Chapter Twenty-Two

"Mr. Barkley, I'm sorry I don't have more to show for my time. Even with all the rumors I didn't find anything specific about the couple meeting." Ron Passen offered with a disappointed note in his voice. He was with the Pinkerton's in San Francisco, and the agent Jarrod used on a regular basis. The man was a hard worker, and very good at finding out information.

"I am not happy, but not surprised. They have clearly been very careful, to have been carrying on an affair for this long." Jarrod rose from his chair and walked over to poke the fireplace. He had been in the city for five days now, trying to gather as many facts as possible before he responded to the settlement offer from Sarah's lawyers. His mood had not been good, even before Ron's report, because his own social sources had not been able to offer any proof of the affair between Sarah and Adam. It did not help that each day had been overcast and foggy, with cold, damp air that cut through any coat.

"What about the other information I asked for?" Jarrod stoked the fire to heat up the room, and then went back to sit down. Normally he enjoyed being in San Francisco, but not this time, because of why he was here.

"Mrs. Heath Barkley arrived in town last week and has been staying at the house; her mother arrived later that same day. She has taken a leave of absence from the store, and other than two visits to her lawyer's office has not gone out. She has had several visitors" Ron went on to mention three ladies' names, who Jarrod assumed were friends of Sarah.

"As far as the Metropolitan Hotel, the Bayview Department Store keeps an apartment there, for the use of visiting sales representatives. I will say that while there have been reports of a woman coming and going from the apartment." Ron shifted in his seat but shook his head as he saw Jarrod look hopeful. "There was a manufacturer's representative from a silk firm in Lyons, France who stayed at the apartment who was fond of the ladies. I am sure others have done the same thing, so I couldn't get a positive identification on any of them."

"Adam Cohen has been staying at his apartment above the store; he has visitors from out of town – a Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Bittersohn, from Warsaw Poland. The man is a wealthy merchant and a connection to Adam Cohen on his late wife's side. My understanding is that the Bittersohn's are here to study the Bayview's business model."

Jarrod had used Ron to investigate Adam Cohen when the man had first come to town. Yes, Heath had vouched for him, but Jarrod knew his brother had only met the man in Denver. Adam Cohen was from the east coast, third generation from a French Jewish family who had settled in New York City. His wife had been the only daughter of a wealthy garment factory owner; his father-in-law was prominent in the Jewish community and a brother was a Rabbi. Jarrod and Ron had been horrified to read that the woman had, one week after giving birth, killed the baby boy; her family put her in a very expensive asylum.

"Thank you, Ron, for your work. Please make sure you include all the expenses you incurred in this matter." The other man had finished his report and stood up, so Jarrod escorted him to the door, shaking his hand.

Once he had shown Ron out Jarrod went over and looked out the window, feeling the cold air through the panes. Normally he had a view of the clock tower, but today with the fog there was nothing to see. He went over to the console table in the corner, where a coffee service was set up. After pouring a cup of coffee, he walked across the Turkish rug, its red medallions glowing from the lamps in the room. Sitting at his desk he sipped his coffee and thought about what to do next.

He was not surprised that Sarah was being careful and staying out of society; having her mother stay with her only added to her credibility. It was smart of her to take a leave of absence from the store, he noted, because of the rumors that had been circulating about her and Adam. The man was very clever – or careful – or both, Jarrod mused, to stay busy at the store and away from her. Jarrod was sure that the friends who had visited Sarah had been giving a very biased account of the happenings in Stockton.

The thought about Adam being clever made him think of the apartment at the Metropolitan Hotel, and how it was being used. Jarrod believed Phoebe that she saw Adam and Sarah there; he was sure that the affair had been conducted there all this time. It was a good decoy though, to let sales representatives use the apartment; the comings and goings would muddy the water about a woman being there. Further, if Adam was seen there it was no surprise because his company owned the apartment.

Jarrod wondered if he should even try to use the adultery matter on Sarah, since he only had Phoebe's story. If Sarah called his bluff, he was not sure that he could rely on Phoebe to testify; or rather if Rufus and Zack found out about her involvement, they would let her anywhere near the matter. The story of the money taken from the house in Denver was a bigger issue, but he did not have sure proof that Sarah had taken the money.

Priscilla's reasoning of events was plausible, and Jarrod agreed that Sarah had probably been the one to take the money. However, even with the detective's testimony it was all circumstantial evidence. A good defense attorney, and Edwin Jr was good, could point out that the house had been vacant for several months. Anyone could have entered and found the money; it was just what Jarrod would argue if the situation was reversed.

The outcome he wanted was the divorce settled as soon as possible, with the minimum of financial sacrifice on Heath's part. Jarrod hoped that if he persuaded Sarah to settle for the town house, Heath would not countersue. He worried though because of the anger he had seen in his brother's eyes and heard in his voice. The longer the divorce dragged out, the more entrenched Heath would get in wanting revenge.

There was also the matter of their mother, and the gossip and scandal that would go along with the proceedings. Jarrod knew his mother was strong, and the family would stand together, but he did not want his father's infidelity dredged up again. She had never let on publicly how hurt she had been at what his father had done, but Jarrod had seen the private sadness in her eyes.

An idea came to him, to deal with Sarah directly, without her lawyer present. Edwin Jr. had no interest in closing the case or a quick settlement. Every day it went on was more money in his pocket – Barkley money. Jarrod had a plan in mind, but he would have to move on it right away. It would also involve a great deal of bluffing on his part – he knew he was good at poker, but this was Heath's future he would be playing with.

Opening the desk drawer, he took out a piece of his letterhead and wrote a quick note; after folding, it went into an envelope that Jarrod addressed. He took it out to his clerk, asking him to please messenger it to the recipient. Jarrod hoped that Sarah would take the bait to what he had written.

The next morning found Jarrod sitting on a hard-wooden bench down by the eastern wharves. It was barely seven o'clock in the morning, and the fog swirling around him chilled him to the bone. Jarrod would have preferred a meeting in his office, but he knew that Sarah would not come alone if he requested it.

"Hello Jarrod." Sarah was standing next to him, covered head to toe in a black cape with a hood. He only recognized her by the voice; he looked at the garment and was glad she had not been wearing it on that July morning. "You said you had some information you wanted to share privately with me? I am very uncomfortable meeting you like this, without my lawyer." Her voice was as cold as the fog, but she sat down next to him.

"There is nothing for you to worry about your lawyer needing to hear. I do though have a copy of Heath's financial offer to you; I will be sending it over to your lawyer later this morning." He reached into his overcoat inner pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Jarrod noted that Sarah's gloved hand snatched it quickly from him.

"What makes you – and Heath – think I would agree to this? After the way he has treated me!" The indignation in her voice was apparent, and as the hood fell back, he saw her eyes flashing anger. "I know what Edwin has told me I am entitled to, and I am planning on getting every penny." Sarah jumped up and threw the paper at him.

"I think you will agree to this, rather than have Heath countersue on the grounds of adultery; and he is prepared to name Adam Cohen as a correspondent." Jarrod's words stopped her from walking away, but she quick on the reply.

"Those rumors are not going to stand up in court. There is nothing to them." Sarah snapped, before going on. "I can't believe your family wants to be tarred by the scandal the false allegations will cause." She sniffed as she gave him a contemptuous look.

"You and Adam have not as careful as you've thought. I have an eyewitness prepared to testify that they saw the two you in a romantic encounter at the Metropolitan Hotel" Jarrod went on to detail just what had been seen. Last night he had re-read Phoebe's account several times, to make sure he had every detail.

It was with pleasure that he saw her eyes widen for just a moment; it meant he had hit a nerve. Jarrod thought about the look she had given him moments ago, and he realized he was looking forward to getting the better of her. It gave him insight into how Heath must feel, as he wished he could keep her from getting any of the Barkley's money.

"Sarah, I am sure that you are aware that society highly disapproves of women who cheat on their husbands, no matter what the men may have done." He gave her a satisfied smile and decided to turn the knife he had stuck into her.

"Of course, the adultery will be a moot point if you are sitting in jail. Then Heath can divorce you, and you will be left with nothing." Jarrod saw fury cross her face, before a smooth mask was back in place.

"What do you mean jail? I haven't done anything wrong." Sarah's voice held conviction, but her eyes told a different story. Jarrod knew that he had her in his cross hairs.

"Three years ago, when you were in Denver, at the house of the Van DerHoffen's you discovered a large sum of money and a ledger in a hat box in an armoire." He then stated "you took it for yourself. However, that money was illegally obtained by blackmail." Jarrod explained how Hester had been blackmailing the lawyer who was embezzling from her husband's account.

"The Van DerHoffen Trust is prepared to swear out a complaint against you. Once that is done, you will be extradited to Colorado to be tried for grand theft larceny and accessory after the fact to embezzlement." He sat back against the bench, tilting his head with a pleased grin on his face.

"Priscilla would never file a complaint! It would mean airing all of her sister's dirty laundry to the public." Sarah, still standing, looked at him balefully.

"I think that if she has to choose between the half-sister who tried to kill her and her husband's brother" Jarrod paused. "I think I know which one she will choose." He stood up and gathered the piece of paper from the ground.

"The financial offer will be at your lawyer's office this morning. I expect it signed and returned to my office by tomorrow morning." Jarrod took a deep breath. "If it is not there, I will be filing the countersuit, which I have drawn up already. I will also instruct Priscilla to file the complaint against you on behalf of the Van DerHoffen Trust. Good day." Privately he added good riddance, glad that she would be out of their lives. Jarrod walked away and never looked back.

Sarah for her part was stunned at what had just happened. She sat down on the bench and started to cry. Her dreams of all the money she was going to get from Heath had gone up in smoke. Yes, she knew Adam wanted to marry her and he would be more than able to provide for her. It was not the same though as having her own money.

Just as she thought it was all over, a thought came to her and she replayed the conversation with Jarrod. She wondered who the eyewitness was, and how Priscilla had figured out about the money. How long had she known, Sarah wondered, but then realized it did not matter. What she remembered was that at no time had Jarrod said she needed to return the money.

It was carefully tucked away in a safe deposit box; she had added to it when the townhome had been built. Several invoices had been carefully doctored to increase the amount due; Sarah had insisted on paying them out of the bank account she and Heath maintained in the city. The funds would be deposited there, and then Sarah would pay the bills, skimming off the extra. Heath never looked at the account, so she was not worried about him finding out.

The money was hers, and the house could be hers too if she signed the settlement papers. It was much less than what she had been planning on, but it gave her freedom. Sarah sat up, despondent no longer. She would never have to deal with the Barkley's again, and finally have the life with Adam that they had talked about for so long.