Chapter 42: Explaining Myself

January 3, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

Just before 3:00pm, the phone at my desk rang.

"Mailroom, Kane."

"Jonathan, this is Nelson. Are you free to speak?"

"For a couple of minutes, yes."

"I spoke with Mr. Miller, then spoke with Mr. Chojnicki, and finally spoke to Mr. Miller again. They're serious about deposing you and intend to appear before a Cook County judge tomorrow to have the subpoena issued. I can appear and contest it, but I don't think I'd be successful. Again, Family Law isn't my area of expertise, but so long as they have a plausible reason to think you might have information that could help their case, they'll win, and the subpoena will issue."

"So I'll have to talk to them."

"Yes. I can't think of a way to avoid that, unless you tried to avoid the process server, but then they'll just serve me, and that's sufficient. They may not even bother serving you except by regular mail, as the norm is to serve counsel."

"What's your advice?"

"Agree to a deposition. They'll take it here at my office, and I can be present. You'll be required to answer any question that's even tangentially related to their case, and the only objections I can make are either to form or to a question which might lead to admission of a crime."

"I haven't committed any crimes," I replied.

"I didn't think you had; I'm just saying that in a civil deposition they can ask pretty much anything, and they will, and you'll have to answer. If you refuse, they can go to a judge and get an order to force you to answer. In my professional opinion, your best option is complete cooperation. If you fight them or spar with them, they're going to assume you're trying to hide something, which will only make them more determined."

"Can they make me miss work for this?"

"Technically, no, unless they get an order from a Cook County judge. I did ask them for a proposed time and they're willing to do it this Saturday at 9:00am. I'm available then."

"I have something at 1:00pm," I said, remembering Clara, "but I could delay that if I needed to."

"They asked for three hours, so we should be done by noon. We can enforce that time limit, too, and they'd have to go to a judge for more time. That's something I'd advise, because there is no reason I can think of that they'd need more time. You aren't the baby's father, you aren't helping care for her, and you live in Chicago."

"Do you have any idea what they want to find out?"

"No. I could demand a list of proposed questions, but they aren't limited to those, and you aren't a party to the case, so it doesn't make sense to go that route. Be in my office at 8:30am on Saturday so we can prepare."

"Prepare?"

"I'll go over the rules with you, ask some typical questions, and guide you in how to answer, though obviously I cannot tell you what to say."

"Got it. See you Saturday, then."

"I'll call Mr. Miller and confirm, and let Mr. Chojnicki know as well."

We said 'goodbye', I hung up, and made a note in the notebook I carried in my pocket pretty much all the time. That evening, I called Bev to let her know what had transpired.

"Do you have any clue what they're looking for?" I asked her.

"No, though Dad suspects they're going to try to play the 'slut' card."

"That's total BS!" I protested. "Who you've had sex with has nothing to do with being a good mom!"

"You know that and I know that, but it's a standard tactic in custody and visitation fights."

"My friend Kristy, who is pre-law, said the same thing. That's Jack's girlfriend."

"I met her last Summer, remember?"

"Yes, sorry. Should I call you on Saturday?"

"I think it can wait until our regular Sunday call."

"OK. Is the hearing still set for the 19th?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to fly down," I said. "If they try to pull a fast one or mis-characterize anything I've said, then I can counter it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. You have your interview this coming Thursday, right?"

"Yes. Family Services has done their interviews with the asshole's family, and now it's our turn."

"I wouldn't call him that when you speak to the social worker."

"Obviously! I'm not that foolish!"

"Well, you were my friend, so I'm not so sure about that!"

"Oh, stop!" Bev said, laughing. "There was nothing foolish about that."

"Except my behavior during Senior Year."

"I'm sorry I made such a fuss over that when you were home."

"It's OK," I replied. "You needed to say it and I needed to hear it. Telling the truth, even when it hurts, is the only way forward."

"You're right, of course. When will you fly down?"

"What time is the hearing?"

"9:00am," Bev replied.

"Let me check flight times, but I think because someone will have to pick me up at the airport, it'll have to be Tuesday night. I have class on Wednesday, so I have to figure that out. I'd want to fly home basically as soon as the hearing is over. Do you know how long it will last?"

"Mr. Chojnicki said two hours is fairly typical, because the written reports carry the most weight, and testimony is usually limited to clarifying things. If it goes longer, there would be a lunch break, and we'd finish after lunch."

"OK. Let me see what I can find out, and also get permission from Mr. Matheson to take the day off."

"That's right after you start your new position, right?"

"Yes, but I have the vacation time banked, and if I explain why, he'll say 'yes', I'm sure."

"Thanks, Jonny."

"You're welcome."

We said 'goodbye' and I hung up. I asked Jack to cover the phones for me and went to see Mr. Matheson. I had to wait about ten minutes as he was on the phone, but when he hung up, he waved me in.

"I'd like to take a day off on the 19th," I said.

"For?" he asked.

"To attend a custody and visitation hearing for my friend's baby."

"The same one you went to see last year?"

"Yes."

"It's not your kid, though, right?"

"Right. But because Bev and I are involved, the attorney for the baby's father wants to depose me, and because of that, I want to attend the hearing."

"Approved. You just need the one day?"

"Yes. I need to check on flights, but my plan would be to fly down on Tuesday evening and fly back on Wednesday afternoon."

"Get a flight out of Midway," he said. "You'll have less hassle. It'll be a prop plane, but it's not that far, so even that won't be a long flight."

"How long?"

"A couple of hours from gate to gate. I've made the flight once a couple of years ago."

"Gate to gate?"

"Have you flown before?"

"No."

"The gate is where you board the plane. The plane taxis, that is drives, to the runway from there, it takes off, flies to the destination airport, lands, and taxis to a gate. You deplane there. That takes about two-and-a-half hours, total, for Cincinnati. I assume you won't check a bag?"

"You mean hand them a bag to put in the cargo hold or whatever? I'll just take an overnight bag."

"If it's small enough, you can carry it onto the plane, which you should do to avoid the hassle of claiming your bag at the airport after you arrive. You know the Cinci airport is in Kentucky, right?"

"Yes. I'll have someone pick me up."

"Call Barney Evers at Windy City Travel," Mr. Matheson said. "He's the agent I use and is the absolute best. If he can't do something related to travel, nobody can."

"I'm going to guess it's much easier for Mr. Spurgeon having a personal jet!"

"It's actually a corporate jet, and yes. He can just drive to Meigs, get on and go, and be in New York in just over two hours. You'll need to make a hell of a lot more money than you are to even think about your own plane!"

I chuckled, "I'll worry about that after a house, a wife, and kids."

"You'll get to see what private jet travel is like at some point, if you generate the kinds of returns you're generating now."

"I look forward to it."

I left his office and went back to the mailroom. I looked up the number for Windy City Travel and asked for Barney. I let him know that Murray Matheson had referred me and what I needed. The first thing he did was set up an account for me, and I encountered the first real challenge.

"No credit cards at all?" he asked.

"No. I've never needed one. I have an ATM card, but that's it."

"OK. The first thing you want to do is apply for a credit card. I can take care of you without one, but you'll need to come to the office in Hyde Park and pay cash or by check. You'll need to show ID, too, because of the regulations about paying cash for tickets."

"I can do that," I replied. "Do you have a suggestion for a credit card?"

"For travel and business, American Express. Do you make at least $25,000 a year?"

"Yes."

"How long have you worked for Spurgeon Capital?" Barney asked.

"About nineteen months."

"That should be sufficient. When you come to get your tickets, I'll give you an application. For other use, I'd suggest getting a Visa or MasterCard from your bank, if they offer one."

"I'll check, but I'll also take the application for the card you suggested."

"You need to be in Cincinnati no later than 7:00am on Wednesday, to allow for travel time to your meeting, so you will need to fly on Tuesday. The only Tuesday evening flight is at 7:00pm and there is a seat available. The return flight on Wednesday will need to be after 4:00pm, and there is a 5:00pm flight. Both flights are SAAB turboprops."

"That means nothing to me."

"It's a Swedish airplane manufacturer, and the planes have propellers rather than jet engines. That's normal for flights of two-hundred-fifty miles or less, and this flight is 249 air miles."

"Go ahead and book those, please."

He did and told me the price, but having no reference, I had no idea if it was high or low. I agreed, and he booked the ticket for me.

"You can pick up the ticket anytime before the 19th," he said. "Cash or check is fine. We're here 9:00am to 6:00pm weekdays."

"Are you open on Saturday?"

"Yes, from 9:00am until 3:00pm. And we do have an emergency twenty-four-hour phone number should you encounter any trouble while traveling. Will you need a hotel?"

"No."

"One other thing, which you might not know, is that until you turn twenty-five, you most likely won't be able to rent a car. Just keep that in mind."

"Twenty-five? Why?"

"Drivers under twenty-five have losses which are at least triple those of drivers over twenty-five. It's the same reason you pay higher insurance rates now, which are even higher because you're male."

"The insurance agent explained that to me."

"Do you need travel insurance?"

I thought about it for a second and remembered that the guy who had blown up the plane my dad was on had bought life insurance before boarding the plane. But I had life insurance through Spurgeon, and had no dependents, so I didn't think I needed it.

"I don't think so. Why would I?"

"You probably wouldn't, but we always ask. Is there anything else I can help with?"

"Not at the moment. Thanks much. I'll come in on Saturday after lunch to pay for the tickets."

"I should be here, but if not, anyone can help you. The tickets will be in our safe."

"Thanks."

We said 'goodbye' and I hung up.

"What's going on, Jonathan?" Jack asked.

"Later, OK?" I requested, as I'd already burned enough work time on personal business.

At the end of the day, Jack and I left together, and I filled him in.

"There's literally no possibility Heather is yours?"

"None. I moved here in June, and didn't go home until Christmas, which was after I found out she was pregnant. If I can do basic math and they told the truth in health class, she got pregnant sometime in September. As I said, no possibility at all, not even remote."

"Then what are they trying to do? I mean, with talking to you?"

"I suspect it's as Kristy said the other day — trying to make her out to be a slut to get joint custody."

"That's low. I mean no disrespect, but even if she fucked as many guys as I think you've fucked girls, so what? That doesn't make her a bad mom!"

"No shit," I replied. "But that's not Bev. Between the two of us, I'd be the slut, though guys are called studs if they have multiple sex partners."

"Dude, I can barely keep up with Kristy! And, well, I'm positive you put two and two together about Allyson."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "I did."

And I hadn't really had to think too much to come to that conclusion, as Alysson had suggested she was going to 'accidentally' walk into the bedroom where Kristy and Jack had been.

"Do you know why Mr. Nelson wants to see me in the morning?"

"Yes, but he'll have to tell you. Trust me, it's nothing bad."

Jack nodded, "I figured you knew and weren't allowed to say anything."

"You know I would if I could."

I gave Jack a ride to the L, so he didn't have to walk in the cold, then headed home for dinner with Shelly and Bianca.

January 4, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

On Tuesday, at the end of the day, Haley met me at the freight elevator. She was allowed to use the passenger elevators, but they didn't go down to the garage, so it made more sense for her to simply ride down with me.

"Just think, in just under two weeks, you can take the regular elevator with the rest of us!"

"The downside is I'd have to walk over to the garage elevator or walk down the stairs, so it actually is less convenient!"

We got into the elevator and I pressed the button for the garage.

"Which restaurant?" I asked.

"How about Golden Bull?" Haley suggested. "It's on Cermak."

"Anything playing at the movies?"

"How about Best Friends, it's a romantic comedy starring Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn. Are you OK with romantic comedy?"

"Sure. I liked Smokey and the Bandit, which also had Burt Reynolds and Foul Play, with Goldie Hawn. I watched both on videotape with my roommates."

"What movies do you prefer?"

"Action or comedy," I replied. "But I did really like both Godfather movies. I take it you like romantic comedies?"

"Yes, and dramas, but I'm OK with action movies. What do you do for exercise?"

"I used to ride a bike, but haven't since I moved to Rogers Park. In High School I did a lot of manual labor so I didn't need to do any extra exercises. Why did you ask? Am I fat?"

"No, not at all. You're in good shape, which is why I asked."

"What do you do?"

"Yoga."

"There was a TV program in Cincinnati, Lilias, Yoga and You, but it looked like breathing and meditation. How is that exercise?"

"I've seen that program. Did you watch much of it?"

"No. What did I miss?"

"The stretching and flexibility exercises which burn a ton of calories. They can be really tough. There's a yoga class that meets at the Hancock Center."

"I'm not sure yoga is my thing! I do plan to start using the gym once I have access, without having to pay the membership fees."

The elevator reached the garage, and we walked to my LeBaron where I opened the door for Haley, Once she was settled, I closed the door then walked around to the driver's side and got in. I started the car and pulled out of the parking spot.

"BMW? Mercedes? Corvette?" she asked.

"The 'Vette would be a bad choice for driving in the city, and would suck in the snow."

"So have two cars!"

I chuckled, "I'll start with a house and this car. I have no intention of being illiquid."

"Don't you leave money on the table by not leveraging everything?"

"Absolutely. It's an opportunity cost, and I prefer to hedge to ensure I live within my means. Just as Mr. Spurgeon manages the firm's liquidity, I have to manage mine. I've heard some of the guys basically have negative cash flow and are leveraged to the hilt because they felt they had to live in style befitting their position. I think that's dumb. I'm more like Eric Thiele or Murray Matheson than Jon Carter, Mark Jackson, or Dale Lindon."

"You obviously listen to the company scuttlebutt!"

"If you pay close attention, you see and hear things most people miss. My success will depend on that."

"You plan to buy a house?"

"As soon as my commissions are paid," I replied. "And yes, I know that technically I don't have to do that because Spurgeon mortgages can be 'zero down', but I'd prefer to have that money in my account before I spend it, even if it's only being 'spent' as collateral."

"You're reflexively conservative with your finances."

"Something my mom taught me growing up. My understanding of the value of a penny is to the benefit of Spurgeon's clients. I will never be profligate or wasteful with firm resources, nor spend one penny more than necessary to earn the best returns. I owe it to the client and to Mr. Spurgeon."

"Austere?"

"Comfortable. And living within my means."

"Pretty smart for a guy who basically just quadrupled his income. At least."

"Do you think Mr. Spurgeon got to where he is by being spendthrift?"

"No," Haley replied.

"Exactly!"

"Is everything you do calculated in advance?"

"To the best of my ability," I replied.

"You're never spontaneous?"

"I can be," I replied. "When I decide to be!"

Haley laughed, "You realize that's completely contradictory, right?"

"Sort of. I like to plan and I like things to be ordered, but I can also go with the flow when it's appropriate."

"I had to work awfully hard to get you to take me out."

"Yes, you did, and you know why. Just add it to the list of things I've analyzed and chosen to do because they make sense."

"And your analysis of how this evening will go?"

"That's where the spontaneity comes in! The best approach is to cautiously go with the flow."

"Cautiously?"

"If you pull a packet of cocaine out of your purse, I'm not going to go with the flow."

"As if!" Haley protested. "You think I do that?"

"No, it was a hypothetical, that's all. And given the amount of coke, I suspect could be found by the CPD if they raided the Spurgeon offices during business hours, a reasonable hypothetical."

"You're not going to fit in."

"I'm not being paid to fit in," I replied. "I'm being paid to make money. I'll go along just enough to keep the peace, but there are some lines I simply won't cross."

"That's good to hear."

When we arrived in Chinatown, I parked in the lot near the restaurant, and when we walked inside, we were seated right away, as the restaurant wasn't busy. We perused the menus, then gave our orders to the waitress.

"What does a girl have to do to get a second date?" Haley asked.

"I figured that question would be answered after the movie! But you won your point."

"Won my point?"

"We're here, right? Despite my reluctance to date someone from the office. Barring some unforeseen event between now and when I say 'good night', I'd be happy to go out with you again. I do have to warn you that my social calendar is somewhat limited by school and other commitments, so Tuesdays are probably best, at least for the rest of January."

"Next Tuesday again?"

"Sure," I agreed.

We had an enjoyable meal, we both enjoyed the movie, and when the movie let out, I drove Haley home. I had a vibe that I could stay if I wanted, but felt it was better to let things develop a bit before that happened, mainly because I was still a bit skittish about being seriously involved with someone at Spurgeon, even if 'seriously involved' only meant having casual sex.

At the door to Haley's townhouse, we exchanged a brief hug, and she kissed my cheek, then went inside. Once she'd closed the door, I turned to walk back to my car for the short drive to Rogers Park.

January 5, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

On Wednesday morning, Marcus and I met just before two firemen arrived, one of whom I recognized.

"Hi, Lane," I said when two firemen arrived for the inspection. "I thought you were assigned to a battalion."

"I'm up for Lieutenant and one of the training sequences is to work with Fire Marshals doing inspections. This is Fire Marshal Kent Brody; Marshal, my friend Jonathan Kane."

"Nice to meet you," I said, shaking hands with the Marshal. "This is the construction foreman from Brown Construction, Marcus Washington."