Follow Me, Follow You

"Another reason I let you go instead of killing you is because you're a vet. I don't know if you know it or not but Joe and I are both veterans also. That's part of the reason your life was spared."

Kent's head was just hanging down. The party pretty much ended at two in the morning. I can't say how many times Zoey was fucked but she looked quite a mess. I had showers for the girls so they could clean up. Some asked to spend the night since they were so tired.

A couple of the girls helped Zoey clean up and get dressed. She was led to the corridor and that was the first she knew that Kent had seen everything. She began to cry but Kent put his arms around her. One of the bouncers handed her an envelope; it contained five thousand dollars. Her share of her tips for one night.

Zoey and Kent were led out to their car and one of the bouncers told them that I never wanted to see either of them again.

Brad paid the girls that wanted to go home. Some went home with some of the gentlemen. I had my bouncers order cabs for anyone going home. I didn't want any accidents leading back to the club. They could always come and get their vehicles in the morning.

Joe came in and sat down. "It was quite a night John. The club made more than at any other party."

"I don't know if I made the right decision or not Joe. They fucked me over but I think we got our revenge on them. It's something they will both have to live with forever. The funny part is I truly believe they love each other. Now we have to deal with Bob. Do you have the tapes ready for Flo?"

"Yep, I'll see she gets them tomorrow morning while Bob goes golfing. Have a good night John. I'm going home and get some sleep."

I was tired and had no one to go home to so I just slept in the office. In the back of my mind I kind of hoped that Zoey and Kent would make it. The only woman I ever deeply loved and let go was my second wife Irene. Why was I thinking of her now?

Morning sure came early. I had the chef make breakfast for all the girls and bouncers that spent the night. The clean- up crew were already busy cleaning the party room. The girls looked tired but were grateful for the breakfast and coffee. After they ate I paid each girl a thousand dollars and her share of her tips. They all made a lot for one nights work. None made quite as much as Zoey but that was expected.

We were closed on Sunday so the girls who worked for me had a whole day to get rested up. Some of the temporaries that Brad had brought in said they would like to work at the club if there was ever an opening. We really did treat our employees good.

I spent the day at the club going over the books and catching up on paper work. Joe showed up at noon and said he delivered the tapes to Flo. He told me he wore a beard, sunglasses and a hat. Flo wouldn't be able to recognize him.

"John, she's not a bad looking woman. She may not be thin but she's far from being fat. What the hell is wrong with Bob? She's a damn good looking woman."

"What? You like Flo?" I asked.

"No I'm just saying. For a woman in her forties, she looks pretty damn good. I get tired of all the young chicks. Sure they are great for a fuck but we don't have a lot in common with them. Now Flo is the kind of woman I'd like to take out sometime," laughed Joe after he realized what he had said.

Joe and I were sitting back at the club watching a football game when the phone rang. I wondered why anyone would be calling here on Sunday but I went ahead and answered the phone. It was a woman half hysterical.

"John, I killed him! I took his gun and shot him six times. What am I going to do? Please help me." It took me awhile but I finally recognized the voice. It was Flo.

"Flo, what did you do. Did you shoot Bob? Calm down and tell what happened."

"A man with a beard and sunglasses dropped off some tapes and told me I needed to listen to them. I did and it was Bob cheating on me. He was having sex with this woman and telling her he wished I was dead. He called me a pig and an old bitch."

"So what happened?"

"I asked him about it when he came home from golfing and he laughed at me and said it was all true. I couldn't take it and I kept shooting him till I ran out of bullets. He's lying here dead on the Persian Rug. Can you help me John? I don't want to go to Jail."

"Calm down Flo. What were your plans for today?"

"My sister Sue and I were going to go to the movies, but now I'll be going to jail for killing this bastard."

"First Flo I need for you to calm down. I'll help you out but you have to get your senses back. Can you do that?"

"Yes, but I have Bob's dead body on my floor. Should I call the police?"

"No, don't call anyone. I want you to go to your sister's and go to the movie. Tell your sister that Bob is staying home because you have a carpet cleaning company coming by today."

"I don't understand," replied Flo.

"Flo this is going to cost you some big bucks. Do you have ten thousand dollars in cash at home?"

"Yes, in the safe."

"I want you to take ten thousand dollars and put it in a large envelope and put it on the end table. Then I want you to write a check for two hundred and fifty dollars. Make it out to Ray's carpet cleaning. Later I'll need a thousand dollars for another Persian Rug. But we'll get that later."

"Are you coming here John?" asked Flo.

"No, I can't be seen there. I'll send a crew to clean up the mess. The money is their payment. The check is for actually cleaning your carpet. Now whatever you do don't say anything to anyone. Go to the movies with your sister. Stay away for at least six hours. Can you do that?"

"Yes, but what do I say about Bob?" she moaned.

"We'll go over that later. As far as you know he came back from playing golf and was there while the carpet cleaners were there. You got it? You have to stick with this story. Your life depends on it."

"I'm calming down some now, John. Thank you, I'll call you as soon as I get home in about six hours."

"Good, and call me on your cell phone. Wait, stop and get one of those track phones so your calls can't be traced."

"Thank you John," she said before hanging up.

"What the hell happened? asked Joe.

"Bob came home from playing golf and he and Flo got in an argument and she killed him."

"Damn! My kind of woman! Do you want me to handle this John?"

"Sure. Contact Ray's Carpet Cleaning and explain the cleanup. His money is on the end table. Make sure they get rid of the Persian Rug and clean any signs of blood on the bare floor. Have them stop by my cousin's import store and pick up a used Persian rug to replace the other one. Make sure it's used and that they clean it."

Joe made the calls and took care of everything. When Flo called me when she got home she said the place looked great and even the rug they replaced her old one with was similar to the one she had. She wanted to know what to do next. I gave her Joe's number and said he was going to handle it from this point.

I talked with Joe after he met with Flo. He knew better than to go to her house so he met her at a little diner about thirty miles away. Here's what he told her.

"Flo from this point on you have to act concerned that your husband is missing. I want you to call the police and tell them about going to the movie with your sister and out to eat, just like you did. Stick as near to the truth as you can. It's much easier to remember.

"Tell them your husband came home from playing golf and was mad that he had to stay home for the carpet cleaners. They will take it from there. You can tell them you left a check for Bob to give them. After that you know nothing and we aren't going to tell you anything. The less you know the better.

"The police will tell you that you can't file a missing person report for twenty-four hours. Make sure you call them back as soon as the twenty-four hours are up. You must act concerned about his whereabouts.

"Eventually his body will be found and you will be a suspect; spouses always are. You have an airtight alibi. Don't screw it up. Tell them everything you know about his business dealings. You can even mention you thought he could be having an affair but you don't have any proof of it.

"Give me the tapes the stranger gave you, (she didn't know it was me) and I'll destroy them. From this point on, we can't have any contact except by the track phone you bought. You will be watched once the body is found.

"John told me you had a daughter from a previous marriage. Ask her to come and stay with you. But, do not tell her anything. Invite your sister over to be with you. You don't want to be alone. If your neighbors are questioned which they will be, they will probably verify seeing Bob coming home from golf and the cleaning van."

"What happened to Bob's car? Won't they ask about it?" asked Flo.

"Yes they will but you weren't there when Bob left in it so you don't know. We aren't telling you anything because the less you know the better. This will end up being an unsolved crime. It's just that the first couple of months are going to be hard. After all he was the county prosecutor."

"Will I ever see you again? You've been so helpful," said Flo in a sweet voice.

"I sure hope so but it won't be for awhile. I'm available to talk to you at any time. You have my number but make sure you use the track phone."

Flo did just as Joe asked her. She called the police and she reported Bob missing. She called them back in twenty-four hours and they sent an officer to her home to take her statement. Flo kept Joe aware of everything that went on.

She told the police about going to the movies with her sister and it was verified. They also checked with the neighbors who said they were away most of the day but when they got home they did see a carpet cleaning truck in the driveway. Flo produced the check receipt where she paid them. She mentioned it cost extra to have the carpets cleaned on Sunday but it's the only day someone would be home.

Flo called the police everyday just like Joe suggested. After the third day Flo said the police stopped by her house to say they found Bob's body. It was in his car out in the strip mines and he was shot a number of times. They had no clues.

She cried and called her daughter to come and be with her during the days following the finding of Bob's body. They planned the funeral which a number of us from the Gentlemen's Club attended. We all paid our condolences and told Flo the usual, 'If there is anything we can do, let us know'.

The police asked if they could talk to me. I told them that Bob hadn't been around for about a week. They told me they had checked his phone records and he had called my club from his house the Saturday before he came up missing. I told them we had a party and he said he was going to come but never showed up.

I also mentioned that I got a call from Flo on Sunday asking me if I had seen Bob. I told her I hadn't. I did remind them that Bob was the County Prosecuting Attorney and did have a few enemies. I didn't know any by name but the risk came with the position.

After the funeral Flo said they wanted to inspect the house. Joe had told Flo to go along with the police and don't fight anything they wanted to do. She was supposed to be in mourning and wanted the people responsible for his death.

A month went by and the police told her they had no leads and the trail was becoming colder. Flo was a teacher and went back to work after a short leave. She told the police it got her away from the house and she knew she had to start a new life without her husband.

Joe had told me that she had called him most every day. He said he looked forward to talking to her. He did tell her that he couldn't see her for at least another month, maybe longer. The police were probably still keeping an eye on her.

She did spend more time with her sister and even spent a couple of weekends with her daughter and her husband. She had a granddaughter that she liked to spend time with. They lived forty miles away in another town.

I just went about my business and stayed clear of the whole situation except the updates that Joe gave me. I could tell he was falling for Flo in his own way.

As for me, my sex life was fucking some of the girls once in awhile. I had to agree with Joe that having a more mature woman seemed much nicer. Someone you had a common interest with and liked a lot of the same things. When Joe talked about Flo, it made me think about all the things that Irene and I had in common.

****

Three months had gone by and the police told Flo that they weren't any closer to catching his killer. She decided to go out with some friends who worked with her at school. It was Joe's idea. He wanted to date her but thought it best if she dated a couple of other men first. He was sure the police would be checking out her first couple of dates.

She went to a birthday party of one of the teachers at school. She danced with a few of the men. A couple of them were divorced and she went on a couple of dates with them. It was pretty much dinner and a movie.

She did tell Joe that she kissed them goodnight even though they wanted to go further, she didn't let them. One day she called my office using her Track Phone. "John, I think you know that I'm friends with Joe. He tells me that the two of you are closer than brothers. Is that true?"

"Yes, it is. In fact if anything ever happened to me he would take over leadership of my businesses. That's how much I trust him. What's this about Flo?"

"I would like to go out with him and wonder if you could arrange it somehow. We agreed that we would like to go out but we don't run in the same crowds and we need some way to meet each other."

I laughed. "Flo, call your sister and ask her to lunch tomorrow at The Olive Garden. I think I'll go there for lunch tomorrow with Joe and introduce you to him. Let's say about noon. It shouldn't be too crowded on a Saturday afternoon. By the way, don't tell Joe. I want to surprise him. Oh, when you see us, invite us to sit with you."

I called Joe and asked him to lunch. I told him I had someone I wanted him to meet. He asked if he should be in disguise and I told him no, just be himself.

"John, I hope this isn't a woman. You know how I feel about being set up on blind dates."

"This isn't a blind date but it is a woman who has asked to meet you. That's all I'm going to say about it. See you tomorrow."

Joe came by and picked me up and we headed over to The Olive Garden.

I was smiling as we pulled into the parking lot. "Ok, is this some kind of joke, John?" asked Joe.

"No, it's for real. This woman I know called me and asked me if I would introduce her to you. She didn't know of any other way to approach you. I'm not lying Joe, I'm being honest with you." I laughed again as we got out of the vehicle.

"It's not like you to do something like this John. What's the catch?"

"No catch, let's just enjoy lunch. No commitments here, just friends having lunch."

We walked in and as we waited to be seated I saw Flo and her sister. Joe hadn't noticed her yet.

"There she is. Joe come and meet my friend. She has recently lost her husband."

Joe looked over and saw Flo.

I spoke first. I knew Flo's sister and of course had seen her at the funeral. "Flo, it's nice to see you out and about." I said hi to Sue and then introduced Joe to Sue and Flo.

"Nice to see you again Flo. You probably don't remember me from your husband's funeral. You have my sincere sympathy," said Joe.

"We better get back in line so we can be seated. It was nice to see you again Flo and of course Sue, it's always a pleasure to see you," I remarked.

"John, why don't you and your friend join us? I'm sure Sue doesn't mind, do you Sue?" replied Flo. "It would be nice to have some male company."

"Of course I don't mind," replied Sue. I have known Sue and her husband for years. They were a happily married couple with two teenagers. We were friends but never ran in the same circle.

I waved to the waitress and told her we were joining the ladies and to put it all on one check. The waitress set down place settings for Joe and I. Without hesitation Joe sat next to Flo and I sat next to Sue.

"You don't have to pay for our lunch," replied Sue.

"I insist, we're all friends here," I replied.

It wasn't long before we were all talking about old times and Flo and Joe acted like new friends. We enjoyed a nice lunch and I picked up the tab. Sue and Flo both thanked me.

Joe looked at Flo and said, "It was really nice meeting you again. I'm not sure if it's forward of me but I would like to see you again."

Sue took a napkin and wrote her phone number on it and said, "That would be nice. I'm trying to get my life back on track. If you're a friend of John's then you're a friend of mine."

We walked the ladies to their car and then headed back to Joe's vehicle. Joe thanked me all the way home. He knew he needed an in to start a relationship with Flo and I got it for him.

On Sunday I decided to go see my daughter and of course Irene, my ex-wife. I knocked on the door and Sammie answered it. I always like boys names for girls so Irene decide to name our daughter Samantha.I call her either Sam or Sammie.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" said Sam with a smile.

"I just came to see my two favorite women and wondered if they would like to go out for dinner and maybe even take in a movie."

"Come on in Dad, Mom's in the kitchen. I'll let her know you're here."

I sat down and Irene came into the room. Damn, why did I ever let her go? I knew I still had strong feelings for her.

"John, you're looking well. Sammie said you want to take us out for dinner. What brought that on?" asked Irene.

"You want the truth? You won't believe it but I miss you two. You know I had my last marriage annulled. Since then I've been alone a lot and have been doing a lot of thinking. I would like to know if I can stop by once in awhile and maybe we can go out sometimes."

Irene was one woman that could read my thoughts. I think it was because we liked so many of the same things. I hate to say we think alike because I hope she doesn't think like me.

"Damn, you're serious aren't you? What's the problem John, you seem a bit different."

"I guess I'm finally growing up. I miss being with a woman I can have conversations with that are meaningful. Listening to music and dancing to the older tunes."

"Sure we can have dinner and we'll let Sam pick the movie. There's a few she has been wanting to see but we just haven't had the time. It's been busy at the bakery. I've been meaning to talk to you about hiring a couple of more people so Sam and I can have more time off.

"Irene, I know I'm a partner but you don't need my permission to hire anyone or make changes. The reason I stayed a partner was so I had a reason to come and see you. I know I can see Sammie but I want to see you too once in awhile."

"Wow, you sure are in a downer," said Irene.

"No, I feel as good as I ever have. I just like to be near someone I love. It's just been too long. So, let's head out and find a good restaurant."

"Dad, can we try the new Japanese place that just opened up? They cook the food right at your table."

After dinner we went to see a movie. I sat next to Irene and we all shared a big bowl of popcorn. Irene was in the middle and had to hold it. I have to say I had a wonderful time.

When we got back to the house Irene asked me if we could talk a little business. She said we needed to replace one of the ovens and would like to get a larger one.

I just smiled, "Irene, get whatever you need. If the business doesn't have the money to buy it then give me a call."

"John, you haven't even picked up your last three months checks. You used to have Bob pick them up but since he died, no one has been there to get them."