. Apparently, she didn’t see my number come up on the phone’s screen.
“Hello, Rebecca,” I said.
“Jimmy? Where are you? When are you coming home?” she anxiously demanded.
“I just called to speak with the kids,” I said.
“But when are you coming home?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” I told her. “Now, can I speak to the children or not?”
“Of course,” she said. “Hold on.” I heard her call James and Elizabeth, telling them I was on the phone.
James came to the phone first. “Dad? Where are you?” he asked.
“I’m taking care of some things,” I said. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” James said. “I just wish you were home.”
“Me too,” I said. Surprisingly, I meant it. I wished that I were really their father and would be reading a story to them at bedtime – while Rebecca and Max burned in Hell, of course.
“Tell me something... Just say yes or no. Does your Uncle Max stay there when I’m gone?”
“Yeah,” he said instantly.
“The whole night?” I asked.
“Uh-huh,” James replied.
“Has this been going on for a while?” I asked.
“Yeah,” James said sadly.
“Thank you for being honest with me, James,” I said.
“You’re welcome. So when are you coming home?” he asked.
“I don’t know. As soon as I can,” I said, fighting an urge to cross my fingers. Damn the four of them and what their schemes were doing to two innocent children.
“I love you,” he said hopefully, with complete childhood honesty. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. As much as I hated what Max and Rebecca had done, the fact was I loved these two children and would miss them terribly after this was all said and done.
“I love you too,” I finally managed to say. He passed the phone to Elizabeth, and we talked for a while, mostly me listening to her babble about her dolls. We exchanged “I love yous,” and she handed the phone to Rebecca.
…
More to come…
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