Broken Trust (Missing in Action Trilogy Book 1) (2 page)

“Yes boss,” she asked. Her tablet was out and she was unlocking it. She was one of those people who kept everything on her tablet and he felt it was silly, but she was able to do her job so his views on her technological use was irrelevant.

“You spoke with a Mrs. Link-Hawkins the other day and the reason you have on file is because she believes her husband is cheating.”

“Yes, along with the abuse she is receiving. His behavior is abnormal and she isn’t sure if he is cheating on her, or if there is something else going on entirely.”

“Please give her a call and have her come over here. I would like to speak with her.”

Sheila nodded and quickly pulled up the client’s information on the screen. Turning away from her, he started walking back into his office. He was curious to know what had gone wrong in their relationship. Closing his door behind him, he walked over to the shelf to where there was a picture of him and his friends from three years ago. John was on the far left, next to him was Rodney, beside Rodney was his sister, Sasha, and she was on Martin’s arm. As he remembered Sasha and Martin had been together since their junior year of high school and the Martin he knew was not a cheater.

Taking in a deep breath, he knew this case was going to be much different than the others he had worked, but this was still not the type of case he wanted. There was supposed to be something more to this, there just had to be, but there wasn’t. After this case, he wasn’t sure if he would continue being this person or if he was going to be something else. Regardless of what was going to happen down the line, he knew he had to focus on what was happening now.

***

Sasha arrived two hours later. Her strawberry blonde hair was braided back neatly and she dressed conservatively, as always. Despite not having seen her in several years she looked different. She was much thinner, an almost sickly thin. Her brown eyes were sad and as she walked towards him he could see a slight swelling on her right eye. There was no amount of make-up that could hide what was there and she seemed to realize that he was watching.

“Sasha,” John began. “Please come in and take a seat for me.”

She moved into the office and he gently shut the door behind her. He then strode to his own chair and he too took a seat. He realized she was uncomfortable. He wondered why. “So,” he said as he picked up the file. “You told Sheila that you suspect that Martin is cheating on you.”

“Yes,” she said avoiding eye contact. She was clasping her hands on her lap and she would not square her shoulders to him.

“Why do you suspect Martin of cheating?”

“His behavior is different and it seems as if that spark has gone out between us. I have been with him since I was sixteen! I have loved him and I have been there for him through it all.”

“When did the two of you start having issues?”

“Two years ago was when we started to have issues,” she said softly. “We were trying to have a baby and I will never be able to. It took a toll on both of us and since he learned that I cannot have children, we started drifting apart.”

John was at a loss for words. How do you comfort someone in this situation? Usually it was alright to be cold and distant because he didn’t know his clients personally, and now he felt as if he should say something. He took a sip of coffee and finally found his words.

“Did he come forward and tell you it was a deal breaker?”

“No. Why would he? I mean, I understand what you are asking me, but no, he never made mention of it. But I know him. We both talked about wanting children and now it is not a possibility. We could adopt, sure, but it would not be the same for him.”

“Does Martin drink?”

“Not the way he did in college,” she said. “After we started our careers he changed some of his habits, but after his mother passed away at the beginning of the year, he has resorted to drinking. I mean he is a psychologist and he should know what he is doing is not good by any means. But he refuses to talk to me.”

“Is there anything else going on in his life?”

“Not that he has disclosed to me. He is a lot more elusive and when I ask him something, anything, he gets easily angry.”

“There seems to be something else on your mind,” John said. He did not like this approach but he needed her to tell him everything. It made his job much easier when people told him everything. He needed every detail and he knew it would be difficult to get out of her. Her answer was not what he expected.

“I followed him one night, and I know it sounds crazy, but I needed to know. So I followed his car from work and he went to a strip club. Of course I was upset, but I could not say anything about it. If he knew I had followed him it would just make matters worse.”
John nodded. He remembered how Martin was and for him to go to a strip club was peculiar. As John recalled, Martin had always told him and Rodney that Sasha was the only girl for him and he never wanted to see another woman. Of course, as college students, they teased him about it. He would never have suspected Martin changing his views.

“Sasha I will find out for you. There is one last question that I have for you,” he began. He hesitated for a moment. “Does Martin beat you?”

He watched as her entire body went rigid. She got up to her feet, obviously flustered, and she shook her head. “Martin would
never
lay a hand on me.”

“Sasha I want you to tell me everything. I mean that black eye is obvious even with all of that make-up on your face! Listen, if you don’t want Rod to know I will not tell him, alright?”

He saw she was attempting not to cry and he was not sure how to comfort her. This was something he had never been good at. It was this reason he was most likely unable to continue a relationship with a woman. He missed queues they would give to let him know they needed to be comforted.  She wiped her eyes to prevent any more tears from falling from her eyes.

“Just – just assure me that you will find out if Martin is cheating on me or not.”

“Of course,” he said. “And since I am taking on this case I will assure you that everything is confidential.”

“Thank you,” she said as she was getting up. “How would you like me to pay?”

Pay? He wasn’t sure if he should be charging Sasha. “I don’t think I can take your money.”

She shook her head. “We knew one another back in college and it was brief,” she began. “Despite having known one another, I will still pay you. You are performing your services after all, as a professional and not as a friend.”

John finally nodded. He could not retort. Granted he wanted to, but he was no good at arguing, that was why he never became a lawyer. Even if he had a point to make he was unable to make it. He always stammered and lost focus, it was always so frustrating. He realized she was waiting for an answer.

“Sheila is the one who handles all of the payments,” he said.

He watched as she nodded and she was walking out of his office. Once the door shut he slumped back in his chair and he could not help but feel drained again. He hated this part of it. He had thought that by becoming a private investigator he would have been helping solve murders, or find people that were trying to be ghosts in society. He never would have thought he would help so many people find dirt on their spouses and then subsequently get divorced from his findings.

Looking around his office he was becoming frustrated. He got to his feet and paced around for a moment. He had not spoken to Martin for a while and he was not too sure if he even had the same phone number. If he didn’t, he would need to find another means of contact. As he paced he knew he would be able to approach this one differently than any other investigation. He could use his personal relationship with Martin to get some information.

Finally, he stopped pacing and looked out the window with a sense of yearning. He knew there had to be more than this out there. There just had to be, but yet there was nothing. He could no longer be patient about it. After this case he might just close up shop and try to finagle something else. He heard a knock on the door.

“Come in,” he said.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw Sheila standing there. She had her tablet in her arm and she seemed awkward. It was as if he made her uncomfortable somehow. “Boss, I was just checking in with you. This past month you have been – well you haven’t been yourself. I was hoping maybe we could go get a bite to eat and maybe you and I would be able to talk. You know, only if you like.”

That had been one of the things about Sheila. She cared too much. It seemed she took actions based on her feelings verses thinking everything through and being rational. It was not a bad quality, but it sure as hell could be. If the wrong person ever got close enough to her she would be easily manipulated.

“No thank you,” he said. “And Sheila, you don’t need to call me “boss”. John is just fine.”

“I know, it’s just a habit I suppose,” she said as she was walking out. John remembered when he was interviewing her. She was fresh out of college and she was just as optimistic as he was. Compared to others who had applied she had much less work experience, but she just seemed to fit in with what he was wanting to do by being a PI. He was not too sure how else to explain it.

Alone in his office, he was thinking about everything. He needed to get in contact with Martin. That was the first thing on his agenda and the sooner he closed this, the sooner he could see about doing something else, being something more.

Two Days Later

  It had been snowing all throughout that morning and as he walked down the street he could feel the cold air on his face. His nose was beginning to run but he did not want to take his hands out of his pockets. He knew he was getting closer to his destination. He finally reached the restaurant. It was one he had never been to before, but he never fancied the more luxurious restaurants that had dishes smaller than your palm and that were priced unreasonably.

Pulling open the door, he felt the temperature difference and it was wonderful. He saw the hostess was looking at him and he knew that look. She knew this was not his scene and she knew he did not belong here. She faked a smile and walked over towards him.

“Welcome, how many?”

“Just me,” he said somewhat awkwardly. “I – I am meeting with Martin Hawkins.”

Her expression changed as if he, John, was now able to fit into this place. He did not like how things along these lines worked but she smiled a real smile. “Follow me then,” she said as she began to walk away.

Following behind her, he realized how high the ceilings were and the décor here was ostentatious. Yes, this was not somewhere he belonged and he did not want to be around here any longer than necessary. They were entering the main dining room. There were large windows that were frosted due to the weather and a bar was in the far back. Everyone here was better dressed than he was; despite the fact that he was wearing one of his finest suits, he was still not dressed as well as everyone else. As they walked in between the tables, he noticed the men all wore fancy watches and rings of some sort, and he wore none.

Approaching Martin now, John could see he was absorbed with something on his phone. He was not too sure what was going on and that was what he was hoping to accomplish today with this meeting. He needed to know that this man, someone he admired for his morals, had not turned his back on everything he believed in.

He was now at the table and Martin looked up and smiled. “John, it has been a while. How have you been?”

“I have been busy,” John said as he sat down. “What have you been up to lately?”

Martin took his phone and turned it off. He shrugged and John was able to see how exhausted he was. “I wish I was back in college again,” he chuckled. “How crazy does that sound?”

“Very, especially with how crazy things were on campus.”

“I know, but things – things have not been going too well with me and Sasha. I love her to death, but she cannot have children. That was the one thing my mother wanted, was for me to give her a grandchild before the cancer finished her off, and now, now I will never be able to give her that.”

“Well, uh,” John began. He was no good at this; comforting people. It was something he was never good at and he never would be good at. “Look a lot of people would say they are sorry, and I am, but I don’t know how to phrase it.”

Martin looked up from the table and met his eyes for a moment and he nodded. “You were always odd when it came down to expressing emotions. Which is fine, so thank you John. I just have no idea what I am going to do with my life anymore. I do not even know if Sasha wants me any longer.”

“Why on earth would you say that?”

Martin swallowed hard and he shook his head. “I am not a good man when I get to drinking. I have been sinning and I feel that what I am doing now is pushing Sasha away from me.”

“But it is not like you have been cheating on her,” John said nervously. He never got to confront people like this before. He usually would hide in the shadows and stalk them essentially, until he got all the information he needed.

“I have cheated,” Martin finally said. “Her name is Carly and she works in my office.”

It felt as if a truck had just run over him. He could not believe what he was hearing. This could not be true. No! Martin was always sticking to his guns about one person forever. He was totally committed to Sasha and he always preached it.

“I know, I know,” he began. “It is shocking for me to do that, and it kills me. I am filled with so much guilt! I mean Carly is young and beautiful, and my goodness she knows what she is doing, but after it is all over, I remember I am a married man.”

“Does Sasha know?”

“I assume she suspects. I wanted to end this affair with Carly, but I think I am going to have to leave Sasha for her.”

“Why? I mean you and Sasha have been together for years. In college you always told us how lucky you were to have her and now you are throwing it all away and for some stranger? I mean earlier you were saying you were afraid of losing her, now you are just pushing her away!”