Page 16 of Very Special Forces

"Ofcourse she wants you too," I chipped in. "Both of you told me,separately, you don't want to be divorced. Neither of you has doneanything wrong except you both have very poor communication skills.Steve, you didn't listen. Faye, you should have started with thepregnancy. Those skills can be polished before the baby comes." Ipushed the envelope into the middle of the table. "Inside is allthe evidence you need that there was no financial wrongdoing oneither part or any motivation to marry for money on either side. Myagency has confirmed Faye's investment has made her a very richwoman. Additionally, there is some information about college fundsthat you might like to read. I’ve also included a list of marriagecounselors who can help you communicate better."

"Goodwork," said Faye’s lawyer, reaching for the envelope. He shot adeath glare at Steve's lawyer, Marianne, as she reached for theenvelope. "I'll make you a copy," he hissed.

"Don'tstiff me with the whole bill," she hissed back.

"I wouldnever!"

"Youstiffed me with the breakfast bill," she whispered, entirelyoblivious to my observing them with absolutefascination.

"Youchose the restaurant."

"Onlybecause you can't cook!"

I raisedmy eyebrows and glanced away from them, but not before noticingFaye had gotten to her feet and the Wendells now had their armswrapped around each other, whispering things in each other's earsthat I hoped wouldn't lead to another miscommunication. I couldn'thelp smiling. My work was done. I successfully saved a marriage andwrapped up a case all before lunch. Speaking of lunch... I glancedat my watch. Solomon would be waiting for me.

"Pleasedon't hesitate to call if you need further assistance," I said, notthat anyone was listening. Leaving one couple caressing and thelawyers bickering about their own relationship issues, I grabbed mypurse and hightailed it out of the boardroom.

~

"How didit go?" asked Solomon when I slid into the booth twenty minuteslater.

"Case isall wrapped up and the clients appeared satisfied," I told him."I'm sure they will be happy to settle the bill as soon as you sendit. This is nice. I'm glad we can meet for lunch."

"Sinceyou spent the evening whining about your sore muscles, something Ididn’t quite understand about idiot former colleagues, and then atethree quarters of the Chinese food I picked up before fallingasleep, I figured we could have a nice lunch."

"Itwasn't the best evening," I agreed, "But the food was great." Thetakeout also eliminated the green smoothie aftertaste and I wassure I could justify the delicious food, thanks to the workout. Imight not be any fitter but I certainly wasn't any worseoff.

"Ithought you were trying to eat healthier in the run-up to thewedding."

"I ambut all that exercise meant I had to load up on food. I neededprotein."

"Leanprotein not crispy, battered protein in sauce."

"I had ahealthy breakfast," I pointed out. "All that fruit."

"Onpancakes."

"Madefrom eggs. They're healthy!"

"Maplesyrup?"

"Organic. It said so on the bottle."

Solomonsimply shook his head. "You look fine as you are. I don't know whyyou're worried, although I think your definition of worried andmine are two different things."

Theserver approached us and took our order: two chicken salads. It washealthy, tasty and I would feel thoroughly virtuous. The way I sawit was, I could eat whatever I damn well pleased, just so long as Ididn't eat mountains of it. Unlike some of my friends and relativesover the years, I hadn't become obsessed with dieting although Iwas not foolish enough to pretend my metabolism was that of someoneten years younger. When it came to food consumption, I was justsensible. Four words I never thought I'd use to describe myself butthat was maturity for you.

"So doyou want this to be your last case before the wedding?" Solomoncontinued. "There are several final preparations to do and I can'thelp until the end of the week when I wrap up my current sitevisit." Solomon was working with a local private school to upgradetheir security systems after a burglary resulted in the theft ofall their IT equipment. The school was part of a wealthy consortiumand he hoped the others in the group would also want to upgradetheir security systems.

"Actually, I might have another case. A walk-in," I told him.I gave him the overview of the case and waited for hiscomment.

"What'syour impression?"

I suckedair into my cheeks and blew it out again, pulling a puzzled face."I don't know. There doesn't appear to be anything in it and yet...I keep thinking about it. I met Julia, the apparent victim, bychance at the gym, that's who the potential client is worriedabout, and there's definitely... something. I don't know what itis. I can't quite put my finger on it. Jas has a hunch. I have agut feeling."

"I'm notgiving you anymore cases so take a few days to explore it. See ifthere's anything in it that sets off any alarm bells. If you findsomething, come to me and I'll assign it to someone."

"Thanks," I said, feeling strangely relieved. A few days wereall I needed to delve into some background research. Plus, therewas the small matter of the tank that would be a trickier topic."There's something else but it's highly confidential."

---