The Ice Cream Man

This is the final chapter. Thank you for everyone who stayed with me on this story. Roden Addison edited this last chapter for me and made it a much better read.

Chapter 4

Jen and I were a bit at odds before she left for her vacation with her parents. Since I found out her friends Nicole and Marty were going I developed a distrust very quickly. That's when I asked my friend Keith, who was a Private Investigator, to get me a background check on Nicole.

He previously had gotten pictures for Marty of his ex wife cheating on him. He told me it was a pretty easy gig since Marty had given him all the details of where his wife would be and who she would be with. It was just a matter of setting up an audio and video camera in the apartment they would be in. Keith told me it was pretty easy money.

Jen left early Monday morning. She told me she loved me and would be home Sunday. We kissed but I didn't put much effort into it. Jen looked a bit dejected as she kissed little Jeffery. She thought of taking him with her but he was only a few months old.

After her parents picked her up I got Jeffery ready to go to my Mom's place. He would spend the week there and I would stop by each evening after work to see him. When I finally got home on Monday after seeing Jeffery, Keith stopped by. He said he had a little information about Nicole.

She had been arrested once in college for nude and lascivious behavior. She had taken off her clothes in a lounge and went on the stage and started having sex with the female stripper. According to the report she was drunk and made a bet with some guys that were at the lounge.

Police officers were called so the lounge owner didn't have a choice in filing a report. Nicole spent one night in jail and Jen bailed her out the next morning. It wasn't much of a record. She did admit at the time she was bi sexual and had done it on a bet. She didn't mind being with the occasional woman.

It made me wonder about Jen— after all, Nicole was one of her best friends. Keith did tell me it was after graduating from college that Nicole got the position as Marty's secretary. He decided to run a check on Marty as well, seeing Nicole was working for him when Keith did the PI work for him.

"It turns out Marty and his ex wife were swingers, or at least their marriage was open," Keith said. "I believe the whole picture scheme was a scam. I now think Marty knew all about the relationship. The only reason Rita, Marty's ex wife didn't fight the divorce was because the man she was with was in politics and a friend of her father's," said Keith.

"I don't get it Keith. What did Marty have to gain from the whole episode? Couldn't he just divorce his wife and go on with his life?" I asked.

"I ran the background check on Marty and found out he and his ex had a pre nuptial agreement. Because of the video he was able to keep his business and most of his assets. He didn't have to split them with his ex. I also found out that he was dating Nicole at the time but his wife had no proof of infidelity. I guess I was part of the plan and didn't even know it. It really pisses me off; the fucking bastard used me!"

We drank a couple of beers, and Keith told me if I ever needed anything to let him know. He did say to watch out for Marty and Nicole. He said he wouldn't trust either one of them.

Keith did mention he was leaving Tuesday with his girlfriend Kelly and his two sons. He was taking them to the Cedar Point amusement park, and then they would be camping out Tuesday and Wednesday night. He'd be home Thursday afternoon. He mentioned that two nights in a tent was about all he could handle.

I went to work and later over to Mom's house to spend some time with Jeffery. I was sulking a bit about Jen. I missed her. It was Tuesday night and my cell phone rang, It was Jen.

"Hi, Jeff, how is everything? I didn't get a chance to say goodbye properly or how much I was going to miss you."

"I miss you too, and I'm sure Jeffery misses his mommy." I put the phone next to Jeffery's ear so he could hear his mommy's voice. He smiled but I don't know if he even knew it was her.

"Jeff, my mom isn't feeling very good and she and dad are coming home tomorrow. It's just a cold but she says she feels miserable. I talked with Nicole and she and Marty said I could stay with them in their spare room. I wanted to be here for the Luau Saturday night, but I'll still be home Sunday."

I didn't know what to say. I felt okay when she was staying with her parents but I didn't want her to stay with Marty and Nicole. I was lost for words. All I could say was how much I missed her and wished she would come home. She told me she missed me too and would see me Sunday.

I was a little in shock. I thought I knew her well but now I wasn't sure. Would she be faithful to me? Damn it! I called Keith. He was surprised to hear from me. He told me that he, Kelly, and the boys were just getting ready to leave the park and go to a campground.

I asked him if he could do me a gigantic favor? Could he go to the camp grounds where Jen was at. I was getting paranoid and wanted him to set up an audio and video camera in Jen's room at Nicole's cabin.

"Jeff! That's an extra hour drive. Are you sure you want to do this. If you were to find out anything it would be inadmissible in court. Besides, it's too late tonight to get in the cabin to set up the equipment. I can set it up for tomorrow night, but I would have to remove it Thursday morning when I leave, so you'll only get the one night. Do you still want me to do this?"

"Yes, I hope it turns out to be paranoia and everything is ok. I don't want anyone to know, not even Kelly, or most of all Jen. I don't want her to know I didn't trust her but I feel like I have to do something."

"Ok, Jeff. I'll go by tomorrow morning and set up the camera and audio feed after they leave for the boat. The way the feed works is by wireless remote. It will record up to five hundred feet away. I won't even see it.

"I'll record and bring you the tapes on Thursday. I can get six hours of audio only. I'll set it up somewhere in the living room of the cabin. I've been there before and there is no where for a video camera in the main living room but it picks up sound great.

"As far as the camera goes I can put it in the overhead fan light in Jen's room. I'll set both for six hours beginning at eight in the evening. Is that ok with you?"

"That's great, Keith. I hope it turns out to be nothing. I really want to be able to trust Jen. I feel bad enough having this done but I have to know, at least for one night."

****

I was a mess on Wednesday. I called my friend Billy and asked him if he wanted to work with me the rest of the week. The ice cream business was booming and I was glad to get the help. I even thought of asking him to work Friday and Saturday for me and I would go up to the lake to see Jen. Then I figured she would get pissed that I didn't do it in the first place. I figured I would wait and see what the tape showed.

Keith caught me on my ice cream route around noon on Thursday. He handed me the disks and told me he never looked at them and wished me the best. I asked Billy to finish the route and told him that I wasn't feeling very good. Actually, I wanted to go home and check out the disks.

I called Mom and told her I wouldn't be over, that I'd caught a bug and decided to doctor myself for it. I sat down and watch the video that was set up in Jen's bedroom first.

I fast forwarded through most of it. I saw Jen come in the room and take off her bathing suit and put on some pajamas; so far so good. Damn! She was so beautiful. More fast forwarding. Later she came back into the room. She looked like she had been drinking the way she was staggering around. She hadn't drunk much since Jeffery was born. I had a feeling she over did it.

She lay on the bed and after a while she was rubbing herself. I couldn't believe she was masturbating. Then I heard her say my name over and over again. She had taken off her pj's and lay naked rubbing her pussy and breasts while still saying my name.

All of a sudden the door opened and Nicole came in and sat on the side of the bed. Jen was half out of it and I watched as Nicole started rubbing Jen's tits.

All of a sudden Jen opened her eyes and saw it was Nicole. I honestly believe she thought it was me at first. "No, Nicole! Don't!" said Jen,

"It's ok, we did it in college. You liked it then."

"No, that was after the abortion and I didn't want to be around men. I'm married now. I love Jeff, I don't want this. I'm sorry but I'm not like you. I only want Jeff. Please leave my room." Jen sounded so sincere.

She sat up and put her pj's back on; Nicole left the room. After that I saw Jen lock her door and go back to bed, then the tape eventually ended. I felt better after that but I wondered if Jen could handle it by herself all weekend.

I put in the audio disk from the living room. More dead space, and then I saw them all come in and they talked and began drinking. Jen left the room. That's probably when she went to take off her bathing suit. That's when I started hearing things I didn't like.

"I'm going to fuck her this weekend," Marty said.

"She's my best friend, why her? Can't you go fuck some other woman?" asked Nicole.

"Look, I was supposed to fuck her at my party a year ago and she went home with that ice cream jerk, got pregnant, and married the asshole. I am going to fuck her this weekend. We'll get her drunk and you can warm her up for me."

Jen had come back into the room and they changed the subject. They were getting her drunk. They talked a lot about sex and she kept telling them she'd never had it so good since she met me. They went along with her, apparently thinking they would use her later.

After Jen went to bed the two of them sat and talked. Nicole kept saying she wasn't big on the idea and wouldn't do it. That's when Marty told her if she didn't that she would let Jen and her Dad both know that Nicole had sold the drugs to her brother that he had overdosed on.

"Why would you do that? I thought you loved me, Besides, I got the drugs from you. It wasn't my fault the kid overdosed," replied Nicole.

"After I fuck Jen we'll all be good friends. You are my girl but I want to fuck that high class bitch's pussy at least one time. Who knows, after that she might join us regularly. Hell, on Saturday we'll drug her and let everyone fuck her on the pontoon." He laughed after he said that.

Next all I could hear was a mans voice. I figured it was Marty sitting there drinking after Nicole had left muttering to himself. I figure that's when she went in to see Jen. Fifteen minutes later I could hear Nichol's voice again.

"She rejected me! The bitch said all she wants is her stupid ice cream freak. I'm a little pissed. She used to be a lot of fun, but since she met Jeff she's changed. Let's set her up for Friday night. I'll get her confidence back tomorrow and Friday we'll drug her," Nicole said to Marty.

"Sounds good to me," said Marty. "Then we can use that against her and use her again Saturday."

The next thing I heard sounded like Marty and Nicole having sex on the couch.

****

It was early evening and I was a mess. I wanted to warn Jen but wasn't sure how to do it without revealing what I'd done. I wondered what could happen tonight. I decided to take matters into my own hands. I left the house and took the two hour drive up to Cleveland. It was dark when I arrived. I saw a few people walking around but didn't recognize them. Sneaking around the side of the building, I did my best not to be seen by anyone.

I went to the pontoon and decided to rig it up. I knew a little about boats and rigging things, because I've watched all the episodes of MacGyver. I pulled loose one of the wires that ran some controls, and then leaked gasoline on the deck below the steering column, laying a gasoline soaked rag in it and putting the broken end of the wire on it.

If all went well the rag would ignite and the pontoon would catch fire and ruin some of their plans. I figured I would call Jen in the morning and tell her I would come up to be with her that night and Saturday.

After finishing with rigging the boat, I walked away from the cabins. As far as I could tell no one noticed me. It was a long drive back home. The only thing that was keeping me awake was my adrenaline flowing fast.

I got home and fell on the bed. I was asleep in minutes. A few hours later my clock went off. I was one tired son of a bitch, but I had an ice cream route to run. Thank God I'd asked Billy to help me.

It was nine o'clock when my phone started ringing. It was Jen. She sounded like she was having a panic attack. She kept repeating herself.

What I got from the conversation was that Marty went out to start the pontoon liked he did every morning. There was a fire and Marty caught fire and fell into the water. The coast guard and police were both there. They rushed Marty to the Shiner's Burn Center in Cleveland.

I asked if she was okay and she said she was fine but wished I was there with her. Nicole had gone with Marty to the hospital. I asked Billy if he could finish my route and run it the next day. He said he would and I told Jen I would be there in a few hours.

I went home and got a few things, called my Mom and let her know I was going to Cleveland. When I arrived the police were still there. Jen greeted me crying and I held her in my arms.

I was questioned but Jen told them I didn't know anything, that she called me from my ice cream route and that I'd just gotten there.

"Is Marty all right?" I asked the officer.

"We don't know much. He's been in the operating room ever since he got there. We were told the bottom half of his body as well as his legs were seriously burned. Can't tell you much else right now."

God! What did I do? I never wanted it to go this far. I felt horrible; the police took it for concern for a friend.

"What caused the fire?" I asked concerned.

"Not sure. Best guess is gas got on the deck and ignited. We'll know more when the arson squad gets done and we're able to talk to Marty. He's been unconscious since we arrived."

"Is it all right if I take my wife and go to the hospital now?"

"Sure, no problem," said the officer.

Jen gathered up her things and we put them in my car. Someone told us on the way out that the Luau was going to be cancelled on Saturday. Since so many people knew Marty, they felt it wouldn't be right to have the party. Some would still be staying on since they had their cabins paid for.

At the hospital we saw Nicole. She had called Marty's Dad and he was on his way to the hospital. His Dad had been divorced for many years and lived in New York. His ex wife, Marty's mother, had moved out of the country.

I hugged Nicole and asked how Marty was. She said he was in the recovery room, but had first to third degree burns over his lower body and legs. The doctor told her it didn't look very promising, but they were doing all they could.

We stayed at the hospital for a couple of hours. Marty's Dad arrived and was pretty shook up of course what father wouldn't be. Eventually Jen and I headed for home. We stopped and spent the night at a Holiday Inn. She was devastated but mostly for her friend Nicole. We had a light dinner and went to our room. Jen told me she didn't want to make love tonight, but just wanted to cuddle which was fine with me.

I didn't feel well knowing what I had done and was exhausted also from all the driving.

Before I fell asleep the last words I heard were, "I love you so much Jeff."

Before going home in the morning, Jen talked to Nicole on the phone who said that there wasn't much change in Marty. Because of the burns, they were keeping him heavily sedated. It would be at least a week before they would know if he would pull through.

If he did pull through, he wouldn't be able to walk again, probably have to amputate his legs, and his reproductive organs was no longer usable. He would have to wear a piss bag from now on.

I hated Marty, but I didn't want it to go this far. I was just protecting my wife. It would be a horrible secret I'd keep for the rest of my life. I wouldn't tell anyone, not even Jen.

It was a week later when the police were able to talk to Marty. He had no idea what happened. He went to start his pontoon and all of a sudden he was in flames. He fell overboard and people heard his screams and rushed to him. That's all he remembered.

It was listed as an accident due to insufficient evidence after talking to everyone that was there. There was no indication of wrong doing. Nicole came home for a few days to help run the office and went back to see Marty on the weekends.

Their business was owned by Marty's Dad but managed by Marty. He was going to stay around for a while so he could visit Marty and had to decide who was to manage the business. Knowing what I did about Nicole, I was hoping she wouldn't get the job. I wanted her away from Jen.

My friend Keith was surprised when he heard the news. He asked me what had happened and I explained to him what Jen and the police had told me. I made sure I told him I wasn't there at the time, and that I had gone later that day to get Jen. He asked me about the tapes and I made up a nice story. I told him I watched Jen undress and it just made me horny and miss her more.

"I guess I was worried for nothing and sorry to put you through it for nothing," I said.

Keith smiled. "Oh, it wasn't for nothing." I looked at him and worried a little.

"You owe me two hundred dollars and that will pay for my camping trip with the kids and two gallons of ice cream." He laughed and I felt much better. "Chocolate and strawberry will be fine," he said.

We talked awhile longer and had a couple of beers, and then I went home to Jen. She was sitting on the couch holding Jeffery and smiling at me. I sat next to her and she handed me the baby. I loved holding him. It felt so good; Here we were on the couch together me my family. I realized one thing that there was nothing I wouldn't do to protect my family.

It was two weeks later when Hospice was called in for Marty. Nicole and Mr. Cooley, Marty's dad, were going to see him. He was given less than a week to live; the burns were too severe and they had already amputated his legs.

Nicole asked Jen to go along. Under the circumstances there wasn't much I could say. They would be spending Saturday night at the motel and would be home on Sunday.

When Jen got back on Sunday she was crying. "I love you so much, Jeff. Promise me you will never leave me."

I know that the whole situation of Marty's accident had gotten to her. We all think, 'What if it were me and my family.'

I held her tight and made her the promise. She told me when they went back to the hospital on Sunday morning Marty had drawn his last breath. She wished so much that I could have been there to be her rock.

****

Jen and I talked about Nicole and Marty over the next few days. She admitted she really didn't care much for Marty but really felt sorry he had died the way he did. She even told me he made advances toward her and she had always refused them.

When I asked her why she never told me about the advances she said she gets approached a lot by men. She said if she ever felt worried or scared she would tell me. To make me feel a little better she said most women are approached by men. They learn to deal with it.

I asked her about Nicole and she said she had been somewhat wild but seemed to grow up over the years. She even told me about her getting arrested in college but not about being intimate with her.

"Jeff, I hate to say this about Nicole, but I think she's been sleeping with Mr. Cooley. When we were at the motel, Nicole and I had a room and Mr. Cooley had his own room. I woke up in the middle of the night and Nicole wasn't there. In the morning she was, but I didn't say anything."