Chapter Twenty-Two

Maura pulled into the garage and shut off the engine. Leaning on the steering wheel she took a moment to bring her breathing under control. Then she started to laugh. I've got you, Joey, you bastard. Exiting the car she pulled off her running shoes and dumped them behind the driver's seat. She slid her feet into her heels and went inside.

She intended to drop her phone off at Jane's attorney's office the next morning.

"Rizzoli!" Lt. Cavanaugh's voice rang through the precinct. Jane jumped. She'd been sitting at her desk looking at the mound of paperwork she just couldn't seem to work her way through. Cavanaugh's voice concerned her, though; most of the time, if he wanted to talk to her he came into her office.

"Yes, sir," she answered, walking into his office.

"Shut the door," he told her in a crisp, no-nonsense voice. Shit, Jane thought. I've done something now. Cavanaugh only told his detectives to shut the door when he wanted to ream them for some transgression.

"Rizzoli, how do you expect to do a competent job when you're chasing after your lesbian lover while going through a divorce?" Cavanaugh asked her. He sat back in his chair and looked at Jane with cold eyes.

Jane felt like she'd been punched in the gut. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Look, Rizzoli, I don't enjoy getting phone calls from court clerks telling me you're the gossip of the month at the courthouse. I want you to clean up your personal life. I don't care what goes on between you and Dr. Isles unless it gets back to me in a less than professional manner. Take some time off and clear up your crap."

"I'm on leave?"

"Yes, until further notice."

Dragging out of Cavanaugh's office Jane left the precinct.

"I want to sue Dr. Maura Isles and the Isles Family Foundation for alienation of affection. She took my wife away from me," Joey said to his attorney. Max Drucker looked at his client and sighed.

"You're forgetting something, Joey. Jane asked for the divorce first."

"I don't care. I filed for it, doesn't that count for something? Besides, she's chasing down a former lover, another woman. I don't want my children exposed to that."

"Joey, think this through, please. This is going to hit the media and they'll run with it. Do you really want your family messes splashed over the newspapers? Your children will be exposed to so much ridicule and gossip. They're too young, Joey. Let's just get on with the divorce," Max said. Joey stood up and started pacing.

"No, Max. Jane may have asked for the divorce but it wasn't until after Maura returned to Boston. I want to embarrass Maura and the Foundation."

"Embarrass Jane back into your arms?"

"Exactly. She married me, not Maura. That ended before we started dating. Maura has taken my wife from me and I want to sue her for damages."

Max sighed. "Joey, same-sex marriage is legal here in Boston. It is no longer considered 'deviant' behavior."

"The Catholic church will argue that point."

"Religious freedom has been in existence in this country for over two hundred years, Joey."

"Max, I tell you what I want. Why are you fighting me?"

"I'm not fighting you, Joey, I'm just trying to prepare you for reality. Jane hasn't done anything wrong, legally, and you can't keep her children away from her just because she's in love with a woman. You're just sore, Joey. You had Jane for eight years and now she wants to go back to Maura. You won't be the first husband to lose his wife to another lover. Let it go."

"No, Max, if she wants to be with Maura, she can have her. But she can't have her children, her profession or the Isles money. I'll take it all away from her."

"We may get a judge sympathetic to Jane's position, Joey."

"Make sure that doesn't happen."

"Joey, you know I'll do what I can for you, but I can't guarantee this is going to work out the way you want it to."

"Do your best. I know what a good attorney you are, Max. It's why I hired you all those years ago to take Michael away from Maura after they moved to San Francisco."

"Tell me something, Joey. Why did you ask me to do that? Since you married Jane and were so insanely happy I thought if Maura was out of Massachusetts with a serious boyfriend all her own you'd be happy with that."

"I don't know, Max, maybe I just wanted to mess with her because I could."

Maura called Allen's office and then went on in, as instructed by his secretary. Maura showed Allen her pictures before explaining how they were obtained. Allen reviewed the pictures of Joey in bed with his mistress. Putting the phone down he leaned back in his chair and observed Maura before speaking.

"I can't use this, Maura."

"Why not? Joey is clearly having an affair."

"Think about it, Maura. It puts the children, certainly Angelo, in the precarious position of having to testify against his father as to the existence of the affair before the divorce papers were filed."

"I didn't think about that, Allen. You're right. Jane won't want the children brought into this." Maura sighed, feeling defeated. She thought she had something to help Jane be reunited with her children.

"Thanks anyway, Allen," Maura said and stood up. She picked up her phone and left the office.

Allen waited to hear the outer door close and picked up his phone.

"Richard? Allen Mason. Are you available for a surveillance job? Yeah, one of my divorce cases. Apparently the husband has been having an affair and I need proof the affair started before the couple separated." Allen proceeded to give the private investigator the details of the surveillance job he wanted done and completed the conversation. Opening Jane's file he made notes of today's conversation with the P.I. and Maura's visit.

Jane headed for her new, empty apartment. Almost completely devoid of furniture she had nothing to sit on but the floor and the furniture in the children's bedroom. Glancing in she saw the princess bed for Caitlyn and the racing bed for Angelo, both still wrapped in plastic. She returned to the living room. Grabbing a beer from the six pack she brought home with her she sank against the living room wall and slid down to the floor. The beer forgotten she began to sob. Jane didn't see the man outside of her window snapping pictures.

Maura sat in her office, unable to concentrate on her work. She was seriously disturbed by Allen telling her he couldn't use her photos of Joey. Turning around to gaze out her office window Maura began to wonder how she could best use the photos to get Joey to leave Jane alone.

What if I call Joey and tell him I have some incriminating evidence against him and he needs to let Jane have her children back? Would he believe me? Maura sincerely doubted it. If Joey was willing to hire an assailant to attack her she didn't think he'd stop at photos of him and his mistress being circulated.

Wait a minute. Circulate the photos. If Joey doesn't take me seriously I'll call his bluff. Let me call Frost and see what I can do with these pictures before I call Joey. A small smile on her face Maura reached for her phone.

The private investigator downloaded all of the photos he'd taken and emailed them with his report to Allen Mason. It was a long report, all right, as he'd told the attorney. Eighteen pages long, covering everyone involved, including Dr. Isles, the minor children, and both spouses. The only identity he had yet to uncover was the name of the mistress of Joey Grant. Richard smiled. He knew it would be only a matter of time before he found out who she was. He hit 'send' and leaned back, stretching to relieve aching muscles. Ever since he was a teenager and watched his parents tear their family apart he relished helping families fight back when a divorce proceeding turned dirty. And, he knew, most of them did. He waited for further instructions from Allen.

Allen Mason returned from lunch and checked his messages. Just an ordinary day with his court calendar, so nothing new there. Next, he checked his email and smiled as he saw Richard's report and attached photos. Allen opened the file and sat back to read.

Forty-five minutes later he had a more complete picture of what and he his client were up against. Allen smiled. He loved a good fight. Signaling his secretary to come into his office he geared up to take on Joey Grant.

Jane opened her eyes and looked around. She must have fallen asleep. She looked at the half-empty beer bottle sitting on the floor next to her and the remaining five still in their carton, unopened. At least Joey can't accuse me of being a damn drunk, she thought. Jane heard a knock at her door and got up. Who could this be? She wondered. She hadn't gotten around to giving everyone the new address. Jane looked through the peephole and saw a man standing there with papers in his hand. Sighing, she opened the door.

"Detective Jane Rizzoli?" he asked. She nodded and held out her hand. He deposited the papers in her hand and left quickly. Shutting the door Jane sighed then opened the summons.

"Damn you to hell, Joey Grant!" she yelled. Detective Jane Rizzoli was being sued by Joseph Grant for alienation of affection. Then Jane looked a little more closely at the paperwork. Dr. Maura Isles and the Isles Family Foundation were listed as co-defendants.

Maura's office phone buzzed. "Yes?"

"Dr. Isles, there's a man here to see you. Says he has some papers for you," her secretary's voice said. Maura sighed.

"I'll be right there, I've been expecting this," Maura said. She stood and straightened her dress.

"May I help you?" she said to the man standing in the waiting area.

"Dr. Maura Isles?" he asked.

"Yes."

"You've been served," he said and left. Maura heard her secretary gasped. She returned to her office before opening the legal paperwork she'd been expecting. The summons was what she expected: she and the foundation were both being sued for alienation of affection by one Joseph Grant. Co-defendant was Detective Jane Rizzoli. Maura shut her eyes and leaned against the wall. Salvo one had just been fired.

TBC