Reborn. Lance Erlick
deputy stepped forward and presented his police shield. “Are we going to have a problem here?”
“No problem, you ass.” Machten glared up at the boardroom over the entrance and shook his fist.
* * * *
On Monday, Machten headed toward the courtroom. In the hallway just outside stood his wife, Alice, next to Stan Durante. Alice’s eyes were red and puffy. Her sister waited down the hall watching Machten’s eight-year-old son, Rodney, and his six-year-old daughter, Mandy. Rodney ferociously banged a toy against his chair, while Mandy rocked back and forth.
Machten approached his wife. “Alice, I swear nothing is going on. It’s all a big misunderstanding.”
Stan Durante forced his way between Machten and Alice. The attorney opened a folder and drew out pictures of an intern at Machten’s company who was also a student in the master’s program at Northwestern University. “There’s no misunderstanding,” the lawyer said. “You and Fran Rogers have been an item for some time. Look at the date stamps.”
Machten stuffed the pictures back into the folder and shoved it into his briefcase. “It was only a business meeting.”
Not seeing his own attorney, Machten peered over Durante’s shoulder, trying to make eye contact with Alice. “Don’t do this. There’s nothing going on. Fran works in research, nothing more.”
“That’s why you were at her place last Thursday night,” Durante said, “and why she drove you to the office on Friday.”
“I drove myself.”
“With Fran in the passenger seat,” Durante added. “Then she drove off in your car and picked you up later.”
“It’s not what you think, Alice. Yes, we worked long hours together, but it’s strictly professional. I love you.”
Stan Durante handed Machten an envelope. “Your wife has a soft heart. You can either sign these documents, which settles this here and now, or we take this into the courtroom, where you’ll lose everything. You know that.”
Machten’s shoulders slumped. This blow hit him harder than losing his company. “Alice, please. Let’s talk this over.” He glanced down the hallway at his kids. Rodney banged his toy. Mandy got up to head his way. Her aunt held her back.
“Don’t do this, Alice,” Machten said. “Please.”
Tearing up, she turned away.
“I suggest you sign,” Durante said. “The terms are more generous than what you’ll receive in court.”
Machten stared at yet another envelope and another agreement. “You bastard. This is Goradine’s doing, isn’t it?”
“Other than seeing his name in the news, I’ve never met or seen the man,” Durante said.
“It’s him. I know it.”
“In any case, if you sign, we won’t press charges. Alice gets full custody of Rodney and Mandy. You agree to the restraining order.”
“You can’t do this to me,” Machten said.
“You rarely see the kids as it is,” Durante said. “You get visitation one weekend a month at Alice’s place or in a public place of her choosing. You cannot take the kids overnight. Alice doesn’t want them around your mistress.”
“I’m not signing,” Machten said, looking around for his attorney.
“If you don’t, we’ll be forced to drag the company into the lawsuit to verify your net worth for the settlement.”
Machten glared at Durante. Allowing him and Alice their day in court would bring penalties from the agreement he’d signed with Goradine and the company on Friday. It could open him up to criminal and civil charges. The timing and orchestration of events left no doubt that Goradine had arranged all of this.
“This is highway robbery, Alice; blackmail,” Machten said. “Did Goradine put you up to this?”
Alice hurried toward the kids.
“Alice?” Machten yelled. Durante and a police officer blocked him from going after his wife.
She spun around to face him. “This isn’t just about Fran. She’s the last straw. Sign the papers for the children’s sake. I can’t pretend anymore.”
Durante pushed the documents at Machten. “There’s more evidence where those pictures came from, but I didn’t want to show them to your wife.”
“Goradine?”
Durante shrugged. “I told you. I don’t know him. What I can tell you is if you go to prison, Alice gets everything.”
“Who gave you the pictures?”
“It doesn’t matter. And don’t get any funny ideas. We have other copies if you destroy those.” He pointed to Machten’s briefcase. “A high-profile case like yours could drag through the courts and destroy Rodney and Mandy. Is that what you want?”
Machten spotted his attorney, Beatrice Rodriguez, and joined her at the other end of the corridor. “Where have you been?”
She held up two manila envelopes. “Collecting documents. Either you’ve been a very naughty boy or someone is intent on destroying you. I told you in the beginning not to withhold information from me.”
“I haven’t.”
“You were cited twice before for inappropriate involvement with interns: Maria Baldacci and Krista Holden.”
Machten threw up his hands. “You’ve got to be kidding. I never laid a hand—”
“Both in the past few months. Pictures are in here.” She handed him one of the envelopes. “I also received more evidence on your alleged thefts from the company.”
“All fabrication.”
“You may be right, but if we fight the divorce, the settlement with the company becomes a problem. I can’t believe you signed without consulting legal counsel. In any case, it will take a miracle and your full attention over the next three months to fight a battery of criminal and civil charges against you. Even so, there’s no guarantee we can clear you and win. I’m prepared to fight for you, but it will be expensive and I’m given to understand that you’re broke.”
Machten stared at Durante. “Goradine did this to distract me. I know him.”
“Whatever his motives,” Rodriguez said, “someone has gone to a lot of trouble to provide proof.”
“So you recommend I sign.” Machten returned his gaze to his attorney.
“I have to tell you I’ve never seen such compelling evidence. If you decide to go forward, understand that I can’t do this pro bono.”
“This case is too perfect.”
“I smell a skunk,” his attorney said. “But to fight the company and your wife at the same time with this evidence and no money, the odds are slim. Alice is asking for the house, full custody, and half of the other assets. It’s not as greedy as I’ve seen in other cases, but with your heavy debts, it doesn’t leave you much.”
Machten glanced down the corridor at Alice with the kids. He skimmed the divorce document, signed, and stormed out of the courthouse.
* * * *
Synthia replayed the videos of Dr. Machten’s ouster from his company and the divorce encounter. When she attempted to locate the source or author of this download, the videos vanished like her trust warning without a trace.
The strangest part of this intrusion was the personal nature of the clips, as if she’d taken the images herself or had reviewed them so often they appeared as her own. Files downloaded from her Creator’s system confirmed that she had not been in existence a year