It had been three days since My friend Kay James flew back home to Boston and I was more than happy when she graciously invited Hamari to come up and spend just over a week with her. Even happier when we were able to book Hamari a standby seat on the same flight out. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy Hamari, but if you've read The Mail Order Bride series, you'll know that she can be a little over doting to the point of smothering.
Anyway, I was looking forward to a the seven plus days of rest while they did their girl thing with Kay's girlfriend Dunbar up in Boston.
It was Friday later than normal when I finally got out of the office after closing a profitable week and knowing I had the evening free, in fact the whole weekend ahead of me, I decided to stop by my favorite Ale House out off of Bee Ridge to relax over a couple of heavy craft drafts that I like and my favorite New York strip.
The minute he saw me walk in, Scotty pulled my personalized stainless steel mug and started filling it: "This is a local IPA we just got in and I want you to try it." He said as he slid it over to me: "Spending the weekend with those two hot little cuties?" He asked.
"Just some quiet R and R." I answered: "Since I'm down this far, I thought I would have a few beers, maybe a steak and run by my house in Colonial Gables. That one young lady that you saw me with stays there occasionally. She flew back home a couple of days ago with my little Asian Princess and I thought I would run by there, check the fridge for perishables, reset the pool filter timer and lock up and stuff. You know the drill." I explained.
About two and a half hours, my meal and some eight beers later I was pulling up in that drive and Matt (the kid next door) was standing in his mothers drive hosing off her lawn mower in the dark and he stopped and said: "Hey Mr. Swiftt, she just left."
Surprised I asked: "Who?"
"Your house guest, or tenant." He answered.
"Matt." I explained: "I drove Kay and my friend to the airport a couple of days ago."
He replied: "No ... The new girl. You just missed her, she walked down Brookmeade Drive that way. She's wearing a tight skirt. I didn't get a close look at her but she looks very sexy."
That really peaked my curiosity. Matt was just a kid but he had no reason to put me on over something like that: "Thanks." I told him, not letting on to him that this had the potential of becoming a real issue.
My curiosity got the best of me, not to mention that I was pissed that anyone would have the audacity to fuck with ME, Peterswiftt, so I got back in my SUV and headed out in the direction that he had pointed.
Not far up ahead in my headlights I saw what looked to be a young girl walking and though she was wearing a skirt, I decided not to stop. I didn't want to risk looking like a pervert if she wasn't the one he had just told me about, and what would I have said to her anyway? So I slowly drove by, kept on going, made the block and headed back to the house.
I parked on the street two doors down, let myself in, reset the alarm and waited in the dark in a great room chair where I had a full view of the front door.
I have always found it odd how you notice that each home has its own aroma when you first walk in. This one was always pleasant in every way, a clean smell like the one I own in Oyster Bay, but yet this one is totally different somehow.
Less than three hours later, just as I was about to doze off in the pleasant feel and scent of that fine leather chair, I heard a key in the door and I watched through the leaded glass as her little form opened it. She stepped in like she owned the place and fumbled with her purse and some plastic grocery bags while attempting to reset the alarm code that I had already programmed to the "Inside Off" setting.
She looked at the keypad for a moment, shook her head, turned on the entry light, took several steps toward the kitchen and the micro second she noticed me sitting there in the shadows, she froze. Her face took on a mask of sudden fear and she turned so pale that her lips went white and she breathed out two quick questions barely over a whisper: "who are you? What are you doing here?" So fast that the words actually ran together.
"I am the guy who's name is on the owner's line in the deed to this house: " I calmly answered with intentionally enhanced arrogance: "Funny, little lady ... Those are the same two questions that you need to answer for me." And I gave her mean look: "Well ... I'm waiting!" I taunted her.
"Look Mister, it doesn't hurt anything for me to stay here, I never touched, bothered or stolen a thing from you." She frantically answered.
"You really insult my intelligence when you lie to me like that." I responded: "The girl that I do let stay here is a dear friend of mine and I've seen her in the very cloths that you are wearing now. Let me get her on the phone." And I picked up my cell from where I laid it on the end table: "And I'll just ask her if she loaned them to you. That should clear this up."
She looked straight down at the floor and reacted: "Ok, ok, what are you going to do? What do you want from me?"And from her changing expression I could immediately tell that she wished she hadn't asked that last question, but both of us knew it was too late to take it back.
"First of all, I'll be the one doing the questioning." I told her: "I am curious as to how far this thing actually goes and I need to know if your acting alone. Where did you get the key and how do you know my alarm codes?" When she didn't answer I added: "Mike Shipley is a good friend of mine, a Sarasota police sergeant, maybe it would be easier for you if he asked you these questions." And I looked at my phone.
"I worked for the cleaning service you use. I cleaned this house once a month or so." She answered: "You always contact the office with a schedule of when your guests will arrive and when they leave. I would tidy it up for them prior to arrival and clean it again after they've gone."
"Cleaned, as in past tense?" I shot back: "What, did you do, get fired for stealing cloths and using the homes of the other people you clean for?" I taunted.
"Laid off." She replied. "The owner of the cleaning company that you contracted is a Cuban and he had some relatives come over and one of them took my job. Mister, Please won't you just let me go?" She begged.