Chapter 2

After I disconnected the call, I went to the yard to find the kids just sitting and watching the squirrels chasing around the trees.

“Jack? Jill? I need to talk to you. Please come up on the porch.”

The kids bounced up and sat with me on the big porch swing. I had it built to hold them and their mother and me. I sat in the middle and the kids sat on each side of me.

“Kids, we need to have a talk.”

“I cleaned my room.” Jack volunteered.

“I know, and Jill did too. I am so proud of how you are behaving here at the cabin.”

“We love it here.”

“Do you wish your mother was here?”

They sat in silence for a few swings and then Jack spoke up.

“Daddy, we don’t know if mom loves us.”

It was like a dagger though my heart. Seven, almost eight-year old’s should not feel that sort of thing.

“My little love, why would you say that?”

“For the two weeks you were gone, Mom was always leaving us with Grams. She never took us anywhere. You took us to the park and the zoo and now the cabin, but mom doesn’t anymore. She doesn’t even take us to the grocery store with her.”

“Well my loves, your mother and I are having a fight and if she doesn’t change her ways, well, she won’t be living with us anymore.”

I watched for their reactions.

“That is sad. We love her. I wish she loved us.”

I hugged them to hide my tears.

“Kids, I am sure that your mom loves you. Maybe she just forgot for a little while. Anyway, on Wednesday we are going to have an adventure. I have to meet with your mom and to do that we will have to go to the city. I will take you to grandma’s house. She says that she has a big pile of cookies for you.”

“Can we see Mom?”

“I don’t know. I will find out.”

A few hours later my phone rang, and the caller ID clued me that something was not right.

“She can’t make it at 11:10 on Wednesday.”

“Does she have a date with her lover?”

Silence.

“Yes Mick, she does.”

“She told you that?”

“No. But the PI that works for me told me that she and some men always get together on Wednesdays at 11:00. When you hired me, the deal included a PI to gather evidence. He has been doing just that.”

“Do I want to know any details?”

“Do you want to know any details?”

“Shit. Call the lawyer and tell him that we want the meeting at 11:10am. Tell him that I will bring my children and that if Renee ever wants to see them again that she better be there.”

“That is pretty rough Mick. It may not look good in court.”

“Sally what will look worse? That or her missing the meeting with her kids to fuck her lovers?”

“It depends on the judge.”

“Then just tell her that the kids were coming with me and wanted to see her and see what she does.”

“Much better. I’ll get back to you.”

Renee’s lawyer gave in and agreed to meet at 11:10am on Wednesday. That was great. I made a call and on Wednesday morning the kids were ready for the trip. But the SUV was not our mode of travel. The kids were getting antsy.

“Daddy it took a long time to get here. If you are going to meet mom, we need to go and start driving now.”

“Jack! I’m proud that you care so much, but who said that we were driving?”

The kids looked at each other, shortly after that they noticed a sound outside. It got louder and louder until the kids were holding their hands to their ears. They ran to the back door of the cabin and there in the big open field in back was a helicopter.

“Let’s go you slow pokes! Get MJ, Rachel and James.” I instructed Jack and Jill.

I had my travel bag with me, their Grams had enough clothes at her house that we didn’t need to pack a lot. Just the necessities. The kids had their bears and bunnies and the blankets and that was it. I took my bag out and stowed it then went back to the cabin and with my twins holding each hand we walked out to the helicopter. I got them strapped in and then went back for the two younger ones.

I put on their headphones and they all smiled at the silence and then the pilot spoke, and they thought that was neater than canned beer. He reported that they were taking off from a pad site that was my back yard. The vibration grew, and the machine rose gently.

I looked at Jack and his lips were moving but I couldn’t hear anything, so I held up the wire and showed them that I was pressing a button and they could hear my voice.

“Jack, Jill, you have to push this button in order to talk. Whatever you say we will all hear. OK?”

“OK, Daddy.”

“OK, Daddy”

Both kids answered. Then the genie was out of the bottle and they wouldn’t stop talking. They talked about the noise and the fact that they could see birds under us and how fast we were going. Then the magic question.

“Daddy, where are we going to land when we get to Grams house?”

“In Grams yard.”

There was an awe inspired gasp.

“Really?”

“Really. I will tell you that story some day when you are older.”

They would not understand the family history for a few years yet. As we approached Grams house, the pilot made a call and got permission to land. The copter came down in the big open backyard at Grams and when I got the kids out and I took them in, two at a time, and hugged them.

“I have to go and talk to your mom. Stay with Grams and I will be back a bit later. I love you.”

“I love you Daddy,” Jill said.

Then came the shock, Jack, the normally quiet one, in deference to his twin, spoke up loud and clear.

“Can we come with you?”

“I don’t know son. Your mom has been acting weird, it might be better if I see her alone.”

“Please! Let us come,” Jack begged. I thought about it for about three seconds.

“OK, go get coats, it’ll be cold in the air and it might be cold when go back to the cabin.”

“Mom, I guess you only get MJ, Rachel and James on this trip.”

“Good! The twins are growing up and making good choices. They should try to see her. Maybe she will come to her senses. I love you.”

We hugged, and she hugged the twins. The three of us got back in the copter and took off.

“Kids, this is going to feel weird. We are going to land on top of a building.”

“Wow,” the twins said together.

We flew into the city and were high over the buildings. The kids were getting excited and then suddenly there was something under us. The copter settled down and we landed. A man came to the door and opened it for us and I unbuckled the kids. We got out and walked in the high winds to a doorway that lead to the waiting room.

“OK kids. We are going to go down the elevator and then walk over a block to my lawyers’ office. Her name is Sally Hawks. I think you will like her.”

When we got to the ground floor, we turned right and walked over to Sally’s office. We walked in and I went to the reception desk and we were directed to Sally’s floor and her suite number. When we walked in we were greeted by a very nice young lady.

“Hi Mr. O’Dell. And who are these young people?”

“These are my oldest children, the twins, Jack and Jill. The other three, MJ, Rachel, and James are staying with my mom. Kids, this is Jane Doe.”

“Hello Ms. Doe,” both the twins said.

“Mr. O’Dell, Sally is in the meeting room to the right. I will take the kids with me to the meeting room over here on the left side of the office. If Sally needs me I will be right there.”

The kids thought that Jane was cool, of course having milk and Oreo’s helped. They sat in the side meeting room and were reading the books that Sally kept for kids. I was there early so Sally and I had time to go over the PI report together.

“Mick, the PI says that since you caught her, she has met with three different men for sex. The men are shady as hell and he feels this could be blackmail. It seems that she works for them as a secretary and hooker. On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday she spends long lunch hours at different motels with them.”

“Blackmail? What the hell could they have over her. She is as straight an arrow as I have ever met.”

“We don’t know yet. Maybe this meeting will give us some info.”

We went through the rest of the report that had been compiled over the past week. If Renee was worried about our marriage it sure didn’t show. Renee was seen with the three men she worked for as well as a couple others. I was really angry when Renee showed up at Sally’s office with her lawyer.

“Hello Mick. This is my lawyer, Johnny Dodge.” I looked at Sally and she smiled back.

“Mrs. O’Dell please have a seat.”

“Mick, I am so sorry.”

“Mrs. O’Dell your husband doesn’t want to talk to you. He has authorized me to remind you that the pre-nuptial agreement you signed is in effect. He will provide you access to the house so you may gather your things at your earliest convenience. The only real reason that we are here today is to talk about your visitation with your children.”

“Pre-nup? You signed a fucking pre-nup?” The lawyer was standing. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell us that?”

“Mr. Dodge, please sit down.”

“Fuck you, bitch. I know all about your nasty reputation. You don’t scare me. We intend to break the pre-nup and take full custody of the brats.”

Now I was on my feet and moving towards Mr. Dodge.

“One more word about my children and I don’t care how big you are, I will hurt you.”

“Bring it, sonny. We know all about you fucking women on your trips. My client wants you out of those kids lives.”

“What? I have never cheated on my family. Show me your proof.”

“We will, in court.”

“No! You will show us now, just as we will show you proof of Mrs. O’Dell’s actions over the past week.”

“And if need be I still have the cum and shit stained sheets from our bed. I bet the DNA isn’t mine!”

Renee screamed and ran from the room. Her lawyer turned red and followed her. I ran to the door and yelled down the hall.

“Renee! Don’t you want to see your children? They are waiting for you in the other room.”

Renee stopped in her tracks and turned only to be grabbed by her lawyer and pulled violently into the elevator.

“Mick, something is not good here.” She grabbed her phone and punched a single button. “Follow them.”

“What just happened?” I was stunned.

“Mick, that guy’s is a shyster and if Renee is mixed up with him she is in trouble and so are you and your kids. My guy is going to follow them and see what happens.”