Hideaway House

"Which, with his checkered past, we can easily prove doesn't hold water anymore."

"Right. The third major piece of evidence was her cell phone was found nearby."

"Just like the disabled camera, a little too neat and easy," Nona said.

Tony looked at her and smiled and said, "And that has bothered all of us that worked the case."

Tony asked Nona, "What did or does Peter do for a living?"

"He was a state representative, but he lost the last election, so he was doing some consulting the last I knew. He had high goals and aspirations though."

"How high?"

"I don't know anymore, but I'm sure you could find people willing to talk about him." , "So we have a man that isn't meeting his career goals, so he decides to take advantage of lonely love starved ladies by making love to them, taking their pictures, and then blackmailing them to get favors, so he can get back in the political arena again. Then, something goes wrong and he solves that problem by murdering Mrs. Dunhill and plants evidence to incriminate his own wife. Sounds very plausible, but will it hold up to scrutiny? I guess we'll find out. Nona, can we count on you to testify to what you have told me and that you saw Peter at the inn?"

"It would be my pleasure."

"I've never heard a potential witness say that to me before."

John leaned back in his chair and said, "You can't get better than that Tony, a rock solid and eager witness. The prosecutor will love you."

"Not once he finds out I'm screwing up his case."

Tony stood up and took Nona's hand and said, "Nona, thank you for your help and your willingness to testify."

"You're welcome Tony. Let us know how things turn out will you?"

"I'll do that, Phil nice to meet you."

"You too Tony, and good luck." After Tony was gone Phil said, "John, if you have another case for me don't call. I'm so far behind now that I expect to be sued for non performance or something." Then with their goodbyes, said the two of them headed home again.

As they headed west Nona asked him, "Are you that far behind?"

"Well I did exaggerate, but I am getting behind. I have to get back and bust butt for a couple of days." Phil took Nona home and spent a few minutes with her and then headed straight to his office.

It was almost two weeks later when it came on the news that Bethany had been released from jail and just a couple of days after that when Tony called Nona. "Hi, it's Tony Gaston calling with the latest about Peter."

"Hi Tony, what's happening?"

"Peter was arrested a couple of hours ago along with Lester Hanley."

"Who's he?"

"A maintenance man at Paradise Found. He has confessed to tampering with the security camera for Peter and calling him when Loretta arrived at the pool that afternoon."

"Then who was the woman you saw on the security tape?"

"Just one of the guests of the inn, once she realized she was going down the wrong sidewalk she cut across the grass to the north pool, but the camera couldn't see that."

"So that certainly provides opportunity."

"Lester also put a barricade across the sidewalk that said pool closed, so yes Peter did have opportunity. The maintenance man swears that Peter paid him two grand for the camera trick and the barricade, and told him that he just wanted to make love to Mrs. Dunhill by the pool and didn't want it on camera. Then an hour later he removed the barricade unaware that Mrs. Dunhill was dead."

"I can see Peter using his charm to con the guy too."

"Conned or not, the guy is in deep trouble."

"Yet another life ruined thanks to our Peter Koloff. Thank you for calling Tony."

"You're welcome. You'll be notified about testifying."

"Okay, I'm ready." Nona was standing there after the call and was ready to call Phil with the news when her doorbell rang. When she looked through the security peephole she smiled. She knew who the woman was and opened the door. "Hi, are you Nona Camden?"

"I am and you must be Bethany Koloff."

"I am."

"Come in."

Bethany was just inside when she embraced Nona and started to cry, but then took a breath and said, "I'm sorry. I just wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"Getting me out of jail."

"I can't take credit for that."

"The detective told me that you came forward with information about Peter. He didn't say what it was and at that moment I didn't care."

"Let's sit down", and the two of them went to the couch.

Bethany took a breath and got control of herself and continued.

"I couldn't believe it when they arrested me."

"It sounds like Peter did what he could to draw attention away from him and toward you."

"That bastard, how can a man be like that?"

"I don't know, but I can tell you that my marriage to him was a ride through hell too."

"I can only imagine. How could we have been so taken in?"

"He's a very smooth talker."

"I guess so; he was sleeping with so many other women that I couldn't keep up with him."

"Yes, I learned about a few of them."

"The first thing I did when I was released was start divorce proceedings."

"I hope you can get on with your life now and find happiness."

"I've been through hell so everything now will seem like heaven."

"You know Angela Simmons I believe."

"Yes, not well but I know her."

"You will want to thank her too. She helped us put some facts together that to me proved that you were innocent."

"I will thank her then. You said we a minute ago."

"My boyfriend is a private investigator."

"And he helped?"

"Yes he did, a lot in fact."

"I'd like to thank him in person but at least please thank him for me."

"I will. Bethany it has taken me too long to get my life back in order after Peter. Don't let him rob you of your life too."

"Thank you, I'll remember that and again thank you so much for everything that you and your boyfriend have done." Bethany stood up and said, "You can't believe what it was like in jail."

"No, I'm sure I can't." They walked to the door and with one last embrace Bethany left. Nona called Phil's office, but he was out so she called him on his cell phone.

"Phil."

"Hi, it's me."

"Hi, beautiful."

"Can you find time to come over?"

"Are you kidding, of course I can. I'm about halfway across town so I'll be a little bit, what's up?"

"I've been having a very interesting afternoon and wanted you to be a part of it."

"What's making it interesting?"

"A call from Tony in Washington."

"What did he say?"

"You'll have to come over to find out."

"That's dirty. Okay, but I'm going to stop at the house first and then I'll be over." Phil moved fast and drove faster and was at Nona's in less than an hour. As soon as he was inside he asked her, "Okay now, what's the big secret?"

"Well for starters I had a visitor."

"And that would be?"

"Bethany Koloff. She stopped to thank us for all that we did for her."

"That's nice, too bad I didn't get a chance to meet her.

"Uh uh, she's too leggy and pretty. I told her I'd be happy to give her message to you."

"Oh I see."

"Then Tony called and they have arrested Peter and a maintenance guy from the inn", and then she went on to tell Phil all that she could remember.

He kissed her then and said, "Damn, we're good together."

"We're better than good."

Phil's cell phone rang so he checked it and said, "It's John." He answered the phone saying, "Hey, John."

"Phil, I have another lonely lady for a client and I need some help from your end."

Phil looked at Nona and told her what John had said so she took the phone and said, "Sorry John, but you'll have to call back in several hours. Maybe even tomorrow," and then hung up on him.

She smiled as she handed him the phone and he asked her, "Why did you do that?"

She started up unbutton his shirt then and said, "Because I can't have you distracted while I'm trying to undress you and tell you that I love you so much it hurts."

The End.