Unauthorized Affair Read online

  “How about your purse. Are you missing anything from there?”

  “No,” Jen whispered, the weight of the formality of filing a police report pressing down on her heavily. She stole a glance at Officer Sanders, impressed at how put together she was. Her brown hair was pulled back into a neat bun, and not one single hair dared stray out of place. Her pretty face looked free of makeup. And the gun on her hip kept drawing Jen’s eyes. She bet that Officer Sander’s boyfriends never cheated on her.

  “How about your bank accounts, did he have access to them?”

  Jen’s heart dropped into her shoes like a brick. “Oh God, we have a joint account. We were saving for a vacation.”

  “If his name was on the account, you have no recourse even if he cleared it out, but you should check all of your accounts while I’m here, just in case. Can you do that?”

  Jen nodded mutely and grabbed her phone. She punched in the URL to her only bank to check the two accounts she held there. A small cry built up in the back of her throat. It escaped as she flipped the phone around so that Carla and Officer Sanders could see it. Her single account showed $212.42 and the savings account she shared with Adam showed only $0.01.

  “There was over eight thousand dollars in there last week!” she told them, her voice strained and cracking.

  Officer Sanders mouth tightened into a grim line. But her eyes said she saw this every day. “And that is the account that you share with him?”

  Jen nodded, the tears flowing again. Carla moved closer and hugged her.

  “How about this other account, is the balance there OK?”

  Jen nodded against Carla’s chest. “Yeah. That’s how much is supposed to be in there.” She felt sick. Not only had she been cheated on and robbed, but now she was completely broke too.

  Officer Sanders nodded and scribbled in her notebook. “Here’s what I can do for you. I’ll write up a report and I’ll look for your ex-boyfriend. If I can find him, I’ll arrest and charge him for the theft of your items. Then the district attorney’s office takes over the case. Just the arrest may be enough for him to return your items.”

  She stood, put her notebook in the front pocket of her uniform shirt and took the piece of paper from the table. “I’ll be in touch.”

  Officer Sanders rounded the table and headed for the door. Once there, she stopped and offered Jen a final piece of advice. “You seem like a good person. Don’t let this get you down. Just don’t be as … trusting next time, at least not until you’re married.”

  ***

  Two hours later, driving North to Westwood Harbor, Jen replayed the last sentence Officer Sanders had spoken to her over and over again. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that Officer Sanders had been about to say naive, but had changed the word to trusting at the last minute.

  Her thoughts swept across her brain savagely, like a grass fire over an open field. Naive, that’s me. 26 years old and I’ve got the street smarts of a 12 year old. God I just need to get away. Westwood Harbor may not even be far enough. Maybe I should move to another state. Another country even. I could join the Peace Corps. Or the Army. Yeah right, I’d do great in the Army. I’d probably shoot myself by the end of the first week. Better stick with the Peace Corps.

  As she approached the first freeway entrance for Westwood Harbor her thoughts slowed long enough for her to realize she hadn’t even called Jerry to let him know she was coming. She’d emptied her apartment and dropped a note to her superintendent, along with her keys, in his dropbox. She’d had vacation coming up at the cafe so she asked her boss if she could take it, and she gave Carla an official letter of resignation. She knew she could add impulsive to her list of negative traits but she didn’t care. She felt like she couldn’t spend one more minute in San Francisco. For her, the entire city had become one big reminder of Adam and his betrayal. She wanted out.

  Jen picked up her phone and almost called her brother. Instead, she threw it on the passenger seat and took the next exit. She’d be at his house in five minutes anyway.

  Chapter 3

  Jen parked her car in Jerry’s driveway, thankful that the lights were on. Jerry was a firefighter, and sometimes he worked odd hours. Plus it was late. She checked her phone. Just after midnight. She walked to the door and tried the knob. Locked. Jen knocked on the door, the night air feeling good on her face, which was puffy from crying. She turned her face to catch a breeze and waited for Jerry to come to the door. After a minute, she knocked again.

  Finally, the door swung open. Jen tried to put on a happy-to-see-you face for her brother, knowing he would see through it in an instant. But it wasn’t Jerry. It was a stunning, exotic-looking woman, almost as tall as Jerry, with hard, watchful eyes and an imposing stance. She was wearing a forest-green silk robe, belted at the waist. “Yes?” she asked, her voice tightly coiled.

  Jen took an involuntary step back. For an instant, a crazy thought shot through her head, that if she didn’t say something quickly, this woman would attack her. Throw her on the ground and handcuff her or something. Frantically she tried to find some words. “Jerry. Is Jerry here? He’s my brother.”

  The woman’s observant gaze swept Jen’s body, face, and hair. And then she relaxed. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled. “Jen! What a surprise. Jerry will be so happy to see you!” The woman grasped Jen’s elbow and pulled her in the house.

  Jen’s stomach churned as she realized that this was Sara, the girlfriend - the serious girlfriend, and that Sara was probably living here. Jerry wouldn’t want his kid sister hanging around. Oh God why didn’t I call first?

  Jen allowed herself to be pulled into the kitchen. Sara gave her a hug, and sat her down at the kitchen table. “You sit here, I’ll get Jerry.”

  Jen watched Sara head down the hallway toward the bedroom and grimaced. She’d shown up unannounced and interrupted them. She never wanted to think of her big brother having sex, but her big brother having sex with that woman? It must be like playing with a tame panther, she thought. Like you know the panther isn’t going to hurt you, but you also know the panther easily could, if the panther wanted to.

  Jen heard feet pounding down the hallway and then Jerry, dressed only in shorts so she could see the scars on his leg and shoulder, ran into the room. “Jen!” He picked her straight up out of the chair and twirled her around before setting her on her feet and hugging her.

  “What are you doing here?” He looked closer at her face. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

  Jen had promised herself she wouldn’t cry anymore today, but she burst into tears anyway. Well, it’s after midnight, so technically it’s not today anymore. Her tears took on a manic quality at the thought and she buried her face into her big brother’s shoulder. He pulled her to the couch and let her cry. Somewhere off in the distance she heard dishes rattling.

  10 minutes later, when her tears had finally dried up, she picked her head up and looked sheepishly at Jerry. He gave her a gentle smile and motioned to a cup of what looked like hot chocolate on the coffee table. “Have a drink. Sugar always helps.”

  Jen laughed a little and sipped the hot chocolate. She did feel better. But it wasn’t the hot chocolate. Carla had been great. But she wasn’t family. Jerry might only be her half-brother, but he was still really good at the big brother thing. He hadn’t even asked her why she was crying yet.

  “Adam cheated on me,” she blurted out. Jerry just looked at her and stroked her hair. “You don’t seem surprised,” she said.

  “Well, I figured it had to be something like that. And besides-”

  Jen interrupted him. “You knew he was a cheater.”

  Now Jerry’s face showed some surprise. “Yeah, I did.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I tried to Jen, don’t you remember?”

  A vertical line appeared between Jen’s eyebrows. “No, I don’t remember. When?”

  “When you guys visited here. What was that a year and a half ag
o? He made some off-color jokes about what Emma would be like in the sack. I told you about them.”

  Jen made her right hand into a fist and hit herself in the forehead with it. “Yeah, but I thought he was just joking. Does something like that mean a guy is a cheater?”

  Jerry exchanged a glance with Sara, who sat across the room in an overstuffed armchair. Jen caught the look and hit herself in the forehead again. “I know, I know, I’m … I’m stupid about men. I’m naive. You have to spell it out for me. So do it. Spell it out for me! Next time just tell me he’s a cheater!”

  Jerry caught her hand before she could whack herself in the forehead again. “OK sweetie, I will, I promise. But you’re not stupid, you’re just-”

  Jen interrupted him again. “Trusting! I know!” She stood up and paced through his kitchen, around and around the table.

  “Are you staying here tonight?” Jerry called from the living room. Jen let out some of her tension in a deep sigh.

  “Yeah, if that’s OK,” she called back. “In fact, I kind of turned in the keys to my apartment and quit my job.”

  “Stay as long as you want. I’ll set you up in the guest room.”

  Oh thank God, Jen thought. Suddenly her legs quivered and started to give out beneath her. Well no wonder, you just abandoned your whole life and drove to another town with no money and without even knowing if your brother would take you in. “OK thanks,” she called back, wondering what Sara thought.

  She sank into a chair and took a deep breath. The daily newspaper was spread out on the table and a picture of a female police officer caught her eye. It almost looked like Officer Sanders. She picked it up and read the headline of the ad that took up half of the page.

  Change Your Life, Learn New Skills, Become a Trusted Member of Your Community, Save Lives

  Westwood Harbor Police Department 155th Recruit Class Wants You!

  Are You Seeking a Full-Time, Challenging but Rewarding Career?

  Are You Responsible and Hard-Working?

  Are You Detail-Oriented and Trustworthy?

  Requirements:

  Age 21 or over

  High School Diploma or GED required

  California drivers license

  No disqualifying criminal or motor vehicle record

  Benefits:

  $52,000 starting salary

  30 days vacation and 20 days sick leave a year

  20 year retirement plan

  Continual opportunities for promotion and advancement

  Finally, thoughts of Adam were driven from her mind. She let them go with a small smile. A universe of possibilities opened up in front of her eyes. Carefully, she folded the piece of newspaper very small and put it in her pocket. Feeling like a different person, she headed back into the living room, two phrases beating a steady metronome in her brain: $52,000 starting salary and Change Your Life. Both jockeyed for position, but both held an equally strong pull over her. She was sick of being broke. And she was sick of being who she was. The piece of paper feeling hot and alive in her pocket, she decided she needed a soft bed and some time to herself. Some time to think.

  As she entered the living room, Jerry and Sara both looked at her openly.

  “I’m tired Jerry, where do I sleep?”

  ***

  The next morning, after a few hours of light, active sleep, the idea of becoming a police officer beckoned her even more strongly. She could almost see herself in the uniform, looking strong, feeling confident. She quickly got dressed and walked out of Jerry’s guest room to a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. Jerry was at the stove, cooking something that smelled and sounded like bacon.

  “Morning, Jen,” he said.

  “Morning.” She sat down at the table next to Sara, who smiled at her.

  “Feeling a little better?” Sara asked. “You look better. Happy even.”

  “Yeah, I do feel better. A lot better. I’m glad I came.”

  Jerry brought her a plate of bacon and eggs. “We’re glad you came too Jen. Seriously, you can stay with us for as long as you need to in order to get back on your feet.”

  Jen looked him in the eyes. “What if I stayed here for a few weeks?”

  Jerry looked at Sara and then back at Jen. “Of course, that’s no problem.”

  “Great. Thanks Jerry. You’re a great brother.” Jen smiled and dug into her food.

  Jerry watched her closely, then sat down next to her. “Wow, you do look happy. What’s going on? Did you get over Adam that fast?”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Jen said around a mouthful of food. She swallowed, then thought about what to say. Jerry wasn’t one to tease or make fun, but she didn’t know how he would feel about her saying she was going to apply to be a cop. She’d barely slept last night, thinking about how her family and friends were going to respond to this decision. But even someone as naive as her knew she couldn’t live her life for them. She had to do this. Had to try, or regret it forever. Even if she hated being a cop, and only did it for a year, she knew it was the way out of her current hurt. Her current feelings of failure. Her current failings. She hadn’t even thought of Adam hardly at all last night. What she was thinking about was too big, too huge to allow that. It crowded him out. And that was fine with her.

  She pulled the folded up piece of newspaper out of her pocket and slid it to him. He unwrapped it with a cautious look on his face. He read it and then slid it to Sara. Jen watched him closely but his eyes were unreadable. He hadn’t laughed though, that was good.

  “You want to be a police officer?”

  “Yep.”

  “Why?”

  “Lots of reasons.”

  “Is this something you’ve wanted to do for a while?”

  “Not really. But I met a cool police officer recently and she seemed really together, you know?”

  Jerry took a deep breath and seemed to choose his words carefully. “Is that what you are trying to do? Get yourself together? Because you don’t have to become a cop to do that.”

  Jen shot him a reproachful look. “I know that. But I think it will be good for me. I think it will help me be more like I want to be. And I think I will be good at it. And the starting salary is $52,000!.”

  This time Jerry looked at Sara for help. Sara nodded and flapped her hand at him. Go on, you’re doing great. He looked back at Jen. “Like you want to be? How do you want to be?”

  “You know, strong, street-smart, together.” She pointed at Sara. “More like her. I bet people don’t cheat on her.”

  Sara uttered a surprised laugh. “You’ve got me pegged all wrong, Jen. People don’t cheat on me, but only because I’ve never had any boyfriends. My life has been pretty screwed up too, you know.”

  Jen nodded, not sure what to make of this. Then she leaned forward intensely. “But Jerry won’t ever cheat on you. You would — You’d …” She trailed off, not wanting to say what she was thinking. It seemed too juvenile. “He just wouldn’t,” she finished lamely.

  This time both Jerry and Sara laughed. “I’m sure he won’t ever cheat on me, Jen, but not because I’d hurt him if he did. He wouldn’t cheat on me because it goes against his moral code. That’s not who he is.”

  Jen nodded, as if this proved her point. “Right.” She dug into her food again. She was starving and it tasted wonderful.

  “It’s not easy being a cop, Jen. You could get hurt,” Jerry said.

  “I know that.”

  “And you’ll see people who are hurt every day. You will see horrors that will turn your stomach. Your mom always—” Jerry stopped talking and seemed to think here about whether to go on. Finally he did. “Your mom sheltered you. You were barely even allowed out of the house till you were 18. And that one time you got bullied at school she pulled you out and home schooled you till you graduated. It’s not going to be like that if you’re a cop. People won’t treat you with kid gloves. Criminals swear at you and spit on you and even try to shoot you. Even your fellow cops are going to swear at you.
It’s not an easy job.”

  Jen swallowed and nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly! I want that Jerry! I want everything you just said. I know Mom sheltered me. Why do you think I’m so trusting? So naive? I bet I won’t be naive after a few months of working as a cop.”

  Jerry looked at Sara again, and this time Sara smiled and shrugged. “She’s got a point, Jerry.”

  “OK, OK, I just want to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into.” He got up and walked to the stove again, then turned around and pointed the spatula at her. “You’ll have to dye your hair blond again, you know. They won’t let you wear it pink like that.”

  Jen’s hands fluttered to her hair. She pulled a pretty pink lock through her fingers and looked at it. She hadn’t thought of that. It was the first thing that seemed like a negative to her. But it was a small negative. “I can do that. No problem.”

  Jerry threw some more bacon in the pan and spoke with his back to her. Jen had to strain to hear him over the popping and sizzling. “It’s going to take longer than a few weeks, you know. I don’t know when the recruit class starts, but I would bet it isn’t for months. First you’ll have to take a written test, then a physical test, then a lie detector test, and then if you pass all of that you’ll get to start recruit class. Sometimes the process takes five or six months.”

  Jen’s good feelings took a nosedive. “Really? That long?” That meant she’d had to get a job between now and then. And that was five or six months to change her mind in. Not that she wanted to change her mind, but if her friends, or her mother, started in on her relentlessly, they might be able to convince her to give it up. She knew she wasn’t good at holding on to a conviction (wasn’t that why she was doing this?), especially if her mother thought it was a bad idea. And she knew her mother would think this was a bad idea. Her mother was in Arizona right now, helping sickly Aunt Betty, and she might be there for a few weeks yet, but five months? No way. Anxiety started to creep in to Jen’s mind. She groped around madly for something to say. Something to make her forget she was feeling anxious. “How do you know that Jerry? Do you know any cops?”