Devotion Chapter Twenty Five
Tony was so stunned he didn't know what to do, so he just stood there looking at her.
His inaction infuriated her.
She shoved her sunglasses to the top of her head and placed the hand that was pointing toward the truck on her hip.
"I asked you a fucking question…I…." she stopped screaming and just stared back at Tony. She looked him up and down, taking in his bruised neck and face, the cut over his eyebrow and began to laugh.
"Holy shit!" She exclaimed, delight in her voice.
"Is that what Dixon and Carver did to you! HA! Not so pretty now are ya!?"
Her smile was wide and her obvious joy at his physical pain and her blatant disregard for his time of grief, stirred his suppressed anger.
Tony watched Wally roll his eyes and as he began to speak, Tony cut him off.
"Fuck You, Linda."
He said it without heat but the door he slammed in her face was done with force.
Tony leaned back against the door, closed his eyes and felt a satisfied smile begin to tug at the corner of his mouth. When she began to pound on the door, screaming obscenities, he moved away from it and headed towards the office. He needed his lawyer and he needed a friend.
She was persistent and Tony was amused at her arsenal of verbal insults. He would have been impressed if they weren't all directed at him. He heard the lawyer pleading with her, asking her to calm down.
"Then DO something Wally! What the fuck am I paying you for?!" She yelled, now sounding muffled as Tony got further away from the door.
Tony heard Wally saying "Mr. DiNozzo! Mr. DiNozzo...please…open this door….we have something…."
Finally out of earshot, Tony stood in the doorway of the office. Steve was still busy researching but his head was bopping along to some song only he could hear. He must have felt someone watching him. He looked up and seeing the look on Tony's face he ripped his headphones off and stood up, quickly moving to meet his distressed friend.
"What's happened Tony?" he asked
Steve's concern and the fact he was there on Tony's behalf comforted him.
Tony smirked at the hell that had become his life and said:
"The devil's at my doorstep….."
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Tony gave Steve as much information as he could during the short walk back to the front door.
Linda had not given up. She seemed to be channeling a banshee.
The two contractors from "Protect Your Nest" were sitting at the kitchen table. They appeared stunned and unsure what to do.
"We're almost done Mr. DiNozzo but we need to go over the system with you and we didn't want to open the front door." One of them said sheepishly.
"Thanks…can you guys give me a few minutes? Care to take a cup of coffee and step out into the back yard?" Tony asked
Skipping the coffee, the men made a bee line to the back door.
Tony took a deep breath and turning towards Steve said "You think you can keep the she-wolf at bay?"
Steve smiled and directed Tony to take a seat on the piano bench, facing the front door.
Tony watched Steve run a hand through his hair and tuck in his button down shirt.
Smiling at Tony he said "I suggest you remain quiet and let me do the talking."
Tony smiled and pantomimed zipping his lip. He sat back to watch the fur fly.
Steve grabbed the door handle and just before he turned it, he looked at Tony and with a mischievous glint in his eye whispered:
"Showtime!"
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Steve whipped the door open yelling "WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!"
Tony almost giggled seeing the surprise on Wally and Linda's faces.
Wally remained stunned but Linda's recovery was instant.
She scrunched her face and demanded of Steve, "Who the fuck are you!?"
"I am Special Agent DiNozzo's attorney…" Steve stated with authority.
Wallace Marvin visibly cringed and said "Agent DiNozzo?"
"Yes! As in FEDERAL Agent DiNozzo!" Steve responded
Tony loved the exchange. He wished he could see Steve's face. Tony had seen his friend in court on a few occasions and as nice and easy going as he knew Steve to be, in court, he could be a scary SOB.
Tony fought down an outburst of laughter when Walter "Wally" Marvin, Esquire leaned towards his client and mouthed:
"You never said he was a Fed, Linda!"
Linda looked at Wally in outrage saying "It doesn't matter if he's a fucking Fed! He has no right to be in Spence's house! I want him out! He has no right being here now Spence is dead!"
She then sneered at Tony and said "Unless you have something in writing that states otherwise! My Attorney has Spence's will saying me and my boys inherit…EVERYTHING!"
She rocked back on her heels and crossed her arms, staring past Steve, giving Tony a smug look of triumph.
So there it was. Linda had played her hand. Tony's amusement at the situation ceased as he sat up and waited for Steve to make his play. Tony had never hit a woman but he knew if he had a chance, Linda would be his first.
"Mrs. Spencer" Steve began calmly "Agent DiNozzo has every right to be in this home, at this time, even if Riley Spencer's last will and testament leaves everything to you and your sons. Mr. DiNozzo was Mr. Spencer's domestic partner and shared with him the expenses in running this household, including payment of mortgage."
Linda looked sharply at Steve and then at her attorney and back to Steve.
"Are you saying you have paperwork declaring a written Domestic Partnership?" she demanded
Like the great attorney he was, Steve sidestepped the direct question and said:
"Washington, D.C., has recognized domestic partnerships since 1992. Agent DiNozzo and I are diligently working to secure the documentation we will need to provide to the courts regarding the residence and the personal property it contains. I am sure your Attorney has advised you of District of Columbia statute 186 "upon the death of a domestic partner the living partner has thirty days to settle or contest the estate of the decedent".
Linda shot Wally a look of disgust then looked back at Steve. She focused on Steve and dismissed Tony like she had always done in the past. Tony began to feel his face get flush. He was having a hard time keeping his mouth shut and his anger contained.
"Humph!" Linda snorted and said "I do not trust your client! He could steal me and my boys blind! I want an accounting of everything in this house and I want it now!"
"That is a demand my client is not required to fulfill at this time. A detailed inventory is required at the hearing to settle the estate."
"Can I at least have my attorney…" she said with contempt "…take photos of each room?"
Steve looked towards Tony who looked like a volcano ready to blow.
Steve turned back to Linda and Wally and said:
"Let me speak with my client and I will be right back with you, alright?"
Linda nodded her approval.
"I am going to close this door but I will open it in just a minute." He added civilly
He closed the door and moved over to Tony.
"Fuck them!" Tony snarled under his breath as Steve placed his hand on Tony's shoulder in comfort.
Tony closed his eyes and taking a deep breath fought to compose himself.
"Okay…what do you think I should do counselor?" he asked Steve
"Let them take their photos…I will be with her attorney and I will demand she wait outside."
Tony rose from the piano bench and said "Thanks Steve, it's a good thing you found statute 186."
Steve smirked and replied "Statute 186 states a person walking their dog without a lease near any government monument will be liable to pay a fine of up to $100."
The surprise on Tony's face made Steve laugh out loud.
"Why don't you talk to the alarm guys? I'll have Linda and her ambulance chaser out of your hair ASAP."
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Steve had spelled it out to Linda that her attorney would be permitted to take his photos but she would have to remain out of the house.
She wasn't happy about that in the least but agreed to it since Wally would finally be earning the money she was paying him. She had come to believe the man was a waste of skin and silently cursed William Spencer for recommending his incompetent lawyer friend.
While Wally walked to his car to get his digital camera, Linda sat on the front steps and waited.
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Tony spent about twenty minutes with the "Protect Your Nest" men. He chose a security code and they tested the system with their emergency call center. Tony was so pleased with their work, and because he felt bad the men had to be witness to a Linda tantrum, he tipped each of them $100 bucks.
Steve and Wally were just heading upstairs, having completed the first floor photos, as Tony walked the alarm men towards the front door. Steve smiled at Tony as he passed. Tony smiled back thanking the powers that be that he was fortunate enough to be graced with Steve Adler as a friend, brother and attorney.
Tony stepped out on the porch and watched the alarm men head to their truck. He ignored Linda sitting on the top step as he watched the truck back out of the driveway. When the truck was out of sight he turned and was headed back inside when he had a sudden crisis of conscience. It was cold outside and he could tell Linda was shivering. She didn't have a jacket. He owed her nothing although he had some choice words he wanted to unleash on her. He refrained and fighting his gut to just forget her he thought of Spence. He had loved this woman at one time and she was the mother of his children.
Against his gut's judgment he said "Do you think you could come in and sit on the couch without screaming at me? Maybe have a cup of coffee without the attitude?"
She looked up at him with those familiar pinched lips. She had her sunglasses on so he could not see the shocked expression in her eyes. She stood up and dusted off her backside.
"Yes, I can do that." She said calmly
"Good." He smiled then stepped back and held the door open for her.
She walked in like she owned the place.
Tony looked to the heavens and whispered:
"God and Spence, give me strength!"
He followed her inside and shut the door.
A/N-I have absolutely no knowledge of Washington D.C. Domestic Partnership law or statutes…186 is a figment of an over active imagination.