“You aren’t kidding. There could have been a couple of accidents during the night that I recorded that video.”

  “Exactly. Which is all the more reason why Nick should stay away from street racing rather than doing it behind my back.”

  “Apparently, he feels differently.”

  Stacey put her head in her hands. “What a shame.”

  I reached out to her. “I’m sorry.”

  “This is such a terrible mess.”

  “I agree. I guess the question now is, what are you going to do about it?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to break things off with him.”

  “Wow. That was quick.”

  “Pardon the pun, but speed has nothing to do with this.”

  I put my hand up. “Don’t you mean, speed has everything to do with it?”

  “On second thought, you’re right. Nick’s reckless driving has made it easy for me to make a quick decision. I can’t spend my life with someone who would do something that dangerous.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  “At the same time, this is going to be a really tough breakup. Until this conversation, I was ready to spend the rest of my life with him. Now, it’s all over. Talk about some emotional whiplash.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “There’s no need for you to apologize. This isn’t your fault.”

  “I know. I just feel bad for you.”

  She grimaced. “Talk about a heartbreaking situation. And to think how much work I put into planning a wedding that isn’t going to happen now.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that,” I replied.

  Stacey stared out into the distance. “I have to say. It’s going to take a long time to get over this.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  She took a deep breath. “On the flip side, I’m glad I came to you when I did. What if I had discovered this other side to Nick after we had already gotten married? That would have been an even bigger mess.”

  “You’re right about that.”

  “At least now I can make a relatively clean break.”

  “You certainly can. I definitely wish you the best.”

  “Thanks.”

  “If you need anything else, please let me know.”

  “I will,” she replied.

  Chapter Seven

  As Stacey left my office, my head was still spinning a little bit. Of all of the ways for a case to end, this seemed to be the least likely outcome. During my time as an investigator, I thought I had seen almost everything. But a man running out and conducting some illegal street races in the middle of the night rather than spending time with his fiancé was something I had never seen before.

  Poor Stacey. It was going to take her a while to cobble her life back together. I did not envy the journey that was ahead of her. I could only imagine the steps she would need to take to claw her way back to sanity.

  After finishing up with Stacey, I felt like I needed to get some fresh air. When I stepped outside my office, I stared off into the distance. From there, my head drifted into the clouds.

  It didn’t stay there for long, however. A short time later, I heard a familiar voice. It belonged to Scott.

  “What are you staring at?” he asked.

  I turned to the left and saw the detective approaching me. He looked really perplexed.

  “Nothing in particular. I was just thinking,” I said.

  “About what?”

  “How crazy relationships can be sometimes.”

  “What relationships? Are you in a relationship?”

  “I was taking about relationships in general.”

  “Oh, okay. So, you’re not in a relationship then currently?”

  “Scott, don’t be ridiculous. You know I’m not dating anyone.”

  “I was pretty sure that you were single. I just wanted to make sure.”

  “Why does it matter?”

  “I was just curious is all.”

  I stared at Scott. “Are you feeling all right?”

  “Forget about me. We were talking about you,” he said. “Now, what made you say that relationships are crazy sometimes?”

  “You know how it goes in the private eye world. Around every corner there seems to be a new wild case.”

  “Did this one involve infidelity?”

  “Actually, no. At least, it turned out that no infidelity was taking place. But some was suspected.”

  “If the person wasn’t cheating then why do you look so glum?”

  “Because I stumbled upon a different secret. Apparently, the subject was doing some street racing on the sly rather than spending time with his fiancé.”

  “Wow. That is a wild twist.”

  I nodded. “A little too wild for my client. She’s going to break off her engagement.”

  “What a shame.”

  “I don’t blame her.”

  “Neither do I,” Scott replied. “It’s just a shame that another relationship hit the skids.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking. In fact, that’s why I came out here to get some air.”

  “Well, here’s hoping that your next case isn’t filled with such a crazy twist.”

  I crossed my fingers. “I’m actually hoping that life gives me a little break.”

  “You certainly deserve one.”

  “How about you?” I asked. “What are you doing on this side of town?”

  “I just wanted to come by to talk to you about something,” he said.

  “In person?”

  “Why do you sound so surprised?”

  “Because I’m always just a phone call away.”

  “I know. But some things are better said in person.”

  “Now you’ve got me intrigued. What’s this all about?”

  Scott looked to the left and then to the right. “Can we talk about this somewhere else?”

  “Why? Is it police-related?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No. I’d just rather talk about this elsewhere.”

  “All right. Do you want to head inside? We can talk about it in my office.”

  He grimaced. “I think my car would be better.”

  “Sure. Let’s do it.”

  We headed over to Scott’s car. Once we were there, my patience ran out. I needed answers.

  “All right. We’re here. Now, will you please tell me what’s going on?” I asked.

  “Wow. Talk about putting a guy on the spot.”

  My forehead wrinkled. “Are you sure you’re feeling all right?”

  “Yes. I’m fine. Why do you keep asking me that?”

  “Because you don’t seem at all like yourself. I’m used to you being all calm and collected. Right now, you’re just the opposite.”

  “I assure you, there’s nothing wrong with me.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  “This is just a sensitive topic.”

  I bit the corner of my lip and then replied, “I have to say, I have no clue what you’re about to tell me, but I can’t wait to find out.

  He took a deep breath. “Okay. Here goes. Ever since I returned to town, it’s been so great catching up with you.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  “It’s good to hear that. Anyway, over the last couple of months, I have just realized that we have a great connection.”

  “Of course, we do. That’s part of being old friends.”

  “Here’s the thing. I think we can be a lot more than just friends.”

  “You do?”

  He nodded. “I think we’d make a great couple.”

  “Wow. Wait a minute. Is this really happening? Did I just hear you correctly?”

  “You sure did. That’s why I want to ask you this. Do you want to go out to dinner sometime?”

  “Absolutely.”

  He seemed taken aback by how quickly I responded. Honestly, I was a little bit surprised by how quickly the words spilled out of my mouth as well. But I couldn’t help myself. I was excited.

  “Wow. That’s great,” he said. “Really great.”

  “Yeah. I think we might have a really good time.”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  “So, it’s settled then. I’m going to take you out to dinner,” he said. “How about a movie too?”

  I smiled. “That would be fantastic.”

  “Wonderful. I’m really excited about this.”

  “I can tell. You look completely different than you did just a minute ago.”

  “Of course, I do. You said yes.”

  “Were you worried that I’d say something else?”

  “Naturally. There was a chance that you were going to shoot me down. I’m so glad that you didn’t.”

  “I’m just glad that we’re going out to dinner and a movie together. What an exciting time.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” he said. “I’m so thrilled right now.”

  “So am I. My life just got really interesting,” I said.

  The End.

  Caramels, Custody, and Cruelty

  Chapter One

  What if this has all been for nothing?

  That sure seemed to be the case. I had been following Gregory MacGregor all day. It was part of a divorce custody case that I was working on. My assignment was to dig up dirt on Greg. To uncover an unsavory detail that would lead to his ex-wife being granted full custody of their child.

  My client, Amy Finnegan, was convinced that her ex was up to no good. While that might still prove to be true, it was looking less likely.

  I certainly had not found anything odd about Greg’s home life yet. Nor had he behaved improperly around his kid. Granted, all it took was one moment for everything to change. Would that happen this time?

  While I didn’t have an answer to that question, I could say one thing. I absolutely hated family law cases. They were the worst.

  That was saying a lot, given the fact that I investigated a lot of suspected infidelity as a part of my job. Yet, as bad as it was to catch a spouse cheating, very few things were as emotionally brutal as seeing two parents fighting over custody of a child.

  In an ideal world, I would never take a case like this. Then again, if we were living in a perfect world, there would be no need for private investigators.

  In all honesty, I would be okay with that. Seriously. I would gladly give up my job if it meant that the world would exist in perfect peace and harmony. After all, I could always find some other job. My mother would certainly like that. She wasn’t a fan of the dangers that came with being a private eye. She wanted me to be a musician.

  Enough about disappointing my mother, though. I had this odd case to get back to. Besides, as far as I could tell, the world wasn’t going to turn into a utopia anytime soon. In fact, more often than not, it felt like the world was descending into a dystopia. Cases like this did nothing to make me feel any different. In truth, they just solidified the feelings I had about the world tearing apart at the seams.

  Before I get too bleak, let me stop right there. I apologize. I’m not usually this negative of a person. Sometimes I just go down a rough path. Not surprisingly, that tended to happen when I got stressed out. For example, when I was working on a custody case.

  From here on out, I’m going to try to turn my mood around. Or, at least, to keep myself from thinking the worst.

  That was easier said than done. Especially on a stakeout. You see, as I sat in my sedan, I had a lot of free time on my hands. I was parked across the street from the townhome that Greg was renting. While anything could theoretically happen at any given moment, there was also a very strong chance that I could spend hours waiting impatiently.

  The longer I sat in the driver’s seat of my car, the more my mind had the tendency to wander. Typically, it was only when my mind had drifted completely into the clouds that I would be pulled suddenly from my daze.

  Then again, there was always a chance that I would be parked out here all night with nothing to show for my efforts. What a drag that would be. Cases that stretched over multiple days were an endurance test.

  “Come on, Greg,” I said to myself. “If you’re going to misbehave, now would be a good time to do it.”

  What a weird statement to make. But welcome to the crazy world of private investigating. Sometimes, the only way for your client to come out on top, was if someone else stumbled.

  Also, make no mistake. Gregory wasn’t a good guy. This was a man who threw away over sixteen years of marriage. A man who cheated on his wife with some random woman that he met in a bar while on a business trip to Tulsa. My client was the victim here. After Greg’s behavior, it would have been nice if Greg had just taken his lumps. Instead, he fought her tooth and nail. Not just in divorce court, but also when it came to getting custody of their son, Billy.

  When Amy hired me, she told me that Greg was a neglectful parent. That she couldn’t rule out the possibility that he might behave irresponsibly around their son.

  I was on the lookout for any odd behavior.

  If I was able to uncover any evidence of Greg acting inappropriately, it could help Amy win her court case. A lot was on the line. That said, I had not seen him misbehave.

  In fact, he wasn’t doing much of anything.

  He was just sitting in his living room relaxing on the couch. It had been a pretty busy day for him. That afternoon, he had taken his son out for lunch. They had gotten some pizza. From there, they stopped into a local ice cream parlor. After that, they headed over to the zoo.

  Once they had seen all of the exhibits, they returned home to Greg’s place. As Greg and Billy watched TV in their living room, my stomach began to rumble.

  I looked down at my tummy. “No. Not now.”

  What a time for my stomach to misbehave. I was in the middle of a job.

  I blamed the pizza that Greg had eaten earlier for this. That stirred up some trouble. It just looked so tasty. Of course, seeing Greg and his son eating ice cream didn’t help my taste buds either. Pizza and ice cream were two of my favorite things. It was a shame that I wasn’t able to indulge in either of those things. At least, not without blowing my cover.

  In order to properly tail Greg, I had to keep my distance. If he saw me following him, he would know that something was up. By hanging back, I was able to keep my anonymity. I was just unable to have a treat.

  Don’t feel too bad for me. I wasn’t going to starve or anything. Just like with all stakeouts, I had come prepared. I had packed a number of protein bars in my purse. I also had a muffin and some caramels. I wasn’t sure how much of it I would eat, but it was nice to have it on hand.

  On the topic of food, I couldn’t help but wonder if Greg was planning on making any dinner for his son. Or maybe he was going to order some food to be delivered to the townhome. Then again, perhaps he would just sit on his couch and watch television for a while longer.

  That definitely appeared to be his plan.

  “Is this really how my evening is going to play out? Am I going to spend the entire time watching Greg lounge in front of the TV?” I asked myself.

  It certainly had the makings of a boring evening. Both Greg and Billy looked really comfortable on that couch. When they weren’t staring at the TV, they were messing around on their phones. They kept going back and forth, staring at one screen and then another. Talk about summing up the modern age.

  At the same time, it was completely harmless behavior. In fact, it was downright ordinary.

  “Hmm. Maybe Amy was wrong about her ex-husband,” I said to myself.

  Just when it seemed like Greg and Billy had some serious couch potato activity ahead of them, Greg got up from the sofa.

  He didn’t head to the bathroom or the kitchen either. Instead, he went to the door.

  Had he ordered food? Maybe that was why he was messing around on his phone so much.

  It was a good guess, but it didn’t prove to be true.

  As he swung the door open, a redheaded woman became visible in the hallway.

  The redhead leaned forward and gave Gregory a kiss.

  “This must be the new girlfriend,” I said to myself.

  Amy had told me that her ex-husband had started dating someone new after she split up with him. According to Amy, Greg’s new girlfriend was Elizabeth Spanning. I was going to operate under the assumption that the redhead was Elizabeth.

  Ms. Spanning walked into the living room with Gregory and greeted Billy.

  I was too far away to hear what was being said, but I could see Elizabeth’s mouth moving.

  Billy looked up from his phone screen and waved at Elizabeth.

  Gregory, Elizabeth, and Billy then watched some TV for a few minutes.

  “Did I get ahead of myself?” I muttered to myself.

  It turned out that the answer was no. In fact, things were just about to heat up.

  Chapter Two

  About fifteen minutes later, there was another knock at Greg’s door. This time, a brunette was standing on Greg’s doorstep. The brunette was much younger. While Greg and Elizabeth were both in their forties, the brunette appeared to be in her late teens.

  The question became, what was she doing there?

  Greg opened the door and let the brunette in. The girl then waved at Billy. The little kid barely looked up from his phone. Did he not know this girl? Or maybe he knew her and he didn’t like her. From afar, it was hard to tell.

  One thing was clear, however. Billy didn’t seem terribly thrilled to be around her.

  After waving at Billy, the brunette turned around and began talking with Greg. From there, Greg pulled out a list. He went through each item on the list with the brunette.

  Once he was done doing that, Greg walked over to Billy. At that point, he gave his son a hug. From there, Greg and Elizabeth left the house.

  It soon became clear what was happening. Greg and Elizabeth were heading out for the evening. Meanwhile, this brunette girl had come over to babysit Billy.

  Normally, that wouldn’t have struck me as odd. Here’s the thing, though. Greg only currently had custody of Billy a few nights a week. Most of the time, Billy lived with his mother. So, why would Greg plan a date for the same night that he had custody of his son?