One Night When the Moon was Black

Now I had to find out who owned those numbers. I used every legal tool I had but both numbers were still a mystery. With the periodic internal audits, I certainly didn't want to chase my personal demons using city resources.

Loretta seemed concerned when I declined sex all week. I had no desire to touch her at this point.

+ + + +

On the next Wednesday night I found a seat at the bar. There were a pair of girls on the stools and it didn't take long before they made some small talk. I tried my best to turn off my detective mode but to no avail. Once I asked too many questions they clammed up and found a booth. I gave the bartender my credit card and told him I might be in and out all evening. Loretta didn't like that I was out for the evening, but I told her it was important and work related. I offered that she could join me if she had any doubts. She declined.

Around 6:30 pm a touchy feeling couple sat in the booth between the side door and the restrooms. They ordered some nachos and a pitcher. The lady looked at her cell phone a few times but that was the only thing I noticed. They took turns using the restroom, paid their bill, and left the pub. I noticed a cold wave as they passed me. They climbed into a pickup truck and drove off. It was just after 8 pm and the pub was dead. I called it a night.

+ + + +

Charlene and Dave enjoyed the nachos. They had tried them last week. The pub seemed a little chilly tonight. Dave's wife was at her mother's house helping with his father in law. Charlene, freshly divorced due to her cheating, was just looking to get laid. They had been sneaking around for the last six weeks. Dave was proud of his ability to hide their indiscretions. He had his hand under Charlene's bra and she had his zipper down and was squeezing his cock. Thankfully the side street they were on was as quiet as a ghost town. Dave's truck slammed into the giant oak tree. Paramedics found two deceased. Dave was frozen in time with his mouth and eyes wide open. Charlene's head was in his lap when the steering wheel crushed her skull.

+ + + +

When I picked up my agenda, on Thursday morning, someone called to me "Hey J R, didn't you have some deaths where they had their eyes and mouth wide open?"

"Yeah I did. Two weeks in a row. Why'd you ask?"

"Car crash last night. Two killed but the coroner said the driver was dead before the accident. He had his eyes and mouth wide open. You got any leads?"

"Maybe. Is there a folder on them?"

I tracked down the folder and stared at the IDs. It was the couple that had the nachos and left in the truck. My stomach was churning. I read the details of the deceased. Both were dead, although only the guy had the eyes and mouth thing. I was a believer. I called my dad and set up a lunch date.

"Glad you could make it Dad."

"Like I get to go anywhere?"

"IT struck again last night. Two died but only the man was wide eyed. He was an active adulterer. They weren't even having sex at the time, just going somewhere in his truck. Did you ever have anything like that?"

"No. That kind of changes things."

"How so?"

"How are you going to catch IT if they drive off?"

"Why would I want to stop IT?"

"You have to. Can you imagine the panic if this happens twenty, fifty, or one hundred weeks in a row?"

Dad was really upset about this. He blamed himself for not burying the Infideligeist better.

I spent a few days tracking down the man whose wife was the first victim twenty years ago. He had moved several times and was now deceased. When his body was found it appeared that he had been tortured. There were signs of ritualistic burns consistent with the occult. I guess when you play with fire...

+ + + +

I asked to be put back on the swing shift for just Wednesdays. Wednesday around 6 pm, I greeted the bartender and surrendered my credit card. A lady too young to drink sat in the suspect booth. After checking her ID the waitress brought her an iced tea. I asked the waitress how old and she indicated eighteen.

It was nearing 7 pm when I had to relieve myself. As I came out of the restroom I was shocked to see my neighbor, Tim, sitting with the eighteen year old. He was so into her that he didn't notice me. Unfortunately for Tim, she had chosen the booth between the side door and the restrooms. I decided to wait outside. She was draped on his arm as they left the pub. She climbed into his minivan as he fondled her sizable boobs and ass. Tim simply pulled into a dark area of the motel's parking lot.

I watched in silence for about ten minutes until the blond beauty burst from the car screaming for someone to call 911. She grabbed her panties, bra, and blouse from the car. She stepped into her panties, then quickly restored her bra and blouse.

I went into the pub and settled my tab. I waited for the paramedics. The emergency vehicles responded quickly. Tim was found with his eyes and mouth wide open.

I volunteered to take the bullet for the patrol officer. I stopped at Tim's house and broke the news to Marilyn, his wife. She was devastated and her two teenage daughters joined in sharing the pain.

I finished my shift and made my way back home. Loretta was already asleep. She never waits up for me.

My teenage kids were up early as they are quite active in high school activities. Both were gone when I shuffled into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Good morning sleepyhead. How was your night?"

"Pretty shitty. One of the victims turned out to be Tim from next door."

I've interviewed a lot of criminals, so I think I'm pretty good at reading body language. Loretta's movements immediately caught my eye. It was as if someone had kicked her in the stomach. Her eyes were immediately wet and her voice was cracking.

"OH MY GAWD! What happened?"

"He was found dead in a motel parking lot. He was enjoying the talents of a young lady. Foul play is suspected."

Again Loretta's body language betrayed her. She bristled at my comments. Could she have been cheating with Tim?

"I've got to get over to Marilyn's house."

And within a minute she was out of the house. I left for work without saying goodbye to Loretta. That resulted in a verbal assault when she discovered that I was gone. She was extremely miffed when I failed to placate her bitchy mood. If what I think has been happening is true, she can go fuck herself.

I found Tim's case folder and we had a Yahtzee. One of my mystery phone numbers was for Tim's burner phone. Tim and Loretta were meeting on game nights. Sadly only one of the two mystery numbers belonged to Tim. It didn't take a genius to put her two reactions together. The bitch was having an affair with Tim and didn't realize she was just one of the sluts in his stable.

I went to my daughter's game. Afterwards, we went out for a late dinner, as a family, then beat a path home. My mood was somber at best. I felt like screaming. My heart hurt so much. How could she?

"Are you okay honey? You've been quiet all evening."

"I think I'm coming down with something. I think I'll sleep on the couch. I don't want you or the kids to catch it. They've got regionals coming up and both are really hoping to make it to state this year."

"Can I do anything or get you something?"

"No thanks."

+ + + +

My focus was not what it needed to be. I spent a few hours with my dad. He was pleading with me to capture the Infideligeist and bury it in a concrete tomb. He volunteered to do surveillance. We both snickered as he was always dozing off. Staying on guard for hours at a time just wasn't going to happen.

"Okay dad, what do I need to put with the body to paralyze the Infideligeist?"

He grabbed his yellow legal pad and scribbled four things with a little explanation and some crude pictures to help me. I cross checked his list with the curse document.

The following Wednesday I had a plan that was starting to make some sense. I spent that night inside the pub. I had a nice long chat with the owner. He kept my glass of colored water filled all night. One of the barflies tried her best to interest me in a night of pleasure. I declined but, for the first time since I met Loretta, I actually considered it. Every time someone would slide into the fatal booth I'd get my hopes up. I left at midnight with no progress on seeing the Infideligeist in action. For the first time in five weeks, no wide eyed deaths.

+ + + +

After a very chilly week at my house, Wednesday rolled around again.

"J R what in the hell is wrong with you? You've avoided me all week and haven't said 'I love you' once. We haven't made love in weeks."

"Loretta, if your life depended on it, would you tell the truth?"

"What? What's this all about?"

"A simple question. If your life depended on it, would you tell the truth?"

"Of course."

"Good. Tell me, have you ever cheated on me?"

"J R what have you been smoking? Never! I repeat NEVER. Why would you even ask me that?"

"Just some comments I overheard. Forget I ever asked. Can I take you out to dinner?"

"What about the kids?"

"KIDS! Your mom and I are going out to dinner. BE-have!"

"Let me grab my sweater."

+ + + +

There wasn't much of a crowd at the pub. 6 pm on Wednesdays were like that. I found a nice booth between the side door and the restrooms. After we had our drinks, and some nachos, I gave Loretta her last rights.

"Let me tell you a story Loretta. I've been investigating a very unusual string of deaths. It's a fascinating mystery. Four out of the last five weeks, on Wednesday night only, there has been a mysterious death. I've been spending all of my time on this case. As bizarre as it seems, there's some kind of ghost that takes control of the victim and squeezes the life out of them."

"A ghost? Come on J R, you can't be serious."

"Dead serious. I've been able to put together a profile that matches all of the victims. On each of the Wednesdays, the victims sat in this exact booth about this time of day. Tim and his teeny bopper sat here two weeks ago."

Loretta looked spooked "Why in hell are we sitting here then?"

"Calm down Loretta. The only people who died were adulterers. Anybody else who sat here is still living. I know I haven't cheated on you and you assured me that you hadn't cheated on me either. Oh, by the way, I found your earrings. Did Tim have a nice cock?"

There was a sudden change in temperature. Loretta was visibly shaken as I slid the earrings towards her.

"I don't know anything about Tim. Where did you find the earrings?"

"In the bathroom at my dad's house. I wonder why you were there. I also wonder why your cell phone number had been called from Tim's burner phone. I sure hope you didn't lie about cheating on me. That ghost is deadly accurate and I would NEVER put the mother of my children in danger."

It wasn't a smile, it was more like a smirk that I gave Loretta. The enormity of what I said began to sink in.

"You BASTARD! You knew!"

"Ya think?"

Loretta dashed out of the booth and you could hear her puking in the ladies room. When she failed to return after five minutes, I asked one of the barflies to check on her.

The coroner put Loretta's time of death at 6:44 pm. I feigned being devastated. The funeral home did a good job of making her face presentable. Corpses never really look lifelike in their coffin and Loretta was no different.

+ + + +

I took some time off and dealt with the aftermath of Loretta's sudden demise. There was another mysterious pub related death the Wednesday after Loretta died.

My first taste of post Loretta life came quickly. Every day people were dropping by with trays of food. My daughter's best friend, with her mother Kelly in tow, rang our doorbell. Kelly dished out the food and once the teenagers ravished it, we were left alone in the kitchen to clean up.

I was loading the dishwasher when I felt Kelly's tits poking me in the back. She snuggled up and wrapped her arms around my stomach.

"J R, sooner or later you're going to want a woman. I've been divorced for five years. I'm not looking for a husband, but I could certainly use a man every once in a while."

I felt her right hand slide under my sweatshirt and play with my nipples.

"I might be ready for you sooner than you think Kelly."

I urged her left hand down to my growing cock. She rubbed it through my sweat bottoms.

"Looks like you are. Got a condom?"

I chuckled "Would you believe NO?"

"I'll bring dinner by again tomorrow. Try to be better prepared. Let's go into the bathroom and I'll help you with this problem."

We snuck into the bathroom and I enjoyed my first standing up blow job. It was over quickly.

"Been a while has it J R?"

"Ya think? Thank you. That was very very nice."

"You're welcome. As you can see, I'm very serious about my offer."

Just like a teenager waiting for prom night to arrive, I was practically worthless at work the next day. The thought of having sex with another woman had me excited all day long.

Kelly was everything I could have hoped for. She was warm, soft, and eager for sex. It had been so long since Loretta was like that. We lay together in the afterglow.

"J R, I have a few friends. Don't go thinking you're the only one. I expect you'll be having more than a few lovers yourself. If you're interested, I've got a friend who could use some loving."

Natalie, Kelly's friend, made me feel like a king. Life is going to be good again.

+ + + +

A few days after the funeral I received a call from a number that I felt I should know, but I couldn't place it.

"Hi J R, this is Todd, Loretta's boss."

"Hi Todd. What's going on?"

"We've collected Loretta's things. Is it alright if I have them dropped off or would you prefer to pick them up?"

"Just set them on my porch. Thanks Todd."

I was nursing a beer that night when it hit me. The reason I knew that number was because it was Loretta's second mystery number. I pondered whether those were work related or booty calls. More detective work was needed.

I went through Loretta's email accounts and found a folder of saved emails. They say a woman has an affair for emotional reasons. Todd had worked his way into not just her heart but her panties. Revenge wasn't just a possibility. It was a certainty. Research showed that Todd was younger than me and had two grade school aged kids.

+ + + +

I spent Wednesday afternoon working the backhoe and cement mixer. It's amazing what you can get away with by putting up some traffic cones and slapping a bogus construction company sign on your truck. If my calculations were correct, the extra water I used in mixing the cement gave me a window of opportunity. If not, I'd have a cement filled hole with nothing but cement in it. I had to finish the job by 8 pm. With my clothes reeking of sweat, dirt, and cement I put on my best fake mustache, sideburns, and hunting hat. I found Todd sitting at the bar.

I guided him into the booth between the side door and the restrooms. We talked about how much Loretta would be missed.

"So tell me Todd. How long were you two fucking? Did you like how tight her pussy was?"

Panic stricken "Look J R it's not like I started it."

Once I felt the temperature change I asked Todd to join me outside as I had something for him to see. I had chosen tonight as the moon was black. Todd wasn't prepared to take a bullet as I pushed my revolver into his side. We walked across the street towards the cemetery and quickly disappeared into the dark night.

Almost begging "J R, she came on to me. She wanted the promotion and said she'd make it worth my while. It started with a blowjob but I kept stalling the promotion so she offered up her pussy the next few times. Please don't kill me. I have a wife and two young kids who depend on me."

"I can tell you two things Todd. I'm not going to kill you, but you're probably going to be dead in the next fifteen minutes."

I relayed the story of the Infideligeist. He tried to bolt but I tripped him. Before he could get up he started gasping for air and within a minute he was as dead as Loretta. Off came his head using the ax from my dad's garage. I put Todd's naked corpse into the body bag. I made certain that the bag still contained the occult crap in it. I zipped up the bag and was applying duct tape when the bag started shaking.

Spooked doesn't begin to describe what I was feeling. I glanced over and made sure his head was still sitting well away from the bag. I glanced back at the quivering body bag and tried to calm myself. I positioned the bag and shoved it shoulders first into the deep concrete filled hole. The bag wiggled its way down and slowly disappeared. I covered that last two feet to the surface with a mixture of salt and gravel. Nothing should ever grow there. A metal detector would detect nothing.

Todd's car was found at the pub with his head and clothes on the front seat. No cell phone was found. I was involved in the investigation. The security videos failed to identify the stranger with Todd. The bartender told them he had never seen either of the guys before.

The axe head sank into bottom of the lake by the park. I burned the ax handle and melted Todd's burner phone.

+ + + +

It took a few days to find my dad in a lucent state.

"Dad, you're looking good! Care to take a ride?"

"Sure, how are the kids holding up?"

"About as well as you would expect. The suddenness you know, the shock of it all, has rocked them to their core. I made them play in regionals though. I told them that Loretta wouldn't have it any other way."

"How'd it really happen son?"

"She puked herself to death."

"No really J R. You're not even close to grieving."

"I took her to dinner at the pub on that night. It was a Wednesday if you remember."

His shocked look caused a smile to crawl across my face. Almost stuttering "Was she really?"

"Yep, times two. Both of her lovers suffered the same fate as her. The second one won't ever be found, if we're lucky. By the way you didn't warn me about the body bag moving."

With that 'busted' smile "Didn't I? Boy I had nightmares about that for years."

I pulled up next to the cemetery. The weeds were already starting to populate near the recently disturbed ground.

"I just wanted you to know that your pioneering work with the Infideligeist has paid off again. Last Wednesday should have been its swan song. How about you spending the night with me. It's Halloween and I think we're going to have a lot of trick-or-treaters and well-wishers."

"I'd like that son. Good job."

"Couldn't have done it without you pop."

+ + + +

Epilogue:

I occasionally drive by the cemetery and glance towards that barren spot near the fence. There have been no arrests in any of the mysterious deaths. Since Todd was Loretta's boss, I convinced my superiors to let me be the lead detective. Todd's case folder is attracting dust on my desk.

I miss Loretta. I just can't turn off the good memories. It's like losing a sister. The women in my life have made it very easy to forget about Loretta as a wife.

The kids wanted a nice saying on Loretta's headstone. We agreed on 'Loretta Adams loved her children'. Those earrings sit, on the fireplace mantle, next to a picture of my kids.

The divorced and single moms, with grade school and high school aged kids, have been stopping by with meals and offers of friendship. I've gladly accepted all of the food and several of those offers for friendship. Some are more talented, but all have been worth it. Todd's wife left the area. Marilyn and I are just friends. She doesn't know that Tim and Loretta were lovers. I see no reason to cause her any more pain.

Kelly and I are twice a month friends. I'm a hard salami to her. Natalie is a little more often than that. She makes love to me. It's hard to not fall in love with someone like her, but her scars are deeper than mine. She won't talk about her divorce, other than to say he cheated, so I suspect she rose above seeking revenge. I got my revenge. She's a better person than I am.