Page 9 of Caleb's Cause
“What happened?”
“You were there when she was arrested.”
“Correct.”
“Well, because back then, it was a holiday weekend, she did three days inside. Oh boy, she was fit to be tied when she returned. After you left the day after she was arrested, Dad called several of his police buddies, and they put cameras with voice activation on damn near every surface of the house.”
“For evidence?” Erin asked.
“Yes. We, Dad and I, also had a block get together, and we told everyone that if Karen showed up, to immediately call the police. We both had restraining orders for her, and he had already drawn up divorce papers, so on the advice of his lawyer, he had her served while she was sitting in jail. We all knew she couldn’t do anything, but his lawyer said they wanted her to stewduring her time, and then when she got out, they wanted the evidence of just how unhinged she was.”
“Wait, why would she be so upset after getting out of jail?” Marcia asked.
“Dad had the divorce papers served to her while she was sitting in jail. Since she couldn’t go anywhere, it was the perfect opportunity to serve her. That was one reason, the other was that she had been arrested in the first place. See, whenever anyone would call the cops on her, she would puff up her chest and say her husband was with the police, and they couldn’t touch her. As a courtesy to Dad, they would only give her a ticket or a waring.”
“Oooh, that was cold.” Reid said with a laugh. “But I like it.” They explained that Reid had been the one that Ryan went to after having an interaction with his sister.
“Anyway, she was released on bail on Tuesday. She left the jail, I was back in school, Dad was at work, she went to the house and tried to break in. Dad left a note on the back door telling her all her stuff was in the garage, and that he wanted her off his property before he got home from work. It’s important to note here, that Dad gave her everything she paid for with her own money. According to the lawyer, that was what he should do. Sure, it’s still a community property state, but his lawyer argued that she didn’t work, and she spent all his money on all of her possessions. He, the lawyer, said that because she used his money, he could keep what she spent. I know that’s not how the law works, but he said to keep it, don’t sell it, and he’d fight it out in court.” Caleb grinned and took a long sip of his beer. “I think the lawyer was just as vindictive as Karen was, but he was working in Dad’s favor.”
“WhatIdidn’t know, was that Grandpa Lassiter had them sign a pre-nuptial that stated Karen does not get her hands onthe house, the property, or money Dad inherited before they got married.”
“That’s legal,” Duane said with a nod. “He had it before the marriage, so it’s not marital property. I’m a little leery about your Dad keeping her possessions though.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything now. I’ll get to it. Anyway, the neighbors called the cops because the only thing in the garage was nothing but one garbage bag of old clothes. Her SUV was even gone because he bought it, and everything about it was in his name. Registration, insurance, car loan.”
“Smart,” Clark nodded. “Where did he keep it?”
“Police impound yard. With the Captain’s permission of course. Everyone at the police station knew about Karen.” Caleb looked at Ryan with a shake of his head. “The day she attacked you and was arrested, that was the fourteenth complaint against her, just that week. After her arrest, and getting served the divorce papers, Dad went to his boss and asked if he, the boss, or someone higher in rank than him could send out a department wide e-mail saying that Karen Lassiter was not to be given special privileges ever again. If the police were called, do their job, and if it was warranted, then arrest her.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah, anyway, when the cops arrived, they expected the call. She was throwing rocks from the back yard, trying to break the windows to enter. Needless to say, she was arrested. This time, because she attempted a B&E while out on bail, she was sentenced to thirty-days, which, because of her actions inside, extended to forty-five.” He saw everyone stare at him in shock.
“Yep, when she got out that time, she was smart and didn’t come to the house.”
“Oh, God,” Ryan said into the quiet. “I feel like a train wreck is coming, but I can’t not hear the end. Tell me, Caleb, what asinine deed did my entitled sister do next?”
“She was downtown going from store to store getting applications. She spotted Dad sitting at a restaurant having lunch with another woman.” He quickly held up his hand and shook his head. “It was all innocent. Karen didn’t think so, and she didn’t know the situation, she only assumed her husband was cheating on her, and had been during so their entire marriage. She stormed into the restaurant and attacked the woman, like physically attacked her by dragging her out of her chair by her hair, and got a few punches in before she was dragged off, then she slapped Dad across the face, accusing him of cheating on her. Before anyone could react, she ran out of there, and no one could find her.” Again, he shook his head and gathered his thoughts.
“It was bad, Uncle Ry,” Caleb said softly. He stared into the burning embers of the fire that everyone had let die down as he talked, riveted to his tale. “When Karen ran out of there, she hid in an alley, she followed the woman after she left the restaurant. For the next week, Karen stalked her. Like she knew where she lived, when she left her home for work, which building she worked in, which grocery store she shopped at. After a week, Karen somehow stole a car, and when this woman was crossing the parking lot after leaving work, Karen ran her down.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ryan yelled his demand, he had sat up so quickly, he had to catch Pru before she hit the ground.
“Nope, the woman lived, but she turned into Karen’s worse nightmare, and because of who she was, Karen is now serving hard time for attempted murder.”
“Who was the woman?” Pru asked quietly as she laid her hand on Ryan’s chest, trying to soothe him in his agitation. “I might not be all there all the time,” she said as she tapped her temple. “But, I feel as if this woman was someone important.”
“She was. She and Dad were having lunch to discuss one of his cases. The woman happened to be the district attorney, and she invited Dad to lunch to see where he was on the case. It was a serial murder case, and it had stalled. She wanted to know why.”
“Oh shit,” Duane said as he looked at the others. “That’s bad, that’s very, very bad.”
“Yeah, the woman was able to jump out of the way, but with the shoes she was wearing, she twisted her ankle and ended up breaking it. It was broken enough that she needed surgery, and when she came to, she demanded to see Dad. Against everyone’s advice, he went to see her. Instead of being mad at him, she only asked if he would be offended if she threw the book at Karen. I think it was because the DA’s office works closely with the police, that when that department wide e-mail was sent, the sender made sure the DA’s office had a copy of it. She wanted to know if he knew about it being sent.
“Dad told her that he was trying to divorce her, and they had a long conversation of what Karen had done over the years. The DA thanked Dad for being honest with her, and the next thing we know, Karen was apprehended, thrown in jail with no bail, and her case was fast-tracked. I mean it was like only three weeks from her being arrested to her trial. Oh, and the DA was the one to prosecute her, even while using a cane and with a cast on her foot, she stood there proudly and tried the case. Due to Karen’s record of being a nuisance, a pain in the ass, and a genuine first-class royal bitch, the judge threw the book at her, and she got eighteen to twenty. She can’t apply for parole, or whatever it’s called, until she serves all eighteen years. Only then can she think about getting out.” His statement left everyone speechless, until Ryan threw his head back and started laughing. It was so hard that Pru got off his lap, and he bent over at the middle cradling his stomach. He looked around at the people sitting there staring at him, then at Caleb.
“My entire life, growing up with her, she told me that I was worthless, that I was a piece of shit, and I would end up in Juvie. If I didn’t at a young age, then I’d be in prison by the time I was twenty-five. She drilled it into me that I would never amount to anything. I served in the United States Navy for twelve years, serving my country, where I was captured and tortured, yet I survived. I moved here, am surrounded by old and new friends, I have a wonderful job, I met the woman whom I love with my whole heart and I plan to spend the rest of my life with, and will marry her by the end of the month. Down the road, we will talk about bringing children into the world, but that’s down the road. Whereas, Karen never worked a day in her life, and lorded over everyone that she was better than them. Now, who’s sitting in jail, and who is free and has a great life?” He wiped his tears and chuckled for several more moments while shaking his head.
“Ah, Karma.”
