James Brogan – Divorce

 It was a lazy Wednesday afternoon and I was taking on a ball game on the TV and reading a book inbetween pitches, you would be surprised how easy it was watching the Sox and reading a book, you don’t really need to concentration as you knew it would be 3 up three down, and then a long rally as they opposition racked up the points, then a change in pitching and a base clearing home run, and that would be the game pretty much done by the 5^th inning.

You had to love the Sox really, as when they had a bad season, it was a BAD season, and the book was getting really rather interesting.

So, the knock on the door, came as a surprise to me, as I had thought that I had given my girl the day off, and I had no cases that needed my attention at the moment, I was dutifully upping my expenses as I was working in the office, a trick I have learned from a few lawyers, if the file in on your desk, then the hours are being billed, if its open, then the hours are double billed.

I gave the standard come on in, if you feel the need to yell, the door was close, it was closed and I wanted to make an impression, I grabbed my desk gun, and left my pants where they where, around my ankles. (If this is your first experience of me in the office, then learn this, I enjoy sitting around with loose pants, and they often work their way down to the floor, If you ever meet me in the office, you’ll notice I never stand up)

It was a dame, and the sort of dame I was glad of not having my pants on for.

Have a seat, tell me your problems, and before you start, if your husband its really fooling around on you, he is an idiot.

That got a smile, and it also started the water works, the box of Kleenex was on the desk and within reach, so she was able to help herself, while I knocked my pen off the desk and pulled my pants up, so I felt a little better. I often get women crying in my office, generally it is when I give them the photos of their husband behind some woman they that recognize giving in the big effort, that generally sets off the water works, because they know they have lost a friend and also have a lengthy divorce ahead of them.

This poor woman looked like she would be lost out on the street, she generally gave the impression of a home body, someone who almost never went out, and when they did it was to the supermarket to get the weekly shopping, other than that, she was within the house or the apartment and watching General hospital or days of our lives. A zero lifer who had worked up the guts to ask a few questions, or has just had enough of the late nights and the smell of other women.

It was often cases like this that got me really upset, generally because the man was a total asshole who really didn’t care, all he needed was clean clothes and a clean house, he and he took up with the easy woman at the start, the woman that says I love, I will do anything for you, he settled but didn’t settle in his mind, he knew he was going to go out and play around and always have a safe place to go.

Of course I knew none of this, I was just reading the situation from the woman and her demeanor, never mind the flood of tears that she was continuing to gush out, this poor woman had it bad.

I hated tears, and this was just too much.

If you can stop crying, now, then I might be able to help you.

She looked up, eyes puffy and still leaking, she smiled and said, I need to know, I have to know, what is my husband doing? I can’t take it anymore, I just need to know.

Ok, now I know what you need, how about a little detail? Names maybe? Starting with yours, that would be a good start, and please be aware of my rates, its 350 a day plus expenses, these will be details. Its 2 days up front, as all investigations take at least that, pictures and court time if required is extra.

It might sound expensive, but if you have done your research, or talked to previous clients you will understand that I am worth every penny.

She placed an envelope on the desk, and with those big wet eyes said, I know who you are, and I know what you have done for friends of mine.

I nodded, and took the envelope.

Well, I said, tell me your story.

So it begins…..

Well, it has been going on for a long time, I know it has, but I have just accepted that it was all ok, but recently with his attitude I have just had enough, I know he is a bit of a playboy, I know he always loves to look and maybe I am to blame, but I do keep the house in good order, and I have been very loyal to him, and he just treats me like I am a maid, he doesn’t care, and when he gets upset because I have not ironed his shirts, then well, what else am I to do?

I nodded, don’t stop the flow, let her get it all out, and the recording I was making would give me a chance to go back over it again if I needed to, but I had a feeling this one going to be a one day special.

He has given me everything I need but he has always wanted me to stay home, not to go out and work, and for some silly reason I accepted this, even with my degree, and the potential that I had, I accepted that he would give me everything I needed, but its just the two of us, no children and a house and that is it for me, I am home all day, I cook I clean and he goes to work, and on business trips, and I just wait for him.

Its not really the life I wanted, I am a lawyer, I was just starting out, I had good offers, I have, or I had the ability to make my own way.

I nodded again.

He worked in advertising, and I guess that should have been my first clue, really you should ways know that anyone who works in advertising is going to lie for a living, it is what they do. No product is perfect but it is their job to tell the lies to make people buy, and believe it or not, he told me that on our 3^rd date, I really don’t know what I was thinking.

I nodded.

He works with Y&R, he is a partner, and you’ll find his card in the envelope along with a few names, of friends of ours, please feel free to tell them whatever you wish, I don’t care if he knows, this just has to be done.

I nodded, and then I spoke.

I think you’ll find that it is much better for you if he doesn’t know. You will need to keep everything as normal as possible, and I will get you everything you need, and I assume that you are going to proceed with a divorce when you have everything that I can get?

Definitely, this is the end, I want to get out and return to the world,  enjoyed Law, I might even represent myself for this, maybe I can start my own practice, I am sure a good female divorce lawyer is worth her weight in gold, and woman to woman would make it much easier.

Well, I think you might well me on to something there, as I have never met a female divorce lawyer, and I think the woman to woman thing would do a long way, at least with my experience of doing cases like this.

I will get to work on your husband tomorrow, and get back to you early next week, with a report of details, to assist you in your endeavor I will make everything court ready if you like.  

That would be helpful, I have already gotten the papers and I am doing all that I think needs to be done, but I just need the proof, and I know there is plenty of that.

Consider it done.

That is something I never say, but this just felt right, it felt like a time to make a promise, to act and make sure to act decisively.

She made herself presentable and left, and I flicked back to the game, well, that was a waste because it was over and now those pesky Blue Jays from up north had a game on.

I decided to go out, have a late lunch or an early dinner and catch a show, and that is exactly what I did before I went to bed.

Thursday was a day, it was a day to get to work, and as much as I hated early starts I did just that and left the house at 10am, I hate early mornings, and I went downtown to stake out the offices of Y&R and to get a few good coffees into me, along with a good order of breakfast, and I knew just the place.

Just across the road, they had a little diner in the bottom of an office block, it was a regular hang out for lots of people and you could tell the detectives when you walked it, there was always someone in the middle of a divorce case or an embezzlement case. I never really got involved with money cases, being an Ex Cop, people tended not to hire you when it was all about money, I guess they figured all cops where dirty and the money would never be recovered. What they didn’t know is that those cops never became PIs because their brothers in blue wouldn’t allow it.

I figured he would be out of the office at lunch and being a Y&R guy, it would be a liquid lunch, their crowd had a reputation and it was well deserved. If not Drunk by 3 in the afternoon, you knew they had lost an account.

It was a little longer wait than I expected but he was out of the office at 1:30 and racing along the road, he had quite the pace on him, I guess he has forgotten the time and was desperate to catch up with someone, it was only a few blocks and he walked into a “Bar” with entertainment, well this was going to make it easier for me to keep an eye on him, I made a call to my buddy flipper, and we was at work, and often he was at this time In the afternoon, and he tagged my client as a regular, so I went across the road and had a drink at Pete’s place.

Flipper called me back at Pete’s and told me he was 3 in and 2 on, so I paid my tab and decided to go in and observe for myself.

It looked like he had no intention of going back to work, he was indeed at least 3 in, and there where 2 on the table, having a good time, and he was not shy, which is an ok think in this bar, no one bats and eye when you have hands on, its just that sort of place, and the ladies in doing the afternoon shift never mind it, it generally means they can get home to see the kids and they don’t have to work the night shift to pick up some extra money.

Tiger was in, and so she came to sit with me, she practically lived here, and was always good for information when needed.

He was a once a week guy, maybe more,  never took a lady home, didn’t date any of the girls, well not that they would tell you, but they had seen him come in with a woman a number of times, and they really tended to enjoy it. Not much of a talked but loved to get his hands on, and wasn’t shy about it.

Paid his tab, paid for his dances, tips the basic amount, nothing special, but they all agreed he must live close because when he came with his girlfriend they always left and came back and left, and the girlfriend had been seen in the area.

Perfect, and this would make a great report, now I just needed to tag the girlfriend and get pictures of the two of them, and this was going to be an easy case to deal with.

While talking to tiger the two had become one, and he had been joined by the girlfriend, well it looks like this was going to be a days work, and this guy was ready for it, the girlfriend was climbing all over him while the dancer was doing her best to make sure she earned her tip.

It was a show and a half, the dancer go paid and the girlfriend practically took over from where she had left off, this was a special bar really, anyone could come in and dance, I guess licenses ment nothing, then again this place, as I knew well enough, was owned by an ex Cop so it was always over looked when it came time to check up on this sort of stuff.

He motioned to the waitress and paid up, and was making to leave so I started to prepare myself, I went to the washroom, and slipped out the back door, and around to the front of the building down the alley, to watch them emerge from the bar, and start to walk in the other direction, making things easier as I could watch them for a while and then appear to follow, sadly the only crossed the road and went into the building right there. Only a few hundred yards away, well that makes sense on the in and out with the girlfriend.

So I came out and walked along the street and watch for lights to come on, giving me an indication of a floor or an apartment, and all the luck was mine, 3^rd floor and with windows that I should be able to get a look in if I got on the roof across the street, and I knew I could the bar block was easy access and with friends it was just 5 minutes and I was up top looking across the road.

I had everything I needed, so it was just a matter of putting everything in place, and asking friends to keep an eye out, and I would have everything I needed for close out this case.