Chapter Four
Theo took a gulp and said, “I needed a release. I needed something to relax in between my tight work schedule. I prefer sex. It kept me going. I thought that Nancy would help me expand my business in Pacific Asia. But she didn’t. If she shared my work as well as my bed during the night, I wouldn’t have had to hire Perla. She is a lovely girl, great in bed. I call her Pearl. I think people give too much importance to sex. It’s like eating. Sometimes we eat out. Why make a fuss for a natural urge? I reckoned someone would find out about Perla. So I prepared her for the confrontation. When Nancy met her, Perla told I had hired her out of pity and I had already known her previous profession. It worked out and I escaped Nancy’s wrath.”
Theo shifted his weight and watched the swimming pool glittering in the moonlight. Ryan and Grace sat beside him on the lawn chairs. When Ryan had contacted Theo, he said he had planned to stay in the guest house in Paradise Valley for some time. He didn’t wish to go home as he feared Nancy’s memories would haunt him. Enjoying the cool breeze that washed over him, Ryan asked, “Why did you leave office yesterday in disguise?”
Theo froze. “Who told you?”
“Perla. She saw you leaving the office at around 10:00 and returning at 3.40 in the morning.”
Theo rubbed his forehead. “So everything is out. It’s a long story, detective. After I had the first round of sex with Perla, I got a mysterious call. ‘Buddy, you’re working late nights to make money, but your wife is fucking hard with rich, naughty young boys.’ I shouted, ‘It’s the wrong number, Mister.’
‘“It’s the right number, buddy. Your wife Nancy organizes group sex events and charges a heavy amount for participation. Most of the charities she raising funds for are fakes. If you don’t believe me, you can go and see for yourself. They are having fun at a discreet campsite three kilometers away from Saguaro Lake on North Bush highway inside the dense woods.’
“The call was terminated. I didn’t believe it. I knew Nancy. She was not that type. I called Nancy.
‘“What’s up, honey? I’m going to sleep,’ she said.
‘“Nothing’s up, darling. I dozed off sitting in a chair. I had some bad dreams. I wanted to check to make sure everything was all right. Are you okay?”
‘“Fine, darling. You’re overworking,’ she said. ‘Take a rest. Say hello to Perla.’
“I terminated the call. She said she was at home, but she could have been in the woods and talking to me. I had an app that would track a person by his cell number. I used to track my staff with it. I typed Nancy’s cell number. A map downloaded on the screen and Nancy’s number hovered near Saguaro Lake. I felt uneasy.
“I remembered an incident. One of my friends said Nancy had asked him to make a donation for an organization for physically challenged people. He had donated and received the receipt in an email. But no such organization was found when he searched the internet. He warned that Nancy, without knowing, might have been raising funds for fake companies. I didn’t take it seriously. Not all the organizations had an internet presence. Nancy was an intelligent woman; she would have done the basic research for the companies she was doing fundraising. Could my assumption be wrong? No two people tell the same lie. Nancy might be in trouble. I had to save her. I called Wilton. He knew all my secrets. I told him about the mysterious call I received. “You go to the discreet campsite and check whether group sex activities are going on. Meanwhile, I’ll go home to find out if Nancy is there,” I told him.
“I drove home. The front door slid open to let me in. All the doors in my house use face recognizing software. I went to the upstairs master bedroom. Nancy wasn’t there. I checked the guest bedroom and the spare bedroom. No sign of Nancy. I climbed down. I stood in front of the study room. The door wouldn’t open. I knocked and pushed the door. Then I knew. Nancy had removed my face from the data base. Could she be in the study room sleeping? It was at this time, my cell phone rang. Wilton was on the line. ‘I came to the campsite a few minutes before. Sorry to say this Theo, Nancy is here. I found her car parked beside the bushes. They are completely hidden from view from the highway. I casually walked through the woods and reached a clearing. I caught a glimpse of Nancy in a huge tent. There were a lot of young men and girls too; all drinking and nibbling at the food from the paper plates they were holding in their hand. I could feel the sexual tension. Soon lights dimmed and I saw naked bodies indulging in sex. It was so raw. I felt sick. I could not associate Nancy with this crowd. I believe she must be highly depressed with you and as a sort of revenge, she is participating in group sex or else she is having some kind of mental disorder.’
“I felt dizzy. But I still believed Nancy was innocent. I called her. I expected her to answer the call from the other side of the study. No, no answer, the ring went on and on destroying all my trust I had in Nancy.
“I returned to my office. I thought Nancy had taken me for granted. I needed to show her I was boss. She deserved punishment. Whenever any of my staff made some mistake, like stealing or selling secrets to other companies, I would kidnap him, take him to one of my warehouses, thrash him, break bones, and throw him in a gutter. Next day, I would send my people to take him to the hospital. I would pay the bills and help him recover. I wouldn’t sack him. Once discharged from the hospital, he would return to work. He would continue to do his job obediently and never dare to steal or sell secrets again.
“I planned to punish Nancy like that. Break her bones and then send her to the hospital. Drive home the fact that if she ever ventured out to indulge in group sex again, she would be crippled.
“I had various sets of disguises in the office. I used to wear them whenever I set out to give punishment to my staff. I wore the disguise, went out and got into a battered car I used for this purpose. I hid the car beside the trees grown around the golf course, got out and watched my house. I didn’t want a record of my presence on the surveillance videos.
“Nancy arrived, but she was not alone. Her secretary, Leticia accompanied her. I understood that she too had participated in the group sex activities. I controlled my urge to run to my house and pounce on Nancy. Leticia was a big girl. There was a chance that she could overpower me. Nancy stood in front of the door and it opened wide to let her inside. To my surprise, a young man jumped out from inside the house, darted across the porch, and began to run down the driveway. Nancy screamed and Leticia started to chase the man. What was happening? How could he bypass the surveillance cameras and face recognition software and enter the house? A burglar? I lost the mood to kidnap Nancy and punish her.
“I walked back to my car, drove around aimlessly for two hours and then returned to my office at 3.40. When I got out of my car, I suddenly realized that I had lost my wig somewhere. I was surprised when it was found inside Nancy’s study room. I didn’t know how it got there. The murderer could have put it there to frame me.”
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(End of Sample of Chapters)
The Accident ( The President Series Book 1) Page 9