How to Kill Your Husband (17 page)

“It's Saturday,” Claire reminded her. “I can't call him today.”

“Yes, you can. His office is open every Saturday.”

“Oh, well, I still think I should wait till Monday.”

“All right,” Becky said, then, “hold on. I've got another call.”

Claire didn't hear her phone clicking, but she didn't say anything. She listened to dead air for a few seconds, and her friend finally came back to the line. Oddly, Claire heard another phone ringing in addition to her friend's soft breaths.

“Becky, are you still there?”

“Yeah.”

“What's that ringing?” Claire asked. “Did you call someone on three-way?”

Before Becky could respond, the third party picked up.

“Burns and Smiley.”

Oh, no you didn't
, Claire thought. She remained quiet, hoping Becky would say something, but her friend's lips were sealed. The silence was more than uncomfortable. Claire almost hung up.

“You've reached Burns and Smiley,” the receptionist announced again.

Claire sighed. “So you're not going to say anything?”

“Excuse me?” the secretary asked.

“All right.
Hi
. My name is Claire Hudgens. I believe I spoke with you a few weeks ago. I'm Becky Adair's friend. She's actually on the line right now if you want to say hi.”

“Um, Becky?” the secretary asked.

“Hi, Pat,” Becky chirped. “How are you doing?”

“I'm fine. How are
you
doing? Is everything going okay?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“How are the kids?”

“They're great. I'm calling to get an appointment for my friend, Claire. She met with Trevor once before.”

“Oh, I remember,” Pat said. “You're the one who was standing out in the hallway, afraid to come in the office?”

“I wasn't afraid,” Claire said. “I was weighing my options.”

“So you'd like to set up another appointment with Mr. Smiley?” Pat asked.

“Yes,” Claire said. “I think Becky would like that very much.”

The secretary laughed. “Alright. When would you like to come in?”

“As soon as possible,” Becky said. “Her husband's
way worse
than Brent.”

“I can get you in Wednesday,” Pat said, “unless you want to come
today
. Mr. Smiley has an appointment at three, but until then he's just doing paperwork.”

“She wants to come today,” Becky said.

“You don't know what I have to do today,” Claire said.

“What do you have to do?” Becky asked.

Claire couldn't think of anything, but still…

“So you'd like to schedule it for Wednesday?” Pat asked.

“No,” Claire said. “I can come today.”

“
Yay
!” Becky said.

“Would you like to come in at noon?” Pat asked.

Claire checked her watch. It was only ten-thirty. “I suppose so.”

“All right,” the receptionist said. “I'll let Mr. Smiley know you're coming. We look forward to seeing you.”

“Thanks,” Claire said.

“I'll talk to you later,” Becky told Pat.

“Okay. You guys take it easy.”

“You can be so persistent,” Claire said when Becky hung up the other line.

“You'll thank me for it.”

“I know. I can do that right now, actually. Thanks for being such a good buddy.”

“Are you going to wear a skirt?” Becky asked.

“Why would I wear a skirt?”

“
I don't know
,” Becky hummed and abruptly disconnected the line.

Claire stared at the phone for a few seconds after she hung up.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

WORKING LUNCH

As illogical as it was, Becky's advice was still on Claire's mind when she got out of the shower twenty minutes later. She had plenty of sensible pantsuits in her closet, but she pulled out a black skirt with white tropical prints instead. The garment was loose-fitting on her when she ordered it online some four years ago, but it fit like a glove today. Claire squeezed into it and liked the way the fabric stretched on her skin. She topped it off with a sleeveless white blouse and modeled the outfit in her bathroom mirror.

Claire knew she was attractive, but George had her feeling inadequate as of late. Claire thought about Ms. Kimberly Pate as she stared at her reflection. The mistress was definitely slimmer, but Claire thought her own full-figured curves were more appealing. She used to think George felt the same way.

Claire's breasts were definitely fuller than
Miss Thang's
, and her stomach wasn't all that pudgy. It didn't look bad at all in this outfit. Claire had a nice, slim waist that blossomed into ample, child-bearing hips. Plus she had legs for days. She turned and even liked the way her butt looked in the outfit.

I'll bet Trevor likes women with curves
.

That thought didn't seem right at all, but Claire didn't question herself or change clothes before leaving the house.

* * *

The Mallick Towers were a lot less crowded on the weekends. Claire found a parking spot on ground level, right next to the elevators. She made it to the tenth floor in a matter of minutes and didn't have any of the anxiety she felt the first time she traipsed down that hallway.

Her nerves started to get the better of her when she got to suite 112, but she clenched her teeth and walked through the glass doors with no outward signs of the inner turmoil she felt. The receptionist looked up at her like she was a long-lost friend.

“
Mrs. Hudgens
! How are you today?”

Pat had her hair down, and the curly red locks took a lot of attention away from her acne issues. She wore a gray skirt with a white blouse this afternoon. She didn't look at all overwhelmed with her Saturday morning workload. She lounged lackadaisically with her elbow on the desk and her chin propped in the crook of her palm. She closed down a game of computer solitaire when Claire approached.

“You and Becky are
so crazy
,” she said. “I wish all of our clients were like you guys.”

“Becky's a nut,” Claire agreed. “But I would have had a few mental breakdowns by now if it wasn't for her.”

“I'm glad you've got someone,” Pat said sincerely. “It sure is easier if you've got a friend you can lean on. I went through this myself five years ago.”

Claire narrowed an eye. This girl didn't look old enough to have been married
and
divorced already.

“It was an odd situation,” Pat said, reading her expression. “I was a freshman in college, young and naïve, and he was a student in South Africa. We met over the internet, and I flew over there twice to meet him. He seemed like a nice guy…”

“You
married
him?”

“At the time I didn't know he just wanted to get his U.S. citizenship,” Pat explained. “I didn't know he was a womanizer, a liar, and a cheat, either,” she mused.

“I'm sorry to hear that,” Claire said.

“Oh, it's okay,” Pat assured her. “We live and learn. There's no way you can truly know someone you met on the computer.”

“You can grow old together and still not truly
know
someone,” Claire informed her. “I've been married sixteen years, and look at me.”

Pat opened her mouth to respond, but one of the office doors to their left swung open. Mr. Trevor Smiley stepped out, and all eyes moved in his direction. Today he wore khaki slacks with a long-sleeved, maroon button-down. His shoes were snake-skins, brown and cognac-colored. He stepped to the receptionist's desk with a stack of file folders in hand. When he saw Claire, he smiled with recognition.

“Mrs. Hudgens. How are you?”

“Not good,” Claire admitted.

“I'm sorry to hear that,” Mr. Smiley said. He stared into her eyes, and Claire met his gaze. His orbs were dark and comforting; Claire's were large and vulnerable. “Could you make a few calls for me?” he asked his secretary without looking away from his client. Pat took the folders from his hand and Mr. Smiley half-turned back towards his office. He held a hand out and gestured for Claire. “Right this way…”

She stepped past him and caught the scent of Joop cologne. She liked that fragrance. Smelling good is so important for a man. She wished more fellows understood that.

She walked into his office, and Mr. Smiley closed the door behind them. He went around to his side of the desk, but he didn't take his seat until she did. Claire couldn't explain why, but that gesture made her feel warm and safe, like she was in the company of a real man for a change. She crossed her legs and watched him nervously. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin slowly.

Trevor had large, smooth hands; obviously strangers to the abuse of manual labor. His skin was dark like brandy, rich like an African prince. His hair was perfectly cropped, and the waves were still mesmerizing. Being with a bald man for so long, Claire forgot how attractive a full head of hair was.

“I was hoping I wouldn't see you again,” he said.

Claire was glad to hear those words. It may have been part of his technique, but this lawyer was good at disarming. He made her feel like the three-thousand-dollar retainer wasn't his driving concern at all.

“I still wish I wasn't here,” she said.

“Have you done more research?” he asked. “You definitely want to go ahead with the divorce?”

DIVORCE was still a big, ugly word, but the more Claire thought about
Kim
, the fewer negative connotations it had. “It's a go,” she said. “My husband is definitely cheating on me.”

The counselor nodded. He leaned forward on the desk with his hands together as if in prayer. “The last time I saw you, you showed me a card you found. Presumably that card came from his lover. And you said you saw him take a woman you don't know into a restaurant.”

“Right.” Claire forced a smile. “You've got a good memory.”

“I remember your case,” he agreed. “You're not an easy woman to forget.”

Claire felt comforted by his words. She felt exhilarated, as a matter of fact, but this man made a living turning phrases. She didn't want to read too much into it.

“You said you were going to get more proof of George's infidelities,” the lawyer went on.

“You remember his name, too?” Claire asked.

“You don't come across too many people as foolish as George,” Mr. Smiley said. “It's kind of hard to forget.”

Claire frowned then. “Wait, I need to get something off my chest. Some of the things you say, I mean, I don't want to take it the wrong way—”

He laughed. It was a rich, hearty chortle. “I know what you're thinking.”

Claire waited.

“A lot of the women I represent are in the midst of the most severe emotional trauma they will ever encounter,” he explained. “They hire me to make things right. They want me to exact revenge sometimes. They want me to punish their husbands. But mainly, it's been my experience that they basically want to feel better. By the time things get to a divorce, most women have been run through the mud. Their self-esteem is shot.”

“So you say stuff like that to help their egos?” Claire guessed.

“I don't
lie
to them,” Mr. Smiley said. “The wives who sit across from me don't know they're beautiful. They don't know they're worthy of greater things. They pay me to hurt their husbands, but most of the work I do doesn't show up on the bill.”

“Becky told me about that,” Claire said, a little put off. “I'll bet you get a lot of referrals.”

“Don't think I'm using those tactics with you,” Trevor said.

“You have said a lot of nice things,” Claire reflected.

The lawyer shrugged. “I have flaws,” he admitted. “I'm one-hundred-percent ready to take your case and do a great job with it, but, on the other hand, I'm a single man, and you're a beautiful, soon-to-be-divorced woman. I'm willing to hand your file over to my partner if this makes you uncomfortable.”

Claire blushed. “No,” she said. “I don't think that's necessary.”

“I have
never
had a relationship with a client,” the lawyer stated.

“I didn't say that.”

“But I want you to know this doesn't happen to me often.”

Claire was afraid to ask what
this
was.

The lawyer leaned back and smiled at her again. “Are you okay?”

Claire nodded, though she did feel quite warm.

“Would you like to continue with me?” he asked.

Continue with me
might be laced with many innuendos. Either way, Claire responded, “Yes.”

“Great.” Mr. Smiley opened the file on his desk. “What do you want to tell me?”

Claire had no idea. She quickly scanned her memory bank. “Oh,
my husband
. I've been working hard on this, and I think I have the proof you need.” She reached into her hobo bag and retrieved the new evidence. She laid a few items on Trevor's desk one at a time. He picked them up and scrutinized each one thoroughly.

“This is the card I read?”

“No,” Claire said. “Here's
the card you read.” She held up the first Hallmark. “That's the second one I found.”

He read it and looked up at her. “The first one is signed
Kim
too, isn't it?”

Claire nodded.

“This is great,” he said. “Good stuff.” He picked up the Texas Lutheran newsletter next. He regarded it oddly until he saw the address box on the front. His eyes grew large then. “Is this…” He reached for the card again and compared them.

“Kimberly is Kim,” Claire confirmed. “I know where she lives.”

He watched her eyes and grinned. “Wow. You're making my job easy…”

“I've got pictures of her, too,” Claire said.

Mr. Smiley dropped the items in his hands and scooped up Becky's photographs like they were money. “Is your husband in any of these?”

Claire leaned over his desk and pointed. “He's that bald-headed guy right there. That woman next to him is Kim.”

“Where's this?” he asked.

“Those pictures were taken at a placed called St. Martin's Academy,” Claire informed him.

“What is that, some kind of—”

“It's a school.”

The lawyer was perplexed, but Claire let the pictures do the talking. He looked up at her again when he got to the Girl Scout.

“Who's this?”

“That's the girl George went to the school to support,” Claire said.

The lawyer flipped through the pictures again. “This is
Kim's
daughter?”

“Her daughter, George's daughter, my step-daughter…”

He frowned. “He has a child by this woman?”

“He has two children by that woman,” Claire clarified. “That girl has a twin brother. I don't have his pictures developed yet.”

“You, you found out all of this since the last time I talked to you?”

“I'm still waiting on DNA results, but yeah, I'm positive George is the father of that lady's twins.”

Mr. Smiley sat the photos on his desk and stared at her curiously. “Back it up,” he said. “You're saying your husband is not only cheating with this woman, but they have two illegitimate children together?”

“George has a secret family,” Claire said calmly, shocked she could get the words out without crying. “My husband spends a lot of time away from the house, sometimes a whole week at a time. He says he's on business trips, but I don't think he's
ever
been on a business trip. I think he goes over to
her house
and lives there. He spends more time with me, but it's almost fifty-fifty. The twins are in the second grade, so this has been going on for a long time.”

The lawyer shook his head. “This is outrageous.”

Claire chuckled nervously. “You mean you don't get clients with this situation every day?”

“I've heard about it,” he said. “But no one's ever come to
my
office with this, this
situation
. Does she know about you?”

Claire shook her head. “I don't know. But we moved down to Texas seven years ago. Those twins are in the second grade, so I think George brought her down from New York.”