Chapter 22

The next day was frantic, starting with an intriguing early-morning encounter. Dex had been inclined to bag his dawn workout because of the short night. He had to remind himself how essential the workouts were to his ability to handle stress, and he knew there would be plenty of that in the following days. Assuming he was alone at the early hour, he wore just his usual brief, flimsy running shorts with the built-in supporter. He had finished the weight machines and was completing a vigorous session with the hanging bag when he was startled by a movement at the door. Spinning around, he saw Morgan leaning against the jamb and blushing brightly. Bare-legged and sleepy, wearing just a tee-shirt, she looked somehow lovable standing there.

"I... I'm sorry to startle you. Mom's been real restless and she woke me up again. I heard a noise down here and got curious. I'll go back up and leave you alone." That was what Dex really wanted, but he felt Morgan wanted to stay.

"No, you don't have to leave, that is unless you want to. I don't mind you watching if you can stand the boredom. I really do want to finish, though, if that's OK." She brightened noticeably at his invitation. "I need to do about fifteen minutes of form drills, and I need to ignore you during those. After that, we can chat while I am on the treadmill." She parked on a weight bench and watched quietly. He was rather self conscious because of the extremely stylized movements he was going through, but managed to block out her presence. For her benefit, he did cut the drill somewhat short. When he was putting on his running shoes, she sat on the stationary bike adjacent to the treadmill. Her T-shirt lifted and he could clearly see her panties. She seemed oblivious and started talking.

"Boy, I would hate to be on the receiving end of one of those kicks."

"Luckily, I have not had to use them much."

"Did you kick the asshole? How come he's still alive, then?"

"I didn't kick him full force - just enough to knock him off balance." He climbed on the treadmill and started it up. She started pedaling lazily on the bike. He raised his voice above the motor noise and asked, "You can't even say his name, can you?" This triggered an animated conversation on her feelings about her mother's marriage. It had come close to ruining a very close mother-daughter relationship. Morgan had been the one who relented, sensing her mother's need for male companionship. She had endured living with them the summer after her senior year of high school, but had left for her first semester of college as early as she could. She only came 'home' at Christmas and twice in the summer, just to avoid being around Craig. Early in her mother's courtship, she had tried to warn her that he was somehow wrong, but Morgan could not dent her mother's infatuation.

The conversation went on very nicely for his twenty minute run. When he shut off the track, she followed him up the stairs, and even down the hall to his room. At the door, he stopped and said, "Uh, Morgan, I need to shower and get dressed. Do you want to watch?"

She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment, and turned to walk away. He caught hold of her arm and held her back. "I'm sorry. That was mean. I'd like it if you came in and waited. I'm enjoying our talk." She looked at him uncertainly, but he lead her by the elbow into his room and parked her in a side chair. "I'll make it a quick shower."

As he showered he thought about her. He did rather like her, but the lesbian look bothered him. Somehow doubting it was real, he decided to push her to find out for sure. Getting out of the shower without wrapping in a towel, he gathered his shaving gear and positioned himself against the counter, hiding his genitals from view.

"Morgan, come on in here and we can talk while I shave." When she saw him, she gasped and stopped in her tracks. Feigning chagrin, he told her, "Oh, I'm sorry! Since you aren't into men, I didn't think this would bother you."

"H... h... how did you know?"

"Morgan! You've been very careful to adopt the look. That isn't an accident, is it?"

"No, I, uh... You're right. It's on purpose."

"So you're not bothered by me standing her like this?"

"No. It's, uh, fine, I..."

"Morgan! Something tells me you are at least bi. Two somethings, actually." He could see her nipples pushing against the thin T-shirt.

She stared at him in open-mouthed uncertainty for a moment, then looked down at her breasts and slapped her hands over them. As she turned to walk away, Dex grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, then cut her off from leaving the room. "Come on, Morgan, stay and talk to me."

"That was really mean! You embarrassed me! Why did you do that? I kinda thought you liked me."

"Morgan, I do like you, and I don't want you to be angry. I have this thing about friends, though. I don't think they should pretend with each other. I want us to be friends, I thought you were pretending, and I had to find out. Are we OK?"

"Yeah, you rat! We're OK. And you're right. I'm not really, it's just that..."

"You don't need to explain. Let's save that for later. Say, if you want to shower, why don't you do it here. That way you won't disturb your Mom. I have a robe you can use."

He saw her make to decline, then her expression changed and she agreed. "Wait right here for me, will you?" she asked. He made the bed and generally straightened up, still wrapped in the towel. He had just pulled some clothes from his drawer when she called out, "Dex, can you come here and find me a hair brush?"

He nearly cracked up when he saw her standing in his exact position, only with her near arm covering her breasts. She said, "I thought that since you are so old and not married, that you might be gay. Something tells me that you are at least bi. A rather large something, actually!" He quickly looked down at the definite bulging in his towel, then broke into laughter, as did she. She turned her back to him and slipped on the robe. She may not have realized the nice side views he caught in the mirror.

He went back to the bedroom and slipped on shorts and T-shirt. When she came out, he told her, "That stunt took some nerve, didn't it?"

"Didn't yours, too? It's just easier to be friends when we're even on gotchas."

"Now wait a minute! Mine had a serious purpose."

"Hey, Buster, with me, payback IS a serious purpose!" That brought them both almost to their knees laughing. They spontaneously held hands as they went to the kitchen to find some breakfast.

She was still in the oversized robe as they ate, and seemed unconcerned about how well it concealed her. For his part, he worked to avert his gaze from the accidental gaps. Over coffee, he told her he was glad they could be friends and that they needed to work together well to help Megan. She agreed, and they sipped in silence for a while.

"Dex, you don't have to try so hard not to take advantage of the gaps in my robe. If I was worried about it, there wouldn't be any gaps."

"I'm guessing that men trying to see your body has not always made you feel good, has it?"

"Damn! Are you a psyche major, too? You're right, though. At least with these extra pounds, they hardly try any more."

"Oh, I don't know. Was it really hard to put on that weight?"

"Whaaaat!!?" She simply spluttered for several seconds then just stared at him. Finally, she shook her head slowly and softly said "Here I thought I had myself all protected and safe. You've shattered all my defenses in just an hour."

"Morgan, around here you don't need extra padding or a butch do to feel safe. I don't know how long you will be here, but if ever you don't feel safe, tell me. I will do whatever I can to change it, OK?"

"Dex, I have never felt safe around a man before. I think I do now, but don't be upset if I still get a little wierd sometimes."

"Believe me, I know just what you are saying."

"Yeah, I'll bet you do. Remember, I AM the psyche major. Will you tell me your story now?"

"Let's wait until your Mom is ready and I will tell both of you together."

"Shit! Now that these extra pounds aren't doing their job anymore, I've got to get rid of them, and fast. Can I work out in your gym?"

Megan felt awful when she got up early Wednesday morning, and Dex and Morgan were both as attentive as possible. Morgan helped her with her bathroom necessitities and she went right back into bed. Dex knocked on her bedroom door, and was invited in. She tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. Her speech was also affected by the hugely swollen lip.

"Dex, I don't know how I can thank you!"

"I'm just happy I could help. I'm especially happy you're going to be all right."

"I sure don't look all right! I hate to have you see me like this. I guess you saw a lot more last night, though, didn't you."

"I'm sorry about that, Megan. I didn't want to embarrass you, but..."

"You didn't. I hurt so much and I was so afraid, I just had to have you there. I didn't care what you saw. I knew you tried not to look, though, and that was so sweet. "Uh, are you two getting along OK."

"Mom, I'm just as grateful to Dex as you are. We're doing fine together. Hey, he talks to me, and I like it!"

"Oh, I'm glad! Honey, I owe you a huge apology. I should have listened to you about Craig. I was the one who let it come between us. I drove you away from home, too, didn't I?"

"Don't worry about that now, Mom. He's history, you're safe, and we're together. Let's not let that change again, OK?"

Megan sniffled before answering, "No, let's not ever let it change, Honey."

Dex broke in at this point. "Megan, remember how I promised not to lecture or try to get you to see lawyers, or whatever? I kept that promise, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did, Dex. I might have been better for me if you hadn't."

"Would you have listened, and would you have trusted me enough to call me last night?"

She sniffled harder, and just shook her head.

"Megan, will you be angry if I end that promise now?"

"I couldn't be angry with you, Dex, and I think I had better learn to listen to you. You can tell me what to do. I will listen, really."

"That's good, because there are a lot of things we need to do, and some of them will be difficult. Here's the first one: I want you to call your parents, right away."

"Oooooh! That is a hard one! They felt the same as Morgan about Craig, and I wouldn't listen to them, either."

"Will they hold it against you when they find out they were right?"

"That's not like them. I think they will just worry that I am OK."

"Good! Call them and see how quickly they can get here."

"Oh, no. Can't I wait until I'm healed up before I see them?"

"Megan, what would it say to them if you invited them out right away?"

"That all I cared about was having them with me?"

"Is that what you want them to think?"

"I... I want things to be the way they were before."

"Morgan and your Mom and Dad have been the most important people for most of your life. Right now you have to start rebuilding your life. You want your important people helping you, don't you?"

"You're right, I do! I don't think they can come today, though. It is a long drive, and last minute flights are too expensive for them."

"I'm going to tell you this right now, Megan. I am going to do many things for you in the next while that are going to cost money. Believe me, I can afford it, and there is nothing I would rather do with the money. If you want to thank me, I will accept that and feel good about it. Please, though, don't question whether I should spend the money. Can you agree to that?"

"I may never be able to pay it back, though."

"I am not expecting that. If your folks can come, I will have tickets at the airport for them. If they come, I don't want them to stay more than two nights, though. You can blame me for that, but I think it will be best. One other important thing. I am going to set about getting you a quick divorce. You won't mind that, will you?" In response, the tears began flowing freely.

"Mom! You can't mean you want to stay married to him can you?"

"No, Honey. It's just that if I divorce him, I won't have anything! I can't support us and put you through school on my income."

"You don't have anything now, Mom, except for what little he doles out. I'll bet he even has your paychecks coming into the account by electronic deposit, doesn't he?" Megan nodded at her daughter. "And he won't let you have a credit card or an ATM card, and he gives you just the checks you need, right?"

"H... how did you know that?"

"Mom, ever since I suspected, I have been studying abuse. Your case is a classic. Dex saw everything right away, didn't he?"

"Ohhhhh! I have been such a fool! I wanted married life so badly. I... I thought I could handle it all. I thought it was worth it."

"Mom, we will manage on our own. I know we will find a way. Just get rid of him, please!"

Megan grabbed her daughters hand with her right hand, the one not in a sling, and squeezed. "You are such a wonderful daughter! How could I have ignored you? My biggest worry is paying your tuition next quarter."

"I am not going back to school next quarter. I need to be near you, and I think I will learn more here. Besides, I have some personal things I need to change before I can go back."

"Oh, no, I don't want you to miss because of me!"

"It's because of me, too. I will tell you all about it in a few days. Now, let's call Grandma and Grandpa."

Megan's father was able to switch days with a colleague, and they could leave immediately. Dex called the airline and got everything arranged for them to pick up the tickets at the airport. They would be arriving late morning, and would fly back Friday morning.

His next call was to String, explaining briefly what had happened to Megan. He got String to personally cancel the automatic deposit of her checks. String asked to talk to Megan directly, and assured her she was on paid leave until she was physically able to return.

Megan insisted on coming to the table for breakfast. She was obviously very uncomfortable, but companionship seemed more important to her than pain relief. Morgan fed her, insisting she eat more and more so she would not get nauseous from the pain pills.

Dex left an urgent message for his lawyer, Marty. They put Megan back in bed, and he sat with Morgan and outlined his ideas for a divorce settlement. Not being at all sure it could be done, he wanted all charges against Craig dropped in exchange for an uncontested divorce. He was sure the assault on her could be dropped if she withdrew her complaint. The stickiest problem was the attack on the officer. The DA would need a strong incentive to drop that one. If Megan's comments about Craig being connected were true, the chance to uncover corruption and bag some serious mobsters could be enough.

They talked long and hard about getting a financial settlement. Morgan was inclined to forget it to avoid risking the whole divorce. Dex did not want to leave them without some reasonable compensation, besides the punitive aspects. He decided on 15% of assets with a minimum of $500,000 and a maximum of $1,000,000. As they talked, they realized Craig probably would show up as insolvent, with his real assets safely hidden. Morgan told him of the times someone would hound them for payment, usually not something large, then suddenly Craig would end up with an expensinve new car, or a watch, or clothes, always paid for with cash. Dex added a stipulation that if Craig did not pay the $1,000,000, he would have to certify his assets to the court, leaving him open to perjury charges later.

Being in the software business, Dex was technically very sharp. However, he had close friends from school who were unquestioned wizards, two of them hackers of the first order. He felt that with some help, he could find Craig's assets anywhere. With this confidence, he added a clause covering hidden assets discovered later. If such undeclared assets turned up, both the miminum and the maximum were to be doubled, and interest charged on any monies illegally withheld, not to mention probable perjury charges. They suspected fear of disclosure of these assets to the authorities would be a huge threat, since they were increasingly certain of their illegal origins.

As they talked, they both liked the agreement. Of course, without a cooperative DA, it meant nothing, and there was every chance Craig would not accept it. Megan was awake again and wanted to be up and at least somewhat dressed. When Morgan was finished helping her, they showed her the proposal. It was obvious the idea of divorce was still painful to her, but she appreciated their work. She had never shared any facts about her husband with Dex in all their conversations, and he had not asked. Now, she told him that she and Craig lived as if he had access to $20-$25 million in funds. From his short foray into the house, Dex thought that estimate reasonable. Thinking of the rather meager stack of Megan's possessions they were able to liberate, he became angry. Megan had said she had not much more of any value.

With an already E-mailed draft in hand, Marty was quite animated when she returned Dex's call. Dex insisted on using the speaker phone, and introduced everyone. Marty protested she was not a divorce specialist nor a criminal lawyer. Dex insisted she was the smartest lawyer in town and it would be good for her to diversify, and besides, she had handled Margo's very nicely all those years ago. Megan said if Dex recommended her, she was happy with her handling the case. Exhausting all her protestations, Marty finally admitted excitement at the prospect of working this agreement. She had some solid connections at the DA's office, connections she knew to be incorruptible.

It was Marty who suggested they try to get some verbal evidence. Dex was concerned about both the legality of recording phone conversations, and about connecting with Craig from his home number. At this point, he was completely anonymous, and they all agreed it was best for Megan if he stayed that way for a while. They worked out a plan to use one of Archer's numbers as the cutout, forwarding it to Dex's line. Craig would have to be the one to call because they were going to record the conversation at Dex's house, and there was better legal support for recording an incoming call.

Marty wanted to be there to do some quiet coaching. Dex persuaded a reluctant Megan to wait until her parents arrived and let them listen in. He kept stressing the importance of their complete immersion in helping her. This would all be very hard on Megan, but she insisted she could handle it. They chose three to four that afternoon as the target time frame. It was decided that Megan would call from the cell phone she took from the house. She would give Craig one minute to call back on the cutout number because they wanted to catch him completely off-guard, with no chance to bring in a lawyer. Thus rattled, they thought there was a better chance he would say something incriminating. Marty would stay at Dex's until the call was completed. If he refused the immediate callback, they would not try again.

Morgan was delegated to pick up her grandparents, all agreeing that Megan should neither leave nor be left alone. Dex insisted she drive his third vehicle, a Jeep, and avoid the two he had used the previous night. He was very concerned about efforts to track down Megan. Patrick, Megan's father, was a police lieutenant, and he would know if they were being followed.

He led Morgan to the converted barn that had been part of the original property before he had totally rebuilt the house. Her jaw dropped on seeing the array of vehicles stored inside. ''Boys and their toys!" she quipped, to which he could only respond with a grin and a shrug. He gave her an extra cell phone, took her keys to stow her car out of sight, and sent her off.

Morgan had remained extremely close to her grandparents, especially after Megan's marriage. They even tried very hard not to react to her lesbian personna. Their meeting at the airport was emotional but brief, as she had arranged to pick them up at the curb, again for secrecy reasons. Before pulling away from the curb, she filled Patrick in on Dex's security concerns. He was alarmed, but appreciated the cautious steps they had taken. Jeanette, Megan's mother, was even more alarmed, but many years as a policeman's wife had given her the composure to retain control. The conversation was very animated, most of it centered on Dex: who he was, why he was involved, what Morgan thought of him, and could they trust him.

Patrick had insisted that Jeanette sit up front with Morgan so he could keep an eye open for anyone following them. Morgan was so enthusiastic in her descriptions of Dex, that Jeanette told her, "Morgan, dear, you sound like you really like this guy! And you're even blushing!"

"Oh, Grandma, I've barely known him for twelve hours. I will tell you, though, in that time I have had more intelligent, enjoyable conversation than with any man ever, except Grandpa. As far as liking him, I do, but I suspect he only has eyes for Mom, if anyone."

As they approached the house, Morgan cautioned them, "Now remember, hugs are not a good idea, and she can't kiss with her lip the way it is. She looks just awful, but, fortunately, there won't be any permanent damage. I... I'm so glad you could come. I just hope things between all of us can get back to the way they were before... before the asshole came along." Jeanette gasped slightly at her crude reference, but then chuckled and assured Morgan they wanted the same thing.

Megan was standing in the foyer when the rest of her family arrived, with Dex nowhere in sight. The reunion was predictably emotional, with horror at her injuries mixed with joy at the breaking down of the wall that had come up between them. After about fifteen minutes, Patrick asked, "Morgan, where is this young man, and why hasn't he joined us?"

"He's down in his room giving us a chance to be by ourselves. He's very big on family. You know, he was the one who insisted Mom call you."

"I know, and the price of those tickets! Can he really afford this?"

"Please, don't even mention money to him. He would be offended. He made that very clear to us."

"I guess I am puzzled why he is doing this."