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"I love you, too," he said. She went into her office, unlocked and opened the drawer to retrieve her rings. She almost went into shock when she looked in the drawer and saw her rings were gone. She always put them in the partitioned space at the front of the drawer before closing and locking the drawer. There was no way anyone could've taken them. But the space was now empty.
Frantic, she searched through the whole drawer but the rings were gone. She looked around, wondering if maybe they had fallen on the floor, but there was nothing. She ran back into Jack's office.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"My rings, they're gone," she cried. "Someone's taken my rings." Jack went into her office and the two of them searched for her rings but couldn't find them anywhere.
"They couldn't have just gotten up and left on their own," he said. "Are you absolutely sure you locked them in your desk drawer?"
"Absolutely," she said.
"They have to be around here somewhere," he said. "Listen, I'll leave a note for the night cleanup crew, have them keep an eye out for them. Don't worry, we'll find them."
"But what will I tell Denny?" she cried. "He'll notice they're gone right away."
"Tell him you took them down to have them cleaned and resized," he said.
"I hate lying to him," she said before catching herself. That's what she's been doing for months now. "But I guess I don't have a choice, do I?" She left the office as Jack wrote a note for the night crew.
...
Friday, 5:15 pm, home of Dennis and Sylvia Brown:
Dennis Brown sat in his chair on the back deck, twirling his ring in his hand. His other hand held a lit cigarette -- his third in less than an hour. He thought about putting the ring in his pocket with the other two that were already there but changed his mind. As he slipped the ring back on his finger he thought about Sylvia.
He was close to the end of his first four-year enlistment when he first met her. A friend had invited him over for dinner, telling him there was someone he should meet. He was smitten the moment he saw her. She was the sweetest and most beautiful woman he had ever met. He asked her out on a date and still remembers the first time she ever kissed him.
He remembered the way she lightly ran her tongue along his lips, and the way she gently sucked his lower lip. He had never experienced anything like that before and felt like he had died and gone to heaven. They continued to date and fell in love with each other. When he asked her to marry him, she threw her arms around him and said yes.
She said she was a virgin and insisted she remain that way until her wedding night. He was so taken with her that he agreed. By then, he had already met her family and they all got along great. Her father was a decent, hard-working man who didn't smoke or drink. When he wasn't working, he spent time with his family. In addition to her parents, he had to pass muster with her two older brothers, which he did.
They let him know in no uncertain terms that they expected him to treat their little sister with love and respect. In their household, family was everything. Her father spoke to him privately one day and expressed his concern.
"I know you say you love Sylvia," he said. "But I know what young Marines are like, especially when they're deployed. I won't stand by and see her get hurt."
"I promise you, I will never cheat on your little girl," he told Sylvia's father. Eventually, the older man relented and accepted him as his son-in-law.
"Promise me you'll take care of my little girl, no matter what," he said.
"I promise," Denny said.
For the next 29 and a half years, Sylvia was the best wife a man could ever ask for -- faithful, supportive, loving, caring and perhaps most important, flexible. She had to be to put up with Denny's constant deployments overseas and later, his odd work hours. It wasn't easy, but they got through it all.
They had other challenges as well. Sylvia gave birth to their first child, Leah, about a year and a half after they were married. Unfortunately, the girl died of sudden infant death syndrome, leaving the two of them devastated.
Sylvia got pregnant twice more, but miscarried both times. She spoke to Denny about having her tubes tied, but he wanted to try one more time. She went along with his decision and Alicia was the result. After discussing the matter with her husband, Sylvia had her tubes tied. At first, Denny wanted to try for a son, but he didn't want to see Sylvia hurt, so he agreed.
After serving in the Corps for 20 years, Denny decided to retire. They moved back to his hometown, where he became a detective for the local police department. Sylvia got a job as an administrative assistant at Murdock Industries and slowly worked her way up the ladder.
They continued on with their lives, which consisted mostly of work and raising their daughter, Alicia. Things were well in the Brown household, and Denny was looking forward to the day they could retire and enjoy their golden years, perhaps with grandchildren.
Then about a year and a half ago, he responded to a burglary call at a bank on the edge of town. Three perps had taken several hostages and had demanded police provide an escape vehicle and a clear route out of town. The incident ended with a brief firefight in which he was seriously wounded.
One of the three bullets that struck him did severe damage to his left leg and he ended up in physical therapy for about six months. Denny hoped he would be able to return to duty soon, but the department decided to give him a medical retirement instead.
Although he got a stipend every month from the force, along with his military retirement, their budget took a bit of a hit. Sure, they could pay their bills, but they didn't have as much wiggle room as before.
After he could get back on his feet and get around a bit, he took a part-time job as a process server. It didn't pay much, but it got him out of the house now and then. His friend, Mike McGregor, also offered him a part-time job as a private investigator.
He applied for, and got a license to work as an armed private investigator. Mike, or "Mac," as he preferred to be called, didn't want Denny to push it too hard, so he limited the work to stakeouts or research that could be done online.
Denny was so proud the day Sylvia came home and told him she was promoted and would be an assistant for a new executive the company just hired from New York. He felt she deserved the promotion and the salary increase would certainly help. He couldn't help but notice that her attitude and general outlook on life seemed to have improved. She was happier and far more relaxed than before. Perhaps, he thought, the extra money from her new promotion was the reason.
He was floored the day they brought the new pickup to their house. Silvia told him it was a present for being so supportive of her. He wondered how they could afford this and was surprised when she said she paid for it with a bonus check she had received. It wasn't very long after that his entire world collapsed on him.
It was the previous Monday afternoon when he received a call from Terri Knight, one of the girls who worked with Silvia. He was at Mac's office, having just returned from a surveillance operation.
"Brown," he said when he answered the call.
"Mr. Brown, this is Terri Knight," the woman said. "I work with your wife. Would it be possible to meet somewhere for a few minutes?"
"I suppose," Denny said. "There's that little coffee shop down on Riverside and 3rd. Would that be okay?"
"That would be perfect," she said. "Can we meet in, say, 20 or 30 minutes?" Dennis looked at his watch and saw it was 3:35 pm.
"Sure, I can meet you there," he said. "Can you tell me what this is all about?"
"Not right now and not over the phone," she said. "I'll tell you when I see you."
"Okay," he said. "I'll see you in 20 minutes or so." They ended the call and Denny went into Mac's office.
"Just got a strange call," he said.
"What's up?" Mac asked.
"Some woman who works with my wife wants to meet with me for a bit," Denny said.
"Really?" Mac asked. "You're not getting something on the side, are you?"
"Of course not, Mac, you know me better than that," Denny said.
"I know, I'm just yankin' your chain," Mac said. "Any idea what she wants?"
"No, none," Denny said.
"Well, go on ahead," Mac said. "Maybe it'll mean more business for us." He headed out and met Terri at the coffee shop. He recognized the young woman as he had met her before at a company Christmas party. After buying them each a latte, he sat down with her.
"What can I do for you, Terri?" he asked.
"I'm sorry to have to inform you, Mr. Brown," she said. "But your wife is in a relationship with one of our executives."
"Please call me Denny," he said. "What do you mean, in a relationship? Is she having an affair?"
"It's just a bit more than an affair, I'm afraid," she said.
"You mean, she's fallen in love with this executive?" he asked.
"I think so," she said. "That's the way it looks to me."
"Who is this executive?" he asked. "Is it Jack Wellstone?"
"Yes, it is," she said. "How did you know?"
"Sylvia told me she was accepted as his executive assistant," he said. "I've met the man. He seems like a nice guy. Are you sure Sylvia's involved with him? He's kinda young for her, isn't he?"
"She was his choice," Terri said. "And she's not an 'executive' assistant. She's actually a 'personal' assistant. And she's expected to have sex with him."
"How long has this been going on?" he asked.
"A little more than six months now," she said.
"Why are you telling me all this? And why now, after six months?" he asked.
"Well, I hate to say this, but I'm partly motivated by my own selfish desire," she said. "You see, I was hoping he'd choose me. But instead, he chose a married woman who's a lot older than him. No offense."
"None taken," he said. "I understand completely. Maybe I should have a talk with your management."
"Oh no, don't do that," she said. "Please."
"Why not?" he asked.
"We're all required to sign non-disclosure agreements," she said. "And we're never supposed to talk about the arrangements between executives and their PAs. We can get fired if we do."
"I see," he said. "So, does this arrangement work with the female executives as well?"
"No, the company doesn't hire female executives," she said. "I know it sounds a bit sexist, but to my knowledge, the company has never hired a female into an executive position. Quite a few have applied, but none are ever hired."
"Interesting," he said. "Tell me, are any of the other 'assistants' married?"
"A couple of them are, but most are single," she said.
"What about their husbands?" he asked.
"One doesn't know about the arrangement, and the other does," she said. "He's disabled and unable to work. They could really use the extra money, so he doesn't complain as long as she doesn't rub his nose in it."
"How much extra do they get?" he asked.
"Well, the salary goes up almost double, and they all get a $50,000 bonus every six months," she said. "That's after taxes."
"Wow," he said. So, that's where she got the money for his new truck. No doubt, an effort to assuage her guilt. Suddenly, the new truck didn't seem so nice.
"How often do they get together?" he asked.
"The company has regular 'PA hours' for the assistants to, uh, hook up, with their executives," she said. "That happens every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4:00 to 5:00 pm. Most, like your wife and Jack, find other times to get together."
"So, Sylvia is with him right now, then. Is that what you're telling me?" he asked. She nodded her head.
"Yes," she said.
"Could I get you to do me a favor, please?" he asked.
"I'll try," she said.
"Could you keep an eye on things between Sylvia and Jack for me for a little while?" he asked. "Let me know if you see or hear anything you think I should know about?"
"I think I can do that," she said. "But I have to be real careful."
"I understand, Terri," he said. "I don't want you to put your job at risk."
"I'd better get going, Denny," she said, standing up. "Again, I'm really sorry this happened. If I see or hear anything, I'll let you know."
"Thank you, Terri, I appreciate that more than you know, and I appreciate you telling me," he said. After she left, he sat for a bit to mull over what she had told him. He felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. So, he thought, this is how Sylvia repays me for 30 years of marital fidelity. He looked at his watch and realized it was about 4:30, meaning Sylvia and Jack would be about halfway through their "PA hour." He went back to the office, hoping to see Mac before he left.
"Hey, Denny," Mac said when he walked into the office. "I wasn't expecting you back. You okay? You look like someone just took all your cookies."
"No, Mac, I'm not alright," he said. "I just learned that Sylvia's cheating on me with her boss."
"Step into my office," Mac said, putting his jacket down. "We need to talk." Denny relayed everything Terri had told him. When he finished, Mac thought a bit before speaking.
"The first thing you need to do is get evidence of this," he said. "Right now, all you have is the word of a co-worker who admits she's got a thing for your wife's boss. Personally, I find it hard to believe Sylvia would cheat on you. Hell, you guys have been married, what, almost 30 years now?"
"Yeah," Denny said. "Almost. It'll be 30 years in just a couple weeks." Mac opened a drawer and pulled out an audio recorder disguised as a pen. He handed it to Denny.
"Put this in her purse," he said. "It'll catch up to 18 hours of audio from up to 50 feet away. I'll see what I can do about video surveillance. I know it's going to be hard, but don't let on that you suspect something's up and don't do anything stupid."
"Yeah, you know me," Denny said.
"Yes, and that's why I'm telling you not to do anything stupid," Mac said. "Tell me, Denny, what floor is her office on?"
"The fifteenth floor of the Parker Building downtown," Denny said. "Murdock occupies the top seven floors of the building."
"And that building sits across from the Block Building, if I'm not mistaken," Mac said. "Let me see what I can do. In the meantime, put that in Sylvia's purse and monitor it for the next few days, see what you can catch. And play it cool. Maybe there's nothing going on."
"Okay," Denny said before heading home. Putting the pen in Sylvia's purse was easy. Playing as though nothing was wrong was a bit more difficult. He watched her every move, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He tried to see if he could detect the odor of cologne or anything that might indicate she was having sex, but again there was nothing.
He watched to see if she would instantly head up for a shower, but that didn't happen either. She simply got out of her work clothes just like she always did and came back down to fix dinner, just like she had every day since she started working at Murdock.
When they went to bed, Sylvia said she was extremely tired, which was code for "no sex." That didn't surprise Denny, as she was often "extremely tired" lately. He wondered if Terri was wrong, but the whole thing ate at him anyway. He figured he would know the truth one way or another soon enough.
He got his answer the next evening when he retrieved the pen from her purse. Downloading the audio to his computer, he heard Sylvia and Jack exchange much more than warm greetings. He could clearly hear her begging him to fuck her harder, then heard her cry out when her orgasm hit.
"I'd better go get cleaned up," she told Jack when they were finished. "Don't want to get Denny suspicious." After her shower, he heard the words that ended it all.
"I love you," Jack said.
"I love you, too," she said. "See you in the morning."
Denny sat in his office, tears running down his face as he heard that. The bitch, he thought to himself. That lying, scheming, no-good, scum-sucking bitch! How long has this shit been going on, he wondered. It didn't really matter as far as he was concerned.
His marriage was over. There was no way he was going to be her willing cuckold. He copied the audio file off the recorder, charged it back up and put it back into her purse. Tomorrow, he decided, he would start the process to end this sham of a marriage.
That night, he went to bed and turned his back to Sylvia when she reached out to him. He had never done that before. He had always been more than willing to respond to her. But that was over. He heard her turn away and for a moment, he thought he heard her sobbing. Tough shit, he thought to himself.
The next morning, he called and got an appointment to see a lawyer about a divorce. He knew several, as Mac did work for quite a few divorce lawyers.
"I take it you got audio proof?" Mac asked. Denny nodded his head. "Damn," Mac said. "I'm sorry to hear that. I was able to secure a spot in the Block Building that'll give me a good vantage point of her office suite. I've got a camera up there now. We'll see what we get."
When Denny met with the attorney, he laid out what he knew and let the attorney listen to the evidence he had. Afterward, the lawyer gave him the bad news.
"I'm sorry to hear about this, Denny," John Miller, the attorney, said. "But the fact of the matter is, it doesn't matter. You see, this is a 'no-fault' state, which means you can't file on any grounds other than 'irreconcilable differences.' A judge might take adultery into consideration when it comes time to split the assets or award support, but that's it."
"Can I go after her boss or her company?" Denny asked.
"You can't sue her boss for Alienation of Affection, if that's what you're thinking," John said. "State legislature took care of that some time back. There might be something we can do about the company, however. Let me work on that a bit and I'll get back to you."
"Alright, do what you can," Denny said. "I want a clean split from her. She can have the house. I just want my half of the assets and my retirement. She can have the rest."
"I'll draw up the papers," John said.
"I'd like to serve them myself," Denny said.
"Okay, when would you like to do that?" John asked.
"Next Wednesday," Denny said. "That's supposed to be our 30th anniversary."
"A bit of revenge, huh?" John asked. "I don't see a problem with that." After paying a retainer, Denny went back to the office, where he spotted Mac.
"Check this out," Mac said. Denny came around to see what Mac was looking at. There, on the screen, was Sylvia, taking her rings off and dropping them in her top desk drawer before changing clothes.
"What's she doing with her rings? And why is she changing her clothes?" Denny asked. Knowing she was fucking Jack was bad enough, but to see her ditch her rings like so much garbage tore him up inside.
"Good question," Mac said. "I get the impression she's gone all out for this asshole." They watched as Sylvia hung up the clothes she wore to the office, then grabbed another dress -- one that obviously cost more than the one she just took off -- and put it on. Then they saw her put a necklace on. Denny looked, but couldn't recall ever seeing the necklace before.
"I've got an idea," Denny said. "I've got some things to do, but I'll be back."
"Don't do anything stupid," Mac said.
"You know me," Denny said.
"Yeah, I do, and I'm not bailing you out of jail," Mac said with a laugh.
"Don't worry," Denny said. He left the office and went to an apartment complex. He had reached out to them earlier about renting a small one-bedroom apartment. After going over his budget, he figured he could afford a small apartment and put a deposit down on a first-floor apartment.
