A Conspiracy to Commit...

My heart almost stopped several times while I was watching those pornographic scenes flashing across the TV screen.

Suddenly the man in the chair looked directly into the camera and with a wide shit eating grin on his face, said to me:

"If you want me to send your wife back to you for a visit, you will need to call her. Otherwise she will remain here satisfying all of my sexual needs and desires. Call her now! 555-3252."

The camera did a Still / Pause with the image of Carol sucking his entire cock in her mouth. Then slowly, the TV screen did a fade-to-black and the devastation in my mind was complete.

*

Chapter 2: Cuckold

I sat there in a complete fog. My mind was in chaos. A cold sweat covered my entire body as I tried to wrap my thoughts around the sights and sounds that I had just witnessed. "Call her now!" His voice kept ringing in my ears. Blindly, I reached for the phone.

"Stop, you damned fool!!!" The voice in my head screamed out at me. "You have no idea what that phone call will start. Think about it, this has all been staged to shock you and put you off balance." The logical voice that always guided me during my road trips was now in command. It was cutting through all the emotion and impulsivity that had grabbed me as the DVD ended. I placed the phone back on the cradle.

My body was still trembling as I sat there trying to compose myself. "Ok. Now let's take this thing one step at a time. This must be some kind of setup. All of this has been staged for you as some kind of emotional trap. Who was the man in the video? Carol called him her master. She even corrected herself when she initially called him her lover."

Slowly, I began to calm down and regain some of my tattered composure. Something was seriously amiss here. The voice in my head was correct. All of this; the note, the DVD and the phone number to call were all part of a carefully constructed emotional trap that someone wanted me to fall into.

Was it Carol's idea? Was Carol just the bait? This did not appear to be a kidnapping for ransom. Nor did it appear that Carol was being forced into doing anything against her will. Was Carol drugged? Her eyes and facial expressions did not give any hints of her being drugged. Was Carol hypnotized or was some form of mind control being used on her? Maybe, that could be the answer here. But if that were the case, then what was the motive behind this staged event? No real answers came to mind.

As my mind continued to search for some answers, another thought jumped into my mind. "Call your cousin, Josh! He might have a different insight into this crazy situation."

This time I did pick up the phone, but then I thought about it and put it down again. I went over to my briefcase and took out my cell phone. My paranoia had kicked in and I didn't want to take the chance that the phone might be tapped. I punched in Josh's home phone number, hoping that I would catch him at home. The phone rang three times and then Josh answered.

"Hello!"

"Hey Josh, it's me. I need to see you right away. Big problem over here and I need your help with it." My voice had an urgent ring to it as I continued. "I can't discuss it with you over the phone. I need you here with me. Can you come over right now?" The tenor of my voice left no doubt that I needed Josh's help immediately.

"Not a problem, Barry. Nothing life threatening, is there?" Was his only question.

"No, not life threatening, Josh. Just very serious. Very serious."

"Ok. Hang in there. I'm on my way."

"Great. See you shortly."

The phone went dead and I stood there thinking of how I was going to break this shocking news to my best friend. Then another thought flashed into my mind. I needed to download that video into my laptop computer. With it in my computer, I could analyze the video frame by frame, using sophisticated software tools I have at my disposal at work.

While I was waiting for Josh to show up, I hooked up the recording cables from the DVD player to my computer. That way while we were watching the video on the TV, my laptop would be downloading the whole thing.

The door opened and Josh walked in with a short greeting as he made his way into the den where I was sitting. This time I had a double shot of Jack Daniel's in my hand.

"What the fuck is going on, Barry? Is Carol here? Is she all right?" Josh questioned as he looked at me with a serious face.

"Carol is not here. I do think she's all right. I sure hope she's all right." I replied as I pointed to the liquor bar in the corner. "Get yourself a tall one, buddy. What you're about to see and hear will require a stiff drink."

Josh went over to the bar and instead of pouring himself a hard drink, he opened a Coke and sat down. "Ok. I'm here, so tell me what this is all about." He was in his detective mode now, I could hear it in his voice and see it in his body language.

After a long deep sip of my drink, I began to tell Josh the whole story, starting with my unannounced early arrival home. I handed him the note, which he read silently. Then I told him to sit back and watch the DVD that Carol mentioned in her note. The TV screen flash to life and Carol's face once again filled the entire screen. I looked over at Josh sitting silently with a stone cold sober face. He was a good detective, this time I was observing him at work.

The video went through its entire ten minutes, ending up with Carol's face on the screen and the stranger's cock in her mouth. Just as the video ended, a large message flashed across the screen.

"This program is now automatically erasing its contents."

Both Josh and I looked at each other as the entire screen went black.

"Damn! That must be one of those new DVDs that self-destruct after several usages." Josh said as he shook his head. "Now I wish that we had made a copy of the video. Someone didn't want any incriminating evidence left behind."

"Hey, guess what? While we were watching that show, I was recording it on my laptop computer sitting over there on the table." The fact that I had the presence of mind to make a copy made me feel slightly more in control of myself.

"Damn good thinking, Barry. Did you know that the DVD would erase its contents?"

"Hell no! I was shell-shocked when I saw it the first time. I only thought of making a copy after I called you. Then I hooked up the laptop while you were on your way over here." I took a deep breath. "Now what do I do, Josh?"

`"Shit, shit, shit..." Josh replied as he tried to formulate a response that would not make me feel worse than I was already feeling. "First, no crime seems to have been committed here. Carol said that she was there with him willingly. There was no hint of holding her against her will." Another long pause. "From a criminal justice point of view, this is a domestic matter that should be handled by the marriage courts."

"You mean handled by the divorce courts, don't you?" My question hit the mark.

"Yes, I guess so, Barry." Josh said in a quiet tone. "Have you called that number yet?"

"No. All of this seemed to be so prearranged and set up to play on my emotions that I hesitated to call Carol until I could at least quell my anger. Calling you first seemed to be the best thing to do at the time." Having Josh sitting there with me gave me a renewed sense of strength. My mind was quieting down and the chaos was coming under control.

"That was another good thing that you did; or should I say didn't do. I agree with you about this whole scene being prearranged. Do you have any idea why Carol would get involved with another man? Why would she be an accomplice in such a demeaning situation?" Josh was asking out loud. I could tell that he was in his full detective mode once again.

"I don't have any answers to your questions, Josh. This thing just hit me like a ton of bricks. It came at me completely from left field. I had no idea that things had gotten this bad for Carol. And I certainly do not know the man in the video with her." It was obvious to Josh that the sky had fallen in on me after I arrived home from Boise. We sat there in silence for a couple of minutes while the wheels were turning inside Josh's mind.

"Ok. Let's work out a plan of our own here." Josh finally broke the silence. "Carol doesn't know that you're here, does she?"

"Not that I know of. Unless she had the house staked out with somebody watching for me. I called you from my cell phone just in case there was a phone tap of some sort on the line."

"Wow, another good thing, Barry! Most guys wouldn't have the presence of mind to do the simple but important things that you did tonight. I'm impressed, Barry. You're acting more like a capable police officer than some of the blockheads down at the station." Josh replied. I didn't know if he was telling the truth or just trying to pump up my crushed ego. "Now let's see what we have to do."

He got up from the chair and began to pace around the room as he was thinking of an action plan.

"First, you have to get out of this house for at least a couple of days. Let's go on the assumption that she doesn't know that you got back early. That will give us some time to gather some other information about this whole situation.

"I also need to get in touch with an ex-partner of mine who does private investigations. He's one very sharp fellow and he won't have any direct ties to the police department.

"As much as I would like to help you in an official police capacity, I can't do that openly. Against the rules. But, Felix knows how the system works, so that will keep me off the hook." I could tell that Josh was looking at this situation from all angles. Even the legal ones if the future course of action takes Carol and I into the courts.

"Let's clean this place up so that it looks like no one has been here since she was here last. Also, can you burn another DVD with that laptop? We should put a good DVD in the player just in case he or she checks it out."

"No problem with the copy. I'll do that right now."

"Ok. Let's retrace your actions since you walked into the house. Get the copy running and then step me through every minute detail."

The blank disc went into the laptop, I called up the copy program and then began to burn a disc copy.

"I came into the house. Only one light was on. That one in the living room. I set my suitcase and briefcase down in the foyer. I came into the kitchen, called out to Carol, no answer. I put those roses in a vase and set them on the counter."

"Stop right there." Josh called out. "Let's take care of the roses right now. Where's a fresh trash bag?"

After the roses were disposed of, the vase cleaned and put back, I replaced the can of beer in the fridge and the can of Coke that Josh had taken from the bar. I cleaned and replaced all the glasses that we used. Josh carefully removed the original DVD disc from the player so not to get his fingerprints on the disc. He put the disc in a Zip Loc bag.

"I'll get this dusted for fingerprints at the station. Maybe it'll tell us who the mystery man is." Then he replaced it in the DVD player with the disc copy I made from my laptop.

We did one more check around the house to ensure that everything was exactly as it had been when I first walked in. Everything was in place, including the note on the table. My jacket, tie and luggage were taken out to Josh's car. We left the house locked and got into his car. As we pulled out of the driveway, I looked back at the empty house and I swear that I saw a dark shroud covering my once happy home.

"You can use my pick-up truck as long as you need it. Your car needs to stay in the garage until we know what's going on here." Josh said as we drove away from my house.

Josh picked up his cell phone and quickly dialed a number. "Hello, Felix. How are you tonight? I hope that I didn't disturb you."

I couldn't hear the other side of the conversation.

"Good. Can you come over to the house tonight? Like right now? I have a situation that might interest you." Pause. "That's right; nothing violent, just a serious domestic issue. I'll give you all the details when I see you." Pause. "Great! In about fifteen minutes then. Bye." Josh hung up and had a smile on his face.

"Felix is a great guy. You'll like him a lot. He's retired from the force and he loves doing investigative work in his spare time." I could tell that Josh was thinking back to the times he and Felix had been partners in their early days as beat cops on the police force.

Once we got to Josh's house he told me that I should call Carol at the house and leave a message on the machine telling her that I would have to stay in Boise a couple of days longer to wrap up all the loose ends for my report. He told me to sound apologetic and sad that I wouldn't get home as planned.

"You have to keep her thinking that you're still out of town while Felix and I do our thing to find out what's going on here. If she knows you're in town, then she'll probably guess that you have seen the DVD. Then she'll wonder why you haven't called her." Josh was pacing around the kitchen table just like he had done at my house when he was trying to get a mental focus on all the possibilities that could be affecting this situation.

I took my cell phone out and dialed my home number, already knowing that it would go to our voice mail. I mentally rehearsed what I wanted to say.

"Hello darling, I'm sorry that you're not home to get his phone call. I hope everything is all right back there. I really do miss hearing your voice." I took a long pause and then said, "The bad news from here is that it will take me a couple of extra days to wrap this whole mess up properly. I am so very sorry. I miss you so much and wish I had you in my arms right now. I'm changing hotels so the old number won't work. Try my cell phone first. I really love you and I miss you terribly. Bye for now. Kisses..." I hung up the phone and began to cry.

*

Chapter 3: Our plans

The doorbell rang, tearing at the silence in the house. Josh answered it quickly. He greeted Felix and brought him into the kitchen where I was sitting at the table. The three of us sat down around the table after Josh made the introductions. We both took turns filling Felix in on all the details of the surprise that I was given when I got home tonight.

Instead of wanting to watch the video of Carol, Felix started by asking me a lot of personal questions about her habits, her friends, her work and any hobbies that she enjoyed. He had a small notepad and was making short notes of the items that he thought were important about Carol and her personal life.

All of a sudden Josh jumped up from the table. "Damn!! I should have done this sooner. I need to put out an APB on Carol's car. We need to know where she is and the best way might be to locate her car." Josh was shaking his head as he walked to the phone. "You guys continue your Q&A and I'll get a call in to the desk sergeant." He walked into the den to talk in private.

"Your cousin is one great guy, Barry. He and I were partners for almost four years. I would trust him with my life, and he would do like wise. Also, he's one smart detective. Nothing gets by him, not even the smallest details." Felix was complimenting the man I grew up with and knew very well myself.

"I'm sure my testimonial would rival the best one you could give him, Felix. We're closer than brothers and I respect him immensely." My words and smile validated the comment.

"Ok. Enough wine and roses for Josh! Let me see that video."

I retrieved my laptop from my brief case and placed it on the table in front of Felix.

"I could hook it up to the big screen TV if you would like that." I offered.

"No, this will be plenty good enough for me. But, I will probably want a copy of it to take home and study more closely."

I press the enter key and Carol's face filled the screen.

"I've seen this thing twice and I don't care to watch it again. At least not tonight." I said as I moved away from the table to get a drink from Josh's bar. I could hear Carol's voice in the background as I rounded the corner and walked into the den where Josh was just hanging up the phone.

"I need some strong fortification right now." I said to Josh as I walked past him and got a bottle of JD from the shelf. Josh didn't say a word. He moved out of the den and went into the kitchen to sit with Felix and discuss the video. I just sat down in the corner and began to take some long sips of the mind numbing firewater.

After finishing my drink, I walked back into the kitchen. The video was finished and Josh and Felix were sitting and talking in hushed voices.

"Am I interrupting anything?" I asked as I moved to the table and sat down.

"No, not at all." Josh replied. "We're just tossing ideas around. We both agree that the whole scene was pre-planned and set up to throw you completely off balance."

Felix cut in. "I'm amazed that you had the presence of mind to call Josh before calling that number your wife gave you. Calling her now is probably exactly what they had in mind when they made the video. The phone call would bring you deeper into their plan, whatever that plan is.

"The idea that Josh has, keeping you in Boise for the next several days, is the best strategy for us at this moment. Until they know that you have seen the video, they can't trigger the next step in their plan. We need time to try and figure out what that plan really is."

Felix was already analyzing the situation, much like Josh had done. It was obvious to the three of us that whatever was going on, the video was just the opening scene of some larger purpose.

"Hey Barry, why don't you go into the guest bedroom and crash for tonight. You must be one tired and strung-out guy by now. There are some Excedrin PM tablets in the bathroom, take a couple. They'll help you get some sleep." Josh spoke kindly, looking straight into my blood shot eyes. He was right. Somehow, I felt like I had been run over by a bulldozer and it was still parked on my chest.

"You're right, Josh. I am a whupped puppy. All of this has been too much for me to digest in one evening. I need to get some rest, or I'll come unglued right in front of you guys." My words were slow and drawn out, just like my whole body felt. I got up, gave them a wave of the hand and headed to the bedroom. I knew they would continue to talk for the next couple of hours.

My mind flashed another strange image at me. I used to laugh whenever I saw those B-rated zombie movies with the dead bodies wandering lifelessly around in circles. Now, I felt just like one of them. Wandering lifelessly around in circles. Once in bed, all of the stress and tension seemed to release themselves in a flood of relief. I fell asleep crying into the pillow.

*

Chapter 4: Day of Infamy Plus One

The sleep state was deep and long. When I finally woke up, the face of the alarm clock read 10:14. That was amazing. I can't recall the last time I slept past 8:00 in the morning. And yet, it was Tuesday morning and I was in Josh's house instead of mine.

Staggering to the kitchen, this zombie came looking for some stimulating body fluid. Josh had left the coffee pot on. I knew he was a great guy.

The note he left for me told me to stay in the house and call in at work to cover the story that I was still in Boise. It took another couple of minutes for me shake all of the sleepiness from my brain.

After my second cup of coffee I placed a call Mr. Chase's office. Rita answered the phone.

There are times when she is a very pleasant person as well as the person who holds the exalted position of Administrative Assistant to the President. At other times, no one in the corporation wanted to deal with her. Fortunately for me, she knew that her boss thought I was a really great guy. She cut me a little more slack than she did the others.