“Go on to the next picture,” Calvin instructed. “There’s an arrow at the bottom to advance.”
The next photo was of Barbara’s face, her mouth open in an O-shape, her head still thrown back. The one after that showed her on all fours with a male behind her, his hands gripping her hips. It was the exact way he had fucked Connie to oblivion only two days before. The next photo revealed a close-up of the man’s face.
He probably shouldn’t have been surprised by this point in time, but his face enflamed with a mixture of hurt, anger, and shock anyway. It was Jim.
All those years Barbara claimed she couldn’t have sex, that it was too painful or unbearable—ten fucking years—
And she was fucking his partner and best friend.
All those times she accused him of cheating on her, of not caring about her or her illness, of being a horrible, selfish husband...
And here she was fucking his partner and best friend.
The detective remained silent as all of the disgusting realities sank their claws into Luke’s flesh. He felt them pierce into his skin with so much vitriol, so much indignation, he felt capable of violence—and he was not at all a violent person.
“This is beyond fucked up,” he finally said. “Where did these photos come from?”
“My son captured them with the cameras he was able to set up inside the beach house.”
Luke lifted a brow as he stared at the detective in disbelief. Calvin Jr. hadn’t breathed a word of this when he’d seen him at the private pool party the day before. “Inside? How did he do that?”
“I already told you their wi-fi was impenetrable unless Calvin could get inside, and so when he did, he installed a couple of cameras. My boy does fine work, does he not?” The pride on the elder Mitchell’s face was evident.
“Has he been able to get anything from the wi-fi?”
“I’m waiting to hear from him any minute. He always updates me on Monday mornings, but yesterday was a holiday, so it’ll be today instead. He has a weekend job that takes up a lot of time,” Calvin Sr. answered.
Yes, being Head of Security at The Factory, Luke mused. He thought Calvin Sr. knew he’d met his son there, but maybe he’d forgotten.
“So what do I do now?” Luke questioned.
“Let’s work on putting together evidence for the divorce. You now have the grounds of adultery—her adultery—in addition to the cruelty we talked about earlier. You can take all of this to your lawyer, and he should be able to start the ball rolling. One question though—”
“Yes?”
“Do you have any type of pre-nup? Anything protecting your business assets?”
Luke’s face fell. “We got married before I went to medical school.”
Calvin’s nostrils flared. “That may be a problem.”
Luke sat with his hands on the steering wheel, gripping it so tightly, he was surprised it didn’t snap in two. He was cycling through various plans of action, but none of them rose to the surface as the winning option. He needed to figure out why Jasmine was lying. Had she been paid off? Was she saying it was a consensual affair? Was he going to face criminal charges?
He had no idea where she lived, and without access to his records at work, he had no way of finding out her address. He should have asked the Mitchells to follow her, but he thought he’d try getting her to speak with him first. They’d always had a good—though strictly professional—relationship before this bombshell. When she didn’t answer his phone call, he sent her a text: Why are you doing this? Please talk to me.
He knew Connie was working, but he tried to call her as well. It went straight to voicemail. He let out a deep sigh as he tried to compose a text in his head before he typed it on his phone. I thought we talked about this—checking with me before believing lies. Trust me, this is all Barbara’s doing, and I have proof. Please. Call me.
He drove home, scared of what might await him there. After the high of the weekend, he never expected to be slammed down into such a deep, dark pit. He couldn’t believe after all these years, Barbara was finally coming after him.
But why? Why now?
And Jim too. He’d been his best friend, partner and confidant. How could he throw all of that away to screw his wife and try to ruin his career? He just didn’t understand what he’d done to deserve all this.
Before aiming his car toward his home in North Ocean City, he decided to head down to Cap’s bait and tackle store, where he ran his charter boat services from, and see if he had a charter going out that afternoon. It was a glorious late spring day, and being out on the water would be a good way to leave his troubles behind, even if only for a couple of hours. Maybe long enough for Calvin to find some information. He made another appointment with his lawyer on the way.
Cap had no issues with Luke joining his twelve o’clock charter. He didn’t even charge him. Luke took a spot not far from Cap’s perch at the wheel and greeted the other fishermen as they boarded. It was a group of stockbrokers from New York who apparently came down to Ocean City the week of Memorial Day every year, a guy’s trip without wives or girlfriends. The testosterone in the air was palpable, but Luke welcomed it.
He knew he wasn’t going to get a chance to talk to Cap, but he didn’t care. He just wanted the sun beating down on him and the cool ocean breeze washing over his skin, cleansing away his tension, even if only for a couple of hours. He wished he had Alfie with him, his wet black nose pointed toward the bow and his beautiful thick fur blowing in the breeze. It would be the perfect way to spend the afternoon.
After they brought the boat back to the dock and the businessmen filed off, Cap killed the engine and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “You okay, Doc?”
Luke sighed. “I’ve got some problems.”
“You need a place to hide out? You can stay at The Factory if you need to,” he offered.
He smirked. “You make it sound like the Mob is after me or something.” He figured that would elicit a smile and a flash of dimples from his boat captain friend, but instead, Cap just gave a little shrug. “It’s just my ex-wife and my partner are in cahoots, apparently.”
“Wow.” Cap’s eyes widened, and he shook his head a bit. “What the hell did you do to them?”
“Good question.” Luke blew out another breath as a seagull landed on the edge of the boat and looked at him quizzically. Then it lifted off, squawking as it ascended into the cerulean sky. “I would say she found out I was going to your club and is trying to exact revenge, but I think this has been going on a lot longer than that. Some of those transactions happened almost a year ago. I think this has been going on for a long time. How did I miss it?”
Cap shrugged again. “You’re human. Don’t beat yourself up. I’ve had a lot of lies and rumors spread about me—still do, either by my competitors or disgruntled folks in the lifestyle. It’s always the most miserable people who act that way. Happy folks don’t need to tear other people down. The best thing you can do is just go on like nothing is wrong. They want you to be scared, to cower. It makes ‘em feel better.”
“So why are you asking me if I need to hide out?” Luke chuckled as he studied his friend’s face.
“I thought maybe you might want to hide out there with your lady friend,” Cap explained. “I know you want to keep her safe—and misery loves company, am I right?”
“Indeed it does,” Luke agreed.
FIFTEEN
Marriage has no guarantees. If that’s what you’re looking for, go live with a car battery. – Erma Bombeck
He’d barely been home long enough to greet Alfie when he saw a small burgundy SUV pull into his driveway. Beverly, his office manager, stepped out, looking as though she’d just come from work. She wore a floral wrap dress and heels, and not a hair was out of place. She rang the doorbell and stood waiting for Luke to answer.
“Hey, Beverly,” he greeted her. “Please, come in. I’m surprised to see you here. Just let me kennel Alfie real fast.”
Luke was taken aback, but quickly reminded himself it was part of Beverly’s take-charge attitude to be a problem solver. It was one of many qualities that made her an excellent office manager. He ushered her into the living room where she arranged herself with one leg crossed over the other and hands folded in her lap. He led Alfie into the laundry room, throwing a treat into his kennel so he’d go in without a fuss. As soon as he returned to the living room, he paused at the entrance to see if his colleague wanted a drink.
“No, I’m not going to stay long. I just want to hear your side of things because what I know so far sure as hell ain’t adding up. I feel like I’ve been fed a bunch of BS, and I need to know if I’m right,” she explained, clasping her hands together as if she were nervous about what she wanted to say.
“Great, well, you may be just as shocked about what is going on as I was when I got to work this morning.” He took a seat on the arm of the loveseat, too antsy to plant himself on the comfortable cushion.
He briefly wondered if he could trust her. Maybe Jim or Barbara sent her over to get information. The whole idea of that level of conspiracy made him want to pound his head against the wall. He’d known Beverly the entire time he’d been in Ocean City. She’d been part of the original practice he and Jim bought out, which meant he had known her longer than him. He suspected her loyalty was to him—and truly hoped he wasn’t wrong about that.
“So, this morning, I got an email as soon as I got out of bed,” she noted, handing him her phone. “Get a load of this.”
His eyes danced across the lines of text. It was from Jim and had been sent to her, Connie, Janet, and Yolanda—basically all the office staff except Jasmine—briefing them on the fact that Dr. Cannon had breached office policies and by-laws and would be placed on administrative leave. Then he said he couldn’t discuss the details, but Jasmine would also be on leave for an indeterminate amount of time. He ended with some bullshit about how the office was going to be busy and behind schedule, but that they owed it to their patients to put their best foot forward and provide the best care possible under the circumstances.
So...Connie got this message? That did explain a few things, but not why she wouldn’t talk to him first. Why didn’t she let him know as soon as she read the email? They’d just had that discussion on Saturday at the club, and already she’d forgotten it?
“So...you went to work after you got this, and then what?” he questioned, waiting impatiently for answers.
“No, I didn’t go to work right away. The first thing I did was call Jasmine. I asked her what the hell this was about.”
“And?” Luke was about to fall off the edge of the armrest, he was leaning so far forward.
“She said you guys had been sleeping together,” Beverly said, trying to conceal a smirk but failing miserably. It was clear she didn’t believe one word of it.
Luke didn’t even defend himself, because it was so apparent it was ridiculous. “I have no idea how much they’re paying her.”
“They’re?” Beverly’s dark eyes widened to reveal a big, white ring around the chocolate brown.
“Jim and my wife are the ones having an affair,” Luke sighed. “I just found out. I have photos, so it’s not just a rumor. It’s really happening.”
“Wow.” Beverly shook her head. “Wow,” she repeated. “Yeah, I may need that drink after all.”
Luke chuckled. As unfunny as the situation was, it was nice to see someone else was as shocked by it as he was. “What do you like?”
“Have any vodka?” Her eyebrows lifted in a hopeful expression.
“Let me see what I can find. Cranberry juice?”
“Sure.”
He went off to the den where he had a liquor cabinet and a small fridge in which he kept mixers and sometimes beer. Barbara wasn’t much of a drinker—and neither was he—but every once in a while a whiskey neat or whiskey sour helped keep him from wanting to escape to some deserted island in the middle of nowhere. He pulled out two short glasses, found the vodka and splashed some in, then topped it off with cranberry juice from the mini fridge.
He handed Beverly the drink, and she smiled in appreciation. “So why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?” she asked after taking a sip.
“There’s nothing going on, not on my end. Jim suspended me, and I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen next. I am afraid he’s going to sue me and try to run me out of my own business.” He gestured over to the table in the foyer where he’d left the copy of the partnership agreement Jim had shoved in his face earlier that day. “I’ve gotta read up on that and talk to my lawyer.”
“I mean between you and Connie,” she elaborated, then took another sip. She held the glass in her hands protectively, like it was a small, wounded animal in danger of being preyed upon.
“What do you mean?” He tried to keep his face from betraying him, but he was nearly certain his pupils dilated as soon as she mentioned Connie’s name.
Sure enough, she rolled her eyes. “Come on, I’ve known you for a long time, Luke,” she said, drawing attention to the fact she used his first name instead of “Dr. Cannon.” “Don’t play me, alright? I’ve been around the block, and I know damn well something is going on between you two. That’s another reason why I knew the whole thing with Jasmine was bullshit.”
“Fine,” Luke conceded. “Though she’s not talking to me currently.”
“That’s because she apparently called Jasmine, and Jasmine gave her the same answer she gave me. Then she called me, and I told her I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but I was heading into work to find out. I was running late at that point, so—”
“So did you talk to her today?” Luke was back on the edge of the armrest again.
“Yeah, sorta. We were really slammed the day after a long holiday weekend, as you can imagine. We didn’t get a lot of time to chat, and naturally we had to wait until no one else was around.” Beverly finished the rest of her cranberry and vodka in a gulp and put the glass on the end table next to the chair.
“Well, are you going to tell me what she said?” he pressed, hating that he sounded so impatient, but his heart was beginning to race again. He wasn’t sure how much more suspense he could take. Not only that, but his face was beginning to feel warm, just like it did in Calvin’s office, but he wasn’t sure if it was because of the situation, the alcohol, or if he’d just gotten too much sun out on Cap’s boat.
Beverly chuckled softly, and it sounded like the vodka had gone straight to her head. “All I really got a chance to say is that I didn’t believe Jasmine for a minute.”
“What did Connie say?”
She cleared her throat. “She said, ‘Sorry, I have a patient in 7.’”
“That’s it?” Now his throat felt like it was burning too. Oh, wait, that was just the rest of the vodka going down.
She nodded and uncrossed her legs. Leaning forward, she gave him a sympathetic smile. “Things are going to work out. You’ll see.”
“I don’t know how you can say that.” He scrubbed his hands down his face, and they felt cool against his blazing hot cheeks. “I am dealing with a level of crazy I never even knew existed.”
She stood up and took a step toward the door. “I better go,” she said. “Who knows what repercussions I might face just talking to you. I just wanted to hear you admit to the thing with Connie. I believe you, Luke. I’ll keep my ears to the ground for you. Jim thinks I’m siding with him, by the way.”
“He does?” Luke’s eyes snapped up from their fixation on the carpet under his feet.
“Yes, sir, he sure does. He called me into his office today and told me that you were facing ‘dire consequences for your indiscretions.’” She chuckled after
doing her best Dr. Thompson impersonation. “Him and your wife together. Eww.”
“Yeah, thanks for reminding me.” He was already thinking about refilling his glass with more vodka, less cranberry juice this time.
“Sorry, you white people are too much sometimes. I feel like I am on a soap opera,” she commented, “or one of those damn reality TV shows. There are probably hidden cameras all over the office.” She shook her head.
“There are cameras in a couple places,” Luke confirmed. “I don’t even know where the footage goes, to tell you the truth. Jim has always handled all that.”
She pointed at him with one hand as she slung her purse over her other shoulder. “You might want to be figuring that out. How do you know there’s not any footage of you and Connie together?”
“We’ve tried to be really careful,” he answered, immediately wishing he had been much more careful. Obviously Beverly had picked up on their connection.
“Yeah, not careful enough,” she concurred. “I’ll be in touch, Luke. Take care of yourself, okay?”
And after he nodded, she was gone.
Bry and Tam had decided to hold the rest of the BDSM workshops on Wednesday nights. Now that Memorial Day had passed, The Factory would be teeming with tourists every weekend, and the management didn’t want to spare the dungeon for a workshop during weekend club hours.
Luke was grateful to have somewhere to go. He’d spent the previous twenty-four hours wishing his phone would ring. He’d tried to call his daughter back, and then his son. Neither would speak to him. He’d tried to contact Connie again. No dice. He felt like the only one who hadn’t blacklisted him was Alfie.
The workshop was about rope bondage and knot-tying. He hoped it would serve as a good distraction from all the stresses bearing down on him, but he wasn’t sure how he would get through the session without a million memories of him and Connie together being triggered by the dungeon.
Turning the Tide (Eastern Shore Swingers, #5) Page 18