divorce. Many women remained trapped in brutal marriages that only worsened in time. These marriages usually ended more often in the death of one or both of the spouses, rather than divorce.
“We will try to do all that we can to help you, Mrs. Kalb.”
“You must call me Marishka. And I thank you.”
“I’ll stay in close touch. If it’s necessary, we’ll have you stay in a special place where your husband can’t harm you or your children.”
“Again, I thank you,” Marishka said, and left.
“I have a bad feeling about this one, Frank”
“Any worse than the case you just had?”
“Twice as bad,” Marnie replied.
“But you’ll take the case?”
“Of, course. The woman needs help. She’s terribly frightened of her husband. I have a feeling he’s more violent than she lets on.”
“Well, not all men are pussycats like me,” Frank deadpanned.
That broke the tension in the room and Marnie laughed. “I’ll get started on this right away,” she said and went back to her office.
As she passed Debbie he said, “Get Rick Thompson on the phone for me. I need to speak with him.”
Rick Thompson was a former cop. Some called him a loose cannon; while others said he did what he had to in order to get the job done. He ended up with the most citations, both favorable and unfavorable in his jacket, before a bullet nearly paralyzed him. Obviously reading the handwriting on the wall, Rick got out with a decent pension while he was still alive and able to enjoy it. He was now a successful private investigator and Marnie’s office relied a great deal on his expertise.
Debbie buzzed Marnie that Rick was on the line. She immediately picked up the phone receiver.
“Hello, Rick.”
“So you’ve finally decided to take me up on my offer to run away to Tahiti together?”
With laughter in her voice, she said, “Don’t you ever get tired of asking?”
“With you, sweetheart, never! What’s up, doll?”
“I need some information on a John Kalb, residing at 3434 Windsor Ct. in Marlboro, New Jersey. As far as we know, he’s some kind of executive for Scott International. Whatever background info you can dredge up on him will be helpful.”
“What do you know about him so far?”
“He likes his own six-year-old daughter and has a short fuse. Likes to hit his wife.”
“Sounds like a nasty piece of work to me. I’ll do what I can.”
“Thanks, Rick. Speak to you soon.”
Marnie looked at the time. She had to be in court for the sentencing of one of John
Reilly’s clients while John was having his gall bladder removed. It was an assault case that had been bargained down to a lesser charge and shouldn’t be too time consuming.
She thought about Marishka Kalb. When she drew up the divorce papers and John Kalb was served with them, she knew there’d be potential danger for Marishka. To avoid any wait in getting her tucked away in a safe house, she’d start the process while she was at court that morning. Marishka’s life could be dependent on it.
* * *
Scott Langley put the phone down. Getting acclimated to his new position as an ADA, he hardly had the time to chase after Marnie. Though he couldn’t stop thinking about her, he was frustrated to the point of giving up, he finally realized there was no way he was going to be able to talk to the woman, short of accosting her on the street. The entire situation had turned into a nightmare. He couldn’t believe what had taken place that day.
Angel had gone way too far this time. Not that she had been actually cognizant of what she was doing. She was too strung out on dope to even know what day it was. There was no way she could remain straight long enough to hold down a decent job, so short of panhandling, where was she getting the money to finance her habit? Where was she living? On the street? He was afraid to imagine. Where did she disappear for days and sometimes weeks on end? This craziness had to end. He couldn’t deal with her any
“We will try to do all that we can to help you, Mrs. Kalb.”
“You must call me Marishka. And I thank you.”
“I’ll stay in close touch. If it’s necessary, we’ll have you stay in a special place where your husband can’t harm you or your children.”
“Again, I thank you,” Marishka said, and left.
“I have a bad feeling about this one, Frank”
“Any worse than the case you just had?”
“Twice as bad,” Marnie replied.
“But you’ll take the case?”
“Of, course. The woman needs help. She’s terribly frightened of her husband. I have a feeling he’s more violent than she lets on.”
“Well, not all men are pussycats like me,” Frank deadpanned.
That broke the tension in the room and Marnie laughed. “I’ll get started on this right away,” she said and went back to her office.
As she passed Debbie he said, “Get Rick Thompson on the phone for me. I need to speak with him.”
Rick Thompson was a former cop. Some called him a loose cannon; while others said he did what he had to in order to get the job done. He ended up with the most citations, both favorable and unfavorable in his jacket, before a bullet nearly paralyzed him. Obviously reading the handwriting on the wall, Rick got out with a decent pension while he was still alive and able to enjoy it. He was now a successful private investigator and Marnie’s office relied a great deal on his expertise.
Debbie buzzed Marnie that Rick was on the line. She immediately picked up the phone receiver.
“Hello, Rick.”
“So you’ve finally decided to take me up on my offer to run away to Tahiti together?”
With laughter in her voice, she said, “Don’t you ever get tired of asking?”
“With you, sweetheart, never! What’s up, doll?”
“I need some information on a John Kalb, residing at 3434 Windsor Ct. in Marlboro, New Jersey. As far as we know, he’s some kind of executive for Scott International. Whatever background info you can dredge up on him will be helpful.”
“What do you know about him so far?”
“He likes his own six-year-old daughter and has a short fuse. Likes to hit his wife.”
“Sounds like a nasty piece of work to me. I’ll do what I can.”
“Thanks, Rick. Speak to you soon.”
Marnie looked at the time. She had to be in court for the sentencing of one of John
Reilly’s clients while John was having his gall bladder removed. It was an assault case that had been bargained down to a lesser charge and shouldn’t be too time consuming.
She thought about Marishka Kalb. When she drew up the divorce papers and John Kalb was served with them, she knew there’d be potential danger for Marishka. To avoid any wait in getting her tucked away in a safe house, she’d start the process while she was at court that morning. Marishka’s life could be dependent on it.
* * *
Scott Langley put the phone down. Getting acclimated to his new position as an ADA, he hardly had the time to chase after Marnie. Though he couldn’t stop thinking about her, he was frustrated to the point of giving up, he finally realized there was no way he was going to be able to talk to the woman, short of accosting her on the street. The entire situation had turned into a nightmare. He couldn’t believe what had taken place that day.
Angel had gone way too far this time. Not that she had been actually cognizant of what she was doing. She was too strung out on dope to even know what day it was. There was no way she could remain straight long enough to hold down a decent job, so short of panhandling, where was she getting the money to finance her habit? Where was she living? On the street? He was afraid to imagine. Where did she disappear for days and sometimes weeks on end? This craziness had to end. He couldn’t deal with her any
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