by H. B. Rae
“Sasha I will find out for you. There is one last question that I have for you,” he began. He hesitated for a moment. “Does Martin beat you?”
He watched as her entire body went rigid. She got up to her feet, obviously flustered, and she shook her head. “Martin would never lay a hand on me.”
“Sasha I want you to tell me everything. I mean that black eye is obvious even with all of that make-up on your face! Listen, if you don’t want Rod to know I will not tell him, alright?”
He saw she was attempting not to cry and he was not sure how to comfort her. This was something he had never been good at. It was this reason he was most likely unable to continue a relationship with a woman. He missed queues they would give to let him know they needed to be comforted. She wiped her eyes to prevent any more tears from falling from her eyes.
“Just – just assure me that you will find out if Martin is cheating on me or not.”
“Of course,” he said. “And since I am taking on this case I will assure you that everything is confidential.”
“Thank you,” she said as she was getting up. “How would you like me to pay?”
Pay? He wasn’t sure if he should be charging Sasha. “I don’t think I can take your money.”
She shook her head. “We knew one another back in college and it was brief,” she began. “Despite having known one another, I will still pay you. You are performing your services after all, as a professional and not as a friend.”
John finally nodded. He could not retort. Granted he wanted to, but he was no good at arguing, that was why he never became a lawyer. Even if he had a point to make he was unable to make it. He always stammered and lost focus, it was always so frustrating. He realized she was waiting for an answer.
“Sheila is the one who handles all of the payments,” he said.
He watched as she nodded and she was walking out of his office. Once the door shut he slumped back in his chair and he could not help but feel drained again. He hated this part of it. He had thought that by becoming a private investigator he would have been helping solve murders, or find people that were trying to be ghosts in society. He never would have thought he would help so many people find dirt on their spouses and then subsequently get divorced from his findings.
Looking around his office he was becoming frustrated. He got to his feet and paced around for a moment. He had not spoken to Martin for a while and he was not too sure if he even had the same phone number. If he didn’t, he would need to find another means of contact. As he paced he knew he would be able to approach this one differently than any other investigation. He could use his personal relationship with Martin to get some information.
Finally, he stopped pacing and looked out the window with a sense of yearning. He knew there had to be more than this out there. There just had to be, but yet there was nothing. He could no longer be patient about it. After this case he might just close up shop and try to finagle something else. He heard a knock on the door.
“Come in,” he said.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw Sheila standing there. She had her tablet in her arm and she seemed awkward. It was as if he made her uncomfortable somehow. “Boss, I was just checking in with you. This past month you have been – well you haven’t been yourself. I was hoping maybe we could go get a bite to eat and maybe you and I would be able to talk. You know, only if you like.”
That had been one of the things about Sheila. She cared too much. It seemed she took actions based on her feelings verses thinking everything through and being rational. It was not a bad quality, but it sure as hell could be. If the wrong person ever got close enough to her she would be easily manipulated.
“No thank you,” he said. “And Sheila, you don’t need to call me “boss”. John is just fine.”
“I know, it’s just a habit I suppose,” she said as she was walking out. John remembered when he was interviewing her. She was fresh out of college and she was just as optimistic as he was. Compared to others who had applied she had much less work experience, but she just seemed to fit in with what he was wanting to do by being a PI. He was not too sure how else to explain it.
Alone in his office, he was thinking about everything. He needed to get in contact with Martin. That was the first thing on his agenda and the sooner he closed this, the sooner he could see about doing something else, being something more.
Chapter 2
Two Days Later
It had been snowing all throughout that morning and as he walked down the street he could feel the cold air on his face. His nose was beginning to run but he did not want to take his hands out of his pockets. He knew he was getting closer to his destination. He finally reached the restaurant. It was one he had never been to before, but he never fancied the more luxurious restaurants that had dishes smaller than your palm and that were priced unreasonably.
Pulling open the door, he felt the temperature difference and it was wonderful. He saw the hostess was looking at him and he knew that look. She knew this was not his scene and she knew he did not belong here. She faked a smile and walked over towards him.
“Welcome, how many?”
“Just me,” he said somewhat awkwardly. “I – I am meeting with Martin Hawkins.”
Her expression changed as if he, John, was now able to fit into this place. He did not like how things along these lines worked but she smiled a real smile. “Follow me then,” she said as she began to walk away.
Following behind her, he realized how high the ceilings were and the décor here was ostentatious. Yes, this was not somewhere he belonged and he did not want to be around here any longer than necessary. They were entering the main dining room. There were large windows that were frosted due to the weather and a bar was in the far back. Everyone here was better dressed than he was; despite the fact that he was wearing one of his finest suits, he was still not dressed as well as everyone else. As they walked in between the tables, he noticed the men all wore fancy watches and rings of some sort, and he wore none.
Approaching Martin now, John could see he was absorbed with something on his phone. He was not too sure what was going on and that was what he was hoping to accomplish today with this meeting. He needed to know that this man, someone he admired for his morals, had not turned his back on everything he believed in.
He was now at the table and Martin looked up and smiled. “John, it has been a while. How have you been?”
“I have been busy,” John said as he sat down. “What have you been up to lately?”
Martin took his phone and turned it off. He shrugged and John was able to see how exhausted he was. “I wish I was back in college again,” he chuckled. “How crazy does that sound?”
“Very, especially with how crazy things were on campus.”
“I know, but things – things have not been going too well with me and Sasha. I love her to death, but she cannot have children. That was the one thing my mother wanted, was for me to give her a grandchild before the cancer finished her off, and now, now I will never be able to give her that.”
“Well, uh,” John began. He was no good at this; comforting people. It was something he was never good at and he never would be good at. “Look a lot of people would say they are sorry, and I am, but I don’t know how to phrase it.”
Martin looked up from the table and met his eyes for a moment and he nodded. “You were always odd when it came down to expressing emotions. Which is fine, so thank you John. I just have no idea what I am going to do with my life anymore. I do not even know if Sasha wants me any longer.”
“Why on earth would you say that?”
Martin swallowed hard and he shook his head. “I am not a good man when I get to drinking. I have been sinning and I feel that what I am doing now is pushing Sasha away from me.”
“But it is not like you have been cheating on her,” John said nervously. He never got to confront people like this before. He usually would hide in the shadows and stalk them essentially, unti
l he got all the information he needed.
“I have cheated,” Martin finally said. “Her name is Carly and she works in my office.”
It felt as if a truck had just run over him. He could not believe what he was hearing. This could not be true. No! Martin was always sticking to his guns about one person forever. He was totally committed to Sasha and he always preached it.
“I know, I know,” he began. “It is shocking for me to do that, and it kills me. I am filled with so much guilt! I mean Carly is young and beautiful, and my goodness she knows what she is doing, but after it is all over, I remember I am a married man.”
“Does Sasha know?”
“I assume she suspects. I wanted to end this affair with Carly, but I think I am going to have to leave Sasha for her.”
“Why? I mean you and Sasha have been together for years. In college you always told us how lucky you were to have her and now you are throwing it all away and for some stranger? I mean earlier you were saying you were afraid of losing her, now you are just pushing her away!”
“Yes, and I know it doesn’t make sense but Carly is able to give me what I want and that is children. She is pregnant,” he said. He took a swig of Bourbon and John felt as if he was going to be sick. He was filled with emotions and he mostly wanted to deck him, but he refrained. He had to be civil, he just did not like this turn of events. He had hoped that somehow Sasha had been mistaken.
“You will be divorcing Sasha then?”
“Yes, but not until I am one hundred percent sure that Carly is pregnant.”
“Are you only divorcing Sasha because this girl might be pregnant?”
“No, I am doing it because Carly and I just click. I have a connection with her, like I used to have with Sasha and it is just gone now. Besides, she is still young enough, maybe she will be able to find a man that does not want children.”
“So you are willing to throw everything the two of you had away as if it was nothing.”
Martin was silent for a moment and he shook his head. “I will not deny we definitely had something, but we no longer do. This will be the best for the both of us.”
“When will you know if Carly is officially pregnant?”
“In two weeks,” he said. “Please do me a favor and do not tell Rod any of this.”
“Why would I say anything?”
“You have always been a good friend,” he said. “So what took you so long to reach out to me?”
“The business has been lucrative and to be completely honest with how busy I get I barely have time to see my parents.”
“Well I am glad. I remember how nervous you were about becoming an investigator. It seems to have worked out quite nicely for you.”
John shrugged. “Still, it is not everything I thought it would be.”
“Well nothing is exactly as what you think it will be,” he smiled as the waiter came over to collect their order. John knew this was going to be an awkward lunch.
***
Sheila was looking at the clock that hung on the wall and she watched as the second hand continued to go around and around. She was still waiting around the office for John to show up. Since he hadn’t returned, she was relatively sure that something wrong. Granted, it was probably not any of her business, but she wanted to know if he was coming back. She liked knowing these things beforehand, that way she could plan out her day.
Unlocking her tablet, she pulled up her calendar and she was reminded he had a luncheon with Martin Hawkins, but that had been about three hours ago. Generally he would call her to let her know he was not coming back to the office. Sheila wondered what had become of him, he was always prompt and something was most certainly wrong since he had not arrived back to continue filing his report.
As she was looking at her cell phone she wondered if he had his phone on. He didn’t like using it and she always wondered why he was so hesitant to upgrade into the twenty-first century. Taking a chance she called him and it went straight to voice mail, which was no surprise. She looked around the office. She did not need to be here. They were not expecting anyone today. She pushed her chair back and she walked over to the coat rack that stood to the left of the door. Grabbing her jacket she switched off all the lights and she was on her way out.
Locking the office door behind her, she walked down the hallway. She had remembered when she first started working there that the hallways were carpeted and now they were tiled. It made it easier for maintenance she was sure of that, and as she walked she could hear a slight echo of her footsteps. As she continued walking, she could see the other offices as she passed. There were dozens of them all throughout the building and most of them were for legal practices. She knew their office was one of the smaller ones, which was fine because it functioned perfectly for what they did. Sheila wondered how much longer they would be here though. She knew that John was having issues, even if he did not want to say so out loud.
She was alone in the elevator listening to the elevator music. She knew most people disliked elevator music, but she enjoyed the soft melodies. It calmed her and it made it more bearable to be in here when there were others crammed in. She disliked being in tight places and she knew she needed to get over that, but for right now she did not need to worry.
In the main lobby she saw Tom standing behind the main desk. The main lobby did indeed appear to be like a grand hotel, and Tom was the one who took care of the people coming in. He directed them to where they needed to go even though it was printed on the wall where the offices were located and who was in which one.
As she was walking towards the door she waved and he returned it with a smile. He appeared to be sleep deprived and she knew this was not his only job. He was twenty-three and working two jobs. He had quit going to school in order to take care of his grandmother who was dying slowly. It was just him and his grandmother; the only family he had, and she could understand the feeling of being completely alone. She pushed open the door and felt the cold air hit her uncovered face. This was the time of year she despised. It was beautiful to look at but living with it was another thing all together.
Hailing a taxi and sliding inside, she instantly felt uncomfortable. Taxis on television looked clean, but they were the furthest thing from it. The fabric seats were torn and there was trash in them. It smelled like smoke and there were bars between her and the taxi driver. She knew it was for their own protection, but she felt as if she were a caged bird.
“Where to,” the drive said gruffly.
“Amsterdam and 22nd,” she said.
He nodded. She could not deny that their town of Primer reminded her of Manhattan, but it was cleaner and not as compacted. As he was driving, she was looking at her tablet. She was checking for any e-mails or any notifications she might have, but there was nothing. Business was slowing down, but it was most likely due to the holiday’s right around the corner. People would rather pretend they had no problems until after the New Year came around.
Finally the taxi driver arrived and she paid him. She had always tipped well, it was something her father had always taught her to do. She was out on the sidewalk in front of his condo. He lived modestly for someone who had made as much as he had in the past eighteen months, but she respected that. He gave himself allowances to do certain things and that was why he still had so much in the bank.
Walking up the steps, she pulled out her set of keys. First she rang the doorbell, there was no answer, and then she checked the door. It was already unlocked. She knew he was very bad about locking his door and that was something he needed to get in the habit of doing. Even living in a decent neighborhood you never knew if there was an opportunist around.
Opening the door she slipped inside and she locked it behind her. His foyer was small, but it was functional. It had a coat rack and a place to take off your shoes and that was exactly what she did. Stepping onto the carpet, the first room that opened up was the living room and that was where she saw him. He was on the maroon couch that had
seen better days. That was the thing about him that bugged her. None of his furniture matched and it made her anxious. She had offered to take him furniture shopping, but he did not want to go. He said that his furniture functioned and he did not need anything more than what he had.
As she walked over towards him she realized he was in a deep sleep. Most people look peaceful when they were asleep, but he seemed worried and upset. This past month had really gotten to him and she wanted to be able to help fix his issues, but he would not talk to her. Hell, she was not sure he was able to talk to anyone.
She saw straight through to the kitchen and she could see his dishes were piled up. He did have a housekeeper who came twice a month, but he obviously needed someone around more often to clean.
Walking to the kitchen she looked at all the crusted food on his bowls and plates. She knew this would take a while and she got out her ear-buds and she plugged them into her phone. Listening to music, she started on cleaning up the mess.
Chapter 3
He woke up to the smell of cinnamon and he was not sure why he smelled cinnamon. Sitting up, he felt a pinch in his neck and rubbed his eyes. He looked around the room and noticed that the carpet was vacuumed, his furniture was dusted, and he saw there was a candle on the coffee table.
He detected movement to the right of him and saw Sheila there. She was wrapping up the vacuum cord and listening to music. Her hair was pulled back and he noticed a scar on her neck. He had never noticed it before, but then again she usually had her hair down.
She seemed to notice she was being watched and looked up and saw him. She immediately pulled out her ear-buds and smiled awkwardly. “Hey boss,” she said. “You did not call in or come back to the office and I decided to check on you.”
“And it looks as though you cleaned as well. Thank you.”
There was an uneasy silence and he knew she had a question to ask and he was sure she was not going to ask it. He finally spoke. “Martin is cheating on Sasha. The only thing I need to do now is compile everything on it, that way she will be able to get something out of the divorce.”
