Leopard's Baby

Dombrosky first called Olivia followed by Denise Mitchell. Each testified what a good and caring mother Tammy was. The pediatrician Tammy used testified how healthy Brendan was while in her care. Covington had no questions for any of those witnesses. For his final witness Dombrosky called Tammy.

“Tell us how you feel about your son,” Dombrosky requested after Tammy took the stand and was sworn in.

“I love him more than life itself,” Tammy said with passion. “I’d do anything to protect him. When he was with me he was always smiling and laughing. Even Jennifer admitted he was in excellent condition on the day she had him kidnapped.”

“Objection!” Covington shouted as he jumped to his feet. “The child was not kidnapped. He was taken by the sheriff executing a lawful court-ordered writ granting temporary custody to Senator and Mrs. Roberts.”

“Sustained,” the judge said. “Tamara, confine your remarks to established facts. You’re already under a contempt citation. The level of your penalty will depend on your conduct throughout the remainder of this hearing.”

“My client apologizes,” Dombrosky said after Tammy said nothing for several seconds. “No offense is meant to the court. In her mind taking a child away from his biological mother when said child was healthy and not in any danger constitutes a kidnapping.”

“Is that how you feel Tamara?” Newhouse asked.

“Absolutely,” Tammy replied as she maintained eye contact with the judge.

“Very well, continue Mr. Dombrosky,” Newhouse said after a pause.

“So you think Curtis and Jennifer asking for custody was capricious?” Dombrosky asked.

“Without question. At least on her part. I’m not so sure about him.”

“What leads you to this conclusion?”

“First of all, she’s an anti-Semite. My mother, my stepfather, and I were invited to their home for dinner last summer. She was very upset to learn my mother and I are Jewish. She knew Brendan and I were dating. She asked if I would be willing to convert or at least have any children raised Christian. When I wouldn’t agree to do so, she became even more upset and wouldn’t eat her meal. After Brendan was killed…” Tammy paused and wiped tears from her eyes. She took a deep breath and continued. “She blamed me for his death. She tried to attack me when I showed up at his memorial service.”

“Why did you only allow her supervised access to her grandson?”

“I was afraid she’d take him to her home and barricade him there where my family couldn’t get to him. Which is exactly what she did. They’re billionaires. They can afford all the armed men they need to keep people away from him.”

“Jennifer testified she wanted to show him off. What if that was her only motivation?”

“He’s a newborn. He’s too young to be paraded in front of her hoity-toity friends as if he were some kind of a great trophy.”

“Objection!” Covington was once more on his feet. “Really your honor. To characterize some of the most important and influential people in the country as if they were air-headed dilettantes is insulting.”

“Sustained,” Newhouse said. “Tamara, you’re already on very thin ice here. Do you understand?”

“Yes, your honor,” Tammy replied as she rolled her eyes.

“Don’t think I didn’t see that,” Newhouse thundered. “Continue Mr. Dombrosky.”

“Tell us about the prenuptial agreement,” Dombrosky said.

“Just after Brendan and I received our marriage license Jennifer and Covington showed up. Covington handed the prenup to me, called it boilerplate, and told me to sign it. He became annoyed when I started to read it. I got as far as page twenty-two, saw the statement about Jennifer and Curtis getting sole custody should the marriage end, and ripped the document to bits. To prove I wasn’t after Brendan’s money I wrote and signed a one-page document renouncing any claim to their estate. That’s the only one I signed. They must have lifted my prints from that, or perhaps from something else, and placed them on the one they claimed I signed. Mr. Moore said it was possible.”

“Do you think they have the expertise to do that?”

“I doubt it, but they certainly have enough money to hire someone who does.”

“One more question, Tamara,” Dombrosky said. He glanced down at his notes. “Jennifer said you have ‘violent tendencies.’ How would you respond?”

“I happen to be very strong and very quick. That should make me more desirable not less desirable as someone who can protect her children. I’ve never used those attributes against anybody who wasn’t threatening me or somebody I care about. At one time I considered being a CIA agent, even going so far as to take an internship where I worked as one. That’s over. I’ve just completed my junior year in college as a math major. I’m a Dean’s List student. My father had a Ph.D. in math. My goal now is to graduate and either go to graduate school or to obtain employment using my major. Or perhaps both. It shouldn’t be difficult. People with my kind of background are in demand. In any case, it’s rare that mathematicians are attacked by terrorists.”

“Thank you Tamara,” Dombrosky said. As he walked back to his chair, he said to Covington, “Your witness.”

Covington shuffled some papers together, got slowly to his feet, approached Tammy, and asked, “How many people have you killed, Tamara?”

Taken aback by the question, Tammy jerked back in her seat, opened and closed her mouth, and finally said, “I don’t know.”

“Let’s estimate,” Covington said and paused. “More than one?”

“Yes.”

“More than five?”

“Probably.”

“More than ten?”

“I’m not sure. Possibly.”

“Jennifer’s daughter, Karla, gave a statement saying she witnessed you killing about ten people. If necessary we could call her as a witness in this hearing. Do we need to do so?”

“No. She’s right. But in each case they were trying to kill or injure us.”

“Did you ever kill anyone in your role as a CIA agent?”

“I can’t talk about what I did as an agent.”

“Of course you can’t,” Covington said in a fatherly manner. “National security. I understand. I’ll rephrase. Other than your times with Karla or working for the CIA, have you ever killed anyone?”

Tammy wrestled with her answer. She didn’t want to outright lie. After a pause she said, “Several people know my stepsisters and I were kidnapped by human traffickers, brought to Saudi Arabia, and raped.”

“Raped?” the judge asked, breaking in. “Really? How old were you?”

“Fifteen.”

“How did you get away?”

“My mother engineered a rescue.”

“Did you undergo counseling afterward?”

“No.”

“Huh,” the judge said. He rubbed his upper lip with his right forefinger. “Mr. Covington, asked if you’d killed anyone, and I interrupted your answer. I apologize. Continue.”

“There was a battle when we were rescued,” Tammy said. “Some people were killed. I may have been responsible for one of them.”

“You ‘may have been’? Did you or did you not kill anyone?”

“I killed a man who was about to shoot my mother,” Tammy admitted.

“So it’s safe to say you have killed more than ten people,” Covington said.

“I suppose.”

“I have no more questions for Tamara,” Covington said to the judge. “But I would like to recall Jennifer as a rebuttal witness.”

Jennifer took the stand. Newhouse reminded her she was still under oath.

“Are you anti-Semitic?” Covington asked.

“Of course not,” Jennifer responded. “My doctor is Jewish. Senator and Mrs. Gottlieb are among our closest friends. They’ve been in our home many times, as we’ve been in theirs. Some of my husband’s staffers are Jewish.”

“What about Tamara’s statement that you were upset to learn she’s Jewish.”

“I was upset she wouldn’t even consider raising her children in her husband’s faith rather than hers.”

“How did your son feel about that?”

“She had him under her thrall. He would do anything she wanted. If she wanted him to convert he probably would have done so.”

“Bullshit!” Tammy called out at the same time Dombrosky rose to object. “My husband was his own man. No thanks to you.”

“You’ve been warned,” Newhouse said as he banged his gavel. He made a note. “That’s one more count of contempt. Ask your next question Mr. Covington.”

“Your honor, I object,” Dombrosky said, still on his feet. “Jennifer cannot testify as to what her son would do to a non-existent request from Tamara.”

Newhouse ground his teeth before saying, “Sustained. Recorder will strike the last question and the response. Continue Mr. Covington.”

“Tell the court about the prenuptial agreement.”

“You were there, Mr. Covington. You saw what she did. You explained what it said. She looked at a couple of pages, went through it initializing every page, and signed. I was a witness.”

“That’s a fucking lie!” Tammy yelled. She jumped out of her chair and headed for Jennifer while screaming, “Both you and your fucking lawyer have no scruples whatsoever! You probably bought the judge too!”

Two court security officers tried to stop Tammy. She pushed them to the side. They took out guns. A weight landed on her back sending her to the floor. She struggled but could not get out of Olivia’s grasp.

“Tammy, calm down before you make a spontaneous change,” Olivia said in Tammy’s ear. Tears ran down Tammy’s face. “You’ve played right into their hands. They baited you and you fell for it. There’s no chance you’ll be awarded custody. Don’t make things worse for yourself. Take whatever punishment Newhouse hands out. Let me work on proving she lied. Newhouse is going to send you to the county lockup. Just go quietly and keep your nose clean.”

In the meantime Newhouse kept banging his gavel. When Tammy seemed to be under control, he said, “Bailiff, see that she’s placed in chains.” Tammy didn’t resist as she was shackled and led back to her seat. Olivia hovered near her.

Once order had been restored, Newhouse said, “Tamara, I have some compassion for you. I have a niece who was raped, and she hasn’t been the same since, despite several years of counseling. Nevertheless, I think you’re too unstable to roam the streets. Especially given how easily you find it to kill people. You clearly have anger issues. You need time to overcome them. I sentence you to three to eighteen months for the contempt charges and for trying to attack Mrs. Roberts and Mr. Covington. Not to mention myself. For the first three months you will be in the county lockup. After that you will be evaluated. If it is felt you’re still not ready to rejoin society, you will be sent to a women’s state prison. Following your sentence, however long it is, you’re to undergo a psychiatric examination to determine if society would be safe from someone with your physical prowess. Do you understand me?”

For several seconds Tammy said nothing. Olivia squeezed her arm. With both her fists and her jaw clenched, she said, “Yes, your honor. I understand.”

“Custody of the child is awarded to Senator and Mrs. Roberts, as stipulated in the prenuptial agreement,” Newhouse said. “Jennifer, the agreement calls for Tamara to receive a stipend of $100,000 each year. I order you to pay it. In fact, I think you should increase the amount. Tamara will need extensive psychiatric treatment, and this will defray the costs. Court is adjourned.”

***

“Hey, Olivia,” Margie, the receptionist at SF Security, greeted Olivia as she entered the main office. “How are you?”

“I’ve been better. Is Harry in?” Olivia asked about Harrison Tenber, head of SF Security’s Washington office.

“He’s with someone, and he has another appointment in about twenty minutes. Do you need much time?”

“Ten minutes, max.”

“I’ll let him know you’re here. I’m sure he can squeeze you in. Have a seat.”

Fifteen minutes later Tenber came out of his office with his arm around a man Olivia vaguely recognized as someone she’d seen but could not recall his name. Tenber walked his visitor to the door, spoke a few words, shook hands with him, and the man left. Tenber headed back to his office and beckoned Olivia to follow. He asked Margie to bring them both coffee. They took seats on a couch by a glass-topped table. Margie brought in two mugs of steaming coffee.

“Martinez is due back in a few days,” Tenber remarked. “She’s clamoring to have you as her personal bodyguard again. She doesn’t trust anyone else I send.”

“It’s good to be appreciated,” Olivia said. “Especially after the day I’ve had.”

“How did the hearing go?” Tenber asked as they each took a sip.

“Not well at all,” Olivia replied. She put her mug on the table. “Roberts’s wife lied. Tammy overreacted. The bottom line is they got custody and my daughter got ninety days. Or more.”

“Shit!” Tenber exclaimed. “I understand why you’re upset. I hope this isn’t going where I think it’s going. What’s your next step?”

“Jennifer wouldn’t know how to hire someone to fake Tammy’s prints in a way that’d fool an FBI expert. Covington had to have done it. I need a thorough vetting of him. Once I know how he did it, I’ll be able to see what I have to do to undo it. Can you help?”

Tenber muttered, “Christ!” He took a deep breath and bit his upper lip before replying. “I’d like to help, really, but I don’t think I can. That’s not what we do. We provide security, we’re not investigators. It’s sort of like the difference between the Secret Service and the FBI.”

“You said you like your people to have a PI license,” Olivia reminded him. She picked up her coffee mug and took a sip. “That’s why I got one.”

“True, but there’s a difference between having a license and being a trained investigator. Hell, the only one on staff who’s even worked as a detective is you.”

“You don’t leave me much choice,” Olivia said with a sigh as she put the mug down and got to her feet. “As much as I like working here, working for you, and being with Desiree, my daughter comes first. I’ll have to take a leave of absence. If you won’t allow that, I’ll have to resign.”

“Goddamn it!” Tenber exclaimed. He also stood and held out his hand. “I was afraid of this. We’ll call it an indefinite leave of absence. Good luck.”

***

Olivia’s next stop was with Ted Bilson, her former supervisor when she was with Secret Service. She hadn’t seen him for about a year. They spent a few minutes catching up before he asked why she’d come to see him. She gave him the story, concluding by saying, “In the past you’ve been able to get false identification for me.”

“You think my man was the one Covington used?” Bilson asked, frowning. “That’s unlikely.”

“I agree. What I need are some documents. I’d also like the opportunity to question him about who else he knows in the business.”

“You’re asking a lot,” Bilson said. He rubbed his hand back and forth on his head. “He knows what he’s done is not legal. He’d be reluctant to meet with you. He’d be afraid of a sting. I’d have to go with you.”

“I don’t want you to risk your job.”

“Olivia,” Bilson said with a chuckle. “This pales before the things I’ve done for you in the past. Besides, you’ve pretty much saved the country. I’d do anything for you. I’ll see if I can set things up and give you a call.”