Chapter 39: Evading the Tail

April 20, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

I arrived home later than usual because I had to take the L and walk from the L stop to the house, but I didn't see the investigator, which was what I had expected would be the case. And even if he had been waiting at the L, he would have no way of knowing where I had come from.

"That joker followed me home," Jack said when I walked into the house. "When I came out of the garage, he asked where you were and I gave him the same answer you did this morning."

"Thanks. He can follow me in the morning and all weekend because I'm not going anywhere near Violet's house. Beth and I worked out the deal, and Bev was going to see the apartment after her interview at Hart-Lincoln. She'll move on Saturday, and it's simple for her because it's just her clothes and a few other things, plus Heather's portable bassinet.

"I'm going to call Lily to ask her to help, which is totally safe because the investigator has no clue to look in that area. He'll find Violet's house on Monday when I go there for dinner before class, but she'll give the same exact answer you did, and Bev will have already moved. I figure a week or so, and the guy will give up because of the cost, and then Bev will basically be free."

"You really think her parents will give up?"

"I think economic reality will force them to, at least with regard to the investigator following me."

"Can't you file a stalking or harassment claim?"

"No. According to Nelson, stalking laws don't apply to licensed investigators, so as long as the guy stays off the property and doesn't threaten me. I'm reasonably certain he's licensed, given he said he works for a company."

"Wouldn't the cops need a warrant to follow you?"

"I asked Nelson that question, too. The answer is 'no', so long as they are only tailing me or staking out the house. If they want to listen to my phone calls or search my house or my office, they need probable cause and a warrant. Anyway, let me go change, and I'll be back down."

I went upstairs, changed into sweats, and went back down to the great room to join my housemates. I'd come home during the middle of the newscast, so I'd missed any events which had happened since I'd left the office, but I did see the sports scores. The Hawks had beaten the North Stars, and with that win, were going to the Campbell Conference Finals where they'd face the Edmonton Oilers.

When the news ended, Deanna and I went upstairs, brushed our teeth, undressed, and got into bed.

"I spoke to CeCi this afternoon," Deanna said, "and she's psyched for the trip to Saint Martin! She has a passport, and she'll make a photocopy at school and send it to me. I have a passport as well, and I can make a copy at school."

"I'm curious about why you have passports."

"CeCi has been on a mission trip to Mexico, and I went to Europe for three weeks right after graduation."

"You never mentioned that."

"I guess it never came up. We haven't talked much about my past, except for after I came to Chicago. I was mostly in Paris and spent all my time in museums, and didn't even do the usual tourist things like the Eiffel Tower."

"That actually doesn't surprise me at all! Where besides Paris?"

"Amsterdam, and the same thing — just museums, no tourist attractions at all, not even Anne Frank's house."

"I'd say that fits with your personality."

"There are other museums in Chicago we can check out, and someday we should go to New York and visit the museums there."

"That's something to think about for next year or the year after," I replied. "This year's vacation is already decided!"

"What about the sleeping arrangements?"

"I hadn't thought much about it, but I'm sure we can work out some kind of equitable time-sharing arrangement!"

"Actually, it won't be bad because Bianca and Juliette will share their turns, and so will CeCi and I. And I'm positive Bianca and Juliette would be OK with all four of us having fun, though Keiko isn't up for anything like that."

"No, she's not, and with seven nights, I think two each for the couples and three for Keiko makes the most sense."

"Unless you meet some cute Dutch girl!" Deanna teased.

"Or French," I replied. "The nude beach is on the French side."

"Nude beach?"

"Anna challenged me to do that, and I'm game. Obviously, it's up to the rest of you if you want to tag along."

"I'm in, for sure! One more thing to check off my list!"

"What else is on this list?" I asked.

"Among other things, the Mile-High Club! Do you know if the plane is configured with a bed?"

"I have no idea and didn't know that was possible. All I know is that it's a Gulfstream III business jet."

"I don't know for sure, but I saw a documentary on business jets used by the rich and famous, and they can be configured with all seats or a mix of seats and a bed."

"I'll ask. I certainly wouldn't object to helping you fulfill that goal!"

Deanna laughed, "No red-blooded man would!"

"Anything else on the list?"

"The Hermitage, which is a museum in Leningrad, but I'm not sure traveling there is a wise idea at this point. I'd also like to go to London and to Egypt."

"Museums, right?"

"Yes, and the pyramids. Back to Saint Martin, I think your division of nights is good, but you should only promise Keiko two nights and leave the other one open for any opportunities that might arise!"

"I'm curious, and I know it's been mentioned before, but does this freedom extend after you're married?"

"Truth? Even though it might happen, I don't expect to marry. I have zero problems with being the 'other woman', so long as the guy is a patron of the arts! Having kids was never high on my list, but I'm not opposed."

"I'm going to guess when you discussed a long-term relationship with me, it was along those lines?"

"No, actually, because I could see marrying you eventually, though the paperwork is totally meaningless in my book. All it does is create problems if you decide you don't belong together."

"No lifetime commitment?"

"You can make the commitment without the government paperwork, and we both know the paperwork is no guarantee you'll stay together. And I have no more use for traditional social values than you do. But that's something to worry about a few years from now. Right now, there is only one thing to worry about."

"What's that?"

"How many orgasms I have in the next two hours!"

April 21, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

Deanna stayed in bed on Friday morning, and as I showered, I realized that what Deanna had said the previous evening dovetailed with Bianca's suggested plan, though I wasn't sure Keiko would go for that kind of arrangement. I wasn't ready to make a commitment, but if someone put a gun to my head and insisted I decide, I'd pick Keiko without any hesitation.

But with my life not on the line, I had reasons to wait, the most important being how I felt about Violet. I had serious doubts about her being able to move forward due to her parents' abuse of her and her sister, but I felt I had to give her the chance. A less important reason was that I was in no way ready to give up what Deanna had called a 'veritable tsunami of pussy'.

In fact, I couldn't think of a single thing that would cause me to do anything that would block the week in Saint Martin short of Violet asking me to be her boyfriend with all that entailed. I felt the chances of that were slim in the short term and not all that great in the long term, which meant nothing stood in the way of eight days and seven nights of sex with five willing girls, not to mention the intriguing experiment Deanna and CeCi had planned.

I finished in the shower, dressed, and went downstairs to have breakfast with Jack before we headed to work.

"That dark blue Ford is trailing us again," Jack said, looking over his shoulder.

"He can choke on my exhaust," I chuckled. "He's wasting his time, really, and missed his remote chance of following me last night. If all goes according to plan, he has no real chance of locating Bev before she moves and none after, barring some bizarre turn of events."

"Have you thought about calling her parents and asking them to drop it?"

"I tried that when the investigator first contacted me before Bev left St. Louis. They won't be deterred. But I think I can run out the clock. Or at least I'm going to try."

"And if he finds her?"

"I expect her parents to come to Chicago and try to force her to go back to Ohio. At that point, if they won't leave her alone, we can get a restraining order. And I know Beth will help with keeping them off the property. She's not going to take shit from anyone!"

Jack nodded, "I get the picture she gets everything she wants, and then some."

"You'd be correct. She's self-confident, smart, no-nonsense, and demanding."

"And great in the sack, I bet!"

"We're both happy with that part of our relationship, but it's just physical. Well, we're friends, but she's going to marry a Jewish guy. She called me her 'Goy Boy Toy'."

"Too funny! If it weren't for Kristy, I'd be trying to replicate you in that way, too, in addition to at work!"

"You have a good thing going," I said. "Even without a serving of Allyson on the side! Speaking of work, I need to confide in you that I'm convinced that, at some point, I have to go out on my own."

"I'm not surprised by that at all. What time frame?"

"I figure it has to be five or six years, at least. That gives you a maximum timeframe for obtaining your licenses, though I hope you'll do it sooner."

"I promised Mr. Nelson I'd keep the position for two years."

"To quote Murray Matheson, let me worry about Mr. Nelson when the time comes. And our timeframe could be longer because it all depends on having enough money we can take with us."

"What prompted this?"

"What I've come to see as a toxic environment at Spurgeon. I have real problems with it, but I'm not in a position to leave. Much like Mandy Peterson, options are limited at the moment."

"You could leave and land with another firm fairly easily."

"Possibly, but there are two things that would concern me — first, I wouldn't have a patron like Murray Matheson; second, Spurgeon could easily blackball me. If I go, it has to be independent with enough money under my personal management to survive what will likely be an all-out war for a year or two."

"You know I'm there with you, and I trust you to decide when the time is right. You, me, and who else?"

"An analyst. I agreed to start teaching Ellie the ropes this Summer, so she'd be perfect. We'd also need a secretary, though nobody who has ever worked at Spurgeon. The last thing I want is someone with the attitude most of the secretaries have."

"I thought Anna was cool."

"My problem with her is that she wouldn't even listen to my explanation about going to Kansas to help Bev. She assumed Bev and I will marry, and I don't see that happening. And she won't listen to any explanation."

"From what you say, Bev seems unstable."

"Her attorney called it 'postpartum depression,' and he said it's a poorly understood condition. Or, as a friend called it, 'Baby Blues'. But the bigger problem is she hasn't trusted me enough to let me help her and has run away twice. That makes me concerned about how she'd respond to adversity in the future."

"I get it," Jack said, then glanced over his shoulder. "He's still there."

"Yeah, I see him in the mirror. He has no reason to try to hide the fact that he's following me at this point."

"But doesn't that mean he would know you won't lead him to her?"

"He's looking for anything he can find. I bet you anything he finds Kristy and Kasey at some point and asks them, along with Violet. Kasey knows nothing, and you should advise Kristy to give the same response I did."

"I explained everything last night; well, as much as I know. Kristy won't say a word. And I'm sure none of the other girls will. They were all eating dinner with us when I explained what had happened."

"Good. Mr. Farley can waste his time."

We arrived at the Hancock Center and parted to take the elevators up to the Spurgeon floors. I completed my usual morning routine, created my morning report, then set about researching terrorist groups in the Middle East at Murray Matheson's request. Just after 10:00am, the phone rang.

"FX Desk, Kane."

"Mr. Kane, this is Barney Evers at Windy City Travel."

"What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to let you know someone was here asking about your trip to Kansas City. I explained confidentiality didn't allow me to answer, but I felt I should call you."

"Thanks," I replied. "It's a private investigator looking for my friend. I'm not sure how he found out I'd been to Kansas City."

"If it's not prying, what prompted the emergency trip?"

"My friend was hospitalized, and I flew down to help her and her daughter."

"If the police were involved in any way, they'd have your friend's name, and a bit of sleuthing would allow an investigator to figure it out. The motel clerk is the most likely source, given twenty bucks would probably get them to admit you were there and that we made the reservation."

"OK. Thanks for letting me know. Out of curiosity, could the investigator get the passenger list?"

"Flight manifests are guarded carefully by airlines, and unless there is an accident, not reported to the government for domestic flights. Generally speaking, you can't even call and ask if your loved one boarded a flight and expect an answer. A subpoena or warrant would be required for the police to ask, but you'd have to ask a lawyer for details of that. We guard our records the same way."

"Thanks."

"Call anytime you need travel assistance!"

"Will do!"

We ended the call, and I made a note about the call in my notebook. It didn't surprise me that they had figured out Bev had been in Kansas, given she'd registered at the hotel, interacted with the police, and been hospitalized. If I had to guess, someone from the investigator's firm had contacted the McGills, and they had answered the question about where Bev had gone.

From there, the clerk from the motel could tell them I'd been there, and I was sure twenty bucks would be enough to get that answer, as Barney had suggested. That was one possibility for how they discovered that Windy City Travel had booked the hotel and flight, but it was also possible someone had asked a Spurgeon employee for the name of the firm travel agency. And if I could work out how to do it multiple ways in two minutes, a professional investigator surely could do it.

The one thing the motel clerk couldn't do was identify Violet by name. I hadn't needed to give her name because I had paid for both rooms. The police and social worker had Violet's name, but I didn't think they'd freely give that information to the investigator. I suspected the investigative firm could eventually figure it out, but so long as that didn't happen before Monday, we were probably safe.

I recalled what Nelson had said about disappearing and realized I'd left a trail the police could easily follow, especially given I'd interacted with them. But even without that interaction, they could get the airline passenger manifest, the hotel records, and the hospital records simply by convincing a judge they needed them. I suspected it would be more difficult for the investigator, but if he stuck at it long enough, he'd succeed because I wasn't going to cut off all contact with Bev. I was relying on him giving up because the Newtons couldn't afford to keep searching, but I knew that wasn't a sure thing.

I had lunch at my usual time, then went to the gym, and not long after I returned, Beth called to say that she'd shown Bev the apartment, and Bev had agreed to move in. That made me happy, and meant Bev would be out of Violet's house, which would limit the chances of her being found that way, and also make Violet happy we could have our dinners together with just the two of us. I asked Beth to arrange for a phone in the apartment, and she agreed to do so. I thanked her, and after we said 'goodbye', I hung up and went back to work.

Late in the afternoon, I called Lily and asked her to get in touch with Violet and Bev and help Bev move if she needed it. Lily asked questions, and I declined to answer, saying I'd explain when I saw her in a week. She promised to do as I'd asked, and I thanked her.

Almost as soon as I'd hung up, Bev called to tell me what Beth had already told me.

"When will you know about the job?" I asked.

"Monday," Bev replied. "I feel pretty good about it."

"Good! I asked Lily to get in touch with Violet in case you needed help moving, but I know you don't have much with you."

"I appreciate everything you've done, Jonny. Come see me?"

"Sometime next week," I said. "I'll get in touch through Beth because the phone won't be hooked up until next week. If you need me, Beth will let you use the phone in the shop to call."

"Are you and she involved?"

"We're friends," I replied. "I bought my suits there, and I've referred other guys there. We go to dinner about once a month. And before you ask, she's Jewish and will only marry a Jewish guy."