The Path Home, Ch. 7

Chapter 7:

When Brenda arrived at her office on Monday, Sgt. Gabriel was waiting to present his findings to her. After listening to his presentation she thanked him as she picked up her phone. "Fritz, can you come to my office sometime this mornin'? I may have a rather high profile case for you."

Later, when Fritz knocked on her door, she waved him in, picked up her phone and asked Sgt. Gabriel to return to her office and to bring all the information he had gathered on Molina and the Bentley. While waiting she laid the case out for Fritz. "That Bentley was originally purchased new by Dan Hart less than a week ago and immediately transferred to Garrett Molina, the lead defense counsel in his bribery case. Accordin' to paperwork filed with the court, Molina is bein' paid the maximum state law allows. Since no money changed hands in the transfer of the Bentley, it appears that they were tryin' to hide the fact that the law had been violated. And, since the Bentley was purchased in Las Vegas, it crossed state lines so I suspect this might be somethin' of interest to the FBI."

David then showed Fritz the documentation he had on the sale and transfer of the Bentley. As he handed the file to Fritz he added , "It looks like this kind of activity has happened before with some of Molina's other clients. There's the gift of a guest house built on his private island in the Bahamas, and another one of a boat house built there, the remodeling of the kitchen in another home in the Hamptons. All of those were at no charge to Molina. And there's another gift of a yacht slip at a marina. In each case, he was representing the people who gave those gifts at the time, and he was additionally paid the legal limit for his services.

"Also, Dan Hart was apparently shaking down his suppliers so it looks like there might be a racketeering charge there, as well. At least it's worth pursuing because, as you can read in my notes, everyone felt they were strong-armed into giving those gifts and they're eager to talk, provided they won't be in any trouble themselves."

"That's very interesting," Fritz replied. "Thank you, both of you. I'll take it from here."

When Fritz got back to the Federal Building he went directly to his boss with Sgt. Gabriel's findings.

"I think we've had some complaints about Molina in the past," Dave Martin said as he buzzed his secretaryand asked her to find any information the Bureau had on both Garrett Molina and Dan Hart and bring it to him. Then he continued, "I seem to remember a complaint about a shakedown several years ago. After the complainant reported it, Molina resigned as his counsel. Because he lost his lead counsel there was speculation that he influenced the remaining attorneys to back off so the complainant lost in court to the tune of several million dollars. And everyone who was ready to sign a statement changed their minds when they saw what happened, so we never were able to do anything."

"I'd be very interested to know if Molina declared all these gifts as income on his tax returns," Fritz commented.

"That's a good thought. I'll ask the US Attorney to get the proper paperwork ready so if we do get affidavits from these clients we can act right away." After they reviewed Sgt Gabriel's information Dave stated, "If this is going to go anywhere we have to move fast. I want you to take the lead but we need a lot more agents interviewing victims simultaneously and getting their affidavits. If word of the LAPD's inquiries hasn't gotten back to Molina yet, we might have a chance of catching him."

After several agents were assigned the names of possible victims, Fritz and the other agents fanned out and went to work. By the end of the day they had begun taking statements and criminal cases were being assembled.

Dave entered the conference room where the assigned agents were working, read the files and smiled. "You've all done excellent work. Let's move on this quickly and get indictments."

Tuesday morning at breakfast Clay asked, "Brenda Leigh, is there a one hour dry cleaner around here?"

Fritz answered for her. "I pass one on my way to work. If you're thinking you want to get your suit cleaned for tomorrow, I can drop it off for you."

"Thank you, Fritz. Save the receipt and I'll pay you tonight."

"Send your tie out too, Grandpa, and your dress shirt. And, if Aunt Brenda and Uncle Fritz have shoe polish, I'll shine your shoes for you."

"That's a good idea. Thank you, Charlene."

Fritz looked over at Brenda. She was being too quiet, and her mouth was drawn in a tight line. When she caught Fritz looking at her she got up and walked into the kitchen. "More coffee, anyone?"

"No thank you, honey. I need to get going," Fritz replied as he wiped his mouth with his napkin and grabbed his briefcase and keys. "Be nice," he whispered as he kissed her goodbye.

"Of course. I'm always nice. Don't forget your phone calls."

Fritz nodded and called out, "Clay, I need your dry cleaning now if you want me to take care of it."

After Fritz accepted the bundle of clothes and left, Brenda grabbed the coffee pot and walked into the dining room and started refilling cups. "I've got time for one more cup and then I've got to get to work. What time is Alexis pickin' you up?"

"9:30. We're gonna shop at The Grove for a couple of hours before lunch, and then check out the UCLA campus."

"That sounds like fun, honey. Daddy, I feel bad leavin' you alone all day. What are you gonna do by yourself?"

"I'm going to watch TV and take a walk. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Well, I showed you how to work the remote controls on the TV and I wrote down the channel guide number for you. You know where we put the spare key, and there's plenty of lunch meat and potato salad in the refrigerator."

"Don't worry about him, Aunt Brenda. I'll make sure the TV is on the Velocity Network before I go. He'll be fine."

"Thanks, Charlie. Ok, Daddy, it sounds like you have everythin' you need. If you decide to take a walk, be careful not to let Joel out. You both have our cell numbers in case you need us. Charlie, have a great day. Bye." And with that, Brenda was out the door.

At dinner Fritz turned to Charlie and asked, "How was your tour of Los Angeles with Alexis?"

"We had a great time. I bought a new belly button ring and a new pin for my eyebrow. And I ordered a nose ring like Alexis'. They're gonna mail it to me."

"Belly button ring?" Clay exploded. "You mean you pierced that too?"

"Sure. It looks great when I wear shorts or my bikini," Charlie replied and then changed the subject. "Grandpa, Alexis took me to her grandmother's home. You should see it. It's gorgeous. It's got tile everywhere and a staircase you wouldn't believe. And it's got all this Buddhist statuary. Did you know she's a Buddhist?"

"Who? Alexis or Lily?" Clay asked.

"Lily. I think she's the first Buddhist I've ever met. Have you ever met any other Buddhists, Aunt Brenda?"

"Sure. When I was workin' cases in Chinatown just about everyone was a Buddhist."

"There are some Chinese kids at Georgetown. I'll bet most of them are Buddhists too."

"That Lily is one of a kind," was all Clay said.

He's such a Baptist. I never thought much of religion, but if Lily bein' Buddhist will slow him down, I might have to change my mind, Brenda thought.

Wednesday night, Brenda stayed late at work. She called Fritz and told him that she had to have a report ready for Steve first thing in the morning and that the information she needed was late coming in. That was a lie. The truth was that she couldn't bear to see everyone fawning over Clay and helping him get ready for his date. And she knew she would not be able to tolerate his talking about it when he returned.

No, if he's gonna do this to Mama's memory, he's gonna do it without me there watchin'. She stayed at the office until she was sure that Clay would be home and everyone would be asleep. Then she drove home, tiptoed into the apartment and got ready for bed.

When she finally slid under the covers, Fritz rolled over and said, "Congratulations. You managed to completely avoid your father."

"I told you I was workin'. I had to get that report finished for Steve."

"Brenda, let's set aside the fact that you lied to me – again. But you lied because you couldn't deal with your feelings. You need to think about that."

"I know you think I need to talk to Daddy about this whole datin' business, but I don't want to hear about it. And, anyway, I don't know what to say." If she had faced the truth she would have had to admit that she was really afraid that if she said anything at all, she'd say something that would hurt her father.

"Why don't you and Clay take a walk tomorrow and talk? You can stuff your pockets full of tissues in case you cry."

Brenda was annoyed that Fritz saw right through her. So she just shook her head and asked, "How did Daddy seem when he got home?"

"He seemed happy, Brenda. He said that he had a really good time and that he had forgotten what dating was like."

"He used that word?"

"Yes."

"I told you it was a date."

"And you were right. But he's going home in two days so there won't be another one."

"Oh, I'm not worried about him with Lily. They have nothin' in common. Besides, he's too much of a hell fire and brimstone Baptist to ever get seriously involved with a Buddhist. But if he had such a good time, he'll start datin' again in Atlanta. I'm sure of it."

"If you're still upset, you really should talk to him tomorrow before we do the inspection."

"I know you're right. I know I can't stop him and I just don't know if I can hold it together."

"You are the strongest woman I know. You can do it, hon."

After breakfast, Brenda asked Clay if he'd like to take a walk with her but, to her surprise, he declined saying he had a headache. "Maybe it was that wine I had at dinner. I don't know how you drink it. Give me two fingers of bourbon any time."

Charlie busied herself doing her laundry so Brenda and Fritz took a short walk. Once they were out on the sidewalk, Brenda said, "Well, that didn't exactly go like I'd planned."

"Maybe Clay is avoiding you. Maybe he knows how you feel."

"Yeah, maybe. But I was hopin' that he couldn't sleep last night from feelin' guilty over the way he was carryin' on."

"Brenda, he hasn't done anything to feel guilty about. If he's ready to start dating again, he's going to date. Period. You're going to have to get used to it."

"Well, we'll see about that."

"What do you think you can do about it?"

"Nothin', Fritz. I don't think there's anythin' I can do about it. But I don't have to like it."

He knew better than to say anything further so they finished their walk in silence.

Carol Franklin was waiting in front of the house when they pulled up. Fritz introduced her to Clay and Charlie and they walked to the front door.

"Well, this is it," Fritz said happily as they entered the foyer.

Clay stepped into the living room and said, "This is nice. Real nice." Fritz and Brenda both caught the surprise in his voice.

They threaded their way around the Hansons' boxes, through the kitchen and the master bedroom. When they got to the second bathroom, Charlie said, "I hope you like blue."

"We're gonna change that later on," Brenda explained. "We'll paint the walls white before we move in. Hopefully that will tone it down a little. But we'll leave the tile and fixtures alone for now and change them out later on."

"White walls will help," Clay agreed, "And the fixtures are in good shape."

He's bein' so reasonable, downright positive, Brenda marveled. Don't tell me that dinner with Lily worked that miracle.

"This will be the guest room since it's so close to the bathroom and the one on the other side will be a storeroom," Brenda explained.

Fritz's enthusiasm was building as they moved from room to room. "As you can see, this is a play room now, but we're going to use it as an office. Two desks and a day bed should fit nicely in here. If we were in this house now, Charlie, you wouldn't have to sleep on the living room floor."

"I don't mind, Uncle Fritz. But this is really nice, or it will be when you finish paintin' the kids' rooms."

"Those are very nice book cases," Clay observed.

"We think so too, Daddy."

"Let's go out through the lanai and look at the backyard," Fritz suggested.

"Good idea," Charlie agreed. "I want to check out the pool."

Clay stood by the pool looking around, then said, "This is real nice, having the patio partially screened in. I guess you'll need to buy some pool and patio furniture."

"We've got the patio furniture. It's in our storage unit. But the pool furniture will have to wait until later. We need to spread out some of our expenses."

"Well, I'd like to buy some for you. A house warming gift."

"Thank you, Daddy, but you can't carry pool furniture onboard a plane."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Aunt Brenda. My dad and I can help Grandpa. We can order it online and have it shipped to you."

"Thank you, Clay. And you too, Charlie. Brenda and I would love that."

"You're welcome. What is that building?" Clay asked.

"That's our outbuilding," Fritz replied. "Let's take a look." The two men walked across the lawn while Brenda and Charlie walked back into the house.

Once inside, Brenda turned to her niece and asked, "Tell me, Charlie, how do you feel about Grandpa startin' to date again?"

"It's ok, I guess. Mom and Dad both say that even though he's started meetin' some of his buddies at McDonald's for breakfast, he's real lonely when you're not there. And havin' dinner with Lily certainly improved his mood."

"It sure did. But aren't you even a little worried that he's forgettin' Grandma?"

"Nah. After all the years they were married? He's not forgettin' anythin'. But you're worried, aren't you?"

Brenda was surprised that her niece read her mind so well. "Yeah, I am. A little. I just can't imagine him datin' so soon after Mama died."

"He just wants someone in his life. One reason I haven't been home more often is that he's been so miserable to be around. His non-stop criticizin' has become the norm. I think it would be great if he found someone who makes him happy again."

"I guess," Brenda said.

"Haven't you noticed how much better his mood has been since his dinner date? It's like the old Grandpa is back."

"You're right about that," Brenda conceded.

As he drove them all back to the duplex Fritz explained, "I'm going to drop you off at home and then I've got to get to work,"

But Clay's mind was still on the house. "A house just feels so much more settled than an apartment," he observed. "I'm glad you found such a nice one."

"I'm glad you like it, Clay. The timing was right and we caught a lucky break."

When he got home from work that evening, Fritz asked "How does everyone feel about Cuban Chicken for dinner tonight?"

"What's that?" Clay asked.

"Daddy, I think you'll like it. It's grilled chicken with a spicy fruit glaze. And we usually get it with black beans and rice."

"We had it when I was here before and I loved it," Charlie said. "I liked it so much that when I got to Georgetown, I looked for a place that had it."

"Well if you think it's that good, I'll try it."

"Ok, I'll go get it. Charlie, why don't you come with me? You can help me carry everything."

"Sure, Uncle Fritz, let me grab my jacket."

Brenda knew why Fritz had taken Charlie with him and she was trying to organize her thoughts before she spoke to Clay. The problem was that she didn't know how to begin, but Clay got there first.

"Brenda Leigh, I want to talk to you."

"What about, Daddy?"

"I've been irritated with you all week and you didn't deserve it. You seemed… I felt… I thought you seemed too happy."

"Too happy?"

"Yes. It felt like suddenly Willie Ray didn't matter to you."

"Oh, Daddy, that's not true. I miss Mama terribly. I think about her every single day."

"I know you loved your mother. But it seems… I don't know if this will make sense… It seems like you and Fritz are moving on with your lives and leaving Willie Ray and me behind." Clay was shocked that Brenda started to laugh.

"Daddy, I'm sorry. I'm not laughin' at you. I'm laughin' because I was upset with you for goin' to dinner with Lily because I thought you were leavin' Mama behind."

"No, I'm not leaving Willie Ray behind. Her memory will be with me the rest of my life. But I've never met a woman like Lily and I wanted to get to know her better. I had a good time, but we're from two different worlds. So, even if she lived in Atlanta, we wouldn't keep on dating. But I'm tired of being all alone. You have Fritz so you might not understand how lonely I am. There's something special about being with a woman. And I want to date again. Now, I'm not saying I'm ready to get married tomorrow. Don't get that idea. But your mother and I had a wonderful relationship and, well, I miss it."

"That's what Fritz said."

"Can you understand that I want to find someone again?"

"I think I'm startin' too. I can't say I completely understand it, but I know how lonely I'd be if somethin' happened to Fritz."

"That's how I feel. And it's not disloyal to your mother. I don't ever want you to think that." And then he continued, "You know, I'm really glad I came out here so we had this chance to talk. When Joyce called me and asked if I'd consider coming with Charlene, I almost refused."

This surprised Brenda. "Why, Daddy?"

"Because I knew I'd have to stay in the guest room and I didn't think I could stand being in that room, let alone the same bed where your mother died."

"We knew that would be hard so we rearranged the furniture and put new sheets and a different duvet on the bed for you."

"Thank you, it helped. But I still don't understand why it's taken you so long to move out."

"I needed to face a lot of memories first."

"I can understand that. Just being in that room with your mother's memory helped me."

"It helped you too? I know it helped me," Brenda smiled through tears.

"Just sitting with her memory helped convince me that it was time to go back to living, and Lily helped too." Clay saw the tears start to escape her eyes. "But I certainly don't want you to think that if I do start seeing someone that I'll no longer need you."

Brenda felt her emotional upheaval settling like the tumblers of a lock falling into place. She wiped her tears and hugged her father. "Daddy, I love you."

As Brenda and Fritz were putting the chicken on the table, Charlie called out, "Uncle Fritz, you're on TV!" drawing them both to the living room. "Here, I'll rewind it," Charlie offered.

They watched Fritz leading Garrett Molina in handcuffs to a waiting FBI van as local reporters shouted questions at them. "Good for you, honey," Brenda said.

"Molina's victims were eager to talk. I don't know how you ever made the connection, but I'm glad you did," Fritz replied just as the phone rang.

Brenda turned and answered it. "Oh, hi, Andrea. Yeah, I just saw it… Actually, Steve mentioned the Bentley to me so I asked Sergeant Gabriel to look into it… Yeah, me too… I turned it over to Fritz because the car crossed state lines and it looked like there might have been other incidents… Uh huh, violatin' federal law. Turns out this wasn't the first time… Maybe you can use this to get a plea deal from Dan Hart on the state charges… At the very least it will probably stop his attacks on the DA's office… The media is gonna focus on the federal case… You're welcome… All right… No, Daddy and Charlie are leavin' tomorrow and we're closin' on our house so I'll see you on Monday… You have a good weekend, too."

"You seem calmer tonight," Fritz observed once they were both in bed. "Are you feeling better about your dad, or is it the closing?"

"It's Daddy," Brenda replied. Then she told him she had been thinking about Charlie's comments. "She's really wise considerin' that she's so young."

"Out of the mouths of babes."

"I was only thinkin' about myself," she continued. "When I think about Daddy… Well, I guess I was bein' selfish."

"When it comes to your father, believe me, you are anything but selfish."

"Since you set it up so beautifully, Daddy and I talked before dinner. The funny thing was that his bad mood was because he was thinkin' that I was forgettin' all about Mama."

"So you're ok with him going on with his life?"

"Well, I won't promise not to get knots in my stomach, but I understand that he wants someone to be a part of his life, especially since all of us kids have our own lives. I've been thinkin' about it and, you know, it actually would take some of the burden off of me."

There were several hugs and kisses goodbye at the airport, then Brenda and Fritz got some breakfast and headed into the city for the closing.

After signing all the papers, Bill Hanson handed Fritz a set of keys and said, "We're leaving early Sunday morning. We'll leave the other set of keys in the kitchen drawer, along with the business cards of companies we've used. And we've also written down a few helpful hints for you. We'll leave those in the drawer, too."

"Thank you both. I know we're going to love the house," Fritz said shaking Bill's hand.

"We made a lot of wonderful memories in that house," Sherrie said, "I hope you do too."

"I'm sure we will," Brenda replied.

Walking back to their car, Brenda looked at her husband and said, "I'm waitin'."

"Waiting for what?"

"I'm waitin' for your feet to touch the ground again."

"I admit to being happy. I just wish you were as happy as I am."

"I'm not unhappy. It's just that all this change… I don't know... Change is…"

"I know. 'Change is bad'."

"I was about to say that change is hard."

When he heard that, he squeezed her hand and said, "Have I ever told you that I love you?"

"No, you haven't. Tell me more," as she took his arm and smiled up at him.

When they got home, Brenda remembered something. "There's just one more thing I need to do before I forget." She picked up the phone and called Bernice Nagel. After she told her that they would be moving, Brenda offered to let her see their apartment in order to help her decide if she wanted to purchase it.

"I spoke to the office and there aren't any other first floor units available. But, I don't know about buying your place. I need to know if there are any bullet holes or blood stains in it."

Brenda stifled a giggle, "No, Bernice, nothin' like that. If you want, why don't you come down now and take a look?"

After Mrs. Nagel walked through the apartment she turned to Fritz and said, "Your wife was kind enough to offer your services if I need help moving."

"Of course, we'd both be glad to help you," Fritz replied.

"Well, my son has said that he'll take care of moving me, but I want you both to know that I do appreciate your offer."

"You're very welcome, Bernice," Brenda smiled. "If you do decide you want this apartment, we're movin' out at the end of May."

"You're very sure that that horrible man won't come back here?"

"Yes, we're sure. He's gonna spend the rest of his life behind bars so you'd be safe here."

"Well, in that case, thank you both. I'm going to contact CoastProp Management tomorrow morning."

They unlocked the door to their new home and carried in all the paint paraphernalia they had collected, then Fritz went back to the car and brought in a blanket and a small pillow.

"What's that for?" Brenda asked.

"I thought we could get started on my top priority."

She was beginning to get the idea so smiling, she asked, "And that would be?"

He put his arms around his wife and said, "I want to make love to you in every room in our new house."

"Well, you need to reorder your priorities for the time bein'. The only tool you're gonna get any use out of today is that power painter you rented."

"Killjoy," Fritz was pretending to sulk.

"Waitin' is character buildin', Casanova. Besides, we're not rentin' somethin' and then not usin' it. Now, where's the maskin' tape so I can start tapin' up the woodwork in our bedroom?"

Fritz didn't reply. He just sighed for dramatic effect, then dug around in the bags until he found a roll of blue masking tape and handed it to her.

"Dr. Leonard, even with everythin' that went on I didn't have any nightmares or flashbacks. It was important to me that I lick them before we move, and I feel like I've done that," Brenda concluded after telling her about the events in their lives since their last visit.

"Brenda, you still could have more flashbacks. But you are processing them better."

"Well, I don't like hearin' that I could still have more flashbacks, but I'm glad to know that I'm handlin' them better."

"Yes, you are. And that's an important step to eliminating them. How about you, Fritz? How have you handled everything?"

"Everything has been good, doctor. Busy, but good. I haven't had any more nightmares and I think the last time I've given Phillip Stroh any thought at all was when we were last here. And I've been so proud of the way my wife has handled all the stress."

"You both have shown an impressive amount of improvement over the past few months."

"Does that mean you're gonna take me off the medication?"

"Not yet. I know you'd like to stop taking it but I don't think you're ready yet. So I'm going to give you another refill prescription today." When she saw Brenda's disappointment she asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I guess I have mixed feelin's. I don't like takin' medicine, but I don't want to start havin' flashbacks again."

"When the time comes, we'll wean you off the medication slowly. It's very important that you not quit taking it abruptly," Dr. Leonard cautioned. "And, of course, we'll continue with therapy."

"I'm a little disappointed," Brenda admitted. "I thought I was doin' so much better."

"You both are doing extremely well, but there are no magic cures. You're still dealing with the effects of trauma and you've got a major move coming up. I think continuing therapy is important for you both."

"All right, Doctor," they both agreed.

After the painting was completed, the cabinets and floors refinished, and new appliances were installed, moving day finally arrived. The crew put the last of their furniture and boxes on the moving van. Brenda stood in the doorway of the duplex watching the men close the back of the truck capturing everything they owned and getting ready to head down the street toward their new house. Fritz came up behind her and folded his arms around her. "Are you ok?" he asked softly in her ear.

"I think so. But I'm gonna miss this place. There are a lot of memories here... Mama… Our weddin' reception…" Her voice trailed off.

"We'll take those memories with us. And we'll make plenty of new ones in our new home."

She leaned back into him. "I know we will. Movin' on is just hard for me."

As he drew his arms tighter around her, he murmured, "I'm right here, and we're moving on together."

After all the unpacking, organizing, and settling in was completed, Brenda looked around at all the things they'd brought with them and drew comfort from their familiarity. She smiled, realizing that the things they had accumulated represented mile markers in their lives. They reminded her that her path wasn't hers alone. And, even though it was often difficult and twisted, that path had led them to this place. It was a good place. It was a safe place. And she and Fritz would work together to make it home.

The End.

And, once more, I'm begging for your review.

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