Lying Eyes

I nodded. It actually didn't bother me as much as I'd have thought it would. I'd already known that Todd wasn't the first guy that Constance had cheated on me with. In fact she'd apparently cheated on him too from what he was saying to his woman. Well for me it would all be over soon.

We settled down to watch over the hidden cameras they'd placed in Todd's apartment. Apparently from what Todd was telling Eliza, Connie was due to be at his place by nine thirty and the product was supposed to be delivered by eleven p.m. At least they wouldn't have very much time for their fuck session.

We settled down to watch. Eliza was stomping around the apartment cursing in Spanish, while Todd looked out the window every few minutes. When Constance finally arrived, Todd kissed Eliza and hustled her out of the apartment before buzzing Constance in. From the cameras in the hallway, we could see that Constance and Eliza actually passed each other in the hall without knowing it.

Constance walked into Todd's apartment and looked around. Todd immediately wrapped his arms around her. He seemed to be the one who was doing all of the touching and hugging despite what he'd told Eliza. His touching and stroking morphed into kissing and Constance, though she didn't initiate it, went with it.

The investigators were kind enough to refrain from commenting on Constance's body while I was there. "Hey, Dan you don't have to watch this," one of them told me. "We'll call you when it's over."

I went into the next room. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I couldn't bear to watch it.

On the screen the agents watched as the last of Constance's clothing was piled on the floor. She stood naked in front of Todd. He pushed her back onto the bed and spread her legs. He dropped his pants and roughly entered her. He just started humping away at her. At first the agents were talking, but apparently watching Todd fuck Constance was somehow not as exciting as watching Constance strip.

"Man he's pounding the shit out of her," said one agent. "But she's just lying there taking it."

"It's almost like consensual rape," said another.

Finally Todd grunted and screwed up his face and then stopped. He squeezed one of Constance's breasts and asked her, "Did you bring it?"

I walked back into the room in time to hear him ask her. It took her longer than we expected to answer him. It was almost as if she was considering that she should do.

"Babe we really don't have time to bask in the afterglow," he said.

"How do I know that I'll get my share of the money?" she asked. All of the agents in the room started nodding their heads.

"What are..." I began.

"She just asked him about her share of the profits," said the first agent. "While not an admission of guilt, it does indicate that she is expecting to make money from this. That is enough to charge her in some capacity and probably enough to get her jail time instead of probation."

"You can trust me Constance," said Todd. "You know me. I've been in love with you since college. You know I'd never run out on you. We're getting married after all of this is over. You're wearing my Grandmother's ring. All of this is so we can be together. Why would I try to steal from you if the whole point of this was so we could get married and be together?"

He looked at her. "Constance where's the ring?"

"I can't wear that ring when I'm at home," she said. "Danford would know about us."

"So what if he finds out," said Todd. "He's going to find out soon anyway."

"So how much of a percentage do I get?" asked Constance changing the subject.

"Uhm, forty percent," said Todd.

"So you're investing fifty grand yourself?" asked Constance.

"Well, not me alone," said Todd. "I have other investors."

"The money is outside," said Constance. "I'll give it to you when I leave in a few minutes."

Todd looked shocked. "What are you talking about Connie?" he asked. "What do you mean when you leave in a few minutes? I thought you were going to stay with me."

"Todd, you know that isn't possible right now," said Constance as she began pulling her clothes on. "You know that I'm married. I'm married to a very rich, very powerful man. But I promise you, someday soon I'll be coming back forever." She pulled herself away from him and smiled.

Todd followed her out to her car. He couldn't take his eyes off of the car but Constance seemed to treat it the way she treated everything else. She opened the trunk and gave him the slim briefcase. She turned away from him and started to get into the car. Todd grabbed her arm and pulled her against himself. He kissed her really hard and wrapped his arms around her. "I have to go Todd," said Constance.

For the second time that evening, I watched Constance drive away from me. I saw Todd pump his fist and leap into the air. He looked like a teenager instead of a man nearing thirty. Todd ran back inside the building and we watched as Eliza came from one of the other apartments where she'd been visiting. As soon as they saw each other in the hallway, they began arguing again.

"I got the money, babe," said Todd. "We're gonna be rich."

"Did you fuck her?" asked Eliza. Todd just looked at the floor.

"I had to, babe," he said. "She was all over me. She wouldn't take no for an answer."

"I'll bet," spat Eliza."

"Oh babe, don't act like that. It didn't mean anything to me," said Todd. "That bitch has rocks in her head."

"What do you mean?" asked Eliza.

"Just that she's going to be pretty fucking miserable soon," said Todd.

"No, tell me Todd," said Eliza.

"She's so stupid it's not even funny," laughed Todd. "Remember when I rolled that drunk guy a couple of weeks ago?"

Eliza nodded her head. "Besides forty bucks, I got that chintzy ring that the pawn shop wouldn't even give us five bucks for..." laughed Todd.

"I told her it was my grandmother's ring and I wanted her to marry me. She bought the whole thing. When she tries to find me, we'll have moved out and be living somewhere else. So she ain't getting a dime from us," spat Todd.

"But what if her husband hires someone to get his money back?" asked Eliza.

"That's just it. She's going to be so busy trying to cover up what she did, that she won't be able to even think about looking for us. And she won't want him to find us. Because if he does find us and finds out that she GAVE us the money, her ass is grass," said Todd.

We all watched as Todd and Eliza started dancing.

* * * * * *

Investigator's notes

On the other side of town a boy is waiting

with fiery eyes and dreams no one could steal

She drives on through the night anticipating

'Cause he makes her feel the way she used to feel

She rushes to his arms,

They fall together

She whispers that it's only for awhile

She swears that soon she'll be comin' back forever

She pulls away and leaves him with a smile

* * * * * *

Danford Richards

Todd's dancing was interrupted by a hard knock at his door. Strangely when he opened the door he saw a UPS driver. "You Todd?" asked the driver.

"Uhm Yeah," said Todd suspiciously.

"I got a package for you from Mr. M. Are you ready to accept delivery?" asked the driver.

"Yeah hold on I need to consolidate my assets," said Todd. As we watched on the camera Todd ran around the apartment pulling bills out of all sorts of hiding places.

"Amateurs," sighed the driver.

He looked around the room and shook his head as he watched Todd pulling bills from under sofa cushions and out of boxes.

Finally Todd ran over to him and handed him the briefcase. On top of the neatly stacked bills he'd received from Constance he'd stuffed his wrinkled and crumpled mixed denominations. "Here," he said proudly.

The driver just looked at him and at the brief case with the corners and edges of bills sticking out of the sides.

"Count it," said Todd. "It's all there. Every penny of it is there."

The driver shook the briefcase and listened.

"What are you doing?" asked Todd.

"I wanted to see if there really were pennies in here. You kind of seem like the type who'd raid his kid's piggy bank to get money. Anyway, here ya go." He handed Todd the box he'd been holding.

"Aren't you going to count it?" asked Todd. He was disappointed that the man hadn't verified that he'd come up with the full amount. It was as if he needed to have someone certify that he'd actually managed to amass fifty thousand dollars."

"Nah," said the driver. "That's not my job. Each one of us has his or her specialties and we don't mix them up. The man on the other side has a whole team of specialists who each do his or her own job. Mine is only to deliver the products, whatever they may be and to accept payment. I don't know the contents of the boxes or what they cost. I only deliver them, both ways. There are others who tally the cost and count the contents. If you are lacking by even a penny, there are other specialists who will come and hold you to account for your errors. I should want you though that failure to render payment in full has been the cause of termination of several accounts during my association with the company."

"You mean, if I as a customer, was short with my payment by only a few dollars, they'd never give me another delivery, that's bogus," said Todd.

"It's even more bogus than you think," said the driver. "When I said they terminated the accounts, I meant they TERMINATED the accounts and their holders too." Todd's face got as white as a sheet. The driver turned and started to walk away and Todd closed the door.

Back in the apartment where the agents were watching, the agent in charge got a big smile on his face. "Fuck the plan," he screamed. "Hit them now."

All of the agents around him and even I wondered why the change. "Don't you see?" he screamed. "Catching Todd and getting the drugs before they hit the street is a nice little catch, but that driver is a direct tie in to Marinelli. If we could get him to turn we could get Marinelli and keep most of the drugs on this side of the country from hitting the streets. Get him now. And make sure you get that driver."

I watched as the agents left the room and other agents who were scattered around the outside of the building all converged on Todd's apartment. With the multiple cameras and multiple monitors I could see both what was going on inside of the room and outside of it.

Inside the room Todd was opening the box and pulling out over a hundred small packets of a white substance. He was grinning from ear to ear and showing one of the packs to Eliza.

Outside there were at least eight men gathered outside of the door to Todd's apartment waiting for the order the breach the door. Two men who were each the size of pro football linemen, held onto the handles of a battering ram. They were poised to throw all of their massive size and strength into knocking the door down. There was no other exit from the apartment, but there were men outside covering all of the windows just in case.

"Go," said the agent in charge and the door splintered and fell inwards. Todd's eyes opened to the limits of their elasticity and his mouth formed a large "O" as the agents burst into his room.

He followed the orders the agents were yelling at him and got down on the floor with his hands behind his head.

I shook hands with the agent in charge. He thanked me for providing the agency with the evidence my PI's had discovered, and I headed home.

They never did catch the UPS driver though. He seemingly disappeared and there was no UPS truck outside. the guy was a pro whoever he was.

* * * * * *

PI notes

She gets up and pours herself a strong one

And stares out at the stars up in the sky

Another night, it's gonna be a long one

She draws the shade and hangs her head to cry

She wonders how it ever got this crazy

She thinks about a boy she knew in school

Did she get tired or did she just get lazy?

She's so far gone she feels just like a fool

My, oh my, you sure know how to arrange things

You set it up so well, so carefully

Ain't it funny how your new life didn't change things

You're still the same old girl you used to be

* * * * * *

Constance

I got out of bed again and wondered where the hell Danford was. He should be home with me. I'd called his office several times looking for him. He hadn't said a word about going out. He usually told me where he was going and when he'd be home. This night had already been a night mare and it was just going to get longer and longer. I really needed Danford. I didn't need any excitement right now, what I needed was to have the arms of the man who loved me wrap themselves around me and make me feel better.

Ashley had been right all along. First she realized that Todd was the biggest mistake I'd ever made. After I drove off I'd watched Todd go back into his apartment building. I'd thought of a question I wanted to ask him. He hadn't told me when I'd have my money, so I drove back and followed him inside. I guess I'd been in such a hurry to get away from him after the awful sex, that I'd just stopped asking questions. I'd realized then that I'd made a really big mistake. I got back just in time to see Todd and a pretty Mexican girl start arguing. From the things Todd had said I realized just how big a fool I'd been.

It was just like Ashley had told me. Todd was only after me for the money. He'd fucked me and jeopardized my marriage, just so he could get me to steal money from a man who really did love me. Even the things he told me about how much he loved me and wanted to marry me had all been lies. The ring that was supposedly his grandmother's had been the clincher. It was so corny that I'd actually started to have feelings for Todd all over again. I'd never really considered leaving Danford for Todd but she'd been conflicted enough to give it some thought. I guess I was just the kind of girl who wanted to be the center of attraction and have everyone love me and want me. Todd had used that against me.

The worst part of all is the fact that Todd had really just used me. He never intended to pay the money back. When Danford found out about the money, he'd have to know where it went. If I didn't come up with a pretty good scam I might end up being put on some kind of restrictions as to how much I could spend. In the worst case scenario, Danford might even find out about Todd and I might actually lose him. Sure I'd get a big settlement in the divorce, but what I'd done would probably get out and I'd be the laughing stock of Texas.

Just like back in college, they'd be calling me, "Dumb Pussy," all over again. I just couldn't believe it. I'd been sure that I'd arranged things perfectly. I set everything up so well. It had been perfect. I'd been able to have Danford and Todd too. I'd been able to eat my cake and have it at the same time. But it had all blown up in my face.

My dream world was now in jeopardy. My new perfect life with Danford might be taken from me. It was really funny in some ways because I'd spent years trying to get away from the stigma of that nickname, "Dumb Pussy." I'd become the beautiful wife of one of the richest and most successful men in the country. But my actions had only revealed that my new life hadn't really changed things. I'm still the same old girl I used to be. I'm still, "Dumb Pussy." No matter how much money we have. No matter how important my husband is, I'm still that same petty girl who tried to play hard and fast with the rules and usually ended up getting caught and laughed at.

I'm just not much of a drinker, but I downed the glass of Danford's Scotch in one gulp. The liquor burned as it worked its way down my throat causing me to have a coughing fit and wonder why Danford ever drank it. I got down on my knees and prayed to whatever force in the universe controlled fate. I implored that deity to give me one more chance to change my life and do things the right way. I swore that I would become the best wife any man had ever had in the history of the institution of marriage.

Even as I thought it, I realized that I'd had the opportunity to do that from the beginning and that was what Danford had tried to be with me. He'd never denied me anything, no matter how stupid or unreasonable the request. If I wanted it, I had it. I also realized then that it went beyond money. Danford was attractive enough to have gone after my friends if he'd wanted to, but he never had. Danford had enough money to buy or sway almost any woman he wanted, but he'd stayed faithful to me. It just made me feel worse.

I fell asleep thinking about it. When I woke up the next morning, Danford was there in bed beside me. I wished with all my heart that what had happened before had been a nightmare, but I knew that it was all too real.

I threw an arm and a leg over Dan's sleeping form. He groaned and rolled towards me. "You would try that now," he smirked. "Teasing me like that when you know that neither one of us has time for even a quickly, let alone what you really deserve."

"Danford, we have all the time in the world," I said. "Fuck my job. Fuck your job. We have more money than we'll ever need."

"I thought that was going to be our theme after this deal," he said. "Remember, our cruise, our retirement, our settling down to make babies. Although, it's going to be a crime, to stretch this body all out of shape."

"Whatever shape it's in, it's always going to love you," I said. And I noticed that he looked at me funny then. His expression was unreadable. But if I had to take a guess at it, I've had thought that it was regret. I guess he really did want to stay home and stay in bed with me after all. Maybe things were going to be alright anyway. Sure I'd fucked up with Todd, but in the grand scheme of my life, Todd really didn't matter. He was just a tiny blip on the radar screen of my life and he wasn't even that over the course of my marriage. Ten years from now, I wouldn't even remember the bastard.

I got out of the bed and joined Danford in the shower. He wrapped his arms around me and he hugged there as the water cascaded down our entwined bodies. I ran my hand down his flank and brought it to the front. I grasped his penis and found it already hardening. I started to rub it and found myself getting wetter by the second. I didn't care if I was late, or if Danford was either. I wanted some and I was going to have it. But Danford gently pushed me away.

"Honey, there are things we need to do," he said. "And I know I've been very busy lately, but I want to take care of you without having to rush through it. I want to be able to relax and enjoy every second we spend together. In just a few hours, we'll have nothing but time on our hands. I want to make love to you, not just throw a quick fuck at you. You're supposed to be the woman I love, not some tramp meeting a guy at the Motel Six."

He left me in the shower with me still thinking that everything was fine. There was a nagging suspicion in the back of my mind that simply wouldn't leave though.

Danford left before I did. I don't remember him ever leaving that early, but at least I knew that things between us were still fine. I'd find a way to make things up to him if it took me the rest of my life.

I stepped out of the shower and dressed. I was running a few minutes late. As I got to the bottom of the staircase, I noticed that our caretaker was talking to another man who was working on our front door.

"Hiram, what is he doing?" I asked.

"It's nothing for you to worry about Mrs. Richards. Your husband wanted the locks on all of the doors changed. It's going to take a while. Have a good day," he said.

Dan hadn't mentioned changing the locks to me at all. I drove over to the café. I wanted to have breakfast with my friends and then I was going to go to work and quit my job. I'd come up with something I'd rather do anyway. Dan hadn't had his new assistant for more than a few days. Maybe I could get him to give her something else to do and let me be his assistant.