Her Little Blue Miata

Things had been going well at work, my business had been expanding and we were putting in a new office in Upland. I'm Brad, Bradley Thompson in case you're interested. My company does high end custom homes and occasionally remodels for some of our former clients.

I thought I could use some diversion today so about 11 o'clock, I gave my wife Karen a call to see if she would like to go to lunch with me. She answered her cell with her lovely, "Hello Darling. What brings you to call this time of day?"

I smiled thinking of my answer then trying to sound sexy said, "I thought I'd take this sexy woman I know to lunch then maybe find us a romantic get-a-way and ravage her the rest of the afternoon."

"Anybody I know, dearest?" she said, then giggled.

"Dang it Karen!" I said, "You know I'm talking about you. We're empty nesters now and yet we seem to spend even less time together than we did when the kids were at home. How about it? Let's go have a romantic lunch today, please?"

I heard Karen sigh then she said, "Sweetheart, today's not a good day. Jackie and I have a Mani-Pedi scheduled then we have tickets to see that new movie I've been wanting to see. What about Wednesday?"

"I wish I could, Beautiful but the rest of this week is going to be nuts." I told her, "I just happened to end up with some free time today and was hoping we could get together." I hung up, feeling a little pissed off. I felt she could have put off her stupid get together with her friend and we could more than afford another pair of movie tickets. I know a lot of it was due to my business taking my time but it's what kept us well stocked in cash and Karen liked to spend it.

I sat at my desk thinking about our life for a bit. We had met in college; she was a junior and I was a senior and for me it was love at first sight. Karen on the other hand it took a while. We dated off and on for almost six months before she finally decided that we should become exclusive. At her graduation ceremony, I proposed and she accepted. I had gone to work designing custom homes and office buildings right after I graduated and was doing well within the company. Karen was having trouble finding work in her chosen field, Graphic Artist. It took her almost six months but she eventually found a low paying job with a small advertising agency.

Within a year, Karen started her own advertising agency and actually did quite well. That coincided with the birth of our son, Jason. A year and a half later after a rather heated disagreement over a school design with my boss, I resigned and opened my own company. That occurred within days of Karen delivering our daughter Lori. That didn't make Karen happy but my new company not only designed the buildings but we built them.

We've been married for 24 wonderful years now, raised two great kids, both college graduates, thank goodness and my deep pockets. Jason is a radiologist and is engaged to Susie, a cute Asian nurse. Lori is a training officer in the Navy and as far as we know, doesn't have any long-term love interest.

I sat there for a minute and thought, 'The heck with her, I'll just go out to Bad Azz Jake's and get me some barbecue.' Now my doctor has me watching my cholesterol and Karen doesn't like me going to Jake's because I have a tendency to eat way too much and have a few to many beers when there but since I had to dine alone, I figured what the heck.

I walked out to my truck and as I was about to get in, I saw my left rear tire was flat. I called our tire dealer and they said they'd have a repair truck out as soon as possible but it might be an hour. Just then, Tony, one of my estimators walked out and saw my plight. "It looks like you have a little problem there Brad. Need a hand changing that tire?" he asked.

"No, the tire company is coming over to fix it. It's going to take them an hour to get here, that's all. These are custom 20" rims and my spare is a 17". It would look funny to drive it that way," I told him,

"Well, my wife is meeting me across the street at Maria's for lunch today so why don't you take my Terrain? Hell, it's a company car so technically it's yours anyway," he said as he tossed me his keys. I furnish my superintendents and estimators with vehicles as part of their pay package. I tossed him my keys telling him to give them to the receptionist in case the tire guys needed to move my truck. I hopped in his Terrain and took off. It's not as big as my F-350 Super Duty but I found it was nicely equipped. Tony had a Country - Western station on so I just left it.

I was drooling, thinking of Jake's ribs and his baked beans which are almost half crisp bacon when suddenly this blue streak passes me. Then it hits me, it's Karen's little blue Miata. Last year she just had to have a blue Miata and we had to search several dealers and ended up ordering her one. I decided to surprise her and had taken it down as soon as it was delivered to the dealer, and I had racing stripes put down from front to back in line with the driver. Plus, I recognized the license plate holder I had purchased her for Christmas last year which read: Blue Lightning.

What was she doing way out here when she was supposed to be having a manicure with her friend Jackie? I punched the pedal to the floor and kept up with her, hoping that I didn't get stopped. Karen was doing over 50 in a 35 MPH zone. I was worried that even though I was in a different rig, she might recognize me. Then I saw Tony's aviator sun glasses in the console and put them on. Then I saw his company hat on the passenger seat. Since it had my company logo on the front, I threw the hat on backwards and Karen knows I hate it when guys wear ball caps backwards. That should fool her.

She signaled for a left turn and I followed. She pulled into an apartment complex and ran to unit B-5. When she got to the door, it opened and this well-built young man, I'd guess maybe 30 or so, bent over as she wrapped her arms around his neck and they locked lips in a passionate kiss. He then grabbed her by her ass, picking her up off the ground and he pulled her into his apartment, kicking the door shut with his foot.

I sat there shaking, my hands gripping the steering wheel so hard I thought I might break it. At first, I wished I had my F-350 because I have my Smith & Wesson 40 MPH in a lockbox in the console. Then I figured if I had the gun, I'd probably go to jail for killing them, though shooting the locks off the door and blowing a couple of holes in the wall over them in bed might send them a message.

Should I go over and pound on the door and demand to see Karen? Hell, she'd just have some lame excuse. Should I sit on the hood of her car and wait for her to come out then confront her? Hell, if I had my keys, I'd drive away in her Miata, even though driving it was like putting my size 14's into a size 10 boot. No, I wanted revenge, and I needed proof. My cell phone had an ok camera but it really wasn't that good.

Then I remembered that Costco was only about 10 minutes from here and flew out of the parking lot and over to their store. I quickly went to the camera section and found a young man to help me. I told him I wanted to take long distance photos and he said that the Nikon had a stabilizing feature which slightly slowed down the response time when engaged but it gave crystal clear results. I made sure to pick up extra memory cards and headed back, Karen's blue Miata was still there. It had been a little over an hour now. Unfortunately, the radio was playing a cheating song.

I parked across from his apartment in front of another building. I swear time had slowed to a crawl. I looked at my watch over and over. I had checked the viewfinder and taken several practice shots. I had gotten several pictures of Karen's little blue Miata, a close-up of her license plate that also showed his front door, and I waited.

It was two hours after Karen had met with this young man that the door finally opened and they walked out hand in hand. I began clicking away. It was obvious they had been making love. Karen's hair was now wet and in a pony tail. She glowed as they fawned over each other. The young man was now only wearing a baggy pair of shorts and I will have to admit, he was quite chiseled, probably a gym rat. I wondered if she met him at her gym or if he was one of the trainers down there. They kept kissing all the way out to her car. When Karen got in, he leaned in and fondled her breast as he kissed her. Karen's response was to reach up the leg of his shorts and squeeze his cock. I got several good shots of that and of him waving goodbye to her plus a close up of his face.

Karen fired up her Miata and headed out and as soon as the young man went inside, I quickly tried to catch up with her. Thankfully she was driving the speed limit this time. She did meet up with Jackie for her mani-pedi and I headed back to work, grabbing a double quarter pounder on the way, even though my stomach was in knots.

When I got back to the office, I told my secretary to please hold my calls as I needed some alone time. Donna asked, "Brad are you sure you're alright? You don't look so good. Is that a new camera? I thought you had one here?"

Trying to come up with an answer I said, "Uh, I needed one with a telephoto for a project we're bidding. Now I have something important I need to work on that needs my undivided attention. Unless the place is on fire or World War III breaks out, please don't disturb me." As I started to head into my office, I turned back to her and added, "Even for my wife!" I think that shocked Donna.

I called my attorney and left a message asking him to call me. Then I started going through the phone book looking for investigators. I gave a few a call, getting their rates and some other basic information. Several were just recordings telling me to leave my name and phone number so I left them the company phone number to my office.

I then called our security company. Jack, the owner and I had a pretty good working relationship. I used him on most of my projects. His company did not only security but audio, video, computer, telecom and smart home systems. When he answered, I asked, "Jack, are you busy?"

"Not for you, good buddy," he said, I could almost feel him smiling. "So, tell me, what can I do for you, this fine day?"

Taking a deep breath, I said "Jack, how long would it take you to install security cameras in my house?"

"Hell, Bert!" he came back, "We already have the outside of your house covered. No one is going to break into your house without you knowing about it."

Clearing my throat, I said, "Jack, I want the entire inside of my house capable of being videoed. I want to know who's coming and who's going and when they got there, what they're doing and when they leave. I want every room monitored, including the bedrooms, bathrooms and even the showers. So, tell me, how fast can you get it done?"

Jack was silent for a minute as I could hear him turning pages of what I assumed were catalogues. "Look Bert, you have a big house. A wired system is going to take us at least 3 days, maybe a week to get it all in. If you're in a real hurry, it is more expensive but we could put you in a wireless system that costs about half again as much but on the plus side, we can get it installed, up and running in a half a day, maybe even less. You'll need to provide us with a laptop though. Which sounds better to you?

I said, "Since time is of the essence, Let's go with the second choice. Can you get your crew in there on Tuesday? That's my wife's printing day. I will be here at 7:30 if you can get your crew here that will work out fine." Jack said he'd be there with his crew.

A little while later, I received a call from my lawyer. "What can I do for you Bert?" he said, "Looking to give me some more money on the golf course again?"

"No," I sighed, "this is personal. I need to know who the nastiest, most cut-throat divorce lawyer in town is. What is your recommendation?" There was a long silence.

"Bert, is there something going on with you and Karen I should know about? You and her have had such a wonderful marriage." Carl said. I told him about what I had witnessed while I was heading out for lunch at Jake's. Carl asked, "Have you talked to Karen yet? Have you discussed counseling?" I told him I hadn't seen her since then.

"Sorry Carl," I said, "with what I saw, it's beyond counseling. I won't stand for her cheating on me. You didn't see them together. The way they looked at each other. It reminded me of the way she looked at me when we were first in love and were first married. It was obvious to me she doesn't love me any more so why should I stay married to her. Let her have him." I couldn't help it; tears were beginning to run down my cheeks.

I could hear Carl opening his desk drawer and he came back on the line and said, "Bert, give Larry Lockhart a call in about ten minutes. I'm going to call first and give them a head's up. Hopefully I can get you in. I know he's pretty booked up as he's the best in town." He then gave me his phone number.

At the ten-minute mark, I dialed Lockhart's number. When his receptionist answered I told her I was Bradley Thompson but before I could say anything else, she said, "Oh yes sir, we've been expecting your call. Mr. Lockhart would like to see you tomorrow if possible. He has 9:00 and 11:00 openings available. Which would work best for you?" I thought for a second then told her the 9:00 sounded better so she told me she'd see me then and gave me the address and his phone number just in case something came up.

I had no sooner hung up when my phone rang again, this was one of the investigators, Jake Hansen. He said he'd be right over as he preferred to talk face to face, I told Donna to expect him. Once in my office, he wanted to know what sort of investigation I was looking for and I asked him what kind of investigations he did. He told me that he performed background checks for people doing work on government projects, people working on nuclear sites, sometimes he'd do background checks on prospective grooms or even brides as asked by the parents of their prospective spouses and he also did a lot of work with cheating husbands and wives. Then he asked what type of surveillance work I needed done.

I tossed the pictures I had printed up of my wife and her lover I had taken earlier and said, "I caught my wife of 24 years this afternoon with this guy. I want to know his name, where he works and everything there is to know about him. I want you to tail her, I want her cars tracked. Her little blue Miata is license number AB 674 B2 and her white Excursion is license number GHB 7842. She is the owner / operator of Pixie's Printing over on Adams St. Can you do that?

"Piece of cake!" he said with a smile then shook my hand and asked for a $1000 retainer before he headed out the door.

I stuck my head out the door and told Donna I was free now and she said, "Good, call Karen, she's been trying to get ahold of you. Something about her mother."

I called our home phone and it went to voicemail. Then I called her cell phone and she picked up. I could hear the sounds of blow dryers in the back ground. I asked her where she was?

"Oh, I'm at the hair salon with Jackie." Karen said, "She's getting her hair done. I may be a little late for dinner. Do you want me to pick up something for dinner or should we go out to eat?"

"Just pick something up. I don't care what." I told her, "Donna said you told her something about your mother?"

Karen paused for a bit then said, "Well, um, yes, I called her just to see how she was doing and she didn't sound too good. She told me she's been sick and I thought I should drive up and see her for a few days. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

I thought for a minute and said, "When do you plan on going?"

Karen said, "Well, Mondays can sometimes be hectic getting things ready for printing and you know what Tuesdays are like since that's printing day so most likely I'd leave on Thursday or Friday and come back Sunday, ok sweetie pie?"

Now Karen didn't call me sweetie pie unless she was trying to con me into something. I said, "That's fine, my love. Go take care of your mother. I'm sure she will be glad to see you and will appreciate your love and care." As soon as I hung up, I called Jake Hansen and told him that my wife had just told me she was going to visit her mother this weekend and to leave either Thursday or Friday and I'd be sure to let him know exactly when. He assured me he'd be on it. He asked me if I could leave the side door to the garage unlocked as he wanted to put trackers on Karen's cars tonight and I told him I'd be glad to.

We were eating dinner late that night when Karen said, "Is something wrong Bert? You're awfully quiet tonight."

I was so close to telling her what I had witnessed today but I took a deep breath and said, "No dear, I just have a lot on my mind right now. We're having problems opening the Upland store. The darn building inspector doesn't like the way the fire sprinklers are installed and wants them changed before he will give us an occupancy permit. What's silly is he's the one that signed off on them when we submitted the plans in the first place. On top of that, the carpet they installed is not what I ordered and now I'm fighting with Ben over at Priced Less Carpets. I'm just not in a good mood, Sorry."

Apparently, that appeased her as she never bothered me again. I went to my den / office and poured myself a stiff drink. I nursed it until I was sure she had gone to sleep. I knew she would be up early as Tuesdays were her print day and were always a busy day for her. I really didn't want to crawl into bed with her but somehow, I managed.

The next morning, I waited for Jack and his crew. Once I showed them where I wanted cameras, I left and met with Larry Lockhart. I explained my situation and showed him the pictures. He said that this was a no-fault state and that just because she was unfaithful didn't mean anything special. We'd still have to split everything 50/50. He did give me a bunch of 'theoretical' situations where people had hidden money and assets in order to protect themselves during a divorce but counseled me that if I were caught, I could possibly face jail time. I thanked him for the information and headed out.

I had to drive up to our Upland store and was driving when the music stopped playing and the phone notification came on. I hit the talk button and said, "This is Bert, how can I help you?"

Then I heard, "Bert, Jake Hansen here. Listen, I just found out that the guy in B-5 is Allen Shultz and he works at Paradise Spa, Yes, the one your wife goes to and he's also your wife's personal trainer. You said your wife is planning on going to visit her mother on Thursday and won't be back until Sunday, right?"

I said, "Yes, as far as I know that was her plans, why?"

Jake said, "Well today I just happened to be talking to that cute young gal at the front desk at Paradise Spa and Allen's name came up. She mentioned that he was a lucky guy as he told her that he had won a radio contest and was going to Las Vegas this weekend on an all-expense paid trip and was flying out on Thursday and coming home on Sunday. Bert, I have a cohort in Las Vegas that will put a tail on them when they arrive and we'll try to get anything on them that we can. I thought you'd like to know."

'Like to know' I thought, 'How'd you like your heart ripped out and chopped to pieces,' I wanted to say, but I just said, "Thanks, Jake" then hung up. I'm lucky that I didn't get in an accident because my mind really wasn't on driving. I was thinking of how I could get even. I thought about driving up and getting Karen's mother and bringing her home to surprise her. That was one option. Should I charter a faster plane and meet them in Las Vegas? No, not really a good idea. I wasn't sure what I was going to do.