Law of Love

39

"Daddy what are you doing?" Lily asks walking into his office after school on the last day.

"I'm trying to type this brief. I'm much better typing on a typewriter-like the one your mother has. I hate these stupid computers. The keys are too flat and close together." He pouts. 

"I'll do it. Where were you this morning, I was trying to call you." 

"My car was spitting oil. It got all over me and I had to go home and change my suit. I knew I shouldn't' have let John talk me into getting a BMW." Lindsey pouts. 

"Well, I was trying to call you because of my English Teacher. Dana Buckman, well Dana Hutt now, she just got married was charged for killing her husband. It was all over the school and Rebecca Christopher, her father is a policeman, says that he told her first hand that she was going to be having a sub in English today, I figured you could represent her. For me because you love me and she's my favorite teacher and my class advisor." 

"Well Lillian Rebecca, your mother and I have always told you not to get involved so I'm angry at you, but at the same time I can't be because you want to help someone, I knew I raised you right..." Lindsey sighs.

"Well, I appreciate that. I finally got a hold of Kate." 

"Is she going to handle it?" 

"Yeah...I also found out that, he was also married to another woman." 

"What?" Lindsey asks.

"Don't ask how but I did. Mrs. Hutt had only been married for about five months." Lily sighs.

"And the other wife?"

"Don't know but I know that neither of them knew about each other." Lily shrugs. 

"I'll tell you what, when you finish typing up that brief, I'll take you over to the courthouse." 

"Okay." Lily shrugs again. 

***

"Hi dad," Kate says as the pair walk in.

"Hi Kate, Lily said that you signed out Dana." 

"Yeah. It's not going to be easy. Her fingerprints are all over the vase she struck him with. They had a loud argument, he was two-timing her in a big way and the next-door neighbor said that Dana was the only one she saw entering and leaving the house."

"I wonder how someone keeps that a secret." 

"The second wife?" 

"Beats me." 

"I guess there were times he had to look busy." 

"Yeah." Kate and Lindsey laugh together.

"I wonder how you keep everything straight, phone calls, bills, which one likes roses, which one likes lilies, which one meat, which one fish. Hell, how did he keep names straight?"

"I don't know but I believe she's innocent." Lily chimes back in.

"Well, that's a start. I will say at times it did bother me when I was alone in my house without a woman, and you kids were at Kristen's. Which, is probably why I was so keen on jumping in bed with Stevie after only about a month, But dammit, living with three women is extremely hard and I have no clue how he did it," Lindsey sighs. 

***

Lindsey agreed to let Lily stay with the teacher for the weekend, as she had been too scared to stay in the house her husband was killed in by herself, but come two in the morning the phone was ringing. 

Both Stevie and Lindsey shot up and Lindsey grabbed it the phone.

"Daddy," It's Lily.

"What's the matter?" He asks frantically.

"I need you to come over here right now." She replies. 

"Are you okay?" He questions.

"I'm fine but there's a third," Lily announces. 

"A third?" 

"Yeah, I was sleeping on the couch and mom always says I'm a light sleeper...Anyway, I just felt someone in the room and I saw the woman she was dressed in all black, and I grabbed the fire poker and I was going to hit her but Mrs. Hutt turned the light on just in time. I've already called Kate." Lily explains.

"Alright, I'll be right there." He sighs.

"What's wrong?" Stevie asks looking at him.

"My client." He sighs crawling out of bed.

"Oh alright." Stevie sighs rolling back over.

***

Kate opens the door for him in his rumpled up shirt from the day prior and a pair of jeans, ratty old flipflops on his feet. 

"Where is she?" He asks.

"In the kitchen." Kate points. 

"Well, Lindsey Buckingham, Meet Marrian Hutt." Lily sighs.

"Wife three how do you do?" She waves.

"Coffee Mr. Buckingham?" Dana asks.

"Oh no, I better not." He shakes his head.

"How long have you been married to Kyle Hutt?" Kate asks

"Three years. Guess that makes me the senior member." She giggles. 

"Marrian is a showgirl on the sunset strip." Kate clarifies. 

"Oh," He sighs.

"That's where she and Kyle lived," Lily interjects. 

"The sunset strip?" He wrinkles his nose. 

"Why does that shock everyone. He thrived down there he absolutely loved it. The shows, money, action." Marrian explains.

"You mean he was never in bed by ten at night?" Dana gasps.

"Honey, he'd be lucky if he got into bed before ten in the morning" Marrian scoffs.

"So, for three years you thought Kyle was just a businessman who traveled a lot?" Lindsey asks.

"Yeah, but then I started to miss things. Little things like jewelry then I discovered that 30 thousand dollars had vanished from my savings account," 

"Yeah?" Lindsey asks.

"Last week. So I hired a private detective. Discovered he had used the money to buy a house...this one." Marrian squawks

"I don't believe this," Dana cries. 

"So I flew down right away to find out what was going on but I was too late. I got in yesterday and read that he had been murdered. And if I wanted to claim to be his wife I had to stand in line well I decided it'd be best not to get involved." 

"Why did you break in then?" 

"Well the last thing he took from me was a watch that he had given me for Christmas. Had my name engraved on it? I was afraid that some smart cop might trace it back to me so I figured if he hadn't hawked it yet it'd be in his briefcase." 

"Kyle had 300 dollars cash on him when he died," Kate interjects.

"That's it then. He was a rat wasn't he?" Marrian asks.

"Maybe Kyle loved not wisely but too much." Dana cries.

"I think that's a very nice way to remember him." Lily smiles.