I walked up to the front of the sports bar at exactly 11:48, two minutes to spare. I casually approached the hostess while I looked around a little to see if Holly was there yet.
"Can I help you sir?", asked the one hostess, a young, very attractive but skinny for my taste, blonde. She was probably one of the college students who make a few bucks towards their tuition or cost of higher education.
"Yes, I'd like a table for two, but I'm waiting for the other half of my party."
"Sure, I can put your name on the list a while. It's about a five minute wait."
"It's Pheury. P-H-E-U-R-Y."
"Oh, Mr. Pheury, you're party is already here. Let me take you to your table."
She led me through the restaurant and over to a table in the back corner. Holly was sitting there with her back to the door, knowing I would want to sit facing it. It's an old habit I developed as a cop.
"Hi." I leaned over and kissed her.
"Hiya handsome."
"Sir, Jen will be by in a second to get your drinks.", the hostess said as she turned and walked away.
"So, Mick, what are we going to do about my mother?"
"We??? Holly, I don't know how much I can get involved. Don't get me wrong, I think the world of your mother, but I've warned her. Beyond that, I don't know what else I can do."
"Suppose I hired you to keep tabs on her?"
"Holly, that won't work. Actually, if anybody can keep tabs on her it would be you."
"I can't just follow her around."
"Sure you can. It's about time you and her get closer. Both of you should spend more time together. Go shopping, take weekend trips, once school ends take a vacation together."
"I see what you mean, Mick. But while I'm at school, I can't watch her."
"Yeah, I know. But I also don't think she's going to do anything stupid. The one thing that concerns me was today when I asked her if there was anything that Stacy Schmidt would do that she wouldn't."
"What did she say?"
"Well, that's what bothered me. She started to answer in the negative but stopped. She was making the normal, logical reasons a husband cheats on his wife, younger, prettier. But then she made a comment about being good in bed and doing ALMOST everything he ever wanted."
"ALMOST???"
"That's what she said, and she was very emphatic." By that Jen came over to get our drink order.
"Good afternoon. I'm Jen, I'll be taking care of you this afternoon. Can I start you off with something from the bar?"
Before I could even think, Holly spoke up, "Two bourbons, you better make them doubles, and two beers. I think I'm going to need it. What would you like Mick?"
Woooo!!! Hold on their pilgrim! "You better just give me one of each."
Jen just smiled and shook her head as she wrote down the order. "So that's three and three, right?"
"That will do for starters. She's having a rough day."
"Any appetizers?"
"Yeah, let us have one of those samplers."
"I'll have your drinks back in a moment." She walked away.
"Holly, did you and your mother ever talk about sex?"
"No more than any mother and daughter."
"Nothing about her and your father?"
"No. Not really. What do you think my father wanted something kinky?"
"Well, that's the direction I think this is going."
"Like what?" Holly got a wild gleam in her eyes.
"I don't know. That's why I was hoping you could help. She never said anything about something... unusual your father wanted her to do, right?"
"No! And I've never seen any whips and chains laying around their bedroom either." She gave a slight snicker as she said it.
"Have they ever mentioned clubs to you?"
"Do you mean like swingers clubs or places like that? No, they've never said anything about them around me."
I didn't really think they would mention it, even if they were into swinging. But just because they both aren't doesn't mean one of them isn't.
Holly asked a logical question, "Did Mr. Schmidt say anything to you about his wife being into anything weird?"
"No. He didn't say anything, and frankly, what little I saw Friday night , except for her being dressed in a black lace and satin corset and stockings, there wasn't anything strange going on."
"A corset? Mick, let me ask you something, does a woman dressed in lingerie turn you on?"
"Ah! Well... It all depends."
"Depends on what?"
"Well, I've always considered lingerie, corsets and clothing like that, a little bit of fantasy. Most women look good, sexy if you'd like, when they dress up a little. Men like it, especially to break the monotone of doing it with the same naked body every time."
"So maybe that's what I've been doing wrong."
"Holly, you haven't been around enough to even worry about changing your appearance for sex." I whispered, "Frankly, you look pretty damn good without clothes on."
"But if you saw it day after day, you'd probably like a little change, right?"