Hello Readers! This installment is approximately 9.2K words. When I reached 17K within the planned contents of this chapter, I decided I would split it for easier reading, thus, there is no BANNA in this edition. Next chapter will feature them a plenty. For the same reason, there is plenty of CHELSIE in this one, but not a lot in the next. Both are pivotal chapters, so I hope you enjoy!

John was delighted the weekend was here. He had spent most of the day with the MP of the region, Hugh Bayley, The Economic Council of York and other small business owners. The topic of the day was trying to bring more jobs to the area. The region's unemployment was growing and apparently, at 8.5%, they were among the highest in the nation. It was well received that Bates Airlift had just won a major contract against a London based company. He felt like a celebrity for the day, lauded and appreciated by his area peers. In all, he thought he might be adding no more than four positions, and he declared his contribution as minimal, but, the Economic Council saw it as positive and he was applauded any way. He was glad to be doing his part for the community. At least one part of his life was going in the direction he wanted.

He made it back to his desk, wondering if he needed to be there at all. It was Friday evening and most of his staff had already left or would be doing so soon. There was nothing urgent that needed his attention. He peered at his desk, going over the neat piles of file folders. He discovered a single sheet of paper he did not have when he left yesterday evening. It was positioned where his eyes would be drawn to it.

I TOLD YOU ONCE. YOU SHOULD NOT TRUST ALL YOUR PERSONNEL. THERE IS DECEIT ALL AROUND YOU. HEED MY WARNING.

Again? He scratched his head in confusion. Or wait….Was this the same document? Had Anna returned it to his desk? No, it couldn't be. This was the same wording he had received over a year ago, except I TOLD YOU ONCE was added at the front. This was what prompted him to start the investigation on Vera. He wondered if it had to do with anything else. He would have to talk to Anna. She might have more theories. He fretted. But how? He remembered that he had been a complete idiot to her yesterday. It wasn't her fault he was married. She was right in looking elsewhere. Richard was a dapper man. Of course she would be more interested in him than in waiting for broken divorcee.

At that moment, the object of his affection passed by and muttered a nondescript good evening. With Phyllis right behind her, they were the last to leave the office. On a whim, he headed out to watch her. He stood for a while, behind Gwen's desk, almost hidden by the office's partitions, but not quite. He was lucky her vehicle was at the far end of the car park. It gave him enough time to observe the cadence of her hips as they swayed when she walked. She had a fine figure and an elegant neck. She had grace even when she moved. She really was an angel. Anna turned without warning, perhaps sensing his eyes upon her. He reacted by hiding behind a wall. He left, not watching her get into her automobile.

"What are you staring at Charles?" Elsie placed her hands on her hips, slightly annoyed. Charles was obviously mesmerized, observing a clear picture of a topless Vera. She could tell over his shoulder that he was going through the dozens of incriminating pictures they had sourced, yet he was enthralled with one in particular. In this line of work, they had seen their fair share of deceitful spouses, caught with minimal or no clothes on and engaged in otherwise adulterous activities. Some of the prints bordered on pornographic. She was used to it. This was their job. She shouldn't mind too much, only she did, especially when the target was younger and alluring. She was secure in her husband's affections, but who would want their man to be staring at pictures of a naked younger woman and giving himself something to compare her too?

"I was just looking for the best print to provide Mr. Bates." His expression was one of humiliation. He had been caught staring at Vera's round and very bare breasts. They were beautiful, he had to admit. Just before Elsie arrived, he was thinking that they were perfect and showed no signs of aging, even when Vera was getting on. She wasn't 20. Perhaps she had invested in breast augmentation. They were too perky. It wasn't natural, he decided. Now that Elsie was here, he closed the image on the monitor quickly.

"Mmm. Were you now?" Elsie was not convinced. Her brow furrowed and she gave him an inquisitive look. "Maybe I should do this."

She moved forward, not giving him much time to protest and pushed herself in between him and the desk until she was in front of the monitor that displayed their loot. She knew they had been successful, but she didn't know that they had amassed more than 100 clear images of Vera. Their laptop was full of them. There was Vera undressing, Vera completely nude, Vera performing fellatio and Vera coupling with a man who was not, probably, Mr. Bates. It was a goldmine, just what they needed – except - the lover's face was not visible in any of pictures. Due to the positioning of the camera, at the top part of the wall that separated the driver from the backside of the van, it had not captured an image of his face. They had most of his legs, his genitals and his lower abdomen. That was it. The man had not entered the van from the back, as Vera had, thus, they were still stuck not knowing who he was. All they could perceive, from the images of him walking towards the vehicle, was that he was tall. Over six feet. Hopefully, Anna could narrow it down.

"It's really not necessary Elsie." Charles tried to not look at her, lest she discover that he had certainly been ogling Vera. She could see right through him. All it took was one glance and she would know. He didn't want to have that conversation with her.

"Let's see." She ignored what Charles had said. "Is this the picture you were looking at?" Elsie opened a random file. It was Vera in a bra. This was not the one. "No, I think not," she expressed loudly. She could hear Charles fidget in his seat. She wanted him to squirm and suffer a little. She opened a couple more, quickly, without saying much. Then, she found one. Maybe it wasn't the one she was seeking, but it was similar and it would serve a purpose.

She turned to look at him. "Is this what you were looking at?" Charles gazed toward the monitor. Vera had ecstasy written all over her face. Her breasts were on display again. "Is this what had you with your mouth open, salivating?"

"Elsie, what are you trying to gain by humiliating me?" Charles huffed. "One of us has to go through the pictures and put together a portfolio. This isn't new, and if I recall, you hate doing it."

Charles seemed ready to want to leave his chair, but Elsie stared him down and he remained, inert and unknowing of what to do next. Was Elsie really mad? He couldn't read her. Was she just joking?

"The difference, love, is that I came upon you, with your mouth open, clearly affected by Mrs. Bates' bodily attributes." Elsie turned her body to face his and she stepped forward. She leaned in, holding the backrest for support.

Charles' face reflected surprise. Elsie's face was inches from his. Their breaths mingled, but Charles dared not move.

"Maude and Emma don't like it when you ignore them to look at other women." Charles had given her breasts those pet names early in their relationship and they had never stopped using them. Just the mention of them always made him frisky.

"But I…" Charles tried to respond. He would take Elsie's attributes over those of any woman, every single time. How could she even think otherwise? If she let him, he'd touch them now. He was always dying to fondle them.

"Silence," Elsie stopped him from talking. Charles complied. Elsie's grin, though, started to give way and Charles understood the situation. Elsie would make him pay for looking at Vera, in the best way she knew how. She would torture him with her body and show him who was boss. Oh how he loved this woman.

"You know what's going to happen, right, love?" She nibbled at his earlobe. She sat down and straddled him.

"I think so, yes."

"Maude and Emma are going to make you forget you ever saw those images." She kissed him. When he tried to deepen it, she continued. "I'll show you a real woman."

Oh my. This was torture indeed.

Anna hurried to her godparent's house as soon as she received the text from them telling her to come over. They said they had a breakthrough. She should be happier than she was. Evidence meant Mr. Bates could move forward with his divorce and the two of them might be able to see more of each other. If only. She didn't know what had gotten into him. Even after his rude outbreak, she caught him staring at her when she was leaving the compound today. He turned back when she caught him. She couldn't tell what was on his mind. Was he having second thoughts about them? Did he think she wasn't interested? She tried not to think about it, but Vera's words taunted her whenever she grew weary. He liked younger women, his wife assured Thomas in the taped message she heard. Might she have been just a symptom of something else? She wouldn't want to believe it; that he could use her. She thought that she had seen his true nature at the castle – yet, he had sexual harassment charges brought against him from a younger woman. It was hard for her to wrap her head around that. Him, a predator? He wasn't anything like Richard. Whatever happened between them, she never felt he was taking advantage of her. Her sixth sense told her that something else was bothering him. Now was not the time, though, to think about that. Today she had to concentrate on Vera. She needed to see what Pops and Elsie had.

"Hello….." she opened the door to their flat with the key she had. They knew she was coming, this wouldn't be a surprise. She had no response. She walked in further, depositing her light coat and handbag on one of the perches for visitors. She closed the door behind her.

"Pops, Elsie…..are you here?" She said it louder this time and her voice reverberated through the residence. If they were here, they would hear her. Muffled sounds came from their office and she walked towards it. Before she could turn the knob on the door, it creaked open and Pops' head peeked out. His usual serene complexion was replaced with reddish skin and a sheen of sweat accumulating above his brow.

"We'll be right out love. Wait for us in the dining room." He closed the door again, without her acknowledgement.

Anna heard additional muffled noises. Wait. Did she just walk in on them? Doing that? She covered her face with palms of her hands and froze where she stood. Oh, Lord. Why, why, why…? She couldn't help but get a mental image in her mind. She shook herself all over to dispel those thoughts.

"Don't mind me," she exclaimed loudly. "I'll just go put on a kettle and listen to some conversations….all the way in the kitchen," she added for dramatic measure. Where I'll kill myself – she mouthed cynically so they couldn't hear.

They knew she was coming for God's sake. They had asked her to visit. The last thing she needed was her horny Godparents reminding her of how terrible her own love life was. It made her desire Mr. Bates even more. She huffed as she walked towards the kitchen. At least far away, in this corner of the flat, she wouldn't have to see them emerge from the room, probably sated and glowing and a little bit embarrassed. Couldn't they keep away from each other for just a wee bit? In her devious mind, she reckoned she ought to embarrass them by standing in the same spot and wait for them to come out, but as painful as that might be for them and momentarily fun for her, it would be more irritating for her in the long run. It had been a while since she had seen any action. It was more than a year since she and her last boyfriend had broken things off. Mr. Bates' kisses were the only contact she'd had since. Even Mary had a date tonight – with Matthew Crawley, of all people. Mary was right when she said he was checking her out. At some point during the week, he had obtained her number from his mother and called her. She had excitedly agreed to go on a date. Love was all around her and she wasn't sure she could handle all their smug and happy faces.

She didn't waste any time setting up the water to boil. It had been a long afternoon in the office too and she needed to relax. It was Friday. A good cup of hot tea would set her in the mood. Elsie's cupboards were always stocked with the varieties Anna enjoyed and she found what she was looking for – a nice citrus explosion blend.

She went about listening to some of the taped conversations that she had not gotten to yet. Nothing from Richard stood out. He had plenty of Sales calls. If anything, she had to agree that he was a dedicated worker. He also called his mother and was as sweet as pie with her. What a double faced arse, she thought.

When she finished with him, she turned to Anthony Strallan's calls. The last one stood out.

"I've given you all the money I can Edna. I would have to take out a second post to give you more."

There was a resolve in his voice that Anna had never heard before. He was always a talkative man, but he was courteous and accommodating. This was different. He had also identified the caller as Edna, which finally gave Anna the verbal confirmation she needed to link them definitely together.

"Yes, I am sure you would like that, but I already work myself to the bone. I don't want to take a second post. We can resolve this other ways, but I don't think you would like that."

Anna was surprised and wondered if Mr. Bates had managed a conversation with Anthony. She wasn't aware if he had used the data they had provided him. Maybe he had, because this was not the Anthony she was used to. Having worked with Thomas this week, she had a direct view of his comings and goings and had interacted with him more. The Controller was very kind and sometimes meek, and outside of his interactions with Vera, very measured. It was odd, then, that he came back from Mr. Bates' office this week in a harried state and closed the door behind him, not emerging in the entire afternoon. Thomas had commented that he had probably received a smacking from the boss, and nothing else was mentioned by the rest of the team. She didn't think it was her place to say anything and as always, Phyllis did not look up to acknowledge. She kept working. If he had received a talking to from his boss, this conversation would be the only clue.

Pops and Elsie were still not there and she moved on to Vera. The tea was ready and she poured herself a cup. She fast forwarded every conversation that she determined was of no use. One was intriguing.

"Hello love. What are you up to?"

"What do you mean he was rude? Anthony doesn't have a rude bone in his body."

"I see. What else did he say?"

"Fine, I'll talk to him and find out what he's up to. It'll have to be next week, though. I have a waxing appointment at Maisie's Beauty Salon."

"Yes, you ought to try their Brazilian. They're very thorough."

"We should have tea soon and I'll tell you all about John's latest stunts."

"All right, Cheerio."

Anna wondered if that was Edna. It had to be if they were talking about Anthony's rudeness. After what she heard of his conversation, she wouldn't say he was rude, just strong and forceful, but others could misconstrue it as rude. What surprised her of this exchange, if it was Edna, was Vera's desire to discuss her husband's activities. Hadn't Edna brought suit against him for sexual harassment? As a spouse, wouldn't you want to steer clear of her? Something just wasn't right.

"How are you, love?"

Anna was so deep in thought from the last conversation that she did not hear Pops finally come into the kitchen.

"I'm good. How about you?" She couldn't avoid answering with a cheeky grin. She implied much with her eyes, which now scrutinized him.

"Quite well, thank you. Elsie will be out shortly." He raised an eyebrow at her cheekiness and reached forward to kiss her, but Anna noticed something and stopped him.

"In a hurry, were you?" He had mismatched the button with the corresponding button hole. His shirt was misaligned. She undid the first set, wanting to help.

He closed his eyes, wishing for the earth to swallow him.

"Let's just get you all dressed up." She set the first pair of buttons right, but his hands stopped her.

"Why don't you take care of the tea service and bring it into the dining room and I'll finish this." He turned to avoid her and Anna chuckled inwardly. Her Godparents were really adorable, she had to admit. She wanted to be like them when she was that age.

"All right Pops. I've got it." She moved the kettle, cups, saucers and some biscuits onto a tray and joined Elsie who had now reached the dining room table.

"Hello love, have we got a treat for you." Elsie was hoping to head right into the topic at hand and avoid any further embarrassing moments between all of them.

Anna smiled knowingly.

"Pops will be right out. He's just finishing getting dressed in the kitchen." She did want to start right away, but she wanted to get the last jab in before they got down to business. It worked. Elsie couldn't face her.

"So, what is it? Do tell."

"We got her. We have the evidence of infidelity." Elsie's voice was clearly enthusiastic.

"Oh my God. Show me." Anna's hands flailed excitedly. "I knew she was up to no good."

Elsie positioned the laptop in front of her. Anna moved forward, focusing on the screen.

"We have at least 100 images of all types. I'll just open one randomly." Elsie chose one she hadn't seen and double clicked on the image. Both her and Anna's eyes opened wide as they saw Vera putting her mouth on some man's very erect penis.

"Oh my," shuddered Anna, not sure of what else to say. She jumped back and put her hands in the air, blocking the crude image from her sight. The picture of Vera couldn't be any clearer. Anna was excited at their success. She hugged Elsie tightly.

"You are brilliant for getting this." Anna's eyes sparkled. There was intensity to her words.

Elsie was startled momentarily. Of course Anna should be content, being successful in any case was always a reason to celebrate, but Elsie wondered if Anna's exuberance wasn't a symptom of more than just happiness at the case being resolved. Anna had never been this elated with any case. Ever. She was usually cynical.

She put on a smiling façade to continue with the conversation. She didn't think confronting Anna was the way to go about it.

"Oh, it was all in a day's work. You know us," she responded.

For all of Anna's joy, she had hoped to have been the one to discover the identity herself. She would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed. It might mean leaving Bates Airlift for good and she wasn't ready for that.

"So, who is he?" She better get on with it, regardless of the disappointment.

"Can you believe that we do not have an image of this man's face?" Elsie crossed her arms in front of her chest and pursed her lips in frustration.

"What? How is that possible?" Anna commandeered the keyboard and opened another random image, trying to disprove Elsie. "There must be one of him in here." Every time she opened one, she shuddered with the graphic images she has to see, but realized what Elsie said was true. There was no man's face in any of them. Only manly body parts. She couldn't fathom how lucky she was.

"Pops has been through every single image. We do not have his likeness on this set. We only captured him as he arrived and we were hoping you could help us identify him." Elsie took back control and maneuvered through the hierarchy of files on the storage drive to access the video of the man arriving to the car lot. It was not clear to them, but Anna knew the men better. She might distinguish him, if the lover was an employee at all.

"That should be easy." Anna looked confident. "I know all the men."

"Yes, but the image isn't clear." She pressed play. She should have waited for Pops, because if she had, she would have known that he had not edited the video yet for all of the footage they had acquired from the prior evening. Elsie fast forwarded a few seconds and stopped randomly - right on the spot where she was cupping herself and pushing her breasts forward, staring straight at the camera. She had forgotten all about Charles' audio seduction of the night before and that she had responded to his words with that action. She had no clue he was already taping.

Anna's entire head shifted to stare at her Godmother. She couldn't avoid the annoyance in her voice. "Really Elsie? You and Pops are going to give me a complex. Can you tone down the love until I am not around?"

Elsie blushed furiously and pressed fast forward a few more seconds.

"You weren't supposed to see that."

"Yes, I imagine I wasn't." Anna's head had shifted again to look at the screen.

"There, that's him." A clear image of the man, walking towards the target car was discernible.

"Who is that? He has so much stuff on I can hardly tell. Play that back. He's getting smaller." Anna moved her line of sight to several angles, hoping to see something different, something that would stand out to her.

"We have him on several video feeds, but this is the best one." She rewound until she had the best image of him and froze the screen.

"He's tall." That was all Anna could come up with. "I can't discern the method of walking."

"Pops estimates between six feet, one inch and six feet, four inches." Elsie zoomed in on the head, hoping Anna could recognize any of the features. The image was taken at night and zooming in did not help make it easier.

"That doesn't really narrow it down too much and I don't recognize any of the clothing. He's wearing a hat and a coat."

"Any of the men wear hats?"

"Not that I've noticed before." Anna couldn't hide her true feelings of excitement. She still had a case to continue working on and she still had an excuse to go to Bates Airlift every day. She couldn't have planned this better. Mr. Bates had what he needed to start the process and she could still be a part of his life.

"Why are you smiling?" asked a confused Elsie. "This does not help us."

"I guess I am just happy that I can still be of value in this case. The answer will have to come from me."

"Oh my child. I wonder about you sometimes. I would think you would want this to be over. You look absolutely exhausted handling both things at once."

"I am exhausted, but this is the most fun I've ever had on a case." Elsie did not need to know of her ulterior motives.

"So, where are we?" exclaimed Pops as he came back into the room. His shirt buttons now matched and he looked presentable, as if nothing had happened.

"She's seen everything and she doesn't recognize him," offered Elsie, cluing Charles on their conversation thus far.

"What about last week's absence? Were you able to get any information?" Pops remembered how the week neither of them showed up might be helpful for narrowing down the choices.

"I do, actually, have some information that would reduce the choices." She took out her notes. "I'll cross reference my list with the heights of the men and that should help."

"I've already compiled a list of the men's heights. I thought it might be useful."

"You lovely, lovely man." Anna leaned across the table to give Pops a kiss on the cheek. "You just saved us some time. So, maybe we should talk about whose height no longer makes them a candidate?"

Pops agreed and offered the names of those that fit that description.

"Right. According to my calculation, that would be Jack Ross, Tom Branson, James Kent and Tony Gillingham. Everybody else is above 6 feet."

Anna looked dumbfounded. "Only four?" She brought her hand to her temple, trying to visualize all the other men. Mr. Bates was tall and the others often exceeded even him.

Pops nodded. "Yes, only four. You are working in a land of giants, it would seem."

Her visual recount of the men completed, she started to make sense of the data. "I already eliminated Tom Branson and Jack Ross. I never included James, but, with him and Tony, that means we only eliminate two."

"Is Tony or Anthony, whatever you call him, the playboy?" Elsie was trying to remember. "Or the one you think is gay?"

"Yes, the playboy. Mmmm. Good to know he has common sense in his promiscuity. Knowing your boss' wife is off limits – smart." Anna rolled her eyes. "James is the one whom I think is in the closet and in denial." Anna sighed. She was expecting a better outcome. She might be able to eliminate a couple more from her own results.

"Now, about the absences…Last week was eventful for many of the men. Richard was in London with Gwen and I. William had to leave early, as he became sick when Branson pranked him into eating a something with nuts in it."

"Why is that a prank?" Pops couldn't make sense of her comment.

"Tom didn't realize William was telling the truth when he said he was allergic. He offered a walnut muffin but said it was bran. William had an anaphylactic reaction and Daisy needed to fly him to the hospital. He was lucky that we had a chopper and pilot available."

"Oh, poor fellow." Elsie shuddered.

"Indeed. He was treated quickly and is quite well, but Tom felt so guilty and was so concerned, he's done everything he can to make it up to William. He has spent the whole week apologizing. I felt so sorry for both of them. Tom is a good guy who made a really idiotic choice."

Anna shuffled her papers. "Let's see. Michael Gregson and Evelyn Napier were on a North Sea run. There was a low ceiling of weather off the coast allowing for no visibility. I'm told those are horrible flying conditions. They took a two hour delay on the oil platform until it dissipated and they could come back. They would have arrived a lot later than usual. It isn't likely that either could make it on time to a rendezvous with Vera."

She looked up. "That's it. Those are the men who were out on that night and couldn't have made it to see her. They were also in town yesterday, when these pictures were taken. The others are Anthony Strallan, Alfred Nugent and Thomas Barrow. Thomas is gay, so out of the heterosexual men, we can assume Anthony and Alfred are not the ones. This doesn't mean they are absolutely not the lovers. For all we know, Vera might have cancelled herself for any number of reasons. This just makes them less likely."

Elsie repeated the list of lingering candidates. "We've agreed that the remaining men are Richard Carlisle, Michael Gregson, Evelyn Napier and William Mason?"

"Yes."

What an eventful evening. She still couldn't believe that they finally had some evidence for Mr. Bates. He would want to know immediately. Without further delay, she wrote a summary for him in dropbox, but did not add any of the files. She suggested they all meet at Crawley's pub the next evening and to tweet her something appropriate if he agreed.

Before going to sleep, she started going through all of Richard's and Vera's files. Besides what she had of Richard's on his laptop, she had also managed to steal into Vera's office and copy all of the documents she found in her desk. Vera had a lot of investments, but, nothing stood out to her. Still, she had to keep looking to and try to make sense of everything.

She had set the "Turn notification on" feature for his account, thus, when she woke, she realized that he had tweeted during the night. She also had a notification of having been mentioned in somebody else's tweet.

She looked at his account first.

I LOVE FULLERS 1845 #gonnagetmesometonight

He was getting good at tweeting and double meanings. He had even attached an image of a bottle of this British beer. There could be no doubt in her mind that he did want a meeting and that it would be where she suggested and at 6:45pm, no less. That was ingenious of him. The only problem was that he kept tweeting his geolocation, no matter how many times she told him how to turn it off. She momentarily worried it might cause them problems in the future, but relaxed when she remembered that with the evidence they had, that they might not need to be this hidden any longer.

The other tweet was baffling. She wondered if it was spam.

EYEINTHESKY YOU MIGHT JUST FIND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. DO NOT DESIST.

She looked at the tweeter's profile. The name on the account was Seeker of Truth with the user name incognitohelper. There was no account user description, no followers and the account was following no one. This was the first and only tweet.

This was odd and she could make no sense of it. It couldn't be spam if there was only one tweet. She had been targeted and she didn't understand why. She would ask Joe if he had a way of tracking what IP address had sent it.

A cluster of people stood around the desk in Robert's office. When Anna had messaged him to tell him that they had some photographic evidence, John was ecstatic. He was even more so when he ran into his solicitor at the pub. Matthew and Mary had some sort of outing planned and he had shown up at the property expecting to go out on a date, not realizing that John and Anna and Mary's father would be there too and that his expertise would be needed.

Once he was made aware of what was about to happen, he agreed to step in a few minutes and give his professional opinion. Mary, although Anna could tell she was a bit exasperated in having been made to wait, gave Anna her approval through a forced, but large smile. Anna knew her friend well and Mary would do anything for her. Before Mary could change her mind, she dragged Matthew upstairs. Mary didn't mind too terribly. This case meant so much to Anna and allowing her to borrow Matthew for only a few minutes could determine the future of the investigation. Plus, she didn't want Matthew to think she was a pampered freak. She was self-centered, but he didn't have to find out yet. Not if they were to lapse into anything meaningful. It also meant that she could have a few minutes to smooth out the situation with her father who clearly did not understand what Matthew Crawley was doing in his pub, picking up his daughter. She had omitted the name of her date when she told her father she needed to leave earlier that day and he did not understand why she was going out with somebody who was a relation, no matter how distant. Even with the pub busy on a Saturday night, he appeared upset.

Back up at the office. Pops had prepared them for what they were about to see, explaining that the images were graphic and proved without a doubt, Mrs. Bates' infidelity. Anna looked at her client to determine his reaction as the first picture was brought onto the screen. Her curiosity was that of somebody who loved him, not of an investigator. They had no moments alone this evening and neither demonstrated any behaviors that could lead anybody to believe that they might be involved with each other. Only Robert and Mary knew, but nothing was said. Regardless of their unresolved sentiments and that his response today, regarding his wife, could be awkward and painful, Anna worried about him and showed no reaction to his recent outbreak.

The first picture, pretty innocent in comparison to the ones that would follow, showed Vera taking off her clothes. John showed no emotions. As the degree of explicitness increased, Anna came to believe he would become angry, expressive even, but he said nothing. He was stoic, in general, but the degree of non-emotion worried Anna. Most cuckolded spouses cried and yelled. His face was passive; the only action she could discern was the occasional lifting of an eyebrow. She hoped he wasn't the type of person to do something foolish privately. She'd seen that with other clients too.

After several pictures were shown, Pops intervened. So far, Vera and her gentleman were completely naked. There was touching and heavy fondling. None of the pictures showed her engaging in sex yet. "The pictures are only more graphic as they continue. Perhaps Mr. Bates would like some time to privately peruse them?" He coughed, intending for Elsie and Anna to leave, thinking he might spare them all the embarrassment of viewing the pictures together. "You might be more comfortable with only me for guidance."

John was casual with his response, demonstrating how little he was affected by what he was seeing. "You must have already reviewed these. You don't have to leave on my account unless you want to." He was looking at all three of his investigators, but Anna could swear he was speaking directly to her. "I am not embarrassed. Vera should be the one embarrassed. I've never disrespected her." With this comment Pops continued flashing pictures on the computer screen. The first one they saw with actual coitus prompted John to speak.

"Please tell me this is enough to demand the divorce. Please tell me I have a case." He was addressing Matthew directly, even when there were dozens of more pictures to look at.

"They are admissible," he conceded, "You'll have to prove it is not you," but turned to question Elsie and Pops directly, "and, you'll have to prove that no laws were broken obtaining them."

"That is not me. I've several scars from my hip to my knee from several surgeries. That man's legs don't have any." Mr. Bates interjected, again with no discernible emotion.

Anna was surprised to hear that. She remembered how he limped during the castle battle when he lifted up Haley, the fierce and brave warrior. He said he had an old knee injury flaring up. How she longed to know how it happened. She wondered why it wasn't listed in the dossier that Joe had put together for Mr. Bates. Might it be a classified war injury?

"That takes care of that," volunteered Matthew. "What about the location?"

"Where was it?" John asked. He was staring into space.

Elsie explained the location of the lot and how they had placed the camera and removed it.

"As long as her lover doesn't turn out to be the owner, then you should be fine. If he is the owner, then engaging in sex, in a car he owns, on a lot he owns, would make these images illegal. If neither Vera, nor her lover owns the lot, then, engaging in sex, the way they did, would constitute illegal entry as well and the judge won't dismiss you."

"We verified ownership. SG Petch belongs to a family. None of the owners live in York. They are currently in London. We know a little of the law," added Pops. They'd been down this road before several times and knew how important it was to get it right. "The lover would have to prove that he did have permission to be there and that means that Vera would have to identify him to get that confirmation. If they are going out of their way to deceive and are meeting at this location, it is highly unlikely that the lover wants to be found out and would come forward to aid Vera in denouncing this divorce petition."

"You're right, actually," acquiesced Matthew, but he was drowned out by John's voice.

"Who is he?" This seemed to excite him more than seeing Vera's pictures. His voice was raised and demanding. He needed to know which of his employees had betrayed him. This thought hurt him more than the deception from his own wife.

Anna intervened this time.

"None of the images show him. Neither do the ones when he arrives. I've narrowed it down to four men and I am still investigating. It shouldn't be long now."

"Make sure you enunciate. Stand close enough that the microphone picks up her voice too, but not within arm's distance. The last thing you want is for Vera to strike you or pummel you with her fists. That could dislodge the wire or damage the transmission."

Charles still did not know what to think of John Bates. As he fitted the clandestine wire underneath the man's shirt, he continued to wonder if his motivations were right. It wasn't his job to be the moral police and the evidence he secured against Vera did dictate that John Bates, was indeed, a wronged man. Still, he had been an investigator for over twenty years and the one or two cases he had managed where his client had retaliated against the unlawful spouse had scarred him. He didn't want people to get hurt because of his work. It had taken him a while to be able to sleep at night again after that and he needed to maintain a clean conscience.

He taped the wire to the man's hairy chest. This pilot turned entrepreneur was calm and serene. Seeing him sit through the dozens of images of his wife's infidelity without an emotional outburst should give him confidence that he was a good man, yet, he wasn't sure. Anna was the one who was so sure about him. She said his employees revered him. The pesky issue of the sexual harassment case though, would always make him doubt. He stared at the man's face, trying to catch a glimpse of his soul, all the while wishing his little girl didn't have to work with him.

"Everything I say to her and whatever she responds back to me, you're sure you can get on tape?"

John Bates started buttoning up his shirt, hiding the wire that he hoped would be his salvation. Matthew Crawley was a good solicitor and had already drawn up the papers to file the divorce petition. He only needed half of Monday's morning to get it all ready. When the much anticipated news was received, that everything was in order and the petition complete, only needing to be delivered to his spouse, he flew out of the office. Poor Gwen must have been mortified when he asked her to cancel all his appointments without any reason. He didn't turn back to see her reaction or find out if there were any objections, being too eager to get into his car and get the process started. This was the moment he had been waiting for so long, an almost unreachable goal he had dreamed of for years. It was finally within his reach. Matthew had also prepared a petition of partnership dissolution for Bates Airlift, citing the terms of the agreement had been broken. John wasn't sure which one of the petitions made him happier. Both, in equal measure, liberated him from the depths of hell.

Matthew had explained the whole process and recommended how to present the petitions. He ought to get wired, and have all of the conversations recorded. It would help his court case if Vera became aggressive and violent. It would also help if she confessed her guilt. Besides the graphic evidence, her own confirmation of guilt could speed things through the court. It was also a protection for him. Knowing how manipulative she could be, Matthew had suggested she might fake violence from him, as that would get the court to favor her in the terms, even when he was the wronged party. One could never be too sure, and he had agreed. One call to Charles Carson was all it took to get it sorted. He would have preferred Anna, or not, he wasn't sure, but he left her behind, in the office, starting a new week's work with Phyllis. He would have no plausible excuse to pull her away, so, her Godfather was the next best option. Now, they were together, his wife Elsie not too far away, and he was being prepped for this momentous task. He hoped he didn't botch it.

"Yes," responded Charles. "Elsie and I will be in our van, outside your home, capturing all the audio. If there is any violence, from either of you, I'll be calling the police." His face hardened and his jaw clenched. He didn't sound too friendly at all.

"Violence? Not from me, I can assure you." Was Charles Carson scowling at him? Yes, he was. Why would he even think that he would be violent? He wouldn't touch a hair on Vera's body, both by conviction, as he had never touched her, not any of the million times that he had every reason to, and by precaution. He wasn't about to lose everything now, not when he was so close. A thought that terrified him took hold. Had Anna told him about their kisses? Perhaps he was being a protective father.

"You don't need to assure me of anything. This is my standard protocol." There was an air of superiority in him, one that he couldn't put away.

"What he means," added a well-intentioned Elsie who had been observing from the far end of the office, "…is that we are there for protection of whoever might need it. These situations can escalate quickly and it is always good to be prepared." Elsie turned to look at Charles first, giving him a strong look that immediately lessened his bravado, and then to Mr. Bates to give him a reassuring look. "The moment you leave, we'll leave too. You and your solicitor will have the recording before dawn."

"Thank you. Thank you very much." John Bates breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally going to happen.

His luggage, full of clothes and books, was packed and in his car. Everything of value and real importance, he stored in a bolted safe in his office's cupboard. He could care less about the things in the house. The paintings, decorations and furniture meant nothing to him – all things chosen by Vera. The house was more hers than his, realistically. She had decorated it and filled it with things from the moment he purchased it. She could keep it and all of the contents and made sure that it was stated so in the divorce decree. He would rather start anew somewhere else. He didn't care where he ended up tonight. Any hotel or inn would do for the time being, or even his car if it came to that, until he could source a steadier accommodation. He should have plenty of funds to purchase a bachelor's flat; he didn't need anything larger. He would start looking as soon as possible, but would wait until the divorce and dissolution were final to purchase anything.

He sat, in his living room sofa, waiting for Vera to make her appearance. He had left her at the office when he ran out. He looked at his watch. She should be home soon, as the work day had finished - unless of course, she found a dalliance to distract her and deter her from returning. He chuckled. Vera had dug her own grave and he couldn't be happier. He was aware that the Carson's were out there and that gave him comfort too. Even with Charles' hostility, he felt that he had a friend within arm's reach if he needed it.

Soon enough, the sounds of her car coming into their drive alerted him of her presence. He looked at the files he had organized on the little table closest to him - a few of the printed pictures and both petitions. Breathe in, he told himself. Breathe out, soon followed. He was calm. The moment he had been waiting for was upon him. He was ready.

She opened the door and caught the sight of him, apparently waiting for her.

"Shouldn't you be in your room?" She looked at her watch. "You're late for your daily brooding."

John dismissed her. "Yes, good afternoon to you too, Vera." He stayed in his place. Usually, he would have left by now, not wanting to be in her presence and thus, Vera's jab was not off the mark. He always remained in his room when they were at home, and in all honesty, mostly brooding. He would only come out to prepare himself a light supper and would never venture out for anything else. He would read or watch the telly to entertain himself or leave the house altogether, taking Maggie for a spin. That was his life.

Vera realized that his not leaving meant that he wanted to talk. "So, what is it?" She had set her things down on an empty chair and proceeded to fold her arms in expectation. She was very sure of herself and tapped her foot, impatient to get the conversation finished.

John stood. He reached for the prints and took them into his hands. "I was hoping you could explain these?" He turned the prints to reveal the shocking images. "That is not you and I together."

Vera's first reaction was shock. It was written all over her face. She didn't expect this type of ambush. Not from John. She didn't consider him sly enough. She kept quiet as the shock morphed into anger. Her face reddened and he could see she was seething. She snatched the images from his hand and raised her voice with clear contempt.

"Where did you get this rubbish?" She inspected the images, surveying each one.

"I had you followed. You were not as clever in your deception as you thought." Every word he spoke, he felt confidence flooding him and giving him strength to endure this encounter. "Leaving your car in the Park and Ride, taking a bus, then a cab – it wasn't sufficient Vera. You didn't do enough to cover your tracks. You've taunted me for years regarding your affairs and you thought I wasn't smart enough to find out….but there it is… you gave me what I needed and I have proof now."

Vera felt rage increasing with every word he spoke. She contained her desire to strike him and instead, tore at the images continuously. They bore the brunt of her fury and when she could rip them no more, she hurled them against his body. "You idiot," was her immediate response to his words. The pieces bounced off him and fell to the floor.

"You can tear them apart all you want Vera. There are plenty of others….. In fact, the entire interlude was captured." He could tell his confidence irked her - that - and the knowledge that she had been caught. Maybe it wasn't the right moment to ask, but he needed to know. Now that it was all out in the open, perhaps she would be candid. "Who is he?" There was no jealousy tainting the question. The tone of his voice was on par with asking her if she wanted tea.

Vera gazed at him with a sparkle in her eye. Knowing that she had at least part of her tryst still unknown to him pleased her.

"If you aren't already aware, I won't tell you his name. All I will say is that he is a better lover than you ever were. You were worthless, you know that? Worthless." Vera was yelling now.

"Well, if I was worthless to you, then you should have let me go years ago." He smiled and kept cool. "You could have had so many other men." In the battle of temperament and control, he was winning.

"I bet you would have liked that, wouldn't you? ... Well, let me tell you something John Bates. I have had as many men as I've wanted. This pitiful marriage has not barred me from enjoying myself." John couldn't believe his ears. She was admitting to other infidelities and it was being recorded. He suppressed his joy at her confession. This was bound to be helpful. "I've not left it because killing my brother sealed your fate and it makes me happy to see you miserable."

She struck a chord. He knew she would mention it, but it still hurt to be reminded of his past mistakes.

"You know what happened, Vera. I've apologized for my part in it for as long as I can remember." There was emotion in his voice. "It was not my fault and I won't have you continue to torture me for it."

She cackled loudly. "Do you really think this changes anything for you, John?"

"Yes, it does." He regained the confident tone once more. "Your infidelity allows me to divorce you. I will be free of you." He took the first set of papers from the table. "This is the divorce petition that my lawyer, Matthew Crawley, has already registered in the court. You should be getting a notice from them shortly, but this is the copy of what we registered in case you are interested." He handed them over. "You can make it simple and agree and we can have the decree absolute in a couple of months. If you want to contest it, that's fine. We can go to court, but the evidence against you is overwhelming." Vera took the neat pile and flung it across the room, scattering the sheets as they flew. Random pages were everywhere.

"You fool. Nothing changes for you. You may get your divorce, but, you will never be rid of me."

"I beg to differ." He took the last set of documents on the table. "This is your copy of the notice of partnership dissolution that was also registered in the court. I believe the terms are fare and more than adequately compensate you for the time and funds you have invested in Bates Airlift. You can have your lawyer go through them and contact Matthew Crawley if you, or he, have any questions."

Instead of handing them to her, he let them fall on the nearest chair. They were better there than across the room as they would inevitably end up if they were in her possession.

She laughed again. Where she got so much evil stamina, he didn't know.

"Batesy, I've told you before. I am not giving up my interest in Bates Airlift and you better be prepared in court, because I will take you for everything you've got. You're no saint and if I were you, I would be scared."

"Always with your false accusations Vera…. I have nothing to be ashamed of. I've never been unfaithful. The court will see that justice is served." He picked up a backpack that housed the few baubles, nick-knacks and toiletries he had yet to carry out and started heading towards the door.

"The house is yours Vera. I've moved out. You'll not see me here again." He laughed. He could be cynical too if that was the way she wanted to play. "You could bring your lover here so you don't have to meet in a van, in the SG Petch car lot…..Honestly Vera, I thought you had more class."

His words incensed her. Before he could react, she picked up a small sculpture on the wall ledge next to her and cast it at him. It hit him right beneath the eye, on the ridge of his cheek bone. He could feel skin break, pierced by the heavy object. A dull pain ensued. The weapon fell to the floor intact. He never imagined she could become violent and didn't think his comment would elicit this response. They had traded worse insults in the past. He raised his hand to his face and felt blood seeping through the injury. His fingers were now sticky with it. The microphone wouldn't pick that up and couldn't know that she had assaulted him. He had to make a statement to make sure it was recorded.

"Violence will get you nowhere Vera. That object you just threw at me, that which has caused me injury and has now left me bleeding, gives me the right to request a non-molestation order against you. You are not allowed to come near me and that…my dear soon to be ex-wife….includes Bates Airlift. The partnership dissolution is being processed. You can send whomever you want to collect your things, but you are not to put a foot on the compound or come near me. If you talk to your lawyer, he'd advise you to stay away."

With that, he closed the door and walked towards his car. Behind him, he could hear her yell insults and expletives and it was accompanied by the noise of things crashing to the ground. This was it. He was finally free.

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows. I appreciate every one. The next chapter is virtually all written and going through second stage editing, so, it will be posted much sooner than the average time between my chapters.

Who is sending Anna strange tweets? Will she finally find the lover among the remaining four men? How will the staff react to the divorce and dissolution of partnership? Will John and Anna finally find a way towards each other? Stay tuned to find the answers to these and other questions….