Chapter 30: A Shocking Revelation

January 5, 1984, Chicago, Illinois

On Thursday, I met Beth for lunch at a kosher deli near her grandfather’s tailor shop. We got our sandwiches, chips, and pickles and sat down at the table that afforded the most privacy.

“Is work going OK? You’re able to focus and be effective?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re eating properly and exercising.”

“Yes, Mom!” I chuckled.

“It’s a biological imperative for Jewish women! I have to become my grandmother! Are you sleeping enough?”

“The same amount as usual, though I go to bed earlier because it takes longer to fall asleep.”

“Thinking about Keiko?”

“Yes.”

“Are you taking a class this semester?”

“International finance on Saturdays. Next month, I have a licensure course. That’s on Saturday afternoons for four weeks. I’ll take the exam in early May.”

“What’s that license?”

“A Series 30 license, also called the Branch Manager’s License. It allows me to supervise other licensed professionals.”

“So you could start your own firm?”

“In theory, yes, but that isn’t the plan. My goal is to run my own trading team at Spurgeon. But that’s some time in the future because I’m enjoying my job as Head of Research. I can run my fund with a limited set of clients and continue to slowly add more.”

“One more question about your mood — if I asked Bianca or Jack, how would they describe you?”

I thought for a moment before I answered.

“Withdrawn, I think. Mostly, I’ve just wanted to be left alone. It felt like every time I turned around, someone was asking me how I was doing. I know they meant well, but it was suffocating. I spent most of Sunday and Monday at Violet’s house so I could be alone.”

“What did you do?”

“I read a novel, which is something I rarely ever did in the past.”

“What novel and why?”

“Les Misérables. Keiko read it while she was in the hospital and mentioned it was probably the best book written in the nineteenth century. I find it tough going, but then again, my usual reading is news and analysis.”

“That actually is a good segue to what I wanted to discuss with you.”

“My biggest challenge?”

“Yes. I’m just going to say it bluntly because that’s your usual style. Your biggest challenge is to not allow Keiko’s memory to straitjacket you.”

I nodded, “Keiko was concerned about the same thing. She said, once she had what amounted to a terminal diagnosis, that she wanted me to find someone to love after I’d mourned. I pushed back, contending that I couldn’t say what might happen, and she countered by saying that it wouldn’t diminish what we had together.”

“How did you respond?”

“The way you would expect — that I’d consider it. She pushed me to seek advice from Bianca and Jack and to get help if I needed it. I promised to do those things and to continue striving for professional success, but nothing else.”

“And how do you feel now?”

“Being back to work has helped because I enjoy research and analysis, and it allows me to focus my thoughts. As for what Keiko asked, I haven’t changed my answer. It’s only been a week.”

“I wasn’t suggesting you rush out and get into another relationship, only that you don’t close off that possibility or set some impossible-to-fulfill requirement.”

“Will you accept me saying what I said to Keiko? That I have no idea how I’ll feel next week, next month, or next year, and that I’ll seek advice and counseling if I need it?”

“It’s not about me accepting or not,” Beth replied. “It’s about you being able to move forward. And that comes down to who is in control.”

“May I ask a pointed question?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know all of that?”

“From my grandfather. He married young, and his wife died in childbirth after they had been married for about two years. It took him ten years before he even asked another girl out. I actually didn’t know the story. I only knew that my grandfather was thirteen years older than my grandmother. He never spoke about his first wife until I mentioned Keiko’s diagnosis, and then he told me the story and how difficult it was to even consider a romantic relationship.”

“I’m not sure how to respond except to say that I didn’t allow my notion that I should be in my mid-twenties before I began a committed, monogamous relationship to prevent me from moving forward with Keiko. And that was before her diagnosis, though we hadn’t actually made the formal commitment at that point. I guess I’m wondering why you’re raising this now, only a week later?”

“Because you can handle it,” Beth replied with a smile. “And raising the issue now will cause you to consider it. I know how your mind works, and you won’t be able to analyze your situation without taking into consideration what I’ve said.”

“A bit of judo?” I asked with a wry smile. “Using my strength against me, as it were.”

“For you, actually, but I think you understand it that way despite using ‘against’.”

“Yes. Changing focus slightly, how are you and Joshua doing?”

“He passed the Bar, so at this point, he could actually support a family.”

“We never discussed it, but kids?”

“Two, probably.”

“Have you discussed it?”

“Obliquely. I’d say he’s ready to ask, but I’m not ready to say ‘yes’.”

“Keeping your options open for the doctor?” I asked with a slight smile.

“I still see Jeremey as well, though not as often as Joshua because Jeremey is so busy with his clinical rotations.”

“Perry Nielson explained those, though he said being an Intern is worse, something Allyson has mentioned.”

“Jeremey has three twenty-four-hour shifts and a twelve-hour shift each week. His current rotation is a Clerkship in Cardiology.”

“Clerkship?”

“It’s what they call the rotations for Third Year medical students. The Fourth Year rotations are called Sub-Internships. Medical training follows a pattern similar to the trades — apprentice, journeymen, and master, though they call them student, Resident, and Attending. Lawyers have something similar, too. They work as law clerks during law school, then become associates and finally partners.

“Both lawyers and doctors have to pass what amounts to an entrance exam. For lawyers, it’s the Bar Exam; for doctors, the Medical Licensing Exam, though it’s taken in stages, unlike the Bar Exam, which is a single test. If I understand correctly, it’s not all that different from your field, with what amounts to apprenticeship and licensing.”

“I hadn’t considered that.”

“It makes sense, given the history of how legal and medical training was conducted. Or education before formal universities. Prospective students associated themselves with respected practitioners who trained them. In any event, my point about Jeremey was that he has very little time, and will have less time the next three years, and will make a pittance his first year as a doctor.”

“I was surprised to hear that from Perry,” I said. “He and Shelly have a small apartment, which is not what you expect when you think ‘doctor’. Shelly pointed out that Perry will make less than I did last year.”

“The ‘big bucks’ only come once you’re an Attending, and even then, it depends on your specialty. He’s in emergency medicine, right?”

“Yes.”

“So he’ll make decent money, but nothing like a top cardiac surgeon or, disgustingly, a plastic surgeon who does vanity cosmetic surgery.”

“Facelifts?”

“And breast enhancement, and so on, that are done because people are vain, not because they suffered some grievous injury. I put them in the same class as ambulance chasers!”

“What kind of law does Joshua practice?”

“He’s a business attorney like Nelson.”

“Where does he work?”

“Allen & Baker.”

“I know someone who works there in Personnel,” I replied. “A young woman who used to work for Spurgeon. So, what’s your plan?”

“I don’t have one just yet,” Beth replied. “I want to keep seeing both of them and choose the one who best aligns with my vision for the future.”

We finished our meal, and I walked Beth back to the tailor shop. We hugged, and I decided to walk down the alley before catching a cab back to the Hancock Center. I didn’t see Bev’s car in the parking spot, which was out of the ordinary, given she used the L to get to work if the weather wasn’t nice enough to walk. That might or might not mean anything, and, in the end, what Bev did was up to her.

I continued down the alley, and when I came to the intersection, I stepped onto the sidewalk to the right and raised my hand to flag a cab. Twelve minutes later, I was at my desk. I had contemplated what Beth had said and, as she’d expected, analyzed the situation and decided that, for the moment, I was doing the right thing. I had a productive afternoon, with no interruptions, until the phone rang at 3:45pm.

“Research; Kane.”

“Jonathan, this is Sergeant Callahan from the Clermont County Sheriff’s Department. Do you have a moment?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know where Beverly Newton or Glen Rodgers are? Neither of them showed up for work today.”

“No, I don’t,” I replied. “I had lunch with a friend today and happened to walk by Bev’s apartment, and her car wasn’t there. I found that odd because she takes the L — our elevated trains — to work when the weather isn’t nice enough to walk about twelve blocks.”

“When did you last see or speak to her?”

“She called me yesterday evening.”

“Did she say anything about leaving?”

“No. She read me off for telling her parents where she was, then hung up. Her dad showed up at my house less than an hour later.”

“You’re sure you have no idea where they are?”

“Positive.”

“If you hear from them, you need to call me immediately. I have an arrest warrant for Glen Rodgers, and providing them with any assistance would be a violation of the law.”

“Understood,” I replied. “I assume you checked with the daycare where Heather goes?”

“No. Do you have that number?”

I looked up Violet’s old employer’s phone number and gave it to him.

“You may hear from the FBI or the US Marshals,” Sergeant Callahan said. “Or possibly local law enforcement.”

“I’ll coöperate, of course, though, as I said, I don’t know anything more than I’ve told you.”

“One question — was there someone or something that caused her to go to Overland Park, Kansas?”

“No. It was simply far enough away from St. Louis to avoid the private investigator her parents hired. She said it was a waypoint, if you will, and she was trying to decide where to go next.”

“Did she ever talk about anyplace she’d like to go or live?”

“No. Until I received the job offer in Chicago, both of us expected to live in the Cincinnati area for our entire lives.”

“What about other friends?”

“The two girls she was close to, besides Tammy McGill, are both at UC.”

“Did she have any credit cards?”

“Not to my knowledge, and given her situation, I seriously doubt it. I can’t say anything about Glen Rodgers because I don’t know. May I ask what the charges against him are?”

“Two counts of statutory rape, two counts of indecent liberties with a minor, and two counts of oral sodomy on a minor.”

“There are two girls?” I asked, incredulous.

“Yes. Both Freshmen at the time.”

If I had needed any further reinforcement of my decision about girls under the age of consent, that certainly would do it. I’d made a very bad judgment call with regard to Jeri, though that was mitigated by the fact she would never reveal that to anyone, and it was against her best interests to do so. Noel Spurgeon might be able to get away with it because of what Jeri had said about different rules for the very wealthy, but those didn’t apply to me or to Glen Rodgers.

“If I hear anything at all, I’ll call you right away.”

“Thank you. Sorry, one more thing — do you know how to get in touch with her landlord?”

“I actually had lunch with his granddaughter today. I assume you want access to the apartment?

“It’ll be easier if they coöperate so local law enforcement doesn’t have to break down the door.”

“Actually, it doesn’t matter, though I’m sure they’ll coöperate. The reason it doesn’t matter is that I have a legally executed power of attorney document, and I’ll let whomever you send into the apartment if they just show me a warrant.”

“Thank you very much.”

“One other thing: I have an assignment of guardianship for Bev’s daughter.”

“Even though you’re not the father?”

“It’s complicated. She and her parents were estranged, and she wanted to ensure Heather didn’t go to her parents. That was before Bev reconciled with Glen.”

“I’ll let the Feds know. Do you have the capacity to care for a child?”

“Yes. I have a house with a room designated for a nursery.”

“OK.”

We said ‘goodbye’, and I hung up. I stared at the phone for a moment wondering what Bev was thinking, but realized there was no way to know. I pressed the intercom button on the phone, dialed Bianca’s extension, and asked her to come to my office.

“What’s up?”

“Shut the door, please.”

She did and then sat down across from me.

“I just had a call from that Sheriff’s Deputy,” I said. “They issued an arrest warrant for Glen, and he and Bev appear to have fled.”

“Holy shit!” Bianca gasped. “Statutory?”

“Two counts each of statutory rape, indecent liberties with a minor, and oral sodomy on a minor. There were two girls, both Freshmen.”

“Jesus,” Bianca breathed. “Not to be flip, but seriously? ‘Oral sodomy’? They charged him with statutory AND with getting blowjobs? Or eating pussy?”

“So it would seem. I’m not sure what ‘indecent liberties’ would cover that the other two wouldn’t.”

“Beats me, but maybe it’s playing with their boobs?”

“No clue. In any event, they were reported to the FBI and US Marshals.”

“They?”

“I’m no expert, and I haven’t talked to Nelson, but I’m pretty sure it’s always illegal to help someone run from the law.”

“It is. And you think she’s willingly helping him?”

“If she were in danger, wouldn’t you think she’d have asked for my help rather than call me a bastard?”

“No, actually, I don’t. She only asked for your help to run, never to stay. To put it bluntly, you forced her to accept your help. You spent the last year basically badgering her and cajoling her, and she only grudgingly agreed because you were persistent and, please forgive this, she needed to placate you so you’d help her run again.”

“Cynical,” I replied. “But I can’t refute the logic or analysis, even if I don’t like it.”

“From you, that’s the highest praise.”

“The only hole I can attempt to poke in that is Glen.”

“I’m speculating, but I’d say once the cat was out of the bag with your mom, and she and Glen had broken up, Bev relented because she was in love with Glen.”

“Something she admitted to me. And that does make sense.”

“She’s going to lose Heather, you know that, right?”

“Yes,” I sighed. “And guess who gets her?”

“Whoa! The documents Bev signed!”

“Yes. Glen won’t be in any position to challenge them, and if Bev goes to prison, I’m pretty sure those documents stay in force. Mr. Chojnicki has copies, so it’s not as if they won’t be found, either.”

“What would you do?”

“My first thought is that I’d arrange for Heather to go to her grandparents. Nothing else makes sense.”

“An interesting change of opinion from even a few days ago, where you’d have taken Heather in a heartbeat to ensure Bev kept her. Now, instead of balancing Heather’s interests and Bev’s, Heather is your primary concern.

“I’m not exactly sure what I would have done in the long term,” I said.

“Tried to honor Bev’s request, if it were possible. Now, you are only thinking about Heather, not Bev. And I agree Heather going to her grandparents would be the correct solution.”

“In any event, to prevent any problems, we need to accelerate changing over the spare room to a nursery. I don’t want Heather going into even temporary foster care.”

“You might want to call Bev’s parents and let them know so they don’t do something that causes problems with your plan.”

“Actually, I think I’ll call Mr. Chojnicki.”

“Then I’ll go back to my programming!”

She left the office, and I dialed the number for Barnes and Walden, where Mr. Chojnicki worked.

“Barnes and Walden,” a peppy woman declared. “How may I direct your call?”

“Stefan Chojnicki, please.”

She transferred the call, and another woman answered, and she put me through to Mr. Chojnicki.

“Good afternoon, Jonathan. How can I help you?”

“Did anyone from the Clermont County Sheriff’s Department speak to you?”

“No. Why do you ask?”

“Glen Rodgers was charged with multiple counts of statutory rape and other offenses.”

“Lord have mercy!” he exclaimed. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize.”

“Related to Bev?”

“No. According to Sergeant Matt Callahan, two Freshman girls at Goshen High.”

“So why are you calling me?”

“Because I’m concerned about Heather. Glen and Bev appear to have disappeared. The reason I’m calling you is the assignment of guardianship document. If I understand correctly, if Bev were to be arrested, Heather would come to me.”

“Eventually, yes. First, the local Family Services agency in whichever state would take her into their custody. They’d ask Bev if she had a preferred caretaker and, barring any impediments, very likely place Heather with whomever Bev specified. If Bev won’t, then they would look for a relative or, if they had the documents, they would contact you. Would you take Heather?”

“Only to prevent her from going into foster care. Despite Bev’s objections, I think Heather belongs with her grandparents. I don’t want to create an adversarial situation with them, and I would be happy to take whatever legal steps are necessary to allow them to care for Heather while Bev is unable to.”

“I can facilitate that. I’ll speak to them as soon as possible. What makes you think Bev would be arrested?”

“Isn’t it the case that helping a ... fugitive from justice is a crime?”

“It’s not quite as cut and dried as TV, the police, and prosecutors would like you to believe,” Mr. Chojnicki said. “I’m not a criminal defense attorney, but in my opinion, Bev simply being with him is probably not enough to sustain a charge of aiding or abetting a fugitive from justice. Of course, that doesn’t prevent her from being arrested or charged. That said, in cases like this, most likely, she’d simply be questioned and released. May I ask a very personal question?”

“Yes,” I replied, fairly certain what he was about to ask.

“You and Bev were together on her sixteenth birthday, right?”

“Yes.”

“Please don’t be offended by this question, but are you sure she was a virgin?”

“What are you getting at?” I asked, slightly offended. “That she was with Glen before she was sixteen?”

“That is what I’m asking. That would make her a victim rather than an accomplice, despite the fact that she’s reached the age of majority. That would almost certainly guarantee her release rather than her arrest.”