This is insane, Lucy thought to herself, how could she call me over to her desk, and tell me she wants me to do something like that. She said, “But Susie, your husband will never cheat on you.”
“He will. The fortune teller says so.”
Lucy let out a sigh before saying, “You can’t believe a fortune teller.”
“Everything she predicted had come true so far.”
“Give me an example.”
“She told me I would get a promotion if I work hard, and I did.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “You worked really hard, harder than usual, and you got the promotion by your own merit, not some fortune teller’s prediction.”
“Well, what about that time when she told me to sell my shares because the market was about to crash.”
“She could have picked up that tip from the newspaper.”
Susie turned her face away in a moment of frustration. Her expression was stubborn, however, when she turned back. “Then prove to me that she is wrong.”
Lucy stuck out her chin, and said with a hint of a sneer in her voice, “By seducing your husband?”
“Yes. If she is wrong then he will not fall for you.”
“This is ridiculous. Anyway he is not my type.”
Susie stared. “But you told me, you thought he was good-looking.”
Carefully Lucy said, “And he still is. But you know me, I am not into looks, or into any kind of permanent relationship. I prefer men who are on the dangerous side. You know, the kind who will not stick around.”
Susie shrugged and looked away. Sensing that the conversation was over, Lucy got up and headed back to her cubicle with a shake of the head. How did she find out? she wondered, she and Robert were so careful. A few minutes later a chat window popped-up on her computer screen.
Dud2e: Hi, babe.
Swity: She knows.
Dud2e: How?
Swity: The fortune-teller foretold it.
Dud2e: Then she don’t know.
Swity: Ur rite.
Dud2e: 5-212?
Swity: ok
She closed the chat window and cleared its conversation history. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that Susie knew nothing about them. Else why would she ask her to seduce Robert.
At 4.15, she cleared her desk and walked towards the elevator.
“Going back early?” Susie asked when she saw her walk by.
Lucy stopped for a moment and pointed at her briefcase. “Have to meet a client. Wish me luck.”
Susie smiled, but it faded the moment Lucy’s back was turned to her. She picked up the phone and dialed a number. “She has left,” she said into the mouthpiece. “How did you know?”
An old woman’s voice replied, “The cards are never wrong. I was worried about you, so I asked the cards this afternoon. They told me that the woman your husband desires will meet with him today at 5 or 6. Are you sure this is the woman?”
Susie’s voice shake as she said, “She fits your description.” A nervous laugh. “Maybe she really is meeting a client.”
“Did you call his office? He is meeting a client too isn’t he?”
After some moments of silence, Susie asked, “How can I know for sure?”
“I can ask for someone to take pictures or videos, but it will cost some money.”
“How much?”
“Ten thousand.”
“Just for pictures?” Susie asked with disbelief.
“The man is not a mere photographer. He is a licensed private investigator. Any evidence he collects can be used in court.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you ever decide to divorce him, you do want custody of the children and ownership of the home, don’t you?”
“Yes. And the car.”
“Then the ten-thousand-dollar fee is very cheap.”
“Very well. How do I pay him?”
“He accepts cash checks. I can ask him to meet you at the office lobby in a few minutes.”
“Okay,” Susie said then put down the phone. Trying to keep her hands as steady as possible, she wrote out a check for ten thousand. Then she took the elevator to the ground floor. As she looked about the almost empty lobby, a man in a grey sports jacket walked towards receptions.
Quickly, she intercepted him. “Excuse me, are you here to see Susie?”
“Yes,” he said, a little startled.
“I… I am supposed to give you something.”
“Oh, yes,” he said a little more exuberantly and fished out a business card from his wallet. “P.I. Hummer at your service, ma’am.”
Susie received the card, and was relieved to see a registration number under his name. She passed the check to him with a faltering smile.
He tucked it into his wallet then looked up and smiled. “Madame told me about your case. I will go to the coordinates she gave me and take pictures.”
“But what if it is not him?”
“I will give your check back, and charge her for my time.”
“Oh,” Susie said, feeling a little guilty.
“Don’t worry about it,” he assured her, “she is never wrong about things like this. She only calls me when she is absolutely sure.”
“How would she know?”
He shrugged. “Something about her crystal ball showing her names of people and places. She says, when she gets that kind of vision then it is almost certain to be real.”
“Oh,” Susie said, but before she could ask more, he said, “I really must rush. She told me there is only a short window for me tonight, so I must go now.”
Susie nodded to his turned back. Then feeling a little silly for staring after him, she returned to her office.
#
Hummer stepped into Madame Tule’s parlor, passed her the check and sat down across from her. The old woman dialed a number, and after some moments of waiting, she said, “She’s paid. You can start recording.” She put down the phone and turned to Hummer. “The CD will be ready tomorrow morning.”
The private investigator grinned. “Working with you has made my life a lot easier.”
“And it has helped a lot of cheated women.”
“You really hate my kind don’t you.”
“Only the ones who give their spouses STD.”
Hummer chuckled. “You think your nephew knows which one he is?”
“Yes, he does. They have been to the motel a few times. Easy picking, as you say.”
“None of the cleaners ever found those cameras?”
“No. He only puts them in when a target is about to check in. Then he takes them out again when they leave. Wireless cameras are so cheap and easy to install nowadays.”
Hummer nodded and left after Madame Tule wrote him another check for five thousand. He had done over ten jobs for her, and continued to be amazed by how well she organized them. He decided to go home and sleep early that night. After all, he had a report to write tomorrow for the family court.
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