Hazards on the Hardwood (Hazards and Hijinks) (9 page)

“Where to ladies?” He asked.

“Forty-fifth and Broadway please.” Sasha said.

She and Sophie talked in the backseat quietly so that the driver wouldn’t overhear their conversation. Explaining the situation to Foley was going to be a little traumatic for Sophie. She hated confrontation and she didn’t have a lot of confidence in herself. Sasha said she would address everything and Sophie could add to the conversation at any time. Sophie was still shaking when they arrived at the office building. They paid the cab driver and headed toward the entrance, Sophie looking over her shoulder to make sure Willie wasn’t lurking around somewhere nearby.

Security was thick in the building and they had to enter metal detectors when passing through the foyer. They made their way to the elevators in the center of the lobby.

Taking the elevator to the thirty-fifth floor, they exited and walked down a lavishly decorated hallway toward a heavy ornate-looking wooden door. It had a sign, “Foley, Branson, Trueblood and Miller.”

They opened the door and the plush carpet caused their heels to sink in. The walls were decorated with paintings and there were various art nouveau sculptures scattered around the various tables in the waiting area.

Sasha walked up to the reception area and a pretty blonde was sipping her coffee from a bright pink flamingo mug.  She looked up from her monitor and said, “May I help you?”

“Yes, I’m Sasha O’Neill and I’m here to see Mr. Foley.” She waited while the receptionist keyed in something on the computer.

“One moment please.” She dialed a number and said, “Ms. O’Neill here to see you sir.”

“You may go in now.”

Sasha nodded to Sophie and they walked down another beautifully decorated hallway to be joined by a smiling gentleman. “Well Sasha, it’s so good to see you. How about a cup of coffee for you and your sister? Got some fresh java brewing and I can get you a cup.”

“Sure Benson that would be very nice.” Sasha said with a big smile on her face.

“I did some research while I was waiting for you ladies to arrive. And there is something that can be done. Of course, if Mr. O’Brien decides to fight it in court, you may not be able to enforce it. But here’s what might happen. He will need to bring his petition before a judge in the family law court. There will need to be paychecks produced and tax records for several previous years. He will need a record of not only steady employment but residence. Proof of residence is very important. He cannot be living a transient life style for a judge to verify the stability of his paternal situation. Besides your restraining order which will have to be served to him at his current residence, assuming you know where that is, he will need to petition the court for visitation rights. We can set up the restraining order and also a waiver of his paternal rights, although he will undoubtedly not sign it. Do you have any questions so far?” Benson asked.

“I do,” Sophie spoke in a timid tone. “What am I to do if he doesn’t respect the restraining order and comes after me anyway? He’s not a man of reason. He’s a schmuck to put in bluntly. He wants Zoe and I believe he will not stop until he snatches her and takes her away somewhere that I won’t be able to find him or her.”

“This does happen sometimes. The police and law enforcement agencies are now very well connected through many nation-wide networks. It’s not like in the past where just posters went out and that sort of thing. There is supporting technology to track the offenders. It’s our first line of legal options and what we need to try first. Also we need photos of Mr. O’Brien immediately. He will be on every system across the nation. If he decides to do anything we will be ready for him. Kidnapping is a very serious offense and not looked upon lightly in a family court of law. As far as his paternity, he has certain rights but we can push the court to waive those with his signature should that be the case. He’s out there practically stalking you and that in itself is a separate charge. Do you have a legal separation? You will need to get me those papers as soon as you can. Don’t give up, Mrs. O’Brien. We will get things fixed and fixed legally.” Benson sat back and had a look of concentration on his face.

Sasha was somewhat relieved as she sipped her coffee. Sophie spoke, “Sir, I have a legal separation signed a few months ago before I left.”

“Please call me Benson. Your sister and I go back a long way.” He said. “I will need you to fax or mail me those papers as soon as you get them together. I would suggest that you file divorce papers, as well. We can help you with that too. Your sister has told me she will help financially with all of this so there’s no reason for you to worry over my firm’s fees.”

“Thank you so much, Benson. I will get those faxed to you as soon as I get them ready.” Sophie seemed to be calmer now.

“Okay I will get things rolling as soon as I receive the papers. I will have my assistant phone you when I have the additional papers prepared. Have a good afternoon ladies and hopefully we can stop this fellow before he does anything foolish.” He smiled, walked them out of his office and shook their hands.

“Well Sophie at least we have some hope now, we’ll get this thing going and maybe your jerk of an ex will stop all this foolishness and go on his lazy no good way!” Sasha grinned but could see Sophie wasn’t smiling. Her thoughts were focused on Willie and his “gangster” buddies. She didn’t want anything to happen to her precious baby girl.

Sasha and Sophie arrived back at the apartment and both had the same idea to look out the cab window to see if “Willie the snake” was in his usual spot. They both saw someone in a hooded sweatshirt dart around the corner. It was most likely Willie.

“Let’s get upstairs and see how your lovely Zoe is doing. Mrs. Garwin is a dear soul. I bet the two of them are having a great time together,” said Sasha.

They paid the taxi driver and climbed out of the cab. Rushing up to the door and inside they each took one more look across the street. No Willie in sight.

Up the elevator and down the hallway, they sped up their pace and knocked on Mrs. Garwin’s door. “Yes, who is it?” She asked.

“It’s Sophie and Sasha, Mrs. Garwin.” They both said in unison.

Mrs. Garwin came to the door and they heard a lot of cooing sounds behind her. Zoe was on a soft fleece blanket on the living room floor just looking at the stuffed animals and rattles surrounding her.

“Hello Zoe.” Sophie said. “Your mommy’s here now. I missed you little one.”

“Well, thanks again, Mrs. Garwin. We’ve got a few things to finish up and then I would love to bring you some tasty treats in a bit just to show our appreciation. We may need your help again sometime soon. Would that be okay with you?” Sasha asked.

“Certainly, any time would be fine with me. We got along famously!” Mrs. Garwin sounded very happy to babysit.

With that they all left the apartment and headed to their own. It would be a long afternoon. Nap for Zoe; searching for papers for the two sisters.

Out of the shadows across the street came Willie. He’d stepped out of view just long enough for the cab to drive up and for Sophie and her nosey sister to go back into the building.

He’d made a few phone calls while waiting for the sisters to return. He had no idea where they’d been but he knew they were planning to do something to foil his plan of grabbing his daughter. He wouldn’t allow it no matter what they had in mind.

They would be in for a shock that’s for sure. He had lined up a little surprise for the sisters. Oh yes, quite a party!

Willie was unaware that his movements were being watched. A black SUV had pulled up on a side street and two guys were watching him with binoculars. So Willie was not alone in his surveillance.

The two men had a separate agenda from Willie. Their boss from Vegas had told them to follow Willie and see if it was worth it to nab the little girl. Would the money be enough? And what kind of hardware and muscle would be required on this kidnapping job. All these questions they had to have answered before stepping in to do their dirty work.

Upstairs, Sasha and Sophie were discussing their visit with Benson. It seemed like there was going to be a healthy legal solution to the custody issue. Sophie put Zoe down for a nap and then returned to the living room. She got out her suitcase and grabbed a file that was marked, “important papers.”

She was still not convinced that there was really a legal leg to stand on where Willie was concerned. She’d lived with him and knew he would be a hard one to stop. His mind was devious and he displayed no conscience at all.

Sasha seemed to show less concern. She trusted the legal system and more importantly, she trusted Benson Foley. He would do his very best.

With all of this on Sasha’s plate she wasn’t sure she would have enough time to practice her dance steps with Raul. She knew they had their fee paid and that the gown and shoes were ready. This was going to be difficult to handle both; the crisis with her sister and the dance competition.

She spent the remainder of the afternoon preparing the papers. She would fax them over to Benson later on. She felt so torn. Her sister seemed so fragile and helpless right now. She needed Sasha’s help and a safe place to stay. Sasha was going to provide both if her life depended on it and with Willie and his gangster friends plotting…it could be her life at stake!

18

Edward was back in his office. He didn’t mean to talk to Sparky the way he did. It’s just he had all this on his mind and she was clueless. Edward stared at the white paper sack with the compound in it. He weighed his options and whether or not he wanted to go through with this thing. Sabotaging a dance competition didn’t seem so bad at the time but now he actually had the drugs in his possession. Not to mention he had pulled Sparky into his evil deed as an accomplice. He didn’t want to hurt her. She was sweet and innocent. All she wanted to do was shop from morning ‘til night. That certainly wasn’t a crime, but this was!

He came up with another option – working the judges to his favor; threatening them to throw over the competition and awarding the prize to him and Sparky or risk the consequences.

Thoughts of getting caught ran through his mind. He’d go to jail. He’d be on trial. “Enough,” he thought. “I’ve got to keep a level head.”

“Sparky come in here please.” He remembered to say “please.”

“Yes Edward what is it?” Sparky sounded a little hesitant. She never knew what her husband was going to do or say next and usually he would talk to her in a very rude gruff way.

“I’ve been thinking. Did you pay the fees for the dance competition yet?” He had forgotten to ask before and hoped that his wife had enough brains to do it.

“Yes Edward I did it a few days ago like you asked me to.”

“Well good. I am glad that you took some initiative and did something.” That was very harsh, even for Edward.

“I’m sorry Sparky darling. I’ve got a lot on my mind and I apologize for talking to you like that. You are very precious to me and I should not say things in that tone of voice.” He sounded repentant for the moment. But Sparky knew better. She was used to his on and off tirades.

Someday, she would be able to just walk out the door; either because of the criminal activity he was currently plotting or some other heinous deed he’s already perpetrated. It didn’t matter, her mind was made up. Earlier she had discussed her fears with her brother, Landon.

Sparky had talked with Landon and they were planning on a little surprise of their own after the upcoming competition. Landon had found a place for Sparky that would be perfect. A two-bedroom brownstone in Lower Manhattan, small but cozy and it would fit Sparky’s needs very nicely. She would hire an interior design firm to come in and finish it out. Simply delightful!

This was, of course, after she hit her precious Edward with a huge divorce settlement. There had been no pre-nuptial agreement drawn up when the two lovebirds had tied the marital knot.

Landon had told Sparky that she would be entitled to half of all Edward’s holdings and any real estate the couple had purchased during their union. That meant that the house in the Hamptons, the Florida cottage would be sold and the money split between them equally. This would not sit well with Edward. He would be livid when this was thrown on him.

Sparky looked at herself in the mirror, checking to see if she had any new wrinkles. She wanted to look perfect for this competition. Edward could “hatch” his evil plan; it made no difference to her. She would have her revenge later.

After a shower and breakfast, Sparky found Edward sitting in his study talking on the phone. “Not unusual,” she thought. She edged closer to the study door hoping once again to hear some of the conversation. She was getting pretty good at this, she mused.

Edward was speaking in whispers. He must have had a notion that his wife was trying to figure out his plans. “If he only knew what I was planning.” Sparky had her own devious little deed to do. “I will make him sorry he ever spoke badly to me, much less, all those late night meetings with those so-called friends of his.” Sparky was getting madder as she thought about it. She had to keep a level head if she was going to pull this off.

As she was reveling in his dark deeds, she heard a thud in the study. She rushed in and Edward had fallen on the floor. His cup of coffee had hit the floor and spilled on their Persian rug. It was a gruesome scene. Sparky let out a muffled scream and picked up the phone and dialed 911. Edward was unconscious. “What happened, Edward?” She asked. Edward didn’t respond. She wondered if he’d had a heart attack or a stroke.

“911 Operator please state your emergency.” The operator stayed on the phone with Sparky as she explained what had happened to her husband. “An ambulance has been dispatched. I will stay on the line until the paramedics arrive at your residence.”

“Thank you.” Sparky managed to get the words out but she was in a haze. “How could this have happened?” She muttered.

In the background there was the faint sound of a siren. The ambulance was coming. She didn’t really love Edward but she didn’t hate him either. She just wanted to distance herself from his dark side.

The siren got louder and the ambulance stopped in front of their apartment. There was a knock a few moments later and she let the paramedics in. “Where is your husband?” The EMT spoke precisely and Sparky walked the emergency staff into the study. “He’s on the floor next to the desk. He wouldn’t speak to me or respond at all. Is he dead?” Her voice was shaky now.

“We here to help him all we can.”  They checked out his vitals and talked amongst themselves assessing his condition.

Sparky stood to the side letting them do their work. No response. No movement.

They went to work immediately administering an I.V. and oxygen. They put him on a gurney and wheeled him out to the elevator. There was no explanation. The evaluation would be done in the E.R. Sparky asked if she could ride along in the ambulance. The paramedics said it would be alright and she climbed in the back of the ambulance.

They arrived at New York General Hospital and a team was waiting outside by the curb to take him in. They asked Sparky to go to the waiting room while they assessed his condition. She was trembling as she headed to the waiting room. They wheeled Edward through two large doors and all she could do was wait.

After the doctors had assessed Edward and Sparky had filled out the admission papers, she was shown to the waiting room.

A volunteer came up and asked Sparky if she wanted some coffee. “No thanks, not right now.”

“Let me know if I can be of help to you.” The volunteer excused herself and went back to her table.

Sparky grabbed her phone and quietly called Landon. “Hello. Landon Mills here.”

“Landon it’s me, Sparky. Edward is in the hospital. I came into the study this morning when I heard a thud. It was Edward. He’d fallen on the floor still holding his cup of coffee.” She was panicked.

“Take it easy Sparky. Do you need me to fly out? I can be there in a few hours. Just say the word and I’m there!”

She knew she could always count on her brother. “Yes, we’re at New York General. Just come to the E.R. nurse’s station and they will find me.”

“I’ll book a flight and be there as soon as I can. Sparky don’t worry I’ll help you through this.” “Just like a big brother! He was a rock in times like this,” she thought.

Sparky put her phone away and glanced around the waiting room. This was going to be a long day and possibly a longer night.

What had caused Edward to fall? Was it something in the coffee? She hadn’t fixed it this morning. He had gone out briefly, stopping at a local coffee shop, not his usual Starbucks run. She wished she’d taken the time to look at the cup to see the logo on it.  No one would have put something in the coffee. It has to be his heart. The thoughts flooded into her brain. Edward didn’t have any enemies that she knew of; not many friends, either.

Time passed by very slowly. A resident doctor came out dressed in his scrubs. He walked over to Sparky and asked, “Mrs. Haversham?”

“Yes I’m Sparky Haversham. How’s my husband?”

“He’s stable but he’s in some kind of shock. His heart is beating irregularly and his brain patterns are not stable. We think he may have had some kind of mini-stroke. He’s still not conscious. That’s all we know for now. The staff is doing more testing. We should know more in an hour or so.”

“Thanks, Doctor.” Sparky didn’t understand why they just couldn’t tell her the truth…he’d probably worked himself into some kind of emotional tirade and had a heart attack.

People around her were chatting quietly or playing games on their smart phones. Occupying their time doing useless stuff…she got up and reached for a magazine. Boredom had set in.

The waiting room television was set on some game show. This was pure drudgery. She found a fashion magazine and wasn’t even aware of the numbness she felt as she thumbed through; not really paying attention to the pictures or articles. It killed time and that’s what she had plenty of right now – time.

Overhead speakers paging endlessly. She hated hospitals. Sparky was never a fan of cold white walls, multi-colored scrubs, and sterile unsmiling people. The hustle and bustle of medical personnel silently gliding down stoic somber hallways. It made her depressed.

“How long will it be?” She thought as she sat there. Hoping that Edward would become conscious so she could give him a piece of her frustrated mind; where was that doctor anyway?

Through the side door another resident doctor appeared and quietly approached Sparky.

“Are you Mrs. Haversham? I’m Doctor Miller, resident in the E.R.”

“Yes I’m Mrs. Haversham. How’s Edward? Any news?” Sparky tried to remain calm but was churning inside.

“He is conscious and some of the test results have come back. Mrs. Haversham, I don’t quite know a diplomatic way to say this, but he appears to have ingested some kind of toxin according to the report.”

“Oh my, this is terrible. What kind of toxin?” She knew someone had poisoned him. She’d had a gut feeling about it but who would be so angry with Edward?

“We’ll be able to tell that in an hour or so. These were preliminary tests to determine the cause of his condition now the pathology lab will research to see what kind of toxin is present in his system. If the results show it to be a poisonous solution the authorities will need to be notified. Anything you can add to the details of your husband’s condition, it might be good to offer it up now before they are called in.” He looked at her kindly, not like he was accusing her of anything bad.

“Are you saying someone poisoned my husband?” Sparky was trying not to seem overly emotional.

“It appears that something toxic was found in his system and further chemical testing will be necessary to pinpoint the agent causing him to go unconscious. I’ll know more in a while.”

With that explanation the resident took off.

“Well I didn’t figure that this would turn into some kind of criminal investigation.” Sparky thought to herself.

She settled back into her chair and tried to get in a catnap for a moment and divert her thoughts to something more productive and less fearful.

It must have been just a few minutes when a doctor came in and tapped her on the shoulder.

Dr. Miller was standing by her and said, “Your husband is conscious but needs plenty of rest. There are some strong toxins that need to be removed from his body. We are giving him plenty of I.V. fluids and his stomach was pumped earlier. The lab results will be back shortly but it looks as though it might be a compound that contains some kind of arsenic. I’m awaiting confirmation of that. The ingredient is not something to take lightly. He’s ingested them somehow, either willingly through an error that occurred or someone did this maliciously and the authorities will want to question you Mrs. Haversham. They will want to know if you kept those kinds of ingredients around your home or if you purchased them recently. Do you have any idea how he got ahold of these items?”

She was trembling and sure that her face had washed white. Feeling as though she might pass out at any moment, she asked the doctor if someone could bring her some cold water.

“I’ll have someone get you some water at once.” And then the doctor went through the side door.

A nurse’s aide quickly appeared and handed a cup of cold water to Sparky. Sweat was starting to drip down her face. Her skin was clammy and she felt weak.

“Thanks for the water.” Sparky said weakly.

“You’re most welcome.” The girl said and moved away discreetly.

Sparky looked at the large clock on the wall. Twelve noon. Her brother should be arriving shortly. She couldn’t wait. She hadn’t seen Landon in quite a long time…sad that it had to be under these serious circumstances.