Fallout 02: Prime Suspect

Fallout 02: Prime Suspect

This is the second of a new series called, "Fallout" that deals with the consequences of cheating. The current plan is that each entry in the series can be read as a separate story.

Many thanks to those who offered comments and constructive criticism on my previous stories. For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper...

Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. (Yes, I DO moderate comments) And please remember, this is a work of fiction, not a docu-drama...

...

Tom Williams sat in his chair on his covered patio, waiting for Julie, or Jules, as he called her, his wife of almost 20 years to come through the door. Sarah Miles, a friend and colleague, sat at a 90 degree angle to his right. He took a puff off his cigarette, ground it in the ashtray on the table in front of him, took a sip of coffee and lit another srlmoke.

"You alright, Tom?" she asked. He shook his head slowly.

"Not really, Sarah," he said. "But I'm glad you're here."

"That's what friends are for, Tom," she said. He nodded his head and thought back over his marriage.

Nearly 22 years ago, he finished his four-year stint in the Marine Corps, having served as a military policeman, or MP. All he ever wanted to be was a cop. To be more precise, he wanted to be a detective. After his tour in the Corps, he went back to college full time using his veterans benefits. His goal was to complete his Criminal Justice degree and become a policeman.

That's where he met Julie. She was completing her business degree and they were in the same business law class. For her part, she was instantly attracted to the Marine combat veteran. Standing at just over 6 feet, he weighed in at 190 pounds, all muscle. Broad in the shoulders and narrow at the hips, he cut an imposing figure in any uniform he wore.

They dated, fell in love and got married after they graduated. She was about five years younger than him and had been engaged once before. She never explained why they broke up, only that he graduated a couple years ahead of her and moved on to New York.

He really didn't care about her old boyfriends -- hell, he had been something of a wild man in the Corps, chasing women wherever and whenever he could. But when he met Julie, he knew he had met his soul mate, and was determined to settle down with her.

They married right after graduation. He was able to get on with the police department, but it would be six months before he could attend Police Academy, so they put him to work as a 911 dispatcher. He knew it was only temporary, but at least he was doing something and was bringing home a paycheck.

Julie went to work for an investment firm that had offices nationwide. Together, they made enough to pay for a small but nice apartment, which suited them just fine. Most of their time was spent in the bedroom anyway. She liked her work, but the only part of her job Tom didn't like were the mandatory quarterly meetings back East, either in Washington, DC or New York.

According to her, they usually consisted of seminars that covered the latest regulatory changes, but sometimes, they included meetings with various officials. The trips usually lasted just three days, but could go for an entire week. He hated having her away from him, but she rocked his world when they reunited.

She gave birth to their first child, Andrew, about six months after he finished police academy, which was about a year and a half after they married. Two years later, she gave birth to their second child, Marie. She had a difficult time with Marie's delivery, and convinced him to get a vasectomy.

Both children were graced with their mother's blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. His mother suggested he have their DNA checked to verify they were his, but he rebuffed her efforts, saying Julie would never cheat on him.

"If you say so," his mother said quietly.

About five and a half years after joining the force, Tom took his detective test and passed with flying colors. He also made it through the oral exam with ease, thanks to his ongoing studies and his time in the Corps. No one expected him to make detective so early in his career, but he did, surprising everyone, including himself.

The promotion could not have come at a better time, as they were looking to buy a house large enough for their family. They found a nice two-story three bedroom house in a decent neighborhood and bought it. By then, Julie had earned a couple promotions and was bringing in more money as well.

A couple months after making Detective, he accompanied Julie to her company Christmas gathering, which was held in a ballroom at a local Marriot hotel. Julie introduced him to Alf Henrickson, a mid-level manager who was in town from New York.

"Ah yes, one of the city's finest," Alf said as he shook Tom's hand. "I hear you just made Detective. I'll certainly sleep better tonight knowing you're on the job."

"Thank you," Tom said, tamping down his irritation. Something about this guy bugged him. Like Julie, he sported long blond hair and had the deepest blue eyes he had ever seen in a man. But there was something else about the guy that bugged him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, though.

"At any rate, it would seem the better man won, eh?" he asked in a tone that baffled Tom. Alf chuckled as he took in Tom's confusion. "I was engaged to Jules once, you know. That was before I graduated and came to New York."

"I see," Tom said.

"At any rate, I'm glad we finally met," Alf said. "I have heard so much about you. Is it true you won one of those silver things in Iraq?"

"Silver Star," Tom said. "Yes, it's true."

"Ah, a war hero," Alf said. "Well, thank you for your service."

"Just doing my job," Tom said in a non-committal tone of voice. "The real heroes are usually those who come home in boxes."

"Of course," Alf said. Tom danced with his bride and watched as she danced with Alf a couple times. He saw the tall man whisper something to Jules but other than that, saw no inappropriate touching between them. When they were done, he walked Julie back to their table and made a show of handing her back to him.

"It has been a pleasure seeing you again, Jules," Alf said. "And a distinct pleasure finally making your acquaintance, sir," he added with a slight bow to Tom.

"You as well," Tom said, noticing the slight smirk on the man's face. As they drove home, Tom turned to Julie.

"Was that the guy you were engaged to in college before we met?" he asked.

"Yes, it was," she said quietly.

"Don't you think it would've been nice to let me know you were working with an old boyfriend?" he asked.

"He works in New York and we don't see each other very much," she said. "He's in a completely different department than I am. I'm sorry, I just didn't think it really mattered. It was so long ago. You're right, though. I probably should've mentioned it to you. Forgive me?" Tom smiled and chuckled.

"Of course," he said. "So, what happened between you two if you don't mind my asking?"

"Not at all," she said. "I wanted to get married and have kids. He wanted the benefits of marriage but not the responsibility. You know -- kids, mortgage, bills, all that stuff. When he left for New York, he made it clear that he would probably be seeing other women. I decided it would be best to end the engagement."

"I see," Tom said. "Any regrets?" She smiled as she looked at him and shook her head.

"None whatsoever," she said. "I've got everything a girl could ever want." She took his right hand in her left hand and and brought it to her mouth, giving it a kiss. "And right now, I'd love it if you could take me to our bedroom and make mad passionate love to me."

"Your wish is my command, my love," he told her.

He never met Alf again and Julie never mentioned his name, so he filed the encounter in the back of his mind and never brought it back up. The quarterly meetings continued and Tom never saw anything in her demeanor or actions to indicate there was a problem. She was always loving and attentive and their married life seemed to be quite good.

As time went on, Tom became acquainted with a few of Julie's friends from her office. They seemed friendly enough, but he got the sense there was something they were hiding. He got to know Alice, one of her colleagues, fairly well, when her and her husband had witnessed an armed bank robbery downtown. He caught the robber and the couple testified in court. By this time, he had been on the force for over 17 years and had risen to the rank of Detective Lieutenant.

He sometimes stopped by Julie's office for lunch and always made it a point to see how Alice was doing as her and her husband had experienced some trauma from the robbery. Staring down the barrel of a loaded shotgun can do that to a person sometimes. He admired their courage, however, when they bravely stood up and testified in court. When the prosecuting attorney asked her if she could identify the man, she said yes, then pointed right at the defendant and loudly proclaimed, "that's him, right there." That was about two and a half years ago.

Lately, though, he noticed Alice would look at him somewhat strangely when he came by. It was the same look he had gotten from several of Julie's co-workers at the company functions he had attended with her. He thought it odd at the time, but didn't let it bother him.

But one day, he decided he would find out what was bothering her. He walked into the area where Julie and Alice worked and headed for his wife's cubicle. Alice intercepted him before he got there, though.

"Julie's out for a bit," she told him.

"Oh?" Tom asked. "When will she be back?"

"She said she had to run some documents to legal, so she could be gone for a while," Alice said. He saw the look on her face and decided to press the matter.

"Is there a problem, Alice?" he asked. "Everything okay between you and your husband?"

"We're fine," she said. "I'm just curious though. Are you aware that Julie's been seeing Alf when we go back east?"

"No, I'm not," Tom said. "Why?"

"She said you guys have an open marriage, and you're okay with it because of your injury," she said.

"Injury?" Tom asked. "What injury?"

"She said you were injured in the line of duty and can't... perform," she said. "I'm sorry if I've put my nose someplace it doesn't belong," she added when she saw the look of shock on his face.

"You're right, I'm not, and I don't understand why she would say something like that, Alice," Tom said. "Do you have any proof of this?"

"I have some pictures I took with my cell phone the last time we went," she said. "If you want, I'll email them to you."

"Sure, that would be good," he said, writing his email address on the back of a business card. He handed it to her. "Do you know how long this has been going on?"

"I'm not sure, but I've seen her with him every time we went back," she said.

"How long?" Tom asked, pressing the issue.

"Ever since I've been here, about five years now," she told him.

"I see. Do me a favor, please," he said quietly. "Don't say anything to her about me being here, okay?"

"Mum's the word," she said. "I'll send those to you right away."

"Thanks, Alice," he said. "And for the record, I've never been injured in the line of duty, and I can... perform... just fine. I'll see you later." With that, he left, his mind and his stomach in turmoil. Was she cheating on him with Alf? Cheaters usually give off some sign that they're engaged in an illicit affair, he thought. But he couldn't recall anything that wouldn't pass the husband test. Julie always seemed loving and attentive, and never gave any hint that something was going on.

Of course, he never went though her luggage or demanded she give him a detailed rundown of her itinerary. She always called every night when she was gone. But that didn't really mean anything. He knew it was possible that Alice may have been exaggerating just a bit, so he decided to wait until he saw the pictures before taking any further action.

He got them about ten minutes after leaving Julie's work. He nearly lost what was in his stomach when he looked at the pictures. He saw the way Julie and Alf kissed as they danced, and saw the way his hand was on her near-naked ass under a short skirt he had never seen her wear before. His eyes filled with tears when he saw a picture of the two of them going into an elevator. She was smiling as she looked at him with a look he knew all too well -- it was the look she always gave him before they made love.

When he got back to his office, he had a hard time keeping his mind on work. Looking at the situation board, he decided to call it a day and head home.

"You okay, Lt?" one of the other detectives asked as he walked out.

"Sour stomach," he said. "Must be something I ate. I'm heading home for the rest of the day."

"Alright," the detective said. "See ya tomorrow."

"Yeah, see ya," Tom said as he walked out of the room. When he got home, he grabbed a beer and sat down at his computer. He pulled up his calendar to see when Julie's next trip back east was scheduled. He saw that it was coming up in just a couple days, on Friday. According to the colored bar that highlighted the days of the calendar, she would be gone for the whole week.

He copied the photos from his phone to his computer and enhanced them. He zoomed in on Alf's face, and that's when the bottom fell out of his world. Now he realized why the man's face triggered something in him all those years ago when they met. He pulled up pictures of his two children and compared them to Alf's. Damn, he thought. Andrew was the spitting image of Alf, and Marie was a close runner-up.

Fighting his tears, he knew he had to get proof of their parentage. He looked up the number of a company he knew that did fast and accurate DNA testing and called. After he got them to set aside a kit for him, he began to head out and his cell phone rang. He knew it was Julie from the ring tone.

"Hello," he said.

"Tom, are you okay?" she asked, concerned. "You sound like you're out of sorts. Is everything alright?"

"Just a case I'm working on that has me a bit upset," he said. "Plus my stomach is a bit sour. What's going on?"

"Well, you know I have that week-long trip back east, so I'll be working with the managers here late tonight on the itinerary," she said. "We'll probably go out to dinner and have a couple drinks afterward, so I may not get back till after 11:00. Would you mind looking after the kids tonight?"

"No problem," he said. This was nothing new. She always got with management before their quarterly meeting and knew she would probably get home well after 11:30.

"Thank you so much," she said. "Make sure they get to bed by 9:30. They have tests tomorrow and I want them to get a good night's sleep."

"Of course," he said.

"You're the best," she said. "I'll see you later. Love you."

"Yeah," he said. "Love you too." They ended the call and Tom realized the hardest part of all this was pretending there wasn't a problem between him and Julie. If what he suspected was true, that would mean she had been cheating on him their whole marriage. The only way he could get through this without going off the deep end was to treat it like he would any criminal case -- with cold, hard detachment. Follow the clues and see where they lead.

He got the DNA test and made it home before the kids. He realized he would have to wait until they were asleep before he could get anything from them. The last thing he wanted was for them to know what was going on. They weren't stupid and they would know what was up if he asked them for a cheek swab. He hated the subterfuge, but decided it was necessary.

He then looked in his contact list and found the name he was looking for. Roger Dunleavy -- a former police detective who retired a couple years ago. He moved to New York, his home town, and started his own private investigative service. His specialty was cheating spouses. He called, hoping to catch him.

"Dunleavy and Associates," his friend said when he answered.

"Roger, how are you, you old dog?" Tom asked.

"Tom Williams? Is that really you?" Roger asked.

"Yeah, it's me," Tom said. "How's business these days?"

"Well, there's more cheating spouses here than you can shake a stick at," Roger said, chuckling. "What's up? Finally realize you're never going to make Captain and want a piece of the action? I could use a good man like you."

"Nah," Tom said. "But I may have a job for you if you're willing to take it. And of course, I'll pay."

"Don't tell me you think Jules is cheating on you," Roger said.

"I'm pretty certain of it," Tom said. "And if what I suspect is true, it's been going on for a long time."

"Holy fuck," Roger said.

"She's going to be in town for a week starting Friday," Tom said. "I'll email you her itinerary and a picture of her and the guy I suspect she's been screwing."

"I take it you want the whole ball of wax," Roger said. "Audio, video, pictures, written report."

"Yeah, all of it," Tom said. "Don't hold anything back. I gotta know the whole truth. So, what do you think it'll cost me?"

"Listen, Tom," Roger said. "You saved my ass more than once. Just cover my expenses, buy me a beer and I'll call it quits."

"I don't want to take advantage of you," Tom said.

"Fuhgeddaboudit," Roger said in his New York accent, making Tom laugh. "I owe ya plenty."

"Thanks, Roger, you're a real stand up guy," Tom said. Roger laughed.

"Now yer getting' it," Roger said. "Let me give you my secure email address." Tom wrote the address down and spelled it back to make sure he got it right.

"Thanks, old friend," Tom said. "As soon as I have her itinerary, I'll email it to ya."

"I'll be looking for it," Roger said. "Talk to you soon." They ended the call just as the kids got home from school.

"Pizza okay for tonight, guys?" he asked as he walked into the front room.

"Yeah, sure," they said. "Mom's gone on one of her meetings again?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah," Tom said. "She's leaving Friday, will be gone for a week."

"A week, huh?" Marie asked. Tom couldn't help but notice the sarcasm in her voice.

"Yeah, a week," he said. "So you two need to be on your best behavior. I'm armed and carry handcuffs, you know," he added jokingly, causing them both to laugh. He ordered the pizza and they ate in the living room while watching television. "You guys ready for your tests tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Marie said. Andrew said the same thing.

"Well, maybe you guys ought to spend some time in your books before you hit the rack," he said, using the Marine term for "bed."

"Mom lets us stay up till 10:00 on test nights," Andrew said.

"Don't bullshit a bullshitter," Tom said. "Lights out at 9:00 pm, sharp."

"Shouldn't that be 2100 hours, Dad?" Marie asked.

"You're absolutely correct, dear daughter," Tom told her. "Now go on, git upstairs." They grabbed their books and headed upstairs. Tom watched them go into their rooms. They were good kids and he loved them dearly. He just hoped he wouldn't find what he suspected.

He went back to his office and pulled out a blank white notebook. If he was going to treat this like a case, he wanted to do it right. He put paper in it and began making notes, starting with the information Alice had given him. He printed out and included the photos she had sent him.

Then he put the comparison photos he had made with the children's faces in the notebook and made a note under it: Paternity? He pulled up his calendar and took a quick look at the dates. Julie's meetings took place every three months, like clockwork. After marking the childrens' birth dates, he counted back and realized that in both cases, her pregnancies seemed to begin right around the times of those meetings. Were those coincidences, he asked himself, already knowing the answer.