Partners

by Kira Chase

  “I have good news and bad news,” he announced.

  “Give us the bad news first,” she said.

  “It appears that I could lose my house.”

  “How is that possible? Both names are on it,” Johanna reminded him.

  “True, but I can't legally kick Will out. He could buy me out, but he has no money.” He shrugged. “Maybe a little in his personal account. I don't know how much he has. I've never invaded his privacy.”

  “You don't have any joint accounts?” Johanna asked.

  He shook his head. “No. There's no way I would have done that. If we married, but not living together.”

  “So, you're stuck with all the bills that the house entails and you can't even live there,” George stated.

  “That's right. I could go to court and possibly the judge would decide that I could also reside there, but can you imagine that scenario?” he asked.

  “What a crock,” Frankie said disgustedly. “You could still sell the house couldn't you?”

  “Will would also have to agree to sell. As far as the mortgage goes, if it's not paid the house would go into foreclosure and I'd lose it anyway and damage my credit. The last alternative would be for me to sign the entire house over to Will and have my name off everything to do with the property. He certainly can't afford it and it would most likely still go into foreclosure, but it would be on his head and not mine.”

  They sat for a few minutes mulling over Trey's alternatives. Frankie remembered Trey had said he had good news, too. “Okay, now what's the good news?” she asked hoping it would give them something to grab onto.

  He half smiled. “Will has no claim to anything else of mine. My business and accounts are in my name only. My lawyer assured me he won't get a dime even if he's crazy enough to try.”

  Johanna pursed her lips. “I just had a thought,” she said. “Something doesn't make sense. You said the only thing with Will's name on it is the house.”

  “That's right,” Trey replied.

  “And Will knows that, doesn't he?” Johanna grew pensive.

  Frankie wondered what was brewing in Johanna's beautiful head. That's what she loved about her. Johanna usually took her time thinking things through where Frankie was spur of the moment and usually dove right in without considering all of the consequences. She had gotten better over the years, though, due to Johanna's gentle hand reeling her back in.

  “Of course,” Trey replied. “What are you getting at, Johanna?”

  “Think for a minute,” she replied.

  George shrugged as he stared at her. “Will pretended not to know?”

  “That's right!” Frankie exclaimed. “Remember, Trey? We were so caught up in the moment that we never caught on.”

  Trey frowned. “No, I don't get it,” he admitted. “Caught on to what?”

  “Will let Kyle believe he had co-ownership of your company,” Johanna explained. “There's something much bigger going on here.”

  “Why not just tell Kyle he doesn't have any ownership where my company is concerned?” Trey asked. “Why have him come here? And why risk our relationship?” His eyebrows drew together. “It still doesn't make any sense to me.”

  “I don't know why he invited Kyle to come to Charlestown,” Johanna said. “That's what we're trying to figure out.”

  “Maybe Kyle has something on Will,” Frankie suggested. “It has to be something so horrible to cause Will to risk everything.”

  “I think Will was giving us a clue that we didn't pick up on,” Johanna stated.

  “I didn't pick up on any clue,” Trey said, “but even if he had, it still doesn't explain why Kyle contacted Will in the first place.”

  “We'll figure it all out,” Frankie promised him. “George can fill you in on our plan. We're going to head back to the office.”

  “I'll be in touch,” George said.

  The women stood. “Everything's going to be alright, Trey,” Johanna said laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.

  “I'm not so sure about that,” Trey said weakly. “Even if everything you think about Will being innocent proves to be true, it still doesn't explain why he didn't come to me if he was in trouble. That's what partners do.”

  Chapter 10

  “You're going to wear a hole in the carpet with your pacing,” Johanna said.

  Frankie stopped and turned to her. “I can't concentrate.”

  “Make a list of questions we can ask Brenna Martin tonight.”

  “Already done.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I just want things to go back to normal between Trey and Will.”

  Johanna peered over the top of her computer screen at her. “I know, hon. I've been running more searches on Kyle, but there's nothing. Like Will, he doesn't have an online presence.” She stretched. “I was thinking about calling Hakon West to see if I can get some information on Brenna Martin and also what kind of work she does there as a lab tech.”

  Frankie stopped pacing and sat back down at her desk. “Sounds good, but what excuse are you going to give for calling?”

  She shrugged. “I'll start by asking for Brenna Martin. Of course, she won't be in today since she's on her way here.” She was thoughtful for a minute. “I'll pretend that I need to verify some information for a loan application she applied for. What do you think?”

  Frankie lifted her shoulders slightly. “It's worth a try. Let me get us some fresh coffee and you can put the block on our phone and set up the speaker.”

  “Okay.” Johanna looked up the number for the lab and grabbed a notepad.

  Frankie brought two cups of coffee and set them on Johanna's desk, then took the chair next to Johanna's desk.

  “All set?” Johanna asked with a smile aimed at her.

  Frankie nodded. “Let's get this show on the road.” She playfully rubbed her hands together.

  Johanna laughed. “Okay, let's get serious now.” She cleared her throat and punched in the numbers, then pressed the speaker button.

  “Hakon West DNA Lab,” a cheery voice greeted them. “How may I help you?”

  Frankie lifted an eyebrow in surprise. A DNA Lab. How interesting. She looked at Johanna who winked at her. She was thinking the same thing. She made a note to mention this crucial piece of information to George.

  “I'd like to speak to someone in your personnel or human resources department,” Johanna said.

  “Are you looking for employment?”

  “No. I need to verify some information on one of your employees. Would you transfer me to the appropriate department?” Johanna asked.

  The woman laughed softly. “We're a small operation here. We have no departments. I handle the front desk and two lab technicians take care of the testing.”

  “It sounds like a better set up than I have stuck in a small cubicle surrounded by other wall to wall cubicles,” Johanna said lightly.

  Frankie leaned back in her chair and listened as Johanna used her friendly charm on the woman. Most of the time it worked for Johanna and before her intended victim knew what was happening, had divulged more information than intended without even realizing it.

  “It is pleasant,” the woman said. “I used to have a job like yours stuck in a room with several others and only separated by a thin partition, so when this independent lab opened I jumped at the chance to work in a more private setting with only a few co-workers and without someone constantly breathing down my neck.”

  “I do envy you,” Johanna said. “Whom would I get in touch with concerning an employee of yours? Do you have a number I can call or could you connect me?”

  “I can help you if it's only to verify employment.”

  “That's all it involves. And your name is?”

  “Marge Longstrett.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Longstrett. Brenna Martin is employed at Hakon West DNA Lab. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, she's worked here a little over ten years. And please call me Marge.”

  Frankie held a thumb up. Johanna had
made Marge Longstrett comfortable enough to hopefully begin sharing information.

  “How is her work record, Marge?”

  “Exemplary,” Marge stated. “She never misses work and is always prompt. There's never been any disciplinary action taken against her.” The woman's tone suddenly took on a cautious air. “She's not in any trouble, is she?” she warily asked.

  “Not at all,” Johanna assured her. “This is just routine.”

  “I certainly wouldn't want to be the cause of any trouble for Brenna.”

  “She's not in any trouble.” Johanna paused. “Is there a reason you would think she is?” she asked.

  “Oh no,” Marge quickly answered. “I suppose you aren't at liberty to reveal the reason for your call. You stated that it involved verifying her employment.”

  Frankie smiled widely. Just the break Johanna was hoping for. Marge Longstrett's curiosity had gotten the better of her and she'd start giving up information.

  “She's applied for a mortgage on a home she hopes to purchase. I need to verify her employment history.”

  “How wonderful.” She paused. “I'm surprised she never mentioned it. The three of us here have formed a very close relationship over the years.”

  “Possibly she wanted to wait until she secured the loan.”

  “You're right. Oh, I hope she gets it,” Marge said.

  “I think we should keep this between just the two of us,” Johanna replied.

  “Of course,” Marge said. “Is there anything else you need to know?”

  “Yes. I just need to verify a couple of other things. “She is married to Kyle Martin and they have a son.”

  “What does that have to do with her loan application?”

  “We need to confirm how many in her household are dependent on her for support to determine if she will be able to make the payments.”

  “I see,” the woman said as if she was mulling over this information. After half a minute, she spoke again. “Yes, she has a husband named Kyle. They are raising his late sister's son.”

  “Her employment is secure with no talk of future layoffs or fear of the lab closing in the foreseeable future?”

  “I would be shocked if we ever closed,” Marge said. “We're extremely busy. Most of our testing is for private paternity cases. And we do get quite a few of those.”

  “What is Mrs. Martin's position?”

  “She's in charge of the lab where the testing is done.”

  “So, Brenna Martin is basically in charge of all the testing?”

  “Yes, but Mary Lou, the other technician runs tests, too. Especially when Brenna has a day off or takes vacation.”

  “It looks like Brenna Martin's employment at Hakon West DNA Lab is secure then,” Johanna said.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “I think that's all the questions I have for you, Marge. Thank you for your time.”

  “I'm sorry. I didn't get your name,” Marge said.

  Johanna smiled at Frankie. “It's Karen Rogers. Thank you again for your time.” Johanna clicked off the phone before Marge Longstrett could ask any more questions. She looked at Frankie with a satisfied look on her face.

  “Unreal,” Frankie said with a wide grin.

  “Very useful. Brenna Martin has been employed there for over ten years and has no plans to leave or Marge Longstrett would have certainly mentioned it.”

  “I'll be curious to see if Will's DNA matches Bobby Martin's.”

  Johanna frowned. “Brenna Martin works for a DNA lab. I wonder if she'd tamper with DNA samples.”

  “If the payoff was good enough she might. But in Will's case, I don't see how she could tamper with any samples if the testing was done here,” Frankie reasoned. “It would be next to impossible.”

  Johanna exhaled loudly. “I suppose you're right. Unless the testing was done there. Maybe that's why Will is not denying paternity.”

  “I don't know. I'm getting a strange feeling about this whole situation. Something doesn't fit.” She paused. “What you just said could be exactly what happened.”

  “What?” Johanna asked.

  “About the paternity.” Frankie pursed her lips. “How do we know Will didn't submit a DNA sample to Hakon West? After all, he never told Trey or any of us anything about Kyle Martin. According to Trey, Kyle just showed up out of the blue.”

  “That's true. We never asked Will if he already submitted to a DNA test. We only told him he should have one done. But then, why wouldn't he have just come right out and told us he'd already been tested?” Johanna's lips puckered.

  “Good question.”

  Johanna glanced at the notes she'd jotted down. “Well, we do know that Brenna has no plans to move here contrary to what her husband told us.”

  “Maybe she didn't mention it to her co-workers,” Frankie said.

  “I think she would have. It wouldn't make sense for her not to.”

  “Who knows at this point? Hopefully, tonight we'll get all the answers to our questions.”

  “I think I'll call George and invite him over to dinner before we go to Trey's house,” Johanna said. “Then I'll tackle the paperwork. We've got a couple of potential clients, but they aren't coming to the office until tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Okay. I'm going to give Trey a call. I'm worried about him.”

  “Me, too. He's holding too much inside.”

  Chapter 11

  Trey picked at a piece of chicken. “I'm sorry, Frankie. The chicken is delicious, but my stomach is in knots.” He drew a deep breath. “Thinking about Kyle Martin moving his family into my home is almost more than I can bear.”

  “Are you sure you want to go to the house with us, Trey?” George asked as he reached for another piece of chicken. “Maybe it's not such a good idea.”

  “I want to go,” he said adamantly. “It might be the last time I get to see my house.”

  “I doubt that, Trey,” George replied. “Will's bound to come to his senses.”

  He lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “Do you know something I don't, George?” he asked quietly.

  “I might.” George took a bite of his chicken, slowly chewed it, and then swallowed.

  “Well?” Frankie said looking at the sheriff. “What do you have up your sleeve? Are you going to keep us in suspense?”

  “Maybe,” he said and grinned. “No. Seriously, I had one of my deputies do an extensive search on Brenna Martin. I was going to wait until after dinner to mention it.”

  “We couldn't find a criminal record on her,” Johanna said. “We use the best program available to us. How could we have missed it?” She lifted an eyebrow as she looked at Frankie.

  Frankie shook her head. “I don't think we looked hard enough.”

  George held up a hand. “No. It's nothing criminal. By the way, you ladies did a fantastic job. And that phone call you made, Johanna, got me to thinking. Instead of putting all the focus on Kyle Martin, I had my deputy do an extensive background check on Brenna Martin. She has a clean record. She also has one brother, Blake Roman, with a checkered past.”

  “She never mentioned any family, outside of Kyle and Bobby, on any of her social media posts. I don't see what bearing her brother would have on what Kyle Martin is doing,” Frankie said. “What are we missing? You said her record is clean so where does the brother with the checkered past come into it?”

  “He's a cop.”

  “Whoa,” Frankie said. “Dirty?”

  “Some believe so, but they could never get anything to stick.”

  “So, he's always managed to slide under the radar?” Johanna asked.

  George nodded. “Something like that. They're keeping a close eye on him.”

  “Do you think he could potentially be involved with Kyle in a scam against Will?” Frankie asked.

  “We can't prove yet that there is a scam so that's a long shot. If Will would tell us what's going on, it would answer a lot of questions. But learning from you two that Brenna Martin is the head technic
ian in a DNA lab certainly leans toward a scam.”

  Trey looked around the table at each of them. “Brenna Martin could have easily switched Will's DNA.”

  “Sounds good in theory,” Johanna reasoned. “But as we said before, how would she have gotten Will's DNA? As far as we know he doesn't even know her.”

  Trey frowned. “You're right. It still doesn't make sense either why he wouldn't have told me right up front that he might have fathered a child. Having a son wouldn't have destroyed our relationship and especially if he hadn't even known.” He paused. “But he obviously didn't trust me enough to share any of it with me.”

  Frankie set her fork down. “Because whatever is going on goes much deeper, Trey. Haven't you been paying attention?”

  “I thought I was.” His eyebrows drew together. “I'm still in a fog and trying to process everything. Will should have told me. That's the bottom line.” His eyes drifted to Frankie and Johanna. “You two only got through your ordeal because you worked together as a team. That's what partnerships are all about.” He locked eyes with Johanna. “Did you ever once entertain the idea of destroying Frankie?”

  She squeezed Frankie's hand. “Never. My goal was to protect her no matter what happened to me.”

  “And that's what Will should have done for me.” He quickly cleared his throat.

  No matter how much he tried to pretend that he was fine, Frankie saw through his façade. He was wounded and he loved and hated Will at the same time. That's how she'd once felt before she had the facts. But then Johanna was correct when she said she hadn't tried to destroy her. Will wasn't helping his case by allowing Kyle to move into Trey's home. He could have said no. She knew the way Will had treated Trey also affected her friendship with him. Trust never came easily to her and Will had violated the trust of not only his lover, but also his friends. She didn't want to see any couple break apart, but right now she was not on Team Will. She wasn't sure she ever would be again.

  “I have to agree with you on that one, Trey,” Frankie admitted. “Even if he thinks he's doing his part to protect you from whatever he's hiding, he's doing a piss poor job of it.”