An Absence of Trust Pt. 02

"I'll be out back," I told her. She nodded and picked up the document.

It was a nice day for a change and I was working on a hardscape patio. Most of the pavers were in place and I was doing some finishing touches. I thought about Maddie as I worked. She looked good, and I decided after all this time, it was good to see her.

I wondered if she was dating anyone. She probably was. I did note there wasn't a ring on her finger. I shook myself, focus on Richie, he needed my help. I continued working and while doing so I was able to free my mind of thoughts of Richie, Leslie, Hartoonian and Maddie.

It was over an hour later as I was working in the back I had the feeling I wasn't alone. I looked over my shoulder, and there stood Maddie.

"The place really looks good Billy," she said to me, "you've done a lot of work."

We wandered around the backyard and I showed her all the outdoor improvements. A sadness seemed to creep over her. I wondered if she was wondering what could have been. I know I had some of those kinds of thoughts.

"So," I began, "what do you think about the contract?"

"Oh boy," she began, "Mathers has really done a number here. You realize that if Leslie and Dominic pool their resources they would then have a majority share of the entire business."

I told her that I understood that and that was the reason I wanted to try to unravel the contract.

"That may not be so easy," she said, "I remember Leslie, and it does not seem like she's the mastermind behind this. What's this Dominic like?"

I explained I did not know him well but I got a definite bad vibe. I went on to say that I could certainly imagine him devious enough to be engineering something like a takeover.

"There's one other thing I'm looking at." She said with a concerned look on her face, "this contract make's mention of the original contract you and Richie had as it relates to the Mettke real estate. In the new contract that Mathers wrote he alludes to the real estate being part of the ownership..."

"How is that possible!?" I said interrupting her, my voice rising.

She explained that it is complex and certainly skirting all the rules of ethics. She also said she wanted a copy of my original deal with Mettke and the subsequent business contract between Richie and I.

"It's going to take some work, but I need to dig into all of this." Maddie told me.

"Thank you. I really appreciate all of this Madeline," I glanced at my watch, it was after 5 PM, "um, are you hungry? Would you like to go grab an early dinner?"

She looked at me. Lines of puzzlement on her brow. It was like she was saying, 'are you serious?'.

"Oh Billy," she began, "that's okay."

I realized I didn't want her to leave. Despite all that happened at the end I didn't want our time together today to end quite so soon.

"C'mon," I said, "if we go now maybe we can get a table outside at Belinda's".

All of a sudden her wary look was replaced with a big smile, and she nodded in agreement.

As we sat at the restaurant we basically just caught up with each other on our lives. At first we were careful to stay away from our previous history or any talk of her father.

Finally, relaxed, I asked her if she was dating anybody.

She glanced away, quiet for a moment and then replied.

"No Billy, I tried that a few times. It just didn't work. How about you?" She asked, her eyes watching me over the rim of her wine glass.

I told her I wasn't right now.

"Have you had a girlfriend since..." she trailed off, but I knew what she meant.

"Sort of," I told her, remembering Bambi, "but nothing at all right now."

We sat there looking at each other, both lost in our own thoughts, mine mostly about how much I enjoyed Maddie's company and how good she looked.

The waiter brought the check and popped that brief bubble of intimacy. Once we were back at my house Maddie reiterated her need for the original business contracts.

"I'm slammed at work but I should be able to carve out some time this week to dig into this."

We paused for a moment, facing each other and then I held my arms out inviting a hug. She smiled and stepped into my embrace. I hugged her, at first just like a friendly close acquaintance, but then, it felt so natural and familiar it turned into a full bodied hug. As we separated my lips brushed her cheek.

"Thank you," I whispered to her.

"Bye Billy," she said as she closed her car door.

Oh boy, I thought. I didn't know what was going on but I did know one thing. I really liked being with Maddie. I really need to sort out my feelings.

The next day I called Richie. I needed to know how things were going with the business, and also with Leslie.

Unusually, he was reluctant to get together. I asked what was up and he mumbled some illogical excuse.

"Rich, c'mon man," I pressed, "let's go grab a quick lunch at The Reef."

He finally agreed and I picked him up right at noon. Driving over to The Reef I noticed a lack of enthusiasm, a quietness, almost like he didn't want to be with me. For the moment I let it go.

Once we got there I tried to, at first, chat about normal subjects, sports, people we knew, light gossip, in a relaxed manner. Throughout this small talk I observed the same quiet, unenthusiastic attitude I'd first sensed. This was so unlike my brother to act this way to me.

Finally I grew weary of whatever game was going on.

"So what's up?" I asked him seriously.

He told me nothing, all was fine, trying to brush things off. His eyes did not quite meet mine as he gave me his disingenuous reply.

"Rich," I began a little edge in my voice, "I've known you for all 29 years of your life. I can tell when things aren't right. What is going on?"

He sat there staring down at the restaurant table hand to his brow, in thought. I stayed silent.

And then he looked at me, a mist of tears in his eyes, shaking his head from side to side.

"I don't know what's going on," he began. "For a while things with Leslie were good but now she treats me like an employee. Dom even orders me around, telling me to do this and that. I don't know how it happened, but the two of them are running the business. They don't even ask my opinion."

I started to say something, but he interrupted me.

"And at home, when she is home, our...." He paused thinking of the right words, "our married life is nonexistent."

"You mean, your sex life?" I questioned.

He nodded. Now, as I've said, I knew Leslie long ago, and we'd had a few tumbles in bed long before Richie. One thing about her I knew, she liked sex. It was hard to imagine her abstaining. But maybe she was just abstaining with Richie?

My concerns about Rich, his marriage, and the business increased. I needed to stay calm with my brother.

"Have you talked to her?" I asked.

He went on to tell me he had tried, several times, and Leslie kept insisting that all was okay. He told her they needed to take a vacation, get away from the business for a while, but she told him it was too busy.

"Billy, she loves to travel. I thought for sure she'd want to go somewhere," he said, "I can tell things aren't right."

"Maybe I need to talk to her," I said.

"No Billy, NO! I can't have you fighting all my battles. I need to do this by myself." He told me in an uncharacteristic tone of strength.

"Okay Rich," I began, "but be firm with her, you let me know if I can help."

Driving away I was glad that Rich was going to face this situation head on, but I could not quite help but think that this may not end well.

That night I texted Maddie, 'how are things going?'

Several hours later I received the reply, 'okay, not great, it's complicated'

And that was all she said. Throughout the next few days I tried to dig into my feelings about her. Could I trust her after all that Tiffee business? Did she still have feelings for me? Did she blame me for her father's death?

These were the thoughts that I wrestled with, but the one prevailing feeling I had was that I wanted to see her again.

On Tuesday I met Preston Phuong at my building. He had another Asian gentleman with him, he told me it was his architect and also his uncle. They had a plan for the restaurant including a rooftop bar.

"We're going to need 90 days to retro and turn this into a restaurant." Preston said.

We spent two hours going through the plans and then another 45 minutes discussing the business relationship.

We decided to meet early next week to finalize the contract. Preston's attorney, George Phan had been in touch with Landon and ultimately David Greenstein. They were working through the details. I was excited about the possibility of being in the restaurant business.

It was almost two PM and since I was close I decided to stop by and see Richie at the Mettke office.

I parked and stopped and took a moment to look at the building. It had value beyond the trucking business. Development was encroaching on the old original industrial area of the city. I could imagine converting this building to residential and getting up to twelve loft style units in the building. Something to consider, I thought.

I walked up the stairs to the offices on the mezzanine. The lights were on but I didn't see anyone.

"Rich," I called out entering the office. The office was silent, no reply.

I looked around, glanced at my watch, 2:30 in the afternoon, and no one was around? Odd I thought. I looked into the dispatch office where I'd seen Hartoonian. The desk was neat and organized. But empty.

A moment later I heard the sound of footsteps descending the stairs. The door to the upstairs, where the apartments are, suddenly opened. In walked Leslie, with Hartoonian behind her.

"Billy?" She began, "what are you doing here?"

I looked at her, there was a slight rumpled look to her clothes and hair. Her face was flushed as if she'd just engaged in some type of activity. She looked a combination of embarrassed and guilty.

Hartoonian had the same half lidded smirk on his face that I'd seen before. Like he'd just gotten away with something.

I continued to stare at them wordlessly as I made a quick analysis of the situation. Leslie glanced away, not able to maintain eye contact.

"Rich is out on the north run today, he probably won't be back until after five o'clock." She told me.

"What's going on upstairs?" I asked, eyes locked on Leslie.

She involuntarily looked skyward, looked at me, and then looked down.

"Oh, uh, nothing," she fumbled.

"I had a leak in a pipe upstairs sir," Hartoonian interjected, "as my landlord, I needed to bring it to Mrs. Damon's attention." He replied, the same smug expression and feigned politeness.

"Mrs. Damon is not your landlord," I told him, "address any concerns to Benchmark Properties."

"Ah, yes, so true," he said, "thank you for the helpful reminder, sir."

I looked at the guy, a full smile now on his face. I made a slight move toward him and a whole different expression appeared. A tough, feral look. Though I was several inches taller and at least 30 pounds heavierr I hesitated and he noticed.

I gave him one more look, nodded, and turned to leave.

"Tell Rich I came by," I said.

There was no reply.

That night I received a call from Madeline. I was happy to hear her voice.

"There is a small, but potentially large problem," she began.

She told me in the original contract I had made with Rich on the Mettke purchase Landon had written in a small clause inferring that Rich may have some type of legal rights to the trucks and the property.

"No," I interrupted, "I receive payments for the real estate and the fleet," I told her.

"I know." She calmly told me, "I think if it ever got to the point where we were fighting this, the law would rule in your favor. Eventually. But, I also know the attorney they used, Bart Mathers, and he is slimy, but also sharp. He's hanging his hat on a little bit of language Landon wrote into the original contract."

I was quiet for a moment digesting the information Maddie had told me.

"Look," she told me, "I'm just slammed at work and I haven't had the chance to really put in the time on this. I can work on it Saturday and see what I can come up with."

"Could we get together Saturday evening," I said, and then quickly added, "to review what you may have found?"

I heard her sigh, "I can't Billy. I'm busy Saturday night."

I was quiet, somehow the idea of her out somewhere with someone Saturday night bothered me. Though I knew I had no right to feel that way, I did anyway.

She must have sensed something.

"I'm taking my Mom to the ballet Saturday." She explained.

Suddenly, despite what was going on legally, I felt a sunbeam of optimism.

"What about Sunday?" I asked.

She told me she would call me Sunday morning and we'd figure something out. My mood was buoyant as we disengaged.

The buoyancy didn't last. I thought of my brother. I wondered if he suspected something was going on with Leslie and Hartoonian. He had to. He was trusting and gullible, but you'd have to be blind not to suspect something. I knew I had to talk to him, but I put it off until Thursday.

Once again we met for lunch and I asked him how things were going.

"Not bad," he replied, but I could tell he wasn't that optimistic.

"What's going on with Leslie," I asked. "And the business?"

He gave me a nondescript generic answer.

Either he didn't want to share information with me or he was oblivious to what was going on. I wasn't sure which was worse.

"Look Richie," I began a serious tone to my voice, "I stopped by earlier this week, middle of the afternoon..."

"Yeah, Les told me," he interrupted.

I went on to describe the scene. Office completely empty, and then the two of them coming down the stairs together.

"Yeah, so?" He asked but I could tell he was bothered.

"Rich!" I was getting angered by his passivity, "she looked like she'd just been fucked!"

At first he got angry rising from the table, indignant, and then like a popped balloon, all the anger exhaled out of him. He slumped back in his seat.

Finally he spoke.

"I've thought something might be going on for some time, they seem so familiar together." He said, head hung, shaking from side to side. "Every time I say something to her about Dom, she accuses me of being jealous and insecure and we get in a big fight."

"Richie, we have a problem beyond your marriage," I told him. "With the ownership you gave him, and her share, they would have a majority."

He looked at me, puzzled, not comprehending what I had just told him. And then slowly the reality of the situation must have become apparent. He looked stricken.

"Billy. What are we going to do!?" He asked.

I told him I didn't know, but Madeline was looking at the contract. I told him he needed to take control of his marriage. Maybe there was a way to get the equity back from Hartoonian, I said to him, but silently I wasn't optimistic.

As we left Rich vowed to address his marriage with Leslie this evening. For the moment, my thoughts shifted to other things in my life. The new restaurant and Madeline.

Friday I spoke to David Greenstein about the restaurant contract. He had met with Preston's attorney, George Phan, and so far all was lining up as we had talked. I would be essentially a silent partner.

I had one other thought after hanging up. Landon, my longtime friend and lawyer, was starting to fade into the legal sunset. It was a touch melancholy, he and I had been through a lot together. The good news was I was very pleased with what I had seen out of David Greenstein so far.

All throughout the weekend I kept hoping to hear from Madeline. I know, she had told me she would contact me Sunday, but I was anxious. Mostly, hoping she could pull some type of legal rabbit out of a hat, and get Rich out of the business side of his problems. His marriage was another issue that he'd need to figure out.

There was something else too. I found myself more and more wanting to be with Madeline. True, she had hurt me terribly and my reaction had been brutal. I had cost her the political position she had urgently desired and indirectly lead to her father's suicide.

But it seemed that time had tempered that wound and it wasn't quite so raw. Could I forgive her, I hoped so. Could I trust her? That was the issue. But, I was getting way too far ahead of myself. I just knew seeing her last week had awakened long dormant feelings in me.

Finally I heard from her Sunday mid-morning.

"Okay," she began, all business, "I had a chance to dig into this, and there are some areas we can explore,..."

"Wait," I interrupted, "can we do this in person?" I asked.

There was silence on the line for a few moments and finally she agreed to meet me at PineCone, at 12:30.

Despite the serious nature of Richie's legal situation I was upbeat at the thought of seeing Maddie again.

She was seated when I arrived so there was no hug or contact as we met. We chatted for a minute and then Maddie pulled out a copy of the contract. I saw hand written notes throughout the pages of the contract.

She explained how Mathers, the attorney that drew up the new contract, had entangled the equity within the document. She told me that he had buttoned up any opportunity to extract Hartoonian's shares. And yes, as it is written, Hartoonian's share and either Rich or Leslie's per cent, would qualify as a majority.

She talked a little about the far flung premise of the real estate and the fleet ownership.

"I doubt this would stand up in any court. But based on the tactics Mathers has used previously," she continued, "he could certainly tie things up for a while. It could get expensive."

"What can we do?" I asked, there were no miracles evident.

"You could," she began, "offer to buy out his shares. But there are two problems with that. Number one, he'd likely ask for some exorbitant amount. He has all the leverage. The other more severe problem is you'd need a majority to do this. Both Rich and Leslie would have to agree on the buyout."

I sat there speechless for the moment. I paid Carl Mettke nearly four million dollars for this business for my brother. Granted most of the payment was for the building and the trucks, but still, it was a profitable business.

And ownership of the business was now in danger.

We continued to discuss the situation but it didn't seem as if there was any potential solution that would get Richie out of this mess.

"I can't help but think that this entire situation was engineered by this, Dominic, and probably Bart Mathers." Madeline told me.

I was beginning to think that way myself. I'd need to talk to Richie tonight.

"How was the Ballet? How's your Mom?" I asked, trying to pivot away from Richie's plight.

She said they enjoyed the event and that her Mom was doing better. The unspoken subject of her father's death and my involvement rose a little close to the surface.

We chatted about more harmless subjects for a few minutes and even laughed a little. It just felt so natural being with her.

Finally I stopped, I looked her in the eye, and took a deep breath.

"You know Maddie," I began quietly and seriously, "I really want to thank you for all the help with Richie's problems." I paused and continued, "also, seeing you again, has been very nice. I've realized that I never quit caring about you. And seeing you now, brings back some good feelings."

I watched her. Creases furrowed her brow and a troubled expression crossed her face.

"Billy, no." She finally answered, "you can't do this to me." Tears began to fill her eyes and she abruptly stood up and hurried out the door.

I barely was able to call her name. She was gone that fast. I sat there in shock. This was not the reaction I wanted or I expected. I was hoping we could find some kind of emotional beachhead in which to build upon. Obviously I had bungled something, but I wasn't exactly sure what.