Fallout 02: Prime Suspect

He thought back and recalled the conversation they had on the way back from the party where he met Alf. What was it she said? It was after she told him she had no regrets. "I've got everything a girl could ever want," she told him.

Of course. A lover, no doubt with a big dick, and a clueless husband at home to take care of her kids while she went off to play in the big city. Damn her, he thought. Damn her to hell. He looked at the time and saw it was 9:45 pm. He closed the notebook and locked it in his desk drawer. He grabbed the DNA kit and looked upstairs.

Seeing the lights off in the kids' bedrooms, he crept up and looked inside. Sure enough, his two angels were sound asleep. He grabbed what he needed and in no time whatsoever, had secured two fresh DNA samples without even causing them to stir. He made sure they were covered and kissed them on the forehead before leaving their rooms.

He added his own DNA to the kit, filled out the paperwork and placed it all in his briefcase. He hated doing this, but decided it was something that had to be done. As he sat in his recliner, he thought about the situation and what he would do once he learned the truth. If she was cheating on him, divorce was a certainty.

But that opened up a whole 'nother can of worms, he thought. What about custody of the kids? Child support? Alimony? He made a note to speak with a family law attorney. There were other issues as well. Could she be charged with fraud or perjury if she knew Alf was the father but listed him on the birth certificate? If Alf turned out to be the father, could he be held liable for back child support? What have you done, Jules, he asked himself.

He trudged to bed, but found he could hardly sleep. Julie came in from her meeting about 11:45 and found him still awake on the bed.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Not really," he said.

"Wanna talk about it?" she asked.

"It's a case I'm working on," he told her. "Guy comes home and finds out that his whole marriage has been a lie. Learns the kids he's been supporting for over ten years aren't even his."

"Oh my God," she said, shocked. "What happened?"

"He snapped. He killed her," Tom lied. "With his bare hands. Then he killed the kids. He ended up killing himself."

"That poor man," she said. He looked at her before saying anything else.

"Yeah," he said. "I can't even begin to imagine what he must've felt. Makes me feel kinda lucky I don't have those kind of problems." She smiled but said nothing for a few moments as she formulated her response.

"You know I love you, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I know," he said.

"What, you don't believe me?" she asked.

"Of course I do," he said.

"You'd better," she said. "Oh by the way, I'll be leaving a day early. On Thursday."

"What?" Tom asked. "That's tomorrow. Why?"

"I have some things to set up there before the official meetings begin," she said. "I'll pack up in the morning before I go into work. I've left a copy of my itinerary on the kitchen counter for you. I'm sorry for the late notice."

"What about reservations?" he asked.

"Those were made this morning," she said.

"So you've known since this morning?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she said. "Is that a problem?"

"Well, I was hoping to see you one more day before you left," he told her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Look, I'm bushed. I gotta take a shower and get out of these clothes, then I'm going to crash."

"Yeah, of course," he said. "You must be bushed."

"Thanks for understanding," she said. She went into the bathroom and closed the door. He took the opportunity to grab her cell phone from her purse. He tried the code to unlock it, but found the code he knew all these years no longer worked. When did she change it, he asked himself.

He put the phone back and looked through her purse a bit more. This was something he had never done before, and he was curious what he might find. He found a box marked "Plan B One-Step." Underneath that was "emergency contraceptive." He knew what this was for and his heart sank even further. He knew she was still on the pill. She claimed they helped regulate her period, and maybe they did. But there was only one reason for this, and it made him sick. He took a picture with his phone, then put the box back and laid back down in bed.

When Julie came out of the bathroom, she laid in bed and snuggled up to Tom. Instead of embracing her as he normally would have, he rolled away as far as he could from her. Stunned at his snub, she backed away, tears in her eyes. Does he know, she wondered to herself.

The next morning, he said nothing to her as she packed. He showered, shaved, dressed for work, then went downstairs to get his morning coffee. He grabbed the itinerary she left on the counter and put it in his briefcase. After seeing the kids off to school, he headed for the door.

"Aren't you even going to give me a kiss goodbye?" she asked as he neared the door. He stopped, turned and looked at her, not saying a word. "Tom, I really do love you, you know."

"Uh huh," he said. "Of course you do. Call me when you get there." He went on out the door, leaving her standing there wondering just how much he really did know. This case must really be bothering him, she thought. He's never been so... cold.

Tom scanned and emailed Julie's itinerary to Roger, along with the photos he had of her and Alf. Then he dropped off the DNA samples and set up an afternoon appointment with Lucy Hawkins, a shark of a divorce lawyer who hated cheating spouses. She was known by many on the force as the cop's best friend, next to the bartender. She hated cheaters with a passion, especially those who ran around on police officers. Then he finally dragged himself into work. He thought he had it made until he got called by his boss, Captain Smith.

"Lt. Williams," he called. "Get your ass in my office, pronto!"

"Coming, boss," he said as he made a face at his fellow detectives.

"Shut the door, Tom," Capt. Smith said when Tom showed up. "Sit down, willya? Before you fall down." Tom sat as Capt. Smith closed the blinds. He looked at Tom before speaking.

"Alright, Tom, spill it," Smith said. "What's going on?"

"I think my wife's cheating on me," Tom said.

"Welcome to the club, pal," Capt. Smith said. "Happens to all of us at one point or another."

"You don't understand," Tom said.

"What?" Smith asked. "Is your case special or something?"

"I think she's been cheating our whole marriage," Tom said. "I have reason to believe the kids aren't even mine."

"Oh, shit, Tom," Smith said. "That sucks. I'm sorry to hear that."

"I've got an appointment to see Lucy this afternoon," Tom said.

"Good. Maybe you should also stop by and talk to Wilkerson," Smith said.

"What, the precinct shrink?" Tom asked.

"Couldn't hurt. You're going through hell right now, Tom," Smith said. "I need you at your best, and unfortunately, you're no good to me right now. I know your whole world has gone to shit, but you're not the first one it's happened to. If you need comp time to take care of your personal stuff, fine. Just don't let your cases slip. Get your shit together and get back to work. You copy?"

"I got it, Cap," Tom said. "Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah," Smith said. "Get outta here, ya bum," he added with a smile and a wink. Tom thought about what the captain said and went to see Donna Wilkerson after checking in with the rest of the team.

"Well, the mighty Tom Williams is actually tapping on my door for a change," Donna said when he knocked on her door. Donna was an attractive woman, a brunette with hazel eyes. She was about five years younger than him and well-built, with firm C-cup breasts and shapely legs. She was also married with three children. "Please, come in, have a seat." He walked into her office and closed the door before sitting down. "This must be serious. What's going on, Lt.?" He told her what he had learned so far.

"But you don't have any real evidence yet?" she asked.

"I'm in the process of getting that now," he told her.

"Have you spoken to an attorney yet?" she asked.

"I have an appointment with Lucy Hawkins this afternoon," Tom said. Donna nodded her head.

"That serious, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "If what I suspect is true, there's no way I can forgive her or look past it. We're done."

"Have you told the kids yet?" she asked.

"No," he said. "Not yet."

"You know they'll be devastated by this," she said. "You're the only father they've ever really known. If you're not careful, they could be traumatized for years."

"I know," he said. "But I've always taught them to tell the truth no matter how much it might hurt initially. I can't hide this from them. They'll find out eventually. Better it come from me first."

"How are you dealing with all this?" she asked.

"Not well," he said. "If what I suspect is true, then the last 20 years has been a lie."

"I take it you haven't spoken to your wife about this yet?" she asked.

"No, I wanted to get my facts together first," he said.

"That's probably wise," she said. "Maybe we should talk a bit more after you've found out what's really going on. And remember, your children are the most important things in your life. Their needs have to come first."

"I've never forgotten that," he said. "But now it looks like they're not even my children."

"You may or may not have been the sperm donor," she said. "But there's no question that you're their father. You're the one who raised them and made them into what they are today. Never forget that, Tom."

"I won't, Donna," he said.

"Good," she said. "I think we should talk some more after you've gotten your facts together. You will get through this, Tom. As much as it hurts now, you will get through it. Just don't let it destroy you or your children. My door is always open, Tom, and just so you know, whatever we say here remains confidential."

"I appreciate that, Donna," he said, standing up. "Thanks. I'll be in touch." That afternoon, he found himself in the office of Lucy Hawkins, Attorney at Law. She listened attentively as he told his story.

"You say you have a PI in New York already?" she asked.

"Yes," he said.

"And you're waiting for the results of your DNA test?" she asked in a followup.

"Correct," he said. She nodded her head.

"I don't want to jump the shark on this," she said. "Let's see what the evidence says before we do anything drastic. I will say, though, that I'm very concerned with what she's apparently saying about you at her place of work. Technically, that could be slander, and as such, cause for legal action. I'm also concerned about the birth certificates. If she knew you weren't the father when she signed them, she could be charged with paternity fraud and possibly perjury under state law."

"Seriously?" Tom asked. She nodded her head.

"Yes," she said. "Different states handle that type of thing in many different ways. But in this state, if she named you as the father and signed those certificates knowing you weren't the father, she could be fined up to $10,000 and sentenced to five years in jail. For each offense. And if the real father knew about it at the time, that could be considered a conspiracy, which as you know, is considered a felony in this state."

"Damn," Tom said.

"Yeah, it can be a mess," she said. "Listen, let me do this. I'll start a file, but I won't prepare anything until we get some evidence. In the meantime, I'll get my investigators on the case and see what we can learn. Keep me in the loop at all times and don't give Julie any reason to be suspicious. Give her all the rope she needs to hang herself. Don't do anything stupid or foolish, and remember the children are your primary concern."

"I got it," he said. They ended the meeting and Tom went home. He got a call from Roger as soon as he went inside.

"Hey buddy," Roger said. "How's it hanging?"

"Okay, I guess," Tom said. "Julie should be on her way there by now. I just spoke to my attorney and we're waiting for evidence before we pull the trigger."

"Good," he said. "It cost me a couple Benjamins, but I was able to get a camera into her room. It's voice and motion-activated and it has its own web server to boot. Let me give you the IP address and you can check it out for yourself if you want. You can even record the streaming video."

"Okay, give me what I need," Tom said. Roger gave him the address and the logon credentials and Tom wrote it all down. "Thanks, buddy," he said.

"Any time," Roger said. "I'm on my way to the airport now. Her plane should be landing in an hour or so, and I'll keep an eye on her. Talk to you soon." They ended the call and Tom brought up his computer.

...

Julie Williams sat in her window seat on the airplane as it made its way to New York. She contemplated her life as she looked out the window.

For nearly 20 years she had been married to the most wonderful man a girl could want. He was a well-respected and decorated police officer, dedicated to his work and his family. He was a terrific father to her two children. He doted on the kids, teaching them how to fish, play ball, and even took them to the pistol range when they were old enough and taught them how to handle a firearm.

Part of her felt bad about what she had done over the years. But she couldn't help herself. Alf had been her first true love, and had the biggest dick she had ever experienced. What's more, he knew how to use it. She wanted to marry him and have his children, but he let her know in no uncertain terms that he didn't want to be saddled with children.

She was sad when he left to go to New York, and even sadder when he said he would date other women. But, she figured, if he could it, so could she. And then she met Tom Williams, a Marine veteran who wanted to become a police officer.

In terms of physique, Tom was very much like Alf. He could be demanding when necessary, but unlike Alf, treated her like a queen. They fell in love and she decided to marry him. But she also wanted Alf's children. She kept in touch with Alf, mostly by email and text messages. Tom respected her enough to never inquire about her past, so she used that to her advantage.

By now, Alf had earned a reputation in Apex Financials, and it was his recommendation that secured her job. Her affair with him started on the very first quarterly meeting in New York. She knew she would have to be discreet, and always made sure to take extra steps to keep Tom in the dark. She called him every night when she was gone and made sure to come home squeaky clean.

Since she only wanted Alf's children, she organized a schedule for taking birth control. She and Tom had discussed children, and decided she would take birth control pills until they were ready. She did take the pills as agreed, but would quit taking them right before her trips without telling her husband. Several times when he initiated sex, she would put him off, telling him she was on her period or didn't feel too well. The truth was, she didn't want to take the chance of getting pregnant by her husband.

Tom was in his third month at the police academy when she got pregnant with Andrew. She knew it was Alf's child, but told Tom it was his. He was shocked, since he knew she was on the pill, but he was also happy at the prospect of a little boy or girl.

When Andrew was born, she knew right off it was Alf's child. Tom was so wrapped up in seeing the little boy, he never took notice, but his mother did -- more than once. Tom insisted that his wife would never cheat, and dropped the matter. Of course, Alf knew it was his child as well, but the two of them decided she would list Tom as the father.

The same scenario played out when she got pregnant with Marie. After Marie's birth, she told Tom she had a really hard time with the delivery and begged him to get a vasectomy. Concerned with his wife's health and safety, he acquiesced. After the vasectomy, Julie breathed easier. She no longer had to worry about ever getting pregnant by her husband. But she stayed on the pill, telling him it helped with her menstrual cycle.

Her affair with Alf continued, and she saw him every time she went back east. At first they were discreet, not wanting to cause gossip in the office. She wasn't worried about Tom ever meeting Alf, since they were separated by at least 1,000 miles and Alf never came to their town. That is, until the night of that Christmas party.

She cornered Alf when she first saw him, and told him to play it cool with Tom. The last thing she wanted was a clash of the Titans between Alf and her husband.

"Don't worry," Alf said. "I bullshit people all the time. Your little detective won't suspect a thing."

She was a bit surprised when she saw the two men actually talking calmly later on. On the way home, however, Tom brought up her relationship with her former fiance. When he asked her if she had any regrets, she skirted the issue by saying she had everything she could ever want. And it was the truth. She had a wonderful husband who was also a good father, and she had a lover to fulfill her sexual needs.

She continued seeing Alf, but over the years, a few people began to take notice. About five years ago, Alice, a new girl who just joined her team, confronted her. Not wanting to cause a problem, she told Alice a lie.

"Look, Alice, my husband knows all about this," she said. "We have something of an open marriage. He's okay with it as long as it's out of town. Besides, he was injured in the line of duty and, well, he can't really get it up much anymore anyway. Please, don't say anything to anyone, okay? He's embarrassed enough about it as it is."

"Well, okay," Alice said. "I just don't think it's right, but I won't say anything."

"Thanks, Alice, that means a lot to me," she said. "Tom and I are really happy and he's great with the kids. I don't want to mess all that up, and if it ever got out, he'd be devastated."

But over the last couple days, Tom seemed to be... different. He said it was just a case he had been working on, but could that just be a ruse? She simply didn't know. Lately, she had begun to wonder about the future. Andrew was close to graduating from high school and he had indicated he wanted to follow in Tom's footsteps. Marie was nearing 17 and wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life.

They would be out of the house soon enough, and then what, she asked herself. She and Alf had discussed the possibility of divorce, but she wanted to wait a bit, perhaps until after Tom had retired from the force. That way, she could potentially get half of his pension along with half of everything else. Then she could transfer to New York and be with Alf full time. But she wasn't sure if that's what he wanted.

She was brought back to reality when the captain announced the aircraft was beginning its descent to LaGuardia airport. She sat up and, noticing the flashing overhead sign, put her tray up and buckled her seat belt.

...

Tom watched the monitor on his screen. He looked at his watch and figured she should be in her room any time now. Suddenly, the video started and he saw his wife enter the room, followed by Alf. He was stunned to see how much the man looked like his children.

As he watched, Julie put her bags down, then turned and gave Alf a scorching hot tongue kiss. He fondled her breasts as they kissed and Tom felt sick. A few minutes later, the two of them were doing the horizontal mambo on the bed.

"Oh God, I needed that," she said when they finished.

"Me too," Alf said. "So, tell me, how are things with Deputy Dawg?"

"Please, don't talk about Tom like that," Julie said. "He's a highly respected police officer."

"Yeah, yeah," Alf said derisively. "I can see how much you respect him. He's so good, he still hasn't figured out what you've been doing behind his back all these years. Hell, he's been raising my kids all this time and he still doesn't have a clue. Maybe I ought to send him a card on Father's Day to thank him for the stellar job he's done."