K. Janssen - Hampton Manor

“This is good, Chuck. You did a good job. I’ll take it from here. I want all your efforts on the investigation of my father. What have you found out so far?”

“It’s slow going. I sent a truck over to your storage vault. We pasted a logo on the truck for a document shredding company; a perfect cover. We picked up forty seven storage boxes that covered all of 1974. We moved them to a warehouse space that I rent on a month-to-month basis. It has good lighting and A/C. I set up a bunch of tables and hired some college kids to do the initial sort. I told them it had something to do with a pending lawsuit. I have them going through two consecutive month’s folders at the same time. They’re trying to link phone calls, credit card receipts and your father’s personal day planner using the same first and last name. For example, if your father’s day planner shows that he planned to meet Mary Jones for lunch, they will look for a corresponding phone record and credit card receipt. Any matched records will be clipped together and set aside. Due to the sensitivity of this investigation the initial matches will not be gender oriented. My second level team will make that separation. Right now we have twenty students working around the clock. The manpower for each team is determined by the size of the files. A few of the months required two and three people due to the high volume. I had a devil of a time getting a copy of a 1974 phone book. Luckily, I have a good friend at the phone company who I persuaded to loan it to me for a while.”

“Have your people isolated anyone yet that can be moved to the one-on-one investigation?”

“Yes, sir, we have. Two operatives are checking on women that showed up repeatedly early that year. The first, Sarah Gershwin, apparently went with your father during April and May. They had dinner at a hotel at least eight times. On five of those occasions your father reserved a suite at the hotel. The second lady, Alice Wentworth, saw him during July through November. She might have been from out of town because they always met in New Haven; sometimes staying at a hotel for a long weekend. We haven’t located either of these women yet, but we have a number of leads that look very promising. There is a third possibility. Your father just used the initial “E” in his day-timer. He had at least ten late afternoon meetings with “E” during January and February. There were no corresponding records of hotel or meal expenses tied into these appointments, so maybe they won’t amount to anything. ‘E’ could be a business associate, a man or woman who might have picked up the tab. Could live locally too.

There’s just no way we can tell anything for certain, yet. ‘E’ never shows up after that in the day-timer.”

“How are you handling that one?”

“I’ve assigned one of my top men to go through his phone records for that period of time. Your father spent a great deal of time on the phone. It’s highly unlikely that he could have so many meetings with a person without ever talking with them on the phone. There are over fifteen hundred calls to sort through. This is real tedious work. We don’t want to overlook anything.”

“Well let me know when you have something concrete. I realize that it was a long time ago, but my father was well known. Somebody has to know something.”

“It might help if I knew why you want to locate this woman.”

Adam put his beer down and glared at Chuck.“You know all that you have to know,” He snapped. “This is a very personal matter. I thought I made that clear when we started this search. If I thought you needed something more, I’d provide it. You have plenty enough to work with already.”

“I’m sorry, Mister Hampton. I didn’t mean to pry. It’s just that the more information we have the less money this search will cost you.”

Adam calmed down, “Chuck, don’t think I don’t appreciate that. I’m sure you are not the only one who wonders what is behind this investigation, but don’t forget that I use your company because I know I can depend on your discretion. I expect you to be pro-active in squelching any speculation by the people you hired to go through those records. If you ever need more, I’ll provide it. For now, work with what you have. Understood?”

“Perfectly, Mister Hampton. I ’m taking every precaution. That’s why I have people working at only one level. Once the sorting and matching is done, the students involved will be released. The correlating is being done by my junior people and only my most trusted operatives will be assigned to work on the individual investigations.”

“Okay, then. Call me day or night when you have something concrete.” Adam swallowed the last of his beer and left the tavern.

Chapter 22

January 8, 1974

“I don’t know why we keep meeting like this. I can’t see any future in it for either of us. Two married people meeting on the sly is so cliché.”

“Come on now, we’re like Adam and Eve after the apple episode. What could be more natural? It’s biblical, right?” He propped himself up on his elbows and gazed into her eyes. “Have I ever told you that you have such beautiful green eyes?”

“Don’t change the subject. I know the sex is great, but I hate sneaking around on Peter, even though I know he’s banging that waitress at the club. I still feel very uncomfortable doing it my own house and in our own bed.”

“Hell, if it wasn’t for me there wouldn’t be any action on this mattress. How long did you say it was since you two got it on? Four months, I think you said.

“That’s beside the point. There’s also your wife to consider. I know Peter wouldn’t care, but your wife is a different story. What if she finds out about us, Adam?”

Evelyn got up and slipped on a robe. She had just turned thirty-five. Her measurements were the same as when she was twenty-one, her weight a constant one hundred and twenty five pounds. Peter was her second husband; a rebound mistake if there ever was one. It didn’t take her too long to discover that he wasn’t the faithful kind, so when the opportunity to sleep with Adam Hampton II, the richest man in town, came around, she jumped at it. He was attentive, good looking, a damn good lover and there were no strings attached. Then there was the fascination of the “Adam and Eve” thing.

“How’s she going to find out? She’s so busy spending my money, she has no time to think about what I‘m up to. She thinks I’m busy at the office. Anyway, she seems to have lost her interest in sex. It’s been at least five months since I boinked her.”

“Don’t be so crude, Adam.”

He reached out and tried to grab her robe, but she gathered it tight and evaded his reach. “I’ll show you what crude is. Come on, you know you want it. Spread ‘em”

She gave in and she wasn’t disappointed with the results. She never was. Adam Hampton II had many faults, but his lovemaking was the best she had ever had.

February 18, 1974

“How could you let this happen? I thought you were on the pill.”

“I started the day after our first time. I guess it happened then.”

“You should have told me,” he shouted, “I would have used something if I had known.”

“Don’t yell. When I met you, I didn’t know we were going to land up in bed. We were all over each other before I knew what happened.”

“Get rid of it.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know for sure. It just doesn’t seem right to me.”

“How long have you known that you were knocked up?”

“About two weeks.”

“Why didn’t you tell me then?”

“Because I was afraid you’d act like this.”

Adam glowered at her. “Let me tell you something, Evelyn. I want nothing to do with this mistake of yours. That was never a part of our arrangement. I don’t care what you do, just leave me out of it. When I leave here today, it’s over. I don’t ever want to see you again. As far as I’m concerned the last six weeks never happened. If you try to involve me in any way, I’ll destroy you and your reputation. Do you understand?”