***

  As the hours stretched on, I stared at the front of the office complex. I also kept an eye out for the entrance to the parking garage.

  Eventually, the end of the business day arrived.

  “This could get interesting,” I said to myself.

  Then again, maybe not. Nick had told Stacey that he would be working late that evening. What if he was telling the truth? How refreshing would that be? I would love to be able to report back to Stacey with good news.

  I realized what a rarity that would be. Generally speaking, if someone had enough suspicion to hire me to conduct an investigation, it was because there was something unsavory going on. That said, there were times where I wasn’t able to dig up any dirt.

  I wasn’t going to get ahead of myself. It wasn’t even nightfall yet.

  A few minutes later, workers started to file out of the building. Nick wasn’t among them. In fact, I saw no sign of him.

  “Wow. Maybe he really is working late,” I said to myself.

  Things were definitely looking promising. At least, for the moment.

  Before I got too many ideas in my head about this being a simple case, the investigation took a quick turn. A few minutes after most of the employees left the building and drove away from the office complex, I spotted Nick’s green sedan coming out of the parking garage.

  That seemed rather curious to me. I couldn’t help but wonder, where was he headed?

  I was determined to find out.

  I fired up the ignition of my car and began to tail Nick’s vehicle.

  In order to avoid drawing attention to myself, I remained a few car lengths behind Nick’s sedan. It was much easier to follow someone after nightfall. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be dark outside for another few minutes.

  Much to my surprise, Nick didn’t end up driving very far. Rather than heading over to one of the residential areas of town, he made his way toward the main commercial hub.

  Once he reached Patterson Avenue, he parked his vehicle in front of Gilbertson’s Sandwich Shop. The bearded thirty-five-year-old then got out of his car and headed into the shop.

  For a moment, I wondered if Nick was meeting someone there. Perhaps a woman. When a number of minutes went by without any sign of a woman nearby, my theory was proven false.

  That only made Nick’s presence in the sandwich shop even more peculiar to me. The eatery offered delivery. If Nick truly was going to work late that day, he could have just picked up the phone and placed an order from his desk. A number of minutes later, a delivery driver would have arrived at his office building with his sandwich.

  Yet, there Nick was, sitting at a table all alone munching away on a sandwich.

  “This guy is definitely keeping me on my toes,” I said to myself.

  Despite the fact that he was alone, Nick was keeping busy. Between bites of his sandwich, he did a fair amount of scrolling on his phone. Whatever he was looking at on his cell, it had captured his attention.

  “I really wish I could see what he was looking at,” I said to myself.

  Normally, in a situation like this, I would head into the sandwich shop myself and try to grab a table nearby the subject that I was investigating. In this particular instance, I knew that wasn’t a good idea. The sandwich shop was quite small. There was no way that I could take a seat inside the shop without being spotted by Nick.

  This early in the investigation, retaining my anonymity was crucial. I didn’t know how long this case would last. If Nick spotted me a number of different times throughout my investigation, he might get paranoid. If he was worried that he was being followed, it would be harder than ever to discover the truth. Or worse. He might attempt to confront me.

  For the moment, I remained in my car. I wanted to see how things would play out. That turned out to be a good plan.

  Nick only remained inside the shop for a few minutes longer. When he finished his sandwich, he got up from his table and made his way back out to his car.

  The question became, where was he headed now? When he continued driving north on Patterson Avenue, it became clear that he wasn’t going back to his office building. So much for working late.

  Clearly, he had other plans for the evening.

  “Where in the world are you going?” I asked myself.

  Nick continued driving north for a number of miles. As I followed him, I had no idea where he was headed. It definitely wasn’t home. Or anywhere residential. There weren’t any houses in this direction. This was the outskirts of town.

  The closer he got to the city limits, the more I began to wonder if he intended to leave town. If that was the case, I was incredibly confused. The sun had already begun to set. Where did he intend to go?

  Thankfully, it didn’t take very long for me to get an answer. When the green sedan reached Dillon Drive, it turned right.

  Maybe he wasn’t planning on leaving town after all.

  Shortly after pulling onto Dillon Drive, Nick turned right into the parking lot of a self-storage facility.

  “Oh no, please don’t go in there,” I said to myself. “Why are you going to a storage facility?”

  Not only did that seem strange to me, but it was also quite unfortunate. Facilities like this were always gated. They also had cameras everywhere. It would be impossible for me to follow Nick inside the facility without being spotted. Tailing him would completely blow my cover.

  I had no choice but to hang back.

  In doing so, I might miss out on some crucial information. As much as that frustrated me, I wasn’t going to make some bold move like trying to sneak in behind him as his car entered the gate. That was the sort of thing that a rookie investigator would do. Or the type of thing that happened in movies. Of course, in Hollywood productions, investigators always seemed to be able to do bold things and get away with it.

  Things didn’t work out that way in real life. In my experience, a measured approach always worked best.

  While Nick punched a code into a keypad and watched the security gate open in front of him, I parked on the street. Nick then drove into the storage facility and soon disappeared from my view.

  At that point, all I could really do was wait. During quiet moments like that, my thoughts always seemed to race. This time, there was a very good reason for that. Nick’s actions didn’t make sense to me. He had lied to his fiancé about working late. But why? So he could grab a sandwich and stop by a storage facility? It didn’t add up. There had to be more going on.

  The other curious detail was the fact that I had not seen Nick talk to any women since I began tailing him. Typically, when a client had suspicions about their significant other, a particular name came to mind. Perhaps it was someone the subject worked with. Or was friends with. In this case, Stacey just had a general feeling of uneasiness.

  As I continued to brainstorm theories that would explain what Nick was doing here, I found my thoughts interrupted by a wild sight.

  A flashy sports car pulled out of the storage facility and drove up to the gate. This car had all of the bells and whistles. A lot of time and money had been poured into this vehicle. It was the type of car that existed to attract attention. It definitely drew my eyes.

  In fact, the moment that I spotted the car, I wanted to see who was behind the wheel. Imagine my surprise then when I saw Nick in the driver’s-seat of the sports car.

  “No way. Since when does Nick own a sports car?” I asked myself.

  I was completely floored by what I saw. To the point where I did a double-take. Once I realized that my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me, my thoughts started to race.

  What was Nick doing behind the wheel of that car? And where did that car even come from? After all, he had pulled into the facility driving a modest sedan. What happened to it?

  Then it dawned on me. Maybe Nick didn’t come here to retrieve a box or a piece of furniture from his storage locker. Perhaps he had come here specifically for this car. Maybe he only had a locker here to store this car when he wasn’t using it.

  If that was the case, it seemed like a curious move. Why was he storing his car at this facility? Why not just park the car in his driveway? Did he not have enough room? Did he not want to draw attention from his neighbors? Or did he not want Stacey to know that he owned this car?

  I would have to get answers to those questions later. Right then, Nick seemed to be in a hurry to drive away from the storage facility.

  He ended up making his way to the outskirts of town.

  “Where are you going?” I said to myself.

  ***

  A few minutes later, he arrived at his destination. He stopped at Old Route 74. Before they built the interstate a number of decades ago, Route 74 was a bustling stretch of road. Ever since the completion of the highway, traffic on Route 74 had really died off. These days, it was a pretty barren stretch of road.

  At least, most of the time.

  That evening, it was more crowded than I had seen it in years.

  A few seconds later, Nick ended up pulling into the parking lot of an old abandoned motel. The place had been closed for over twenty years. So, why was there a dozen sports cars parked in the lot in front of the motel?

  I had a feeling that I would find out soon enough. In order to keep from blowing my cover, I turned off my headlights and parked my car at an abandoned gas station. From there, I could avoid being spotted.

  After Nick parked his car, he got out of the vehicle and started speaking with a number of men that were congregated in the parking lot. They were definitely up to something crazy. I just knew it.

  “Is this some sort of a drug deal?” I said to myself. “Or something else?”

  A few minutes later, I got an answer.

  After chatting for a bit, Nick and a bald man got back into their sports cars. They then pulled out of the parking lot and lined their vehicles up side by side on the street.

  Meanwhile, the rest of the men stood on the side of the road and began yelling loudly.

  In addition, a woman stepped into the middle of the road and started a countdown.

  If I had to guess, a street race was about to take place.

  I immediately pulled out my phone and switched over to video mode. I wanted to get all of this on camera.

  I was glad that I did.

  Ten seconds later, the sports cars began burning rubber. They absolutely floored it. Within seconds, they were going over ninety miles an hour. Maybe more. As the race unfurled in front of me, the men on the sideline cheered loudly.

  What a scene. A few moments later, the race ended. Much to my surprise, Nick ended up winning. He then got out of the car and began to gloat.

  The action didn’t stop there. A number of minutes later, Nick drove his car back to the starting line.

  From there, a heavily-tattooed man pulled up his car beside Nick’s vehicle.

  Another countdown was started.

  That led into a second street race. This time, Nick lost.

  Although, the results of the race didn’t really matter to me. I wasn’t keeping score. I was more focused on the fact that racing was taking place at all.

  Even though I was recording everything that was happening, I was still having a hard time coming to grips with it. I couldn’t believe that Nick worked in an office during the day and then illegally raced sports cars at night.

  It turned out Stacey had every reason to be worried about her fiancé. He was a loose cannon.

  Chapter Six

  By the end of the evening, I had a bunch of information to share with Stacey. That said, I wasn’t ready to wrap up the case quite so soon. After all, there might be another twist in this investigation.

  It was terrible to think about, but what if Nick was taking part in illegal street races and also cheating on his fiancé? The first part was definitely true. The second part was still in doubt. Until I got definitive answers, this case wasn’t over.

  It had taken me such a short amount of time to stumble upon the first twist that I figured it wouldn’t take very long to uncover the truth about whether Nick was staying faithful to Stacey.

  I was wrong. All told, I ended up tailing Nick for three solid days. It was only then that I felt confident enough to arrange a meeting with Stacey.

  On Friday morning, I called my client into my office.

  Stacey looked incredibly nervous as she took a seat across from my desk. She was actually so filled with anxiety that she didn’t even bother with pleasantries.

  “You uncovered some dirt on Nick, didn’t you?” she said. “That’s why you called me in here, isn’t it? That’s why you didn’t want to tell me anything over the phone. Am I right?”

  “So much for small talk,” I joked.

  “Will you please tell me what’s going on? I’m an absolute wreck here.”

  “Right. Of course. I just thought I’d try to lighten the mood a little.”

  “I appreciate the effort, but I just want to hear the truth.”

  I took a deep breath and then replied, “All right. In that case, I have some good news and some bad news.”

  Her nose scrunched. “I don’t understand. Nick is either cheating on me or he’s not.”

  I raised my hand. “Actually, it’s not that simple.”

  She threw out her arms. “Really?”

  “Unfortunately, the situation is far more complicated than that.”

  “And I thought I was nervous before.”

  “Sorry.”

  “I’m also really confused. When you say it’s complicated, how do you mean?”

  “Look. I wish I had nothing but good news for you, but that just isn’t the case.”

  “Wait. You keep saying that you have good news for me. So, tell me. What is it?”

  “It turns out that your fiancé isn’t cheating on you.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Absolutely. I found no evidence of him being unfaithful.”

  “Then what is he doing at night? Is he really working well into the evening?” she asked.

  I shook my head.

  She squinted. “I didn’t think I could get any more confused. If he’s not really working late…and he’s not cheating on me…then what is he doing?” she asked.

  “This is where things get really crazy.”

  “How so?”

  “After work, your husband has been taking part in a number of illegal street races.”

  Stacey did a double-take. “I’m sorry. Did I just hear that correctly?”

  “Yes.”

  She leaned back in her chair. “I don’t believe it.”

  “Trust me. When I stumbled upon your fiancé’s actions, I was in shock. At first, I didn’t believe what I was seeing. But my eyes weren’t deceiving me. It was actually happening. And I have the video to prove it.”

  “In that case, let me see it.”

  I pulled up a video recording on my phone.

  As I played the clip, Stacey had a look of absolute disbelief in her eyes. She just let the video play out and didn’t say a word.

  When the clip ended, I expected her to speak up. To have some sort of a verbal reaction.

  She didn’t.

  Instead, she remained completely silent.

  I waited a few seconds before breaking the silence.

  “Are you going to be okay?” I asked.

  She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

  I continued. “I know it’s a lot to process.”

  Stacey finally managed to untie her tongue. “You’re not kidding. That’s insane.”

  “It was definitely a twist that I didn’t see coming.”

  “How could you have predicted something like this?”

  “I suppose I couldn’t have.”

  “I’ll tell you this. I had no idea that Nick was into racing, much less street racing.”

  “You must be beside yourself then.”

  “That’s one way of putting it. Honestly, I’m not really sure what to say right now. This is a lot to process.”

  “Feel free to take your time. There’s no rush.”

  “Maybe not, but I don’t think that added time is going to make this any easier to stomach. When I was watching that video, I almost felt like I was looking at a completely different person. Sure, he looked like Nick, but he certainly wasn’t behaving like the man I fell in love with.”

  “He definitely doesn’t look like your average office worker in that video.”

  “No. Not at all. Who knew he had such a wild side?”

  “I didn’t.”

  She scratched her chin. “Exactly. Which makes me wonder what else I don’t know about him.”

  “I might be able to help you out with that last part.”

  Her eyes widened. “Is that so?”

  I nodded. “You see, I followed him around for a few more days after I recorded that video. Amazingly enough, this was the only crazy secret that I discovered about him.”

  “That’s good to know. Although, this secret is already plenty crazy enough.”

  “I agree.”

  “Frankly, I don’t think I could handle another twist on top of this one. I’m having a hard enough time wrapping my head around the fact that my fiancé is a street racer.”

  “I understand,” I replied. “That said, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Do you have any idea why he would have kept this information from you?”

  It didn’t take her long to come up with a response. “Actually, yes.”

  “Why?”

  “A few years ago, my brother died in a car accident. Some reckless driver just plowed into the side of his car.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  “It was devastating event. It completely rocked my family. To the point where things have never been the same again.”

  “I imagine.”

  “After the way my brother died, I can see why my fiancé would be reticent to tell me that he takes part in street races at night. Races like that are inherently dangerous. He could easily get into an accident.”