Judge Not

If you are jumping in here please read the first part as I try not to rehash stuff over and over again.

I had activated my cell phone's video app as I had come up the walk because I anticipated something like this happening. Just as I turned away the first squad car pulled up and two officers got out. This was odd since our small city usually only had a single officer per car. One of the officers had lieutenant's bars on his shoulders. That might explain why there were two of them. A couple more cruisers then arrived.

"Sir, could you come to the car with me?" The first officer immediately wanted my compliance.

"I'm sorry officers, what seems to be the problem?"

"We received a call that there was a verbal altercation occurring at this residence. Would you mind putting your hands on the edge of the car so we can check for weapons?" I complied and they patted me down and relieved me of my phone for the moment.

"Officer, I can assure you that there was no fight here. My wife and I are separated and she is staying here at the judge's house for a few days. I just wanted to talk with her about our children, not cause a scene."

"We will check out your story. In the meantime I would like your cooperation and have you take a seat in the back of the car, please."

Since any resistance would be futile and cause me injury I complied.

The lieutenant went to the door and interviewed the good judge. I have no idea what story the judge concocted but the lieutenant looked very unhappy when he returned to the car. They rolled the window down so I could speak.

They were very polite. "Sir, Judge Marshall claims you stormed up to the door and pounded on it until he answered and then you tried to push by him and enter the house. Did you do that?"

I started to chuckle. "No, Lieutenant, I did no such thing. As I told your other officer here, my wife and I are separated and she is staying here for a few days. I just wanted to speak to her about our children. She doesn't answer her phone or return messages so I wanted a face to face talk, just talk mind you, about her not contacting the kids. They are very sad and confused about this whole thing."

He didn't look convinced. After all, a sitting judge had told him a far different story. "Look, I know you don't believe me but you have my phone. You can check for yourself. The history of phone calls and messages shows I have tried to get a hold of her multiple times since yesterday. I even called her at work yesterday but they wouldn't put me through to her. And I videoed my approach to the house this afternoon. I didn't pound on the door and Judge Marshall certainly didn't answer the door, his wife Lindsey did. I did not demand or argue with her. She shut the door in my face after ordering me off the property. I was leaving as you pulled up. That little fact you should acknowledge."

He was pissed. I don't know who at, specifically, but he was pissed. He opened my phone and checked out my story. Since I was in the right he got even more red in the face and stomped back up to the house and rang the bell. There was a short heated conversation and finally the lieutenant shrugged his shoulders and came back to the car.

"Mr. Myers, I am sorry to say that the judge is pressing charges against you for trespassing and making terroristic threats. I have no choice in this but I have to cite you. Since the evidence is overwhelming that you did not make any threat I will just give you a ticket at this time and send you on your way. Please contact your attorney because all of this will be sent to the district attorney on Monday morning. Usually you would be taken to jail and processed in and then have to have bail set before you could go home but I don't feel that is necessary at this time. Please, though, don't approach the judge or his family in any way again."

I nodded. They quickly wrote me out a citation and then let me out of the car. Before I headed across the street I asked for a favor. "Would you let Detective Wilson know about this incident? I filed a missing person's report on my wife, Allie Myers, yesterday and he was in charge of the investigation. As a matter of fact, your patrolman yesterday also didn't speak with my wife, just someone in the house that assured him that she was fine."

The lieutenant nodded and looked back at the house with a speculative look on his face. Something wasn't adding up here to him.

I knew that someone was watching from the front window so I waved the citation in the air and went back to my car and sat in it for some time before going home. A single patrol car stayed there until I left.

My head was spinning. What was the deal? Why was I not permitted to talk to my wife? Why was she ignoring our children? And why was the good judge filing false reports against me? We had never had any kind of disagreement until this week. And, just because I overheard Lindsey state that they were preparing Allie for Richard, didn't mean that it was true. We all have said things in the height of passion that we didn't mean. There needed to be some answers and soon.

When I got home I called and left a message with Bill Blevins' answering service about the citation. He called me back a few minutes later and I got an ear full about how wrong I was to try and directly approach Allie. He then chuckled at the thought of dealing with the false filing claim against the good judge cum Monday. We then jointly decided that, if Allie had not contacted me by the end of the next week, we would file for divorce. Somehow we had to force her into a meeting and even testimony where Bill could directly ask her what the fuck was going on in her mind. (By the way that is not legalese but the way Bill said it wasn't very forceful sounding.)

After that phone call I was very restless so I took a walk around the neighborhood. I didn't specifically seek out any conversations but it was early evening and still warm so many people were also out for an evening stroll.

Every person who stopped to talk asked about Allie. I was honest and told each person that I had caught Allie with two lovers and she had left with them and was now staying with the Marshall's while we worked out our future. I specifically did not mention who her lovers were at any time. Inference could be made if the receiver desired to do so. When asked if Allie and I were going to work it out I just shrugged my shoulders and said we were going to have to work hard and have open communication.

By the time I got home I had spoken to four or five of our neighbors and I knew the gossip would explode around the neighborhood. Maybe that would get a response from Allie.

Unfortunately it didn't get a response. I don't know if anyone at the Marshall residence ever heard the gossip or whether they all just ignored it and went about whatever business they were involved in, but there was no contact with Allie.

On Monday I told my boss about the citation and that some police might be coming to see me. I also informed him of my marital woes. He sympathized. He had gotten caught with his dick in someone other than his wife and had suffered through a long and nasty divorce. He took fidelity a lot more seriously and made damned sure that all policies concerning extracurricular activities were strictly enforced.

He even told new employees that he never wanted anyone to suffer like he and his ex-wife had suffered because of his cheating. By the time he was done explaining the damage done to families and even to the woman he had cheated with, most every new employee had to take the rest of the day off to go home and profess undying love and fealty to his or her spouse.

He gave me carte blanche for time off (within reason of course) to handle my affairs. He certainly hoped I wasn't going to end up in jail over this. I knew I would have to put in extra hours to make up for any time I took off. After all, the business world doesn't care about what your personal problems are.

Before I forget I am sure you want to know about Jason and Becca. The kids had come home on Sunday night and bounced out of the car expecting to see their mother greet them. When they realized she wasn't home yet the poor dears deflated. Becca started to cry and actually hit me when I tried to give her a hug. I knew she was just distraught about not being able to see her mother. There were tears running down my face also.

Suddenly Dave got very angry. "Kids, let's go and see if your mother will speak to you. Quick, get into the car and we will go see her."

I was flabbergasted but didn't see any harm in this turn of events. The Marshalls wouldn't call the cops on Allie's parents or her children would they? I told Dave the address and he almost left rubber on my driveway as he blasted backwards onto the street and zoomed off towards the Marshalls. Thankfully there was no traffic just at that time of evening.

One of my neighbors was outside and gave me a questioning look. I went over and told him that Allie's parents were trying to get her and the kids together and with my blessing. He nodded and went inside. I am sure the gossip line was soon activated again.

They were gone for over an hour. When they returned the kids were subdued and looked like they would burst out in tears at any moment. Mostly they looked shocked and confused. Other than the love of their father and both sets of grandparents their whole world was upside down. Marsha was crying. Dave was beyond livid.

I finally got the kids down for the night. It took a long while. Becca was sad that she had hit me and was scared I was leaving her like her mother. She had to fall asleep before I could leave her room. Jason was a little better but clung to me then I gave him a good night hug.

I finally made my way back to the living room where the Billings were waiting. Dave was sipping a beer. I know he would have liked to really tie one on but he had to drive home and didn't want to risk an accident. Marsha was downing her second or third glass of wine. I didn't know how much she might have imbibed while I was getting the kids down.

I opened the conversation. "I take it the visit didn't go very well. Did you get to see Allie?"

Dave answered and Marsha started to cry. "Yes and No. She came to the door when I asked for her to see her children. She stood in the door and told me to leave. She was crying the whole time. She wouldn't step outside or try to touch the kids. I moved them in front of me even so she had to look at them. She just kept looking up at me and refused to do anything with them or even speak at them."

He stopped and took a big slug from his bottle. "I don't know her. She looks like my daughter but she certainly doesn't act like my daughter. I started to tell her to get her head out of her ass when cops started to show up. We were ordered to leave or be arrested for trespassing. There was a lieutenant that came up and apologized for having to tell us to leave. We spent the most time there talking to the cops. It was bizarre."

I nodded. "That sounds like the same cop who came last night when I was arrested for trespassing and making terroristic threats. I am sorry. I guess I should have stopped you from trying to talk to her. It certainly didn't help the kids."

Dave shook his head. "No, this needed to be done. Now Marsha and I will testify, if necessary, about how Allie treated her own children. I don't understand her game and I don't know these people but it almost seems like that they have a plan in motion. She certainly didn't seem to be drugged or brain washed in any way."

We talked a few minutes longer. I told them about my plans for the upcoming week. They were very sad but agreed something would have to be done. Dave shook my hand and Marsha gave me a hug as they left.

Back to my Monday. Bill Blevins called me about 11 a.m. He had talked to one of the assistant district attorneys. I guess they call them ADA's. I had sent him the video and some screen shots of the messages I had sent to Allie and that there were no replies. He also had Detective Wilson's name for the ADA. Right at the moment the ADA was not going to prosecute me. She seemed more concerned about the obvious false reporting and the public relations disaster it posed if I went public.

At noon I went out to grab a bite and stop at a mail store. You know the kind of place I am talking about. You can drop off mail and packages and they work with the postal service, UPS and FedEx to get the stuff delivered. This store also provides courier services. I had a card delivered to Allie at her work place. They called me at three to tell me the card had been delivered.

At four I called Allie at work. As expected she refused my phone call so I talked with her secretary, Amy Spelling. She told me that Allie was acting normally, just as though there was no problem at home. She was completely surprised when I told her that Allie was living apart from us and that she had not had any contact with the kids. She frankly disbelieved me and told me so. I brought up the card that I had sent. It was a blank card so I had just handwritten a note inside asking her to call the kids.

Amy told me that Allie had looked at the card and then threw it into the wastebasket without a comment and then had shut her door. When I asked her to check on Allie she came back and said it looked like Allie had been crying. She was then perplexed when I said, "Good." I let her go then.

This became my everyday activity. I bought a card. I put a note in just asking her to let the kids know she cared about them. After photographing the card I would send it to her at work. I figured that if I sent one to the house it would be refused.

After giving it time to be delivered I would call Amy and ask her if Allie had gotten the card. She assured me that on Tuesday and Wednesday Allie had looked at the card before discarding it. The rest of them were dumped into the trash without being opened. Tuesday and Wednesday she then closed her door and presumably cried for a while. On Thursday and Friday she had seemed angry and kept her door open. I had failed again.

The kids tried their best to be good kids. They got up and had breakfast every morning and then I took them to school. They walked home and had were usually home by four.

They were not allowed visitors when we weren't home but they could visit other homes after getting permission. This whole week they spent the entire after school time at one friend or another's home. In the evenings we split up the duties. Even Becca attempted to cook. It was a simple meal of hotdogs and canned baked beans but it was tasty and filling. They did get into a few squabbles but they were very subdued arguments compared to the norm. I was worried. This was not normal behavior for them.

Each night I had to stay with Becca until she fell asleep. Instead of alternating which child I put to bed first I had to start tucking in Jason first then going to Becca.

A couple of nights I woke and had a child in bed with me. Either Jason or Becca would wake, go to the bathroom and then come and crawl in with me. I guess this reassured them that I wasn't abandoning them as Allie had done. I would wake and cuddle with each for a bit before sending them back to bed. We had done this when they were toddlers and in a real bed for the first time. It had been an almost nightly thing for a while. It seemed to be that again.

We made it through another weekend. I was starting to think of my days and nights as before Allie and after Allie. She had now been gone for a week and a half.

On Monday I talked with Bill. We had agreed to a general plan of action. I told him about the Billings attempt to get Allie to speak to the kids and the cards I had sent. His only regret was not having video of Allie's response to her father.

The paperwork was filed at the courthouse and Allie was served at her workplace in the afternoon. I called Amy and asked her how it had gone since Allie had not tried to contact me after being served. Amy said that Allie had seemed to be expecting the visit from the process server and that she had not said a thing but had just taken the rest of the afternoon off and left the building. I thanked her for being a good friend to us both and told her I would not probably be calling again.

Bill asked for a preliminary meeting in front of a judge instead of dancing around and asking for a meeting with lawyers. He didn't expect Allie to immediately get an attorney and felt a meeting in front of a judge would get her into a place where we could communicate somehow.

And that gets us to this farce of a preliminary hearing. For some reason Judge Marshall felt he could be an impartial judge where my marriage was concerned. Bill told me that this was supposed to be the hearing where temporary child custody would be awarded, support ordered, and who would live where would be decided. Since Allie had left voluntarily and had not attempted to communicate with me or the kids Bill thought it would be a slam dunk to demand support from Allie.

It was not to be. Judge Marshall thwarted Bill's attempt to get Allie on the stand and give her side by saying her comments were in the brief that had to be filed before the hearing. He ignored Bill's stating of the facts about how I had treated Allie versus Bloodstone's name calling and outright lies. I took the stand and Bill asked about what had happened.

Mr. Bloodstone objected to every comment and even objected to placing the video of the affair into evidence. Judge Marshall appeared to deliberate before deciding to keep the video from being made public. He also issued a gag order that the video was not to be shown to anyone. Bill objected but was overruled.

I was sworn in and Bill attempted to get my side of the issue into the public. Bloodstone objected so much that it was confusing about which question I could answer. Every time I tried to speak he objected before I could even begin. Most of the time the judge sustained the objection so I was not allowed to fully tell my side of the story. We finally gave up and I resumed my seat.

The final outcome was that even though Allie did not have custody of the kids, and didn't ask for it, I was forced to pay her over $500 a month in child support and another $1000 a month in maintenance even though our pay was comparable. I got to keep the house and the kids but was assured that HHS would be notified and would be in touch to make sure I was being a good parent. What a bunch of shit.

Allie never spoke once during this whole thing. After Judge Marshall declared the hearing over I stood and asked her, "When are you going to speak to me and when are you going to speak to your children? They are crying every night wondering what they did wrong to make you hate them so much." Of course I exaggerated but as I stated before, in the throes of passion we say things we don't mean.

She never answered. Her lawyer gave me a hard look. I expected no less. Bill told me that Nathan Bloodstone was a good divorce attorney and was a partner in Judge Marshall's old law firm. It wouldn't surprise me if Judge Marshall still had a financial stake in his old firm. The other partners would be obligated to help him out whenever they could.

Bill wasn't done. He immediately requested a closed meeting with the judge. He reported back to me afterward. "I wanted the judge to know that I was filing multiple complaints against him about this whole affair. He just shrugged his shoulders. I have no idea why he seems to not care what is bound to happen here. He only said that the divorce would be final and nothing I could do would stop it before any hearing about his rulings would be scheduled."

I asked about whether we should stop the divorce. Bill shrugged his shoulders. "We can withdraw our petition but she could then file her own. There might be a different judge but somehow I believe that Judge Marshall is manipulating the schedule so that he would be the jurist deciding the outcome. I will work overtime tonight to file my complaints with the bar association and the judicial review board and ask for an expedited hearing and an injunction keeping Marshall from deciding anything on your divorce."