INTERESTING ITEM ON TV NEWS
Andrew and Joanne Dennison lived in Brentwood, Essex, in the East of England.. No children. Rented house.
Joanne was working for a well-known public relations company based in Central London.
Joanne's boss, Stephen Robart, is a partner in the company and his wife, Anne, is the senior partner's daughter.
It was a Wednesday night, Andrew and Joanne were having dinner at home. "Don't forget I'm going on that two-day company course next week," Joanne said, "I'll go to work as usual on Monday but I'll be staying at the Standard Hotel on Monday and Tuesday nights, so I am there ready for the course to begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Then I'll be home on Wednesday evening after the course is finished."
"OK," said Andrew, "I haven't forgotten, I'd rather you were home with me each night, but I know what the morning commute into London's like. Staying there is the only way to guarantee you'll be there on time."
"Yes, I'm sorry too, love. But it's important to my career progression that I attend the course. Perhaps we could go out for a romantic dinner the following Saturday, then I could make it up to you when we get home afterwards," she said with a warm smile.
"Yeah, I'd like that," he replied, "I'll book a table somewhere."
It was 5 p.m. the following Monday evening, Andrew was sitting at home watching the news on TV while he waited for his pre-prepared evening meal to cook in the oven. He wasn't particularly interested in the news items until he saw that there was a politician being interviewed on the steps of the hotel that Joanne was staying at. The interview was being conducted in the early afternoon of that day.
As Andrew watched, he saw Joanne come into the shot, she had just got out of a taxi and was heading for the hotel steps. As Andrew watched his wife with interest, a man came down the hotel steps to meet her. They hugged and shared a passionate kiss before, hand in hand, they went up the steps into the hotel.
Andrew was gobsmacked for a minute, then he got angry, his loving wife was apparently cheating on him at the hotel where her course was being held, if indeed there really was a course.
Joanne had told him she was going on the course with Tara one of the other girls who worked at the same company. Tara and his wife were friends outside of work as well as working for the same company and Andrew had met her once or twice.
He checked in their phone book and found Tara's number. He called the number and a man answered, presumably Tara's husband. Andrew explained that he was Joanne's husband and asked if Tara was on the company course with Joanne. No, said the man, Tara's not on any course, I'm afraid she's out at the moment collecting the kids from her mother's. She should be back soon; can I give her a message or get her to call you. Andrew said no thanks, it's not important.
However, a few minutes later Tara phoned. "My husband said you phoned, was there something you wanted?"
Andrew said, "I was told you and Joanne were going on the course at the Standard Hotel together, were the plans changed?"
"Oh, er. Well I couldn't go at the last minute," said Tara, obviously rattled.
"Well, I saw her on TV in the background of an interview being held outside her hotel," said Andrew, "but she was met by a man, and they seemed to be very friendly, far too friendly."
"Really," Tara said, "What do you mean by that?"
"Well," Andrew continued, "They were kissing like lovers, then they went into the hotel hand in hand. I'd say that was far too friendly, wouldn't you?"
"Oh, God. You saw them," Tara gasped, "So you know then? I told her it would end in tears, but she would do it."
"Do what?" Asked Andrew.
"I promised not to tell anyone, "she said, "but as you know something's up, I'd better tell you that she's meeting Stephen Robart, her boss who's one of the partners at the agency. They've been having an affair for a couple of months now, but I'm not sure if they've done anything apart from kissing and cuddling. They've been getting together at lunchtimes kissing and fondling, but tonight and tomorrow they're definitely planning to sleep together. I told her she was being stupid, but he's turned her head with his attention and has promised her promotion as well."
Andrew thanked her for her honesty and told her that he wouldn't let Joanne know that she's told him what's been going on.
What to do now? Andrew decided that he needed to be where the action was. He called the hotel and asked if they had a room available for tonight and tomorrow. The receptionist said, yes they had a room, he's lucky they're not too busy this week. He booked the room and quickly dressed in a business suit so that he wouldn't look out of place at the hotel. He put some underwear, a couple of shirts, and a casual jacket and trousers in a case, and called a taxi to take him to Brentwood station.
It was a fast service by train to Liverpool Street station only stopping at Stratford International on the way. Arriving at Liverpool Street he took a taxi to the hotel, it was only an hour and twenty minutes since he'd left home and two hours since he'd seen his wife on TV meeting her lover.
At the hotel he checked in at reception. "Has Mrs. Dennison checked in yet?" He asked. The receptionist checked and said, "We don't have a reservation for a Mrs. Dennison, sir."
"How about Mr. and Mrs. Robart?" he asked, "I should be meeting them for dinner."
"Oh yes, they checked in earlier this afternoon. I remember them, a nice couple, very much in love." She said with a smile. "Would you like me to tell them you've arrived? Do you want me to reserve a table for you in the dining room?"
He knew it would be a waste of time asking for their room number. "No, thank you," he said, "They said they'd make the arrangements, I'll meet them in the bar later." Taking his keycard, he went to his room.
He called his wife on his mobile, but the call went to voicemail. He texted her and asked how the course was going and if she had learned anything new, or any new techniques? He asked her to call him when she was free.
Changing out of his suit and dressing in his casual jacket and trousers, with a fresh shirt and tie, he decided to go to the bar for a drink and think what he could do, now that he was at the scene of the crime. He'd pushed his anger to the back of his mind, what he needed to do now was think logically about how he could find the cheating pair, and how he would deal with the situation once he'd found them. He realised it would have been pointless going to their room even if he had the number, they'd had all afternoon to fuck themselves silly, and they were hardly likely to let him in if he banged on their door.
The hotel bar was attached to the hotel restaurant. He asked for a large Scotch and took it to a table with a wing-backed armchair. Near the bar, but far enough away not to be noticed unless someone was looking for him.
As he sipped his drink, wondering how he could get to his wife and her boyfriend, they came into the room. They went straight to the bar, Joanne perched on a bar stool while the boyfriend ordered drinks.
Joanne was wearing a black dress that Andrew had never seen before. It was tightly fitted and emphasised her good figure and long legs. The deeply plunging cleavage left nothing about her bust to the imagination. Her hair was piled up in a sophisticated, but sexily, slightly untidy manner. Dark coloured stockings and black high heeled shoes completed the look, sexy and almost, but not quite, slutty.
They weren't looking his was way, so Joanne didn't see him sitting there. He leaned back in the chair, so his face was hidden by the wings on the back. They were lovingly touching each other, and her companion kissed her as they waited for their drinks to be served.
Andrew heard the boyfriend tell the barman that they had a table reserved in the restaurant, and he asked him to have the drinks brought to them there. The barman asked if they'd like the drinks put on their room tab, and the boyfriend said yes. Then the couple walked into the dining area to their table, which was out of sight of the bar.
Andrew got up from his chair and went to the bar. The barman came over. "This is very important to me," Andrew said to the barman, "I'll give you £20 if you tell me what room that man just charged the drinks to."
The barman looked at him and saw the pleading in his eyes, he guessed what was probably up, Private Investigator or even the cheated husband he thought, Well, it was no skin off his nose. "I could get into trouble if I tell you," he said, "but I'll do it for £50."
Andrew handed over £50. "Room 301," said the barman, "Mr. & Mrs. Robart."
Andrew went up to the third floor. Room 301 was close to the staircase at the end of the corridor. The lifts were in the centre of the corridor. He could stay on the staircase landing and watch to see them returning to their room from the lifts. His own room was up one floor at 405. He returned to the bar and ordered another drink; he found an unoccupied seat from where he could see guests entering or leaving the dining area without himself being spotted unless he was very unlucky.
An hour and a half later, having consumed a club sandwich, ordered at the bar with another drink, he spotted the oblivious couple leaving the restaurant. They paused briefly at the bar then left and headed for the lifts. As hubby went to leave and head for the staircase, the barman called out to him that the boyfriend had ordered a bottle of champagne to be delivered to their room.
Andrew raced up the stairs hoping to get to the third floor before them, but as he got to the door onto the third floor, he was only just in time to see them entering their room.
He didn't really have a plan, but if he'd got to the third floor before them, he would probably have tried to follow them to their door, hoping they were too bound up in each other to spot him so he could force his way in behind them and confront them.
As he stood on the staircase landing wondering what he could do now, his phone pinged. Checking it he found a text from his wife saying the course was hard work, she'd had a tiring afternoon and was going to get an early night, she'd call him tomorrow after the day's work was over. He felt his rage rising again.
As his temper began to boil, he saw a waiter come from the lift area, carrying a tray with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. An idea suddenly sprang into his head, assuming all the rooms were pretty much the same as his own, there would be a small vestibule just inside the outer door with the bathroom and a closet off it, then there would be an inner door into the room itself. If he was lucky and the waiter, and whoever opened their door, were not too observant, he might be able to sneak in behind the champagne delivery.
Andrew quickly entered the corridor and followed about twelve feet behind the waiter. When the waiter stopped to knock on the door of room 301, he stood in front of a door on the other side of the corridor and pretended to be inserting his keycard in the lock.
The door to their room was opened and the waiter said, "Your champagne sir". "Bring it in said Robart." and turned back into the room.
Andrew quickly ran to the room door before it closed properly behind the waiter, the hydraulic closers always seemed to hesitate just before they closed the doors completely in many hotels, and that was the case here. Sticking his foot quickly in the doorway before the door closed, he eased the door back open enough to slip inside and into the bathroom. He heard Robart telling the waiter to leave the champagne by the bed before tipping him as he left.
