Case of the Secret Life

by L C Lang

  “Are you keeping up with it?”

  “Yes, I am. Hannah’s blow-up at me here yesterday convinced me I need to get this case solved so I can get her off my back.”

  Roxie nodded. “Don’t blame you there. Hopefully, she doesn’t go to the police.”

  “She already did. Detective Donovan confronted me just a few minutes ago. Hannah wanted him to arrest me. I told him my side of the story, which was a lot different from what she told him. Although, because I have a gun he is putting me back on the suspect list since Benton was shot to death.”

  She lowered her voice. “Have you found anything about what happened to him yet?”

  I shook my head. “Not much. I have found some information, but I have to follow up on it to see if it is reliable or not.”

  “I don’t blame you for wanting to clear your name. Don’t let the police catch you at it. They might not like it.”

  “Oh, I know. In Indianapolis, we really did not have too much of a problem. If we found something the police needed to know about, my father contacted them and turned over the information. Pays to stay on the good side of the police department.”

  “Does Detective Donovan know?”

  I shook my head. “No, he doesn’t. And I am not about to tell him either. At least not until I have to.”

  Roxie nodded. “I can understand that. Do you have any other work you are doing?”

  “Yes. I now have three accounts with companies where I do background checks on tentative new hires. I regularly get emails from them. Got another account yesterday. Once I go home, I need to get started with it because they want me to check out everyone who works for the company. All fifteen hundred of them.”

  Roxie’s eyes got big. “Wow. And they pay you for that?”

  I nodded. “Yes, they do. They never complain at what I charge because I can do a deep background check. You’d be surprised what I can find on someone when I do background checks.”

  “I’ll bet. That must be exciting.”

  “It can be. Most people I check are honest. But, once in a while, I come up with a shady character that they are glad I found out about. If you ever have someone you want me to check out before you hire them, just let me know.”

  Roxie nodded. “I will.”

  Just then, several people came into the diner. Lunch time had arrived. Roxie slid out of the booth, wished me good luck and to keep her posted on what I find. I made her promise to let me know if she heard anything else, which she said she would.

  I finished off my sandwich and fries, and then drank the last of my drink. Then I grabbed the bill and my messenger bag and stood up. I left a tip for Cindy, went to the cashier and paid my bill. I walked out the door, as more people passed me to go inside the diner. Then I headed for my Cherokee. Time to do more research.

  CHAPTER 8

  Fifteen minutes later, I backed into the garage and closed the door. I walked through the kitchen and into my office, setting my messenger bag on my desk and then I sat down. Since I now have more information, it is time to do some research. I turned on my laptop. Once it came up, I checked my business email. The pharmaceutical company had sent me a file of their employees. Great. I will start working on that file today. But, before I begin the file, I have other research I need to do first.

  First, I got into my background program and put in Joe Millhouse’s name. What I found, or rather what I did not find, did not surprise me. He has no record, owns his home and seems to be an upstanding man. He is married. Wife’s name is Nancy and they have four grown children. I found nothing about Benton Williams’ will, but wasn’t sure I would have anyway, since the will has not been probated yet. For the moment, I have found all I could find on Joe. Still, I am not ready to take his name off the suspect list. At least not yet.

  Next, I decided to check Benton Williams again. Now that I know he went to Indianapolis for some extra activity, I will have to do a deeper search on his. I expanded my search area to statewide Indiana and came up with a few more listings on him. While I had found his house and the hardware store before, this time I found his marriage record. They have three children, but one other child had died in a car accident five years ago. I shook my head. Maybe that explains some of Hannah’s anger.

  One thing I did find is a picture of Benton. It is his latest DMV picture. They are notoriously bad pictures, but his picture wasn’t too bad. I had not seen his face very well the other day, but the picture I am looking at is a nice looking man. I can see why a woman would be attracted to him. Why he went after other women is another story. Maybe he’d had enough of Hannah, which I can understand. Or maybe their relationship went downhill after the death of their child. I may never find the answer to that question. I printed out Benton’s DMV picture.

  I found two more reports. As I read them over, I could not believe what I am reading. Police arrested Benton twice on a DUI, disorderly conduct and hitting on a woman who did not want anything to do with him. Spent overnight in jail both times and fined two hundred dollars. I printed out both of the arrest reports. Both of these events took place in Indianapolis.

  There were two more reports. As I began reading them, my mouth dropped open. No wonder Benton liked to say he was taking a fishing trip. Although he definitely was not fishing for fish. He’d rented an apartment in Indianapolis. And even worse, he owned another house, also in Indianapolis. What was he up to?

  CHAPTER 9

  The next day, I got ready for a trip to Indianapolis. I worked for two hours on the names in the company file, making a good dent in the list. I still have a lot more names to check, but so far, it is going fast. That should comfort the CEO knowing his employees are honest. Still, I know it is possible I will find someone, seeing that the pharmaceutical company had a conspiracy-type problem not too long ago, and they never found who was responsible. Selling secrets I suppose. Maybe I will find them in the remaining names I still need to research. I will work on it again when I get home.

  I also did some research last night and found out what kind of business Optical Illusions is. It is an exclusive bar. How exclusive, I am not sure, but I intend to find out. The thing that bothered me was if this is an exclusive club, how could Benton afford it? And his hardware store is in a different county. Two more questions I need answers to.

  I have the addresses for the apartment, the house and the exclusive bar with me. I have a set of lock picks in my messenger bag, along with latex gloves and if no one else is living in the apartment, I want to get inside and see if Benton hid something there. The lock picks came from an ex-boyfriend. He even showed me how to use them on any kind of door. Cannot have too much knowledge when you are running down information on someone. Too bad the guy was a jerk.

  I made sure my surveillance cameras are running and taping, in case anyone comes to my door. Then I grabbed my messenger bag, which also has my gun inside, along with my wallet. I put my cell phone in my jean’s pocket and then picked up my keys. I went into the garage and got in my Cherokee. Next, I entered the addresses of where I want to go to today. After pulling out and remotely closing the garage door, I took off.

  It took half an hour to get to Indianapolis and another twenty minutes to get to Optical Illusions. I parked in the large parking lot to the side of the building and parked close to the door. I noticed several cars parked at the back of the building and four more cars parked near me.

  I looked at the building. It is a standalone building, three stories tall and covered in red brick. Not very elaborate on the outside, but from what I saw on their webpage, it is elaborate inside. I can only imagine what they do with the two upper floors.

  Then I looked around at the area. The club is located just west of downtown Indianapolis. The lot the club is sitting on is large with a large parking area for their members. An eight-foot tall privacy fence surrounds the club and parking lot. At the entrance of the driveway is a gate, which I assume they close and lock at the end of the day.

  According to the
webpage, lunch is available only to members each day during the week, which may account for the four cars parked near me. The webpage did not say what other perks the members get, but I can only imagine what they might be. Maybe I can find out once I get inside.

  The only question I have is how did Benton Williams manage to become a member of this club? He does not even live in Indianapolis, so it does not make sense. It is time to find out. I took my gun out of my messenger bag and tucked it under my seat. Then I grabbed my messenger bag and got out. I flipped the strap over my shoulder and headed for the front door. I am not even sure they will let me inside, but I already have an idea of what I can do to get past a guard, if they have one. But, there is no guard and the door is unlocked, so I opened the door and stepped inside.

  What I found inside showed an ambience that was not evident in the pictures I saw online. The room is large. A long bar is on the right side and extends almost the entire length of the wall. A dozen or so tall stools with leather seats are sitting in front of the bar. A door at the far end goes into what I assume is a storage area, where extra alcohol is stored. Behind the bar is a mirrored wall. A line of bottles is in front of the mirror and a low amber light at the bottom of the mirror, giving it a warm look. Wonder what it looks like at night when they dim the lights in the room.

  A twenty-foot square stage is located near the back wall. A door to the right of the stage goes back to what I assume are the bathrooms, an office and an entertainment dressing room. The door to a small kitchen is on the other side of the stage. Inside the kitchen, a couple of men are getting ready for the lunch crowd, which will begin in half an hour.

  The rest of the room contains four-foot square tables, with four chairs around each one. Most of the tables have an off-white tablecloth and a single flower vase, except for a dozen tables near the stage, which have white linen tablecloths and a cut-crystal bowl with a three-inch tall white candle inside. Those tables must be for elite members of the club so they can be closer to the stage. Wonder what kind of shows they have here. Girls probably.

  “Can I help you?” a man said.

  I jumped at the sound of the man’s voice. I looked at the middle-aged man who had just come out of the door to the right of the stage and was approaching me. I took a deep breath and nodded.

  “I sure hope so,” I said, while I stuck my hand in a side pocket of my messenger bag and pulled out my identification. I approached the man and showed him my credentials. “I would like to talk to the manager.”

  “That’s me,” the man said. “I am Roger Blake. Actually, I own this place. So, what do I owe a visit from a private investigator?”

  Darn. He had read my identification. I had hoped to get away with being a police officer. Oh well, time for plan B.

  “I am investigating a man who is apparently a member of this club. I need to find out how long he has been a member and if there have been any problems with him.” I already knew there was, since the address the police put on the DUI charge is the same as this club. I just want to see what the man had to say.

  Roger nodded. “What is the man’s name?”

  “Benton Williams.”

  Roger sucked in his breath. “Oh, yes. I am familiar with him.” He paused a moment. “Normally, I would request a warrant to get that kind of information, but the police are already familiar with him. I take it Benton isn’t having you look into his reputation.”

  I shook my head. “No, I was hired by his wife.” Okay, that is a lie, but one I had to make.

  Roger laughed. “I am not surprised about that. Why don’t you come back to my office and I will see if I can answer your questions.”

  I breathed a quiet sigh of relief as I followed Roger to the back of the main room, through the door, down a short hallway and to his office, which was on the left side, just before the back door. I followed him inside his office and Roger closed the door behind me. The office was good sized, but crowded. A five-foot dark oak desk and high back leather chair sat in the middle of the room, three four-drawer wooden filing cabinets were along the side wall, and a small table with a printer was behind the desk.

  Roger pointed to a black leather and dark oak club chair sitting in front of his desk and then he walked behind his desk and sat down. I sat down on the chair and then sat my messenger bag on the floor. A desktop computer is sitting on the side of the desk, with a black landline phone on the other side.

  “What kind of club do you have here?” I asked.

  “This is an exclusive business club. You have to be a business owner to be a member.”

  I nodded. Okay, Benton is a business owner. Just not here in Indianapolis. So, how did he get to be a member?

  Roger got on his computer, clicked a few buttons and then waited for the information to come up. When it did, he shook his head and then he looked at me.

  “I have met all of the members of this club. To say some of them are interesting would be an understatement. But, I do have rules and regulations for being members and everyone abides by them. Benton has pushed the limits of his membership a few times and I have had to caution him against disobeying them or might have to cancel his membership.”

  “How was he pushing the rules?” I asked.

  “Well, first of all, during the times he brought his wife with him, they tended to get drunk, which is not unusual in a place like this, but he got loud and tended to get into confrontations with others sitting nearby.”

  His wife? That puts a new wrinkle on Hannah and definitely puts her at the top of the suspect’s lists.

  “And that is not the worst of it,” Roger continued. “He was the biggest flirt with the stage dancers. One of the rules is that the stage show is strictly for entertainment. This is not a strip club and you cannot ask them to take their clothes off, do lap dances nor can you ask them out on dates or for any sexual favors.”

  “But he did?”

  Roger nodded. “On those nights he was here alone he did that. He even propositioned some of the waitresses.”

  “Even with his wife here?”

  Roger shook his head. “He didn’t always bring her. Actually, he did not bring her very often. He was worse when she wasn’t here with him.”

  “How many times a month did Benton come?”

  Roger leaned back in his chair and thought a few moments. “I’d say six to ten times a month. Sometimes more.”

  Then I thought of another question. It is doubtful Hannah was with him when Benton came with a wife. “Do you remember about how old his wife is?”

  Roger nodded. “If I remember right, she looked to be in her mid to late thirties.”

  Well, that is not Hannah. Great. Now I have to find whoever was with him, pretending to be his wife. “And they seemed to get along alright?”

  Roger nodded. “Yes, they did get along. He did not flirt with anyone else when she was here. Actually, when she was with him, he was very attentive to her.”

  Benton sure has not been attentive to Hannah. He is becoming more interesting. Then I came up with another question. “Can men and women both belong to this club?”

  “Oh yes. Technically, the women who are members have to be business owners themselves.”

  “So, in order to join, do you have to be a business owner here in Indianapolis or can you own a business in a surrounding county?”

  “No, this club is exclusively for Indianapolis business owners.”

  This is getting worse. “What business did Benton Williams say he owned?”

  Roger glanced at the computer and then he looked at me. “He owns an import rug company here in Indianapolis.”

  I leaned back against the chair. An import rug store? That never turned up in my research. This case is getting more complicated by the minute. Then Roger spoke again.

  “I take it there is a problem that his wife wants you to investigate him.”

  I nodded. Yes, there is the problem. I am not doing this for Hannah, although I am beginning to believe that she is not h
is only wife. Maybe the other woman is just pretending to be his wife. But right now, I cannot tell him that. “Yes, there is a problem. He has been disappearing and she does not know where he is going. He just tells her he is going fishing, but she doubts that is the case. I happened to find he comes here, which is why I am here today.”

  “That is always a problem.” He paused a moment, looking at the computer screen. Then he looked at me. “The information I requested of each of the men and women when they joined the club is not privileged information. Would it help if I gave you a copy?”

  I thought my heart was going to stop beating. I sure did not expect this. “I would love to have a copy. This will help me out a lot.”

  Roger nodded, hit a button and a moment later the printer came to life and printed out two pages. He pulled the pages out of the tray and handed them to me. I did not want to take the time to read what was on the pages, so I tucked them inside my messenger bag. Whatever is on those pages, I hope will answer the questions I have.

  “I appreciate this. I would like to ask you a different question. How long have you owned this club?”

  “Ten years. The building has been here for a lot longer. There used to be a strip club here, but the police raided it so many times, that the owners finally closed it. It sat empty for five years before I bought it. Had to do a lot of renovations before I could open the club. But it has been successful ever since.”